Time to Cowboy Up

Colorado Veldrijden Crusade is sponsoring the Carbon Cross Epic Ride tomorrow at Bear Creek Lake Park near Morrison, CO. This is a new format for a cross race – it is an epic 10 mile loop with groups doing 1, 2, or 3 laps depending on which group they race in. The Beginners race 1 lap.

It is one of the few cyclocross races that has a "Beginner" category, so I've had it on my calendar since late August.

Wednesday night I put Mr Tuffy strips and Slime tubes in my cyclocross bike's tires, remembering that Bear Creek is thick with goathead thorns.

Of course, our Canadian friends have decided to send a miserable weather system our way – which is slated to arrive in the Denver area tonight.

No self-respecting cyclocross racer would avoid an event due to weather. In fact, it seems that the nastier the weather, the more they enjoy the race.





It is apparent that I'm not a cyclocross racer. Right now I'm having a wimp attack.

Here is the weather forecast . . .

Tonight: A chance of snow before midnight, then snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Calm wind becoming northeast between 11 and 14 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of snow and freezing drizzle, mainly before noon. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 33. East wind between 3 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

The beginner race starts at 830 am – and the forecast is not optimal:

Time 8 am
Condition 23°F Snow Shower
Feels Like 13°F
Chance Precip 50%
Humidity 81%
Wind From NNE 10 mph

My bike is ready; I just don't know if I am! I plan to make a "game day" decision on whether to ride . . . stay tuned.