First Cross Race

Jensen after his race

OK, this isn't really my first cross race.  It is the first one of the season for the Ottawa Cross series, but that's not really what this post is about.  It's about the first cyclocross bike race (in fact, the first bike race) that my son, Jensen, participated in. 

Jensen has been biking for several years, and began mountain biking in earnest this summer.  Of course, I'm anxious to encourage his biking, being that I'm quite obsessed with it (OK, at least I can admit it...); however I'm also careful not to push too hard, to avoid turning him off the activity. 

So the Ottawa Cross series kicked off on 25 September at Calabogie, and the conditions couldn't have been better.  We had decided to travel to Calabogie on Saturday, and camp Saturday night.  We traveled with Rob Kerr and his family, making the trip as much about camping with friends as it was about a bike race.  Rob's son, Liam, has quite a bit more riding under his belt than Jensen, so it has been good for Jensen to bike with Liam - to give him motivation, to give him a good model for skills, and to make it fun.  I've found out the hard way - as soon as it stops being fun, the kids tune out fast!  And as expected, the kids (Jensen and Liam, as well as the girls Mia and Breagh) found a hill, a jump, and a loop to occupy lots of time on their bikes at the camp site. 

Start of the B race, Liam in red and yellow

Camping was fun, but there was a race to do!  Sunday was a great day, once the sun rose it felt like a summer day - good for the kids, since they were in the 9:00am start!  Unfortunately, due to my poor planning, we showed up too late for Jensen to do a lap to see what the course looked like.  Well, he'll just have to figure that out on the first lap (I know, that's not fair, it won't happen again!).  But off they go anyway.

Carving a wicked turn

The kids did two and a half laps, and it was very exciting for me to watch.  I now believe that a cross race is probably the best venue for youngsters to start racing.  The cost is minimal, the race is short (or as long as they want it to be), and the scope of the course is small.  I was able to walk back and forth across the course and watch him at each part of the course.  At one point, the kids were supposed to turn right to bypass the big run-up - unfortunately, since we didn't get a chance to pre-ride the course (oops), he went the wrong way - but at least I was able to call out to get him back on course.  It was awesome to watch him racing around, on his own, making his own choices to try to ride, or dismount and run, and to just keep on given' 'er! 

It was also fun to watch him racing around on his "new" bike - which is actually his mother's old 14" Santa Cruz Juliana, 26" wheel.  If someone would have told me a few weeks ago he could ride a 26" wheel, I would have argued that the geometry is all wrong, little kids can't handle the 26" wheels, and they won't learn the right skills.  I take that all back now.  Especially when mountain biking, the 26" wheels are a huge asset compared to smaller wheels.  And I can fully understand the issue: I've switched to a 29er this year, and I love the bigger wheels.  Not to mention that the Santa Cruz is probably lighter than his current 20" bike.

In the end, Liam came 2nd and Jensen came 3rd in the Under-11 category.  I am very proud of the effort he put in, and I expect he'll be out there for a few more races this year. 

Jensen and Liam after their race

We're all looking forward to the Madison next weekend in Almonte.  Jensen and Liam are going to be on a team, and it looks as if Jensen's younger sister, Mia, is going to race also - apparently the fun at the cross races is contagious!