De Stad Cup Mudfest

Sunday's De Stad Cup was the first "real" cyclocross race of the season, in that there was mud, rain and frigid temperatures.

While surveying the course I thought, "this could be a race where one could launch an attack off the line and hold it for the remainder of the race."

The 3/4 men raced last. By then, the course was thoroughly churned and rutted. Patches of grass lined the edges, but deep, slimy, mud ruled the day. If you could get some distance between you and the field, you could put some serious time on the field while fellow racers jockeyed for position through the first slippery turns.

As we were lining up Cycle City racer, Chris Hershey looked at me and said, "this is the guy that's going to win it today." I assume he thought my background as a mountain biker would play a pivotal role in the muddy onslaught that was about to begin. 

Not only did I prove him wrong, I made him eat his words.

I managed to get my first solid start of the season, came off the line in first place and appeared able to get the hole shot. If I could ride clean through the first few turns, I might have a chance at staying away. Then reality set in — as I reached the apex of cobblestone section my legs and lungs were done. 

 Fellow Bad Goats John Waller, Aaron Apel and myself spent the race slipsliding across the course, finishing low in the standings but in high spirits.

Results can be found here.
Series standings can be found here.

Thanks again to Miss Jaime Atkinson for shooting video in the cold and wet!

Hershey, on the other hand, had the audacity to surge through the field and stay off the front for the remainder of the race, winning by a healthy margin over rest of the mud-covered 3/4 men. In the process Chris picked up his second win of the season. Well done sir.