NCCX Winter Series #4

Sunday, January 24 was the finale of the North Carolina Cyclocross Winter Series. After the first two legs of the series were characterized by bitter cold conditions, the third race in Fayetteville last weekend was a mud-fest. With heavy rains looming, the final race in Greensboro promised to dish out some Belgium-esque cyclocross goo.

Sunday's course was held in Bur-Mil Park, adjacent to Lake Brandt. The 3k loop featured two sand sections , a stair climb, and an uphill double-barracade obstacle. The sand pits were particularly tricky, situated back-to-back at the top of a gradual climb and separated by a u-turn. The sand was loose and deep, and all but the strongest riders ground to a halt if they attempted to ride through it. The smart rider ran through the pits, but this resulted in dismounting, running, remounting to ride through the u-turn (which was a bit too long to run), and then dismounting again for the second pit. While this approach was generally faster for most riders, it added up to four total dismounts each lap. This tricky and well-placed obstacle truly made competitors pick their poison each lap. Fortunately, the heavy rains held off, and the course was muddy but very rideable.

I again did the Cat 4/Masters 35+ double, placing 19th in the Cat 4 race while struggling with asthma toward the end. I cruised at the back of the field in the Masters race, finishing 15th and keeping my heart rate low enough to recover from my earlier breathing issues. My non-stellar but consistent finishes notched me 11th place among Cat 4s for overall series points and 9th place for Masters 35+.

I was travelling solo on Sunday, so I have no race pictures. However, for your consideration:

The blue poison frog, or dendrobates azureus. D. azureus is a mid-sized dendrobatid frog weighing about 3 grams and having a length ranging from 3 to 4.5 cm. It inhabits small isolated forest areas surrounded by the dry, prairie-like Sipaliwini Savannah at elevations from 315 to 430 m. It prefers a dark, moist environment, living only near small streams among moss-covered rocks. It typically remains on the ground, but has been found in trees at heights of up to 5 m. D. azureus is terricolous and remains close to some type of water source such as a stream. It is very active during the daytime (diurnal) and moves constantly with short leaps.

The blue poison frog has nothing to do with the NCCX Winter Series race #4, but it is wearing a handsome shade of Velosports Racing blue. However, if you are ever in the South American country of Suriname and spot a pretty little frog wearing a handsome shade of Velosports Racing blue, do not touch it, because it will kill you dead.

With the 2009-2010 cyclocross season in the books, it's time to hang up the cross bike and hit the road. Amy and I will be headed down to Greenville, SC, in late February to kick off our road-racing seasons. Til then, stay dry, ride safe, and don't touch the blue frogs.