Fishnets at Kisscross!

By Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Brrr. True ‘cross weather arrived in style (?) this weekend. With our local race promoter facing tough course decisions — cancel? postpone? venue change? — our race plans for the weekend were up in the air all week. We found great backup choices in Chicago & Monroe (MI), but everything came together at the 11th hour & the kisscross race went ahead at a “recycled” park. MANY THANKS to race sponsors Crazy Bastards Cross, for getting creative at the last minute & creating a fantastic course at a park we had raced at only 2 weeks prior.

Flurries of snow, gusts of wind, MUD (naturally), 33oF temps, and MORE WOMEN RACING made for a fun day out. Well, that and the post-race garage party that followed. The course was awesome for the C&B races — fast pavement start, with a bend into a set of 6 stairs (up), mixed pavement and grass into a barrier/hairpin combo, nice little straightaway, ride along a hill, a few funky descending turns through packed sand, and then …. a gushy, squooshy run up. Gushy, squooshy run up complete with TROMBONE PLAYING FAN & his cowbell-laden family! Talk about motivating! Charge !!!! Remount & descend, little bit of single track, massive mandatory puddles, gravel road, and then OILY, OILY soup for several hundred meters. Not sure if it was my tires, tire pressure, lack of skill, lack of power, or all of the above, but that section was tough. I feel bad for the folks passing me, kindly saying “on your right”. I did my best to stay out of the way, honest! But the old bike was on autopilot through the slick sections. Past the oil, back to the stairs, wash, rinse, repeat. Absolute KissCross perfection, except for one thing: The A racers (which does NOT include me!) missed out on the oily fun, as the course was rerouted because of the turf damage taking place.

Click HERE for results & future race information. The KissCross series is SUPER beginner friendly, grassroots, and a lot of fun. Come out and play next week (mountain bikes are a-ok)!

Monica Tory, B Women, 5th

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