The races we’re missing: Kruger’s Krossing

Jenny mostly stopped spectating ’cross races after 2013, and looking at photos from this race I can see why. She is not having fun in these photos. Her memories of cyclocross racing may mostly be about keeping toddlers out of ice-cold, knee-deep manure.

I remember particularly racing here in 2010, my last-ever race in the Beginner category. We staged first and had to race through a rime of ice and frozen mud. It was glorious. Orion was filthy from head to toe. I lifted him and his bike over all the barriers. Jenny did not spectate that year, but my brother did.

OTOH do I have to explain why this race was consistently awesome? There was always mud, always a bonfire, always apres-race beers at the Captured by Porches cart.

In the process of reviewing my racing log for the “Races we’re missing” series, I notice that I was probably holding my own in Cat B/3 in 2014. I was mid-third most races. If I hadn’t “retired” in 2015–2016, I might have held some of my fitness into 2017 and on. I also notice that my results really took a dive in 2019, as evidenced particulary by Kruger’s and Barton.

Videos

This is a point-of-view video by a guy who finished just two places ahead of me in 2014. He and I traded places several times throughout, so I’m visible several times here (I’m #705 in the Team Oregon kit):

Kruger's Crossing Cyclocross Classic 2014 from Chris Sautter on Vimeo.