Early cyclocross racing started for me on August 26 at the Syracuse Bicycle Cyclocross Festival, held at the Empire Farm Brewery in Cazenova, NY. A fun and Challenging race course through the grounds of the Brewery. A 12th place finish was a very promising start to the season for me.

The following weekend I once again headed west to the Syracuse area. This time to Chittenango, NY for the BonkWerx Cyclocross Race. It was held on the property of Clear Path for Veterans. Another challenging Central New York race course that required my mountain bike skills to come out. With another 12th place finish, I feel the best I ever have for that early in the season.

Kirkland CX barriers

Two weekends off from racing then brought me to Kirkland Town Park for Kirkland CX and the start of the NYCROSS Race Series. I always like this race and I usually ride well. This year was no exception. The 2 mile course was changed a little bit, which I thought was a definite improvement over previous years. I think between my fitness and readiness for the season, this year’s course suited me a little better too. NYCROSS categories and Masters age groups where changed up quite a bit. This year my NYCROSS category is 50+ which include 50+ and 60+ scored separately for the day’s racing, and together for the overall. I finished 12th in age and 15th overall. The 15th place finish is the one that counts for the overall. I had a very strong and clean race that is even more promising for me.

The next weekend of racing will bring me to KMC Crossfest in Thompson, CT, at the Thompson Motor Speedway. This will be my first ‘big’ race of the season.