Sunday was the first race of the Winter Short Track Series hosted by Charlotte Sports Cycling. Everyone was fearing cold weather but somehow Neal ordered a beautiful January day.

My race was at 12 but I arrived early to set up the Cool Breeze/Trek Bike Store Team tent with Sarah. My first race of the day was the Sport 40+ class. I lined up on the 2nd row feeling confident that I could get a good start. I was joking with my buddy Wayne when the race started. I usually don't have a problem getting clicked in but missed my pedal but managed to keep my momentum and eventually get clicked in before the first turn.

I entered the turn 1 and used some of my road experience to pass 4 or 5 guys. I took a small risk and entered the woods in about 5th place. The first lap was uneventful and I did my best to keep my heart rate under control.

Nothing like sleeping in late.  I was up about 10 minutes after I wanted to get up but still thought I had enough time to get to the NCCX Race number 9.  Unfortunately, I underestimated the trip time by about 10 minutes, didn't expect to miss a turn, and ultimately miss my race. 

I did find the course about 10 minutes after my race started so I watched my friends race.  The course looked brutal with a lot of climbing.  Not too many riders looked as though they were having fun.   I'm almost glad I missed the race.  I had a hard ride on Saturday, much harder than I wanted.  I did the Solstice ride out of the Cycle Path in Davidson and it was 'game on' for some reason.  I probably would have suffered bigtime in the race.

I will be there on time for the race in Winston Salem and hope to be competitive for the first time all year.

North Meck Cyclocross Series #4

Race #4- November 29 2011

Huntersville NC - By Jon Clark

Proper cyclocross weather finally came to the Carolinas for the last round of the North Meck Cyclocross Series on Tuesday night. Racers were challenged with a wet, windy course and temperatures in the high 30’s.  Afternoon rain tapered off before registration opened, but the course got slick and muddy as the night went on.  Promoter Neal Boyd setup a slightly less technical course for the conditions, and DeFeet provided some nice prizes for the final round podium finishers.

November 8 2011

Huntersville NC - By Jon Clark

Charlotte area racers were treated to a tight, technical course for round 2 of the North Meck Cyclocross Series on Tuesday night.  The race management crew from Charlotte Sports Cycling added a spiral section, several off-camber turns, and reversed the course direction from last week- providing a good challenge and a much different feel from last week’s course. 

Race #1- November 1 2011

Huntersville NC.  Written by Jon Clark

The North Meck Cyclocross Series kicked off Tuesday night in Huntersville with great weather and a fast dry course for the opening round.  For the fourth year of this USAC sanctioned training series, promoter Neal Boyd used a similar course setup from previous years- featuring traditional barriers, wooden stair- step run-ups, and a short gravel section near one of the softball fields.  The course winds through several flat grassy areas, but takes advantage of some sidehills and off-camber sections as well.  North Meck Park has lights for the softball and soccer fields, and the course is well-lit for night racing.

Please use this link and send a message (or copy the one below) to ESPN about this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=2826900

Here is a neat video regarding the No Needles policy in professional cycling.