The Big Picture: DCCX | Brett Rothmeyer
It’s been hours since the sun has gone down, I lay here and ache. You have drained me down to … Continue reading The Big Picture: DCCX | Brett Rothmeyer
It’s been hours since the sun has gone down, I lay here and ache. You have drained me down to … Continue reading The Big Picture: DCCX | Brett Rothmeyer
Kerry Werner (Kona Endurance) swept the weekend and Carla Williams (Joe’s Bike Shop) took her first victory at a UCI-inscripted … Continue reading Recap: DCCX Day 2
Kerry Werner (Kona Endurance) and Arley Kemmerer (Fearless Femme) took UCI C2 wins on the first day of the 2017 … Continue reading Recap: DCCX Day 1
In the early to mid 1980’s my mom took my brother and me on a weekend trip to Washington D.C. with her new boyfriend, Gary I think it was, who had bought us both full army camo outfits to wear for the trip. At the time being a kid I thought nothing of it, in fact I’m sure I was excited, because what 10 year old boy isn’t stoked about basically dressing up like a member of G.I. Joe. Continue reading “The Big Picture: DCCX”
2012 Preview DCCX 2012 Preview from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo. 2011 Highlights DCCX 2011 from In The Crosshairs on … Continue reading DCCX: A Video Compilation 2009-2012
This Sunday is DCCX, the only cyclocross race in the nation’s capital. It’s the biggest race of the BikeReg.com Super … Continue reading 2012 DCCX Course Preview
Every race in the MABRAcross Super 8 is breaking all kinds of attendance records this year. But DCCX is just … Continue reading 2011 DCCX Video
DCCX, Washington DC’s cyclocross party, happens this Sunday on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. If you haven’t … Continue reading 2011 DCCX Course Preview
[Ed. Note: Periodically we have guest columnists here at In The Crosshairs. One of our favorites is Jay Morali, who last penned an article for us about this time last year. Jay returns with a column about the internal battle most of us find ourselves in each week on the cyclocross course. Simply put (and I’m paraphrasing Adam Myerson, here) the battle boils down to this: is the physical pain of trying to hang on to that wheel in front of you less or greater than the mental pain you will feel later if you let it go?]
“If you ain’t first, you’re last!”
-Ricky Bobby
Too often in life we subscribe to Will Ferrel’s lovable character’s motto from the movie Talledega Nights and we focus solely on the “winner” or “champion” and forget about the rest of the competitors. Look at the great Laurent Fignon, who just passed away. He will be remembered more for the one memorable race he lost instead of the many he won. And it’s not just on the professional level. Just last year I came home from a race after turning myself inside and out to come in second place. I get out of my car and my neighbor, who has no idea what a tubular tire is, asked me how the race went. I proudly told him I crossed the finish line a few seconds behind the winner to claim the second spot on the podium and his response was, “Great, first loser”.
If you race cross long enough and move through the various categories you will find yourself at some point in many different positions in the race. One year you might be fighting it out each week for a podium spot and the next just trying not to come in last. I am currently facing the latter. Last year, I was getting front row call-ups, winning holeshots and picking my own lines. Now, I am five rows back and “rubbin’ paint” as we fight to get past the prologue! (my second NASCAR reference. What do you expect from a Mississippi boy?) But as we all know, unless you are lucky enough to be leading a race, it doesn’t really matter where you are because one thing is always certain in cross: there is always someone in front of you to catch and pass. This is where most of us spend 100 percent of our race.
The purpose of this article is to look into the minds of a couple of the prominent racers across the Mid Atlantic and get a sense of what they are feeling during the “chase.” Do these guys hurt like we do out there? Do they have negative thoughts and consider packing it in? I think you will enjoy their insights and may even learn something from their experiences.
Wes Schempf, a fellow C3-Athletes Serving Athletes teammate, is considered one of the best in the area. He is a former overall MABRAcross and MAC Elite title winner. Wes has had a few memorable experiences racing against pro mountain biker Jeremiah Bishop. Wes explains what it is like for him to fight it out with the former U.S. Champion in MTB short track and marathon in a cyclocross race.
“As you mentioned, Bishop and I have had some experiences,” Wes told me. He explained that his battles with Jeremiah fall into a routine script. “I know that mental preparation is almost as important as physical preparation,” Schempf said. “For some reason, Bishop has a mental voodoo blocker on me. I just can’t seem to get around the fact that he consistently beats me. This has led to a negative feedback loop where if I know he’s racing then I start to think that I’m racing for second.” Continue reading “Through the Eyes of the Chaser”
The 2010 DCCX course, which took place October 24 at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C., offered several … Continue reading DCCX Non-Tandem Helmet Cam