As the field rounded the first corner after the flyover on Day 1, we got yelled at. Except this time it wasn't much of a heckle. "Sandbaggers!" They yelled. They weren't wrong; the front group was composed of several higher-category road racers. Those of us with enough power to make up for our lack of cyclocross skills. That front group blew apart after the first lap though, as the better bike handlers comfortably chipped away at the lead and eventually took off with it. It was a repetition of all my 'cross races thus far: fast enough to be somewhere near the front but not skilled enough to step on the podium. Cyclocross is a game of skill, composure, and extending your bike handling limits – all of which require learning and practice. I started this process last year, and I came to Charm for a 2-day final exam.

Header photo by Scott Rettino, all others by Matthew Vandivort

Starting from scratch

You can probably pick out the roadies at a Cyclocross clinic very quickly: the over-confident and painfully-oblivious people on gravel bikes with slick tires, some of whom may even still be on road pedals. The biggest mistake strong road racers make is assuming they'll be good at cyclocross just because they know how to ride a bike on asphalt. The first cross race is humbling, and some call it quit then and there. My partner Emma taught me a lot of things to start off with, so I was prepared. However, I had my large servings of humble pie as well, and it was clear I was starting from scratch. I came to learn though, and coming into cyclocross with an open mind (and a desire for comic relief) is the only way to do that.

Lessons learned, applied at Charm

I hadn't done a muddy 'cross race up until a few weeks ago at Pineapple CX in PA. Before that, it was mostly dry or slightly wet grass. Day 1 at Charm wasn't too muddy, but Day 2 was a mud-fest so it was a true test. Some of the things that came up at Charm for me were:

• Don't think about staying ahead of the person behind you, think about catching the one in front

• Be patient; don't blow up too early

• I'd rather run than fall when it's too risky

• Shift BEFORE you corner, especially when there's a steep section afterwards

• Green is grip, especially in a muddy race!

• Proper shouldering technique actually helps, and shoulder before you think you need to

• If you're going to ride the off-camber, immediately go to the highline at the start of it

• If you're having fun, you can enjoy any conditions

How it went down

Day 1

Started off WAY too hot, led for a lap and promptly blew myself up. I didn't fall but I did make several strategic mistakes: trying to ride up the muddy corner after the barriers, taking the muddy racing line through the off-camber section in the woods instead of riding the green bits, getting to the stairs and not having my bike on my shoulder yet (then tripping up the stairs as I fixed that), and getting stuck in a big gear onto the steep ride-ups a few times. I ended up 5th and incredibly tired from what seemed like mistake after mistake followed by panicked fixes.

Day 2

I knew this was going to be my last race as a 4, so I wanted some vindication with a podium. I got a good start after finding a spot in the front row that no one took. I patiently did my first lap behind the leaders, focusing on not making mistakes and observing what was faster since the guys that got 1-2 were very talented. I ran some of the muddy 180s in the woods, even though they weren't perfect. I focused on riding the green areas even if it meant crossing the mud to get from one green spot to the other. I pushed my bike in the off-camber high line and then got on and rode down for the first two laps then corrected to shouldering the entire thing for the last two laps. I had a really fun battle for 3rd place with a rider who was significantly better at cornering than I was, and eventually had to dig deeper than ever to get away at the end.

Lastly, I focused more on having fun in the mud and completely forgot about the front two guys. I came in 3rd to finally get that coveted cyclocross podium after 9 races. Now to start from zero again in the 3s…