CX Hangover: Sunshine and Singletrack at BubbleCross 2021
For the longest time, I didn’t get it. I’ve been focused on road since I started racing, and at the end of every season my friends would say that cross was coming. They were extremely excited and hyped it up non-stop. I was always too tired though, after months of winter training and a summer full of racing, I just wanted to relax. What could possibly be so good about cyclocross, anyway? Well, this year I finally gave it a shot. BubbleCross was only my second cross race, and it was a fantastic day out. Cyclocross is like an adult playground. You hang out, get dirty, fall down, get back up, yell and cheer at your friends, drink beers, and hang out with dogs. I get it now.
At BubbleCross I learned when people say that cross isn’t just a crit on grass. There are some courses that are, but Bubble has forest and sand sections that really spice it up. I am still getting the hang of doing cross, but my experience at Bubble made me understand what is hard about it: a cross race is like solving a puzzle while you’re trying to hit your best power numbers at the same time.
There is so much to think about: your line into the corner, what gear you’re in, the upcoming sand/wood/barrier section, the guy trying to get past you or the one sprinting away, the bumps on the road and condition of the ground, not crashing into the tape, how many laps are left, what position am I even in? etc. All while you’re at max heart rate pedaling as hard as you can.
With two sand pits, single-track type sections in the woods, long grass sections, and corners getting muddier every lap, BubbleCross had all of it. The best part though: the après-race hangs were just as fun as the race was hard. I’m happy to report that I got 8th in the Cat 4 field, which I am stoked about for my second race in this new discipline. On that note, let’s talk about some race reports!
BubbleCross 2021 Race Reports
Lucia - 4th Category 3/4/5 + 3rd Category 1/2/3
Yes, I did race twice. Seeing as I’m still in the build phase of my training, and doing some endurance events in the next couple of weekends, my coach and I agreed it would be fine for me to do this and not wreck myself for the rest of the month. The first race (W 3/4/5) was the bigger field with 14 starters. I slotted in 3rd wheel going into the grassy hill. Pretty quickly, I knew I likely wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace of the leaders, so I just settled in to what I felt was uncomfortably sustainable. I tried to conserve by resting through all the corners, and threw down power on straights when I could, though the bumpy grass made that challenging. Gear selection was also quite tough on that hill. On the one hand, I didn’t want to spin out too easy of a gear on the velcro-like grassy uphills/false-flats, but on the other hand, being in too hard of a gear meant slowing to a grind on a couple of turns into kickers and making it more difficult to accelerate out of corners. While I practiced and chose the right gearing for the start chute, I realize in hindsight I should have practiced a bit more on the grassy hill in pre-ride. By the end of the 1st lap, the field had more or less settled into the order we would remain for the remainder of the race. 3 more racers had passed me, including teammate Aimee (go Aimee!). By the 3rd time up the grassy hill, I noticed that the racer in front of me seemed to be fading, so I started playing the JAWS theme song in my head and focused on reeling her in slowly. I wanted to make a clean pass, so I waited until the fast straight next to the pit before sand pit 1 to execute & spent the rest of the race trying to keep a steady effort, ride smooth, and stay ahead of the rider I just passed. Sadly Emma (who was leading) suffered a race-ending mechanical, so that left me at 4th in the final count.
Photo by Scott
My second race of the day played out much differently. There were only 3 racers, 2 of whom had raced earlier. I was tired, so I didn’t warm up again. I figured it was still worth racing given finishing the race meant a guaranteed podium and cash payout. Right before the race, noticed that the stanimal (the goopy coagulated sealant blob that forms when a puncture is sealed) that was plugging a sidewall tear in my front tire was no longer holding. But, I pumped the tire up to 30 psi and hoped for the best. By the time we hit the first bumps in the grass, I could feel my tire was already bottoming out. After a couple of sketchy turns, I decided to sit up and just try to ride as gingerly as I could to at least finish the race. Somehow, I managed 6 laps without totally destroying my rims or eating shit in the woods, though the rocky descent into the beach was a teeth-clencher every lap. It was actually still a lot of fun riding the course, cheering for pals who were lapping me (congrats Keith on your win!) and dialing in new and better lines. After a couple years hiatus, I was reminded why BubbleCross is my favorite local race.
Russell - 4th Category 3
This was my first CX race of the season, and my first race as a category 3. It was a bit of an odd start since they didn’t line us up by results and just let us file in as we arrived to the start. Regardless, I did not start well and got boxed out on the first few turns which put me towards the back of the race. Over the second lap I settled in and was able to comb through the ranks towards the front. As I pedaled hard out of the woods I took a line right over a rock, by the time I realized to jump it was too late, and I knocked my chain loose. I stop quickly to get the chain back on but was passed by a number of racers and had to work my way back up slowly. I felt good about the progress I was making only to be derailed again by a loose thru-axle. I rode around a few more turns thinking “can I make it the rest of the race like this?” then “is my bike going to break or something worse if I don’t fix this?”.. “Yeah maybe! Fix the bike ya dummy, so you’ll at least have one tomorrow!” I lost spots again, but had 2 laps to claw whatever I could back. I did exactly that, making it back to 4th place. It was a good experience, and a great course. Bubblecross has a little for everyone, technical sections in the woods, power sections in the grass, and a beach to boot! Weaknesses will be exposed. The sun and friends were out, it was hard to ask for a better cross weekend.
Alvaro - 8th Category 4
I lined up second row, started very well, and was top 5 onto the course. Some guy slid out on the second corner and a lot of people had to stop but I rode around the outside and gunned it. The kid in front was already gone so I was second for the majority of the first lap. One by one juniors kept picking me off, and I ended up 5th. I started fading and some e2value guy passed me and I made several mistakes on the single-track and the sand that made me lose him.
Then I made a bunch of mistakes in the sand in the second to last lap and got passed by a few guys. Another junior flew past me right at the end of the last lap and I came in 8th at the end. NJCX kids are fast and the one that passed me came by to apologize even though his move wasn’t dangerous. That was perhaps the most impressive thing out of my race. Whoever is coaching NJCX is doing an excellent, stand-up job. Props to you, the future looks bright with those kids.
Photo by Scott
Yosef - 3rd Category 5
This was my second cross race ever and I was last to line up due to trying to pre-ride one extra time. I was able to make up a bunch of spots in the hole shot and then a bunch more in the grass. It seemed like a separation happened pretty quickly with about five of us out in front. I realized I was slower than one of the racers in my group throughout the whole course and faster than three racers in the grass sections. I was not faster than any of them in the more technical woods section. I figured the plan was to ride the woods with as little energy as possible, following lines of the more technical riders in front of me (thanks Frank!) and wait to pass folks in the grass. That mostly worked and I found myself in the last lap on a straightaway with only one more person in front of me for second place. I gunned it only to come into the upcoming corner a bit too hot, leading me to take a less efficient line through the last sand pit, hit the giant orange traffic cone and watch as second place slipped away. I recovered and rode over the line for third.
Cross continues to be a huge amount of fun. I really enjoy the puzzle aspect of it: recover here, go fast here so that you fly up this steep part, brake here so that it sets you up two turns later, etc. I’m lucky that some more experienced members of the team had already raced before me and were able to share some very helpful beta (thanks Lucia, Matt & Russell!). Sand is awful and the only way out is power through. And a final takeaway: “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” definitely applies to cross! I executed that last sand pit perfectly every time except the last one where it counted. I came into the prior corner too hot and set myself up for a harder time. I could have backed off much more before that corner, calmed down and smoothly gone through like I had a bunch of times before. Lesson learned.
BubbleCross Galleries
Photographs by Scott
Photographs by Russell
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I race road for To Be Determined and work in technology in NYC.
Cyclocross season kicks-off for the squad with a special double header: running the NYC 5th Avenue Mile followed by racing Bubblecross in West Milford, New Jersey.