CX withdrawal

[pll]

I am going through some CX withdrawal and wishing there was at least one more race after Xmas....

Happy new year to all!

[Bones8]

I have not done a race yet but have a feeling I will feel the same way next year. I am hoping to do a race or two this upcoming fall. There aren't any near me normally so that will mean some traveling (not necessarily a bad thing since I can always use a weekend getaway). How many races did you do this year?

Actually, I just noticed you are near DC. I am on the Eastern Shore so likely I will be traveling to the same races as you!

[pll]

Hey Bones8! I think you will feel the same this time next year.... I did 15 races this year, trying to learn how to handle my bike. There are tons of races through the series in the region -- I know of three (VACX, Sportif Cup and Super 8) + additional 'unaffiliated' races like Milkhouse Brewery CX (that was a ton of fun!). Let me know which ones you are thinking of attending.

[Bones8]

Holy cow! 15? Are they expensive? How early in the year do they usually start? I ask because right now I am focusing more on my running and duathlon training and don't plan to start really doing any cx training (running mounts and dismounts, carrying the bike, etc) until June or so.

Also, are you coming this way for the Wild Goose Chase?

[pll]

Not that hard to accumulate them -- a bunch of them were close to home. I had a friend visiting from Chicago and we did both days of Charm City CX; I did two races in one day at Hyattsville; DCCX, another 2 days of racing, was basically in my backyard. Around here, the races start in mid September. Here are the web sites of the series I mentioned:
VACX: http://vacyclocross.com/?p=390
Sportif Cup: http://www.sportifcrosscup.com
Super 8 CX: http://www.super8cx.org

I had not planned for Wild Goose Chase. Have you done it before? Are you doing Monster Cross (https://www.bikereg.com/monster-cros...groundforce-it)? It has a run (15k or 5k) on Saturday, a 50 mile ride on Sunday. I will be doing the 5k, while some friends will do the 15k. We will be staying in Richmond.

[Bones8]

The Monster Cross looks really fun! 50 miles sounds intimidating but I know I could handle the 21 miler. Our wedding anniversary is that Saturday but maybe we could turn it into a weekend getaway and do something fun Saturday night. I'm going to bring it up to hubby tonight. I'll also check out the other links you posted.

I have never done the Wild Goose Chase before but have been planning on it for this year. However, I just found out that the St Michael's Running Festival is also that weekend, so I might run in that on Saturday instead and just do the fun ride on Sunday.

[pll]

You had asked about the cost -- relative to triathlons (especially if you do IronMan ones), bike races are cheap: $25-35 per race, plus the $3 convenience fee of bikereg.com. You need a USA Cycling license and whether you get a one day license ($10) or an annual one ($70) depends on how many races you are planning to do. Since I do more than 7, I get the annual one. It's also good for road racing, track and MTB, if you are considering such events. If you sign the day of the race, there is usually a $10 surcharge.