I didn’t race this weekend. Seems kind of weird. Decided maybe I should train some more before I make which seems like another foray into the cyclo-x scene. But, I haven’t done very much cyclo-x bike riding since my bike is still disassembled in my bike bag in my garage.

But, I did go over to Kansas City this morning and meet up with Bill Marshall and the other cross guys to help dial in the Nationals course.

I soon realized that I didn’t have much experience designing courses. We rode around the park for an hour or so and I was trying to prioritize what is the most important features. And, in the United States, I think one of the most important parts is being spectator friendly. If I’m watching a cross race, I want to see as much of the action as possible first hand. I thought the race in Las Vegas was kind of a drag riding, but it was a blast watching. I think the races in Portland and Providence were pretty spectator friendly. A cloverleaf designed course with the riders passing the central point multiple times a lap. With the UCI rules mandating a 3 km course, the laps get pretty long, time wise, and spectators watching can tend to loose track of the race.

Hopefully, if anything, this course will be spectator friendly. And, be fun to race. And challenging. Bill is drawing up a map from the GPS and is posting it at the KCX Nationals website this week.

Thinking of heading over to Cincinnati next weekend for the two UCI races. Til then…