Have you ever had the great idea of ridding your bicycle through sand?
The feeling is hard to describe. Your front wheel wants to dig into the sand. Your bike moves under you in unpredictable ways, and if you pedal too hard your rear wheel digs a hole in which you get stuck instead of moving forward. If you’ve ever experienced running in deep sand, where it feels like when you propel yourself forward, half of the energy gets sucked by the sand and you’re not moving….well imagine the same feeling but now you also have to carry a bike with you for fun! And you’re wearing rigid cycling shoes.
Sounds like great fun, doesn’t it?
Here’s the thing though…yes, ridding in sand can be a nightmare. But at the same time, when you get the hang of it, even for just a handful of seconds, it’s one of the best feelings you can get on a bike! If you manage to hit a corner and ride a sandy rut and you feel your bike gripping and propelling you forward…WHOOO! Or when you come in with speed in a flat section and you manage to power your way over the sand…or when you go downhill quickly and feel like you are floating over it. One of the best feelings a bike can give you!
The only problem? For me, these good feelings are still too few and far between. Between each moment of ecstasy of good sand skills execution, I unfortunately manage 2 or 3 small mistakes where my rhythm gets sucked and momentum gets interrupted.
The iconic Zonhoven course
Zonhoven, where the World Cup was happening this weekend, is one of the most iconic cyclocross race course. The arena looks like a giant sand bowl, with big sand descents and climbs, with thousand of spectators gathering in the bowl to watch the show. The view is spectacular. As a racer, you can hear the roar of the crowd, and the OOOOHHHH and AAHHHH hinting at both moments of glory, or glorious crashes from various racers around you.
I mentioned earlier the nightmarish or the ecstatic feelings of riding in sand. I experienced both this weekend. After my first lap of pre-ride on the eve of the race, I was both terrorized and felt like I couldn’t ride a bike. I stayed positive, took my time to evaluate the demands of the course, and focused on my technique. Eventually, after 3-4 laps, my dread had turned to enjoyment. By the time I pre-rode for a last time before the start of the race, I felt like I could actually perform here. I liked the course and felt conformable on it. I felt ready.
Searching for that extra gear
Starting on the 4th row, I struggled getting through traffic on the first lap. It was chaos. I then passed some people one by one, going absolutely as fast as I could and riding the sand sections as cleanly as I could. I would pass one, then make a mistake and get passed again…and this happened back and forth for about 3 laps. Then, I found myself alone between two groups. Each lap I focused on transitions and execution and I felt like I got exponentially more experienced at everyone of the 6 laps of the race.
In the end, I finished 19th. Not great, not terrible. I think this describes well the “sand rider" I am…not great, not terrible. I did the best I could and can’t be disappointed by that. I found a way to enjoy this beast of a course and to ride it somewhat well and I’m proud of my sand riding progression. But at the same time, I’d like to do better. Some of the girls at the front were SO good…so much that only 24 out of the 64 racers finished on the same lap as the winner. To be honest, knowing how hard it is to ride well in the sand, I can only appreciate the artistry and athleticism that they were displaying. A true work of art I will keep working hard to learn.
David asked me : "If this race comes back in the calendar next year, would you decide to do it or go to Spain a week earlier to train?". It turns out, I would be glad to try it again. I did, in fact, enjoy it.
We are now in the camper, driving the 17 hours to Spain where we will spend the next 2.5 weeks. I’m definitely lacking a bit of spark right now in my fitness, and I hope that I can find that extra gear from training hard in the sunshine of Spain. I'm also looking forward to the next races we have ahead. Riding in the sand is a special beast, so much that at times, it doesn't feel like a normal bike race. This is the beauty of cyclocross, but at the same time, I have to say I'm excited to race a more "normal" bike race again. I felt great after Herentals on Tuesday and I look forward to another pure bike race again soon.
Meanwhile, Mia Dog is excited to go to the ocean…and she thinks she could have easily won the race in the sand. She has no problem going full speed in a sandy off camber descent. She only wonders why the hell we were trying to go down on a bicycle?