Feeling cross about cross

By Tuesday afternoon, I had a whiny post in my head for Wednesday morning.  I had spent over an hour looking at the websites for this weekend's cross race and the USA Cycling Fee Schedule trying to determine if I wanted to participate in the single speed class.  An hour of research wasted and over what?  A half hour race.  My options?

Register online for $20, toss in $5 for a number plate and $10 more for a one day license at the venue. Total cost: $35.

Wait till the last minute, show up at the race, and pay the $10 late fee.  Total cost: $45.

Register online for $20, wake up early on Sunday, get a one year mountain bike license (which technically isn't supposed to be for cyclocross) online (if purchased after Saturday Dec 1st, it's good for 2013) for $60, pay $5 for a number plate, hope I do enough USA Cycling races in 2013 to justify the $60 (I never do).  Total cost: $85

The rant would have continued blog style the next morning, but then the planets aligned.  I was able to make a Tuesday night Fall Classic Ride, and that was all she wrote.

It was a pleasant affair.  By chance, Dick Bruceman (large ProGold rep at even larger) was in town and met us at the Spoke Easy for some beverage related pleasantries.

Dick Bruceman, being the hard working, always on duty rep that he is, thought nothing of grabbing my semi-smelly helmet and dousing it in ProGold Helmet Cleaner and Deodorizer.  Fortunately my helmet pads and straps were only slightly damp by the time I had to step back into the cold darkness for the final half of the ride.  At least I smelled like potpourri.  A couple PBR's, a few Imperials, and an extra 20-30 miles tacked on to my normal day, and I was in no mood to post anything Wednesday morning.

So back to my rant...

The race on Sunday is only 3.2 pleasant miles by bike from my house.

I promised myself I would do a cross race with this cross type bicycle that I own at some point.  I even purchased drop bars at the swap meet earlier this month so I could be more crossy.

It's not that I don't have the money.  At the end of the fiscal racing season, I still have extra money in the slush fund.  It's the principle I'm hung up on.  A local promoter here only charges $5 for a one day license, which in the confusing structure of the fee schedule looks to be within the rules, unless you read that it isn't.

So you shouldn't be able to race cross on a MTB license, but you can.  MTB is only $5 for a one day because it's "Non-Competitive?"  Cyclocross is listed under the $5 fee as well as the $10 fee... as long as you race in a "non competitive" manner, which I would.

I give up.  My issue being, if you were someone mildly interested in the sport, you might show up and check it out.  Seeing that it looks interesting, you plunk down $45 to duke it out with the CX4's for thirty minutes.  A bit discouraging for the first timer... being that you can race a moderate endurance race for slightly more, get a t-shirt, food, race nutrition, schwag...

I'm not saying that promoters shouldn't make money or that cross races are cheap to put on.  I am saying that it is discouraging for us one day interlopers.  How about a no-holds barred open class race an hour before the main events with paper plate numbers and no prizes?

Just for whiny assholes like me.

Don't get me started on their "no sleeveless jerseys" rule.

At least heckling is free.  I hope I can make it.  It could be a busy weekend for me.  There's some trail work to be done Saturday morning, I have a commitment to my accountabilibro (the Gentle Ginger) to scout some trails for an underground'esque race, I want to heckle or perhaps race cross, there may be a meeting to attend Sunday night, and I want to squeeze in a MTB ride... not to mention maybe see my family.

And I need to do something with this:

The beard.  I figured during the month of No-Shave November, it was a good time to blend in with the other follicly challenged men attempting to pull off a respectable face crop.  This full face coverage is not for me, and I need to sculpt it this weekend as part of the project that I mentioned awhile back... the one that was Sasquatch/not King Kong big.