Let's go to a bike race!

I've been in Liverpool for just over one week now and it is starting to feel like home. So far I've only been lost twice and I've ridden the train in wrong direction just one time, which is pretty good considering that there aren't any hills or mountains visible for me to orient myself!  The people in Liverpool are very friendly and they like to point out that they are much nicer than Londoners, a statement that might have less to do with Liverpool and more to do with the fact that London bashing seems like a trend anywhere outside of London. Anyway....

Smart Car with a trunk rack! 

This past Saturday Justin had a cyclocross race which was conveniently held in park down the road from our flat! During summer Justin joined the Liverpool Century Road Club (founded 1916!) so he could meet some other cyclists and the club served as race hosts. He went down to the park just after sunrise and helped the club set up the course. I wandered down a few hours later and hauled equipment for the race pit. It was great to meet some of Justin's friends who I've heard about all summer, especially a silly Welshman named Geraint who spent several years living in the US while he pursued a Post Doc.  It seems like his experience as a foreigner in the US has made him extra empathetic to foreigners living in the UK as he has been constantly helpful to Justin since they met.  Geraint was the race announcer and race DJ which meant that instead of the usual UK pop, the racers heard a mix of late 1990s top 40 tunes along with such exciting hits as Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" which made everyone think of the Full Monty. This was kind of awkward given all the lycra.

The pink bike ladies battle it out in the "Under 10" category!

The event started at 11am with the first few races dominated by the youth categories. The Under 18 group was as to be expected, a bunch of teenagers taking themselves too seriously on bikes that their parents spent a fortune on. A particular highlight was seeing a cocky teenager in a completely coordinated outfit and bike warm up by trying to bunny hop the barricade. He had an epic fail and fell on his face despite the fact that the barricade was about as high as a US curb. Wah wah.

My favorite category was the Under 10 group which was dominated by little girls between the ages of 4 and 6! It was pink bikes and pink wellies! One girl rocked a fawn colored velour track suit with her boots. Yes! They were all smiles, unlike most of the other racers on the field that day. Why so serious?

Justin warms up in his jeans.  No Brit would ever do this!

Over the past five years I've been to a lot of cyclocross races, mostly in or around Portland as a part of the Cross Crusade Series. Those races are like a muddy carnival with tons of cowbells (a European tradition), fun music, beer gardens, cones of Belgian style frites (with garlic mayo) and generally over a 1000 people. The races and spectators are silly, prone to heckling and tempting racers with hand-ups of dollars, bacon or beer. Don't know what a hand-up is? Here's a tutorial video. Now imagine it as sillier (donuts on fishing poles, dollars in cleavage, etc) and you will get the idea of the PDX cyclocross scene.

The Pros at the start.

The Northwest (England) Cyclocross Association is a stark contrast to the Portland scene. Racers brought pit bikes and mobile washing stations for their "mechanics" to spray off their bikes between laps! So serious! No beers, no frites and only one fan with a cowbell for most of the races (me). Do you know what one cowbell sounds like for three hours? I do and so do all the people at the Otterspool race. Ha ha!  I only heckled Justin despite wanting to heckle all, but I was worried about damaging the Brit's self esteem. So I just cheered all of them, especially on the challenging hills and the muddy run-ups. I think people were surprised by the cheers from a total stranger. I got some odd looks but also some smiles and thanks. And one poor guy told me he was ready to quit on the second lap. I guess since I talked to him during the race he felt willing to talk back. It was like race therapy. After the race a bunch of racers posted their thanks for a great atmosphere on the Liverpool Century Facebook page. I like to think it was my cowbell.

Liverpool Century Riders (plus the extensive spectators)

The Liverpool Century riders looked good in their snazzy black and white kits. I met a few of them before the race and took photos of anyone in the outfit. Justin rocked a Liverpool Century Club Jersey (borrowed from Joe) along with his orange OSU Cycling Club shorts. This outfit combined with the purple Spooky bike made him easy to spot on the course!

Justin shows everyone in England how to ride up a hill in the mud (thanks Oregon!)

Justin investigates the mud and grass stuck in his derailleur.

After the last race we helped the club dismantle the course and pack the equipment. We walked home and after Justin cleaned up we walked to Mossley Hill to eat dinner at Pi, a tiny restaurant specializing in hand pies and beer! Not a bad day!

Happy Justin starts our five minute walk home! A nice day along the Mersey River!