by Maghalie Rochette

Charm City cyclocross is one of the staple events on the US calendar. We’ve done this race many years, and I have to say, I was yet to be charmed… Don’t get me wrong, the racing itself is very fun (we’ll get back to this in a minute). But over the years, we seem to never have found the best setup of where to stay in Baltimore and how to enjoy this city. It didn’t help that the last time we came, all my cameras and electronics bag got stolen straight out of our car.

BUT — I did say the racing was fun, and after all, this is what we came for. So we came in with a fresh mindset and no electronics bag, and spoiler alert…we are now charmed!

The course at Charm City is set to test your power with some tough draggy climbs, your skills with many twists and turns, and mostly, your tactical abilities. In fact, I’ve had some very fun battles on this course over the years; with Ellen Noble, Emma White, Katie Keough, Clara Honsinger. Every year seems to bring one of those race of attrition which culminates in tight one-on-one battles where you spend the majority of the race testing your opponents and trying to figure out a way to get away. And over these years, it seems I have rarely found a way to get away. Of all these tight battles (6 I think?), I’ve only managed to win once!

One for the battles
On day 1, when I found myself at the front with Sidney McGill I thought we’d be in for one of those battles. I could see she was riding well, and after 1.5 laps of riding together, I quickly realized I was not going to shake her off with accelerations out of turns. She was glued to my wheel. Maybe it’s because I’ve lost these battles too often, but I quickly got nervous and decided to really test her early in the race. I attacked on the main hill of the course. A solid 30-40 seconds climb heading straight to a tricky off camber. I buried myself without looking back. As I finally came down the hill, I saw I had opened a small gap and kept pushing to solidify the lead.

Day two happened in a very similar way, but Sid rode with even more confidence, testing me in the turns and applying pressure on the pedalling sections. I had to bring my A game to try and distance her. Plus, on Sunday, Sidney wasn't the only one bringing the heat; we had some some scorching hot weather, providing a great opportunity to test ourselves in the heat and to practice our cooling strategies. If you know me, it’s no secret I’ve never loved the heat and I’ve struggled to perform well in these conditions. However, I’ve decided in the last few years that I wanted to improve. David and I purchased a sauna and I’ve spent many many hours sweating in this wood barrel trying to acclimate my body to the heat. We’ve also developed many cooling strategies like ice vest, ice socks, dump bottles, etc. The preparation and the strategies have made a big difference and I feel that my body responds better in the heat. But above all, I think the main difference is in my attitude towards the heat. I don’t panic anymore when I see it’s 30+C degrees. I apply the techniques I’ve learned, I adapt my racing, and I’m confident I can make it happen. It’s been a huge change for me, and I may never be the best rider in the heat, but yesterday proved to me that I can perform well in these conditions! A fact that gives me confidence heading into the first World Cup of the season in Wisconsin in to weeks.

I was happy to take the win on both days after big efforts!

Charmed
I said that I had finally been charmed...racing well sure helped, but honestly, that's not what did it for me. The even more charming part of the weekend has to be the people. Over 1500 people were racing this weekend (not counting all the spectators), and that number includes A LOT of kids and families. It was really fun and special to get to meet many of these people and see them all have a fun time. I thought I'd share some of the top things I've heard walking around the venue this weekend:

1. During a master’s men 40-50 race, two men were racing each other. One tried to pass the other, and the other responded : “Ha ha! Cornering is my bread and butter, you're not passing me here!” I just loved to see how much fun they were having!
2. On day 2, close to the barriers of the course, a bunch of probably 15-20 kids from a club were heckling me to bunny hop the barriers. I didn’t do it, but it made me smile every time!
3. After the Women Cat 3-4-5 race, I walked by two women who had just finished and heard them say to each other: “That felt SOO GOOD!” and the other one responded: “I loved it too. I’m just so happy!”

Those are just a few examples, but I think it shows the vibe. People of all age and background were having a good time, and people love cyclocross in that area of the country.

Additionally, it was also our most successful Meet-N-Greet event so far this season! We'ne done those on every Saturday evening of the USCX weekends, but we've struggled with participation because they are quite late in the evening and people want to go for dinner after a long day (still working on the format!). But this weekend, about 20-30 people showed up on Saturday night as we discussed cyclocross and other fun stuff. Sidney McGill and Andrew Strohmeyer joined me on the pro panel to share their stories and answer questions — thank you to everyone who came! It was honestly so fun.

So Charm City Cross, I say THANK YOU! Thanks for bringing the love of cross and thank you for having us. You have officially charmed me.

Next up: First World Cup
The season started well over the last 3 weeks and I feel confident heading into the first World Cups…I feel like my pre-race routine is dialled, I absolutely LOVE the new Canyon bikes and feel comfortable on them, I feel good in my body, and perhaps most importantly, I feel like I’m in a really positive mindset. Things just feel simple...as bike racing should be I guess! And that is a nice feeling. But the work is not done. We are now heading home to fine-tune our training and try to be even more ready when we land in Waterloo, Wisconsin in 12 days!

See you there!

Maghalie

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