Racer Profile: Brian Johnson
September 30, 2008
In the fall of 2005 Brian Johnson was reading an article in Willamette Week about the Cross Crusade and thought it sounded pretty ridiculous. But when he saw that the first race would be happening at Alpenrose Dairy, just blocks from his house, he changed his tune and decided to give it a try. "The race was rainy, sloppy, goopy, slippery and over in 45 minutes," he says. "As a mountain biker having fallen from grace, I loved it and wanted more." The next season Brian came fully decked out in a new cyclocross bike "and Cycocross got even more fun!"
Brian, a 37-year-old who loves riding bikes, says training is really not his style. "I work and I'm a family man so riding time is at a premium, so when I get out I do like to maximize the opportunity by pushing myself, throwing in some "fartlek" intervals by charging up hills, racing to a sign-post, that sort of thing. But I still like to have fun - it's got to be fun."
And while racing cyclocross really is fun for Brian, the sport is not without it's challenges. Sometimes he finds it difficult to endure the elements, or finding the extra little bit within himself to push himself through the next lap or over the next barrier "and doing that again and again when I feel like I'd rather just lay down and take a nap," he says.
True to the spirit of cyclocross, Brian has a great attitude about completing races and considers every race a victory.
"Every time I don't barf at the end is a little victory! Every rider passed on the inside of a tricky turn, every well executed transition, every little near-disaster averted. Just getting out instead of sitting on my duff inside, warm and dry, is a victory against the slings and arrows of aging."
In Oregon, there's no denying the mud when it comes to cyclocross season, so riders have learned to embrace the challenge. "The day of my first race was rainy and the course was muddy - a perfect introduction to cyclocross. I was riding my mountain bike and the mud was so thick and sticky that my wheels stopped turning! The wheels looked like giant donuts. My shoes had collected so much mud that they had grown to look like clown shoes. I was hooked!"
To all of you aspiring cyclocrss racers out there, Brian has one piece of advice: "Don't forget to have fun! I was talking to my 5 year-old son about a recent kiddie race and asked him if he had fun. He said 'Yes! That's what it's about. And seeing who finishes first.' If you're not in the top 5 and not getting paid to place, it's not worth getting bent out of shape about. Go out and have fun and be glad that you can and that you're not one of those poor souls stuck indoors watching football on TV."
ORbike is offering you an in-depth view of the cyclocross scene! Brian spoke to us as part of a series of cyclocross interviews we're running this season. Read additional interviews and learn more about the racers here
Posted by orbike at September 30, 2008 8:36 PM
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Comments
YES! all about fun it is. This will be only my second season racing and fun fun.
Posted by: John at October 2, 2008 5:37 AM