Region Riot CX

 Midwest Regional Championships

The end of the season is here.  The Region Riot race and Nationals was all that was left.

The Region Racing team is based in Crown Point, IN.  I hadn't been to this race before but as buildup to Nationals I thought it was good to keep racing.  Evidently, not many people had that same thought.  In fact, of the 48 people signed up for the 50+ race at Nationals (my race) 75% of them are from out of state.  Where the heck are all the Illinois racers???

Fields were smaller all day at Region Riot and my race (45+ Cat 4/5) only had 11 starters [13 registered but 2 didn't start].  The 45+ Cat 1/2/3 had 16 starters and they started 1 minute in front of us.

2 weeks before the race there was an announcement that this race would also be the Midwest Regional Champs.  Covid played havoc with a lot of races this year and this late assignment didn't really bring many people from potential places like Minnesota and Iowa.  But either way it would be fun to say you were the regional champ.

As it is Indiana (similar to Illinois) there isn't really a lot of elevation to play with at the Lake County Fairgrounds.  They did their best with a woody section with turn after turn after turn and even a trip through a covered bridge and what appeared to be something akin to stock buildings.  

Fran is still nursing his thumb so it was only Bob, George and Mark rounding out the normal crew.  Actually, Bob's son John did well in the 4/5 race later in the day (He was the 4th Cat 5 to cross the line)  They all did the 55+.  It was cold (33) and windy so I watched their race from the car.  My vantage point was only the 2 straightaways so nothing too exciting to report.  Bob finished second in the 65+.  I cannot confirm if there were more than 3 guys in his category.  :)

I can confirm that I did another shit job clipping in.  Of the 10 other racers 8 were in front of me immediately.  It was my first front row start so that was fun but I didn't take full advantage of it.  That being said I was in third position by the time we hit the first feature.  I had hopes and dreams of a real result at this race considering the small field (predicted 5th based on points).  As we hit the slight off camber rise (I don't really want to call it a hill) the guy right behind me crashed and I was right on the tail if the two leaders.

After that it was catch my breath time.  I had worked hard for good position but was now paying for it.  Brain got a little fuzzy, lungs were pumping and adrenaline at the max.  Going through the barriers my left foot hit the first barrier (hasn't happened all season) and I was out of sorts.  No lasting damage to the foot, just felt stupid.

I tried to keep the leaders in site but that didn't last too long (The guy who won was about 3 minutes in front at the end) and the guy who crashed slowly tracked me down and passed me.  Then my goal was to keep up with him but that didn't last long either (1:45 down at the end).  

So I was in 4th place with 2 guys a little bit behind me.  As we hit the woody turny section the two started to close in on me.  As you all know by now turning isn't my specialty (yet).  But back at the start finish there is a long straight section where I can use my strength (Pow-ah) [You have to say that in Fran's voice].  

So, each of the 4 laps I was able to pull out a gap in the straights and that gap was bigger than what they were able to close on the turns.  One thing I didn't really pay attention to was that on lap 3 I passed a rider who had a mechanical.  In my brain I thought I had just caught a slow Cat 1/2/3 from the group who started one minute in front of us who was nice enough to pull off to the side and let me get by.  So unbeknownst to me I was now in 3rd place.  

I felt comfortable with my lead over the two guys behind me but I was starting to dial in the course better and wanted to continue getting better.  This of course led me to slide out in a turn after the covered bridge and hit the deck.  I was up quick and only lost about 5 seconds.

Usually you only get pulled early from a race if you get passed by the leaders.  That hasn't happened since Caldwell Woods for me (By the 4x BMX World Champion).  But the first race of the day went off about 10 minutes late so I think they were trying to make up time.  Only the top 2 did 5 laps and the rest of us did 4.  I wasn't complaining too much but it was somewhat disappointing.  I heard Kenny on the PA system say it was our last lap and sprinted to the finish for fun.

After picking up my jacket from the start I thought I heard Kenny make the call for Bob to come to the podium.  I wandered over there and while Bob had already gone home for the day I decided to stick around for the presentation of my race.  Much to my surprise Kenny called my name.  I actually made him double check.  Like I said before I didn't realize the guy I caught had a mechanical and was from my race.  Woot Woot!  My first cyclocross podium!  Take what you can get right?!

I think I have the feeling that all our kids got when they got participation trophies growing up LOL.  It was fun to take the podium picture.   I realize what my actual ability is though and while I've improved a lot there is plenty of room to grow.

Nationals for me is Tuesday afternoon @ 2:30 at Cantigny in Wheaton.  The rest of the gang goes Wednesday at differing times.  If you make the trek cheer loudly.

First Lap Video

https://youtu.be/cVbS6aRRwpQ

Wisconsin State Championships CX

 Double Feature(s)

With the CCC season over too early one must sometimes cross rival's borders in search of that racing fix.

Saturday brought us to Waterloo, Wisconsin, home of Trek bicycle company and this year's state cyclocross championships.

The literal backyard of Trek is a permanent cyclocross course.  In October it hosted the 1st World Cup of the season with all but a few of the European and American pros.  

With a little less palmares than the pros and more prep needed for Nationals in Wheaton in a couple weeks Fran, George, and myself made the trek (see what I did there?) up north for Saturday's racing.  

As mentioned in my Kringle Kross entry the WICX series does things a little different than the CCC.  That includes separating the old farts by category and also running some of the races shorter.  Our race is normally 40 minutes which really is enough for one day when done all at once.  But, at only 30 minutes and a much longer drive, to make it worth it we decided to double up.  

The first of the double feature was the 50+ cat 4/5 race at 9am.  Then, after an hour of rest we got some more popcorn for the elite 4/5 race at 10:30. (Actually, instead of popcorn I used the advice of Peter on nutrition.  One caffeine gel immediately after the first race and a regular gel 15 minute before the second).

BikeReg has a cool feature where it "predicts" the results based purely on accrued points.  The first race had me at 9th which means a second row start and a good shot to stay out of the chaos behind.  The second race had me at 33rd out of 70 something (This race included all the young guns).

Perhaps the coolest part of the day was that I was lining up for the first time with Fran and George.  Our categories don't usually line up and I roll off the start line an hour after them.  So, directly on my right was Fran with George close by.  Fist bumps were passed around acknowledging the moment.

It was cold out (37ish) but it was dry which is waaay more important.  In fact the course was bone dry.  Had it been wet this course would have been much slower and 10x harder.  The course is built on a hill and there are plenty of elevation changes.  Off camber wet turns are what destroy derailleur hangers as well as hopes and dreams.

Being dry this was a good course for me.  Lots of pedaling sections and turns that you could take with some speed without fear (my mortal enemy on the cross course).  

I had a good/not great start and gained a couple spots quickly.  This course started with a long parking lot section before hitting the grass which also went straight for a bit.  I made sure my starting gear was 1-2 gears harder than if we had started on grass because I knew we'd have more speed and while it took me 2 tries to clip in I was right there.

A couple races ago I switched to my mud tires because I was sliding around way too much.  I switched back due to the dryness but also because there is a rock step on this course.  My intermediate tires also have Cush Core (foam insert) inside for added protection and thinking of trying to ride that wall like the pros I was more comfortable with the switch.

Above is the feature I mentioned.  To give it some reference I left in the friendly spectator.  It is probably 1.5-2 feet tall.  This course has a ton of cool features that make it both fun and challenging.  My hope was to ride up the right side using a slight crack between rocks to roll up like the pros.  But the line we had leading up to it was different and made you go straight to it and not on an angle like I expected.

Even with my Cush Core I didn't have the confidence (see above mention of fear) to try it.  People did ride it.  In fact, George rode it every time.  I was able to run if fairly quickly but because you are still going up when you remount all momentum is lost and if you are riding you can pass people.

Right before the rock wall there were a couple logs on a slight uphill.  There was a ridable line on the left.  During pre-ride I was there with Fran doing it over and over to make sure we could do it in the race. (If you can't do it 10 times out of 10 in pre-ride don't try it in the race).

I'm happy to report that of my 8 trips ups these logs (4 each race) I either rode it clean or just put one foot down every time except the first lap of the second race where the guy before me got stuck.  Then I got stuck behind him and 3-4 people passed me by running it.  UGH!  Evidently his fancy skinsuit doesn't help with his skills.

>> Funny aside, a fan was fixing that stake on the left that someone had knocked down but was standing in my line while doing it.  I had to yell at him while pedaling (and out of breath) to MOVE! <<

If I continue to go backwards on the course there was a flyover.  The later races (higher categories) actually got to go over 2 flyovers and sometimes the World Cup has 3.  

The flyover itself wasn't particularly challenging but it is important to be in a low enough gear to power up it and then get back into a big enough gear for the speed you'll carry on the way down.  Really it is just fun.

Rearward with the time machine there is a hump right before the flyover.  On my pre-ride I carried some good speed towards the hump and almost did an endo.  The backside is almost straight down and if you have too much speed and don't get your butt hanging off the back of your saddle mountain bike style then you are in serious trouble.

On the first lap of the second race (with all the young yahoos) George went over the hump 3 abreast.  Bumping elbows - scary shit.

It is difficult to describe what an off camber is like.  This picture below has the camera vertical.  As you can see the grass I'm on is slanted left and the guy on the other side of the turn is at about 45 degrees going up.

This part was fun also but if it had been wet would have been treacherous.

>> Gratuitous cyclocross fun picture.  Where else do you see a ramp with a huge cheeseburger to jump over?  You'll see another picture of that cheeseburger below unfortunately.  <<

On the backside of the course you slalom through some woods and encounter a small rock wall.  In this case we were going down so it was just a matter of pulling up the front wheel and letting the back wheel roll over it.

The rocks were up to a foot high but if you have any experience at Palos they are fine.

The one incident I did have was on the last lap of the second race.  With no space on the left because if the cheeseburger jump some yahoo decided to pass on the right when there just wasn't enough space.  

The eagle eyed among you might notice the irony that he has the exact same bike as me.

I hit the ground and other than a cut on my right leg all appears to be ok.  And have no fear, thanks to the GoPro and some internet sleuthing I tracked his a$$ down and expressed my displeasure politely (After all, it is cyclocross and rubbing is racing).

Closing in on the finish line I had two different race experiences.  

The first race had the 50+ Cat 1/2/3's about 30 seconds in front of us so throughout the race we were catching the back half of that race.  As I finished the S curves and hit the final straight my weak cornering abilities didn't allow me to catch one of the 1/2/3's in the sprint but was able to throw my bike past a lapped rider at the line.  

The second race had me coming into the S curves leading a group of 4-5.  Nothing is more motivating than heavy breathing cat 4/5's in lycra on your tail.  This time I was able to carve the corners enough to hit the straight with enough of a gap that I didn't need to sprint - just keep pressure on the pedals.

Because cyclocross races are all over the course due to the differing abilities and sometimes multiple fields on course at the same time it is hard to know exactly where you finished (especially for a mid-packer like me).  Since I was "predicted" 9th I was really hoping to at worst keep that placement or at best move up 1 or 2.  Almost every race this year I've outdone my prediction.  Honestly, I felt like 7th or 8th was where I ended up.

The one great thing about the CCC is that we use One2Go timing and results are almost instant (plus lap times).  But in Wisc things are manual and much slower.  It was worth the wait in the first race as I pulled off a 6th place (out of 38).  Super exciting for me!  My highest placement ever.  I'm starting to like the 4/5's being scored separately LOL.  In the second race I was 37th out of 77 - not too bad for the second race of the day and losing 4 places due to the crash.  (We waited an hour for the results and they didn't appear so we took off).

Fran and George have their own stories to tell with 60+ podiums.  Those guys are studs.

Perhaps showing our age we didn't get any pictures of us as a group.  Maybe next week at Region Riot.

If you've gotten this far in the post I thank you for letting me ramble.  It was a fun day and very rewarding.  

Wheeling CX

 The Pre-Ride

Wheeling is usually later in the year when it is colder and is always slick.  So, when there was midweek rain and projected 30 degree temps it felt just like old times.

Come race day it was actually 37 and the course was nice and grassy >> Green is good, green is grip.  I got my normal 2 pre-ride laps in and the course was good.  I wouldn't say I felt confident because this course always has my number.  But the amount of grass (as opposed to mud covered grass or just plain mud) was promising.  

In the normal CCC series of races my race (45+) is the second race of the day.  So my pre-ride is always on the pristine course before Bob and company rip it up.  What the course is going to look like after 50-100 guys dig their nobbys in with anger is anyone's guess.

The pre-ride is your real chance to test out the features and redo features that could cause you trouble.  You want to see how fast you can take the off camber turns without falling or whether you can ride an uphill.  Wheeling always has a short downhill U turn that is tricky to get back up.  Bob and I both did it a couple times to make sure which line we could take to ride both up and down which we did.

Unfortunately, the course didn't hold up as well as I wanted it to after the first race.  It wasn't the complete mud bath that this course has been in the past but rain and sleet came down.  I try to get  pictures and video of the guys while they race but on this day I sat in my warm car and watched the rain pelt the windshield.  The radar gave me hope that it would stop by my race (which it did) but Bob and George and Mark weren't so lucky - George's fingers could barely brake.

The first lap or two of my race then become re-testing grounds.  What has changed and what is ridable?  The U turn?  The only person I saw riding it had a mountain bike (of course I'm riding in the middling group so it's very possible the leaders rode it).  There was no longer grass on the uphill portion.

There is a long straight off camber of the west side of the course with a couple lines you can take.  The lower line is a bit more flat but it is muddy.  The upper line is more canted but a bit more grass.  I took the lower line the first lap but then followed another rider and stayed on the upper line after that.  The reason?  Slightly above the higher line there was grass >> Green is good, green is grip.  Even though it wasn't as flat as the lower line there was much better grip and I could put down a little more power and try to make up ground.  I actually clipped a post on one lap because the line was so close to the tape.

I did end up sliding out once because I chickened out in a corner and hit my brakes (I hear you cringe - DON'T HIT THE BRAKES).  I also had someone in front of me put a foot down in another corner and landed on a course stake but I don't count that as a true fall.  I probably shouldn't have been following so close but there were 4 or 5 of us bunched up and I was protecting my position.

Out of the 45 starters I finished 25th (the 4th Cat 4 to cross the line so not too bad).  Usually, they only pull riders once they are lapped by the leaders.  That didn't happen to me but they cut everyone after position 20 one lap early - I wasn't complaining mind you.  I didn't have the pleasure of sprinting at the line as I couldn't close on the guy in front of me.

Donnelly BOS tubeless mud tires were inflated to 26 front and 28 rear.  Heart rate averaged 166 with a max of 180.  The max seems like a weird spike compared to the rest of the graph unless it was when I fell.

All of the CCC races are done.  There is the Wisc state championships we are talking about going to this weekend at Trek HQ, plus Region Riot in Crown Point.  Then, all that's left is the National Championships in Wheaton.  So excited about Nats!

copyright Big Ring

Groundhog CX

They filmed the movie Groundhog Day in Woodstock, IL so that is where this race gets its name.

We had a smaller crew than usual with Bob (and sons) and Bryan (and son) up at Iceman this weekend.  Fran, George and I along with Mark in his Intent kit made the trek to Woodstock.  

Since there is no CCC (Chicago Cyclocross Cup) this year and the races are all on their own the PSIMET team decided to shake it up a little.  So, instead of the bulk 55+ and 45+ races that we do they created sub-categories of each.  There was a 55+ cat 1/2/3 race and then starting 30 seconds later the 55+ cat 4/5.  The same for me in the 45+.  As someone who finishes mid pack at best it was kind of exciting.  A chance to find a higher number... maybe even single digits (foreshadowing).  

The course this year was fast as it has been dry.  It has a number of technical features including off camber u-turns, barriers, and some climbing in the woods.  None of it was too complicated but stringing it all together made for a good course.

For some extra racing I went to Waukesha, WI on Saturday and did a couple races.  The Wisc CX series splits the categories regularly like we did on Sunday.  I started with the 50+ cat 4/5 and then did the open 4/5 an hour later.  I had a good finish in the first one (12/46) and an ok finish in the second one (34/75).  I wasn't sure how racing on Saturday was going to affect my legs on Sunday but it turned out pretty good.

Admittedly, on the second of 5 laps Sunday I was worried about having to keep going but the legs woke up.  Some of it was adrenaline I'm sure.  The pain may also have been numbed from the work on Saturday.  But what was really cool - and really the fun in cyclocross - is that I found myself in a group of guys.  We weren't leading the race but we were all challenging each other.  A guy from The Pony Shop was in front of me and he usually beats me.  I pushed to keep up.  My goal in the race the week before was to keep up with him but he sailed away from me.  This time I found some strength and passed him on the bike path right after the woods climbs.  2 laps to go and he passed me back.  On the bike path I found my way past him again, this time for good.  Seeing him 5-10 seconds back really put some wind in my sails.  

Next, I found myself with a guy on a mountain bike from the cat 1/2/3 group.  On the last lap he blew past me on the last woods climb using a match.  My CX bike had a little better rolling resistance than his MTB so by the end of the bike path and up the next grassy rise I caught back up to him.  We flowed along the rest of the course until the barriers.  In the straight right before the barriers I pushed it and moved in front of him.  As I hopped off and cleared both barriers he flew past me again.  It was like I was standing still.  There was one more U turn and then a downhill sprint to the finish.

Before we hit the straight I was already in the drops and clicking up the gears.  I have confidence in my sprint and that my bike would sprint better than his.  I hit a whopping 24.7 miles an hour (LOL) but I beat him.  Since he was in a different category we weren't really racing against each other but it was really fun.  (I lost a sprint in the second race Saturday but it was still a blast).

I ended up 9th out of 30.  My first top ten and I am excited.  I fully understand that if it was a normal race with the cat 1/2/3 guys I'd have finished around 30th but that feeling of your first single digit result still gets the blood flowing.

Fran got his second podium in a row for the 65+ group even though he was grumpy about his performance and George was on the wide angle podium in 4th (55+).  

Wheeling is next and with the rain expected Thursday and 30 degree temps it is promising to be slick as usual.  Until then...

First Lap video:  https://youtu.be/2tJB_7TL0Q0

Campton Hills CX

 This should be a short one as I didn't fall and didn't have any real power.

Campton Hills is the usual Halloween race.  Many people dress up on the sidelines and especially on the bike.  Most of the costumes are in the later races but even in the 45+ race there was a guy in a full bunny suit.  There was an appearance by the Allez Omi Opi fan as well.

It had rained a bunch during the week but the course turned out to not be too bad.  Us old farts go early in the morning so there is dew even if there isn't rain as the temps drop.  I put on mud tires considering last week fall fest and that seemed to help.  I also finally warrantied some really old Reynolds wheels and got a deal on some ATR 700's.  23mm internal width which should also be good for gravel tires (Rough Road anyone?).

The night before the race we went to a birthday party and while I went to bed later than I should have I think it was the patio party chill that zapped my legs.  I could feel it in warm up and especially at the start.

The start itself went well.  I picked a left side lane because there was a right bend initially and didn't want to get pinched.  I clipped in right away and made good progress but by the time we got to the first u-turn/pinch point I could tell the legs had no pop.

I held fairly steady and only people with lower numbers were passing me (lower meaning started ahead of me - I was 5th row).  2 guys crashed on the first barriers (which were low by barrier standards).  The only real technical part of the course was an off camber u-turn uphill.  I put a foot down 4 of the 5 laps not losing too much time and botched the other time completely.  

I said I was gonna keep this shorter so I'll just say I kept fairly steady the whole race and finished 33rd out of 53.  My best placement at this race in previous years was 40th (also my previous high water mark in general).  The bummer is that if I had the same legs as the Glenwood race I would have been probably a minute faster and moved up a few places.  This was a course for power.

Bryan C was also out there with me in the 45+.  Mark M., Fran, George and Bob did the 55+ right before us where Fran was on the 2nd step in the 65+.  I caught some of the last two laps and George and Bob had a nice battle going on.  

Nationals is the week of Dec 7th.  Hope to see some of you out there.

Race video:  https://youtu.be/z-p2XFz2Gpg

ABD Sunrise CX

 Stupid!

That describes a bunch of my race on Sunday.  But mostly the last bit when I was fighting for 24th place and pushed it too hard in a corner when I didn't need to.

But let's backtrack and set the stage a little.  The race was at Sunrise Park in Bartlett which is a staple on the CCC circuit.  All week long it was calling for rain on Sunday and it didn't disappoint.  But lucky for me the rain waited until after my race and hit most of the other races.  That didn't mean my nerves were any less fried after checking the forecast every two hours for 3 days.  You see, cyclocross is meant to be in the mud.  I realize that but still don't like it.  What I've gained this year in fitness doesn't help my poor technical skills.

As we get further into the season the morning dew still makes the courses slickery even if it doesn't rain.  So, as I benefitted from a lack of rain the course still wasn't bone dry enough for me to fully succeed.

I don't want to make you read too much before giving you what you actually came here for:  I finished 25th in the 45+ race (out of 42).  Average HR was 165 with a max of 182 (the final uphill sprint).  Tire pressure was 24 in front and 26 read.  Both probably too high for the tires I was running (I ran all around tires instead of mud tires).

As all of you dedicated readers know until this year I have never cracked the top 40 in a race.  Now, I have been in the top 30 three times with 25th now being my best placement ever.  >>> Grain of salt time.  Race fields are down this year so that number might be a bit watered down.  But hey, you can only race who shows up.

As I re-watched the race video from this course in 2019 I noticed how many times I fell - much wetter course back then.  Unfortunately I was pretty on par with that same number this year.  I just can't ride an off camber turn.  I even slipped and fell when RUNNING one of those turns.  Oy Vey!

Without going into a full play-by-play (you can watch the video below if you like) I'll say I had a good start.  Actually, snuck into the 3rd row at call up.  At the gun I didn't have the greatest clip in (wrong gear too) but I made up some ground and was in the top 20 in the first few turns.  

There was a set of low barriers on this course and spaced far enough apart to be safe for us amateurs.  I practiced in warmups and cleared them and even encouraged Fran to test it.  I'll let him tell you how that went.  Needless to say after watching a couple of guys in the first race bite it at the barriers I chickened out when it came to race time  (Stupid!).  This leads me into the first lap where 3 guys passed me easily while I ran the barriers.  Ugh.

Also during that first lap I took a left turn and in the middle of the grass was someone's left crank arm.  The guy wasn't there and neither was his bike.  After a couple more turns we caught up to him carrying his bike to the pits to switch out to his spare bike.  Now, that's dedication to just leave the crank arm there.  Also poor bike maintenance.  

One of the best things about cross is Kenny Labbe on the microphone.  He gives blow-by-blow action and you can hear him all over the course getting updates as you race.  After the first lap he gave me a callout.  Actually said my name like 3 times as I was rolling through the S curves.  In the video you have to listen closely around minute 8-9. Between Kenny and also Fran, George and Bob shouting encouragements I was feeling the love.

So the story of the day was me falling.  One time the Boa on my right show came undone.  Took me multiple turns to get it locked in and cranked tight because I didn't want to lose time.  Luckily the lower Boa was still snug and the shoe was fairly secure.

On the back side of the course I had slipped out on the off camber every time the first 4 laps.  I actually nailed it the last lap (very relative term).  The guy behind me complemented me as he knew I sucked.  It was even his second race of the day.  He had done the 55+ race right before mine (15th) and I'm not sure how much he cared about this race.  He was fairly happy to sit behind me I think.  But coming into the last few U turns I still felt his pressure and over cooked it (see the first paragraph).  He passed me and asked if I was ok as he did it LOL.  I remounted and tried to catch up.  I was pretty sure I was going to out sprint him easily if I was in front of him based on previous laps but now I was behind.  Bryan Connelly was standing at the last corner and yelling at me to GOGOGO.  As I said I got my HR up to 182 screaming up the hill but lost by half a wheel (No photo but in my brain that's what it was).  Stupid!

One of these days maybe I'll figure out this turning thing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEHZJNQ5Y4A).

Thanks for reading.  Maybe you'll try cross one of these days.

Full Race video:  https://youtu.be/gqtEuj5QOX4

George

Fran

Bob

  

Caldwell Woods CX 2021

 Caldwell Woods is the usual season opener (Relay Cross is also great but with the alternating laps format it is really just a good re-initiation).  This season we aren't guaranteed any races due to Covid so it was great to show up at Caldwell Woods on Sunday.  The Tower crew included Bob and George in the 55+, and me in the 45+.  There is no overall Chicago Cross Cup this year (Covid) but as long as there is racing there will be fun.  And let's face it I don't think I've ever earned a point.

Bob is on the right
in the blue kit

  I wasn't sure who was going to show up this year as some people are more Covid Cautious than others.  But the field sizes were pretty good.  The 35+ had 29 racers line up and the 55+ had 37.  In my 45+ race there were 58.  Fairly standard numbers.  The Cat 4/5 race had 91.  Cross is still strong in Chicagoland.

  Bob and George went off first - 2 minutes behind the 35+ race.  I like to cheer them on for a lap or two before heading back to the car to prep for my own race 55 minutes after the start of theirs.  The morning was perfect for racing.  At 9ish for my race it was 60 degrees.  Any warmer and the core body heat would be cranked too high.

  I was more nervous that I expected for this race.  A combination of Relay Cross being harder than I thought it would be and now stringing together consecutive laps put doubt in my head.  I've dropped weight since the last cross season and my riding has been improved this year but there was still doubt.  

  40th was the highest I had ever placed in a cross race (usually in the 50's) but all my numbers were telling me I should do better.  My goal was to do better than 40th and feeling like I should made me worry about my own expectations.

   I put in a couple warmup laps just getting a feel for the course.  It remained mostly the same with one bottleneck removed and one descent through the woods added.  One interesting thing was that after my first lap they decided to change the course so that the barriers were in their usual place and not in a big open grass area.  I wonder if they were worried too many people might try to jump them and fail.  Back at their usual position it is hard to get enough speed to jump them - not that I would have jumped them either way.

    When you line up for a race it is based on points.  In this case points from way back in 2019.  6 people in a row, I was 7 rows deep.  Actually, 41st was a pretty good position for me.  Bryan from UPB was also in my row.  I took a look at the start sheet beforehand and recognized familiar names.  It is good to have goals and I try and use these names as gauges.  Bryan has good technical skills.  Kurt from Psimet has a big engine.  Chernoh always finishes 10-20 places ahead of me.  

    One of the fun things in the races is Kenny plays a heartbeat over the PA system as the countdown begins.  Being as far back as I was it is usually hard to hear instructions.  In this case there was no heartbeat and all I heard was a whistle - no "30 seconds"; nothing.  Boom we were off.

    The better courses start wide and then slowly narrow so as not to cause too much of a bottleneck.  I took the outside line so as not to get pinched and moved up a few places right away.  But as we finally hit the u-turns and it got bunched up I lost some places.  One thing I noticed as we took the wide start loop was that my mouth instantly became dry.  My race is only 40 minutes so I didn't bring a water bottle and it wasn't really warm.  My spirits took a hit with the thought of dry mouth/dehydration for the whole race.

  There were only 2 places I dismounted on the course; the barriers and triple u-turn that was downhill.  Actually, the first and last u-turns were fine but the middle one was steep and a little slick.  I watched a number of people hit the ground in warmups.  I watched people do it successfully too but but when I mimicked what they did I bailed (big chicken).  Actually, 2 of the laps I was able to pass people by running the feature.  Bryan was able to ride it every time.  

  I listen to US Pro Curtis White's podcast and this week he talked about his tire pressure and I was surprised by how high it was comparted to what I usually try to run.  Being not as svelte as he I pumped mine up to 27.5 in front and 30 in back (Don't ask my why I did the half a PSI in front.  I've never done that before and just did it).  The pressure was right on and I think it even helped on the straight sections let me roll faster.  Also on the podcast he talked about going tape to tape (he always talks about that), using the entirety of the course to keep your speed in the corners.  Go wide - to the barrier tape on the side of the course - hit the apex and then exit on the far side of the tape keeping as much speed as you can.  Another thing Bernie has always told us is to not brake or at least brake as little as you can.  As the race settled in all my brain could think was "tape to tape" and "don't brake".  I made it my focus to do those 2 things.  There was one right turn thru a little ditch that exited with another right turn where I used my brakes every lap.  Finally on the last lap I got through about 95% of the turn without braking.  I was really happy with my cornering.

  In cross it doesn't really matter to someone like me where the lead group is - I'm not anywhere near it.  My focus is on the guys around me.  Bryan and I passed each other a couple times and finally he was in my rear view mirror for good.  I took a peak back and didn't see him and was shocked.  I also caught Chernoh and passed him and was a bit freaked out.  That had never happened before.  Kurt from Psimet was a few guys in front of me so I didn't pay too much attention to him other than knowing he was there.  I did, however, see a neon green bike in front of me and that was my goal.  I was able to get onto his wheel in some of the slower cornering sections but was never able to come by him.  Then I let someone pass me and he let the gap grow.  By the time I was able to get back in front if him the green bike was too far away.  

  After crossing the line with 2 laps to go I eventually got lapped by the eventual winner (He went on to also win the cat 123 later in the day so I don't really feel too bad).  No one else passed my so that made me feel pretty good.  But in my mind I still had two laps to go.  One of these days I'm going to realize that once you are passed by the leader you lose a lap.  If I had made the connection I might have tried harder to catch the guys in front of me.  When he passed me I hit a bit of a wall.  For about a minute I was toast.  Luckily it passed quickly and I got a little energy back.  

  I crossed the line in 34th place; well above my goal.  I was less than a minute away from top 30.  56 seconds - only 1/4 of a second better in each turn would have gotten me there.  There is room for improvement.  

  Cross specific intervals were on the cards for me but that never happened and my heart rate showed it.  For the 36+ minutes I averaged 171 bpm with a max of 177.  A hard Saturday ride doesn't even come close to that.  Apples and oranges I know.

  We have a couple weeks off before the next race in Glenwood.  Can't wait.