When the best part of the day isn't the podium!
Last weekend was Relay Cross and next weekend is the opening of the CCC at Glenwood. That left a nice free weekend in search of a race. Wisconsin had 2 races but the first was in Sheboygan and the second in Waterloo. The former is just too darn far and the latter is just a bit too far for a 9am race start.
A new race this year in the Ohio Valley CX series was hosted by the Purdue Cycling Club and called Boiler Cross. Well, my son Evan graduated from Purdue a year ago and I thought this would be a great chance for some bonding and racing. Race time was 4pm which meant we wouldn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn and could spend some time checking out campus again.
Purdue is a simple 2 hour drive straight down highway 65. A walk around campus and lunch at a Mexican place he likes lead us to plenty of time to to get to McCallister park in Lafayette.
The park has a big open grass area but also with tree sections which are all incorporated into a disc golf course. Evan had actually played disc golf there before which made it more fun. The CX course made good use of what little elevation the park had to offer. Short little steep areas were dotted here and there. Barriers were placed at the top of one of them and then there were stairs leading up to the top of another. Those aside it was primarily a power course which usually favors me or at least plays more into my wheelhouse than a technical course would. But by 3pm the temps had risen close to 90 degrees and in the sun it felt even hotter.
Being 2024 and having access to the internet I was well aware of the weather forecast and had been hydrating for a couple days. I even had 4 glasses of water just at lunch. That said, halfway through my first pre-ride lap my mouth was dry. Most cyclocross races aren't run with water bottles let alone bottle cages but this was a complete exception. I downed 2 more bottles between pre-ride and the race and had a full bottle in my cage at race time. The course was also really bumpy. On the first pre-ride lap I stopped to significantly lower the pressure. Usually, on a dry grass course a little higher pressure is good for speed, but the bumps were significant so I had to take air out. I didn't re-measure so I can't give you the exact PSI but probably in the 24-25 range. That did make it smoother but the blisters (plural) on both hands after the race tell a different story.
The day's racing was broken up into 6 waves and I was in wave 6. Within wave 6 was a junior group, a Cat 4 group and then my group which itself had 3 sub-groups (Cat 4 - 40+, 50+, and 60+). Each of the main groups started 1 minute apart which made it easier to keep track of who you were racing against. I was officially in the Cat 4 50+ group.
Boiler Cross being a first year race and being on the western border of Indiana it had a harder time drawing in the Ohio and Kentucky racers (and I'm sure even some Indy racers. Heck, I'm sure I wouldn't have gone if Evan hadn't gone with me to make a day of it.). There was one Team Hungry racer there from Cinci - his team is the one the Georgia crew used to ride with. The total number of pre-registered riders was only 111. The Ohio Valley race the weekend before had over 250. This lead to my main group of only about 13 racers with 7 in my specific category. Even with that few racers the trick was keeping track of who you were racing against. Had to know the numbering. The Cat 4 50+ guys were in the 230's.
Ideally, you race everyone and beat them all. But if a 40+ guy goes up the road (figuratively speaking) then you don't blow yourself up trying to hang on.
By 4pm mother nature graced us with cloud cover which helped to no end. It was still about 90 and we still sat in the car with the A/C running until race time but I was thankful.
In the small sub-group I had a front row start (most of us did) and had everything dialed in. My Garmin was started on time, my GoPro was rolling, and my cassette was in the right gear (the 3 G's) [all three of which I've messed up in the past]. All I had to do was clip into my pedal at the whistle. The whistle blew and I totally missed my pedal. A little panic kicked in which made it harder to clip in.
We went straight for about 75 meters and then hit a soft S curve. By the first turn I was slotted in mid-pack. The course straightened out and 2 of the 40+ guys had a small gap. We were in a little double track area So I moved out of line and moved up a couple places. Barry from Chicago based Mox Cycling was leading our group so I was gonna let him pull until a Midwest Devo guy (also 40+) decided to pass him and I grabbed his wheel. After a few turns I was able to pass the Devo guy but just didn't think it smart to try to burn matches in the heat to bridge to the 2 40+ guys.
The entire first lap video is linked below so I won't go too much more into detail. But Evan was parked under the shade of a tree (that Purdue education paying off) right after the barriers so every lap I had a cheering section. On the first lap he caught some video which was cool because the guy who had passed me a little before, I was able to pass running the barriers. Granted, the guy was in the 60+ sub-group but he also won the entire group by the end so there's that.
If you are reading this most likely you have also seen the podium picture. The guy who won our sub-group passed me mid way though the second lap. I watched in the power sections as he rolled away from me. I was wary of going too hard but also just didn't have the full power I had hoped. At some point I noticed there was no one else behind me. Barry had crashed on the first lap and was now about 30 seconds behind me. I kept pushing but the gap in front of me (and behind me) was growing.
The first 2 laps were near the 7 minute mark but the last 3 laps were all 7:45ish. Not having someone to chase or chasing you doesn't get the adrenaline going and the heat kept the brain in cruise control mode. I didn't crash which was a plus and the bike worked well and my cornering progressed. I am running PDX mud tires all season for the extra grip even though is will also increase rolling resistance. I need all the help I can get in the corners. Not sure what was up with my HR strap in the first lap but the last 4 I averaged about 170 bpm.
It was really fun being on the podium even with the small group. Doing it in front of Evan made it really sweet. I'm sure he still sees some old dude in spandex up there even if it is his dad. But that's ok.
On the way home we stopped in Crown Point and hit a restaurant called Square Roots. The evening was cooling down so we ate on the patio. I'd recommend the Hall of Famer brisket sandwich.
So, to recap the recap... I got to spend 4 hours in the car with my son, hung out with him on campus and had a couple meals with him. I got to have him watch me in my passion hobby. And I as on the podium. All-in-all a good day. But by far the best part wasn't the podium.
First lap video: https://youtu.be/hJoaCDdxjLE?si=nVZsjg5vGSo-AAxf
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