Sunrise CX 2024 - 55+

What a mess it turned out to be.

Coming off a good result at Jackson Park I was excited about Sunrise Park.  Other than the dreaded (at least for me) Heckle Hill it is a fun course.  

There are a couple of wooded single track sections, logs to jump, and yes... Heckle Hill.

I signed up for the 55+ and the Singlespeed races again.  

TLDR: 13th/35 in the 55+.  DNF in the singlespeed with a broken derailleur hanger.

And the broken hanger was only part of the mess...

It was chilly (35) in the morning as I arrived at 6:45.  It was still dark (too dark to preride) so I sat in the car an extra 10 minutes.  I was also bundled up with multiple layers including a parka for the couple laps to check out the course.

With no wind and dry skies by race time it wasn't too bad.  Once on the course you heat up quickly so it is really only the 5-10 minutes before the whistle where the chill kicks in.

My Cross Results points have continued to improve so I had a 2nd row start.  I also got a slot on the left side which I prefer when the first turn is to the right.  I find it easier to move up when not getting bunched up on the inside of the turn.

As I've mentioned a couple times over the course of 2024 I like to judge myself by the company I keep.  In the 55+ I have my eyes on a few guys who typically finish in front of me and try to hold wheels as long as I can.  After a good start where I help my position I stayed with the company I wanted throughout the first lap which was a big deal for me.  Right before the end of lap 1 line I had a couple of them behind me (although they slid by at the line).  On the 2nd lap right before Heckle Hill the racer in front of me slid out in a corner and I had to brake and slid a bit too.  Only one guy got past me but it created the gap to the people I had my eyes on which I just couldn't bring back.  

Heckle Hill was a bit easier this year (not sure why they made it easier) but as the laps built up the grass got matted down and became a bit more slick.  I DIDN'T FALL though.  Whoo Hoo!

Laps 2 and 3 were about keeping ahead of people and getting past the back of the 35+ group quickly.

My lap times got quicker each lap which is great.  I usually have a lull in laps 3 and 4.  But not this week.  My fastest lap was my last.  8:05, 8:05, 7:56 and 7:53.  The first lap has a bit of extra yardage/time because of the start grid.  The second lap was probably a bit slower because of the slide out.  

On Lap 4 I kept pushing and when I was approaching the logs I saw ahead of me a friend Matt.  As I looked ahead I noticed he dismounted and ran the logs.  I kept going and bunny hopped and ended up passing him.  Looking at the video after I gained 4-5 seconds on just that lap because of my mad log skills :)  

I kept pushing and stayed ahead of him and when we hit the start finish line for what should have been the penultimate time and they stopped us.  This is where it gets messy.  We knew there should have been another lap because we had only been racing for 32 minutes of a 40 minute race and we were doing sub-8 minute laps.  So heart rate pumping we stop and start loudly questioning the judges.  The head judge (who was later deemed to have made the mistake) snapped back at us which was more uncalled for.  By the point we were done yelling at each other people from behind us were passing us and they were letting them continue racing.  It was a mess.

Without getting into too many crazy details we ended up being lucky that the racer right behind us on the course is also a judge.  After he finished his 5th lap he went to the judges tent and told them we should be placed ahead of him.  So all in all, our placing was correct (although who knows what disasters could have lay ahead > um, see above broken hanger) and they decided to give us a fake time for the ghost lap we didn't do.

13th is my highest finish this year and my legs felt good.  Also happy about the logs although I chickened out and ran the barriers.  Better to run than fall which I had 2 guys next to me do.  I also finished on the second step of the podium for the Cat 4/5 sub-group within the race.  Because of the goofiness above there was no official podium picture. So Matt and I took one of our own.  

Like I said above I didn't even finish the first lap of the Singlespeed race.  I had a good start from the 4th row.  In the second corner someone went down and caused a big clog but I had the inside line and made it through quickly passing maybe 10 people.

But Heckle Hill bit me one more time.  Every year I either fall or just don't even try to ride it and run it.  This time I made it through the first corner but then hit too much brake on the second corner and the wheels slipped out.  It was rather low speed and I even had my right foot unclipped to balance.  But the derailleur hanger bent and was clicking the spokes.  My brain was fuzzy but I did hear a spectator yell my derailleur was in my wheel.  So I stopped and tried to bend it back and SNAP!  It did what it was supposed to do but it also ended my race.

Next week is Halloween Cross at Campton Hills.

First Lap:  https://youtu.be/sPpj3O94bpo?si=rI737c_6wJUqqGb3

Full Race:  https://youtu.be/CZRwIc72yFI?si=QgqQdIBJWE_ob3lt