It is quite the drive up to Woodstock and there is the usual drop off in turnout, but there were still over 350 race entries for each day.
Groundhog CX holds the label as the CCC race with the most climbing. No mountains of course but real punchiness and a woods section that takes some power to get up at race speed. It isn't enough to make you change your gearing like for the Mineral Point trip but the effort is different. Especially for those doing the single speed race - any gear you pick won't be optimal for half the course.
I smiled as I wrote the above because last week I DID change up my gearing; just not because of the course. I decided to shed some weight by taking off the 2x setup and going 1x. After all was said and done the bike was almost a pound lighter. I have yet to use the big ring in a race (and didn't plan to). I shunned the power meter too as it isn't helpful at all during the race and only marginally at best after (Don't tell that to Fabri). If I had skipped the chain keeper too it might have been the full pound. I opted for a 40 tooth chainring and went from an 11-36 in back to an 11-33. I'll revert back once CX season is over and it's time for gravel.
We had good representation at Groundhog: Me, George, and Bob in Tower blue. Plus Mark Misicko, Chris Fabri, and Nick Diedrich as our tangential team.
On Saturday I raced the 55+ and on Sunday I did the 55+ and the Single Speed. I had hoped to do Single Speed on Saturday too but my legs weren't very good during the 55+ so I bagged it.
TLDR: Sat: 55+ 13/25; Sun: 55+ 8/30, SS 22/33
Saturday was dry and 43 degrees. Nice enough to shed the arm and leg warmers but kept the base layer. George and I did practice on Thursday and my legs felt horrible but the Friday openers had the legs coming around. I was hoping to keep the good legs but they didn't fully come around.
I want to spend more time on the Sunday racing so I'll give a briefer recap of Saturday. I had a relative good start but gave up positions on the first lap with a slide out in a corner. After catching back up to a group of 5 someone in front of me went down in a corner on the second lap and then gaps got created. I spent the rest of the race mostly by myself. I finished 13th out of 25 with most of the people in front of me who usually do and the same for the people behind me.
Photo: @esharhaddon
Sat 55+ First Lap: https://youtu.be/n-bdYvQXqog?si=GdN_4fUhqxAER37k
Full Race: https://youtu.be/2IRsYhPHSlg?si=-QIHn2HCJUySFa5s
Saturday night brought some rain and questions on the course conditions. It was also 10 degrees warmer so I didn't even wear the base layer this time. The course was in reverse Sunday so the lines burned in from Saturday may not be the exact lines we wanted on Sunday. Pre ride showed that the course held up pretty well but still required a lowering of the tire pressure. My gauge is acting up so I was going by feel (squish). I probably ended up lowering the pressure 3-4 times by the time the 55+ race started. Right at the start line I compared my tires to Martin Tepoele's (Wolfpack) and dropped it again. I think I tend to run too high a pressure and I might have actually gotten to where I normally should be. I only hit the rim once which is usually a good sign.
I had a second row start again and managed to be 7th at the hole shot. The catch phrase in CX is Green is Good, Green is Grip. So my plan was to take the corners wider to avoid the muddier lines and stay on the grass and keep my speed up. The legs were feeling better but I wanted to stay within myself and not blow up. So by the time we hit the woods the lead group had a gap on me.
Photo: @esharhaddon
I know who has been finishing ahead of me and those are my targets. Jason White is one of them and he passed me in the woods. I kept near him throughout the first lap but he kept easing away from me. Chris Brown is another. He passed me on an uphill corner near the end of the first lap (7:44) . He and I would then have a race-long battle. Chris doesn't usually have fast starts but is really consistent with his lap times and doesn't have that 3rd or 4th lap fade that I am known for. He also is about 70 points better than me on Cross Results. Going into lap 2 I made an effort to keep his wheel. Just sticking there all race would be an accomplishment for me. I actually said to myself "I'm on Chris Brown's wheel"!
I have more straight line speed than he does and if you can pass someone in CX you should so I found an opportunity and did it (9:30). But Chris is a real racer and he knew it was important to get into the woods first where it is harder to pass so he made another move (10:18). This actually benefited me later in the race because I learned going up the hill that I was climbing faster than him (let that sink in people).
When racers are in front of you, you need to learn from what they are doing good or bad. I also learned from him to go wide in the last corner before the finish line. I had been cutting it sharper but then needing to brake and was losing speed.
At 12:34 I passed him again on a straightaway. At 13:09 you can see a 35+ racer go down taking a tight line in a corner. My wider grassier line was good. I wasn't too far back of Jason White here but it didn't get any closer.
Chris passed me back on the same corner he did on the first lap (15:21). I really needed to cut that uphill corner better. For the first half of lap 3 I just sat on his wheel. After the woods we hit a paved bike path and I pushed past him (20:00). I was able to close the small gap in the woods and that gave me confidence. In the following u-turns you can't see Chris in the video because he is right on my wheel. We kept passing the back end of the 35+ field and when I was coming up to them I was hoping they wouldn't slow me down. Then after passing them I was hoping they would slow Chris down. LOL
Chris had had enough of my wheel at the beginning of lap 4 and passed again (24:16). But guess what, we hit the outbound straightaway and I passed at 25:10. As we entered the woods I watched all my corners. I went wide where I thought he might pass and was tight on others.
At 28:25 you get a glimpse of Chris Fabri as he eases his way through the 35+ as his warmup for the 45+ which is next.
Then comes the real drama of the race. At 30:50 I hit too much brake and the back wheel slides out and I have to unclip. I am up quickly but Chris keeps his speed and gets past me even making a comment as he passes (very cordial). But he overcooks a turn 2 corners later and runs into the tape. I make the pass and that turns our to be the final pass of the race. By the time we hit the finish line to begin the last lap I only had 1 second on him. But over the course of the last lap I put 8 seconds into him. My last lap was the fastest of all 5 laps. I didn't look back and just kept pushing. I gained my time in the straightaways and in the woods. I kept smart in the turns.
I finished 8th out of 30 which is by far my best finish. My first top ten! And being able to hang with Chris and even beat him was huge for me. There were a couple other guys behind me who are really good too.
Photo: @esharhaddon
Sun 55+ First Lap: https://youtu.be/A_H-fd82W40?si=pYYA_iP3qgW69axs
Full Race: https://youtu.be/7YIdUumhevM?si=EBfaq4RdBbq0-I6C
The Single Speed race was a matter of gearing. I picked the 24 tooth cog which was horrible for the start and not good for the straights but really good for the uphills. Might have been able to go with the 21. I finished 22nd out of 33 but still had good legs and am happy with my finish.
Single Speed First Lap: https://youtu.be/kC3Z1uR_cyM?si=ikXERJAn_VClmPs0
Both races garnered me my best Cross Results points of the season (the same for each race which is a weird coincidence). The 55+ race also had me on the 2nd step of the podium for the Cat 4/5's. Bob and George were also on their respective 65+ podiums. It was a good day for Tower Blue!
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