Cross My Heart and Hope to Die - 11/10/2007

Spin Bike shop hosted their first ever cyclocross race on Saturday in Willoughby. "Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" promised a big purse in the A race paying 10 deep, so I was expecting it to draw... the biggest problem was the race was competing against a Cap City Cyclocross series race in Columbus, a Toronto UCI Cyclocross double weekend and the IceMan in Michigan. So the big question is who would show up? Still big purse will draw, so my goal was to get into the top 10... anything better is just gravy.

It decided to rain a little this week, so this course would be the first "not bone dry" course we'd see. On Friday evening it started raining, and kept it up pretty well through the night... so now I'm thinking all out mud, and wet turf, which is cool for me. I like my chances when it gets messy and technical.

Course
Spin did a really nice job of winding the course around Todd Park. Paved start that twisted uphill, to a short, uphill log crossing, then across the parking lot and the fist bit of grass leading to the very wet ravine into the first run up. Well, it's more like an extended run... up around some brush, then down around a tree, and back up again, then down a longer off camber and right back up again. In dry this MIGHT have been ridable... with the wet, it's mostly running, with the slight exception of the last down and up. Back on the bike, there is some more up and down twisty stuff, and a stretch along a parking lot in the wet grass, then switchback and complete the circuit on 3 sides of the lot in gravel. Some more twisting on gravel to pavement, and back to the lower fields.

A tight right hander, then switchbacks to a longer beach section with a 2.5 foot log crossing. Back on the bike, and power up a 4 foot rise, to more switchbacks. (yes, there were a lot of them) Twist among the trees, then out a long strecth to the first real barrier set. More field, tight left turn by the pits, then more twisty stuff, and a longer traverse around a baseball field. More tight turns, and another switchback, another tight turn and a long stretch along the field, with some more turns.

I'll dub the next section "Death in Two Parts" (DI2P). Part 1 had you ride up a steep hill (off camber, so it was ridable), across the hill face about 10m, then 180 switchback down the hill face and back the way we came, left turn and down the hill and across the field. Not too bad, but slick. At the end of the straight was a switchback around a light pole, then straight up the run up... well, it was super steep, and about 100feet up. They also put a barrier about a quarter of the way up. At the top, they had 10feet across the hill to remount and then straight back down the hill... instead of being able to ride the speed out and recover, they had another switchback about 50m after the foot of the hill. So it was full on brakes at the bottom, then reaccelerate again.

From DI2P, some more punchy little rises, we looped around the edge of the park, and through the baseball infield, sweeping turn back through the pavilon (thumping tunes, but no beer) back to the start finish. 1.8 miles with maybe 100 switchbacks and tight turns. There are a lot of acceleration points, but a lot of technical details also.

Race
I did a slow lap to check out the course before the B race, and tried to figure out what was ridable, and what would not be. I had a pretty good idea of riding though the first ravine, and as far as I could before dismounting the first run up. Then running to the top of the second rise, before remounting. Most of the rest was fine, until DI2P, which would required some care in the switchback in part 1, and negotiating the switchback at the end of part 2.

Warming up on the trainer during the race, I had a good view of both run ups. DI2P looked to be brutalizing the B races, though we did get some good ideas for handling the first run section... grab the tree and swing yourself around!

I got a couple more laps in before lining up, and I screwed up the race before the race, and came in on the second row, right behind Brent Evans. I hoped he'd have a great start. 23 A racers, including Dave Steiner, Gary Burkholder and Rick Adams from SBR. Spin had about everyone also in the race... Zak, Greg, Ryan, Chip and a few I don't know. Ryan Gamm, Paul Martin, Jeremy Grimm, Thom D, Brett and Ray were also there. Fun, fun, I'm hoping to stay near the front, though Brent and I suspect Paul will go out really hard to dislodge Gamm and anyone else.

At the gun, we're correct. Paul drives it away. Into the first log, and a guy from Michigan stacks it holding a few of us up as others go around wide. Into the ravine, I'm about 10th, as Paul flats on something, and hurls his bike into the woods. Oh! Maybe I can get a better place now. Traffic is horrendous, and I'm fighting Ray, Brett and others as the front 5 get moving. I'm running the ravine as well as all three rises in the first run section.

Around the course, I end up leading the first chase group for the last bit with Gamm, Grimm, Michigan, Brent and Weeks a little bit ahead. Into part 1 of of DI2P, and I drop it in the switchback. Brett narrowly missing damaging me and my bike by also going down which stacks everyone else up, so I loose no places. I just get really pissed as the gap opens some more. At part 2, Ray and I lead it into the run up, and Thom flies by us up the hill... hmm, he's running pretty well. Still all together, Steiner pulls through on the pavement, and I see a slight gap behind us. so it's time to MOVE!

Then I stack it on the log. So much for my gap. I swear, dig in, and hit the second run up... and run the whole thing again. The front 5 are gone, and this pain is only beginning. Lap two opens up the final placements. The front 5 are away, Thom D, Ray, Dave, Zak and I are looking to be fighting for 6-10, with Ryan Wyane and the Spin guys fighting for 11th spot and back.

Ray and I get a gap with him is following me. He comes around on the stretch leading to DI2P, I'm on the wheel as we head into part 1, and I again slide out on the switchback. So Ray gets a gap and he's away. Zak and Thom are right here, Thom takes it on the run up again, and Zak also gets away before the S/F straight. Now I'm in trouble if the three of them start working together.... and they do. They've got about 20m, and it grows through the first run.

I'm in ninth, which is a fine place, but I'm not happy. After I drop it a third time in the part 1 switchback, I decide to dismount there from here on out. I'm hoping it's faster, it's certainly less frustrating. I'm running the uphill log crossing, that I thought I should be able to ride, and I'm running the whole first section run up. I'm also taking paved corners wide mostly because my tires don't feel like they'll hold if I go as tight as I want... I'm loosing those seconds I need to close the gap to 6, 7 and 8th places. Zak attacks Ray and Thom, and gets away. Ray shortly leaves Thom behind, and we stick the gaps solid between Thom and I and Ray and Thom. Behind me, Dave is holding off Ryan Wayne, and Greg is chasing Ryan.

The course is brutal, I'm starting to open my gap behind, but I'm really not getting anywhere up ahead... they flash 6 laps to go... in the distance, I can see Paul Martin chasing back through the pack. He must have gotten a wheel and is now chasing back through the field. All the more reason to get moving....

With 4 to go, Ryan catches back to Dave and Dave realizes Paul will also catch him soon. He shouts that I have to hold Paul off... 4 laps, I don't think I'll be able to do it, but I certainly won't lay down and die! I'm still in the money spots. I'd still really like to get back up to those three in front.

Paul catches me on the straight leading to DI2P right before 3 to go. I asked him if he was still on the lead lap, then told him he was in ninth place. I figure he deserved to know.... of course, I just wanted to give him the encouragement he needed to go get in front of those three in front of me... cause I didn't want to be the only one caught.

Up ahead, Grimm is coming back, Zak catches and leaves him. Zak is riding really well. Thom and Ray and I are still holding the same gaps as Paul chews through all of us. With 2 to go, I figure it's do or die time.... so I start taking more chances, and try to ride parts of the first run section... it doesn't help at all, as I bog down. Thom opens some of his gap.... through out the lap, Ray dies, and Thom takes off.... I'm hopeful that Ray will come back to me, though I know he will turn himself inside out if I get close... Grimm is also coming back faster than before.

With one to go, Ray is exactly where Thom was, and Thom is near Grimm! I'm still in 10th, but I don't know what I can do to get to ninth or eighth... heading into the first run up section, I see Dave rolling his bike back to his car... he was in solid 12th place, so I can't see him packing it in unless he's had a mechanical. Ryan is still chasing me, but he's falling back as I'm trying to move forward.

It's no go, as Ray holds his own on the last lap, and the finish is set. I survived the last lap of 9 laps with a finish time of 1:22:25, averaging 9:09 per lap.

Finish is:
1. Ryan Gamm
2. Michigan Rider
3. Matt Weeks
4. Brent Evans
5. Paul Martin
6. Zak Dieringer
7. Thom Dominic
8. Jeremy Grimm
9. Ray Huang
10. John Ehrlinger
11. Ryan Wayne
12. Dave Steiner (1 lap)
13. ?

So I met my goal, but am still very disappointed with my race. I'm sure I was the only one running the part 1 switchback in the A race. I was tired of laying it down after 3 attempts, and had no better idea how to get through that. I probably should have gone there right after the race and figured out how to do that section... I was also not happy with my lines through some of the pavement, what should have been the easiest parts of the course.

Cyclocross is less a game of making time, as it is a game of not loosing time. I feel I lost maybe three places because of my technical flailing. Where I feel my technical ability is one of my big strengths, so I feel totally let down by myself. A technical course where my technical mistakes let the bigger engines of Ray, Grimm and Thom ride away from me.

I should take nothing way from the rides of Ray and Thom. Thom rode a great race on a single speed and ran even better. Lots of running to help him there. Ray was spectacular, though I admit I was constantly waiting for him to make some costly mistakes, they didn't come. Nice job guys.

Dave ended up racing well, but was the last lapped rider getting caught in DI2P. Which says that my 9:09 average lap time was probably 45 second slower per lap than the winning time. If Paul hadn't flatted, I'm guessing 10th place would have been a lap down also.

Gary ended up flatting on the second lap on the same hazard in the ravine that Paul hit... as did Brett a few laps later. I was running that section so was never in danger. Gary recovered from the disappointment and grabbed to camera. He's posted a ton of pics up for our viewing pleasure. Rick finished his first A race with a nice writeup here. Nice job all.

In spite of my disappointment, I think Spin did a great job of putting on the first of what I hope will be a regular stop on the Northern Ohio Cross Circuit. Nice purse, nice venue and a fun event. Maybe with a year of planning, I can figure out how to be happy with the results I've gotten.... because it could always be worse than it is. It was a hard race, I can't complain about that, and I did meet my goal for the day. Put it behind me and learn something new to apply for the next race. I think I'm learning a lot this year.