The Fields in Broadview Heights (part 2) - 11/24/2007

Week 2 of the Fields in the Bike Authority CX series. This week we had lots of wet, and even some snow on Thursday and Friday. It's tough to predict who will show on Thanksgiving Weekend, since some of the regulars are traveling for the family, and new faces show up for the same reason.

I've got some extra help today, as an Uncle of ours is in town. With no other plans, and an invite, he decides to come spectate and see what kind of crazy stuff I call fun... and he brings my kids out with him. It's good for the kids too, because they don't have to stay at the race as long as I do. They show up 15 minutes before the start and can leave right after the finish. So I hand off the cowbell to them, give my Uncle the briefing on how to cheer for a cross race, and head to the line.

The Course
Typically, the course is reversed for the second week with some minor modifications. The start was moved to the finish location, slightly uphill around one of the soccer fields and straight into the woods. The Cannondale C descent is gone, and replaced with the gravel descent to the bridge crossing, followed by the climb to the far fields. We went down the bigger run from last week, and then a road climb back to the start/finish level. Around two soccer fields and switchback gets us to the start finish again. 2.1 miles of sloppy 'cross.

The forecast called for 45 and partly to mostly cloudy. That wasn't the main concern today though, the snow/wet course conditions would dominate regardless of air temps. I managed 2+ laps of warmup before the early race was finished, totally changing the course conditions. Sat on the trainer for a bit, then took the race bike out for another couple of laps to see the changes. The woods were pretty greasy, and there was more than one super soggy field crossing that promised to sap the life out of the legs.

The Race
17 A's and 5 Masters were lined up. Mostly the regulars with 3 or 4 I didn't recognize. After watching the B race start, Dave and I were contemplating running the start. It seemed the B's that ran got moving faster than the riders. I, of course, knew that I was good enough to ride the start well, so chose that. Dave decided to run it. The race is announced to be 5 laps... short since the B race was 4 laps in 37minutes. But with the State Championship on Sunday, and the conditions, no one really complained. A few even started to lobby for 4 laps.

On the whistle it was obvious that I really have no clue how to race, as my start totally sucked. Lynn gave a 5 count, some people were rolling at 1, and I got clipped in slowly and then couldn't get moving. So the end result, I'm 15th or so by the top of the rise, and have some work to do. Dave ran (good thinking) and was first to the top of the rise, but then stalled badly on the remount, and I was in front of him before he really got moving. In the end, neither of us did a very good start.

I managed to make up a few spots heading into the woods, and then a few more by taking aggressive lines, and being technically clean through the single track. Once out of the woods, bomb the bridge, and I found a nice path through the upper field. My lines on the descent worked well, and I'm in the south field feeling pretty good. Sitting in 8th, with a group of 6 well ahead, then a gap to Rudy and another gap to me. I can work with this in spite of my start.

At the far end of the field, I get caught by the first chaser... and he's flying. As he comes by me he asks if the guy ahead is in the lead. I assume he means Rudy, because the others are already 300m ahead of us, and not directly in sight. I let him know there are 6 more ahead of him as he rides away.

Quinlin catches and passes me before the start finish...I respond on the driest edge of the course, but it's tough to follow that motor, especially when the conditions get heavy again. I'm hoping to bring him back in the woods, but he opens quite the gap. Still feeling good, but others are gaining.

Zak and Weeks catch (and pass) me at the top of the climb on the far field. I'm doing pretty well at holding this gap steady at about 30seconds through out the remainder of the lap. Closing a little through the woods, I do get to see Zak take a nice line through the wettest part of upper field, and I follow that. Ray is now 30seconds back.

I've got a nice line going on the big descent, and I want to close a little to Zak and Matt there. But I screw it up at the top, and the bike comes out from under me... I slide about 15 feet, still clipped to the bike. I hop back on quickly enough, but the chain is off the front ring.... since I don't have a derailluer, I fumble on what to do. In the heat of racing it was like I was dumb founded that I didn't have a front der! So I do the descent without pedaling.... ARGGGHHH!!! At the bottom before the road, I realize I can reach down with my hand and get the chain back on... I'm away, but Ray makes the catch on the road climb.

We head into the south field, and at the far corner, he starts to bobble a bit. So I suggest he let the bike float more, don't fight it through the muck so much. It seems to work for him, as he opens a slight gap on the northbound leg... the worst section of the whole course for me. As the gap starts, he says, "See you in the woods." I do my best to hold on, and sure enough, I close a pretty decent gap in the woods, and open my own before we hit the bridge descent. Not enough, because Ray is on my wheel at the top of the hill. He gives it full gas on the pavement to open some, and I use my line through the muck to close and pass him again. He's got a bit more motor, but I'm technically much better...

As we hit the pavement, heading toward the descent, Ray comes around me again, and I warn him to watch the turn at the top of the hill... the one that I washed out on last lap. He puts in a little gap, as I take the cautious approach to line the descent up instead of lay down again. Cleanly through, I drop the descent.

Ray's line takes him pretty far to my left, as I straighten the whole thing out to carry as much momentum into the road climb as possible. I end up right next to him going through the fence, and calmly say "turn". Since he's on my left, and it's a left hander, we're moving closer together... and he's still not turning. As we hop the curb onto the street, more emphatically now "Turn." as we start to slow down. But he's still going straight... I'm now standing on the brakes, heading straight toward the curb on the other side of the road... leaning on Ray I tell him to "TURN DAMN IT!" as I come to a complete stop and hit the curb... he finally turns and takes off up the hill.

Great! Now I'm loosing gobs of time to Zak and Matt. From a dead stop, I drill it up the hill and catch Ray, but it takes a lot out of me... and I need a little recovery on the south field... the bad one. So the gap opens again, and Derrick is now at about 30 seconds back.

Derrick is actually in my race, and though I'm sitting 13th overall, I'm in second in the master's race. I must do everything I can to hold Derrick off... so I go to racing from behind. I fully expect to bring Ray back in the woods, but it's a change of focus that kills me now. I'm pissed off that Ray took me to the curb not only because it makes it that much harder to get my places back, but also because it now changes how I'm racing.

Into the woods, for the 4th time. I close a little on Ray, but I'm sure the sight of me has recharged Derrick as he's closing a little bit on me. 2 laps to go, I tell myself to just stay clean and I can hold him off. I start to run the uphill wooded sections, and it's a bit faster. Ray does well to hold a gap coming out of the woods. Zak and Matt are gone. So it's catch Ray, and hold off Derrick, and I'm mostly worried about Derrick.

With one to go, I need to open the gap more, so it's all out. The woods help, and I hold it over the top. I have plenty of space behind and Ray holds it in front, though I drive it hard all the way to the end.

Post
Spectating at the race was fantastic, so my Uncle got a good feel for how cool the cross scene is. I ended up loaning my helmet to Mason for the B race. He came up from Columbus, and he repaid in spades with his buddy, by being the rabid fan, screaming at us as we came out of the woods. Very nice. Even my kids outdid themselves by screaming for me regulary through out the race. Best cheering they've ever done.

Gary has some great shots up again at his flickr account. Probably the best I've seen of my mud covered self. And yes, those spokes are solid ice, as was the bottom two rings of my cassette... I could shift there for anything on the last lap.

Not a bad race to get 13th out of 22, 2nd masters on the day. But I'm still not totally happy with everything. I need to figure out how I can do so well at the start of the race, then let so many people come around me. It's been pretty consistent that I let 5 places go by the half way mark. It wouldn't be so bad if there were 50 in the field, but with 20-30, that's a significant portion of the field.

A poor start and washing out at the top of the descent didn't help my results. I should have listened to Dave on the start, and a bit less tire pressure may have helped the handling all over the course. I was running the Tufos again. I'd put some slime in the front to repair the flat from last week. I got it to hold air, but I'd had to release some and I think some latex got into the valve stem. I got it all sealed up before the race started, but left in a little extra air because it was making me nervous. I also need to figure out how to get the speed up in the heavy stuff like the south field. I'm great at holding my momentum up through the shorter sections, but the northbound section did a number on me.

... and I may have hurt Ray's feelings during the race... afterwards he said he didn't turn cause I was yelling at him. So, I guess I should just keep my mouth shut, and ride my own race.

I'm still looking to put everything together. Two more to go... Boughton Farms for the last two of the season. Here hoping for reasonably technical conditions. 10 day forecast calls for wet weather, and snow on race day. Woo!!!