November 26, 2005
http://www.teamlakeeffect.com/
Snow Day! Week 4 of the series, and yes I can count. The fourth race was supposed to be on Friday but was canceled as a winter storm warning was posted Thursday evening. The day ended up not bad, but the racing would have been wicked windy. Fortunately, we had 3 races scheduled this weekend, so canceling one would not cause to much withdrawal from the cyclocross fix. It actually helped the family front, as I still will be gone for 2 of the 4 afternoons over the holiday weekend.
So Race 5 on Saturday. The weather forecast calls for 30-40 degrees with scattered snow showers up until the start of the B race at noon. We got more snow over night, so there was about 3-4 inches on the course when I arrived. This will be an interesting race day.
The Course
This is our first race at The Fields in Broadview Heights this year. The Fields is a sport field complex with about 4 soccer fields and 6 baseball fields. They are laid out with one low soccer field between two higher sections, so there is some really nice terrain to negotiate. There are also some trails through the woods in one section that we've used in the past.
Because of the weather today, we skipped the woods, and basically traversed around the sport fields. We started in a muddy corner, and wound our way around and between two baseball fields, mixing some pavement in for fun. Then we hit a nice dropping corner that lead to a chute taking us down to the lower field. Another quick left and we started looping around the field. First we had to go by the bottom of the sledding hill, fortunately it was well marshaled. Then complete the three sides before dumping off onto the road to climb to the next level.
The climb was on pavement, but the grassy approach section pretty much sapped all speed. So it was a grind to the top, when we went back onto grass/snow to complete the last 5 foot rise to the field level. Around the parking lot to the grass, and more slogging around the soccer fields.
Once through those fields, we took a sweeping turn to line up with a gravel decent, cross the bridge and then climb back to the start finish level. Cross a parking lot and some pavement, and then back into the grass around the last field to complete the lap.
The snow made this course today. During warm up, before the B/C race, we were working through 4 inches trying to find something solid, or packed down to get some speed. I was figuring that the early race would groom the course and the A race would be on some solid footing... we'll see.
B/C Race
Plan for the day was 5 laps for the B's and 3 laps for the C's. I did a warm up lap at 11+ minutes, so I figured the estimates should be pretty close, though maybe a little short for the faster B's.
The start was through a very wet section of the course. At the whistle, one guy decide to just run it... and he ended up in second place by doing it. A few crashes at the start and one of my buddys was already at the back with technical trouble. Went around for half the lap with his wheel rubbing on his frame... I've done that before, but in a road race, not through the snow.
Once again, the order was mixed up as the course conditions again dictated the race. Matt Litzler from Spin battled with series leader from October/Lake Effect, Matt Weeks. Weeks got confused with 2 to go, thinking the bell for a C racer they were passing was for the B race. So he pushed it a bit to hard, to early. Litzler then was able to get clear on the real bell lap for the win. Erick Lesco from Solon Bicycles beat out my Snakebite Racing teammate, Brett for third when he made a similar mistake.
Gear
Word on the course was that the lower field was really bad... not quite peanut butter, but it sucked the life out of you. The other word was you don't need as much clothing as you think. Being a snow race in the lower 30's, I'll document my decisions on clothing.
I decided to go with the knickers only on the bottom. I coated my exposed skin liberally with baby oil to try to keep any moisture from sticking to me. On top, a tank base layer, a long sleeve base layer, a wind jacket and a wind vest. I wore a pair of smart wool socks, with a second pair of gore type socks over that, then my normal Sidi Doms. I dropped the PI AmFib gloves, and went for the full finger cyclones. A little thinner, but not too heavy. I topped it all off with a light skull cap that also covered my ears.
With the snow/mud, I decided to leave the wheels with the Tufo tub/clinchers in the pit and run the Michelin Mud 2s. I figured they'd work better in the thicker stuff with a bit of knob. Since I'm sitting in sixth place on the points series, I also brought the mountain bike. If anything breaks, I still really want to finish. It's hard to maintain anything when you get a 0. With today's weather, it may have been faster to ride the wider tires. I decided to stick with the cross bike though... it is cross season after all.
A Race
So we lined up right at 1:30. I was a bit cold, but my warm up laps, and previous experience assured my I'd be warm soon enough. The field had 16 including some fast guys I've seen before. 7 laps, 1.3 miles or so long. No disillusion on a top 5 today. I'm hoping to avoid getting lapped again. I lined up at the back and on the whistle we're off.
Well, that was the plan. We started in a bog, so it was a bit slow going at the start. It turns out the B race had turned most of the snow covered course into a mucky mess. We were slogging through really thick stuff all over the place.
I got a slow start, not that I was gunning for anything else. So I was behind the guys I wanted to be with by the time we got to the lower field. In fact, looking back, Gorman and I were at the back of the field save 1... that we couldn't see already. As we hit the paved climb, we were close to the guys that I normally race against with a twist. One of the super fast guys (well, he is on the road anyway) was basically going backwards. We go to the last little snow covered rise, and I was on his wheel, when he went down. I came off and found myself stepping on the rear wheel of a Colnogo. We all got moving fast enough, but it was clear I did not want to be behind this guy. So I pulled Gorman and I around.
It turns out there were 4 really slow muddy/mucky sections. One about 150 meters right before the finish line (that we started in). A section about 200 meters around the back and far side of the lower soccer field. A section about 20 meters long at the close corner of the upper fields, and another about 50 meters long at the last corner of the field. The two slower sections on this field were offset some by one of the fastest sections along the far side. About 100 meters of iced path that we could really get moving on.
Somehow by the time we got here we had pulled back a few guys a bit ahead of us, including Jeff from Honey-Stinger. He was 4 points behind me in the series, so I need to be in front of him. Then Gorman came around me. So my goal now was to hold onto him as long as I could. Maybe he'd pull me away from the other guys and pull me up a place. I'm hoping my power/technical riding is the right combination for these conditions. There are still two guys ahead that I've beaten before. So I'd like to get up to them.
Through for the first lap, and onto the second... It's not long before Gorman starts to pull away, and I'm left with one guy I don't know and Jeff on my wheel. I'm trying to hold close so the gap up front doesn't get too big. Around the lower section, and we loose Jeff... I think his chain came off, and he had a time getting it back on. So I'm left with one guy. Around the upper field and he's right on me. As we hit the sweeping turn and I slide out... the guy behind me goes down also. I popped back up fast enough, apologize quickly and I'm away. With a nice gap to boot. I've got to check my brakes before that turn from now on.
Down the gravel, and over the bridge, and onto the climb... and into a mob of crazy Belgians!??!!! This was the best part of this race. About a dozen or so guys from the B race stayed and spectated the A race. For the first two or three laps they were all over the course. Screaming and ringing cow bells. How cool is that! By the later laps they had all congregated on the climb back to the start finish. It was great and really motivated us to power up the climb. They could see the lower soccer field and would cheer guys there if no one was on the climb. Very much fun. I wonder if there was beer there, cause I felt like it was the tent.
This was pretty much it for the remainder of the race. The guy behind me would close the gap a few times, but I was able to reopen it. Gorman pulled in one other guy, but was pretty much stuck there. I could see them, but only when I hit some of the open fields. I kept looking for the fastest ways through the bogs... but from the tracks, it looked like no one was finding anything good.
Lap 4 I had opened the gap behind me to about 200 meters or so. But I was overheating. I should have taken off the long sleeve base layer before the start. I was unzipping my layers, but it wasn't enough. I didn't want to stop to strip, so I had to think of something else. Since you loose the most heat through your head, I figured I might be able to pull off my cap. It turns out my helmet was just loose enough that I was able to do it. I stuffed it in my sleeve to carry it around to the start. Then as I was climbing the hill, I figured I'd give the guys a thrill, and tossed it off to Brett. Someone made a comment about boobies, so my goal was achieved. And I was cooling off nicely to boot.... and the Belgians were getting louder.
Snow is such an interesting addition to cyclocross races. I've raced in mud, where it sticks to the brakes, and clogs the wheels. But add snow, and it gets really thick. The brakes don't work well or catch ice and it feels like they are rubbing. I think I was carrying an extra 10 pounds of frozen mud on the bike. I was continually sticking my fingers near the brakes to knock the stuff away from the wheels so they'd spin. I was getting pretty good at it, twice a lap or so. At the start finish, and on the road climb were good places, as we'd just come through some mucky parts.
Through the start finish with 3 to go. I've got a nice gap behind me, but I'm loosing site of the guys in front of me. I figure I'm about half a lap down on the leaders, and I'm actually having a good time. Even if I haven't brought anyone else back. I'm ahead of Jeff, the guy close to me in points, so I should gain at least 2 points. That will be enough.
I've still got a few hundred meters on the guy behind me as I head into the lower field. Through the bog, and I hear someone on my wheel! Woah! Lapped. I never saw the guy coming, and it's not Paul Martin. It's a former world MTB champion. OK, Now I've got two to go. I've got to get over being lapped, and continue to work. If that guy is faster than Paul, I can live with getting lapped again. I looked back and the guy chasing me is hiking the bike through the field, so I've got a chance to hold him off. I don't see anyone else in either direction yet. Power up the hill and hold on!
At the top of the hill, I dismounted to try to knock some weight off... the bike weighed a ton. Back on, and see if I can make up more ground. Coming around the field, I see foot prints in the snow. Someone is hiking here? Then I see a guy carrying. I ask if he's OK... he blew his derailluer by picking up a course flag. Long walk back to the start finish from here.
Man the lead guy is WAY out in front. He's putting time into me like what! OK, can I hold everyone else off? Through the Belgians, and they are cheering like crazy. Around the slog, and it's one to go. Paul is closing in, so I'm looking back, and forward at the same time. I give him a path, and now I need to go. No one else.... maybe I can bring someone else back.
Last time up the climb, and the guys are getting really loud. I thought I might get missed as they were cheering for the soccer field when I was climbing the hill for the last time. But they didn't dissappoint. To the top and around to the finish. I made it through the finish before getting caught by anyone else.
Stats
| Time | 56:42 |
| 6 laps | 8.23 miles |
| Max | 20.6 mph |
| place | 11th |
Doing the lap averages, my time would have gotten me 7th in the B race. Again all things weren't equal and this time, I think the course conditions really deteriorated for the A race making it slower. So I'm not going to count that as a true position, I figure I could have been top 5 at least.
I also figured I was about 3 minutes behind the guy that got 10th place... so my power riding or slop riding is still way to slow. Either that or I just don't know how to find lines through this kind of stuff. The only way I'm going to learn that is if I can get fast enough to race with some of these guys for extended periods of time. Next year I'm thinking a top 5 finish as good goal. Its something to train for.
There are about 3 guys that could pass me in the points race if they just show up. One of them blew out his derailluer today. Another one won the race. There are two other guys that could beat me if I blow up and they have good rides. So that will keep me going. The only way I can make top 5 in points is if someone misses one of the last two races. Highly unlikely since payout is for the top 5. So we'll see how this thing all plays out.
OK... now it's time to recover... because the next race is TOMORROW!!!! At the same place. And conditions will not improve, as it's supposed to get warmer and rain. It's really cyclocross weather now. 52 and raining. What will I have to wear for that?
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