Cap City Cross Race-Lobdell Frisbee Golf Course, Cat.3 Master45 + finished 3rd & clinch 3rd over all in the series, I'm not sure if I scored enough points to move in to 2nd.
I went to sleep last night to rain still coming down, hoping it would change to snow and freeze the cross course over night....nope, not the case. I woke up to rain still coming down. As I finished getting ready and getting the van loaded the rain turned into snow....finally! I also knew the course was never going to firm up in time for the start of the race and the frozen muck was about to happen.
As I made it safe and sound to the event site, down in a snow covered holler, I saw a few people spun off the snow covered highway on the way over I was glad nobody got in my way during the drive. Scared people stay in the right lane (or just stay home) and over confident people (me), who like driving in the snow, left lane.....anyhow, I started setting up the Trek tent (thanks for the help guys!), Feedback and Trek work stands, rolling toolbox (that does not roll in the snow) and all the other stuff I haul with me to every event. I wondered how much of a quagmire we were about to race in and did I really want to do a warm up on the already frozen mucky course. You know jumping up and down was working just fine under the Trek tent to warm me up as the snow flakes started getting bigger and a lot more of them. OK, time to get ready for my race, I jumped into the van, pinned my number on the right side of my jersey. Jersey on, thermal vest on, warm up pants off, pull up the Swiftwick Merino wool socks a little higher so there is as small of a gap as possible between the bottom of my double knee warmers and the top to my Swiftwick team socks. Brrrrrrr, OK lets check out the course and try to warm up my legs.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
5 minutes to start. 2 minutes to start. Soon the Cat.3's are being called up, then the Cat.3 Masters 35+ and finally Cat.3 Master 45+. OK, 1st place for the Masters 45+series is here and second place is not here. I need to do well if I am to have a chance to move into second over all. After the final instructions from the official it finally our turn to start. We're off, with snow balls flying. Log jam in to the first right hander and as the course narrows there not much we can do but follow wheels. Around some trees, then a Frisbee golf chain hole-goal thingy, tight left around some bushes, short straight and a big right hander and over the triple barrier. People are by me in the run, back on the bike to the steep, very muddy single track run (walk) up. I catch back up to the people that got by me on the barriers and I find I can't clip in to my fricken something-something Crankbrother Eggbeater pedals. The bottom of my shoes are clogged with frozen muck from the single track bike-n-hike we just went up. As I beat the bottom of my shoes on the pedals I see Riedel and two other riders getting away. AAAAAAHHHH! OK, finally I get clipped it and I'm off in pursuit. As I wind my way around the upper section of the course, pass the pits, I catch Riedel and another rider before a short muddy climb and I get by without out saying a word to John. Sorry, but I was pegged and trying to my slow my breathing to get my heart-rate under control to keep it from completely red lining. Around a medium left hander, long straight, a tighter right hander and now a long slog up a gradual rise with a very soft hump three quarters of the way. Medium right hander down a short steep down hill that I barely kept it out of the woods, a twist snowy section past the pits (out in no mans land, I'm not looking forward in hiking all the way back here to get my pit wheels, which are completely snow covered) for the second time and stay to the left on a fast muddy down hill and back into the start-finish meadow. Around a very muddy left hander and finally a sweeping right hander. Power down the start-finish straight (or at least I am trying to.) One lap down and five more to go!
At the end of lap two I catch and passed Chris Metzler on the front straight to some fanfare, but Chris gets by me and I try to stay with him as long as I can, over the barriers again, up the muddy single track and I'm able to get clipped in quicker this time and I try and not left Metzler get to far away. He passes another rider and l'm trying to close the the gap. This continues through laps three, four and we get the bell. I'm slowly closing on Metzler and the other rider in blue but not enough that I'm going to catch them before the finish. Down the short muddy section, passed the pits one last time, down the fast steeper muddy descent and I cook it to the Kenda tape, I bleed off all my speed, but I keep it up right,,,oooooo I see my team manager, I might be able to lap him before the finish line....no, but I'm right behind him. Maybe it a good thing, I think he's still peeved at me from last weekends aggressive pass. Time to get warmed up, a dry pair of Swiftwick wool socks and warm ups back on over my mud covered body and wait for the race results,
The A race starts as we cheer the Men, Women and the single speed field. The race result are final posted for the B race, OK there I am in 23rd over all, but more importantly how many 45+ were in front of me...one, two....I road to 3rd! Now I have to wait to the 19th and the Cap City Cross Christmas party to see if I scored enough point to move into second place over all or maybe they will post the over all on the website. : ) Good fun racing in the snow and muck today and with that the Cap City Cross Season is finis! Many thanks to everyone with the Cap City Cross series for putting on some great events!
U.S. Cyclocross Nationals, Bend, OR - Well done to all of my ALAN North American Cycling teammates, Fred, Dave, Greg, Julie and Erin out at Bend and especially to Johnathan putting in a gutty performance after getting crashed by another racer, who also gashed his knee, breaking his rear shifter and Johnathan manage to still finished a respectable 36th in extremely crappy conditions. Good by crappy weather Oregon, hello Wisconsin!
Now that I have fixed most of my typo's. On Sunday December 19th Cap City Cross had its end of year awards at the Carabar just north of Children's Hospital. It was a fun end of cross season get together with all our fellow racers and to find out how we all fared in the over all. The big question for me was did I earn enough points in the finial race to move into to second over all.........In the Cat.3 Master 45+ over all I did it! 2nd over all!
Now I have a goal for next year and more competition on its way. Blair will be racing next year with us, Glenn, who won the Cat.3 Masters 35+ moves up in to the 45+ group. Now if I can race well with them I can use it as a stepping stone towards the 2012-13 UCI Masters Worlds in Louisville, KY.
