Cycling off season in full swing. I haven't ridden since before Thanksgiving, and now am ready to start back into it. Through that time, I hit the CrossFit workouts pretty hard and have seen some good progress. Totally love front squats! Also have significantly improved my form on back squats and today hit a 265lb 1RM personal record during CrossFit Total. Nearly got a 356lb deadlift which would have also been PR, and would have pushed my total to 750lbs (squat, shoulder press, deadlift). Next time...
I started CrossFit 1 year ago, and am continually growing more impressed with it as a workout program. I've mainly followed the mainsite program, but have ventured into working in some periodic strength WODs from CrossFit football. I'll do more of that over the winter. Once cycling season hits, something has to give. Just not enough (recovery) time to do it all.
I created a post earlier this year with my goals for the year, and will post a summary of how many I hit (I fell short on a few). Also need to stretch my goals for next year, and hope that with the growth of Crossfit, that there are some local competitions similar to the CrossFit games held in CA over the summer. Also need to formulate a plan to be more competitive in cycling, but know that I can't commit all my training time just to cycling. If not, a repeat of this year would be just fine by me. Got a few results , but mainly enjoyed the team training rides and the local race scene.
Also mixed up the music playlist on my blog a bit...led off by some Maiden. It was so nice to walk into the North Canton YMCA for my workout this morning and hear Iron Maiden "Run to the Hills" playing in the weight room. Most YMCA's seem to play X-mas music at this time...nothing against it, but its more suited to background music when baking cookies, not deadlifting.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
KSU CX
Lake Effect hosted a great race on Saturday, and the weather really cooperated (very uncharateristic for Ohio in November). The course was laid out great. I particularly liked the out and back section after the sketchy gravel to pavement transition. You were able to hammer the slightly curvy lines up until the next gravel section right at the 180 turn. I think that turn cost lots of people time and possibly some skin/bruises. You then were able to hammer the crushed limestone trail, which also had nice curved and minor undulations.
The 1st hill in the singletrack was perfect. Rideable but it took good skills to make sure you didn't lose traction. The 2nd hill? Well never cleaned that one...
I raced with the 'A's and started at the back. I wanted to find a group at my pace and battle it out there. After 1 lap it looked like Bob Martin, Chernosky, Vanucci, and Tom Humphrey were near me. I think all these guys had more power than me, but I felt very good on technical turns and had some good lines. Bob and I were close on lap 2, he was able to gap me on the straights, but I managed to close down some gaps on the turns. This lasted a short while before he eventually went off on his own and I could not hang. Next I think it was Dave that powered past me out of the single track and I lost touch. Tom and Mike then caught up to me and we traded leads a few times. I needed recovery and rode Mike's wheel for a while. Tom then came around and I grabbed his wheel, still recovering from earlier red zone efforts. Tom would gap me, and I closed it down in the turns.
I ended up opening a gap on those guys, but we were within 5-10 seconds of each other. I felt them clawing me back in on lap 5 maybe. I hammered the out and back section mentioned earlier, and heard someone go down on the 180 gravel turn. By the pits I was able to see that Mike was still a bit behind me, and Tom lost ground (he hit the ground at the 180).
Thats how the race went on. I think I was gaining on Bob who was 25 seconds ahead of me, and I know Mike and Tom both kept gaining on me. I finished 23rd, good battle at the back of the pack! Mike Tom and I rolled for 1/2 a lap after the race just to cool down and chat.
Loved the course and the race...I am not at the fitness level I wanted to be at, but October weather and early Nov sickness derailed some training plans. Otherwise, it couldn't have been a better day. Thanks Lake Effect and all those that put this one on!
The 1st hill in the singletrack was perfect. Rideable but it took good skills to make sure you didn't lose traction. The 2nd hill? Well never cleaned that one...
I raced with the 'A's and started at the back. I wanted to find a group at my pace and battle it out there. After 1 lap it looked like Bob Martin, Chernosky, Vanucci, and Tom Humphrey were near me. I think all these guys had more power than me, but I felt very good on technical turns and had some good lines. Bob and I were close on lap 2, he was able to gap me on the straights, but I managed to close down some gaps on the turns. This lasted a short while before he eventually went off on his own and I could not hang. Next I think it was Dave that powered past me out of the single track and I lost touch. Tom and Mike then caught up to me and we traded leads a few times. I needed recovery and rode Mike's wheel for a while. Tom then came around and I grabbed his wheel, still recovering from earlier red zone efforts. Tom would gap me, and I closed it down in the turns.
I ended up opening a gap on those guys, but we were within 5-10 seconds of each other. I felt them clawing me back in on lap 5 maybe. I hammered the out and back section mentioned earlier, and heard someone go down on the 180 gravel turn. By the pits I was able to see that Mike was still a bit behind me, and Tom lost ground (he hit the ground at the 180).
Thats how the race went on. I think I was gaining on Bob who was 25 seconds ahead of me, and I know Mike and Tom both kept gaining on me. I finished 23rd, good battle at the back of the pack! Mike Tom and I rolled for 1/2 a lap after the race just to cool down and chat.
Loved the course and the race...I am not at the fitness level I wanted to be at, but October weather and early Nov sickness derailed some training plans. Otherwise, it couldn't have been a better day. Thanks Lake Effect and all those that put this one on!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Mohican and the Spiral of Death
Two quick race reports here...The Mohican State Park OMBC race and Spin's Cross my Heart CX.
I definitely had the Mohican race on my calendar ever since riding the 25 mile loop the first time. This race would be epic (as long as sport class did the full loop). Luckily for me, the sport class riders at the previous OMBC race overwhelmingly voted for the full loop!
I entered Sport Veteran with about 20 riders. Got the hole shot at the start, but made a wrong turn in the campground. I was able to get back on track and still be 3rd wheel. I entered the singletrack in 3rd and me and the 2 ahead of me started pulling away on the initial climb. Less than a mile in I notice something seriously wrong with my Lefty fork. The lock out knob is spinning freely and its rattling. I find it to be completely locked out...oh crap. I fiddle with the knobs while climbing, thus not paying attention to the course and end up going off course in woods. I decided to try and fix the shock then rejoin the race.
I got the knob back on and working, lost about 10 places, but was able to find a good group to hammer out the next few miles with. We started catching slower riders from earlier fields and our group had trouble passing efficiently. I got past most of them, but approached one of the last riders to pass just before a hairpin descent. After passing the rider, I couldn't nail the turn and endoed down the hill into the forest. Lost several more places and more importantly - lost confidence.
Miles 6-16 were fine as I was able to get back in a groove, pass several riders, and enjoy the ride (even thought the fork was still nearly rigid and really beating me up). At mile 16..the leg cramps started. I fought them by adjusting riding positions slightly to hit different muscles. This caused more issues and the flow just wasn't there anymore. The climbs were very painful.
After a minor slideout at mile 23, I was just ready to get this over. Prior to re-entering the campground as you exit the singletrack, there was one steep short rise to get past. I had to dismount to climb it, but my legs COMPLETELY locked up from cramps. Never had them this bad before. I stood motionless in pain for 1-2 minutes and saw more riders pass, just 1/2 mile from the finish. I final got moving and rolled across the line in 9th. Definitely put this one on your calendar if its offered next year. Its epic.
Then there's Willoughby...Spin's CX race. I looked forward to this race as its near my hometown and I grew up sled riding on the monster hill that now us CX racers must climb up. Yea, still seems just as big as now it was back then. Add in the fact that nearly the entire course was soft and muddy, and you knew ahead of time this was going to be extremely hard.
The course was reverse from last year with less course in the parking lot and more in the baseball fields...mainly in one thick peanut-butter filled baseball field spiral of death. I was racing with the 'A's and we had the full hill to climb. Initially I was dreading the hill, but in hindsight, it seemed no more difficult than many other sections...thats how tough this course was. I got some pre-race tips form Rick Parr who just completed his race, which helped me pick good lines to start the race. Despite being at the back in the line up, was able to move up pretty well in the 1st half lap.
Things got much worse after that. I knew I was ahead of some higher horsepower than me, and expect several to pass me early in the race. The problem was that the passing didn't stop. There were some racers that I though I should have been competitive with and they were just blowing by me. I was fighting the course and my lower back seemed to pay for it. After two laps, I was very near the back and trying to hang onto any wheel at that point. It wasn't working at all today. So I just continued to put down a hard effort and watched the lap card numbers go down, albeit very slowly.
I may have achieved a last place result here as long as nobody DNF'ed. Still had fun and then looked forward to a good brew and burger at Willoughby Brewing Company. Now I have to develop a plan to have a bit better showing at a few of the final CX races here in 2009.
Good news though..earlier this week, I was able hit a new personal record on Fran http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/004989.html (CrossFit: 21-15-9 reps of thrusters-95lb and pullups). Old record was 7 min 30 seconds, new is 6 min 30 sec. I set a goal of sub 8 min at the beginning of the year. Now I'm hoping for a low 5 before 2010 starts. get some....
I definitely had the Mohican race on my calendar ever since riding the 25 mile loop the first time. This race would be epic (as long as sport class did the full loop). Luckily for me, the sport class riders at the previous OMBC race overwhelmingly voted for the full loop!
I entered Sport Veteran with about 20 riders. Got the hole shot at the start, but made a wrong turn in the campground. I was able to get back on track and still be 3rd wheel. I entered the singletrack in 3rd and me and the 2 ahead of me started pulling away on the initial climb. Less than a mile in I notice something seriously wrong with my Lefty fork. The lock out knob is spinning freely and its rattling. I find it to be completely locked out...oh crap. I fiddle with the knobs while climbing, thus not paying attention to the course and end up going off course in woods. I decided to try and fix the shock then rejoin the race.
I got the knob back on and working, lost about 10 places, but was able to find a good group to hammer out the next few miles with. We started catching slower riders from earlier fields and our group had trouble passing efficiently. I got past most of them, but approached one of the last riders to pass just before a hairpin descent. After passing the rider, I couldn't nail the turn and endoed down the hill into the forest. Lost several more places and more importantly - lost confidence.
Miles 6-16 were fine as I was able to get back in a groove, pass several riders, and enjoy the ride (even thought the fork was still nearly rigid and really beating me up). At mile 16..the leg cramps started. I fought them by adjusting riding positions slightly to hit different muscles. This caused more issues and the flow just wasn't there anymore. The climbs were very painful.
After a minor slideout at mile 23, I was just ready to get this over. Prior to re-entering the campground as you exit the singletrack, there was one steep short rise to get past. I had to dismount to climb it, but my legs COMPLETELY locked up from cramps. Never had them this bad before. I stood motionless in pain for 1-2 minutes and saw more riders pass, just 1/2 mile from the finish. I final got moving and rolled across the line in 9th. Definitely put this one on your calendar if its offered next year. Its epic.
Then there's Willoughby...Spin's CX race. I looked forward to this race as its near my hometown and I grew up sled riding on the monster hill that now us CX racers must climb up. Yea, still seems just as big as now it was back then. Add in the fact that nearly the entire course was soft and muddy, and you knew ahead of time this was going to be extremely hard.
The course was reverse from last year with less course in the parking lot and more in the baseball fields...mainly in one thick peanut-butter filled baseball field spiral of death. I was racing with the 'A's and we had the full hill to climb. Initially I was dreading the hill, but in hindsight, it seemed no more difficult than many other sections...thats how tough this course was. I got some pre-race tips form Rick Parr who just completed his race, which helped me pick good lines to start the race. Despite being at the back in the line up, was able to move up pretty well in the 1st half lap.
Things got much worse after that. I knew I was ahead of some higher horsepower than me, and expect several to pass me early in the race. The problem was that the passing didn't stop. There were some racers that I though I should have been competitive with and they were just blowing by me. I was fighting the course and my lower back seemed to pay for it. After two laps, I was very near the back and trying to hang onto any wheel at that point. It wasn't working at all today. So I just continued to put down a hard effort and watched the lap card numbers go down, albeit very slowly.
I may have achieved a last place result here as long as nobody DNF'ed. Still had fun and then looked forward to a good brew and burger at Willoughby Brewing Company. Now I have to develop a plan to have a bit better showing at a few of the final CX races here in 2009.
Good news though..earlier this week, I was able hit a new personal record on Fran http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/004989.html (CrossFit: 21-15-9 reps of thrusters-95lb and pullups). Old record was 7 min 30 seconds, new is 6 min 30 sec. I set a goal of sub 8 min at the beginning of the year. Now I'm hoping for a low 5 before 2010 starts. get some....
Friday, October 9, 2009
Where's the music?
Here now...player at the bottom of the page. Currently have some jam/jazz, hard rock, and good audio caffeine from Stone Sour / Slipknot. It'll change over time.
Resting on Saturday in prep for my one and only MTB race of the year, Mohican SP! Sport class doing 1 full lap. Love it.
knobby season continues...good luck to all those in Cincy this weekend, sounds like a blast.
Resting on Saturday in prep for my one and only MTB race of the year, Mohican SP! Sport class doing 1 full lap. Love it.
knobby season continues...good luck to all those in Cincy this weekend, sounds like a blast.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Stark Velo CX
(pic from Julie Lewis-Sroka)Wow...Saturday was just an awesome day. Lots of work, stress, physical exhaustion, and FUN. I loved it.
Checking the weather on Friday night, I fully expected we’d be setting up the course in steady rain; not a great way to start. When I woke and checked the weather, I was glad to see that rain should hold off for the majority of the morning and may move in for race time. Perfect. We did get some light rain around 10, which didn’t affect setup time. The crew showed up around 8am and we got busy doing all the course prep work. I was coordinating and had to use my bike to travel from one section to the other continuously as people had questions about the course layout. I was also trying to gauge the need for more supplies and eventually was dispatching people to local stores for more tape, flags, and stakes. It was real nice to have a race location within 1 mile of both a Home Depot and Lowe’s. We finished setting up the course just in time for a 12pm ‘C’ race start.
The ‘C’s had some damp ground to work with, but for the most part stayed dry for the 30 min race. They were able to get 3 laps in. The ‘B’ race got underway in similar conditions, but as lap 2 started, the sky opened up. I was monitoring the course and was down in the area next to the firestation. Riders were coming down the hill into the pine tree / banked turn section pretty fast. Slick brakes were not working well and tires weren’t gripping either. Several people slid down the hill or had to bail straight through the caution tape at the pine tree. I asked spectators at the top of the hill to give warning to racers that they should slow before the hill. This seemed to help minimize the trouble for the moment. I rolled back to the start finish just as I heard thunder in the distant. Now I am being tested in my first race organization effort. Do we keep racing? I decided to keep on going, but then heard another clap of thunder. With input from others at the s/f line, we decided that we would give the leader 1 lap to go on his next time through. Just as we made that decision, there was a bright flash of lightning followed quickly by thunder. Way too close. Decision changed to have the leader finish on his next time through. I then rolled through the course trying to let all know that this race was ending now. B’s finished 3 laps and had about 25 minutes of a planned 45 minute race. We then had ½ hour before the ‘A’ race to make a call on what to do. Thanks to several people with Blackberries and active weather maps, we could see that we were likely out of the woods. Race on with the ‘A’s, including me.
One thing I will have to remember for next year, DRINK WATER. I went nearly the entire morning without any. With all the setup and organization to tend to, I completely forgot to keep a steady intake going. I finally realized this during the break between the C and B race when my mouth was parched dry. That’s a real bad sign with 1 hour to race time. I gave the 35 ‘A’ racers the pre-race announcements and then lined up at the back. In pretty short order I was about 5th from the back heading towards the 1st set of barriers, and not feeling energetic at all. I realized how this day was going to go. I kept pushing with a hard effort all race, taking in the fun lines through the hilly section, cursing myself up the smaller steep hills, and dreading PAIN hill. I did enjoy keeping my head up and watching the race develop ahead of me. How cool it was to see the race, with great cyclocross weather, right here on the course that we designed and practiced on over the past few months.
The leaders were making their way around and coming up behind me. I realized that I was going to get lapped, and was pretty OK with that because I was already past exhaustion. It saved me from a 7th lap. Congrats to Paul Martin, Matt Weeks, and Gerry Pflug for taking the podium.
The Stark Velo crew had the course torn down and everything cleaned up in very short order. We ate lots of Subway, drank lots of water (a bit late for me), and changed into clean clothes. It was an epic day, worth all the work no doubt. Having this one under our belt, we look to make it even better for next year.
OK - one paragraph of well deserved thanks:
I've read some blogs and even our own website crediting me for the course design. Sebastian Birch and Ron Bercaw were also originators of the main course layout and others had made suggestions to tweak it here and there. I've received a lot of compliments on it and just a couple suggested changes. A HUGE thanks go out to the large group that showed up early that morning to mark, stake, and tie off the course, scramble for more supplies, register racers, brew coffee, etc. Some specific thanks go to Lynn Marut, she was an integral part of making race day flow smoothly also. Rich Grella really put time into prepping for this race and handled so many things; I probably would miss some if I listed them out. Sebastian was the KSU liason and responsible for securing our venue. Also the small group of people who built and painted barriers, secured stakes, transported large items, and now are storing materials for next year also deserve thanks. Subway also really came through with tons of food, and TENTS which were absolutely needed. Hippie Coffee rocks. Again, thanks to all!
Matt
Checking the weather on Friday night, I fully expected we’d be setting up the course in steady rain; not a great way to start. When I woke and checked the weather, I was glad to see that rain should hold off for the majority of the morning and may move in for race time. Perfect. We did get some light rain around 10, which didn’t affect setup time. The crew showed up around 8am and we got busy doing all the course prep work. I was coordinating and had to use my bike to travel from one section to the other continuously as people had questions about the course layout. I was also trying to gauge the need for more supplies and eventually was dispatching people to local stores for more tape, flags, and stakes. It was real nice to have a race location within 1 mile of both a Home Depot and Lowe’s. We finished setting up the course just in time for a 12pm ‘C’ race start.
The ‘C’s had some damp ground to work with, but for the most part stayed dry for the 30 min race. They were able to get 3 laps in. The ‘B’ race got underway in similar conditions, but as lap 2 started, the sky opened up. I was monitoring the course and was down in the area next to the firestation. Riders were coming down the hill into the pine tree / banked turn section pretty fast. Slick brakes were not working well and tires weren’t gripping either. Several people slid down the hill or had to bail straight through the caution tape at the pine tree. I asked spectators at the top of the hill to give warning to racers that they should slow before the hill. This seemed to help minimize the trouble for the moment. I rolled back to the start finish just as I heard thunder in the distant. Now I am being tested in my first race organization effort. Do we keep racing? I decided to keep on going, but then heard another clap of thunder. With input from others at the s/f line, we decided that we would give the leader 1 lap to go on his next time through. Just as we made that decision, there was a bright flash of lightning followed quickly by thunder. Way too close. Decision changed to have the leader finish on his next time through. I then rolled through the course trying to let all know that this race was ending now. B’s finished 3 laps and had about 25 minutes of a planned 45 minute race. We then had ½ hour before the ‘A’ race to make a call on what to do. Thanks to several people with Blackberries and active weather maps, we could see that we were likely out of the woods. Race on with the ‘A’s, including me.
One thing I will have to remember for next year, DRINK WATER. I went nearly the entire morning without any. With all the setup and organization to tend to, I completely forgot to keep a steady intake going. I finally realized this during the break between the C and B race when my mouth was parched dry. That’s a real bad sign with 1 hour to race time. I gave the 35 ‘A’ racers the pre-race announcements and then lined up at the back. In pretty short order I was about 5th from the back heading towards the 1st set of barriers, and not feeling energetic at all. I realized how this day was going to go. I kept pushing with a hard effort all race, taking in the fun lines through the hilly section, cursing myself up the smaller steep hills, and dreading PAIN hill. I did enjoy keeping my head up and watching the race develop ahead of me. How cool it was to see the race, with great cyclocross weather, right here on the course that we designed and practiced on over the past few months.
The leaders were making their way around and coming up behind me. I realized that I was going to get lapped, and was pretty OK with that because I was already past exhaustion. It saved me from a 7th lap. Congrats to Paul Martin, Matt Weeks, and Gerry Pflug for taking the podium.
The Stark Velo crew had the course torn down and everything cleaned up in very short order. We ate lots of Subway, drank lots of water (a bit late for me), and changed into clean clothes. It was an epic day, worth all the work no doubt. Having this one under our belt, we look to make it even better for next year.
OK - one paragraph of well deserved thanks:
I've read some blogs and even our own website crediting me for the course design. Sebastian Birch and Ron Bercaw were also originators of the main course layout and others had made suggestions to tweak it here and there. I've received a lot of compliments on it and just a couple suggested changes. A HUGE thanks go out to the large group that showed up early that morning to mark, stake, and tie off the course, scramble for more supplies, register racers, brew coffee, etc. Some specific thanks go to Lynn Marut, she was an integral part of making race day flow smoothly also. Rich Grella really put time into prepping for this race and handled so many things; I probably would miss some if I listed them out. Sebastian was the KSU liason and responsible for securing our venue. Also the small group of people who built and painted barriers, secured stakes, transported large items, and now are storing materials for next year also deserve thanks. Subway also really came through with tons of food, and TENTS which were absolutely needed. Hippie Coffee rocks. Again, thanks to all!
Matt
Thursday, September 24, 2009
CX Race Prep
Looks like we may have a cool, wet CX race here Saturday. We did a good amount of planning and hopefully we pull it off well. This will be a learning experience for me, never having planned a race, let alone a CX race (1st for our team). I'll be in the 'A' race and know I'll be suffering. I've ridden the course many many times now and the gradual uphills will be killing me when the leaders really crank up the effort.
Can't wait though...should be good.
Can't wait though...should be good.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Whiskey Island CX
Bike Authority series started at Whiskey Island / Wendy Park today. A picture perfect day, except that as I went to snap a great photo of the 'C' race with sailboats and sand volleyball as a backdrop, I realize I left the camera battery charging at home...damn.
Stark Velo had several people entered in all the different fields today. I was the lone entrant in the 'A' race. Having won the 'B' series last year, I felt it was the right thing to do, even though I had a good idea how it would play out. I was amazed at the turnout. I'd like to see final figures to help prep for our race in two weeks, but I'd estimate 180 or so. The B race was enormous.
I lined up with ~45 in the A field. The goal for the day was to start aggressively to make it through the initial technical turn sections near the front, and then settle into a hard effort pace, but one that I can maintain. The A race did not have the traffic jam problems that the B race had, but the initial turns were crowded with most making it through OK. I was just ahead of someone sliding out on the off camber mound before the dirt pile thing. That seemed to cause a gap behind me for the moment.
I lost several places on the first lap after the out and back to the coast guard station, and continued to drop more places on lap 2. The heat was getting to me and I felt pretty weak for a while. After recovering, I was able to find a group that was close to my pace. Racing in the A group this year, I will try to find those near my ability and basically race against them within the race and also see if I can improve versus them week to week. I won't be able to be in the lead group, and not sure how close I will even be to the lead group.
So the remainder of the race was a battle to hold my position. I wasn't able to gain any places with the guys that were near me on the mid-race and late laps. There was some great camaraderie our there as a couple guys prodded me to grab their wheels as they passed, trying to help me pick up my pace. Alas, there wasn't much I could do to hold their speed.
The other goal I had for this race was not to get lapped. As the lap cards came out with 4 to go. I saw the 'lead group' about a half a lap up on me. They were basically on the other side of the pit area at that point. That gave me encouragement that I would finish on the lead lap. However, when climbing the hill after the walkway with a lap and a half to go, I noticed Matt Weeks solo off the front and charging hard. The 'lead group' was actually the first chase group. That put pressure on me to not get lapped, so I tried to step it up a bit. Cyclocross courses like this really allow you to gauge where you are relative to others at multiple points. I realized that Matt was gaining at a fast rate. On the final lap, I was rounding the coast guard station turnaround and only had a 10 second gap. He passed me at the top of the climb just after the walkway. Damn...
Lake Effect did a great job hosting again and the course was very fun to ride...easy to say that now as I'm sitting here drinking a beer and enjoying a cool breeze at 10pm.
Hope to see all you racers in 2 weeks at our inaugural CX race at KSU - Stark! I believe it will be the first ever CX race in Stark County...someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Stark Velo had several people entered in all the different fields today. I was the lone entrant in the 'A' race. Having won the 'B' series last year, I felt it was the right thing to do, even though I had a good idea how it would play out. I was amazed at the turnout. I'd like to see final figures to help prep for our race in two weeks, but I'd estimate 180 or so. The B race was enormous.
I lined up with ~45 in the A field. The goal for the day was to start aggressively to make it through the initial technical turn sections near the front, and then settle into a hard effort pace, but one that I can maintain. The A race did not have the traffic jam problems that the B race had, but the initial turns were crowded with most making it through OK. I was just ahead of someone sliding out on the off camber mound before the dirt pile thing. That seemed to cause a gap behind me for the moment.
I lost several places on the first lap after the out and back to the coast guard station, and continued to drop more places on lap 2. The heat was getting to me and I felt pretty weak for a while. After recovering, I was able to find a group that was close to my pace. Racing in the A group this year, I will try to find those near my ability and basically race against them within the race and also see if I can improve versus them week to week. I won't be able to be in the lead group, and not sure how close I will even be to the lead group.
So the remainder of the race was a battle to hold my position. I wasn't able to gain any places with the guys that were near me on the mid-race and late laps. There was some great camaraderie our there as a couple guys prodded me to grab their wheels as they passed, trying to help me pick up my pace. Alas, there wasn't much I could do to hold their speed.
The other goal I had for this race was not to get lapped. As the lap cards came out with 4 to go. I saw the 'lead group' about a half a lap up on me. They were basically on the other side of the pit area at that point. That gave me encouragement that I would finish on the lead lap. However, when climbing the hill after the walkway with a lap and a half to go, I noticed Matt Weeks solo off the front and charging hard. The 'lead group' was actually the first chase group. That put pressure on me to not get lapped, so I tried to step it up a bit. Cyclocross courses like this really allow you to gauge where you are relative to others at multiple points. I realized that Matt was gaining at a fast rate. On the final lap, I was rounding the coast guard station turnaround and only had a 10 second gap. He passed me at the top of the climb just after the walkway. Damn...
Lake Effect did a great job hosting again and the course was very fun to ride...easy to say that now as I'm sitting here drinking a beer and enjoying a cool breeze at 10pm.
Hope to see all you racers in 2 weeks at our inaugural CX race at KSU - Stark! I believe it will be the first ever CX race in Stark County...someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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