Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Plymouth & Lowell
Plymouth
A course I like which offers a great deal of wide open riding on fields, a few technical turns including a twisting fast descent and a good amount of climbing. I got a very good start and was running in 5th or 6th by the top of the start section which is a long slightly uphill drag on grass then pavement (finish line) then back to grass. By half way through the first lap the front group was Curtis Boivin, Sam Morse and me! That didn’t last as long as I would like. Morse put in a huge attack through the start finish stretch and that popped me. I rode solo for two laps, slowly losing ground to the leaders and slowly being caught by 2 riders from behind. I was caught by the guys, including the leader of the 45s who started 30 seconds behind us! And the chase group the formed behind us was also made up of all 45+ guys! They were riding well. It was a testament to the fact that a good cross course allows for passing on 95% of the course. They passed more than 40 people to get to that position. We worked together, although I didn’t pull too often! The 45+ guy – Chris Burke – gapped us on the last lap. Then I lost the sprint by a tire width. 5th overall – 4th 35+. Laura and Nathaniel did a great job of cheering me on.
Lowell
In my opinion one of the best courses around. Although I do think they could have had one more dismount which would have brought the total to 3. I’m sure the short hill was a run for some of the back markers but all the leaders were riding it with no trouble. Another really good start for me and I was top 10 after the staircase dismount. My warm-up was a little bit short so I faded some as the first lap progressed. When you bring a 5 month old to a race, sometimes Peek-a-boo becomes more important than warming up! I found myself in a good group that at times was as many as 8 or 9 guys. After a couple of more laps it was down to two BOB guys, Eric Marro and Chris Smith, Scott, and me. I seemed to have most of the corners dialed in, my technical skills are improving. Hey I’ve only been doing this like 10 years! Although I never felt great on the short very steep hill, I never lost ground and I always was quick to get going once over the top. So in the last lap I attacked going into the first climb. I held the front position on the downhill. When we got to the short hill I made sure to get to the top first and I punched it. I think this is what unhitched Chris and Scott. I kept the pace as fast as I could and never let Eric come by me. When we got to the bottom of the course I saw that we were catching Todd Bowden of CVC. I really gave it everything to get to him and then pass him. I came off the single-track section with a small gap. I gave it my all over the barriers and started my sprint as I got onto the track. I kept pushing all the way to the line as I saw Todd and Eric giving it their all behind. I was 5th 35+ but I’m pretty sure two 45+ were in front – so 7th.
A course I like which offers a great deal of wide open riding on fields, a few technical turns including a twisting fast descent and a good amount of climbing. I got a very good start and was running in 5th or 6th by the top of the start section which is a long slightly uphill drag on grass then pavement (finish line) then back to grass. By half way through the first lap the front group was Curtis Boivin, Sam Morse and me! That didn’t last as long as I would like. Morse put in a huge attack through the start finish stretch and that popped me. I rode solo for two laps, slowly losing ground to the leaders and slowly being caught by 2 riders from behind. I was caught by the guys, including the leader of the 45s who started 30 seconds behind us! And the chase group the formed behind us was also made up of all 45+ guys! They were riding well. It was a testament to the fact that a good cross course allows for passing on 95% of the course. They passed more than 40 people to get to that position. We worked together, although I didn’t pull too often! The 45+ guy – Chris Burke – gapped us on the last lap. Then I lost the sprint by a tire width. 5th overall – 4th 35+. Laura and Nathaniel did a great job of cheering me on.
Lowell
In my opinion one of the best courses around. Although I do think they could have had one more dismount which would have brought the total to 3. I’m sure the short hill was a run for some of the back markers but all the leaders were riding it with no trouble. Another really good start for me and I was top 10 after the staircase dismount. My warm-up was a little bit short so I faded some as the first lap progressed. When you bring a 5 month old to a race, sometimes Peek-a-boo becomes more important than warming up! I found myself in a good group that at times was as many as 8 or 9 guys. After a couple of more laps it was down to two BOB guys, Eric Marro and Chris Smith, Scott, and me. I seemed to have most of the corners dialed in, my technical skills are improving. Hey I’ve only been doing this like 10 years! Although I never felt great on the short very steep hill, I never lost ground and I always was quick to get going once over the top. So in the last lap I attacked going into the first climb. I held the front position on the downhill. When we got to the short hill I made sure to get to the top first and I punched it. I think this is what unhitched Chris and Scott. I kept the pace as fast as I could and never let Eric come by me. When we got to the bottom of the course I saw that we were catching Todd Bowden of CVC. I really gave it everything to get to him and then pass him. I came off the single-track section with a small gap. I gave it my all over the barriers and started my sprint as I got onto the track. I kept pushing all the way to the line as I saw Todd and Eric giving it their all behind. I was 5th 35+ but I’m pretty sure two 45+ were in front – so 7th.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Chainbiter & Northampton
Chainbiter - Because of my duties working the race and an unforeseen icy patch on the course that needed everybody's full attention, I got no warm-up for my race. I had a 6th-ish row start position. Not horrible but not good. I had to break-check a couple of times from the whistle to the first bend - a stretch of less than 200 yards. By the time we got off the pavement and onto the dirt road I was in the 70s if not 80s. The lack of warm up hurt me in that first lap. In the past with a good warm up I've made up huge ground on the climb to the top of the course and on any wide open riding sections. I rode a clean race and just moved up when I could. I managed 32nd which surprised me given where I was on the first lap and how I felt.
Northhampton - I had a 5th row start position. Guys got together in front of me but didn't take anybody down. I'll rate the start as OK on the Floppenbruggeren Scale of Cyclocross Starts which everyone knows is - Very Bad, Bad, OK, Good and Very Good. By the start of the 2nd lap I was in a good group that was making up ground on riders and separating from the riders behind. Until the last lap I think only 1 rider came back to us but we went through 5 or 6. I rode a pretty good race. With 3 to go I had my best lap - really cornering well and pushing it out of the corners which worked to drop a couple of guys and hurt the rest. Brian Cantele was with me and commented how well I was cornering. On the last lap Curtis Bovin caught us and went right through us. By the last third of the last lap it was just me and a Gearworks rider with Brian just behind. I attacked him on the side walk section which leads to the final turn onto the finishing straight to grab 23rd. I was pretty happy with that given my start position. I feel comfortable saying if I had a 1st or 2nd row start position I would have been top 15 - maybe better.
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