Bamacross #8

So Sunday was the last cx race at Brookside, AL for the year and I can say it was a lot of fun racing there this year.  The park provided a great layout for multiple race courses and the Bamacross crew always seemed to add something new that made each race better than the last.  I am still recovering from Sunday where I raced both the single speed and 3's but should be up this afternoon for a nice recovery ride.   

Let's see, I can't really explain the course other than it was really muddy, with some fast hard packed flats, a lot of run-ups, more mud, barriers, a mud bog, and a barrage of hecklers.  After putting up a top 5 in the single speed race with 5 laps over 50 minutes, I washed off my bike, relubed as much as I could and got everything back working again then lined up for the 3's race.  I've never hurt so bad in a race as I did in the second race.  It was miserable.  My body started to give up around 35 minutes in and it was all I could do to finish this race.  

The start was a good one as I took about 12th wheel into the hole shot and settled into a good pace.  The lead group was taking a good pace with the group of about 15 or so for the first half lap.  I made a couple passes and worked up to 6th but only to give a couple of those spots back over the 2nd and 3rd lap.  From the 3rd lap until the finish I didn't make any passes or get passed, although I constantly had two guys behind me stalking me the whole time.  

They would get within 40 or so yards of me and I would attack, opening a gap and then on the next lap they would be right back there, 40 yards back.  It was miserable but I didn't want to get caught by anyone, especially on the last lap.  So the bell lap came and I attacked, at this point debating on puking or not because it was all I could do to push and everything hurt.  I attacked on the pavement, getting into my big ring for about 200 yards, made it through the sand pit and 4 run ups safely without making any mistakes, then attacked on the back flats and climb.  I came around for the last run up and saw the two chasers were no where to be seen  and at this point was about 2 minutes from the finish so I started to let up and take a breath.  Made it thought the barriers for the last time without making a mistake or falling in the mud, and rode the last 400 yards in at an easy pace as I wasn't challenged for a spot by anyone.  

Ended up 5th in the ss race and 9th in the 3's, last 3 races have been 9th places so maybe that's a sign?  I've never collapsed after a race but for this one all I wanted to do was go lay down somewhere and that was exactly what I did about 100 yards past the finish line.  Laid on my back just trying to regain my sanity for several minutes then it finally hit me that it was all over.  Great course and had a ton of fun racing it.  Next cross race isn't until mid January so it's likely I'll clean the cx bike and put it up for a couple weeks to get in some base on my road bike.  Maybe break it out for some LSD rides and start getting ready for Southern Cross.

Photos courtesy of Carol Roark York

Mud, Sweat, and Barriers

Today I raced in Gadsden, AL for Bamacross #7.  It was cold, muddy, overcast, and just overall an ugly day, or a great day for cyclocross.  The temperatures were in the mid 40’s and the course was fairly flat with two log crossings, several nasty mud bogs, and a set of barriers.  This was also one of the longest courses I’ve raced with lap times at about 9 ½ mins.  The fields were smaller in general with 12 in the 3’s and 9 in single speed.  This was my first attempt at racing in the single speed class, Brent allowed me to zip tie my shifters and race single speed with my geared bike but now I’ve done it I really want to get a sscx bike. 

The single speed class went off at 10am and the temps were still in the 30’s, the course was still somewhat dry at this point, except of course for the bog areas.  The start was a long paved road of about 250 yards that dove off onto the grass.  I was able to take the hole shot with one of the best starts of the year, got my cleat in immediately on the first revolution and was off.  I was able to keep the lead for the first couple minutes and then gave it up to John and another guy from Chattanooga.  I gave a good lead out for John and 3^rd place, putting 50+ yards on the rest of the field, but then sat up and tried to hold on John’s wheel.  I managed to make my way around the first lap keeping with the lead group of 3, but then started to lose about 10-15 seconds a lap for the rest of the race.  From this point on, I sat in 3^rd until the finish. 

I was able to ride both log crossings, one being a set of railroad ties lying across the course, and the other being a large tree lying across the course right before a drainage ditch.  I was kind of nervous about jumping stuff on carbon wheels, but cleared everything and by the second race was really smooth over them and actually bunny hoping them at speed.  There were several mud bogs on the back side of the course, the longest being roughly 50yds long and ankle deep mud with standing water.  I was able to ride it ever lap for the first race but by the 1,2,3 race, so many people had ran it that it was nothing but 6-8 inch deep footholes and was impossible to hold a line.  At this point it was faster to run but the stubborn mountain biker in me views walking anything during a bike race as, let me say weak, in so many words.  I managed to finish the race at 5 laps, all at about 9:45/ lap and got my first podium in cyclocross with a 3^rd place finish.

For the 3s I lined up knowing that I was going to hurt a lot since I had already suffered for 50 minutes 2 hours earlier so I took a spot in the second row as not to contest the hole shot or lead out.  I took 5^th wheel for the hole shot and held onto the lead group for about ½ a lap, with Andrew going off the front like a mad man and putting a big gap on everyone.  I fell off the front group and managed to lead a group of 4 for the next two laps with no one attacking or coming to the front to do work I was getting upset.  On my 3^rd lap after the first log crossing, I jumped it while all 3 of the other guys behind me dismounted, I attacked and tried to gap them hoping at least one of them would come with me.  Well they all 3 just sat in and maintained and eventually on the long paved sections pulled me back.  After I finished my 3^rd lap I was caught so I stopped attacking, gave up 5^th and moved to the back to recover and was now in 8^th.  I guess I’ve got a lot to learn about racing because as soon as I gave up the lead the group of 3 attacked.  I was able to hold for about a ½ a lap but they were constantly attacking and I was having a hard time dangling off the back.  At this point I finished the 4^th lap in 8^th and got the 2 to go from the officials so I sat up to recover and try to get ready for my last lap attack.  I rode most of the 5^th lap by myself with the 5^th,6^th,7^th never getting more than 100 yards in front of me but after two races, I just didn’t have it in the legs to attack anymore and still have a strong finish. 

I tried to attack at the end of the 5^th lap because I was getting caught by 9^th but could only go for about 10 seconds or so and my power was way low, not even able to get into my big ring on the flats anymore at this point.  Mid way through the last lap I got caught by a BBC guy and when he attacked, he went hard, putting about 50 yards on me then sitting up.  I saw he was not riding hard and was just trying to hold on until the end but I didn’t have it.  I was one match too short for this race.  Overall I had a great race and was happy with 3^rd in single speed and 9^th in the 3’s.  Next weekend I’m racing in Brookside, AL and plan on doing the ss and 3s races again even though I know it’s going to hurt a lot.  

Bacon and Beer Fairies- Sloss Cross

“It never gets any easier; you just get better at suffering.”  Someone once told me this and after today I have something to add, “You might never forget how to ride a bike, but you can definitely forget how to ride it while suffering.”  That being said, it’s been over a month since my last cyclocross race.  In between that time I took a week easy to taper for a 6 hr race, raced a 6hr race, got injured and spent 10 days out of training, and ate way too much over thanksgiving while not riding that much.  Through all that it seems I got worse at suffering because today’s race was a good helping of pain with an extra side of suffering. 

The course was a great layout.  It was run over the historical site of Sloss Furnace, which is an old steel mill from long ago but now is a park and covered in rust.  Laced with old railroad beds, tons of gravel, stairs, barriers, and a step up, the course was fast and bumpy that kept you on your toes, literally, I spent a lot of time out of the saddle negotiating these features.  Long straights gave way to a vicious head wind that made you want to give in but the saving grace was the beer fairy that made it all worth the suffering, several sanook sections slowed things down on the back side but overall it was a fast course with wide corners and long straights.

From the start I was a mess, realized at the 10 second countdown I was in the wrong gear, wasn’t even in the big ring so when the start went off I went to shift over and nothing, couldn’t get it to shift and all but about 5 or 6 guys passed me putting me at around 22-25^th I would guess.  This lead to a slow first lap and several aggressive passes on lines that were little to tight for comfort but made it through everything cleanly without causing any problems.  Second lap I picked off a couple more and eventually worked my way back to the top 10; I think best was maybe 7^th or 8^th.  Kept a good pace and worked with a couple guys, staying in a pack of 4 most of the 3^rd and 4^th laps and then they began to walk away from me, the legs just didn’t have it.  Also began to feel like I was going to vomit trying to hold on to the back of that group so let up to gather myself and readjust. 

I chased hard for the rest of the 4^th lap then started to feel cramps in both hamstrings coming on so I really let up and looked around, I had a good gap on anyone behind me while several of the guys in front were starting to slow down and fall off the pace as well.  At this point attacking meant I might cramp up and not finish at all so I sat nicely for most of lap 5, took a hand up, or toss up really, of bacon from I think Zach, which missed my mouth but lifted my spirits none the less.  I also took my first ever beer up from the beer fairy and can say I have been missing out, going to have to start taking them in the future I think, at least in the last couple laps. Then I started attacking again on lap 6 as I got the 2 lap count when I passed the starting line.  Attacked several times then recovered but could never seem to make up any ground on the front two groups.  Bell lap and I stood and mashed as I passed the starting line and set out to attack hard the first half of the last lap and then ride it in if I could catch anyone, well even though Andrew had a mechanical and I was gaining ground, I just didn’t have any power left in the legs, the legs were just soft and there was nothing I could do. 

Finished 9^th on the day and top 10 was a pre-race goal so I’m happy overall but really tired and sore.  Hopefully I can get my shit together this week and put in some hard intervals to get my mojo back before Gadsden next week.

On a side note got to say congratulations to John Newsom on his win in the ss class and props to Borris on catting up to the 2’s.