Superior 'Cross race report

Superior 'Cross
Catharpin, VA
10/20/07

Finally some 'cross weather! It was a little chilly in the morning, and the grass was wet with dew. No rain, but at least the dust would finally subside. Not quite long-sleeve weather, but still cooler (with what could have turned to rain clouds in the sky. Talk about drastic change from weeks past!)

The course was quite fun- the start was on pavement, then onto grass with some large trees to slalom through- picking a good line in the acorns was tough. After that there was a long and fast descent followed by a short climb that could be powered up. Around a bend and down another high-speed descent, and into the rhythm section! There were all these perfectly spaced bumps that killed all momentum. Unless you put it in the right gear, stood up, and kept pedalling. I'm not sure if anyone else figured that out. I maintained tremendous speed there, and it was probably the difference between me and everyone else. The next climb was short and steep, followed by another fast swooping descent. Then came the beeeeyotch of two consecutive steep climbs- this was really hard, especially since the lines were pretty sketchy. Outside was solid but rooty, inside loose but smooth. No good line, so it was pretty much ride the line that you were given... And I wanted to be able to pick my lines, so...

I started on the front line- my plan was to stay with the top 5-6 guys and work on making the selection. I hadn't intended to push the pace, but in the bottom turn between the two steeps, I got a lot of speed going, and made the pass. I pushed it hard up the next climb (picking my line!) and up through the top section- a twisty bit with a set of barriers, a few 180s, and a mulch pile. All of this on a decent grade on the side of a hill. Tough section!

I did get passed on the second lap, but maintained my spot in about 4th for a while. Later in the race I was riding pretty much in 5th and 6th, trading places with a couple of guys until about two to go, when in the mulch pile I lost the line and had to run. The guy in 4th powered up past me, and I lost a spot. Then on the last lap I passed a guy I thought was in my race, and put in a huge dig to shake him off my wheel. I succeeded, thinking I was in 5th- I was content with 5th, so I rode the last lap solo just trying to stay away from him. Turns out he wasn't in my race, so I stayed in 6th... ARGH...

Another good race, though. My shifting was problematic, and I was frustrated with it, but it wasn't the difference between 5th and 6th. I went out too hard trying to create a selection, and instead blew myself up a little. Lesson learned!!!