Chuckatuck @ Lone Star Lakes 2009 'cross race report

Chuckatuck @ Lone Star Lakes 2009 'cross race report
Cat 3
Suffolk, VA
October 19, 2009

Not a great start. On the start line, there's discussion of whether the B race will be 60 or 45 minutes. We agree to 45 (why is this even in question? It's always 45.) As soon as this "announcent" is made, the official walks off and says, "Have a good race". A couple of guys jump the line, the official mumbles "go" under his breath and John M and I are basically the last two riders off the line going into a headwind. I struggle to catch back on early.

First few laps I'm in no man's land trying to get up to the group in front of me. I get close a few times, and even make contact a few times but can't seem to get there and stay. There's a headwind and I'm able to close in the techical parts and the tailwind parts, but the headwind knocks me back every time. But with about 5 to go I make up enough ground to sprint to the back of a group of 5. After the technical bit, and into a headwind, I see some apathy in the group (Bob had just finished a pull and nobody else was doing the work), so I sprint into the next technical (and tailwind) section. I create a gap and go hard out of every turn. The gap widens and I continue trying to catch the next group. I never got closer than about 15 seconds, but I was making up ground, solo, for most of the race (the wind was sometimes really brutal). I end the race in 6th, but definitely feel that with a better start I could have been pretty high in the order.