North Carolina CX #7 – NC State Championships or my second Cat 3 race.
I had a terrible start and was dead last for almost half a lap! I finally started picking racers off and worked up to 4th and closed in on 3rd… but I couldn’t find my rhythm and kept having to dap, skateboard, and generally miss every line, so I was passed by a couple of riders. I finished 6th, but 2nd over 50 racer.
I played with off camera flash before my race.
NCCX #6 – Pinehurst…. or lots of sand!
My first Cat 3 race: There were 9 of us, after 8 call ups, I was alone on the second row. We start and I sprint to 4th and pushing third till the run up. I fell back to 5th as I had a slow dismount/remount and hit the first up/down sand pit (above picture)
The race is longer than any cyclocross race I have done, I was racing younger guys, and I had to wait all day for my start (I went early hoping for one more Cat 4 race)
To sum it up, I am very pleased with my race, I challenged 3rd for 2 of the 6 laps, finished 1 spot off the podium, I gapped 5th on the last lap and can race with these boys!
Fall rides. 40 degrees.
NCCX #6 Boonetown Throw Down
The course was very wet. in fact in spots I was a cartoon character, turning teh cranks over, wheel spinning, but not moving forward at all. On one hill climb, I was pedalling and going backwards.
5th second place this season, but today I was disappointed, the guy that has won every race was “cat-ed” up and no one in field has beat me this year… I got a horrible start, missed my pedal and fell to about 7th off the line. I sprinted my way and by the first time over the barriers I had a lead of about 10 yards, but as soon as we hit the real slop, a guy on a mountain bike was on my tail. We traded the lead over the first lap until I crashed on a railroad tie, and he rode away… I never caught him! I was first on a cyclocross bike!
NCCX #4 at Lenior. My race was like ground hog day, first rode away, I finished second.
Race #3 of NCCX – as you can see second again.
Race report: This week was in Davidson, another new course for me (I skipped last year) and another interesting start. I got the call up and moved way left of the previous winner to avoid being chopped again. I didn’t get a great start and missed my pedal, so my sprint was me catching up, as we closed in on the first right turn, a guy to the left of me kept squeezing over, I gave a little elbow to make sure he knew I was there, then he leaned into me, so I had to lean back…. That pissed him off and he started yelling at me. WTF! This guy is no where near the podium, why so aggressive? Anyway, I got around him and settled into second place…. halfway through the lap I see a rider miss a turn and it’s the leader… I bury myself to build a gap (why I don’t know, since he is WAY faster than me) and come to the end of lap 1 in the lead… but he passes me and third place is on my heels… my mind starts negative thoughts “maybe I can finish third this week” – wait forget that and I hammer the next flat and build a gap over third… the rest of lap 2 and 3 I continue to build my gap over third while passing riders in the field in front of me. In fact, I would have finished 4th or 5th in the field that started 1 minute in front of ours.
Again a great day racing bikes!
Finished the day at D9 Brewing – sampling flights of sour beers!
Riding day into night. I love night riding with lights!
Race #2 NCCX and the same results, same three on the podium and in the same order.
The race was at Lions Park in Raleigh and I have always liked the course, even I have have never had a good result there. This year they took away recovery dirt road on the back, made the bog hill a run up with barriers and made the lap a hair longer. I got the call up today, so I started on the front row: The start, yesterday’s winner got a good start and then did a “dick” move and cut right in front on me, but karma got him and he dropped a chain or cross chained or something…. all I know was suddenly he was moving and was right in front of me, and I had to cut hard not to pile into him.
The mechanical also meant I had the hole shot and after the first left turn I was in front before we hopped the curb into the woods. All I could think of was go, go, go… I have never been in the front of a CX field and wasn’t sure how hard to go vs “popping” – whatever I was doing was working I was building a gap and finished the first lap with over 100 yards lead. After halfway through lap 2 I saw yesterday’s winner and he was gaining, and by the next switch back he had closed the gap why faster than I expected…. I learned, he is MUCH faster than I am so I concentrated on my line and he caught and passed me before the run up, I stayed with him for a bit, but just not as fast as he is. Lap 3 was fast, third place didn’t close in on me, and I wasn’t gaining at all on first. I am still happy with my second second of the year!
‘cross = early starts!
The run up, last year it was ride-able, this year Tim added barriers.
Fun stuff
No suspense in this blog, I finished on the podium for the first time in the NCCX series.
Race Report: I did not get a call up and started on the second row, as we sprinted away, I settled into 5th place as we hit the first off camber part and realized first was pulling away and I was faster than the other 3, by the next 3 turns I was in second. I was pushing hard to close the gap and making progress as we started into the woods/single track, but the leader passed some back markers of the field in front us right before the woods and I didn’t so I had to wait till we came out…. back to chasing. Half way through the second lap I was carrying a lot of speed through a greasy/grass off camber ess when my bike just slide away from me and I was on the ground. I was able to jump up before anyone hit me, but never managed to close on the leader.
But I am VERY happy with my day!
Just some photos after my race.
This guy was trying to bunny hop the barrier before the run up.
Tangled up
It was perfect weather for ‘cross, I warmed up in a long sleeve shirt and wore shorts and a sweatshirt after my race.
Early morning brick workout. Hill repeats in the dark
with the run as the sun came up.
