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| Racing hard at the Castle Rock 'Cross Race. Photo: Courtney Johnson |
Saturday I raced the SchoolYard Cross in Boulder in the 35+ category. I'm only 33 but because of A.C.A. rules I qualify for that category. The 35+ is often a very competetive field with many old pros racing. This isn't sandbagging by any means!
The course suited me well with a mix of flats to power on and turns to power out of. I had the extra boost of a new set of Mavic R SYS wheels thanks to Mark at Mavic N.A. The bike and wheels were dialed in and I felt great.
At the start I got a decent start, not great but in the mix. By the middle of the first lap I was around 10th and moving up. Halfway through the 2nd lap I had moved up more and was in sixth or seventh. Then I felt my rear tire going flat. My stomach sank as I kept riding along hoping the tire would hold for the rest of the race. Seeing 4 laps to go I knew I would need a new wheel. There went any points! Adding insult to injury, my spare wheel had a wider rim than the R SYS and my rear brake was rubbing for the final 30 minutes. It got so bad I got off the bike twice and even did the last lap with my rear brake completely undone.
To say the least I was disappointed, angry and tense. I wanted to throw my bike and start cussing, but instead I fixed the brake and spun easy to cool off. After some time I was calm and just came to terms with the bad luck.
Sunday I woke up ready to race again. This race was in Castle Rock, just 20 minutes from home. I had been thinking of racing twice in the day, the 35+ category at 9:45, then the Open 3 category at 3:50. With that much time between the races I decided I would bring my road bike too, race the first race, then spin on the road bike, then race the 2nd race. I wasn't sure of my plan but I wanted to be ready if I felt really strong.
Warming up at 8:30 I could feel Saturday's effort, but I also felt powerful, a good sign. I had raced on this course last year and it is a mix of bumpy straights, tight U turns, pavement and even some whoopdy doos! I was ready to go hard from the start.
Once again a bit of bad luck would kill my chances of a good placing. The start of the race was on a small patch of pavement leading to the course. The racer in front of me missed clipping in his pedal and the field went by me. Instead of being 8th going into the 1st corner I was 18th, and the front of the field was pulling away. I tried to get back up early but the course was really tight and passing was very difficult. I worked hard to keep passing racers all race long, eventually settling for 13th place. Not what I wanted, but I didn't flat!
At this point I decided I would race the Open 3 category just to see if I could do it. I quickly changed into my road riding gear and hopped on my Tarmac to spin around for close to two hours. I could really feel the racing in my legs but the spinning felt good.
I stopped at the B and B Cafe in Castle Rock and ordered pancakes with bacon and eggs. It tasted absolutely delicious, just what I needed. From there I spun back to the course to meet up with Courtney, who had driven out with Shane, who was racing in the Cat 4's, just before me. I changed back into my cross gear and got back on the 'cross bike. My legs still felt good, but when I put out a big effort my legs ached.
At the start I was just hoping to get a chance to race my race and not have any bad luck come my way. With the sun starting to set the 20 or so riders lined up ready to go.
This time I got a good start and got into the first corner in the top ten. I was ahead of the chaos and in a good spot. Rolling through the halfway point of the first lap I had moved up to 6th in a battle with two other riders. On the next lap the rider in front of me dumped it on a tight and loose U turn. I got by him, barely, and kept hammering. I had another rider right on me and a few others just ten to twenty seconds back. The next three laps I lead, all the while being chased. The other riders was technically stronger than me and better in the corners, but I could still power away on the flats and paved sections. Going into the last lap I knew he would make a move. All I would have to do is cover his attack and get by him on the last paved section before the technical turns at the end.
Sure enough, during the first part of the last lap he went by me and I just sat on his wheel. We stayed that way getting to the pavement where I again conserved energy by sitting in his draft. The course had a slight uphill at this point before making a hard left back onto narrow single track trail. I knew I had to get by him before that section if I wanted to stay in 3rd.
With 50 yards to go to that point I stood up and hammered on the pedals. My legs screamed and felt like they would split, but I got by him. I put in one more acceleration hoping to seal the deal. During one tight corner I could see the rider behind me and he had pretty much given up. All I had to do was ride safe and take third, which is just what I did.
I felt really good with the effort and outcome. Of all the races I thought I'd do well in I never thought it would be the last of three in 24 hours. I'll take it though! I also got a medal and 20 bucks for my 3rd place, so that was an unexpected bonus.
Next weekend I'll only race once, in Fort Collins. It's a big race and promises to be super competitive so I'm resting up this week and giving it one good go!
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