Gran Prix of Gloucester CX

[jraguin]

Rode day 2 (Sunday). Came into it wanting to get a good start and really put an effort out there. I can't fix my turning issues overnight, but I thought I would make sure that I accelerate as much as I could between the turns which I wasn't doing at the Midnight Ride. I also hoped to ride the turns smoother (obviously!). Overall the course had a mix of power and technical sections. The technical sections might not have been that technical if it wasn't for all the sand/dry dirt. Almost every turn had some dry soft dirt that sometimes could be avoided, sometimes not.

Objectives accomplished. Was seeded 36th of 128. Uphill start on pavement. Got out well and passed a bunch of guys before we left the pavement. I was aggressive for the first lap trying to pass people and it was paying off. I was probably 13th at the end of the first lap and proceeded to pick a few people on the following laps. I was only passed by 1 guy after the first lap, who I passed back later, and then he re-passed me 1 more time entering the last lap. I yo-yoed with him, making up gaps on the straights and losing time on the turns, both of us passed 2 guys in the last lap (one had a flat). I tried to get him at the uphill pavement finish but didn't close the gap.

I ended up 10th. In the results they gave lap times, and I had the 6th fastest time of my field on the last lap which I am also happy with.

Thanks Stefan for cheering and yelling encouragement. It definitely helped.

[swawersik]

Masters 45+ - Day 1

I lined up 4 rows from the back, but got a solid start, and despite a couple of minor bobbles, ended up passing people like it was Mario Kart on the first lap. Going into lap 2, I found myself in a group of I'm not sure how many guys, 'cause I was on the front of it. When this has happened in the past, I never stayed on the front for long, as everyone quickly assesses my poor line choice and lack of turning ability and does everything they can to get around me. However, I think I've made some big handling improvements, as I remained the engineer of this freight train for most of lap 2 - the few times people did come around, I'd roll onto their wheels on turns and then pass them back on the power sections.

Sometime during lap 3, however, I suddenly realized my body had been writing checks it couldn't cover, and I began a 1.5-lap long supernova-like explosion. I managed to pull things together somewhat for the last lap, though I was still fatigued enough to make several unfortunate line choices that cost me a couple more spots. I crossed the line, grabbed a bottle from my car, found a shady spot, and curled up in a fetal position.

Finished 64/103 (20 spots better than the race predictor), but the group I'd been in before my collapse was all in the 50s. Only afterwards did I realize that despite my pride at handling well enough to drive the train on that lap 2, I'd given those guys a free ride around the course before they dropped me like a bad habit.

Masters 45+ - Day 2

This was the less power/more handler friendly version of the course, which in the past has meant that I'd finish about 10 spots behind my Day 1 efforts. Again staging about 4 rows from the back, I didn't get quite the start I'd gotten the day before, but I was determined not to repeat yesterday's errors and stayed patient. And by the end of lap 1, I was with many of the same guys who'd used me up before spitting me out the day before. So I stayed smart, drafted as much as possible on the power sections (as long as I felt like we were going fast enough), and - most suprisingly - didn't get dropped in the turns. I made a couple of errors at the end of lap 3 and early in lap 4 that left me with a gap to close, but again, I didn't try to do it all at once. Instead, I worked on patiently reeling in two people who'd sat in the middle of the group all day, and in so doing turned in my fastest lap of the day on the final lap. Finished 64/106 (16 better than the RP) - about the same as yesterday, but I was not wishing for the sweet relief of death at the end.

In all, a solid weekend of racing.

Congrats to John Raguin on his top 10 - he raced a smooth, solid race. Hopefully, now he'll stop whinging about how much he hates CX.

[swawersik]

ps.
On day 1, after I got myself back to a point where I felt like I could stand without passing out, I realized that it would be a good idea to spin the crap out of my legs. So I went for a little ride from the park, up the road towards Manchester.

Just after I'd left the park, I heard a rider come up behind me and ask in a heavily accented voice, "How wass your race?"

I turned around to see Ben Berden (who later got 3rd place in the elite race) smiling and riding next to me. He and I rode together for another few minutes, talking about racing and the riding in New England before he excused himself to continue his warmup at a faster pace than I wanted to manage.

I thought it was a nice move on his part to take the time to chat with a mediocre masters racer. But moreso, together with the recent Helen Wyman story (see here http://in-tent1.com/2014/09/25/the-luck ... yclocross/ if you haven't already heard it) it made me realize that it's kind of cool that we get to interact with the athletes at the top of the sport, who will go out of their way to engage us amateurs.

[JeremyC]

Congrats John but your quantity of races (and cross specific training) is tainting the Rookie Cup. The whole point is to show up and throw up. I think you've done too many races to be considered a rookie.

[jraguin]

I'll use that same excuse at the Circumburke. Oh, I guess that doesn't work since you are beating me in the Rookie Cup.

[onegeardoug]

but I was not wishing for the sweet relief of death at the end.

So, what you're saying is you coulda/shoulda gone harder?

JK. Sounds like you had a great weekend. Congrats!

[swawersik]

but I was not wishing for the sweet relief of death at the end.

So, what you're saying is you coulda/shoulda gone harder?

JK. Sounds like you had a great weekend. Congrats!

I'm narrowing in on the fine line between "shoulda gone harder" and "please put me out of my misery."

[PJ McQuade]

I'm putting a slim character limit on my race report.

Raced Day 1 only. It was way too warm for 'cross. Had a nice 4th row start. Held my ground into the hole shot then got swarmed in first wide turn. Spent the first lap fighting for position but bobbled a few corners and looked really bad on the dismounts/remounts (strained my groin on the stairs). A clean race and I would have had a top 20 but I'll settle for 23rd. I think that still gives me Verge points - yay! My skills need some fine tuning still, but I'm getting there. The road miles have paid off, but clearly my handling is very roadie right now.

Nice racing John and Stefan.

[JeremyC]

clearly my handling is very roadie right now.

That's funny because your Road handling is very Triathlon.