Spa:CX - Saratoga Springs - Masters 45+
Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:22 pm
I had a photoshoot on Saturday up in SS so I reg'd for the Masters 45+ race at Spa:CX which took place today.
On Saturday after the session, I saddled up and rode the 1.5 miles to the course from where I was staying and got part of a lap in as they were still putting up stakes. The race director noticed me and very politely introduced himself but ushered me out. No worries, we've done the same at our races, but I got a sense of 2/3 of the course: a gently sloping grassy hill along which a bunch of wide, swooping turns and some sharper chicanes were laid out. I didn't get as far as the fabled sand pit, but there were two points on the course that I rode where there seemed to be trees RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE.
That couldn't be right.
I left the race venue and headed to downtown Saratoga Springs to pedal around, people-watch and get a COFEETS at Uncommon Ground. Tried to get to bed early but my host roped me into watching a few innings of the World Series, although he, quickly, lost interest.
----
Sunday morning:
Up and back to the race venue for a couple of inspection laps before the first race. 100 yard slight uphill straight that was bisected by the start/finish that ended in a left hander that soon curved right and continued uphill, across some roots, slight left (still uphill) then sweeping slight off-camber to a hard left uphill then right and downhill through some chicanes that led to a left and 3 steps at the base of a 25 yard uphill that, unless you could run fast and remount, you had to run up the whole thing.
I tried remounting after the stairs on the first practice lap but my bike stopped cold, so I didn't try that again. At the top of that hill, a sweeping right down to a wide, off-camber left, another wide right, then left to a long, slightly uphill straight that began with very boggy grass and ended in very sandy grass.
A long, wide ess-turn that finally brings you to the sand pit. More of a trench, really. I'm kind of fuzzy on the length, maybe 50 yards long. 4 meters wide, sand at least 6" deep and a slight right hand arc through the whole thing AND partway along it, the grade takes a sudden 1 foot drop.'
First time through in practice, I was doing well navigating this, when the guy in right in front of me dumped it. I managed, somehow, to basically "run" out of my pedals as my bike toppled forward. Don't know how I stayed on my feet. No damage, I continued.
Out of the sand pit, some rights and lefts through some trees, back out to the main venue area into a tight chicane that was already a muddy mess but had some grassy bits along the inside and outside tape that were navigable. This was followed by a left into standard-issue barriers then up a very steep 3-4 ft berm at the top of which you had to u-turn left and go back down immediately. A moderate right hander in sand led you back onto the finish straight.
All that sand made it seem like a standard length course but it turned out to be about 1.4 miles per lap. And no trees in the lane.
Race time:
Lined up 6th row (3 rows of 35+ and 2 of 45+ ahead of me, buncha 55+ behind). Decent start, held position to the hole shot, picked up a few places all the way to the stairs and more through the sand where I was working bike handling miracles and guys were flopping around like fish to the right and left of me. Finished off lap 1 feeling pretty good.
Lap 2 a coupla guys passed me but I told myself they were the 55+ eventual 1st and 2nd place winners and ignored them. Lost some places climbing up the main hill but once again, felt like I was driving the bike very well. My tires seemed to be glued to the ground on the corners. Next time around, they put up the lap card: 5 to go. This punched me in the stomach a bit as I was hoping for 3-4 to go, but again, it was a short course AND the # laps was set based on the lap times of the 35+ leaders, who were WICKED fast.
(yes, that's a bouncy-tent visible in the background)
I got over the fact that I would be on the race course longer than expected and got into management mode. The field was strung out enough that I had only a few guys visible in front of me and some more bearing down behind. Two guys passed me and I got on the last one's wheel and for the first time was drafting in a cross race. I hung on for most of a lap until the sand and got by both of them. Later one of them battled back and he and I played cat-and-mouse, trading places a few times - he was strong and killed me on the climbs but I was fearless with my sticky tires and railed around him on the turns. He finally got fed up with me and dropped the hammer and I never saw him again.
Along the way, my host in SS, his two daughters, my daughter and one other SS friend could be heard cheering and clanging cowbells like pro CX fans. It helped a lot!
The last two laps consisted of trying to stay smooth, apply what little power I had left on the climbs and to get the spectators along the sand pit to whoop it up as I went by. I got lapped by the 35+ leaders near the end of the 5th lap (of 7) so I only had to complete 6 laps, mercifully. And like the end of our race last week, I couldn't bring it home without a spectacular last lap crash.
After a number of leaders had already passed me, and keeping in mind some recent discussion on the inter-tubes about the protocols of lapping/getting lapped, I was trying to be very cognizant of anyone rapidly approaching me from behind. I had just remounted after the stairs/climb and was headed back downhill for the sweeping left that I railed perfectly 5 times before, when I thought I heard somebody behind me. I took the quickest look back to see if anyone was there but that was enough to find me disoriented when I looked forward again and found myself staring right at the tape rapidly approaching me. I did my best to do a power slide brake job around the turn but high-sided and went over one-and-a-half times, coming to a stop on my back with my legs and bike arched back over my head.
Must have looked funny.
I got untangled and remounted - I don't think I lost any places - and finished. I don't know where I finished as they hand tabulated the results and were (my one, very minor, gripe) rather slow posting them - will report back when it's up on cross-results.com.
----
I have to say, although I haven't done Downeast, I would highly recommend checking out this race. Granted, it's over a 3 hour drive but very worth it as Saratoga Springs itself is a great place to visit with terrific restaurants, bars, plenty for the kids to do if you bring them. The race itself is well-run, vendors on hand selling food/coffee, a course that was challenging without being gratuitously so and a very organized and friendly race committee. There seemed to be kid's races going on constantly. I plan on booking the photo gig I had for the same weekend next year so I can do this race again.
On Saturday after the session, I saddled up and rode the 1.5 miles to the course from where I was staying and got part of a lap in as they were still putting up stakes. The race director noticed me and very politely introduced himself but ushered me out. No worries, we've done the same at our races, but I got a sense of 2/3 of the course: a gently sloping grassy hill along which a bunch of wide, swooping turns and some sharper chicanes were laid out. I didn't get as far as the fabled sand pit, but there were two points on the course that I rode where there seemed to be trees RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE.
That couldn't be right.
I left the race venue and headed to downtown Saratoga Springs to pedal around, people-watch and get a COFEETS at Uncommon Ground. Tried to get to bed early but my host roped me into watching a few innings of the World Series, although he, quickly, lost interest.
----
Sunday morning:
Up and back to the race venue for a couple of inspection laps before the first race. 100 yard slight uphill straight that was bisected by the start/finish that ended in a left hander that soon curved right and continued uphill, across some roots, slight left (still uphill) then sweeping slight off-camber to a hard left uphill then right and downhill through some chicanes that led to a left and 3 steps at the base of a 25 yard uphill that, unless you could run fast and remount, you had to run up the whole thing.
I tried remounting after the stairs on the first practice lap but my bike stopped cold, so I didn't try that again. At the top of that hill, a sweeping right down to a wide, off-camber left, another wide right, then left to a long, slightly uphill straight that began with very boggy grass and ended in very sandy grass.
A long, wide ess-turn that finally brings you to the sand pit. More of a trench, really. I'm kind of fuzzy on the length, maybe 50 yards long. 4 meters wide, sand at least 6" deep and a slight right hand arc through the whole thing AND partway along it, the grade takes a sudden 1 foot drop.'
First time through in practice, I was doing well navigating this, when the guy in right in front of me dumped it. I managed, somehow, to basically "run" out of my pedals as my bike toppled forward. Don't know how I stayed on my feet. No damage, I continued.
Out of the sand pit, some rights and lefts through some trees, back out to the main venue area into a tight chicane that was already a muddy mess but had some grassy bits along the inside and outside tape that were navigable. This was followed by a left into standard-issue barriers then up a very steep 3-4 ft berm at the top of which you had to u-turn left and go back down immediately. A moderate right hander in sand led you back onto the finish straight.
All that sand made it seem like a standard length course but it turned out to be about 1.4 miles per lap. And no trees in the lane.
Race time:
Lined up 6th row (3 rows of 35+ and 2 of 45+ ahead of me, buncha 55+ behind). Decent start, held position to the hole shot, picked up a few places all the way to the stairs and more through the sand where I was working bike handling miracles and guys were flopping around like fish to the right and left of me. Finished off lap 1 feeling pretty good.
Lap 2 a coupla guys passed me but I told myself they were the 55+ eventual 1st and 2nd place winners and ignored them. Lost some places climbing up the main hill but once again, felt like I was driving the bike very well. My tires seemed to be glued to the ground on the corners. Next time around, they put up the lap card: 5 to go. This punched me in the stomach a bit as I was hoping for 3-4 to go, but again, it was a short course AND the # laps was set based on the lap times of the 35+ leaders, who were WICKED fast.
(yes, that's a bouncy-tent visible in the background)
I got over the fact that I would be on the race course longer than expected and got into management mode. The field was strung out enough that I had only a few guys visible in front of me and some more bearing down behind. Two guys passed me and I got on the last one's wheel and for the first time was drafting in a cross race. I hung on for most of a lap until the sand and got by both of them. Later one of them battled back and he and I played cat-and-mouse, trading places a few times - he was strong and killed me on the climbs but I was fearless with my sticky tires and railed around him on the turns. He finally got fed up with me and dropped the hammer and I never saw him again.
Along the way, my host in SS, his two daughters, my daughter and one other SS friend could be heard cheering and clanging cowbells like pro CX fans. It helped a lot!
The last two laps consisted of trying to stay smooth, apply what little power I had left on the climbs and to get the spectators along the sand pit to whoop it up as I went by. I got lapped by the 35+ leaders near the end of the 5th lap (of 7) so I only had to complete 6 laps, mercifully. And like the end of our race last week, I couldn't bring it home without a spectacular last lap crash.
After a number of leaders had already passed me, and keeping in mind some recent discussion on the inter-tubes about the protocols of lapping/getting lapped, I was trying to be very cognizant of anyone rapidly approaching me from behind. I had just remounted after the stairs/climb and was headed back downhill for the sweeping left that I railed perfectly 5 times before, when I thought I heard somebody behind me. I took the quickest look back to see if anyone was there but that was enough to find me disoriented when I looked forward again and found myself staring right at the tape rapidly approaching me. I did my best to do a power slide brake job around the turn but high-sided and went over one-and-a-half times, coming to a stop on my back with my legs and bike arched back over my head.
Must have looked funny.
I got untangled and remounted - I don't think I lost any places - and finished. I don't know where I finished as they hand tabulated the results and were (my one, very minor, gripe) rather slow posting them - will report back when it's up on cross-results.com.
----
I have to say, although I haven't done Downeast, I would highly recommend checking out this race. Granted, it's over a 3 hour drive but very worth it as Saratoga Springs itself is a great place to visit with terrific restaurants, bars, plenty for the kids to do if you bring them. The race itself is well-run, vendors on hand selling food/coffee, a course that was challenging without being gratuitously so and a very organized and friendly race committee. There seemed to be kid's races going on constantly. I plan on booking the photo gig I had for the same weekend next year so I can do this race again.
