Providence Days 1 & 2

[Len_E]

I'm liking this sport. After a several years of taking my kids to cross races and watching you guys muck around in the mud and barriers (and one limited attempt at the MRC cross race 3 years ago) I jumped into cross on the big stage of Providence. With few places to hide and 130 or so opponents my expectations were focused on not breaking anything and finishing in the top half of the Masters 40+ 4/5 category. With a Chris Pare hand-me-down, proven winner bike under my arse, I lined up on Saturday so far back I couldn't see the first few rows. I was probably about 80th with at least 10 rows in front of me. As I made my way up the pavement toward the grass I caught my first and last glimpse of the guys who fought it out for the top 10. They seemed to be going quite fast while I was standing with one foot on the pavement waiting for 30 people to funnel themselves onto the grass section. Having not pre-ridden the course I rode a tentative first half lap. The next four laps were a blur of pain, sprint-brake, sprint-brake repeats, and heckling. I loved it although mid-way through the 2nd lap my seat post loosened and dropped three inches to the base. I didn't get passed again nor did I fall and passed a bunch of dudes many of whom seemed to run out of gas on the 3rd and 4th laps, making for fairly easy pickins. I felt completely empty but pretty pleased to have exceed my low expectations. I finished 23rd.
Day 2 was similar although I lined up even further back than Saturday. Having a better handle on the course and feeling more comfortable with the technical aspects - braking, pedaling through corners and passing on high, off-camber turns - I vowed to stay upright and do a faster first lap. Didn't happen. Bad start, lots of dudes unclipping because of bad cornering or pile-ups and very greasy conditions put me pretty far back in the pack. I passed a bunch at the end of the first lap and decided to make every lap a mini-race - pass no less than 10 guys each lap. This forced me to count, which forced me to focus on who and what was ahead and anticipate poor vs good passing conditions and adjust the intensity of my pedaling. This worked until it didn't. At the slipperyist part of the course, in the middle of the beer garden where my kids were staked out, I wiped out taking a corner too fast and sliding 20 feet in the mud. I lost a couple of places but took them back before the pavement. That was my only major miscue which means I probably didn't push the cornering enough. Live and learn. I finished 16th but ended up with the fastest lap split out of the the pack - 10:02. Apparently the guy who won was pretty far ahead so probably didn't push the pace as fast as he could have.
This morning my knees and back are sore and my shoulder is bruised from bumping into a tree but I expected my worse.

[jraguin]

Wow, where have you been for the rookie cup?!? You say your skills aren't good, but I can't imagine where I would finish if I had to start at the back like you did. Nice job.

[JeremyC]

I like how your kids were hangin in the beer garden

[ahamilton]

That's a pretty impressive way to make your debut at Providence Len.