2008 CX #2: Afton – DNF!
October 27th, 2008 | Published in general | 2 Comments
It was a beautiful day for ‘cross racing at one of my favorite places to mountain bike; the course was tough but fun, i had rushed to get there but was ready to roll, the bike was running great except that the rear tire just should have had a bit more air. I was running in the top 15 or so mid-way through the second lap, having dodged the pile-up on lap 1, turn 1, and dodged a couple of others’ barrier mishaps. My lungs were on fire, as expected, but i was settling down to a good pace now that i knew the course (arrived too late for a pre-ride), and starting to make progress through the pack. Then i hit the asphalt straightaway and felt that queasy little squirm from the rear end of the bike that meant something just wasn’t right. I don’t know what did it, but it was a rough course, could have been about anything. No spares for me and no pit crew, so i was out. My first race DNF ever!
I could have tried to redeem myself on Sunday at Lake Elmo, but i decided to bag it and get some house work done instead. I’m a total CX slacker this year. The race was fun, for sure, and i’ll be back, but there haven’t been enough free weekends to stay on top of things lately.
I think i’m getting hooked on singlespeed ‘cross racing. The bike feels light and solid as a singlespeed, very reassuring to not have the chain bouncing all over the place. If there was an internal 3-speed hub with something like a 8-10% difference between gears, it would be the perfect setup.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:00 am (#)
Bill, sounds like you should plan the trip to participate in the “world championships of single speed cyclocross” in Portland. Maybe next year if you can get some time. This years event will be on November 9th. Last year it was one by Barry Wicks a Kona rider. Anyway, I hope all is well and look forward to seeing you again someday either here or there.
So far I have finished 5 Master B 35+ CX races and am looking forward to starting to really compete hard for good finishes in this last month of my season. Any tips? I have been more consistent riding this year and also trail running a bit too, thus I am seeing a little payoff there.
Ciao, Chris
October 31st, 2008 at 2:07 pm (#)
I haven’t been racing as much this year, but i am planning to do 4 of the last 5 races coming up in the next couple of weeks. I’ll work on my form and try to get out to the SS CX champs next year.
I know you ride a lot and have done some mountain biking, those are always my first recommendations. Look at where you’re getting passed, or having trouble passing others – barriers? run-ups? technical sections? and work on that.
For myself, I tend to pick up places around barriers and rough ground because i have pretty smooth technique and good bike handling. I lose ground on run-ups and sheer sprints because others’ redlines are just higher than mine because of my lack of cardio fitness.
It looks like the girls and i will be back out to visit in early August next year, let’s plan on a ride if you’re around.