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Photos by Jeff - of Jeff | Cat 4/5 35+ Lap 1 Video | Strava | Results | My CX History 
Start in the back, as always, a row or two behind JeffD, but generally together with the others: JeffD, TroyK, JasonW, and DavidG. Feeling good on the first hill--which is a nice change, since I basically had to take September off due to grueling work schedule. Last week was the first week I started to keep up in group rides again. On the next long, slow ascent, I catch up to, and pass, Jeff. I blow by him, really, now leading the Macs. I do not think I will see Jeff again unless I crash. At the end of the second lap, after a long downhill section, Jeff is lurking behind me (I can tell he is calculating, scheming, his brain churning). He knows all my weaknesses from CX practice--which are: I cannot do anything related to CX, such as dismounting, remounting, taking corners, going over obstacles, etc. Finish second lap about the same time as Jeff. Somewhere on the third (or fourth?) lap, Jeff decides to take it to the next level. On some corner, he elbows me into the tape to keep me from passing. Nice. Gloves come off (of course we are probably in the last 14-20 positions in a Cat 5 race at that point, but that does not seem to phase either of us--not to mention we are wearing the same kits!). I generally stay ahead on power sections, and Jeff catches up on steep downhills and remounting. Fourth lap. Jeff sneaks ahead, and I pass him in the first 1/3 part of the lap, right before a very sharp right turn in front of a punchy short climb. I pass him. A spectator yells at Jeff at the top of her lungs to pass me back on the inside of the climb. There he goes. I elbow him into the fence. Two of us are riding elbow to elbow for a few seconds, leaning into each other on our bikes, Jeff trying to stay off the tape. Words are exchanged. I keep the lead. Somewhere during this fourth lap, the announcer says: one lap to go. I think, ok, we have not gotten lapped, so I need to finish this lap + 1. Leave something for the last lap. Now, Jeff and I get lapped by a leader, about 2/3 through the fourth lap. Last section of the lap--a quick, slippery right turn, a short punchy climb, and a false flat leading to the end of the lap. On the right turn, Jeff passes me and really cranks it up the hill. I am thinking, wow, ok, where did that come from? Jeff then takes off on the false flat. I am thinking the whole time he won't make it through the last lap! Toast! I will easily reel him in! Jeff stops at the end of the lap, uh, finish line. There was no extra lap. He "won." Nice work Jeff. JEFF WRITES: First, it was a blast trading elbows through the several turns. Note the "trading"--a person reading Max's report would be forgiven for thinking I was the only aggressor. To be fair to Max, he tends to battle with his shoulders where I go "elbows out." With his wingspan advantage, I needed to get inside at his ribs. I'll pick things up where we saw the 2 laps to go sign. I think that I was slightly ahead at that point. Not long thereafter, Max blasted past me on the first part of the long climb (as he did on every lap). I stayed on his wheel through the "plateau" section before heading to the second part of the long climb. For the first time, he didn't gap me there. Moreover, my legs were feeling pretty good ... but there was NO WAY I was going to take the lead. Not when I had a wheel to follow with no one else close ahead or behind. At the summit, I was still right on his wheel, and the rest of the lap played to my (relative) strengths--namely, downhill turns and short steep climbs. I held off on multiple chances to pass, as I had him right where I wanted him--a half wheel ahead with two short steep climbs ahead right before the finish. Of course, it wasn't the finish, it was just the end of the lap, as we were still on 2 laps to go. Until the leader passed us, followed a few seconds later by the second place rider. Max said it best: "... calculating, scheming, his brain churning." I was willing to bet that he hadn't picked up on "our getting lapped" translating to "this was the end of our last lap." On the first of the two punchy steep climbs, I made my pass. No opportunity for him to pass me back on the subsequent left turn or the loose right turn around the tree leading to the second punchy steep climb. And, if my bet was right, no real incentive for him to pass back just yet, as he was still thinking one more lap and those long climbs where he'd have a great chance to take me. Coming off the top of the second punchy steep climb, I went into full-on sprint mode. Well, I didn't go to my drops, and I didn't stand up, and I didn't "windup," "punch," "draw;" "pry," or "lever;" but I did give it everything I had left, having been bitten recently (Night Weasels) by getting nipped at the line. I crossed ahead of Max and coasted to a halt. Max pulled up seconds later. "What, are we done!?" "Yep," I answered, satisfied that age and experience had trumped youth and innocence once again. |
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DIEFFENBACH CROSS RESULTS 2015 RESULTS
*Metrics not included in running total; lesser of two races in a day excluded 2014 RESULTS
2013 RESULTS
2012 RESULTS
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