|
|
|
singlespeed/fat bike photos | my lap 1 video |
|
|
"The Austin Parks and Recreation Department announced via Twitter on Sunday, after four days of racing, that the championship races for juniors 15 and up, U23s and male and female elites had been canceled* 'over concerns for the turf and root zone exposure' at Zilker Park." velonews.com article *Sunday's races would end up being postponed until Monday |
The posted start time for the Men's B race was high noon. A number of racers were assembled at 11:30a when the organizer announced a postponement until 12:30p. A few minutes later, wanting to be sure, I walked over to get a confirmation. "It will be 12:30p at the earliest," she replied. To stay out of the cold and wind, I rode back to the parking lot and and took shelter in my car. A number of other racers headed back as well. Right around noon, I couldn't shake an antsy feeling, so I made my way back to the start area. I checked the time--12:05p. Within a minute or two, the organizer started calling names to the starting grid. My Garmin showed the start having gone off at 12:13p. Uh, good thing I got antsy. I almost got scrubbed at Scrub Zone! Save for that near-disaster, everything about the race was well-run and a total blast. Well, when it wasn't terrifying. The whistle blew and we were off. I gained a number of spots staying left to take the outside at the hole shot, then settled in for the parade (passing options on this course were few and far between). Despite the mix of narrow packed snow track with loose snow off to the side, traction wasn't bad. We made our way to the end of the upper flat and the first of three drops (2m 45s mark of my video, embedded below). During my preride, locking the rear brake and skidding down worked pretty well, so I stuck with that tactic in the race. As the laps progressed, the dirt started to get scratched off, revealing slicker tundra/ice underneath. I didn't appreciate until watching the top riders in the singlespeed/fat bike race that followed ours that letting the bike roll was better (and speaking of roll, queue Robert the J's eyes doing same). 
Easier said than done, especially absent the hindsight I gained later, so I skidded. Lap one was competent, laps 2-4 less so, but I always kept it upright. And upright was good, as that first drop was right into the the Danger Zone. The Danger Zone gave a large number of spectators/hecklers (specklers?) two chances per lap to do their best--one on the way out, then again a few minutes later on the way back. The Danger Zone featured a sound system with a microphone and an MC who wasn't afraid to use it. 
Across the way was a steep rise where the specklers gathered, complete with megaphone, beer, and a 55 gallon drum housing a roaring fire. Awesome, equal to Ice Weasels for atmosphere. 
Photo credit: Riverside Cyclocross Park Exiting the Danger Zone, riders faced a nasty off-camber bump with rocks and trees greeting those who didn't clean it (3m 35s). Credit wisdom or blame cowardice, I bypassed it--check out the video to see how (lap 1 on foot, laps 2-4 by bike; based on the tracks in the snow, I was the only one to do so). A few turns, then the second big drop (4m 56s). See: lock/skid. Next up was a steep climb (5m 8s) that I ran the first time after swinging wide left into soft sand, then was able to ride the next 3 laps by staying right at the bottom where the terrain was firmer. What I'd learn later in the lap (and had gotten a hint of on the preride) was that clipping in after running was a bitch--it took lots of whacking my shoes against the pedals to dislodge the snow/rock/dirt cocktail. 
Almost immediately, big drop number three reared its ugly head (5m 35s). Lock/skid. Then, it was back for the lap's second pass through the Danger Zone. Each pass earned me a heckle from the same dude calling me out for riding with a Garmin. Hello, was he not aware of the much bigger heckle I'd get from Pete L if I submitted a race report without Strava confirmation (link below)? Exiting the Danger Zone, it was time for the railroad ties (6m 40s). Which were easily bypassed on the right (and the tracks showed that everyone was bypassing them). A few turns through the woods took us to the flyover (7m 45s), which was cool because it flew over nothing. Apparently, someone must have had some lumber they needed to clear out of their garage. 
Photo credit: Riverside Cyclocross Park The final interesting element of the lap was the granite steps (8m 10s, not quite in the same league as Austin's). Most were ridable, but there was one at the top that forced me to dismount and run the rest of the rise. After that, back on the upper flat for some power sections back to the start. 
And that flat was useful, because every lap, I needed a considerable distance and persistent whacking to clear my cleats and get clipped back in. My video (below) ends with the barriers (11m 20s), which the course team dragged into place after the lap 1 opening sprint. This was my first time doing barriers without dismounting. No, I didn't bunny hop. Instead, I rode the gap to the right (thanks for the "stretch the tape" tip, Brad W). Laps 2-4 were relatively uneventful except for the increasing sphincter factor the "sketchier with each pass" drops presented. I had a couple of falls on turns up on the flat, which wouldn't have been too bad if I hadn't dropped my chain both times. And I had to take one short lap 2 stop to stow my video camera--it had jarred loose from its mount and was hanging by its safety strap. Maybe those stops cost me a place or two, maybe not. No podium for me (not that I expected one), which was too bad given the "medals" the top three finishers were awarded. 
Photo credit: Sean Evans The lack of podium notwithstanding, I'm pysched by the 'cross points--549 is my best ever (most likely helped by the caliber at the front of the field, including recently crowned 60-64 national champion Paul Curley and 545 Velo's own Jay C). In fact, of the 29 races total that I've ridden since starting CX in 2012, my last five races have earned me my 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 9th best 'cross points outcomes. Look out QuadCross in Maynard MA in September! The Numbers: click here for Strava
|
|
2014 RESULTS
2013 RESULTS
2012 RESULTS
|