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Race Cancellation Policy: The course is on Bensalem High School property. If weather conditions are such that the race would cause significant damage to the property, eg, heavy rains and water drenched grounds prior to and during the event, the race may be canceled. The race promoter will make every attempt to determine prior to race day if the race needs to be canceled, however, under extreme conditions part or all of the race may need to be canceled on the day of the race. Every effort will be made to hold the race, including making course modifications if necessary. If the race is canceled on the day prior to the race, notification will be sent to all pre-registered racers via email, and via the race's facebook page. If the race is canceled in part or whole as described, then registration fees, minus bikereg fees, will be refunded to those racers. 
Down in DE for U of DE Parents Weekend, I figured I'd give the boys a breather and visit some friends from college in PA. And while I was in PA, why not race a bit of 'cross. Whirlybird Cross. The forecast was for rain all night and rain all morning. The forecast delivered. It's one thing when it starts to rain while you're riding. It's another thing when you have to get out of a warm, dry car into a cold, heavy rain. Well, this particular Saturday morning, it was the another thing scenario. Given the way the course conditions were at the start and the way they deteriorated over the duration of the race, it's a bit surprising that the Race Cancellation Policy above didn't come into play. The preride was a blast, my first ride in real mud. "Commit to the rut." My call-up was toward the back. I slotted into my row, turned on my GPS and video camera, and ditched my rain jacket. The whistle sounded and we were off. Outbound pavement, u-turn, return on the grass. I picked up a number of spots on the pavement and held my own on the grass. Then we turned onto the course "proper" and climbed. Almost immediately, an off-camber u-turn forced a bottleneck dismount. Back aboard, we crossed through the finish line, turned, and headed for the first barrier. The barrier was at the bottom of an upslope leading to an off-camber chicane with some nasty mud. On laps 2-4, I'd be able ride the off-camber u-turn, but the off-camber chicane was run-only. At both, I'd generally pick off a few riders, then lose them on the power sections. Around the stadium, another barrier, then the "whirlybird" (spiral in, then spiral back out), then some open stretches before ending the lap and starting on the next one. It wasn't until after the race that I realized how muddy I'd got. I don't think the white on my fBIKE jersey will ever be white again. The Numbers: click here for Strava
Lap 2: You pass me, this happens, don't pass me [00m 12s] |
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