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An experiment run, an outcome obtained, a lesson learned Photos | Cat 4/5 Video: Lap 1 - Laps 2-5 | Strava: Cat 4/5 - Cat 3/4 | My CX History 
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In the end, BradW was right.
Ultimately, I trace the kernel of the experiment to EricP and Shedd Park last year. He attempted the audacious and raced two events, remarking afterwards that despite his poorer finish place-wise, he earned lower (better) Cross Points in the harder field of the two. Hmm ... Following this year's season-opener at QuadCross, I noticed that while I raced Cat 4/5 35+, I would also have been eligible to race Cat 1/2/3/4 50+ and Cat 3/4. All three of those races completed 5 laps. How would my actual Cat 4/5 time of 45:34 (40 of 62) have placed me in the other two fields?
Namely, the plot thickened in the form of Cross Points (CXP). For the uninitiated, CXP determine in most races where one lines up in the starting grid. And where one lines up in the starting grid has a lot to do with where one ends up at the hole shot (the first bottleneck, typically a narrow right or left turn after a several hundred yard wide field sprint). And where one ends up at the hole shot determines how many riders ahead you need to pass (or in my case, riders behind I need to hold off). My overall CXP following QuadCross was 585, a number that I've consistently pulled down (the good direction) over time, especially by virtue of my most recent 4 finishes. How the heck does one earn CXP? There's a moderately complicated formula that I won't dive into here (see http://www.crossresults.com/?n=talk&sn=f - "Your points list is full of crap"). Suffice it to say that the formula determines a "Quality" score (CXP earned by the winner) and a "Median" score (CXP earned by the median finisher). From those two scores, it's possible to calculate the CXP for all of the other racers in a field. What's critical to understand is that the Quality score and the Median score awarded AFTER a race are determined by the CXP that the racers carry INTO that race. Let's revisit the CXP I earned in my race and the CXP I would have earned in the other two fields (yes, we're still at QuadCross despite this promising to be a CX at White Park race report). A caveat--every race is different, and a time of X in one field in no way means that a time of X would have been attained in any other field.
Fast forward to CX at White Park (in Concord NH). Hurrah, the CX at White Park race report is here. I had registered for the Cat 3/4 race ... to hunt CXP. (Per a pre-arranged agreement, but not for the same reason, StanS and DanS had also registered--Stan ended up opting not to race it, but Dan did.) Except for Stan and Dan, however, I only recognized two other names in the field--LeoC and MaxC--and if they were remotely representative of the quality of the field, I was going to get shellacked. Starting from the back row (by virtue of my high CXP relative to everyone else in the race), I got a strong start and passed 10-20 guys in the first 50-100 yards. And that's where the positive part of the race report ends. By the time we made our way around the ball fields (past where the barriers were supposed to be had they not been stolen the night before) and started the hairpin climb, I was second to last (Dan having passed me along with the 10-20 guys I'd passed on the start). Dan steadily pulled away, and I pulled away from the old and heavy mountain bike burdened rider behind me, leaving me to a not-all-that-interesting solo trek around the course. Early in the second lap, however, I managed to reel Dan in and passed him on the loose rocks at the bottom of the descent. I made the right hairpin followed by the left. And felt the flat. Rear tire out of commission, I shouldered my bike and started to run, the pit with my spare wheels sat not all that far ahead. Dan quickly dispatched me before the pit, where I entered, removed my rear wheel (11-32 cassette), replaced it with my spare wheel (11-28 cassette: foreshadowing alert), and hopped back onto the course. I was still ahead of my mountain biking friend, but now hopelessly out of touch with Dan. What had been a friendly race among two relatively evenly matched Macs was now a CX time trial for me. And my heart was no longer in it. I don't recall the lap and don't care enough to check my video, but it wasn't all that long before the leaders came through. Down one lap. Not a big deal, I had expected that, just not so soon. The question was, would they lap me again? The 11-28 cassette wasn't helping me any on the climbs given my 38 tooth single chain ring. Nothing I couldn't handle, mind you, but my climbing went from TomKn at Mt. Washington to BobJ at same (but without the rehab explanation). Nearing the end of the race, I'm pretty sure that I'd been lapped by the vast majority of the field, but the race wasn't long enough to afford the leaders the opportunity to lap me twice. I sprinted across the line (because pride), rolled to a stop, met up with Dan and his wife AnneM, talked for a bit, and packed it in. I've yet to mention that I had raced (with Stan) the Cat 4/5 race earlier in the day. So my legs weren't exactly in top form for the Cat 3/4 outing. Which absent the flat might have cost me a place or two. But hardly constitutes an excuse. As I was writing this up, I saw that CXP results were posted for both races:
Mission accomplished. Any well-run experiment is a good one, even if the outcome isn't what's desired. Because the objective of an experiment is to learn. And I learned. In this case, the outcome WAS what was desired--a good CXP. (In fact, 522.7 was a great CXP for me--more than 30 points better than my previous best.) And the lesson learned? In the Cat 3/4 race, I really didn't have all that much fun (especially once I flatted and lost my chance to battle Dan). Even then, 'cross is best when you've got many more than one person to battle. Finally, for far too much of the race, I had my focus facing backwards as I tried to stay out of the way of lapping racers. Prior to the race, I had pitched my Cat 3/4 idea to Brad. His response: I tried doing some of the points voodoo math last year and eventually I just gave up and raced my bike. I’d stay with the 4/5s ..."He didn't say it explicitly, but inherent in his advice was to have fun riding my bike. Today, I didn't really have all that much fun in the Cat 3/4 race. The Cat 4/5 race? Now THAT was fun! |
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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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