Michigan UCI Races
The weekend started with a very long drive to get to the suburban Detroit race location. I conned Dave into going with me and then arranged to pick up Matt Kelly where he was staying in Indiana. Originally I told Matt we would pick him up around 4:30pm. Then I called to say maybe a half hour later than that. Then I called to say we were not even to Gary yet, traffic wasn't moving and it was 5pm. Finally we got there and it was probably 6pm . . . so much for making good time and getting to Detroit early. I think we got to Detroit around midnight . . . that was a fun day of driving.
anyway, this year I downgraded my goals to just surviving racing the local "A" races and had written off going to any of the bigger races. However, apparently I am susceptible to suggestions of insanity. So when some of my local cross pals started trying to talk me into it I was not able to hold firm to my plan that I would not go to the first big races of the year in Detroit just to get my butt kicked.
So come Saturday there I was on the starting line of my first elite race. To say I was nervous would be an understatement . . . I kept wishing that I wasn't wearing the undeniably bright red, white and blue of my Alan Factory Team jersey and shorts (oh for the understated look of my mtn bike or road team kit). I have to say that I couldn't stop imagining my worst case scenario of being lapped by the lead woman.
I was checking out the other women on the start line and they looked pretty good . . . the local star I knew was super fast and there was the Diet Cheer Wine roadie who I later found out was on last year's Canadian World's team for cross. We had the worst start as the official stood in the middle of the field and said "Go" with little warning. I almost hit him.
Usually I'm a horrible starter but I actually did great as the first part of the course really suited me as there were lots of tight grassy corners and I could totally rock those sections with my mtn bike background. The first dismount section were these log stair steps on a killer hill followed by some off camber sections, a bumpy straightaway into a double-log dismount that my legs were barely long enough to get over. Then we headed into the uphill section -- up the asphalt track, down a bumpy grassy section, up a bumpy grassy section and then down a fast, somewhat bumpy downhill section with some great corners at the end. Then we were into some straightaways and eventually to the typical cross barricades and then some more grassy straightaways and onto the track and through the start/finish area.
My first lap was good. Great start, fast in the corner sections, okay but not great in the dismounts, the first climb was okay but the 2nd climb had a nasty little kicker at the top which wasn't my best. Good through the downhill and into the corners. Kinda slow through the next barriers. Then started the subsequent laps. Laps two and three were sufferfests of just trying to make myself go but I was in last place after lap one.
Then on lap three I started to catch up to a couple of the women. I finally reeled in one but when I passed her I didn't gap her so she grabbed my wheel and it was windy in some sections so she was permanently affixed there. I could corner betterbut she was very tall so any gap I got she could close on the run up or the log barrier. I was faster on the more gradual climb but she could really kick it on the steep section at the end.
On lap four I slowed down on the straight asphalt track in the wind and made her come around to pull which she did. She tried to jump away from me on the track but I could get by in the cornery section so I went around her again to get ahead of her on the run up and log barrier.
I'll suffice it to say that we came into the last lap still together. She was a fraction faster than me out of the last set of barriers into the grassy straight aways so I just glued on to her wheel. She slowed down to try and force me to lead out into the wind but I just slowed down as well. On the final corner from grass to asphalt I was totally glued to her wheel and preparing for the sprint to come. She wound up her sprint, I wound up as well but my sprint failed me. I remember having a sprint; I can remember winning a few sprints back in the day but my sprint is sadly missing now. I can honestly say that she killed me in the sprint. It was hardly a competition.
However, although I came in last I feel my day was a huge success. I didn't retear my ACL, I didn't get lapped and it was even fun at times
I won't bore you with details with Sunday's race. Once again I didn't tear my ACL, I didn't get lapped and I got 5 more UCI points. However, I didn't have it on Sunday. I had about 1/2 of a lap in me before I started to fade and then I was out of contention quickly and just trying to make myself keep going. I also realize that by the end of the race I only had about 10 pounds of pressure left in my tire which wasn't making it any easier for me to go fast. However, I am happy to report that the woman who killed me in the sprint Saturday did the same thing to someone else on Sunday so I think she is just a great sprinter.
So that was my first A race and it was at a UCI race so I guess that wasn't so bad overall. All the other women had been racing As for awhile and they all had UCI points from last year. I also survived the drive back from Detroit which took a lot less time as there isn't as much traffic on a late Sunday night. Oh yeah, and I'm inspired and plan to go to Cincinnati to that UCI race too.
anyway, this year I downgraded my goals to just surviving racing the local "A" races and had written off going to any of the bigger races. However, apparently I am susceptible to suggestions of insanity. So when some of my local cross pals started trying to talk me into it I was not able to hold firm to my plan that I would not go to the first big races of the year in Detroit just to get my butt kicked.
So come Saturday there I was on the starting line of my first elite race. To say I was nervous would be an understatement . . . I kept wishing that I wasn't wearing the undeniably bright red, white and blue of my Alan Factory Team jersey and shorts (oh for the understated look of my mtn bike or road team kit). I have to say that I couldn't stop imagining my worst case scenario of being lapped by the lead woman.
I was checking out the other women on the start line and they looked pretty good . . . the local star I knew was super fast and there was the Diet Cheer Wine roadie who I later found out was on last year's Canadian World's team for cross. We had the worst start as the official stood in the middle of the field and said "Go" with little warning. I almost hit him.
Usually I'm a horrible starter but I actually did great as the first part of the course really suited me as there were lots of tight grassy corners and I could totally rock those sections with my mtn bike background. The first dismount section were these log stair steps on a killer hill followed by some off camber sections, a bumpy straightaway into a double-log dismount that my legs were barely long enough to get over. Then we headed into the uphill section -- up the asphalt track, down a bumpy grassy section, up a bumpy grassy section and then down a fast, somewhat bumpy downhill section with some great corners at the end. Then we were into some straightaways and eventually to the typical cross barricades and then some more grassy straightaways and onto the track and through the start/finish area.
My first lap was good. Great start, fast in the corner sections, okay but not great in the dismounts, the first climb was okay but the 2nd climb had a nasty little kicker at the top which wasn't my best. Good through the downhill and into the corners. Kinda slow through the next barriers. Then started the subsequent laps. Laps two and three were sufferfests of just trying to make myself go but I was in last place after lap one.
Then on lap three I started to catch up to a couple of the women. I finally reeled in one but when I passed her I didn't gap her so she grabbed my wheel and it was windy in some sections so she was permanently affixed there. I could corner betterbut she was very tall so any gap I got she could close on the run up or the log barrier. I was faster on the more gradual climb but she could really kick it on the steep section at the end.
On lap four I slowed down on the straight asphalt track in the wind and made her come around to pull which she did. She tried to jump away from me on the track but I could get by in the cornery section so I went around her again to get ahead of her on the run up and log barrier.
I'll suffice it to say that we came into the last lap still together. She was a fraction faster than me out of the last set of barriers into the grassy straight aways so I just glued on to her wheel. She slowed down to try and force me to lead out into the wind but I just slowed down as well. On the final corner from grass to asphalt I was totally glued to her wheel and preparing for the sprint to come. She wound up her sprint, I wound up as well but my sprint failed me. I remember having a sprint; I can remember winning a few sprints back in the day but my sprint is sadly missing now. I can honestly say that she killed me in the sprint. It was hardly a competition.
However, although I came in last I feel my day was a huge success. I didn't retear my ACL, I didn't get lapped and it was even fun at times
I won't bore you with details with Sunday's race. Once again I didn't tear my ACL, I didn't get lapped and I got 5 more UCI points. However, I didn't have it on Sunday. I had about 1/2 of a lap in me before I started to fade and then I was out of contention quickly and just trying to make myself keep going. I also realize that by the end of the race I only had about 10 pounds of pressure left in my tire which wasn't making it any easier for me to go fast. However, I am happy to report that the woman who killed me in the sprint Saturday did the same thing to someone else on Sunday so I think she is just a great sprinter.
So that was my first A race and it was at a UCI race so I guess that wasn't so bad overall. All the other women had been racing As for awhile and they all had UCI points from last year. I also survived the drive back from Detroit which took a lot less time as there isn't as much traffic on a late Sunday night. Oh yeah, and I'm inspired and plan to go to Cincinnati to that UCI race too.
posted by MadCross at 9:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home