Estabrook Cross
Sunday was Estabrook Park Cross in Milwaukee. It had rained over night but it had stopped before the racing started but it was windy and a bit chilly. The course had a little mud but it was tacky and not slippery.
I started pretty good again but didn't hammer out to fast. After lap one I was towards the back of the field but with Heidi glued on my wheel. Pretty much every lap went like this: Heidi would pass me going onto the paved section of the course. I would follow behind and if she got any gap on me I would close it down as soon as we left the pavement and hit the bumpy grass. At the end of the grass was a sharp muddy turn. I would take the inside line then hammer through the corner and pass her. Immediately following that were two barriers and I would gap her on the remount. Then was another paved section where she would catch back up to me. After that was this sweet chicane that I would pedal through. Then another set of barriers where I would get a gap and then another pavement section where she would catch back up.
Then we dove into the woods. During the pre-ride I thought this section was really easy but I guess it wasn’t. I would go from the pavement into the woods in my biggest gear and pedal hard. There were a couple of roots but it was no big deal and there was no need to coast. Then there was a slight corner that was muddy but no big deal and then a sharp corner where you had to set up for a dismount and muddy hill run-up. Then then there was this somewhat muddy downhill into a sharp corner where I got a gap and she’d chase up a little steep section to get back to me. Then we were back to the pavement and doing it all again. Heidi is smart though and on one lap she realized she needed to lead going into the woods so to control me from pulling away. All those years of mountain biking, however, made it possible for me to pass her.
At one point we got lapped by a couple of master’s men just before entering the woods and both times this happened I caught up to them in the woods. I feel bad as I said "Come On" in a possibly somewhat mean, sarcastic voice at one point at the men (if you read this I'm sorry but I needed to go as fast in that section as possible and I really didn't mean to be rude but all I have is my technical skills so I needed to maximize my gap there).
Oh yeah, and the race for 8th/9th between Heidi and I came down to a sprint. On the last lap I didn’t let her come around me on the road as I wanted to gain as much as I could in the bumpy field and the sharp corner and through the last set of barriers as I knew that the finish was a section of long straight pavement to smooth grass and that she would be able to kill me there and I would need the biggest gap I could get. It was a full on sprint to the line and I had a gap but I knew she would be closing fast. In the final stretch we were neck and neck. At the line it was too close for most people to call but the officials gave it to me. I wonder if they could really tell who won . . . I probably won because I was such a pathetic gimp last year who still came to the races and took photos and video. I'm glad for the points though as it's unclear if I can hold onto 4th in the series or if I will fall to 5th. It's pathetic to care but I do.
Anyway, Estabrook was a fun race. I really didn't have high hopes as it always seems like too many straight, flat sections for someone like me but I was grooving on the woods section and it was fun battling it out with Heidi. She's going to be a phenomenal cross racer once she gets more experience and gets more confident on her bike.
I started pretty good again but didn't hammer out to fast. After lap one I was towards the back of the field but with Heidi glued on my wheel. Pretty much every lap went like this: Heidi would pass me going onto the paved section of the course. I would follow behind and if she got any gap on me I would close it down as soon as we left the pavement and hit the bumpy grass. At the end of the grass was a sharp muddy turn. I would take the inside line then hammer through the corner and pass her. Immediately following that were two barriers and I would gap her on the remount. Then was another paved section where she would catch back up to me. After that was this sweet chicane that I would pedal through. Then another set of barriers where I would get a gap and then another pavement section where she would catch back up.
Then we dove into the woods. During the pre-ride I thought this section was really easy but I guess it wasn’t. I would go from the pavement into the woods in my biggest gear and pedal hard. There were a couple of roots but it was no big deal and there was no need to coast. Then there was a slight corner that was muddy but no big deal and then a sharp corner where you had to set up for a dismount and muddy hill run-up. Then then there was this somewhat muddy downhill into a sharp corner where I got a gap and she’d chase up a little steep section to get back to me. Then we were back to the pavement and doing it all again. Heidi is smart though and on one lap she realized she needed to lead going into the woods so to control me from pulling away. All those years of mountain biking, however, made it possible for me to pass her.
At one point we got lapped by a couple of master’s men just before entering the woods and both times this happened I caught up to them in the woods. I feel bad as I said "Come On" in a possibly somewhat mean, sarcastic voice at one point at the men (if you read this I'm sorry but I needed to go as fast in that section as possible and I really didn't mean to be rude but all I have is my technical skills so I needed to maximize my gap there).
Oh yeah, and the race for 8th/9th between Heidi and I came down to a sprint. On the last lap I didn’t let her come around me on the road as I wanted to gain as much as I could in the bumpy field and the sharp corner and through the last set of barriers as I knew that the finish was a section of long straight pavement to smooth grass and that she would be able to kill me there and I would need the biggest gap I could get. It was a full on sprint to the line and I had a gap but I knew she would be closing fast. In the final stretch we were neck and neck. At the line it was too close for most people to call but the officials gave it to me. I wonder if they could really tell who won . . . I probably won because I was such a pathetic gimp last year who still came to the races and took photos and video. I'm glad for the points though as it's unclear if I can hold onto 4th in the series or if I will fall to 5th. It's pathetic to care but I do.
Anyway, Estabrook was a fun race. I really didn't have high hopes as it always seems like too many straight, flat sections for someone like me but I was grooving on the woods section and it was fun battling it out with Heidi. She's going to be a phenomenal cross racer once she gets more experience and gets more confident on her bike.
posted by MadCross at 9:31 PM
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