Milwaukee Double
This weekend was the Kletszch Park and Estabrook double cross race weekend in Milwaukee. Last year Kletszch Park was a really good race for me and I was hoping for the same this year but I wasn't getting too optimistic given my racing lately. However, once again I had a good day. I think that race is good for me as even going slowly you have to go hard and it has lots of mountain bikey elements and mountain bike is where I got my start.
I didn't have a phenomenal start but it was a bit better than normal. The important thing was that I got out in front of Michele who was my true competition for the day. I succeeded on that but it was a pretty small gap but enough to keep me motivated. I knew that I should try and use the hill run up to my advantage as that has been a minor strong point for me and this run up was long which I like. For the first two laps I had the smallest gap on Michele and it wasn't growing or shrinking. The course at Kletszch has several points where you can really gauge the person in front or behind of you and where they're at and I could see that we were just holding steady.
On lap three I told myself to not let up and instead go hard as that is often a time when it is easy to slow down as you realize you're tired. I knew that if I could get a bigger gap on Michele and get out of site that I would have a big advantage. I know this as when she does that to me it is suddenly harder to chase when you can't actually see the person you're chasing. On lap three I was able to get just enough of a gap that I was out of site a bit more and that was exactly what it took to clinch my not last place finish.
On my last lap I could see Kristin W. starting to get close to lapping me as I headed down the fast downhill by the fence. I wanted to have at least one race where I wasn't lapped by Kristin so I couldn't cruise it in easily for 6th place. No, instead it was game on to not be lapped. That hurt. However, she sat up a bit at the end and I made it with only the master's guys lapping me but not any of the Cat 1/2 Women. So it truly was a good day of racing for me.
This photo is from early on in the race and you can see Michele just behind me on the climb that is just after the run-up. That's how close she was for half the race so it was truly game on for us. It felt good to be really racing and have her back there pushing me especially since Michele raced so well at Washington Park last weekend. (Note that I went with the rainbow socks for Kletszch Park as I wanted to be in a happy, upbeat mood in hopes of having a good day).
Sunday was Estabrook . . . I really don't have much to say about that. First 1/4 of a lap I was sort of with everyone. By half a lap I was fading back. The rest of the race was me riding around by myself waiting for everyone to lap me. Highlights were taking a Sparks hand up on the run-up, blasting down through the woods in my big gear totally enjoying flying through there, totally botching up shouldering my bike a few times coming to the run-up, and then just barely holding Katy S. off from lapping me. Hard to believe that the first cross race I ever won was at Estabrook. I think that was the one and only time that I've ever raced well there. It's so flat and fast which is the kind of course that really is trouble for me. I just can't seem to ride my bike well in a straight line.
Lantern Rouge Competition Update:
I scored no Lantern Rouge competition points this weekend with my good race at Kletszch Park. At Estabrook since neither Michele or Shannon were in attendance I don't think it counts even though I was clearly DFL. I am making a unilateral decision to add to the rules that at least 2 of us must be at the race for points to be scored. That means:
Shannon - 0
Michele - 2 (Cam-Rock and Kletszch Park)
Me - 3 (Lapham, Gibbs Lake and Washington Park)
Races Remaining - Viking Cross, Whitewater and Hales Corners
Races with no point scored are Badger Prairie and Praire du Chien as at Badger Prairie I beat a guy and at Prairie du Chien Michele beat a guy. At Washington Park I passed a mummy but I think he dropped out due to costume issues so I'll take the point there. (And in the future please don't drop out of races if you're behind me or my teammates! ).
And here's a shot of Dave at Kletszch Park. Doesn't he look like he's having some fun??
Photos from Peloton Pix.
Highlight of the weekend . . . getting to hang out with Jerry again who was in town to finalize that whole Dr. thing. Nice job this weekend . . . with the school thing and the much more important racing thing! It was also awesome to see Chris and Kim who have made their long anticipated return to cross!
I didn't have a phenomenal start but it was a bit better than normal. The important thing was that I got out in front of Michele who was my true competition for the day. I succeeded on that but it was a pretty small gap but enough to keep me motivated. I knew that I should try and use the hill run up to my advantage as that has been a minor strong point for me and this run up was long which I like. For the first two laps I had the smallest gap on Michele and it wasn't growing or shrinking. The course at Kletszch has several points where you can really gauge the person in front or behind of you and where they're at and I could see that we were just holding steady.
On lap three I told myself to not let up and instead go hard as that is often a time when it is easy to slow down as you realize you're tired. I knew that if I could get a bigger gap on Michele and get out of site that I would have a big advantage. I know this as when she does that to me it is suddenly harder to chase when you can't actually see the person you're chasing. On lap three I was able to get just enough of a gap that I was out of site a bit more and that was exactly what it took to clinch my not last place finish.
On my last lap I could see Kristin W. starting to get close to lapping me as I headed down the fast downhill by the fence. I wanted to have at least one race where I wasn't lapped by Kristin so I couldn't cruise it in easily for 6th place. No, instead it was game on to not be lapped. That hurt. However, she sat up a bit at the end and I made it with only the master's guys lapping me but not any of the Cat 1/2 Women. So it truly was a good day of racing for me.
This photo is from early on in the race and you can see Michele just behind me on the climb that is just after the run-up. That's how close she was for half the race so it was truly game on for us. It felt good to be really racing and have her back there pushing me especially since Michele raced so well at Washington Park last weekend. (Note that I went with the rainbow socks for Kletszch Park as I wanted to be in a happy, upbeat mood in hopes of having a good day).
Sunday was Estabrook . . . I really don't have much to say about that. First 1/4 of a lap I was sort of with everyone. By half a lap I was fading back. The rest of the race was me riding around by myself waiting for everyone to lap me. Highlights were taking a Sparks hand up on the run-up, blasting down through the woods in my big gear totally enjoying flying through there, totally botching up shouldering my bike a few times coming to the run-up, and then just barely holding Katy S. off from lapping me. Hard to believe that the first cross race I ever won was at Estabrook. I think that was the one and only time that I've ever raced well there. It's so flat and fast which is the kind of course that really is trouble for me. I just can't seem to ride my bike well in a straight line.
Lantern Rouge Competition Update:
I scored no Lantern Rouge competition points this weekend with my good race at Kletszch Park. At Estabrook since neither Michele or Shannon were in attendance I don't think it counts even though I was clearly DFL. I am making a unilateral decision to add to the rules that at least 2 of us must be at the race for points to be scored. That means:
Shannon - 0
Michele - 2 (Cam-Rock and Kletszch Park)
Me - 3 (Lapham, Gibbs Lake and Washington Park)
Races Remaining - Viking Cross, Whitewater and Hales Corners
Races with no point scored are Badger Prairie and Praire du Chien as at Badger Prairie I beat a guy and at Prairie du Chien Michele beat a guy. At Washington Park I passed a mummy but I think he dropped out due to costume issues so I'll take the point there. (And in the future please don't drop out of races if you're behind me or my teammates! ).
And here's a shot of Dave at Kletszch Park. Doesn't he look like he's having some fun??
Photos from Peloton Pix.
Highlight of the weekend . . . getting to hang out with Jerry again who was in town to finalize that whole Dr. thing. Nice job this weekend . . . with the school thing and the much more important racing thing! It was also awesome to see Chris and Kim who have made their long anticipated return to cross!
posted by MadCross at 9:57 PM
1 Comments:
Hey, thanks! It was great to see you all too! Can't wait for Whitewater. Thanks again for the monkey suit! ;-)
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