A report on Cross Nats is in order. First, I left much sooner than I wanted. I really wanted to stay the weekend and see the Pros on Sunday. After Friday's races, I returned to the hotel and turned on the TV and the weather reports were for 5-7 inches all the way along I-70, with 7-9" around STL and 10+ around Warrenton. When the forecast was 2-4" on Saturday I was willing to stay in KC. But, I needed to be back in town for work on Monday and the increased snow amounts were a bit too much to risk.
Wednesday evening I rolled into KC and went to find the course. After a wrong taking a n incorrect ramp in downtown I made my way back north and found the course easily. Not wanting to pull out the bike, I walked the course instead. Almost the entire course was small broken ice chunks with a narrow line of grass/soil.
Despite the walk through, I arrived early to get in a few laps during the Open Course period before racing started. The on-bike experience was very tricky as you skated around turns and off camber sections, begging for some tire grip and seeking out a good line. The practice laps were helpful but with temperatures rising and three earlier races, the course had changed dramatically. Some ice still existed but the race line had worn in and it was mostly a thick, slick mud with some grass and ice at the edges of the course.
Lining up for the race was unique. Around here our race fields are usually 20-30 riders. Here, we lined up eight men across and I was at least eight rows back. This was a bigger field than most of our crits. I did luck into an position along the rail, rather than in a mass of humanity in the middle of the pack. The course was a sweeping right hand bend to start and then climbed a straight road for about maybe 100-150 meters. My start position paid off and I gained a good number of places on the pavement before turning into grass, mud and ice. Folks were slipping, sliding and swerving all over in a struggle to stay upright. The field strung out fairly quickly and the race settled in. I was holding my own quite nicely. Made it through the tricky off camber hillside, over the barriers with no issues, around a few trees and then decided to do a spectacular imitation of Armstrong on Luz Ardiden.
A rider in green had stopped on the right side of the road. I assume he had crashed and had picked his bike up. I had just swept through a turn with a few others behind me. I saw the guy and didn't feel there was much of a problem but either he moved his bike or I had to make a correction. It's hard to say but just as I went by, I noticed his handlebar. A split second later, like the infamous musette that pulled down Armstrong, my handlebar hooked his and went flying to the left (just like Lance) and went splat in the soft ground. I pulled his bike right out of his hands and took it along for the ride. At least three of four guys went by as I scampered to my feet and untangled our bars.
The remainder of the lap was uneventful and I was managing my effort. I turned back into the grass after the finish line and around the big sweeping righthander. Down the gradual hill I went when suddenly "something" happened. This area was full of soft, rutted ground. I figure my front wheel hit one of those ruts wrong but it was completely unexpected. Again, I went flying to my left. Despite the muddy ground, this was a much harder hit than the first. I struck the ground with my shoulder and upper back, arms and legs splayed all about and finished the impact with my head falling backward into the ground. I was stunned for a brief moment as several others rode by. I hopped back on the bike but the chain had been dropped. Then it was back off the bike to fix the chain and back on again to start chasing.
Later that lap, I again went down again on my left side in a ditch but that was far less dramatic but it was another couple guys that went by. The remaining 2.5 laps were uneventful. My legs felt remarkably good the whole race and I finished strong out of the saddle.
In the end, I finished 54th. Not a spectacular result, for sure, but with the three crashes I am satisfied and feel I rode strongly. The whole scene was a learning experience.
After the race it felt as if I pulled a muscle in my chest. Using my left arm was likely to cause some pain. Adrenaline is a good thing and I never felt any pain during the race. Saturday, I was poking and prodding and feel I may have cracked a rib or two a little. When I press on a couple ribs around the sternum they hurt but when pressing in between there is no pain. So, I'm not sure exactly what I did but it is uncomfortable. Getting out of bed and the chair gives a jolt of pain and any coughing doesn't feel real good. Regardless, it was a lot of fun to race out there.
I did manage to make an appearance on a Youtube video of the race. One of my competitors had a helmet-cam. He lined up a couple rows behind me but quickly got on my wheel. If you wish to watch, I am (in blue) right ahead of him at about the 7 second mark of the video and stay in view for about 15 seconds. Notice the dramatic Pantani-like acceleration as I got out of the saddle.
The second half of the race can be found here
Wednesday evening I rolled into KC and went to find the course. After a wrong taking a n incorrect ramp in downtown I made my way back north and found the course easily. Not wanting to pull out the bike, I walked the course instead. Almost the entire course was small broken ice chunks with a narrow line of grass/soil.
Despite the walk through, I arrived early to get in a few laps during the Open Course period before racing started. The on-bike experience was very tricky as you skated around turns and off camber sections, begging for some tire grip and seeking out a good line. The practice laps were helpful but with temperatures rising and three earlier races, the course had changed dramatically. Some ice still existed but the race line had worn in and it was mostly a thick, slick mud with some grass and ice at the edges of the course.
Lining up for the race was unique. Around here our race fields are usually 20-30 riders. Here, we lined up eight men across and I was at least eight rows back. This was a bigger field than most of our crits. I did luck into an position along the rail, rather than in a mass of humanity in the middle of the pack. The course was a sweeping right hand bend to start and then climbed a straight road for about maybe 100-150 meters. My start position paid off and I gained a good number of places on the pavement before turning into grass, mud and ice. Folks were slipping, sliding and swerving all over in a struggle to stay upright. The field strung out fairly quickly and the race settled in. I was holding my own quite nicely. Made it through the tricky off camber hillside, over the barriers with no issues, around a few trees and then decided to do a spectacular imitation of Armstrong on Luz Ardiden.
A rider in green had stopped on the right side of the road. I assume he had crashed and had picked his bike up. I had just swept through a turn with a few others behind me. I saw the guy and didn't feel there was much of a problem but either he moved his bike or I had to make a correction. It's hard to say but just as I went by, I noticed his handlebar. A split second later, like the infamous musette that pulled down Armstrong, my handlebar hooked his and went flying to the left (just like Lance) and went splat in the soft ground. I pulled his bike right out of his hands and took it along for the ride. At least three of four guys went by as I scampered to my feet and untangled our bars.
The remainder of the lap was uneventful and I was managing my effort. I turned back into the grass after the finish line and around the big sweeping righthander. Down the gradual hill I went when suddenly "something" happened. This area was full of soft, rutted ground. I figure my front wheel hit one of those ruts wrong but it was completely unexpected. Again, I went flying to my left. Despite the muddy ground, this was a much harder hit than the first. I struck the ground with my shoulder and upper back, arms and legs splayed all about and finished the impact with my head falling backward into the ground. I was stunned for a brief moment as several others rode by. I hopped back on the bike but the chain had been dropped. Then it was back off the bike to fix the chain and back on again to start chasing.
Later that lap, I again went down again on my left side in a ditch but that was far less dramatic but it was another couple guys that went by. The remaining 2.5 laps were uneventful. My legs felt remarkably good the whole race and I finished strong out of the saddle.
In the end, I finished 54th. Not a spectacular result, for sure, but with the three crashes I am satisfied and feel I rode strongly. The whole scene was a learning experience.
After the race it felt as if I pulled a muscle in my chest. Using my left arm was likely to cause some pain. Adrenaline is a good thing and I never felt any pain during the race. Saturday, I was poking and prodding and feel I may have cracked a rib or two a little. When I press on a couple ribs around the sternum they hurt but when pressing in between there is no pain. So, I'm not sure exactly what I did but it is uncomfortable. Getting out of bed and the chair gives a jolt of pain and any coughing doesn't feel real good. Regardless, it was a lot of fun to race out there.
I did manage to make an appearance on a Youtube video of the race. One of my competitors had a helmet-cam. He lined up a couple rows behind me but quickly got on my wheel. If you wish to watch, I am (in blue) right ahead of him at about the 7 second mark of the video and stay in view for about 15 seconds. Notice the dramatic Pantani-like acceleration as I got out of the saddle.
The second half of the race can be found here
1 Comments:
That dude at 1:40 is HUGE!!!! Like Andre the Giant HUGE!
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