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Gran Prix of Cyclocross - CycleCyclocross

View Member's Race Log

Gloucester, Massachusetts
United States
65F / 18C
Sunny

Total Time = 40m
Overall Rank = 100/107
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/

Pre-race routine:

Arrived WAY too early. It's 140 miles from my house which means anywhere from 2hours (like today) to more. Walked the course (sunrise picture below) and, lo and behold, a new RUN-UP added on the lower gravel road. About 100feet long gaining about 50 feet in elevation. Fresh cut, dirt and really steep. After registering, I went back to the car to change clothes and get the bike ready. When I went to inflate the tires, all of the sudden, the VALVE shot across the parking lot from my front tubular! It was gone and I had no spare. No one was set up in the expo area, but another guy 3 cars down had an old tubular which he let me cannibalize.

Event warmup:

Rode the course to get a feel. Tooled around in the parking lot and on the hill to get my HR spiked a couple times. My start position was in the last row since I registered so late, but it doesn't much matter for me. Whistle goes and we're off

Bike

40m
15 miles
22.50 mile/hr

Comments:

So, I'm hanging in a group of riders; about 25 or so. I'm in this. Because of the running I've been diligent about, I actually pick up 2-3 places on the run up. Feeling great and racing well. When, all of the sudden in that center section, the brakes pull down under the rims! S#IT!!! NO BRAKES!!! I yell and everyone scatters away from me. I roll to a stop and lo and behlod, I'm at the pit. The Mavic guys grab my bike and try to fix it. Seconds followed by minutes go by. They get me a neutral support bike. Of course, I try my best on it, but the seat height is wrong and it's got toe clips instead of clipless pedals. Oh well, it did save my race. After a lap on it (and gaining some of my losses), I get Eddy back and go completely flat out until exhausion. I made up a place or 2 before the leader caught me on lap 4 and I got pulled and didn't get lap 5.

What would you do differently?:

New tubulars built. These rims are wafer thin and have no machined or flat braking surface. The advantage of tubulars is clear, but I need a matched set of wheels so I can swithc from tubulars for race season and clinchers for JRA.

Post race

Warm down:

Get back to the car, pack up, troll the small expo and watch the 3/4 and 1/2/3 races.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mechanicals.

Event comments:

I love the venue. It's New England's un-offical championships and the atmosphere is like no other cross race in the area.

Full results at: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2008/10/12-Erdinger-Gran-Prix-of-Glo...

Profile Album

Last updated: 2008-10-12 12:00 AM

Biking
00:40:00 \| 15 miles \| 22.50 mile/hr
Age Group:	0/
Overall:	100/107
Performance:	Good
Maxed 100% all race. Just silly to meausure it really...
Wind:	None
Course:	Long and twisting. Start is at the bottom of a paved section. Up that hill and enter the grassy area on the front 1/2 of the course. Some serpentines, nothing tricky but very fast. A right turn adn you're on a gravel road on Gloucester harbor. But WAIT! 1/2 way down that road they had cut in a new run up. About 100feet long and gains ~50feet in elevation. Holy mother of suffering! This is killer!!! After that, over to the center section of the course where the barriers and some off-camber stuff are. At the back 1/3rd, lots of flat and fast (again aloong Gloucester harbor), through the sand pit and complete the lap.
Road:	Rough	Cadence:
Turns:	Average	Cornering:	Average
Gear changes:	Below average	Hills:	Good
Race pace:	Too hard	Drinks: