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Verge NECCS Final Weekend |
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Team Bikeman -
Race Reports
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Written by Matt DeMeis
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Sunday, 10 December 2006 |
RI Pre-Nats Verge Series Wrap Up
NECCS Rounds 6 & 7
North Kingston & Warwick, RI December 9-10
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Stedman GP: Saturday
Started on the BACK row, as usual in these events. We got the old "and the rest of the field" after everyone fast had been called up 6 rows deep. Had a pretty decent first half and managed to claw my way on to a group so I could survive the cold windy grass flats this track is renowned for. I rode as fast as I could, as hard as I could for as long as I possibly could, and got lapped by Tim Johnson right before the start/finish.
I was actually relived the pain was over. 34th out of 49 starters. I still don't understand how you can feel like you're going SO fast and you're just barely clinging on to the back. The speed of an Elite cross race is just unreal. Anyway, it was a good result for me considering it was the polar opposite of what I like in a cross course. Like I said earlier as well I think I left a little too much out there on the wrong day, but what can you do. When the hell city bus leaves the station there's no getting off! LT Steve had a great day and pulled off a 13th place in the crazy competitive Killer B's.
Caster's Gran Prix: Sunday
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Day two, warmer temps and a really fun, FAST course. I'm totally impressed with the layout of the Caster's GP this year. I'm also impressed with the leg girth of some of these elite guys. I lined up next to some guy whose quad was as big as my torso. Try holding that wheel.
It's hard to even compare the track to last year's race since last year was about 20 degrees colder and snowing/slushing. The two beach sections were much faster and the first was completely rideable if you had the legs and a clear line. This turned out to be my undoing however.
Off the line I had a great 1st half of the race again. I couldn't believe how fast the pace was, I found myself thinking "holy crap, this pace is WAY too fast for me". We'd go around corners in the woods sections and then you would be out of the saddle sprinting full bore and ratcheting down to your 12 wishing you had an 11. SICK!! I was up pretty far for a while but then the first day came back to bite me. That and some mistakes in the sand pits that cost me a lot of precious time.
I would come blasting into the sand and ride 90% of it catching the guys running it who had entered the pit out of site of me. No way to get through them and finish my ride across meant having to hop off awkwardly (and sometimes involuntarily) and loose time. In hindsight, I should have been off and running but it was just sooo fast to ride it. Oh Well.
By the end of the race I was thoroughly cooked. I managed to stay on the lead lap today even though Timmy J was killing it yet again. I'm happy with that. The last lap all I could think about was food, which is odd in a cross race. I was done. Time to rest up for nats and hope for the best. Here's what I consumed yesterday after the weekend's shenanigans...
1 bottle of recoverite (4 scoops)
1 Jelly Donut (yum)
1 bowl of cuban rice and beans
2 Hoegaarden White Ales
1 Bagel with egg chese and salsa
a whole bunch of grape tomatoes
1 bowl of cinnamon puffins with soy milk
2 chocolate death chunk cookies
1 Cup of sleepytime tea
See you at nationals.
Matt
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