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Cross in the Glen, Week #2 |
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Team Bikeman -
Race Reports
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Written by Sven Cole
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Monday, 22 October 2007 |
Cross in the Glen, Week #2
Great Glen Trails
Pinkham Notch
October 20, 2007
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Another perfect weekend for cyclocross, this time I headed up to Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center, which sits at the base of Mount Washington, to jump into the second race of their five race series.
This series is pretty low key and is now in its second year, but the turn out is growing as more folks from the Mount Washington Valley give it a go, and others who are looking for a bit of a course preview for November's Porky Gulch Classic Stage Race.
We had a total of 17 starters in the elite/intermediate field- with 7 racing elite and the rest of us as intermediates. The elite's all had a red mark on their race number so that we could know who was who- I thought I had taken inventory of who was who and mentally got ready to mark my competition.
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The start was much smoother then last week down in Gloucester- and other then a bobble that I had in the first barriers where I totally blew my line coming in- I had a relatively easy time staying with the front group on the opening part of the race. I had a fellow Team Bikeman.com rider with me- Dennis Morgan who was just a couple wheels behind me on the first lap. I thought I had settled into the back of a group of elite's and that there weren't any novice riders ahead of me, but I botched that as there was one ahead and when the first split came on the climb back up towards the start finish area I didn't kill myself to stay with them as I thought I didn't need to. Of course the truth be told I'm not sure I could have gone with them if I had wanted to!
The course is a good mix of packed gravel carriage type roads and grass, fairly fast and smooth. There are two sets of barriers, one after an off-camber turn and the next at the end of a very fast section of gravel. There was one other section that I was running but some were riding it although it didn't look like either choice was faster.
I had settled into a good pace and I had started to work with another intermediate rider for about a lap. Unfortunately he was able to open a small gap on me right in front of my wife and kids and I tried but just didn't have the power to close it down. I let it get out to about ten seconds and then made another effort to catch but it just wasn't in the cards. I did feel I scored a small victory this week as my dismounts and remounts were much cleaner as I had worked hard on those this week, still far from perfect but at least I feel like I'm not losing ground in that area.
We raced a total of eight laps, I ended up finishing third in the intermediates and felt pretty happy with that result. I know this week I've got some more cornering work to do on off camber turns and holding my line in rutted turns. I actually built a short course at my house to practice on- hopefully that pays off!
Until next week- ride fast and be safe,
Sven
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