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Written by Erik Osborn
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Monday, 22 September 2008 |
New England Velo-Cross Challenge
Londonderry, NH
September 20th, 2008
 So glad that ‘cross season is here again! Sucker Brook was a great first race: a bit hot & dusty for my liking, but this is New England and the sleet & snow will be here soon enough. The course was fast, with a lot of straight sections, but there were enough technical bits to keep it interesting. Bikeman had a great turnout: Al, Matt, Anders, Ryan, Herb and a few others were all out there.
The race was good shakedown for me. My bike worked great: Panaracer Cinder Cross tires running at just under 40 psi hooked up well and smoothed out the bumpy grass & gravel. 42 x 12-28 was perfect for this flat course. My technique was right on: I picked up time on the short runup, through the off-camber, and over the barriers. I think I’ve finally got sand figured out too: hit it fast, weight way back to keep the front wheel floating, and look for firmer patches to apply power.
My short-burst power was o.k., but my high-intensity aerobic needs work. I topped out way too quickly to hang with most of the field. I finished only 8 places ahead of DFL. I guess it’s to be expected since I didn’t race mtb this summer as I have in years past. Truth is I have a blast racing 'cross regardless of my placing - seems like there is always someone to battle it out with. Still I’d like to be further up in the thick of things, and I have some work to do to get there. My training for the next couple weeks will include as much high intensity as I can handle: fast paced group rides, practice races, and intervals… then a week of rest before Gloucester!
Erik
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