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Providence Cyclocross Festival |
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Written by Alexis Arapoff
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Tuesday, 13 October 2009 |
Providence Cyclocross Festival Day 1
Verge New England Cyclocross Championship Series
1/2/3 Master's 35+
Providence, RI
October 10th, 2009
The Verge series made it latest stop at Roger Williams Park in Providence RI. Along with the usual large turnout of racers and spectators the Interbike Outdoor Demo East show was in town to make the venue a true carnival atmosphere. The course was a repeat from 2005 & 2006 nationals. Having never raced in Providence it was all new to me. Reports of a “fun” course did not disappoint. Lots of ups and downs, well layed out turns and 4 dismounts gave the course great variety. Rain from the previous night made for some slick spots but no real mud to speak of.
Lining up for the 123 Masters race can be a bit intimidating. My goals for the season thus far have been don’t get lapped and try and beat some people. After call ups were done I was in the 4th row and perfectly content with my position. The whistle blows, up the pavement and into the 1st few turns. I move up a few positions here and there and am feeling pretty good. I’m Riding along in the middle of the pack and the next thing I know I’m on the ground. Somehow I didn’t get run over and I didn’t take anyone else down. I jump up unscathed but my bike didn’t fare as well. My rear derailleur was pushed into my rear wheel. I managed to get it un-stuck but the derailleur and hanger were pretty well bent. Upon further inspection I realized that I only had 2 working gears, oh well I may as well get back on and keep racing. Spotting the entire field a few minutes wasn’t really my strategy for the race but I’m not exactly in the points to begin with. Within a lap I managed to reel in a few people and then a few more. By the last 2 laps I was at least in a group (albeit small). My lack of gearing wasn’t optimal but at least it kept me from worrying about shifting. On the last lap I was vying for the coveted 50th position and came into the final turn onto the paved section pretty hot and rolled my rear tubular. Ugh. At least I didn’t crash. The sound of aluminum on pavement was enough to get the attention of some of the Cat 3 field that was staged nearby. I started wrestling with the tire trying to roll it back on the rim and I heard the shouts of RUN RUN! So I shouldered the bike and ran to the finish. All in all a tough way to start and finish a race but in the end I managed to come in 53rd out of 71 starters.
Alexis
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