Utah Cyclocross #2 Weber County Fairgrounds Ogden, Utah October 10, 2009
We were at the same location for week two which is fine with me. This has become my favorite venue for a variety of reasons, among which are the fast paved sections and the technical infield stuff in the area where they have horse trials or whatever. This week the course was pretty much the same as last week except the direction was reversed. One of the highlights was in the barrier section that came late in the lap where there is a short, steep hill with one barrier at the top and one at the bottom.
The weather was much the same as last week with temperatures in the mid 50’s and cloudy. I was at the start when the call-ups came and I slotted in right where I wanted to be. Right off there was a 180 degree RH turn that leads to the infield and all the twisty stuff. I lined up to the far right side and when the word was given, I drilled it off the line and into the turn in third position. My plan was to stay in the front five or so and see how things unfolded. I was quickly passed by two riders who had both finished ahead of me last week. Within a few seconds I realized that I had the legs to take those spots back….and then some.
The first place rider was already a ways off the front, but second place was only about five seconds ahead. I bridged up to him and sat on his wheel for about half a lap. When I realized there was a decent gap to the riders behind, I talked 2nd place (Rob) into working with me to catch #1. We worked fairly well together and closed a 20 second gap down to ten, but no closer. As we came through to start the final lap, I was in front. At about the half-way point in the lap, I began to plan y strategy for the finish. I knew I couldn’t ride away so I decided to try my luck in a sprint. Just as I completed that thought, Rob said he would come through and pull for a bit. Great!! We rode together for a while more, but as we approached the barriers, Rob mad a small mistake in his dismount. I sprinted to the top of the hill and drilled it when I remounted. Afraid to look back, I held a steady pace around some trees and across the horse track and drilled it again. By the time I dared look back I must have been several seconds ahead and crossed the line in second only about 15 seconds off of first place.
This was my highest placing since moving into the Masters 35B group. I hope this is just the first of many successes this year. So what made the difference for me? First and foremost, I talked local fast man Ali Goulet into coaching me through the year which provided the structure and discipline I lacked on my own. Watch for him at the USGP series-he won both of the Masters35 races at the Planet Bike cup in Wisconsin a few weeks ago. Thanks Ali. Second, I bought tubular set-up that I was unable to have for week one. I glued them up myself using the instructions in the Bikeman Tech section. What a difference tubulars make! Big Al’s tech article was right on and easy to follow. Thanks Al! Maybe a tie for second place on my list is that I ate a good breakfast. I know, this is a no-brainer, but I tend to get a little too nervous to eat on race days and typically I can only choke down some coffee and a granola bar. I know I am not alone with this problem. Four waffles drenched in maple syrup is the new traditional breakfast on race days. Fourth on the list is that I didn’t crash. Maybe this one goes back to reason #2 since the Tufo Elites were so smooth, I didn’t struggle at all which led to more confidence and being relaxed and so on.
The upshot of all of this is that I have a formula that appears to work. Time will tell. I plan to do everything exactly the same way from here on. Hopefully I will be able to pull off the win soon. Next week we are at the Wasatch County fairgrounds in Heber. Special thanks to Troy Nye, Rich Caramadre and Mrs. Dave for cheering me on. It really helps!
Check out the results at utahcyclocross.com and these youtube videos of the races and so on.
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