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Utah Cyclocross #4 |
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Team Bikeman -
Race Reports
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Written by Dave Leikam
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Friday, 27 October 2006 |
Utah Cyclocross Series Race #4
Rocky Mountain Raceway
Salt Lake City, UT
 For the second consecutive week we were racing at the Rocky Mountain Raceway or RMR. Last weeks course was moderately tough, but it was nothing compared to this week. The gravel factor was increased by about ten with a long stretch of sidehill going around the south side.
 There were two schools of thought on this section; first, and I think best, was the top side next to the concrete retaining wall where the speeds were higher and so was the penalty for failure and second, the lower side where the gravel was loose and a bit more sandy. A crash there meant just a small time loss as opposed to a tumble down the six foot embankment. This was followed by a fast paved section along the north side and onto the sidehill. This part required a right side dismount to the run up because of the left turn at the top. After a bit more sidehill the course dropped down to the pavement again and on to a hard right into the arena for a fast stretch on the track and into the infield, two barriers, and out again to more gravel, etc.
 I was late to the start and had to crowd in to the front of the group. Again, there were no call ups. I was fourth going into the first winding infield section and the front man took off at an amazing rate. This was the same kid who destroyed the field last week. I rode pretty well for the first few laps and moved from fourth up to second. I started to fade a little bit and the gap I had built shrunk to nothing.  On lap seven I was passed by a rider who wasn’t so good in the off camber dirt/gravel section. He took the high side and promptly slowed to a crawl. I came up on him fast and couldn’t get around, so, frustrated; I dropped to the low road and hit the sand too fast where I did a mini endo. I tried to make up the lost ground all at once and when I hit the sidehill-run up-sidehill section I came off the bike again and floundered for the fans watching the action. Didn’t want to disappoint.  I lost two places here and allowed a big gap to develop. Going into the last lap I was in fifth and rode steady all of the way around to the run up again. The right side dismount went OK and the run up went OK, but near the top there was a junior rider in the best line. I chose to go high not realizing that another rider had closed in on me. He made a good tactical move and went low to pass me and then hit the gas. I couldn’t match his pace going into the final stretch to the line.  | | Map courtesy of Utahcyclocross.com |
I gave it all I had but came up a bit short. In the end I was sixth out of a start group of 32. I can live with that, but it would sure help if I can stay on the bike or at least on my feet. If not for the superman layout handspring double twist to backside fakie late in the race, I may have held on for 2nd. Oh well, there’s always next week. The next few races are on the Wheeler Farm course which I think suits me a little bit better. The series points have not been calculated for the last few weeks as the main organizer has been away in Belgium crossing with the tough guys of Europe. I did some quick addition and I think I am still leading the series for the C’s by about 47 points. There are some results posted on the news section of Utahcyclocross.com and hopefully the results section will be updated soon along with the overall point standings.
Oh! I wanted to add a quick note about Greyhound Juice Original Formula. The temperatures were in the thirties Saturday morning, so this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. I had had a sore knee all week so I was a bit nervous about racing, but after applying the Greyhound Juice the knee felt great along with my calves and quads. Good stuff!
Thanks for reading.
Dave
Photos by: Christian Leikam
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; "Map courtesy of Utahcyclocross.com")
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