Starcrossed and Rad Racing GP - Twice the Fun!

Before I had done a single cross race this season I signed up for this double race weekend. The two events are the "biggest" cyclocross races in the Seattle area for the season, and I didn't know any better how hard two cross races would be, much less even a single race!

Starcrossed 2008 - Saturday
Saturday was Starcrossed. The Cat 3's raced at 6 PM, which means we still have some daylight, versus the elite women's and men's events that followed. Bree and Emy dropped me off at 3 PM, so I could get in a couple of warm up laps on the course the see what it was like. It was not raining at this point, and was only slightly muddy - mostly just wet grass. This would change over the course of the warm up... I was running my Racing Ralph tires, and dropped them down to a very squishy 36 psi. I didn't bother to put spare wheels in the pit, since I figured a flat was both unlikely, and might actually be welcome.

I had registered first for the field, and so my "random" number worked out to bib #200, which meant a front row call-up. If I were a much better cross rider, I would have been super stoked at the chance for the "hole shot" (being the first rider off the start as we enter the dirt section), but I was mostly trying to figure out how I could go fast, but still not become a bottleneck. Oh, and it was raining, everyone was shivering, and teeth were chattering.

Look at me in the front row - only 81 more riders to go

I was so relieved when the gun went off. Within about 30 seconds, I was no longer aware of the cold and wet.

The mayhem at the beginning.
I am looking at a rider who just crashed, off screen to the left and trying to figure out how I can pass by.
I lost like 10 to 12 places in the next three seconds!

About halfway through the first lap, I was somewhere around the 50th position. It was not long before I was joined by my race companion for the next 45 minutes:

Sam, a.k.a. Sammy, the speedo guy and I had an ongoing battle for position the rest of the race

I maintained somewhere in the 50's-60's for the rest of the race. My only goal was to not get lapped. I figured having a goal of not crashing would prove fruitless. Amazingly, I only went down once in a downhill corner at slow speed. But, it whacked my left brake/shift lever so much that instead of pointing forward, it was pointing to the right. I had to pound it with my right fist (while riding on an off-camber mud section) to get it back to about 45 degrees from straight ahead. It stayed in this position for the rest of the race (like 30 more minutes), which made using the front brake somewhat awkward.

Here's some more shots during the race taken by Bree and other kind spectators:

Yeah, it was wet. Riders who tried to use the
track banking often slid right back down and crashed


Coming up to the log barrier run-up The rider in pink to the left is negotiating the turn where I would soon crash

The logs were kinda fun, actually

There was plenty of noise at the infield barriers

My teammate Chip is the first rider in the group of three -
he placed an awesome 7th! This was a pretty muddy turn, but I was amazed at how
well you could actually carve in the muck. I didn't get brave enough to really power
through the turns until the last lap, but now I know.

I passed my speedo friend with 1.5 laps to go, right before the barriers

Then Sam slipped on an off-camber section near corner four of the velodrome and I stomped past him. I held this positi just in front of him until about 50 meters to go when he took the last 180 degree corner much better than I did and slipped past me to beat me by 10 meters at the end. I think his cape gave him super-hero powers.

Bree and Emy found me after I hosed off my bike and myself, and got really freaking cold. They were also freezing, so I chanegd clothes and dropped them off at home to go back and watch the elite men race at 8 PM. Those guys had a torn up course, but at least it stopped raining for them. I had to extricate my contacts before I could drive back, along with a teaspoon full of sand and grit in my eyes. They were still bright red the next morning.

I managed to get 65th out of 83 starters. Thirteen riders dropped out, which actually is surprisingly low, given the conditions. One my my teammates, our president Travis, pulled his deraileur cable on the first lap, and had to chase from half a lap down after he got it repaired. He had the dubious honor of being the last recorded finisher.

After I got home, I started to wonder why I signed up to race the next day! I hoped that a night of sleep would provide some recovery. Bree and Emy were going to come along to watch, cheer, and so Emy could be in the kids cross race!

Rad Racing GP 2008 - Sunday
Amazingly, as we drove to Tacoma at 9 AM, the sky was overcast, with occasional glimpses of sun. And, when we arrived at Ft Steilacoom for the Rad Racing GP, we were all surprised to find the ground dry and the temps pleasant.

I pre-rode the course as soon as we got there, and didn't even add air to the tires, so they were probably below 36 psi. The course was super fun - fast, not super technical, with an eternal run-up (80 meters up a loose sand/rock hill), a section of stairs, and some barriers. Mostly it was wide open grass and sweping corners. On my pre-ride I realized I might actually be able to do well (for me) on this course. I pumped the tires back up to 36 psi and headed to the start line after a 20 min stint on the trainer to keep the legs fired up.

I again had an early registration position, which put me on the front, yet again. I was actually excited about it, though. Unfortunately, I didn't get my right foot in very quickly, and lost a lot of position in the starting sprint. But, for the rest of the race I was "with people" as opposed to being mostly on my own, or with one other rider.

Chip was again riding very well near the front,
but would have an untimely chain breakage on the last lap

About mid-way through the race, I started to move up from small group to small group.
Eventually I found my teammate Landon (who is much better on dirt),
and worked hard to stay nearby

With one lap to go. The rider just to my left is Andrew Yee,
one of the creators of Cyclocross Magazine,
a sponsor of the two races, and a fine magazine and online site.
Landon is just behind us in the next group, and would catch up during the lap.

I continued to push throughout the last lap, and managed a fine 33rd place out of 48. The placing wasn't spectacular, by any means, but still it was my best result in terms of how close I was to the leaders. On this kind of course, I think I am capable of a top 20 finish, with a bit more practice at the barriers and other "transitions".

Emy's First Cross Race!
Unfortunately, the kids race started 15 minutes after my race, so I saw none of it. But, right after my finish, Emy was bursting to tell me all about it. We rode the kids course for a couple of laps, while she replayed the event for me in detail.

I had told her earlier that I didn't think she would have any barriers, and that the course would be very short. Well, I was wrong on the first count - they had a barrier, and a little wrong on the second count - they had two laps of a short, twisty course in a nearby field:

The start of the 6-7 year olds.
Mostly girls.
Mostly streamers.
Mostly pink.
Emy is in the back: pink bike, streamers, black tires

Like Daddy, Emy eschewed the hole shot

On the first lap, she was mid-pack
(OK, there are a few ahead of her to the left)

Just after clearing the barrier on the first lap
One of the Rad Racing junior riders (left side, wearing red/black) was the "pacer"

You can see Emy's triumphant last lap in this video
Note the smooth dismount before the log and fast remount after
I'm such a proud Dad!

Emy smiles after winning her first cross race.
Emy wins a lot more races than I do.

We all agreed it was a great day for the family. I think even Bree was thinking cross might not be so bad after all, as long as the races are on days like Sunday.

Monday was a rest day - next race is on Sunday the 28th, the first race of the Seattle Cyclocross Series. It should be a good one for me again - flat, fast, grassy.