Finally a Cyclocross Course! SCC #4 Report

Sunday was the 4th race in the Seattle Cyclocross series. It was held at Ft Steilacoom, the scene of my favorite cross race so far, the Rad Racing GP. And, finally, it was on an actual cyclocross course, not a mountain bike course with barriers. We didn't get to do the famed Knapp-time run-up that was in the Rad Racing GP, but there was a fine run-up with four barriers along it.

I had my usual poor start, but it wasn't from lack of desire to go fast - it was from lack of desire to crash. We were so packed in the third row that our bars were touching all along the row. I tried to edge forward a bit in anticipation of the start whistle, but so did everyone else, which only packed us in tighter. So, I paused a bit right at the start to let a small hole open, giving me a bit of a safety cushion to get rolling. I probably hit the dirt in around 40-50th place. OK, probably 50th.

From then on, I moved up. This was the first race this season where I felt like I was actually PART of the pack, rather than chasing it from behind. I moved from small group to small group, making progress on all the straight sections and the grassy infield. I would gain at least one place every time up the run-up.

The last two laps, I was trading with a guy from Pedal Mashers, and we knocked off a couple of other racers along the way, but were stuck together. He went hard on the last long downhill section and gapped me a bit, but I closed it on a gradual uphill that followed. I stayed on his wheel right up until when we hit the pavement and then began my sprint (hey, I didn't know what place it was for, but I was going to make sure I beat this guy). He chose that moment to look back and see if I was sprinting, which was his downfall. I nipped him at the line by perhaps 10 cm.

Some pics snapped by the wonderful cadre of photographers who show up at each event:

The screaming fast downhill
See? I really am ahead of people! I left all these guys behind.

The course was super fun with a series of off-camber turns

The stairs at "the ruins"

I had a blast. And, I got 36th place, which was pretty much mid-field. I was 45 seconds off the leader's lap times, and I suspect mine were slowly improving each lap. I'm very happy, especially given that I had no good training for two weeks and had been sick.

Hopefully this coming weekend will go as well or better!