Gopher Wheelmen Cycling Club

From: Lee Penn
Date: Nov 5, 2007 12:54 PM

Well, what a fantabulous weekend for me!
I got to race both - yes BOTH weekend races!

Ham Lake - second
Lined up with a very good start position and the desire for an
excellent start - was hit from the right by June, who was hit on her
right by a junior - ended up losing loads of time there are the start.
Had some work to do in order to regain a strong position. I thought
this was a great course, and I learned a lot navigating the soft sandy
sections and the mud pit. I don’t know if I could have beaten Emily
(c-rider 2006) if I had had a stronger start…. but I couldn’t catch
her by the end of the race. I need more single track experience so
that I can reduce lost time on hard turns on challenging terrain….
I was soooo happy to see other rodents racing well in this race (and
the next race too!).

Drome race - FIRST!

Driving up to Blaine, my friend Carl (I rode up with him) says to me,
looks like we’ll be racing about two feet above the water table…. I
pre-rode this course four times - once with my friend Carl, who’s a
pretty strong B-racer. As we were going aroudn the course - he
corrected himself, noting that we were going to be racing BELOW the
water table at times… (aka - trench of death). I got some good
advice from Sara regarding lines to take etc… There was the one
left turn//up on the switchback section that took me three tries (two
crashes) to figure out how to ride.

Lined up with a very good start position, but somehow I didn’t have
that whateveritisthatidon’thave holeshot push whatever… First lap -
I was in fifth position. Right, my work was cut out for me. I felt
strong, and by the end of lap three (I think), I was in first
position. At this point, my focus was to keep my speed up but not
make any mistakes… Ditch of death was in reasonable shape during
most of the c race - I rode it with no problems. On my second to last
lap, the guy right in front of me endo-ed, so I jumped off and ran it
in order to avoid his bike and legs…. Then, when returning along
the trench of death, I went down in a big smooshy mud puddle… Yeah
baby. At this point, I was in first position, so I jumped up quickly
and ran the bike to a reasonably solid spot before remounting - good
remount - only a small amount of time lost. Last ditch of death - I
ran it… Last trench of death - I went down again…. Finished first
for the c2s! I was soooo happy! This course was absurd! Just absurd,
which is exactly what made it so fun!

Prize highlight is my carbon fiber pen and a t-shirt that fits my
son…. He was very pleased with that t-shirt prize! It was fun to
see other rodents racing well in this race! Especially the Gaines
brothers!

Lined up for the B3 race. I was excited, but there was a lot of
standing around - my first B-race! I started getting cold, and my
muscles starting saying things like - epo epo epo (extra pale ale) -
there is epo back by carl’s (my friend with whom i came) van - epo
epo… yeah yeah - quiet down there! The men head off. I’m still
cold. The women head off - it’s like pedaling with tree trunks
instead of actual legs! Ok - note to self - spin a little after first
race prior to second race - don’t let yourself get cold. Alright -
I’ll do this lap - surely I’ll warm up and loosen up after a lap. As
I was approaching the first barrier, I heard Barb H. scream that it
was about time to me… No man - I’m still a beginner! Ran the ditch
of death… Had no problems in the trench of death aside from not
going as fast as I would have liked… totally in dfl position and
totally fine with that! Second lap - ran the ditch of death - almost
crashed in the trench of death, but prevented the crash by unclipping
and putting my foot down into the giant puddle of death - foot
immediately said - wouldn’t you rather have a beer right now? brain
said - yeah - heart said yeah - I DNF-ed after two laps. Totally
worth five bux! Went to Carl’s van, retrieved a bottle, and went to
watch people at the ditch/trench of death. I was soooooo relieved to
see other riders having trouble in those sections! I later watched
some of the A-race, and I saw similar stuff…. Like Sara, I found
this comforting.

What a grand weekend.
Currently, June is in first position for C-CRY with seven races…. I
have a shot at this if I have a good race this weekend - so… Milaca
- here I come - and YES - I will be racing the C-race (maybe the B,
too).

Thanks for reading,

Lee

From: Sara Brokaw
Date: Nov 5, 2007 10:58 AM

Opted for the double after not racing last weekend. Separate womens
starts both days…interesting to see where I am compared to the
others without having the big start.
Ham Lake

5/7 starters
After watching rodents rip it up in the C race (Derek’s return), I
lined up with a field of the usual suspects (Lindas, H-wood, B-wood,
Bella) and local road racing superstar. Went into the woods with the
group when the mudhole took out half of the field & I was suddenly in
third place! Wow! Attempted of course to capitalize on this but my
tech skilz are not quite up to par with those in this field and others
eventually passed me. Fun while it lasted! Soon I rode by local road
racing superstar (who actually was out of breath) and attempted
encouragement at chasing b-wood who was now up the road. However she
was done. LindaC was a casuality of a stick in the derailleur and so
was also behind me now. Focused on B-wood ahead who I kept in sight
for roughly half of the race, something which is a dramatic
improvement over my forays into the B races last year (where I would
see folks for a 1/2 a lap and that was it).&nb! sp; Superfun twisty
sandy course. Towards the end Rich & then Jeff I came roaring by
having good races. Moment of absentmindedness on the last lap at the
barrier on the top of the hill….almost forgot to get off the bike.
The Crit-worthy ksyriums and michelin Jets worked really well.

VeloCx

6/7 starters

Usual suspects + IScorp & Lee (for awhile). After fun in the woods
Saturday, I wasn’t really looking forward to all the grassiness
expected on the ‘drome course, but Grumpy’s did an outstanding job of
making what turned out to be the most epic/technically challenging
course yet! Kept fellow womens racers in contact and was passing guys
until midway through the race I lost it in the mud on the off-camber
section of the ditch of death. I think 5 or so guys went by me (bella
moved out of reach) & my rhythm was a bit destroyed. Part of the
problem was my tire choice of the day..muchelin Jets…since I’d
expected a dry hardpacked grassy course, not a muddy one! Other note
of interest is that I ended up running the “endo corner” on the “ditch
of death” after the second lap of the race. Not alot left by the end
of the last lap, but still a super fun experience!

Stuck the bike in the car & spectated the A race at the ditch of
death. It was reassuring to note that they had trouble with it too.

Upon getting into the car post race I was overwhelmed by the
swampiness of the bike/clothes…. For the third or fourth time this
year I had to use a hose to clean off the bike when I got home! I
think we’re having a real cx season, though I hope our courses are not
causalities of this oddly rainy year.

Thanks for reading..next up Milaca!

From: Jeff Ingham
Date: Nov 5, 2007 10:21 AM

Ham Lake….as cyclocross courses go this one is fun to ride but not
much of a “Cross” course. One long paved section then off into the
woods for the majority of the race, two single barriers. Got a crappy
start and there an immediate gap between the leading 4 to 6 riders and
me in the next group of 4. The 4 of us are trying to chase back on
pretty hard, on lap 3, I’m last in line in our group and I bite it on
one of the sandy turns. It takes me almost a whole lap to chase back
on. On the next lap I’m second in line behind a Bike Club rider and
he bites it on a turn. With nowhere to go I slam right into him.
Rich comes to a stop but manages to miss the pile on. It takes
another lap for me to regroup with Rich and Adam Birr and a Silver
Cycling Rider. We ride around like this for awhile. We are into the
lapped riders and I got caught behind Linda Copper at the mud pit.
She’s going really SLOW and a big gap forms between Rich and me and
Adam. Last lap I pull like mad on the paved section then take mucho
risks to try and catch Rich. We never make it, one more lap and we
would have caught back on. Adam out sprints me at the line. 13th
overall 10th in B1

I don’t think I had one lap that I nailed perfectly, the corners were
super sandy and loose. I’m sure there were plenty of crashes other
than my two. Seems like I’m cursed this year this was my third week
in a row when I thought I was good enough for a top 5 finish and I’ve
managed to screw it up by crashing. I did manage to add another nasty
bruise on my upper thigh, this ones about the size of a purple
baseball.

That’s the end of my cross season, I’ve got to be a hockey dad and
then I’m out of town for State’s.

Good Luck to everyone for the next month.

From: Jeff Ingham
Date: Oct 29, 2007 12:08 PM

Finally I got a good spot in the front row and got a great start
(maybe I can put a whole race together today), but missed the hole
shot, slotting in at 5th behind Paul, Guy, some other rider, and Bill.
I overshot the turn coming off the gravel road and had to really
suffer to catch back up but we’ve already got a nice gap. Thru the
switchbacks Guy and Paul are already opening a gap on the rest of us.
The gaps open a little more its 1,2 gap 3,4,5 but I just can’t hold
that #4 wheel. I’ve told myself that I can let up when blood comes
out my ears, but until then keep going. Man these top 4 guys are
screaming fast. I’m giving 100% but can’t hold that wheel.

Now I’m kind of in no mans land all by myself and in the middle of the
course the wind is a factor. I ride a couple laps all by myself and
after a lap or so have a nice rhythm going thru the turns and over the
barriers. The setup is super fun. If you take the right line you can
stay in the drops and off the brakes for all but the downhill.

I think I do about 3 laps all by myself finally with 4 to go Todd N
and some other guy bridge up to me. I’m kind of happy to follow a
wheel for awhile. Into the feed zone 3rd in line, but suddenly the
unknown guy decides he wants a drink swerves to the right, I yell, I
try to shove him, but he really must be thirsty and he takes me out,
but he gets that all important drink. I get up and get going again as
fast as I can but I’ve lost a good 150 yards to these two. At some
point Rich catches me and encourages me, we can work together. We
start moving pretty good but going around the pile of dead trees Rich
tries to follow my line and washes out right into the dead trees ouch!
I keep going now by myself again.

Get to the run-up and when I go to shoulder my bike my right knee
either hits the frame or the handlebars and there’s and exploding pain
right on my knee-cap. I somehow manage to drag my butt up the hill on
one leg but really can’t think of anything but the exploding pain in
my knee. I seriously think I’ve shattered my knee-cap at this point,
it hurts that bad. I roll around on the ground for a good minute but
the pain gets better, with the race official yelling stay down! stay
down! I get back up and jump on the bike and get going again. I pass
a couple guys, Dan Meyer, someone else don’t know who.

Finish 17th overall maybe 15th in B1

Thought for sure I’d have a top 10 or better Saturday, but all I got
was a giant lump on my knee and a bunch of new bruises!

Still had ton-O-fun

Jeff

From: Lee Penn
Date: Oct 29, 2007 10:24 AM

good morning gophers!

i was sooooo impressed by the course and the volunteers and the
costumes and the racing! what a blast! this was my first time to red
barn (like bill), and i had a great time.

for whatever reason, asthma was a huge factor for me on saturday - i
had a tough time breathing! seems as though a few others had similar
struggles.

right - i rode the course a few times prior to the C-start.
immediately, i liked the course, although there was this one little
tree that kept getting in my way on the right-turn 180…

get to the start. have a great position right near a guy i know is
great on the start - hoping to use him as my rabbit. then, cody
(junior kid - teenager with bad attitude) puts himself directly in
front of me and will not move…. he even moves his bike around and
hits my front wheel a few times. this kid has been around long enough
and raced enough that he should know better than to show up at the
last minute and push his way to the front of the line.

race starts. cody can’t clip in and is swerving all around - i have a
TERRIBLE start!!!! ugh. i think i was 8th or 9th for the women at
this point.

first lap was relatively asthma free, and i managed to stay out of the
crash right after turn one…. and avoid john redmond, who was busy
puking…. at the end of the first lap, i think i was in third or
fourth… worked my way forward - after passing june in the grass
skirt, i thought i was in the lead. then, next lap, i hear- ten
seconds lee - don’t let her get away. what???? there’s another woman
in front of me? oh crap. so, i had about two laps left - i pushed my
pace - the asthma pushed back…. i hear someone yell that i
shouldn’t worry - there is plenty of air - ha ha - very funny -
clearly there is NOT enough air - what was that guy thinking?

in the end, i finished about six seconds behind grumpy’s amy, an
ex-bike messenger who is super sweet, strong, and hilarious. if i had
a better start? if i hadn’t had asthma???? yeah - that’s bike racing!
and that’s a good question - hopefully to be determined the next time
i race with amy!

my legs felt fine after the c-race, and i almost lined up for the
b-race…. but, i was still hacking the asthma hack 5 minutes after
the finish… even after using my inhaler…. so i put on my warmer
clothes and chilled with some great chilli (thank you sara!), candy,
and jelly bellys in gw colors (thank you graines family).

very happy with my second place red barn medal - it’s the coolest of
all my medals! thank you to all the gophers who busted butt at this
race. all i did was race and pick up bits of trash as i wandered the
course…. oh yeah, and had a fabulous time!

looks like blaine is the next race for me….

thanks for reading,

lee

12th C1, 68 finishers in the C field

I was fighting off my first fall head cold all this past week, but by
Saturday, i thought i was feeling pretty good. There’s nothing quite
like a cyclocross race to test whether you’re truly over a cold, and
in my case, i wasn’t.

This was my first time at the tree farm, and i like the course a lot.
I understand that the switchback was a new feature, and i liked that
too, a lot more than the excessive IUD-like twists at Boom Island.
Overall, a good mix that demanded a good range of skills. I even like
the run-up, but that’s probably because the quasi-stair steps in the
dirt matched well with my long legs.

I got a decent start, no great holeshot or anything, but worked into
the top 15 or so by the end of the first lap. I managed to pass
another couple of riders on the second lap, but by the third it was
all i could do to hang on (in fact i lost a place in there somewhere).
The legs were fine, but the lungs were in worse shape than i knew, and
by the finish line they were hurting a lot. I’ve had a couple of races
this year when i would have been happy to tack on a couple more laps,
but this was not one of them. Given the people around me in the pack,
i’m pretty sure i would have finished 4-5 spots higher without the
lung crud.

I felt fine after a few minutes’ recovery and stayed to watch the rest
of the races, get a hot dog from Teddy Roosevelt, and help a bit with
the results. It gave me a good appreciation for the work that goes in
to cleaning up and posting CX results, it’s confusing stuff!

It was another beautiful day for ‘cross, hopefully i’m fully recovered
for the next adventure in Blaine.

Bill Connell
St. Paul, MN

From: Jeff Ingham
Date: Oct 23, 2007 10:02 AM

Here’s my take on the B race. The start was a little unorganized. As
soon as the C race ended I went for a warm-up reconissance lap and at
the top of the run-up everyone is already lineing up for the start. I
force my way somewhere into the middle, definitely not where I want to
be, now we stand around for 10 minutes waiting, its cold. Gun goes
off and I’ve got a really crappy start.

I spend lap one moving up thru the field. For some reason its easy
for me to remember passing the women Sara, Margot, Linda S, Linda C,
Kyia. Halfway thru lap 2 I bridge up to a group of about 5 with Rich
at the front and some LSC guys at the back. Just after the BMX
section I move into position right behind Rich and I’m thinking Rich
and I can lose this group and work together and do some dammage, my
legs feel super strong today.

We approach the runup and we attack it without dismounting on the
right. About half-way up Rich slows and I move to the left to pass he
suddenly looses his balance and falls into my back wheel and we both
go down. We get up and run but clearly I have a problem, my rear
wheel wont turn. At the top of the hill I start screwing with my
brake which is rubbing on my tire. I can’t fix it. It feels like I
mess with it for 10 minutes when someone from the crowed says ‘Give it
to me!’ he screws with the brake, no dice, finally he opens the quick
release, the wheels had moved in the drop-out, and I’m off again.

Judging by the results I’m now somewhere around 60th or 70th position,
my right brake hood is bent in at a crazy angle and my left brake hood
is still attached but loose so I can’t put any pressure on it, the
brake still seems to work though. With nothing to loose now I just go
full throtle as hard as I can. I start focusing on each person in
front of me. Bridge up….pass….stand and sprint….repeat….a
lot, stay in the drops. I don’t remember much but I remember passing
the women. Sara, Margot, Linda S, Linda C, Kyia (man this woman is
fast!) I remember passing Adam Birr. For about 4 laps I felt great.
I overcooked a few corners, was in the wrong gear once at the small
staircase and I’ll go on record as hating the artificial mud pit and
BMX section. The rest of the course is fantastic.

With about half a lap left I’ve made it all the way back to Rich.
Somewhere on the back before the BMX section I pass him, but now I’m
pretty much cooked. Before the run up he passes me and on the home
stretch someone else passes me.

Results 32nd overall, 21st in B1

Super fun race, but my body took a beating, both shins scraped, left
knee, right thigh, right elbow, right shoulder all battered and
bruised. Thats cross.

Bring on Red Barn!

Jeff

From: Bill Connell
Date: Oct 22, 2007 10:46 PM

14th place, 110 starters (from what i heard)

For the second week in a row, the threat of rain held off and it was
near-perfect ‘cross weather. I rode to the race, which made for a nice
warm-up and a good chance to fine-tune clothing layers for the race. I
got to the park early and from the north, so i got a nice preview of
some of the new course, including the oddball MORC-style bridges
section over some construction dirt piles. The course was a lot
different than last year, and a little disorienting at first because
parts of the course were run backwards from last year, and some turns
were hard to figure out on the first lap. Pre-riding was totally
unnecessary for the gratuitous mud section, of course, as it was
obvious that there was little strategy there other than trying to not
fall over.

Speaking of pre-riding, a registration holdup delayed the start of the
Cs by about 10 minutes, and the officials sent everyone off for a
practice lap. I, for one, was glad for the delay when i realized that
my seat post clamp had somehow popped loose. With the delayed start, i
was able to tighten it down and get back to the line in time. I hate
to think how the race would have gone otherwise.

I got a good start, again in the mid-20s or so. The pack seemed to
string out pretty quickly after the trip around the baseball diamond
and the short stair runup. The little 2×4 bunny hops were annoying; on
lap 2, a board jumped up and knocked my foot off the pedal. I liked
the run around the construction area and plywood bridges, but i like
any course that rewards my mountain bike skills.

In retrospect, i should have done some more testing to see if i could
ride the long staircase runup. In practice, it looked like everyone
was supposed to go on the left because of the way the tape ran at the
top. Later i saw people riding up the smoother right side, so i might
have been able to do that too, because i usually tend to ride those. I
did pass one guy on the runup, but only because i rode up about 15
feet up before dismounting and managed to stay ahead the rest of the
run/walk up.

By lap 4 everyone around me was so far apart that i couldn’t get
closer than 50 feet to the guy ahead of me, so no sprint finish for
me. I was happy with my finish and my effort. Unlike last weekend at
Boom Island, i don’t think i had another 2 laps in me. I should have
eaten before the race, and my right thigh started cramping up through
the last 1/2 lap. I didn’t bonk, but didn’t leave much in reserve,
which was good.

The main thing i realized in this race were the little things i’ve
learned to do to conserve momentum and energy, increase efficiency,
etc. I have reasonably good endurance, but little things like holding
a good line and staying out of the rough makes a big difference in how
much energy you can focus on going faster or holding someone off after
a pass. In short, experience is good!

Thanks to my fellow rodents and to Ron and Marty from the shop for the
cheering, and whoever it was (Ron?) who called out my position after
lap 2, very helpful!

From: Lee Penn
Date: Oct 22, 2007 10:46 AM

well, my weekend began at behind bars for an all female alleycat race.
ron - i wore my jersey, so do i get to count 1/2 the whopping $5
registration fee????

anyway, around 70 women showed up for this race. yup - you read it
right - SEVENTY women! all sorts of bikes and bike babes - all sorts
of gear and attitude.

6:45p - manifests are distributed. total of 10 stops, one of which is
to be specified on the sculpture bridge by the walker. plan plan
plan. my pen sucked, so i had trouble writing my plan down (this
caused me a big problem later in the race).

7:00p - we’re off! i was third bike to the first stop - man, some of
these bike messengers really are gutsy when it comes to stoplights!
first stop on my plan was getting a sticker at boom island - this was
everyone’s plan, so i was really glad to be third bike - no wait for
my sticker. next stop was a singing stop - had to sing lyrics handed
while being videotaped. next stop was sculpture bridge, where i
picked up a package for delivery at the triple rock (turned out to be
a quarter, which had to be used to play a song in the juke box - song
determined by the bar tender). on and on in the race - totally having
a blast. i had a great route and was riding well on my fab cx bike.
highlights were the beer stop, at which the beer had to be sampled and
identified (if you were able to drink alcohol, of course), the slam a
beverage and a bag full of crackers stop, the find an empty can in the
park in the location where loads of kids pee (i.e., the kiddie pool),
the triple rock stop, midtown global market stop (at which i had to
blow up a balloon and later deliver it to the the witches hat stop)
etc…. overall, this race was loads and loads of fun! BUT - yup -
there’s a but. i screwed up. i was at what i thought was my very
last stop…checked over my manifest…HAD MISSED ONE STOP THAT WAS
FIVE-SIX MILES AWAY!!!!! argh! had to go do that stop. rolled in
20th out of around 70 riders for what SHOULD have been an 18 mile
course but was actually around a 28 mile course for me. still, i got
some cool swag (a 0.00 and nine tenths sticker, a bikelove spoke card,
and i won blinkies (good thing, cuz i lost one during the race)).
this was my first alleycat as a single rider (i did tax man cometh
last spring with my son in his trailer), and it was up there in terms
of loads and loads and loads of fun.

saturday was just a nice day - could really feel the alleycat race -
no hard riding - just commuting etc… - in prep for powderhorn.

sunday was super duper fun - i love this cx business. it’s simply
absurd and ridiculous fun, and i feel like a big kid!

something like 90+ starters for the c race - i’m not sure how many
women, but it was in the teens, i am sure. my goal for this race - a
decent start! mission accomplished! i was pleased. i wasn’t as
aggressive as i should have been, but i get a little chicken during
this giant mass starts. i’m getting better. considering that this
was my THIRD cx race ever, i think i had a good start. right, off we
go. we were the first race after the mfd dowsed the triple barrier
section, which meant we had standing water on top of mud. i got off
my bike before the turn and ran that section with bike shouldered cuz
sara told me to shoulder my bike. i think that was good advice,
actually. there was one woman ahead of me…. i felt like i was
riding strongly, and i focused on simply not screwing up. i really
loved this course - the hills, the turns, everything. at the long
run-up, i had just passed june. we had been given the option of using
either side of the stairs (staying out of the prairie grass, which
people respected) or the stairs themselves. i saw that both sides
were full of people but the stairs were empty. june came up right on
my butt and ran into me, so i waited for her to head up the right and
then sprinted up the stairs, passing at least five people on my way
up. thought to myself - good decision lee! i’m a pretty good
runner, so i find these sections are places where i can make a move.
so, then, as far as i knew, i was leading the c2. so, i focussed on
passing a few guys (and got passed by a few others) and just pushing
myself hard. on the last lap, i ran the barriers by the plywood
section (which was fun, but i really didn’t want to screw that up by
crashing) and crashed when i set my bike down - i think my front wheel
jerked over and i kind of ran into it. i’ve got quite the nice set of
bruises and a nice scab comin’ in on my knee. well, i pick up my bike
and my handlebars are totally off center. i try to quickly straighten
then, but i can’t. so, i get onto my bike and just go - i slow down a
little cuz it feels wierd, but i do alright with it. pretty fast, i
seem almost used to it…. i get to the runnup, and i hear someone
scream - go sascha - i think, oh crap - am i gonna get passed. i
sprint up the runnup as fast as i possibly can - full on asthma-wheeze
at the top - have a good remount and finish the race for first place
in the c2 category. oh - that hurt - but it hurt so good! turns out,
i think that someone that ***I*** was sascha! oh the cruelty of it
all! almost decided to ride the b race, but beer was calling to me
(thanks for satisfying that call bill - i appreciated that beer a
great deal!).

i got a sweeet new commuter helmet and a pair of surly sox…. and
about a half dozen new and colorful bruises. totally awesome course -
totally fun day - loved watching other races…. loved seeing benita
on her bmx single speed - woman - you’re awesome!

so, now… i’m thinking of racing b at red barn… sara tells me i
should do one or two more c races… i am torn. on the one hand, i am
totally a rookie - i crashed cuz i made a rookie mistake. on the
other hand, i’ve finished second, first, and first in my three cx
races. so…. i’m torn! longer race versus riding with other
beginners… harder pace… but in the c race, i’m still racing
against a bunch of guys that are faster than me…. i’m torn! input
invited.

thanks for reading!

lee

ps - did anyone get any good photos? skinnyski doesn’t have the c race up.

From: Sara Brokaw
Date: Oct 22, 2007 9:00 AM

This years course was a bit less taxing compared to last year, which
was appreciated as last year I remember different levels of pain on
each lap! During my warmup, I think I was the first person to sample
the MFD-induced mud pit prior to the triple barrier section. Somehow
I landed on my bike (derailleur-side down) when trying to dismount.
Good thing it was relatively warm still since my backside was soaked
(and muddy)! Good news also that the XT derailleur still shifted
appropriately!

Looked like we again had good turnout in the C race with Lee, Lynne,
Chris & Mary, Bill, Gains Bros, & county cycles guys Joe & Aaron.
Rich, Jeff I & myself lined up in the Bs wondering where in the world
was MarkA, but it appears he was doing very important Red Barn course
work!

Lined up having a better start position compared to at boom (goal of
race), but waited around forever for officials to finish tabulating
the C race results (they really have a tough job). After the start I
maintained a decent position. In the first real turn, my rear end
slid 2+ft to the right (thanks no doubt to the Ritchey Speedmax
stellar stickiness in grass…, running sticky twister up front), but
stay up losing no positions. Despite a good start, I was not able to
capitalize on a good start because I lost loads of momentum through
the triple bouncing log obstacle as I decided to run this since the
logs were already sort of diagonal. I lost sight of all contendors
but one B-wood whom I kept in sight & focused on staying close to her
the rest of the race.

On the last lap, I was able to trade places with b-wood south of the
lake. She passed me back in the rhythm section (I rode, she ran), but
I kept her close & was even with her at the top of the hill. Sort of
fun having a 2-up sprint at the end of 45 min. Forced her to lead out
& jumped after the last turn, holding her off at the line!

Other notes….first time I ran the rhythm section, but decided to
ride the remaining times since the running wasn’t feeling good. Ran
the big hill each time to keep momentum. Faster to shoulder & run the
triple barrier section than suitcase the bike. Stupid mistakes of
weeks past seemed to have worked themselves out, so very satisfying
race in that respect…Shared part of my 10 block ride home with Gains
bros, at which point I noticed my legs really hurt! Yet another
superfun course/race!

Thanks for reading!

Sara