KB CX race part 3

So after the first all the confusion I started with missing the course. I still had a little lead up the rideable slope and over to the steep stuff. But once I started running I started to get real tired and it took me a bit to recover. So once up the big climb and onto the flatter part I started to get passed by a couple guys but I just kept grinding along the ski hill over until we hit the turn around and started descending the hill. I found I cornered better than the guys who had just passed and started to gap me, so I caught back up to them going into the flats in front of the Chalet. I either stayed with the fastest guys or passed the ones who didn't do the 180's too fast.
After the muddy 180 under the melting snow slope the guy in front of me washed out on a tight corner, RIGHT in front of me, and I had a dude right on my wheel. I almost hit his bike at the seat post. But I managed to stop in time and get my front wheel over his saddle and speed off, picking up a lost position.
I then passed another dude over the barriers, Which I seem to do every race.
By this time I had settled into a groove and was just trying to catch the rider in the white jersey a few seconds ahead. He'd pull away on the climbs but I'd catch him in the tight corners. I managed to draft off him down the road most of the time. Maybe even taking the odd pull. Around this time I passed a friend in the open race. It was Dan Dakin. He was raving about how I was a Beast! And cheering me along. Just after we passed Dan we hit the 180 at the end of the road, where I set up wide on the shoulder where the grass and leaves were. Bad idea to go wide! I hit a big pothole HARD! SO hard it pushed my rear brake hood down the drop, and making my rear brake stick on enough to slow me down and lose the guy I was chasing. I managed to ride into the pit and grab my Tricross Single cross for the last 2 laps. But now I had to catch the guy in front of me, and now he had a good gap. I think after hit the turn around on the hill I dropped the hammer and caught him and another before the series of downhill 180's before the flat 180's and barriers.
Going into the 4th lap in the sea of tape by the chalet, I finally caught the early starting Master rider #67. After the barriers in the 180's I asked him if he was racing Master or Open Mens? He confirmed he was a master 35+. So I asked him why he started with the open men? He made up some dumb excuse that he didn't realize it until about 10 seconds after they started and he didn't want to mess things up and cause an accident. Then he said not to tell the officials because he would do it himself. I said "it's all good. Because I'm passed you anyways." And I proceeded to drop him in a hurry.
For the rest of the race I was battling with a Blue and a white jersey riders. I had no Idea what position I was in. We were just hammering along and passing the back markers of the Open field.
On the second last lap after the hills, coming back to the chalet I spied the Red Bull Hotties standing beside the tape. I started hooting and waving trying to get their attention because I was ready for a hand up. They weren't ready for me when I skidded to a halt right in front of them. So it took a couple of seconds to grab a can of Red Bull from their pack. But I grabbed it and put it in my jersey pocket as I had to get over the barriers before I could open it. Immediately after the barriers I opened it up and started drinking it and riding along through all the 180 turns. Dan Dakin was behind me in the maze of tape and he was amazed that I was riding along and drinking at the same time. "Your a BEAST!"he kept yelling.
It was hard to ride and drink but I managed to drink most of it between corners. I almost blew through the tape a few times because I was only braking with my rear brake. Let me tell ya haw hard it is to breath after chugging a can of Red Bull. My mouth was full of sugary spit and I was having a hard time expelling it. It would stay attached to my mouth well after I had spit it out.
Back to the racing action, It was now the last lap. I didn't hear the bell, but the other two I was with were talking as if it was and I echoed I had 54 minutes on my watch. Probably not a good idea to let them know it was that late in the race, because now the white jersey guy was dropping the hammer on me and the other dude. After the climb he managed to gap us by about 10 seconds.Around this time I was about to get passed by Nathan Chown, the leader of the Open Mens cat.
Here's me suffering and getting reeled in by Nathan. Photo courtesy of Stephen Cheung.
So I was left to duke it out with the blue jersey guy. I passed him on the hill coming down to the flat turney section. And started to put a little space between us leading up to the finish. I was going as hard as I could, sprinting along. I thought I had my position all sewn up. I hit the area by the finish line and sat up before the line when the number caller called out my number"69". But at the very last second, I got swooped and jumped at the line by #64. Damn that sucked! Probably only by 1/2 a wheel. A pretty good lesson learned though. "Never stop until well after the finish line"

The final results were posted about 10 minutes after and I found I had finished in 4th place. Man it burned me up even more that I sat up at the line.

So we hung around the chalet for a bit and I ended up getting some swag and $10 for 4th place.


It was a great race that was well organized and a really good course set up by John Rhoden. There were a couple 180's that were a little too tight. But over all a great CX course, up there with the best of them. Here's evidence of my tape stretching abilities.
Over all a great day on the CX bike. Next year I'll be back for sure.

Next blog entry will be the Short Hills Cycling Club Chili ride/ Fart fest the following day. Can you say a real suffer fest for me!