Airborne Cyclo-Cross Classic

I only cobbled my bike together last week with stolen and borrowed parts and wasn't til Wednesday that Ryan showed me the first thing about cyclo-cross. Add to that cold rain and slop and I was pretty disappointed when Jon showed up at Bob Evans this morning.

Rain was still coming down at the start of the race but I could tell from the warmup lap that in spite of the cold I wasn't going to need to dress very warm. This is a workout like nothing I've done before. The course was nicely laid out on a large banked field with lots of taped off turns and three sets of barriers but no run-ups. Total length was around a mile and a quarter. After the first lap the official had us clocked around 7 minutes and called out four laps to go, so we did 5 laps total. There were maybe 7 or 8 in the field with one woman and a junior.

We started the C race with Jon jumping off the front with a mtb biker and me chasing as I struggled to get clipped in. I was able to get off the front soon after that but as I went to dismount for the first set of barriers I neglected to unclip both pedals. So that was my first slide of the day. No real harm but a little lost time.

I passed Jon and caught Mr. mtb and we traded lead for a lap or so until crossing another set of barriers I dropped my chain. So mr. mtb was off the front again and we were now in our rythm where I was just pacing him a little off the back.

He was fit and skilled but I had a distinct equipment advantage on the few straight and gravel sections. I was content to get close enough to use him as a rabbit but he was on to me and worked the twisted rough sections as much as he could. It was looking promising until I did the same thing on the same barriers again and went sliding. This time I also dropped my chain and also knocked my rear wheel enough that my hack brake job was rubbing bad. So I popped the rear brake and finished the race with one brake shoe. By this time mtb was far enough off the front that I would only catch him if he went down, which he didn't. To add to my comedy of errors I lost the course briefly in one of the confusing stretches and nearly t-boned Jon.

So long and short I got second and Jon got third. Without the technical and equipment mistakes I was certainly in contention for first and it was a great learning experience and morale boost. I need to practice and get my equipment down (single chainring with guards is the way to go) It would hurt but I think I have the fitness and endurance to do a B race without embarrasment.

Watched the B's and part of the A's. Only thing of note was watching Butch try to climb with an undergeared singlespeed. That really put a hurt on him.

Nicely done race. Got a waterbottle, minitool and seatpost for second place and a $15 entry fee. I can handle that.

'Cross weather is here. Wet, chilly, and grey sets the mood. Airborne deserves a few nods, not only for getting on with a decent race, but serving a real cause. Ohio governmental changes apparently divert funds from the park services, so Airborne was donating some of the race fees to State Park causes, and also sold home-baked goods to raise more $$$.

The course was honestly not what makes an ideal 'cross challenge, but we deal with what venues are available. This would be a power rider's course. Three barrier sections (2, 4, and 3 respectively), and probably only 100 meters of pavement. One short stretch of non-technical but swervy singletrack provided a slight speed burp. There were no run-ups to send the bpm's ballistic, though. The farside of the lap switchbacked up a gentile incline, which muddied with use. Maybe 90% of the ride was on grass. Some parts felt super fast, but the mud grew sticker each lap.

I managed a clean start and hit the first stretch in the lead. Larry was immediately on my wheel, and a soon-to-be main challenger right behind on a rigid mtb. The first barriers were 2 on a straight, fast run. Larry biffed his first dismount, nearly head-butting my rear wheel, but managed to recover fantastically, and was around me in 50 meters. The mtb guy was obviously smooth enough in technique, and had also passed me after that first set. We rode tightly through the next 1/4 lap and some slippery culvert, but on the uprise section I already had started fading. I held a close gap to the next barrier set, a double set of two within a 180 degree turnaround, but could feel more space growing. This open field postion looked flat and fast, but was pretty bumpy and just sapped effort. Another few squiggles around some trees and park benches, and through another set-of-3 barriers, and one quick section of pavement. Run the perimeter of another grassy field, and a gravely run to the finish.

I gained some ground through the faster first section, but the rest of the race just ended up being a rerun of successively slower laps. Twice I passed Larry as he relaced wheels and overhauled BB's or something, but my escalated position was always short-lived.

By 1/2 way through the first lap we already had enough of a gap that it looked like a race for the top three spots, and I was quickly seeing 3rd my only option. Larry rode strong, but stopped to pet Sonny one too many times and conceeded the possible sprint finish drama. To his credit, the mtb guy rode consistantly and smoothly for a deserved win. Larry did great for a first race and a week on the technique.

Where else can one suffer to such a fun degree? Thanks to Lisa for sideline encouragement.