Saturday #1:
That was the question on my mind after the first round of the MSG series at Winged Deer Park. Dwayne and Eric did a really nice job for the opener this Saturday. The course was laid out with several switchbacks that Dwayne has become infamous for. It was tough. The classes were stacked deep with heavy hitters also.
I did not eat very well the night before either. I know better but I was at a cookout with Angie's company and it was hamburgers and hot dogs the normal cookout food. I'm through with burgers now, it really makes a HUGE difference what you eat before competing. Anyhow, my first race was to be the CX4, but during sign up it was being filled with an enormous amount of sandbaggers. I thought what the hay........ your going to get your buttocks handed to ya in that class why not just do masters and get the same result with 15 more minutes of abuse. So I did! That burger did me in, after two laps (yes only 2 laps) I was suffering and suffering bad. My legs and lungs had nothing.....nothing I say! I got lapped, felt down and just hung in to finish. I started to quit but QUICKLY talked myself out of that stupid notion. I just waited for that fast couple of guys to get me again. I felt horrible after that race, pure yuck.
Second class SS. I was worried that since I did not have anything in me that my 18 gear would make things worse and only amplify my problems of the day. I quickly changed to a 19. I will admit going uphill was a breeze but trying to spin 100 rpm down the flat parts sucked royally. I'm not a spinner I do best torquing bigger gears. I chased Larry Bishop around most of the time. He bogged in the sand pit one lap, I was following his line (not good) and I steered to miss him, bogged in the sand myself and over the bars I went. Sand sucks too, gets everywhere you don't want it. We had a good laugh and raced on. I just managed to finish. That did not sit well with me either. Austin managed to get a fifth. I don't know how well he handled the course because we race in the same moto so to speak. Our classes are combined. I do know that he was in third and took a nasty spill in the barriers that dropped him to fifth he told me later.
Sunday #2:
Dwayne had changed the course adding two more sand pits and some more switchbacks. I ate better Saturday night and had PLENTY of chocolate milk ( my fave recovery tool). Had a nice sensible breakfast also. I warmed up and ate a couple of gels before the start. I dropped off my water bottle to a buddy of mine and started over to the start and dang they took off. Guess I was a tad late huh? I came around the paved loop and up through the starting line with a nice rolling start. By this time they were at the top of the hill on the grass. I caught the ladies and rode with them 'til just before the barriers. I got to get through and motivate if I'm salvaging anything today. I wasted no time moving through them and started picking off the 4's in the rear. I started breathing really hard so I eased up. No need to pop on the first lap. I got a few more positions before the end of the race. I tried something that most were not doing and using up alot of their energy. At the second sand trap I was dismounting and running my bike through both of them. I was faster than anyone I was near at the time in that section too. One fellow racer gave me a compliment during the race for my effort...lol. I finished a measly 18th in CX4 today even with all the sandbaggers. I think that's the class I'm staying in for the series also, but I have missed one, not good.
SS, well there are alot of fast dudes in this class now so I just decided to have fun in this class. I started and hung back with Austin and keep him motivated throughout the race. That only worked for one lap. I think he got upset with me for all the "pushing" so I took off to get some cardio in before the last three laps for us was over. When I left him he was in third but he ended up 5th by the end. I heckled Jesse to do another lap with me and he did, he's a pretty cool kid. I stayed on his wheel down the flat pavement part so he would break the crazy wind we had all weekend. I didn't finish last today but I had fun. I thought I would be doing alot better than I am. I started riding in grass a month before the series to get some conditioning in to help. I'm so much in worse shape than I was last year and it sucks. I'm just going to ride it out and try to come back next year stronger. I get to race 45+ masters next season ... nice! The next race is the Spooky version where you can ride in a costume and get an extra 25 points. Its at Steele Creek, I like it there alot more than WD for CX. The Masi CXR is rocking too. I got her dialed in and I'm really liking the bike. The redline 29er? ..... the steel is soaking up all them bumps! Angie took some pics and I will try to get them on here later. Next race.......Nov.1st Bristol
Later G.............................................................................
That was the question on my mind after the first round of the MSG series at Winged Deer Park. Dwayne and Eric did a really nice job for the opener this Saturday. The course was laid out with several switchbacks that Dwayne has become infamous for. It was tough. The classes were stacked deep with heavy hitters also.
I did not eat very well the night before either. I know better but I was at a cookout with Angie's company and it was hamburgers and hot dogs the normal cookout food. I'm through with burgers now, it really makes a HUGE difference what you eat before competing. Anyhow, my first race was to be the CX4, but during sign up it was being filled with an enormous amount of sandbaggers. I thought what the hay........ your going to get your buttocks handed to ya in that class why not just do masters and get the same result with 15 more minutes of abuse. So I did! That burger did me in, after two laps (yes only 2 laps) I was suffering and suffering bad. My legs and lungs had nothing.....nothing I say! I got lapped, felt down and just hung in to finish. I started to quit but QUICKLY talked myself out of that stupid notion. I just waited for that fast couple of guys to get me again. I felt horrible after that race, pure yuck.
Second class SS. I was worried that since I did not have anything in me that my 18 gear would make things worse and only amplify my problems of the day. I quickly changed to a 19. I will admit going uphill was a breeze but trying to spin 100 rpm down the flat parts sucked royally. I'm not a spinner I do best torquing bigger gears. I chased Larry Bishop around most of the time. He bogged in the sand pit one lap, I was following his line (not good) and I steered to miss him, bogged in the sand myself and over the bars I went. Sand sucks too, gets everywhere you don't want it. We had a good laugh and raced on. I just managed to finish. That did not sit well with me either. Austin managed to get a fifth. I don't know how well he handled the course because we race in the same moto so to speak. Our classes are combined. I do know that he was in third and took a nasty spill in the barriers that dropped him to fifth he told me later.
Sunday #2:
Dwayne had changed the course adding two more sand pits and some more switchbacks. I ate better Saturday night and had PLENTY of chocolate milk ( my fave recovery tool). Had a nice sensible breakfast also. I warmed up and ate a couple of gels before the start. I dropped off my water bottle to a buddy of mine and started over to the start and dang they took off. Guess I was a tad late huh? I came around the paved loop and up through the starting line with a nice rolling start. By this time they were at the top of the hill on the grass. I caught the ladies and rode with them 'til just before the barriers. I got to get through and motivate if I'm salvaging anything today. I wasted no time moving through them and started picking off the 4's in the rear. I started breathing really hard so I eased up. No need to pop on the first lap. I got a few more positions before the end of the race. I tried something that most were not doing and using up alot of their energy. At the second sand trap I was dismounting and running my bike through both of them. I was faster than anyone I was near at the time in that section too. One fellow racer gave me a compliment during the race for my effort...lol. I finished a measly 18th in CX4 today even with all the sandbaggers. I think that's the class I'm staying in for the series also, but I have missed one, not good.
SS, well there are alot of fast dudes in this class now so I just decided to have fun in this class. I started and hung back with Austin and keep him motivated throughout the race. That only worked for one lap. I think he got upset with me for all the "pushing" so I took off to get some cardio in before the last three laps for us was over. When I left him he was in third but he ended up 5th by the end. I heckled Jesse to do another lap with me and he did, he's a pretty cool kid. I stayed on his wheel down the flat pavement part so he would break the crazy wind we had all weekend. I didn't finish last today but I had fun. I thought I would be doing alot better than I am. I started riding in grass a month before the series to get some conditioning in to help. I'm so much in worse shape than I was last year and it sucks. I'm just going to ride it out and try to come back next year stronger. I get to race 45+ masters next season ... nice! The next race is the Spooky version where you can ride in a costume and get an extra 25 points. Its at Steele Creek, I like it there alot more than WD for CX. The Masi CXR is rocking too. I got her dialed in and I'm really liking the bike. The redline 29er? ..... the steel is soaking up all them bumps! Angie took some pics and I will try to get them on here later. Next race.......Nov.1st Bristol
Later G.............................................................................
2 comments:
Hey Alan, great post and I agree with you. That there are a lot of Baggers in the CX4. I know of a couple who are trying to get upgraded, so some are trying to do the right thing. Unfortunately there are no manditory upgrades in the CX4's so its on a voluntary basis. Thanks for the kind words and I look forward to Steele Creek. PS: 45+ is a good group to race in.
Thanks Dwayne! Just trying to shame some dignity into a few of them...lol.
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