Well, here we are. The 2014 CX season has begun and I am again racing the best of the NW in the Elite category. Unlike the usual MFG starter at Big Finn Hill park in Juanita, we instead begin the season along the beautiful Lake Sammamish in Issaquah. A wonderful Summer spilled into the weekend with bright sunny skies and temperatures rising into the mid-high 80s - definitely feels like Summer-cross to me!
With some construction in the park, the MFG crew chose to mix things up with an entirely new course with the added twist of running the opposite direction of the past editions. This lead to an entirely new course feel, although the running along the beaches retained the leg-sapping efficiency of earlier years. Utilizing the sporadic trees, rutted and bumpy grass fields, and three stretches of sand, the course was an ideal mix of technical maneuvering, power, and running finesse.
Our Elite race began at the end of the day, ensuring that the sand was hardly ride-able and the looser off-camber sections were torn-up and rut-filled. Under the Summer heat, we lined up for the next hour of pain. I was lucky to receive a random call-up to start in the front row - a great way to start the season since it would mean less traffic in the early corners. As the whistle blew I clipped in and started to sprint down the stretch, only to have my starting foot pop loose (looks like it is time to tighten those pedal-releases)! I managed to clip in and get charging again, however I was now mixing it up at the back of the pack - so much for that call-up...
Diving into the first corners, I worked my way past some racers and tried to move to the front of the race. As we hit the first section of sand I was able to quickly navigate the winding riders and move up further. This happened again shortly after during the second sand stretch which occurred almost immediately afterward. I then powered through the winding course as it negotiated the trees and off-camber hills on the way toward the beach. Running along the 3rd section of sand was guaranteed for all racers due to the sharp hairpin entry and churned, loose sand. This section of beach was also the longest and left you drained by the end. I made up a few more spots here before we turned back into the trees and shot back toward the main part of the park. Flying out of the trees into a bumpy section of grass, we passed the pits and make a 180 to enter the double barriers before another 180. I was making up ground and could see the leaders just ahead! A few more bumpy stretches and corners lead to the pavement for a drag-race through the start/finish and begin the next lap.
Our laps were taking ~6 minutes, so we would end up completing 9 laps of the course. I managed to move up a little more over the next two laps before getting caught in complete no-man's-land and then getting caught by two racers behind me. We worked together for the next few laps, taking turns of ripping each others legs off as we raced along. This continued until lap 7 when I became unglued and began to yo-yo off the back. I managed to catch back on before lap 8 and then fall off again during the start of that lap. However, one of the riders messed up a corner and I then flew passed him. I was now chasing after the other rider (Mike Dicenso) and trying to catch his tail.
As we entered the final lap, I was feeling drained from the heat and exertion, however there were only a few minutes of pain left - leave it all on the course! I powered along the course toward the fleeting figure up the road. I managed to pass another rider who was completely burned-out along the final sand section and felt like I was making great progress. Back out into the main field and I flew into the barriers a final time. I had a mounting hiccup and ran wider than I usually did, figuring it wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, another rider had caught up to me and used the bumble as a perfect opportunity to pass. I immediately noticed the blunder and powered along to hold his wheel. With only a minute of racing left I was struggling to hold on and once we hit the pavement and he was still leading I knew I wasn't going to catch him for this race. We screamed down the pavement and finished the first CX race of the season. My official finishing placing - 9th (3 minutes behind the 2 leaders of the race) of the 22 starters. Not a terrible way to start the season since that was my overall best placement in a race last season and here I was starting there.
After some water (boy that was a hot race!) and cooling down, it was nice to chat with some of my competitors and look forward to a great season of racing. I was very happy with how my new On-One Pickenflick handled the course. The titanium frame was light for the long portaging across the sand, stiff under the continual accelerations, and comfortable over the rough and bumpy course. I guess the awesome Shimano Di2 and hydraulics couldn't have hurt the performance either!
Next weekend is the big Starcrossed race, with the Elite race beginning at 8pm! That should be fun as the night race is always a crazy affair. See you then.
