first "real" A race

1500 racers.  Alpenrose Dairy.  Cross Crusade #1.  Holy crap.

(photo credit:  PDX Cross)

I have to admit, I was kind of anxious heading into this race.  I know, I raced A last week but something felt different this time around.  Maybe it was the fact that I DNF'd at Barlow last year and this year due to equipment failure and that I double flatted last year at this race.  Maybe it was the 2 shots of caffeine having their own little cyclocross race through my bloodstream.  Or maybe it was the fact that I was about to get called up to the front of the A field.  Yeah, that was it.

So there I stand, Shannon Skerritt, Chris Sheppard, Damian Schmitt, Erik Tonkin, Brett Luelling, Ben Thomson and Eric Sheagley...and me, all right there.  These are the guys that get paid to go race the NACT races throughout the country and here I stand:  one year from the date of my second cyclocross race ever.  Intimidated:  check.  Anxious:  check.  Heart about to explode from caffeine:  double check.  And the race goes off.

(photo credit:  Dave Roth)
http://www.dmroth.com/

I always considered myself a fairly good starter but holy crap, these guys are on another level.  Yep, that's me on the right.  I probably should have lined up closer to the inside of the corner but hey, it's experience, right?  From here on out it's ball-to-the-wall racing.  If you're not in a technical section you're out of the saddle sprinting.  This is the type of racing I've been looking for.  In every other race I feel like I've just hung out, put on the pain face and pretended to race.  Now this is actually racing.

Nat, I'm coming for you!
(photo credit:  Dean Bailey)

To be honest, I don't remember a bunch of specifics about the race.  I rode hard.  I threw my chain 2 laps in on the stupid-bumpy downhill section and lost about 10-12 spots.  I spent the rest of the race trying to claw those spots back.  I gained a few, lost a few, lost a few more, passed some women and then this happened:

Making the transition from the warmup track to the velodrome I hit something funny, I wind up on the ground, left shifter is bent inwards and brakes are too tight.  I think I was on the group but don't remember going down... Either way, I'm right back up and bending the shifter back into place.  When I give the wheel a test spin it doesn't complete the revolution.  Then I see that more than 25% of my tire is no longer secured to the rim.  At this point I have a decision to make:  do I say screw it and race my bike or go into cross country mode and run half a mile to the pit and lose 50 places?  F*** it, this is a bike race, I'm going to race it.  In the end I survived.  I took it easy on some of the corners but if the tire was going to come off it would have done it already.  That said, I feel incredibly lucky I didn't wind up on my a** at some point because I rolled that thing off.  

awesome downhill section
(photo credit:  Christian Reed)

With a lap to go I'm sitting right behind Brendan.  He kicked the crap out of me last year at Sherwood and I told myself I'd get him at some point.  This was my time.  Stephen yells at me and I take off.  I feel like I'm on fire the last lap.  Legs are just starting to get that tingly feeling but I can hold it off for just a bit longer.  Dominate the last barrier section, make up another place on the double run-up.  Don't lose anything through the rough downhill stuff.  Getting close, one more place.  Onto the warmup track, back onto the velodrome (careful not to roll the tubular) and into the sprint.  There's a guy 40ft up the road...didn't get him.  Dang.

(photo credit:  Christian Reed)

I'd be interested to see data from that last 100 meters.  The finish line was 30(?) yards away and the guy was probably 40 ft in front of me.  When we crossed the line my front wheel was even with his rear.  I never really had a chance but the crowd loved it and it was a great way to finish the race.  

Overall, I had an awesome race.  Aside from a few small mechanical issues I can't really complain.  I dominated the s*** out of the barrier sections and held really consistent splits, didn't suck too badly on the technical sections and met my race goals:  1) don't get passed by Sue Butler, 2)  finish on the leader's lap  3)  ride hard.

(photo credit:  Dean Bailey)

Here's a look at my lap data.  Both the slow times (lap 2 and 7) are due to mechanical issues:

7:21, 14:52 (missed the button one lap), 7:30, 7:24, 7:18, 7:43, 7:30, 7:29, 3:34 (last half-lap into the velodrome).  That said, eventual race winner Chris Sheppard was hitting 6:30 laps so I've got a ways to go.  

Lastly, teammate Stephan made it into Velonews!!  Maybe not quite how he wanted but hey, we take what we can get!

I almost forgot.  I want to send out a HUGE thank you to everyone how came out and cheered for me.  All of Team Oregon (Stephan, Jim, Doobie, Shawn, Emiliano, Eli, Alex, whoever else I'm forgetting), Stephen, Aaron, Cearra, Caitlin, Joseph and everyone else I'm forgetting.  It seemed like wherever I was on the course someone was yelling for me.  It was awesome!  Thank you all so much!