Cross Crusade: Rainier. Surprises.

Well, the Legs of Awesomeness made an appearance for this race, let's see how lung they stick around.  After last week's surprise ride into 18th I earned myself a callup this week.  In the past a callup typically means I just get passed by a bunch of people, rather than vice versa and historically I just wind up mid-pack regardless.  My legs felt tired and heavy, stomach was unsettled and something was just off but whatever, I'm there, I may as well race and just see what happens.

(photo from Ryan Francesconi)

While a few of the fast guys didn't make the trip up to Rainier for this race a couple of fast Seattle dudes (Stephen Fischer and Adam McGrath) made their way down to toe the start line and with Carl Decker there it definitely wasn't going to be a slow race.  With about 200ft of elevation gain per lap (of course, all in the same section) my goal was to simply throw out a tow rope and secure a decent place before blowing all over the course.


I had a decent start and lost a few places but clawed them back in the first lap.  I kept looking around thinking "I've never been here in a race, these guys are going to drop me at any time" but I found the legs and just kept riding.  I passed a teammate who is a super strong road rider and made a mental note that he would blow by me with about three to go and put minutes into me.  I never saw him again...must have gotten a flat.

Nearing the end of the race I placed Decker about half a lap ahead of me judging by the announcer so I guessed I was close to the points.  Oh well, a couple laps to go, let's see if I can go get one more guy.

And then the junior came into my sights.  This kid is 16 years old and has been spanking me all season.  Sure, he's got some (a lot) of talent and is on a great development team but he's killing my informal rule of never getting beaten by someone younger than myself.  That changes today.  I finally managed to claw my way up to him and put in a big attack to make sure I dropped him.  Hey, he's either sandbagging and will just sit on and attack and drop me or he's actually blown and my attack will just finish him off.  Luckily, it was the latter.  I kept looking up and knew I could get one more guy but I'd have to ride everything perfectly.  He had better tires and was riding the section between Pit 1 and 2 faster than me but if I could make contact by Pit 1 I was pretty confident I could hang and then drop him on the final hill to finish.

Just after Pit 1 he led me by about 2 seconds.  We were headed into a really boggy section and I'd found a good line through there while he'd seemed to struggle every lap.  I got this, just ride it clean.  And then I didn't.  I cut a corner just a little too close trying to carry just a little extra speed into the mud and clipped a course stake.  Just like that I lost my momentum and just about any chance of catching my one last rabbit.  Oh well, get on the bike and don't get caught by the junior. I got through the last little section and sprinted up the hill for the finish.  My legs felt strangely good after such a hard race and as I crossed the finish line I thought I heard an official say "seventeenth."  Hey, if that's my place, that's good enough for me.  I knew I had a pretty solid race and I finished better than my start position so I won't complain about that.  In the points again and good enough for another callup next week.  I didn't learn my real place until a couple hours later when I check results page.

9th?!  How'd that happen?  My goal for the last 4 years of racing As was to crack the top-20 and I finally managed to do that last week.  A week later and I crack the top-10?!  I don't know if it's New Bike Syndrome, the cookies and wine diet finally kicking in or some weird cosmic alignment but I'll take it.  Heck, I was pretty psyched with a podium at a dirt crit and a 5th at a small early-season, this wasn't even on the radar for this season.

Psyched, happy and stoked but most of all surprised.  Not sure I can really improve on a result like that right now but I'm going to keep doing my best.  Let's see what next week brings us.