The Element of Luck

Saturday's ride at the state championship left me pondering the element of luck in 'cross racing. I had a decent start and was in the second group after the first lap, feeling good. On the second or third lap, though, I flatted and ended up having to soft pedal a very long stretch, losing at six or seven places prior to even reaching the pit and changing wheels. While obviously not in the running for a good result, I charged hard out of the pit thinking with some hard riding I could at least avoid finishing DFL.

While bemoaning my luck at the end of the race, truth be told I've been extremely lucky in avoiding mechanicals while racing. I can count on one hand how many times I've flatted in races over the last 5 or 6 cross seasons, which is very fortunate (that or I run my tires at too high a pressure).

While luck can play into results, though, there are bigger factors. The first is riding smart. I should have realized my tire was going flat when instead of railing turns as in warm up and the first few laps, I was blowing my lines, and that perception my brakes were dragging should have told me I had tire problems. By the time I had figured out my tire was going flat, I had passed the pit and had a long slow ride ahead before my next chance to change wheels.

After leaving the pit, I was riding too aggressively, and somehow ended up stacking it pretty good going over a log. I'm not sure if I was on the bike or on foot, but somehow I went down hard giving myself a little whiplash in the process (I think it was a mild version of the "scorpion". Anyway, I was lying on the ground and someone was yelling "you're ok," so I jumped up and kept riding. Savvier riding could have prevented all of this.

Ultimately, though, the biggest influencing factor in a good finish in a cross race is being a strong rider. The top four guys on the day are all incredibly strong riders who race a lot and have paid their dues several times over. The fact the strongest, hardest working riders end up doing well in the sport is one part of it's appeal.

So really I have no complaints - I learned a couple things, rode as hard as I could, and kept fighting to the end. Considering the big picture, having the resources, health, and opportunity to race makes me very lucky indeed.

101 Uses

With apologies to Sager for ripping off a great idea and not doing it nearly as well...

I've acquired a pair of highly coveted Church of the Big Ring socks, and in addition to the extra 20 watts they'll add to my ride (if that's per leg hello podium), they have numerous other uses as well.

Like nurturing babies...

Throwing down...

Staying hydrated...

Rallying through the hood...

Getting ready for Fox's cash handout during the race (but not with real money)...

Surfing the web...

What's He Thinking?

The boy spends a lot of time...

... staring at the ceiling.

What do suppose he's thinking about?

Innovator's Hall of Fame

I'd like to take this opportunity to salute the person who invented Foie Gras. Not content to eat the liver of a naturally lean goose or duck, this person was inspired enough to force feed the animal to produce the right culinary qualities, i.e. fatty liver. Now that's thinking outside the box.

My one experience eating said delight was on the flight out of a third world country. Air France puts on quite the spread in business class, and it was a meal I savored to say the least.

Bon Appetit!

On a Roll

I've been on a roll the last week. First, I survived the first round of layoffs at the company. A lot of good folks lost their jobs (roughly 3% of the employees). Unfortunately another round of layoffs is slated for Q1 2009.

Next, I did a solid job in my MSE Portfolio presentation 1. There are 3 presentations associated with the portfolio at certain points in the software development life cycle. Getting through number 1 is a significant milestone, as now I've established some momentum and have a shot at finishing. The MSE Portfolio is the only thing standing between me and my degree.

Finally, to cap off the week, a very solid ride in the local cross series - 2nd place in the 45+ open race. The race was intense - rode with the leaders at the start, saw #1 and #2 get a gap when someone blocked the rest of the field with a crash. I went back and forth with #3 for a long time, and eventually we reeled in #2. Just as we caught him I had a lapper get stuck between me and #2 and #3 on the single track - the lapper ended up not being able to ride a section and I was force to dismount and run. As luck would have it the other guys were stuck behind someone, so I ran behind them for a while until I could remount. Winded from the run, they opened a gap, but after #3 crashed hard I got on the wheel of #2 and got my wind. I sat on his wheel for half of the last lap - he made a hard move with a half lap to go, and I chased steady but not hard as I knew I would catch him on the sharp turn in front of the run up. I caught him, passed him on foot, remounted and was in front going into the single track. I road smooth on the technical sections, punched it hard in the open, and opened a 15 second gap by the finish.

Cross Season 2008

So far it's been a great cyclocross season -- I'm riding with an awesome team, and the season has included some new race venues, and some creative new takes on some older venues.

Last weekend was a double header, with the first race of the weekend at Rocky Mountain Raceway. I was loathe to come out and do it, as the old course had a ton of pavement, which for me usually means getting spanked by the roadies.

This year, however, was completely different. The first thing I noticed pulling in to the parking lot were the rocks.

They were large, layered deep, and there were a lot of them...

Riding through the gravel was an exercise suitable for a Zen monk, as you had to let go of any expectations of what the bike would do, relax, and turn the pedals over. Luckly, the reward of suffering the rocks was going through the moto course, complete with bermed turns, whoop-dee-dos, and an over-under section. 

While initially terrifying at speed in traffic, it turned out to be one of the funnest race courses we've done. I ended up taking 5th place in the race.

The next day was at Wheeler farm, which typically features longs laps, broken up with some hairpin turns, single track sections, some short steep climbs, and the closest thing we have to a run up in Utah. I usually have a decent ride at wheeler, and given I often have a strong day the second day in a double weekend, I was hoping for a good ride. I was not disappointed, getting third place in the race, which is my first podium finish ever in the series -- I'd retire at this point if it wasn't so damn fun win or lose.

The team I am riding with (RMCC/Cyclesmith) currently leads the series team points. I've had several top 5 finishes this year, but the team has been riding so strong that it's a stretch to be one of the top 7 guys contributing points to the cause. All in all a good problem to have.