Good news: my body did alright with three cross races in three days.
Good news: on a course that was not to my liking at all (all uphill or downhill), I had a decent result.
Bad news: I feel like my legs are not firing on all cylinders.
Bad news: I crashed a lot...
Mike, Patrick, and I traveled to Cincinnati last weekend for the Cincy3 cross races. My goal in racing the elite 35 plus was to go as hard as I possibly could until I was totally cooked, then go a little harder.
I definitely accomplished that goal and had some fun along the way.
I started at the back of the field all three days and practiced getting aggressive to move forward quickly. That backfired a little on Saturday when the rider in front of me couldn't clip in, and I ran into him, putting both feet back on the ground.
I finished 18th of 30-some on Friday on a hilly, tough course in Covington, KY that was probably the hardest I've ever done.
On Saturday, the field was stacked with some of the top masters riders in the country. I was the last rider at the start but managed to move to 30th. Great rolling course in Middleton. Some racers were saying it was too fast - the pros were doing sub-6 minute laps - but it was a hoot!
On Sunday, I raced with Mike and Patrick. It was a surprisingly muddy course in Harbin Park. Again, I was trying to ride aggressively. With a tired body, that meant I crashed big-time FOUR times! Two full-out ass over teakettle endos, and two slide-outs, one where I hit my chin on my stem so hard I couldn't feel it, and another where I hit my head and was grateful for my helmet.
Even with those crashes I still finished just a minute behind Heenan. I rode, despite the down time, pretty well around the corners and technical parts. I passed a lot of riders in the technical parts, and there weren't enough long power sections to make up more ground.
Heenan now leads the cross clash 4-2. Maybe it's 5-2. Not sure any more. I'm going to be racing 45 plus, back with the other old guys, so I may have to concede the contest. It's been fun, and seems to have motivated Mike a bit.
Off to Louisville Friday morning. Not sure how the serious working pros do this. It would have to be a hard life to work all week, then fly or drive every weekend to another cross race for not much money.
