Northbrook Chicrosscup # 7

pic by Al?

Fitness=B+

Race Tactics=B

Bike Handling=B

Wow, it took a couple of races but it is all finally coming together. I had a great race on Sunday. One of my season goals was accomplished. Top 30, to score points for the series standing for a whopping 2 points.

I did not race at Northbrook last year so this was going to be a brand new race for me. I felt a little nervous about that. I also was not able to get a lap in before my race. I was able to scope out about half of the course from the sidelines. Pre-race preparation was pretty good this time around. No late night, no excessive alcohol consumption, and one ride through the sandpit before my race had me feeling pretty good.

I also managed to get in a pretty good warmup. Temps in the 60's helped me come up to the start line with a little sweat on my brow. The start was not too crazy and had some long straighter sections that helped the pack spread out without anything too crazy. My legs responded very well at the blow of the whistle. My head was cooperating too as through the initial twisty sections I was riding with riders that I have not ridden with all season, except at the start of course.

Looking around me I saw some unfamiliar wheels. These wheels belonged to riders who normally place in the 20's and as such I dont normally ride with them. Usually during the first two laps the sorting out consists of me racing all the way from the back of the pack to make up some spots. Then settling in with a group of guys I call "the regulars". And then riding with that group and making moves here and there to move up a spot or drop a rider.

Things were a little different this time. Going through the first lap and looking ahead I could see a lot fewer riders than I was used to seeing. Riding strong and a lot more aggressively I took a couple more risks. Halfway through the first lap the effort started to catch up to me and riders stronger than me started passing me. Instead of racing hard early to make up spots, I was being passed by riders that were a little stronger than me.

I settled in after the first lap behind a rider with a south chicago wheelmen jersey and had James of the Pony shop on my wheel. I was feeling really smooth through the turns. The tricky off-camber sections that ran alongside I-294 gave me some trouble in the first two laps but I eventually got the hang of them. The legs were responding well and I had my head screwed on right this time. It felt real good to not only have legs when I needed them, but also to really be racing my bike hard into the corners.

The first laps were a little choppy as I figured out what lines to take, what gear to be in and where to push it. Me and James worked together a little bit to try to move up. It didnt work fantastically but it was sure nice to take a pull and then slot in behind a wheel. Maybe we'll be doing a little bit more of that in the following races.

The sandpit was really fun. It was not as hard to ride as it was in my head. Each time I came around the house I would really psych myself up to hit it hard and smooth. And I can proudly say that I only dismounted once to get through. Working with James and with Dave right behind us gave me plenty of motivation to ride hard and smart. With about two laps to go I froze up on a little steep off-camber descent. I rode into one of the plastic stakes and broke it and the tape.

This little snafu was not enough to throw me off rhythm. I was able to quickly remount and not lose a lot of ground. With two to go it was me and James. My carrot in front, teammate Al had ridden off beyond eyesight. Dave was behind us but I could tell that he was hurting.

I decided to ride conservatively until the second half of the last lap where I would make my move to shake James off my wheel. I wanted to do something before the sandpit. Even though I had ridden through the sand ok, I didnt want to leave it to the last possible moment. Screwing up at the sand-pit would guarantee that I would not have enough room for recovery. About 3/4 of the way through the final lap we entered the flat grassy section before the off-cambers on the hill. I was going to have to rely on my bread and butter. Going hard on long,flat,non-technical, grassy sections with a slight headwind. I rode behind James to shield myself from the wind through the turns, shifted up and put down a little dig.

I looked back at James and saw no reaction. Luckily this was his second race of the day and left him with no "kick" at the end. Leaving nothing to chance the remaining part of the course had some tricky off cambers and a barrier, and oh yeah the sandpit. Lucky for me I was able to hold hard fast lines through everything and muscle my way through the last bit of sand to finish 29 out of 45.

The last part of the last lap was very hard as I was trying to leave it all out on the course. I almost succeeded at Northbrook. I am getting closer to the point where I know I can keep going as hard as possible and keep track of my matches. Goals for the remainder of the season are to keep placing in the 20's and improve of course on my placings. The people at the top of my hitlist are Zach, Al, Chris and the enigmatic Dave (who is sometimes faster than me and sometimes not). With a new course on Saturday, strong legs and a level head I am ready to finish out the season on a good note...