Manions '13 In the Books

Solid week of training after TrekCXC and before you knew it Dale and I were packing up early (5:45am to pick him up) for a trip to KC supporting Volker Bikes and their race team at Manions.  Raced there a couple years back; hillside course has you either going up or down.

 

As we pulled into KC the rain started, but held up just enough for us to set up the mini-Kuat compound.  Racing masters is nice as it's usually the first race of the day so plenty of time to get out on the course and try to dial in some things. 

 

Course had tons (and I mean tons) of turning and tight turning on top of that.  During warm up there was plenty of grass (but that changes during the course of our race and eventually way worse) to drive all sections (except for the ditch).  I did one lap on the Clement MXP before switching to the Rhino's (with PDX on my B bike) the next and that was obviously the right call.

 

Two weeks ago it was sun shade, this week legit rain and wind shelter.

Good field (maybe 18-20 guys) in the masters 40+ race.  Been a while since I had seen some of the folks and that was nice to be back in the mix.  Start was less than stellar, but fine and by 1/2 way through the first lap I had a decent little gap on the field.  By the end I think it had grown sizable and was able to take the last couple laps off the gas to try to save some for the later Open race and come away with a W.  The course was more about driving than power which at this point of the season is good for me (still building).



Photo from Micah Gordon shows a little of what the course was about

Took it easy between races with Dale catching up with a couple folks here and there before lining back up for the Open.  Good sized field for a local race (maybe 20) with some fast guys.  Thinking I was in simply for training I went to the back of the field and figured I might be able to move through a couple guys, but soon after the start and the first two corners (I ran them instead of trying to ride through muck in a pack) I found I was near top 10.  I was riding well within myself simply choosing smart lines and dismounting at sections that were simply faster on foot then trying to ride.  I continued to move though guys until I was in 5th battling with 3rd and 4th (closing on 2nd).  Half way through I swapped out to my B bike with PDX's and continued to 'hook up' pretty well.  Then with 2 to go (think we did 7 laps) it was clear my steam was fading and 3rd and 4th put good time into me.  Simply maintained good lines and by the end snagged 5th place.  Pretty decent result for me and the only way this happened was being a good 'driver' and having solid equipment as it would have been a different story if it was a power race.


I am interested listening to folks after races talking/griping about not having this or that kind of wheel/tire or 'just putting a bike together' showing disappointment in their results.  Yes, bad things happen outside of our control during 'cross season, but equipment preparation along with pre-riding to select/adjust tire choice/pressure and such is a HUGE key to racing not too far behind physical preparation (much more so than other bike racing disciplines).  I think many overlook this.


Dale rode well in both the Master 50+ and the 3's. 

Kuat NV is the only way to go with muddy bikes.  And yes, I'll keep plugging them...

OK, guess which bike stopped of for a spray down after the race?

 

Yep, it was one of those kind of 'cross races...

Packed up after the race and headed home, but not before a stop at Freebirds (fav for the burritos) and a car wash for a little bike de-mudding. 

Decided after having a solid day to forfeit driving the 2.5hrs one way for day 2 of Manions to snag some time with the family.  Early morning spent detailing the bikes/wheels while watching Worlds (great finish if you are not Spanish) and then church.  Darion and I caught a movie then I kitted up for a nice three hour cruise.  Got to the edge of town enjoying the nice weather and did a 180* back to the crew.  Changed up and then Deb, Ian, D, and I rode bikes to the local tennis courts for several games (I'm pretty sure D and I won, but that's still in question), Sonic slushes, and back home to a great game of backyard football (D and I got beat on the last series, but it was close).  By then it was bedtime for the youngsters and I ended up on the rollers for a couple hours (catching up on Breaking Bad).  Plenty of two and three day racing coming up so the 'stay at home' pick was a winner as we all had a great day.

Up next is two days of 360 Cup in Lawrence, KS.