The team met at noon on Friday (I got there at 1:30pm) and we worked our butts off until 7pm. I was hoping somewhere in the afternoon I could get in some laps and openers, but that did not happen as there was simply no time. Great group of teammates for the day go great and the course/venue really came together. Finished up the evening with us all chowing down at Free State Brewery while swapping war stories. A teammate who lives in Lawrence put Dale and I up for the weekend (which was awesome) in his Air Stream. That thing was super comfy.
Slept hard and early Saturday we were back at the venue putting the finishing touches on everything. On a side note: it was pretty chilly Saturday morning at 37 degrees at 7am. Got in a whopping 30 minutes of warm up before the masters race at 11am and felt not fresh at all. Smallish sized group, but a couple of fast guys present. Got a good start and first couple laps as a teammate and I cruised the course. Legs opened up with 3 to go (20+ minutes left) so I upped the pace and established a solid gap that lasted to the finish. Glad for the win as it was a fast non-technical course which does not suit my abilities at all (similar to Gateway of past).
 |
| 360 Racing well represented I the small field |
 |
| With a bit of a chill in the air the Giro Air Attack was the lid of choice |
  |
| Rick and Paul are some good guys with which to share a podium |
After the race there was little time to hang out as the team continued monitor/service of the course as other races went on. After a bit it was decision time (to race another or not) which didn't take too long to decide so I kitted up for a bit of a warm up before hitting the line in the Open race. 13 or 14 racers in a solid field got off to a fast start; well they did and it took a couple laps before I came around. This is a recurring theme in the '2nd races of the day' and not anything that bugs me too much as it's bonus racing. Legs started opening up and gained on more and more racers and by end I finished 7th; about where I should be with these guys. It was fun and tough, but more importantly another deposit in the race bank for later down the road.
 |
| I excel at any 'off the bike' aspects of 'cross and am looking forward to several tougher and more 'dismounted friendly' courses coming up |
 |
| One of my favorite pics |
Sunday morning came way to quickly and before you know it we were all out setting up the venue again. Did go quicker than day one, but long enough... Decided early on to help with the races early and jump in the Open later in the day. Hopped on the course for 45 minutes early before all the racing started. The day whizzed along and all of a sudden it was 2:30pm and I guess time to kit up and race in 30 minutes (motivation was not at it's highest).
Toed the line with 12 others and after a horrible start and opening laps started to come around a bit. Had made myself such a hole that progress was hardly unnoticeable. Ended up 7th and never felt like I was racing (more like trying to ride at a brisk pace). One frustrating thing was on the last lap I made contact with (what turns out to be 5th and 6th) a couple guys, but couldn't match their finishing attacks and watched them ride off.
 |
| Way behind from the whistle |
 |
| Course had a good mix of elevation changes |
After the race immediately changed up and jumped in with the other 360 crew breaking down the venue. That went way faster than anticipated and a little over an hour later I was heading home. Walked in to get hugs all around and see fresh chocolate chip cookies (Deb rocks!) and a gooseberry pie waiting (my brother does also).
So that concludes my early season objective: race was much as possible and simply get back in the flow of racing - (check) this past weekend got me 15 'cross races in six weekends. Feel pretty good about the endurance of the engine and physical strength and now looking to add some speed during October. Plenty of hard work in store!
Taking this coming weekend off from the race scene and will get back to it either at Joules Cross (another non-technical crit style course which I don't care for) in Lawrence the following weekend or head to STL for a taste of Bubba; will decide later.
No comments:
Post a Comment