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Minuteman Road Club Cyclocross Rac - CycleCyclocross


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wrentham, Massachusetts
United States
Minuteman Road Club
60F / 16C
Overcast
Total Time = 42m 4s
Overall Rank = 14/22
Age Group = Women cat3/4
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

I had considered going to the race by 8:30 to warm up before first race started but didn't.

About 7-9' from home arrived 9:20
Event warmup:

Warmed up with a lap after cat 4 men, noticed some nice improvements on the course from the practice races I did.

Did another lap after next race. I should have done some road riding with some higher intensity work during race before mine but chatted with folks instead.

Start position was determined by rankings via crossresults.com for pre-registered riders. I was ranked 7th of 12 preregistered..cool!

Some of the top ranked women did same day registration so had to start in back but tried to cheat and move up which is often typical and no one does anything. The guy running the start made sure they didn't cheat..sweet!

They also polled the women how long we wanted to race for 40 or 45 minutes. Fast women wanted 45 and the MOPer wanted 40.They couldn't tell which group was the majority so they had us raise hands. Sounds silly but they were listening to us and doing the best they could to be fair which rocks.
Bike
  • 42m 4s
  • 0 miles
  • 0.00 mile/hr
Comments:

Like usual I'm not aggressive enough at start and was in the back group. First 1/2 lap things settle in but I was behind someone who was very timid riding in technical places..passed her which helped me get into my pace and rhythm.

I passed folks from the 1/2 loop to 1.5 loops than pretty much stayed same place. I was making progress catching the women in front of me but she would gain time back on barriers or places we had to dismount. The barriers up hill caused me grief as it was after a long downhills with tight left turn which meant keeping my right foot down then unclipping quickly with left and dismounting. To many things to do in 5 seconds and stay on course. I did it right lap 3 and 5 I think. Most folks would run up the rest of the hill and mount. I would remount after barriers but lost time getting one foot clipped in. I'll ride with one foot not clipped in but standing to climb with neither foot clipped in seems like a recipe for disaster. Loop 4 I ran up but it spiked my HR much more plus I didn't have the same speed for the next down hill. For me it was better to remount on the up hill but need to work on this skill to help me not lose time...riding up the hill was faster as well..fumbling to remount lost the gains.

On lap 4 this rider was starting to make gains on me. Hmmm trying not to let them catch me. Certain parts of the course you can see those behind you as the course snakes around the farm field. Finally after about a lap they catch me but turns out to be a U19 guy...which made me chuckle..as he is the age of my kids.

Counting down the laps to finish...it was a hard effort after not being on my bike since the last cross race 2 weeks ago might have helped me be more rested but maybe not as on. Thing about cross is I go to my absolute limit and that always feels really really hard...so difficult to compare one race to another as it feels similar...tough.

Kevin said I looked strong and was gaining on folks. It may be my IM and tri training as I keep my lap paces pretty constant. Most folks fade. Goal is lap one hard, then steady and hard again last lap....I don't do that well. I pass folks mostly in middle..pick them off..fun to do!

What I did better at this race:
1. Riding uphills out of saddle keeping front wheel on ground
2. Dismounts on flat ground
3. Started in harder gear..maybe should try big ring
4. Passing on tough terrain
5. Finding better line when mucky
6. Handled rear tire sliding out well, no panic and good recovery
7. Technical part of course riding smoother.
8. Always a great day when you don't fall
What would you do differently?:

What I need to work on:
1. Dismounts on up hills
2. Remounts on up hills
3. Pacing better in cornering so no braking better to stop pedaling then pedal hard and brake through corner..goal to avoid brakes
4. Biggest issue I have is starting faster going for hole shot
5. Aggressive in start-comfortable being in tight group of riders

The difference between the fastest women who do loops in about 7:10 and me at about 8:20 isn't that much relatively. Consider a tri and running when some women are 25% faster than I am. The subtle differences make a huge difference in pace. We did 3 dismounts and remounts for each lap..lose 15 seconds each that is 45 seconds a lap or 5 lap course lots of time.

Interesting thing with cross is raw power doesn't always win. I find lots more technique and strategy play in as well..that is part of the appeal plus add in it is a bit dangerous...all good stuff.
Post race
Warm down:

Off my bike and laid on ground and talked with riders that finished after me. I really need to do a cool down lap or ride on the road, but Kevin always leave pretty quickly after I'm done.



What limited your ability to perform faster:

Power, age, but I had fun and that is why I do this. Honestly I don't think you can have more fun on a bike than doing cross.

I was about 30" a lap faster than most of my practice races I did which is great.

Event comments:

Fun race close to home...run by cross racers so lots of stuff is done well. It is a very bumpy course given it is farm fields..most courses are on grass so very different.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-10-26 12:00 AM
Biking
00:42:04 | 00 miles | 0.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 14/
Overall: 14/22
Performance: Good
Laps 1-3 including extra to finish 25:0 Laps 4-5 `6:57
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Course is fields, with lots of s curves, barriers, up a short steep hill, single track, then tight right corner where I get toe overlap, wooded section, back to cow fields, sharp left 110 degree turn onto rocks through fence and curing up and down the field..then fast back to start with a nice big log to get over. They had worked on course since last training race and made good improvements and safer entrance to the pasture where the guy fell and broke his hip.
Road: Rough Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Drinks:
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2008-10-27 8:34 AM

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Champion
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MA
Subject: Minuteman Road Club Cyclocross Rac


2008-10-27 5:26 PM
in reply to: #1767359

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Master
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Connecticut
Subject: RE: Minuteman Road Club Cyclocross Rac

Nice job, Kathy!

It sounds like you are really get the hang of this.  Great finish!

2008-10-27 9:58 PM
in reply to: #1767359

Uxbridge
Subject: RE: Minuteman Road Club Cyclocross Rac
GREAT JOB KATHY!!! Love the pics!
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