Plymouth South Cyclocross 11/11

Pro 1,2,3
9th/20?

I zipped down to the Cape Saturday after Drake’s first hockey game and classes. I stayed over at my mom’s and polished off one of her infamous lists Sunday morning. Then it was a short drive to Plymouth South high school, site of today’s event, a new one on the calendar. There was quite a nip in the air, but it was sunny so it felt OK. As this was a local event, the Elite field was predictably small and there were some familiar faces at the start line like pro roadie Mark McCormack, fellow Elite masters Johnny Bold, Kevin Hines, Colman O’Connor, and mtb single-speeder Thom Parsons. I anticipated the race to be a fun, hard event given the cast of characters.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of today’s race was the spectators. KHS alums Joey K, Verissa, and the Moff were all in attendance in addition to my dad and Katherine. I actually had a small fan base who didn’t have to cheer for me just because they’re related to me, although my dad and Katherine did! I chatted with the KHS trio as I was warming up. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, this may have been when the pressure to perform well took root.
Here's a LINK to the course.
I took a couple of laps on the course after the Elite women finished. I wasn’t immediately sure how the track did or didn’t suit me. It began on pavement to spread things out, took a few turns, then narrowed to singletrack through some woods. There was a quick pitch up after a loose left-hander that demanded preparation by shifting well in advance. Then we crossed a road to an open field where we were sent up a small hill that had a 45 degree turn right at the top, then down and around a baseball field, half of which was into the wind, then into a nice singletrack descent which naturally led to a climb which also needed to be planned for by shifting to the right gear in advance. The final stretch had us back into an open field followed by 2 sand pits with barriers in between. I was unable to ride either pit during my warmup, but figured at race-pace they’d be rideable.
I lined up on the back row with Thom and a Bikereg guy whom I’ve raced with before. The start was uneventful and I thought I was in decent position heading into the technical stuff. Got passed by a few on a turn which surprised me, I guess I didn’t have a good line. We get to the road crossing and suddenly I’m down! I must have either leaned in and tried to turn on the road or stood up to accelerate and lifted up the front end. Either way, my wheels washed out from under me and my ankle, thigh, and elbow all kissed pavement in that order resulting in some superficial scrapes on bike and body. I was in such shock! I quickly righted myself and sprinted to catch back on. All but Thom and Bikereg were now pulling away from me. I pinned it to the summit of the climb on the back side when fate knocked me down again! I believe I caught my handlebar on a little pine tree right at the top and it hooked me resulting in a fairly harmless lay down. Thom and Bikereg had to take evasive action and did some bushwacking of their own to get down the hill unscathed. I felt like a total dip for making them lose touch with the group. What was the deal with me!? I think I know, anytime I race Elite, I feel pressured to do too much too early. I was racing over my concentration level. Plus, I had all those fans there, I didn’t want to disappoint! Well, if they wanted to see me DFL, I gave them their money’s worth! So there I was, last watching the line of riders get thin and small as they cruised into the distance. Last time my dad watched me race, I was DFL thanks to a flat. Now I had only myself to blame, so I set out to try and salvage the day. Thankfully, I had no further bufonic incidents. I just set my sights on any rider ahead of me and worked on reeling them in. I quickly reeled in Bikereg, he later DNF’d. Then it was Patrick Goguen I think, he DNF’d. then it was Thom. He was a tough nut to crack as he had a proper gearing for the straights and killed it every time. unfortunately, I think the long climb actually killed him and that’s where I passed. Its hard to remember if I nipped any others in the long, middle stretch of the race. The funny thing is, apparently folks were DNFing anytime Thom and I passed them, what are chop liver?! With a couple to go, I heard 2 things from the announcer that motivated me to dig deep to finish up: 1. Mark McCormack was closing in on me and I did NOT want to get lapped and 2. The rider ahead of me was in 8th place, the final $ spot. So I found another can of whoop-ass deep inside and I set out for the CCB rider ahead of me which in turn should keep me ahead of McCormack. It all played out. I passed the finish line with Mark still a minute or so behind and I sensed I gained a lot of space on the CCB rider. See, I had been trying to be a tough guy and ride both sandpits I mentioned. The first one was tricky as it was just after a turn, so momentum was minimal, plus the entrance had evolved into a hole where more speed was scrubbed off. I finally just ran it like I’m sure everyone else was doing. I came to this realization after my right calf locked up in a cramp when I straddled my bike when I came to a dead stop mid-sand pit. The 2nd pit was no sweat as I found a nice line on the outside and could power through all day. I officially reeled in the CCb guy on the final lap at the top of the little hill which was just what I hoped would happen so I could sit on his wheel in the wind. About mid-way through the field I made my move and passed him so as to be ahead in the singletrack. It worked like a charm. He either gave up or had an issue as he was not in sight as I snuck a look back before the final journey through the sandpits.
I crossed the line out of the money officially in 8th, but still on the lead lap and with some dignity restored for just finishing. It was great to have people there, I just wish I could have given a better showing. Katherine kept me going with her cheers twice a lap. I think Joe, Gerry, and Verissa were a little unsure of whether to cheer or not because I was so far back, but knowing they were there made me work harder than I perhaps would have.
Next up is Round 5 of the NECCS @ Sterling, MA on 11/24. This looks to be my last race of the year.