Exiting sand pit #1 - pic stolen from Rob Curtis
Check out the bitchin' wheels...
Saturday offered my kind of 'cross weather - warm, dry and sunny - so I was happy to head to Bloomingdale for only my second 'cross race of the year. Have I re-caught the bug? No, not really but it was a good workout. The course at Indian Lakes was nicely designed - a few barriers, a run-up, two sand pits, a bumpy section (didn't like that), some twisty grass stuff and a very small mud puddle that fortunately shrunk a bit before we headed out for 45min of enormous fun.
I wasn't feeling super after wrecking a few times in pre-ride/warm-up, being a little too aggressive. I have a lot of pretty bruises that still haven't surfaced completely. I'm sure they'll be rockin' by mid-week and serve as a fine reminder of why I am a 'roadie.' Because I've only done one race, I haven't accumulated enough series points for good start line position but since the field was only about 15 I was able to sneak into the front row after call-ups. This proved to be crucial as I was able to snag the hole shot before the first hairpin and managed to stay out front for the remainder of the race, adding to my lead along the way.
Bikes, post race - Mine on the Left, Wakes's on the Right. Mud. Ick.I suffered a lot the first two laps before settling in and more or less just kept on the gas the entire way. Sure, I slowed down but got smoother and was able to keep putting time on the chase enough so that I could take a mouth-to-mouth Twizzler hand-up from Scott at the exit of the second sand pit. There were a bunch of 'hecklers' on top of the hill which made for some interesting back-and-forth each time up - of course, all in good fun. From a technical aspect I didn't ride so well - my cornering was sort of sloppy early and my barrier hopping was wanting at times but on the whole it was a decent performance.
VERY COOL: Huge thanks to Rob Curtis from psimet.com for providing me with a set of 50mm carbon tubulars to race on - they're great!! Rob is a local wheelbuilder who has stepped up to support me with training and racing wheels for 2010 and the remainder of the 2009 'cross season. That, and he's a mechanic - since I am a girl with fingernails, this is a good thing. After yesterday I can say with confidence that the carbon 50 wheelset worked just as nicely as my 404s. I'm really excited about this partnership and am looking forward to representing psimet.com in 2010 - thank you, Rob!!
Wakes came out to race the 3s yesterday and ended up with a solid finish in a tough field - he headed to Iowa to race again today. Better yet - he brought post-race Oreos!! Thanks Mike! Congrats to all of the Verdigris and Pony Shop 'cross team racers who came out - they're always at the top of the results page. I'm especially appreciative of the generous prizelist offered by the South Chicago Wheelemen - I was able to actually cover my entry fee and gas expense, always a big plus. Special thanks to Scott and Roman for their quality hand-ups by the sand pit - love you! Mean it!!
I'm sore today from being bounced around so much and decided to just do the Judson ride. Wise choice - my feet are up and I'm watching the PIT/CIN game. Next week's race is in Woodstock. As of right now I am planning to do it but if the weather gets ugly, well...we'll see...
