LARPD CX#3 - October 11, 2008

LARPD #3 10/11/08
Originally uploaded by ncnca_kc

Category: B Men

After a few weeks of traveling (and NOT riding a bike), I was feeling refreshed but also had that sinking sensation that my fitness might be non-existent. I decided to head over to Livermore for another edition of LARPD CX...luckily the temps were 30 degrees cooler than the last race I did, but the wind was whipping and the B-Men field attracted a few more riders.

I finally got around to building up my new Kona Major Jake the week before the race, and broke all the rules by racing it without more than a few miles of test-riding...amazingly there were no major mechanical failures, though the shifting was a bit finicky. The bike was noticeably lighter and stiffer than my old Kona (circa 2001), and the new Maxxis Raze clinchers felt really fast both on the grass and in the loose stuff. Shane's course was nearly identical to the 1st race of the year, very fast, with lots of zigzagging turns.

All was going according to plan until about the 3rd lap, when Mark from Vertical Pandas? (who beat me in the 1st race) clipped a PVC course marker and went down hard right in front of me...the PVC pipe flew into the air, and time seemed to slow down as it drifted just over my head like a javelin. My heart skipped a beat, but there wasn't much to do except keep pedaling. For much of the rest of the race I was riding alone, thinking perhaps I was leading (though I later learned there was a group of 3 ahead). I rode a smooth race, but perhaps not the smartest one - the last 2.5 laps two guys sat on my wheel, which was a significant advantage for them, especially in the long straight-away into the wind. I thought about letting them by to trade pulls, but I couldn't tell how strong they were, and decided to take my chances riding in the front and hoping I could wear them down. No such luck - with 1/2 a lap to go, I got passed by both, and I had no gas left for the final sprint, so I had to settle for 6th place. Amazingly, Mark was one of the guys who beat me, after recovering from his crash earlier...

This was good tune-up race for the real fireworks, which I expect will begin at the first BASP race next weekend!