The Frisco Cyclocross extravaganza continued on Sunday. After a restless night in a condo up near Copper Mountain (I never sleep that well in a hotel) I awoke with legs that certainly felt the effort from Saturday. I hopped on the trainer for about 15 minutes turning the pedals very easily. Just wanted to get the blood flowing, flush out the legs and hope for the best. I have to admit, I felt better after the short ride.
We had a little family pancake breakfast and some morning cartoons before packing the car and heading to the race. Just before we left I got a text from Josh “Hand looks like a Belgian Waffle.” I was bummed and assumed he was out of the race for the day, I knew he wouldn’t be happy about it either.
I got ready to head out on the coarse for a warm-up and to check out the new route. Just before I left, Josh shows up all kitted out. He said, “I’m here, I can’t not race,” that’s one dedicated dude. After a couple of laps it was time to line up. Again I was called up and had a front row start. The whistle blew and we were away. After the performance in the lead group yesterday, I was happy to sit in a chase group. Unfortunately the lead group didn’t really come apart this time. Most of the chase group had raced the day before and didn’t have power to pull them back. After a few laps I fell out of the first chase group only to find there weren’t many people behind us, the race had really come apart. I was determined not to fade as badly as I did the day before.
In the end I had a clean race. No crashes and no big mistakes. I finished exactly the same position as I did the day before, 14th. Since my legs felt so much worse, I was happy. Josh came in 20th despite the injured hand.
I found out Monday morning that Josh had broken his hand in the fall on Saturday. He had raced a 45-minute race on Sunday with a broken pinky finger, in-the-hand bone! I know cross is hard but it must have been excruciating over that bumpy ground. That’s one tuff mofo. I think the cast is going to slow down the rest of his season. He’ll be missed.
Pics below. My wife did a great job.
Showing posts with label frisco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frisco. Show all posts
Monday, October 5, 2009
Frisco Cyclocross #1
This weekend was a cyclocross extravaganza! The last weekend of racing in the mountains, both days at Frisco. A great excuse to stay in the mountains and hang out with good friends. I brought the ladies (Kailee and Melissa) while Nate hung out with Grandma.
We were expecting cool temperatures, possible rain and snow. Instead we received a beautiful day, warm and sunny! The coarse was fantastic. Paved climb with a quick descent and some fun technical sections. The best part was I had 3 other teammates in my category. That doesn't happen very often. It's always fun to know you wont suffer alone.
I received a call up and was starting in the front row, nice when there are 60 racers. The whistle blew and we were away. A small group shot off the front and I was content to get in a chase group. After about a lap the lead group shattered and most of them starting coming back. There were a lot of mistakes and crashes out on the coarse. I kept my head in the game, focused on the next obstacle and road clean laps. A couple of laps in I felt good. Then they said "four to go" my mental clock said that seams like a lot. I kept pushing but soon felt the body start to fade. I lost about 5 places in those last four laps. Wish I could have held on but it didn't happen. I road the last lap glued to my teammates wheel. We finished 13th and 14th.
After the race I found out my teammate Josh crashed in the steep little meat grinder with a sharp right at the bottom. His hand was all swollen and his race on Sunday was in doubt. Noooo!
After the race all the families got together and Josh (despite his injured hand) made us a fantastic meal. The kids had a good time and the wives got to know each other. After we were all fat and happy it was off to rest up and repeat tomorrow. My goal for the entire afternoon was stay hydrated, keep moving so the legs don't lock up and enjoy.
We were expecting cool temperatures, possible rain and snow. Instead we received a beautiful day, warm and sunny! The coarse was fantastic. Paved climb with a quick descent and some fun technical sections. The best part was I had 3 other teammates in my category. That doesn't happen very often. It's always fun to know you wont suffer alone.
I received a call up and was starting in the front row, nice when there are 60 racers. The whistle blew and we were away. A small group shot off the front and I was content to get in a chase group. After about a lap the lead group shattered and most of them starting coming back. There were a lot of mistakes and crashes out on the coarse. I kept my head in the game, focused on the next obstacle and road clean laps. A couple of laps in I felt good. Then they said "four to go" my mental clock said that seams like a lot. I kept pushing but soon felt the body start to fade. I lost about 5 places in those last four laps. Wish I could have held on but it didn't happen. I road the last lap glued to my teammates wheel. We finished 13th and 14th.
After the race I found out my teammate Josh crashed in the steep little meat grinder with a sharp right at the bottom. His hand was all swollen and his race on Sunday was in doubt. Noooo!
After the race all the families got together and Josh (despite his injured hand) made us a fantastic meal. The kids had a good time and the wives got to know each other. After we were all fat and happy it was off to rest up and repeat tomorrow. My goal for the entire afternoon was stay hydrated, keep moving so the legs don't lock up and enjoy.
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