SacCX Race Reports from Glen A (2021)
Sunny cool day, not much wind, and just enough moisture from dew and recent rains to make a few places slippery and keep it from being dusty. The course was twisty, a mixture of grass, dirt, and loose wood chips, had some great off-camber sections in the woods, with one run up that was rideable if you hit it just right (I never did) and one set of barriers. I felt pretty good after my podium at the previous race, but there were several people on the start line who had beaten me in previous races, including the two ahead of me at the last race. We got off to a fast start thanks to the prize for the winner of the first lap. I didn’t try to contest it and settled into third. Then there was some swapping of riders but I remained in 3rd. My chain dropped 3 times over the course of the race and left me in a battle for 3rd with 2 others. We got ourselves sorted near the end of the last lap with me in 4th and any hope I had of contesting a sprint was dashed by a lapped rider crashing in front of me 150 meters before the line. Oh well, it was great fun regardless of the outcome.
12/11 Sacramento CX race 6, Johnson Springvale Park, Rocklin, 35+B
Cool and sunny again with enough residual moisture on the ground for it to be slick and muddy in a couple places. Not much elevation on the course but plenty of turns with “speed limits” One of the strong racers in the field wasn’t there, but the rest of the regulars were. They set us up for a Lemans start with our bikes laid down on the course ahead of the start line in order of series ranking. Then we lined up on foot across the start line for the mad dash to our bikes. I’m not a fast runner, but managed to sneak into 3rd as we left the starting area. There was some position-swapping on the first lap but I stayed in 3rd as 2 racers started to pull away in the second lap. They had both beaten me in the previous race so I (accurately) deduced it unlikely I would catch them. I had a racer on my wheel to contend with though so I kept pushing. Then one of the leaders flatted and pulled out, and shortly after I pulled ahead of the racer behind me. We stayed in the same configuration for the final 3 laps and enjoyed our time on the podium.
12/12 Sacramento CX race 7, Johnson Springvale Park, Rocklin, 35+B
Rainy but not downpour, same course as yesterday but in reverse with one minor tweek. I love the classic cross conditions! There were only about ten of us there and only one racer I could identify that had beaten me recently. There were many regulars and one unknown-to-me racer. We had a traditional start, lined up shoulder to shoulder. They blew the whistle and I launched like a rocket, giving a good old “yeehaw” as I celebrated taking the hole shot. I felt surprisingly good after my efforts yesterday and kept pushing on the front. I led most of the first 2.5 laps with a couple riders with me. Then the racer who beat me in the past but flatted yesterday came by. I tried to hold the wheel but was quickly distanced. I stayed in 2nd until about 3.5 laps in when the racer behind me passed me. They didn’t get far and I got a little draft from a 45+ racer coming up from the field behind us but couldn’t quite close the gap. In the last lap I made a dig to try to get across and almost got there before the oxygen debt collectors started to arrive. I pushed on and almost crashed myself out trying my second dig across a bumpy, muddy, grassy straight. I stayed in diesel mode and just powered my way to the finish for a solid 3rd place. So much fun! And my bike was a couple pounds heavier at the finish due to the accumulated mud.
This finish pushed me up into 2nd overall in the series standings as well. Awesome. One more race and there is still the possibility for changes in the final series standings. it is highly unlikely that I would take the series crown unless the current leader doesn’t finish the race because that racer has beaten me every time we’ve lined up this season and would have to finish 9 places below me to still finish and lose the series. But the last race will be fun regardless.
Race Report from Ben
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