Sucker Brook 'Cross, Auburn, NH, Sunday, September 17, 2006, Blake Fitch
Cat 3-4 – B Race
19 Riders 30 min
5th Blake Fitch
6th Carrie Lemieux
12th Cathy Rowell
14th Teri Carilli
15th Janet Ramos
16th Judy Keeley
17th Loraine Warner
Hmmm, what do I have to report from my first cross race? CROSS IS HARD! Honestly, I donât really recall enough of the race to draft a reasonable report, since I was deprived of oxygen right from the line, so going with random flashbacksâ¦
Start- Two groups of men (30 sec gaps) went off before the women. Made sure to be at the front of the line, because everyone has said sprint for position. So I did and made it into the first corner first. Thoughts in my mind for like a sec â âCool- see yaâll lata!â Then I realized my heart rate was in no-mans-land as I headed into the maze on the grass. Then a real hot shot rider (elite mt biker as it turns out) came by me. I figured, âcool let someone else lead this thing. I donât know what the hell I am doing anyway and I have an uneasy feeling death might be just around the cornerâ. Anyway, she wasnât going all that fast and I thought, âWhat do I do, pass/recover?â Suddenly the barriers are thereâ¦cool over thoseâ¦back on the bike-motor- motor- then a little hill thing that came up awfully fast! âYikes! Blake pay more attention!â Unclipped, then I totally lost position and was suddenly in fourth-arhhhâ¦. âMan Iâm not even halfway through the first lapâ. Back on bike- motor-motor… âMust catch them! Wait, I canât breathe! Am I having fun yet?â â Then hit all that technical stuff. Little ups and downs and sort hair pin things. And just so you know, I donât own a mountain bike and all this is dirt stuff is kind new to me. I think I did alright, but that is where I really lost ground. Some of these girls really had this stuff down- very impressive. So I figured hold the position I had and make up as much ground as I could on the flats. I hit the woodsâ¦very funâ¦nice gully thing that was exciting. Then the dreaded SAND! Whatâs up with that sand business! Really, is that necessary?! I ran through the whole two pits â¦not such a hot idea on a hot morning. (After the race I went back and practiced riding though the 2nd section). After the sand was a nice section of beautiful pavement-ahhhh! Then I did it again for three more fabulously painful laps. Tried to pass some of the men at stategic moments before the sections that might slow up women behind me. Somewhere along the way another girl passed me and I just let here go. I wish Iâd focused on staying with her. Itâs funny how when someone getâs around a corner you think they are long gone, but then you catch a glimpse of them and realize that they really are not that far off and within reach. So in retrospect, I should have zeroed in on her, instead I focused on getting through this crazy style of racing with dignity. Somehow I managed to cross the line in fifth place (the entire race thought I was in fourth- bummer). I had an awesome time and am looking forward to the next torture-fest.
The End
Blake
PS Thanks to Bill (input at the start line). Janet (input on the ride up). Oscar (how to get through silly sand. Jim (helpful cheer during the race). NEBC ladies that were at the race (because they raced and are super cool!)