Unlike the Cross Crusade races where the Clydes and Men’s C are run together, at Psycho Cross they are run separately, one 45 min race after the other. In the week leading up to the races I debated whether to just compete in one or do both races. As one who relishes a challenge, I opted for both races on both days.
The course itself was quite technical with a steep hill of about 30 feet that terminated in a series of deep puddles that had settled between grassy hummocks (a bit like Minnesota), a stretch of single-track that demanded full concentration, several shortish pavement sections for the roadies, a couple of decent run-ups and a devilish sand volleyball court.
The Saturday weather was cold (high 30s) but dry. The Men’s C on Saturday boasted a field of 7 brave souls and they let us off with the Beginners and masters 35+C’s. Following the start whistle it was business as usual for me – a slow start, then passing a few as the race went on. A bit of slip and slop here and there but no major dramas and consistent, just-below LT effort. 4th place finish. Sweet.
Then it was time to line up with the Clydes who raced with master B’s and 50+ers. I was one of just three Clydes in the race and a realistic chance of a top 3 finish :). In an otherwise uneventful race the Clydes were dispatched early on and I managed to go deep into the men’s B field, well........in any case, I passed Eric Anderson who is a pretty decent racer and one of my nemesi. The highlight was racing for a time with Paul Mautner and Ron Strasser. It was a three-way tussle with PM pulling away on the straights and RS and I catching up on the more technical sections. It was an honor to ride with those guys. Brad looked good in his Masters C35+ and SS races.
Sunday brought rain to go with the low 40s temperatures. I only had finger-less gloves for the day but was able to apply embrocation to each little finger to keep them toasty warm. Similar sized Men’s C to the previous day. The rain was light but constant and the course changed slightly to include an additional run-up to make the total 4, including a set of stairs.
By lap two I was mid-field and had put a gap of about 20 seconds on a chasing mob of four or so. This time I decided not to be timid with the downhill/puddle section and hit it pretty fast. This was fine and my cunning plan would have worked except that the extra speed kept me to the deeper right hand puddle, nay pond. By now the ponds were axle deep and getting deeper with all the traffic. Well, you can guess what happened..... The front wheel said "nooooooooo.........", took a deep sigh and stopped then as the laws of physics demand, Wombat.kept.going. I was airborne and the bike was even more airborne. At about 270 degrees around the somersault as I was parallel to the pond and face up came the vibrant and unforgettable image of bike famed against the heavens. Then in an instant I was underwater and blowing bubbles. After resurfacing, stock was taken and the bike located – several yards ahead mocking me with its dryness. The first thought was that 'wow, no-one has passed me' and I hopped back on the bike and scanned quickly for damage to the bike. Nada. I was pretty shaken and more than a bit dazed and it took the entire single-track section to get back up to speed. One ear was mud-plugged and for the next while, snotty-teary-bog juice worked its way languidly down my face. Two of the trailing mob passed me on the straight. I was never to catch them and finished 6th.
Then it was time to saddle up for the Clydes race. Just me and a 6ft 6in giant. Bit like a LOTR rotund dwarf going up against a very tall lithe Elf. My start-line appearance, which resembled a bad 50s B-grade movie monster, clearly alarmed a few of the old codgers. What I lacked in beauty I made up for in HTFU-ness and, in my mind, a couple of admiring nods were thown my way. I had the quicker start but the Elf took me halfway into lap one and looked to be pulling away. This made me mad as hell and I wasn’t going to take it anymore, and gave chase. He was passed in the next lap as he stumbled in the bog section. Next time I dared to glance Elf was way back. It stayed that way until the last half lap when he closed the gap but a clean run through the sand box gave me enough breathing space to coast across the line. Take that Elf-man!
So……… 4 races and 4 very different experiences – way cool!
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| Should I update my Tetanus immunization? (photo: B. Foster) |
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