Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Carpentersville

So Ben said that this coming weekend is the midpoint of the cross season, this is kinda scary, but its kinda good too. Before, i go there i should start with this past weekend. this past weekend, was the chicross cup race in carpentersville. If you read 2 entries ago you already know i didnt go to any other races this weekend. so this one race, was my only cycling focus this weekend.

With my single speed races coming up (jingle cross and nationals), i have been trying my darnest to race single speed, when i can. (this coming weekend isn't one of those weekends) so single speed it was. After recounting, my front ring, i realized my front ring is smaller than i thought. so all my gearing calculations have been off buy about 3-4 inches. that is HUGE!!! basically i have been running a gear too small, and not understanding why i couldn't put power down. well i fixed that problem, and finally started running a better gear. the gear of choice this weekend was about a 61, instead of the 57 i have been running. (that is inches the tire will travel per full revolution of the pedals.)

the race itself wasn't to bad, a crash at the beginning. i was not involved, just caught behind it, sometimes that could can be worse. I didn't pass many people, but i did get a few. The single speed was a good idea, it made me push myself more than i probably would have before. the only place the single speed was a bad idea was the sandpit. I wasn't not able to down shift, so it was harder to than it would have been to get thought. out of the 4 laps we did, i was able to ride it the second lap, but it took too much out of me.

the sand pit is always where something weird happened. for the first time, all year, i got past while off the bike. on the last lap, while running thought the sand pit, i got past by someone who was also running it. I was shocked, and almost let him get away i was SOO shocked. But i hung on his wheeling, wanting revenge. I wanted to take my revenge on the run up after the barriers. As we approached the barriers i saw him look back, so i acted like i was going outside, but upon my dismount i took the inside line. I dismounted 3 steps behind him, but was half a step behind at the top of the run up. At the last second he noticed and cut me off and took the line i wanted. It was his line, he was technically ahead of me. With a straightaway, turn, and the finishing straightaway, i didn't have much time left. With no room on the first straightaway, i wanted until after the turn to start a sprint. I, on my single speed, still had enough to pass him and win the sprint for 43.

it was a fun race, and after the 40 minute race i did last weekened, a 30 minute race was nice. I can't image doing 1 hour races, maybe in 2 or 3 years. THAT bring me to this coming weekend. with plans for next year looking the way they are, i might not be able to travel a lot. so this weekend i am going louisville to race the CAT 4 GP of louisville. it should be fun.

1 comment:

b-matter said...

I love Superfans...and you are right up there with the best of them! Thanks for cheering