Plymouth CX, Course One--Cat 4 (Win!)

Result: 1st out of 77 starters

Report: I was staged in the first row, and coming off a 3rd place finish the previous Sunday in Northampton, I planned to go out with the leaders and hang on as long as I could. At the gun, the guy immediately to my left snapped his chain and started drifting into me. I had to slow to get around him and ended up about 5th coming off the pavement. The chaos at the start allowed for one guy to get an immediate gap. I settled in at the back of the chase group. About halfway through the second lap after a narrow technical section, the chase group was down to three, but the guy immediately in front of me was not going to the front to help bring back the leader, so I accelerated through the barriers and went to the front of the group.

Coming through the start/finish, I could see the lone leader, so I turned it up one notch, and only one guy came with me. After a short technical section, I came up to the wheel of the leader and encountered that dilemma you’re all familiar with: You’ve chased hard, and you have to decide whether to sit in and get a breather or attack. We were on an open gravel road, and he was going just a little too slowly, so I torched it. I could hear that one guy went with me. I didn’t glance back, I just kept riding hard.

Then, coming out of the woods onto a fast, grassy section of the course, I could not feel anyone on my wheel, and I got that feeling I’ve only felt the handful of times I’ve had the chance to win an endurance race. For some reason, despite what just felt like a 100% effort, I was able to turn it up again, and the next lap or so was smooth and painless—the best I’ve ever ridden on a cross bike. I had two friends on the course who were giving me time gaps: 18…20…22…and finally 30 seconds. At that point, my riding was no longer smooth or painless. I was trying to hold on, knowing that if they came back to me, I would be done. Careful to stay upright, I gingerly picked my way through the technical sections and then gave everything I could muster when it opened up. On the climb up to the start/finish, I could not hear anyone behind me. I glanced back quickly and saw no one, but I still kept the pressure on through the line. My first win on a cross bike.