Shedd Park CX--Cat 4 (2/94)

Result: 2nd out of 94 starters

Report: While helping to set up the course the day before the race, I had plenty of time to develop a race plan: Go out with the leaders and ride in the top five places until two laps to go. Then, either attack or force the pace on the penultimate lap before trying to win on the last lap. I had good luck, and this is pretty how much how the race played out. I rode in third or fourth for the first three laps, trying to find the best lines. I was feeling relaxed, but guys kept coming up from the chase group and trying their hand at the front. I was getting concerned that they would cause a crash or get a gap, so I attacked through the barriers and took the lead. I went hard up the first ride-up and tried to brake as little as possible through the technical sections. Through a series of 180s, I heard Dave Warner yell from the side of the course that the group of three I was in had a five-second gap on the chasers. This was the cue to turn it up again, so I drilled it over the second ride-up and through the trails on the backside of the course. I led through the bell and because the start finish was on a track, I could see that—barring accident—the winner would come from this lead group.

My plan for the last lap was to ride steadily and then attack on the second ride-up. One guy who was in the group had been running it, but he seemed the strongest on the other sections. I thought if I could lose him, then I would have a good shot at the win. Everything was going according to plan, but when I tried to attack on the ride-up, I realized that I was still in my big ring. Stupid mistake. I was still able to ride that section, but it was slow. This meant that instead of getting a gap, I got passed and had to close a gap. At this point, I thought that if I had a gap going onto the track, I could take it. I attacked on the back section of the course, gapping the other two riders, but I got tangled up with a lapped rider in the final 180s, allowing both chasers to get back to my wheel. I hit it as hard as I could on the track, taking the inside line. One guy passed me in the final 100 meters or so—the same guy I was trying to attack on the ride-up. Doh! I needed a near-perfect technical lap or better racing acumen to win. I had neither. Still learning a lot every race.