OVCX #1 - Fisherman's Park (aka FishStix)

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I seem to struggle with keeping race reports short, but I'll make another effort at it here...

First time gluing tubulars

Course set up on Saturday went great thanks to the guys and gals from Bikeclicks/Team Louisville and a handful of other local racers. The course was hard, hilly and dry - meaning my freshly glued Challenge Griffo's were going to get their first real test of the season.

Sunday began with rain and super slippery conditions, leaving me uncertain on tire choice. Since I was escorting the announcer for the day (she's still learning twitter), I was able to set up in a prime location near the start finish and basically relax under the canopy at my car while cheering, heckling, eating and hydrating. My mud tires were in someone else's car, so after the rain stopped, a couple hours before my race, I set out on a pre-ride on Griffos and decided they were the right rubber as long as it didn't rain in the hour before our race.

Taking the hole shot with quite a gap (Photo by Marcia Seiler)

Mitchell, Rob, and I loosely discussed a team plan and after a quick warm up on the trainer it was off to the start grid of 53 racers! I was nervous, not enough to feel sick, but definitely enough to be very focused. I got the second call up and while waiting at the line I could hear Rachel giving shout outs to those to watch. As she started in on the "hot blue kits of Bob's Red Mill" Mitchell's name was thrown out as one to watch, as expected, then she put the pressure on - revealing last year's nickname as the "Hole Shot King". It was OK though, that was part of the plan and the legs didn't disappoint!

Following Mitchell over the barriers, lap two (Photo by Paula Smith)

After the barriers, I settled in, but stayed on the front stringing out the field while making sure I didn't blow up. I could see Mitchell working through quickly and when he came to the front, he upped the pace ever so slightly. I followed and a group of about six opened a small gap. Surprisingly, the nerves were gone, legs felt good, and riding on Mitch's wheel was comfortable for a couple laps. Then, as I knew would happen, I had to let go of that group (which was down to Mitch, Erik Hamilton, and one other guy). BUT - I kept racing, keeping track of where the group in front and behind me were!

Sitting on Nevitt's wheel.

Eventually I was riding in a group with Mike McShane, Chris Nevitt, Lee Hauber, and John Francisco. We were working together fairly well (or at least as best as I knew how in a CX race - improvements to come). Then, with three to go the sun popped out and the temperature rose a few degrees, heart rate went up and I was hurtin! I reached down for a drink along the backside and a few second gap opened, I dug deep to close it, only to dig a pedal trying to pedal through a 180 and let it open right back up. At some point Luke Haley and Andy Messer came by and somewhere else Nevitt, McShane, and Hauber ended up in a pile in front of me. At one to go there was a again a few second gap and I was just able to close it going into the final punchy climb to the finish and wanted so badly to sprint, but my stomach said no way! The puke was coming and I wasn't interested in leaving it all on the line, not literally at least, so I coasted in for tenth of fifty-three.

A little anti climatic, but I learned a lot from the race - I CAN race with these guys, I need to do a better job of conserving fast twitch bursts throughout the race, I'm even more infatuated with my Stevens Team Carbon (thanks Sinclair Imports) and I must continue to get more comfortable riding on someone's wheel! This week, nutrition was dialed in a lot closer with two pieces of pizza, a serving of Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Hot Cereal with peanut butter, brown sugar, and honey, a granola bar, half a banana, a Gatorade, half a mountain dew and all the water I could stand throughout the day.

Finishing the day with cash money and a margarita with good friends!!! (Photo by Rachel Fagerberg)