Since Brandon says that without pics, this bike did not exist, I am calling this my new bike day post. Scandium Brodie Romax B-Team, Ritchey wheels and carbon fork, Ultegra 10 speed, and a bunch of free Race Face parts through Mighty. As he isn't planning on racing much cross this year, Mike Sidic came through big time with a pair of old XTR pedals, a Fizik saddle, and WTB Cross Wolf tires. All that's left is to build my tubular wheel set.
Now, on to the race! I got enough shit from certain people about considering starting the season in C's. There were good arguments either way, but in the end I chose to ride B. I registered early and didn't feel bad about taking front line for the start. I got the holeshot and came out of the first lap in front. However, by half way through the second lap, two dudes had blasted off the front and were gone for good.
While the course changed from last year, it was still very fun and very technical.I was neck and neck with Neils on his single speeded BH for a couple of laps. With the BH man in front on the first of two uphill hairpins in the forest, he dumped it and I squeezed past. After that, I was basically alone for the rest of the race. I felt like whatever gear I was in, it was either too slow or I couldn't spin fast enough.
I came through the finish line at one point to see 4 laps left on the board. Fuck, had it only been that long? Three guys were within sight behind me, and I felt like I didn't have much left in the tank. However, the next time through, the board showed 1 lap to go. Sweet relief! They'd switched it from 3 to 4 instead of 2 and didn't fix it until after I'd come through.
The forest section was awesome, in my honky-tonk opinion. For the last couple of laps, a guy in an EV kit kept catching up to me at the top of the run-up into the forest, but he was nowhere to be found by the high speed exit back to the flats. On that last lap, I knew that if I made it to the top of the run-up before him I was pretty much in the clear - or so I thought.
I made it through the forest all good. My 36/12 was proving to be too short on the last couple runs of the down hill section out of the forest. That, and a chasing pack of dudes, had me deciding to shift to the 50 for the first time in the race. (Note: if you don't have much experience with front derailleurs, don't fuck with them.) After spinning out a medium gear in the 36, I went for the 50. It shifted right over the big ring. Fuck. Luckily I stopped myself and shifted back down. Right over both rings to the inside. Fuck.
Fortunately the 50 caught the chain on my next attempt and I was thundering toward the finish with only four corners and a fun technical section to go. Remember, keep the hammer down all the way until the end. And come through for third place in your first B category cyclocross race. Hell yeah!
We saw good results from our friends in C as well: Haley took 2nd woman in her first race; Meat took 5th; Atkinstall 9th; Barber 12th. In the A/Masters race, Berry got a flat and Beckstead had a bio-mechanical. There were other Mighties racing but I can't remember how they did. In any case I think everyone had a good time, including a crew of hecklers. The next couple of races are out of town, either on the Island or in Washington. Hoping to make it out for those.
