Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 1:30 AM
Subject: cx race
Long story short
In my first race of 2001 (I won't count my 60 seconds of glory at Gloucester as a race), I achieved my goal of a podium finish by taking 2nd place in the C race at the Plymouth Cyclocross on Saturday.
Short race, long story
I line up in the first row along with several other NEBC racers. The official says, "This race will start on time. Are there any questions? No? Good. Go!" And we're off.
A teammate pulls out of his clips in front of me and I lose a few places. At the end of the parking lot, I bunny hop the curb passing several people who brake and go up the curb carefully. Surprise, it looks like I'm in the top ten.
Up through a wooded section, my rear wheel skids through the leaf covered turns (Cool!), and I pass at least one rider. As we cross the baseball field I pass a couple more who are catching their breath. Here comes the first running section. Dismount and carry the bike over the two barriers, then jump back on. Whoops, the guy in front of me endoes (How'd he do that? Did he grab his front brakes by mistake?) and takes out two other guys. Then down the sandy twisty trail through the woods. No passing here, just don't let the people behind me catch up. A sharp left turn onto the narrow sidewalk up a gentle incline, then a hairpin turn on to the off-camber grass and up to THE HILL. No way I can ride up this hill, so off the bike again and run up with the bike on my shoulder. A quick remount (Yay! I didn't blow it in front of my teammates standing there cheering me on) moves me past another biker. Then across the parking lot again, waving to my devoted fans: my wife Julie (wearing two Synchillas and a NEBC windbreaker and still cold), daughter Alexa (proud owner of a new digital camera--see attached photos), son Michael (Is that medal real silver?), son Nicholas (with gloves on his ears my stuffed dog looks just like a moose), and ChiChi (the giant Chihuahua).
Whew, I finished the first lap. I see some NEBC rider way off the front. Who are these two kids right in front of me? I can barely keep up with them and they must be Cub Juniors (14 and under). Am I really in fourth place? We go through the woods and hit the baseball field. Why are these two kids slowing down and looking at each other. I'm not waiting to find out, and move past both of them. They stick right on my wheel for the rest of the lap. Third lap and I seem to have shaken one of the kids, the one from NEBC. The other guy sticks with me into the fourth lap and we begin to lap slower riders. Final lap, I want to open up a lead on Toby. That must be the kid's name since he has a lot of fans cheering for him. I take the turn onto the sidewalk a bit too fast and wipeout. I hop back on the bike, but the chain is dropped. I fumble trying to get it back on the chainring and see Toby blow by me. I got it. No, my gloves stuck in the chain and there goes someone I had just lapped. Finally, I get the chain on but my remount is a blooper and I almost fall off the bike and hyperextend my knee. Now I'm rolling and squeeze between the once-lapped rider and a telephone pole. Then up the hill one last time and into the finish line, about twenty yards behind Toby.
After a few false alarms, the medals are awarded. Toby won the Cub Junior race and Curfman, Jr from NEBC took second. The reason he disappeared after the second lap is that the Cubs only race two laps, so his race was done. Toby is just such a stud, that after winning his race he did the three extra laps for fun. The Women's B race (which started with the men's C race and the Cub Junior race) was won by another NEBC'er, Kristin, maybe? The men's C race was an NEBC sweep. Seventeen year-old Brandon Smithwood finished at least a hundred yards ahead of everyone else. Then I finished 2nd (third overall, Nick happily corrects) and Curfman, Sr. took third place.