Caldwell Woods CX 2021

 Caldwell Woods is the usual season opener (Relay Cross is also great but with the alternating laps format it is really just a good re-initiation).  This season we aren't guaranteed any races due to Covid so it was great to show up at Caldwell Woods on Sunday.  The Tower crew included Bob and George in the 55+, and me in the 45+.  There is no overall Chicago Cross Cup this year (Covid) but as long as there is racing there will be fun.  And let's face it I don't think I've ever earned a point.

  I wasn't sure who was going to show up this year as some people are more Covid Cautious than others.  But the field sizes were pretty good.  The 35+ had 29 racers line up and the 55+ had 37.  In my 45+ race there were 58.  Fairly standard numbers.  The Cat 4/5 race had 91.  Cross is still strong in Chicagoland.

  Bob and George went off first - 2 minutes behind the 35+ race.  I like to cheer them on for a lap or two before heading back to the car to prep for my own race 55 minutes after the start of theirs.  The morning was perfect for racing.  At 9ish for my race it was 60 degrees.  Any warmer and the core body heat would be cranked too high.

  I was more nervous that I expected for this race.  A combination of Relay Cross being harder than I thought it would be and now stringing together consecutive laps put doubt in my head.  I've dropped weight since the last cross season and my riding has been improved this year but there was still doubt.  

  40th was the highest I had ever placed in a cross race (usually in the 50's) but all my numbers were telling me I should do better.  My goal was to do better than 40th and feeling like I should made me worry about my own expectations.

   I put in a couple warmup laps just getting a feel for the course.  It remained mostly the same with one bottleneck removed and one descent through the woods added.  One interesting thing was that after my first lap they decided to change the course so that the barriers were in their usual place and not in a big open grass area.  I wonder if they were worried too many people might try to jump them and fail.  Back at their usual position it is hard to get enough speed to jump them - not that I would have jumped them either way.

    When you line up for a race it is based on points.  In this case points from way back in 2019.  6 people in a row, I was 7 rows deep.  Actually, 41st was a pretty good position for me.  Bryan from UPB was also in my row.  I took a look at the start sheet beforehand and recognized familiar names.  It is good to have goals and I try and use these names as gauges.  Bryan has good technical skills.  Kurt from Psimet has a big engine.  Chernoh always finishes 10-20 places ahead of me.  

    One of the fun things in the races is Kenny plays a heartbeat over the PA system as the countdown begins.  Being as far back as I was it is usually hard to hear instructions.  In this case there was no heartbeat and all I heard was a whistle - no "30 seconds"; nothing.  Boom we were off.

    The better courses start wide and then slowly narrow so as not to cause too much of a bottleneck.  I took the outside line so as not to get pinched and moved up a few places right away.  But as we finally hit the u-turns and it got bunched up I lost some places.  One thing I noticed as we took the wide start loop was that my mouth instantly became dry.  My race is only 40 minutes so I didn't bring a water bottle and it wasn't really warm.  My spirits took a hit with the thought of dry mouth/dehydration for the whole race.

  There were only 2 places I dismounted on the course; the barriers and triple u-turn that was downhill.  Actually, the first and last u-turns were fine but the middle one was steep and a little slick.  I watched a number of people hit the ground in warmups.  I watched people do it successfully too but but when I mimicked what they did I bailed (big chicken).  Actually, 2 of the laps I was able to pass people by running the feature.  Bryan was able to ride it every time.  

  I listen to US Pro Curtis White's podcast and this week he talked about his tire pressure and I was surprised by how high it was comparted to what I usually try to run.  Being not as svelte as he I pumped mine up to 27.5 in front and 30 in back (Don't ask my why I did the half a PSI in front.  I've never done that before and just did it).  The pressure was right on and I think it even helped on the straight sections let me roll faster.  Also on the podcast he talked about going tape to tape (he always talks about that), using the entirety of the course to keep your speed in the corners.  Go wide - to the barrier tape on the side of the course - hit the apex and then exit on the far side of the tape keeping as much speed as you can.  Another thing Bernie has always told us is to not brake or at least brake as little as you can.  As the race settled in all my brain could think was "tape to tape" and "don't brake".  I made it my focus to do those 2 things.  There was one right turn thru a little ditch that exited with another right turn where I used my brakes every lap.  Finally on the last lap I got through about 95% of the turn without braking.  I was really happy with my cornering.

  In cross it doesn't really matter to someone like me where the lead group is - I'm not anywhere near it.  My focus is on the guys around me.  Bryan and I passed each other a couple times and finally he was in my rear view mirror for good.  I took a peak back and didn't see him and was shocked.  I also caught Chernoh and passed him and was a bit freaked out.  That had never happened before.  Kurt from Psimet was a few guys in front of me so I didn't pay too much attention to him other than knowing he was there.  I did, however, see a neon green bike in front of me and that was my goal.  I was able to get onto his wheel in some of the slower cornering sections but was never able to come by him.  Then I let someone pass me and he let the gap grow.  By the time I was able to get back in front if him the green bike was too far away.  

  After crossing the line with 2 laps to go I eventually got lapped by the eventual winner (He went on to also win the cat 123 later in the day so I don't really feel too bad).  No one else passed my so that made me feel pretty good.  But in my mind I still had two laps to go.  One of these days I'm going to realize that once you are passed by the leader you lose a lap.  If I had made the connection I might have tried harder to catch the guys in front of me.  When he passed me I hit a bit of a wall.  For about a minute I was toast.  Luckily it passed quickly and I got a little energy back.  

  I crossed the line in 34th place; well above my goal.  I was less than a minute away from top 30.  56 seconds - only 1/4 of a second better in each turn would have gotten me there.  There is room for improvement.  

  Cross specific intervals were on the cards for me but that never happened and my heart rate showed it.  For the 36+ minutes I averaged 171 bpm with a max of 177.  A hard Saturday ride doesn't even come close to that.  Apples and oranges I know.

  We have a couple weeks off before the next race in Glenwood.  Can't wait.