Groundhog CX 2022 - 45+

 The movie Groundhog Day was filmed in Woodstock, IL which is where we raced on Sunday and thus the name of the race.  This year it was also the Illinois State Championships.

The Tower crew was a little light as Iceman was on Saturday (among other things). That meant I was alone in the 45+ while Fran, George and Mark were in the 55+.

The temps were in the mid to high 40's so in theory not too bad, but the wind was 15-20 mph which made it chilly.  

The wonderful thing about cyclocross is that you are going so hard so consistently that once you get going the cold doesn't usually factor in.  In fact this is the second race where I've shed my arm warmers in the middle (I didn't forget them this time).

The hard part about cyclocross (besides the racing) is that you tend to freeze at the start until you do get moving.  It also plays with your mind as to how warm to dress.  Like I said I ditched the arm warmers.  Probably didn't need the knee warmers either but they didn't seem to bother me.  I also went with a windproof base layer which I think was ok but probably overkill for the second half of the race.

The highlight of the day for certain was Fran bringing home 2 medals.  Way to go Fran!!!

I had a good week leading up to the race.  A few good shake out rides.  On Saturday I did some good openers > I got a new warranty wheel from Reynolds and needed to test that out also as well as some new PDX (mud) tires... Kudos to Reynolds.  I found the crack, submitted the claim, and sent the wheel back with an RMA# all on Monday.  Got the new wheel on Friday! <

But then came Sunday.  Temps were fine but that wind...  I just couldn't get warm and I didn't do a proper warmup and stayed in the heated car longer than I should have.  A few short sprints to get the engine more than ice cold and we were off.

The start of a CX race is always congested and there is an off camber right off the bat.  2 u-turns where I decided it was better to run than ride.  I didn't really make up any ground but I didn't lose any until it was time to remount where 3-5 guys passed me up.  I should have tried to remount earlier but it was a slight uphill and I was worried about getting up to speed.

After the first lap I was pretty much on my own just chugging along at a slow pace.  I couldn't generate any power and after searching deeply for any excuses I decided it was the lack of warmup.  My heart rate climbed steadily throughout the race where usually it is pinned from the beginning and then stays there.  To their credit and my demise both Fran and George had faster lap times than me.  None of us fell which is a great thing.  I was consistent at least.

The last lap there were 2 racers in front of me acting as a carrot and that lap I actually shaved 30 seconds off of my time.  In the woods section there are two climbs and I went deeper to make up space.  Finally at the end of the second climb the first guy had nothing left and I got past him.  The second guy was just out of reach and I didn't have the power needed to close it.  He finished 7 seconds in front of me.  

I finished 41st/57.  My worst performance of the year although honestly my technical skills weren't too bad.  Maybe they were and I was just going so slow it didn't matter.

>>>Side bar - I've always thought that as the laps keep counting that I get more dialed in and take corners better.  I'm starting to think that perhaps it is just that I am going slower so it is easier to take the turns<<<

Below is the video of the first lap.  After that there isn't much to see (the damn GoPro shut down again but at least I got 26 minutes this time).

Next week is Wheeling.  25 Degrees at race time.  Sigh.

Video of the first lap:

https://youtu.be/fuOZKVDTkV8

PS:  Make sure you check there is TP in the porta-john first.