Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

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strat
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Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by strat »

Let's kick things off...I've missed the last 2 weekends due to a variety of reasons so was looking forward to Shedd Park.

Couple of inspection laps at around 7:30am and course was pretty much identical to last year (except for the snow!). Probably a good 2-3" of snow on 50% of the course but this wasn't too slick, more of a sugary texture with a thin crispy layer on the untouched areas. Nice mud pit out in the wooded section and some leaf pile turns up above the pit area.

I was in the 4/5 (open, no masters field) and had number 900 so front row. Saw 100 were registered but think the conditions whittled this down some.

Lap 1, got a great start and lead around the field then a whipper snapper passed me as we completed the loop. Another guy passes me as we head off in to the woods to the mud pit and for some reason these 2 get jittery about the hazard and start to pick a line around the edges...I blast through the middle and take the lead (feet now drenched but I can't complain because I wasn't shin deep in icebergs like Busick!). I hold position until the barriers then the young fella takes me. Lap time showed 10 mins so we'll likely be out for 3 more.

Lap 2, swapping positions for 2nd and 3rd throughout this lap. Pretty uneventful other than the mud out beyond the bark mulch is starting to get heavier (last year the bark was flicking up and playing tunes on my spokes...this year it's held in place with snow!). We pass the line and 2 laps remaining...I'm sitting 3rd but 2nd place is within reach so feeling pretty good about a decent result.

Lap 3, as we head up the first climb the guy in front washes out and I have to dismount to get around him...guy sitting in 4th has more time to navigate and takes 2nd while I hop back on and chase. I catch back on as we climb up into the mulch and then loop back around into the leaf piles. Then a mishap...I'm pushing to remain with the front 2 but get something wrong on the switchback leading down to the pits and SPLAT! I slam my face into the dirt and loose 5 places while I try to straighten the bars back up. Face feels like I left a mark but I don't see any blood pouring out so remount. Took me 1/4 lap to get the left foot clipped back in...think I buried the pedal into the dirt and so I'm trying to force my cleat through this.

Lap 4, uneventful. Held position...wondered if I looked like a halloween mask and crossed the line to take 8th.

Face looks like I sneezed gravel out of my left nostril at 300 mph and I'm pretty certain my neck will stiffen up more and more as the day goes on!
ppereira
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by ppereira »

awesome! (except for the face plant). I was among those who decided to stay home rather than face the conditions lol but then again I've spent just about every weekend cleaning my bike, I needed a break from that! hopefully will make at least one day of NBX to wrap up the year. Sorry I missed out on the fun today!
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cbusick
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by cbusick »

Nice Ian. Sounds like you guys had nice weather and conditions.
-Chris Busick
J.Brodie
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by J.Brodie »

I also lined up for the 4/5 and surprisingly the snow wasn't as much as a factor as I thought. Even with the grid being on the grass turning straight to snow, there was thankfully no carnage. LIke Ian said it was pretty sugary so being the early race things hadn't softened up a whole lot and you could easily get through for traction.

First lap I felt good, and was making up quite a few positions. Into the first little hill I climbed up no issue, over by the pit held good speed through the snow until the snow up-hill. Off the bike there for a run but was able to pass a few running up as well. After taking what felt like forever to clip in, I passed a couple more and into the switch-backs a few folks went down but I made through fine and on to the mud-pit, sidewalks and single track area held good speed.

For the next laps the course started t get slick and with only having smooth "speed" tread tires, even the small climbs now were causing issue. Had to run up them all and spend forever clipping in. I held roughly the same position, going back and forth with a few guys, namely full-suspension bike guy. I easily went passed him on all the "dry" and fast areas, but a few times he passed me in the snow. I get you're technically allowed to use MTB's, but that's not really in the "spirit" of the event.

Going into the last lap the sugary snow in most spots had turned to mud. At the top of the snowy up-hill I got back on the bike and then completely lost it on a right hander, going down on my right side. I was fine, but bent my right shifter hood and lost a few positions there trying to get it straight. At this point I was fighting to hold my spot but had a good finish, though mountain bike guy did end up ahead of me by a couple spots.

I can feel the fitness getting better just need to improve on high speed cornering...and maybe get some tires with actual tread that I can use all season.
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eboos
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by eboos »

3/4

Got a preview lap in so I had a good idea of the conditions. With this being the last race of the day, this was as bad as it was going to get. The course was surprisingly rideable except the muddy first hill.

Lined up last row because my points suck, but I got a pretty good start and ended up right behind Chris. For the first lap it looked like I actually knew how to ride a bicycle. Second lap I corrected any assumptions the first might have lead to.

After setting down and getting my heart rate back under control my coordination returned. Ended up trading positions with a guy from 545 for a while and found the areas that I was faster, such as the steep hills. Through the long muddy straight I was on the verge of loosing it every lap. I took the left line each time, but on the second to last lap the 454 guy passed me on the right in the thin snow.

Last lap I pass the 545 guy up the first hill and hold him off for the rest of the race. It started to get pretty lonely out there since I wasn’t really seeing anyone in front of me or behind for a while. Through the long muddy section I try the right line and it was so much better, to bad it didn’t count for anything at this point. Good strong sprint to the finish, but again it didn’t really matter. 41/53.

Throughout the race I felt like I was riding on the very edge of keeping it upright. When my coordination was lost in the second lap I had a few scares, but nothing to bad. I must have hit every bump, rock and root in that place and my body is pretty sore. However I am pretty happy with the result and the points I earned.
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peterkuhn
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by peterkuhn »

1/2/3

By way of preamble, I have a dead power meter and I have diagnosed why I get a shaking judder when braking from my front brake. The pads do not fully cover the rotor because I installed it wrong, so the uneven outer edge of the rotor beats on the part of the pad that isn't contacted. There is no time to fix this.

The race begins, we have the obligatory first-loop wobble which reshuffles the order but nobody goes down. I think I've cooled off a bit by the start because I have a slow first lap, and give up positions taking bad lines. Usually following the guy in front of you produces a decent line, but as I later found out I was plowing through some slow options. I also found I wasn't making up any time in the more technical sections, if anything I was losing it. It's great to hear cheers from teammates, I couldn't see who that was but it was appreciated.

Easily the worst part of the lap is the swampy bog. Not the bog itself, but the lumpy mulch trail before and after that's both slow and frustratingly bumpy. Frustratingly bumpy seemed to be a theme, or maybe my tires were too high (~26psi).

First lap in the can and I'm ready to start passing some folks, but disaster strikes as my front tire drifts out and I low-side on the big downhill left-hander by the pits, which costs me 10-15s on my group. I can't seem to get them back. We fight on through, every corner slow, every straight grinding.

A light appears, out in the bog. A distant, hazy thing, but unworldy in its intensity. Even at redline I keep sneaking glances at it.


Image


==================================

Another lap down, and my quest is to catch a rider in orange just ahead. He takes a bad line through the mud at the top part of the course, and I'm right behind him. I make the pass, and we head down the hill through the turns, and my front wheel washes out and I fall again. "No worries, man," he says. He takes a faster line through the turns and dumps me. My rear brake doesn't seem to be doing much anymore.

The light appears again, larger. Writhing and curling over on itself, a swirling blossom in the wind.


Image


==================================

There is a cyclocrossworld rider ahead of me and I think I can catch him. I'd like to do it before the last lap; things will heat up then and I don't trust myself to keep it clean if we have to duke it out. I come in around the corner to the barriers, the front wheel washes out and I low-side for the third time. At high volume, I recite the name of a popular messiah and a four-letter word that is used as an noun, verb, interjection, adjective, adverb, and proper noun; to indicate levels of concern, aggression, copulation, or that the wifi has stopped working. There are kids across the field and I immediately feel bad.

The light appears again, massed now, almost fully resolved, a thickened blur. It speaks to me in a booming oaken voice.


Image


"YOU SHOULD NOT BE SO BAD AT THIS," says the light.

"Well I got a cold last week," I reply.

"EVERYONE ELSE ALSO HAD A COLD."

"And my bike isn't working great. The brake is messed up."

"THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM."

"And I keep wrecking," I said.

"STOP DOING THAT."

"Shit," I said.


==================================

The last couple laps are a slog. My cleats have come loose, so they both slip back and forth in the pedals when I can click them in. Much of the time I can't. The light is there, following, always at the edge of my vision. I run my brake rotor into a post holding up some tape and come to a stop. Then I start again. It's cold and there is nobody around and I wonder if I'm DFL.

"CAN YOU GO ANY FASTER THAN THIS," booms the light.

"My legs feel like wood," I whine. "This sucks."

"I WILL FIND YOU SOON," booms the light.


==================================

Across the field I can hear my erstwhile competition crossing the line. The mud hasn't gotten any better around the ballfield. The light is enlarging, twisting, coming into focus. At last it resolves before me, rapidly flexing into reality with a horrifying enthusiasm. A roaring, howling fire of despair, a collapsed star. The voice rips the air open.



"I HAVE SEEN IT ALL. THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE. I KNOW HOW IT ENDS."

"AND IT ENDS WITH YOU AND ME."

















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strat
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by strat »

Hahahaha...who doesn't love The Kuhn Report!

Glad I wasn't the only one getting intimate with the Shedd Park dirt. I managed to quash rumors of spousal abuse before things got out of hand at the office this morning...HR wasn't entirely convinced so are monitoring me closely!
chrismitchell
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by chrismitchell »

Fresh off of a business trip from San Diego, I made the last minute decision to sign up for the 3/4 race despite knowing the inevitable snowy muddy shit show that would be awaiting at Shedd Park. I made the bold decision to forgo any type riding the day before the race in addition to any sort of preride at the race. I had checked the 4/5 results earlier in the day and knew that they had gone 4 laps, so we would likely be doing 5. I lined up on the inside corner and really didn't have much opportunity to pass at the start, I stayed on the inside and just followed the traffic the best I could. Coming up to the start finish line I followed a BC high guy who went wide and started passing by some traffic. He went flying off the track and slid under the tape in spectacular fashion. Lucky for me, this served as a convenient reminder to start braking before I joined him. Lap 1 had plenty of traffic jams coming to near complete stops in several turns. Despite the sluggish pace I felt like death, my lungs were congested and burning and my legs apparently didn't feel like obeying my requests. I managed to make it up the punchy climbs in the middle of the lap but then got bogged down in the small lake and had ford the river on foot. Thank god for Gore tex shoes...

On lap 2 I got a little bit of space to myself and got passed by the leader of the juniors race. I was able to hang with him for a while and follow his lines which ended up helping me quite a bit. I settled into my rhythm and got the breathing settled. I passed a handful of people and managed to hold pretty steady on the final 2 laps. The second place Junior rider came up behind me and I traded back and forth with him a number of times before he had to pull off with a mechanical. I knew he was a strong rider so I was pretty encouraged to be able and hold his wheel.

Lap 4 and 5 were pretty uneventful... Except for my near swim in the big lake in the woods. Caught the front wheel in the ditch right before it and came to a complete stop. Luckily i was able to bail to the side instead of OTB into the water. Super muddy race but still fun at the same time. Somehow the course was still 95% rideable even though I felt like it was the muddiest race of the year. Ended up finishing 32/53 which gave me my second best points of the season. It didn't feel like my second best result, but I'll take it...

For the record, that was me yelling at Peter, sorry I couldn't get there sooner and cheer you on a bit more, per usual, I was running late. Awesome job though, no way I would have survived for seven laps.
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eboos
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by eboos »

chrismitchell wrote: Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:30 pmComing up to the start finish line I followed a BC high guy who went wide and started passing by some traffic. He went flying off the track and slid under the tape in spectacular fashion.
LOL, I totally forgot about that.
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michaelcole
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Re: Boston Road Club CX at Shedd Park

Post by michaelcole »

Master's 50
I was extremely pleased to get a second row starting spot as chasing through the field seems to really sap my mental energy. That was totally wasted by me having perhaps the worst start ever. Bad reaction time, didn't engage cleat into pedal, had no sprint in that ice/snow infield and couldn't move up. Got put into the tape by a yahoo crossing from left to right in the middle of the first hill and had to run. Wiped out hard on a root on one of the switchbacks in the descents by the pits and messed up the brakes and shifting. Felt like I was DFL but somehow couldn't ride away from the riders at the back of the field. Hell I was having trouble staying with them. I think that bike, skills and legs had all decided it was not to be on this day. At the start of lap 3 I couldn't even pedal up the first hill because chain was jumping all over the cassette so I decided to call it a day and try to make it on time to my son's basketball game.
He and his brother actually had good races for themselves in the cub jr race along with Reid.
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