Perkins Park Cyclocross Report

I participated in a couple of cyclo-cross races on Sunday in Burlington, Iowa.  I felt much more prepared this week, having gotten back into the groove after gaining some success the week before in Cedar Rapids.  I had put in a couple of good workouts and felt capable of having a good showing, especially in the Master's race.

The course rolled up and down in many sections, but never to any major degree, so it was described as a fast course.  I initially thought the course would suit me, until I noticed that the 4 barricades were placed in 4 separate areas, meaning four dismounts.  Usually there is a series of three barricades in a row,  meaning only one two dismounts.  I always seem to lose a little ground to my competitors during dismounts, so the less I have to get off of the bike to hurdle barricades the better.  One of the barricades was placed at a skewed angle at the base of a root-infested incline... the signage indicated that this was Grandpa Tom's Hill... I would grow to dislike Grandpa Tom by the end of the day.

MASTER'S RACE - I slotted into the first row of the field of 22 Master's/Single Speed racers.  I put the hammer down from the gun, and found myself setting the pace with Lee Venteicher in tow.  I eventually got a gap on the field, however Lee was able to get on my wheel later in the race, where he stayed until the end.  As I got a feel for the course, I realized that there wasn't really any definitive places to try and drop Lee.   There was only one section that was straight long enough to crank up the watts, but it was relatively short, and my efforts to create some distance during this section were futile. 

There was a lengthy switch back section that the course designers used to accomplish the necessary lap distance.  You could easily gauge where your competitors were at because it seemed to take around 2 minutes to get through it, as you could see the others going by in the opposite directions each switch back.    You never could really get up to full speed before each of  the 180 degree turns, so this section became almost an area to rest and minimize wasted energy. 

Lee realized he had the advantage over the barricades and would sometimes end up ahead of me after we re-mounted our bikes, but then his effort flattened out and I would quickly end up setting the pace again.  Towards the end of the race I realized it was going to come down to me and him.  He mentioned that he was just trying to hang on, which inspired me to throttle it up in hopes that this wouldn't come down to a sprint to the line.  I felt good about my chances to get some breathing room during the final out and back section that finished up about 150 meters or so from the finish line.    I wished he would ease up on the pace so I could save some energy for my next race, then I realized that I was the one setting the pace...  I guess I just hoped he would  quit following me, but he hung in and raced to perfection.

As we approached Grandpa Tom's Hill for the last time, I knew the moment had arrived... "Get over this hill and into the out and back section and dash to a victory".  The frantic intensity and exhaustion of the moment resulted in my chain falling off as I attempted to remount my bike at the top of the hill.  Not only did my chain-stopper not keep my chain from falling off, it ended up being in my way as I tried to get my chain back on.... The pit mechanic came to help, but Lee was long gone... He was disappointed because he was hoping for a dramatic showdown, as was I.

At the end of the out and back section, he stopped and waited for me to catch up and offered to sprint it out to the line.  I thought he was kidding, because he deserved the victory, in my opinion.  Ok, we sprinted accordingly, and he was able to beat me to the line, as I finished 2nd overall.

MEN'S OPEN - My fitness is pretty good right now, but I was still a little concerned about how much energy I had used during the Master's race, as I started preparing for the Men's Open event.  My insecurities were elevated as I noticed some of the top cyclo-crossers in the state were entered (Kevin McConnell, Nathan Kullbom, and Matias Perret, for example).  I nearly talked myself out of entering as I began to nod off while waiting for the race to start, but reminded myself that I came down here  for a good workout, and that  you never know how things might shake out.

There only ended being 9 guys that entered.  Brian Moritz and Jeremiah Gantzer were lined up as well as Brett Bohanan of Peoria who had just won the cat 3 race.  Well, I did some quick math along with a reality-check and decided that 4th or 5th place would still be in my sights if things went well.

These guys hit it hard from the start... harder than I had during the Master's event.  Matias flew over his handlebars as we approached the first incline, and I dodged around him.  Some separation started to occur, but everyone was still within striking distance after the first lap.  A group of 4 started to get some distance, as me and Brett seemed to be riding at a similar pace, and Matias was still trying to catch back on.  Eventually, Brian Moritz fell off a bit, as the leading three guys were never to be seen again. 

I rode with Matias  and Brett for a while, but Matias was able to claw his way back up to Brian as the two raced for the 4th and 5th paying spots.  I settled into the 7th spot.  Considering there were only 9 guys entered, 7th might have been a bit discouraging, however this was a small but talented field, so no worries.

My legs however, were all jacked up the next day, from all that barrier hurdling... I figured I must have hurdled those barricades about 80 times over the course of the entire day.  And, towards the end of the Men's open race,  I was getting mentally and physically fatigued, so my technique was ridiculous... In fact, I totally jammed my shin against Grandpa Tom's barricade, as my will to overcome that obstacle was fading once the race got out of my reach.  Darn you Grandpa Tom.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their experience. Thanks to the race coordinators for putting on a top-notch event.

RESULTS:Masters/Single Speed

Masters 35+
1. Lee Venteicher - Bikes To You/World of Bikes
2. Chad Bishop - American Equity Racing/Velosport Iowa
3. Gary McNabb - Atlas
4. Colm Flannery -Peoria Bicycle Club
5. Greg Aronson-DICE
Masters 45+
1. Mark Beatty-Twisted Spokes
2. Dominic Moraniec - Atlas
3. Mike Howard -Bushwackers
4. John Stonebarger -Mass Bay Road Club
5. Steve Fleagle - Iowa City Cycling Club
6. John Peters -Unattached
7. Jon Sulzberger - Melon City Cycling Club
8. Jerry Porter - Peoria Bicycle Club
Masters 55+
1. Landon Beachy -Twisted Spokes
2. John Adamson - Twisted Spokes
3. Richard Gilmore - Twisted Spokes
4. Michael Giudici -DICE
5. Kathleen Porter -Twisted Spokes
6. Gerry Voelliger -DICE
7. Norman Wellings - Unattached
Single Speed
1. Norbert Koenigsfeld - Atlas
2. Jory Conor -Unattached

RESULTS: Men's Open
1. Kevin McConnell - Iowa City Cycling Club
2. Jeremiah Gantzer - Unattached
3. Nathan Kullbom - Atlas
4. Matias Perret  -  Iowa City Cycling Club
5. Bryan Moritz  - Unattached
6. Brett Bohanan  -  Peoria Bicycle Club
7. Chad Bishop  - American Equity Racing/Velosport
8. Tomas Behne - Unattached
9. Derek Cassaday  - Bikes to You/World of Bikes