That said, I've made my own news. No, nothing fictional. No, I've not made it into the papers nor have acquired a picture on the wall of the post office. Instead, my news is more sublime, more abstract. I'm starting to understand 'cross racing.
Now, I hear you snickering. No, I am not implying I'm fit or have developed some crazy single-track bike handling skills. Quite the contrary, I'm still slow and the sight of single-track makes me want to turn around go home. But I'm starting to understand that cross racing is a puzzle made up of several pieces.
For me, the very first piece is the morning meal. I had neglected this aspect in many races this year. For the last few races I've been sure to eat more than I would have thought reasonable and drink much much more water/energy drink than I first thought reasonable. I eat about 4 hours before the race. That meal has consisted of a bowl of Cream of Wheat, 12oz of juice, some toast and of course, that go fast fuel: bacon.
I think the bacon has made the most difference. During the time between the meal and 1 hour 'til start, I'll drink about 24 ounces of sports drink. At about 30 minutes before the race, I will choke down two gel packs and chase it with about another 12ounces of water. Yeah, I pee a lot but after such fluid consumption, I've not been dehydrated during the race.
The second piece is the warm-up. I've tried warming up by NOT riding the course and each time, this has been the result:
So, I started warming up by riding the course. And not only riding around having a look at the lines and the obstacles, but going hard enough to feel my heart and lungs start working. I learned that tip from Matt Klick. I had avoided doing that because I was afraid of going too hard and not having enough gas to make it thru the race.
This leads directly to the start. Starts in 'cross are flat-ish, have plenty of space on the sides, and usually go about 150 to 200 meters before you have to turn or navigate any obstacles. I usually line up at the back of the pack because I know I'm going to get passed anyway.
What I'm trying to avoid by lining up in the back is being passed by some Neils Albert wannabe who cuts across my front wheel just to get 37th place. That's the self-preservation factor kicking in. I'm not there to win, just to ride as hard as I can and have fun doing so. I'm there to push myself. But in the past two races (three if you count Bandido 'Cross), I've made a conscious decision to pass people on the initial start. And the surprising result has been that I'm away from lots of people that I would otherwise have to pass later on when the course gets tricky. And the result? I'm no more tired than usual and I've gained a few positions in the pack.
Another piece that is key to 'cross is the third lap. I've noticed that by the second lap, the race is starting to break apart. The fast guys are putting gaps on the mid pack guys and the slow guys (i.e.: Me) are already beginning to fall off. By the third lap, the gaps are opening up, the passing lanes are not so clogged, and the mid-pack guys that went out too fast are starting to regret having eaten a heavy pre-race meal.
Third lap is a good time to assess my situation. I've already ridden the course at least 3 times. I've gotten familiar with the parts of the course that are good for recovery and the parts that are going to require driving my heart rate up into meth-head levels. Third lap is time to look at the riders ahead of me and see if I can catch them or to sit on the wheel of someone while I wait for the sufferfest to end.
Yet another piece of the 'cross puzzle is the second to last lap. That's right...2 to go. At this point I know I can hang on for the remainder of the race. Everyone is suffering at this point and many of the riders have cracked. Some of those guys that blew past you on lap two are now starting to come into view. This is the lap for me to check in with how much I'm hurting and remind myself that I can go even deeper. Second to last lap is when I try to move around or at least up to the riders in front of me. Pass a guy now and he's probably not going to stay with you. I'm picking targets and looking forward to the sections where I know I'm faster than the guys in front of me. And I'm trying not to throw up.
What about the final lap? Well, so far, the final lap has been one of riding hard enough not to lose places and, if another rider happens to be just ahead of me, riding hard enough to be in position to overtake if he cracks, runs off course, has a mechanical, or crashes. Last lap is all about knowing where the other riders are and acting accordingly. Usually by this time the positions are set and I'm doing little more than trying to finish without incident.
These things came to me after today's race (Veldrijan) in which I passed a fair number of riders and was in a really competitive group of three, each of us pressuring the others. Save for a mechanical incident (dropped chain), I would have finished one spot higher. No big deal. 46th place is fine with me.
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