CapCity Cross #3 - Lobdell Reserve, Alexandria, OH

The third race in our local series. A challenging course, with a start into two twists and three barriers, more twists, then a long downhill road section into the grass and back out onto the road. A long fake you out road hill climb and back into the woods on a tight dirt single track and down a hill with a sharp left to fast grass and back into the woods, down into a sandy creek up hill to more dirt single, back onto the grass still climbing to the finish/start.
So, there is the description in a short version, what did I think? well, I thought it was hard, fast and challenging. Lots of guys were bitching it was too much like a mountain bike course and I saw many show up with their frigging 29rs and what not. One guy even raced his powder blue Fisher 29r in my race. It's just not the same racing cross on a mountain bike. s
How did I do? you might ask? 7th place. Not bad considering the course and the damage I did passing a few guys on the last lap, after they laid out their life on the sand just after the crazy little creek section. It was the second time, the one guy, fell over and covered the trail just in front of me and I wasn't going to let it affect my finish, so I took off like a H2 in the woods and high-tailed it around two guys about 2 minutes before the finish. I was happy with my result, fitness and skills. The three barriers in a row were hard, but I managed. Funny part, my wife and brother in law both said I wasn't heeding my own (cross coaching) advice and was dismounting my bike incorrectly, so the funny part, I didn't remember what I was doing or remember dismounting one way or another. It was just a blur of being in that special hurt place we go to in these kind of races. It's weird, getting their, but once I am there, I can just nail it to the wall and stay there.
Props go out to my friend Layne, he beat me this week and had a great ride and looked super solid - his kind of course with not much twisty stuff or too many trees. Props to my team mate and brother in law Tim, who also got 7th in the "C" group - he moved from 22nd place in his first race last week to 7th this week - he's a natural. Props also to my team mate, Mike who left everyone standing at the start line in the "C's" and won again. He then raced our race the "B's" and came out of know where to pass me and almost pass Layne and was moving up pretty well. I managed to pull out some hurt on him on the pavement hill climb in the hardest gear I had to power away from him enough to beat him (I think I am 20+ years older). Tim and Mike are so fast and they don't even know how fast they could be. I don't think Mike will be 'allowed' to do anymore "C" races :) Go Mike and Tim!
::Photos Link here::

Hopefully this weekend and the USGP weekend (Oct 24, 25) I can do it again and again, just much much faster.
This weekend, I'll be doing a double in Middletown and Harbin Park - both UCI races with big big names attending. It should be fun and hurtful all at the same time.