NEOCX - Racing Cross in Cleveland - Cascade Park and Wendy Park

September 11, 2011

NEOCX – Cleveland, Ohio - Cascade Park

My fist cross race of the season. Nerves not present. No expectations of anything. The BWE and I hauled up to Elyria in the early a.m. hours, bypassing freeway for country roads, sights, and smells of Amish Country. After Exiting off 71 N, we see a yellow sign with an Amish buggy on it warning us to keep an eye out for the black buggies. Until we saw our fourth buggy, full of family, we realized it was Sunday and they were all headed off to a nearby Church.

We follow the GPS to old town Elyria and into a small park hidden in an old Cleveland neighborhood. The park is located down a winding road and near a well-known landmark, called Cascade Falls.

The race course included grass, two rides up the sledding hill, a long section of pave’ out to a tree for a left turn across the road and back onto pave’ then onto some grass. We had one section of soggy grass, a section into the woods near the creek, that was deep, life sucking, tire and shoe sucking, that was followed by a short section, along the creek near steps, that I managed to ride twice during warm up, but didn’t want to risk it during the race. Basically, two times off the bike, for the run up and the double set of the tallest barriers I ever ran through.

From the start line, we hit a wide sweeping grass section then into a few sweeping turns around a tree. I ended up on the outside into the first turn and second turn, and fought hard to move up. After the first time up the sledding hill, I passed a few people, then the second time more people. I had no idea where I was in the group during the race; I was having fun, battling it out with a few people. It is always better to have people to race with and against. Back and forth is a good thing in a cross race, competition.

Cleveland puts on a great race, they are friendly racers and people. They don’t throw elbows, there is no one cutting you off into every corner. I did not see the type of racing where everyone thinks it’s the end of the world championship.

I finished in Third Place in the 45+ CAT 3. Not bad for a start to the season.

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September 18, 2011

NEOCX – Cleveland, Ohio - Wendy Park Cyclocross Race

My second cross race of the season. A Lake Erie front view racecourse, just a few miles from the famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame some new sports stadium and an old closed lake Coast Guard facility and Lighthouse. The weather was just spectacular, the course was amazing and the other racers very nice. More chitchat at the line I have ever seen in any races, other than CapCity.

The course contained a little bit of everything, grass, dirt/single track, gravel, a long sand section right by the lake, another small sand pit, some hills, rollers, a round mound where we rode around the top crest and a pavement section, out and back to an old abandoned Coast Guard station and even two smallish logs that were both bunny-hop-able at some speed (way fun).

 

I managed to take the holeshot (just like Ray), and hold the lead by about 20 seconds for the first three laps. Yes, I said the lead. I felt amazing, the legs felt amazing, and I was rolling.

Until… I tried to anticipate a move from the rider just in front of me, as Blake from Jeni's pedaled around the corner and into the small sandpit, I waited too long to make a decision. He went left, I turned, not leaned my bike. I went down hard in some large gravel. My right calf locked-up, I got my bell rung hard by slamming the left side of my face and shoulder to the ground, oddly enough the drive side of my bike went down. So, I am not sure what happened there exactly. I got up, found my eyesight and brain and straightened my bars, and went back at it, trying to gain back my lost ground.

All the riders in the 45 plus had 500 numbers, so I was keeping an eye out for them...
I knew there was at least three or four guys that had past me.... as I limped my legs and brain back up to speed, they went into my crosshairs and bam, 1, 2, 3

I passed the last person just shy of the finish line.

Results - How about 1st place?

Yes, I won a race.

I made some Podium time, complete with a first prize being a full-on giant bottle of Jim Beam for the three podium stars. We were not allowed to leave the podium until all three of us busted open the bottles and took a swig.

Walking from the podium was more like limping in pain. Shortly after I stepped off the bike and right after the race, my calf was seized, frozen solid and swollen, hard as a rock. I pulled an ice pack out of the cooler for the drive home. It was apparent I really injured my right calf and the inside bone of my left leg below my kneecap, on my wreck. Teammate and good friend, Dr. Clem was nice enough to look at my injury after we got back into town from Cleveland.

The informal ‘porch’ report, I had damaged my calf and had what was informally called ‘Tennis Leg’, a common injury for tennis players and old people like me, but it could take from 2-6 weeks to completely heal. Pretty much that same issue with my calf muscles I have been fighting for a while. UGGG Old age. Muscles and tendon's in the calf about midway down. The gastro’ muscle is a common injury I guess, however, it is one of the faster healing muscles in the body. The report, ice, more ice, compression, ice, rest, ibuprofen, fish oil, magic powder, leg replacement, age regression therapy, and massage. Well, some of that is not true, but hey, it sounds more interesting.

 

What this also meant was no racing in Indiana or Cleveland for the following weekend, so I would have time to heal up before John Bryan, OVCX/CapCity cross race in Yellow Springs.