USGP Cross, Boulder, CO

The plan this weekend was to not race. Get caught up with some coaching matters, relax, and hit the road bike a bit. But after watching the pro race on sat and finding out that there was $1000 dollars up from grabs in the cat 3 race for top ten… I had to give it a go.
The race was a bit earlier than normal. 10:30am. No worries however with the race a mere 2 minute bike ride from my house. Some food lots of fluids and I was off. Register, pin the number and some intervals to warm up. It was already 10 and no one was allowed to warm up on the course. Not ideal but we were all in the same boat. A friendly racer gave me the low down and I watched the end of the cat 4 race. After getting to the line 30’ early I was mid pack. In the field of around 100. I knew for me to get into the top ten I would need good legs, a technically perfect ride and some serious luck.
The gun went off and it was one debacle after another. A crash on the right squeezed me a bit. Then onto the grass bottlenecked out, once, twice, three times. My handle bars got caught in someone’s front wheel on the run up, sorry. Then I got bumped into and knocked over. Into the sand pit which looked like I could ride through? Nope! Dismount and flop. Face in the dirt one leg still clipped in. I finally started to get my rhythm when a bad turn caught the route marking tape in my handle bars. As I ripped out the stake, 2 other riders crashed into me. Down again. I remounted and looked at my clock. 9 minutes. Over 35 more to go, great… I tried to get going and did pass some people but it was to late. Not only was the top ten miles out of reach but so was the top 20!
I tried to remember that this was all training for me and focused on cornering well and keeping the pressure on. I have to say however the winner Brian Alders, a fast fit lad from CU, is some one I know. He is in great shape after MT. collegiate nationals. Last weekend he had some bad luck with his chain dropping in the first 500m of the race. This week it happened again in the starting crash. Last week his 5th place wasn’t enough and his determination showed. He moved from what must have been last place to the lead group and pulled away from them before the last lap. Defiantly the ride of the day! I finished mid pack and had a rude reminder of what bike racing is all about.