Finishing Hot at Sprinker Recreation Center

The weather for last weekend's Cross Revolution event at Sprinker was like all the others this year. Hot. Dry. Smokey.

The course was a bit different than previous years. The first corner was a 180 degree hairpin on the pavement.  The back section of the course had more sand than previous years. And the layout leveraged the 'bump' by routing us up and over four different ways.

The heat motivated me to carry a full water bottle in my back pocket. Fading due to heat was a strong possibility. I was keen to stick to a pacing strategy that I could carry to the finish.

I received a front row call up for the cat 1/2 45+ men's start. Teammate Jonas was on my left. Doug Graver was on my right. The danger posed by the paved first corner was on everyone's mind.

Doug snapped off the line and was a half bike length ahead when we moved towards each other. By bars met his hip and I bobbled for a second. A second later I recovered my composure and managed to get myself through the first corner in fourth with Doug on my outside hip. I motioned him past on the second straight and slotted happily into fifth. Disaster was averted. Every rider stayed upright through the first corner.

I did not intend to work to hold my top five position. Halfway through the first lap I was letting the leaders slip away and watching the first rider in the chase group work up to my wheel.

On the second lap I let those chasers come by as they needed. I didn't fight them for position. I did notice some of them were not linking the corners together as smoothly as possible.

The dry weather changed the flavor of the Sprinker Recreation Center course. Many sections featured loose surfaces. In some places it was sand. In others we found wood chips. One corner was filled with round river rock. To Chris Adolf's dismay there were multiple sections littered with pine cones. Leaning the bike over through the loose bits brought unnecessary risk so I started searching for alternate lines that avoided the loosest sections.

On the third lap I found my groove. On the front straight I sat up and drank. In the back section I was finding the safest lines. I was putting out consistent power and setting consistent lap times.

On the fourth lap I reached my low point. While dismounted for the sand run up I tripped over my own foot. My bike fell to the ground and I joined it. Picking myself up cost only a few seconds and one position. The greater burden was put on my spirit. The run up jacked my heart rate and I felt no joy as I remounted and finished the lap.

As I finished lap five I received three little rewards. I ditched the water bottle from my pocket. I spectator soaked my jersey as I passed with a stream of cool water. I caught sight of two competitors up the road.

With one full lap to go I got to work planning for the catch and hopefully, the double pass.

I forced myself to stay calm. I needed to bring them back slowly. I increased my efforts into the pedals only marginally.

After five laps of survey I was satisfied with my course knowledge. I rode the most risk free lines through the corners covered in sand or wood chips or those dastardly cones. On the final lap I stuck with those lines but re-introduced some risk by riding them a bit faster.

The first time up the bump I wasn't sure if I was even cutting into their lead. The second time up the bump I put in a solid effort and could see they were indeed coming to me. It looked like the gap was consistent on the flats and I was clawing back seconds on the short climbs. I leaned into this fact on the third climb up the bump and gained some more. I put the Hakka on rails through the next set of corners which ate the remainder of their lead.

With a quarter lap to go I took stock of the situation. Between us and the finish stood three distinct sections. Grassy turns where I had an advantage but passing was difficult. The final push over the bump via the sand run up. And a fast smooth trail section that delivered us nearly to the paved finish straight.

I chose to wait and watch through the grassy turns. The setup was perfect. Dee Patterson was leading our trio and riding the corners conservatively. Alec Duxbury and I followed closely. I gained control of my heart rate.

The approach to the run up included an off camber section that was to my liking. I planned a bold double pass by diving to the low side on the right and gaining the inside position into the right hander. I pipped Alec but Dee held the stronger line through the corner.

At the top of the run up Dee led my by one step. After remounting we both nailed the sand descent and entered the fast trail with my nose to his tail. I realized I was in a position vulnerable to attack from behind. Two quick shoulder checks confirmed that Alec was not in position to make that attack. I shelved all plans for defense and swiveled my thoughts to offense.

I stayed in Dee's draft and looked for clues on his next move. His body language indicated he still had power in reserve. I couldn't let him lead me onto the final straight.

The fast trail dumped us into the final two corners. A right hander that featured pine cones led into a left hander that featured the round river rocks. Each corner had just one good line. Whoever was latest on the brakes would prevail.

I eased up to open a small gap, accelerated into it, and then pulled into the inside position as we braked side by side. My aggression and inside line worked to my advantage. Pass complete.

The course was narrow and bent left where the pavement started. I dropped into my roadie position and spooled up the power. Once on the straight I checked behind expecting to see concession from Dee. Instead my vision was full of him charging my way. I popped out of the saddle and we sprinted for 150 meters. He stuck to my wheel but could not come around and I held onto ninth.

I was hot and tired before I started the final lap. Then I pushed a little extra chasing and catching. The sprint put me over the top and well into the hurt locker. I spent the next five minutes laying on the pavement trying to regain my senses.

The days of Summer Cross are nearing an end. Rain is in the forecast. Mixing dirt and water will create mud. And with that mud we can start proper cyclocross racing.