NASCROSS. This week's cyclocross race was held at Orange County Speedway near Durham and was a perfect course for me. I didn't feel real good this morning, been holding off a cold all week, my back is sore and my legs felt dead all week (3 races last week?). But this was a race I wanted to do since I missed it last year. The course starts on the track and after going through turns 1 & 2, you drop into the infield for some switchbacks and the barriers. After you cross over the track you go out into the parking grass and work your way through fast turns before hitting the singletrack for a bit. After you exit the woods, you work around the outside of the track on some off camber carving turns and a run up. From here you reverse back the above to enter the track and ride the banking around 3 & 4 to the start line.
The Race: Over 60 Master Cat 4 racers lined up and I started in a good spot. As we worked through the first turns, I had a "Richard" chop me hard and would have taken both of us down had I not braked hard and changed my line.... payback? He took down another rider in the woods doing the same thing... I guess he REALLY wants that medal. (I did have the thought, most of the field races with some sponsor's jersey, this guy had a Hammer jersey, it seems sponsors would not want a "Richard" to race representing them) - Anyway, I started picking off riders through the first lap and then did two things I have not done this season. 1. Big Chain Ring: I raced the whole lap in the big ring except for the off-camber curves. 2. Crashed: On the last lap, my bike just washed out from under me on the above off-camber curves, just a riding then on the ground crash.
Final: 21st in the race, 8th in age group (best of year) but still 10th in series.
PS the hornet nest. I backed into my parking spot, set up, looked up and saw it.... doh!
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