Downeast CX Day 2

Chasing Hamel into the barriers. Full left unclipped step-through and downtube grab for high uphill barriers. And no, I never practice.

Before I completely forget. After missing my callup on Saturday, I made sure that didn't happen. By Sunday I'd slipped far enough in Verge points to only be third row, but there was an empty slot in row two that I helped myself to. Only problem was that I'd only been around this layout twice, and there were a few spots I wasn't comfortable with. Well, not exactly the only problem. On the whistle I thought I was racing well, but so was everyone else, or so it seemed. My slide backward started early, like 1/4 of a lap in. The little off camber after the woods (not the big one with the barriers) gave me some trouble. Then I'd been warned about a slick spot over by the pumpkin barn, but I wasn't sure exactly where it was supposed to be, so I was too cautious over there too.

On the pavement I was OK again. Wayne Cunningham (Wheelworks) was not having a great day either and I ended up chasing him. Then on the third of five (or six?) laps, for the first time this year I was caught by the 55+ leaders, Timmy Groesbeck (CCB) and Ed Hamel (Joes Garage?), who had started 1:00 behind us. I let them through right away, figuring they'd pull me up to Wayne. But they seemed to slow down. I sat there and recovered, but then it was like "hey, he's getting away!" I had no choice but to ride around them and start chasing. They did not seem to mind, but I did not want to interfere with there race either. Having just had a half lap of recovery, I reeled Wayne in and passed him. But, as could be predicted, when I took a secret outside line along the tape in the twisties (there was tight grass there, and slick mud on the inside) he tried to come back around, and dumped it. The two 55+ did not get caught up in it though, and the three of us rode away. After one hard pull up the pavement and beside the cow barn, I waved them through again.



Here the Cronoman battles the ever present Cunningham on Saturday.


On the last lap I had five to ten seconds on Wayne. No 45+ were in sight ahead, I don't think. But Hamel tripped on the logs and fell. Tim rode away. I just followed, but Wayne pressed hard in the final half lap. So I rode safely until the asphalt and then lit it up, finishing up about 3:50 behind the 45+ winner, in 27th once again. We stuck around for all the later races too. You've seen some of the pics already. Thanks for reading.



Robin is an Adam fan, so she was really glad we stuck around to see the old guy spank the kids and get his first ever UCI CX win. And he's sportin' the Verge balls and schlong contrast stitching too, just like the new BOB kits.