Sunday, October 21, 2007

Powderhorn CX Recap

Jordan on the steep "rideable" run-up.
Jordan gets a hand-up from Mom.
Tackling the steep climb. Photo compliments of Skinnyski.com
Suffering behind the technically superior Dag Selander. Photo compliments of Skinnyski.com
Maren and her boyfriend Luke.

Painman and that adorable Connor.

Holy cow. I missed Boom Island last weekend, but Powderhorn was just as big. There were almost 100 racers in the C and B races. I think there were around 50 A racers. What an awesome race to both participate in and watch. The course was great. Not very technical. Only 2 dismounts necessary: at a set of triple barriers, and a short stair run-up. There was another steep run-up which was a challenge to ride. The other challenges included riding between some dirt piles covered by plywood, an off-camber ride on the side of a hill, and a ride around a baseball diamond.

Jordan had another great race. He won the younger juniors, and finished 61st overall. Excellent work this weekend buddy. You're showing great progress. Kristy Kreme was ahead of him after the start, but then Jordan took over. I think Kristy was still smarting from last weekends crash and efforts.

Painman and I started at the back of the A race. My main goal for the race was to ride up the steep hill section every time, even though my lowest gear was a 42x26. Painman and I started at the back of the field, and slowly worked our way up during the first lap. At some point, I came around Painman and some slower riders, and lost him. Then I saw Dag Selander up ahead, and knew he would be a good wheel to pair up with. I was right. He is a much better rider than me technically, and I learned a lot following him today. During our first few laps together, I would pull through, but it only seemed to hold him back. I just couldn't corner as fast as him. He'd pull a gap in every technical section, forcing me to close it down in the open areas. Dag's pace was so strong, we kept catching other riders, and going right through them. Early in the race, I came up on Dan Swanson, who had clearly broke pace and was going backwards through the field. I cheered him to not give up, and show me how it's done. He did just that, rode away, and I never saw him again.

The ride up the steep hill was a challenge every time, and the cheering was awesome. There was a huge crowd gathered at the top, and they were clearly having a great time watching us suffer. Bjorn flew past us with a couple laps to go, with Bergman, and then Hareland, all separated by a hand full of seconds. On the bell lap, I could see Dag and I were catching up to a group of 4 in front of us. We were right on their tail at the base of the steep climb. I followed Dag up the hill, and then blasted off the top. I was able to get around Dag and all 4 of the others before the finish. I felt bad after following Dag during almost the whole race, but I've had the same thing happen to me (on the road). In the end, I finished just out of the top 20 overall, and 4th in the masters 35+ (1 out of the money again, Maren).

Afterwards, we went to Mattys on 35th and Cedar for a Jucy Lucy with Painman and his family. Good times.

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