Me, I spent most of the Friday before the race sleeping in bed, hiding from a gut rot that came from who the hell knows where. Being unconscious, sleeping, disconnected my brain long enough to allow the body to heel itself. Not the day off I was hoping for, according to my Facebook Status update for that day.
CXHairs.com posted the course preview and from what I could make of it, this was going to be a brutal race. I was seeing technical, long stretches, on the gas, elevation changes and enough off camber sections to question your sobriety, for weeks after pinning your number on for said event. Would this be a course for me, no us, where we go away saying, 'Meh, nice race but it wasn't my type of course...'? I haven't met a course that we haven't enjoyed this year; as all of the MABRA Super8 course have been dynamite.
We snagged the team tent area by 0830, dumped all the gear and eyeballed the course in between registering and potty breaks. The sand pit would be questionable, the long drag race on the road leading into the first left handed grass transition looked fast and some of the off camber parts might require a little tripod action from my 6'5" -self. I'm feeling mentally good already from what I've seen, my stomach on the other hand...
Our junior, Owen Brenneman was on the course and riding his way to a 3rd place podium. Great legs Owen!
A.Brennemen photography
So light, he floats over the sand like it was grass.
A.Brennemen photography
Owen B, raising them up for the 3rd spot!In the Masters 35+ we had myself, Mike B, McCready, Evans and Sherdel for the 3/4s; a good showing of team colors I must say. Mealey was on hand for the Masters 35+ 1/2/3, Clark was excused that morning, doing a running event with his son.
I registered late for Rockburn, was sitting in the like #80s for the starting grid (no not Flock of Seagulls 80s...) but when I lined up, my number had put me in the fourth row from the front. Whoa, upgrade miles? I was now about 30th on the grid. This start is going to be painful sitting closer to the fast dogs.
The first lap for those who didn't do a pre-ride of the course is generally an eye opener; feeling out the turns, timing for dismounts_to_running sections, etc.
Capture by S. Mealey
[video may only play on desktop]
I'm seeing that I brake checked way too much going into this section of barriers. Next time...
A. Brenneman Photography
Evans in the thick of the field, large field those Masters 35+/45+ can be! Evans finished the day 61/97th place. Good fight man!
A.Brenneman Photography
McCready has a baby on the way, make that two. Twins to be exact, which is a handful, yet well planned as he'll bounce back to racing, faster than the those of us who spaced the kiddos 2-3 years apart. Shane ended the day close to Evans at 63/97th place.
A.Brenneman Photography
Mike B (background) on Shane's wheel. Mike's move to the M35+ 3/4 has been a fruitful one, consistent fitness each race, and his efforts at Rockburn put him 67/97th.
A.Brenneman Photography
Chris Sherdel testing the new Grifo tires he installed on the Zurigo for this race. So far, we all give the Grifo rubber two thumbs up and by the looks of Chris's corning angle, loves them as well! A crash kept Chris at 66/97th for the day. Better luck next time man.
There was a section of single track at Rockburn which provided the you the opportunity to either reel in that S.O.B you'd been chasing between the tape, sit up and spin the legs out a bit or drop the hammer and make up much needed time on the next group ahead of you. If you didn't burn too many matches on this section of trail, you were greeted by a mild-S section, leading into a section of steps on a hillside.
Capture by S. Mealey
[video may only play on desktop]
I was still struggling with quickly getting into my pedals so I opt'd to run this entire hill, hoping my long strides will keep a gap on the group that was buzzing behind me as shown in the video above. 27/97th place for me that day. I guess I was doing something right to hold my starting position but I can honestly say the brutality and speed of this course warps your assessment of where you feel finished. [video may only play on desktop]
A.Brenneman Photography
Mealey hitting the step section fast in the Masters 35+ 1/2/3 field. This guy is all about technique.
A.Brenneman Photography
Mealey was schooling us new guys on how to carve around this tree, already stepped through the frame, ready for dismount. It's great watching someone who has been doing this for 10 years, there's a lot to learn about 'cross, not just hammering on the pedals but also polishing your technique. A pesky rear brake which popped open twice, put Sean's day at a 27/32nd place finish for our DS.
Rockburn was pretty much the last race for most of us for the year. I've grown closer to my teammates and can say that we have a solid bunch of guys, going forward for the 2012 season. 2012 sponsorship discussions are already on the table as well development work for new riders looking to join the team and be a part of what I'd gather as one of the most addictive sports on two wheels.
So much of this season of 'cross reminds me of racing mountain bikes back in the mid-90s...the team aspect is strong yet rich with support and respect for the other racers; compounded by the competitors enjoying the rest of the races which occur throughout the day. I hope this bros before pros mentallity lasts for a while because I know I'm enjoying and so are the guys on the team.
-Will
