Indy Cross Trader's Point #3 Race Report Extravaganza

Turns out, a good call up can make a huge difference in a race. Who knew? Well, not me since my call ups have always sucked.

But, this ended weekend before last at the third Indy Cross race at Trader’s Point.  A combination of me being on top of registering early and maybe a little of my 19^th place finish at the last Indy Cross race resulted in a front row call up.

But first, let’s set the scene.  The weather had been downright crappy the day before the race (Halloween), which included rain and wind. However, by the afternoon of the race, the course was pretty good. Everything was solid, save for a few slick turns.  The course started on a gravel road (because that is always a good thing) which then transitioned to a grassy climb.  The course was a nice mixture of small hills and fast sections. One leg went out and around a horse paddock (Traders Point is a horse farm/show facility). As you completed the lap there was a wooden ramp which led to the next section of the course. The ramp looked smooth, but there was actually a short, maybe 2 inch, lip where the grass and ground was lower than the planking of the ramp.  The warm up lap revealed this and for a minute I thought I had a pinch flat. The tire held, despite a few less than smooth rides over this same section during the race.

Anyway, the start was fast, but safe, although I lost a few places, but gained a few and held the rest of the pack back on the climb.

Representative shot of the course. Note the horses (in the background).

World Bicycle Relief riders Russell Nichols and Bryan Downs (both DINO racers) came charging forward and passed me not into the lap. I’d seen this happen in Indy Cross #2 a few weeks prior and was ready. I accelerated and hooked onto Bryan’s wheel as he passed.  Russell was out of reach for the moment, but I stayed on Bryan’s wheel for the rest of the lap when his pace dropped. I moved around and pushed off in pursuit of Russell. Behind me a small chase pack had formed, but didn’t seem to be making up that much ground. I caught up to Russell and passed him, and caught up to another rider who had been in front of me for some time.  Russell responded not long after the start of the next lap with a powerful surge on the initial climb, passing me back and getting past the other rider. 

Being chased by a WBR rider. Not sure which one...

However, his speed dropped and I passed him again, and there was no response.  At this point I knew I was within the top ten, but unsure where exactly. I kept an eye on the chasers on the sections where the course doubled back on itself and also had to deal with a rider in red and black who had bridged across. He and I spent the rest of the race in a back and forth. He managed to get past me on an off camber uphill turn which was somewhat slick by taking an inside line but I kept closed and tried to position myself within in striking distance for the last two laps.  By counting riders, I figured I was in 6^th place, with red/black being in 5^th.

Me still in front of red/black.

I bided my time and looked for good places to pass as we came up on the bell lap. My initial thought was to try to accelerate on the straightway leading to the start/finish so I could be in the lead on the following hill.

This didn’t work out because the final hairpin turn from the grass onto the gravel was tight and I was fighting not to slide out each time. This effort on the start of the last lap resulted in a gap, so I instead had to use the upcoming hill to re-connect with black/red. I remained on his wheel, but I knew I had to try to make a move before the final hairpin turn. If I waited until then, this would not end well.

Huh. He's still back there?

The last section of the course included a few small hills. I chose the final one which climbed the low ridge which ran through the course, past a large heckle area, through a hairpin and then back down the ridge to the finish.  I could sense an uptick in the franticness of the riding in the final stretch before the short climb. Red/black was picking up his pace, as was I, and I was taking turns much faster and in some of the slick spots, with more risk. At the hill I got out of the saddle to make my move….only to find red/black matching my pace and maintaining the gap. Haven’t been beaten on hills in a while, so the plan failed. Coming out of the hairpin he was still ahead and despite a fast push to the end, he beat me to the line.

 

In the end I got 6^th out of 41. Easily my best cyclocross finish.  Attendance was down a bit due to the OVCX having its Cincy 3 race week in Cincinnati. Still, a 41 person wave was pretty good, and there were plenty of solid riders in my group.  I felt good for the race and the call up helped. Actually, I have felt good at all my races this year, but having to fight my way through the field as I have done in the OVCX races limits the chances of a higher finishes.

Upon getting home I immediately registered for the next Indy Cross race to ensure another decent call up. In looking to the season, I’m planning on racing the final two Indy Cross events on November 15^th and 22^nd. After that is the Gravel Grovel, which, as has been noted, is my current training focus.  Based on past experiences, sometime around mile 40 of the GG I will start to really hate cycling and want to be done for the year. There are two local OVCX races in December, and while I had planned on racing these, my post GG malaise may result in me taking all of December off.

*Thanks to my wife Ashlee and my mom for taking the above photos*