Well, I had a chance to ride the course yesterday and today and I must say it is a blast to ride. I will also say that it is not roadie friendly and is definitely suited more for mountain biker riders, mostly because of the snow and ice on the course. The only downfall I can mention is that the course could be wider, especial after the first turn. Each of the larger races totally bottlenecked at the first turn off of the starting pavement.
Brian Wieczorek raced today in the 40-44 men B race. He started near the back of the entire 142 rider pack and worked his way up through field to finish in 55th place; quite an accomplishment considering the course conditions. Kelly Cline, a MAC Racer and Promoter had a good ride in the B Race and finished 12th place. Additionally, in the 40+ women B race, Pittsburgh Rider, Suzan Falvey, had a great ride at her second ever cyclocross race and finished in 6th place. The picture above Doc W. and Suz is pictured below.
The interesting thing about the B races and other non-championship races is how they stage the riders in the starting grid. In an attempt to make the start fair for all, ten numbers are randomly selected and called out to all staged riders. If the last number of your bib matches the called out number, you can go to the starting line. I guess it is the fairest thing that can be done to give every rider and equal chance of a good starting position. Unfortunately for Brian, his number was the last chosen. The open single speed race that I am doing tomorrow will also be staged in this fashion. There are 129 riders in the single speed race and my bib number is 888, basically meaning I would be starting in 88th place with the old registration method of calling up riders. I will be happy with any starting slot better than 88…keep your fingers crossed for me.
Well, that is about it for my daily updates. I will write again tomorrow. Happy Trails, Gerry
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