Sacra-mental CX #4 of the NCNCA series

Mens B 45+
Field: 60+ 25ish for the 45+ group
Pace: Didn't you get the message the 1st time? IT'S CROSS!
HR Avg. 173 Peak 186
Place: 12th

Course: Combination of tight Grass, Asphalt bike paths, and Mud.
Set of 5 barriers Hoppible, set of 2 tall barriers, and set of 3 moderate.
Somehow they like putting the barriers right after a tight 180 turn.

Not wanting to get up at 5 am to drive down the mountain for the 9:30 start. Dave K and I opted to enter the Mens B 45+ race for 2700 seconds of suffering. This worked out well for my Family that lived in Sac. My Dad all 80 yrs of him who used to take me to all my BMX races as a kid was in attendance, and my brotherditched work to come Cheer me on. What a rush! I was more excited about them being there to watch, than the race. Hell I had to pee one more time before the race cuz my dad was there and gave me a hug 10min before line up, Geez I'm nervous NOW!

Lining up at the start we were under the impression that they'd stagger start the Age groups. 35+, 45+, 55+ no such luck and we're in the back. DAMN IT! Luckily I was able to get a decent clip in and gunned it into the top 25 of the field, GAME ON!
Around the first 180 and down a bit we hit the set of 5 barriers and already a rider stacks it up in front of me. Thanks Mom, Dad and grandpa for these long legs.... I hop around the carnage of about 3 riders and move up the field. Heading down aforementioned bike path we hit the second set just a peddle stroke past the 180, quick right we hit the snotty mud going under the bridge. What the heck is everybody stopping for it's like you never seen mud in a cross race!?!?!
Moving again we're under the bridge and onto a long stretch of grass. The field is stringing out again and the separations are beginning to happen, faster riders getting away, slower riders falling back, other riders being caught behind slower riders. The usual thing that happens in a CX race when you don't line up right or have the fitness to run with the bulls. I end up in a group of 10ish which pick up a 11th from further up the road. Real steady group pace was strong but no one willing to really push up the pace or make any moves.
A few tried but didn’t succeed. About 20 minutes into the race is when the weakness begins to show. I didn't want to get caught behind any of that I moved up on the barriers when I could usually picking up a spot or two every time we hit them. I began to appreciate the barriers right after the 180 turns. I was doing well on the Barriers just before the bridge where you could capitalize on your position gained. Some guys just kept riding around the 180 hoping they could dismount quick before the barriers then waited right after the turn.
This course really paid off if you could deal with Barriers.

With 4 Laps to go a particular member of our small group of 6 who were strong enough to keep with the group but not strong enough to contribute kept insisting on getting on the front. This without mentioning slowed us down. How do I know this? My legs weren't going molten, so a few of us at the back could see riders coming up from behind started barking out to get off the front or speed the hell up.
It felt like a scene from Indiana Jones with the big ball rolling up from behind. We ended up collecting another 5 riders from behind in the back 3/4 of the course. I'm thinking get the hell up to the front these guys are probably tired from the chase and will turn to mush on the next set of Barriers. I gased it up to about 4th Position just before my favorite set of barriers when pokie stacks it on the corner just before the hard 180. Some quick foot, work two others and I hop around the pile up to get clear of the some 8 riders yelling and groveling behind us to get up and back into the race.

So there we are 3 strong working hard to get clear of the 8 and by the time we hit the S/F line we've got a comfortable 20 secs on what’s left of that group.
I keep hearing cheeringor GO JIM! from all sorts of people. Had I just become one of the known few? Nope turnsout there was another Jim in this group of three. Also turned out I was actually racing against these two guys as they were 45 plus'rs.

Pretty interesting racing in the B's some get it some don't and I hit the Jackpot. Neither one of these guys understood that it was going to come down to a sprint (or so I thought) and didn't rotate...... AT ALL!
So in that case I was content to just sit on and test these guys strength to see how and when I was going to take them. I'd sprint it out of the corners to see how they'd respond or if they would. They could move, but were getting sluggish. At Lap two I just sat in acting sluggish out of the corners....who's kidding who here, My legs HURT!
Just about to head under the bridge I thought man I must be turning to jelly the back end of my bike is getting sloppy.
Oh Man, no, NO00000! My tire is getting soft, Crap these are my Tubies, I love these things! Sure enough my rear tire is going flat.
I see Johnny warming up on the road next to the course and think, should I yell out to get my wheel ready? Knowing these guys will hear that and maybe hit it. I yell "I've got a flat, have my wheel ready!" Johnny confirms he'll be ready.
I see Dave K just up the course entering my favorite barriers and just about to be lapped by us. I yell to him I'm coming up and he graciously move to the side. I tell him I'm flatting he offers up his bike but unfortunately we use different peddles. Still on the second guys wheel and easing through the corners keeping my weight on the front wheel I make it to the Pit by the S/F line. I figure the tire is glued on tight and I'll probably loose more time with a wheel change than just going for it.

I go past John in the Pit yelling I'm going for it! He's yells back something like You Animal!, Dog, mouse, cat or something heroic. So now how do I handle this? Back end wants to come around in the corners, I'm on soft grass for the most part. Hum ease the corners, and gas it on the straights that just might work.
So by the time we hit the first set of 5 barriers the tires is pan flat, nothing! I figure I've got to keep what I can by running as fast as I can over the Barriers, Long Legs! Ease the corners, and go as fast as I can on the straights.
By the time we hit the last 1/2 of the course it's apparent that I'll finish behind these guys and go into maintenance mode and save my position. I ended up finishing 12th in the 45's just 3 or 4 seconds behind my breakaway group.

Silver lining is that I feel comfortable in my fitness to get back in with the "B" again and be competitive. I think I finished somewhere in the top 20 of the overall B group.
The Icing on the cake is that I gave Dad and Bro a good thrill for the day. Dad was really excited and mentioned the memories of going to BMX races, Bro was thrilled to see me suffer for a change instead of him.

Sorry for the long read, it's been a while and I need to work on thinning out the dialog.

Hope you enjoyed it.