Race Report - DCCX Presented By Dogfish Head Alehouse and Family Bike Shop - Race #4 in the BikeReg.com MABRAcross Super 8

I didn’t blog about last weekend due to the fact that I was in the Master Race that Wasn’t at Granogue.  I am glad to see the two riders are doing well and both will be racing soon.

I am continuing down the path of weighing 210 lbs, not sure what to do about that one.  Yes I eat lean meats, avoid anything fried, no sugared colas, drink about 6-8 20oz bottles of water a day, go to the gym three days a week, and run/ride about 12-15 hours.  Hey anyone know of a cheap place to get liposuction or a tape worm? 

Saturday I went out to the DCCX course and pre-rode.  What a great venue.  The course looped like something M.C.Escher would have drawn up, I am not sure how a course that starts and ends in the same place can be all up hill, so I knew it was going to be a challenge (look at paragraph two if you want to know why… hint?  210 lbs).

Sunday I was up early and heading to the District.  I got a few more laps in and gathered my race number, 701…  Yes, 01 then the realization, everybody else’s numbers are in the 600s.  Damn, I am starting 101^st. 

So I lined up in the very back of the pack looking for Adam Austin, who had unleashed a Rapha Clash Challenge on me earlier that week and Doug Owens whom I had done the same.  Doug was 652, staging 49 places in front of me and I could not find Adam in the sea of jerseys.  I was also looking for my cross results nemeses, Thom Moore (who I do know) and James Earl (whom I still do not personally know).

The race started with an eerie reminiscence of Granogue, with the cracking of carbon and rattle of brakes, but by time I go there it appeared as if everyone was okay and the sprint was on.  Over the next 15 minutes I slowly gained ground on the front and increasing my kill points.  I looked at numbers slowly clicking off the 690s, 680s, 670s, and 660s.  Looking for the 650s where Doug should be lurking.  At that time I ran into, figuratively for now, Thom, Rick Mellendick, and Dave Tambeaux.  Over the next 20 minutes the four of us would go back and forth.  Post race Thom told me it was the hardest race he has ever done going for 50^th. 

The last lap came and our group of five was battling it out, bumping on the run-up and fighting through the barriers.  I had a slight advantage going into the last off camber double S-turn whatever you want to call it, I had ridden it each lap and would do the same, but we came upon a lapped rider that went down right in front of me.  Off the bike I went and saw Thom squeeze by chasing a Kelly Benefit rider.  Once on the road it was an all out sprint, with about 10 meters left in the race I was passing Thom on the left when he got forced over into my line and into the crowd I went, but across the line, Mimi confirmed that bike and body both crossed the line.  Luckily a few bikes took the brunt of the wreck, mine was unscathed but later I heard that one of the women’s bikes got a bent rear hanger.  Thom squeezed out 52^nd and I got 53^rd, which should be good enough to put me in the top 10 for the overall 45+ series.  It was a great race, lots of fun, and what a fantastic venue. 

As for the Ralpa Challenges, I got Adam fair and square but Doug, I feel a little guilty about.  He rolled a tubular on the first lap, bad part?  I am the one that glued it.  Sorry Doug.