Deadly Nedly
Specialized Racing: XC MTB | January 16, 2012
Yesterday I won my age group at the World Cyclocross Championships. It was the first time the Masters CX Worlds has been contested in the US.
Louisville served up some classic cross conditions with a mixture of rain early in the week followed by freezing temperatures and snow over the weekend. On Friday, we had a qualifying race on a course with nonstop frozen ruts. There were very few sections where you could put full power to the pedals instead you had to pedal gingerly to avoid losing traction, and when your front wheel caught a rut you had to just accept your new change of direction and wait for the rut to end. Needless to say, it was a bruising qualifier. On Sunday for the final, the weather warmed up some, so there were soft muddy sections combined with the frozen ruts in the shaded areas. This was a better scenario for me because having good fitness was more of a factor.
I was pushing a little too hard early in the race and went down about halfway through the first lap. That dropped me back to fifth place, but everyone was having issues with the mud and ice, so the leaders didn’t get very far ahead. My biggest competition came from Norm Kreiss and Henry Kramer of the Cal Giant Strawberries team. The three of us dueled back and forth for a couple laps before I managed to open up a gap and hold it to the finish. The Crux filled the podium!
One thing that is key for winning in these conditions is having the right mechanical support. Joe and Corey were scrambling all week to keep up with the bike maintenance, much thanks guys!
We raced at the same venue that will be used for the 2013 Elite World Championships. The promoters showed they have the organization and the terrain to host an exciting event.