Hop Brook Race Report

The lungs are already sucking in as much oxygen as possible; take it easy on the short bit of pavement, it's easy rolling here. Too short. Dogleg to the right and get speed! The hill is too steep for too long, dismount while you've got momentum and run up the hill. Three steps after cresting picks up enough speed for a flying remount.

A spectator shouts out, "Find your cadence!" Okay, found it; the easiest gear left on the bike, still headed upward. Thank goodness for cyclocross and the newly learned skills, too bad this hill is looking mighty steep again. When did it get so warm? A couple of layers last night, now shorts and short sleeves. The damn zipper doesn't open any further! The legs still aren't back yet. Where is the top of this climb!?

Three guys just ahead, they seem to be a little slower up the hill. Common, you've got it, go get 'em. Finally downhill. Oh wow, that's a hell of a mud bog! Pray they're no rocks in your line.

These mud bogs are one thick soup, and the puddles deceptively deep. Those three are still in sight, get 'em on the uphills. Ugh, common legs, get with it.

One guy pulled over, flat tire. Tally up now, one… two… three… yeah got to be fourth. There's Chris, "Fourth now!?"
"Yeah, fourth!"
Okay hold pace.

Finish Lap one.

Lap two seemed torturous at Saturday's race. Guys from other classes kept catching me, I paid attention to their numbers to make sure they weren't in my class. The legs just didn't seem to be there, and more guys kept catching me, surely some of them would eventually be from my class. But they weren't. While I never caught sight again of the few that had been just in front of me, I didn't see anyone come from behind either. The 30-39 age group started later in the staggered start sequence and some of them were passing me, but as long as they weren't 19-29, what should I care? So I kept my pace as best I could, up the hills, down the technical sections, through the mud bogs. My early season lack of form was apparently less lacking than many other's. A 4^th place finish was quite surprising; I had figured closer to 10^th was likely. I had a feeling it would be a good day though, when I awoke to find temps already near 60° and bright blue skies, a day full of rain had been fore casted all week.

Thanks to Chris for coming along as support and for being a good race manager. His updates on course were great. He got a few good photos as well, click here to see them.