I finally 'crossed fast!

Ugly and damn inefficient: my double-footed release on the base of the run-up
John is on the far right, this photo was taken by his wife
I double-foot released my way to fourth place today.

The NYCross.com 'cross series wrapped up today with the Bethelhen Cup in Delmar. I approached this race as I've approached pretty much every other 'cross race I've done this year, showing up with scarcely enough time to get ready, and still hanging around chit-chatting for a half hour when I should have been getting dressed and warming up.

The race had about average turnout, and started unceremoneously with a whistle from Gary Toth. Of all the courses I've raced on this year, this was without a doubt the one for which I was best-suited. There were long grassy straightaways on which I could turn a tough gear to catch and distance myself from other racers. There was only one really difficult turning section. However, the course wasn't all easy-pickings.

There was not one, but two run-ups. The first of these was very greasy, and punctated by log-steps, which helped a little, but it was not easy going. Once on top of the first run up, we raced through 6-inch deep mud, which made traction hard to find. The mud was followed by a very technical gravel descent, then another steep and long run-up.

Ottrott 'cross bike was my weapon of choice for the day
It's good to have connections
This bike is a small bit nicer than my Kona

For today's race, I was riding a custom Serotta Ottrott 'cross bike equipped with Mavic Ksyrium SLs, a Campy Daytona drive train, WTB mountain drop bars, and Paul canti brakes. The bike, which turned heads all day at the race, belongs to Serotta production manager Scott Hock, who used to work with me Blue Sky Bicycles. Scott broke his foot at the season's first 'cross race, and when his doctor advised him against mounting an SPD cleat to his cast, he offered to let me borrow his bike.

For those who don't work in a bike shop, the Ottrott is a carbon/Titanium hybrid, with the ti doing the heavy lifting, and the carbon providing some dampening in the top tube and down tube.

I've never been one to think that equipment can surpass physical fitness, metal preparation, or skill; and I love my Kona 'cross bike, but I have to say that Serotta is one sweet ride. It stuck lines through turns as if it were on rails, and it accelerated like a ferrari. Plus, it's pretty easy on the eyes, and I got to feel very pro when I brought my Kona to the pit in the traditional style, riding the Serotta with one hand on the Kona's stem, the bike rolling along next to me. So pro today.

WTB mountain drop bars look goofy,
but felt surprisingly natural, and imrpove handling
I might even consider them for my bike

Of course, my good-will toward the bike was certainly spurred by a fourth-place finish, my best-ever result in a 'cross race. I have to think that I was motivated, at least in part, by the desire to not be that guy riding a $6,000 bike... in last place.

So, the race went like this: I somehow found myself in the mix at the start, and was able to pass people on the long gravel sections. I'm not the fastest runner, and on the first lap, someone put their shoulder into my back as we were scrambling up the hill. This later turned out to be Steve Hoppengarten, from Union College. He was bragging about shouldering me after the race, but it's OK, because I pulled ahead of him immediately after that run, and didn't see him again.

Campy Daytona drive train.
This was my first experiemt with Campy
The verdict: a whole lot better than Shimano 105 9-speed, but that's a low-pass standard

Because the course put a premium on power, I was able to put big gaps into other racers on the wide-open straight grassy sections. On the second lap, I was in the top ten. One the next lap I'd moved into the top six. A lap later, I'd moved into fourth position just behind John Onderdonk, with whom I did battle a couple weeks ago on Lake Desolation.

Curtis White, 13, who I believe is the current or former state champion his age group, and another rider were in first and second. John and I were in third and fourth. It was clear that we weren't going to catch the leaders, but the race for the podium was on.

The bike had a 50-tooth big ring
That's real big for 'cross, and I didn't use it once,
although I tried to

I was faster than John through the mud and some of the technical spots, but we were pretty evenly matched on the straight-aways, and he was killing me on the run-ups. The last few laps saw me leading into the runs, him catching me, me pulling ahead in the mud, only to have him catch me again on the next run-up. At one point I think he was getting worries, because he kept asking if I wanted to go get my pit bike. Fat chance.

With one lap to go, I put in a big acceleration on the grass, and got a little gap, which I held on the off-camber descent. I was still leading into the first run-up, where he almost caught me. My plan was to go hard through the mud, and try to establish as much of a gap as I could. The plan backfired when, even though I'd ridden the mud clean on every previous lap, I bobbled, and had to run, enabling John to catch me. I still led him into the gravel decent, but we started the last run-up more-or-less even, and he was much faster up the hill. I put in the strongest chase I could manage through the last turns, and very nearly caught him on the run into the finish, but in the end, I ran out of real-estate, and he took third with me in fourth.

Good race John, like we said on Lake D, you got me next time! In reflecting on the race, aside from boggling the mud, my biggest mistake was trying to shift into my big, 50-tooth ring for the finish. The drive train was too clogged with mud to shift, and I lost time trying to make it go. Oh well.

This was, without a doubt, the most fun I've had in a 'cross race. I know that it has to do, at least in part, with the fact that I always have more fun when I'm in the hunt, as opposed to out of contention in the back. And having a sweet bike to ride didn't hurt either.

We shouldn't lose focus on the big picture here. Despite today's very exciting result, I still suck at 'cross. Although I was doing OK with my dismount on the straight run-in to the barriers, I had a real hard time with my dismount on the steep hill at the base of both run-ups. Scared of not getting unclipped in time and crashing, I took to executing a double-footed release, followed by a reverse-slide off the back of the saddle. Ugly and damn inefficient, but it got the job done. On one lap, I actually heard someone on the side of the course remarking, "Damn, we've got to work on his technique." It might have been Chris McBurnie, but I'm not sure. Whoever it was, you're right. My re-mount also continues to be an atrocious affair with many stutter steps and much flailing.

After the race, people who knew me all wanted to know how I'd managed such a dramatic improvement. I mean, here's the guy finished 80th last week at Northampton. Had I been practicing? Was it really just the bike? Had I started a new -- ahem -- training regimen with -- ahem -- medical supervision?

I'll be honest with you, the only thing I did different leading into this race was to get a good night's sleep and to abstain from adult beverages on Saturday. Whodathunk success could come so easily?

By the way, Curtis won the race, and despite what the hecklers were saying, I think it's just fine to get beat by a young man with as much talent as he's got. I would have like to have stuck around and raced the elite event as well, but I had to hit the office. Next time.

Barry Koblenz was out there with his camera, perhaps we'll have more photos later in the week.