News report filed by Jon T

 

Cool temps, steady rain and the first cyclocross race of the season.  Do I need to say more?  I guess so.  Blunt Park in Springfield Ma. has been the first cross race of the season for the past few years.  The Cyclonauts do a nice job putting together a fun and challenging course in a tight area.

 

Joe T. and Lance were up first in the cat. 4 race.  Who knew the wet pavement would be SO slippery?  Not Lance until he went down while jamming his brakes hard to make the 180 degree turn in to a single track.  Joe made it through unscathed and Lance picked himself up and quickly got going again after falling to about 30th position.  By the end of the race Joe had finished somewhere around 20th and Lanced pulled himself back up to 9th.

 

Joe T

 

My race, the 45+ men, was next.  Everybody cleared the start and made it  through the first trail section.  The second section of pavement took out two guys in front of me, on a straight no less.  I rode in 5th spot for all but the last 2 laps when the two guys who had been riding my wheel got around me in a tricky running section and got a gap.  I managed to close the gap, but couldn’t come around them and finished 7th.

 

Jon T

Cliff and Dave were up next in the 35+ race, which is typically a very hotly contested race, yesterday being no exception.  I missed most of the race as I was giving my bike a quick wash and lube.  When I got to the race, Cliff and Dave were trading spots for 3rd and 4th, each with a healthy drool going on.  Good stuff in a cross race! I didn’t notice the blood on Cliff’s knee until a friend pointed it out.  Apparently Cliff didn’t get the memo re: slippery pavement, or he chose to ignore it.  Either way, he apparently did a full on belly slide at the end of the starting pavement.  In the last lap Dave took advantage of some lapped riders to put some time into Cliff.  Dave rolled in 3rd with Cliff in 4th.

 

Cliff and Dave

For me, this is the cycling season that makes me happiest.  There is such a sense of community and comradery.  If you’ve never raced one, you should.  It’s a blast and could even make you a better rider.

 

 

 

 

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