Re:Iron Cross - 2007/10/15 19:07It was nice to have a race in which everything went well. I love that course, it is IMHO the perfect cross course. But you must remember my idea of where cross bikes should go was formed by people like Bill A. who routed us down things like Old Laurel Run on our cross bikes.
I only beat Harlan because of a lucky, I mean skilled, navigation of a hard road turn at about mile 60. It allowed me to start the ending rollers at a much higher speed. I was crying and partially blind at the top of each one.
Post edited by: Raymo853, at: 2007/10/16 12:34
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Re:Iron Cross - 2007/10/15 22:13A very weird day...I started dfl in the field and was picking my way forward for the first 15 miles. Right before cp1 a deer came down the embankment and nearly crashed me. This would set the stage for a weird race day. After cp1 my back and hips starting locking up so I eased up a bit. Here the women started catching me - 5 of them passed me including the VisitPA girl. The next section was an awesome mtn bike downhill, but the logs really sucked on a crossbike. I caught maybe 2 dozen people, mostly weenies who were scared of the rocks and drops. The trail ended onto pavement and a quick up had me catching and passing VisitPA. Being such a nice guy I pulled her to rt30 where a nearby gunshot startled us. I continued pulling through a headwind on rt30 then eased up once we hit caledonia. After a quick chat, we started working together until we got to a fireroad climb where my back got very tight and my legs started to die. I won't give up though and twice bridged to stay on her wheel - but a side stitch put an end to my efforts. As I approached the powerline/hikeabike section I started feeling very poorly - I was cooked. But my hiking training paid big dividends as I did this section well. At cp2 I forced down half a sandwich on a noncompliant stomach. After a quick fireroad climb I started to descend and saw 2 people ahead on the side of the road. At this point my front wheel was knocked to the right and I bodysurfed gravel to the feet of these people. The girl helped me up and checked my bike as I tried to walk off the burning sensation consuming my left side. I took chunks of meat out of my knee and elbow and all the skin off my tricep. I had ripped my shorts and had raspberry on my hip but I was still able to ride. On the plus side, the jolt of adrenline fixed my back and hips. After this I was in survival mode. I made it to cp3 where I forced down a bar and some badly needed advil. The long climb to cp4 wasn't that bad as I rode mostly with a girl from michigan. I stopped for a cookie at cp5 and soon caught the Michigan girl and 4 other women. Somebody likes me! I was content to stay behind and chat plus I wanted to see the finish as all 5 women would surely duke it out. We navigated a rocky downhill and I flated on the very last rock - win a few, lose a few. I lost about 10 places as I fixed it, but was able to gain them all back in the final 7 miles. At the finish I executed a brilliant dismount/remount through the barriers and had survived my first Iron Cross! Unfortunately I wasn't able to hang out too long due to my injuries. But I did complete the course before the awards ceremony, rode with VisitPA girl, and used injury sympathy to score another pint glass. Moreover I found out that CROSS is BOSS!
HO
In summary that's a deer, a rifleshot, a girl, a crash, 5 girls, a flat, and a finish.
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Re:Iron Cross - 2007/10/17 06:17The Iron Cross reinforced my idea that the right rider on a correctly setup cross bike could do very well in the W101. Yes it would be a less than favorable on things like Little Poe, No Name, Telephone, Croyle, Little Shingeltown and Detweiler but would be great on the rest of the course.
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Re:Iron Cross - 2007/10/17 11:06Ray, I had thought of this before this years W101. Jimbo was tempting me with the record for the fastest time on a cross bike. However I think the descents down Croyle and Telephone would kill you and you'd be lucky not to rip a tire. Can you imagine climbing Stillhouse on cross gears? HA!
HO
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Re:Iron Cross - 2007/10/17 13:06I did say the right cross bike. You would need gear beyond the normal cross 48/38 and 12:27 or even compact cross like 48/34 and 12:27. I would suggest a 44/32 and a 11:32.
BTW, I have climbed Stillhouse on my cross bike with a 46/34 and 12:27 and felt it was no problem at all. And while not at mile 75, I was probably at mile 40 of a 75 mile loop into Bald Eagle from SCE.
tested cross tires for 101 - 2007/10/17 13:40during the 03 101, Four (4) michelin sprints, 32mm, running 70 and 80 psi, completed the course (of course some hike-a-bikes) without puncture! all 4 tires walked sasafrass (down) and no name, fisherman, but managed to maneuvar all of detweiler, all of shingletown, croyle (except the gully; pre-route days), L'con'tg, little poe, etc. as in the "temptation of ho", the small gear used by one was 39x25
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Re:ray, are you doing that math thing??? - 2007/10/17 14:5170 & 80 psi! The sidewalls of my Bonti's say max 60. Am I running too low? I didn't just flat, I broke my tire...
Raymo and I will have to do a pre 101 training ride on our cross bikes next year. Lots of steep climbs and fast singletrack descents.
HO
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