Tales for the cross season! Mark, here is a race report from this weekend and some pictures. Badger Cross in Verona, WI. Thanks to my Garmin I know that the course is 1.75 miles long and mostly gassy double track with some gravel pavement, barriers, a log run up, and a sand volleyball court. I raced with the cat 3's and started in the front row. While waiting for the race to start a spectator came up to me and asked "Are you Mark Brone?" I told him I wasn't and then we talked for a little while about how fast Mark is. Then the race started and we were off, it is about 50 yards of pavement before racers make a hard right turn onto the grass leading into the barriers. I thought I was clipped in but after making the turn I stood to sprint out of the corner and pulled right out of my peddle losing about 5 spots. I was still with the first group through the barriers then a quick S turn and we’re riding the false flat gravel section. Thankfully we hit the grassy downhill, a guy crashes in front of me, there is no quick way around him and I lose contact with the first group. Continuing through the course giving it everything I have to get back to the 1st group, I hit the sand volleyball court. I jump off my bike full speed into the sand run across and back on the bike. Another long grassy section leading into the log run-up. I make up tons of ground on the log run-up. I carried my bike an extra 10ft and pass 3 or 4 people. Then I head into the off camber down hill that claims a lot of people but I pick the right line and make it through with out a problem. After another long grassy section I make the turn onto the pavement uphill. Here I try to draft people before we hit the barriers again and start all over. By the 2nd lap I caught the 1st group putting me in the top 7. We stayed together until the 4th lap and then it began to disintegrate, with me still sitting 7th, through the barriers section 6th place tripped on his bike and I passed him and then bridged up to sit on 5th places wheel. Finally we got the bell, one lap to go. 5th place really hammered gapping me and 7th place was still close enough to catch me if I made any mistakes. As I turned onto the pavement uphill leading into the finish 5th place was within reach and 7th place was right on my wheel. I rode the hill as fast as I could gapping 7th place and catching 5th place, but I took the wrong line around the sharp right hand turn into the finish and he out kicked me. I was very happy with my 6th place, and ended up 5th in my division, winning a Badger Cross pint glass and some sock guy socks. I was amazed looking at my Garmin after the race that my average heart rate was 184 bpm, maxing out at 191 bpm. No wonder I felt light headed after the race. It was a good start to my cross season, and it highlighted what I need to be working on.
The cross racing went pretty bad this weekend. On Saturday I signed up for the B race so I would have energy left in my legs for the next day. The course was at a Christmas tree farm, really flat, grassy, and bumpy. The course had just enough corners to make passing difficult and one monster run-up that was not wide enough to pass anyone. I lined up in the front row and had a really bad start, with lots of people getting ahead of me. I hit the gravel road section and passed as many people as I could, I worked my way into the top 10 by the run-up on the first lap, at the top of the run-up I went to remount but had dropped my chain, so I put my chain on and tried to get going, but at least 10 people passed me during that. Then I started working towards passing as many people as I could, but wasn't making much progress, being maybe around 17th by the end of the second lap. On the third lap I tripped on a barrier and plummeted face first into the ground. I went to remount my bike and the front wheel would not turn, apparently my bike hit the ground pretty hard as well. So at the point, I let the referees know that I was a DNF and drove home deciding not to race on Sunday. When Sunday came around I thought I had my bike up and running again, so I took it to the mt bike trails to join some people for a ride. That is when I noticed that my rear wheel was way out of true, which makes sense because on my 2nd and 3rd laps at the race I just could not get going fast enough to pass anyone. Thanks, Trent
