Now That's More Like It
Dave Carr

Howdy 'cross fans,

For the past few weeks our stalwart 'cross racers have battled some pretty harsh courses--sandy, bumpy, twisty, sketchy courses at Central Coast and Surf City.  Meanwhile, after reading Ben J-M's report from the Amherst International CX back east, I was starting to get some serious 'cross envy for fast courses.  After years of steady Euro-izing improvement, had we turned the wrong way? Could Surf City be in decline?

As the New Yorkers say, Fuggedaboudit!  We were delivered into the promised land of 'cross yesterday at the Watsonville fairgrounds.   Like so many races here in the past, the front side was mostly pavement and hardpack with one small runup, and the backside snaked back and forth through grass, pavement, the pig-pens and the Big Run-Up, then back onto the frontside for one last sprint to the line.  Result: a long two-mile course with pavement, hardpack, grass, runups and a little sand and soft dirt, and all well laid-out. This was one fun, fast, hard course. 

What was particularly good about this course was what it lacked.  No single-track. No mountain-bikey berms or sand bogs.   No gratuitous hairpin turns with only one line.  In fact, nothing but good hard speed, baby! A look at the fields in the race showed a lot, too.  No more ones and twos struggling alone against the course--this was exciting, tight racing with packs of four and five at warp speed.  Tactics, teamwork, attacks, counters, close finishes--you got it all.  Now that's more like it.

In the A race, the warp force was Ben J-M, followed closely by Justin Robinson and Justin Morgan, then Jackson Stewart and Dave Wyandt.  Behind them in the gap were Gary Thompson, Todd Hoefer and John Funke.  Then came the real race (according to me of course), a nice tight pack of six with me, teammate Jeff Caton, Dave Wierzba, and a bunch of masters including Chris D'Aluisio who seemed to have plenty left in his legs despite winning the masters race earlier.  That group was a little bigger than some of us wanted. Wierzba clearly wanted out of there. So did Mike Matthews, I think, since he surged on every climb and run-up.  Jeff and I threw in a few attacks as well, each trying to spring the other. However, with the windy flat stretches it was tough to get away and we stayed together until the ultimate lap. 

So here's how it went down: The grassy back side had one particularly tough section where successive ups and downs built up the pain until one last sharp hill on pavement, and here Wierzba attacked, with James Coats and my teammate Jeff.   I let a gap open hoping to spring Jeff, which was also convenient since I was completely gassed, and it worked.  Unfortunately, in the end I blew the sprint and lost to the other two guys as well.  No complaints here: it isn't often that we get to have such a super-hard, intense fun race.  Going so hard that you almost pass out at the line, that's what it's all about. 

[Note - It turns out I completely missed what happened there -- must have been the anaerobia fuzzing my brain.  Here's the correction I got from Mike Matthews: "Dave -- First off it's been great racing against you this cross season, you always make the rest of us suffer. Secondly, thanks for all the reports. I just wanted to get something straight about the last lap of surf city #3.  On the last lap I actually went to the front through the start finish line and started to up the pace. I felt it was necessary to try and take the snap out of both James Coats and Dave Wierzba's legs. James is an excellent crit racer that can always dig deep and wind it up at the finish. Having raced against Dave Wierzba on the track I know for a fact that he can sprint. Dave did not attack on the pavement uphill (we where both wearing red shorts, and I understand how blurry things get at the end of the race), as a matter of fact he didn't go by me  till I crashed on the sweeping left hand turn before the stables.(too fast, too tired, way over my head) After that I remember you and Chris catching me after the run up around the back and thinking "sh*t, after suffering and crashing I gotta sprint with these guys" and sprinting for the finish. -- Mike" ]

Race notes:

• The Master men saw a major shake-up this week, with new bay area import Chris D'Aluisio taking the win, as he did at the SuperCup a couple weeks ago.  Meanwhile, there was some tight racing behind him with the first six finishers all within 20 seconds! How's that for speed, baby.  After the race, Chris and his wife Carmen compared notes before the upcoming women's event. 

• In the women's race, the first laps featured a tight pack with Carmen, Christine Vardaros, Rachel Loyd, Stella Carey, Nicole Amaral, Kim Vandersyde, Gina Hall and a couple others too, I think.  The torrid pace claimed its share of victims, including Rachel and Kim.  In the end Carmen and Christine came into the final barriers together, and Carmen gassed it in the finish straight making it two-for-two for Team D'Aluisio.  Gina, Stella and Nicole rounded out the podium.  By the way, Carmen also did the B race earlier in the day, placing top 10...

• While the Junior fields have been woefully small this year (and, may I point out, shame on all of you for not getting the youngsters in your town out here to race) there's one bright spot in the form of Jouzas Martynaitis of GS Reno.  This kid was right up there in the chase group of the Master 35, finishing less than 2 minutes off the winner's pace.  Well done.

• The A's has a fair number of super fast over-35 racers lurking in the ranks, each with his own agenda.  Some, like Chris D'Aluisio, race the A's for an extra dose of suffering following the earlier Master 35 race.  Others, like James Coats and Jeff Caton, race the A's exclusively, saving their best performances for M-35 districts and Natz at season end.  And then there's young guys like me, still well under 35 and, ruefully, stomped on by all these old farts. 

Master 35+ A Race report by Steve Heaton:

Dusted off the line!

Well, I finished the CCCX Conference Grounds race in Soquel last  weekend, hammering all the way to the finish line.  This week I promised  myself I would be more prepared for a better start so I could have the  chance to battle with the front runners.

 My first mistake was staging in  the wrong place, second I was not clear on the path we would be taking  off the line (I thought we were going over the barriers) looking through  the dust cloud holding back waiting for the barriers then realizing “No  barriers” I gotta go. Passing in the rough outside line now in a deficit  searching for a clean break to make my way forward (not a chance, to  many guys searching for the same line) Realizing I did it again  (frustration / Learning curve). Now it’s time to be smooth and fast while  picking off as many as possible (power drifting through the corners with  feet on the pedals, hanging it all out). 

After the 2nd lap I found  myself in no man’s land. Behind the lead group with no one insight and  with a couple of guys behind I guess (I don’t like to look back in  races, I focus on what or who is in front of me and go after them) I See  someone up the road, I must go get’em! What is this, I have someone  passing me and I cant keep up with him (I tell myself to settle down and  regroup). He is now riding with the other guy up the road and one of two  things will happen? 1. They will pull away 2. Focus in each other and I  will catch them? I like the second choice!!! 

With 1 lap remaining my  focus is on digging deep, hoping the gummy bears I ate a few minutes ago  would kick in. I came through the last feed zone knowing that just  around the corner was my least favorite section and was about to give up  the charge and settle for what ever was left. Mingo, out of the blue  starts yelling at me “ Go go, use those gears “ or something like that.  So, I stood up on the pedals and proceeded to turn up the HEAT.  The  next thing I know I’m on the tail end just out of the slipstream of the  two guys I was just about to give up on. “On a mission” 

As they reached  the top of the last run up (I road half way up the run up, jumped off  and flew up the second half like a deer) I see the two of them checking  each other out. It’s a moment of hesitation and its time to put them in  the hurt locker, hammer past and never look back.  I motored past them as if I was on my CBR900RRBaby and charged for the  line. 400yrds remaining, a few high speed corners and a set of barriers. 

 “Pedal to the metal”,  *10th Place finish, Steve Heaton