MOAB CX Cup Weekend

     My short cross season was in full swing come November of 2018. Another double-header weekend awaited at the MOAB CX, this time put on by our MOAB Cyclocross Team. MOAB has been hosting this race for several years. It originally started on a farm, then moved to the Webb School in Bell Buckle, TN.

     Many members of the team were very excited for the Pro/1/2/3 race. They thought Jeremy Chambers and I could work over the field after the way I rode the previous weekend at Cross the Harpeth. I was not as confident, especially after seeing the course. It was much more open with very little technical challenge. I still tried out both bikes in warm-up. They felt about the same overall. The cross bike felt good on the power stretches, but there were areas that were very soft and the skinny tires sank into the ground. The mountain bike felt good on the descents and better in the soft stuff. I ended up choosing the mountain bike as I was more comfortable in my skills and position on it.

Pro/1/2/3 start

photo by David Howe

     We had 11 starters for the 60-minute event on Saturday. The start was fast. I was in the back on the start line and stuck in traffic through the first few turns. The group split halfway through lap 1 and I was behind the split. I spent the entire race chasing, never seeing the wheels of the front five again. I was slow to move up, but I did steadily pick my way up to 6th with about four laps to go. I was almost a minute behind 5th, but I kept chasing and started to eat away at the gap. Overall, the mountain bike was a good choice. It was slow in the soft areas, but so was my cross bike. I just got beat today. I felt out of shape when it came to those long straightaways and the long climb to the finish line. 

Hefting up the mountain bike over the snazzy MOAB barriers

photo by Tami Kuper

     I was a bit annoyed at the ending though. I had cut the gap to 5th down to 30 seconds with one to go. I could see Jeremy up in front of me and could tell I was starting to really close down the gap. But the officials pulled me as I hit the line to get the bell. I have no idea why. I was in 6th, in no danger of getting lapped and we were only 53 minutes into the race. I just kept on pushing. I know 30 seconds is a big gap, but things happen. I once lost a race by crashing and damaging my bike in the final lap. I just don't feel like the officials should be deciding what gap is too big to be closed at one to go. I didn't catch Jeremy on that final lap, but I did close the gap down considerably. And I still finished my race in under 60 minutes. Grant Wilson was the winner of the day, dominating the Pro/1/2/3 race pretty much from start to finish.

     After the race, I stayed to help change the course for Sunday's race. We took out a lot of the slower grass where things were soft. More corners were added to the main descent, and some technical little climbs were put in near the end of the loop. Jeremy had me test some of the sections on his cross bike. Now I know why I am getting smoked and why people say choosing a mountain bike is a bad idea. Their cross bikes are so much stiffer than mine. It was like riding a road bike on the sidewalk compared to my cross bike. I was riding in normal shoes on a bike too big for me and was still riding it faster than I can my bike. I would never choose a mountain bike again if I was on a Specialized Crux like his. But my cross bike doesn't feel as good as my mountain bike, so I think I'm making the best decision right now.

     Course changes were completed just before dark and I hit the road for home. I had hoped to come down on Friday to help with course set-up and stay all weekend, but I ended up having a lot of work to do with the fundraising job. I worked Saturday morning before I came to the race, then had more work to do when I got home that night. I got stuck in traffic as soon as I got on the interstate. Between sitting on I-24 in the back-up and then detouring to avoid the actual accident scene, it took me an extra two hours to get home for what was already a 90-minute drive. That made for a late night and the morning came quick. I was back on the road before daylight to get back to Bell Buckle to help with the early races. It was super windy overnight and on Sunday morning. The wind was stretching the tape and bending the stakes in many of the sections causing the course to narrow considerably. I spent most of the pre-race time repairing the tape and moving it lower on the stakes so it wouldn't catch so much wind. I did not do the Singlespeed race at all this weekend so I could help out with the race.

Juniors on course in the morning races

Dustin Weida on his way to a fourth SS win in four attempts these past two weekends.

Rick Harmon during the Masters 45+/55+ race

This little hill caused some trouble. This guy didn't make it...

...and then gravity took over.

He came out smiling though

Rick took the Masters 55+ win

Tammy Richardson in the CX 4/5 Women

Rick cleaned this hill every lap. It was the first of two back-to-back steep inclines near the end of the lap.

David Rush took 2nd in Masters 45+

     Our Pro/1/2/3 race on Sunday played out much the same way as Saturday. One rider dominated, I chased the whole time and the race was shortened. We had 10 starters today. I liked this course much better. Again, I rode both bikes before the race. They felt the same, so I went with the cross bike just to see if it made any difference. I started in the back, slowly moved up and ended up 6th. The only differences were that I was not gaining on anyone in the top 5 in the second half of this race, and I got lapped by the leader. Spencer Whittier put a beat down on all of us. The top 5 finishers were on another level. I felt like I was best of the rest. Spencer lapped me on the final lap, which came way early. I was 45 seconds behind the leader at the finish and I was done at 48 minutes even. We should have done two more laps. I just don't understand why our races are always shortened. To me, it can influence the outcome of the race, which really impacts the points series. I just don't get it. Grant had another solid day to take 2nd and Jeremy got 4th. We were solid, but didn't get the win for the team we were hoping for.

     A short video of some of the Day 2 race action I filmed during the morning races is posted below. Yes, you will see video clips that look similar to some of the photos posted above. I was shooting video with one hand and taking pictures on a different camera with the other hand.

Video: MOAB CX Day 2

     I stayed after again and helped clean up the course. We had a lot of help and it went by quickly. It was a great weekend of racing and a lot of fun. I have not been a part of putting on a race in a long time. It's something I enjoy so this weekend was extra fun for me. I even got to catch up with some of my teammates and other riders that I don't get to see very often these days. Special thanks go out to Mark Dement, owner of MOAB, for putting out the time and money to have this event and also taking care of my entry fees for the weekend. It is much appreciated! I can't wait to be a part of this event again in the future.

Crunch-a-tize Me Cap'n!

     Cross the Harpeth was next on the agenda after a tough day of racing in Hopkinsville the previous day. I have always liked the course at Harpeth. It just seems to suit me well with the short, punchy climbing and the technical aspects. This was the weekend just before Halloween so I was expecting some costumes to come out. While I didn't have a full costume ready (no Uncle Sam suit yet), I did find a Captain Crunch hat Shannon had made last year for a coworker and decided to have some fun with that. This hat is multifunctional. Turn it sideways and you feel like you're wearing an old patriot hat. You just need an American flag.

'Merica!

     We had a beautiful day for Cross the Harpeth. The sky was clear and blue all day. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but in the low-70s for most of the day. This kind of weather is why I love fall in Tennessee so much. I got down there early to watch all the races and really make a full day of cross racing. I heckled and took photos for the early races which are posted below.

Cat. 3/4 Men

Captain Crunch shadow

Cat. 4/5 Men

This chicken was one of a couple of costumes on course today.

     I took laps on both bikes today. Everybody told me the mountain bike was way too slow, but I felt it was faster the day before. After my pre-ride laps, I came to the same conclusion as yesterday. The mountain bike was super fast in the technical sections and I felt more powerful on the long stretches. The only disadvantage was carrying it up the narrow concrete stairs as it is heavy and awkward to hold. The frame shape offers few handholds and the 29er size is very long, making it almost too long to fit up those stairs in a running position. Even with all the reasons to justify taking the mountain bike, everyone still said it was a dumb decision, including my teammates. Only one way to find out.

     Today's race was again a Pro/1/2/3 category and it was much bigger than the day before. This time we had 13 starters. I had to start on the second row and was stuck in the middle of the pack after the first couple of corners. The course was pretty much the same as every year where we have raced in a counter-clockwise direction around this high school. It featured long drags across the front of the school, several short climbs, the stairs and barriers. This year we had two sets of barriers. The usual tall set by the back door to the school just before the stairs, and a second set at the top of the longest climb on the course. This area is off-camber so it made the barriers very tricky to negotiate. I had tried to ride them, but felt off-balance and ended up just running them in the race as it was too big of a risk to ride them. I could, however, hop the tall set which meant one less dismount per lap.

Pro/1/2/3 start

     The start was super fast and I just did my best to hang in the front group. Hart Robinson got to the front by the time we got around to the first set of barriers. He had a small gap already when we reached the stairs for the first time. There were nine of us in a line going up the stairs in pursuit of Robinson. I was in 8th at that time.

On the stairs for the first time

Hart Robinson with the lead on lap 1

The chasing group

     I was actually quite comfortable the rest of lap 1, just kind of rolling in the line of riders, swapping positions between 7th and 8th. Gaps started to open in the long, power section starting lap 2 and I began to move up. I was in 5th after the next lap and riding right behind 3rd and 4th. It took me about two laps to pass and drop both of those riders. I had about 15 seconds to close down to get to the next rider in 2nd. It took me just one lap to get there and straight by I went. I was now in 2nd at the 30-minute mark. The leader was long gone, not even in sight anymore.

David Rush on the second set of barriers

These MOAB barriers were set on an awkward slope and came at the top of the longest climb when you were gassed.

Caught up to Rush

Caught 2nd place now

Alone in 2nd now

Dustin Weida

John Carr

     On the next lap after halfway, I caught a glimpse of the leader. He was riding behind a teammate who was way off the back and about to be lapped. I was feeling great and riding hard so it was motivating to see him up ahead for the first time since I got to 2nd. Rick Harmon was watching the race and told me I was gaining on the leader. He gave me a time check of 40 seconds as we saw the cards come out with 4 laps to go. After another lap, Rick said the gap was just over 30 seconds now. All of a sudden, this felt like a possibility. Could I catch him? Robinson continued to ride around with his teammate. Every time I could see them the teammate was pulling Robinson along. Was he tired? Were they working together?

Pushing hard in pursuit of the leader

Thanks to whoever sent me this picture. Sorry, I can't remember where it came from (Tammy Richardson?)

     At two laps to go, the gap was 20 seconds. I could see them on the long straights now, still riding together. Every glimpse I got Robinson was behind. I buried myself those last two laps. The effort dropped the gap to 12 seconds with one lap to go. Now Robinson passed his teammate to try to hold onto that gap. He picked up the pace. I kept chasing and had to pass his teammate during the second half of that last lap. I couldn't close the gap before the line and ended up coming in about 10 seconds back. We finished a full five minutes early after just 55 minutes of racing, which should have been one more lap in the race. I can't help but wonder what would have happened in one more lap as I still had some gas in the tank. Or what might have happened had Robinson not been with his teammate for over half of the race. I guess we will never know. But one thing is for sure: I chose the right bike! The mountain bike was a rocket ship on the main descent and in the "death spiral" feature this course always has. I could pedal where others had to coast. Blowing by people probably didn't look so dumb.

Hart Robinson and his teammate on the last lap

I closed a huge gap, but came up a little short of the win today.

Finishing up the Pro/1/2/3 race

     I had to go change bikes quickly as the Singlespeed race was next. My big gear is always challenging here, but I usually hold my own in this race. We started just a few seconds ahead of the Junior group who looked to be foaming at the mouth in anticipation on the start line. They exploded off the line and were on top of us after just a few corners. I ended up settling into 2nd in Singlespeed behind Dustin Weida, yesterday's SS winner. He gapped me a little before the stairs, then smoked me up the main climb as my gear was just too big. I chased him the next lap, but wasn't making much inroads. My race turned into trying to make it up the main climb. Finally, on the fourth and final lap, I cleaned the hill. Success! I finished 2nd in the race, giving me a pair of silvers for the day.

Singlespeed start

Weida out front

I chased hard, but couldn't make up the time I was losing on the climbs.

Keyton Rush enjoying himself during the Junior race

Cool shot of  Zach Lowe in the most technical corner on the course. He went on to win the Junior race.

Cat. 4/5 Women were also racing with SS and Juniors. This is Marsha Williams on her way to the win in that class.

Battling with one of the Juniors after the climb.

     Thanks go out to my Mom for all the photos from the Pro/1/2/3 and SS/Juniors/Women 4/5 races. I was pretty excited after this race weekend as we had our MOAB team race coming up the next weekend. Cross season is on for sure! More on that weekend of racing in the next post!

Our Halloween jack-o-lantern for this year was Jack Skellington.