Clatsop County Fairgrounds, Astoria, OR - Sunny weather and warm temperatures again made for another great weekend of 'cross racing. When it's dry and warm, the post-race cleanup is minimal at best. That's a good thing. That dryness, though pleasant, brings with it another tough variable when racing in pasture land - bumpy hillsides.There were two days of back to back racing in Astoria. Saturday was a typical race day, and Sunday was dubbed "Costume Day", due to Halloween being so close. It's really quite a spectacle to see so many racers goofing off and having a good time, all while pushing their limits physically. For a good sampling of the many great costumes, check out some of the pics here. The big winner for creativity was a group of racers who went as "Tron". Impressive!
The race course for day one included an all out sprint from the gun, which led into a high speed bumpy downhill, leading into a series of tight looping turns in a pasture. The sprint out of those turns led to an uphill single barrier, followed by a masher climb on some slightly damp soil. Smooth technique over the barrier gained valuable momentum, and that combined w/ all body efforts up the climb could win you the lead into the series of narrow barns that followed. If you were careful, it was possible to sneak a slight recovery before popping out of cover for another hard, bumpy, and steep uphill sprint. The downhill that followed was not a chance to rest though, as it was also so bumpy that one could barely hang on to the handlebars. A series of loose turns, swoops, and short roller hills brought you back to the prime spectator area and a sequence of 6 barriers. Because of the relative shortness of each lap, and the amount of climbing each time around, it was a real test of power and skill.
Day 1 results:
Chris Brandt - 18th Men A
Luke DeMoe - 14th Singlespeed
Andrew Bennett - 1st Junior Men
Chris Wherity - 46th Master 35+ Men B
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Day two was similar weather, and routed over a similar course. The difference (besides the costumes) was that we raced in the opposite direction, and a long straight length of gravel and asphalt roadway was added. This reduced the total amount of climbing per race and added an element of road racing speed. For spectator interest, there were a couple wooden "jumps" added to the course which drew many cheers and jeers, depending on the amount of "air" one caught. Really, it was a big PARTY with a bike race that happened to be winding through it all. Anyone caught racing without a costume was given plenty of flack as it violated the spirit of this exciting event.
The trick w/ costumes is that they can really interfere with the bike handling. Last year, the black cocktail dress really kept catching on the saddle. A tight fitting outfit makes things easier and this year, Chris wore a referee suit which certainly fell in that category. A whistle came in handy to alert spectators that some "big air" was coming, and to serve as a warning when things got too rowdy. No technical fouls were thrown though there were plenty of drunken "zebra" jeers. Referee's don't get a lot of love, it seems.
Miriam was the second Collins team rider to wear a costume and she was much more elaborate, going as "Little Red Riding Hood". Cyclocross racing isn't her favorite thing to do, but who can pass up an opportunity to break out the costumes? She did a great job finishing decently on Sunday, but more importantly, she had fun.
Day 2 Results:
Chris Brandt - 11th Men A
Luke DeMoe - 9th Singlespeed
Andrew Bennett - 3rd Junior Men (flat tire)
Miriam Gillow-Wiles - 31st Women B
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