2008 Canton Cup Cross Masters Team Race Report
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Conditions:
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Cool, and crazy windy with temps in the high 40’s to low 50’s.
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The Course:
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The course was basically the same as the past couple of years with a mix of pavement, access road and fields. All in all a good solid course that with the wind this year afforded little opportunity to rest and recover.
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Results:
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NEBC had a solid Master’s 35+ presence and good coverage throughout the field and we even had a special guest racer (Sally) join us just for fun.
- Todd Rowell – 10th
- Mike Rowell – 12th
- Wayne Cunningham – 25th
- Sally Annis – 39th
- Eric Wemhoff – 40th
http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2008/10/19-Canton-Cup-Cyclo-Cross.asp
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Reports:
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[Mike Rowell]
Although Canton is a good event, put on by a great group of folks and is close, for some reason I’ve never really liked the course. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t suit me well. Combine that with the fact that both Cathy and I were beat from all the racing thus far this season coupled with really hard efforts the day before and the cold and windy weather we had, suffice to say motivation was low. There was even talk of not racing.
So on the start line I note that all the big guns show up, typical, statistics say I’m racing for like 10-15th place already. The initial surge is intense and Todd gets the hole shot, which is pretty impressive given the field. A half lap in I settle into a spot at about 12th place, right behind Todd and Matt M. On the run up to the track I passed Todd and went all out on the track into the head-wind to try and bridge to the group ahead. Unfortunately I could tell right there that my legs wanted no part of it. Todd passed me back at the barriers running like a man posessed and I tryied to will myself to hang on his wheel but couldn’t come close. I faded back and that was where I stayed. I could see Todd catch Matt and the two work together just ahead but I couldn’t bridge the gap. A large group had amassed behind me and was chasing hard so I worked to stay ahead of them. There you have it, caugh in no mans land for almost the entire race. I did manage to hop the mini-barricades one lap then proceeded to have my foot pop out of the pedal after the 1st barricade when I tried to do it again. This just added insult to injury. Fortunately I managed to stay ahead of the chase group but never managed to pull up to Matt, who Todd pulled away from on the final lap.
[Wayne Cunningham]
I didn’t feel any better then I had the day before and I had a head ache to boot. But I don’t know when to stop I guess. I got to the line in the 35+ field behind someone that was getting explained to him how a cross race worked. They were telling him that it was 45 minutes and you would see lap cards. I moved to another spot I did not want to follow a triathlete in his first race off the line. I got into a group that was working well but I was getting gaped coming out of the corners. I saw that two of our group of 5 were getting away so I did all I could to close it down. I had got back on with two laps to go. With one lap left in the race I again lost contact on the climb over the paved hill. I never got it back together and finished 25th. Well I think next weekend is a good time to take off. But just one.
Thanks for reading.