chagrin river cyclocross day #1 2010

This was the first race last year were I felt capable and overall in good form for the entire race. I was not dead legged and could respond to other racers sprints and hole shots. The 2009 chagrin river cx was also the first race that I had a real fun time attending. 2010 was just as good if not better. This year there seemed to be a larger crowd and the course though similar to last year was just as challenging and not nearly as wet and muddy. The race promoters put a good deal into this two day event, keg of beer, delicious chili, sweet food things, warm fire $3.00 a dozen free range eggs and a party tent. Major props to them. Saturdays race was costume mandatory so I decided to go as Abraham Lincoln. (side note later that night my girlfriend dress up as Baberaham lincoln and we won a costume contest as Abe and Babe) The costume worked pretty well, and everyone could immediately tell who I was dress as. No one likes explaining their Halloween costume ad nauseum. There were alot of good costumes out there on the course. Though there were still a few who even with the threat of a 30 second late start failed to show any Halloween spirit. Party poopers. Of course even if one shows up in the normal spandex team kit they still look like they just walked off the set of a 'Power Rangers' episode. The biggest costume issue I had was that for authenticity sake I zip tied the top had to my helmet, which added a foot or so of needed clearance on top of my head. Despite my efforts to be evasive I still managed to nail almost every low hanging branch on the course. The hat also proved to be a nuisance on the open field part of the course where it picked up a lot of the head wind. Enough so that in pictures you can see me looking at the ground to help ameliorate the strain the top hat was imposing. The hat wasn't the only mishap I also manage to drop my chain at the beginning of the third lap and spent the rest of the course struggling to chase down everyone who I had already passed. I haven't had a mechanical issue like that in a long time and I forgot how much it break up one's rhythm. I'm still skeptical about any advantage gained by changing to a geared bike. First off, the bike is 25% heavier and when the derailleur gets gunked up with leaves or mud the shifting is very inaccurate. This race I found myself having to shift down two and then up one to get the preferred gear. The tires are the best part of the change over to gears. The $12 a pop kendas have proven to do well in the thick mud, loose gravel and sand but are awful on cornering. As long as I'm going straight I'm okay. Secondly, even after re-fitting my bike and adjusting everything so it's as close to a perfect fit as I and several fit guides can get it my lower back is still killing me. Lastly my race place ratio hasn't changed, now I wasn't expecting an awesome sea change in my ability as a cx racer but I figured getting gears would lead to some improvement. I imagine if I had the money to afford a decent SiS system then I wouldn't be so jaded about going geared. I knew what I was getting into and just had to see if I could diy a geared cx bike from what was in my garage. Verdict: I could and it didn't make much of a difference. That being said I think after the season (which for me is three more races) I'm gonna break out the tools and go back to single speed. Also congrats to Jay Karp for taking the W on Saturday's B race.
I would have like to have raced on day two but decided to stop by the courts for a couple of games of bike polo and then home for some much needed homework catchup.