Richmond Festival of Cross

Jean and I went down to Richmond for the 2-day omnium event at the Richmond Festival of Cross. We had a great time and strongly recommend it to you guys for next year. The fields were much smaller than what we're used to in the MABRA and MAC, but races were spirited and full of "Hupitude." The races were structured as a 2-day omnium consisting of races at two venues and a one-lap time trial on Saturday’s course.

The Venues

- The Chimborazo Park venue was fantastic. Lots of elevation change and a great mixture of grass, pavement, dirt, stairs, and long stretches of real cobblestones -- all with a great view of the James River and downtown Richmond.

- The Bryan Park venue was unlike any 'cross race I've done: flat, fast, and not terribly technical, kind of like a road crit with a few dirt and grass sections and two sets of barriers. I did the entire race in my 48-tooth big ring and actually spent the road sections drafting other riders (at least until I popped from the lead group).

- The Omnium consisted of two races plus a one-lap time trial of Saturday's course. Each event was weighted evenly, so it really paid to race all three and do well in the TT. Unfortunately, prizes went only one deep for the omnium and 3 deep for each of the races.

The Races

- I signed up for the 35+ Omnium. Unlike MABRA, VACX still uses the old-school A, B, and C designations. Masters, however, get their own category. We had about 21 guys in the 35+ group and a smaller group of 45+ guys that started one minute later. I had a decent start and slotted into the top 5 for the first two laps. That's when I started to fade -- losing several spots until I found a second wind and made back a spot or two to finish 6th. Technically and mechanically it was a smooth race.

- After recovering, and after meeting up with George, who had come down for the B race, I got a wild hare and decided to sign up for the B's. The field was much bigger, about 41 guys. I had a decent start and slotted into the top 10. The speeds were higher than the 35+ race the field was a little out-of-control going through the opening grass turns, but things settled down mid-lap. My legs were cooked from the earlier race and I allowed George and a few other guys to come by. On the second lap I clocked a cobblestone with my rear tire and was convinced I’d flatted [I’m calling it a “mental flat”]. I attempted a bike change in the “pit,” but I had neglected to check the air pressure on the pit bike before the race (my Grifo’s tend to leak air rather quickly). So I tossed the pit bike and jumped back on the A bike, losing several more spots. During the next lap Jean pumped up the pit bike tires and I took it the next time around to finish the race. By the end I was 22nd and completely wasted from the heat, adrenaline, and constant elevation change of the course.

- Less than 30 minutes later, I did the one-lap time trial. All those laps on the course really helped here: I rode cleanly and gutted out a 6:20 lap, good enough for 3rd place in the Masters.

- Sunday’s race was completely different. I had a great start on the road, making the turn onto the gravel in 3rd place. I got crossed up with a guy in an early turn and had to close a 20 foot gap but came back out onto the road sitting on the back of a five-person lead group. Somewhere in lap 2 or 3 I made a small mistake and lost contact with the lead group. Losing contact was trouble, because the road sections were long enough that drafting was critical for a few minutes recovery. Scott T. did well to hang with that lead group after I popped off. After that, I started my now-common fade and lost several spots. I made two or three back in the waning laps and finished 8th on the day, good enough for 4th overall in the omnium.

I strongly recommend going down to Richmond for these races. They were low-key events but the races were hard-fought and fast. We especially need more ladies to race, because Jean’s A field had only 3 riders each day – not enough for her second-place finishes to qualify for upgrade points. But she did win some $$ – enough to fund a fantastic dinner at small Italian restaurant on VCU’s campus downtown.

Links to some great pics here and here.