'Cross Nationals are going to be crazy. From December 9-11 Providence, RI is going to be the capital of the 'Cross Nation. With riders coming from all of the country the fields are going to be jam packed. I've cut back my racing & travelling this season to make CX Natz my road trip for the year. I'm doing the Masters 35-39 and the B's.
The Masters 35-39 race is at 141 riders and counting.
The B field had to be split up by age as 300 riders on the course might be just a little too ridiculous...not that 150 will be much better. The B 35+ race is already at 144 riders!
Fields that size will make for complete insanity at the start. The leaders will be well onto the course before riders at the back have even clipped in.
The one thing that I have going for me is the start line seeding policy, which favors early registrants. I was lucky enough to check the race website the morning it went live so I registered right away.
For the 35-39 race it'll be the top 10 from 2004, recent from National Champions, medalists from younger category in 2004, and then by order of registration. So that will probably be about 15-20 riders called up. I'm listed as 3rd on registration order so hopefully I'll get a spot on the third row. There are a ton of strong dudes way faster than me, so I have no illusions of riding anywhere near the leaders. But, having a decent starting position should allow me to ride a decent race and maybe stay in front of the chaos until things settle down.
For the B race they say it'll be strictly by order of registration. I'm on list list at 2nd in order of reg so even if they do some discrectionary call up's I should be in the first two rows. I'll do the start like I'm trying to outrun an avalanche, because with 144+ riders it'll suck to get buried in the middle of that scrum.
I'm going to Providence to race hard, but mostly to have fun and enjoy the experience. It'll be easier to enjoy and to actually RACE if I'm not starting 100 riders deep. After racing the focus will be on pitting for teammates, ringing a cowbell, and drinking Chimay.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Thinking about Nationals
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5 comments:
i've started thinking about going up just to shoot the races...
You should do it. Natz is going to be quite a spectacle & a big party taboot!
How did you find out your resgistration order?? I thought they were listed Alphabetically???... Thanks for visiting my site... Introduce yourself at the next race...
Yeah, alphabetically. A for Allen, A for Ambagis, what is Sven trying to tell us??????
Actually, there is a sort by buttom and one of the choices is by order of registration. I am number 43 baby! Only 101 riders behind me. My goal is to not get lapped in the B's and I will make that happen!
Fort James
It's going to be a freaking mess. I know I'll have a huge case of nerves on the start line. Hopefully, I won't crap my drawers.
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