So far: PyZahl's laps
And here from Cycling News the results.
Some more reading here at Cyclocrossworld.com.
And they messed up PyZahl's name to Perce :-[
And here from Cycling News the results.
Some more reading here at Cyclocrossworld.com.
And they messed up PyZahl's name to Perce :-[
To make a short story from a long extraordinary experience and day, he will tell it in very brief now:
Saturday morning, usual breakfast, loading all the equipment in the car, loading extra water and hydrating drinks and bars, driving to Southampton. Registering for the Masters 35+, getting a one day race license. Preparing for the race, some eating and drinking, warmup, checking out the course, i.e. riding a few laps. It is a great warm day and all looks fine.Chatting with friends. Warmup road ride and more hydrating, there is no time for feeding or drinking for the next 50 minutes. Lineup at the start and off they go.
The start sprint is fast and PyZahl figures quickly that this is one important part of the game as it sorts the riders for the first time and this may be crucial not to get stuck behind less skilled riders at the first technical section... as he experienced on the second day.
This is how the course looked like to the riders the first day:
The course started out on paved road, a short grass section, again a strait road run and a turn onto grass, fast moving on grass and a few turns on sandy bumps and patches followed by a long run on grass out to a little pile of loose sand and dirt to climb/run over, a dismount for almost everyone. Then a fast decent on grass towards a dip with some coarse gravel starting to climb a bit, tricky turn at the gate and the steep hard rate busting climb if not a dismount. This done a nice single trail section in the woods featuring a messy sandy turn. Coming out of the woods down the hill on grass to the 1st forced dismount at the double barrier which is to run/jump with the bike. A longer grassy ride and up the hill to the second forced dismount for two logs leading into the woods again followed by a trail section in the woods. Leaving the woods on grass to the start, beginning the second lap...
The sprint at every further lap and the long grassy run left worse every time and maxed out the heart rate, as the following climb did. The third lap and fourth lap was painful to the mind but with less laps to go from that it felt better again. Also he spotted just arrived friends supporting him -- that was great and gave a little extra motivation. Thanks for coming! PyZahl worked himself up a few places, as he lost time at the start sprint... Quite some new experiences from several points of view, and as he is not especially well trained for short intense activities, he was pretty happy with his result.
That done, a little refreshment at his car and changing into more comfortable outfit felt good.
The rest of the day was pure fun and great entertainment by the upcoming races of Cat 2/3 and the elite girls and boys... :-)
He took an almost unbelievable number of photos...
... until the last race was over and he made his way back home looking forward to an shower to get rid of all that dirt. That seamed so simple, but to his big surprise and anger he had to find out that there was a water main busted close to him home and not a single droplet of water was available that whole evening -- that sucks, really sucks -- can you imagine coming home from a race, all dirty and then that? He needed to relax, to cook, to wash closes, to prepare for the next day, and now? He had to bake a new bread -- he started that, hoping for the best... 7pm... 8pm.... 9pm.... nothing. That sucks. He got back to his car and drove to the Camp to have a shower and get some water on the way home. Is that fortune?
Here is the race day schedule:
Men, Women, U23's must have valid UCI license to participate. License available day of race. Must have birth certificate or valid passport to purchase. We reserve the right to combine fields with fewer than fifteen entrants, and adjust prize lists accordingly.
Saturday morning, usual breakfast, loading all the equipment in the car, loading extra water and hydrating drinks and bars, driving to Southampton. Registering for the Masters 35+, getting a one day race license. Preparing for the race, some eating and drinking, warmup, checking out the course, i.e. riding a few laps. It is a great warm day and all looks fine.Chatting with friends. Warmup road ride and more hydrating, there is no time for feeding or drinking for the next 50 minutes. Lineup at the start and off they go.
The start sprint is fast and PyZahl figures quickly that this is one important part of the game as it sorts the riders for the first time and this may be crucial not to get stuck behind less skilled riders at the first technical section... as he experienced on the second day.
This is how the course looked like to the riders the first day:
The course started out on paved road, a short grass section, again a strait road run and a turn onto grass, fast moving on grass and a few turns on sandy bumps and patches followed by a long run on grass out to a little pile of loose sand and dirt to climb/run over, a dismount for almost everyone. Then a fast decent on grass towards a dip with some coarse gravel starting to climb a bit, tricky turn at the gate and the steep hard rate busting climb if not a dismount. This done a nice single trail section in the woods featuring a messy sandy turn. Coming out of the woods down the hill on grass to the 1st forced dismount at the double barrier which is to run/jump with the bike. A longer grassy ride and up the hill to the second forced dismount for two logs leading into the woods again followed by a trail section in the woods. Leaving the woods on grass to the start, beginning the second lap...
The sprint at every further lap and the long grassy run left worse every time and maxed out the heart rate, as the following climb did. The third lap and fourth lap was painful to the mind but with less laps to go from that it felt better again. Also he spotted just arrived friends supporting him -- that was great and gave a little extra motivation. Thanks for coming! PyZahl worked himself up a few places, as he lost time at the start sprint... Quite some new experiences from several points of view, and as he is not especially well trained for short intense activities, he was pretty happy with his result.
That done, a little refreshment at his car and changing into more comfortable outfit felt good.
The rest of the day was pure fun and great entertainment by the upcoming races of Cat 2/3 and the elite girls and boys... :-)
He took an almost unbelievable number of photos...
... until the last race was over and he made his way back home looking forward to an shower to get rid of all that dirt. That seamed so simple, but to his big surprise and anger he had to find out that there was a water main busted close to him home and not a single droplet of water was available that whole evening -- that sucks, really sucks -- can you imagine coming home from a race, all dirty and then that? He needed to relax, to cook, to wash closes, to prepare for the next day, and now? He had to bake a new bread -- he started that, hoping for the best... 7pm... 8pm.... 9pm.... nothing. That sucks. He got back to his car and drove to the Camp to have a shower and get some water on the way home. Is that fortune?
****
Here is the race day schedule:
| CATEGORY | DISTANCE | START TIME | FEE | PRIZES | ||
Cat 3/4 Men | 40 | minutes | 11:00 AM | $20 | merch/3 places | |
Cat 3/4 Women | 30 | minutes | 11:00 AM | $20 | merch/3 places | |
Juniors 10-14 | 2 | laps | 11:00 AM | $5 | merch/3 places | |
Juniors 15-18 | 45 | minutes | 12:00 PM | $20 | $200/5 places | |
Masters Men 35+ | 45 | minutes | 12:00 PM | $20 | $200/5 places | |
Cat 2/3 Men | 50 | minutes | 1:15 PM | $20 | merch/5 places | |
Elite Women | 40 | minutes | 2:30 PM | $35 | $4,250/30 places** | |
Elite/U23 Men | 60 | minutes | 3:45 PM | $35 | $4,250/30 places | |
******
Alright, PyZahl managed to sight all the photos he took, so
here are a few photos, more are to be found at the usual place.
here are a few photos, more are to be found at the usual place.
Master 35+
Cat 3/4 Men/Women/Juniors
Cat 2/3 men
Cat 2/3 men
Elite womens
Elite men
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