GP of Ithaca

First off let me say thanks to JB for putting on another great race. This was my third year doing the race, kind of, stupid knee last year. If you havent done this race you need to do it next year. The course is always challenging with one of more technical routes taking advantage of all the terrain in the park. Luckily the sandpit was off limits this year so that wasnt part of the course. I dont think anyone complained about that. :)
This year TSB was a sponsor of the race. It has been really cool seeing cross grow, but especially on our team over the last few years leading up to us sponsoring such a great event. I am hoping that we can help out again next year.

A few of us made it over on saturday to help set up the course and get a few pointers at the same time. I have never set up a cross course before, and have a new respect for how much work it takes. Setting up the course is just a small part of putting something like this on, I cant imagine how much work Brian & Kristi put into making it all happen over the course of a year.

So after how bad I did at the double cross last weekend I decided that I wasnt quite ready for the B`s just yet so this week I raced the C class. This year I think there were 24 guys lined up at the start which was cool to see the turn out grow over the last few years. I was feeling pretty good, and it seems like my cold is mostly gone now. We rode a few a laps on saturday and I got a good warm up in on the course. My legs were feeling a bit sore, but not bad. So I got to line in the front row, and debated trying to get the prime. I thought better of it, figuring that if I tried I would be cooked on the first lap. So the whistle blows and we are off up the hill. I look around and I am sitting pretty much even with a couple of guys for the lead and the prime. I gave a few more strong cranks, but decided it wasnt worth it and a couple of other guys were already starting to open a bit of a gap. Most of the race was a blur of suffering and pain, but it seemed I was second going into the grass. From there I lost a spot and dropped back to thrid and then fourth. There were a lot of crashes around me but I was able to get around a couple of them, but they never really happened in a spot where I could open up much of a gap. I rode in fourth place most of the race. I could catch the guy in front of me but at times but he able to gap me in certain parts of the course where he was a bit stronger than me, then I would catch him in the areas that I was better. That was pretty much it for the entire race. The last lap a guy got my fourth place and slight bobble cost me the chance to sprint with him to the line.
I am really happy with the results even though I know I could of done better, but that is racing there always places where you could of done better that you think about after the race.