Race: Thomson Cross Classic
Place: LH Thomson Company, Macon, GA
Date: 11-23-2002
Time: 36 minutes
Distance: 6.5 miles
Speed: 11.9 mph
The Thomson Cross Classic was held in Macon, GA at the factory of L. H. Thomson, one of the premier bicycle component manufacturers in the US. The course was approximately one mile long and very flat. It started out with a long road sprint to a left hand turn that doubled back on the road's shoulder. It turned right through tall grass and looped back around to the first barrier section-an off camber barrier with a downhill run to a smelly creek. A short uphill was followed by a quick jaunt across part of the parking lot to a large field. The second run up was 3 barriers. The course then cut into the woods through some smooth singletrack before coming back out into the field for another barrier romp. It cut across the field one last time before the final run up, which was a shallow concrete ditch followed by a steep hill with a barrier at the top. The course then went back out on the road.
Nine women started with about 20 other riders in the Category C race. I got a front row starting position near Lisa Ropke (Independent Fabrications). After the signal to go, the start was chaotic. I found myself in the Top 10 going down the road. About a third of the way down the pavement, I heard a crash behind me. I nearly came to a halt as we approached the first left turn. No one was going through it fast other than the first few riders that were not caught in the traffic jam. I glanced up and saw Lisa away with the top men. I tried to maintain my position but was being passed left and right until the first barrier. I did a traditional cyclocross dismount and hopped over the barrier and through the creek. I smelled the creek for the first time, and my nose was not happy. I mounted in one swift move and crossed the parking lot and tried to pick a good gear for the short hill up to the field. The field would take its toll on many riders backs because it was so bumpy. The transition over the second barrier section was smooth. I shifted into my big ring and hit the singletrack. Ah, home! I swiftly carved through the short woodsy section and came back out into the field. My legs felt good, and I was breathing hard as I went over the third run up. I passed by the pits and the cheers of some of the spectators, which really kept me going. I hopped off and darted across the creek but walked up the steep hill and over the barrier at the top. Back to the road section did not mean taking a rest; I cranked as hard as I could until I came to the left hand turn. I looked back and saw a pack of several women about 10 seconds back, which was a little closer than I'd like them to be. I sped up through the next few sections. As I dismounted to go over the second set of barriers, I tripped and saw my shins hitting the immobile barrier. I threw my wait back and staggered over the first hurdle, threw myself over the second, and managed to get over the third without hitting my legs while still carrying my bike. I took a deep breath as I remounted. I used the singletrack to refocus and get back into racing rhythm. The rest of the lap passed uneventfully. For the next two laps, the gap would grow between myself and the group of women behind me. When I looked back, I saw the group get smaller each lap. Somewhere in between the second and third lap, a woman passed me, so she thinks. She later claimed that she got a bad start, but I never saw her pass me, nor did anyone else see her in front of me. That continues to remain a mystery. I came into the fifth lap thinking that I had one more to go, but I got lapped by the men's leaders. I pushed the pace as hard as I could knowing that they might finish all of us on this lap. I was in my big ring most of the lap. As effortlessly hopped off over the first barrier section and crossed through the smelly creek one last time. I pushed myself very hard into the second barrier set and through the singletrack. I nearly caught one of the men that had been ahead of me for most of the race, but he got away as we approached the third run up. The third barrier section proved to be the greatest challenge as the hurdles were higher than on the other sections. I barely made it over them without tripping. My legs began to tire, and my back was hurting from boucning through the grass field for 5 laps. My bike is very stiff and unforgiving. I walked the final run up and got back on quickly. I finished strong.
There was a lot of confusion about the results from some of the races. There were 9 women. First place was not in question. Lisa had a great race and beat us all, but she did not lap me! The other woman claims to have passed me, but I never remember it nor does anyone recall seeing her in front of me. Perhaps she got lost in the confusion of the race and no one looked for her to be ahead of me. She had never raced in the Georgia CX series before. She put up such a protest, that I tried to be the better person and give her second place. I placed ahead of Kim Budde (Nalley Automotive), which is what I had to do in order to keep the chase on for second place overall in the series. Becky (unattached) had her best race yet and finished 4th.
The Master's Mens races were competitive although small. The remote location kept some racers away. Tony Scott again took top honors in the 30+ race with series leader Lamar Mauney having an excellent race in the 40+ division. Andy Johnston maintained his dominance over the Men's A category.