Tri-State Velo

Here is a report from Justin Woulfe on the final race of the season:

Wonderland Cyclocross Race-PA State Championships

Sleet, and low 30s made it a beautiful morning as I headed out to Lancaster on Saturday December 8, 2007. The weather soon cleared, but the course conditions were far from ideal. What would have otherwise been an extremely fast, wide open, grass circuit became a snow-covered mudfest.

Keeping in mind some of the tips Steve Lehman has been coaching me on, namely seated power at a high cadence, I opted to run a 12x35 on the rear and a single 44 on the front so I didn’t need to worry about gumming up the front deraulier, or having to stand in the slick muddy parts.

The strategy worked well. After taking the hole shot, and the early lead, I maneuvered the low portion of the course, managing to stay on the bike when many running a typical road setup (12x25) were forced to dismount and run. I managed to open a small hole along with 2 others.
As it was only the C race, I knew that a succession of attacks would quickly drop those remaining.

After crossing the first set of barriers, I quickly remounted and attacked. One rider managed to keep to my wheel. When I reached the pavement section I attacked again and kept my effort up through the remainder of the lap, opening an advantage of about 40 seconds.

With one lap remaining, my strategy turned from opening a gap to staying upright. The rising temperatures melted much of the snow making the course even more treacherous. Turning was accomplished by sliding the rear around as mud and ice caked brakes became useless.

I rounded the final turn and crossed the finish with 1:30 over second place, taking the PA State Cyclocross C Men’s Championship. The win, combined with three others at Lehigh Valley Velo-Cross, The Whirly Bird Cross, and Spring Mount Cross, allowed me to sweep the PA Cyclocross Series.

Next cross season will present a true challenge, as my race results this year will allow me to upgrade to CAT 2 and compete at the Elite level. Look for me near the rear.

Justin Woulfe