The course was at the Boulder Reservoir and was a bit different from the Colorado Cross last weekend. It had lots of turns out in the bumpy grass field, nothing down past the guard station, a full length trip through the deep sand of the volleyball court, and a small death spiral. Despite not being a Colorado Cross Cup the race had a good turn-out.
Foxtrot-Echelon Racing had 6 members line up and take on the Louisville Rec Center “Bowl of Death.” A second long run-up was added to make sure the course was extra painful.
Results
8th SM3: Brad Sims
8th SM4: Dave Vogel
9th 45+: Tim James
34th SM3: JD Whitney
35th SM4: Jon Maule
52nd SM4: Paul Shumate
Dave Vogel’s Race Report:
“Sunday’s race was at the Louisville Rec Center and was also race #3 of a 4 race series. I have raced this race before and did quite poorly in the 4′s so I was bound and determined to do well and try for a top 10. There were about 75 guys in the category for the 4′s. I registered early which gave a sweet 3rd row starting position and I knew that already there was a slight advantage in not having to pass riders, etc.
The course was super bumpy and catered to MTB riders. Bike handling skills would be a small factor today… At the start of the race I went off and held position in about 7th or so and simply carried the speed where and when needed while trying to not blow up. The run ups in the 4′s are a real deciding factor and a great place to be aggressive and pass…. so I did.
Overall the loopy course had some great run ups, some really bumpy singletrack, and good power spots to open things up. Keep in mind the rest of the pack was ALWAYS within striking distance and I just had to be as tough as I could and hold on. The last lap or two were getting tough on my lower back (no surprise) and starting to take its toll, but I could also see the other guys starting to fatigue as well so I knew that I had to keep rolling. After a beer feed from my buddy Hutch, I was good for one final lap. Just kidding, he gave me the option and I took water.
Towards the final lap 3 guys passed me in some power sections (the long back stretch), I then passed them back in a techinal switchback/ run up with the last guy getting caught by me on a sweet little climb right before the finish with a sprint finish to capture 8th place on the day of 68 finishers.
Thanks to Kirk for being cool and yelling at me and the team!! That’s such a good motivator. Good seeing Ciro, Brad, and JD out there rocking the 3′s, and a special thanks to my teammates Paul and John for racing out there.”