(Photo courtesy of Amy)I am surprised by how many people told me that I should have loved the Northbrook course. The downhill turns I should have rocked. Instead, I rode it cleanly the first lap and went down the first turn the next three. I think I took it too fast but I'm still not sure. Each time I would think Yes, I cleaned it and then I would slide out. I was able to pop right back up so I actually don't think it lost me much time but it was still so infuriating to not clean a section you know you should be.
I did realize we need to change our tire setup though. After pre-riding, I was thinking my WTB cross wolves would be the better tires but they were on my Schwinn which I can't shoulder. We're going to put the WTB's on my bike and I'll bring Tom's wheels up with me which will give us both more options for racing. I'm learning. = )
But, back to why I didn't love this course -- No barriers! Also, those stairs blew. I thought I couldn't get a rhythm because of my short legs but I heard others say the same. And, even though there were fun off camber sections, there were also plenty of flat non-technical sections for speedy people.
It was my worst placing with an 11th. I wasn't dead last but only one off. Besides screwing up the one turn nearly every lap, I was also really cranky because I witnessed a girl lifting up the tape and riding under it as opposed to riding around a stopped rider. Going under the tape allowed her to not have to complete the last tight turn and to bypass completely the last left turn off the ski hill. She wasn't out of control when she went off course. She stopped, lifted up the tape and rode under it. I figured the officials would ask her about it, remind her not to cut the course and that would be it. They posted results, I went and asked the officials if they spoke to her and was told they hadn't seen the incident (which I totally understand) and that, basically, she was low in the placings so it didn't matter if she cut the course. WTF? And, they said that she wasn't still around. Yeah, but she was when I first brought it up. Grrr. It's not like I think it will change the series standings or anything but I still think they could have at least talked to her about it.
On a more upbeat note, I'll be near registration at Lansing (after my race) for the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation trying to get people to fill out surveys for our program to get people to use cars less and do more walking, commuting by bike and using mass transit. We take info. on a recent car trip you took and try to plan a route using bike, bus, train, etc. So, please stop by, fill out a survey and say hi to Christopher. = )
I did realize we need to change our tire setup though. After pre-riding, I was thinking my WTB cross wolves would be the better tires but they were on my Schwinn which I can't shoulder. We're going to put the WTB's on my bike and I'll bring Tom's wheels up with me which will give us both more options for racing. I'm learning. = )
But, back to why I didn't love this course -- No barriers! Also, those stairs blew. I thought I couldn't get a rhythm because of my short legs but I heard others say the same. And, even though there were fun off camber sections, there were also plenty of flat non-technical sections for speedy people.
It was my worst placing with an 11th. I wasn't dead last but only one off. Besides screwing up the one turn nearly every lap, I was also really cranky because I witnessed a girl lifting up the tape and riding under it as opposed to riding around a stopped rider. Going under the tape allowed her to not have to complete the last tight turn and to bypass completely the last left turn off the ski hill. She wasn't out of control when she went off course. She stopped, lifted up the tape and rode under it. I figured the officials would ask her about it, remind her not to cut the course and that would be it. They posted results, I went and asked the officials if they spoke to her and was told they hadn't seen the incident (which I totally understand) and that, basically, she was low in the placings so it didn't matter if she cut the course. WTF? And, they said that she wasn't still around. Yeah, but she was when I first brought it up. Grrr. It's not like I think it will change the series standings or anything but I still think they could have at least talked to her about it.
On a more upbeat note, I'll be near registration at Lansing (after my race) for the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation trying to get people to fill out surveys for our program to get people to use cars less and do more walking, commuting by bike and using mass transit. We take info. on a recent car trip you took and try to plan a route using bike, bus, train, etc. So, please stop by, fill out a survey and say hi to Christopher. = )
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