CXR at North Seatac Park 50+ 1/2 -- By Dwaine

The season finale was pure PNW cyclocross goodness. The course had a perfect balance of technical and fast sections. The run up was epic. The mud added challenge but was still rideable. I wasn't the only person who thought this might have been the most fun course of the year.

My field had only five starters. Off the line Chris Adolf challenged me for the holeshot. As we approached the first corner I made my bike real wide and Adolf relinquished. The field then let me lead for most of the first lap. Every time I looked back on that first lap all four of them were on my wheel.

The lap ended with a steep but rideable climb. At the end of that first lap Adolf flew right by me and took the lead on this hill.

I was content to follow Adolf. A minute or two later he chose a leisurely dismount for the staircase run-up and I regained the lead. My next shoulder check showed it was now Chris Rodde on my wheel. I continued to set a pace I could sustain. His patience ended just 90 seconds later.

Rodde passed me on a different short steep climb. I guess my climbing wasn't up to snuff. Or he just wanted take over the lead and up the pace.

Rodde is fast. I've only been able to get the better of him when his bike breaks. I spent some time sizing him up a couple weeks ago at Frontier Park. Through the corners we often take similar lines and have equal cornering speed. On most of the straights I can match his pace. But a few times a lap, when it matters most, usually accelerating onto a fast straight or on a climb, he outpowers me substantially.

On Sunday I stuck to him for the remainder of lap number two. And his strength showed predictably. He broke me on the same steep hill where Adolf got the best of me.

The remainder of my race was pretty lonely. Rodde rode out of sight. I continued to press so I could sweeten my gap over third place. Jonas was kind enough to give me the same advice every time I went past the barriers. The Hodala gang heckled me properly every lap. I finished in second. I was two minutes behind Rodde and a minute and change ahead of Greg Kauper in third.

At the season awards ceremony we learned that the season points followed the results on the day with Chris Rodde first, me in second, and Greg Kauper in third. When the announcer called us up for the podium I experienced my only gear failure of the year. The zipper on my ski jacket jammed and I was unable to reveal my Fell Swoop jersey for the podium photos. Sorry Z-dog.

In retrospect, despite that one wardrobe malfunction, I had a damn good season. I finished the CXR series with a second, four thirds, and one fourth.

I need to give thanks to the many people that made my season possible.

First up is the CXR crew. I've been doing a little more volunteering this year and am starting to understand how much work goes into these events. Despite a material setback this Fall the CXR crew continued to put on great events this year.

Patrick McCabe and his Grit City Health team have been helpful to both me and at least one other Fell Swooper this year. Patrick shared his insights on course analysis and I've leveraged those insights to level up my strategic thinking.

The encouragement I received from my teammates when I was racing helped me stay focused to the end. Jonas, Mike, and Craig always reminded me I better not phone it in. They kept me honest and suffering for every lap of every race.

My wife Deanne has continued to support me in person this year. She brought joy, smiles, and encouragement to most of my CX races this year. Her attendance also allowed our elderly dog 'Poppy' to attend most of the races. (: Poppy says that every day she gets a ride in the van is a good day :)

TTFN