Grand Prix of Gloucester

Long story short: I finished 8th on Saturday and 21st on Sunday.

On Friday evening we arrived at the Gloucester house which was graciously provided by the Zanconato's. There we met up with a lot of Hupsters and cross buddies. They treated us to a delicious dinner of chicken & rice with vegetables. After catching up with everyone I think we settled down for a slumber around 10:30pm.

Course Description

• Long uphill pavement section
• Fast and bumpy grassy downhill followed by a 180 back up another 180 and back down
• Gravel path along the sea wall with a short choppy hill on a rough surface
  
• Fast and twisting grass section leading up to a set of barriers going uphill
• Another fast line by the rock into a 180 back toward the rock and around for another sea side stretch
• Sand pit with 3 snaking turns which was ridable if you had room.
  
• Smooth stretch of grass followed by a short uphill climb followed by a 180 descent
• Into an off camber turn and climb which wrapped around back down to the flat across the baseball diamond and eventually back to the start.
  

The Lowdown: Saturday I kitted up in the Hup Noir skinny and lined up in 2nd row position which was great for a field of 100+ racers. I managed a decent start and probably was in the top 15 for the first few laps of the race. I really tried to focus on riding smooth and not overcooking the 180s on the far side of the course. A fall on the first lap would be tough to overcome. I did have one minor slip when dismount around the corner for the first barrier but I didn't lose any spots. Around the 3rd lap it seemed that either I was moving up or a few guys were fading. I think I pace myself pretty well in cross, and usually am able to pick off a handful of riders ahead of me in the middle to last couple of laps. I never tried riding the sand pit in the race. It just seems to be too much of a gamble with other riders in the sand either running out of steam in front of you or not being able to get around a dismounted rider who has a bike on a shoulder. I was content to run it, but it was difficult to really gain any spots because of the 3 twists.

I was in 9th position when the bell rung on the start of 5th lap and trailing Cory from ECV. Unfortunately for him he got tangled in the tape coming off the hard right turn after the sea wall. His misfortune was my luck, as I was able to move past him and maintain 8th. Seventh looked to be unobtainable so I concentrated on riding everything clean and hang on to my place. A few minutes later and I was able achieve my goal of a top 10 place. Even though cross racing in Gloucester is fun, it was nice to get the race over with so I could relax a bit, enjoy the day, and cheer the rest of my friends on in their races. Final result was 8th of 105.

Sunday saw another beautiful morning in Gloucester about 10 degrees warmer. I went with the classic Hup blue skinny. The course went unchanged which I believe was different than in years past where they altered it a bit for the 2nd day. That was fine with me as I felt I had a good grasp of it from the race yesterday and about 3 or 4 practice laps that morning. Again my pre-reg mouse clicking skills afforded me a 2nd row starting position. The whistle blew and we were off and charging up the pavement. I did not get as good of a start as Saturday and was probably somewhere around 20 or so. I do remember passing a good of amount of racers on the first barrier run-up which was a great feeling especially with all the Hup people cheering me on.

I continued moving up into 14th, 13th in the 2nd lap. I was surprised when emcee extraordinaire Richard Fries announced 4 to go which meant one more lap than the previous day. That boiled down to about 7 extra minutes of suffering.

I managed to move up to the 11th position by 4th lap and then made a pass before the short uphill into the SRAM section. I really should have went a bit harder on the pavement and made a move as I appeared to be having an easier time than the group I was following. But I sat in and was conservative. Riding along the sea wall I felt my rear Michelin Mud tire go flat... OI VEY! I continued to ride it out since they are cheap wheels. I probably lost about 5 places by the time I reached the pits. And who knows how many places were lost in the time changing wheels. I would certainly have lost a lot more time if not for her help. Thank you mystery mechanic woman!

I got back in it and was able to snag a few spots back in that lap. But the final two laps I gassed a bit and had to settle in and battle with a group of about 4 for the rest of the race. In the end I was too hesitant to make a move on the rider ahead of me in the twisty SRAM section and he was able to out sprint me for the 20th spot of 98. I was happy to finish the race in a decent place but would have liked to have contended for the top 10 again.


Woulda Should Coulda: Sunday's pinch flat on my 3rd lap was unfortunate. I was in 10th position when it happened. I'm thinking I probably lost a little over a minute getting to the pit and mounting my spare wheel. Oh well, it was still a decent race and with the extra lap I think I was able to move up a few more places. That was my second flat of the season. Tubbies next year? Perhaps.

One to Grow On: Go for the pass more often. In retrospect I often think that I ride a little to conservatively and get comfortable with the group I'm following. I need to start making "moves". Though "moves" are a difficult concept for me to grasp in a race when I already feel like I'm givin'er'it all she's got.

Post Race Fuel Ups: Saturday I was determined to get some nutritious food into my system. My lunch consisted of 2 slices of pizza and one of the sausages from the vendors. Maybe not the fuel of champions but they were very dericious and that's what mattered (at the time)!

That evening the Zanconato's again treated a huge contingent of cross racers and family to an awesome spaghetti and meatball dinner. There was so much great food, homemade apple pie and chocolate chip cookies, were just a few of the highlights. The Zank's hospitality was amazing. In hindsight, I think I may have had one meatball too many ... since I would go on to pinch flat the next day ;-)

Sunday, my buddy Chris came up to watch the races. and he suggested that Gretchen, Robert and myself go to Sugar Magnolia in downtown Gloucester. We waited for a table for a lil bit, but the breakfast cuisine was well worth it. I went with the East Side omelet which consisted of spinach, tomato, bacon and swiss cheese. I also ate a large portion of Chris' blueberry pancakes, which had a spectacular amount of blueberries. So good! We left Gloucester after the 2/3 race and then I spent the rest of the day on the couch watching the Patriots and munching on snacks.

Overall it was an amazing weekend of racing and fun. So many good people with a shared passion is a recipe for good times. It was great hanging out with everyone!

At 4 and half months preggers, my wife Gretchen was a super supporter this weekend. She took pictures, and helped me get all my gear ready -- even brought my spare wheels down to the pits so I could spend the time pre-riding the course! Many of the top cross racers in Belgium have supporters and fans, and in this tradition I would like to get her a "Supporter of Tom Needham" jacket. Then again unless it was cashmere maybe that wouldn't be so cool, she'd probably prefer some treats from the olive bar and foot rubs! I am a very lucky guy to have such a supportive wife who is happy to help me make my cross obsessions a reality on the weekends.

On Tap Next: Mansfield Hollow