Monster Cross 2015 Report

Summary

What can you really say about a 3.5 hour race? We started. I immediately tangled with my passenger and eventual Women's Cross division winner Clio Dinan who got pushed into me in the first turn. I was more worried about her going down than me. After the pseudo-neutral start, I dialed the heart rate up to 11 and kept it there for the next 3:28. By the end of the first lap I was mostly riding alone, though I did catch the 6th place 50+ guy with about 15km to go. My efforts were good enough for 5th place (of 38) in the 50+ (58th/250+ overall) and a box of Skratch cookie mix.

Unlike 2013, I stayed at the same heartrate for nearly the entire race (175bpm), instead of fading on the second lap.

Conditions

60F by the finish. Muddier than past years. The fire roads, which had been dusty-dry in previous years had long stretches of watt-sapping mud about 1 inch deep. 

Rig

• Specialized Crux
• Stans No-Tubes alpha 340 with Challenge "Gravel Grinder 38s @ 60psi

The state of the bike at the end

Challenge Gravel Grinder 38mm with latex inner tubes

Observations

The pros are clearly doing something that I am not, since they are not affected by the conditions like I am. Consider the winner's finishing time from previous years. I speculate that his better momentum management means that he's accelerating many fewer times.

2015 2:42:48  Jeremiah Bishop  Me: 3:28:47 delta = 44:59

2014 2:39:31  Jeremiah Bishop DNF (was on about a 3:05 pace)

2013 2:33:13 Jeremiah Bishop 3:05:23 delta = 32:10

Bishop was only 3 minutes slower, where I was more like 25 minutes slower. 

Results 

• 2015: 3:28:47 58/252 overall and 5/38 in the 50+
• 2014: DNF--two flats before the 1/2-way point
• 2013: 3:05:23  71/382 overall and  9/46 in 50+
• 2012: 3:17:33  58/336 overall and 12/50 in 40-49

Links to results

• 2015
• 2014
• 2013 By Division
• 2012 By Division (broken link)