Had a really good ride on Sunday on a course that I'm still not sure that I like that much, Sutton Road. A little bit of history for you, about 9 months ago I rocked up to my first XC race after getting the hardtail. And thought "Right A Grade road = Sport A MTB", ah no it doesn't. Needless to say I got an absolute pasteing that day, by both the course and other riders. Sutton Road is a very tight twisty single track course link by 4-5 fire roads and 2 major fire road climbs included in the loop for a total of 7km. Now the downhills are fun and with good flow but there is just something about the flats and uphills/ pinch climbs that just kicks the sh!t out of you. Also as per last time it rained the night before leaving water all over the course specifically through the corners!
Sunday dawned to be a nice fresh day, the over night rain had cleared but a nip in the air....winter is on it's way and it's going to be early. Get to the course early, register, change and debate about going for a lap. "Hmmm cold, still a bit wet. I know lets just go sit in the car for another 15mins then do it" Nothing like putting the warm up lap off cause your too soft. So 15 minutes later out of the car and rolling, looking for the twists and tweaks the "Trail Fairy" has added for this race. Sure enough there are 4 or so changes from the previous circuit including a couple of new lines. One in particular was going to catch people out, more on that later.....
Get back to the car, warm-up jacket is covered in mud, glasses are filthy yeah this is going to be fun.
Lap 1
Marshaling is staged at the bottom of the fire road before the right hand flick and onto the single track. Sport B men line up, depleted field from the previous field at Sparrow but still 10 or 12 starters. Count down and we're off. I didn't get a front row start this time so no hole shot, but I know that this course requires a bit of pacing because of the amount of climbing and flat. Into the first section of single track, turn around woops second last! going to need to move up when we hit the next fire road section. Out and on the road and hot the jets! in 150m of fire road I go from second last to fourth into the next second of track. The next second is about 4k with of flowing tight single track no real passing opportunities. I'm just full on concentrating following wheel and lines in front. The we come to new section of track that I mentioned early, an optical illusion. Looks like the track goes left but it's not, it's a short right then left then continues. If you screw it like the first couple of guys do you end up in off track and have to try and turn around and double back. So I'm now in second place and we are out on the fire trail at the bottom end of the course, time to start the climbing! I get jumped by a couple of guys here but I'm OK it's a long haul back up to the top. Off the fire trail and on single track running parallel cross over half way up more single track then back at the finish.
Second Lap
Starting to hit traffic now, so having to be patient and remember my manners and not yell too loud. This can be a blessing and a curse on a tight circuit, this time round it wasn't an issue with all the riders I came up behind pulling off the track ASAP. This lap was about trying to keep in contact with the two in front which I didn't....it really was kinda painful just watching them ever so slowly ride off.
Third Lap
Threw down a gel at the start of this lap to keep the energy up. I also knew I had a rider chasing me and they were every so slowly getting closer. This was actually good as it forced me to focus and just keep pushing. By now the two in front were gone so I had no rabbits to chase. By the end of this lap I was feeling hammer, I said at the start that there is just something really draining about this course.
Last Lap
The rider behind was still there. Yo-yoing a bit he would get a little closer on some the downhills then I would open it up again whenever the road turned up. I hit some more traffic early in the lap and he closed the gap right down. It was nose to tail until a break out onto the fire road about halfway through the first single track section. Then he went around me, because of the speed that he caught me I knew I could hang with him till the finish. He kept pushing trying to get away through the single track but I was hanging like glue....I had a plan in mind. Cross over the main fire road to the second section, through there and back out for the haul up the fire road. Now being a roadie, there was no way I was coming round him, up-hill and head wind, I don't think so! So I'm just sitting, waiting. Then just before the single track I jump him, hit 'em with everything left. It's still uphill but there are no passing opportunities through this section and I'm gone! Back out onto the fire road and I pass the rider who gave it full gas right from the get go, he's gone in la la land. Into the last second of single track then across the line.
I wasn't sure how good my counting was but at that stage I guesses I finished 3rd or 4th. It wasn't till the results went up later in the day that I confirmed 3rd.
Power File
This was always going to be interesting to have a look at compared to the enduro from the week before. Because of the nature of the course the power was down almost constantly.
Normalised Power:260
VI:1.15
Avg HR:168
So almost 50w more power for XC then the enduro. What I was surprised at was the HR, I haven't raced with an average that high in ages. The pace for me was very quick on this course. I might have been able to have kept it up for another lap but would have started to fade. All up a good comparsion.
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