Normally when I line up at a Cyclocross race, I'm one of the few - if not the only idiot on a single speed rig. However at Dorothy McAlinden Park in Northern Reno this past Saturday, I revved my pedals with at least a dozen other one-geared spinners, enough to even warrant our own start time.
I managed to score the hole-shot on the only sandy run-up and led the group for the first lap. Had I been monitoring my heart-rate during this initial pull, I wouldn't have charged so hard. Once the lactic started pouring in, it didn't stop for 60 minutes. For the next few laps, my legs got heavier and heavier, and I was passed by more and more riders. I didn't settle into a rhythm until the last few laps, but that was far too late for a good result. My average heart-rate was 176 bpm, just 2 beats shy of my threshold. This puts my effort on par with the 90 minute chase down of the peleton Nate and I made during the 2008 Nevada City Classic.
Make sure to watch this awesome head-cam footage from the first lap, courtesy of Team Bacon Strip.
If you watch the video, you can see how much slower I am pedaling than the folks behind me, I think my 36x16 gearing is still too hard, even for a flat course. In the end I suffered hard,and that's all that really matters.
Glad you dug the video. It almost didn't happen because I was so spent from setting up the course. I'll be down at Golden Gate to duke it out with you guys again, hopefully with a little fresher legs.
Shawn