Chris Davidson’s Diary – USGP Mercer Day 2

November 18th, 2009 by Chris Davidson 576 views No Comment

Chris is a veteran of the road scene, having wrenched for teams such as Mercury, TMobile, Nurnberger, Navigators and USA Cycling in the past. 2008 and 2009 have found Chris in the service of the UCI Continental squad, Team Type 1.

For the 2009/2010 cyclocross season, Chris is working for Champion Systems rider Chris Jones. Jones opened his season with a dramatic 2^nd place at CrossVegas and has consistently been in the top five of the NACT and USGP events.

Mercer Cup – Sunday
Well Saturday was definitely a positive day for Chris, as he quickly recovered from a lack of sleep and tackled the most serious mud we have faced this year. He was podium bound for most of the race until a crash with 2 to go relegated him to 4^th place. Spirits were high last night given the placing the obstacles, and with the improving weather forecast, Sunday looked good.

The post race washing from Saturday took me a while. I washed the bikes post race at the venue with the available powerwashers, but then took some extra steps at the hotel once we returned. Overall the equipment made it through the mud and repeated powerwashing quite well. Once clean and dry, some cable and housing was all that needed to be replaced. I will put BB bearings on the ‘things-to-do’ list for next week.

Sunday arose with clear skies and some sun. The drying-out process was in motion. Some sections of the course were so wet from the previous day that they actually got worse – the mud grew stickier as it lost some water content. Overall, the course was firmer and faster. Chris warmed up with the Rhino 32mm on both bikes, but chose to switch to the Grifos on both bikes just before the start.

First lap bike change and Chris was asking for the Rhinos back on both bikes. He was actually spinning the Grifos under power on some sections of the course. Tires swapped, we went with a bike change a lap for the first few laps and then he rode the same bike for the second half do the race.

I watched from the pits as Chris struggled with the pace and the course for the second half of the race. He had his head down each time through the pits, no exchange of info was necessary. Despite his difficulty, he managed 10^th place on the day. After the race he spoke of the late night Friday and the lack of sleep catching up with him. He admitted that he “just did not have it” today. No problem, an off day and he still is top ten, not a disaster by any means.

And if there was a day to be a little off, Sunday was the day. Saturday’s race was UCI classified as C1, where Sunday’s race was a C2 race. Chris already has the max point scoring C2 races, so the only result Sunday that would have counted for him would have been a win or a 2^nd place.

Post race bike wash, then I got the bikes over to Troy at Cannondale/ Cyclocrossworld.com. Our race bikes get to ride in the trailer to Southampton for next weekend, we are so fortunate for Troy’s help with this.

The most positive aspect of the weekend is that Chris’ form seems to be building at the right time. The near-podium 4^th place ride on Saturday shows that he can compete for the win even in nasty conditions. Southampton, Portland, then Bend. We will have our own complete powerwashing setup for the last two races, as it is wise to expect the worst when heading to the Pacific Northwest.

In the meantime, Focus has provided Chris with a 4^th frame for the last races. Time to build up one more bike to ensure that we have all the bases covered for events leading up to nationals. Portland’s potential for foul weather has us respectfully concerned.

In more East coast weekend left, I am looking forward to the Hamptons. See you there.

Thanks-

Chris Davidson