xc62701
Well-Known Member
Boxbaum Bash
H2H Series - Men Cat 2, 45+
Aug 8, 2022
I decided earlier in the week to jump into the final race of the H2H series after seeing somewhere that the course up at Port Jervis was less climby/more flow than the Point Peter Pounder version. Part of Painted Apron was in the course... Sign me up!!!!
The Cat 2 race was an 11am start, and Port Jervis is about a 90 minute drive, so I wasn't really in a rush to get out the door. Thankfully I remembered to bring the number plate from the Jungle fiasco, as H2H uses a series plate. Phew. All checked in and situated.
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With about 25 minutes before the start, I pedaled up the gravel road to where a course marshal was watching for traffic as the race crossed over. He said the first section of ST was only about 3/4 of a mile, so I road back the start, and pre-rode the first section.
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From the starting line, the course goes down the gravel road about 150-200 yards, then makes a right onto another gravel road, then a quick hard left into the ST. The transition here is loose pea gravel. Someone's gonna go down. The Port Jervis terrain is immediately front and center as the ST begins. Lots of small pointy rocks/shale/slate. Some loose piles to roll over, but nothing like what's up top where the other race is held. I rolled thru the first section in a few minutes, then back to the car for a quick Gu before the race started.
At this point, it's warm out, kinda humid, but not really unbearable. Dejay sends out the Cat 2 19+, then calls up the 45+ group. There are 7 of us at the line, he gives a 5 second countdown and we go. Down the gravel road halfway, and 5 guys are in front of me. Somebody ain't making one of the two gravel turns, so I back off a touch.
Sure enough, someone fucks up the second turn into the ST and I have to come to a stop and track stand for a split second. Two of the three guys get going again, and I get past one still trying to collect himself. Now in 5th. The three guys up front are maybe 15-20 yards in front of the guy who's in front of me. We're making our way thru the first section that I pre-rode, and everyone is more or less hitting the same pace. Mid way thru here, guy in front of me either clips his bar on a tree or he wheel slipped out on an angular rock, because all of a sudden he's on the ground. I grab a fist full of brakes to avoid running him over, and as he's getting up I pass/ask if he's hurt. All good, carry on.
As I exit the first section and cross the road, I can still see 3rd place in front of me, maybe 50 yards at this point. First and second are out of sight. We're about 1.5 miles into 15 total.
Somewhere in the next mile or so I catch/pass one of the 19+ racers, and I can still see 3rd place guy ahead, although much further. The trails are flowy, with enough rocks littered about that there's almost always some sort of chatter going on. Short ups and downs, log overs here and there. Really fun at race pace. About mile 4 was the top of Paint Apron..... If you've never been here, it's an awesome flow trail with berms and some cool jumps/drops here and there. Only the top half was in the race, and then we cut out and back up a gravel road climb. At this point I got passed by one of the guys in the race behind me, and caught another of the race in front of me, so still in 4th.
As we head back into the ST off the gravel climb, we pass by the S/F area at around mile 5.5ish (so 2 miles left in the lap) I pass 3rd place guy who's pulled off the trail and administering CO2 to one of his tyres. There's still another .3 or .4 mile climb to go and another 19+ guy ahead of me, so I try to pick it up a little here since I didn't know how far ahead CO2 guy was when he flatted, how long he was fiddling with it, or how much longer it would take him.
After this climb levels off, the trail gets twisty and flows again, and I eventually pass the 19+ guy who was ahead of me and finish out lap 1 in 00:49:25. Holy shit, this is a long XC race.
As lap 2 starts, I feel like the heat kicked up a bunch, and I was starting to feel it. Somewhere around mile 2 or 3 of Lap 2 @xc62701 (Cat 1/2 15+ 3 laps) passes me on his 3rd lap from the 10:30 start. He won his race. The came 1/2 45+ winner Joe Johnston. I passed @Earthmiller (Endurance) on the way up to Painted Apron and got passed by Mancuso. As I approached the top and started down PA, I could see Dave Kahl and another guy behind me. Fuck, I don't want to be in front of them on the DH, and have no idea how far back CO2 guys is behind them. Welp. About 3/4 of the way down they're both right on my wheel, so I pull to the side and let them rip by. Only 3 miles to go now, and 1 of those miles is uphill.
As I turn onto the gravel climb back up I can see movement coming out of the ST. I'm 25 yards up the gravel road and here comes CO2 guy like he's shot out of a canon. FUUUUUUUUCK. Back in 4th. He's standing, sprinting up this hill, looking back every 20 yards, and I'm like derp, see ya at the finish line. Nothing extra left in the tank. I gave it a little extra gas, but there was nothing.
Now I'm thinking "oh shit, who's behind him?" Thankfully no one. Finished out the last few miles with my foot on the gas and nobody around me. Lap 2 00:52:17
4th place of 7 starters. 1:09 behind 3rd place CO2 guy. Total time was 1:41:42 for 14.5 miles. I'll take it.
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The course was great. @Dejay Birtch and the StarCrawf crew put together a killer loop with a great mix of fun and pain. 10 of 10. Wood do again.
Nice work out there and great recap! You looked like you were having fun when I saw you in the pines. Such an awesome course. I agree that this is the better of the two areas for a race. Like you said as well, the top of Painted Aprons - yes please. I almost clipped a tree in mid air there. That would have been messy.