SoigneurDad: DCCX 2012 -- The Return of Podium Boy

DCCX is the biggest race (in numbers) of the Super 8. I've done it every year since its inception. This year it was fast and flowing, but hard with seemingly no recovery.

Loren was out of the town since Friday so it was just us boys. On Saturday we went up and pre-rode the course. I was horrible for several laps but finally dialed my tire pressure and lines. Liam was running the steep off camber U-Turns but I convinced him to ride it to show him he could. Jake was going so fast that I had a hard time following (Jake said "did you do any hot laps?" and I said "yeah that one just following you" Jake responds "I wasn't going that hard" -- yeah, great, damn kids)

this morning we were running a bit late, but already had our numbers from Saturday so we were ok. Dan Klausen was just in front of us and we threw up the Coppi tent next to my car in the parking lot, which was nice.

Dan & Liam early

Liam before his race

It was a big group of 10-14 and Liam got a decent start, but someone crashed in front of him on the back side of the course which made him lose some spots. He came into the U-Turns looking good

But his front wheel slid out so he had to run (video by Jake's iphone). The Second lap (they only did 2) was ok. Liam was battling with Marc Klien's son and another boy from NCVC, but they were on mountain bikes so he was faster in some sections but they were good on the turns. Here he gets the ride the U-Turns on the second lap

He ended up 16th out of 30, so not as good as the past few weeks, but not horrible.

My race started well, perhaps too well, with me slotting into 5th or so in the prologue, but it was all backwards from there as I leaked power at an alarming rate. I got passed by 2 guys in national champion jerseys (both who started 1 minute behind me) Paul Curly, a living legend, and Fred Wittwer another legend. I ended up 19th. Yuck. We won't speak of it again.

Liam and I had some BBQ while the other races were on the course

Then it was time for Jake's race at 2pm. After missing Hyattsville with his injury he slipped to the 2nd row for the grid. It was fast and chaotic. I told him he had to get to the first turn by the pits in the top 5 or he'd get stuck.
Here they come off the pavement:

Ok, he wasn't bad. But then they came back around to the stair about 1 minute later and he'd slipped back to 16th. Not good

By the time they came off the backside of the course, Jake had moved up and was using the road hill to make time. But still was battling traffic at the U-Turns; a group of 5 was off the front already

By the time they came back around jake was in 7th. He came up the road hill with 3 guys on his wheel, and he just rode away from them.

At that point he was in pursuit mode. He had ridden laps 2 & 3 significantly faster than the leaders simply to get to where he was but the lead group of 5 was still ahead of him by maybe 15 seconds (I don't remember when he moved into 6th, but I think it was on the 3rd lap.

With 2.5 laps to go Jake caught up to Jay Dove (who won at Seneca last week) and they were 3rd and 4th (someone had dropped out of the lead group).

Jake and Jay went back and forth

I thought that Jake had the advantage on the climbs

With about 1 and a quarter laps to go Jake took John on the hill and gapped him in the soft grass leading into the U-Turn hill He was in 3rd and closing on 2nd (and I was going nuts; I was furiously live-tweeting and sending text messages to Loren who was driving home from NY)

Coming into the pits on the last lap, Jake was closing on the guy in 2nd.

At the right turn around the tree just past the pits, the guy in 2nd went down. He got back up but jake passed him on a little rise going toward the stairs. He was in 2nd with 1/2 a lap to go. No more video but by the U-Turns (which were immediately before the pavement finish) Jake had closed on Justin Matajasic who was in 1st and had won Rocktown last Sunday. Jake finished 2nd just 7 seconds behind 1st. Incredible. What a ride. If he had a better start and didn't have to spend so much energy catching he could have won (or if it was 1 lap longer). Jake was kinda plegmy afterward