Racer Ex, Hermes, AzT, I can't thank you fellas enough. I'm validating my thinking by going over your experiences and I'm incorporating your suggestions. Great, great stuff.
Hermes, I plan to pre ride the course on Thursday. I already know portions of it fairly well. It's a "chip seal" surface, a little rough, and there are some potholes here and there (it's not maintained). There is no "yellow line" rule in effect, so that will make things a little easier. Also, I want to thank you for that insight into how a CR works. I was wondering how the "timed event" was conducted.
AzT, as for the bike choice, I'm leaning towards the Look. I'll make a final decision after I turn the stem over and see how it feels with the handle bars in the lower position. The CFR Team is a slightly faster bike because it is so much lower in the front, but it is slightly heavier and has a choppy ride. However, I think I can deal with that for an hour! Even though the Team is a triple and the Look a compact, both climb pretty much equally, there is no advantage there to either one. I don't have spare wheels - well, I do, but they're Fulcrum 7's and I wouldn't race on them. Also, the wheels can't be interchanged between the Look and Giant without changing cassettes (the Giant is a nine speed, the Look ten). As for tire/wheel combos, the Look has Easton EA90's with Conti Gatorskins, 700/25; the Giant has Mavic CXP-33 with Conti GP4000s, 700/23. Both are good to great wheelsets, both have their unique qualities, but they're not night and day different, at least not to me.
AzT, I'll bring the trainer with me and spin that for at least thirty minutes before I go out. I'm pretty sure the field will go out fast, because I am quite sure that Cat 4 field (which might combine with the Masters 35+ field) will be comprised of young, fit women. I just hope I can hang on to a wheel! Hermes, no matter what, it will be a training race/ride for me! I couldn't look at a first ever race any other way.
One question. Is a CR more like a road race, or is it akin to a crit?
Here's the height comparison shot of the two bikes (the Look has tassels, yes - a girlfriend snuck those on there for my birthday)...
