Hi, government shill checking in. (okay, government employee...) Anyway, I bought my Cross Check without much concern for its weight. It's heavy. I took a hundred pounds or so off of me, and that made a huge difference. I bought my BMC Teammachine SLR02 with a bit more consideration for weight. I can definitely tell the difference a couple pounds makes.(*). Of course, the idea of me winning any kind of race is laughable.
*) They're both 105 groups, both 50/34 rings. The Surly has an 11-25 9sp, while the BMC has an 11-27(?) 10sp.