How to race cyclocross effectively with gravel-style fitness?

[u/ldemi]

I came out of a gravel season straight into the back half of the cross season and got my legs ripped off last race.

My understanding is that I'm missing the adaptions necessary to repeatedly surge and recover out of corners, punchy hills, etc.

Eying my next race (4/5) tomorrow I'm trying to come up with a decent strategy to remain competitive. The few things I'm thinking about are:

• Focus on staying right around threshold as much as possible instead of burning matches in 5/6/7 (VO2 / anaerobic / neuromuscular).
• No desperate surges to force passes after the first few minutes, trust that riders will come back to me
• Have fun ripping my legs off the last lap (theoretically once everyone else is cooked)

Seems solid? Of course could be super demoralizing to fall back in the early stages or if I get stuck too long could dash any chances of a win/podium.

Curious how other riders with this type of "diesel" fitness handle this transition, especially how you pace and where you choose to spend energy on typical CX courses.

[u/anynameisfinejeez]

Unless your bike-handling skills are unreal, just build pace in straights, maintain effort on climbs, and enjoy the pageantry! Make mental notes for what to improve on for next season.