30 or 40 participants- really? Wow! That's totally amazing as we rarely get more than 10 at any event, and that would be for the bigger races.

I have wild daydreams about mass finishes in road races where I can let loose with my sprint and win....

I've been watching some 'cross races here, and I tend to think of these as much more similar to crit's than road races....sometimes they are doing a bit of soft pedaling, while other times redlining it. So along with sustainable power (the 2 x 20 work), I think anaerobic ability is important for those races. A series of hard 3-minute intervals would be a good place to start.

I have read both the road and mtb bible books by friel. I've developed some definite critiques of his methods, but most of it is quite sound and useful. If nothing else it will give you some structure and a place to start.

Good luck with your racing !