I'm going to enter a race in a couple of weeks. There is a women's C class for first time racers. The race is only 20 minutes long. Normally, I do centuries on my road bike, or play around on single track on my mountain bike, and I know how to fuel for those types of rides. What is recommended for a 20-minute race? I don't plan to eat during the race, of course, but what about drinking?

Re: shouldering. I have to say that shouldering my bike hurts! I put an old shoulder pad under my jersey and that didn't help much. Is there a way I can pad the bike itself?

I'm trying to dial in my fit. I read a book that suggested that the distance from your saddle to the bottom bracket should be the same, or only slightly lower, than on your road bike. However, the bottom bracket on my cross bike is significantly higher than on my road bike, so I can't even put a toe down when the saddle is that high. Any thoughts on that? The fit on my road bike is truly perfect, so I'm using those measurements as a start.

Thanks!

Alex