Fast Talk podcast, ep. 81: The cyclocross episode with Coach Holicky, Katie Compton,
Good timing from velonews
https://www.velonews.com/2019/08/training/fast-talk-podcast-ep-81-the-cyclocross-episode-with-coach-holicky-katie-compton-ellen-noble-and-maxx-chance_499418
Especially important is that it's not all fitness. Half a second lost every turn multiplied by x number of turns and y number of laps means you could easily lose a race with a higher threshold or sprint ability than the racer in front of you. The importance of the first lap and making the right group is also important because even if you fade and eventually get dropped from that group you can only drift back so far due to bottlenecks within a cluster of riders