Toronto, and goin' to Louisville!

Toronto was good. Nay, Toronto was great. The weather was cold enough for me to field test the new fleece skinsuit (awesome!), and the caliber of field was good enough for me to put in a really good struggle.

The drive was tedious, and it snowed a little in Buffalo (c'mon, Buffalo, it's only October...), so I was expecting the cold, and came prepared. The course for Saturday was awesome, and during Friday's pre-ride I realized I was inadequately geared. I went in expecting a beat-down. Yay, I got one!

I got a front row call-up, and had a good start. Went off the pavement in about 4th place, and quickly did my best to drop about 15 places. The course was fairly twisty, but also had some really good straight sections, one set of barriers, a set of about 3 sand-filled steps, and (wait for it) a big-ass hill that put a severe hurt on me. I knew I was going to have to run that hill every lap, and judging from all the compact cranksets around me, the locals all knew the hill well. So I ran with my trusty single-ring, and everyone rode by me. From then on it was about catching back on and trying not to lose too many places. The good part was coming down the other side of the hill, where folks kept generously sliding out and letting me catch back on. We rode 4 laps in the Master 3 race, which was probably between a cx3 and cx4 here in the States. I rode a so-so (but all-out!) race to a glorious 29th, and I think "For Those About to Rock" was blaring from the P/A. Then it was all beer and hot dogs for the rest of the day. What a life!

Sunday's course was much better suited to my abilities (and gearing!) and was more rolling. Still twisty, and required a lot of punchy accelerations, but definitely no big climbs. The ground was wet, and a little slippery in spots. There was one run-up, but it was prefaced with a ditch, and while some riders cleared it to ride the hill, I didn't feel the reward was worth the risk. Beside, what's the point in riding 2 miles per hour, when you can hoof it and be a little faster? There was a decent little muddy ditch, with a good tire-grabbing width, followed by a little bit of sand (my favorite course feature - mud + sand = "can't stop") followed by a series of tight up-and-downhill turns. Sweeeeet. I rode this race well, finished 18th (of 36, so I hit my goal of top half), had nothing left in the tank, and came back from a few bike lengths to beat out a guy at the line.

In all, the racing was great, I got to meet some nice folks, it was wicked cold (to us), and most importantly I had fun. I'm definitely going back next year, unless they remember that I ran that hill and caused a big pile-up, in which case I might take a pass...

Now on to USGP Derby Cup in Louisville! The Nashville folks are going to show up in force, I'm pretty pumped.

Goin' to Toronto

So we're loading up the Passat and making the drive to Toronto for this weekend's races. It'll be chilly (compared to the mid-high 60's of my last race) but should be fairly muddy, as well. I'm totally pumped, and my wife will be there to cheer, heckle, and shoot photos for the website - http://www.ridehomegrown.com . Check the new ride - this will be my road/'cross bike, probably my pit bike, mainly:

The frame turned out well, with polished dropouts and seatstay caps. It's purdy.

I've signed up for the Master 3 race. I guess that's comparable to the 4's here in the States. If not, well, so be it. If I do well Saturday (top 1/3, maybe?), I'll race the 2's Sunday - I may be a bottom feeder, but I'm not a sandbagger.

More photos and a race report shortly! Wish me luck.

First Race is in the Books!

Well, this is a little late in coming, but the season looks to be upon us. We had our first weekend of racing in Tennessee last week, and it was great. I mean, really great. Kevin Freeman's "Beat the Freak" series http://svmiccycling.com/beatthefreak.aspx kicked it off in true 'cross fashion, with a rainy race on Saturday (wasn't there but I heard it was something special!) and a clear, beautiful, sunny, high-70's day on Sunday. I won't pretend to know what I'm talking about re:Saturday, but Sunday's course was short, sweet and to the point. Oh, yeah, and muddy.

I worked all day Saturday with Rebuilding Together http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/ and woke up Sunday sore and tired. Woke up late, actually, and we left the house about 30 minutes later than I'd have liked. We arrived at the venue, and I registered and jumped on the bike for a reconnoissance lap. I rode about 28psi up front and 33 in back. Boy, was I beat by the end of that lap, but I really had a feeling the course would play to my strengths. It was a muddy, sloppy, slog through a lot of pretty flat grassy areas, some good little tight turns, and over a big sand pile. The sand was really soft and grabbed a good hold on your shoes, especially when you have mud shoved up in there. Not much high-speed stuff, for which I was thankful. One set of barriers and the sand mountain were your two dismounts on the day. The mud was of many varieties, including your typical "thin on top thick below" mud; your "sloppy grass with mud beneath"; and my own personal favorite, the "slick mud submerged under brown water" mud.

I lined up in the 4's (still desperately trying to get out of the 4's...) in the second row. I really should have lined up in the front, but I was so tired, and it was the first race of the season. There was a good turnout of guys I'd never seen before, especially guys who jumped right to the front row. The starter let us loose, and we rumbled down the starting stretch. A gap opened up and I jumped through before we left the pavement. I was sitting in second (I think) for the first half lap, then one of the Cumberland Transit guys made a move. I hung with him as long as I could for a while, then kinda' just let him go. The leader for most of the race was a guy named Zach, from Alabama. He rode well 'til he tripped on his wheel during a dismount, but props to him for hanging tough and finishing strong.

We rode 5 laps, but probably should have done 6, and it was just a beautiful, sloppy mess. I rode a strong race to finish 3rd, my first podium finish EVER (yay!). If I can keep it up (ie, if it's not a fluke...) I will be ready to cat up soon. Not sure if I should go to the Masters, or the 3's, but whatever I do, I won't move up until I'm confident I won't get lapped. Because the only thing worse than getting lapped is DNF'ing.

We got a lot of good feedback and comments about the frames, and the "team" kit. A few folks expressed interest in having frames built, and things are really taking off. My 'cross bike, performing under the stage name "Hildegaard von 'Crossenbrandt", performed well, offered plenty of mud clearance, and generally made me really happy. There's nothing quite like racing a bike you built for yourself. The new skinsuit performed well, and has now been dedicated to muddy races, while the other skinsuit (as yet unworn) will be for the drier days.

My wife and I did the MS 150 Bike to Jack and Back again this year (nearly 900 riders and $585,000 raised - not shabby!), so I missed out on our first weekend of the Nashville series. The weather was great though, and I guarantee the folks in Nashville had as much fun as we had riding for the MS Society. Thanks for reading, folks. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

New 'A' bike, and "Hey, we should practice remounts!"

So this is my 'A' bike for the upcoming season. I built it myself. No, really, I did!

Still waiting on a new fork (the Carbon Fire really only works with the Bonfire), but this is the build, minus the race tubies. Lugged steel - cut, mitered and brazed right here in my own backyard, in the Tennessee sunshine.

I took it out yesterday for some pre-season remount work and climbing drills. I'm proud to say, I still have the technique. Sad to say I've pretty much lost my race fitness, but that's to be expected. With the Tour coming up, I should be good to go for some intense indoor training sessions. We've been doing a little running in the off-season, and just riding purely for fun, no pressure, so the base fitness is there.

As far as the remounts go, I am working to rebuild the callous on my inner thigh - man am I sore....

My schedule for the upcoming season will include the UCI weekend in Toronto, USGP in Louisville, hopefully at least one weekend in the northeast, maybe Jingle Cross, and a boatload of Southeast races. Our own Nashville series may have as many as ten (10!) races, which should make for a great time. I'm totally getting excited just thinking about this season, and it's still 4 months away. It can't come too soon!

KnoxieCross #3 & #4

So it's early February and I just got sunburned. Weird weather stuff, going on here. That, or I'm so pasty white that the mere thought of the sun turns my skin a healthy lobstery red.

This past weekend in Knoxville was great. The weather was warm (normally I prefer cold and miserable for 'Cross, but this was a nice respite), and the course was mostly dry. Grassy, hilly, a little bumpy in places. We ran the same course both days (clockwise Saturday, counter-clockwise Sunday), with little modification. We ran 5 laps in the 4's, with a field size of about 22-25 both days.

The race was held at Melton Hill Park in Oak Ridge http://www.ci.oak-ridge.tn.us/ . A great, hilly little course right on the river. The course designer really did a good job working the terrain. We started Saturday's race with a grassy uphill grind to a relatively flat grassy straight. Then we dropped into a couple twisty climbs and descents, which felt really good and fast the first lap, but really started to burn by lap 3. One really steep drop and a muddy/sandy turn later, we were treated to a really nice uphill chicane/wide hairpin. I definitely could have pedaled up, but with a single 42t ring and the sharp turns, it seemed prudent to hoof it. Pavement descent, grassy climb, muddy descent, pavement climb, to a good long stretch of flat asphalt. Then we swung onto the grass again, through a set of barriers, to a twisty, long grassy uphill/downhill stretch. There was really no good opportunity for recovery, which tends to work well for me, and did today as well. Even the downhills were short enough or bumpy enough that you could never really rest.

I got a great start, and settled into 4th or 5th right from the gun. Of course, I immediately dropped to about 9th, and settled into a sustainable rhythm. I picked off a couple folks, and caught on to two guys I thought I could hang with. We stayed pretty close together for probably four-and-a-half laps, sitting 5/6/7 before I rode up along the sixth-place guy and said "Come on, let's go!". I took a pull for about ten seconds, then he rode up alongside and said "Let's go get this guy!". He took a pull for about 2 seconds before I realized I had just given it all I had. Man, what a bummer. I watched that guy pour it on and catch 5th place by himself, while I relegated myself to no-man's land in 7th. Oh, well. I gave it all and I can't ask for anything more. In all, I rode a great race, felt darned good, ate right, dressed right, rocked the skinsuit like a pro (or "priz-zo" as we say in the 'hood) and had my best finish all season at 7th of 25. Top third. Secondary goal of the season, check!

We treated ourselves to post-race pizza at Big Ed's (an Oak Ridge institution - cash or check ONLY!) and a few beers. I totally pigged out on the pizza, and pretty much felt overly full for the rest of the night, even into the early morning hours, which of course meant I slept poorly. Smooth move, Ex-Lax...

Sunday we ran the course in reverse, with a little modification to the run-up. Still a great course. I got a decent start, but never really felt as strong as I felt Saturday. Probably the pizza... Technically I rode a great race, but I overdressed, and was sweating bullets by the first half-lap. In all though, mission accomplished - I finished in the top third, against stiffer competition than usual. Next up, Knoxiecross #6, the final race of the season. I would love to hit my tertiary goal of the season - USAC points!

Bringin' Sexy Back!!!

Rounds 3 & 4 of the Columbia series are in the books. Preliminary results are in (drum roll please...). 8th/14 on Saturday and 6th/14 (?) on Sunday. The two days couldn't have been more different. Saturday's course was more high-speed burn, Sunday's course had the always formidable run-up of death. You know, the kind of run-up where the blood in your head is louder than the sound of the crowd? It's that run-up.

Saturday had no pavement at all, but the frozen grassy ground more than made up for it. Temperatures were hovering in the high 20's at the start, low 30's by the end of our race. No mud, no sand, a few good chicanes and hairpins, a little climbing, and three dismounts. I didn't quite feel right, and I was a little jittery at the start. Ate oatmeal for breakfast. I dressed right with bib knickers, wind-proof base and long sleeve jersey. I ran the tires at 34 up front, 38 in the back - a little harder than normal, but it was well worth it on the frozen ground. I had another great start. I clipped in and jumped into 4th place. Next year I need to start on the front row - it's time. I rode in fourth place for about a half-lap, then realized I was going too hard. I had to back off and a couple guys passed me immediately, followed by another couple a little further on. We rode four laps, and the guys up front pushed a hard pace - they will be moving up next year. The remounts were pretty miserable - I stutter-stepped every time. Ridiculous.

Anyway, the race was good, the course was alright (though still way better than a couple years ago). They gave us an incorrect lap count, and I rode to 8th place with the guy behind me waiting to make his move. He never got the chance - 3 laps to go, 2 laps to go, oh, wait, you're done...

I went pretty hard, but I really felt early on in the race I just didn't have it in me. I was jittery, I was missing my remounts, and I figured I really needed to back off and save some for Sunday. On a better note, the photographer for the series came up to me and said I look like Justin Timberlake. Which I totally don't, but I can still bring sexy back. Really.

Sunday, now that was a better day. The course was a little muddy, a lot grassy, a little "pave-y". Three dismounts, one big run-up, and way warmer. Temps were in the mid-40's and a little windy by the time our race started. I wore my skinsuit, arm warmers, short-sleeve baselayer, and a little medium embrocation on my knees and calves. From the gun, I pinned it (as well as I can "pin it", anyway). I was sitting in fourth or fifth by the first turn, and feeling like I was on fire! I really knew, in my heart of hearts, that I was going to crush it today. And you know, I did, until that run-up. Damn, that thing has crushed the spirits of many a fine racer, I believe. In my head, I was running it with big, strong strides. In reality, people were saying "you call that running?" as I shuffled my feet up this thing. Wicked. In fairness, I did tuck away the "you call that running" comment and save it for the next race. I used it with reckless abandon along with a little cowbell and my big plastic horn. My main "rival" dropped out of the race, which really stinks, because this course would have been great for him, and it's always fun to have a direct competitor. Again, we rode 4 laps. I flubbed the first couple remounts, then got into the rhythm and starting nailing them again. Oh, yeah!

Sooooo, I finished 4th in the series, which is totally awesome! One place off the podium, I guess. Last year, same series, I finished 12th. I may be more on track than I previously thought, which gives me more confidence in my training schedule. I still need to do more running, and I still have to get that remount to be second nature, but I feel it is coming together nicely.

Now, more over-training, then a brief rest before Knoxiecross February 7th and 8th. If I can stay in the top half there, I will have had an exceptionally successful season. Who knows, maybe next season I'll change this blog to "Top of Bottom Feeder 'Cross"?

Thanks to Brian Frambach for the photo - http://frambach.smugmug.com/

Chickasaw Day 2!!!

Today saw another overcast, mildly cool day at in Columbia, Tennessee. The course used a lot of features from yesterday's course. We bypassed all the muddy sections, which had me pretty worried, and really focused on the grass. There was just enough undulation and just enough corners to prevent it from being a grass crit. Three mandatory dismounts - the weird barrier thing from yesterday, a ditch with a barrier just before it, and a set of traditional barriers. Well, not exactly traditional: they were half-height. We rode four laps, just like yesterday, and the course was about 1.9 miles long.

The starting straight was a little longer, wet, paved and downhill. You could really get some speed going. I had a much better start than yesterday, maybe too good, because I really pinned it for the first three minutes. I tried a new tactic today, on the suggestion of a good friend and cyclocross "mentor". I lined up in the second row, behind the fastest guy I knew. When the horn sounded, he went hard, and left a nice hole for me to jump into. I'm going to have to remember that from now on - no more lining up behind guys who can't get the jump at the horn.

We swung onto the grass and led up to the weird barrier-type thing from yesterday. Then onto a flat, grass/gravel straight, and back into the grass. One big swoopy turn later, we rode up a nice little false flat, with six or seven hairpin turns. This ended up being one of the saving graces of the course. I was really able to get out of the saddle and jump from turn to turn, and I think that's where I was really able to turn the screws on the guy behind me. I didn't get any closer to catching the guy ahead, but it gave me a little breathing room. Then we dropped into a slight downhill, into the barrier/ditch combo (not the type of ditch you jump across: more like the jump-down-into-and-run-back-out kind) and headed uphill again. A nice, long, downhill, followed by a short flat area, then a set of half-height barriers, before hitting the final straight and hairpin leading to the start/finish line.

First impressions of the course: Looks bad. I'm gonna' get shellacked.

Impressions while racing: Not straight or flat enough for the pure roadies, not twisty or technical enough for the pure mountain bikers, but pretty much a solid (though grassy) all-round course. It definitely could have been marked better. I know it's hard to set up a race course, I really do. But it sucks when the guy you're chasing is cutting the course because the boundaries are implied, (not actually marked), and you're too ethically-minded to follow him. A little extra time/help in setting up would have prevented that. All in all, it's not a big deal, it's not Nationals or the World Cup, but the more I think about it, the more it irks me...

Anyway, now the good part. I finished in the top half again! 7th out of 17 racers. Someone give me a handclap, or at least some virtual cowbell.

This is where it gets good, though. Of the 12 total dismounts (three per lap) I nailed the remount perfectly 10 times! Someone give me another handclap! I flubbed it twice on the first lap when I did that blasted stutter-step, but after that I got serious, put my game face on and just did it. It has taken me three years. I'm stoked to have finally gotten it down. I really am! I just need to keep at it and get faster and more confident, now.

So, I've got a little more training to do, and more racing January 17/18 back at Chickasaw, before the Knoxville series in February. I really feel like I'm coming into form for the final races of the season, and I'm pretty pumped. Man, I NAILED THAT REMOUNT! WHOO-HOO!!!

In the words of Kool-Aid Man, "OH, YEAH!!!"

Well, I believe I have achieved my goal of breaking into the top half. Of 16 starters, I finished 7th. One rider dnf'd, and three got lapped. The course at Chickasaw was great, the competition fierce (the continuing rivalry between me and the guy who finished 8th, well, continued), the ground muddy and the weather unseasonably warm. Who could ask for anything more?

I had my worst start ever (don't expect a witty punchline, I just had a crappy start) when I rode into the back wheel of the guy in front of me and almost went down. We had a long starting straight, so I shook it off and passed a few guys before we swung onto the dirt (and mud!). It was really greasy today - Columbia has had a lot of rain lately. I think I was the only rider in the 4's who didn't hit the deck. There was a great series of little hairpin turns, then another greasy slick area that dropped into the mtb trails. A big log and a few more slick turns later, we came to a muddy runup which was rideable for the first couple of laps, then swung back onto the trails. More muddy, twisty singletrack before a set of barriers, then a nice long paved climb to make you wonder why you got up this morning. From there it was smooth, if not slow, sailing back into the grass and into a weird little "barrier". It was a bunch of landscaping ties, spaced unevenly, that you really couldn't ride. I saw a couple guys endo on them during warmups, and knew it was better to run them. More grass, a couple more hairpins, then threading through some trees back to the start/finish.

Tires: I ran the tubies at about 33/30. I feel like I really have this pressure thing down. Speaking of pressure, I feel like I kept even pressure today. I didn't go too hard at the start and blow up, like I sometimes do. I think I rode my own race today, and I felt really good. I ate well, dressed well, warmed up correctly, and gave it all I had. I'm still having difficulty with the stutter-step, but I'm definitely getting better with it, and can consistently nail the remount at a quick jog.

With any luck, tomorrow should be muddy again. We are expecting rain overnight, which should again work in my favor.

On to Chickasaw #2!