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!

Mid-season break comes to an end

One week 'til the second half of the season. Four races at Chickasaw in January, then four races in Knoxville in February. It's going to be a long slog to the end. I've been doing an unholy amount of lunges and other mind-numbing exercises, spent many hours on the trainer watching Arrested Development/hockey/MNF, and worked on my remounts when I was able. I've worked on starts, cornering, shouldering, suitcasing. I've raced when I was sick, I've drawn blood, and I've given a little, too. I've crashed in practice countless times this season, for the first time ever. I've even used a heart-rate monitor (and pushed 190 bpm). I've cut out fries and limited my beer intake. I ate reasonably at Thanksgiving and Christmas, boy that was difficult. I tried embrocation, even. That stuff works. The only thing I haven't practiced is my victory salute - I'll have to save that for next season.

Results so far:

Mud, Sweat & Gears #1 : 25th
Mud, Sweat & Gears #2 : 20th
USGP Louisville #1 : 58th
USGP Louisville #2 : 64th
Tennessee State Championships : 18th (lapped)
Beat the Freak #3 : 10th
Georgia 'Cross #7 : 42nd

There we have it - only twice have I gotten anywhere near the top half of the field - USGP #1 and Georgia.

So now I've done all I can for the first half of the season. The weather is supposed to be in the 40's next weekend, sunny, and a bit windy - skinsuit weather. I hope the race organizers lay out a slow, twisty, hilly course. If there is mud, I will be pleased. If it is flat and fast, I will be screwed.

On a totally separate note, Santa cobbled together these sweet wellies for me for Christmas:
http://www.piperlime.com/browse/product.do?cid=4016&pid=608871&scid=608871002

Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but Santa knows I have narrow feet. And Santa knows I can rock them.

Holiday Training and Untraining

Happy Holidays!

The last time I raced 'Cross was December 7. It was a pretty good race, I felt really good, considering I was sick. So I've had some time off since then. I've tried to keep up with training, but work has been pretty brutal lately. Between that and the holidays, my plan to get ahead of the competition has fallen to pieces. I went out to our little practice course today, and after two hot laps, I was done. So I need to get back on it. Nothing but grains and vegetables and trainer work for me, 'til after New Year. Eyes on the prize!

I picked up a new handlebar, the Salsa Bell Lap, size 42. I had been riding a Moto Ace in a 44cm, it was way too wide. I really like the bar, the difference in size is really noticeable.

While we're on the topic of equipment, this is what I've been riding this year, with a few component highlights. She comes in just over 18 lbs:




52cm Empella Bonfire SL with Carbonfire fork (the death shimmy fork...)
Ultegra brifters, crank, BB, hubs, derailleur
Avid Shorty 6 brakes (if you have these and think they suck, check into the Salsa brake hanger)
Single-ring setup w/42t chainring
Crank Bros. Eggbeater SL pedals
Bell Lap bars
WCS stem
Terry Zero saddle
Ritchey SpeedMax pro tires mounted to Mavic Open Pro rims
*race wheels - Dura Ace w/Mavic Reflex and Vittoria XG tires

This is the steed I will ride to glorious cyclocross victory one day. Or at least to the top 50%.

Dirty Santa

This has nothing to do with 'Cross, but it does have to do with Karma, and the belief that good things really do come back to you. We had our office Christmas party tonight, and, as always, we did the Dirty Santa gift exchange. I took home what was arguably the best gift ever - a Bedazzler. Yeah, check it out: www.mybedazzler.com

I do believe my office is getting hats for Christmas. And our Dirty Spokes 12-hour team (www.dirtyspokes.com) is getting some sweet team socks. Sweet Sweet Jesse, Jermajesty and Bobby?! will be rocking some Bedazzled socks for sure. It will more than make up for our poor race performance.