mojo working

Bernie and I working it in the heat on the run-up.

photo courtesy of John Scott

2007 Charm City 'Cross was all about teamwork;
from the amazing passion & hard work of everyone involved in making the race happen
to the esprit de corps of the riders (more than 400 total) all day long.

The Masters 3/4 race was a beautiful thing. The field was big with 88 starters.
My C3-Sollay teammates and I used our collective forces to push the pace early
creating a select group containing 4 of us C3's (fatmarc, Bernie, Disco, and I) and a handful of others, including Kelly Cline, Roger Masse, Richard Bilson, & David Lowe.

Marc rolled off the front and we did what we could to discourage a chase, though I don't think Marc needed our help. He was ON, riding with power and grace. Before the race I was tired and flat. Honestly, I was doubtful that I would finish. But watching Marc ride away and our team working so well together gave me motivation and energy as the race went on.

With a few laps to go there was only one non-C3-Sollay chaser, Roger Masse.
Roger is a tough competitor, but he had a couple of mishaps which allowed Bernie and I to get away. From there, Disco covered him while we made hay to solidify 2nd and 3rd. Thanks Jeff!

Bernie was also ON, with a break-out performance. He ended up riding away from me. I was worried about cramps, but managed to hold them off. Bernie was like a freight train powering along and taking the turns like he was on rails. The bike driving has come a long way Bernie! 8-)

In the end we finished 1-2-3-4 with Roger rounding out the podium in 5th. Holy shit! That was awesome!

It was a great start to the season. We have a tremendous team. I'm not talking about having great riders, though we certainly do. I'm talking about the team spirit and camaraderie that we have. The team was formed out of a common love for cyclocross and I think that shows in how we interact and how we race. It's a cool thing and I feel lucky to be a part of it.

It was also a good day for C3-Sollay mastermind/evil-leader Kris Auer & Athlete Development Group. Our team had a lot of big results on Sunday. Auer coaches a number of riders on the team, including me. In my case, he doesn't have much to work with in terms of talent or training time. But he's managed to put together a training program that allows me to make the most of what I've got. I'm thankful for that!

Huge thanks to team backbone Suzy Gerlak and our primary sponsors Sollay, The Hostetter Agency, Joe's Bike Shop, and ADG.

On the equipment front I rode the FMB SSC Sprints (file tread with side knobs), 34mm in front, 32mm in back. Mid-to-high 30's psi. A lot of the bumpiness of the course was soaked up and the treads hooked up incredibly well on the dry, dusty, grassy surfaces! They rocked.

On the box...a rare event for me. I'm glad I had teammates for company!

photo courtesy of Dennis Smith