post-Reston thoughts

Capital 'Cross Classic in Reston, VA

My first ever 'cross race was at Reston and I've always enjoyed racing there.
The course is mostly a fast power course with a couple of technical bits thrown in.

High speed twisty descents are fun.



The start was interesting. After picking a spot on the second row I must have blacked out. I don't remember an official saying a word. No "You're racing for 45 minutes blah blah blah". No "1 minute to go". No nothing. We're all standing around bullshitting and joking around when a loud whistle sounds.
Some guys started riding. Somebody asked if that was really the start. The official said something to the effect of "of course, you dumbass". I had both feet on the ground. Oh well.

Early on there was a lot of jockeying for position. Much of the course encouraged group racing, but there were a few spots on the course where it paid to be in front. It was always a battle to move up before those spots. It was aggressive racing, but clean and fun.



I rode pretty well going from mid 20's to moving into 14th when I caught Rob Collins on the last lap. I got in front of him just before the technical descent. I'd ridden it cleanly all race and was telling myself to just ride it smoothly one more time. Once again thinking screwed me up. I was so worried about being conservative that I grabbed a little brake and messed up my line. I caught the transition back onto the paved path at a funky angle and bounced my back end throwing the chain. I also screwed up Rob as he got tangled up with me. I felt bad about that and apologized to him after the race.

I need to figure out a better way to keep the chain on because the inside chain stopper did more harm than good. The chain was wedged underneath the stopper. It took brute force to yank the chain back into position. I went from 14th to 18th pretty quickly. But it was still a good race for me. I'm always happy when I can find an extra gear the last couple of laps and move up late in a race rather than fade and hang on.

I think I'll end up 17th in the series which I'm really happy with. The MAC B's were tough this year. Instead of 1 or 2 guys dominating there were at least 10 guys that could win any given race. There was only double race winner this year and that was Jeremy Dunn in the mud. I think that the depth of the fields pushed the pace and raised everyone's level.

It was nice to do most of the series this year. I only missed HPCX and a bummer too as it sounds like my kind of course. Last year I only did 3 MAC races due to illness and schedule conflicts.

I'm looking forward to focusing on the MAC once again next year. Besides the intense racing, the camaraderie of the MAC (especially within the killer B field) makes the experience rewarding on many levels.

As for my Reston pick...well Evan finished 2nd and Nick Bax would have raced the Elite race if they would have let him. So I had the right idea.

Mayhew did confirm his strength by riding a very powerful race. The guy races smart and tough and always busts out some interesting facial hair. To quote from "The Big Lebowski"..."Worthy fuckin' adversary."



Now the question is: Will he race the A's next year or go for the B series crown? Come to think of it, since nobody dominated I could see all the top 10 guys back in the B's. Who will we target with the Sandbagger tag? 8-)

At a few races this season I ended up riding warm-up laps with E-Town and fatMarc. This day was no different. They probably think I'm stalking them or trying to spy the good lines, but when you're a hack like me you need every edge you can get. E-Town pointed out the Pete Rose line on the sketchy descent while Marc showed us how to ride the log run-up. Of course, when I tried it I endoed on the uphill. Thanks fellas and great season.

The MAC B fields were full of "worthy fuckin' adversaries"


Now it's on to Nationals...quality time with the good people of our cyclocross community and some good racing taboot.

photos courtesy of Gina Harshman

Pre-Reg Race Report

Chimay
Originally uploaded by slothenstein.

Results from the first race of 'cross Natz are posted.

Some people will bitch about the process, but aside from running qualifying races or rankings (huge pains in the ass logistically) this seems like the most fair way to do it.

The track makes it possible for someone to move up pretty quickly and the top guys from the previous year will be starting up front anyway. The strong guys will do well. There will only be one winner. Everyone will be racing their ass off...and having fun. The results will sort themselves out.

Maybe I'm ok with it because I ended up with pretty good spots:

8th in the 35-39 race ---> probably 2nd row after the call up's
5th in the B35+ race ---> front row

But everyone knew the protocol and the exact time that online registration would open.
I guess that those of us who use BikeReg on a regular basis had a little bit of an advantage as our personal info was already loaded into the system. My credit card # even auto-filled for me. That probably made a 10 place difference.

Now that we have that behind us we can move on to more important things...

Like what kind of beer to bring.

And fine tuning the form to be fast and rested in two week's time.

vicarious ride

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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

I just received this camera phone photo from the trails at Avalon. It looks like a nice morning to be out on the bike riding through the lifting fog and the fallen leaves.

I'm stuck here at a desk...

Though I did get a ride in this morning.

However, it was on the trainer in the basement doing intervals...watching Hincapie get tag-teamed by the Domo Farm Frites boys on the muddy cobbles of Paris-Roubaix.

Sunrise mtb rides will begin very soon. That's the way to start the day.

Good reads

I'm really into travel adventures. There's some really good travel writing out there, both in book and blog form. Here's some stuff I've been enjoying.

Harlan Price is talented rider & writer. He does a really nice job of weaving elements of travel, culture, and cycling together. Check out his ongoing race report from La Ruta here.

This guy, Andy, has been travelling the globe hobo-style for more than 4 years and blogging about it...interesting stuff.

I'm a sucker for good tales of euro-travel.

I just finished A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke.
A British dude gets a job in Paris and deals with immersion in French culture.

My current read is Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson.
A writer/storyteller with a good sense of humor wanders Europe retracing a backpacking trip of his youth.

And I listen to Rick Steves' travel podcast every week.

All this stuff gives me the itch to travel. Perhaps that trip to Cyclocross Worlds will work out. If not, I'll keep on reading and planning the next adventure.

Trees

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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

Trees

We planted two red maples and a birch in the backyard.

Mmmmm trees. I'm looking forward to a bit of shade on the deck next Summer.

My 'cross bikes are still in pieces in the garage, but at least they are clean.

I hope I'm not rebuilding them Saturday night. I think there's a cardinal rule against doing major bike maintenance the night before a race.

Speaking of the race, it's looking like another smallish, but stacked field in the B's. At this point in the season it's down to the hard core 'crossers. Some of the early races had up to 90 racers in the B's, but a 50ish rider field is still pretty damn big!

Other than not having a double pit I really like the Reston course. I'm looking forward to the race and hope my legs are there. My pick to win the B race is Evan Ellicott. It's his local race and he's been riding really well this season.

My new helmet is on order from Joe's Bike Shop (best bike shop I know of and recipient of a substantial % of my earnings). This will be my third new helmet this year. The first two ate it on over-the-bars crashes over on the Hilton/Hilltop area at Avalon. The trails over there are technical, steep, rocky, rooty, and so much fun.

Thankful for good helmets

In lieu of racing this weekend and due to a need to burn some calories I got out on the mountain bike both days this weekend. These were the maiden voyages on my Bianchi Rita 29er singlespeed. Here are the pro's and con's of yesterday's ride.

Pro's
-Temps in the 60's
-Trails in pretty good shape
-Great crew to ride with
-The new bike is sweet
-2.5 hours on the trails...legs cooked
-Plenty of hard efforts grinding up the steeps on the SS
-Helmet technology. Thank you Giro!

Con's
-Leaves hiding nasties
-Rock slipping from under my front wheel after hopping a log on a rocky downhill
-Flying over the bars suddenly and violently
-Slamming head into large rock
-Slamming bike into another large rock
-Two big dents in helmet
-One nasty dent in new bike
-One big knot on right forearm
-Whiplash or something like it
-Losing my nerve on the sketchy stuff the rest of the ride

To do list
-Use heating pad
-Take plenty of anti-inflammatory meds
-Buy new helmet
-Place sticker over seatstay dent
-Recover before the weekend
-Finish rebuilding 'cross bikes

I am very grateful for the amazing job my helmet did. I slammed the side of my head very very hard into a large rock and didn't even have a headache afterwards. My neck/back are a little tweaked and the helmet is pretty dented, but that's it. I will be buying another Giro Atmos this week.

Fried Hokie

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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

Jon & Charlie
2 Hokies
Fried up a good turkey

Lemons --> Lemonade

The love of the cyclocross community was in full effect this weekend.

Team affiliations didn't matter. Everyone was out there supporting and encouraging one another.

I'm not going to focus or comment on the shortcomings of the weekend...I think most everyone knows what needs to be improved.

I'd rather highlight the spirit and camaraderie of the MABS.

It was really cool to see the crew take tough circumstances and turn them into a positive experience.

Special thanks has to go to the DCC of D for their enthusiasm and tireless work in the pit.
If you took a bike you can be sure that one of them helped out in the operation...and they had fun doing it.

My bikes are made of adobe

Sunday - Evo 'Cross

I was cooked from Sat. but a big breakfast, including a BELGIAN waffle put some fuel back in my legs.

The course was better...less running, but plenty of mud that was 50/50 as to whether to run or ride. There were definitely some good lines out there and I did my best to find them. Quite often it was riding the tape and stiff arming the stakes like a slalom ski racer.

I'm glad I was able to ride most of the muck, because I left my running legs on the course on Saturday. I was barely getting my feet over the hurdles.

I got a great start following fatMarc, Harshman, and Mayhew through the first big mud bog. We smoked it! I swear mud was flying everywhere. I was running my tires around 25psi. I could push them all the way to the rim with my thumb. They were rolling all of the bumpy stuff smoothly and hooking up like drunk college kids in the mud. I think I was smiling at that point because I had a lot of mud in my teeth after the race.

I settled into a groove (of pain) after the start and conceded some places to guys that were making huge efforts to move up. Once again Morgan came by me on his way to the front. His breathing sounded like a freight train and he was moving like one too.

I got a smooth bike change from my teammate Lisa after a couple of laps. It was just in time because my bike was caked with mud and grass. However, the tires on the pit bike were not near as good as those on bike #1 so I was looking forward to getting a clean bike back for the last half of the race.

After a lap on the pit bike I stopped at the pit to get my #1 bike back. I screwed up by not looking up to see if it was ready. Of course, it was still being worked on to get all the crap out of the drivetrain. Several guys rode past me as I gazed cluelessly around the pit for my bike. After a bit I snapped out of it and headed back out on the course by way of the pit entrance.

I was momentarily discouraged, but quickly put it out of my mind. As I came by the other pit my bike was CLEAN and ready. When I got back on bike #1 I got a huge mental boost and at the same time my legs came back around in a big way.

On the out and back section before the start/finish I passed all the guys that had gotten by me while I was in the pit. I felt like I was riding a paved path and they were slogging through the mud. It was strangely wonderful.

On the last two laps I bridged up to fatMarc and E-Town. I gave them some words of encouragement and was hoping we could work together to hold off the guys behind us. I went to the front after the hurdles and felt really good going up the bumpy rise. I just tried to pedal smoothly and ended up getting a gap.

On the last lap I caught Adam in the same spot, had a brief chat with him, and then rode away. My legs felt incredible and I just felt like my bike was rolling across those fields so smoothly.

As I entered the out and back the final time I could see another guy a little ways ahead. I gave it some gas and started closing the gap. When he had to dismount and run a mucky section I really started to get closer. Just before the u-turn I got by him and put in a huge acceleration after the turn. My legs were still great...best they've felt all season.

At the last turn I was closing on Colin Sandburg. I put in a sprint, but there wasn't enough distance to the line and I finished 2 seconds back for 9th...my first MAC B top 10 and a big goal of mine this season. It felt really good to have a race where I got stronger each lap and felt confident on the bike.

Morgan was at the front with the guy that won both days and seeing him up there crushing it was a big motivation for me all race long. It was so cool to see him having such a good ride. It inspired me to try just a little bit harder.

Despite the conditions I really had a great time this weekend. I think the most fun was working in the pit on Saturday. I'm sorry I couldn't stick around to help out on Sunday, but I had to get home.

Have a great Thanksgiving and I'll see everyone at Reston!

Now it's time to clean bikes, replace cables, and wrap new bar tape!

Lovely day for a tractor pull

Saturday - Guy's 'Cross

Chris Harshman and I made the trek up to PA from EC for some racing. We had a feeling that there would be mud, but the quantity and ferociousness of that mud far exceeded our expectations.

It was a lot of this on Saturday. By most estimates we were running about a third of every lap.
Ouch.


photo by Dennis Smith

Each lap there was more running than the last as the course deteriorated. It was hard. Where you could ride you had to put out a lot of power just to keep moving. Even on the slightly downhill sections it felt like you were going uphill.

I knew this race would be more mental than anything so I tried to psyche myself up to not get discouraged with the conditions and to just keep grinding and pushing to the line. I figured many guys would get frustrated and crack and I was determined to stay positive.

I don't really remember much about the race except for the running and passing guys that had cracked. I got a smooth bike change from Dieter and Lisa with a lap and a half to go that allowed me to finish strongly in 11th place, my best MAC B finish ever. Harshman was just in front of me in 10th. We were both happy with the race.

Our bikes were not. It quite a bit of dunking and scrubbing over in the pond and creek to get them sort of clean. We cleaned up the drivetrains a bit more over at the hotel. Suzy was the MVP of the day. She hand washed our muddy clothes in the bathtub. All of the grass, mud, and hay clogged the tub. I'm sure the hotel was happy about that. 8-)

Highlight of the race was E-Town trying to give Mayhew a high-five mid-slop, mid-race.

Morgan has gotten better every week and he is FLYING now and riding the mud like a pro. I swear he was floating over some unridable sections. He was in the lead until a flat bumped him back to 6th.

Here's Morgan - focused & making freight train noises as he passes me

photo by Dennis Smith

Most of the C3/ADG/Joe's team plus Harshman went out for a pasta dinner to celebrate the day and fuel up for Sunday. Sleep came easily, though the morning arrive too soon.

What's in your drivetrain?

Somebody was pretty interested in all the mud crusted on my bikes when I got home.


What do you call the type of mud that has a bunch of grass and assorted other shit mixed in it?

In a crazy cyclocross way, this weekend was a lot of fun.
I'll have more to say about it later.

mud'n at Guy's 'Cross

mud'n
mud'n
mud'n
run'n
run'n
run'n
fun'n*
fun'n*
fun'n*

*the real fun was in the pit

11th - B-spot, but I'm really happy with it.

Lotta what-have-you's

Slow afternoon in the bond business
The dude sitting next to me is streaming some old skool classic rock - foreplay/long time

Another solo cross practice on Wednesday with the helmet light
Freaked out some deer

Date night last night
Christmas shopping last night at Toys-R-Us, then dinner

5:30am Openers on the trainer watching the '05 Giro go up the Stelvio
Then I shaved my beat-up legs

On the road in the morning for a weekend of mud in No Hope, PA
One month left in the season

Time flies
I'm having fun

Pick up the pieces!

Dennis Smith captured the aftermath of my crash at Lower Allen.

I need to remember how to ride a bike


Morgan comes by. He did a nice job of not running into me.


Hmmmm, my chain is not where it should be.


But luckily it slid back on the ring.


Dennis Smith is THE man. These are his photos.

holy shit!

Virginia beat #10 Arizona in hoops last night to open the swank new John Paul Jones arena.

Hope springs eternal in hooville.

Rainy day

No racing for me yesterday. I'm always up for a nasty mud-fest, but that's ok. I don't think I could handle back-to-back double race weekends right now. I enjoyed a nice rainy day at home with the family. What a nice way to recharge after a hard day of racing.

Lower Allen 'Cross was fun, as usual. The course is always great and I think this year was the best. Hebe worked his magic to design a fantastic track. There were plenty of tricky turns and off-cambers, but many of the turns were opened up allowing you to take them with more speed.
This added a nice risk-reward element to the racing.
More speed through the turns reaped big rewards, as long as you didn't crash. And the more speed you carried the more likely you were to crash. The racing was fast and there were many racers pushing the limits of traction and hitting the deck.

I had one nice crash on a fast off-camber left hander. I'd been taking this one fast in warm-up and the first few laps of the race. I think I got over-confident.

good start, right up there with the big dogs


I had gotten a good start right around top-10 and was in a really nice group with Harshman & Morgan. We had a little gap behind and it was that point in the race where you're trying to grab a little recovery from the start before pushing through to the finish.

rolling in a fast group with friends


I took the same line I'd been taking all morning, but maybe a little faster and I went down without warning, sliding on my left side. I got back up pretty quickly and when I remounted I saw my chain was halfway off of the chainring. Luckily it hopped back on when I pedaled.

This was a fast part of the course and my group was now riding away from me. I don't know why, but this crushed me mentally. I made the cardinal sin of 'cross racing...I started to think!

suffering, drifting backwards, & pondering why???


In 'cross racing, raw aggression and instinct are your friends. Thinking is the enemy. I was thinking about how much I was hurting. I was thinking about how much I wanted to just do a long, mellow ride in the woods on my new singlespeed. I thought about how it would have been nice if I'd just stayed home and made pancakes with my family. I thought about how many guys were going to pass me that lap. Auer, Fort James, and Wes all yelled encouragement and I felt bad that I was sucking so bad.

Eventually I got pissed off and started racing again. I just put my head down and tried to block out the pain. My only focus was on turning the pedals. Pissed off is a good state of mind for 'cross racing! 8-)

head down and racing again


I ended up re-passing a number of guys and managed to ride cleanly the rest of the way. I had a pretty good duel with Zack Blaser the last couple of laps. We traded spots a few times and he led it out coming up the gravel finishing straight. I was on his wheel, but once again didn't have a sprint. I think it's mostly mental...I just need to get hungry and be more aggressive at the finish. I was too willing to concede a place.

I finished up in 18th, which I'm happy about. There was a point in the race where I was going backwards and questioning whether I would even do any more races this year. I easily could have faded way back or even DNF'd, but I pushed through the negative thoughts and kept on racing. If I had given up I'd be really bummed right now.

The MAC B's are tough, as always. From top to bottom the racing is intense. I had a shot at flirting with the top 10 again, but a crash and mental weakness cost me. I really want to put together at least one race this year where I ride strongly and cleanly from start to finish.

This weekend I'm doing the double in New Hope, PA. I have no idea what to expect from the courses, but I know the racing will be hard...and fun. The weather forecast calls for rain all week so I'll probably get to enjoy a couple of nasty mud-fests after all.

*photos courtesy of Gina Harshman

wondering

Extracting happiness out of suffering

Race Pace 'Cross: Some blinding glimpses of the obvious and other thoughts.

-Fighting a cold makes you suffer & probably slows you down.

-A poor warm-up means before the race means you'll spend the first part of the race warming up (and going backwards).

-A front-row position means you'll get a decent start, but a lot of good that does you when you can't go fast.

-Tufo's are slippery, especially when they are pumped up like road tires. I rode the off-camber turns like I was drunk. I got yelled at a lot on the first lap. The way I was riding I wanted to yell at myself too.

-Fast course with some nice tweaks from last year. Good training for me, but not suited to my limited strengths. It's a fun race and less than 20 minutes from my house so that's a win-win.

-Evan Fader and I had a good battle the last 3 laps. He'd get in front before the technical section (the part that should have been my strength, but which I sucked on) and then he'd sit up as we got to the paved path. I had worked hard to pass and get away from the guy's chasing and I didn't want them catching up so I'd pass him and drill it. He'd sit on my wheel for the rest of the lap and then get in front for the tricky stuff. On the final climb I put in a massively feeble attack to try and shake him to no avail. He jumped me as we crested the hill and held it to the line to take 10th. It was a good battle. I didn't play it right tactically, but I was forced to ride hard late in the race and that's good training. Sometimes the gaps open up and you can get lazy and back off late in the race.

-This was the final race in the growing MABRA series. I did 4 out of the 6 races and ended up 10th in the B's. Next year I want to get on the podium.

-The top B guys are really strong and nice too. I feel no shame in getting kicked in the head by them week after week.

-I need some rest and recovery. Hopefully the training and racing will lead to some better results in the second half of the season. It's funny how some days the power is there and some days it's not.

-Regardless, you just have to stay tough and giv'r whatever you've got. If you do that you can extract the happiness out of the suffering.

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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

The bridge

The grand opening for the foot bridge linking Ilchester to Patapsco Valley State Park was Saturday monring. As bridges go it's a beautiful structure. It runs from the base of Ilchester Rd. and spans 164 feet over the Patapsco River to the Grist Mill trail inside the Park.

This bridge gives us one more point of access into the Park. We'll be able to use it to get to the Rolling Rd. trailhead quickly if we're meeting friends. It will also open up some more ride options for road rides or mixed road/trail rides on the 'cross bike.

We bought our house for the location (primarily schools & access to the Park --> miles and miles of stellar mountain biking) and we couldn't be happier. With this new foot bridge the location just got even better.

The Friends of Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway were the driving force in working with Maryland DNR to get this project done. They were also out in the Park planting trees on Saturday. They are a nice group doing good work. I'm going to volunteer to help them out.

Mad Lib Race Report Template

Today was the ________ (adjective) _________ (race name) 'Cross at ____________ (location).

It’s just about the ___________ (adjective) race in the ___________ (series name) Series.

Last night I ate a crapload of _____________ (type of spicy ethnic food) for dinner. I was up half the night ____________ (verb) so I wasn’t feeling my best when I woke up. For breakfast I inhaled a bunch of __________ (food) and guzzled ___ (number) ounces of ______ (beverage).

I managed to get on the road and only forgot to bring my __________ (piece of gear). On the drive to the race I chugged a bunch of _________ (beverage) and was worried that if I didn’t get to a restroom soon I might ________ (bodily function) myself.

I made it to the venue and beelined it to the _________ (type of toilet).
It was ____________ (adjective), but probably better than squatting behind a ______ (noun). Note to self, pack handi-wipes next time.

I picked up my number and _______ (number between 2 and 20) safety pins from registration and managed to not complain about ________ (typical whiny bike racer gripe).

After putting on my gear I headed out to preview the track. It was really ________ (adjective). There were 3 nasty __________ (plural technical features) and 1 evil (technical feature). The mud was ________ (adjective). It was the consistency of ________ (mud-type).

I was running my _________ (plural brand of tire) at _____ (number between 20 & 50) psi so I was really ________ (adjective) in the mud. The fast sections were _________ (adjective) _________ (adjective) which was really ________ (adjective) for me.

Over at the starting grid I got a _______ (number) row call-up thanks to my _______ (adjective) performances thus far in the season. Awaiting the gun I was ________ (adverb) nervous. I nearly ________ (bodily function) my skinsuit.

My start was _________(adjective). My legs were spinning with the ferocity of a _________ (animal). Onto the dirt I was in about _______ (number between 1st and 80th) position. I was incredibly __________ (emotion).

As the race wore on I _______ (verb) the _________ (section of the course) very ______(adverb) which put me in a position to _________ (verb) through the field.

On the last lap I was in a small group. I tried to drop them on the ________(technical feature) but it came down to a sprint. In the sprint it was like a _______(type of car) vs. a ______(type of car), and I was the ________(type of car).

In the end, I had a truly __________(adjective) ride today to finish ______th (number).

__________ (fellow competitor) was killing it today! I just wish he didn't slam his bike into my _______(noun). Anyway, he's a sandbagger.

My new ________ (sponsor’s product) is mind-blowingly amazing. Without it I would be a lot slower.

After the race I drank a ________ (beverage) and talked shit with my fellow racers.

You just don't get this type of scene in a _________(type of cycling) race.

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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

Natz News

California Giant Berry Farms has signed on as the title sponsor of this year's 'Cross Natz.
They seem to be a big sponsor of cycling out on the left coast.
It's nice to see that they have stepped up to provide important sponsorship to the event.

Also, a confirmed rider list will be posted on bikereg on December 1st.
So, we'll have a couple of weeks to geek out about start positions and related conspiracies.

Ik ga braken (I'm going to vomit)

Beacon 'Cross
Bridgeton, NJ


photo courtesy of Natasha Bunten. Thanks 'Tash!

Post-race interview

Me: How was your morning?
me: tranquilo...nice breakfast with the family & an easy drive. Bernie hooked me up with a good parking spot and the two of us previewed the course, figuring out the lines.

Me: Any changes to your setup?
me: An extra slathering of chamois cream & I ran the Tufos (at too high a PSI).

Me: Describe the course.
me: Fast. Hard. Not NYS.

Me: How about those stairs?
me: Screw you...First off, they're not stairs. They were brutal. Inhaling charcoal smoke at the top was helpful. Another lap and I'd have been crawling up them.

Me: How was your start?
me: I was on the 2nd row and got a decent start, but nothing special. I had to go from the far left lane and find a place to slot in after the surge went up the right side. The first two turns were a mess, but I got through without having to stop. I was top-2o, closer to the 20th.

Me: And after that?
me: I was not connected to my inner-Sven. As expected guys were going apeshit to move up. I quickly discovered that I wasn't having a good day. I was incapable of going apeshit. I couldn't close gaps and I had trouble holding wheels when guys came past me. It seemed like I had one speed and just couldn't muster up the extra gear when I needed it. I was still going pretty good and just tried to defend my position.

Me: It looked like you had some good battles out there...
me: Yup...promoter Wade Hess and I were going at it. I put him in the bushes a couple of times when he tried to pass and he ended up making the pass through the bushes. It was crazy! He had a rhododendron branch hanging from his derailleur cage. We passed and repassed each other and jockeyed for position entering the gravel descent to the beach where he shouldered me out of the way. It was awesome. We were locked in a duel of a race lap after lap. I managed to get by him on the last lap and hold it to the finish. It was really fun racing. Wade was busting out some of the moves he learned racing over in Belgium. We were laughing about it after the race ended. 8-)

Me: So, you're sprint is still MIA?
me: No kidding. I got the beat-down at Granogue and then yesterday Frank Zgoda caught me just as we hit the road finishing straight. I led it out, but he got me by a bike length. I just couldn't get that last acceleration. I think I was over-geared (or under-legged).

Me: You still got some points so the day wasn't for naught.
me: Yeah, I'm pretty happy to be in the points on a day when I didn't have good legs. I know I'm capable of a better finish in a MAC race, but at least I've been top-25 in the first 3 events and that's an improvement over last year. The guys I'm racing against are really strong and great guys taboot. Getting smacked around by them every week will make me stronger. I feel like on a good day I've got a shot at a MAC top 10...maybe Lower Allen or Reston.

Me: What will it take to get there?
me: Besides luck or a lot of guys getting flats? Hard training, good coffee, and some more intense music for the drive to the race. Listening to a guy talk about philosophy on NPR is pretty sweet, but it doesn't get one in the aggro-mode needed for going apeshit in a cyclocross race.

Me: The team looked good.
me: The killer B squad kicked ass. Morgan & JH3 are both starting to ride really well and Miles put in a big ride to move from way back to 21st. Bernie was still sick and had to dnf, but he'll be back strong at Lower Allen. The rest of the team did really well too. We have a good crew.

Me: What's next on the agenda?
me: I'm going to clean all the sand out of my drivetrain and maybe do the Race Pace 'Cross on Sunday, but my schedule is tight. If not, the next event will be Lower Allen. I'm doing a sprint workout in the morning to try to get my ass in gear.

C3

Team spirit at Wiss

Photo courtesy of the talented Kevin Dillard

RAW

From Kevin Dillard's RAW series
Taken at Granogue 'Cross, Saturday 10/21/06

Paying the cost

It's been pretty lonely at 'cross practice recently.
Just me and my beat up barriers stashed in the trees.
Between the weather and a fading of early season enthusiasm attendance drops off by mid-October. For me, however, 'cross is my only real racing season & I'm committed to doing it right start to finish. I think if you can fight through that mid-season burnout and get enough recovery you can come into the last races flying and with a better shot at results since attendance dips.

Yesterday I focused on gettting ready for Beacon. I set ut up the barriers out of a right-hand U-turn. I did the race two years ago and that's the way it went with a tricky approach to the hurdles. Making that tight turn mid-dismount is not easy to do smoothly, but you can make up a second or two per lap if your technique is solid. I did a lot of reps working on the dismount and I'm glad I did. The first few were really sloppy, but eventually I got a feel for doing the lean and carving the turn. I also practiced dismounting early and running the u-turn in case there's traffic early in the race.

My starts have been shaky so I did some really hard start efforts to get used to the pain. The first two were horrible...well, good for 20 seconds and then my legs could barely pedal. The rest were pretty decent as my body got used to recovering from the initial sprint.

To prepare for the long beach run I shouldered the bike and did some tempo runs the length of a football field as part of my practice loop. The running felt fine, but when I remounted the first few pedal strokes were not pleasant. I think the key for me is to NOT sprint the run, but rather to run at a tempo pace and use my longer stride to my advantage.

I'm not sure how to prepare for the amphitheatre steps. They are evil. I did a few runs up a steep hill, but I don't really think that simulates the effort of the big stairs. They are like doing one-legged squats.

Even though I was solo I still got in a decent workout and since I started early I made it home in time for dinner.

Last night was also the final night for a practice with daylight. Starting
next week I'll use the helmet mounted light and move over next to the lighted fields.
And maybe I'll bring the iPod to keep my company.

I love my chicken

Halloween costume

Wissahickon

Wissy CX


photo courtesy of Gina Harshman

After a good night's sleep in Exton, PA I travelled a few miles north to Ludwig's Corner for the Wissahickon 'Cross. I did this race two year's ago when it was at the Belmont Plateau in Philly so this venue was new to me.

Whenever possible I arrive early and spend some quality time getting to know the track, figuring out lines, speeds, sections on which to attack, and sections on which to survive. After about 2 minutes of course preview it was clear that the start would be crucial.

There were many slow, tight, technical turns that would lead to big traffic jams early in the race. The sandpit would be ridable with one decent line, but in traffic would it be possible to stay on that line and continue moving forward? The fast, open power sections would up the speed and extend the gaps. I followed fastMarc & E-town around on the warm-up laps spying on their lines since both of them tore it up at Granogue. I was the padawan trying to learn from the jedi.

I really liked the course and enjoyed the fact that as the race progressed you could learn a little bit more and ride a little bit faster each lap, legs & lungs willing!

So it was clear that the start would be pretty important. I knew it and was ready for it. Once again I was on the 3rd row. 3rd row is hit or miss depending on what the guys in front of you do. In the first 10 seconds of the race you can either be at the front or 50 guys back.

Lined up next to me was Don Kessel. I became a Dad last year and Don will become one very soon. We talked about baby stuff as we waited for the start. It was really cool to recall those experiences and think about what he has in store. However, all of this happy baby-stuff might have cooled some of the pre-race fire and aggression that is key to a good start, but that's all good. 8-)

When the gun went off the two guys in front of me had trouble...clipping in and spinning out on the gravelly surface. I had to pedal in slow motion for several seconds waiting for room to move. In those seconds a good chunk of the field accelerated past me.

I was frustrated. I felt lonely. I wanted to get in the car and drive home. Then I realized how pissed I would be if I DNF'd so I kept going.

The first lap was a nightmare. I practically came to a stop in the first half dozen turns and got chopped in the one turn that I entered carrying any speed. When we got to the sand pit things were FUBAR, not unlike the traffic heading home on 95 South. So, 3 minutes into the race I was way back in the field and the leaders were probably a minute in front.

The second lap wasn't much better. The gaps were growing, but at least there was a little more room to pick and ride your own lines. Passing was difficult and took a lot of effort and good timing. I worked my way up to my teammate Bernie mid-race and hoped we'd be able to work together, but it only lasted for a lap. We weren't far apart, but with a bunch of chasers just behind there was no point in slowing and forming a big group.

The rest of the race I focused on picking off one rider at a time and constantly moving forward. I got a few guys by riding turns faster and then jumping past before the next turn. I made more passes in the last part of the sand pit. On the fast, open sections I latched onto the back of groups and attacked before the gravel filled right hand turn. If you could get in front entering the 'spiral of death' you could gap guys. And surprisingly I even passed a couple of dudes on the run-up. Two other passes late in the race were gifts...Don K. dropping his chain and Eric Morgan dumping it in turn a slick off-camber turn.

Overall I passed a lot more than I was passed. One guy that did get by me was Jeremy Dunn. He smoked me as we entered the 'spiral' entering the turn very hot. It was an aggressive and very smooth pass. He kept on moving up and ended the race in 14th. I'd like to say that I should have stuck to his wheel, but it wasn't happening. I was feeling good, but he was moving!

Michael Hosang and I did battle trading spots and jockeying into the turns for the last 2 laps. It was intense racing, but I got away from him on the run-up last lap. Fun stuff.

Coming up the finishing straight I was closing on Chris Harshman and my teammate Morgan Gerlak. With another lap I might have connected with them. I was happy to even get close to them as they were clearly riding well. Despite the crappy start I ended up having pretty good legs and solid focus.

I ended up 22nd, good for a handful of series points. After the first lap I thought I had no shot at the top 25 so I was happy with the result. For the remaining MAC races I really want to get a starting position on the first two rows and have a better shot at the Top 10. I'm not strong enough to make my way up there from mid-pack, but I think that with a good start and some luck I've got a shot.

Congrats to my teammates. Everyone is having a good season and our killer B squad is looking really good with JH3, Morgan, Bernie, & Miles.

'Cross is hard & humbling & painful, but the rewards from expanding one's limits are manifested in physical, emotional, and spiritual ways. Perhaps even cooler is the family that is the 'cross community. Seeing friends and making new ones is pretty damn sweet.

Granogue

What a weekend. Seriously tough racing, but it was fun. The MAC cranks it up a few notches in all respects.

Grrrrrranogue!


photo courtesy of Gina Harshman

I lined up on the 3rd row and thankfully some space opened up quickly. I was able to move up and get on the tail of the front group. With a field of 90 killa B's it was important to get in front of the inevitable log jams. I hit it hard for the first couple of laps until the gaps settled in. Then I focused on riding cleanly and dosing my efforts so that I didn't fade at the end.

The other 2 times I've done this race I've had mechanical and crash issues that have pushed me well back in the results. This year I rode really smoothly and managed to keep the power up, even as I suffered on all of the climbs.

The last half of the race I was battling with Chris Mayhew and Colin Sandberg. They put it to me on the power sections and I clawed back on the technical stuff. It was really fun racing as we jockeyed for position each lap.

The final time down the twisty off-camber hill I passed Colin and sat on Mayhew's wheel. He hit the road first and I was right on his wheel, ready (I thought) for the sprint. However, Colin unleashed a wicked jump that I had no answer for. At the same moment we were caught by two other strong dudes, Ray Ignosh & Andrew Crooks. I was outgunned and I knew it. The sprint started and mentally I had already checked out. The shock & awe overwhelmed me.

I rolled in on the back of that group to finish 17th. I was happy with the race, but I was also a bit disappointed to be that close to knocking on the door of the top 10 and lose several places in the last 200m. It was intense racing and just what I needed from a training standpoint.

Even better than racing was watching the other races. The DCC of D did an amazing job to put on a national caliber event. Even though I was racing again on Sunday I couldn't help but drink some beer, eat some tacos, and run around watching the elite races. The scene on the evil run-up was huge. It was packed with screaming, cowbell clanging cross fans urging the racers up the hill...very cool stuff.

Bike racing is cool, but 'cross is just a special experience. Beautiful venue, good people, friendly vibes...a true MAC Love-In.

FW:

FW:
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

Mexican!

Epic

Link to the "At The Back" essay in Velonews about the epic 2005 'Cross Nationals 35-39 is here.

Grote Prijs Race Video

Race.cx has video of the entire Grote Prijs Cyclocross race up on their site. Those mofo's are faaaaast!

With the proliferation of youtube, google video, etc. we're going to see a lot more race video from races in the US and Euro-land this season. Word.

Check it out here.

AVC Breast Cancer Awareness 'Cross

On Saturday I did the AVC Breast Cancer Awareness 'Cross in Hagerstown, MD.
Big thanks to Gina Harshman for taking the great photos!

The start was tight, but safe. We sprinted for 50 meters before slowing way down for a 180 degree turn onto the grass. Steve Fife took the hole-shot before Eric Linder accelerated into the lead.


Turn #2 was an off-camber 180 degree drop to the right. fastMarc went came in too hot and went down slip-and-slide style, but as you can see in this photo he got back up & on his bike very quickly. Despite the short laps and technical turns a large group of about 15 guys stayed pretty much together for a while. A couple of guys took early flyers before Todd Hesel just rode away...way away...from everyone.


E-town obviously knows which wheel to follow. It's not that I was riding very fast...but I did manage to get around 3 guys (fastMarc, O'Hara, & Scesney) that crashed right in front of me...skills yo! 8-)


The big front group hit the barriers pretty fast with everyone jockeying around and battling for position before the splits started.


We had a nice group chasing the front-runners just ahead. E-town set a fast pace and got us some good separation from the guys chasing us. Brian Fouche rode the technical stuff really well and used his power to find the front of the race. Rob Campbell is charging. He caught us and went right on through. Brewer looks like he's going to latch on, but he never made it.


Later in the race I attacked Fife and Nieters, but fastMarc was charging hard.
This hill was short, but very steep...just ridable. After 11 laps it really hurt.


Does this skinsuit make my ass look big???


After dropping my chain & spazzing to put it back on I was caught by Chris Mayhew. We rode together for the last two laps. We kept the pace up and had a decent gap on Marc & Jared, but with half a lap to go things got tactical and we both ate it in the sand pit. I got up pretty quickly and was on my bike before I realized that my chain was half off. Luckily it slid back on after a turn of the pedals.

Unfortunately my shifter was full of sand and not really working. I couldn't get past the 25 tooth cog. Jared caught me at the top of the steep hill and led it out. I stayed on him until we turned onto the road, but I wasn't doing much sprinting in the 25. Luckily fastMarc wasn't close enough to catch me. I ended up in 6th.


This race was a lot of fun. There was some excellent group racing and the course was relentless. If you let off the gas for a second or made a mistake you were losing places instantly. It was intense.

No racing for me this weekend. It's our 7th Anniversary and we're getting away for the weekend. Plus, it's time to recover from the first 3 races and get ready for the opening weekend of the MAC season. With two 7th's and a 6th in some deep MABRA fields I'm happy with how the season has begun. However, it's going to get a whole lot tougher beginning with Granogue. I'll need to find another gear and some mojo if I want to get anywhere close to the front of the MAC races.

Life is good

Thor hearts hummus

Our son is also our sous chef. Here he is after after helping to make a batch of one of his favorite foods, hummus.

The boy & the bubbles

Natz Schedule

*10/19/06 Update
The schedule was tweaked a bit.
I've updated it below.

A bit of info about 'Cross Natz was just released.

This is the tentative schedule of events

Friday 12/15/06
7:30 course open
8:30 master women 40+ 45+ 50+ 55+
9:30 master men 50+ 55+ 60+
10:30 master women 30+ 35+
11:30 master men 45+
12:30 open course & awards
1:00 master men 45+
2:00 master men 35+
3:00 master men 30+
4:00 course closed & awards

Saturday 12/16/06
8:30 course open
9:30 Junior men U13 U15 U17
10:30 Women U23 U13 U15 U17 U19 Collegiate
11:30 Elite Junior men
12:30 open course & awards
1:00 U23 men
2:00 Elite men
3:00 course closed & awards

Sunday 12/17/06
7:30 course open
8:30 women B
9:30 under 35 B Men
10:30 35+ B Men
11:30 Collegiate men
12:30 open course & awards
1:00 pro-elite super cup
2:00 Elite women
3:00 course closed & awards

No word yet on when Registration will open.

Yogurt

A race report from the weekend is on the way. Until then here's Thor eating yogurt.

Warranty

When I was about 10 years old I rode a Schwinn Mag Scrambler. It was a nice bike and I rode it all the time. I was happy.

Then my brother got a new bike. All of a sudden my bike didn't look as nice and I too wanted a new bike.

A meeting was held between me, my brother Jon, and our buddies Judson & Tyler. A plan was hatched to get a new bike for me.

We climbed up onto the tall auditoreum building of the elementary school next door and hauled my bike up to the roof. We gave the bike a rolling start and launched it off the roof onto the ground below. Surely this would break the bike and I would would get a new one thanks to Schwinn's generous warranty.

We climbed down off the roof and hurried over to inspect the bike guessing how many pieces it would be in. To our surprise the tough bastard was still in one piece, albeit with bent chainstays, good for riding around in circles.

The bike had survived and suddenly I felt really bad about trying to trash my beloved bike. We scrapped the plan and ran home to get hammers. We used them to hammer the shit out of the chainstays to get the frame back in alignment.

Amazingly, the bike rode great from that day forward surviving many rickety plywood jumps and stupid stunts. Eventually I moved on to a 10-speed that I could use to explore outside of my neighborhood but that Mag Scrambler has always had a special place in my heart.

Crosstalk podcast #2

Check out Crosstalk podcast #2 from the Ed Sander 'Cross here.

Crosstalk is a video podcast about cyclocross racing in the Mid-Atlantic.

Peter Nicoll is the producer and he does a very PRO job.

To paraphrase Dickie Dunn, "He really captures the spirit of the thing."

Here's hoping Peter compiles his footage at season's end to put together a retrospective DVD.
If he does, I'll be a buyer. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Nationals?

I know it's barely October, but it's not too soon to start thinking about Nationals.

How will they handle registration, field limits, staging, etc. this year?

Will they make changes to the course?

I think the organizers will have things dialed in better this year...and they were great last year, even with the blizzard!

The one thing I do know is that the host hotel will be different this year. Bye bye Biltmore, hello Westin.

I have a hunch that some details will leak out this weekend at Gloucester and we'll get an official announcement on the Natz site & cyclocrossworld soon thereafter.

Getting there

Yesterday was the Ed Sander 'Cross in Buckeystown, MD. The venue is gorgeous and the promoters (NCVC) do a first class job. I always enjoy racing here.

The track is fast most of the way, with one very technical section 2/3 of the way around. There's really not a decent place to recover without losing ground. Drafting and group riding plays a big role so you cannot afford to make mistakes because they will be magnified if you lose your group.

My teammate JH3 taking a good line on the high-side

photo by Michael Kirk

I'm trying to race my way into fitness which means racing smart and measuring my effort to have something to give in the last 2 laps. Fortunately a front row starting position allowed me settle into a decent spot without having to waste a lot of energy.

The start

photo by Gina Harshman


photo by Michael Kirk

The first time around the ponds fastMarc was on the front setting a solid, but not unbearable tempo. With little room for passing and a lot of race left he was too experienced to bury himself early just to tow the lead group around.

Onto the gravel and the festivities commenced. I got passed by a couple of groups looking to get to the front. I went from top 10 to top 20 in an instant. I clawed my way back onto the wheel as we entered the technical backside of the course. Some dude lost it in a slick turn opening the gap as we squeezed past.

The run-up and subsequent difficulties really opened up that gap as the fast kids (one of which being my wunderkind teammate Morgan) decided to light it up.

Early leaders Morgan (14 years old) & Todd (eventual winner)

photo by Gina Harshman


photo by Michael Kirk

The rest of the lap was typical first lap craziness as guys freaked out to move up in the line. I didn't want to get passed, but I also didn't want to blow up either so I rode my pace and slid back a bit.


photo by Gina Harshman

The next couple of laps some guys faded from the early effort and I ended up in a nice group that included Zach Adams and Brian Fouche. These guys are strong and they crushed it on the fast parts of the course. I was determined to not let them ride away, but I had to dig to hang on.

My group on the evil U-turn runup. We rode fast & smooth to close the gap

photo by Michael Kirk

We were putting time into the chasers and bit by bit making up ground on the guys in front of us. Coming into the barriers Brian bobbled while the rest of us made it through cleanly. Zach took off while me and another guy looked at each other, hesitating to see who would lead into the headwind around the first pond.

I lost this game of chicken. Zach was riding away and I didn't want to let Brian catch back up. I put my head down and drove it into the wind and around the turn. When I looked up I could see that Zach was slowing. I got around him and put in a brief dig to get some space.

I needed to get a gap through the winding ponds before we hit the gravel again and I did. Seeing that I had a gap gave me a shot of adrenaline. I was suffering, but I was also starting to feel pretty good. This was probably my best lap and I caught up to John Brewer and Mike O'Hara with 2 to go.

Brewer put the hammer down on the gravel, gapping Mike, who in turn gapped me. On the backside we came back together and I managed to pull up alongside John after one of the steep up's. He was having none of it and immediately accelerated leaving me in his dust.

I hurt myself trying to stay with those guys as we hit the downhill, but I had to soft-pedal and grab a little recovery. Most of the last lap I was dangling behind those guys and peaking over my shoulder to see if Zach was closing. This was strictly self-preservation mode.

Cresting the last short steep ride (run) up.

photo by Michael Kirk

I got a moment of hope when O'Hara bobbled on the run-up, but I was in the process of getting around a lapped rider and couldn't quite close the gap. On the last run/ride Mike opted to run while I rode it. I passed him as he remounted and I thought he was cooked. That was definitely not the case.

He let out a yell and put in a monstrous attack up the grassy slope to quash any hope I had. That was an incredible show of sheer will...I was impressed and crushed at the same time.

I looked back to see that I still had a decent gap on Zach so I licked my wounds and rolled down to the finish in 7th for the second week in a row.

Given that I've hardly raced this season I'm pretty happy with my fitness. Hopefully I can continue to get stronger heading into the MAC season. The MABRA fields have been huge, almost like MAC fields from the past 2 seasons. These races are a lot of fun as there are so many riders around you that you're battling from start to finish. If you let up briefly or flub a section you're losing multiple places. It's intense!

The tires were amazing. This was the first time riding them in the mud and they hooked up better than the Michelin Mud2's. I was running them pretty low and they felt really fast & smooth on all the grass and gravel sections. They're not cheap, but they're worth it...best possible upgrade on a 'cross bike.

Next up is the AVC Breast Cancer Awareness 'Cross in Hagerstown this Saturday.

***Thanks to Gina Harshman & Michael Kirk for the great photos!