Whether the weather

Is good

and we're rolling around in the grass


Or wetting a line and getting into an all time day of fly fishing (and subsequently dropping an iPhone in the river).




Or heading to the neighborhood pond for a dusk bluegill & largemouth session. Or whether the weather is turning chillier and we're roasting marshmellows.







And soaking in a bubblebath



And prepping the winter riding boots




Or whether the weather is not we'll weather the weather whatever the weather whether we like it or not.

Like humping it up a BITCH of a run-up in cold, rainy, MUDDY conditions at an EPIC (yes, epic without a bit of hyperbole) Granogue.


For the record I accomplished one of my season goals (top 10 in a MAC race) with a 10th place. Mud & cold are my friends. I also had a blast working the pit and hanging out with the amazing 'cross community. Huge props to the DCCofD for putting on a fantastic event under very difficult conditions!

-- Post From My submerged but still working iPhone

Charm City > Vegas double

* This year Charm City Cross (9/20/09) will be a UCI C2 event.. Spread the word to your Elite buddies. Southwest flies non-stop between BWI and Las Vegas so you can race Charm City and then catch a 7:00pm flight to land in Vegas at 9:00pm. That gives you a couple of days to do the Interbike thing and get ready for Cross Vegas on 9/23. We might even be able to run a shuttle from our race to the airport.

-- Post From My iPhone

FMB/Fango

Some cool news from Francois at FMB...

INFORMATION

Nouveaux ;

Les boyaux cyclo-cross FMB sont désormais disponsibles avec la nouvelle chape Fango.  Les succés remportés par ce nouveau produit conçu pout exceller dans les conditions boueuses offre une résistance au roulement faible.

New ; The FMB cyclo-cross tubulars are now available with the new tread FANGO.  The success of this new product designed to excel in muddy conditions provides a low rolling resistance.

MABRA Cross Championships

MABRAcross Championships (and State Championships)

Taneytown, MD

Cold, Wet, Muddy day

HEAVY, slippery track

The story of the day was teamwork.  Everyone pulled through and threw down for their teammates.  It feels really good to be part of such a special and supportive group.

Our main goal for the day was to move Auer into the 35+ Series lead.  Marc Gwadz held a 6 point lead going into the race.  Therefore, we needed Auer to finish at least a few spots ahead of Gwadz.  We felt confident that Auer would have a good race, but we also needed to place some guys ahead of Gwadz...no easy task.

As for the race...

Fatmarc made a strong opening statement by coming from back in the grid to grab the hole shot.  I slipped through a couple of tight spots in the opening series of slippery up and down turns to move up to third wheel, right behind Gunnar.  Marc continued to rip it up front riding the mud with just the right mixture of power and finesse.

Halfway through the first lap Auer made his way to the front and then off the front with Gunnar.  Marc had done such a good job of driving the pace from the start that there was now a slight gap behind us.  He and I rode together for a while with Gwadz just a few seconds back. We pushed it hard knowing that we needed to maintain our positions to give Kris a chance at the series title.

Eventually the effort started to take its toll on me and I made some mistakes (mental: unclipping my low-side foot on a slippery off-camber and physical:  eating shit trying to square off a turn too soon on another slippery off-camber).  As I watched fatMarc continue to ride strongly in front of me I saw that the chasers (Fuentes and Root, with Gwadz just a few seconds behind them) begin to close the gap.

I had been hoping to get enough of a gap that I could cruise it in at a solid, but not puke-enducing pace.  It was now clear that I would have to resort to puke-enducing.  I'll just say that I put everything that I had into the last lap and a half.  I was fading and I looked and felt like shit, but I wasn't going to give up.

I had some friends and teammates cheering around the course and by the tone of their voices and their choice of words on that last lap I could tell that it (I) wasn't looking too good.  Dave Fuentes finally caught up to me just past the pit with maybe a minute left to go.  Luckily it was tight from there to the run-up and through to the ensuing slippery downhill.

I figured that I could keep him behind me until we got to the road, giving me time to recover enough to have a shot in the sprint.  Happily it didn't come down to that.  Just after the run-up I heard a noise just behind me.  It sounded like someone stacking it.  I took a quick peak behind me and sure enough Dave had clipped the telephone pole on the edge of the course.

I put my head down and negotiated the next tricky off-camber cleanly to get onto the road with enough of a gap to make a sprint unnecessary.  After crossing the line the cold and the effort hit me.  I felt like shit and was shivering.

After a celebratory muddy hug with Auer and Vettori I stumbled off to find a way to get dry and warm.  Luckily one of my teammates told me to go see Tom McDaniel.  Tom had his usual pimp compound set up with hot shower and warm changing area.  Tom saved the day!  Huge thank you to Tom McDaniel for the post-race support to combat hypothermia!

So I got cleaned up and changed with Kris, Gunnar, and Jan.  I was even forced to see Gunnar's naked ass, though I understand that many before have had that honor.

In the end we did it.   Auer 1st, Gunnar 2nd, Vettori 3rd, Me 4th.  Jan is more of a fan of a fast, dry track but he still gutted it out for 11th and I think a Delaware Gold Medal.   Kris locked up the 35+ Series.  Kris, Marc, and I swept the 35-39 Gold, Silver, and Bronze for MABRA and Maryland States.  It was a good day for the Elite Masters team and a great day for the team all around.   We won more than a few races and medals.  Good stuff.

Postscript:  I had been fighting a cold since Tacchino and a day slopping around in the cold rain and mud at Taneytown put me over the edge.  Instead of a cold it's a chest infection...outta work Monday & Tuesday, cold sweat at night, hacking up brown sludge from my chest.  Nice.  I'm starting to feel a little better today, but training may be out for the week.  I'll have to rally for the last race of the season Sunday in Reston and squeeze something out of the fitness I've built up thus far.

KBS Rockburn Cross in the Baltimore Sun

Janene Holzberg from The Baltimore Sun wrote a nice story about the Rockburn 'Cross race. It's in the Howard County section of today's (11/6/08) paper. Nice photos too, including the one of Thor and I posted above. You can check out the story & photos here. The word is getting out. Cyclocross is taking off.

121607_11321.jpg

121607_11321.jpg
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom

Trains

KC Dispatch # 3: E-Town!

Congrats E-Town! 5th place in the under 30 B race at Natz. Looks like he grabbed the hole-shot too.

KC Dispatch #2

This story about CX Natz from the local KC press includes a photo of the Mid-Atlantic/Tom McDaniel compound. Note the Sprinter van and C3-Sollay.com jersey! Conditions look like typical Natz conditions...epic.

KC Dispatch #1

KC CX Natz dispatch from our man on the scene Kris Auer:

Well, out here at Kansas City. You all are sure to miss
"something" pre-ride showed a lot of ice, some mud and some more
ice, also some cold air and some air with wet stuff floating in it.
Rain and Snow I believe. Just trace amounts of that though.
the course was not really set up but it looks OK. We'll know tomorrow
how it races as Ethan, Young Jeff and Tom McDaniel race tomorrow.
I'll keep you informed.

Pre-ride

did some laps on tomorrow's course
gonna be fun and SLICK
time to go wash the bike

120807_13011.jpg
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom

What makes a 'cross course?

One of my favorite things about cyclocross is the diversity of race courses. Each race has it's own personality and challenges. Different features favor different riders. Each race is different.

Are you a mudder? A runner? A good bike driver? A diesel? A climber? A technician?

A cyclocross course exposes your strengths and your weaknesses. A good 'crosser will work hard to improve weaknesses and become well-rounded. Your strengths will always be your strengths, but improving your weaknesses is satisfying and beneficial.

I like the fact that there are many ways that you can improve. It's not just about putting out more power, though that usually helps!

Sunday's race has me thinking about what makes a cyclocross course. The Race Pace track had zero dismounts. Are dismounts absolutely necessary? No. However, I would prefer that racers have to get off their bikes at least once per lap.

Well executed dismounts, remounts, and bike handling are a thing of beauty, balletic in my mind. They are the ARTISTIC part of 'cross. Power and speed are the science. The combination of the two creates an allure that gets my juices flowing.

Race Pace Promoter Rodger Carter wanted a faster, less technical course and that's cool. I really enjoyed the race and the changes made from last year. His explanation of why they didn't include any dismounts is interesting. He says that when 'cross was developed the running part was intended to keep the racers warm since the races were run in the cold, wet winters of northern Europe.

Since our races are run under much milder temperatures there isn't the same need to keep the racers warm. So, an Autumn race season and global warming are the reasons for the decline of dismounts and running in cyclocross? Interesting theory, but I'm not buying.

He also argues that a racer should be able to do well on all types of courses and I totally agree there. However, I think you can throw in a set of planks or force a run-up and still have a fast, non-technical course. If you're going to forgo any forced dismounts you should incorporate more technical sections (like the off-cambers at Race Pace).

That said, a rainy day would have made this track very tough...I'm thinking 3 dismounts and some very slippery grassy sections. If that happens you can always remove the planks. Anyway, I'm not bitching...just contemplating what makes a 'cross.

Diversity in cylcocross courses is a GREAT THING. I had a blast at the Guy's/Evo MAC mud-fest weekend last year where there was a shitload of running per lap and I also enjoyed Race Pace where I never had to get off my bike. It's all racing and none of it is easy.

While I think that most 'cross races should be more in the middle of the ride-run spectrum, it's fun do one at the extreme from time to time.

The season is nearing it's end, but my enthusiasm is still boundless.

Off-topic, but good reading:
Michael Lewis on what really drives Wall St. and much of the business world.