Capital Classic Cross Photos

Fitness Concepts Capital Cross Classic UCI
Sunday, December 5, 2004
Lake Fairfax Park, Reston, VA
B race


Pre-Race

Before the race all was good. The weather was a balmy 60 degrees and sunny. The course was generally very fast with a lot of surface transitions, quite a bit of climbing, and some tricky technical spots. I arrived plenty early to ride some slow laps getting to know the course.



When the race started it was all business and I was focused riding hard and staying with the front group as long as possible. I started fast and stayed on the tail of the leading group for a couple of laps before I had to back off just a bit to avoid blowing up. The pace was very fast and I had pushed my limit at the start. This strategy paid off because by the time I went out the back of the group there was a big gap back to the next riders on the course.




Everyone found the ~secret~ line on the right side of the gravel. There were few spots on the course to get any recovery, but as you can see we were looking for any draft at all. The faster paved sections were good for group riding, but the group I was in was splintering as the attacks came from riders looking to get clear and into the top 10. Each time up the road someone would jump and force the rest of us to try to latch on. This took it's toll...



I'm gasping for breath as John Hostetter catches me after the hurdle hill. At this point I'm in survival mode. I held John's wheel for a lap, but was gapped as he was riding the technical stuff flawlessly and powering away on the grinding sections. The gap was around 15 seconds the last two laps, but I kept riding hard to hold off the rider behind me, who seemed to be getting closer.




Luckily I had a lot of family and friends cheering me on, including SUPERFAN and little brother Scott ringing his monster cowbell every time I came by! I was tired and suffering but the cheers kept me pushing myself, especially on the last lap as I caught back up to John on the final climb.





Just after the finish my heart is still pounding, but I'm pretty excited to have caught up to John on the last lap and taken him in a very close sprint. I ended up 16th, my best finish yet in a MAC race. In fact, our whole crew rode great all season long, getting better every race. Most importantly, we had a lot of fun practicing and racing.



Here's to a fun day and a fantastic 'cross season. I'm happy to have some time to relax and get away from training. I'm glad that everyone came out to check out the race.

MABRA 'Cross Championships Photos

Me and John slogging through the mud.



Preparing to remount after the hurdle run-up.



Approaching the steep drop-in.

Midpack Mayhem in Highland Park

Highland Park Cyclocross
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Highland Park, NJ
B Race, ~70 starters


Over the hurdles

The Course

~150 meter flat road section, hard left onto soft grass, short/steep muddy run-up, right back down on soft grass to a relatively high speed double hurdle. ankle deep mud past the pits and onto a wet sand baseball infield, back onto more deep muddy grass. paved walking path, 180 degree right onto combo of slick dirt singletrack and soft grass. soft grass winding back by the pits, more soft grass onto a short stretch of road to more soft grass to a chicane at the base of another short/steep muddy run-up on the same hill. steep muddy rutted drop back onto soft grass winding around to the road for the finishing straight. i was off the bike 5 times per lap.


The Race


It's a double race weekend...
so I'm drinking lots saturday evening to stay hydrated
Sleeping on an air mattress on the floor makes standing up for the late night pee's
agonizing after those steps at beacon! Yikes, the quad demons are haunting me!

Wake up, take stock of body and mind...
Mind strong & motivated to race. Legs shaky and look like they've been at it with a
cheese grater, but they're still there!
The stomach is another story.
I'm questioning eating TWO french dinners, especially gallette # 8.
The vittles were good, but sacre bleu dem belly is bubbly!

Time to check bike and gear.
There's no mud, just sand everywhere.
A quick 'n e-z clean and we're ready to roll.

Warming up I see the course morphing before my eyes.
First time around everything is ridable, even the hills.
This doesn't last for long as the combination of wet turf and bike tires turns things
pear shaped in a hurry.
The deterioration is quick as the course goes from nondescript to epic within an hour.

I head to the road to continue the warm-up as more laps on the course will only drain the
already shaky legs.

It's almost time to start and I score a spot mid-bunch and anticipate the brutality that
will soon follow. All of a sudden we get the 15 second warning and we're off!
I spy a gap immediately and zip up onto the wheels of the leaders.
Seconds later i'm spinning out my 39x12 as we approach the left turn.

Knowing the first hill will be FUBAR i give it full gas on the lead-up to the slop.
Things get surreal now as the guy on my left goes over the bars on the uphill! wtf!
That was sweet! A massive traffic jam ensues, but i find a clear lane up the inside.

I'm back on and closing in on the leading group.
Over the barriers and ready to close it down.
But wait, I'm not going anywhere in this muck!
Stubbornly I continue to grind past the pits and into more muck, going nowhere fast.
Awwww muck! the leading group of 15 or so is just ahead but i feel like i'm sinking!
Note to self: run this mess from now on, and I do.

Onto the paved path and i'm at the front of the second group, just seconds behind the
tempting draft of the front runners.
This is the part of the course where i need to get a quick recovery but it's not
happening this lap. As we make the turn around the tree I'm starting to go from
redlined to meltdown mode...not good.

I back it off just a touch and immediately I'm passed by two or three groups. I try to
latch on, but I've started too fast and need to settle in.

Dusty comes by and I ramp it up again to get his wheel. Riding with someone you know
makes the pain more bearable. We get into a good rhythm and start to pick off riders.
We're flowing now, measuring our hard efforts and taking what the course gives us.


Dusty and I on the run-up


And on the soft grass

Now we've caught a good group and make continued progress, but the group is a little big.
FJ drills it along the river every lap and it's back to survival mode.

Our group has splintered and I'm gapped as we come by the pit. In a last ditch effort to
maintain contact I take the left line after the pit and all of a sudden I'm back at the
front of the group. Yeah!


The group

The adrenaline boost from that bit of luck gives me the juice I need for the last lap.
Over the barriers I really focus on taking long strides and breathing as I lope through
the ankle deep mud and goose dung. I have about 5 pounds of it on my bike, not to
mention in my eyes, ears, and mouth...mmmmm organic foie gras.

It's the last lap and I'm hanging on as our group keeps the heat on and eyes each other.
Down the trail and onto the soft grass we push, chests heaving and legs mashing the
pedals without elegance. The left line does the trick again and I move up to second
wheel as we hit the short stretch of road.

Back onto the grass and I move to front, but slide and almost go down in the process.
I try to keep the pace high as I consider my options. Undergeared with a 39T single
chainring I'm thinking that I don't have the winning hand in a sprint.


Last lap as I'm moving to the front of the group

That leaves a late attack. The chicane leading into the final run-up seems like a good
place to get a gap as it squeezes everyone into a single file line. I gear up and give
it a last burst into the dismount and get the bike shouldered cleanly.

The legs are screaming, but the toe spikes gain traction and I'm really moving up the
muddy slope. Back on the bike and I'm back in my pedals immediately (love the Candy
SL's!). I'm committed now so I start pedalling and drop down the hill fishtailing, but
making it through the ruts cleanly.

I'm really hurting now, but I know I have a small gap so I keep giving it full stick.
A quick look back and I see the others are driving it, but the gap should be enough.

I make the transition back to the road without going down and now I'm giving it one more
effort up the road to hold the gap to the line. As I approach the finish Richard Fries
is making a wisecrack at my expense, but it's all good. I love ya Richard!

Crossing the line I'm exhausted and elated at once. I finish 24th, so why am I so happy?
Yeah, I scored my first MAC series points in the B's (woohoo!), but it's really just the
joy of racing and competing.

In 'cross, no matter where you are in the pack you're still racing, trying to catch the
rider in front or hold off someone behind. All race long you're locked into these
intense micro-battles. The combination of this level of competition and the wonderful
community that comes together for the season makes 'cross the best thing on two wheels.

Thanks to everyone that makes it happen and extra respect to my fellow mid-pack dwellers
who race with such passion and intensity week after week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chris

Beacon 'Cross

Beacon Cyclocross
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Bridgton, NJ
B race, ~65 racers


The Sand Pit

The Course

The start was up a nice slightly uphill road stretch of about 300 meters before a sweeping right onto the hardpacked sand trail system, wide enough for passing but pretty crowded on the first lap. The trails were fast and twisty with loose sandy turns that were fun to slide through at high speed.

The high speed trails dumped you down a fast hill leading onto a lakefront beach. This was about a 100 meter running section of deep sand ending with a tall step to exit the beach.


Me and Sean exiting the beach run.


This is how the pro's do it.

This brought you by the double-sided pit before bending right and heading onto another section of fast and fun trails. At the end of a particularly fast stretch a 180 degree left fed into a 180 degree right and a set of double hurdles. Once back on the bike you hit a steep off-camber drop onto a short section of road running parallel to the finishing straight.

This was downhill and led you back onto the turf for a quick run down to a hard left turn into a sand pit. When entered at speed this was ridable, however most of your momentum was taken by the end making it faster to run for some.


First lap traffic in the sand pit. I'm about to dismount.

Exiting the sand pit brought you past the pit before a left turn into a short, steep dirt climb. At the top you did a 180 and dropped back down into a hard left into the "Amphitheatre of Pain". This was a series of 8 'steps' each roughly 16 inches high. This was painful for everyone and doubly so for those with short legs.


Sean and I on the stairs.

After the remount and a short trail section you dropped down a steep dirt embankment immediately into a paved right hand turn back onto the finishing straight of road.

The Race

I got a spot about 4 row back and worked hard to move up on the road section. I made pretty good progress, but ran into trouble as we approached the right turn. The line of guys I was following got cut off and had to slow dramatically. After watching riders pass me on both sides I found a hole jumped to the right. This got me moving again for about 5 seconds before we hit another logjam at the first tight left turn. By this point the front group was gone.

Once through the turn I got out of the saddle and hammered in an effort to improve my position. I saw Sean and Dusty up ahead and set my sights on making up to them.
By the time we hit the beach the first time I could see them just up ahead. I gave it all I had on the run and made it up to them as we exited the sand. This was a big boost psychologically.

We ended up with a big group barrelling through the sandy trails picking off riders one by one. Dusty, Sean, and I were all staying near the front trying to keep the pace high to whittle down the group. John was also in the group, but further back, and eventually got gapped by another rider messing up one of the sandy turns.

After a while we looked back to see that the group had disintegrated. It was just me, Sean, and another guy. Dusty had been the victim of another blown turn by another rider. Sean and I kept the pace high and worked really well together to share the work. We kept it together very well until Sean dropped his bike at the start of the stairs. I was leading and didn't realize that he had bobbled until we hit the road.

I eased up to get the other guy on the front and left him to pull up the road section to start the final lap. I was hoping that Sean would catch back on, but at the least I was getting a little recovery. Unfortunately the guy got a gap when we hit the trail and I didn't respond. I had him in sight the rest of the way, but finished 6 seconds back in 26th place. Sean rolled in for 27th.

This was my best finish yet in a MAC B race, though 1 spot out of the series points that go 25 deep. The race was very fast from start to finish and a whole lot of fun. After our race we watched the Elite Men's and Women's races. These were part of the Crank Brothers US Grand Prix of Cyclocross and they attracted the top riders from across the country. Read about those races at www.usgpcyclocross.com

At the end of the day we drove to Sean's cousin Phil's house in Northern NJ and ate two dinners before falling asleep!

Baby Outfits

Yesterday we ordered a crib, glider, and footrest. It was actually pretty cool.
We also picked up some baby clothes...

Another cool day

It's a boy! 

We had our 17 week sonogram today and learned that our baby is a boy! He was really moving around in there. What a cool experience.

Making the most of days

Yesterday we had the day off for Veteran's Day so we honored our Veteran's by enjoying our freedom in the outdoors. The weather was wonderful with sunshine and temps in the 50's.

Mel, Bob, and I met up at Loch Raven for a nice, relaxing Fall mountain bike ride. The trails are very tame up there, relatively smooth and flat. This is a perfect spot for a mellow ride. Mel did the first two hours with us as we cruised some gorgeous single track along the water, before winding our way out to Providence Rd. and looping back to link up with another nice stretch of narrow twistyness.

After Mel headed home for a nap Bob and I explored the other side of Providence, getting a good workout on the fire roads before dropping down a stairstep descent that dumped us out below the dam. From there we climbed back up to the T-intersection via the road. We decided to explore a lollypop loop that was marked on the map, however this ended up being pretty dull as the trail was not only superhighway wide, but completely covered in leaves. Nevertheless we got more miles into the legs and enjoyed the outdoors, which was the goal in the first place.

After this excursion into the trail equivalent of Soviet apartment blocks we needed a hit of something stylish and interesting. That meant another run through the singletrack of the Sam's Grave loop. Perfect! This is the essense of mountain biking! We looped back out and decided to hit Sam's Grave again on the way out. Usually repeating sections of trail is a bit dull, however this was just as fun and exciting as the first run through. In a way it was even better as we could anticipate a lot of the tight turns, and thus carry more speed. I got a little carried away with this and clipped my handlebar while squeezing between two trees. This led to a quick spill into a soft bed of pine needles. Allgood.

In the end we were out for 4 hours, an excellent day of riding. Our legs and backs were ready for a break since we had been on the singlespeeds. This was a fantastic way to enjoy the day that honors the men and women that have served to ensure our freedom.

Today we awoke to a steady rain outdoors. Sometimes the weather works out just right to allow us to make the most of days.

Faces of Pain

Here are some photos from Saturday's race in Camp Hill, PA. As you can see, I was suffering...c'est cyclisme.

The Run-Up


Negotiating the steep off-camber switchback


Looking for traction on the off-camber


Grimacing at the top of the run-up


Digging on the run-up to hold off the group behind


"When will it end?" Another time up the run-up

Lower Allen Classic 2004

Troy Wells, Jeff Weinert, & Josh Snead rock the off-camber in pursuit of Jed Schneider and Todd Wells.

Saturday, November 6, 2004
Camp Hill, PA

The B race had over 70 racers and as usual it was chaos from the start.
I didn't have great legs, but I kept riding hard to the finish.
In the end I finished 32nd after huge amounts of suffering for 45 minutes.
The course suited me well with numerous tight turns and off-cambers, but I never had the power to do anything other than defend my position.

After the race I felt awful, tasting blood and fighting nausea. As usual, 30 minutes later I felt fine and had forgotten how hard the race had been.

Take a look at this photo from early in the B race!

Evolution Cross Start

I'm on the far right side of the photo about to make my way to the front.
From there I dropped my chain about a minute later. 8-(

Fall Ride

Melanie 10-31-04_1328
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

We had a nice ride of just under 3 hours today. It was a nice slow ride checking out the Fall colors in Baltimore County. This is a great time of year to be on the bike.

Evolution Cross photo

Evolution Cross
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

MG rocketing towards the climb on his pit bike after his main bike "blew up!" (his words) 8-) He finished second and won a bunch of cool stuff.

Baby update

We're into the 2nd trimester....yeah!...and things are going great. Mom2be is feeling better, but is still dealing with some heartburn and the occasional upset stomach.

With less than 6 months until the due date we're trying to figure out how to organize the guest room into a combo guest room & nursery. It'll be tight, but I think it'll work just fine. Melanie and our Mom's are working on the artistic side with design, colors, etc. The general theme is going to be Chamois Lambie from Pottery Barn Kids. Click on the post title to check it out.

I'm in charge of researching all of the baby gear that we'll need. I'm a gear-head anyways so that's the perfect job for me.
I wonder if anyone makes a Titanium stroller or a Carbon Fibre crib with Bluetooth capability???

Evolution Cyclocross

Evolution Cyclocross
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Ida Lee Park, Leesburg, VA
B Race, 45 minutes

The Course
95% Grass 5% dirt trail
Decent amout of climbing with several short, steep ups.
Handful of very tricky off-camber slick turns.
One set of double barriers that you could hit at decent speed.

The Race
35 Starters in the B's
I got the whole shot and led into the first technical section.
During the Masters race one of the steep ride up's had become a run-up.
Of course, first lap I tried to ride it since I was in the lead and could pick the line.
I made it most of the way up before losing traction. In the process of scurrying the rest of the way up I dropped my chain and jammed it up pretty good. While I spent a good 30 seconds fixing my bike the entire field came past me.
Once back on I tried to pass as many people as possible, but I was still a bit spastic from the chain incident.
I bobbled a couple of easy sections and had to tell myself to calm down.

I spent a few laps working my way up to Sean, who had dropped the guys riding with him. He was making good progress through the field. When we connected I was pretty spent and told him not to wait for me if I got gapped. He just told me to get on his wheel and that he would pull the rest of the lap. This was a huge help as I was able to recover just enough to keep pushing. We worked together very well. Though this was not a course that provided much opportunity for drafting or group racing we were able to motivate each other to keep the pace high. This is pretty important because usually about halfway through a cross race you start to fade and ease off the gas.

We kept the pace high and and caught and passed a number of riders in front of us. We also had a nice cheering section on the climb before the start/finish. They gave us a nice boost with encouraging words and even doing "The Wave" once. It's not easy to smile when you're about to puke, but they got us grinning for sure and gave us the impetus to pick up the pace yet again.

On the last couple of laps we started to feel stronger as we could smell the finish. We really hammered the last lap, knowing that the pain would be over in a few short minutes. We were able to pass two more guys and really give it full speed the final time around the course. It's a nice feeling when you still have some kick in the legs on the final lap.

I crossed the line 8th and Sean came in 10th. We were pretty happy to have worked our way through the field on a tough course to score top 10's. I think we got enough points to protect our positions in the series standings for now.

Though I made a bad decision to ride the run-up first lap I gained a lot of confidence from being able to regain my composure and come from the back of the field into 8th place. This was a big effort both mentally and physically, but I tried to just focus on passing one guy at a time and maintain a steady pace, ramping it up at certain points on the course. If I can get my bike dialed in and my early race nerves settled down I might be able to stay with the leaders the whole race.

I'm gaining experience every race and I'm having a blast in the process.

Next Saturday is another UCI race in PA.

Wissahickon Cyclocross

Wicks, Jacques-Mayne, and McCormack lead the field at Wissahickon.


Wissahickon 'Cross
Sunday, October 25, 2004
Belmont Plateau, Philly
B race
~76 starters

The Course
Classic hillside course in a city park with a nice view of the Philly skyline.
200 meters of road, 75 meters of dirt trail, the rest soft grass

Here's a quick tour
Stage/Start on the road for a short 200m funneling into a
Narrow opening, loose gravel left hand turn leading immediately into a
Long (~1 minute) climb...1st half soft grass, 2nd half dirt/rock trail.
Left turn around a tree onto a bumpy soft grass section along the ridge.
Bear right slightly down into a twisty soft grass & mulch section winding around trees on the backside.
Hard off-camber left around a tree onto another soft grass section curving right and then into a
180 degree off-camber putting you onto the finishing straight...uphill grind on very bumpy grass.
That was the starting half lap.

From there the course twisted around mostly downhill all the way down the hill next to the road before
Winding right back up the hill in a twisting fashion with many many soft grass sections that sapped your power.
After climbing most of the way back up, the course shot down a bit into a fast, soft left hand turn that required nerve to stay off the brakes.
Then it wound back up a little ways before sending you into the double barriers off a sharp right turn...our right hand barrier practice paid off here!
The barriers headed back up the hill. Although the hill was ridable, the fastest way up was to run the hill after the barriers to where it turned left and down the side.
This run-up was easy compared to the Granogue run-ups!
There you could remount and hammer the long curvy downhill back to the road. The curves were a bit off camber, but you could give it full throttle.
At the bottom you had to drop off a curb and make an immediate left turn back onto the road.
The loop continued as described above.

Overall the course was not technical, but required a lot of power to keep momentum on the soft grass climbs. There was a lot of climbing packed into this course with a couple of downhill sections that allowed you just enough recovery to hit the climbs again.

The Race
I got a good starting position on the second row right side, but I hadn't felt good in the warm up and had nothing to give on the start. I just didn't have the acceleration to take my place near the front. As I struggled to get up to speed a bunch of guys passed me. Then we slowed as the huge field had to squeeze through the gravel turn with the narrow opening...not good, but there were no crashes. Of course we drilled the long climb and the field was strung out immediately. Those with bad starts, but good legs were hammering up the climb trying to make up places. I did not have the legs so I settled into a rhythm so as not to blow up early. It was still very hard and even harder to watch guys pass me so early. However, I knew it was best to race my own race. When you have the legs you open it up and push it to the limit early, but when you don't it's more about damage control.

After the starting loop we pretty much settled into postion and began all the small group 'races' that make 'cross so much fun. A couple of guys would pass and I would dig and pass them back. It was a game of leap frog out there as we'd each play our strong suits to full advantage and try to hang on where we were weaker. On about the second lap Zombor came past me as we started the climb. He said something about catching the group ahead, but I was suffering badly at that point. As he flew up the hill spinning a fast cadence I was grinding in my 39x25 just trying to keep moving. He caught and passed the next group looking very strong in the process.

There was a good group out there cheering. Morgan and his Mom, Auer, Meg, Kami, John Hostetter Jr. were all super helpful. Having people you know out there cheering makes it harder to ease up or give up. With a couple of laps to go I was chasing a group of four, catching on, but getting gapped on the climbs. A little behind me was John Hostetter III with another 4 riders right with him. I was hoping that John would make it up to me, but I didn't want to wait and have to deal with 4 more guys so I kept pressing trying to close the gap to the guys in front of me.

On the last lap I took some extra speed into the barriers and hustled up the run-up to get on the heels of the group of 4. On the descent Auer yelled at me to catch them and drop them. That fired me up so I got in the drops and ripped the downhill passing one guy through a high speed turn and passing another on a tight turn just before we hit the pavement. Next up were two Wissahickon riders that were trying to push the pace.

I was glued to their wheels on the pavement and got a little bit of recovery before we started the hill. They led up the first half of the hill just hammering trying to drop the rest of us. I was hurting, but I could tell that they were suffering as well. To be honest I was at my limit but I told myself that I wasn't just going to follow these guys around and settle for finishing behind them so I decided that I would attack. This seemed like a stupid crazy thing to do because I was hurting so bad, but I knew I had to try. As we started the second half of the climb I sprinted out of the saddle up the inside line (where it was a bit less soft) and hit the dirt part of the climb. As I came past the two Wissahickon riders I could tell that they were not responding. That gave me just a bit more adrenaline and I gave it a maximal effort up the rest of the climb. My legs were so full of lactic acid and pain but I now knew I had a chance to drop these guys for good.

As I made the left around the tree I could see that I already had a nice gap of a few seconds so I shifted up and powered through the grass trying to ignore the pain. I had practiced the next twisty section a lot and knew the best line so I felt confident now. I kept the speed up and hit the twists perfectly keeping my momentum into the last soft grass section before the uphill sprint. One of the guys was giving it a go to get up to me but at that point it was too late. I was able to cruise across the line solo for 35th as the 4 guys sprinted up to the line for the next place.

Hostetter finished shortly thereafter and Phil was a little ways back. Shawn Johnson was also back out there after months on a ship and off the bike. He got lapped, but hung in there and will get his legs back after a few weeks I sure. Zombor rode strong to get 29th. This was a very fast, hard race up front. The leaders were on another level.

35th place is nothing to be too proud about, but on a day when I had bad legs, sore lungs, and not a lot of mental fortitude I still rode hard the whole race and surprised myself by catching and dropping 4 guys that had been gapping me on the climbs all race. I really pushed my limits and gained a lot of confidence from the effort. Overall, it was a hard race and a fun day. I got to hang out with Phil and his Dad by the barriers as we watched the Elites fly around the course. Those guys are fast! There was a lot of attacking, aggressive racing up front and many smaller battles further back. It was a lot of fun to watch.

The ride of the day was Morgan (12 years old) taking 2nd in the Juniors against fied of 15-16 year olds. He laid down an awesome attack last lap to get second and come pretty close to the kid that won. It was impressive. Now I'm ready for some recovery. I'm still bruised and have a swollen ankle from my crashes at Granogue.

Granogue Cyclocross

This is the 'easy' (ha!) run-up at Granogue. I'm in there halfway up huffing my way up with the bike on my shoulder.

Granogue Cyclocross

Big field, fast start for the B's at Granogue

Barrier 

Gravelly final corner 

Chasing back to the lead group 

Hagerstown Breast Cancer Awareness 'Cross

AVC Breast Cancer Awareness 'Cross
Saturday, October 9, 2004

B race, 45 minutes, ~9 laps

The Course

After a short paved section of maybe 50 meters the course turned left onto the grass for two more slick left hand turns around a set of tennis courts. Then there was a sharp right hander that led into a single barrier.

Once you remounted you had to make a hard left before the course bent back to the right and up a sidehill rise. The grass here was bumpy and after a few seconds there was a left that led you onto the hardest part of the course, a relatively long grassy rise. The pitch was very gentle, but the bumps and grass demanded power to maintain speed.

At the top you made a 180 degree turn around a tree before a short descent led into a sharp right and a short, but steep climb. The promoters had hoped for this to be a run up, but the dry conditions made riding it pretty easy.

After traversing the top of the climb on an off camber you dropped back down to a 180 degree gravel turn. This was tricky and really forced riders to come almost to a stop before making the turn and accelerating up a double track grass and gravel road.

At the top of the hill the course veered left down a grassy hill and stayed fast with a couple of flat left bends before hitting a hard right gravel turn that dumped you onto a paved path and the finishing straight of road.

This was a fast course with laps in the 5 minute range give or take a bit.

The course was very fun, but could have used a few more technical characteristics to slow things down and reward technique. They could have used the hill a little better with some more off camber routing or a barrier at the base to force a run up. With that and maybe another barrier to create a double the course could become a favorite with a good mix of power, speed, and technical difficulties.

Overall, congrats to the AVC team for putting on a very fun and well run race!


The Race
I was second wheel after the start and stayed there over the barrier and onto the gradual grassy climb. The rider on the front peeled off leaving me on the front. Instead of just pulling the whole group I attacked up the hill and stayed solo with a small gap until the start of lap 3.

My goal was not to stay away solo the entire race but to string out the field and create a select group to decide the race. The attack and speed of the first couple of laps served that purpose as the field was strung out all over the course with smaller groups of riders working together.

A chasing group of 4 caught me at the start finish and I swung wide to let a Coppi guy get on the front. He drove the pace and carried a lot of speed into the slippery and off camber turn 2. Unfortunately he went down hard and all I could do was run into him and flip over the bars and onto the grass.

My bike was tangled up and my bars had slipped down a little. While I got my bike sorted out those 4 took off. I spent the next several laps with the 4 in front at a stable gap and a group of about 8 (including a couple of teammates) chasing behind me. The gaps between the groups remained static until finally a YBR rider (Mark Laser, I think) attacked out of the chase and made it up to me.

He took a strong pull for half a lap and then I took over at the start line with 2 laps to go. Our combined efforts paid off as we reach the leading 4 early in that lap. We caught them just before the barrier and I was pretty stoked at that point, feeling good and ready to attack the group to take a shot at the win.

I carried a lot of speed into the barrier to get to the front of the group. I got over the barrier smoothly, but let my bike bounce on the remount and the chain jumped off the big ring onto the crankarm and wrapped around the pedal. I had to get back off and untangle the mess which let the 5 other guys ride away. That pissed me off since it was my own sloppiness that had caused the malfunction.

I dug hard and tried to get back up there but the group had just enough of a gap. The 5th guy faded off the back of the lead group and I caught him as we got the bell. I knew he was suffering since he had put in some huge efforts to even make it to the leaders so I attacked him after sitting on for just a few seconds. I got the gap immediately and drove it hard the last lap in hopes of catching one of the first four if they made any mistakes, but they stayed away with the Coppi rider winning the sprint.

I rolled across the line for 5th. It was frustrating because I knew I could have won the race but another rider's crash cost me early and then after giving it everything to catch back up to the leaders I got sloppy and bounced the bike. However, this race gave me a lot of confidence since I was able to really push it hard all race and not blow up. I was riding faster than the 4 guys up front that were drafting and working together. If I had stayed up there I know I could have attacked and had an excellent chance to stay away for the win.

However, in the end I'm very happy with the race. Before the season I really just wanted to be competitive in the B's and finish mid-pack. Though I know there will be tougher races with deeper fields I have already exceeded my expectations and therefore have found a new level of confidence that should help me in races to come.

Ed Sander Memorial 'Cross

cbass

Ed Sander Memorial Cyclocross 10/02/04
B race, 45 minutes, 6 laps

The Course
The start was a short, uphill stretch of road that turned left onto grass and gravel before dumping us onto grassy doubletrack on the main course. After passing the start/finish there was a very muddy uphill left turn that gave people fits.

Then the course turned hard right onto a hard packed dirt road with mudpuddles before heading onto the grass. A series of tight, grassy turns led to the only barriers, a set of widely spaced (25 ft?) doubles on a flat grassy straight. After two more turns on the grass there was a long grassy straight that ended at a 180 degree turnaround onto another hard pack dirt road with several mud holes.

Then it was back onto the bumpy, momentum sapping grass for more twists and fun leading to a short gravel road uphill. Next technical skills became important as the course dropped down a twisty off-camber descent leading to a short, but very steep run/ride up. In the morning this was wet, slick and tough to ride, though by the time of the elite races it was dry enough for most everyone to ride. Once at the top of the run up it was a quick turnaround and right back down the same slope. The following downhill was a very brief respite before a right hand muddy drop into a 90 degree lefthand turn, all off camber.

The last part of the lap the course rolled through a combination of grass and mud before turning left into a short grassy climb before dropping back to the finishing straight a few turns later. This was not a fast course. It demanded constant power to maintain speed. Additionally, it had rained the night before and that morning so the course had a number of wet, muddy sections.

The Race
I lined up on the right side of front row to get a good position for the hard left turn off the road. This would have been a good call if I had actually engaged my pedal right away. Instead I fumbled for a split second...just long enough to find myself mid-pack as we made the turn.
The first half lap of a cross race is usually chaos as everyone is giving it full stick and battling to get to the front. That makes every turn, every barrier, and every dismount even more tricky as there's more traffic. Later in the race when the pack gets strung out you have more space on the technical spots.

I did my best to ride hard and defend my position without going so hard as to blow up in the first minutes of the race. I was passed by a few riders that were making huge efforts to advance. Predictably, they hit the wall by lap two and faded.

I rode a steady effort the whole way, putting in an extra effort on the hard pack and grassy climbs. Other than that I just focused on handling the technical parts of the course smoothly to avoid losing time to a crash.

I suffered the whole race as there was really no place to recover, but I actually felt a little better as the race went on. For most of the race I was leap frogging another racer. He would accelerate and pass me for a while and then I would pass him. Also, just behind me was my teammate Sean. He was riding a strong, steady race and always just a few seconds back.

With 2 laps to go I had a small gap on Sean and the other rider. I put in a few hard accelerations and had established a solid gap by the time I got the bell to start the final lap. At this point I just wanted to ride a smooth last lap since it would take a mistake by me to lose position. I rode most of the lap very well, smooth on the technical stuff and fast on the straightaways.

When I reached the base of the run-up the guy in front of me was suddenly in sight and struggling. Now I wanted to pass him as well. I was a little sloppy on my remount and my rear wheel caught a ledge and slid down a few inches. Unfortunately, the tire grabbed enough ground at the top of the ledge to peel right off the rim. I hear a pop and thought I had punctured.

With a puncture on tubulars you can still ride the tire, albeit with zero pressure. I rolled back down the slope and immediately the tire was flopping off of the rim giving me no traction in back. At that point I was in some mud and had no other option but to run. I momentarily passed the guy in front of me as he was fixing a dropped chain.

After 30 seconds of running my heart was about to come out of my chest. I continued to trudge on up the grassy climb, but I was passed by three riders, the guy I had just passed, Sean, and the guy I had been battling all race. Sean went by with a lot of speed and held on for 10th place.

At the top of the climb I remounted and rode the rim down onto the finishing straight where I dismounted and ran across the line to finish 12th.

Cyclocross

The first 'cross race of the season is this Saturday, 10/2, the Ed Sander
Memorial Cross. www.ncvc.net
The forecast calls for rain so we could be in for some muddy fun.

Announcement

cbass

Melanie is pregnant!

Her due date is April 20, 2005 so that puts her about 10 weeks along right now.

We decided to start trying while in Europe on our Tour de France trip and it happened right away!

We are very excited and looking forward to this new phase of life.

A long day in the saddle

cbass

The Shenandoah Mountain 100 promised to be a very difficult challenge and it exceeded expectations. I finished in 11 hours, 14 minutes for 109th place out of 281 starters.

Now for some of the nitty gritty...

So, I wore the HR monitor for the 100.

I don't remember all the details but I spent over 6 hours in Zone 2. Hopefully i'll get some aerobic benefit from that training. I'd hate to think that all of the suffering was for naught!

The first couple of hours were at close to race intensity, pretty close to AT...that felt pretty good...Bob and I were riding together and passing lots of riders, but then the adrenaline starts to wear off and you realize that you still have close to 80 miles left to race so you back it off just a bit.

We missed the start by a couple of minutes so that was a bit stressful! 8-) I woke up at 5am with plenty of time to prepare for the 6:30am start...or so I thought. I freaked out a bit wondering if I had stuffed enough junk into my camelbak & then had trouble getting the very full bladder into the pak. I could hear the announcer giving the pre-race instructions at the start area so I scrambled on my bike to get over there. Just a quick look back at the campsite and I noticed that one of the lights in the truck was still on. D'oh!!! A dead battery would not be good for morale after a full day of riding. I scurried back and fumbled around with the keys as I heard the race start. Eventually I got the door open, the light off, and the keys stashed back in the tent. At that point my HR was soaring and I hadn't even started the race! I sprinted up to the start and chased back to the pack after a mile or so. Then I picked my way through the field as far as I could before the first climb. This was not the start I had envisioned, but it wasn't too bad.

14k feet of climbing is sick sick sick! There was a good mix of fire road/double track and single track climbing with a bit of road (thank goodness!) as well. a huge chunk of the descending was on single track that seemed to go on forever. my hands, wrists, forearms, and shoulders are still sore thanks to the trail and a fork that stopped working. I'm really glad that I finished with plenty of daylight to spare because descending off Shenandoah Mountain in the dark (as many people had to do) would have been brutal.

I'm feeling better today, but I'm still kinda wrecked. I woke up drenched in sweat last night & I'm sweating sitting here at work right now.

My knee is still somewhat swollen and I have assorted cuts, trail rash, and bruises all over...and blisters on my palms. Gotta love it!

Here's a list of things i am done with...
1. rim brakes
2. the weenie sid fork
3. rim brakes

My drive train worked flawlessly...no ghost shifting, slipping gears, or chain suck at all. amazing.
I broke a spoke on my rear wheel somewhere about mile 80 on a mildly rocky descent. it was actually an awesome section of singletrack, but at that point in the race with a worthless fork anything that wasn't paved felt harsh & i was getting sloppy.

I feel like I climbed well and consistently the whole race. There were times that I had to walk a bit, but everyone (aside from J. Bishop and a couple of others) was walking these sections. the areas I lost the most time on were the downhills and the rest area where the doctor cleaned and bandaged my knee.

With disc brakes and a decent fork I would have gone a lot faster on the descents. As it was I was going sooooo slow on most of the downhills. I'd pass a ton of people on a climb and then half of them would pass me back on the downhill. It was funny bcz you'd see and talk to the same people throughout the race...just leapfrogging each other. There were a lot of riders on singlespeeds and even 2 guys on fixed gears!!! nuts.

The race was a lot of suffering & much harder than I thought it would be, but overall a very rewarding experience. This event truly pushes your physical and mental limits.

Melanie got to mile 50, but had to drop out for health reasons. She was not feeling well all weekend and continuing would not have been a good thing. She's tough, but she's also smart and did the right thing.

Post-race there was a great atmosphere, great food, music, etc. and the finish line was right by the pavilion so you could watch people coming in for hours.

I ate a bunch, drank almost 1 beer, and got a 15 minute massage that was incredible. then we just hung out, watched some awards, and chilled before crashing. Bob had a couple of beers, but i could only get down most of 1. they gave all the finishers nice beer glasses which was cool. Like I said the food was great and plentiful. mellow, fun atmosphere with people drinking beers, but everyone was pretty tired. Everyone exchanged a lot of war stories from the trails!

There are a ton more stories of the good, the bad, and the ugly!


"Ride Lots" - Eddy Merckx

Shenandoah Mountain 100

cbass

Over Labor Day weekend we'll be travelling to Harrisonburg, VA to ride in the Shenandoah Mtn 100 mountain bike race.

Course profile
http://www.mtntouring.com/mountain/htm/home/page_home.htm

100 miles on a mountain bike with 14,000 feet of climbing is a recipe for MAJOR SUFFERING!

Avalon Ride

Like clockwork, as soon as we were at the farthest point from the car the
thunder started. The trails were generally pretty good with the usual
mudholes in low lying spots where the trail has been widened. It rained for
maybe 10 minutes, but then cleared up. That left the trails damp on top and
a little slick, but not soft or muddy.

I was determined to go slow and take it easy since my legs were still a
little sore from the TT on Sunday. I went right to the small ring for the
waterbars. You can do that climb in a very low HR, it just takes a long
time! 8-) Melanie was doing some SE intervals so she was leaving me
behind on the climbs. I wasn't even tempted to keep pace because I was so
in need of an easy ride.

We did a nice loop and did our best to stick to the rocky trails. We only
hit a handful of muddy spots. A lot of the recent trailwork has involved
laying down that white gravel/sand mixture in some of the traditionally
muddy areas. It seems to work well and has held up to constant riding and
rain. It protects the trail and gives riders a narrow path to follow, thus
keeping the singletrack "single". It will take some time but if they can
use that solution on the farm loop and some of the other chronic areas the
trails will stay narrow and become a lot more weather proof.

I just put some new tires on my Fuel...Continental Explorer UST 2.1's. The
tread is a bit less aggressive than what I had on the IRC Serac's. They
hooked up nicely even on the slick trail surface and wet rocks and they
seemed to roll pretty quickly too. I wanted to get new tires on before
Shenandoah and have enough time to get used to them. I think they'll work
fine.

Fruita Mountain Bike

Here's a link to some amazing mountain biking videos from Fruita, Colorado.
http://www.petefagerlin.com/covid.htm

We highly recommend that you take a road trip to check out the legendary Fruita singletrack.
www.fruitamountainbike.com
You can fly into Grand Junction, only a short drive from Fruita.

While you're there, stop by Over The Edge Sports for trail info, bike rentals, coffee, etc.
www.otesports.com

The absolute best place to stay is with our friends Lynne and Allen at Mulberry Cottage B&B.
They're wonderful people and the tasty breakfasts and plentiful oatmeal craisin cookies will keep you fueled up for epic rides.
http://www.mulberrycottagebandb.com/

Sunflower field in Burgundy 2004 

Favorite Mexican Restaurants

> 1. El Salto - Baltimore, MD
> Great people, margaritas, cheese dip, guac, shrimp cocktail, burrito con
> azada, tacos de carne azada, burrito deluxe. The building is an old
> school converted Wendy's, a sure sign of quality.
>
> 2. Casa Grande (aka The Big House) - Richmond, VA
> Good times, good times...I've eaten here a bunch...many good meals with
> great friends. tasty cheese dip, jumbo quesadilla, jumbo burrito,
> enchiladas suprema, monthly mariachi band. Many restaurants came and went
> at this location, but none could survive until the Big House came along.
>
> 3. Los Gilbertos - Fruita, CO
> No frills old taco stand, but the food is the best after a day of mountain
> biking around Fruita. The chicken soft tacos will put the shizzle in
> your dizzle.
>
> 4. Maui Tacos - Maui, HI
> Beautiful location, though it's a long way to travel for Mexican. Amazing
> breakfast burritos, generous salsa bar including pineapple salsa,
> reasonable prices.
www.mauitacos.com
>
> 5. Chipotle - everywhere
> Basically fast food, but it's top quality and fresh. Carnitas (braised
> pork) is the best, excellent guac, generous portions.
www.chipotle.com

Post Vacation Blues

cbass

The week after vacation is usually a tough one. After slipping into holiday nirvana your mind and body have to return to the real world. Reentry is especially tough if you've been away for 2 weeks. While you have recharged your batteries in a stress-free environment and should be prepared to handle the potholes of everyday life it doesn't always work that way.

I'm fighting a case of the post-vacation blues.

Our two weeks in Europe riding our bikes and following the Tour de France once again sparked the dream of living abroad and making a living pursuing a passion instead of 'just' working a job.

home again

> This is just a quick note to let everyone know that we are back home again, safe and
> sound...and ready for some sleep.
>
> More stories forthcoming...
>
> Good night.
>

Paris and #6

> Our Paris hotel was very nice, but did not have internet access so this report is a bit
> late.
>
We arrived in Paris early Saturday afternoon and did a bit of strolling and sightseeing before our tired legs pleaded with us to head back to the hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Balzac, just a block off the Champs Elysee up near the Arc de Triomphe. It's a very nice old hotel with very modern, stylish furnishings, but as is the case in France no shower curtain. We've gotten pretty good at taking a shower and have only totally soaked a bathroom once.

We were tired so we ordered carry out from the Indian restaurant next door and it was
so good. After a week of French food it was nice to get a change. I can't tell you how much we are craving some good Mexican. We're not the only ones either...we met Scott Sunderland's wife and young son near the finish line Sunday and she said that he was craving Mexican (and margaritas!) so much that they were going to celebrate that night at a Parisian Mexican restaurant. chips, salsa, cheese dip, burritos, chili rellenos, margaritas...bring it on! we've had plenty of foie gras, pate, etc, etc.

Sunday morning we were up early for a group ride. We cruised up the Champs (where I
flatted) then headed west to the Bois de Boulougne, a big Park on the edge of Paris.
In the park is a big oval road the encircles the horse track for about 2+km. On the
weekends Parisian cyclists come out to train and mock race. There's a finish line
painted at the top of a gradual rise that marks the sprint point for each lap. The
peloton gets cruising around the track and really cranks it up before the rise
whereupon the leadout and sprint lets loose. It's pretty crazy with everyone jockeying for position and lots of testosterone flowing.

A bunch of us jumped into the peloton and did some hot laps. Once we got the hang of
it we decided to do some sprinting. I got on the front on the backside to set the tempo and start the leadout, but nobody came around me so I rolled across the line first. At this point the pack was only about 20 riders, but over the next few laps it grew to more than 50...and the word is that a bit later in the morning it would be over 100 and very sketchy. The next time around I came from 4th wheel and came around a guy just before the line to take it. Then I tried to do the same thing the next lap, but the same guy threw his bike at the line to win by a hair. Next lap one of the guys in the group offered to lead me out so we settled in the first 10 guys behind a couple of strong french guys and waited. As we hit the foot of the rise he took off up the side with me in tow. He pulled off about 350 meters from the line (a long way to sprint), but I went anyway. Our leadout had gotten a gap, but one of the French guys had gotten my wheel. At 50meters to go I could hear him starting to come around me so I dug again and held him off. He was a bit pissed I think because when I tried to talk to him after the sprint he only said "I am not a sprinter" in a haughty french accent. Me and some of the other guys in my group did a few more fast laps and sprints before our group reformed to hit a few sites of Paris.

We rode through the city checking out many landmarks. The highlight was probably the
view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero. It was incredible. We got a few nice
photos too.

We gradually worked our way over to the Champs where the barriers were up and the road closed for the race. We got out on the course and did a lap on the cobbles before snapping a few more photos and heading back to the hotel.

After getting cleaned up we all walked over to the Place de la Concorde to the Automobile Club de France, a private club right next to the Hotel Crillon overlooking the Place. Trek Travel had rented out the club for our party/race viewing. It was a beautiful old building with a huge front balcony overlooking the race course. Inside there were food and beverage stations and big screen TV's in every room. We hung out there for a while, but eventually Melanie and I, along with one of the guides, decided to try to sneak our way over to the finish line grandstands. You need a special pass to get in over there, but we managed to find a way to get seats at the 200m sign before the finish line.

We watched the breakaway struggle to keep their advantage for a few laps before getting swallowed up by a peleton determined to set up the sprint for a final showdown for the green jersey. The next to the last lap the pack was absolutely flying single file and on
> the last lap the leadouts started early as teams sought to keep the field strung out
> and
> fast. When they came around the bend it was a blur and right in front of us Tom Boonen
> stepped on the gas and held off his rivals to win the stage. It was exciting.
>
> From there we decided to hop the fence to get up against the barriers where the press
> photographers were standing. That's when we met Scott Sunderland's wife. She was
> squezzing past the fence to greet Scott so we chatted with her and escorted her right
> up
> to the barriers. Scott was very nice and incredibly excited to have finished the Tour.
>
> He's one of the older riders in the race and did not think he would even have a chance
> to
> ride the Tour.
>
> We tried to get over to the podium, but could only get about 150m away before we hit a
> line of gendarmes. We found a spot right on the barriers from which to watch the post
> race parade of teams. Right next to us were a couple of French guys that are training
> parnters of Christophe Moreau so when Credit Agricole came by he stopped right in front
> of us to talk to his friends. We got photos and Melanie even got a kiss on the cheek.
> We also got an invite to the Credit Agricole party later that evening, but we passed
> since Melanie was fighting a cold and we were both exhausted. We stayed there and
> watched all the teams file past right in front of us. They were all very very happy to
> have finished and the crowd was showed their appreciation. It was a cool scene.
>
> Once that was done we headed over to the back of the Presidential grandstands where the
> big wigs had been seated. Right on cue we saw Lance's Mom, Sheryl Crow, Robin Williams
> and a bunch of others descending the stairs. Melanie called out to Lance's Mom Linda
> and
> she came over...crazy. They had a chat for a couple of minutes (really) and then Linda
> gave here a hug. Then Melanie tracked down Robin Williams for an autograph and a kiss
> on
> the cheek. It was a surreal scene.
>
> Our group reconvened for a parting dinner at a hip Danish restaurant. The food was
> super
> bland, but we had great conversation recounting stories from the trip. We had a
> wonderful group of people on our trip and enjoyed getting to know them all.
>
> Yesterday we caught the train to Amsterdam. We'll be here until Friday. There are
> bike
> everywhere...more bikes than people I think. What a cool sight. We are staying in a
> nice hotel right on one of the many canals. We'll do some sightseeing, shopping (it
> seems sooooo much cheaper than Paris where you can pay 11 euro in some places for a
> beer), and museum gazing in the few days we're here. Our legs and seats are thankful
> for
> several days off the bike after so much riding last week.
>
> Thanks for reading.
>
> Chris and Melanie
>
>
>

more name dropping

> this is for all the cyclocross junkies out there.
>
> the rabobank team management is staying here, including hennie kuiper and adri van der
> poel (2 time world cyclocross champion). adri had just returned from a run when i saw
> him, introduced myself and snapped a photo with him.
>
> he still looks fit. maybe he'll be racing masters cross in holland this winter.
> 8-)
>
> we just finished the wine degustation. dinner time now. tough life.
>
> i hope y'all are having fun at work! ha! 8-)
>

another sunny day in burgundy

> the headline of today's `'L'Equipe" daily sports newspaper translates to "He gives
> nothing to anyone". Lance is pretty fired up and he and the team are taking no
> prisoners. Floyd was the man yesterday and I think he'll be the next leader of the
> team
> after Lance starts drinking beer, eating burritos and hanging out with his kids.
>
> i feel like i've been dropping too many names but it's tough as we've been lucky to
> meet
> many very cool people on this trip. after the TT up the Alpe a US Postal van was
> parked
> at our hotel right below our balcony. Melanie went out to see if she could score a
> couple of USPS team caps and got to talking to the woman with the van. a few minutes
> later she returns to the room with this woman, Carly, in tow...it turns out that she
> works for lance's agent in texas and is his personal assistant on the tour, taking care
> of all of the little things and coordinating stuff with sponsors, etc.
>
> it was going to take her a long time to get down the mountain that night and she needed
> to change and freshen up after a very long day so Melanie offered the use of our
> restroom. She was very appreciative and gave us some caps and a nice fitted USPS
> baseball cap. We talked with her for a while before she left and she mentioned that
> Lance was very very motivated this year, especially by the doping rumors and assorted
> trash talk...i.e. he's on the decline, beatable, etc. Whenever he faces some adversity
> or feels like he has something to prove he becomes even stronger. She's been having a
> blast following the Tour on the inside, but she's exhausted and ready to get home and
> sleep for a few days. it was just another cool encounter on this crazy tour de
> france
> adventure.
>
> today we went for a 3.5 hour ride in burgundy...flat and pretty windy. we got a fast
> group going and just hammered over all these narrow farm roads. it was pretty epic.
>
> even as a bunch of triathlete guys were getting dropped from the group Melanie was
> right
> there near the front all day long. She even initiated the final attack the blew the
> group apart in the last 8km of the ride...this was just after she said she was going to
> go easy and cool down the rest of the way. classic. needless to say she got plenty of
> compliments at the post=ride picnic and around the pool later. the mountains were
> tough, but i hit my high heart rate of the trip on this ride chasing back on for 20
> minutes after a quick stop to by a copy of l'equipe. i thought i'd be back in no time,
> but the group hammered and i had to time trial for way too long to catch back on. it
> was a tough interval, but fun nonetheless.
>
> we each grabbed a massage here at the hotel this afternoon, so hopefully our legs will
> have a little left in them for the rest of the trip.
>
> we have a wine tasting followed by dinner again here at the chateau tonight. this tour
> de france business is tough work! 8-)
>
> Chris and Melanie
>

Chris on the Col du Glandon 2004

alps to burgundy

> this morning we awoke even before the cows had returned home...5am.
>
> ughhh
>
> 3 cups of french coffee, you know, the super strong mega caffeinated stuff?
>
> yeah, that did the trick.
>
> we were on the bikes at 6am. this was for 2 reasons`;
>
> 1. the teams were staying up on the mountain and had to get down to the bottom for the
> stage start so the roads would be closed by 7:30.
>
> 2. we had to ride early and fast to get to the top of the col du Glandon before the
> roads closed and the race arrived.
>
> so we descended alpe d'huez just as the sun was coming up over the alps...it was cool.
>
> then we forced our sore legs to turns the pedals and carry us through the valley to the
> start of the climb to the top of the col du glandon. this climb is a 1st category
> climb
> of 22 km....that's really really long if you are self propelling yourself up the road!
>
> even more so if your legs are cooked from days of riding in the alps and hiking all
> over
> alpe d'huez to watch the time trial.
>
> while this climb was nasty in spots, the amazing views and scenery more than made up
> for
> all of the suffering we endured to get to the summit.
>
> at the summit we set up shop on the patio of the only structure up there, a restaurant.
>
> we sat in the sun and drank cokes, water, beer, and ate roasted chicken, pasta, and
> chocolate mousse, while getting the inside scoop on the impending NHL lockout from
> Curtis
> and Radek. summary`; it doesn't sound good. maybe they start playing in
> january...or
> maybe no season.
>
> radek is pumped that he got traded to montreal. closer to chez paree 8=)
>
> the race came by and it was so cool. we could see them approach from way down the
> valley. a break led by simoni cruised up with a 4+ minute lead. simoni was sporting
> a
> cheesy little thin goatee...very italian. 8=)
>
> the peloton had usps on the front though when they approached us bettini and another
> quick step guy led out virenque (with moreau on his wheel) for the king of the mtns
> points. Lance was surrounded by the team looking very content. there were already a
> number of guys off the back and this was the first of 5 big climbs today.
>
> once they passed we descended the glandon. this was a sick sick sick sick sick sick
> sick descent....narrow narrow narrow road with twists and turns and melting tarmac.
> plus
> thousands of cyclists trying to get down...cars too. very very very sketchy.
> needless
> to say we bombed it! huge adrenaline rush and not for the faint of heart....we had
> about 30 of us just flying down the mountain passing cars and weaving all over the
> place.
> yeah, it was probably dumb, but it was sooooo much fun!
>
> the funny part is that at the bottom we asked kevin livingston about the speed the
> racers
> did it and he said that we wouldn't believe how much faster they descend...he said it
> 's
> pretty scary. i can't even imagine bcz i thought we were flying.
>
> now we are at chateau gilly in burgundy and just finished an amazing dinner in their
> restaurant. it's in the cellar and the ceiling is that of an ancient
> cathedral....hard
> to describe. this place has been around for a long long time....8th century i hear.
>
> iberian gazpacho, fillet of beef, and tasty wines. good bread too, of course!
>
> time for bed now before a nice long ride through the wine country. flat, but windy.
>
> how about Lance! he is truly making a statement in dominating this tour.
>
> Chris and Melanie
>
> p.s. who is the ESPN guy that is doing their TdF coverage and also does the college
> gameday?
>
> p.p.s. it's time to stop thinking about it and book your trip to the tour de france.
> it's a must do.
>
> take care
>
>

really quick post TT report

>
> the TT was amazing, quite an atmosphere.
>
> we watched from high on the hillside overlooking switchback # 1 the final one before
> they
> entered the village. we sat just below the second S on the huge BASSO painted on the
> hill. we think the helicopters filmed us a couple of times but we're not sure. the
> view
> was great, we could see the action on several switchbacks from there. look for us on
> TV
> tonight. i wore a blue sleeveless Joe's Bike Shop jersey and Mel had her Postal jersey
> and cowboy hat on.
>
> big win for Lance, he is dominant right now.>
> time for dinner and an early AM tomorrow...riding by 6am to get to the top of col du
> Glandon before the race arrives.
>
> take care,
>
> Chris and Melanie
>
> p.s. we had a couple of beers with the cutters after the stage. they're actually
> pretty
> good guys and kind of happy that their show got cancelled. now they get to follow the
> tour, get paid to do so, and not have to do much of anything.
>

good morning from the circus

> the mountain is a circus this morning, filled with cycling fans from the world over all
> packed onto this beautiful mountaintop in the Alps. they call Alpe d'Huez the island
> in
> the sun & boy is the sun shining this morning. just blue sky and sunshine...what a day
> for the time trial. people have pitched tents and parked rv's in every open patch of
> ground...the hotels are filled and bikes are everywhere. alpe d'huez is a big ski
> resort
> so there are a bunch of hotels, restaurants, bars, small airstrip, and even a skating
> rink. it's a really cool village. today it's more like a city with more than a
> million
> spectators expected on the mountain. it's indescribable.
>
> on the back side of the mountain is a glacier where people are skiing even as i type.
> they close it down by about noon as the temps warm, but folks are hopping on the tram
> at
> the crack of dawn to get some turns in.
>
> a couple more notes from yesterday...
>
> -the other ex-postie is Dylan Casey...he can still ride a bike!
>
> -for you hockey fans out there, Curtis Lesychin and Radek Bonk are in another trek
> travel
> group also staying in our hotel and they too know how to ride their bikes!
>
> -i said it last year and i'll say it again, the riding over here is phenomenal. great
> roads, challenging climbs, incredible scenery, and if a car honks at you it's too cheer
> you on, not hassle you. plan a trip over here and ride. you won't be disappointed.
>
> -watching old french guys on old bikes, with sculpted legs just hammer up these climbs
> turning over huge gears.
>
> -there's nothing like settling into a climb that's going to take anywhere from
> 45minutes
> to an hour and a half. you just get into a rhythm and your mind discovers a zen-like
> state where you know you're suffering, but you are also enjoying the pain. when you
> get
> to the top you are rewarded with a nice blast of endorphins and a big smile crosses
> your
> face. tomorrow we climb the col du glandon, a climb of some 22km if my memory is
> correct...that one will take a while. i don't think it's too steep, but it seems to go
> on forever. at the top we'll stop for lunch and to watch the race come by literally at
> our feet.
>
> Well, it's time to wade back out into the circus, grab some breakfast, and prepare for
> the day's events, namely the time trial up the mountain. After having ridden the
> course,
> we have a whole new level of respect for what these guys are going to do. It should be
> a
> fun day...follow the action LIVE on www.cyclingnews.com or watch for us on tv on OLN.
>
> cheers,
>
> Chris and Melanie
>
> p.s. thanks for all of the emails in return. we can't reply to many of them due to
> very
> limited internet access, but keep them coming...we're reading them. also, if you have
> specific questions about something, ask away and we'll do our best to answer either in
> a
> separate email or in one of these electronic postcards.
>
>
>

quick report alpe d'huez day 2

> here are some quick highlights from the day. i will try to get a more thorough report
> out later...it's time to grab dinner.
>
> -gorgeous descent off the backside of the mountain
>
> -long, very hard ride in the alps with 2 big cols to climb...4.5 hours total
>
> -pulling a 30 person pack single file for 20km...amazing tempo workout
>
> -starting the first climb with 10 guys, setting the tempo, watching guys pop 1 by 1
> until
> it was just 2 of us left, before having to ease up for the last km...the legs were not
> happy!
>
> -incredible switchbacky descents that seemed to go on forever...at high speed taboot
>
> -riding tempo side by side with kevin livingston at the front of a double file line
> listening to stories of battles past on the very same roads...amazing
>
> -suffering like a dog to stay in that group further up the climb digging deep to get
> back
> on several times before pulling the rip cord with 2km to go. in that group was also
> christian vandevelde's wife and another ex-postie...not sure of his name
>
> -great lunch at the top, drinking beer and watching the last 90km of the stage on
> tv...great, exciting stage with Lance winning a sprint.
>
> -helicopter ride from there back to the top of alpe d'huez. oh wow, what a view
>
>
> ---more later....and there's a lot more.
>
> tomorrow is the TT up the alpe and there are sooooo many people up here on the mtn.
> what
> a circus!!!
>
>

Alpe friggin d'Huez 1

> sunday am we grabbed a quick breakfast at a cafe for about 3 euros, coffee, oj, and 2
> pastries...good stuff, especially the cafe.
>
> then we headed over to notre dame for some quiet meditation in that beautiful old mean
> really old> cathedral. then it was off to the jardin des tuilleries by the louvre to
> chill out in a lounge chair, people watch, and read l,equipe to catch up on the tour.
> tyler abandoned...bummer. mayo al,ost quit but was talked back onto his bike by his
> teammates. voeckler has been amazing. i even bought a brioches la boulangere cap
> today
> to support the team.
>
> the train from paris to grenoble was great. we set the ipod on random and watched the
> scenery go by. it,s now time to remind you that these euro keyboards are a mess. i
> don,t have time to correct all the typos. the US really needs to get a rail system
> like
> the euros. its really a pleasant way to travel. fyi, canada has it figured out too.
> via rail rocks.
>
> from grenoble we rode in the trek travel van up to alpe d,huez. it was a nice preview
> of
> the 21 switchbacks and the amazing scenery. we had a nice, if a bit long, dinner and
> hit
> the sack.
>
> this am after breakfast we saddled up and rode down the mountain. the descent is crazy
> with tons of bikes, pedestrians , and cars zooming down the mtn. at the
> bottom we headed down the d91 towards les deux alpes, the galibier, etc for a warm up.
> even the road up the valley is a pretty good climb. on the way back to start the climb
> we ran into our friends jen and dean from baltimore. small world!!!
>
> we arrived at the base of the climb, wished each other luck, and started pedalling.
> the
> first part from the town of bourg d'oisans is easy but once you make the left onto the
> climb proper it's a big wake up call! steep steep steep!!!
>
> i rode a steady, yet pretty hard pace the whole way up in my 42x25 with my HR pegged
> right around my lactate threshold of 164. MY MAX hr IS 177 so 164 hurts pretty good.
> however i had good power the whole way up and aside from getting stuck behind cars and
> bikes a few times did a pretty good tempo the whole way, not racing speed, but solid
> tempo. i could have used a 39x25 a bunch of times but i made do with the bigger gear.
> the road was lined with people, crazy people, who have been camped there for days,
> drinking, singing, and grilling out. the dutch especially are all over the moountain
> getting crazy. they make a nascar tailgate look like a knitting party...not that i've
> been to any knitting parties, mind you. 8-)
>
> i finished the time trial in 1hr 16min after getting a bit off course near the top, but
> i
> was happy. only a handful of people passed me on the way up, though one of them was a
> man of at least 60yrs old who was just hammering. much respect to him and his genes.
>
> i turned around to ride back to one of the switchbacks to film Melanie riding up. i
> hadnt gotten very far at all, like maybe 1km, when i saw her just tearing up the road,
> wearing her cowboy hat and riding right next to Kevin Livingston! they were chatting,
> but they were really moving. i turned around and tried to film them riding the last
> km,
> but i had to hammer just to keep them in filming range. Melanie finished in 1hr 25min
> and i tell you she was not feeling good this morning, but she had a terrific climb!
> kevin told me that she go into a good rhythm and was cruising up the steep pitches.
> incidentally, the year that Pantani set the record up alpe dhuez with 37 minutes and
> change kevin finished 20th not far behind. he said they ride the steep parts <8> percent grades in the 39x23 but they are pedalling at 90+ rpm. that's moving.
>
> well that's about all for today. we're grabbing dinner up here. we are staying up on
> top of alpe d'huez until thurs. tommorrow is a big day with 3 big climbs and probably
> another trip up AdH! ouch!
>
> then wed the mountain will be in lockdown for the time trial and they expect 1 million
> people lining the climb. that's completely nuts, but the Tour is nothing if not a big
> crazy spectacle.
>
> a bientot,
>
> Chris and Melanie
>
>

greetings from Paris

> Greetings
>
> We had a nice flight over with a brief stop in London...just long enough for a
> traditional breakfast of fried egg, baked beans, hash browns, bacon, sausage, toast,
> mushrooms, fried tomatoes, and tea.
>
> We arrived in Paris with a good dose of jet lag, but that did not stop us from grabbing
> a
> nutella and banana crepe for nourishment before heading to a cafe for a tasty belgian
> beer to watch the last hour of today's stage. Lance and Basso are crushing it, and
> Voeckler is riding with so much heart and panache to keep the yellow jersey that he is
> now a big hero over here.
>
> We hit our favorite latin quarter cafe for a kir and some people watching before
> grabbing
> a to go sandwich and eating dinner on the pont des arts, overlooking the Seine at
> sunset.
>
> Then it was off to bed for a solid 12 hrs of sleep!
>
> voila, no more jetlag.
>
> we're off to explore Paris before catching a train down to the Alps.
>
> until next time,
> Chris and Melanie
>
>
>

cbass

Virginia lost to Maryland last night so I'm catching some grief on the trading floor today. At least I didn't agree to any wagers yesterday or I'd be hitting the ATM today.

We're going to the Virginia Tech - UVA game the Saturday after Thanksgiving & hoping to welcome the Hokies to the ACC with a butt kicking.

The Hoo's need to get it together and win the last two games of the year to become Bowl eligible. They have a very good team, but this season has been a bit of a struggle. Wins over GA Tech and VA Tech would raise everyone's spirits and give us momentum heading into next year when we should challenge for the ACC title.

Last Saturday I did my second ever Cyclocross race & it was a lot of fun!
I got 2nd and my teammates were 3rd, 4th, and 12th.

Saturn Classic Cyclocross Race 11/8/03 Camp Hill, PA
C Race Podium

It's nice to actually get some results after a couple of years of training and being humbled in races. Results or not, riding the bike is a fun way to stay in shape and relieve stress.

On Monday I'm starting a training program with a coach. This should allow me to train smarter, improve my fitness, and make me more competitive in races.

On the fun side of riding our night riding group has started our weekly night mountain bike rides. While there is some exercise involved these rides are laid back and pure fun.

We have developed a good relationship with the Pastor of a Church that borders the trails. He allows us to use the Church parking lot as a starting point for our rides. This is a big help to us and we've made a donation to the Church to show our appreciation.

On Tuesday's night ride my bike broke, so it's at the shop. The linkage for the rear suspension literally ripped away from the pivot. And I was just riding along...really!