Now that's more like it!

Cam Rock baby! First I want to send out props to the Brazen Dropouts crew for putting on a great race. From registration to an outstanding course they do a great job and know what it takes to put on a first class race. This is one of the best courses we race all season, what I imagine to be more of a "true" cross course with a good mix of grass, single track, hills and run ups.

On to the race report. I definitely dig the later start times of the masters races. I can sleep in and still help get the kids where they have to go before heading out. It makes life a little less stressful. As I was leaving home, Rascal called me to let me know there was snow on the ground and it was a bit nipply out so I threw my mud wheels and warmer clothes in the car just in case. By the time I eluded the Cambridge po-lice and made it to the course, it was warming up nicely to at least 35 degrees. Today was perfect cross conditions. Cold, windy, muddy; feels like Belgium or the Netherlands.

By the time we went off, the course was pretty dug up but it was NOTHING like Whitewater. With the exception of the grassy areas, this race was held on established trails. That means mud, but two inches of it not eight inches! After the first lap, I got the hang of just bombing the corners and letting the depth of the mud keep me upright. I think I gained time on my chasers with every muddy corner. I actually hit the single track on the first lap ahead of Trekie, strong racer and all-around-good-guy Damon Rinard but he was going to have none of this me before him business and quickly put me in his rear view. I spent the first 3 laps with a small group before finally shaking them all off and riding solo for the entire rest of the race. It was kind of nice to just put my head down and go as hard as I could maintain for a few laps without worrying about being passed. The best part was that the course conditions improved with each lap, making for an even more enjoyable race. My only scare came when I dropped my chain right after the barriers near the registration shack on the bell lap. Luckily, I was able to get it back on right away. I don't think I lost any places as there was a guy overtaking me anyway but I don't think he was in the 40+ cat.

Thanks to the Polska crew, Jay and Rascal, and Patrick from Trocadero for giving me some serious encouragement around the course- it always helps to hear someone hollering your name.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I kicked it up another placing to 8th loser today. If I keep it up, maybe I can win a water bottle or something by the end of the series. Damon talked me in to doing the double at Washington Park next week: 40+ then right into the 30+. Should be fun as the Trocaderos always put on a good event. They are another crew that knows what it takes and they make the best of the park every year.

Whitewater

Am I glad to get that race behind me. Pop quiz time. Question: what do you get when you take a seldom used field, mow a strip through it and add a few inches of rain? Answer: a suffer fest for the hardy souls who show up to try to race through it.

I have to admit, that was the hardest race I've ever done. It was a fairly short loop mowed through a field with some barriers here and there. On a dry day, it probably would have been good for 10+ fast laps but add all the rain and it turned 70% of the course to mud. Wheel sucking, energy sapping, ooey gooey mud. When the 4's race was in progress some Trocaderos and I were standing around talking about how slow they were going. Little did we know, from our vantage point at the finish line, just how quickly we were to find out WHY they were going so slow.

My race went off at 11:45 after the 4's and the juniors had already raced. The course was by then beyond reason. I rode the first 4 laps entirely, more than once getting passed by somebody running. That's pretty sad. On the 5th lap, I ran the whole back section of the course just to try to give my legs a break. The mud was so deep that stopping pedaling for even a moment forced you to either dismount or fall over so there was no place to ever give my legs a rest from the 40rpm grind in my lowest gear. I was happy as hell to get lapped by the 3's leader with 3 to go as I then only had 1 to go next time through the start/finish. I'm not too proud to say that.

In my last post, I said I was starting to feel better as the fall progresses. My goal was/is to start placing top 10 in my field so I made my goal today by finishing 9th loser. I am looking forward to Camrock tomorrow and usually I like a 2nd race in a weekend but today was so brutal that I hope I have the legs to do well tomorrow too. The only consolation is that everyone else today had to race the same thing as me.

Congratulation to The Boy for winning his age again today. That kid sure gets alot of bling for his efforts. Of course I heard that his dad sells it all on ebay to make up for his entry fees....

Movin' on up....

....to the (middle of the pack) to a de-luxe finish at the ra-a-aace. OK, enough Jeffersons theme song. Had a great race and improved on my 15th loser placing of Badger Prairie to 11th loser this week at Lapham Peak. Given my complete lack of technical skills, LP was a good course for me as none were needed. That probably explains the better finish. It was about as nice a day as one could have for racing, unless of course you prefer Belgian-stayle cross in the cold and snow. Generally I like the adverse conditions but I have to admit that today was nice at 55 and sunny.

I started the race DFL as I was yakking with Danny and Bald Erich at the start and paying no attention to what was happening. Mind you, I probably still would have started DFL even if I had been paying attention but whatever. I battled back and forth a few times with Bald Erich and some others before finally getting free of them on lap 4 on the back straightaway. It helps that Erich was on a single speed but hey, I'll take whatever advantage I can get. Anyway, one guy made it back on to my wheel but I had a good run up and dropped him for good. There was just too much distance to the next guy and I couldn't make any closer than about 25 feet by the finish line.

The viral infection I have had for now five weeks is almost gone. Still some hacking and stuff but way better. I also raced Sheboygan WORS last weekend- my only mtb race of the year- and had a better finish than I thought I would; 8th in sport single speed. Today makes three race weekends in a row and if I can manage to get in some good training during the week, I think that consistent top 10 finishes could be a reality in the remaining six Wisconsin and three Illinois cross races. Maybe even better than top 10 in the Illinois series as the competition, at least in years past, has not been quite as strong as Wisconsin's. Speaking of which, the competition in the 40+ masters field is pretty strong here. Jay asked why I didn't just race 4's instead but if I did that I don't think that I would improve as much as racing with the faster guys in masters.

Next week is Whitewater on saturday and CamRock on sunday. I love double race weekends. The second day's race feels great for some reason, however CamRock is a much more technical course so I'll have to see how that goes; I'm looking forward to it anyway.

So, today was a high note to cap off a week of very low notes from pissed off clients to a burglary at my shop. If someone pops the trunk on thier '79 Eldo to sell you some nice power tools cheap, just remember that they probably were stolen from someone like me.

15th loser

As Russell would say. So, for anyone who actually checks in here once in a while, sorry for the lack of posts. Blah, blah, I have no real excuses. Now that the first cross race is in the bag, I can start posting about all things cross.



Firstly, I'm racing the Orange One again this year as my primary machine. The feel of it is great, no matter the terrain and when a bike feels good that's half the battle. It might not be the lightest machine around but then again neither am I.




I picked up the Bianchi San Jose this spring with the intention of using it as my pit bike and for racing in the SS category in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup series. It's kind of turned into my everyday kid hauler with a baby seat and everything though. If I was half the man this guy is I would race it in the WI series. The Ronsta showed that if you got it, you got it, no matter what you're riding. Congrats on showing 'em who's boss Ron.




Two weeks ago a Bianchi Cross Veloce showed up in my stable. It's a nice cushy ride but has the smallest handlebars for some reason. It doesn't feel anything like my Gunnar and I'm looking forward to swapping out some of the parts on it to make it more similar. Primarily a set of these.

Ok, so on to the race report, such as it is. First, having a wicked case of strep for two weeks before the first race the season really effed me up but good. My legs were dead 30 seconds in and my lungs were on fire the whole time. I raced the Masters 40 category, a tough group by any measure. I had a good start, making the barriers in 7th place, rounded the tree and into the field. By the time we came off of the gravel path I was getting passed by nearly the whole field as my body was just shutting it down. I figure that there is an upside though: it can only get better from here! Seriously, with such a crappy race and fitness how can I help but get better? I have no illusions that I'll be placing in the money by the end of the season, but I do believe that I can be placing solid in the top 10 within a few weeks.

Congrats to Nathan for taking his race by minutes over the next kid. The kid sure loves to race bikes and it shows.