Long time coming

158.

Not since 2004.

Back feels better.

Clothes fit.

Ab definition.

Life is good.

Should have done this a long time ago, but lifestyle is hard to change sometimes. I finally had to admit that I'm only getting older and I've got to work harder than ever to achieve/maintain what was taken for granted years ago. Better late than never as they say.

R.I.P. Sheldon Brown

A truly helpful person and all around master of all things bicycle. You know that he loved what he did- a vocation as well as an avocation. (kind of like Russell...)

A nifty web site

It is not my intention to get political on my blog right now, but I came across a site that I feel compelled to post. Actually, I don't think it's even political, but deals with political figures.

Draw your own conclusions.

Iraq: The War Card

winter so far

So, I am now fully entrenched in my winter/ off season fun. I'm on the trainer/rollers 4 days a week but not with much intensity. In my last post, I noted that I have some goals: flexibility, core strength, weight loss and making my back feel better. I am actually being successful in three of the four goals, and am really psyched to keep seeing more progress.

Flexibility: The main problem has been my hamstrings, an I am happy to report that with my foot up on a table, I can alllllmost touch my toes now. Don't laugh your beer out your nose- I couldn't get within 4 inches when I started.

Core strength: This has been cool. The gains are quick and evident. At the start, I couldn't hold a plank for 30 seconds, and I can hold one for 4 minutes now. I also feel like my posture is getting better with stronger muscles to support my torso and I think I can start to see some muscle definition (under the rest of the spare tire anyway :))

Weight loss: With the exception of the party boat episode, I have been diligent at restricting my intake. Chief among the restrictions has been alcohol, which after the holidays and my brother's visit, has not been hard to cut back on. Starting weight: 169, now 164.5. Good progress by all accounts. Not quite like this guy, but hey, he's a lot yunker than me...

Back pain: So far, this has been a disappointment. I thought for sure that it would be feeling better now, what with the progress in the other areas, but no avail. Worse yet, I seem to have developed a case of mild sciatica. Bummer. I will keep going though, in hopes that it just hasn't been a long enough period of time yet.



OK, enough of that stuff. For Christmas, Santa brought Sam a real snowboard. I provided a pair of boots and goggles and he was off and running (or sliding). We went to the sledding hill a few times but all that did was make him want to try a 'real' hill, so off to Sunburst we went a few weeks ago. He had a lesson, and picked up the moves quickly. His passion over the summer/fall was skateboarding which translated well to the snowboard.

As a kid, I lived for skiing. Just the mild threat in August of skiing sanctions for being a punk had me back on the straight and narrow, that's how much I loved it. As soon as the weather started to turn crisp in the fall, I was dreaming of skiing night after night. Suffice to say, after my college years and on into dad-hood, I left it go, but always had it in the back of my mind that I would return to it someday. I think you can guess the rest!

I rented some of the new parabolic skis and wow! what a difference from my old boards. At a whopping 5'9" I was on 205's, now I'm on 165's! they are great fun and make me feel like I never left the sport they're so easy to ski. It didn't take long before a nice pair of Atomics with some new Solomon boots were in my possession. After that first night, I figured I would be sore for a week, but I didn't have any after effects at all. Except wanting to go again and again. The great thing is that I can do it with Sam, instead of just watching him. Now Maddie wants to get in on the action, but she wants to ski not board so I will take her for lessons as well. It's a good thing that business is good, because it's an expensive hobby. At least the season is relatively short.

That's it from the home front. Enjoy the winter wonderland.

A Good Time

The 2007 WCA cyclocross banquet was held last night at the Fitchburg Community Center in beautiful Fitchburg Wisconsin. There was an armed policeman type posted outside the door to our hall the whole time. I'm quite sure that it had something to do with Cale, Andy and the rest of the Pegusussy crew. They was just itch'in fer trouble and Johnny Law was gonna be there to bust heads if need be.

Renee Callaway and J.P. Ericsson really put on a great event from the super tasty fajita bar to the fresh kegs of beer. There was a nice presentation by Ben Turner of Cycle-Smart and the Clif Bar Development Team. He had some great ideas about making our events more environmentally friendly and about bringing more kids into cx racing. I'm pretty sure Jay was zoning out bad during the "green" stuff. Damn tree huggers :)

Other notables in attendance were the proprietors of the Rusty Tool Shed and The Darkness himself. Representing Team Polska was a trio of ne'er do wells by the names of Maciej, Marcin and Abby. The Pegasussies threatened to blow our ears out with a cowbell and flugle horn orchestra. Kind of like being at a race except it was colder in the hall we were in. Someone forgot to tell the Fitchburgers to turn up the heat. Don't they know a bunch of bike racers don't have the extra layer of blubber to keep warm in winter?

I got this cool life-size trophy to take home. Had to strap it to the top of the car. I'm not sure where to put it at home though as my trophy room is getting too full for something this big. Oh well, such problems to have.

As you can see, Russell was starting to question his choice of seating. I'm glad he was between me and the obviously deranged Pole.

back to normal

So now the holidays are finally over, I weigh another extra five pounds and it's definitely time to get back to it.

So first some news: After flying the Hayes colors for five years, I'm moving on. I have joined the Cafe Hollander Racing Team for '08 and beyond. Just so there's no misunderstanding, I have nothing against the Hayes Team, or any of the people involved with it. I appreciate the opportunity that the team gave me to race for them, and they are a good bunch of guys. Why then the move, you ask? Well, in the first place, Hollander is much more of a road and 'cross team, whereas Hayes is mostly a track and mtb team. Being that my racing interests lie in road and 'cross, that was the first draw. Secondly, they are more involved with the local racing scene, and also get involved with bike advocacy and the Urban Playground Foundation. Any hey, who wouldn't want to race for a team whose sponsor is known for their beer and french fries??

So, I do have some goals for this year. They are few, and simple: 1) Get down to optimal weight. This used to be an easy thing to do; of course that was before I turned 40. Now it is hard to do, but is something that I must achieve. Goal weight by spring:159. Weight now:172. 2) Strrrrrretch. Stretching is an activity that I start every winter, and then leave behind as summer approaches. Not this year, no sir. 3) Strengthen my core. This, I think, is imperative to having a better season. Perhaps all of the above directly relate to the lower back pain that has bothered me for most of the past year. It is never bad enough to stop me from activities, but it is a day to day limiter on my overall performance and physical well being. So that's it. Simple, eh?

2008 is off to a good start:



48 miles with the Shedmaster today in the fog. We hit Elm Grove, Pewaukee (where's the lake?) Lake, Hartland, Delafield and almost Nashotah. We ran into new teammate and current master's 40/4 cx champion Tim T. on the way back too. Something tells me that he thought we were nuts for going nearly 50 miles on January 6th. Russell is doing Trans-Iowa so he'll be doing lots of early season long rides. Just what I need for burning off those pesky extra pounds...

MONTROSE

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO. YOU CAN TELL HER THAT 'NO REALLY, THIS THE LAST, LAST RACE FOR THE SEASON. PLEEEEEEEZE??

Sunday, December 9, 2007MONTROSE PARK CROSS –RACE No. 6
ILLINOIS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RACES
*The Chicago Cross Cup reserves the right to change prize amounts based on factors like attendance. USCF permit pending.
COURSE DESCRIPTION-Course will offer a variety of surfaces, pavement, gravel, grass, and sand combined with off camber sections, hills and multiple dismounts. REGISTRATION-Race day registration opens at 8:30AM. Entry fees are cash or check made out to T.B.S. All riders must fill out and sign USCF rider release forms. LICENSES-All races will be held under USCF permit. Those without USCF/NORBA licenses will be required to purchase a 1-day license for $10. 1-year and renewals will also be available at registration. Helmets required. All USCF rules apply.CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONBeginners: All first-year racers and one-day licenses must race Category 4 or Masters: Please check your 2007 USA Cycling license. If you disagree with your new category, apply for an upgrade at www.usacycling.org. Please check website for description of Cat. 4 A & B events.DIRECTIONS TO MONTROSE PARK IN CHICAGO-The park is located East of Lake shore Drive off Montrose Avenuein Chicago.From 90 or 94 take the Irving Park Road Exit and go Eastbound toLake Shore drive. Go North on the Drive to the Montrose Exit. Follow Montrose as it goes East and the course will be on the north side of the road near the Sled Hill.For more info: www.ChiCrossCup.comJuniors race for free thanks to the generous sponsorship provided by: EJ’sPlace10027 Skokie BoulevardSkokie, ILTel: 847-933-9800
SERIES SPONSORSCYCLE CYCLE SMITHYSMITHY773-281-0444
*2ndRace is only $10Race TimeEventDurationPrizesCost
10:00 AM HincapieSportswear MASTERS 30+ 45 min $150 -5 Deep$25
11:00 AM HincapieSportswear MASTERS 40+ 45 min $150 -5 Deep$25
12:00 PM Blue Competition Cycles WOMENS 1-2-3 45 min $100 -5 Deep$25
12:02 PM Sun Ringle WOMENS 4 30 min Product 3 Deep$20
12:04 PM Lake Shoes/EJ'sPlace JUNIORS 30 min Product 3 DeepFREE
1:00 PMBlue Competition Cycles MENS 1-2 60 min $200 -5 Deep$25
1:02 PMSun Ringle MENS 3 45 min $150 -5 Deep$25
2:15 PMHincapieSportswear MENS 4 Group A 30 min $75 -3 deep $20
3:00 PM MENS 4 Group B - (Beginners) 30 min Product 3 Deep$20 HINCAPIESPORTSWEAR

EPIC

So by now you've read the others' reports of this day but I'm here to give you the inside story of the 2007 Wisconsin Cyclocross Championships.

The course was designed primarily by Bob Schueler of Hampshire Cycling Club. On a normal day, it would have been a course for the power rider- not very technical, a longish hill and some fast straights. Sunday? fugedaboutit. For the first race of the day (and I'm sure subsequent races) it was about nothing more than keeping the pedals turning. You could ride full speed (5mph?) up to the barriers and jump off 3 inches away and not stack it. The deal was, that if you stopped pedaling for even a moment, you simply lost all forward momentum instantly. It was so slow that technical skills just didn't come into play even though it was 3 inches of snow cone slop.

Being that this was The Championships, and I have more of a story to tell, I'm going to have longer than a 1ROSRR today. But first, the prelude; last Sunday, after Devil Take The Hindmost V.2, which no one knew about due to my apparently posting about it in some kind of weird code, I started to feel a little punk. By night time, I knew I was in for a good one. By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was full on sick- sore throat, body aches, chills, the whole drill. My one thought (besides wanting to be summarily executed) was F*CK! This is no time to get sick! Why oh why can't this be NEXT week AFTER the championship race?? Suffice it to say, my week went from bad to worse. In my mind I had no intention of even showing up on Sunday much less racing. But....

Being the hard headed Kraut that I am, I just couldn't not show up to the race. Even while getting dressed at the venue, I was doubting whether I should race until I saw my friend Rich who told me that if I didn't race I would have wasted his time coming out to watch me. That was enough to convince me. Lewis and I headed out on course to pre-ride and discovered a few things right away. One, the course wasn't marked yet (!) and two, the conditions SUCKED. Don't get me wrong, I love it crappy and I've no doubt that under any other conditions, I would have loved the course. Oh well, it just meant a whole lot more running as I didn't have a low enough gear to slog it up the long hill.

As we warmed up, the multicolor squiz was working it's way out of my lungs and I was heating up like it was a summer day- except for my toesies as they were soaked and cold. The race was delayed about 20 minutes so that they could finish course marking before they called us to the line. All the usual suspects were there, plus a few new faces but no Tom Hooyer. His absence would turn out to mean a lot to me in the end, but I'm getting ahead of myself. On the line, I informed Tim T. that of he failed to win, he would be off the team. I was there for pack fodder, no more. At the whistle, we humped it off the line in slo-mo. The first obstacle was a sand pit that I hadn't actually seen before and quickly claimed me as a victim. I lost a good four spots right there and then a few more for good measure down the front straightaway. By the middle of the first lap, I was sitting maybe tenth, well behind my competitors on a normal day, but this wasn't a normal day. After talking myself out of quitting for the 99th time, I finally settled in to a rhythm and, wonder of wonders, started picking people off one by one; Russell, Lewis, Richard et al. I managed to not only limit my losses but make up enough ground to finish 4th- podium! Ahead of me were, of course, the aforementioned Tim T. who heeded my warning and won the race (and the overall), Mark Burkholtz, aka Army Guy, and Chris Berge, my nemesis. Tim had a real fight on his hands as Mark surged on the second lap and took the lead from him for a short time.

In the photo above, I pipped that guy on the line by a half a wheel. Until last night, I had no idea how much that would mean. A fourth place finish is worth 15 points, a fifth place is worth 14. That one point was enough to put me on the podium for the overalls! Now you know why it ended up being important to me that Tom was not there as he would have finished ahead of me and I would not have gained third place- one point ahead of Tom!!

Thanks to Bob and Jerry and the rest of the HCC guys for all of their effort in putting on this race. It had to be tough to do but that's the spirit of cyclocross.

As a footnote, my dad asked me what it would take to cancel a race. Cancel? Yeah right. I told him that if the snow was too deep to ride, we'd just have to run the whole damn course.....

DEVIL TAKE THE HINDMOST v.2

Don't miss it again, muchachos.

That's right, we're running version 2 of the best non-sanctioned 'cross race you can do in these parts. Same bat time (10am Sunday), same bat channel (Washington Park), same bat format (miss 'n out).

Keep up your fitness and your mad skeelz in preparation for the state champs in two weeks. We may even get lucky and have some sweet 'cross conditions to deal with, so be a real man (or wo-man) and try your luck at beatin' the devil hisself.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday....... Be Therrrrrrrrrre!

SAY IT WITH ME:

Pathetic. \pə-ˈthe-tik\ : pitifully inferior or inadequate.

I officially sucked today. J.P. Ericsson and the Brazen Hussies put together a difficult race course and I was not up to the challenge. There were some cool sections and some not-so-cool sections, but all in it was a good, hard course with plenty for everyone. I liked: the whoop-d-doos behind the bleachers, the fast two pack of barriers on the south side, the track and the beer hall. I disliked: the run up, the stair/gravel section and the nasty downhill, off camber turn into the tree.

The day started cold and overcast, but the sun came out part way through our race to warm things up a bit. The course was bone dry, and the fast sections were very fast. The corners were no problem with my switch of rear tires to a Michelin Mud2 from a Jet. I had a problem on half a dozen occasions that I have not experienced before: slipping in my rear cassette. It definitely kept me out of a fourth place finish. That's something I'll have to look into and soon. The cassette body on my Krsyriums has at lest 20k on it so I wouldn't be surprised if it was wearing out.

It has been brought to my attention that the "one fragmented sentence race report" title is actually a misnomer and that what it really is a long "one run on sentence race report". My bad. So, without further ado, the 1ROSRR: On the line we wait, shivering until the plastic horn signals go, hit the barriers in 5th behind Lewis, pass Lewis, keep on with Tim, Chris and the re-emerged Tom Hooyer, Chris punches it, gaps form, I'm riding Tom's wheel when he decides enough is enough and guns it to catch Tim and Chris, I get passed by ?, now 5th, about to pass back, cassette slip, then again, Tom takes Tim last lap, I roll in for 5th. Back to my usual spot in the scheme of things....

With motivation to train hard starting to wane with the short days, I feel like I need to conserve rather than put out; until I started racing 'cross, the fall months were for going bike path easy and doing night rides. Intensity, inschmensity. With 'cross, I have to keep on it, keep up the intensity and work even harder. A tough thing to work out sometimes.

Congratulations to Chris, Tim and Tom for great finishes and many thanks, once again, to J.P. Ericsson and the Brazen Hussies for all of their time and effort to make racing 'cross in Wisconsin something to remember.

DEVIL TAKE THE HINDMOST

First things first: If you aren't in this picture, YOU MISSED IT! Ten guys, a case a PBR and bikes. What better a way to spend your Sunday morning?

Steve R. set up a sweet, short course in Washington Park that used part of the Halloween course, some of it backwards and some new stuff. One of the benefits of a sanctioned by nobody race is that you get to do whatever you want. Like going full speed down the big hill straight at a tree, and having a concrete path dismount with a concrete stair run up.

The set up: Two 3 lap heats, five guys each. At the end of laps one and two, the last rider gets pulled leaving three to duke it out for the finish. The winner moves on to the 'angel' race, the 2nd and 3rd place riders move on to the 'mere mortal' race and the pulled riders move on to the 'devil' race. Next heats work the same way with pulled riders on laps 1 and 2, and the remaining riders fighting for the finish, except the angel race which only had two riders.

Not being an 'official race', we couldn't exactly close the course. This led to an interesting situation of cars driving on the walking paths throughout the time we were there. WTF is up with that? I can't say I've seen that before....

I won't give a 1FSRR except to say that Tim and I went on to the angel race and he whupped me again. That's ok, by now I'm used to it. The PBR was cold and it was a fun day all in all. It gives me some ideas for next season.

Thanks again to Steve for setting this up. I think some of the attendees were pretty happy to be able to race in an unofficial event for their first race ever, and for the rest of us who race regularly, it was a good way to stay in shape on an off weekend.

Stay tuned to this site for future race announcements. Pic compliments of Phillip who came and did his very first cross race.

EVER THE BRIDESMAID PART 2

Estabrook.

How many people did I tell recently that all Estabrook is is a drag race? A few turns, a little bit of chicanes and a small run up. Really. Until Jerry Pearce decided that the course needed to be twice as long in the same amount of space! The result was about 427 twists and turns on grass that hadn't been ridden before now. NOT that I'm complaining mind you. It's just not my favorite kind of course. I feel like we went from the best to (almost) the worst in two days. Maybe I've just ridden there all too often.

Driving to the race, I'm my same old nerve addled self. Seriously, I HATE race day mornings. My stomach is all in knots, my legs feel leaden and I usually feel like going back home. The day and night before I am excited to race the next day, but when morning comes.... So, just as I was turning onto the parkway, the first itty, bitty raindrops fell. Rain? huh? where'd that come from? By race time, it was raining steady, the wind had picked up and it was feeling like some true CX weather for a change. This is gonna be good, I thought.

Now for the 1FSRR. Start line and the hiss of air being released from tires all around me as the rain continues to fall, GO!, Lewis slams the hole shot, me 2nd, others behind, Lewis tows, Tim comes around, Chris comes around, turn up the heat, down to three, cruise control, trade pulls, just before the bell Tim's front mech turns to shit, I attack, Tim says NO WAY and brings Chris back to me, get small gap on Chris , punch it!, last chicanes, I'm in Tim's rear view mirror 'til the line. Shit, bridesmaid again, but at least I was the maiden of honor. Chris rolled in for 3rd and Lewis for an outstanding 4th.

For the first time this season, I felt that tactics may play a role in the race with three of us off the front and working together. It seemed to be anyone's race to win for most of the race and I had to think of the possible outcomes and results of my actions. That was pretty cool.

As has become my usual Sunday routine, I jumped into the 4s race right away with Lewis, Chris and Richard (also of Brazen Hussies). Lewis and I rolled and yakked for the better part of three laps until we decided to get serious and show the youngsters how it's done. From that time, we probably passed 15 guys. The course had tacked up nicely and you could rail most corners full speed. Lewis pipped me on the line. I told him that's the only time I'm letting that happen. Yeah right, famous last words. I dig doing the second race as it feels like I got a hell of a workout on the day.

With apologies to Hampshire Cycle Club, I think it's hard to keep the Estabrook course feeling fresh year after year. There just isn't much you can do with it given the geographic restrictions. Perhaps it's time to move it to a new venue next year. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all of the effort that goes in to staging a race, but sometimes change is good...

EVER THE BRIDESMAID PART 1

Or, The Team Polska Cyclocross Classic 2007 edition.

I am compelled to start this post by stating that this course is my new all-time favorite. Huge props go out to Majiec and Marcin Nowak and the rest of the Polska team for putting together what I think could easily be a championship course. They worked on course design for nearly a year and it shows; great use of terrain, off cambers, singletrack and of course The Hill. If you were there, you know why I capped that.

To set the stage, it was yet another beautiful fall day in Wisco. Frost on the pumpkins cool at the start but it warmed up nicely as the day wore on. Polska fired up the grills early to give you a a little incentive to finish as fast as possible with the scent of kielbasa wafting over the course (ok, so it was hot dogs, but so what, it was still sausage. Sort of.). I'd have liked maybe a high school drum corps pounding out some rhythm to get it all started but that would probably be too much to ask (for now).

Now on to the One Fragmented Sentence Race Report. Riders ready? Go! pound it up the hill into the singletrack, sitting maybe 8th, wind around, hit The Hill, pass like most of the riders in front of me (Lewis, you should have ridden it), sit in for around 4th, watch Tim T. get a gap, pass a tiring "quit yer cryin'- it won't do you no good" Russell, work, work, work to catch Tim, Chris nearly catches me, flubs a dismount and pinwheels over the barriers, I roll in for a nice 2nd. Man, that felt good. My legs felt super all race and I feel like I just pounded up the hill. For my efforts, I went home with a 6 pack, a pair of Twin Six socks, a water bottle and a tube. Sweet. That's more shwag than the rest of the season combined.

What changed to get to be the maiden of honor instead of just a run-of-the-mill bridesmaid? Easy answer: on Wednesday, I realized that a couple of things had happened to affect my riding. 1) My cleats had slipped all the forward so I was pedaling with my toes. 2) My seat had slipped back 1 1/2 cm. 3) My seat post had slipped down about 5mm. That's a whole lot of power robbing misadjustments. Add 'em up and the effect, I think, was pretty major.

Allow me to digress (it's my blog after all). In talking with Tim and Steve from Hollander, we think that Wisco CX could be much, much better. Why can't we bring a little Belgian flavor to the events? A little extra advertising, some better awards ceremonies for the riders, some networking to get more people out... Cross is a great spectator sport and we really never get anyone other than racers and spouses out for the events. We're not going to get non-bike people out for races in the middle of nowhere, but we could definitely bring 'em out for the Milwaukee races. Anywho, we have some things to work on for next year to step the series up a notch or two.

HALLOWEEN PSYCHO-CROSS

And there were some truly scary folks about today. Russell in his schoolgirl outfit, diaper boy, Pegasus-Speedo racer to name a few. Ahhh, Washington Park. What a perfect day for a bike race, 40s-50s and sunny with a nice cool breeze. The Trocaderos always seem to get the nice days for their race. Four years I've raced there and four years of great conditions. Well, it could have been a bit better with a little rain or snow but I'll take this anyway.

40+ 4s for my first race of the day. I figured if I mugged with this guy I'd get some good mojo going and maybe place higher than my usual 4th or 5th.

'Twas a nice thought. Here's the one fragmented sentence race report: Official says go, I blast off for the hole shot up the hill, keep the momentum for about two thirds of the first lap when Tim Mr. Get-the-f*ck-out-of-my-way Theobald and his posse of neer do wells comes by me like I was having a picnic in the park, shit!, push, push, push, I'm never going to catch them but I'll keep trying and at least not let Lewis catch me, do some nice full speed bunny hops, have some fun and roll it for 5th. Again. man, I'm gettin' a little tired of 4th and 5th place. One of these races I'm gonna make it to that de-lux podium in the sky-i-i. Or something like that.

I should have mugged with this guy before the start as that would have been some good mojo indeed.

The man was on a mission. Wasn't nooooo one catching Mr. Tim today. As for the rest of the miscreants, Russell was nowhere to be seen and neither was Steve R. I'm thinking that the costumes just added a bit too much drag to catch those who were, as Randy says, haulllllllin.

Not to be content with just one ass-whupping, I jumped into the 4s race with the aforementioned Lewis shortly after the end of the 40s. Better to not cool down too much, ya know. Lewis and I rode around and heckled each other for most of 3 1/2 laps before deciding to throw down and show those young whippersnappers what us old guys were made of. Didn't quite end up showing anybody anything but it was a good time after all. I think my best lap all day was the 5th lap of the 4s race; I railed every corner and actually felt pretty strong. Of course I did my best to hack up both lungs after finishing. Something about extra effort and a cool, dry day that does a real number on my old, tar encrusted lungs.

Next up Kletch and Estabrook. I think that the Kletch course is a super top secret Polska training ground 'cuz I haven't been able to find it. Rumor has it that Maciej has put together a tough course- I'll believe the rumors. Estabrook is always a good time and a sheer power course as there's no elevation gain to speak of. Lewis suggested doing a quad day: 40+4s, 4s, 30+ and 40+. Either he's been hitting the wacky tobaccy or he just bought stock in Amgen. Or maybe both. I could see mayyyybe doing the triple with the regular 40+ but the quad? I jes don tink so, Lew-ees.

Props go out to Casey, Patrick and the rest of the Velo Trocadero team for yet another fine edition of the Halloween race. Nice decorations this year too. This next bit is going to seem a bit odd, but I have to give credit where credit is due and that is to the officials this year. Whatever new system Heidi has put in place is actually working. Results are posted quickly and I haven't heard of any disputes this season. It's great compared to previous years where you'd wait around for an hour and the results would still be all ef'd up.

How could I forget?

I forgot to mention in my Gibbs Lake report the best part of the day: in the 4's race on the second lap, I managed to drop my wheel into a hole trying to remount after the second set of barriers. My end over end roll, with my bike, was pretty impressive if I do say so myself. Even the official standing there agreed that it was rather elegant. Too bad Renee wasn't there to record it.

Make mine a double please

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, beeeee therrrrrrre. Gibbs lake that is.

I have to start this report with the following question: what happened to fall? Damned if we didn't have a nicer weekend than any in recent memory. Now I like my rainy/cold/muddy races as much as the next guy but there is something to be said for 65 and sunny. When we finally do get seasonal weather, I'm afraid my system won't know how to react.

On to the one fragmented sentence race report for those short of attention span: Go!, hit the first turn in second spot behind Lewis, sucky corners, lose spots, cool tree barrier, settle in, Russell catches and motors on up the hill, nice, groove on, enjoy the colors, see Lewis on the side WTF?, catch Tim T, oh crap drop chain, roll in for 5th again.

Since it was such a nice day and I was feeling energetic I decided to jump into the 4's race too 10 minutes after my 40's finish. I won't do a race report except to say that by the time I climbed that hill at race pace for the 8th time my legs were starting to get noodle-y. I had a good time heckling some other riders and got a great workout on the day. Considering I had done 4 laps of the course in warmup, that made for 12 laps total. A good day.

My hope is that I am racing into form. There's nothing like racing to get you into race shape. If nothing else, I've thus far been consistent, but I feel like I'm getting better. Hmm, everyone else must be too....

Thanks to Michaels Cycles for a great course and a well organized event. Thanks again to Renee Callaway of Madcross.org for pics and video- check her site often for updates.

Whitewater CX

I've been wondering where to go with the one fragmented sentence race report for this race and I think I've got it: Rich says 'go' and off goes a line of 20 some guys all heading for the same chute, I get in top five, fast barriers, bu-bu-bu-bumpy ride hang on tight, nice downhill/shoulder/run, get passed by then drop the Brazen Hussies guys, ride around in no-man's-land, hold off Russell, wonder when the hell they're going to post laps??, all the sudden it's the bell, cruise in for my by now familiar 4th place finish. Eight laps in all I think.

So last year this was the most pathetic race and course, and as noted elsewhere it costs more than the other races for some reason but I scored a nice seat bag so that's ok. All the other dudes complained about the course this year but I had to remind them of some of the redeeming qualities like the fast dismount barriers and the nice barrier/run/barrier section. A race like this probably favors my strengths though so maybe that's why I liked it. What strengths? I can hear you saying.... Well, the get in the groove and motor type since my technical riding skills are severely lacking and there weren't many needed for this race. F*ck the rest of 'em; I had fun, besides, what would I rather be doing on a beautiful fall day?

It's all good aka Badger Cross

That's right peeps, it's all good. All good at Badger Cross that is. The Shedmaster and my bad self took another cruise to the land of liberalism today. Well, a bit south of there but close enough for me to feel good about it.

A quick trip in The People's Chrysler and Badger Prairie Park popped into view. I saw Renee Callaway of Madcross.org on the way in and thanked her for ordering some good CX weather for a change. It's about time. Many course changes this year made the new course one of the best I've ever raced. If you weren't going uphill or running barriers, you were negotiating off camber downhill slaloms that were getting muddier and slipperier by the lap. As the punks say: man, that sh*t was DOPE.

40+ 4s again today. Here's the one fragmented sentence recap: 16 guys, fast start up the pavement, dive into the course, Lewis crashed, took over 2nd spot, got tired, lost spots, Lewis passed me, he laid down for another rest, Tim from Hollander passed me, The Shedmaster passed me, he laid down for a rest, no gain for me, rolled in for a 5th, Russell a 4th.

A few other notes on the day are in order: I suck at cornering and used the WRONG tires. It was raining the whole time, perfect for CX but BAD for me and my poor choice of rubber. Lesson learned.

Next week Whitewater; in a word, yuk. I asked JP Ericsson to give them some help in course design. He said it was hopeless. Sunday brings the second edition of the Janesville race which I missed last year but am excited to race this year.

Thanks to Renee, JP and Capitol Velo Club for a great, well organized race on a fantastic course. Who'd a thunk a bunch a Madison chicks could put on such a great race?

Still alive.... barely

Cam Rock CX today. Raced the 40+ 4s with the Shedmaster hisself. Go ahead and make fun of the category but I'll take it any day over the two alternatives: 40+ regular where I get shellacked and 4s regular where there were about 295 racers. The 23 in my race sounded lots better; besides, we race first so we get rock star parking. That's worth the price of admission for me.

Anyway, I won't bore you with the race report details, just a quick recap cuz I know you all (well, all one of you- thanks for reading mom) have short attention spans. Got in the top 3 at the start, passed by Russell, passed Russell back when he was resting in the dirt, crashed Russell and he busted up his shit, got passed by a Hollander guy, and hung on for 4th place. Out of the money but respectable enough considering I've raced a bike precisely once since last CX season, which if you were paying attention was a complete disaster.

Thanks to Paul Roltgen, Lewis Clark, John Ericsson and the rest of the Brazen Hussies Krew for a great race. Next up, Badger Prairie and Madison vegetarian extraordinare Renee Callaway's big party at the park. Mmmm, burgers made of veggies; with enough free beer, I could grow to like something like that.

Stuff, Stuff and More stuff

So we did a little cross practice last night at Estabrook. Some day I will learn that I cannot completely neglect whole muscle groups for months on end and then go running around like a teenager. I'm sore.

Note to self: The Beat Down will not be any fun the day after the first cross practice. On a better note, I am very happy that some of the mad skeelz (such as they are) seem to have stuck around from last year. I didn't hesitate to go full speed into the barriers and re-mount without stutter stepping. Gotta work on cornering and off cambers and the like but that's no surprise. A few good rides on the mtb trails with the Gunnar and some polish (not Polish) ought to come back to those skeelz.

In other CX news, Russell and I talked to Bob Schueler from Hampshire Cycle Club and we will get to have some input into the state championship course for this year, being held at a new venue; Hales Corners Park. Sun Prairie is still on the schedule but not as the championships. I'm psyched for a new venue.

It's going to be a perfect fall weekend so grab your OFF! and head to TosaFest for some good music and cold beer. Friday night brings Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans from 8:30-11:00 and guitar legend and Tosa native Greg Koch and the Tone Controls will be playing Saturday night from 8:30-11:00. that's some decent talent for little old Wauwatosa.