Laatste Ronde

Eddy

2007-06-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

I got my first 10-speed when I was eleven back in 1976. My dad bought it for me along with a pair of Eddy Merckxs - one for him and one for his girlfriend. I don't know how many miles they put on those Merckxs but it wasn't many. A couple years later, my dad's girlfriend dumped him and I inherited a Molteni orange Eddy Merckx at the age of thirteen. It was way more bike that I needed at that age.

I was living in Ann Arbor, MI at the time and I used that Eddy like any kid would use his bike. I rode over to my friends' houses. I rode downtown. I rode to neighboring towns (Dexter). I had no idea that I might actually be able to race the bike but I sure put some miles on it. I also gained an appreciation for the fine Campy components and learned to do all the basic wrenching required to keep it running in tip-top shape.

One evening after attending a weekly computer night at Community High (Commodor 64s and Pets among others), I found Eddy's spot at the bike rack was empty. All that was left was a deftly snipped cable lock. I've had a number of bikes through the years and a few of them have suffered ignoble demises but none stung as much as losing Eddy.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a Merckx Alu-cross. It was used but had only seen limited racing. Much of its appeal was the fact that it was a Merckx and I could somehow get back some part of that bike I lost so many years ago. New Eddy has been my primary race bike for three seasons and I love it. I've got a Redline Conquest for a pit bike and commuter but Eddy fits me much better. The ride is great.

New Eddy has some things that I don't like such as the 1" headset and non-replaceable dérailleur hanger. But I just love the ride.

The best thing about the Eddy crosser is that it connects me to that thirteen year old kid who rode his bike around everywhere. That kid whose bike meant freedom -- freedom to go wherever he pleased, wherever his legs might take him, as fast as he could ride.

Who reads this thing?

2007-06-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

I've heard from a few people that they read this blog from time to time. Since I never see any comments, I sometimes wonder if I'm just casting out to the void. If you check in, why not add a comment to this post to let me know where you're from.

Thanks!

Fartleks

2007-06-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

While fartleks are commonly employed by runners serious about getting faster, cyclists don't know diddly about this great workout. Except maybe they do. You see, fartleks are unstructured intervals. Sprint for that sign, go hard up this hill, accelerate through that turn. The principles that make fartleks effective are the same as those that make intervals such great workouts. In fact, when Gosta Holmer invented them back in the 1930s, it was quite the revolution.

If you're like me and have a hard time getting motivated to do intervals, try fartleks instead. Some fun suggestions are:

Charge up small rises
Ride an uncomfortable pace up longer hills
Sprint up to speed after corners, stop signs and traffic lights
Go hard for landmarks

One of the best aspects of fartleks is that you don't have to find that perfect piece of road to perform them on. Just make it a part of any of your rides.

Some pointers ... Fartlek sessions should be between 30 and 45 minutes with lots of tempo changes. A fartlek session can be integrated into rides of practically any length but I like to do them when I'm out for 70-90 minutes so I can really thrash my legs. Don't do them every ride -- once or twice a week is plenty. Make sure you get adequate rest.

Simon Burney

2007-06-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

I picked up Simon's Cyclocross: Training and Technique this evening and read a few of the chapters. Even though I've read it front to back, I still find it worthwhile to reread sections from time to time. This books is it when it comes to solid advice about technique, race tactics, strategy and training. The good news is that it's coming out in the 3rd edition this August. The 2nd edition from the late 90's was becoming a bit dated so I'm looking forward to this new edition.

My advice? Buy it!

Tubular Clinchers are dead ...

2007-06-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

... Long live the tubular clinchers. Tufo says that they have ceased production with no plans to produce any more. The ones on the street are the only ones available. I don't have any word as to the corporate reasons why.

Cross Crusade Schedule is Out!

2007-06-08T15:38:00.001-07:00

Head on over to the Cross Crusade site to check out the schedule. The big news? No Barton. I can't believe that they are dropping Barton. I *love* that course. It rocks -- literally. I race really well there -- when I don't flat. The compression ditch is one of a kind! I love, love, love the starting straight. And the dikes are classic features I'll miss the most. The second date of the series still lists the venue as TBD so there's still hope for Barton. However, Barton is best served as a November venue when it is likely to be waterlogged.

The classic courses of Alpenrose and Estacada again grace the schedule. Hornings looks to become a regular (word is that it will be less mountain bikey this year) and Hillsboro returns for a slog fest in middle of November. There are two new locales on the schedule this year. Since the sale of the Flying M necessitated relocation of the Halloween race, the Crusaders found a home for the camp/party/race at the Astoria Fairgrounds. Is the soil sandy out there? Let's hope so since Astoria gets 70 inches of rain annually. The Rainer, OR school district got hoodwinked into allowing the Crusade circus to use Rainier High School for an early season race. Maybe it will be dry and there won't be enough turf damage to preclude an invite next year.

The Portland USGP weekend(December 1, 2) is at PIR. I wonder if the Crusaders are going to set the course on the infield one day and then use the northwest open space (near the golf course) the next. While that would be tres cool, it might not be a financial reality.

The other big news is that the Crusaders are hosting the World Singlespeed Championships. It's going to be contested in conjunction with the Estacada racing. Qualifiers are scheduled for Saturday with the championship race on Sunday along with all the other regular racing. That looks to be a great weekend. Estacada is a great venue so all you SSers out there had better put this weekend on your schedules.

If you add in Hood River (9/23), Barlow (9/30) and Kreugers (11/25), the Portland cross schedule looks packed with some excellent racing. It's shaping up to be another outstanding year.

Crank Bros Eggbeaters

2007-06-07T09:20:00.001-07:00

Pedals anyone? Among the usual questions that rookie crossers ask is what pedals are best for cross. First, let me state the obvious -- get mountain bike pedals. Road bike pedals are *not* the best choice. Among the various mountain pedals, two stand out; Time ATACs and Crank Bros Eggbeaters (or Candys). Those two pedal systems are the best for shedding mud when a racer is attempting to clip in on a remount. That's the bottom line in cyclocross, how fast can you get into your pedals and apply power to the cranks on a remount.

I've used ATACs and Eggs and prefer the Eggs. I gave up on the ATACs after a race where I was unable to clip in because of a small rock lodged in the pedal clip mechanism. I kept knocking my foot against the pedal in an attempt to dislodge the rock as a couple of guys rode away from me. That single frustrating incident caused me to switch from ATACs to Eggs.

The Eggs are very easy to clip in to. It's got four sided entry so pedal position is a non-factor. I have a smooth clip in motion where I roll the pedal onto the cleat. It's gotten to be second nature. However, I've found the Eggs and ATACs to have practically identical performance for clearing mud. For full disclosure, on a couple occasions, I've gotten a small rock lodged between a cleat and shoe tread which has impeded my ability to clip in. Thus, I don't think that Eggs are the magic bullet for perfect clips in sloppy conditions. My endorsement of Eggs is primarily based on their overall ease of clipping.

Eggbeaters don't have a pedal platform per se and that alarms some people. If you've got a reasonably stiff shoe, the lack of platform is not a problem. Even with pedals that have a platform, virtually all of the force is concentrated at the cleat so the platform has little role in transferring power to the cranks. While not clipped in I've found that I can pedal just as well on the Eggs as I could on the ATACs. So if you are going to go with the Crank Bros, get the Eggbeaters and not the Candy version since the platforms aren't necessary. (Note: I've heard from a couple guys that they found the Candy pedal body got in the way of toe spikes when trying to clip in.)

I've heard some mixed reviews of the high end Shimano mountain pedals. Some folks claim they are quite reliable in the mud while others decry their performance in the slop. I've not tired them so I can't offer any first hand observations.

And finally, one more reason to get Crank Bros pedals: rebuilds. After a couple years of use, My pedals had been developing some play and a clicking noise. I went down to the LBS (River City Bicycles in my case) and picked up the $15 rebuild kit. After 30-40 minutes at home, I had a set of pedals that were as good as new. Rebuilding my pedals suits my environmental sensibilities as well as my cheapskate tenancies. Two thumps up!

Tubular Clinchers

2007-06-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Tufo makes a tubular tire that fits on a clincher rim. It's a decent tire and a reasonable choice for cross racers who want to give tubular a try without buying new wheels and gluing up some tires. Tubular clinchers were my introduction to tubulars. The upside of these tires is that they are as good at eliminating pinch flats as "real" tubular tires. The downsides are many.

Tufo is the only company that makes tubular clinchers. That means you are limited to the Tufo tread patter and rubber compound. Tufos shed mud well and hook up just fine on the dry but they lack the really aggressive bite that other tubulars have in the slop. Tubular clinchers are heavier and are less supple than tubulars because of the beefy bead needed to lock the tire into the clincher bed. Clincher rims are also heavier and not as strong as a modern tubular rim.

Chances are, once you try the tubular clinchers, you'll be hooked on tubulars. You won't be satisfied with the trade offs and will make the leap to tubulars anyway. So why not just start with tubulars in the first place?

Do yourself a favor, buy some tubies, glue them up, and feel the performance. Tubulars are the single best upgrade you can make for your cross bike.

One bike or two?

2007-05-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Before I jump into the one bike or two discussion, I'll talk a little about whether to get a bike at all. Let's say you're interested in racing cross and it looks like the bee's knees. You should give it a try on your mountain bike (if you have one) or borrow your friend's pit bike. Do a couple races and see what you think. If you get bitten by the bug, buy a bike.

I encourage racers to purchase an inexpensive race worthy bike for their first bike. if you're patient, you can get a lot of bang for your buck by buying used. Race this "starter" bike for the season and see if you are still gung ho about cross after some cold and muddy races. If it isn't for you, you haven't invested a butt load of money on a bike that will sell for half of what you paid for it.

Still crazy about cross? Then it's time to buy your race machine. That way you end up with two bikes.

What's this about two bikes, you might ask? A cyclocross will have one or two pit areas. The best configuration is a common pit with two entrances. Many racers stick a spare set of wheels in the pit in case of a flat. However, it's much better to have a spare bike because; 1) grabbing a spare bike is faster than a wheel change, and 2) you are insured against any mechanical, not just flats. In a muddy race, it's a real asset to have a pit person who can clean your bikes after exchanges so you can always be on a lighter (not mud caked) and better shifting (not clogged by mud) bike.

Some of you will want to drop some ungodly sum of money on your first cross bike. While that's fine and good, I would counsel spending a little less on the dream bike and use some of the left over scratch for that pit bike.

Here's what I did. While I would prefer to buy new, I'm on a limited budget so I bought both of my bikes used from Ebay. One was an okay deal and the other was a great deal.

Bike 1: I purchased a Redline Conquest Pro with lots of non-stock bits from Ebay. It had been raced pretty hard. I bought it having never raced a cross race. I'd watched a race and thought it looked pretty fun so I bought the Redline. It turned out to be a size too small. Over the course of three seasons, I replaced the frame with a size larger, wheels (with some tubies), bar, stem, brakes, seat, shifters, and rear dérailleur. The specs:

'03 Redline Conquest Pro size 54cm
Alpha Q CX fork
Wheels: DA hubs laced x3 to 32 hole Reflex tubular rims
Ultegra crank 46/38
Ultegra brifters
Ultegra rear dérailleur
Ultegra front dérailleur
Ultegra cassette 12/27
SRAM chain
Avid Tri-Align II cantis (they were the shit in the mid 90's)
Ritchey BioMax bar
Some stem
King headset
Terry Fly seat
Crank Bros Eggbeater pedals
No-name seat post

Bike 2: The next season, I purchased a Merckx Alu-cross from Ebay. The frame was damaged during shipping and the guy I bought it from worked with UPS to get the money for a new frame. I replaced the brakes and the wheels.

'03 Merckx Alu-cross with tribal paint 54cm
Wound-up CX fork
Wheels: DA hubs laced x3 to 32 hole Reflex tubular rims
Ultegra crank 46/38
Ultegra brifters
Ultegra rear dérailleur
Ultegra front dérailleur
Ultegra cassette 12/27
SRAM chain
Avid Tri-Align II cantis (they were the shit in the mid 90's)
Deda bar
Deda stem
Ritchey headset
Terry Fly seat
Crank Bros Eggbeaters pedals
No-name seat post

FWIW, the Merckx is faster.

What's this about tubulars?

2007-05-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you've raced 'cross for a season or so, you will have come to appreciate racers' obsession with tires. Crossers will try different combinations of rubber -- and interrogate one another -- in an attempt to figure out what tires are going to deliver the performance they are looking for for specific conditions. First we'll take a look at the reasons for this obsession with rubber compounds and tread patterns and then we'll look at why tubular tires are usually the best choice for cyclocross.

The primary surfaces traversed in cyclocross races are grass, dirt and pavement. When you mix in some rain, the grass and dirt turn into mud. A crosser wants her tires to perform well on uneven surfaces, grip well in all conditions, and not be a liability on the pavement. A racer may also elect to use different tread pattern and tire widths for different conditions. For example, the best tire for a dry course with lots of grass (file tread for low rolling resistance) will be different than the optimum tire for a muddy course (open pattern knobs to provide grip and shed mud). Since most racers have limited budgets, they will often select an all-around tire tread pattern. All-around treads should perform well in mud.

A softer rubber compound will provide better traction. The downside is that the tire will wear faster than a harder rubber. A good solution is to reserve soft compound tires for race day and train on a longer wearing tire.

Apart from tread pattern, a racer cares about tire pressure. Grass is bumpy. Transitions from one surface to another can be sharp. So what do you do? Run a low pressure to smooth out the bumps or keep the pressure a little higher to resist pinch flat over the sharp transitions? First, let's take a look at the notion that low pressure assists performance over uneven surfaces. Other than a rider's arms and legs, tires provide the only suspension for a cyclocross bike. Suspension is important because it increases efficiency by allowing the rider's mass to move over the ground in a flatter trajectory. Tires offer better suspension when they have large volume and low pressure.

To run really low pressure, tubulars are almost the only choice. A Stan's tubeless setup is another option and Erik V. does has an excellent analysis on his blog. The integrated tube and tubular rim configuration prevent virtually all pinch flats (NB: sidewall cuts are still possible when traversing objects such as pointy stick and sharp rocks). Without the risk of pinch flats, a cross racer can run absurdly low pressure (25-35 psi) and get better traction and suspension than can be had with higher pressure. Additionally, tubular tires are generally more supple than a clincher and tube configuration which results in less rolling resistance.

So that's pretty much it. Tubulars definitely increase performance. They provide better traction, lower rolling resistance, smooth out the bumps, and resist pinch flats. Gluing isn't painless but it isn't as scary as some might make it out to be. I've had good luck picking up good quality tubular wheelsets at very reasonable prices (~$200) on Ebay. Pick up a set and give it a whirl.

Great legs

2007-04-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

My last three rides have been awesome. Friday I rode with some guys from work and I was leading the bunch up 53rd/Livingston Mt. I was able to put the hammer down at will. Last year and even earlier this year I was sucking their wheels when the going went up. On Sunday, I did 90 minutes on the rollers with two sets of intervals. The first set was 4x5 minutes at a tempo pace and the second set was 6x1 minute at just sub LT with a quick cadence. Then today I did my 20 mile hill ride around Prune Hill. I was smoking up the hills and I know there is lots of room for improvement with more wight loss and better fitness.

The last three days (Friday-Sunday) I ate a normal amount -- I ate enough to maintain my weight at my activity level. That may be one of the reasons my legs felt so good. Time to get back to the grind and feel hungry again.

Even though I took it easy for a couple months over the winter, I feel like I'm building on the gains I made last season. I just hope that I'm able to stay strong and not suffer burnout just when the cyclocross season starts up.

How about another ride?

2007-04-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

This loop is a staple of my lunch time riding routine. It's a 22 mile route through some farmland, lake shore, and subdivisions. The vertical is a very moderate 800 feet. The climbing is primarily limited to the six or seven (mostly) short hills along the route. Here's the gmap-pedometer map and a linky to the interactive route.

So let's ride ...

Head out of work via the back gate and start out on a long flat stretch that's great for warming up the legs.
That's Green Mountain Golf Course on the right at mile 5.5. I hear they are selling out to developers. Another sub-D coming to a location near you. To me a golf course is an under utilized cyclocross course.
The first hill is at mile 6. It's about the steepest hill but fairly short. Power up this thing and coast down the other side.
Along 68th street (mile 8.5 to 10.5) are a bunch of llama and alpaca ranches. This stretch was chip sealed last year and the gentle downhill at mile 9 is deceptively hard pedaling.
Between mile 10 and 11 are two short hills. The first is quick and tasty. The second seems a little more taxing.
Mile 13 is the high point and now there's a nice downhill section to Lacamas Lake.
The ride along the lake is nice since there's no development on this side. There will be guys fishing at a turnout around 15.5 regardless of the weather.
A short climb punctuates the end of the lake (mile 16).
The mile long climb up Lake St. starts just after mile 17. This would be a great hill for repeats except for the traffic. The explosion in new home construction means regular rock trucks rumbling by.
The last climb starts at mile 19.5. The top is the steepest grade of the ride -- maybe 8 percent.
It's mostly downhill back to work. In the summer, the afternoon wind will come out of the west and make this a bit more challenging in a few months.
There is a light at mile 21.5 that always catches me. It's in the middle of a nice descent.

And that's it. Back to the old grindstone.

Name Change

2007-04-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

So I changed the blog name. In case you cats don't watch the euro cyclocross races, "laatste ronde" means final round or bell lap. And an "achtervolger" is a rider in a chase group.

Same great taste, just a stylish new name.

Welcome to my ride

2007-04-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

I went for a little hill ride yesterday. Prune Hill is a nice little bump a couple miles from work and I sometimes head up the hill for a climbing workout. The climbs aren't very long but there are plenty of steep sections. Most of the roads to the top have sections where the grade is in the double digits. Here's the gmap-pedometer map of my route and a handy linky to the interactive version as well.

Now lets head out ...

Head out of work onto 34th. The climbing starts immediately. The route is the least steep way to the top of Prune Hill. It's a stair step climb with no steep grades. The climbing finishes around mile 2.75.
Zoom down Sierra and Lake to the low point. Hang a right onto the new road (just before mile 6) into the new sub-D. This is a steep climb with sections of at least 15%. There are a couple "landings" where the grade backs off a little. The top is pretty casual as well.
Fly down Fargo to the paper mill and hang a right up 10th (mile 8.5) and another right up Forest Home. Forest Home is just under a mile in length (.85) and averages about 10%. It's my favorite.
Head up and over the hill crest and back down 16th. Hang a loogie on Brady and another onto Macintosh (just after mile 11). Start climbing. Mac is another stair step climb with only a couple steeper sections. It's also the one with the least vertical.
Crest on Astor and hang a right on Forest home and reverse the trip back up Fargo. The initial sections of Fargo are pretty steep (mile 14.5) -- probably 15% at least. Then it backs off to a nice 5-6% and gradually tapers to nothing at the top.

And that's it. From there it's mostly downhill back to work. We've only gone about 20 miles but managed to get in over 2,500 feet of vertical. Pretty cool. Are your legs toasted? Mine sure are.

1985 Cyclocross Worlds

2007-04-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

While I rode the rollers this past Sunday, I watched some cross DVDs. One of the races I checked out was the '85 worlds. There was only 26 minutes of footage and the picture quality wasn't great but it was still fun to watch. Some of my thoughts ...

Toe clips! Those guys were fast at getting back in after the remounts. I know they have tons of practice but still ...
Barcons. '85 was before STI shifting so bar end shifters were THE technology. Lots more racing in the drops than you seen these days.
Snow. There's been snow at worlds many times but the course looked very slippery.
Richard Groenendaal. RG was hanging a few seconds off the lead three and finished fourth. I'm not a huge Gronendaal fan but that dude has been racing at a high level for a looooong time. He's been on the podium several times this season at big races. That's 22 seasons of racing.

I also watched the race from this past season that Albert won. The pros are fast and skilled. Watching them makes me want to get faster and better.

Training Part 2

2007-04-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

How do I fit in training time around family obligations? I commute to work by bike. It's only 6 miles each way so I supplement that with a lunch time ride of 70-80 minutes. That means I put in about 8-10 hours on the bike during the week with no rides longer than 22-25 miles. That works out just fine for cyclocross since my races aren't much longer than an hour. Lately I've been getting around 90 minutes on Sunday on the rollers while my son naps.

I've made the choice to make my riding as transparent as possible to my family because in twenty years I'm sure I won't be wishing I'd spent more time riding my bike. My wife and two children are my first priority and I have curtailed my racing ambitions appropriately. That said, I'd like to race at as high a level as I can given my time constraints.

This spring, my first order of business is to lose weight. After the holidays (lots of food and not so much riding) I had put on ten pounds (192) over the weight I raced at last season (mid to low 180's). Last season's racing weight is at least 15 pounds heavier than I should be. I have a target of weighing 165 pounds by June 4. Over the past four weeks I've lost ten pounds so that means I'm 182 pounds right now. I'll need to lose seventeen more over the next eight weeks.

Since the cyclocross season is pretty far distant, I'm not doing structured intervals yet. What I am doing is riding some moderately hilly terrain at lunch. I power up the hills and then recover on the descents and flats. There are a couple of long low grades where I incorporate some tempo like riding as well. Once a week I hit the hills on Prune Hill. There are seven ways to the top of Prune Hill and most of them boast sections steeper than 10%. Thus far I've eschewed the two roads with sections above 15% but I'll be mixing them in pretty soon. I can get more than 2,000 feet of climbing crammed into 20 miles or less. There's a killer .84 mile climb that averages about 10% that makes for some challenging hill repeats.

I am considering racing some local weekly training races over the summer. If I decide to do that, I'll start some intervals soon and plan on structuring a two peak training plan. If I bail on those races, then I'll begin intervals in August. In early September, I've got a family vacation planned so I'll have five consecutive days off the bike which should help me fully recover before really ratcheting up the intensity to build for the season.

As far as the season goes, the early races are training. The later season races like district championships and the USGP dates are the ones I'll be shooting for. I'd really love to score a top ten finish in a Crusade race and get in the top twenty at one of the USGP races.

Training Program - part 1

2007-03-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

So who am I? I'm a 42 year old guy with a wife and two children. In my late 20's and early 30's I found my inner athlete and did a lot of mountain biking and rock climbing. I got hooked on the focus, determination and physical requirements of both -- with climbing being my favorite. Along came kids and I had to redefine my life along family lines. My first priority is to my wife and kids.

Climbing was out for the short to medium term since; 1) the crag isn't the best place for kids, 2) climbing means weekends and vacations climbing -- not with the kids, and 3) I loved pushing my physical and psychological limits which I couldn't do without adequate training and regular trips. Mountain biking was questionable as well since I had to drive to the trailhead for the good trails and I loved epic all day adventures. Again, quite a time commitment with young kids.

I turned to road biking since I could leave from my front door and tailor rides to fit into the family schedule. Plus I could commute by bike. Riding around is fun and all but I also needed the intensity part of the equation. Racing cyclocross fit well into what I was looking for. Rides took on more focus since I was "training" and the racing gave outlet to my competitive nature. Other great things about cross are; 1) good spectator sport so the family can come and watch, 2) races aren't that long at 60 minutes, 3) lots of local races so I don't have to travel far, and 4) has a well defined and relatively short season.

I've raced four seasons of cyclocross now and I've learned quite a bit. Here's a recap:

Season 1: I started in the B's. I figured I was in good shape and I didn't want to be a sandbagger. I'd put in a whole bunch of miles that year (more than I ever had before) and felt like I must be fit enough to be competitive. I was pack fill. My best results were in the top half of the field but mostly I was middle of the pack. Regardless, I was hooked. I loved the inclusive nature of the sport. Even though I was never at the front, at least I was racing with guys all race long.

Season 2: I bought a HRM and used it as an excuse to ride slow -- base miles, dontcha know. We also got a dog that winter and taking care of a new puppy was a lot of work. I didn't get many spring miles in. I started riding more in the summer but didn't do too much in the way of structure training. I raced C's and finished in the top ten a few times.

Season 3: Spring was pretty bad again but I turned it around for the summer. I did intervals in preparation for the season and had pretty good legs. What I didn't have was much confidence. I raced Master B's. My tactics for the first few races were to start toward the middle/back and just work to move up in the field -- see how many guys I could pass. It turned out I could pass quite a few. By the end of the season, I was racing near the front of the pack and I was liking it. I had my best result with a 3rd place. I actually lead much of the race and lost it in the final half lap.

Season 4: Spring was a disaster. I didn't do anything except commute by bike for 6 months. I was riding about 3.5 hours a week total. My weight ballooned to almost 200 pounds which was fifteen pounds above my already heavy racing weight. Memorial Day weekend rolled around and I figured it was shit or get off the pot time. I put together my six month plan; 2 months of getting ready to train, 2 months of training to race, and 2 months of racing. The plan worked very well. I started the season in Master B's and placed second in my first race. Then I won my next race and was upgraded to the Master A's. I was packfill, once again, in the A's. That was hard psychologically since I loved driving the race -- setting pace, responding to attacks, working strategy.

So here I am. The year started off inauspiciously. I had packed on ten pounds over the holidays and I was having a hard time getting focused for riding. I know that doing the same thing I've done in the past isn't going to cut it in the A's. So here it is. I'm going to lay down some good miles in the spring and I plan to do a few races in the summer. I'll take a little break and then start training for cross season. I'm also going to lose 32 pounds. After four seasons of racing in the low 180's, I'm going to race at 160. I hope that a two peak season, focused training, and losing weight will have a significant impact on the the 2007 campaign.

Web Site Translation

2007-03-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

I've been experimenting with the best tools to translate www.cyclo-cross.info from Dutch to English. Thus far, I think that Altavista's babelfish is the best bet. It's driven by SYSTRAN which offers commercial translation software and services. Since I've only tried this out over the past couple days, I've still got quite a bit to learn. Since cyclocross is akin to a technical web site or journal in its use of specialized terminology, I have to learn what certain words or translations really mean. For example, the word "plough" shows up a good deal and I'm pretty sure it means "trade team" like Fieda or Rabbobank.

I've done most of my translation experiments on an article about Groenendaal (green valley by the way) and how he and Sun Web can't come to terms. Seems Groenendaal is looking for individual sponsors and the Sun Web team director can think up a bunch of reasons why this is really bad for cyclocross.

Euro Pros in the US

2007-03-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

The word is that at least Vervecken is going to make it to Cross Vegas. This won't be the first time he has raced in the US. He came over for a few races back in 2003 (or was it 2002?). I remember watching him take care of the field at Jackson Middle School in Portland, OR. He called that course the best he'd seen in the US. I know I miss it.

In other news, Providence doesn't look like they have it together enough to host the WC race -- or so says cyclingnews.com in this article. If Providence doesn't get it, then where would it go? The smart money would be on another east coast venue. But given that Vervecken is willing to travel all the way to Vegas for a race, that might open up more of the US as a possible venue. Anyone got any intersting rumors?

Nationals Update

2007-02-27T15:52:00.000-08:00

The KC '07 Nationals committee voted to add a women's B race. Kudos for them. I've heard some comments (including Erik V.below) wondering why there should be B races at Nationals. As I see it there are more than a couple reasons:

Economics. B racers generate revenue. The promoters are already spending $$$ and it makes financial sense to add a couple races at low extra expense to earn more money. The promoters aren't getting rich on hosting Nationals so extra income is meaningful.
Two race weekend. Many of the non-elite age groupers like to schedule an extra race over the weekend. Making the trip for two races rather than just one might be an incentive to travel.
Local participation. Allowing for locals to race at Nationals gets more local buy-in and "ownership."

The big deal about no women's B race was that there were offerings for men in that category but not for women. Thankfully, that has been rectified.

No Women's B race at Nationals

2007-02-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

The Kansas City '07 Nationals organizers don't have a women's B race on their schedule whereas they have three men's B races offered. I found this a bit inequitable. I sent the following email to the promoters:

The published schedule indicates that you won’t be offering a race for women who don’t qualify for the age group (juniors, masters) or elite races. I understand that the primary focus of Nationals is to crown national champions and inclusion of non-championship races is at the discretion of the promoters. However, you are sending a bad message when you offer three non-championship races for the men (regardless of how lucrative those races may be) and not a single one for the women. This is especially egregious given that you have extended the event schedule by a day.

Please reconsider and offer the women a non-championship race too.

I got a response from one of the promoters:

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions. We will take all things into consideration. The end result is that each promoter determines all Non-Championship Categories. We will look into this as a committee at our next meeting.

I'd encourage you to write them with your concerns as well. Here's the email address: Info@kccrossnationals.com. Remember to be courteous in your correspondence.

Adam Myerson Knows Cross

2007-02-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

I read this piece at cyclingnews.com and found that it mirrored a lot of the ideas I had about the development of domestic cross. Adam has been racing cross for almost 20 years so he knows what he's talking about. He's certainly more knowledgeable than I am. Read it ... it's a great article.

Portland vs. Seattle: Bad for NW Crossers

2007-02-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a long opinion piece about the direction of US cross vis-a-vie the proposed World Cup race in Providence. But in the meantime, here's a micro rant concerning the Seattle vs. Portland ego wars.

The big Seattle SCC series schedules their races on Sundays. The Portland Cross Crusade series schedules their races on Sundays. So here we have two very successful race series about three to four hours drive from one another and never the twain shall meet. Sure, the odd open date means that there can be some cross pollination (forgive the pun). But this scheduling impasse doesn't serve NW racers well.

While neither series is hurting for participation, it would be great for racers from each city to be able to add double race weekends to their calendar. Increased participation, especially at the A (1/2), junior and masters levels, would mean stronger competition. Stronger competition always brings out the best in racers and should be fostered.

I'm not suggesting that one series or the other switch to Saturdays. How about if each series ran two of their races on a Saturday. That would allow four potential double weekends of big races in the Pac NW. So lets drop some of the swagger and find some coordination and compromise.

CrossVegas kaput?

2007-02-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

Last week, I blogged about the Cross Vegas race that was set to coincide with Interbike. Well, their web press release is gone as is their web race flyer. Perhaps the reality of September weather in Vegas coupled with the WC race so soon after has the promotors rethinking their strategy.

EDIT: The race flyer is back up and this race is alive and kicking. Sorry to have added to the rumor mill ...

Booo Rabobank

2007-02-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

Richard Groenendaal won't be riding for Rabo next year. Rabo offered him a lot less money and made it plain there wasn't room in their organization for him when he finally retired from competition. Expect to see him in a new kit come next season. Groenendaal always seemed to be a pretty good guy and someone with good business sense (see Dugast story). It's surprising that Rabo wouldn't want to keep him on.

Link to story here.

Dugast, the legend

2007-02-02T15:50:00.001-08:00

Nice article here.

WC Cup race for US next year

2007-02-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

This is not particularly fresh news but it looks like the US World Cup race is really happening and it will be held in Providence, RI. Cyclingnews.com reported it in their cross roundup. Sven Nijs is going to charter a jet and bring over the top 25 guys to race.

Wellens Redux

Okay, I was reminded that Wellens attempted to kick an unruly (Nijs) fan last year. I'm beginning to see a pattern but I'm not 100% ready to write him off as a prick. He certainly is a hot head. On the other hand, I'm not above passing on some amusing verses at Bart's expense. The following was inspired by Ron Artest jumping into the crowd to fight a fan (recal that Ron released a rap album) ...

Yo! Bart Wellens Raps...

Well my name is Bart and i'm here to say
I ride bikes so fast you best get outta my way

If you cheer for Rabobank and or Jonathan Page
you'll get kicked in the chest with my Ka-ra-tay!

You Cat Fours say i ain't got respect
i'm coming to the states to bunny hop ya neck

I'll slag Sven and Vervecken too
cross me up and Fidea will sue

F-f-f-f-resshhh!

By CrossWorkOrange

Wellens' rash words

2007-02-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

Right after the race, Bart Wellens had some pretty harsh things to say about the men on the podium:

His arch rival Wellens found it more difficult to deal with the loss. "Even though I had the best legs of the season I couldn't do much more than what I did. The jersey went to the wrong person, he shouldn't have won it even though he's a teammate. He deserves to be on the podium but the other guys don't," Wellens said. He described the crash as inevitable and said how he felt afterwards. "The quad touched that block, and I couldn't get away anymore. Afterwards I had a lot of pain in my neck and couldn't throw my bike," Wellens explained.

cyclingnews.com

Wellens' comments have brought down some severe criticism around the net (Cyclocross Babble, Patrick O'Grady, etc). First, if, during the second lap, a camera toting 4-wheeler strikes an unweighted plastic traffic barrier and sends it into your path and causes you to crash and break your wrist during the friggin worlds and then you chase back to fourth place, you might have an argument that you were the fastest guy out there that day. Second, if some journalists were asking you for your comments about said events moments after you got off your bike, you might still be a little miffed and say something less than charitable.

So give the guy a break, mkay?

Oh yeah, don't forget that Wellens was amost taken out later in the race when fans pressing against the course barreirs caused it to collapse right in front of him. He managed to keep rubber side down that time though.

Worlds on vid

2007-01-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the linky. The link goes to Nathan Spear's cross videos page. When you get to the page, be a dear and right click save as the vid instead of firing up the video from the link. It's compelling viewing even if you know the outcome. There are some great efforts including Vervecken, Page, Franzoi, Groenendaal, and Wellens (coming from almost a minute down with a broken wrist).

Watch how the riders take the little hill that all the crashes happen on. The fast line looks to be far right at the bottom then coming across left at the top. Some guys just nail it and sail through the hill. Other guys don't and struggle up. That's the hill where Page loses the race. Don't get me wrong, Page had an awsome race and Vervecken is a strong sprinter so there is no guarantee that Page could have held him off until the line but he had no chance to shut down the gap that formed.

Worlds -- US actually podiums

2007-01-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

Wow what a weekend for the US! First Danny Summerhill takes silver in the junior race then Katie Compton takes silver in the women's race, and Jon Page takes silver in the men's elite race. All three had a chance for the victory. Local Portland racer Rhonda Mazza rode to a very respectable 11th in the women's race. Erik Tonkin (43rd) and Ryan Trebon (23rd) finished on the lead lap in the men's race. Suggesting that three US riders would medal would have been preposterous so this was huge. There's a nice bit about the race at Pez as well.

Page was helped by Bart Wellens' and Sven Nijs' woes. Wellens crashed in the second lap and broke his wrist and still managed to finish fourth. Nijs crashed into Wellens and then twice more before giving up and coming across in 11th. Video of the Wellens crash here.

Wellens is talking about sueing (perhaps Fidea instigated?) the Worlds promoters for negligence. He'll miss seven races worth of start and prize money. Look at the video -- the camera motorbike knocks a poorly secured barrier into Wellens' path. Those camera motorbikes are a staple at televised races and the barrier configuration is probably pretty standard too. I think the case is pretty weak.

I know that this is probably the most circulated crash video of the season but I'll link it here anyway. The weekend prior to the Worlds, the conditions at Hoogerheide were awful. Early in the first lap, there was a major stack-up at a nasty corner at the bottom of a steep descent. Watch it here. As Terry K. mentioned, that corner likely wasn't new to them yet it ate up a number of the best cross racers in the world.

CrossVegas!

2007-01-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas is going to host a UCI (site says C2 but the flyer says C1) race to coincide with Interbike. They expect to draw a great field since sponsors will be likely to send their riders to the trade show and to do the race as an add-on. Details here!

Also an article in the online Velonews here.

Worlds Picks

2007-01-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

With worlds coming up this weekend, I'll go on record:

Men's Elite: I'll go with the safe choice and pick Sven Nijs (Nys). He'll shake off his disappointments of the past two years and put together a solid race to win. Look for Wellens to be the spoiler. Vervecken will finish around fifth.

Women's Elite: Hanka Kupfernagel. She's really on top of the WC races this year. Vos is clearly a talent but her her split focus on road and 'cross is her ultimate demise.

U23: Lars Boom. Albert has ridden well all season but Boom looks to be stronger right now. This might turn out to be the most exciting race of the weekend.

Page: I think he'll surprise and make the top ten. He looks to be very focused and strong after that long layoff.

Trebon: I say he also finishes top ten -- right in front of Page. If he has gotten over his illness, he has the fitness and skills to ride with the leaders. He just doesn't have the experience to fill out the podium.

And back to my very dry training diary ... Yesterday I ran in the morning (felt good), rode to work, and then started working on my 'cross practice course at lunch time. Lots of grinding and some stops to figure out where I went the previous lap. A few more sessions should have it run in well enough to see the path so I can work on speed a little more. Unfortunately, there are some blackberry brambles in the field and a thorn found its way into my front tire. I'll have to run the Tuffy liners for a while out there.

This morning I ran and rode to work and will be working to run in the 'cross practice course some more at lunch. I also expect to ride home this evening.

Erik Tonkin in Europe

2007-01-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read Erik's latest race report from Hoogerheide (2007), do yourself a favor and check it out. Compelling reading. The conditions were appalling but the Tonkinator checked in with a 25th placing in a WC event!

A New Year - A New Plan

2007-01-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

It's time to fire up the blog again. I started it up for a while last year to keep me honest with training. I screwed around last year for about six months after the season and didn't do jack. I really don't want to do the same thing this year. Anyway, I only updated the blog last year for a month or so until I had the ball rolling. I hope to be a little more on the ball this year. I also hope to have more content than training numbers and really dry stuff like that. That said, it will be primarily a training log.

With that in mind, I started running over Christmas vacation and had been pretty good about keeping it up. However, it snowed last week and I haven't been running since -- like a week. I've hardly been on the bike either.

Today, I did a pair of 40 minute rides because I dropped off the car at the dealership for some service. I rode to and from work. It was fun to get back on the bike and I'll be spendin a lot more time in the saddle from here on out.

USGP Double Weekend: Steilacoom 11/18, Hillsboro 11/19

2006-11-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Steilacoom

The Northwest has seen an unusual amount of rain so far this month but the sun came out late in the week and the weather was shaping up to be dry -- possibly until the conclusion of the Hillsboro races. Terry picked me up for the drive from Portland to Tacoma around 8am and we had a very pleasent and quick drive. We had plenty of time to register, pee, preride a couple laps, and warm up for the race.

The course was fast in most places. Lots of buffed trail (rain packed sandy earth) and pavement. The run-up looked to be as hard as advertised. The 35+ 1/2/3 race staging was very civilized with callups for all. My row consisted of Terry, Martin Baker, and internet pals Dave and Anthony. The gun was quick and we were off. The first lap was a scrum. On the run-up, wheels were whacking everywhere and I was just looking to make progress. Terry was a couple wheels up the road and I tried to keep him close.

Going through the barriers for the second lap, I was startled to find that I didn't unclip my left foot and stacked it up. My left shifter had rotated 45 degrees and I had the option of trying to rotate it back or just getting the very short distance to the pit for the other bike. I decided to stick with the race bike and stood to the side and twisted the sifter back to an approprite location. Meanwhile about ten guys went by.

And that was that. I raced with three or four guys for the rest of the race and every lap on the switchbacks, Terry came by at the same spot. I wasn't losing time on his group but I sure wasn't gaining any time. There was quite a crowd toward the top of the run-up and they were making quite a racket cheering on everyone. It was awsome and I kept going as hard as I could every lap on that run so as to not let down the crowd.

It was a great day of racing and I had a blast. It was great to meet Dave and Anthony in person and the company on the drive was stellar. I was stoked to get to race at Steilacoom and understand what the hype is all about. It was a great place for a race. Sure I had a costly mistake but that's cross racing.

Day 2: Hillsboro

What a difference a day makes. The weather report claimed that rain would start in the afternoon. Well, it was raining when I woke up at 6:00. I will admit that I was a bit bummed that it was raining. I wasn't looking forward to warming up in the rain and I figured the course would be a quagmire. Oh well, I had paid my money and I was going to race regardless.

I found Terry right away after pulling up -- I snagged a parking spot close to his. It took me some time to figure out that registration was in the Stadium and not down in the tent village. I hooked up with my teammates (a couple of whom raced earlier in the day) who had snagged a primo viewing spot near the pits. The course snaked by our two easy-ups twice for double your pleasure viewing. There was a fire going and I could have stayed there drinking beer, socializing, and watching racing all day. Oh well, gotta race instead.

I've done Hillsboro a few times so I elected not to take a preride. There were a couple new wrinkles like the stadium stairs (very cool) and some minor rerouting but the flavor of the course was largely the same as what I was used to. I ran into Anthony soon after I had registered and he was about to preride since he hadn't raced Hillsboro before. I headed out to attempt to get some sort of warmup. It was raining and there was some wind and I was getting pretty wet but at some point, something clicked and I was ready to race.

Again, the staging for the 35+ 1/2/3 race had callups for all. Terry and I were right next to each other. As we were filling up the grid, it started raining hard. We had all shed our extra clothing and everyone was getting cold. Terry reminded me that in a few minutes we'd be warming up just fine. Erik Voldengen was right in front of us I and I remarked about his Stan's setup. The three of us were chatting about it when the gun went off.

Immediately, I latched onto Terry's wheel and stuck there pretty good through the early going. The first five minutes or so was a madhouse. The starting pavement gave way to packed gravel service road and then dumped into the mud. Guys were all over the pace once we hit the soup. I elected to run large portions of the hummock section (and continued to run them on later laps) and either made time or didn't lose time to guys who tried to ride stuff. Once we were off the hummock, Terry went into the pits and I was on my own.

The first couple laps, I tried to hold my place. Guys came by me but then I would pass some others, generally staying in about the same place overall. In the early going, I traded places a few times with Bill Crane. I was surprised to see John Wilson just up the road and I worked a bit harder to try to pull him in. Whether it was shifting up to the big ring on the pavement/hard pack or griding away in the slop, I forced my legs to keep churning. I passed John Wilson when he took a bike change but then he got me right back. But before long, I got around him for good. I'd also shed Bill Crane as well. Dave Divinney kept coming by me and then he'd have a world of trouble in the mud and I'd pass him back. I used Dave a couple times on the hardtop for a draft but his superior fitness eventually won over my superior mud handling and he finished about 30 seconds up on me.

I kept going hard to the finish (54 minutes after starting) -- I almost caught a guy at the line and held off a hard charging Chris Alling. Earlier in the season, I won a race before being upgraded to Masters A but this was much more satisfying. It was my best race of the year. The conditions were hard and I never quit motoring. I had something to give to the very end. Crossing the line was such an awsome feeling since I felt that I really had such a great race. It was the last race of the year for me and I'm ecstatic that I wrapped on such a high note (last year was just the opposite).

I'm not in the posted results -- I found that my number was dangling by one pin after I finished so I guess they couldn't score me. Based on the results of the guys I finished in front of, I was in the mid 30's. Whoot!

And now I'd like to take a moment to share some thanks ...

* Terry, thanks for the ride up to Steilacoom and the continuing encouragement throught the season.

* Bill Gotitski, thanks for giving so much for our team -- you are great.

* The team and Ted and Pam, thanks for screaming at me every lap -- I dug harder every time. Having you guys on that little power rise that sapped so many riders gave me extra motivation every lap. And thanks to the couple who cheered for me at Steilacoom -- I can't recall your names right now.

Dave and Anthony, it was great to meet you guys. Anthony, you had a really good race at Hillsboro. You started at the back and worked up quite a ways.

Bill Crane, Chris Sautter, Erik Voldengen, Martin Baker, John Wilson ... it was great racing with and against you guys all year.

Estacada 11/12

2006-11-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

I've never had a good race at Estacada.

I got to the venue pretty late since I'm in the last race of the day. When I checked in with the teammates, they claimed this was my kind of course and were wondering if I was going to make it. I got a lap and a half preride, much of it with Bill, before the women's race and decided that this was definitely not my kind of course. Every time I figured I could wind it up, there was a slimy turn. It sure didn't flow for me.

The top ten 35+ A's got callups and as I watched them take their places it occured to me that for me to even think of a top ten, I'd have to ride into that bunch. I suppose I have to get a lot faster if I want to do that. They sent off the A's and about 90 seconds later they sent us off.

The mud started right away with a wide bog only meters up the road. Then a sweeping greasy right hander, a short straight, and slippery up and down chicane, some more brief straights and my fate was sealed. I settled in with a loose group that tretched out farther and farther as the race wore on.

Off the bat, Bill was a couple guys ahead and I went hard to try to get up to him but he was going strong. Toward the end of the lap, I went by him as he chased his front wheel down the course -- he got tangled with a guy and the QR must have loosened. I set up behind a couple Casa Bruno guys (one being Joe Frike) and knocked them off. Up the road a ways was John Wilson and I hoped I could bridge up to him. No luck there since John was riding the corners on rails while I was riding them to stay upright.

A guy from Medford came around me a couple laps in and I stuck to his wheel like glue. After a couple more laps I felt like I could take him but them Erik Voldengen came around me like lightening (wasn't he AHEAD of me?) and the two of them were off. I hung with them for a while but stumbled through the six pack -- saving a face plant with my knee -- and they got a gap I couldn't shut down. I noticed that Bill looked to be recovering from his wheel troubles and was making ground on me. He never managed to bridge up to me so I spent much of the last three laps riding by myself.

With a just a bit over 2 to go, Carl Decker came around me to put me a lap down to the A leaders. In all, I only got lapped by 7 A racers. As Chris Brandt came around me I gave him as much of a cheer as I could muster. He managed a very good 6th place. Erik Tonkin was running third and when he was coming up behind me, I was looking for a good opportunity to let him by. I went through the woods to field left hander and Tonkin was hot on my tail but he cooked it too fast and went down (the same corner where my race went to hell last year). I felt kind of bad about that since he was probably looking to come in hot and go around me on the brief straight.

The skys threatened all day but the rain held off until the end of the last race -- it started coming down as I was loading the bikes in the car. I got 20th. I've got lots of work to do for next year, that's for sure. Maybe next year I'll have a good race.

Postscript: I was feeling pretty down after the race. The upgrade to A's has been a difficult transition -- psychologically. But I compared my results from Hillsboro to Estacada and they were close to identical. The same guys beat me. I was racing with the same guys all day. Identical result -- 20th. My best course is Barton, hands down. I think Alpenrose is a close second for me. Anyways, with reflection I think that this was a very successful season for me. I snagged a win and got the upgrade to A's which was my goal coming into the season. I just figured that I'd hang out in the B's for a bit longer.

Barton 11/5

2006-11-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

Since I got the upgrade to 35+ A's, I'd been racing with a "just happy to be here" headspace and I wanted that to change. Barton is generally one of my favorite courses because lots of people hate it. It gives me a bit of a psychological edge. Going in my strategy was to get a good start and then settle in a reel in whoever I could.

The course was wet and muddy. The mud was a silty variety and the Tufo Flexus hooked up quite well. I got there early enough to cheer on Terry Keele and the eventual 35+ B race winner Dave Johnson who is a co-worker (and Ken Benderly's brother). The constant rain was a demotivator for getting out on the bike to warm up. Just before the women's race, I suited up and went out on my pre-ride. There was nothing too hairy -- a couple intimidating downhills and the dreaded V-slot. I rode the slot and felt pretty good about the course.

I continued to warm up while the women raced and my legs felt better than I expected. When I checked the line to see if anyone was staging, I got a surprise to see that *everyone* had staged for the A's and 35+ A's. So much for the good start. I lined up on the last row (of three). They called up the series leaders and I scrambled for a better spot when everyone else filled in behind. I was far left but still three rows back. They sent off the A's and a minute or so later we got the whistle. I immediately went in the grass beside the road and started making up spots. By the time we were on the gravel, I was sitting about 10th wheel.

The course seemed much soupier since my preride but nothing serious. I held my position for about a half lap then started trading places with some guys for a bit. Riding the V-slot really helped to keep some of the guys ahead in sight. Before long, I lost a couple spots for good but there were still guys just up the road I felt like I might make a move on in the later laps. I kept the rubber side down and rode lots of stuff. I was strong on the dismounts and made up time on folks on foot (and I'm kind of hefty too).

One of the natural barriers was a line of rocks about 16-20 inches high across the course. The left side was clearly marked out of bounds -- until our race. The cones had been knocked over and no one had replaced them. That made the left side hoppable. The problem was that there was a very *sharp* rock on the far side of the pile. I nicked it with my rear on lap three and put a hole in my tire. The tire went flat slowly enough that I was able to gingerly pedal to the pit not too far away.

A bike exchange later I was off having only lost a place and a bit of time on the guys I could still see in front of me. The next lap through the pile, I ran it -- much slower than the hop but definitely safer. Then on lap 5, I was on the heels of a guy ripe to get dropped and the A leader was coming around behind me. I figured, "Oh, I can hop that thing," but I was sloppy and brought my rear wheel down on the sharp rock hard enough to ding my rim and cut a big honking hole in my rear Flexus.

Race over. My teammate, Bill, came by me a few seconds later and I told him I was out of bikes. I walked the short distance to the pit to pick up my other bike and I saw Bill walking toward me. It took me a moment to realize it was him since I expected him to still be out there riding. He had flatted just after me and he, too, was out of bikes.

It turns out that the A race ended up being about an hour and 20 minutes (8 laps for guys like me) so I picked the right race to DNF. Actually, I was reeling in guys when I flatted and felt pretty good. I was sitting 14th when I flatted and I was about to put the hammer on the guy in 13th. I don't think I could have pulled off a top ten though. Still, I had a strong effort and I hope I can have a couple of strong efforts with no equipment problems in a few out of my next (and final) three races.

Horning's Hideout, Oregon -- October 22, 2006

2006-10-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

We've got family in town for a few weeks and the old ladies (wife's mom and grandmom) wanted to get out of the house -- even though we'd been to Mt. St. Helens and the beach over the previous two days. So I brought them to the races! Got to Horning's, set them up in some chairs, and then tried to get on the course. It turns out that a B or SS rider had crashed bad and the course was closed. I think they shut down the B/SS race a lap early because of the crash.

I spent some time riding open parts of the course (the crash section was closed) and worked out a tricky right hander through a greasy drop. I practiced it probably 15 times. They injured rider was airlifted out and they decided to reroute the course to cut out the descent where he crashed. The reroute cut out the long run-up and the corner I had spent so much time practicing. Since the emergency had taken a long time to sort out, they cut the women's race from 45 to 40 minutes and the A/Master A race to 50 minutes.

After the women finished their race, the men lined up in a mob cluster fark which took some time to sort out between the two fields. Then a bit over an hour late, we took off. So, the course ... Some might call it a mountain bike course except that it was wide enough to pass just about whenever you wanted to. But the hills, the hills, those terrible hills. It was all up and down with nary a flat spot around. And let's just say that I'm a tad gravitationally challenged.

I started near the back of the field and got passed by what seemed to be a bunch of guys. Going around the first corner, I looked back to see if I was DFL already. I wasn't -- quite. I spent a couple laps passing some folks then fell in with a loose bunch for the middle laps. I dropped most of them and spent the last couple laps trying without success to pull in two guys a bit in front of me (Joe Fricke and my teammate Bill). The hills just killed me. We'd go up one, then bomb down and scrub a bunch of speed for a corner at the bottom and then head back up another hill. Rinse and repeat. Oh, and throw in some gravel here and there for good measure.

Even though the course didn't play to my strengths, it's fun to get out and race something different. The woods were cool and the trails were wide and fast (rain earlier in the week made them perfect). There were plenty of turns to hold your attention. I finished up 23 out of 37 which was about what I expected given the nature of the course.

And the old ladies? They were parked on the loooong hill leading to the drop in near the finish line. They cheered me on each time through so I had to step it up and look good every lap when I passed them. One of the women racers told them that she wished her mom would come out to the races.

Good times!

Hillsboro Stadium, October 15, 2006

2006-10-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I got the upgrade notice -- going from Master B to Master A -- Monday last week so this was my first race in the "big leagues." I didn't know what to expect. I was nervous all morning and had a hard time adjusting my eating to account for a race three hours later than I was used to. The good news was that it started raining early in the morning so the very flat course would slow down appreciably.

I got to Hillsboro Stadium just as the rain was tapering off and think I saw Terry K. (Master B race winner and Master A racer for next week) pulling out with his two red bikes on the roof. I took care of all the pre-race stuff like getting my new number and pinning it on, preriding the course, hooking up with some teammates and hearing about earlier races, putting the pit bike in the pit, etc.

Staging was much more civilized than in the lower classes. Everyone warmed up until minutes before race time. The fastest guys took the front spots. The start was wide so the 40 Masters racers filled two rows. And the A's were off. A minute or so later, we were off too. I didn't go balls to the wall on the start and was middle of the pack and fell back some more places early in the lap. I was nervous about pacing and wanted to have something left for the extra fifteen minutes. The course had improved since my preride. The wind and women's race had firmed it up some but there were still slippery spots.

The Good:

I saw John Wilson -- who upgraded last year and had been consistently faster than I -- and bridged up to him. I briefly led him and then followed him for much of the race. On the bumpy stuff, I was fast and bridged the gap to him and gapped a couple other guys I was racing with. My pacing was pretty good and that was probably helped by using John as my pace car.

The Bad:

Tire pressure was too soft. I was able to motor through the bumps but I was a dog on the pavement and hardpack. John gapped me there and the other two guys I was racing with would jump ahead of me too. I needed to add 5-8 pounds to each tire, maybe more. I had toyed with that idea about 10 minutes before the race but figured it was too late to frig with tire pressure. I also think I could have gone a bit harder in the middle laps. I was too conservative and had something left to give at the end.

The Ugly:

The six pack barriers ate me up. On lap 3 I dropped my bike when I set it down. It must have been comical to watch me run past my bike, turn around, fetch it, then remount. On lap four, I almost ate it on the second to last barrier but recovered. At the bell, I did eat it on the fifth barrier and slammed to the ground. but I was up and on my bike in a jiff.

Then there was the bike exchange incident. With two to go, my rear wheel was running funky. Last year at the same race in similar conditions, I had crashed and tweaked a wheel so I was freaking out about screwing up another piece of harware. On the hillock, I yelled to a teammate (Bob C.) that I was going to do a bike exchange. I didn't know if he understood what I was talking about, if he could figure out which bike was mine, or whether he would even do it. Anyway, I came into the pit (a two-way configuration) and didn't see anyone waiting with a bike. So I dropped my bike and started hunting for my pit bike. I couldn't find it. I spent what seemed like an eternity searching for it before I finally saw Bob on the other side of the pit with my bike. I think the whole thing took about 30 seconds.

Going into the pit, I was running 20th -- with probably a 15 second gap to 16th. Coming out of the pit, I was still 20th. So on the last lap, I had no one to race with. I got lapped by a couple of A racers but no one from my race came by. If the exchange had gone perfectly, I might have been able to get back up and contest a couple spots. However, I'm pretty satisfied with my first outing in the big race.

Sam Barlow High School October 8, 2006

2006-10-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Of the top nine finishers the week before in the Masters B race at Alpenrose, I was the only one racing at Barlow. I suppose that made me the favorite, huh? Got to Barlow, prerode the course, warmed up, almost forgot to register, yadda, yadda, yadda. Oh yeah, I hooked up with Steve who was up from SoCal in prep of his relocation up this way. I got him a bike to race so he could check out the scene.

I took a bunch of laps around one of the playing fields overlooking the start line for a warm up. The start was up a gravel service road that transitioned to grass. There was a well worn bead on the left side that was the obvious cherry starting position. As soon as folks looked to be itching to stage, I plunked my bike down in the groove.

Now I'm not going to name names but some dude that's been finishing like in the 30's snags a front row spot. He finished that far back in this race too. If you aren't going to be contesting the win, take a spot a row or so back.

The start was just peachy. I didn't get clipped in right away and I didn't feel the same snap on the start as I did last week but somehow I'm the hole shot. Must have been the position. I cruise the first lap strong in front but I'm pretty keen to let the hotshots move the pace for a while. Problem is that the couple of guys who go by slow down once they get in front. So I have to pass them back.

A couple laps in I'm feeling weary and a guy takes the front and I'm content to let him have a spin even though he's not pushing the pace as hard as I'd like. In hindsight, this was probably a good thing for me. Over the middle laps, I'm second place a lot and leading only when the pace slows too much. Then my legs really feel beat and Cannondale guy goes to the front and he looks strong. I'm hoping I can hang but not too optimistic. The run-up was beating me down each lap. It was a set of barriers on a steep gnarly downhill into a ravine to get folks off the bike so hotshots didn’t stack it up and tie up all the ambulances in the county. Then it crossed a foot bridge and went up the multiple choice run-up -- left for less steep and longer, right for steep and shorter (see picture attached to jeremyb's report). For the record, I went short and steep each time. So Cannondale guy drops his chain right after the run and he can't pedal it on since it's uphill. He's screwed and I'm around him and suddenly trying to push the pace to make a move. After the run there's lots of uphill to come and I really give it.

I get a gap but it doesn't last a lap and Veloce dude comes around me. I'm really not feeling so hot at this point. Then Veloce dude bounds up the big steps on the run-up like he's got springs on his shoes. Gack. I'm cooked. My attack has gassed me and Cannondale guy comes around me pretty soon after and I'm running third. As I try to hang on to the leaders, I'm left to wonder how an expectation of winning has turned into a fight for survival.

The penultimate lap was uneventful except that I managed to hang just off the back of Cannondale guy and Veloce dude wasn't able to get any gap. Coming around for the bell, I'm contemplating whether I've got enough to hang onto third. Cripes, how did it come to this? As we take the bell, a teammate yells "You're only ten seconds behind him," and I think "And I'm supposed to do what?" In the next 30 seconds, my thinking changes 180 degrees. I'm not racing for third. I'm racing to win. I hadn't yet crossed that boundary of pure pain that signifies total effort. I'm giving ‘til I got nothing left and if I drop places because I blow up, so be it.

On the run-up I get onto Cannondale guy’s wheel. I can't make the pass and he gets a little gap through some lapped riders. As soon as I get back up to him, I fall back again through some lapped riders. Finally it is the wide-open long straight climb to the top of the course and I'm about 20 feet back of Cannondale guy. It starts with a fast hardpack culminating with barriers. After the barriers, I'm on C'dale and soon around him. Veloce is coming back to me and I box him in with a lapped rider, crest the hill and motor the side hill for all I'm worth. I put the hammer down and don't look back. I hit the up-and-down chicane on a great line, maintaining momentum, and powering over the top. I'm in the 48 and cranking hard and then hit the pavement still turning the cranks down the hill. I scrub some speed before the 90 degree right, motor hard up the short rise, and take it back a notch so as to not wash out on the blacktop chicane just before the finish.

Then it's the line, baby and I'm first rider across.

Oct. 1, 2006: Alpenrose Dairy, Portland, OR.

2006-10-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

My first race of the cross season. My first race of the year. It was a bit hectic in the morning getting all my stuff ready plus getting the fam ready as well. Note to self: Get the entry fee from the ATM and gas for the car the evening BEFORE the race. We still got to Alpenrose in plenty of time. I managed to pre-ride the course (missing the stairs run-up and buttress loop in the process) but then spent a lot of time getting the fam settled in the stands and registering and pinning on my number and putting my pit bike in the pits, etc. Conditions were antithetical to cross -- balmy and dry. The long pasture sections were a washboard. My back was going to be sore on Monday.

Whew. Okay, only 20 minutes to warm up ... what to do? I meandered up and down the aisles of the grass field turned into parking lot. I caught up with Terry in the lot and he filled me in on his mishap up in Seattle the evening before in the Starcrossed race. I checked out the start and selected an appropriate gear. Then I started chatting near the line. We got staging started about ten minutes before race time so I was in the first row.

Brad Ross did his spiel and Terry Camp schooled us on the rules and we were off. Within 20 feet of the line, I started pinching right and knocked pedals (I think) with Bob (can't remember his last name) without incident. I got a reasonable start. I was about tenth or twelfth after the first 90 degree right. After another right and then a left we were on the dirt. Everyone was really aggressive trying to pick up position on the long downhill and I might have lost some places. I nabbed a spot or two on the off-camber right hand uphill sweeper since I didn't grab brake like everyone else. A couple guys bobbled the loose left hander exiting the trees and I got another couple spots there. Then on the rough out and back by the parking lot, I picked up a few more spots to sit fifth. And that was the selection.

Over the course of lap, the lead group was a strung out four riders and we and staked a 30 yard lead over the chase. Terry lead for a good bit of the race (and recovered from a little problem during the second lap). An S&M rider rode second, Joe Frike, a team Casa Bruno rider, brought up third and I sat fourth. Over the middle laps, the S&M rider faded and dropped off the front and moved on back. When he got back to me, I passed him pronto but he stayed aggressive and passed me back pretty quick. I let him go by thinking, "You'll see my backside in a couple, pal." I took him for good through the bumpy stuff -- which I rode faster than anyone.

As I was suffering up the stairs, I heard the announcer say that there were three laps to go. I swear that I had been out there in the dust for at least an hour but my watch said just 25(!!!) minutes. I had changed my chain and cassette days before the race and I guess my adjustment wasn't quite right since my shifting went to shite pretty quick into the race. Shifting was approximate and I was often under or over geared. My teammates were yelling encouragement from all points of the course (If you can call "My grandmother could catch you" encouragement). As I went though the velodrome each lap, I could hear my wife and daughter cheering for me. My daughter kept telling me "Slow and steady wins the race."

With two laps to go, I managed to move up to Joe and got around him on the barriers in the velodrome infield. He hung on my wheel for a bit and passed me back on the pavement. I let him go so he would have to burn some matches to stay ahead of me. I was glued to his wheel and then took him on the off-camber right hand uphill sweeper. After exiting the velodrome for the bell lap, I put on the jets. I put the big drop on Joe and hoped that I could make a move on Terry. I made up quite a bit through the bumpy stuff and I was only two bike lengths behind him going over the barriers behind the softball field. I stayed pretty close until the run-up. Terry smoked me there and I couldn't make any time through the velodrome. He got the win, I got the place, Joe got the show.

I had an excellent race. I stayed upright the whole time, I rode within myself, and had good strategy. I would have liked to put more pressure on Terry at the end but he was clearly the more fit racer yesterday.

Midweek century

2006-06-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

This training week is definitely scoring a yellow. On Wednesday, I left work at 4:00 and rode the Ride Around Clark County century route. From work to home was about 95 miles but counting my ride to work in the morning, I got a bit over 100 for the day. Anyway, that effort pretty much wrecked my training plan for the week. I haven't run for four days and I blew off my cross practice on Tuesday to save my legs for Wednesday. I haven't been able to reschedule my cross ride since I'm still recovering from the effort.

So for a bit of bravado -- yeah, I can ride 100 miles -- I wrecked my training week. Now I'm considering taking tomorrow off to fully rest and get back on plan. It would have been far better to have put in 50-60 and then kept on track for the rest of the week.

Tuesday 6/13: Rest. I really did need a day off so this was fine with the plan.

Wednesday 6/14: 5:55 (100 miles) commute (yellow). I felt pretty good the first three hours then started to feel the toll. After about an hour, in Hockinson, it started raining. I almost bailed but perservered and the shower quickly passed (~20 minutes). It started coming down again around Moulton Falls but lightened up to an off-and-on misting for most of the remaining ride. My butt got damp from road spray so I had some significant chafing concerns after about four hours. The conclusion is that I can ride a century but it's best if I don't really do one until I have a LOT more training in my legs.

Thursday 6/15: 1:20 commute (green). I should have run but there was no way I was going to be able to.

Friday 6/16: 1:20 commute (yellow). I should have definitely run this morning but I was still feeling the effects of Wednesday. My legs don't have any 'pop' and my heart rate isn't responding to hard efforts -- definitely a signal for a rest day.

Finished week two

2006-06-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last week was a very good week. I had 7:17 in the saddle and 2:29 running for a whopping 9:47 (rounding?) of training time for the week. Looking back at my calendar, that was my biggest week since the first week of October! I'll definitely score last week as green.

Saturday 6/10: 1:30 ride pulling Lily and Frost in the Burley (green). The two of them combined are about 70 pounds, plus the weight of the trailer and diaper bag stuff, so it makes for quite an effort getting up some hills. There is one pretty steep quarter mile hill on the route I did where it takes all I've got -- pulling up on the bars no less -- to turn over the cranks. It's a good strength workout I guess. I had intended on running but the ride more than made up for the lack of a run.

Sunday 6/11: 31 minute run, 58 minute ride (green). The run was great. I'm sure that two days rest from running over the past three had something to do with it. I used it as an opportunity to do some hill 'sprints.' Basically, I ran hard up some of the short hills in my neighborhood and recovered in between. I did 6 sprints in all. The ride consisted of me pulling Frost in the Burley when we went to the store. I took it easy and felt pretty good.

Monday 6/12: 29 minute run, 1:10 commute (green). My legs were feeling it after the sprints from yesterday so it took me a bit to warm up on my run. Not to mention that it started raining minutes before I headed out. Still, once I warmed up, I felt good -- and finished my circuit pretty fast without really working hard. I took a longer (and flat) ride in to work this morning and will probably extend my ride home a bit to make the commute a bit over an hour. I'm riding at recovery speeds today.

I'm scheduled for a cross ride tomorrow morning but I'm up in the air about it. If Nicholette and the kids go to Cannon beach on Wednesday for the overnight, I hope to do a really long ride that evening. That means I'll want to take it easy tomorrow.

Friday-itus

2006-06-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

Friday 6/9: 30 minute run, 30 minute ride, ~45 minute commute (green). The run felt good and the ride afterward felt okay. I'll probably need a full day off soon.

The short track mtb series starts in a month so I'll have to start doing a cyclocross workout at least once a week now. On those mornings, I won't run. For now I'll pull a day out of the hat and designate Tuesday as 'cross' day. There are six races (five on Monday evenings and the finale on a Sunday) and I'd like to hit four races. I'd feel pretty good to go to three of them though.

Next week Nicholette is taking the kids to the beach on a weeknight. I have the crazy idea to ride an unsupported century that evening. I'll do the RACC route and may do the 65 mile route instead depending on the legs and will.

So far this week I've put in about eight and a quarter hours of training which consitutes the biggest volume week for me this year. I feel good about getting back into the swing but also feel lousy that it's taken me until June to do so. Better late than never I suppose. I still have plenty of time to get prepared for the fall.

Yikes, I'm tired

2006-06-08T16:13:00.002-07:00

Yeserday I woke up and my legs felt a little tired from the resumption of real training. I ran and felt okay -- just took a while to warm up. The ride after my run felt pretty good too. By the time I rode home from work I knew I needed to take it easy today. Today all I did was to commute.

I've also started doing some yoga and stretching on a fairly regular basis -- at least for the past two weeks. I hope that pays some dividends in flexibility plus core strength.

Wednesday 6/7: 30 minute run, ride ~30 minutes, commute ~45 minutes (green). Like I said, I could feel the fatigue but still had pretty good legs.

Thursday 6/8: Commute ~45 mintes (green).

The plan for tomorrow and the weekend is:

Friday 6/9: 30 minute run, ride ~30 minutes, commute ~45 minutes.

Saturday 6/10: 30 minute run, ~45 minute ride.

Sunday 6/11: 30 minute run, ~30 minute ride.

I may have to use one of the weekend days for a full rest day with no running or riding. I'll see how the legs feel. I'm hoping that taking it easy on the commute today will be good enough. I'll keep the volume going through next week and then I'll cut it down for a week since I'm doin three week cycles -- two on, one off.

Refreshing Vacation

2006-06-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

I spent two and a half days at the beach with the fam -- including mom. Before we left on Thursday, I got in a run and short ride. On Friday morning I had a great run on the beach in the early morning and wish that I had felt up to doing the same on Saturday. Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep and I had scheduled Saturday as a rest day.

So the update:

Thursday 6/1 (vacation): 30 minute run, ride ~30 minutes (green)

Friday 6/2 (vacation): 45 minute run (green). Great run.

Saturday 6/3 (vacation): rest

Week in review: It was a really good week. I got started with serious training and had a couple really enjoyable sessions. I like the run/ride combo in the mornings and I expect that it will be pretty easy to maintain. I spent about 2 hours in the saddle and 2 hours 48 minutes running for a total of 4:48 of training time. Okay for the opening week plus the fact I was on vacation -- score = green.

Sunday 6/4: 30 minute run, ride ~30 minutes (yellow). I had intended on doing 45 minutes on the bike but I didn't get up quite early enough.

Monday 6/5: 30 minute run, commute ~53 minutes (green). The ride home from work included a 20 minute time trial as I tried to catch up with two of my coworkers who took a slightly shorter route than I did.

Tuesday 6/6: 30 minute run, ride ~30 minutes, commute ~45 minutes (green). This is the first day that I both ran and rode before breakfast as well as doing my commute. My legs felt pretty good during my morning ride -- even after a pretty hard effort the evening before.

Back in the saddle

2006-05-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past six months sleeping. After five years of sleep deprivation (two children), I started sleeping in rather than getting up early to get in my riding. Sleeping in got to be a habit and pretty soon six months slid on by.

If I'm going to race this fall, then it's time to get off the couch. To this end, I plan on using this blog as my training journal. I'll rate each day as green, yellow, or red depending on whether I managed to hit my goals. I'll do the same for each week.

I've got a six month plan sketched out. The first two months (June and July) I will focus on getting prepared. I hesitate to call this base since I won't be limiting this to lower intensity training. Since I have a limited number of hours to train, I'll make the most of them by mixing in more intensity than usual during a base phase. I'll still make sure to factor in plenty of recovery and I won't be doing structured intervals. Lots of skills stuff mixed in while 'goofing around.'

The second two months (August and September) I will focus on increasing intensity. I'll start doing a variety of structured intervals which will also incorporate skills drills as well. I hope to get Bill, Dave and other willing teammates to do some simulated races.

The last two months I'll race. Last season I found that a focused interval session every week anda focused skills/interval session every other week helped me to build through the season. I hope to duplicate that building this year as well so that I can peak for the last three races of the season -- district championships and the two USGP races.

So right now my plan is to start running again and continue ride to work for the next two weeks (actually counting this week). Then I'll shorten up the weekday runs to ~20 minutes and also ride immediately after (mostly road by sometimes cross) and also commute to work.

So the review so far and the immediate plan:

Saturday 5/27: 30 minute run (green)
Sunday 5/28: 30 minute run(green)
Monday 5/29: rest (green)
Tuesday 5/30: 30 minute run, commute ~45 minutes (green)
Wednesday 5/31: 30 minute run, commute ~45 minutes (green)

Thursday 6/1 (vacation): 30 minute run, ride ~30 minutes (tba)
Friday 6/2 (vacation): 30 minute run (tba)
Saturday 6/3 (vacation): rest
Sunday 6/4: 30 minute run, ride ~45 minutes (tba)

Pringle Creek -- Salem, OR

2005-12-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

My season is done. On Saturday I drove down to Salem, OR and raced in a late addition to the cross caledar -- Pringle Creek. The venue looked to be some sort of decaying intitutional campus surrounded by growing industrial parks. The area looked like fertile grounds for routing cross races so I was dissappointed to find the course cramped, twisty, and extemely boggy. I learned after the race that Santiam Cyles (race sponsor) couldn't get permission from adjacent property owners to run the course over their holdings. One of their racers pointed out a couple places they wanted to route the course to cut off some of the worst of the bog and add some fast sections. Still, with limitations they were working with, it was a fun race and I found out that the property owner stepped up and raced his first ever cross race! Kudos to him and a big thanks from the cross community.

As I mentioned, it was boggy. The whole course was rideable but there were two areas that were clearly faster to run. There were a couple more places that I ran about half the laps. I think that if I had actually done any running over the Fall, I'd have run then every lap. I estimate I ran 100-200 yards per lap. The run-up was outstanding. It was extremely steep and pretty short. My only complaint was that it was too narrow to allow passing and it caused bottlenecks even with the relatively small fields.

I decided to race Master 35+. The field was 14 riders strong and I recognized a few riders from the Crusade Masters B 35+ category I raced with during that series. I also saw some of the hot shots from the Crusade Masters C 35+ cat. Then there were a few guys from the Masters A 35+ too. After crashing at the Crusade finale and ruining my chance for a top 10 series finish, I decided to play it conservative at Pringle Creek. I also was treating this like a "fun" race with no pressure to place highly. That said, I managed to finish behind the A guys, between the B guys and ahead of all the C guys. I also managed to stay upright for the full 45 minutes. My rear derailleur kept skipping pretty badly for most of the race -- I really need to replace the chain, cassette, cables, and housing. I think I could have beaten all the B guys if the bike had been cooperating and I had a bit more motivation. I'd have taken a bike exchange if I'd have thought to flag someone down to get them to hand off my pit bike. Oh well.

This was the only race this year I actually wore tights. The rain that had been falling the previous week lifted in time for the races but it was wtill pretty cold and wet. Driving home to , I saw snow pretty far down the slopes of the coastal range. I kept the car heater on high for the entire drive home (little over an hour) in order to warm up.

All in all it was a pretty good wrap-up for my season. The long running sections provided motivation to get out on the road and start running. I finished pretty well (6/14) and I polished off all the hangers-on with some final lap jets. Now I have to forumlate the training plan for next year.

Result = 6/14

Gotta Stay in Shape

2005-11-29T16:41:00.000-08:00

I've got one, maybe two more races to go this year. The next one is this Saturday in Salem, OR and I'm doing it for sure. Since the Estacada race, I've been thinking more about next season than finishing this one. After I'm done for the season, I plan on taking some time off from any structured training and start running.

Anyway, I managed to motivate myself to get out today at lunch and do some intervals. There was a break in the rain and I made good use of it. It spit on me a few times, the wind was fairly strong from the south and it was about 42 degrees. Why am I doing this again? After choking down some good efforts, I took an easy spin around Lacamas Lake. With the wind and being damp with sweat, I got a little chilled a few times but nothing too uncomfortable. Just gotta keep things primed for Saturday.

I'll be racing Masters 40+ (45 minutes) in Salem and I'm not sure what to expect. I imagine that some of the A guys will be there as well as some of the guys I've been racing this year in the B's. My priority is to stay upright and have some fun. John Wilson was upgraded from the Masters B's to the Masters A's this season and if he is there, I'm going to try to hang with him to give me some sort of idea what it's going to be like next year.

Cross Crusade Wraps

2005-11-29T15:46:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, November 20, the Cross Crusade cyclocross series held it's championship race at Estacada Timber Park on the outskirts of Estacada, OR. As usual, the course was outstanding and was even faster than it has been in previous years. The defining feature of the course is a bowl with a boat ramp and parking lot at the bottom. The course dipped to the bottom and then immediately climbed back out of the bowl three times per lap. The first was rideable but the other two were run-ups. I was gunning for a great finish because I had finally convinced myself I could race with the leaders in my category because of my 3rd place finish (and near win) the previous week at barton Park.

They called up eight riders based on series points and I had enough points to put me in the front row. At the gun, I had a great start for the second straight week. I took the hole shot and lead up the paved road (see pic below) and onto the winding packed gravel section. As planned, I gave up the lead pretty quickly by letting two riders shoot by. I sat on their wheels for a good part of the first lap.

I stayed on people's wheels through the first two laps and stayed in the lead bunch. My teammate Bill tried to work together as much as we could. On the third lap, I had a little bobble on the first hill (rideable) and dropped to the back of the lead bunch. Right after that, the bunch split with four riders in front and four (including me) behind. Bill made the split with the leaders. I used the rest of the third lap and start of the fourth to make my way through the chase group.

Just as I was putting a gap on the chase group and making a move to close on the leaders, I took a corner too hot and went down. The other three chasers went by me in a flash but I was up and on the bike in a flash -- my chain even pedaled right back on. I was only five or ten seconds back from the chase group and I knew I could catch back on. When I hit the first dip into the bowl, I found out that my left shifter had been critically damaged (see pic below) and I wasn't able to use the rear brake. Consequently, I wasn't able to slow enough to make the turn at the bottom and went pretty far off course before coming to a stop.

The good news was that the pit was right at the top of the hill so I hustled back on the course and ran up the hill for a bike exchange. We had such a big gap on the field that I was still in the top ten at that point. My pit bike also serves as my wet weather bike and commuter. It also doesn't get as much TLC as my #1 race bike so the brakes were kind of mushy/touchy because the cables really need replacing. Anyway, when I hit the off camber decent for the second dip into the bowl, I wasn't able to properly modulate the brakes and I lost control and went down. (pic of Bill and I at the bottom on the first lap)

Again, I was up in a hurry and ran up the hill. I even blocked a guy who was trying to get around me before the foot bridge. My chain was off but I figured I could pedal it back on on the downhill section after the bridge. When I remounted, I found that my brifters were pretty severely rotated. At this point I was ready to pack it in. Instead, I got off my bike, took a couple of breaths to calm down, and straightened out my brifters and slippde on my chain.

While I was off my bike, perhaps 10 riders went by. I got back on and kept on going. At that point, I was in survival mode -- I just wanted to finish. I rode to protect my position but wasn't aggressive. I managed to pick up a position coming into the finish.

My lap times from the chip timing data:

8:01.6
8:01.8
8:01.5
9:30.4
8:26.1

I lost a full minute and a half with my two crashes and going off course. And even when I was riding in survival mode, I had better final lap times than a couple of the top six finishers. Bill came in second and I don't think it is a stretch to say that Bill and I could have been battling for second -- or even the win. It took me a couple days to really let go of the race. I really don't have that much racing experience -- 24 cyclocross races total over the last three years -- and knowing how far to push in the corners is something you only learn through experience.

Result = 17/47

Barton Park

2005-11-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

We had some rain on Friday and a lot of rain on Saturday night so the course was wet. The venue is a county gravel pit right next to a park on the banks of the scenic Clakamus River. It being a gravel pit and all, there was a lot of, well, gravel. There were plenty of hardpack flats to keep things fast. There were plenty muddy sections to keep things sketchy. And there was one slog-a-bog which happened to be on the first transition from the starting (fast) straight. The trasition had lots of churned up rocks mixed in thick mud (think babyheads) to keep things interesting. And there was a singletrack chute that was steep and loose and had a number of riders off the bike running down the hill. The Barton V-slot ditch had standing water in the bottom and looked gnarly this year so my cost benefit analysis came out on the side of run over ride.

I raced Masters 35+ B. Two of the fast guys had just been upgraded (one took 4th in Masters A) and lots of riders don't like the Barton Park course so I figured this was my chance to win a race. Unlike every race I have entered in the last three years, I lined up intending to win. I got a front row spot on the left side so as to be lined up for the one smooth bead through the gravel road starting straight.

I got off great -- hole shot. I was cranking hard and held the bead but had a spot of bother at a slight right bend in the road that was a tad gravelly. I held it under control and started thinking that maybe leading everyone out could perhaps have been left to someone else. I eased off and hit the transition and bog. Zoom, three guys went past including my teammate Bill. I hang on to Bill's wheel but the other two get a pretty good gap. It turns out Terry (RBR member kajukembo) is right behind me. He's on my tail down the chute and I come across his front wheel. I had no idea but heard the ohhs and ahhs from the crowd gathered at the bottom as Terry held on and made it down without incident.

The guys out front aren't getting any farther away and right past the finish line, Bill bobbled through some gravel and I fly by him on a sidehill descent replete with small rocks. I keep reeling in the leaders on the front half of the second lap and catch Mike Masessa on the rise before the chute. Then I catch Bob Jacobs through the woods and I'm in front. Bill is still close behind me.

I have no idea how to ride with the lead. Bill never managed to hang on to me. Sometimes he would be right there but then I'd open a gap. It would have been better if we could have found some way to race together but it didn't happen. As I crested the dike leading to the finish line for the bell, I looked back and saw David Grant looked be be making a very strong late charge and figured he would be trouble. Bill did what he could to block but David was not to be denied. I think David passed Bill on the run-up leading to the finish and as I came around the 180 at the finish, I looked at Bill and he nodded as if saying "Take care of busniess." I had perhaps a five second lead.

I railed down the sidehill and burned through the rock barrier. I wasn't looking back. There was an almost rideable uphill to the top of the dike that I had riden the pervious lap. I wanted to hit it this lap to keep my advantage. Instead, I stalled at the top and fell over. David caught me there. He paced me down the doubletrack and up the pavement to the start straight. I slowed to make him come around and drafted him down the gravel road. I think he was really pushing to try to drop me but I was right on his wheel.

He got a gap through the bog but I was reeling him in on the hardpack. At the 180 above the chute, he overcooked the corner and went down. Score! That's what I was looking for and I went right around him and hit the chute. I got a gap through the trees but then felt my rear tire get really soft (Tufo tubular clincher with sealant). I just hoped it would last me to the line.

Going into the V-slot ditch, there were two juniors running side by side. The previous laps I had remounted for the brief section before the dike run-up but I didn't want to risk it this time with the soft rear tire. I used the juniors to block David and I hit the top of the dike just ahead of him. I remounted and bang, bang, bang went my rim as it bottomed out on each pedal stroke, bouncing me all around. David came around me and got a gap. Coming down a sidehill off camber to a short boggy section right before the final run-up, I thought I might have a chance but he was just much faster than I was running the hill. I pushed my bike across the line in second but the announcer credited me with the win.

Since victory was tantalizingly close, I of course am second guessing myself. Should I have backed off and let Bill bridge to me so we could work together? That might have worked early on in the race. It would have been nice to have had some help on the long start straight during the middle laps. Perhaps my biggest mistake was not taking a bike exchange on the final lap. My pit bike was ten feet away from me as I crested the dike when David passed me for the final time. Maybe a good rear tire lets me power along the dike. Maybe that attack proves decisive. Dunno. That's what racing is about -- getting experience.

Result = 3/53

Halloween at Flying M

2005-11-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I raced cyclocross at the Flying M Ranch in Yamhill, OR. It was the Halloween edition of the Cross Crusade series so I dressed up as jailbird Karl Rove. First up is a shot at the starting line. I can't recall what we're looking at. On the far left, you can see Bill Goritski, my teammate, dressed as a beer keg. Only moments after this picture whas taken, they moved the start line up 15 feet and I wasn't fast enough to keep my front row spot.

I've seen a few photos of myself from the race and in all of them, I have this pained expression. Well, cyclocross IS painful.

I had a really good race and scored my best finish of the year -- 8th place. I biffed over the barriers at the finish line and lost a place so I was tanalizingly close to 7th. The rider behind me in this last photo is a junior who started one minute behind our field. He is one of a trio of really strong juniors in Oregon.

I stole these photos from the Photofaction web site so credit where credit is due.

Result = 8/43

Scouter's Mountain

2005-10-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

This race had lots of climbing -- about 120 feet of elevation gain per lap. There were some trail sections where passing would be more difficult. There was one set of triple barriers, one log across the trail, one set of steps (think Euro cross steps), and one big-arsed root I elected to run. As Terry mentioned, there were some really bumpy meadow sections. I am on the gravitationally challenged side so I wasn't expecting a stellar performance.

I staged early and could have gotten a front row spot. Since the start went right up the long climb, I elected for a second row spot behind Team-O members Terry (kajukembo)and Ken Benderly. I didn't want to get in the way of the guys I expected to contend for the win. My teammate Bill Goritski lined up next to me. I mentioned to him that I always get pre-race jitters and wonder what I'm doing lining up to race. I also brought up the fact that many times right in the middle of a race I feel like dropping out. Bill admitted to having some of the same thoughts. For both of us, the post race elation keeps us lining up each week.

Finally we are off and I pace myself up the climb and about half the field passes me. Then I pass most of them by the end of the second lap. There are about a half-dozen "hot spots" where I am able to make passes on riders I'm having trouble getting around. Two of them are through boggy mud. One is over the big-arsed root -- lots of slowing to try to ride it while I carry lots of speed on the dismount. One is on the slippery left-turn uphill exiting the gravel road climb. I ran this section on four of the laps and was faster than most who rode it. Another is the 180 leading into the step. Lots of people rode up to the steps but I was able to pass folks by dismounting right before the turn and sprinting by them. Another good one was a flat downhill trail between two pavement sections. Most people soft pedaled it. I turned it up and cranked around a few riders there.

The fifth lap turned out to be the bell lap. I was surprised that they didn’t let us go another lap. When I went though the finish area, I heard the bell but I thought it was someone ringing a cowbell. Then coming out of one of the mud hot-spots early in the lap, I saw green on my shoulder. I thought it was junior rider Jacob Rathe because he had passed twice only to stop to attempt to deal with some problem. Anyway, I knew he was in a race with the Fred Meyer boys so I waved him by. It turned out to be a guy I had just passed. This guy then held me up though the “root” loop (lots of slippery roots) and I followed him up the climb (a mistake). I finally got around him on the trail section hot-spot and gunned it. Anyway, I only realized it was the bell lap going up the gravel hill because I heard the announcer say it was the final lap. One more lap would have been perfect.

Oh yeah, I caught my teammate Bill on the meadow section coming down off the run-up. I was right on him making the turn onto the bridge. I made a tactical mistake there. He slowed quite a bit getting onto the bridge and went outside. Instead of getting aggressive and taking the inside line (maybe push him off the bridge? -- kidding) and keeping my speed, I slowed. Bill then used a junior rider to gap me through the uphill constriction. I never got back on him after that. I rolled through the finish line in perhaps 12th place (out of 90 starters).

Once again, I had what I considered a great race. It was lots of fun. I stayed aggressive until the end. I'm learning better tactics every race. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and put it all on the line for the initial sprint in the remaining races. If I blow, I blow. But if I don't crank it on the start, I'm not going to be challenging for the top ten.

Result = 13/66

PIR Veloshop Race

2005-10-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Yah, yah. I raced Masters 30+. Let me tell ya, 60 minutes is a whole lot more suffering than 45-50 minutes.

I have a cold. It's not too bad but I've got some congestion and some coughing. Last year -- almost to the day -- I had a cold but it was way worse. Last year, almost to the day, I raced PIR with practically the same course layout. Last year I suffered greatly because of my cold. This year I only suffered moderately. The most frustrating thing was seeing a couple racers I know I can beat ride off on the final two laps. The second best thing was coming past Brad Ross (Cross Crusade promoter) right before the finish. The absolute best thing was getting lapped (for the second time) by the race leaders (Tonkin and Skerritt) less than 50 yards before the finish line, thus saving me from another lap.

I finished 18 out of 27 but I know that I could have finished higher if I were 100%. The Veloshop race had a really cool vibe. Even though each of the races had about 60-80 starters, that was a welcome break from fields almost twice as large in the ross Crusade races. I got to the venue pretty early and volunteered to help out and was put to work counting laps -- well, writing down numbers -- for the B and SS B race. That job gave me a new found appreciation for the fine art of pinning numbers. Yo, look at what side everyone else is pinning theirs to, don't pin in the middle of your back, don't pin upside down, and make sure all corners are secure.

I enjoyed the course. It was a lot like a dirt crit with some tricky spots for variety. Though there is not much elevation, the course does use berms to spice things up with off-camber sections. There is also the one hill that is used to good effect. I was really pleased with my off the bike skills. I put time into people every time I went over barriers and held my own on the run-ups. That's a big deal for me since I'm carrying about 30 extra pounds. When the leaders came around, I was even staying with them thorugh the dismounts -- well, except for Tonkin and Skerritt.

20/28

Apenrose -- Grand Prix of Cyclocross

2005-10-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

I had a great race. I stayed up and didn’t make any big mistakes but I definitely know some areas where I can make improvements. Most importantly, I had a lot of fun. The weather was kind this week. It rained Thursday night and then held off until Saturday during the final lap of the men’s Elite race. Still, the ground was saturated so parts of the course turned into peanut butter bogs while other parts were merely slick.

Family life kept me from getting to the Alpenrose Dairy early enough to preride the course. The full schedule of races dictated by over 750 racers and UCI rules meant that the promoters scheduled the races tightly with no open course time between the early races. A teammate (Dave Gast) and I scouted out the course. While the routing was mixed up from pervious incarnations, there were really no surprises and it looked to be a great and challenging course. While Dave and I were checking out the course, we ran into Terry K (Team O) who was warming up.

After scouting the course I went out and rode some of the local streets for a warm-up. I wanted to stage well this week so I kept an eye on the starting area from time to time. At about the time I decided it would be prudent to stage, I saw that no one had lined up yet and took the opportunity to cruise back to my car to get a drink. By the time I got back to the line, there were 40 people staged. D’oh.

I lined up and waved to two of my teammates (Dave and Bill) who were sitting pretty in the first row. I also saw that Terry had snagged a front row spot as well. Tim Chen, another of teammates slid in next to me and we stood around waiting for the gun. The start was up a slight incline for perhaps 50 yards to a 90 degree right turn, another 50-60 yards slightly downhill to 90 degree right turn, and then another 30 yards to a 90 degree left turn onto the first dirt. After a brief level section, there was another 90 degree right turn down a long hill which lead to a right hand sweeper up a hill. This portion was one of my hot spots since I was able to carry speed into the uphill and found a pretty good line up the hill. I used this section to pass stubborn riders on several laps.

The course meandered through some pasture and went in and out of the trees to the first of the mud. Soon, the easy mud turned into the difficult mud. Out on the backside there was a nasty off-camber downhill through sticky mud. While it was no faster to ride than run, I tried to ride as far as possible since it was slightly less taxing than running. At some point, however, a dismount was mandatory – on a downhill! The remount lead into my second hot spot. After the mud, there was a flat hardpack to a 180. After the turn, the course went up a gentle rise over grass/mud/. I had that section dialed. I had the fastest line and the perfect gear and always overtook riders on that section. At the top of the rise, the course was flat over hardpack gravel and pavement before dumping back down into the pasture for the off-camber grassy descent to the base of the run up. As usual, the run up was steep and ended at the top of turns 1 and 2 of the velodrome. After gaining all that height, we dropped back down to enter the velodrome on the straight between turns 2 and 3. This included a short but nasty off-camber drop and following rise that I found just as fast (and more secure) to run.

Inside the velodrome, the course snaked around the infield and then followed the apron around to the finish. After the finish, we crossed the infield and exited the velodrome and climbed to the top of the rise behind turns 3 and 4. If the course had been dry, that hill would have been rideable but with the mud, it was more prudent to run. After a tricky dipsy-doo and a few tight turns, we dumped back out onto pavement which quickly lead back to the start line. The course definitely rewarded riders who could stay up and who could choose the best lines.

The starter finally blew the whistle and 87 Masters B racers took off. Not 20 feet into the race, a guy right in front of me broke his chain. I’m sure he was disappointed that he was out of the race almost before it had started. I succeeded in avoiding him and stayed upright through the early turns. The first lap was a blur and early on I had the impression that I was getting passed quite a bit. I got caught behind some backups but when things started stringing out I started passing riders. By the second lap, I was definitely advancing my way through the field and as I was approaching the finish line to start the third lap, I saw Terry take a spill in front of me. I slipped around him and he pulled in behind me. We raced together the rest of the way. After the race, Terry mentioned that he had had a terrible time staying up during the first two laps.

On the third lap, Terry and I pulled in more riders, including my teammate Dave. Terry and I traded places at least once a lap and for a while a couple of other guys hung with us. Terry was definitely faster on his feet while I managed to put it to him on the pavement. I found a couple good lines while following him and he credited me with showing him quite a few good lines too. On the fifth lap, Terry and I shook the two riders who had been hanging with us (Mike Colesar from Disco Velo and a guy on a red bike with a grey jersey with red lettering) and reeled in my Teammate Bill. Through the fifth lap, I followed Bill and Terry followed me. On the sixth lap, as we came down the long downhill section, I was right behind Bill. He looked to take the inside line on the sweeping uphill so I went around him on the outside. Before I could get around him, he drifted (swerved?) outside and pinched me into the tape and I lost all my momentum. Terry came around me and the two of them gapped me.

I still thought I had a chance to get them on my second hot spot but coming down peanut butter hill, I wobbled and caught my handlebar on one of the tape poles. I dismounted and looked behind me and saw Mike Colesar gaining. From that moment until I entered the velodrome, I raced to keep my position. At the top of the run-up, I managed to lap a junior before the drop leading to the velodrome entrance. I figured that Mr. Colesar would have trouble getting by that rider and I could preserve my place. I ended up about seven seconds behind Terry and Bill.

I had a great time on Saturday. I really enjoyed racing with Terry. I think we both pushed each other to go a little bit faster. While I know that Bill would have liked to have preserved his great start, it felt gratifying to be able to chase him down and race with him for a lap or two. I felt good that I managed to stay upright and only had a couple foibles. Ah, I can hardly wait until next week.

Result = 18/80

Hillsboro Stadium

2005-10-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

The rains came to the Pacific Northwest this past Friday. The Jet Stream dipped down right over Portland and funneled a slow moving rain maker right over us. An inch and a half of rain fell on Friday and more came down Saturday night. Come Sunday morning the ground was soft and squishy. Ah yes, it must be cyclocross season.

Right after parking I ran into Terry from Team O and checked out his new-to-him Sachs. A light rain fell while I registered and a southeast wind snapped the flags on the stadium. I picked up my number and timing chip and headed back to the car to bundle up for my warm up. By the time I got on the bike, the rain had stopped -- temps around 50 degrees -- and it held off until after my race.

Since this was my first race of the season, I had the jitters pretty good. I didn’t arrive early enough for a pre-ride but I rode along the course and used lulls early in the C race to ride a couple of the tricky looking sections. The course was flat and would have been very fast had it not been so muddy. The front half (more like two-thirds) of the course was mostly over muddy grass and looped over a ten foot high hill three times. The first time was a rideable uphill that dropped back into a very fun whoop-tee-do uphill left hand turn. The second time was another rideable uphill, then back down a nasty off-camber to loop around 180-degrees and back up a wood chip strewn run-up. The third time climbed the hill along its length and presented a slippery off-camber section before turning sharp right to climb to the top. If dry, that might have been rideable but with the mud it certainly wasn’t. The final descent was bumpy and muddy with little opportunity to maintain a lot of speed into the bumpy and muddy meadow. The back section of the course was a long stretch of hard pack with a 180 degree turn back onto a long section of pavement. The final bit took two paved left hand turns and a final hard right back onto grass and the six-pack barriers.

This season I decided to go into races with some sort of plan. For this race (Masters 35+ B), I intended to start toward the back of the pack and attempt to move up through the field by racing aggressively. I extended my warm up and staged late, taking my place near the back of perhaps 60 racers. I waved to three of my teammates who managed to snag second row spots. The start was a cluster because of the narrow chute dictated by the chip timing sensor. A guy next to me ran into the back of another rider and went down. After clearing the start, I held position through the first few turns and started picking off a few riders on the straights. Through the first lap I mostly maintained position, picking up a spot here and losing a spot there. I was amazed at the number of guys who went down on that first lap – some even falling on flat and straight sections. It was slippery as snot

By the second lap, things had strung out and the first lap sprint was over. Early in the lap I came up behind a pack of five riders and moved through them quickly. I bridged to another pack of five and mover through them. Just after putting a few feet on that group, I went down in a corner leading into the off-camber hill section. Instead of getting back on the bike for the short section before the dismount, I shouldered the bike and ran. I actually managed to pass the few guys who got by me when I went down and I was feeling pretty good about not losing much time. When I remounted, I discovered that I had dropped my chain and I was unable to shift it back on. When I stopped to fix the chain, the group gapped me. I tried to chase back on but couldn’t manage. I figured that the fall and dropped chain might have messed up my rhythm and that’s why I didn’t seem to be able to get the snap back into my legs. However, it turned out that I had tweaked my rear rim pretty severely and it caused quite a bit of drag each revolution as the wobble went through the brakes. Unfortunately, I didn’t figure that out until I was well into the final lap. If I had noticed it earlier, I would have done a bike exchange.

I could see the last guy in that group perhaps thirty yards in front of me and I worked to close the gap but just couldn’t manage it. It was frustrating not to be able to catch back on since I knew I had been going faster than that guy not long before. As the race wore on, I caught and passed riders dropping off the pace. I was pleasantly surprised to pass riders at least three of the times through the barrier six-pack.

On the final lap, I tracked down two more (non-lapped) riders and on the final paved section I tried to pull in two more. Just before the two paved left hand turns, I came up on the first guy. I considered trying to motor around him through the curves but decided that I didn’t want to risk going down that close to the finish. I let up and stayed on his butt up to the barriers. It turned out that he was faster through the barriers than I was. In retrospect, I should have at least challenged him on the curves instead of pulling up.

Even though the tweaked rim slowed me down, I felt very good about the race. I stayed aggressive through the whole race. I improved my lines each lap. And I don’t suck quite as badly on the barriers as I used to.

Apparently the chip timing isn’t helping get results out faster because word is we won’t have final results until Wednesday.

Result = 32/71