Feeling Slow (and riding slow)

2010 Mileage: 5032

Sunday I raced at Bloomer CX and I can confidently say it was my worst race of the year. The legs felt sluggish all week after New York last weekend with no time to really catch up on sleep and no car all week which put the commuting miles at around 200 for the week. Linz and I also had Kelli and Ryan over for dinner the night before the race which was a lot of fun, but 12 beers and two burritos later it was 1am and about 4 hours past the time I should have gone to bed. I woke up Sunday morning knowing I wasn't ready but hoping I could fake it for 45 minutes.

I lined up third row for the start and fell in about mid-pack for the race and that is where I sat for the next 45 minutes. The laps were pretty long at almost two miles and I remember thinking to myself as I finished my first lap that it was gonna be a long race (or at least feel long being it is only 45 minutes). There was a little shuffling around as a few guys passed me from behind and I made up a few spots on other guys. I actually felt good over the barriers and that is where I did most of my passing. I also burped my rear tire on the second lap and spent most of the race with about 20psi in the back and was washing out side to side on the long paved sections (which there were a lot of). The legs managed to keep turning and I pretty much maintained my position. For the last couple laps there were a couple guys within reach but I just didn't have the spring that is normally there to bridge up and make a move around them. I watched the same two guys stay 50 yards ahead of meand it just seemed like there was nothing I could do about it. I would bridge up at times and not quite be able to grab a wheel and then watch them slowly pull away again. I pushed my way across the line at just under 45 minutes for 6 laps and I finished 18th out of 36, dead center of the pack. My first lap was my fastest by far at 7:10 and then I got slower each lap until my last two, my final lap was my second fastest at 7:25. My slowest was 7:37, so I definitely need to work on some consistency.

The course had a couple cool elements with a downhill followed by a really sharp right turn right back up, a couple tight off-camber turns and two sets of barriers. It did have way too much slow back and forth 180 degree turns out on an open grass field that I could've done without though.

It was also Kate and Andrew's first cx race and it was great to see the two of them having so much fun out there in the C race. Ed Ramirez, a regular customer and friend also seemed to be having a great time out racing his bike again. They were all out there on mountain bikes with big smiles on there faces reminding me why I love 'cross.

So what it comes down to is that it was a fun day (isn't every day that I race my bike) but I definitely didn't perform as well as I would've liked. The B race field was definitely fast and the challenge was good for me so hopefully I show up a little more ready to race next time around. I am glad I have made the choice to move to B's because my first four of 6 laps would have put me in 2nd in the C race and that is using some of my slowest lap times. I was in the right race and am looking forward to improving on this result. Next on the schedule (and last race til March, I think) is Michigan CX state championships on December 5th.

2 weeks, 2 races and lots of driving

2010 Mileage: 4812

The last two weeks have consisted of out of town races and the parties that have gone with them. I guess I'll cover them one at a time here.

Iceman:
Headed up Friday morning with Kate for the four hour trek to Traverse City and got checked in to the room, picked up the race packet, checked over the bikes and hung out and had a few beers (my version of carbo loading) and went to bed early. We headed over to the start line right on time and everything seemed to be going according to plan. I encountered a slight hiccup when putting the front wheel on before the race I realized I somehow screwed up and my brake lever got bumped and my hydraulic front brake was destined to rub for the rest of the day. Oh well, still took the hole shot was first in my group to hit the singletrack. From there on it was a day of endless passing. I won't go too much in to detail because it will just sound like I'm complaining but starting in my age group unfortunately put me behind a lot of people that didn't belong in front of me. Oh well, it was interesting using a singletrack climb for recovery because there were so many slow riders on it that I couldn't go anywhere. I passed anywhere I could and had a semi-successful day. Finished the 30.5 miles in 2:07, good enough for tenth in my age group and a better starting position next year to hopefully improve on that time. After the race was when the fun started hanging out around the Kuhnhenn's beer tent with Linz, Kate and Andrew. I need to give my congrats to Kate too, taking 5th place in her age group in just her second ever mtb race. We warmed up and drank beer all afternoon as we watched the pros roll in and saw Stewy take out Simonson just before the finish line. A long afternoon made for a short evening and we went over to the bell's after party but didn't stay for long as we were all exhausted. Sunday included brunch in downtown Traverse City and then the drive home. All in all it was a fun weekend.

SICX:
This past weekend was a long one for me but well worth it. After work Friday I hit the rode (solo unfortunately, Linz had to work) at around 7:30pm bound for Luca's Place in Jersey City. I rolled in to his driveway around 6am and cuddled up on the pull out couch with Per for a couple hours of sleep before it was time to wake up, pick up Cassidy, Jeff and Nathalie (Cassidy's girlfriend) and head to Staten Island for my second year doing the CX race out at Wolfe's Pond Park. We were there in plenty of time to ride a couple warm up laps, watch the pros race and for me to realize how exhausted I was. I do have to say I was a big fan of the 2pm start time for Cat4s, it drew a huge crowd. The field was registered in full at 100 racers.
When we were gathering to start our race I was astonished to find out there was a call-up at a cat 4 race and then they lined us up by numbers, putting me at the back of the field. I spent the next 35 minutes chasing people and I passed all day and didn't get passed once so I guess I'll take the 11th place finish. I just wish I could have caught Per (he got one of those front row call-ups) but it was a fun race regardless. The course was a lot tougher than last year with much tougher single track and a crazy run-down/up in the woods and of course I need to mention the beach run right along the water. It was an awesome event and it was great racing with my old NYC crew, I definitely miss those guys.
I need to give a few shout-outs about the race too. Congrats Per on his 6th place finish, I'm gunning for you next year chief. Thanks to our cheerleader Val for keeping me going all race long. Thanks to Luca for the hospitality this weekend even if you wouldn't join Per and I on the pull out. Cassidy, sorry I gave you shit when I passed you, I was just kidding. Kyle, I hate you for making me take my first Jager bomb since college but it was great to see you. And Jeff and Mike need to get mentioned here too so thanks for gracing me with your presence guys, it was great to see you as always.
I guess my only complaint about the event was the sandbagging. I'm sorry but if you are a cat2 roadie you in no way belong in a cat4 race of any kind, i don't care if you're new to cx. The whole podium was cat2 roadies that had no business being there at all. I just wish more people would've given them a hard time about it. Oh yeah, and CJ really needs a beer tent there next year.
Post-race we headed in to the city for a much needed dinner at B-Bar. My favorite Jersey City based musician Mike Frensley met up with us there. From there it was over to NYC Velo for the SICX after-party which we didn't stay at for too long (they were out of beer) and then we headed over to Billy Hurricane's to pay Kyle a visit. At this point in the evening we all realized we were exhausted and went our separate ways with Per, Luca, Mike and I heading to a bar in Hoboken for a couple of beerst. We then ended the night with the rather steep climb up to Jersey City Heights and I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, although I somewhat remember starting to watch Shrek. Sunday was breakfast with Per around noon and then in to the city to pay the old 47th street shop a visit. Hit the road around 4:30pm and courtesy of traffic and a detour off the highway in PA I made it home around 4am.

I am finally starting to catch up on sleep but the trip was well worth it. I really miss those guys. Next on the schedule is Bloomer CX this Sunday. There is no way it can be close to as fun as last weekend though.