2012 MFG#1/2 - SCX#1/2

What tire pressure are you running?  I missed hearing that question asked over and over and over.....It must be the start of cyclocross season in the PNW.  You might be asking why I'm combining the first four races in one blog write up??  Well, it's because they all sucked and I figured I rather write one sucky report than four individual sucky reports. 

MFG#1 - Kick off Cross

A few of us decided to skip the crit at nationals and drove home in time to race  the first MFG event of the year.  This would be my first CX race as a 1/2.  I was really tired from racing in Bend but was excited to test my skills in a stacked field.  I knew I was going to have to start in the back row but I didn't really care.  The gun went of and things started off bad and then went south from there.  I had trouble clipping in and ended up entering the course in about 10th place.  During the first part of the course I was able to move up and by the time we reached the only single track section on the course I was sitting around 5th wheel.  We took a sharp right turn, entered the woods and crossed the first of two wooden foot bridges.  So far, things looked good.   The course turned downhill before we crossed a 2nd, short, wooden bridge.  Right after crossing this bridge the trail goes uphill and as a result we were really stacked up.  Everyone was going slow over the bridge and we were literally tire to tire with each other.  The guy directly in front of me  lost it his balance and went down right in the middle of the bridge.  There was no place for me to go.  Somehow I was able to slide to the far right edge of the bridge and thought I might make it by.....NOT!  

My rear wheel caught the lip of the bridge and down I went, hitting the ground four feet below the bridge.  As I was falling all I could think about was how bad I was going to get hurt.  There were a lot of rocks and tree roots down there to cushion the blow.  After the initial shock of I climbed my way out and realized I was OK (except for a lot of cuts and bruises) and tried to get back on the course.  Everyone was still stacked up behind me and there was no way for me to get back in.  I had to wait for a gap.  It seemed to take forever but I finally was able to hoist my bike on my shoulder and run up the hill.  At the top I set my bike down and quickly noticed something was wrong.  I looked down and apparently while I was teetering on the edge of the bridge the lip ripped my tubie completely off the bike.  Luckily I was not far from the pits.  I made the short run to the pits, threw my bike down and grabbed my backup bike.......wrong!!!  I had accidentally grabbed the wrong bike.  It was the exact same bike as mine but with different pedals.  I had just left the pits, maybe ten meters out when I realized the issue.  I turned around,  entered the pits, grabbed my bike and set out.  As soon as I remounted I realized that according to cx rules I should have had to run the the course to get back to the pits.  Shit!.. Even though I had lost a lot of time the rest of the race went well...except for getting relegated for taking a shortcut to the pits.....It was only a 10meter mistake but it was my own fault and I knew it.  Not a great way to start the MFG season...

SCX#1  - Fort Steilacoom

I love this venue.  I've always done well there.  It's a great course with a fair amount of climbing.   I was ready to shake off last week's debacle and move on.  Once again, I knew I was going to be starting in the back row but with the long, paved start I also new I could sprint my way to the front.  The gun went off and that is exactly what I did. I entered the course sitting 4th.  We wound our way through the first wide, fast, sweeping turns on the grass infield and everyone started to settle in for the 60 minute suffer fest.   We reached maybe the 5th or 6th turn and I guess the person right behind me decided he wasn't happy where he was and took an aggressive line to get past me.  He came into my rear wheel hard and took me out. I had only lost a few spots so I wasn't too worried.  We were only two minutes into a 60 minute race so I had plenty of time make up any lost ground.  I quickly jumped up (while yelling a few choice words) and remounted my bike.  I started pedaling and...wait for it....NOTHING.  

I looked down and noticed the collision had broke my derailleur hanger and  my derailleur was banging off my spokes.  I dismounted and realized that the pits a LONG way from where I stood.   I was done.  By the time I reached the pits I'd be so far off the back it would be a joke.  I pushed my broken bike off the course. I managed a whole 2 minutes and 50 seconds of racing.   I pushed my bike past the team area and was at least happy to get a beer handout from Tony (Thanks for that).  I sat by the side of the course and instantly turned from racer to heckler. 

When I got home I put a new hanger on the bike and was happy to find out that there was no damage to the rear derailleur but.....The collision had put my wheel way out of true.  No big deal,  I thew it in the stand and....My Easton deep dish wheels had always been bomb proof and I'd never had to true them up.  The nipples on this are not exposed and the only way to true them was to rip the tubies off.  I'd just glued them on for a 2nd time after the last race.  I decided to make the trip to HSP and let the pros do it this time.  Not bad on the damage total....$90

MFG#2 - Lake Sammamish

So far I haven't finished a race on the bike I started on.  There was going to be enough beach running on the course that I really didn't feel the need to have do extra running to the pits.  It going to be another stellar day in Seattle.   I headed down early to get a good spot for the RV and to get some laps on the course.  It was bone dry and fast......except for the "Chariots of Fire" run on the beach.   I felt good warming up and was ready to go.

The start went really well and I was able to enter the course sitting about 4th or 5th wheel.  All was good and I just focused on staying with the leaders.  By the time we made it to the sand I was still right near the front.  I felt I was running OK but did lose a little time by the time I remounted. I was able to hook back on by the time we reached the barriers.  The next two laps were pretty much the same and so far it was the furthest I'd made it on my main bike. 

We started lap 4 and I was starting to get in a nice groove but this time after my slog through the sand something didn't feel right.  I'd ruptured my achilles a few years ago and I felt a "twinge" about half way through.  Once back on the bike everything felt fine.  When I reached the sand during the next lap pain shot from my ankle area and up through my calf.  Panic set in.  There was no way I was going to go through the hell of a ruptured achilles again so my run (job) through sand slowed to a walk.  One by one guys ran by me in the sand and by the time I exited I'd dropped to about 10th place.  Back on the bike things felt fine again and I worked my ass off to try to make up ground.  I passed a couple of guys but I had to pretty much walk the sand on the next lap and that's when I knew I would not see the leaders when the race was over.  I kept pushing and in the end I finished 14th.  I could barely walk but was actually pretty happy that I finished on the same bike I'd started on.  It turned out that I'd just strained the tendon and the pain went away by the following Thursday. 

SCX#2 - Arlington

I was really done with my "bad luck" racing.  Last year I finished 2nd in the State Championship race here as a Cat 3 so I was trying to stay positive.  Once again we had a beautiful day for racing.  We would be dealing with dust and not mud for the 4th straight week.  I was pain free and the bike was race ready.  I arrived early and took a few warm up laps on the course.  It was basically the same setup as last year.  There were long, fast, flat sections, a technical section through the trees, wide sweeping turns in the grass, two barrier sections and yes, more f'ing sand.  During my warm up I found the sand was easily ride able and that didn't sit will with promoters.  Right before our race they put in a hairpin corner that forced us to at least dismount once but it wasn't bad. 

I got an OK start but by the time we reached the infield I was sitting about 10th wheel.  No problem, I figured I could make up time on the fast, flat sections.  I was able to pass several guys and then settled in before the first run through the sand.  We ended up getting bunched up before we reached the sand and pretty much everyone had to run it.  After remounting I got ready for the wide corners in the grass.  They ended up being a little slicker than they appeared and I saw guys in front of me slide a bit.  All of a sudden someone went down in front of me....again....and I had no where to go.  I lost my front wheel trying to avoid him and went down as well.  We both jumped up and remounted with out loosing any ground so it wasn't bad as far a crashes go.......except........I quickly noticed that my right shifter was basically torn off the bike.  I didn't panic because I didn't need to shift into my small ring at all so I just ignored it.  After a few more turns I did realize that I wasn't able to get a good grip on the bars without the shifter and almost went down again.  No worries, I was just going to keep going and grab my backup bike when I made it to the pits.  I flew by the start/finish and was still in striking distance with the leaders.  I figured I needed to make up a little ground so that I wouldn't loose time in the pits.  When I jumped out of the saddle something happened and my chain tried to drop to the small ring (maybe I should just start running a single up front) and it got caught in between the rings.  I couldn't get it to jump to either of the rings and pretty soon I found myself in the familiar position of running the f'ing course to the pits.  It was further than I though and pretty soon I was passed by everyone in my field.  I was jogging in last place.  I slowed down and started to exit the course.  I was only 10 minutes into a 60 minute race and by the time I reached the pits I'd be so far off the back that there wouldn't be much point.  For some reason I kept running and finally made it to the pits.  I grabbed my backup and took off.  Now it was just going to be all about practicing my technique and getting a good workout.  I went as hard as I could and pretty soon started to catch a few guys.  I was feeling pretty good and was now pissed that this was really for nothing.  I kept it going, listening to all the hecklers that were giving me shit.  The rest of my race was error free and when things were all said and done I'd finished 19th.  I was pissed that I was still having all this bad luck.  So far I've broken bike parts in three of my four starts.  I know that's part of cross but I don't think I had a single mechanical last year.  To make things worse I finally had a chance to examine the damage.  I figured that the bracket that holds the shifter to the bars broke but nooooooooo.  It was completely destroyed.  I had to head to the shop the following day to get a replacement.....NOT cheap.    Anyway, congrats to Jeff B. for a great, well deserved win.  Next week....hopefully.

2011 SCX #7 - Monroe

There were many ways I could have spent the cold, rainy Sunday.  Fighting crowds at the mall.  Hiking to the farthest end of the tree farm to find "The one".  Sitting my ass on the couch and watch the Seahawks lose.  I chose to head to Monroe for a little Sunday worship at the "Church of Cross!"  What a way to end the 2011 Seattle Cyclocross Series!  Copious amounts of rain, mud, sand with an added bonus of free beer and brats and chili!!

We arrived at the Monroe Fairgrounds at 11:00 and the weather was worse than what you'd expect for early November.  It was pouring and the wind was blowing pretty hard.  After registering I jumped on the bike and headed out for a couple of recon laps.  This course had everything!  Flat, fast gravel roads and grass sections, some tight.  It had something for everyone.....I think.   I was looking forward to the battle ahead.  The first time through I tried riding the whole switchback section but had to dismount while climbing back up to the top.  The next time through I ran the whole section.  I wasn't sure how I'd approach it during the race but figured  I would just go with the flow and decide based on the situation.  I was almost done with my second warm up lap when I noticed something wasn't right.  I jumped of the bike to do a quick inspection.  To my dismay I soon found out I had rolled my rear tubie....Shit!!  I made a b-line back to my rig to swap out my wheels.  It sucked but at least it happened before the actual race.

We staged just before 1:30 but for some reason we were delayed for over 15 minutes.  Any warmth I had was quickly lost.  We finally got going  I had another great start. 

By the time things got sorted out I was sitting third behind Chris(Audi) and Brian(Stanley) and things were looking good.  Chris seemed pretty amped before the race and I could tell he was going to have a good day.  He set a hard pace and really got the field strung out early.  There were a couple of sections on the course that would provide plenty of heckler fodder.   The first was the off camber switchback section.  After a really tight right hand turn you found yourself tight roping a short single track at the top of the hill.  If you got caught behind slower riders here you could loose valuable time.  There was really no room to pass.   Chris was the first to reach this section and he dismounted early and ran it.  Brian decided to ride it.  Hmmmmm. What to do??  I decided to ride it.

I remounted  at the top of the hill and had no problem negotiating the rest of the maze.  I think it was somewhere around here where Todd(Collision One), our series leader,  made a move to get by me.  Soon after we had our run-up.  It was short, steep and muddy as hell.  It had developed steps during earlier races but it was still tough going.  After a short downhill section with large tire puncturing rocks the course gave us our next (to me at least) tough section.  The transition into it was via another really tight, single track right turn with no way to pass.  This is where all the deep ass mud on the course was located. If you didn't lose your momentum, the first section wasn't too bad but at the end you had to negotiate a hard right hairpin.  I was forced to the outside and I soon found out that this is where you DON'T want to be.  The mud was super deep and after a few tough pedal strokes I came to a complete stop.  I had to dismount and run the rest of the way, praying I wouldn't lose a shoe.  I didn't drop any spots but I think the panic sent my heart rate up and I had a few bobbles through the winding sand section.  I made it over the barriers and into the start of lap two still in 4th place. 

Lap two was one I'd like to forget.  The first section went fine and I was actually able to make up some of the ground I'd lost and got back in the mix.  I neared the off camber switchback section with a slower rider from the single speed field right in front of me.  I yelled that I was coming by on his left but he didn't give way.  I really needed to get around him but there was no place to go.  Just as he started downhill he bit the dust(read: ate mud) and I had no place to go.  I made a split second decision to bail off my bike.  My momentum sent me tumbling down the hill sans bike.  I had to hike up a few yards to retrieve it.  It was lying in an awkward position and it took me a few seconds to gain control.  This provided plenty of heckler fodder.  A couple of guys made it by me during this circus act.  I got back on but I think lost a bit of focus.  I was loosing traction in sections I should be able to handle and during the deep mud section took the same line I did on lap one.....Start running Forest!

Lap three started and I had no idea what place I was in.  I could see a few guys in front of me but could not see Brian, Chris or Todd anymore. 

I started playing it a little too safe and a few others passed me.  Things were not going well.   I was riding like I  was on a warm up lap.  I wasn't making any mistakes but I also wasn't setting lap records.  Pretty soon Steven(Old Town), Mark(Audi), David(Mafia), Matt(20/20 Fuel) and Art(Corpore Sano/Viking) all passed me.  I was moving backwards fast.  When is this going to be over?

I don't know exactly when it happened but somewhere during lap 4(2nd to last lap) I snapped out of my funk and started racing again.  I had no real chance of winning but I decided to make the remaining two laps count.  I was riding super aggressive and slowly stated overtaking the guys that had passed me.  Lap 4 ended well and I was ready a one lap super sufferfest.

I geared up, jumped out of the saddle and sprinted as hard as I could down the start/finish straightaway.  I made it by all that had passed me on lap three except Steve and Mark.  I got on Mark's wheel and was ready to overtake him when we reached the switchbacks for the last time.  A gal from the Cat 3 field was right in front of us and didn't move over to let us pass.  I think she panicked when we got on here and lost it as soon as she started downhill.  Both Mark and I had to dismount to get around her.(No muddy cartwheels this time)

I was able to get on his wheel again and we battled the rest of the way.  I thought I was going to overtake him but he had a better line though the last mud section and made it to the finish just in front of me.  I had no idea where I finished and  was happy that I didn't give up and finished strong.  It's amazing what one bad lap in these conditions can do to you.

I found out I ended up 7th and was actually surprised and quite happy.  When the final series standings were posted there was no surprise that Todd was on top after winning the day but Don(JL Velo) finished 2nd with 569 points, Chris(Audi) 3rd with 568 and I finished 4th with 567.  Are you kidding me! The three of us finished that close after seven races.  Wow!!  Congrats to Todd for taking it all.  It was time to hose off...literally and hook up with everyone for free beers and brats.  Thanks SCX for another great season!!

all photos by:
Denise Phillips

2011 SCX #6 - Sprinker Rec. Center

I had to travel for work and missed out on Woodland Park and Olympia last weekend.  I hadn't been on the bike for almost two weeks and I was worried how it might affect my performance.  Was I going to be off my game or would time off the bike actually do me some good?  Time to find out. 

I have to give thanks to couple of things.......Our new RV and NOT having to race at 9:15am.  It was a clear, beautiful Sunday morning but it was frikin' cold....I guess I should be thankful for a third thing.....NO rain.  That would have made it miserable.  Anyway when I woke up it was 29 degrees and the mercury was making no real effort to climb.  Those in the early races had to deal with that so won't complain(We're not wussy's, we just haven't had the chance to acclimate yet :)  When we arrived at the venue at 11:15 our thermometer showed it had reached the balmy temperature of 36.   After registering I bundled up and along with Chris and Mark from Audi I headed out for a spin on the course.  I must of had about 10 pounds of gear on to keep warm.  The course had thawed out and was actually pretty grippy.  There were some sections with rocks that could be an issue so I decided to bump up my tire pressure a little.  It was looking to be another course that was right up my alley, a "roadie course" as some of my competitors would coin it.  The exterior of the course was flat and fast.  The interior had a couple of short beach sections,  three barrier sections (two were on short run-ups) an off camber grass section and a rideable muddy uphill and downhill section.  That was it, pretty straight forward but still a lot to deal with.

After a couple of recon laps Chris and I headed back and sat my RV that was comfortably heated to about 80 degrees.  With about 1/2 until our start we headed out and warmed up in the parking lot.  I got chilled fast.  I decided I was going to be happier with a warm core so I headed back for a few more minutes in the RV.  I headed over to the staging area with ski gloves and a big, warm down coat.  I planned on leaving them on until just before the start. 

As we staged I took a look around and noticed we had a good sized field.  A few notable were absent.  Rocky had finally upgraded.  I heard that Larry(Stanley) had slipped a disc in is back a few weeks ago and was out.  That bummed me out.  He is a great guy and it is fun to battle it out with him in races.  Heal up fast Larry!!  My teammate Mark was also out with a nasty chest cold. I think guys knew there was a great opportunity to capitalize on the absence of three strong racers. 

The start was on a fairly wide paved section but the point where we entered the infield was really tight.  Getting a hole shot could be huge in this one.  The whistle blew and I probably had my best start of the year.  I don't like taking the lead on the first lap so for once I actually slowed up instead of having to sprint my ass off just to make it somewhere near the front.  Steven(Old Town), who has been racing super strong got though first and actually got a small gap on us right away. 

Brian(Stanley) was in second and I was in a group of about five others that were battling to get up on  Brian's wheel.  It was tight racing during the first couple of switchbacks but I was slowly able to move up.  As we moved to the interior of the course I finally got by Matthew(20/20 Fuel) and Todd(Collision One) and settled in behind Brian and after a minute or so we managed to get on Steven's wheel.  He was setting a good pace and before long we had a small gap on the rest of the field.  On one of the switchbacks I could Chris(Audi)who had a horrible start, drilling it hard to move through the pack.  The next time I was able to look back I could see they had some separation from the pack and was still working hard to close the gap. 

I started lap two still sitting in 3rd.  I think Brian took the lead from Steven somewhere before the first set of barriers.  When I remounted after the barriers I couldn't clip in with one shoe and fell off  a bit.  I just stayed calm.  There are a lot of places on this course where mistakes can be made and I wanted to make sure I didn't do anything to put myself further back.  I pushed really hard on the flat sections on the far side of the course and was able to hook back on just before the finish line. 

We still had a lot of racing left.  I had worked so hard to catch back on that I needed to sit in again and catch my breath.  About half way through the lap I could tell that someone was on my wheel.  I looked back and there was Chris(Audi).  Here we go again.  The rest of the lap was the same.  Brian and Steven were battling each other for position and Chris and I just did what we needed to to hang with them. 

I'm not completely sure what lap we were on but I think it was with three to go.  I finally made a move right before the first set of barriers and took the lead.  I decided to push the pace to see if I could make some noise.  After a minute or so I looked back and saw that Brian had dropped off some.  Steven was still stuck to my wheel and Chris had closed the gap.  Don and Brian were still in striking distance.  I finished the lap in the lead but it was still anyones race. 

Two laps to go.  I made a couple tiny bobbles during the first part of the course but it seemed like Steven could have passed me but didn't.  I think he was waiting for me to make a big mistake but I wasn't sure.  I tried to focus on my on ride.  If he or Chris happened to move past me it wouldn't be a bad thing.   We all made it though the first run-up barrier section clean and headed down towards the first sand section. I made it through clean and as we wound our way through to the downhill section I looked back and saw that Chris was NOT on my wheel.  What happened??  It turned out that he did and endo in the sand.  I kept my lead until we reached the short rideable climb in the middle of the course.  Just as I started up there were two slower riders right in the middle.  I decided to go high and Steven went low.  He blew by all of us like we were standing still.  Once again I had to kick it in overdrive to get back on his wheel.  By the time we made it to the finish line I had managed to get back on his wheel. 

Bell Lap!!  I moved by him in the same spot I did the lap before and focused on riding mistake free. 

I know how I can sprint and if I was on someones wheel (except for Mark's) I can out sprint most guys on a finish like this.   We reached the rideable climb again and just like the previous lap Steven made a move and took that hill like it was his.  Wow!!  This was turning into a two man dog fight!! I was able to get back on his wheel after the second run-up.  We made our way to the back side of the course and Steven slowed up slightly.  I didn't know if he was tired or just trying to force me to take the lead.  I was happy to just sit there. I was just going to wait for him to make a mistake or try to take him at the finish.  Unfortunately, while we were slowing up Chris and Todd were still going hard and were starting to close the gap.  I yelled Steven that they were coming and that we had to get going.  He didn't accelerate at all.  Hmmmmmm??? I made a split second decision to attack.  It happened on the flats just before the off camber grass section.  This was not going to be a half-assed effort, It was going to be all or nothing.  This was either going to be the move of the day or.......I dropped a couple of gears and jumped out of the saddle.  I took the off camber section hard and once through jumped out of the saddled again and attacked as hard as I could with out looking back.  I was in full blown suffer mode.  I entered the first part of the paved section and finally took a quick look back, not knowing what to expect.  Would he still be right on my wheel?  Had Chris joined him?  Was I going to go down in flames? To my surprosed Steven had not responded and I was able to sit up and coast the last couple hundred meters to the finish, hands raised in the air.  It felt great!!

Steven pushed me to the limit and I actually felt a little bad that someone had to finish second in this one.  He rolled through in 2nd with Chris right behind in third. 

The win moved from 8th to 3rd in the series and next week is shaping up to be an epic battle.  Todd is still the one to beat and the early forecast looks like it might be his kind of day, a rainy, muddy mess on a technical course.  See you next week!!

All photos by

Denise Phillips

2011 SCX #5 - Steilacoom - Part Deux

The first installment of Steilacoom was a complete disaster for me.   A back issue forced me to drop out at the start of the final lap.  It seemed to be a one time thing since I haven't had any issues since that race.   I was ready for a little redemption.

The weather turned out to be incredible for the beginning of November.  The course was setup similar to last years State Championship race.  It was run clockwise and the barriers were set in different locations.  One contained three barriers on an uphill section just after a sharp right turn.  With the gradient they seemed to be three feet tall.  The other was right before the paved straightaway near the finish.  Here is a video by maestroboomer from a race earlier in the day that will give you a view of the course
Race Video

A lot of people that raced in the earlier in the day told me there were tons of crashes.  I jumped on the course and took a couple of warm up laps. It seemed to be fast and not too technical but I could tell there were a  couple of areas that could send your bike flying if you weren't careful.

Our field gathered for staging about five minutes before our 1:30 start time.  I was feeling pretty loose but after a 15 minute delay I had time to let the anxiety set in and before I knew it I was nervous as hell.  I kept thinking about the last race out here and wondered if I would have a repeat back issue.  That would suck!  I had finally made it back up to the front row so I was hoping a good start would settle my nerves.

The large single speed field took off and a minute later we were sent on our way.   Mark, who had started just behind me, blew by on my left and I jumped on his wheel.  With all the braking to set up for the right turn onto the infield I found myself in about 6th position going in.  Unlike Steilacoom 1, I didn't try to force my way to the front right away.  I just let the leaders set the pace.  Once we made it to the first climb on the pavement I made a move and put myself in 4th by the time we crested.   Mark, Chris(Audi), and Steven(Old Town) were leading the way.  By the time we finished lap one we were still all bunched up in one big group.  This was setting up to be a good one.

Just about the time I was wondering where Rocky was he came flying by me.  By the time we reached the first climb he had taken the lead.  He had forced the pace and if we didn't react quick he (based on previous races) would just ride away from us.  Mark, Chris, Steven and I responded and by the time we reached the 2nd climb we had pretty much dropped the rest of the field.  Todd(Collision One) and a few others we still close enough to catch back on if we started playing games with each other. 

During the next lap Rocky finally warmed up and started to get a gap on us.  Mark was leading the chase with Steven, Chris and I right on his wheel.  We stayed wheel to wheel throughout the lap and only got separated on the fast downhill section where Mark was flying down with no fear leaving the rest of us to have to ride a little bit out of our comfort zone to stay with him. 

The next couple of laps were pretty much the same.  Rocky had the lead with Mark, Steven, Chris and I trying our hardest to NOT let him slip away.  I think it was sometime during lap five where the four of us got a little too settled in just pacing each other.  I was in a zone and didn't really notice that Rocky had increased his lead.  We finally reached a section that backtracked and I could see where he was.  I yelled at the others but no one seemed to want to pick up the pace.  I made a move to take the lead and really poured it on.   The rest jumped on my wheel and the suffer fest was on.

We started the final lap we were flying but we quickly realized we waited to long to hit the gas. Unless Rocky's bike exploded we were probably not going to catch him.  The four of us were going to battle it out for 2nd place.  We reached the paved climb and I jumped out of the saddle and drove as hard as I could.  When I reached the top Mark and Steven had dropped off but Chris was still right on my wheel.  I had a slight bobble going through the uphill barrier section and Chris ran right by me.  The course goes directly downhill after that and he was able to get a gap on me.  Crap!!  When the course turned back uphill and had to go beyond threshold to make up the ground.  By the time we reached the top I had closed by he still had a lead going into the next fast downhill section.  Lucky for me Chris came up on slower riders right at a hairpin turn and had to slow and wait to pass.  He made it though and I was soon on their wheels.  The section is a short, wide single track and there is not a lot of room to pass.  If I waited I was going to run out of course and never catch him.  I made the decision to move through.  I yelled "On your left!!" and both gals moved as far right as they could and I was just able to slip by.  By the time we hit the infield I was right on Chris' wheel.  We started winding our way through and I just sat there, completed gassed after closing the gap.  I started to accept the fact that I didn't have anything left to make a move to pass him and keep it.  After a few seconds I remembered that Chris has finished one spot in front of me in at least three races this year.  I was going to finish either 2nd or 3rd and I might as well give it a shot.  I took three or four really deep breaths and then as we started through a wide sweeping left had turn and made a move to pass.  I got around him and jumped out of the saddle and drove as hard as I could.  I made the right turn and headed for the last set of barriers.  I took a quick look back and saw that Chris was not able to respond to my attack.  I hit the paved section to the finish and sat up.  Rocky got the win but Chris, Steven, Mark and I had a great battle for 2nd.  Mark was able to hold on for 4th giving Garage two in the top five.  It was great day.

2011 SCX #4 - Enumclaw

While driving to Enumclaw Sunday morning I realized I feeling pretty good after yesterday's sufferfest.  Was I still riding the high from my win on Saturday?(or was it from the late night out with Denise?) It took the pressure off Today's race.  Yeah, I wanted to perform well but really just wanted to go out and have fun.

Like I stated in my previous post, Saturday and Sunday's races were like night and day.  The events had absolutely nothing in common.....NOTHING!!  Saturday's race was held on a beautiful Fall day in the Seattle city limits.  It was a little slick but mainly flat and fast.  Enter Sunday, a nasty ass day out in the sticks near Enumclaw on course that featured a monster run-up call The Grim Reaper, ankle deep mud and free beer!  This race was the poster child for cyclocross!  In other words.....Epic!

I arrived and found that we could use the campground facilities located at the fairgrounds.  Cool, full hook-ups for the RV.  Brian and Tamara came in a few minutes later with there rig and they backed in right in front of me. 

We were setup!  I got dressed and headed out on the course.  This was going to be insane.  After riding a full lap I still had no idea how I was going to approach the course.  I rolled back to the rig, hosed down my bike and then watched the Cat 1/2 guys race.   Later in the race many of them were taking beer handouts at the top of the run-up!  This was going to be a crazy, painful race.

It seems to be how it goes with our field.  The deluge really started right when we lined up to stage.  I think it is punishment for NOT having to get up at the crack of dawn to race.  I had a 2nd row start for this one but had a decent start.  I was in 6th or 7th as we entered the infield.  I was able to keep myself out of trouble while we all jockeyed for position during the first few tight turns.  We were getting ready to take the last turn in the infield before heading to the Grim Reaper when a guy in front of me lost it and went down.  I had to unclip to keep my balance and it took me a few seconds to regroup....No problem....Wrong.  Based on info from guys in earlier races I had planned on dismounting early and running up to the base of the climb on the first lap.  It was going to be really congested and it would be hard to ride.  Most everyone was doing the same thing but one guy in front of me did decide to ride it and lost it right in front of me as I was running by.  A bunch of us got tangled up and by the time I hit the bottom of the run-up I could see Brian(Stanley) and Todd(Collision One) remounting at the top.  Shit!!  I knew it would be super hard to catch them.  They had open road to work with and could probably get a nice lead if they worked it right.

The run-up was brutal, muddy, rocky, long and steep.

This started the "fun" section of the course. 

After the run-up the course took a sharp left by all the hecklers onto a muddy single track.  It then took a sharp left into a nasty, muddy downhill section.  At the bottom the course took another sharp right so if you brakes went bye, bye you were in trouble.  Next was deep, wide mud section that was rideable but if you got caught behind the wrong person you were in trouble.   After a short climb and another descent the course made its way to the fence bordering the football stadium.  It was a muddy, straight, off camber section that put a lot of riders on their arses all day.  After that we finally made back to the grass infield, through the barrier section, into a long, wet, muddy straightaway, through a barn and back to the finish.....No problem!!!

With all the traffic jams I was in during the first lap I knew I was not going to catch the three guys up front so it was time to work on my mud skills and make the best out of it.  Chris(Audi) and Chris(Olympia Ortho) and I had a killer little in-race going on and we pushed each other hard the rest of the way. 

By the time we started the final lap I had no idea what place I was in.  I guessed that I was probably sitting somewhere between 20th and 25th.  I was surprised to here I crossed the line in 9th.  Chris(Audi) won our little race for 8th and Chris(Olympia Ortho) came in right behind me in 10th.  It wasn't my best race but it sure was a blast.....Until....

As I sat in the beer garden drinking free beer....YES, FREE....Thanks New Belgium!!  

I was pointing out to someone where I had parked.  Just then I saw a team tent go flying and thought it hit my RV.  We ran over to check it out and that tent had taken flight, flew over the top of another RV and into the back window of Chris Jackson's car.  It was crazy because there was basically no wind all day and for just one minute a huge gust blew in.  After that it was calm.

2011 SCX#2 - Steilacoom

I delayed doing a write up of this race for over a week, somehow hoping I would find some way to have it permanently removed from my short term memory.  Everyone has a bad day on the bike.  With a full race schedule that started back in mid February and won't stop until the beginning of December you're bound to have a couple of races you would rather forget.  This was one of those races. 

My weekend started out in spectacular fashion.  Denise and I packed up the RV and headed to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest.  We had a great time.  I managed to even keep myself in check amongst the thousands of beer guzzling, lederhosen wearing party goers.  We made it back to camp and hung out around the fire for a while.  I actually managed to get an OK night of sleep.  I got up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning  and made the trek back over the pass.  I was looking forward to this race.  I finished well at both races there last year and was amped to kill it again.  I made it to venue in plenty of time and was able to get in a couple of laps on the course.  It was to my liking, wide open with some good climbing(for a cx race). I did notice I was a little stiff while warming up.  Standing on my feet all weekend + bad sleeping position + driving three hours straight to the race = stiff old man.  I decided to put in about 40 minutes on the training to try get more loosened up.

 I was sitting in 2nd overall after the 1st race so I got my call-up to the front row.   The gun sounded and off we went.  I had an OK start but by the time we entered the infield I was sitting 10th wheel. I soon realized I was feeling pretty good as I blew by six or seven guys during the first few turns and put myself in third right behind my teammates Mark and Dave.

The three of us set the pace through the lower section of the course.  We reached the downhill single track section still sitting 1,2,3.  As we came around the hairpin to start heading uphill I had a slight miscue.  Two guys were able to get by me but I was not worried.  By the time we reached the highest point on the course we were in a long single file line behind Mark.  Things were looking good.  We descended downhill and as we started lap two I was still in 5th there was no separation between me and the leader (Mark).  There were at least 10 others lined up right behind me as well.  This was going to be a battle.

Things were still going well at this point but that was about to change.

 I made the whipped around the tight hairpin and started up the climb still sitting 5th.  It was about that time I started to feel a sharp pain in my lower left back.  I have never had any kind of back pain while racing a bike so this was new to me.  It wasn't too bad so I just pushed on, hoping to just ride through it.  I managed to reach the top of the first climb right with the leaders.  We wound our way up towards the top of the course and that is where things started to fall apart.  The pain in my back went from tolerable to excrutiating.  It was hard to focus.  I felt like I was still driving hard but before I knew it the strong guys behind me slowly started to move by.  I was sitting 10th.  I was still in the mix and I figured that I could recover during the downhill sections....NOT!!  I had to change my position on the bike and while I was focusing on that two more guys made it by before we reached the bottom.  I kept pedaling but it was hard.  I reached the barrier section right before the start/finish and had trouble making it over, looking like the poster child for how NOT to get through barriers.  The hecklers let me have it. 

Lap four SUCKED!!  As I made my way down the paved section I looked over and saw the leaders already well through the first infield section.  Shit!!  I am going backwards.  As I struggled my way through the course I was getting passed one by one and was soon sitting around 20th.  Now it was time to just cut my losses and not drop down any further.  I started the climb and the pain factor was through the roof.  I eased up a little and that is when I noticed my left leg was going numb.  WTF was happening.  I basically pedaled up the hill with one leg.  By the time I made it to the top I had been passed by several more guys and two of the 1/2 women that started a minute behind us.  I was not a happy camper.  I basically coasted downhill at a snails pace to try to recover. 

When I started the last lap I wasn't even thinking about racing anymore.  I was completely consumed by the pain and my rubber leg.  I made it though the first part of the infield and as I passed the pits I realized I couldn't go on and collapsed onto the infield. As soon as I rolled on my back and stretched out the pain went away.  Several people ran over to see if I was OK and I just smiled and told them I was fine.  They probalby thought I was crazy.  I probably laid there without moving for five more minutes. I slowly made it to my feet and started to walk.  I could still feel a little pain but my leg was no longer numb.  I grabbed my pit bike and slowly walked back to my car.  I didn't care about the DNF but  was really worried about what had just happened.  I figured I would be in the doctors office Monday morning. 

When I got up Monday I had no pain or discomfort.  I decided to ride into work and had no issues.  I continued to train on the road all week and everything felt good.  I'm guessing it was just a freak thing related to the 100 or so WRONG things I did leading up to the race.   I continued to stretch every night throughout the week.  Hopefully this will never ever happen again.  Stay tuned for Silver Lake next  Sunday.

photos by Andrew Malocoff
Andrew's House of Bytes

SXC #4 - Ft. Steilacoom

What a difference a day makes. It was beautiful Halloween morning and I was excited for this race. It was billed as a "Crit on Dirt", a course a roadie would love. "What's not to like?" Denise and I got an early start and reached the venue in Lakewood at 8:30. There were already a ton of people there so I knew we would have a pretty large field. I registered, put my timing strap on my helmet and headed out on the course. It did look to be a tough, fast course. It was right up my alley. The first race was getting ready to start so I made my way to the end and headed back to the car. I was going to warm up on my trainer but decided to ride on the paved sections in the park instead. While I was out there a guy came up beside me and asked if I was the guy that won yesterday. It turned out to be 6XX who finished 2nd. We had a chance to talk. His name is Paul and he races for 4-Corners. He spends a lot of his time in Utah and this was only his 2nd race in Washington. He's a really nice guy but.......

It was finally our turn to race. It was great to see so many people in costume. As we staged I was really surprised that Jeff (Cycling NW) and I think the two guys that were sitting 2nd and 3rd in the standings were not there. I pointed out Paul to Brian and told him he would definitely be someone who would be in the mix.

Check out this awesome video by Kenton Berg. It is one lap of the single speed race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zttOBeNtG5k

You also read his articles on the Cyclocross Magazine's web site

http://www.cxmagazine.com/

The horn blew and off we went. We were the first field to go for this race so we would have open road for a while. It was a fast start. It was the first time I have had trouble clipping in and found myself in unfamiliar territory. As we hit the sharp left turn onto the grass I was sitting about 7th wheel. The first section on the grass was flat and fast. I was a little worried that the guys up front might get a gap and I would have to work extra hard to get back in the mix. By the time we hit the first set of technical turns I was still farther back than I wanted to be. I say technical but they were not that tight and you could still carry some speed. We were still stacked up and guys were taking every line possible. Wheels were getting chopped but everyone kept their cool and no one went down. We exited the tech section and onto a nice, long, flat, fast section. Everyone was riding hard and positions changed constantly. I would pass two guys then someone else would fly by me. We entered the woods and the trail tightened up but there was still room to pass. The speeds were still high so not much changed. Right before the first climb there was a sharp left turn that could get ugly at these speeds. A couple of wheels slid but everyone in front of me got through OK. It was a long, steady climb but not really steep. Paul went flying by me and I jumped on his wheel. We both moved in right behind Brian. It stayed that way until about 3/4 the way up when three guys came flying by. They were really gunning it. We were almost to the top and I was again sitting about 6th wheel. It was about this time that things started to sort themselves out. All three of those guys completely died right at the top. One of them almost came to a stop. Paul and I flew by and once again we were on Brian's wheel. The trail leveled out and we kept the pressure on knowing that some guys would use this as a place to recover. We got to the first downhill section which was on really soft dirt/gravel. It wasn't bad after the first race had pounded it down a bit. At the bottom we turned right and back onto the grass for the the 2nd "technical" section. It was short and slightly uphill. . As we maneuvered our way through I looked back and saw that the three of us had a nice gap and I could only see one guy coming off the downhill. We exited and hit the 2nd climb. It was shorter and less steep than the first. I was able to power to the top of this one. At the top we turned left and started heading back down on single track. The three of us were wheel to wheel with no one else near us. We came of the trail and onto straight downhill section on a nice paved. We got into a tuck and kept up the pace all the way down. When the path ended at the bottom we had to brake and negotiate a tight left. the transition was all dirt and gravel and I was a little worried about going into it too hot. It was not an issue. We were now winding our way back to the start/finish. We went around a barn and hit the first barrier. The hecklers were out in force yelling at us to "bunny hop" them. I remounted and headed though a few more turns and towards the 2nd set of barriers. These were at the end of a little straightaway so we were going into them hot. I made it though OK and it was on to the next lap.

We flew it down the paved section and then back onto the grass. As we worked our way through the turns I could see that no one was on our tail. It looked to be a three man race. I think once we knew that the cat & mouse game started. Our pace really slowed. I think Brian wanted someone else to take the lead and Paul and I were content to let him set pace. Brian worked it and Paul finally took the lead with me moving into 2nd. Soon after, Paul went wide on a turn and forced me to take the lead. We could do this for a while but if we kept it up we would have another 4 or 5 guys with us soon. I decided I wanted to keep this manageable so I didn't sit up. I pushed the pace to see what would happen. I worked hard all the way to the top of the climb. At the top I looked back and both were still right on my wheel. This was going to be a dog fight. We hit the 2nd climb and this time I really poured it on. When we got to the top I looked back and Paul was still on my wheel but Brian had dropped off. I told Paul that Brian wouldn't give up so we had to pick up the pace on the paved downhill section. That is just what we did.. By the time we hit the start/finish we had a nice gap. Now it was time for Paul and I to play some games. I had done a lot of work and I wanted to let him get in front. By the time we hit the first climb again he did take over. I think he hit it hard to see if he cold drop me. I was able to stay right on him.

As we started the final lap we started to lap riders. It was time to get through as many as we could and get as many of them between us and the rest of the field. I was following Paul's every move. I'm not sure if it was planned but though the turns on the grass he slowed up and forced me to pass him again. No worries, just ride my race and he has to get by me if he wants to win. Just then we got to a turn where the tape had come down. A woman didn't follow the proper route and cut right over the downed tape by accident and was coming the opposite direction right at me... HOLY SHIT!!! I yelled, "You're going the wront way!!!" I don't know if she panicked or did it on purpose but she went down right in front of me. I don't know how she didn't take us both out but we somehow got by her. Talk about an adrenalin rush! I heard that a bunch of other people did the same thing behind us. As we started up the last climb of the day there were three women on the trail. They took up the whole trail and there wasn't a good place to pass. I should have powered by them without hesitation but for some reason I decided to wait until we got to the top. Paul saw my hesitation and made a move on me. It took me a second to react. I got by them at the top and then had to ride hard on the downhill to get on him. Just as I caught him he made what I thought was a sketchy move around two more lapped women. I would not have passed them where he did. The trail split and the right side rose up and was off camber. It looked like his rear wheel was sliding out and if he lost it he would have taken both women down with him. He managed to stay up and and got by them in expert fashion. It was impressive. At the bottom of the hill I passed them and pushed it hard through the turns on the grass. We hit the paved downhill section and I floored it. I was moving faster than Paul and was right on him before we reached the bottom. We hit the hard left and I almost went down while trying to hold my speed. I was right on him and had him when we came up on two more women and a junior. He got out of the saddle and powered by. I got by the two women easily but I guess the junior was not about to let the old guy by. I yelled, "RACE LEADER, ON YOUR LEFT!!" for a second time but he didn't move over. I really had to work to get around him. That's the way it goes sometimes. OK, don't panic, anything can happen. Paul could plow into a barrier or crash on a slick corner..yeah right! I hit the first barrier and was only a couple of seconds back. I came up to the 2nd set really hot and was lucky I didn't take the first one out. I was close enough that maybe I could out sprint him on the paved straight away to the finish. I came off the grass and for some reason I thought it was a lot farther to the finish than it was. I hit the gas but ran out of real estate. I finished one second back in 2nd. We had a minute gap on Brian, who finished 3rd. Paul rode a smart, solid race. He made his winning move at the perfect time. It was great battle on a great course.

all photos by Denise Phillips

SCX #3 - Silver Lake

During my first season racing cross I have learned a lot and I still have a lot to learn. I've received great advice from seasoned vets and have figured out a few things on my own, some obvious, some not. One of those in the "obvious" column is that if the venue has the word "Lake" in it and there is even a grain of sand in the park then the organizers will find a way to incorporate sand into the course.

Check out Kenton Berg's video of one lap of the race. It it awesome and gives you a great visual of the course.
http://seattlecyclocross.com/?p=957


It was a beautiful, chilly, fall morning and I arrived to the venue early so I could get some laps in on the course before the first race started. The course was set up to use as much of the beach as possible. We basically had to negotiate the full length of it twice per lap. Not only that, but the rest of the course was all up and down with only a few, flat sections. Bike handling skills would be key for making it though unscathed.


After taking a slow lap on the course I noticed that my headset was extremely loose. I usually go over my bike carefully after every race but didn't have time this week. I would not be able to ride with confidence if I didn't get this fixed. No problem, I have my tools in my car. I broke off the course and started heading for the car to get it fixed. On my way I passed the Gregg's tent. They are doing neutral support for the series so I decided to let them check it out. For some reason they could not get it tightened all the way. The bolt seemed to be bottoming out. I didn't have a lot of time so he decided to go "Old School" and got another guy to push down on the bars while he tightened it up. It didn't completely fix the issue but it was at least rideable now. (Thanks guys!!) I headed back to the car to do a good 30 minutes on my trainer. With about 15 minutes until my start time I headed down to get ready for staging. The sun had finally climbed over the tree line and it was starting to warm up.


I am still sitting in first in the series so I got called out to the front row. Jeff (Cycling NW) and Brian(Stanley) were there ready to battle but both had missed a race so they were starting a few rows back. Hopefully I could use this to get a lead on them at the start. The whistle blew and off we went. The organizers were cruel. After just a short spring we hit the deep sand and instead of doing a full lap they had us take a u-turn half way through and go back the other way. I got a good start and hit the sand right in front. I thought I was in the clear but someone tagged my rear wheel and caused me to falter. I was still able to keep pedalling (maybe I should have jumped off and ran) but I'd lost momentum. Right then Jeff and Brian and a few others went flying by on my right. (how did they move through the crowd that fast). I guess there was a huge pile up right behind me and it caused a mangled mess that made it hard for guys to get though. When we hit the u-turn there was no way to keep momentum and stay on the bike so we dismounted and started running. The sand was deep and it wasn't easy to get though. As soon as I could I remounted and we headed for the technical section in the woods. As we climbed uphill we hit one of the two barrier sections on the course. There were two barriers and they were set up right as we were making an uphill turn to the right and the barriers were set at an angle which made them feel awkward and tall. The first time through I felt like a dork while jumping them. I was able to pick off a few of the guys that passed me in the sand. I was putting myself in the red while climbing the hill. I couldn't let Jeff and Brian get a big lead on me this early in the race. As we got to the top of the hill we started into a windy downhill section that eventually led us back down to the start. I was bunched in with a bunch of guys and figured I would try to pass them when we hit the beach again. I was right on Bob's(Cycle-U) wheel when all of a sudden he went down hard after a turn. I'm not sure how I missed plowing right into him but luckily I got around him without losing any momentum. I think Francisco(Byrne) was also able to get around but others were not so lucky. By the time we the start/finish I had managed to get most of the guys that passed me at the start but unlike most races I wasn't sure what place I was in. I could see Jeff and Brian when they passed by me on sections but didn't know if there were guys from our field in between them and me.

We started our first full lap on the course and I was able to fly all the way through the two long sand sections. I think this helped me pick up some time. We exited the sand and headed down a short single track section before hitting the second barrier section. It was on an uphill and once you cleared it, it was easier to just keep running with your bike until the hill leveled out a bit. I jumped back on and as I figured I needed to go full on again to see if I could pick up more time. Just then I hit a sharp, fast right turn and I heard my tire fold. BAM!! down I went...WTF!! I got back on fast and no one went by me. I got back up to speed and as I hit the next turn, same thing. Down I went. I was OK and jumped back on. As I started around the next turn I could hear my tire folding again. This time I let off and took the corner carefully. I looked back and $%$#!, my rear tubie was going flat. This sucked. Because of these crashes I noticed a few guys had come up on my wheel. I would just ride safe until the pits and grab a new wheel. As I went through the start I heard Mark M. cheering for me and I told him I was going flat. He and Jeff ran to the pits to help me. I hit the sand again and I was flying. The low pressure was actually helping me in the sand. I looked up and Mark was yelling that it I was in 3rd place and not too far back. Wow, I thought I was farther back and in 7th or 8th. I couldn't stop now. If there were any issues swapping out my wheel I could lose too much time. I waved them off and kept going. It looked like I could at least make it one more lap.

During the next lap I was able to fly though the sand and was able to get only within a couple of seconds from Brian. Every time we hit the technical sections I couldn't take corners aggressively and they would get a small gap. As we got ready for the final lap we started lapping riders and this actually helped me and I was able to get within striking distance. I'm not sure when but at some point Brian passed Jeff and took over 1st place. I hit the beach again to start the last lap (Thank God!) and again, was able to fly through. I made it up the hill, over the barrier and was ready to hit the gas. No such luck. My tire was folding under on ever turn and I was using every ounce of energy to stay upright. Brian and Jeff started to pull away. I looked back and didn't see anyone so my new goal was to stay steady and not drop any places. It was hard and I had to use every ounce of energy to stay upright on tight corners and still keep up a fast pace. I was never so happy to see the finish line. When we started the last lap I was right on their heels. When we finished I was 2o seconds back. I was extremely happy to be able to hang on for 3rd and I still have a nice cushion for the series lead.

all photos by Denise Phillips

SCX #2 - Beverly Park

All I can say about this race is INSANE!!!.......Insanely hard and insanely fun. I don't know if what I am writing down can acurately describe what is was like. If you have a chance watch Kenton Berg's video first.

http://seattlecyclocross.com/?p=919

It started raining hard Friday evening and never stopped. I got up Sunday morning and it was still as nasty out as ever. I'm glad I own an SUV because I packed two of everything, literally!! I finished breakfast and as I was almost ready to head out the door. I looked at Denise and asked if she was going. She held up the newspaper and her cup of coffee and said "Good luck, see you later!" I couldn't blame her. The race was at Beverly Park in the South Seattle area. When I arrived at the lot at 8:30 it was still a torrential down pour. Even though we had our tent setup down by the course I decided to set one up behind my rig so I could change and warm up on my trainer there and maximize my "dry time". I put on gear I wasn't going to race in and hit the course. Even before anyone had raced you could tell it was going to be a crazy, sloppy mess. After I got the lay of the land I headed back to my rig and changed into my racing gear. I set up my trainer and got in a good, dry 40 minutes before putting on my rain cape and riding one more lap.

In the SCX series my field is the first of four to go out. I was in the 2nd race of the day so I knew the course was going to be plenty chewed up. As we went to the staging area it was still pouring but at least is wasn't too cold. Since I won the first race I was able to get the call up to start in the front row. I noticed that Brian from Stanley wasn't there. Well, that's one guy I don't have to worry about. Jeff from Cycling NW who won the MFG race last week and Chad(Fanatic) who finished 2nd behind me at the last SCX race were lined up right next to me. This was going to be a good one.

The gun went off and and I powered hard to stay up front. It wasn't fast going down the rain soaked infield. I was able to settle in right behind Jeff. There was a large group of us bunched together as we made our way though this maze of mud. We wound through the first set of turns, over a single barrier and then up the steep, muddy run-up. The hecklers were out in force. It was hard to just get a foot hold so getting up fast was not the goal. I made it to the top and was still on Jeff's wheel. We were still a tight pack of 10 or so guys as we made our way to the back side of the course. The technical sections in the grass that are usually slow were now harder to negotiate. It took everything I had to hold my line and keep it going. We came off the grass and onto a short paved section and then through a short wooded section. There was a little dip as you entered but nothing bad. We came out of it and headed towards the trickiest section of the course. We hit the grass and there was a slight off camber left turn that flows right into a short off camber downhill that bows slightly to the left near the bottom. This was one of the favorite spot for fans. After getting though that craziness we hit a section that I think in dry conditions you could ride the whole thing but not today. We were still on the grass but the couse went slightly up hill and then hairpinned to the left while getting steeper. Pretty much everyone, including myself, didn't try to ride any of it. When we reached the top and re-mounted we quickly had to hit it. Normally this would the part of the race when you could really pour it on but not today. The hill was slick and the track was flooded and muddy. It wasn't bad but you had to think about your line. As we came around the track I took a quick look behind me and noticed that Jeff and I had devoloped a gap. What happened? They were all there a second ago. The person in 3rd must have crashed somewhere and no on could get around him. As we rounded the back side of the track I could see Chad and one other guy coming down the hill. Jeff and I had a nice little lead to work with. We then got to the other really tricky section on the course. It was a long "Bog from Hell" that you could ride but if you faltered or got caught in traffic you were going to be running in shin deep mud. As we ended that section we took a hairpin left and we both just jumped off and started running. It was crazy. Even when we remounted it wasn't easy to negotiate. As we started the next lap our lead had grown and I was happy to just sit on Jeff's wheel and watch for him to make a mistake. I think we were playing a little "Cat and Mouse", trying to get each other to take the lead. We got to the top of the run-up he faltered a little and I was forced to move around him. I decided to go hard on the back side of the course and see if I could get a gap on him but he was right on my tail. I stayed out front for a while but during the technical section on the grass I took a turn too wide while trying to get around a lapped rider and he slipped by. I didn't realize how well we both negotiated that course until I was able to watch the races that followed ours. We both had only slight bobbles but never went down until......

On the 2nd to last lap we hit the "Bog" on the back side of the track and at the hairpin Jeff went down. I was right on his wheel and I barreled right into him and went down as well. Our bikes were tangled up but since we had a big lead we didn't panic. We carefully got situated and got moving again.

On the last lap the announcer could see we had a heated battle going and tried to get the crowd into it. We were now lapping riders and many of them were thanking us for saving them from having to do their last lap. It seemed that Jeff was getting through the lapped riders with ease and I was having some trouble staying with him. We approached the muddy section on top of the hill and I was hoping that Jeff would make a mistake. We both made it though without issue. He was getting a gap on me now. I was starting to think to myself, "Just ride smart and don't make mistakes, you have 2nd locked up!" We got off the track and hit the "Bog" for the last time. We hit the hairpin and Jeff went down in the exact same place as the last lap. This allowed me to gain ground. We only had about 300 meters to go. We hit the track for the last time and I decided that if I wanted any kind of a chance to win I had to try something now. No matter what I would still get second so here we go. I hit the gas and went around him as fast as I could. I was a little surprised when he wasn't right on my wheel. I got a little gap and I only had three turns to go before the straight away into the finish. (easier said then done). It seemed to take forever. There were a ton of lapped racers to get by and if I made even a tiny mistake he could overtake me right before the finish. I was able to squeek by and glide across the finish line in first place!! This was the best win of the season for me. It was a great battle on a very challenging course on day anyone would call epic!!

photo#1 by Chris Dobrick

photo#2 by mgarty

photo#3 by Kenton Berge

Just a note for any of you that might start calling me a "Sandbagger". This was only my 6th race ever in my first season racing cross so I don't really care but........I have put in for my upgrade and will be racing 3's next week......on a dry course.