What race is this you say? Well, Denise and I decided that our Thanksgiving weeked would consist of us driving over to Pullman on Thanksgiving day and go to the Apple Cup on Friday....GO COUGS!! On the Tuesday before we left I saw an email announcing a race in Pullman on Saturday. I decided to load up my bike and if I felt like it I'd race.
Thanksgiving dinner in the RV lot was a blast and the game the next day was awesome....if you're a Coug that is? It had been dry but late Friday night it began to pour. The wind picked up and it lasted througout the night. When we got up Saturday morning it was still drizzling but the wind had died down and it wasn't too cold. We packed things up and drove the 1.5 miles to the venue. Since they announced it late and it was a holiday weekend I knew the fields would be small. If it was too small I was just going to get a couple of warmup laps then pack up and head home.
The course was at the top of Observatory Hill and the view of campus and the surrounding Palouse was awesome. The course looked mamath and had just about everything. Part of the course was on an old equestrian track. There was more climbin per lap than any race I'd done this year. Throw in some mud, grass, gravel, pavement, barriers a tunnel and you had a pretty cool course. After taking a couple of very confusing warm up laps (It was really hard to tell where the course went in several places) I went up to check registration. With 15 minutes until the start I decided I'd throw down the money and race. I didn't want to wait and race in the 1/2 field at 2:30 so I opted for the open 40+ race at 12:15pm
It was a sanctioned race so officials were on hand. we were let loose on paved section that was slightly downhill. The course was entered by grabbing the brakes hard and negotiating a hard right turn that transitioned to an off camber, downhill grass section. After a couple of turns we were on the horse track. This was a really cool section. About half way around the track there was a log obstacle that could be ridden. I was right on the heals of the leader but had a bobble while trying to maintain momentum after getting over the log. I lost a few seconds but was able to catch back on during the rest of the section on the track. After making an almost full rotation of the track the course took a left hairpin to what I thought was one of the toughest sections. It was fairly steep climb large loose gravel. I really had to fight the bike the whole way up. At the top we took a sharp right and flew back by the start/finish area (first lap was really a half lap) and then a hard left to a run up.
I was right on the heals of the leader but when I set my bike down at the top of the run up I dropped my chain (more on that later). It dropped below my chain keeper and it took about 5 to 10 seconds to get it back on. There was still plenty of racing left so I was hoping I could gradually catch back on. I got to the next short climb and noticed my chain was "jumping". It wasn't skipping gears, it was like there was a stiff link. It was more annoying than anything else.
I took the muddy downhill section extra fast to try to make up some time. I reached the paved parking lot and hit the gas. Unfortunately the tape at the end of the lot had be broken and there was no one there to point the correct way to go. I went straight and after a couple of seconds someone finally started yelling at me that I was off the course. Shit!! I quickly turned around and got back on track. I made it the the next climb which was about 13% at one point. It was a grind. At the top I took a slight right turn that led to a tunnel. I came out of the tunnel and as I wound my way through the course I managed to take another wrong turn. It was totally confusing (there was someone there pointing you the correct way on the next lap). I quickly turned around and could now see that Alan had about a 15 second gap on me. Unless he had a major mechanical it was going to be hard to catch him. I looked back and saw that no one was on my wheel so I just focused on running a clean race. I was actually hard to stay focused while my chain was jumping but as soon as I realized it was not slowing me down I pressed on.
I rode the rest of the race error free but never made up any time on Alan. I ended up finishing 2nd and had a blast racing that course. I think I was the only racer from the West side there. As a bonus the prizes were all Cougar related so no complaints here.
When I got home I finally took a look at my bike. I couldn't see anything wrong. I finally decided to remove the chain and found that two of the links were totally tweaked. That is what caused it to jump. Into the garbage it went.
Showing posts with label cyclocross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cyclocross. Show all posts
Monday, February 4, 2013
Monday, October 31, 2011
2011 MFG #4 - Magnuson Park
While most people were still trying to figure out their Halloween plans the Seattle cycling community was set. We had our 2nd "Double Dip" racing weekend of the season. MFG put on their race Saturday at Magnuson Park followed by the SCX race in Enumclaw on Sunday. The differences between Saturday and Sunday were like night and day and that made for a great weekend of racing. I sometimes wonder why the hell I put my body through the pain every weekend when I could be sitting on my couch, beer in hand, watching football.....Oh yeah, because this shit is fun!
Friday's weather was as shitty as it gets around here but by Saturday morning we were greeted with about the nicest Fall day you could asked for. It was my wife's birthday, I was going to wear my new Garage kit for the first time and after taking a warm up lap on the course I realized it was perfect set up me. To say I was a little amped was an understatement! I didn't really need much of a warm up.
When I said the course was set up for me I wasn't kidding. It was super fast. I've never seen more long, straight, paved sections on a cross course. There was even a little climb thrown in as well. It was more like a road circuit course then a cross course, except........ Friday's downpour did leave the grass super wet and the tight sections on the infield an especially the area by the tennis courts were going to be slick and tricky. Course Map
After my less than stellar performance at Stiellacoom #1 I was still lucky enough to get a front row start and I really wanted to take advantage of it. I normally sit back a little and let someone else set the pace on the first lap but I had no plans of sitting in today. I definitely wanted to represent well for my new team. I didn't end up having the greatest start but because of the long, paved straightaway I was able to recover and sprint my way back up to the front of the pack by the time we reached the infield. Man, I still can't believe how competitive our field is!
There was a lot of battling going on during the first set of tight turns. We have so many strong riders who are all capable of winning and any slight mishap can cost you a podium spot. I touched wheels, elbows and shoulders with many others as we battled for position. By the time we reached the short straightaway the top ten positions had already changed several times and I had bounced form 3rd to 7th and finally settled into 4th when things got sorted out. A guy did loose his grip during this section and went down. This helped four or five of us to get a little gap as we hit the next long straightaway that led to what I thought was the trickiest section on the course......The tennis courts. Racers come into this section hot and have to slow to a crawl to make the 90 degree turn that led you around the perimeter of the courts. The mud was rim deep here and the best line through was to hug the tiny, paved strip next to the metal fence that lined the courts.
There was only room for one rider at time and during the first lap we were packed in. Some guys did try to ride the mud but that didn't seem to go well for them when they tried to make the 2nd 90 degree turn. I managed to hold my line and made it though unscathed. MFG added a wooden stair climb feature on the back side of the course but it wasn't as sketchy as it was at Marymoor. After making it through the mud we flowed into the fastest section of the course. Hell, it was the fastest section of any course I've race on. It started on a wet, packed gravel road which transitioned to a nice little climb followed by a short descent. After a tight left turn you are back onto the long, paved start/finish straightaway. By the time we started lap two I had worked my way into first place.
As I pedaled my way though the first set of turns I took quick look back and saw that Larry(Stanley) was right on my wheel. It looked like Brad(20/20 Fuel) and Mark(Two Wheeler/Specialized) were just a few meters behind. Larry and I took advantage of our small gap we had and worked hard to get around slower riders from the first field. Every time we reached a fast, straight section we gunned it hard, hoping other might use these sections as recovery points. By the time we started lap three I still had the lead but Larry was breathing down my neck. His team was working the course so I think he got some motivation from all the cheering. I was constantly hearing his name being yelled throughout the course. By the time we were half way through lap three I realized we were both riding super strong. Unless one of us had a mechanical or super bad mishap it was going to be a two man race from here on out. Sometime during the lap Larry stormed by and I settled in on his wheel. He was riding a way better race than me technically but I was able to close on him any time the course opened up. We started lap four with a comfortable gap on the rest of the field. It still wasn't a shoe in as Brad and Mark were still pushing hard to catch us.
Lap four was pretty much the same. Larry kept the lead throughout the lap and I just focused on taking clean lines and NOT F'ing up in any way.
The last lap started and I felt like it was still the first lap.
I was feeling really good and quickly decided I did not want to finish 2nd. I'm sure Larry wasn't thinking, "2nd place would be really cool, I'll just let Sean win this one!" So......let the games begin! There was a point while we were winding through the infield where Larry kept looking back. I'm not sure if he was trying to figure out how I was feeling or to see if anyone else was closing. I think he wanted me to take the lead back as he did slow up a bit. We reached a section that allowed us to see our chasers. The only ones I could see were Brad and Mark and it looked like Mark was putting in a huge effort to close on us. If Larry and I started to play "Cat and mouse" games, Mark could easily catch us. I decided to that I would make a move on Larry before we got to the crazy tennis court section. Bad timing......Just when I was going to make my move we closed on two women we were going to lap. Shit!! I eased up because Larry and I would both catch them right as we entered the mud and there wasn't room for four of us. We were able to squeak by without incident. We started working our way around the courts but just as we made the next 90 degree turn two riders in front of us collided and locked bars. They didn't go down but were at a standstill right in front of us. I yelled at them to hold their ground, which they did and luckily we both were able to get by.....Damn, this was not going to be easy. This was as high as my heart rate got during the whole race. We made our way to the steps and I had an unfortunate slip. I had to put a foot down as I took the last corner leading up to the step. Larry made it though clean and passed a couple of slower riders in the process. We reached the gravel section and Larry had a small gap on me. He looked back, got in the drops and gunned it. Shit!! I geared up and gave chase. I took a quick look back and there was Mark. He had closed on us. He apparently had either ran out of gas trying to catch us or just couldn't match our speed on the straights. When we made the sharp right turn to head up the hill I was on Larry's wheel and Mark was no longer in striking distance. Once of us was going to win! I decided that I was going to sit on his wheel, draft off him through the first part of the long finish straight and then try to come around him at the end. I was right on his wheel as we approached the tricky corner transitioned to the long, paved straightaway to the finish. Larry made a nice, clean transition through....I wasn't so lucky. I came in a little hot and almost overshot the turn. I had to brake to keep myself on the course. 
Larry got a little gap on me. Shit!!! My master plan just went down the toilet. He saw he had a gap and hit the gas. I got in my biggest gear and started to wind up. I actually didn't think I had a chance but about half way to the finish I realized I was flying. A few seconds later I realized he had no chance. With about 50 meters to go I flew by him and won going away.
I almost felt bad about beating him. We had an epic battle and it was too bad someone had to take 2nd in that one. OK, wait, I'm glad it wasn't me. It was super cool to get a win in my first official race for Garage!!Now it was time for a great evening with Denise and hopefully recover in time for tomorrow's pain fest.
all photos by
denise phillips
Monday, October 24, 2011
2011 MFG #4 - Raceway CX - Marymoor
Battered and bruised after last weeks SCX race at Silver Lake I jumped in the rig for the short trek out to the Marymoor Velodrome. It rained pretty hard off an on all day Friday and Saturday but was starting to clear up a bit as I entered the parking lot. I registered and had a chance to watch my teammate Tina go wire to wire in the women's 4 field! Theresa and Brianne took 3rd and 5th. After only one race the team was looking good. I kitted up and took a couple of recon laps on the wet course. It was getting a little shredded after the pounding of 300 or so racers but so far it was holding up nicely with only a few areas of rim deep mud. There were a couple of tricky off camber turns around the velodrome but other than that it was a fast course. A new element was added in the place of the traditional uphill barrier sections. A nice flight of wooden stairs (slippery when wet) that briefly brought riders up to the edge of the velodrome. I watched a lot of riders go down during this transition but crashes were happening all over the course. As usual, tire pressure was going to be key.
I've been going a bit backwards as of late but I still managed to get a front row call up when we staged. I really needed to get a good start. Zac sent us off and WTF??...I actually had my best start of the year and made the first turn sitting 3rd wheel, right behind Todd(Collision One) and Robert(Team CNC), who always seems to have good starts. I knew Rocky, Larry and the rest of the crew were not far behind so it was time to try to make the best of my early good fortunes. Even after the long start the first part of the course was still mainly straight and fast. Course Map There was some serious jockeying going on and I moved from 3rd to 5th and back to 3rd before we made out way to the steps. The first time through was pretty crazy. We were in one big heap and timing through this section was key. During previous races I'd seen racers dump it by dismounting too late, by slipping on the wet stairs and by remounting too early. My plan was to dismount as we made the turn, make it up the stars without looking foolish and then run to the highest point by the velodrome railing before jumping back on. Being in 3rd really helped. I made it though clean but could hear guys going down behind me. We powered into the interior of the velodrome and that is when I decided to make a move. I'd been a little tentative of late and it was time for a change. I drove past Robert and Todd and into the lead. We hadn't caught any riders from the field in front of us and it was nice having open road to work with. I was feeling pretty good so I continued to up the pace. By the time lap one was over I was still sitting first wheel. All the big hitters were still on my wheel but the pack was starting to spread out.
Lap two was pretty much like the first. I did relinquish my lead and gain it back a couple of times. The racing was pretty fierce. By the time we finish lap two Rocky and Larry had mad it by me. I was OK with just sitting on Larry's wheel for a while.
Lap three was more of the same except we had started to hit a lot of traffic from the first field. Rocky and Larry were able to get by several of them on the early straight sections and got a small gap on us but nothing too serious.....YET!! I had a little bobble on one of the tight infield turns and got caught in the tape. I was able to get untangled pretty quick but with my momentum slowed, a handful of guys made it by. Man, you cannot make too many mistakes in this field. By the time we were done with the lap I was sitting 6th. I had moved back some but was still feeling good. I don't know if it was because we did 6 laps the last time we raced here of if I just wasn't paying close attention. I had put myself in the hurt locker to get back on with the lead group and thought we had two to go...NOT!! As I crossed the start/finish line it was the first time time had stopped and the lap board was out. It read 3 to go, not 2. Shit!!
I had gaged my effort mentally for two more laps. It shouldn't have been a big deal but lap four was a mess. I got passed by a couple more guys and must have hit course post and/or went though course tape three or four different times. Some guy I'd passed from the early field actually made a comment to me about it. We came though one of the muddier sections on the course and I caught a big ass clump of muddy ass grass right in the left lens of my glassed. When I tried to flick it off it just smeared. Now I was blind in one eye. I decided I was going to wait until I reached the pits an then toss them to my teammate Vern. I couldn't really see and instead of waiting for the last left turn and then going directly by the pits I tried to toss them over a full section of the course....NOT! They landed right in the middle of the course and I went through another post and into the tape. Luckily I was able to get through without dismounting. Paul(Cyle Therapy) and Don(JL-Velo) flew by. I made the corner and there were my $260 Oakleys sitting in the middle of the trail. I thought they were toast but everyone was nice enough to NOT hit them and they were back in my hands after the raced undamaged.....Anyway.....Don and Paul are super strong so I just got on Don's wheel and let them set pace. We made our way onto the track and as Don was getting ready to transition onto the interior of the velodrome he went down hard on the pavement. I barely managed to miss t-boning him. A couple more guys got by.
Two laps to go and it was time to regroup and make a race out of it. I had gone from 1st to about 13th and was not happy. I decided to put myself into puke mode and at least get something out of this. I felt a lot better on lap 6 and did manage to get by a couple of guys. One lap to go and I could see everyone ahead except Rocky and Larry. I pushed as hard as I could and as usually, no one felt the urge to be nice and wait for me. I could see Brian(Stanley) closing fast. He had an earlier mechanical and was making up for lost time. I focused on not letting him catch me and at the same time worked on really Robert T. back in. By the time we were half way done with the final lap I had made it on Robert's wheel. I was starting blow up but tried to remember that I only had to suffer for a few more minutes and made a move to get by him. This gave me some momentum and I was able to get a gap on him. I saw several others just ahead and pushed even harder to catch them too.........But.....I ran out of course and came across the line in 9th. It was the first time I actually collapsed onto the infield after a race. Besides a couple of small mishaps I actually had a pretty solid race. Unfortunately, eight others were a little more solid today. Rocky took the win....again....after a hard fought battle with Larry. I bow to them today. I was pretty satisfied with my effort. Next week we have MFG on Saturday and SXC on Sunday. Halloween weekend is going to be painfully fun. There you there.
I've been going a bit backwards as of late but I still managed to get a front row call up when we staged. I really needed to get a good start. Zac sent us off and WTF??...I actually had my best start of the year and made the first turn sitting 3rd wheel, right behind Todd(Collision One) and Robert(Team CNC), who always seems to have good starts. I knew Rocky, Larry and the rest of the crew were not far behind so it was time to try to make the best of my early good fortunes. Even after the long start the first part of the course was still mainly straight and fast. Course Map There was some serious jockeying going on and I moved from 3rd to 5th and back to 3rd before we made out way to the steps. The first time through was pretty crazy. We were in one big heap and timing through this section was key. During previous races I'd seen racers dump it by dismounting too late, by slipping on the wet stairs and by remounting too early. My plan was to dismount as we made the turn, make it up the stars without looking foolish and then run to the highest point by the velodrome railing before jumping back on. Being in 3rd really helped. I made it though clean but could hear guys going down behind me. We powered into the interior of the velodrome and that is when I decided to make a move. I'd been a little tentative of late and it was time for a change. I drove past Robert and Todd and into the lead. We hadn't caught any riders from the field in front of us and it was nice having open road to work with. I was feeling pretty good so I continued to up the pace. By the time lap one was over I was still sitting first wheel. All the big hitters were still on my wheel but the pack was starting to spread out.
Lap two was pretty much like the first. I did relinquish my lead and gain it back a couple of times. The racing was pretty fierce. By the time we finish lap two Rocky and Larry had mad it by me. I was OK with just sitting on Larry's wheel for a while.
Lap three was more of the same except we had started to hit a lot of traffic from the first field. Rocky and Larry were able to get by several of them on the early straight sections and got a small gap on us but nothing too serious.....YET!! I had a little bobble on one of the tight infield turns and got caught in the tape. I was able to get untangled pretty quick but with my momentum slowed, a handful of guys made it by. Man, you cannot make too many mistakes in this field. By the time we were done with the lap I was sitting 6th. I had moved back some but was still feeling good. I don't know if it was because we did 6 laps the last time we raced here of if I just wasn't paying close attention. I had put myself in the hurt locker to get back on with the lead group and thought we had two to go...NOT!! As I crossed the start/finish line it was the first time time had stopped and the lap board was out. It read 3 to go, not 2. Shit!!
I had gaged my effort mentally for two more laps. It shouldn't have been a big deal but lap four was a mess. I got passed by a couple more guys and must have hit course post and/or went though course tape three or four different times. Some guy I'd passed from the early field actually made a comment to me about it. We came though one of the muddier sections on the course and I caught a big ass clump of muddy ass grass right in the left lens of my glassed. When I tried to flick it off it just smeared. Now I was blind in one eye. I decided I was going to wait until I reached the pits an then toss them to my teammate Vern. I couldn't really see and instead of waiting for the last left turn and then going directly by the pits I tried to toss them over a full section of the course....NOT! They landed right in the middle of the course and I went through another post and into the tape. Luckily I was able to get through without dismounting. Paul(Cyle Therapy) and Don(JL-Velo) flew by. I made the corner and there were my $260 Oakleys sitting in the middle of the trail. I thought they were toast but everyone was nice enough to NOT hit them and they were back in my hands after the raced undamaged.....Anyway.....Don and Paul are super strong so I just got on Don's wheel and let them set pace. We made our way onto the track and as Don was getting ready to transition onto the interior of the velodrome he went down hard on the pavement. I barely managed to miss t-boning him. A couple more guys got by.
Two laps to go and it was time to regroup and make a race out of it. I had gone from 1st to about 13th and was not happy. I decided to put myself into puke mode and at least get something out of this. I felt a lot better on lap 6 and did manage to get by a couple of guys. One lap to go and I could see everyone ahead except Rocky and Larry. I pushed as hard as I could and as usually, no one felt the urge to be nice and wait for me. I could see Brian(Stanley) closing fast. He had an earlier mechanical and was making up for lost time. I focused on not letting him catch me and at the same time worked on really Robert T. back in. By the time we were half way done with the final lap I had made it on Robert's wheel. I was starting blow up but tried to remember that I only had to suffer for a few more minutes and made a move to get by him. This gave me some momentum and I was able to get a gap on him. I saw several others just ahead and pushed even harder to catch them too.........But.....I ran out of course and came across the line in 9th. It was the first time I actually collapsed onto the infield after a race. Besides a couple of small mishaps I actually had a pretty solid race. Unfortunately, eight others were a little more solid today. Rocky took the win....again....after a hard fought battle with Larry. I bow to them today. I was pretty satisfied with my effort. Next week we have MFG on Saturday and SXC on Sunday. Halloween weekend is going to be painfully fun. There you there.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
2011 SCX #3 - Silver Lake
I don't think I've been more anxious for an upcoming race all year. I was still nervous that the "back thing" would show up and ruin my day again. I had a good week on the bike but still couldn't stop thinking about it. I got to the "No Pets, No Alcohol" Park super early so I could secure a good spot for the RV. I decided to get registration out of the way and find a good spot to heckle the riders in the 9:15 race. I jumped in line and saw a good friend of mine up in front. I asked him how he was doing and he responded, "I'm out!!" He had completely trashed his rear derailleur during warm up and had no way to fix it in time for his race. He was just going to head home. I asked him if he wanted to use my pit bike. He took me up on an offer and after we switched out the pedals he was good to go. He was able to race well enough to keep his front row call-up for the next SCX race!! I was happy to have shown up at just the right time. Does that mean I'd have good karma the rest of the day???
After watching a couple of races I kitted up and did some course recon. There were some noticeable changes from last year's set up. For starters we were not doing the 180 turn around to start the race after the first sand section. We also had the whole beach to use on the way out so we had the option of riding right at the water's edge where the sand was easier to ride. The interior of the course was a little different but still held the same elements as last year. On the first warm up lap I rode high and could easily ride both sections but that was with no one in my way. During my second run through I took the water route and could easily ride both sections. It was a little dicey making the transition to and from the water's edge so I had no clue how I'd approach it during the race. Even after my horrible race last week I was still able to get a call up to the 2nd row. I was hoping to get a good start and get by a few of the front row guys before the sand.
We were sent off and I got an OK start. I didn't get by any of the front row guys but I didn't lose any spots either. We spread out as we hit the sand. My teammate Mark was first to get there and was able to forge though unmolested. I was in the trenches and was making contact with everyone around me but was still moving forward. Before I knew it I flying through the air sans bike showing off my best Superman pose. Dohhhh!! I'm not sure if I hit a wheel in front of me or just augured in on my own. Right as I hit the ground Alex(Garage) who was right on my wheel had no place to go and plowed right into me...Sorry Alex!. More guys went down and it became a tangled mess.
When I jumped up I had no idea where my bike was. I ended up having to swim upstream about 5 meters to grab it. Shit, now I had to run the whole section of the beach while watching Mark and the other leaders start to exit the sand. I was now near the back of the field.
here is a video posted by Bill Koonce that shows the start. I am in the 2nd wave. You can kind of see the pile up in the background. You can then see me in the green and black kit running for my life near the back of the field. I had a lot of catching up to do. A Day on the Beach
This was not how I pictured the start in my head. By the time was back on the bike Mark and the leaders were long gone. After the sand it was really slow going as I hit the run-up and the first barrier. I remounted and soon noticed that I could not shift my rear derailleur and was stuck in a high cadence gear. I got passed by a couple of guys while I looked down to inspect my drivetrain to try to figure out the problem. Everything looked OK so I just started pedaling like a mad man. I must have been pushing 120+ rpm. It was nice for the uphill sections but otherwise it sucked. I would just have to make it to the pits and grab my backup. I was so focused on getting my rear derailleur to shift that I don't really remember the rest of the lap. Sand must have jammed something up because when I was reached the back side of the course it started shifting normally again.
I started lap two with no idea what place I was in. I knew I was no where near the front so I figured I'd just make my own little race out of this. I decided that instead of completely killing myself for five straight laps I was going to focus on racing smart and making as few mistakes as possible. I was catching so many of the single speeders that each sand section was a mess. I was only going to ride the sand sections I knew I could make it all the way through with out dismounting.... Even though I HATE sand and running....I hate running through sand!!(Have I mentioned that before?) This actually really worked well for me. During the 2nd sand section I ran past at least 10 guys who were just trying to keep their bikes upright. As I entered the interior of the course I realized I was in a nice little zone. I was slowing moving my way back up through the field. The climbing sections were also great for me. I was easily able to overtake other riders and was recovering fast afterwards. I still didn't know what place I was in but I was having a good time.
As we started lap three I finally found myself riding next to a familiar face. Larry(Stanley), who is a strong rider somehow appeared out of no where. Was he behind me all this time?? He moved past me and was setting a good pace. I was able to pass him on the climbs but he was having a better day through the technical sections and kept passing me right back. I couldn't believe when Don(JL Velo) hooked up with us. I thought these guys were way in front of me??? He was riding like a man possessed and quickly passed both of us. The three of us continued to pick off riders during the next two laps.
We started lap five and I soon saw Chris(Audi) just ahead. Wow!!! If we are catching him we must be doing OK??. We got by Chris and he was able to pick up the pace and hold my wheel. As we headed up the hill and into the trees we caught a bunch of slower riders form the first field and Don and Larry were able to get by them before the trail tightened. By the time Chris and I made it though they had a gap on us. Chris and I pushed on and after a slight bobble on my part at one of the off camber downhill corners he passed me. I looked at my Garmin for the first time and saw we were about 40 minutes in. Is this the last lap?? I wasn't sure so I pushed as hard as I could only to see the a big "1 lap to go" on the board as we flew by the finish... Shit!!
The last lap was not fun. I was giving it all I had but Chris and I were not catching any more guys. Why didn't they slow down and wait for us? We're nice guys!....As we wound our way through the back side of the course I decided to make another move to get by him. I managed to squeak by but he passed me in the exact same place as he did on the previous lap. We climbed up the hill and I looked back and all I could see were handful of women we had just lapped. I looked back again when we hit the next set of switch backs and could see no one from my field. WTF!! I took one last look back when we came thought the last section of the course by the beach and was still confused that no one was behind us. I sat up and soft pedaled the rest of the way in. As I made my way through the last turn before the finish I saw a bunch of guys from my field, including my teammates Mark and Dave who I'd passed a couple of lap earlier standing in the infield. As I rode by Mark started laughing and yelled, "Ha, you two had to do all six laps!" Apparently Ian Mackie(What is it with guys named Ian around here?? They are all bad ass bike racers!! Here is some advise: If you are planning on having kids and one day hope to get them into bike racing, just name your son Ian and he be bound for greatness) had set a wicked pace and lapped all but 10 guys in my field. I was #10. That is why no one was behind me for the last lap. Ian and possibly a few other single speed guys had lapped them before the start of our last lap. They were done. I could have walked my bike for the whole last lap and still finished 10th! It was the happiest 10th place I've ever got since I started racing cross. I felt good and after the initial spill at the start I raced a good, solid race. Oh, and I'm still finding sand in places I didn't think it could reach.
After watching a couple of races I kitted up and did some course recon. There were some noticeable changes from last year's set up. For starters we were not doing the 180 turn around to start the race after the first sand section. We also had the whole beach to use on the way out so we had the option of riding right at the water's edge where the sand was easier to ride. The interior of the course was a little different but still held the same elements as last year. On the first warm up lap I rode high and could easily ride both sections but that was with no one in my way. During my second run through I took the water route and could easily ride both sections. It was a little dicey making the transition to and from the water's edge so I had no clue how I'd approach it during the race. Even after my horrible race last week I was still able to get a call up to the 2nd row. I was hoping to get a good start and get by a few of the front row guys before the sand.
We were sent off and I got an OK start. I didn't get by any of the front row guys but I didn't lose any spots either. We spread out as we hit the sand. My teammate Mark was first to get there and was able to forge though unmolested. I was in the trenches and was making contact with everyone around me but was still moving forward. Before I knew it I flying through the air sans bike showing off my best Superman pose. Dohhhh!! I'm not sure if I hit a wheel in front of me or just augured in on my own. Right as I hit the ground Alex(Garage) who was right on my wheel had no place to go and plowed right into me...Sorry Alex!. More guys went down and it became a tangled mess.
When I jumped up I had no idea where my bike was. I ended up having to swim upstream about 5 meters to grab it. Shit, now I had to run the whole section of the beach while watching Mark and the other leaders start to exit the sand. I was now near the back of the field.
here is a video posted by Bill Koonce that shows the start. I am in the 2nd wave. You can kind of see the pile up in the background. You can then see me in the green and black kit running for my life near the back of the field. I had a lot of catching up to do. A Day on the Beach
This was not how I pictured the start in my head. By the time was back on the bike Mark and the leaders were long gone. After the sand it was really slow going as I hit the run-up and the first barrier. I remounted and soon noticed that I could not shift my rear derailleur and was stuck in a high cadence gear. I got passed by a couple of guys while I looked down to inspect my drivetrain to try to figure out the problem. Everything looked OK so I just started pedaling like a mad man. I must have been pushing 120+ rpm. It was nice for the uphill sections but otherwise it sucked. I would just have to make it to the pits and grab my backup. I was so focused on getting my rear derailleur to shift that I don't really remember the rest of the lap. Sand must have jammed something up because when I was reached the back side of the course it started shifting normally again.
I started lap two with no idea what place I was in. I knew I was no where near the front so I figured I'd just make my own little race out of this. I decided that instead of completely killing myself for five straight laps I was going to focus on racing smart and making as few mistakes as possible. I was catching so many of the single speeders that each sand section was a mess. I was only going to ride the sand sections I knew I could make it all the way through with out dismounting.... Even though I HATE sand and running....I hate running through sand!!(Have I mentioned that before?) This actually really worked well for me. During the 2nd sand section I ran past at least 10 guys who were just trying to keep their bikes upright. As I entered the interior of the course I realized I was in a nice little zone. I was slowing moving my way back up through the field. The climbing sections were also great for me. I was easily able to overtake other riders and was recovering fast afterwards. I still didn't know what place I was in but I was having a good time.
As we started lap three I finally found myself riding next to a familiar face. Larry(Stanley), who is a strong rider somehow appeared out of no where. Was he behind me all this time?? He moved past me and was setting a good pace. I was able to pass him on the climbs but he was having a better day through the technical sections and kept passing me right back. I couldn't believe when Don(JL Velo) hooked up with us. I thought these guys were way in front of me??? He was riding like a man possessed and quickly passed both of us. The three of us continued to pick off riders during the next two laps.
We started lap five and I soon saw Chris(Audi) just ahead. Wow!!! If we are catching him we must be doing OK??. We got by Chris and he was able to pick up the pace and hold my wheel. As we headed up the hill and into the trees we caught a bunch of slower riders form the first field and Don and Larry were able to get by them before the trail tightened. By the time Chris and I made it though they had a gap on us. Chris and I pushed on and after a slight bobble on my part at one of the off camber downhill corners he passed me. I looked at my Garmin for the first time and saw we were about 40 minutes in. Is this the last lap?? I wasn't sure so I pushed as hard as I could only to see the a big "1 lap to go" on the board as we flew by the finish... Shit!!
The last lap was not fun. I was giving it all I had but Chris and I were not catching any more guys. Why didn't they slow down and wait for us? We're nice guys!....As we wound our way through the back side of the course I decided to make another move to get by him. I managed to squeak by but he passed me in the exact same place as he did on the previous lap. We climbed up the hill and I looked back and all I could see were handful of women we had just lapped. I looked back again when we hit the next set of switch backs and could see no one from my field. WTF!! I took one last look back when we came thought the last section of the course by the beach and was still confused that no one was behind us. I sat up and soft pedaled the rest of the way in. As I made my way through the last turn before the finish I saw a bunch of guys from my field, including my teammates Mark and Dave who I'd passed a couple of lap earlier standing in the infield. As I rode by Mark started laughing and yelled, "Ha, you two had to do all six laps!" Apparently Ian Mackie(What is it with guys named Ian around here?? They are all bad ass bike racers!! Here is some advise: If you are planning on having kids and one day hope to get them into bike racing, just name your son Ian and he be bound for greatness) had set a wicked pace and lapped all but 10 guys in my field. I was #10. That is why no one was behind me for the last lap. Ian and possibly a few other single speed guys had lapped them before the start of our last lap. They were done. I could have walked my bike for the whole last lap and still finished 10th! It was the happiest 10th place I've ever got since I started racing cross. I felt good and after the initial spill at the start I raced a good, solid race. Oh, and I'm still finding sand in places I didn't think it could reach.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
2011 MFG #3 - SCCA/Starbucks GP - North Bend
Bike races are known liers!! Before every race across the country small talk between friends from other teams start up as soon as you reach the venue. The question is always the same common, small talk question you can hear in any social situation but the "big fat, wouldn't ever pass a lie detector" answers is what sets bike racers apart.
"How are you doing?" is the standard question. You'll get that certain smirk accompanied by a shoulder shrug followed by.......THE LIE!! It can range from the two word responsee of "Not bad", which carries little or no weight if it just stopped there. It never does. After a short pause the BS will start to flow. "I went a little too hard on my training ride yesterday and my legs feel like lead weighs" or, "I had to travel all week for work and haven't had a chance to train." Or, "I'm just getting over some weird illness and probably shouldn't be out here racing today."...... "I don't race well in this weather, well see how it goes." You get the picture. Some may actually be telling the truth but after years of seeing someone dominate a race after hearing one of those little fibs you learn to not listen. You rarely hear anyone ever say, "I'm feeling like a F'ing champ and I'm going put a hurtin' on the field today!!" They may feel like that but will never say it. I WAS feeling like million bucks but my response was, "My ribs are still hurting and I'm not sure how hard I'll be able to push it today." My ribs had finally stopped hurting and I'd had three glorious nights of perfect slumber in a row. I'd just come off tough 2nd place finish last week and I WAS ready to kill it!
The race was at a brand new venue out at Mountain Meadows Farm out in North Bend. I had been out there several times before for company picnics but forgot how beautiful it was. The course was setup in a HUGE grass field that was right at the base of Mt. Si. You couldn't ask for a better setting. I was also excited because it was my team's race and the money raised was going to SCCA. Oh...and for the first time ever I was one of the random, pre-reg six pack winners!! It was nice to start the day off with a little win.
I wanted to get there super early so I could find a good place to park the RV in the team area. I was super happy that Denise...and our dog were willing to get up that early on a Sunday to come hang with me. I decided to take a couple of laps on the course before the first race started. It was another monster. I couldn't see the far side of of it from the staging area. As I made my way around I realized the ground had held up after the overnight rain and it was still dead pan hard, bumpy and fast. Single track lines were already forming and those would get a little slick as the day wore on.
I finished my laps and headed out to watch our Cat 4 women race. Theresa won her first ever race in dominant fashion with Tina finishing 6th. That was followed up with Justin and Jeff finishing 1st and 2nd in a 90+ Cat 4 field. Soon after Jitka came across the line in 2nd place in her field. We were off to an awesome star!......After that, thinks got interesting.
It had drizzled off an on all day but we actually couldn't ask for better conditions. Mark, Dave and I staged for our 11:20 start. I got my call up to the front row and both Mark and Dave also ended up with great starting spots. I knew were were going to be in for another dog fight. All the top dogs were here including Rocky(W.A.R), Don(JL Velo) Todd(Collision One) Larry, Brian(Stanley), Chris(Audi), Robert(Team CNC), Tim and Brad(20/20 Fuel), Paul(Cycle Therapy), Joe(2nd Accent) and....I could go on. There are easily 15 or so guys that could win a race on any given weekend. We have a really strong field and I love racing with these guys. Jeezus, I sound like I'm getting ready to join a drum circle. "Snap out if it!!". Time to race!!
We were sent off about a minute after the first field and I got my best start of the year so far. The start was on a straight, wide, fast grass section and the first hard, left hand turn was super tight.
We were stacked up as we approached and everyone wanted to get to front so no one gave an inch. I entered the turn with one of the 20/20 Fuel guys on my left and Mark on my right. The pace was soooooo much fast that I don't think everyone was fully ready go from being about eight wide to three and then to one so fast. We hit elbows and struggled to keep our balance. I was actually lucky to be in the middle because I could lean on the others. The guy on my inside could go slightly off course and recover but Mark was not in a good spot. It was the only area on the course that dropped off and it was full of blackberry bushes. He was riding a tight rope and I thought he was going to make it though but ended up having no where to go. He went in hard and I almost stopped to see if he was OK. He yelled that he was OK and to keep going. I felt like shit for having a part in sending my own teammate off the course like that. It's scary enough having Mark breathe down your neck during a race.
Now he looked like he was attacked by a bear.....LOOK OUT!!
I forged onward and after getting around a few guys found myself in a familiar spot......right on Rocky's wheel. Robert T. had an excellent start and was just in front of us. Things were looking good. We got to the section that started downhill, took a hard left up a short climb and then u-turned downhill again. After warming up I decided would ride it only if I had a clear path coming into it....meaning I was probably running this sucker every lap. There was some passing going on but I was still right behind the leaders and feeling good. I came through the turns on the back side of the course and during some of the switch backs I could see Mark powering back through the field. I was glad to see him back at it. By the end of lap one we were still all together. It was going to be a dog fight.
Lap two was about the same and things were going well until sometime shortly after the run up.
After descending I could tell something wasn't quite right. I couldn't figure it out at first but finally noticed there was something wrong with my front end. I thought something was jammed in my brakes so I reached down to see if I could clear it out...SHIT!!! I had rolled my f'ing tubie!! I wasn't all the way off so I could still ride but the wobble was horrible. I was still a good distance from the pits so I decided to keep riding until the thing came completely off. At this point I was still moving faster than I could running with my bike. I was having trouble controlling the bike and my speed slowed. One by one guys flew by. I was starting to panic. I almost made it to the pits w/out running but ended up having to hike the bike for about 50 yards....I hate running!! By the time I slogged into the pits I had lost a shit load of places and time. I yelled at Vern that I was coming in and he gave me a smooth, fast hand off with my back up bike. I was in and out in a flash. Thank God it happened before the pits. If it would have happened right after there was no way I would have ran with my bike all the way around this giant course. I would have packed it in. I could still see the group of 10 guys in front of me....Damn!!.....I had some serious work to do. I did have open ground in front of me so I was able to pick my lines and ride at a fast pace. I was taking tons of risks and almost went down multiple times.
Three laps to go! I was slowly making up ground but wasn't sure if I had enough time to catch back on? For some reason they weren't slowing down to wait for me. Don't they know the rules?? When I came by the pits again Vern had put a new front wheel on my bike and it was ready to go. I had Paul(4-Corners) right on my ass and several others that were not far behind. I didn't want to loose anymore time and I was feeling pretty comfortable on my back up so I just forged on. Paul and I had a nice little side battle going on. I can't tell you how many times we traded positions during the next three laps. It definitely helped to keep us motivated to catch the field.
The last lap started and Paul and I were slowly gaining ground. I saw that Joe M.(2nd Ascent) and a few other guys were slowly closing on us. I needed to pick up the pace. I made another move to get around Paul and then tried to accelerate away.....NOT!
He was right on my wheel. I kept pushing. If I made a mistake and went down, so be it. As we were coming through some of the tight turns that led up to the first set of barriers I heard a loud noise and took a quick look back. Paul had hid the deck. This was my only chance to shake him so I pushed a little harder. As I wound back towards the 2nd barrier section I could see him flying by the guys that passed him. He was flying! I looked up again and could see Chris(Audi) and Larry(Stanley) just in front of me. I'm almost there!! I wanted to quite but seeing them motivated me to go into suffer mode. I came oh so close but couldn't overtake them by the time we hit the line. It was a hard fought battle but with the mechanical I had to settle for 12th. It was another great day of racing on an awesome course. We raised a ton of cash for SCCA and I heard that the Blue Rooster team gave us a check for a $1000 to donate. Very classy.
The race was at a brand new venue out at Mountain Meadows Farm out in North Bend. I had been out there several times before for company picnics but forgot how beautiful it was. The course was setup in a HUGE grass field that was right at the base of Mt. Si. You couldn't ask for a better setting. I was also excited because it was my team's race and the money raised was going to SCCA. Oh...and for the first time ever I was one of the random, pre-reg six pack winners!! It was nice to start the day off with a little win.
I wanted to get there super early so I could find a good place to park the RV in the team area. I was super happy that Denise...and our dog were willing to get up that early on a Sunday to come hang with me. I decided to take a couple of laps on the course before the first race started. It was another monster. I couldn't see the far side of of it from the staging area. As I made my way around I realized the ground had held up after the overnight rain and it was still dead pan hard, bumpy and fast. Single track lines were already forming and those would get a little slick as the day wore on.
I finished my laps and headed out to watch our Cat 4 women race. Theresa won her first ever race in dominant fashion with Tina finishing 6th. That was followed up with Justin and Jeff finishing 1st and 2nd in a 90+ Cat 4 field. Soon after Jitka came across the line in 2nd place in her field. We were off to an awesome star!......After that, thinks got interesting.
It had drizzled off an on all day but we actually couldn't ask for better conditions. Mark, Dave and I staged for our 11:20 start. I got my call up to the front row and both Mark and Dave also ended up with great starting spots. I knew were were going to be in for another dog fight. All the top dogs were here including Rocky(W.A.R), Don(JL Velo) Todd(Collision One) Larry, Brian(Stanley), Chris(Audi), Robert(Team CNC), Tim and Brad(20/20 Fuel), Paul(Cycle Therapy), Joe(2nd Accent) and....I could go on. There are easily 15 or so guys that could win a race on any given weekend. We have a really strong field and I love racing with these guys. Jeezus, I sound like I'm getting ready to join a drum circle. "Snap out if it!!". Time to race!!
We were stacked up as we approached and everyone wanted to get to front so no one gave an inch. I entered the turn with one of the 20/20 Fuel guys on my left and Mark on my right. The pace was soooooo much fast that I don't think everyone was fully ready go from being about eight wide to three and then to one so fast. We hit elbows and struggled to keep our balance. I was actually lucky to be in the middle because I could lean on the others. The guy on my inside could go slightly off course and recover but Mark was not in a good spot. It was the only area on the course that dropped off and it was full of blackberry bushes. He was riding a tight rope and I thought he was going to make it though but ended up having no where to go. He went in hard and I almost stopped to see if he was OK. He yelled that he was OK and to keep going. I felt like shit for having a part in sending my own teammate off the course like that. It's scary enough having Mark breathe down your neck during a race.
I forged onward and after getting around a few guys found myself in a familiar spot......right on Rocky's wheel. Robert T. had an excellent start and was just in front of us. Things were looking good. We got to the section that started downhill, took a hard left up a short climb and then u-turned downhill again. After warming up I decided would ride it only if I had a clear path coming into it....meaning I was probably running this sucker every lap. There was some passing going on but I was still right behind the leaders and feeling good. I came through the turns on the back side of the course and during some of the switch backs I could see Mark powering back through the field. I was glad to see him back at it. By the end of lap one we were still all together. It was going to be a dog fight.
After descending I could tell something wasn't quite right. I couldn't figure it out at first but finally noticed there was something wrong with my front end. I thought something was jammed in my brakes so I reached down to see if I could clear it out...SHIT!!! I had rolled my f'ing tubie!! I wasn't all the way off so I could still ride but the wobble was horrible. I was still a good distance from the pits so I decided to keep riding until the thing came completely off. At this point I was still moving faster than I could running with my bike. I was having trouble controlling the bike and my speed slowed. One by one guys flew by. I was starting to panic. I almost made it to the pits w/out running but ended up having to hike the bike for about 50 yards....I hate running!! By the time I slogged into the pits I had lost a shit load of places and time. I yelled at Vern that I was coming in and he gave me a smooth, fast hand off with my back up bike. I was in and out in a flash. Thank God it happened before the pits. If it would have happened right after there was no way I would have ran with my bike all the way around this giant course. I would have packed it in. I could still see the group of 10 guys in front of me....Damn!!.....I had some serious work to do. I did have open ground in front of me so I was able to pick my lines and ride at a fast pace. I was taking tons of risks and almost went down multiple times.
Three laps to go! I was slowly making up ground but wasn't sure if I had enough time to catch back on? For some reason they weren't slowing down to wait for me. Don't they know the rules?? When I came by the pits again Vern had put a new front wheel on my bike and it was ready to go. I had Paul(4-Corners) right on my ass and several others that were not far behind. I didn't want to loose anymore time and I was feeling pretty comfortable on my back up so I just forged on. Paul and I had a nice little side battle going on. I can't tell you how many times we traded positions during the next three laps. It definitely helped to keep us motivated to catch the field.
He was right on my wheel. I kept pushing. If I made a mistake and went down, so be it. As we were coming through some of the tight turns that led up to the first set of barriers I heard a loud noise and took a quick look back. Paul had hid the deck. This was my only chance to shake him so I pushed a little harder. As I wound back towards the 2nd barrier section I could see him flying by the guys that passed him. He was flying! I looked up again and could see Chris(Audi) and Larry(Stanley) just in front of me. I'm almost there!! I wanted to quite but seeing them motivated me to go into suffer mode. I came oh so close but couldn't overtake them by the time we hit the line. It was a hard fought battle but with the mechanical I had to settle for 12th. It was another great day of racing on an awesome course. We raised a ton of cash for SCCA and I heard that the Blue Rooster team gave us a check for a $1000 to donate. Very classy.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
2011 - SCX #1 - Marymoor
If you read my last post you know that I injured my ribs last week. Training rides have been short and painful. Getting a good night sleep has been next to impossible. By the time Saturday rolled around I was still in pain but could finally ride hard and take deep breaths without grimacing........much. Since it was the first race of the SCX series I was going to race regardless. If I missed this race I'd have to start near the back for race #2. Not an option. The race was out at Marymoor and I was really curious to how SCX would set it up. We had heard that the velodrome interior would not be part of the plan. I arrived to find a grand course sprawled out in front of me. It seemed ginormous. It took up the whole area surrounding the velodrome and way beyond, using one of the grass parking lots out by the main road. I got registered and took a couple of laps. There were a few tight turns around the velodrome but in dry conditions they shouldn't be a problem. The back side of the course seemed pretty fast. The only problem was that the wind was really howling. Drafting might actually play a role for this one. The course crew was going to have a busy day running around to re secure battered course poles and tape. There were two barrier sections, one that was incorporated with a short run-up right by the velodrome and the other right after a long, paved section just before the start/finish. A tight race could be won or lost here.
My race was not until 1:30 so I got to watch plenty of my teammates kick some ass during the early races. The rain was holding off but the big, black storm clouds kept teasing us, blowing light drizzle at us every half hour or so. We all joked that the real rain would hold off until about 1:20. Sure enough, right as we were staging it started to rain. The wind was still blowing pretty hard and everyone was starting to shiver. I looked around and saw a bunch of guys letting pressure out of their tires. If the course got muddy it might be hard to stay upright with the pressure I was running. I had to fight the urge but I ended up keeping mine where it was. If I had to I'd cruise the pits at some point and let some out.
The gun sounded and off we went, 45 strong for 45 minutes. I did get a call up and was able to get a pretty good start! As we entered the infield I was sitting about 5th wheel. I quickly noticed that I was sitting right on Rocky'(W.A.R) wheel. It was not a bad place to be. I just followed him as he quickly passed the three guys in front of us. On the next straight section my teammate Mark came flying by and settled in right in front of me. I looked back and my other teammate Dave was right on my wheel.....NICE!! Rocky was setting a good pace and we were strung out in one long line behind him. There was a little jockeying going on but we pretty much stayed in the same position throughout the 1st lap. The rain stopped as quickly as it started and the sun actually came back out. I was glad I left my tires alone.
The second lap was way more interesting. Guys were getting sick of sitting in and were trying to make moves to take the lead. Chris J.(Audi) came flying by me and was moving away fast. Mark picked up the pace and got on his wheel but I started to wonder if he could keep up that speed through the turns on the backside of the course. He flew through the first one but right as he was coming through the 2nd he went down hard. With his speed and the wet course he kept sliding once he hit the ground and Mark and I were able to get by him without losing Rocky's wheel. Others were not so lucky. We came up to the uphill barrier section for the second time and as we re-mounted and headed back down Mark lost his footing and went down. I somehow was able to get by him without slowing down. He quickly remounted and was able to get by me again. He was riding really strong and I looked like we could finish 1/2 if things kept going the way they were.
Just as we were preparing for lap three Mark hit a slick patch and went down hard. Once again I somehow avoided him and stayed on Rocky's wheel. There was a point on the course where it headed out towards the soccer fields and then heads right back. This allowed me a chance to see what was going on behind us. Mark must have got caught behind Mark when he went down. Rocky and I had a gap. Mark had recovered and was still sitting third with Todd(Collision One) right on his wheel. I could tell that Mark was not pushing the pace to help Todd get back to us. It was time for Rocky and me to hit the gas.
The next two laps were pretty painful. We were catching a lot of slower riders from the field in front of us and it was tough staying on his wheel as we maneuvered through heavy traffic.
One lap to go!!
I was still on his wheel but realized waiting for him to make a mistake probably wasn't going to happen. I had to make a move if I wanted a chance to win this thing. I was able to get right beside him on a couple of turns but because he had the better line he was able to accelerate out of them better and hold his lead. I was starting to run out of gas and had to keep telling myself that I only needed to suffer for five more minutes and it would be over....Yeah Right!! We made it to the flat, straight section on the back side of the velodrome and I decided I was going to have to go into "puke mode" and make a move. I shifted into a big gear, jumped out of the saddle and drove as hard as I could. The only problem was he knew this was great area to pass and he hit it hard too. I was right on his wheel but could not get around him. Just as we were running out of real estate we caught two guys from the first field. We got by the first guy pretty much at the same time. Rocky passed the second right as we entered the hard, left turn. Just I made my move the guy went down. I had to slow just a little and move off the fastest part of the trail to get by. Rocky was able to keep accelerating down the path and ended up with the biggest gap he'd had on me all day. CRAP!! We were coming into a section that transitioned from dirt to gravel and then to grass. It had been a tricky section for me all day. I had to make a decision on whether to push it really hard and risk going down like Chris did or make it through safely without losing more time. I chose the safe route. Rocky had made it by two more riders and I got held up going through the trees by the pits and couldn't get around them. Rocky's lead grew. I realized I was not going to catch him. Now I just needed to make sure I didn't make any stupid mistakes through the rest of the course. I came by the pits and looked back. No one was there. I sat up and coasted across the line in 2nd place. It was an epic battle on a great course.
Photos: Tina Wang
The gun sounded and off we went, 45 strong for 45 minutes. I did get a call up and was able to get a pretty good start! As we entered the infield I was sitting about 5th wheel. I quickly noticed that I was sitting right on Rocky'(W.A.R) wheel. It was not a bad place to be. I just followed him as he quickly passed the three guys in front of us. On the next straight section my teammate Mark came flying by and settled in right in front of me. I looked back and my other teammate Dave was right on my wheel.....NICE!! Rocky was setting a good pace and we were strung out in one long line behind him. There was a little jockeying going on but we pretty much stayed in the same position throughout the 1st lap. The rain stopped as quickly as it started and the sun actually came back out. I was glad I left my tires alone.
The second lap was way more interesting. Guys were getting sick of sitting in and were trying to make moves to take the lead. Chris J.(Audi) came flying by me and was moving away fast. Mark picked up the pace and got on his wheel but I started to wonder if he could keep up that speed through the turns on the backside of the course. He flew through the first one but right as he was coming through the 2nd he went down hard. With his speed and the wet course he kept sliding once he hit the ground and Mark and I were able to get by him without losing Rocky's wheel. Others were not so lucky. We came up to the uphill barrier section for the second time and as we re-mounted and headed back down Mark lost his footing and went down. I somehow was able to get by him without slowing down. He quickly remounted and was able to get by me again. He was riding really strong and I looked like we could finish 1/2 if things kept going the way they were.
Just as we were preparing for lap three Mark hit a slick patch and went down hard. Once again I somehow avoided him and stayed on Rocky's wheel. There was a point on the course where it headed out towards the soccer fields and then heads right back. This allowed me a chance to see what was going on behind us. Mark must have got caught behind Mark when he went down. Rocky and I had a gap. Mark had recovered and was still sitting third with Todd(Collision One) right on his wheel. I could tell that Mark was not pushing the pace to help Todd get back to us. It was time for Rocky and me to hit the gas.
The next two laps were pretty painful. We were catching a lot of slower riders from the field in front of us and it was tough staying on his wheel as we maneuvered through heavy traffic.
I was still on his wheel but realized waiting for him to make a mistake probably wasn't going to happen. I had to make a move if I wanted a chance to win this thing. I was able to get right beside him on a couple of turns but because he had the better line he was able to accelerate out of them better and hold his lead. I was starting to run out of gas and had to keep telling myself that I only needed to suffer for five more minutes and it would be over....Yeah Right!! We made it to the flat, straight section on the back side of the velodrome and I decided I was going to have to go into "puke mode" and make a move. I shifted into a big gear, jumped out of the saddle and drove as hard as I could. The only problem was he knew this was great area to pass and he hit it hard too. I was right on his wheel but could not get around him. Just as we were running out of real estate we caught two guys from the first field. We got by the first guy pretty much at the same time. Rocky passed the second right as we entered the hard, left turn. Just I made my move the guy went down. I had to slow just a little and move off the fastest part of the trail to get by. Rocky was able to keep accelerating down the path and ended up with the biggest gap he'd had on me all day. CRAP!! We were coming into a section that transitioned from dirt to gravel and then to grass. It had been a tricky section for me all day. I had to make a decision on whether to push it really hard and risk going down like Chris did or make it through safely without losing more time. I chose the safe route. Rocky had made it by two more riders and I got held up going through the trees by the pits and couldn't get around them. Rocky's lead grew. I realized I was not going to catch him. Now I just needed to make sure I didn't make any stupid mistakes through the rest of the course. I came by the pits and looked back. No one was there. I sat up and coasted across the line in 2nd place. It was an epic battle on a great course.
Photos: Tina Wang
Friday, September 30, 2011
2011 Rapha-Focus GP
After punishing myself on the StarCrossed course Saturday afternoon it was time to drag my ass out of bed and do it all over again, and by again I mean racing on the exact same course. StarCrossed and the Rapha-Focus GP shared the same venue. We had a fast, dry course for the Saturday race but to mix things up a bit the promoters ordered up a big 'ol bucket of wet for Sunday's version. It started raining hard at about 8:00pm Saturday night and did not let up until early Sunday morning. By the time I had arrived at the park it had mellowed to that typical PNW precipitation that we all know and love, the famous drizzle that our out of town visitors see out the window and then ask if they can barrow a Gortex jacket and an Umbrella. We step outside, peruse the situation and then give our guest that "Are you serious?" look. We grab our to-go cup of coffee, and head to the car with nothing more than a fleece jacket. They follow, arms crossed, telling us how crazy we and that they are going to catch a nasty cold followed by pneumonia from standing out this deluge all day.......I digress. Because of the rain I saw the course crew trying to get carpet down on the Fly-Over to give it more traction. By the time my race started it was still not ready and the course was altered to avoid it. I was hoping we could still use the Fly-Over but somehow avoid running on that frickin' beach......again!
Just like Saturday my field was jam packed with strong riders from all over the NW and beyond. It was setup to be a another great race. I had already ridden the course about five times during the Jonathan Page clinic on Friday, pre-rode it again before StarCrossed and then six laps of suffering during the race. I decided NOT to pre-ride the course again. I figured that the hard rain and the beat down from two earlier races would transform the course into a muddier, slicker version of its former self. I took a couple of laps around the grass infield by the parking lot and set my tire pressure accordingly.....I thought.
The gun went off and unlike Saturday I got a pretty good start. This time we started 1 1/2 minutes behind the first wave instead of the less than 30 seconds we had on Saturday. We had open rode all the way to course entrance.
I entered the infield sitting about 5th wheel. I soon realized that I was slightly under inflated. The course had actually held up and it was only slick in a few places. My rear tire was folding slightly on the wide, fast corners. I soon found myself right on Rocky's(W.A.R) wheel and settled in. I was feeling a little sluggish but not too bad. When we reached the beach for the first time we were pretty stacked up. I tried to ride the first section but had to dismount because of the traffic jam in front of me. Great, now I had to run both sections! I hate running!! Robert T., Rocky and Mark S.(Team Type 1) seemed to be floating on the sand and got a gap on us by the end of the second sand section. No big deal. There was still plenty of racing left. I just paced myself and slowly moved back up.
At the start of lap two I was still sitting about 4th. I made it through the sand without losing(or gaining) any spots. I decided to pick up the pace so I could be right on the leaders before we reached the mass of slower riders in the field in front of us.
Mistake #2: After the sand there was a few turns in the woods that led us to a short paved section where you can hammer it hard to get past slower riders. Before you know it the pavement ends and you had to check up fast and negotiate a right hand transition onto muddy grass followed by an even tighter, slightly off camber left hander. I had warned a few guys that didn't race the day before about this particular part of the course. On Saturday I saw several guys come in too hot and over run the turn and blast through the course tape when it was completely dry. I was driving hard to get past three slower riders and came in way too hot. I tried to check up but......both wheels went out from under me and I went down hard, taking out one of the course poles. As I slid off the course I got rapped up in the course tape....Yeah, that was me. It was a mess. I pride myself on being a pretty good bike handler. This was a total dork move. It seemed to take forever to get untangled and back on my bike. I lost at least six spots by the time I remounted. Cal(Motofish) was one of the riders that blew by me. I was able to get back up to speed and on his wheel. There was still plenty of time to make up ground. The only problem was that no one was slowing down to let me catch up...."Common guys!!"
During the next two laps I really put myself in the hurt locker to try to make up ground. I was able to keep pace and move up but every time I reached sand the same guys passed me right back. I hate running! I was able to get right back on their wheels once back on the bike. I came up to the barriers and after remounting my bike I looked up just in time to see a guy running with his bike. He was veering right into my path and I yelled at him at the top of my lungs that I was on his left. He looked back and started to move right but not fast enough. We were going to collide. He was still moving right so I actually just hit him on his left side. I landed into him for balance and then had to give him a shoulder and elbow to get separated. I managed to stay up but lost ground on the rest of the field. My wife happened to be standing right there and got a pretty good chuckle out of it. I was constantly having to kill myself to get back into the race. It was starting to take a toll on me. By the end of the lap I did managed to get back on the wheels of the guys I'd been with but didn't know how much I'd have left at the finish.
I had recovered a bit by the time the last lap started.
Just like Saturday my field was jam packed with strong riders from all over the NW and beyond. It was setup to be a another great race. I had already ridden the course about five times during the Jonathan Page clinic on Friday, pre-rode it again before StarCrossed and then six laps of suffering during the race. I decided NOT to pre-ride the course again. I figured that the hard rain and the beat down from two earlier races would transform the course into a muddier, slicker version of its former self. I took a couple of laps around the grass infield by the parking lot and set my tire pressure accordingly.....I thought.
I entered the infield sitting about 5th wheel. I soon realized that I was slightly under inflated. The course had actually held up and it was only slick in a few places. My rear tire was folding slightly on the wide, fast corners. I soon found myself right on Rocky's(W.A.R) wheel and settled in. I was feeling a little sluggish but not too bad. When we reached the beach for the first time we were pretty stacked up. I tried to ride the first section but had to dismount because of the traffic jam in front of me. Great, now I had to run both sections! I hate running!! Robert T., Rocky and Mark S.(Team Type 1) seemed to be floating on the sand and got a gap on us by the end of the second sand section. No big deal. There was still plenty of racing left. I just paced myself and slowly moved back up.
Mistake #2: After the sand there was a few turns in the woods that led us to a short paved section where you can hammer it hard to get past slower riders. Before you know it the pavement ends and you had to check up fast and negotiate a right hand transition onto muddy grass followed by an even tighter, slightly off camber left hander. I had warned a few guys that didn't race the day before about this particular part of the course. On Saturday I saw several guys come in too hot and over run the turn and blast through the course tape when it was completely dry. I was driving hard to get past three slower riders and came in way too hot. I tried to check up but......both wheels went out from under me and I went down hard, taking out one of the course poles. As I slid off the course I got rapped up in the course tape....Yeah, that was me. It was a mess. I pride myself on being a pretty good bike handler. This was a total dork move. It seemed to take forever to get untangled and back on my bike. I lost at least six spots by the time I remounted. Cal(Motofish) was one of the riders that blew by me. I was able to get back up to speed and on his wheel. There was still plenty of time to make up ground. The only problem was that no one was slowing down to let me catch up...."Common guys!!"
I knew I was going to come out of the beach having to catch up again so I wanted to get by as many of the guys beforehand. Unfortunately we caught up to a large group of slower riders from the field in front of us. Our pace slowed and everyone had a hard time getting through. I arrived at the beach without moving up at all. Because of the slower traffic I was able to make up the some ground soon after remounting. I knew there were probably four or five guys we would never catch but hopefully I could get passed all these guys I'd been pacing with over the last few laps. We all came up to the barriers pretty much together. As we were approaching we found ourselves on the wheels of two single speeders and the race was on to get by them. Everyone made it by before the barriers but yours truly. I had a smooth run over the barriers and was ready to pass. I decided to wait until the just after the upcoming sharp, left hand turn. I did make it by both of them but not in exactly in typical fashion. Just as they were making the turn they touched wheels and went down. There was no where for me to go and I just braced myself for impact. I went airborne and somehow both my bike and I landed in front of them, free and clear. I was able to easily grab my bike and continue on but the damage was done. I had lost about 10 seconds and I was on the short end of the course. I pushed it as hard as I could but since we were close to the finish everyone else was doing the same thing.
With about 400 meters to go I realized I was not going to catch them. I looked back and no one was on my wheel. I just sat up and soft pedaled my way to the finish. After all that I really had no idea how many guys were in front of me. I figured with that many mishaps a top 20 might still be possible. I found out that I grabbed 11th. I'm not sure when it happened but by the time I got back to our rig I realized that something wasn't right. I felt a sharp pain on my right side. Somehow I had injured my ribs. NOT FUN! A few rounds in the beer garden and I was feeling OK.
all photos by Denise Phillips
Monday, October 25, 2010
MFG #4 - Race CX
It was a dark and stormy night! Meanwhile.................
If there was ever a time to use that opening line it was for this race. It wasn't that it was the storm of the century or anything like that but it was pretty nasty and it wasn't supposed to end anytime soon. We would be racing in this *$%# down at Pacific Raceways on a brand new course.
When I got up this morning, as expected, the weather was still as nasty as ever. Most people probably looked out the window and then grabbed the Sunday paper to check the start time for the Hawks game and got ready for a Sunday of couch potato heaven...,..Not me and the ton of other cx racers who made the trek to Auburn. Our heaven called for cold temperatures, gusty winds, torrential downpours and yes, lots of mud.
I rose early to head down to Pacific Raceways to check out this new, secret course. I don't think anyone had a clue what to really expect. Not only was it a regular race on the MFG schedule but also the "Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships", which would surely bring out the craziest of the crazies from around the PNW. With the combination of the organizer's imagination and the elements it was sure to be an epic day no matter what the course looked like. When Denise and I arrived it was still raining a Texas-style rain and there were already a ton of people filling the parking lot. I quickly 
checked in and headed out to a look at the course. The first thing I noticed was a large wooden fly-over that had been erected right in the middle of the infield. This would be a new obstacle for me to negotiate! We not only were riding over it but also under it. As I navigated my way though the beginning of the course I started to notice that they had not yet finished setting up. I came up to a dead end and couldn't figure out where to go. I decided to turn around and check out the fly-over. It was pretty steep with a short, flat top. It was easy to get over at speed but I could tell that if you approached it in traffic or behind someone that had a mishap there could be issues. Walking up it was not easy. Once over, I hit another roped off area and again, couldn't figure out where to go. I rode the same short section again and then decided I needed to get out of my warm up gear and get ready to race. It was still raining really hard and quite chilly. I didn't feel like getting wet, muddy and cold before the race so I decided not to warm up on the course and stayed in the warm car as long as I could. I was worried I might not get in a good warm up but it was hard to want to escape the 80 degrees of my SUV.
checked in and headed out to a look at the course. The first thing I noticed was a large wooden fly-over that had been erected right in the middle of the infield. This would be a new obstacle for me to negotiate! We not only were riding over it but also under it. As I navigated my way though the beginning of the course I started to notice that they had not yet finished setting up. I came up to a dead end and couldn't figure out where to go. I decided to turn around and check out the fly-over. It was pretty steep with a short, flat top. It was easy to get over at speed but I could tell that if you approached it in traffic or behind someone that had a mishap there could be issues. Walking up it was not easy. Once over, I hit another roped off area and again, couldn't figure out where to go. I rode the same short section again and then decided I needed to get out of my warm up gear and get ready to race. It was still raining really hard and quite chilly. I didn't feel like getting wet, muddy and cold before the race so I decided not to warm up on the course and stayed in the warm car as long as I could. I was worried I might not get in a good warm up but it was hard to want to escape the 80 degrees of my SUV. Since I get a call up I wasn't in a hurry to get to the start line. I headed to the staging area at what I thought was the last second but the course was not quite finished so our start was delayed. It was just enough time for me to start to get cold. After about ten minutes of standing around waiting we were ready to go.
My field was the 2nd wave to go in the first race. I watched as the first field went off down the paved straight away and into a hairpin that transitioned to the muddy infield. They were all bunched up and had to squeeze in to go under the fly-over. It caused a huge bottleneck. Only the front guys were able to maintain their speed. I looked over at Brian (Stanley) and told him we needed to really bust it to make sure we didn't get in the same situation.
A minute later we were racing and Brian and I did get to the turn first and were able to get though easily. From there we wound our way through the extremely muddy infield which quickly brought us to the only run up of the day. It was short and it quickly u-turned right back down. When we got there we had already caught the slower racers from the first field. I was right on Brian's wheel but as we were running past the slower riders someones handle bars got caught in my front wheel. He didn't k
now what was going on and kept trying to pull his bike up the hill. I couldn't get separated and started yelling at him to stop. Once he did we were able to disconnect and get moving. It took only a few seconds but it was enough for Brian to get a little gap on me. Since we were already in traffic I couldn't afford to let him get by too many other guys. I hit the gas and started to pick my way though slower riders. The going was tough in the mud but I was feeling pretty comfortable and was having no problems. We finally came to the fly-over and I had no issues with it. By the time we reached the last 1/4 of the course I was back on his wheel. We hit the BMX part of the course that was a series of "whoops" that were a kick to fly through. It was about that time that I realized that there were no barriers on the course....interesting. It was a long course and I figured we wouldn't do more than three laps but you never know until they start flashing the lap board at you. I didn't notice it as we started lap 2 and soon wasn't really sure what lap we were on. Things were going well but I could tell that Brian was in a groove and it was going to take a solid ride with no mistakes to beat him. This time after the run we took a few more turn and WHAT......BARRIERS??? Did they alter our course while we were racing??? It turned out it might have slipped their minds with all the work they had going on and they had to run over during our race to place them. A little excitement never hurt anyone! As I passed the pits Ed told me Brian had about a 5 second gap. I was still in striking distance. 
I glanced back to see if anyone was on my wheel but it was hard to tell since we had passed so many from the first field. Luckily Barry(First Rate) was in his blue and bright red kit and could see him back there. He would be ready to pounce if I made a mistake. After a few more turns I all of a sudden found myself right on Brian's wheel. He looked back and told me he had dropped his chain. A little luck never hurts. Things were going really well and I was keeping pace with Brian. Barry was still lurking not far behind us. We came up to a tight, left hand turn and was slightly off camber. Brian had just picked his way though a hand full of riders and in my haste to do the same I came into the turn way too hot and flew right into the ropes. I had to dismount to untangle myself and Barry was right there. I quickly jumped back on and put it in overdrive. I think Barry spun out right after that because I was able to get a small gap on him right away. I was in the red again and figured unless Brian made a big mistake the race for me would be for 2nd. His gap had grown to about 10 seconds so it wasn't impossible but would now be more diffecult . I went by the pits and Ed told me I was closing and to put the hammer down. He was within reach and I thought that if I could get on his wheel before the sprint finish on the pavement
I might have a chance. We got to the fly over for the last time and I was about six bike lengths or so back. There were two slower racers between us when he hit it. All of a sudden one of them decided at the last second to dismount and run over it. She was walking up the right side with her bike on her left, almost in middle of the platform. The guy behind her went left to pass her. I was going way faster than he was and I had no place to go. I had to slow up and time it so I would hit the base just as he was on top. I was a little nervous because I was going to hit it full speed and if either of them faltered at all I would have no place to go. I was just able to squeak by. 
This really cost me some time. I hit the gas on the other side and threw caution to the wind. I was making some risky moves to get by slower riders. I was starting to come up on him again but ran out of course. Brian rode a solid race to take the victory. I looked back and realized Barry wasn't going to catch me and I sat up and coasted across the line for 2nd. It was a great course and a lot of fun to race. Time to wash off the 100 pounds of mud I took from the course and go watch the rest of the day's festivities.
now what was going on and kept trying to pull his bike up the hill. I couldn't get separated and started yelling at him to stop. Once he did we were able to disconnect and get moving. It took only a few seconds but it was enough for Brian to get a little gap on me. Since we were already in traffic I couldn't afford to let him get by too many other guys. I hit the gas and started to pick my way though slower riders. The going was tough in the mud but I was feeling pretty comfortable and was having no problems. We finally came to the fly-over and I had no issues with it. By the time we reached the last 1/4 of the course I was back on his wheel. We hit the BMX part of the course that was a series of "whoops" that were a kick to fly through. It was about that time that I realized that there were no barriers on the course....interesting. It was a long course and I figured we wouldn't do more than three laps but you never know until they start flashing the lap board at you. I didn't notice it as we started lap 2 and soon wasn't really sure what lap we were on. Things were going well but I could tell that Brian was in a groove and it was going to take a solid ride with no mistakes to beat him. This time after the run we took a few more turn and WHAT......BARRIERS??? Did they alter our course while we were racing??? It turned out it might have slipped their minds with all the work they had going on and they had to run over during our race to place them. A little excitement never hurt anyone! As I passed the pits Ed told me Brian had about a 5 second gap. I was still in striking distance. 
I glanced back to see if anyone was on my wheel but it was hard to tell since we had passed so many from the first field. Luckily Barry(First Rate) was in his blue and bright red kit and could see him back there. He would be ready to pounce if I made a mistake. After a few more turns I all of a sudden found myself right on Brian's wheel. He looked back and told me he had dropped his chain. A little luck never hurts. Things were going really well and I was keeping pace with Brian. Barry was still lurking not far behind us. We came up to a tight, left hand turn and was slightly off camber. Brian had just picked his way though a hand full of riders and in my haste to do the same I came into the turn way too hot and flew right into the ropes. I had to dismount to untangle myself and Barry was right there. I quickly jumped back on and put it in overdrive. I think Barry spun out right after that because I was able to get a small gap on him right away. I was in the red again and figured unless Brian made a big mistake the race for me would be for 2nd. His gap had grown to about 10 seconds so it wasn't impossible but would now be more diffecult . I went by the pits and Ed told me I was closing and to put the hammer down. He was within reach and I thought that if I could get on his wheel before the sprint finish on the pavement
I might have a chance. We got to the fly over for the last time and I was about six bike lengths or so back. There were two slower racers between us when he hit it. All of a sudden one of them decided at the last second to dismount and run over it. She was walking up the right side with her bike on her left, almost in middle of the platform. The guy behind her went left to pass her. I was going way faster than he was and I had no place to go. I had to slow up and time it so I would hit the base just as he was on top. I was a little nervous because I was going to hit it full speed and if either of them faltered at all I would have no place to go. I was just able to squeak by. 
This really cost me some time. I hit the gas on the other side and threw caution to the wind. I was making some risky moves to get by slower riders. I was starting to come up on him again but ran out of course. Brian rode a solid race to take the victory. I looked back and realized Barry wasn't going to catch me and I sat up and coasted across the line for 2nd. It was a great course and a lot of fun to race. Time to wash off the 100 pounds of mud I took from the course and go watch the rest of the day's festivities.all photos by Denise Phillips
Monday, October 11, 2010
MFG #3 - SCCA/Starbucks GP - Five Mile Lake Park
I was looking forward to this race, mainly because it was our team that put it on. It was at a new venue in the Federal Way area and our race director, Charles, working with the MFG guys put on a great race. I'm not sure if it was because of the location, (between Seattle and Tacoma) or because it was a new course, but we had a record amount of racers that preregistered so it looked like we would have a great turnout. This was probably one of the longer courses so far and it had a little bit of everything. There was a long, crazy sand section that was rideable (most of the time), a run up, narrow trails with slow, technical turns, several grass to gravel sections that gave many racers fits and some wide, fast sections thrown in to keep the pace up.
I showed up pretty early so I could get trained on registration and figure out other ways I could help out with after my race. The weather was decent for early October. It was overcast, fairly warm but looked like it could start raining at any time. Since I was there so early I was able to get three good laps in before my start. I was in the first race at 9:30, starting in the 2nd of four waves. I was sitting in first place, tied with Brian from Stanley so I had the nice advantage of getting a "Call out" for starting in the front row. My goal was to just get a good start and settle in somewhere in the top five before we exit the first turn. I am starting to gain some confidence for racing cross but I still don't want to be in the lead during the first laps. I should get over this, especially when our field is not the first to go. We usually catch the slower riders in the field in front of us pretty quick so if you are first you can get slower riders in between you and the chasers. Anyway, I did get a good start and came into the first turn sitting 4th. Jeff (NW Cycling) and Brian (Stanley) were both there as well. I quickly moved around several guys and settled into third spot behind Jeff and Mark from CXRacing. Unlike prior races where just a few of us got a large gap right away we had a big group of us fighting for position throughout the first lap. Several guys powered passed me before we hit the first technical section but I didn't let it bother me. The first technical turn on the course is a is two tight turns that turns you 190 degrees and is tight. Brian made it through clean but the next three guys overshot the 2nd turn and went behind the ropes. I was able to get by them and get right on Jeff's wheel. I think Brian got caught behind them and Jeff and I were able to get a little gap as we came into the long straight that leads to the finish line. After the finish is where you reach the longer, technical section in the woods. We had already caught riders in the field in front of us and Jeff was doing a good job picking his way through them. It wasn't easy staying on his wheel. As we came out of the woods we hit a short, straight section and I was able to pick up a little ground. We hit the run up for the first time and as usual, it was a mess. I basically had to keep my place in line and slowly walk it. The hecklers had found their place at the top of the run up and were in rare form. I quickly got back on my bike, hit the short downhill which led to a tricky, sharp right hand turn a lot of racers overshot. After a couple of straight sections in the grass we did one more turn in the woods and hit the beach for the first time. It was fairly deep but rideable. The problem was that there was a slight right hand turn before the exit that gave people fits. I got through it fine and as we got back on the grass we did a 180 and as we were coming back I could see that Brian was a bit back but after him there was a gap. The next couple of laps consisted of Brian expertly picking his way though slower racers, me trying to keep pace and Brian slowly gaining ground. At the start of the last lap it was down to a three man race. By the time we hit the run up it was still really congested. It slowed us down but helped Brian I me to gain some ground on Jeff. From this point on the three of us all had a good chance of winning, especially if someone made a mistake. Just before we hit the beach for the last time Jeff was able to get by a handful of lapped riders. I tried to stay tight on his wheel and pass them at the same time so I would be right with him when we exited. He was riding strong and I'd have to take a risk and make a move at some point because he wasn't Brian was right on my wheel. There is still plenty of course left after the sand but I decided to make a move to go around the lapped riders while in the sand. That didn't go as planned. As I hit the slight turn I altered my line and tried to go around them. My front wheel dug in and down I went. As I was untangling myself from my bike Brian was able to get around me. I scrambled to my feet, grabbed my bike and ran the rest of the way though the sand. I jumped back on and turned it up a notch. I started to make up some ground but Jeff and Brian finished the course error free and I had to settle for third. It was a great race on a great course and I had no problem finishing behind the two of them.
Here is a great video that captured many aspects of the course by "Scatman"....at the very end you can see me running though the sand (after crash). Brian has just past me to move into 2nd place.
http://www.adventuresofscatman.com/2010/10/mfg-3-sccastarbucks-gp/
I showed up pretty early so I could get trained on registration and figure out other ways I could help out with after my race. The weather was decent for early October. It was overcast, fairly warm but looked like it could start raining at any time. Since I was there so early I was able to get three good laps in before my start. I was in the first race at 9:30, starting in the 2nd of four waves. I was sitting in first place, tied with Brian from Stanley so I had the nice advantage of getting a "Call out" for starting in the front row. My goal was to just get a good start and settle in somewhere in the top five before we exit the first turn. I am starting to gain some confidence for racing cross but I still don't want to be in the lead during the first laps. I should get over this, especially when our field is not the first to go. We usually catch the slower riders in the field in front of us pretty quick so if you are first you can get slower riders in between you and the chasers. Anyway, I did get a good start and came into the first turn sitting 4th. Jeff (NW Cycling) and Brian (Stanley) were both there as well. I quickly moved around several guys and settled into third spot behind Jeff and Mark from CXRacing. Unlike prior races where just a few of us got a large gap right away we had a big group of us fighting for position throughout the first lap. Several guys powered passed me before we hit the first technical section but I didn't let it bother me. The first technical turn on the course is a is two tight turns that turns you 190 degrees and is tight. Brian made it through clean but the next three guys overshot the 2nd turn and went behind the ropes. I was able to get by them and get right on Jeff's wheel. I think Brian got caught behind them and Jeff and I were able to get a little gap as we came into the long straight that leads to the finish line. After the finish is where you reach the longer, technical section in the woods. We had already caught riders in the field in front of us and Jeff was doing a good job picking his way through them. It wasn't easy staying on his wheel. As we came out of the woods we hit a short, straight section and I was able to pick up a little ground. We hit the run up for the first time and as usual, it was a mess. I basically had to keep my place in line and slowly walk it. The hecklers had found their place at the top of the run up and were in rare form. I quickly got back on my bike, hit the short downhill which led to a tricky, sharp right hand turn a lot of racers overshot. After a couple of straight sections in the grass we did one more turn in the woods and hit the beach for the first time. It was fairly deep but rideable. The problem was that there was a slight right hand turn before the exit that gave people fits. I got through it fine and as we got back on the grass we did a 180 and as we were coming back I could see that Brian was a bit back but after him there was a gap. The next couple of laps consisted of Brian expertly picking his way though slower racers, me trying to keep pace and Brian slowly gaining ground. At the start of the last lap it was down to a three man race. By the time we hit the run up it was still really congested. It slowed us down but helped Brian I me to gain some ground on Jeff. From this point on the three of us all had a good chance of winning, especially if someone made a mistake. Just before we hit the beach for the last time Jeff was able to get by a handful of lapped riders. I tried to stay tight on his wheel and pass them at the same time so I would be right with him when we exited. He was riding strong and I'd have to take a risk and make a move at some point because he wasn't Brian was right on my wheel. There is still plenty of course left after the sand but I decided to make a move to go around the lapped riders while in the sand. That didn't go as planned. As I hit the slight turn I altered my line and tried to go around them. My front wheel dug in and down I went. As I was untangling myself from my bike Brian was able to get around me. I scrambled to my feet, grabbed my bike and ran the rest of the way though the sand. I jumped back on and turned it up a notch. I started to make up some ground but Jeff and Brian finished the course error free and I had to settle for third. It was a great race on a great course and I had no problem finishing behind the two of them.
Here is a great video that captured many aspects of the course by "Scatman"....at the very end you can see me running though the sand (after crash). Brian has just past me to move into 2nd place.
http://www.adventuresofscatman.com/2010/10/mfg-3-sccastarbucks-gp/
Friday, September 24, 2010
MFG #2 - Rad Racing GP - Lake Sammamish State Park
The legs were a little tired from racing Starcrossed the day before but I was ready to go. It started raining hard Saturday afternoon and didn't stop.(Hasn't our Summer been awesome?) It was supposed to be a wash out all Day Sunday but I was surprised to wake up to a fairly warm, overcast morning. The race was at Lake Sammamish State Park which is just about a five minute drive down the hill for me. My race was at 9:45 but I wanted to get to there early since the lines for registration have been insane so far this year. I got down there at 8:00 and thought I'd be able to check in, take my time changing and still have plenty of time to warm up.....NOPE!! The registration line was huge. I parked and walked over with some teammates. We got in line and started watching the minutes tick by. I was pre-registered and already had my series number from week 1 but still had to stand in the one line they had. By the time I got to the front I had my usual 1/2 hour to dress and warm up. They eventually moved are race back 20 minutes because of the registration line. Anyway.....
The course is flat and fast with some technical sections in the woods, two long sand sections and a 4-barrier section near the end. It was still not raining when we started but there was a race before ours and the course was starting to get muddy. With "call outs", I was able to get staged in the front row. We had to wait for two other fields to go before ours.
We had a long paved strait away to get us going and I was able to hit the grass in third position. Brian G. from Stanley was in first and I knew I needed to stay close to him If I wanted any chance of doing well. It sometimes amazes me how fast we catch the fields in front of us but by the time we hit the sand it was chaos. I entered the sand right on Brian's wheel . We exited, got back on the bikes and after a few turns we hit the 2nd sand section. Again, I was right on Brian's wheel. Brian was swiftly moving though the slower traffic and for the most part I was able to follow right behind him. Then, about half way through I caught a bike wheel to the face. I was
almost knocked to the ground. I stumbled and had to move left to get around the mess. When I looked up again Brian was out of the sand, on his bike and speeding away. How did he get though everyone so fast?? After the sand there is another technical section in the trees before you get out in the clear and head for the barriers. As I flew by the pits Vern told me that Brian had a 5 second gap on me. That was reasonable and I just needed keep digging. The next few laps were more of the same. It was getting really slippery in the technical sections and a lot of guys were going down in front of me. The sand sections were staring to put a lot of guys in the "Hurt Locker" Every time we would exit guys were having problems getting back on their bikes and get moving. I was going hard and still flying through racers from the first two fields and was feeling really good but each time I went by the pits Brian's lead increased by about five seconds. He was flying and I was starting to think there was no way I was going to catch him. He was in a groove. The heavens had now opened up and it was raining pretty hard. I knew there were three or four guys just behind me so I wanted to see if I could get as many slower riders from the other fields between us. Things were going fine until half way through the last lap. I came up on a young kid and yelled that I was coming by on the left. He actually turned around, looked at me and then cut me off as I was coming by. I have no idea why he didn't let me by but I had to hit the brakes hard. Of course, right after that he took a turn to hot and went down hard. I slid out while trying to avoid him and had to put a foot down. Four guys from my field got by me and another was right on my wheel. We only had a half lap to go and I just went from 2nd to 6th in a matter of seconds.
I had a brief moment of panic and was taking risky moves to get back around them. I decided to play it safe and just make sure to stay right on them, pass if I could, but make no mistakes doing so. I moved back a forth with a couple of guys but couldn't get around them for good. OK, new plan. I know I am a good sprinter and if I could stay right with them until the long finish on the pavement I could possibly power by them at the finish. We came off the grass and I sat right on the back of all four. Half way down I made my move and started to fly by each of them. I only had one more to get by. I was coming up on him fast and knew I had him. Just then a slower rider from another field decided to sit up right before the finish and he started to drift right into me. If I kept driving through I was going to be pushed into the barriers. I hesitated for a second and then went around him on his right. I till had some momentum but came across the line a tire length back and took third. It was a great race and the my first in the pouring rain. I think I am baptized now.
All photos by Denise Phillips - VeloShots
The course is flat and fast with some technical sections in the woods, two long sand sections and a 4-barrier section near the end. It was still not raining when we started but there was a race before ours and the course was starting to get muddy. With "call outs", I was able to get staged in the front row. We had to wait for two other fields to go before ours.
We had a long paved strait away to get us going and I was able to hit the grass in third position. Brian G. from Stanley was in first and I knew I needed to stay close to him If I wanted any chance of doing well. It sometimes amazes me how fast we catch the fields in front of us but by the time we hit the sand it was chaos. I entered the sand right on Brian's wheel . We exited, got back on the bikes and after a few turns we hit the 2nd sand section. Again, I was right on Brian's wheel. Brian was swiftly moving though the slower traffic and for the most part I was able to follow right behind him. Then, about half way through I caught a bike wheel to the face. I was
almost knocked to the ground. I stumbled and had to move left to get around the mess. When I looked up again Brian was out of the sand, on his bike and speeding away. How did he get though everyone so fast?? After the sand there is another technical section in the trees before you get out in the clear and head for the barriers. As I flew by the pits Vern told me that Brian had a 5 second gap on me. That was reasonable and I just needed keep digging. The next few laps were more of the same. It was getting really slippery in the technical sections and a lot of guys were going down in front of me. The sand sections were staring to put a lot of guys in the "Hurt Locker" Every time we would exit guys were having problems getting back on their bikes and get moving. I was going hard and still flying through racers from the first two fields and was feeling really good but each time I went by the pits Brian's lead increased by about five seconds. He was flying and I was starting to think there was no way I was going to catch him. He was in a groove. The heavens had now opened up and it was raining pretty hard. I knew there were three or four guys just behind me so I wanted to see if I could get as many slower riders from the other fields between us. Things were going fine until half way through the last lap. I came up on a young kid and yelled that I was coming by on the left. He actually turned around, looked at me and then cut me off as I was coming by. I have no idea why he didn't let me by but I had to hit the brakes hard. Of course, right after that he took a turn to hot and went down hard. I slid out while trying to avoid him and had to put a foot down. Four guys from my field got by me and another was right on my wheel. We only had a half lap to go and I just went from 2nd to 6th in a matter of seconds.
I had a brief moment of panic and was taking risky moves to get back around them. I decided to play it safe and just make sure to stay right on them, pass if I could, but make no mistakes doing so. I moved back a forth with a couple of guys but couldn't get around them for good. OK, new plan. I know I am a good sprinter and if I could stay right with them until the long finish on the pavement I could possibly power by them at the finish. We came off the grass and I sat right on the back of all four. Half way down I made my move and started to fly by each of them. I only had one more to get by. I was coming up on him fast and knew I had him. Just then a slower rider from another field decided to sit up right before the finish and he started to drift right into me. If I kept driving through I was going to be pushed into the barriers. I hesitated for a second and then went around him on his right. I till had some momentum but came across the line a tire length back and took third. It was a great race and the my first in the pouring rain. I think I am baptized now.All photos by Denise Phillips - VeloShots
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