Power Cross

Yesterday was the inaugural edition of MaxPower's Power Cross. All in all they put on a great race with a tough course, good atmosphere, quick results, etc. As a late season race it essentially extended the CNY CX season by an extra week which was pretty sweet.

Rolling into the venue, it didn't take long to realize that the big hill was going to be a big deal. I got to the race well before the Masters race, so I could check out the course well in advance of my Open race. Tim O. and I hopped on the course and hit the hill section first. We slowly walked up the hill deciding that there was no benefit to running it an hour and a half before our race. After two recon laps we decided that there wasn't much left to see. There weren't any major technical sections and it was essentially going to be a big hill run up married to a tractor pull on the lower section. Actually, I was pretty pumped. When I have decent form, that kind of slog suits me. Mmmm tractor pull.

We watched the Masters race and it was amazing how slowly some people were going up the hill. Actually it was amazing how slowly everyone was going up the hill. Faso was moving pretty good but the hill was named after him for a reason.

The Open race started off fast on pavement and then we hit the mud. It was rough going. The mud was drive drain eating muck. Mud tires weren't much help since the mud was thick and caked right into them. Then we hit the hill. Now I knew why everyone was going so slowly in the Masters race. I'm a recovering runner, so I actually loved the hill and used it to do a lot of passing. That said, it was insane and a couple of times I found myself light headed and weaving off course. On the 5th or 6th lap up the hill I collected what little spit I could pull together and let it fly at the Faso Hill sign. I shot high by about 3 inches, but the crowd on the hill went nuts and it was probably my fastest run up.

I've been waiting for a REALLY muddy race all season. I sold my motorcycle for two identical bikes and I hadn't gotten to use both of them in one race yet. Well I got my monies worth yesterday. At the end of my first lap, Jeremy Clay from Bike Loft East asked if I wanted a bike change. I was too late that lap, but told him I'd catch him on the next lap. Changing bikes was life altering and my bike felt 5 pounds lighter which was a huge physical and mental boost. Two laps later another change, two laps later another change, two laps later another change. Jeremy and local good guy Fizz were awesome. They didn't have a hose, so Fizz was dipping bikes in a pond, Jeremy was cleaning the tires off with a Dura-Ace BB tool and I have no idea how they kept up with it all. They were moving fast and were coordinating the bike changes flawlessly. Fizz would grab the incoming bike and Jeremy had the clean bike ready to grab at full gas. It was a tremendous advantage over those that didn't have spare bikes and I almost felt like I was cheating. The good news for me was that I wasn't cheating and I don't feel that bad! 5th place in the open in a strong field.

I beat some solid guys and they clearly had a tough time with their bikes in the mud, but that's 'cross. Like I said last week, the course is neutral. The Power Cross course brought some challenges, and it was great to see some people rise to the occasion and have their best performances of the season. Jason D, Neil H and my teammate Adam all put the power to the mud and killed it. Course variety is good and hopefully the MaxPower team will make the race part of the annual schedule. The King has spirals in Greene, Kirkland had the sand pit, and Max Power has their signature hill. Oh yeah, Ommegang has beer. If the course was dry, Max Power might need to tighten up some of the turns, but in late November we're almost guaranteed the mud. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Welcome to the back of the pack . . .

"Worst Race Ever"
- Comic Book Guy

After some success last year and a Cat 2 Upgrade, I decided it was time to get into the proverbial deep end of the swimming pool for 2010. So far it's been a rough start. I'm not dead yet, but the speed at which Justin Lindine lapped me yesterday in my first UCI race was a good indication of how much faster I need to get. I'm comfortable with the fact that winning is out of the question, but my goal of staying on the lead lap was quickly dashed. All in all, the Ellison course wasn't exactly the ideal place for my foray into the deep end. The course was custom built to showcase my weaknesses. I'm not exactly superstitious, but I wasn't at all surprised when they handed me my numbers. Lucky 13.

I must have looked pretty defeated after the race because nega-coach actually sent me an e-mail giving me positive feedback and encouraging me to stick with the UCI races. Hopefully soon I won't look so defeated and he'll be back to yelling at me to suck less.

I'm very much looking forward to heading out to New England a little later in the season to redeem myself on some of the more classic CX courses.

On a more positive note, the new Stevens bikes are awesome. Better fit, better geometry with a lower BB, and the carbon is super smooth. I still need to get a few more races on them, but my initial reaction is very positive. I'm railing turns where the old Ridley's felt like big tall unicycles.

This weekend is Ommegang. Hope to see everyone there!

Busted ....

Drumroll goes to Schenectady for 2 hr mtn bike race w/the 29er SS. Drumroll's friends note his knee pain is probably from ridiculous gears and quickly throw on a better gear. (Note: Drumroll doesn't know jack about this ss or mtn biking stuff.) Decent start, quickly remember how much I suck at mtn biking as riders blow by on every bobble. After an hour or so start pulling back a few riders, feeling more comfy on logs, bridges, planks, etc. Then ... busted .. the MF'in chain that is. Race over dammit. C'est La Vie eh? Drumroll's team-mate (JW) smoked the SS division though and put some gas $$ in his pocket -- congrats JW!

Dave Panella Memorial CX Race

I could provide a full race recap, and perhaps I will, but first this photo op of a teammate that my wife happened to catch.

I'm not sure that there's a lesson to be learned here, but if there was a lesson to be learned, it might go like this:

If you're kicking back after your race and drinking some 3 Philosopher's, don't drink so much that you feel compelled to sit on the ground. You're already tired and vulnerable on the ground, and your dog has clearly seen things at home. Clearly your dog has also worked up the nerve to try them. Then again, who doesn't get excited at a CX race?

The race went pretty well. I got a great start for once, but the course quickly turned into a maze of twists and turns, and making sequential 180's and circles really isn't my strong suit. The course had some new whoops this year which were pretty cool. Most of the usual suspects I tend to race with took the weekend off apparently, so I spent nearly the whole race by myself. I had guys 20 something seconds behind me and in front of me, but we were all traveling at about the same speed once the race settled in, so it was pretty much a TT for me. I finished on the lead lap in the Open race, so I think I was going about as fast as I could. The weather was definitely 'cross worthy with some sleet and snow, and I didn't smack my nuts this time, so all in all it was a good race.

I also won a couple of big bottles of Ommegang, a tire, an Ommegang sweatshirt for my lady and a few other things from a raffle. Not sure what the plan is for next weekend, but the weekend after that I'm headed to Mass to redeem myself after getting killed out there in my first CX race of the season. There will either be redemption, or my blog posting efforts will promptly be converted to my other passion, belly button lint. I guess you'll have to stop back to see how that works out.

Bethlehem Cup

The NYCross series finished this weekend. Most of my teammates headed to Greene to tackle the "Spirals of Death." I hadn't gotten a chance to ride in Albany yet this year, so I betrayed the team and decided to see how I stacked up against the eastern dudes. Last year I routinely finished in the back of their 3/4 races, so I really wanted to see if the new training regimen and new found skills from Cycle-Smart had paid off. They did.

I had also heard a lot about the course, it's epicness, and a gorilla banging a drum at the top of an insane run up. Bob hitched a ride with me and the 2:30 commute consisted of the normal pre-race talk. Training, racing, future bike purchases, tubulars and upcoming Spring races . . . We got to the race a little late and then I ran into a CBRC guy that I met at the Cycle-Smart camp. Turns out he broke his collar bone at Gloucester. He was going strong this year and had two new Conquest Pro Teams for this years campaign, so I was pretty bummed for him. The thought of losing a whole CX season after all of that training, planning and purchasing is a little daunting. Certainly pales in comparison to some of the curve balls that life can throw you, but a major bummer none the less.

Bob and I were racing the 3/4. The race before us finished late, so by the time we got on the course they made an announcement that we needed to be on the start line in 5 minutes so we couldn't complete a full lap. This probably wasn't the best course to miss a preview of or shortcut the warm up. The race started fast and flat. I didn't get a great start, but since I didn't really know where the course was going, that was fine by me. The course started out normal enough, but then we hit the run up everyone was talking about. Steep, muddy, and very long. Very long, muddy and steep (it bears repeating). Then came a couple hundred yards of peanut butter. I've had some time to think of adjectives to describe the mud, but I'm still at a loss for descriptives. This stuff was crazy, power sapping, and awesome at the same time. With a nickname like Skinny Phil, power isn't exactly my strong point, but I think I held my own. I did eat mud once, but that was just stupidity. After that there was a quick downhill with a sweet berm, and then another tough run up with three steps thrown in just to make sure everyone shouldered the bike. I really dug that run up until the last lap. On the last lap, I was sprinting in hopes that the guy 20 seconds in front of me would fumble at some point and I botched the remount. When I say botched the remount I mean I smacked my junk into the back of my seat. Thankfully my junk provided a slight amount of padding for my left nut. I was pretty concerned about what was going on "down there" but I figured I'd keep on pedaling while I sorted out where my junk ended up. Luckily everything remained in place and by Tuesday or Wednesday I'd say the pain had subsided. I hit my right knee on the headset/stem a couple of weeks ago. I thought that was pretty painful at the time. In hindsight it wasn't.

All in all the course was sweet, the race was sweet, they had a keg and a chili cook off. The gorilla didn't make it to the 3/4 race which was a bummer, but I'll probably get over it. Apparently getting over the loss of gorilla is taking longer than the smacking of my junk. That's weird.

I wish I had some pictures, but my old lady (actually she wants me to stop calling her that since I'm older) wasn't in attendance. Turns out they added whoops to Greene this year. Hopefully the races aren't on the same day next year. Whoops would be epic and the lack of a gorilla is definitely weighing heavily on my mind. Maybe the gorilla is a 3/4 racer? Sorry for the stream of consciousness, I just finished a caffeine fueled 4 hour commute and I'm trying to take the edge off of the Starbucks with some of Ommegang's finest. Sort of an every man's speed ball. Isn't that what killed John Belushi? Gotta go, commin' down . . .

I don't know if you've heard . . . but I'm kind of a big deal

Really, it's tough to be modest here. The facts are the facts, and I came in 9th place in the Mens 1/2/3 race at the NY State Cyclocross Championships. Not only did I come in 9th place, but it was my second race of the day. Who's to say I couldn't have come in 8th place if I hadn't already raced the 3/4.

I must admit that there were only 12 finishers, but I've gotta take what I can get. I'm not getting any younger, so I need to capitalize on my new self appointed title . . . "9th faster 'crosser in NYS." I'm not going to let the fact that I've never cracked the top ten of any of the open races this year (or any year for that matter) deter me. As far as I know, most of the dudes that have been beating me must be from Canada or out of state.

In order to commemorate my 9th place finish, I'm going to have some custom skinsuits made with 9 Balls all over them. I've attached a picture of what they may look like.

I'm sure I'll have a big target on my back this weekend, but I'm just going to need to get used to the extra attention that no doubt gets paid to the 9th fastest 'crosser in NYS.

It's yet to be seen what kind of perks I can expect now that I'm the 9th faster 'crosser in NYS, but I'm sure I'll be hearing from TRP, Ridley, FSA and Mavic soon. I'll make sure I get some extra swag for my friends. I promise I won't forget any of you or let this go to my head. Having said that, I do expect that you'll be putting my bikes on my roof rack after the races from now on.

Humbly yours,
The 9th fastest 'crosser in NYS (or at least the 9th fastest that showed up that day and happened to race in that particular race)

Race Report -- Park Ave / Camp Arrowhead CX - Sun Oct 26, 2008

So I ventured out to the Park Ave CX race in Pittsford -- similar course to last year w/a few modifications.

Lap 1: A bit surprised at the start, no real countdown, just an electronic "woop" from a megaphone. Cruised into the first turn (a sweeping 180 on slick pavement w/puddles) in about third position & heard the sound of "bike meets pavement" carnage behind. Settling in after the first few turns, I noted the leaders slowly starting to come back as they met the red zone and it told them to back it down.

Lap 2: Noted one of my main rivals moving up behind me. Soon it's me and "rival" slugging it out in front w/the third place guy slowly getting gapped -- everything looking cool -- shaping up to be another Drumroll and rival battle within the battle. Only difference this time is that instead of a top 5 or 10, this time it might be for a win.

Lap 3: Rival puts in a sharp dig but then slips out on an off camber & now I have a slight gap out front. Now in the lead, my seat seems to wobble and even before I finish my prayer to the mud gods that it hang on for a few more laps, I reach down and grabbed it before it fell to the ground a few turns from the finish. I was, well yes, bummed & pissed. I tossed the seat at the finish (standing up) and not really sure if I should quit or keep riding.

Laps 4-6: I was dejected and let up for a bit but kept riding with recurring thoughts of "be very, very, careful" and "EXIT ONLY". Also had a moment of striking clarity as I was about to remount after my first run up without the seat. The little brain (you know, the one down there who almost always is focused on "something" else) spoke up in a very serious tone and said "hey dude, you have no seat and that could hurt me and/or my friends here" .... so with my modified remount technique (i.e., slow & careful) I carried on. On last lap I decided I did not want to get passed anymore by one of those damn "seat" guys. In the end, didn't get passed on the last lap, no injuries or mishaps to any "sensitive parts", and ended up finishing on the lead lap. What a freaking great sport this is eh?

Syracuse Grand Prix

The race went well for me today. Great weather (if you like sunny and cool for CX as opposed to rainy and cool with a 90% chance of mud), great course, decent turnout, and a lot of fan support. My old lady and I have friends in town this weekend and I just returned from a business trip to Dirty Jersey yesterday afternoon, so it wasn't an ideal build up, but 99% of us all have a long list of excuses beyond average genetics. Got home yesterday, took the dogs out quick, hit the trainer for an hour, hit the showers, our friends showed up, drank a bottle of Shiraz, headed out for sushi, drank another bottle of wine, came home, drank a Duvel and decided to see if I could get enough sleep to offset my sins. The race was only a half hour away which was a nice change, but that left me with a lot of spare time this morning with an equal ratio of extra nerves. I made blueberry pancakes for 5 too kill some time. Headed out early to watch the masters race and heckle some friends and teammates. Got in a decent warmup for once and got a decent start. The course was great and there was plenty of time to sprint for the start. I'm not sure why so many CX races force you to make a 180 after a 30 yard sprint, but Eddie and the crew at the Onondaga Cycling Club know what they're doing after a bunch of years. The course was fast with some twisty's, a nice double barrier, a few nice straits, a great mud pit to keep it interesting, more twisty off camber stuff, including a 45 degree off camber that was really cool, and a sandy run up followed by a fast sweeping down hill.

In addition to having friends in town, my parents and in-laws came to the race. No pressure there. It's great to have people cheering for you, but as I've mentioned previously, a smack down between my buddy "Bob" and I was in the works. I got a better start than him for once and thought I might be able to hold him off, but I took a digger on a right hand off camber and got run over by a guy named Turbo that was right on my wheel. We jumped back up and I had to unfreeze my front brake. Bob and a few other guys were pretty close behind, so we got caught. Bob, Turbo and I were able to drop everyone else, but then Turbo, a local TT record holder, pretty much rode away from us leaving Bob and I together yet again. I led Bob around for a couple of laps and then he made a move and got by me. I decided we weren't going to catch a TT guy named Turbo (also Bob's teammate) so I sat on his wheel for the last two laps trying to decide what to do. I thought about trying to attack a couple of times, but I don't think there's any way he was going to let me get away. I decided my best bet was to let him lead me into the barrier before the sandy run up, and make my move there. I just edged him out to the top of the hill, nailed the remount and took off like I stole Sven Nys bike. Bob didn't get clipped in right away, and I was able to barely get away. We actually finished on the lead lap which was very cool. Most of the CNY CX races run an Open Men format, so it isn't unusual to get lapped by a dude like Dan Timmerman or Justin Lindine. Thankfully they weren't in attendance, so ultimately that's really how we stayed on the lead lap, but cool none the less.

I'm off next weekend, so the next smackdown will be at the State Championships. Bob and I won't be the champions of anything, but the race within the race will be interesting for sure.

For now, I'm just going to bask in the glow of the Ommegang Witte that Drumroll gave me for gas money last weekend. Cheers.

Cobbs Hill CX

Raced Cobb Hill yesterday. Tough technical course. I got there early and rode a couple of laps before the Masters race started. It was clear to me that I was in trouble, but it was going to be a fun course none the less.

It started with a decent open stretch that allowed for a fast start. Seems like most of the races I've done this season haven't had a long start, so there hasn't been much time to get to the front. After that there was a 180, a flat stretch and a quick left into the woods. Dismount, jump a log, onto some very narrow single track that had people all over the place, another 180 that had me over the handlebars on the first lap, more narrow "rock lined" singletrack that had my teammate doing his best Superman impression on the first lap, then an open flat section, very serious uphill on gravel and then grass, a nice twisty decent, a few turns around trees, over a nice set of double barriers and back to a brief pavent section around the start/finish.

Not a great course for me, but it was a lot of fun and I didn't struggle as much as some of the guys out there. I did struggle more than 21 guys, because I think I was in 22nd place.

It was Africa hot out there and pretty dusty. I couldn't build up enough spit to actually swallow for the first 4 laps. I was a rolling Orbit Gum commerical. Dirty Mouth? Luckily one of my teammates decided to offer some water handups and I got in a couple of swigs mid race.

My teammate Greg took third in the Masters race after lining up in the very back row. Clearly the course suited him. More importantly he won some cash money. He tried to give it to me for gas money, but I wouldn't take it. I did agree to take a 4 pack of Ommegang Witte. I didn't need cash, but I did need ale.

All in all a great race and a good way to keep the legs moving before the Syracuse Grand Prix. That course definitely suits me, not in a win it kind of way, just better for a dude with bad singletrack skills. So if I can keep both pedals on my bike this year it should be a lot of fun.