Buck Hill #2

*Photo taken 100 degrees ago.

Second attempt at Buck Hill tonight.  Heat index of 103 degrees didn't seem to keep anyone away.  Ended up 19th out of 62 starters.  One untimely chain drop lost at least 10 places at an inopportune moment, but it was a great workout as usual.  Course was run differently than the last time I raced there.  Instead of climbing the entire hill to start we climbed about half of it by traversing across the front, flowing into the singletrack backwards.  Heading in the opposite direction was odd at first but after four laps it is pretty much drilled into your head.

In other news, Grace is growing like a weed...

Nature Valley 6/17 Crit

Robert Forster won adding more time to his lead.

Kristie's favorite bike.

Mid-Michigan Cyclocross

Tentative Schedule:

September 17: Mid Michigan Community College
October 9: SVSU Red Zone 'cross
December 10 or 11: Midland Frosty Cross

Midland 'CX team race champs from 2010

More information is available at the race website HERE.  Sounds like they're going to have another round of team races again this year!  Hope BARTS Brewery is on board again this year.

Open Streets

Lyndale Avenue was closed to cars for about two miles.

One sweet shop.

Strange things...

...and beer.

The Nature Valley GP started today with track racing North of the cities.

This wooden velodrome sounds like a roller coaster from beneath.

Woolly Race

Made it to the Woolly Race today with my fan club of three.  This was run similar to the Ithaca GP - lots of swag and an overall good time.  I raced in the "comp" class, which was the only class that ran 3 laps of the 8-mile course.  There was also a "rec" class, which only did one lap.  

The race started out with a fast rollout around a few soccer fields - complete with Saturday morning youth games.  Then it dumped into a quick section of singletrack, followed by grass doubletrack, more singletrack, doubletrack, more singletrack, and then more doubletrack.  The weather was perfect to start, overcast and probably 58 degrees.

Right off the bat a group of five separated themselves off the front.  I was in the second group but by the last lap two had jumped clear.  I ended up in a sprint for 8th which I lost by half a wheel or so.  The last 500 m or so was blazing fast doubletrack, pavement, and then grass.  I was happy with 9th (of 40 starters) and even snagged this fancy Park Tool BBQ set in the prize drawing.

FULL RACE RESULTS

Burley ride

Commute

I saw a guy commuting on one of THESE today.  It's not flat here by any means.

Buck Hill #1

Thursday night mtb race at Buck Hill saw 89 racers in the "advanced" category.  I managed one lap before the 6:30 start.  The course was apparently altered due to construction on the ski slope, but we climbed for the first probably five minutes of each twelve minute lap.  The rest was a mess of singletrack with a very fast downhill to the finish line.  Repeat four times and that's your typical Thursday night race.  I lined up towards the back of the pack, figuring I'd just see exactly how things would go.  With all of the singletrack passing is done pretty much only on the start climb and a few select spots in between.  40th out of 89 starters was all I had that day, but with a scene that big I'll be back next week to try and improve.