Not quite...

Not quite the kind of day you dream of today at Vet's...a bad combination of the flu going around my school plus an overall lack of rest makes for a long three laps. 8:01, 8:37, 9:17...I can do the math as well as anybody. That doesn't equal a good day. Here are a few pics of those that did manage a good race or two.

Good luck for those of you who will chance it tomorrow...

USGP Louisville

So Mike Seaman and I headed out Friday afternoon with the car packed on rain soaked roads. The rain stayed with us all the way through Ft. Wayne, but word from Louisville was that it had stopped a few hours earlier. When we finally arrived at the hotel we found the Michigan crew hanging out in the hotel bar.

Saturday's race started off with just a few drops of rain in the air. The course was already chewed up and the races before mine made sure the track was ridden from tape to tape. It is funny to listen to first timers at an event like this comment on how much the course gets torn up. When one category features as many racers as we'll get at a full day of racing in MI, the courses take a beating.

I had a great starting spot which landed me next to John Osgood on the front row. Sure enough though, in typical fashion, five racers were given a starting spot in row ZERO (that's right, in FRONT of the grid...) based on OVCX points. You're telling me they forgot to do that when assigning numbers? Whatever, I'm sure they'll fix it for Sunday (they didn't). Anyway, fortunately all five of them lined up on the opposite side of the starting grid which gave me a clear lane for the hole shot. BANG and I was off, finding a gap in front of 107 racers like nobody's business.

Into the first few turns the course was slippy and I was happy to be out front. Shortly after the start (400m-ish) we hit the first set of planks. I chose a line on the left which proved to be a bit slower in the run to the barriers. Two guys passed on the right. We're off our bikes, flying over the barriers, when I hear the distinctive sound of someone having difficulty with the planks. Out of the corner of my eye I see the guy in fourth place start to lose it just as I'm setting my bike back down for a remount. Then it happened - RAD RACING dude caught his balance by placing his foot THROUGH my rear wheel, instantly toasting it.

I've wrecked wheels before and know when it is time to figure a quick fix versus just starting to run. This was the latter situation, so I took off with the bike on my shoulder. Heading into the pits I had to be in last place, but the Wiz was there with my new Tricross Singlespeed. Fortunately the Sram guys put a wheel in for me and I was able to change again later on, but the damage had been done. 3rd to 107th in an instant, but that is 'cross. I ended up catching half of the field ending up 50th. Not a great day...

Sunday I was hoping for a better race overall. I had a spare set of clinchers with me but the wind and sun had significantly dried things out from Saturday. I decided to swap my green Michelin Mud for Osgood's Challenge Griffo clincher. It's funny how sometimes decisions get made that you never think will come back to haunt you, but this was one of them. Had I just stayed with the Muds who knows what would have happened...

So the start was similar to Saturday's. One main difference was that I hadn't exactly pre-ridden the course, so the first few turns were blind to me. Whoops. Anyway, Osgood and I stacked the right side of the starting row in awesome position, and the promoters left the OVCX guys back in the pack (no row ZERO this time). The whistle blew and it took me a second to get on top of my gear, but once I did I opened a gap instantly on the field. Going into the first barrier set I was all alone - nobody to step on my wheel. I ended up getting caught by the eventual winner about 3/4 of the way in that lap and finished the lap in 2nd place. That effort was good and bad - it got me out of trouble but required a bit of settling in. After the HR normalized I found myself in 7th with two to go. Ok just keep rolling...keep rolling.

Going into the Green Monster (which blows the Flying Rhinover out of the water...) you didn't have to brake whatsoever. No different on this lap, and I hit it with enough speed to carry me up the first four steps. I set my bike down on the top and once again felt that horrible feeling of my bike stopping in its tracks. PANIC MODE. What happened? I must have popped the wheel out of the drops. NO. I wrecked the rim?? NO. Then I saw it, a bulging tire jammed in my brakes bad enough that I couldn't free it. I stood on top of the Green Monster for what felt like an hour (but was probably closer to 5 seconds). Screw it, start running. Down the Monster, through the start, over the barriers, through the sand, and finally to the pits. When it was all said and done, once again I dropped from being in contention to DFL. I think I ended up 76th on the day.

The only good news is on the last lap, running with my bike on my shoulder, a bunch of guys were screaming that there was money in the mud pit. Of course I stopped and found a dollar - what else was I going to do?? To top it off, a short while later a High Life was held out in front of me, so I couldn't be rude and deny it, right? Ahh...

So what started out bad for me ended up with two good learning experiences and the knowledge that my fitness was indeed coming around (FINALLY). Not coming around enough to go jump in with the lead pack next weekend at Vet's, but coming around in smaller terms. We'll see.

One thing I confirmed this weekend was how FAST Michigan's masters are compared with everyone else. Wiz, Weinert, and Moncel rocked this weekend as did a few of the 45's. It was great to see Curt Potocki and John Osgood hit up their first USGP experience. Mark Caffyn, Mark Dettman, and Mark Wolowick all made the trip as well. Anne Swartz was representing in the elites while Kelly from the Wolverines rocked in the Master's category with two WINS.

One thing is for sure, I can't wait for next year.

Pics 1

Pics (Curt)

Pics (JB)

Racing again...

So after a few weeks of various other commitments I get to race again this coming week at the USGP's. Let's hope my legs remember how to do this thing we call cyclocross...

4:24

Chicago Marathon 2009

So Kristie came home in February this year and said she was going to run the Chicago marathon this year. She has never run this type of distance before, but she did some research and found a training plan that worked very well for her. This weekend was the big event, and most of our families were able to join us in the windy city for the run!

At the start Kristie was one of 46,000 starters in the chilly weather. Temps at the start were somewhere in the low 30's.

Things quickly warmed up into the low 50's. Due to a horrible messaging system from Verizon I missed her TWICE in the first 9 miles. Fortunately, just after mile 16 I was able to join up with her. I took my supercommuter (1998 Trek 930 SS with fenders) and put on about 35 miles in the city yesterday. I was in parts of Chicago that I had NEVER been in before...

Kristie finished in 4:24! I was so happy to see her throughout the day once I finally knew where she was on the course. It was great to see some of our family members out on the course too! Overall it was a huge success and I have never been more proud of Kristie. She set a goal and demolished it - she deserved it since she worked so amazingly hard all summer.

Next up for JB - USGP's in Louisville.

Support science education...

Ok obviously this has nothing to do with bike racing but it does have to do with something very, very important - education. As you've probably heard on the news and know from your personal investment accounts, money isn't exactly growing on trees lately. Consequently, schools are constantly fighting to balance a budget on a price-per-student number that can seemingly change at an instant.

Overall I consider myself and my students to be very fortunate with the supplies and resources we do have available, especially when you look at other schools in the state. Part of me feels guilty even making a proposal like this! However, with your help I can take one more step to make my physics classroom that much better for my students.

Take a few seconds and check out the proposal I have written for a visualizer/document camera. If you have a bit to spare and want a tax break because of it, maybe consider donating to the cause.

VISUALIZE THIS...

If you have any questions please let me know!

Back to racing soon...

RESULTS - 2009 Ithaca GP

C-Men

1. Doug Jacobson

2. Jeff Nixon

3. Ryan McKinnie

4. Matthew Spruit

5. Curt Potocki

6. Marc Dettman

7. Chris Davison

8. Peter Sandretto

9. Greg Johnson

10. David Chapman

11. Mike Doezema

12. Ben Miller

13. Jeff Festian

14. Lee Premp

15. Patrick Drueke

16. Jamie Rytlewski

17. Chad Ielfree

18. Patrick Tomlinson

19. Greg Geisler (-1 lap)

20. Bob Bydra (-1 lap)

DNF Cameron Marshall

B-Women

1. Heather Kubiak

2. Amy Haney

3. Vanessa Stauffer

4. Andrea Davis

Juniors 14 & Under

1. Billy Kroll

2. Nolan Osgood

B-Men

1. Patrick Russell

2. Scott Fabijanski

3. Erik Koehler

4. Jason Boyton

5. Zack Manio

6. Keith Feldt

7. Ray Auger

8. Daniel Geron

9. David Staublin

10. Brian Mitchell

11. Dave Hollis

12. Matt Levasseur

13. Scott Walburn

14. Todd Powers

15. Mike Koetsier

16. Tom McArdle

17. Douglas reed

18. Russ Greenwood

19. John Kowalczyk

20. Doug Gatto

21. Tim Bender

22. Kurt Martin

23. John Osgood

Elite Women

1. Anne Grofvert

2. Kim Thomas

3. Lillian Ruiz

Juniors 15-18

1. Addison Evon

Elite Men

1. Tim Saari

2. Tony Wieczorek

3. Matt Ashley

4. Michael Simonson

5. Brian Hancock

6. Terry Ritter

7. Rob Selle

8. Jimmy McMurray

Masters 35+

1. Andrew Weir

2. Jeff Haney

3. Mike Seaman

4. Clint Vernon

5. Jimmy McMurray

6. Ron Stack

7. Terry Ritter

8. Ken O'Day

9. Keith Reige

10. Craig Rawlings

11. David Chapman

DNF Bob Wydra

Singlespeed

1. Eric Keeler

2. Wayne Cook

3. Patrick Russell

4. John Osgood

5. Aaron Dowling

6. Brad Hranack

7. Russ Greenwood

8. Trae Bott

9. Dave Staublin

10. Mike Ring

11. Frank Kroll

12. Benjamin Tompkins

13. Ben Miller

14. Jeff Festian

15. Ryan McKinnie

PRIMES

Doug Jacobson, Heather Kubick, Billy Kroll, Erik Kohler, Addison Evon, Matt Ashley, Tim Saari, Mike Seaman, Eric Keeler

Ithaca GP!

All set for tomorrow...check out Curt's map of the course!

Hmm...

Ouch.

Ithaca GP

Online Registration closes on SUNDAY at midnight! Save some $ and get yourself online...

D'oh

From Jamie Rytlewski, who did his first 'cross race this weekend at Cannonsburg. Jamie is the one that cleaned the barriers...

Friday night lights

The first ever night cyclocross race in Michigan was a pretty big hit yesterday. I think the masters class alone had 30-something people in it, with even more in the B's. The C-field was ballooned as well. I think the A's had somewhere around 20-30 racers.

Wayne rocked his Tricross SS in the master's class.

This was my first trip for a 'cross race at Cannonsburg. I pre-rode the course between the C's and the B/Master's race to try and learn as much of it as possible. It was a short course and most of it was disguised with bumps or sand-filled holes which sucked the power out. At least at speed these weren't quite so bad, but with the 9:00 start time also came the challenge of racing under the lights.

Mike rolled his front tire in the first 200 m, but he chased all the way from last to third.

Racing under the lights on a bumpy course is like riding a mountain bike on a trail that is covered with water - you never really know what you're riding on. One of the faster corners also had a bit of condensation on the grass, making 2-wheel slides a fun reality.

My new Tricross felt rock solid; I ended up 6th.

The race started pretty well with a lead group of three taking off from the gun. I was in the first chase group but at the end of the first lap put in a dig and ended up in no man's land. Eventually Bill Gallagher and Andy Weir caught up but Andy had some chain issues so he was on and off the pace the whole night. Bill rode his mtb through the sand with more confidence than I and ended up getting a gap that I couldn't close. In lap 9 of 11 Andy caught back up and was able to hold a gap on me, which made me miss out on a top 5 by one spot.

It was a fun night with the Cannonsburg staff grilling and serving up Founders on tap. Kristie made the trip out and took all of the pics here, which was a difficult task between the low light and haze in the air. Next up is Waterford!

HOT

From Kinetic Systems blog.

Win me

Win me HERE!

Whoops...

I was in the land of the lost without internet on Saturday, so unfortunately the last Saturday before 'cross didn't have a video. So in the theme of all things out of the ordinary, check out these barriers:

And since I feel bad about not having a video last Saturday, here's a vintage bonus:

Enjoy the last week of relative relaxation before Friday kicks off 'cross!

Dernier Tours

With the last two weeks of summer winding down, watch the last few minutes of the '96 world cyclocross championships.

Hup hup hup...

The Fort

Kristie and I headed out to Fort Custer for Robert's TT.  It is always nice to have company in the car for the long ride before and after the race.  We managed to do some shopping in Lansing on the way home too.  As for the race, 4th today after an untimely burp of my front tire (and corresponding face full of dirt) within the first ten minutes.  After my flat at Pontiac Lake earlier in the year I now carry a mini pump with me instead of CO2 cartridges for 29" wheels.  Fortunately the tire didn't completely deflate, but I was down to less than 10 psi and the tire felt like jello.  It took me too long to fill the tire but I managed to get it up to a reasonable pressure after a while.  I picked off as many as I could but ran out of trail.  This marked my last mtb warm-up race before 'cross...

fun.

'CX Saturday #6

Less than three weeks remain...

2008 Star Crossed/Rad Racing GP Cyclo-Cross from cyclofile.com on Vimeo.

Mid-week movie

From Steve Tilford's website, Warriors of Cyclocross:

"Warriors of Cyclocross" trailer from Keith Walberg on Vimeo.

Updates

Big sponsorship updates for the Ithaca GP...check out the website for the most up-to-date information!