Infighting with the Belgians

Good article HERE about racing tactics for the upcoming world championships.

Nys

Neat interview from CX Magazine with Sven Nys HERE.

New Year's Day ride

Rode on Saturday morning with the TCC crew out of Midland for their annual New Year's Day ride.  I didn't quite understand that this was a full-on club ride, so when I saw over 100 people in the parking lot I was a bit surprised.  What a better way to start the new year than to ride with some old friends on a pretty fantastic winter day.

John from the Bicycle HQ had a roaring fire going along with hot chocolate at the halfway point.  The CruX was happy to be out on the road again after a two-week layover.

The wind kept things cold-ish but it was overall a great day to be on a bike.

For Sale - Vintage 1998 Cannondale Raven

1998 Cannondale Raven

Measurements: seat tube 18.5" c-t, top tube 21" c-c (actual) 21.5" c-c (virtual)

Drivetrain: Full Shimano M747 XT 8-speed

Brakes: Shimano M747 XT V-brakes

Rims: Mavic 217 26" Sunburst Color

Hubs: Hugi

Pedals: Platform with cages

Saddle: Coda titanium

Rear Shock: Fox

Front Shock: Fatty D (on/off lockout)

SOLD!

New look...

...for a new year.  Maybe I'll keep this more up-to-date.

Ok just one more...

Mike and I took off this morning early to line it up one more time in 2010.  5:30 is a rough time to start a four and a half hour drive but after a few stops we made it to Chicago in record time.  It was 27 degrees when we left, but only 12 degrees with lots of sun in Chicago.

Mike lined up in the 40+ race and fought back from a rough first lap (no pre-ride on a course where a pre-ride is essential...) to finish a strong 3rd on the day.  Tire pressures around 24-ish PSI were the order of the day to keep as much traction as possible.  There were sections of the course frozen solid under snow drifts about 8-10" deep and a few off-camber ascents and downhills to keep you sharp.

By the time I raced in the 1/2 (plus consolidated 3 category) it had warmed up to a balmy 17 degrees.  Double bonus was seeing one of my cousins from Chicago who braved the cold and wind to watch another 'cross race.  Tubular tires were again essential since the course had even a few more glazed over spots and rough bumps throughout.  Ended up taking 7th out of 38 starters (2nd in the Cat 2's), which was a great way to end the season.  Starting in the third (of four) rows didn't help as it took the first 3 laps to pick through the crowds.  

Pics HERE and HERE.  Youtube video from the first lap of the 1/2/3 race HERE.  USAC results HERE.

You have to check this race out next year...it's a perfect way to close out the season.

Jingle Cross Rock Friday Night

Ended up taking 11th in the Cat 2 field!  Course was absolutely a beast - without question Mt. Krumpet was the hardest hill / downhill I've ever raced on.  During my pre-ride I wasn't able to ride the switchback downhill completely in all four of my mid-afternoon laps.  The frozen tundra of Iowa City was getting more and more torn up with each passing rider.  The fall line was scary - if your front tire didn't grip around the turn you were got a great face full of snow fencing followed by a nice roll down the hill.  Even swapping to the green Michelin Muds was not much of a help earlier in the day, and I wasn't able to get on the course between the races before the 2/3's due to the early call-up.

So the entire family came out to freeze in the wind - swept county park.  I started on the front row due to a super quick trigger finger at 1:00 a.m. back in September.  It was great hitting Mt. Krumpet in the top 5 to avoid what was never ending carnage.  After never successfully descending Krumpet during my warmup I hit the hill with a full head of steam on the first lap.  Fortunately I picked a good line for each of five laps and never faulted.  I may not have been the fastest heading down the hill but I stayed on my bike, which was worth a lot.  I waited around for results but after an hour they were not in sight and I was hungry for leftovers.  Ended out nearly missing out on a top 10 but snagged 11th, which I was very happy with.

Here are a few pics and a video from today.

After dropping down the sketchiest downhill I've ever tackled on a 'cross bike you were treated with a quick double barrier set and a quick trip back up.

A view from Mt. Krumpet looking over the infield

The whole family braved the cold - here is the post-race shot

A view up Mt. Krumpet.  We started from the top left and took the switch back down off to the right.  Off camber the entire way and slick like ice.  Lots of big crashes...

To give you an idea on how insane Mt. Krumpet was - here is a video posted on Cyclocross Magazine's report of Day 1:

Pre-ride

Racing tonight at 5:30 local time...course is frozen pretty solid and one of the downhills is very, very sketchy.  Pre-ride through one of the barns:

Jingle Cross Rock

From the race promoters:


"The Grinch has awoken! He is staring down from atop Mt. Krumpit at the course construction.

And onto Iowa City, the world on cross bikes decended.
And it upset the Grinch, he was most certainly offended.
And he stood their puzzling and puzzling until his puzzler was sore.
"If these Who's ride my Mountain, I'll settle the score!"
The Grinch winced and frowned.
"who dares to race me, "he exclaimed," who will throw down!"
As the hour drew near, and the time ticked on the clock.
"I'll show YOU the meaning of cyclocross," said the Grinch, "Welcome to the Jingle Cross Rock!"

(sent on behalf of the Grinch)"

Bloomer Park

Fun race course today - Bloomer always keeps you on your toes!  Long debate on whether or not to race today - finally decided it would be worth the trip since there are so few races left in the season.  Mike and I threw our stuff in the truck and headed down.  It was WAY colder in Alma than it was when we arrived at the park.  But Bloomer never disappoints and it was a really fun course today.

My race started alright and I was able to maintain pretty consistent lap times throughout the race, which is definitely an improvement from the early season races.  Ended up in a group with Patrick Russell and Pete Thompson, and we rode around the park together for the better part of 45 minutes or so.  Andy Weir remained just out of touch and despite pushing it deep into the red zone we weren't ever able to claw back more than a few seconds from him.

The race came down to the final lap and Pete put up quite a fight.  Every section of the course I hoped to gain a bit of time on Pete wouldn't give an inch.  Going into the final set of barriers I figured it would come to a sprint but Bloomer isn't exactly very sprint friendly.  Even so, Pete had great positioning going into the final dirt section before the shelter and he was able to hold me off.  After the two were relegated for an after-race tiff I ended up 13th out of 23 starters.  23 starters in the second-to-last Tailwind Elite race of the season?  WOW.

Next up - Jingle Cross!

Stoney Creek 'cx

10th in the A's at Stoney Creek - I'm pretty sure that is the first time I've ever cracked into the top ten of an elite Tailwind event.  Maybe once when I was a junior, but definitely not since I started racing again.  Last week I broke my rear shifter and its replacement has not yet arrived.  I showed up to Stoney with my 29'er and the Singlecross, figuring one of those would suffice on the day.  Well apparently I'm still having some shifting issues with the 29'er and the SS was not going to be my best option.  Thankfully Wayne let me slap my seatpost on his 56cm CruX Carbon and off I went.  Surprisingly the 56 didn't fit nearly as bad as I thought it would - I noticed the skinny 42 cm handlebars more than the lack of stretch in the TT.  Regardless, it pretty much saved the day because my SS would have made for a long 60 minutes.

The start was pretty clean and I settled into the group of guys that I would usually be around.  But this time within two laps I was up with Rich Stark, and I never manage to hang around with him too terribly long.  Tim Saari was floating around back with us but after a lap or two Tim started to spring and Rich started to fade.  Long story short, the last six laps I spent pretty much alone between two groups of pretty strong racers.

Danny Gerow and Adam York got tangled up in one of the post-road turns, giving me a carrot for the last lap.  But at that point I was pretty cooked trying not to let Andy Weir catch me so my chase was not the strongest.

Big hand goes out to Jay, who had an awesome race to snag 2nd on the day!

Next up may or may not be Bloomer - it depends on how much I feel like driving since we'll be heading shortly after to Jingle Cross!

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Visit media.usgpcyclocross.com for more Videos

Icecross

Too bad the attendance for Icecross today was not very good.  Weather was fantastic and the course was unique, to say the least.  Laps were in the 3:30 range!  Technical like no other course I've ridden.  The course started with a short straightaway followed by a banked, fast, off camber turn.  A bit more fast trail connected to a small section of singletrack before the triple barriers.  After winding through a few camp sites the course headed across the covered bridge into the skills park.  The sand played havoc all day in that section but was a blast to ride.  Too bad I threw myself on the ground on the last lap.  During the fall I drilled my shin on my front TRP's so hard that I undid the straddle cable.  Also, since I drove the bike into a hilly sand pile, my brake lever snapped off.  Stoney might be a day on the 29'er or I might just ride the Singlecross...

Jason Loetz took the win.  I slotted in 2nd, followed by Osgood and Seaman.  

Mike rolled well today after a solid effort on Saturday

John sweated out last night's party

Front shifter still working at this point exiting the skills section

Ahh...refreshing...  Man, I love Icecross.

National SS Championship?

Singlespeed Championship


For all of you singlespeed racers, there’s some big possible news on the horizon that will have a serious consequence on your National Championship plans...  Read the rest HERE!

'Cross Nationals

Just posted on 'cx magazine...2012 Cyclocross Nationals will be held in January in Madison, Wisconsin!  So much for the 2011 national championships.  Maybe someone should hold an "unofficial" 2011 US National Championship race in its place!

SVSU Red Zone

SVSU RED ZONE RESULTS HERE!

Weather prediction for today wasn't good - showers all day with highs in the low 60's.  However the day started sunny in the high 50's and only got better.  This worked out well for most of my family that came out to see the race today!

Big props to Steve Weckle and Paul Rytlewski giving the 'cross race promotion gig a shot.  The venues in Midland and SVSU are excellent and will hopefully be the sites of more races next year.  Unfortunately the attendance today was pretty poor, but with Mad Anthony gaining popularity on Saturday it would be tough to fight for the remaining scraps willing to race twice on the weekend.  Regardless, the race today was a blast and those that showed had a great day for racing.



The first race of the day for me was the team race.  Riding under the title of Vandalay Industries, we cobbled together a group of four to race the other two teams that showed up.  Mike and I decided to race the Tricross SS bikes for this one, since it isn't exactly taken too seriously.  Paul and Steve are thinking of offering a beer shortcut for next year, which could get fun.  Our win was rewarded with half gallons of BARTS beer from Bay City and containers of Heed as well.

Team Vandalay Industries

For the second race of the day, only six racers started, losing one within the first five feet.  Adam York made the trip but his pedal had different ideas, as it snapped on the start.  Corey Stange, Mike Seaman, Ray Auger (Canada) and I were left to fight things out.  The first lap was relatively tame until Corey decided to open things up hard up the hill.  He got a small gap and raced alone to the win from there.  I managed to hang on for 2nd, with Ray and Mike taking 3rd and 4th on the day.



Put these the Midland and SVSU races on your calendars for next year.  You simply can't beat the free food, free beer, great prizes, and awesome venues.

2nd for #2.  Won another 1/2 gal of BARTS beer, Heed, a Bontrager jersey courtesy of the Stable, and a sweet team race award - the SVSU Cardinal

SVSU 'Cross TOMORROW!

Don't forget about the SVSU race tomorrow behind the football stadium off of Davis Rd.!  Paul posted a map of the course HERE.

Forecast for tomorrow is in the high 50's for the morning / low 60's in the early afternoon and RAIN!

Course is FAST and will be very technical in parts with the coming precipitation.  It should be a blast!

Co-Pilot to Linden

Today's race in Linden was at a fresh new venue, which is always a fun experience.  Unfortunately the land over which the course was routed is smaller than Woodland Park in Ithaca, causing the course to resemble something closer to the Ithaca Jailhouse (mtb) trail than any 'cross race I've done in the state.  That being said, the course was fun despite the bone-jarring bumps throughout the wooded section.

My day was probably about average overall.  Not sure where I finished as Kona was pretty tired and ready to go home when I was done racing.  Not first but not last, and not lapped.

If you're not heading to Louisville for the USGP next weekend you need to get up to the Red Zone Cyclocross race at SVSU on Sunday!  Paul Rytlewski and Steve Weckle are planning another fun event.  If you missed the Big Bad Wolf race in Midland you won't want to miss this one!  Online registration closes on Friday and is available HERE.

BBWCX

Here are a few from today in Midland.  Overall a great day to ride bikes around a park.  Course ended up being quite a bit faster than we had intended but was overall a lot of fun.  Emphasis was placed at bike handling skills at speed.  Congrats to Tom Burke and Anne Grofvert for wins in the A-race today!

Kristie managed to get some awesome photos today...

Start of the elite race

The beach section was pretty compact and proved to be tough on the legs all day

Burke entering the sand

Simon and I rode around all day together

Last 400 m of the final lap...Simon left a small gap to his left which I took

Burying it...

The left turn immediately after this was fast

Team Drake / Argyle Army took top honors in the team race.  Andy Klumb, Anne Grofvert, and Andy Brown tore apart laps 2, 3, and 1, respectively.

The Heed and BARTS were the spoils from the team effort, and thanks to the BICYCLE HQ for a gift certificate that netted (with a bit extra) the Gore WS gloves.  Since the shop owner, John, was at the race he offered to head over to open the shop on a Sunday so I could go pick something out!

Big Bad Wolf 'cx update

Course is set and it'll be a lot of fun.

A note on the construction on E. Ashmen.  When you come to the park approach FROM THE EAST!!!!  Figure this into your directions otherwise you'll have to take a 2.5 mile detour if you approach from the west (therefore approaching from the east anyway).  There are still detour signs if you come from the east but you're "allowed" to go to the park.  Check the map for the park HERE and plan accordingly!  Ashmen road is closed(ish...) between Waldo and just before the park entrance.

If you're coming from the south, I would take the Bay City Rd. exit and head east to Flajole Rd.   Head North on Flajole and take W. Wilder / E. Ashmen to the west.  Continue through the detour signs across US 10 to the park.

If you're coming from the north, take the Wheeler/Waldo Rd. exit and head East on Wheeler.  Turn south on Rockwell and West on Ashmen.  Proceed through the detour signs across US 10 to the park.