A strong field toed the start line on Sunday. All the usual suspect were there plus a few fast mountain bike racers.
The course starts with a series of switchbacks after about a 200 yard, modererate incline leadout. I wanted to take the holeshot and see if I could create a gap through the turns. I got a good start and went through the switchbacks first. Unfortunately due to the skill of the other riders, the small field, and my lack of a burst of speed, I didn't create the gap I envisioned. Half a lap in other riders came around me but I guess I was too gassed from the start and I couldn't hold their wheel.
I fell back to 8th or 9th place, eventually worked my way up to fifth, but lost the sprint for fifth and finished 6th. This was a tough course that put less emphasis on cross skill and more emphasis on power and fitness. There were lots of long straightaways with very few places to recover.
Dougherty is in awesome shape right now kicking everybodies butt and looks like a strong contender for the state championship race next month. Knauft is riding into shape and he will be fearsome once he gets a cross bike or at least takes the water bottle cages off his mountain bike.
In the 4A race Tim rode a solid race to place 5th. He should be ready to upgrade to the 3's soon. Also, my friend Adrian, who has been training with me and Ken on Wednesday nights at Humbolt Park, had a great race and finished 4th in the 4B race.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
How not to train for CX ... (Carpentersville Report)
It has been a while since I've posted, so here is my latest report. I did the Carpentersville CX race, but unfortunately I wasn’t as prepared as Ted. I took a 17 day road trip through Europe after finishing a respectable 2nd place in the Jackson Park Cat4 race. The Euro-Trip included stops at Oktoberfest and several more liters of beer through Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium (I understand CX originated here, but I only went to enjoy their brews), Holland … oh and Liechtenstein!! Apparently lots of drinking and only 1 day of biking during that time was not a good training plan.
Fast forward to Carpentersville … I watch Ted race and chug a few bottles of water trying to hydrate myself, it was almost 80 degrees and very windy. We line up at the start and I’m already parched just standing there. The starter yells “GO” and I’m already buried behind 30+ other people hell bent on redlining and blowing themselves up by the first barrier. (Can we please get some callups and staged starts?) Crap! Halfway through the first lap I’ve managed to work my way past most of the field, but the contenders that I recognize have already ridden away. Crap Again! I’m following a Turin rider who seems to be riding stronger than me, but I’m catching him in the transitions and sand pit. I eventually pass him, but there is too big of a gap to catch the next two riders ahead of me. I hold on for 6th place and another jug of power gel (I’ll be stocked up through ’09 at this rate, winning one at Jackson Park too).
I felt really weak in the second half of the race, and was watching the guys behind me more than focusing on the guys ahead of me. I now realize how much fitness I have lost over the last three weeks and I’m now hell-bent on regaining it. How much can I accomplish before Bartlett and St Charles? We’ll find out.
Congrats to Aspen for another strong 3rd place and Devon for continuing to dominate the Women’s field and then stepping up to race again in the Men’s Cat3.
Until next week…
Fast forward to Carpentersville … I watch Ted race and chug a few bottles of water trying to hydrate myself, it was almost 80 degrees and very windy. We line up at the start and I’m already parched just standing there. The starter yells “GO” and I’m already buried behind 30+ other people hell bent on redlining and blowing themselves up by the first barrier. (Can we please get some callups and staged starts?) Crap! Halfway through the first lap I’ve managed to work my way past most of the field, but the contenders that I recognize have already ridden away. Crap Again! I’m following a Turin rider who seems to be riding stronger than me, but I’m catching him in the transitions and sand pit. I eventually pass him, but there is too big of a gap to catch the next two riders ahead of me. I hold on for 6th place and another jug of power gel (I’ll be stocked up through ’09 at this rate, winning one at Jackson Park too).
I felt really weak in the second half of the race, and was watching the guys behind me more than focusing on the guys ahead of me. I now realize how much fitness I have lost over the last three weeks and I’m now hell-bent on regaining it. How much can I accomplish before Bartlett and St Charles? We’ll find out.
Congrats to Aspen for another strong 3rd place and Devon for continuing to dominate the Women’s field and then stepping up to race again in the Men’s Cat3.
Until next week…
Carpentersville
Photo by CarolynCarpentersville is a flat and bumpy course that is a good test of a riders turning and transitional skills. My race strategy is to not let the leaders get away from me and to ride in a group to stay protected from the strong winds.
I get a good start off the line and am in second through the first barrier. The field strings out quickly and I'm with the lead group. So far so good. 3/4 through the first lap I think I'll try to ride the sand pit. I drop into the pit and I topple over. By the time I get up I lost contact with the group and am in no man's land riding by myself in fifth place with no protection from the wind.
The gap remains the same for four laps but by the fifth lap I start to gain ground. I move into third with one to go and fourth place is right on my wheel. I hit the sand pit holding my position and I am confident I can muscle out the final 250 yard sprint to the finish. I jump on my bike and the chain falls off and gets wedged between the crank and bottom bracket. I debate whether or not I should fix it or shoulder it and run it in. I fix it in time so I can ride in and hold on to 4th. An anticlimatic finish, but still an improvement from last year.
I made a few mistakes here that I can learn from and hopefully use to make me a better rider.
I get a good start off the line and am in second through the first barrier. The field strings out quickly and I'm with the lead group. So far so good. 3/4 through the first lap I think I'll try to ride the sand pit. I drop into the pit and I topple over. By the time I get up I lost contact with the group and am in no man's land riding by myself in fifth place with no protection from the wind.
The gap remains the same for four laps but by the fifth lap I start to gain ground. I move into third with one to go and fourth place is right on my wheel. I hit the sand pit holding my position and I am confident I can muscle out the final 250 yard sprint to the finish. I jump on my bike and the chain falls off and gets wedged between the crank and bottom bracket. I debate whether or not I should fix it or shoulder it and run it in. I fix it in time so I can ride in and hold on to 4th. An anticlimatic finish, but still an improvement from last year.
I made a few mistakes here that I can learn from and hopefully use to make me a better rider.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Carpentersville Preview
I am pretty pumped up about the race in Carpentersville this weekend. For some reason, I seem to do fairly well at this course. Two years ago I placed 6th and last year I was fifth and even won some money. This year my goal is to place 4th or better.
I was contemplating racing Whitewater, but I think I am going to minimize my travel this weekend and just focus on the local race.
I looked at the race flyer and I noticed they changed the starting times. They are starting the 3's right after the 1/2's but they are racing for different amounts of time. Bike racers aren't that smart. I wonder how we will be able to tell how many laps we have to go.
I was contemplating racing Whitewater, but I think I am going to minimize my travel this weekend and just focus on the local race.
I looked at the race flyer and I noticed they changed the starting times. They are starting the 3's right after the 1/2's but they are racing for different amounts of time. Bike racers aren't that smart. I wonder how we will be able to tell how many laps we have to go.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Badger Cross
I woke up this morning, looked out the window, and it was raining. I didn't know rain was in the forecast. This could be a good day for me. I love racing in bad conditions.
I pre-rode the course and it wasn't deep mud or sticky mud, it was just kind of slippery. I've decided to go with wide tires with low air pressure. I'm also prepared to use my pit bike in the second half of the race if my bike gets clogged up with mud and grass during the race
Once again I had a bad start in the middle of the pack when we hit the first grassy double-track section. One guy went down and there were a lot of riders grabbing their brakes through the first few greasy turns. Within the first minute of the race I could see the leaders were already 100 yards ahead of me. Dang.
This race I am really focused and I feel strong. I am confident in the corners and I work my way up to the top ten after 2 or 3 laps. I was about to make contact with a group that was in 4th - 8th. While I drifted off and started think about how nice it would be to draft off them, I lose my focus and wipe out on a straight away section. That was pretty stupid.
The adrenalin kicks in and I start chasing hard. My brake levers are bent inward at an extreme angle, but other than that my bike works surprisingly well. Going through the start area downhill I pay the first penalty for the adrenaline rush. On the muddy turn at the bottom of the hill I miss grabbing my brake levers because they are not where I expected them to be and I fly into 3 foot tall grass. To the delight and/or disappointment of the spectators, I didn't wipe out, but now I'm way off course and get passed by another guy. I work to catch him but then I pay penalty number two for the earlier adrenaline rush. Now I'm completely blown and there are still 2 or 3 laps to go.
I take it easy on the next lap to get in a little recovery. I'm also banging on my handlebars while I ride trying to straighten out the levers. Lucky for me there were a lot of spectators out on the course today and whether they are rooting for me (rarely) or against me (usually the case), I find it motivating and I got a second wind with 2 to go.
I regain my focus and work my way into 8th. When it was all said and done, that's where I finished. No mechanicals and a minimal amount of crashes. Given the conditions I'm pretty happy with how this race went. Again, not a great result, but it gives me upgrade points and it was a blast riding in the mud. This was a true cyclocross race. Now that's entertainment.
I pre-rode the course and it wasn't deep mud or sticky mud, it was just kind of slippery. I've decided to go with wide tires with low air pressure. I'm also prepared to use my pit bike in the second half of the race if my bike gets clogged up with mud and grass during the race
Once again I had a bad start in the middle of the pack when we hit the first grassy double-track section. One guy went down and there were a lot of riders grabbing their brakes through the first few greasy turns. Within the first minute of the race I could see the leaders were already 100 yards ahead of me. Dang.
This race I am really focused and I feel strong. I am confident in the corners and I work my way up to the top ten after 2 or 3 laps. I was about to make contact with a group that was in 4th - 8th. While I drifted off and started think about how nice it would be to draft off them, I lose my focus and wipe out on a straight away section. That was pretty stupid.
The adrenalin kicks in and I start chasing hard. My brake levers are bent inward at an extreme angle, but other than that my bike works surprisingly well. Going through the start area downhill I pay the first penalty for the adrenaline rush. On the muddy turn at the bottom of the hill I miss grabbing my brake levers because they are not where I expected them to be and I fly into 3 foot tall grass. To the delight and/or disappointment of the spectators, I didn't wipe out, but now I'm way off course and get passed by another guy. I work to catch him but then I pay penalty number two for the earlier adrenaline rush. Now I'm completely blown and there are still 2 or 3 laps to go.
I take it easy on the next lap to get in a little recovery. I'm also banging on my handlebars while I ride trying to straighten out the levers. Lucky for me there were a lot of spectators out on the course today and whether they are rooting for me (rarely) or against me (usually the case), I find it motivating and I got a second wind with 2 to go.
I regain my focus and work my way into 8th. When it was all said and done, that's where I finished. No mechanicals and a minimal amount of crashes. Given the conditions I'm pretty happy with how this race went. Again, not a great result, but it gives me upgrade points and it was a blast riding in the mud. This was a true cyclocross race. Now that's entertainment.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Cam-Rock Cyclocross
Today I cross the cheddar curtain and enter the land of cheese curds and Point beer. It's a double race weekend and the first race is Cam Rock, Wisconsins longest running cross race.
Last year this course was a slippery mud-fest. I was having a pretty good race on the slick course until my rear derailleur blew up, taking my hanger, chain, and rear spokes with it. This race set me back pretty far last season, in terms of money and missed races.
This year the course is dry and fast. It feels like a totally different course. It's like a mountain bike course on rooty, wooded double-track and XC ski trails with the occasional artificial barrier or log jump to deal with.
I haven't trained much since Xterra Nationals, so I was not too sharp at the start. Once I realized I was in a race, I grabbed the wheel of a group of 3 that passed me. We were in 8,9,10, and 11th place and stayed in that position for about 4 laps. They were faster than me on the open sections but I was faster going through the turns. I couldn't think of a strategy to break away from them.
Eventually we caught one guy ahead of us, but none of us in the group knew how many laps were left in the race. Coming through on one lap a fan started yelling "this is it, go." there was less than 100 yards to the line, but I wound it up going as hard as I could stomp and tried to come around the guy in front of me. I dropped my chain so I had to use my momentum and get a good throw at the line. I didn't make it and got beat by a wheel. Oh well, 8th place gets me points toward the up grade I think. I'm happy with that.
Photo by Robyn
Last year this course was a slippery mud-fest. I was having a pretty good race on the slick course until my rear derailleur blew up, taking my hanger, chain, and rear spokes with it. This race set me back pretty far last season, in terms of money and missed races.
This year the course is dry and fast. It feels like a totally different course. It's like a mountain bike course on rooty, wooded double-track and XC ski trails with the occasional artificial barrier or log jump to deal with.
I haven't trained much since Xterra Nationals, so I was not too sharp at the start. Once I realized I was in a race, I grabbed the wheel of a group of 3 that passed me. We were in 8,9,10, and 11th place and stayed in that position for about 4 laps. They were faster than me on the open sections but I was faster going through the turns. I couldn't think of a strategy to break away from them.
Eventually we caught one guy ahead of us, but none of us in the group knew how many laps were left in the race. Coming through on one lap a fan started yelling "this is it, go." there was less than 100 yards to the line, but I wound it up going as hard as I could stomp and tried to come around the guy in front of me. I dropped my chain so I had to use my momentum and get a good throw at the line. I didn't make it and got beat by a wheel. Oh well, 8th place gets me points toward the up grade I think. I'm happy with that.
Photo by Robyn
Friday, October 5, 2007
Get a Grip Off Road seeks new members for 2008
Chicago's premier Off-Road racing team is looking for new members for 2008. We are seeking off-road triathletes, cross country runners, mountain bikers, and cyclocross racers of all ages and skill level who have a passion for off-road athletics and plan on racing a full schedule in their chosen sport next season.
If interested in applying to the team, submit a race resume with past results and goals for next season to:
offroadcoach@gmail.com
If interested in applying to the team, submit a race resume with past results and goals for next season to:
offroadcoach@gmail.com
Monday, October 1, 2007
Xterra National Championship
Tough race. Got my butt kicked by everybody. The funny thing is that I though I was having a good race until the moment I was closing in on the finish line and I saw my time on the clock. Then I looked at the results and saw that lots of people I beat earlier in the year had beat me at this race. Oh well, that's racing. You have good days and you have bad days.
I have to keep it in perspective and realize that the best athletes in the country were here.
At least I go home with a brand new Regional Champion jersey that they gave me at the Night of Champions dinner. This is the fourth jersey I can add to my collection.
That's it for the triathlon season. I met some goals, and fell short of others. The goals I missed out on are already motivating me for next season.
I'll take a week off, evaluate my season, and then get back to training for cyclocross.
I finished 16/32 in the age group and 122/350 overall
Swim 33:29
Bike 2:11:10
Run 47:34
Overall 3:32:13
I have to keep it in perspective and realize that the best athletes in the country were here.
At least I go home with a brand new Regional Champion jersey that they gave me at the Night of Champions dinner. This is the fourth jersey I can add to my collection.
That's it for the triathlon season. I met some goals, and fell short of others. The goals I missed out on are already motivating me for next season.
I'll take a week off, evaluate my season, and then get back to training for cyclocross.
I finished 16/32 in the age group and 122/350 overall
Swim 33:29
Bike 2:11:10
Run 47:34
Overall 3:32:13
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