Ithaca Grand Prix

This weekend there were a couple big UCI cyclocross races up in Madison. Disappointed that there wasn't a Cat 2 race, I sought out somewhere else to race. I found the Ithaca Grand Prix in MI as an alternative to the Madcross presents Jonathan Page's Planet Bike Cup in Madison.

I attended this race last year and it was a well organized race with a fun and challenging course and a generous post race raffle.

After another night of sleeping in my car, I got to the course early and scouted it out. I made a last minute decision to change my tires and as a result I got a second row start spot. There was a 200 meter hilltop prime right after the start and I figured I would rather start conservatively and ride steady. I missed the hilltop sprint and before I knew it I was at the back of the pack. It took one lap to pass the fast starters and catch the leaders.

I rode behind them for two laps studying their strengths and weaknesses. I didn't want to be a wheel sucker so I attacked after 3 laps. I had a decent gap until I had a mishap remounting my bike after a run up and crashed. Slightly dazed I got up and was passed by two riders. Luckily, neither the bike nor I were damaged in the crash. It took a while for me to get back in a rhythm and catch up to one of the 2 leaders while the other guy was starting to build a bigger lead.

I noticed that they were learning to take corners better and it would be harder to catch the leader. I also knew that attacking in the same place as last time would not have the same effect so I needed a new strategy. Three laps to go and I bridge the gap to the leader with power moves in the open sections. Unfortunately the third place guy was able to sit on my wheel so we were back to a group of three battling for the win.

I sit in and bid my time looking for an opportunity. 1 1/4 laps to go and I attack in the spot that I crashed. I figured they wouldn't expect it there. The remount is followed by a climb and an open section and I pour on the power. I create a nice gap and now I need to ride smart and smooth for one more lap.

1/2 a lap to go and I see one guy hasn't given up yet. I accelerate in all the open sections and go as fast as I can in all the running sections. I've done this in training and know I can hold on until the end. Everything goes perfectly and I come across the line for the win.

This win has been a long time coming. My last victory in a bike race came in '01 in the citizen class MTB race at Kickapoo.

Post race I got a cool 1 X 9 t-shirt that happens to match my Salsa Chili con Crosso.

Chicross - Jackson Park

The first local race of the year was a lot of fun. There was a good representation from the team in all race categories. Dean, Ken and I raced the Masters race, Tim raced the 3, potential new team member Jennifer raced the woman 4, I did the Elite race, and Brandon, Bill and Geoff from the shop raced the 4A.

For Brandon, Bill and Jennifer, this was their first race.

The teams top finisher on the day was Tim in 9th place.

The overall turnout for the race was great and Greg from triple xxx put together a fun and challenging course that was wide enough to handle the large fields.

Everyone is looking forward to the next race in DeKalb.

First cross race of the season

I wanted to get a jump start on the season and get a race in before the first Chicross race in Jackson park. So I left Friday, slept in my car and arrived in Davisburg MI on Saturday. Arriving early allowed for plenty of practice loops on the course to develop a race strategy. With many off camber 180 degree turns I wanted to make sure I had plenty of traction so I set my tire pressure low.

I line up for the start and get into the top five off the line. Then as we hit the first gravel section about 15 seconds into the race I hear a pop and the air burst from my tires. Dang, something similar happened to me at Jingle Cross last year. DNF? nah, I drove to far to get here, make it to the pit and swap bikes.

After spotting everyone a minute and a half lead I get on the gas and ride a steady TT attempting to catch as many riders as possible. At the end of the race I passed over 20 riders and ended up in 12th.

Disappointed, I'm going back to Chicago.

24 Hours of Seven Oaks

Derrick, Brian, Tim and I (Ted) drove out to Iowa for the 24 Hours of Seven Oaks race in Boone Iowa. This is probably the fastest growing segment of mountain bike racing but I have never tried one before so I figured I would try one out and see if it is as hard as it sounds.

The course was damaged in the recent Midwest floods so much of the trail system had to be re cut. On the preride lap this made the course really slow without much flow. It didn't seem like a fun course. Luckily, as the day went on, all the bikes broke in the course and made the course roll a little easier while still maintaining technical elements such as steep switchbacks both uphill and downhill, roots, and narrow bridges. Once I learned the nuances of the course after the second or third lap, I started to like the course and appreciate the challenges it presented. Each lap was 7.5 mile and had about 980 feet of climbing.

Derrick started the race with a LeMan's style run and got the hole shot just like we expected. He was able to ride strong and come in for the 1st lap in 5th place. On the next lap mechanicals set the team back a lap and put us in last place. With the bad luck out of the way, each racer focused on riding hard and staying within their limits as we chipped away at the deficit. Our consistency was our strength and we were able to move up nearly a place per lap by the time the night laps started.

By morning we were in second place. The first place team was nearly untouchable but the third place team was right behind us. Tim and Derrick rode some of their best laps in the final hours and we maintained second place by a comfortable margin.

Overall we rode a total of 27 laps. That is 204.5 miles (the first lap had an extra 2 miles) and 26,460 feet of climbing. Doing a 24 hour as a team was an incredible challenge and we all pushed ourselves to the limits.