If you are interested in racing with us next season in Mountain Biking, Off Road Triathlon or Cyclocross send your race resume with recent results and plans for 2009 to:
offroadcoach@gmail.com
Friday, December 12, 2008
Illinois State Championship - Montrose
Thank goodness the season is finally over. I've been going all out since I started the season in March and I am beat.
I didn't really want to do this race because I had a pretty good feeling where I would finish, I've lost the motivation to push through the pain in an hour race and it's friggin' cold outside. On the way home from Jingle Cross Tim convinced me to not punk out and finish what I started. So instead of taking a much needed break I pushed on for one more week.
I signed up hoping my form would magically turn around and my legs would feel less tight and fatigued. Unfortunately there were no Rocky Balboa-like finishes and I finished at the back of the pack in an uneventful finish to the season.
Oh well, at least the course had a lot of fun and challenging elements. I even had some fans out there encouraging me during the race. Brandon and Derrick didn't race but they braved the cold weather to come out and cheer. Derrick even brought a set of drums so he could bring the noise every time I rode by.
Tim had a great race in the 3's and he looks to have good form. He signed up for Nationals but unfortunately he's not taking his own advice and he's skipping it.
He earned an upgrade to 2 and it will be nice racing with a teammate in the 1/2 races next year. Given all the good guys in the 3's upgrade next year, the field for the 1/2's should be fairly large and really competitive. It will be fun next year.
I'm kind of down about my season right now just because I feel like crap but I had some success.
- competed in 20 races
- Victory at the Ithaca (MI) Grand Prix
- 13th in the 1/2/3 Chicago Cyclocross Cup Series
- 7th in the 2/3 Tailwind (MI) Series
- Upgrade to Cat. 1
Now I look forward to some time off and then some unstructured training before I ramp it up for the 2009 Xterra season.
I didn't really want to do this race because I had a pretty good feeling where I would finish, I've lost the motivation to push through the pain in an hour race and it's friggin' cold outside. On the way home from Jingle Cross Tim convinced me to not punk out and finish what I started. So instead of taking a much needed break I pushed on for one more week.
I signed up hoping my form would magically turn around and my legs would feel less tight and fatigued. Unfortunately there were no Rocky Balboa-like finishes and I finished at the back of the pack in an uneventful finish to the season.
Oh well, at least the course had a lot of fun and challenging elements. I even had some fans out there encouraging me during the race. Brandon and Derrick didn't race but they braved the cold weather to come out and cheer. Derrick even brought a set of drums so he could bring the noise every time I rode by.
Tim had a great race in the 3's and he looks to have good form. He signed up for Nationals but unfortunately he's not taking his own advice and he's skipping it.
He earned an upgrade to 2 and it will be nice racing with a teammate in the 1/2 races next year. Given all the good guys in the 3's upgrade next year, the field for the 1/2's should be fairly large and really competitive. It will be fun next year.
I'm kind of down about my season right now just because I feel like crap but I had some success.
- competed in 20 races
- Victory at the Ithaca (MI) Grand Prix
- 13th in the 1/2/3 Chicago Cyclocross Cup Series
- 7th in the 2/3 Tailwind (MI) Series
- Upgrade to Cat. 1
Now I look forward to some time off and then some unstructured training before I ramp it up for the 2009 Xterra season.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Jingle Cross Video
Ted has been sending these all day, the only appropriate thing is to post them! Enjoy the laughter that others' pain can bring you during the holidays:
Ted, I didn't see the other guy wearing any red, is there a reason you turned into a bull and decided to ram him? Was it something personal?
So, did you like that little clip? How about seeing it from another angle:
When watching this, I can't help but to hear John Madden in my head shouting "BOOM" as Ted lowers his head....
Ted, I didn't see the other guy wearing any red, is there a reason you turned into a bull and decided to ram him? Was it something personal?
So, did you like that little clip? How about seeing it from another angle:
When watching this, I can't help but to hear John Madden in my head shouting "BOOM" as Ted lowers his head....
Monday, December 1, 2008
Jingle Cross Rock 2
Day 2
I woke up Sunday morning and looked outside. The ground was covered in wet snow and snow was falling at a 60 degree angle. Normally I would be excited about racing in these conditions but I was actually scared to do the race because the course is so difficult that when you add in the element of zero traction some parts could be downright treacherous such as the descent down Mt Krumpit.
When I got to the race it seemed like there were half as many cars in the parking lot as the day before. A lot of people must have wimped out when they heard the weather report. I must admit, they were a lot smarter than me.
Tim and I preride the course and I was able to ease my fears when I was able to navigate the treacherous descent down Mt. Krumpit. I dial in my tire selection and air pressure and I'm ready to race.
My start puts me top 10 and I figure this could be a good day. Unfortunately my race unraveled on the first run up and the decent down the off camber side of the hill. I'm trying to run up the hill yet sliding backward. Once I got to the top people were falling down all around me trying to navigate down the side hill. I couldn't do any better and I fell about three or four time while trying to run/walk down the hill.
I ride around the course and make it to the base of the backside of the Mt Krumpit climb. I slide out at the base of the hill. Traction is terrible and I can't remount, forced to run up I lose a bunch more spots and am really doing a bad job of conserving any energy.
At the top I have confidence I can ride the down hill and start to make up some time on the leaders. All the fans are at the bottom cheering and taking pictures. I find a good line and let go of the brakes and let gravity take me down. Someone in front of me crashes and I'm able to steer around his carbon fiber bike. So far, so good.
However the rider gets up right in my line and we collide at full speed. I haven't hit anyone that hard since my days of playing linebacker back at the Academy. The fans were camped out there to see crashes and they got a good one. As I was laying in the mud I heard one spectator say "ewww, that was bad." I hope someone got that on video because I think that crash could make me a youtube star.
I'm dazed and confused and slightly bloody but my bike is OK and I keep going. I can't remember much else from the race except that I crashed and fell a lot.
Another back of the pack finish for me on day 2 but I still won some swag. At the end of the race Team Skin awarded me a pair of Oakly Flak Jackets for having the best crash of the 2/3 race. It almost makes the throbbing pain in my head and neck worth it.
The last race of the year is next week at Montrose Harbor. I hope I recover enough to toe the line. Hopefully we'll get a pretty good turnout from the rest of the team for one last race before the cold and dreary off season begins.
I woke up Sunday morning and looked outside. The ground was covered in wet snow and snow was falling at a 60 degree angle. Normally I would be excited about racing in these conditions but I was actually scared to do the race because the course is so difficult that when you add in the element of zero traction some parts could be downright treacherous such as the descent down Mt Krumpit.
When I got to the race it seemed like there were half as many cars in the parking lot as the day before. A lot of people must have wimped out when they heard the weather report. I must admit, they were a lot smarter than me.
Tim and I preride the course and I was able to ease my fears when I was able to navigate the treacherous descent down Mt. Krumpit. I dial in my tire selection and air pressure and I'm ready to race.
My start puts me top 10 and I figure this could be a good day. Unfortunately my race unraveled on the first run up and the decent down the off camber side of the hill. I'm trying to run up the hill yet sliding backward. Once I got to the top people were falling down all around me trying to navigate down the side hill. I couldn't do any better and I fell about three or four time while trying to run/walk down the hill.
I ride around the course and make it to the base of the backside of the Mt Krumpit climb. I slide out at the base of the hill. Traction is terrible and I can't remount, forced to run up I lose a bunch more spots and am really doing a bad job of conserving any energy.
At the top I have confidence I can ride the down hill and start to make up some time on the leaders. All the fans are at the bottom cheering and taking pictures. I find a good line and let go of the brakes and let gravity take me down. Someone in front of me crashes and I'm able to steer around his carbon fiber bike. So far, so good.
However the rider gets up right in my line and we collide at full speed. I haven't hit anyone that hard since my days of playing linebacker back at the Academy. The fans were camped out there to see crashes and they got a good one. As I was laying in the mud I heard one spectator say "ewww, that was bad." I hope someone got that on video because I think that crash could make me a youtube star.
I'm dazed and confused and slightly bloody but my bike is OK and I keep going. I can't remember much else from the race except that I crashed and fell a lot.
Another back of the pack finish for me on day 2 but I still won some swag. At the end of the race Team Skin awarded me a pair of Oakly Flak Jackets for having the best crash of the 2/3 race. It almost makes the throbbing pain in my head and neck worth it.
The last race of the year is next week at Montrose Harbor. I hope I recover enough to toe the line. Hopefully we'll get a pretty good turnout from the rest of the team for one last race before the cold and dreary off season begins.
Jingle Cross Rock 1
Jingle Cross is the best race in the Midwest with a course that features tough climbs and scary descents, lots of fans, and a nice payout in all categories.
Day 1
I show up to the line and 1 minute before the start and notice the pressure in my tire has gone down to about 2 psi even though I filled it about an hour ago. I hate Michelin latex tubes. Every one I used this year has failed me. They are very expensive yet they are poorly constructed and they fail at the valve stem where the tube is connected together. I'll never use Michelin latex tubes again.
My goal was to focus on going hard off the line, making it to the pit, switching bikes and getting back in the race. With such low pressure in the tires, I nearly crashed through every turn and was in last by the time I switched bikes. Unfortunately I didn't have it in the legs to make up much ground on anyone, was over geared on my backup bike and had difficulty on the steep run up Mt Krumpit.
Oh well, I usually do much better on the second day.
That night the host hotel had a screening of a movie called Zero Traction. It was a documentary about the 2007 KC Nationals and how racers had to not only battle their fellow competitors, but also the harsh Midwest winter. It was pretty good and I liked how it focused on more than just the pro race and gave the amateur racers plenty of camera time as well.
I had heard on TV that there were winter storm warnings but little did I know that Zero Traction would foreshadow the conditions we would face the next day.
Day 1
I show up to the line and 1 minute before the start and notice the pressure in my tire has gone down to about 2 psi even though I filled it about an hour ago. I hate Michelin latex tubes. Every one I used this year has failed me. They are very expensive yet they are poorly constructed and they fail at the valve stem where the tube is connected together. I'll never use Michelin latex tubes again.
My goal was to focus on going hard off the line, making it to the pit, switching bikes and getting back in the race. With such low pressure in the tires, I nearly crashed through every turn and was in last by the time I switched bikes. Unfortunately I didn't have it in the legs to make up much ground on anyone, was over geared on my backup bike and had difficulty on the steep run up Mt Krumpit.
Oh well, I usually do much better on the second day.
That night the host hotel had a screening of a movie called Zero Traction. It was a documentary about the 2007 KC Nationals and how racers had to not only battle their fellow competitors, but also the harsh Midwest winter. It was pretty good and I liked how it focused on more than just the pro race and gave the amateur racers plenty of camera time as well.
I had heard on TV that there were winter storm warnings but little did I know that Zero Traction would foreshadow the conditions we would face the next day.
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