Woodstock Chicrosscup # 9

Pic by Jamie Sanchez Formula Foto

Wow, another course that should have suited me. I absolutely loved loved all the climbing at woodstock. This course was one of my top 3 favorites from last year. The course remained pretty much the same from last season with no surprises or technical bits. However fate conspired against me once more.

Getting to the second farthest chicross race late sure does wonders for your pre-race prep. I drove with my sister out to the penultimate Chicago cyclocross cup race with a misread on the time and distance to arrive. I quickly kitted up and noticed that the course seemed pretty much like last years. A longish start led into a super-fun descent into the woods. The climb out of this section is probably my favorite part of the course, at the top you wind around a pretty flat grassy section. I really dont like the "circle of death" feature that every other race seemed to feature this year. I think they're lame and they really kill my rhythm. Some more undulations, hit the barriers and some more twisty riding to the second "big" climb. The run-up once again really killed me but it was fun going through the switchback descent right before the finish.

I've been pretty lucky, actually really lucky that my racing "career" has only ever had one race ending mechanical. I've been pretty suspicous of this luck and was paranoid all season long that something would happen to me. It doesn't help that I've seen plenty of teammates, mainly Chris and Kevin break their bikes in various ways. I came close at woodstock. After my lame-ass warmup I went to the Cycle Smithy tent to put some air into my tires. They were running way too low. I pumped up the rear to just under 30, as I went to open the valve on the front tire the tip broke right off. Holy shit it was about 10 minutes to the start and 75% of the 3s field was already lined up. I tried two tubes from the shop guys but neither worked. One had a valve that was too short, the second tube had a long enough valve but was a skinny road tube that was not seating properly with my cx tire. AARRGGHH! First I got there late, second I was unable to set the trainer and warmup, now this! No front tire! I ran around for a couple of minutes trying to get a front wheel, I grabbed one of Al's pit wheels and off I was to the start line.

Of course I lined up in the back row. I saw some new faces,upgrades from the 4s surely. It was a big field and here I was all frazzled at the back. I noticed Kevin and Dave in the second row of riders and thought "yeah I'll never see those guys again". My start was horrible, my mind was off and I was not able to really move up any spots, instead I was racing with the guys I started with.

The first couple of laps hurt, the only good parts were the climbing but I didnt hit those as hard as I could have. It took me a while but about halfway through my legs showed up to the race. I started working with Matteo of Krystal cycling team. We started taking pulls and working together pretty well. We worked hard but the guys in front of us were unreachable. Towards the later part of the race a Cycle Smithy guy linked up with us but we were to have none of it. We drilled it hard until we dropped him.

Even though it was just me and Matteo, we worked hard so that nobody would bridge up from behind. And also to make sure that we didnt get lapped. Coming around the last part of our last lap I noticed Kevin up front. This gave me some extra motivation to push hard, he seemed to be within reach. Matteo gave me one hard final pull up the last hill after the runup. After that I drilled it hard into the red. I made up some time but Kevin was not going slow enough.

The result was bad, the start was bad, the luck was bad, but the legs were there. They showed up to the race late but I still have some matches left to burn. I am really psyching myself up for Montrose. This is it, one last chance. I am being realistic about what to expect and how I'm going to finish. I know who I can beat, and who is a little out of reach now. But I am going down in a blaze of glory. I will leave absolutely everything out there at Montrose, I am crossing that finish line a mere shell of a human being. For all those finishes, the results, the placings, trainer workouts in the basement, winter rides in below freezing temps, early nights, money and time spent, it all culminates on December 6th...

Fitness=C+

Bike handling=B

Race Tactics=D+

Hilton Lakes Chicrosscup # 8

Pic by Amy

On paper Hilton lakes looked like it would be a good race for me. Not very technical, and with a lot of flat fast power sections. Unfortunately it was not to be.

My warmup was a little short to begin with. After doing a 1/4 lap recon I showed up to the start with a not so great feeling. My start was actually not very bad. It was probably the only good thing about this race. The first lap was fast and chaotic, there were several crashes all over the place. I managed to avoid crashing but definitely traded some elbows with other racers.

I think the large purse and pack size made the first lap very twitch and nervous. People kept crashing and dropping chains and having all sorts of mechanicals. The run up was pretty killer and it really hurt me on every lap. I usually lost time or spots there and it was pretty dissapointing. The sand pit was a quite a hoot and I really enjoyed powering through the first section. After the initial sorting out I once again noticed how far up I was than normal. Unfortunately I was unable to hold my spot as riders started passing me.

The second lap and the middle part of the race start to suck more and more. The legs were not responding too well. I got sloppy and overshot some turns. I also managed a couple of times to awkardly remount my bike after the second sandpit. Jim of the pony shop and Paolo were able to pass me. I couldnt hold their wheels like I have been doing all season long. I also rode with Al for a while but the legs just weren't there.

Even though my legs sucked I had a blast going through the sandpit everytime. At first I could only manage to ride the first sand pit and would run the second one. Towards the end I was able to power through the second one and it felt damn good. Although not much sand was encountered last season I was very timid about being able to ride through. This year I have come to love riding the sand and look forward to any sandy bits.

The last lap really hurt. Not in a "I'm riding so hard" kind of way, but more of a "I want my race to end but I am running on fumes" kind of way. I am counting this race performance as a fluke and after some workouts during the week I think I'll know. And far as Woodstock goes, man my mouth is just watering at the thought of that hill...

Bike Handling=C-

Race Fitness=C-

Race Tactics=B+

Northbrook Chicrosscup # 7

pic by Al?

Fitness=B+

Race Tactics=B

Bike Handling=B

Wow, it took a couple of races but it is all finally coming together. I had a great race on Sunday. One of my season goals was accomplished. Top 30, to score points for the series standing for a whopping 2 points.

I did not race at Northbrook last year so this was going to be a brand new race for me. I felt a little nervous about that. I also was not able to get a lap in before my race. I was able to scope out about half of the course from the sidelines. Pre-race preparation was pretty good this time around. No late night, no excessive alcohol consumption, and one ride through the sandpit before my race had me feeling pretty good.

I also managed to get in a pretty good warmup. Temps in the 60's helped me come up to the start line with a little sweat on my brow. The start was not too crazy and had some long straighter sections that helped the pack spread out without anything too crazy. My legs responded very well at the blow of the whistle. My head was cooperating too as through the initial twisty sections I was riding with riders that I have not ridden with all season, except at the start of course.

Looking around me I saw some unfamiliar wheels. These wheels belonged to riders who normally place in the 20's and as such I dont normally ride with them. Usually during the first two laps the sorting out consists of me racing all the way from the back of the pack to make up some spots. Then settling in with a group of guys I call "the regulars". And then riding with that group and making moves here and there to move up a spot or drop a rider.

Things were a little different this time. Going through the first lap and looking ahead I could see a lot fewer riders than I was used to seeing. Riding strong and a lot more aggressively I took a couple more risks. Halfway through the first lap the effort started to catch up to me and riders stronger than me started passing me. Instead of racing hard early to make up spots, I was being passed by riders that were a little stronger than me.

I settled in after the first lap behind a rider with a south chicago wheelmen jersey and had James of the Pony shop on my wheel. I was feeling really smooth through the turns. The tricky off-camber sections that ran alongside I-294 gave me some trouble in the first two laps but I eventually got the hang of them. The legs were responding well and I had my head screwed on right this time. It felt real good to not only have legs when I needed them, but also to really be racing my bike hard into the corners.

The first laps were a little choppy as I figured out what lines to take, what gear to be in and where to push it. Me and James worked together a little bit to try to move up. It didnt work fantastically but it was sure nice to take a pull and then slot in behind a wheel. Maybe we'll be doing a little bit more of that in the following races.

The sandpit was really fun. It was not as hard to ride as it was in my head. Each time I came around the house I would really psych myself up to hit it hard and smooth. And I can proudly say that I only dismounted once to get through. Working with James and with Dave right behind us gave me plenty of motivation to ride hard and smart. With about two laps to go I froze up on a little steep off-camber descent. I rode into one of the plastic stakes and broke it and the tape.

This little snafu was not enough to throw me off rhythm. I was able to quickly remount and not lose a lot of ground. With two to go it was me and James. My carrot in front, teammate Al had ridden off beyond eyesight. Dave was behind us but I could tell that he was hurting.

I decided to ride conservatively until the second half of the last lap where I would make my move to shake James off my wheel. I wanted to do something before the sandpit. Even though I had ridden through the sand ok, I didnt want to leave it to the last possible moment. Screwing up at the sand-pit would guarantee that I would not have enough room for recovery. About 3/4 of the way through the final lap we entered the flat grassy section before the off-cambers on the hill. I was going to have to rely on my bread and butter. Going hard on long,flat,non-technical, grassy sections with a slight headwind. I rode behind James to shield myself from the wind through the turns, shifted up and put down a little dig.

I looked back at James and saw no reaction. Luckily this was his second race of the day and left him with no "kick" at the end. Leaving nothing to chance the remaining part of the course had some tricky off cambers and a barrier, and oh yeah the sandpit. Lucky for me I was able to hold hard fast lines through everything and muscle my way through the last bit of sand to finish 29 out of 45.

The last part of the last lap was very hard as I was trying to leave it all out on the course. I almost succeeded at Northbrook. I am getting closer to the point where I know I can keep going as hard as possible and keep track of my matches. Goals for the remainder of the season are to keep placing in the 20's and improve of course on my placings. The people at the top of my hitlist are Zach, Al, Chris and the enigmatic Dave (who is sometimes faster than me and sometimes not). With a new course on Saturday, strong legs and a level head I am ready to finish out the season on a good note...

St. Charles/Campton Chicross # 6: The race that never was

Fitness=D+

Bike Handling=C-

Race Tactics=D

Yeah the report card is first because I kind of want to get it over with. Sure enough this was my first Chicross race running on little sleep/improper warmup/hangover etc. so the results were not too impressive.

Funny enough my start did not suck as we entered the muddy section after the start I was somewhere slightly midpackish with riders that are usually in front of me behind me. Of course they would eventually pass me in that first lap as I took all the wrong lines the first time around. In the second lap I took a nasty spill when my front wheel hit some deep mud and took me down.

Race fitness was not optimal and I did not race very hard. Usually when I see riders pass me I attempt to get back on their wheels. My legs and spirit were not in a fighting mood and I took it kind of easy. As the race went on the super fun mud started to dry up in places. I finally got the right lines down but was not able to take advantage of it as I spent (for the first time this season) some time in no-mans land.

I got lapped at Jackson Park, and I got lapped here too on the very last lap. That really sucked but I still had fun with the mud, probably the only mud that we'll see this season. It was really fun to race in true Belgianesque style, and for that I'll write off this race happily and say bring on the next one.