There are no pictures from any of the Sunday races because of a camera failure that will require shipment back to Canon. Very bummed.

I had another good warmup on the roads today. My mind wasn't in the best of places for this one though. Winning yesterday gave me a positive boost, but it made me put a lot of pressure on myself that I hadn't really expected to have until the MAC starts up. My legs were understandably tired from the previous day's effort, but I felt good enough to be aiming for another win. I got on the front row again for this one, but the result was quite different. I had at least as good a start as yesterday, but this time I was third or fourth wheel rather than taking the holeshot. Since this course was much more technical than yesterday's, that was cause for immediate concern. I knew there was no way I could be a follower and place as high as I wanted.

One sandy section in the woods after the big hill was torn up from all the racing yesterday and so I elected to run that every time after the first lap. I stupidly tried to ride it even though I'd failed in warmups and I got gapped just a bit. I made up most of that gap back on the flat sections, but they were incredibly bumpy sections of grass that made it difficult to easily gain ground. Going into the other woods section, I took a horrible line, got passed by a few folks and found myself way overgeared. I fixed the problem relatively fast, but by that point, the front group had put significant time into me. I thought I might get it back when we hit the road, but the gap was too large, Lindstrom, Bradshaw, and another rider were up ahead.

Today's course, along with being much more technical, eliminated a huge power section and instead switched back and forth on itself to the point where I was forgetting which part of the course came next. I was riding myself into a daze and struggling to hold position. I believe that initially I was in no-mans land between the lead three and the rest of the field. I was working hard in attempting to crawl forwards in position, but I started to realize I was losing the battle when I became part of a group from behind me.

This group consisted of myself and three other riders and it was quickly understood, once we passed a guy falling off the lead pace, that we would be racing for third place. Four guys duking it out for a spot on the podium is a brutal affair. It's even more brutal when you feel as though you must lead every technical section to allow your lack of skills to slow the group. So for several laps, that's exactly what I did. I would go just fast enough that everytime we got to the horrible offcamber and 'S'-turn, I was in the lead. And everytime we had to make our way around a very tricky sandy turn, I was in the lead. And everytime we went into the final woods section, I forced myself to the front.

Well, that worked for a while. But at somewhere around two laps to go, my group mates got wiser. I think the realized my weakness and started fighting for position going into the technical sections. At least twice I was passed, as we hit the sand going into the final woods. It was so frustrating because I kept trying to find a line that would allow me to keep speed going and I couldn't. I was lucky enough that I had enough gas to get back with whoever had passed me then each time back on the road, but I knew in the back of my mind that eventually that wouldn't be the case. It also wasn't allowing me to put any time into them on power sections. Oh, how I was wishing we still had the lap around the field today!

With one lap to go, I was still in my place at the front of our pack, but I was hurting bad. I got no real gap up the mountain and I lost one spot before the off camber and 'S'-turn, but I held on and kept digging. I forced my way to the front one last time and led up the log run-up. But that's when two of the riders started to get very aggressive and in the sandy turn that had been giving me fits all day, they both went for the kill and passed me. I had no choice but to watch a little gap form and then attack like mad to pass them before we went into the woods the last time. Well, I attacked and passed them, but I must have let up a bit too soon, or they were expecting my frantic pace because they attacked back and all three riders passed me again! I was suddenly at the back of the four person pack I'd led for what had felt like an eternity. I knew that if I let any gap form I'd have to bury myself to get it back on the asphalt drag to the finish.

I watched in "horror" as Snoop, rode away from the other two in front of me and it was clear that the battle for third was over. It was going to be a three-way sprint for fourth. I lost time in the woods, but as soon as we hit pavement, I made up that ground and sat in the slipstream of the other two. I thought I had enough gas to win this sprint and I was very confident. I sat as patiently as I could and whe we saw the line, the race was on. The rider on second wheel (Cavanaugh) made his move and I made mine, but I had more ground to cover, and he had a surprisingly good finishing kick. We both stormed past the lead rider (Wolff) and towards the line with him winning by just a touch. I finished fifth.

Looking back over the course of the race, I have to say that I should have been at least third if I'd played my cards right. I worked too hard for too long and in the end I had burnt nearly all my matches. The competition was some of the best I've had in bike racing and I took up residence in the pain cave for most of the race. The technical sections of the course were my undoing and the mistake in the woods in the early going eliminated any hope of a repeat win. It's frustrating to "lose" a winnable race that early on, but sometimes that's how it goes. I didn't have the power I needed to make my strong sections hurt others and instead I had to use those sections to hang on for dear life. This was easily the most technical dry course I've ever raced and I did ok. Had I won that sprint into the woods the last time, I'm confident I could have improved at least one place. All in all, a great race for the early season--perfect to force me to work on my weaknesses.

My race was after the Master's and I got in a solid warmup riding on the roads outside the park grounds. I did fifteen minutes of aerobic riding followed by some stretching and then some LT efforts and a final lap of the course. I was ready to go and I was even able to scrum for a front row start, shoving my way between the few call-ups.

From the gun, this race was a total and complete surprise to me. I clipped in immediately and started the way I'd done on Friday doing openers with George. I hammered to the front and was a bit taken aback with how easily I took the holeshot. It was so easy that I had to look back and wonder if perhaps I was going a bit too hard. Before we hit the first turn at the end of the building, I decided that I'd better keep the lead and see what I could do with it. I figured if I led up the small hillock and up the mountain, I'd probably be all set to lead the entire first lap. I did just that, electing to run the mountain and riding the off-camber coming out of the hilltop fairly well. I had a crew of riders right behind me and I was defintitely feeling the effects of setting the early pace. Last year at IC Lite, I'd taken a similar start of setting the early tempo, but the difference here was that I don't yet have confidence in my fitness. I'm only a few weeks removed from being pulled from crits.


But there I was, leading the race. As soon as we hit the asphalt coming out of the woods by the start line and returning towards the finish, I elected to let one of the followers lead us into the wind. I wasn't brazen enough to push the pace for too long. I followed close behind the new leader and I realized that I was terrified of getting gapped. I didn't have the confidence to follow the lead and feel comfortable, so I went back to the front and led most of the lap again. I repeated the switch off on the asphalt with a different leader, but this time I dove into the corner coming off the asphalt and went back to the lead as soon as we hit the grass. From there, the race was truly on.

I ran the mountain the first two times, but on the third I decided to start riding it. I was followed in hot pursuit by Andrew Grabarek of Keltic Construction. He followed my every move and somehow we managed to commandeer the lead and create a large gap between ourselves and the rest of the riders. I remember hearing the announcer comment on us switching off the lead one time through the asphalt and also hearing Mel yell to me that, "You've got a gap, keep it going."


With just over two laps to go, disaster struck for Grabarek. Coming into the barriers, I led and as soon as I crossed them, I heard him go down. I glanced back only to see him lying on the ground with his bike. I wasted no time in attacking all out to put time into him. As I was heading into the singletrack woods section before the start line, I noticed that he wasn't getting up and that the race was mine to lose. When I came through the start line I had two laps to go and I had to focus on keeping the lead as best I could. I had Jess giving me the gap back to the next group of riders and it was 30 seconds. It dipped down to 25 at some point during the penultimate lap, but I wasn't worried. I kept riding my race and focusing on keeping a solid pace in the flats and staying alert through the technical terrain.


Jess said later that she didn't know when I was on my last lap and that she started to get worried when the gap began to drop some. But I had things under control by then and I was merely trying to avoid pinch flatting on some on the rocky gully and a few of the exposed roots and cut trees. I kept the pace under control and as soon as I hit the asphalt the final time, I gave it full gas to ensure the victory. The second place rider ended up thirteen seconds back according to the results. That was a bit closer than I'd intended to let him get, but comfortable enough.


It's odd to get a win like this so early into a season in which I entered with no real fitness to speak of. Winning at Charm City last season was a big surprise, but I knew I was on top form coming in to that. It's an even bigger surprise to take the win by such an easy margin. I've never won a 'cross race before the final sprint. I was definitely aided by the crash behind me and the field wasn't the best I'll see. But a win is a win and I beat some good riders. With myself considering this course to be fairly technical, I'm extremely pleased to come out on top. It's a nice gift to keep the motivation high as I enter a weekend off from racing before the MAC season begins.

Week two of the season was a good one. I was able to get in a workout and also solidify a training plan for the rest of the season. My schedule is set and I'm excited to put in the work. Even with just one week of full training, I could feel it pay real dividends.

After a nice tribute and moment of silence for Ed Sander, we started the race. I was lined up probably three quarters of the way back in the scrum for starting spots. That meant not so much of a sprint off the line but rather a follow the leader approach which continued through the first set of barriers and on the maze side of the lilypons. As soon as we hit the gravel power section the race was on and I started to get as aggressive as I could muster at that point.

I tried to slot in behind Chad Totaro and follow him through that section, but somehow I got he and his teammate confused. So when a gap opened up in front of him, I was surprised I had to go around only to realize that Totaro was up the road. I started looking for other riders in my "realm" and I tried to pass as many as I could before the U-turn hill and the mountain bike like section.

Last year, this course was quite muddy and so these sections absolutely killed me. They were so technical and I lost ground each time through. This year, after practicing some in the warm-up, I wasn't nearly as worried. The ground was dry as a bone and I made a good remount at the top of the hill. I wasn't gaining ground, but I don't think I was losing any either.

The biggest difference this week was that I felt like I had lots more power and I could actually race rather than just look to survive and finish. The corners weren't as slippery in this one either so my cornering improved dramatically. Basically I did just about everything better this time. My mounts and dismounts were more polished and I had a lot more fun out there.

One thing that I notice is the difference in what I remember when I'm in a B race near the front versus an A race towards the back. Blogging a race report last year, I felt like I remembered every pass and misstep since it literally meant the difference between winning and finishing somewhere in the top 5 or so. But now that I'm nowhere near the front, all I remember is slugging it out for an hour with a few competitors that I end up trading places with.

This week it was Brian Fouche for a bit, then Adam Fung for less than a lap, then I spent the remainder of the race attempting to catch Greg Lindstrom. Fung passed me somewhere around the mid point of the race after I'd led him through the lilypons maze and I tried to stick on him through the gravel, but failed miserably. If I'd stayed on him, I could have made up several places and I would have caught Lindstrom who I was very close to catching going into the U-turn hill on the final lap. He distanced me somewhere before we started heading downhill towards the store and I never had a real chance to beat him.

I have no idea how many laps we did, or when exactly I started each of these battles during the race. But I remember those riders and struggling like heck to beat them. Never before can I remember suffering so much for so little reward in the results. Finishing 24th sounds terrible for a 'cross race, but I keep looking above my name at who I have to start beating and at least the top end is pretty much untouchable. I've got to focus my efforts on the guys just ahead of me and see if I can't start making some progress. Already this week it was nice to make up some ground. Unfortunately, I won't be racing MABRA for a while and when I do return, the fields are likely to be smaller and less top heavy. So my real focus will be on those who decide to race the MAC B's. I have no idea who those will be and some will come from the MABRA B ranks too. So until Granogue, I won't know who my real competition is this year. I guess I'll just have to put in the miles and the time at LT and race my race so to speak.

Pictures by Dennis Smith and Michael Kirk:
Early in the race, riding next to Totaro.
The first time through the lilypons.
A bit later, still finding my groove.
Strung out on the gravel road.
First time through the unrideable gravel pit.
My favorite shot, not sure who's in my draft.
Here's Fung dropping me, and Fouche still hanging tough behind.

Since it's almost time for race #2 of the cyclocross season, I figured I'd better at least take a stab at a race report for #1. It was last Sunday at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore and it was the third annual and third time I've raced at Charm City Cross. As always, the event was one of the finest around and the course is usually one that suits me well--fast and dry. I knew that this time would be a lot different than the previous two, however.

The first time I raced at Charm City, it was my first time ever racing a bike. That's right, I lined up on my Specialized Sirrus with knobby tires and clipless pedals literally purchased a day before and gave it my all. It was a rude awakening. Last season, my second go at the race, was equally exciting and I was lucky enough to come away with the Men's B victory--easily the highlight of my brief cyclocross career. I followed that up with a solid season and a second place in the B series, which brings me to this year . . .

Somehow, early registration I guess, I ended up with #7 in the race, which put me on the front row--of the A race. Insane. I lined up on the far left, next to Andrew Wulfkuhle of C3. But more scary was that a few riders over from him were Davide Frattini and Luca Damiani. They're both Italian pros. Needless to say I was a bit intimidated, especially since I knew I was out of shape and hadn't been expecting to do much other than get my feet wet with 'cross again.

Anyhow, the officials gave us the whistle and we were off. I clipped in quickly and smoothly and started sprinting for the first turn. I didn't sprint all out because I was worried about taking the first turn at full speed, but I made it there soon enough and the race was on. Dust was flying everywhere and it was the epic chaos that cyclocross brings.

I don't remember much about the first lap other than I was getting passed a lot. Considering my fitness level, I knew this was going to be a theme of the day, but even so, it's depressing to feel like you're going backwards so early in the race. Halfway through that lap, when we hit the barriers out in the field, I found myself somewhere in the mid-twenties. The bleeding continued through the remainder of the lap, but after that I tried to settle in to my pace and race against the guys around me.

The rest of the race was a blur. I did battle with Erik Leaver, Chad Totaro, and Adam Szczepanski, which put me in fine company, but certainly I don't think any of them were in top form. I thought I'd finished ahead of all three, but the results are a bit funky and so is my memory, so who knows? What I do remember was the incredible encouragement I got from the Coppis on the course and how that sustained me each lap as I started to wonder how in the world I was going to finish. I was reminded that racing an hour is a lot longer than racing 45 minutes. It hurts so much in that final quarter of racing and my pace was pretty slow. My dismounts and remounts were surprisingly good for having done more during this race than I did total in preparation. Mainly it felt good to suffer again and to be a part of another 'cross season. My passions were renewed.

Things to note from the results? Wes Schempf is going to be awesome this year it appears. Props go to Todd Hesel (last year's B champ, hence the sweet skinsuit) and Jared Nieters (another B) for finishing a lot higher than I did.



The more interesting thing (at least for mechanic wannabes) were the problems I had pre-race. It had to do with my single ring setup and I have no idea as to the real cause of the problem. Last season, I raced on the Javelin Primitivo and this year I switched to the Kona Major Major. On both rigs I was running a single ring setup which consists of a 42t chain ring surrounded by double guards and chained to a 12-27 cassette in the rear.

All of last season, there was rattling from the chain guards. They were slightly too thin and so when I tightened down the long chainring bolts, they bottomed out rather on themselves rather than flush against the guards. Well, this season, I bought some small washers to add that missing thickness. Putting them on was a challenge because of all the Loctite I'd used to keep the bolts tight. But eventually, with Jess' help, I got the bolts off. I soaked them overnight in Acetone and then installed the washers on the crank along with the chainring, guards, and bolts. By all accounts, it was an immediate success. The rattling was gone and it looked quite sturdy.

That was until last Wednesday morning when I met the guys at Bluemont for morning 'cross practice. As I was descending a hill and applying full gas (42x12) to my horror the chain became lodged on the outside of the chainring to the inside of the guard. Basically the chain wedged itself and bent the Carbon guards enough to get in there. It was a catastrophic problem that I was very worried about.

Luckily, when I took time to check it out once I got home, I found that the chainring bolts had all loosened up a lot. I figured that I hadn't used enough Loctite this time or that I hadn't let it dry and so because the bolts loosened up that's why the chain had lodged in the now-bigger gap. I tightened the bolts back down and liberally applied Loctite.

That theory lasted until I was warming up in Baltimore and it happened again. At this point, I trying to get some time on on the actual course and I started freaking out. How could this happen? I'd have to forgo the race if I couldn't find a solution. So I coasted back to the car and started talking it over as calmly as I could with Jess. Neither one of us could figure out why it was happening since none of the bolts seemed all that loose. Worse yet, Jess noticed that the Carbon guards had hairline fractures now from being bent.

My only solution was to make my 10 speed 12-27 into a 9 speed 13-27 and hope that the chain wouldn't find its way off the chainring. So I tightened down the H limit screw and said a quick prayer. I rode it around once and it seemed like it might work, so I hopped on the trainer and spent the rest of the time warming up.

So, solution? Well, I don't know yet, but I've placed an order for the Spot Brand 42t guards in the hopes that a metal guard won't flex and allow the chain in. I'm not 100% sure that will save the day, but at this point it's my only hope. We'll see, the order should be in from Bikeman on Friday--just in time to hopefully get things right for Sunday's race. If all goes well, I'll need to do another 'My Ride' post to document all the changes to this years race rig.

With all of my hunger and desire to be racing a week ago, the Thanksgiving holiday kind of took some of that away--as did finishing off the MABRA series with a win. So it was no surprise that I wasn't as up as I should have been for my first go at an 'A' race. That's really a shame, because the course for this one was probably the best I've seen all year. It was set up in Taneytown, MD by Tracy Lea. This course really had everything: mud, run ups, off cambers, gravel, pavement, and lots of turns. It didn't really suit my style, but I had to admire how well laid out it was. It reminded me a lot of courses I've seen on cycling.tv.

So, since I wasn't planning for this one as well as I should have been, Jess and I went to church at our normal hour and didn't make it to the racecourse until thirty minutes before the gun. I did almost no warmup--consisting only of a few minutes on the trainer and then riding around nervously near the start line. When it was time to go, I found myself on the line with oldies but goodies, Gunnar Shogren and Kris Auer as well as junior phenom Nick Bax and Evan Ellicott, also making the upgrade from the B's. Since there were only about 10-12 racers, we all had a front row position. I got a good start and found myself in third place behind Shogren and Auer at the first turn. But that's where the positives would end for the day.

Having not preridden the course, I immediately found myself in trouble. I had absolutely no clue what was coming and I messed up nearly every feature on the first lap. I took turns too fast, too slow, and even had to dab my foot a few times where I shouldn't have. By the end of the first lap, I'd dropped every single spot except for a couple. I was really frustrated, but not so much as I might have been had I known what was on the course.

Judd, another Coppi in the race, eventually came up to me and passed. I tried to go with him, but my horrendous technical skills gave him a gap and I never could make it up. I tried really hard for a few laps, but his lead got bigger and bigger. I soon realized that I was only one spot out of dead last. I started looking for the guy behind me as well as trying to make sure I wouldn't get lapped. When I realized that neither was likely to happen, I got my head back to riding the course and started trying to learn from what I was doing.

To be sure, I was exhausted. Racing for an hour was difficult, especially when I had no one to race with and nothing to strive for in the last few laps. Most of all, I realized that pre-riding isn't just a good idea, it's a necessity. I had not forseen how impossible it was to ride a muddied and technical course like this without knowing what was coming. I found myself taking the wrong lines with all the wrong gearing and it cost me bigtime.

I guess one positive is that Ellicott did pretty darn well and I've beaten him and Bax in the past. Though I know they are superiot to me in technical skills and endurance respectively, I can reasonably expect that with more focus, desire, and a preride, I would have done much better. Next time, I'll have a chance to test that theory. I'll race once more, this time the final MAC race of the season this Sunday in Reston, VA. Hopefully I can go out on a little bit of a high note.

Before I go into all the reasons *excuses* that I sucked this weekend, I should say that we've got quite the community racing 'cross. I don't want to dump on the road racing scene, but it's just not the same. I don't know if it's all the MTB'ers racing or if it's just that we've got smaller crowds, but in any case, the guys that race each week are fun to be around. They're good people. It was nice to get some positive words from folks after the race who were probably as upset about their races as I was. They kill me in the sportsmanship department.

This was a strange race for many reasons and the first thing to note was the weather. It rained hard all day Friday and into Saturday morning here in the DC/NOVA area. As a result, the ground was completely saturated and any race here would have been a mudbath. So it was expected that driving north on I-270 in a torrential downpour Saturday morning that we were in for a mudbath similar to that of last year's Hagerstown race. But the surprise came when we hit I-70 and realized that the ground in Hagersown was dry as a bone. I'm not sure if it had rained at all! I also figured that the prospect of rain would have kept folks at home, but there was a full crew in the parking lot when we pulled up.

Since I arrived a bit late due to traffic on 270, the Master's were racing when I got suited up and ready to ride. So instead of getting in my usual pre-ride, I had to just hit the trainer and take in the advice of my teammates who'd already raced. I gleaned two bits of knowledge from them about the course: (1) it was short and (2) it was bumpy. I hit the trainer and had myself a great warmup. My legs were fairly sharp, even with all the miles from the week in them, and I was ready for action. Unfortunately, that's where the positives ended for the day.

As soon as the Master's race ended, I got on the course to pre-ride for a bit before the start. And when I did, I noticed an awful grinding noise that happened each time I applied a lot of pressure to the pedals. The sound was absent if I turned the crank when off the bike, so that explains why I didn't pick up on it on the stand at home. In any case, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was causing the trouble. I couldn't tell whether it was coming from the BB or the rear derailleur area and so it was pretty hard to fix. I was hoping it was something as simple as the jockey pulleys rubbing the cassette and praying it wasn't as expensive as a ruined hub.

I had Matt Donahue try to tell what the problem was while I rode slowly beside him. He noticed the drive side crank, where I was missing a washer and amazingly the crank bolt was loose! I hurried over to his car to tighten it down, but after I did, the sound still remained. There was no time to work on it anymore, so I headed over to the start, still very worried about the noise.

I guess in worrying about the noise, I forgot to test out something that might have actually helped quite a bit during the race. I'd checked the tire pressure briefly before going on my pre-ride and they seemed ok, but I guess I was in too big a rush and didn't check them well enough. The result is that I raced tires that were probably in the 60 psi range and I got knocked around because of it. I thought of this midway through the race when my hands were cramping from applying a deathgrip to the handlebars. I thought, "Wow, my hands haven't hurt like this since Charm City last year--my first 'cross race. Let's see, why'd they hurt there again? Ah, right I was new and thought I should pump up my tires to the max to go fast. Oh crap. My tires are pumped up to commute on, no wonder this hurts."

The course was vastly different than last year due to moving from the high school venue to the Fairgrounds. When I heard Fairgrounds, I had a hunch this course wouldn't suit me, since the last time I raced at a fairgrounds type area was at the MABRA Championships at Fair Hill. Courses made in large open areas tend to have lots of manmade switchbacks in their attempt to be interesting. These switchbacks typically wreak havoc on my day and last season, I crashed three times and really hurt my right knee. I was hoping for a different outcome this time.

As I suspected, this course relied heavily on switchbacks, but it actually had plenty of interesting features. There were two sets of barriers, a sandpit, and a steep hill that was just barely rideable. There was also a very tricky off-camber section. One thing this course was lacking was any assemblance of a power section. Neither the fields of Charm City nor the gravel of Ed Sander were here. I was going to have to grind this one out somehow without the opportunity to make up for my lack of skills.

The only real complaint I had with this course (other than being designed to diminsh all my strengths) was the start. We were lined up literally about 30m from a 180 switchback, going from asphalt to grass. So once the whistle blew, we "sprinted" those 30m only to sit there and wait for the bottleneck to subside and let us continue. Since I was on the front row, I should have no complaints as I was still in the top ten despite not knowing what to do in a start like that. So I had the opportunity, but I failed to capitalize.

My plan coming in to the race had been to put the hurt on early. I wanted to get to the front at all costs and see where that led me. But I had all kinds of trouble navigating the off-camber in a crowd and the bumpy terrain was battering me all over the course. I felt incredibly slow and my place in the race confirmed that. I was also dismounting very poorly and my remounting was even worse. The bumpy terrain after the second set of barriers gave me fits. I couldn't get any rhythm at all and I eventually found myself in a no-mans land. The competition of the race was being decided while I floundered away and that was Todd Hesel soloing to leave everyone (and I mean everyone) in his dust. He was in a league of his own today and made us all look pretty foolish.

I spent probably six laps sucking badly, lamenting my place in the race and trying to figure out what my problem was. I was pissed at myself for being so mentally out of the race and yet I felt helpless to improve my position. Finally, in the last five laps or so, I started to get out of no-mans land. I was hammering the only section resembling a power section on the course. It came right after the sandpit and ran until just before the steep hill. After eyeing a few folks in front, I was able to catch up to Steve Fife on that section and I was thrilled to finally have someone to race rather than floating out in the open just doing rounds of the course.

I figured since I wasn't doing much right, that I'd follow Steve for a bit and see if he was riding any better lines. Unfortunately, he wasn't. He was mainly just going over the barriers better and riding the sand and run-up better. But I was able to hold on to him for a lap or so before finally atttacking him after the sandpit and looking for more riders to catch. I started racing as much as I could and I stayed as focused as I could manage on this course, all the way until the end. Hostetter and O'Hara were on my tail for a while, as was ETown and I'm proud to say that only ETown managed to pass me.

I was desperately trying to make it up to Marc Vettori and Jared Nieters who were riding together just a bit ahead. But I didn't matter how close they seemed, I never made up any ground on those two. Over the last two laps, I did manage to catch Evan Fader, who'd taken a hard spill a few laps prior. Knowing how strong he is on the road, I wasn't sure how to attack, but I danced with what brung me and took him out on the final power section. I stormed up the hill and finished as best I could, taking tenth place, my worst finish this season and a quarter of the points total I took at Charm City.

Looking at the results from this one, it was pretty strange what I saw. The winner was no surprise and second place, Evan Ellicott has raced A's before. But in third and fifth were Brian Fouche and Nieters, both of whom are known for road racing and haven't done all that well in 'cross. With a course as seemingly technical as this, I'm a bit surprised that those two, as well as Evan Fader (pre-crash) faired as well as they did. Taking fourth, sixth, and seventh, were Campbell, Nystrom, and Vettori, stalwarts of the MABRA B's so far this season. Campbell solidified his place and is making that 30th place at Charm City look odd. In many respects, I got lucky on this race. Having a bad day and finishing tenth I was lucky to have so many top spots taken by guys with very few series points coming in. By winning, Todd all but sealed up the series. But Vettori had a bad day as well and I'm still in second place overall despite only garnering six points.

Looking ahead to next week, I've got to compete the entire race. I can't afford to get so shell shocked and end up doing a time trial. I have to get near the front somehow some way. Last year, I had really my first good result here and finished eighth. I'll need to do better than that this time around to hold on to my spot in the standings. Thankfully, if the course is unchanged, there is one huge power section that I consistently made up time on last year. Here's to hoping they haven't changed that!

Coming into this race, I wasn't quite as focused as I would have liked to have been. My Dad and I drove back from my cousin's wedding the night before. We left Albemarle at 8p and drove till we hit North Richmond at just after midnight. We stopped and slept (or he did, I couldn't because of the snoring) at a Super 8, then got up at 6a and drove home. I threw my bikes in the back of the truck and loaded up the rest and we drove North even further to Lilypons Water Gardens.

We were perfectly on time, so I was able to show Dad the pits and register before riding the course a couple times. I chatted with Morgan Gerlak for most of the first go round, and I was pretty sure this course wasn't going to favor me the way a dry and fast course like Charm City did. It had rained the night before just enough to make things fairly muddy. It wasn't mud like last year's Hagerstown where it was hard just to walk in it, but it was bad enough, that I needed skills.

I warmed up on the road since Jess has my trainer up in Pittsburgh. Jordan, Ryan, and I rod out and back along Lilypons Rd. and I must say that you'll be hard pressed to find a better place to ride. The surfaces are silky smooth and there's a huge shoulder that's almost a designated bike lane. I did a few hard efforts and one start before heading back down and dropping off some stuff with my Dad. I made the last minute decision to keep the glasses on and that was a good call, because otherwise I would have had mud in my eyes.

(Pictures Courtesy of Michael Kirk)

The start was pretty neat because I had the honor of first callup due to my win last week. Todd followed, then Marc, Morgan, and the rest of the contenders. Very cool. The then proceeded to hold us for five minutes for no real good reason. I swear, if they ever did that in a running race and actually expected you to stand still, we'd revolt. But in cycling, they do it all the time. When the whistle blew, I missed my pedal at first, but got it on the second go round and had to wait in line to make the first turn. My start was plenty adequate though and I was in the top ten after the first set of barriers.


The course was exactly the same as last year, with basically four "sections" in my mind. The first is out around the ponds, with the barriers being at the beginning. It's fast, but has quite a bit of switchbacks that slow you down. The second is the long gravel road, which this year was blazing fast. The third is the notorious (for me) run up and steep downhill followed by a steep uphill, a gnarly downhill and then a series of punchy hills. The final section is the downhill back to the start along with a small gravel pit and then the finishing straight past the store. I knew I'd have to own the gravel section and try not to give back too much on the third section.


Coming into the gravel the first time, I was probably in eigth or so and I wanted to move up. So I punched it pretty hard and passed everyone. They were all in single file on the right side, so I just took the left lane and just like that I was in first. It felt great. I wasn't overextending myself and I had gained eight places in a matter of seconds. But when we got to the short run up, I bungled it all away. I chickened out, or stumbled or something and didn't get down the hill fast enough. When we finally finished that third sector, I was right back behind all those guys it seemed. And unfortunately, that would be a microcosm of the day.


Somewhere in the next couple laps, Morgan and Todd built up a lead and I had to concede that I wasn't going to win today. I was getting frustrated that I remained in around the fifth spot and had plenty of folks on my rear trying to pass me. Each time around, I tried to get some rhythm around the ponds, but I felt so slow there. The ground was a bit tacky on the tires and my legs didn't put out the power I needed to be smooth there. The switchbacks killed my momentum because of the narrow passages and I don't feel like I rode that sector well in all of the five times we did it.

But fortunately, I could rest my laurels on the second sector of the gravel. Every single time I hit that, I would stand and hammer as best I could. Only once did I not go full bore--and that was when I was trying to draft off of Steve Fife. I eventually had to go around him and battle the wind.

That third sector gave me fits and really dictated my race no matter what I tried. After doing so poorly on the first go round, I tried to speed up the quick remount and descend, but I never felt comfortable. The hills after that would have been perfect for me had they been dry, but I couldn't ever figure out the best way to ride them. If I stood at the wrong spot, my back tire slipped and I couldn't keep my speed very high. If I sat, I wasn't able to make it to the top. Mike O'Hara actually ran one of the hills and I contemplated following suit, but I felt like it would cost too much time, so I kept riding.


With around two laps to go, I could hear the announcer saying that Morgan had fallen off and was coming apart. That meant Todd had the race sealed up. In front of me then were Marc, Morgan, and an NCVC rider (Rob Campbell). Nipping at my heels were Nystrom and O'Hara. I was desperate to move up and I told myself I had to absolutely bury everything in the gravel. I just couldn't do it enough, or Nystrom and O'Hara could hang, but after another horrid outing in sector three, they actually passed me on the final uphill before sector four, the long downhill back to the store. I was pretty frustrated at that point that I was moving backwards despite my best efforts and I made sure I got those two places right back on the downhill. I passed Nystrom early and then got by O'Hara at pretty high speed.


The last lap was me trying even more desperately to catch Morgan and Campbell. I could finally see them up ahead and when we hit the gravel, I was digging so very deep to make up the ground. I just couldn't quite do it there, but I told myself if I could only ride sector three well, just once, I'd have a shot. Well, I felt as though I rode it the best I had all day, but when I emerged and hit the downhill back to the start, I should have known it was over. I didn't though, and hammered as hard as I could through the mud in the hopes that I could get close enough before the final sprint. I have a lot of confidence in my finishing sprint in 'cross. It's about as close to the kick in the mile as I've found in cycling and I love it. But when I came around the building and saw the finish, Rob was already having his way with the kid. I looked back to make sure O'Hara wasn't close and then sat up. I finished in fifth. Top seven were: Hesel, Vettori, Campbell, Gerlak, Me, O'Hara, Nystrom.

I was disappointed with how the race went. While I knew the conditions would play a role, I hadn't expected to lose so much time. I got in a hole early and never had the skills to get out of it. I was constantly being aggressive and racing, but I didn't have much to show for it except for holding my spot. I think the guys up front have a bit more MTB experience and today it helped a lot. I could have easily wound up seventh or eighth, so I'm at least pleased that my off race wasn't a catastrophe. But with the bar now set so high from my first win, I'm not going to be pleased with fifth. I felt as though with one more lap I would have been third. I did make up ground on the Campbell-Gerlak pair in the final lap, but I had too much to get back. I was frustrated also because I never reached the cracking point the way we did at Charm City. My fitness wasn't the limiting factor in the end, but rather my position and my handling.

I dropped out of the series lead since Todd won. I'm eight points out of first and seven points up from third (Vettori). I'm going to have to get back on the higher steps of the podium to make that back and have Hesel have a day like I had. The series is one quarter over, so there's time. More interestingly is that Nick Bax, who was supposed to be in our race (and whom I picked to win) opted for the A race. And uh, he was fourth! So I guess, he's done with us. We didn't really get much of a crack at him, but he outclassed us with a great race nonetheless.

Charm City Cross

To say I was excited for this race would have been a gross understatement. I made my bike racing debut here last year only two days after discovering clipless pedals. I rode on a hybrid and I had mechanical problems. But I had a blast and that was the start to my love of cyclocross. So I was really looking forward to coming back here with loads of experience from last season as well as a full year training on the bike and away from running. I actually have a bike suited for racing, I'm on a bike team, and I had extremely high hopes for what I could do here.

If you like picture books better, check out the pics Jess took. I've posted them with captions. I thought about firing her for missing the finish, but my agent informed me that I'm contractually obligated to continue the relationship. Seriously though, she took some good ones and it was great know I had her in the pits if I needed her.

My warmups for road races have been pretty lame, but I knew with the way 'cross races start, I couldn't afford not to get the legs snapping. I did some spinning on the trainer and then did starts to get ready on the roads around Druid Hill Park. I then rode one final lap on the course before making my way to the start line just minutes before the whistle. I was fortunate enough to have a starting box on the front row due to my tenth place in the MABRA series last year. On the front row with me were the usual suspects. My favorite for the race, Mike O'Hara of LSV along with C3 riders John Hostetter III and Chris Nystrom. Geogia Gould, the 2006 women's MTB National Champ joined us as well.

Last season my starts were horrendous and I bungled away the only callup I got at Fair Hill. I've been working on starts in practice and most every day because of that weakness and today it paid off. I hit the pedal on the first shot at it and was surprised how quickly I was clipped in. I nailed it, but unfortunately the riders on my left and right converged towards the corner and cut me off a little bit. I had to slow up some, but still made it to the first turn in aroudn 5th place.

O'Hara hit the dirt at top speed with his customary jump into the air. He seemed as excited about the return to 'cross as I did. But unfortunately, his excitement quickly went awry as he took the off carmber left hander at too high a speed and slid off into the course tape. I ended up having to stop when I hit his handlebars, but I was lucky enough to get around him and avoid the carnage behind me. That said, there was a decent gap that had formed up ahead. I started working to close it.

I believe we did eight laps total and the first three were brutal. I was thinking all kinds of negative thoughts and I was hurting. I started thinking that I wasn't fit enough, that I wasn't going to be able to hang in the lead group and that my handling skills weren't any better than last season. But I tried to keep those thoughts out and focus on the task at hand. I had the start I wanted and I was in a great position to do well if I could hang with the pace.

After those first laps, the pace did subside some and I was able to settle in a little more comfortably. I had some trouble in the sand pit when I forgot to dismount and I ended up getting a fist full of sand before recovering quickly. I handled all the other dismounts adequately and my remounts were going very well. I ran most of the hill out in the fields rather than remount immediately after the barriers as some riders were doing.

I was finally able to work my way past Steve Fife on the fields and eventually it was myself and Morgan Gerlak chasing Geogia and Todd Hesel of HVB. I was very impressed by Morgan. He's a 14 year old and last year he wasn't having much success in the B races. I mean, how well can a 13 year old do against men? Well, today he damn well proved he belongs with us and he was keeping me focused when I hurt the most. Needless to say, he had plenty of fans cheering for him on this, his home course.

At one point, I noticed that the gap was growing between Morgan and I and Georgia and Todd. So I said to Morgan, "We've got to close that gap!" He responded with an agreement to work together to work up to them. That's exactly what I wanted to hear, so I did the first of the work. I'm not entirely sure how to work together in a 'cross race. There's not really an advantage gained from drafting, so the effects seem to be more like running in a group. Folks serve to keep you focused, but I'm not sure how much you can actually rest when you're not leading.

In any case, I was able to close down the gap and I'm not sure if that's where Morgan was finally lost or not. But from then on, it was Todd, Georgia, and myself in the lead group. Coming up the asphalt through the start/finish, I was actually in the lead for the first time ever and I was feeling the effort it had taken to get me up to that point. So I sat up in the same way I've seen Vervecken and Nys do in races and I took a gander back at what what behind us. We had a solid gap and I was pretty sure that it would hold to the finish. But Georgia, wasn't as content and she said, "We've got to go, or Morgan's going to catch us." I think she just may have not wanted me to rest, but I went ahead and punched it pretty hard. The announcer loved it and I got to hear, "And the Coppi rider is attacking Georgia Gould." It was cool.

In the closing laps, I was absolutely flying through the off-camber and that time was no exception. I looked back and I had a gap on Todd and Georgia. But after several turns, they were shutting me down and coming into the sand pits, my lead wasn't much any longer. I led at least one lap and nearly two and Georgia was back into the lead at points as well. Todd stuck his head up there now and then, but we were all working hard and the race was on.

Coming back across the road on the penultimate lap, I felt and heard a bolt and washer come off my bike! Inside, I was freaking out, but kept pedaling. I was sure it was a brake bolt, since I'd done so much tweaking in the past week, but a quick check showed me it wasn't--they were working fine. My next guess was the chain ring bolts, but as far as I could tell, they were fine too. I yelled to Jess to get my bike ready as I passed the pits. I didn't know what was wrong, but I assumed I'd find out sooner or later. My mechanicing didn't cost me the race as I didn't find out that it was one of my two seatpost bolts that had fallen out until after the race. There was no problem--thank God!

On the bell lap, Georgia attacked and the announcer noted how early it was for her to be attacking. I'm not sure if that was a mistake or not. Maybe she knew that her handling was her best chance since I think Todd and I were stronger. But in any case, she gapped me and Todd was able to latch on. I was falling back! I didn't panic yet. I just wanted to get through the technical sections without making a big mistake and then get out into the fields where I could make up big ground as I'd done before. I did just that and coming to the barriers at the base of the hill, I passed Georgia and Todd by running up the hill before remounting. They were all on my tail and I tried so hard not to touch my brakes as we flew back across the road.

I nailed it up the hill to the set of natural barriers and from then on, my focus was to protect the lead. I knew that if I could lead after the final set of barriers, that I would most likely win. I could ride the final twists and turn at my own pace because there was no room to pass (remind folks of last year?). As soon as we hit the asphalt and made the turn for home, I knew I had it won. I only halfway sprinted to start with to see if Todd would try to come around or suck my wheel, but I instantly had a gap. From there, I downshifted just as fast as I could and I sprinted all out to the line. I let out a yell, gave the salute and fully enjoyed my first podium and first win in cyclocross.

To win today at Charm City was awesome. It's my favorite course with the exception of Granogue and the competition here is always strong because the MAC season hasn't yet started. I came in with the goal of beating Georgia and putting my nose up front for a spell. I had aspirations of winning but didn't know yet if they were pipe dreams or not. I was hungry but nervous about my chances and to win was more than I could have hoped for. Hat's off to Nystrom, Bernie, Vonteity, Auer, Hostetter, etc. for another great race.

Raceday! Today was the final race in the MABRA series and I was hoping to finish off my rookie campaign with a solid performance. Jess and one of my fraternity brothers, David Hilde, made the ride up to Fair Hill to cheer me on. As soon as we got out of the car, it was clear this one was going to be frigid. The temps were in the thirties for the first time all season and the wind was howling. I was thanking myself for having the urge to buy a base layer last night to race in.

I rode around the course a few times and was a bit disappointed. The course really wasn't all that interesting. It was all grass/gravel/ashpalt and with the exception of one nasty up and down dip was just switchback after switchback. This wasn't a course suited to my skill set. The ground was dry during my recon rides, so I figured the course would be super fast. I decided to pump up my tires a bit--this turned out to be the biggest mistake of my season.

I was thrilled to roll my front tire up to the actual start line for the first time ever! Due to my 7th place in the series, I finally got a call up and started next to Lobito and Hostetter III for the start. Unfortunately, that would be the last positive occurrence for the duration of the race. For once I had nothing to blame but myself for my lousy start, and lousy it was.

I got off the line slow and didn't get fully clipped in until after several turns of the crank. My lack of focus on the race at hand and my nervousness with the pedals put me out of the top ten before the first turn. Chris Mayhew, who had started on the second row sprinted around us all to get the holeshot. I was pissed and embarassed that I'd given away my only shot at a good start. To start on the first row and finish out of the top ten when I claim that my fitness is my strength is flat out horrible.

I rode that first lap mad as hell and that allowed me to keep in touch with the front of the race. All the switchbacks kept everything nice and compact. I ended up riding right behind Georgia Gould, who was again racing a Men's B race for training. I figured she'd be heading to the front soon enough and that if I tagged along, I'd get there too. Well, I think Georgia was chilling out in this race and after about half of the first lap I went ahead and passed her and several others, working my way up to as high as 9th.

But the second lap wasn't as kind, and my race started to unravel almost before it'd began. I started to struggle more and more with the switchbacks. But the real problem came with the quick dip section behind the barns. I slipped going up that and fell down, crashing Hostetter along with me. We were both back up quickly and on our way, but my confidence in my handling must have fallen out in the crash. It seemed like every turn for the rest of the course was on ice. The turns had become much more muddy than I'd seen before the race and my hard tires were absolutely killing me.

In one of the gravel turns--admittedly one of the easiest on the whole course, I was braking because I was so timid and one spectator pointed out that I didn't need to brake. I told him passing by that my tires had too much air. I was so frustrated at that point and I'd started to lose a lot of places. The crash had put me out of where I wanted to be and the frustration just continued to mount. I let it get the best of me. Jess and David were cheering me on, but I was mad and continued to ride horribly.

A few laps from the finish, I found myself chasing Steve Fife and Georgia Gould. It was amazing to me that as poor as I'd been riding, they were still within reach. I busted my butt racing up the asphalt hill through the start/finish are to try and catch their wheels. I got close enough that I could hear Steve encouraging me to get up with them, but that was all I could manage. Going through the first set of switchbacks behind the bleachers, I shouted at myself for struggling so much with such an easy passage. All my frustration was mounting and I had nowhere on the course to let it out with my legs. I was stuck.

On the final lap, I glanced back to see where I stood after realizing I wasn't going to catch Steve. I think I was in about 14th place at that point. I saw behind me that two guys were chasing, but that even as slowly as I was riding that I could probably fend them off if I stayed up. Well, I was right, but mainly about the staying up part. I made it through the dip section just fine, but somewhere in the ruts that followed I hit something wrong. I'm not sure why or how, but my face hit the ground hard and my right knee slammed into the bike frame. It hurt like hell and for the second week in a row, I had to think about abandoning the race.

I got up slowly and was able to get back on. My left side was caked in dirt from my toes to my face. My knee hurt everytime I turned the crank and especially if I tried to ride out of the saddle. One of the two guys passed by me easily as I was continuing on slowly. The other was coming up on me and I had to ride without any more crashes to hold him off. Coming into the barriers, I nearly crashed because my left foot wouldn't unclip from the pedals. I stumbled to a stop and regained my balance before slowly crossing the barriers and remounting. By that time the second guy was right behind me. I easily held him off because the switchbacks made passing impossible. I finished a pitiful and very disappointing 16th??

Today I rode like the rookie I am. I let the course manhandle me like I haven't done since Lilypons and Charm City. I rode timid and without skill and didn't have my equipment properly set up. I let crashes ruin my race and failed to ride with determination. Frustration ruled the day rather than my fight to race hard and win places. Today I sucked. This was without a doubt my worst race and made last week feel like a success.

I really appreciate all the time and effort put in by the race organizers. They ran a great event. But I hate that course. It lacked any imagination and required only one dismount for the standard barriers. There was nothing memorable about the layout except for the fact that we were racing around a horse track/stables area. I guess the placing of the barriers just before the finish line is unique, but not very. The course took away any advantage I might otherwise have and instead favored mountain bikes as was seen in the second place finisher's choice steed. Fair Hill is my least favorite venue, but it will be my future test of how much my handling improves. If I can race well there next year, I'll know I've learned something.

I made the connection today between pain and over inflated tires. I'm sore and beat up in a way that rivals only my first 'cross experience at Charm City. The hard tires lead to a jarring and uncontrollable ride. My shoulders, my back, and my knees are hurting. My knee has swollen up quite a bit from smacking the frame in the crash. I am amazed at how much pain I'm in from that quick little spill.

In reading a few of the other bloggers posts, at least I can find some solace in that I was far from the only person to experience a crash on the course. And not the only one who had trouble with all the switchbacks.

Cross courses need run-ups!

Here's my second attempt at an audio race summary. At least I got a summary in this time. It's been a while! And just for clarification, it's the "dam" section. Enjoy.

Here's the only shot that there is of me in the race. At that point, I'm still trying to hang on to George. That's exactly the spot where I cramped up, but I don't think that's happening here--although I have no idea why my hand is on the seat of the bike. Here's a picture of the A racers on the fun downhill section of the course.

Raceday! All I can say is wow. That's how a cyclocross racing should be. With all the professionals and elite racers at Granogue, I was really impressed with what this sport can be at a high level. There is really a lot of excitement with announcers and terrific organization.

The course was definitely my favorite so far. It's located on the Granogue Estate of the Dupont family, and is located near Wilmington, DE. The land is spectacularly beautiful and even the rain and overcast skies couldn't hide that fact. The race starts on a 300m section of road before getting into the meat of the course. There's a quick descent to the lowest part of the course after running over some nasty roots. At low point there was plenty of mud just before a large run-up. It then winds around a bit before making its way to the highest point on the course where it circles around a water tower. From there, it descends with a huge off-camber hill with the standard planks waiting at the bottom. After a few more muddy turns, it's back to the road and the finish line.

I decided that today I would do my best to get in a real warm-up. The best thing I can think to do is to mimic my running warmup in terms of length and intensity. So I set up the trainer next to the car and started spinning. I'd originally planned on riding for 21 minutes to get the equivalent of a three mile run, but a call of nature cut that to 11. Luckily, I was able to make up for that by running to the bathroom. It felt great to run! I felt so natural and effortless and my legs felt terrific. I got back on the trainer after returning from the bathroom and did several "strides" by spinning as fast as I could. I should do more of those I think as the rush in my quads at the start of these races always seems to scare me away from fighting through the crowds.

I went to the start line early as I've come to expect in 'cross races, but I was thrown off by the lack of folks milling around preparing to scrum. I learned that we'd be lining up by our pre-reg numbers, which looking around, seemed like a great idea to me. I had a decent spot and after they lined us up, I was in the top third of the eighty or so riders. From the whistle, I did my best to be competitive and not to get intimidated by all the close riding. After knocking a guy down at Hagerstown and then the garbage over the internet after Charm City, I'm probably a bit too nice and tend to be timid in the early going. What usually happens is that guys force their way through the pack and I yield to them out of fear/stupidity/niceness (take your pick). Regardless of how competitive I was early on, the first lap had a lot of stopping and starting as well as a lot of riding with one foot unclipped.

After the first lap or so, things thinned out just enough to where I was more comfortable about racing. I still had to be agressive and forceful anytime I wanted to pass because of how small the lanes are. But I remember getting passed by a Wissahickon cyclist and I decided I'd suck his wheel and let him pull me through. That helped quite a bit as he seemed to create holes for us to ride through. With all the maneuvering that takes place on the off-road sections, it's no wonder that I took a liking to the 300m of asphalt. That tends to be my speciality at whatever course I'm at. I can usually fly on those sections and make up for my lack of technique everywhere else.

Speaking of technical sections . . . the off-camber hill that Granogue is apparently known for was really something. In all the races I've been in so far, I haven't had to ride with a foot unclipped. But this hill, as steep and as muddy as it was, made this the only option for me and, it seemed, for everyone else. My back tire was really sliding all over the place coming down that hill and I thought a few times that I would ride right off the course. I didn't, and I managed to ride the hill better each time we came around.

I'm not sure at what point I spotted Bernie McDonald, but when I did I felt like I had been drifting around aimlessly. Picking him up got me focused again and I set my sights on staying at least at his place. At some point, I realized that fellow-blogger Chris Nystrom had joined in the fun. The three of us were battling it out for what seemed like most of the race. Several times, I thought I had enough to break away from Bernie and I would really pour it on coming off the asphalt section. But everytime I tried, I would make a mistake in the first turn or on the roots or in the really muddy section before the run-up. And everytime I did, I rode there watching either Bernie or Chris or both take an amazingly sweet line right past me. It really sucked, but I couldn't do much about it and mostly tried to keep them close enough to where I could make up the lost ground on the road. That tactic became the theme for the duration of the race.

The most shocking moment of the race happened at what I think was near the midway point. I was taking my usually crappy line over the roots when Adrian Lobito went by. Seeing as he's leading the MABRA series and either wins or places second at every race, I was a bit suprised to see him passing me this far into the race. Most likely he had a lot of trouble getting through traffic at the start as I couldn't sniff his wheel the rest of the way.

As Chris Nystrom was making clear to me several times during the race, "No Brakes!" is the way to go. I'm definitely not the trusting kind just yet, but I can see how I will go a lot faster when I start taking more risks. I have a tendancy to grab a handful when the going gets rough or slick and it can get me into a lot of trouble. I almost crashed last weekend because of that and in this race it slowed me down a lot. Seeing the pros race really clued me in to how much you have to let go. Those guys would absolutely fly down muddy off-camber sections and you could see how difficult it was for them to keep the bike upright. But they let it roll and they didn't crash.

Bernie, Chris, and I mostly traded spots until the last lap when both of them were in front of me. I was able to keep them fairly close, but in the end I was only able to pass Chris on the road while the gap to Bernie was too much to overcome. It was nerve racking riding the final sections before we hit the road. I felt like a caged animal trying to get out. When my front wheel finally hit the asphalt, I stomped as hard as I could and got as low as I could all the way to the finish. I was trying so hard in that last lap to beat both of them but in the end my technical skills and maybe a bit of conditioning weren't enough.

For the race as a whole, all the laps blur together, I have no clue how many we raced or for how long we raced. That's one puzzling thing about cyclocross--I feel as if I could ride one less or one more lap and it wouldn't change my output. I just keep riding until they tell me to stop. I guess the exception to that is when I hear the bell. In that case I try to get more intense and deliberate about what I'm doing. I think with time I will grow more focused.

The section around the tower was very annoying. It was barely rideable before the race and after it became muddy it was neither rideable nor runable. I think those are sections where the course fails a little bit. If you're slipping too much to run then I don't feel like it's about speed--it becomes a battle of equipment or who can manage to muck through. I can't wait till I have enough cash to buy some new shoes with toe spikes! They should be mandatory on days like this one. I think they're good enough for a place or two for sure.

For the first time racing bikes, I had a brief cramp in my right calf. It was brief and not at all painful, but it scared me. I've never had problems with cramps, so hopefully I won't start.

After the race, I made my way over to get in line for the bike wash. It took a while, but once I got to the head of the line, I was able to give my bike and my legs a thorough washing. With the weather being so chilly lately, I was freezing after spraying all that water and so I went for a run around the estate to clean up. It was just a brief two miler--hardly worthy of a cool-down, but it did the trick and it felt good. Running it wet cycling shoes isn't the best of conditions, but it was good enough for today. I continue to be plesantly surprised by my running fitness.

All told, I finished 28th of 75 finishers--not too shabby for my first MAC appearance. I must say that even though the atmosphere is more exciting in the MAC, I prefer MABRA for racing. The smaller fields generally make for more fair competition. There's not the waiting for things to clear out the way there is in MAC. But it should also be said that I need to become more forceful about racing hard in the first few laps and finding a solid group to stick with the way I did today. Obviously to be good at this sport, my technical skills must improve dramatically. I think I've had success in the last couple races due to the long sections of pavement. Eventually I need to make even the muddiest of sections my playground.

 

Raceday! Boy was I tired when I got up this morning. As tired as I was though, the excitement of racing got me right off the mat. I ate three bagels and packed some cereal and granola bars before suiting up and loading my stuff in the car. Amazingly, I was able to navigate myself using handwritten directions from Google Maps without making a single mistake. Leaving the house at 6:30, I made it to Druid Hill Park by 7:30.

I was probably the first non volunteer at the race and they weren't ready for me to check in just yet. I took out my bike and lubed the chain well, then laced up my cycling shoes and went for a ride. They were slowly getting the course set up, so I rode around on the sections they had established to get a feel for what this cyclocross thing was going to be like. I could barely contain my excitement. All the reading on the internet I'd done on the sport was all coming together now seeing the course. What a great idea to put a racecouse for bikes in the middle of a park. I couldn't wait to get racing. I knew this would be fun.

The course had it all as far as I was concerned. And from what everyone else was saying it really was a great course. The start was at the bottom of an asphalt hill. After ascending that short climb, the race went down a fast straightaway off the asphalt and onto the grass, where there was a severe left "off-camber" turn. After a couple switchbacks, the course went over and back across two beach volleyball courts. The sand was being tilled to mike it hard to ride as I was surveying the course. After several more switchbacks on grass and a difficult off-camber to the right, the course crossed a road and went down a slate path. That path wound around a tree and then back the main area of the course. From there, a short climb and descent led across another road and out into a large field. After one switchback, the course went behind a softball field backstop reminiscent of Franklin Park. The route continued in the field around a large tree before meeting two man-made yellow barriers at the base of a large hill. After the hill peak, there were numerous switchbacks that led back to the main area of the course across the road. A small climb later and there were some barriers built for the park. They were high and solid and the course required you to cross one, wrap around a tree, and then cross back over another. After several more switchbacks, the course was back at the foot of the asphalt hill by the start line. This time though, the course led to a staircase which would have to be climbed, then back to the bottom of the asphalt hill where you would ascend once again and cross the finish line to end the lap. The entire loop was approximately two miles.

It was immediately clear to me that this would be unlike any type of racing I had competed in to date. I could just hear Maltas quoting Walter . . . "Forget it, Donny, you're out of your element!" The course required so much more than pure physical fitness. I feel like I have the cardio to match up with most folks at the race, but nowhere near the bike handling skills. This course and I assume cyclocross in general will expose this weakness and force me to improve. But whatever trepidation I had about racing was drowned out in my head by my desire to compete.

I eventually made my way to the starting line where I found a spot on the second row. I was a bit thrown off by the looks of my competitors. I had registered for the 'C' race expecting to be one of the most equipped to race. But looking around, I felt as out of place as I did at duathlons, surrounded by carbon fiber, discs, and aero shoes. Everyone had a jersey, many had skinsuits, and no one it seemed had a bike that wasn't equipped to race cyclocross well. I asked aloud of the group whether they were racing the C race because of its shorter distance or because they had never raced 'cross before. Only one guy chose to answer. He said not to let the skinsuit fool me, he was racing for the first time. His Lemond Poprad didn't help matters either though. Before long, we had received our instructions and we were off!

It's hard for me to give point by point action of the race, but I'll try to summarize the important things that I remember. Racing in such a large pack was exciting and somewhat embarassing. I felt like all my handling mistakes were annoying others--and some probably were. But hey, it was a beginner race and I did the best I could. The off camber turns gave me a lot of trouble and I found myself either proceeding really slow or getting caught with my feet on the ground straddling the bike. Before too long, the packs spread out a bit and it wasn't nearly as crowded. I made it trough most of the dismounts without too much trouble and surprised myself by getting back on the bike better than I had in my brief practice. There were a few times where I almost fell getting my left foot out of the pedal but nothing too bad.

The trouble came just after the staircase on the very first lap. Somewhere in climbing the stairs and remounting the bike, my chain fell off to the inside and got trapped between the bottom bracket and the chain ring. Since I had removed the small ring, I had a nightmare on my hands. I didn't realize this at first and I tried to get the chain back on the ring. But it was jammed between the mounting points for the small chain ring. I couldn't get it out! I was in such a hurry that I grabbed the chain with my hands and pulled as hard as I could. It wouldn't budge! Argh! I was going crazy. People were passing my in droves. I gave up on it for the moment and picked the bike up to run--thinking that maybe I'd have to go all the way to the pits for help. I ran up the asphalt hill with the bike on my shoulder and then stopped and flipped the bike upside down. At this point, I had been passed by enough people that my competive drive to hurry was waning. I calmly and carefully began untangling the chain and finally I had it loose. Of course I didn't get it out before hearing Thor tell me, "John, shouldn't you be racing and not working on your bike." I laughed and got back racing as fast as I could. At that point, I'd never met him face to face and it gave me a bit of a boost to know someone on the sidelines was watching.

I spent the final two laps of the three lap race trying to pick off as many guys as I could. Mostly though I was alone and clear from all riders. That was probably a benefit to my learning cyclocross. I was able to focus on the technics of the race and not worry about getting in people's way. Near the end I had some competition and I did my best to race hard. I was exhausted. I know nothing about being exhausted on a bike without being in an aero position turning a constant cadence. This was new territory. I held off a few guys and sprinted in to the finish as best I could. God was I tired! I finished 20th out of 36 starters. I think I could have finished top ten without mechanical issues.

After walking over to the car and putting my bike away, I walked back over to where everyone was milling around. I brought out my camera too to take pictures off all the things I'd missed without having Jess to shoot. I chatted with they guy just behind me in the results, Nick. He was getting back in to racing after being away from it for a few years and he too was a tri-guy. I watched the women's B race and then was absolutely astounded by the talent in the men's 35+/45+/55+ race. Those guys were flying. It was so exciting to see them attack the course the way they did. It reminded me of watching Foot Locker Regionals and seeing Alan Webb and the elites just rip the course apart. And this was the masters race! What a shame I had to go home before the A race!

While chatting with Thor, he mentioned that some guys race twice. This surprised me considering how tired I was, but immediately the cogs in my head started to turn. It seemed a little crazy to race twice, but I was so excited about racing at all that it wasn't long before I had pulled my bike out of the car and laced up my shoes. I had to make some crude adjustments to my front derailleur. It was horribly out of adjustment from my pulling on the chain during the previous race. I loosened th bolt and slid it just to a spot where it wouldn't rub the chain while on the middle chain ring. I knew I wouldn't shift off of that one, so it was easy to adjust. I made my way to the starting line and stayed near the back knowing I didn't have the legs to race up with the big boys. Behind me were the juniors, who would start a minute behind the rest of the field.

I mostly let the field get sorted out in front of me at the start. But I started racing once things cleared up a bit. It was great to be back amongst other riders as opposed to playing catch up as I had in the earlier race. I couldn't help but notice how much different my legs felt though. When we came around for the first lap, I also couldn't help but notice that the lap counter was at four. This meant the race would be five laps long--two longer than the C race. In general, I think the longer races will favor me because my conditioning should generally outweigh my lack of technique as other racers get tired. Today though, I was focused on trying to finish the race. The long two mile laps seemed quite daunting. What made things worse was when I realized I'd forgotten to put on my gloves. It wasn't too long before my hands started to ache from all the banging of the course.

It wasn't long into my third lap I believe that I could hear juniors coming up behind me. Not that I really needed any more humbling today, but that sure did it. What I didn't realize at the time though was that the first junior has been competitve at the national level. But I took exception when it started to feel like they were all going by. I held my ground and focused on holding pace. Eventually, I was able to build back up a gap on the second and third place juniors again. I gained good ground running up the hill after the yellow barriers rather than trying to ride it as most did.

Going into the final lap, I was thrilled to hear the bell ringing in my ears. So close, yet so far away from being at the finish. I nearly screamed though when, after I remounted the bike following an off camber turn I chose to run, I saw my chain had fallen off to the inside! This time I was more skilled and quickly flipped the bike upside down and pulled the chain carefully out from between the crank arm bolts. I did this fairly quickly, but by the time I was back riding down the slate path, I was desperately trying to make up ground on the two juniors and a couple other B racers. The gap I had held was reversed. I yelled out and stomped on the pedals and flew by a couple guys. I made back all the places I lost but made myself very tired in doing so. Running up that hill hurt bad. Back on the main section of the racecourse, I was nearing the finish when going into a turn, myself and the third junior were awfully close. We rubbed shoulders a bit but nothing too hard. He wasn't too happy that I wouldn't let him by easily. I told him I didn't care what division he was in, I was trying to beat him--and I was. He was my motivation most of the back half of the race. As tired as I was he was the only thing keeping me focused on the task at hand. I held him off without too much trouble once we got on the asphalt hill.

You won't see my name in the results of the B race because I didn't register for it. In all honesty, I thought I would be scored in the race because the officials recorded your race number everytime you crossed the line. I didn't realized that I needed to register individually for each race. Judging from what I can remember, and from the limited number of pictures on the web, I think I was somewhere around 25th place. That's a guess based mostly on one picture.

I didn't have time to stick around and see the A race as I had to pick up Jess from the airport. I had a blast (sarcasm here) navigating back home through downtown Baltimore. Needless to say, I didn't fare as well as I had coming up to the race. I did make it to Jess not long after she landed though.

There's so much to say about cyclocross, but I'll mostly let my race summary speak for itself. This is the most fun I've had on two wheels without a doubt. It's also the most tired I've been since running in college. It's far more intense to me than duathlon and it brings out my competitive nature even more. But the best part about cyclocross is it's obvious comparison for me to cross country. The time of year is right, the terrain is right, and the competitive atmosphere is most definitely right. But it also has the lap racing and multiple heats that I love so much about track. It's nice to not only race twice, but to watch other races as well. For me it seems cyclocross combines so much that I love about racing even if my strong suit of running is greatly reduced. I'm glad I found this sport and I look forward to racing next week.