I finally decided to do something other than just put the miles in. I warmed up for a couple miles, then hit it hard, doing six minute intervals with three minutes rest. I did five sets and managed to avoid any long stops at intersections. My legs felt pretty strong and I was able to use one rider as bait. We'll see how I respond in the next few days. I hope I'm strong enough now to keep the mileage up and add just a tad bit of quality.

I haven't updated in two weeks and I never finished a race summary for IC Lite, but rest assured that I haven't been nearly as lazy with riding. Today marks my sixth consecutive day of total bike commuting (i.e. 40 miles/day no car). I even used my new rain gear to navigate through the storm this past Friday. I took the weekend off and this morning, my legs felt amazing. I'm building a massive base and in doing so I'm as hungry as ever to get out and race this weekend when the MABRA series resumes.

Hunger really doesn't do my feelings justice. I'm flat out anxious to get back on the 'cross bike and race. It's unbearable to read and look and photos of the MAC series and the World Cup races over in Europe. This is going to be a long week, I'm sure of that. I'm planning on at least riding some barriers soon and probably throwing in a tempo ride before this weekend of racing on Saturday and Sunday. Logging upwards of thirteen hours on the bike a week is starting to feel more natural. We'll see how I do as the weather gets colder, but so far, I'm holding up.

As for my training as a whole, since I don't have a car (nine weeks now) I haven't been able to really do much planning of workouts. In the past few weeks, I've been tired from commuting everyday and didn't feel like I could handle any extra load. The only real hard efforts I've done have been the random times I've felt up to catching folks on the trail. But I'm hoping that I'm now handling things better and can add some quality to the quantity in time to get some benefit this 'cross season.

I'm thinking right now that I'd like to keep riding this much through the winter. That means, I doubt I'll be taking the break I took last season to train for the Alumni track meet. Should make for an interesting mile time come January, but hopefully it'll pay dividends when road season starts up.

Here's an interesting tidbit from Pez' interview with Greg Lemond. It's very encouraging to hear such an established road racer recommend cyclocross racing in the winter.

Pez: Cyclo-cross has always been popular in Europe and is now booming in the United States with the Crank Brothers U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, Verge events, and others. What was your experience with cross as a competitor and did this influence the design of the highly popular LeMond Poprad cyclo-cross bike?

GL: If you go back to when I first started cycling, cyclo-cross was a mainstay of my winter training. Cyrille Guimard was the coach and each year I was on Renault that team won the French National Cyclo-Cross Championships. Each week from October until January riders would race a minimum of once a week and train 12-14 hours per week with two of those days doing cyclo-cross, very intense, kind of like a time trial. If you think about the physiology of it you maintained a high level of fitness, what you gained all summer. Guimard was really forward in his training regimens by saying you don’t gain all this fitness only to take three months off in the winter and have to start from scratch. That’s what was happening. Back in the 1970’s that’s what riders did, except Merckx. Merckx was racing year round and it showed in his performance in the early season.

It's also noteworthy that he says they were training only 12-14 hours a week. That's about what I'm doing now. Hearing that Saul Raisin was riding 28 hours in a week while he starts his comeback from a brain injury is stunning. That's nearly twice what Lemond was doing.

Another interesting note was what he had to say about young racers starting out. I'm not as young as he's speaking about, but I think it applies to anyone starting out in the sport, regardless of age:

Pez: What advice do you have for juniors and young racers starting out?’

GL: First, get a good coach and especially get connected with a local club or team that has some ex, older, good racers who they can learn from. Bike racing has, in the last 10 to 15 years, become so much about physiology, training, how you do intervals, but bicycle racing isn’t just a physical sport, it’s a tactical sport. You have to learn tactics from other racers and also from racing. As a young racer the more you can race the better. All types of racing, road, track, and criteriums. If you want to be a winner you have to do it all. Even mountain bike races should be included in a young person’s repertoire. Riders should not focus on the quantity of riding but on the quality of their rides, they should learn how to sprint properly and how to do an echelon. I am shocked sometimes when I ride with experienced racers who do not know instinctively to switch an echelon when the wind changes. They should also develop a very good pedal stroke and an ability to rapidly change cadence from low RPMs to high RPMs, where you’re able to use the high pedal speed to accelerate.

Cool to hear such good advice from the first professional cyclist I ever heard of growing up.

I was back up front, where I want to be . . . finishing 2nd at IC Lite. Race Summary to come.

Photo by James R. Wilson

Wow, the cold weather came in a hurry. Just last night I was riding home in a jersey and shorts. I woke up this morning to temperatures in the high thirties and low forties. I didn't think it'd be as cold as it was outside and I left the house in my thermal jacket, leg warmers, and gloves. I originally thought the jacket would be too much, but after about five minutes, I was wishing I had my hat, booties, and bigger gloves. It was darn cold. Needless to say, traffic along the trail was down significantly. The same troopers I saw throughout the winter last year were out there, but there's never anyone headed in my direction once the weather gets chilly.

The skies looked like they might get anrgy, so I was more than happy to hitch a ride behind Pat's electric bike to get home. Riding behind him is just like motor pacing and it's a lot of fun to fly by folks on the trail. We can ride at 26-27 mph consistently and it can be hard work when we hit a long but slight uphill.

Once we hit the gravel on the way to Vienna, I attacked Pat just to see what his bike could do. I got a gap and then settled in to work and try and maintain it. I was tucked and cranking a huge gear TT style and I just held him off to the depot. What a blast! I got back behind him and chilled out the rest of the way home--with the exception of the obligatory KOM point before Hwy. 66.

I had to do a few things around the apartment before I left for work this morning, so the commute started a bit late. But I finally got on the bike and started pedaling. My legs felt like garbage, which is a little bit surprising since I've only ridden three of the last four days. Maybe they're just complaining about the lack of work. Well, I put 'em back to work but really didn't enjoy a single bit of this trip. I was glad when I finally got to my destination and I took a long shower.

Coming home was a lot more interesting because I had the new light to play with. I even stayed a little bit late at work so I'd get a chance to use the light in the conditions I'll face once the time changes. I have to say that the light performed wonderfully. It's incredibly bright. I was blocking it with my hand to keep from blinding people. It was shining on street signs at least 200 yards away. It is without question brighter than my 10W halogen. I'd like to see how it compares to the Cateye Triple Shot Pro or the Niterider MiNewt. If anyone's got one, I'd like to give them a try. Pat certainly got this one built for a lot less than they're asking for those lights.

To round out my day off, I finally made it down the road to check out Pat's new light. It's been a small project of ours to get a bright, yet cheap LED light for commuting once the time changes in a couple of weeks. This is the first go round and it looks pretty good. I didn't get a chance to see it shine after the sun went down, but I think it may work out. It definitely seemed as bright as my 10W Halogen.


The light is about as simple as it gets. It's four Luxeon K2 LED's mounted with lenses to a piece of Aluminum. They're wired in series and connected to 12 AA NiMH batteries that are housed in the water bottle. Running them in series is about as simple as it gets and for now, that's the goal.


The backside looks a bit more complex that it actually is. Being the aerospace engineer that he is, he's doubled the connections coming into the lights. The connections are made with PC jumpers and pins.


And just to speak on the first picture. Pat's big into electric bikes and the wheel covers on the front are hiding a hub motor. So, please, if you see a middle aged dude who's probably not as fit as you and he's taking you to the shed on the trail, think! It's hilarious how many folks have been riding with Pat on the way to work that think he's a freak of nature with incredible acceleration and stamina. He's no freak, just a crafty veteran.

One of the most interesting things about this cyclocross season has been being both racer and mechanic. I've done every single bit of mechanic work on my rig this season, and with that has also come some mistakes. Fortunately, none of those mistakes have cost me in a race--or at least not noticeably.

The first mistake, I made two days before Charm City and I'm hoping it'll be the most expensive one I make this season. The left rear brake boss on my Javelin isn't aligned properly. That's a manufacturing error/QC issue, but the result is that my rear brake pads weren't contacting the rim at the right angle. In trying to bend the brakes to overcome this error, I bent the bolt that holds the smooth shaft brake pad. In doing that, I damaged the threads to lock it in place and when I tried to screw it shut, I sheared the bolt! This bolt is unique to Empella brakes and since Cyclocrossworld.com is the only company selling them in the US, I had to shell out for next day air and a replacement sent of bolts. I have since learned how to properly bend the brakes and now they're at the right angle.
Cost: $40.49

The second mistake I made was beyond a rookie mistake. It was purely a stupid one and so far it was the most dangerous to my race hopes. I lost a bolt out of my seatpost during Charm City and upon examination, it was because I had the top part of the clamp oriented backwards. Basically, I didn't read the piece to see the 'FRONT' stamped on well, the front and I had it in there backwards. That meant it was tough to get the angle I wanted and so I had the back bolt just barely screwed in. One race on the dirt, and it worked its way loose.
Cost: $4.95

The third mistake, I didn't notice until late last week. I lost the crank arm cap/washer on my Dura Ace FC-7700 drive side crank. I didn't think it was much more than a cosmetic error until I noticed the crank bolt was loose moments before the start of my race on Saturday. A new one should keep that bolt tight.
Cost: $8.95

Unfortunately it wasn't the cause of the most perplexing of all problems . . . Moments before the start of my race on Saturday, I started hearing an awful cracking/creaking noise coming either from my bottom bracket or somewhere in the hub/rear derailleur area. I wasn't sure which and I had no idea how to fix the problem, so I had to race with the noise. I did get a little bit better during the race, but never the way it should sound.

So today, I set off on a quest to determine what in the world this noise was. It never happened on the stand. So shifting up and down without any real pressure on the crank sounded just fine and the shifting was normal. So I took it outside and confirmed that the only way to make the noise was to put a lot of resistance against the crank. That meant the noise was heard when starting from a dead stop in just about any gear, but worse when starting in the 42x12.

I first wanted to rule out the hub. That would be the worst case since the Mavic Cosmos I've been riding on have seen very little 'cross action so far. I switched the rear wheel with my road bike's rear wheel. I took it outside again and was actually thrilled to hear that the problem persisted. That ruled out the hub! Or did it? My rear hub on the road bike actually seemed to have some play in it. I tightened it up to take out the play and fortunately, the sound continued. I checked the tightness of the hub on my cross wheel and it was fine.

The remaining possibilites were the BB and either the rear derailleur or chain. It was hard for me to determine where the noise was coming from since I had to ride the bike to hear it. But on Saturday Jess seemed convinced it wasn't the BB. So I went with her recommendation and turned my attention to the rear derailluer and chain.

The more I looked at the problem, the more I became convinced that the chain was somehow slipping to make the noise. And that was consistent with my thought that the chain was one link too long. In my quest to improve the shifting last week, I hadsd finally concluded that the chain was just barely too long. But when I went to shorten it, I realized that the one reason I loved SRAM chains was not a feature in their 10 speed chains!

The link that I thought was a PowerLink is actually called a PowerLOCK on the new chains. That means that you can install the chain without a chain tool, but to remove the chain, it's back to the same old of using a tool. And once you remove the PowerLock, you have to get a new one to reconnect the chain! Ugh. I'm no longer excited about SRAM 10 speed chains. But that's the reason that I decided to leave the chain at its current length. And that one extra link, it turns out, was the cause of this horrible noise.

I had to ride over to Big Wheel Bikes, the closest LBS and snag a Shimano CN-5600 (105 Chain). I checked the length with the SRAM chain I removed, then installed it and voila! The problem was gone. So until I get another PowerLock, I've got a useless SRAM 10 Speed chain laying around.
Cost $27.95


I should comment also that so far the shifting does seem to be better with a Shimano chain the Shimano drivetrain. Go figure! Shifting it more precise also without so much slack in the chain. In the 27 cog, the cage is at about 45 degrees with the horizontal, which in my opinion is about as far as you should go. In the 12 cog, things look exactly as they should, with the two pulleys nearly inline vertically.

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!

It was rather chilly this morning, as it has been for the past week, so it didn't matter too much that the only reasonably smelling jersey I had was long sleeve. I suited up and was on the trail at a reasonable hour. I took it fairly easy until latching on to a Master's rider after Gallows Rd. I took the lead once we hit the long stretch after Vienna and I punched it hard. My pack was pretty heavy since I was carrying in shoes and a book, but still, I was moving. Well, he hung tight and was still with me just a little ways behind when we came to the next crossing. I, embarassingly, dropped my chain. By the time I got it fixed, I had to catch up to him and just after I did, he turned off. Anyways, that was fun and it was good to get the legs crankin' since I felt like I didn't get enough work yesterday.

I got to ride home in some great weather and I had to ride all the way with my jersey totally unzipped. The temps were in the upper 70's and it was gorgeous. I was pretty tired and hungry when I rolled into my place and I downed just about any food I could find before heading out for French class downtown. I'm eating so much right now that I feel a bit like a pig. I thought early this weekend I was just eating because I was bored, but then I realized if I stopped eating, my stomach was hurting. So I just kept feeding my face.

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.

I commuted in and out early today so that I could catch a train South for my cousin's wedding tomorrow. I took The Crescent Line which continues all the way to New Orleans. Riding the train is generally nice, but I didn't enjoy this ride all that much. The train was packed, with nearly every seat taken and the folks weren't all that nice. There was a lot of really inconsiderate people making quite a bit of noise at inopportune times. But I was in Greensboro by midnight after leaving at 6:30p from Union Station. Funny how the ride home in the car is more tolerable after a plane flight! I know if Jess were along for the trip, this one would have been far more enjoyable.

I'm back commuting on the road bike for the rest of the week, so that's good. I kept it nice an controlled this morning. After Vienna, I tagged along behind a guy in Disco kit and he gave me a nice pull. Eventually he slowed up and I moved on. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing eventful about this ride. I made it to work.

About the time I was due to ride home, the skies opened up in a big thunderstorm. It ended up lasting most of the night, so it was a good thing Pat drove in today. I hitched a ride with him and got home dry and toasty. My legs were happy about that as well. The odd thing is that I've got soreness the way I used to get when I'd miss several days of running. I call it 'guilty soreness'. I'm thinking maybe that started up because of the little bits of running we did for 'cross practice. Perhaps they got to thinking it was cross-country season all over again.

I endured another long commute on the 'cross bike and in the morning I felt like I was near bonking. I need a rest most likely and some food. But I made it in ok--albeit late and then after work I rode over to Lake Fairfax again for 'cross practice.

I worked more on the step through and I'm definitely getting more comfortable. I may even use it in the race on Sunday. Unclipping the left foot will be the last piece and I'm not sure when I'll add that. Right now, it's just too much to think about.

Practice today wasn't quite as productive as yesterday. After doing barriers, we rode laps on a short and long course that Judd had set up. I rode it decently and enjoyed the long run up he put in, but I certainly wasn't riding away from anyone. I'm not sure how it is I won a race with some of the guys there sucking my wheel. If they ride like they did today, but in the race on Sunday, perhaps we'll have a little bit better result from our crew. My technical skills still need tons of work. But I have improved.

George hooked me up with a ride home again. Thank God, because my legs needed a break. I'll be taking it super easy tomorrow and Friday, then Saturday will be off since I'll be in NC for my cousin's wedding.

Shockingly, my win on Sunday impressed folks enough that they gave me my cyclocross upgrade to Cat. 3. I'm now Cat. 3 on the road and the dirt. Now to make those both 2's . . . may be a bit tougher.

I really hate commuting on my 'cross bike. It just makes things frustrating because I can't stop and play in the dirt and it's real slow riding it on the pavement. But I do it anyway so that I can meet up at Lake Fairfax every now and then with Judd, Mel, et. al. to work on my skillz.

Today's workout was exactly the kind of workout I need. I made me feel totally inadequate as far as my cross skills go. I started working on my dismounts. I definitely want to be stepping through with my right leg rather than just dropping it behind my body. And I also want to unclip the left foot before reaching the barriers. That's tricky, but done correctly, it's faster and safer. Judd and Mel both have the dismount/remount down cold. It makes me look like the newbie that I am.

We also worked on some longer run-ups. I did quite well at those given my running background. But I wish I'd actually see one of those in a race. Around here, no one seems to like running. After that we did some climbing of steep hills, trying to simulate hills that are just barely rideable--getting used to going from a quick spin to a grind. Then we went up to the cricket field and rode a bit of leg tensioning/tempo around in the grass.

George was able to give me a ride home again, so I was able to stay for the duration and not have to worry about lights. Tomorrow, I'll be back out at the park for some more 'cross action. I just wish I wasn't commuting on the bike. Maybe I'll get a car soon?

Today, DennisBike, a.k.a. Dennis Smith, posted his shots of the B race on Sunday. As usual his work is stellar and we're lucky to have him working our races. So far he's the only one I've found with shots of the finish. They are quality:

What a great ending to the day. I came home from class tonight and found that my road upgrade finally went through. I'm officially a Cat. 3 now. Bring on the big boys. With a few more good placings, I should be able to match that upgrade in 'cross as well. Also, thanks to Morgan and Georgia making our race notable, we got some mild pub on the BikeReg summary of the race. Pretty cool.

I got back on the bike the morning bright and early for the commute. My right knee is still a bit sore as are my back and my right calf. The weather was downright chilly and I wore my windbreaker for the duration of the ride. I might have even used gloves if I'd had them handy.

I kept the pace to exactly what it should be a day after such a hard effort. My HR rarely ever peeked over 150 and I kept it below even base training pace for most of the time. It's nice to see that the trail is getting less crowded as the weather gets colder. 'Cross season is fully upon us.

It's been hard not thinking about yesterday's win, but once I got the race summary written up, I started to turn my mind towards next week's race at Lilypons. I think it will only get tougher from here. Todd should be ready for more battle and MikeO will surely be looking for redemption.

The ride home from work was great. I had a tailwind the whole way. The temperature was perfect and the sun was out. Since I left at 3p to get home early, the trail was pretty empty as well. I hit tempo for only about five minutes and the rest of the time was easy. A good recovery day.

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.

Charm City Preview

I didn't have the time to post this before the race, but here were my predictions for Sunday's race based on the folks who'd pre-registered. I was pretty much right about the heavy hitters. MikeO had a bad day and I think Mayhew is getting into form since he raced the B's and A's on Sunday. Gerlak definitely showed he belongs. Nick Bax didn't pre-reg or I'dve had him in the top 3 for sure.

1. Mike O'Hara 28 Baltimore, MD An avid urban photographer and blogger, Mike surely plans to make this second season of 'cross one worth capturing on film. His rookie campaign was a memorable one with multiple MAC series top ten finishes. He finished 2nd here a year ago--albeit in the C race. He became one of the most consistent Killer B's around last season and he enters this one with a definite bullseye on his back.

2. Georgia Gould 26 Ketchum, ID This course will be all-to-familiar to Gould. Baltimore is where she was first introduced to the sport and ever since then she's been a rider to watch. A relative newbie to the 'cross scene, she nonetheless proved she belonged on the national stage last year. She even dropped by to open up a can on the Killer B's at a couple of MABRA races. But this year on the MTB, she left everyone in her dust and took home the Stars-n-stripes jersey at Pro Nationals. We can barely wait to see what this Idahoan has in store for this year in the mud.

3. Chris Mayhew 30 Pittsburgh, PA Far more well-known for his announcing skills on the MAC circuit, Mayhew put together quite a consistent season a year ago. He's one of the top returners to the B circuit and that experience should get him off to a strong start this season. Certainly, he's capable of winning this one if he's on good form.

4. Steve Fife 32 Reston, VA It's impossible to miss the Rockville Harley colors on this rider. He's always near the front and looking to attack. Last season he showed he can handle a bike off-road and this summer he's shown he's got the engine to do it on the road as well. Narrowly missing the overall at this year's Cat. 4 Tour de Toona, Steve must have plans to give the MABRA 'Cross Crown a shot.

5. Ray Ignosh 32 Breinigsville, PA A relative unkown to the MABRA racers, this rider has proven himself to be very consistent on the competitive MAC circuit. He's a seasoned vet and performs well on the track, the road, and the trails. Surely he will leave his mark on B'more. It's all a question of where his form lies this early in the season. If it's right, he could be a sleeper pick for the win.

6. Marc Vettori 35 Elkton, MD Another popular blogger, with the most off-beat humor in the area. This year he's joined up with the ever powerful Fort crew. Last year he raced mostly Masters races and accorded himself quite well. It's somewhat of a mystery how well he'll perform in B's this season--or even whether he plans to stick around in the category, but to be sure, there will be plenty to write about this one after he's toed the line at Charm City.

7. John Hostetter III 32 Perryville, MD This rider has been a consistent B racer for the past couple years. Last season he showed some great form to reach the podium in a MABRA race, but this season he's no doubt looking for more than that. It remains to be seen whether this is a course that suits him or not. Last season he finished 20th here. We expect a better result the second time around.

8. Chris Nystrom 35 Ellicott City, MD Another one of the B Bloggers, Nystrom is one of the promoters of this fine race. No doubt he will have all the inside information about the course here, but whether all the stress and time spent setting the thing up will take its toll is a question that must be answered. He finished 13th here last year and went on to be very consistent throughout the season when not maligned by mechs and sickness. Big things are expected by folks riding Dugast and Nystrom hopes to do those supple casings proud.

9. Bernard McDonald 39 Baltimore, MD Another one of the tireless promoters, we'll see if he's ready for the season on race day. Trying to gain some for for the season, he's raced sporadically on the roads with relative success. He too fell victim to promoter fatigue last year and finished 22nd. He recovered nicely to finish 7th in a very strong field the following week. But the rest of the season was up and down. He finished it on a high note however, with the birth of a child.

10. Jared Nieters 29 Washington, VA An impressive Cat. 3 racer on the road, it's pretty hard to believe that he won't improve from his 51st place finish here a year ago. There's no doubt that had a little something to do with mechanical trouble. Nieters was conistently just outside the top ten in the MABRA series last year, finishing a season best 7th in the mudfest that was Hagerstown. We think there'll be quite an improvement this season as a season of experience will allow him to use his powerful engine to make a statement on the 'cross scene.

11. Zach Adams 16 Carlisle, PA Last year he proved to be the best junior in the region not named Bax and he did it consistently throughout. He ended his season with a 15th place at Nationals and this season he's joined up with the Fort crew--bringing a strong junior to their fold. Methinks he wants to prove that he's more than just a "junior" and hopes to mix it up quite a bit with the big boys. It's going to require some strength and maturity, but if Adams puts it all together, some of the older folks could be left watching youth pass them by.

12. Todd Hesel 28 Parkville, MD Riding for the black and green of 'cross power HVB, Hesel will look to make up for the loss of Sean Mealey to the A ranks. Hesel raced only sporadically last season, with mixed results, but he proved this summer that he has an engine to be reckoned with. He finished third on the Queen stage of the Tour de Toona and did it emphatically--finishing on that same step of the podium for the KOM competition. Will he be able to put it all together offroad this season? We'll see, but it's hard not to expect success from this rider any time he strikes a pedal in anger.

13. James Ambagis 36 Newark, DE FortJames spent most of last season as a stellar pit-man for the Fort crew. But he also spent most of last season in search of that elusive C race win. He came awfully close two cold days in a row at Fair Hill. There's no telling how he and his fellow C racers will make the leap to the B's, but good things seem to happen to those with hairy legs. We might see a Sampson situation here if he gives in, however. Here's to hoping FortJames can hold off Delilah and put Fort in the thick of things in the only series they didn't dominate last year.

14. The Field: Pomajevich, Milinkovic, Sauder, Berson, Bowman, Gerlak, Harshman, Kirk, and Lea, and Fader. These are guys we either know nothing about or just didn't crack the top 13. Any of these riders could easily ride themselves into the top 10 or perhaps pull off the win. And that's saying nothing about those who scorned pre-reg. One thing's for sure: we're in for a terrific season of cyclocross this year. Let the racing begin!