Northfield first crit race report

The always enjoyable Northfield July 4th crit ended up being the first since my crash last year. A combination of leeriness of crits plus lack of fitness was causing a cycle of fail that needed to be addressed by just getting out there and HTFU. The goal was not to crash, hang on as long as I could, and get the legs back. Mission accomplished. The 35+ race served as a warm-up, and as expected I got dropped quickly, but got the legs burning and heart racing like nothing else. After that, I lined up for the 3-4 race. This was also fast, as expected, with many known Cat 3 fasties in the field, including our own Skidsy. I hung on longer in this race, until they decided we were going too slow and threw out a prime. A few laps later and I was pulled. Only close call was pulling out of my pedal torquing up the hill, but I got it together safely with no harm done. Apparently there were a couple of crashes in my race, but I saw neither of them. Anyway, I'm back in the game, now I just need to get the fitness back! Looking forward to the stockyards crits and maybe Hopkins next weekend.

State CX championship race report

I decided to ride up to Crystal, since most of the route would be on the way to my previous work site, and I'd get a good warm up in. It turned out to be a pleasant ride once warmed up a bit: chain of lakes to Wirth and Victory Memorial, over at 40th Ave. skirting along Crystal Lake, and across Hwy. 100 via a pedestian bridge. It took less time than I expected, and rode the course even before the C race started.

Wow, what a completely different course than years past! Much much much longer with the addition of a lot of straight cruising along in the grass. The only 'crossy parts were the stairs (there would be mutiny if those were removed!), and the addition of a sand pit, which was a great addition. I heard the course was over two miles long! The C race only did three laps!

When my race finally rolled around, I lined up at the back as usual. After things settled down, I was basically towing two other guys around the course. It was good being in a group, because I was actually racing. Racing not to be last, but still racing! This meant powering through all the grassy stuff, and trying to open a gap through the stairs and sandpit. I got passed a couple of times, but then I'd go to the front to be first into the singletrack, or pass the guy on the mountain bike because, well, he was on a mountain bike.

We were dangling behind a group in front of us and make up time occasionally when they played cat and mouse on a paved section - apparently no one wanted to be the sucker blocking the wind. Eventually we picked off one guy from the group, I think it was Skibby, although he wasn't on the Axis of Evil so I'm not 100% sure. Apparently he joined up with the little group I was towing around, because on the second to last lap, he got my bike in his face as I shouldered it into the sand pit.

The sand pit was fun each lap, as the BMC tent was set up there and I had teammates cheering for me, and a Silver Cycling guy I was towing would always ride the pit while I ran it. I was always a contest to see which method would be faster. In the end it was the same, but left me fresher out of the pit (that or he just didn't want to be in the front at all). I missed a vodka handup one time through. On the second to last time through, Skibby(?), who hadn't been with our group until we caught him, must not have expected me to run it or something, because he was right behind me where the bike goes when shouldering. We both tumbled into the sand pit, and must have made quite the scene, because the BMC tent was roaring. I checked to make sure everyone was all right a couple of times, and we made it through okay.

The bike, however, wasn't so fortunate, and I was left with the smallest gear, plus the smallest gear in the big chainring, as the front shifter was still working. This meant I had to spin like crazy for the rest of the race, and most of my little group easily passed me on the last lap. I wasn't DFL, though, as the mountain bike guy was still behind me, and I spun my little gear as fast as I could to the finish. I don't remember the Silver guy passing me, so I don't know if he gave up or also has issues from the sand pit.

All that powering through the grass really left my legs burning like no race had done so far this year! I think it was more due to really trying at this race than anything else though. I enjoyed it, and in addition to cheers at the sand pit there was the usual crowd making noise at the stairs, which was awesome.

The A race was exciting, with Dewey and Patty Cakes duking it out on the front, shedding Dan Swanson, Aric Hareland and some guy from Milwaukee. Pat eventually got a gap on Dewey in the last lap and took the championship! The kid's only 21, and he held of the veterans. I'm sure that was due in large part to the non-'crossy nature of the course, but it showed how strong he is. I expect more big things from him on the road next year. I caught glimpses of the Lindas duking it out during my race, a repeat of the Linda vs. Linda battles from last year. Linda Sone ended up taking the win again.

Thanks to Meow's Taxi Service for providing a ride home. Riding with two gears and race-pressure tires would not have been much fun, if my legs could even have gotten me home. Thanks also to everyone who came out to watch and cheer!

Ham Lake cyclocross race report

I had the lyrics "I was strolling through the park one day, in the merry merry month of October" going through my head today. I'd heard that there would be a runup in the course today, but that wasn't the case. It consisted entirely of a wooded path, mostly wide enough to allow passing, a long stretch of asphalt road and a longish stretch of wide ski(?) trail. Only one place you had to dismount, a set of three barriers, placed at different distances, messing up any rhythm. This course was even tamer than Lake Rebecca, where you at least had some runups and dismounts and stuff. You'd think someone could have put a log across the trail or found some kind of runup or SOMETHING to make it interesting. At least there were some people out making some noise, that was good. Anyway, lined up at the back again, and really wasn't feeling motivated. The course really showed off my lack of fitness too, since I couldn't hide it by finessing anything cyclocross-y. Should have raced on Sunday. I had to zip home to have time to take Sascha to the airport, so no watching the A race. Thinking of racing tomorrow anyway to salvage the weekend. At least both races are only $20 each.

Yes we can!

Love this photo from Timmer!

Wirth cyclocross race report

My injury this spring has been the best thing for my cyclocross season! Being out for the summer means I have no expectations, and can really have fun. Today was maybe the best time I've had at a Minnesota cylocross race.

I rode over to Wirth, which was right on my previous route to work. There looked to be a good turnout for the only urban race here since Powderhorn and Boom Island were cancelled. There was quite the line, too. I took a pic for all the pre-reg haters out there. Teammates Owen, Matt, Mario (honorary), Ray and T3 all showed up, which was sweet, except poor T3 broked his '09 Rival group already. All the other usual suspects were there from the whole MN, IA and ND scenes.

The course was fun for me. If I were really serious about racing it would not be at all fun. There was a lot of singletrack, which meant either you can't pass, or people will take stupid risks to pass. Since I'm not, though, I really enjoyed the swooping curves and getting my bike handling on. I'm proud to say, no crashes, and, since I put my chain watcher back on, no dropped chains either. While pre-riding I came up on someone wearing a wedding veil on the back of her helmet, which I figured could only be Kristy. She and Jay had gotten married yesterday, with the reception there in Wirth park, so it was only fitting! Congratulations!

After checking out the course, I watched a bit of the C race. Coming out of the woods into the grassy area near the start/finish I saw an endo and some slide outs. There were plenty of places on the course where things could get nasty in the heat of a race. I lined up at the back as usual for this season, and with the huge turnout, that meant pretty far back. The first two laps were a leisurely stroll through the woods as things got pretty backed up. Eventually things sorted out, and I could have some fun picking my own lines and picking off people here and there in a battle for 50th. My only goal was not to be slower than Skibby, and I at least accomplished that. :)

After a few laps the "party on the wrong side of the barrier" was ramping up, and I took a whisky handup and later a vodka handup. It really was great to have a big, loud turnout. Between that and not taking it seriously, it was almost like being in Portland again.

After the B race I was exhausted. I figured out that I was bonking, but right then Meow came to the rescue with pumpkin muffins and cookies! She totally saved the day, allowing me to hang out and watch some of the A race instead of heading straight home for recovery. I think pumpkin muffins is my new favorite recovery food!

Highlights:

- Kristy's veil
- A brand new Time 'cross bike cleanly broken in two by a tree collision (rider was okay)
- Vodka and whisky handups
- Lots of people cheering for me
- Doing an extra lap because they forgot to flip the counter
- Flying bike in the A race (previous video)
- Chatting and high-fiving with spectators during my race
- Hanging out and having fun before and after my race
- Noticing that Smithers skipped the skinsuit today
- Pumpkin muffins!

Good times. I had to leave before the end of the A race as the muffins wore off. As I was leaving, Dan Swanson was off the front, with Aric Harland in hot pursuit, Ghost was battling back up after a bobble, CJ was doing awesome moving up each lap, and Smithers was hanging on for dear life but looking pro.

This and that

This blog was at 666 posts, so it's good I decided to update it! No Twine Ball cyclocross race today. Turns out it's been neutered: they took out the centerpiece of the race (a big mound from which you can see the rest of the course) and made it flat and fast. Saves me $25 and a long drive. Too bad, though, that was my best race last year. Plus I slept in - that was nice! Looking forward to the Wirth race tomorrow. The Ridley crew is putting it on, so I expect a good cyclocross-y course from them. It'll be the only urban race this year, so hopefully there will be a Powderhorn/Boom Island turnout. Plus, Meow is bringing pumpkin muffins, which is reason enough right there!

I'm ashamed to admit I haven't bike commuted since we moved offices. Considering the new office is closer, that's pretty pathetic. But today I did a trial run of my new route, and I have my lock and shoes at work, so I'm all set to start bike commuting on Monday. The poor Surly is still a parts donor at the moment, so I'll be taking the BMC for now. I don't think it's too happy about having lights on, but no fenders or saddle bag yet. It'll just have to come to grips with the fact that road racing season is over, and be happy to get out of the house at least!

Running has taken a back seat now that the duathlon is over. I still run a couple times a week, but no speedwork. It'll kick up again once cyclocross season is over and it gets too cold to ride.

I'm really scared about the economy. Lame duck Republican president that no one believes any more, already in debt to our eyeballs because of Iraq, years of deregulation and mortgage time bombs ticking away for some time to come. A general sense of doom pervades. I'm okay for the moment, but like many people, I'm a paycheck away from trouble. The only good thing is that I moved the bulk of my 401(k) into a conservative account a while ago. Everyone says buy low sell high, but I'm not quite ready to roll it over into my more aggressive account with my current employer. We haven't hit bottom yet either.

Ghetto TT bike debut

Biked over the river to the last Black Dog TT of the year. The ghetto bike was blinged up a bit for its debut with a set of Easton Tempest II wheels borrowed from Sascha in place of the Ebay blue light specials. I got there a little later than I have in the past, so there was no line, which was nice. Only Trench from my team showed up, and I think turnout was light due to fear of more rain.

It's hard to say how I did yet; I rode at the pain threshold for 7.2 miles - a little less than TNT so I pushed it a bit more. The road sucks worse than ever, though, so energy was wasted avoiding potholes and patched patches, and relaxing the legs to absorb impact when they can't be avoided. I felt fast when I could settle into a rhythm, though, which wasn't very often. I passed my half minute man, but after that I was passed by two or three others after the turnaround. It would have been great to stick around for the results, especially since they had FREE BEER AND PIZZA there, but it was already getting dark by the time my race was over, and it was fully dark when I got home. All I had were little blinky LEDs to get me home. Props to Silver Cycling for providing the beer and pizza though!

Many of the usual suspects were there today: Hollywood and Kristy, Timmer (my like five minutes behind man who blew past me like I was standing still), Teresa Moriarty, Sickboy, Julia, Stick Lavick, Aric Hareland, a full LSC contingent and of course many Silvers and more. No Ray though - WTF? Probably because Meow wasn't there with cookies. It was a little strange seeing the racing crowd again after having been away so long. I'll see plenty of everyone for cyclocross season though! From the back anyway...

Town Hall TTT

Cat 6 looking pro. Don't mind the results, we looked good! Pictures from Skinnyski, making everyone look good.
Don't mess with the Bettys. New course record!
Gear West - tri-geeks schooling the roadies at 28.9mph!

Race officiating

I went out to the Summit Crit today to start learning the ropes about officiating. Also stepping up was Emily, Megan (trackie), a SPBRC fellow (I thought he was a promoter at first) and Maria Stewart. CJ Faulkner was there in the blue shirt, as he'd been through the drill last week. I've always respected race officials and the work they do, so I was not surprised by how difficult it can be to score a race. We are all of the opinion that every racer should officiate for a day. Then there would be no more folded, crinkled, upside down or otherwise incorrect numbers (all of which we saw today). Even if that were perfect, it's still a challenge to score a bunch of riders coming across the line at the same time and keep track of the lapped riders and two fields on the course at once. I've always been of the opinion that lapped riders should be pulled. Officials are really nice about that, even though it's a real pain to keep track of. Anyone that complains about pulling lapped riders should score a race! As it was, lapped riders caused a little mayhem when the field overtook them - it can certainly be dangerous.

Well anyone that's been racing a while has heard this rant before, so I'll desist. The nice thing though is being able to mingle with the racing crowd a bit. I'd sure rather be out there racing though!! I also learned how to watch a race a bit better. It can be pretty confusing as a spectator until you learn some tricks about what to watch for. Now I need to find a blue shirt...

Stylin'

State Fair Affair coveted series winners' jackets.

State Fair Affair series

Yesterday was the final "State Fair Affair" Criterium Series race. We had a great turnout, everyone I talked to had a great time, and everything went smoothly for the most part. I'm really proud of my team, and I think we've raised the bar for race promotion. Pre-registration (sign the pre-filled waiver, grab your number and go), no lines for registration, results posted the same day, great venue, fun primes and prizes, Meow's cookies, results posted to USAC, wacky fans and race announcers - we really did our best to make this a great series. We did have some minor glitches with the start lists, and probably some other small issues, but for our first real race promotion, I think my team did a great job. I'm really happy about the turnout - the racers are ultimately what makes it happen, and the support and turnout was great! Next year should be even better!

Stillwater Crit

Colavita riding super aggressive in Minneapolis and Stillwater

"Don't hate...

...appreciate"

Tongue out picking the perfect line - turning the pedals in ANGER!

Minneapolis Downtown Classic

So girlfriend and I drive (how I hate having to drive everywhere now!) downtown for the race. After grabbing some Chipotle we stake out a spot at the corner into a nasty headwind for the racers, and I'm hoping to get some good pictures and catch any crashes (and yet hoping there aren't any!). Fortunately there aren't any, and the women race safely, at least through that section. It's also a great spot for cheering. Each lap, however, we're looking out for local hero Teresa Moriarty, and she's not there! We'll hear some rumors later about why not, but there are plenty of cheers available for Linda Sone now, and it's awesome seeing her work her way up each lap! I note how Linda's normally bubbly countenance turns into a mask of intense focus and pain on the bike. (Wow, that was almost poetic!) She and teammate Shana are working hard and working well together, and end up finishing safely up in the field. I don't know Shana well, but looking at the GC she must have done well in the TT and road race as she's very well placed overall.

For the men's race we met up with the Birchwood crew up on the roof of Brit's. My shoulder was hurting after my first day without the sling, so I was hoping a beer would make me forget about it. In between socializing, I saw the results of a lot of crashes, as the pit was located just below us. One crash apparently took out a big chunk of the field, as they all had to jump back in the race at that point. I cringe. Colavita is clearly the most aggressive, sending attacks that stick for many laps time and time again. Rock Racing gets lots of attention - the girls like the "bad boy" image and the guys are checking out the flashy graphics. Love him or hate him, Michael Ball knows how to draw attention! I also chatted with a new(?) Birchwoodie that I met during a karma yoga project that reminded me again of how much I miss yoga as well. On the other hand, if it weren't for yoga, I'd be in worse shape (physically and mentally) than I am now.

By now my shoulder is cramping pretty bad and the wind has taken its toll on my t-shirt clad body, so we skip the party on the wrong side of the bowling green and head home. I'll be so happy when I can have my normal life back!

NVGP St. Paul Lowertown Criterium report round up

Can "epic" be used for a non-cyclocross race? In the end the results from the women's race will not be counted, and the men's race was called after a moto crashed in addition to numerous other crashes. Weather-hardened Minnesota racers managed to survive well though as far as I've heard so far, so congratulations are due for some excellent skills!

Official results - women
Reports:
Cyclingnews (with pics from Frank Rowe and Matt Moses)
James Lockwood on Bikethrow
Dan Swanson (local racer Grandstay)
Linda Sone (local racer Flanders)
Doug Swanson (local racer Grandstay)
Sue Butler (Portland racer River City)
Ian Stanford (local racer Grandstay)
Jenn Reither (announcer/former racer)
Pete Hanna (local fan/racer)

State Fair Crit

It was awesome, people had a lot of fun and I heard lots of positive feedback. Results are up. Thanks to everyone who came, and to my awesome team who made it happen. I'm going to bed. More later.

Tomorrow!

State Fair Crit series! A lot of work and thought has been put into making this a fun, safe event for everyone. It's going to be a truly "Cat 6" style event!

Checking in, Cat 6 news

Wow this blog is boring when I'm not racing isn't it? I'll be at Opus tomorrow, roasting weenies with my teammates at turn 1. Friends of Cat 6 are invited to stop by, we'll have beer too! Our jerseys are up for sale on the Twin Six web site. If you want to "rock the mid-pack lifestyle" this is your jersey! Only the cool people get the bibs though. There's an "easter egg" hidden inside the back pocket. Wanna know what it is? Buy a jersey and find out! The State Fair Crit series is coming up fast. It's going to be awesome! This is our first real race, and we're hoping everything goes well. We'll even have porta-potties!

Although our message-board humor can be testosterone-laced, we're doing our part to support women's racing by accomodating the Women's Cycling Summit (genesis of Midwest Women's Cycling Made Real and the Women's Prestige Series) - a bus will be picking up the women after their race to take them to the Summit, and bringing them back afterward. We originally scheduled the women's race for later because of feedback that starting them first prevented many from being able to make it on weekdays, but it would have been too confusing to mix up the schedules each week.

Surgery healing is coming along. It really sucks to be off the bike now that we have good weather. I'm not going to push it though - another crash before I'm completely healed would spell doom. I think I'm pretty good at keeping the rubber side down, but there's no accounting for idiot drivers, small children, dogs and especially high-speed crits. I'm shooting cyclocross season for racing next.

Is it me...

...or is there a lot of crashing and injuries going on lately? Maybe I'm just more aware of it now.

Happy birthday Smithers!

I'm not a particularly witty blogger like many of you, but a 40th birthday can't slip by unnoticed! Especially when it happens to be the same day as mine, but not quite as many years ago. I hope Starbucks makes an extra special pumpkin loaf for you Smithers!

Astana for Giro, Rock Racing for NVGP

A double dose of exciting pro cycling news today. Rumor has it that Astana may get a last-minute invite to the Giro after all!

The report claimed Astana’s participation would depend on the inclusion of Contador, American Levi Leipheimer and German ace Andreas Klöden, all three of whom have finished on the Tour de France podium.
via Velonews

In other news, our favorite bad boy racing team is confirmed for the NVGP. Wonder if they'll bring their podium girls?