Catch up - Gun Club (OVCX) October 9, 2011

 Pics First - write up at the bottom.

The days before the race, lots of chatter about the photo to the left. Team Hungry Cycling team (race sponsor) and Promoter Gatch pulled a fast one on the interwebs, putting stakes and tape up this crazy steep hill. It was all fake and we never had to run/ride up the thing. Hilarious non the less.

The Start line of 64 dudes crammed in there

Duane and I battle it out

I finally get to pass James Turner - he's fast...smell food

Tall barriers for this guy's short legs

my look-back finish

Metz, is killing it this year. Just got the upgrade too.

Team Mate Doug C riding super strong

 

 

After review of data from our race chips, I raced faster at the beginning, then steady, then fastest on the last lap, this is good. Especially from where I started among the 64 dudes. My split-time was the same as the winner of this race, so my turbo is there, I just faded in the first few laps, compared to their jet engines or wasn’t going hard enough. Good grief, what a bunch of weekends. I was getting pretty tired there for a few days.

 

 Split     Place   Lap1    Place  Lap2   Place  Lap3   Place Lap4   Total Time 

 0:59     26     8:53        21  8:47 21      8:54 19    8:44 36:18  

 

I fought off getting shot at the Gun Club for an 8th place in a huge group of over  60 dudes over 35 years old and up. I think a third row placement and got a decent start into the first turn ahead of the giant pile-up. Later looking at the photos, the person that caused it ended up at the bottom. I was fully gassed by the time we came around and into the double sandpit. This is slightly downhill, so getting in the drops right out of the double track sandy turn is key and not grabbing someone’s wheel, since you have no idea if they can ride a good line or not and might lead you into the tape or a stake. 

I really have enjoyed racing at the Gun Club for years, however, I am not a huge fan of adding mountain bike type obstacles into a cross course. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great wind-y, twisty, tree filled, go round and round, get you dizzy course that requires lots of power out of each corner, with some long grass or short pave’/gravel between, but running a cross race into a creek is not really my idea of cross. It's just my opinion really. Without this section I think there has always been plenty at this venue to keep us all busy and drooling.

Good guy and cool dudes, Duane Walker and Jeff Schoeny beat me at Gun Club. Duane had a great race and certainly had a solid performance. Jeff is just fast, he’s got a great run and  is like a steam ship, steady as she goes. I tried like hell to keep up and stick to Matt Stierwalt’s “Rogue” wheel. My superglue was out of date and didn’t work, his mountain bike skills and fitness were a few notch's above mine for sure.

Soapbox:  I don’t like driving to Cincy, paying 25/30 dollars to race a CAT 3 race and only getting to race for 36 minutes. Really? I am not sure why we’re getting robbed here out of the full 45 minutes. I am paying the same amount of money the Elite Masters are paying, the same amount all others are paying, but not seeing the full race time. #weaksauce. Yeah yeah - you can say, well, just move up to Elite’s then and kwityourbitchen. I say naaa, make it Like a boss, we all race 45 minutes. Cleveland and Cap City all give the CAT 3’s and up their full fair shake at 45 min and a full hour of racing. Just sayin’ Ok I am finished with that.

Another thought, I’d say with the growing fields of this series, ovcx has outgrown this super cool venue. The course can only be set up to be so wide and with masters fields this big and CAT 3 open fields growing - it might be time for a new gun club course for 2012?

Spencer (Jeni's) in the double sandpit

 

OVCX-Gun Club Cross- Miamiville (Cincinnati) Ohio-11/2/2008

As I type, Barack Obama is now our newly elected President of these United States.
Yes Yes Yes. George Bush YOU are fired! GET Out of town! Palin, you can go home now.

On another note...
With only a few more races to go in the OVCX, my fitness and form is finally coming around. This picture certainly shows how great I felt. I was 12th at the start into the pits here and moved up to 10th and was chasing 9th on the last lap. I know I could have gotten that guy in front of me, he wasn't that far ahead and I was gaining on him in the twisty bits - fast. I suppose it was my time, but it certainly wasn't my fault there was broken GLASS on the course. WTF I say. With a half a lap to go, I roll through the glass, pucker up, and think for the last time, I hope I don't get a flat through here I hope I don't get a flat through here, and what do you know, last lap, chasing down 9th, the best result, best legs all season, best feeling, and POP, pfffffffffftttt, my 10th goes to 12th just past the sand pit and me running as fast as I can to the wheel pit. I get past the sand, through some more twists, now I am 14th, into the pits, 19th now....crap, crap crap. I get my rear wheel on, adreniline is pumping now, I am pissed! I chase down the two last guys to pass me and I make haste to get anyone else I can see. I went as hard as I could and even hoped I would throw up, just to get back those hard earned places, but I only managed a 17th place. I suppose not terrible considering the flat, running far to the pits, but I didn't throw a temper tantrum or throw my bike at least :) - I went out on the road to "cool off" so I wouldn't say anything I would regret.
I did get some nice compliments, after the race, from fellow racers about my fitness for the day, when calmed me down and made me feel better, it's only a bike race and it's fun, right? Right.
This course though is to my strengths for sure. It's like a small Lake Hope State Park Mountain bike trail. Flowy, fun, hilly, and hurtfull in sections. There was a fast section just after the double set of barriers down a small hill and up into the double track in the woods, with a double track fading left turn and over all the glass and back out to the Finish area < then into the sandpit with a 180 degree turn into the other half of the sand pit. Certainly one of my favorite courses this year, it's just too bad i got a flat. The tubie on the Planet X rim is finished, a big slice from the giant piece of glass. I was supprised I could still ride the rim with the tire glued on...now I just need to get a new tubie and maintain this fitness, before the State Championship in a few weeks.
This weekend is OVCX - John Bryan State Park, another one of my favorites and a place I have always done well. TJ said they mixed things up some this year, so I am excited to see what is in store.
She took some great shots but I liked this one of me spinning up some sand.
Top Pic taken by Jeffrey Jakucyk