USGP - Louisville, KY - and OVCX Gun Club

Ok, I need about 6 more hours in my day to get crap done, like type up race reports.

USPG was fun.
It was hard on Saturday, but better for me on Sunday.
I don't like sandbaggers, I don't like guys that race down. I don't like 15 year old kids that smoke me in every race.
Saturday's race - some clown with big red shoes and a cross bike that somehow got into my race, took me out into the netting just after the first mud trough. I went over the netting, my bike did not. He was shaking my bike and trying to get it off of his. I simply moved my bike forward and wa-hla. I am back to chasing the 40 dudes that just went riding by me. I never did feel 100% and spent about 3 laps finding my groove. Once I found it, I started picking off riders, but it was too late. I finished 45th out of 95 riders.
Sunday - many were tired from Sat's mud slog fest. I was not. I felt like a bazillion dollars. I managed to almost catch Katsu and do pretty well I think related to the other CAT 3's from the OVCX series. My result - 55th did not really show that for some reason. I felt like I was going to be like 35th or so....pretty disappointed to see the double nickle result. I believe there was about 90 guys registered to race, so I didn't quite make it to the top 50% which is always a good result for these big races.
It was a great day on the bike though, lots of power, lots of gas and I could run like a slow gazelle. My running has improved since the UCI weekend and that makes me happy. I held off Mason, Layne and Glen all racing in the SS class, who all started 30 seconds behind me. Glen caught me in the last lap but I beat him in the final sprint onto the finish pavement. Lots of things coming together now, so I am happy about that.

There was a cap city cross race over the Halloween weekend (on Saturday) which I decided not to race to save my virginity for the OVCX - Gun Club Race on Sunday. Jen and I did end up going out to the Uncle Steve's Cap CIty Race to cheer on some friends and family (Tim).
Shannon was there riding like his grandma. I knew he could ride faster, but my antics and crazy cross fan routine did not sway him to pedal harder or run faster. Tim and Layne were sitting 1st and 2nd in the B race for a lap or two, then got passed by James from Cincy Trek. He motored right by Layne and ended up winning, with Layne 2 and Tim 3. First time for Tim on the Podium, he was excited. Shannon did not make it to the podium, he was sad. Gamm showed up - first race back after a long vacation from racing. He killed it and got third. He beat Dan Cambell. Dan did not cry. Mason and Kyle both got drunk during their race. There was much beer consumed during and after this race. The fire was warm and so was the atmosphere. It was way more enjoyable for me to sit one out and show up as a spectator.
Jen got amazing photos and I got some great video on my Flip. Now if I just had 6 hours to edit all the video.

OVCX - Gun Club - Open 3 race -
I got friggen 10th!!! I was killing it. I felt great, legs felt great. We ran a ton. Mud and muck and peanut butter all over my shoes, bike, legs, etc. Clipping into the pedals was a chore after running through the mud and up the mud hillside. I was so so close to 8th and almost pulled in Mr. Tinsler from Darkhorse. James from Trek Cincy came around me on the last lap and stayed just far enough away I couldnt' close it down, then I fell on this very steep run up/hill. James offered to help me up as he ran by. Who does that in a race - James. He's the man. I think had I not slipped I might have been able to get him before the finish. I was just happy to trade spots with Nick T here and there. He's always been a great cross rider, a classy guy and someone that can ride his bike. Happy day for me to almost beat him. Tim got 13th and Markstein got 3rd < he was m o t o r i n g! I couldn't even come close to catching him. My man Vingris finished his race!

I am tired of cleaning my cross bike. I have spent more time this year cleaning my shoes and my cross bike than I have racing my cross bike. UGGGG. One more month and some change of races. I'll hold off the burnout and keep my fitness up and motivation and work towards top 5 in my OVCX cat.

Heading out tomorrow after work to Traverse City, Michigan for the Iceman Cometh Race.
it's a 27/28 mile point to point mountain bike race. Or a 2 hour Time Trial on a mtb bike :)
I'll post it up her for the record books, I am going for 1:50 minutes as my finish time. My best there is 2 hours. Legs and body are feeling great today - this week.

USGP - Staying Motivated, Diminishing Returns, Mechanicals

Well, yes I am behind in my reports from UCI weekend. Life has taken over and I haven't had spare time to sit down and write or post photos anywhere. My computer here at home has a full hard drive - music and photos - and I have been trying to burn some backup/storage dual layer dvd's to free up some space. So, yeah - sheesh, just one more thing I don't have time to remedy.

I was calling my UCI weekend report - "A Weekend of Diminishing Returns". I went from 25th, 30th to 45th places for the weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I did beat quite a few fast guys on Friday and Saturday and felt good about those two races and my fitness. I had great legs all three days. Sunday was the hardest course at Harbin for sure, but there was just no zing left in my run or speed on the bike on Sunday. The sand pit after the hill just murdered me every lap. Saturday and Sunday after my races, my non-drive crank arm was very loose. It didn't come off, but it was affecting my shifting for sure. I am aware of what I did wrong to affect my results, so I can try to work harder to avoid those things in future multi-racing weekends. We stayed with good friends for the weekend, which was so great and very convenient. We went out to dinner with them Friday before they headed out to ride the muddy Brown Co. Breakdown MTB 'race'.

This weekend is the USGP in Louisville, KY. I race both days in the very large (might be the largest field I ever raced in) 2/3 Category. Right now there are over 100 entered for the Saturday race. Wow. Sick. Sunday is almost at 100. I think some wait to see what the weather will do or how they feel and decide to come race.

I have done better this year, as darkness looms quicker and quicker when I leave work, to not let the darkness affect my motivation to ride. It's hard sometimes to get home, get dressed, find all the lights, and go ride and train. It's better with friends, if they are available.s

My FSA cranks took a poop finally or I just am not much of a mechanic to keep them on the bottom bracket correctly, they have been removed along with the ceramic BB. I had to special order a certain Loctite 641 from Alabama, which is the recommended product for FSA cranks. A week later it shows up, I get it on the crank spindle as instructed. the First real ride last night 15 min to my favorite cross training park and the non-drive arm is almost rubbing the frame from being so loose. UGG. A quick ride back to the man cave and my carbon Tarmac is now naked of some Dura-Ace 7800 cranks. I moved them over to the cross bike and the difference is certainly noticeable in stiffness. I hope to get a used replacement crankset for the cross bike, next week after a weekend of racing on quality cranks (that don't get loose).

Each night this week I have been working on the Aquaseal project from hell. I am not sure what person figured out you could put this stuff on your expensive tire sidewalls and it would protect them, but I keep thinking about how one would discover Aquaseal as a use for the sport of Cyclocross. I took care of my tubie tires and now am one side/wheel away from finishing my griffo clinchers. They have been abused already this year, by water and mud. It is a time consuming tedius process that can also be toxic to your health if you're not careful - this stuff causes sterilization (at least it says so on the tube). It's too thick to put on with any type of soft brush, so I have been using a small bendy plastic scraper to get it on the tires. I start at the top, near the knobby/sidewall seam and work my way down to the rim area. I used blue paint tape first around the carbon wheels and Mavic clinchers to keep the seal stuff off the brake path. It's a pain in the ass, really.

The last drama mechanical of the week. My 45-day in use, S-works mtb shoes, have a BOA enclosure that will not stay tight. After a few calls today, I found a new S-Works Dealer outside of Louisville; Bluegrass Bicycle. The manager? owner? there hooked me up and got the replacement part sent overnight to his shop. Friday on my drive down, I'll be able to roll off the freeway and get my shoe fixed. I do have a back up set of shoes, but would like to have them as just that, back-ups. This guy was super cool and said he was registered to race, but had family stuff going on that might prevent him from racing. All I can say is - great customer service. I might have to put a letter in to the big "S" on his behalf.

USGP-Louisville, Kentucky - 2 Days of Cyclocross Racing

This is NOT me. These guys are going way faster than I did all weekend. Jeremy Powers in front here, trying to catch a few in front of him on Saturday in Louisville at the USGP.
Let me see, where to start where to start. Well the easiest tale to tell is I missed my start of the Mens 2/3 race Saturday morning. Yes, I am old and looked at the start times, no less than a dozen times. How does this happen? well, I think after it happens once, you won't ever let it happen again. It was pretty embarrassing, I will say. There the three of us were, standing in the office of one of the biggest cross races of the year with our hands out of our pockets, looking at each other with the feeling someone had just told us our dogs died and the earth was ending. We had nothing, but open mouthed expressions. Once reality set in, we starting to think, how did this happen, what made us think our race was at 10:30 a.m. when in reality it was 9:30 a.m. And a nano second of thinking that they had changed the start time on us, remembering, laughing outloud and funny how all the other 70 participants manged to pick up their registration packets and get warmed up and make it in time for call ups, but not us. We were left standing with our helmets in our hands thinking what to do, race dammit! Layne and I got into the 35+ Masters CAT 1,2,3 race and Mason was just out of luck for a race this day. Sorry Charlie. Bummer was it was 9:05 a.m. and the masters race was at 12:30 p.m. Lots of watching, standing around and waiting would follow. I did manage to get some food, take my time, yell at the folks we were supposed to be racing with, Kyle, Joe and the other Columbus racers, and get a great warm up, before our 12:20 p.m. call ups to almost last place and last place in the starting block.
Oh, this would be fun right? As I like to say, it was all Asses and Elbows after the start whistle, down the pave' and onto the more narrow section of grass and into a sweeping right turn into a more narrow section with a hard left around our first tree. We then zipped across the grass, in front of Vendor/Exhibit Row and towards our first set of barriers. Wow, I can't believe we got there so fast. Bikes, elbows, tape, stakes, lots of swear words and lots of guys flying by me like I was standing still.
gotta roll - but I thought I would at least get something up here for now.