Last Cross Race of 2010 - Cap City Cross - Lobdell Reserve, Newark Ohio

Snomageddon 2010.
This is what happens when you run a race in Ohio in December.
I thought I would post up quite a few photos for the last race post of 2010.

I figured since I was way out of the standings for Cap City I would bump up and see how I measure against the fast guys and register for the Elite (A, CAT 1/2/3) race. A good thought from my warm couch, I suppose, initially.

Huge huge turnout for the races at noon and at 1p.m. My team got call ups for the entire front row of the B race, which was awesome! Ohio ortho slaying dragons from the front!
What was it like racing on this course and all the snow? It was hard, which I didn't realize till I got out there for myself to race for an hour. I was watching my team mates and my buddy Tom get tired as their 45 min race wore on...Tom was looking slower and slower over the barriers, I was screaming at him from across the field - telling him to go faster and get the lead out. About 15 minutes into my race I wanted to take back my harassing words to Tom, realizing I signed up for 60 minutes in the torture chamber with this race and race course.

Who would ever think that an extra 15 minutes is that much harder. Well, aside from the fact the course was just hurt locker city, the snow, muck and tire sucking ground, just made the race that much harder. It was cold and I had a hard time getting warm. Generally, if the temps are below 35/40, it takes me a good 45 min to get warmed up, I might have rode around for 15 just trying to stay warm. Not enough.
Hindsight, it was fun lining up with the big boys and trying to stay with them for the first lap at least.

My respect doubled for my good friends that do the A races. Not only for their speed, but for their ability to just go so hard for a full hour. Yes, they've been doing this hour all year at every cross race, but still - props to the Proppe and Billiter, Spencer and my other buddies killing it in the A's this year.
Even dry, which I have never raced at this place when it's been dry, I hate this course. Sorry Kyle and Andy. It's just not my favorite, but you must race against your weakness's to get better, so there I was.

I watched all the speedy elite guys ride right away from me in the first lap, as I thought about Glen's comments while I was at the start line. He said, "wow, I'll be interested to see how you stack up", my reply, "yeah me too". Even the BWE said after my race, "wow, you looked really slow in the first few laps" ok thanks for the support :) wife. I did go slow for the first few laps, while I found the lines and tried to stay upright, get comfortable with

pushing the bike sideways while pedaling, running up that dam hill a million times. I sprayed my pedals and the bottoms of my shoes with pledge furniture polish, since I was out of spam at home. It helped for about 2/3 laps then I was back to banging my shoes on my pedals at the top of the run up every lap for way way too long. In the last few laps, it became a battle of getting clipped in with Spencer and I, not fitness, not skill. Egg beaters were the

pedal of the day in these conditions for sure. I know the spd or atac was not it! Spencer and I battled hard the last few laps to give each other a run and see who could dig the deepest and win. Spencer seemed to have more issues with his pedals than I was and somewhere along the last painful moments I past him and beat him. He's a tough competitor for sure and a great guy.

Jen and I put up the most badass tent ever to provide, needed propane fueled heat, hot chocolate and a place to stay warm, before the race, during and after. It worked out pretty well. Everyone was laughing at us while we set up our house, but then as each lap progressed during my race I saw more and more people staying warm in our tent. Cookies all around were a big hit.

Me lining up with the big boys.

Get Ready....

We're off...

Jon Dy, Garth, Proppe, Herman and Matt Weeks? - mason all make this start look super easy.

James B runs away from me like I am using an assisted walker, rather than a cross bike. He was at the top of the run up before I even got to the bottom.

There he goes....

Spencer and I battle it out, the last few laps.

me planning my "attack" yeah right.

James = Style Council Member

Greg Flecher - a beast on wheels and general unassuming fast guy.

Jon D showing us he's really fast.

BWE loves to make signs and be creative. She's the best cheerleader.

Jon's bike after. Frozen stuff.

This was my bike in the basement days after the race. It had to thaw out and took hours, before this goo dropped off.
I Think it took me a few hours using hot water, dish soap and other cleaning stuff to get the bike clean.

The final race of 2010, ends in a muddy, mucky mess. Thank you everyone for a great year.

CapCity Cross # 4 – Lobdell Reserve Frisbee Golf Course

CapCity Cross # 4 – Lobdell Reserve Frisbee Golf Course

With a bit of a late start, (my fault & being rushed at home) since I couldn’t seem to get my fat ass out of bed, Layne came over to pick me up in the Saab mobile for our trek to Lobdell for our 4th race in the series and a 1:00 p.m. start time.
I think rushing around in the morning before any bike race is not good. I did think I had my gear together, clothes, bag, bike etc. when I really did not have my shit together. I still had a spare wheel that needed a tire, bottles/cooler to prepare, food to finish eating etc. Crap, I hate when I do that.

We arrived about 10 minutes before noon and got there just in time to see my brother in law Tim, warming up, chat a bit, then watch him start his C race. Tim had a super start, got into the barriers really well sitting third or fourth up the shoulder dirt-climb. He finished with his first ever, second place. I am super proud of him, in three races, he went from 22nd, to 7th, to 2nd. I hear the B’s calling Timmy! The kid has skills. I hope that it will bring confidence for some more mountain bike races or road races for next year.

Course – hmmm, well in a nutshell this was a parking lot with a big somewhat flat grass field, we pretty much covered most of the kidney bean shaped field area with a long fast chatter grass start into a dropdown to the right off camber section on grass that had been shaded and not dried off. We rolled around a wide sweeping turn and over two barriers. Make a hard left sweep to a 180 degree turn along the base of a hill for about 100 feet, then shoulder the bike for a long run up a very steep rocky, loose dirt wash out trail up to another level of the Frisbee course.
At the top of the run up, we go slightly up hill to the right and into a bumpy hard almost 180 degree turn and around a sweeping bumpy uphill turn to the right. We wind around a bit on level 2 then head up to a small somewhat hurtful rise in the grass down and then back up a dirt double track to level 3 of the party. Level 3 similar to level 2, except it was long and uphill with some good turns and then one big sweeping turn to the right that went down fast zipping up and down the grass and around one final post, before heading down hill to Level 2. More of the same zipping in and out of some tape then down a fast (recovery) section to a double track dirt road that dropped us back to level 1.
At the bottom, we veered off to the right a bit and then hit a 180 degree turn back to our left, taking us to the furthest point from everyone on Level 1. We hit a few, what I call ‘lookback’ turns then a hard last turn before a final long slightly bumpy grass finish line.

How was it? How did I feel you ask? I don’t have any photos yet, since my cheerleader Jen was not around and I haven’t seen any links yet. I know Mr. Kimmerle was snapping off some photos with his Rebel XT. Those should be good. I really liked the course, I certainly think there was a bit too much climbing for a cross race, but it was fun and a very well designed piece of work. Even local stud, Phil Noble, commented, it was too much climbing for his taste. Ha, ok I wasn’t the only one. My legs just felt slow, beat, like big giant logs attached to my fat ass. I had no speed really, but had tons of ability to keep pushing and pushing. Just no real acceleration to get gas going, when Ben Bonney or Layne came around me – like I was standing still > up on Level 2 I think - about the 2/3rd lap. I watched them as the race progressed just distance themselves from me. I did rally on the last lap, to hold off I think 2/3rd place in the mens Masters group, Glen Gardner was gaining fast and chasing me like a cat, chasing a mouse. He almost had me, I just kept putting small efforts in on the most difficult sections and difficult climbs. My HR was low for the day and got lower as the race progressed, I know I put too much efforts in during the week prior, but it was all for a good future cause.

I am hoping it is money in the bank-training for the up and coming USGP weekend in Louisville, KY. I think I stand in the top 10 of the Cap City series of the B men/CAT 3, so I guess I shouldn’t beat myself up too bad over the results. After, USGP, I have John Bryan State Park and the Gun Club and then the State of Ohio Cyclocross Championships at Lane Road Park in Upper Arlington. I feel so much less blown than I did last year at this same time and I am sure, with a little planning, I’ll be able to hold some great fitness through the Championships.

CapCity Cross #3 - Lobdell Reserve, Alexandria, OH

The third race in our local series. A challenging course, with a start into two twists and three barriers, more twists, then a long downhill road section into the grass and back out onto the road. A long fake you out road hill climb and back into the woods on a tight dirt single track and down a hill with a sharp left to fast grass and back into the woods, down into a sandy creek up hill to more dirt single, back onto the grass still climbing to the finish/start.
So, there is the description in a short version, what did I think? well, I thought it was hard, fast and challenging. Lots of guys were bitching it was too much like a mountain bike course and I saw many show up with their frigging 29rs and what not. One guy even raced his powder blue Fisher 29r in my race. It's just not the same racing cross on a mountain bike. s
How did I do? you might ask? 7th place. Not bad considering the course and the damage I did passing a few guys on the last lap, after they laid out their life on the sand just after the crazy little creek section. It was the second time, the one guy, fell over and covered the trail just in front of me and I wasn't going to let it affect my finish, so I took off like a H2 in the woods and high-tailed it around two guys about 2 minutes before the finish. I was happy with my result, fitness and skills. The three barriers in a row were hard, but I managed. Funny part, my wife and brother in law both said I wasn't heeding my own (cross coaching) advice and was dismounting my bike incorrectly, so the funny part, I didn't remember what I was doing or remember dismounting one way or another. It was just a blur of being in that special hurt place we go to in these kind of races. It's weird, getting their, but once I am there, I can just nail it to the wall and stay there.
Props go out to my friend Layne, he beat me this week and had a great ride and looked super solid - his kind of course with not much twisty stuff or too many trees. Props to my team mate and brother in law Tim, who also got 7th in the "C" group - he moved from 22nd place in his first race last week to 7th this week - he's a natural. Props also to my team mate, Mike who left everyone standing at the start line in the "C's" and won again. He then raced our race the "B's" and came out of know where to pass me and almost pass Layne and was moving up pretty well. I managed to pull out some hurt on him on the pavement hill climb in the hardest gear I had to power away from him enough to beat him (I think I am 20+ years older). Tim and Mike are so fast and they don't even know how fast they could be. I don't think Mike will be 'allowed' to do anymore "C" races :) Go Mike and Tim!
::Photos Link here::

Hopefully this weekend and the USGP weekend (Oct 24, 25) I can do it again and again, just much much faster.
This weekend, I'll be doing a double in Middletown and Harbin Park - both UCI races with big big names attending. It should be fun and hurtful all at the same time.