OVCX - John Bryan SP - Cyclocross Race - October 2, 2011

Lining up with 60 plus guys is always better than lining up with 120. However the challenges remain, lots of pedals, shifters, elbows, gritting of teeth, tongues hanging out, grunts, shifting noises and swear words. However, the difference is the 35 and 45 plus categories have a tendency to be very competitive. Many entrants, who train hard, who set goals each season to improve their fitness, watts, overall speed on a given course and improve their results to a new place among the masses each week, each season. Sounds easy right?

Well, it’s not that easy if everyone you are racing against has been putting in more hours, more time, more training, maybe some of them have a coach? Maybe some of them are a few years younger? Maybe some of them have a job, where they can get out in the Fall as the days shorten earlier than you? Maybe they lost their job and have been able to go out and spend lots of time on the bike? Maybe they just might have the gift, a better watt output at a given 20 minute effort? Maybe they have a higher VO2 max and can sustain 45 minutes at a breakneck speed longer than you? Some people you race with each week, talk post race each week with ‘excuses’. I discount these, we all have them. I believe it’s more so about all the above questions and differences between us as bike riders and athletes.

With that, I got registered, grabbed my free awesome giant cowbell provided by the main race sponsor, got my helmet set up for the race chip system, that would track our lap times as well as our finish time and filled out my free raffle ticket for the Reynolds Carbon wheelset.

I headed back to the car to pin up my number, usually the BWE takes care of this as part of my good luck process, however, she was on a social and cowbell marketing mission. Crap I forgot pins. Ahh found some spares in the hatch of the car.

Number pin’d, it’s time for some pre-race drink and some warm up on the bike. The last race was finished so I sneak out onto the course looking for places I can excel, places that suit my skills, areas and corners I can handle faster than others.

The course is long, I mean long, did I say long? I like a long course, but I also like to travel to cross races for the full 45 minutes of racing. I don’t like being short changed by 5 minutes either. Am I bitching? Maybe, but I traveled to your race, paid your entry fee and I want my 45 minutes, not 40, not 42, Forty Fucking Five Minutes. Odd about 10% of the Elite field got to race an hour, then the other 90% got to race an hour and 5 min. plus. Let us all race for 30, 45 and an hour please.

The course is awesome, as usual, TJ and the crew at JB always throw some great stuff out there and did so this round. Karen and Doug Hamilton volunteer a ton of time at this park, building and maintaining the mountain bike trails, they also regularly keeps us informed about the condition of the trails at the park via Facebook. I say thanks to those that put this together and for CapCity to help sponsor this fine event.

Usually this JB race is in November around Thanksgiving and the ground is cold as well as the temperature. This day however, the temperature during my race would hover around 60 some degrees and sunny. The fortunate part for most of us racing later in the day is the sun and other racers were drying out the course with each race. It rained most of the week of the race, which proved to soften a few sections of the course, including the section from the start. It was a false flat as some say, but basically it’s a 3 to 5% hill with some super bumpy grass and some life sucking soggy, saturated ground. Lots of guys in my race were really going backwards on this section, my plan during my race was shift down a few gears, stand up, tell the legs to shut up and throttle myself all the way up each time. Once we got up to the ‘top’, we rounded a new wildflower field that was quite awesome and smelled great each lap, then back down a bit into some twisty’s, over two tree/logs, and then back up that same false flat hill just on the other side of the flower field. The logs were not really a factor I don’t think in the race per say of separating the field one way or another in my race at least. They were just big enough that they could be crossed without stepping off the bike, if you had some skills and were willing to take the risk, however, I choose the conservative method and got off my bike. There was one other set of barriers, a double set, over by the popular twisty bits near the park Gazebo. This area is always a fun set of turns and slickery grass, where you must find the balance of speed, pedaling, driving your bike, leaning while pedaling, upper body position and the like. It’s always one of my favorite areas of the cross races at JB.

We get our call ups according to who’s leading the OVCX series, not one f’ing mention of CapCity, and then line up according to registration. I am about 3rd or 4th row, and snag a spot right behind my buddy Matt Stierwalt. He’s a badass, I figure if I can stick on his wheel for a majority of the race or at least keep him in sight, I will have a good day. We’re off, I am sitting in about top 15 maybe into the first turn and surprised where I am as we round the flower field. Guys are racing like it’s the world championship and cutting others off, running into course stakes, course tape, etc. 

My heart rate was up there, but I was able to recover as sections of the course got stacked up in certain areas with racers and as the pecking order was formed. I knew we’d only be racing a few laps and each one had to count. I went after my goal of shifting down two gears, standing up and throttling it up the false hill each lap, passing racers and putting distance on those behind me. Scott Young a few other guys I knew were going to be giving me a run for my money. Scott was easy to spot, Stierwalt was gone, James Turner was still in my sights but gaining time on me here and there in front of me. The toughest thing to do I’ve found during these races is keep your brain going, keep thinking, keep focusing on who is in ‘your race’ who you need to go after and when to put in an effort to distance those behind you…The guy in the specialized kit, Michael Seaman and Scott Bond came around me near the double barriers I think and just kept distancing themselves from my front wheel. Uggg. I pushed hard to stick with them on the third lap, and by the time I got to the Gazebo, I almost threw up. 

I guess I had done some damage, since looking at the timing, my fourth lap was my slowest at 9:27. I recovered for my final and fifth lap for a 9:21.

Sad to know, I faded a bit in the last two laps, from my best lap of 9:15 which was Lap2’s time and my Lap3 time being within .01 second of Lap2 at 9:16. If I had ridden more consistently with a bunch of 9:15 laps, I might have won my race or at least been podium material, so lets hope my fitness improves as it should each week of racing.

With my calve issues at hand I was pretty worried about running full speed over the logs or over the barriers. As I got to lap 4, the legs/calve seemed to be responding to faster and faster dismounts back by the gazebo. This was a confidence booster, so, with the bell lap, I put the afterburners on and fought hard to keep some distance between myself and Scott Young and the other guy with him, who I had no clue if he was in my race or not, however, that’s not a bad thing when you don’t know, it pushes you, forces you to go hard and maintain a hard pace. One last time up the false flat, the legs felt good, so I gave it one last super hard effort to try to maintain my gap. I think I got passed around the sand pit and right before the finish line, I just have no idea if he was a 35 or 45 guy. I didn’t bother sprinting for it, he had already done the damage, I looked back to make sure no one was there and rode across the computer finish line for 7th place in the 45+.

I finished 17th out of 64 total racers.

For my third-race of the season and a week-break since my second race, I think it’s a sign things (fitness and power) are on track to have some fun this season.

So, lets just chat a bit about the timing and what the lap results show via OVCX. The Top 10-15 of the CAT 4 race all need to move up. The Top-10 of the CAT 3 Open races also need to move up. The winner of the CAT 3/35+ has lap times early in his race, to compete in the Elite race for sure, however, his last two laps he was going backwards.

NEOCX - Racing Cross in Cleveland - Cascade Park and Wendy Park

September 11, 2011

NEOCX – Cleveland, Ohio - Cascade Park

My fist cross race of the season. Nerves not present. No expectations of anything. The BWE and I hauled up to Elyria in the early a.m. hours, bypassing freeway for country roads, sights, and smells of Amish Country. After Exiting off 71 N, we see a yellow sign with an Amish buggy on it warning us to keep an eye out for the black buggies. Until we saw our fourth buggy, full of family, we realized it was Sunday and they were all headed off to a nearby Church.

We follow the GPS to old town Elyria and into a small park hidden in an old Cleveland neighborhood. The park is located down a winding road and near a well-known landmark, called Cascade Falls.

The race course included grass, two rides up the sledding hill, a long section of pave’ out to a tree for a left turn across the road and back onto pave’ then onto some grass. We had one section of soggy grass, a section into the woods near the creek, that was deep, life sucking, tire and shoe sucking, that was followed by a short section, along the creek near steps, that I managed to ride twice during warm up, but didn’t want to risk it during the race. Basically, two times off the bike, for the run up and the double set of the tallest barriers I ever ran through.

From the start line, we hit a wide sweeping grass section then into a few sweeping turns around a tree. I ended up on the outside into the first turn and second turn, and fought hard to move up. After the first time up the sledding hill, I passed a few people, then the second time more people. I had no idea where I was in the group during the race; I was having fun, battling it out with a few people. It is always better to have people to race with and against. Back and forth is a good thing in a cross race, competition.

Cleveland puts on a great race, they are friendly racers and people. They don’t throw elbows, there is no one cutting you off into every corner. I did not see the type of racing where everyone thinks it’s the end of the world championship.

I finished in Third Place in the 45+ CAT 3. Not bad for a start to the season.

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September 18, 2011

NEOCX – Cleveland, Ohio - Wendy Park Cyclocross Race

My second cross race of the season. A Lake Erie front view racecourse, just a few miles from the famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame some new sports stadium and an old closed lake Coast Guard facility and Lighthouse. The weather was just spectacular, the course was amazing and the other racers very nice. More chitchat at the line I have ever seen in any races, other than CapCity.

The course contained a little bit of everything, grass, dirt/single track, gravel, a long sand section right by the lake, another small sand pit, some hills, rollers, a round mound where we rode around the top crest and a pavement section, out and back to an old abandoned Coast Guard station and even two smallish logs that were both bunny-hop-able at some speed (way fun).

 

I managed to take the holeshot (just like Ray), and hold the lead by about 20 seconds for the first three laps. Yes, I said the lead. I felt amazing, the legs felt amazing, and I was rolling.

Until… I tried to anticipate a move from the rider just in front of me, as Blake from Jeni's pedaled around the corner and into the small sandpit, I waited too long to make a decision. He went left, I turned, not leaned my bike. I went down hard in some large gravel. My right calf locked-up, I got my bell rung hard by slamming the left side of my face and shoulder to the ground, oddly enough the drive side of my bike went down. So, I am not sure what happened there exactly. I got up, found my eyesight and brain and straightened my bars, and went back at it, trying to gain back my lost ground.

All the riders in the 45 plus had 500 numbers, so I was keeping an eye out for them...
I knew there was at least three or four guys that had past me.... as I limped my legs and brain back up to speed, they went into my crosshairs and bam, 1, 2, 3

I passed the last person just shy of the finish line.

Results - How about 1st place?

Yes, I won a race.

I made some Podium time, complete with a first prize being a full-on giant bottle of Jim Beam for the three podium stars. We were not allowed to leave the podium until all three of us busted open the bottles and took a swig.

Walking from the podium was more like limping in pain. Shortly after I stepped off the bike and right after the race, my calf was seized, frozen solid and swollen, hard as a rock. I pulled an ice pack out of the cooler for the drive home. It was apparent I really injured my right calf and the inside bone of my left leg below my kneecap, on my wreck. Teammate and good friend, Dr. Clem was nice enough to look at my injury after we got back into town from Cleveland.

The informal ‘porch’ report, I had damaged my calf and had what was informally called ‘Tennis Leg’, a common injury for tennis players and old people like me, but it could take from 2-6 weeks to completely heal. Pretty much that same issue with my calf muscles I have been fighting for a while. UGGG Old age. Muscles and tendon's in the calf about midway down. The gastro’ muscle is a common injury I guess, however, it is one of the faster healing muscles in the body. The report, ice, more ice, compression, ice, rest, ibuprofen, fish oil, magic powder, leg replacement, age regression therapy, and massage. Well, some of that is not true, but hey, it sounds more interesting.

 

What this also meant was no racing in Indiana or Cleveland for the following weekend, so I would have time to heal up before John Bryan, OVCX/CapCity cross race in Yellow Springs.

Top 10 Reasons to Race Cyclocross

TOP 10 REASONS TO RACE CYCLOCROSS

1. Cyclocross Races Are for Working Folks: Bing, bang, boom! Cross races are less than an hour long. Unlike triathlons, road or mountain bike racing, you can find a few hours to train enough to race CX while holding a full time job and having a life. Plus, generally-speaking cx bikes can be purchased for way less than most road bikes.

2. Great For the Whole Family: There are categories for everyone! Races are time limited for the most part; they don't take all-day so you can race without compromising the whole weekend. Did you know kids/juniors race for FREE or cheap in youth categories in many of the Ohio races! Women's categories have seen a huge rise in participation, too. It’s a spectator friendly sport even for Grandma and Grandpa.

3. CX culture is All About Fun: Cross is about having a good time, riding in dirt, cheering for your friends, drinking an adult-beverage or two, wearing costumes, enjoying BBQ, and having an entertaining time whether you are racing or watching. No pretentious behavior allowed!

4. But is it Safe: Courses are very safe and held on a closed course off public roads so there is never a fear of traffic. There are only steep climbs to ride up, or dismount and run. There are a few descents, but they are generally short and quick and not on pavement, certainly nothing to worry about and it’s generally about 70% grass, so hup-hup buttercup, what’s holding you back now?

5. No Shortage of Opportunity: There are over 30-races per season in the Ohio valley alone. Many of these races are all within or around a two-hour drive so you can race to your hearts content. With organized weekly practices going on in Columbus and in the Cincy area, how can you not see opportunity to try it out?

6. Keep It Weird: Cross is all about being an individual, there are no robots here. Like pink? Go for it. Like to wear your wife’s tall socks, go right ahead. Like to glue animals or things to your helmet, have at it, we will still like you and salute your individuality.

7. Jerk Free: We like to keep it Jerk Free. In other words, we like to support each other, yell at other racers, encourage those racing when we are not, even people racing we don’t know. We support our friends, deepen friendships and develop new ones, by screaming, yelling, slapping, hand-ups, working the pits, calling out gap-times, clanging cowbells, cupcake hand-ups, expensive and inexpensive beverage hand-ups and dropping Benjamin’s in the mud pit.

8. Come Back Stronger: If you thought you were finished with your cycling season, well, you’re not. Go find your cx bike, head out to your local practices, then get out and race. You can race locally until late December here in the Midwest. Then go to Nationals in January and freeze your ass. Then take a few weeks off, and blam, it’s road training season. I guarantee, your fitness will come back around quicker and you’ll have more power from a full season of cross racing and training.

9. Beat the Roadies: You have an opportunity to beat some super fast roadie types who might sail past you on the local hammer ride each week or beat you hands down in a crit or road race. There yes I just said that - but in cross, you have a chance to take your mad mountain bike skills short bursts of power and crazy ability to take chances, where a roadie might not and beat them lap after lap. How great is that? You can sign up for a CAT 4 CX race, with a varied degree of other racers, the playing field becomes level of sort. There might be Road CAT 1,2 folks in the CX CAT 4 field or even in the CX CAT 3 field. They might have an advantage on the straights or flatter sections, but you can get them in the trees, and twisty bits. Show them up, then congratulate them afterwards on their efforts. Don’t be a jerk.

10.  Heckling is Allowed: You might take yourself too seriously at a cross race if you can’t endure the heckling. It’s all in good fun and certainly can be taken in stride. There is an art to it and not everyone has the gift. Yell at people you don’t know, tell them to pedal harder, get a megaphone and make sure everyone can hear you cheering on your racing friends. Call out the sandbaggers that are 2 minutes off the front of the CAT 3 race. Dress up in your scariest getup, jump up and down, and distract your racing friends until they wipe out in the sand pit. It’s game on, cause it’s cross.

Fine Wine, Grape into Raisins and Coal into Diamonds

Fine Wine, Grape into Raisins and Coal into Diamonds

Like these things that change over time, I turned 45 candles this year.

Back in December and January I decided or at least started thinking about my up and coming 2011 cycling season and mentally putting together some goals for the year and considering all the time and effort required to hit the mark on said events.

I determined I would not attend the NUE Endurance races I did in 2010, nor would I have an interest in participating in an entire spring road-race season. I would focus more on having some fun, doing the races I wanted to do, rather than the ones I felt like I should do...Maybe a sign of a change in my perception of cycling in my life or a sign of old age?

What I have learned about turning 45?

I Can't Do It All

I have to be more picky or selective in the races and rides I choose to attend. I am not 30 anymore. Plus this year I just didn't have an interest in spending 6 hours mountain biking on a Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday. It wasn't appealing in January and isn't now in September. I need to listen to my body more, listen to my brain more, where both maybe telling me, "there's nothing here, ride back home". I must choose my battles so to speak. Plus I'd like to spend more time at home, doing things with the BWE, friends, family and projects around our home.

Wed and Friday

Generally on Tuesdays and Thursdays I put in some harder workouts and efforts and I've certainly noticed in the early a.m. on Wed and Friday's at work I am getting out of my chair slower and walking funny for a few steps till my stuff comes around. My co-workers even notice, but they really have no idea, what I've put my body through on the day prior. They think I was just out 'riding my bike' which I was, but, well, its just not worth explaining to co-workers really. Which brings me to the next topic.

Stretching - Foam Roller - The Stick - Massage

As I have reached this ripe age, I have discovered the foam roller, two to be exact a hard one (black and dense) and a medium density white one that have become staples in the main room of our house. I use them regularly and find they can fill in about 75% of the void between professional massages. I highly recommend purchasing at least two, if you’ve never used one there are quite a few videos out there on you tube of how to use a foam roller.

The Stick is a massage tool, that I’ve had for years, its a roller type stick with grips at each end and I can hit up some specific areas of my legs, hips, quads and shins. One must be careful with the Stick, and the foam rollers, you can really hurt yourself and bruise your muscles. I am stretching most nights, but at least 3 or 4 times a week.

I have a yoga strap I use as well that helps stretch my hamstrings, which get tight on and off throughout the season. When cyclocross season starts, and I begin running/weights, hard efforts, my hamstrings usually get super stiff, so the yoga strap comes in handy, laying around watching TV sometimes.



If you have never had a professional massage, I highly recommend finding someone local, that can either visit your home for at minimum an hour or an hour 30. If you must travel, it might save you a few dollars. As I age, and increase training loads or my stress levels go up, I find the professional massage to really do wonders for me, especially in areas, I just can’t seem to get to with the Stick, foam rollers or stretching. 

Get Happy About Riding

Yes that's right. I am going to get happy about riding, no matter what kind of riding. Even on my unicycle (when I learn again). You shouldn't hate going out to ride, nor should it be a dreadful thought when you go out to train. It should always be fun, when it's not what should you do? Great question, thanks for asking, I would suggest you go ride another bike in another venue. What do you mean by that exactly? Wow, where do you come up with these great questions? I mean, if you are a road cyclist, go out on your cyclocross bike and find some dirt, or take your mountain bike out of town and go ride a trail you've been thinking about riding for a year or more. Or go trail running, hiking, snow shoeing, skiiing, XC skiiing. Just go do something different, when you get back to riding your main bike - you'll enjoy it that much more. I swear.

“It’s going great, but how are YOU doing?”

The Best Girlfriend Ever (BGE) passed along an article to my BWE early this year about how sometimes it’s better when someone asks about your cycling to just simply answer, “it’s going great, how are YOU doing?” In other-words, not everyone in and around your life, shares you're (my obsession) with cycling. They don’t want or need to hear about how you busted out 1000 watts twice last week or how you crushed some 25 year old last week at a local training ride or the like. Be polite, answer their question and return the favor by learning something new about your friends. There will be a time and place to start talking cycling with your friends. For the most part, they might not have any concept of training, efforts, why you enjoy spending so much time riding, and why you just spent 100 bucks on tubular cyclocross tires. To summarize, don’t be the long-winded boring-cyclist-blowhard and monopolize the conversation for 3-hours at a party when someone starts asking about cycling - riding, racing or training. I am working on this, I swear. 

Cross Racing Schedule 2011 - Sept- December

Here's my 'hope' schedule. I know what will happen is, and I'll say in a few months, oh my gosh is it really Thanksgiving already...then what might seem like days later, what? it's Christmas? It was just Thanksgiving.
and so it goes...
There are a few of these weekends, I'll just have to see how the body responds and what is going on with life. It's just not great to go race double weekends all the time, at least for me. Some of them, I'll maybe see what is up with the weather and choose to make the drive based on the weather.  One possible mountain bike race on the schedule, if the planets align, it would make a really tough weekend, with 25 miles at all out effort at Mohican and then GunClub on Sunday, we'll see as the tides change.

SEPTEMBER 4-Sep CCX Frankenbike 50 Gran Fondo - Scioto Trails 11-Sep NEOCX Cascade Park, Elyria 18-Sep NEOCX Wendy Park, Cleveland, OH 24-Sep OVCX Brookside Cup, Indianapolis, IN 24-Sep NEOCX Kent State, Campus, Stark, OH 25-Sep OVCX St. Mary's Cross, Indianapolis, IN OCTOBER 1-Oct OVCX Gearfest, Dayton? 2-Oct CCX John Bryan Classic, Yellow Springs 8-Oct OMBC Mohican State Forest ? MTB Race - 25 miles 9-Oct OVCX Gun Club, Cincinnati 15-Oct CCX Big Run Park, Columbus 22-Oct CCX Dublin - State Championships 23-Oct CCX Dublin - State Championships 29-Oct CCX Uncle Steve's Party/Race, Marysville, OH 30-Oct CCX Uncle Steve's Party/Race, Marysville, OH NOVEMBER 5-Nov UCI UCI - Sunset Park, Middletown, OH 6-Nov UCI UCI - Harbin Park, Cincinnati, OH 20-Nov OVCX Promotion Cross, Lexington, KY 20-Nov CCX NEW Dayton Race - maybe cancelled? 27-Nov CCX Infirmary Mound, Newark/Granville, OH DECEMBER 4-Dec OVCX OVCX - FINALE - Kings CX, Cincinnati, OH 10-Dec CCX CapCityCross FINALE - Smith Farms, Columbus, OH 11-Dec CCX CapCity Cross - PARTY AT CARABAR