Velo Bella Spirt of Surf City Psycho Cross 10/26/08

I think this was stop #2 on the NCNCA cross cup circuit. So there was for sure going to be some competition at this race. And of course I had the worst week of training up to the race - felt sick, worked out on Tuesday and nearly died, so nothing else up to race day. Nursing some sort of virus that had morphed into swollen glands and the dreaded cold sore. Not enough sleep either (although this is somewhat normal for me but seemed really bad with less than 5 hours of sleep for many of the nights).

So with all that in mind I had low expectations but remained hopeful to do moderately well. I took off on the first lap after yelling at Schlachter to get his a$$ in gear since he showed up right at the start line as the race was starting - problems with changing his tire. I got a good position and was probably top 10-15 of the group. Allan Sherlock was on his singlespeed CX bike and was somewhere behind me. Some guy yelled encouragement to his teammate who was passing aggressively on the right - "Go Jimmy!!! Yeah!!!" Then Jimmy was into the tape and did a full on header. His friend was all, "ooohh". Classic.

So this course was similar to the course they did last year - lots of grass, no man made dismounts, a couple of run ups that you could ride up if the line was clear, some pavement, some loose downhills - and of course the infamous "swirly". I was still holding my position for most of the first lap. We crossed the finish line and

I knew then it wasn't going to be a good day. Was pretty much in survival mode after that first lap. Schlachter passed me and then shortly thereafter Allan passed me. I never saw them again. So I pretty much cruised it for the remaining 6 laps or so, getting passed by many people. Figured dang, might be pulling a DFL on this one. Not sure if I got lapped, as some fast muthas were warming up too - I guess once the official results are posted we'll know. Just a little confusion in the end there - didn't know I was on the last lap - might have been able to sprint with a guy in my class but probably not so no big
deal. Guess I should pay closer attention to the guy holding the lap signs at the start finish.

No power today, no nuttin'. I haven't downloaded my HR numbers, but I know the thing wasn't chirping at me near as much as last weekend in Liverwhore. Oh well, can't always be on and know that clearly whatever I had sapped much of my energy. But still had a good time.

I ended up 27/36, so at least not DFL. Schlactosin rocked it with a 9th place finish in the same category. And Allan took a 13th. So a very successful day for the TWW CX crew. Oh and Bob Lofland was there too and took 21st in his category. Way to represent TWW!!!

Thanks to Roz (Allan's wife for the photos and for cheering us on). I will post some of them on our website when I get a chance.

We watched the kid's race and watched Riley Schlachter rip it up on the course - he got a sweet goodie bag and scored a medal! Way to go Riley. Liam was registered too, but in classic Schlachter factor form, missed his start time (he was napping).

The costume cross was of course quite the event - lots of men looking way too comfortable in women's clothing. My coconut bra stayed on fine but didn't feel anything like the lace I'm use to wearing.

Thanks to the Velo Bella crew for putting on another FAB U LOUS event.

Mike

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Livermore CX - 10/18/08

(photos courtesy of the folks doing the Livermore CX)
Dang, I think I'm starting to like this cross stuff. My training up to this event was non-existent however - I traveled to the East Coast for work and did one workout back there on the elliptical. But other than that, nothing much to speak of other than being dehydrated and sleep deprived. So wasn't sure what to expect today.

I showed up and was thinking it was going to be the same course - but it wasn't. This course was routed through the horse riding area - sandy sections, really flat hardpack, some off camber muddy grass, and some more wood chippy area. A really good course which had a lot of variety. Three dismounts too, including two on uphill sections which really hurt late in the race.


I warmed up with Bob Lofland again and he was saying the course was really fast. And that it was. Took about 5 minutes per lap approximately. So we're standing at the start line and I meet an old friend - Doug Jorgensen - he rode for TWW way back in the day and probably the last I saw him was at our trip to Moab back in '98. Good to see him again (plus I beat him :) ). The same start group for this race - Masters A's take off first, then our group about 30 seconds later, the B's, B35, B45, B55, et al take off. I started cautiously but felt pretty good so I shot forward. I was in the top 10 at the start and thought to myself, "sweet! what the hell am I doing?!!!" I had my heart rate monitor on this time and of course it was chirping at me. It would chirp at me most of the day until it got tired of doing that.

The course was tough, it was difficult to really get a rhythm, and the dismounts particularly hurt. I kept a pretty solid pace throughout the race, although I was definitely fading at the end. Got lapped by the bastage National Champ Master A rider again (with about 3 laps to go). But the nice thing about being lapped is that the lap call out goes from 4 to 2 left - sweet!

So we get the bell lap and I tell myself to let it go for 5 more minutes. I try but man I was pretty well cooked. Two guys passed me about midway through the lap and I noted their numbers to be in the same series as mine. I tried latching on but there was no chance. I had a chance to pass one last rider on the last dismount and got ahead of him, but unfortunately that was the first time all day I missed my pedals on the remount. Doh! So I said that was my chance to pass him and I blew it. He smiled and pulled away. Oh well, I don't think he was in my category.

So I cruised in with no one around me, happy the race was over. That was a really tough effort today. The fields were smaller - too bad, they missed a fun, technical course. No real opportunities for drafting, so it was a true test of your skills and fitness.

We sat around for a bit and chatted while we waited for the results. Then they posted them and I see my name in 6th place - right behind the two guys who I saw pass me on the last lap! I was so close to the podium - dayamn! If I could've just tracked one guy down. But I don't think I could've caught them. I was cooked after the race and still feel the effects of that effort as I type. I have to keep telling myself that it is very early in my CX experience and really I don't have a lot of miles in my legs in the past several years. But I'm seeing improvement so that's cool.

Bob scored a podium spot with a 5th place finish - way to go Bob! So overall a successful day for TWW - and it was a lot of fun too! Looking forward to next weekend's Psycho Cross by Velo Bella. Should be a hoot! Come join TWW in the madness - http://www.surfcitycx.blogspot.com/ - and here is a preview of the course - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/player/4265810 - looks like they took the death spiral out but should still be a great time. Really, it's a big party where some bike racing breaks out... :)

Oh and here are my numbers for the day:

6/9 Master B's 35+
Time - 46:07
Average HR - 182 bpm
Max HR - 193 bpm

See attached image too - pretty consistent effort. I don't think I could've gone any faster. I had hoped to hit the lap button on my HR every lap but was too tired to do that. Figured once I missed the first couple, just to forget about it.

Mike

P.S. - thanks to Spiccoli for coming out and cheering me on - and for letting me drink some of his water during the race. Hopefully he'll have some photos and video to send me.

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Livermore CX - 10/11/08

(photo courtesy of the folks doing the Livermore CX)
Okay, so this was my second ever CX race - nice to do one here practically in my backyard - the organizers did a nice job. Fall has definitely arrived, with temps in the high 50's and a nasty wind blowing. On a few occasions, practically knocked me over. Tougher course than last weekend with lots of grass. Had that "flat tire" feeling a couple of times zig zagging through the course. Lots of different terrains, from fast hard pack stretches, to wood chip sections, to loose windy turns, sandy sections, etc. I thought it was a good test of one's skills. No run ups but three dismount sections.

Bob Lofland showed up and we rode several warm up laps together. Was nice hanging out with him. They started the Master A's, B's, and the 35+, 45+, and 55+ B's together. Big start line. My main goal was to not eat it at the start and my overall goal was to not be lapped. Well, I accomplished one of those goals.

At some point in the race two fast mutha Master's A's blew by me - those two were motoring, working together, and cranking out the watts. I didn't feel so badly, as one was sporting the stars and stripes National Champ jersey. Then at some point late in the race a couple of B's passed me - not sure if they were in my category or Open B's. I'm thinking Open B's, at least that's what I'm telling myself. So it was a bummer getting lapped but the good thing was I didn't have to do the extra lap... :)

Definitely pushed harder this race having that one race now under my belt. And actually I'm super pleased with my result - 11/16 in the 35+ B's. Bob got a top 10 (10th) in the 45+ B's. Saw a bunch of others TWW friends there too - Mo got a medal, Isaias was still crankin' it with the A's when I left - but looked to be about 4th or 5th on his new steed.

Wanna really race tomorrow now, but that isn't going to happen. Good times. I'm learning more and more. Lowered the tire pressure significantly and that helped (although I noticed that my tire was a bit squishy riding back to the car - there definitely is some kinda leak there). Looking forward to more CX races and hopefully more TWWers joining us.

Mike

P.S. - thanks to Seery for showing up and giving me a couple of impromptu feeds and cheering me on through the suffering.

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TWW Cross Dressin' It!!! (10/5)

Okay, so decided late last night to give this cross thing a go with Schlachter up in Vacaville. Brought back old memories of the Rockhopper days (but thankfully sans monster hill climbs). The venue was dry, dry, dry - the recent rains didn't do a whole lot to the course. No mud pits and actually it was quite warm in the sun (mid to upper 70's).

I have never raced a real cross race before - I did the costume cross but one can very easily argue if that is a true race. So this was it - my maiden voyage into the cross scene. And you know me - moderation is for the weak - I can't start by doing a C race. Because of the start time and the fact that Schlachter was racing the 35+ B's, I decided I would do the same. Probably not the smartest move but I've been known to make questionable decisions before.

Of course, we're a little stressed out due to the Schlachter Factor, and we arrive about 20 minutes before the race time. Still need to get registered, take a leak, change, pre-ride, etc. We got it all done, and then a couple of minutes later we're getting instructions at the start line. They started the 35+, 45+, and 55+ B's together. Quite a big crowd. Great, more pack riding, but this time on dirt and me on a bike that I have never competitively ridden nor have I even ridden since last year's costume cross.
I figured I would utilize this as a learning experience not having done this before. Just pace myself, get the feel for it, etc. So I didn't go out hard at all and just hung back a little. I passed a few people, but mostly people were passing me. I must say, my cornering on that bike is really sketchy (the 75psi in my tires probably didn't help - hey, I didn't want to pinch flat). My dismounts and re-mounts were actually pretty good, with only one exception where I nearly ate it since I couldn't get my left foot out of the pedal. But I saved it. Fortunately the two dismount sections were at slow spots of the race, so I didn't have to dismount at high speed. I got in some good bunny hop practice on that bike but I'm sure I won't be taking on any of the 15" or 18" barriers.

Oh I forgot to mention I felt this sharp pain on my abdomen on the first lap - felt like a pin pricked me. I thought maybe one of my number pins came undone and poked me. But turns out it was one of those damn meat bees that got stuck in my jersey and got me. Great, thankfully I'm not allergic. So rest of the race was in a zipped up jersey with a tingling bite.

During the 7 laps I would see Scott in front of me and was able to note him increasing his lead on me every lap. But that was cool, I knew he would be ahead of me at this race since he has raced CX more than me plus is in better shape than me (but not my much just give me a little more time buddy). Finally near the end our paths crossed and I cheered him on. He would end up finishing a couple of minutes ahead of me - don't know the exact time since they didn't have a timer going oddly enough.

So overall I'm moderately pleased with my performance considering all the factors conspiring against me - I didn't finish DFL (23rd out of 27, Scott was 17th out of 27). After the race I felt that I left a lot in reserve - I felt more like I did a moderately hard ride vs. a race. Definitely will go out harder in my next one - which btw will be a C race - in Livermore on 10/11 if anyone is interested in joining me. I'd like to get some decent results before I make the permanent jump up to the 35+ B's.

Mike

Official Results

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TWW Dominates the Track Fights #8 Team Competition!!!

Team Wrong Way discussing strategy to crush the competition
(photo courtesy of Kirt Fitzpatrick)
Wow, great night last night - four brave souls showed up to the final race in the Track Fight series. We tried to get organized, and for the most part did pretty good for a bunch o' mountain bikers. The Saunier Duval dude still rocked it and we sucked his wheel a lot, but none of us got lapped and took the next four spots:

2nd - Matt Walters
3rd - Mike Gin and Scott Schlachter (tie)
5th - Rafael Rius

I think we won like 5 or 6 of the Sports Basement primes too (8 available). And several of the point sprints. We easily won the team competition, getting Sexual Camel roadie caps and a case of I think it was Longboard Ale or something like that.
I was really happy with my race - this time I didn't do some crazy leg heavy workout 36 hours before the race - so my legs felt much better. And now that I had one race under my belt, I wasn't nearly as nervous as the first time - I understood a little better what to do. Kirt said I improved and did much better this race. I thought I could keep up with the main pack and not get lapped with fresh legs and a little experience - and I did, so that was cool. I won the very first sprint on lap 1, Kirt called a prime on that lap - my response to him was, "already?!!!"

I think I got a couple of 2nds and another 3rd in the point sprints. I couldn't recover fast enough though to really challenge in the others. But I hung with the group. Winning the prime was a cool thing, but my crowning achievement was taking a 2nd place in front of the surprised SD guy. So I see Rafael take off then the SD guy. I was actually pretty far back but cranked it up big time. So much so that I scared Matt when I flew by him doing my best Robbie McEwen and weaving through the traffic (I probably would've been disqualified for a dangerous sprint in le Tour... :) ). I closed on the SD guy and took him right at the line as he looked over his shoulder. This might be where I hit my top speed of 33.5 MPH. Good fun.

So actually I'm kinda disappointed that these things are over. The Camel boys and girls put on a super fun, low key, no attitude event. Good introduction into the roadie scene, although I doubt you'll see me doing any road races anytime soon. I do though want to hit up the cross scene, so I can utilize some of this fitness other than for kicking Keith's a$$ in our monthly competitions... :)

For you numbers geeks, here is some data:

Average speed: 21.9 MPH
Top speed: 33.5 MPH
Average HR: 177
Max HR: 193

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