SoCal Cowbells

Nats

2010-12-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

I started this blog post on the way back from Bend in December 2009. Since I'm leaving in a couple days for the 2010 edition of Cyclocross Nationals, I thought it's probably time to finish it off. So without further ado: Dave and Dino's 2009 Cyclocross Nationals adventures...

2009 Cyclocross National Championships.

Nats. No cute title here. This is the pinnacle of US ‘cross – even for us pack fodderlings. This was the event that we had prepped for all year. Weekend after weekend of racing. Denying ourselves that extra chocolate chip cookie after dinner. Stocking up on thermal bike clothes. Intervals on the trainer in the garage at 10 pm. This was the endgame to all the sacrifice.

Destination: Bend, OR. But first, LA traffic.

Dino and I started the long, 15 hour trip from sunny SoCal up to frozen (literally) Bend, OR on Tuesday evening along with O and S. After an overnight stop in Fresno to drop the kids off at the grandparents, we continued north. Here's a summary of the drive:

San Diego to Orange County: beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean
OC to Santa Clarita: traffic and more traffic
Santa Clarita to Lebec: snow on the Grapevine
Lebec to Fresno to Sacramento: Central Valley agriculture aromas galore
Sacramento to Redding: Mellow traffic and moderately scenic
Redding to Bend (overnighting in Klamath Falls): Stunning mountain views

Frost on the Subaru in Klamath Falls.

Holy crap! What are we in for?

It was on the last leg, between Klamath Falls and Bend, that we watched the car thermometer edge lower and lower. When it bottomed out at -5° F, Dino mentioned that turning around and heading back to where water exists in a liquid form would be preferable to freezing her tukus off in the frozen north. Luckily she was kidding... mostly... there was an unfortunate incident involving a metal toilet seat in an unheated gas station bathroom, but I won't go into details here. I think the fact that we saw several bald eagles just north of Klamath Falls helped convince her we were doing the right thing.

We made it to Bend on Thursday, just in time for the noon course pre-ride session. We dressed down, meaning we layered on every piece of bike clothing that we owned, and hopped out on the course. At a balmy 24° F, the course was a 2.5 km long slip-and-slide.There were probably 400 people all trying to ride the course at the same time at all skill levels from abject beginner to seasoned Euro-pro. I believe the military term for this sort of happening is Charlie Fox. You pretty much couldn't ride any faster than walking pace in many of the sections. Nevertheless, it did provide a preview of the course. My first impressions were threefold: short, narrow, and slippery. Overall, I loved the venue and liked the course. It unfortunately wasn't really suited for 100+ fields with lots of constriction points that were made worse by the ice and were sure to cause havoc during the first lap of all the big races. Not surprisingly, my prediction on this proved to be true in race after race [video links demonstrating this fact are below]. Allow me to pause and editorialize for a moment: US cyclocross is at a crossroads (no pun intended) where the national championships are still trying to retain a grass roots-all inclusive-participatory nature but are getting swamped by huge numbers of riders. USAC and nationals promoters are going to have to decide to either limit the number of entries to some of the larger fields or modify the course (within reason) to accommodate the fields. Their goal should be to create a positive racing experience for all of the participating racers while maintaining an event that is selective enough to produce a worthy national champion. [Note, it looks like a longer course with several long straights and a time trial based seeding system will help accomplish this in 2010... we'll see if it works.] Okay, I'm stepping off the soapbox - back to the story... As I said, I liked the course. Furthermore, it would have been an absolute blast if it wasn't so icy. It had great flow, lots of interesting features: off-camber, drop-ins into U-turns, a giant staircase, and a well placed barrier set. With the ice (no fault of the organizers) it became super-technical. When you're focusing that hard on not crashing, the racing is still fun but definitely less than it could be.

After the pre-ride, we dressed in multiple layers of our warmest clothes and hung out at the venue waiting for the check-in time at the condo. Happily, this allowed us to cheer on Celo hard man, former national CX champion, and all around nice guy, Lee Willmore, during the ~~old coots~~ Masters 65-69 race.

Lee Willmore clearing the nasty off-camber uphill during the 65-69 race.

In addition to watching the fast old guys race, we also got to see lots of SoCal friends line up for the Masters 40+ B race. Al Morinaka (Velocity), Paul Avila (Bicycle John's), Geoff Albert (SoCalCross), and Jeff Goble (Sho-Air) were all racing in the extremely slippery conditions. While snapping photos and cheering everybody on, we noticed that Jeff Goble had gone missing. We figured it was some sort of mechanical but found out later that he had slipped out on some black ice and double fractured (tibula and fibula) his leg. You can see where he crashed on the course preview video @1:19. Jeff crashed in the same spot as the rider shooting the video.

Al Morinaka enjoying the sunshine.

Paul Avila grits his teeth on one of the few long straightaways.

Jeff Goble moments before his race-ending crash.

Geoff Albert uses body English to stay upright on the ice.

After the races we headed over to the condo to settle in. Fellow Celo's Brent and Gail as well as Carrie and Josh (Carrie is a former teammate from my time in WA) were all sharing a townhouse not too far from the venue. After cleaning up our bikes, Brent, Gail, Dino, and I all headed to Jackson's Corner, a restaurant that was recommended by several different sources. Little did we know that they were hosting a CX event that evening with a few big name riders, including Molly Cameron, giving presentations. The place was packed and the line was long...but the food was well worth the wait.

Friday, Dec. 11: Today was Dino's turn to race and my turn to do race support. Dino's race wasn't until 1:00 pm so we didn't head over to the venue until just before 11:00 am. Once I got Dino suited up and settled onto the trainer, I wandered around to cheer for friends in the singlespeed race and. One interesting thing I noted was that the course had been changed a bit from the previous day. A new icy, twisty-turny section - with a couple of off-camber spots - was added just after the barriers. It lengthened the course a tiny bit and added yet another modicum of technicality. The singlespeed field was massive for being a non-championship event. Unfortunately for Brent, the staging was done randomly by bib number. This put Brent well towards the back of the starting grid. Annette lucked out and got a front row start...it also turned out that she was the only woman in the singlespeed race which garnered her quite a bit of attention. Once the race started, it quickly became apparent how slick the course was. This video was shot on a little off camber riser during the first lap. Not surprisingly, given the conditions, there was significant carnage.

Brent Prenzlow battled from a poor starting position to a 14th place finish.

Annette Padilla: Susan B. Anthony for the singlespeed CX community.

Lee Willmore showing how it's done.

Paul Avila makes it over the off-camber hill with only a slight dab.

Geoff Albert crashes on the off-camber hill (not for the first time)
with Paul Hernandez right behind.

After the singlespeed race, the course was open for recon and warm up. Similar to yesterday, it was mobbed but Dino managed to get in a bit of practice until, while dropping into the "Bob's Red Mill Oatmeal Bowl" she slid out on a rut and jammed her chain behind her crank. I found her walking back with bike on shoulder looking dejected. "I couldn't get the chain back on." We rushed to the pits but the neutral support guys were all out to lunch (literally, I think) so I put the Salsa up on a stand and manged to yank the chain out without taking off the chain rings. I got it fixed just in time as the Masters Women were starting to stage. We headed over to the start area. Dino was very nervous. The 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60+ women were all racing at the same time - though starting in waves 30 seconds apart. After collecting Dino's warmup clothes, and the whistle blew starting her wave, I started walking around cheering on SoCal riders and taking photos. Dino rode a very respectable race finishing 39th, just over a lap down on the leader (she finished right behind the 2nd placed rider).

How did you talk me into this?

Dot Wong against a brilliant Oregon sky.

Carol Ruckle on her way to 4th place in the 55-59 field.

This race had everything...even fiddle players.

New England-to-SoCal transplant Robin MacDonald-Foley enjoying the frigid weather.

Dino negotiating one of the more slippery turns.

Annette focused on the race, oblivious to the Sasquatch walking by.

Dino sprinting it out!

Women of SoCal.

With Dino's race over, we started cleaning up to head back to the condo. Before we left, however, we took a few minutes to cheer on friends Allison Beall and Megan Cordes in the Women's 30-34/35-39 race.

I can't believe Allison is old enough to race Masters!

Queen Chiweenie, Megan C., climbs out of a drop-in/U-turn combo.

After getting home, getting Dino defrosted, and the Salsa cleaned up, we relaxed a bit then headed out to dinner. We met friends from the Palouse, Allison Beall and Ted Chauvin, at Deschutes Brewery. Being a brewpub at a cyclocross race (not to mention one of the sponsors of the race) there was a very long wait - but once again it was worth it. The sweet and spicy mac and cheese that I had for dinner was excellent and it was nice to catch up with Allison and Ted. My only regret was that because I was racing the next day, I limited myself to only one beer. No such restrictions tomorrow night.

Saturday, Dec. 12: Up at 6:00 a.m. to get some food on board for my 9:30 a.m. race. A bowl of oatmeal and piece of toast with PB&J. Then it was time to embrocate and suit up. A short sleeve skinsuit, followed by a layer of Sportsbalm Hot on the legs, then wool socks, thermal leg warmers, a polypro long sleeve base layer, a short sleeve Craft windfront base layer, and arm warmers. This was topped of with a polypro skull cap and Glacier neoprene gloves, when on the bike. I added a few more layers for the drive over to the venue. Once there, I hopped on the bike to take advantage of the last chance to pre-ride before our race. I started off mid-lap with the grassy section below the Deschutes Brewery. The grass seemed pretty grippy so I decided to try and take the stairs hot. It was a bad idea that resolved something like this: (1) unclip right side, (2) swing right leg over and through, (3) plant foot, and (4) slide out, narrowly avoiding a head first crash into the stairs. At least I was providing entertainment for fellow San Diegans Scott Rittschof and Dan Breyer (Focus USA) who were positioned at the top of the stairs. After collecting what was left of my dignity, I continued along the course through the section that they had added the day before - it was tricky but not too bad. The exit of the section had a barely ridable off camber piece that they ended up straightening out before the racing started (which was a good thing). The big surprise was that they changed the section after the run/ride hill (I couldn't quite ride it because it was too slippery for my skills). Instead of a straight shot back down to the pavement, the course now continued across the top before dropping into a steep, icy ,rutted, side-slope descent that terminated in a hairpin turn. Yup...death cookies. This section scared the crap out of me. If you crashed on your left side, you'd just slide down the hill on your butt. However, if you were unfortunate enough to crash on your right side, it was a loooong way down onto some very hard ice. I continued around the course and discovered that everything on the snowy (east) side of the course was nicely frozen and had reasonable traction. However, the west side (including the stairs and the death cookies descent) was just starting to thaw, resulting in a water over ice condition – in other words, it was slipperier than cat snot. I decided to do multiple practice runs on the ride/run hill (which I never managed to clear) and the descent. I built up some confidence that I could make it down without crashing but it was still definitely psyching me out. Prior to today, I can't remember the last time I was actually scared before a race. But the convergence of Jeff's broken leg, a vast mob of testosterone laden competitors, and the new death cookies section...well, let's just say that my sphincter was puckered tighter than Kirstie Alley's corset after a three day binge at Marie Callender's.

It took awhile to stage all 155 of us but finally we were all lined up, instructions were given, and the course was cleared. Bang! I was far enough back that it took a few seconds to start moving. I was just coming up to full speed when I had to lock up my brakes. I skidded to a stop, narrowly avoiding leaving Tufo Flexus tread prints all over Geoff Albert's butt. A wicked crash (you can see the reverse angle here) took down several riders including Geoff. Although I managed to stay upright, I was pinned in as more riders crashed into the back of me, tangling pedals and wheels. This pretty much ended my already slim chance of meeting my one goal for the race of finishing on the lead lap. By the time I got to the end of the paved starting straight, I was already 26 seconds down. The first small hill on the ice was chaos and I was at the back. With very little in the way of passing space due to the icy nature of the course, I ended up riding most of the first lap at walking pace - I was never even breathing hard. By the time we hit the stairs (~3/4 of a lap into the race) I was over 2 minutes down on the leaders. More video from the first lap is here (you can see me at the very end).

Waiting for staging: "Are we there yet?"

The Sasquatch is handing out money but BP's not interested.

Obligatory barrier photo: Brent Prenzlow.

Obligatory barrier photo: Jeff Herring.

Obligatory barrier photo: Geoff Albert.

Obligatory barrier photo: Dave.

Dave trying not to think about the frites vendor across the road.

Once we were done with the first lap, the riders were spread out enough that I could pour on the gas and start to race. For the next couple of laps, I went as hard as I could with lots of close calls that usually resulted in clipping a foot out and a huge adrenaline bolus. No crashes though... well, at least not by me. It seems like I was passing somebody on the ground every 15 seconds or so. After 3.5 laps I was headed past the pits, and finally starting to feel comfortable when I was whistled off the course by USAC official, Phil Miller. I was being pulled since the leaders were close to lapping me. I couldn't believe it and was seething as I walked through the pits on my way to find Dino and my warm-up clothes. Luckily I'm not the demonstrative type or the anger that was bubbling to the surface would have turned into a tantrum capable of making my pre-school daughters proud. I was angry at myself, the guy who caused the crash at the start, the promotors for making such a short lap length, USA Cycling for letting the promoters make such a short lap, the snow for being so slippery, and... well... as you can see, I wasn't being very rational. For the record, I ended up 121st out of 155 starters (and another ~45 DNS's). The leaders ended up doing a total of 6 laps with the winner, Peter Webber, finishing in 40:36.

After I'd calmed down a bit, the post-event deflation began: I've focused all year on this 45 minutes of racing... now what? The short term answer was simple: get cleaned up and enjoy the rest of the trip. So back to the condo to clean body and bike then we made a quick trip out to the hospital to visit Jeff Goble. Jeff was doing well considering the 20+ screws and pins and the 4 mm rod inserted into his leg. We got to hear the entire story of his crash and aftermath. It's an amazing story that I won't relate here - it's his story to tell after all... make sure to ask him about it the next time you see him at a race. From the hospital, we headed back to the venue to watch the Master Men 35-39 race. The course had largely changed from snow/ice to mud. It looked like a heck of a lot more fun than our race. I didn't really care, however, as I was very focused on eating frites and cheering on Ted and the Bailey Bikes boys, John Bailey and John Behrens. The evening was spent with a the Celo crew at McMenamins where dinner went well with their seasonal nut brown ale.

Jeff's leg prior to the addition of a bunch of metal screws and rods.

Early in the race: Bailey's leg warmers are still white.

Ted Chauvin working hard.

Mmmmm...frites. Nom, nom, nom.

John Bailey dripping mud.

John Behrens survives another trip down the nasty descent.

Sorry, Rover, you'll have to wait outside.

Sunday: That was it. Unfortunately we didn't have time to stay and watch the elite races. So it was time to gas up the car (remember - this is Oregon - you can't pump the gas yourself), get some coffee, and drive home. For whatever reason, the trip south seemed to go by much faster that when we were headed north. We drove straight through to Fresno where we spent the night and then headed back to San Diego the next day.

Heading south from Bend: a long, straight road under a brilliant blue winter sky.

Back to California...was it all just a dream?

Looking north from Hwy 97 near Mt. Shasta (click to see the full size photo).

Back in SoCal.

A few more things: Full results can be found on the USA Cycling website. All of the above photos and many others can be viewed in our Flickr photostream. And a few more photos from CyclingNews can be found here, here, and here.

Let's hope that CX Nats 2010 is as much fun as 2009. Regardless, I promise it won't take quite so long to get up my race report this time.

Return of Los Luchadores Barrachos

2010-11-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

When we last left our heros, Los Luchadores Borrachos had defeated their foes at El Spooky Cross de 2009 and then took a nice vacation at the beach with lots of cerveza. But evil never vacations and it was time for El Chimchanga Fantastico y El Chongo Peludo to once again defend the downtrodden masses against the forces of darkness.

El Chimchanga Fantastico y El Chongo Peludo. © D. Lawson

Los Luchadores Borrachos had indeed returned to El Serie Prestigio Ciclocross de California Sur. And they brought with them a secret weapon: La Luchadorita Amarilla. She is very small, but packed with devastating cuteness. We made our plans....

La Luchadorita, you create a diversion with your awesome cuteness.... © D. Lawson.

...and then we will crush them!!!! © D. Lawson.

And then it was time to do battle. We lined up with our faithful steeds, stripped down, and prepared for the impending conflagration. We were ready to make the forces of darkness cry like seesy-gurls.

Atención, los malhechores: le destruyen! © Corey J. Keizer.

We did not let the crowd blunt our knife-edge focus. We were here to vanquish our foes. There would be many more distractions that evening...but we prevailed and kept our minds on the task at hand.

Some of the distractions were bueno. © D. Lawson.

Some were not so bueno. © D. Lawson..

When the race started, Los Luchadores Borrachos charged forth to confront the evil-doers. El Chimchanga Fantastico literally flew down the road, rushing into harm's way.

El Chimchanga Fantastico vuela por el camino! © Anthony Purnel.

El viaje estuvo lleno de tribulaciones. © D. Lawson..

Always mindful of our duty as role models to the kids of California (Alta y Baja), we stopped briefly to assure some youngsters that Los Luchadores Borrachos would indeed triumph on the day and they would be safe. The forces of darkness could not - and would not - prevail.

Se comportan así. Escuchar a su madre y su padre! © Jesus Ortega.

Se trata de una calabaza, chico. © Corey J. Keizer.

And then it was time for battle. We were unleashing out fists of justice on several petulant squash (and one petulant child) when we were waylaid by our arch-rival, El Demonio Naranja. But that was his critical mistake! Luckily there was a videographer nearby to catch the action:

Ahhh...sweet, sweet victory! El Chimchanga Fantastico and El Chongo Peludo savored their triumph over all that is evil!

Los Luchadores Borrachos salieron victoriosos! © Corey J. Keizer.

Los Luchadores Borrachos offer muchas gracias to all those from whom we borrowed photos and video for this report. Hasta la próxima vez, amigos!

Spooky Breakthrough

2010-11-05T23:31:00.000-07:00

2010 SCPS #5 - Spooky Cross - Irvine, CA:

In the middle of the biggest Masters 35+ 3/4 field in SoCalCross history.
© Jesus Ortega (gochuygo.com).

Having fun as twilight falls. © Richard Murphy. Originally uploaded here.

What a difference one week can make. My dismal performance in Granada Hills last Saturday appears to have been due - at least in part - to a cold I had caught from O. I spent most of Sunday and Monday in bed trying to fight off the virus. The remainder of the week I took it easy training-wise. The physical and mental restart seems to have done me a world of good.

The afternoon/night schedule for Spooky Cross always feels a bit strange but it was nice not to be getting up at the crack of dawn on a race day. When we arrived at the venue, Mark Campaigne had saved us a spot in the middle of the hullabaloo for Camp Celo. (Sorry to the Ortega clan for overrunning your location.) After setting up, it was time to get the girls ready for the costume race. S rode as a "Baby Luchadore". O dressed up as Lucy from the Chronicles of Narnia - unfortunately her gown was catching in the rear wheel so she decided to run the race on foot - in rubber galoshes, nonetheless.

Queen Lucy of Narnia and La Luchadorita. © D. Lawson.

And they're off! © D. Lawson.

As soon as the kids race was over, Dino was on the start line for the Women's Singlespeed event. When that race was over, I headed out for a recon lap. I've always liked the Spooky Cross courses but this was - by far - the best to date. It was a bit longer than in the past (always a good thing) and had more in the way of sweeping turns and less 180 hairpins. In addition to the obligate stairs, barrier set, and sand pit there were a couple of technical downhills and a few off-camber sections to add to the fun. The pièce de résistance, however, was a perfect helping of mud - not too much, not too little. There was just enough to make the some of the turns slippery and a few of the low-laying sections a bit boggy - in other words, to make things a bit more technical. But there wasn't enough to become an utter mud bath - which makes things much easier to clean up the next day.

When we staged for my race, I once again gamed the system and ended up with a front row start. This was officially the largest Masters B field in SoCalCross history: 69 riders on the line. When the whistle blew, I didn't clip in cleanly and instantly found myself ~20 guys back from the start. Nevertheless, my legs felt good and I just pushed as hard as I could go passing where I could and avoiding pileups in what quickly turned into a first lap crashfest. From there, I was in the hurt zone and details are fuzzy. I remember being with Wade and Miguel, who have consistently been riding at a level above me this year, and thinking, "Hey, I must be doing pretty well." They did eventually slip away from me but it wasn't at mach speed like in races past. I also remember that I worked exceptionally hard to stay with two riders for the last couple of laps then put in an attack with ~1/2 lap to go. It got me in front and I was able to defend the position to the finish. When I crossed the line, I had no idea how I had done. To my surprise, I ended up in 8th place. Not only was it my best result of the season so far, it was - relative to the large field size - one of my best finishes ever in SoCalCross (I've had better placings but in much smaller fields). It was extremely satisfying to finally be approaching the same level of fitness that I enjoyed last year.

Make sure to check out the below great video from Mark Colton of the kids costume race and some of the late afternoon races:

Spooky Cross 2010! from mark colton on Vimeo.

Next week: Storm the Beach!

Blue Screen of Death

2010-11-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

2010 SCPS #4 - O'Melveny Park - Grenada Hills, CA:

Finally a cool race. Despite a forecast for temperatures in the mid-80's, race day was pleasantly cool and foggy. It was nice to once again be wearing vests, jackets, and arm warmers on race day. I loved the venue: O'Melveny Park is tucked away in a small pocket valley in the Santa Susana Mountains near the south end of Newhall pass. The flyer described it as "intimate" and I think that was right on the mark. We were surrounded by steep slopes and one could see ~95% of the course from the start/finish area. The only drawback was that the limited acreage led to a rather short lap: the fastest men were clocking ~4:30 for a single circuit. The course itself was challenging but very fun. Lots of slow motion climbing on energy-sucking grass, lots of 180 turns, and a couple of barrier sets. Despite the standard recipe, the course subtly utilized the overall sloping topography resulting in a very nice flow.

Warm up: Check. Legs feel okay.
Line up: Check. Second row.
Starting whistle: Check. Here we go.

Each of the eight starting grid lanes were skinnier than my handlebars - and then the course narrowed by ~1/3 in the first 5 meters. I thought I was going to be screwed for initial pack position but miraculously a hole opened in front of me when we hit the constriction. I jumped through and managed to get to the front in the first ~75 m. First thought: Hell ya! Second thought: What am I doing out in the wind? I backed off and slid into second spot just long enough to recover before the first turn. I heard some yard sale action behind me as I went through the turn and was thankful for having made it through at the front. As I headed uphill, my race immediately started downhill. In the space of ~50 m, I was passed by 20 riders. My legs that felt okay during my warm up seem to have gone AWOL. The rest of my race was spent trying to pick off the riders in front of me. I caught a few, got passed back by a few, then caught a few more. I think some of the latter group were 35+ 1/2/3 riders because I ended up 19th (out of 34 starters). Not a great result but I have to admit that I had fun.

Big air over the extra-tall barriers. © Dorothy Wong (socalcross.org).

Just a split second later from a different angle. © D. Lawson.

This photo makes me look much more graceful than I actually am.
© Mark Colton.. Originally posted here.

Most of the race was like this: riding at the limit but going nowhere. © Lee Willmore.

Despite going slow, I was pushing pretty hard. So while watching Dino race (and helping O & S get ready for the kids race) I was debating whether or not I should do the singlespeed A race. Being stubborn, I took the start along with seven other riders. It probably wasn't a good decision on my part. I was lapped three times by the fastest 1/2/3 men and at least once by every other singlespeeder. I had nothing...and it showed.

With - at best - lackluster results this season (as compared to last year) I've been in a bit of a cyclocross funk. This race pushed it over the edge. I'm still having fun but not meeting my own expectations has been making me grumpy. So, as of Sunday, my season has been rebooted. Saturday, for me, was the cyclocross equivalent of the Blue Screen of Death. The only fix is to restart the machine. Top three in the series? No. Top ten? Who cares. Just get out there, race, go as fast as I can and have fun.

Heat Wave

2010-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

2010 SCPS #3 - Prado Regional Park - Chino, CA:

It was hotter than it looks. © D. Lawson.

Yup, another hot day for SoCalCross. It was 98° F and another day of just trying to survive. I think the SoCal Prestige series needs a new rule: no races more than five miles from the ocean until November. The coolest day of racing so far this season was in the mid-80's. I jealously look at slide shows from other parts of the country - like this one from my old stomping grounds in Spokane - and think about how much I miss knee-warmers, embrocation, cold rain, and slimy turns in races.

We had a non-eventful drive up to the venue and set up Camp Celo as usual. After getting ready, I headed out for a pre-ride of the course. Regarding the course, let me just say this: I hate gophers. I'm pretty Buddhist when it comes to respecting other life forms. The only critters that don't get equal treatment are ants, termites, and poisonous spiders on my property. I've even been know to relocate lost funnel-web spiders who have wandered into the house back to a more appropriate (i.e. exterior) habitat. After this weekend, however, gophers are coming close to making my enemies list. These rodent excavators seem to target SoCalCross venues to the despair of the racers. Hot is bad enough. Hot and bumpy is just plain awful. Other than that, the course was okay: a triple helping of caution tape spaghetti, lots of cool berms for off-camber and side-slope action, a few over-watered spots that turned into rutted mud, a short flight of stairs, and a set of barriers.

Over the previous week, I'd been thinking about my lack of aggressiveness in the early parts of races and wondering if that was hurting my placings. Thus, I concluded, it was time to conduct an experiment: this week I was going to revert to my usual tactic from last year in which I go hard from the gun, blow up, then try to recover as I settle into the groove of the race. For the most part, this approach worked well last season. Keeping to the plan, I made sure I got an unclaimed spot in the front row. When the whistle blew, I sprinted whole-heatedly for the hole-shot. As I crossed the finish line (about 150 m past the start line) I heard the announcer call that James from PAA had the hole-shot. His statement was premature - I was the first onto the grass and into the first turn. The first section of the course was so serpentine I kept my lead spot for 1/4 lap without much effort. This was mainly because there was to place to pass. Soon enough riders started to slip by and I eventually and settled into ~12-14th place. With ~2 laps to go and after picking up a few spots, I began to fade and was passed by Sean Fenner from Velocity. I couldn't keep up with him which was a pity since he picked off several more riders after passing me. I ended up in 12th. Not bad - not great.

Dino was up next for the Masters Women's race. While she was racing I struggled with whether or not I should do the Singlespeed A race. I eventually succumbed to internal peer pressure (the voices in my head?) and decided to do the race. When Dino finished she was completely spent so I recruited fantabulous Celo teammate Isa to help get O & S over to the kids race. I was having a great time watching the two of them attack a pretty difficult kids course (including a hill and full size barriers) but before it was over, they started staging the Elite Men and Singlespeed A's. I've done enough singlespeed races that am I now getting a call-up based on my attendance record. When the whistle blew, I made a half-hearted attempt at the hole shot then moved immediately into survival mode. One mistake that I made in preparing for this race was thinking that the playfields shown on the course map would translate to flat topography for the race. As mentioned above, the course was far from flat which meant that my 42x18 gearing was way too tall - especially for use in a second race. It didn't impact my placing but certainly added to the suffering. I continually consoled myself by thinking, "What an awesome power workout I'm getting." Otherwise, there's not much to report about the race. I ended up in 8th place (from 10 starters) and a lap down on the top singlespeed guys.

Up next, a new venue in the NE part of the San Fernando valley. The forecast calls for - yup, you guessed it - hot and dry conditions.

Whoa Nellie, Bonelli!

2010-10-04T17:38:00.001-07:00

2010 SCPS #2a and #2b - Bonelli Park - San Dimas, CA:

Day 1:

It's a good idea to keep your mouth shut through the mud bog.
Photo originally posted by claremontcyclist.

One of the few times I was in front of Wade. © Jesus Ortega (gochuygo.com).

Suffering. © Jesus Ortega (gochuygo.com).

Dino and the girls decided to skip today's race so I ventured up to San Dimas alone. I missed having them at the race but after seeing the course conditions, I was glad that I wasn't going to have to clean several layers of mud off another bike that evening (not to mention another helmet, shoes, kit, preschooler, etc.)

What a great course! I enjoyed the Bonelli courses last year (both Bonelli north and south) but today's race was a big step up. As can be seen above, the course included a feature of utmost rarity in SoCal cross: a mud bog. (Okay...it was really just a muddy patch but give me some poetic license here.) The bog itself wasn't very challenging and didn't impact the race - though it added an artificial feel of authenticity to the proceedings that was only slightly diminished by the summer temperatures (~90 F). The bog had a downhill approach so you could keep your speed up. With a straight run through the bog, the only challenge was trying to make the following turn with no depth perception because there was almost always mud in one eye or the other. The course had great flow and was well balanced between technical and power sections.Some stairs and two barrier sets - one with a high speed approach and one after a chicane - rounded out the obstacles.

Thirty-one of us lined up behind the Masters 1/23's and the non-UCI 1/2/3's. No call up for me based on last weeks results so I relied on my weasel-like scrumming skills to find an unoccupied spot on the front line. At the whistle, I tried for a hole shot but didn't quite have the juice. I ended up somewhere between the 5th and 10th position only to be taken out by a guy on a mountain bike who overcooked a turn at the base of a steep uphill section early into the lap. I ended up in ~20th place and started moving up with a vengeance. I eventually caught up Wade (LA Velocity) and Sean (Team Velocity). Sean was with us for a while then faded back. I hung on for dear life as Wade pulled us up to the mountain biker who had caused the first lap mishap.Wade lost contact and I thought he was blown so I just hung on the MTBer's wheel. On the long , bumpy straight after the mud bog, I attacked and thought I had some space. I kept the pace pegged, never looking back, through the last half lap and into the final barrier set where I performed a less than perfect remount. Unbeknown to me, Wade had caught back on at some point after the mud bog and, unlike me, was perfect over the barriers. He sprinted away from me on the sidewalk section like a scalded cat with a Gruber Assist motor. I was well and properly beaten but nonetheless happy with my 10th place.

Watching the UCI men's field on Saturday was rather awe inspiring. Having raced the course earlier in the day and knowing how fast I covering the various sections, seeing the pros fly through at mach 5 (yes, the sonic boom was audible) just goes to show how big the gap is between the weekend warriors and the guys who do this for a living.Well, some of them do it for a living....believe it or not, Joachim Parbo, Danish national champion and winner of Saturday's race, has a job surveying and inspecting the 500 km (or is it 525 km?) of bike trails in and around the city of Aarhus in Denmark. If you want to get a feel for the speed and spirit of the elite races, make sure to check out the fantastic video below by the Colton brothers.

SocalCross KROSSTOBERFEST 2010 Day 1 from mark colton on Vimeo.

Day 2:

Up the stairs. © Jesus Ortega (gochuygo.com).

In no man's land. © Jesus Ortega (gochuygo.com).

On Sunday morning, we headed north with our full load-out of kids, bikes, tents, and coolers for the second day of the double header. The course was moved slightly east relative to Saturday and much more closely resembled last year's Bonelli North courses. With less caution tape spaghetti, Sunday's course favored fitness over technique. Interestingly, the small patch of tacky mud that was included was much more challenging than the larger mud bog of Day 1. Mud in a turn is always a bit exciting and this was no exception. It was positioned at the bottom of the dip and in the middle of a turn so you had to either square off before the turn - which was awkward - or square off after the turn - which came with the penalty of hitting a tree if you misjudged. An uphill and a downhill barrier set along with a reuse of the stairs from day 1 (though with a much higher speed approach) added to the fun.

There were a lot more people in many of the field but just a few more in ours: thirty-eight on the start line. I was indecisive about how I should start. An ugly, downhill, decreasing radius, paved turn (with a speedbump in the middle of it) made me unsure if I wanted to be in the front or the back. The whistle blew and the decision was made for me...

Tweeeet! Crap! I missed clipping in. Fumble with pedals. Finally clip in cleanly. Um, where am I? Ah ha - I'm getting swarmed. Damn, now I'm boxed in. Break out. Done. Start moving up. Ummm, legs, did you hear me? I said, "Start moving up!" Uh oh, legs not listening. Fade back some more - we're not even off the pavement. Not good. Hit the grass. Fade back some more. Legs where are you? Hit the mud section. Carnage. Somebody screwed up - looks like a PAA rider. Ease through the mud - try to avoid becoming a casualty. Okay, time to catch up. Aha, a communique from the legs: "We've decided to take the day off. Have fun racing without us. Love, Your Legs."

Yep, the rest of the race was just riding around the course trying not to look too stupid. After much suffering, I ended up 22nd. To be clear, the suffering was more mental than physical. My body just wasn't going but the evil self-doubt demon in my mind was working overtime - mostly revolving around the theme of, "Why am I so much slower than last year? Discuss."

At the end of the race, Dino met me with a bottle of Clif Shot Electrolyte that I gulped down. After chatting for a few minutes, it was time to line up for the Singlespeed race. The logical part of my mind was screaming, "Go back to the car, change, and drink lots of water!" The stubborn part was murmuring, "You signed up for this race so you damn well better race it." Stubbornness won. I lined up. Because of the UCI races, we weren't following the normal SCPS schedule and were racing with the Singlespeed B's and Singlespeed Women categories (usually we race with the elite men). I lined up at the back of the A's. After the B's and Women lined up, the whistle blew and off we went en masse. I immediately went into survival mode - just riding along. That was probably a good thing since the course had been tweaked relative to the race I'd just finished. The tricky mud section had been taken out to preserve the grass and one of the barrier sets was removed to comply with UCI course design rules. The barriers were replaced with a tricky, low speed, double chicane on a loose side slope - more technical but easier on the body. If I would have been riding these section at normal first lap speed, I would have been in for a rather nasty surprise.

About halfway around the first lap, something clicked. I started racing for the first time that day. It must have been related to having the B's around - many of which were going close to my speed. Whatever the reason, I started notching up the intensity and picking off riders who had previously passed me. As the race went on, I seemed to be going better and better. On the last lap I caught and passed a few riders and ended the race in a sprint (it was against a B but I couldn't be sure at the time). 10th place out of 11 in the A's. The placing is definitely nothing to get excited about but I'm happy to have finished back-to-back races - especially since most of the day was wrestling with thoughts of willfully DNFing.

Even with ending the weekend on a slightly positive note, my mental motivation headed into the next week was not good. I just couldn't get over what I thought was a poor performance on Sunday. And the blisters from the race on my hands, feet, and...ummmm...somewhere else were not helping matters. Luckily, a read of this great blog post sent to me by a teammate (thanks, Ben!) got my head pointed back into the right direction:

"My only other advice is to give your RIVAL's the credit you want them to give you. They trained hard this past season, and it was probably with the sole purpose of kicking your ass. They love to suffer.... and if they beat you... they must have gotten pretty good at it."

I guess somebody had to remind me that just because I had a good season last year, I'm not automatically entitled to having a good season this year. You have to train hard to get the placings...and everybody else is training hard too.

Hot, hot, hot!

2010-10-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

2010 SCPS #1 - Irvine Lake:

Another year, another cyclocross season begins. In most parts of the country, 'cross start when there's a nip in the air and the leaves are starting to fall. In SoCal, the start of 'cross means ungodly hot temperatures and - if you're lucky - Santa Ana winds and wild fires. No winds or fire so far this year but keeping with tradition, we kicked off the season with a major heat wave. In fact, the day following the race, downtown LA saw an all time record high of 113° F. As for race day itself, rumor has it that the temperature on the course was a balmy 106° F. Hot, hot, hot indeed.

Last year saw the establishment of "Camp Celo" at the races which essentially meant that a couple of families would pitch our pop-ups on the infield and hang up a giant Celo Pacific banner. This year, Camp Celo has radically expanded in size. It's now the place to be. If you want to find snacks, mechanical help or communal babysitting - drop on by. New this year, thanks to the Avila clan: BBQing. Not only is Camp Celo getting bigger but Celo Pacific's participation is getting bigger too - we had 23 riders racing throughout the day.

Camp Celo seems to be expanding. © Mark Campaigne.

The course was very different than the previous two visits by the SCPS to this venue. The biggest change was the switch from a counter-clockwise direction to a clockwise direction. Many of the familiar features were there but in reverse. In a nice move to lengthen the course without heading out onto the less-than-pleasant dirt section (nicknamed "Little Anza"), the course doubled back on itself again, and again, and again. Courses with a high spaghetti-factor aren't my favorite but this had enough variety (stairs, a double barrier, a couple of trips through a pea-gravel volleyball court and baseball infield, two exceptionally tricky low speed turns and a nice technical downhill off-camber section) that you hardly noticed all the turning.

It was too hot to ride the trainer and too hot to be motivated to do a real warm up so I ended up just doing some course recon leading up to the start. When we were called, there were 47 riders on the line.

Racers ready, go! To go for the hole shot or not? The question becomes moot as I don't smoothly clip in. I'm still getting used to my new Specialized Body Geometry shoes. I can clip in perfectly ~90% of the time...but it should be 99%. I make it to the top of the start hill in ~10-12th place and loose a few more positions as I overcook the off camber turn leading into the stairs. Time to repair the damage but I don't want to go too hard. I slowly pick of a rider here and there. I was doing everything I could to stay cool including "drafting" riders as we'd hit the standing water under the cooling sprayer - this resulted in coating me with murky puddle sludge. It was definitely cooling - and, being 'cross, you can't be afraid of getting muddy. I actually lost a spot when, with one lap to go, I sat up to take a drink in the start/finish straight and was attacked. I was fading significantly the last couple of laps and couldn't close the gap. I wasn't too upset, however. Just finishing without crashing, a mechanical , or some sort of heat-induced illness was a success as far as I am concerned. According to the new-fangled chip timing, I finished 13th and was 47 seconds out of 5th place. Given the course, the conditions, and my current fitness, I'm more than happy with that result.

Up the stairs. Photo © Richard Murphy. Originally uploaded here.

Over the barriers. Photo © Richard Murphy. Originally uploaded here.

Over the barriers again. Photo © Richard Murphy. Originally uploaded here.

And again. Photo © Richard Murphy. Originally uploaded here.

100°+ F and there's a mud pit? Photo © Jesus Ortega.

Next up, Dino was racing with the Masters Women. I crawled back to Camp Celo and started downing every bottle of liquid we had in the cooler. As I was munching my PB&J and snapping a few photos, Dino came by yelling, "Flat!". I yelled back, "Go to the pit and stay there!" I grabbed my bike and ran the 75 m to the pit arriving there at the same time as Dino. I pulled the back wheel off my bike and tried to get it into her frame. Unfortunately the brakes were hitting the tire so I grabbed one of teammate Geoff Albert's high-zoot Revolution 50x wheels and slammed it home. Dino remounted and got back into the race. Despite the slow wheel change she was able to catch a few women and salvage a podium spot.

A very slow wheel change. Photo © Jesus Ortega.

I had signed up for a second race - the Men's Singlespeed A's. Even now, a few days later, I'm not sure if this was a good or a bad idea. Unfortunately, just like it was ingrained into me at a young age that you have to finish everything on your plate, I'm hardwired such that if you sign up for a race you'd better take to the start line and do your best. We'll I took to the start line with 7 other singlespeed riders and, when the gun sounded, did my best...kind of. Facing more than an hour of riding in the hottest part of the day and being a couple of quarts low hydration wise - not to mention already having one race in the legs - gave me a nice excuse to just ride the race at tempo pace: I didn't want to utterly destroy myself the first day of the season. Things went to plan - I stayed out of the way of everybody who was really racing, I didn't kill myself, and I even passed some of the 1/2/3's late in the race. I was lapped by many (probably most) of the 1/2/3's as well as the winner of the singlespeed race. IFor the record, I finished 7th in my field. I was actually last but moved up one spot because Paul H. dnf'd due to a mechanical.

Next up, a weekend of racing at Bonelli Park in San Dimas...the course maps look good and it's a UCI race so lots of the big guns are coming out. It should be fun.

If it's not one thing, it's another

2010-09-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

I may be training for 'cross, but my mind is still in off-season mode. Flashback to
summer vacation: Dave and Dino MTB'ing in Nelder Grove just outside Yosemite.

I can't believe 'cross season is about to start. I'm nowhere near ready this year. I feel like I've been pursued by a conspiracy of niggling details. Or, in the immortal words of Gilda Radner's SNL character, Roseanne Roseannadanna, "If it's not one thing, it's another."

Being sick with some gack in the lungs for most of August put me off my normal pre-season build up. I didn't really start training until ~4 weeks ago. I have managed, however, to get in some good base miles (for me, a 200 mile week is considered good mileage) and am now doing a bit of speed work. Overall, I fear it's going to be too little too late. Oh well - I'll still be out there having fun...I'll just be suffering a bit more. Actually, I'll be suffering just as much as last year, I just won't be going as fast.

Not only is my body not quite ready, I'm behind in the equipment preparation too. I waited too long to order a new Rev-25x wheelset from Revolution Wheelworks and am having to wait until Rev gets the rims back in stock (apparently the 25x is a very popular model - especially this time of the year). Aside from the new wheelset - with Tufo Flexus 32's so that I don't get yelled at by over-zealous officials - I'm running essentially the same bikes as last year. No major changes to Dino's Salsa either except the addition of my hand-me-down Easton EA-70x wheelset once I get the Revs. Nevertheless, there are lots of other things to do on the bikes: replace cables, chains, bar tape, brake pads, etc. Not to mention preforming seemingly endless little tweaks and repairs. How exactly do things break just sitting in the garage?.

Even some of the little things have backfired this year. I bought new Specialized S-Works MTB shoes with the aim of: (1) alleviating a foot problem that popped up at the end of last year and (2) maybe helping me go a little faster. I love the shoes and Specialized's attention to biomechanics and morphology is doing the trick with my foot pain and my applied power feels like it's significantly increased. However, my second day with the shoes was also my first day of technique practice this year. It is not a combination I recommend. At the end of a 45 minute barrier session, my heels looked a bit like Lady Gaga's latest fashion ensemble. No more pre-season barrier technique drills for me - I'll have to leave that to muscle memory come race day. I'm hoping moleskin and foam padded Band-Aids will get me through Sunday's event.

Okay, enough excuse making. It's time to look ahead...

Today marks four days to go until the start of the SoCal Prestige Series. It's also the first day of fall (i.e. the autumn equinox) and the fourth annual CrossVegas race was held this evening (I didn't feel compelled to make a spontaneous trip to the race this year - especially as it was streaming live on cyclingdirt.org). I observed the occasion by dusting off my singlespeed for a quick ride in the grove with teammate Ben. Tomorrow is my last day with any intensity before Sunday. Then it's tapering, finishing all the last minute mechanical work, and trying to stay cool on Sunday (temperatures are predicted to exceed 100 F). Wish me luck.

Oh yeah, as I start blogging about this season, I'm also going to try catching up with the last couple of months of last season's racing.

Remotivated

2010-01-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Dave negotiates the Turkey Trot sand pit at speed. Photo © D. Lawson.

Still catching up with the 2009 SoCal Prestige Series, starting with Thanksgiving week...

At this point in the season, I had raced 10 straight weekends with diminishing results and Thanksgiving week was going to be a driving marathon - my racing morale was sinking faster than Iceland's economy. But with the fact that nationals was quickly approaching coupled with the realization that I had a shot at a podium finish in the SCPS overall, my motivation was suddenly rediscovered.

Despite a long drive up to Fresno on Wednesday night after fighting our way through LA traffic, I managed to drag myself and Dino out of bed and onto the bike on a chilly Thanksgiving morning. Dino wasn't feeling well so turned back early. I did a nice ride up into the Sierra Nevada foothills to the town of Prather then back to my sister's house on the outskirts of town. The ~60 miles of solo riding prepped me for massive amounts of turkey and seemed to help me find my CX mojo.

We drove home on Saturday night, unloaded the car, and got everything ready to head back up to Glendale the next morning for Turkey Trot.

Nov. 29 - SCPS #13: Turkey Trot CX - Glendale, CA:

When people tell me they're thinking about trying out cyclocross racing, I usually point them in the direction of Turkey Trot as a great place to try 'cross for the first time. I think Turkey Trot is hands down the best 'cross course in SoCal. In addition you'll find a nice venue, big fields, a great kids race, free waffles and hot dogs, and a generally well organized event (good job, PAA!) The course is exceedingly well balanced and uses the terrain well. No mud this year (not the promoter's fault) but there was lots of loose duff, a couple of rooted turns, a double barrier on a slight incline, a couple of sand sections, a run/ride hill, and a set of stairs. I liked that the ditch crossing was filled in this year thus was ridable without risking a broken rim. To do well on this course you needed both fitness and technique.

There was a big field at the start (over 30 riders) and I wasn't expecting much performance-wise based on my most recent results. The whistle blew and my Pavlovian response had me going for the hole-shot. I made second place off of the pavement onto the grass and, as usual, promptly started slipping back. Equilibrium was achieved with me in ~10th place. With a steady effort, I started picking off fading riders though I couldn't quite catch up with PAA's fast finisher, Miguel Sutter. I had some extra motivation in that I ended up catching series rivals Josh Keppler and Mike Wilson and had to maintain a hard effort on the last lap in order to keep them behind me. I ended up 6th out of 34 on the day. Today's placing and the carrot of a possible podium position for the series overall did the trick...my motivation was returning.

Dec. 6 - SCPS #14: Adams Avenue CX - San Diego, CA:

The Masters B's hit the first barrier en masse. Photo originally uploaded here.

What a creek crossing looks like in San Diego. Photo © J. Sigua.

Those short hills hurt by the end of the race. Photo © J. Sigua.

A rare sight: Dave on the podium. Photo © D. Lawson.

O helps me accept my award for the SCPS San Diego series. Photo © D. Lawson.

It was less than a week until nationals and I had two goals for this race: (1) don't crash - or at least don't hurt myself - and (2) try to shore up my position in the SoCal Prestige series overall points standings. Thankfully the race was here in San Diego so we wouldn't be spending hours on the road...there would be enough of that in the coming week as we'd make our way to Bend. Balboa Park has excellent potential for 'cross racing. Unfortunately, however, the race used the area around the SD Velodrome which made for a "meh" sort of course. There were lots of loose dusty sections and a particularly nasty stretch of babyheads (rocks the size of, yes, babies' heads), that would have been much better off as part of a MTB course. I did like, however, the cool micro-creek crossing followed by a challenging ride/run embankment. The best part of the race was that we finished on the velodrome. Unfortunately, if you didn't realize the race was finishing and missed the signal from the course marshal (or the course marshal was talking to his buddies or using the bathroom) you'd miss the turn and go around for another full lap. This thankfully didn't happen to me, but a couple of riders weren't so lucky.

The race itself had a very aggressive start - no hole shot for me. A predictable bottleneck at the first barriers cleared and we were racing. Well, more accurately, everybody else was racing and I was going backwards. It was rather demoralizing. I was supposed to be in prime shape, peaking for nats, and I was getting spit out the back. Oh well, I might as well keep racing. After a couple of laps I started catching people. First, they were people I didn't recognize (local riders who haven't been doing the series). Next, I started catching some of the usual suspects. A major effort in the last couple laps got me past series rival, Mike Wilson and not too far behind Miguel Sutter. But whatever I did, I couldn't close on Miguel. Finally, with 1/2 lap to go, I started edging closer. I made up a few seconds charging over the babyheads, and a few more on the big down/up dip + barrier combo. Then it was onto the velodrome for 1.25 laps to the finish. I caught Miguel in turn 2 (i.e. with ~225 meters to go). I went over the top, sprinting at full speed and held it to the line. I must have caught more people than I thought because I ended up in 3rd place. This was great news because it gave me a lock on the series overall podium (though not first - Dave Turner from PAA had already sewn that up). In addition, it gave me the overall Masters 35+ 3/4 win in the San Diego subseries (Anza, Storm the Beach, and Adams Ave.)

What really made my day, however, was watching O & S race the velodrome in the kids race. The staff had to chase them off before the Elite Men's finish because they were having too much fun. Overall, it was a great way to wrap things up before heading north to Nationals.

Burn out

2010-01-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to catch up our blog - still have a ways to go, however. The below entry chronicles SCPS #12 held on Nov. 22 at Lake Casitas in Ojai...oh yeah, it was the District Championships too.

The 1000 mile stare. Photo © Richard Murphy.

I'm not as talented as Taberly, I have to carry my bike over the barriers.
Photo © D. Lawson.

The burnout that set in at Bakersfield and got worse at SLO hit its peak at the District Championships at Lake Casitas outside of Ventura, CA. I had no motivation to train during the previous week and getting everything together for the races was becoming a chore. On top of everything else, because this was Districts, the A and B masters would be combined making for a much faster race. Plus it was the longest one day there-and-back drive that we'd be making for a SoCalCross race this season. At least it was a pretty venue.

The course was similar to last year's: well balanced, good flow, a standard double barrier, a stair section, and a hoppable log. There was also a ~300 m paved headwind section that really favored sitting in a draft (if you could find one). Not much to report here about the race itself. The 35-39 and 40-44 groups started together with the series Masters 35+ 3/4 points to be picked out of the final results (thanks to Chris B. for sorting through that headache). I raced as hard as I could and ended up in 13th out of 17 for the district 40-44 race and 7th out of 13 for the Masters 35+ 3/4. Not one of my better results of the season. The burn out was showing...time to pick it up or pack it in.

Dinorah had a good race finishing with a 3rd place medal in her age group. O had a great time - she had a blast riding S's balance bike from the top of a berm, down the slope, and making an off-camber U-turn around a tree....a cyclocross racer in the making if I ever saw one.

The Elite Men's race was a dramatic affair, with the suspense going down to the last few hundred meters. Although the course was more than selective enough for the other fields, a large group of leaders stayed intact until the Elite's final lap when Sid Taberlay bunny hopped the barriers and threw down a viscous attack opening a large gap on Gary Douville, Brandon Gritters, and Ned Overend (yes, that Ned Overend), while defending SoCal champion, Brent Prenzlow was chasing back after a tangle with Mark Noble. In the end, Taberlay stayed away for the win with Douville claiming second, and Prenzlow making a huge effort to move up into third place. Since Sid is an Australian national (and Australian national champion) he's not eligible for the district jersey so Douville got the gold and the Bear, Prenzlow got silver, and Gritters got the bronze.

Time for me to climb up on my soapbox...I was really happy to see the expansion of championship categories for the Masters Women fields. I think this is really beneficial to growing the sport despite the small number of women in some of the fields. However, I really think that championship medals and jerseys should NOT be awarded to non-elite or non-age group categories. That is: Elite Men, Elite Women, Jr. Boys 10-14, Women 55+, etc. are appropriate championship categories. Men CX 4, Women CX 3/4, Masters Men 35+ 3/4, etc. should not be eligible for a championship. Furthermore, I think we should consider holding the District Championships separate from any series. Trying to juxtapose regular series racing on top of all the age group categories leads to confusion for the organizers and racers alike.

Make sure to check out our photos from the day on Flickr. I especially like the below shots of Sid Taberlay bunny hopping the barriers:

9 out of 10 times, Sid cleaned the double barriers....
Photo © D. Lawson.

...1 out of 10 times, he didn't. Photo © D. Lawson.

Goose down

2010-01-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

The end of the cyclocross season and the onset of the holiday season was incredibly busy. With the holiday break, I've been trying to catch up on the blog entries. This first installment covers Dog Gone Cross in San Luis Obispo back in mid-November.

Oooh, a dollar! Photo by Meghan Gallagher - originally uploaded at CenCalCycling.

Remnants of an unlucky goose.

"Come on Dad, let's race!"

Despite the fact that Dino had just returned from visiting her family in Texas with the kids, we decided to make the 5 hour trek up to San Luis Obispo for SCPS #10 - Dog Gone Cross. It wasn't too hard of a decision as the SLO area is one of our favorite areas to vacation. We got a late start on Saturday and had to fight a bit of LA traffic but arrived in Pismo Beach in time to check into our hotel, do some shopping, and have a nice dinner at F.McLintock's in Arroyo Grande.

The next morning, we headed north to the venue in SLO. Since we were transporting the beer from series sponsor Stone Brewery, we were allotted a prime parking spot (thanks, Jeff!) so that we could easily unload our hoppy cargo. Race prep was pretty much the usual for us but Dino was a little too chatty and didn't immediately take off to pre-ride the course at the end of the race previous to hers. She was going to go to the start line but I looked at my watch and told her to take one lap as fast as she could and she'd be fine and very warmed up for her race. Well Dino rode fast but the ref was sticking to his watch which was 5 minutes fast (I'm not kidding here) despite the other women on the line asking him to wait...so Dino missed her start. It was painful watching her race solo the entire race, slowly working her way up through the back markers. After the race, Dino drew dog-sitting duties for Gu, the Great Chiweenie, so she didn't have a chance to dwell on her misfortune.

Needless to say, I went to the line extra early to avoid a repeat of what happened to Dino (yes, we started 5 minutes early too). The course was mostly long straights with a few technical sections thrown in. It turns out that the original course design (which would have been great) had to be abandoned after the city threw a fit and made the promoters stick to established trails only. The result wasn't a particularly wonderful course - but it wasn't awful either. My biggest criticism is that two of the barrier sections were logs that had dirt on the approach and pavement on the exit - neither dismounting nor remounting on pavement is ever fun. On the first lap I stayed near the front as we made our way down the long (~400 m) paved starting straight. Dave Turner and Robert Langone got a gap soon after the second barrier section. I could see them on the start/finish straight at the end of the lap but didn't try to bridge up as I was worried about pulling the three other riders on my wheel across the gap and setting myself up for a counter attack. That was probably a mistake - oh well. Our group of four continued together with Miguel Sutter and I pulling most of the time and occasionally throwing down an attack. Our third lap had an interesting feature: just after the last barrier before the finish straight, a group of spectators had brought a fishing rod and reel, a clothes pin, and a piece of bacon. Yes, it was a bacon prime. I went for it and was rewarded with a mouthfull of smoked pork goodness. Probably not great race food but tasty nevertheless. The next lap also had a bit of excitement as just past the finish line, we rode through a flock of geese and ducks who had decided to reclaim a favorite piece of sidewalk despite the fact that bikes were flying by at over 20 mph. Nobody was injured but one of the geese lost more than a few tail feathers. On the last lap I made a move to get to the front going into the tricky BBQ section (3 tight turns in loose eucalyptus duff) but blew it on the last turn of the section and ended up in the back as all three zipped by me. I chased as hard as I could but and had closed onto the back of the group but lost contact as the guy in front of me bunny hopped the last log as I had to dismount to get over it. We were sprinting for 3rd and I ended up 6th...not good. Afterwards, I let the SLO-Nexus rider who had sat in the whole race know my displeasure in his race tactics. I believe I said something to the effect that if you sit in and sprint at the end, you don't make any friends. He didn't like my comments. Too bad.

O&S had a great time in the kids race. It was O's first race without training wheels. I didn't realize how much those thing slowed her down. Without them, she's a rocket - spinning out the tiny gear on her 12" bike. Both O&S gave a big thumbs up to the organizers for the best kids race prizes of the year: stuffed puppies.

I decided to punish myself for the poor outcome in my previous race and signed up for the Elite Men's race just to get a bit more time on the bike. I lined up at the back and when the whistle blew, I hung in the draft to the end of the starting straight. I narrowly avoided plowing into John Bailey who had hit the deck after washing out in the loose dirt of the first turn. Once through the turn, I watched the pack speed away as I went into tempo mode. I felt like the elderly cheetah from the nature shows - the one that just can't keep up with the antelope anymore and won't live to see another spring. The bacon bunch was still at the start of the finish straight so I figured if I couldn't race with the big dogs, at least I could entertain the crowd: grabbing a dollar bill from a PBR can (see the photo above) did the trick. On the next lap I was rewarded with a PBR hand-up. I couldn't down the entire beer just then so stopped, set it down and said, "Next lap." Sure enough, the remaining beer was handed up to me on the next circuit - I'm glad the USAC officials didn't see it as I'd likely be DQ'd for taking a feed. Not suprisingly, I finished last- a lap down on the winner John Behrens of Bailey Bikes - but it was fun and a good workout.

Next week...district championships.

Bakersfield squared

2009-11-24T22:42:00.000-08:00

Still in yellow (but not for long) at Bakersfield. Photo courtesy of Jesus Ortega.

The head is starting to tilt - a sure sign Dave is suffering. Photo courtesy of Jesus Ortega.

I've got to admit that I wasn't really looking forward to the Bakersfield races. Before I started doing well in the series, I'd scheduled the weekend to get in some big miles on the road in an attempt to recharge my base fitness heading into the second half of the season. With the leaders jersey tenuously situated on my back, I felt compelled to chase series points...yes, even to the extent of being willing to spend the weekend in Bakersfield.

Saturday - SCPS #9A

One thing that you have to worry about when riding in the Central Valley is goat head thorns. In preparing for the race, I mulled my two options: Stan's in the tubulars or Slime strips in the clinchers. My rear Grifo had just received a dose of Stan's a couple of weeks prior so I decided to just pump 20 ml into the front and call it good. It was a decent plan but had an unforeseen flaw.

I got up before dawn on Saturday and loaded the car. With Dino and the girls away for the week, I was amazed on how much easier it was to pack. I drove up to the OC, picked up teammate Jeff, and got back onto I-5 northbound. We arrived at the venue in plenty of time for a leisurely warm-up including a few recon laps on the course. Hart Park is not my favorite course. It tends heavily towards the jungle cross side of the spectrum and I've become too much of a course snob to like that sort of riding. The course had grass, off-camber, lots of loose turns, asphalt, a steep run-up, a few feral cats, and tarantulas (yes, really). The balance and flow were fine. What I didn't like was the lack of passing room through much of the course. Something else I didn't like was the gazillion goat head thorns hiding in the course. After 2.5 recon laps, I pulled back onto the pavement and heard a clicking sound at the same frequency as my wheels rotating. Not good. I stopped and looked down: at least a half dozen thorns in the front tire. I looked back: another half dozen thorns in the rear tire. Really not good. I carried my bike back to the car, set it down, held my breath, and started picking out thorns, spinning the wheels between each pluck to distribute the sealant. Post-plucking, I added a bit of air, gave the wheels another spin for good measure, and crossed my fingers. Wow - they seemed to be holding! All hail Stan and his wonderful sealant! I hopped back on the bike and headed out onto the adjacent road to continue my warm-up. I rode a small loop adjacent to the course and was listening to the announcer over the PA to gauge when I should finish up: 3 laps to go, 2 laps, 1 lap...okay one more circuit for me then over to the start line. All of a sudden, my rear wheel went flatter than a roadkill 'possum after four days on the interstate. Crap, crap, crap! I walked the 1/4 mile back to the car so that I wouldn't ruin the rim. I gave the wheel some air and a couple of spins but it just wouldn't hold. So I walked over to the pit and switched in my pit wheel, rode to the start, lined up...and we were off.

I didn't try for a hole shot. Rather, I tried to conserve with the intention of letting the course sort things out. After a couple of laps, I found myself in about 5th position and feeling good enough to start moving up. I was just behind Josh Kepler and just in front of a string of riders going through the loose single track section. I kept running up on Josh in the turns so decided to try a pass. I got around him cleanly in a tight right hander but my front wheel slipped and my shoulder smacked into a tree adjacent to the course which threw me to the ground. I ended up underneath Josh and about 5-6 other riders. I think I was the last one to get up and going. Only slightly the worse for wear.... time to chase back on. I picked off a rider, then another. Then, approaching the run-up, I was tripoding through a loose left hand turn. As soon as I picked up my foot, my front wheel washed out and I hit the deck. As I'm laying there, I get passed by the riders I picked off while I was on the ground. Grrrrr! Okay, back to chasing. Catch the riders then set my sights on Mike Wilson. It takes me the whole bell lap but I catch him in the U-turn onto the pavement just 150 M from the finish. I crank up my best sprint and throw the bike at the line - I get him by about 12 inches. Josh Keppler and two more riders are just out of reach up the road. Damn. If it wasn't for the crashes....

Sunday - SCPS #9B:

Being only ~15 minutes from the course and not having to wrangle two pre-schoolers meant that I had a relatively leisurely morning. Once at the venue, we found the course was being run exactly backwards, just as advertised. I didn't particularly like it - certainly I didn't think it was as good of a course as the previous day. Lots of course recon and a bit of time warming up on the road brought me to the start line ready to go. Right off of the pavement was an extended section of single track where passing was nearly impossible - so I figured a hole shot was in order. I was second into the turn when some dude on a MTB who had shoved his way through the pack, power slid through the turn almost taking a few of us down (what an idiot!) I started of okay but could tell immediately that my legs weren't responding. I kept slipping further and further back in the field until I couldn't see anybody in front of me and I couldn't see anybody behind me. Mentally, I was done - so I put it into cruise mode. With three laps to go, I saw Paul Avila behind me. Frequent glances backwards indicated he was gaining steadily. I didn't know where I was in the field, but a place is a place so I decided to defend it. Not wanting it to come down to a sprint, I pick it up and seemed to be holding my gap. With about one and a half laps to go, I looked back and saw that Garnet Vertican, the leader of the 35+ 1/2/3 race, was coming up quickly. Even though being lapped would have let me be done for the day, something in my head said to try and stick it out. I went as hard as I could to try and keep ahead of Garnet. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough in the tank and he caught me just as we transitioned from the grass onto the pavement. It's not the sort of thing I'd usually do, but for some reason, I really was on a mission to not be lapped - I asked Garnet to let me go across the finish in front of him. He asked, "Are you sure?" and let me go (thanks,Garnet!) After crossing the finish line to start my last lap, I realized I'd made a good choice: with the surge to stay ahead of Paul and a second surge to try and keep ahead of Garnet, I could now see another rider not too far ahead - it was the MTB'er who'd almost crashed the entire field on the first turn. I suffered like a dog and closed the gap inch by inch. He still had the lead as we made the turn onto the downhill finish straight and he started sprinting - but I still was able to close the 50 m gap and then sprint away. Sometimes the best races are for the places at the back of the pack. Today it was for 11th place.

In retrospect, I'm glad I made the trip. I got a chance to road trip with a teammate, meet some new people at the mixer at the host hotel, and do a couple of hard races. The best part of the weekend was finding that I was able to keep my focus and have a good race on Saturday despite the last minute flat and two crashes. Last season, that would have taken my head completely out of the game.

For some photos from the Elite Men races Saturday and Sunday on our Flickr photostream.

Playing in the sand

2009-11-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

Trying not to crash in the sand pit. Photo © Richard Murphy.

On my way to the beach. Photo © Richard Murphy.

Celo Pacific put on their annual Storm the Beach Cyclocross race last Sunday. As you can see in the photos above, it's really on the beach. Lots of work goes into promoting this race so a big tip of the hat to promoter, Mark Campaigne, and all of the Celo volunteers for making this the best Storm the Beach to date. That's not just rah-rah go-team-go talk. This really was our best race out of four editions. We had the most riders (210), the most spectators, the largest expo area, and the most positive feedback.

The morning was busy for me doing the volunteer thing. No need to go into the details here. I got to the venue early then Dino came a bit later with the girls (one of the benefits of having a home town race). The whole Celo crew was there - so with the extra kid-watchers, Dino and I even had the luxury of taking a course recon lap together (thanks Elaine!). Chief course designer Brent Prenzlow made a couple tweaks to the course but it was fairly similar to last year - though much faster. The fire roads were smoother, the tide was out so the beach section was rideable (and fast), and the sand pit was moved inland and reconfigured making it possible to transverse without running. I have to chime in here with my most important contribution to the race this year: the day after last year's race I pulled up the tide charts and identified possible dates for 2009 when we'd be guaranteed of running under low tide conditions (high tide last year made the beach section completely miserable).

The beauty of Storm the Beach course is that it has a sort of yin-yang balance. It starts with fast fire roads on the first half of the course followed by a series of relatively slow sections: a deep sand run, an energy sapping beach section, another deep sand run, a steep hill, the sand pit where you're kicking up rooster tails like a Mississippi tractor pull, another steep climb, then a short U-turn in the deep sand before heading back onto the fire roads. Yin and yang, darkness and light, pain and more pain.

Once Dino started her race, I hopped on the trainer putatively to watch O & S - but they were quite happy playing with all of the other Camp Celo kids and I was left (mostly) undisturbed. Little did I know that'd I'd have a ringside seat for the unfortunate incident that happened next: Leigh Adams, who was racing the Women 3/4 field, endo'd coming off of the hill into the sand pit. I did essentially the same crash last year but got up and kept racing. I guess I was lucky. Leigh wasn't so lucky and ended up getting taken to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. As if that weren't bad enough, her boyfriend, Alex Ter-Vrugt, was crashed by another rider while leading the beginners clinic and bumped his elbow. While at the hospital with Leigh, he had it x-rayed and found out that it was broken. Two busted limbs in the same household is not a good thing. SoCalCowbells sends our best wishes to Alex and Leigh for a speedy recovery.

Time for my race...

Call up. Go to the line. No, don't want to be on the left...move to the middle. Official's spiel: "You will be racing on a course of varying terrain including dirt, sand..." Tune him out (sorry, Ramon). 30 seconds. 15 seconds. Whistle. Instinct and adrenaline say go for the hole shot. Cerebral cortex says sit in the draft and conserve. Cerebral cortex wins. Don't fight for position. Slip back to ~15th but enjoy being out of the wind. Keep below my LT. Make it to the beach. Watch a guy fall face first into the sand while running down hill with his bike on his shoulder. No time for schadenfreude - it's created a gap. Try to get across. Pull 5 guys behind me. Run up off the beach and ride up the hill. Thankful for the gap in front of me: no squirrely traffic as I hang on for dear life while fishtailing at high speed down the hill and into the sand pit. Make it through with only a quick dab in the apex of the turn. Up the hill, down the hill, U-turn in the sand then back onto the fire roads. Catch a couple of riders in front of me. Sit in shamelessly. Drop the riders when we hit the beach. Pass a couple more in the sand pit. Back to the fire roads as I begin lap three. Catch a rider. Work together. Get passed by Matt Breyer as he's chasing back after a flat. "Grab a wheel!" Hang on for dear life as we fly across the beach. Pass the guy who was leading my race and is now nursing a flat. Can't hang with Matt when we hit the sand so let him go. Up the finish hill: 2 to go. Catch Dave from PAA on the fire roads. Sit in. He pulls off when we hit the headwind just before the beach. I attack. He pulls me back. I keep on the gas down the beach and through the sand. Up the finish hill. Bell rings. One to go. My best guess at position puts us in 5th and 6th place. I need to beat Dave to get on the (extended) podium. I ask, "Work together?" Reply: "Yep." I add, "Until the beach - then all bets are off." We work together then, on cue, I attack on the beach. I have a gap. Push. I'm caught by a PAA rider...not Dave. It's the former leader (the one who flatted) and he's flying. Crap. Gotta go or I'll lose the position. Off the beach and into the deep sand before the barrier. He swings wide then screws up his dismount and goes down. Whew, some breathing room. Not enough - he catches me in the sand pit. Surprise: he dismounts near the apex of the turn making me dab. Crap. His running is faster than my riding (double crap!) but I gun it and catch him before the base of the finish hill. Come on, legs, sprint! Legs aren't listening. He rides away from me. Oh well, 6th isn't so bad - and he earned it, coming back from a flat. I see Dave (from PAA), "Good racing." "You too." "Where'd we end up?" I ask. "You were 4th and I was 6th" he says.

Wow. Fourth. I'm happy with that. And it was good enough to get the leader's jersey back too.

The real highlight of the day was watching the Elite Men race. Celo teammate Brent Prenzlow took his 100th elite cyclocross victory. I find it kind of hard to wrap my head around that figure. I've been racing 'cross since 1990 and I don't think I've even entered 100 races. Well maybe - but just barely. But 100 wins in the Elite class....wow. Good job Brent! The most remarkable thing about the race, however, was the vibe amongst the spectators. When everybody present realizes that they're watching a little bit of sporting history, something special happens that is difficult to put into words. The closest I can come to describing it is a sort of gestalt consciousness that ripples through the crowd in counterpoint to the action. I've only been to a few 'cross races where this has happened - Nationals at the Presidio in 1999 comes to mind. This was one of those times - and it was pretty cool.

Brent Prenzlow on his way to his 100th Elite cyclocross win.

The chase group in the Elite Men's field gets squidgy in the deep sand.

Next up: Bakersfield....actually I'm posting this after the Bakersfield races. I'll post a report soon. In the meantime, let's just say the weekend didn't go as well as I'd hoped.

Los Luchadores Borrachos

2009-10-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

Los Luchadores Borrachos: El Chongo Peludo y El Chimichanga Fantastico.

After much training and preparation, we were ready. Los Luchadores Borrachos would make their world premier at El Carrera de Bicicletas Spooky Cross. Training provided us with great velocidad. We were there to make our competitors cry like seesy-gurls. We were there to destroy.

Lo que los músculos grandes (foto de Dino)

Los Luchadores Borrachos had many fans in attendance and posters were hung proclaiming nuestra grandeza.

Hemos tenido muchos admiradores (foto de Dino)

We were called to the start line and given a position of honor on the front row. It was time. Knowing that the battle would be fierce, El Chimichanga Magnifico disrobed - he anticipated mucho calor.

El Chimichango Fantastico prepara para la batalla

The race started and El Chongo Peludo rode many laps, distracting the crowd with his dazzling cape, and even doing battle with his arch-rival, El Puma Grande.

El Chongo Peludo pedales muy rápido!

Meanwhile, El Chimichanga Magnifico rained down destruction on muchas calabazas.

El Chimichanga Fantastico: 1, Calabazas: 0

The battle was fierce and large piece of pumpkin became lodged in Magnifico's chonies.

¡Ay, mi culo!

After many laps, El Chongo Peludo joined El Chimichanga Magnifico to finish off the petulant squash.

Calabazas destruir a Los Luchadores Borrachos.

The pumpkins were destroyed as the spectators cheered - for they knew the were now safe - the pumpkins could hurt them no more. Los Luchadores Borrachos had triumphed. And it was bueno.

Muchas gracias a Ben Love por los fotos extraordinarios.

Spooked Out

2009-10-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Churning through the sand pit. Photo © Richard Murphy.

Duking it out with Miguel. Photo © Richard Murphy.

Goodbye yellow leaders jersey. Photo © Richard Murphy.

Spooky Cross is probably the best bike race in Southern California. Period. Not just for cyclocross - THE BEST RACE. Spectator or participant, it is the most fun you can have that includes a bicycle speed contest. Let's see...where to start?

Saturday morning arrived and even though we have our pre-race routine down to a science, the evening start times threw a spanner in the works. When two preschoolers are in the equation, timing is everything. Luckily, we made it to the venue without too much added stress. Camp Celo was already set up with the exception of our pop-up tent (which we quickly popped-up, of course). We had a great location just after the spooky sand pit along with the Ortegas, the Campaignes, the Weirs, the Jones-Lewinneks, and the Fahies.

The schedule was a bit different than usual with the kids' (costume) race running prior to our races. Of course we wouldn't miss cheering - and photographing - O the butterfly fairy and S the Meerkat through their race. I think the below photo of O chasing down a rampaging hulk is one of my favorites from the series so far this year:

Who needs a bike when you're the Hulk? Photo by Joe Lawwill.

I managed to sneak in a recon lap between races and was impressed with what I saw. Hidden Valley is easily one of the best cyclocross venues in SoCal (or anywhere for that matter). The course had a little bit of everything: off-camber sections, pseudo-stairs, a sand pit, a run/ride hill, a fast pavement section, some long power straights, and a good measure of tight turns (but not too many). My only complaint is that the barriers were set up just after a turn - something several course promoters have done lately. I don't like it because it de-emphasizes the importance of having smooth barrier technique since you have to slow down so much to make the approach turn. Nevertheless, two thumbs way up for the course.

The race was a bit of a blur. The whistle blew and I was second into the first turn. I then started slipping back. And back. And back. And back some more. Uh oh...when is this going to stop? I felt good but the legs just weren't there. Three laps in, I was dangling ~10 seconds just behind a group of five riders and just couldn't make contact. Instead, I was joined from behind by two riders including Miguel from PAA. Knowing that we had three laps left, I didn't try too hard to keep Miguel behind me. I quickly learned that was a mistake: he punched it hard out of every turn leaving me to close the gap. I managed to keep up with him but it was definitely hurting. The third rider with us stayed behind us for the most part but did throw down a couple of attacks. The first was pulled back easily by Miguel and I. The second, however, with just over a lap to go was a bit stronger. We weren't closing it down and, in fact, Miguel had managed to gap me as well. Then something happened that changed the game. I was passed by Brian Lopes (ex-World Champion MTBer) who was leading the Masters 35+ 1/2/3's. Oh crap - that means that we're finishing at the end of this lap [for those non-cyclists reading this, all riders finish on the same lap as the leader - even if they are in different fields of the same race]. I pushed as hard as I could and caught Miguel just before the finish straight. We hit the pavement with 50 meters to go and I sprinted for all I was worth. A bike throw got me in front of Miguel by an inch or two netting me 17th (out of 48) for the day. I felt pretty good, I raced hard, but sometimes the results just don't come. To top it off, I lost the series leader's jersey to Josh K. We're now tied on points but his 10th place finish (compared to my 17th) tilts the tie-breaker his way and gives him the lead. He definitely earned it...and now I have a little extra motivation for Storm the Beach next weekend.

I'm still hopeful for my goal at nationals of finishing on the lead lap. Lopes barely lapped me even though he started ~2 minutes in front of our field. Plus, I had a slightly off day. It certainly won't be easy, however. Especially since, according to the preliminary start-ups recently published, it looks like even though I was the second Cat 3 to register, I'm in the 13th row. Maybe I can pull a Prenzlow and catch onto the lead group by the end of the first lap. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

Now some of you may be wondering about feature event of Spooky Cross: the costume race Well, for that you can read El Chongo Peuldo's race report elsewhere on this blog.

"Au revoir, gopher!"

2009-10-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

We can all thank our little furry friends, Thomomys (otherwise known as the North American pocket gopher), for our trips to the chiropractor following El Dorado! I am pretty certain most people will agree that this course was one of the most bone jarring in recent memory. It certainly gives Hanson Dam a run for its money in terms of bumpiness. Bumps aside, the race itself was mediocre for me.

The one thing Dave and I really focused on during the off season were my starts or lack thereof. I can say with confidence that I have pretty much nailed them down and usually can get off the line pretty close to first. My ability to maintain that position---well, that's an entirely different story, one that frustrates me to no end! So, here we go.

The massive women's field lined up at the start looking down a long paved straight. I squeezed my way to the front with everyone else since there were for some reason, no call-ups. The start was messy again, elbows, f-bombs, and flies were dropping furiously as we all raced down the straight dodging the massive bumps caused by tree roots uplifting the pavement. We flew into the sweeping first turn before launching into a blanket of pine duff and into the first set of barriers. I was not "on" today. I got myself stuck in traffic and couldn't really break out. Oh well. It's racing and the best thing to do is keep racing. I managed to stay near the front group for awhile but was quickly dropped and was chasing AGAIN! I am not sure what's going on but once I lose contact from the lead group, I have a really tough time making up time. It's almost as if my legs turn off and I am spinning in the mud going nowhere. My racing buddy, Carlyn, and I have been asking ourselves frequently this season, "how come we start at the front but always end up in the back?" That being said, Carlyn and I traded places throughout the race and were chastised more than once by her husband for "chit-chatting" and "having a tea-party!" Admittedly, we could talk so we probably weren't working hard enough. As for the tea party, I didn't see any tea and crumpets (did you, Carlyn?). So, as fast as the race began, it ended. I have no excuses for my poor performance except to say, "it just wasn't my day!" Thankfully, Carlyn and I push each other and often encourage each other just at the right time. Better yet, even though we race in the same field, we aren't technically racing against each other for points since we're in different categories--so it's a rivalry based in friendly competition and an effort to get better. Carlyn went on to do another race that day; I went on to enjoy the crazy chaos of Camp Celo.

As we drove home, Dave and I dissected my race and tried to figure out what I need to do to make the leap from mediocre performances to "sizzling" performances. It sounds like the recipe involves more intervals and intensity...

An off day

2009-10-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Warming up in Camp Celo. Lots o' grommets with pink, sparkly hair.

It's not unexpected to have an off day every once in awhile. Hopefully after SCPS #6 in Long Beach, mine is now out of the way for the season. Being human, I'm good at making excuses for poor performance:

1. Flu shot mid-week took it out of me.
2. Too many intervals in the previous week.
3. Bad choice of tire pressure.
4. I don't do well on bumpy courses.
5. Allergic to pink hair spray.

Regardless of the above, neither my head nor my legs were behind my effort on Sunday.

The lead-up to the race was pretty much the usual so no need to go into detail here. I should note, however, that O and S had a great time with the other Camp Celo kids doing body paint and spray-on hair coloring.

Cut to the race...

Staging was a mess - though I still managed a front row spot. They called us up before the the Masters 1/2/3 started. I was caught off guard and lined up on the bumpier side (it didn't make a difference but it was still a mistake). The starting stretch had tree root induced heaves that would make any parking lot speed bump envious. The whistle blew and the 41 rider field sprint to the first turn began. I settled for ~5th position as we transitioned onto the grass. Just after the first hairpin, I hit a tree root and bottomed out. Hmmm...that didn't seem right. A couple more turns, over the barriers, down a sidewalk, then into a couple of hard turns. The rear tire seemed really loose. To try and help soak up some of the bumps on what is might be the bumpiest course in SoCal (yes, even bumpier than Hansen Dam) I was running very low tire pressure - probably down around 30 psi. It seemed just right on the warm up lap. However, when railing a turn at race pace, there's a bit more centripetal force. Challenge tire sidewalls are nice and supple which makes for great grip on turns and cambered sections...that is until the pressure is too low then the sidewalls squidge out in the middle of the turn, usually breaking traction. That was happening a lot. In fact, I had to clip out several times in order to save myself from sliding out. As I fell further and further back in the field I decided to go for a bike change onto my single speed in the pit. Coming by the pit, I yelled at Dan and Maria who were watching the race from lounge chairs nearby. "Bike change!!! White Redline!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that they had heard and were scrambling across to the pits. Half a lap later, I came through and they were waiting. I was so focused on the change (I've only done a real bike change once before in a race) I forgot to tell them what was going on. Thankfully, Dan yelled as I was racing away, "What do you want us to do to it?" I replied, "More pressure both tires!" Once on the singlespeed, the higher tire pressure had me bouncing around more, but the turns no longer felt like they were covered in Crisco. Because I'd been holding back a bit, I managed to catch a rider or two on the next half lap. Coming back through the pits, Dan and Maria were there again with the tires on my Fort pumped up to a much more reasonable pressure. (Thanks, guys - I definitely owe you for your help!) So now I have a bike that's functioning properly, relatively fresh legs, and my head is in the game for the first time all day. Alas, it was a bit too late. I caught a couple more people and ended up in 17th place. I had to console myself with the thought that I would have been excited with that finish last year.

You can see Ken Scott's POV video of the race here. I like how it really captures the bumpiness of the course. I have some air time starting at ~6:30 until Ken gets wrapped up in the course tape - then again starting at ~11:10. At ~12:10 you can see my bike change onto the Redline. I want to give a big shout out to Ken for making these videos. They are a blast to watch. They also help me remember various parts of the course and race - the lactic acid haze is definitely not memory enhancing - thus I need all the help I can get. They're also great for sharing with friends and family - especially those who do not quite understand cyclocross.

Shaking out the cobwebs

2009-10-21T23:16:00.000-07:00

The kind of weekend it was: on/off. Photo courtesy of Mark Campaigne.

I now have two weeks of racing to catch up on. Bonelli Park (revisted) on Oct. 10-11 was memorable and not-so-memorable. Saturday's race actually went pretty well for me. I had a great start, managed to outdistance a crash behind me, and did well to nearly catch back on to the lead group. With one lap to go, I crashed myself in a tricky little turn near the last hill climb. "Swoosh!" There went my wheel and suddenly I am laying on the ground like turtle on it's back still attached to my bike. Such is life. My friends all tell me, "Dinorah, if you crash going hard then you were going hard! It's racing." And, so it was. I finished in 4th and was actually pretty happy with that result.

The weekend was our first time this season doing back-to-back race days. To minimize traveling, we decided to spend the night in San Dimas. This was a good decision and a bad decision. It was good because we didn't have to wake up at dawn on Sunday and we could leisurely make our way to the venue. It was bad because S decided that she didn't want to go to sleep Saturday night. At one point, Dave even took her for a drive in hopes that she would fall asleep. When he left with her, I half expected a call from him telling me that he was driving home to San Diego and would pick O & I up in the morning. Fortunately, she did finally fall asleep though not in the car.

The race itself was...well... another race. I liked the course for the most part. It was challenging and had enough variety to make things interesting. As for my performance, it wasn't what I had hoped for. I had an okay start. Unfortunately, the call-ups were kind of messy and therefore the start was messy. We all squeezed up to the front and subsequently, there was some pushing and shoving going on. As we funneled into the dirt, a lot of squealing brakes could be heard and I nearly rear-ended Carol who nearly rear-ended Robin. After the near-carnage-experience, Carol and Robin made the break leaving me chasing for the rest of the race. Since I felt like I didn't work too hard, I decided to try my hand at the Women 1/2/3 race...

To summarize my experience in the Women 1/2/3's: they were fast, I was slow! But, I still had fun It was kind of a last minute peer pressure decision to do it. There were only 6 of us lined up at the start and the prizes went 5 deep. Someone was going to be the odd duck out. I was pretty sure it was going to be me. It was. But, I enjoyed the experience and realize how much I have to do to make the leap to the next level.

So, there you go. Two more races down, a lot to go until Nationals. Woohoo!

Video from SCPS #6 - Long Beach

2009-10-20T00:12:00.001-07:00

The Women 35+ and Women 3/4 attack the barrier on the first lap.

Here's a video from last weekend's race at El Dorado in Long Beach. You can see it in a bit larger (but not distorted) format on our Flickr stream here.

What's old is new again

2009-10-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

My old Philippe cyclocross bike is up for sale on eBay by the folks I sold it to. It's even the subject of a thread on this forum. I hope it finds a good home.

With a little luck...

2009-10-14T00:31:00.000-07:00

Snazzy yellow jersey. Photo courtesy of Jesús Ortega.

I can't believe 1/3rd of the 'cross season is already over. We just finished races #4 and #5 of our fifteen race series. I must have been building up some good karma since all the breaks seemed to go my way this weekend.

My first lucky break happened Friday night. Online registration for the Cyclocross National Championships opened at 9:01 pm PDT. Registration order impacts your position on the start grid: the earlier you reg, the better. I tried to log into the registration service, SportsBaseOnline, at 8:55 pm. It took several minutes to get to the login page, then several minutes to get to the registration page. Hmmm...grim. Then I made one more click and saw this. The server had crashed. Cyclocross Magazine has a nice article on the whole sordid tale here. Anyway, after kvetching by phone and online with several friends also trying to register, I went back to packing for the weekend. Occasionally, I'd stop by the computer and try to reload the SBO site. No dice. Finally, as I was about to set the alarm clock for an extra-early wake up (so I could reg before leaving), I gave it one last try. My jaw dropped when at 12:20 am, the site came up. Perseverance - mixed in with more than a little luck - had paid off. I reg'd myself (I was among the first 10 of my field to sign up) and then Dino (she was in the top 3). When I woke up in the morning, there were already 90 registered in the Masters 40-44 field. As of this writing, the field is up to 169. Some notable people in my field:

Don Myrah: Elite National CX Champion when I started racing 'cross in 1990.
Bart Bowen: the last time I raced nationals was in 1999 (in the 30-34 field). Bowen was there too - he placed 2nd in the elites. I think he has a couple of USPRO championships too.
Former Wazzu teammate John Bravard.
Current Celo Pacific teammate (and umpteen time SoCal champion) Brent Prenzlow.
SoCal Crossers Al Morinaka, Geoff Albert, Donny Carroll, and Jeff Herring.
And a handful of riders from my Spokane 'Cross and MAC days.

So back to this weekend's racing...

Saturday Oct. 10 - SCPS #4 - Bonelli Park - San Dimas, CA

We arrived early as usual and set up Camp Celo. After Dino took a recon lap, she hopped on the trainer giving me a chance to sneak out for a lap between races. It was a nice course: typical of a grassy SoCal regional park with a little bit of everything. The only thing I didn't like was how bumpy the course was (it wasn't Hansen Dam bumpy, but it was still rather bone jarring). Ken Scott, one of the Masters 35+ 3/4 riders shot POV videos of both days that can do more justice describing the course than my words. Check them out here and here.

After my lap, I sent Dino off for her race and started my warm-up. As I was about to get on the trainer, I looked down at my front tire and saw a goat head thorn protruding from one of the knobs. Uh oh. I held my breath and slowly pulled it out. No hissing noise. Whew! I'm not sure if it didn't go in deep enough or if there was some residual Stan's sealant in the tire but that was my second major stroke of luck for the weekend.

Done warming up, it was off to the start line. I have to admit, I'm getting used to receiving a call-up. It's like achieving Premier status in your Frequent Flyer program: once you taste the good life, you never want to go back to scrumming with the masses. Today's call-ups, however, were somewhat strange: I was the only rider in the top eight of the standings at the start (there were 22 of us in total) so the only one with a call up. No matter. The whistle blows and we're off. No hole shot for me today - I'm second into the grassy chute at the end of the starting straight. Of course, the only rider to beat me is the guy with the POV camera. I never saw him again so no air time for me. Riders start slipping by me and I work my way backwards to 12th place before I begin to move up again. As usual, I completely lost track of my position. On the last 1/4 lap I ended up catching and passing a rider who then glommed onto my wheel. I punched it hard off the top of the hill above Camp Celo and railed it in the long straight leading up to the pavement finish. At the end of the straight, there was a chicane where somebody had missed the turn and taken out the course tape. I'm not sure if it was the lack of oxygen to the brain or the fact that there were two guys holding the tape trying to repair it but I blasted right through the course tape with a loud POP and an equally loud expletive from me. Fortunately, it didn't slow me down too much and I managed to hang on to my position. I was happy with my ride: hard effort, no major mistakes, and a slightly surprising 5th place finish. Looking at the results I realized that with Wendel, the previous leader getting a DNS, I'd moved into the lead of the series.

That night, we stayed in San Dimas at a "host hotel" arranged by the promoter (thanks, Dot!) All evening, part of my brain was a bit preoccupied - or perhaps stunned - with the idea that I was series leader. It still hasn't sunk in yet.

Sunday Oct. 11 - SCPS #5 - Bonelli Park - San Dimas, CA
They say wearing the yellow jersey helps you ride a level above. I think it might be true.

Because the hotel was only 10 minutes from the course and because the race was sanctioned by ABR instead of USA Cycling - which meant that we could warm up on the course (carefully) while races were going on - we didn't have to get to the venue too early. After setting up camp and while O & S were getting their fingernails painted with glittery fingernail polish (thanks M!) I wandered over to registration. Dinorah reminded me that being leader meant I got a leaders jersey. So after signing in, I picked up a snazzy yellow jersey. I also found out that the reason I moved into first place was because the previous leader, Wendel Woodford, had crashed at Irvine Lake and broken his collar bone. Tough break...literally. Rumor has it that Wendel is back on his trainer. Hopefully we'll see him back racing soon. It's not the way that I'd like to take over as series leader, but that's part of racing.

The course was similar to Saturday's but a bit less technical: a couple of the turns were widened and a few of the zig-zags removed. All-in-all in tipped the balance away from handling and towards fitness. Other than getting the jersey, my pre-race ritual was pretty usual.

I lined up with 18 other riders, got my call-up, and we were off. Once again I missed the hole-shot by one rider but had good position throughout most of the first lap. I had slipped down to 9th place but realized that places 1-8 were grouped together just a few seconds ahead of me. On the stairs during the second lap, I made contact as the front group bunched up. I then started moving up through the group. At the end of lap 2, we crossed the finish line and I heard the rider next to me exclaim in disbelief, "Four to go?" I was at my limit and realized that if we did four more laps at this pace, they'd have to carry me away in an ambulance. Somehow I managed to hang onto the back of the group, now whittled down to five. However, part way through our 4th lap in a loose, rooted section, my focus lapsed for just a moment. It was enough for my front wheel to wash out and my foot to dab. That was it - I was gapped. Mentally, I was done, kaput, fried, toast. I started riding at my max sustainable pace just hoping to hang on to my place until the end. It wasn't fast enough. A PAA rider caught me near the pits on the last lap and it was all I could do to stay close. Knowing that a pass would be hard in the last section of the course, I buried myself to get by him just before the Camp Celo hill after which I managed to keep him behind me through the turns. I then poured on the gas on the downhill and kept going all the way to the finish line. That hurt. Fifth again though - can't complain. It was pretty cool riding in a group at the front of the race - something I've often seen but only experienced one other time.

I have no illusions that I'll be able to keep the jersey to the end of the year. It's really a temporary award for my exemplary attendance record - I've completed all five races to date - not my fitness or skill. Once we start dropping scores (only the best 10 of 15 races count), I'll start slipping down the standings, if not before.

I'll post a media update in the next couple of days. Once again, there's lots of good photos from the two days of racing and some exceptional videos.

No quarter will be given

2009-10-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

It seemed like there was always somebody right behind me.

Coming down the drop-in. Photo courtesy of Al Morinaka.

Set up Camp Celo: check.
Set up bikes & wheels: check.
Spare bike & wheels in pit: check.
Course recon: check.
Warm-up: check.
Call-up: check.
Hole shot: check.
Get passed by a few riders: check.
Settle in: ummm...not exactly.

As you can see, although the lead-up to my race at SCPS #3 (Velocity Cross/Irvine Lake) was fairly normal, the race itself didn't quite play out to my expectations. Maybe I should start from the beginning...

We arrived early and got a prime spot inside the course tape and next to the pond (thanks, Al!) along with the Campaignes and the Ortega clan. We set up our impulse purchase (a pop-up canopy) and Camp Celo was ready to go. The course was a bit different than last year. I was disappointed to see the slopeside turns in the first section were missing along with the "tree-berm slalom" in the last section. I did like the new barrier placement that helped riders with smooth dismount/remount technique (photos of mediocre barrier technique here and here). The course was also significantly lengthened but the dirt section they used (nicknamed "Little Anza") wasn't much to get excited about. Throw in a couple of long headwind sections, and you get a course that is challenging but not terribly selective. Don't get me wrong, this is one of the best venues in the series and even with a few minor nitpicks on my part, still one of the best courses. There was one serious flaw, however, in this year's course design: the pit was just before the section you were most likely to flat on. This turned out to be rather unfortunate for several riders, including Dino.

After pre-riding the course, I added a bit more pressure to my tires as well as to Dino's. The lower pressure that I started with was nice for the bumps in the grassy section but the dirt section had enough exposed rocks to worry me about pinch flats and rim damage. It turns out I didn't add enough to Dino's tires as she DNF'd with a big snakebite in her rear tire (you can read her report here). I definitely feel a bit guilty about that one. I think I'm going to have to get her onto tubulars next year (less chance of pinch flatting).

In lining up for our start, I tried to count the number of riders on the line. I counted 44, before losing track. It was the biggest Masters 35+ 3/4 field of the year and, I think, the second biggest field I've raced in SoCal. Thankfully, I received a call up so didn't have to scrum for a good position on the start grid. The whistle blew and off we went. I did get a hole shot into the first right-hand sweeper (video evidence here) but there were a lot of fast riders in the field so I gave up a few positions in the first half lap or so. Of course there was plenty of bumpin' and grindin' going on - but nothing too hairy. The thing about the race that struck me as unusual was that I was never able to relax. There were always people right behind me and I had to defend my position in every turn and every straight right up to the final meters of the race. On the last lap, I had to make several strong surges and strategic line changes to fend off passes. The final assault came on the stair run-up with just a few hundred meters to go: a guy passed me on the inside while I was remounting but he had too much speed to remount himself before the ensuing drop-in. He ran down while I skirted the course tape and prayed that he wouldn't trip, cartwheel, and take me out. I made it to the final pavement straight unscathed and punched it for all I was worth. A bike throw saved the day and I ended up making my goal of a top ten finish (for the record, I was 9th). I think another 4-5 guys finished in the next 10 seconds. Yikes! Lesson learned: fight to the end or go home.

Wanting to work on my fitness a bit, I'd signed up for the Single Speed 1/2/3 field which immediately followed my Masters race. A quick trip back to the car for water, Clif Shot Blocks, and help changing numbers. The latter turned out to require a city planner, an anesthesiologist, and a Leatherman tool (thanks Laurie and Carol!) Then a quick swing by the pits to pick up my single speed and back to the start line. I knew that I was too hashed - and perhaps a bit too outclassed - to take this race seriously so I lined up at the back. Starting about ninety seconds after the Men 3/4's, we took off with the whistle. The starting sprints of single speed races have always struck me as a bit humorous: after the initial acceleration, all the riders are seated and spinning tiny gears as fast as they can. For some reason, it reminds me of an old Sesame Street vignette with Grover riding his bike for all he's worth. (okay, maybe that's peering a bit too deep into my psyche). Back to the story...having sat around between the races, my quads immediately filled with lactic acid - mental note, next time make sure to spin out the legs between races. Needless to say, I was quickly popped off the back. I worked through the burn and settled into a nice tempo. knowing that the Elite Women would soon be nipping at my heels. I never saw a single speeder on the course again. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it took the lead women a few laps to catch me and equally surprised that I was only passed by a few of them (if I recall correctly, the last time I raced with the Elite Women, several of them lapped me). I was more surprised, however, that I started passing riders in the Men's 3/4 field. The greyhound/rabbit effect definitely encouraged me to ride a bit harder. Many of the riders understandably didn't realize I was in the single speed field and tried to defend their positions. In fact, on the last lap, one of the riders was a bit too aggressive trying to retake his position after I had passed him and he took himself out in the course tape just a few hundred meters before the finish and lost several places.

Once again for the record, I finished an unspectacular 15th (out of 17). But I had fun, was pleased with my racing, and even more pleased by the fact that I wasn't lapped.

Post race meal: leftover cupcakes from Clare's birthday and carne asada fries.

Big kudos to Celo Pacific for once again having 20 riders on the start line. Also, kudos to Team Velocity and the SCPS crew for putting on an excellent race. Next weekend: back-to-back race days in San Dimas.

"Momma said there'd be days like this..."

2009-10-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

Off the bike...

...over the barriers...

...and back on. Thanks to Mark Campaigne for the photos!

Lately, it seems like consistency has not been part of my training vocabulary. I've been struggling to find time (or make time) to hop on the stationary trainer. When I do hop on, I am barely capable of doing anything more than 80% efforts. I'd like to blame this inconsistency and general funk to my Achilles injury but that excuse has just about lived out its days. Now, it's just laziness or a funky funk. I am not sure which is more true. On the days I am not at physical therapy (just four more weeks), I try to head to the YMCA for some weight training and cardio work on the elliptical machine where I am focusing on my glutes, hamstrings, and quads (no calves as per my physical therapist since we're still treating my Achilles' tenderly) and then some trainer time either in the wee hours of the morning or waning hours of the night. That being said, this was not a consistent week. Only three days on the trainer and no days at the YMCA. I wasn't sure what Sunday would bring at Irvine Lake.

First of all, there was something different about today's race. It wasn't blazing HOT! In fact, it was downright cold---so cold that I wish I remembered sweat pants and a heavier jacket (then again, I am a cold-wuss). Secondly, we arrived with plenty of time to leisurely set up our campsite in the infield with our fellow Celo families, get the kids settled in, and still have time to jump onto the course for a lap before the officials shooed everybody off. As I rode the course, I had a renewed sense of confidence. The course was twisty, slightly slippery in places, and a little scary but nothing I couldn't handle. The race would be fine as long as my racing legs were with me and my mind was in the game. I didn't expect a spectacular finish but I expected to be up in the front somewhere.

Finally, after a series of delays, it was time for our race. I rolled to the start line only to be surprised by 1) a huge women's field (at least 40) and 2) the return of one of my favorite racers, Carol. I guess I was a little late in getting to the start line because I couldn't squeeze to the front if I even tried. We were packed like sardines and no one was giving up their spot. Oh well, I'd have to figure something out. Then it occurred to me: " I get a call up!" Woohoo! After my call-up, I started my mental preparations. Was I in the right gear? I thought so. Were my pedals in the right position? Yep! Was I focused? Yes. Was I ready to go for the hole shot? I'd try. Within a minute, we got the 30 second countdown, then the 15 second countdown, and then the whistle went and so did I! I pedaled hard, cranked my bike, and wildly, I was practically the first person to the gravel. I managed to hold on to this position for quite some time but as with all good things, my sweet position ended. I was swallowed up and found a comfortable spot mid-pack surrounded by my buddies. Although I was a bit discouraged by my inability to hang on to the front group, I kept working with an eye to what was ahead. Little by little, I started reeling people in. I don't remember seeing lap cards or hearing how many laps we had to go but I knew we were getting close to the end because the masters men were starting to lap us (some more graciously than others). I recall Dave yelling, "get your head into it." Fair enough. It was the little spark I needed because I did tune out of the race momentarily. And, then, it happened. I heard a funny sound, my bike got squirrely and I knew the unfortunate truth: "Game Over!" I flatted somewhere on the back 40, just past the pit. The rules say you have to move forward to the pit (no doubling back) so it would have been nearly a mile of running to get a wheel change. Not wanting to toast my Achilles with a long off-road run, I decided to pack it in. It was only the third race of the season and there are a whole bunch more to come. My Achilles really are still a bit tender so there is no sense in throwing it away so early. I'll race again another day. Indeed, "Momma said there'd be days like this." And so it was.

Next week will find us back at Bonelli Park in San Dimas. Hopefully, it won't be hot and the planets will be more aligned for me. Little by little, the pieces are coming together and I am starting to dream about Nationals and not finishing dead last.

Balancing on a thread

2009-10-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

Dino slogging up the start hill.

On the podium.

"Where are we racing, Honey?"
"East of Temecula, in the desert."

"Oh, so you mean out in the middle of nowhere with only the cactus and snakes to cheer us on."

"Pretty much."

The nice thing about racing locally is the fact that we didn't have to get up with the roosters in order to get to the race on time. But, we did because we wanted to get there early enough to help set up "Camp Celo" and to ride the course at least once before the officials declared it closed to everyone except those racing. That being said, we arrived just as planned. After getting the girls settled and myself dressed down, I took off on my bike across acres and acres of kitty litter. I followed the tape and assumed I was going the right way until I got to the top of a really steep hill that looked fit only for a bighorn sheep and the motorcycles that were literally flying by me. Fortunately, I wasn't alone in this wayward adventure. A couple of other guys and I determined we were going the wrong way and turned around. We made our way through the sand, over the "whoop-de-doos" and eventually back to the start/finish area. Dave wondered what took me so long but understood when I told him I got lost. After a brief discussion of the course and whether or not I was really going to race, he decided to let out some air in my tires. I wasn't sure it would make a difference but Dave assured me it would. With about 40 minutes to go before my race, I hopped on the trainer for a slow but steady warm-up while Dave slunk out for a lap on the course. The girls, thankfully, were preoccupied with the dirt and all the things they could bury. Life was as good as it gets before a race.

It still amazes me how many women are coming out for the races this year. It's actually very exciting. What's more exciting is the fact that there are more moms on the start line than ever before! We all laugh about our various training regimes (vacuuming and picking up toys count as intervals, right?) but when that whistle blows, we're all about racing (and "loving" the 45 minutes of pure mommy time!) Sunday's race was no different. Sort of. We had a deep and diverse field considering the distance from the center of SoCal. After a seemingly long delay in the hot sun (did I mention it was hot?), we're called to the line. No one is really going to get a hole shot since it was basically a slog-fest to the top of the hill before a tight right run-up followed by the first series of "whoop-de-doos." I can't tell you too much more about the course from there on out because I was focused on breathing and not crashing. Pretty much in that order. I had a decent start and was near the front for the first 1/4 of the race and then I seemed to slow down or people sped up. I am not sure which. But, anyway, I realized it was time to turn on the motor and start reeling people in. One by one, I was catching and passing people. In this particular race, all my cross-training with the fully loaded double BOB stroller served me well (as long as I didn't think about the aching in my achilles) as I was able to make up time on the run ups and remounts. Yet, somewhere around lap 3, I started feeling goofy. I was a little blurry eyed and dizzy but that's normal when my lungs are popping out of my chest. I was working like crazy to catch the lead group. Maria and Leigh were way out of reach although I'd see them every so often and delude myself into thinking I could catch them if I could go just a little harder. Those hard efforts allowed me to catch my teammate, Laurie, who was also on fire, and eventually pass her. However, as I passed her and another teammate, Lee Wilmore (he's so elegant!), I realized I was feeling chilled and had chicken skin on my arms. I gasped this information to Laurie who informed me that she was feeling the same way. Since she was beet red (I was probably purple by this time), I asked her if she wanted me to stay with her. She told me, "No, go on!" So I did with her right behind me, cheering me through all the goofy stuff and over the barriers to the finish line. Upon crossing the finish line, all I wanted to do was puke. Laurie, too. I managed to get myself back to Camp Celo, shivering and feeling pretty out of it. Dave quickly loaded me up with fluids and found me a towel to wrap around myself while I rehydrated and recovered. Whew! I won't even mention the effects of the dust on what I have finally come to accept as exercise induced asthma. Yeah, I was in dismal shape. But, I was on the podium for the first time this season.

Hopefully, Sunday's race in Irvine won't be so intense in terms of conditions. Although, it's supposed to rain...More of the regulars will be out so it should be a competitive and fun race.

SCPS #2 Media

2009-09-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Lots of good photos and a podcast from last weekend's racing:

Our photo set from SCPS #2 has been uploaded to Flickr.
Paul Avila posted his podcast recap of the race (including a shout-out to our humble blog) on Spike Lab.
If you're a Facebook member, you can check out Andrew Dickinson's photo set here.
And, as always, the SoCalCross photo pool (including our Flickr set) can be found here.

If you know of any other non-commercial photo sets from the race, please leave a link in the comments.

25 p.s.i.

2009-09-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Descending the whoop-de-doos. Photo courtesy of Andrew Dickinson.

There's something preternatural about still photos of remounts. Photo courtesy of Andrew Dickinson.

SCPS #2 is in the books. Held at Cahuilla Creek Motocross Park (~25 miles east of Temecula) the venue could probably best be described as hot, dry, and dusty. The ~3500 of elevation just added to the effect. Don't laugh: for SoCal, where almost everybody lives at or near sea level, 3500 ft is like the French Alps. The official high on the day was 96° F but several car thermometers recorded temperatures well over 100° F. For various reasons (a discussion of which you'll have to find someplace else), promoter Robert Herber had to move the race from Vail Lake to CCMXP. Vail Lake would have been a more typical venue for SCPS with grass, a lake, trees, picnic tables, etc. CCMXP has sand...and some dirt too...and I think I saw a couple of stunted bushes out along the course. Given what he had to work with, Robert did a great job in designing a course (more on that later).

We arrived early so that both Dino and I would have a chance to warm up on the course. Thanks to Celo's Don Elling, the pop-up canopies of Camp Celo were set up and ready to go when we arrived on scene. Without the shade from the pop-up's the day would have been completely miserable (thanks again, Don!) The Camp Celo kids (10 in total) had a blast playing in the dirt, climbing trees, and exploring the general area including a giant water tank and a pile of old MX tires.

I managed to set up the bikes in time to send Dino around the course for a warm up lap before the kids race started. Apparently the course wasn't completely set up and she and a few others riders got completely lost. Unfortunately, by the time she made it back, there wasn't time for me to take a recon lap. Damn. Even worse, her report was grim: sand, sand, and more sand. "It makes Storm the Beach look like a cake walk." Hmmm. Not good. "Any rocks or roots?" I asked. "Nope." Okay - I went over to my bike and deflated my tires down to ~25 p.s.i. - the lowest I've ever run them in a race. I watched the juniors start their race (five brave souls) and then asked the ref if I could hop on the course. "Plenty of real estate and only five kids out there," I pleaded. "No. The rules are the rules," was the reply. I kept my grumbling protest internal lest I risk disqualification. I set Dinorah's bike up on the trainer so she could start her warm up then, as soon as the juniors finished, I headed out for a lap. Sure enough: lots of sand and not much else. However, the low pressure in the tires let me ride most of the course. In addition to the barriers, there were only three short sections where I had to dismount. It wasn't going to be too bad. in fact, if it wasn't for the heat, the course would have been pretty fun: a long switchback trudge to the top of the course, lots of descents terminating in really loose turns and followed by a power climb, and even a couple of whoop-de-doo downhill sections. Definitely a bike handler's course.

When I got back, I lowered Dino's tires down to ~30 p.s.i. which was as low as I thought she could go without risking a pinch flat (she runs clinchers). I pushed Dino over to the start line and set my bike up on the trainer. O and S were too preoccupied in covering themselves with dirt to interrupt me too much during my warm up (though I think I had to make one run to the cooler in response to, "I'd like a PB&J sandwich, please.") More important than warming up my legs, I made sure to hyperhydrate. I took the fact that I had to pee every 15 minutes as a good sign.

Dino's race was over and after making sure she wasn't about to lapse into heat stroke (I'll let her tell that adventure herself) I headed up to the start line. There were only 11 riders starting in the Masters 35+ 3/4's this week. Not too surprising considering (1) the race was outside of LA/Orange metroplex, (2) the date competed with the State Championship XC MTB race at Big Bear, and (3) it was hot enough to boil a monkey's bum (and probably other monkey bits as well).

The race started - I didn't try for a hole shot because it was pretty pointless. With only 11 guys and a nice wide course, I figured things would work themselves out. That was a minor mistake. Though the course was wide, if you got off of the packed line, it was extremely loose which made passing slightly tricky (but not too bad). I was in 6th place at the top of the start hill. Paul Avila (Bicycle John's) was in front of me, riding his MTB (a wise choice - wider tires were definitely an advantage on this course). We picked off a rider on the way up the switchbacks on the first lap. I then slipped by Paul when he dabbed on a loose climb that I managed to ride, only to have him pass me back soon after. At the beginning of the 2nd lap, I attacked Paul on the start hill and got a solid gap going into the whoop-de-doo downhill. After a bit, I couldn't see anybody in front of me nor anybody behind me. At that point I settled in and just tried to ride a sustainable pace, ready to defend my position if need be. The officials were letting us take feeds today due to the excessive heat. Thanks to the promoter, there was somebody in the pit handing up cups of water. I tried to take one on the second lap but it just exploded in my face as I grabbed it. Oh well. I poured what was left over may back before ditching the cup. The next time through, I slowed enough to take a smooth hand-up then downed the water before taking off. It definitely helped my parched condition.

Three laps down and I was looking forward to the lap cards reading 2 to go. Wait! Did it just say 3 laps to go? Oh crap! I'll just have to tough it out. But then, over the PA, "Here comes our leader! He'll see two laps to go. I looked over my shoulder as I was heading up the start hill and sure enough, he wasn't too far behind me. As I hit the last switchback before the top of the course, I happily moved over to let the 35+ 1/2/3 leader pass. One more 1/2/3 rider caught me not too long thereafter. Then, about half way through the lap, I noticed an Incycle rider gaining on me. Due to the serpentine nature of the course, I was able to get a quick look at his number. It was 700 series: he's one of us, not a 1/2/3 rider. I'd better hustle. Going up the start hill on my last lap, I saw that he was still gaining. Not good. I picked it up another notch. That seemed to do the trick as I started to maintain the gap then widen it a bit. Then, on the second half of the lap, I saw another rider in front of me. Was it somebody I was lapping (I'd already lapped one rider) or perhaps a 1/2/3 having a bad day? As I got closer, I saw it was a 700 series number. So, not taking any chances, I gunned it. I caught the rider just at the barriers, about 300 meters from the finish line. By blasting over the barriers, cleanly remounting, and immediately sprinting, I opened enough of a gap that I could feather it through the last loose sweeping turn and across the finish line. It turns out I had just caught and passed the 3rd place rider in our field. Talking to him later, he said that he hadn't been keeping track of the laps and thought we had one more to go. I don't feel too bad beating him because that's all part of the game.

Epilogue: SoCalCross hasn't released the series standings yet but I'm pretty sure I've moved up into 2nd place in the Masters 35+ 3/4's. I have no delusions that I can finish the season on the podium but it should give me enough points that I'll be getting call-ups for at least the next few races - no more starting line scrums for a while! Until next week from Irvine Lake...

I think I saw So-Crates

2009-09-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

Dino and her race face going for the hole shot.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Dickinson.

Either I was having heat-induced hallucinations or I really did see So-Crates ringing a cowbell on the sidelines! Last year, I was shaking like a leaf before my first race. Last Saturday, at the first race of the SoCal Prestige Series, I was thinking, "Well, this should be interesting. I have no idea what the course is like because I haven't seen it!" [For why this was the case, see Dave's post]. My only knowledge of the course prior to the start came from two of our Celo juniors and what I could see from our vantage point in "Camp Celo". In some ways, warming up on the trainer instead of the course was better for me because I could put in a steady effort and really get my legs moving. Starts are my demon (i.e. suck at them!) On any given course, it usually takes me three laps to feel warmed up and comfortable in the turns. In fact, even with the occasional call-up last year, I never put in an effort to start at the front. So starts are what we practiced this summer when I wasn't running and destroying my Achilles. Practicing definitely helped as I had an awesome start at my first crit in Fresno over Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately I then wimped out and faded way off the back like a flea on a Frontline treated cat! I tried to repeat that performance last Saturday (the initial part, not the getting dropped part). Miraculously, I did it! It was pretty much Amy, Robin and I off the front going into the first turn. And, like Fresno, I was popped off again once we reached the scary stuff. But, unlike Fresno, I felt pretty fit and was able to keep up with the front group or at least keep them in my sights. The rest of the race is a blur. It was hot, I was gasping for air, and must have been working hard because I never found myself wondering what was for dinner! At the end of the day, I finished the race with a decent 4th place finish in the Master Women 35+ field. We'll see what next week brings out in Temecula in the heat. No snakes, please!

Video and photos from SCPS #1 - San Dimas

2009-09-23T00:24:00.001-07:00

M35+ 3/4 field on the first lap run up.
Video courtesy of Claire Garrido-Ortega.

The above is actual footage of me at the front (or thereabouts) of a cyclocross race. Too bad it didn't last. This was the muddy run up on the first lap of our race.

Another cool video from our race is here. This guy shot the video from a POV cam on the back of his seat post. You can see him at the -13 sec mark in the above video.

Here are links to photo albums from Celo riders Jesús Ortega and Andrew Dickinson. You can also find our Flickr set here.

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K...

2009-09-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

Going for the hole shot. Photo courtesy of Andrew Dickinson.

Setting up for the barriers in front of teammate Glenn Masuda.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Dickinson.

Climbing away from the double barriers. Photo by Dino.

Leading a group through the sand pit.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Dickinson.

The first race of the season is in the books. Both the bike and my body seem to be in working order. Dinorah, O, and S had a good time. And to cap it off, I got a top 10 finish. All and all, a good day.

Prior to this race, the majority of my experience with San Dimas was from watching Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (hence the title of this entry). It's also the place where I lost a Zefal HPX frame pump about 15 years ago after leaving it on my bumper and driving away - a bit of irrelevant trivia for you there.

We arrived fairly early at Frank G. Bonelli Park and settled into "Camp Celo" with the Campaigne and Weir clans and Annette. The communal baby sitting thing worked pretty well. Not bad considering there were eight kids ranging in age from 9 months to 12 years. A big thanks to Greg Weir for playing the utility infielder position, helping keeping an eye on everybody's kids.

A spanner was thrown into our usual pre-race prep when we found out that this year there would be no warming up on the course while races were running. Violators would be DQ'd. Rather draconian, eh? I would actually applaud the move if there was ample time between the races to recon the course. With six races squeezed into ~1/2 day there isn't significant time for being on the course between races. Lengthening the day isn't an option for most promoters as it would drive he cost of officials through the roof. That's especially true now that we're required to have five officials in attendance. Five officials you ask? I think the assignments are: chief ref, chief judge, asst judge, pit ref, roaming ref. I've done 'cross and mountain bike races where there's one guy doing the scoring and no other officials. So how do you justify five? Hmmm...I sense a conflict of interest within USAC (not like that's a new thing). Anyway, no warming up on the course makes for an exciting first lap (just ask Dino).

Sorry...I digress. Luckily, I managed to get out on the course between the juniors race and the Cat 4's. Great course design: it was nicely balanced with lots of grass, a bit of asphalt, a generous portion of loose dirt, a good measure of off-camber, an overflowing sand pit, and a smidgen of mud. It's hard to believe there was mud given the 95+° F degree temperature. Even more amazingly, the mud was on a run up. It made me wish I had my toe spikes installed - something I'll have to start keeping in my race bag. Another nice thing about the course was its length: ~3.4 km. This kept the lap times in excess of nine minutes minimizing the chance of hitting laped traffic (or becoming lapped traffic). After Dino finished her warm-up and lined up for her race, I hopped on the trainer to try and get the blood flowing to my legs. Luckily, minimal interruptions from O&S ("I'm hungry", "I have to go potty", "Help me climb this tree") let me get in a reasonable warm-up (thanks again, Greg!)

I lined up with the Masters 35+ 3/4 pack and counted 33 riders in our field. Interestingly, that was down quite a bit from the >50 riders we had start in last year's season opener at the Muck. I didn't have to try too hard to get a place on the front line. Why do I always comment on my starting position in my race reports? Well, getting the hole shot is one of my strengths so I milk it for all it's worth. This time it seemed to be worth a lot. I was the second rider into the first turn, got passed by one rider in the turn then immediately passed back. I didn't have the juice to go with the rider in first so tried to settle into second position as best as I could, going hard but not too hard. After the run up, I kept waiting to be passed - it felt strange to be leading (well, almost) and not chasing. Finally, after half a lap, a couple of riders passed me. I could have dug to catch onto them but just played it conservatively. When the next set of riders passed, I didn't have the gas to catch on. Things seemed to go downhill from there. After a few more groups of riders passed, I figured I was securely mid-pack. What my oxygen-debt + adrenaline addled grey matter didn't take into account was that all of the crashes (all on the two loose off-camber sections) were taking their toll on the field. In particular, the loose right-hand hairpin before the hard-pack run up took out at least five riders 1-2 at a time on different laps but all right in front of me. My fading continued, slowly but surely until I was struggling on the last two laps (we did five total) just trying to make it to the finish. The heat and course was catching up with others too. I managed to catch back and defend a couple of positions on the last lap (it helped that one of the riders ran into a tree while trying to pass me back). In the end, my brain once again proved that it can't count while racing: my perceived 15th-20th place finish was actually 9th place. In my 12 SCPS races last year, I only cracked the top 10 three times so this was a nice indicator that things are on track.

What did I learn?

Hole shot: good.
Crashing / running into trees: bad (luckily learned vicariously).
Cytomax: bad (again learned vicariously - thanks for doing the experiment, Paul!)
Fitness: good - but I still need to work on 'cross style endurance. Time to break out the 20x1 intervals.
Handling: incrementally better than last year. I need a little more confidence and less tripoding in the turns.
Dino: impressive fitness given minimal training and a double Achilles injury.
Celo Pacific: awesome turnout. 21 riders including 5 women.

One last note: I'm really impressed at how much web content is being created based on the series this year. To date, I've seen several blog posts, a half dozen photo sets (professional and otherwise), several videos, and even a podcast recap of the day's racing.

On the road again

2009-09-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well, less than 12 hours until I hit the start/finish line. Fitness? Dunno. Excitement? Perhaps. Groovy pink and green bike? Definitely! Celo teammates? Lots!

It's been an adventurous off-season. Completed my first half-marathon (which implies there could be more in my future) and thrashed my Achilles along the way. I was diagnosed with "Bilateral Achilles Tendinosis" in early July and have been in physical therapy ever since. I've run maybe 3 times since then and can pretty much walk first thing in the morning now. That's huge since each step was an exercise in pain since early June. We'll see how the gals respond tomorrow. I have my fancy elasto-gel ice packs on order and they should be at our doorstep on Monday morning when I need them most.

We're off to San Dimas tomorrow morning, home of the fictional Waterloo waterslides from "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure":

Bill: Okay, wait, if we were one of Europe's greatest leaders, and we were stranded in San Dimas for one day, where would we go?
Bill, Ted: [pause] Waterloo!

For those of you who haven't memorized "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" word for word, tomorrow's race is being held next door to Raging Waters Water Park in San Dimas, CA. So, if all else fails, there's always the water slides.

36 hours and counting....

2009-09-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

B&L Bikes cyclocross clinic - Sept 10 in Solana Beach.
Photo originally uploaded by Dot Wong.

The 'cross season starts in less than two days. Am I ready? Maybe. Monday evening saw me doing hot laps on my main race bike (a Fort Max.Carbon) in the UCSD grove as my last hard workout before a bit of tapering this week. On the fourth of my four planned laps, something went wrong. After weaving through some tight, overgrown singletrack, I heard an evil grinding sound coming from the back of my bike. Looking down, I noticed that the rear derailleur was in a disturbing position - i.e. in the spokes with the chain wrapped around it and no longer attached to the frame. Hmmm. This looks like it could be a problem. I walked the 3/4 mile back to my car then loaded up and drove home to access the damage. The butcher's bill: one broken derailleur hanger on the frame, one hashed Rival rear derailleur, and one bent spoke on my Aksium wheel. Was it a stick in the spokes or was the derailleur a bit out of adjustment? Doesn't matter - just need to get it fixed in time for the season to start.

Tuesday found me scrambling to get the parts that I'd need. I approached this in a diligent but not overly stressed way. If I couldn't rebuild the bike by Saturday, I'd have my single speed Redline to race on. So...first things first: get a new derailleur hanger. I put a call in to JJ at Fort Bicycles to see if they had any replacement hangers. No problem - he mailed it out the same day. (By the way, check out this nice VeloNews article on Fort.) Derailleur hanger: check. Next, I needed a new derailleur. I did the coast crawl of bike shops on my ride home from work but no Rival rear derailleur was to be had. Not good. A lunchtime derailleur quest on Wednesday also failed to turn up a Rival derailleur but did turn up a deeply discounted Force derailleur. It cost more than the Rival would have (even with the discount) but has a sexy carbon fiber pulley cage on it. Okay, I can check that off my list. Luckily the spoke on the Aksium can wait - they weren't my race wheels and we have a plethora of wheelsets suitable for pit wheels in the garage. I got home tonight to find that the hanger and a chain I had previously ordered arrived in the mail. I threw everything on the bike and even re-taped the bars. The Fort is ready to go.

Other than that, my fitness and weight are in the same ballpark as compared to the beginning of last season (a little heavier but a little fitter...we'll see how that works out). I helped teach the B&L Bikes 'cross clinic a couple of weeks ago and had a lot of fun. Riding around the clinic's mini-course, I noticed that my technique seems intact even though I haven't been doing any skills practice. The best part about the clinic was watching O bomb down the run-up hill on her training wheel bike over and over again. S, always wanting to do whatever her big sister is doing, was riding down the bottom half of the hill on her balance bike with her feet up on the front lugs.

That's pretty much it....time to hit the dirt.

Revolution Wheelworks Rev-30 Review

2009-07-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Revolution Wheelworks Rev-30 after conquering Mt. Palomar

I've been promising to write a review of my Revolution Rev-30's for quite a while. Unfortunately, right after I got them, I ended up taking a few months off the bike. Now that I'm back in shape and have a couple thousand miles and a handful of races on the wheels, I feel like I have enough data to write a legitimate review.

I'm not the first person to review these wheels. Dave Lowe from Philly-based Human Zoom did a quick and (literally) dirty review here last April based on his experience at the Tour of the Battenkill. Instead of racing across dirt roads, I decided to use a weekend ride on the lofty heights of San Diego County's Mount Palomar - featured in Stage 8 of this year's Tour of California - for my testing.

So how did the wheels do? Prior to this outing, the last time I rode Palomar was on a pair of wheels built with DT Swiss 1.1 rims, Dura-Ace hubs and Revolution spokes (3-cross, 32 hole) ...a wheelset in the classic mold: Not too heavy but not particularly light. Solid yet nicely shock absorbing. Not aerodynamic at all. The Rev-30's were a night-and-day difference. Going up the mountain, the lighter weight was extremely noticeable. On a 12 mile, 6-7% grade, the effort needed to accelerate a wheel becomes (literally) painfully obvious. When you significantly cut down on both the overall weight and the rotating mass, you will notice it on a long climb...and that was definitely the case with the Rev-30's. Once to the top, I was a little nervous for the descent. I've never liked light wheels on a technical descent. In fact, my favorite descending wheels of all time are circa 1997 Mavic Cosmic Equipes. However, at ~1900 grams they're almost 1 pound heavier than the Rev-30's. I was pleasantly surprised with the stability of the much lighter Rev-30's while flying down the switchback turns of South Grade Road. Even when the pucker factor was high (e.g. when being overtaken by a pod of sport motorcyclists in a decreasing radius hairpin turn), the wheels were rock solid and never twitchy or skittery. Every time I sprinted out of a turn, the wheels spun up instantly - a major contrast to both my DT Swiss wheels and the ancient Equipes.

As for being aerodynamic - I couldn't tell you. Because of rotational inertia, a heavy wheel will usually feel more aero than a light wheel with same shape and spoke count. I think you really need a wind tunnel to figure this out. As far as I know, there's not currently any tunnel data for the Revolution wheels. However, by comparing the data for similarly configured wheels, you can estimate that they're likely much more aero than a standard wheel (like my DT Swiss/Dura-Ace wheels), a little more aero than a Mavic Ksyrium, but not as aero as a deep-dish carbon wheel. Now go and compare the price of the Rev-30's ($550) to those other wheels and decide which is the best deal. The Rev-30's have been recently upgraded to use Sapim CX-Ray spokes which should improve the aerodynamics somewhat - and look a bit sexier.

Okay - so they're nice wheels for going up and down the side of a mountain - what about the rest of the time? Well, the wheels have been on my bike non-stop since February. I've ridden them in a few criteriums, commuting to and from work, on some major climbs and descents in the central Sierras, and on many weekend club hammerfests. I've never had to true them - even after hitting a rock at 40 mph while descending Torrey Pines that was bad enough to cut the sidewalls on my tire...so 5 stars for durability. Of the pre-built wheelsets that I've owned, the Rev-30's are the most vertically compliant (wait - I take that back...a pair of Spinergy Spox from back in the day were definitely more compliant). However, the Rev-30's have no perceivable lateral flex. I'm not quite sure how that works but I like it.

Of course, the tire choice impacts the road feel of the wheels. To date, I've run the wheels with two different tire sets. The first was a pair of Vittoria Diamante Pros. I ended up tossing them in the trash after the two high speed blowouts (one mentioned above and another coming down Palomar). I replaced them with a pair of Kenda Kriteriums. This cut down (but didn't completely eliminate) the perceived vertical compliance - and it made for even more positive handling.

One other pleasant surprise from the wheels: because of their relatively low price-point, I didn't expect anything above mediocre bearings. I'm astounded that the bearings continue to be as smooth as a petroleum industry lobbyist sliding in his socks down the marble hallways of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Good:

Light (1530 g)
Corner amazingly well
Accelerate like you wouldn't believe
Durable
Smooooooth bearings
Cheap ($550)

Meh:

It can take awhile to get used to the vertical compliance of the wheels.
The graphics are understated. Admittedly, this is a matter of personal taste but what can I say? I like flashy. The graphics are by no means ugly but they don't cry out, "Look at me! Envy my wheels!" On the other hand, I think the decals on the Rev-50's are pretty cool (Revolution guys, are you listening?)

Bad:

Nothing so far.

To sum up: buy these wheels if you want to put one wheelset on your bike and have it be good enough for everything you do. Or, if you have higher standards for your racing wheels, buy a deep-dish carbon wheel (tubular of course) and use these for training.

A disclaimer: Revolution Wheelworks sponsors my team, Celo Pacific. However, since I'm not getting paid bucket loads of money (or any money for that matter) to use our sponsors' products, I'm not required to give lip service to equipment I don't like. The amateur racer's rule of thumb is that if you don't have anything nice to say about your sponsors, don't say anything at all...and then sell the equipment next year on eBay. In other words, if I did not believe what is written above, I wouldn't be posting it in a public forum.

Dude, where're my wheels?

2009-07-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

Using the first race as a warm up is not a good thing.

Trying to come around in turn 3.

Tuesday, June 16: I can now officially add one more thing to the list “Things I’ve forgotten to take to a race”. Previous to tonight, my list included one count each for the three big ones: shoes, helmet, and license. I still managed to race each time: went home for the shoes (luckily it was a short drive); borrowed a helmet (”Misty”, a pink metal flake open faced motorcycle helmet – don’t ask); and got an official to vouch for the fact that I had a license. Also on the list are the little things you can borrow or do without: socks, gloves, water bottles, floor pump, etc. No big deal there. But this time I forgot something you can't race without: wheels. Actually, I didn’t forget them. I just brought the wrong ones. I grabbed a couple of wheel bags next to where my track bike was hanging (sans wheels)…but they were the wrong ones. Two front road wheels will not a complete track bike make. So there I am at the San Diego Velodrome dressed down in my skinsuit with my number pinned on and my naked bike hanging on the rack. Fortunately, Dinorah was planning on bringing O & S to the race (her first time out to the track). Unfortunately, she wasn’t planning on arriving until around the time of first race. An attempt to barrow a wheelset ended when the front wheel was a millimeter or two too big to fit into the front dropout. Luckily, Dinorah did make it just in time for me to make it into my first race.

The first race was (of course) a point-a-lap. Coming to the rail cold, I had no ambitions. Being endurance night, we were doing 12 laps. Not much to write about the race. I finished with no points but at least I was now warmed up. Our second of two races (endurance night meant two longer races instead of three shorter ones) was a 20 lap points race. Time to make up for my just sitting in during the first race. The first five laps went by quickly and I managed to win the first sprint, building up my confidence a bit. The three of us who contested the sprint started working together to maintain the small gap we opened. The field, however, wouldn’t have any of that. A quick chase ensued but just as we were caught, I heard the screech of metal on concrete behind me. The two of us on the very front managed to stay upright and unimpeded. We kept rolling but I was waiting for the officials to neutralize the race. It never happened. Unfortunately I couldn’t quite get my head back into the race. The two of us were caught by a rider from behind…and then another. And I managed to be just slightly out of position for the rest of the sprints. I ended up third and grumpy with my performance

As I pulled off the track, instead of heading for the warm up/down circle in the infield, I made a snap decision and headed to the rail to jump into the B’s Points race. 35 laps - what the hell - the worst that will happen is that I'll get dropped. From the start, it was a bit faster than the C’s, but not insanely so. I was just planning on hanging out at the back so that I wouldn’t impede anybody else’s race. That worked well for ~10 laps. After that, I started moving up, not on purpose – I was just following wheels. After ~10 more laps, I found myself in perfect position to counter one of the points sprints. On instinct, I jumped away as the pack slowed and regrouped. It was not a powerful, decisive attack, I just rolled off the front going just slightly faster than everybody else. A lap and a half later I was back in the fold. Luckily nobody countered and I was able to catch my breath at the back. Once recovered, I started following wheels again and ended up ~6 riders back when the final sprint started. The sprint started a bit eariler that I'm used to: out of turn 4 just before we got the bell. My legs had enough to keep glued on the back of the pack which I believe was moving at approximately warp speed. But there was no way that I would have been able to come around anybody. Needless to say I was happy to just finish on the lead lap of my first B’s race – especially after having done 20 lap race immediately before.

Next up – time to try out the B’s.

Tuesday, June 30: I discovered that the nicest thing about racing the B's is that you can get a good warm up by just doing the motor pace - no need to arrive extra early. 15 laps at the slower "C" pace then 15 laps at a faster "B" pace gives you 10 km to get the blood flowing. Very nice.

The first race was the usual point-a-lap. It didn't seem quite so painful this week - probably because I had a decent warm up. The announcer called a "wine prime" about 1/2 way through the race and I went for it - unfortunately I was too far back when I started so I turned my effort into a counter attack after the prime/point sprint and got a gap. I knew the B's are faster so I buried myself trying to pick up that one point. Ummm....tactical mistake. I opened up a huge gap but completely fried myself. When I crossed the line, I looked back and saw a rider close to bridging across. I swung uptrack in turn 1 so that I could accelerate off the banking and get on his wheel. But it was too late - my fun tickets were punched. He ended up staying away for the rest of the race. If I could have stayed with him, I would have been guaranteed second. Lesson learned #1: don't go all-in in the middle of a race.

Our second race was a miss-and-out. I used to race these on road bikes on a 1/2 mile stock car oval in Spokane - but this was my first time doing it on the track. I did it exactly wrong. The first half of the race should be spent on the inside in the front portion of the pack. The second half should be spent on the outside giving you room to contest the sprints. The other way around doesn't work very well. Lesson learned #2: miss-and-outs are all about smart racing. One note: even though it was the sketchiest race I've done on the track - it's very nature has people sprinting into the tiny, fluctuating gaps between adjacent riders back wheels - it's still a lot of fun.

The points race wasn't quite as fun. Because the A's were doing a madison as their final race, any A riders not partnered up were allowed to do our points race. They had to start ~3/4 lap behind us but, being A's and working together smoothly, they caught us not too long after the first points sprint. That wasn't what made the race hard. It was hard because we raced right from the rail - not even 1/4 lap to group together. Everything splintered from the start and I made it into the second group. When the A's came by we were so knackered from chasing, there was no chance to hang on. Lesson learned #3 - don't assume there's going to be any neutral racing - be ready to go from the rail.

Still, even with no real results, racing the B's is much more gratifying than racing the C's. Besides, this is all about getting fitness for 'cross, right? Only 75 days to go...

TNR: Beer Primes and Siamang Calls

2009-06-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday nights at the San Diego Velodrome have an otherworldly feel: beautiful pastel sunsets; watching ground squirrels thread the needle between serpentine packs of riders; a view of the Coronado Bridge that morphs from a concrete and steel behemoth to a nebulous collection of blinking amber lights; the roar of General Electric, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney turbofans in their continuous overhead procession from points unknown to touchdown at Linbergh Field; and, in the quiet moments, the eerie cries of peacocks, siamangs, and New Guinea singing dogs radiating from the zoo just across Florida Canyon. The racing is pretty cool too.

Tuesday June 2nd: Consistency was the word of the day. 4th in the tempo race, 3rd in the win-and-out, and 3rd in the points race. Not much to report from the land of the C's but I'll ramble on anyway:

Race 1 - Tempo Race: I hate point-a-lap, tempo, and snowball races. They favor a solo breakaway rider much more than a sprinter. Also, at the SDV, they're always the first race and I'm never fully warmed up for a max effort. Enough said.

Race 2 - Win-and-Out: I'd never raced a win-and-out before so I approached this as a learning experience. The plan: go all-in on the first sprint. Off the rail, we got the whistle in turn 1. This wouldn't have been a problem except that I lined up in the back and had to play jump-the-gap right up until the first sprint. Two guys punched it and I watched them ride off the front from my position mid-pack. One guy won the sprint (and the race), the other guy blew. As that sprint played out, I continued to move up but still wasn't close enough to contest the second sprint on the next lap. Three guys went for it. One guy got the sprint and two guys blew. This put me at the front of the field and I went for it with about 300 m to go. I got the sprint mainly because the five strongest guys had either won and were out or had blown and were out. Lessons learned: A) line up at the front unless you're sure there'll be a neutral lap. B) If you go for a sprint, you'd better win because you'll be done no matter how you finish.

Race 3 - Points Race: The third race was (as always) a 15 lap points race with sprints every five laps. I somehow timed it exactly right, ending up 2nd wheel in the paceline at 200 m to go for the first sprint. I got out of the saddle and accelerated with the desired effect: nobody was nearby at the line. 5 points for Dave. But there was a problem. I had completely blown. Two guys countered the sprint and got a gap as I was drifting back through the pack. I should have tried to bridge once I'd recovered. Could've - should've - would've. When the second sprint came up, I pulled away for third place: 2 more points. This time, I was careful not to go too hard and recovered quickly. Several of us at the front of the pack started working together to bring back the lead riders. I wasn't paying careful attention to the lap cards and took a hard pull starting at two laps to go. After my half-lap pull, I went to the back just as the pack ramped up for the sprint. No points. Oh well. Still good enough for 3rd.

Tuesday June 9th: The start of the evening had a preternatural feel. Traffic on southbound I-5 was so bad that I tried a short cut through Mission Valley and Hillcrest. Strangely, it worked (i.e. I didn't get lost)...and I ended up at the track only about 15 minutes after my normal arrival time even though I'd left work much later than usual. However, because it was a youth racing night, my tardy arrival meant that I wouldn't get any on-track warm-up before the motorpaced warm-up. After some unfortunate DeWalt-on-DeWalt junior crash action there was more weirdness: the usual motorpace was to be replaced by a new- and- improved, environmentally friendly, zero- carbon- footprint protocol. This meant that the A pack would be doing the pacing. None of the officials or promoters (or A riders) were on the same page about how this would work but the A's and C/D's managed to sort it out for themselves. It actually turned out to be a much nicer warm-up as the speed was higher and there was less accordioning coming off of the banking.

One last hitch in the start of the evening: just after pulling on my skinsuit, I looked down and noticed that the seam just below the zipper was starting to rip out. Hmmm...the Buddha belly is getting out of control - gotta lay off the vending machine cookies at work (and maybe start doing sit-ups again).

Race 1 - Point-a-Lap. Have I mentioned that I hate point-a-laps (and tempo and snowball races)? I got one point mid-race and finished 4th in the final sprint. Surprisingly, it was good enough for 4th place overall. Despite the better warm-up, my lungs still burned and my and legs still screamed during the race.

Race 2 - Unknown Distance:. I stayed in the middle of the pack most of the race and had just moved up towards the front when the bell rang. I missed getting an excellent lead-out by about three bike lengths. Bryan K. started sprinting at~350 m but I was a little too far back to get his wheel. By the time I caught him in turn three, I had spent a few too many fun tickets and couldn't come around. Regardless, second is not so bad.

Race 3 - Points Race (as always, 15 laps with 3 sprints): I actually sat out the first sprint on purpose with the plan of launching a counter attack after the sprint and forming a break. The plan almost worked. Two guys separated themselves during the sprint and kept going after the line. They had a 60-70 m gap but I manged to bridge in less than a lap. One more rider came across and we started working together...kind of. The Adams Ave mustache dude decided not to work. I don't have a problem with that except that instead of sitting at the back, he was pulling through to second wheel and then off with the lead rider which meant that we were effectively loosing an extra bike length every rotation. More importantly, he was disrupting the paceline. I'm sorry to report that all parties involved fell short of exercising their utmost decorum: there was some yelling and a cry of "Eat my ass!" The lack of cohesion allowed the front of the pack to catch us just as we were winding up for the 2nd sprint. I was too blown to go for it but essentially held position for 4th (1 point). Things slowed down a bit so I was able to recover heading into the final sprint. The call for a Tsingtao beer prime at 3 laps to go took two riders off the front and strung out the field. Perfect. Coming into the bell lap, I was between the sprinter's and stayer's lines and got onto the wheel of the first guy to jump. We quickly passed the two prime-chasers and properly being in the draft (unlike during the finale of the unknown distance race), I was able to come around and take the sprint and 5 points. Hmmm...6 points. Probably 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. I have to admit I was surprised to hear that I won. Cool. I'll take it.

Palm Bluffs

2009-05-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Cornerning with the pack.

Last lap carnage - part 1.

Last lap carnage - part 2. Note that the two guys on the deck are still somersaulting. Also note the guy in the red / yellow kit who hopped on the sidewalk to avoid the yard sale.

I think I might be getting too old to enjoy criteriums. Well, that's not quite right...it's more that I'm getting too old to just want to sit in during a crit and sprint for glory at the end. Why? Well, the job, two kids, wife, and mortgage change things a bit. What used to be a pleasant adrenaline rush as as you fight for position on the last lap has become much more focused, much closer to just plain fear. Also, there's a growing sense of "been there, done that". Sitting in and sprinting for a finish in the money used to be enough. Now, however, I seem to be at a place in my (Cat 4) racing career where I'd rather try and make the race interesting - for example: initiate a break that stays away until the finish. You may say "A break that stays away in the Cat 4s? Fat chance!" Read on to see if you're right.

Palm Bluffs is the nouveau name for what used to be the industrial part of Pinedale (a district of Fresno). It's now mostly car dealers, an upscale strip mall, some fancy office buildings, and a not-so-industrial industrial park. Located not too far from the former manufacturing plant for Vendo vending machines, the course of the Palm Bluffs Criterium was flat, fast, and four cornered. Being only about 3 miles from my parents' house where we were staying for the Memorial Day weekend made things exceedingly convenient. On the whole, the 35+ 4/5's field seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to get reacquainted with road racing. My last race on the pavement was just shy of one year ago. Lots of 'cross racing, a little track racing, but zilch on the road.

My warm up for the race consisted mostly of riding to the course, signing in, riding home so that Dino could pin on my number, then riding back to the course. One the start line, lots of CSC (Central Sierra Cyclists), CVC (Central Valley Cyclists), and Team Vapor riders. Probably 1/3 of the field was from one 0f those three teams. It's a good thing Cat 4's can't execute tactics very well or a three man break would have gone up the road on the first lap and the race would have been over.

When the official's whistle started us off on our 40 minutes of clockwise fun, I immediately went into hole-shot mode and was first into the first turn...and second turn...and third turn. Finally somebody pulled through and I was able to get into the draft. I spent the next several laps keeping close to the front but out of the wind. Eventually a four man break went up the road and two more riders bridged up shortly thereafter. CSC? Check. CVC? Check. Vapor? Check. Hmmm, I'd better get across the gap. After a couple hard laps of bridging solo, I made it. into the lead group. A few more riders came up from behind and we were flying. Unfortunately, it didn't last. We were back in the fold but the speed had shelled off a big chunk of the field.

With seven laps to go, a CSC rider who had been winning most of the primes took off on his own. At five laps to go, his gap seemed steady so I decided to try and chase him down instead of waiting for the field sprint. I got a clean gap on the field and settled in at my max sustainable pace. It took me two and a half laps but I caught him. Unfortunately the pack had finally woken up and we were pulled us back only a lap later. As we were caught, another CSC rider zipped by and shouted, "Get on my wheel!" His teammate from the break ignored the offer but I jumped right on hoping to recover in time for the sprint. As it turned out, with a half lap to go my legs had just stopped burning when the pack swarmed the front and I got boxed in All dressed up with no place to go. Drat! I was sitting in ~10-15th position going into the last turn when I felt somebody rubbing up against my back wheel. Sure enough, the next thing I heard was the distinctive sound of aluminum and carbon scraping on pavement (see the photos above). I managed to keep it upright and sprinted in for 13th.

What did I learn? Well, a top 5 or top 10 was certainly in my reach but I certainly had a lot of fun trying to animate the race. I don't know the next time I'll race on the road but I'm pretty sure I'll have a hard time just sitting in.

Back on Track

2009-05-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 12th: The last time I raced on the track was at T-Town in 2005. Since then, the Major Taylor has been sitting in the garage collecting dust. I've been itching to get back to racing but haven't been terribly excited about either buying a new (mountain) bike or the usual diet of local crits. With ever-enthusiastic Celo racer, Charles Cushman, racing at the track, venturing down to the San Diego Velodrome in Balboa park seemed like a good way to scratch my itch.

Not knowing what to expect, I got there at ~5:30 so that I've have plenty of time to dress down, warm up, and get registered. I'd slapped on the Lycra, emptied the bladder, claimed a spot in the infield and reg was still closed - time for a few warm up laps. My first impression of the track was that it seemed less intimidating than T-Town. They're both 333.3 m tracks with 27 degree banking but T-Town has longer straights and (I think) a wider track, giving it more vertical. Maybe I'm just not as easily intimidated as I used to be (though "old and jaded" might be a better phrase).

Once registration opened, the folks running reg wanted to know about my previous track racing experience since it was my first time at the SD track. I explained how I took a training course and raced a few weeks at T-Town. I was told that I could race as a C or D...but the D's were for "first year or really slow racers". At that point I said, "Hey, that's me - on both counts." I figured might as well start at the bottom and work my way up (plus, Charles was racing in the D's and it'd be nice to have a teammate). So I got my numbers (left and right sides) and walked down to the infield to try and figure out how to get them onto the skinsuit I was already wearing. Luckily I was able to recruit a helpful racer from Adams Ave to do the pinch-and-pin routine. Back onto the track for a few more warm up laps. I didn't go too hard as I was leaving that to the motorpace session at 6:30. Unfortunately, as the session was about to start, we were told that there'd be no motorpacing for the D's. Uh-oh. Racing with cold legs is never fun.

Our first event was a 6 lap point-a-lap race. I don't particularly like point-a-lap, tempo, or snowball races. Give me a good old-fashioned scratch race or points race any day. I followed wheels for most of the race and managed to pick up 2nd in the final sprint for a couple of points and 3rd place. With no warm-up, my lungs and legs were screaming by the end of the race which caused me to think, "What the heck am I doing? Track racing is way harder than I remember!"

Next up we were combined with the C's for an unknown distance race (I think we ended up doing ~8 laps). I started out at the back then made it to the front after a few laps. Two guys slipped away just before the bell rang for the finish but ended up winning the field sprint for 3rd overall. Not as much pain this time - the first race must have warmed me up. Hmmm...I think I'm starting to like this track thing.

In the final race of the night, we were once again combined with the C's. It was a 15 lap points race with sprints every 5 laps. Charles took off from the gun and got a gap straight away. I immediately went into blocking mode, staying at the front and slowing things down as much as I could. I even got yelled at for not pulling through - I politely explained that my teammate was up the road (though I'm not sure if that's the appropriate term on the track). I still managed to get in on the points sprints picking up enough for 3rd place. Charles impressively went wire-to-wire and collected max points in all of the sprints for a well deserved win.

General comments. Tuesdays at the SD track are much more pleasant than racing with the plebes at T-Town. Why? We raced on Saturdays (no club ride for you!), under a glaring midday sun (hot), and usually in 90% humidity (even hotter). Also, a crowd of a couple hundred people (lots of messengers and fixie-folks) come out to spectate. It's also cool to watch the fast guys race in between your races. One thing I did miss from T-Town, however, was the nice locker room: shimmying into a skinsuit in the front seat of a VW Bug is never fun.

Tuesday May 19th: Back again but without a teammate this week. The third Tuesday of the month is apparently "Endurance Night" which meant that the races would be, for the most part, a bit longer - keep in mind that 5 km is a long race in entry-level track racing. I signed up to race as a C figuring that three 3rd places from the last week should qualify me. Plus, I wanted to be able to do the motorpaced warm-up. Interestingly, while the B's and A's seem to do a fairly high quality warm up, the C's warm-up (and they let the D's join in this week) was more an exercise in crash avoidance. Every time somebody pulled off (once per lap) the lead rider would quickly close the gap to the motorcycle and initiate a rather bad accordion effect that would propagate through the pack. Of course, I started at the back where the effect was the worst. Not fun! Plus, we weren't even going fast enough to get a decent warm up - maybe I should start bringing my rollers.

First race: 10 lap tempo. Have I mentioned I hate tempo races? I guess I haven't figured out how to ride them yet. I ended up in no-man's-land between the lead and chase packs for most of the race garnering a grand total of one point by way of second place on one of the early laps. At least it got my legs warmed up.

Second race: 12 lap scratch. Now this is my kind of race. I started in the middle and followed wheels most of the race, moving up while attrition took the hind-markers. At the end, I moved up on the outside with 1 lap to go and found myself on a fast moving wheel. I went into turn 3 in 2nd position and at max effort. I'd forgotten how scary that is on a velodrome - you can feel the G-forces pulling you into the banking. I backed off a tiny bit which guaranteed that I'd have no chance of winning. Sure enough, I punched it out of turn 4 but came up 1/2 wheel short at the line. Still, I was pretty happy with a 2nd place.

Third race: 15 lap points race. Only got two points in the first sprint. In the the second sprint, I was out of position so decided to go for the gusto and attack as everybody sat up to recover. I got a gap quickly. With three to go, a rider bridged and we worked together. With two to go, another rider bridged up but it was too late - I'd spent all my fun tickets and we were caught with ~1 lap to go.

That's it, I'm now officially hooked. I think track will be my regular racing fix until 'cross takes over in the fall. Until then, see you on Tuesdays at the velodrome!

For the record:

Tuesday May 12th:
D's 6-lap Point a Lap: 3rd (2 pts)
C/D's Unknown Distance: 3rd
C/D's 15-lap Points Race: 3rd (6 pts)

Tuesday May 19th:
C's 10-lap Tempo: 7th (1 pt)
C's 12-lap Scratch Race: 2nd
C's 15-lap Points Race: 6th (2 pts)

It was all a blur...

2009-02-23T22:31:00.001-08:00

They went by kinda fast - that might be Michael Rogers
with the yellow shoes.

We went to watch the finish of the final stage of the Tour of California yesterday. I would like to have gone and watched out on the road someplace - Palomar or Cole Grade - but decided it didn't make sense to try with O & S in tow. There would have been too many official / staff / support / VIP cars zooming by at 80 mph taking advantage of the closed roads - not a good mix with frolicking preschoolers. So, instead, we headed to downtown Escondido to watch the finish. There were definitely lots of people there - I would have guessed 10k in the few square blocks surrounding the finish line. I saw official estimates putting it at more like 30k...then again, it's the job of official estimators to inflate the numbers so that the promoters can justify their marketing fees. We ended up staking out a spot under a jumbotron just after the last turn and about 250 meters before the finish line. The kids actually behaved pretty well for being kept in the same spot for a couple of hours. Things that stood out to me (in no particular order)...

Regarding Stage 8:

It was nice seeing friends - both local and from far away. Unfortunately we missed finding the BMC or Garmin camps to talk to some old friends at each.
The crowd cheered more when antler-guy and the sumos showed up on the jumbotron than when Schleck attacked.
The Herbalife free sample smoothie actually tasted kind of good (but needed more banana).
The Liquigas (pronounced leaky-gas) hoochie girls'...er, I mean marketing girls' team kits didn't have chamois.
My cowbell (purchased at D&B Farm Supply in Lewiston, ID) is way louder than those puny promotional bells that Harrah's was giving away. In fact, it was loud enough to really annoy all the people standing around us.
Greg Lemond's unofficial record on Palomar of 49 minutes still stands. That's based on the cyclingnews.com live reporting which suggests the peleton went up in ~60 minutes.

From the rest of the Tour:

California is pretty darn scenic - check out the photos here. It's worth a look.
It was fun watching the race travel over many of the same routes that I've trained and raced on over the years.
The LiveClean Devil is my hero (look here, here, here, and here).
The internet live feed is way better than the edited stuff they show at night - though Joe Silva really need to learn how to pronounce the name of the riders, not to mention the towns that the race passes though (e.g. it's vi-sail-yuh, not vuh-zail-yuh).
I'm still waiting for the Wildcat - Tollhouse - Big Creek - Sierra Summit stage. Though it probably wouldn't work in February.

Sexy Wheels

2009-02-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

Cyclocross magazine did a mini-review of Revolution Wheelworks Rev-50X wheels. I'm happy to say that Revolution came aboard as a Celo Pacific sponsor this year. I have a pair of their Rev-30 clincher wheels on order. I'll review them here after I get them and ride them a few miles. I'm also planning on getting a set of either the -25X or -50x wheels for next 'cross season (depending on our budget this fall). If you check out their site, make sure to check out their blog - lots of good insight.

1st Place!

2009-02-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

Dave leading over the barriers. Photo originally uploaded here.

It's been over 4 months (encompassing 18 days of racing) since 'cross season started last September. The weekend before last, we finally reached the end. I've got to admit that I'm both sad and somewhat relieved to finally be finished.

Most of our racing this January has been different than what we'd come to expect from the typical SCPS races and the Lou Fest race was no exception.

The lead up to the race was also a bit different than usual. Since we were staying with my parents in Fresno, my mom volunteered to take care of O & S while my dad spectated and Dino and I raced It was only the second time this season that we've had the chance to race without the girls around. I have to admit, as much as I like 'cross being a family activity, it's much more relaxed when it's just us racing.

I rode the five miles out to Woodward Park from my parent's house, signed in, and rode a couple of laps around the course. Let me digress for a moment...

I first heard about cyclocross in 1985 when I was growing up in Fresno. A friend showed me an article in Winning Magazine with photos of gnarly Euro dudes caked in mud and trudging up an insanely steep hill with their bikes on their shoulders. I thought it was pretty cool. I also wondered why nobody put on 'cross races at Woodward Park, a seemingly perfect venue for that rather peculiar sort of racing. Fast forward to 2007: 'cross has become popular enough that even small cycling communities, like Fresno, decide a 'cross series would be a neat idea. Of course they choose Woodward Park as their venue. Call me "visionary" or "ahead of my time". In this case, you'd be right: Woodward Park is a great venue for 'cross. Okay, back to the regularly scheduled race report...

I wasn't disappointed in the Lou course: a hoppable log, lots of S-turns, a culvert crossing, a well-placed barrier set, and a barely ridable hill were the main features. The only section that I didn't like was a narrow stretch with lots of tree roots. Perhaps I should rephrase that. Turkey Trot had tree roots. These were giant, nasty, mutant, pinch-flatting, monster tree roots. For a visual picture several large pythons who have just spent the weekend snarfing purse-dwelling yap-yap dogs on Rodeo Drive - only covered in grey/brown bark rather than brightly colored scales. Needless, to say the roots were a somewhat harder consistency than the pythons, leading to a rather jarring ride. Regardless, the course was definitely a lot of fun. However, it wasn't the course that made this event different; it was the fact that the races were run at night. Oh yeah, and the course wasn't lit like it was at Spooky Cross earlier this year. The only lit sections were the start/finish, the barriers, and the picnic shelter (if a disco ball counts for lighting). Fortunately Niterider was on hand to loan out some lights.

When Dino and my dad arrived, I swapped out my clinchers for tubulars, Dino and I pinned on each others numbers (they were the headplate type numbers common in BMX and MTB racing but we nevertheless managed to pin them onto the sides of our jerseys), and we got my dad settled into a good location next to the barriers to watch the race. We then took a couple of quick warm up laps and then checked out lights from the Niterider trailer. I like the Niterider MiNewt-Mini USB that I have on the handlebars of my commuter bike but I knew that a helmet mounted light was needed. So Dino and I both checked out some fancy MiNewt X2's and strapped them onto our noggins. We had time for a couple more laps (the race started ~20 minutes late) then lined up. Something else that was different was that Dino and I would be racing in the same field for the first time. On the line, I told her that if I didn't lap her, I'd give her a leg rub but if I did, she'd have to give me a leg rub. Of course she used the standard female tactic of not acknowledging my comment. That way, if she lost the bet, she'd say, "I didn't agree to that!". However, if she won the bet she'd be more than willing to accept the massage. Funny how that works.

There were ~20 of us in the Sport field, 5 of which were masters. The twilight was quickly receding as the whistle blew. I went for the hole shot and was a bit ruthless making sure I got it. I heard/felt my rear wheel make the cheese grater sound against somebody else's front wheel as I closed the door and set up for the first turn. Sure enough, I made it to the top of the hill and the bunny hoppable log in first position. Unfortunately, my bunny hopping skills are not up to snuff and I lost a couple of positions as we headed off through the S-turns. I ended up getting into a group of four that slowly rolled away from everybody else. I was pretty stoked as I took the front a couple of times early on. On the second lap, while I was in the lead, I was looking for another gear as I slogged up the steep hill and ended up shifting down a cog (something that occasionally happens when oxygen deprivation meets SRAM LeapFrog). The two riders I was with - both on tiny mountain bike gears - opened up a gap. Not too long after, the fourth rider of our quartet flatted and was not seen again.

The X2 puts out plenty of light, and the helmet mount meant I could see where I was looking, not just where the bike was pointing. This was especially important in some of the faster turns. Regardless, picking a good line is still tricky in the dark. As I raced, I was thankful for having had enough warm-up laps to get a good feel for the course while it was still light. Staying on course , however, wasn't a problem - mainly due to the ingenuity of the promoter. The course was marked with white tape and blinking amber lights. In addition, a string of LED rope lights clearly - and festively - demarcated the sweeping turn at the top of the climb.

As the course got darker, my confidence in some of the turns decreased a bit. I was safely in third overall and was pretty sure I was the first master since the two guys in front of me looked to be about 12 years old. Thus I decided that I'd just hold my position and not take too many risks. The starter predicted we'd do 6-8 laps. So, I was a bit shocked, after completing my 4th lap to see 5 to go on the lap cards It turns out we were running ~5 minute laps. With 3 to go, I started lapping riders. With 2 to go, I saw two riders in front of me in the S-turns. I closed down the gap to find Dino immediately in front of the only other woman in the race. I slipped past the other women just before a chicane and thought about gapping her off of Dino's wheel but decided that would be really uncool. So I zipped past Dino and taunted in an elementary school sing-song voice, "I'm getting a leg rub!"

To which she replied, gasping, "Where's the mountain bike woman?"

"Right behind you."

"Oh shit!"

You'll have to read Dino's blog entry to see how her race ended.

The remainder of the last 2 laps went smoothly and I cruised across the finish line in the dark. I ended up winning the Sport Masters category and in 3rd place overall in the combined Sport field. This was only my second ever win in cyclocross. The last one was way back in 1997 on a rather soggy day at the Spokane Series' EWU venue. It was also my first win in any sanctioned race since 2002. It's always nice to end a dry spell - and even more so when doing it in a hometown race.

They weren't going to present awards until after the A race so we packed up and I drove Dino and my dad back to the house only to turn around and head back to the park. I was able to watch most of the A race - I was a bit disappointed that the band playing in the picnic shelter (they were pretty good) didn't play during the Sport race. After the racing ended, the awards were handed out and I got to stand on the top step of the podium - and it felt good.

Kudos to JP and his gang for a great race! We'll be up again next year.

Good Weekend

2009-02-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

It was a good weekend for 'cross. Our journey up to Fresno was fruitful. The night race was a blast (I'll post a full report in a bit) and I managed my second ever 'cross win - and my first win in any kind of race (not counting city limit sprints) since 2004.

Also, I got to watch the Women's World Championships via streaming video here. It's on-demand so you can go and watch it anytime. Thanks Universal Sports! I managed to stay away from the computer to avoid seeing the results so was it almost like watching it live. Some armchair analysis: I just don't buy into Marianne Vos' "I was just marking the break for Daphny" spin. She sat in, didn't touch wind, and won the sprint. Where I come from, that's not cool. Hanka (whom I don't usually root for) definitely deserved the win. Katie had a great start and I thought she was going to stay away from the gun. Unfortunately, she got caught then started fading the last couple of laps. When Hanka would gun it out of a turn, Katie would get gapped. Still, a bronze medal is a great result and I bet things would have been quite a bit different if the course was covered in ankle deep mud.

Our family's favorite female 'crosser, Rachel Lloyd, had a great day and ended up driving the second group for most of the race and finishing just 30 seconds behind the lead trio.

Finally, I've got to add to the chorus of criticism around the USA team kit for worlds:

They were non-functional. Apparently the kits were leftover TT skinsuits with lots of vents to keep you cool. That's nice for summer but not such a good idea for winter which, coincidentally, is when 'cross worlds takes place.
They were ugly as sin.

Come on, USAC, you can do better than that.

Tonight, I get to watch the Men's race. More later...

Now for Something Completely Different...

2009-01-25T20:19:00.001-08:00

Dave wasn't grinning for long

They say you should learn something from every race that you do. I learned last Sunday that I have a lot of room for improvement in my bike handling skills.

The last race of the Cross Fever series marked my 17th race of the season. It appears we have the pre-race routine down pat - admittedly, it helped that Dino didn't start until 12:30 pm thus allowing a relatively leisurely departure in the morning. We arrived at the venue to find a tiny RV park nestled in a steep canyon of the Cleveland Nat'l Forest. After finding a perfect parking spot overlooking the course, I hopped on the bike for a recon lap or two. The course was...umm...different. It was by far the most technical of the season - that made it a lot of fun. However, the course was a big departure from what we've become used to in SoCal. First, the course design made it difficult to pass. A good 'cross course should allow for passing over >90% of its length. You could easily pass at most 50% of the time (probably less) on this course. Also, the lap times were short. The Men 35+ field did their first lap in ~3.5 minutes. Luckily, the fields were small so that neither of these properties caused any problems for the racers - I don't know about the officials: sorting out riders on different laps is a pain in the arse.

After my course recon, I spent the next couple of hours chasing O&S around. They had a lot of fun running through the meadow, playing on the giant concrete turtles, and hanging out with the M&M girls and their foster- dog- for- the- weekend, Bells. After Dino finished, I hopped back on the bike for a quick lap then lined up for the start.

The singlespeeders lined up with behind the Elite Men. I decided not to move to the front with my call up (I was in second place in the series) because I'd only get run over. The whistle blew and off we went, bumping around the course. To get a feel for it, check out this cool video filmed from an under- the- seat- cam in the Men/Women 35+ race (there's nice footage of Dino and Maria ignoring the official's start-line spiel at the beginning).

Within a half lap of the start, I was clear of the singlespeed riders behind me and was quickly falling behind Jeff G. from Sho-Air. The decision to switch over to survival mode was shown to be a good one when, at the end of my 2nd lap, I saw 13 to go on the lap board (did I mention that the laps were short). That means the winner of the race - who happened to be Brian Lopes, did 15 laps. Needless to say, I did significantly less (that'd be 11 for those of you keeping score). As it turns out, only one other rider finished on the lead lap, which makes me feel a bit better about being four laps down. Also, Lopes is a multi-time world champion in things like dual-slalom and four cross (both gravity events). He's one of the best bike handlers in the world and this course was practically made for him. I would love to have seen a Lopes-Prenzlow showdown on this course (sorry about your wrist, Brent!). Anyway, after much suffering, I ended up 5th on the day and 3rd overall in the Series.

Big kudos to Dino and Griffith for winning their series overall (Women 35+ and Men 3/4 respectively). Kudos also to Annette for doing three races back- to- back and winning a well deserved "Cross Fever" award.

Seventeen races down, one to go - then it's eight months until next 'cross season.

What's next? The Grand Prix Sierra Madre?

2009-01-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

Dave with beer in one hand and granola in the other

Interesting facts:

Cross Fever race #3 was held in El Dorado park in Long Beach.
Two of the fields in the race were sponsored by the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.
John Wayne starred in a 1967 western titled "El Dorado" along with Robert Mitchum and James Caan (you can see the trailer here).

Coincidence or well planned marketing strategy? You tell me.

I'd never heard of the park before but it was pretty amazing: 800 acres along the San Gabriel River in Long Beach. Lots of grass, lots of lakes, a kiddie train, and a plethora of ducks. In short, everything you need for a stellar cross course...well, a bit of mud would have been nice. Then again, mud in SoCal Cross is about as rare as a oil company lobbyist driving a Prius. Regardless, hats off to Velo Allegro for putting together a great course. I was impressed by the use of what little vertical was there as well as the off camber pine duff turns and the nicely designed jungle gym sand pit. I also particularly liked the tree trunk barrier - a pine tree whose trunk grew for ~8 feet horizontally along the ground which forced a dismount for everybody except Brian Lopes.

I think this was our most relaxed lead-up to a race all year. We didn't have to leave the house until 9:00 am, a far cry from the pre-dawn departure times common during the Prestige Series. The pre-race ritual was the usual with me getting to ride a couple of practice laps while Dinorah got the girls settled - even though the course was closed to warm up.

Pardon me while I rant: What's the idea to closing the course to warm up during racing? Sure, it's a nice idea...in concept. But squeezing in so many fields during a day doesn't allow for large enough gaps between the races to allow for proper course recon. The math is easy: Race A starts at 10:00 and is scheduled for 45 min. Race B starts at 11:00. That's a 15 minute gap, right? Wrong! Even if the winner comes across the line at 10:45, the last rider probably won't finish for another ~6-9 minutes depending on the lap length. That leaves ~6-9 minutes for warm up/course recon between each race. You really need to have 30-45 minute gaps between races if you're not going to allow non-racers on the course during races. Besides, the SoCal races have - for the most part - relatively small fields, nice wide courses, and riders who politely yield to racers during their warm up. Okay - rant over (just don't get me started on the stupid "no feeding" dogma of the SoCal officials).

The rest of my warm up consisted of chasing O & S around the plaground and teaching O how to pick her footing on the climbing wall. After Dino finished (picking up her first ever win!) I hopped on the bike for one last warm-up lap.

The race itself was a lot of fun as it turned into a tactical battle between me and a Bike Religion rider. After a leisurely start (no kidding), the race quickly broke up. Paul (Bicycle John's) and Geoff (Hup U.) moved out ahead with a Bike Religion rider on a single speed mountain bike next and then me not too far behind. I finally made contact after a lap but Paul and Geoff were nowhere to be seen. Likewise, Celo rider Annette - the fifth of our quartet - was out of the picture (unfortunately off the back due to mechanical problems). So it was just me and BR dude. I decided to sit on for a lap, watching where he'd gap me, and where he was slower than me. After sitting in exactly one lap, I tried an attack into the headwind section on the pavement thinking that my bigger gearing and more aero 'cross bike position might let me get a gap. But to no avail. BR dude caught up easily and stuck to my wheel like glue the next two laps. I tried lightly upping the pace in sections where I thought I might have an advantage but never found a definite weakness. I finally got him to come around me in the home straight coming into our bell lap. I then trailed him until the hill just before the sand pit where I took the lead. This was all part of my plan that was so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel. I wanted to be in front in the sand to avoid any chance of being taken down. Also, I thought my best chance for an attack would be following a quick remount coming out of the sand pit. It worked - I opened up a big gap and BR dude sat up. I quite happily cruised across the line for third.

Being on the podium was cool enough but my prize schwag included a envelope with cash inside - I think I can count on one hand the number of times that that's happened before. In addition, I received some high protein granola and a bottle of Simpler Times Lager. I'm not sure if they're meant to be consumed together but it might be worth a try.

So, amazingly, I'm now sitting in 2nd place in the series singlespeed category. I'd have to beat Paul next Sunday to keep the spot (fat chance!) but, barring a DNF, I should be able to keep third. Not too bad for a couple of weeks of JRA.

Vinyards and Whine

2009-01-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

Riding through the vines at Talley Vineyards

January marks the beginning of the second part of 'cross season - the part where we're just going out to have a good time and don't care how we finish. With that in mind, we headed north to Arroyo Grande (a suburb of Pismo Beach) a couple of weekends ago for some central coast jungle 'cross at Talley Vineyards.

At the end of Decmeber, I had some minor elective surgery. Cyclocross (specifically the remounts) is contraindicated while recovering from this particular type of surgery. Luckily, everything healed up quickly - frozen peas can work wonders! - and I was good to go for racing. That is, except for one minor detail: I hadn't been on a bike since Santa Cross - three weeks prior. Now this wouldn't have been a problem except that this wasn't your typical SoCal 'cross course. First off, it was the prettiest venue that I've raced on in SoCal. I've always found the foothills of California's central coast to be quite gorgeous - especially in their "green phase" during winter and spring - and this was no exception. The course was in a little three-sided valley with the surrounding hillsides covered in grape vines. The higher surrounding peaks were scrub grass with the occasional rock outcropping. Beautiful! But the aesthetics weren't what made it hard. The hills made it hard. That and my 42x20 singlespeed gearing. Actually it probably wouldn't have been too bad if it weren't for the aforementioned three weeks off the bike.

As this was all about having fun, I wasn't too worried about a warm-up today. There was a scheduled break of ~30 minutes between Dino's race and mine. I figured I could squeeze in a reconnaissance lap during that time. The early scouting reports by Brent and Dino indicated that the course was extremely technical so I wanted to make sure to get around the course at least once. Dino's race went a little long and ended just as I was trying to wrangle the girls to the kids race start (find the bikes, find the helmets, put shoes on O that she's just taken off, explain to S that we don't have time to stage dive into the ice plant, get O a drink of water, sprint through a gaggle of tourists looking for the wine tasting room and wondering who all these lycra-wearing freaks are with S under one arm and her bike under the other while O runs to catch up and a masters racer rides O's 12" pink bike with tassels and basket along behind us. Made it. Whew!) After handing off to Dino, it was time to preview the circuit.

The course was a flashback to my early 'cross racing days in which singletrack, bushwhacking, and 150 meter run-ups were much more common than the pristine, groomed courses in county parks that we're all used to racing on today. The big challenges of the course were the long, steep run-up; a couple of shorter steep hills; a nasty single-track descent ending on a drought cracked alluvial pan; and a bunch of culvert crossings.

Not much to report from the race itself except that I was able to finish (my only goal). Part of that can be accredited to Brent lapping me twice (I did 5 laps and he did 7 - I would have been hard pressed to do another lap, let alone 2). Also, Brent's wife, Gail, gave me hand-ups of water each lap which made a huge difference in dealing with the single-digit humidity Santa Ana conditions. Happily, I wasn't last. Out of 14 on the line (the second biggest field of the day) I ended up 10th.

True Grit!

2009-01-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

Dino's first time on the top step of the podium! Note the snazzy jerseys - our race was sponsored by the John Wayne Cancer Foundation and we all received "Team Duke" jerseys as prizes.

Let's see, counting last week's race in Arroyo Grande, I have been on my bike a total of 4 times since before Christmas. Once to race and three times attached to my trainer in the garage. Oh, and I did start running again. I think I did 4 runs in that same time period. Fitness? Hmm, not in these legs. Fortunately, I think just about everyone else who is still racing is in about the same boat although some are gearing up for the road season. Unlike every other race I've done this season, I didn't experience any of my pre-race jitters. Nope, that alarm clock went off and I just laid in bed trying to figure out a good excuse not to go to the race. Let's see, O's still sick. She might barf all over the car. She'll need a potty every few minutes. S is cranky. I'm tired. None of those worked. Dave admits that he played passive aggressive with me and merely got up and started packing the car knowing that I would cave in and decide to go otherwise I'd hate myself for the rest of the week. I am glad I did!

El Dorado Regional Park is an enormous recreation area in the center of Long Beach, CA. It's a wonderful park full of fishing "lakes," playgrounds, miles of trails for families to ride bikes together, for people to run, dogs to frolic, and an awesome 'cross venue. Our trusty albeit testy new GPS system (that we've affectionately named "Lupita") guided us right to the venue without too many questionable turns. We arrived with plenty of time to set up, warm-up, and chat with friends before our races. Did I mention this is the post-season so people are pretty casual about the whole series? Dave unpacked his bike, changed into his kit, and took off on a warm-up lap or two of the "closed-to-warm-ups" course while I settled the girls. He came back full of smiles, gushing about the course. That's always a good sign for me. Did I mention that while it is the middle of January and most of the nation is suffering freezing temperatures, we are cooking in SoCal? It was nearly 80 and I was sweating just thinking about the race.

So the race starts. There are 4 women at the start: Maria, Robin, me, and one very young 35+ woman (or maybe I am just one very old looking soon-to-be 40-something Mom?). Since we were such a small field, we lined up with the men and off we went. Ah, but this race was different! I actually got the hole-shot for all of 100 yards! It was pretty cool! Of course, I nearly bit it as soon as we entered the sandy chute. And since I was now at the back of the pack, Dave of course yelled at me, "Get back up there!" as I rode by. I quickly yelled back, "But, I got the hole shot!" The youngish lady was off like a rocket never to be seen again! Robin took an early lead and I was able to hold Maria off for a bit until she took advantage of my lack of technical skills and passed me by on the first barrier set re-mount. After that, I was chasing like I always do. Unlike other races where I seemingly lose contact with the main group, I was able to keep Robin and Maria in my sights and within my grasp. I kept telling myself, "Patience, Grasshopper!" It worked. Sure enough, Maria slipped on the duff and I capitalized. Once I got ahead of her, I pedaled as hard as my little legs could go and worked to put some real estate between us. I kept looking back because I knew she was right behind me---but finally, she wasn't just right behind me. And, when I looked up, I was almost on Robin's wheel. No way? Way! So, now I had a new predicament: keep Maria behind me and catch Robin's wheel and figure out how to drop her. I am sure my face was purple by this time in the race. Maria's husband was great---cheering us all on. I remember him yelling, "Now we have a race. Get going!" I kept at it and once we cleared the more technical sections, I put everything else I had left in the tank into the pedals and went for it. I did it, I caught Robin and started passing her! Woohoo! Robin is a wily racer so I knew that I couldn't sit up and bask in my glory. I had to keep working. I was going so hard past the start/finish line that I didn't know that the race was over. Thanks to all those who told me I could stop. I weaved my way back to our car where Dave was waiting with the girls. I kind of staggered off my bike and plopped down on our car's tailgate while I caught enough of a breath to tell Dave that I finished 2nd! Yeah, it wasn't a big race but it was a huge victory for me. Finishing ahead of Robin was really something for me. She is the one person I really look up to in the women's field and she has taught me so many things this season about racing. And, too her credit, our race was her second race of the day in very hot Santa Ana conditions which are so different than those Nor'easters that she's used to!

But, here's the funniest part of my story. I am at the car changing out of my sopping wet chamois and jersey (don't visualize that one) still somewhat delirious when I hear the announcer say that they've re-posted the Women's 35+ results. I am thinking, "Why? There were only four of racing and we were pretty strung out; it shouldn't be that hard to figure out where we each finished!" Robin rolls up to me and tells me, "Guess what, you finished 1st!" How did that happen? What about the Roaring Mouse gal who roared around the course? Apparently there was some technical issue that took her out of our race equation. So, after a dozen or more races, I have finished everywhere from 1st to 8th! Go figure! One more to go...

Dilly Dally not Talley Ho!

2009-01-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

Dino at Talley Cross in Arroyo Grande

What could be better than a vacation in Pismo Beach where we enjoyed an oceanfront hotel room and spent the day frolicking through a beautiful vineyard? I should note that the frolicking was done on our bicycles at the 1st cyclocross race ever held at Talley Vineyards in nearby Arroyo Grande, CA. The ocean was glassy, the vineyard was idyllic, and the kids almost angelic. However, the course was rather demonic! For the most part, the course wasn't that technical. The steep downhill was tricky at the bottom and the culvert crossings might have been problematic if I hadn't been warned about them and offered some sage advice about pedal placement. Now, if only I had a triple! Since the Women's 35+ field was so small and the Men's 35+ field wasn't much larger, we started together. I was quickly popped off the back (remember, my starts are terrible). It didn't take me too long to rejoin the race but I was just far enough back that I could never close the gap that separated me from the top 3 women. I did drop one woman (after I told her that she went off the course) and managed to open up a huge gap on her. It surprised me because from all appearances at the start, she was going to be really strong. Her teammate was really strong on her mountain bike! In fact, she was probably one of just a few who actually rode their bikes up the entire run-up. At the end of the race, I finished 4th out of 5 riders. It's not a stellar performance but I know that I learned a few more tricks and really enjoyed the scenery surrounding me as I perfected that JRA look. On to El Dorado next week.

Faster than a Three-Toed Sloth...maybe.

2009-01-10T20:28:00.000-08:00

Dinorah, Robin and Carol after the Santa Cross costume race

I realize that it has been a really long time since I've posted anything. I have thought about the different posts I could write but my heart/mind just wasn't in it. Something funky happened after Irvine Lake. Something exceedingly funky because you'd think I'd be chomping at the bit to write after my best finish of the season, a solid second place. But, the second day of this two day event took it out of me. I started out o.k. (Actually, we figured out that my starts stink. I seem to be standing still on my pedals while the rest of the bunch is way out in front before I can get moving.) However, that day was unlike no other I'd had in the series thus far. Well, actually, it wasn't that bad. I was with the front group (proving that I deserved my call-up) until the first little tricky up-and-down off-camber turn. I hugged the tree too close, lost my momentum and watched the swarm swallow me up and pass me by. I then had to work the rest of the race trying to regain those places...which I did, even passing at one of the riders who routinely beats me. I was doing well and thought I still had a shot at the podium until a series of rooted hairpin turns took me out: there I was, stuck to my bike like a turtle on its back while once again, people passed me by without even a backward glance. 'Nuff said. My wind sock lost its wind and I wallowed in my misery for the rest of the season.

A couple of weeks later, we were in Palmdale. Why? It turns out that a lot of people live in Palmdale and a few of them like cyclocross . We did our part to represent and made the long trek up from San Diego to race. It was a cold day and a pure fitness course with just a little bit of trickiness (and posted Mountain Lion habitat warning signs which I thankfully didn't see until AFTER the race). I liked this course and it liked me! I found my pedals again and finished pretty well. O.K., so my actual numerical placing might not illustrate that but I felt charged up about how I did. I was able to pass a lot of otherwise strong people and very nearly caught my pal Robin on the last stretch before the finish. Unfortunately, I ran out of real estate. Palmdale marked the "Oh- My- God- It's- Finally- Over- (Almost)" point of the season. We had two weeks off and no races on the schedule. Only a trip to Disneyland with the girls and their octogenarian grandparents was on our calendar until the season finale at Pierce College. We had fun with the girls, the grandparents and the Land of Mouse...but I was inexplicably exhausted the following weekend (we went to Disneyland from Wed.- Fri). I mean, I couldn't even move my legs in a circle on the bike. I was perplexed. How come I could barely make it to the top of Twin Valley Oaks when earlier in the season I was doing hill repeats on this road? Could I have lost that much fitness and gained that much weight to make me slower than a three-toed sloth? Hmmm, what are those funny red bites on my chest and back? Bed bugs? Mosquito bites? And, why are they in a symmetrical line from my bellybutton to my back on only my left side? Why am I so tired? Then the itching began and the "bites" didn't go away. In fact, now I am thinking I am coming down with something because it hurts to even think about touching the left side of my body. Off to the doctor I go with a sinking feeling. Yep, my sinking feeling is confirmed; I have "shingles!" What the heck?

So, Santa Cross arrives. We go to Dave's company party the night before at the swanky Ivy Hotel in downtown San Diego on our first date (i.e. no kids in tow) in as long as I can remember. We were all gussied up and ready to play. Uh-oh. Open bar. Game over! My studly barrier leaping graceful antelope of a husband was done in by not one, not two, but three martini's before dinner. As I enjoyed my tomato soup and gazed over at an increasingly pale Dave, I knew it was going to be a very long night. Actually, it turned out to be a rather short night: we left the party quite early (I didn't even get dessert) and headed home. After I put the sleeping cherubs (O & S) to bed, I came back down to the car and rousted my graceful antelope from the passenger seat and lead him to bed. As I did this, I though to myself, "well, I guess we won't be heading up to Woodland Hills after all." The alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. I rolled over and asked Dave if he was 1) alive and 2) was he even considering racing. Since I received a muffled affirmative to both questions, I hopped out of bed and got ready to go. Dave got up, ate breakfast, saw his breakfast again, and was ready to go as long as I was driving. We rolled into the parking lot with just barely 30 minutes to go before my race. By the time I got dressed, picked up my number, and had my bike together, it was time to go to the start line. The only pre-ride I had of the course was backward along the final straight away. Oh well, you play what you're dealt. The whistle blew and we were off. There were more women than usual in our 35 + category and some of these unknown women seemed strong but were even more lacking in technical skills than I was. One by one, I caught up to riders and passed them---using the hills to my advantage. The greatest moment of the race came with about one lap to go. I couldn't believe it but I finally caught and passed the one woman I had hoped to beat all season long but could never quite catch! So, while I didn't end up on the podium for Santa Cross or even the final series podium (I was edged out by a faster- than- a- speeding- bullet rider, Maria, by just a handful of points), I can honestly say it was a fun season and I'll do it again. We're on our way up to San Luis Obispo this weekend for more racing. Woohoo!

Stripey Socks: Shaken not Stirred

2009-01-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

Just riding along in my stripey socks.

This entry is (obviously) a little delayed. I humbly offer the dual excuses of end-of-season burnout and holiday onslaught. Besides, I don't have much to report...

Leading up to the race, I had been putting pressure on myself to get a good placing. I needed the points in order to have a shot at finishing in the top ten of the series overall (my season goal). A few days before the race, however, I realized that making the top ten was mathematically very improbable. So, with my company's holiday party the night before the race, I decided to celebrate the season and indulge in the provided food and (especially) beverages. Unexpectedly, the party turned into a learning experience for me. Specifically, I learned that my liver is not capable of processing three martinis on an empty stomach. Needless to say, we left the party rather early - mostly due to my rapidly diminishing ability to stay awake. The next morning, I had a really hard time getting out of bed. Luckily, we did manage to get to the race in Woodland Hills on time (a two hour drive). Dino drove, I slept, and my liver continued to process the martinis. (Did I mention that I'm a lightweight?)

I don't remember much about getting ready for my race except that Annette's friend, Mike, watched the girls while I warmed up. Thanks, Mike! I was feeling a bit guilty leaving the girls until I rode past and saw Mike swinging O around in circles while S was waiting for her turn. I think he was having as much fun as they were. Also, trying to get into the holiday spirit I decided to wear knee high red and white striped socks. They probably didn't make me any faster but they did engender several favorable comments from the crowd. The good news was that the couple of warm-up laps was all that I needed to get the remaining toxins out of my body.

The course was pretty non-technical with a good amount of vertical. One of the more interesting sections had a log in the middle of a turn that preceded a steep uphill section. It was easily hoppable but was perfectly placed to completely rob you of your forward momentum. Running turned out to be a bit faster while riding was definitely more efficient. I'm always happy to see a run/ride choice in a race - it adds more character to the course.

By the time we lined up, I felt mostly human - but not really capable of all-out racing. I decided on the start line that I'd just ride a comfortable pace. When the official finished his spiel and blew his whistle, I took my time clipping in and getting going since I knew that as the ~20-25 of us funneled into the first technical section - a muddy, cambered slope with only one good line - there would be a long back up. Sure enough I leisurely rolled up to the section just as the jam was clearing and didn't have to wait before heading onto the single track. As the race progressed, I slowly caught and past a few other riders. By the halfway mark, I had sent my sights on Paul, the promoter of the Palmdale race, when I noticed my rear tire slipping a bit in the turns. Just a couple of hundred meters later, it was completely flat. I decided that it wasn't worth ruining the rim so I shouldered the bike and started running to the pits. All the guys I passed earlier in the race zipped by. I was once again DFL. As I passed where Dino, Annette, Mike, and the girls were camped out, I yelled to Dino, "Take your bike to the pit!" When I got there, I swapped out my back wheel relatively quickly and got going again. Over the next lap and a half I managed to pick off four riders. Going into the final lap, I could see the rider I had passed just before my flat. I dug a little deeper and was able to catch him with ~ 1/4 lap to go and immediately passed him by running the section after the log. After remounting, however, I got out of the saddle to sprint up to speed and pulled out of my left pedal - something that had happened a couple of times earlier in the race while climbing. It was enough to slow me down and let him back by. I ended up settling for 17th place. Not too bad considering that I had seriously contemplated not racing at all.

The day was capped of by the presentation of the overall SCPS Team Awards. CICLE took first, of course, mainly by virtue of a roster full of women and junior racers. It's nice to see CICLE help growing the sport (though it is a bit sad to see 80% of the Elite Women's field sporting CICLE kit - it seems kind of monopolistic). Rock N Road took second by combining two teams: Sho-Air/Sonance and Rock N Road. There were a lot of people (myself included) who were a bit put out by the combination of the teams - especially as it was done after the season was underway. Celo Pacific was third overall. Over the course of the series, we had riders race in 14 of the 16 series categories - I would call that a pretty well rounded team. For the record, I scored 75 points: 38 in the twelve Masters 35+ 3/4 races I entered and 37 in the three Singlespeed 4 races I entered.

The post-race postmortem of my bicycle discovered that the flat was caused by a safety pin right in the middle of the tread, buried up to the curly-Q. There's not much you can do to avoid something like that. I was also able to discover the reason my foot was pulling out: the cleat retention loop on the Eggbeater pedal had failed. That is, the metal at the base of one side of the loop sheared, displacing the loop by ~5mm. Luckily, Crank Brothers pedals have a 2 year warranty so they are off getting fixed free of charge.

And thus it ends: for all intents and purposes, my 'cross season is over. We're actually going to do the last three races of the Cross Fever series starting this weekend - and maybe the Lou night race in Fresno. But we're approaching the races as being just for fun...which is good as I haven't been on the bike since Santa Cross (almost 3 weeks). Looking back, I'm pretty satisfied with my season. I only ended up 13th overall in the series (the same as last year) but I was definitely stronger this year - and there were a lot more people racing in the series. My great fitness back in September was derailed by four weeks of being sick and a couple of untimely flats. Nevertheless, I managed to have a few good races - even ending up on the podium a couple of times - and had fun at every event. And that's what really counts.

More next week...

Wordle

2008-12-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

I just ran the all of our blog entries to date through the nifty Wordle gadget. The bigger the word, the more often it has appeared in our blog. It shouldn't be a surprise that "race" and "Cross" are two of the biggies.

Watch for Koalas Next 15 km

2008-12-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

After two days of pounding the pavement and standing in line with the grommets at Mouseland up in Anaheim, we opted to stay close to home this weekend instead of rolling up to Palos Verdes for the final Urban 'Cross race. SDBC was hosting a club race in the UCSD eucalyptus grove (sorry, no koalas - just squirrels, bunnies, and lizards) where I practice 'cross during the week. No entry fees. No prizes. Just racing. Earlier this year, SDBC extended Celo members a gracious invitation to join in their race. The allure of some home field advantage got me up and out of bed early on Sunday morning despite the drizzle outside. Dino poked her nose out from underneath the covers to say she was staying in bed - which was good since we'd have had to flip a coin to see who got to race - everybody was racing together and one of us would have had to stay with the kids.

When I got to the grove, I hopped onto the bike and found the promoter setting up the last bit of the course (a dismount section with some logs). After helping him set the logs, teammate Mark C. and I rode a warm-up lap. They actually used a similar course to one that I had developed for practice. The big difference is that they used a big stretch of flowing singletrack that would be great for a MTB race but was rather out of place for a 'cross race. At the end of the lap, Mark and I decided that the log set-up needed to be tweaked and tightly marked to keep the MTB'ers (and cyclocrossers) from bunny hopping the logs or riding around them. That done, I headed to the car to shed some clothes and add some air to the tires - they were including some of the rockier trails and I didn't want to pinch flat.

On the start line, since I was an invited guest, I decided not to be too ruthless trying to get good spot. The trail we started on accommodated a 3-wide grid and I ended up in the third row. There were about 20-25 of us on the line. Interestingly it was pretty evenly split between 'cross bikes and MTB's. Where are all of these 'cross bikes during the SoCal series?

Once we got started, I had fun moving up through the field instead of falling back. I managed to hit the singletrack in 4th place with nobody right on my tail. By the end of the first lap (of a scheduled five), I could see Mark about 20 seconds in front of me and settled in aiming to keep a steady pace to the finish. Coming out of the single track on the 2nd lap, I heard riders behind me but managed to keep them there for another lap. When we exited the single track the next time, two riders zipped by and I couldn't respond. Hmmmm, I need work on my endurance a bit more. I could still hear another rider somewhere not too far behind me so went back into defense mode. I was sorely missing the U-turns typical of SoCal courses that you can use to keep track of the riders behind you. As I was screwing up the single track on the 4th lap, I heard the rider close onto my back wheel. For the rest of the lap, I would open gaps in some sections only to have them closed down in others. I knew I had to stay in front into the singletrack on the last lap or I would have a hard chase afterwards. I succeeded and managed to keep him behind me through the singletrack and until just after the steep run/ride hill (I was riding it). He managed to get past me at the top and I finally had a clear view of my competition - yellow jacket on a MTB. I re-passed just at end of the section knowing that he'd have a hard time passing back on the narrower section ahead thus I wouldn't have to worry until we hit the log barriers. Once there, I made a decent dismount and a quick remount gunning it up to the last right hand turn. I could hear him breathing down my neck but still had an ace up my sleeve: there was another barrier just 50 meters before the finish. As we approached the barrier, I saw his front wheel inching up on my right. I moved slightly right to discourage the pass until I looked up to see a lapped rider we were about to overtake. I moved left at the last minute to clear the lapped rider and took the barrier at full speed. Uh-oh, I forgot to get into my big ring for the sprint. Luckily, it didn't matter: clean barrier technique and jamming him behind the lapped traffic made it no contest.

The sixth place was gratifying but I was even happier to see a bunch of people having fun racing 'cross - many for the first time. I heard more than one person say they were now hooked. Afterwards, Mark (who finished 3rd) and I talked with some SDBC folks about getting a few more 'cross races going in San Diego next fall. More races within an hour of the house? Twist my arm.

Desert Not-So-Solitare

2008-12-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

Dave vs PAA. Photo by sfmontbell.

SCPS #11 - Palmdale, CA. For most of the SCPS regulars, this was "the sticks" and too far to drive. It was their loss. The High Desert Cyclists put on a great race. Paul Avila, the course designer did a nice job marrying a bit of single-track and fire roads with some flat grassy play fields. He mentioned that the course he originally planned contained a challenging slog up a sandy wash. Unfortunately, erosion driven by the recent heavy rains changed a one foot drop-off into a twelve foot drop-off and rendering the section unusable. The result was the least technical course of the series so far. If the whole series was like this I'd be sad - then again if the whole series was like Storm the Beach I'd be even sadder. It was actually nice to have a relatively vanilla course that placed the emphasis on tactics and power rather than on handling. In other words, it was a roadie's course. Thus, it shouldn't have been surprising that I rode with somebody else the entire race - a far cry from how my races usually play out in the middle (and back) of the pack.

The lead-up to the race was our usual routine: Dave does two laps to scout the course while Dino gets the kids settled in. Dino then warms up on the course while Dave hangs out with the kids. Finally, Dave warms up on the trainer while Dino races. One of the nice things about the venue was that the parking lot was up on a bluff from which you could see ~75% course so I had a nice view of Dino's race while warming up on the trainer - pretty cool. The routine was pretty uneventful except for one small almost-calamity: While Dino was warming up, I was letting the grommets ride their bikes on the sidewalk that runs along the parking lot. Everything was fine until O&S made breaks for freedom in opposite directions at the same time. S was heading down the steep hill to the play fields on her four-wheeler and O was headed off into the area marked as "Mountain Lion Habitat" on her bike at top speed. Luckily nobody, neither human nor Puma concolor, was injured during the escape attempt - thanks to Don and Robin for helping reel them back in.

As usual, it was a nice relief to get on the bike after my warmup/grommet tending duties. I once again made sure to get a place on the front line at the start. It paid of handsomely: as soon as the whistle blew, I was immediately into my pedals and punched it for all I was worth. It was weird feeling my legs respond just as I intended without loading up with lactic acid in the first 10 seconds - it must have been the good warm up or maybe the extra shot of Kool 'N Fit. Anyway, I heard the sounds of everybody else drop away behind me and wasn't until we turned onto the finish straight that I was caught and passed by another rider. A few more riders slipped past after the barriers but unlike at Turkey Trot last week, I didn't completely detonate. I actually was able to pass a couple of riders back once we got onto the dirt section. One of theses was my teammate, Glenn. When he passed me back, a little later on, I decided not to follow him as I was just a little over the top. Bad choice. When we got back to the play fields, I watched Glenn tag onto the back of a six rider group that had just coalesced behind the two leaders. I tried to make it across but no dice. Could'a - should'a - would'a. I ended up with a couple of PAA guys and we attacked each other for a few laps (we did a total of six) until one of the PAA guys was dropped. The other, Robert, and I started working together to catch a MBS guy who was popped from the front group. We caught him about half way through the last lap. I was on the front at the time and he made a bunch of aggressive moves to try and pass but I shut him down every time - I didn't want him to attack on the technical part of the course. He must have been surprised when I let him by (quite obviously) on a turn just before the end of the technical section. I was happy for him to lead onto the play field. He dutifully took the front and led Robert and I around until the finish straight. I was ready for the sprint but Robert put in a nice attack on the inside of a shallow turn which effectively boxed me in a little too long. I sprinted away from the MBS guy and closed on Robert but it was too late. Afterward, I found Robert laying on the grass completely exhausted. I guess I should have attacked from a bit farther out as I felt like I had plenty left at the end. Oh well. I'm still pretty happy with 8th place.

Just one more race in the SCPS - Santa 'Cross in two weeks. I'll need a good results there if I'm going to make my beginning of season goal of top-10 in the series.

Turkey Trot

2008-12-01T22:24:00.001-08:00

Tak getting ready to gap Dave in the sand pit

Turkey Trot is the traditional Sunday-after-Thanksgiving 'cross race here in SoCal. I've got to hand it to PAA - they once again put on a great event. The course in Verdugo Park is fun and well balanced: lots of twists and turns, a fast paved stretch, some elevation, a long grassy power section, some off-camber, a couple of heavily rooted turns, and several features that could force a dismount. The latter included barriers, a creek crossing, a sand pit, and two loose run-ups. I was actually able to ride the sand pit but not the others. There were even a few muddy sections this year. In addition, they offered free waffles and hot dogs for all of the racers and spectators (how cool is that?)

It was a bit stressful getting ready for the race. This was mainly due to the long trek from the parking lot to the expo area. Not a problem if you're by yourself. It's unfortunately a bit harder when you're sherpa-ing all the equipment to support two 'cross racers and two pre-schoolers. The load-out included five bikes, two duffels, a lawn chair, a cooler, an extra wheel, and a trainer. Luckily some on-the-spot babysitting by Mark C. and his family help make for a smooth morning (thanks especially to M, D, & J!)

After warming up for a couple of full laps and a couple of partial laps (on the technical section of the course), I was psyched up and ready to go. We had a rather large field (~35 riders) so I made sure to get a spot in the first row. Trying to be somewhat strategic, once we started, I didn't go for the hole shot - I didn't want to burn all of my fun tickets too early. I ended up just where I wanted to be (4th place) as we veered off of the starting straight. Alas, my fitness isn't quite as good as I'd like. As soon as we transitioned onto the grassy power section, I started slipping back: 6th, 8th, 12th, 15th...then settled into ~20th place. Once I stopped slipping back, I grabbed a wheel and recovered for a couple of minutes. Then it was time to start moving up. I made it to the back then the front of a group of five - including Tak from Team CICLE. (Tak is my main "nemesis" according to CrossResults.com.) Once at the front of the group, I didn't look back; rather, I concentrated on going as hard as possible. When I finally did look back, Tak was the only one behind me. We dueled back and forth over the next couple of laps. I would open a small gap on him during the run-ups and he would open a small gap on me in the sand pit. With 1.5 laps to go, Tak opened up a ~1 second gap in the sand pit which I just couldn't close. My previous efforts were catching up with me. He pressed the advantage even as I started to fade (he even picked off the rider in front of us before the finish). Chapeau, Tak. Well done! The results: Tak 12th, Dave 14th.

I may have lost the race-within-a-race but it was still the most fun I'd had all season. Why? Usually by the second lap, the gaps have all been established and you're just defending your place. For all intents and purposes, the race is over except the suffering. The attacking and counter attacking this week is what made it fun. The fact that I was sparring against somebody who is a nice guy and a true sportsman made it even better. Yes, it's sad but true - there are a couple of guys in our field who have a bit too much testosterone in their veins. (Guys, it's a SCPS Masters B race, not a World Cup. Seriously, if you were really that good you'd be racing in the Elite Men's field.)

Okay, enough ranting! Looking ahead, rumor has it that this weekend's race in Palmdale is going to be fast and non-technical - though maybe a bit on the chilly side (like down in the 50's F - don't laugh, that's chilly for SoCal!). It should be interesting as the emphasis could be shifted from fitness and technique to fitness and tactics - regardless, it should be fun.

Like Buttah

2008-11-25T23:55:00.000-08:00

You must be this tall...

Day 1 (SCPS #8): Upon arriving at the venue, some quick maneuvering by teammate Mark C. got us inside the tape and onto the infield between the pit and the pond. It was a great location despite the extra watchfulness necessary to make sure the grommets didn't try to go swimming. The venue was very cool - a private park in the hills of eastern OC complete with a couple of carnival rides, some gravel roads, a bit of vertical, the aforementioned pond, and lots of grass. Lawn chairs out, tires pumped up, numbers pinned on and it was time for a quick course reconnaissance. Everybody's first impression (including mine) was that it "wasn't as bumpy as Hansen Dam". Other than that, the course was a bit disappointing. The course just didn't have good flow. What's flow? It's the je nais sais quoi of cyclocross course design. A good course has it; a bad course doesn't. Saturday you were either braking for a turn or accelerating out of a turn. Good if you like punchy courses, not so good if you don't. Everybody has to race the same course so I quit my whining and got on with it.

I did a trainer warm-up while Dino was racing. I guess my head wasn't fully into the race as I didn't use my scrumming skills to the fullest to get a spot on the front line. There were only about 20 of us so it wasn't too bad. The whistle blew and we were off. What can I say - I started mid-pack and finished mid-pack (for the record: 12th). In between I rode hard and had fun. Sorry, no drama here.

Day 2 (SCPS #9 and SoCal district championships): We repeated the drive up to Irvine, snuck onto the infield (getting yelled at by a grumpy official in the process), and set up camp. Once again I did a couple of recon laps before Dino's warm-up. I was pleasantly surprised: they took out a few turns, added a couple of power sections, and improved the placement of the barriers. It's amazing how just a few small tweaks can dramatically improve a course. Better flow = more fun. After my recon and getting Dino out for her warm-up, I hopped on the trainer. Usually my legs feel awful on the second day of a double weekend - but not this time. It might have had something to do with not riding on Friday (usually I try to get a light ride in). Regardless, my so-so legs on Saturday turned into good legs for Sunday. The combination of good legs and a nicer course got me psychologically revved up for the race. I weasled my way onto the front line for the start but fell a couple of riders short of getting the hole shot into the first dicey gravel section. I ended up in third where I stayed for quite a while thanks to the twists and turns of the course. For the same reason, when I did start slipping back, it wasn't the usual deluge of guys passing me - instead it was in dribs and dabs. Once things settled in on the second lap, I was able to keep up enough speed to keep a group of three behind me. They all jumped past me on the paved section at the end of the lap and I was left alone - and bit demoralized. I had lost count of guys passing me and figured myself in ~18-20th (out of ~25 starters). At this point, I just tried to focus on riding the turns as smooth as possible - not too slow so as to lose time - and not too fast so as to have to brake hard to avoid getting going wide into the course tape. Mike Myers' portrayal of his mother-in-law, Linda Richman, kept playing over and over in my head: all I kept hearing was "Like buttah. Smooth like buttah." Wierd? Yes. But no more than that song you can't get out of your head during a 75 mile solo ride. Regardless, it worked. My speed (and efficiency) improved as the race went on. I was able to pick off a couple of guys and still had enough fight to hold off a rider who was nipping at my heels the last couple of laps. Luckily, it seems that the oxygen dept addled my brain's counting ablity: I ended up in 11th place - one place better than yesteday and in a (slightly) larger field.

I usually don't write about other races in this blog but I've got to say that the Men's Elite race was pretty darn exciting. In came down to Celo Pacific 'crosser extrodinaire, Brent Prenzlow, and U23 world's team member, Chance Noble, duking it out for the win (and the right to wear the district champion jersey for the next year). I can't tell you the full details as I couldn't see that much of the course from where I was, but neither rider could drop the other and it came down to a two up sprint. Brent led onto the ~150 m paved finish straight and held off Chance by less than half a wheel. Very cool!

Urban Cross #3

2008-11-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

Driving up I-5 this morning yielded an interesting contrast. There were clear views up and down the coast and all the way out to Catalina and San Clemente islands. Then, as I pulled off I-5 onto the off-ramp in Irvine, I had an expansive view that was dominated by what looked like a mushroom cloud over northern Orange County. The Freeway Fire was being driven to the west by the same Santa Ana's that drove the tumbleweed into our peleton yesterday.

The race venue was at Hidden Valley/Camp James - the same place that Spooky Cross was held a few weeks ago. The big difference - as teammate Annette pointed out - is that there weren't any motorcycles doing mid-air somersaults nor any men racing in lingerie. Also, the course, though fairly similar, was a lot less technical. It's amazing what difference a of couple feet makes when taping a course.

It was an unusually calm build-up to the race, mainly due to the fact that Dino and the girls were at home getting ready for an afternoon birthday party. Since there were no Masters B's and I had to get home early, I decided to race the Cat. 4's. I rationalized that I wasn't sandbagging as I'd rarely placed in the top 50% in Prestige Series Masters 35+ 3/4's races this season. Off of the line, the pace was a bit slower than I expected. Because the course wasn't that technical, I didn't worry about a hole shot. I slotted into third and braced for the usual onslaught of ridrs passing me. Surprisingly, that's not what happened. Two guys passed me and that was it. Hmmm...interesting. What a novel feeling not hanging on for dear life as I slip farther and farther back in the field. Okay, attention back to the race...I quickly caught one of the riders in front of me which left me in fourth. The lead three riders were about 10 seconds up and I was having a hard time closing the gap. Damn! I shouldn't have let them go so easily. Time to go to work - there are a couple of riders just behind me and I wanted to get rid of them. Skip ahead to the third lap (of five): I was in the clear with nobody nipping at my heels and the gap to the front three riders which had been hanging at ~15 seconds started getting smaller. Maybe I can catch them. Just accelerate a little harder out of the turns. Be just a little smoother over the barriers. Go just a little faster on the straights. It worked: approaching the last turn before the end of the lap I made contact. My road racing instincts took over and I went straight to the front and attacked. I figured at least I'd get my name announced if I led across the line - no such luck as the guy on the P.A. wasn't paying attention. Oh well. I didn't feel strong enough to attack and stay away so I decided to attack repeatedly and wear them out. I punched it out of every turn and made them chase me down over and over. It seemed to be working as several times I opened up gaps of a few seconds - especially after the run-up and on the paved sections. But I just wasn't holding the gaps. Nevertheless, it was a great feeling to be making the race and not just time-trialing for a mid-pack placing. The moment of truth, however, came a bit earlier than I expected. Just after coming across the line for the bell lap, one of the other riders attacked. I was quickly reminded that while I was racing for the win, there were three other guys trying to get the win as well. Unfortunately I had spent a few too many fun tickets with all of the attacks. All I could do was watch as the other three rode away. I almost got back to the guy in third as he hit some lapped traffic but didn't quite make it. Regardless, a hard earned fourth is something I'll take any day - especially when it involves being at the front and animating the race.

The best thing about the result was that it definitely helped my morale and self-confidence. I need all the help I can get as we have a SCPS double weekend at Irvine Lake next Sat/Sun....assuming that the venue hasn't been burned over.

Like a Tumbling Tumbleweed

2008-11-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

The Tumbleweed That Ate Manhattan (image linked from here)

The Celo Pacific club ride was rather eventful today - that's eventful in a bad way. We were on the northbound route through Camp Pendleton. Just after climbing the hill up onto Stuart Mesa and starting to ramp up the speed, a tumbleweed the size of a VW Beetle blew into our pack of riders. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. It was probably more like the size of a Smart Car. No joke - it was the biggest tumbleweed I've ever seen. The same Santa Ana's that are singing the fringes of LA and Orange to the north decided to wreak havoc on our little peleton. When the tumbleweed hit the front two riders, the second rider, Paul, went down. I was in third wheel. When Paul hit the deck, I had two choices: try to bunny hop over Paul and his bike as they were skidding across the tarmac or just crash. I opted for the former knowing it was a long shot. It didn't work. I went down on my left side with some semi-effective tucking and rolling. Ben, a few riders back was hooked by a swerving, braking wheel and came down hard on his left arm. My first post-crash thought was one of confusion. I thought I might have a head injury since there was a weird taste in my mouth and liquid dripping down my face. It took me a minute to realize that it wasn't blood - rather my sinuses had drained in a rather catastrophic manner - which probably had something to do with being inverted. My next thought as I was sitting on the pavement was trying to decide whether or not my arm, wrist, or collar bone was broken. During my self-triage, I looked over at Ben. The way he was holding us upper arm, I thought he had a broken collar bone. That theory went out the window when he said "Look at my arm, I think I broke it." Interestingly, it didn't look particularly broken. Something, however, was definitely amiss. Specifically his elbow was amiss, or rather seemed to have gone missing. It turns out that his radius and ulna were dislocated by ~2 inches. Yikes! Luckily the pain in my wrist and arm rapidly diminished and it was quickly clear that nothing was broken. The MP's arrived on scene within a couple minutes for traffic control and the EMT's showed up soon thereafter. Within about 30 minutes everything was cleaned up and Ben was on his way to the hospital in an ambulance with a morphine drip in his arm. Dino drove out and picked me up along with Ben's bike. Teammate Dave B. drove out to get Paul and his bike. Thanks to all the Celo riders on scene who helped to make sure we were okay and special thanks to Annette and Richard for hanging out with us until our rides showed up!

The aftermath:

Paul: minor road rash, contusion on shin, and his brand new (8 miles into its first ride brand new) carbon TT frame broken adjacent to the derailleur hanger.
Ben: a few scuffs to his bike, some evil road rash, a cast on his arm, and no more 'cross racing for the rest of the season.
Dave: four patches of minor road rash, a ripped jersey, and some mangled handlebar tape. Of the three of us, I think I got off the easiest.

I'm racing tomorrow bright and early at Urban 'Cross #3 in Irvine - road rash and all - wish me luck!

Cross Your Heart

2008-11-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

Dino and Carlyn on the run-up. Photo originally uploaded by Noropez.

Mental note: Next year pack the sturdiest and most constricting "cross your heart" bra I can find for two days of racing at Hansen Dam! That being said, it is an understatement to say that the course was "bumpy." I think a fellow Celo Pacific teammate said it best: "My brains are so scrambled, I feel like an omelet!"

We arrived at the race on Saturday with enough time to settle the girls, warm-up and casually ride to the start/finish line. Unlike most every other race, the officials divided us out---the Women 3/4 field was given a 15 second lead before we jumped at the whistle. Racing down the first straight away, I knew it was going to be a fast race and the cold that has been teasing me had in fact settled into my lungs. Nonetheless, I worked as hard as I could and was pretty excited to see one of the stronger women not too far ahead of me and slowly fading. Encouraged by this turn of events, I worked harder and reeled her in a bit more. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold her. She's a skilled rider and makes up lots of time over the barriers and on the run-ups. But, I was really excited to see Maria of Team Switchback catch her and pass her! Woohoo Maria! I don't know if she was wearing her "cross your heart" or if those big knobby mountain bike tires made her sail over the bumps but whatever it was, she was flying! Seeing her finish 3rd was almost as exciting as finishing 3rd myself. Great race, Maria!

Since we opted for spending the night in the valley at Chatsworth, we were able to wake up after sunrise and make a leisurely drive to the venue. Unlike other races where we arrive in a cloud of chaos, our more casual arrival made it possible to keep our sanity intact as we got ready. Because the course was essentially the same as the day before, I didn't feel compelled to pre-ride the course and opted for a trainer warm-up instead. My warm-up told me that I might not have a good race. My legs were heavy and my chest was tight. A 65% effort seemed like a race effort to me and I quickly questioned my wisdom of racing two days in a row. No time to waste on wondering. Before I knew it, it was time to line up. Today's field wasn't that much different than yesterday with a few new faces and a couple of others missing. The official gave us our instructions and started us off a few seconds after the 3/4 field. The pack held together into the first turn and up the grassy slope. The tricky off-camber side slope quickly sorted us into two groups: those who have no fear and those who have fear. I was in the latter group. However, I was encouraged by the fact that the lead group wasn't nearly as far ahead of me as they have been in the past. In fact, the smaller gap did a lot to buoy my insecurities about racing and even inspired me to ride harder. Perhaps my efforts aren't as hard or as seamless as the more experienced riders but I always end each race with a new lessoned learned. On Sunday, I learned the truth about the phrase, "stuff happens." Unfortunately for me, as I was really getting into a good rythym and making progress, I, too, heard the sound of woe: "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrap!" My first flat! However, I didn't recognize teh sound for what it was until I made the sharp U-Turn before the sketchy fast descent. It was at that moment that I literally watched my tire go one way while my rim went the other. Somehow, I managed to stay upright. After a quick wheel change and a heated argument with Dave about wanting to bag the race (I think he said, "Get back on your bike and ride!"), I charged up the hill with a new attitude and eventually found myself passing some people and ultimately careening down the final descent and onto the straightaway in an all-out effort against Carlyn from Team C.I.C.L.E. I managed to edge her out by nothing more than a nose. I don't know about her, but I think that finish was the most fun I've had at a race so far. Race over, time to recover before the Irvine series. Off to ride that trainer now.

New 'Cross Photos

2008-11-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

I just finished loading some photos to our Flickr stream from the Ventura race as well as the Saturday and Sunday races at Hansen Dam. Enjoy!

Podium Lessons

2008-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hansen Dam has historically treated our girls well. Last year, O did her first ever 'cross race there and won the hearts of the crowd as she carried her tricycle over the barriers. A photo Dino took of the race also won the VeloNews quasi-weekly photo contest . This year, O & S once again had a great time at Dam Cross.

O's highlights of the weekend included climbing trees with Drew, Celo Pacific's star junior rider, and lining up for the kids race next to Tennessee of Mike and the Bike fame and introducing him to her stuffed monkey, Clovis:

S also did the kids race and received the award for Youngest Rider. It's pretty apparent, however, that she still needs to work on her podium presence:

Luckily, Rachael Lloyd (one of the best 'crossers in the world) was on hand to provide some much needed podium lessons to both O and S:

One at a time

2008-11-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Last time up the run-up. This is the guy who pipped me at the line. Originally uploaded by sfmontbell.

Dave in traffic on the run-up. Originally uploaded by etotherock.

Take a typical county park. Let loose 5000 gophers just after a rain storm. Remove gophers. Let the hot SoCal sun bake the ground for 10 years. Now add a couple of barriers and a few thousand meters of course tape. What you get is the Dam Cross course in the eastern San Fernando Valley. Bumpy doesn't begin to describe it. Riding a jackhammer that's powered by a Hummer H2 engine is more like it. Oh yeah, you have to race on it two days in a row. I think my liver is still processing all of my post-race ibuprofen.

Anyway - here are the details:

Day 1: We arrived early so I could pre-ride the course before Dino's warm up. Other than the extreme bumpiness, I liked the course design. Lots of vertical, lots of off-camber, and a dollop of side-slope for good measure. I hopped on the trainer so that I could warm up while watching O & S during Dino's warm-up and race. After Dino's race, I swapped out back wheels and got ready to line up for my race. Unbeknownst to me, however, my race wheel had gone flat. That particular tire has a problem with Stan's sealant clogging the valve such that it doens't always close correctly. With time short before my start, I forwent inspecting the tire, instead assuming it was flat because of a loose valve and just pumping it up and heading to the start line. After a rather terse lecture from the official at the line (he's one of two officials in SoCal that I think shouldn't be allowed to wear the blue shirt - but that's another story) off we went. I made it through the side-slope and rooted off-camber uphill turn without dismounting and in the top 5-10. Then on the next series of turns, my back wheel started handling a bit squirrely. After a half lap, I was hearing the distinctive brrrrrrrappppppppp of the sidewall collapsing in each turn. Uh oh - flat tire - time to hit the pits. After a slow wheel change (~45 seconds) I thought I was all the way at the back. I told myself, "Just pick them off one at a time." Mission accomplished. I passed 5 riders by the end of the race. I must not have been in last place after my flat since I ended up in 7th place. I'll take that any day.

Before we left the venue, I found the cause of my rear flat - a thorn - and started snooping around for some sealant to mooch. No luck. So after getting some leads via phone from my father-in-law sitting in front of Google Maps, we ended up at Simi Cycling Center who not only had some Stan's in stock but helped me get it into the tire. Thanks guys!

Day 2: I got in a lap of pre-ride which was enough since they hadn't changed the course very much overnight. My trainer warm-up ended a bit early because I gave my front wheel to Dino as a replacement for her softening Michelin during her race (it turned out to be one of those pesky thorns again). After getting my wheel back, I headed to the start. It was a bigger field with ~35 guys on the line - most of which hadn't raced the day before. Off the line, I could feel yesterday's race in my legs and headed up the start hill around mid-pack. With more guys and a slower start, I had to dismount in the first technical section. I exited the section in ~20th place. Not good - these definitely weren't the same legs I was using yesterday. In addition, I was running my tire pressure on the low side to help with the bumps. In retrospect, it was way too low as my Grifos were getting a bit squidgy in the turns. Once again, I told myself, "Pick them off one at a time." I learned, however, that this only works when you have some juice left in the legs. I think I got past 2-3 guys but then lost one position when I was nipped in the sprint by a guy who was working his way back from a mechanical. I ended up 19th and out of the points. Oh well.

Luckily I've got two weeks to try and get back some form for the Irvine Lake races on the 22nd/23rd. Repeat mantra: intervals are my friend...intervals are my friend...

I want to be this guy!

2008-11-04T22:54:00.000-08:00

Happy face (photo courtesy B. Love)

Not a Happy Face ( D. Lawson photo)

Every race photo of me has, shall we say, a uniquely scary "game face." Contrary to what my face may reflect, I do enjoy 'cross. In fact, I am close to saying, "I LOVE 'cross!" Now, if only I could look like Alex. I don't think I've ever seen him grimace or look like he's about to die a slow and painful death at a single race. This guy LOVES 'cross!

Warm-up? I don't need no stinkin' warm-up!

2008-11-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

This is where Dave was yelling, "you're racing now!" (I was gasping!)

Race #5 is now safely in my back pocket. It wasn't especially noteworthy but it was fun nonetheless. More and more women are lining up at the start/finish line and as more women line up, the tension builds before the start and the pace is faster during the race As the pace quickens, my comfortable position in the upper middle portion of the pack is slipping further and further back! My precious and comical hold on second place will be all but a fading memory in just a few more races. Can you believe that? I am in second place right now in the series. Some might take such a placing seriously. As for me, I am humored by it because I truly understand the disparity between myself and those who are winning the races. These ladies are fast! They are so fast that the sweat has dried from their faces and all they are left with is the crusty residue by the time I cross the finish line. No, I've just found my way to more races than them. Each race teaches me something new, too. Sunday's race taught me that it is possible to race on just one warm-up lap. It also taught me that mud is tricky and goat head thorns are evil (fortunately, I didn't learn that lesson first hand).

I am not sure how next week will pan out. We're heading up to do both races. Dave promises that I'll get more than one lap in as a warm-up. I wonder how I'll do with races on back to back days. At this point, I am just going out there, doing my best, and scratching up a few points where I can. For me, a victory is had when I pass more than one person during a race - and preferably stay in front of them. Victory is living to tell the tale and having the scratches and bruises to prove that I was in fact out there racing. Victory is taking a line and keeping that line even if there is a bunch of old guys wanting to pass me!

'Nuff said for tonight.