Vet Cross

Huge thank you to Roger Harrison to put a climbing course together... I was feeling rather discouraged after getting my arse handed to me out at the flats of Boulevard Cup...

Once I grabbed one of my wife's old coats (there was a discount for donating a coat) I took off to Leavenworth and found myself in the middle of rural Kansas,  my Google navigator could not pick up the address for some reason..

Once I finally made it there to a less than usual attendance I went out to check the course... This was one hilly SOB! A big grin on the inside instantly grew (read my last race report, you will understand).. This was going to hurt!

As I was getting ready I noticed only like 5 open racers were racing, our race had only 15 or so...
Some of the usual faces and some new ones...

After last weekend I decided against my strict fly til you die philosophy. When you have some endurance to fly for more than a lap it worked out pretty well. But when you don't have the endurance, apparently that philosophy does not pan out...

The start took us on a long paved section and I decided to keep my heart rate under 175, for once... I settled in about 8 or so back by the time we took a hard right onto the grass... Once we took another hard right to head up a slight incline I noticed I was climbing a bit better than these fellas... Sooooooo, 2 min after the start my game plan went right out the window! Lets try and go fast! Relatively speaking that is...

Passed a couple of dudes and settled in about 5th heading into the hilly part of the course...Once we got there the entire group started to spread out a bit... **Spoiler alert** Bob C. and Chamois Butt'r (don't know who he was) took off the lead and held it to the end.. Anyway, now that's out of the way..

The real racing was about 4 or 5 of us trading spots chasing.. The race was only 30 min, 5 laps.... The first two laps held a decent group of us together, about 5 or 6... After the second lap me and two other dudes were in a battle for 3rd.. Each lap I would out climb them on the hills, then they would hit the pavement and get a gap on me.. Go figure...

Down to one lap to go I am sitting 5th and 3rd and 4th took off once again on the pavement, I dug just deep enough to keep them within reach once we hit the grass... Got on 4th dudes wheel in the first grass section and on to the hills... I attacked on the first climb and dropped one of them. I had to keep digging to close the gap on the 3 dude... We hit the last climb and I was thinking of passing but decided, well, that would be stupid,  I did not want to pull him to the finish... That and my legs were on fire....

Hit the top of the hill on his wheel and stuck to it no matter how bad it hurt.... All be damned were going to have a little sprint finish... I tried the inside and he closed it off, took the outside and ended up out sprinting for 3rd by a wheels length... Damn that was fun!

Last time I was in Leavenworth I was out sprinted for 3rd, feels a little better on this end of it...

Just by my nature I want to pick apart the race and wonder how I would have ended up if my usual nemisises were there. The hell with it, that last lap was bad ass closing the gap on those two dudes, I will take it....

RESULTS

PICS

Thanks Roger for putting on a mans race!!!!!

Boulevard Cup of Broken Dreams

Flat power cross venues absolutely destroy me! What can I say, I actually had ambitions in the 3/4's of top 5, would have settled for top 10... Well, a (kinda)sprint finish for a whopping 20th was not exactly how it all was going to go down in my mind... Hell, I even told SC (who is racing damn good by the way) before the race that he was not getting by me today... Let me tell you, the saying that you have to race to get in race shape is absolutely spot on...

As I was getting my arse handed to me, at least it was a hell of a good event.....

Felt pretty good to start with, the race was very flat, which I knew would not suit me very well, but I have not raced in a couple weeks and felt fresh.. The field was deeeep, like racing cat 4 again... 45 total riders.. I lined up way early, like 15 min and was still second row!

We were off and I got in about 5th wheel off the pavement. We hit a small switchback and bam, number 2 dude hit the deck and we were left waiting.... I got around that mess sooner than some others and was sitting 3 going through the rest of the first lap...

First lap done and I had done the flyin part, now it was time to get on with the dyin... Went from 3 to 6 just like that...6th to 8th, again just like that... Dude this SUCKS!!

Looking back on it, I think it would be reasonable to think I could have held on for a little, placed anywhere between the 8-13 range...

Could have is the key word there! Coming through the barriers on lap 3 or 4 I took a nose dive. Flat on my face, I am diving into home plate, my bike is catapulted in the air... Holy crap, I have never done that before... Well, thank goodness that the barriers where right next to the beer tent and some bleachers so that everyone watching could witness me in all my glory...

As I shamefully get up and get on my bike I have to get off again and get my chain back on track. At this point like 5-8 dudes go by me which is completely demoralizing.. Once I get going again the official wind was completely out of the sails... I was well out of where I wanted to be...

Well, instead of being completely discouraged, I decided that I might as well have some fun with this. My only goal from this moment forward was to ride the run up... There was one off camber/routey/hilly technical section that I wish there was more of. On it there was a steep down, 180 turn and then run up that was kind of rideable, but not really.. It certainly was not quicker to ride it, but I really did not care at this point..
Next lap made it to the top and had to put a foot down... Next lap, found myself sideways halfway up.. Next lap, foot down again, but I think I have it... Told my 2 supporters that next lap I am climbing it... Next lap, got it! Last lap, even better... Hells to the yes! I might have sucked a racing today, but I rode that damn run up a couple times...

There was only one other "technical" section of the race. A small sand pit... I like the ones you can ride through, not those 50 yard sand volleyball courts they sometimes run you through... Some folks were having one hell of a time getting though this. I did not think it was that difficult as long as you don't have a dude in front of you bailing off his bike...

When I say that some dudes were having a tough time with this section, this morning I have seen the proof.. Instant Classics!!!!!

Basically I found I have more than enough technical skills for cross, its the damn engine I need to work on..

But hey, I may have sucked a big one today, but Boulevard was there to make everything okay...

"Ahh, beer, the cause and solution to all life's problems" ~ Homer

RESULTS HERE...

Laid back weekend... For me anyway...

While everyone else was out racing either MTB at BTE or CX at Epic/Shawnee Radcross, I took the weekend off...

When heading out for a ride on Saturday, originally I was going to head out to the cross course and do some training but decided to just ride for fun instead... Wow, what a concept!

I get so determined to get faster to be competitive that I sometimes forget why I first started this whole thing anyway... I still remember riding Corby North (pretty flat trail) and having to stop to catch my breath multiple times... Little did I know at the time that getting the dirt in your blood changes your life!

Took off and decided to ride some of the trails... Still on my cross bike though, because its new and I just have to ride it..

Its kind of fun to hit some of the trails that you originally cut your teeth on... Its nice to ride some of the sections you remember having a tough time with on your first mountain bike and now riding the same trail on your cross bike and doing it easily...

Scenery is definitely better than riding around in a field!!!

Accidently ran over this big dudes tail...  They say that snakes are more afraid of us than we are of them. Well if that is the case this dude should have died from shock! I hate snakes....

So, battery charged, might do some more of this in the future, but I need to get back to racing... I love the focus, the competition....

Race Reports from Last Weekend:

Berryman Epic


G Wiz (The Kid)

SS Pirate (Burnsey)

Jesse (Manamal)

Tilford

Schottler

Radcross:

SC (Congrats dude!)


Might be some more CX reports but I have to go back to work.... See you cross fools on Sunday!

Joules Cross, Day 2...

Saturday I took a beating, was chewed up and spit out for my worst performance in years... I haven't been over top 10 in 2 years... Just as well, only logical thing is to come out and suffer some more against dudes with fresh legs...Awesome!

I would not say the legs were sore, but I could tell that I had done something the day before... Lined up in the front row next to SC and like 35 other Colavita dudes... Whistle blew, like usual take off in front and instantly knew today was not going to be my day. Legs are dead from the day before. But, I love racing so who really gives a crap, lets go....

The course was completely different than the day before, less hills, less technical (I thought anyway).. Had some twists and turns, some rough spots (only time I felt at home) and a climb to finish your lap up...

Group stayed together pretty well for the first lap, I did get to witness a nice wreck again. And again I was just slow enough to stay out of it myself. I did get to see a nice endo over the handlebars on this one. Don't think I have seen that at a CX race before.....

After a lap the leaders were getting away, I had settled in behind mid-pac ish. Got to pick off a few dudes and chased down another... I caught him pretty quick, 1/2 lap or so and he stuck to my wheel for the next two laps...

Down to two laps to go and my genius plan was to attack on the last climb leading into the final lap, gap him, keep on the gas so he would get out of my draft and push it to the end... So here we come up to the climb to Finnish the lap, I dropped down to a big boy gear, got out of the saddle and gave it hell....

In your head envision Cancellera at Flanders....... Got that imagery in your mind now?

Yah, Uhhh,  it was nothing like that... I attacked, hammered up the hill, pushed over the top and kept pushing until I cleared the top of the hill and then some..... Out of breath, legs burning, I look back......

SOB!!!! I pulled him right on up with me! Hell, he is closer now than at the bottom of the hill!!!

And there he went, leaving me to recover from my effort..... I tried to catch his weel, but had to settle for keeping him close for the final lap. I wanted to give another good push up the same spot, but I was out of gas, out of time, game over...Man that was fun though!!

Ended up 10th... Better than the day before, but not to my satisfaction... Anther day, another climb awaits!

RESULTS DAY 2

Joules Cross 1

Well, I was so excited to do my first double day Cross Racing... I have never been able to find the time to hit up both Saturday and Sunday races... Come to find out, it was apparent that I have not ever done that kind of quantity of racing before. I wish I could say quality, I would say only one of the three fell under that category.

Made it down to Lawrence on Saturday and doubled up the singlespeed race and the 3/4's. I knew this was going to be pretty tough after pre riding the course and it was pretty opposite of my strengths (man I love Manions)... I need hilly and technical, this was straight up power course... Thought to myself, "dude, the roadies are going to be tough to beat out here"... And you know what, I was right.....

On the line I saw the usual suspects... Kent, Mark and Joe Fox putting his hat in the SS ring... Roger who is always tough on his mtb... Whistle blew and I got my usual good start and took up behind Kents wheel. Plan was to get on his wheel and hang on for dear life... Turns out that is not a very long time... Here comes Joe by me, then Mark, then Roger... 2nd to 5th in 1/2 a lap... Roger and I held the leaders close for a couple of laps till about lap 4 or so when I finally noticed Mark pulling away from us.. Damn, there goes the elusive top 3 I can't seem to get... Played cat and mouse with Roger for a couple more laps till he started to pull away from me, so basically I sat up from that point. Only went fast enough not to get caught for the last lap or two... 5th place... Owe well... Time to get ready for the 3/4's...

So on to the course, Saturday had some twists and turns, a nice little dip-to-hill thingy by the pond.. Yes, that is the technical term for it.. Not very much climbing, and a long straight to hammer out some watts in a headwind...

As the race got closer I noticed my Quad wanting to seize up on me a little... What the hell? This aint a MTB race... I guess we put in a bigger effort in the SS race than I thought...

Got my new rig out and headed to the start.... Running disks and gears...First time ever to run gears in a CX Race... Should get interesting...

Started the 3/4's and immediately lost ground after the starting whistle. Legs are spent and the race just started...Right off the bat on a kinda tricky corner a dudes front wheel got away from him and he hit the deck pretty hard... Took out the two guys behind him. Not me though, the combination of my awesome disk breaks and going slow as hell allowed me to avoid the carnage... Hung out behind the mid pack dudes for a while till they gaped the rest of us remaining.. After about a couple laps I did find the strength to pass a couple of dudes including my bud Roger. Started to feel okay around lap 3 and tried to catch back up to the mid pack group... Was doing well for a lap and was making ground until I hit a wall... Legs were done.... I put it in cruse control for a couple of laps until Roger came by me... Just had to make it interesting, didn't ya!!
Well, it came down to the both of us to sprint to the finish to take a whopping 14th and 15th!!! Yah... Worst finish I have ever had since started racing cross... And the SOB out sprinted me on a effing SS MTB!!!

That stung a little bit... This race was a disaster from the start... Owe well, its too early in the season to take  them all seriously... Right? Well, crap...

Will post about Day 2 later, I have to try and be productive today....

RESULTS HERE(DAY 1)

ROGERS PICTURES HERE

Say hello to my little Svein...

Why is his name Svein you ask? Well my friend; you should be asking yourself why you ask such stupid questions.....

Hello Jerks, I'm Svein and ready to rocks and rolls!

Boss X 2 Results

Field was a little deeper than I thought... Kent and Britton with Colavita are fast dudes man...

Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS WOERMANN Kent Team Colavita/ Parisi Coffee 1
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS KUSIAK Britton Team Colavita/ Parisi Coffee 2
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS GROSS Jesse Ethos Racing 3
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS DOUGLAS Jason Ethos Racing 4
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS OLDEHOEFT Dan Team Colavita/ Parisi Coffee 5
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS WILLIAMS Roger Unattached 6
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS LYLES Andrew Team Colavita/ Parisi Coffee 7
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS ELLIS Michael Team Colavita/ Parisi Coffee 8
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS MICHAEL Tim Epic Cycling Team 9
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS SOTO Hector Renaissance Cycling 10
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS HAMMONTREE Joel 360 Racing 11
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS ROMISCH David GP Velotek 12
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS ANDERSON William 360 Racing 13
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS SHEPERD Zeke Evil 14
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS LEHMAN Kay Ethos Racing 15
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS PECK Jonathan Team Colavita/ Parisi Coffee 16
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS THOMAS Christopher Black Sheep Cycles 17
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS JACKSON Karl My Wife Inc. 999
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS SHOFFNER Brett Unattached 999
Cat1/2/3/4 Male SS MARTIN Randy Big D Cycling 99

FULL RESULTS FOR DAY TWO HERE.....