2017 Cyclocross Season - Race Report

Racing Category 3 Men Aged 45+

NW CX Cup Series	1st - Series Winner
WSBA Cyclocross State Championship	2nd -  Silver Medal
MFG Cyclocross Series	3rd

Season Summary:   After being forced off the bike in June 2016 due to a medical condition that still persists.  I was given permission by my doctor to return to training 10 months later.  It was a gradual process of riding checking in with the body and increasing the effort.  I discovered that I was able to maintain the level of pain whilst increasing effort and power, enabling me to set my sights on the 2017 Cyclocross season. 

Having only raced one full season in 2015 returning from a near death mountain biking accident whilst training for the 2014 season and going on to win the CXR Cyclocross series and placed 3rd in the MFG series I had no idea how I would perform in 2017.  As a USA Cycling Category 3 I decided to race Category 3 men in my age group 45+ in the MFG series, self seeding   I decided not to race the CXR series and to target MFG as my B race series and the new NW CX Cup as my A race series.  It was a hard decision as I really enjoyed the CXR series in 2015 however the season schedule favored MFG. 

with the goal of upgrading to Category 2.

With Nationals returning to Washington in 2019 the NW CX Cup series was setup to help riders earn USAC upgrade points and ranking, this aligned with my longer term goal to race Cat 1/2 at Nationals and I know I am going to need a couple of years to be competitive in what is a very competitive and fast field of riders.

The season was without a doubt hard work not to mention long spanning September to December especially having to manage injury recovery on almost a daily basis as I coxed my body onto the bike each day for training.  I used an indoor trainer exclusively so that I could monitor my body and mitigate any warning signs.  In the end despite a couple of hiccups my results surpassed my expectations and I achieved my goal of winning the NW CX Cup Series and earning enough USAC points to upgrade to Category 2.  In addition I placed 2nd in the WSBA Cyclocross State Championship, with a frustrating crash in the last lap and 3rd in the MFG series.   You can follow the link for Race Videos.

Now my sights are turned towards training and the spring and summer efforts that will help get me ready for 2018 and my first Cat 2 races. 

Race	Name	Result
MFG #1	Lake Sammamish GP	10th
MFG #2	Moor Cross	8th
MFG #3	Tall Tyler CX	12th
NW CX Cup #1	Crosstoberfest	2nd
MFG #4	Magnuson CX	1st
NW CX Cup #2	Deschutes River CX	1st
MFG #5	North 40 CX	2nd
NW CX Cup #3	Ridge CX	1st
MFG #6	Woodland Park	10th
NW CX Cup #4	Fort Steilacoom Park (Nationals Preview)	1st
NW CX Cup #5	Kayak Point Cross	2nd
NW CX Cup #6	States Warm-up	-
NW CX Cup #7	WSBA Cyclocross Championship	2nd

Ellensburg Gran Fondo 2016

Before I embarked on the Tour of California I added the Ellensburg Gran Fondo I have never done a Gran Fondo and thought it would be something to have on the calendar when I got back.

Like all events is snuck up on me and before I knew it, I had a week to go and I had not checked my cyclocross bike or selected my tires.  In my mind it was going to be as simple as switching the tires from my rain bike to my cross bike, job done.

Before doing anything, I switched the cross tires for a set or 700x28 continentals and took it for a ride.  In my climbing gears I was getting crazy jumping but only under pressure.  A-ha, I have been here before with my road bike a guessed correctly that the cassette was worn.  A change of cassette (from my rain bike) and no more jumping.  Sorted, I thought.  Nope, on the next ride I discovered a clicking noise that could only be the wheels or bottom bracket.  I opted for a wheel switch first.  No dice.  I then dropped the chain off in the stand and spun the crank.  Yup, you guessed it the bottom bracket was shot. 

By now both my rain bike and cross bike are in bits and I have no bike to ride in the event.  I rush ordered a WheelsMfg bottom bracket.  The whole bottom bracket standard drives me to distraction.  I kept my fingers crossed I ordered the right part.

Whilst waiting for the part to arrive I decided to switch the tires.  It turns out that if you use your bike, stuff wears out, go figure. On inspection my rear tire had a hole in it and my front tire had so many small cuts it looked like a crazed pixy had stabbed and slashed at it with a tiny knife.  Damn pixy, now I needed tires.  Having the option of new tires then introduced the dilemma of which ones to get.  With 36 miles of gravel, tread would be helpful however it would be a drag on the road.  In the end I opted for a set of Tubeless Specialized Roubaix's 700c x30/32 as I enjoyed them during the winter and they stood up well to local gravel paths, until the pixy got at them.

On Saturday, before the ride the next day, the assembly started. With only the minimum number of swear words everything went together as planned.  An hour ride confirmed the bike was ready for a Gran Fondo.

An early start of 3:30am is not a time for a person to get out of bed.  It is simply the middle of the night.  Well that was the time I woke up and reluctantly dragged my protesting body out of bed.  The start time for the ride was 8am with registration opening at 6:45am, oh and I am about 2 hours with no traffic from registration.  On the upside there was just me and a few insomniacs on the road. 

I arrived with plenty of time to get my bike ready, change and catch up with a few friends who were also taking on the challenge.  Normally I would have enjoyed riding with them but I wanted to test myself and see what time I could do it in.

After the race briefing at 7:45am we had a neutral roll out behind the organizers truck for the first 3 miles.  For some reason I expected the first half of the ride to be pretty mellow, after all the climbs were not until the gravel section and it was not a race.  I could not have been more wrong.  As the rider in front of me pulled up I started my turn on the front.  I kept a respectable pace of 20-21mph but that apparently was not fast enough.  Not a minute into my pull and attacks were launched off the front with everyone scrabbling to find a wheel.

I decided to let 10 or so riders go before I jumped on the train.  Everyone came back together and the pace was significantly lifted.  What the hell I thought, lets see what happens if I just react.  It was hard work matching all the surges but eventually it settled down at which point one rider jumped away, never to be seen again, well that is never to be seen by the rest of us.  He went on to finish first so I understand.

The gravel is coming, that is 36 miles of it and somewhere in the region of 7000ft of climbing.  Now, I had prepared and reviewed the profile but it still did not prepare me for the monster ahead.  Fortunately, I did not know what I was getting into before I was fully committed and anyone climbing that thing in a compact double with a 28 on the back should be committed.  Wait, I am getting ahead of my self.  The transition from road to gravel was a road climb followed by a gravel wall, well it looked like one.  I had already decided to pace myself and had subsequently started to fall back when I hit it.  To give you an idea of the grade, the rider next to me ran out of gears and keeled over sideways, it would have been funny if I was not fighting to keep my own bike upright.

It levelled out a little and I started to tempo the climb, slowly pulling riders back.  What I did not know was the unrelenting grade ahead that took us up 2400ft in 5miles.  I quickly found the limit of my gearing and was forced to turn the pedals one stroke at a time.  Getting out of the saddle things got even more interesting as my lack of tire tread resulted in wheel spins.  It was a simple matter of embracing the pain and chanting to myself  "I climbed Tahoe, I can climb this" and I did, catching a good number of riders in the process. 

The aid station at the top which I thought was at the top, turns out it was not.  A bunch of false summits later a I was finally on a decent.  If you have never descended gravel on a cross bike with road tires at high speed I can assure you it is a white knuckle ride.  The trick is to keep your weight back, focus on your lines and avoid holes, rocks and loose stuff.  Oh and don't overcook the corners or you are in for an impromptu flying lesson without wings or a soft landing, been there and done that, not good :-).

The trail then proceeded to swoop down hill and then into a climb, followed by another down hill, then another a climb.  It was hard climbing and descending.  My hands and shoulders hurt from controlling the bike on the way down and my back hurt from the climbing.  I was embracing the epic adventure that was the day.

At the midway point was the main aid station and I rolled by opting to fill my water bottles from spare foldup containers I was carrying.  Bottles filled and my bladder emptied, I was back on the bike.  I thought this would be a good time to take on more food as the trail seemed a reasonable grade, that was until I turned the corner with a mouthful of food.  The second big climb was not as steep but not far off and it went on and on and on and on and, well you get the picture.  With food crammed in my mouth I was not having a great time and was relieved when I finally managed to swallow it all.

I summited the climb with one other rider and we headed into the decent.  Now let me ask you, have you ever strayed whilst driving onto the bumpy white line designed to wake you up?.  Well to my horror the corners of the trail had turned into massive wake up lines and hitting them at speed had a similar effect to putting your head in a blender whilst simultaneously driving your man bits up behind your ears.  If that was not bad enough it numbed your hands and made you see double, and all of this came as a surprise as you hit a racing line through a loose gravel corner at speed. 

As the rider in front of me took off down hill it took all of my descending skills to stay in contact and stay upright on the bike, allowing the back wheel a little freedom to break loose and recovering a number of potential front wheel washouts.  I was glad I had both MTB and Cross skills in my toolbox I can tell you.  We flew down the descent and the level of concentration was insane.  I took calculated risks but was not prepared to take stupid ones, opting to stay back in case he went down but not far enough back that I would lose contact.  Our decent worked in our favor and we pulled back two riders ahead.  It was however only a matter of time before the trail claimed a victim and I discovered at the end of the ride that the first rider we caught then went down hard behind us  Fortunately he received flesh wounds and was able to complete the ride.  With his shorts torn up and cuts on his arm and leg I knew it was going to hurt later and I felt for the guy.  I hope he is recovering quickly.

The end of the decent dropped us out onto the road and it felt wonderful to hit the asphalt.  The other good news was that we were now three and we worked together to race to the finish.   With all three of us working we were making good time and soon had a lone rider in our sights.  It was not long before we pulled him back and invited him to join us.  He dug deep and jumped on.  Now we were four and heading for home.

I'm going to say it that the organizers have a twisted sense of humor.  Why? because the last 3 miles or so of the ride were on gravel, we turned the corner and hit a railway grade trail.  "I was not amused".   That said, we put our heads down and raced for the finish, to be greeted with congratulations, a finishers patch and time to fist bump and share stories before heading home.

It turns out that unofficially the four of us finished in the top 10, completing 90 miles (36 on gravel) and 8000ft of climbing (most of which was on gravel) in 5hrs 38minutes.

Epic Day and qualifies for Maxing Life Out.

Here is a short video, not much as I was too busy riding and forgot to film

Remember to keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut.

December Training CTS #DEC40

When I saw the CTS training challenge at the beginning of December http://trainright.com/cts-december-cycling-challenge-dec40/ I was in two minds about it.  I knew I wanted to take on the Rapha 500 but both, well was it possible?  I put it in the back of my mind and focused on the Rapha 500 and my regular training plan.  Reviewing my diary I am pleased to report the challenge completed with a few hours in hand and a grand total of just under 43 hours.  Now that is a personal record :)

My Training Peaks Log for December 2015

You never know what you can achieve until you try.  You might just surprise yourself , like I surprised myself.

Remember keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut

Gear Review - Cyclocross Race Bike "SRAM Red Drive Train"

Ever since my first road bike I have used Shimano equipment and have always been happy with it and still use it.  It was not until I started looking for a new cyclocross bike in 2014 that I got curious about SRAM.  I could tell you it was solely for technical or performance reasons and whilst that was a consideration I also think it just looks cool.

Was it love after the first ride? nope, in fact truth be told it took me a few road rides to get used to the mechanics.  Especially switching between Di2 and SRAM Red.  It was not long however before I started to like the positive feel.   Once the racing started I really appreciated the shifting.  It was an appreciation that grew throughout the race season. 

I really like the fact that changing up and down is achieved with one lever and in one direction.  This might seem a small thing but trust me when you are riding at threshold the less you have to think about the better a truism especially relevant to  Cyclo Cross racing.

The distinction hit home the first time I had to switch to my "Pit" bike equipped with Shimano  shifters.  Normally I have no problem switching between the different shifters however in the height of competition the switch was nothing less than frustrating.  I found myself dropping gears and in a cross race a dropped gear can be the difference between staying in contact or not.  The switch lead to a very sketchy moment during a technical decent and as a result of the whole experience I stripped my pit bike and fitted it with SRAM Force CX1 which I will talk about in a future gear review.

The SRAM Red Double tap shifting is smooth and quick and I personally really like the positive feel of the shifting.  Talking with others this can be subject to personal taste so be sure to try it out for yourself and give it a few rides before you make a decision. 

The yaw front derailleur is elegant and does its job well.  It is not all good news however.  Whilst the shifting works flawlessly the shift lever has a long throw.  When racing I found that I could not shift quickly, I had to think about shifting far to much and found that it regularly took me multiple attempts to shift.   In addition to the long throw the shifting was nowhere near as positive.  Fortunately I did not have to use the front changer that much but every time I did the experience was the same.   On the road when there is more time it is less of an issue but off road on a rough twisting course the problem was polarized.  For me this is were CX1 really comes into its own.

The levers can take a good amount of punishment which is a key ingredient for cyclocross as you will crash.  I got all the way through the season but the last race was one too many.  I crashed and broke one of the levers.  The downside of performance equipment is the strength to weight tradeoff and of course the cost of replacement.  That said I did not think twice about replacing the lever with the same model.

To complete the drive train the SRAM Red Shifters are paired with SRAM Red front and rear derailleurs with a front derailleur chain guard and a SRAM Quarq crank set (Power Meter).  All of the equipment performed very well week after week.

I went down hard a number of times during the season and the rear derailleur took all the punishment without failing.  Now the frame may have to take a little credit as the rear hanger bent which from a cost standpoint is a much better option than taking out the derailleur.

Adjusting the front yaw derailleur took a little time.  After a chain ring change I got the bike back with cross talk which can be common when the chain is on the big cog at the front and back.  This is not a situation you want on a cross bike as you spend a lot of time in those gears so take the time to adjust it correctly or find someone who can.

The front derailleur chain guard for the most part was excellent except for when the bolt securing it comes lose which is did regularly.   I had to check it before each race.  When it comes lose it is worst than not having one as it allows the chain to slip down behind it effectively trapping the chain.  This happened to me on the last race of the season costing me over a minute.  For next year I will be looking for a new option.

The SRAM Quarq has been a robust and reliable device since installation providing power data.  I have not had to think about it as it has just worked.  I was initially concerned that cyclo cross racing would be too hard on the device but that has thankfully not been the case.

Bottom line I really enjoy the equipment.  If I would change anything it would be to move to a x1 system but other than that I highly recommend the equipment.

Keep it Rubber Side Down and MaxLifeOut.

Pacific Bike & Ski Turkey Grinder III (2015)

The Saturday Facebook post read "The Turkey Grinder is tomorrow!!!  See you all at the shop at 8am!  The weather looks good (dry) for the day!".   I don't know what weather forecast Paul was looking at but 7am on Sunday morning and it was raining cats and dogs.  

People this is the Pacific Northwest and riding in the rain comes with the territory.  So I kitted up, lights and mud guards on I head out to the rallying point at the shop.  Riders roll in and by the time we head out we are 14 strong and looking forward to the 3rd annual Turkey Grinder.

The ride was a great mix of road, gravel, trail, single track with a surprise break hosted by Dana before the monster climb.  Hot coffee and oatmeal as well as water refills for those that wanted it.  The sun even came out for a moment.

Then before the chills set in the group was off to conquer the Tolt McDonald single track climb.  The perfect remedy for the cold.  Half way up and the furnace was at full steam.

We finished the ride on the road and arriving back at the shop ready to head home and refuel after a hard but satisfying effort.   Don't take my word for it check out the video below.

Until Next Time Max Life Out and Keep it Rubber Side Down

2015 Cyclo-Cross Season

With the end of Cyclocross season here in the Pacific Northwest I wanted to take time to reflect and share with you a great season.   I have meet amazing competitors many of whom have become new friends that I looked forward to catching up with and competing against each week.

Going into the season I had the goal of racing Category 4 Men 45+ and hoped to be competitive with top 20 placings.  My results far exceeded my goals and expectations.  I am thankful for the ability to race and excited for 2016..

Results (17 Races)

1st Place:  6

2nd Place: 3

3rd Place: 2

4th Place: 1

9th Place: 1

10th Place: 2

11th Place: 1

17th Place: 1

 

CXR Series:   1st Overall (Category 3 Men 45+)

MFG Series:  3rd Overall (Category 3 Men 45+) 

 

 

UCI:  (Upgraded to Category 3)

Thank You's
I have lots of people to thank for their help over the last year putting me back together and getting me ready to race, from the hospital nurses, my PT at Lake Washington PT and BikePT, Sean at The Balanced Spine, my doctor Geoff Lecovin and my friends that provided encouragement and support through some dark days.  To Pacific Bike and Ski for the team support and some quick repairs and all my team mates who encouraged and supported me.  My coach Jim Lehman of CTS who kept me on course and ready to race each week.

A special shout out and thank you goes to Gregg Hodges and the support of the Hektic Team who where there for me every race and who I am thankful to call my friends.  You guys rock!!  Above all my wife, team mate and best friend (Sarah) has been simply amazing.  Providing moral, nutritional and race day support and honestly putting up with me after racing - I love you baby.

 

Pre-Season Preparation:
After a near death accident last year I signed up with the CTS Coaching service after receiving a recommendation from my Physical Therapist to help me build fitness and keep me honest.  I returned to track racing after a hiatus of over 20 years and everything was going to plan until on July 12th, the day after winning at the Derby Day criterium in my category I crashed and separated my shoulder and punctured a lung.  A week in hospital did not deter me but it was not what I had in mind just a month before the start of the season.  Obstacles are a fact of life and this was just another one to put
behind me.  

What to Race
With weeks to go the next job was to decide on the events I would attend.   To figure it out I started with the "Washington State Bike Association" calendar.  With three series running I had to make a choice between the MFG Cyclocross Series, CXR Cross Revolution Series and Cascade Cross Series.  In addition I had to decided if I wanted to get USA Cycling (USAC/UCI) points as none of the series are sanction races.  In the end I decided on a balanced schedule containing MFG, CXR and USAC races.  The decision was based on travel time as well as non overlapping races.

Secret Weapons
Nutrition and no not the funny stuff but good quality food carefully thought through by Sarah.  It has maintained my weight, kept me healthy and aided in recovery.  It helps having an holistic health coach on the team.   Foundation Training has helped with both injury recovery, strength and flexibility and my coach Jim that without whom I would have over trained for sure and failed to change my warmup program.

8/29/2015 Washington Women of Cross (WWCX) - 1st Race of the season (17th/50)



Category Open
Yes for the more astute of you, it is a women's focused event.  They do however kindly cater for the men with a single open event.  Being the first race opportunity of the season it was decided I would race using it as a training opportunity to see how my body was holding up.  Everything was going great until the second lap when I managed to shrink wrap my rear cassette with tape.  I lost a lot of ground but managed to unwrap the tape and with only one other fall I finished up 17th and left pleased with a top 20 finish if a little peeved with my bike handling skills.

9/7/2015 Labor Day Cross - 2nd Race (3rd/28)



Category 3 Men 45+
Heading into the 2nd race I was getting feedback from friends that I should ride Category 3 and not 4.  With no way to bench mark my ability I discussed the idea with my coach and we decided that since we were still considering it as a training race I would enter the Category 3 Men 45+ field.  The outcome would decide the entry for the MFG and CXR series.  To my surprise I got away fast and found myself leading the race.  I was caught by one rider who got away when I crashed.  I was then caught by a second rider and again he got away when I crashed.  I then stayed upright and held on for 3rd.  The result was a big surprise to me and based on the result we decided to stay with Category 3.

9/13/2015 MFG No.1 - Lake Sammamish GP - 3rd Race (10th/56)




Category 3 Men 45+
With no small amount of nerves we headed to Lake Sammamish for the first MFG race of the series.  The big features of the race were two sandy beach sections.  Talk about a shock to the system, I had all kinds of problems with the sand.  I got away well but the second time into the sand I fell, took a dunking in the lake and watched riders run by me as I discovered I could not run well.  I came in 10th and was overall very pleased with the result especially since I was racing Category 3.

9/19/2015 CrosstOberfest USAC Race - 4th Race (1st/29)



Category 4 Men 45+
As a sanctioned USAC race I had no choice to self seed at category 3 and had to race in the category 4/5 race.  My strategy was to mark the front riders and look for an opportunity.  That plan fell apart when we caught the category that went a minute ahead of us.  With the same color numbers I had no idea who I was racing.  At that point the new plan was go as hard as possible and not let anyone pass me.  I slid out once in the race and went on to take my first 1st place and secure my first CycloCross  points.

9/20/2015 MFG No.2 - South Sound Super Prestige - 5th Race (10th/55)



Category 3 Men 45+
As the second day of my first back to back weekend of racing I had no idea how my body would hold up.  I was tired but optimistic after my win the day before.  The race had a long climb and fast decent as well as a very rough grass section.  In the first climb I let the leaders go and then slowly pulled riders back.  I had just passed the second placed rider when going into the barriers I failed to unclip and crashed putting my foot into my rear wheel.   I was forced to watch riders pass me as I limped as quickly as I could to the pits.  With a change of bikes I was able to pull back placed to finish 10th.

9/27/2015 CXR No.1 - Arlington Cross - 6th Race (1st/38)



Category 3 Men 45+
In the first race of the CXR series I got a good start and marked the leaders of the race.  In the first lap I marked a strong attack and then took the lead.  I stayed on the bike and went on to win my first category 3 race.

10/3/2015 MFG No.3 - Brian Tracy Experience - 7th Race (11th/55)



Category 3 Men 45+
Going into my second weekend of back to back racing I was unsure how to approach the race especially as I would be defending a lead in the CXR Series.  I got a lousy start to the race failing to clip in quickly and was once again being foiled by the sand and run ups, giving me a 7th place finish.

10/4/2015 CXR No.2 - Swan Cross - 8th Race (4th/30)



Category 3 Men 45+
After the racing the day before I was looking to do better at Swan Cross.  The hope of getting a good start was foiled on the line.  Jamming the studs in my shoe into my pedal I crashed on the start line.  By the time I was back on my bike I was dead last and had to fight my way through the field, something I ended up doing multiple time during the race as I was passed on the run up and then had to make ground back again.  Going on to finish 4th.

Coaching Moment
After the weekend my coach and I evaluated my performance.  The outcome was a new warm up program based on the discovery I was still warming up in the first 2 laps of a race.  Oh and I removed those blasted studs.

10/11/2015 CXR No.3 - Sprinker Cross - 9th Race (1st/51)



Category 3 Men 45+
Getting ready with the new warmup program on a lovely day I felt apprehensive but ready to race.  I got a great start off the line opening a good gap.  I was chased down but stayed upright and in control going on to win the race.

10/18/2015 MFG No.4 - Magnuson Park - 10th Race (2nd/62)



Category 3 Men 45+
I got ready for the race with the new warmup and started the race going hard off the line.  The strategy worked again giving me a good start.  After defending one attack I was gapped a lap later but went on to finish in 2nd, my best MFG result to date.

10/25/2015 CXR No.4 - Cross at the Tac (Jerry Baker Classic)  - 11th Race (2nd/52)



Category 3 Men 45+
Starting strong I completely misread the first corner nearly leaving the course.  I was able to recover and get to the stair run up first.  I opened a gap only to be chased down and then dropped.  With a 25+ minute deficit I went about pulling the leader back.  We were back together in the last lap and poised for a sprint finish when I was crashed out by a rider limping around the course.  I fought back but lost ground in the last run up to finish 2nd.

11/01/2015 MFG No.5 - North 40 CX - 12th Race (2nd/54)



Category 3 Men 45+
With the rain pouring down and a super cold day I went hard off the line opening a good gap.  I was pulled back after a slow lap.  We exchanged places a few times but going into the last half of the final lap I felt strong.  Hot on the heels of the race leader going into the last run up my foot jammed and against all the odds my shoe came off.  I was able to get it back on but could not fasten it.  I chased the leader but was unable to close the gap to finish 2nd. 

11/08/2015 CXR No.5 - Cross the Frontier - 13th Race (1st/42)



Category 3 Men 45+
Feeling good after the last three races I was still hunting a win.  Going hard off the line I opened a gap that was closed briefly then reopened.  Halfway through the race I was forced into the pits after a crash bent my rear hanger causing me to miss gears.  With only one other crash in the last lap I went on to win the race.

11/14/2015 Subaru Cyclo Cup Day 1 - 14th Race (1st/28)





Category 4 Men 45+
On the hunt of UCI points and a category upgrade I had high hopes of doing well.  Going hard from the start on a very wet and muddy course I opened a gap and kept it for the entire race going on to get my 2nd UCI win of the season.  The biggest surprise other than the monster run up was that my brakes locked up just after I finished.  Luck was on my side on the day.

11/15/2015 Subaru Cyclo Cup Day 2 - 15th Race (1st/31)



Category 4 Men 45+
After a frantic bike repair I was still concerned about the brakes.  After the warmup lap I made the hard decision to race on my pit bike.  It was a good call and I pulled off my first back to back win after getting to the start line without my gloves on a very cold day - doh.

11/22/2015 MFG No.6 - Woodland Park GP - 16th Race (3rd/60)



Category 3 Men 45+
The last MFG race of the season was hotly contended and I wanted to finish strong.  I got a great start and held the lead in the first part of the race.  I was then caught and passed, we had a touch of wheels and I went down losing ground.  I fought my way back and then crashed in the start transition.  In a hard fought race I worked my way back to 2nd and then crashed, sliding out in the transition to the finishing straight losing 2nd and coming in 3rd.

11/29/2015 CXR No.6 - Claw Cross - 17th Race (9th/41)



Category 3 Men 45+
The day started cold with frozen ground that warmed up to a slick slippery course by the time I raced.  Going into the race I stuck with the program of going hard from the start only this time it did not work out.  Putting too much power down on a slippery surface resulted in me going down hard in the first lap, jamming my chain behind the chain guard and breaking my shifter.  Not the start I was looking for.  Limping into the pits I finally got back in the race well off the back.  I fought my way back to 9th place and managed to stay upright for the rest of the race.  I could not resist a victory salute as the winner of the series as I crossed the line,

For sticking it out this far you are invited to ride along with me by viewing the race highlight videos on my YouTube channel.

Until next time Max Life Out and stay Rubber Side Down.

2013 MFG Woodland Park Cyclocross Race

After the body check in yesterday, I did not feel too bad and decided I had to give the last MFG race of the session a shot.  I don't know about you but a 6am alarm is not my favorite sound on an overcast Sunday morning.   A quick weather check between snoozes indicated rain but determined to face the day I hauled my body out of bed, just to be clear I am not a morning person, and headed to the training room to see what effect the session yesterday had on my body. 

A few minutes into an active warm up and things did not feel too bad, by that I mean, I could feel fatigue from the training yesterday as I started to move the lactic acid around but felt confident that I could compete, at least against myself.

You know when you get days when it feels like the universe is sending you a stop and decease message, or at least slowing you down and making you think.  Well that was this morning for me.  After getting all my kit together all I needed was my shoes, simple right? wrong.  The shoes where not were they normally are.  Just what you need before a race is no shoes.  I looked everywhere and nope no shoes.  Sarah then suggested I might not have picked them up after the last race at Marymoor and you can guess how that made me feel.  To say the house hold was a little tense is a fair statement.

Not to be deterred, I dropped a note on facebook asking if anyone had found shoes after the last race and dug up a very old pair to ride with.  ah ha foiled the attempt to race, Matthew 1, Universe 0.  With "Where the Hell are my shoes" still floating around my mind we headed out to the race.

Now at this point I want to clarify that men heading to races can be somewhat terse, unreasonable or as Sarah puts it a little snippy, especially when they have lost their shoes.  This is not the best time to remind them that they need to be more organized.  Even if it is a true and correct statement as it was for me this morning (sorry for being a Bear Sarah).

We arrived at Woodland Park in plenty of time to register and get a scouting lap in.  As I walked up to the tent the first thing out of my mouth after good morning was "did anyone pick up a pair of shoes at the Marymoor race".  Wahoo, the answer was yes.  What a cool crew.  We registered and on our return my shoes where waiting for me.  Things are looking up maybe the universe was not sending me a message after all (Matthew 2, Universe 0). 

I headed out for recon lap of the course and quickly learned that it was a fast and technical course with lots of transitions from grass to mud to gravel to road in wet conditions.  Oh did I mention slippery, yup slippery.  On the upside the weather forecast was wrong (go figure) no rain and I was not complaining.  Finishing up the 1.8 mile lap I headed back to the tent and then out to the staging area.

My smiling face - I made it to the race :)

The race headed out and then narrowed quickly as the whole bunch hit what can only be called single track +.  Lots of jostling and bumping and energized races tried to find an outlet to release pent up energy.

 

Of the races I have participated in this year so far this one had the steepest run ups and greatest number of transitions.  It caught more that a few of the racers of guard.

 

And man the boards where high

 

despite everything I was enjoying the race, ok so enjoying is not exactly the right word, maybe suffering righteously through it is better but I was their and doing my best.  I was even pulling a few people back when disaster struck.  My front tire went soft and then completely flat.  When that happens the first thing that goes through your mind is how can I keep going, and I tried until I transitioned to road.  If you are not aware of what happens when you transition from mud to road with a flat tire on a corner then you are lucky.  The front wheel slid away from me and only through what I would like to think of as awesome bike handling skills but was probably a combination of quick reflex's and good luck I stayed up right, although I did hear "Good Recovery" from a spectator so maybe it was awesome bike handling skills, yup I'm going with that, it's my blog.

 

Pushing on with a Flat Tire at this point

 

 

Just before transition to road that very nearly landed my on my ass, if not for my awesome bike handling skills

 

 

So the universe had it's way in the end Matthew 2, Universe Flat Tire in lap 3 and Game Over.  Some plans you just can't fight, but it doesn't mean you have to be happy about it

 

 

For those of you interested here are my race stats. 

 

 

That's it for the 2013 MFG Cyclocross Race season.  I got in 3 races which a few weeks ago I never thought possible.  If all goes well I will get a couple of the remaining SCX race's in.   I hope you have enjoyed this post.  from me to you Power Up and Max Life Out.