Song called cyclocross?

I was on iTunes looking for Podcasts to listen to when I came across a song called Cyclocross by Alan Stuart. I bought it and I think he got the feeling wrong. I was expecting Speed Metal. :)

Second Weekend Success

 

So it was a typical two race weekend for us. Yesterday racing at our friends from Buffalo race out at Sprauge Brook. Interesting course, some roots and some sucking false flat but some interesting off camber and hills etc.

The 45 plus race was fun, first five of us, then four, then three and then just Fuller and me. The section after the barriers was fantastic fun and great cross section. The downhill off camber and other sections were not problem but the one straightaway up hill was a little boggy and just sucked the life out of me. I was making ground until that section or sitting in comfortably. After the 45 + I decided this time to not race a second race in the 35+.

We got home after a stop at tar-ghet, and I had enough time to shower do a load of laundry get a snack and head to Burgoyne to help do the setup for Conky's Cross Revenge. On the way I bought pizza for everyone and some drinks and we started doing mad taping and pounding of stakes.

We got quite a bit done, I think such that Natron only had a few things to do in the morning.

Home to bed pack for the day, oh and somewhere in there I started stretching my tubulars. I got up early and started getting ready to go. I decided to warm up by riding to the course from home and rolled in at 9:15 and got signed in and got my numbers. I was just getting ready to pin on when Aly showed up with the tape, so I taped my numbers and did a lap or two of the course. I didnt really need to brake that much during my hot lap so I knew I already had it down after just a short warm up. Next thing I knew they were calling for the start. Tony was kind enough to give me a spot on the front row, which I happily took as I knew I was feeling good.

Horn goes and after a couple of cranks I got clipped in and started hard trying to get the lead by the first corner. One guy from Lapdogs was looking to take the corner but checked up so I stood up and powered thru about three or four corners. Chown was taping nearby and said I had a gap, just go, so I started hammering out of a lot of corners but took my time thru the little single track and then out onto the course. I really tried to go hard and got about 20 seconds on the first lap and then just tried to keep it flowing.

I admit that I lost concentration a couple of times and got a little pissed and hit it hard again around lap four.

Next thing I knew it was bell lap and I again just kept the pressure on but trying to remain comfortable. My laps were pretty consistent after my initial 7:27 first lap.

Sadly it was over pretty quick, I had hoped to get another lap, but no worries. No back pain, a couple flubs and a lot of enthusiasm for the race, I really enjoyed myself.

The next race was m2 and women. I was more nervous for Aly than my race by far. She won handily on Saturday but we knew that today would be harder.

She raced well and hard and was second master and did well. I was really impressed with Kaitlyn Dundas, she was on a bike too big for her and still raced very well and I admire her for trying cross. We have offered her use of Alys pit bike to try?

I said something stupid to Emily Batty and Adam Morka which was dumb and didn't mean how it sounded, I feel stupid.

My cousin Anna and friend Simon showed up to watch Aly's race and a co-worker of Aly's was there as well. We chatted for a bit after Aly's race and we went to the car to clean up and get changed for podiums.

The M1/Senior Mens race was last and it was super fast. Adam Morka was flying around the course and had opened a sizeable gap in just the first lap, but then flatted or rolled a tubular. So now the race for second became a race for the overall.

Peter Glassford won with Nathan chasing hard and Peter Mogg in third. It was a great race to watch with some impressive lap times.

So all in all a fun weekend of racing, with Aly and I going 1,2 in two races.

Better

Had a much better week of training, lot's of coding and lot's of work at work and some success at Sprague Brook. A nice second in the 45+. Then home then setup for Conky's Revenge. Important note though don't hit yourself with a hammer the day before a cross race, not that I will be coming out of the big ring that much tomorrow.

First race and Reflections on Cross Camp

This Sunday we memorialized 9/11 with a cyclocross race, specifically the Colden Town Cyclocross race at Colden Town Park which was part of their weekend festival. While I wasn't quite happy with my races perse, the difference in racing with my new skills honed at the Cycle-Smart camp was remarkable. I never felt uncomfortable in any corners, remounts were faster and I consistently passed guys thru the sand pit and over barriers.

The bad news was my back seized up both races such that the power transfer slowly faded over time. I finished sixth in the 45+ and third in the 35+ and rode better in the 35+ but again the back was a factor. I'm going to alter my position on the bike and possibly my saddle and see how that works.

The biggest difference and benefit from crosscamp was in Aly. She raced during my 45+ but everytime I saw her she was railing corners like I knew she could. This translated to a win by about a minute, this despite a small crash on the first lap, which put her last but she picked the field off one by one after the crash and came up with the win. Even more interesting is that the women started at the same time as the 45+ and the S4s were 30 seconds up from us so she had to pick her way thru both groups. (I also had to move up thru 25 or so S4s as well and really felt confident doing so the whole time) Aly never would have had the confidence in her bike handling to do this before, but the camp really gave both of us a lot more confidence in our skills.

If you're even semi-serious about cross or even just want to have a less painful experience during cross then you need to go to the Cycle-Smart Cyclocross camp. Actually forget it, if you're racing against us, then the camp sucks don't go, it's a waste of time and money. :)

So a big thanks to Adam Myerson and the coaches at Cycle-Smart because even though the camp was 250 each we already made up half of that with prize money and swag. I might be exaggerating a bit but still it was worth it, just for the knowledge and confidence on cornering alone!

Last kick at summer

So after camp and a few days of training the weekend came and after a late Friday night I went to bed in hopes that I would be able to get up and make the club ride on Saturday morning but no avail. I rode Saturday, but I was slow and stupid on the bike.

Got home and we decided to go tubing and have a bbq with some good friends. It was in my estimation the last good day of the summer without something else going on so we decided to take advantage.

Sunday, I considered dong the club ride but again there was lot's to do around the house so I decided to get the Armstrong service course set up. I put up hooks for wheels and put new hooks up for the bike as the other ones were bending etc.

I also patched the front of the garage floor with quickcrete and so far so good. The holes were getting big.

Aly finished the living room on Sunday and hung the clocks and pictures etc etc. The house is pretty much 100% redone from top to bottom and ready for cross season.

Specifically I have one set up tubulars to glue up, some new super sekret tubs on Ambrosio Nemesis wheelset. :)

Monday I went to yoga and really felt the effect of tubing with sore muscles but wasn't bad at the club ride tonight.

Working on a new training program etc with a new coach, so lot's to digest.
Ah well back to work at 10 pm at night of course. :)

Please stop Dave

No offence to Dave Towles but his announcing always sounds like he's introducing the next stripper on stage. It just seems wrong what he does to announce a bike race.

Tuesday night club

Last night was the usual hilly Tuesday nighter and I was feeling the left thigh bruise from my de-skewering at crosscamp. Al asked how I was and I said I was a bit tired from crosscamp, and he asks about it and Chown naturally pipes up saying it was actually a cross dressing camp and Ben didn't go because he couldn't accessorize.

The conversation went downhill from there when we were asking Ben about his racing schedule leading up to Worlds.

The ride was typical A group ride with the Juniors, since we have three very high quality junior riders in the club and they typically like to hammer the crap out of each other.

Unfortunately, some of us got dropped on the second hill out on Roland, but at least I was in good company with Rick, Al, and Dale, all of us in and around 50 worked well to at least not get gapped too much. We picked up B and C riders in droves and mostly they would sit on and then tail off if we picked up the pace at all.

I think I should have been a little more conservative at the start but I always seem to be testing myself these days.