Gloucester delivers...

Awesome friends. Perfect weather. First-class promotion, organization and officiating. A super-fast course. What more could one hope for? New Belgium Worlds delivered on all of the hype with two spectacular days of the hardest racing so far this year. And to be honest, I'm glad it wasn't a GP this year. Less hype and more down-home-tooth-and-nail-racing. I think racers in every category had some large tales of rubbin' elbows and tradin' paint. And the pain caves? Deeper than ever. Forget the pitch forks and shovels. We're talking blasting out entire new caverns and veins into the cave. OK, enough of the that. Let's talk racing.

First, just a quick overview of the course. It was similar to years past, but with a few tweaks. The start/finish road is a long drag race up a hill that feels like Alpe D'Huez 7 laps in but something you wouldn't even notice out on a road ride. The start is at the bottom and the finish is at the top. So, drag race up the road, funnel into grass, but still 3 or 4 wide. Down a hill, 180 left back up, hard right traverse, hard right back down the hill into some sweeping right turns and out onto the cinder seawall road. Super fast on the seawall, up a little bit of broken pavement and then a hard, loose right back onto the grass. A quick right and up a short sandy steep hill into two left turns and thne back onto the grass for some more sweeping rights. Then, into the chicane and run up. I really liked the way they set this up this year. Up the hill, hard right 180 and down, hard left 180 and up into two planks. There were many different approaches on how to get over these fast and smooth. I focused more on the fast part than the smooth. It was just hard and there was no way to look like you knew what you were doing. So just freakin' do it, right? At the top of the run, you went down to the backside of the course. This section featured some long hard ridin' sections with some 180s and lots of wind. Then a sand pit that was easily rideable by the time our race hit it. Then another long straight section into another cool chicane and ride up and zip zag down. Then out onto the baseball field, hard right into the finish straight and another drag race into the finish. Most of the spectators were hanging out at the two chicanes and the start/finish hill. It was exactly where you needed to dig deep. Lap times were in the 6-7 minute range.

The good doctor had a couple of fantastic days in the 3/4 womens races. It was the fastest groups of ladies we have seen yet. I am going to try to get her to write something up, but she finished 24th out of the 47 finishers on day one and 21st out of 39 finishers on day two.

Day 1. Wake up the legs.

For day one, they called up the top ten on overall points from last year's Verge series. Some of the guys have moved up to the elites, so that left five call ups. And then they stacked us by order of registration. Due to my lack luster registration skills a few weeks back, that meant a fifth row start spot. The start road bends left and the field tends to hug the bend. So Scott, Kenny and I lined up on the right and went as hard as we could up the right side. I made up some places before going onto the grass. The first two laps were ridiculously fast and everything was a blur. The one thing that I remember distinctly though was I felt pretty blocked up. It was really hard to accelerate and I felt like I was going backwards. Someone said I came through the first lap in 25th or so wiht Kenny, and then I lost contact with him and started to do the slide. It was brutal. At the end of the 3rd lap, we saw 4 to go. I heard a lady say "41st and 42nd" to me and the guy I was with. Something clicked. Anger? Physiology? Determination? No clue. But I started to open up and go harder. I made a couple of spots on lap 4 and went super hard on 5 and 6 and went through some groups and caught Kenny. We were hovering right around 30th, but lost a couple of places to some hard charging guys. Kenny beat me in the sprint for 32nd, so I ended up 33rd. I think I went as hard as I could for 45 minutes, because my hands and arms locked up in a death grip on the drops as I sprinted up the finish hill. I could not open my hands for a minute or two. It was awesome racing with Kenny and we had our own epic battle going on. The speed and depth of the field was incredible. Less than 2 minutes seperated me in 33rd from 2nd place. More importantly, I was just 1 minute out of 15th and the Verge points that I want. About 9 seconds a lap. Within reach? Yup.

Day 2.
My legs felt much better Sunday morning during my warmup. Today, the top 15 from Saturday were called up based on their newly earned Verge points. So that meant another fifth row start for me. But I felt much better going up the right today and made up more spots. Today, Kenny, Rosey and I were sporting the zank blue kits and at one point, the three of us were riding together. I got some nice comments on the blue train after the race. The first couple of laps were crazy fast again. But this time, I heard 20th and 21st when Kenny and I were riding together. We stayed together the whole race, but he was clearly stronger. I could only try to respond to everything he threw at me. I always closed the gap on the sand pit and the two chicanes. But he was turning me inside out on the fast sections. We both started to slow down with 2 or 3 to go and a couple of small groups went through us. We caught PVB with 2 to go and we rode together for the last two laps. Kenny attacked me and Pierre hard on the bell lap, and I was in damage control mode at that point and could not respond. I lost Pierre as well and rolled in for 30th, 2:15 behind the winner. But this time, only 41 seconds out of the top 15.

A few interesting points. On day one, I started slow but opened up and went faster on the last three laps and made up 8 or 9 spots. On day two, I started faster and slowed down on the last three laps and lost 8 or 9 spots. I guess I have to tune my training so that I can start fast and finish fast. Geez, why didn't I think of that before?

I need to learn to corner faster. I felt like I lost ground in every corner. I had a few brilliant turns where I actually went faster than the guys I was with, but I need to do that more often. Am I losing 1/2 to 1 second on every corner? Maybe. That would be enough in itself to get me to the top 15.

Cross is awesome. There are so many amazing people to hang out with at the races it blows my mind. I heard every single cheer. On some laps, I couldn't make out the voice because I was in purgatory, but I really appreciated it all. I was thrilled to see Myette back in the mix after the major scare with his ankle. I am really enjoying getting to know the gang of guys I am racing with in the Bs. Tal I, Colin R, Colin M, Carey F, all super nice guys who can pedal really hard. And being tight with Myette, Kenny, Rosey, Ronnie, PVB, Yash, Jamner, Ziemba, and CTodd helps so much to keep my head in the game and not give in to the pain. GeWilli constantly makes me laugh.And I really apprecaite all of the support and good wishes from everyone who has seen me transition to the Bs this year.

Everything is icing on the cake from here. Myette commented on Friday that if anyone in our little gang could pull a top 30 in our respective races, it was like a win. It felt like that for sure. But I still have some goals for the season. I still want my cat 2 upgrade and I still want a Verge point. Mansfield and Southington will be two good races this weekend to prepare for Canton the following week. And then another big Verge weekend with Farmington and Northampton. Time to sharpen the fitness and the cornering skills.

It's time...

to go. See you all in Gloucester. It's Worlds time. 1287 pre-registered for 2 days of racing. Crazy. We've come a long way, baby.

Calm before the storm

So this weekend was really, really productive. I hated missing the races, but I took a ton off of my plate (not the plate at the dinner table either). It was awesome hearing about so many great rides by many pals. Some great wins by Tom, Justin and Colin. Nice work fellas!!! So many super-positive reports from all over Hup nation. Upgrade points earned, stutter-steps banished, and handling the dreaded "12" lap card with much confidence. I wish I could have seen it all, but be sure that I was cheering for all of you from the confines of my workspace.

Five days remain until Worlds. My biggest goal this week is to stay very cool, relaxed and focused. I had a great 4+ hour ride on Friday that sent me home cracked like never before this year. I had a great over/under workout today and felt really well recovered. The legs feel sharp. I just can't waste any precious energy. I know I have a huge task ahead of me. I will be called up in 40th or so, so finding my way to the front group will make the first two laps super hard. I would rather get to the front group and blow up like you read about to finish 110th than ride conservatively. Maybe I'll watch Rocky III tonight. Hmm, or Rocky II? Tough call.

It's all puppy dogs and rainbows...or something like that

I have this epic training ride planned for today. I am not going to LI this weekend because I need to finish some bikes before New Blegium Worlds next weekend. So today is a monster. I'll be lucky if I can walk later.

Anyway, Josh and Feltslave have both commented on what they think about when they ride. The long, solitary miles gives one much time to think. I think a lot. About my wife, my family, my friends, the world, my job, my co-workers (the other group that doesn't fall under the "friends" tag), frame building, politics, physics, medicine, engineering, effing car, the MCAT, going back to school, physiology, dang she was cute, kids some day, house some day. Oh, and bike racing. Oh oh! Don't forget! A rainbow jersey some day.

Yeah, as dumb as it sounds, I think about a rainbow jersey some day. If you are going to dream, why not dream big? Goals and dreams are different. I know it will never be a white rainbow jersey. But what about a blue rainbow jersey? The place? Mol, Belgium. The event? The Master's World Cyclocross Championships. From what I understand, that course is HARD. Lot's of sand, lot's of heavy pedalling sections, lot's of pain. Lot's of tough old Belgians, Dutchmen, and French dudes just looking to rip the legs off some cheeky American and stuff his heart right into the microwave. Press high for 45 minutes until the damn thing explodes. Eff 'em I say. I'll crush their souls and ride away on a bike made of their bones.

I envision the kit. That beautiful blue rainbow skinsuit. The rainbow has to go all the way arond. No side panels and the bands MUST line up perfectly. How freakin' cool would it be to have the Hup United logo on a rainbow skinsuit? The anti-team team scores big. But what to do with the bottoms? Boonen/Bettini style with the rainbow bands running along the little triangle on the front of the bottoms? Or Cipo style with the bands running horizontally along the bottom of the short panel? A "U" panel with the rainbow bands running along the middle of the panel and around the back across the butt? Would Campagnolo sponsor me if I was Masters World Champion? That would be cool. Ohhhhhh, maybe Francois could make me some sick tubulars with blue sidewalls and rainbow bands. Some crazy cool knee warmers and leg warmers with the rainbow bands would be a must have. I have sketched out every piece of kit in my mind. From the skinsuit, jackets, vests and tights to gloves, shoe covers, caps and leg warmers. one must revere the rainbow and show proper respect with a classy kit. A full kit. Everything must be spotless on the start line. I heard that Sven had a new skinsuit for every race when he was World Champion. It must be tough with white. I wonder if he had lots and lots of jackets made because the mud from his warm ups may not come out perfectly in the wash. You can't have spots on the white rainbow jackets! It will be easier for me to keep the blue rainbow jackets clean.

Hey, dream big. Why not? Your thoughts are free. Spend them with abandon. I'm headed out the door with some tough old Belgian in my sights. I will cross paths with him some day in the future in the sand in Mol. I will get the holeshot. I won't look back. 45 minutes later, I will have that rainbow on my back. Why the hell not? I've already won this race 1000 times over in my head.

And that's what I think about when I ride.

The black cat got lucky this time

That kitty was lucky I wasn't a car or motorcycle. On my way home last night from my ride, a black cat darted out into the road right in front of me. Oh crap. Weight back, lighten the front end. Ba-Thump Ba-Thump. Cat darts away. It felt like a root at Amesbury. Lucky for the kitty I lost twenty pounds. Luckier still I wasn't on a Ducati. Sad for me though. A Ducati would be nice to have.

New Belgium Worlds

Warning! More sappy ramblings ahead....

Gloucester, MA holds a very special place in my heart. My wife's family is from Gloucester and I fell in love with my bride-to-be over the course of the summers of 1998 and 1999 in Gloucester before proposing in 2000. Coincidently, this fledgling little bike race began to take root around the same time. 222 racers showed up in Gloucester in 1999. A huge race in those times. There was no Master's 3/4 race or Women's 3/4 race. You could race A Men, B Men, C Men, Women, Masters, Juniors, or Cub Juniors. I remember the race really well. It was my first fall out of college. I was racing with my pal Major Michael Shenk, who was an instructor at and raced for West Point/Army in around 20th place. On the last lap, a nail found its way through my rear tire and into my rim. That bit of bad luck cost me about 2 minutes and 15 places.

B Men - 55 starters
35 211 Michael Zanconato Northampton CC Pittsfield, MA

Over the next few seasons, Goucester became more and more epic. What was it about this particular race that turned it into one of the premier cross races in the US? Well, the dedication of ECV to put on a world class event was a huge part of it. But why this race? Why Gloucester? Cetainly the views don't hurt. And how the city has embraced the race is great. Not to mention New Belgium in October is breath taking. Was it the freak snow storm? Maybe having Vervecken and Pontoni over helped. Certainly watching local PRO Tim Johnson's wins drew a crowd. My theory is it falls just at the right time in the season. The fair weather cross racers are still enjoying the tail end of their season. The die-hards want bragging rights for the next 2 months. The PROs want UCI points. The leaf peepers see something funny going on in the park and they stop for a look. The kids are psyched to race, with the inevitable win by an Anthony (how many kids are in that family anyway?). It kicks off one series or another, so a good show there gets you the coveted call up for the rest of the season. All of the planets align I guess to draw some of the biggest crowds to the races. Over 1000 racers are already pre-registered for two days of racing. It is our Worlds. New Belgium Worlds. The biggest race of the season.

I have watched the event grow from day one. Sadly for me, I missed racing in 2000, 2001, and 2002. I was there, but not in racing shape. I cheered a lot, but didn't turn a pedal in anger. In 2003, I returned to what was called the Beginner class that year. 19th out of 51 starters. In 2004, I tried my hand at the Bs again. I remember thinking "oh my God, they are going so effing fast." I finished 91st on day one out of 93 finishers and 69th on day two out of 77 finishers. The blizzard of 2005 took its toll on me with a nasty crash on the first lap. I dragged my body around to 76th out of 81 finishers. In 2006, it was back to basics in the C race. I remember psyching myself out right at the start, feeling like I had no business being there. I rode to 23rd on day one out of 50 finishers and 17th on day two out of 49 finishers.

What does this have to do with anything? Nothing really. Except for the fact that I will thinking back to 10/16/99 a lot over the next two weeks. I want the top 20 B race finish at Gloucester that I didn't get back in 1999. No nail this time. I will see that yellow and black Army jersey of Major Shenk leading me around the course. And maybe, just maybe, I'll have the legs and the head for a top 15 and earn the one Verge point that I so badly want this year.

See you at Stage Fort Park.

Seven minutes of fame

New Belgium cross is in full swing now. The fields are getting pretty darn big. The road guys have shifted their focus, the specialists are showing up in droves, and first-timers are digging their new tunnels into the pain cave. We missed some mountain bike racers due to the Vermont 50 though. We will see them all at Gloucester though in two weeks.

Amesbury, MA was the site of the race yesterday. I really liked the course. The first "half" was in the woods. Lots of sandy turns and exposed roots. I thought it was very similar to Caster's in Warwick, RI. For obstacles, there was one set of planks, one steep downhill with a left 180 at the bottom and then a set of ridable stairs that went back up, and a cool off camber section on the grassy side. The grassy side was where the guys with power turned on the after-burners. A couple of nice long straights and some 180 corners. Overall, the course was very well laid out. But I am not one to complain about a course anyway. We all have to ride the same one. There were a lot of comments on the roots and the sandy corners. Hey, that's cross! You guys will get your grass freeway in two weeks at Gloucester. I rode the FMBs at 30 psi and they hooked up nice.

The good doctor has come out of her shell. It was a very large 3/4 women field (about 30-40 I would guess). Kenny A's wife Dianna toed the line for her first cross race on her shiny new Redline. We have nicknamed her "smiles" because that is what she did all the way around the course! I think she is hooked. To all of you women out there who are thinking about giving cross a try, go for it! It's a blast! And all of the boys will cheer for your guarenteed. Sarah and Kerry were also there representin'. Kerry is a machine. After doing the 3/4 race, she lined up with the 1/2/3 women later in the day. Her tunnel in the pain cave took a few new turns this weekend!

Rebecca got herself on the front row and had a great start. She was third going into the woods, but she tanked it on the first tricky right hander on the roots. She came through the planks in about 14th. Something must have clicked in her head though, because I don't think I have ever seen this type of aggression in her. On the next lap, she came through in 10th. Holy moly. She was picking off people on the stair run-up and on the long straights. Next lap she was 7th! Moving up. On the last lap, she was 4th and closing in on Rachel B in 3rd. Out into the grass field and she closed it right down and went by her. Unfortunatley, she got stuck behind a lapped rider going into the off camber section and didn't really know how to handle it. Rachel got by on the little run up and took her advantage to the finish. But Rebecca was thrilled with her 4th place, earning some valuable upgrade points for her cat 3 upgrade.

We watched the Masters races while warming up for the 3/4 race. Lot's of pals had some really good rides going. Then, the first race of the day. To the start line we go. I secured a nice spot on the left side of the front row, which gave me a nice line for the holeshot. We almost had a full Hup B squad there, but Rosey was away for work. Bummer. Josh also had a nice spot on the front row with me and PVB and Yash were stalking just behind us in row 2. Lyne Bessette lined up to my right and we jabbered about last weeks race in Bedford. But, I was inspired by Colin R's post about how us B guys should be ashamed about letting Lyne get the holeshot. I went into this race with one goal. To see what it was like to ride on the front and to see how long I could hold it. The problem was I hadn't really given much thought to what I would do when I got there. The whistle blows and I got into the woods in third and then made my way to the front on the first right hander. First into the hurdles and I actually had a gap. WTF? I kept looking behind me thinking WTF. So bad actually that I almost missed a turn and brushed the course tape. I got my act together and just rode. It is nice having the course clear in front of you. You get to pick your own lines and not get held up. I settled into a pretty solid state of pain and tried to focus as best I could. I rode up the stairs except for one dab at the top. Out into the grass, through the off camber and to completion of lap 1. But I kept hearing the cheers for Tal behind me. The freight train was coming and my 7 minutes of fame was about to end. I held them off through the woods and I rode all the way up the stairs this time. But Tal came by me on the little uphill drag just after the stairs, followed quickly by Carey. Then out in the field another fella went by. I held onto this group for the remainder of lap 2, but lap 3 was major purgatory. Lyne caught me on lap 3 and I tried to hold her wheel as I got my act together again. We came through to see 3 to go and that gave me a huge boost. I was fully expecting to see 5 to go. I think the officials may have made a boo boo with the timing. Anyway, I kept yo-yoing off of Lyne, closing in through the woods and losing her on the open field. She just laid down the power in the field. By lap 4 I figured out that running the stairs was probably faster, so that is what I was doing. I kept seeing Ronnie just behind me closing the gap. I dug super deep on the last lap to hold my position of 5th and even gave Lyne a little run for her money through the off camber and up the finish straight. But it was just for show. There was no way I was coming around her. I was happy with my 5th and 5 more upgrade points. It was fun being on the front. It feels pretty strange. But, it's something I want to try again.

So here's the deal with LI. We plan to go, but itdepends on how much work I get done this week. If I need the days to work, I will skip it. If I get everything done, we will be there. Otherwise, we'll see everyone in Gloucester for New Belgium Worlds on the 13th.

Simple mods

A few people have asked about the adjusters on the Spooky brakes. This simple mod showed up on the Weight Weenie Cross Forum and then on Roues Artisanales. Those Euro guys are wicked smart. I think this will also work on Froglegs, but I have never done it and can not confirm it. Here are the steps.
The brakes have two anchors. Use the one without the set screw. I know that is common sense, but I am trying to be as clear as possible here.
Drill out the existing hole with a 4.2 mm drill. I know metric drills are hard to come by. You can also use the next smallest decimal equivalent, which is a #20 (0.161")
Tap the hole with a M5 x 0.8mm tap. This is the same tap size as a water bottle boss.
You can use adjusters from Shimano down tube cable stops, such as the CS50 here. Campy adjusters do not work because the thread is too fine.
Thread in the adjuster and set the brake for your widest rim. That way, when you switch wheels, you can take out the slack. This is very handy when switching from Reflex rims to something else. The Reflexes are a couple of mm wider than most other rims.

It's fast, easy and a great time saver.

Second thoughts

Do I really want to go to Long Island? There are only 5 people registered for the 2/3 race on Saturday and 4 on Sunday, including me. 54 people total on Saturday and 49 on Sunday, but most of them are elite men or women. It will feel like going to watch a pro sporting event. Yawn. Yeah, Erwin will be there. That's a plus. But it will be odd lining up with only a handful of guys. This year, I want to race, not watch. I was hoping for a primer before Gloucester. Is it worth $120 round trip for a ferry ride? Well, hopefully there will be a surge in entries over the next week and a half!

Bittersweet

Yikes! What a mess behind!

deep in the pain cave

Yesterday was hard. Yesterday was fun. Yesterday sucked. Quad Cycles hosted their first annual cross race in Bedford, MA on Sunday. e-RICHIE commented on how the club did a fantastic job putting on the race and how the venue is perfect for cyclocross. I have to agree. It was a good, hard race that was very well run.

The day was going very well. The good doctor got a taste of leading a race for a lap, Sarah and Mattison continue moving up the ranks in their fields, Josh and Tom stomped the front of the 4 race, Mikey S made his first showing of the season disguised as old captain grey beard, Mark "The Waterboy" crushed the souls of all others in the 3/4 35+ race with a huge win, CTodd pedaled his crushed soul to 3rd behind Mark, Brant had a killer ride in the 1/2/3 35+, and so many of our pals were there to hang out with.

The first bummer of the day was some pals were shut out of races due to small field limits. Kenny A was psyched to race, but was not allowed to start. PVB and James did the 1/2/3 race. The second, but more major, bummer came during our race. I lined up for the 3/4 race in the new zank kit. Rosey and I were flying UTR in royal blue. Yash and Josh were in there in Belgian Blue. Hey, who's that in the Quebec "national" kit? Damn good lookin' legs for a fella. Whoa! Look at that tush. Damn he's hot! Oh wait. That's Lynn Bessette.

This course was a little more heavy than Sucker Brook. The grass was a little slower and there was a good run up to test how us bike racers do on foot. Some fun "S" turns, one set of planks, lots of other corners and some good false flat uphills.

I was in the second row of the field of 50 starters. Not ideal, but there was plenty of room to pass. The gun goes off and it was a little sketchy through the first few corners. I picked my way through as best as I could until the run up. The traffic made the descent a little hairy as seen in the photo above. Thanks for the photos, Bob! As I came down into the field, I got a clear view of the field. I was sitting around 4th and Myette was leading the way. He had super legs going, putting the hurt on everyone. I was working hard with my pal Ronnie. Rosey bridged up to us by lap 3, rode with us a little bit, then leapt across the gap to Myette and a Cambridge Bicycles guy who is the current World Messenger Champion and an accomplised cat 2 on the road. Lynn also went through our group and up to Scott, Matt and World's fast guy. So the 4 of them were duking it out and I was with Ronnie and another dude. Our group of 3 was working well together, but I came unglued right around 2 to go. And that was the point of major bummer number 2. Myette rolled his ankle something major. Photos and story here. Matt has been working so hard all season and is in super shape right now. The good thing is this guy is a hockey player. He knows what its like to work through pain. Mark my words. He'll be back on the trainer by the end of the week and will be on the start line at Glouecster. The guy is all heart.

Anyway, I gave it everything I could through the last two laps. I just tried to limit my losses and consolidate my place. The heat and dust were putting the hurt on me. With Matt's unfortunate exit, I was sitting in 6th. But Colin R was charging hard behind me. He passed me just after the "S" turns and kicked it hard to establish a gap. I had no answer. There was another guy gaining ground too, but I held on for 7th. Completely cracked. I don't know how some of you guys do two races in one day. I was destroyed. Yash rocked it and made his goal of top 20. PVB and Dan C had fantastic races in the 1/2/3 race, which was dominated at the front my Jeremy Powers and Matt White.

3 more points in the bank. I would have much rathered 2 though with Matt still in the race.

Last weeks rest week bored me to tears. Lot's of hard miles planned for this week. Then Amesbury on Sunday. Should be a hoot!

The elusive 70 kg barrier

Warning! Boring reading ahead...

Back in January, I set a goal for myself to lose some weight. At the time, I weighed 78 kg (172#). I knew the weight was hampering every aspect of my cycling except for going down hill. I went back through some of my old notes and "training" diaries. I say "training" because I really haven't taken my cycling seriously since my first senior year of college in 98. Yes, I had two. I highly recommend it. That year, I believe I logged about 6000 miles, which was a great year for me. I also weighed about 68 kg. In 99, I didn't have as good a spring as I did the year before due to a heavy class schedule and interviewing for jobs. But, I started kicking it in around April and got myself somewhat fit for Fitchburg. I got myself back down 68 - 69 kg. Then, real life happened. Full time job, second job trying to get the frame building business off the ground, I started travelling for work, blah, blah, blah. I went from rice and beans while in school to these crazy over-sized sandwiches we would bring in when we had customers into our facility. Dinners out, food at airports, fast food in the car, the whole enchilada (sometimes a plate of 3). And I didn't have a grasp on time management (I continue to work on that. Certainly not my best quality). So with all that, I ballooned up to a high of 83 kg in 2003. Shit, I could have been on Super-Size me. My cholestorol was up, blood pressure was up, liver functions were up. Not good.

Cross has been my savior. That, and meeting some of the greatest people in the world to ride with. Between my pals in the Worcester and Boston areas and my Hup teammates, I have received so much support to get myself back into racing. I did my first cross race back in 92 as a junior. The BCA race was tiny back then and was at Pittsfield State Forrest. I remember thinking it was some wierd kind of mtb race, with these funny looking bikes. I did my first full season of cross in 97 when I was at UMass. Everyone there on the team raced cross. It was mandatory in some ways. We even had a little points competition between the guys living in our house. Much fun.

Fast forward to 2003. Super pal Zac Daab starts this Hup thing. Cool. I get my first green kit to race in. I could have given the Michelin Man a good run for this money. Enough was enough, and the good doctor was getting concerned about my health. I have been coming down steady over the past couple of years, hovering between 168 and 175 depending on the time of year. But last year I earned my cat 3 cross upgrade. I knew that racing the 3/4 and 2/3 races was going to be tough, so I committed to doing this. By June 1st, I was down to 166. Then the big push came. I started training really hard for cross on July 2. It's been twelve weeks. I am certain that the higher intensity training is what has done the trick. That and eating smaller portions at every meal. Do I still give myself a treat? Yup. Just not nearly as often. Why was I giving myself a treat to begin with? I didn't earn it. And now I don't mind being hungry.

I like to be able to say that I am in the 60 kilo range. It's all in my freakin head. 69 is better than 70 because there is a 6 there. I am currently at 71 kg. I want to be able to say 69 kg by Gloucester. 2 kg in 3 weeks? I am going to try my best.

See you at Bedford on Sunday.

Well, I guess we go to LI

Erwin is pre-registered for the LI UCI races. Port Geoffe fairy, here we come. I'll do anything to see the rainbow jersey on this continent.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=5253
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=5255

3 points in the bank, 22 to go

Wow, where do I begin? Yesterday was off the charts. I will start with praise to the promoters of Sucker Brook Cross. As a sponsor of the event, I couldn't have been more pleased. The way the course was laid out, regsistration was orchestrated, results were provided and everything else you expect from a promoter, this event felt like an international level event. I was blown away when I got there and everything was up and ready to go at 7:00. The course layout was awesome and it was double-tape most of the way around. JJ and Jack went way over the top to put on a truly top-level event. They were rewarded with 100+ more entries than they got last year. And all proceeds went to a local girl who is fighting cancer. Awesome.

It was awesome seeing everyone again. Let the party/season begin! I saw countless friends and it was like a huge cross reunion. I drove up with the good doctor and pal Myette early in the am so that Rebecca could attend the clinic that Rebecca Wellons put on. Rebecca was psyched to have a pro give her some great advice. She lined up with her Hup teammates Kerry and Sarah. They were the third group to get the whistle for the 9 am race, behind the cat 4 men and the kids 10-14. Rebecca continues to gain confidence and placings. There were 3 ladies off the front of her race, but she hung tough with a group of 6 or 7 women through the whole race. It was fantastic seeing the women racing each other in a group like this rather than 1s and 2s coming through alone. Sarah and Kerry weren't far behind this group and they both looked strong on the long field sections and the planks. Good technique all around! Rebecca almost hung on in the sprint for 8th, but got pipped at the post for 9th. One of her goals this year was a top ten. Mission accomplished.

Ok, the time was here. How would it go? The bike was dialed in (though I still need to work on tire pressure), legs felt good during warm up, but I made a major blunder. I lost the first race fo the day and that is the race to the start line. We were out on a lap right after the 1/2/3 Masters race and we thought the 3/4 race was getting pushed back. Alas, I found myself in the third row. Didn't everyone else get the memo? There were about 60 riders in the field, and everyone looked a bit tense. Yash, PVB, Ziemba, Ronnie and Rosey all had prime start positions. Bummer that Kenny, Myette, Manard, Jamner and I weren't so on top of things. Anna Milkowski was one row in front of me and I hoped she would take me to the front after the first corner. Gun goes off, clean entry into the pedal and we were racing. The scrum wasn't so bad, and Anna gave me a clear line through it and out into the field. I did some passing all along the field section on the first lap. It was chaotic at best and I don't know who was around me at the time. Things started to file out on the second lap and third laps. At this point, I could see PVB with 3 other guys in the lead group. So I was driving in 5th and our little group had Rosey, James from Serotta and a couple of others. I was getting a little cooked and Rosey pulled through. Then James made a great surge off the front of our group. He eventually bridged up to the lead group and would finish 2nd. Nice work! After the 4th lap, we got lap cards. 4 to go, which was what I was expecting. Things didn't change much from this point on, but Josh gave us quite a scare when we saw him down in a ditch with the medical staff giving him attention. It's amazing the way rumors get started. I heard he broke his collarbone, arm, got a concusion and was in rough shape. Thankfully, we saw him right after the race and there were no broken bones. But he did have a good shiner and was visably shaken. Rosey ended up doing most of the work in the second half of the race. He made me hurt pretty good on a few sections. The funny part was on the planks, I went from 2 or 3 stepping beween them on the first laps to tip toeing through on the last laps. Thankfully, it was a tunnel of noise and I could hear every person's voice willing me through the pain. In the later stages of the race, the only spot on the course I felt faster than Rosey was through the sand. So I tried to give him a good line through there. On the last lap, I fumbled getting clipped in after the planks and he put a little gap on me, but I closed it going through the sand. I sat on his wheel coming through the last corner and gave him the best sprint I had. I was going to make him work for 6th. But he got me with ease. With the 7th place, I picked up 3 points for my cat 2 upgrade. But it was also a huge confidence boost. Now I feel like I deserve to start on teh front row. At one point on the 7th lap, Rosey asked me when was the last time I lapped someone in a B race. Easy answer. Never. I don't think I have ever placed top 10 in a B race, even back in the 90s when the B races were a little different.

Next stop for us is Bedford on the 23rd and then Amesbury on the 30th. We will probably take the ME weekend off. And then the G-Star extravaganza!

Nice work everyone. Let the games begin!

48 hours

I can't sleep. I keep visualizing Sucker Brook. I feel like Mike in Rounder's. Seeing himself at the final table in the World Series. Instead of Brunson and Chan, I see PVB and Ziemba. Holeshot? Sit in? Lead the group? Follow the wheels? What's it going to feel like 30 minutes in? Big group? Shattered mess? Scrum City in the second turn? Single file? Elbows? Clean? Crash? FUCK!!! How am I going to work today?

That was actually fun

I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get on a start line. I couldn't wait until Sunday at Sucker Brook. I had to know today. How are the legs?

I went to the MRC training race tonight in Wrentham, MA. The Minuteman Road Club put on a great show. Fantastic organization, got right off at 5:30 and a very cool format. It is the same course as the race last December. There are two distinct loops with a dirt road running down the midddle. The left side has a fun section of 180 degree corners, 8 or 9 of them followed by a set of planks and then into the woods onto a fast dirt road. The road climbs up a short, gently grade, then a right to stay on the road, and eventually back onto the main dirt road. This loop is about 3 minutes. The right side is the pain side. It is laid out on the side of a hill and you do a series of zig zags across heading down, then a left into a set of planks at the bottom of the hill, which effectively makes it a run up. Then a 180 back down, 180 back up 180 back down, and then an easy left and all the way back up again, but further up than the other two climbs. Sweeping right as you head back down into a hard left, then easy right and down to the bottom. Then a long flat grind back to the main dirt road again. This loop is about 4-5 minutes.

The format is very cool. We did 4 races. The first race we tackled the shorter, more fun, left loop 4 times. I started at the back of the 40+ rider strong group because I wanted to work on making my way through traffic. Adam Myerson and Mark McCormack had the same idea apparently. Funny seeing you here. By the end of the first lap, I was with Steve Morse from Bikeman and we could see Tom Carr just ahead of us. We were somewhere in the top 10. Things didn't change much from there. A good 12 minute effort or so.

The second race was the longer right loop for 3 laps. I flatted on the first lap and ran over to the start/finish area where there were some tubes provided by the MRC and Landry's guys (THANKS!). I changed it quick and jumped in as Tom C was coming around for the start of his third lap. I rode his wheel and then put in a big effort on the zig zag climbs to get some intensity in. Unfortunately only 5 minutes of effort on that one.

For the third and fourth races, we did the whole lap two times each. The third race was good fun. We did the left side first and I hooked up with my pal Brant Hornberger from NCC and we stayed together the whole race with Tom C one place ahead of us. But we just couldn't close the gap. Brant and I ended up somewhere between 7th and 10th I think. Not sure exactly. It was a good 13 or 14 minutes of effort. By the 4th heat, I was getting pretty cooked, but I wanted to see what I had left in me. At the beginning of lap 1, I was riding in 4th through the fun loop. Then the McCormack/Myerson freight train went by at mach freakin' ten. So I think I was in 7th or 8th on the first lap. Brant and another fella caught me on the second lap just as we were getting onto the right loop and they were gracious enough to throttle back a touch to help me stay on. But they got away from me on the long, drag race climb near the end of the lap. Another good 14 minutes of work.

OK, now I am fully pumped for Sunday. I raced my S&S bike tonight with my Muds. It will be fun jumping on my race bike, which weighs about 3 pounds less and has the brandy-new FMB tubulars, on Sunday. Should feel fast.

Easy day tomorrow. Will do some skills training with the good doctor, Matt, Kenny and some of the other locals. They will go hard. I will point and laugh.

Soggy intervals

It poured today. Stress "today" as in earlier today. By 5:00 it was sprinkling. I had a key threshold workout on the schedule. 3x 15min intervals with 5 minute recovery between each. I started out as not being very Belgian. I set my bike on the trainer. Did my 15 minute warm up. Did my first interval, all the while looking outside. Eff this. In the 5 minute recovery time, I got suited up, threw on the Belgian Knee Warmers (a smear of Sportblam Medium) and got out on the road like a real cross racer should. Did my last 30 minutes of work and rode home happier than a climber on the podium in Spain.

Huffing Mastik

Lot's of tires to glue. Can my central nervous system take the fumes?

Sucker Brook is in 6 days. Holy moly.

Hup put up a great showing yesterday, crowned with a victory by PVB. The guy is a monster this year. I wish I could have witnessed it, but the good doctor and I chose to ride a charity ride in Worcester. 50 miles in the rain. It was awesome. She is impressively strong right now, but she got first hand exposure to what it is like riding with a bunch of cat 4s and 5s. Someone said "what do you get when you put 3 or more cat 4s together? A race." Yeah, this wasn't far off. Lot's of dumb antics going on. We kept letting them go because of the sketch factor, but then she kept catching them on the climbs. Hilarious. I flatted at mile 30, so that was the end of our "chase", but still a great ride. I'll have her type up her account and post it.

I feel good for Sucker Brook. But, I really have no idea about where my fitness is at. My fitness is higher than it has been in probably 10 years, but where the hell does that put me? I guess I'll know on Sunday.

Detox

Every time I am away from home for several days for work, I feel like I need to go away for detox. Yeah, there are the usual things associated with work travel. Garbage food, long days, very littel excercise, and the general wear and tear. But lately, the main thing I have had to purge from my system is the nastiness of other people around me. As Agent Smith said "I somehow feel infected by it."

Ever feel bad about yourself? Ever feel as though you were rude, impatient, mean, horribly out of shape, dishonest, glutenous, quick-tempered and/or just downright nasty? Do yourself a favor. Go hang out at your local airport for an hour or so. You will probably realize that compared to the general population, you are likely a pretty swell individual. That still doesn't give you the right to be any of the things mentioned above, but we all have our days. Just change your attitude as soon as you realize what is going on.

Want to make somebody's day? On your next trip, be exceedingly nice to every service worker you interact with. Ticket agents, bag screeners, wait staff, hotel staff, shuttle drviers, shoe-shine guy, taxi driver, etc. They may not know how react because they have been beaten down day in and day out. Don't be nice to feel good about yourself and then expect a big smile in return. Do it because it is the right thing to do and because you brought a little ease to that person's day.

Why do I like cross and cycling in general? It's a good bunch of people. That impatient cat 4 waiting for his number getting all huffy because he thinks every person who works a registration table should get a week long training class on how to flip through the BikeReg binder before working an actual race is nothing compared to the dip shit who is screaming at a woman at a National car rental desk demanding a refund and a gift certificate because the A/C in the car he rented didn't get "cold enough." Get over yourself, buddy.

Material: part one

There were some bikes rolling out of paint. One of which was my pit bike. I am headed out to Cleveland for work this week, so everything will get built and/or shipped on Monday.

The pit/training/travel/winter bike has S&S Couplers and braze-ons for bottles and fenders, but the geometry is identical to my race bike. The frame is heavy with the couplers (about 2050 grams). About a full pound heavier than I expect the race frame to be. The fork came in at 790 grams (with steerer cut).

Build spec:
2005 Campagnolo Centaur Ergopower and derailleurs
2007 Centaur UT crank with TA Vento 39/46 rings
2007 Chorus Ultra Narrow chain
Ritchey WCS stem and WCS Classic bar
Thomson Elite seatpost
Fizik Arione saddle and bar tape
King headset
Spooky Al brakes and Yehstar pads
Egg Beater pedals
Tubular Wheels:
DT 240S hubs and quick releases
Mavic Reflex Ceramic rims
Sapim Laser spokes
Chorus 13/26 cassette
FMB SSC 34 tubulars
Clincher Wheels:
DT 240S hubs and quick releases
Mavic Open Pro rims
Sapim Race spokes
Centaur 13/26 Cassette
Mud 2 tires

I want reliable bikes that will last a bunch of seasons. The paint is all HUP.

What's up with this sport?

Why do you like cyclocross? You have to admit. It's a pretty odd thing to like.