The Dirty Kanza 2015 Half Pint

Where to begin...This will sound familiar. Once again the Dirty Kanza has come and gone. After last year I thought I was done with this race but my riding buddy who made it to Cottonwood Falls last year said he wanted to do the entire half in 2015 so I told him I would do it again...I did and here's my story.

This is my 5th trip to the DK and the morning ritual is pretty much down...up at 4:00 and rollin to the start by 5:10, this year was no different. I get to the half staging area and there's a handful of riders for the half already there, no big deal I was where I wanted to be...on the front row.

Courtesy of Robyn Burky

At the neutral roll out I'm close to the front but no hole shot this year...I think I was 5th or so.

Unlike last year, the race was on the minute we hit gravel...we were flying!! I get settled in the group of about 15-20 somewhere in the middle and roll along not working too hard. That changed a short time later. We were riding west and the howling NW wind was killing me. I was far enough back that I couldn't really get behind the guy in front of me to get out of the wind without riding in the really soft stuff...it was starting to suck!

At about 7 miles I had had enough and sat up...it's a long ride and I've done the blow up into a bazillion pieces and suffer horribly for hours...read my 2011 write up. Anyway, I get recovered and start rolling along again and come to the mud pit from HELL!

Courtesy of Brett Huber

When I get to this I decided I would ride it, after all the Hammer has tons of mud clearance, so I never gave it a second thought. As I started this mud section I slow but surely passed a small army's worth of people, I was calling out rider back and when people would turn to look they were shocked to see someone still riding, especially the further in I made it. This stretch was 3 miles...I made it at least halfway before my bike finally clogged up and wouldn't roll anymore. Was it worth it? Maybe...maybe not...it took me about 10 minutes to get it to roll again, but I would rather ride 3 mph than walk 3 mph and I only had to walk half or less of this mess!

Moving on...Once clear of the mud it was time to get riding again. This proved to be a little more of a challenge mainly because my drivetrain was totally clogged, my grip shifters were coated with mud and my gloves were coated with mud...a pain in the ass is what it ended up being. But forge on I did...about a mile after the mud ended, water was streaming onto the road and I stopped to clean my shifters, gloves and shoes, this worked well and seemed to be a good idea because slowly but surely other riders saw me and stopped for the same reason, one even said "good idea".

Courtesy of Brett Hubert

Now I can shift, sort of, and get rolling again. Another mile later I decided to stop and try to wipe as much mud of my chain as I can because it was skipping on the cogs and trying to wrap around the chain rings every 10 seconds. While doing so a guy from Colorado who was doing the mud march behind me offered some chain lube, I took him up on it, it seemed to help, so good karma to him, I hope he finished!!

From this point on I was taking a center line through every puddle I came to and by the time I reached the water stop my drivetrain was "clean". At the oasis, I refilled my bottles and grabbed a couple of Gu gel packs. I didn't really need them but I still had 28 miles to go to reach Cottonwood Falls and 19 miles were headwind...better to have too much than not enough.

So I take off solo from the oasis and can see a rider up the road about a mile and can tell I'm gaining on him and get to his wheel shortly before we make the turn north. We talked for a minute, I think his name was Brandon and decide that 2 is better than one and take turns doing work in the wind. A few miles later I can see David Neidinger is slowly catching us so I say to the B man we should slow down and make it 3, as soon as David reaches us he goes to the front and keeps driving his pace which was more than I could handle at that point so I let them go and settle in for a meeting of the voices in my head...

At this point the voice that says quit made a pretty good argument and for a brief moment I gave in and was going to do just that...after all I was starting to suffer pretty good and had 17 miles of head wind in front of me.

The next thing I heard were the words that Rebecca Rush said, she said don't listen to that voice, you can keep going you just have to want to...it was that moment that I decided that I would finish this race whether I was going 30mph or 3mph, from then on my energy came up and I was good to go again.

A few miles later the B man was up the with David and slowly but surely David rode him off his wheel. So for a while the B man and I were riding about the same pace and the gap never changed. Finally I think he eased up again and waited for me because 2 in the wind is waaaay better than one. Once again we were sharing the work and for a while it was okay. Then we turned onto Den Creek Road, this is where the B man started to falter. I would pull up a hill and there would be a gap so I would slow and wait for him to get back on until the next hill. He finally said "don't let me slow you down" and away I went.

Shortly before I set sail from the B man, another rider had passed us. As I rode along using my Etrex 30 for nav, I watch the new rider take what I thought was a wrong turn...so I zoom in on my nav and started to get worried...what the hell was going on? So I decided to take the same turn as dude in front of me, back my nav to menu and start the map again...this is where I found out why the track I was following was blue instead of purple...I was on the 2014 course...D'OH!!!!

I get it squared away and life was good the rest of the way into Cottonwood Falls, with an official ride time of 4 hours and 31 minutes.

Courtesy of Foto Matt Cunningham

I roll to the wagon and the only clothing change I wanted to make was socks and gloves...this added to the stop time but I didn't care my feet were cold!! So I grab two CLEAN bottles, fill the angry midgie (camel bak) grab 2 Hammer gel flasks, some more rice cakes and a ham and cheese roll up and get ready to roll, while I was refueling Foto Matt was cleaning and pouring lube like it was free on my chain, by the way, I told him to use that much. I was positive there would be, at the minimum, more water...which there was and mud too...imagine that.

As I roll out of the checkpoint I see the B man ahead of me, so I ride a bit harder and catch up to him and we decided to work together again. This didn't last long because I started to ride away from him on the hills so he told me to get after it and I did. I'm pretty sure he went back to the checkpoint because I never saw him again and I didn't see him cross the line. Back to solo into the head wind. Oh well, I punched the quit voice in the eye so it wasn't a problem.

Courtesy of Brett Huber

So I ride along for what felt like a month on this 12 mile section of headwind and manage to pass a rider, hooray!! Not long after that, I was passed by a new rider...awwww...oh well...I wasn't feeling bad but didn't want to burn my last match just yet, we still had about 31 miles to go and still a bit of headwind to face.

Courtesy of Brett Huber

At about mile 73 I make the turn to start the tailwind drive for home. For about the last 3 or 4 miles I can see another rider and he's keeping my pace and gaining a little from time to time, so when I get some tailwind I decide that it's time to race. That is until mile 76. There was a family there with water and soda and as I roll up I ask if they have a coke, yep, so I stop and pound a tasty beverage, mmmm mmmm, I do like a tasty beverage!

Anyway, I drink most of it, until my nemesis is about 30 feet away and I can tell he is going to stop, I hand the can back and take off. The gap was about the same when he was rolling again. That is until I rounded the bend and saw this behemoth!

Courtesy of Vincent Rodriguez

It was now that I was like WTF!! I am sick of these F***ING HILLS!!! It's supposed to be flat, where are the flat roads!!!! I put my head down and settle into a decent pace on this climb and drill it up the second step, once at the top I was pleased to see a long downhill to flat with a lovely tailwind. I was on the gas from the coke stop to Americus...dude chased me until I broke. I was all in for 15 miles and finally had to ease up and let him get by and go. Did I mention I had to pee for the last 20 miles?

Once he got by me I chased for about 5 miles and held him to about 150 feet ahead of me...until nature said it was time to take care of business, so I stopped and felt a bazillion times better and wondered why the hell I waited so long...

Once I got rolling again I couldn't see anyone behind me but kept the hammer down because these roads were FAST and if I ease up and "ride" in I would be passed again for sure. Sure enough, when I got about 1/4 mile from the pavement I could see a rider charging down the road after me, and just ahead of me was Jennifer Rhoades, who won the women's half pint, so we rode together and talked for a bit, I told her there was guy chasing me and as we turned into the campus she said "do you need to go"? I said yep! I drilled it to the intersection that has a signal which was green for me and according to Jeff Uhruh, the man that was chasing me, it was yellow as he and Jennifer were in the intersection. I had to sprint the majority of the way to the line to keep him behind me, which at the line was 3 seconds. My total ride time was 7:35:01 good for 12th overall in the Half Pint.


The build up to this epic adventure for 2015 was one for the ages...and not in a good way! The amount of negative things that tried to derail this train was almost enough to make me not go.

Here's a condensed version of the madness...

1. I booked my hotel online...in Emporia...VIRGINIA!!! I'm not sure who dropped the ball there but it was most likely me...When did I discover this? March 24th...At this point there's an ice cubes chance in hell I'm getting a room...F*&%#%&*&%#K!!!!!!! For the record, I'm not the only one who has done this. The next day, a Monday, I start searching for a room...I call the Flint Hills Inn and to my complete surprise they have a room available on the 30th!! Book it I tell the nice lady, she does and gives me a confirmation number...HOORAY DISASTER AVERTED!!!

2. The second nut knock came about 2 and a half weeks from the race...I caught some sort of stomach virus...I was hoping it would be short lived but I didn't feel "normal" again until 9 days later...I rode for an hour, easy, outside about 3 days after it started hoping it would help...it didn't...from then on riding the couch was the only riding I did...goodbye fitness...I was freaking out at this point!! I finally got back to normal and got some saddle time the week leading up to the race....talk about crappy timing!

3. On Memorial day I decide I should call the FLINT HILLS INN and confirm my reservation. Since I'm telling you this you can probably guess it wasn't going to be good...well...you're right. The lady on the phone proceeded to tell me "we don't have a reservation under your name"...I say I have a confirmation number...she looks it up and still NADA...WTF!!!!!!!!!! Less than a week out and I don't have a room...AGAIN! I'm so mad at this point I want to puke...so I sit on my couch thinking about all I've done to get ready for this race again...after about 20 minutes I pick up my phone and half heartedly search for a room that I know doesn't exist...when to my surprise the BEST WESTERN has a room...I had to take a double take of my phone because I couldn't believe what I was seeing! So I run to my laptop, pull it up and sure enough...A ROOM!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOOoooo!!! I book it online and call directly after I receive the confirmation email to confirm that it really happened. Again, DISASTER AVERTED!!

4. Thursday night before travel Friday. I'm going over my bike and proceed to pull the threads out of the fork where the disc caliper mounts...karma...why do you hate me!! So I freak out a little an find a longer bolt that fixes the problem...life is good...again.

5. Same night a little later...I have my bike upside down doing something to it. When I went to pick it up I grab it by the stem and my computer mount takes a small chunk of flesh from my thumb...the gods of gravel and karma are now conspiring against me...not cool!

6. Last one...I needed some Hammer Gel so on Friday morning I wait til the bike shop opens and head out to get some. If you didn't know, it has been raining like it's a rain forest in these parts (Kansas City) for a while and Friday was no different. So I open the garage and back my truck out and just about the time I start to stop I hear a loud pop and my right front tire slides to a stop...What the hell was that?? I get out and look and I ran over a huge toad...At this point I said F**k it I'm not going to Emporia...I couldn't take all of the bad mojo anymore. I tell my girlie and she reassured me that everything would be fine and to get the Hammer gel.

There are a few more instances in the weeks and months before the DK but these are the good ones!!

To say this race was hard is an understatement! It was BRUTAL!!! Add in all the that crap above and I was sure I was gonna die in a mud puddle next to a meadow muffin in the middle of the Flint Hills! SHEESH!!!

I have said this before and will say it again. If you want to do the DK 200 and aren't sure you will make 200 miles...try the Half Pint, it has taken me to my limit every time and for the last 5 years I have said this is the last one...I will be back in 2016 for another 100 miles of gravel in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

I love riding my bike!

E

P.S. DO NOT BOOK A ROOM AT THE FLINT HILLS INN. They lost my reservation, as well as several others by the admission of the hotel, they will lose YOURS!!

Random thoughts and rants...or something like that...

So again it's been a while since the last post...I guess I haven't had much to tell the 10s of you that read this lately.

Let's back this train up a bit...way back in January I decided to do the DK Half again but not go out and kill myself...after all...I set a goal in 2014 and I reached it. So the reason for doing it again is my long time riding buddy wanted to do it and complete the half for 2015. He rode to the checkpoint last year. So I told him I would ride with him but we are going to average at least 16 mph...That's about 7 hours of ride time, easily doable...to me at least...

So I start the march to Emporia about the middle of January and realize soon after that my motivation to train is non-existent. I thought about it and found that reaching my goal last year is the reason for not wanting to get on my bike and do the time. So I ride sparingly through the dark times (January-March). Then one day about 2 weeks before the weather was going to turn nice my give-a-damn came back to me. Since that day I've been pretty consistent with getting good saddle time and my fitness is on track to ride 16 all effing day!!

My buddy on the other hand has been riding but not enough...I was pestering him on a regular basis but as all of you know, you have to want to train. Sometimes that is a huge hurdle and I think it's pretty high for my riding buddy. Eventually I stopped pestering him about riding...we shall see in 35 days what kind of motor he built for the gravel roads of the Flint Hills. A side note...I think it will be windy and hell hot this year. Of course I have thought that every year I've gone to Emporia and the weather and wind has been different the last 4 years...prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Moving on...The pic at the top is of the Ten Mile Range looking east from Copper Mountain in Colorado. The aforementioned riding buddy and I went for a short ski trip (3 days skiing). I haven't been skiing in the mountains since I was a ski bum...18 years ago...great googily...that was a long time ago!!!

It was a good time and I can still ski like mad man...although...the day I broke out the bomb run skis there was 5ish inches of new snow so making 11s wasn't going to happen...oh well...I'll take freshies any day over bomb runs. But there's something to be said for going as fast as you dare...I like that too!!



Anyway....I could ramble on but I think I'm done for now...I will have a DK report...stay tuned.

E

State CX and 2014.

As always, thanks Roger Harrison.


State CX

When the CX schedule finally appeared this year, this race wasn't on it and I was guessing that it would be in St. Louis or Jefferson city again. With that in mind I decided that I would let another year pass with no State race on the schedule. About a month later this race appeared and in KC!! GAME ON!!!

Before I knew about the state race I decided that Ruts-n-Guts would be my last race of the year. That went out the window with the state race being in KC...it added about 2 weeks to my training/race schedule...no big deal.

There's not much to write about that race...so this will be short. Since I never look at my license I reg'd for 40-44 after all, I'm 44...but my race age is 45...so I should've lined up in 45-49...oh well the outcome would've been the same...2nd. It would've been 3rd had John Machine Jones showed up, he's another reason I toed the 40-44 race...I can't get by the Machine so I decided to race lower!

Moving on...I rode the new machine because I finally got rid of one of the gremlins and I think it's a little faster...not to mention a pound lighter! I got a good start an settled in about 5th until we got to the barriers. Vince DeLaughder crashed at the foot of them and helped to create a gap. I went to the front and drilled it...this was a mistake and I would pay for it late in the race.

About 2 laps later Doug Stone finally gets to me and we ride together for about 2 laps before Paul Aldeguer joins us...with about 1 1/2 laps to go a rider from Nebraska joins us. Now 4 of us are racing along and I'm starting to come unglued...about a half a lap later I came off and that was it for my state race...I had an okay ride...I wasn't very smart about it but sometimes you just go for it and it pays off...this wasn't one of those days.

2014...

It's hard to believe that a year has rolled by...It feels like yesterday that I was getting myself in shape for the DK and that started on January 2nd this year!! I guess focus and having fun makes time fly!!

As I look back on 2014, I had a decent year on the bike. My big goal for the year was the DK Half. I wanted a top 10 and nailed down an 8th out of 300+ gravel grinding loonies!! After that was to be an easy month and then get after some CX work...the 10s of you that read this know the knee story so I won't go into that.

My cross season started a little slow and pretty low on fitness. I was good with it because I was going to some big races later in the season and I wanted to be going good for those...which I was but for various reasons I had less than stellar rides...oh well...I went for the experience and I will be going back in 2015!!

Kind of a boring year from a racing standpoint...until cross season that is. When I finally reach the end of the season, I always wonder for a little while whether I will get after it again. I guess the answer has been yes for a long time and I'm sure it will be yes again in 2015.

I have committed to doing the DK Half again and then there's cross season...why does it have to be at the end of the freakin year?!?! If there was one cross race a month until September I would be there racing 'em...I would bet there would be more than just me too!!

There's always next year and that's right around the corner!! Kick rocks 2014 cuz 2015 is comin and he heard what you said about his momma!!

E

Ruts n Guts

Another big event has come and gone and for me this was to be my last race of 2014 until the fine peeps at Boss Cross decided to have the state cx race in my back yard!! Anyway, we drive down the day before in the rain so I can get some recon laps in before I race, the weather was off and on rain the entire way down there so I'm thinking mud-a-thon here I come. Before I continue a bit of a rant...the toll system in Oklahoma is EFFING REDICULOUS!!!

Moving on...we get to the venue and it has stopped raining, so I quickly change and start riding laps. After one lap Mother Nature decided she wasn't done yet and let some more rain fly. Not a big deal, it was 61 degrees and crazy humid so I kept on keepin on. After I was good and soaked about 4 laps I decided it was time to head to the hotel. As I roll up to my truck it stops raining...oh well...I got what I needed.

Saturday

I arrive at the venue with tons of time to get ready, it was cloudy and about 45 degrees with a good breeze from the northeast. After The recon ride I decided to ride the Hammer due to course conditions which in the end weren't that bad...but my new bike has been pissing me off lately so one more reason to ride the Hammer!

At this race the call up was done by USAC points which got me a spot on the front row, I was thinking hell yes I get great starts on the Hammer so this is good!! Well...at the gun I had one of the all time crappy starts on that bike ever!! I missed the pedal about 5 times...this landed me in about 7th at the first turn...oh well...lets see how it goes.

To make a long story short...I slipped back to 10th for a couple of laps, then I managed to get back to 9th and with a little more than one to go I bobbled and dropped back to 10th. going into the last lap I was about 10 seconds adrift so I pulled out my last match and let 'er rip. I managed to close it down to 5 seconds before I blew up...there wasn't very much track left at that point so that's how it ended.

This is the race for 9th.

Sunday

Sunday I decided to ride the new bike, issues be damned! The course was still soft but it was time to ride the new bike. My less than stellar performance on Saturday got me a 2nd row spot on the grid...oh well better than 3rd or 4th row...anyway...at the gun I nailed my pedal and away I went...I'm not greedy at these events because there are some really fast racers with that said I slot into 7th at the end of the pain train...to say I was going blind is an understatement!! I was dangling about 3 seconds off the back and could NOT bridge up!!

The pic above is on the first lap...the tree hides the gap...

As we race on I keep the gap about the same until we hit the sand pit...it was not rideable on Sunday...so after I run it...I lost contact. Oh well...I keep going and one other racer who got a really bad start goes blowing by me like I was parked.

Moving on...so now rolling along in 8th, the guy I did battle with on Saturday is lurking about 10 seconds back. I was not gonna give him an inch and was going to go blind keeping it that way.

With about a lap and a half to go I still held a 10 second advantage until I made a slight bobble on a greasy uphill right. This allowed dude to close the gap to 5 seconds....GRRRRRRRR!!! At this point I sold out and went as hard as I could go. As we start the last lap we were still at about 5 seconds. At a half lap to go I was back to 10 seconds and I had broken him.

There ya go, now you know. Ruts n Guts...will I go back, probably. Next year will be huge! Based on what I've read it will be a race for the big dogs and the field sizes should increase.

E

Lost Trail CX

Courtesy of Roger Harrison

Man I wish grabbing the hole shot on the new machine was as easy as it is on the Hammer!! I'm starting to get the feeling that some out there are getting tired of watching me take off like I was shot from a cannon...It's too bad that the rest of the race doesn't go like that...oh well...gotta love that first turn speed!!!

Anyway...I decided to race the Saturday race and maybe Sunday...well...The events on Saturday made that decision for me, more on that in a bit. I made the hour journey south so I could get plenty of course inspection time. Course knowledge is huge peeps!! As I made my way around this track I came to a section that had a telephone poll that you could ride around, run, or better yet RIDE!! I was hesitant at first, mostly because I haven't pulled this move on a fully rigid bike EVER!! If it was an MTB race, I wouldn't have given this obstacle a 2nd thought...would've just done it. But I decided that it would be a good move if the racing was close.

So I do the easy move first...wheelie up and chain ring over it...pssssssshhhh...that was easy!!! So I turn around and give it the up and over move like it was meant to be!! I'm thinking to myself I'm totally doing this in the race, so off I go for more recon.

As I come back to the log (it's easier to type than telephone poll...) I set up to ride it and totally chicken out...WTF!!!!!!! It's now time for final prep and head to the start line. At the line there was 8 in the masters 40 field...hey...it's a top 10 for dfl...who doesn't like that?!

At the gun I hit the pedal and you know I got the hole shot...I was on the Hammer!!! I lead for about a half lap when Rick Mosely came around. I stayed with him for the rest of the lap and the he started to creep away...that left me to fight it out with Paul and Travis for second. Paul is riding well these days and I was going ok and the 2 of us eventually gapped Travis so now it was down to 2...who will make the first mistake???

There was an off camber right hand sweeper that you came into with a good bit of speed and if you didn't set up the turn just right you would have to brake or worse, slide out. Remember the mistake comment?? This turn was getting the better of Paul and 2 consecutive laps he did a cool 2 wheel drift...he lost a ton of speed and almost lost it both times but kept it rubber side down. The little advantage he had was washed away both times...good for me!!

The race rolls on and on lap 3 and Paul opens a gap of about 5 seconds. No big deal. I managed to keep it there until the log. By the way, when we came to the log on the first lap I didn't even think about it and flew over it like it wasn't there! Moving on...After the success on lap 1, I continued the log move.

Back to the 5 second gap at the log...Paul rides around it and I fly over it and the gap is immediately gone!! I'm thinking to myself this is where I will hit him and try to take the 2nd step!!

On lap 4 the same scenario was playing out only the gap was about 10 seconds early on but I was slowly taking time back in the turns and when I got to the log again it was back to 5 seconds...as I set up for the left turn that lead to the log I hit my line and carried more speed than before...as I look at the log I'm more or less right on it, so I yank on the bars and proceed to hit my front wheel and go for a ride. My head and right shoulder simultaneously hit the ground first...I hit my head hard enough that I didn't say ouch...I literally said I think I rung my bell...it hurt!!!

So I scramble to my feet and get going...the nice 20 second gap to 4th is now 5 seconds with a little more than a lap to go...Travis chased hard, we pretty much stayed at 5 seconds until about 2/3rds of the way through the last lap. I opened it up to about 10 seconds by the time I got to the log again which I rode around! Look at the big brain on me!! Anyway he eased up and I nailed down third.

It was a good race and I made the first real mistake and that was it. The great log incident of 2014 is why I didn't race on Sunday....I'm pretty sure I got a mild concussion for my effort...oh well...big risk, big reward...sometimes!


E

Jingle Cross 2014

courtesy of Yet Another Bike Photo Page

Hmmm...where to start??? How about this...THAT WAS EFFING AWESOME!!!! For the tens of people that read this, if you are not a cyclocross racer this race is the equivalent of Joe Martin...but waaaaaaaaay better because it's CYCLOCROSS!!! 3 days of racing with some fast mutha f@#%as!!

I decided last year I wanted to go to Jingle Cross because the local scene is getting pretty skinny (field size) these days and I wanted to line up with as many crazed CX loonies as possible...this was my best bet so away I went.

Friday.

We arrive at Mt. Krumpit to find a scene that I've never seen at a CX race...think full on party atmosphere!! In my infinite wisdom I calculated the drive time without pee breaks and stopping for gas, so by the time I was ready to inspect the course, it was about time for the first race to roll. I managed to get about 2/3rds of a lap before the first race went off...oh well...

For this race I was toeing the line on my "new" cx rig...I should have done A LOT more race tuning to this machine...because the shifting went away and the bars rotated down, a little...I don't think I could've done anything different for the bars, I hit a bump bombing down the backside of Mt. Krumpit at speed (25mph+) and that's what caused the slippage but the shifting woes were caused by a loose derailleur hanger and had I done my usual prerace wrench routine I would've caught this....oh well.

Moving on...The week leading up to this weekend I had a mild head cold which started Monday and had me feeling about half run down all week, I was still feeling this way on Friday. Needless to say I felt pretty flat for the entire race on Friday night.

At the call up I was on the 3rd row which I was content with, not DFL by any means. All I had to do was get a good start and life is good...My new rig and I are not on the same page when it comes to getting good starts, I proceeded to miss the pedal about 20 times...what 3rd row starting position?!?! I was not last but that really sucked!!!

Now racing along I can tell this isn't going to be a great race but forge ahead I did. As we hit the climb for the first time, I "run" up it and remount for the scorching fast descent, about half way down I hit hit a bump, this is where the bar slipped...it was so loud I thought I broke my wheel or frame along with the slippage. The course leveled out and I continue on looking over my bike as I ride and decide that it is okay.

A little while later, maybe a lap and a half...the shifting decides it doesn't want to work...WTF!! I managed to get it to the finish line, 22nd out of 35, and gave the bike a toss...well...more like a drop than a toss...that bike hates me!!! Today (Monday) I decided that I will race that bike as much as possible to get rid of the gremlins. We WILL come to an understanding!!!!!!

Saturday.

After the usual French press, It was time to decide which bike to ride. I decided the Hammer would be my steed...it has a flat bar and I would most likely be the only one on the grid with one but it was ready and has never let me down mechanically and I get great starts on Mjolnir!!! I learned a few weeks back that having a pit bike helps eliminate the dreaded DNF. That meant I would have to get the new rig squared away just incase. As I look it over I discovered the culprit to the shifting woes and of course as soon as I remedy that it shifts fine again...good deal I have a bike that will work if I need it.

Since my less than stellar ride didn't get me into the top 16 on Friday, I had to wait but got my same spot on the grid again. At the gun I stomp my pedal and away I go. About 30 seconds later the group was flying down the start strait and I was up against the iron gate barriers coming to a slight left bend...at this point I was like oh shit, I'm gonna hook my bar and wad up half the field...fortunately I squeaked by and life was good.

The course was a little different today, it had a LONG climb on it...folks...I am not a climber!!! It's a good thing I decided on the Hammer because I don't think I could've ridden the climb with the 36x27 low on the new rig...but managed it, sort of, with the 34x32 low on the Hammer. Another feature was a LONG sand pit, which was easily rideable due to the freezing temps. The rest of the course was mostly the same with minor changes here and there.

The race wears on and I settle into a rhythm, I felt better on Saturday but still not quite right and managed to finish 22nd out of 45, the biggest field of the weekend. A better day for sure but still off a little.

Sunday.

The weather had forecasted snow for the area starting Saturday evening and Mother Nature did not disappoint!! It started about 3:00 and continued off and on until morning...We awoke to about 3 inches of the white stuff. I wasn't really keen on racing at that point based on how I felt out there the last couple of days...I finally said fuck it...I'm in.



We arrive to find the course cover with snow. I hurry up and get going so I can get a look at the course and get a feel snow on frozen ground...feeling confident in my course inspection...I decide to roll the Hammer again due to another LONG climb and an equally greasy technical descent.

After the call ups, I got my same 3rd row spot on the grid. At the gun I stomp my pedal and away I go. The 1st quarter mile or so was paved and as we got up to speed the roost started flying...this caught me by surprise...but kinda laughed about it once I realized what it was. As we brake for the first turn I was in 15th-ish...and was feeling good. I managed to pass a few here and there to move up close to the top 10 only to give those spots back on the EVER FREAKIN LONG CLIMB!!! With 2 to go, I realize I'm feeling like I wanted to the entire weekend, REALLY GOOD!! So I continue on, going fast when I can and trying to limit the damage on the climb. Which in the end had me 17th on the day out of 32. I was happy to see that because all I really wanted was to crack the top 20 all 3 days...a good note to end on fo sho!!!

So I've had a little time for this to sink in and as I said at the beginning it was a blast!! Did I have the weekend I wanted to have, not really, but that's racing, you can't be great every weekend and I'm good with it, especially on that stage. I do think had I not been sick I would've faired a little better based on how I felt on Sunday. Will I go back, I don't know, I said on Sunday I wouldn't but I've said that before and chances are I will because CYCLOCROSS RULES!!

Before I end this installment, I have to say thanks to the entire 360 race team for allowing me and others to warm up in their heated pop-ups and to John "The Machine" Jones for bringing his pop-up for extra room for the less traveled cx racers such as myself. You guys ROCK!!!

E

P.S. I will add pics when I find 'em...it was too freaking cold for me to take any!!!!

I'm still here...

So I see it's been a while since the last post and there are a variety of reasons but mostly I've been uninspired so blogging was put on the back burner.

So a little rewind. After the DK my left knee decided to wig out and my riding came to a screeching halt for the better part of a month...in that month I managed about an hour of trainer time to see if I could ride and of course the answer was HELL NO!!! At this point my march toward CX season was put on hold indefinitely. The plan there was to start build that foundation in July and August and come out swinging in September...needless to say this did not happen.

With a ton of stretching, foam rolling and the like I was able to get out and ride, which was better than nothing but I wanted to put down some power but my knee wouldn't allow it...so "just riding" is what I did until September.

In the "down time" I decided it was time to build a traditional CX machine. Which I did, mostly out of curiosity, I wanted to see if the similar riding position to my road bike would produce more speed...as of now the verdict is still out on that one. Here's a pic, It was complete but not dial in by any means...hence the bars being rotated up...

Moving on...so with a new bike and the ability to "train" again I started the march towards a good CX season...I had decent fitness going into this period but zero intensity, so I was a little nervous when it came time to do intervals. To my surprise they weren't as bad as I thought, actually easier than I anticipated!! BONUS!!!

On to the first race of the season the Buffalo Bill CX...

It was either up or down...not good for me and my low fitness level but race I did. The race went ok, I could tell the depth wasn't there but I wasn't disappointed, after all I want to be going good now not back in September!!

The next race was the Oakley Night Cap in Des Moines.

I highly recommend this race to EVERYONE!! I had a good week of training going into this race but still not where I wanted to be...stupid knee!!! Anyway, I had a good ride and managed a 5th, even with a knuckle head t-boning me 3 turns into the race and eating a bug about a minute later...those 2 incidents had me loose contact with 1st and 2nd...it also helped me burn a match or 2 trying to get back to 2nd wheel...it was fun and I will go back!!

Next up was a race in St Joe.

I knew this race would be tough due to hills but it was a well thought out track and it had 2 sections of single track. Combine that with some mud and you have a good CX course...for skinny people!! Anyway, I managed a good start and got the hole shot because I DID NOT want to be behind anyone going into the singletrack...I ended up 4th on the day, the hills finally beat me down...a good effort nonetheless.

2 days of Joules Cross was next...

These races were a good barometer of where I am compared to some really fast guys...I gotta say I was a little bummed at how I did but was happy at the same time knowing the knee setback will pay off at some point in the near future. Part of my problem was a lot of climbing once again...oh well...I still had decent races on the weekend.

The Colavita/Boulevard CX weekend was up next. On Saturday I scored a big fat DNF...due to my freehub seizing...LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME!!!!!!!!! I was in 3rd at the time and the 3 of us were riding away from the field and I was feeling good!!!

On Sunday I was out for redemption and was going to go blind trying...which I did!! I managed to finally get on the podium in 2nd.

I think I might have been able to fight it out for 1st but I started really hard and kept the hammer down too long and paid for it...oh well...I do it at least once a year!

And finally the GP HPT...

At the gun I got the hole shot, I was a little worried about this because my starts aren't as good on the new cx machine but I managed to get there first anyway. As we entered the dirt track for the first time I eased up and let a guy on a dual suspension mtb that was determined to lead the race take hold of the reins. I got in the draft and recovered.

I decided to follow the mtb through the infield grass because it was technical enough that no one was going to come around but once we hit the dirt track again I drilled it and took the lead. I guess my pace was good enough to ride away from all but one and after one lap there was at least 15 seconds to 3rd and growing.

On to the 3rd lap. I decided it was time for Travis (the guy that finished 2nd) to take up the pace making. At first this was a good idea, but with a few small bobbles here and there and Travis accelerating hard out of the turns it was starting to backfire. A small gap opened up but I managed to close it down before it got too big. At this point I decided I need to be in front and make him race my race.

As we left the dirt track and headed for the steps over the wall Travis kinda fumbled his dismount and I took advantage of it, got back on the front and drilled it. He eventually got back to my wheel but had to earn it. This is the way it stayed until the last lap.

As we entered the dirt track for the last time I kept the pace high enough that he wouldn't come around and protected the inside line on top of that which worked until we hit the last stretch of dirt track that lead to the outside. Travis launched an attack and the drag race was on to the next turn. Initially he got a half a bike on me I grabbed a gear to even it up and once I realized he had no more I clicked 2 more and took the lead again and got to the next turn first.

From then on, about a half lap, I turned the screws and kept the pace high. I knew at that point it was going to be a sprint for the line. As we came to the last complex of turns, I made sure I was in the big ring well in advance of the last turn. Once we hit that it was a head down drag race to the line and I got him by about a half bike length.



I never really suffered until late In the race and that was my doing to make Travis suffer too, even then there was still enough in the tank to get the win!

It's been a while since I've had to race wire to wire, it made the win that much better!!!

That was a lot of writing...now you know!!

E