Flatwater Cyclocross Grand Prixe

Last Sunday my team put on the Flatwater Cyclocross Grand Prixe on our home course at Van Dorn Park in Lincoln were we have been having our weekly training race. I got up early and headed off pretty early to get the course set up. We had made some changes to how it would run and the course was sweet. We added crowd fencing and taped off most of the course. It looked pretty pro and flowed nicely.

I on the other hand was stressed out cause my bike was still broken from the previous days crash and I was working on getting Paul to come in on his day off to come and help me fix it. I also had the challenge of the shop not having another SRAM Rival brake lever/shifter in but they let were letting me pull one off one of the demo bikes and I could use it to get my bike running for the day. After running out to the shop and pulling the broken lever off and the other one off the demo Paul showed up and saved me and got the bike up and running again.

After I got back to the course I got changed and started to get myself ready and started to warm up. After watching my teammate Jesse come from behind and win the the Cat 4 race I headed to the line to get started. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel or what was going to happen. There was 32 people in the 1/2/3 race and the start was a little sketchy as everyone was jockying for position. I was towards the back and was hoping I would be able to work my way up and take advantage of the home field advantage. But that did not happen.

As soon as we strung out on the course I quickly realized that I had absolutely nothing. The legs were like stone. I was pretty much passed by the whole field. I've had bad races before were I did not feel well but never anything like this. I was getting passed and dropped by people that I never lose to and a couple of people that I almost lapped at a few of the training races. I pretty much was winded the whole race and just tried to survive which I barely did.

After this race I was extremely dissapointed and I've been doing some major thinking about what I need to do and change to get myself back were I know I can be and were I should be.

harp

Skyview CX Classic: Race Report

It's been a while since I have posted last. Life has been busy but I realize I need to get back at this. The blog has always been a way for me to journal my cycling and I haven't done that much this year at all. So I am going to get back and post more regularly like I used to.

Saturday was the Skyview CX classic. I went to this race last year and really enjoyed the course and was looking forward to seeing how they changed it for this years race. I made the trip with John our FWCT Team manager/racer and when we got to the course we noticed several obstacles right away and I realized it was going o be a tough race.

After we got changed we headed out for a lap to check out the course and see how what it was like. They had really made the course more technical from last year and there were lots of tight twisty turns around trees that would caused me to almost have to stop to get around. When we fnished our lap we just went out and rode around the lake to get warm and ready to race.

When it came time to line up I was feeling ok and was optomistic about how I would do. I had no illusions that I would win but I wanted to have a good showing. When the gun went off I was in the middle of the pack and when we hit the first obstacle which was a tight circular pattern that you had to work through I got clogged up with a couple of riders and ended up near the back. While I was chasing I cracked and fell off the pace but I was hoping I would come back around.

At the beginning of my 2nd lap I got going again I was in chase mode. I was able to hop over the some of the barriers and could see the rider in front of me and was making my push to catch him.

When we hit a tight twisty section through some pine trees disaster struck. I was right on the riders wheel in front of me and when we hit the trees my front tire slid on some pine needles and I slammed the right side of my handlebars into a tree destroying my right shifter/brake lever. The shifter was now broken and I wasn't able to use my rear brake (that was rubbing) and I couldn't shift and the gear was stuck on my largest cog in the back giving me no power on the long flat sections of the course. With the shifter being broken I could also put no weight on the hood which really skrewed up my turning on this tight course.

I stayed in the race to try to get some points for the Nebraska CX series but I ended up finishing in 8th out of 9 and was lapped by the top 3 riders. It was a very disappointing race but that's the way it goes I guess. The lesson learned is don't slam your bike into trees and things don't get broken.

harp

Omaha Cyclocross Weekend Saturday: Race Report

Cross. This is something I have a hate/love relationship. I say hate/love first because I absolutely hate it while I'm doing it but after about 10 minutes after the race I can't wait till the next one.

That being the Saturday edition of the Omaha Cyclocross weekend was not a good one for me. This was the first race for me after moving up to the 1/2/3 race. Last year I was cat 4 and this year I'm racing against the fastest around in a discipline that I'm not that really comfortable with yet.

When we lined up and they sent us off I knew I was in trouble from the beginning. When I put the power down the legs said I don't think so and this ain't going to be happening for the next hour. I just didn't seem to have any power. I stayed with the leaders through about the 1st third of a lap and then just couldn't hang on anymore. Once we hit the first sand pit and then the barrier on a uphill that kicked my ass all day the leaders were gone and I was suffering and not in the good way of suffering but in the "I can't beleive I'm going this slow" and being embarressed.

As the race went on I worked my way along through the laps hoping that I would get my first wind and at least be able to try to catch the guys in front of me but that never came and after about 35 minutes I got passed by the leader and then eventually by the other riders in the top 5. I couldn't beleive it. I got lapped by one guy that I chased down and dropped in a mtb race a few weeks ago. It's amazing how one day I'll feel fine and the next I'll just blow up but that is the way racing is.

Now I just have to hope for something better tomorrow.

Harp

Cross Practice Video

Here's a couple of quick videos taken at Cross practice last week. The first one was taken going over the barriers (which I still need to improve on) at the begining of the race. The second one is at the beginning of the final lap when I'm chasing down the 4th place rider in front of me after struggling most of the race. My problem with the cross training races is that I've been fast at the beginning and then in the middle I fall apart and drag myself around the course and then on the last couple of laps I pull myself back together and then start to reel people back in. There is a third one that shows me in the middle of the race shaking my head not thinking I'm going to make it but I'm not going to show that one. It is not pretty.

MTB Season is Over??

Last "real" race (mtb) of the season got cancelled. I might be doing one more in a week or so but for the most part I'm going to be taking it a bit easier for a while but at the same time all I got to say is HELLO CROSS SEASON!!! BRING ON THE PAIN!!!

29er. Maybe Someday

As I've thought about bikes and the different courses that I race on and I've thought that a few of them a hardtail 29er would be perfect for. Those of you that know me well might be suprised by this since I'm one of the few that can see the benefits of 26 inch wheels ut there are some courses were 29ers are advantages. Like the Branched Oak course that I raced on this past weekend. On the wide open prairie section were it is bumpy a 29er with lower tire pressure would hammer across it. If I ever do get one this bike just might have to be the one. Here's a picture and a video.

Someday maybe someday. Is still need to get the 2011 Rift Zone 26 inch Full Suspension first. And then maybe a road bike. But you never know.

Harp

Capital City Challenge: Race Report

Saturday was the next race in the Nebraska Lottery Psycowpath series, the Capital City Challenge at Branched Oak Lake. This was a race that I was looking forward to all season since it is the only race in the series where the riders from Lincoln, NE have an advantage over the riders from Omaha. A lot of the courses used in the series are in or near Omaha since they are fortunate enough to have a lot of great trails which usually gives them the home field advantage.

Branched Oak on the other hand is a place were myself and a lot of other riders spend a lot of time training and it is where we had the Flatwater Cycling Team MTB Training series so I had the course pretty dialed in.

When I woke up in the morning after sleeping about 2 hours longer than I normally do I didn't feel the best. I felt really groggy and unmotivated. Actually I didn't really feel like racing at all but I got myself together, ate breakfast which I changed from all my other pre-race breakfasts consisting of oatmeal that I just did not want to so I went with 3 eggs scrambled, 3 pieces of toast and a banana. I finished eating before 9 which was my plan since I don't like to eat anything substantial inside 3 hours of racing.

After driving over to the lake and getting gear set up under the BP tent I got changed and headed out for a quick warm-up/pre-ride of the course. The course was dry and was in good shape. Glad I stuck with the Conti Race Kings. Perfect for the conditions. Next thing I knew it was time to have the pre-race meeting and then time to line up.

They lined us up on a gravel road downhill from the singletrack. I took my usual position this season in the second row. When the gun went off I quickly jumped on the wheel of a couple of faster riders and was at limit right from the gun but my goal for this race was to really push myself to hang with the leaders for as long as I could. I went into the first section of singletrack which is a long prairie section that I just hate. My 26" hardtail is perfect for most of this course except for the beginning and ending long prairie sections. As we started to make our way through the praire section I was sitting in about 8th position. Shortly before we turned into the covered tree section I was passed by Ryan from the Souix City Velo team. I was a bit surprised that he was behind me. We went flying through the first section of trees and I had never ridden as fast as I was riding at that time still in contact with the lead group and surprised at how I was feeling.

As I continued through the first lap I was able to keep charging and could keep seeing Ryan in front of me which is all that I need for momentum. As we went through one tight section I did loose a little time as I went down through a tight tree section that has always given me trouble plus I had a bit to much pressure in my tires. I banged my knee when I went down but I just ignored it and kept on rolling and really felt like I had plenty of power to keep putting into the pedals. When we hit the second prairie section I lost some time on Ryan and then as we went through the start/finish line and hit the first prairie section again I could still see Ryan in front of me and felt that if I could just keep him close and then when we got to the trees and the climbs I thought I could chase him down.

About 1/2 way through the lap just before we hit the longest climb I could see him in front of me and then really pushed up the hill and got on his wheel as we went through a tight section were passing was impossible. As soon as we cleared the tight trees I jumped and was able to pull in front. He jumped on my wheel for a little while but I hammered on the down hill and the next climb and he shortly dropped out of sight. At that point I was feeling pretty good and was getting close to the second prairie section. When I got to it I could see the next rider in front of me had a good gap and I just kept in mind that he still could be caught.

I went through the 3rd and 4th lap just pushing as hard as I could to close down the gap to the rider in front of me and about 2/3rds the way through the 4th lap I could see the velo gear rider in front of me and I knew that a longer climb was coming up so I pushed up the climb and closed the gap and then right before the praire section I was able to get the jump on him and get in front. He quickly grabbed my wheel and as soon as we hit the short singletrack gully before the 2nd prairie and I just dropped the hammer through it and then really pushed through the prairie and by the time I hit the start/finish I couldn't see him anymore.

I was able to keep pushing through the rest of the race but wasn't able to chase down any other riders. When the results were posted I ended up 7th. It was a larger field and probably my best result that I've had this season. This race I felt like a XC MTB racer again and hope that I can carry it into the last race of the season.