Cross Crusade PIR: Mixed Emotions

(photo credit: Kenji Sugahara)

Two days later and I still don't know how I feel about this race.  My top-10 last week earned me another callup this week but I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me.  This course was a pure rider's course with long straight sections where you could just open the throttle and gap people off.  The goal again: stick with a group and earn some points.  

The opening laps were fast.  Really fast.  I spent the first two laps yo-yoing off the back of Group 1 before blowing just a little heading into lap 3.  A huge group came by me of lap three and I just didn't have the legs to hang.  By my count I was riding somewhere around 25th.  Oh well, not my course and I went a little too

 deep in the beginning.  My mistake.

Cross Crusade: Rainier. Surprises.

Well, the Legs of Awesomeness made an appearance for this race, let's see how lung they stick around.  After last week's surprise ride into 18th I earned myself a callup this week.  In the past a callup typically means I just get passed by a bunch of people, rather than vice versa and historically I just wind up mid-pack regardless.  My legs felt tired and heavy, stomach was unsettled and something was just off but whatever, I'm there, I may as well race and just see what happens.

(photo from Ryan Francesconi)

While a few of the fast guys didn't make the trip up to Rainier for this race a couple of fast Seattle dudes (Stephen Fischer and Adam McGrath) made their way down to toe the start line and with Carl Decker there it definitely wasn't going to be a slow race.  With about 200ft of elevation gain per lap (of course, all in the same section) my goal was to simply throw out a tow rope and secure a decent place before blowing all over the course.

Cross Crusade: Alpenrose

To by totally honest, I had no motivation to show up and race my bike after China.  How can you bear that course, the people and the experience?  You can't.  I'm by no means trying to say that Oregon cx doesn't measure up, it's just different.  Especially with my sub-par performance at Ninkrossi (9th) the week before I wasn't too excited about the parade that the Cross Crusade opener at Alpenrose typically turns in to, especially if you start at the back.

Lo and behold I pull the worst start position, second-to-last starting group.  I don't even get beer and I still get to line up last row.  Oh well, expectations off, let's just ride my bike.  My legs apparently had something else in mind.

With 60+ starters my goal was just to finish in the top half, get a workout in and be aggressive in the parts I could.  I did just that.  And finished 18th.  Now that result typically isn't something to write home about but this one is different for a few reasons:
-it's Cross Crusade.  At Alpenrose.  Largest field in the series
-this course typically doesn't lend itself to open passing lanes
-I haven't "trained" in about three weeks
-my best Cross Crusade result to date was 22nd with a small field
-points go 18-deep per race; series payout goes 20-deep
-riders with points start at the front

I'm currently shredding the paper with my season goals on it and going to see where this takes me.  Actually, I take that back.  I have no expectations.  I'm just here to ride my bike.  Everything seems to work out better that way.

China CX Part 4: Beijing

The Qiansen Trophy Series is China's first-ever UCI cyclocross race. Sponsored by the Qiansen Engineering Corporation all riders were provided round-trip airfare and a week's worth of transportation, food and lodging at one of Yanqing's premier spa and resort. This post is the final in a series that attempts to relay just a few of the incredible moments we, as riders, were blessed to experience.

(continuing from China CX Part 3) no, I didn't get any sleep.  I packed my bike and bags at 4am and just laid in bed wide awake.  The day before I'd ridden in the morning, raced and then stayed up all night, I should be able to get at least a few hours sleep, right?  Nope.  6:30 comes and I load my things onto the shuttle for the drive into Beijing.  

Instead of staying at the resort with the other riders we decide to spend our last day in Beijing on our own dime.  The Portland contingent shared this trip with a couple Swiss riders and the Estonian/Latvian national teams.  I had no idea what the plan was so I was hoping someone knew what they were doing.  The Estonian team manager took charge, booked hotels and laid out a rather ambitious plan for the day.  Drop bags at hotel and then see everything we can, transportation is walking and the subway.  On no sleep, this was going to be interesting.

"do not exceed weight limit" sign

China CX Part 3: The Afterparty

The Qiansen Trophy Series is China's first-ever UCI cyclocross race. Sponsored by the Qiansen Engineering Corporation all riders were provided round-trip airfare and a week's worth of transportation, food and lodging at one of Yanqing's premier spa and resort. This post is the third in a series that attempts to relay just a few of the incredible moments we, as riders, were blessed to experience.

Foreword: You've seen The Hangover movies, right?  This night could have easily turned into The Hangover Part IV.  Luckily, we all made it out in one piece, no one went to jail and everyone made it to their plane/shuttle on time, even if just barely.
China CX Part 2

Post closing-ceremony everyone was pretty amped up and with some riders with shuttle rides to the airport at 3:30 am the choice was either go the bed at 9pm and get a few hours of fitful sleep or see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into.  The Americans obviously chose the latter option.

massage receipt

With the race effort still in our legs we decided to start off at the pyramid of spa/massage awesomeness.  I know the US Dollar is pretty strong against the Chinese Yuan but a 50 minute foot/lower leg massage for $22 and then another 4 hours in the hot spring resort for a grand total of $43?  Pretty tough to complain about that.

China CX Part 2: Race Day

The Qiansen Trophy Series is China's first-ever UCI cyclocross race. Sponsored by the Qiansen Engineering Corporation all riders were provided round-trip airfare and a week's worth of transportation, food and lodging at one of Yanqing's premier spa and resort. This post is the second in a series that attempts to relay just a few of the incredible moments we, as riders, were blessed to experience.
China CX Part 1
So by now you know that we haven't been sold into white slavery and that this race is actually happening.
Over the previous days we had ample opportunity to ride the course and familiarize ourselves with all the little quirks. Good thing too because this definitely isn't one of those courses you show up an hour beforehand, spin two laps and then go race (at least for me anyway). According to others, this was a full-Euro course complete with steep and slick drop offs, a sharp turns onto pavement and then another sharp turn to go right back up. We got our first ride on the course Thursday, after a few days of rain earlier in the week. Seems like half of us hit the ground at least one. Yeah, one of those kind of courses.

Beligian U23 bike after first course preview
those two black lines aren't supposed to be there
"added vertical compliance"

China CX Part 1: Pre-Race

The Qiansen Trophy Series is China's first-ever UCI cyclocross race.  Sponsored by the Qiansen Engineering Corporation all riders were provided round-trip airfare and a week's worth of transportation, food and lodging at one of Yanqing's premier spa and resort.  This post is the first in a series that attempts to relay just a few of the incredible moments we, as riders, were blessed to experience.

Hood River Double Cross

one of my new favorite pictures
(photo courtesy of David Mackintosh)

Ok, I let this one get away from me so please forgive the brevity.

I went into this race with legs already loaded up with the intention of getting one final effort in them before heading off to China where my training would inevitably be interrupted.  Not that I head much of a plan anyway...

Het Meer: Gets me every time

into the sand
(photo courtesy of Matt Haughey)

This race is always kind of a grab bag for me.  Two years ago I crashed in the first quarter of a lap and last year I managed to ride a steady, uneventful race.  This year was kind of a cross between the two.

I lined up right next to Trebon on the start line because that seemed to work well last week but unlike last week we had 200m+ of gravel before the course narrowed down.  Looks like no sneaking off the front by sitting on Trebon's wheel this week.

Trying this again

Alright, so I was a little absent as of last season and I'm going to make an effort to put together a few words about the races I compete in this season but no promises; We're all busy and there's no use in filling up the internet with useless words unless there's something worth reading.

As of late there's been a whole lot of working and not a whole lot of training but it seems like that's always the case, regardless of how much time I actually spend riding.

Kruger's Kermesse
(photo courtesy of Nita Galambos and Craig Ruby)

Last week I raced Kruger's Kermesse with zero expectations and somehow wound up crossing the line third.  I gained a place due to a guy flatting out of the lead group but apart from that I rode a solid race. I'm actually beginning to get a decent start and learning how to hold my position in the first lap.  About time, it only took two years...  Anyway, third place netted a whole basket full of farm goodies (do people still use that word anymore?) and a sizable gift certificate to Bike n' Hike.  Not bad for a 50 minute training race.  A special thanks to Kris Schamp, Kruger's Farms, Bike n Hike and all the sponsors that made the encore edition of this race happen this year.

Today's race was the first "real" cx race of the year.  And yes, it's finally crept into August, le sigh...  Again, no expectations, just show up, race hard and hurt the legs.  Rumor had it Trebon would be there and sure enough there he was, right next to me on the start line.  Well, guess I'm not winning today's race.

David Douglas start line
(photo courtesy of Mattew Haughey)

Something really funny happened the first lap.  1. My legs didn't suck.  2. I just sat on Trebon's wheel and let him pull me around for an entire lap.  Starting the second lap I looked back and realized we had a 10 second gap.  "Dear legs, what the hell do you think you're doing?  This was fun and all but you're going to pay for that."  I settled into a more manageable pace and went to work not losing too many spots.  A 75 minute race in 90* heat kind of takes its toll so I had to settle for 5th but I will definitely take that.  Looking at it now it was probably one of the best races I've ever had from a results perspective.  I beat some guys I've never beaten before and I only felt limited by the heat, not lungs or legs.  Hopefully there's more of this to come.

over the barrier
(photo courtesy of Matthew Haughey)

Oh, and one last parting note I've been selected to go race China's first UCI cyclocross race in September!  More details to come but tentative plan is I fly out 9/17 and return 9/23.  11,000 miles for an hour race?  Why not.

We put so much into it

As athletes we put so much into our chosen discipline.  Time, energy, money.  We train in the freezing rain while our friends are at happy hour only so we can come home, clean a bike, grab a quick bite to eat and hop in bed so we can do it all over again.  We sacrifice time with loved ones yet they understand this is important to us so we try to make the most of the time we have together.  They even put up with us dragging them to races and stand in the rain for hours while we completely ignore them while we obsess over tire pressure and the perfect line, all so they can watch us ride by eight times before we get back into the car and go home.  As athletes we put an incredible amount of pressure on ourselves.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a 500+ lbs. man trying to lose weight, a seasoned PRO or an amateur balancing a career and engagement with just a dream of one day being called “pro,” we all put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves to perform and make our team, friends, family and even sponsors proud to say “I know that guy.”

Zaandercross: Now that's a cyclocross course

photo courtesy of Dave Roth

Lots of pictures from this race so I'm going to let them do the talking.  I will note that this was one of the hardest (and most fun) courses I've ever raced.  A lot of promoters describe their course as "dynamic" but this one truly was, probably a little more sand than necessary but this course favored the racer who is strong throughout the entire race, rather than just the fast starters.  Perfect for me.  Major props to the promoter for this course and I hope it returns for next year.

Oh So True...

Some truth found on the internet this past week.  First, I will start with a quote from Bike Snob NYC: "For a romantic fall getaway, take that special someone to a cyclocross race and ignore her for 48 hours as you obsess over tire pressure."

Double Cross Day 2 pictures

Sorry, only one.

alone on the power section
(photo courtesy of Brian Nelson/541 Images)

Hood River Double Cross: Day 2

Today is what I was talking about when I said "missing the train."  Today's course was still very similar to yesterday's, just reversed.  Some sand, lots of single track and me losing a lot of time because I don't ride mountain bikes.  I don't say this to sound melodramatic but it just is what it is.  Some courses suit me and some don't.  This weekend's courses didn't.

Hood River Double Cross: Day 1

If I had to pick a phrase that most accurately described my performance this weekend I would be hard pressed to beat "missing the train."  Actually, "A.D.D. emotions" would come pretty close to describing Day 1.

running the sand; so much faster than riding it
photo courtesy of Dave Roth

Driving out to the race I wasn't really psyched about this race for a number of reasons but nothing I haven't dealt with before.  This race is typically the same weekend as the UCI Starcrossed weekend in Seattle but since that isn't UCI C1/C2 this year I'm keeping it local.  I will now continue this post with my train of thoughts for the rest of the day as that's probably the most descriptive.

GPTB: Het Meer

photo courtesy of Matt Haughey

I've been sitting on this one for a week now so I should probably clear it out of the cache.  Forgive the brevity but the race was fairly uneventful.

and the season is upon us: David Douglas #1

And just like that the season is here.  Instead of taking my typical "race from February through December" approach I decided to try something a little different this year.  If you've been "following" (what little there's been) I stopped racing mid-May and never really started back up.  Until cyclocross!

the start
photo credit:  Matt Haughey

Yesterday's race at David Douglas was your typical season opener:  smaller but lots of enthusiasm.  Except for the fact that Ryan Trebon and Carl Decker showed up.  Here's a sample of a conversation between a friend and myself on the starting line:
Nat:  "so how do you think this race is going to play out?"
me:  "well, he's [pointing to Trebon] going to ride really fast, he [pointing to Decker] is going to ride almost as fast, and he [pointing to Shannon Skerritt] will be right there.  The rest of us are just going to finish"

2012 Season Schedule

With my first race of the 2012 cx season only a few short hours away from starting I figured it's about time I posted where I'll be racing this year

September
1-  David Douglas CX #1-Vancouver, WA (GPTB)
9-  Het Meer CX-Vancouver, WA (GPTB)
15-  Double Cross-Cascade Locks, OR (GPTB)
16-  Double Cross-Cascade Locks, OR
22-  (undecided), most likely Zaandercross at Frenchman's Bar (Vancouver, WA) (GPTB)
23-  (TENTATIVE) Future Cross
29-  Fazio Farms-Portland, OR
30-  Battle at Barlow-Gresham, OR

October
6-  Heiser Farms CX-Salem-ish, OR (GPTB)
7-  Cross Crusade-Alpenrose Dairy, Portland, OR (Cross Crusade)
13-  Ninkrossi-Washougal, WA (GPTB)
14-  Cross Crusade-Rainier, WA (Cross Crusade)
20-  Canby Cross Race-Canby, OR
21-  Cross Crusade-PIR, Portland, OR (Cross Crusade)
27-  (TBD)  either Bend, Eugene or Vancouver
28-  HALLOWEEN CX-Cross Crusade-Bend, OR (Cross Crusade)

November
3-  Canby Cross-Word CX Challenge-Canby, OR
4- (TENTATIVE) Canby Cross-Word CX Challenge-Canby, OR
10-  TBD
11-  Cross Crusade-Hillsboro, OR (Cross Crusade)
18-  FAVORITE RACE EVER-Cross Crusade, PIR Pro Paddock, Portland, OR (Cross Crusade)
25-  Psycho Cross-Eugene, OR (Psycho Cross)

December
1-  STATE CHAMPS-Psycho Cross, Eugene, OR (Psycho Cross)
2-  Winter Cross-Washougal, WA (GPTB)

(lots of running)

January
12- GET MARRIED!!

I was torn about travelling this year and racing as big of a schedule as I did last year but there were a few key deciding factors.  First, Cross Vegas became invite only and with no UCI points a start spot in that race would have been next to impossible.  Furthermore, Seattle's StarCrossed would not be a UCI event this year.  Without those two big races early on I had a hard time justifying a UCI license just for a weekend in Colorado and another in Bend for the USGP series (which may not even happen this year).

In short, I'm staying local this year.  I have a couple goals in the back of my mind but I'm going to focus on building and just having fun this year.  Boulder, CO is hosting the 2014 National Championships so next year will definitely be big.  I'm definitely looking forward to this season and hope to see all of you out there at some point.  If we haven't met before please stop by the Team Oregon tent and introduce yourself.

Ok, time to go ride out to a race.  Look for a report tonight.  Let's see just how badly I get spanked by Ryan Trebon this year.

...and I'm back

I'm not even going to attempt to make excuses about my total absence over the past few months.  Let's just say I stopped consistently training in March, rode my fitness through April and promptly lost it all in the middle of May.

This upcoming season has a huge question mark written all over it.  I really wanted to go to Cross Vegas this year, both for the experience and to race on the national level again but just a few weeks ago the organizer dealt us all a surprise:  this year's event would be invite-only.  With no UCI points to draw from I have a better chance of beating Ryan Trebon in a slam dunk contest than I do of gaining a spot on that star-studded start line.  Oh well, maybe one day.  

After that "snub" I'd planned on just keeping it simple, staying close to home and having fun.  The last few weeks of training have changed that.  This year I feel fast.  On almost no training.  Maybe there's something to this whole 'don't overtrain' thing.



There have been a few hiccups over the past few months but I'm happy to say I'll be out there for a full cx season.  My schedule isn't completely set in stone yet but I'm aiming for at least two USGP weekends but with no Cross Vegas or Starcrossed (not UCI this year) it's going to be tough to pick up any UCI points.  Anyone want to fly me to Japan or New Zealand?