Bamacross #3 Race Summary

Munny Sokol- Tuscaloosa, AL

Sunday October 30, 2011 I traveled to Tuscaloosa, AL to race in Bamacross #3 at Munny Sokol.  It was a cold morning, first frost of the year I think, high 30’s when I left the house but the day warmed up by race time to sunny and low 60’s.  The course was a combination of twisty singletrack and some technical, fast, dusty track.  There were two sets of barriers and one 6” rocky step up that was rideable by most racers.  The race field was around 30 or so.

The start was a nice 300 yard paved road that gave way to a quick, hard start, I hit the first turn onto the course sitting 8^th or 9^th wheel.  The first couple laps I rode strong, never letting the leaders get out of my sight, but after about 25 minutes I began to fall back a little and try to recover some.  I made several passes and worked my way up to 5^th or 6^th at one point then gave back some spots. 

With two laps left I was sitting in 7^th and battling David, who had been pulling away from me on the flats all day, and then I would pull him back in the singletrack.  Boris was also up there most of the day battling back and forth with us as well.  (David videoed the whole race from his handlebars so can’t wait to see what all he got)  With two laps left, I passed David right as we entered the woods and started my attack.  I knew I was faster through the singletrack than David but was worried about him catching me on the front part of the course where the flats favored him more.  I managed to put about 100 yards on him by the time I hit the start and heard the bell so I put my head down and pushed hard.  I saw Andrew about 150 yards in front of me and wanted a top five so I entered my last lap all out.  I was chasing and trying to make up time through the first set of barriers, that were 3 deep and only 4” high, but on a steep off camber uphill that made them a little tricky.  I tried riding them before the race but running ended up being faster. 

Now it was the last lap and I was pushing hard, my hips and back were stinging like hundreds of bees biting me and my legs were starting to go numb.  I went into the barriers to dismount and my legs went out from under me, it was all I could do to get back up after several tumbles.  I grabbed my bike and sprinted through the barriers trying not to lose much time, jumped on my bike to go and found out I had dropped my chain.  Got back off and threw my front derailleur over to catch my chain and then re-mounted to go again. 

By this time David had caught me and I had lost any chance of catching Andrew who was now out of sight.  David opened up a 50-75 yard gap on me and it was all I could do to hang on and not lose more time through the flats.  I rode hard through the single track and closed the gap down to only a couple seconds but just wasn’t able to pull him back by the finish line.  Ended up 7th on the day.  It was a good finish and good race, my first top ten in the Bamacross series so really happy about that.  I feel a little sore and fatigued this morning and am probably going to take a couple days off this week from training to recover and prepare for Chainbusters 6hr race in two weeks.  Five weekends of racing and training are beginning to take a toll on me so I might take off next weekend’s race for Bamacross #4 as well.  Overall a really fun course to race and a great job by the race organizers!

Cross the Way #1 Race Summary

Fontanel Mansion- Nashville, TN

I raced in Nashville today at the Fontanel Mansion off Whites Creek in North Nashville and had great time.  The people were really nice, the weather warmed up quite well, and I only had to race for 45 minutes, what more could I ask for? 

Got to the venue right at 10 and got registered, didn’t race until 11:45 but wanted to get a pre-ride in and the only time prior to before the race was from 10:30-10:45 so we busted ass to get up there early.  The course was anything but smooth, an old crop field you could definitely notice the rows of ruts from whatever had been planted there at one time.  The course was flat with no run-ups or sandpits and only one set of barriers set at about 250 yards from the finish.  The majority of the course was nothing but hairpin switchbacks, followed with 30 yard sprints, over and over again.  This made it really hard to pass anyone and made attacks that much more important in the two straight-aways where everyone was trying to attack. 

I had a good start, the field was run with the women 1,2,3 so overall I think there were around 40 or so people with 26 in the men’s 3.  The first lap people were riding waaaay to hard through all the switchbacks and overbraking so I rode cautiously, thinking there would be a pile up or someone was going to take out a lot of people so I sat back about 15^th or so and just waited until people started fading.  Got through the first lap okay without any problems and had picked off a couple people who couldn’t hold on to the field.  By now the field had broke into two groups, first group of 5 and a chase group of about 10 with me sitting 8^th or 9^th wheel, there were a couple guys behind me.  But these guys were slow through all the switchbacks and I knew if I could get out in front of them before the next lap I could put a gap and start to chase down the lead group, well that was the plan until after the barriers I went to re-mount and my bib caught the two pointy sections on the rear of my toupe saddle and it was like a sling-shot threw me back off the bike mid air, causing me to superman while chasing the bike and eventually face first plant into the ground.  (Next time I’ll listen to Mitch and put duct tape around those points!)  So I tucked and rolled and got up to get back on my bike, I didn’t look to see if there was any damage I just hopped back on and started hammering to catch back up.  I lost a good 75+ yards to the group of 9 that was now literally leaving me in the dust.  

I spent the next 3 laps riding in no man’s land chasing them back down and finally after 5 laps of an 7 lap race I caught back up.  I managed to catch them right before all the switchback section after the start so I was able to sit in nicely for about 2 minutes catching my breath and letting my legs recovery from 15 minutes of all out attacking/ chasing.  Towards the end of the lap I made a couple “aggressive” passes that definitely did not make me any friends, then had two guys from The Hub team start throwing blocks every turn and not wanting to let anyone by.  Managed to work with another guy and we both went wide on a sweeping 180 turn and dropped down behind one of them and came down on the inside guy and hammered through them in the big ring.  Definitely noticed a big advantage from riding in the big ring the majority of the day and through the tight technical sections because if I saw a brief window to take a wheel, I was able to get the spot with only three or four cranks. 

We both got by those Hub guys and they were not happy, immediately got on our wheels and keep trying to come down on us or cut under us for about the next 3 minutes until we got to a straight away and I let it out and dropped all 3 guys by a good 50 yards.  Kept a good pace for the remainder of the lap and then with two laps out I started my attacks again.  I was setting a good 200 yards back from the next guy who was in no man’s land in between me and the lead group of 5 or 6.  I chased him the whole lap and by the start of the last lap was only a couple seconds back.  He was about 5 seconds ahead of me and through the roughly 20 or so consecutive switchbacks we kept passing each other and he knew I was coming and I knew he wasn’t slowing down any.  I managed to catch him at about the half way point of the lap, after all the switchbacks, and going into the last 400 yards, there was a very technical down hill off camber turn that had was rutted out from a water run off, covered by gravel, that immediately made a 75 degree tight turn over a steep up and over of about 2 feet.  Very good chance of tacoing a wheel here if you didn’t flow through it smoothly.  Well being that my mountain bike skills were kicking in and I was flying through here earlier in the race, no braking, just working the bike and keeping the momentum up, I didn’t plan on slowing down to make the turn.  I was sitting on this guys wheel and he started to brake, and braked hard, like at least 50% of his speed, so I came to the inside and showed him a wheel, which, I knew it was waaay to technical to pass there, even worse being the last lap, dumb to try, but I hoped it would scare him enough to let me by or give me the line.  I showed him the wheel then immediately backed off to let him have the line and by this time he was cussing me, whatever, now he was really throwing blocks and it was coming down to the last 300 yards, through the barriers smoothly and took the inside of the 180 10 yards after the barriers and he came down on me, cutting my line, so I sprinted up next to him over the next 40 yards to the next 180, this one swooping and wide, and took the outside line and came down on him putting him to make an immediate hairpin steering 180 turn.  I was in my big ring and I heard his rear tire slip and that was all I needed, stood up and hammered ten or twelve pedal strokes and dove hard on the next s turn about 45 yards away and 25 yards to the finish and that dude had sat up after he spun out. 

Yeah I talked to him after the race and he was mad but cool with everything once I explained we were racing and I wanted his spot and he wasn’t going to let me by after I had shown him a wheel several times.  He calmed down and we shook hands but I think he was just more pissed that he made a mistake and I didn’t and it cost him a spot. 

Overall probably my best race yet.  I definitely feel like each week I am getting stronger and better with my bike handling and getting my first top 10 is a good confidence boost as well.  Next week going to be in racing Tuscaloosa and can’t wait for that course because I’ve heard there going to put some sweet single track in.   

Results here: http://www.tbra.org/results/live/2011_1666_3999.pdf

New CX Setup

This could be the dumbest thing I've ever done or the awesomest.  Going for a test ride tomorrow to see how my attempt at a "race" ready cx bike worked out.  Cannibalized my road and single speed to pick the lightest parts out for my cx build. 

Replaced my Ksyriums with my Reynolds Attack clinchers off my road bike, moved my xtr clipless pedals off my ss, and my toupe ti off my ss as well.  Overall dropped about a pound off the bike and am loving the new look.  Really wanted to see how these wheels ride off road before I decide on a set of tubular Assaults as a race wheel.    Set up my Ksyriums with an extra set of tires to use as a pit wheel for this weekends race but if for some reason I foul up the Reynolds I'm going to feel like a dumb ass.  Time will tell I guess but in the mean time, I think it looks pretty freckin sweet

Bamacross #2- Brookside, AL

Man was it hot and dusty today.  Started the race off without a water bottle and after 30 minutes of using sweat to keep my mouth and throat from closing up, I stopped to pick up a bottle and man did it make a difference. 

Race was a good field today at about 30 deep for the 3’s and we ran pretty much the same course as the race from two weeks ago out there.  I learned a lot after my first cx race at Bamacross #1 and tried putting some of those things to use in this race but not too sure if they worked out or not.  I took yesterday off the bike hoping it would give me a little more pepper in the legs today and even though I attacked one lap too early, I was still able to finish strong and was happy with my race. 

Lesson 1 I learned from my first race was to get to the front as soon as possible after the start.  Started at the back of the pack and immediately picked off about 12 people working my way to the front group while the people behind me all fell off the back fairly quick.  I was pulling up the rear of the main pack for the first lap and made a couple passes, then got passed back couple more times.  Starting to learn that the first laps are always sketchy and everyone is trying to find a rhythm right off the bat, pretty much like taking someone who can juggle and instead of giving him three balls to start with, you throw all three balls in the air to him at the same time and say “Juggle.”  That’s what lap 1 seems to be like for me right now.  Once the field worked itself out, I found a good pace and feel in line with 3 guys from Bici Coup.  They were really strong riders and were setting a good pace so I got with them and tried to hang on without upsetting the pack and having them decide to work together and get rid of me.  Don’t remember much from the tween laps except that once or twice I got ahead of some of the Bici guys and then they got back ahead of me, sometimes I was the carrot, but most of the time they were it seemed.  On the straights and pavement I tried to draft a couple of them some and then tried to do work for them at other times but I think we were all to tired and going to hard to communicate so there was no conversation of working together, but in retrospect, probably would have helped us all in the overall. 

Coming out of the sand on the second to last lap I attacked, thinking it was the last lap, and picked off two of the Bici guys I had been riding with all day.  I was able to ride the sand and make the climb and attacked while they were re-mounting.  I went as hard as I could onto the pavement, not looking back to see if they were chasing but managed to put a decent gap on them while still on the pavement.  Turned to get on the baseball field and could see the next Bici guy exiting the field as I entered.  I went hard but couldn’t catch him by the finish line, but this wasn’t the bell lap like I thought it was.  Thoughts of jubilation followed immediately with panic that I just burnt every match I had on my attack.  WTF, I’m not going to be able to finish now.  I regrouped and tried to catch my breath and refocus on finishing the next lap.  I slowed down a little and rode smart, running the run-up, and going gingerly on the back section as not to wreck or hit something being that I was somewhat delirious.  My body finally calmed down and I started to get my legs again as I approached the barriers.  Made a smooth pass and remount through the barriers then let everything out I had.  Attacked through the sand pits, rode the climb out of them, hammered hard on the pavement and I could see the last Bici guy I had been riding with all day.  He was now attacking as well and I knew I had to go if I wanted his spot.  I rounded the baseball field and came to the outfield section and caught his wheel.  Through the baseball field you can get a good look at the people ahead and behind you by about 200 yards each way because of the layout.  I knew he saw me coming and was worried he would pull up and rest until I caught him then attack immediately once I showed him a wheel so I was skittish about jumping on his wheel too soon.  I approached him quickly and sat in his draft for a couple seconds to catch my breath then moved up beside him and showed him a wheel.  Sat side by side for a couple seconds waiting to see if he would make a move or wait on me to go so I attacked as hard and fast as I could hoping to get a jump on him and not give him a chance to catch back up.  We were about 300 yards from the finish and I just put my head down and mashed until I saw the finish line.  I looked back as came up to the finish and I had held them off.  Whew, immediately went to my car and doused myself with a gallon of water and had to sit for a couple minutes while my body tried to recover.  Great race and really enjoyed riding with the Bici guys today, they were some strong riders and I can honestly say they pushed me to my limits. 

Finished 11^th on the day and was happy with the race I rode.  My strategy for the day was to ride smooth and smart and I accomplished that pretty well, except for the attacking one lap too early bit.  Anyway that’s 5 places higher than last race and I was able to get 1 more lap in this time than the last race at about +5 minutes longer, so all in all I think I improved by about 2 – 2.5 minutes in my overall timing of the course.  Next weekend I’m going to be in Nashville for a double header, racing both Saturday and Sunday so should be a lot of fun, or pain depending on what your definition of fun is. 

Dead Dog MTB Race- Trussville, AL

AMBS- Trussville, AL October 9, 2011

Did you ever have that feeling where you knew something good was about to happen to you, and then the shit hit the fan.  Well that’s kinda how I felt at today’s race.  I can’t say I’m disappointed in the results, ended up 4^th overall in single speed open, but a horrible start left much to be desired for this race. 

Felt great all week with solid training, rode Friday at Oak Mtn and bike was setting up great with no problems, legs felt really solid, nothing was sore or injured so coming into the weekend I felt like I was going to put up some good numbers for the race.  Saturday did a nice 42 miles on the road bike with Alan, Mick, and Jason and although went a little harder than I wanted for a pre-race day ride, felt solid and couldn’t wait to race. 

The weather was great, overcast in the mid 60’s, perfect for racing.  The call up for single speed came and as I looked around at the guys racing I knew a couple from previous races and knew it would be a fast past to get to the podium but none the less I felt up to the challenge.  5,4,3,2,1, and we’re off.  There was a good 50 yard pavement sprint onto the gravel road and I took 3^rd wheel and settled in until we got another ¼ mile where we entered the woods, well that was the plan at least.  200 yards into the race, BAMM, chain came off.  (Insert whatever expletive here and multiply it by 50) that’s about how I felt.  I pull to the side and get out my allen key, the field goes by.  Fiddle with it and can’t get it back on, 2 minutes later the next field goes by, (expletive times 100).  Keep trying to get my rear wheel aligned, horizontal dropouts are a bitch if your in a hurry, I hear the next field start and they are coming fast up on me.  Get the wheel on and immediately attack, any ss’er knows if you get stuck behind the 2’s you are in for a long race and that was the last thing I wanted to have happen 45 seconds into the race.  Look down at my watch and my chain drop cost me right at 4 minutes.  Great start……Awesome

After several demoralizing minutes of riding 150% out of pure anger I settled down and tried to refocus on my race strategy, which was now not to get DFL in my cat.  I got picked off by two Cat 2 guys and luckily that was all, spend the rest of the lap trying to get back on someone’s wheel but found myself in no man’s land for about 30 minutes.  As I started lap 2 I finally got my body and mental under control and began to make smart attacks/ recoveries.  Started lapping a lot of the slower traffic from the other categories and then came up on a single speeder finally, whew, got the DFL monkey off my back!  Passing him gave me a good boost and I managed to pick off several more on the second lap.  Third lap I laid if all out, legs were starting to suffer and I pushed the last lap average hr above my LT, which I knew was playing Russian Roulette with the cramp monster but was surprised at how well they held up, staying strong and not losing any power after all I had done. 

Kept a good pace until 15 minutes out and set out my attack, my goal was to do a sub 25 minute lap, to get under a 1:20:00 race time, after a 29 min lap 1, 26 lap 2, and was hoping a 25 min lap would put me top 5 at least.  The last part of the race was a technical, extremely rooted/ rocky climb of about 8 minutes, then right back down the other side of the mountain with huge winding switchbacks.  I managed to pass several more people and laid on full throttle the last 5 minutes.  1:21 and change.  Didn’t hit my 25 minute lap but managed to pick off enough people to move into the top 5 and take 4^th.  Overall I wasn’t happy with my lap times but was really impressed with my fitness and body’s ability to redline as much as I did today, I guess I have more matches to burn than I thought.  I guess cyclocross training is paying off more than I thought it would.  Racing next week in Brookside, AL again for Bamacross #2, should be a lot of fun and a lot of suffering.  I saw today that last week’s cx race I managed to place 16th of 29.    

I also found out today that the new trail they cut at Oak Mtn for the 6/9 hr race in November is really not single speed friendly, or at least I was told it will take a good amount of practice to learn the lines.  Awesome, now I get to suffer that much more come November 12^th.

Bamacross #1 Pictures

Bamacross #1 Race: Brookside, AL

Sunday October 2, 2011 I participated in my first ever sanctioned cyclocross race.  It was in Brookside, AL and on a sunny cool morning that was perfect for racing.  The course was fast with crushed gravel being the majority of the course, one set of barriers, and one sand pit that was nasty to say the least.  I raced with the 3’s and being it was my first race, I pulled up to the start at the rear of the field as to not interfere with the actual “racers.”  Well the race started and off I went.  Being at the back it was a slow start as I waited for everyone to get going and then started to hammer.  I passed 4 or 5 people immediately and attacked to get in a good position before the hill that had the possibility for a nice dismount pile up.  Got a couple more spots up and then everyone started to pile up at the hill so I dove to the inside and went up through the bushes to take a line that wasn’t blocked.  Cleared the hill and dropped several more people.  Once I got through that section the field had put a gap on most the slower starters and I was 50 meters back with nothing but open track ahead.  I caught my breath and attacked again over the back section of the course as to not lose too much ground to the field.  I got through the barriers and two downhill sections smoothly and made my way to the sand pit.  I had previously ridden the pit 3 of the 10 times I had attempted it but now it was race time and I had to man up.  I approached it and cranked hard out of the saddle, downshifted to my low gears, gripped the bars tight to hold on for dear life, and plowed into the 8 inches of sand.  Hit a good line and carried momentum about half way then started mashing.  My new tires, Michelin Mud 2’s, really pulled and helped out tremendously getting traction in the sand.  I made it all the way through the pit and actually carried too much speed so as I approached the immediate uphill/ run-up at 90 degrees exiting the pit, I had to go against my instinct and hit the brakes.  Made the turn and grinded to the top of the run-up only to look at my heart rate and notice I was 20 beats above my LT, yeah, so I sat up and gave my cardio a break for 30 seconds or so.  Hit the back section of pavement and on to the baseball field with good speed and legs.  Made my way back to the start/finish sitting about mid-pack.  Fell into a good tempo and began to prepare mentally for that same amount of suffering for 7 more laps, think happy thoughts….  

For the rest of the race I maintained a good pace, cleared all the barriers and made it through the sand pit every time only having to dismount on one run-up because two guys had it blocked dragging ass up the hill.  After the last time through the sand pit, I came out hard with two guys sitting in front of me who I had been chasing all day.  They both dismounted in the sand and were running up the run-up.  I cleared the run-up and immediately attacked as they were remounting.  At this point I was about 800 meters from the finish so I stood up and went hard not looking back to see if they would chase or not.  They did, as I got to the baseball field I had put about 10 meters on them and passed another guy, but the two behind me were working together and we were on pavement.  I went into the grass field and attacked again, legs and lungs were on fire and I was getting light headed, still about 400 meters to go.  I went hard through the field and into the last 180 turn catching one more guy and looking over my shoulder to see I had put about 50 meters on the two chasers.  I went hard into the finish and finished at 1:02:00 for 8 laps.  Didn’t stay around to see how I finished but guessing somewhere around mid pack for a field of 25-30.  Overall great day, learned a lot, now to get ready for Dead Dog Race at Trussville next weekend.

CX Practice Race- Heardmont Park, Birmingham, AL

Saturday, September 17, 2011, I raced in my first ever cx race at Heardmont Park here in Birmingham.  The temperatures were on the brisky side for the pre-race warm-ups so needless to say I didn’t attempt any of the creek crossings until the last warm-up lap before the race started.  I met up with Jason for some pre-race laps where we analyzed the course and tested the lines through the muddy and wet sections.  The course was soft in several sections but was hard packed and smooth for the most part.  It had one hill that followed a creek crossing, which made it easier to run than ride, four creek crossings, and one muddy bog that was close to a 8”-12” deep of mud and 6-8 ft long. 

The race course started out with a 200 yard long pavement sprint that dropped back onto the grass course followed immediately with an s curve.  It then looped back around the baseball fields and was fairly smooth and dry for the next couple minutes, which provided a good area to either attack or recover.  Then came the first creek crossing, which was approached from an off camber turn then a good 12” jump down into the water which started out at about knee high and by the end of the second race was approaching mid thigh high.  Out of the water for a 30 foot hike a bike then back across the creek, not as deep here but still knee high, to an immediate 180 then back across the creek followed by a 20 yard run up the hill before I could remount.  The trail looped back up the hill to a steep switchback off camber s corner with a nice 5x10 ft sand pit right in the middle before the turn just to make things more interesting.  After that it was smooth sailing until the last creek crossing, this was the worst of them.  A good 18” drop straight off the side to the water then thigh high water with a rocky unstable bottom that left my legs looking like something from Terminator.  Out of the water for the last time and 90 degrees to the right for 50 yards before a monster bog that was nothing but a foot deep of silk mud and required enough speed and momentum to carry you all the way though because there was no way to pedal though that stuff without losing all traction.  That put you back out at the start/ finish.  I think I was averaging about 5 minute laps for a course length reference. 

C Race:

For this race Jason Lackey and I battled it out until he unfortunately had a flat in last part of the 2^nd to last lap.  The start was a 200 yard pavement path that dropped into the course and within 50 yards hit an immediate s curve that was damp to begin with but quickly ended up becoming a nice bog that was faster to run than bike by the end of the race.  I realized in pre-riding that getting a good start was vital as the s curve was certain to be a pile up of races on the first lap and didn’t want to get stuck losing time waiting on them.  I started off strong with no one challenging the start and held of Jason until mid 2^nd lap, in which he put a good 150 yards on me while I tried to recover a bit.  In lap 3 I started to get my legs back and began to up the pace pulling him back to 100 yards, then 75 in lap 4, then in lap 5 began to attack knowing that this would be a 6 lap race after the officials gave us a 3 lap count down.  Managed to pull him back to around 50 yards and could now see him exiting the 3^rd creek crossing as I was approaching the 1^st one.  I ran as hard as I could through the creeks and hit a perfect remount, I could start to smell blood and got to the top of the hill to notice that Jason was having mechanical issues.  He remounted and took off as I came up behind him by about 20 yards and then while rounding the next corner, I noticed he was off the bike and stopped.  I slowed to make sure he was okay and he said that he had flatted out.  At this point we were both almost to the end of the 2^nd to last lap and I realized he wasn’t going to be able to fix it and rejoin the race.  I hit the bell lap with no one in sight behind me and sat up the last lap, trying not to do anything stupid and flat out myself or even worse wreck.  I finished strong and got first.  I really hated seeing Jason flat out but I have a feeling he’ll be attacking twice as hard next race to get that win back. 

B Race:

This race was less interesting.  I missed the start by about 2 minutes because I was trying to take in some fluids and wash all the mud off my bike while making sure everything was working the way it should on my bike.  I think I had about 25 minutes to recover and clean my bike before the race started.  I came up to the start from the parking lot seeing everyone already a good 300-400 yards out on the trail so I gave a nod to the starter, said my name, and took off.  This race was the same course, just the creek crossings were deeper now, the bogs were more muddy, and the length was 15 minutes longer for a total of 45 minutes.  I didn’t really attack nor had a strategy for this race other than just doing it for more conditioning than anything.  I think I passed about 6 or 7 people on the first lap, then another 2 or 3 in the next 2 laps, then the legs began to turn to jello and the lungs were on fire so I settled into a good pace to maintain until the bell lap.  Didn’t get passed by anyone but didn’t have the legs to pass anyone either and on the bell lap stood and mashed until there was nothing left finishing I think mid pack a couple minutes back from the winners, haven’t actually seen any results so don’t know for sure.  Overall it was a good day of racing and had a blast, can’t wait for the next one October 2^nd at Brookside Park for the Bamacross series opener.