State CX Championships

Sunday was State CX Champs at SIR! DJ came through with a wicked-good course that never really seemed to let up. Good mixtures of off-camber grass and dirt, hard turns on and off gravel, 2 run-ups, infield barriers for spectating, off-camber mud downhill and a bumpy section running behind the start/finish line left everyone tuckered out. A work party Saturday night did most of the work, so Sunday morning we only had "the pit" to clean and a few sections to tape (Rory panicked a bit at 8:30 when the whole grass straightaway wasn't done yet, but Joe Bar pulled through!). A crack team of registrars kept the lines short as people rolled in.
In the first race Jason took 2nd for a pretty bit of bling bling (I think you should get it cut into pieces and get it mounted on your teeth like grillz) and Beth took an awesome 4th. Karen looked like she was riding hard and enjoying the course too!

Andrew was our man in green for the 10am race and put that mtn bike to good use. In the mud where everyone else was sketching, he just swooped through. The 11am race went off super fast compared to the first two. J and Matt were both near the front as the pack moved through the s/f and both held on strong for the rest of the race (J 8th, Matt 20th).

For 1p, Dan and Thad rep'd the singlespeed and Dan claims that chipotle beef sticks are the new gu, but I'm going to have to stick to my cliff bars... Greg and I both had front row seats to the start and when the whistle blew, it was on. I was sandwiched between two rad racing kids, but thankfully they pulled pretty hard and I sat in 4th wheel as we made the first turn, then dropped to 6th past the s/f, Greg was only a few bikes behind. In the first lap there were something like 3 or 4 crashes, so I was super happy to be up near the front. Greg passed me at the end of the first lap with a nice butt pat and an Ethridge-esque "nice race", but I got him again just after the steep rideup since he flatted and went for a 3k jog. Sucks because he was chilling in 4th place and probably would have held on... anywho, i got 12th and greg recovered to 18th/26. Not sure how the s/s fared, but Thad was laying on the ground and coughing after the race and dan went to first aid with a 3" laceration across his shin (Dan 7th, Thad 8th). Looked like good cx to me!

Big up to Wilbur, the team cheerleader who stuck around all day to keep everyone psyched as well as all the Joe Bar people who came to help and weren't racing. Also thanks to DJ for a rad course and getting the Joe Bar name out there.


-jeremy

Woolley Cross

Whew, i am as the french say, "le tired". Saturday, Greg and I rallied up to Sedro-Woolley for part 3 of the Cascade Cross series. The course was long and pretty much non-technical. Lots of wide turns and a super long straightaway through grass with a hidden inch of water under the blades to make everything soggy. Also some gravel paths, 2 slippery uphills, a nice steep run-up and a bit of muddy farmland for good measure. We did a Le Mans start with the master Bs, with the women and SS 1 min behind. Greg rocked it, coming in 4th and I was a bit behind in 11th/19. The fun part for me was ending up mid-race near this dude from Cycle U who kept attacking, trying to get away, and I didn't let him go until the last lap. I think he burned way too much energy b/c he was darn near the back on Sunday's race.

-jeremy

SCX #6, Bremerton

yeehaw.
sorry i didnt make it to the earlier races, a lack of prep on the ferry almost kept me from my own race.
looked like jason did well in 7th.
in the masters 3, j took 16th and matt and thad got 25 and 26.
beth took 14th in her field and sounded happy after her race.
in the 3s, greg got 22 and i came in 33.
brandon was the joe bar star of the day in 3rd place in ss and dan not far behind in 6th.
big props to matt for helping greg and i out as we rushed to check in and to everyone who yelled at us.
the course was fast except for the deceivingly thick mud in the field, lots of cool twists and turns mixed with power sections made sure that everyone got a chance to show their strengths (and weaknesses).
word up yallz, anyone up for wolley cross next sat?

SCX #5, Donida Farms

sweet muddy cx racing! i dont remember all the results off the top of my head, but here are some:
jason rocked it for 3rd in the master men 4
j was upper mid-pack?
matt wasn't feeling super -psyched and decided to cut the insanity short mid-race (I don't blame him a bit!)
beth kicked total a$$ to take 4th (and apparently 3rd yesterday!)
in SS brandon got 7th and thad and dan were somewhere behind him racing next to.....
the taco! greg wore my halloween costume, a giant taco, and got mad props all race (except when he rode into the cucina tent and knocked it over!), taking 35th and I suffered immensly during my race taking 50th. i do have to admit that i was really really excited when i saw craig comming out of the woods behind me and passing me in the muddy bit, eliminating 1 more lap of muck for me :)
we had a sweet cheering section going for the 2:30 race.
see y'allz next weekend.
-jeremy

Cyclocross craziness

We've been so busy racing this fall we haven't had time for a full cross round-up every week... or, really, any week so far. We'll try to rectify that soon, as on average we have at least 8 bunnies racing every weekend. Hold tight for now!

Starcrossed and Rad Racing GP

Oh the humanity. With my inner Belgian still on hiatus and my fear of continued retribution from the cyclocross gods, I was unsure what to expect on Saturday as I packed my truck for Starcrossed in the rain. Warming up under a dry tree and a few laps on the course with some friendly faces I was reminded of the words of my former coach Patches O’Hoolihan, “aim low.” So I lined up in the second row behind a rad racing guy and tried to think of ways not to embarrass myself. I prepared to gun it through the first turns and avoid the inevitable train wreck. Off at the gun and in the pedals quick and easy I rammed the guy from rad racing when he missed his pedals and braked….I still managed to get by most of the chaos in the first turns but had to be nimble through the up-down into the small run-up. Smooth and almost fast I avoided people falling all over the place and worked to hold steady through each lap. I pushed myself to the point of barfing and backed off a notch. I drooled constantly and as much as I want to say it was to keep the mud out of mouth, it may be that I’m kind of a drooler…as I contemplated my drool, I heard Ben up high on the embankment and wondered if that was his cowbell embedded in the mud smack dab in the good line back into the infield…my plan to catch a few people didn’t work so well. I stopped counting laps, but just when it seemed like the race would never end I heard the bell lap….time to make my “move.” Wait do I have a move…where do you get a move....can I buy a move? So I worked to catch a Bike Collision guy and fend off some Canadians. I had to back off passing the Bike Collision guy before the turn back in towards the velodrome. this proved costly as he slid out through the turn. I worked to avoid him but watched the Canadians scamper by….ugh. Off the bike, over the logs and passed one Canadian who obviously wiltied from from imminent onslaught… Down the straight away, staying smooth-ish and letting the other Canadian pull into the final straightaway….Time to unleash my ferocious sprint…is that my big ring…must beat Canada. I talked the everti into defeating her homeland and with a vicious bike throw at the line I snagged…. 20th….i kept pedaling and tried not to hurl in front of everyone and wondered how Wilbur managed to be on each turn of the course ….

Learning experiences are painful…Sunshine greeted me and Wilbur as we drove south for the Rad Racing GP….signing up for the Masters 1, 2, 3 race was not the smartest idea I’ve ever had (and that is saying something)….We walked the course and the new additions up on the ruins of the ruins seemed fun – stairs, off camber downs and ups before the usual downhill and some good loops down amongst the barns….It turns out most of the Master 3s raced with the regular 3s as only three of the usual suspects lined up with the big boys. Again I found myself in row 2 next to a former national champ and ahead of some of the heads of state in the local scene…My goals for the day were to finish on the lead lap and not to be last. Now as I lined up I worried that I might jerk up the start for the good racers…Another great start found me near the front but I was quickly swarmed by riders flying towards the first turn. It was quite a scrum of elbows and bodies leveraging for a good line. Officially afraid I held on and pedaled fast hoping that the bad men would go away….by the run up we were strung out and I was back with my people…oh the run up….80 meters five times reminded me to run more…to think I used to like run-ups...fortunately the uphill slog into the pain cave came with a sound track but the only songs I remember were Van Halen’s ‘Jamie’s Cryin’ and GnR’s ‘Welcome to the Jungle’...a race within the race kept my mind busy and watching Jeremy trying to walk backwards up the run up as he cheered us on was a good distraction. I worked hard to catch Wilbur but two races in a weekend coming off a sinus infection might not have been the best idea….i sprinted the entire last lap to protect my ‘not last status.’ As I coughed up the chunky stuff and warmed down I marveled at my inability to distinguish between my inner monologue and my outward conversations…the suffering and fun I had on a course that seems new each time I race it was worth it….even I did take a huge beating.

- J

Copper Cross

So today didn't go exactly the way i had expected, but all in all it was a positive experience. We were almost late to the start but made it on time. I was actually doing ok on the 1st lap, but then disaster struck - i flatted going around the corner onto the road. After trying to flag down J and Peter, I jogged up to the parking lot and bummed a wheel, remounted and finished the race dead last, but at least i finished! It was good to be out there racing at least. Thanks to everyone that cheered and to Peter for racing with me. Hope everyone finished as well as they started.

Ben

Mt. Baker Hill Climb

Gorgeous day for riding the Mt. Baker Hill Climb. Clear skies and mid 70's at the top.
Not a great day personally. I attempted to hang with the lead group and managed to do so for the first short climb and next mile. Realized I wasn't going to keep that pace for the next hour plus so I backed off and waited for next wave. Let the HR drop and found a good rhythm and group to pace to the final climb. My goal was to make up ground on the long climb and it started out well, knocking off several riders and making up ground. Then the @#*! happened. My right butt and leg started getting numb which has happened before and I can usually take it out of the peddle for a bit and it cools down. No luck today. I eventually had to get off my bike about every mile and wait a few minutes for the feeling to come back. You can imagine the curiousity of the riders who I had been passing to that point. I would get back on, catch most of them only to get off again. Needless to say, I was a "tad" frustrated. I ended the race just under two hours but my goal was to be closer to one hour thirty/forty. Beautiful ride, well organized, great energy. I believe the winner set the new course record and walked away with four grand in cash. He'll be splitting that with a few teammates who helped blaze the trail.

Catch up with you all later.

-Putter

Cyclocrazed - Bellingham

Cylocrazed race report / camping at silver lake in lovely Bellingham.

Great time, fantastic place to camp and what a way to get some family time, smoke / beer and bad camp food with Wyatt.

The race: hard 7 laps. We all started in one big bunch. I decimated the single speed group... did I mention I was the only guy?

Always nice to get the win before you start. So after total domination of that bunch it was time for the masters bunch... All 3 of us. Yes, they had shifters; all I had was beer and a 36/ 17 . Not to over-inflate my wins but it did hit me on the downhill. My legs spun like a presidential candidate twiddling in the bathroom at a airport. So in my Joe bar green, in Mount Baker's shadow I cast down my power (and the nagging pain in my head that Wyatt was alone) and rode to a solo finish. So two wins in one race !!!!

Wyatt was happy and we went for a big ride after and had a fun time. Hey Putter - hope the sun was on your side. Just so you don't worry, K from the big tomato team had a bead on big WWW.
llllllaaaattteeerrr.

Dan

Labor Day Cyclocross

Today, at Labor Day CX, I had my best (percentage finish), I was psyched to come in 12th/36 (plus a few DNFs), only 2 places behind Shawn! This is kind of a big deal for me, since this race, last year, was my first bike race ever. I think I got 48th/55 or something like that. I now have a full season of cross and a Spring and Summer of road riding (including a few road races). It is great for me then to be able to see this progress as a result of all the awesome support this team has given me. So, thanks to everyone who rode with me, coached me, laughed at me, taught me something new about biking or who just shared a beer at some point!

-Jeremy

Lake Washington Velo #3, Carnation

Thad put on a cow bell performance at the "Valley of the Cows". His udder-ly perfect lead out in the Masters race left a herd of carbon bulls standing ankle-deep in steamy manure.

With just over 1K to go I got on Thad's wheel as he hammered his way past 10+ guys on the right shoulder, putting me in about 8th position. With the perfect set up and a 400 meter open road "sprint" all I had to do was draft wheels and pass people as they popped. I ended up 4th in the sprint (8th overall thanks to a 4 person breakaway loaded with a regional and national champ!). After the Masters I did the 3's and felt good throughout but got pinched in the final 200 meters in the clusterf*^k of a sprint as our "closed road" became a "closed road with a Corvette driving towards us at 250 meters." I thought about biking over the hood, but having lasted a season with bones intact I decided to sit up and stay safe.

Thad raced GREAT staying out of trouble and getting to the front when it mattered. And he must be ready for cross season because he wanted to jump in the cat 3 race after the masters! Thanks for the perfect set-up Thad!

Ride On!!

A.

Meet Team Green!

We’re officially on the docket for the WSBA Meet the Team ride on Saturday, November 22nd. The purpose of these rides is to allow riders at all levels and abilities to get to know local teams seeking new members. Come out, meet the team, and see what we're all about!

Ride details remain the same as in previous years: riders meet at 9:15 at Pert's Deli in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood, with the rides departing at 9:30 and proceeding at a social, "no drop" pace around the south end of Lake Washington and returning across I-90 to Leschi.

North Shore Circuit Race

After making the initial attempted drive to B'ham earlier this season only to be snowed out, I was determined to get there this time. They promised it wouldn't snow, although there was thunder rumbling off and on. I briefly saw Putter who claims he was dropped from the combined masters race, although I saw him fly by at about 50 mph so he looked good to me.

I raced the 3's, and like the masters, had a small field. With just under 30 peeps there weren't many places to hide. A few kids from Canada took off in an early break never to be seen again (they must not feed them up there because they looked like they weighted about 100 pounds combined). I got into a later break which grew to 6 by the last of 7 laps. I managed 4th in the uphill sprint giving me 6th overall.

A.

Final Indie Series Race - The Revival

Yesterday was the last race in the Indie Series mountain bike race collective here in the Northwest. It was time for the White River Revival. The day's racing went off under angry skies near Greenwater, in the shadows of Mount Rainier. All through the day on Saturday, the pouring rain had to have soaked the course, I thought, but too my surprise, the trails were near perfect on Sunday. The moisture made the traction tacky on the climbs and the roots slick in the crazy, winding single track. That proved good for me since a few new riders showed up that tend to spend more time 700c tires measured in millimeters than fat nobbies measured in inches. They just didn't have the skills to descend nor tackle the roots, but the climb was their forte' and that's where they got me. The White River course meanders along the river, through the woods then ramps up for four miles of climbing on a pretty nice forest service road. It then descends back to the river bottom for another go at a shorter lap. This year, they threw in a start loop that had a gnarly, steep climb lasting for about a quarter mile that was upwards of 15% at times followed by a high-speed super rocky descent that had you throttled before hitting the windy section.

I managed to pop out on to the climb in second place to find the first place guy, Vince Haag of Team Sega, the guy I was chasing for the Series Lead just up ahead with a slow leak flat. Out of curiosity, I waited for him, but his CO2 cartridge was giving him fits. Then, two chasers came out of the woods after me, so it was time to quit being nice. I gassed it (or what I thought was gassing it) and started the climb. I got caught a mile up the road by the Scotsman. The two of us worked together for another two miles. Then, the Scotsman said bu-bye and I was behind. Vince rolled up to me and we hung together. An un-timely nature call just before the descent put me a bit further back. No worries, I figured I could make time on the descent. Well, no luck there either. One bad turn found me upside down and about 10' below the trail in a heap tangled in a tree. I was ok, I just had to get back on the trail.

The rest of the race was a chase. I managed to catch one guy (the roadie) and got close to Vince. I later found out he nearly tacoed his front wheel. With some banging on a tree, he got it straight enough to ride in ahead of me. The Scotsman won the race with Vince in second and me in third. If I had taken Vince for at least the second place, I could have had the overall win in the series. We were only separated by two points going into today's finale. So, I got on the podium twice today. I got there with the Third place win for the day's racing and back up for second for the overall win.

Today was also a winning day for my nephew. He just got his training wheels off last week and he pulled out a second place in a tough kids race. It was technical. It had one turn in the out and back, bumpy, and potholed riddled course. He made us proud. He'll turn 5 in a month.

Maybe some of you guys will join us next year for the great racing in the Indie Series. Lots of fun and a great way to lead into cross.

Kirkland Crit

It hurt. It hurt real bad.

Dan and I made it out to Kirkland despite being sore from the uphill TT the day before. After a hard warm up on the trainers we set in for 40 minutes of torture on a technical course, technical meaning several crashes. Dan managed to stay in the front from the get go while I was stuck mid-pack and behind a pile-up half way through the first lap. It took me 3 laps just to get back into the top 15. It was strung out the rest of the time. My computer read 27.5mph avg with an average hr of 177. I could hardly sleep last night because my back was killing me and my heart was still pounding. It was all worth it. We stayed upright, I managed 8th thanks to some well timed pulls from Dan-O.

A.

Roslyn Mountain Bike Festival

Roslyn's Mountain Bike Festival is new to the Indie Series this year. All the hype before the race was "old school course with lots of climbing and lots of twisty single track and a fun descent." Well, they didn't disappoint. It was all that with a huge heaping of dust to make it all the more fun. The race started with a quick flat section that quickly started to climb up what seemed to be about a 25% grade that was short but hard. It then wound around and began ascending for about a mile. After your heart and lungs nearly explode, you hit it hard through a twisty single track and then some more climbing, some more twisties and just when you think you're clear, one more short slog of a climb. The trail then dumped you into a fast then furiously twisty section spitting you out onto old fire road back to the start. All that in 4.5 miles and nearly 1000' of climbing.

The other promise from the organizers was beer. The winners would get beer. Seems like a fair thing to charge to the line for. So, some beer and some more points for the overall standings in the Series were the important things in the race. As always, I make a point of getting off the line fast, then settle into a good rhythm (hopefully). The first climb was jammed to the gills with riders grunting and huffing and puffing their way up. Our group caught the previous starters mid climb and things were clogged. I took to running again (seems to be a theme) and passed about a dozen riders and remounted when I saw some light. I did finally settle into a good rhythm, started to simmer down and focus. Half way through the second lap, I got passed by the series leader. I stayed on his wheel for awhile, but he started to gap me. I turned it up and kept him in sight. Then a local guy totally stomped on it and dropped me. He just ground his way up the hill leaving me to watch him go by. Luckily, I gained on the descent, grabbed a good wheel in the flats to hide from the wind and started the third lap out front again. This time, the leader got around me again and damned if that fast local guy didn't smoke me too. I put the hurt on myself to keep those guys close. We were all within 10 seconds of each other or so. I got close to the top of the last pitch and saw Vince, the leader, hunched over his bike with no chain. Good luck for me, bad for him. He encouraged me on, I yelled to him to start running! I nabbed the local guy in the descent, held him off and pulled in for the win.

I was brining home the beer! That was a good feeling. Now, when a promoter agrees to give out beer to the top placers, you figure it'll be good beer. We've seen some Redhook, some New Belgium and others, but Roslyn's race was the first time I've seen Bud Light handed out. And it wasn't just any old Bud Light, it was Bud Light LIME. I'm still scratching my head on that one. It's on ice now here at home. I'll have to give another report on just that adventure of consuming one of those suckers. Come on over if you wanna try one.

Last race in the Indie Series is August 10th up highway 410 near Greenwater. Love to have some bunnies join me for the day. It's a great race!

-mjc

Oregon Thursday Night Race Report

The past two weeks found me residing in Ashland, Oregon, where I was attending the United Bicycle Institute (UBI) brazed frame building course. While there, I ventured north to White City (outside Medford) to check-out the Southern Oregon Thursday Night training races at Jackson County raceway (drag strip). Monique, a fellow student who is a Kenda Tires elite womens team member from Wisconsin, accompanied me to the race. With our class finishing at 5 p.m., and a 6 p.m. start time, we were a little "rushed" to the race, arriving with the racers on the line. However, the race promoter and official were understanding and held up the start long enough for us to gear up and sign the waiver on the line. Luckily for us the race started slow, as we had absolutely no warm-up, not that you needed a warmup when it was 95 plus degrees. Oh, and we didn't know the course. Started OK, heading up the drag strip, turning right to follow the staging area, and then down a service road (although the disappearing pavement on the left side got my attention). The big surprise was when the field suddenly turned off the "road" and followed what was no wider than a golf cart path, passing right next to a ticket booth (I was later advised to be a little careful about taking the inside line, as they had "problems" last year - something about slamming into the side of the building I was passing by inches each lap). On about the third of fourteen laps a rider launched an attack, which Monique (the only woman in the race) felt obligated to chase down (with me muttering something about "instigators"). About halfway through the race Monique flatted and dropped out, one of about five flats, apparently caused by "goat heads" on the course. The pace gradually increased through the course of the race until such time I realized that, despite my attention to drinking my whole bottle, I was totally cooked (literally) and went into pass/fail racing mode, rolling in to finish 10th or so. The funniest thing all night was finding Monique (a "foreign" woman) surrounded by admiring men after the race, and being told by a local racer that the altitude was about 75 ft (actually 2,000 ft). All in all, probably a better use of time than going to the brew pub.

DJ

P.S. The clothing vendor for the Kenda Tires team is, you guessed it, Verge. And would you believe that the seams on all their shorts is coming undone? Would you believe that supposedly Verge has yet to resolve the issue? I didn't think so!

2008 Padden Mountain Pedal

OK, we all know what a leMans style start is:  you lay your bikes down at some predetermined point, then you go back to the line and on the word go, you sprint to your bike and your off on a race.  That's what they do up on Bellingham for the Padden Mountain Pedal.  Apparently, they've been doing it for 16 years.  Its a great race and always brings out some good competition.  This year, Eric Tonkin came up from PDX and there were some heavy weight  Canadian World Cup Riders in for the Open race too.  And yes, everyone ran to their bikes.  OK, we didn't run, we had to skip.  I skipped like a little girl to my bike 'cause I couldn't remember how to skip.  I didn't get the hole shot either.

The course is the same one they've been running for awhile.  You start climbing less than a kilometer from the start for about 5 minutes, crest the hill, descend on a twisty section, climb a little on a very hard to ride section that, at times, is faster to run than ride.  From there, riders descend down a dicey single track with drops and hairpins and lots of roots.  A short grunt out of that section takes you to the down hill back to the start finish to do it all again. This year, we ran four laps for the sport division instead of three.  The extra length was great.  It really made the race more challenging.

I had a great start.  I jumped to the front and hung with the top three guys until the base of the climb.  I was feeling great so I figured it was time to attack.  I gave the gas and took off.  No body went with me.  I kept passing other age group people trying to put as much congestion in between me and the other guys in my group.  It seemed to work.  Starting the climb on lap 2, there was no one in sight.  I settled in and started my "don't make stupid mistakes" mantra to myself.  Lap two went well.

On the lap 3 climb, I was still feeling good and climbing well.  I pulled back a bit just to ensure I had something for lap 4 in the tank.  Coming down the back side on the descent, I managed to disregard my mantra.  Another rider pulled up in the middle of the course and didn't know which way to go to get out of my way.  I made a last second decision, went right around a tree and got through, but since I hadn't taken this line ever, I miscalculated (read dumb mistake) and went wide, washing out in the duff.  I went down, but got right back up.

The bike seemed fine but wasn't shifting well.  The next section is all down hill, so I didn't think about it until the next climb.  I went to shift, but got no response.  All I could do was shift the front dereailuer.  The rear was stuck in my 12!  My 12, that's all I had along with my 3 front chain rings and I had a lap and a half to go.  At that point, I figured all I could do was go into 'cross mode and run if I couldn't ride it.

I chugged along ridding as much as I could, but having to run a fair bit.  I wasn't overly concerned at first, but I knew if I didn't get the bike shifting, the big climb would be hell.  I stopped once and tried to help the shifting.  No luck.  I stopped in the feedzone for some help.  Still no luck!  So I began my up hill battle.  On the last time up the big climb, I ground away at what little gear options I had.  When I could hardly turn 'em.  I got off and ran.  I ran for at least half of the climb.  Crazy enough, I passed people on the run.  OK, they were still on their 3rd lap, except for one guy, but I passed 'em!

Just before cresting the top, I got passed by the number 2 guy in our group.  There went my number one position.  I managed to hold on, with some more running, until the end and kept second.  The number one guy only made about 30-45 seconds on me.

So, I guess, all in all, it was a great race regardless of the mechanical.  I still need to work on my skipping, but that comes with more miles, right?  Great thing is I managed to score some podium time for Joe Bar and brought home some beer and swag.  Anyone need a new MTB tire?

Next race is in Roslyn on July 27th.  Anyone interested in going to be my pit crew?  Come on.  It'll be hot and fun.  Check out the Indie Series website here:www.indieseries.com

Matt Clark

Friday Night Track Report

The skies were dark, but the Joe Bar Verde shone bright last night at Marymoor as bunnies Ben and David made their presence known, with a with a brilliant WIN BY BEN in the first race of the evening! 15 riders started the first race of the evening, the mens cat 4 10 lap scratch race. After a mid race break was pulled back the pack set up for the finish. Note I didn't say slow down for the finish, as the pace was fast all night, with speeds maintained in the 27-31 mph range and a max speed of 34.2 MPH in the first race. Coming into 2 laps to go the bell range for a $10 prime. Ben, followed by David, started to follow Alden of Broadmark as he swept over the top of the pack in search of 10 bucks. Preferring points over cash, Ben backed off of Alden's ultimately unsuccessful, while David decided he simply lacked the go to follow. As the bell range for one to go and the pack came out of turn two and down the back straight, Ben made his move, carefully picking his wheels and perfectly timing his move into the front straight breeze to capture the WIN. Meanwhile David managed to find a little something in his legs, allowing him to pick throught the field to a 7th place finish.

The second cat 4 race of the eveining, a 4 x 5 points race (20 laps), started fast and never slowed, maxing at 33.4 mph. The bunnies went to work after the first points sprint, when Ben and Alden (Broadmark) launched a pre-arranged attack off the front while David positioned himself just above the redline to try to maintain control over the field. Unfortunately the combination of lack of horsepower (Ben confessed to being whipped after his victory) and conflicting interests of Alden (who was competing with Ben for overall omnium points for the evening) doomed the effort. David went to plan B, scoring points by taking third in the second sprint, and basically following Ben around the track to survive. At the end, Ben finished 5th in his attempt to be the highest finishing 0 pts rider, and David finished 7th or 8th, again trying to win the tie-breakers.

Regrettably, results were not posted before Ben and David left for the evening, so the final omnium standings are not yet known. It is fairly certain that Ben added to his count of upgrade points for the year. In the end, another good night for Joe Bar green!

4th of July Weekend Road Race Report

Friday: Joe Matave Crit
Matt did the 4/5 race and stayed strong in the pack throughout. No crashing and a kick butt workout is a good day.
I did the A/B race and got into about 5 small breaks, but nothing managed to stick. It came down to a sprint and I got 9th or 10th.

Saturday: F&S Grade RR (Sedro-Wolley) - 66 miles
The field was small - about 23 at the start - which means everyone had to do a lot of work. I was feeling tired and sore from the beginning thanks to the crit on Fri. 2 went off the front and stayed away from lap 1. I started to cramp on the 4th time up the climb but held on to the group, now only about 18 strong. I knew going up the climb on the last (5th) lap was going to be the real test. I dropped off the back mid-climb and couldn't stand without my quads cramping, meaning I couldn't keep up. I decided to finish the climb and plow solo for a few more miles until I knew that there was no way I was going to catch back on. There were only about 12 left in the group at that point. I was bummed I couldn't hang on, but I was REALLY bummed to realize how far away the parking lot was at that point! I gimped my way back over the next 25-30 minutes. Today seems like a good day to rest.

Ride On!
A.

Des Moines Crit

Racing in the sun, finally!!

Des Moines is a 4 corner crit on a small hill. Overall clean lines and smart riding made for a fun race without any crashes. Dan and I drove down (me eating a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter-- Dan eating a glazed old fashion from Top Pot) and spun on the trainers to get "warmed up" in the 85 degree sun. My biggest foul was fighting to get into my pedal at the start making me work hard the first lap or two to move up in the peloton. Meantime Dan had everyone strung out from the front, actually convincing a few dudes that he was going to lead a break group. Dan settled back in and recovered most of the rest of the race. I played as lazy as I could riding wheels and staying out of the wind. I managed to get and stay top 10-12 through the last 15-20 minutes of the race and finished with what felt like a 400 meter sprint to finish 11th.

This race was a personal challenge for me because I finished LAST 2 years ago in my first cat 4 race (my first race after getting a cast off my arm) and then managed 4th last year, winning enough points to upgrade to cat 3. So thankfully I'm not going to cycle through a last place / top 5 routine every year.

And I wish I took a picture of Dan looking shredded in his pink velvet hat, red shorts, fishnet shirt, and sympathy knee bandage. (He's got the back hair of a gorilla)

ride safe.
A.

Boston Harbor Circuit Race

At the very least, I looked good. The Boston Harbor Circuit Race is short enough (30 miles for Masters C, five 6-mile laps) that I was able to break out the long-sleeve skinsuit for the first time, and it felt awesome. I was hoping that the sweet duds would give me a little extra mojo for the race.

It was a beautiful day for a race: mid-60s, dappled sunshine through the wooded roads. I noticed driving in that the final stretch was narrow; at 1200 meters to go, you turned from a wide-shouldered highway to a shoulderless narrow strip of macadam, so you really wanted to be up front before you turned in.

I was a little late getting to to the line, so I began from my customary spot near the rear of the pack, figuring that I'd take the first lap to scope out the good passing areas, then make my way up through the race. That aforementioned wide-shouldered highway was great; it started with a big downhill, then a big uphill to the final straight. I could zoom down on the shoulder, then crank up the hill, grabbing places in chunks.

I felt pretty good, so I marked my areas the first lap, then jumped up a handful of spots for the next few laps till I was up in the top 10-15 for the fourth lap, and moved up a little more for the fifth lap. I was still feeling strong, and I wanted to stay really close to the front, because that is what had worked for me at Tour de Dung, and I hoped to employ the same strategy.

I stayed in the top 5 or so until the final descent on the highway; I bombed it down (Derik would have been proud, although there was no actual handling prowess needed) and cranked it back up, one of the first couple into the straight. Unfortunately, my left calf, which had cramped up at Seward last week, was putting in an encore performance. Screw it, who needs a calf?! I was able to hang with the top 5-6 guys and recover for a couple hundred meters, but now I'm in the 2nd row. Crap. I really want to be leading all these guys out to make them pass me, I sure can't outsprint them from behind. I should have migrated over to the yellow line so I could at least go wide at 200, but there's a Cucina next to me now. We're at about 800 meters, no one is speeding up and I'm itching to find a way through - there's another Cucina guy (one of a dozen) riding the narrow shoulder, so unless I'm in the weeds there's no way through there. 500 meters and no one has sped up yet; if anything we're more crunched together. Okay, once everyone goes, maybe I can swing up between the Fanatik guy on the line directly in front of me and the Cucina guy. Still, everybody's waiting for the sign; the pack has caught up behind us, and no one has pushed the pace. Finally we hit the sign, everybody goes - except the guys right in front of me. I almost rear-end them as they ramp it up perhaps 2 mph as the floodgates open on the left and guys go streaming by. I'm completely boxed in, and lose at least 20 spots in the last 150 meters.

That was a bit frustrating, as I was sure I had myself up for at least top ten, maybe top five, but I'll chalk it up to a learning experience that will serve me next time. I had a fun time, was able to race how I wanted (well, except for that last half-mile), and had a good workout on a gorgeous day. What more could I ask for? (Other than a state championship medal?) :)

Methow Mountain Challenge - Podium

I love riding in the Cascades: the lush forests, the rich greens of the moss and trees and the technical, rootey, greasy, muddy, twisty riding, but I grew up riding in the Rockies: Dry trails, wide open sections, rocky technical trails, lots of climbing and fast down hills. I can't get enough of that kind of riding. When I get out on the trail someplace like the Methow Valley, I realize I miss those days of riding back home in Montana. The one thing that I notice first in the experience, is the smells of the Ponderosa Pines, sage, dust and lupine. All these aromas come alive when the sun beats down on it all and as you ride through mile after mile of trail you become aware of the changing micro climates: shaded creek side trails, open range sage down hill or miserably long climbs with the waft of pine trees to spur you on. Those are things we just don't have on the wet side of the Cascades. I guess I was feeling at home in the Methow.

For those of you that haven't gotten out to ride in this race, I suggested you make it a priority next year. The course is great and technical and hard but keeps you interested with beautiful vistas and crazy fast down hills. (here's a link to the map: http://www.indieseries.com/map_methowcourse.jpg)
This course has everything you'd want for a race. Couple of highlights of the course: an 18" wide trail that was super exposed. If you screwed up and went down, you'd be swimming in the lake 20 feet below. STEEP climb at the top, but a wicked downhill that was ultra fun and a great prize for making the climb. Climbing, lots of it. Did I mention there was some climbing?

My goal for the day was top ten to gather points to hold my meager 10th place in the Indie Series. I was also hoping, secretly, that high fuel prices would keep some of the fast guys at home. The race started nearly on time. We went off in a ball of dust. I jumped out and stayed in the top five for better part of the first section. The first 45 minutes of the race was rolling terrain with some technical sections and one grunt of a climb that lasted for about a kilometer. I was just trying to settled in to a good rythm and save something for the big climb. We rolled through the start finish to go for the long climb. I then noticed I lost my water bottle. Good thing I had a second in my jersey. I took two cups of water at the feed zone.

The big climb is just that. 5 miles of climbing greeted us on a mix of single track and road. Let's just say I'm glad I rode Cayuse pass last week. My legs felt ok. The trail just kept going up and up. I did manage to pass several people in this section, but didn't know where I sat overall in our group. At the top, the trail gets super steep. I found that running was faster than riding. After the race, one of the guys chasing me said I dropped him while running that section. Hmmm....call it early season cross training?! I was just glad to get back on the bike and head down hill. Tricky in spots, but certainly fast, the down hill truly was a prize after all the climbing. I'm confident I hit 40 mph in one section. Full suspension was a good choice on the day.

With one more short climb and a twisty downhill, we were back to the finish. After it was all said and done, I pulled off a third place finish. I was certainly happy with that! I never did see the top two guys until I hit the podium. They were fast. And for all my efforts, I got a six pack of beer. Pretty sweet.

The loose, rocky conditions certainly suited me and the fast, technical downhill didn't hurt either. I gotta get back to Winthrop to ride and train. The weather is great. Dry conditions prevail and the warm temps make it pretty easy to get out. It isn't Montana, but it sure was a lot of fun.

OK, next race is Padden. Anyone want to join me?

-matt

Cayuse to Cayuse Ride Report

This last Sunday (June 15th). Aaron Shaw and I along with Kevin Delahunty (Carter Team AKA Team Blood Sausage) and my brother Ben (Montana Velo) hit the road for a long day in the saddle. Our plan was to tackle my brother's hair-brained idea of Cayuse to Cayuse Pass. http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/wa/enumclaw/1042958494

This route he had picked out took us over Cayuse pass to Naches (just outside of Yakima) and then back into the mountains, up and over White Pass, into Rainier National Park, over Chinook Pass and back to Cayuse. It is suppose to be about 113 miles long and with just a little over 10,000 feet of climbing. This was suffer fest 2008.

The ride started nicely descending towards Naches with high speeds and warm temps. We quickly stripped our leg and armwarmers off and figured it would be awhile until we needed a jacket, if at all. The climb up to White Pass was tough. Some solid winds added to the tough climb but we all made it to the top and had lunch. Aaron got the KOM points for that climb.

The Sag Wagon had food and water for us at the top. Yes, I said Sag wagon. My brother's wife took care of that and oh how nice it was!

The descent down into the park was fast and fun. High speeds and wide open roads. The damn thing was we lost a ton of elevation. When we hooked the right to go north, our climbing began again. After about 10 miles, the road ramped up and really started to climb and I really started to run out of steam. I managed to stay with Aaron for a bit, but he eventually rode away from me. Even my brother rode away from me. My pace slowly declined and after coming through a short, albeit scary tunnel, I saw what I was in store for: another 5 miles of climbing that was super steep, had switch backs and looked like it would hurt. I was cooked. I had to pull out there. Luckily I did. Kevin wasn't far back and he was fighting leg cramps. He was so cramped up he couldn't turn the pedals. I rode back and we stuck out our thumbs for a ride back to the car. Luckily, the Sag wagon picked us up and we got whisked back to the parking garage.

I have to say, it was a hard ride, but man was it beautiful and fun and epic. I can't wait to do it again and beat it this time. I'm bringing the 12-27 this time. Oh and Aaron got more KOM points to be crowned King of Cayuse 2008. He is a strong man, even after 3 weeks in India.

Here's the photos to see how cool it really was! How 'bout ya'll join us for our next outing up there sometime later this summer?

http://elizabeth.a.clark.home.comcast.net/~elizabeth.a.clark/2008_06_15.html

Leavenworth MTB Race Report

More than a week has gone by since our fun race in Leavenworth. Dan
Wren and I piled into the car at 6:30 am to make the 10:30 start for
the sport division. We went in "Green" style with an extra passenger
in Mike Rolcyk from Second Ascent. Carpooling really is fun! The
weather was dreary on the West side of the mountains, but opened up
for a sunny day on the East side of the mountains. Temps in the 60's
to 70's made for great racing.

For those of you that don't know the course, it goes something like
this: Climb 4 miles, go for about a quarter mile on flat then descend
for four miles while navigating huge water bars and two creek
crossing, turn left at the bottom and do it again. Sport class did
two laps, the experts did three, and if you are Dan Wren in 2007, you
did 4 laps. That's another story, but let's just say the parking lot
was empty when Dan finished his race last year.

Anyway, it is more fun than it sounds. The climbing is a mix of dirt
road, single and double tracks. It isn't super steep, it just goes
forever. Like all mountain bike races, the start is important. I
managed to get away with 4 other riders and hung on to them for half
the climb. I slid back a little, but as soon as the descent came up,
I passed a bunch of folks and stayed upright. There were several
crashes this year resulting in one rider getting an ambulance ride out.

My second time up the climb was OK, but I wasn't staying on pace that
well. I caught one rider right at the end of the race and I thought I
nabbed him at the line to move up a spot. I thought I sprinted for
5th, I guess I got 6th. Where is the finish line in a mountain bike
race anyway? Interesting side note is that my overall time was only
off by about 30 - 45 seconds over last year and I got 2nd in my
division. Guess the field is getting faster.

Mike had a great day, he won the expert 35 - 45 group. Dan didn't
have as good of a day. He DNF-ed due to a painful nerve problem in
one of his feet and he said he just didn't have it. Well, good thing
is we weren't the last out of the parking lot and Dan drove making my
day easy. Can't complain there. And did you know that Dan's kids are
super cute? I'll let him tell that side of the story.


Matt

Monday Night at the Track

I had my first night of track racing tonight. Lots of fun turning left I must say. The women get put in with the juniors. It is a bit of a mixed bag - I feel conflicted and want to let the kids win yet don't want to let them beat me. After 3 races this evening I think I have already done more sprinting than I did in all my road races last year combined. Next week I think I will try to race in something other than my warm up gear. That was some fun bike racing!

-beth

Seward Park Summer Classic

Masters A/B and Cat 3 . Masters is a cruel thing - no big bunch to hide in and you’re racing with guys that are fast and smart. The race started off with 2 big guys from the Dark side / aka garage trying to soften things up with fast exertions then Cucina & Excel all had multiple guys in the race. They had a preem almost every lap to get the speed up; one guy with a comp said we averaged 26 mph. So halfway into our 40 minute race 6 guys went off the front and I watched them ride off. Then I took a look, said, “This is the race,” and jumped across the gap leaving the guys behind. After a big effort I made contact, rested, and went to work powering the bunch and working well with the bunch. I got 6th place in the sprint and also nabbed a bunch of the prems. Now, the Cat 3 race was the usual race - 60 minutes of not much. I was a bit tired from my race just before so I stayed up front for the first 30 minutes then I started to dehydrate - no water. That's when super team mate Big DDDDD gave me a supper slurpy !!!! thanks. then I was recharged I new I had no sprint so I offered my legs to the Rubicon team (love the way they race, true team) the plan was to send one of their guys after we caught the break which never got more than 10 seconds ahead. So, I went to the front, exploded and watched the sprint from the back. Having no team to work for it was nice to get a big thanks from the Rubicon Boys. Summery fun day, lapping the bunch in my first race was a blast.

-Dan

Methow Valley Stage Race

The short version: Judd and Jeremy from Joe Bar raced their bikes for 2 days in the Methow Valley.

The long version:
SAT 6/14
Time Trial: 9.6mi. of rolling hills, out and back in Mazama. The last hill on the way back was the killer. I felt good thanks to suggestions for a solid warm-up and Charlie's TT bars. Also, I had the opportunity to pre-run the course a couple of times. Since I registered so dang early, I was 2nd out the gate. The guy behind me (30 secs back) caught me on the first hill, about 1-1.5mi. in. I made up for it by passing the man in front of me :). I, of course, had to mess something up, so at the turn-around, I swung a little wide and rope into the gravel by the side of the road :) I recovered without falling or getting off my bike (thank you cross season!). I ended up with something like a 25min time, putting me in 29/46. I think Judd's bro, Andy got 7th or so and Judd was a bit further down the list from me. I averaged something like 22mph which seemed reasonable, given the course and my TT experience (which is none).

Crit: 40mins around 4 blocks in old-town Twisp. A few chunky bits of pavement, but nothing too bad. Turn 3 was a bit sketch since it was downhill into the turn, then a bit off-camber and uphill comming out. It also featured several small potholes in just the right places to make it interesting. My plan was to get behind Judd or Andy and just stay there. It sounded good in theory, but in execution, not so much. Just like my cross race starts, I didn't really jump on the gravy train right away and missed my chance to get behind Judd, who was already moving up before turn 1. I tried to relax and wait for things to spread out before trying to move up. On lap 2, I went for an opportunity to pass a dude from Der Sportsmann and blew past him on the back straightaway. This of course meant that I entered the infamous turn 3 much faster than I had before, and took a different line. This "new" line featured at least 3 potholes previously described and as I bounced around, I tried to self-correct by sitting up. This was not smart as it meant that I stopped turning mid-turn and (go on, guess...) I rode into the dirt on the side of the road (anyone catching a theme?). Again, cross handling came in handy and I managed to not go down, but by the time I was back on course, I was now at the very back of the pack. A la cross season as well, I started to pick people off and re-advance. Every time I caught someone, they would slow down, hoping for me to pass them so they could ride my draft up to the next people. Every time, I bit. It seemed like good racing strategy to them (and I would have done the same if someone came from behind me), but we weren't getting anywhere by playing games with each other, so, like I said, I bit. Slowly we advanced, catching person after person. I was feeling good, but couldn't go any faster than I was. Apparently the main pack was much faster and after 22mins, I got pulled. I can at least console myself because I was one of the last people to get pulled. Oh well. I got to watch the rest of the race go down. Andy got a prime (free massage!) and with Judd, made it to the end of the race! (sorry, I forget what places they got). Our race started with about 50 and only 23 finished, so again, I don't feel so bad.

SUN 6/15
Road Race: 54 mi.; 4 laps on 13-ish mi loop on rolling country roads
The biggest hill was right at the beginning, so I was happy when I found out that we would roll neutral up that then begin racing. Some of you may remember my (in)famed performance out at Longbranch, which I did not want to repeat. I had a healthy b-fast early on and a good 30min warmup on the trainer. I showed up early to the lineup and got a good spot. We took off at 8:30 and I felt great. we went up the hill at a nice gentle pace and even when we began racing, we only picked it up a bit. I was holding 5/6 wheel in a 2X2 train and having a pleasant conversation with a guy from Byrne. The course starts by going up several small hills, so I don't think anyone was complaining about the pace. Once we hit the first downhills, however, things started to get fast. Then we hit another hill and dropped to 9mph :).
Finally, after 1/2 a lap, the strong kids got bored and we were racing. Every time I got too close to the front, I tucked in behind someone who looked safe. I was feeling warm and strong (and NOT blowing up) and grabbed an awesome spot behind Benny the teenager. We moved up a bit more and I moved over behind Der Sportsmann again. BEEP!!!! WRONG ANSWER!! Please goo to jail, do not pass go and do not collect $200. For whatever reason, on a perfectly flat section of road, he locked his rear wheel and started to fishtail. I did the same, only I was a bit to the right of him and fishtailed into (any guesses? c'mon just one...) the dirt. Now I'm 3/3 for stages during which I end up in the dirt. I dabbed one foot and quickly made it back to the road as the last man in the peloton passed me. The follow car was nice and sat behind me, giving me a chance to catch back up, which I did in about 1 mi.!
Feeling strong and psyched, I immediately started vocally announcing my way back into the pack. "One your right!" "Comming through!" "Oh sh@#t!". The reason I caught the peloton was because it was accordioning at the beginning of an uphill. Some DB pulled directly in front of me and locked his rear wheel up. "Not again", I thought to myself. YES, again. I was in the ditch. I am now entirely convinced that the Bike Race Gods have chosen me for off-roading and not for road-racing. I wasn't the only casualty though, 2 other folks had gone down on the pavement near the back of the pack. Unscarred and undeterred, I was back on the bike while the follow car took care of the other two. I was off on another TT to catch the pack, only this time I was on empty. As hard as I could try, the pack still got gurther and further away. Eventually the follow car passed me and I was left to the warm sun and smell of flowers. I made an honest effort for nearly 20 mins to regain the group, but eventually I just settled in for a 40mi. TT behind them (it was like a break, but backwards). I thought about it for a few minutes and finally decided to "pass" this race, regardless of position.
On the back half of the 2nd lap I caught a guy who had been dropped, so we chatted and pushed each other a bit to keep the pace up. He left once we got back to town, but thankfully a break had gone off the race behind me, so I got to go through all the stop signs in town between the break and the pack (it was womens 1/2/3). Their peloton passed me on the main hill and I went back to smiling and enjoying the sun.
As I crested the next hill, I could see their follow car way ahead. I got closer, though, but it hadn't moved. Then I got even closer and saw Der Sportsmann standing behind it. As I slowly rode around the car, I saw the carnage. Probly around 12 men 4/5 standing, sitting or in one man's case, lying down with a blanket over him. Bikes were strewn across the road and in the ditch, one was even broken in half. The guy on the ground wasn't doing well. Complaining of chest pain, shaking uncontrollably, labored breathing and a slew of other issues didn't give me much confidence that he would re-enter the race anytime soon. The official had already called an ambulance, but I put down my bike anyways and talked to the guy a bit to try to calm him down and get him as relaxed as possible. As I looked around, I realized that several of the people who were involved had been people I had picked out as "safe" wheels to follow. I was able to piece together the story that someone had tried to swerve a bump, crossed the yellow line and pulled back in ASAP, knocking the guy next too him over and taking out the entire middle line of the pack plus some (including, I found out later, Andy, Judd's brother, but I think he is alright). A very sharp reminder of some of the dangers of road racing.
After the ambulance arrived, I hopped back on my bike, still intent on finishing the race. While I had been with the accident group, though, the Cat 4 women passed me, so I was now at the back of everything. Whatever.
As I finished my 3rd lap, I saw a rider with a bib number ahead of me. A carrot. With renewed psych for hunting people down, I chased this person up the steep hill and soon caught her. She seemed quite content to hop on my wheel and after a few mins of pulling, I backed off and started a covnersation. It turned out she had been in the Women 1/2/3 race and dropped her chain and just never caught her race again and, like me, just wanted to pass the race. It was nice to have company to push me a bit and to stay focused even on the windy hills. With the 200m sign in sight, we agreed to sprint for it and soon crossed the finish line, much to the amazement of the 1 official eating her lunch there (she had to throw her food down to write down out bib numbers). I only chatted with Judd for a few moments after the race, but it sounds like he only arrived a bit before me. After dropping his brother off at the car, he and his friends did the same as me and simply finished.

All in all, it was a really fun event. It was great to have small fields (none were bigger than 50), especially for my first crit. I felt happy with how I did, not necessarily my results, but my physical efforts and my attempts to try new tactics. I especially liked doing the stage race. it was fun to get up early and do an event and have to spin out and stretch and eat, then do another the same day, spin, stretch and eat, then race the next day! the whole process of it, i guess, is what i liked.

sorry for the novel!
-jeremy

Whidbey Island Mudder report

Thad and I commuted up to the the ferry last Sunday. The weather was nice, we were on schedule and things were looking good. Our race (Sport Division) was set to take off at 2pm. A noon ferry seemed perfect. We parked, loaded up and rolled to the ferry terminal. We weren't driving on. Forget that. We were gonna ride on so we could warm up on the 4 mile ride to the race course on the island. We got our tickets from the handy dandy kiosk, jumped in front of the cars just about to load, but something seemed weird. No other bikes were spotted going to the race. Hmmm. Then, a crackle came over the radio of the ferry attendant "Hey, those bike guys have the wrong tickets!" She sent us back up to talk with the ticket taker. He said "You guys got the wrong tickets. You bought ones going from Mukilteo to Clinton (Whidbey). Thad and I looked at each other like What? It started to creep into our thick skulls that Damn, we were at the wrong Ferry!! This isn't Mukilteo, this is Edmunds!

We piled back in the car and shot up to Mukilteo. I can't believe we went to Edmunds! Good thing we didn't get on that ferry or we'd have been in Kingston. We missed the next ferry out of Mukilteo and had to settle for the 1 p.m. ferry to Whidbey. Luckily, we didn't repeat Thad's performance of getting a speeding ticket on the way to the ferry like he did on his way to Flagler last fall for the Cross races.

Anyway, we did the math. The 1 p.m. ferry would be fine, we just didn't have much margin for error. We changed into our kit, got some funny looks on the boat and bolted for the start finish once the vessel docked. We certainly warmed up on the way to the race. It is pretty much all up hill, but the warm up was perfect. We had about 15 minutes to spare before the race started. We registered fast and lined up and we were off!

Now the thing about the Whidbey Island Mudder is that it is twisty, kind of technical and long! I was grateful to only do about 16 miles or 3 laps. I think the experts did 5! A good jump at the start got me away from the inevitable pile up when the double wide went to single track. I burned it up in the what I thought was the first lap. To my surprise, we had only done a half lap. The twisty course made it hard to keep up with where you were on the course. This was gonna be a long one. Luckily, I had no mechanicals. I only went down once, it hurt, but nothing major. I hooked up with another racer and I managed to tow him around for a ways. In hind sight, I should have let him pass me so I could sit on his wheel! During the race, he chatted me up while we chased down the leaders "hey, what's your name? I'm Henery." I yelled back "hey, I'm Matt. You gonna use me like you did Andrew Novikoff?" Henery: "Ouch, that hurt." Andrew warned me. Henry prowls and hangs on wheels just to use you up just before the finish. Henry was a gentleman, he waited for me when I went down. On the last climb, I attacked and managed to drop him for a bit, but I used up what was left in the tank. On the next roller, he caught me and proceeded to use me. I didn't see him until the finish.

In the end, I stayed on track, slipped up a little but hung on to a 7th place finish. Thad wasn't too far behind in 12th. The heat wasn't too bad either, the dust stayed down, the course was a ton of fun and Joe Bar had 3 racers in attendance. Dan Wren held on in an Expert race that was super fast all while consuming at least 100 water bottles staving off the heat and came in 14th. His re-con of the course proved valuable to me and Thad since we didn't actually pre-ride the course. Thanks Dan!

Now I have a new arch enemy on the MTB circuit. I'm coming for you Henry! Just watch out. Leavenworth is next on June 7th.

-mjc

Wenatchee SR Race Report #1

Time Trials Suck.

I guess it's something worth practicing. My prep for the race consisted of clipping on the TT bars and riding to Seward and back this week. And what's up with everyone having a $10000 TT bike? Maybe complaining will make me faster!

It was 9 miles, rolling hills, out and back with a tight little turn around. Light tail wind out, gale force winds coming back. I was the first out of the gate for the 3's and got passed by 2 people before it was all over. That was a downer. According to my computer I averaged 27.9mph, time 22:19, with a max hr of 187! That's why I was dizzy for 20 minutes after finishing! I'm not sure where I finished overall, but definitely out of the points.

Crit later tonight.

Peace.
A.

Longbranch

Not much to say about Longbranch... Except Brandon got a TOP 5 finish in Cat 5! Jeremy and I did not have equivalent performances, but Brandon's fellow pizza-delivering buddy (unattached) won the Cat 5 race solo. Brandon can tell you about that race, but apparently he and the rest of the top 5 blew apart the field and left them gasping - this after doing a huge pizza workout Friday night.

Jeremy and I raced Cat 4, along with James Barnett. Weather was beautiful, hills were steep. It was truly a baptism by fire for Jeremy; I don't know if I would have picked this course and race for his first road race ever. Jeremy took to the front right off the bat, staying in the top a ten or so until we hit THE HILL. If you've raced Longbranch, you know what I'm talking about. The end result was that Jeremy has added hill repeats to his training regimen for the forseeable future.

I didn't fare too much better. A poor warm-up + dubious fueling strategy + uneven training left me cramping up the last hill and straggling off the back of the lead pack by a couple hundred meters at the finish. First time that's happened to me, and I must say I didn't like it. James was in front at 1000 meters... Then says the rest of the pack blew by at 200 to go.

At least the weather was nice and the course was pretty. I'm also considering a part-time pizza-delivering job, because those guys are fast.

Ravensdale/Cumberland Race Report

I went into today's Cat 3 race a little tired from a week of training, but since I'm making next week a light week I figured I'd just give it all I had. That basically meant hiding for the first 50 miles, then working my way to the front for the last 10. I really pushed it up and got lucky and found some clean lines in the last 2 miles. They changed the finish this year to a STEEP 800 meter climb. It may have been a good idea to actually see the finish before making that final turn, but it seems like most people didn't know what to expect. In any case, I was about 10-15 back once making that last turn and managed to get 8th. Needless to say, after finishing last in 2 Mason Lake races and then getting 2 DNF's in road races I am pretty stoked about how things went.

Aaron