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