That's right I am back. Fully recovered from all the physical, nutritional, and mental BS that I have been bending every one's ear about (You all know how you are and thank you very much for listening to me and helping me out). But it is awesome to feel strong on the bike again! Especially heading into the last few MTB races for the year. My last event was this past Sunday for the USAC Tailwind XC race #6 at Big M in the beautiful Manistee National Forest. This is a wide open trail deep in the woods with plenty of false flat climbing, fast down hills, and plenty of what West coast Michigan is known for -- sand!
I have been feeling a lot better since Ruby and was ready to fly for the race. The weather was absolutely beautiful - finally, and the trail was in the best shape I have ever seen it in the past 3 years. We lined up with the 19-29 year olds. And when the whistle blew, I shot out and started in about 4th position. Most of the young guys started peeling off about 2 miles. Then Brain (team mate) pulled up front and pushed a fast pace for me that blew the field apart. Brian suffered a flat in the beginning of the 2nd lap, so I continued to push on. Each lap I felt stronger and stronger. I kept talking to myself and made sure I stayed hydrated. I have not felt this good in a race since Bloomer. In fact when I crossed the line, I felt like I never even rode my bike. I was not only happy with the 1st place finish that was much needed to stay in the hunt for the overall series title, but I finished in 1:22. This was 4 mins fast then the previous year and my lap times were consistent.
So as mentioned before, there is only a few more MTB races left and they are all important. The TT series is up for grabs and will finish at Fort Custer State Park. This is my style of single track and I had the race of my life last year in the mud and on the single speed so I am mentally ready for this one. I just got to get there... That is another story. And in the USAC XC series, there are 2 more races with the overall title up for grabs. The first race is at Pontiac Lake, which I consider this to be my favorite course in the state. And Stony Creek which is sometimes my home away from home. So it looks like there is still a lot of fun on the bike in my future!
Before I go, I want to give Stan Cristy some dues. Stan took 1st in his class Sunday also. He probably had his best race of the year. It was inspiring to here his story on the way home. Knowing that he is a true beginner and knowing how hard he has worked this year to get where he is at, lets me know that we can achieve anything if we continue to strive for it. Thanks Stan for making me better!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Stony TT, So it goes something like this...
So -- Back at Stony in less than a month. In that time, I have battled some physical and mental demons and have not felt like I have been on my game. That is the beauty of mountain bike racing. You are constantly learning more about the game and about your self not only each season, but each race. Going into last Sunday, I was feeling better than I have and was looking forward to racing again. I know Stony very well and it was a short course 12.5 miles so the game was on. And as usual to get my moneys worth, I signed up for the geared class and single speed.
This is where the drama begins. All week I was trying to get all my routines and voodoo back together. Shaking rattles, rubbing chicken bones, washing the bike, packing the race box, etc. When I got to the race, I was making sure I was doing the usual routines and also making sure I was well hydrated. So I am out in the parking lot doing hot laps to warm up and I heard my name called over the PA. I sprinted to the starting line to only hear 5,4,3,2,1. I missed my start time. The Tailwind guy at the start was not happy with me and now I was full of adrenaline and nothing to do with it. I had to wait for an open spot so about 5 waves later, I was lining up again. My heart was pumping as I listened to the starter say in 10 secs. Then a Flying Rhino racer tapped me on the shoulder and said "You ain't going any where!" and he pointed at my tire... It was completely flat. I yell I can't go -- I'll be back. Now my Pre-race jitters turned to pre-race stress. My Team mate Brian helped me back to the pit and started prepping for a NASCAR tire change. Thank God he was there because I was shaking from the adrenaline build up and probably would have took about 1/2 hour to change it on my own. So I lined up again for the 3rd time and went off. What is with this place? I have had shit luck and poor performances here over the last 2 years... Well I was off and my heart was in my throat for the first 4 miles. I feel I could have gone faster and felt strong overall. I think the pre-race SNAFU did not help my time, but I did mange to improve over last years time by 32 secs and take 3rd place out of 20.
For my single speed race I was calm and cool at the start. I finished in 58:37 and missed 5th place by 30 secs. I felt good again, but did not want to push myself too hard because of cramping issues over the past few races. So I really treated the Stony TT as a learning/training/ and analysis race. And I and happy to report that I am back on track. The legs felt great all day. Felt great the day after, and I was able to do a training ride and feel great on Tuesday. So with a few more MTB races left, and CX season right around the corner. I am focusing on peaking again and cyclocross specific training. See you all at the Races!
This is where the drama begins. All week I was trying to get all my routines and voodoo back together. Shaking rattles, rubbing chicken bones, washing the bike, packing the race box, etc. When I got to the race, I was making sure I was doing the usual routines and also making sure I was well hydrated. So I am out in the parking lot doing hot laps to warm up and I heard my name called over the PA. I sprinted to the starting line to only hear 5,4,3,2,1. I missed my start time. The Tailwind guy at the start was not happy with me and now I was full of adrenaline and nothing to do with it. I had to wait for an open spot so about 5 waves later, I was lining up again. My heart was pumping as I listened to the starter say in 10 secs. Then a Flying Rhino racer tapped me on the shoulder and said "You ain't going any where!" and he pointed at my tire... It was completely flat. I yell I can't go -- I'll be back. Now my Pre-race jitters turned to pre-race stress. My Team mate Brian helped me back to the pit and started prepping for a NASCAR tire change. Thank God he was there because I was shaking from the adrenaline build up and probably would have took about 1/2 hour to change it on my own. So I lined up again for the 3rd time and went off. What is with this place? I have had shit luck and poor performances here over the last 2 years... Well I was off and my heart was in my throat for the first 4 miles. I feel I could have gone faster and felt strong overall. I think the pre-race SNAFU did not help my time, but I did mange to improve over last years time by 32 secs and take 3rd place out of 20.
For my single speed race I was calm and cool at the start. I finished in 58:37 and missed 5th place by 30 secs. I felt good again, but did not want to push myself too hard because of cramping issues over the past few races. So I really treated the Stony TT as a learning/training/ and analysis race. And I and happy to report that I am back on track. The legs felt great all day. Felt great the day after, and I was able to do a training ride and feel great on Tuesday. So with a few more MTB races left, and CX season right around the corner. I am focusing on peaking again and cyclocross specific training. See you all at the Races!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Red Tide at Rudy XC!
Well, it wasn't the ideal bike race this year for Ruby but it is over. The weather completely sucked. It rained for several hours the night before and the humidity was about 1000% the day of. So this is not what you want for a trail that has 2 river crossings and is about 95% clay. But the team came out to play. And lets just start by saying TEAM SANDBAG KICKED ASS! We took 16 podium positions for the day. I guess the home course paid off. 2 notable podium boys I need to give props to because they just flat out nailed it is Team mates Todd Powers for taking his first expert podium position with a 3rd place and Joe Ashly for coming out had striking with a solid 3rd place in sport men 30-34! Guys you rocked, and it was the highlight of my day to see you guys perform so well. Thank both of you very much for helping me keep my spark alive!
As for me, I did manage to take 2nd in my age group but it was a little disappointed because I gave up first to Adam in the last 2 miles. I felt really good all day but just dehydrated (poor race management) and cramped from my junk to my toes in both legs. It took everything I had to just finish the race. But good job Adam for maintaining your pace and taking home the goods.
I am going into the Stony TT tomorrow and plan on racing my geared bike and the Single speed. All I can say is my legs have not felt this good since Bloomer, and if anyone has read my blog in the past you know what I did at Bloomer. So I am really looking forward to this race and more importantly, I am finally looking at going into this race to have some fun! So look out podium the quest continues!!!!
As for me, I did manage to take 2nd in my age group but it was a little disappointed because I gave up first to Adam in the last 2 miles. I felt really good all day but just dehydrated (poor race management) and cramped from my junk to my toes in both legs. It took everything I had to just finish the race. But good job Adam for maintaining your pace and taking home the goods.
I am going into the Stony TT tomorrow and plan on racing my geared bike and the Single speed. All I can say is my legs have not felt this good since Bloomer, and if anyone has read my blog in the past you know what I did at Bloomer. So I am really looking forward to this race and more importantly, I am finally looking at going into this race to have some fun! So look out podium the quest continues!!!!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Can The Mind Cause Flat Tires?
Well the Stony Marathon is over. And it was not the best race I had this year. So I wont bore you with all the details. I have had a lot of demons with this race over the past 3 years with health and mechanical issues, so the weeks leading up to it, I wasn't in my best frame of mind for the race. But I don't need to get into everything here... Needless to say, the conditions of the course sucked and I flatted about 5 miles into the race, had a 7 min tire change and caught hell trying to catch back up to the lead group -- which never happened. I finished 6th overall. The good news is, it's over so I will be moving on. I am Getting ready for my yearly MTB out of state vacation! Starting July 3rd. This year my Buds and I will be heading to New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. This could not have happened at a better time for me. Time to get back to my MTB roots and do some soul searching...
But all was not lost at Stony. Many folks close to me and who I find inspiration from did very well and I want to recognize their efforts!
Jeff Socia (Sign Outfitters) 3rd Expert Men 30-39
Ayrn Pongratz (Sign Outfitters) 5th Expert Men 30-39
Adam Naish (Bloomingdale Const.) 2nd Sport Men 30-34
Keith Feldt (Flying Rhinos) 3rd Sport Men 30-34
Mike Riffe (Fraser Bike shop) 4th Sport Men 35-39
Way to go guys! It was a very tough race in very tough conditions and you guys got the job done!
But all was not lost at Stony. Many folks close to me and who I find inspiration from did very well and I want to recognize their efforts!
Jeff Socia (Sign Outfitters) 3rd Expert Men 30-39
Ayrn Pongratz (Sign Outfitters) 5th Expert Men 30-39
Adam Naish (Bloomingdale Const.) 2nd Sport Men 30-34
Keith Feldt (Flying Rhinos) 3rd Sport Men 30-34
Mike Riffe (Fraser Bike shop) 4th Sport Men 35-39
Way to go guys! It was a very tough race in very tough conditions and you guys got the job done!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
So Close, Yet So Far at Brighton Stage Race!
I had another great weekend overall, but like the title says - "So close, yet so far" sums it up for me. This was the 3rd race of the Tailwind USAC series and it was an all important "double points" race. Were talking about the Brighton Rec Stage Race weekend! One of my favorite races and favorite places to ride period. The stage race is comprised of a 6 mile TT on the "Torn Shirt" loop. A tight twisty rooty technical trail. Then in the afternoon, a 14-15 min short track race in the open park on the grass. Then Sunday is finished up with the "Crown Jewel" of the event, a 23 mile XC race on the Murray Lake loop. A very fast roller coaster of a trail! 
Well going into Saturday I took a week off. The legs just weren't feeling strong and I have not had a week of rest since the 1st week of April, so it was time. In my mind I was marking Adam Naish as the guy to beat and when we lined up there he was starting 1 full min ahead of me. So I was off Feeling strong, got about 2 miles into the trail and there was Adam through the trees! Talk about hanging that carrot in front of you. I kept pushing and pushing knowing I was making up a lot of time on him, but I still was not feeling 100%. By the time I came out of the woods there was Adam about 20 sec in front. This made me happy and probably at that point made the biggest mistake of the weekend. I let up a little in the final 1/4 mile. Thinking I had wrapped up the TT, I checked the results and saw I beat Adam, but we were both beat by Scott Simpson -- Doah! My time was 34:30 Scott's time was 33:54. So I had my work cut out. We waited a few hours for the short track course to be set up. And I was ready! The short course is basically like cyclocross without the barriers and sand. So I knew this would be a great opportunity to make up some time. We lined up and went off for 5 laps on the 1.5 mile course. I felt better than I did for the TT so I put the hammer down. I took first place with a time of 14:26. Adam helped me out and took 2nd. Scott took 3rd with a time of 14:57. So going into the Murray Lake XC race, I made up all my time but 7 seconds. So in my mind who ever won the big event on Sunday would be the Stage race champion. And I was excited because the XC race was my discipline.
So here we are again for the 2nd day in a row. Lining up at the start and looking for a "W". We went out hard. It was Scott, Adam, and me. It was about 90 degrees and 100% Humidity and we were going hard. The rest of the pack dropped off early on and then to my surprise, Adam dropped off about 5 miles into it. So it was Scott and me all alone. We rode in silence for about 1/2 hr. I was trying to shake him but he kept hanging on. I finally said, "Mr. Simpson, is that you?" he responded with, "why yes Mr. Osgood." So I backed off the pace a little knowing that he would be the only one I had to beat. Scott kept telling me that he did not expect to go out so hard and that he was not sure if he could hang of the entire 3 laps. So I kept turning the screws! About 1/2 way through our 2nd lap on one of the bigger climbs, Scott dropped his chain and had to stop. I took the opportunity and pushed a little more. Coming through my 3rd lap, Scott was no where behind me. I could not see him and figured I had at least a 30 second gap, maybe more. I was still feeling strong and was ready to go for the kill. I was back in the single track and getting ready to climb the first hill of the loop and then it happened -- CRAMPS in the quads. OH NO, NOT NOW! It was hot, I was only on my 2nd water bottle, and did not realize at the time that the course was 23 miles long. I was prepared for a 18 mile "normal" XC race. So there is mistake #2 for the weekend. But I pushed on knowing that the race was mine to lose. From there on I had to use small gears to spin up all the hills. No more mashing, which meant no more putting more time into Scott. With about 4 miles to go, Scott caught me. I told him if he wanted to put the hammer down on me and win it fair and square to go ahead. He said that his legs had nothing left either and to "let's see what happens at the end." I thought OK, it's on! We pushed to the end of the course which dumps you onto a dirt road for about 1/2 mile and then a left hand turn into the grass for an uphill finish. I shifted up to my big ring with a lot of pain. I could see Scott's tire coming along side as he tried to pull ahead, and I thought not today, this is my race! I pushed the pedals a little harder and then we were in the grass. I stood up and my legs cramped like I could not believe. I was yelling like Monica Selles in a tennis match from the pain with every pedal stroke, but I was able to push through it. A couple more revolutions and there it was -- I took another 1st place XC race with a sprint finish. But now I had to wait to see how much Time separated us for the overall stage race result. I finally got off my bike and could not bend my legs because they were cramped so bad. Then we waited and waited. When the results were posted I beat Scott in the XC race with a time of 1:58:27. He finished with 1:58:29. I only gained 2 secs, not the 7 I needed to make up the difference. He was the stage champ for the weekend by only 5 secs. NOW THAT IS RACING! Way to go Scott! The funny thing is if you look at the position results I took 2nd, 1st, 1st and Scott took 1st, 3rd, 2nd. But the Stage race is based on who has the lowest overall time. By the way, Adam took 4th in the XC race and finished with a strong 3rd overall for the weekend, so great job Adam. The really cool thing is there are about 4-5 guys racing in the Sport men 30-34 class right now that can beat each other up any given weekend. And that makes racing the USAC series very exciting. So I will see you guys at Stony Creek for race #4! I got my work cut out!
Well going into Saturday I took a week off. The legs just weren't feeling strong and I have not had a week of rest since the 1st week of April, so it was time. In my mind I was marking Adam Naish as the guy to beat and when we lined up there he was starting 1 full min ahead of me. So I was off Feeling strong, got about 2 miles into the trail and there was Adam through the trees! Talk about hanging that carrot in front of you. I kept pushing and pushing knowing I was making up a lot of time on him, but I still was not feeling 100%. By the time I came out of the woods there was Adam about 20 sec in front. This made me happy and probably at that point made the biggest mistake of the weekend. I let up a little in the final 1/4 mile. Thinking I had wrapped up the TT, I checked the results and saw I beat Adam, but we were both beat by Scott Simpson -- Doah! My time was 34:30 Scott's time was 33:54. So I had my work cut out. We waited a few hours for the short track course to be set up. And I was ready! The short course is basically like cyclocross without the barriers and sand. So I knew this would be a great opportunity to make up some time. We lined up and went off for 5 laps on the 1.5 mile course. I felt better than I did for the TT so I put the hammer down. I took first place with a time of 14:26. Adam helped me out and took 2nd. Scott took 3rd with a time of 14:57. So going into the Murray Lake XC race, I made up all my time but 7 seconds. So in my mind who ever won the big event on Sunday would be the Stage race champion. And I was excited because the XC race was my discipline.
So here we are again for the 2nd day in a row. Lining up at the start and looking for a "W". We went out hard. It was Scott, Adam, and me. It was about 90 degrees and 100% Humidity and we were going hard. The rest of the pack dropped off early on and then to my surprise, Adam dropped off about 5 miles into it. So it was Scott and me all alone. We rode in silence for about 1/2 hr. I was trying to shake him but he kept hanging on. I finally said, "Mr. Simpson, is that you?" he responded with, "why yes Mr. Osgood." So I backed off the pace a little knowing that he would be the only one I had to beat. Scott kept telling me that he did not expect to go out so hard and that he was not sure if he could hang of the entire 3 laps. So I kept turning the screws! About 1/2 way through our 2nd lap on one of the bigger climbs, Scott dropped his chain and had to stop. I took the opportunity and pushed a little more. Coming through my 3rd lap, Scott was no where behind me. I could not see him and figured I had at least a 30 second gap, maybe more. I was still feeling strong and was ready to go for the kill. I was back in the single track and getting ready to climb the first hill of the loop and then it happened -- CRAMPS in the quads. OH NO, NOT NOW! It was hot, I was only on my 2nd water bottle, and did not realize at the time that the course was 23 miles long. I was prepared for a 18 mile "normal" XC race. So there is mistake #2 for the weekend. But I pushed on knowing that the race was mine to lose. From there on I had to use small gears to spin up all the hills. No more mashing, which meant no more putting more time into Scott. With about 4 miles to go, Scott caught me. I told him if he wanted to put the hammer down on me and win it fair and square to go ahead. He said that his legs had nothing left either and to "let's see what happens at the end." I thought OK, it's on! We pushed to the end of the course which dumps you onto a dirt road for about 1/2 mile and then a left hand turn into the grass for an uphill finish. I shifted up to my big ring with a lot of pain. I could see Scott's tire coming along side as he tried to pull ahead, and I thought not today, this is my race! I pushed the pedals a little harder and then we were in the grass. I stood up and my legs cramped like I could not believe. I was yelling like Monica Selles in a tennis match from the pain with every pedal stroke, but I was able to push through it. A couple more revolutions and there it was -- I took another 1st place XC race with a sprint finish. But now I had to wait to see how much Time separated us for the overall stage race result. I finally got off my bike and could not bend my legs because they were cramped so bad. Then we waited and waited. When the results were posted I beat Scott in the XC race with a time of 1:58:27. He finished with 1:58:29. I only gained 2 secs, not the 7 I needed to make up the difference. He was the stage champ for the weekend by only 5 secs. NOW THAT IS RACING! Way to go Scott! The funny thing is if you look at the position results I took 2nd, 1st, 1st and Scott took 1st, 3rd, 2nd. But the Stage race is based on who has the lowest overall time. By the way, Adam took 4th in the XC race and finished with a strong 3rd overall for the weekend, so great job Adam. The really cool thing is there are about 4-5 guys racing in the Sport men 30-34 class right now that can beat each other up any given weekend. And that makes racing the USAC series very exciting. So I will see you guys at Stony Creek for race #4! I got my work cut out!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
2 More Added at Owasippe!
Well lets start out by talking about the trail. This was the 2nd year for the Tailwind Series Owasippe TT. And if it wasn't for the trail, I probably would not have drove the 3 1/2 hrs to do this race. Nestled in the wooded hills of the Owasippe Boy Scout Reservation, this has become one of my favorite trails in MI. It is fast, technical, and has some just awesome views of open country and pristine lakes. And best of all, there is over 1200 ft of climbing in just 10 miles! Did I ever mention that I like climbing? Long story...
Well as for the race, it was cold as hell at the start. But I was ready to rock. One thing bad about time trails is you line up in pairs in a big group and never really know who is in which class unless you actually know someone. This is especially the case when we race on the West side of the state because a lot of west siders come out that you never seen before. Today was no different, I did not recognize anyone. Oh well I had a race to do, So I guess I would try to beat everyone and figure out who was racing Sport Men 30-34. I line up with a younger looking kid and he took off like he was shot out of a cannon. I stayed on his tail through about 4 miles. He would slip away from me a little on the down hills and I would catch him on the ups. Finally, he gave up and said go ahead. So I did, and proceeded to catch everyone else that started before me. I finished with a time of 51:17 and took first place. But come to find out, no one else raced Sport 30-34. Oh well. My time still would have beaten all the other times in the Sport division. So I was happy with my results and I was about 3 mins. faster than last year.
But my day was not over yet! I went back to the truck and pulled out the single speed. About 1/2 hour later the call up for all single speed racers was going on. I took my spot in line for the Sport/beg single speed race next to a guy named Ray who also raced earlier in the Expert class. We both listened to the count down and went off! I rode with Ray for about 80% of the race. We did a great job of pushing each other and even caught one of the single speeders in the Expert/elite class. As we got closer to the finish, Ray was pulling away but I could still see him from time to time. As I got down to the last 3/4 mile I could not see him any more and was getting really tired. Mike from Masher's Media and team mate of mine was along the wood line and yelled out "go get him, he is only 3 secs. ahead!" So I put everything I had left into the pedals and tried to catch him. About 20 seconds later I was surprised to see Ray again about 30 yards in front of me. With less than a 1/2 mile left I had to put together a quick plan. And so I did. All I wanted to do was to tail him as close and quiet as possible until we popped out of the woods and saw the finish line with 100 yards to go. I got closer, and closer and by the time we popped out of the woods I was on his wheel. Everyone started cheering when they realized what was going on, so he looked back and saw me with a surprised look. By that time it was too late. I had already started to stand and sprint, I rounded the last right hand turn so close and fast to the pink flags that I could feel them slapping my knee. By now I was at full throttle and sprinting with everything I could. As we approached the line together, I started to pull ahead and beat Ray by the length of my front wheel. Another 1st place! And it turns out that Ray took 2nd. I only beat him by less than 1 sec. THAT IS RACING!!! Great job Ray! It was fun. On another note, my single speed time was 51:48. That is only 31 seconds slower than my geared time. Maybe that is why I thought I was going to puke!
Thanks Steve Balogh for letting me use this great picture of me Chasing down Ray in the last 1/2 mile. You can check out all of Steve's Pictures at http://www.sb.smugmug.com
Well as for the race, it was cold as hell at the start. But I was ready to rock. One thing bad about time trails is you line up in pairs in a big group and never really know who is in which class unless you actually know someone. This is especially the case when we race on the West side of the state because a lot of west siders come out that you never seen before. Today was no different, I did not recognize anyone. Oh well I had a race to do, So I guess I would try to beat everyone and figure out who was racing Sport Men 30-34. I line up with a younger looking kid and he took off like he was shot out of a cannon. I stayed on his tail through about 4 miles. He would slip away from me a little on the down hills and I would catch him on the ups. Finally, he gave up and said go ahead. So I did, and proceeded to catch everyone else that started before me. I finished with a time of 51:17 and took first place. But come to find out, no one else raced Sport 30-34. Oh well. My time still would have beaten all the other times in the Sport division. So I was happy with my results and I was about 3 mins. faster than last year.
But my day was not over yet! I went back to the truck and pulled out the single speed. About 1/2 hour later the call up for all single speed racers was going on. I took my spot in line for the Sport/beg single speed race next to a guy named Ray who also raced earlier in the Expert class. We both listened to the count down and went off! I rode with Ray for about 80% of the race. We did a great job of pushing each other and even caught one of the single speeders in the Expert/elite class. As we got closer to the finish, Ray was pulling away but I could still see him from time to time. As I got down to the last 3/4 mile I could not see him any more and was getting really tired. Mike from Masher's Media and team mate of mine was along the wood line and yelled out "go get him, he is only 3 secs. ahead!" So I put everything I had left into the pedals and tried to catch him. About 20 seconds later I was surprised to see Ray again about 30 yards in front of me. With less than a 1/2 mile left I had to put together a quick plan. And so I did. All I wanted to do was to tail him as close and quiet as possible until we popped out of the woods and saw the finish line with 100 yards to go. I got closer, and closer and by the time we popped out of the woods I was on his wheel. Everyone started cheering when they realized what was going on, so he looked back and saw me with a surprised look. By that time it was too late. I had already started to stand and sprint, I rounded the last right hand turn so close and fast to the pink flags that I could feel them slapping my knee. By now I was at full throttle and sprinting with everything I could. As we approached the line together, I started to pull ahead and beat Ray by the length of my front wheel. Another 1st place! And it turns out that Ray took 2nd. I only beat him by less than 1 sec. THAT IS RACING!!! Great job Ray! It was fun. On another note, my single speed time was 51:48. That is only 31 seconds slower than my geared time. Maybe that is why I thought I was going to puke!
Thanks Steve Balogh for letting me use this great picture of me Chasing down Ray in the last 1/2 mile. You can check out all of Steve's Pictures at http://www.sb.smugmug.com
Monday, April 28, 2008
Finally a -- "W"
Well it has been almost 2 full years, but I finally got to stand on the top step of the podium Sunday. 1st place at the USAC Bloomer Park XC race. This is my 1st "W" since stepping up to sport class in Men 30-34 last year. So to get it was a personal goal of mine. It was a great day for racing, and overall there was a good number of racers and fans alike. 
My class had about 11 guys, so not bad for the 2nd USAC race of the year. Furthermore, the course was in the best shape I have ever seen it! Especially for this time of year. So my hat is off to Derek from RBS and the Tailwind crew for all the clean up you guys did. As for the race, what at great time. My class lined up with the age group before us. I was not happy about this, but it is what it is. When the whistle blew, the mass start of people was very confusing and jittery to say the least. People could not clip in so they would cut you off or bump into you. One guy stopped in the middle of the pack and started working on his bike. I still don't know what that was all about. And if there is a XC course where the hole shot is important it is Bloomer. You race from the open field for about a 1/4 mile and then it dumps you into the single track. About 100 yrds into the single track is a long steep climb. So if you don't make it to that climb sitting in about 5th or better, forget it -- your walking. This was the case for me. After the confusing start. I was sitting in about 12th. The guy in front 
of me decided to shift down 4 gears at one time in the middle of the climb and threw his chain. All I could see was the lead guys ahead slipping away. I ran past the guy without a chain and jumped back on my bike and finished the climb and began my chase. It took me about 8 mins, but I finally caught the lead guys at the switch backs. There was about 4 of us and then 2 peeled off from the pace that was set by Adam Naish and myself. This is what made the race so fun. From that point on Adam and I duked it out on the race course for 2 1/2 of the 3 six mile laps. I stuck on his tail for about 1 1/2 laps and then decided to go up front and pull. Part of the reason for me doing this was 1 - We were starting to play chicken and I did not want to take a chance of letting anyone else catch back up to us. And 2 - I was feeling strong, so I wanted to see what Adam had in his legs. He was up to the test. As we battled back and forth, it was down to the finally 1/2 mile on the open field. With less than a quarter mile to go, I shifted into my big ring and started to stand. Adam was still on my tail and actually was in the better position to make a move for the sprint. But I really wanted this win and had some juice to spare in my legs, so I gave it all I had and made the final lunge for the line and that was it -- My 1st win as a sport class rider!
And lets not forget about Nolan. He race but crashed hard on the kids course. He was continuing his training for the upcoming Stony TT in the big people race. This was his first time racing on a geared bike. A 6 speed 20 in. Specialized Hotrock. The boy is geeked and making me proud. This is what bike racing is all about!!!!!
As for TSB we had a good showing of racers and a lot of us took home some hardware. More importantly, most of us that have raced at Bloomer before all beat our own beat times. So WAY TO GO TSB and thanks to all the friends and family that showed up and cheered us on. You don't know how much all the cowbells and cheering helps us get through all the pain and want to keep going!
My class had about 11 guys, so not bad for the 2nd USAC race of the year. Furthermore, the course was in the best shape I have ever seen it! Especially for this time of year. So my hat is off to Derek from RBS and the Tailwind crew for all the clean up you guys did. As for the race, what at great time. My class lined up with the age group before us. I was not happy about this, but it is what it is. When the whistle blew, the mass start of people was very confusing and jittery to say the least. People could not clip in so they would cut you off or bump into you. One guy stopped in the middle of the pack and started working on his bike. I still don't know what that was all about. And if there is a XC course where the hole shot is important it is Bloomer. You race from the open field for about a 1/4 mile and then it dumps you into the single track. About 100 yrds into the single track is a long steep climb. So if you don't make it to that climb sitting in about 5th or better, forget it -- your walking. This was the case for me. After the confusing start. I was sitting in about 12th. The guy in front 
of me decided to shift down 4 gears at one time in the middle of the climb and threw his chain. All I could see was the lead guys ahead slipping away. I ran past the guy without a chain and jumped back on my bike and finished the climb and began my chase. It took me about 8 mins, but I finally caught the lead guys at the switch backs. There was about 4 of us and then 2 peeled off from the pace that was set by Adam Naish and myself. This is what made the race so fun. From that point on Adam and I duked it out on the race course for 2 1/2 of the 3 six mile laps. I stuck on his tail for about 1 1/2 laps and then decided to go up front and pull. Part of the reason for me doing this was 1 - We were starting to play chicken and I did not want to take a chance of letting anyone else catch back up to us. And 2 - I was feeling strong, so I wanted to see what Adam had in his legs. He was up to the test. As we battled back and forth, it was down to the finally 1/2 mile on the open field. With less than a quarter mile to go, I shifted into my big ring and started to stand. Adam was still on my tail and actually was in the better position to make a move for the sprint. But I really wanted this win and had some juice to spare in my legs, so I gave it all I had and made the final lunge for the line and that was it -- My 1st win as a sport class rider!
And lets not forget about Nolan. He race but crashed hard on the kids course. He was continuing his training for the upcoming Stony TT in the big people race. This was his first time racing on a geared bike. A 6 speed 20 in. Specialized Hotrock. The boy is geeked and making me proud. This is what bike racing is all about!!!!!
As for TSB we had a good showing of racers and a lot of us took home some hardware. More importantly, most of us that have raced at Bloomer before all beat our own beat times. So WAY TO GO TSB and thanks to all the friends and family that showed up and cheered us on. You don't know how much all the cowbells and cheering helps us get through all the pain and want to keep going!
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