Halloween Double Cross Weekend

CX season is officially half over as of Sunday.  6 weekends down, 6 to go.  I’ve now started 5 races (on 4 weekends) and finished 3.  I think I am starting to get it, at least a little bit, and I’ve learned a few things:

1. Do more than 1 race a year. It only took me a decade and a half of lining up at the rate of 1 race per year, never to do very well nor return the following weekend, to finally discover the secret to cross racing.  I have been missing out and it’s my own fault.
2. Dance with who brung ya.   In my case that is riding a single speed.  It’s what I know.  I just feel safer, more comfortable and faster on the SS than a geared bike.  Anyone want a Fuji geared cross bike?  Take it for as long as you like, size 58, it’s yours.
3. It ain’t over til it’s over.  You just never know how these things are going to shake out until the last seconds, maybe that’s what I’m finding so addictive about cross.

Sunday didn’t have quite as many lined up as Saturday but I’d say we still had 20+ on the line.  I can’t believe how hard everyone takes it out on the first couple laps, maybe I need to work on that or just warm up for more than 2 minutes.  I didn’t start to feel good until the bell lap.

At the start of the bell lap I was sitting in 5th and happy to be there.  I had been riding behind Steve Wasmund most of the day and he had just passed Patrick Ramirez and then Wasmund crashed out.  I somehow got my wheel in front of Ramirez’ at the finish.

Sager ended up with the W, no surprise there but I surprised myself with 3rd.

I’m addicted, the hooks are in deep.

Utah CX #4 and #5

Race #4 in Draper went so bad for me I haven’t been able to write about it.  I’s now been a week and I had a much better race #5 at Wheeler Farm today.  I feel like I can revisit Draper for at least a sentence, maybe two or maybe more.

Last Saturday was CX in my backyard!  I was so excited and felt like I would surely own the course.

Not exactly.

In the following photo (thanks, Lyna) Tom Cook shows how to properly execute a run up.  Me?  Not so much.  Tom is clearly aimed up the hill, shoulders squared while  I am clearly aimed for somewhere else.

Shortly after this shot I jumped back on my bike, with no small amount of grace I assure you, and the rear tire exploded off the rim.  Done after 2 laps.

That’s OK I brought a geared (shudder) cross bike and jumped into the 35 A’s.  2 laps in and the chain got sucked into the crank and rings so badly that I would only just break the chain and fix it a couple days ago.  Done after 2 laps.

3 starts for the season and just 1 finish.  No expectations today at Wheeler Farm.  I didn’t even decide to go until about 11 this morning and hadn’t gotten around to changing my flat from last week, it’s been too cold ride all week anyway.

Kaboom!I covered the garage and myself in Stan’s this morning about an hour before the start.  I still can’t feel my fingers.

HUGE turnout today.  Someone said over 400 racers between all the classes.  We had over 30 in the single speed class (yes, I am a hypocrite) with about half dressed up like Rick S. That’s him in the baby blue tux.

Loved the course, lots of fun if not a little flat.  I think I finished 5th which I’ll take with a big grin on my face.  I could get into this cross stuff.  It’s amazingly addictive.

My goal this year was to do at least 2 cross races and I have now done that.  Am I done? No way.

Oh yeah, Happy Halloween from me and Cassidy the gay firefighter.

Community Bikes

We all have them, I think, at least in my community.  Community bikes; bikes that don’t really belong to anyone in particular but are a conglomeration of parts culled from many and shared by few.  Somehow they end up in one persons garage for far too long.

Dug has probably spent the most time of anyone that I know riding community bikes.  As a matter of fact I bet it’s been over 5 years since he’s ridden anything else.

Well, I have a community bike that I dare say will never end up in Dug’s garage.  Part Rick S., part Jamie P., part Forrest, part me and I’m sure there are parts on it from Chris Fox.  Total cost to build=$12 for bar tape.  Yeah, yeah it’s a single speed with STI shifters, whatever.

The frame that belongs to Rick S has been hanging around in Jamie’s garage for years with parts bolted on it at random.  Whenever something wouldn’t fit on someone else’s bike Jamie would hang it here.

You know what?  It totally kicks ass.  I rode it for the first time today and it is fast.  I’m going to race it on Saturday but after that anyone that wants to borrow it for a day or year is welcome to it.

Do you have a community bike in your garage?  Want one?  Need a new community?

Caught

I’m a little embarrassed.  I’ve  said I’d never practice cross but after getting served a huge slice of humble pie last Saturday, I came in 14th, I decided to do something about it.

Practice wasn’t so bad.  Only a couple dozen bikers even saw me and then only 2 pointed and laughed.

My goal next week is to have more fun and crack the top 10.  Dan Nelson was having more fun than anyone last week and was in the top 5 I think.  Dan, you are now my target.

Nice socks and nice mini boom box duct taped to your top tube and nice dollar bills hanging out of your shorts and nice look on your face.  Damn, you got it going on.

Utah CX #3 and Sleestaks

I had ambitions.  Big ambitions.  I was going to race in the single speed class and then race with the 35+A’s, do the double cross.  It’s probably a good thing I didn’t get the SS working in time because there is no way I would have done the A race.  One race was more than enough, maybe next week.

And I would have missed all these great pictures:

Forrest on flat pedals,baggies and very green skate shoes and linde decked out in full kit and grin.

That might have been the longest hour ever on a bike.  I was thinking it must surely be close to over and then the announcer said I only had 7 more laps to go.  Doh!

If I would have seen the Sleestak after my race I would have chalked it up to a race induced hallucination.  It’s for real, here’s the photographic evidence, and it was passing out $20 bills!

Next week is sure to be one of the biggest races of the year as the series moves to Draper and since I didn’t get lapped by anyone in my class today and didn’t finish DFL I think I’ll do another.

Winter Coat

It’s getting chilly outside, time to grow back the winter coat.

Fall Funk N Fashion

To help everyone combat the dreaded Fall Funk I have some fashionable accessories guaranteed to put a smile on your face.  I can’t guarantee you’ll look as good as Mr. Jesse Doll in your own CarboRocket T (or maybe that’s why he looks good) but I guarantee it will make you smile just like him.

I’ve got your on the bike fashion covered as well with the Team CarboRocket jersey.   These will be done by Utah’s own Blackbottoms and are available to pre-order now.

Now through the end of  October you can get a free t-shirt if you order 3 packages of CarboRocket and you can get a free package of CarboRocket if you pre-order a jersey.  Just click here.

See you at Utah cyclocross #3 in Heber on Saturday!

Choices, Colors And Biceps

Saturday’s dilemma; drive for 2 hours for 1 hour of racing or no driving for nearly 3 hours of Corner Canyon Fall goodness? With the girls no less.  Oh, and Jamie too.

Just about the best Fall colors I’ve seen anywhere.  Tasha climbing on Crack AKA the South side of Suncrest.  I never see anyone over there and I’m always surprised because it’s so good.

It’s hard to tell what bike I’m on because my biceps get in the way but I did the whole loop on the cross bike.  The DH on Maple and Oak Hollow were more than a little scary, good thing I brought the guns.

I’m doing all my mountain biking (that’s 2 rides so far) on the cross bike because I want to kick ass at the races and when I do show up I will still probably make a fool of myself.  See you there.

Exposure And Perspective

The Gooseberry 100k started on top of Gooseberry Mesa, weird I know, and somehow during the ride we ended up at this lookout many miles away.  The finish, by the way, is back on top of that mesa.  I was feeling like I was in a little over my head at this point.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  A lot of us camped out on the deck the night before and I’m pretty sure only 3 people got any sleep, the snoring crowd.  Note to self, next year there will be a snoring yurt and a non-snoring yurt.

Ever see an Ambien hangover and can you guess who will be banished to the snoring yurt next year?

We did it right this year starting the 100k with a loop around Gooseberry, there is no way I would want to do that loop after 55 miles and climbing up the scenic byway from Rockville.

The junction of the Rim and JEM trail would would prove too tempting for 3 of our group as someone had pre-determined that they would need to bail and left a car 1 mile down the trail, stocked with icy cold drinks no less.  I submit to that someone that they would have made it all the way.  However, this is about the point that the ride turned from fun pedaling into epic suffering.

After about 6 miles of pavement from Virgin to Rockville there was a little treat waiting for everyone, a nearly 3000 foot climb from river valley back to the top of the mesa and the finish at the windmill.  All by itself it’s no fun yet somehow satisfying but after being on the bike for nearly 6 hours in 100+ degrees it was downright demoralizing.

We didn’t really keep track of finishing times but Dave Harris was first back to camp followed by Kris and KC Holley, Kenny Jones and then myself with Adam Lisonbee being the last finisher.

Satisfying to have finished and happy to find some shade.  I’m thinking same time same place next year, the Saturday after Interbike.  BTW, Who invited all the bald men?

Gooseberry Roll Call

I’ve got a few calls and emails from people heading down this weekend and just want to remind everyone that if you are doing the whole 100k a gps or gps enabled riding buddy would be a good idea.

If your season is over and you just want to chill and only ride around Gooseberry still come on down and at least start with us then head back to camp and get the party started.

Kenny had the brilliant idea of stashing some water at about the half way point at the parking lot of the Hurricane Rim.  So, yes, there will be some water at the halfway point.  Plan on packing all your food items with you and if you’re debating on whether to use a Camelbak just strap it on now.

There will be prizes (still working on the categories, suggestions please!) and after ride drinks.

Come celebrate the end of Summer.