AP's End of Season Report

Well, the last few races of the 'cross season could have gone better but, they were a lot of fun and I had good time. I did my first 'Cross Nationals and donned the SRAM Team Kit for the first time. I was no match for the heavy, frozen mud and felt as though as it was me versus the course. Special thanks to Richard Breininger and Rosanna Lloyd who kept me rolling for two of the hardest laps I've ever done. I wasn't satisfied with my 56th place finish but certainly satisfied with being able to get out and race.

Cyclocross Nationals

Cincinnati Kings CX was two weekends later. My race went off early and the course was covered with snow and ice. I didn't have time to pre-ride the course so, after a great start, I found myself on the ground in a few of the faster, slicker turns. I fought back and ended up finishing 5th in the CAT III race.

Cincy Kings CX, Photo: Kent Baumgardt

Masters Worlds was another eye opener and learning experience. Like NATS, I wasn't prepared for the heavy mud, as I just don't have much experience training or racing in those conditions. I struggled in the tractor pull that was the heat race and barely made the cut for the final. I lined up 68th for the Masters 35-39 final. There were crashes everywhere at the start. I dodged a few only to fall victim to another, bending my front rotor and twisting my bars. I limped it back to the pit where Chris Zigmont had a my "B" bike at the ready. I ended up finishing 57th. While certainly not satisfied with the result, I was thrilled to get out there and lucky to have the opportunity.

Thanks again for the support. I can't wait to get back out there and apply some of what I've learned this season!

All the best,
AP

Brief season review & 2013 CX National Championships M50-54

by JP McCarthy

Doing fine up the "Koppen-Badger" at CX Nats


What a finish to a long season!  After flailing away in the first half of the Chicago Cross Cup series, frequently finishing in the teens amongst my 40+ cronies, I settled into the top 10, finishing 6th overall & 6th in the Illinois State Championships.  I had a couple of 3rd-place finishes in non-series local races, too.  My trips over the Wisconsin border to USGP & Badger Cross were not so successful, but the brats were outstanding & the experiences valuable.

Head-down at Douglas Park Afterglow with Newt, Dave, & Mike

With the new year, I finally admitted my 'racing age' & joined the 50+ crew for New Year's Resolution.  Saturday I was whipped by a guy from Philadelphia & schooled by Bob Downs & John Shull.  Philadelphia & Downs rested for Nationals on Sunday, leaving Paul Curley, Scott from Virginia, John, & me to duke it out on the ice.  My first win since La Bagh Woods!

NYR Sunday 50+ podium with Paul Curley & Scott Paisley

The National Championships course was treacherous on Thursday afternoon for the M50-54 race.  There were many sections of water & mud on top of ice, especially on the descents.  Another tough section was the approach to the "Koppen-Badger" climb, where a few inches of soft snow sat on top of frozen ruts.  I had an OK start from the second row, luckily staying just clear of a crash at the holeshot.  I was top 5 by the top of the Koppen-Badger, where I could see that Steve Tilford was already on the next climb.  I was right on the 3rd-place wheel when I fell hard on the ice just before the double-barriers.  The ice-slide left my hands soaked & freezing, & both controls were askew on my bars.  I'm sure I accelerated while on my butt on the ice; so I was still close to 3rd-place after the barriers.  But 2 & 3 rode away while I punched my levers back into position.  Then the cold set into my fingers.  And on the following descents I was scared of the course.  So I freaked out, fell a couple more times, & lost a bunch of places, maybe as far back as 8th or 9th.

I guess I was weary of freaking out after a couple more laps & took a clean bike from Richard.  It's a bit risky to go from disc brakes to cantilevers mid-race, but I wanted a clean bike for the final laps.  Besides, I'd asked Richard to pit for me & I didn't want to leave him with nothing to do!  He did great job of preparing my disc bike for me again after only 1/2 a lap.  Back on my 'A' bike with straight levers & with some blood flowing to my fingers again, & with some good guesses at how to ride the most difficult/treacherous sections, I rode the final 2 laps with some confidence.  I moved back up to 5th-place in lap 4.  In lap 5 I was motivated by a glimpse of fellow CCCer Danny Warner closing on me and by a spectator who said I was in 6th.  So I gave it my all to reel in 4th-place.  I wasn't making much progress with my feet on the pedals, so I 'danced' up the railroad ties (according to an eloquent spectator), closing the gap, and I passed him through the barriers.  I stayed in 4th-place with a 25-second gap by the end.

Not feeling so well up the CX Nats' back-side climb with twisted levers & frozen fingers

We don't get much practice racing in these conditions.  I learned a bit more about equipment & bike set-up (glove selection, lever set-up, brake pads) and confirmed what I thought I already knew (steel toe spikes!).  The most important lesson is that I can come back after sliding ass-over-tit through frozen slurry.  I'll try to avoid that next year; but if it happens, I'll come back quicker!

I certainly did not expect to podium at Nationals.  I'm just glad that there are more than 3 steps on that stage.  I'm very sad to say that Tilly was injured during his second lap.  I wish him a speedy recovery & many more titles!

What an honor share the podium with Steve Tilford! He raced 3 laps with a badly injured shoulder.

• Thanks to all ChiCrossCup competitors, promoters, & supporters for the leg-thrashings, the encouragement, & the jeering.
• Thanks to the suppliers of outstanding equipment & apparel who make this sport (almost) safe & (somewhat) comfortable: SRAM, Zipp, Avid, Redline, Challenge, White Industries, Time, Prologo, Vermarc, Lazer, Wigwam, & Bontrager.
• Thanks to SRAM Neutral Road Support!
• Thanks to Natasha for not changing the locks.

Shiny object

Illinois State CX Championships

Every year Montrose is a great race, a lot of local racers target the State Championships so everyone is on form.  Combined with a tough course including some killer sand sections and *usually some ice, snow, and freezing temps its always a great event and challenging race. This year was certainly warmer, but the sand seemed a little less forgiving.  

Scott McLaughlin leading Brian Conant, Paul Mumford, David Reyes, David Lombardo and I through the sand Photo: Brandon Elliott

I wasn't doing myself any favors out there, a slipped pedal at the start, a couple bobbles in the sand and I found myself chasing the leaders all too often.  I kept reminding myself the sand was going to catch everyone at some point, and Im usually strong in the last laps of a race, so I kept pushing to get back to the front.   David Lombardo, Brian Conant, and Paul Mumford were all putting in some good attacks, but every now and then the pace would settle just a bit and Id push through the power sections to bridge back up.  With two to go it was down to Brian Conant, David Lombardo and I.  I kept the lines through the sand clean and focused on riding a smart final lap.  I took the lead after the finish with one to go so I could set the pace and keep a clean line.  Brian and David were both right on my wheel and Brian nearly came around before we went  under the bridge into the final straight.  My legs were absolutely cooked, but the end was in sight so it was one more brutal push to the finish. In the end it came to a sprint finish with David coming around from 3rd wheel...

David Lombardo and I through the finish.  Photo Amy Dykema

I held on to the win by about the width of a tire.  Having focused on this race I was really excited to get the top step.  David Lombardo rode a smart race and nearly took the win, but I am absolutely certain he will be on that top step in the not too distant future.  At the end of the month he will be heading to Europe to race at the EuroCross Camp and the Chicago CX community couldnt be more excited for him.  Hes a great guy, an incredibly talented rider, and couldn't have been more gracious after the race yesterday.  The season isn't over yet, we have a few more local races and then Nationals and Masters Worlds to look forward to, but this was a great cap to the Chicago Cross Cup. Thanks to all the volunteers and race organizers for another great season.  

1/2 Podium with Brian Conant and David Lombardo Photo: Alison Ramelb

A win.  That's a win with a "." rather than a "!".  Been a long time since I've won a bike race, 15 or so years.

Despite a very gloomy morning the sun came out and made a perfect a 'cross day-cold and muddy.  Each week the club parcours in Utrecht becomes a little more technical; a new off camber tightrope and a few quick drops mixed to the normal menu today.  A smaller turnout than normal meant a four man group forming at the start and waiting.  Finally an attack at half way-one forward, two in the middle and one out the back.  I came across with one to go, heel clipping a barrier in front of the small crowd.  That gets a shout.

At the muddy run up starting the laatste ronde a choice--go now as my rival stumbles or hold for a big push at a half lap?  I went.  Then 3/4 of a lap with those remembered thoughts of when you haven't been off the front in years.  Just focus, push smoothly forward and don't look back.  Maybe glance when the course allows.  No arms up at the finish, Saturday club race requires a subtle finish.  Or maybe some karma balancing from a beyond last place in Belgium two weeks ago? 

So why just a "."?  A win is a win, right?  I'll take this one for what it is-a hard 50 minutes at the club series.  Six races in the book and a slim lead in the overall klassement, we'll keep it a win with a "." for now.  

Back at it

It was nice to be back racing again after several weeks off. Year four at Indian Lakes Resort was the best yet in terms of course, conditions and fun. Saturday, there was a strong thunderstorm about an hour before the men's 1/2/3 race that left the course wet and slippery.

Scott and David at the first barrier
All  photos: Paul Davies

By the time our race began, it was bright, warm and sunny but the course was still soggy - the perfect combination.

Mike making it look easy

The wet grass and mud meant it was hard to put the power down, which was good for me since I didn't have any anyway!

Mike and Mumford on the hill - just a bit too slippery on Saturday to ride all the way to the top

I made the most of all the twists and turns and managed to secure 4th place.  Meanwhile, my teammate Mike Hemme was riding very smoothly and putting in devastating accelerations on each short straightaway. I'm sure he was working very hard, but he made it look easy as he rolled in for his 4th win of the season.

SRAM engineer David Reyes (Bloomington Cycle Racing Team), meanwhile, made up a lot of ground in the 2nd half of the race, passing me in one of the strong headwind sections like I was standing still (I was, more or less). He kept it going and finished an impressive 2nd.

On Sunday the sun and especially the wind dried out the course so it was just slightly soft and tacky for the elite race. My legs were useless but I had fun trying to carry as much speed as possible through the numerous off-camber turns. Up front, Mike Hemme and David Reyes were in a huge battle with Brian Conant and Kevin Klug of the Pony Shop and Kevin McConnell of Mercy-Specialized, visiting from Iowa. Mike, unfortunately, had a loose cleat which made it nearly impossible to clip in, or once clipped in, to clip back out again and lost contact with the lead group. I was too far back after a few laps to say how the race went for the leaders, but in the end it was Brian, then David, then Kevin. Nice job, guys!

Chicago's pro-level UCI races will be back at Indian Lakes Resort in a couple of months. I'm hoping to find some form between now and then and I suspect Mike and David will both be tearing it up. I am sure it will be as much fun as last year.

Some random photos and notes from the Koppenberg 'cross.  The course goes around the town of Melden then halfway up the
Koppenberg (the treeline in the center of the photo) then back down to the edge of town before going back up again before the switchbacks to the bottom again.  It's brutal.

Telenet mechanics cleaning bikes after a pre ride.  Early in the day the mud was
sticky, one lap and wheels would not turn.  The mechanic on the left is putting
a wheel into a rack on the back of the truck for washing-this speeds up the
wash process when 5 riders come back off the course at one time.  There's
no shortage of wash time (and post race overhauls) at a race like this.

Buildup after one lap.  There's always
a discussion of better to change at the
top or the bottom of the course-most
riders have the option of both although
most prefer a clean, and lighter, bike
for the climb.  On really muddy days
you'll see riders run from the lower pit to
the road.

Amy D with the visor up.

It's muddy for racers and spectators alike!  Just walking around
the course can be a challenge.

Tom Mussen in front on the first decent.  A late
race crash took him out of the race with one lap
to go.

Helen Wyman is a new convert to SRAM-she's a big fan of the
reach adjust on the shifters.  She took a second win at her
"home" race, during the season she lives just down the road
in Oudenaarde.

 

Bart Wellens running on the first lap.
This move got him a better line to the next
corner and two positions.

Sunrise Park

Double Up

Photo David Bowers

Some weeks life catches up and its just a bit tougher to motivate for the double race weekend. After a long week of travel I was on the fence about heading North on Saturday, but my fine friends at My Wife Inc were hosting another race North of the border, at Noyes Park in Milwaukee. They consistently put on great events and always have a fun course so I convinced Mumford to make the drive North with me. It was another great track based around a golf course with solid flowing turns and they made the most of the terrain. Definitely another highly recommended race to visit next year for the Chicago folks.  Ill spare you the details of my lackluster race, but Mumford managed to stay up with the chase group and just missed the podium in 4th.

Conant with the Holeshot - Photo Brion Goudreau

Sunday was the 6th stop in the Chicago Cross Cup at Sunrise Park.  Its a long course at 2.4 miles and given some of the longer open sections where you can put down some power I was looking forward to the race.  Hoping my legs would recover and find a little snap after Saturday, I just tried to hang on the lead group with Conant, Klug, and Reyes early in the race.  With two to go I put in an attack to see if I could get a little gap and though we opened it up just a bit on Klug and Conant, David Reyes was glued firmly to my wheel.  He came around on the last lap and I just tried to maintain contact and wait for an opportunity to squeeze in a pass.  On heckle hill I found a bit of a gap in the turns and moved just inside David, after that it was just an all out effort to hang on as he was right on my wheel, but I managed to hang on for the win.  After a few seasons with some podiums and no wins I was definitely excited to grab my second win this year.

Photo Roderick

This weekend is another double.  Halloween Cross up in Wisconsin is always a blast and has a great crowd. Theres a coffin (which has involved flames in years past) to bunny hop (or run if you're so inclined...but really get out there and practice your hops, even roadies need to hop the occasional curb) and then Sunday one of my favorite courses in the CCC out in Campton.  

Video of the Sunrise Park Cat 123 Race Courtesy of Walid