Mt. Morris-Subaru Cup XC

Friday I drove up to Mt. Morris. Kevin had just gotten back from NY so I wanted to wait to wish him a happy birthday before I left. Got there around 4 and met up with Rachael to do the preride. We set off and for some strange reason my Specialized shoes kept on unclipping with every single little bump. I rode the first lap frustrated with my shoes and before the second I went back and changed to my Northwaves.(glad I brought and extra pair!) Second lap was much better and I was totally digging the course.We went back to the hotels and got showered and all went to dinner. We went to a Mexican Restaurant(Po Po's) that used to be a Denny's or Friendly's. The menu was the old menu but an added section with Mexican fare. We were all really surprised that our plates looked just like the pictures and the food was good. We went home and it was time for sleep.

Got up early and headed over to the course so I could watch the Cat 2 races and hang a bit before having to get warmed up to race. Around 10 it was time to get changed and do a warm up. I hit the road for a bit and got the legs going. Rachael and I then headed over to the staging area. I was glad that there were no series call ups because sometimes those call ups tend to put some people on the front row that really shouldn't start there.  I made sure that I got a spot on the line and was ready to go. 

Don did his thing and we were off. I had a great start and hit it hard. It paid off cause when I looked back I had a nice gap on the rest of the field and knew I would be able to hold this pace all the way up. My strategy was to haul ass up the climbs and make the girls work to catch me but my plan was spoiled when I saw the congo line of Cat 1 men at the entrance of the single track.  There was nowhere to go except wait in line. Foot down and all the women soon assembled in line with me. Stuck in the congo line for 2 or 3 sections of single track sucked. It was slow and guys kept bobbling on the rocks which then made us constantly running around them or putting a foot down. At one point in the congo line one of the women decided to go off the course and then back in a few spots ahead. I was thinking what the hell was that? In cross if you cut off the course you need to go back in where you went out, tape or no tape but I guess its just an etiquette thing to not do that in mt biking.  It pissed me off but there was nothing I could do but try to keep my spot and not let others sneak by like that. Things started to spread out a little and we were able to ride almost at speed. I was feeling good about keeping the girl in range until the guy in front of me went down and I got caught up with him as Lisa blew by.  Finally we were out of the single track and in a nice power section. I went to my big ring and got chain suck and had to stop pedaling to keep the chain from getting wedged up in my chainring and Robin flew by me. I got going but I didn't want to risk miss shifting again so it was the small ring for the rest of the race.(I have XX so it isn't the granny thank goodness!) At some point in the downhill single track I let Lori go ahead of me so I could follow her lines. We hit the section with the tight uphill switchbacks and the rock drop. I rode the switchbacks but when I went to do the rock drop I ended up sitting on the rock. People were yelling at me to get up but I was kind of enjoying the rest and hopped back on the bike. I was able to get back on Lori's wheel as we went through the lap through and charged up the hill passing and gaping Lori. From there I would remain for the rest of the race, in fourth. 

Second lap went well and I felt really strong on the climbs. I got back to the rock drop section and rocked out the switchbacks and as I was about to go over the rocks I chicked out and put my foot down. The whole 3rd lap I kept on seeing Becca(?) so I wanted to keep things steady through the single track and hit the hills with everything I had.   Kept on thinking about the rocks as I started the switchbacks and decided to dismount and run them. This was actually a good decisions since I was able to get through it fast. I then finished up the last bit of single track to the finish. It was weird racing 3 short laps. It would have been nice to do another since the course was awesome! I was and still am stoked about getting 4th in my first race of the season especially with the field being 35 women!

Spent the next 7 hrs with Rachael watching the pros race and then waiting around for the awards with John, Lori, Mark, Cale, and Katy. Got some CASH and then headed for home to celebrate Kevin's birthday which was on Thursday. 
~holly

12 opps! 10 Hours of Muir

Saturday we were given a bit more time in the AM due to a later start for the 12 hr Muir race. A couple months ago Kevin Heppner asked Tom and I to do the 12 hr team event. We then snagged Jason Labella a few days before the race to be our fourth. 

Tom started us off and I made him promise not to run like a candy ass to his bike(he usually likes to do this just to annoy me). He ran like a normal human and got right up there in about 6th position. An hour ten later he came rolling in muddy as hell. Trails were a mess and he went down a few times. Jason was next and he was planning on doing 2 laps in a row.

I got suited up just in case he only wanted to do 1 and waited for him. He came in and yelled for me to go. I then set off planning on doing 2 in a row too. My first lap was slow due to the mud. Every corner in the blue was messy and slick so you would pick up speed and have to slow down before making the turn and then accelerate out again and again. I came through and felt good so I then set off on my second lap. It was a totally different course. Things were drying up and getting fast. I finished my second and Heppner set out for his lap. Things were getting faster and soon after Tom's second(fastest time for our team @1:01) we realized we were going back and forth for 2nd place.

Jason had gone off for his second lap and again was planning for 2 in a row. If this happened it would put me with the responsibility of the last lap. Again, I got ready just in case and watched as the other team came in a few minutes ahead of Jason. Again, Jason was screaming for me to go, he had crashed into a tree.  I was taken by surprised and wasn't quite prepared to go. Legs were tight from sitting around and as I was busy tightening my helmet through the kids section hoping my legs would loosen up fast. Legs came around quickly and the course was perfection. I got in a good groove and was flying. I was passing people left and right. When I turned onto the orange to go the opposite way towards the white I saw the guy from the team in 2nd. Since it was a slight climb and I knew the white trail really well I quickly got right on this guys wheel. He asked if I wanted to pass but I said just keep the steady pace for now. Well, what has been happening a lot, again happened. He started to ride a little bit faster and then hit the deck. This has been happening a lot lately as I ride behind guys that don't know me. They realized a girl is behind them and can hang and all of a sudden they pick up speed and then crash. I went around him and was gone after that. I kept my groove and "girled" Russell, Tim, and Bubba. I came in a few minutes ahead of the guy and had my best lap time of 1:04!

Heppner set out for the last lap but couldn't hold off the charge of their last guy. That guy did the lap in under an hour. We only lost to second by a few minutes. Not bad for our team against an all guys team. We had a blast hanging out with everyone. Kenny put on a great race!
~holly

No Race, No 90 day Picture

Last minute on Sat. I decided not to race and instead enjoy time with my family. I also forgot to take pictures on day 90. So no race results or write up and no 90 day pictures like I promised.

Sat. morning I did my leg opener thinking I was still racing and later in the day hit Kettle with Tom. I got back and made dinner with Kevin and watched the Blackhawks win game 1! On Sunday Kevin, Tom, Mark and I rode Kettle. At Emma I ran into Jason. That was fun hanging on his wheel back to the lot. Then I  went out for one last orange loop with Kevin. Kevin was delighted that I was trying to see how fast I could go into the corners and had a good chuckle when I washed out on one of them. I really love the orange loop climb. They did an excellent job with it.

Mark and Tom came back to our house for some food and adult drinks. It was a beautiful bug free evening.  On Monday we got up early so we could get things done before heading back to Chicago. I rode at Kettle while Kevin hit the road for a training ride. I then planted cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers in my little garden on the deck. I still am looking for strawberry plants to test out my topsy turvy garden.  We left the WI house around 2 thinking there might be some traffic but got really lucky and were in Chicago a little before 4. This gave us enough time to get settled and caught up before the Blackhawks game. The Blackhawks won which was a great way to end the long weekend.

Now I am officially done with p90x and completely devoted to my bike training. I am feeling a little at a loss not having the schedule of the p90x and a slight fear that everything I worked for will disappear quickly. I probably will try to do some maintenance stuff as soon as school is out. June 18th is the magic day!
~holly

Day 90 + 1st MTB Race = May 30

Wow I just realized that my day 90 of p90x is the same as my first mountain bike race of the season, WORS Big Ring Classic.  Hopefully I can BRING IT like I have been with p90x! I'm a bit worried since it is very early in my bike training and the p90x hasn't been the greatest at giving me speed, in fact it has slowed me down a bit so my body could build all the lean muscle.(that's what all the forums say and I really believe it)

I have been extremely overwhelmed the last few weeks of p90x because my bike training has stepped up a bit. Combine 1:30 to 2hrs of interval training on the bike and then another 1:15 of p90x, plus work; I barely have time to do normal chores of life.  When I have a rest day from the bike, I have a workout for p90x, and when I have a rest day for p90x, I have a workout for the bike. Needless to say, I haven't had a day of doing absolutely nothing since I started in March. I miss that....

Well there will be no excuses on Sunday from me.  I've had a lot of people say to use it as a training race to see where I am at but unfortunately I will be my competitive self, as there is no off button for that in my body. A race is a race, there is no training ride during a race. You do that before and after a race.  Will post Day 90 pics and race report next week. Wish me luck!
~holly

The OFF Seaon with BEACHBODY

So right after Nationals, I had it in my head that I was going to try and maintain as close as possible my race weigh. Now when one isn't racing it is very hard to do, but it was my goal that I needed to set to get me through the holidays and wintry weather.  Along with this goal, I had seen for like the 100th time(I am sure most of you have seen it) the infomercial for P90X . Thinking that p90x was mainly for guys, I checked out the website Beachbody that sold p90x and decided to do Charlene Extreme . This is also a 90day muscle building program.  I told a few people what I had ordered(they were laughing and as skeptical as myself) and wanted to actually see what this program could for my already in shape self. I figured since I hate lifting weights and this will make me do it, which couldn't hurt.

Dec. 23 I started but didn't take any pictures(I am kind of mad at myself for not). By day 30 I was seeing some results and was only off my race weight by a pound. I also noticed my running pace picking up significantly due to the plyometrics portion of the training. By day 60 I was in awe of my nicely shaped shoulders and arms that I decided to order and start p90x . So around day 70 I was now switching to p90x. 

For this I took pictures..Day 1- 75 are below. Can't figure out how to align these. I am on Day 85 today so Day 90 pictures to come. This really works but it definitely has been a challenge with my bike training. Thank goodness my Coach, Brian Conant, has done part of p90x so he has been taking it easy on me so I can finish this round strong.

Day 1

 Not the greatest shots since I couldn't figure out how to get the flash off the camera.

 DAY 15 & DAY 20

 DAY 30 

    DAY45                                                              

      DAY 60 (next 2)                                                                        

DAY 75 (these 3)                                                           

All of a sudden my abs really popped out!

Nice article in CX Magazine on The Pony Shop

http://cxmagazine.com/cyclocross-spoken-pony-shop-chicagoland#more-9276

Thanks....

Planet Bike/WCA Series Win

A special thanks to our supporters, sponsors and Aaron Hayes for building me an exceptional bike frame. Alex from Roscoe Village Bikes was a great help...building multiple wheel sets, bikes all at the 11th hour before the first race. He dropped what he was doing in terms of his business and always supported us with last minute fixes and building all this stuff Wednesday before the first race. Even if I needed wheel builds for my mountain bikes or stringing up cables on a travel bike.

Thanks again to Brian Conant for helping me get faster this year and properly managing fitness peak and dealing with my last minute business travel and schedule changes.

Also, thanks to the individuals, sponsors, organizers for the Chicago Cyclocross Series and the WCA Planet Bike Series. 4 years ago there were few cross races in the area. Next year, I hope both series can better coordinate to offset the overlap of these races. More racers more fun for each event. We still had 22 race days this year but could always do a few more.

Mens Masters 35-39

Epic conditions with standing water, mud and slick grass with a few icy corners to make it interesting. Pre riding the course felt better with more confidence inspiring traction than early this week. Call up spot in the middle of the 4th row.

Had a good start and it was elbow to elbow with a lot of pushing for the hole shot. Nowhere to really go and it was hard to get ahead with riders wide across. The start of this race was as fast as the USGP Madison and Jingle Cross races. No one is giving in inch.

First lap was still hard to pass but I was staying on my bike scrubbing speed in corners. Next couple of laps, pushing as hard as I could and not able to pass anyone sitting about 25th.

Last 3 laps, things started coming apart for me. The new defrosted ground conditions unearthed some softball sized rocks that were hard to see in the mud in corners and I found a few of them sending me over my bars twice, once in the "Velonews" corner to watch section and another at the end of the straight going by the pits. I dropped a chain and watched about 5 guys ride by my. With 3 to go, I felt like I was gaining some momentum and feeling settled and could move a up a few spots. My hands froze after going into the water.

Finishing 28th overall. I had hoped for a top 10 finish.

A special thanks to Mike Hemme and Aaron for giving me a spare derailleur hanger the day before the race.

A couple of takeaways on Nationals...

The course conditions were epic muddy and I have not been riding this stuff all year. Jingle cross was the only mud race. Probably will spend some time on the cross bike on trails. Handling skills and keeping pedal inputs smooth don't seem as well rehearsed for me versus the mountain bike. I can ride shit like this all day on fast 29er wheels but bringing it together on a cross bike is different. Can't make any mistakes since there's limited power spots to make up time. I recognize, I am better suited for dry, fast courses with limited climbing. It's all relative...the people that compete here all fast.

Can always start better. Lined up with guys just as fast or faster. Most races, there's maybe 5 guys and you can make up an average start during the next lap. With this level of comp, going into the hole shot elbow to elbow with these guys, have to expect more from a fast start. If you lose 5-10 seconds, you won't get it back.

It was still worth the trip coming out here though. Bend and Portland have alot more to offer in terms of cycling and awesome food, coffee and the best beers. I might never have come to this part of the country if it were not for this race. Plenty of nice bike shops to fix bent derailleur hangers and parts. For anyone considering the trip next year, I would suggest it. Not sure if I will come out again for Bend since I have already experienced it though. The people here were beyond enthusiastic to have all these bike racers which will be hard for any other venue to replicate. It was cool wearing the Courage Portland kit to get some extra cheers from strangers.

It was very difficult managing race days with proper warm up and mechanical support. The race site had neutral support but I would have liked to have all my tools, multiple wheel sets and spare parts. The race site had no neutral warm up tent. How do they expect people that travel all this way to bring a trainer? Thanks to the folks at Planet Bike for extending their hospitality with a warm tent and trainer.

So, Nationals will definitely be in the cards again but I would like to drive my truck there with all of my bikes, wheels, tent, trainer and my own power washer and a bad ass set of tools.

Plans next year will be the same, all about cyclocross with a couple of more WORS races in July and perhaps IceMan and Chemequon.

Though I had hoped to do better at the Wisconsin and Illinois state race and Nationals, still felt like I had a good season and I am satisfied with how things went. Certainly had alot of fun and always enjoy the camaraderie of the cross scene.
Looking forward to not looking at my bike for a couple of months.

Women's Masters 35-39

So Friday afternoon was the big race I had been preparing for all season, the master's race. We got to the course around noon to preride during the open hour. The preride sucked. It was so crowded that there was no way to tell what the conditions would be like at any speed since we were going slower than a snail. Also, with everyone preriding it, it was kind of like a Zamboni making every bit of it a slick hard packed ice rink. I was hoping the sun would come out and warm it up by 2 because the thought of riding ice the whole time got me even more nervous.

One of the things that the venue did not have(Kansas City did) was a warm up tent. It is hard enough coming from so far away with four bikes and all your gear to then bring a trainer to warm up on. Riding around the streets wasn't the best since they were so slushy and full of traffic due to street closures. Planet Bike said I could warm up at their tent except they had a few other racers racing at the same time and I didn't want to intrude. So my warm up consisted of hanging out with Kevin in the car with the heat blasting and a quick 15 minute ride on the slushy road that just soaked my feet. On my way to staging I ran into Diane O, who had just won the National Jersey for 55-60. She wished me good luck and said that some of the ice had melted and I would enjoy the course. That was reassuring.

Waiting to be staged we were behind the masters 30-34 women. They had about 35 racers in their group. We were going to be going off 30 seconds after them. I was worried about that because 30 seconds isn't alot of time in between especially since the back rows of the 30-34 are Cat 3 and 4s. They finally got to us and I was in the 2nd row. I think our race had about 40 women.

The first gun went off and the younger group(their numbers were different colors) went and we pulled to the line for our gun. It went and it was a frenzy to grab positions. I was happy with my start but when we hit the hole shot left turn I lost a few spaces. As we went through the straight away before turning right to go by the pit we were already hitting traffic from the younger group. This was very frustrating because the course was still icy and slushy they were afraid to move to get out of the way. So for the rest of the race we would be dealing with traffic. This just really threw off my game. I let it frustrate me too much that I started to take risks in corners and spots that were still icy sending me down multiple times. I would gain a spot or two and then go down or get caught behind a rider with nowhere to get around. I was constantly yelling not in your age group but some of the women would still try to race you to the corner instead of letting you by.

Finally the bell lap came and I could see 2 women in my age group and 1 not ahead of me. I pushed as hard as I could and closed the gap. The woman that wasn't in my age group was on the same team as one that was in my group. I kept on saying that I wasn't in her age group but she would not move over and it even seemed that she slowed down to create a gap between herself and her teammate. By the time the course opened up for me to get around the gap was too big in the short amount of course left to the finish line. I came in 12th, pretty much where I started. I did have a huge smile on my face knowing the season was over. 21 CX races in a span of 4 months. It was a great season!~holly

Killer Bs

pictures by pdx

So Thursday morning was the start of our racing at Nationals. My race was at 8:30 and was a balmy 9 degrees. I wasn't too worried about the cold except for my hands and feet. I popped some feet warmers in my shoes so that was solved but I knew I couldn't race in my lobster gloves because they are so bulky it makes braking and shifting really impossible. So I threw on some liners and my pink Defeet wool gloves and held on to hand warmers until right before the gun.

There were 40 of us for this race. Call ups were done the Cross Crusade way by random drawing of numbers. If the number drawn matched your last digit then you went to the line. My number came up 3rd and that meant third row start. I was fine with that since my starts have been really on this year and there was enough straight away before the hole shot to maybe get up towards the front. The gun went of and we were off. I made my way to about 10th for the hole shot and as soon as we hit the snowy course girls were down. Making sure that I didn't get too close to anyone since some were going down on straight aways. I decided to take the thick untraveled line as we passed the pit to pass a few more girls. We then hit the back part of the course where I was able to pass some more until I got behind the leader. I stayed behind her trying to get around her but there just wasn't room on the course to pass without taking the risky icy line. We got to the stair run up and I finally was able to pass her there. I was then able to really open up a gap on the barriers and the run up which I was able to ride.

On the second lap my fingers became numb heavy blocks and I couldn't tell if I was shifting or braking. I went down on some black ice on a corner but was able to recover quick enough to keep my gap. I yelled to Kevin in the pits about my hands but he really wasn't sure what to do except offer me his gloves when I came around again. I declined the offer and just told myself to suck it up. I rode the next 3 laps clean maintaining my lead and finally began to feel my fingers again. On the bell lap I went down on the off camber after the stairs. As I was running with my bike I saw that I dropped my chain and had to stop for a moment to put it back on. As I hopped back on my bike I could see 2nd and 3rd together coming strong. I needed to stay upright for the last bit of the course and ride the run up. I was able to do that and got the win.

It was a great way to start off and I was feeling a little bit more confident for my Masters race the next day. Since the Bs race isn't a national champion jersey race I won a really cool bag.
~holly

Thursday Course

As each day passes the course is changing dramatically. Here are some pic links to cyclingnew.com's website of pictures from Kevin's race Thursday at 11AM.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/photos/usa-cyclo-cross-national-championship-course-preview/97821

Bend

Been a while since I posted. Work, life etc.

Scott McLaughlin told us about the Bs race so we decided to do it as a leg opener and course familiarization. I have not ridden since Montrose. Brian told me at this point, it doesn't matter, but I usually do best when I have some kind of hard effort right before the race.

Holly won the Bs race, I took second. I raced with my Craft lobster gloves on since it was a balmy 4 degrees at the start of the race and I could not get through a lap on the pre ride in my full fingered gloves without freezing my fingers.

I was able to take the race lead after 2 laps and the corners were already getting iced up and I started losing my wheel through turns. Eventually, my gloves were waterlogged with sweat and I lost the ability to smooth out my braking in these sections since my hands were slippery and I had no feeling on the levers. I wanted to take the gloves off but Holly told me to keep them on.

2 laps to go, I went through the pit (without stopping) and tossed her the gloves. I thought I would have to come in for any exchange, however, I was supposed to come to a complete stop or would be disqualified for riding a better line in the pit.

Next 1/2 lap, I had to come in again, and stop and get off the bike or the judge would have DQ me. The gap I had was lost with 2 pit stops and Shad from KCCX was able to take the lead. I felt pretty strong but this was a blunder that cost me the race. My fault for not knowing the rules.

Either way, it was great to get out on the course and open my legs and ride everything at race speed. The course is starting to ice up in corners which is much different from my 830am pre ride. I am sure it will be different for Saturday since they're calling for mixed conditions, but it's nice to know the line. I probably went down 5 times with black ice corners. No tire can help with those but I really like riding the Fango 34s.

A couple of other mistakes.....forgot my other wheel bag in the garage so Holly and I have 4 bikes and 2 sets of wheels. Also, brought my road shoes instead of my cross shoes....they look exactly the same. Went out last night to Webcyclery and picked up some Shimano mid level shoes and eggbeater cleats. Pretty good shoe for the money. Gave us a chance to try the new Shimano electric group which was really killer.

Bend is really cool...a drive through the mountains in Mt. Hood National forest which then become high, dry desert in Bend. Obviously, cool bike friendly town. It was great they did a news piece last night on the race and hyped up the location as a hot bed for cycling. Cool people, great crowds...

Tomorrow, Holly races at 2:30 and I will probably ride the course at noon for an hour again.

Shhh, I Should be Packing!

I should be helping Kevin pack up the bikes for Bend so here are a few pics from Sunday's fun. Top picture by Rusty. Bottom pictures by Cecile R.

(And yes, I still think the knee sock look is so UGLY and UNFLATTERING, but I was being festive!)

Leaving for Bend tomorrow morning. Racing the Bs on Thursday for a leg opener and my big race, Masters Women 35-39, is Friday! Wish me luck~holly

Jingle CX Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

all photos by maurio

It was cold and windy and my body was pretty fried from 2 days of hard racing. Not my best day out there.....

All in all, Kevin and I got lucky to have no broken parts. Mike Wakeley was our saving grace in the pits and Fri and Sat we sure had him working. The Eriksen is awesome!!!!! Raced it all 3 days and when I was on the Rock Lobster I couldn't wait to come in for a bike change..

Jingle CX Saturday

all photos from maurio

Sunny skies made for a beautiful day. Had some brake issues that made me lose a few spots.

Jingle CX Friday Night Lights

picture by maurio

Got my first UCI point. Guess I can run through mud.

Mens Wisconsin State Championship Race

photo by djonnymac

My goal was to finish behind Tristan. After him, it's really the rest of us. Had a great start behind him and Travis Brown and Kyle Jacobsen. I rode really strong but my bike handling skills left alot to be desired. First half of the course was dry and bumpy, back of the course was a hill, downhill and some off camber in wet grass and mud.The barrier was uphill and felt pretty high so remount was tricky. The race did not go how I wanted to but I think I learned a little bit about tire selection in mixed conditions for next time.
photo by offonst
I pre rode twice, once with Challenge Fango 34 in front and Grifo 32 in rear, then the next ride Grifo 32 x 32. I should have used the former but I thought the more aggressive tread would slow me down uphill. My cornering in this section was slow and I lost my front wheel 4-5 times. On the uphill barrier run up, lost my pedal engagement a couple of times with the mud. Every time I lost contact with Tim I was able to catch him but I made too many mistakes to place ahead of him. Either way, he was great competition for me this year and I enjoyed the racing.

In thinking about tire selection, the Grifo is really dry condition only tire. I have the Fango 34s but the rolling resistance is surprisingly pretty good, the difference is with a 34 I can run pressure 1-2 psi lower, it absorbs bumpy stuff in corners and on the mud sections and off camber the diamond tread holds the line more. I should have used that tire but I know for next time.

I am thinking next year 34s with the XS file treads, 34 Fangos and then 32 Dugast Rhyno for my tire quiver. On the mountain bike I tend to favor low knob tire with round casing either in 2.0 -2.2 and find the low pressure and contact patch allows me to rail corners better. Should be the same for cross.

Looks like conditions at Jingle will favor Fango in 34. Usually mixed conditions or maybe it will be outright wet the first 2 days.

Hales Corners CX-WI State Championships

photo by jeffkao

We had some great weather this weekend for racing. Hales Corners is a great course. It has everything, sand, climbing, bumpy terrain, pavement, downhills, slick off camber turns, open stretches and a great set of spectators!

As we got off the line Sam got the hole shot followed by Meghan then me. I decided that there was enough straight away to make my way to the front so I got out of the saddle and sprinted to get the first left turn. I then led the first lap and halfway through the second lap when Sam came around to take a pull. As for the all of the races when Sam takes a pull she drops us and of course this happened but I had a gap on Meghan that grew and got smaller throughout the race. This was the order we came in at the end. Sam, me, Meghan. Since I don't have the WI house address on my licence, Meghan got the silver and Katy got bronze. I still got the nice $100 bill for 2nd though! I then hung out with the Pegasus crew and ate some tasty soup from their new sponsor. Kevin put in a great performance and took 3rd. (his report to come)

My First Ever Wisco Win- Polska CX

photo by Ron

Gibbs Lake

photos by djonnymac

One of the best settings in the WCA series. I was excited to see some of my Chicago brethren make the trip for more cross racing, Scott McLaughlin, Wayne Simon and Tom Boundy from Verdigris and I also ran into a couple of guys from the Iron Horse team.

I wish we had the camera. Scenic route through trees with used trail, fast off camber downhills and some power sections thrown in. An ideal setting for me. There were 3 barriers at the end of the lap through the finish, 1 barrier by the "beach" which was a 4 foot drop trench by the swap. The rest was double track, some single track and grass and the ground was super hard except for a few corners through the pine trees at the start finish. I think we did 9 laps.

So I was looking forward to seeing what I could in favorable course conditions against some the areas best riders with 4 weeks to go to Nationals. The field was not very deep, but lining up next Tristan and Scott, it was going to be fast. My goal today was to stay with Scott. I use him as mark since we're close in age, have the same goals with age group national jerseys, and have raced in contact with each other before, though this year I am not even close. With the exceptional year he is having, I felt that if I could pace with him, I would have a really strong shot at stars and stripes in the masters race in Bend.

The race started off with Tim Pacholski from Vel Trocadero getting a great start and pulling through with about 1/2 lap. James Lalonde picked up the pace halfway through and spent the next lap pulling all of us. The pace was manageable and I was waiting for Tristan to get bored and shoot off the front. Tim also tends to do that as well.

The next lap, I decided to pull through and I went off the front pretty hard since I wanted to open the race so I would have a clean shot through the rideable log sections. I was afraid with a pack in follow, someone would make a mistake and I would get caught up. After I cleaned that section, Scott and Tristan went right ahead of me and I sat on with James behind me.

The next section of course was super fast downhill followed by left hand turn and then we had 1 barrier before riding near the swamp that sat about 4 feet lower than the ground that required a run and remount back on the course. I slipped on the exit and fell, and James went into me and I felt like an ass. I brought us both back up to Scott and Tristan.

Lap 3, right when we come through the start, Tristan opens it up and puts an easy 40 feet ahead of us. It was really impressive. James passed me and went on Scott's wheel with me behind him, but I was riding the corners slower and I was starting to feel the lactic acid in my legs.

Next lap, James gets a gap on Scott, just enough for him to get ahead. I am probably sitting about 10 seconds behind Scott. He started to open a gap on me and I had no response.

With 5 laps to go, it pretty much stayed that way. I saw Tristan and James lapping through down by the swamp trading pulls and I was trying to chase Scott like he was the metal man on a Computrainer ride. Through the race, I can see him ahead and I would get close through the open sections then through the logs but I was bombing the downhill so much faster than I was. After hitting the 3 barriers in front of the course, he had alot of power through the start finish section.

With 2 laps to go, I went as hard as I could and felt like I was closing a little bit on a 20 second gap but it really put the knife in me. Last lap I had nothing left and he made sure he put me away with a much faster lap. It went Tristan, James, Scott then me for 4th and I did not get a chance to see the final race results for the other spots.

It's getting into that time of year where people are starting to peak. I could ride with James last year and most of this year, but the last few weeks it's really coming together for him. As far as Scott, he has alot of power and strong technical skills. With the way he his riding right now, I think he can win his masters national race.

I am pretty happy with how things turned out today. I was able to push the race a bit and rode my ass off trying to catch Scott. My fitness feels better than it ever has at any point I have ever raced and it's a month away from Nationals. I have to thank Brian Conant again for his guidance in coaching. Before it was riding so hard that I wanted to go tell him to F7ck himself during the workout then to getting a point where I want more and he's backing me off. On top of it, time management and flexibility with business travel has been a huge plus.

Holly took second today and was able to hold Megan off. Pretty impressive performance again. I am going to have to find a way to get her to get coached for next year and build on a break through year.