Outlaw Cross '09 #3

We raced again on Saturday for the third race of the Southern Oregon Outlaw Cyclocross Series. There was mud again. Only a couple of places on the course were muddy but it was a sticky mud that caused a derailleur carnage. The last count that I heard was 13 broken derailleurs out of about 60 racers. I saw two derailleurs broken during warm up laps. I decided I didn't want to ride the course until it was time to race. I was surveying the course and spoke to Thom Kneeland who is an experienced cyclocross racer. He said "work the edges and power through the sticky stuff as fast as you can go". I did that and I survived the race. I not only survived, I finished ahead of several people who always beat me. Steve Law was one of them. He broke his derailleur on about the fourth lap. I think that I might have been able to beat him even if he didn't break down. I was passing him at the end of the course on every lap. He would then catch me but always after the start/finish line.
Look at him. He knows I'm coming and he's hurting. Doesn't it look like he's having some kind of attack trying to stay ahead of me?
















There was a run up that was really muddy. That was the only section that I didn't ride. There were a couple of other muddy sections that I was able to ride without clogging up.
















This was Vern's bike after the race. I lapped him again. For some reason I didn't feel bad about lapping him this week. In fact I had to speed up right at the end to catch him before the finish line.













I feel pretty good about my racing. I think I'm still getting stronger and I'm continuing to learn how to race smarter. I'm think I might be on track to peak for the Nationals next month.

Photos by John Raedake

Outlaw Cyclocross #2

We raced yesterday in Grants Pass. We had mud. It was the Halloween costume race.














I started out going what I thought was pretty easy. I am still hurting from crashing last week and really didn't want to crash again. I was hanging right behind Vern and I quickly realized that he was setting a pretty fast pace. After a couple of laps I noticed 7 on the lap board and started to worry that I might not be able to keep up for that long. Vern started to fade after about three laps and I passed him . He told me his wheels were clogging up with mud. I was running my carbon wheels with the Dugast Rhino tires and they were working pretty well. I was still picking up a lot of mud and it got harder to ride as the race went on. About half way through the last lap I caught Vern. I decided I wouldn't lap him as that might be pouring salt into his wounds. He stopped to clear out the mud and, with a grin on his face, threw a handful at me. So I stomped on him while he was down (figuratively) and lapped him.
This was my bike after the race.













It's pretty amazing that it was even functioning.













The race really took it out of me. When I was walking back from picking up my pit wheels I felt like I might need to sit down a take a rest so I could make it back to my truck. Maybe I shouldn't have ridden 30 miles the day before. I usually don't ride the day before a race but the weather was so nice I just couldn't resist.
Next week we'll be at the Speedway in Medford.

Ugly Race Photos

Have your children leave the room before you view these Photos. They may be upsetting.
I raced yesterday in Yreka. It was the first race of the Southern Oregon Outlaw Cyclocross Series. It started well for me. I was going hard. Richard Bush was riding right behind me. I don't know if he was holding back or I was going faster than normal. At about two thirds of the way through the course I came to a hard, bumpy section. I was still going pretty fast and decided to move to the right side of the track which I thought might be smoother. I was riding gripping the hoods. I hit a rock or something and both my hands came off the bars. I went down, hard. Now I know why people ride rough stuff in the drops. From a review of my injuries I hit on my right knee and rolled to my hip and onto my back. My head also hit the ground as my helmet mount popped loose. Here's some photos taken after I got home.









To add insult to injury, when I finally got ready to continue, my rear tire was flat and I had to run quite a distance to the pit. It should go without saying that Vern beat me.
I'm OK though. I'll be back next week to race at Paradise Ranch in Grants Pass.

KFCX '09 #2

I raced in Klamath Falls again on Sunday. I've been putting off posting about it while I waited to see if I could find some photos. I didn't find any of Vern or I but I found some that showed parts of the course. Speaking of Vern, I beat him this week. I don't want to gloat about it because Vern is a good friend and a fierce competitor but, having said that, I SMOKED him. I had decided that I really needed to figure out how to ride the sand pit because that is where I caught up to him each lap at the last race. Vern and I discussed the sand pit and decided that the left side looked ridable. The tape was a little wide of the pit so at about half way through you could try to bounce out onto the grass.
This shows the sand pit. It is the right side and from the clouds it is the first race. The weather was much nicer this week.















I decided that I needed to go through it ahead of Vern on the first lap so I passed him on a 180° turn prior to the pit. I hit the sand pit going pretty fast and was able to coast to a spot where I could exit on the left side onto the grass. That didn't work every lap but, when it didn't I was able to pedal out to the end. Then when I got to the uphill pavement section I pounded it. I hit it hard. I had noticed, in earlier races, that if I let Vern stay ahead of me for very long he seemed to draw on some inner power to keep ahead of me. Anyway, Vern had trouble with the pit and I didn't. After a few laps I was far enough ahead that I could back off a little on the uphill.
Here's a photo showing the steps after the uphill section. Actually there is a short downhill before the steps that allows for a little recovery.















On the next to last lap Steve Law passed me. I thought that he was lapping me but he said "Now I'm on the same lap as you". He had flatted earlier. If I hadn't backed off maybe I could have beaten him. That would've been sweet.
This weekend starts the Southern Oregon Outlaw series in Yreka, CA.

Cross Crusade #2 2009

I raced the Cross Crusade race on Sunday at Ranier High School near Ranier, Oregon. I try to do at least one of the series each year. I go for the experience not expecting to be competitive. It was an experience. I think there were nearly 1,200 racers. My race included Masters B 35+ (107), Masters 50+ (68), and Junior Men (26). Staggered start but still over 200 racers on the course at the same time. I'm always amazed at how well the OBRA racers are run. My race went OK. It is a tough course with a long, killer hill and a short, steep forced run up. I just tried to survive. I finished 62nd out of the 68 50+ riders. Some of those guys are 14 years younger than me. That's what I have to remember as about one third of them lapped me. I didn't take any pictures but you should look at these to get a feel for the race. You can also read about it here. I did find some pictures though.
I look like I was really going fast here.












I lose weight and get fit, but I'm still an old, fat guy trying to be a racer.











Here's Thom Kneeland going fast in the Masters A 35+ race. It was really great for me to be racing 300 miles from home, all by myself, and come around a corner to find Thom and Scott Churchill rooting me on.

Next week I'll be back in Klamath Falls for finish the two race series there. Then it's the Southern Oregon Outlaw Cyclocross Series.

Cyclocross Klamath Falls

My cyclocross season has now started. I raced at Klamath Falls on Sunday. I picked up Steve Law in Grants Pass and headed over the mountain on Highway 140. When Steve put his stuff into my car I thought that it didn't look like he had enough clothing. When we got near the top of the mountain and it started snowing he said "What's this?". I asked if he hadn't read the weather forecast. "No. Is it supposed to snow in Klamath Falls?" They had been forecasting snow all week. All my Southern Oregon cycling friends on Facebook had been talking about it. Steve needs to get connected. Lucky for him I had thrown some extra clothes in at the last minute. So he didn't freeze. It didn't really snow at the race but it was really cold.
Here's Steve looking good with my cap and long sleeved shirt on under his jersey.

















I guess I can't delay any longer saying what all my loyal readers want to know. Big Vern beat me again. He bested me on all parts of the course. He was able to push a bigger gear up the longest hill. I didn't have my legs. I couldn't quite catch him.
The course started on an uphill section of grass that didn't look difficult until you tried to ride it. Grass makes a hill steeper than it appears to be. Then some more grass through a couple of switch backs leading to a volleyball court sand pit. I had successfully ridden the sand pit during warm up laps but crashed into the sand on the first lap. I ran it after that. Then more grass and onto an uphill paved road. That's where I couldn't seem to catch Vern. Then downhill on the road to a set of stairs where these pictures were taken. Then onto a dirt trail downhill to an off camber grass downhill to the parking lot. Then along a concrete path with a couple of sets of stairs back to the start. Each lap I would catch Vern at the sand pit but then just hang with him on the uphill and he would get away on the downhill. He was strong. I wasn't.
I was sporting a new jersey advertising Drop Top Amber Ale. At least I looked good.
I rode the wheels with Mavic Reflex rims and Tufo Flexus tires at 26 and 28 psi. Worked fine. I just need to work a little harder.
I'm racing next weekend in Portland. Cross Crusade at Ranier High School. They had almost 1,500 racers last weekend at Alpenrose. I hope there's not that many next weekend. I'm sure I won't do well enough to get any points but the experience will be worth the drive.

Photos by Jamie Douglass

Catching Up

I guess, since cross season is about to start, I should catch up this blog. Also Brooks just updated his long ignored blog so I should follow suit.

I've been racing STXC in Grants Pass on my Niner One 9 single speed. There have been five single speeders in the series. My usual rival, Vern, has been off his game and not a factor, until the last race. Usually I'm faster than him on the uphills and he's faster on the downhills. In the last race of the series he passed me on one of the uphills and I never could quite catch up with him. The only other notable happening during the series was when I crashed twice at the third race. Once during warm up and again during the race. Different corners, same ribs. One month later I'm finally able to sleep without pain. My mountain biking buddy, Brian, did the series and finished second overall in Cat 3 riding his single speed. Before he bought a used single speed he couldn't understand the attraction. Now his full suspension geared bike sits in his garage most of the time.





Last month, August, Brian, Ethan and I took a road trip. We hooked up my trailer and drove to Sam Brown Campground near Grants Pass between Hwy 199 and the Rogue River. We met Steve Law who guided us. We rode the Jedi trail and the Briggs Creek trail. It was great fun.
We camped at Sam Brown where Brian learned that he likes red wine. We drank my red wine allotment for the whole trip the first night. We stopped at Safeway in Roseburg the next day to replenish our supplies.












We drove to the McKenzie River where we camped at Paradise campground. A nice spot. A different experience from Sam Brown where we were the only campers.










We were right on the river.













The next day we drove to the upstream trail head and rode about 21 miles back to our camp. I had hooked up with a guy from San Francisco on one of the forums who camped and rode with us and provided a shuttle back to my truck.









The upper half of the trail is really scenic.
































It's really rough, though. If I ride there again I won't do the upper half.












The lower half is just as scenic and a lot easier to ride. The upper half took 4 1/2 hours and the lower half 2 1/2 hours.




































Now it's time to get ready for cross season. I'm racing in Klamath Falls this weekend. I'll be racing the same old Blue cross bike. I'd love to get a new bike but I can't afford it. I haven't been working lately and I'm broke.