Two More Cross Races

Still training entirely too hard for the last two cross races of the year. I'll be racing in Carlisle this weekend. We'll see how the B race goes! Should be a great warmup to get the legs working in cross mode again. Then, the next weekend, I'll be trying to clinch the PA state C championships. Should be a good time.

Training hard sure is tough though. Riding in the dark, getting soaked from the persistent rain, and generally being cold sure isn't any fun. Although I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much. If all goes according to plan, I'll be doing this for a living soon, and racing in Belgium probably doesn't even compare to the relatively balmy eastcoast weather of late.

Looking forward to wrapping up cross so i can start to focus on the upcoming road season and my personal quest to be competitive in the elite races this year.

Training Hard and Loving it

Good solid week of training behind me. I am definitely looking forward to a pair of long recovery rides this weekend.

This weeks rides included 20 hard miles in zone 4 today, with 10 miles on the cobblestones around Philly. Yesterday I ran 6 miles, doing intervals every quarter mile or so. Wed. I time trialled to Oaks on the bike path and back. 80 km in 2 hrs! Tuesday I rode the hills of dirty dozen as hard as I could, and Monday I rode 20 miles and ran some intervals. Good week overall!

Enjoying My Time Off...

Lately I've been able to get some training in during the day. Let me tell you what, I feel like a pro. I wake up, eat, go ride the bike, come home and eat. It's wonderful, and my legs really appreciate it. Road season should be fun during my slide up the categories next year. I'm definitely looking forward to winning a lot of races before i get into the elite categories and start having to really work.

Now, the only thing I need is to find a group of cyclists who I can ride with and keep my motivation up while I'm a full time cyclist!

Another One Down..

Rounding out the third win in four races in my first season of cross, I took 1st place in the Spring Mount Cyclocross race held at Spring Mountain Resort. After a great but draining 4th place finish in the Philadelphia Dirty Dozen I wasn't sure I had a hard race in me. Luckily, my wife and my parents came to cheer me on to victory.

The course was awesome! The start utilized a stretch of pavement which allowed for a quick hard start. As seems to be that case, the old men enjoy lining up 15 minutes early, leaving those of us who can actually contest the race to start behind them. Also, as is usually the case, they have a hard time with the course, so just 100m into the course, they wreck, nearly taking me down with them. Apparently it's difficult to ride a cross bike on pavement. Nevertheless, after clearing the wreck, i was in 5th position.

After a sprint up part of the ski slope, we were presented with an incredibly steep run up, followed by a "rideable" off camber section, and a steep rideable section, followed by a wicked descent that begins the downhill section.

I felt the "rideable" off camber section was too slow to ride. I ran it, and ended up passing the four gentlemen in front of me to take the lead.

Unlike other races this year, one rider managed to stay with me. He was a really strong guy, and as we raced around the course, we traded the lead several times. He seemed to be a Mountain biker, and could corner much better than me. However, I felt I was faster in the uphills and definitely was faster on the tricky run up section. Each lap i was able to put 50 meters on him in this section, only to be overtaken on the tricky turns.

In the end, his aggressive cornering caught up with him. Just before the final sprint, he ended up catching a pole and going down, allowing me to pass going into the final sprint where i took the win.

I think our race was probably one of the more exciting races of the day as it was definitely fiercely contended. Gotta love cross...

Dirty Dozen Breakdown

The Philadelphia Dirty Dozen was a question mark for me going into it. I wanted to perform well the next day at the Spring Mount Cyclocross race, so I was unsure if I should just ride easy or not at all in order to be fresh the next day. However, my ego and drive quickly squashed those thoughts, so i went out with every intention of trying to "win" the ride.

Of course, given the level of competitive talent on the ride, this would be no easy task. I counted at least 4 CAT 1s and several CAT 2s. It was definitely a strong group.

However, in the end, the ride was perfectly suited to my strengths. It was periods of high effort, followed by several recovery minutes. No hill was longer than a mile or so, and most were shorter, though incredibly steep.

You can check out the hills here. I had a blast, worked my ass off, and surprised a lot of people. I got points on nearly every climb, finishing 4th overall. Awesome! Pics will be posted as i find them.

Been a While...

I've been seriously busy riding and working causing my neglect of race write ups and training updates.

Going back in time, I won the Lehigh Valley Velo Cross race which was awesome. The course was incredibly muddy due to 4+ inches of rain that fell in the 24 hrs prior to the race start.

The course was awesome, winding around the park surrounding the velodrome. However, I was not happy with the start. The organizers at the last minute decided that it would be better to start the B-Masters first, then the C-Seniors. However, the prizes were not separate, so the B-Masters got a 15 second head start. Add to that the fact that I now had to wind my way through the slower Masters field to make a push for the overall win was pretty frustrating. But, with a little effort, a lot of running, and some cowbell courtesy of my awesome wife, i was out in front soon enough. However, the effort I expended to get there was a little to much. By the end, I finished third overall, and first in my category. It wasn't a bad result, and I won some sweet MAXXIS cross tires.

It took a while to clean the bike up, as it was completely caked in mud. I was very envious of those riders with mechanics...one day, one day...