cyclo-X

Finally made it

2010-09-23T17:30:00.001-07:00

And it was a lot of fun, remembered how to get on and off the bike, ride in the grass, suffer, etc.. can't wait until next week. Out for the weekend, time for a high cascades BoB trip.

First Cross race in 3 years by bikinjoe1 at Garmin Connect - Details

Win, Loose or JRA

2010-09-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

I will defiantly be in the JRA section tonight, just riding along and having fun. It will be an interesting way to race after being competitive for so many years. At least the rain showed up for my first race back, a cross race at that, looking forward to it.

Had a good 3 day weekend; a little hardware store shopping with the boy;

From Drop Box

And a little mountain bike riding with the girls

From Drop Box

Long week

2010-08-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

It was a long week, the final of a good training block. Funny how when you look back how things change over time, last weeks long week was 8 hours, yet 5 years ago a long week would have been 25 hours... But, I am getting back into it and having fun.

Work has been busy as well, we started a big project this week that will keep me pretty busy for the next 6 months. Plus a lot of travel to the Bay Area through the winter months, which I don't mind...

The house is also coming along, we spent some $$ this past weekend ordering the flagstone and fencing for for our upstairs patio that we have been prepping for this upcoming weekend.

Now it's a rest week so time to recover and get ready for my first race in more than 2 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First real cross ride of the year

2010-08-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

1 hour, 85%+ the entire time, back at work. Feels good!

Eugene Cross Practice starts next week, great place for everyone to go practice their drills.

Saturday

2010-08-21T16:46:00.001-07:00

Good day today, 6 mile run/walk. I say run/walk because it was about 4 miles of running and only 2 miles of walking.

Also got a new set of levers on the cross bike, I can't wait to try them out.

From Family fun

new toy

2010-08-18T08:30:00.001-07:00

the last post

2010-08-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

on the blog was the day before Cayden was born, he came pretty quick and we were off an running with a new family.

It's been almost a year since that last post, 11 months actually, and Cayden has made himself right at home in our family and we are so happy to have him. He is a joy every day and has brought something new to our lives.

Work has been going crazy busy as well, and the house remolding seems never ending. We have been doing a lot of work on a little bit of everything and it seems like there are so many projects it's almost overwhelming.

The bike, well I've been able to get out and start doing some riding again. The CX bike is calling me and I am looking forward to getting it out and spinning it around in the woods again.

I hope to start posting again on a more regular basis, family, work and riding, it's a new life for me and I am coming around to the challenge and looking forward to it.

Time to Ride!

From Cayden

Very Busy week

2009-09-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

Between work, home and trying to ride it has been a very busy two weeks. We have been slammed at work (good thing) and I'm trying to get as much done around the house as possible before Cayden arrives. Then still get the dogs out for walks or mountain bike rides, it is just crazy busy. I hit the bed at night exhausted.

But we had this to wake up to this morning

The on Saturday over the weekend I got out to a friends to hang out and relax for a couple hours.

Got out for the cross practice last night, legs were tired from the past few rides but it was good to practice. First race this weekend, that is unless Cayden makes an appearance before then.

So close...

2009-09-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Slow start to this week

2009-09-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Felt run down all day Monday and Tuesday, commuted to work on Tuesday and ended up getting a ride home and slept for 10 hours.

Feel better today, and now it's time to go for a ride...

A busy weekend

2009-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

I got out for a nice CX bike ride out at the local mtb trail spot called Whypass, a solid 2 hour ride with some singletrack, lot's of climbing, plenty of run up options, and good bike handling skills work.

Then for the rest of day Saturday we figured we would run some errands, and next thing you know we are buying a car! I bought my VW Jetta Wagon in 2005 and loved it, it was a TDI and I got 45+ mph on average, if it was all hwy I could get more if I kept my foot out of it. But with Cayden coming any day now the Jetta was feeling really small all of a sudden. So we have been kind of shopping around, looking to see what might be a good choice. We looked at a few different cars, the new Jetta Wagon, but it wasn't any bigger, we looked at the Passat which was nice but still not that much bigger. So the next step was looking at the SUV Crossover rigs, the Toureg, Audi Q5 & 7, Volvo V60, etc...

In the end we went for the Volvo SC70, it's more of a full size sports wagon, yet AWD, twin turbo straight 6, and a whole lot of room.... We test drove this car back in 2005 when we bought the Jetta but it just seem big enough in the driver seat for me at the time. Now it feels huge, and I have to move the seat forward a little.

It's a nice ride, Black on the outside and Tan on the inside, plenty of clearance for the gravel roads and all wheel drive. The mpg will take a little getting used to, but lucky we don't drive that much anywase. We got everything transfered over already and the rack makes it look good...

Of course the all day Saturday meant not a lot got done around the house by me, so Sunday was a day to do house work. I got the nursery almost done, maybe another day or two and it will be done.

Cayden is wanting out...

12 hrs so far this week

2009-08-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

12 hrs on the bike and walking this week so far, going for first run tonight in 6 months... OUCH it's going to hurt.

Feels good to feel tired again.

CX Party was great, good to see so many familar faces and a lot of new ones. Good job to everyone involved in pulling this all together.

It was a almost close call this morning on the baby front, or maybe closer to a fire drill, but at the last momemt I drove to work and not to the hospital. It's getting real!

If you haven't done it yet, sign up for the Cross Google Group in Eugene

Do you have your cowbell ready?

From cyclo-X

Cross Practice 9-26-09

2009-08-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

A video from last nights first practice.

This is my first atempt at some video editing, hopefully I will get better at it. I hate video's without some sort of music....

taken with my I-Phone 3G...

It's that time of year again

2009-08-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and hard summer, that is with work and house stuff. New Baby almost here, and so is CROSS!

Been riding a little, but way out of shape, no real good base, to much weight, and not much time to get into racing shape. We will see what happens.

here's to hoping to post more, but more to riding more....

Off for a cross ride tonight.

A part of my life

2009-04-22T05:33:00.000-07:00

You will be missed.

From MTBR Web

Back in the USA

2009-04-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Of course I showed up with a cold that is dragging on, hope to be better by the end of the week.

We are hoping to sign on our house this Friday, still waiting on the bank to process all the paperwork and get it to the Title company... They don't move the fastest...

Anxious to get back on the bike since I've been back but this cold is kicking my but this week. We are going to get out for a good walk tonight, then hopefully get some riding in over the next three days before I head back to Wisconsin for a few days next week.

We had another doctor appt today, detailed ultrasound and we are happy that every thing checked out okay. While in England I picked up two set's of clothes, good thing I picked up the blue set :)

Friday - free day

2009-04-10T00:13:00.000-07:00

We have got all of our work done so today is a free day, Thursday was a long day but most of it was spent catching up on email and getting wrapping up out trip. We are going into London for the day to hang out and check some more stuff out we haven't seen yet.

Hello from London

2009-04-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

We have been into Downtown London, down to Southampton and now are in Leatherhead. Pretty cool so far, we visited Winchester but it was late in the evening and dark so we didn't get to see very much but still pretty cool.

Here are some random pictures.

From my motel room this morning

The motel we stayed at in Chillwood

The road down to Buckingham Palace

In front of Big Ben

Downtown London somewhere...

We made it into Leatherhead about 5pm so I am get a chance to walk around and enjoy the area. Won't be a late night though since last night was midnight before we got back from dinner and then another 2hours of email catch up...

We head north tomorrow up towards Telford.

in London now

2009-04-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

Eric's bag got delayed in Salt Lake but my stuff made it.

Onto the motel and some afternoon sight seeing and some breakast, I mean dinner...

Mobile Blogging from here.

North Shore Tie with the Dogs and Albee

2009-04-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

After the ride, Scarlet was kind of intersted in the lake but would not get in all the way.

Once she saw the car it was all about getting in and covered up :)

Biancha is still waiting for her mom to come home, 3 hour mtb ride and she is still wide awake!

Albee says HI everyone, great ride today.

They are in Dublin today

2009-04-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

They leave Dublin vi train back to the Ferry to get back to Englan and get on a plane Friday to head home.

Wed updates

2009-04-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

well the old house is about ready to start painting finally, spent all weekend working on it and packing stuff. It seems like time is starting to run short. I leave for the UK on Saturday and then back the following Sunday for work, don't think it will be as relaxing as Lauri's trip but should still be fun as I've never been over there before.

ghetto ride tonight, hope the legs wake up a little more than last night, they have felt sluggish since last week when I was sick. Then Thursday and Friday I hope to get a couple long rides in, Thursday isn't looking to good for the weather at the moment but getting out on the mountain bike it shouldn't matter to much as long as the snow level stays some what high...

We should sign on the new house the week after I get home, April 17th, then I we start working on the new house to get it ready to move in. Don't need to do a lot but what we have to do is big items. New fence, fill in the carport to a garage, get the RV parking done, and paint, paint, paint...

all for now, enjoy your day.

Kissing the Blarney Stone

2009-03-31T10:18:00.001-07:00

a couple more pictures

2009-03-29T16:46:00.001-07:00

The girls have made it to Ireland now

2009-03-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

Friday update

2009-03-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

The dog's miss their mom, as I do, they patiently wait for me to come home every day, a couple times a day, to check on them and say hi. Scarlet is growing again this week, she seems to go in stages. All of a sudden you can see her ribs, it's like her legs go up and her waist goes in. It's quick to, Monday she seemed normal but a little more hungry than usual, then Wed her ribs are showing and she has grown almost as tall as Bianca. Kahlua and Bianca don't seem to miss Lauri as much, they now the routine. Scarlet on the other hand looks every day for her.

Okay, even though I do not like AT&T for their service I am really liking my Iphone. It has so many cool apps, and to me that is the only reason I have it. This App I've had since we found out we were pregnant, it's pretty cool. At the same time it is making it all seem so real, only 174 days to go, and most likely less. The doctor told Lauri it will be Sep 16th or before, not after. The fetus is no 5" long, that is huge, and according to Lauri (she sent a pic but threatened to kill me if I post it) she is really showing now. At least she is using it to her advantage in the UK, people seem to be nicer to pregnant women, at least everyone but the French according to her.

Hope to get back on the bike tomorrow, I went out on Tuesday and had dead legs but felt okay. Wed I had to turn off after 1hr because of my stomach, it bugged me until late yesterday, I was able to walk for 1 1/2hrs with the dogs last night and it felt good. Not sure what happen, I think I just ate something that didn't sit right with me, or maybe just work being so busy, the house thing, etc... We will see how I feel on Sat, my plan is to start with the CSC and see how it goes, I don't want to go fast but I do want to go long. Probably the same on Sunday.

I still have a bunch to do around the house, this weekends project is getting the rest of the house packed that I can and we can still live there, and the last room's holes from the pictures an such patched. I also have to replace the baseboard heater in the extra room. This way we can start painting when I get back and it won't take to long. Other than that I just have to finish off the gutters and get the crap out of the driveway and to the dump that is starting to pile up.

The new house is moving along, I talked to company who knows about the Heat Pump. Associated Heat & Cooling, they seem to be pretty good, they did a service there a couple years ago and have some records on it. About $450 to add a duct to the downstairs area where there is just expensive ceiling heat. I will probably do that at least, that way the electric bill won't be $500 like it was last year for the owner, at least I hope not! We are trying to get the seller to pay for a bad electrical panel, at least it is rated dangerous and bad, but the one sister seems to freak out over everything. I can say this, use a realtor, it makes life so much simpler, at least there is a 2nd party on both sides that can talk reason and know how things go.

Long post today, but a lot to talk about...

Enjoy your day.

Richard

the next step

2009-03-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

We are putting our existing home on the market for rent, this kind of makes it seem real now.

http://eugene.craigslist.org/apa/1092716257.html

If you know anyone looking to move or rent send them our way.

2 bedroom & 1 bath House
detached 1 1/2 car garage
big back yard
garden area
hardwood & tile floors
1 small or medium dog okay (max 60 pounds) and 1 cat okay, with extra pet deposit.
House available May 1st to 15th

1/2 off the first full month of rent

From Liz and Lauri in the UK

2009-03-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Actually in Paris at the moment...

Enough said

2009-03-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend

2009-03-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

No rides but plenty of home repairs, packing, walking, etc... Lauri is on a plane to the UK, she should have a lot of fun.

I love this kind of stuff, you can move the map around to look around the block with your mouse, pretty cool.

This is of of our new house.

View Larger Map

This is of our current house, I can pin this picture down to last year at 4th of July. The was the only time our trailer and our neighbor's trailer was gone at the same time.

View Larger Map

Plenty to do on the rental house this week, need to finish packing the computer room and get it ready to paint, also need to replace the heater in the room. Then do some sanding of the patch work and finish prep on the rest of the other rooms so we can paint them. The end of April is going to come up really fast and I would like to have the rental ready to rent if possible by May 1st or 15th at the latest.

Time to get back to riding this week to, Tues and Wed on the road, Thurs I might get out to do some mtb riding with the dogs. For Sat & Sun I plan to do a couple 5+ hour rides. This block will only be 12 days long then I am off to the UK for work for a week so I need to make the best use of the time I have.

San Remo - Cavindish!!!

2009-03-21T12:55:00.001-07:00

A Duck or a ???

2009-03-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

With a veiw like this the kid will probably be a UofO Duck :) This is from the nursery room window.

Wednesday update

2009-03-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

Nice easy ride last night with the group, it's the rest week so nothing to long. I turned off as the group headed up McBeth. I ended with a nice 1 1/2hrs which was good. I had went for 2 of the sprints and the legs felt pretty tired in them but the strength seems to be coming back.

I am glad it is a easy week, with everything on the house going on. We had to sign the counter offer on Monday morning, I have a walk through today, and the inspection on Friday. It takes a lot of time away from work, I've been going in at 5:30am each day, only taking a 1/2hr lunch and working until 5:30pm or so. Not that unusual, except that usually I take the 1 1/2 lunch a couple days a week to get out and ride. Went by the house last night to see it, first time since we agreed on the price and signed the paperwork, there were three deer in the yard which was cool. We can't believe we have another house, with as much work as it seemed to be, the problems we had, etc... it is just kind of surreal now.

We have a doctor appt today, this one is the financial part and routine check up, basically they tell you how much you have to pay them that your insurance does not. Lucky for us it should be less than normal since we have double insurance, at least we hope.

She leaves for Europe this Sunday for two weeks, she is pretty excited. She is headed over with Liz and we are all worried that the country will never be the same.... God save the QUEEN!

House bought

2009-03-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Time to start packing!!!!

Mobile Blogging from here.

No Go for Thursday nighter

2009-03-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

No go for me last night, the 1 1/2hr lunch ride then an semi-emerg doctor appt at 4:30pm and it just didn't work out. Good thing is the doctor appt was good, we got to hear the heart beat which is what we wanted.

Next week is a rest week so we will have to see, if I keep the duration down maybe I will hit the later half of the T-Nighter.

On tap for the weekend - RAIN - so shorter road ride on Saturday at an easy endurance pace. Then Sunday either get wet and cold for 4 hours on the road or 4 hours on the mtb, we'll see what develops...

Thursday Nighter!!!!!

2009-03-12T07:33:00.001-07:00

Out of all the rides and races I think more people have this for a goal than any other event throughout the year. It is the local Thursday night all comers race in Eugene, anyone is welcome to show up, it is 26 miles and there is no waiting. The course not to hard but does have some key parts to it that you need to make sure you are on top of your game for, Welders Hill & Sprinters Hill.

I hit two of the last year, first one I got dropped on Welders, the other I finished in the pack. I hope to get out of work tonight in time to make it out for the start, if not I'll go in reverse until I hook up with the group, not as hard but at least you get some speed in your legs.

I'm on my last week of a pretty solid build section, legs were pretty tired last night on the Ghetto ride, which saw 10 people show for, we went over Old Lorane, up McBeth, over Hamm and back in on Dillard. There were a couple pushes along the way but luckily it was pretty tame. It was a good night with no rain and pretty decent temps.

Still no word on the house...

I did get a new pair of shoes and they are pretty sweet. A pair of the Sisi Genius 6.6 Carbon's.

So far I've had two rides on them and they feel like I've had them for years. They are very stiff, way stiffer than the Nike Pogio's they replaced, of course those shoes were 5+ years old and had seen thousands of miles. It was hard to spend the dollars but I've now bought 5 pairs of Sidi shoes and have fallen in love with them. The only pair I've worn out have been the winter shoes I had for the past 7 years and they had seen a lot of hard wet rides followed by getting put on the shoe dryer which can't be the best thing for a pair of shoes.

We hit 13 weeks yesterday of being pregnant, nothing much new there.

First night of the 2009 Ghetto

2009-03-11T15:28:00.001-07:00

I will probably do most of the Ghetto rides this year, with a new little one on the way it keeps me closer to home and home earlier. Plus with what ever house we get, hopefully the 50's style one, there is going to be a lot to do. Both to get ready for the baby and just to get the house the way we want it.

Got out for a Tuesday spin after work, about 1 hour going over Greenhill, up and back Gimple, and then up Baily, legs felt good, but I got a flat going out over Baily Hill so I turned back towards the house since the tire needed to be replaced. Hope the legs are up for tonight...

One of the selling points of this house from sellers is frequent visits from local wildlife, should keep the dogs interested for a while at least :)

So now that the cat's out of the bag

2009-03-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

So now I have a few things to talk about on this blog, some for the family and some for the friends.

The due date is Sept 16th, 2009. We are not sure if it is a boy or a girl, YET!!!!! yes we are finding out, good or bad, agree or disagree, we are finding out. Everything is going great so far, all the prelim test have come back great so far and we are very excited about that.

We made an offer on another house last week, it is straight out of the 50's, which isn't terrible, it could be out of the 70's... Hope we hear something soon, we had hoped to hear by Sunday but no word. It's a huge house on a decent size lot in town up in the south hills of Eugene. Not the 4 acres like the other house we were looking at but also not the project (read, 5+ years of house work and not riding my bike....). maybe today we will at least hear something....

As for the riding part, it's going pretty good. A large group of us did a epic road ride on Saturday, a total of 5 of us did 6 1/2hrs and 120 miles. We started in Eugene and road to Monroe via mostly flat roads with a couple good "rollers", about 30 miles, then from there we road counter clockwise around to Alsea and back into Monroe, about 65 miles, then back to Eugene. Legs felt good the entire way, pushed a few of the climbs at about 75% and a couple of the shorter climbs at 100%. Then Sunday I was able to get out with the dogs for a couple hour hike which was nice as it stretched the muscles out.

This week should see the last week in a solid build block, then a rest week after that.

Time to Ride, Richard

A new life

2009-03-04T07:09:00.001-08:00

Some people never thought this would happen :)

Staying well and riding

2009-03-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

The legs are finally starting to come around, mostly because I have been able to avoid being sick. Staying healthy for more than a week at a time can do wonders to your fitness:)

I am starting to look forward to working at Willamette for someone, feeling like the legs will come around in time that I'll be able to do something besides hang on the back of the pack.

Working on a schedule for cyclo-X training for next year, it's less than 200 days away, that is only 6 months! wow time flies when you are having fun and riding your bike.

Of course we have to buy a new house and that might affect some of the training time. Lot's of options out there right now. There is one we really like, just on the edge of town with a bit of property. When I say "we really like" that means I like it a lot and the wife is so-so on it, mostly because the house needs a lot of work. The property is great though, almost 4 acres of prime cx training grounds:)

Trying to be regular about this posting thing, work is keeping me busy, the house hunting, the riding, the working on our existing house to rent it, etc... really affects how often one has time to post stuff.

Time to Ride, Richard

Riding, riding, riding

2009-02-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

just going along and having fun...

a little less

2009-01-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been low key, with work, some travelling and being sick for about 5 days I was forced into a break. Sometimes it's good, back at it though. Felt good on the hills the other night, more snap, and the SS didn't feel like the gear was to big like the last couple times.

This weekend should be good for riding, ACV V is happening, and Sunday I plan to get out and do a longer slow paced endurance ride.

Next week I have to make a trip to Cali for a couple days but I should be able to get a couple long runs in.

What is that strange thing in the sky?

2009-01-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

The Sun!

From MTBR 2009

It made a rare Jan appearance and looks to be here for a week or so.

This past week turned out to be a great rest week, only had a 6 hours on the bike, 1 1/2 hours of walking and 3 1/2 hours of trail work.

Hoping this next block will see the legs start feeling better with the faster pace of the lunch ride and continue also working increasing the endurance with the longer rides.

The mountain bike ride on Saturday was great, here are a couple shots from it.

From MTBR 2009

Slow start to the week

2009-01-08T22:33:00.001-08:00

A little bit of a slow start to the week, the past 2 weeks took a lot out of me and work has been very hectic this week. The parent-in-laws were in town and it was also birthday time for the mother-in-law. So far one 1 hour walk and 2 short rides. I've chalked it up to a semi-rest week, I'll do a big mtb ride on Saturday and a shorter ride and maybe trail work on Sunday then hit it hard again for the next 2-3 weeks.

All for now...

Solid week of riding

2009-01-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

Finally two solid weeks in a row of riding, this past week was really good.

Monday: long walk with the family in the hills, 2 1/2 hrs

Tuesday: Lunch ride, ass handed to me, 1 hr

Tuesday night: Evening ride, 2 hrs on the cross bike around town

Wed: 1 hour walk with the family and then some party time

Thursday: 2 hours mtb ride

Friday: 4 hours mtb ride with plenty of climbing

Saturday: 2 1/2 hours mtb ride with steep climbing

Sunday: rest.... legs tired.

Total time: 15hrs

Legs are tired which is good and it feels good to have tired legs :)

The best part about this past week was the 2 days of riding in 50+ deg in NorCal.

From MTBR 2009

This next week should be 3 lunch rides, two evening rides, full weekend of riding, and a couple walks, total around 18 hours.

Wow, how time flies

2008-12-31T10:23:00.000-08:00

It was a busy year, and not one for much riding for me. All my riding goals and hopes got put off so I could focus on the career for a solid year. Well that is going well now and I am back to riding again. Some recent moves at work have put me into more of a managment position which means I should be home more often, I think last year I was out of town for a total of 194 days, which really cut's into ones riding options, especially when you have to focus on family as well, and trying to do more stuff at work to get a promotion...

Anywase, long story short, I missed Cross this year and it felt bad, I didn't even go to any races because I new it would suck to be a spectator and not racing, at least for me. I have my focus back for next year, I've been doing fairly consistant miles the past month in preperation for starting a more routine training routine.

Yesterday was my first "harder" ride in a while, what I mean by that is faster than I have been going and my legs actually hurt after the ride. Which felt good by the way! went out with a teammate on a lunch ride and even though it was slow for him it felt fast for me, it didn't help that I had spent 4 days riding the moutain bike in the mud and snow doing a lot of climbing but no excuses.

Next up, a trip to NorCal to visit the folks and do some more mountain biking in hopefully sunnier conditions.

Then back for a normal base routine in Jan and Feb, I hope to be in some condition to race at Willamette come the end of April.

If I learned anything from this last year is that I needed a good break from it all, racing, training, promoting, teams, etc... for 10 years straight had taken it's toll and I had lost focus the past couple years. I have reset my priorities and I am ready to take on the next step.

plus now we have a new family member to start taking out for rides:)

Time to Ride,

Richard

a lot of miles to go

2008-06-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a good month of riding and running but I feel like I have a lot to go before cross season starts up again this year. Actually headed out to get my butt kicked at the local crit this week since I am town, odds are in favor of 10 laps (I Hope) before I get dropped or feel the love.

The past weekend was really good, got a solid 75 miles in on the mtb, 50 on Saturday and 25 on Sunday. Legs felt like crap on Saturday but I had to ride the CCP100 course and double check things so I did it and in the end it was good. Sunday I felt much better, ride, trail work, walk, hang out and enjoy the sunshine.

I am getting back into the flow of training with the new job, traveling is settling down, I'm feeling the love for going hard again, and the weight is dropping off.

The more I think about racing Cross the more I love it. Ride and have fun all spring and summer, get the long endurance rides in by riding 50-75 mile mtb rides, doing the crits for fun, get out and run a couple times a week and not worry about the legs and the up-coming road race, go out and ride any time and as much as I want and not feel like shit on the weekend during the road race so I have to taper back the following week to feel better for the next weekend... on and on and on. And best of all I can use the fitness to role into Cross season and have a lot of fun all fall and winter riding and racing my bike.

A couple parting shots from the this past week's of riding...

June 1st

2008-06-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, time to start the build up to cross season. I've been traveling for work a lot but been able to get in some running during the time away. Also been doing a lot of mountain biking this winter and spring.

What's next, well more running, more mountain biking and some local crit racing when I am in town for the weekly intensity. Probably get out on the road bike some more during the week at lunch and in the evening for some good endurance rides. I am going to focus a little more on CX this year, training to do well in both the SS and Mst A's. Last year felt good but after a couple injury set backs it was hard to get going until later in the season.

Someone who is rockin' the bike already this year is my wife, she has been mountain biking non-stop and really enjoying it. Granted she has been riding for years but this is her 3rd year on the SS and she really has embraced it and it has made her a stronger rider. Yesterday on a mtb ride on Bunchgrass she made all but 2 switchbacks, of the 2 she didn't ride I've only seen 1 person ride, and a few that she did ride I've only done them 2 or 3 times and seen only a few others do them.

Still a lot of mtb riding to do this summer, but already looking forward to the CX year and getting out on the Vertigo and tearing it up.

More to come...

still alive

2008-01-26T08:03:00.000-08:00

Check back in late summer as Cyclo-X gets going again. Until then have fun riding your bike.

Thanks for reading, Richard

Thank you for reading

2007-12-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick thanks to all those that looked at this blog throughout the cross season. A little over 3000 unique hits and close to 8000 views, way more, like 7999 more views than I would have thought.

I doubt I'll post much until late summer, maybe 1 or 2 a month to keep the site active, but that will probably just be some mtb pictures and misc ramblings.

Until next time,
Richard

Last race & last post

2007-12-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Until next year.

Physco Cross Series in Eugene in 2008
October 4th
October 18th
November 1st
November 15th

If the Midtown Team and Poplollies do their races that will make for 8, count them, 8 Cyclocross races in the Eugene area next year, we are a lucky group.

Thank You to all the volunteers, sponsors and racers for helping to make the Physco Cross Series for 2007 a great event.

Until next time (which might be a little bit for a post on a cross blog) enjoy your ride.

Time to ride,
Richard

PS> A few pic's from the last race of the year. (you can find more here)

Chris taking the off season off:)

Happy Holiday's

Last chance

2007-12-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

To race in 2007. Physco Cross #4 is on. Course is set, weather is going to be perfect all you have to do is show up.

Give yourself that last little effort in 2007 to send the year off right.

Hope to see you there.
Richard

Physco report Series race #3

2007-12-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

High Temp of the day 37 deg, constant fog until the wind picked up then it dropped to 35 deg, add 5 times across the water feature :) and you got a cross race. 60 hardy soles braved the conditions to race what was described as one of the best race courses of the year. The only thing it lacked was more racers, it had everything else you could want in a cross course.

One of the prize's everyone is shooting for

There is one more chance to race in 2007, Physco Cross Series Race #4, the course will be a little different to change things up and keep it interesting.

Here are some pictures from the day.

The stair case run up or ride up if you could.

Coming through the field

A fast downhill into the water feature

The cold water feature

Palm Trees + swimming pool= racing in tropical like conditions :)

Can't forget the $1 primes

Phsyco Cross Racing #3 in Eugene

2007-12-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

Hello all, Sunday Dec 9th is round #3 in the Phsyco Cross series and it is taking place at Camp Harlow in Eugene. Check out the flier at http://www.obra.org/flyers/2007/psycho_cross.pdf for information categories and race start times.

We have put together a great course with a bit of everything, some pavement, gravel, rough grass, singletrack & sand. It is sure to be fun for everyone to race or watch.

We are in the need of a few volunteers throughout the day so if you can spend a couple hours with us please come on out and lend a hand and cheer at the same time. If you know you will be there send me a note, if you are not sure you can make it but decide on Sunday you can come out that works as well. Just check in at the registration desk and ask for me and I'll get you set-up. Some of us will also be out there on Saturday doing some setup so if you have some time then let me know.

The racing starts at 9:30am, most of the crew will be out there around 8am getting things going, the last race is at 3:00pm and will last until 4:00.

Camp Harlow is just to the north of Beltine Hwy off of Coburg Road, take Coburg Road to Country Farm Road and turn west, follow this for about 1/4 mile and make a turn to the north into Camp Harlow. Parking is in the big field on your left as you get to the camp. If you ride your bike out feel free to make your way around the camp, just please pay attention you don't get on the course and please stay off the nice manicured grass.

If you have any questions or need more information please send me a email or call me at 541-517-0685. Also please feel free to pass this email onto all your friends, part of Cyclocross is the great family atmosphere when everyone gets together to hangout, race and cheer.

Time to Cross,
Richard Sweet
Paul's Bicycle Way of Life Cycling Team

MIA

2007-11-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Or so it seems, it's been a long while since my last posting and I really don't have any valid excuse. Sure, I got hurt, then I got sick, then I got hurt & sick, the work got really busy, then Thanksgiving but I should have kept going, that's the way any real cross racer would do it.
Well I'm back at it, been on the bike fairly consistent the past 2 weeks and I'm ready to race again. Though this time I have to be out of town for work this weekend. So that leaves me two races to go, the last two of the season, the Physco Cross races in Eugene.

I'm looking forward to them, the courses are great, I set them up mostly, the venue is awesome and the weather should finally be perfect for cross, cold and crappy.

I'll try to do some more updates this week, and get back into the swing of things.

thanks for reading, Richard

WinterCross-Dec 9th

2007-11-08T18:44:00.001-08:00

I plan on gps'ing it on Saturday or Sunday, it's going to be a great course.

Richard, Alex and I laid out the WINTERCROSS course today at Camp Harlow. It is the same location as the Tuesday Night Short Cross Series at the end of the summer, but we have gone psycho and included a single-track section all the way on the other side of the creek that runs along the McKenzie River. Don't worry, I cleared away most of the blackberries with my knees and elbows. I'll take you on a lap.

The start is a long straight paved road leading to a big sweeping grass corner that ends in gravel and then dumps back out onto pavement. That fast section leads to a dogleg right that dumps you onto the familiar gravel section that heads towards the back of the property. There is a quick dowhill S and then a hard right onto dirt. An small grass patch left turn leads to a run-up and a short run through the woods back onto the gravel road. The gravel road turns to wood chip and veers right around a barn. There is a bumpy rutted road that leads to a hard right onto a grass path. That path connects with another as you pass another part of the course, and will be able to see riders about a half of a lap up or down. The next grass path leads to a quick right-left under a tree and down a gravel boat ramp. At the bottom of the ramp is a sandy beach. This is where I ran into trouble. If you dismount too soon, you have to break in the sand, if you stay to the right and lay off you r brakes, you can ride right through the worst of it and then dismount in the grass. You have to dismount, because by the banks of the creek you run up onto a trail that leads you back into the woods. Once in the woods, you join a singletrack section that is narrow, fast, and will be muddy. This is the section along the river. On the first few laps, this part was easy, but as I got tired, it became difficult to stay on the very narrow track. After a left-right, there is a hard right where you should dismount. Trust me, there is a log portage around the corner that few will be able to ride over. After that is more singletrack leading to a sharp right. I strongly recommend you carry as much speed around this corner as possible, because there is a run-up around the corner that I was able to ride up on my singlespeed (38x18). At the top it is rocky and slow. Take a right and you are on a gravel road that has many baby-heads and loose rocks that bounce you through the woods.
At the end of the road, there is a sharp left onto a wide grassy gravel path that connects to another gravel road. After a long fast section, you will find yourself trying to make a 180 degree left turn onto more grassy gravel. Shoot through the trees and down a hill, then up a steep hill and a hard left in mud and back down to the right. A short bark section leads to a nice dismount area for the stairs. At the top of the stairs there is a grassy rooted roundabout to the left and downhill on pavement. Take a hard right onto gravel through the woods. I recommend you carry as much speed as you can through this section, because there is a gravel uphill at the end that is rideable. At the top take a sharp right-left and turn onto the gravel roundabout around the picnic area. Down a short gravel hill you will find a tight left with a barrier in it. You can stay off and run through the gravel, or mount and try to ride the baseball-sized rock section that leads to a steep but sh ort uphill. Are you tired yet? At the top of this little hill I was starting to feel it. Take a left on dirt, and right onto a wide gravel road. This leads to a hard right onto grass and some off-camber slippery stuff leading to the sand pit. I could ride about halfway through, and then I began to sink up to my spokes. Take a hard right onto gravel that leads to pavement. Shoot through the woods to the finish, then back onto pavement and a hard left onto grass then back up onto the road where you started. That's one lap of the WINTERCROSS. Ten minutes of pleasure, or pain, depending on how you ride it. See you there Dec 9th.

Sal Collura
Co-Motion Classic Racing

News Worthy

2007-11-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

The dirt on cyclocross

By Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

Published: Tuesday, November 6, 2007

When man bites dog, that’s news. But when bike rides man, well, that’s cyclocross.

Of course, the bikes weren’t actually riding the 82 men and women who competed Saturday in the Fox Hollow Grand Prix in south Eugene.

It just looked that way whenever racers dismounted and shouldered their bikes to hurdle wooden barriers and logs, or to charge up slick slopes too steep to pedal.

Riders in a dozen different age, gender and experience categories rode and ran in the opening event of the four-race “Psycho Cross Series.” Aptly named, considering one has to be a little crazy to do something known for mud (sometimes blood), sweat and tears of frustration over gunked-up gears, hard spills, and flat tires.

Weather and field conditions on a dry, sunny Saturday in Eugene were almost too ideal for ‘cross devotees, many of whom thrive on getting down and dirty.

“Most ‘cross racers would look at this as being not a good day,” said Richard Sweet of Sweet Sports, promoter of the final two races in the Psycho Cross series. “They would rather have mud and stuff like that — it’s kind of what most of us look forward to.”

Still, spectators were having a hoot of a time providing vocal encouragement for the racers.

“C’mon, Bruce, pass that fool!” “Get the gap! Get the gap! Go-go-go!” “C’mon Ken, move it. Move it!”

Cyclocross is generating more fans these days, especially in Oregon, where several world-class riders make their home.

A season-opening race in Portland’s “Cross Crusade” series Oct. 7 drew 1,079 entrants, making it “the largest one-day cyclocross race in the United States,” said Sweet. Since then, “they’ve been averaging over 800 people per race.”

Portland will host the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships (limited to one-speed bicycles) Sunday at the Estacada Timber Bowl. And the U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclocross Dec. 1 and 2 on the grounds of Portland International Raceway will provide riders a chance to qualify for the world championships.

Cyclocross traces its roots to Europe, where bicycle racers in the first half of the 20th century combined biking and cross-country running to add spice to their off-season training regimens.

The first world cyclocross championships were held in France in 1950.

Surprisingly, Eugene once hosted the U.S. cyclocross championships, back when the sport had a very low profile. The year was 1979 and the National Cyclocross Championships were decided around the base of Skinner Butte. More than 40 elite rider/runners started the race, but only 16 finished.

According to The Register-Guard’s account, the race course was such a quagmire that bike tires sank past the rims and several competitors become hypothermic.

“The event gave new meaning to the term ‘grueling,’ ” the newspaper reported.

It was 20 years before a another major cyclocross event was held in Eugene — in 1999 on the Fox Hollow School site.

Jump forward another eight years and Eugene is hosting six “cross exams” this fall — two evening events in September that drew mostly local riders, plus the four-event “Psycho Cross Series” during November and December, which is luring riders from as far away as Bend and Portland.

Saturday’s race and No. 2 in the series — to be held Nov. 24, on a slightly different course on the grounds of Fox Hollow Elementary School — are sponsored by the Midtown Racing Team. Races on Dec. 9 and 15 will be sponsored by a second group of cyclists, the Eugene Racing Team.

Participants can accumulate points in each race that count toward an overall series championship.

The Fox Hollow Grand Prix course, which snakes around the hilly school grounds and along a single track trail through neighboring woods, is just shy of a mile long. As if the natural ups and downs weren’t challenging enough, organizers made sure there were other obstacles.

“We have four different places where you have to dismount your bike unless you are extremely skilled,” said Galen Mittermann, a Eugene engineer in charge of organizing the event for Midtown Racing Team. “We have a section of three wooden barriers, placed close together so you can’t bunny-hop them, a large log in the middle of the woods that has to be cleared, and two different run-ups, which are short steep sections that force people to get off ...

“And there’s lots of slick grass and switchbacks, and some off-camber sections along the side of a hill — it requires a fair amount of skill just to maneuver the course,” Mittermann said.

Paul Shrikey of Corvallis, who was competing in his first cyclocross, described the course as tough but fun.

“It’s basically a criterium — really short and fast laps — only off-road,” he said. “The hardest part for me was the triple jump (barriers) followed by up the hill and across the curbs ... just maintaining through all that was hard. The best part was the single track through the forest. That was a lot of fun.”

Meanwhile, perhaps fueled by the popularity of mountain-biking, which requires similar skills, cyclocross continues to catch on with Oregon bicyclists who find the sport an interesting change of pace from road and mountain bike racing.

The rules of cyclocross allow riders to use up to three different bicycles during a race. In muddy conditions, a clean bike can weigh as much as 20 pounds less than one caked with mud, so elite competitors might switch bikes each time they pass the designated “pit” area, where their crews are busy cleaning and oiling bikes.

Another unusual aspect of cyclocross is that the length of the race is based upon elapsed time rather than covering a pre-determined distance or number of laps. Race organizers set a base time period, such as 40 minutes or an hour, then ring a bell signifying one more lap to go when the leader passes the start/finish line after the pre-set time has elapsed.

Saturday’s races ranged from base times of 15 minutes for the “Kiddie Cross” to 60 minutes for the Men’s A division, which includes the most -skilled riders.

Any cycle is legal in cyclocross — road bike, mountain bike, or even unicycle.

“Whatever turns your wheels,” said Mittermann.

But serious ‘cross riders outfit themselves with special cyclocross bikes that provide extra clearance for brakes and other key components that tend to get caked with mud.

Some bikes even feature crossbars with flat bottoms, which don’t dig into the shoulder like a regular rounded crossbar does when it’s the bike’s turn to ride the man.

hard times

2007-11-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a hard few weeks, first the crash at Horning's Hideout that ended in Stitches in the knee which then turned into an infection in the knee and now has morphed into a stomach problem. The doctor took blood today, thinks the stomach thing could have something to do with taking the antibiotics for the infected knee, from getting the stichtes from the crash at Horning's. Can you tell I'm bummed out! I hoping to figure something out so I can get back on the bike and finish off the cx season. Right now my plans for this coming weekend, the SS World CX race, are up in the air.

We had the Fox Hollow Grand Prix this past Saturday in Eugene, of which Midtown Racing did and excellent job. Of course I was only able to be there for about 1 1/2hrs before heading home and back to bed. 78 total riders from what I hear.

I'm starting to wonder if we actually have Cross Racers in this state or just Cross Crusaders. Groves of people flock to the Cross Crusade week after week, but put on another cross race in the state and you would think it was a dying sport. I like the Cross Crusade and think the do a excellent job but it's defianlty not the only race around. If you fancy yourself a cross racer maybe you should get out and try a few other races. No Excuses and No Whining about having to drive to a race either, all of us Eugene, Bend and So. Oregon folks drive 2+ hours for almost every race in the state, road, mountain or cross. I know I could go on and on here, though it probably wouldn't do any good, people are going to do what they do and until they make the decision to go try another cross race on their own nothing is going to change. That's alright, for us who are willing to travel it's easy points, well not so easy as some of the best racers live outside of Portland and go to these other races.

Well you have three more chances to visit Eugene and do some more cross racing. Nov 24th, Dec 9th & dec 15th. Come on down and give it a try, trust me we don't bite... to hard :)

Fox Hollow Grand Prix

2007-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

Are you ready? this is going to be a fun race. The Midtown Cycling Team is promoting the Fox Hollow Grand Prix this Saturday. They did two races out at the same location last year and are doing two this year. Each race is going to be it's own race for prizes but they are part of the Psycho Cross series for points, races #1 & #2.

A run up

Profile of the course

It will challenge you in every way, your bike handling, power, descending, side hill, bumpy grass and running. Galen has put together a great course that will suit pretty much everyone at some point. It's a hard course but has good flow to it and is fun, everything a cross race should be.

The fun singletrack section is back

We got a first hand look at it last night and I was able to GPS it.
Start in the middle of the field, then go CCW.

A kids race for all ages

Race Schedule for Fox Hollow Grand Prix
9:00 am course open for warmup
10:00 am Men Beginners, Men C, Men Jr, Men Masters 50+, Men Masters C 35+ (45 minutes)
11:00 am Single Speed, Men Masters B 35+, Men Masters A 35+ (50 minutes)
12:00 pm Women B, Women Masters 35+, Women Masters 45+, Women Jr (45 minutes)
1:00 pm course open for warmup (25 minutes)
1:15 pm Kiddie Cross (15 minutes)
1:30 pm Men B, Women A (50 minutes)
2:30 pm Men A (60 minutes)

The Psycho Cross Pseries

2007-10-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Eugene Cyclocross Racing is proud to present The Psycho Cross Pseries. The race series kicks off this weekend and includes 4 events in the Eugene area.

November 3^rd: Fox Hollow Grand Prix, Psycho Cross Pseries #1
November 24^th: Fox Hollow Grand Prix, Psycho Cross Pseries #2
December 9^th: WinterCross at Camp Harlow, Psycho Cross Pseries #3
December 15^th: Jingle Bell Cross at , Psycho Cross Pseries #4, and Holiday Party at Track Town Pizza

The categories will include the following:
> Category A $TBD cash 5 deep
> Category B $TBD value
> Category C $TBD value
> Masters 35+ Cat. A $TBD value 5 deep
> Masters 35+ Cat. B $TBD value 5 deep
> Masters 35+ Cat. C $TBD value 5 deep
> Masters 50+ $TBD value 5 deep
> Junior Men $TBD value 5 deep
> Junior Women $TBD value 5 deep
> Women A $TBD cash 3 deep
> Women B $TBD value 5 deep
> Beginner Women Swag/Primes
> Women Masters 35+ $TBD value 5 deep
> Women Masters 45+ $TBD value 5 deep
> Beginner Swag/Primes
> Kiddie Kross Race Ribbons for all!
> Single Speed TBD & Swag
> Team relay, $TBD Value

Must be 5 people in each race for it to count towards the series overall.

We will be having two separate kids races, ages 7 & under and 8 – 12, with separate course for each age group. Prizes and medals for all participants.

We will also be having a team relay race, this is a 3 lap race in the middle of the day, with 3 riders (doesn’t matter on category) each doing 1 lap. We have a special award for the series fastest team.

Prizes are still being worked out and our online flyer will reflect the changes as they occur.

See if you can win the Mad Crosser prize, a fun scavenger hunt in the Eugene/Springfield area. The Mad Crosser will be releasing clues at each race, if you put all the pieces together you will be entered into the drawing for a special prize.

The last two races will be a fund raiser for Toy’s For Tot’s and you will receive a $2 discount on your entry fee for bringing a toy. Please help us by donating a great toy for this great cause.

All the races are open to any bike that can handle a little off-road action, and the venues are perfect for bringing the family out for a BBQ and spectating of the races. So grab your friends and family and come on out and have some fun, race in your race and hang out for the day or just come cheer everyone on. Bring a bell or other noise making device and help everyone around the course. Part of cross is everyone cheering on the sidelines.

After the last race we would like invite everyone down to Track Town Pizza for the awards and end of season Eugene Holiday Cycling Party. Even if you don’t race Cross come on and down and have a good time, the party is open to all cyclists. Track Town Pizza will be having specials on food and beer (or other drinks if you’re under 21) for everyone. Party start’s at 6pm Saturday night, awards sometime later that evening.

Our online flyer will be posted on www.obra.org soon for more information, if you have any question’s feel free to drop me an email.

Your friendly Eugene Cyclocross Racing team,
Sal Collura
Richard Sweet
Damien Kruziki
Lou Swing
Mike Ripley
Alan Ott
With help from the Midtown Cycling Team and Eric & Kari Kytola (kids race promoters)

updates, working, training

2007-10-25T09:59:00.001-07:00

It's been a few days since I've been able to get in front of the confuser to do any type of update, mostly do to work. I've been on the road covering for my boss since he's out on vacation. It makes for a lot of driving and sitting doing nothing.

A day out of the office for me, seeing what I have designed and built getting installed.

Won't be racing this weekend, instead heading over to central Oregon for some camping and hanging with friends. Probably do a little riding as well. Here are some pictures of previous adventures.

Next up for the Cross Crusaders is the Halloween Race out at Astoria. It's a new venue so it should be intersting to what kind of course gets put together. It should be fun with all the costumes and partying going on.2006 Flying M Halloween Cross

2006 Flying M Halloween Cross

Our Eugene race series is coming together great, The Physco Cross Pseries is going to be a 4 race series including the Fox Hollow Grand Prix. Flyer is almost done and will be online soon.

Good Luck

2007-10-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say good luck to all those raceing tomorrow, go fast and suffer and have fun.

A couple good interviews over at Velo News
Jonathan Page
Sven Nys

Crusade #3 Race Notes

2007-10-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Posted by BWitty at the Cross Crusade Forums, looks like a great course, and it's going to be muddy. Still bummed I won't be there :(

1) No alcohol

2) Park in designated places only (see map below).

3) No course pre-ride on Saturday please.

4) If you are changing categories, make sure you get a new race number (they are coded to your category).

4) Have fun.

coming out of the fog

2007-10-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's not looking like it's going to be so dry this year at the Fox Hollow Grand Prix

It's been a long & painful week not being able to do much, no bike rides, no walks, no runs, and I've been Mr.Ahole around the house and work. Amazing what happens when you don't get that release that the body and mind are so used to.

Last night I spent some time getting the fixie back together, getting the fenders put on it, and setting it up so I could use it for commuting again. I've spent the better part of the past 3 months commuting on the Vertigo Cross Bike to get used to the feeling of it, and the fact it is such a FUN BIKE to ride.

Do you recognize anyone?

Speaking of bikes, talking to Sean at Vertigo and a few other builders, if you are going to want a cross bike for next years CX season you better get on it now. Talking to these guys & gals, they say so many people call up 2 weeks before the season starts hoping to get a new bike. It just isn't possible. It seems most builders are a minimum of 6 weeks, and that's if you are lucky, most are upwards of 1 year or more. So get on it and get your dream bike going.

Next weekend is a campout with a bunch of friends called Barbie Camp, if you've never been you don't know what you are missing.

A little mud at the 2nd race last year, let's hope for more this year

Next race for me will be the Fox Hollow Grand Prix in Eugene but that is two weeks away and between now and then it's time to get some quality training in on the cross bike. The following day will be the Barton Park race which I've never done but heard so much about. Then it's the World's Weekend and it's shaping up to be a very fun event from the sounds of it. Still not sure how many races I'll do that day, thinking the normal SS race and then the Worlds SS race. Right now there is only 27 riders signed up, should be more by race day but supposed registration cut-off is Nov 8th, which means no day of race registration.

bumming out

2007-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Took a couple days off because of the small injury to the knee, you know follow the doctor's orders as close to possible. The problem is that the would some how got infected on Tuesday and now I am on antibiotics. The knee swelled up to twice it's normal size, got red and painful. Which of course has kept me off the bike for another couple days. Best case scenario at this point is that I can get on the bike as early as Saturday, which really bums me out for thinking I could race on Sunday at Rainier. I might just have to call it and say no race and just go for a ride here in Eugene. The real bummer of the deal is if I do that I won't race again until Nov 3rd at the Fox Hollow Grand Prix.

Crusade Song

2007-10-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Skip Jones

Rainier High School

2007-10-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

So many options, let's hope for mud!

Good Weekend, Bad Luck

2007-10-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

A good Sign?

All in all it was a good weekend, got some mountain biking in, got some racing in, got some family time in.

Saturday was a day of mountain biking at Browns Camp, we actually road on the Storey Burn Side, a fun ride with some new trail (to me) and great weather.

A little mountain biking

Sunday was Cross Crusade's Hornings Hideout, a very up & down race course, with some bumpy fields, fast gravel descents, twisty sections & numerous short ups. What was missing though was the infamous Six Pack???

At all the races, Chris King, serving hot coffee, cider & tea

I got there pretty early in the morning after dropping the wife off at her class for the day and had some time to check out the course, watch some of the other races and walk my dogs before having to even thing about getting ready. It truly is a neat scene when you can take the chance to take it all in.

One of the many climbs

I got warmed up and ready for the race as usual. The start of the race was a 150 yard or so uphill sprint. Pretty good start as it strung it out before heading out to a challenging course. I got a pretty good start, about 7th going into the trail right in line with the group. The course was pretty fast even with all the twist & turns, ups & downs. First lap I went back and forth with a couple guys and finally got up to about 4th or 5th position. I was going pretty good but felt that I could go faster and figured I better if I was going to get up to the front. I came around a couple guys just after the pit and put the hammer down. John from Webcyclery was able to stay on my wheel and we headed off. I came around a hard 160 degree right hander, a little slick mud with gravel on the top, and washed out the bike. I was pretty quick and it took a few seconds to stop sliding, couple guys passed me, I hopped up, jumped on the bike and took off in chase. Something was wrong, rear brake lever was not there, it got twisted around the inside of the bar, and my back wheel was dragging. I stopped, twisted the lever back, tried to fix the brake and was off, loosing about 60 seconds or so and getting passed by 6-8 ss'ers. I finally got going and start bringing people back, but the back brake was dragging and my brake lever was getting looser on every section.

I came around with two laps to go and had figured I was back into the top 10-12 riders, I could see the guys I had been with about 1 section in front of me. I set out in chase and went through the Pit area, a really bumpy off camber corner and the brake lever felt like it was going to fall off. I couldn't even pull it to slow down. I tried twisting it up to tighten it, kept going, went through the lower fields, also very bumpy, and the lever kept getting worse. Got through the run up, and the next couple of sections, came into the pit area on the top side and almost lost it with no back brake now. I rolled the barriers, through the finish and stopped with 1 lap to go. I had almost went down really hard and had no rear brake now, let alone not being able to pull up on the lever/bar for the climbing.

Off to get the bike fixed and the open gash on my right knee.

Mst A race start, I was ready for some more racing, kind of ready for hard fast race. I wasn't as concerned about start position as the field was smaller. I got about mid pack, which was a hard place to start as it goes so slow.

I worked at moving up, and could see the front of the pack just about 150 meters or so in front of me going into the lower fields. I took some chances, made some good passes and was moving forward. Came through the finish about 20 or so seconds off the front. Back through the course, more passing and moving up, go through the pit area and just pass it about 50 feet and I drop my chain. Don't forget, I'm racing my SS here. I stop, put it back on pretty quick and get going again. Down to the lower fields and almost back to the group I had just passed. Drop chain again! back on, 20 seconds loss. Get going, drop chain again. WTF! I put it back on, get going and no problem, I run the couple easy climbs to keep from dropping it again. Get back to the pit, tighten everything up, get going, probably 1 1/2 minutes off the pace now, but not dead last yet. I get going, start bringing people back, here comes Adam Craig, I've been lapped! I get to the lower fields and WHAM, dropped chain, onto the top tube I go, SMASH! onto the ground and I am in a lot of pain. I sit there for a second, wind knocked out of me, painful you know where, a couple folks run over to help, I must have looked in pain as they just grabbed the bike and started helping, giving me that "are you okay" look.

Back on the bike, chain really loose, I soft pedal my way back to the pit, fix the chain, again. Do a lap half ass and grab my pit wheels on my way back through and call it a day. At least I made it 35 minutes and did get a couple good laps in.

I pack up, headed out, picked up the wife, who informs me if I want the gash on my leg to heal I'll be going to Urgent Care in Eugene for some stitches.

The Medic cleaned it after my 1st race, then I raced again and...

1 /12 hrs after getting to Urgent Care and it's all back together,
not much only 3 stitches, but it painful this morning.

The good about the weekend, legs are still coming around and feeling stronger each week, I had a lot of fun in Portland, hanging out and riding with a couple guys on Saturday, and racing on Sunday.

Next up is Rainer, word on the street is that it's a flatter course, though no one new for sure. I guess I'll see next week. At least we are finally getting some more rain and hopefully the race will be more of Cross Race than a Crit race on Dirt.

Welcome to the Weekend

2007-10-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well almost, it's 7:30am on Friday morning but close enough to be considered the weekend for me. We leave this afternoon for a weekend up in Portland.

It's been a good week for resting and training, two really good rides this week, 1 good run and some good rest. It's all for the weekend at Hornings Hideout.

This Saturday I'm going to join some friends up in Portland and mountain bike the Browns Camp area. It's been almost a year since I was there and I hear there are some new trails to check out. If you want to go for a mountain bike ride send me a email. Then it's time to hang out, maybe swing by Hornings on the way back and see if there is anything set up or that I can do to help.

Sunday is the big day Race #2, still kind of curious what is in store for us for a course. The weather forecast is showing more & more sunshine which is kind of a bummer. I was really hoping that Battle of Barlow would be a good sign and we would get some good old fashioned mud cross racing for the season. With it being so dry I'm guessing the course is going to be pretty fast, maybe they put some more hills into it and make it nice and hard.

The following week is Raineer Highschool, never been there so I might try to drive up there and check out the area on Saturday afternoon if I have the time.

Found this video over on the Cross Crusade Chat board, it's of one of the fun corners last year at Hornings Hideout, lot's of good crashes.

New Video of Cross Crusade #1 Aplenrose by Crank My Chain

What's New

2007-10-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

On the New front in Eugene: A new Cross Series is born, name tbd, dates are Dec 9th & Dec 15th. More info will follow in the next two weeks as we get it worked out. The goal, make Cyclocross racing very popular in Eugene and have a lot of fun doing it.

Some curvey double track, it could be muddy this year!

Also New if you didn't notice, I'm trying to link all the pictures I know about, if I am missing anything let me know. It's on the right over there ---->

Cross Crusade 6 pack, it was right after the start and took more than one person out

New weather forecast, Rain? maybe, maybe not, Roseburg was sunny and warm yesterday. Portland looked to be wet but I heard it was only light showers. Eugene was dry until it got dark then it rained for a little bit.

Rumor has it this longer climb won't be there???

What does this mean, well for Cross Crusade #2 it's hard to say. Hornings Hideout is closer to the coast than Alpenrose, it's also more in the trees. The website mentions a "new course" what does that mean? I've heard all kinds of rumor's floating around, but I can guarantee you it won't be flat. Last year the course had to change between the B/SS race and the last two races do to and accident. They had to take out the long run up and fast descent as someone hit a tree on the descent and had to be Life Flighted out.

Never a good sign!

The area is pretty diverse but is defiantly hilly, even a super flat course will be twice as hilly as Alpenrose. There is a lot of singletrack and winding through trees as well, some large grass fields to play with, gravel roads & steep run up options. I don't remember any pavement in the area.

a tricky run-up

The real question is "will it be muddy" with the current forecast I would say no, but knowing some of the area around Hornings is in deep forest we might get lucky and find some deep sticky mud to play in. I for one am hoping for something more challenging that Alpenrose was, it was a fun course but it was fast like a crit.

5 day forecast for North Plains, Oregon from Accuweather.com
Wednesday, Oct 10
High: 60 °F RealFeel®: 58 °F
Cloudy most of the time with a passing shower
Wednesday Night, Oct 10
Low: 41 °F RealFeel®: 46 °F
A passing evening shower; otherwise, partly cloudy

Thursday, Oct 11
High: 63 °F RealFeel®: 64 °F
Considerable cloudiness
Thursday Night, Oct 11
Low: 41 °F RealFeel®: 45 °F
Considerable cloudiness

Friday, Oct 12
High: 67 °F RealFeel®: 66 °F
Periods of clouds and sunshine
Friday Night, Oct 12
Low: 40 °F RealFeel®: 40 °F
Mostly clear

Saturday, Oct 13
High: 64 °F RealFeel®: 65 °F
Partly sunny
Saturday Night, Oct 13
Low: 43 °F RealFeel®: 41 °F
Partly cloudy

Sunday, Oct 14
High: 65 °F RealFeel®: 63 °F
Mostly cloudy
Sunday Night, Oct 14
Low: 45 °F RealFeel®: 38 °F
Rain

A dry, very dry day at Alpenrose Cross Crusade

2007-10-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

The SS Line Up

Dry it was, very dry, especially compared to last weekend at the Battle of Barlow, we even had rain most of the week. They say there were 1048 racers, with 175 women out there, and I think the lower categories were some of the biggest.

The SS Start

I raced the SS race, I had a good start, 4th or 5th going in the course, and felt okay. The first lap is always a sprint and with the lack of racing this year for me this one really hurt. I settled into a rhythm but just felt like I was going slower rather than faster with each pedal stroke. I felt like I was doing the technical challenges really well but I wasn't recovering. I was sitting in 6th position and pretty much alone for most of the middle two laps of the race. 2 1/2 laps to go and two guys were able to catch up to me. I tried to sit on their wheels to try and recover but then I started to really fall apart. I had a couple bobbles, missed a turn, screwed up the stair case and had to chase back on each lap. I could see it was another 15-20 seconds to the guy behind me and I decided to let the two in front go and concentrate on not blowing up with 1 lap to go and really loosing a lot of places. I think the last lap was my best lap of the entire race, I felt great, hit all the challenges just right and finished strong.

The Six Pack

Overall it was about the same performance I had last year, yet I finished 1 place lower in 8th (same as last week), but physically and technically it felt the same. Which with the way I finished the season last year (taking silver at the District Championship) is a good feeling, it should peak me just in time for Worlds and District's again.

A hard left hander

I also started the Mst A race, I intentionally started in the back so I could practice the passing and get the feeling of having more people around me on the course. so many times when I start I am in the front 10 or so riders that if something happens it's nice to have the experience of having to pass other riders and deal with not being able to take the fastest lines. I only raced for 35 minutes before pulling out, part of it was I was about done the other part was I got a really bad vibe from another racer. We were in the back 1/2 of the race, around 35-45 position, and he felt like he had to be aggressive enough to try to force me out of a line from behind. Sorry but if you are coming up from behind and are not lapping a rider than you need to pass on your own and not expect the rider in front of you to move. we had some words, he was mad and then road aggressive for a bit. A real bad way to show other riders how to have fun, the way I figure it if you can't have fun out there then why are you out there?

Anywase, I had fun for the day, drove up with some friends, saw lot's of other friends, had a good race and enjoyed the experience. Next up it Hornings Hideout.

A lot of car's

Also handed the camera off to a teammate and he got some good pictures, I've uploaded them to the Picasa web album feel free to download them if you want.

The end of the day

Crank My Chain Video of the day

T'was the night before CrossCrusade

2007-10-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

T'was the night before CrossCrusade, when all through the house not acreature was stirring, not even a mouse. The tubulars were all stretched andglued with great care in hopes that a podium finish soon would be near.

Crusaders were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of leg searingrun-ups danced in their heads.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed tosee what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

When, what to my wondering eyes shown in the light, But an orange & greenChariot, led by eight shiny Knights.

With a dastardly old driver, so conniving and cross, I knew in a moment thatit must be Brad Ross. And sitting beside him looking all prim and petty wasthat devilish course designer, that plump Brian Witty

More rapid than Trebon & Wicks his coursers they came, and he whistled, andshouted, and called them by name!

"Now Raynak! now, Potestio! now, Slingsby and Splinter!On, Candi! On, Terri! on, Humberston! and Meyers!To the top of the barrier! to the top of the wall!Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves behind the wild pack do fly, when they meet with an obstacle,they leap to the sky. So over the run-up the coursers they raged, haulingRoss and Witty with their chariot and Swag.

And then, once again, I heard such a clatter the Cow Bells and screaming ofeach cross crusader.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around, through the front door thatWitty came with a bound.

He was dressed all in chain maul, from his head to his foot, and his armorwas all tarnished with Alpenrose mud, and Barton park soot.A bundle of Swag he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler,just opening his pack.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old Knight, And I laughed when I sawhim, in spite of my plight! He spoke not a word, but went straight to hiswork, handing out McTarnahans to all, then turned with a jerk. With a waveof a beer and a smile on his face he gave a big nod and took off for therace.

He sprang to his chariot, to his team gave a kick, and away they all flewlike on the legs of Kevin Hulick.

But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he raced out of sight, "Happy Cross Crusade toall, and to all a good-night!"

Good Luck tomorrow Crusaders!
John Wilson

Read it.

2007-10-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

The Brooke Hoyer Interview

Ready, set, GO!

2007-10-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much time you can spend getting ready for Cross compared to road or mountain, especially when you compare the getting ready:racing percentage. Ya' I spend time getting ready for racing on the road, or mountain bikes, stage races are the worst of it for road though, getting everything ready for 3-4 day's of racing, all the bikes, the gear, lodging, food, etc... but Cross is all about getting stuff together for usually only 1hr of racing. You can be prepared for anything, notice I said can? Sure you don't have to but for me it's half the fun of racing CX. Getting all the right stuff, the different gear options, etc... So do what you need to and keep it fun.

So what do you do to get ready? For me it's about having choices.

Some essential CX gear for me besides the Bike & Race clothing.

COWBELLS!

Rubber boots or waterproof shoes

Pop-up Canopy

Chair

Warm dry clothes for hanging out and watching in afterwards

Dry clothes for the drive home

Trainer (sure is nice to warm up and stay dry)

Pump

Spare shoes & helmet

extra parts, tubes, chain's, etc...

Tools

A couple large towels for cleaning up and drying off with

Garbage bags, the large hefty sack kind

A large waterproof tub to put stuff in, it's nice to put wet clothes in, dirty stuff, greasy parts, etc... to keep your car from getting all funky.

It all comes down to this

Photo by Ted Turner at Cross Crusade Alpenrose

Alpenrose Course

2007-10-03T09:25:00.001-07:00

Through the Velodrome in 06'

So what do the Crusader's have in mind for us this year? One thing for sure is they have ordered up the mud for the series kick off race.

Breaking down the area, keep in mind I have only raced there three times and it has been different each race but had some of the same features each time.

Barrier's (I'm in front of Carl:) it wasn't for long)

The run up to the back side of the velodrome, usually with a hard left hand turn into it always seems to force you off the bike in a awkward position. Some people were riding it last year but it was dry, I don't think it will happen this year.

Last year we did a fun split stair case, not hard but interesting.

The year before when it was wet there was a long mud stretch below the parking area that by the end of the day was turning into wet cement.

Some fun dirt mounds

The stretch down the back side of the velodrome is fast and usually presents passing problems. A lot of people go pretty slow through there and if you can hold some speed you may get held up.

There is usually some tricky climb out of the velodrome followed by some off camber grassy slopes. Some more chicanes and a couple fast pavement sections. I would call the course flat but at the same time it's not to hilly either. Also don't forget about the famous Cross Crusade 6 pack and the great crowds!

The Edge update

2007-10-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've had the Garmin Edge 305 since May 14th and had to send it back for 2 weeks at the beginning of September. I got it back beginning of last week, actually a brand new unit. The old one just kept shutting off randomly...

I used it for my first cx race this past weekend at Barlow, some intersting data to use for future training. See the HR, Elev and Google shots below.

Map of Battle at Barlow CX race course

Heart rate for Race

Elevation profile for race

Trying to train for Cross is hard, trying to duplicate a race effort is difficult to mimic. Looking at my past training session it was interesting how different the HR graphs were. It seemed the race was up to a effort and maintained. While in practice it looks like it was up & down, even reaching a higher peak.

CX training Loop

Profile for training loop

HR for training loop (trying to follow Joel)

So what to do the day before a CX race. The coaches mostly tell you that you should duplicate something similar in time with a few of the same type of efforts. I like to do that and it seems to work well for me. I have a couple favorite routes close by that are in the 20-30 mile range, include some dirt, some climbing and some flatter cruising pavement.

Pre-race ride Elev profile

Pre-race ride HR (soemthing didn't record right: Max of 235?)

It's a lot of data to soak in and truth be told I am not sure how much of it I will use, I like to ride my bike and not be to constrained to specific routines. It keeps it fun and I tend to get what I need in and it works for me.

The total numbers on the Edge since May 14th are pretty cool, minus about 2 weeks with around 250 miles of rides.

Road Miles: 21%
Mtb: 68%
Cross Bike: 11%

Total Hours: 225 hrs
Total miles: 2,745
Total Elev Gain: 178,299

I've speant more time on the mtb this year than the past few. Years past I've shown around 3500-4k in total miles for the entire year, mostly road though. It should be intersting to see the numbers at the end of 1 year of use.

New toys

2007-10-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually a big WW but if you can get good parts and they are light weight and will hold up to the abuse of cross then I say go for it. I did a fork swap yesterday, 385 gram's lighter, also new rear wheel with different spokes at 80g less. Next up is the new WI TI BB, another 150g off the bike. The bike is getting there :)

BTW: Old fork for sale $100

Are you Ready?

2007-10-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Cross Crusade

The Battle at Barlow

2007-10-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say? It was a first for me at this venue, it was the first mud bath of the year, it was a first for so many crashes and a first at the Widmer Brewery:)

The Course: The course was good, it had pretty everything you could want in a CX course. Pavement, mud, fast grass, mud, chicanes, mud, fast down muddy downhill, mud, nasty run-up, mud, fast gravel, & more mud...

The bike: The Vertigo performed perfectly, it was the first test in the mud and I had no problems with clearance. Plenty of room for the mud to clear.

The Tires: OH THE TIRES. This is where the biggest mistake of the day was made. I ran a Dugast in the back and Tufo Flexus on the front. I crashed at least 10 times the first lap, loosing a lot of time. As I got to the pit I pulled in and put the Mud on the front and took off. No more problems, well except for being close to the back of the pack.
The Report: I got a pretty good warm up by walking the course, and getting 20 minutes on the trainer. Got a good position at the start and had a good start. came into the first real corner and felt my front end slipping away, foot out, and back at it. Next corner same thing but wasn't able to save it, down I go. It went that way most of the first lap, I was able to keep the lead group in site but then we got past the stair run up and into some really bad slop. I lost the bike 6-8 times in the next 1/4 mile until we got back to the start area. By then the lead group was a good 3oo-400 meters in front of me. I set out to chase only to crash a couple more times. I finally got to the pit and forced myself to make the wheel change. It felt like it took forever to change the wheel, probably 30-40 seconds. (note to self: set the quick release up next time) Back on the bike and chasing now, working my way through the back of the B field and the SS's that had passed me. Coming down the hill towards the stairs, guy in front of me goes down, I go over his bike without crashing. Off the bike, over the barriers, and then Wham! somebody slams into me from the back. He hit me hard enough to knock the wind out of me. I made it up the stairs and felt my back tighten up. I backed off thinking this is it. I made it to the finish area, and almost stopped but then convinced myself to try and to turn the race into a positive instead of a negative. I set out again chasing and made it back up a few places by the end. At the finish I figured I was top ten, looks like 8th by the results. The last lap went pretty good I caught and passed 2 SS's and had a pretty flawless lap.

Overall a good experience, and a lot learned. I have some Edge Data to upload for the course, I left the download cable at my office though and woke up this morning feeling sick so staying home today. Also a shout out to my teammates, Lou in his first real Cross Race doing the B's, and Damien racing with me in the SS field and getting 5th place.

Next week: Alpenrose and the first Cross Crusade, it won't be so easy for everyone next week!

Thanks to ratspike for a couple of the pictures.

Practice makes perfect

2007-09-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Another night of practice, this time with Lou and Damien. Good fun with plenty of fast session's and good practice on Side Hills, Fast Dismounts, run-ups, stairs, singletrack, etc... It's good to have some other fast guys along for the ride as it really forces me to push it as well. When I look at the data and see the HR chart for a training ride is similar to a race I know I got a good ride in.

We were talking last night how great it is to have a CX bike, it's defiantly the best of both worlds when it comes to bikes. You have the option to do pretty much any type of dirt you want except for the gnarliest of big drop's, plus you have the agility and speed of the road bike for getting around. Besides a few mtb rides on my MTB over the past month since getting my new Vertigo CX bike I've been 100% on the CX bike and having fun.

Also Brooke has a good write up over at his blog on Erik Tonkin's & the rest of the Kona crew's bikes.

Good run

2007-09-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Had a great run last night in the hills, felt good and had fun. I kind of mixed it up little bit with some sprint repeats. Also finally got my Garmin Edge back, it's so cool to see the info afterwards.

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:18:58
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:08:46
Distance (mi ) 5.38
Moving Speed (mph) 4.7 avg. 11.5 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +606 / -606

Another day

2007-09-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well the cold is almost gone, Hood River came and went and I am now registered for the Single Speed Worlds. It looks like Tim Jones took the first big race of the year for the SS'ers. Tim had a good season last year, so I am sure he will be a competitor throughout the season this year.

Looks like my first race will be Alpenrose, I had a good race there last year dispite a couple of crashes. It's a good fast course depending on how wet it is and the route. I liked the stairs and fast singletrack downhill last year, going in and out of the velodrome was pretty cool as well.

Other news, keep an eye out for some more CX races to be coming from the Eugene area.

Also at VeloNews

Sick as a dog

2007-09-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

that's it, just a nasty cold to take you out for a few days. Hood River is looking less & less likley now.

Injuries, sick, racing

2007-09-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night presented part 2 of the Eugene Short Cross series. I had changed to a larger gear which I was hoping would help. The organizers added a nice new feature in a Sand Pit and changed the course a little bit. Still fast and flat, but with a longer carry section with the Sand Pit proceeded by a 2-pack barrier.

The Mst race started out pretty good with a few fights for position, I finally got to the front and put in a hard effort to pull a couple guys away from the field. Half way through the 2nd lap I was alone and gaining time. I did a stupid move and kind of back off thinking, I need to save some energy for the next race. Well in that move Chris was able to bridge up to me and get on my wheel. He sat there for most of the 2nd lap and the 3rd lap coming by on a flat section at the start of the 4th lap. I should have tried to drop him on the 3rd lap, I should have never backed off, but I did. So on the 4th lap I put in a few attacks knowing he could probably get me on the flat field back to the finish. Sure enough he did. It was a good race and it was good to have the competition, I made some mistakes but Chris is also a very strong rider and smart racer.

The SS race started out pretty good, I followed one wheel onto the first gravel section and then got by him before going into the singletrack. Coming out of the Singletrack I stood to sprint and felt this awful cramp go down the inside of my right leg, I back off for a second got behind Geof Guber and tried to relax it. Well there is no relaxing in a CX race, I eased up a little more without much luck. Got to the Sand Pit and tried to run with the cramp just getting worse. I came through the start/finish area and rolled to a stop in pain. It felt more like a muscle pull than anything else and it was perrty hard to walk.

Not sure what happen exactly, not enough cool down, running through the sand, not enough warm up, etc... I got a ride home from a friend, iced it and took some Iburprofen. I woke up in the morning feeling a lot better, went for a short mtb ride last night and everything seems to be fine. Which more than likely points to a cramp and not a muscle pull, which makes me happy and reminds me I need to stretch more.

This morning is another day and now I feel like I have a cold! seems to be going around.

Next up, Hood River.

Changing Gears

2007-09-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Spent this past weekend mountain biking, well more like relaxing in the woods having fun with friends. We've been so busy lately with all the camping and summer activities it felt great to just relax, ride my bike a little bit, paddle the canoe, do some hiking and a little running. It was a nice change of gear compared to the go go go go weekends of the past 2 months.

Sometimes things happen for a reason and when my pedal broke at the start of the ride on Sunday I was more than happy to call it a day and get back to camp. Though now I need to send in my pedals, good thing I have a few pairs.

Back in town and tonight was a night to get tubies finally on, I've done the whole 3 coat's over 3 days thing and it was finally time to put rubber to metal. They went on pretty good, except for the rear tire which has one spot a little off. This is only my 5th set of tires ever glued and it seems about the same each time, my guess is if I did 3-4 at one time it would help me learn it a little better. They are on though and they are holding well and tomorrow night is going to be a good test with them.

Another change of gears is on the bike, last week I felt under geared for the races. So I talked to our team sponsor White Industries about a different chain ring. They make a 32, 34, 36, 38 & 44. I have a 34, 38 & 44 and was thinking a 40 or 42 would be a good option. Well Lynette came through for me and next thing you know I have new chainring to test.

So with a change of gears on several different fronts I am pretty much only thinking cross now. Tomorrow will be a good test for the tires, the gear, the legs and the mind.

Cowbells

2007-09-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

I was hearing cowbells while sleeping last night, Ah' Sweet Dreams :) So down to the local Feed Store (Coastal Farm) and the choices were good.

Online check out Cowbells.com

You can even ring them if you want.
Small
Large
Mega (my favorite)
Bessie Bell
The rest of them

In the news. CyclingNews #1 CyclingNews #2

CSSCW

2007-09-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Posted over at Cross Crusade Forum's
by BWitty

Stay tuned...
look for a formal schedule and format to be posted in ~1 week. We are still working out details on our end.
One thing is for sure, don't be afraid to plan your trip (if you are travelling from out of State). If you dont happen to qualify in the Saturday qualifier, there will still be racing in our standard cross crusade Cat B/SS race for you on Sunday. The SSWCC will be a completely different race start time (at the end of the day).

Fun! Fun! Fun!

2007-09-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Well the first cross race is done and so is the second, I raced both the Mst 35+ (2nd place) & SS (4th place) last night at Camp Harlow in Eugene.

The Course
The course was pretty cool, it got changed up a little bit to add some more twisty stuff to it. A couple of the corners were very loose and it took more that a few people down. Speaking of which one guy had to go away in the ambulance, as soon as I know who it was I'll post an update if I can.

The Bike
It was the first race on my new Vertigo and I have to say it performed perfect, it felt stiff and light, it held the line, felt nimble and quick in the corners and just overall felt like it was made for me :)

The Tires
Well, let's just say I love Tubulars and I wish I would have had mine on last night. But since I was riding to work and then to the race I opted for the Clinchers. Jet in the back and Mud in the front, they weren't bad it's just with the rock's I had to run them at least 40-45 psi and with my tubies I could have been down around 35psi pretty easy. The course had some rough sections where I was bouncing all over the place. Part of the reason was I also was waiting on a new tire which arrived yesterday, it's stretching now and will get glued up.

The 1st Race
The race was fun, I've been ready to go for the past 2-3 weeks for this and it was everything I was ready for. The Mst 35+, B's, C's, Beginners, & Women all went on the first race spread out by 30 seconds each. The Mst 35+/45+ field was pretty big, we had a couple heavy hitters in there with John Wilson & Chris Doabler. The race started out pretty fast with John getting the hole shot, then Chris, then me, with a few guys right on our tail. The first technical spot of the race, a sharp right follow by a sharp left almost took the 3 of us out of the race, it was so loose we all drifted around the corner and off the course. Luckily we were able to get back on course before getting passed. I was able to stay with John & Chris no problem in the technical areas but everytime we got to a flat section they would pull away from me. My gearing as I was finding out was not tall enough for this course. I was spinning about 130rpm's just trying chase them, then using a lot of energy catching back up in the technical areas. Eventually John opened up a gap that gave him a good cushion and we didn't see him until the end. I followed Chris and finally passed him on one section but he could see that he could catch me on the flats so it gave him some extra motivation to stay with me on the last lap. I put in a few short attacks where I could but he was able to get pass me and open a gap on the last 2 sections of the race. So it was 3rd overall and 2nd in the Mst 35+ field as John is in the 45+ race.

The 2nd Race
This race was fun as well, I was a little worried about it as we were suppose to start about 10 minutes after finishing the first race. But during the first race someone got hurt and we had to wait for the ambulance to leave. I went over to check on things and see if they were ready to clear the course. As the medic's were leaving I started to head back and I could see the race starting, SHIT! I was about 150 yards away and the race was heading out full spead. I jumped on my bike and took off, following the course. I came through the start area about 30 seconds behind the race going full speed. The good thing about this, and you have to think about it this way when stuff like this happens, is I was hoping to get some practice chasing and passing people. Well now I was going to get it. I set off in pursuit of the race and start picking off riders, again limited by my gearing, but at least in the SS race I was a little closer to the rest of the riders if not a little higher than some that I caught pretty quick. I picked off a few riders each lap both A's & SS's. At one point I passed 2 Veloshop riders and was chasing a 3rd, I kept thinking I just passed that pink jersey how did he get back in front of me! I caught the 3rd pace rider going over the last set of barriers and just didn't have enough at the end to sprint so 4th place it was for the night. I was pretty happy with my result considering what I had to do to get it.

Overall
I am happy with it all, my legs felt great, the bike felt great, the technical skills are better than last year and I had a lot of fun. I also learned some new stuff with having to start from the back of the group.

Sal Collura had some problems with his rear tire holding air and my teammate Damien who I figured had a good chance at winning had a bad start then flatted about 1/2 through the race. Both these guys will be tough to beat if they pull it all together.

Next week is another week and I am changing my gearing and looking forward to another two races.

New toys

2007-09-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Got some deliveries today.

Tracking number
Status
Delivery Information
Delivered
Scheduled Delivery: Sep 10, 2007Shipped to : EUGENE, OR, USService Type : GROUNDSigned by : Delivered to : EUGENE, OR, USDate Delivered : Sep 10, 2007
Delivered
Scheduled Delivery: Sep 10, 2007Shipped to : EUGENE, OR, USService Type : GROUNDSigned by : Delivered to : EUGENE, OR, USDate Delivered : Sep 10, 2007

Saturday it was the Crank My Chain video, not sure why I didn't already have it.

Tomorrow some new sew-ups should be in, rims have their first coat of glue.

1 day to go

2007-09-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

That's right 1 day to go until my first CX race of the season, legs are pretty thrashed still from all the riding and running but the motivation is high and I'm looking forward to it. The plan is to race the Mst 35+ race first then the SS/A race second, should make for a hard night on the bike. Something I hope to do is a give a little pre-race report on the race and course, at least from past experience, the courses always change and can always be way different but usually the area presents certain challenges the course designers like to use.

Speaking of courses, what's your favorite type? fast & technical, smooth, bumpy, like a crit, like a mtb race. It takes all kinds of courses to make a cx course and people have to be able to excel at them all to do well in a series such as Cross Crusade. Though something like the Eugene Short Cross Series is usually the same course it still can be challenging as everyone is able to go faster the 2nd time around.

This weeks race is the Eugene Short Cross Series, a two part race happening this Tuesday and next Tuesday evening.

The course is typically very fast and dry, and tomorrow will be no exception with the 90+ degrees in the forecast. There are a few sections that are have always been used in the past, a short 100 yard singletrack section that twist through some trees, it has roots, rocks and is usually very loose, the perfect section to loose time on if you get stuck behind someone slow. Another section is a very bumpy field that you think you can motor across but it's so bumpy it takes your speed away. That throws you into the only real run-up section, a set of about 10 stairs, a couple years ago you could ride the bank but after that Norman put a barrier in front of the section and said you have to take the stairs. That is followed closely by a loose pea gravel path that makes steering impossible for about 100 yards. The next section is one of my favorites, a 200 yard long road full of baby head rocks, those are small rocks 4"-8" in dia that force you to ride light on the pedals or risk double pinch flat. Then a fast section on a gravel road back into the start area, usually with a couple barriers. To me it is a great course, fast and challenging, great for a cross bike but a mtb has won on it as well, I like fast technical courses since it makes the race more about how good of a rider you are and not just how fast you can pedal your bike.

Schedule's

2007-09-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my schedule, mostly trying to convince my wife she's had her summer of fun and I need, I mean want to race a lot of cross this fall. Compromises will be made and things will change but as I see it right now here are the races I hope to make it to. Most of them I'll race the SS class and then the Mst A or A race (mostly for training). The way I figure it, that is 22+ races in 2 1/2 months, this is going to be fun:) The goal of the season, 1st the top 3 in the World Championships, 2nd step up from Silver to Gold at Districts in the SS Field, 3rd top 3 overall in the Crusade series and 4th would be top 3 in the BAR.

Sept 11/18-Eugene CX* (2 races each)
Sept 23-Hood River CX* (2 races)
Oct 7-Crusade #1* (2 races)
Oct 14-Crusade #2* (2 races)
Oct 21-Crusade #3* (2 races)
Nov 3-Fox Hollow CX #1* (2 races)
Nov 4-Crusade #5* (2 races)
Nov 10-SS Worlds day1* (What ever I have to do)
Nov 11-C#6 & SS Worlds* (1 race maybe 2 if I'm up to the Master's)
Nov 18-C#7 & Districts* (2 races)
Nov 24-Fox Hollow #2* (2 races)
Nov 25-Krugers CX* (2 races)
Dec 1 & 2-USGP* (1 race, last year I just watched which was fun as well)

I also linked to them all over on the side, at least all the Oregon races.

Start's, barriers, run-ups & stairs

2007-09-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

do I need to say more!

Spent the night with 5 other's working on starts & technique, doing a 1/4 mile circut that included a 100 yard dash to a banked corner, sharp switchback, 3 pack of barriers, 100 yard bumpy descent, 180 deg pavement turn & 100 yard stair run up over and over. It was good work and hard work. I think we did at least 10 starts, I missed the pedal at least 3 times and nailed it at least twice. It made the earlier 2hr cx bike ride around town on the local trails seem easy.

Tonight's an easy spin around town as the legs are still not recovered from the 4 day weekend of mountain biking. We have less than a week until our 1st local evening cx race, then the Hood River Race, and 4 weeks until the Crusade starts with the first race at Alpenrose. So far everthing is looking like it's on track :)

Practice time

2007-09-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Road the CX bike into work today with the Fixie wheel, mostly because I couldn't get the cog off! spent a good 1hr working at it last night and busted my chain whip before I gave it up. I brought it to work and put it in a vice and it came right off. I also had to get a new tire as my Flexus is not repairable, I went with the Dugast Rhino, it looks like a pretty good tire. Still in love with my Michelin Mud's though, they saved me this morning as the bank I was riding along started give away, good thing I had traction since the Fixed gear kept forcing the issue and put me down into the ditch. I was able to ride into the ditch and back out the other side though, it sure felt weird not to coast through it.

Picking up a set of the Salsa Cross Top levers today that came into the shop, I'll see if I like them. I don't find myself wishing I had my hands on the top of the bar but then again there are not brakes there. I'm thinking I will like them for some of the hillier trails I do when you have to get way back off the saddle. Also my new Rim should be in the shop, building up another Open Pro on a White Industries hub and keeping my old ECC hub for the fixed gear bike.

There is some CX news over at Cyclingnews, Brooke has all the answers along with his readers input-Good Stuff.

Off for some CX practice tonight, need to work on my starts and hill run-ups, the dis-mounts and mounts are going pretty good.

Mountain Bike weekend & Why?

2007-09-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Spent this last weekend, Fri/Sat/Sun/Sun, up at Mt St Helen's doing a bunch of mountain biking. We covered almost 100 miles of singletrack around the area including Falls Creek, Ape Canyon/Plains of Abraham, & Lewis River Trail. It was a lot of fun and I felt like Damien & I pushed the pace a few times to get that fast feeling into the legs, which is slowly but surely coming back :)

Waking up this morning to the rain in Eugene made me think about CX training, even with the legs being really tired I am ready to roll. First CX race next Tuesday, I got Norman to add a 35+ race to the 1st race of the night so I could race 2 in a row, mst 35+ & SS. Last year I did that and it really helped increase the fitness, plus it is just so much fun I want to keep going.

I can smell CX in the air, everyone is talking about it, posting about it, thinking about it and it isn't long until we are all doing it. Why is always the ? It's such a fun sport, it crosses all the boundaries there is about cycling, from roadies to mountain bikers it doesn't matter. The guys & gals in the front are having as much fun as the ones in the back and vice versa. It doesn't matter if you race or not, it's fun no matter what as long as you are out there. I keep trying to talk all my teammates into giving it a try and it seems like there is 1 more every year that get's hooked.

We got to talking this past weekend about CX and I was asked how long I have been doing it and why I did it. It really doesn't seem like that long when I say 5 years but when I look at when I started and how long it took me to get where I am at it adds up. I raced CX in the early 90's and loved it but for some reason I stopped after 2 years. It took 11 years for me to get back into it and now it's all I think about all year long. I like the road racing and the mountain bike racing but today it lacks what it had when I started, the fun factor and the comdarie when you went to the events. I love hanging out with friends and other people of like interest, it's my social club, kind of like going to the golfing range for some I guess... Well know I get to have fun all summer riding my mountain bike with my wife and friends, go camping, road riding, race the occasional RR and just have fun. Then come fall CX comes along and I feel like I get the best of it all. I like to have fun and that's what it boils down to for me, how do I get the most fun out of what I like to do and racing CX does that for me.

As for tonight, an easy spin down to the last Tues Crit of season on the CX bike with a couple beers and some friends. Perfect training if you ask me :)

A good week

2007-08-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a good week so far for training.

The below is from Monday's Hike into the hills, a good 4 mile hike with some run ups on the steeper hills. Leg's are feeling pretty good with the running.

This is from Tuesday's Cross ride with Damien and Chris, 20 miles and 2050 ft of climbing. I was running a 38x16 which was a little tall for some of the climbs, which I was forced to run on. I can always tell when it's the season as my shoulder starts getting sore :)

Our local mtb area for the winter time presents some good trail riding even in the summer. We went out early for the night ride and did about 1 1/2hrs of trail work then road for a couple hours having a lot fun. Still managed 2k of climbing in a 12 mile ride. The only down side of the night was when I blew a rear tire, a Tubular Flexus. The upside, I get to try a new tire, talking to Molly Cameron about what might be a good option for me.

I use the Garmin Edge 305 which I got back in the middle of May. I was looking around the website I upload the info to and since I got the Edge I have reorded 1,551 miles, 149,494 ft of climbing, & 144 hrs 48 min of ride/run time. With 80% of that on the mountain bike, 8% running/hiking and the other 12% on the road bike. Last year it was probably 80% road and 20% mtb, guess I've been having a lot more fun this year:) I've kept track of this kind of stuff before with a altimater but who knows what I did with it. One reason I like the Edge is the auto tracking it does for me, and the cool Google Earth shot's.

Fun, fun, fun

2007-08-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

Had a really fun and tough ride last night, spent 2 hours on the CX bike with a teammate and another guy ripping up and down the local hills and trails. Did a few mounts & dismounts, had one bad landing that took the wind out of me for a few minutes, OUCH! did some running with the bike, OUCH! after 2 days of walking in the hills my legs didn't have much to run with. I had the 38x16 on which felt pretty good except for the longer steeper climbs. I has able to hammer the shorter ones (100-200 yards long) and just barely make it over them before loosing my leg speed. Damien is going to be strong this year in CX, I'm hoping he can master the technical aspects of it because he can be competitive if he chooses in the the SS category. Plus it would be nice to have more teammates and friends racing CX, always more fun.

Here's an good link on some basic CX skills to practice. VeloNews

Time to Cross

2007-08-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

New bike, new focus, new energies and I'm really looking foward to this year. I feel a little slower than years past going into the fall but I'm hoping that will help with the motivation come crunch time during the middle of October into November.

Not sure how this blog thing will work out for me, I hope to write race reports, ride reports, etc...

Until then Time to Cross,
Richard