Lake Bluff + Glencoe Grand Prix Cat 2/3

70 miles in and I’m toast.  We have 35 to go.  Can I turn more than 100W?  My stomach is shutting down.  I’m hot and tired.  B.J. eases up on a miniscule climb and rides alongside me: “Just think, a week from now you’ll be pulling that jersey over your head.”  “Yeah right!” is all I can think.  Doubt consumes me.  I’ve been working my butt off in Cali and riding 3 times a week.  The bay area has been 65F, not the heat I need to ride in for summer racing.  I haven’t done any motor pacing.  My training plan is in shambles.  I’m doing a 100mile ride in the heat?  And I suck.  Oh yeah, and I was dropped on a climb by a cat 4.  Sure Beej, I’m going to win the jersey.  Sure.

My confidence was at an all time low for the season.  I was pretty close to calling the guys and saying “I don’t have it, let’s just go to Rolla for the local omnium weekend.”  But BJ laughed at me: “Yeah, your 5 hour 95F racing isn’t that good – your point being?”  He was right.  I only had to ride hard for 60-90 minutes.  I’m a crit racer.

FRIDAY AT LAKE BLUFF

The family had too much travel fatigue so we called off the aquarium trip and I came up to Glencoe alone with the guys.  It was a fun time of camaraderie and getting gassed out.  Originally I was going to skip the Lake BluffCrit but thought I should take myself a little less seriously (besides, we didn’t have room to bring the space legs and altitude tent...) and line up.  Any plans didn’t include me, I was just there for openers.

The race was a bit sketch as the tight turns really tested the driving abilities of the field.  It was great for me as I was really cornering terribly.  I needed the practice having not raced since the Urbana Grand Prix (which you would think was enough cornering practice for the season!) A guy from MN got off the front solo and won handily.  A strong move.  Part of me thought about bridging to him but I exercised enough discipline to keep me eyes on Saturday.

Jason finished 6^th, I finished 10^th, and Eric finished 13^th.  We won enough cash to fill the gas tank of the Suburban - woohoo!  (We would fill it 4-5 times by the end of the weekend!!)  Eric and Jason turned around immediately and raced the Masters 35+ with Eric pulling down 4^th.  A very strong result.  Guess he shook out the car legs!  Unfortunately Jason slid out in a turn and busted his new SL4.  Not to mention the epidermal donation to the city of Lake Bluff.  It was especially tragic since he had been really flying recently (and probably had the best fitness on the team) and was therefore to be shepherding me at Glencoe the next day.  

GLENCOE GRAND PRIX

After a decent night’s sleep we had a team breakfast and headed to the race.  A good hour or so of spinning and everyone’s mood was pretty good.  Mesa Cycles (our sponsor shop) sent Nick (team captain) up with a spare bike for Jason.  Jason was pretty banged up but decided to race anyway. Nails Booty.  Nails.

Plans for races revolve around a handful of factors: the course and the field are major considerations.  In the field there are men of concern, worry, and fear.  Most everyone is of concern – if you’ve made it to the race and you’re in my category, I’ve got to hold you in enough regard to respect your attack or sprint.  But knowing who is coming off a crash or mega work travel or is really flying, well that’s invaluable information and I won’t divulge my recon on the field!  Nonetheless, we all know the danger men in the pack.  Men to fear. As I told my Missouri based teammates, we need to watch Ramirez, Fay, and Morici for a breakaway.  Meanwhile, I have to be positioned better than Friedman, Reyes, and (after Urbana) Speciale in a sprint.  If you notice, the entire Enzo’s team is mentioned.  Nuff said.  The game plan was to get Eric (who has really been on top form) to follow Ramirez’s wheel.  He was to be marked.  Meanwhile Jason (but after the crash, BJ) was to keep me out of the wind.  The rest of the guys were to stay at the front and mark anything that got a gap and boat anchor that thing back to the field.  The exception was Ramirez.  If he and Eric got a gap they were to roll.  I would follow a bridge attempt by a strong rider out of the field (Reyes? Stathy? Strittmatter? Naveen?) so we could have numbers in the break.  Otherwise we would set up for a field sprint.

Plans.  Ha!  It seems the Enzo’s boys had plans of their own.  Ramirez was relentless in attacking the field.  Four laps in the pace had been very hot and I thought a selection of 15-20 would be made at the front.  I quickly recalculated my breakaway plans.  I was definitely in survival mode!  Staying to the front I found myself behind a junior sliding out in turn two. Acting on instinct I straighted out and hopped the curb, channeling JPOW.  A few more bunnyhops, a sprint, and I was back on the pain train.  Heart rate had gone from 180 to 190.  Yay crits!

The rest of the race was a fight for position and with myself.  Thinking my luck was probably up, the next crash in a turn I probably wasn’t going to bunnyhop my way to safety.  I left gaps in front of myself in the downhill right hander and often found myself closing little gaps out of turns - a small concession to safety after the narrow miss early in the race.  

Sucking wheel.
Photo credit: Elizabeth Rangel

For the eleventieth time Ramirez was brought back.  The closing laps I was moving up but was farther back than I should have been.  After turn one on the last lap Speciale (Enzo’s) went all in on a solo bid for glory.  I thought “that’s the race” from my vantage point of 25^th wheel (bad sprinter – bad!).  My teammate BJ had burned his last match moving me up the left side but he connected me with Nick.  Now Nick had been going to the front and doing work throughout the race and this is something worth noting.  The guy rides out of his skin at Glencoe.  It’s amazing. Anyway, Nick is ready to launch me up the left side into turn two.  A quick GO GO GO and we fly up the left side.  He takes 2^nd wheel and I slot in towards the back end of the top ten.  Speciale is digging off the front and it’s full gas in the chase.  I rail the turns making up spots on the downhill (not something I’d done all day).  The switch in my head had been flipped.  I call on Nick to give everything – and he empties himself.  A lead trio is a few riders up from me.  Guys are blowing up in the single file line and I have to close a gap on the penultimate straight.  I take the turn even with Speciale but the leaders have a gap on me.  Light the afterburners, I’m a bike behind them at the line.  I need another 100 meters to come around at that speed.  Fourth place.

I was pretty disappointed at the finish.  My team had given everything and despite the odds I made it to the finale.  And yet I came up shy.  Surely I had another silver medal to add to my collection.  But then I start looking at the kits.  “Are yall from Illinois?”  “No.” “No.” No answer.  I wasn’t going to get my hopes up before I saw the results sheet but sure enough – two WI and one MN (the same dude that owned it Friday night).  I was the state criterium champ! 

I am not a little amused with how things played out – particularly the dance between characters Pride and Humility.  Indeed I won and have reason to be proud.  But I didn’t win the race outright and in fact was bested on the day by a junior (not the first time, won’t be the last time, either) – reasons to be humble.  I finally beat David Reyes in a sprint – reason to be proud.  But my teammates' hard work pulled back his early break attempt and put me in position on the last lap – cause for humility.  Frankly, the entire proceeding was tipped my way: the cat 2/3 format allowed me to utilize my strong and numerous cat 3 teammates, the temperate weather suited me (no 100F day), the absence of crashes ahead of me (save one) allowed me to stay in the top third of the race all day and near the leaders.  And on and on.  I am very fortunate and humbled by how it played out.

Each one of my teammates contributed to the win.  I may only mention one or two here in this narrative, but they all played a part and stuck their necks out there for me.  Most of the time I was too hypoxic to notice their efforts at the time but I saw Orange and White doing work.  To them I am very grateful.  Thanks are also due to my boss, partner at Quantum Solutions, who sponsors the team.  From lending me his bike and trainer on a business trip so I can keep training to extra hotel rooms at the race he has done so much for me. Thanks are also due to Mesa Cycles who keep my bike rolling despite all the parts I break and foolishness I get into on the bike!  Thanks to the Glencoe Grand Prix and their sponsors and the city for putting on a fantastic event.  This was my third year making the trip and it remains a highlight of the season.

It feels funny to write thank you to these people (who defintely deserve it, and more) but not thank God, publicly.  So I publicly thank God that I have the ability to race my bike at all, much less win stuff.  Thankful that I have a supportive family and that we have enough provision so that I can take time to train and race (as opposed to constantly working to make ends meet and fighting off starvation for example).  I've been healthy for long enough to train hard and race, this truly is a gift as well.  This blog has taken a turn away from being purely theological into being exclusively cycling race reports.  Not that there's anything wrong with that per se. 

Thanks for reading.  If I see you at the races, I'll be the one at the crit with the weight on my shoulders - this jersey is heavy!!

2012 Glencoe Grand Prix Cat 2 IL Podium
David Reyes 2nd (not pictured), me, and Kaleb Koch (3rd)
Photo credit: Brian Smith

 

Tour de CU Race Report

Tour de Champaign

Druber hosted a great weekend of crits with Scarletfire Racing and my old club Wild Card Cycling in Champaign-Urbana.  Saturday’s course was the rectangle in the research park.  The field was pretty deep with Panther, Nuvo, and Tx Roadhouse showing up.  Some strong Chicago area guys turned up, too.  The pace was quick but not insane.  Breaks were attempted throughout (I threw my hat in a few, too) but nothing stuck and it came down to a bunch sprint.  I helped my teammate BJ move up and he finished in the money during the sprint.  A good result for two young cat 2’s playing bikes with the big dogs.  We still have a lot to learn!

Nick was usually off the front more than this.
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel

Speaking of learning, I got my first shove/punch in a bike race here.  Turns out if you want out of the pack, you don’t ask (though I would have gladly moved), or get your bars in front and steer the other guy out of the way, you just shove them once and then jump through the gap!  Not something I’m going to emulate from a "more experienced racer."

Urbana Grand Prix

After staying up WAAAYYY too late catching up with good friends Saturday night, I got an early spin in with BJ on the course.  Wow, what a course it was.  8 turns, short straights, with some wind whipping through the buildings in a few places.  There were a total of zero easy places to move up!

We predicted that the race would be full gas till people started blowing up.  And that’s kinda how it went.  Strung out single file for 70 minutes.  BJ got into the first or second lap break but the horses were let loose and he dropped back to the field to recover.  JJ and Uberti stuck the break and went 1-2, 40 seconds ahead of the field.  Those guys are super strong.  I certainly didn’t have the legs to do something like that! 

Coming into the closing laps BJ and I tried some teamwork and it kinda flopped.  Regardless, a little perspective highlights that we’re not getting spit out of the back of a fast p/1/2 crit, but trying to work out some tactics.  It’s encouraging but all we have to show for it is my 16^th place finish (first one out of the money – womp womp).

There were some impressive rides, particularly Nick Ramirez (Enzo’s/Psimet): attacking off the front in the closing laps and holding off the field for fourth.  It was a bummer however to see Dan Damotte (Big Shark/Michelob Ultra) eat it after turn 4 on the last lap. 

The whole weekend underscored the need for discipline in racing.  Saturday's race I knew would be a bunch sprint, but I didn't stick to that plan.  Sunday's race my legs weren't there like Saturday, and I while I am very glad to have spent the time with friends, I know I should have gone to bed an hour (or two) earlier. C'est la vie.

Hermann RR + Belleville Crit

Tour of Hermann RR

A few weekends back was the 5^th and final Tour of Hermann Omnium.  I skipped Saturday’s festivities as I took the family over to KS to visit the grandparents.  Our trip was delayed a bit but we had a good time between gardening, horses, tractors, good food, etc.  Suddenly my children are old enough to really get into things.  Speaking of good food – my dad’s smoked ribs are second to none.  He was disappointed with how they turned out, but it was all I could do to cut myself off before I ate my way out of the Hermann RR the next day. 

Since the drive from the rents to the race Sunday was 3+ hours, we decided to stay in COMO for the night.  I guess everybody else had the same plan as our hotel was full.  Instead of a room w 2 beds, all 4 of us “slept” on 1 king.  Needless to say, I was pretty fresh for the RR.  

One of these things is not like the others!
Photo Credit: Dennis Fickinger

Weather was perfect Sunday morning, mid to high 50’s!  I hope all those skinny jerks suffered in the cold, cuz I’m the fat kid that will pay all summer long in 90F+.    Anyway, we rolled off to a “Hillsboro Neutral” and went up the 3 tiered climb out of dodge.  The first climb wasn’t that bad – Gerro and others were cracking wise while we huffed and puffed up the hill.  Things sped up quickly and breaks were tried.  I foolishly followed wheels up to one and it was soon brought back.  I say foolishly because I have zero business mixing it up at the front of a 90 mile hilly road race.  Zero.  It got pretty embarrassing when we hit the first KOM and I sagged it a bit to stay fresh.  But the throttle was really opened so I got onto the back of the group.  During this time the field was splitting and I panicked.  I tried to be a hero and close a gap between groups – wrong decision Frenchy!  I was out the back on the next climb.  10 miles in?  It was going to be a long and lonely day!!

Over the top of the next climb I could see Kevin (Bikes To You) in red, who also was shaken loose.  I eventually recovered and caught him.  The two of us worked together well and kept a good tempo.  Before long we could see a few other stragglers like ourselves.  Kevin and I were even more motivated as we saw the rabbits ahead.  They weren’t pushing themselves as it was clear the peloton was long gone.  We did manage to get a rotating paceline going for a bit after we caught them but on the next climb Kevin and I rode away from the group.

Fighting the headwind on 100 coming into Hermann Kevin and I kept our tempo up.  Both of us figured that we were getting some training in while way out of contention.  As we neared the old KOM hill (from previous editions of the race) we caught sight of a long line of cars.  We were shocked – could it be the peloton?!  Indeed it was!  Tactics in the group must have played out such that they were going super slow.  So we kept up our pace and made contact with the “race caravan” at the base of the old KOM climb.  I encouraged Kevin to stay with me and burned a match up the climb.  Coming into town I passed all but the last 3 cars.  Kevin had been popped or figured it was a fool’s errand.  As I hit the S/F the pack was on the first pitch of the Guttenburg Wall, but that’s as close as I got.  As soon as I pointed the bike skyward, it was game over.  

Guttenburg ended that hope!
Photo credit: Natalie Renkemeyer

I soldiered on after the feedzone but kept blowing up on every decent grade.  Had I made contact with the field I probably would have yo-yo’d off the back all lap anyway, but I have to think that if I had made it back I had a chance of at least completing the lap with the group.  Regardless, I kept a steady pace and avoided the shame of being passed by the cat 3 field.  Signaling the old “slit throat” to Mark Ewers, lap 2 was enough for the day.  But I wasn’t sure if my wife was still in the feedzone (atop Guttenburg) or not.  I asked around but nobody was sure if she was up there or not.  So…one more time up the hill!  Hup hup!  And she had already come down.  C'est la vie.

It was pretty humbling to be completely outriden in every way by the rest of the field but it shouldn’t be too surprising: I’m not pulling on the maillot a pois any time soon!!

Belleville Criterium

A.k.a the Belleville Bicycle Race, a.k.a. The Ardie Miller Memorial Criterium, a.k.a. The Devin Clark Crit Clinic.

Belleville was my first 1/2/3 race (ever) last year.  It didn’t go so well as the rain had me totally sketched out.  Devin Clark (The Hub) won it out of a break in a 2 up sprint with up-and-coming junior Jonathan Schilling (Slipstream-Craddock Junior Dev).

Speaking of junior development, it was my pleasure to introduce crit racing to a friend’s 11 year old son that day.  He and his mom had stopped by a few weeks prior, so while my wife and Ang chatted, the junior helped me tinker with the bikes.  Of course, you have to test-ride the changes…Next thing you know there’s a race in Belleville (their town) and I had some platform pedals on my wife’s bike.  The kid was still figuring out the shifting as the 15-18 year olds took off.  Homeboy is only 11 (though he looks 15) and finished the race!  He showed real courage as he pushed himself to his limits – and that during his second road bike ride!  It was a real pleasure which I don’t think will be eclipsed until I see my little bro shredding the CX circuit this fall or my little ones clip in.

After the morning’s junior campaign I came back out with the fam to terrific weather during the 1/2/3’s.  The field was 40 strong with the largest team being Korte Hammer Down/Bike Surgeon.  I had BJ, Jason, Nick, and Keith lined up for Quantum Mesa.  The latter three all doubling up after putting in a big effort in the cat 3 race.  Early attacks were tried and I mostly hung back trying to discern which move was “the one”.  The course definitely lent itself to breakaways with it’s 6 turns and slight kicker on the backside.

Joshua Leibowitz (BigShark) took a solo flyer 20 minutes in and looked quite comfortable on his own.  Not one to ever turn down a chance at a TT, Justin (Dogfish) decided to join him.  The rest of us had to decide if two of the strongest TTers in the field should be left all alone.  Fortunately Devin and Dan Damotte (BigShark) started moving up and I knew it was go time.  The three of us bridged and started rotating through.  Andy Lister (Wheelfast) probably saw the move gaining time and came across solo.  I imagine that wasn’t an easy move!

The six of us stayed away for the next 30+ minutes and the pack was not in sight for the majority of that.  It was pretty humbling to be the weakest guy in the break.  I knew every one of my break-mates could out ride me.  So, how to win?  Certainly I couldn’t attack early and stay away, so I had to sprint.  Devin as the best sprinter in the group would be the best wheel to follow into the finale.  So when the punches started flying in the final laps I kept an eye on him.  On the last lap I was sitting fourth/fifth wheel and Justin was on the front having just caught Dan’s 2-to-go flyer.  I saw Dan tap Josh (his teammate) on the hip and Josh was off like a rocket!  Devin jumped to close the gap and I grabbed Devin’s wheel.  Josh had attacked on the long straight into turn three, but just before the rise.  Turn three was a downhill left hand 90* - the most technical on the day.  Flying into the turn at 35mph I felt we were going a touch fast and let a gap open to the lead pair.  Sure enough, Josh took too wide a line and high-sided into the outer curb.  Devin railed it and took a 15 bike gap out of turn four as his reward.  I began to lose the back end but recovered without soiling myself.  Dan jumped me on the hill so I grabbed his wheel hoping he would pull back Devin.  Devin was long gone though, knowing he had the race in hand.  I jumped Dan on the finishing straight and pipped him at the line for second place with Justin hot on our heels for fourth.

Dan and I deciding the podium, with Justin keeping us honest.
Photo Credit: J.M. Williams

It was a bummer for Josh who certainly had the legs to go for the win and animated the race quite a bit.  I feel extremely fortunate that not only did I not eat it and crash into him but that I landed on the podium – my best result in bike racing thus far.  As a special bonus, my wife, kids, and in-laws* got to see the race.

A big thank-you to my Quantum Mesa teammates for covering those early moves which allowed me to be fresh enough to barely hang on in the break!!   

*The last time my inlaws saw a race I finished 60-somethingith in a wet crit, off the back, after crashing! 

Carondelet, Forest Park, and Hillsboro 2012 (p/1/2s)

Blogging has gone by the wayside this year.  I guess traveling a bunch does that.  Bike racing has started, so here’s a little update on that front.

Carondelet Crit

The Carondelet crit could not have gone better in 2011, I won the race out of a 3 man break.  My companions in the break were no slouches either.  We’re all still on speaking terms, though I (rightly) get called a wheel sucker now and again.  For 2012 I’m no longer racing with the cat 3’s but riding with the big boys.  My expectations were quite low for this crit: don’t get dropped from the field.  Seriously, such were my goals for the first race of the year.  I could enumerate all my excuses, but I’ll spare you (generous reader) the list.  

During warmup, riding with my teammate BJ, we noted the numerous Dogfishes warming up.  Also of note was IN boy Drew (NUVO).  While BJ opened it up on Holly Hills Rd I struggled to go fast.  I warned him as we approached the line a few minutes later that I probably wasn’t going to be a fast guy today.  Turns out my rear brake was rubbing pretty badly.  A quick trip to the pit and presto – feeling great.  The race went well with BJ and I covering moves in turn.  I was surprised to find myself in the selection at the end of the race but a little too tuckered out to do much in the finale!  I came away with 8^th place which is a nice start to the season and got to see how the race was won by Dr. Mark (Gateway).  “He’s gone too early.”  Oh wait, he just won.

Forest Park Crit

This crit is bitter to recall from 2011 as I was so close yet so far from a solo victory.  This year an intermittent rain made many riders think better of paying money to ride in the park.  BJ and I lined up but with the thought that the season is long and it’s not worth dying in March in the rain.  Again we covered moves in turn and with the confidence from Saturday’s race I made it into the break/selection of the day.  I’m still learning how the racing game is played at this next level, so winding up in the selection both days is prize enough for me.  Coming into the finish I sat on the back of the group as one turn had a paint stripe on it and when wet I’m deathly afraid of them.  So I entered the sprint last, knowingly handicapping my position and moved up a little to finish 11^th.  Another good day out considering the training I’ve had this spring.

Hillsboro Roubiax

If the contrast between the ’11 and ’12 crits above was stark, Hillsboro was another world of racing.  After being the big fish in the small pond of the cat 3’s last year, 2012 showed me what racing with the big boys was really like in my first P/1/2 Hillsboro Roubaix.  The conditions were harsh with a steady rain and some gusty winds throughout the day.  The point of relief was the temperature.  Starting in the high 50’s and going up into the high 60’s, being soaking wet wasn’t all that bad.  Had the shift gone the other way I’m pretty sure I would have DNF’d.  Or at least held on to my rain cape. 

The constant rain and rough country roads did take their toll, as many riders experienced punctures.  The frequency of mechanicals and crashes thinned the field down during our three laps.  There were some wild moments that really got the adrenaline going – seeing cat1’s sliding out in turns, rolling through a ditch, or just plain hitting the deck is sobering.  I have less fitness and experience, so I better stay on my toes (figuratively speaking, one would not wish to dramatically alter one’s pedal stroke mid-race.  Of course.)

One thrill to share was the accomplishment of feeding myself in situ.  Gels are easy to coax down, especially with the heavy spray from the pack providing a nice earthy electrolyte chaser should you accept it.  But I managed to inhale a stinger waffle (my new favorite/Achilles Heel) in one giant chomp.  Shoving that thing in while trying to breath and not crash must have made me a sight.  I will treasure that memory.  Thanks Hillsboro.

Another moment comes courtesy of one Jelly Belly PRO who animated the race.  The PRO consistently took digs at the front, while we amateurs played “follow the pro.”  I guess there was a tet a tet with the moto ref (who was the most dangerous rider to be near in the field) regarding forward progress and imaginary yet enforceable lines.  So the PRO attacked up the right side of the field.  No big deal right?  Well, yes, it was a big deal when “going up the right side” meant first traversing a drainage ditch, sprinting through some grass, crossing a driveway, and then re-entering the roadway via another drainage ditch.  It was a pretty sweet move.  I let out a hearty “whoop” of approval (not of the “please somebody chase that down for me” sort though.  Of course.)

So the race was fast, wet, and tiring.  The garmin computer says I burned 5k+ calories.  Strava says I burned 4k+ calories.  Regardless, I rode my bike, stayed upright, and had fun crossing the line 38/100 (77 finishers).

Oh, and it was good fun to see lots of people I don't see so often.  I do enjoy seeing you all.  Yes, even you.

Next Up:

Tour of Hermann Road Race (a.k.a. Frenchy climbs to his death atop the Gutenberg Wall - and you should too!)

Belleville Crit

Tour de CU!!!!! (if the current work schedule holds!)

 

Hibernation: Over

Since my last blog post a lot has happened.  This isn’t really a surprise considering it’s been 3 months. 

The Bike Racing Front

CX racing was fun and hard as I worked through a knee injury and inconsistent riding, much less training.  I did start to get some form back and got to the front of the Boxing Day CX race in KC KS and got a win.  I felt both really good and really bad about the experience.  After a couple laps it was clear I didn’t belong in that cat 3 field.  I should have been trading blows with the KCCX guys in the 1/2s.  So after that race I applied for my cat 2 upgrade.  I don’t think I’m actually cat 2 cx material but staying in the cat 3’s doesn’t seem like the right thing to do.  I suppose I shouldn’t feel bad about winning handily – it’s not likely to happen again.

Pretty big gap on the second lap.  Sandbagger!
Photo Credit: Roger Harrison.

Road racing is looming and I’m behind on training.  Speaking of behind – I gained a bunch of weight this winter.  Maybe it was the lack of XC skiing?  Perhaps it was all the booze and fried foods?  Regardless, I feel ever more pigeon-holed as the f(l)at crit boy.  Fortunately I’ve got lots of beautiful rolling hills here in CoIL to ride and the winter temps have been very mild.  Oh, and my powermeter broke.  Again.  I know I don’t need to train with power but it is so much easier to have numbers to fit pedal pushing against.  Sorry Hunter Allen and Andy Coggan, looks like I’m rolling old-school for the season.

The StL cycling scene should be an exciting one in the 1/2 ranks this year.  The Dogfish behemoth is as strong as ever but there are several smaller, new teams looking for results – mine being one of them.  I think it will make the racing aggressive and interesting.  Plus we’ll have some out of towners stop in to collect scalps.  Just check the Hillsboro pre-reg *cough* NUVO *cough*.  I will do my best at Hillsboro but don’t expect a repeat of my 2011 placing!

My Day Job, My Daughter, and Analogous Knowledge of God/Anthropomorphism and God

My 4yo asked me about my work the other day.  She has limited computer usage experience and is ignorant of terms like “program”, “code”, etc.  So I explained:

If you had a recipe for bread that called for 2 cups of flour, but it was written as 2 cups of sugar, you would see it and know its wrong, no?  You would then bake your bread with 2 cups of flour and fix your recipe card, right? Well, in this computer, the recipe for its work was wrong like that, so I fixed the recipe and everything worked.

This reminded me that my daughter has no idea (yet) of the complexity, beauty, challenge, and possibilities contained in the computer platform.  The analogy of a bread recipe is understandable but code is currently beyond her.  Then I think about myself, how I am very childlike in my knowledge and wisdom, and I consider:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

2 cups of flour, not 2 cups of sugar.  I can understand that.  Treasure in a field.  I can understand what that would mean.  As Calvin pointed out, God accommodates his self expression to our human capacity for understanding.  Let your imagination dwell on that for a moment.  Imagine what 2cups of flour = a code change extrapolates to with regard to your understanding of God and the universe.

The Child Rearing Front

Not sure what’s going on with our 2yo, but it seems like every night the bedtime routine is WWIII!  It’s interesting how traits that I will celebrate later in my children: determination, strength, hard work; when applied now to things like staying up later are discouraged.  Schoolwork?  Stay the course my son.  Bedtime? Give up!  Resistance is futile!

Podium Café VDS (now FSA DS)

This is my second year playing the “fantasy” cycling game.  You pick your roster and then sit back and watch the points come in (or not!).  Its pretty fun and you learn more about the PROs and find yourself rooting for/against certain riders and teams simply because you “own” them. I think it adds a layer to the PRO racing. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t pick Stijn Devolder this year and call my team “Stijn of the Times.”  Alas.  Do check it out. Hurry, picks are due by midnight PST.

 Think your picks will beat mine?  Pick a team and post the team name in the comments here.  We’ll see!

I hope you enjoyed the chiastic blog post.

The most fun that’s been had at the seminary in some time…

Sorry Seminarians.  Being a seminary drop-out, I know good things can happen on the campus, but few things as fun as a proper cyclocross.  Fortunately Off The Front Racing put on a proper cyclocross.  It was my favorite course of the year thus far (including Sunrise Park in Chicago).  The course featured diverse surfaces (dirt, mud, grass, pavement, wood-chips, leaves, roots) with plenty of fun transitions.  It also had four “dismount suggestions”: 2 stair sections, a double barrier, and a log (on an uphill sector).

The plan for the weekend was to double up on Saturday as I had commitments on Sunday.  I got a late start leaving the house (but with family!) and I got registered for the B’s and A’s.  I snuck in a little pre-riding (without disrupting racers) so I knew some of the trouble I was in!  Got a poor starting spot and didn’t move up really until the barriers on the first lap.  I was really proud of my barrier work this weekend.  I’ve been working on barriers and I think it’s finally starting to pay off.  I received two compliments from my peers (“Were you a hurdler in H.S.?”), so I think this isn’t just perception – I regularly passed guys there.  I’m not going to say what/how I’ve trained this as I had to work to get it!  

Jumping the barrier.  Photo Credit: Ragfield.

 

After a lap or two I had moved up into the top ten and saw Peat (Have Fun), Matt (Big Shark), Peter (Big Shark), Patrick (OTF), and Rich (Dogfish) with a nice gap.  I had Mark (Big Shark) on my 6 and I wasn’t interested in getting beaten by him (again).  So I just worked to keep the pressure on, making things hard for Mark.

Mark was my shadow for several laps.  He's beaten me too much this year, so I had to hurt myself to get up the trail!  Photo Credit: Ragfield.

I soon caught up to Matt and worked with him for a bit which gave me some rest in the windy sections.  Patrick was in difficulty so we soon overtook him.  Unfortunately Peat, Rich, and Peter had a comfy 20 seconds on Matt and I, so I had my work cut out for me.  I attacked Matt through the barriers and kept the pressure on for a bit.  Fortunately, it worked and Peat was my next target.  He remained elusive, and it’s no surprise – he is an excellent bike handler and that course sure rewarded those skills!

Rich and Peter duked it out for the finish with Rich winning in a sprint at the line.  Congrats to Rich, I think that’s his first win.  That’s just what he needed in the Bubba Series Points Competition.  Can he catch Matt?  Will Peter win out to win it?  It will be fun to watch that unfold in the next month!

Thanks to my friend Rob "Ragfield" for shooting the race.  It's too bad he didn't get to race (cause he's not just fast with the camera), next time!

‘A’ Race

Grabbed a gel, swapped jerseys, downed some water and hoped in the grid for the “A” race.  I got a little argy-bargy with Scott (Ritte van Vlaanderen/Seagal) (all in good fun), and worked my way up in the field a bit.  The CX racing has finally paid off with my lower back strengthening up so that it didn’t “die” on me till 30+ minutes into the second race (it’s the little victories).  Anyway, Carl (Green Street Realty) was riding smooth and fast so I just tried to hang on to his wheel.  I could see the big dogs (Kurt (708), Johnson + Schottler (Big Shark), Sam (Canyon), and others) up the trail a bit, but I kept telling myself the good words of DoubleJ (MWI): “Remember, this thing is an hour long!”  After recovering on Carl’s wheel I think I attacked him and Stu (OTF).  Carl was complaining about his ribs (recovering from a crash/fracture?), but until then he didn’t look like an injured racer!

Up and over.  Photo Credit: Dennis Fickinger.

About this time my back started killing me and I began bleeding spots to better racers.  There was some dueling with Dennis (Dogfish) but I let Rock (The Hub) go by uncontested.  I got a second wind to finish strong and was pleased with my results: 4^th and 11^th on the day!  Plus the course was just a blast to ride.  On some courses the technical features just suck.  The whole time you’re thinking: “this is stupid, this feature is just annoying”.  But the course was challenging and fun.  It seemed to have everything (you want in a veldrijden) including that je ne sais quoi, flow.

Sunday

My wife and I are in the process of joining a local church, so we attended a membership “class” so everybody understands what they’re getting into.  Well, the class (while interesting and deserving of several blog posts of its own) ended an hour early.  While driving home I looked at the clock and thought “Could I make it to the race?”  The possibility was completely off the table, but quickly considered with the wife, it was now available.  What fun!  I packed the car and drove a little on the fast side over to Creve Coeur to line up for the A’s.   Let’s just say that when I got out of the car I already had everything but my helmet and number on!

I had enough time to ask Mark Ewers to pin my number and pre-ride the course.  Without a warm-up I knew it would hurt, and the A’s delivered.

The course was a standard Bubba (as I’ve come to know them).  Not much climbing, a little bumpy, dry, but rewarded smooth cornering.  One set of double barriers, and everybody’s favorite: a healthy dose of wind.

Dwayne G. (Dogfish) won the B’s outright, so he lined up for the A race.  I knew how he was feeling: nice and primed but probably wondering what he had in the tank for the last 20 minutes.  I made some early passes.  The odd one was going around “Butthead” (Big Shark).  Soon enough though, on a straight-away I tried to hold his wheel up to the top 5-6.  Blowed up.  Turns out he joined his teammate Schottler and they went 1-2.  

Tightening the screws on Dennis through the barriers.  Photo Credit: Creed Monster!

I rode with Rock till he dropped me, then did battle with Dennis and Trent to avoid being last place.  Dwayne started running out of gas towards the end of the race and I did overtake him.  His indomitable good spirits make him the best and worst carrot ever.  “C’mon Mark, you’ve almost caught me!” he cried, grinning ear to ear.  If you’re in “competitor mode” it may grate on you, but if you know Dwayne, he’s just gushing encouragement and loving every minute of the racing fun.  The next man up the trail was Chris (Big Shark) and I was getting closer to him but couldn’t close the gap.  Maybe another lap?  Maybe not.

Big ups to Scott for breaking into the top 5 for the first time.  It was good to see so many of my bike friends, I sure like the StL.  Thanks to my wife, OTF, Big Shark, and the officials for letting me play bikes.  Such a good time.  Also, thanks to Mesa Cycles for loaning me the Fizik tester saddle and gluing my tubulars.  The two have been awesome and make the entire CX experience that much better.

Next up: work trips to AR and maybe my last race of 2011: Bubba CX 11(?)

Things In Kansas

Things in Kansas work a little differently.  A guy who DNFs gets better points than the guy that wins by a landslide...

Lining up near the back of the Men's Open field in Shawnee, KS for the 360Cup, I had a decent start.  Following John Jones' wheel I tried to learn the lines on the technical course.  Through the barriers and into the final turn of lap 1 I overtook some guys and got tangled up with Lawrence Simonson, sending my rear brake into my spokes.  I lost some places fixing it but started gaining a few back in the subsequent laps.  Joe Schmalz lapped me, as did Andrew Coe.  This informed me that I suck at cyclocross.  Then my rear derailluer cable came loose and I packed it in, DNF (yes, I informed the officials).  This informed me that I suck at life.

So far the story sounds reasonable, right?  Then how does USAC score me with "better" points than the guys who lapped me? Of lesser importance, how do they also have the wrong team for me?  C'est la vie.

This kind of thing doesn't bode well for those who need it to work for nationals/world's call-ups.  Regardless, thanks to 360Racing for putting on a great event on a tough course.  That off-camber stuff was wicked!

Anyway, the family had a good time in KS visiting my folks and got to see my siblings (minus a bro-in-law).  My little bro bagged two pheasants on a youth hunt w/ a bird dog.  That's pretty cool.  I sucked at CX but got to ride some gravel on Sunday.  The kids rode horses and we ate like kings (like you haven't notice from my skin-suit shots, yikes!  Between no-shave Novembeard and the weight, I'm heading into Santa Claus territory for the 2012 road season.  Perhaps I'm subconsciously becoming a fred?)  Great weekend.