Kansas Cyclocross Championships

Kansas Cyclocross Championships were held at St. Mary's University in Leavenworth, KS yesterday. A solid night of rain softened the turf before race day, and a steady drizzle and a field of 40 plus racers starting the morning off turned the course into an epic 'slick as snot' day of cyclocross for the remaining races thruout the day on Sunday.

My race, the Master's 'A' 35+ went off at 11am with the 45+ and 55+ categories. Upwards of 27 in my class and another 30 plus lined up behind in the older aged categories. The temps steadily dropped thru out the morning. by race tine for us it was low 40's and later in the day the temps had dropped into the 30's. The first race at 10 am had 30 plus racers, which led to a 'softening' up of the course. With a steady drizzle the course got slicker and slicker.

Great layout for Sundays' course. Hats off to Chris Locke and friends for all the hard work. I think the course was great and the weather made the day perfect to race 'cx' bikes.

I generally believe i have an advantage going into a race like yesterdays. The layout of the course and the nasty conditions of it make for what i think is a highly technical day of racing. I consider that perfect ingredients for me to beat some of the guys who i feel like are my rivals or guys who are similar ability to me.

However, picking myself off the ground a half a dozen times will not lead to a great result. That is exactly what happened yesterday. Legs were fine, but mentally i was not prepared. I overraced my bike yesterday, raced way too aggressive, i got in a hurry trying to play catch up after my initial wipeout and got careless under the conditions and paid the price. You cant do those things to be competitve in a cx race in our area anymore and count on a good result. The KC area and our region has gotten so competitve the last couple of years. So many guys have caught the 'cross bug' and are really going fast. It is friggin awesome. 2 years ago, weather like Sundays' would have chased a lot of racers away in our area, and we would have been lucky to have half as many racers line up for a race like that. So hats off to everybody who welcomed the 'epic' cx conditions and who really came out to experience a great course and a great day of racing.

Off my box and back to my reflections of my own day of racing..........I also made a bad decision in equipment choices as well. I chose the wrong tires and went with the wrong wheels. This is frustrating because I thought i learned my lesson after racing in last years Boss Cross #2 and #3 races. If you were there...You know these races were absolute mudfests. I made the same mistake last year with these 2 races yet still I chose the wrong tires that i have at my disposal. This was just one of many mental and physical mistakes i made yesterday. Bottom line, I was horrible yesterday. my result could have actually been a lot worse if my legs didnt feel good. Fortunately, the guys behind me suffered some of the same problems keeping the rubber on the ground as I did. So by the end of the 40+ minutes of slipsliding and slopping around in the mud, grass, brick and asphalt I tried to outsprint 360 teammate Joel Hammontree, only to come up a half a wheel short. It was a disappointing 10th place with 27 guys towing the start line for my race. I Got beat by a bunch of fast guys though, so no shame there.

On top of all of my supposed mistakes and slopping around and picking myself up out of the mud....I still had an absolute blast racing my bikes(s) yesterday. Great course, great conditions and above all else....great competition. I love racing against guys and competing against guys who I like and respect. Going against teammates or guys I opposing teams, I really revel in competing against friends and rivals in our area who love 'cx' as much as I do. And there are a lot of guys who love cx as much as me now.

For some good race reports....check out these blogs....http://bike-o-latte.blogspot.com/ and http://onthebikeagain.blogspot.com

hope to see a lot of KC cxers in Lincoln next weekend...

see yah!

pics from saturday nites cross race at the Heartland Speedway in Topeka

Post race trying to keep Brynn busy

Heather got some good pics with the little camera last saturday nite. We also discovered that Brynn doesnt like to share the salsa when we are out eating 'mexican'.....so our waitress brought her very own bowl. Spoiled even by others!

With the sun going down, thats' me hopping back on the bike after the stairs exiting the dirt oval.

Racers lining up before the start of the Master's 'A' 40+ race. I am front row on the our left hand side.

Brynn having way too much fun on the bleachers at Heartland Park. More fun than watching a bunch of weirdos in spandex anyway.....although she did see the racers running the stairs, which had her screaming 'weeeeeeeee'. We were cheap entertainment for her.

Heartland Raceway Grand Prix Results

here is a link to the Heartland Grand Prix results from last Saturday nite....http://www.sunflowergames.com/........dont understand why they are hidden or only posted here.....for now.....

later........

Heartland Raceway Grand Prix under the lights.....

So the race schedule for this weekend was just to race Saturday in Topeka at the Heartland Park Raceway. Last years race was its' first ever at this site, which was again promoted by SlimenUndGrassen racer and Topeka resident, Jeff Unruh. Last year's race to me, turned out to be the coolest venue behind Lincoln, NE Pioneers Park. Racing under the lights adds' another 'cool' factor as well. I won the Cat 3 race at the Raceway venue last year, so i was looking forward to Saturday evening. I had decided i wasnt going to racing Sunday morning, instead i would save the vacation hours and go to work instead. So i could race Saturday without worrying about how i would feel the next morning.

As excited as I was to race, I was somewhat apprehensive as well. The last 2 weekends of racing have been less than pleasing with really the last 4 races producing less than approving results in my mind. I have gone in to the last few weekends feeling fatigued more than normal and really having what i would call 'dead' legs, or no snap so to speak. So with some training adjustments over the last week thinks to friend and coach Mark Thomas, i felt a little livelier coming into this past weekends' race.

The race track at the Heartland venue is 'fast fast,.....Fast!' Jeff is able to utilize the 1/4mile dirt race track and the surrounding land around it. This allows the ability to string together some long and fast flat sections tide together with some technical 180's and high speed 90' turns in the infield, with the remainder of the race course looping around the 1/4mile track and the adjacent concession area. Just a cool spectator friendly venue with a centralized gathering area for beerdrinking and bbq eating family and friends for Jeff and the rest of his volenteers to use.

My recent upgrade has meant no more cat 3 races...officially. However, i have been racing the faster Masters' category races the last 4 weeks anyway, so no big deal. It is just more of a humbling experience, since I go from being the guy that others afe looking to to set the pace to being the guy just hanging on for dear life and battling for a top 5 when all of the 'regular' fast masters' show up. On Saturday nite, most of them did. Mark Studnicki, Andy Lucas, Steve Songer, Scott Fleming and promoter Jeff lined up. Minus a couple of other 'fast guys', it was still a good field with a total of 18 guys lined up for the Master's 'A' 40+ race. With the soundd of the official's whistle, 'fast-startin' Andy Lucas had the hole shot with Songer, Studnicki and me following from the pavement start to the first grass chicanes and onto the initial 'dirt track' section. Studnicki proceeded to takie over the pacesetting once on the track at up to 30mph with the other 3 of us in tow. Mark and his blistering pace had already created a gap for the front four of us, but i was already in danger of losing the wheel of Lucas. I had to kill myself to keep the 3 of them close. However, I was able to reattach to them once entering the 'infield' section of the oval where all the technical 180's and high speed turns. From the infiel portion we transitioned back onto the dirt to do another down and back on the other side of the track's straightaway. This led us into and 'off-camber' 180 uphill to a stairwell taking us down and out of the oval onto another grass section of 180's and hot turns. This is where i was able to keep the front 3 close again. I began to notice that Andy was getting gapped by Mark and Steve as well. The race course proceed to bomb down a grass hill and to the fence line of the speedway property and turn right to slog thru a thick grass section that was slightly uphill that pitched up at the end of this 500 meter section, from there once you climbed the chort little pitch up transitioned back on to pavement a few yards and took a hard left onto the grass to do a 90' right hand sweeper down and around a tree into a hard and fast left. Another 100 meters and the racers were back on the pavement headding towrds the 2nd dismount up a set of stairs and onto the bike heading slightly uphill and off camber into a right-hand 180 off-camber down hill into a 180 left hander that transition onto the pavement in the middle of the turn for the last 50-75 meters to the finish line. We did the 1.5 mile loop 8 times. by he end of the first lap it was me and Lucas together trailing the front 2(Songer and Studnicki) by maybe 5 seconds.

Once Andy and I got back onto the first section on the dirt, i pulled to the front to see if we could close the growing gap that was between us and the front 2. Andy didnt seem on top of his game and I felt pretty good. I found myself having to calm my excitement so as not to get careless. There were plenty of loose corners to lay it down in if I got careless or impatient. Not another 30 seconds later it was Andy on my wheel laying it down in a loose right hand turn. I looked back and figured he would recover pretty quickly and get back up to me....I even contemplated slowing a hair only to see a charging Jeff Unruh closing in on Lucas. So I did the next best thing, I stomp on the pedals and got out of the saddle and charged ahead. I immediately saw dividends in my big effort as the gap began to increase. So for the next 3 laps i was putting a gap and maintaining it on teammate Andy and Slimen racer Jeff. Starting late on lap 4 and early into lap 5 Andy had disengaged from Jeff and was closing in on me. I officially lost all my advantage when i 'brain-farted' and laid the bike down in a loose 180' turn on the dirt track. So much for a clean race, and before we entered the infield Andy was on my wheel. I didnt realize it at the time, but Andy told me later he 'killed' himself to get up to me. In hindsight, that made me feel really good. At the time, I wasnt thinking that way. I had to calm myself and ride smooth to conserve what i had left in the hopes of answering Andy's eventual attack to get away from me. Stupid me, I let him recover and sit on my wheel for almost 2 full laps. At the time I figured he was vying for the overall points lead and I had raced in a different category the previous races. So i really didnt figure myself into the overall equation. I was just thinking about Andy as a teammate. Late in the next to last lap I figured where Andy would probably make his move. On the slow grinding grass climb leading up to the concession area was where i figured Andy had the advantage. I knew it and he knew it. It was gonna take something special to stay in contact with him there. I actually was still pulling Andy leading into that section. Midway to the steep pitch he pulled in front. He didnt blaze by me, just kind of set a little higher tempo and maintained it to the top to the pavement. From there i was already 4 or 5 bike lengths back. Into the 2nd set of stairs the lead was maybe 3 or 4 seconds. Man, that doesnt sound like much, but in 'cross'....that is a definate gap. I didnt have an answer thru the finish area and the ringing for the bell lap didnt motivate any snap in my legs whatsoever. Damn.......i think i mentally gave it to him there. I didnt sit up......but I didnt dig deep either. My best race in over a month and I get that 'satisfied' feeling before i cross the finish line......THAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF! Going into the last part of the bell lap, I thought maybe Andy had started soft pedaling, so I gassed it only to finish a couple of seconds back crossing the line. Wish I had given that kind of effort at the start of the last lap to maybe get onto his wheel to put some pressure on him. Oh well......

It turned out to be a good race. I finished 4th. well ahead of a couple of guys who had been putting down some 'ass-whuppin' on me the previous couple of weeks. Payback is good. I think the tweek in the training paid off as well. I hope to continue to get or feel stronger over the next couple of weeks. The State Championships are next Sunday and I am looking forward to my first clean and uneventful cross race of the year. Cross the fingers.

360racing had a good nite with Steve taking 2nd, Andy in 3rd with me just behind in 4th. Dean Parker was 2nd in the highly competitive 50+ race and Doug Long in 4th and mtb'er Lyle Reidy racing as well. Fellow 360 teammate Shad Shreiner finished 2nd in the elite race to 'wunderkid' Joe Schmalz . Congrats to Localcyling.com racer Mark Studnicki on his 1st place effort in our 40+ race. The guy needs some competition........

Friend and teammate Ted Moore made an appearence as well. Whith the selling of his 'geared' bike, Ted lined up for the singlespeed race. He finished 2nd to teammate Steve Songer, which was his first podium of the year....Nice Racin' Ted!

till next time.....see yah!

pitchy climb makes for tuff cx race.

Saturday's 3rd race in the Boss Cross series was located in the Northland of Kansas City. The venue was again the Platteville Ridge Park used for the 3rd year in a row. With the venue and the course designer, Jeremy Haynes, I knew what to expect. Hard if not brutal test of mental toughness was the theme for the day. I knew the course would not really suit my skill, because of the cousre being on the side of a pretty good hill. This race has always had a couple of tough grinding hills thrown into the race loop. This however, instead of the longer grinders thrown in, Jeremy decided to change it up and throw in 3 short but very steep ride/run ups. Actually 2 of the 3 were ridable thruout the 40+ minutes of racing. The 3rd little pitchy hill was ridable in warmup, but thru the course of the race and the pounding and grinding of the race, it was better and even faster for the legs to run it rather than ride it. It was just steep enough to be faster to run vs. ride it. I felt it also saved a what little power i had in my legs as well.

Regardless, I still felt less than 100%, hell not even 75% truthfully. Last 3 weeks i feel like i have been playing catch-up on recovery and going into each race feeling almost like a baseball pitcher with a 'dead arm'. I have got dead legs. which is confusing, cuz my midweek simulated race efforts have felt pretty good. So until a couple of conversations with some friends, I could not figure out the problem. In retrospect, i had been trying to do recovery rides on the rollers instead of getting outside. Until today, I didnt think that should be a prolem. With the cooler temps and not wanting to subject little girl to a cold trailer ride, the roller rides have been much harder efforts than my recovery rides outside because i was so focused on my heartrate. Big mistake. So with an adjustment in expectations and less focus on HR and more on perceived effort I think I can come into the next few weekends races a little fresher.

So round #3 saw some fast guys line up for the Master's A 35+ race, but not a real large field. Big hitter from the 1/2's race, Mark Studnicki lined up as well as teammate and fast guy David Hedjuk and Doug Plumer. I was gonna be hard pressed to hold onto their wheels but was willing to make the big effort early in the hopes of seperating myself from guys who might be marking me. I was Overall leader going into the 3rd race of the series and none of the before mentioned guys had even lined up in the previous masters races in this series. So regardless of how i finished as long as i finished, i would maintain my overall lead due to some missing faces for saturday's race from the overall points standings.

With rollcall completed, the race official blew her whistle and we were off. Mark Stunicki took the hole shot into the grass after a long asphalt start section, followed by David Hedjuk, me in 3rd whell with Doug plumer breathing down my neck. Teammate Matt Dutcher was on doug's wheel. The front 5 of us immediately gapped the rest of the 35+ field in the grass and began to extend our lead thru the first set of technical 180' s right after the beginning asphalt section. A technical downhill offcamber muddy grass section led us into a sloggy grass trench section about 30 meters long before we took a 90 degree left up the first steep ride/run-up. This little pitchy climb was ridden by all 5 of us. For me i realized it was steep and wet enough that the traction was questionable so i ran this section the last 7 laps of the race, which was the faster technique anyway. From the top of this little pitch the course took another 90 degree left into another 120 degree right hander leading into a technical bumpy rocky 30 meters that was gradualing climbing up a hill that the course was set on. The course then took a 90 degree left down a the hill 5 meters and then a right hand turn back up the slope and onto a false flat running along a bumpy section into a fast downhill that led into a high speed soft 90 degree left turn that you took as fast as you wanted. This high speed rail turn shot you back up and onto a paved road and up a hill about 50 meters and into the grass for a little 20 meter soft soiled uphill climb that just sapped all momentum. From here you took a left and picked up some speed along a section that ran along the side of the slope where the course was at the highest point on the hill. Racers proceeded to bomb into a looping high speed left hander which left you going back the opposite direction and another 75 meters to a right hand 90 back onto the pavement and past the wheel pit. You then would bomb down and back onto the grass for 30 meters and back onto to the pavement and down a hill until you took a fast hard left onto a off- camber grass entrance thru a big dip, down a hill into another slow slogging grass drainage ditch into the 3rd short but steep little pitch. Racers then took a slow 90 degree left which led you into another 180 and back up a small false flat and another left led you into a double barrier set up which had racera dismounting with hardly any momentum at all. Mounting back on your bike and grinding your way to a right hand turn and back on the asphalt for the last section of the racecourse was a downhill bomb into a fast paved 90 degree turn, heading downhill again picking up speed into a fast paved looping 180 and back up the hill towards the start/finish line thru the parking lot was the end of a short but extremely difficult 1.1 mile Cross' course.

I lost Plumers' wheel and began to try to settle into that mode when you are trying to decide how much pain you can take while getting your 2nd wind after a blistering start. Matt Dutcher and I rode the first 3 laps together with Matt mostly sitting on my wheel. Matt decided to take a turn on the front and set the pace, but his pace was just a little bit faster than i could maintain. Like i described before with my lack of snap or dead heavy legs, I was just in that deisel type grind mode. Matt was going good so he left me to struggle on my own. For the next 2 laps i kept a consistent gap behind matt of 6-10 seconds hoping he would gas out or make a mistake, but he never did. He even seemed to get stronger the last 2-3 laps and increased the gap between us to atleast 45 seconds to a minute by the time i hit the finish line after 8 laps. So the 360 racers took 2nd with David Hedjuk, Matt took 4th and i took 5th. The last 3 laps had me battling wtih a couple of fast 45+ racers who were duking it out for 3rd and 4th. I was aable to follow their wheels for a time and stay motivated and not allow any 35+ racers to sneek up on me. I had to mentally work hard not to shut it down both physically and mentally, knowing i want feeling and going like i wanted for that mornings' race. Plus, being the leader of the 35+ A's in the overall points was a motivator too.

I just raced and immediately took off after so i wasnt able to see who showed up and raced the 1/2's race or even the cat 3's race. So I dont have any other race results.

I hope to have some pics posted in a day or too and hopefully i can get my training tightened up so i am flying for the Kansas State Cx Champs in a couple of weekends.

Get out and ride......See Yah!

Time to pay the piper!

This message goes out to dunsmuir and others concerned about my Cx racing category.....just received my upgrade from a 3 to a 2 this morning...........Jesus, what the F@#K have i done??

Racing Calamity From Smithville

So here are some great pics from Kristine Larsen(Mark Studicki's better half and rumored 'sugar momma'). She told me she wasn't Trying to get my faceplant>>>sure kristine. she didnt get the blood running down the other side of my face unfortunately.

Have a laugh on my part and if you missed it, my race recap from above race is a couple of blogs ago.

Racing Calamity From Smithville

'Cross' footnotes and rankings

Cool Pics courtesy of Lyle Reynolds. I borrowed them from his Flicker account.

Thanks Lyle!

I also want to thank Jeff Winkler for putting together some rankings of racers in our area or those who have raced cx in our area. He even seperated everyone into the category that the individuals are racing in.. Cool stuff, if you are in into comparing yourself with your competition, contemporaries and seeing how far back you are of the really really fast guys....ie. winkler, schmalz, wallace, tilford, smith......the really really fast SOB's.

Here is the website> http://sites.google.com/site/kccrossrankings/home

If you race cx, road or on the mountainbike in the midwest region from nebraska to arkansas, then you have probably seen the name Jeff Winkler. What has most likely been the case is, you have seen him go by you as he is starting his 4th lap and you are still on your 3rd. Regardless, wether you are a seasoned cyclist or relatively new to the sport, you need to check out his blog. I dont have the full story on jeff. I have only heard stories. Suffice it to say, he has raced at a high level for a long time. He has raced all over the world against the fastest in the world.(i.e. think Europe and the top pros). I find his blog and his race replays insiteful and incredibly interesting. I am a geek, but it is cool to see what a guy at his level is thinking during and even after a race........like i said, i am a geek.

Check Jeff's blog out here>http://onthebikeagain.blogspot.com/

that's my 1 cent worth.

see yah!

What can go wrong, will..........

This weeks race is located up north of downtown KC about 20 miles in Smlithville, MO. The race course is located in a cove near a marina so you can count on it pretty much always being windy. thank god its cross and not a road race. The course designed by the 'cowtown' gang had a little bit of =everything. It was a mixture of technical turns, some decision making on run/ride-up steep sections and a long sandy beach section that was meant to be a long run. However the rain packed the sand down and made it ridable. the steep bank forced most off their bike at the exit of the beach to hurdle back onto the course, this of course had your heart rate pegged only to have the course turn uphill and forcing most to grind their way back up to another technical sections of turns and high speed sweepers. It was a great layout and should have been ideal for me....but that is in theory. So i will tell u ow my race unfolded.....

Wow, i was so pumped to race today. I was not expecting to self-destruct in the process of though. So i lined up with maybe 18 or so other guys for the Masters 'A' 35+ race up in Smithville, MO. Some missing faces, but still a strong group today. Doug Plumer decided to race with us today instead of with the 1/2's. Family obligations rule over cx desires. A good warm-up under my belt and my legs feel so-so. I very rarely have any idea before the race unless i feel absolutely horrible.

11 a.m. rolls around and the official blows her wistle. Mark Studnicki fro Localcycling.com leads us into the first turn, followed by Joe Houston of Slimenundgrossen Racing, me and Doug Plumer. A good start..........Doug goes by me and Joe on the first paved section(about 500 meters into the course) and i work around joe at the first set of barriers coming off that same paved section. so a half lap in and the race starts to settle itself out. 2 1/2 laps in and teammate Steve Songer from the 45+ group is now on me rear and eventually goes by me on the early lap pavement.. i can now see my gap over 4th place Joe Houston growing a little. and behind him and working their way to me are teammates Larry Smith and Jeff Unruh from the Slimen team. Jeff is in the 45+ race and Larry is in my race. If that guy would learn to get a better start he would have been racing with Plumer for second. 3 laps in and now larry and jeff are getting by me late in lap 3. next 2 laps has me holding a constant gap back from Larry of about 10 seconds and about 5 from Jeff. Joe is about 15 back of me.......until lap 4 at the double barriers i proceed to mentally check out and catch the second barrier with my right shoe. this had to have been comical for anybody watching. In a split second i amface planting then picking my lenses from my sunglasses off the ground with the frames still attached to my face. I am in a daze, my helmat is on sidways, i am stuffing lenses down my skinsuit so i dont lose them and at the same time trying to remount my bike.....only praying it is still functional. I even vaguely remember Jeff Unruh yelling out at me to see if i was ok. I think he had a really horrified look on his face like i had my face ripped off or something. For how violent me collision with the ground was, i was back up to spped fairly quickly. It was just a few seconds later on a flat section that i was trying to stuff my lenseless sunglass frames into my skinsuit as well. I dont want to just chuck them.......they me not be broken.

Well, unfortunately the comedy of errors was not over with. Joe saw the tail end of my wipe out and was now super motivated to catch my sorry ass. he was charging and actually overtook me briefly coming out of the long sandy beach section. He actually tried to ride it and i ran it. So there went his brief split section advantage. The ensuing climb up towards the picnic area saw me increase my lead on him by 3 or 4 seconds....not huge but important to know that he is gonna have to pull something out of his ass to beat me cuz of the little climb late in the lap.

However...i decided i would make it easy for joe. On a ride/run-up that some guys were riding and most were running, i made a huge boneheaded decision. I had run it once and ridden 3 or 4 times up to this point. I was closing on a lapped rider and made the dicision to ride it and ended up taking my eye off my line cuz i damn near ran up this guys back side. Shame on me. A huge tactical move on my part....as i am picking myself up off the dirt, joe ride up as i am hopping back on my bike. The last little bit of technical 180's before you get back on the start/finnish straitaway, i get sloppy and ride into the course tape, which then of course get snared in my rear cassette and rear derailler. As i am looking down at the pink tape mess in my rear drivetrain, i make the decision that a coule of gears will be good enough and i blow right by the wheel pit as the officials are ringing the bell for 'last lap'. Of all of the dumb ass move i had made up until then, sthis was by far the worst. i only had the two easiest gears on my rear cassette with all off the tangled tape in it. If i trade out for my 'B' bike in the pit, i can probalbly give Joe a run for 4th place, instead i grind my drivetrain into submission and watch Houston slowly drift away from me unable to even get up to speed. Super frustrating and disappointing. I totally brain locked. I can handle physical mistakes like the barrier goof, but the mentall mistakes that i made later in the race are just inexcusable. I put too much work into my technical skills, the cornering and barrier work.....to just lose focus and panic cuz someone is close to ou and breathing down your neck.....I really Pisses me off!.....oh well, there is always next weeks race.

Mark Studnicki won the race going away, with Plumer taking 2nd, larry smith was 3rd, Joe 4th and i was 5th. Steve songer won the 45+ race with Jeff Unruh finishing 2nd to him. I was told by some confidential sources that here are some spectacular pictures of my great wipouts...so stay tuned. I will post them as soon as they are available. till next time,

see yah!