Tacchino Ciclocross 2010

My weekend could be summed up in two words, Bicycling Nirvana.  The Bootlegger's Bliss on Saturday followed by a full day at Roseryville and the Tacchino Ciclocross on Sunday.

One year ago Sunday, I did my first "traditional" cross race at the Tacchino, presented by Squadra Coppi.  I had done the Iron Cross a few times, but, that hardly counts as a traditional cross race, in the modern sense. Some would argue the IC is, in fact, a real cross race and what passes for cross now is some sort of watered down version of a once "manly" endeavor.  All I know is it's fun, all of it.  But, I digress.

The Tacchino kicks ass, plain and simple.  Jim and the whole Coppi squad put on a great event and they really kicked it up a notch this year.  Back for the 2010 edition was the incredible course, the tasty beer, sausages, and a live funk band. All that would have been fine for me, but not one to rest on his laurels, Jim kicked it up a notch with better beer, a better course, better swag from the generous sponsors, cool prizes, a Single Speed class, a tandem class (stolen from a stolen idea) AND a moon bounce.  Hell, they even got a horse to run along the course during one of the races.  How's that for a party?!

Photo by RickyD & Jojo

My first race went off at 11am with the "Super B's". They threw all us Single Speed guys in with that motley crew in hopes to give the race a little class and distinction.  It was hard work, but, I think we pulled if off.  One gear love, that's all you need.  There was a little confusion with my number as the registration guys gave it away to someone else. Then they tried to hand me a number that would have me lining up on the back row.  I protested, they told me to chill and Jim stepped in to make things right.  Unfortunately the line judges didn't like 9 guys on one grid and we had to shuffle. Guys looked at me to move back and I told them to piss off. Not my fault someone else can't read a name properly. I held my ground and DKEG took the bullet. He moved back a row or two so I could maintain my third row position. I owe that boy a beer.

Photo by RickyD & Jojo

At the whistle I get to work and make my way up a few spots. Halfway through the first lap I think I'm going to die and loose those spots to some geared riders. Somewhere on lap 2 my legs settle in and I pass an AFC rider who was looking strong on lap 1. I give him some encouragement and think he's done for the race.  A few minutes later he blast pass me like I was standing still. Maybe I should encourage myself like that once in a while.  I try to close the gap, but, he keeps opening it up.  Cargo Mike is now closing in on me. He's been working his way up through the pack and I'm next on his list, apparently.  I ask for a little more from the legs, they refuse.  Mike catches me as we start lap 3 and he's riding strong. I am able to muster a little something and hang on his wheel for most of the lap. No one is challenging us and we have clear sailing ahead. Lap 4 comes and Mike fades a bit, I moved ahead briefly and then he attacks and passes once again. On the far side of the course I stuff my wheel in an off-chamber turn and go down. Mike calls back for me to move my ass and I'm back on trying to make up the time. I close the gap a little, but, he still had more in his tank than me. We cross the line 3rd and 4th with two AFC riders in front.  That was a good race.

My brother Keith shows up with my kids and his daughter.  I have already registered the kids for the Lil Belgium's race at 1 and we have some time for a beer or two.  Tood, Anne and the whole Bike Lane crew rolled out the welcome mat and we enjoy some of their fine hospitality. Back at the kids course, Jonathan was doing laps while the others worked off their energy in the moon bounce. They lined up the kids according to age and had 3 separate races to keep things fun.  Jackie lined up with the other "training wheels" and they were behind the "skoot" bikes.  1 lap for the littlest of the Lil Belgium's and they all got medals and goodie bags. David's boy Will went with the next group and he was really racing hard. They went for 2 laps.  Jonathan Lined up with the 8+ year olds and that group included his cousin Jenna and Jake, David's oldest boy.  He had a smile on his face the entire time. At one point he stopped on the course to see if the kids behind him were "alright".  Seeing as he was near the back of the pack I told him they were fine and he should keep riding.  He finished the same way he started, with a huge smile. Not bad for a kid who didn't want to race.  Medals and more goodie bags for all.

After their races, David and I had to get to work on the tandem.  It needed some new tires, the old gum walls were looking a bit dry rotted and a swap was in order. We also needed to install some pedals and remove the bar ends. Some lube on that 20 feet of chain wouldn't hurt either.  Prepped and ready we take it out for a little spin.  Considering I had just borrowed the bike the day before and neither of us had ridden one together, we needed a little practice.  We tried some mounts, dis-mounts, rolling beer hand-ups, you know, the usual sort of stuff.  Armed with 15 minutes of saddle time on a tandem we acquire the day before, we were ready to race!

Photo by RickyD & Jojo

JoeP and RickyD were fashionably dressed as Piglet and Tigger, respectively. Anne and Andrew from the Bike Lane went as a gorilla and a banana. It was pretty comical. There were 15 tandem crews lined up and some heavy hitters again. The AFC team and DCCX tandem wining team of Padam was there. The Tom Tom Club, Jonathan of Family Bikes, a couple Kelley Benefits teams and a few others.  David and I got to the staging area a little late and had to line up on the back row.  That's a lotta people on big ass bikes to have to navigate through.  Somehow, with all 15 minutes of preparation, we managed to screw up our start and and almost fell off of bike. Righted, we were underway and catching teams quickly. David was a great stoker and we worked well together as we picked off the low hanging fruit.  Ricky and Joe, no problem. I think they owe DC Tony $50 bucks on some sucker bet that they could beat us. Ha!  Next was the gorilla and banana, bamm...done.  Now we had some serious riders clad in Lycra, not funny costumes. A few of those went down on that first lap as well.  We rode the big hill, we rode the log barriers we carried over the regular barriers.  We drove hard into the turns and the bike handled great.  Tandem is addicting and we were having fun. The kids were out on the side of the course cheering us on and it was nice to have them there. We threw out a couple "high fives" on lap 2 and were ready for one more. Alas, the promoters thought were we having too much fun, probably wanted to get to the heavy drinking or were simply cold, they stopped us after 2. 1 more wouldn't have changed our position, but, it sure would have been fun. 5th place will have to do... for now. We'll have our revenge at Rockburn on the 21st.  

DCCX 2010

Now that was my kind of course. DCMTB & Family Bike's teamed up again to bring the latest edition of this popular race. Some refer to it as the "Queen" of the MABRA series and I can certainly see why.  Held on the campus of the Armed Services Retirement Home in DC, this race saw large fields, a huge spectator gallery and some new categories.

The gang at DCMTB designed the course and it was well suited for those of us from the fat tire crowd. Very punchy course with lots of tight, twisty, technical turns and very few wide open "power" sections. Personally, I like that type of course. It levels the playing field and let's us dirty mountain-bikers have some fun.  I didn't do the race last year, but, I heard they removed a long power section on the far side of the course.  With only one gear, competing against guys with many, I was glad to hear of its removal. I was probably a little under-geared for the race (still had my Iron Cross gear), but, I didn't have time to change it and had to run what I brung. Even with my early registration, I was several rows back and had some people to pass if I wanted to do well. With a good warm-up, I hit it hard at the start and tried to pass as many people on the road section as possible, before things got jammed up on the course. I moved up quickly, found a good position and tried to settle in for the next 45 minutes.  The legs felt great, my tires were holding the line and I was having fun out on that technical course.

Rubbing is racing and there was no shortage of racing. I almost got forced into a tree on one turn and was shut down once entering a run-up. Of course there was the usual "shoulder to shoulder" action in a number of turns. That's the kind of stuff I live for and apparently a lot of other guys feel the same way.  Some really great competition without any attitude.  Just a bunch of guys turning themselves inside-out on a beautiful Sunday morning.

Being fairly new to Cross, I learn something new with each and every race. Today's lesson: There is no recovery if you want to do well. You pin it and keep it pinned until you cross the finish or explode, whichever comes first. Every time I tried to ease back the throttle, I'd hear the guy behind me make up some ground or the guy in front open the gap a little.  As long as the legs would allow, I pushed them as hard as I could.  My lesson paid off with my best results to date. 18th over-all in the Master 35/45+ B race with a 4th place in my age group (guys with gray hair).

That was the first of two races for me that day and the next race was a dedicated Single Speed category. I'm glad to see the race promoters adding the SS Cat to the races, I just wish it wasn't 5 hours after my first race. Especially when consider Dogfish Head is one of the sponsors and primary supplier of all things hoppy.  I tried to be good, I mixed equal parts 60 minute with equal parts H20, not together mind you ,but, in close proximity.  My good friends at the Bike Lane let me hang out in their pit and I was able to get additional hydration in the form of some Michelob Ultra. If it's good enough for Lance.......

Anyway, so the family shows up in the afternoon and we got to watch the ladies race and then the fast guys.  Jackie had an endless supply of lollipops and had to pee every 4.5 minutes. So, if you saw a guy holding the hand of a 4 year old in front of the porta-potti's and it looked like he was ALWAYS there, it was me....and Jackie.  Eventually it was time for me to kit up and prepare for my second race, the single speed class. Even after my long break, the legs felt a little dead. Not completely shot, but, the snap was gone.  There were a number of guys from the 1/2/3 race lined up and a few guys with fresh legs who were there solely for the SS race. Cargo Mike, DC Tony, DKEG, Seibold, Wheaton and Foley, to name a few, were on the line and it was great to be racing with these guys again.  Someone mentioned a 3 lap prologue and there were several guys that thought that was a great idea, in theory. I guess no one took him seriously because they all hit it hard from the start. Neiters jumped out front, after just finishing the A race, and left a few of us in a cloud of dust, literally.  Cargo Mike dropped his chain at some point and was able to get back in the game pretty quickly.  DC Tony took off and his silhouette became smaller as the race progressed.  My legs just were not in the hunt and I bobbled on a few of the run-ups. I was able to hold a few guys off, but, it wasn't the race I had run earlier. I managed 10th and I should be happy considering the competition.

One highlight, and another first for the race, was the tandem competition.  This was the final race of the day and was wildly entertaining. Throw some of the best local cross racers on a bike built for two and how could be anything else?  Driscoll & Blair from the AFC team, Neiters & Dombrowski from Haymarket, the Tom Tom Club of O'Donnell & Bartlett, the Klasmeier's, Biggs & a few more. Run-ups, twisty turns and a few bikes caught air.  It was a spectacle I was glad I caught. DKEG and I are already keeping our eyes open for a bike, er tandem.  Look out DCCX 2011!

Sickness

Pulled this off Jim's blog.  Incredible display of power and skill.  Just sick.

Ed Sanders @ the Lily Ponds

Cross season officially kicked off for me at the Ed Sanders memorial cross race Sunday morning. I got home from the Beer Run around 7:30 and didn't have much time to dick around before picking up DKEG and heading to the race.  Fortunately, I knew Saturday might be a long night and I had the bike and gear ready to roll for the race.  Quick cuppa joe and a shower helped to clear some of the cobwebs and I was off...again.

The venue is a cool water garden/nursery with numerous ponds and you guessed it, lily pads.  Coming back from PA I drove through some heavy rain and was looking forward to a nice, wet & muddy race.  That's what cross is all about, right?  We drove through some light rain on our way up there, however, it stopped before the 9am race.  With the exception of some damp grass in a few (very few) places, you'd never know it rained.  Much of the course was dry and dusty and could have used a little more rain, just to be tacky.  I geared the bike in anticipation for some mud bogs and probably could have used those teeth out on this fast track.  However, I knew I would be staged WAY in the back of a large field, 110 registered racers to be exact.  Only 98 of those people actually showed up that morning, but, I was still pretty deep in a very competitive class.  Today was going to be about improving my passing skills....and not puking on anyone.

As usual, I tried to hit it hard at the start and gain a few positions.  Tough to do when there are so many guys, but, I got a couple in the opening straight-away.  From there it was all about finding a hole and jumping in it.  I felt surprisingly good, considering, and was looking for my tempo.  About mid-way through the second lap my seat starts to move and slowly slides all the way down until it bottoms out.  Well shit, that sucks.  Nothing major, but, I'm not getting any extension in my legs and this is not the most efficient position to be in.  Riding out of the saddle for 3 more laps is not really an option, so, I just deal with it as best as possible.  The long, flat gravel sections kill me and my legs burn as they grind from this compacted position.  The good news is my gear choice helps with several of the steep hills encountered and I only run up one, which is a mandatory run-up anyway. 

It was on the second lap I saw a rider down on the side, not looking very good.  A number of people were on site to direct people to the side and keep the injured out of harms way. Well, any more harm that is.  I later read that he may have broken his neck and the race volunteers continue to re-direct racers for the remaining laps. Apparently he tried to cut a corner a little too short and stuffed his wheel in nice sized hole.  I wish him a speedy recovery.
Update:  I just read the rider did not suffer a broken neck. He got banged up pretty badly and is in a neck brace, but, nothing is broken.  I'm glad to hear this.

With my elfish seat height I rolled along for 3 more laps. It was damn near impossible to push hard on the flat sections and I lost time here with each lap.  I would get passed and then make up those spots once the course got technical again.  Unfortunately, it was a fast course and straight-line speed was more important than technical ability.  I finished mid-pack at 39th and 11th in my age group, meh...

Later that night I was sitting in front of my computer waiting for the registration to open on 3 more races. Hitting the refresh button in my browser every few seconds.  Start position is everything in these short races and the race to registration is just as important as anything you do out on the course.  Learning to play the game, one race at a time.

Anaerobic Assault (aka. Beer Runs)

The Tractor hosted another Beer Run Saturday night.  We staged from Bucks "Love Shack" and rolled over to the top of Scientology. This was the hill that crushed my will to live at The Curse of Dark Hollow and gave me my first DNF.  Fortunately, we were going down and I thought all I had to do was hang on and hit the brakes once in a while. Well, there was a bit more pedaling involved and the 1 minute start intervals meant you never knew how close you were to the person in front or how closely you were being chased.  Only thing to do is gun it from the start and keep the needle pinned the entire time. This hurts when your legs are stone cold, you just finished a turkey and bacon sandwich and washed it down with an IPA at the top of the run.

I blew a couple turns that came up alarmingly fast and took out a shrub or two. I was, however, was able to keep the rubber side down and not t-bone any trees.  That's a good thing considering the lack of oxygen impaired my ability to think rationally and see clearly.  17 minutes (or so) later we were down at the bottom, cracked another beer and waited for the remaining riders.  One more beverage for the climb back up to the Love Shack and then the drinking got serious.  Brett and Donna brought 4 kinds of homemade sausage and tossed them on the grill.  A clear sky and harvest moon made for a great night under the stars.  I was going to hang the hammock, but, decided to simply racked out in my car for a few hours. Rolled out around 6 as I had to get back home and prepare for the Ed Sanders cross race at 10. Good stuff.

Redemption at Teaberry

I never posted a race report from The Curse of Dark Hollow. I didn't think anyone would want to hear my whine like a little bitch. The Curse put a major smack-down on me and was the first race I ever DNF'd. Sucked. I'll just leave it at that.

A late season push to spend more time in the saddle and less time moving rock hasn't really panned out. Several projects have limited my time spinning the cranks, but, it's all good. Trying to find the balance in things. Dutchy tried to kill us on a road ride, a race at Schaeffer, some Psycho Cross, riding with the kids, plenty of rock crawling and that sums up the training regimen thus far. The Tractor even gave us a nice preview of the Teaberry loop a few weeks back. Chasing gunslingers through the woods on wet, slimy rocks is always fun.

So that's it, my fitness is adequate, not great, but, I can get through a ride. I skipped the SM100 this year and I sorta regretted not doing the race. Lots of friends, new and old, were there and it looked like a good weekend. If nothing else, it would have been good prep for Michaux. No, my final "big one" of the year was going to be Teaberry. "The hardest 40 miles in the forest" as the T-Shirt states. I knew what to expect and was going to ride a little smarter this time. Don't go out too fast, keep a sensible pace and try not to die.

The forecast didn't look good for race day. 50-60% chance of rain in the morning with possible thunderstorms. The forecasters were right on this time and I heard the first clap of thunder around 4am Sunday morning. Then, the sound of rain beating down on my roof. Shit, it's gonna be a wet one. Filled my belly with pancakes and bacon and decided it was all good. Just another day riding the sweet rocky goodness in Southy. Picked up DKEG and Jim and we headed north.

The mountain was socked in as we arrived, but, there was a lightness in everyone's attitude. Lots of smiles as everyone got ready to ride. We set up our pit, got prepped and had time to socialize before the start. A short beer to get in the mood and then the pre-race meeting. Another Le-Mans start and I line up a little further back than last time. Trying to keep myself honest this time. Bang, and we are off running.

A little longer run than The Curse and we are back at the bikes. Rolling, I settle in with a nice pace and find my place in the pack. They give us some open, flowy trail to warm our legs and a few guys comment about the fast trails. "Give it time" I tell them. The beat-down is coming up. Buchness is riding at a nice pace and I settle in around him. A Gettysburg rider is with us and a single speeder from Harrisburg. It's a good group. We pass Roger Masse on a descent. He dropped is seat bag and went back to find it. A few people have already pulled over with flats. It's going to be a long day, gotta ride smart.

Southern Gas was a blast. My first time on that trail and I really enjoyed the narrow "bench" sections. Rocks are typical on a Tractor trail and this one was no exception. Next was Mackey, then Virginia or maybe the other way around. Tough stuff, but, worth the price of admission....and then some. I didn't hit it fast, but, the tires held nicely and I rode a lot of wet rock I thought I might be walking. Little victories for the taking and I savored each one as they happened. I was on the bike more than off and that was good enough for me.

photo by Tomi

Somewhere on Mackey, I come up on Nate. He's having some issues but says its under control. I roll on thinking he'll catch and pass me any minute. Unfortunately, his misfortune was worse than he led on. A solid ride by a hard man, I wish I could have helped more. A loose brake lever meant a quick pit for me and I dropped a couple spots in the process. Not sweating it, I'm back on and in pursuit...sorta. I'm not chasing people today, but, I catch them in the technical rocks and regain my position. I rolled into AS 2 and was fortunate enough to get the last cup of Gubna. That, and a couple cups of the other beer, was just what the doctor ordered and I was ready to keep the party rolling

Fireroads provided a little recovery from the single-track smack-down. I knew Stooges was ahead and suspected it would be our final climb to the finish. Most organizers might take it easy on the racers and send them up a fireroad. This, however, is Michaux and the Cupcakes play by their own set of rules. After we worked our way down into the valley and had some work ahead to get out of it. With all its wet roots, rocks and punchy climbs, Stooge's hurt and yet it rewarded you with some beautiful scenery. Tall pines, narrow bench and mountain streams let the mind relax as the legs screamed for mercy. I picked my way up this trail, soaking in the views, knowing we had made the turn and were headed home.

photo by Tomi

A little more fireroad climbing and then the final stretch of single-track before the finish. I heard we were using some of the beginner loop for this final section. At AS 2 a Gettysburg rider grumbled and said something like "that stuff sucks". The fireroad was nothing to write home about (they never are), but the single track was kinda fun. Fairly flat, a little bony and a tad faster made for a fun way to finish the race. You could drift through the muddy turns as you tried to avoid small baby heads, it was a blast. I knew I was getting close when I could smell the camp fires. Then, you'd hear a cheer, next was the glimpse of the tents poking through the woods. I rolled into the chute and ended my race the same way I started it, with a smile on my face. Travis and the Gettysburg crew sure know how to throw a party. They serve up a hearty meal, so, bring a big spoon and prepare to feast.

Getting the urge again