'CROSS? ALREADY? YES PLEASE!

It is already time for my brain to get into 'cross mode. I have some great news for the upcoming season. I will be racing for the Cycle-Smart Grassroots Cyclocross Team! Cycle-Smart is a coaching company set by pro Adam Myerson and his staff. They were looking for riders and I submitted my results and got placed onto the team. I am super excited for this opportunity. Adam has a great line of sponsors set for the season: Van Dessel Bikes, Verge Clothing, Challenge Tires, Lazer Helmets, Williams Wheels, TRP Brakes to name a few. I am lucky to getting to ride a new Van Dessel Gin & Trombone for the season.

I can't wait!

Adam Myerson:

The Van Dessel Gin & Trombone:

THE BLACK KEYS!

This past Monday, my girl and I got a chance to check out a sweet show: The Black Keys! I have been following them for about 2 years now and was stoked to see them live.



Concert was at D.A.R. Constitution Hall...a really cool venue to see a show...super loud...great time!

WEDNESDAYS @ WAKEFIELD SERIES RE-CAP

Wednesdays @ Wakefield is a cool little mid-week summer series. It is a good time to get a hard effort in with little pressure to get a big result. It is a 4 race series…the plan was to do all of them at first…then ran into some frustrating issues. Here is a small re-cap:

Race #1: Rocked Full Metal Gray…lined up in the start. The start was interesting to say the least. The park dumped a ton a gravel in the start so it was a couple inches of loose gravel. Gun goes off…slip my pedal and lost a ton of places right off the start. Things didnt go well from there…dropped my chain on a rooty flat section…lost places…clipped my pedal on a turn and dumped onto my buttcheeks. Finished up pretty frustrated…but thats racing. Had a nice rash on my cheek…looked like i got hit with a meat tenderizer.


Race #2: Rocked the Speedy USA Kit…lined up…blew the start again in the gravel. Chased hard throughout the first lap…then flatted near the end of lap 1. Changed the tube and rode just to finish up…bummer.


Race #3: Passed it up to rest for the Bulldog Rump XC.

Race #4: Back in Metal…finally nailed the start and went with the lead group. Had a solid first lap and turned back the throttle for the remainder of the race.

All in all…not the best showing for me at W@W…but tried my best to have fun and use it as good training.

Thanks for reading!

Mid-Atlantic Super Series 2010: DTS Fair Hill Classic

The DTS Fairhill Classic is fast becoming one of my favorite summer races. The format is simple…one large 20 mile loop over some really solid trails. Being a Cat-2 the race had an early start…8:45am…so my girl and I had to get up early. Had a little warm up knowing that I would be able to get into it on the 2 mile dirt road lead into the singletrack.

Had a decent position dumping into the singletrack…made a good amount of passes through some twisty trails…then dumped my chain…again…seems to be a theme for me. Got out onto the gravel road connectors and made up some time on the lead group.

Felt great throughout the race. I was climbing real strong…but was in no man’s land for the majority of the time…passing a few here and there. Lost one bottle early on, so I had to conserve some fluids until I got to an aid station. Luckily there were a good amount and got a fresh bottle from the DTS volunteers…nice.

With a few miles left the legs began to tighten up and cramp a little. Put the rest of my fluids into my body and made the break for the finish.

Finished with a good pace and a smile when I saw my girl right there! Downed a coke in the air conditioned pavillion…cleaned up…headed home for a needed nap!

Again…thanks for reading!

H2H SERIES: BULLDOG RUMP XC

Headed up to Jersey for the 3rd round of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship Series. I’ve raced ‘cross in Jersey…but never XC, so I was pretty excited to see what they had to offer.

Got my number plate…kitted up…and headed out to warm up. Talked with a few locals about what to expect from the course. Reports were all similar…not too climby…but rooty and rocky. Met a fellow Metal rider who would be on a singlespeed…good guy and gave me some good info on the course. It had dumped rain the night before so the everything was going to be slick. Interesting…

Lined up and waited for the start. The plan was simple: hang in the front and see what was going on…then try to push the second lap. Plan was going great…feeling good…but the roots were slick and rocks were all over the place. Sharp ones. I dumped over the bars early when I clipped my pedal on a flat section. Lost a good place while I shook my head clear. Then the chain problems began…dropped the chain a good amount on the first lap which is frustrating.

Came through the end of the first lap and got a fresh bottle from my girl and went out to finish strong. The heat was starting to play a factor as I was gassing on a few climbs and started to get sloppy on some technical sections. Dumped a couple more times and it played havoc on my brain. Now I just needed to finish in one piece!

Came through the uphill finish strong and was pleased with the days effort. Cooled off and cleaned up!

On a cool note…I met BikeSnobNYC…parked next to him…too funny!

Thanks for reading!

4TH OF JULY FUN!

Had a great holiday at the beach with my family and my girl. Great weather! Ton of beach time! Fireworks on the beach!

I LOVE SUMMERTIME!

MASSANUTTEN HOO-HA 2010

The Hoo-Ha has been an important race for me the past few years. It has been a part of the AMBC as well as the Kenda Cup. This year the second race of the MARC series and my goal is for top 3 in the overall series.

It was looking to be a tough race…dry course conditions and hot/humid weather. The Cat-2 race was set for one 12-mile lap…it is a demanding course…long climbs…technical descents…fast rolling sections as well.

Got kitted up and spun around for a limited warm up as to not overheat too early. It was a “mass” start…pros, cat-1, and cat-2 were all rolling out together. It was a little hectic to find where to stage…found a few guys in my group and slotted in and waited for the countdown.

Gun goes off and so does the race! I planned on taking the first long field climb mellow and get into a good group. But that was not going to happen…people were everywhere…I ended up pushing up to a few cat-1 riders…we swung into a slightly rocky climb and I was feeling good…then it happened…

My hand slipped and hit my shifter and dropped my chain…so in a panic I shifted to get the chain back on…PING-PONG-PING…chain…broken. No way…I thought my race was finished 7 minutes in. Learning from previous experiences I jumped off and got to work fixing the chain. I had a master link in my pocket, so I knew I just had to get the broken link off…easier said then done. I had no chain-breaker. I just wrenched it off sing my hands and chainstay of the bike…not the best plan but it worked. Threw the chain back on and realized about 90% of the entire field past me…eek…no worries…the goal now was to finish.

Rolled by the finish area out to the climb and saw my girl and let her know why I was so far behind…got a huge smile from her and I went up the climb.

Rest of the race was solid…climbed real well and came down feeling good…passing a large amount of racers along the way.

Finished strong and was pleased with the result…10th…not bad for nearly calling it quits 7 minutes into the effort.


Thanks for reading!