Wissahickon Pics

I'm heading for retirement

You read that right. I'm retiring from the world of competitive bike racing after the Captial Cross race on December 7. This doesn't mean that I won't be riding anymore, just that I won't be racing. Now you're probably asking why after such a great year I would be doing this. For some of you reading this the dream is to become a professional rider, getting paid to race. While I love racing my bike that just isn't my dream.

The reason is I want to pursue my real dream job. I'm currently involved in a volunteer work in the U.S. and I am beginning to make plans to move to third world country (where I'm not quiet sure yet) to be more fully involved with this work sometime late next year.

When I go to race I go to win. With the preparation and planning that is going to go into a move of this magnitude I just won't have the time to train to be competitive. I still plan on riding, but am going to focus more on high speed long distance touring.

It was a great year, I met some awesome people and I learned a lot about myself in the process too. While the Adventures of Captain Crunch blog will continue past December, there will be a shift in the focus. Starting in 2010 it will be chronicling my preparation for moving.

I want to thank my sponsers that helped out so much this year - the RGM Watch Co. and Thome Insurance Agency. Also, thank you to everyone for reading the last two years and I hope that you will continue to do so in the future as my new adventure begins!

Best Regards
Captain Crunch

Wissahickon Cross

It didn't go well. I had some major mechanical issues. The rear skewer wouldn't hold the wheel in the dropout. I was running top 10 when the wheel pulled out and sent me over the bars. By the time I got back on the whole field was long gone. It happened two more times throughout the race. Oh well that's bike racing. I finished 52 out of 81 racers who finished.

The course was a muddy mess. With all the rain we had on Friday and Saturday the course was super slick. As soon as I have the pictures I will post them up here for everyone to see. The worst part is that I was feeling really good and confident in my bike handling skills despite the conditions.

My goal was for top 20 but that will have to wait until the USGP Mercer Cup on Nov. 14 and 15. That is going to be an awesome weekend as the entire Richard Sachs team will be there too!

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

Iron Cross Lite update

On Saturday I contested my second cross race ever. I learned a whole bunch. One - when your tired it's hard to dismount/remount smoothly and cleanly. Two, pushing a bike uphill after jumping a barrier is harder than it looks! Three I need to work on my standing start to full bore race speed. I got a great place on the grid but lost some positions in the ensuing sprint.

The course was awesome, with a little bit of everything. It had nice singletrack section with a log barrier, a nice long fireroad, and a nice runup with a manmade barrier in the middle. If you had MTB skills you were primed to do well with this course.

I followed the stratgy I've gone with all year. I start out at my pace and work my way up from there. Again it worked for me. I moved up to 6th by the end of the race. Another lap and I probably could have gotten 5th, as that rider was starting to fade after such a long hard effort working on the front with the leaders.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like 'cross racing, but after two races I'm hooked. The vibe before and after is awesome (imagine a giant party - but with bikes, mud, and freezing temps:-). The races are just the right length to inflict pain, but not too long where your sick of racing. Overall it has been and awesome experience and I still have 4 more left!

Next up on the schedule is the Wissahickon cross on Sunday out near Philly. Then comes a big one - the USGP Mercer Cup in NJ. Also, just added will be the PA State Cross race at the end of next month!

Thanks for reading
Captain Crunch

What is cyclocross?

This should help clear things up... click here

BikeMS NYC

It was great weather this year. No rain thankfully. However I forgot my camera so no pictures. But it was probably better. I won't bore you with the details but I rode my fastest century ever. Just over 5 hours at an average speed 18.3mph. Not bad for this late in the year and logging over 4000 miles. If I keep riding maybe I can hit 5000 before December 31. Iron Cross in Carlise is in two days! It's hard to believe the CX races 2 and 3 are all ready here and the Mercer Cup USGP race is a month away!

Best!
Captain Crunch