Cross Nats 2010

So you think I would be more excited then I am to write this post. Truth is I'm not really that motivated. It's been an amazing season capped by a 6th place at nationals. I was firmly in fourth place closing in on 3rd when I had a ill-timed mechanical at the flyover that involved the wheel pulling out of the dropout. By the time I fixed the problem I had fallen to eighth place. With only 1 lap left to go I managed to fight my way back up to sixth place missing out on the podium by just 45 seconds.

Overall it was an amazing trip. I drank some amazing coffee thanks to Stumptown Coffee roasters in PDX. Coffee will never be the same after drinking a cup of their brew. I also got to hang out with some amazing new friends and got to see some amazing scenery. The couple I was staying with invited me back in July to race the Cascade Classic road stage race. Free room and board and an airport pickup is sweet music to a poor bike racers ears! Check out all my photos here!

So as hard as it seems to believe I'm already making plans for the 2011 season. As I just said I'm going to throw in a few strategic road races to help me develop the top end power needed for cross. Most of the cat 4 road races around here are only 30 miles in length and last about 1.5 hours. This makes them perfect for cyclocross training. While I'm not planning on doing too much upgrading to the road bike this season - save for new chain, cables, and tires - the CX bike is getting a full makeover courtesy of Sram's Apex lineup and a variety of FSA goodies. With the planned upgrades I'm hoping to get the bike down from 20lbs to 19lbs. I'll post the full build specs once I hammer them down.

Thanks goes out to everyone who followed my blog and twitter feed this year. The support from you guys goes a long way ATMO! I'm already hitting the base miles to be prepared for my first road race that is just 3 months away at the beginning of April. Also on schedule is still one more CX race - the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship race out in Emmaus PA. Then it's just long slow base miles after that.

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

P.S. That picture at the top is hotel room bike cleaning 101 :-). I totally destroyed the tub in my room. Don't look at me like that - you would do the same thing :-)

USGP Portland

Yeah - that is Jpows (Jeremy Powers) and Timmy J (Tim Johnson). More on that photo in a minute.

Finally - after racing all season I finally got some mud to race in. It only took travelling 3000 miles to Portland OR but it was a blast. It had been raining all week in Portland but cleared up on Friday. Come Saturday morning the course was still plenty muddy. The USGP folks did a great job laying out an awesome course. On the backside of the course was an awesome section of a motocross course whoops.

Somehow I got a third row call up on Saturday. After my usual slow start on the first lap I slowly began picking guys off. I was feeling great and really moving up fast and by the middle of the second to last lap I was running around 25th. Coming out of the MX section I shifted to an easier gear to get through the mud and the chain jammed up into the spokes. Fortunately the derailleur didn't shear off ala Trebon style but I still had to stop and dislodge it. By the time I was done I had dropped to the mid 40s. I managed to make back a couple of spots and finish 38th. Oh well - that's cross.

Also on Saturday - as promised - I dropped off cupcakes from Saint Cupcake Deluxe to the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld crew. These guys are some of the biggest supporters of north American cyclocross. The green trailer is a familiar sight all over the country. Jeremy Powers and Tim Johnson are some of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Tim is the defending national champ and Jpows took the USGP overall title by winning on both days.

Today (Sunday) was much faster. The wind really dried up the course overnight. To make it a little more challenging the course was changed to add around 15 extra corners. Again I got a third row call up and had my usual start. I had a really clean race with no issues. One of the highlights was running into one of my east coast crossresults.com victims. Matt Hennessy of C3-20/20 cycling is a class act. I've loved doing battle with him at several races and this one was no different. After 40 minutes I came home in 34th place.

Both days I managed to meet a goal I have for each race. I try to not finish lower then my call up. Saturday I was called up 38th and finished there and today I was called up 34th and finished there. If I can work on not losing so many spots on the start I really think I can do well in the B's next season.

Tomorrow I transfer to Bend for the National Championships for what I thought was my last official race. But Ray Ignosh is putting on a Mid-Atlantic championship race on Jan 14th so it's one more race after I come home. So far this trip has been amazing. Moving on to Bend and the ensuing party there is going to be awesome.

Thanks for reading!
Joel

PA State Championships

Since most of my time after the state race was consumed with packing for the USGP/Nationals trip, this race report is coming a little late in the week. I'm actually writing this in the Salt Lake City Intl airport.

It was awesome seeing some of my nemeses and victims as well. Big shout outs to Ryan Dudek and Ellis Kim of Toms Shoes as well as Lancaster local Gale Hess. You three (among others as well) proved to be formidable foes this year. I consider it an honor to have raced and battled with you this year and look forward to seeing you again at the Nittany Cross in Sept 2011!

Overall I think I rode my best race tactically all season. With three laps to go I had a group of 4 guys behind me. Right near the end of the lap at the bottom of the hill I put in a huge attack and shed all but one. We traded blows through most of the next lap and by the start of the last lap he had gotten around me and built a small gap. I was beating him every time through the barriers and decided to really come in hot to try and make up the space between us.

That didn't end so well. I planted my foot but it didn't go anywhere. I went flying over the bars but was able to hop up instantly and grab my bike and with the help from the adrenaline managed to close the gap anyway. He was much stronger on the hill at the end and beat me anyway. 14th overall. I was very happy with my race as I felt it was strong tactically. Next up for me is the Portland round of the USGP series. I'm hoping to get some mud that us east coast crossers have been missing all year.

That's it. I'm keeping it short tonight.

Captain Crunch

Howard County Double Cross Weekend

So I'm gonna keep this one short as I'm beat. I probably pushed myself harder on this weekend of racing than I have any other point the season - and I have two solid (for me anyways) to show for it. And best of all I felt great doing it the entire time.

Day one was a fast open course, but with enough corners thrown in to keep you honest. My warm up went really well and and felt that I had a good read on the course and that I had just the right tire pressure for the conditions. Once the race got started I started picking off other racers and bridging up to the next group in front of me. There was really one one technical uphill off-camber section but I selected the right tires and had no problem getting grip on the side of the hill. Fifty some minutes later I came in 29th by myself.

Day two was not quite as open and had some really cool single track thrown in. This certainly added another element to the race as there was no passing possible in these sections, so if you wanted to move up it had to be before hitting the woods. It took both a strong and tactical rider to do well at this course. My warm up was pretty much a repeat of the day before. I wasn't sure how my legs would feel after Saturday's effort but I actually felt really good. Again, my cornering was really good and I was able to make up a lot time on much faster riders simply because I was pushing the bike harder through the corners and willing to take some more risks. Altogether it netted me 33rd - another solid result to be proud of in the million man B's.

I'm really happy with the way I'm feeling right now. It's nice to feel like I have an extra gear to go to. I could tell in October I just didn't have it, but after this weekend I can tell it's coming back (just in time for PDX/Bend). It's also nice to see that the practice I've been putting into my cornering is really starting to show. Though racing in the B's with some of these fast cats has also pushed me to become a better rider as well.

To say I'm disappointed with the way the season has gone thus far wouldn't be true. However I didn't expect to be finishing mid-field like I am doing. But it has certainly been a learning experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. It has certainly helped to make me a better 'cross racer and that's something that will serve me quite well in the future!

It's hard to believe that the State championship race is on Saturday and Nats is only three weeks away. The season has just flown by! I've been privileged to go to awesome races but more importantly meet some even MORE awesome people! It's been a wild ride - one that I look forward to continuing well into the future!

Best!
Captain Crunch

P.S. Big shout out to Joe Mallis for providing awesome photographs of the weekend! See his whole sets by clicking on the link!

Countdown to Stumptown

With no racing on my schedule this weekend I decided to get in some extra training and CX skills practice over at a local park on the mtb trails. I won't face anything like what I was riding today on any CX course so if I could ride this stuff without dabbing I'd be golden come the last races of the year.

I also used the time to finish tying up some loose ends regarding my Nationals trip. Earlier in the week I scored an huge discount and on car rental and got upgraded to a better car at the same time. Epic WIN. I also put my name down to volunteer while at Nationals as well. I'll be helping out in registration on Friday and be acting as a course marshall Thursday-Saturday as well. I'll be rocking my Richie Sachs/RGM Watches sweatshirt and ATMO hat so be sure to say hi. And if you are going to Nats, please be sure to volunteer to help out (there's free food, beer, and coffee for those that do). Contact Gina Miller at gina@freshairsports.com or click here for the Google Doc sheet and put down your name.

As it stands I have 6 official races left this season and 2 just for fun races. Next weekend takes me to Howard County MD for the Howard County CX2X weekend. Then states on Nov. 27. Five days later I'm on the big steel bird in the sky on my way to Portland for the USGP weekend and then onto Nationals the following Wednesday. All told I'll be gone two weeks.

While in Portland I will practically be living in the local Stumptown Coffee Co. cafe. If you haven't heard they have some of the best coffee in the history of ever! No lie, I'm planning on bringing about 10lbs back east with me. I'll be giving some of it away so if you're really nice to me.... :-) I also promised C-dale/CX World rider Jeremy Powers I would bring cupcakes to the USGP (what bike racer doesn't love cupcakes) so I'll be searching for a good cupcake place. If you know one leave it the comment section below. If you don't know who Jpows is, click on the link. He's one of the nicest and funniest pro CXer's you'll ever meet.

Now you can't have CX without beer. In Bend there will be plenty of awesome microbrews to go around. The town even has a "Ale Trail" that leads to the local breweries. The nats course is being held on the grounds of the Deschute Brewery, purveyor of fine food and even finer beer! Check them out here. The special events taking place in Bend in conjunction with Nats are too many to list to so click here and see what's up.

Wow, this post kinda got away from me! Thanks for sticking with me through the season. It's been a great one thus far and I can tell next year is shaping up to be even better!

Best!
Captain Crunch

Last weekend took me to Elkton MD for round 9 of the MAC series for the Fair Hill Cross race. Let me start by saying this could be one of my favorite courses ever. It had the right mix of all the elements that make up a great CX course. I loved the little table top thrown in at the bottom of the one descent. And there was a perfect mix of sections where you could catch your breath and sections where you were working crazy hard (that blasted section after the barriers and the finish straight). Overall I give the course design 10 out of 10! Well done guys!

I was fortunate to have one of the days where the bike and me were totally dialed in and working as one (compared to day 2 of the Rockville Cross where I couldn't seem to do anything right). The ol' gray matter responsible for picking the right line through the corners was on its A game and I was having a blast the entire race.

I was locked in an epic battle with the guy in front of me. I had been chasing for two laps and going into the last lap I was down on him by about 15 seconds, so I put the hammer down and caught him at the log/run-up. However he proved much to powerful - I barely held his wheel after the barriers and knew I probably couldn't out-sprint him. By the time we were half way up the finish I sat up and conceded the spot (it's not the first time he's beaten me - he's my top Nemeses on crossresults) and came home in 28th.

I gotta give a big thanks to TLD (Deb Sachs) and Pookums (Matt Kraus of the RS team) for giving me some much needed encouragement. I was starting to get a little discouraged with my results after making the jump the "B" races. Both of the them told me just to enjoy the racing and simply just learn as much as I could. This couldn't have come at a better time.

I was getting myself so worked up before races that I was losing focus. At both Beacon and Fair Hill I went into the race without putting any pressure on myself. They've probably been the my best two races all year. I've showed up at the start lines relaxed and that feeling carried over throughout the entire race translating to relaxed, smooth riding. Because of this new found relaxation I haven't been afraid to really push the bike and explore the limits of what I can do with it. Every race I can feel my technical skills growing and growing. It's a great cycle and one I hope continues through to next year.

It's hard to believe the end of the season is almost over. Only 5 more weeks left until the National Champs in Bend! It usually a good sign when going into the last lap I feel like I could do another lap. It happened two weeks at Beacon as well so I can tell I'm getting ready to peak again (the last two seasons it has happened around the end of Nov.) just in time for the PA state championship and the "B" race in Bend.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading and following along so far this season!

Captain Crunch

P.S. I also need to thank @joemull (Joe Mulligan) and @hithro (Ben Kiel) for being big supporters and cheering me on during my races. Those cheers go a long way in helping ease the pain of 45 minute red line effort! You guys rule ATMO!

Beacon Cross race report

It's that time of the week again. Race report time. Last weekend took me to south Jersey for the Beacon cross and its infamous beach run and "amphitheater of pain" run-up. The course was not technical at all - in fact I ran too little pressure in my tires and probably could have picked up some more speed with an extra 5psi or so. The winner averaged almost 16mph - flippin' fast for a 'cross race.

I got a good call-up at the grid by way of my early bikereg.com placing. However it was short lived when I was caught up in the first big crash. I got tossed off the bike through the tape while my bike lay in the middle of the course. Getting back to it proved to be like trying to get across route 95 at 5pm without getting hit. Didn't lose to many spots and so began the chase.

Two things beacon is known for is its UCI limit 80m beach run (more like a jog) and the "amphitheater of pain" run-up. The run-up is a brutally hard two story tall through the park amphitheater. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Being a strong runner this provided me with a great place to make up some time on my rivals.

The race flew by without much incident after my initial crash. The last time through the amphitheater (which was only a short distance from the finish) I saw a guy at the top as I was about half way up. Even though I didn't think I could catch him decided to sprint all out on the 200m uphill finish straight. Thinking he was alone, he didn't start his sprint until 100m were left. By this point I was going all out. Throwing our bikes at the line I beat him by about a 1/4 of a wheel length (I wish I could see the finish line photo) - 10m less I don't have enough road and 10m more and I'm out of gas.

Overall I finished 41st out of about 75 guys. While not the same results last year I'm staying consistently in the top half of the field and learning a ton each week. This coming Saturday takes me to Fair Hill MD for round 9 of the MAC series. Then it's a well deserved weekend off before starting the last third of the season including States, the Portland USGP, and Nationals in Bend OR.

Thanks for reading
Captain Crunch

The Best of Times - The Worst of Times. The Rockville CX Weekend

This weekend I raced the Rockville cross. It went down only 30 mins. from my place so of course I was going to be supporting my home town race. Promoter Zach Adams did a great job both days of setting up the course and keeping it interesting for the racers. Check out his site here.

Day one started out great. I had a good start (for me anyways) and was picking some great lines through the course. However on the last lap I picked up a thorn and the rear tire was slowly losing air. Fortunately I was able to make it back to the finish without having to pit. The bike and me were really in sync (not quite like Granogue Day 2 but close enough) and we were really working well together. So it was the best of times.

Day 2 didn't start out so well. First I realized that I forgot my wallet and racing license. Not a big deal - I was able to pull my license up on the USAC website. Sunday's course was much technical and I just couldn't figure it out. On top of that the bike seemed to be fighting me all day and we were clearly not working well together. My warm-up/practice laps did not go well so before I even took the line I had resigned myself to staying in the back and just trying to gain some experience. Looking over the wounds from the weekend I discovered that I lost a chainring bolt. Not a regular one, but a single ring chainring bolt for which I now must buy set of 5 and hope they arrive by Friday for Beacon Cross on Saturday. Yes - day 2 was the worst of the times.

But enough negative. As always, the phenomenal Joe Mallis was on the scene on day 1 shooting "flippin' sweet" photos of us (The photo in this post is courtesy of him). Click here for the link to his gallery. I don't know how he does it, but he makes me look like I actually know what I'm doing :-)! Joe is a great photographer and even nicer guy to talk to when I run into him at various races around the Mid-Atlantic region. Chappeau Joe!

It's hard to believe that Beacon Cross means the end of month two of my season and only 5 weeks until I'm on the plane to Portland/Bend for some great pacific northwest racing. Now I just wish we would get some rain here on the east for some real 'cross weather. That's all for now - I got a bike to clean/fix!

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

Granogue Cross review

Another weekend of racing has come and come. This one was free of flat tires! The racing was made even better by the fact that the Richard Sachs team was also in attendance for the entire weekend racing in several different categories. Another highlight was breaking bread with the team on Saturday night.

As for my actual racing - 55th the first day and 57th the second day (both days had about 110 starters). Yeah, I know, not that impressive. But considering the top five finishers both days have enough points to move up to the next category (a couple should be moving up to cat 1 next year), it's easy to see that I'm racing with a much better caliber of racer.

I've had to drastically change my goals for this season. This is simply a season of learning at this point. I got some great advice from an elite rider who said if you want to get better, move up to the next cat. and get your butt kicked. That's what's happening right now. Granogue was an awesome learning experience. Sunday was the best of the two days. I really felt like I was picking good lines and my cornering showed some signs of improvement.

All in all it was a great weekend! Bikes were raced, beer was shared, and good times were had by all. Next up on the schedule is the Rockville Bridge Classic weekend on the 23rd and 24th of this month.

Best!
Captain Crunch

October Unprocessed - take the challenge

My sister told me about this thing she was doing. Eating no processed foods for the entire month. I decided being a healthy cyclist this was the responsible thing to do. And with Alberto Contador getting popped for "supposedly" eating tainted beef (probably processed and full of hormones and steroids) eating unprocessed should help me to avoid any unpleasant run-ins with WADA, the UCI, or USA Cycling (yeah like they're really worried about me - a lowly cat. 3). Click here to be redirected to the unprocessed challenge blog.

But seriously. When you really stop to look at what is in some of the stuff we eat and can you sick. My goal by the end of the month is to be a more conscientiousness eater, paying more attention to what is in my food and where it comes from (chances are if it doesn't come with a label it's probably fresh and unprocessed). I hope what I learn in this month I will be able to take into the coming years of my life.

Best!
Captain Crunch

September Racing Review (plus Whirlybird report)

Whew, the first month the season is over. Three weekends, two states, and four races - where did it go?????? Overall on a scale of 1 to 10 on how it went I would give it a 5. I learned so much these first races (plus the training race on Wednesday with local elite Bad Andy teaching some valuable skills). My cornering improved, I learned about proper tire pressure (more on that in a moment), and I upgraded from cat 4 to cat 3. The upgrade forces me to race with guys that are much stronger and I hope that will help me to go faster.

I already knew I was going to get my butt kicked in my new category - especially these first races which were dry, dusty, grass crits. The local quadzillas came out and smashed the course leaving us more technically apt like myself in their dust (literally). The last race of September, the Whirlybird cross, did not end how I would have liked it.

Whirlybird is where I learned about the importance of tire pressure. I began my warm up laps on 35psi but thought I could get away with 28psi. Two laps in at race pace on 28psi I knew the I could face the possibility of a pinch flat as I was hitting the rim multiple times a lap. And that is exactly what happened. I managed to get it back to the pits and change the rear wheel. At this point I was almost dead last but I was determined not to DNF. However half way through the next lap I pinch flatted the rear tire again in the same spot, and with no more wheels my race was over.

The worst part about it was that I had and amazing start. I caught my pedal on the first stroke, shot up the side of the field and made up close to 10 spots before the first corner, hitting all the corners, and was settling in to a good pace. Oh well. That's early season 'cross racing. You never know what's gonna happen.

Next up is Granogue in two weeks and my shot at redemption! With the ushering in of fall means mud, mud, mud!

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch.

Nittany Lion and Charm City photo galleries

Nittany is here.

Charm City lives here.

Charm City Cross weekend

Wow is all I can say. I got my butt kicked hard. It's tough going from the top of the results sheet in the 4's to mid-pack in the B race (2/3/4s). Saturday the course was fast but gave plenty of spots to pass and I finished 37th. On Sunday the course was changed to be even faster and more flowing, but places to pass were really limited and I finished 51st - only 4 spots higher then where I started.

The result on Sunday doesn't really reflect how I felt. My legs recovered really well from Saturday but I kept getting caught in slow traffic. There were several times where I had to coast since the guys in front of me were going so slow and there was no way to get around. Fortunately there were several dismount/running/barrier sections (4 to be exact - 1 sand pit,a set of railroad ties, barriers, and run-up) that I was able to make up two or three spots a lap.

Sunday was also the cleaner of my two races. The only time I went down on Sunday could not have come at a worse time. I had just made up three spots through the railroad ties remounted and was preparing for a fast right hander on the second to last lap. Feeling confident with my cornering I really pushed the bike hard and lost it on the lose dirt on top the grass. I had enough of a cushion to not lose the spots I made and quickly remounted. It was only then that I discovered the chain had jumped off the front ring. This made me have to dismount, fix the chain, and then remount. By this time the three guys I passed went by me as did two more.

Overall I'm pleased with how the weekend went. I'm facing a much better level of rider in my new category. My goals for the season have changed with that in mind. Now I simply want to be consistent and finish in the top half of the field each race and try to cap off the season with a strong showing at Nationals.

A nice highlight of the weekend was seeing Joe Mallis again. Joe is a awesome photographer (www.joemallis.com) and all around good guy. It's always nice to run into someone like him. He's not making much money off his photos (if any at all) but he shows up to support the mid-Atlantic cross scene and see some great racing in the process. I also ran into Ben Kiel of House Industries. House is a really cool font company and is another sponsor of Richard Sach's team. Who knew there were some many different types of font available to publishing houses.

Another weekend has already passed by. This CX season is simply going by to quickly. Sunday brings the arrival of the last CX race for the month of September. It feels like just yesterday I was getting off the plane from Boulder. Speaking of Boulder, on my way home from Nationals I'm stopping back in CO for an extra 6 days. That means I'll now be gone from December 2nd to the 20th.

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

Nittany Lion Cross

The cyclocross season is officially here!!!!! It kicked off today at the Trexlertown Velodrome near Allentown PA. Along with the new season is my upgrade to the B races. These include cat 2/3/4 racers. A nice advantage to upgrading my license is that B races start later - no more 5am departures for me!

Due to the lack of rain here in central PA it turned out to be a fast grass crit. The grass was super sketchy in the corners from all the lose dry dirt sitting on top of it. Smooth power transfer was going to be the name of the game.

I don't remember much from the actual race but I do remember starting to fade on the last lap. Then I saw a guy I train with at the Wednesday night CX training race and dialed in on him. I dragged myself up to him and passed him the last few corners. I just missed getting one more spot at the line by about 1/2 bike length.

At the end of the day I finished 29th. Looking back at last year's results I got the same exact result but in the beginner/slow guy (no disrespect to the 4's) category so that is a lot of improvement. I would like to see what I could do in the 4's but that would be sandbagging.

Another highlight of the day was meeting Joe Mulligan. We both share a passion for good beer and cyclocross (two of the greatest things in the world ATMO). He's recommended several good brands to me over the last year so it was nice to finally meet him in person.

I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures to come as there were plenty of photogs there today. I can't wait to see how bad I looked while suffering. :-)

If you're in the area of the Baltimore Zoo next weekend stop by for some awesome racing as rounds 2 and 3 of the MAC CX Series go down.

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

Boulder

It was awesome. Some of the most amazing roads and mountains I've ever ridden. I'll try and write a full (but brief post - mainly pictures) later this week. Also, Nittany Lion CX race is this coming weekend! First race of the season. 'Cross rules ATMO. Until then enjoy this picture from the top of Mount Evans.

Nightmare 2010 - Veni, Vidi, Vici

Hey Everyone!

My goal going into this year's Nightmare was to try and complete the ride in less then 10.5 hours. This would better last year's time by 12 minutes. My training up until this point had been perfect and I was having some really good sensations in my legs. But like any cyclist, I was still insecure about my training and hoped I had done enough.

Well, I think I did. My total time was 10 hours and 10 minutes. I shattered my old PR by almost 35 minutes! From the moment we set out I could tell it was going to be a good day. Less then five miles into the ride me and three other guys from Mason Dixon Velo (last year's winner Shawn Beeler, Andy Johnson, and Barry Klien) got a great gap on the field. I managed to hang with these cool cats until about mile 40 when they turned on the afterburners and I knew it was time to let them go. This meant I would be spending the next 137 miles on my own.

But not entirely on my own. I had my awesome support crew - Matt (@mattapperson on Twitter) and Alanna Apperson - who are my brother-in-law and sister. They kept me well supplied with the fuel I needed at all times. Without their amazing support the ride I put in would not have been possible! Gratzi you guys!

The first 100 miles rolled by in just 5 hours and 36 minutes - my fastest 100 mile time to date. After that the rest of the day just seems like a blur. All told I was stopped only three minutes (only for traffic lights and nature breaks) also making this one of the longest days I've spent on the bike without stopping. I took food while still rolling from the side of the road as needed. My longest "stop" came at a traffic light and lasted about 90 seconds.

By the end of the day I claimed fourth place. Although two spots lower than last year I still set a new PR on the Nightmare course. I want to give a major thank you to all the volunteers on the Nightmare route. Although I didn't see them hardly at all, without their tireless efforts such a great ride wouldn't be possible. Also, a big thank you goes out to Mike Ridgeway, the Nightmare director, for organizing this wonderful ride every year for the last 16 years. Be sure to check out the website at www.dreamrideprojects.org.

With Nightmare officially behind me it means that the racing season has begun for me. Next up I head out to Boulder Colorado for some altitude training to get ready for the CX season. Well technically it's for my brother's wedding but I like to think it's a training camp ;-)

After a week in Boulder I come back and less then two weeks later the CX season kicks off in Trexlertown PA at the Nittany Lion cross. If you're in the area be sure to stop by and cheer me on. I'll be once again flying the RGM Watches/Richard Sachs colors this year.

Thanks again to all the people who will make this season possible and who have already helped out thus far!

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

Another July another Tour de France

Wow where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday we were awaiting the start of the Tour and now it's already finished. It certainly was a great Tour - the best in years ATMO! With the conclusion of the TdF means that cyclocross is just around the corner. It also means that the Nightmare is only 14 days away. I can tell it's gonna be another good year and that I should be peaking again soon. My goal for the Nightmare is to ride it in 10.5 hours. You can see my cyclocross goals over on the right.

The blog has been quiet all summer. As soon as September starts you can expect regular updates on a weekly basis. I'd like to take this moment and thank everyone in advance for there support this season. If t wasn't for people like you there wouldn't be a racing season! Never underestimate what you guys do for me.

Best!
Captain Crunch!

My Cyclocross setup

As we creep ever nearer to the beginning of the CX season I thought I would share the setup I'll be using for this season.

The bike began life as a stock 2008 Raleigh RX1.0. After the end of last season I knew some upgrades were needed to make it a full on race worthy machine.

Frame - 2009 Raleigh RX1.0 w/ Easton EC90 Carbon fork
Wheels - Rolf Vector Comp
Tires - Challenge Grifo 32's
Rear Dérailleur - Shimano 105 9spd
Cassette - Sram PG950 12-26 9spd
Front Derailleur - None
Cranks - FSA Gossamer
Chainrings - 38tooth with a Salsa Crossing Guard and Third Eye chainwatcher
Shifters - Left Shifter - Tektro RL520; Right shifter - Campagnolo Xenon 10spd (to see how to make this work with the Shimano R/D please click here)
Cables - Gore Sealed Ride-On
Brakes - Cane Creek SCX5
Bar - Deda 40cm wide
Stem - Deda 90mm +/- 8 degree rise
Saddle - Specialized Toupe 130
Seatpost - FSA Alloy with 25mm setback
Pedals - Crank Brothers Eggbeaters

I've had the chance to test this setup on a few mountain bike rides and am really happy with it. Now to get out and prove it on the course and hopefully pilot it to a few wins!

Best
Captain Crunch

The Funniest Guys in the Peleton

Hey Everyone,

So while I may not be racing racing road this year in favor of putting my focus on CX, I'm still a roadie at heart. This month is a great time for fans of pro cycling as both the Tour of Cali and Giro are currently being contested. As I've been following my favorite riders, David Zabriskie, Jens Voigt, and Ted King, it made me realize that these guys are just as much comedians as they are bike racers. I'll link to a tibit from each one.

First we have Ted King. This guys writes and awesome and very snarky blog. Check it out at www.iamtedking.com. Also check out his t-shirt line, I Am NOT Ted King. Someone hacked his Twitter account a few months back and he just took the idea and ran with it. My favorite shirt is the Giro pink one!

Next up is Jens Voigt. One of the hardest working guys in the peleton, it is pretty much universally agreed that he is one rider who is most assuredly racing clean and someone that young fans can look up to. This clip from the documentary "Overcoming" sums up Jens in a nut shell. Remember, when in doubt think "WWJD?" - What Would Jens Do?

Now, my friends, I give you who I think is the funniest guy in the field - David Zabriskie. There is simply too much to say and too many videos to post so I'll put link to the three I think best show the kind of guy he is..
Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3

Hopefully I brought a little laugh to your day. Now I'm off to go watch some Giro coverage.

Best
Captain Crunch

Six-Eleven Bicycle Co.

Hey guys,

I want to introduce you to a great new up-and-coming builder that I had the chance to meet a while back at NAHBS. His name is Aaron Dykstra and he runs Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. He has an awesome story and the inspiration for his bikes is even cooler. Give his site a look. I've already decided that my next road bike and CX bike will be coming out of his workshop sometime over the course of the next two years.

Best
Captain Crunch

I hate flat tires

The Chinese have the "year of the cat" but for me so far it has been the "year of the flat". Four months into the year and I've already accrued 5 flat tires. Today, less then a mile from home I double flated. That's right - two in one shot. I simply turned around coasted back home and took care of it in my driveway and didn't have to waste a CO2 canister. The rest of the ride went off without any problems, except for my paranoia of getting another flat tire. Hopefully things will be better for the rest of the season.

Best!
C C

Big Makeover For MAC’s 2010 Cyclocross Schedule

You probably don't realize the warm fuzzy feeling I got from reading that headline in my twitter feed this morning. For one, it's a signal that cross season is almost here as organizers are starting to prepare their races schedules. Two, it means my favorite sub-culture of the sub-culture of cycling is growing, meaning bigger better races closer to my home. Here is the link to the article online

With that being said, the MAC series is the premier series for cyclocross riders in the mid-Atlantic seaboard area. This year they've expanded by leaps and bounds to include more races. Both the Charm City and Grangue races are full weekends and they have inclued the Whirly Bird race near Philly on the calendar this year.

What does this mean for me? It means that I no longer need to drive 5+ hours into the Northeast Kingdom for big races every other weekend this winter. Focusing on getting good results in the MAC series, along with the third round of the USGP, means that I shouldn't have to drive more then 2.5 hours for some high quality races with big fields of riders. However, I am still planning on going up north at least once (probably for the Providence race or the Cycle-Smart classic) so I can hang with the boy and girls of the Richard Sachs team (they'll also be at the USGP in NJ and at Natz).

Stay safe out there!
Captain Crunch

Gold Mine Rd.

Yesterday me and Jim went all the way over Gold Mine Rd. for the first time in over a year and a half. That ride is never easy no matter how much training you have in. Coming off a week of recovery I was really ready to hit the road hard. On the way out we faced a nasty head/cross wind. Working together we made it to Tower City in 2.5 hours even.

That's when things started coming undone for Jim. Climbing back from Tower City on the last two climbs I was able to put about 30 seconds on him in about 5 miles (half was climbing the other half descending). We regrouped at the top and began the 35 mile journey back home. The whole way I could tell he was starting to bonk. With 10 miles left I decided I was going to put the hammer down (ala' Spartacus style) and see what kind of gap I could get on Jim.

I was able to put 4 minutes into him in less then 10 miles. I was suffering, but then I thought if I was suffering Jim must have been suffering more. Overall it was a great ride. I'm glad I got it out of the way and know I can still climb the big mountains. That first mountain ride of the year is always kind of scary as you never know how your body is going to respond. My body has been good to me so far this year and I'm hoping that carries over the the impending cyclocross season.

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

Spring Training update

With no road racing this year there isn't really much to talk about. I can tell you that I am riding better than ever in the spring. I laying down some of the fastest times I ever have on my usual training rides. This bodes well for the upcoming CX season which is the reason for all the riding I'm doing!

See you on the road!

Captain Crunch

Long Term Goals

In my last post I discussed some of my goals on the bike regarding cyclocross. Today I'm going to write about some goals I have off the bike. If you've been following this space for the last 6 months you know that I'm engaged in a volunteer work, more specifically a Bible education work, that is very near to my heart and that I am giving up road racing to be able to spend more time in this field.

My goal regarding my volunteer work for the next year is to put as much time I can into it - even if this comes at the expense of my road training. I'm never going to be a pro cyclist, so while I love riding/racing my bike, there are bigger things in life. This doesn't mean I'm turning my back on cycling all together, but focusing my training on a discipline that doesn't require the same amount of training as road racing.

My long term goal is go to a special 6 month school, called Gilead in Patterson NY, where I will learn how to be a better teacher of the Bible. After the school concludes I would then be assigned to a foreign country to help teach others about the Bible. This won't be anytime soon, as the average age of the student is 30 and I'm not even eligible to apply yet.

The sport of bicycle riding/racing is a beautiful one (the most beautiful ATMO) and I love it. There is no replacement for the feeling of freedom being on two wheels gives you. I'm not going to lie, this month has been hard as I have watched other racers discussing their plans for the first races in the coming weekends. Though an added benefit of giving up road racing is more energy for 'cross.

But there are things in life that are bigger than us that must be focused on. I don't regret for a second my decision to give up road racing. My true career isn't in bike racing, but is in helping my fellow man.

I sincerely thank you for reading these last two years (has it really been that long?) and I hope you will continue to do so. There are big things on the horizon both on the bike and off. The Adventure is only going to get better - I promise

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch (aka Joel Ankeny)

2010 Cyclocross goals

Hey Guys,

As you can see to the right my 2010 cyclocross racing schedule is quickly coming together. I'm trying to do as many UCI races as possible so that I can race against bigger fields and with better racers. As we get further along in the year promoters will start to release the official dates and I can finalize my schedule.

At this point I can get in two Saturday races and one full weekend (Sat and Sun) at this point. I'm arranging it so that I can do two full weekends and one Saturday race for a total of five racing days each month. My goals for this year are:

1. Win a CX race

2. Upgrade to Cat 3 before the half-way point of the season (I could now, but I want to do some more B races) and continue to get good results in that cat.

3. Continue to build my relationship with the Richard Sachs and his team (which leads to my long term goal...)

4. In two or three more seasons be racing for the Richard Sachs Cyclocross team. This isn't your ordinary team. Bike racing isn't just a job for these guys. They race because they truly love their bikes and being together as a team. I'll never be a pro, but I love racing my bike and hope to do this with Richie and the gang as an official part of the team in the near future.

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

The New Season Is Upon Us

Maybe it's my freshly shaved legs or the smell or new tires that has me deliriously giddy for the new cycling season. If you would have asked me even one month ago if I wanted to take a 5 hour endurance ride up to Fort Indiantown Gap, I would have told you forget about it and that I probably never want to ride that long on a bike again. That inevitably happens every year at that time. Then about every year at this time that feeling goes away and I start craving those long Saturday afternoon rides into the mountains and those blistering fast 2hr weekday rides with Jim.

With March knocking on the door already and the time change coming up in a matter of weeks, I'll soon be back to a full training load of around 200 miles a week. But my first event isn't until August this year (the Nightmare) and the real season doesn't kick off until September with the Charm City Cross double race weekend (UCI races to boot!). Looking ahead to the next 10 months of 2010 there are some big things in store, namely going to the CX Nationals in Bend in December, and a week-long trip to Boulder in August.

So sit down, strap in, and hold on, because this is going to be best year ever!

Captain Crunch!

It snows 2' and what do I do?

Go riding of course! Sorry the blog has been a little quiet. Just not much to write about since the cx season ended. Today was some great training as it was just like riding in sand. And it was the first time out for my "new" Rolf Vector Comp wheelset.