2012 season plans

Hi everyone

Big changes are in store for Captain Crunch Racing in 2012. For the past four seasons I have been racing my bike in a variety of disciplines. It started with time trials, progressed to road racing, and now finally cyclocross. I started racing when I was 20 years old and now as I head into 2012 I'll be turning 25 my life is getting busier with more important things then bike racing. It's not that I don't enjoy racing, quite the opposite - I love it - it's that more important things need to be focused on. I'll never be a pro bike racer so I rather then go out and kill myself in training for a weekend race I want to take a step back and just enjoy the ride.

So for 2012 I'll be adopting a view similar to that of the Rapha Continental boys. The point of the Rapha Continental is to simply find great, epic rides in the USA. That's my plan. I'm going to start by simply documenting some of my favorite local training loops and the sights along them. Progressively I'll expand outward to other locations. I've had a goal of trying to ride in all 50 states ( I have NC VA MD DE PA NJ NY CT VT ME WA OR and CO so far) so I'll be searching for epic rides on both the dirt and road in the states I don't have yet. I may even retrace some the actual Continental rides as all the cue sheets are published on the website.

It will certainly be a change of pace but one I welcome. As my life changes so my cycling with it. It's a new chapter in my life and I'm really looking forward to it. The bike will always be present in my life but the extent of which remains to be seen. Some of my best memories and best friends have been made while in the saddle pedaling over some amazing roads. My goal is to document these roads so in the future I can look back and remember the great times.

Thanks for reading!
CC

So It Begins

Only five days remain before the beginning of the cyclocross season (well technically four but I start on Sunday) and to be honest I'm freaking out right now. I currently live with my parents but as of the Sept 21 our house is, well, no longer ours. They've sold it (it only took 8 days on the market) and are downsizing to a smaller apartment. Having just turned 24 last Friday this seemed like the perfect time to move out on my own. I was just banking on the house taking a few months to sell - just long enough to get me through the cross season.

It's not as bad as it seems. I'm moving to Albuquerque NM sometime towards the end of the year. However as of 21st of this month I need to find a new temporary home. So far I haven't found anything suitable and the clock is quickly winding down. As you can imagine this is not helping my preparation for Nittany or Charm City. Not only do I need to find something in less then two weeks I have to find the time to move my stuff. Everything is mostly packed except for my clothes and essential riding/racing clothing, bikes, and tools. I'm fortunate to have an awesome boss who is going to let me store most of my things in the basement at our facility so at least that's taken care of.

This Sunday is going to be about enjoying the beginning of the cross season and hopefully beating my nemeses from Crossresults. If you should find yourself in the Trexlertown PA at 3:45pm be sure to swing by the velodrome and watch me and 100+ guys battle it out.

Thanks for reading
CC

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

That's right boys and girls. It's time for cyclocross. Central PA just had it's first skills clinic on Tuesday and the Nittany Cross weekend is only 16 days away (for me it's 17 days as I'm only racing on Sunday). That also means that I'll be clearing the cobwebs out of this space to make room for some race reports of the coming season.

I got a new race machine, new tires, and new team (Team Stomach of Anger). I am totally stoked for the coming season. It's shaping up to be the best one yet! I'm also looking forward to doing some volunteering at a few races this year as well. Since my race is the last of the day in the MAC Series I intend to help work the reg tables in the morning hours. If you're at Charm City on Sept 17 and 18 and register in the morning be sure to look for me!

Thanks for reading!
Joel

Team StomachofAnger

With the season opener of the 'cross season here on the Mid-Atlantic only 3 months away I'm beginning to make preparations for the upcoming season. My training is going very well and I'm feeling stronger then ever and my training log confirms this. I'm slowly getting those last few pieces of equipment I need for the season as well.

The biggest change this year will be to a new team. For the last two seasons I've ridden under the RGM Watch Company colors. It was a great ride and I'm thankful for their support over the last two years. This year I'm making the jump to a great new grassroots project aimed at getting people out on their bikes and riding.

Team StomachofAnger has been put together by Michael Babcock and Kacha Azema of East Lansing Michigan. They run clothing company by the same name (check them out at www.stomachofanger.com). Rather then let me try to describe what the team is about let them tell you...


"What is Team StomachOfAnger?

Simply put, it's a collection of bike racers and riders from around the country -- and around the world -- who all share the same passion: pursuing our best on the bike. You don't have to be semi-pro, you don't have to ride an expensive bike, nothing like that...you just have to love to ride and share that love & enthusiasm with your teammates and the world around you. The team will consist of people who race (at all levels), as well as people who ride in local group and charity rides. The team is open to all disciplines of cycling: road, mountain, cyclocross, track, triathlon, whatever. If you're into riding your bike, Team StomachOfAnger can be your home."

Awesome I know. No pressure on getting results. Rather its all about getting out there and having fun. I'm looking forward to spreading the love at 'cross races around the Mid-Atlantic this season. By next month I should have a tentative schedule posted as the race organizers confirm their race dates.

Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to read this and for supporting my awesome new team this season!

Best!

Captain Crunch

In Memoriam - Wouter Weylandt

Usually when a athlete or other public figure passes away in a tragic way, I'm usually not affected all that much. This sounds horrible I know, but let me try to explain. I certainly sympathize with the family, but not having a close personal connection with individual, I continue on with my life. The death of Wouter Weylandt on stage 3 of the Giro yesterday affected me more then a little.

Maybe it's because I could see myself lying there on that pavement on my favorite training loop. The descent down the Passo del Bocco was probably just like any other for Weylandt, just as another training ride is for me. As cyclists, be it professional or amateur, crashing (whether in a pack during a race or from being hit by a car) is an accepted risk of riding our bicycles. While we certainly don't like to think about crashing, it is always in the back of a cyclists mind. But we accept these risk because we love riding our bikes.

I obviously didn't know Weylandt personally. But I can say this with 100% certainty. He loved riding his bike. You don't make it to the professional ranks because you simply like riding. The road to the top is often one of low pay, under-appreciation, and hours upon hours of hard work on the bike. To make it in the sport you need to love riding.

So to all those who are unsure if they should race or ride this week because of what could happen, I say this - get on your bike and ride. Ride fast, ride slow, ride one mile, or ride one-hundred. Just go ride. This is the best way we can honor a man who loved riding his bike. You can best believe that's where I'll be.

I'm a slacker!

Oh hi there!

Not racing right now has left me very unmotivated to write. That's simply because there is nothing to write about. I'm just putting in the long hard training miles into some crazy wind speeds (seriously, once this wind dies down I'll be even faster then I am now). A few changes on the schedule. The DC race fell through and I'm pushing my Northeast trip back a into July or August due to financial considerations (gas prices are killer). Overall I'm feeling good right now and wishin' it was cross season again. Just about 4 more months until it kicks off over in T-town!

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

2011 Season Plans

It's been a while since I last posted anything here. There really hasn't been much to talk about since the Cross at the Kiln. I rebuilt my CX bike and am really looking forward to next year. My last two races left me feeling really good about the upcoming cyclocross season (kicking off for me on Sept. 11). Again, my goal this year is to try and win a race, but I see that being difficult considering I'm in the million man "B" group. Oh well, gotta have goals, right?

My training so far this year is going great. Where I'm right now is much further ahead of where I was last year. I'm hoping this bodes well for the few crit races I'm planning on entering (my first being the Bunny Hop in Suitland MD on May 1). At 40 to 45 minutes a race these will perfectly mimic the red line effort of a cross race. Also on tap in May is a short trip up into the northeast states (MA, RI, and NH) for some nice riding, as is another double century ride to see my brother in Wallkill, NY in June.

I'm still debating on whether to enter The Nightmare this year or not. After 4 years of competing in it (grabbing 4th last year setting a new personal best and 2nd back in 09), I'm looking for a new challenge. Seeing as I got my cat 4 upgrade I may ride the Tour de Millersburg that is held the same weekend. The nice thing about this is that nothing needs to be decided right now.

Again I would like to thank everyone for their support last year. I'm looking forward to another great season this year and I know with you guys there behind me it can be the best ever.

Thanks for reading
Captain Crunch

Limestone Cross at the Kiln

Cross racing - in January? Why yes I would love some - thank you! The boys and girls behind the Nittany Cross that kicks off our season here in the mid-Atlantic decided to throw one last party, I mean race, to close out the season. Held just a stones throw from the Trexlertown Velodrome, the Limestone Cross at the Kiln was held on an amazing venue.

First off, let me say the course design was very good. It made excellent use of the steep hillside that the venue had to offer, making the riders go down a steep, Euro like descent. It also worked in some great off camber corners that with mud/snow thrown in made for some challenging racing.

So to the actual racing. My training in the prior weeks to this race had gone really well. I was feeling strong and was mentally very motivated to try and do well. My goal for this race was a top 20 finish, which given how I was feeling, was in my mind an achievable goal. With the course as sloppy as it was I knew being in the top 10 through the first set of sharp 180 degree corners was going to be key to placing well.

I managed to score a front row call up. The green light lit up but I missed my pedal the first two strokes but managed to get in by the third. This wasn't a big deal at the paved starting area was rather short. As soon as we got on the grass and into the first turn I somehow managed to get myself to second wheel. By the 3rd turn, due to the leader's bobble, I found myself in the lead.

Wow, what a difference being the leader makes. Being able to pick the best line and not having to worry about that crash the comes on the first lap of the "b" race was great. What a rush to look ahead and see nothing but wide open course and no one in front of me. Everyone played it safe through the first several corners and about halfway through the first lap I was still in the lead with about 5 others guys behind me.

On the first tricky descent of each lap I decided to get a little aggressive and really push the pace. Bad idea. It was an off-camber downhill left turn which taken at too high a speed would cause the tire to slide out on the mud. You guessed it, that's what happened to me. By the time I was up and back on my bike I was in 6th place at the back of my group. But hey, that's 'cross.

Being it was only the first lap I knew I had plenty of time to work my way back up. By the middle of the race I was sitting in fourth place with fifth and sixth right behind me. I attacked hard through the barriers and the long straightaways that followed. With the top three clearly well off the front I knew I was now riding to protect my fourth place finish. I did suffer to more falls in some really slippery corners, but had enough of a gap that I was able to quickly remount both times and not lose any time.

When it was all said and done I came home in fourth place and recorded my best finish of the season. I even won a little cash - however I didn't realize cash prizes went five deep so I'll get my check in the mail later this week. If it covers the expenses of the weekend I'll be happy! Overall it was a great to end the season on such a high note. Sixth at nationals and fourth on Saturday really leaves me feeling confident that next season I may be able to start cracking the top 20 on a regular basis. For the full photo set please click here.

And with that, the 2010/2011 cyclcross season is officially officially over. The CX bike is in my shop now waiting for it's full rebuild and my road racing bike is in the stand getting a tune up for the rapidly approaching road season. I'm planning on doing a three or four road races this season just to keep the competitive juices flowing through my legs. It should be another great year. Thanks for tuning in for the last several months and I hope you will continue to do so for the 2011 season!

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

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.