My 2010 End of Season Awards (not that anyone is going to care ATMO)

Best Team: Columbia-HTC would be the obvious choice, but those hidous kits rule them out. Even with the whole scandal at the tour, Garmin gets my vote. They paid their dues in the US Domestic scene and are now reaping the rewards of such. Fourth at the tour, a pair of big wins through the season with Tyler Farrar proved these guys can run with the big dogs and that 2008 wasn't a fluke.

Best Performance:
Cadel Evans at Worlds: I know it's a cliche by now, but a true champion can bounce back from adversity and not let it keep him down. The TdF and Vuelta were disasters for the Aussie rider, but he proved he's tough as nails by winning World's in convincing fashion.

Biggest Disappointment: The very public feud between Lance and Contador. On stage 17 I thought I was watching a Cat. 5 race with the way everyone seemed to be riding for themselves. Between stages it was like watching a cat fight. It makes for some good drama for the papers (and internet outlets), but that's not what we came for. At least next year they'll be able to duke it out on separate teams.

Rider to Watch in 2010: Will Dugan - Team Type 1. I've seen this kid racing cross for the last several years and seen his results on the road scene. He'll be in Europe racing for the big boys by the end of next season.

Biggest Surprise: Tom Boonen. To be honest I didn't think he had a chance of coming onto form after his little run in with the law, but the man again delivered the goods (no, not white powder) when it counted on the cobbles of France. Too bad after all the hoopla surrounding his TdF entry he did squat there.

Most Memorable Race: The last stage of the Giro. It was already a nail-biter from the beginning because of the time gap to Di Luca, but Mechov's crash made it memorable. Or was it his mechanic. He was already out of the team car while it was still moving and had the spare bike ready to go before Menchov was off the pavement (I jumped out of my chair, but not as fast as this guy).

Prelim 2010 Schedule

This is really sick but I'm already looking forward to August of next year and beginning to plan my 2010 CX centered season. The only events I have official dates for are the Nightmare and the National Championship race, but most of the races listed are always run on the same weekends as the previous year, so I'm making some assumptions:

August 14 - Nightmare - 176 Miles
September 18 - Nittany Lion Cross - T-town PA
September 19 - Charm City Cross - B-more MD
October 9 - Iron Cross Lite - Carlise PA
October 16 - Grangoue CX race - Grangoue DE
October 17 - Wissahickon CX race - Wissahickon PA
November 13-14 - USGP Mercer Cup - Lake Mercer NJ
November 27 - PA State Championship CX race - Allentown PA
December 4-5 - USGP Stanley Portland Cup - Portland OR
December 9 - USA Cycling National Championship CX race - Bend OR

All told it's 12 days of racing over 8 weekends between September and December. I'll leave the results from 2009 posted up until the end of January.

Best!
Captain Crunch!

End of Season Thoughts

Ugh, It's been almost 10 days since my last race on Dec 6 and I'm just now writing this. I can tell it's the end of the season. I'm going to keep this short. The cyclocross season was way too short - I'm wishing it could continue for another month or two. I had an awesome time at the Mercer Cup in NJ with the Richard Sachs team in November and closing out the year at the Capital Cross in Reston with my best friend was a great way to finish up the season. I got 9th out of 90 at the Capital Cross for those keeping score. Click here for pics from the weekends races.

I've already shared some thoughts on the entire season back in a post in October (click here to read it), but I'll briefly say them again. I had a blast, met some awesome people, made a ton of new friends, and got to see some awesome parts of the Northeast USA.

I'm already planning my season for next year. I posted back in October that I was giving up racing to pursue my full-time volunteer work more fully in a third world country. After taking a long hard look at my finances (and myself) I've decided to hold off on making such a large move in 2010 and will reconsider my options in 2011. However, even with that being said, I am still planning on giving up road racing. I don't have the time (and don't want to devote the time) to put into training to stay in competitive shape for road racing. Even though I will be here in Lancaster PA for the next 12 to 18 months, I intend to have as much of a share as I can in my volunteer work - so the training for road racing will no fit into that schedule.

However, I do intend to continue to train as much as I can for the Nightmare and the 2010 cyclocross season and run a full schedule of races in that discipline in the fall and winter (and maybe a MTB race in the summer). This is for two reasons.

First, even if the leaders drop you at a CX race you can still have fun. In a road race when you get dropped it simply becomes a training ride that you paid to be in. In CX as long as you stay on the same lap as the leaders you can still have an awesome time racing. Plus the stress level at a 'cross event is way less than the road.

The second, and most important to me, is the amount of training that goes into being ready to race 'cross - or better put the lack of training. Since the races are only 40 to 60 min. long it doesn't require the same level of training as a road race (which can be 1 to 4 hours long at 20+ mph). Simply riding all summer will put me in more than adequate shape to be able to finish any CX race I enter. This way if I miss a day or two or three of training through the summer it won't be such a big deal as if I was trying to stay in shape for the road racing season. This will allow me to put as much time as I want into my volunteer work while still having fun and having a goal to work towards in the cycling realm.

Another lesser reason is crashing. In road racing crashes can be really bad (at the Green Mountain race a guy broke his collar bone, a leg, a rib, and both arms) involving several cyclist. If you crash in a CX race (and you will - trust me) it's not a big deal because you're going much slower and falling onto grass.

Next year is going to be much more laid back. My first event will be 8 long months from the now. You guessed it - the Nightmare. A 176 "fun" (only if you're into pain) ride around Lancaster County. It's not a race but the top endurance cyclist treat it like one (I got second in 2009 in 10 hr. 42 min). Then after that it will be a full slate of CX races.

I'm going to try and race twice a month between September and December. In September I am planning on trying to get to VT for the Green Mountain CX (if money permits) and Nittany Lion Cross. October will Include the Grangoue and Wissahickon races, November the USGP weekend. The big plan for next year will be to either fly or drive Portland/Bend Oregon for the Portland Cup USGP and the National Championships in the first two weeks of December.

Well, so much for keeping it short :-) Thanks for reading all year and be sure to read into next Spring and Summer as the Adventures continue. Even though I won't be racing then, I'll still ranting on cycling related topics.

Best to all!
Captain Crunch

Capital Cross and End of Season report coming soon

It's been a busy week. I promise I'll have more before the weekend (including photos from the Rockville race as well)

Best
Captain Crunch

Found some more photos of the Iron Cross Lite race

Here is the link to the entire album on Picasa:

Rockville Bridge CX Classic report

Despite not being one of my cleanest races I still managed a fourth place finish - but a top 5 is a top 5. I over shot a corner and ate the course tape (no really - it ended up in my mouth somehow), went down on a fast off-camber corner, and stumbled on the steps at the top of the run-up. Although the steps was due to my taking a beer hand-off. I grabbed the beer on the next lap AND managed to clear the steps.

Even without my mis-steps throughout the race I wouldn't have gotten a better finish as the top 3 were really motoring. I also must add that this was one of the best courses I've ridden all year with some great barriers and technical corners. You not only had to be a good technical rider but also had to be able to put power down on the flats. Overall it was good race - I just wish I would have ridden better (aka. less crashed).

Hopefully tomorrow I'll do better at the Capital Cross in Reston VA (again - less crashing). It's hard to believe that there is only 40 minutes of racing left in the season! Stay tuned for pictures from the entire weekend. Joe Mallis was photographing today's race and tomorrow I'm taking a long-time friend with me to shoot some video/still footage of tomorrow's race (and I'm sure Anthony Skorochod will be there as well along with Joe).

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

Mercer Cup update

Wow, It's Thursday and I'm just now writing this. It was an awesome weekend. The course was insanely muddy and made for some interesting riding. Saturday I placed 28th out of over 100 racers and on Sunday I place 27th out of 80. I was running a helmet cam for the race on Saturday and filmed the entire race from my perspective. Unfortunately Sunday, I was caught in a crash on the first lap and the lens was covered with mud, so there isn't much from that race.

As I said, the course was really muddy - (my bike after the race on Sunday). It was super tough (it felt like doing leg presses) but I had a great time playing in the mud. Even more fun was hanging out and working the pits with the Richard Sachs Team. They got some great results. Richard Sachs got 1st on both days, Matt Kraus got 2nd and 3rd, and Dan Timmerman got 8th in the Elite race on Sunday. I'm proud to say I had a small role in helping keep the bikes clean and good running order during all the races.

Click here for my photos from the weekend, click here for Richard's photos, and for some of the video I shot (although I do not have the helmet cam video yet) click here.

Thanks for reading!
Captain Crunch

USGP Mercer Cup

Wow, what a weekend. The racing was great (got 28th on Saturday and 27th on Sunday) and hanging with the coolest team ever (Richard Sachs/RGM Watches)and working the pits with them was even cooler. I'll post up a full report later but here is a pic from the weekend.

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

And now a word from our sponsors

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my sponsors Without these people Captain Crunch racing wouldn't exist. They've made this whole season possible. So feel free to click on the links and see what they're up to (you may even find something you like.

Thome Insurance

RGM Watch Co.

Both of these companies have provided financial support, moral support, and other bike related items through out the year. I am thankful that in this economic climate that they were able to step up to the plate and help me out.

Thanks for reading!

Captain Crunch

Nittany Lion Cross

Hey Everyone,

The first cyclocross race of the season was awesome. Cross racing is different from most other races. It's only 40 minutes long on a twisty 2km course in a small area (makes for great spectating). I won't bore you with the details but I finished 29th out of 79 guys. I got a great start going into the first turn, but got caught up in an early crash in which I lost around 15 or 20 spots. I spent the rest of the race making them back up.

I'm bummed that the race wasn't longer as I was really getting the hang of the course and could have climbed into the top 20. Oh well, that's bike racing. Next up is the BikeMS NYC ride in about 10 days! Click here for a link to all the pictures of the race.
Best!
Captain Crunch

GMSR Update

This late in the season I'm not going to bore you with a full blown race report. The people that wanted to know what happened already know. But I will tell you this. It was some of the hardest four days I've spent on a bike this year. But they were also some of the most fun and I got to see some friends that I met back in June (they finished 10th and 14th overall). It was an amazing experience - one that I intend to repeat next year.

I didn't do as well as I hoped given my results this year. But I did finish 23rd overall so I met my original goal that I set at the beginning of the season (top 25 overall - click here for the full results under Men 4/5). As the road season winds down I have some great memories of races ridden (and won) and some great new friends made along the way. I've come a long way from being scared out of mind at my first road race (ever!) back in March to sitting at the front of a pack ripping along at 25mph+ mixing it up for the win. With the BikeMS NYC officially signaling the close of the road calendar it's time to start thinking about the upcoming cyclocross season (which, incidentally, starts this Saturday up in Trexlertown PA).

Up until 1 month ago I had no idea that I would be taking on a full schedule of 5 'cross races this winter (it will certainly help pass those cold months quicker). It's only thanks to my generous sponsor - the RGM Watch Co. - that I've been given this awesome opportunity. It just goes to show that if you work hard and are a nice guy you can finish first without drugs (okay shameless anti-doping plug there-sorry). To everyone that has bothered to read this far, thanks for reading at all and keeping up with me over this season. I promise there will be even better stories over the next three months of 'cross racing and next years road season.

Best!

Captain Crunch

GMSR Pic (more from where this came from)

What happens when bikes are crashed at high rates of speed

GMSR Race Report - Pt.1

Just rolled back into PA after a great weekend of racing. I'm hoping to have a full race report up by Saturday. Overall I finished 23 on GC and my best placement in a race was 25th.

Best
Captain Crunch

Nightmare Pictures

Hey Everyone,

I finally got the pictures from the Nightmare off the camera and onto Picasa so give 'em a look. Here a few of my favorites.

A big thanks goes out to this guy - my dad - for documenting the entire day!

For the full set of pictures click here.

GMSR Support needed

If anyone is free from September 3 to the 8th (Labor day weekend) and wants to take a ride to VT to run support that would be awesome. It would be nice not to have to spend 9 hours in the car by myself. Also, having someone at the feedzones on Sat. and Sun. would take a lot of stress off me. I have lodging and transportation covered, you just need to be able to go along and ride support. PLEASE HELP!

Extra incentive - Ben and Jerry's Factory Tour Friday morning!

Nigthmare

Wow,

It's taken me over a week to write this - I'm a total slacker. I'll start from the beginning but try to keep it short. The weekend didn't start out well - as I discovered I had a severely cracked seatpost on Thursday evening. Fortunately I had another post on hand and was able to fix the problem - but that did not leave me confident for the ride ahead.

Saturday morning came and I woke up feeling great - both the mind and legs felt sharp and ready to go. My plan for the ride was to try and finish in less than 12 hours. The gun went off at 6:11am and we were rolling (it starts in Marietta PA)

The ride doesn't start out easy - Chickes hill is about 2 miles in. The group took it's time up and over that hill and down through Turkey Hill. Shenks Ferry Rd is where everything changed. This particular road includes a nasty rise for about .5 miles. I simply accelerated to keep the same speed and found no one was able to go with me. I quickly caught the leader who broke away earlier and we were off and racing.

By the time we reached Holtwood Dam the other rider was obviously much stronger than I, so I felt it was best to ride my own pace and let him go (although I kept him between 8 and 15 minutes almost all day). So this meant that I would be riding the next 140 or so miles on my own if I wasn't caught. Before I knew it I was already rolling down Kirks Mill Rd (sight of my infamous breakdown last year) and arriving at the first Food Stop at the Octarora Reservoir.

At this point I was in total race mode. My rest stops consisted of rolling up to the van, exchanging my old bottles for two new ones, grabbing a quick bite to eat, and then hitting the road. Up until the last food stop at the Tree Top golf course 40 miles from the finish, the ride was relatively uneventful. This is where things started to come undone in the race for first.

After 135 miles on the bike and a total of about 20 minutes rest I was starting to hurt. I was told that I was 8 minutes out of first place (down 7 minutes from the last time check) so It was another quick stop and back on the road. But the effort was beginning to take its toll on my body.

By the time I got to the top of Old Hershey road I needed to stop and actually sit down for a little bit. This was my longest stop at 10 minutes. Being only 21 miles from the finish I knew I would make it, even if I had to craw into the school parking lot where we started. Once back on the bike I pretty much went to auto-pilot as I knew every road between me and the finish. To be honest I don't really remember much from the last miles as I was just focused on getting to the finish line.

After 10 hours and 42 minutes (of which only about 30 was due to stopping to rest) I rolled back into the school parking lot where I started, claimed second place, and happy to be finished. My expectations for this ride we to try and finish strong - not be locked in a battle for first place all day. So you can imagine how happy I am with this great result. I also need to give a shout out to my awesome support crew (Mom and Dad) - without their help I would never been able to put in the time I did.

Nightmare was one of my primary goals for the season and I'm glad that I was able to perform well. The next big goal is the Green Mountain Race in VT which is only about 3 weeks away. I am confident that I can keep this great form that I have right now until that time.

Also, the racing schedule just had a bunch of new additions by way of cyclocross races. I will be running 5 races in in four months starting September 19th (a few races will come as an official part the Richard Sachs team!!!!). As that time gets closer I will explain a little more about what cyclocross is and where the races are at!

Thanks for reading!

Captain Crunch

Nightmare Teaser shot...

Quick Result update

Overall - 2nd place (45 min behind first)

Total time - 10 hours 45 min.

Actual ride time - 10 hours 15 mins.

Avg speed - 17mph

Over the next few days I will write a full report and have plenty more pictures to share!

Best

Captain Crunch

I'm on Twitter

As you can see to the right I am now on Twitter under the name cptcrnch. Since my tech guy got a better offer for the weekend of Nightmare my idea of having a live GPS update of where I was on the road got put in the can. So I will be posting updates through out the day of Nightmare as to where I am, how I am feeling, and other random thoughts that may pop into my head.

I will be using the next 7 days to get both me and the bike ready. I have one more good training

ride planned for tomorrow back in PA and then several easy 20 mile rides on tap to keep the legs loose. On Wednesday I am planning on cleaning my bike and going over it from top to bottom to make sure we don't have another problem like last year. But just in case we do I am bringing a second bike and extra wheel set - nothing is going to stop me this year.

Ride Safe!

Captain Crunch

P.S. The picture above is from the 2007 Nightmare

There's a story behind this photo

The above photo was taken on July 25th just above Ellenville NY. Jim came up to do a great 90 mile ride through the Catskills with me and afterward we met up with a bunch of other guys to watch the TdF declare the victor on Mount Ventoux.

July 25th is a day that I will remember as long as I live. I finally dropped Jim on a climb (Ulster Heights Rd). I have been riding with Jim for three years and consider him my mentor when it comes to the bike. To finally beat him on a climb is something I have been trying to do for quite some time now

The house we rode to (where the above picture was taken) was on top of a rather steep climb. It gains 700 feet in around 4 miles before leveling off for the last 1 mile. Granted he ran out of gas, but I was also running on emtpy on the climb. At the very bottom there was a very steep ramp and I acclerated just to keep the current pace. About a 1/4 of way up the road ramped up again and 90 degrees to the left. I looked back to see if Jim was still with me, only to my surprise to see that he was well off my wheel.

From there on I was going 110% trying to widen the gap. I have never been in so much pain on a climb - a combination of the distance, lack of fuel in the tank, and the climb itself. But I knew if I was suffering Jim was suffering more. By the end I had put somewhere around 3 to 4 mintues on him in a

Of course he will get his rematch on Gold Mine Rd. coming up sometime in August or September and I'm sure he will school me as he usually does. But for one day in July I was king of the mountain - the man being chased and not the one doing the chasing.

Best!

Captain Crunch

Nightmare

T-12 days until the biggest event of the season. The Deodate road race was canceled due to a lack of racers - but I will be picking up the Strasburg road race on Aug 29. One final tune up before GMSR.

See you on the road!

Captain Crunch

Union Vale Road Race

Things didn't quite go like I was hoping today. For starters a much stronger field showed up for the Cat. 4/5 race than the Housatonic Hills. Most of these guys come from NYC since it was only 1.5 hours away. Also, Kissena and NYVelocity each brought huge teams (looking at the confirmed list shows that NYVelocity brought 10 men), making it harder for us little guys who are a team of one.

The second problem was I ran too much drink mix in my water. By the middle of the second lap I was starting to get some mean stomach cramps. Fortunately there were neutral water bottles in the feed zone. I was able to grab one and by the end of the third lap I was starting to feel better. Another lesson learned. I won't be repeating that mistake again on the Nightmare.

Now for the actual race. It was 44 miles along a circuit of about 14 miles and 900 feet of climbing per lap. On the last lap we had a finishing climb that gained 600 feet in 1.5 miles at an average of around 18%.

The first lap was at a nice pace, as I thought it would be with the distance to be covered. From the beginning of the second it was game on. A flurry of doomed attacks went of the front. Most of the time though it was Kissena or NYVelocity guys, so their teams (understandably) were not helping in pulling the breaks back. We averaged a brutal pace of 21mph over the course of entire race until we hit the bottom of the final climb. On a course like this, that pace hurts - A LOT.

Since I knew I was having trouble sticking with the strong men up the climbs I would go to the front at the very beginning and slowly slide back so that by the top I was in the middle of the main group of 40 riders. The tactic worked well as I was able to stay between 5th and 10th wheel most of the race. I used the knowledge gained from Housatonic and hardly did any work on the front and this probably saved my race. By the finishing climb I was well positioned at the front of the group.

I knew I wouldn't be able to hang with the top guys on the climb. I simply rode my pace up the hill. It was hard as guys were going around me with the lead group but I knew if I played my cards right I would be able to catch most of them as they burned out further up the climb. The tactic worked and I was able to climb a good 15 or 20 places up between the halfway point of the climb and the top/finish line.

It just wasn't my day today with the field that showed up. I managed to get 17th out of 75. Not bad, but not a top ten. Although it wasn't what I was hoping for I am still happy with it. The field that showed up was really strong so simply the fact that I was able to stay up front all day until the very end makes me feel good. My first race of the season I was getting shelled at mile 10, but now I can stick with the big boys until the very end.

After today's race I still have high hopes of doing well at the Green Mountain race. Even though it's a 4/5 race, most of the fast 4's will probably be doing the cat. 4 only race leaving us a newbies to fight it out in the cat. 4/5.

By the way, Nightmare is less than 30 days away!

Best!

Captain Crunch

Furnace Hill

Still hard, but I'm getting faster on it!

HHRR results link

Here is the link to the official results of the HHRR (click here). The next two weeks begins a big block of training for me. While it won't be many long rides, it is going to be comprised of many short but super intense short rides. With only one additional weekend before the race in Union Vale NY, I am heading back to my old stomping grounds in Lancaster PA to tackle Furnace Hill for the first time this year.

Over the next two weeks I expect to log about 320 miles (including racing). I plan to spend some time in the mountains I that live near, while throwing in the additional flat workout as well. I hope this rainy weather we have had breaks soon (though the forecast for this week says t-showers every day through Friday). I just read a news report saying the enitre east coast has gotten double to triple the normal amount of rain that it normally does by this time in the year.

The worst part is that it only seems to rain after five o'clock when I can ride during the week. It will be sunny all day and five rolls around and so does the rain and lightening. It is really messing with my training. I don't mind rain (although I hate having to relube every part on my bike four times a week), but I won't go out in lightening storms.

Ride safe and sleep well!

Captain Crunch

2009 BikeMSNYC fundraising page

Housatonic Hills Road Race

Finally!!!!!!! 1ST PLACE!!! It was an amazing race. The course was beautiful and played right to my strong points (aka climbing - course map here). I can't believe that I almost decided not to go the night before on account of the torrential rain we had. But the skies cleared long enough to go racing on almost dry roads.

First off I must say the competition was fierce. Of all the cat. 5 races so far this year, this was by far the best cat. 5 group. The race started out with a bang with a huge climb up to the top of the ridge we would be crossing several times that morning. Fortunately that first climb was neutralized so that the race wouldn't end in the first mile. But from the top of the climb it was game on.

Looking back I realize that I spent way too much time on the front and not at front. There is a difference. Being on the front means you are doing most of the work and pushing through the wind. At the front means sitting in someone else's draft. This led to several other riders marking my wheel and tagging me as a strong rider not to be let way. I plan on taking this new found knowledge and using it at the Union Vale RR in July to try and repeat my win (more on that race later).

A large group stayed together for the first 2/3 of the race. But on the Davenport Rd. Climb is where things started to break up, and on the final KOM climb up Good Hill Rd. is where the final selection was made.

Here's the blow by blow as I remember from Good Hill on (granted I was pushing redline so things are a bit fuzzy). Going up good hill one guy made an attack for the KOM. He got a gap on the field. At this point I was on the front and no one was coming around, so I knew I must have been setting a good pace. About 500m from the top I accelerated and caught the first rider and passed him only to be passed 200m from the KOM line.

Only two other guys had the power to go with me to the top. On the decent two other racers latched on to our group. This was the final selection. We could no longer see the main field, as it was strung out on the climb. The group worked amazingly well together and this no doubt led to our success. We all took 20 to 30 second pulls at the front allowing us to average well over 20mph plus all the way back to the line.

Now for the finish. The finish included on sharp right hand turn and then a little rise before flattening off at the line. I went through the last turn in second place. The rider in front of me jumped right at the bottom of the hill. I was able to use his draft to sling-shot me around him and open up a gap on the other racers. I'm still not sure how big it was because I was not looking back. I laid it all on the line right there and went all out. I do know I had enough of a gap to take both arms off the bars and give a victory salute (I've been dreaming of that moment for a long time:-).

I couldn't have asked for a better race. The only thing that would have made it better is if I would have gotten time to warm up. I went to the start line cold and did not like the way I felt the entire race. My legs felt stiff and dull on all the climbs - though that could be due to the 19.1 avg. speed we had - and not their usual snappy, mountain goat-like selves (yes I am referring to my legs like they are different person:-).

Again, I learned so much from this race. The importance of a good warm-up and not working at the front too early or too much. The next race on the schedule is the Union Vale RR. It is a long race for a cat. 5 at 44 miles. Having never raced this distance before it should be interesting to see how the early miles shape up. Most cat. 5 races are around 25 miles - meaning it's 100 effort the whole time, almost like a TT. But 44 miles will dictate a slower start I would imagine. It will be great to experience as the longest stage of the Green Mountain Stage Race is 60 miles!

Many of the same cat. 5 riders will also be at Union Vale, which is a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. It will be good to get a rematch when my legs are feeling good - or bad because now they have more time to think about how to win the next time.

I still can't believe I won a race this year. I was simply hoping to finish well in the ones I started, not win. Hopefully I can continue my success at Union Vale, then move on to Deodate back in PA, and then try to do well at the GMSR.

Thanks for reading!

Captain Crunch

Houstonic Hills Road Race

I came, I saw, I conquered! FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!! I scored my very first racing win (and $80 too). It's late now and I am super tired from the days efforts. But I promise a full update tomorrow evening when I have the time to really write out a full race report!

Captain Crunch

Racing Schedule Changes

Sorry it has been so long since my last post.  I have been crazy busy between work and training.  The training is progressing as planned.  If all goes well I should hit my peak around August (for the Nightmare) and hopefully hold it until September 4-7 for the Green Mountain Stage Race.  

You will notice that the schedule now reflects the change in living location.  This month I am competing in the Houstonic Hills road race in Southbury CT, and next month plan to compete in a 96 mile road race in Saratoga Springs NY called the Saratoga Triple Lap Challenge.  My race is part of a longer weekend of 12 and 24 hour races.  

Also on tap for this month is a special training ride on June 13th with some guys from VT that are also competing in Green Mountain race in my category.  This will give me a chance to size up some of the competition :-) and see if I can crash their couch for the weekend so I don't have to get a hotel room.  

Also added to the schedule is the Deodate road race back in lancaster county.  Since I need to return home that weekend it only made sense.  Even better, the start/finish is only 5 miles from my parents house so I may just ride from there for my warmup and skip the trainer all together.  Since those are my old training roads I will have a great advantage over the other cat. 5 racers, but I still plan to go out Friday night and preview the course one last time just to be on the safe side.   

It's hard to believe the season is already half over.  But it is still plenty busy with lots of big goals still left.  Another race I hope to do well in is the PA State TT at the end of September.  

Thanks for Reading!

Captain Crunch

Housatonic Hills is a go

My stay in NY as been extended through August 11.  That means that the Housatonic Hills road race is a go.  I will be trying to find some more races up this way instead of having to drive back to PA - though Nightmare is still on the schedule.  Also still on the schedule is the Green Mountain stage race - regardless of where I am living at.  

Ride Safe!

Captain Crunch

Turkey Hill Country Classic

Another great race in the books. The Turkey Hill Country Classic was amazing and I learned so much about racing. A full field of 50 riders showed up despite the threat of rain. The course was an awesome rolling 6 mile loop with all but one road shut down for us - meaning we could use both lanes! This meant that we could take some fast lines through the corners, starting wide, swinging all the way down through the apex, and coming back out wide into the left lane.

Only on River Road did we only have the use of one lane (click here for the course map). But even then, we were in a rolling enclosure meaning that while on River road our lane would be completely shut down to traffic!

Two days before the race I went out for a hard training ride up in the mountains to get ready and felt great. My strategy was to stay at the front for the entire race and try to be there if the break went up the road or if it came down to a field

sprint.

I made sure to get to the start staging area early so that I could line up in the first 4 or 5 rows. Because we ha

d use of both lanes I wasn't worried about getting in the front row. The race quickly settled into a nice manageable pace on the first lap. It quickly became apparent who was going to be doing the work at the front. Myself and 4 or 5 other guys pulled the peleton the entire race. We covered all the breaks and pulled up all the short/steep rollers. The one advantage of this is that you can control the speed, and the 4 others I was with wanted to keep the peleton at about 20mph.

An interesting phenomena occurs at this point. Other riders who may be stronger and faster do not want to come up front and pull. They may make remarks to leaders about lifting the pace, but do not want to do the work themselves. Therefore a select number of riders get to set the pace.

Once it became clear that no breakaways were going to be forming since (a) other racers were lacking the motivation to go and (b) the course just was not suited to a break - I started trying to save energy by not chasing down every rider that got a gap. By the time the last kilometer (.6 miles) came around I knew that it was going to be a bunch sprint.

One guy came flying up the left lane and immediately 5 guys went with him. Having pulled the entire race I wasn't able to bridge the gap like I would have liked. Fortunately another rider I had been working with was coming across the gap, offered me his wheel, and pulled me across. But by this point I had slipped from third wheel to twelfth. But because we had both lanes I had some room to move back up, drafting off the other riders in front of me to save energy while doing so. However, at one point I got boxed in but just enough of gap opened for me to slide through and get some open road.

By the time I could see the line I knew one of the top four spots was out of the question as the riders there were pure sprinters. I was racing for fifth. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the rider on the my left coming up quick and I threw my bike at the line, grabbing 5th by about a half a wheel.

It was an awesome feeling riding in the front of such a large group of riders. At one point during

the race I was completely surrounded by other

guys. This is where staying calm if you bump into someone is so important. There were many times during the race where I would feel someone bump into me or I would touch someone else's bars. But everyone knows how to react and stay upright. It truly is amazing to watch/be part of. There was one minor crash but everyone got back up quickly and regained their positions.

So the spring campaign a has come to a close. It was great two months and I learned so much about racing and tactics. Up next is some long, steady, distance training for the next 6 weeks. I am hoping to log around 1,200 miles in that time to help get ready for the Nightmare at the beginning of August. The next race I have scheduled is the Housatonic Hills road race in Southbury CT. if I am still living up in NY.

Thanks for Reading!
Captain Crunch

Carlise TT

Nuking legs, flaming crotch, and passing out at the finish - yup it's a Time Trial.  It was a great day for a Time Trial, sunny and 75.  The did not start off very well though.  When I woke up first thing this morning I could immediately tell that my body did not feel right.  I wasn't hungry at all and I felt a slight ache in my legs.  This did not bode well for the trauma that I was going to be putting my body through later in the morning.

The feeling was only reinforced when I got on the trainer for my warm up.  The legs felt super tight and my head wasn't in the game.  I slowly went through the 45 min. warm up and tried my best to tell myself that I was fine and was going to do well.  Being the the first TT of the year I was hoping to turn a 1 hour 8 min. ride or less.  This would be about what I was doing this time last year.

The course is slight uphill on the way out for the first 12.4 miles.  It didn't help that there a headwind either.  The whole way I felt miserable and swore to myself that I would never do another TT again (this happens every TT and I still keep going back).  For the first leg I turned a 37 minute 20K.

The return trip, however, was blazing fast.  The headwind became a tailwind and this course turned downhill so I floored it the whole way home.  It felt great flying back hitting and holding 25-30mph+.  By the time the finish line hit I was done, I had left everything out on that road and timed my glorious meltdown just right - one more kilometer I and would have collapsed in a heap of useless bone and muscle.

Considering how I was feeling you can imagine the surprise on my face when I looked down at my computer and saw 1 hour 3 minutes and 40 seconds - 9 seconds faster than my previous PR!  Although I finished 5 out of 10 in my cat. I was still elated by the performance I was able to put down this early in the year.  By the last TT of the year I just may be able to crack the hour barrier that has proved so elusive to my palmares.  

Thanks for Reading!

Captain Crunch 

 

Trainig update and Carlise TT Weekend

It is almost time for the first TT of the year.  The Carlise TT is run on a great rolling course - big ring the entire way.  The training has been going very well so far.  Last week I suffered a small set back when I crashed hard through a corner and bruised my shoulder quite badly.  I needed to take some time to let heal.  But by last Saturday it was healed and I went out for my first endurance ride of the year.

What should have been a 70 mile ride to into a 85 mile epic and ended with me on the verge of bonking.  I missed a important turn for the road that would take me over the mountain and back to the valley I live in.  Only after riding for three miles further did a realize that I passed it.  I made the decision to continue down to the next road (hoping it would be shorter to that road) that would take me over the mountain.  Bad idea.  It turned out to be another 5 miles down the road.  Once I got to the intersection I was already at 70 miles and still had to climb the mountain.  

The worst part was that I had enough food for a 70 mile journey, and to be safe I tucked a $5 bill into my jersey pocket - however, somewhere along the way when pulling out one of my powerbars it must have slipped out.  So now I am stranded with 3/4 of a bottle of Clifshot and nothing else and one mountain left to climb and 15 more miles to go.

The ride over the mountain was one of my slowest.  I had to talk myself through the whole thing, telling myself to not go into the red.  It's amazing how the body can react and push through something like that.  I cleared the top knowing it was only another 12 miles home on a mostly down hill stretch of road.  By the time I got home I had been on the bike 5 hours and 85 miles.  It was a great loop and I can't wait to do it again, this time with the right amount of food and my rescue money tucked into my saddle bag.  Click here for the map of the loop I did.

I have one more high intensity ride planned for tomorrow (Thursday) over Clove Valley Rd. to get ready for Sunday's TT and on Saturday I will be heading out for some easy miles with Jim to keep the legs loose and ready to race.  

A full race report will follow Sunday...

Keep the rubber side down

Fawn Grove Roubaix

What a crazy race! Ten miles of loose gravel roads, some on downhill corners, guys flatting all over the place, and riders going down by the dozen. It was an instant classic. The day could not have been better for racing - sunny and 70 degrees. The race started off at a crazy pace with everyone racing to get to the front before the first gravel section. Once everything settled down I was able to start moving up through the field

The course really suited my riding style. It was a nice rolling course with some short but very steep climbs, including one coming on the gravel section, for a total climb of 1000 feet per 13 mile lap. The only problem was that every other catagory was on the road at the same time, so I was passing guys not knowing if they were in my cat. or not.

I rode the race perfectly. I left everything on the course and ran out of gas just at the line (this is a good thing meaning that I rode as hard as I could for the required distance). I also picked the right equipment which helped my final result. I ran heavy wheels and tires, deciding the extra puncture protection would overcome the extra weight. It was the right call, as the race caravan went through 50 tubes and 50 more wheel/tire combos. The guy that parked in front of me before the start was running the same tires as my racing wheels and he flatted 3 times!

In the end my final position came down to a sprint between me and another cat. 4/5 racer, with me just holding on to take it by half a wheel - and only because I threw the bike at the end. At this point I did not know where I had placed. After waiting around for about 45 minutes the cat. 4/5 results were posted. I started at the bottom of the list looking for my name (where it usually is) and kept working my way up until I saw my name listed as THIRD PLACE. I couldn't belive it! I had to double check the sheet to make sure it was right! Results are here.

Overall the entire day was awesome, with a podium spot the perfect way to cap it off. The next race up is the Carlise TT on April 26th. I have been hitting the gym hard to help build up the power in my legs, hoping to break the 40k/hour barrier this year.


Best!
Captain Crunch

Millport part duex

My first road race was a success.  It is such a rush being in a race flying along at 25mph and hardly doing any work.  I finished 34th out of 55 riders in my race (results here - scroll to the men 4/5).  The winner finished the race in 1 hour 2 min. and I finished 5 min. behind - not bad considering it was my first race of the year and first road race ever.

  I purposely started the race at the back of the field, as I am still gaining experience riding in a large peloton.  Once the really fast guys went off the race splintered in several smaller groups our 5 to 10 riders.  On lap four of nine of the 2.8 circuit, I got into a group of about 8 guys and we rode the rest of the race together.  This was extremely helpful as there was a headwind on the climbing part of the course.  Working together we were able to catch other riders who went to hard from the start and had been shelled off the back of the main peloton because of the wind.  

The road conditions could have been better, but they could have been worse as well.  The rain the day before washed quite a bit of fertilizer (aka cow manure) from the fields onto the road.  By time we raced the roads weren't wet but still a little damp.  As the wheels rolled over the "fertilizer" it would spray up on the rider behind.  By the end of the race I had a nice little coating on me.  But, that is early season bike racing!

Overall it was a great experience and I learned a lot - like how to work in a pace line, how long of a pull (working at the front) to take, and race tactics.  I can't wait to do it again so it's good I have less than 7 days until the next race!  The Fawn Grove Roubaix starts at the Fawn Grove High School.

The Fawn Grove race will be a great opportunity to come out see some great racing for all you southern based fans (aka Maryland) - part of the course actually dips into MD.  Another feature of the course is the 4.2 miles of dirt/stone roads we will be racing on (course map here)  Also, the race doesn't start until 1:00pm so you don't have to be up a the crack of dawn to see the race.  I hope to see all of you there.  

Until the then!

Captain Crunch!

Millport Road Race

I didn't come in last - but I didn't win either. I finished 34th out of about 60 riders. Not bad for my first road race. I will post a more detailed update later!

Captain Crunch

Pre-race update

I am settling in nicely into my new home in NY state.  I'm right outside the Catskill mountains - in fact my window looks right onto the first ridge of the mountain chain.  They have made for some great riding so far.  I haven't gone deep into the park yet since it is still early in the season.  I have done a few 50/60 mile rides over the first ridge.  Next month I intend to start putting in some serious 70 mile weekend rides and by May be hitting the century mark at least once or twice a month.  

There is a great group of guys that ride up here.  We probably have at least 6 on average each ride.  Friday we went out for 20 mile loop ride.  Sounds like it wouldn't be that hard, but from the gun guys were taking flyers off the front.  The group would crawl back to him and then another would go.  It went like this for the entire ride and we averaged around 18.5.  It is was short, but super intense.  This is one area that I really need to work on.  I know I can climb and ride 100 plus miles, but the short, intense accelerations needed to reel in an attack and then counter attack is where I am weakest.  A few more weeks of this and I will be flying at the races.

Speaking of races, the first one is less than a week away.  So far the training has been going as planned.  I feel way faster than I did this time last year and am really motivated to get racing.  I should get some pictures while there.  I also will get the cable I need for my camera (I forget to get last time I was back in PA) so I can post them here. 

Keep the rubber side down...

Captain Crunch

Schedule Change

Due to arrangments at my new home I will not be able to make it back for the Farmersville road race on the 14th.  However, I am entering the Millport road race on march 28 and then Fawn Grove Roubaix on April 5th.

Stay Warm!

Captain Crunch

The Countdown Begins

Less than three weeks until the first race of the season (Notice the countdown clock to the Farmersville Road Race on the right).  It is a nice rolling loop of two laps and about 25 miles long.  I have been hitting the training extra hard in preparation for the season.  This time last year I had barely 100 miles on the odometer.  Currently I'm already at 200 and change.  Being the first race of the season everyone will probably be at the same level (unless that is they have been cyclocross racing all winter, but I don't think I have to worry about that in my category).  

Because this is my first year with a racing license (and first year road racing period) I am in cat. 5.  This is the beginner class.  Packs are kept smaller to reduce the risk as most rider in this category (including me) don't have a lot of experience riding in a tight group.  I can ride comfortably bumping shoulders with Jim, but doing that in a pack where you have other racers all the way around you is a different story.  

This week is going to be cram packed as I am moving to my new new home away from home and HQ in Wallkill NY (for three months).  Stay tuned for lots of pictures of my new (but small) living quarters and the surrounding area!

Ride Safe!

Captain Crunch

Here's looking at you Ricardo Ricco...

2009 Schedule and some big changes!

My 2009 racing schedule is just about complete.  It is listed on the right.  The busiest month is going to be August with my first two-day stage race and the Nightmare.  June and September are still open, but I am trying to plan another double century for June. 

 A big difference from last year is I am only entering two TT's (plus one in the August stage race) as I am trying my hand at road racing (I have around 5 this year).  As usual the Nightmare is back for the third year and I am heading up to NYC again for the BikeMS NYC ride.  

One more piece of big news!  Captain Crunch racing is relocating for three months starting Feb. 26.  From that date through June 3 Captain Crunch racing will be setting up shop in Wallkill NY, though my racing schedule back here in central PA still stands.  I will post lots of pictures - promise :-).  

What a season it is going to be - new races, new gear, and new home for 3 months (maybe longer)!  Between my first race on March 14th and BikeMS NYC in October the 2009 season is going to fly by.  If you want to come out and cheer me on during any race, please leave a comment below and I can get you more information on race locations!

Keep the rubber side down!

Captain Crunch