Camp 9 Firestation

One of the great rides that I managed to sneak in during my recent trip to California was to the Camp 9 mountain-top firestation in the hills outside of Santa Clarita. This route was nice since you quickly escaped the hustle of the city and you were soon onto a nice open climb up to the station.

After a few rolling hills you arrived at a small farm that claimed to be a filming site for tv and movies. It looked a little small for that work to me, but it was a great place to get a view of the hills you were heading into.

From this point it was all climbing. The road slowly turned up past a small park and started to cut a path along the sides of the mountain as you climbed up. The view along the entire climb was great since you had a open side to the valley and could watch the road as it climbed up ahead of you. After the main climb you ended up in another small park area where you could rest before heading deeper into the mountains or turn onto the fireroad and climb up to the firestation at the top. This road was a little rougher, with large cracks and a rougher chip-seal finish, but the climbing was still great. Since the fireroad was up so high, each corner offered a new view of the valleys, a great little prize for the work of climbing up this far.

Finally you arrived at the top and into the parking area for the firestation. It was surprising to see so many cars there since the climb was so quiet. From this vantage point you could look one way to see Santa Clarita and look the other way and see Los Angeles and even the shine of the ocean.

Once you were ready to move again (and throw on a wind jacket or a vest to keep the chill out) it was time for the long descent. Once again you were subject to the rougher pavement of the fireroads, albeit at a much quicker rate this time. Turning back onto the main roads you were able to really kick up the speed and settle in for an awesome descent. On the smooth and open roads you could really tuck in and fly down. Before you knew it, you were back to the farm and heading back into town. If you are ever in the Santa Clarita area, look up the Camp 9 and plan out a ride. I promise you won't be disappointed.

California Dreaming

Just returned from a brief holiday trip down in the Los Angeles area, and was lucky to borrow a S&S travel bike for the trip. This nice titanium machine was built by Davidson bicycles, a fixture in the Seattle area. Lightweight and strong, titanium is a great choice for a travel bike, ready for anything you might run into, and ready for years of service.

The great part of the S&S design is that these bikes are full-size and ride like a standard bike, while breaking down into a plastic case that is standard luggage size (no oversize charges or random surcharges here). Once you arrive at your final destination you simply reassemble, and within a hour you are ready to hit the road.

The Davidson looked and rode great, and this model has already seen more than 4 years of good use. I had never ridden a titanium frame before, but this beautiful machine was a perfect first example. Fine, even welds and a clean brushed finish drew a few looks on my rides, and the beefy tubes created an excellent ride. I have heard plenty of talk about titanium running soft after years of hard use, but from my brief experience, I noticed nothing to give that impression. I put the bike through only about 200 miles and about 15,000 feet of climbing, but it felt stiff and ready for each climb I approached. Multiple trips into the mountains around Santa Clarita were solid tests, and I also accompanied some friends on a hilly trip through some great spots in LA.
I hope to get some more ride time on this great bike in the future, but was definitely pleased with the performance this time. Some great ride reviews shortly!

Glimpses of Cyclocross

My girlfriend just forwarded me a collection of Instagram photos she took this past Cross season. Even though the racing is over, it is fun to look back and remember the races. Enjoy!

Wet and Cold

Now that Cross season is over for the year, it is time to change gears and get into training time. I need to get building up for my first season as a Cat 2 on the road, since I will have some tough challenges ahead.
I have been trying to squeeze in some longer rides over the past few weekends so that the jump from Cross racing to road training isn't as harsh, but it is definitely still a change! Nothing like 4 hours in the saddle in the wet and cold Washington winter to harden you up for racing.
This past weekend I met up with the rest of the elite men to head up north and get some good training miles in. Heading up from Seattle we cut through Bothell and started to ride up to Everett. After riding through a lot of neighborhood roads, we were dumped out into the Snohomish valley and onto the rural farm roads. As we rode up to the southern end of Everett and then out to Snohomish, we battled against a killer headwind while trying to keep a high pace. We were making great time, and keeping the group together well until we were almost into Maltby. At this point, Dave, Doug, and I had fallen off the back of the group, unable to keep up with the high pace. The morning of cold and windy weather was now turning wet, and as we moved into Maltby, there were signs of snow on our jackets. We re-grouped shortly down the road at a gas station and everyone to the time to get re-fueled. Right as we were preparing to start up again we noticed that my front tire had gone flat - likely due to the small chunks of glass and other road debris all over the roads.
Once that was quickly changed, we started going again, heading out of the rain luckily. We were getting up to a decent pace again when suddenly we heard a metal snapping sound and everyone came to a halt. Matt's bike had popped the chain into the rear wheel, which ended up snapping off his rear derailleur. OUCH!
Joe and Doug spent a few minutes pulling the chain apart and setting up Matt's bike for a limp home single-speed conversion. He tested to make sure it worked and we were gearing up to start when we realized - I had another flat...
This time it was the rear, but still quite annoying to flat twice during a ride. (especially since I had flats in both wheels the previous weekend as well!) We changed the tube pretty quick and were once again on the move. As we rolled down into Woodinville, the temperature dropped noticeably. It was getting cold fast, and we were deciding it was time to get back home. We were partway through Woodinville when I again felt the small bouncing of a tire flat. Looking down, the rear we had just replaced was again sagging. So, unfortunately another stop and quickly changed out the tire again while chill set in. Once this was finished we got going again and finally made our way back into Seattle. A little over 4 hours of riding and over 60 miles of road travelled - How is that for a difference from a 50 minute Cross race! I think it is time to fill my rain-bike's tubes with sealant so that I don't have another incident like this down the road - I am done with having flats this year.
Next weekend I will be down in California for a nice little vacation and some warmer weather. Bringing a bike down, so I should have some good stories from riding down there as well. I'll take some photos too, so you have something cool to look at.

Washington State CX Championships 2012

So, it is now officially finished. The 2012 cyclocross season for Washington wrapped up this past Sunday with the State Championship races in Arlington.
Using a new part of the airport than last year (and the race earlier this season), the course featured plentiful s-curves, a short run-up, and tons of energy-sapping thick mud. The rain from the week had collected to form a few deep mud puddles, and most of the back half of the course was a churned up, wheel grabbing mud-fest.
I was hoping to have a good placing in this race, however the week of healing from my crash was thinking otherwise. I got a nice front-line start position and even had a decent start, coming into the first corner in roughly 6th position, however a small bobble over the tall log barrier in the next corner saw me fall back to about 12/13th spot. Not the best way to start a tough race.
I quickly got going and chased through the tight series of s-curves trying to keep with the lead group. After finishing the first lap I had crawled back up to 9th place and was within sight of the lead group. Over the next four tiring laps I managed to climb up to 7th place, although in the last lap I fell back to 8th and would hold that position through the finish. Not my best showing of the season, but decent given that I was coming off of injury the previous weekend. Still, I was really hoping to be part of the battle for the win. Maybe with the course change next year I can duke it out in the 1/2 race.
All-in-all I was very happy with my season this year and while narrowly missing the overall win in the SCX series, I think that winning the MFG series and almost winning the SCX series was a good sign that I am ready for the challenge of the 1/2 field. For now it is time to get back into the road mind-set and prepare for racing in 2013!
Congrats to everyone for their great results this year!

SCX #7 Monroe Fairgrounds

Well, the main season is finally over - next weekend is the state championship and then the cross bike gets a good clean and hung up until summer (unless it gets super snowy again this year).
Monroe is a challenging course that always taxes you with mud, tons of technical corners, and a steep (although thankfully short) run-up. This year's course was a little altered from last year and removed the painfully long slog through ankle-deep mud but added some tacky but slippery mud section at the top of the run-up. With the light rain through the day and from the week prior, the sand section was well-packed and handled like a shallow banking in the corners.

I have been running a great season and was hoping to cap it off with a series win after this race as I entered with a slim lead (40 points, which would normally be tough to beat, however Monroe is double-points). As we started I again had a great position and was about 4th as we were headed into the sharp 180 to climb to the back section. This is when my race took a turn for the worse - As we slowed to make the corner, a rider tried to squeeze through on the outside despite myself being right near the tape. As a result he knocked me and my bike sideways and sliding across the gravel into the front of a truck parked near the course. OUCH!!

As I picked myself up and determined I was ok, I quickly straightened the bike and sped off to try to catch the back of the pack. Now, just like at Enumclaw, I was racing from the back to try to catch back up. From the single incident I was almost a minute behind the leaders.

Over the rest of the race I slowly picked up places and climbed up to 12th place, although in the final sprint I was a little slow to gain speed and finished a decent 13th for the day. Not great, but better than many expected given the crash. I was happy to hear that most of the riders felt really bad about seeing the crash and were happy that I was ok. I was not confronted by the rider who caused the incident however, hopefully he feels bad though. Pretty silly to push so hard at the start of a Cat 3 race with $0 on the line for the winner.
So, battered and bruised I ended up doing well enough to hold onto 2nd overall in the series, which I think is pretty nice given that this series has seen me race sick once and also have two starting-lap crashes requiring a mad-chase from the back of the field.
I just now need to heal up good and hopefully I can snag the states race next weekend to crown off the season.
Great racing was done by:

Dave Matthews - Singlespeed Men - 22nd for the day - 15th in the series!
Kevin Raymond - 1/2 Masters - 15th for the day - 21 in series
Roy Colven - 1/2 Masters - 8th for the day - 12th in the series

SCX #6 Steilacoom 2

Here we are, just a few weeks left in the season. Boy that went by quickly!
Back to Steilacoom for race #6 of the Seattle Cyclocross series, this time with a new course layout and much different weather to challenge riders. Now in the middle of November, the temperature has dropped into the 40s and the course is now a complete mix of fast grass and dirt, loose gravel, oily mud, and even some deep gooey stuff. Once again the Pro/1/2 field hosted special guest Tyler Farrar to keep things interesting (although he didn't fare as well this time, finishing 12th).
As we lined up for the 2:30 race, the temperature dropped a little more and the light rain started up. Off the line I managed my best start of the season (roughly 4th off the line) and then pulled to the front for the holeshot into the weaving lines of the front section of course. As we shot into the barn area I was passed by Miles from Hammer and quickly grabbed his wheel. We worked our way over to the run up and stuck together through the climbing sections along the upper course. As we shot down into the lower section I remained tight, but the work was getting to us both and we soon had additional challengers in the form of Tyson from Mafia and the spritely Evan from JL Velo. The 4 of us worked the front for the next 2 laps before a small collision slowed Tyson and Miles. Tyson was able to recover quickly and now he and I chased after Evan who had rolled through the quickest. Miles unfortunately took longer and would lead the chase group for the rest of the race trying to bridge to us. After another short while of chasing, we caught Evan, and Tyson actually managed to jump past to take the lead.
Finally, 2 laps to go. I was working hard to stay tight to Evan as we worked through the front of the course and Tyson continued to put in distance up front. As we hit the run-up I caught up to Evan and we were neck-to-neck up to the top of the climbs. I passed Evan in the downhill and was actually able to bridge to Tyson on the front stretch. Unfortunately as we hit the tight winding section leading into the final lap Evan was once again in front of me. It was time to put in all I had. I screamed up the run up, getting to the top just as Evan did and was on the bike before he was pedalling. I threw down on the climbs and gained some ground and pushed a bigger lead on the downhill, again starting to approach Tyson, but not quite close enough to bridge up. As we hit the winding corners for the last time I was pushing to make ground as Evan started to reel me back in. Finally we hit the straight and he was breathing down my neck, however I punched it on the sprint and stayed a bike-length ahead to take 2nd for the day.
This strong showing was enough to put me back in 1st place for the series with one race remaining. I will definitely have to work hard at Monroe to keep the series, but at least I have a slight margin for the time being!
One race left - next weekend the 25th at Monroe Fairgrounds - this race is always a wet and muddy affair, so it could be a real crowd-pleaser!
Congrats on the strong showing by the Bikesale racers -
Pam Massey - 9th Place - Women's 4 Masters
David Matthews - 16th Place - Men's Singlespeed
Roy Colven - 5th Place - Men's 1/2 Masters 45+
Kevin Raymond - 17th Place - Men's 1/2 Masters 45+

MFG #6 - Woodland Park

I can't believe we are already nearly halfway through November! This season sure flew by. Sunday was the series-finisher for the MFG series and was once again hosted by the awesome Woodland Park.
The weather, though cold, was mostly dry this week, so the course was running super fast, and the slight rain of the day smoothed out a few sections and only made a few of the corners squirmy, so it remained fast even into the afternoon races. A slight change to last year's layout, the course featured a steep uphill that most ran but a few continued to ride, and an extended running section over 3 sets of barriers and two shorter log barriers further up the hill.
It was fun to watch the 1/2 field race through the course, and after a few laps I noticed that a rider was wearing a Garmin-Sharp kit. Since I know they won't let you race in team kit without being on that team I was trying to figure out who this racer might be. Turns out it is local PRO Tyler Farrar, getting in some fun off-season rides while he is in Seattle this winter. Check out that disguised Redline bike... Too bad Cervelo doesn't offer a cyclocross option.

When the 2:30 races started, a light rain began that would continue through the race and keep racers on their toes in some of the paved corners. On the gun I managed an ok start and climbed back into a good spot by the first corner. Miles Frank of Hammer nutrition got the hole-shot and quickly established a gap he would hold for the remainder of the race. My closest competitor, Patrick Leonard of Soft-Like-Kitten, had tried to catch his wheel but dangled off the back for the entire first lap as I pulled to connect with them. As we entered lap 2 Patrick had a mechanical that would drop him down the rankings (he would end up clawing back to finish 14th, but lose his 2nd place in the overall).
After a few laps of trying to reel in Miles alone, I was joined by Mike Foster of Starbucks and we battled for 2 laps before another rider (Matt Hornland - Mighty Riders) would join our group. Our group traded attacks and allowed us to extend the gap from the next group and for the next 2 laps we would switch leads as each rider gained the front in the section that suited their abilities.
For most of the last lap I was stuck hanging to the back of this group as we thrashed the course trying to shed each other for podium results. As we entered the final segments of the last lap I decided it was time to make a move and shot past both of them on the sustained gravel climbs and was first into the infield pit area. Confident that I had made it through the race without issue (I was now secure in my series win as there was a large gap to the next group and we were less than a minute from the end of the race) I let up as we hit the last two corners to make sure I was 100% safe and rolled across the line 4th for the day (out of 55 starters!) and carried a nice 6 point lead above Miles for the series championship!
One series in the bag, we next move back to the SCX series for the remaining 2 races of that series. I am currently 3rd place and heading into Steilacoom for our next race I hope to put down some killer speed and try to seize control of that series as well.

Congrats to everyone who made it out to race this weekend - I saw some new faces!
J Irons - Men's Cat 4 - 17th
Dave Matthews - Men's Singlespeed - 63rd
Jenny Dallas - Women's Singlespeed - 1st Place!!!

SCX #5 Enumclaw

Well, even though it didn't really rain all day, the ground was still quite saturated from the week of rain leading into this weekend. We are getting into the last few races of the season. Here comes the Enumclaw mud-race.
I entered this race only 1 point off the lead and with a solid front row position. As we launched I was about 6th heading into the first corner when one of the riders slid out right in front of me and I flew off the bike. I quickly got back up (about mid-pack now) and realized the chain had dropped and the brake was dragging. I popped the chain back in place and got the bike rolling but now I was at the back of the pack, starting in 40th place. Not exactly the position I wanted...
As we made it through the first lap I managed to claw back a few places and would continue to fight tooth-and-nail to get back toward the front for the rest of the race. It was quite slick and some of the quick corners required smart maneuvering to navigate.
By the end of the race I was within sight of the top-10 and I pushed it hard to try to catch them. Heading into one of the last tricky corners I carried a bit too much speed and skidded a bit, losing one of the riders I just passed seconds before, however I gassed it to the line and ended up finishing 13th, about 2 minutes off the pace of the leader. I am a little disappointed that I finished so far back, but at the same time it is pretty good to know that I was able to claw from 40th to 13th over the race. Just need to watch these errant riders to make sure I can stay on the bike and in contention for the win.
As a result of that unfortunate incident I am now 3rd overall in the series, 16 points back from #1 with 2 races left. Just need to shake it off and gear up for Steilacoom in 2 weeks and put the placings back in my favor.
Unfortunately it looks like I was the only one flying the team colors this weekend, but hopefully we will be out in force at Woodland Park next weekend!

SCX #4 Sprinkler Park

What a difference a day makes!
After the gloom and muck of Saturday (Starbucks GP at Marymoor), Sunday was warmer, dryer, and brighter!
Sprinkler park is usually a faster style course with long stretches of mashing with tight, technical segments and some challenging rolling sections. After the mediocre finish yesterday I was ready to make amends. I was in third place in this series and a good finish could boost my standings. I made sure to preride the course a bit, and check out how some of the tough sections were riding (Watching the 1/2s duke it out first, you can really figure out where the make-it/break-it sections are).
At the start I easily had my best launch this season and was 4th onto the dirt and through the sweeping right/left corner. As we plunged toward the first hairpin I jumped past the rest of the group and was leading the race. I carried the field through a few more corners before falling to 2nd place after the barriers. I stayed tight to the leader's wheel and soon enough the course opened up and I squeezed by again heading into the first technical section. I rode up the small hill and through the sand pit and carried my small lead through the rolling section. As we hit the run-up I was back into 2nd place but stuck there until we were on the back-stretch and heading into the start-finish line.
I was back in front at the line and through lap 2 led for most of the lap before being over-taken on the hill as I tried to ride it again while the rest ran up. For the next few laps the group was myself, a junior from Rad racing, and the two Soft-like-Kitten riders. We duked it out, swapping attacks and temporary leads, while gaining ground on the rest of the field. With about 2 laps to go the Rad racing kid and I had a small gap formed and tried to increase our lead on the Kittens. I led for most of the lap but in a technical section at the start of the final lap the Rad rider shot by. I was now chasing hard to stay on his wheel, although his gap was looking pretty strong...

As we hit the rollers I was still a few seconds back, however suddenly the Rad rider stopped just ahead of me. He had dropped his chain as he had tried shifting while dropping into the last of the rollers. I powered past before he could get it back in action and now I was leading with a gap. Rad was back on his bike quickly and was chasing hard to stick to me as the Kittens got closer. We carried on through the remainder of the course in this fashion, however as we hit the back stretches I kicked up the pace - there was only a few moments left to seal the race! As we carried through the chicane toward the finish line I chanced a glimpse back - I had a gap still between myself and Rad. Figuring he would drop everything left to try to pip me I also jumped from the corner and carried my gap all the way to the line for my first SCX win of the season! It turns out that in the finale of the race the Kittens were finally caught by another rider and both were left off the podium.
Once the dust had settled I am now 2nd in this series with only 1 point separating me from the leader! This series has 3 more races left to decide the victor, starting with Enumclaw and the huge run-up next weekend. If I can hold onto my form for the remaining month I could theoretically take both series this year! That would definitely be a great way to end the season before moving to the Cat 1/2 races.

Congrats also to our other racers!
Pam Massey - 6th Place - Women's 4s 35+
Dave Matthews - 27th - Men's Singlespeed

MFG #5 Marymoor Park

The weather has definitely turned to the wetter, and this past weekend was no exception. The once grassy hills of the Marymoor velodrome were transformed into tacky, slick, and deep mud. The rain through the morning ended before the afternoon races began but the conditions didn't get any better. So, the 2012 Starbucks/SCCA race would be a mudder.
Coming off my win last weekend I was motivated to keep things rolling and got to the front through the first corners and stayed with the lead group for the first sections of the race. After a little bit of back-and-forth attacks, one rider managed to get off the front. I pulled the remaining chasers for a little while before I started to tire and fell to the back of the group. I managed to stay there, just off the last of the leaders for about half the race before I started to slowly sink back. At this point in the race we were dealing with thick traffic from the large number of racers on course, and you would occasionally get stuck behind a slower rider through the tight technical areas and lose more time.

Finally the last lap started, and I managed to claw my way past two more fading riders. Unfortunately, in the last few corners, I too was overtaken. As I made my way back onto the slippery front straight I ended up ninth for the day. Not the top finish I was hoping for, but good enough to hold the series lead, although by a small margin of 6 points between myself and second place. With only Woodland Park remaining, I will have to bring my a-game and stay up front, otherwise the series may be lost.
I learned after the race that about 2/3 of the Men's 3 field was lapped and removed over the course of the race! Nice to be able to finish with the lead group.

Congrats to our other racers who braved this thick and treacherous mud:
Steve Berard - 17th - Men's 3s 35+
Jenny Dallas - 4th - Women's Singlespeed
Melissa Desimone - DNF - Women's Singlespeed (Better luck next time!)

MFG #4 Magnuson Park

A cool but dry Fall day was the perfect backdrop for this year's race at Magnuson. This is a long course that was introduced last year and features 1/3 fast grass switchbacks, 1/3 tighter muddy sections, and 1/3 gravel/asphalt sections. It is a FAST course although the mud last year bogged it up a good amount and the gravel climb is ready to sap strength lap after lap.
Due to my good season so far I received a front-row start and with the longer starting chute I managed to hit the grass in a great position about of about 5th place (I really need to work on my starts!) and hung with this lead group through the initial sections of grass. As we moved into the brief road section connecting the grass with the muddy/dirt section I moved into the lead. I had pre-ridden the course, so I knew that the rain had made the course lightly muddy but not the thick goop from 2011. Still I took the fast route and rode the paved lip of the tennis court rather than the muddy rut that most chose. As we hit the stairs I saw that our lead group had a decent gap on the rest of the field (we were cutting through the single-speed men since before the barriers, so they were already getting caught up a bit).

Pressing on, I hit the hill HARD (I knew from last year that this would be a deciding feature of the course) and started lap two still leading the field - only 6 more to go! Lap 2 and 3 were pretty similar affairs - learning the quirks of the course to find where I could go faster/harder and finding the best places to take a little breather. On lap 4 as we rounded the corner by the tennis fields I unclipped a little and the 2nd place rider came around me. He said we had a big gap and to keep pushing and I got back in front (I didn't know if he gave me the lead again or if I actually powered into it - Talking to him afterward he said he was gassed and just hanging onto my wheel) but now I continued to punch out the course (i figure he just wanted to ride in my shadow with the hope of taking me in the sprint). Knowing it was just us two I tried shaking him by squeezing past riders who were taking up the middle of the course and laying on the power when I found a good place to do so. With 2 laps to go, my added pressure worked; as we went through a slicker corner he washed out a bit and upon hearing the slide I laid on the gas. I didn't look back to see if it worked, I just kept up my pace and tried to increase my lead on the field to defend the position.
Finally we entered the last lap. Now I was watching as we cut back and forth along the grass to see how much gap I still had. It looked like I led the field by about 15 seconds or so, so I had to keep it up otherwise they could potentially catch me. I continued my well-working route through the course, hitting the gas in key areas to increase my lead and working past the now very busy field as I could. As I topped the stairs for the last time I saw they were getting close - just entering the corner that leads into the stairway! I hammered down the gravel road and pushed over the hill for the last time passing some more of the now very tired singlespeeders. Entering the asphalt finish drag I tucked in and mashed up the slight grade. I knew I had a lead and sat up to shake my fist as I passed the line - finally after just missing the podium all season I snagged my first win of the CX season!
Next weekend is a double-header of both MFG and SCX, and hopefully I can pad my lead in the MFG series and work up from my 3rd place in SCX.

Congrats to our large group of competitors this weekend!

David Matthews - 61st - Men's Singlespeed (of 86 racers - huge field!)
Jenny Dallas - 5th - Women's Singlespeed
Melissa Desimone - 14th - Women's Singlespeed

SCX #3 Silver Lake Park

And just like that, Autumn is here in full force.
The rain came out this weekend to remind us that it is indeed the middle of October already. Every year, the Seattle-area cyclocross racers drag themselves up to Silver Lake in Everett for the crazy Silver Lake cross course. With loads of sand, steep climbs and steeper descents, and more sand, this course really puts a beating on riders and equipment.
The 1/2 race was a show of pure power as local powerhouse Logan Owen of Redline shot off the front of the pack and would lead for the entire race while Gian Dalle (who has been having a great season) was working at max capacity to keep within sight of the Red and white Redline jersey. The remainder of the pack was struggling to keep pace with these guys, and it definitely showed how important having a clean line through some of the sections could be.
My early season consistency put me in the front row for the poorly organized call-up (they gave us about 10-15 feet to pack all the riders into, resulting in an odd bunching rather than organized lines), but the rushed start had me about 15 riders back on hitting the sand for the first trek across the beach. I got stuck in some of the pile-up as riders forced into the 2 defined paths through the long beach section, and the next thing you knew I was about 20 riders back from the leader. Not a great way to start this race.
For the rest of the race I was dragging back riders as I could, but that initial sand-trap created the separation for the leaders that would last the entire race. By the end I had managed to get within 20 seconds of the trailing group of the lead pack and settled with a decent 16th for the day.
Luckily I suffered nothing more than mediocre finishing, as many riders rolled tires, flatted, or broke parts on there bikes due to the grueling sands and off-camber bumpy descents. This finish puts me in 3rd for the series right now, with 4 more races until the finish in November. Luckily we drop one race, so hopefully 16th is my worst finish of the season.
Great job David Matthews on 24th in the Men's Single-Speed race
Next weekend will be Magnuson Park in Seattle which last year featured slick grass and deep mud. If the weather keeps up, we may be in for a repeat of those conditions. See you there!

MFG #3 Marymoor Starcrossed

Here we are, nearly halfway into the 2012 cross season and back to a NW favorite - StarCrossed! This race is typically a Pro/1/2 night race under the lights but they run all the other categories later in the day as well to give it a fun and different atmosphere from the standard races. No big international headliners this year since the race doesn't give UCI points this time around, but great aggressive riding from the locals and a few visitors none the less.

My race started at 5:30, so definitely a late one, but it was nice to have some extra rest time after the morning riding the meet-the-team ride which was a little longer than I anticipated, but I think it did a decent job of opening up the legs for the night's event. This year's Marymoor course was a change from what has been run in previous years, with a large stretch of pavement in the parking paddock used on course. I really liked the layout and the speed of the course and hope that the SCCA/Starbucks GP held here later this season uses a similar layout.

The racing was definitely fast and furious from the start and like last week, we started behind the single-speed men, which meant we hit lap track early on and it helped force the break. After a poor start (my foot unclipped as we sprinted to the first corner) I managed to stay in the front group and heading into the back stretch I was in the lead. I led for the rest of the first lap and then settled behind two extremely fast riders (Hammer nutrition, whom I imagine will upgrade shortly, and a quick young rider from BC who made the trip down) and the 3 of us pulled a good gap on the rest of the racers for a few laps. I ended up getting separated from these two riders as we dived into one of the tight hairpin corners, where I got stuck in some single-speed riders and was unable to reconnect with the leaders.

At this point I was content to race for the 3rd place position and kept a consistent pace along the course. Apparently I had let up a bit too much however as on the last lap I was passed by a rider from HSP. I ended up getting around him only to have him leapfrog me again heading to the front asphalt stretch. I powered around him once more and held that lead until the final corner on the infield! I tried to take a defensive line, however I gave up too much space on the outer line and he squeezed by to hit the inner finish-line first. I still chugged along to take 4th only to have to drag-race to the line. The judges determined that this final upstart snagged the line from me due to his RFID tag crossing the line before mine. Once again a podium at MFG lost in the last seconds of the race, however a solid 5th place should move me into a great spot in the overall. There are now 3 races left in this series, so I just need to stay consistent for the remaining 2 months and I should take home the big prize before my upgrade.

Congrats to all our other team riders for showing up to this big race:

Jenny Dallas - 4th - Women's Single-speed

Melissa Desimone - 11th - Women's Single-speed

Way to go on the awesome results!

See you next week for the sand-terror at Silver Lake!

SCX #2 Arlington Airport

Another race down, and it was another warm and dry (read that as dusty!) weekend.

Returning to Arlington Airport, the site of last year's state Championships, was this years second installment of the SCX series. The course was a little altered with multiple passes through a sand field that had been dumped on the grounds, but it was still mostly the same - flat long straightaways punctuated with grassy corners and dusty, bouncy forest sections.

Coming off the race from last week I thought I would be able to pull a good result here, however this past week I managed to get a cold and hadn't put in much in the way of training, so it was going to be a crap shoot. Warming up I felt good and got a good starting placement from my 5th place finish last week. After a very long 15 minutes of sitting in the start grid due to some course trouble we were off! I entered the first corner in 4th place and manged to stick with the leaders until the first trip through the sand hills (about 2/3 of the way through the lap). At this point I was just red-lined even though it wasn't that far into the course - the sickness had taken it's toll. I struggled to stay within sight of the leaders for the remainder of the race, slowly losing position as racers would sneak past and I was unable to expend more energy to stay with them.

By the start of the last lap I had fallen to 12th place but still had a decent gap to the next group. Coming into the long back drag-strips I was passed by the leaders of the master's race that had started behind us. I figured now was as good as any time to kick up the gas and leave it all on the course. I jumped into their wind-shadow and before coming back into the course we had passed one of my riders (so I was now in 11th). We cut through the remainder of the course and almost managed to catch another rider before the end. I don't remember feeling so completely spent at the end of race before, and I hope that with the sickness past I can get back on track for next weekend. The 11th place today was a little disappointing given how close I was to winning the race last weekend, however due to upgrades and riders skipping races I am 2nd overall in the series so far, so can't be upset about that!

Congrats to our Bikesale riders today -

Dave Matthews - 28th in Men's singlespeed

See you next weekend for Starcrossed at Marymoor!

MFG #2 - Lake Sammamish

The first official race of Fall, the day started rather chilly but warmed up to be quite decent for the afternoon. Lake Sammamish is a fast and bumpy course with the only big obstacle being the long stretch of beach along the coast. The key for this race was to push that big gear! From my nice start last race I got a good call-up position and heading into the first corner after the drag-strip start I was in 4th position. I held this spot until we hit the beaches and once everyone was running I managed to get past everyone and I was now leading the race!
For the next few laps I either managed to stay in the lead or I would drop back a few spots as we worked our way from one end of the park to the other, weaving through trees, over bumpy grass, and through the sand. Heading into the last lap I was still leading although I could tell there were riders right on my wheel. As we hit the sand, I was passed and was now in 3rd place. Coming out of the sand I shot past a rider and was back into 2nd as we worked toward the front half of the course. In the straight-away section passing the pits I again took the lead.
We were working our way through the single-speed field and heading toward the finish line. I was first to and through the barriers but again felt the others breathing down my neck. I was soo close to the finish! I swung around riders left and right while pushing to gain ground where I could. Finally I was into the last grass corner and heading into the paved corner heading into the finishing stretch. I came through the corner holding speed and was ready to push all the way to the line...
But suddenly the bike locked up. I had rolled the rear tire off the wheel!! The two riders who were on my wheel shot past. I grabbed the bike and started to run down the long 150 meter stretch. I moved to the gravel for more grip and still riders came shooting past, finishing both in the 3s and the single-speed class. I finally managed to cross the line, but how many spots had I lost?
Deflated from the mechanical robbing my finish I waited for the results to be posted. It had taken me a minute to run in all those last yards. My lead had faded to nothing in the fraction of a second, but luckily the ground we had gained over the others proved to be enough that even with that long and torturous run-in I managed to hold onto a 9th place finish. Not quite what I wanted, but still a respectable result that will luckily keep my call-up for next time. Now I just need to glue the hell out of that tire to make sure I am not robbed of my hard work down the road!

Congrats to our other Bikesale cross riders and their great races:
Jenny Dallas - 4th Place - Women's Singlespeed
Melissa Desimone - 15th Place - Women's Singlespeed
Irena Netik - 19th Place - Women's Cat 4
Heather Barnett - 15th - Beginners Women

Way to go! Next weekend is the long flats and dusty grass of Arlington. Hopefully we can pull some more results there!

SCX #1 - Steilacoom

Alright, SCX 1 is officially in the books! What a warm and dusty cross race (very similar feel to Finn Hill last year, breathing in dirt and sweating so much you finish with a dusty brown complexion)!
Congrats to all our Bikesale Riders:
Pam Massen - 3rd Women's Cat4 Masters 35+
Jenny Dallas - 4th Women's Singlespeed
Melissa DeSimone - 12th Women's Singlespeed
Where are all the guys on this team?

My race started a little later than anticipated due to a crash in the race before us resulting in a broken collarbone, but that is more of a freak occurrence than the norm (most cross crashes are just scrapes and cuts). Once we did get rolling it was a fast and hectic rush into the twisting dry grass. The lower section of the course was a twisting circuit of s-curves and 180s. I managed to hold onto a nice position until the first 180 degree corner when a rider crashed and blocked a few of us, but I managed to stay in the low teens through that ordeal. Once we got around the incident I was able to cut through a few more riders during the remaining twisting flats before we hit the forest section. The forest is basically a long straight stretch but it is narrow and full of loose wood-chips so passing was a little tough. This was a good place to squeeze by though, as many riders seemed to use the straight section to recollect after the hectic section before. Then after a sandy 180 degree corner you start the first half of "the climb" followed by another 180 and then a brief rest before the second half of "the climb". Through this whole section I managed to stay on the wheels in front of me and get a good run down of how the course was racing. Once we reached the top of the hill we turned into a fast downhill with loose gravel followed by a short but very technical section of curves through some trees and then a short climb gravel and dirt climb. Following that section was a rutted out dirt downhill and sharp corner heading into the paved downhill section. From here was a sharp and loose left turn off the asphalt onto rocky dirt and then some bumpy grass heading into a short sweeping section through the barns. Finally you were shot through a set of barriers into the paved starting track. By the second lap I had climbed to about 8th place and was slowly dragging my way forward. There was a particularly difficult opponent from Olympic Orthopedic who kept passing me in some of the fast straights and downhills but I managed to always cut back around him through the corners. We both worked past a group of Soft Like Kitten riders and were working toward the lead group of 4, basically trading back and forth at least once per lap. Occasionally a young rider (white/grey jersey on a red Ritchey) would pass by on the uphill section only to have us work past him elsewhere. The rest of the race continued in roughly this manner with me 6th or 7th until the last lap when we managed to get caught up to the young rider again after he had blown past with his final spurt earlier in the course (on the hill). He had worked his way into 5th and then crashed causing a backup allowing me to sweep through. I was back in 6th place heading into the last few corners. As I came around the barn, there was #5. Heading into the last set of sweeping corners I tucked under the 5th place rider and heading into the barriers managed to pull away and take it to the line! Very happy with a 5th place today as a great start to this 7 race series.
So far I am well off in both series and hopefully can pull at least one overall at the end of the season.

Check out this sweet picture of me hurdling the barriers! 

MFG #1 - Finn Hill Park

Well, the 2012 CX season has officially begun (not including the labor-day CX race which is more of a kick in the butt to get ready). Sunday the 9th was the first MFG race of the year and as usual was run at Big Finn Hill park in Juanita. Due to some construction and park changes the course was a little different this year but still contained the main features of this park; dry bumpy grass, some technical single track, and a fast paved finish track. This year is a little different for me as Stephen Berard will be also racing the open 3s and I get a little more yellow course buddies through Jenny Dallas racing single-speed ladies. Always nice to have some more of us out there! I am also racing this year on the Independent Fabrication Planet-X frame that I snagged last winter. I am excited to be back on steel after last year (don't get me wrong, the Van Dessel Gin&Trombones is an awesome bike, I just prefer the ride that steel offers). I should post some shots of the bike for the next post. I am very happy with the set-up, and think it should offer consistent performance all season long.

Onto the race-
Steve got a great call-up and started front row while I ended up in the 3rd row for the start. Not too bad considering our large field. Going into the first corner hole-shot Steve maintained a great spot up front and I managed to squeeze into roughly 15th or so through the corner. Laying on the gas I managed to push into the top 10 during the upper grass fields. On the short uphill climb I put in a strong push and joined the lead group of 5 who were just falling off the leader. We continued to sit about 10 seconds off the leader starting the 2nd lap where I squeezed to 4th, then 3rd, and finally moved to 2nd. I continued to work on the front but lost sight of the leader as we began to hit the slowest of the other fields. For the majority of the next laps I was weaving through the traffic and trying to consistently apply pressure to stay in my position and hopefully run into the leader. With 2 laps to go however, the traffic was beginning to cause trouble. In a few places I could feel the nipping at my heels of the rider right behind me (turns out that 3rd and 4th was always right there, hugging my wheel to stay in contention) and we started to leap-frog in a few areas. Starting the last lap I was in 3rd, however I easily swung back to 2nd during the technical grass section. Heading through the single track we ran into some slow riders which meant we all bunched back completely together. On the other side I tried to out-distance during the few grassy corners but didn't make much ground, and heading into the hill I had to jump hard to stay with the two as they powered past. I was now in 4th place but managed to get back to 2nd through the barriers. I just needed to hold on for another few precious minutes! We were catching some more traffic heading into the last grassy corners before the straightaway. I attempted to swing around a rider through the last sharp corner but he managed to swing back and block me! Unfortunately this let the other 2 riders back in front. I put it in the big ring and chased to catch back but unfortunately the race was already done as we hit the pavement. So, ended up with a solid 4th place on this one. Still, not a bad way to start the season and next race I will have a call-up so I won't have as much traffic to deal with the first lap, hopefully meaning better results!

Congrats to my current and former teammates:
Dave Ryan - 30th place Men's 3 45+ (Keep it up!)
Jenny Dallas - 3rd place Women's Single Speed (Way to go!)
Melissa Desimone - 7th place Women's Single Speed (Wahoo!)
Stephen Berard - 12th place Men's 3 Open (Nice job!)

Hope to see some more yellow next weekend for the 1st SCX series race at Steilacoom.

Oh, and thanks to Brian at rideonphoto for the shots of the race.

Back in action - 2012

Getting back into the blog here after a few years hiatus. This space will now be a spot for recounting races I have been to, talking about products I have had the chance to test out (mostly on my own dime), and talking about other cool biking goodness. I also hope to pass on some of the cyclocross knowledge I have picked up in my hours of digging through the internet and inquiring with other riders. While this may take on a cyclocross-centric feel, I will break it up with my road-racing exploits and talking about pro-racing when I have a chance too.
The next few posts will be from the last few months of racing cyclocross through the 2012 season here in the Seattle area. I competed in the open Category 3 races in both the local MFG series as well as the sanctioned SCX series. I also just wrapped up my racing season at the Washington State CX Championships, but you will get a chance to read all about that shortly.
Hope some of this interests you readers. Thanks for checking in -