New CX teaser and Spring updates

I know it is not even officially summer yet, but it is never too early to get started preparing for the CX season. After the challenging entry into the 1/2 field last season, I know that I need to step things up for 2014 to get the results I want. In addition, I have been racing the road this season with more vigor as well, racking up some big mileage and definitely feeling stronger and fitter than I have in the past.
I've been doing a lot of racing recently, and in combination with my class-load have fallen a little behind on posting race reports here, but that should be changing shortly. Recently I completed the challenging Capital Stage Race down in Olympia, finishing as the highest placed rider on the Bikesale.com team (however there were only 3 of us). I also just this past weekend raced the always exciting Ballard Criterium. This race was blisteringly fast as usual, but rather than being spit out the back as I was in 2013 (only lasted about 20min of the 70min race), this year I was hard charging until the end. My Garmin reported that we were running 26.6mph average for those 70 minutes - definitely a challenging effort!
While I didn't have any notable finishes in any of these races, I do feel like my form is coming along well, and we do have the whole summer of racing ahead - that just means it is time for some strong finishes!
Well, back to the main purpose of this post - I have just sorted out my 2014 racing machine. After a lot of research and working with a few builders and companies, I have found the perfect bike for what I was after. The next step involved a lot of back-and-forth with their team, making sure things would work out and getting the bike set-up perfectly. While I am not racing officially under their banner this season, I am acting as a representative of their products, and if things go well that could possibly change in the future.
I am going to keep things a little secretive until I have the bike dialed in, so stay tuned, but here are some teasers to get you as excited as I am...

 Some nice boxes for me...

 Some slick looking new wheels (with disks!)

And the teaser for the frame...

Vance Creek 2014

After last year's DNF, I was excited to see how my form would hold out this year. We had 3 racers in the field of 47 today: Matt, Jason and I. We started at a brisk pace, but the majority of the first lap was just smaller attacks to keep the pace high. The weather report was for some rain during the race, and they were right.
Lap one wasn't too bad, and it wasn't until the hill that the fireworks hit. As we hit the initial pitch, Carson Miller (Jamis-Hagens Berman) and Colin Gibson (Keller Rohrback) flew off the front while the field chased to catch them. By the time we hit the top, those two had developed a solid gap and continued to pull away. During lap two the rain started, and while we continued to push along, the leaders continued to grow their lead. The group continued to launch small attacks but they were continually shut down.
During the entire race riders were dropping out, and not just due to the speed. The road had recently been repaved, but with a rough chipseal (which made for a constant vibration while riding) that had been releasing sharp rocks into the shoulders. This, coupled with the wet surfaces, invariably led to numerous punctures.
Lap three began with a big increase in the rain, which was incredibly noticeable down on the farm road. Here we were basically holding onto wheels and hoping that no one was doing anything stupid while we couldn't see. Matt, Jason and I were all active near the front and staying out of trouble. We passed the ladies field along the farm road and then raced past their leader while going up the hill.
Starting the 4th lap, we had definitely started to whittle down the field. Matt had made the front section of the peloton at the top of the hill, and I worked with a few others in the second group to join back on along the winding section near the power plant. This lap, sensing the dwindled field, attacks began again. HSP continued to start and block attacks, and to stay out of the trouble, Matt and I stayed up near the front to avoid the whipping. I guess that near this point Jason was disqualified for crossing the centerline (I didn't see what happened and only learned this from Matt after the race, so it may have happened earlier). Again we had small groups go up the road, only to be dragged back before long.
Heading up the hill to start the final lap, the race heated up again, and by the top of the hill, there were only a few riders left in the pack. I had lost some time up the hill, and crested behind the group. At this point (only one lap left!) I tucked in and TT'd my way along the top section to catch the pack just before dropping back into the valley. I caught my breath and assessed that I was now part of a group of only 12 racers (Matt unfortunately had not made it, he later told me he pulled off at the top of the hill after having a "body flat" (Wilssens' term). I knew Colin and Carson were up the road, but I thought there were 2 more riders who had escaped as well. This meant that as long as I stayed with the group, I had a good chance of a great finish.
During the farm road, Jeff Reed (Starbucks) went off the front solo. I figured we would chase him back, but the group said we would catch him on the climb, so no worries. At this point, the pace slowed and it seemed like a rider from Oregon, one of the Olympic Ortho guys and myself were the only ones rolling the front. As we approached the first section of the climb, two riders rolled off the front. I watched with surprise as the pack didn't chase after them (in hindsight I really should have jumped with them!). Once we hit the hill, I just set my pace and slowly rolled past others who had blown up from attacking hard at the start of the hill. The big hitters really attacked the last hill and chased after the 2 racers who had escaped earlier, but didn't quite catch them in time. Wilssens (Audi) and Hitchcock (HSP) duked it out for the pack win, with Hitchcock slipping past at the last second. I managed to work past a few more racers and at the 200m was ready to push it for the final run. I missed my shift and unfortunately lost out on a higher finish, however I was very happy finishing in 12th in this very difficult race.
After having my off-day at IVRR last weekend, this finish is really nice and just reinvigorates me to prepare for the next race.
Great work to Matt and Jason for dealing with the weather and working hard in the race!

Early season 2014 (Sequim 1, Sequim 2, IVRR)

2014 racing has started and is off to a good start. After the work this winter, it was nice to get out to Sequim and see how it has paid off. The first Tour de Dung race was 72 miles, and while it was a fast and hard race, I felt good and finished with the pack. One of our racers was in the breakaway and managed a good finish - always a great way to start the season.
A week later we returned for the 84 mile 2nd race, which was a faster pace (no breakaways) but I felt great throughout the race and worked to help set up the finish. Unfortunately a rider caused a crash right at the end of the race, causing a big pile-up and locking our sprinter in the middle of the carnage. Luckily, one of our guys (the same racer who did well the previous week) managed to skirt the wreck and hang on to the leaders, finishing 4th! I again finished with the pack (after getting going again from the crash), so I was doing better than last year.
I then had a week to focus on training, with no race during the weekend. I continued my training regimen into the next week (and in hindsight I carried it a little too far into the week) before racing Independence Valley in Rochester. This race has two hills every lap, and can definitely start to wear you down. I started the race feeling good, but within the first lap I started feeling the training had taken a toll. My legs felt a bit heavy, and I was just working to stay in the pack. Heading into the 3rd lap, I just couldn't hold onto the group going up the longer hill. At the top I raced to chase back, but couldn't connect. I joined up with another racer and we worked together for a few minutes before catching onto a strong rider who was trucking along. We sat on his wheel for a few miles before I fell off, the pace being higher than I could hold. As I started up the 2nd hill, I caught my earlier companion, but he was now completely toasted and I rolled away from him without trying. I rolled for another few miles before another group came by. I jumped on their wheels and rolled with them to the finish line, when our group of 4 pulled the plug and called it quits without doing the final lap.
I didn't have any teammates at this race, so unfortunately I didn't have anyone to root for, but it was cool to see an old teammate win the race.
Not the finish I was hoping for after the good start, but it just shows me that I needed to alter my training to make sure I have energy for racing. Next weekend is Vance Creek, and I think I will see how I do there.

SCX #6 - Enumclaw - Season Finish

The 2013 Cross season wrapped up this past weekend with the muddy race down at Enumclaw's King County Fairgrounds. This race always tends to be a muddy one, but with the dry and cold lead-up to the weekend, I was wondering if we were in for a cold and dry course instead. Mother Nature had a change of heart mid-week and the moisture came in to restore the thick mud.
After the mud race at Steilacoom for SCX #5, I figured one more muddy race couldn't hurt, and prepared to get dirty. The course was a similar layout to previous years, utilizing the grassy field for some looping corners before sending riders across a muddy stretch and into the large run-up. Once at the top, you then worked through some single-track corners and into the upper section of grooved mud, before a short downhill/180 to uphill/180 to downhill that took you back to the lower level. Here we crossed through the deeper mud field before emerging back into the grass field for some more corners, a set of barriers, and a little muddy section before swinging back to the start and doing it all again. As usual, the course was nicely torn up for our race, and over the hour it would get a little more slick in some spots as riders wore down the last remaining grass sections into the mud.
Due to my decent finishes over the season, I was sitting nicely in 8th overall for the series. This meant front-row call-up! I didn't have a great start, so I hit the first corner at roughly 12th, but worked through some riders and was hanging onto the tail of the leaders as we worked through the infield and toward the run-up for the first time. For the majority of the first lap I stayed with this group as they worked to catch Russell (who had shot off the front from the gun). By the second time up the hill, myself and a few others from this group had fallen back a ways, but continued to work along, sometimes gaining ground on the riders ahead. On the third lap, a pair of riders crashed in one of the corners and I managed to roll past by pushing the course tape out of the way. This bought me some space behind, but cemented a gap to the riders ahead.
For the final 3 or 4 laps I worked with the pair of Dougvascas riders as we worked through the course. We managed to pass a rider who ran out of steam, but otherwise we just maintained the gap behind us for the rest of the race. Shortly before hitting the start line on the last 2 laps, Russell managed to shoot past us, meaning that we would only do one more lap instead of 2. At this point I was definitely getting worn down from the muddy slop, so I wasn't too upset. In the end, we were not passed by any other riders, so I feel like the race was done pretty well. My final race ended with a respectable 15th place, good enough to move up to 7th in the series! Not a bad result for my first season in the 1/2 field.
Now it is time for a little relaxing before the 2014 season begins. 2014 will be a big year, and I expect some good results both on and offroad. See you out there!

2013 WSBA Cyclocross State Championships

The WSBA Cyclocross state championship races were held up in Arlington again this year on a course situated on the airport grounds. Last year the rain turned the field into a soupy quagmire, and the course design featured multiple tight spirals through the energy-sapping mud. This year's race was a much different story however. The ground had frozen from the week of cold temperature, so the course designers were forced to resort to different strategies to whittle the field.
From the gun, the course shot into a right angle turn and then doubled back on itself toward the center of the course. Popping over a log, we then navigated a few corners before quickly jumping over the barriers and then into the only section of mud on the course. Shooting through the mud allowed for easy passage before navigating back into another series of tight turns.
Exiting onto a small chunk of pavement, we then shot up a short embankment and into a steep and rutted descent. A quick turn at the bottom and we then raced into the slick run-up. At this point, racers worked through some rutted corners before a long drag along the back of the course and toward the starting line.
I managed to get a decent start and work forward for the first half lap before a small bump caused my chain to stick. I was moving again almost immediately, but was now fighting from further back. Fueled by the frustration of the mechanical I flew back up the course, passing riders as I carved through the corners. Within a lap I found myself behind the same group of riders I had initially been combating. I put on the pressure as we entered a tighter corner and two of the riders wiped out. I snaked through the inside line and then turned up the throttle to gain some distance.
I was maintaining a good pace, and even passed a few more riders as we quickly approached the half-way point of the race. I could see my new targets ahead, and was slowly reeling them in. With 3 laps to go, one of the racers behind me had managed to latch on, and I could feel him breathing down my back. I held my lines and kept him contained for half the lap, but he managed to squeeze by on a wider section. I was on his wheel immediately, and we both raced ahead. As we hit a section of straight, I increased the pace and was back in the lead. I managed to hold this position until shortly after the barriers when he overtook me again.
As we entered the final lap, my opponent was just ahead and we were still gaining on the leading racers. I started increasing the pressure, hoping that he would make a mistake and I could capitalize on the situation. Unfortunately he was able to hold strong, and as we made the final corners I knew the positions weren't changing. We rolled through the line with a few seconds between us and started to cool off.
I was very happy to learn that I claimed 10th in the open Elite race - my best finish this year! We only have two SCX races left this year, so I only have a few left before the season wraps up. If I can continue to score some great finishes like this, I will be very pleased. Time to do a little work in preparation for Steilacoom next weekend and make sure I do well. See you out there, and keep on racing.

Seattle CX #4 - Sprinkler Park

Here we are, hitting the latter half of the WA state CX season. Temperatures have dropped, the weather is generally getting more 'Cross style (with mud), and the diehards are out in full force. Since the MFG season has ended, most of the casual racers (even in the Elite field) have hung up their boots and packed it in for next year. The remaining racers tend to come in at the end, covered in mud and with a smile on their faces.
Sprinkler Park tends to be a course I do well at - areas where the Road fitness can play a part coupled with some corners to slow it up. Temperatures were on the cooler side, and to make things even better the clouds opened up during the earlier races, sprinkling a chilling rain for the rest of the afternoon. As a culmination of my increasing performances, as well as the dwindling field, I received a call-up and was in the second line for the start. As the whistle was blown, we shot off the line and attacked the course in full-force. The field moved through the first sweeping corner without much slowing. However, in the sharp 180-degree turn before the barriers, the pinching point occurred. Some riders got caught up in the loose turn, and I managed to sneak by on the outside, making for a top 10 position. I hung on to the tail of the lead group as we hit the first hill and swung back into the woods.
By this point, the leaders had broken the elastic and I was now hanging on the back of the chasing group as we worked through the tight BMX-style inner section of the course. We then flew through the sand-mud and into the second run-up. A few corners later, and I was onto the longest section of the course: a narrow and high-speed path back to the start line. As we started the second lap, I was still hanging with the chase group. We continued to push the pace to try to get to the leaders, but after about half a lap I was now in the no-man's-land behind the chase group.
I was caught by a few other riders and we worked together, gaining on the chase group ahead. After a lap on the tail, I made my move and was now leading the pack. We continued to hustle through the course at our pace and working toward the leaders. I definitely started to feel the work and with the other riders breathing down my neck, I soon found myself making small errors. These caught up with me a lap later and now I was off the back of this group
I managed to get my second wind and start peeling in the pack, and was shortly joined by another racer who had fallen back from the racers ahead. We traded off pulling, and worked our way toward the racers ahead. At this point we only had 2 laps to go. We continued racing along and I could see the racers ahead of us - we were nearly there! I now really put on the pressure, and my companion went too wide in a corner and I jumped past. This was the final lap, and I now had less than half a lap to cement my position and see if I could catch the others. I laid down all the power I had left and raced along the back section of the course and into the final stretch. Topping out my gearing, I raced toward the finish and ended up a solid 13th, just seconds off the tail of the group I was trying to catch.
There were only 22 starters, but I am definitely happy with my 13th place finish, especially when I was only about 3:30 behind local super-star Russell Stevenson.
Next weekend is the WA State championships, so lets see what I can achieve there.
See you out there and keep on racing!

MFG #6 - Woodland Park

With that, the 2013 MFG Cyclocross season was wrapped up. As has been the case for the past few years, the season wraps up with the iconic Woodland Park race. This race tends to have ridiculous turn-out due to the great location and fun track. This year was no different, and MFG says that over 1300 racers turned out to compete across the day!
The weather was chilly, but the rain was no-where to be seen. There had been some moisture over the week, so the course did develop a few muddier sections, but it was generally tacky and fast. Zac and the MFG crew developed a new course for the race this year, and it was a big improvement on an already great race. A few little changes throughout, including some winding descents and a longer run-up really made the race a new challenge and had the racers pushing the limits.
As tends to be the case with these races, the early races had delayed the starts, and the 1/2 Elite race started about 15 minutes late. The new starting chute was on the paved loop around the park, so the starting speed was fast. As we transitioned into the grass and the first corner, the pandemonium started as racers struggled to keep upright and heading forward. I managed to keep a good line, and made it through unscathed.

The first lap was an experience, not only moving forward through the field, but also racing the new course with other riders for the first time. Seeing how the lines changed with the other racers was enlightening, and I picked up some little tricks from the faster racers that I would use for the rest of the race to make myself faster. Cutting through a gap between the tape and tree, rather than riding around the tree. Cutting across some loam instead of winding through a muddier section. These little changes were made to pass other riders and keep my pace up.
For the majority of the race I was part of the big chase for the leaders. The fast group that was racing for the win was up the course by a decent amount, but our group of 6 riders were battling it out as the fast 2s. There were a few sections that I was hanging on the back, but I was happy that when we hit the tighter turns I was right back at the front. I finally made my move heading into the starting line, and managed to make a small break with two others on the asphalt. We turned up the gas and managed to gap the rest of the group as we headed toward the run-up. The other two riders both opted to ride up the hill and I transitioned to run. Unfortunately, as we neared 3/4 of the way up, the lead rider bobbled and we were all slowed down to get up the remaining way. Lead gone. As we got to the top, the others were back on our wheels again and all that work was lost.

For the last 3 laps, we continued to push along, until another bobble separated me from the group. I spent the last two laps duking it out with the other rider who fell off the back. We traded punches and actually started reducing the gap to the other riders. Unfortunately, the race would end before we reconnected, but it was good to know we were making positive progress. As we neared the finish, I knew the place to move was the final hill. The other rider was in front as we worked around some other riders. My plan was to watch his attack and stick to his wheel, and then counter-attack at the top of the hill and make it to the line in front. He attacked earlier than I anticipated, but it worked well as I was still moving around the other riders. I did grab his wheel, but we were already into the decent when I was ready to move around him. I did make the inside line in the corner, but he managed to hold the lead into the final corners. I stayed on the wheel, seeing if I could get another attack in, but today was not the day for me. I ended up rolling across the line in 25th of the 37 finishers (and 47 starters). Not my best result, but a good race and a nice end to the MFG races.
Now it is time to regroup for the remaining 3 races of the SCX series and finish up my first Cat2 season well. See you out there!