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