So Global Fatbike Day Was A Thing

Yeah, this is late, but aside from the racing that closed out the year, I have taken some time for less competitive events, such as Global Fatbike Day on December 6 2014. I was unaware such a holiday existed until I received an invite to join a local fat bike group on Facebook (they spotted another pic of me online riding my Pugsley). Well, turns out there are a fair number of people in Indiana and especially in the Indy Metro area with fatbikes. And I soon was invited to Indy’s Global Fatbike   Day ride.

The plan was to meet at Ft Ben at 10 am and either ride the trails or the paved Fall cCeek trail downtown if the trails were too wet. The week prior to the ride had been full of rain storms so the trails were out. I chose to ride to the park  to get some miles in and immediately started things off badly by crashing on the Fall Creek Trail underpass of 56th street. The board walk under the the road is old and gets very slimy and slick when wet. I've navigated this many times but I was running a bit late (thanks to large sections of the greenway which were under water from the rain) and took a hard left on the board walk too fast and BOOM, down I went. I was a bit dazed afterwards and my left hip had taken a hit but I picked myself up and soldiered onward.

A group of about 15 gathered at Fort Ben and we headed out on the Fall Creek Trail to head downtown. Enroute, we gathered up several other riders and had ultimately had roughly 20 riders.  The greenway was an adventure as 20 riders tried to find the most inventive routes through the water and mud and took the trail all the way to its termination just north of downtown.

 

 

We then hit Pennsylvania Street all the way downtown to Monument Circle for a quick photo.

Afterwards we hit Tomlinson Tap Room for a beer (and two large pieces of pizza for me) before I had to head out due to a prior engagement. Riding home along the greenways and into the wind was a lot less fun than riding in a pack of fatbikes, but after struggling along, I made it home to conclude a great ride.

Out With A Whimper: St. Mary's Cross/OVCX Finale Race Report

Maybe I should have ended my race season with the Gravel Grovel. While my string of positive race reports has been nice, and could not last forever, I did not want it to end like it did this past weekend at the St. Mary’s Cross race at Fort Ben Harrison State Park, the finale of the OVCX series.

The prior two OVCX races I did this year (Brookside and Bloomingcross) were marked by back of the pack starts due to my high cross rating, and were spent fighting through traffic.  In its own way, this was fun, but for this last race things had changed. Thanks to a series of solid finishes in the IndyCross series, my cross rating had gone down, and I had registered early for St. Mary’s.  This resulted in a second row call up position.  This race was also the Indiana state championship race, and in looking at the registrants, I liked my chances of a possible top 5 placing, and perhaps even a podium.

But things went to hell. I planned to leave my house at 11 am  to get to the Fort, which takes about 20 minutes. Problem was, some last minute household outdoor duties popped up and in dealing with them, I allowed time to get away. I looked at my phone and realized it was a quarter after 11, and I was still outside dealing with those issues.  I ran around like a mad man trying to get ready. My wife was going to drop me off and I was planning on riding home, but we didn’t get out the door until almost 11:30 and then didn't get to the venue until 10 till noon. 10 minutes until start time.  As we pulled to a stop I immediately knew I was going to miss my call up. I raced to check in and get my new number pinned on (I had my number from the Bloomingcross race pinned on. I had assumed it would be used again).

As I got to the start line just as the USA Cycling official was waving the day of registrants forward to take up positions behind the called up racers. So, there I was dead last in the field.

Suck.

As for the course itself, it was pretty good. Mostly flat, with a section which climbs up a large sledding hill at the state park, and then descends the same hill via a short switch back section. A set of barriers was preceded by a short twisty section to kill most of your speed.

Beautiful shot of the barriers at St. Mary's Cross and the Shamrock heckle section.
Photo: Instagram @nathanielbikes

So the race started and immediately a rider in front of me had a mechanical and I nearly hit him.  The same thing happened a few minutes later with another rider and I was really off the back.  I persevered and started off picking off riders here and there.  The course was mostly solid, although the climb up the sledding hill was quickly turning to muck. Traffic required me to run part of it on the first lap but I was able to ride thereafter.

Not much else to say about the race since I was never in contention for anything. I went back and forth with a junior rider a few times, since every time I would make a move to pass he would manage to cut me off. Honestly, I could have thrown an elbow and probably shoved him to the turf, but that wouldn’t have been cool on my part, and would not have been popular amongst the spectators.

I did make contact with Aaron on the second to last lap, and tried to make a move and passed him on the last lap just before the climb. Too bad he stuck close with me on the climb and then my front deraillieur didn’t want to shift up to the big ring which allowed him to get on my wheel and then pass me back. He got  short gap on the final ½ mile and I couldn’t close it before the finish.

The problem was a lack of urgency on my part. In the Indy Cross races where I had recived good call ups, I found myself pushing very hard to stay with the faster riders, and letting their momentum carry me to a point where the field was spread out behind me.  That in turn led to better results and faster times as I tried to maintain with the faster leaders.  In this case, I was relgated to targeting individuals riders in the distance, and then spending half a lap closing with them, passing them, and then setting about doing it again. The speed I should have been capable of just wasn't there; instead there was speed just enough to get me in front of the competition I was presented with at the back to middle of the pack.

So, that was it. Final race of the 2014 season saw me squander my best call up yet in an OVCX race and push me out of contention in the state championship race.  I watched the podium for the Cat 4 and saw one rider whom I had beaten a couple times in the IndyCross races step up.

Strangely, the winner of the Indiana state championship for Cat 4 had something like 24 upgrade points going into the St. Mary’s race per crossresults.com. He had raced the Cat 4 35+ race that day as well and won that too (as in first overall), and then won the Cat 4 portion of my race, although he was in the top third or so overall. I’m not sure how one can still race in Cat 4 with that many upgrade points but perhaps I need to refresh my memory on mandatory upgrades. Looking at his cross results profile it seems he had been primairly racing in the Cat 4 35+ race so maybe there is a difference between upgrade points in that wave and the open Cat 4, maybe a weighting thing?  The overall positions in the Cat 4 35+ is probably not as fierce since it shares the wave with Cat 5 riders, while th Cat 4 open has to deal with Cat 3 35+ and the freaky fast junior riders.  But no matter. It would not have impacted me for this race.  Time to look ahead to cyclocross 2015.

 

Belated Gravel Grovel 2014 Race Report

 

As has become a tradition. I spent the Saturday after Thanksgiving in Hoosier National Forest for the Sub 9 Gravel Grovel.  My fourth iteration of the Gravel Grovel was by far the hardest.  I won’t go as far as saying it was soul shattering, but at times it was close.

The course was similar to past years, although there were a few change ups. The main one was the elimination of the out and back to Story, Indiana and a steep climb out of Elkinsville. Instead, the course went straight out of Combs Road and past Elkinsville, over a gated bridge, and onto an unmaintained\dirt road, with a nasty climb.  The course followed this road north around Elkinsville before it cut back south to the Nebo Ridge trail head.

This year there was an option for a Open Mountain Bike category.  Considering my well documented dislike for technical downhills and cross bikes, the mountain bike seemed like the better choice.

My goal last year had been to race to a sub 5 hour time. I met that goal with a 4:45 time, thanks in part to hooking on to a fast group of cross riders on the way to Story.  My fitness is better this year, so I set a goal of 4:30. Overall, this year's course was just over 60 miles with about 3,900 feet in elevation gain according to My Garmin 705 and Ride with GPS. For the record, Strava tallied almost 5,000 feet of climbing.

 

My next task was to figure out nutrition.  In past years, and especially last, I have been hit with terrible cramps in my calves. In 2013 these nearly stopped me dead in my tracks more than once. This year I was taking one gel at the start, was carrying two more gels for the ride, along with a Payday bar and a pack of Cliff gummies. I also started with two water bottles, both with Heed (last year was just one). I planned to refill both bottles at the half way SAG. I also had a flask filled with water and Heed as my emergency option if needed.

Race morning was cool and partly cloudy. I went with a vest, two pairs of arm warmers and my wind proof gloves. On the bottom standard bib shorts, knee warmers and my heavy Pearl Izumi Elite shoes covers and toe warmers.  My feet did get too warm at times, but the shoes covers kept all the water and mud we were to encounter out quite well.

The neutral start was fast, and the cold morning was quickly dispatched.  The first few miles of pavement was uneventful, and then we hit the left turn on gravel. Typically a chaotic mess, this year seemed relatively calm and well mannered, at least from my position in the pack. Once on gravel I set about a steady pace and worked my way past other racers. The roads were wet and everyone was immediately covered in gray mud. Good thing I brought some Pro Gold chain lube. It was going to be needed later. (For a great blog posting about the race by someone faster than me check the Gravel Cyclist's race report and companion video.)

I was riding with a few people off and on but then hooked on with Aaron just after the descent down the Tower Ridge Road.  From here we tackled Combs Road. As always, it was a mess, with more water than I expected and lots of mud bogs.  I accelerated and managed to drop a few people. I was again able to tackle the stairstep climb to the top of Combs, including a nasty surprise of a fallen log near the top. Check out the video above at 2:30 for some seat cam footage of me climbing Combs. From there I descended to Elkinsville and the new section. 



Oh look, I'm smiling. Somewhere just before Nebo.
Photo: Snowy Mountain Photography

This section is accessed via a gated bridge over Salt Creek just west of Elkinsville.  What followed was a repeat of Combs, although initially flatter, but still plenty of mud and dead fall. Not long after, the “road” takes a hard right and goes up a leaf covered rocky hill.  The 28 tooth ring was working overtime and I managed to make it to the top without stopping, unlike many other riders around me at the time.  The descent from the hill was the same as the climb, and very sketchy. A cross rider in front of me wiped out rather spectacularly, but I dropped behind the saddle and remained upright.  I was admittedly taking the descent carefully (i.e. slowly). From there, was more unmaintained road which then connected to the gravel road leading to Nebo Ridge. 

Nebo was the same old Nebo.  Actually pretty solid, with a tough opening climb.  I was with a group of cross riders and mountain bikers and made short work of that section before hitting Berry Ridge Road.  BY this time the group had been whittled down to myself, a cross bike, and another mtber. We sort pf worked together on the downhill to Houston, Indiana but by the time we entered the little town, I was alone and the cross biker off the front, and the mtbr well behind.

The Mt. Baldy climb loomed ahead. 380 feet of climbing over 1 mile. I was in my small gear and spun my way past several other riders, including mountain bikers Jeff F. and Mike H., both very strong riders whom have raced DINO in the past.  Just short of the top was a SAG at the half way point. I rolled in and immediately passed off my bottles for refills, one with Heed in it, the other plain. I also ate a banana and tossed some Pro Gold lube on my terribly squeaky drive train. 

While my stop was efficient, it wasn’t efficient enough to prevent me from being passed by many of those I had passed on the climb. I shot down the paved descent from the top of Mount Baldy and spied some of those riders in the distance and set off. I passed a few on the next climb, Buffalo Pike and spotted Jeff and Mike farther up. While I got close before the “summit,” I couldn’t quite close gap before the drop to the flat lands leading to the next trail section.

This part was rough.  A few miles across fopen arm fields with exposure to the strong winds resulted in some suffering. The route hit a ridgeline and I gained on the mtbers in front of me. I eventually caught Jeff on a flat section soon after this (see 5:06 in the video above which is just after I passed Jeff and when the author drops me), but couldn’t catch Mike and another mtber before entering the second singletrack section.  The trail was very muddy in some spots, while pretty solid in others. The final quarter mile was downhill following a powerline easement, and then we popped out onto Pol Patch Road and a steep climb followed by a series of short, punchy climbs.

Here I lost sight of Mike and the other mtber and a cross rider who had joined them. I was mostly alone from this point until just before the end of the race, about 20 miles.

From the merge with Polk Patch the course makes a large loop through, past the Hickory Ridge Horseman Camp, before a long downhill back past the exit the second singletrack section.  Fairly uneventful in this section, other than a huge feral cat colony in an old motor home and getting passed by a cross rider who was absolutely flying.  Not sure who he was, but I suspect he was one of the top rides who may have flatted earlier or had some of other mechanical and was making up for lost time. 

The final trail section loomed ahead in the form of Hickory Ridge Trail 20.  It was mostly leave covered, although it had some sections in a pine forest which was muddy.  Near the end of the section, I spotted a cross rider ahead and was close to him when the trail emptied out onto Tower Ridge Road and the final SAG. I was handed a gel, got one bottle filled, and grabbed and ate half a granola bar. The cross rider was in the distance, and I worked my way up to him and made the pass, but was quickly re-passed just before starting the last big climb up Tower Ridge Rd.  During the climb I felt the first twinge of cramps, but not in my calves as in the past, but in the backs of my thighs. I had been eating pretty regularly which I think had held things in check.  However, I found I was able to continue to pedal and the cramping  eventually dissipated.

After the climb was a left had turn onto a gravel county road which led south to the Hickory Ridge Church. This was the homestretch and a fast, mostly level section. I picked up speed and was making good time. An occasional glance back confirmed that I was still alone.  Suddenly, a glance back and there were two cross riders who had come out of nowhere.  In due time they caught me and I could not hold their pace but stayed within a few seconds.

Hitting the final descent from McPike Branch Road, with about two and a half miles left, I glanced at the time and saw that I was sitting at 4:24.  I might just make my goal of 4:30. I pushed hard on the flat ground leading to the finish, ran across the iron bridge and came up to the final creek crossing at 4:28. The two cross riders who had passed me on McPike initially missed the crossing and had to turn around. I got by the female rider, and followed the male through what turned out to be the deepest part of the creek. No matter about soaking feet, the finish line was there and I was done.

After gasping for a few minutes, I checked the times and found that I had cross in 4:29, beating my goal time by one minute, and last year’s time by 16 minutes (on a harder course!) Myself and the bike were both pretty well trashed thanks to mud from the course.

 

I am expecting sponsorship offers from Orbea, Subaru, and Thule thanks to this pic.

As for results, I had no idea where I was in the standings, but figured I was well off the podium. I ate the post-race Yats, and then headed out before the raffle in order to meet my wife and have dinner in Bloomington.

Results were posted a few days later, and I ended up 8/52 in the mountain bike division and 42/231 overall.  I was thrilled with this result. A top ten in the division, especially one with some very good riders, was a solid win in my book. The overall wasn’t too shabby either. The first place mountain biker got 5^th overall, and came in over 30 minutes ahead of the second place mtber. As for myself, I was four minutes behind the next two mtber’s who finished together.

So, another Gravel Grovel is in the books. Again, decent weather was abound, although at some point we’ll have to get unlucky and find ourselves riding in snow or rain.  As for the new course, I give it a big thumbs up. More unmaintained/fire roads, the better. So until next year…or at least until the Death March.

Indy Cross Finale at Trader's Point Race Report And a Different Kind of Win

A little late with this race report, but better late than never. So weekend before last saw the final race of the local Indy Cross series.  This race, like three of the others, was hosted at Wild Air Horse Farm in Trader’s Point on the north side of Indy.

I was riding sort of a high following my fourth place finish at the race at the Indy Cycloplex the week before, so much so that I did not have time during the week to switch my wheels back over to the cross bike from the mountain bike. As a result, I decided that I would just finish things out on the mountain bike. Turns out this was a wise decision in my opinion.

Snow fall earlier in the week, and rain the night before left the course soft, and while it was a but muddy at the start of the races on Saturday, it began to rain again during the Master’s races, and by the time the Cat 4/5 wave went off at the end of the day the course was a mud hole. I watched some of the Cat 1/2/3 races struggling their way through their final laps and began to regret bringing the mountain bike. My plan in building up my franken cross/mountain bike this year was to avoid exposing my race mountain bike (the Orbea) to the muddy and drivetrain eating conditions of cross.

So, kind of walked right into that situation. But, nothing left to do but dive on in.  As I expected, I got a front row call up. Too bad I set up right in the middle of a mud puddle.  At the start I immediately spun my rear tire trying to get traction, while the rest of the first row left me behind. Once I got started I accelerated to their wheels, but was passed on the left by a second row rider who kicked up a chunk of mud, which somehow found its way under my glasses and straight into my left eye.

So…10 seconds into the race and I can’t see out of my left eye in the middle of a charging pack of Cat 4/5 riders. Losing my depth perception wasn’t helping and I immediately started to lose spots. I nearly locked handlebars with Aaron as he passed me and then made contact with at least three other riders in the first 300 yards before I blinked the mud out.

At the start after spinning my rear tire but before I got mud in my eye.
Photo: Dark Eagle Studios

I found myself at the back of the pack and set about working my way up to the front. As expected, the first lap was a “shitshow.” Literally. Remember that the course is at a horse farm. Anyway, the course was pure mud. The thick clingy type which sucks your bike in and doesn’t let go.  I made a bit of progress and then we came to the hill, which I have mentioned before.  This race we climbed it twice. The first time, while steep was climbable and solid, likely because it was on the southwestern side of the hill and was exposed to the sun and wind. After a few more muddy hills and flats, and some very high barriers courtesy of Shamrock Cycles, we climbed the hill again, on the other side. This was pure mud.  I can’t really describe it, so here is some Youtube footage of the chaos.


 

There were some people using their hands and clawing at the mud to try to get traction to get up the hill.  I was able to ride the descent the first time, but after that I slid and stumbled down the hillside each time. Cue photos of my stumbling in the mud, both courtesy of Dark Eagle Studios.

 

So that is how the race went. I could tell I was making progress, but wasn’t sure where I was. I managed to pass quite a few riders, both on the mud running sections, but also on the riding sections.  I was passed late by one rider, but otherwise, was able to hold off a few chasers who were 15-20 seconds behind me.

Coming in for the finish. I think.
Photo: Dark Eagle Studios

In the end, I crossed for 9^th out of 43 racers. While not as good of a result as I have had the past few races, I was still very happy with the top 10 finish considering the brutal conditions. Easily the hardest cross race I have ever raced.  I also ended up finishing 5^th in the overall series for Cat 4/5.  Not quite a sign I need to move up to Cat 3 anytime soon, but definitely progress.

And, as icing on the cake, I won big at the end of series raffle. The two main prizes were a custom frame from Shamrock Cycles and a Cannondale CAADX Sora cross bike from Nebo Ridge Bicycles. I didn’t win the Shamrock frame, but I did win the Cannondale!

Thanks to Tim Casidy at Nebo Ridge Bicycles for donating the Cannondale raffle prize.

I went by the shop on Tuesday to pick the new bike up.  While the prize was for a base level Sora bike, I had the option to upgrade. I figured I would aim for a bike with 105 components, but turns out those bikes are on back order until April.  Being impatient, and knowing I have one more cross race this year and the Barry Roubaix in March, I upgraded to a Tiagra level bike. I will likely upgrade it, but for now the components work well. The frame is beautiful, although the Promax brakes are a bit weak feeling. I may pull my Road BB7’s off the current cross bike and replace the stock Promax.

 

It was a heck of a prize, and it was great that the series had such great sponsors.  The bike will have its first race at my last cross race of the season at the OVCX race at Fort Ben on December 14.

Gravel Grovel Weather Update

I posted something like this to my Facebook page as well, so those of you who follow both, be prepared for some repetition.  Anyway, as I have done in past races (i.e. the Barry Roubaix), I figured a mid week weather update for this Saturday's Gravel Grovel was warranted.  We’re close enough now that the forecasts have a higher degree of certainty, and we’re no longer screwing around with the 10 day or longer forecasts which are a shot in the dark.  So how are things shaping up? Let’s take a look:

Another 50 degree Gravel Grovel.  While some may cheer, I will refrain.  50 degrees is fine for the gravel roads, but the course will be off road in several spots, including the infamous Combs Road, which is actually more of a trail, a new section with an unmaintained road (maybe a little brother to Combs) and then several sections of Hoosier National Forest trail.  These sections promise to be quite messy….like riding through foot deep creeks and mud clogging your wheels messy.

All part of the game and I'm looking for this tradition to continue. Just glad I’m riding my mountain bike for this one.  Which reminds me, I need to check the status of the sealant in my tires….  

Yes, It Is Still Cross Season: Indy Cross Cycloplex Race Report

A cross bike is not the end all be all of the cyclocross world. Unless you are in a UCI race. In which case, it is the end all be all.  However, this past weekend at Indy Cross #4 the mountain bike turned out to be the best weapon for the job at hand….

The race was held at the Indy Cycloplex just north of downtown Indianapolis and a short ride from my house.  I ride here quite often, both on the cyclocross course set up in a large field area, and Marian University’s short track mountain bike course located on a ridgeline which dominates the north end of the park.  Based on my prior knowledge, I was thinking my mountain bike would be a better weapon here. The upper trails are pretty technical with a few difficult climbs and descents. Descents on my cross bike are not really my strong suit.  I swung by the course Friday night and saw that the amount of course positioned out in the field was actually quite limited.  Mountain bike it would be!

Due to a funeral procession along a street I had to cross, I arrived at the Cycloplex with just about 30 minutes before my 2:45 start time. Thanks to my very early pre-registration , and my results, I was expecting a good call up.  But apparently the cyclocross gods thought I needed a bit of drama before the race. When I went to check in, I was told registration had closed.  Well, no matter says I, I had pre-registered anyway.  But no, all check ins for races cut off 30 minutes before a race, a rule which I was told was on the website, but which I could not find. Perhaps it is a Cycloplex specific rule….

Anyway, I was rolled into the reg table at 2:17.  After some angst on the part of the race staff, and myself, I was checked in, although whether my call up was preserved remained to be seen. As it turned out, my call up was still good, and I got a first row position. 

The course included a short start loop which went along a paved road section and then into the aforementioned field, then cut back through the parking lot before hitting the ridgeline and the meandering across and up and down the ridge, followed by a steep descent on the backside of the velodrome which led into a new bmx style berm section before hitting a set of barriers and reentering the field for a short time before doing it all again.

So, back to the race.  I managed an immediate clip in at the start and made a good sprint down the pavement and entered the dirt in 7^th place.  After the field section we hit a paved stretch which led to the hill. I lost another spot but as soon as we hit the hill I passed two riders and made contact with the lead batch. The twisting and off camber trails on ridge were perfect for my mountain bike. As mentioned, in conditions like those the drop bars are not ideal, but with the mountain bike, I was able to rail through the turns and drop easily behind the saddle if needed.

For once, I managed to remember to hook up the Go Pro, so have a look at the first lap. Apologies for the cables at the top of the frame. Thought those had been pulled clear. Also the audio sucks...


Indy Cross Cycloplex from Edward Fujawa on Vimeo.

 One unexpected change to the course the steep hill on the west end of the park. IN the past the course has gone down this, but now we had to climb. Not a big deal but someone had put a log across the course at the steepest point of the climb. A few were able to ride over it, but I ran it each time.

Soon after the climb I hooked onto Aaron’s wheel and stayed there for much of the first lap, including the sketchy and steep descent on the eastside of the park.  Aaron was with two other riders and they got a small two second gap on me and there was a further gap between them and the leaders. This remained for the remainder of the first lap where I was in about 8^th place.  Aaron moved up a few spots but had a wash out on a steep off camber turn and I got past. From there I continued to move up, passing two riders on consecutive laps in the BMX section.

At the start of the last two laps I made contact with Cary Schein, a strong rider for Heros Racing who I’ve raced against in the DINO series.  He is extremely strong (and was also riding a mountain bike) so I sat in waiting for a chance to make a move.  Cary kept up a steady pace, but when the course would double back, I spotted a rider in blue and a Marian rider in hot pursuit. They seemed to be getting closer which was a bit of a concern, so near the end of the second to last lap I pulled past Cary to see if I could up the pace (and to see how Cary would react).  The gap to the chasers grew, but Cary stayed with me, and pulled past me at the start of the final lap as we climbed the ridgeline.

We continued a back and forth until the sharp descent on the east side of the course where Cary used his fat tires to blaze through the descent.  He got a gap on me and despite a furious chase, I couldn’t catch him. I crossed in 4^th place out of 48 racers. I was disappointed in missing a podium spot (only top 3 got awards) but I was very happy with my overall performance. Easily my best finish in a cross race considering the competition.  The use of the mountain bike turned out to be a great move, especially with the technical aspects of the course.

The final race of the Indy Cross series is this Saturday at Trader’s Point.  After that is the Gravel Grovel and two more local OVCX races. I had gone back and forth on whether to do these races, but have no decided to skip the first at the Cycloplex, and then ride the finale race at Fort Ben (St. Mary’s Cross).

Indy Cross Trader's Point #3 Race Report Extravaganza

Turns out, a good call up can make a huge difference in a race. Who knew? Well, not me since my call ups have always sucked.

But, this ended weekend before last at the third Indy Cross race at Trader’s Point.  A combination of me being on top of registering early and maybe a little of my 19^th place finish at the last Indy Cross race resulted in a front row call up.

But first, let’s set the scene.  The weather had been downright crappy the day before the race (Halloween), which included rain and wind. However, by the afternoon of the race, the course was pretty good. Everything was solid, save for a few slick turns.  The course started on a gravel road (because that is always a good thing) which then transitioned to a grassy climb.  The course was a nice mixture of small hills and fast sections. One leg went out and around a horse paddock (Traders Point is a horse farm/show facility). As you completed the lap there was a wooden ramp which led to the next section of the course. The ramp looked smooth, but there was actually a short, maybe 2 inch, lip where the grass and ground was lower than the planking of the ramp.  The warm up lap revealed this and for a minute I thought I had a pinch flat. The tire held, despite a few less than smooth rides over this same section during the race.

Anyway, the start was fast, but safe, although I lost a few places, but gained a few and held the rest of the pack back on the climb.

Representative shot of the course. Note the horses (in the background).

World Bicycle Relief riders Russell Nichols and Bryan Downs (both DINO racers) came charging forward and passed me not into the lap. I’d seen this happen in Indy Cross #2 a few weeks prior and was ready. I accelerated and hooked onto Bryan’s wheel as he passed.  Russell was out of reach for the moment, but I stayed on Bryan’s wheel for the rest of the lap when his pace dropped. I moved around and pushed off in pursuit of Russell. Behind me a small chase pack had formed, but didn’t seem to be making up that much ground. I caught up to Russell and passed him, and caught up to another rider who had been in front of me for some time.  Russell responded not long after the start of the next lap with a powerful surge on the initial climb, passing me back and getting past the other rider. 

Being chased by a WBR rider. Not sure which one...

However, his speed dropped and I passed him again, and there was no response.  At this point I knew I was within the top ten, but unsure where exactly. I kept an eye on the chasers on the sections where the course doubled back on itself and also had to deal with a rider in red and black who had bridged across. He and I spent the rest of the race in a back and forth. He managed to get past me on an off camber uphill turn which was somewhat slick by taking an inside line but I kept closed and tried to position myself within in striking distance for the last two laps.  By counting riders, I figured I was in 6^th place, with red/black being in 5^th.

Me still in front of red/black.

I bided my time and looked for good places to pass as we came up on the bell lap. My initial thought was to try to accelerate on the straightway leading to the start/finish so I could be in the lead on the following hill.

This didn’t work out because the final hairpin turn from the grass onto the gravel was tight and I was fighting not to slide out each time. This effort on the start of the last lap resulted in a gap, so I instead had to use the upcoming hill to re-connect with black/red. I remained on his wheel, but I knew I had to try to make a move before the final hairpin turn. If I waited until then, this would not end well.

Huh. He's still back there?

The last section of the course included a few small hills. I chose the final one which climbed the low ridge which ran through the course, past a large heckle area, through a hairpin and then back down the ridge to the finish.  I could sense an uptick in the franticness of the riding in the final stretch before the short climb. Red/black was picking up his pace, as was I, and I was taking turns much faster and in some of the slick spots, with more risk. At the hill I got out of the saddle to make my move….only to find red/black matching my pace and maintaining the gap. Haven’t been beaten on hills in a while, so the plan failed. Coming out of the hairpin he was still ahead and despite a fast push to the end, he beat me to the line.

 

In the end I got 6^th out of 41. Easily my best cyclocross finish.  Attendance was down a bit due to the OVCX having its Cincy 3 race week in Cincinnati. Still, a 41 person wave was pretty good, and there were plenty of solid riders in my group.  I felt good for the race and the call up helped. Actually, I have felt good at all my races this year, but having to fight my way through the field as I have done in the OVCX races limits the chances of a higher finishes.

Upon getting home I immediately registered for the next Indy Cross race to ensure another decent call up. In looking to the season, I’m planning on racing the final two Indy Cross events on November 15^th and 22^nd. After that is the Gravel Grovel, which, as has been noted, is my current training focus.  Based on past experiences, sometime around mile 40 of the GG I will start to really hate cycling and want to be done for the year. There are two local OVCX races in December, and while I had planned on racing these, my post GG malaise may result in me taking all of December off.

*Thanks to my wife Ashlee and my mom for taking the above photos*

 

OVCX Bloomingcross Race Report

Time for more cross. Last weekend was another OVCX race, this time in Bloomington for “Bloomingcross.” (reason for the delay was because I was waiting for photos to be posted) Since the Brookside race back in September there have been two or three other OVCX races in which I have declined to participate due to the driving distance to the venues and in the interests of marital harmony.

Bloomington on the other hand is close enough for a drive.  Prior week’s weather had been a mix of rain and mild temperatures. Saturday some showers came through Indy and Bloomington, but things seemed to be drying out nicely. Sunday dawned

Like Brookside, my call up sucked. I had registered a bit late so I ended up 66^th out of 76^th. So….yeah.

My bike was my standard set up with my Maxxis Mud Wrestler tires. While built for mud these are becoming my catch all cross tire. They seem to work well in all conditions.

So, I lined up in the second to last row. The start went along a long grassy “C” start chute before cutting into the course itself. Unfirntantely, I had lined up on the left side of my row,

The the crashes started. The first one was on the last part of the C and took down a few riders, while others got tangled in the tape.  Another happened on a tight 180 off camber hairpin just after the finish. There may have been a few more but I can’t be sure.

So, anyway, the field was still stretching out  bit and the course takes a dive into a large bowl like sink hole. And now might be time for a bit of a geology lesson. See, the course was at Karst Farm Park in Bloomington.  Karst topography is characterized by depressions and sinkholes caused when water seeps into rock, like limestone, and causes the rock to break down and collapse, thus resulting in sinkholes. Bloomington sits on top of a huge layer of limestone, and the IU campus is full of examples of the karst landscape, as is the surrounding area. 

So the course on Sunday was over this type of terrain with several bowl like sinkholes. The largest bowl was named the spiral of death. The course dropped into the sinkhole in a fast descent, and then gradually climbs out to the rim, then drops straight down tot eh center into a right turn to a tight spiral and then it spirals out. The Strava track for this section looked like this:

 

After this there were some twisty section, followed by a sandpit, which was set up at the top of a short hill and just after a hard left turn. In other words, not much momentum. More ups and downs followed, with a drop into another sink whole which had a combination of thick grass mixed mud and downright rough trail. A few gravel path sections led to a short uphill finish.

So the first lap was trying to recover from my crappy start where most people behind me passed me, and avoiding crashes. Coming into the second lap I set into a groove and began to pcik people off in ones and twos. I was feeling good and maintained a good pace, although my rear shifting began going downhill with rough shifts and skipped gears. I was forced to run the sand pit each time…just couldn’t find a good route through so I just dismounted and ran.

 

On the second to last lap I got behind a rider in black who seemed to be slowing on the hills. I called out that I was passing on the right, and the rider responded “No way are you doing that” and cut over and sped up.

Ok, no problem. I would expect this on the last lap, but maybe not now. Instead I sat on the guy’s wheel for the rest of the lap and most of the last. Admittedly I missed a few chances to pass him, but when we came to the barriers (which were incredibly high) on the last lap he remounted faster and got a gap.

Climbing the barrier. My only photo from the race.
 

I continued to chase up to a grassy downhill section. There was a Speedway Wheelmen rider and a rider  from Bicycle Outfitters just ahead of me. I closed on them on a gravel path before turning into the grass. I chose to not call out my passes and instead charged past them in a wide grassy section of the course. The rider in black was just a few seconds ahead, and when I looked up I saw him crash on a turn and take down the tape. I came around, took a wider line to avoid him, and accelerated into a tight section of trail which went between several small trees. I figured he would chase and he did, but by the time we hit 200 meters, I had a good enough gap to get across the line first,

In the end, I got 41^st out of 77 riders in the wave. I moved up 25 riders from my start and I felt very good about how I raced. For Cat 4, I ended up 14^th out of 29, solidly middle of the pack. Next up is another IndyCross event at Traders Point on November 1.  I was the third person to register so I am hoping to make better use of my potentially high call up.  Until then, this weekend will be spent riding some long miles and maybe tackling the short track at Marian University.

Indy Cross #2 Traders Point Race Report

Ok, second cross race of the year is in the books. And, the result was a bit better than Brookside two weeks ago.

Before the race report, I have decided that while I enjoy cross and want to do well, my focus for the fall will be preparing for the Gravel Grovel at the end of November to try to garner the best possible result in that race.  This means a focus on progressively longer rides over the course of the next few weeks, along with hill repeats. But the cross races will still remain on the menu.

This weekend was the second race of the new Indy Cross series. This replaced the now defunct Indiana Cyclocross Cup, but is focused on having races in and around Indianapolis. Four of the races are held at the Traders Point Hunt Club (different course each time) which is a large venue with plenty of room for a variety of course types. The fifth race is held at the Indianapolis Cycloplex. 

I missed the first race of the series due to the trial, but immediately signed up for the second. Saturday dawned windy and cool, with a race time temp in the mid 40’s.

There had been a bit of rain in the preceding few days, so I tossed on some mud tires as a precaution.

 

As it turns out, there was no mud, and at worst, the course had a few tacky spots.   Thanks to my early registration, I got a call up in the 2^nd row, one of the first 16 riders.  I was in good company. Immediately to my right was Aaron Lifford, and in front of me were Paul Gilson and Cary Schein, to 40+ mountain bike regulars in the DINO series.

At the whistle, we took off and I immediately lost some ground. I’m just not a huge fan of the fast group starts like that.  The field spread out and I began to set into a decent pace.

Fantastic start photo provided by Dark Eagle Studios.



And a view from the pack at the start thanks to my bar cam.

The course itself was fun. The start was flat and actually went through an open horse barn (although called the Hunt Club, the venue is actually a huge horse riding facility) and then into a twisty section around some trees which lead to a fast decent and more twisties, including several tight off camber turns and straights, which led to the barriers. After the barriers was a grass climb to the top of a low ridge, then a fast descent down the same ridge, and then (surprise) we climbed the ridge again.

Photo: Dark Eagle Studios

The course then bombed down a long gravel road straightaway (down the ridge line again), a few twisties and then a nasty steep climb up a ridiculously steep hill. A few more off camber sections and a short climb before dropping below the ridge line and then a long straight away up the ridge line to the finish. So lots of climbs, which suited me just fine.

The climb to the finish.
Photo: Dark Eagle Studios.

 Anyway, the first lap was rough. Heart rate soaring (Garmin said 196 which is the highest it has ever recorded), dealing with traffic, and the steep hill at the end was a run up due to traffic. I had no doubt lost some places, but it was still early. Late in the first lap I found myself going back and fourth with Adrian F., a soon to be DINO Cat 1 rider and another DINO rider named Greg. We went back and fourth for most of the rest of the race, with the two of them getting gaps on the descents (Adrian was on his mtb) and then me catching up on the climbs.  In the meantime, we all continued to pass riders.

The steep hill mentioned above  was mostly being run.  I almost rode to the top twice, but spun out near the summit. The other times I hoofed it up.

Bar cam still of the climb up the big  hill. Most opted to walk.

The last lap I finally got by Adrian, and set my sights on Greg. On the last climb up the ridge, he was going slower than I wanted (the course had been narrowed by some Shamrock Cycles shenanigans, so there was little room to pass) and I yelled out some encouragement, namely how I have seen him in the DINO races and I know he is faster than that.

Probably should have kept my mouth shut, because he picked up the pace, and despite my best efforts I could not get past him before the end of the race.

In the end I finished 21^st out of 57, following a nice charge up the final hill which saw me pass a few riders. I was hoping for top 20, and as it turned out, I missed that goal by a matter of feet:

 

So close....another 20 feet and I would have been top 20.

 Still, I felt good about the race. The early call up certainly helped, and I think if I had been a bit more aggressive at the start, I would have gained a few places.  Also, there were instances where I was a bit too conservative, i.e. not passing someone and opting to sit on their wheel for longer than I should have.

LATE BREAKING NEWS (10/8/14, 3:10 pm): I checked the results which were posted on USA Cycling and Cross Results and it looks like I was bumped up to 19th in the wave. So top 20 goal accomplished. Time to retire.

September Kind Of Sucked

And good bye to September. With only 22 hours of riding, this past month has had the least amount of riding so far this year.  Why? Work.  In addition to deciding to assist with an appellate brief which monopolized my time, I was also preparing for my first jury trial during the week of the 22^nd. While I was not lead counsel (I was what is termed the “second chair”) the trial prep demanded huge amounts of my time all month, especially during the last two weeks.  The trial week itself was 14-16 hour days. I was able to ride during the month, but more often than not, the rides were short bike lane trips to and from work. 15-20 minutes and that was it.

The trial concluded late on the 25^th. The next few days I did some riding, but the reduced amount of saddle time, and four days with no riding, stress, and generally crappy food had definitely taken their toll.

How to rectify this? Well the most natural thing in my mind was to head down to Hoosier National Forest for the first of my planned series of Gravel Grovel prep rides.  I had hoped some other people I race with would be interested in going, but it ended up being Aaron and I. He was fresh off a week long business trip, and considering my prior two weeks, we figured there wouldn’t be many  speed records being set.  We started out at the Midwest Trail Riders camp, and followed portions of last year’s GG route, while tossing in some rough, new to us HNF singletrack. We eventually hit Combs Road and then cut over to Nebo Ridge, which we then took to its southern trail head before riding back to the camp.

Overall it was a great ride. A bit over 30 miles and the scenery was beautiful. Typically I just see HNF during the GG or the Death March, in November and March respectfully, when the predominant color is gray, and there are no leaves. This time, the leaves were beautiful, and the trails dry as a bone.  Makes me wish I owned a bit of land down in that area. It would be great to have a small cabin to head to on the weekends.

We saw a perfectly white horse on the way up Combs Road.

This weekend is a cyclocross race in Zionsville, part of the IndyCross Series.  As I mentioned, I am also going to try to include longer rides as prep for the Gravel Grovel. I entered into the new mountain bike class this year, so I’m hoping I can tag along with some faster cross bikes and hang on tight for most of the race.

OVCX #1 Brookside Park Race Report

First cross race of the season is in the books at Brookside Park, part of the Ohio Valley Cyclocross Series. Nothing too stellar to talk about, but I feel that I did well enough considering the less than ideal start situation.  As noted in my previous post, I obtained a second to last row call up for the Cat 4/Cat 3 35+/Boys 14-18 old wave. Number wise, I was 93. Total numbers for the entire wave was around 115. Yes, 115. A huge group.

 

So no podiums today. Instead, the goal was to move up as far as possible. Kind of liberating in a way, knowing that I wasn’t in it for a prize, but just to see how many other riders I could reel in. So things got started along an initial paved road start which ends with a short paved climb before hitting grass.  I’m a bit timid in large packs on pavement. Bad things can happen, which resulted in quite a few people passing me. The first lap was the expected crowded mess, with riders flying all over the place and brakes squealing.

After the dicey first lap, things settled into a more or less predictable race. Lap two was spent trying to resist a sick/vomity feeling I had in my stomach and pass people as riders became more spread out. I found myself going back and forth with the same group of two or three riders, including a Matthews rider.  As it turns out, the most productive passing area for me was on the paved climb just after the start.  Each time I came through for a lap I pushed hard and managed to pass a handful of riders.  Some of those riders would pass me back, but most did not.

Making a pass. Yay.
Photo: Emily Wood

I hung out behind a rider in black for a good chunk of lap three before pushing past him on a short uphill. He stuck on my wheel for a second and then dropped back.  There was a group of four just ahead of me, maybe 5 seconds, including the aforementioned Matthews rider. I had been flirting with hooking onto their wheels for several minutes, but couldn’t quite do it. Finally, on the last lap one of the riders started to drop off the back on a short climb and I attacked around him (see a trend starting with the uphills?). Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite hook up with the remainder of his group. We hit the final run through the barriers and my remount was less than graceful (actually, none of them are graceful) and they opened up a larger gap in the sprint to the end.

Photo: Emily Wood

In the end I came in 21^st out of 41 in Cat 4, and 61^st out of 115 overall in the wave. Not great, but if you consider my sad and sorry starting position, I managed to pass over 30 riders in my move up the field.  In looking at my lap splits, predictably the first lap was the slowest…I mean really, really, slow, at 8:45.  Things improved from there and the final three laps were all at 8 minutes. Heart rate was higher than any mountain bike race. Check out the zones breakdown from my Ride With GPS track:

 Must have been slacking off for those two minutes I was in zone 2.

Overall, it was a fun race, helped by the fact that there was only one muddy spot on a tight uphill 180 degree turn which most people ran. Another short stretch of course was in the shade and was a little squishy, but overall, it was dry as a bone and fact. Maybe all the races will be this way? There is a race this weekend, part of the new Indy Cross series, but I will likely miss that. I have a jury trial starting on Monday and all weekend is going to be trial prep. Unless things go well this week in terms of prep, I will have to skip that one.