Looking Ahead To 2016

As 2015 slowly whimpers to an end, I'm once again in a retrospective mood. Let's take a quick look back at the high, lows, and meh's of 2015.

Highs!

The year started off well with a one spot off the podium performance at the Sub 9 Death March. Considering the huge mechanical Aaron and I had right at the beginning in the form of Aaron's tire blowing off the rim, we managed a solid rally and likely would have been 2nd or 3rd if Aaron's tire had not been such a jerk. 

Things continued going well at the Barry Roubaix with a solid 5th place podium finish. Too bad it appears I will be missing this year's iteration. Have to aim for 2017.

In terms of pure mountain biking, I teamed up again with Aaron for the Tr-State 6 Hour Series at Versailles State Park. Not only did we manage a second place in the two man team competition, but the high drama of an extremely close race was very thrilling. Looking forward to doing more of these races next year!

Cyclocross went very well this year. Consistent top ten finishes in my Cat 4 races, which improved into several top 5 finishes as the season closed out gives me hope for next year when I can upgrade to Cat 3 and never see myself get within the top 40 again. And yes, I will continue to ride my mountain bike. Not giving in to peer pressure now.

Lows!

The Gravel Grovel. Nothing more needs to be said.

The Mustcatatuck DINO XC race has turned into my white whale. In 2014 I crashed badly, sheered my saddle off of my seat post and my body hit a tree. First ever DNF in a DINO race. This year, I was bonked before the race was even 10 seconds old and had nothing in the tank and struggled throughout. Breaking a chain on the last lap and running the last 2 miles in to the finish seemed like a fitting end to altogether shitty race.

Meh!

The DINO season as a whole was one big Meh. Cat 2 Open wave was a eye opener, as I expected it would be. I failed to podium for the first time in a DINO season (I'm not counting the 2nd place in the STXC race) and was never able to break into the top half of the wave, always lingering in mid- to back half of the field. I allowed muddy conditions to stymie my best chance of a podium at Potato Creek, and then my own stupid navigation error robbed me of a strong finish at Ferdinand. May not have been a podium, but it would have likely been a 4th place finish. I already mentioned the debacle at Muscatatuck. Certain issues have to be addressed prior to the next DINO season.

Which leads me to.....

THE PLAN FOR 2016!

2015 fell short in many areas. In terms of training, I tried a plan with more steady, longer miles and did little to no interval work. Part of this was a have fun while out riding and the fitness will come with the miles kind of attitude. While I lost weight doing the miles, and felt good generally endurance wise, I did not have the extra spark of intensity needed for a DINO race.

So, the plan for this year is to incorporate more interval/intensity training in addition to the normal base and endurance work. I'm taking most of December off (still riding to work, doing for fun rides) but come January 1, I will set into my plan for 2016. Nothing spectacular at first....standard base miles, still some cross training, as well as some high intensity work. If we ever get snow I'm hoping my base miles will be done on the fatbike. If not....may stick to the road and standard mountain bike. 

What I think will be different are the workouts after the weather gets nicer. When riding inside on the spin bike, I was forced to do high intensity/interval workouts by doing various Sufferfest workouts. I would also simulate hill repeats on the bike when I was watching non-Sufferfest content, such as recorded bike races, etc.

In 2015, once I got outside, I didn't really continue the intensity. I settled into doing my morning 18-20 mile loop before work, but those were fairly mellow rides. Further, I did very little hill work. A staple of my training in past years, I think I only had two or three days when I went out to specifically work on charging up hills.

For 2016, my morning rides around the city will likely continue, although I will identify certain areas for interval work, in addition to selecting days for hill work. Weekends will remain reserved for longer rides on the road and trail.

I would also like to participate in some CIBA group rides. There are several of these rides which start near my home from early spring on forward. While known for at times being dangerous (running signs etc.) these rides also have good training potential and it is always good to ride with people who are faster than you.

So....for training purposes, When January begins I will begin to work on maintaining a good base for cycling. I will also toss in some strength work (twice a week) and running, along with some swimming. The cross training will continue into February, at which point I will begin to increase intensity, particularly hill repeats in anticipation of the Death March on March 14.

Another important component in my plan of attack 2016 is my bike. I have been riding a Orbea Alma Hydro 29er for the past two seasons. This past year I joined Matthews Racing, which has a grass roots discount program which applies to Specialized bikes, including their Epic line (not S-Works). My plan is to order a new Specialized Epic (specifically an Epic Elite Carbon....hence the For Sale post from a few weeks ago) with the team order in early spring. I'm hoping for a push of speed due to the carbon frame, as well as some assistance on descents (traditionally my greatest weakness) from the full suspension.

In terms of races, I will try to focus on the DINO series again, as well as at least two of the Tri-State 6 hour races. There is movement afoot to set up a mid week short track race series. If that happens, I will definitely be there as well. Limiting factors right now are the two trials in April and May. These have the potential of really disrupting the training regimen, while also forcing me to miss the Barry Roubaix, and possibly missing the first DINO race at Winona and a race in northern Michigan called the Arcadia Grit and Gravel that I had hoped to race. I'm also looking into a possible race in northern Michigan in October called the Peak 2 Peak. We'll see how things in 2016 shake out. 

Gravel Grovel Race Report 2015: Gotta Tear The Band Aid Off Sometime

I described last year's Gravel Grovel as the hardest one I had raced up to that time. My 2014 self had no idea what was in store for this year's version and in all honesty, I had to force myself to write this post.

So to get the bad news out there at the beginning, I DNF'ed. Not the way I wanted this race to go, especially after the good result from last year, but it did. And here is how it went down.

As you can tell from the prior, pre-GG weather posts, there had been a lot of rain leading up to race. It rained all day Friday and all morning Saturday. I arrived at the venue about 40 minutes before race time and found a much smaller crowd than in past years. I had been watching the registration numbers leading up to race day and numbers were down. Registration closed with 208 participants. signed up for the 60 mile race. Of that, 120 riders finished, although no listing of DNF's was provided  but there appeared to be quite a few no show's due to the adverse weather conditions. Last year, 246 started while 190 finished.

The rain had dissipated and actually stopped at the start of the race. I had bought a new Endura rain jacket for the ride and also was wearing by Lake 303 boots. Wind proof and water proof, I also used a foot warmer just to ensure my feet stayed warm. I also had a spare set of gloves in my jersey pocket.

The start was the standard fast spin along broken pavement before the left turn onto the gravel. I moved myself forward to a position near the front and made sure to pace off of some other fast mountain bikers.  Once on gravel the pack I was in broke away from  the rest of the field and kept a good pace. The paved climb up Hunters Creek Road fractured the group a bit although it reformed at the top of the hill.

The conditions were wet with lots of muddy spray from the other riders. Wish more people used fenders in conditions like these.  Anyway, the pack rocketed down Tower Ridge Road, and I began to drop back a bit, because I was being a little cautious on the slick descent. I wasn't too worried. Still lots of off road sections and climbing ahead and I had gone out of the gate faster than what may have been good.

After the descent the course breaks off and takes a side road past Robertson Cemetery. This road is dicey. It is low and close to a creek and can be underwater after heavy rain (Like the Death March earlier this year). It wasn't underwater, but it did have tons of huge puddles and numerous pot holes. This slowed me down and helped me lose the lead pack. Just after getting onto Combs road I was caught by a group of four riders, including a few mountain bikes. I stuck with them heading into Combs, but things started going downhill. I was expecting it to be underwater, and from the get go, it was.

Water was flowing down the trail and I took some less than favorable lines through deep water and mud, while also passing multiple riders on cross bikes who had stopped for flat tires and other mechanicals. So far, my boots were keeping the water from the course at bay, I even recall thinking how warm and comfortable my feet were as we entered Combs Road. Famous last words...or thoughts. Or whatever.

Just before the stair step climb to the top of Combs was a large water crossing  which was so deep that as I pedaled through it, my boots were actually underwater. No the Lake 303's do very well in most circumstances.  They keep the cold and rain out, and handle splashes from puddles. But when fully submerged, even the Lakes say uncle. As I exited the crossing I could feel water seeping in from the tops of my boots. Feet were still warm but the water was there.,,

I continued on with the same group as we started the steepest part of the climb. I was surprised that the shitty trail to the top was actually still solid. Some slick spots, but mostly doable. Around halfway  up the climb the trail is split by a large washout trench, the result of heavy rains running down the hillside. The trail runs to the right of this 1 1/2 to 2 foot deep trench. As it turns out, I ended up in this ditch,

I was still riding up the climb when I hit a slightly off camber section of the trial which was slick with mud. My rear tire gave way and slid and I tried to clip out to stop my fall. Unfortunately, I was falling to the left....where the washout was. So clipping out was not going to help. And down I went. Hard.

For a slow speed up hill crash, I hit really hard and ended up with my head resting on the other side of the trench, most of my body in the washout, and the bike partially on the trail.

After figuring out nothing was broken, I started to run up the hill and remounted on one of the 'steps' on the climb and continued to the top and the descent from Combs. Which was just as wet and muddy as the first portion. Following Combs was last year's new section which followed the closed Blue Creek Road west of Elkinsville for a few miles. It was one of those lulls where you take stock of your status, and I realized that my left leg was hurting. As was my shoulder. My left side took the brunt of the fall into the rut on Combs. While the adrenaline of the moment had masked the pain initially, things were starting to come to the forefront.

 Included in Blue Creek Road was a steep climb which I was able to climb fairly well although the leg pain was progressively getting worse. The following old road bed/off road section was alternatively kind of dry or water covered. At one point my front wheel sank into what I had thought was a solid grassy patch but was instead thick mud. I ground to a halt and when I dismounted to get out of the mud pit, my boots sank almost to the their tops in the mud. Ugh. The last few hundred feet of Blue Creek Road was through a creek. Last year, this creek was mostly dry. During pre-riding, it was completely dry. On this day...it was full of water. My bottom bracket was fully submerged, and with each pedal stroke, my boots were completely under water. This did not help the cold feet situation, 

My moral was starting to suffer. Physically, I was hurting, and coming into the Nebo Ridge Trail head, my bike's chain was making an awful racket. I was hoping it could last until the SAG stop at the halfway point, but just as I came into the Nebo Trail parking lot, there was sickening grinding sound and my drive train locked up. I dismounted and found that my chain had some how doubled back over itself three times and was jammed into my front derailleur. A few minutes of cursing and tinkering revealed that several links were locked. Almost like they had been welded together, they were no longer moving. I had a small bottle of Pro Gold on me, so I lubed the bad links and a few minutes later was able to back the chain out of the derailleur and get things moving.

During this stop, I realized that my part in the competitive race was done.  My leg was starting to swell and was hurting badly anytime the road moved upwards. Plus, the mechanical was concerning and not like to be the last, and the cold had already taken care of my feet, and was leaching into my hands and the rest of my body. I could still finish, but last year's result would not be repeated. 

I pressed forward, hoping to at least finish and things went fairly well on Nebo, other than the pain in the leg, and the lesser pain in the shoulder. I kept up a steady pace and didn't crash on all the slickness. I was passed by a few other mountain bikes which ticked me off, but I wasn't in shape to chase. About halfway through Nebo, it began to rain. Nothing heavy, but steady. And while my jacket kept the rain out, the cold water on the outside of the jacket did a good job of finishing off the cold takeover of my body.

I exited Nebo and hit Barry Ride Road. I slowed briefly to take a gel, although I figured it was too late, and ran into Michael, a regular in the DINO Cat 2 ranks. He too seemed cold, but was doing better than I. He paused to eat, and while it would have been nice to ride with him, a that point I didn't want to stop until the SAG. 

But, as I rode down Berry Ridge, I began to take stock. My hands were blocks of ice (despite a glove change), as were my feet and lower legs. My boots still had water sloshing around. The cold had spread everywhere and I was beginning to shiver, even while pedaling at a steady speed. 

I called up the map of the area in my mind, and I knew I had a decision to make. Just before Houston Indiana, there is a fork in the road. Going straight, I will head towards the largest climbs of the day, namely Mount Baldy and the Buffalo Pike climb. Could I realistically finish the race as I was sitting right then? I was doubtful. Alternatively, if I turned right onto W. County Road 1000, I would end my race and cut off about 20 miles of course as I headed back past the Maumee intersection and up Tower Ridge and back to the start/finish. 

These options kept playing around in my head as I knew the miles were ticking down. In looking at the pro's and con's of both courses, one thought hit me. Was continuing on the smart thing? Was pushing on for a possibly epic, yet very low ranked and potentially health adverse finish, smart? Or was taking the right turn and getting my damaged self home asap the smart thing to do? 

I turned right and headed home. 

I was afraid I would look back on this and think, "You could have finished." But I haven't at all. I'm happy with my choice. Yes, many others, including some riders who I know are not as strong as I, finished that day. 

But sometimes you have bad days on the bike, days when things do not go as planned, and you are far from being 100%.  That is part of bike racing, and during these times, you have to be able to listen to your body, make smart decisions, and know when to fold'em. So I folded, got warm, recuperated, and am very much at peace with my decision to retreat from the field. There will be next year. 

More Cross Season Catch Up Because I Am A Negligent Blogger

Another cross catch up. I finished off the gray Goat Indy Cross season earlier this month and the final three races were all fun and ended up to be decent results. So, lets get into the gory details.

(Note: all photos courtesy of Chris Jones....he takes some fantastic photos. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/cjonesphoto/?fref=ts) 

Indy Cross #3: Traders Point 

Traders Point was a standby during the inaugural season of the Indy Cross last year. This year, only one race was held there and it turned out to be an interesting day. Rain was threatening most of the morning and by the afternoon, bursts of heavy showers had broken out. Light rain was falling at the race site, although with the weeks of completely dry weather preceding it, there seemed to be little impact, aside from wet grass. I scoped out the course in several spots, and yeah, the grass was wet, but no sloppy gross mud. I made this comment to a woman next to me, and she begged to differ, saying that the racers were tearing up tons of mud on the back side of the course.

An inspection of the passing bikes didn't quite bear this out. Grass yes. Some dirt, yes. Full on mud...no.

I had brought my cross bike with mud tires just in case but in the end, I decided to stick with the mountain bike. I got a first row call up and promptly managed to miss my clip in. Not getting off to a great start. I settled into a position outside the top ten and started to do my normal work my way up the field. I was doing alright on the grass, although it was a bit slick.  I did notice that I was having trouble moving up in the field.

Bryan D., a DINO racer and a frequent cross adversary, was doing very well and was within the top 5. I kept trying to will some additional power to work my way up to him, but it just wasn't there, and at every sighting, he was a bit farther up. To add insult to what was apparently not my day to race, managed to crash on section of gravel road. The course merely crossed it, but I turned too much and my rear wheel losty traction and down I went. For once, no blood, but a Purdue rider did get past me. In the end, I sputtered in for 9th place. Still top ten, and I was glad for it. And kudos to Bryan D. who came in with a fantastic race and a podium finish at 3rd.

In review, I was trying to figure out why I wasn't enjoying the acceleration I had in the past. I finally pinned it on a 5K I had run the Thursday night before (race was Saturday). I only do one 5K a year, without training, and this time it fell two days before a cross race. All day Friday my legs were stiff and hurting, and while things were somewhat improved on Saturday, I think the recovery was still in progress, and the legs couldn't answer the call at the cross race.

Indy Cross # 4: Paul Ruster II (Halloween Race)

The fourth IndyCross race returned to Paul Ruster Park this time for a Halloween race. The Cat 4/5 field was smaller than usual, as were all the fields, likely due to the Cincy 3 UCI races being held that same weekend. Moral of the story...don't schedule a local race on the same weekend as one of the largest cyclocross races in the country, which also happens to be just over an hour away.

Being Halloween, I tried to get the spirit my zip tying a parrot hat to my helmet. While it was mistaken for a rooster by about half the spectators but it was well received. And it stayed put the entire race. 

And the race? Geez, I can't seem to recall the details. It was a good race and fun although the trail was not as technical as before. The trail sections from the first race were left out, although there were still multiple tough climbs up the sledding hill. 

I do recall launching a fairly successful attack the next to last lap. I was in a group with a World Bicycle Relief and Scholars Inn Bakehouse rider. The three of us had been maintaining a good pace for a few laps, but I could also count, and were were just outside of the top 5. Just after one of the descents from the hill was a straightaway which led into a series of twistys before the barriers and another climb up the hill. I was last rider in our little group and jumped while on the straight away and immediately got a gap. The gap continued to grow as we came into the last lap and I maintained it until the end for 5th place. , which 

Indy Cross # 5: Marion County Fairgrounds (season finale)

The Indy Cross finale was at the Marion County Fair grounds. I had only ever been here once (The county fair is kind of overshadowed by the State Fair) and that was back in college when I was dating a girl who was showing cattle at the fair.

My recollection was a mostly flat area with not much variety terrain wise. Kind of an odd location for a cross race, but I know venues can be hard to come by as more people become upset with the damaged grass so often associated with cross.

Upon arriving, I was pleasantly surprised. The terrain was varied than I expected, with some various small rises and a portion on a old bmx course on thr property. There was one step climb on the northern portion of the course which climbed a long man made ridge which divided the fairgrounds from the adjacent interstate. Overall, a very urban cross course. I had brought my cross bike (in addition to my mountain bike) thinking this would be a flat course. After a quick pre-ride, I knew the mountain bike would be in.

I enjoyed what has become the standard front row call up and took my place on the far left side of the grid, anticipating the wide right turn which was at the end of the start stretch. At the gun I promptly missed my clip in. Kind of a trend these past few races, and was immediately chasing as a good chunk of riders got ahead of me.

I was somewhere around the top 15 and was in the thick of things for the first lap. As things began to get strung out, I was able to make some forward progress and start picking off riders here and there. Aaron had passed me early in the race, and I caught up to him and managed to get by him and a few others as I zeroed in on the top 5.

I came up on a Veloworks Urban Cyclery rider but had a hard time getting around him. Coming into the barriers, which were on an uphill, I was on his wheel and popped out to his left. As I came up next to him to prepare to dismount I told him I was on his left side. As we dismounted, he all of the sudden angled directly toward me and forced me into the tape. My dismount was ugly and I actually came to a complete stop before the first barrier.

I few choice words later I was running of the hill after the Velo guy. I remounted and took of, admittedly slightly pissed. Maybe it was an accident...skewing off your line while dismounting certainly happens. Or, maybe he was doing his best to hold me at bay for a while longer. Whatever the reason, I was in full on chase mode as we rode down a straight away before a twisty section before the finish. Velo held me off until the straight away after the finish where I hit the case and roared past him. Off to the next one......

A rough count made it appear that I was in 5th. I spotted 4th place, Nick A, a ways ahead of me and tried to close the gap. Nick is a strong rider and had been mixing it up with the top 3 most of the race, but it seemed like he might have burned all his matches. I was steadily gaining on him and figured I would make the catch within a lap. As I went through the barriers and headed into the straightaway which lead into the final twisty section  before the finish I did a double take. The leaders had just crossed the finish and had sat up. And were shaking hands.

Shit. This was the last lap. I usually listen for the bell, but there had not been one this race. Just the electronic lap counter, which I had not looked on that lap. I gritted my teeth and pushed hard in the twisty section. I closed the gap more, but not enough to catch Nick and ended up in 5th.

Overall, it was a great race and my second top 5 (hooray for upgrade points). A large field with lots of strong riders and I was able to make steady movement up the field. Based on the strength of the top few positions, I don't think misstep at the start would have had any impact. I'll console myself by remembering that the top three were aged 25, 20 and 18....so my racing age 35 self was up against some kids. Hard to compete against that. 

This race was also the finale for the IndyCross series. the best four out of five races went towards the overall placing. Going into this race, I was in second behind Nick A., although he had about 20 points on me.

Unfortunately, several of the other top riders had skipped a race, so while I had four races, the others only had three so would be well down in the rankings. Since a few of these riders beat me during this race, they jumped ahead of me and I ended up in 4th place for the series.

Nice result and I get to stick around the Cat 4 races for a bit longer. Thanks to IndyCross for a great local series. Looking forward to the racing next year!

Things For Sale

Time to clean out the garage and also raise some money for a new race bike. Pick up of the following items is local and will be done outside the Butler University Police Station located at the intersection of Sunset and Hampton Streets in Indy. For bike/frame sizing comparison, I'm a touch under 6'2. Without further adieu....

NEW ITEMS POSTED! If the item is still listed, it is still for sale.

Three Rear Derailleurs

Shimano SLX M662 9 speed rear derailleur - $35

Purchased new and used on a monster cross bike for a few races before switching to another bike. Light cosmetic wear but still in very good shape. (top left in photo)

Shimano SLX M663 10 speed rear derailleur -$50

10 speed version of the above. Purchased from a friend who had taken it off of a new bike after a test ride. Like new condition.

Shimano Deore 10 speed rear derailleur -$40

New 10 speed derailleur. Never used, but took out the instructions when for reference when installing the SLX pictured above. 

 Used Shimano SPD Mountain Bike Shoes. No Cleats -$40

Size 49 SPD shoes with original box. Actually in very good shape, save a few scuffs and marks from everyday use. Velcro straps work well as does the ratchet thingy. Got a new pair for Christmas a few years ago and just liked the colors of those better so these became back ups. Just never needed them again,

Access XCL 29er Frame, Size L, 19 inch: $75

This frame is the house brand for Performance Bike and was core of  one of the best bikes I ever rode. Purchased in 2012, and used until 2014, I raced cross on this, the DINO series, and a few Gravel Grovels, in addition to some commutes and numerous trail rides. Frame has some marks and scuffs from use, but still has plenty of life. Crankset is not included,

Kenda Kross Supreme Tire - $15

One brand new cyclocross tire, sized 35 x 700. Bought several of these back when I first tried cross but never mounted this one. Good tires, especially is drier conditions. I also used them on my mountain bike a few times at Town Run and they did well. Also good for a heavy duty commute tire. $15

Rock Shox Tora 29er Fork: $120

One of the last of the Tora line before Rock Shox discontinued them, This is a coil fork with 100 mm of travel. Steerer is at 8 inches. Solid fork which was used for a short time on the single speed frame listed farther up. I then ran across a deal on a almost new Reba and snapped that up and just don't need this anymore, 

Gravel Grovel Weather Update II

Quick race morning weather update...it is raining. It has been raining since yesterday. The early week forecast I posted about earlier is out the window. A massive weather system is romping through the Midwest and it has been raining since early Friday morning. Nothing heavy, but a constant steady light rain. As of now, Norman, Indiana (near the race start) has received about four tenths of an inch. The radar picture this morning doesn't look too bad: 

Norman is currently in a large dry patch right below Bloomington.  However, I'm wondering if the stuff out west will fill in. Even if it does not, this promises to be the most challenging GG yet. The wet roads, combined with slick trails and leaves will be difficult. Combs Road itself is going to be nothing short of epic. Not a word I toss around often, but it will be a beast. 

Looking at the forecast (seriously, I'm watching the news as I type this), the rain may be dissipating as the day goes on, although it is too late for the course to dry out at all.  

Like I said, it will be a difficult day. We'll see how this plays out. 

Gravel Grovel 2015 Weather Watch

A week from today my 5th Gravel Grovel will be in the books. As with last year, I am taking advantage of the mountain bike open category. Fat tires are just better on gravel. 

So, being a week a out provides a bit more certainty on the all important weather front. Thus far, no snow on any of my past GG's. In fact, most years have been fairly mild, although the course itself has been wet from earlier precipitation. So, looking ahead to next weekend, here is what we're facing right now: 

I'm mostly liking the forecast and can certainly live with the race day forecast. What is not so good is the rain on Friday. The trail sections of the course will be muddy, the gravel squishy and splashy, and Combs Road will be full of monster puddles that threaten to swallow your bike whole. Might be a good idea to go with the Lake 303 boots and a fender. And maybe water wings. 

Cyclocross Race Report Catch Up!

So this year hasn't been great with blogging...as you can tell since my last post was about a mountain bike race in August. Since that time I have been engrossed in cyclocross racing! That bastard hybrid of mountain biking and road biking which seems to be constantly growing in popularity. Despite my claimed attitude that I'm just doing these for fun, I end up caring quite a bit about where I finish. And so far, this season has been a blast.

So, lets do a quick overview of the races I forgot (or neglected) to write about!

OVCX Bloomingcross, September 20, 2015

First race of the year on a dry and dusty course. I was riding my Cannondale CAADX which I had won as part of the IndyCross series last year. Bike performed well, although my finish was less than ideal. A mid pack call up, combined with a huge OVCX field resulted in a difficult and chaotic start. I took the outside line on the initial start loop, which after two turns deposited me right into a large patch of brush and tree branches hanging over the right side of the course. With no where to go, I lowered my head and plowed through but lost a lot of speed and more places. I was at the back of the pack and spent the next 45 minutes trying to pick people off. 

Exiting the sand pit at Bloomingcross. I didn't have to run at all, but not sure that
was the faster route. The guy remounting his bike above actually entered the sand on my wheel.
Photo:  Kent Baumgardt

Aaron was racing as well and had left me in the dust, although I almost caught the Matthews Mountain Bike Team's captain Jon, although he stayed just out of my reach. Ended up 53/90 place and had this cool photo taken of me.

IndyCross Race 1, Brookside Park, October 3, 2015

The IndyCross series kicked off at the venerable Brookside Park in downtown Indianapolis. Instead of racing in the same area as the OVCX race is usually held, the course was set up on the north side of the park, and was characterized by long sections of steep off camber riding and tight down hill and uphill 180 degree turns mixed in.  Light rain the day before had left the course somewhat damp, but not muddy. In fact, a large section of the course was in a grove of trees and was completely dry.

To mix things up, I raced on my hardtail mountain bike. Why? Because I have more fun riding my mountain bike and frankly, I think I'm better when I ride it. Of course I got heckled, but it was all in good fun (except for the "You Suck" one...that was uncalled for I thought). TO make the Orbea more cross friendly, I mounted a Specialized Fast Trak 2.0 (measures around 1.9) on the front, and bought a Specialized Renegade 1.8 for the rear. Both were set up tubeless.

Front row call up and getting a quick clip in resulted in me out front just before hitting grass. I paused to look around to see where everyone else was and was promptly passed by several riders. 

Running the barriers at Brookside
Photo: Brett Conaway

I settled into a position just outside the top ten and handled all of the off camber sections safely, albeit a bit slowly. I made up ground in the trees and on the paved straightaway and ended up 10/60. Not too shabby.

OVCX Brookside Park, October 11, 2015.

OVCX came to Brookside the next weekend and I made the great choice to double up on races. Now that my racing age is 35 thanks to the strange cross rules, I could race in the Cat 4 35+/Cat 5 wave at the start of the day, and the Cat 4/Cat 3 35+ wave at noon.

I again went with the mountain bike because it is FUN! I was running late and arrived about 20 minutes before race time. I knew I was a bit behind, but promptly got yelled at by a USA Cycling Official. I mean really yelled at. I had been somewhat perplexed by the language on the website regarding arrival time and how that played with my preregistration. I read the 45 minute time period as applying to day of registrants. Apparently this was my mistake and I asked the official to not raise his voice and that there was no need to yell. The shocked looks on the faces of others waiting to check in confirmed that I wasn't just imagining this.

I assumed that I had lost my second row call up (not really assumed as much as this was part of what was being yelled at me) but to my surprise the call up was still good. I got a good start and maintained a great pace throughout the race. Being at the front of the pack I avoided the inevitable pile ups that ensued at several off camber turns and the Orbea served me well for the remainder of the race. I figured I was somewhere near the top three for Cat 4 35+ and spotted who I thought was the rider directly ahead of me. I pushed hard to catch him and was closing the gap, but the 30 minutes ended too soon. I got 2 in my age group and 7/68 overall. First place for the 35+ old guys was only 6 seconds ahead. Third place was Paul, a fellow Matthews rider who was 11 seconds behind me and charging hard. Considering he had a back of the pack call up, he may have caught me if there had been one more lap.

The Cat 4 open race wasn't as productive. A middle of the pack start resulted in being caught up in much chaos upon encountering the off camber turns referenced above. Bodies flying everywhere, course tape being torn asunder and getting tangled in drive trains, etc. Pretty standard chaos for a Cat 4 race. Add in the dicey stair case run up and things got pretty exciting.


Brookside Cross Run Up from Edward Fujawa on Vimeo.

See me there in the middle? Running hard I was. Anyway, I  picked a few people off here and there and ultimately came in 45/102 overall and 14th in Cat 4. Some improvement from Bloomingcross so that was nice....and that ended a particularly tiresome day of racing.

IndyCross Race 2, Paul Ruster Park (Indiana State Championship)

Paul Ruster is a new venue for me, although rumor was it had seen races in the distant pass. The course was fun with a a bit of everything, including a trail section and multiple climbs up a sledding hill....which didn't seem too high or steep until you were trying to climb it. The weather was beautiful and the course was completely dry. 

I had high hopes for the race, but a bevy of riders  in their late teens and 20 somethings showed up and managed to knock my 35 year old racing age self down a few notches. I got a decent start but gave away a few places in the first turn and was fighting to catch up. 

The photo which almost makes me look pro. Thanks
to Mike Almert and Action Images Indy for the great photo. 
(http://www.actionimagesindy.com/)

The barriers were in an awkward spot. Just after a right hand turn which had a large bump out on the outside which encouraged you to take the corner wide. I did this, but still came into the barrier at an angle which caused me to hit my rear tire as I dismounted. I did this twice, looked ridiculous both times, and lost places. Go me. 

Climbing up the sledding hill and getting low over the stem.
Damn you short chainstays, damn you.

On the plus side, I rocked the trail sections, while other literally flew into the underbrush. I managed to keep things together and squeaked into the top 10 with a 9/50. The state champ was a guy who I have beat in several past races....so hearts to him for bringing his A game, or darts to me  for not bringing any game.  

Climbing the other side of the hill. 

The great news is that several awesome photos courtesy of Chris Jones (https://www.facebook.com/cjonesphoto) and Mike Almert (see caption above). The fantastic photo at the top of this posting is Chris's work. That photo is near the top of the sledding hill just after a tight turn and descent...right into a 90 degree turn to the finish line. Yeah, not much of a sprint. The pics above this are also examples of his fine work, while the earlier "pro" photo and the one below are Mike's work. 

That will be it for the quick update and overview. There have been two other races this year, but since they are more recent, my recall is a bit better...and they had their own interesting tidbits which warrant their own posts.  

Mountain Bike Season Ended And I Nearly Forgot To Write About It (DINO Southwestway)

Lots of water under the bridge since my last posting and now we're halfway through cross season. I need to do a big cross update detailing the races thus far, but first I need to knock out the final race of the DINO season, at least for me. The rained out Versailles race had been rescheduled but it was for a weekend hat I was going to be on vacation. So, SWW was it for me.

All the top riders for Cat 2 Open were present and accounted for so I knew things were going to be rough. I was on the verge of having my first DINO season with no podium finish and this race was not looking too promising.

I got a decent start but was beat to the woods by the same cast of riders, including Michael, Rob, Jeff, Zach, Aaron and Brian. No major mishaps, but the leading group began to pull away. Not terribly unexpected since they are all very strong, but I was able to keep Brian in sight, along with a few glimpses of Aaron and Jeff.

New section of the course was this steep rocky and loose
downhill section. Quite fun!
Photo: Vladimir Cardenas

The course was much changed from last year.  In 2014 a large rainstorm came through the day before the race, and caused White River to rise, flooding out a good chunk of the course.  The reroutes resulted in some very solid and extended climbs.  This year's course had some climbs, including a few incredibly steep grades, but the climb were not very long. As I have said many times, climbing is my bread and butter in mountain bike races...so the lack of sustained climbing was not helping.

I did eventually catch and pass Brian, although I suspect a broken spoke had something to do with that. A few spectators suggested that Jeff was not too far ahead of me, so I went on a tear during the final half lap to A) try to catch him and B) to keep Brian from catching up. Neither happened and as it turned out, Jeff was 45 seconds ahead of me. Not a gap I would have been able to close down in the last half lap. In the end, I finished 7 overall and 6th in Cat 2 open. It was my best overall finish of the year (third top 10) but I missed out on a podium for this season.

Climbing up one of the more moderate climbs on the course.
There was a switchback right ahead of this and I was staring down Brian
at this point as I was slowly catching him on the climbs 

Good news is that several of the top Cat 2 Open riders will be moving up to Cat 1. Bad news is that they will be replaced by fast age groupers. More good news is that I learned a lot this season and will put that to good use in training for next year. And I am planning to get a new bike. With full suspension. And carbon. So beware.

Strangely, the race was not very long. An hour and fifteen minutes for me. That left me some time to hang around....and race in the fat bike wave at 12:10. Almost an hour to recover. So, I plopped myself down under the team tent and relaxed and tried to recover.

All too soon, the greatest idea I have ever had was at hand, so I toed the start line with my 40 pound Surly Pugsley Necromancer. I was surrounded by aluminum and carbon framed fatties. Yeah, this will be fun.

And it was. To a point. That is a heavy bike. Which steers like a semi loaded with concrete slabs and a flat tire. But, I made it through the race, despite screwing up a rocky section which resulted in about 4 other fatbikers crashing into me. Teach them to stay so close to my wheel.

Hitting the fun downhill on the fatbike was still fun,
although the mechanical BB7's on the Surley didn't have
the umph of the hydros on the other bike.
Photo: Vladimir Cardenas

But, I missed the podium again and got 4th. The carbon and Al bikes won out. So, I destroyed myself twice in one day, with no podiums, but some cool pics. Bike racing is great.

So to sum up the DINO season? Meh. Not quite what I had in mind. The results weren't there and even when the odds were in my favor (South Bend, Ferdinand) I couldn't quite get over the hump. But remember, there was stiff competition at the top of Cat 2 Open. And the mid season debacle at North Vernon took me down a few notches. Things won't get much easier next year, but like I said, I learned a lot during this go around and my training (and motivation) will be adjusted accordingly.

Tri State 6 Hour Versailles Race Report

Wow, that was a hell of a fun race.

Aaron and I teamed up for a men's duo team for the Tri State 6 Hour race finale at Versailles. I haven't done a 6 hour race since the DINO 6 hour two or three years ago. It did not go well. Granted I'm in better shape, and a better rider overall, than last time, but still. In the end, I think the team method is the way to go!

But the race...

Pre-race strategy suggested a podium (out to 5 in this race) was possible, and in looking at times from last year, we agreed a lap time of around an hour and five minutes (1:05) would be a good goal.  The course was run backwards from the DINO races.  We started at the Schimmerhorn shelter, went along a short access trail onto the Creekside trail and then did the entire trail system clockwise, ending with Shadow Run, and a short section of trail called Turtle Loop. The final run into the finish was along a wide grassy access road/easement, before hitting the park road and heading back into the shelter area. 

I'd only ever run the course in this direction once during the 6 hour DINO race. This direction seemed to have more climbing, although Versailles is certainly not a climbers course. Based on the 1:05 goal time, and based on results from previous years, 6 laps was very unlikely, and 5 would be the goal. Aaron has been in the midst of a massive home remodel and hasn't had much time to ride. We decided I would lead off and end the race as well on the 5th lap. 

The race site was perfect. The shelter area is in a grove of trees with plenty of shade and bathrooms nearby. Great place to set up a tent and relax when you are off the bike. When we got there we found we weren't the only ones from Team Matthews. Jim Frazier and Mike Hufhand were day of registrants. 

The base of operations during the race. Complete with a tent and a small camp fan.
And my bike being used as a clothes line.  

Nice to have team mates, but DAMN. Those two are fast. Jim is a Cat 1 racer and Mike is just plan tough (may recall I was unsuccessful in trying to chase him down at the Gravel Grovel). Our whole analysis of our podium chances just got a last minute reshuffle. 

The start was a half mile run on pavement to the start line before dropping into the trail. Things were pretty steady at the beginning and people were cool with the passes. I got away from a few groups but got stymied by traffic on a few climbs. During this time I passed Jim who had a mechanical somewhere on Grandview. I figured I would see him again, but I wasn't too concerned with trying to get a huge gap 15 minutes into the first lap. 

I caught a Bicycle Station rider and passed him on a climb, only to have him get by me on a descent. I followed this rider for most of Grandview and into Cliffside. Exiting Cliffside, I was still behind him, with another racer between us,  Both began to slow  on the climb up to Shadow Run and I called out a pass. As noted all passes had been easy and friendly. This guy was determined to stop that. I called out the pass and the guy responded that he wasn't going to slow down and that he was racing too. I shook my head and said something along the lines of this being the first 40 minutes of a 6 hour race. No need to slow down....just edge over a bit and let me by. The climb leading up to Shadow Run wasn't exactly so wide and luxurious that I could just ride past him without getting a bit of leeway.

Oh yeah, somewhere before this, Jim had caught up and passed me. So yeah.

Me.
Photo: Kent Barmgardt

I concluded my lap and came into the exchange area. Jim had already been through and Mike was gone, as were the teams ahead of us. Now is when we can have fun with numbers and the split times. I put up a 1:04.08 on lap 1 which was good enough for 6th place. Not bad, but certainly room to improve. Our Matthews colleagues had 1:03:35 (with Jim's mechanical) so they  had just over 30 seconds on us.

Aaron went roaring out, and I collapsed. I relaxed, changed into a new kit, and had some food and talked to Jim about his tire troubles. My plan was to start looking for Aaron after an hour, so around 11:05 or so. Jim came over to watch for Mike and all of the sudden there came a Matthews jersey into sight. Jim yelled that it was Mike, and a split second later I added a "Holy shit, Aaron is there too!" Aaron and Mike were right together. I had no idea the exact time for the lap, but it was clear that Aaron had found some serious speed. Turns out he had done a 1:00:08, the second fastest time for the duo men on that lap. He made up the 33 second deficit to Team Frazier/Hufhand and moved us into 4th place.

Now it was up to me to not screw this up too much. Jim got out a split second ahead of me, but I soon caught him on the single track.  Over the course of the next lap the distance between us vacillated, although I always kept him in sight. On some of the climbs on Grandview I was able to catch him and hook on to his wheel, while he would put some distance on on the descents.  I was feeling pretty good until we got to Shadow Run. the twist and turns and heavy underbrush limited my views of Jim, and just before the tight hairpin which signaled the beginning of the long fast descent I lost sight of him. Sight lines were better on the descent, but I still could not spot him and began to panic a bit. I roared into the exchange area and saw Aaron go out in pursuit. I had no idea how far ahead Jim had gotten but it was clear he had used the final descent to get away.

Time wise, I had done a 1:03:11, which was my fastest lap of the day and we were still in 4th.  One of the contending teams (actually first place) apparently dropped out during this lap due to a bad accident with their lap three rider. We had a 24 second deficit to Frazier/Hufhand. This was going to come down to the wire. I knew we were in a race for third, and barring any mechanicals, I fully expected Aaron to catch Mike, which would leave it to me to try to keep tabs on Jim on the last lap. Yay.

In the hour I had to sit and contemplate things, I began to think maybe Aaron would be able to do two laps. He was riding well, and I knew he was more capable to take on Jim than I. Just in case, I prepared a water bottle for him in case he was willing to keep riding.

Aaron
Photo: Kent Baumgardt

Almost an hour later, I'm sitting in the exchange zone with the other duo teams, anticipating the arrival of our teammates. The first place team arrived and left. They had been putting up blistering lap times and were well ahead of everyone else. All of the sudden I spotted a Matthews jersey rounding the bend. One of those moments of excitement/nervousness which hits you straight in the stomach as I realized it was Aaron. And he was alone. As he came riding down the finish chute I held up two finger and yelled if he could do another lap. He shook his head and I took off.

I wasn't very clear on the tactical situation at the time. I had seen 1st place go out, but suddenly couldn't account for 2nd. Was he still in the exchange area or had he gone out? I was so focused on team Frazier/Hufhand, I hadn't noticed. Instead of wasting time thinking about this, I turned to the business at hand....keeping the time gap on Jim. A gap whose size I did not know. I went out hard and seemed to fly through the course. I kept glancing back excepting to see a Matthews jersey closing, but there was nothing there. I had a few twinges of a cramp in my left calf, but these were held at bay.

Leaving the Cliffside trail and heading into the Shadow Run climb I passed Aaron on the side of the trail. He yelled for me to push it, and that the climb was my specialty. I did push it and still didn't see anyone behind me. At the end of the Shadow Run descent I again passed Aaron who yelled that I was in good shape and the chasers were still a few minutes back. I didn't let up and continued to push into the finish. No time for a 5th lap so that would be it for the day.

As it turns out, we got 2nd. Wow.

On the podium, er....picnic table.
Photo: Eric Lewis

So what happened there in the end? First was Aaron's fantastic second lap which he did in 1:00:53 seconds, 40 second faster than any other team in the duo group, and THE fastest 4th lap turned that day overall. In combination with this blazing lap, the 2nd place team suffered a flat tire which knocked their lap 4 time down significantly. Aaron was also able to make up time on Mike and add on an additional 3 minutes. At the end of the fourth lap, I left the exchange area with gaps of 2-3 minutes over the 3rd and 4th place teams. My final lap was my slowest, at 1:05:07. No so blazing as it had felt but I still put time into Frazier/Hufhand, while the formerly second place team beat my time by almost a minute in what I imagine was a mad dash to make up time from their flat. In the process, they passed Jim to secure 3rd place, and came in two and a half minutes after me.

So, there you have it. A great finish to a fun race. I enjoyed the team aspect, as well as the drama coming into the final two laps. It is clear that Aaron's laps kept us in the game and closed the gaps which my prior laps had created. I was glad that I was able to keep things together on the last lap and maintain the gaps which Aaron had created during the decisive lap 4. A crash or a bonk could have easily ended our chances. Besides getting on the podium we were also surprised to receive $60 checks This was a nice surprise and marked the first time I've ever been paid to ride my bike. Tri-State 6 Hour puts on a solid event and I'm looking forward to jumping into some of the races next year.....as part of a two man team.

*Top photo: Kent Baumgardt