The Last Gasp of 2006
-by Chris Clarke
I finished my somewhat desultory ‘cross season with a race in Charlottesville on Sunday. I was looking forward to it because my best ‘cross result of the year occurred last month in C’ville when I took 2nd at the Cross at IX Race in a true mudfest. The forty degree rain probably kept the better riders at home that day. Actually, I probably wouldn’t have raced again this year after a dogged, yet utterly mediocre, race at Reston last week but I had left my jacket at the start line at the IX Race and felt obliged to retrieve it.
Yesterday, things went ok but not great which is pretty much the usual theme with me and ‘cross. A small mixed field of 35+ and 45+ masters (probably a grand total of 20 or so) raced around Darden Town Park in sunny, pleasant conditions. The course featured some fun, fast railing downhills, a lot of soul-sucking grass and one notable wall to the finish line. I finished 6th overall and 5th in the 35+ group. I managed about two laps near the front but blew out on the steep and long run up to the finish. As the leaders slowly, but inexorably, pulled away and no chasers appeared behind, I was able to drop into an enjoyably fast, but not vomit-inducing fast, pace for the remainder of the race. With one last mighty push, I rode up the wicked final hill instead of doing yet another death march with the bike to bring my 2006 racing season to a close.
My only other highlight for this year’s ‘cross season was getting a bronze medal in the 40+ race at the MABRA Championship Race. For some reason this race wasn’t part of the MABRA ‘Cross Series so turnout was lighter than usual for MABRA and I rode pretty hard that day, too.
Capitol Cross Classic Report
By Dave V.
This Kevin Dillard photo really tells the story of my B-Masters race in Reston:
I’m blurry,
I’m trailing the focused rider,
I look distressed, and
I’m about to get passed by a kid who is ONE-THIRD my age.
Until last Sunday, it’d been a decent CX season. I’d been feeling good on the bike and placed 14th, 16th and 9th in the C category at three MABRA races. I was itchin’ to try the B-Masters at a MAC race.
Before the race began, I knew it wouldn’t be my finest hour. I had a cold that my Gwadzilla Pre-Race Performance Cocktail (Excedrin & Red Bull) couldn’t hide. The B-Masters are definitely a more serious bunch than the C racers, too. Nonetheless, I was ready to make a go of it. The race started almost without warning. UCI/MAC officials are not chatty. With a sudden TWEET, we were off…
The course was made with MTBers in mind. I rode well technically, but didn’t have the inner UMPHFF to “push through the pain barrier.” I still grunted and grimaced the whole time. Unlike Joel and Joe, I only remember two details about the race:
1. Tris was stationed right after the barriers and diligently cheered me on for each of the 5 (I think) laps. I kept meaning to give her a YO! when I passed, but I could barely breathe. Thanks, Tris.
2. There was a one-half of a rear derailleur pulley arm on the ground, four grassy turns after the start. It looked like someone’s derailleur got sucked into the rear wheel and EXPLODED. Crazy. It gave the sense that something terrible had happened there. I sped through that turn each time to escape the bad karma.
In the end, I finished near the end of the B-Masters’ heap. It was still a morning well spent…actually, 44 minutes well spent. Now it’s time to “build my base” and plan for next year.
See y’uns out there soon!
VELOPHOTOS: Capital Cross Classic 2006
images of joel gwadz by kevin dillard of velo photos
velophotos.net
Capital Cross Classic
by Joe Foley
The Capital Cross Classic was the the last local cross race of the year and by virtue of being a UCI international race and part of the Verge MAC series was also one of the most competitive of the season. The field sizes are down a bit from the beginning of the year but those racers not frightened off by the cold are the hardened ones, and for the most part the fast ones.
I drove out to Reston early, knowing that i’d need to get out to have a look at the course before the start of the C-race since the day was scheduled differently than most cross races and the killer-Bs were the 2nd race, rather than the 3rd. on my first pre-ride lap of the course, bundled up to keep warm, my hands went completely numb. i could hardly pull the brakes and shifting wasn’t possible by the end of the lap. Instead of heading out for a 2nd lap i went back to the car and spent 10 minutes rubbing my hands together to get the blood flowing again and feeling back (and the pain to subside).
Once i had feeling back in my hands i went back out onto the course for another look for good lines, then back to the car to take a quick break to see the C race start and get checked in before starting my warm-up. rode around the roads outside the park to get warmed up.
the start was chaotic. i got a decent position on the line in the scrum, 3rd row, right behind the call ups. a couple of guys were joking pretty loudly and then with no warning from the offical the whistle blew and no one knew what to do. a couple of guys started then stopped someone asked the official if we should start. he said yes and we started to move. the lane i was in was the last to move, but it didn’t really matter since i was headed to the back of the field anyway — my starts have been bad all year, it just seems like i don’t know what to do when the pack starts moving.
after the first couple of turns i was near the back, with mike scardaville right behind me, and we spent the first lap passing some slower riders that had come around us on the start. we passed a large group at the top of the big climb on the first lap and after a couple of trips around the course mike and i were locked in a battle with squadra coppi’s peter nicol. we hung with him for a while, taking turns pulling, untill he started to get away from us. a couple of laps into the race i thought that i was probably holding mike back, so i told him that i thought he should just go.
mike started to get a little bit of a gap on me, but i was trying to keep in touch and was starting to feel a little better. a lap and 1/2 later, with bernie mcdonald from charm city hot on our tails, mike slid out in a turn and fell. i’d been trying to beat him up the climb and through the corner before this one, so i was right on his wheel. i managed to stay upright and get around him while he was on the ground.
in the last couple of laps a 3sports racer started gaining ground on me on the long climb after the dam. with one lap to go he closed a 50-yard gap to get on my wheel at the top of the climb, but by the bottom of the downhill he was back by 30-yards and in the flat section before the next climb i was able to build the gap up again only to see it disapear again on the next lap.
on the last lap, he closed the gap down again, and as i wound around the top of the little hill i kept focused on keeping him behind me. if i got onto the downhill first and he rode it as slowly as he did the lap before, then i’d be in good shape to hold him of to the finish line. the strategy worked, at the bottom of the downhill, instead of hearing his wheels creeping up on me there was no one. i stayed on the gas for the rest of the course, slipping a little but staying fast through the muddy corners, staying smooth and balanced to the ride the little rooty climb, turning the pedals to churn through the muddy and gravelly sections, and then opening it up on the road to finish strong.
my placing may be a dissapointing looking 30th of 46, but i was really happy with my race. i felt comfortable throughout the race, no cramping like last year, and was able to stay strong all the way to the end.
congrats to evan and matt for their good results. matt took 1st in his last C-race and evan took 2nd in the killer Bs. lots of DCMTB/City Bikes/Metro Gutter riders will be heading up to cyclocross nationals in a week and half so look out for some good stories from providence soon.
Race Report: Tacchino Cyclocross Leesburg VA
Race Report: Tacchino Cyclocross race in Leesburg, VA
by Joel Gwadz
This weekend past I had the freedom to do as I pleased as my wife went to visit her parents in Pittsburgh with the kids. With the weekend completely open I weighed my options and created a list…
the list
drink and get drunk
rinse and repeat
stay up late/sleep late
Home Depot and IKEA
home projects
help friend pick up and move baby furniture
dance around the house naked
watch television with the volume as loud as I need it to be without guilt