Masters #CX Mediocrity: Hope in the Delta

“Delta Delta Delta.  May I help ya, help ya, help ya.”  The Deltas are what keep me on the grid week in and week out racing a combined Elite/Elite Masters cyclocross field in the OVCX series (Ohio Valley Cyclocorss).  Racing a field with 80% of the guys being younger than you can make you feel 25 again, but the fact that I quoted the movie Animal House tells you I don’t know what the buttons do on an X-Box game controller.  Sure, you and the young guns are the fastest guys in your riding circles, but on race day you’re the guy on the trainer behind your buddy’s RV who pays more to store it every month than they do in rent.  They are the guys warming up under the hatch of a ’98 Honda Civic with those big stoopid Jay-Z headphones which remind you of the Koss you used to wear while listening to Led Zeppelin surrounded by black light posters in your high school buddy’s basement bedroom.  You may be in the same race, but your Delta’s are still waaay off man.

Gray beards race with pimple poppers in OVCX.  The payout goes 20 deep indiscriminately to those with ear-hair or zits.  As a guy who can operate a nose hair trimmer, I get pummeled week in and week out by guys with Safe Auto Insurance.  It’s tough to feel success in 30^th, 40^th and 50^th place.  While less bruised, even the fastest Elite Masters struggle for a top 10.  The only thing that keeps me coming back next week is the compliments I get at dinner parties from un-athletic friends and constantly improving Deltas which give me hope for that 20^th place prize.

If you're a bottom of the pickle jar Elite Masters racer like me and are looking at the overall results, you’re likely two races away from selling your bike and playing catcher for the office softball team or using the cash to get the deck stained.  To me the Elite purse is an Everest-like pursuit, so in the time being I find unseen prizes hidden the lap splits, the deltas.  For the past 25 years it’s been useless, but now is the time to put your college statistics class and Texas Instruments calculator to work.  Dig into those lap times results with the furor of a U-23 with his head in a bag of Doritos and find a glimmer of hope.

Me at Cincy3 KingsCX by Kent Baumgart

Delta to the Leader

The first step is to chop off the head of the monster.  As a Masters racer, you’re not lapped until Andy Rooney eyebrows gets past you.  Looking at the results of an early race, disregard everyone placing higher than the fastest guy in your Masters category.  This will likely eliminate the top 5-8 guys, automatically making you feel better.  Then look at the overall time of the lap finishing at the :40-:45 minute mark.  In this case, my delta to the best placed Grey Beard was a beer-belly-big 5:33.

SEPTEMBER EARLY SEASON RACE EXAMPLE

1 Pimple Popper 40:02

2 Squeaky Voice 40:04

3 Mama’s Basement 40:28

4 Dorm Room 40:42

5 ’98 Honda Civic 41:44

6 Fastest Grey Beard 42:10

51 The Best Bike Blog EVER! 47:43

Now, drill down to a more recent race like the USGP Derby Cup.  This past weekend at USGP, two months later, I’m a much slimmer 4 minutes behind the fastest OVCX grey beard.  I shaved more than 90 seconds off my Delta to my direct competition in the last two months, finished top 20 in back to back USGP races, and earned 4 USGP points.  That’s velvet smoking jacket in a leather chair good. Clink of the bourbon glass to my JBV Coach Chris Mayhew.

USGP MASTERS 45+ DERBY CUP SATURDAY RESULTS

1 EX PRO 40:04

2 PRO’S HUSBAND 40:05

3 FAST OUT OF TOWN FOGIE 41:00

4 FASTEST OVCX GREY BEARD DU JOUR 41:25

17 THE ELUSIVE WHEEL IN FRONT OF ME 45:23

18 THE BEST BIKE BLOG EVER! 45:27

Me chasing Papa @ USGP Masters 45+ by Christine Vaughan

Delta between Best and Worst Lap

Even though you’re wallowing way deep below the payout bar, there can be enough hope in your lap delta to keep you from turning on the gas and sticking your head in your stainless steel oven.  Never compare the fastest lap from your aging carcass to that of the guy who may still own Cars 2 Movie bed sheets.  Instead, compare overripe apples with overripe apples.  This Delta compares the time difference between your best and worst lap with those of others with wrinkly elbow skin.  It’s best to compare only the cruising laps.  Toss out the first lap split which is usually impacted by high traffic, a hole-shot sprint and/or a short first lap start grid shoot-in. 

SEPTEMBER EARLY SEASON RACE

#1 Overripe Apple 6:20 6:22 6:28 6:28 6:33 6:41 6:25 6:43 (best 6:22, worst 6:43) Delta = 21 seconds.

52 Me 7:25 7:11 7:31 7:25 7:48 7:38 7:36 7:35 (best 7:11, worst 7:48).  Delta = 36 seconds.

What you can see in these numbers is room for improvement.  The overripe apple is much more consistent.  Only 21 seconds separate his worst lap from his best.  Me?  Not so much.  But if I can improve my lap consistency by 15 seconds, I’d likely be 1-2 minutes faster over an hour long race, which would translate to 31^st place in this particular race.  I’d gain nearly 20 spots if I could increase my capacity for pain and mental strength to keep racing hard.

This brings us to the Delta from Saturday at the USGP Masters 45+ race, two months since that early race.  You see my lap to lap Delta has improved to 15 seconds from an early season 36. 

USGP MASTERS 45+ DERBY CUP SATURDAY RESULTS

18 THE BEST BIKE BLOG EVER! 7:17 7:29 7:37 7:41 7:44 7:41 (best 7:29, worst 7:44)  Delta = :15 seconds.

Lose Yourself in 2012-13 Cyclocross

I’m guessing this is the point in his training where Michael Phelps fired up the bong, aka The Rest Week.  While I don’t condone pulling a Phelps, with the sun of this year’s World Championship cyclocross season rising on the horizon, I clearly see why he needed the break.  In order to be the most decorated Olympian in history, he needed to be Mike for a while.  Go to Vegas.  Play video games.  Blow off practice.  Walk around with a case serial killer bed head hair.  On July 23^rd, my coach, Chris Mayhew at JBV Coaching, assigned me a two week break from riding.  He knows this season is special, a once in a lifetime perhaps.  Yesterday was the last day of slacking before a season that’ll end with the World Championships. 

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

I’m trying to balance levity with the magnitude of the opportunity.  Maybe you’re holding back your excitement too, and that’s why I sort of feel alone in the pursuit.  Even with the flame burning in London, I’m not getting the feeling that many grasp what a gift the 2012-13 cyclocross season calendar is.  Locally in the Ohio Valley we have clinics featuring Jeremy Powers and Kaitlin Antonneau, a cyclocross series in OVCX that’s on par with New England and the Northwest, the Cincy 3 Cyclocross Festival, Cross After Dark, USGP races in Madison and Louisville, a huge UCI weekend in Chicago, Nationals nearby, a Worlds warm up race in Cincinnati and then, finally the Cyclocross World Championships in Louisville for both Masters and Elite.  Oh-My-God!  What a Cyclocross Season!

Harbin Park, site of Cincy 3 CX Festival, circa 2001

12 years ago, you had your choice of three races: A, B, or C. The course was hastily marked with flags and orange spray paint.  This year, you’ll see national jerseys on the backs of European stars wiz past your nose through the fog of your frozen breath.  I’m not saying cyclocross is going to disappear in 2014, but right here, right now, for many of us this season is the best chance we’ll ever have to plant our cleats as high as we can on the summit of cross mountain.  This is the perfect opportunity to grab the low hanging cowbells.  Without pounding a nail in the cross-coffin, for those on the upper end of the Masters demo, you’ll likely never have this chance again without dipping into your 401(k) for plane tickets and baggage fees to Europe.  This is your Eminem “Lose Yourself” moment. 

Marshall Mathers turns 40 in October, racing age 41.

2008 OVCX Gun Club Carnage

Oddly, I feel almost alone in the pursuit, and mine has nothing to do with the podium.  Outside the voices in my head, I’m not feeling a buzz, your buzz.  Maybe it has something to do with the individualistic approach we have to cyclocross or cycling in general.  We know better than to hang our hopes on one race.  Dreams can be dashed on a sharp root or a slick corner.  We purse our lips and swallow back notions of excitement, in case they are dashed with a 25mph header into a sand pit.  But this season is different.  Never before have we had so many major events, so many chances to feel a little glory. 

Masters 45-49 World Champs Seeding Startline Jan 2012

So, afford yourself the chance and share your excitement.  Get off the fence.  Register.  Let the tiny cowbells in your head crescendo into some thing on par with the bum-bum-BA-bum-bum rumble of the Olympic Theme kettle drum.  Share your goals on your Facebook status.  Remember what a treasure it is to have that photo of yourself towing the start line at Worlds.  Hire a coach.  Snatch up that non-stop January flight from Denver to Louisville that I saw online for $262 round trip.  Volunteer as a course marshall.  Book the hotel for that faraway race or pro clinic you’re on the fence about.  Show up early for the juniors.  Stay late for the post race party.  Create a Power Point to convince your family that Chicago, Madison, Cincinnati and Louisville are wonderful places to visit in the winter.  The next six months will fly by and we need to make the most of it.  I can’t wait to be wearing a rain jacket, rubber boots, eating a waffle, drinking from a flask and standing next to you as we hang over the banners at Worlds screaming “Allez!”

Cross Nation, this year is special and we need more cowbell.

OVCX 2012 Schedule: Ohio Valley to Worlds

Series Art by James Billiter

With the UCI Elite and Masters World Championships coming to Louisville Jan/Feb 2013, organizers of the 9th Annual Zipp OVCX Series are proud to announce an exciting, expanded schedule for 2012.  (See schedule below or at OVCX.com.)

This year's OVCX encompasses 13 events that tour through the cyclocross scenes of Indianapolis, Bloomington, Dayton, Lexington, Cincinnati and Louisville.  Kicking off September 16th, this year’s OVCX series begins with Huber's Apple Cross in Starlight, IN - just north of Louisville. The series winds up 3 months later in mid-December with the series finale at the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis.


The schedule offers pockets for area USGP events and a great springboard for those with aspirations for the Chicago CX Cup, Nationals, Kings Invitational and Worlds in January.  Those dates also listed below.

The Cincy3 Cyclocross Festival makes its return to the OVCX series with Devou Park, Harbin Park, and the new Saturday night Elite/Pro races under the lights at Kings CX.  8 other venues link the cities of Dayton and Cincinnati in Ohio, Indianapolis and Bloomington in Indiana, and Louisville and Lexington in Kentucky.  The geographic layout of the series puts most venues within an easy two hour drive for most participants. 

Racers Battle the Mud at Kings CX Cincinnati

The 2012 series aims to be more work, family and travel friendly.  (See video at right or click here.)  Aside from the Cincy3 weekend, participants will see only one race per weekend on the schedule.  As in previous years, your best seven races count toward the series overall title making it easy to compete and have fun.  The OVCX series is committed to being a vehicle in developing young talent and will again offer numerous categories for juniors aged 10 to 18 and an under 19 category in elite races.  Chip timing will be again at each event to provide quick results and submission to USA Cycling for national ranking points.  Full series rules and categories will be posted to OVCX.com by mid-June.

So get your gear and cowbells warmed up and ready - we're in for a season to remember!

2012 OVCX Calendar:

Date:       Venue                                         Location                     

Sept 16    Huber's Apple Cross (NEW!)       Louisville       

Sept 30    St. Mary’s Cyclocross                  Indianapolis

Oct 7       Midwest Outdoor Exp. (Gearfest) Dayton                       

Oct 14     Gun Club Cross                            Cincinnati                   

Oct 21     Bloomingcross                              Bloomington  

Oct 28     Storm the Greens                          Louisville                   

Nov 2      Cincy3 (Devou, Kings, Harbin)     Cincinnati                   

Nov 18    Promotion Cross                           Lexington                   

Nov 25    Brookside Cup                              Indianapolis               

Dec 9      Buckingham Financial John Bryan   Dayton           

Dec 16    Major Taylor Velodrome (NEW)   Indianapolis    


NON OVCX Dates To Note:
Sept 8    Lionhearts CX                                Cincinnati
Sept 15  Hubers Apple CX Day 1                Louisville
Sept 22  USGP Madison Day 1                   Madison, WI
Sept 23  USGP Madison Day 2                   Madison, WI
Nov 10  USGP Louisville Day 1                   Louisville
Nov 11  USGP Louisville Day 2                   Louisville
Jan 5      Chicago CX Cup Day 1                 Chicago, IL
Jan 6      Chicago CX Cup Day 2                 Chicago, IL
1/10-13 National Championships                 Madison, WI
Jan 26    Kings CX Invitational UCI             Cincinnati
1/30-2/3 World Championships                   Louisville

Degrees of Separation: #OVCX to #USGPcx to Masters Worlds 2011

You raced or watched the USGP Cyclocross Derby Cup in Louisville this weekend.  With course tape snapping in the wind, you rang the cowbell at the fly-over, heckled Georgia Gould, followed Powers lines warming up, shielded your junior kid’s eyes from the guy cheering with a nipple-taped blow up doll and, even though you can’t draw a correlation, the three gladiators seemed to fit in with the atmosphere.  You had a blast.  Now, it’s Monday, November 14^th.  In two months, Cyclocross Masters Worlds unfolds on the same course.  We’ll see real rainbow stripes pulled over team jerseys and tears of joy in the winner’s eyes.  After doing my best 20/20 investigative reporting, crunching results, and talking with masters peers this weekend, I wont be surprised if those rainbow tears could be rolling down the cheek of someone we know. 

Cyclocross Masters Nationals 2010 45-49

1	Don	Myrah		0:48:36
2	Mark	Noble	Metalmtn Cycling	50:46:00
3	Jonny	Bold	Corner Cycle	51:01:00
4	James	Coates	California Giant Cycling/Califo	51:17:00
5	Richard	Mcclung	Lake Washington Velo/Hagens Ber	51:26:00
6	Mike	Hogan	Justin'S / Titus Mountain Bike	51:36:00
7	Arthur	O'connor	Team Big Ring-Realcyclist.Com	51:56:00
8	Tim	Butler		52:02:00
9	Eric	Martin	Webcyclery Racing/Bendbroadband	52:10:00
10	Jonathan	Card		52:13:00

It won’t be me.  The way I figure it, I’m still 4 degrees of separation from the next 45-49 year old Masters World Champion.  I finished in 23^rd place in Day 1 of the USGP 45+ Elite Masters, an eternity of 2 minutes and 47 seconds behind the beaded bling wearing 45+ winner Jonathan Card.  However, Card finished 1:12 behind a certain 3^rd place Jonny Bold at Nationals last year.  45-49 year old Nationals in 2010 were won by the legendary Olympian/World MTB Champ and four time Elite Cyclocross National Champion Don Myrah.  While Myrah didn’t make the trip to Mol, Belgium for Worlds last year, Bold did.  He won bronze, nine seconds behind 2010 (1961-65) World Champion Marc Druvts.  According to Bold’s blog, the race was very close.  Sadly, Marc Druvts passed away this August.  

Cyclocross Masters Worlds 2010 Mol, Belgium 1961-65 (45-49) 

1 Marc Druyts (Belgium) :37:28

2 Dirk Mertens (Belgium)  :00:07

3 Jonny Bold (USA)         :00:09

Granted you can’t compare last year’s Jonny Bold to this year’s Jonathan Card, Fred Rose or Mike McShane.  Variables such as geography, course layout, weather, and jet lag come into play as well as the typical boring master’s issues of family, careers and who's going to snow blow the driveway when I'm gone.  44 year olds turn 45.  49 year olds blow out 50 candles.  While it’s not a divining rod of Masters Cyclcocross, it does show the general caliber of talent present locally in Ohio Valley Cyclocross OVCX and the USGP.  Take a look at the current USA cycling rankings.  You may recognize a few names.

USA Cycling Masters 45-49 Open Cyclocross Rankings as of 11/14/11

1	214.80	Frederick Rose	Bloomington, IN	30553	45
2	216.22	Jonny Bold	Marstons Mills, MA	117383	47
3	219.53	Jonathan Card	Sylvania, OH	6078	48
4	221.85	Ralf Warmuth	Edison, NJ	231788	48
5	225.46	Michael McShane	Louisville, KY	23836	47

Card Tails Rose

In the USGP 45+ Elite Masters race on Saturday, OVCX regular, Fred Rose finished 3^rd, only 7 seconds off Card’s mark.  Mike McShane only 32 seconds off Rose.  Personally, I’m thinking Card may be even faster than last year.  In lieu of having Worlds in their backyard, I think many OVCX racers have raised their game.  After talking with a few Masters racers at USGP this weekend, I heard Card deliberately started training later and put less emphasis on early September races in order to focus on Nationals and Worlds. 

For me, looking at the theoretical gaps between myself and guys like Bold, Myrah and the late Druvts, I’m just glad it doesn’t get too much faster than this.  Staying on the lead lap at Worlds would be a dream.  While it may be a few rows in back of Bold, Card, Rose, Myrah and a few Europeans getting away to tropical Louisville in January, there’s a place on the Worlds starting grid for me.  

USGP CX Derby Cup 45-54 11/12/11
1 43 CARD Jonathan TEAM CARD 6078 36:56:00
2 2 BUTLER Tim WestEndBikes/Specialized 211505 37:01:00
3 11 ROSE Frederick BikeReg.com 30553 37:03:00
4 1 MCSHANE Michael Bob's Red Mill- p/b Focus Bikes 23836 37:35:00
5 65 MORSE Samuel Corner Cycle 25187 37:41:00
6 7 SIMON Wayne Enzo's/ Psimet 32742 37:41:00
7 6 LUCAS Keith Schellers Racing Team 209624 38:00:00
8 49 AUGUST Andy Park Ave Bike Shop 2073 38:03:00
9 5 KRAUSE Troy Monkey Wrench/Inglis 210684 38:11:00
10 57 CASPER Daniel GrandStay Hotels 214654 38:23:00
11 68 NISSEN Dave QCW 165977 38:25:00
12 4 STEPNIOWSKI Waldek lUNA 93056 38:43:00
13 14 FAGERBERG Erik Papa John's Racing Team 11159 38:53:00
14 32 TUCKER Troy Inside Ride 91206 38:59:00
15 56 TOTH Peter ONE DAY 39:04:00
16 12 MANDROLA John Papa Johns Racing Team 201258 39:13:00
17 61 POHLMANN Dirk Texas Roadhouse p/b Motorex 51532 39:22:00
18 63 PAGELL Mark Team WORC INTL 39:25:00
19 53 MCNAMEE Steve Le Scomparse Racing Team 189612 39:26:00
20 23 HUNTER Todd Garneau Customs p/b Powerbar/ W 178827 39:31:00
21 10 WELLSMAN Peter Pro City Racing INTL 39:33:00
22 15 MAY, SR John Papa John's Racing Team 195083 39:35:00
23 16 BELLANTE Joe BioWheels/Reece-Campbell Racing 199092 39:43:00

FRI KFC Sizzling Over Compton Wreck

In a press release today, FRI KFC, Female Racers Integrated to beat Katie Fucking Compton rejoiced saying, “every other woman in the world just got an extra fucking point next weekend.”  With her weekend wreck in Boulder (click here for news), Katie Fucking Compton will likely take 2 to three weeks to recover and not race again till the USGP in Ft. Collins Colorado the weekend of November 13^th and 14^th.    

According to a poll of organizers of this weekend’s upcoming races, lap times in the women’s pro race should go from 7 minutes and 30 seconds to nearly 8 fucking minutes.  “Riders who used to get lapped by KFC will now have a fucking chance of finishing on the lead fucking lap for once in their fucking lives,” FRI KFC’s snarky Spokeswoman, Colonel Sandy, said on her twitter account in just under the 140 character limit.  For the more caddy ladies on the CX grid, that’s finger fucking licking good news.  The press release went on to say, “in addition, women who finished on the tail end of the payout scale will now likely get $20 instead of $10, which coincidentally is enough money to buy a consoling bucket of KFC, two sides, and a slice of Chocolate Chip Cake.” 

Seriously Katie…get well soon.  We know you’re a sweetie and we’ll miss you out there.

Pulled @ USGP? What The Hell Were You Thinking?

Hey Sour Puss.  Hup Hup and cheer up.  The first faces I saw at the USGP on Saturday were sour pusses.  Like a pre-school art project gone wrong, their dejected faces decorated with the course’s dry dirt glitter affixed by a grotesque snotty sweat-glue told the story.  They didn’t even care to wipe off the Dirt Goatee©.  When I arrived in time to warm up for the Elite masters race, a lot of strong Cat 3 riders, riders who normally would be driving the front end of their regional series races, stood disgruntled on the outside of the tape as they watched the front end of the 2/3 race finish.  Getting pulled sucks monkey butt.  You could hear their thoughts.  “I should be up there.”  "The course was too short."  Riders felt cheated, and rightfully so…but only to an extent.

1. MrKatieCompton 
     
    I will say, day 2 at USGPLouisville was a step in the right direction but still some work to do.Twitter

As Jay Leno would put it to Hugh Grant, “What the hell were you thinking?”  45 riders entered a Cat 2/3 CX race with over 100 riders from all over the nation already signed up.  No offense to their prowess on the bike, but I think it’d be a tall order for even Jeremy Powers to plow his way from the back to the front of a 145 deep field of 2/3 riders in 45 minutes while avoiding every calamity, even if the lap was 8 minutes long.  By some of the bitching and moaning I heard from Cat 3’s around the course you’d think common sense were a banned substance.  You got whomped by starting in the back of essentially a Cat 2 race.  Maybe what’s really stinging ya is realizing that the whoopin’ was administered by 15 year old Jordan Cullen, pictured below.  The Cat 2/3's at the USGP aren’t a 30 year old’s playground anymore.

Still, a rider doesn’t see himself as a bib number and a birthday.  They see themselves as a Cat 3 who trained hard, paid $35, traveled, maybe even booked a hotel and didn’t really get to race.  Yeah.  Yeah!  You tell ‘em Joe Biker.  You say if the promoter accepts 145 riders, 145 riders should have a shot.  Yeah!!  Well this is a big field in cyclocross and not the 26.2 mile course of the Flying Pig marathon.  Riders get pulled when about to be lapped.  It sucks.  It’s cold.  Its cross.  Having a longer course at USGP may have saved a few souls, but I’d say even with an 8 minute lap, close to half the field was doomed from the start based on math alone. 

The last 50 riders signed up in the 2/3 field spilled cooking oil on the counter, left the coffee maker on and hoped the house wouldn’t burn down, short course or not.  That’s not the promoters fault.  There was a better option.  Coulda.  Woulda.  Shoulda.  A racer coulda passed 65 riders with a click of a button by entering the 80 deep pro race.  The Elite Masters 35+ had a solid 70 riders, 45+ had a manageable 59. 

Yeah the course was short.  However, even with an 8-9 minute lap, I have never been at a big cyclocross race where 140 riders, even 100 riders, even 75 riders finished on the lead lap.  Think of it like a beer bong.  The first 1-2 beers will make it down easy.  Unless you’re a fraternity brother nicknamed Bruno, the 3^rd PBR tall boy is going all over your shirt.  Secondly, I’ve started in the back in big races.  Even at the top of my CX game, avoiding every wreck and hitting every perfect line, I’ve never been able to pass 35 or so riders at the most.  For anyone who signed up when the USGP 2/3 field grew past 100, the odds were in the casino’s favor. 

CX is growing faster than the mold on the water bottle in the back of my truck.  A few years ago combining the 2’s and 3’s at USGP and other large races made sense and didn’t make a gargantuan field.  Promoters could attract the regional Cat 2’s that would rather not fork out another $60 for a UCI license they’d use once.  For the first time in their CX lives, if they entered early, they could be on the driving end of race rather than getting beat by Cat 1’s and pros.  Strong Cat 3’s would have their hands full, but still have fun.  With the short course at USGP and a field close to the population of metro Louisville, the fun got pulled right with the riders.  So I guess there are three options: enter a race where the mathematic probability of finishing on the lead lap is the highest, design a hideously long cyclocross course that can keep a larger portion of a field 145 riders on the lead lap or, simply split the 145 strong 2/3 field.  I like the latter.  It’s a good thing too.  Cyclocross in the US, in the Midwest, in Cincinnati and Louisville, is big enough for each category to have its own field.  That’s incredible.

Hear The Midgets Roar and Other Observations from Planet Bike USGP CX Race in Madison WI

By Guest Blogger Ryan Lindsay-Zephyr Wheel Sports/Cyclesport (pictured left and still on his bike at OVCX Kingswood)

I decided to take a trip to Madison, Wisconsin this weekend to race the Planet Bike U.S.G.P.'s and take the chance to see 3 time cyclo-cross world champion Erwin Vervecken race in America before he retires at the end of the year. Friday morning loaded up and headed north, all was well until I hit Illinois, lets just say their highway system sucks, especially their toll roads, but thankfully Wisconsin came and things improved. I got to the course at Angell Park Speedway around 2:00 P.M. and see the following sign at the entrance to the track "Hear the mighty midgets roar!", while at first glance it could seem offensive, it is really a dirt track for midget and sprint race cars, so no need to call the ACLU on behalf of any vertically challenged folks.

The course was pretty bland, a lot of flat wide open straights mixed with a few tight turns, off cambers, and a run up with some railroad ties on a hillside, but thankfully for me it rained on Friday, so Saturday was going to be wet for us working class racers. I got to the course at 7:00 a.m. Saturday to pre-ride before the Cat. 4's and juniors, things were still muddy and slick and I was loving my Challenge Fango's. 10:15 and I am lined up 67th out of 80 riders, the gun goes off, the sprint begins, and just as we are up to speed I hear the sound of bikes hitting pavement, not good, next thing I know I am running over people and then get slammed in to the steel fencing and hit from behind to boot, we hadn't even got to the start line yet! I get up, only to see my front tire peeled off the rim, so I do my best sprint for 300 yards to the pit, switch wheels and set off from what appeared to be last place, I got my anger channeled and started picking my way back through the pack, passing people in the technical areas and even a few on the power sections, all told I ended up 55th, and given all the problems was pretty happy with that. The pro's made it all look easy, 3 time world MTB champ Allsion Sydor amazed all when she rode up the railroad ties on the run up, and on the men's side all of the big gun U.S. riders were riding up them, while Vervecken (pictured below courtesy CXMagazine.com), swiss national champ Christian Heule and others were on foot.

Sunday I was hoping for some redemption, again got to the course early, things were changed up a bit for Sunday, the run-up was out, replaced by a short, steep climb, only to ride right back down to a 180 degree off camber and ride right back up, the announcers called it the "hillside strangler", I just called it tough, really a strength zapper, but we don't ride 'cross because it easy now do we? A few other minor changes to the course, but by and large it was very similar to day one. Cheered on the Cat 4's, juniors and begginers, including the Red Zone juniors from Louisville who were representing nicely. Lined up 68th out of 80 plus on Sunday, got a great start and was picking off guys pretty quickly, got up to around the top 40 and was settling in, came through lap one feeling good, and put in a dig right before a 180 degree turn to get rid of some people, only to have disaster strike again, rear tubular rolled, about now I am feeling like Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day", my motivation is now in the basement, so in a repeat from the previous day, I do my best Carl Lewis impersonation and run to the pit, switch out wheels, which takes a little time when you have to deflate the tubular to get the wheel off and start the same pursuit for the second day in a row, I managed to pick off about 15 people in the next three laps, but my heart wasn't in it and with the leaders quickly aproaching to lap me, I decide to pull myself, just had enough of the frustration by that point.

I regrouped and went in to fan mode for the rest of the day, got to talk with Tim Van Nuffel from Belgium and ask him what he thought about U.S. 'cross, he said he liked it, our courses are much more firm than what he is used to, he said he likes the muddy stuff better than fast, dry courses, little did we know, he'd get his wish. The ladies race was pretty much the norm, Katie Compton (pictured left from CXmagazine.com) versus the Luna tandem of Katerina Nash & Georgia Gould, with Compton reigning victorious. Minutes before the elite men lined up, a brief storm rolled through, turning what had been a sticky, grippy circuit in to a slippery ice rink, the guys with multiple tire options were smiling, but you could sense the fear in guys that were stuck with less than optimal rubber. Most of the big dogs handled the slippery conditions well, although did get the misfortune of seeing Troy Wells go sliding across some really rough asphalt in the final turn with a lap to go, he got up, but pulled the plug and had some nasty gashes on his left side.

Observations:

1. I need some guidance gluing my tires.

2. Illinois roads and drivers suck.

3. U.S. 'cross is quickly closing the gap to the old world nations

4. OVCX is a great training ground, our riders won the Cat 4 race, and 45+ masters both days, not to mention great rides in the juniors, masters 35+ and even some of our elite guys beating former national champions like Jesse Anthony and Justin Robinson.

5. Don't quit when things don't go your way, even if it seems like the race is a disaster, might as well just keep going and see what you can pull out of yourself.

USGP Cyclocross Louisville Results & Men's Elite Video

Link to results

Springtime In The Rockies

“Put a jacket on! What do think this is? Springtime in the Rockies! You’re gonna catch a cold!” My mother engrained that phrase in my head during my youth. To her I would always be underdressed when there was a nip in the air, but I felt fine. Really mom, I wasn’t being a brat. I think that’s one of the reasons I love cyclocross. My engine runs a little hot and I’m a little more adept at operating when it’s chilly. Consequently I wither like a nervous bride in humidity and heat. This past week, sixty degree days slipped down from Canada and into Cincinnati. Ahhh. It feels good, except for the extra goobers that seem to find their way out of your nose when the weather turns chilly. A day ago we covered the backyard basil for our first overnight freeze warning. Leaves litter my yard. The forecast is calling for a soggy cyclocross course at the USGP in Louisville this weekend. It’ll probably be a little crusty when the first racers warm up on the course. It’s warm enough for shorts, but chilly enough for long fingered gloves and long sleeves on the bike. It’s springtime in the Rockies weather.

Maybe my helmet’s on too tight. I could be wrong to romanticize about weather that feels like springtime in the Rockies. With the recent UCI stories posted here, we may have some readers from Colorado. Post a comment. Let the world know if my mom was right and it’s too cold to go out without a jacket when it’s springtime in the Rockies. The closest I’ve come is Breckenridge in June. (photo above is Breckenridge in May) Sure springtime in Ohio is usually around mid-April, but at nearly ten thousand feet, spring doesn’t start popping for a few more weeks in Breck. At that time, snow stubbornly stuck to the tips Ten Mile range, the trail that crossed the ridgeline into the back bowls of Vail was closed to bikes and frost sparkled on the porch when I stepped out with a morning coffee. Then, the sun rose over mountains warming the air just enough to where you couldn’t see your breath, cool enough for arm warmers but toasty enough for riding in shorts. It’s perfect. My mom was totally insane. Love her. Think the world of her. But she’s totally whacked on this one. Myth: Busted.