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.

#Cincy3CX Hangover

Trombone Maddie Cheers Katie, Kaitlin & Georgia

I’d love to dazzle you with insightful commentary about this weekend’s Cincy3 Cyclocross Festival, but like last year, after writing the race stories for the media, I’m all typed-out.  While thankful to see my name in the Velonews Byline with accurate and colorful articles, the weekend was so ADD inducing, in retrospect, I can barely keep my thought in one direction.  So here’s some odds n ends:

UCI Officials are intimidating, like prison guards.  I felt like a sheepish grade school student asking the teacher a dumb question when I approached an official to confirm UCI C1 points went 15 deep.

The Farrell Family Crest

I forgot that I registered for Friday’s race at Devou.  That’s the pit falls of registering for events three months in advance.  I discovered the receipt for the race on Saturday while going through material to write up the race reports.

I thought Team Hungry was the creative team with their own team flag until I saw the Rogue Racing team made personal signs to cheer each of their individual teammates. (photo left)

Maddie carried a sign and a trombone, she’s like 10.  (photo above)

In my radio career, I’ve interviewed Garth Brooks, talked to Army Generals, and met big politicians.  I’ve never been star struck until I get in front of a pro cyclist.  Seriously, I could strike up a conversation with any total stranger at any supermarket in Anytown USA, but put me in front of Jeremy Powers, probably one of the most approachable pros on the circuit, and the nerd in me rises to the top.

Me and Jpow Take 2

I just remembered, Tony Frankin, the drummer Sunday at Harbin Park was wearing a Motorhead pullover while a CXer rapped over the beat.  He wasn't half bad.  The crowd erupted in cheers.

Arguing with officials at the start about your call up is like trying to talk yourself out of a ticket.  Might as well flash your man boobs.  Besides, when you kick and scream at the start line, you’re essentially telling your competition that you’re starting in the back and inviting them to draw first blood.

My Best CX Season p/b Pearl Izumi

Middletown, the home of classically restored Cutlass Supremes with DUI plates.

The fallen leaves at Sunset Park in Middletown were bigger than Paul Bunyan pancakes, man hole covers, floormats and hubcaps.

I still don’t know why I bother bringing an impeccably clean bike to cyclocross races, only to completely destroy it on one warm-up lap.

Katie Compton with Meredith Miller Pre-Race Day 1

Half finger gloves are perfect for tweeting during a cross race.

I love driving my Toyota 4-Runner over curbs while parking at races.

I also love to see my wife at the end of a race.  Thanks honey.

Some of your observations from The Best Bike Blog Ever's Facebook Page:

• 
  

  Jason (An overheard quote from Shawn Adams after 3 laps of racing at Devou on Friday, "When Trebon stomps on the pedals it just crushes your soul" 
  
• 
  

  Cooper (Announcer John at Harbin) "There is a hill at the back where you had better make sure your health insurance is paid up on before you hit it."
• 
  

  Lindsay William trying to look "as American as possible", which somehow included pulling his shorts up like Steve Urkel and shouting "U-S-A, U-S-A!" when Caroline Mani came by with about a lap and a half to go. This somehow precipitated an attack by Meredith Miller, which resulted in her taking second place.
• (An overheard quote) "I think he had a bio-mechanical" (and of course) "The $100 pissing fine and the DQ shocker of the year."

Fill-in-Memo: Asking Off For Friday CX Race

To: (Boss’ name) a.k.a. Worlds Most Greatest Boss in the World

Fr: (Your Name/Title)/CX3 Bike Racer

Re: Mental Health Day Friday 11/4

11/2/11

If you don’t count the half day I had to take after the group got food poisoning from (local hole in the wall restaurant your fat co-workers love), I have not been sick since I started working here at (company).  In fact due to my high level of fitness and health achieved by being a Category (CX license category) Elite Cyclocross Racer, I have not been sick since 19 (double digit year.) 

As you can verify on (HR Website), I have accrued (use actual number) sick hours which if used successively would allow me to retire this coming (day of week).  However, due to my undying dedication to (name of company) and love of (type of work you do), I very much want to continue creating (product of company) for as long as I can.  And, unlike (name of coworker that you’re certain abuses sick time), I won’t use my sick days whenever my cat coughs up a fur ball and instead use them if and only if there should ever come a day when I’m actually sick. 

Thanks to cycling, my fitness and health has allowed me to have a relatively perfect attendance record outside vacation and holidays.  While others less healthy than I have fallen to colds and that weird (make up disease name) that (name of co-worker) got, I have been your trusty side kick, able-bodied and minded to pick up the slack through thick and thin.  In addition, my dedication to bike racing has given me a sharpened focus to stay strong in the face of increased competition from (name of big competitor) and, like climbing the step of the awards podium, helped to increase our (insert your companies unrealistic goal here: such as sales, share, profit) incrementally.

I understand its last minute, but due to my work on (a big project) this is my first opportunity to take time from my (type of work you do) work and ask you for permission to take what I’d like to call “mental health day” to participate in a professional international bike race on Friday.  I have already consulted with (co-workers you can actually depend on to pick up your slack) and they said they can cover for me in my absence.  I have also worked ahead and completed (task that would’ve been due Friday or Monday) and delegated (another task) to (trustworthy co-worker.)  Let me know if this okay and I’ll put in the proper paperwork with (name of HR person.)

Best Regards,

(Signature)

PS...I strongly encourage you to "like" The Best Bike Blog EVER on Facebook here.

Walk Ups Welcome: UCI-3 Parbo & Compton Pro CX Clinics Thurs 10-7

UCI-3 pre-registration may be closed, but according to UCI-3 Promoter Mitch Graham walk ups are welcome at the UCI-3 Pro Cyclocross Clinic's Thursday evening at 5:30.  Parbo is hosting a men's clinic at Devou Park and Katie Compton the women's clinic at Harbin.  Just bring correct change, no checks, and pay the pro's directly.  $40 for big folks.  $25 for Juniors 18 and under.  Click here for details.  More here at Bike Reg.


Last year I attended the Parbo/Cameron clinic at Devou Park in Covington.  Even a stuck-in-the-mud Masters racer like me can learn something from the big dawgs.


Some of you have those German levers, Joachim Parbo said to a laughing crowd of about 40 participants at the Cincinnati UCI-3 Cyclocross clinic hosted by Danish National Champion Parbo and US favorite Molly Cameron at Covington’s Devou Park. At the time Parbo was instructing racers of all levels on how to successfully dismount and run barriers cleanly and consistently. Poking fun at some racers top of bar brake levers with a smirk he added, the Germans like safety. Seriously, you want to do one thing and then the next thing, he went on. Hands on the hoods, you brake, swing a leg over, dismount, run and remount. You don’t want to try and do everything at once. Parbo preached consistency. When you do things the same way ever single time, you don’t make mistakes. He jumped on his bike and comically illustrated how someone can bobble while trying to change hand positions, brake, dismount and run all at the same time. The Parbo way became crystal clear. Be consistent. Good advice. Even the racers who’ve been doing Cyclocross for years came away with some useable tidbits for this weekend’s UCI-3 races in Cincinnati.

Parbo always dismounts from the hoods. His brake levers are set up moto-style, left controls rear, and right controls front. He picked up his Leopard bike, and even by the looks of it, it was freakishly light. When you dismount with your hands on the hoods, you’re halfway there. Parbo demonstrated that with your hands on the hoods, your body is in a better position to easily slide on and off the saddle. He instructed the group to just walk with their bikes, sliding on and off the saddle. Light bulbs went on above many racers heads. The riders were no longer jumping on the saddle, but smoothly sliding on. Simple but effective advice.
Molly brought up a great point for shorter riders who were having trouble lifting their bikes high enough to keep the wheels from clipping the tops of the barriers. Keep your elbows in, Cameron instructed. With your hand on the top tube, and your elbow in, the saddle of the bike rises past the side of your body higher. Parbo chimed in, telling a shorty junior to try grabbing from the down tube. The barriers got 4 inches shorter after he did that. Also, keeping your elbows in prevents the bike from swinging wildly and consequently risking it being bobbled if hit by another rider.

Late in the clinic, Parbo said, it’s not about who gets to the barriers first or over them faster. It’s about who gets up to 25 miles per hour first after the barriers. The group went silent. You could almost hear the riders think. 25mph? Who is he kidding?  That’s why Parbo and Molly are pro and we all can learn a lot.

The Cincinnati UCI-3 Cyclocross Fan Descripto-pic

With Cincinnati's UCI-3 Cyclocross Festival upon us, now is the time to gear up and cheer like a pro for your favorite pros.  You don't want to look like a complete weirdo at the race.  No wait, yes...yes you do.  Being a fan at a cyclocross race is a whole day endeavor, you need to be prepared.  Take notes and we'll see you this weekend.  Click here for full fan details on spectating at the UCI-3 events in Cincinnati 10/8-10.

See Full Image and read all the goofy stuff by Clicking Here

Get Bunny Hopped by J-Pow: The Cat 4 Guide to Racing After the Pro’s at Cincinnati's UCI-3 Cyclocross Festival

Quitcher bitchin’.  If you’re a Cat 4, racing after the pro races at Cincinnati’s UCI-3 Cyclocross Festival this weekend, you should be tongue kissing the promoters.  Besides sleeping in like a pro, there’s a giganti-mongous immeasurable positive that no cyclocrosser before you has ever experienced.  You’re the man on the moon.  You’re the first to summit Everest without oxygen.  You’ll get to see how the pros do it, before you race.

People pay grizzled ornery old pro’s (cycling coaches) lots of money every month to get better at cyclocross.  Now, for the low Sham Wow cost of $49.99…no $39.99…no, included with your $30 entry fee, you can study the pro’s and learn lots from them and use that information on the same exact course on the same exact day while the pro’s watch you.  That’s unheard of.  If you do it right, you won’t embarrass yourself riding your Kona in front of the Kona Team RV.  Here’s how to do it:

Get There Early

The times vary each day, but get to the venue to be ready to ride during the open course window before the pro women race.  What!?  I should show up to a race three hours before my start time, that’s crazy talk Joe Biker.  No.  In fact, you should show up FOUR hours before your race.  Get there in time to be ready to ride for the open course before the Masters Men race.  Print off the confirmed riders sheet from the Bike Reg website to help identify the pros.  Ya see, if you get there at the right time you’ll be on the course warming up with Katie Compton, Barbara Howe, Laura Van Gilder and more.  If you know who they are, ask nicely, and they might even stop for a photo.  No duck billing like Snooki please.

Open Course #1

It’s too early for you to be taking a hot (fast) lap, but this is your chance to scout the course when the pros will be taking their own laps.  Right off the bat split the course into sections: the start, the sand, the twists, the straightaway, the backside hill, the barriers, the 2^nd sand, the finish.  Then spend a minute or two on each section.  If you luck out, chances are a pro will roll through on a few of those sections.  You’re not going to be able to J-Pow the barriers today, so look for the little things that you can easily duplicate.  What sections is Katie Compton riding in the drops or on the hoods?  If you get behind Barbara Howe, look at her form and mimic it.  How does Laura Van Gilder approach the sand and the barriers?  When does Sue Butler downshift before the climb?

Elite Masters Men

Put the bike back, finish registration.  Chill out.  Eat something.  Noodle past the pro team trucks.  Last year I saw Barry Wicks pin his own bib number to his skinsuit so it when he put it on it was perfectly flat.  Click here for that story.  When the bell rings, grab your bike and get ready for the 2^nd open course window.

Open Course #2

Be aware that you’re on the course with the elite women who no doubt will be getting in their last hard efforts before their race.  Watch out and yield for them.  You don’t want to be THAT GUY who crashed out Katie Compton.  Get in a hot lap.  Try the lines you scouted earlier at your race speed.  If you flub a line, turn around and do it again.  With the pro’s, pay attention to what they are doing 15 minutes before they take the hole shot.  See if any of the pros are concentrating on a particular section.  How long are their hard efforts?  How many did she do?

Elite Women

Grab your chair and cowbell and watch a section of the course that’s giving you the heebie jeebies.  Stay off your feet.  Cheer, eat and drink.  You have plenty of time before you need to worry about warming up.  Be a fan.  Enjoy it.

Elite Men Warm-up

After the pro women take the bell, grab your bike and your camera.  When the course is clear, get on your bike and ride with the pros.  Soak up the moment.  You got your hot lap in.  You know the course.  Have fun.  See if you can hang on Parbo’s wheel.   Ride along with Katie Compton as she cools down and say, “good job.”  If your name is Harry Wicks, get a photo with Barry Wicks.  Compare sideburns with Canadian National Champion Geoff Kabush.  Ask a friend to snap a photo while Jeremy Powers bunny hops you!

Pro Men Race

You’ll want to start your own warm up within an hour, but that still should give you enough time to watch at least 2 laps of the pro men’s race.  Watch the holeshot.  Since you registered late and are in the back row, pick a pro who’s a few rows back at the start and watch the strategy they use to work their way through the field.  Run over and catch them on a part of the course you had trouble with.  Then get on the trainer or roll through the neighborhood to warm up your legs.  When you hear the bell, ride over and catch the finish.

Cat 4 Warm Up

Here’s your chance to put what you’ve learned to the test.  Take another lap.  Eat a Gu.  Ride the tough sections at speed.  Get a few hard efforts in.  Practice your start.  Go get ‘em Tiger.

Cincinnati UCI-3 Pro's Put On A CX Clinic

Some of you have those German levers, Joachim Parbo said to a laughing crowd of about 40 participants at the Cincinnati UCI-3 Cyclocross clinic hosted by Danish National Champion Parbo and US favorite Molly Cameron at Covington’s Devou Park. At the time Parbo was instructing racers of all levels on how to successfully dismount and run barriers cleanly and consistently. Poking fun at some racers top of bar brake levers with a smirk he added, the Germans like safety. Seriously, you want to do one thing and then the next thing, he went on. Hands on the hoods, you brake, swing a leg over, dismount, run and remount. You don’t want to try and do everything at once. Parbo preached consistency. When you do things the same way ever single time, you don’t make mistakes. He jumped on his bike and comically illustrated how someone can bobble while trying to change hand positions, brake, dismount and run all at the same time. The Parbo way became crystal clear. Be consistent. Good advice. Even the racers who’ve been doing Cyclocross for years came away with some useable tidbits for this weekend’s UCI-3 races in Cincinnati.

Parbo always dismounts from the hoods. His brake levers are set up moto-style, left controls rear, and right controls front. He picked up his Leopard bike, and even by the looks of it, it was freakishly light. When you dismount with your hands on the hoods, you’re halfway there. Parbo demonstrated that with your hands on the hoods, your body is in a better position to easily slide on and off the saddle. He instructed the group to just walk with their bikes, sliding on and off the saddle. Light bulbs went on above many racers heads. The riders were no longer jumping on the saddle, but smoothly sliding on. Simple but effective advice.

Molly brought up a great point for shorter riders who were having trouble lifting their bikes high enough to keep the wheels from clipping the tops of the barriers. Keep your elbows in, he instructed. With your hand on the top tube, and your elbow in, the saddle of the bike rises past the side of your body higher. Parbo chimed in, telling a shorty junior to try grabbing from the down tube. The barriers got 4 inches shorter after he did that. Also, keeping your elbows in prevents the bike from swinging wildly and consequently risking it being bobbled if hit by another rider.

Late in the clinic, Parbo said, it’s not about who gets to the barriers first or over them faster. It’s about who gets up to 25 miles per hour first. The group went silent. You could almost hear the riders think. 25mph? Who is he kidding? I’d be lucky to hit 20 with a cross bike on grass. That’s why Parbo and Molly are pro and we all can learn a lot.

Cinti UCI-3 Cyclocross Live Race Coverage

The Cincinnati International Cyclocross Festival's day's 2 and 3 Pro-Elite Events will be live on CXmagazine.com in a scrolling blog format with The Best Bike Blog Ever as your MC...yo. Sign up below to get a pre-race reminder.

Day 2 Sunset Park Middletown, OH:


Day 3 Harbin Park Cincinnati:

Chequamegon Drift - 2009 Chequamegon 40 Fat Tire Festival

By Bill Baldwin – Best Guest Blogger Ever

Conditions were perfect, if not a bit dry. Temperature was 65 at the 10 am start and climbed to about 75 by mid-afternoon. The venue is beautiful -- extremely isolated in rolling hills, blanketed with 80-foot stands of pine trees. The 40.9 mile point-to-point course from Hayward to the Telemark Resort started with a 2-mile paced rollout on pavement through cheering throngs of onlookers in the town of Hayward (risk being DQ'd if you try to pass the four-wheelers leading the rollout). Riding in a pack of 1,778 adrenaline-pumped mountain bikers was a huge thrill, and pretty sketchy as the pack lurched, then slowed, then lurched, then slowed all the way to the dirt. Although I placed my bike in the start chute at 5:45 am, it was not early enough to get me any closer than the 200-300th starting position. So I was completely surrounded during the rollout. Once we hit the fields that led to the Birkebeiner Cross-Country Ski Trail (the "Birkie"), the race began in earnest with the elite/pros flying off the front en masse and everyone else jockeying for position.

(7am hundreds of bikes hold riders places for the 10am start of the 2009 Chequamegon 40 Fat Tire Festival)

Aside from the first couple miles, passing is not an issue on this course. For most of its length, the Birkie Trail is wide enough for four automobiles to drive abreast. It's mostly trimmed grass (think lawn), bordered by towering trees, with a strand of singletrack running the middle. A good portion of the race also covered gravel/dirt forest roads, with a few sections of true singletrack. Although the course is fast, it is by no means flat, best characterized as rolling terrain punctuated by several power climbs followed by immediate descents each mile. And while the course gains quite a bit of altitude over its length, there are some ripping fast descents, with the last half-mile shooting diagonally down the face of a ski hill to a 90 degree turn partially back up the hill before leveling off to the finish. The last 3-4 miles of the race is actually brutally (like Mohican) hilly, getting up to the top of the ski hill for the final descent. And frequently the descents ended in sand pits where it took good handling skills to hold your line at high speed. I remember having the sensation of Tokyo-drifting the turns on a number of gravel downhills. The dry conditions made for a ton of dust -- most racers at the finish line looked like coal miners coming off a shift underground.

The winner set a new course record at 2:02 and, from the account I read, won by less than a one-second margin, as the second place finisher apparently took an insane line down the ski hill to make up about 100 yards in the last quarter mile. Personally I had a great race up until mile 25 when my sciatic nerve acted up and wouldn't let me push the big ring anymore. Although I was inexplicably able to kill the climbs during the last 10 miles, I couldn't generate the power needed to hammer with the pack I had maintained contact with for most of the race. My bike was set up perfectly for the race with Mitch's fully rigid carbon fiber fork. (Thanks Mitch!!) I flew past fellow racers on the steep technical climbs, including the Seeley Fire Tower which is a four-tiered, half-mile, fall-line beast of a climb about 30 miles into the race. On the climbs I was easily passing guys who could hammer me on the flats, only to have them drop me within a qurter mile after the climb. Still, it was extremely gratifying to have the bystanders complimenting my climbing in those tough sections where half the racers were running their bikes up. (Which made it more frustrating to have the back and leg issues prevent me from keeping pace on the flatter sections toward the end.) I ended up finishing in 2:42 for a pedestrian 409/1,778. To give you an idea of the volume of riders on the course, if I had finished only 10 minutes faster it would have been good for 250th. There were a lot of fast guys (and girls) out there.

Overall I'd say the race organizers pretty much have the formula down -- it was a great festival atmosphere with a focus on bands, beer and grilled meat. It's worth noting that there are an additional 800+ racers at the finish line who complete the "Short and Fat" race, which is about a 15-miler that covers a separate course but finishes down the same downhill and at the same time as the 40-miler. A great laid back vibe permeated, and everyone was very friendly. (Of course the excellent weather played a big part in the event's success.) Although I probably wouldn't do it again because of the amount of travel involved, I'm really glad I got to experience this race. Especially those of you without kids should really consider making the trek -- you won't be disappointed. Do it!!

Results & Race Info Click Here

J-Pow & Compton Stampede to Wins at Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival Day 1

(photo: Katie Compton coutesy of Jeffery Jakucyk)

The course at England-Idlewild park rattled bones and turned wheels to tacos at the Darkhorse Cyclo-Stampede UCI C-2 in Burlington, KY on Friday, October 12th. The Cincinnati area hasn’t seen a soaking in weeks and the victims of the pounding course lined up for post-race massages at the Wellington Orthopedic tent throughout the day. The 80 degree heat compounded the hurt. In the Men’s race, after a lap-3 bike change which sent Barry Wicks (Kona) on the defensive, Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com) took advantage for the win. For the women, it wasn’t until lap 5 where National Champion Katie Compton (Spike Professional/Primus Mootry) put in a dig near the “horseshoe” chicane and shook Olympian Georgia Gould (Luna) off her wheel and escape to the finish.

In the Men’s Elite race, Powers and Danish National Champion Joachim Parbo (CCV Leopard Cycles) put the pedal to the metal at the gun and led to the holeshot with Barry Wicks in tow and Vitamin Cottage’s Jonathan Baker not too far off the pace. When Wicks met Powers, it was game-on and Parbo paid the price. That was just the beginning of Powers show of cross-power. On the same lap, Powers punched it opening a gap on Wicks around a tight off camber around a tree, but it was a little too early. Wicks closed it quickly with a “nasty” effort through the start finish which had a domino drop effect on Baker and Trek’s Jeremiah Bishop.

Wicks well of good fortune dried up on lap 3 when he took a bike change. J-Pow smelled blood and drilled it. Now away solo, he extended the lead by hopping a big log barrier to the cheers of the crowd. That move left Bishop, Baker and Wicks struggling to close it down and Powers in the lead for good. With Wicks dangling, it was Bishop who showed his short-track strength with a hard move that boosted him solidly into 2nd.

Powers lead increased to nearly a minute through laps 4-6. At this point, the battle was for 3rd between Wicks and a sweaty faced Baker. Before the barriers on lap 4, Baker got rattled on a bumpy off camper uphill u-turn and Wicks blasted by to claim 3rd. Parbo was still back and now closing on Baker. Parbo made contact and the duo worked together till the last lap where Parbo punched the pedals of his new carbon Leopard Cycles rig just before the barriers. Baker couldn’t answer. In the end it was all Powers with nearly a minute lead. He and Bishop both celebrated early by hopping the last lap barriers to the hoots of the Cincinnati spectators.

Unofficial Results:
1-Jeremy Powers Cyclocrossworld.com
2-Jeremiah Bishop Trek Factory
3-Barry Wicks Kona
4-Joachim Parbo CCV Leopard Cycles
5-Jonathan Baker Vitamin College
6-Troy Wells Team Clif Bar

As she watched the start of the 1/2/3 Masters Race, the always cheerful Katie Compton told her new hubby Mark Legg to have fun before his race, but it wasn’t all fun and games in the Women’s elite race. From the gun, Sue Butler (MonavieCannondale.com), Compton and Georgia Gould set a blazing pace through the chicane which put a big gap into a trio of Velo Bella women. With Gould leading the first lap, Compton went down in a wheel eating dip just past the barriers. Wasting no time, Gould upshifted and dug hard. With a show of the strength to come Compton made the bridge before the end of the lap. The two were away for good. With Sue Butler on her own in 3rd, that left Devon Haskell of Chicagoland bike shop “The Pony Shop” in a Velo Bella sandwich between Barbara Howe and Deidre Winfield. Howe fell off the pace on lap 4 leaving Winfield and Haskell to duel for 4th and 5th.

Back at the front, Gould and Compton traded barbs. Gould went first on lap 2, attacking at the same awkward off-camber tree that gave Jeremy Powers the win in the Men’s race. Compton, however, had other plans and quickly shut that down. The two stayed together until Compton showed her technical prowess in the downhill chicane. Gould tried to make up the ground but slightly bobbled on the same off camber u-turn that rattled Jonathan Baker in the Men’s race. Compton was gone. Behind, face flushed and sweat dripping from under her helmet, Sue Butler finished for a solid 3rd. Winfield turned on the gas on the last lap dropping Haskell to take 4th.

Unofficial Results:
1-Katie Compton (Spike Professional/Primus Mootry)
2-Georgia Gould (Luna)
3-Sue Butler (MonavieCannondale.com)
4-Deidre Winfield (VeloBella/Kona)
5-Devon Haskell (The Pony Shop)

• Personal shits & giggles: the above article appeared on Velo News, CXMagazine.com, Spokepost.com, DailyPeloton.com and Cyclingnews.com. My mom is soo proud.

Joe's Meet The Pros

Joachim Parbo nice guy, fast in the mud. Guessing he didn’t operate a toilet brush Monday night. Katie Compton, national champ, newlywed. However, something tells me she didn’t vacuum two floors of cat litter littered carpet this morning. Barry Wicks, too tall, too fast. He probably doesn’t know that the green bottle is the kitchen cleaner and the purple bottle is the polish for the counter tops.

It’s at these times, when I should be grateful to have the opportunity to polish my very own stainless steel kitchen appliances before I rush off to my career job in hopes of punching out in time to eek in an hour and a half of intervals at night, I get a little bitter. Sometimes you think the pro’s got it soo easy. All they have to do is ride their fancy new Sram Red equipped carbon bike day in and day out, travel to cool places every week and sing along with happy Disney songs on thier Ipods.

Then again, with sweat dripping into fresh road rash after the 15th 10 minute lactate threshold interval in the pouring rain on Monday’s four hour ride while wondering how lumpy this weekend's host housing stow-a-bed is going to be, I’m sure Joachim Parbo would probably rather be discovering a cat turd under the dryer or practically losing consciousness from the fumes of Lime-Away while scrubbing the mildew out of a steam shower.

This weekend the Joe’s meet the Pro’s at the big UCI 3-Day International Cyclocross Festival in Cincinnati. Details here.