Howling Good Time

The pictures pretty much say it all. Yesterday's Halloween Surf City race was a blast.

I had a good race too, finishing 20th after flubbing the stage and starting in the last row, scary !

Report Details: I hit it hard at the gun and wound my way through and around a bunch of riders to get back it a decent position going into the first turn. On the first off camber grass section a DFL rider went down backing up the entire field behind him including me. Life in the pack on the first lap can suck ! Off we go again, I pass a rider on the first run up and another on the 2nd by staying off the bike and running the stretch between the two run ups. The DJ music is blaring (Surf City's got it going on !) when i hit the grass sections. I'm going w/ the lowest tire pressure I've ever raced w/ and its paying dividends as I'm rolling fast on the grass. I focus on the Sheila Moon rider a few riders up making sure to keep up w/ his pace, together we are catching and passing a rider per lap. I'm having a blast and before I know it there are two left to go, that was fast ! I'm right behind Sheila Moon w/ Geoff from Fusion up ahead. We both go by Geoff w/ one lap left on the start straight, we come up to another ride who is going really slow, maybe being lapped ? Somehow he gets between me and Sheila Moon on the barrier dismount and the trench run through. By the time I get around lapped rider Sheila Moon has gapped me and Geoff's on my wheel. I slowly reel Sheila Moon back and coming through the grass turns before the finish I'm on his wheel. We both sprint out of the last turn and he takes me by a wheel.

Double Shot Weekend

Looking to get in some back to backs racing in prep for bigger race weekends later in the season I raced both days this weekend. Pictures; my friend Andreas ripping it, the kids are alright, and cheesy medallion.

Livermore on Saturday -

All the As started together with a race length of 60 min vs. the usual 45 min. A small field w/ maybe 25 total riders. I staged in the 2nd row, got an excellent jump and was in the lead string of @ 10 A riders around most of the first lap. A gap started opening up between the rider 2 ahead of me but I stayed tucked in, nervous about the length of the race. I felt really good not going too hard but riding fast. I settled in w/ a group of 4 riders one split behind the lead group of 10.

After some practice laps I decided to ditch the usual tufos and go w/ high pressure clinchers (mud 2 sprint up front w/ mud 2 in the rear). This turned out to be a fast combo on this course. I was able to corner noticeably better at speed than the riders with me. Around 1/2 through the group was down to 3 of use, with one being a 45+ rider. I was watching the other 35+ rider, Evan of HRS Lobster, as he wasn't doing any work in the wind. I was pretty sure I could break away from them but I didn't like my chances bridging up to the other group alone. So I stayed in and worked to keep the pace fast. Lots of back and forth but we are still together after 45 minutes w/ 15 left to go !

I'm still feeling good though and just waiting to attack. At 2 laps left the 45+ comes across me in the barriers and I bobble as he bumps into me, Evan attacks. I bear down and real him back w/ 45+ in tow. Last lap I wait for the long flats and I turn it up a notch dropping Evan and getting a little gap on 45+. I come into a turn a little hot and drift wide, giving 45+ a chance to attack. I get back on w/ 1/4 lap to go but now I'm thinking of tomorrow so I roll in behind him. 2nd in my class, small field but I'll take the cheap medallion thank you !

CandleStick on Sunday (the kids are alright)
Back to the big time w/ 50 riders on the line in my class. Got to the line and staged in 2nd row, a victory in itself in this series. Another good jump off the line, victorious fight for the inside on the first 180 and I'm in with a great start. I'm giving it everything I got to stay in touch with the rider in front realizing that i'm in a great position in @ 15th. What a blast to be able to ride full out on the first lap w/o getting stacked up behind bobbling riders. Everyone's going full out and I'm hanging in. Middle of the 2nd lap I get a little aggressive on a corner climb and try an inside turn like I'm on a motor bike or something, my rear slides out and the rider behind runs over my wheel and takes my tubular off the rim. Damn. Off the bike and a long way from the pit so I pull the tubular back on (it hadn't rolled far) but just like that 10 riders are by me. Ugh I could have been somebody !

Back on and after babying the rear a little it feels like it will hold so I continue racing. I get around a few riders that had passed me and I can see the original group now down to @ 8 not far ahead. I'm in no mans land and I'm started to feel a little worked on the minefields and lack of shelter on the pavement sections. (Sidebar, I had rode practice laps w/ less pressure but 2nd guessed myself just before the start, regretting that now) I get back to the group which is now down to 2 Dflrs and 4 others. Gap opens up ahead of one tattooed Dlfr so I pass him through some barriers, and I'm on the wheel of the next Dlfr. Uh oh watch out lapped rider which, hey, front wheel slide and I'm down. Tattooed Dflr passes me up.

I fight back to tattoo boy and with one lap left and too much distance to make up to riders ahead I stick to his wheel and let him pull me around. Once we are on the pavement I sit in a bit to recover than go pulling clear before the line :-)

Bummer about the rolled tire but I'm pumped with my starts this weekend and overall speed. Recovery week, weekend off, 2nd half of the season to follow.

Two a days

Not satisfied with one activity on a day off work and as the weather had cleared I decided to join my good friend Jim Kelly at the SF Hash Harriers run. I got to the start 5 minutes late and took some time running around the base of Coit Tower until I picked up trail. An excellent route took me up a bunch of stairs on the Coit Tower hill than down into North Beach and out to the Aquatic Park pier where I picked up the group.

More climbing in store as we made our way back and then up to the base of Coit Tower. Jim was running up the hills tonight, something about being cooped up inside all day or maybe he was chasing someone he'd just met at the pier :-) Phew those last few steps hurt in that good way that tells you your getting fitter. The obligatory beers and strange roasting cheers with the SF Harriers followed. An excellent group of folks all in all.

Frankie's ride

Yesterday I took the day off to join my friend Frank and some friends for his birthday ride. I picked up Frank his friend, Jacquie Phelan (yes one of the original mountain biker chicks !) and we made our way to Lagunitas. At lagunitas we meet the rest of the group; Gus (singlespeed), Curt (singlespeed), Monia (luna chick), Gregg, and Sharon. After much loafing around, it's amazing how long it takes mt bikers to get ready to ride :-), we were off and up Mt Barnaby on the glorious Bill's trail. The weather was fine, cool and damp. Sharon and gus set an excellent tempo pace all the way up the steady but never too steep climb.

At the top we all agreed turning it right back around and enjoying our work would best. Jacquie and I hung back to give those with the squealing brakes some distance and enjoy the absolute damp forest silence. No surprise Jacquie is way smooth on her bike. At the bottom we bid adieu to Jacquie as she made us promise to come out and race in the singlespeed worlds at Napa next summer.

We continue on through Samuel P Taylor bike path and start up the always longer than I remember climb up Jewel/Fairfax-Bolinas Fire Rd to smokers rock. At this point what I thought would be some long slow miles turn into intervals as Sharon and I race all the way up through the fog and then rain to the rock. Sharon has been consist podium finisher the season expert womens field and is gearing up for State Champs this week, go Sharon !!!

It's raining hard now so we cut the ride short and head for the trees and sweet pee. A bottle of wine is uncorked and we toast all the fine times we've had w/ Frankie. Than its down sweet pea to our cars and dry clothes.

Awesome ride thanks Frank !

CCCX #3 - Monterey

If you ever felt like trying a cross race this would be a great course to start with. Almost 1/2 of it was on pavement to make you feel safe and comfortable, the rest was smooth single track through the manzanita. A few dismounts and one long sand hill to give you a nasty taste of what cross is about.

Started out w/ a uphill sprint for about 1/4 mile on pavement. The course was so fast that I completely redlined on the first lap, kept it in the red on the 2nd, faded on the 3rd with thoughts of abandonment. Kicked back in gear on the 4th, passed two riders on laps 5 and 6 and glad to be done. Not much else to report, the course was so fast that it turned into a time trail after lap 2.

Oh almost forgot, the lone guitar player at the top of the sand run/ride up was cool.

Oh an apparently there was poison oak hiding in that manzanita, not so cool.

BASP - Sierra Pt Speed/Rockway

This past Sunday was the opening round of the Bay Area Super Prestige cross seriousness at the Sierra Point speed/rock way.

Determined to improve on my starting position I got to the staging area early and lined up in the 2nd row. I was expecting a course official or and announcement for us to roll up to the line when all the sudden the group is off in a mad dash, and I end up staging in the last row, in the biggest field of the season to date. Ugh ! Gun goes off and we are off in a mad dash to the first dirt corner. I knew that it would stack so I dismounted early and made my way to the sides to end around the cluster f*Xk. Early race chaos followed, I'm running and juking, finally I'm back on the bike on the tail end of group of 10 riders. I get around a few as I see splits start to develop, i go a little too aggressively and wash out trying to pass two others. Back on the bike and a lap later mostly back to where I was before the crash, but now I've got to ease back to recover.



The next few laps I spend juking back and forth w/ my friend Geoff from Fusion and some other guy named Geoff based on the yells of the crowd. I'm still trying to keep in visual touch w/ the group ahead while holding off the two Geoffs (fun stuff !). I'm gaping them on the start/finish pavement section but they are catching back up on the corners, i've really become an insufferable roadie !. With two to go I hear some sort of commotion behind me and hammer to final lose these guys and try to catch some ahead, that works and I manage to pass up one of the original group of 10 that has splintered unrecognizably. I'm totally worked on the last lap and just holding on but no one can come around.



Wow a lot of work and drama for a mid-pack finish, but that why cross racing rules, you can still have a blast beating out the guys around you.

DCOM weekend

An over the top weekend started out in GG park w/ Hardly Strickly Bluegrass and rolled into Friday night with Honeycut at the BOH. These kids will funk you up ! That they chose to cover Strawberry Letter No 5, says a lot.

More HSB on Saturday.

Cross race Sunday morning followed by Decompression Sunday afternoon/evening. Go monkeys go ! In need of a decom from DCOM :-)