Crossing Over - MN/WI CX video

I am way behind on my Cyclocross updates, and now the season is over! I will post about the Crossniacs Fall back that we hosted, the great St. Olaf race, and my intro into the 45min cat 3 race at the state championships later, but for now here is a fun video called, "Crossing Over: Why I Stopped trying to Explain Cyclocross To Family and Friends" about the racing in the region. Make sure to watch at 1:18 for our super local superstar on the seat post cam.

Big Ring Flyers/Green Acres

Two more races done, and only three more to go this season. Next up is the Crossniac's race which I am involved in hosting, then St. Olaf, then the state championship.

Two weeks ago was the Big Ring Flyers race in Hudson that was well, pleasant. This was my worst race last year, so I wasn't too stoked about it this year. It was the exact same twisty course too, and all on grass, so it was more of a cornering technical exercise than anything else. But, I was doing OK and having a fun battle with a quick little jr rider who I had 15 seconds on, when on the last half of the last lap my chain fell off and I was left in the dust as 5-6 places wizzed by. Oh well, I still finished stronger than last year!

Then this weekend was the awesome Green Acres race, that was a blast of a time. You can see from the slide show below, it started off fogy and a damp 46˚ but dried out a bit as the race went on. Not enough to dry out the mud though! A great asset for me was the large hill that started the race, which I was able to power up and blow past everyone around me. I do like those hills. They could catch up to me on my weak points later on in the lap, but I knew I could hold their wheel and pass them on the hill. The big hill lead to downhill slalom on a tubing hill (fast and fun!), then some wide spaced triple barriers, then off into the wilderness for some mud, grass, single track, more barriers, and high entry-speed sand traps that could take you down if you were not careful. I lost my back wheel on the rocky single track and bit my pedal into the hill and went down on the last lap, which lost me a spot. But I was still happy with my finish, which was in the 53 percentile, and a new record for me. My season goal of sub 50% seems to be getting closer...

Here is a slide show, with the first half taken by Megan and then some shots of fellow Crossniacs doing there thing, taken by me. Taken with our new Canon D7 camera, but that is another blog post..

Wirth CX

It was another crazy and a little frustrating race at Wirth this year. They removed the single track mountain bike stuff that I didn't care for last year, and replaced it with a quick downhill to the lake, followed by a massive stair climb up. It would have been a better course if there were fewer people! I started in the middle of the pack (or heard in this case) and felt well going through the first log barrier, but then things slowed way down heading down to the lake and came to a stand still at the steps. Apparently it takes a looong time for 115 riders to clamber up a steep set of uneven stairs, and it made a traffic jam. So I ended up walking up the stairs slowly with the person in front of me bopping me on the head with their rear tire the whole way. Not very dignified at all. This kind of jam kept up for about four laps too.

Worse, they had informed us they would be pulling (removing) riders if you get lapped, making the long wait at the stairs and every other rough bit even more bothersome.

But, the course opened up and I got a kind of rhythm going and was nearing the final lap with out getting lapped, until about 50 yards in front of the line I get passed by the leader, thus I was the first last rider cut. Needless to say, that did not make me happy as I still had lots of legs left. So boo on the course designers for designing what must have been a great A course, but a awful C traffic jam.

Lots of great photos though! I love my new Crossniac's kit, it looks and rides great.

Oh and I finished at the 60th percentile, which is still a big improvement from 74th last year.

Orono seat cam

Check out MN Crossniac Mike C's sweet seat post cam of the B race at Orono on Sunday. Way better than me describing it!

Planet Bike - Orono CX

My first Cyclocross race of the year is in the bag! I finished 37th out of 66 riders, which percentile wise is my best finish ever! It was also my first race as an official and proud member of the Crossniacs team, complete with my sweet new black and blue kit with the Crossniacs lion on it.

It was a fantastic course, really a CX exhibition course. You started on a nice wide gravel loop, then fast down a twisting grass shoot, then onto blacktop, then through a sand pit, then double barriers, then really uneven and off camber grass, then a straight sprint through grass and dirt, followed by another twisty grass bit and capped off with a barrier at the base of a hill that required a nice run up after.

That pretty much sums up what Cyclocross is! The only thing missing was mud/snow. They also kept the course nice and wide open, with no sections that could be really be called single track, which I liked.

As for my race, I really used my new tires to their full advantage and bit in hard. I started a bit back in the pack, so I had fun clawing my way up the ranks as the race wore on. It was painful, but the course rolled so nice and was so open I was able to build a very nice rhythm that served me well. The race ended with one extra loop around the starting gravel loop (around a soccer field) and I was totally burnt up, but then I heard L. shouting at me followed by crunching gravel in my ear. So I floored it again. I managed to pass one rider in red that I didn't think I could have caught before the rider chasing me cut me off real close on the final turn and was gone. Oh well, gain one loose one! I learned something about tactics too I think. I just about died after the finish line though, that last sprint was killer.

So you suck at mountain biking...

Well its not so bad. But my first foray into mountain biking was not the most graceful thing I have ever done. I crashed a lot. I hit a tree with my handle bars, I lost control on a turn and landed sideways in the bushes, I did a big crash after I lost control on a sand bar that almost sent me rolling all the way down buck hill, and skidded out on another corner. But I did get this cool picture of me looking determined!

Worst of all though, I got a dreaded DNF (did not finish) when it was just too much. I was too banged up, and too tired to properly control the bike and I figured I could either end now or end in a crash some place else. So I rolled off. It also turned out my front tire was flat, but we didn't see that until we got home.

So, here is looking towards the Cyclocross season which starts in September when I will have the chance redeem myself as a competitive bike rider!

Chris the Crossniac

Wahoo, I have moved from being an unofficial member of the Crossniac syndicate to an official member this year. The announcement is here. I am looking forward to a good long summer of hills and a good long fall of jumping over things! Big thanks to L. for facilitating, teaching, training, and doing just about everything that is Cyclocross. I couldn't have done half of it without you.

So next race I will officially be out of my snappy black-everything uniform (minus the helmet) and into some proper colors. Lets get the season started!

MN State CX Championships 2008

Well that's the season! 7 weekends 7 races, and today's was a great one. I finished 60th out of 99 Riders which puts me in the 61st percentile this time. And I am really happy about that place too, because looking at the people I finished around, they have always finished ahead of me, and sometimes by a lot! So I can go into the off season showing some improvement, which makes me happy.

I got to the course really early this time, having screwed up my race last week so badly by being late. Race started at 11:00, so I was there at 9:00! I was 6th in line to register. It was cold, but I got a good long warm up and a few laps around the very long course. There was a little of everything today. Sections of pavement, grass, packed dirt, single track woods trails, a stairs/run up, and a sand pit. Only one set of barriers though, I thought that was odd. The pack for my race was big too, 99 racers which was the largest all season. I got a good starting position and missed a spectacular crash to the right of me on the first corner. I then proceeded to get passed by what seemed to be just about everyone but that's ok, I started way out in front.

On the first lap I was riding in the middle of a pack, but got sent to the back when the rider in front of me stopped short on the single track section and I ran into his wheel, which stalled me out an dumped me on my side still clipped in, and into a brier patch! Lots of burrs on my butt. I got up but couldn't get a spot in the train until every one rode past so I fell back about 10 spots. Very frustrating. Eventually I worked my way back up and passed guy I ran into, but it set me back.

The rest of the race was really uneventful. The course wanted to go fast, and I felt fast. I left everything on the trail and collapsed after it was done. Had family there today spectating which is always great and a huge motivator. Especially when equipped with a cow bell!

So, one season done. I am going to try and get ready for next year by getting more power in my legs via weights and of course more biking. Cross country ski season is almost upon us too, and Megan and I both have new skis to put to work...

Velo CX

Race number six was yesterday and it was a cold, snowy and wet one! It was at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blane which is a very neat place. In the warmer months you ride on the wooden planks on special track bikes but for this race we only rode on the infield. (Photo hat-tip to Frye).

I also got lost getting there and arrived with just enough time to register, get my bike together, change, and get to the line before the race started. So with zero warm up, and feeling slightly panicked, we were off!

...and the race went about as well as my arrival, with me crashing on lap two hard on the entrance to the Velodrome. I came in to the turn too fast trying to maneuver around a pack of three other people and lost both my wheels. It felt like someone had pulled a rug out from underneath me. And it was on astro-turf so it could have been! No great damage to anything, just a bruised hip and shoulder (and my leg warmer fell down making me feel a little 80s), but I had to get back into the race mentally again after that.

The rest of the course also didn't play well to my strengths, with lots of technical slippery turns and no hills to speak of. And it was cold! I should have had heavier gloves, because I couldn't feel my hands a bit which made shifting and braking an act of faith.

Overall I finished a fairly dismal 47th out of 58 racers, or the 81st percentile. But, while that is my worst finish of the year, I think the makeup of the racers was such that those who normally finish in the top half raced, and those who normally finish in the bottom half stayed home due to weather. I peg myself to a few other riders who finish around me, and they were all about 20% down from last week too.

Now there is just one race left - next Saturday, the "state championship" at Bassett Creek Park in Crystal, MN. The results from the "state championship" don't award any points, so the name has more to do with the fact that it is the last race of the year. Should be a good course for me too from the sounds of it.

Red Barn CX

Race number 5 in the books! It was at the Red Barn Tree Farm just west of Taylors Falls MN this Saturday on what was a chilly frost nipped morning that warmed into a beautiful day. It was the day after Halloween so there was a costume contest that was great. I didn't know cowboys did cross! The course was flat and very long - only three laps for the C race. I finished 48th out of 76 riders which put me at the 60th percentile, so I mostly kept the gains I made last week.

The course was almost entirely flat and bumpy with lots of twists and turns around the Christmas trees and then out into a dusty field and back. I still really need to work on my cornering, and I seemed to lose a little bit too much momentum at every turn that I had to make up in a sprint away. This left me utterly ragged by the end of the race.

The notable exception to the flat course was the "OH $#%! AHEAD" hill right at the end of the loop that shot you down a narrow track and then immediately had your run back up, and then dash to the finish line a few hundred yards away. This run-up wasn't much of a passing opportunity like last week, but did provide for a rather dramatic finish for the race!

Three riders had been trailing me the last lap but they gained on me at the end so that with just yards to go they were right on my wheel. I was spent, and hadn't saved anything for the finish! So we tore down the hill, and then I chaotically dismounted and we all tore up the hill in a frenzy. My remount was beyond awful, at that point I could hardly control my jello legs, but I managed to get back on and sprint to the finish crossing the line 1.5 seconds ahead of the guy chasing me!

Thanks to L. who was on sick rest and took lots of video of the race as well as provide tons of support and guidance as always. You can see the dramatic finish at 10:30


Red Barn C and Single Speed Race from Ladric on Vimeo.

Afton CX

Wow what a great race, and another one in the books! This was race number 4 for me and by far the best race and best performance to date. Out of 60 racers I finished 34th which puts me in the 57th percentile for this race. For comparison, last week I finished way back in the 79th percentile!

It was also a great race because of the huge fan section cheering along! It was a great family afternoon with a bike ride in between.

The circuit this time was a true cyclocross course with long grass stretches, several barriers (that were really tall!), a wicked hill to run up (with a skull on a stick at the bottom as warning), mud, dirt, gravel, and pavement! Personally, I found out that I really do love the run ups. The photo on the right here is the hill on the first lap, and I am the one in black at the end of the pack. But I think I passed eight of those nine people during this run up! So I finally found something I am good at in cyclocross. Running! Hmmm...

The best moment for me came on the last lap when I was chasing two riders and finally caught one near the top of the hill. I wasn't sure I had the energy to pass him, but decided that I had to try so I charged up the last quarter of the hill past him, and left him behind. I tried to catch the rider in front of him too, but there wasn't enough course left so I rode into the finish line easy and alone.

This race was very well documented and I got lots of cool photos of L. and I jumping, running, and looking tired along with some great shots of the family too. I am glad the race was Saturday and not today, that would have been miserable!

Big Ring Flyers CX

Race number 3 in the books! I finished the "C" race 38th out of 48th, which if you adjust for the number of racers, was actually my worst finish of the year. I also got results from last week's race and finished that 72nd out of 98 which is about right. L. had a crazy race this weekend, and rode through the finish in 1st place quite alone!

All three races have been so different, and this one was no exception. It was very grassy and flat, and since they got last minute news that they couldn't run the race through the woods they added some mad mazes that riders had to bike through. No run-up or hills to speak of. I started the race back quite a bit, and really wasn't feeling it. I just sort of bumbled along for a lap keeping in line, and it wasn't until I was into lap 2 did I realize that I was in the middle of the race and had better get moving! I did well after that, but by then I think I had dug myself into a hole and couldn't catch up. Oh well, it was still lots of fun and next weekend is at Afton Alps that is described as "something for everyone" with run-ups, possible mud, some fast flat, and other craziness (I hope). It is turning into "spectator weekend" so come on out!

I had a great practice tonight, and there is another tomorrow, so I should be primed for this weekend. Here my new park, that I think I like more. It is much larger so you can get some good long runs at speed which has been more like the races I have been in.


View Larger Map

Wirth CX

Race no. 2 is in the Books! Today's race was at Theodore Wirth park/golf course which is what I considered my "home turf" for cross country skiing races back in high school. So this was a kind of return!

The course it self was basically not a cross course, it was a mountain bike trail with stuff in the way! No chance for recovery, lots of narrow single track through the woods, and the only places to pass were on a few open spots where you could sprint ahead. I started back quite a bit in the pack and because the course was so narrow crawled along for about 1/2 a lap before I could stretch my legs out.

There were lots of crashes today. I was in one minor one when a guy went down right in front of me and I rode into him, but I was able to run and remount while only losing a single spot. I also got my fingers into some other guys spokes at a very narrow barrier. He came up behind me and tried to pass on the narrow part (jerk), and it turned into a tangle. Then there were three other crashes in front of me that were to my advantage and I picked up spots from them. None of these crashes were serious, just low speed pileups due to the massive number of people winding around! I don't know the exact number of people in my race, but it was between 100-150. There were 240 racers total in all three races.

Unfortunately, due to all those people the officials didn't have results ready before we left, so I will have to wait until they are posted online. I think I did better than last time but who knows!

This atmosphere at this race was really great. RT Rybak showed up apparently, there was free beer provided by Rock Bottom Brewery of Minneapolis, and there were crazies in the woods who were shooting off fire-crackers to modivate racers (it works!).

Corcoran Cross

One race down on the books! L. and I had a great day yesterday at the Corcoran cross race. The weather was perfect and the course was mad and dusty. They designed the race around a motocross track, so part of the time riders were going over these large sculpted ramps and jumps that were really fun. There were two tight turns at the bottom of fast hills that were pure gravel, that resulted in several slow speed crashes.

L. Finished the "B" race strong, third place! I finished my first race 45th out of 62 finishers (not sure how many started, I will link to results when they are online). The people I was finishing with seemed about right, so I was happy with my result. I had a great duel with one other rider for the second half of the race after he crashed ahead of me and lost his momentum in the race. I caught him on the run-ups, then he would catch me on the flats, then I would catch him on the run-ups until the very end I was ahead. But, I made a beginners mistake and thought I had one more lap to go when the race was really over just 100 yards ahead of me! He sprinted from behind me to pass, and I let him because I was saving energy for the last lap. By the time I saw the "laps remaining" sign said "zero" it was too late! Ah well, next time.

I managed to stay up the entire time, narrowly missing two pileups - one at the first turn and one on the motocross track (pictured below).

Next race is next Sunday at Theodore Wirth park, my old home turf for cross country skiing. It will be really fun to return again!


That's me in the blue/green jersey in the front of the second pack.














A crash that happened right in front of me on the motocross course.














Me, very tired!

Practice makes perfect

I got out to do a good hard cyclocross practice today at my newly found local training area, Prospect Park, home of the famous "Witches Hat" water tower and the highest natural point in Minneapolis. Here is the bird's eye view of the park. Despite its compact size It has a nice mix of pavement, grass, dirt and and since it is built on a hill there is lots of run ups and off camber downhill slopes. There are also hardly any people there, so I don't feel like an idiot on parade if I mess up.

My progress so far is small. I still screw up getting on and off the bike, and if my imaginary barriers (aka the sidewalk) had been real I would have crashed several times! I am fine when I am fresh, but once you start getting tired finesse goes out the window. But, there are still a few weeks to go before the first race! Practice practice practice...

CX 200

Bwhahahahaha it is here and it is awesome! More later..

Happy Birthday ... to me!

Great birthday week/weekend! Dinner out with siblings, music, drinks, and friends visiting this weekend.

But to follow up with my last post, this is my birthday present to myself! It is a KHS CX200 Cyclocross bike that I intend to race on this coming fall. Aluminum frame, carbon fork, and STI shifters. Along with that, Megan got me clip-less shoes, and T&L got the pedals to go along with it. So I will be clipped in and ready to go! Races start in late September and go to November. L. has been racing Cyclocross for years, so I will be in good company.

What is Cyclocross? Wikipedia says: "

Races take place typically in the autumn and winter, and consists of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5 km or 1.5–2 mile) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike whilst navigating the obstruction and remount in one motion."

Or as the video said, "a bunch of skinny dorks riding around on road bikes in the dirt." Races are broken into skill categories and that determines how long you ride. In motor sports, my favorite Rally Racing is probably the most comparable. Street cars running really fast in the dirt, mud, snow, and on pavement, compared to road bikes going fast on grass, dirt, mud, and pavement!

A Cyclocross bike is more of a classic road bike frame, so a little larger than a modern road bike, with softer and more grippy tires, and cantilevered brakes. If you swap out the rough tires for skinny road tires, they make perfectly good road bikes too.

Not sure when it gets here, but I can't wait!

Cyclo-cross?

Preview for the Fall?



More later...