West Chester CX 2015 #2 (WCCX)

From what I hear this is the last version of the West Chester Cross Race since the land its ran on is for sale or sold. With that being said and my lack of racing I decided to go out and race a bit.

Mens A 1/2/3 Race Video – 1st lap

The day before I ventured out to the brubs to do some failed Criagslisting, run by Bikesport, and ride with Glenn, Eric Ness, and Jamie. We decided to ‘tackle’ MattB’s firbird ride. Well i think it was a ride. Im pretty sure we rode bikes to/from drinking spot at least. Sections were gnar, people were great, and i got to do a bit of heckling, ie my favorite past time. all in all a solid day but i was exhausted from 76, and the grocery story, and such, not from riding…

Fast forward to sunday morning and im getting ALL the kittens rangeled and getting my bike into race shape. I roll out around 10:30am and pick up GregWhits and we hit the road.

The weather is too nice to be real. SS kits/skinsuits in Dec?! areyoukittenme?! The course is muddier than expected but we were told it was super icey/frosty that morning. The wind was minimal at most with the sun beating down. I watched/heckled the B-men and watched superstar-saxton ride at the front of the race for a while.

I warmed up a little bit and spun around, went down to the start and slotted in 2nd row behind MG. The whistle blows and MG misses a pedal and I skoot around him slotting in behind Jack on the road section and 5th coming into the grass. Ruether takes a low line around me quickly after and I sit in for a while. I realized iM not so good at this part yet… the race isnt super fast, everyone sitting in, BUT you need to keep you position and not get overtaken by everyone. I definitely need to work on this part as im not quite aggressive enough.

I sit in on the large front of the group for the next 1.5laps letting people in front of me if they need. COming around the U-turn before the pit I loose my front wheel and eat it infront of MG. Sorry Mikey!! for what its worth its the first time ive actually fallen all season which i think is probaly a bad thing. anyways this put a gap to the lead group and they have to hustle to try to latch on. I on the other hand jump on and realize my RD is a lil borked so i soft pedal 1/4 of the course, reach up to grab the course tape, and ride over to the car and call it a day.

The good news was I was able to get GregWhits getting his first 1/2/3 win ever?! Afterwards our crew hit Su Tao HARD!!! solid weekend and a not so solid day of racing. I think that may be it for me this season. as usual tons to work for next season. just hoping I have the will power to make it happen.

now bring on the snow! i need a break from bikes.

Brace

NickCal in the lead and NOT on his AWOL?>?>!

GWhits!

Su Tao!

PA State Champs – Pro Bikes Cyclo-cross Festival Day 2

Saturday morning Blake and myself started the day at 7am with a CX ride in belmont with the Major Taylor Neighborhood Bike Works ride afterwards where I got my first go at using the Indego bike share in philly. The ride itself with the kids was great, the weather borderline amazing and we even got to see a few of them win some awards.

Around 2pm or so that day Blake gave me, ‘Yah lets head to Pittsburgh to race tomorrow.’ I had told him and Stevie a month or so back that if they wanted to go and needed a co-pilot I was in. Alright game on. We rode back from west philly and I hurried to pack to hit the road before it was too too late. We had big plans that night to meet up with the Arrow Racing crew for Jack’s birthday in the ‘burgh!

Jack was also pretty siked on this local dive bar

We all pack into a hotel for the night and hang-and-bang into the night.

The next morning we all grab the continental b-fast and get ready to head west a little to the race venue/ Brendie and Keith had raced the day before and it sounded like the course was going to be 99% the same. It was cold out… the first real cold race of the season for sure. The course itself was pretty fun. Lots of flowy whoops, quick drop-offs, off-cambers, punchy climbs, and a pretty touch sand pit. The only downside was that the laps were quick, like reaaaly quick. The good news was youd at least learn the course during the race pretty well.

The start was asphalt into a short punchy grass/gravel climb. since I day-of’d I started last row (ie 3rd) but after the gun went off I was able to punch it off to the right and slot in around 7th or so. The san pit came pretty early in the lap but was wide enough if you took a non-line to not be a big issue. I crushed through the sand and made up a spot, hooked a 90deg left and slotted in line behind everyone else as in a hundred feet there was a tight 180deg turn that had a very narrow line at the top on the side of a very steep hill. Everyone was being pretty nice about it and waiting semi-patiently as falling down the hill would be brutal. Were all hugging the left course tape as the 180deg turn was tight and as im about to hit the apex I have some jabrone rip in on the inside and almost take me out down the hill. Oh yah, its just Arrow Racing’s Brendie… I yell at him for 6 seconds while were still on this off camber about being a jerk and jump on the road section and try to latch back to the group going up the big climb.

I make it back to the main front group and am sitting 8th or so when we come to a random left turn and Jack turn-bars somehow and eats it. Craig is right in front of me and crashes into him and I slow and barely make it around. This forces the gap to the front group and I charge to get back to them. It takes me a half lap or so but I make it up to Festa and the other 4 at the front and ride with them. At points I struggle to keep on their wheels but I eventually calm it down and stay focused. At one point Festa yelled for me to get back on after messing up in the sandpit and getting gapped a bit. Im able to hang with the group for 35-40min until the attacks start going off and I cant hang. By this point I can see Jack getting closer to me as I start to fade.

With 2 or so to go Jack comes around me FAST and almost crashes us both out. He bridges to another guy on ProMountain Outfitters who had fell off the lead group of 5 and they take off. I try to keep pushing with a goal to reel them both back in as theres no chance of catching back to the front. Jack drops the guy from ProMountain Outfitters and II eventually get past him half a lap later. I claw back up to Jack but then he attacks quickly after and I cant move with him. For the last lap hes got 10secs on me and I just cant dig deep enough to latch back on. I rolled through 6th and felt like I actually ‘raced’ for the first time in a while. I definitely miss that feeling of battling it out with people and being in the lead pack. Hopefully ill get my shit together for next season to make racing more enjoyable with off-season AND off bike training. Well see how that goes 

Mens B 3/4 podium

Mens A 1/2/3 podium

We then met up with my buddy for some late night east before making the 5.5hr haul back to philly. I forgot how good Spak Brothers was!!! Hotdamn!

Sly Fox Cross 2015

After its debut last year in 2014. Sly Fox Cross (SFCX) has become the most fun/anticipated local race of the PACX bar none. MattyB, Topher, and Nick put on a great event with great beer, great people, and a course that is actually fun to ride?!

This year we left the city early-early to help setup before the start of the race. I brought my race gear/bike but after the disaster that was me at CRCX I knew I should maybe not try to help all day AND race. This became easy to swallow as I started to drink some AM-beers. I worked the gate right by the run-up most of the day and got to heckle and shoot photos from there while getting a lap or two in when I could. The vibe and enegry was great, there were people there who definitely didn’t ride bikes, and there was even a camera crew who did a live streaming of the A race.

A bit bummed to have not raced but it was a great time from morning to night. I don’t even think I saw all that many casualties from the real race or the wild-SSCX fun ‘race’

The run-up before anyone was around

Joey at the front of the B-race

not sure if kyle was drunk yet here or not…

m.knee

front of the race

jamie!?

#dutchhammer

Crossasaurus Awesome CX 2015

Shit! As usual I forgot to post more or less anything in the last month or so… Let me try to get back on track.

Always a great race put on by an AWESOME team. this years course was better than usual with a really fun fast flow-y section that went down to the corn field. the last time i remember them using that section was the first season I raced where Mr. Ellis Kim talked me into doing my first B-race where I remember how he and Topher, and everyone else crushed my soul.

Luckily for most of us Ellis was in town and we cruised up tot he race after getting a bit of a ride in the day before.

We watched and cheered most the day mostly by the telephone pole… heheheheh it gave me many of grins. most people were civil over it with only a wheel or two coming out of dropouts UNTIL the catB 3/4 men who give 0 shits about not getting loose. best race to watch for sure. I was pretty bummed to have miss the other wilder crashes but 1 should be good enough.

Emma winning her first 3/4 race?!

B-men start (getting ready for the storm)

Blake barely edging the W over Max.Knee