thescrawnycyclist

Sorry, no winter bike build to follow this year! Mostly just posting a placeholder where I can keep my race records. I might be making an announcement pertaining to the 2012 racing season some time in the new year though.

Both race series ended prematurely due to injury - L!B 12 mile series ended with a giant gash in my knee, and my cyclocross season was cut short due to a rotator cuff injury caused by a bad crash on a muddy descent (wasn't even racing, it was a casual mtb ride!) Otherwise, I think the racing went well - top 20's and 2nd in M20-29 in the L!B 12-mile series, and several top-5's including 2 podiums in CX.

On the road, the only racing I did was the club's Tuesday nighters (and whenever I felt like attacking the hills on the club rides), but I did ride more than 8,000km over the year.

Cyclocross (S4/Cat 4)
Barrie - 6th (-1'15")
Durham - 3rd
Hillbilly - 4th (-1'44")
Guelph - 4th (-1'20")
Conky's - 5th (-1'00")
Firemen's - 6th (-1'41")
Colden - 2nd

L!B 12-Mile series
2nd overall M20-29
#1 - 14th 49:39
#2 - 17th 43:26
#4 - 18th 43:13
#5 - 16th 42:12
#6 - 18th 42:02

Just a quick report...
The course was pretty much flat, except for one run/ride-up (I ran it), and suited more for power riders. It was cold, sunny and frost covered the grass initially, but it warmed up very quickly so I had to shed a couple layers.
My start was okay, I lined up first row and over the first few laps I traded positions between 3rd and 5th wheel. There were a few attacks but they didn't last long and I just caught back on. On the last lap, one guy who came up from behind threw down an attack and took off, the others followed but I couldn't respond so I finished some time back in 6th.

I haven't decided whether it's worth it to continue this season or not, I enjoy the racing but it's getting frustrating always finishing just off the podium, and the driving is getting expensive. I don't know, it depends what the weather is like in the following weeks I suppose.

Built up a Giant XTC frame using all the parts (except the seatpost and headset) from my old Kona Hei Hei. Don't get me wrong, the Hei Hei is an amazing XC race frame, but having a full-suspension bike isn't necessary for my purposes so I decided to ditch the extra weight of the rear shock and linkage assembly. The main reason I chose the XTC was the bargain-basement price, but also the geometry and hydroformed tubing.
The Kona was about 10.6kg, and the Giant is 9.8kg, which is a good weight despite 'outdated' components and no carbon fibre. All I have to do is chop about 4cm off the steer tube (hence the spacer stack) but if the trails were dry I'd be out riding.

New vs. Old comparison shots

Superb weather for today's race...sunny and warm. The course presented itself as a mountain biker's course, with a rooty run-up to start, a long dirt/gravel climb with another rooty run-up at the top (just to make the legs burn more), some trail, and a super gnarly sandy descent. There was a couple of fast gravel road sections and typical North American stake-and-tape course as well.

I was off to a good start, but the two leaders quickly blew by me. I powered up the long climb in an effort to pass as many slow M3's as I could, but there was still a bottleneck at the run-up, and I had to pick through more random M3 riders when I could through the trails and road sections with sharp elbows and wits. The sandy descent didn't favour my skills, and admittedly, I lost a lot of time there as I was on the brakes pretty much the whole way down.

With 3 laps to go, one of my competitors caught up and stayed on my tail for a lap, but halfway through the 2nd last lap he put in an attack at the right time and left me in the dust. On the last lap, I caught a glimpse of another competitor drilling it up the long climb behind me, I wasn't going to let myself lose another position so adrenalin kicked in and I probably rode through the trails and down the descent faster than any other lap. It worked and I crossed the line in what I presumed to be 4th spot, kind of disappointed to lose a podium spot again.

However, there's a little twist to this story. The race leader had a crash and took himself out of the race, so I got bumped up a position. 3rd place by default woohoo! I've been trying so hard to get on that podium, so this is pretty awesome.

Can't make it to the Toronto CX races next weekend due to their weird scheduling so it looks like the next race is in Barrie.

For your blogging interest, my race report for the Hillbilly Hustle cyclocross race near Collingwood.

First, let me set the scenario for the weather. It's overcast, chilly, with a lovely north wind coming off the lake. To give you an idea, I was wearing the following clothing articles: long-sleeve base layer, wind-blocking long sleeve mid-layer, long-sleeve jersey, fleece-lined bib knickers, wool socks, wind-blocking midweight gloves, and a skull cap. And I was still a bit chilled. Oh, and to top it off, it was sleeting. I know winter is coming, but so soon?

Anyways, the course was pretty much dry, somewhat long, wet grass and a few small puddles but nothing that couldn't be avoided. Most of the course was flat and power-oriented, with a couple long climbs, a semi-forced run-up, a spiral, and a short section on singletrack thrown in for fun.

I got off to a pretty good start, head-to-head for the holeshot and sitting second or third wheel for much of the first lap, but then things went downhill from there. We caught up to the bulk of the M3's coming into the singletrack, which created a bottleneck. After the first lap, I was not coping well with the wind and the chill; technically, I think I was riding very well (except for the singletrack), but it just felt like I could not put down any power, so I dropped down to 4th wheel with no chance of recovery. To be honest, with the guys who ended up podium, I think I would have ended up 4th anyways, but I'd rather feel like I had to earn that spot.

So I ended up 4th, no consolation prize this time. I will stand on that podium by the season's end.

Fourth 'cross race of the year was in Guelph, Ontario. I'll start by saying I'm very happy with the way this race went. The course was super fast and seemed to suit my abilities, so I think I rode very well, I had great competition with two others, and most importantly I had a lot of fun.

The race official didn't give us any warning, so when the siren went off I don't think anybody was prepared. Somehow, I managed to have a great start and took the holeshot, and led the field up the first climb and back down the fast gravel path. The usual race winner and a couple others took over the lead after a while, and after a couple of spills in front of me, I figured I was sitting in 5th or so. I got in to a group with two others and we had a great battle. There were some sections where I was faster, and some sections where the others were better. I took the opportunity to practice some race techniques, like overtaking in corners (successfully I might add), leaning the bike into and powering out of corners, and staying on attacks. The course was open with lots of opportunities to overtake, so passing slow M3's was not a big deal.

On the last lap is where my mistake occurred. As stated above, I figured as a group, we were battling for fifth, so I didn't really care so much. One guy put in a dig with a few hundred meters left, and the other racer and myself couldn't hang on. So it came down to a two-man sprint. The other guy started his sprint early; I'm not much of a sprinter but I was gaining in the last few meters but just lost at the line. I was quite upset to learn that we were battling for a podium spot! I ended up in 4th, 1'20" down from the leader. Lesson learned - always ride like it's for the win!

Nevertheless, as said before, I had a great time and I feel I rode very well. I do believe that I'm racing much better and faster than last year...the problem is that there are a few new guys who are faster yet.

This weekend was a double-header of cyclocross racing - Saturday's race in Niagara Falls organized by Jeff Moote, and Sunday in St. Catharines organized by Nathan Chown.

Jeff's course was difficult and highly technical, with lots of climbing and off-camber terrain, some singletrack, and a short run-up. A few chances to go for a swim in the pond as well. In contrast, Nathan's course was very power-oriented, with flat-ish terrain and a few long straight sections. It was still challenging though, with lots of corners (some blind) and a bit of loose terrain.

On Saturday, I nearly missed my start because Dan borrowed my bike to run up the road. My start was okay, I kind of filtered to mid-pack and kept up with the lead train for a lap or so. The terrain and my mediocre skills soon got the best of me though and I lost the leaders; not to mention that I'm quite terrible at run-ups (short legs will do that). As Jeff K. said, 'we are getting owned on our own course!'. I was riding smoothly putting in pretty consistent lap times, and on the last lap I started to close in on Ryan J. so I opened up the taps in attempt to catch up. I got fairly close, but he rode away in the technical sections and finished 10 seconds behind. Out of the 12 that started, I finished in 6th with a gap of 1'41" to the leader. I think I rode well, just not fast enough.

On to Sunday's race. I fouled up my start but stayed with the lead pack, and with a few guys sliding out and crashing on loose/blind corners (Jeff K.), I found myself in the lead for about a half lap. I got hung out to dry in the headwind on one of the long stretches though and quickly found myself sitting second wheel going in to lap 2. We started to catch up to the slow M3 racers, and I ended up getting stuck behind a few while the race leader rode away. A couple others caught and passed me on the power sections again, so now it was a race for 4th. The last couple laps was a game of cat-and-mouse between 4th, 5th, and 6th wheel. It came down to a sprint between the three of us, and I just managed to get 5th place, 1'00" behind the lead. I think this race went better, but I need more confidence in the corners and overtaking slower racers.

So that is my somewhat brief report of racing this weekend. Next weekend is Guelph for Southern Ontario Cup race #2.

For the first cyclocross race of the year, I headed down to Colden, NY with Jeff K. to race in Cat. 4. The course was tough, with lots of up and down, a flat power section, a run-up through a sandbox and one set of barriers. Warming up, the grass was wet so it was slick, but things dried up as the temperature rose.
I wasn't familiar with any of the other Cat 4 racers lining up, so I didn't know what to expect. The start was a uphill, but paved, and the first corner was a 180 degree turn, which I figured would be sketchy. I lined up in the 2nd row and when the horn sounded I went for it. I guess none of the other riders knew how to start a cyclocross race, because I got the holeshot and as I entered the first corner I had a large gap on the field. I looked back a few times to see if anybody was coming to challenge, and the marshals told me not to worry about what was behind.
I led the whole first lap, then on the flat section, finally another rider caught me. I thought I could work with him to stay away, but he just ended up riding me off his wheel. The rest of the race was fairly uneventful, I just kept a sustainable pace as the gap behind and in front kept growing. I lapped a bunch of riders, and a few riders in the Masters category did catch and pass me in the final couple of laps. On the 2nd last lap my chain decided to fall off, but I fixed it and continued without any penalty. The last lap my legs were done and starting to cramp a little so I couldn't power up hills or out of corners.

Anyways, I finished 2nd in the Cat 4 race, about 2 minutes behind the leader, and Jeff came in a little while later for 3rd. A good start to this year's cyclocross season :)

Well there is a first time for everything, and that was the first time I've ever DNF'ed a race. I had just mounted my bike and started to hammer when I tangled handlebars with another rider and we both went down. The other rider got up and went on to finish but I couldn't get up for a few seconds and was trying to grab my sunglasses, which had ejected to the middle of the path, before they got run over (gotta save the gear!) By the time I got up I was last, and as I did a superman and impacted my shoulders a bit, I decided to do the walk of shame back to the start line. Also my left knee was bleeding quite profusely.

Oh well, bad things happen and there's still one more race to prove my podium spot. Thanks Kurt for cleaning up my wounds.

Speed was the name of the game for the 6th installment of the Liberty! Bicycles 12-mile series. Attendance was down slightly so there was less kerfuffle at the start. The trails were very grippy and fast. I had a lot of challengers to keep me motivated and alert.

At the start I found myself in a train of 4 or 5 others with gaps ahead and behind, so the first section of singletrack was super fast. The train got split up with the stronger/more skilled riders opening up a gap and I found myself behind one other rider, and nobody behind me. He was good but seemed to struggle a bit on the power sections, so in the park I dropped the hammer and overtook him. Shortly after I caught up to Scott N., who was awesome to follow through the singletrack. I may have put a little bit too much pressure on him though, as he was dry-heaving on the final singletrack section :)

I put in a dig after exiting the singletrack to see if I could drop the 4 others that were now with me, but they weren't having any of my shenanigans and stuck to my wheel. None of them were in my age cat. so I didn't bother too much with a sprint finish....or in reality I just can't sprint. ;)

Waiting on results, but it felt like I was drilling it for the most part so it should be very fast and seal my podium spot in the 20-29 age category!

Update: Results are in, 18th with a time of 42:02. The times keep getting faster.