Life lessons

"If I have a little situation, I can always jump off my bike and run up anything..."
Donovan, 5yrs old, on cyclocrossing at the park.

I have not felt like writing anything in the last few months, so if you are 1 of the 2 people out there in cyberspace who read this (besides my wife), I apologize. Following a nasty 2-week+ cold right on the heels of cross season and right before Christmas, my dear sis (in-law), Christina, was diagnosed with a giant aneurysm, and underwent neurosurgery. Complications post-surgery took her away from this Earth a few days after Christmas. This past 'holiday' season and beyond has been unlike any other we've experienced before... zero desire to blog.

Not sure just yet what 2012 will bring. A wise man told me recently 'one has to balance racing with life and as life changes, so does that balance.' As I stare at the 2012 season, I think I'll take Donovan's advice, jump off and start running...

More soon. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the kind words and support over the last few months.


jc

2011 Cyclocross Season Recap

I think 2011 cross season is a wrap for me. My first 'season' at this crazy sport consisted of 12 races, 12 weeks, lots of pain, and lots of fun. Yesterday was the last race of the SCX series, and a malfunctioning rear derailleur made for a lack-luster race. Ugh.

This tasty mud isn't doing anything for the pain.

At the end of the day, I walk away from the Cat 4 35+ line-up, with 11races, 8top 10's including 2 wins, feeling really lucky to have raced hard with tough guys way more talented, in racing conditions that continue to scare the daylights out of me, and managed to generate some results. Most importantly, I walk away with a group of great new friends, and look forward to tearing up the mud with them at a slightly different time next year.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Malakoff

Now, where are my swim trunks and my areobars?

winner, winner, chicken dinner # 2

Woah, man. I won my second CX race this weekend. After a slight mechanical (rock loged in cleat) netted me 9th the previous weekend, I got really motivated to try and grab the win at Woodland Park. I think it had to do with this race venue being just 10minutes from my house, and that my family had made a firm threat to come out and see the madness.



"Let's see those fists in the air!" said the announcer

I am pretty new to the CX scene, and in/around Seattle, there's 2 groups that do a great job putting on races. Now, I don't know if one is more 'true to cross roots' than the other, but I do know MFG courses are awesome and wide, and have lots of flow and speed to them. I enjoy them more than SCX venues (probably cuz I lack the really good offroad skills).



Opening the gap...

Donovan gave me a thumbs up from the sideline b4 the start, and then it was GO time.  Got a good start, made a move on lap 2, and then I just poured on all the gas I had and managed to hold off the hard charge of the MFG series season leaders. At the finish, I gave a hug to pretty much EVERYONE within reach, and then went to celebrate with a nice brunch with my family and my good buddy Joe.  It was way cool to catch a glimpse and hear Theresa and Donovan every lap. Thank you Lizzy, Matty, Jesse, Lindsay, Jeff, Tate, Andrew and all 900+ other people for all your cheers while braving the chill. And thanks for reading!

21, 4..... and 1.

the number sequence is a follow-up to this post.

I won my first CX race. Woah. I just went for it with 2 laps to go and it worked. My $600 'mad-props' rig and its little engine held off the cast of main characters that week after week has schooled me.

And what does 1st place in the weekend-warrior, young-geezer category get you, aside from burning lungs, tired legs, pats on the back, friendly handshakes and high 5's? It gets you a: a) Muddy rig, b) waffle-pancake mix, c) water bottle (from one of my own sponsors), and d) a very cool cowbell (left over from a different race/event). Cool shwag aside, I'm really psyched about coming up with THE race-winning move and the fact that it worked.

Let's see if I can do it again the next couple weeks. I'm getting addicted to this offroad madness.

more cross!

Ugh. This past weekend I got my butt handed to me by a race course that had more tricky off-road  parts than I knew what to do with. I hit the deck WAY too many times, more than in any other outing.

Crazy eye of the tiger!

Picture 2 is of a really loooooooong stretch of sand. I was able to ride it completely only once. I like how I seem to be the only one really stressing over the deep sand, while everyone seems very much in control.

I will improve my grip in the sand if I grit my teeth! ARGHH!!!!!

It was a humbling experience. Hope to do better next weekend.

Halloween is not too far away now....

Donovan and cousin Matty

19, 33, 12, 9, 7....

Those are my placings so far racing cross this season. I think I'm getting the hang of it, and every outing provides a chance to learn, and try new things. One thing I need is to be more assertive at times, though it is hard to throw caution out the door while sprinting hard and bumping around with guys that have 50-75lbs on you. Well, that and I need better off-road skills. Definitely helps when you get a call-up for the start so you are not racing from behind.

If you've never tried it, you gotta get out there and give it a whirl.

One more chance to learn...

Summer made its last stance this weekend. With warm temperatures and less rain than expected, it provided us with nice days for kiddie futbol and cyclocross. Donovan's soccer team, the Super Hero Squad faced off against the Fire Ninjas. They were pretty evenly matched, and either tied or won their game. In the end, it doesn't matter much, they had a good amount of fun.

Gas, gas, gaaaaaaaaasssssss......

On Sunday, I got my adrenaline shot. It was a good race, didn't go down, and it gave me more experience at this crazy off-road thing and learned a thing or 3. At my weight, I can run 30psi. Squishy tires...

Check out the $3,000 wheelset behind me... ooh la la....

Photos courtesy of Jon Hernandez, so-so cross rider, and heckler extraordinaire.

Have a good week!