Dallas, GA CX Race @ Paulding Meadows
My first foray into the 1/2 race was pretty good with a 4th place. Honestly, the masters races are harder than our 1/2 but I wanted the extra 15 minutes (why are masters races 45 min anyway?). Scott Staubach from Alabama came over and got 4th in the masters 35+.
Getting ready to freeze my ass off in Bend. Anyone have a medium thermal skinny I could rent from you for that weekend? I'll pay $50. Let me know (ucapugulator@bellsouth.net).
No pictures because everyone is selling them and they are not Milliman quality.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Fall Pastry ride...
How times have changed.
It’s hard to believe that the first real report coming out of New England this fall is not a race report, re-living some super bitch ass mud fest in New Gloucester or avoiding the crashes on the fast leaf covered backside of Canton, but a pastry ride report.
Now, in my undies, exhausted after only 30 minutes on the trainer, I am finally getting around to writing about a pastry ride while watching Terminator 3 on AMC. How odd and pleasant is it that this ride, filled with pumpkin muffins and strong coffee, was the highlight of the fall season for many of us?
HUP New England is a pretty large and rather diverse group of riders. There are currently more than 35 members. Several of us are very much in the thick of the vibrant cross racing season and have dedicated everything in the never ending pursuit of maintaining fitness. Some of us have never raced, and may never race. In the past 3 years, people have floated into HUP NE and some have also floated on to new interests. There are some guys on the team who have been on the team since the very beginning, and there are guys who just joined last month. I am not sure what attracts people to certain teams. Sometimes you join and its not exactly what you thought it may be, and for some members, the team that it once was, is not what it is today. This is the fate of all teams and organizations I suppose.
For those uneducated in the luxurious and indulgent nature of a Pastry Ride, let me explain. A pastry ride usually occurs on the morning of the day before your big event, be it a race or a hard group ride. The pastry ride begins at a café, where the rider enjoys 1-2 pastries and a small coffee. Riders then ride at a nice pace, no more than 15-16 MPH, for about an hour and end the ride at another café where they can refuel from the arduous ride with another helping of pastries and coffee. There is a lot of “people gazing“, excited talk of the ride to come the next day, and at times talk of family and perhaps job stresses.
The Pastry Ride Report:
Prologo…
Sunday morning, 4 riders met at Peets in Lexington to roll up to Londonderry NH to join the rest of HUP NE for the very first HUP Fall Pastry ride. The Icelandic Danish there is absolutely the best. Maybe not as good as some of the tasty offerings at Sofra, but still incredibly good. The weather forecast for the day was cloudy and 55-ish. Unfortunately the weather-man was only 40% correct. There was a fierce wind coming in from the northeast, making the rain come down sideways. By the time of the first flat, 2.5 hours into the ride, everyone was completely soaked, yellow lenses were covered in shitty grit, and everyone wished that they had taken the extra ten minutes to install fenders. There was some concern that they would get up to the ride and it had been cancelled due to the horrific weather.
Main Course…
The fast pace up to Londonderry allowed ample time to undress in the garage and throw everything in the dryer while enjoying a hot coffee, playing with Lenny the dog, and starting early on round two of the pastries. There is nothing worse than having to put on wet cycling clothing. Conversely, there is nothing better than eating muffins and putting on dry warm clothing. Unfortunately throwing 4 pairs of wet socks in the dryer with the kits makes for an interesting smelling jersey.
Within the next half an hour, about 20 riders trickled in to the meeting point. By this time some had already helped themselves to 3 muffins. Miraculously, by the time the last cleat was clipped in, the rain had stopped and the sun was struggling to come through.
They rode for about 2 hours through the constant rolling terrain of New Hampshire’s car-less roads. The slow pace fostered some fun innocent conversation which would eventually, as it often does, turn to more vulgar, and interesting topics. After a long climb, which seemed to end, and then begin again, the 4 riders from Boston broke off to catch the train in Ayer MA. The others on the ride rode on to end their day with more stories, laughs, pastries and coffee. The obligatory final sprint was apparently won by someone on a singlespeed.
Finale.
Unfortunately for the 4 riders, the distance between the break off location and the train station was much farther than they had anticipated. There was a point in which they were TTTing for 35 minutes straight, hammering through the wet and leafy bike path filled with pissed off rollerblades and dog walkers. Unlike in the tour de france TTT, there is no “N-1” rule when catching the train. There was a sense of panic when one of the riders fell way off the pace and there was a very real possibility that they would not catch the 3pm train.
But somehow they did, with only 8 minutes to spare.
The train ride back to Boston was quite surreal. The riders were asked to shuffle to the very last train car called “The lower car”. They had the whole car, as well as an overfilled urinal, to themselves. The train effortlessly flowed through familiar towns, Acton, Concord, Belmont…and finally stopped in Porter Square in Cambridge.
The town always seems a bit different after a day like that, doesn’t it?
It’s hard to believe that the first real report coming out of New England this fall is not a race report, re-living some super bitch ass mud fest in New Gloucester or avoiding the crashes on the fast leaf covered backside of Canton, but a pastry ride report.
Now, in my undies, exhausted after only 30 minutes on the trainer, I am finally getting around to writing about a pastry ride while watching Terminator 3 on AMC. How odd and pleasant is it that this ride, filled with pumpkin muffins and strong coffee, was the highlight of the fall season for many of us?
HUP New England is a pretty large and rather diverse group of riders. There are currently more than 35 members. Several of us are very much in the thick of the vibrant cross racing season and have dedicated everything in the never ending pursuit of maintaining fitness. Some of us have never raced, and may never race. In the past 3 years, people have floated into HUP NE and some have also floated on to new interests. There are some guys on the team who have been on the team since the very beginning, and there are guys who just joined last month. I am not sure what attracts people to certain teams. Sometimes you join and its not exactly what you thought it may be, and for some members, the team that it once was, is not what it is today. This is the fate of all teams and organizations I suppose.
For those uneducated in the luxurious and indulgent nature of a Pastry Ride, let me explain. A pastry ride usually occurs on the morning of the day before your big event, be it a race or a hard group ride. The pastry ride begins at a café, where the rider enjoys 1-2 pastries and a small coffee. Riders then ride at a nice pace, no more than 15-16 MPH, for about an hour and end the ride at another café where they can refuel from the arduous ride with another helping of pastries and coffee. There is a lot of “people gazing“, excited talk of the ride to come the next day, and at times talk of family and perhaps job stresses.
The Pastry Ride Report:
Prologo…
Sunday morning, 4 riders met at Peets in Lexington to roll up to Londonderry NH to join the rest of HUP NE for the very first HUP Fall Pastry ride. The Icelandic Danish there is absolutely the best. Maybe not as good as some of the tasty offerings at Sofra, but still incredibly good. The weather forecast for the day was cloudy and 55-ish. Unfortunately the weather-man was only 40% correct. There was a fierce wind coming in from the northeast, making the rain come down sideways. By the time of the first flat, 2.5 hours into the ride, everyone was completely soaked, yellow lenses were covered in shitty grit, and everyone wished that they had taken the extra ten minutes to install fenders. There was some concern that they would get up to the ride and it had been cancelled due to the horrific weather.
Main Course…
The fast pace up to Londonderry allowed ample time to undress in the garage and throw everything in the dryer while enjoying a hot coffee, playing with Lenny the dog, and starting early on round two of the pastries. There is nothing worse than having to put on wet cycling clothing. Conversely, there is nothing better than eating muffins and putting on dry warm clothing. Unfortunately throwing 4 pairs of wet socks in the dryer with the kits makes for an interesting smelling jersey.
Within the next half an hour, about 20 riders trickled in to the meeting point. By this time some had already helped themselves to 3 muffins. Miraculously, by the time the last cleat was clipped in, the rain had stopped and the sun was struggling to come through.
They rode for about 2 hours through the constant rolling terrain of New Hampshire’s car-less roads. The slow pace fostered some fun innocent conversation which would eventually, as it often does, turn to more vulgar, and interesting topics. After a long climb, which seemed to end, and then begin again, the 4 riders from Boston broke off to catch the train in Ayer MA. The others on the ride rode on to end their day with more stories, laughs, pastries and coffee. The obligatory final sprint was apparently won by someone on a singlespeed.
Finale.
Unfortunately for the 4 riders, the distance between the break off location and the train station was much farther than they had anticipated. There was a point in which they were TTTing for 35 minutes straight, hammering through the wet and leafy bike path filled with pissed off rollerblades and dog walkers. Unlike in the tour de france TTT, there is no “N-1” rule when catching the train. There was a sense of panic when one of the riders fell way off the pace and there was a very real possibility that they would not catch the 3pm train.
But somehow they did, with only 8 minutes to spare.
The train ride back to Boston was quite surreal. The riders were asked to shuffle to the very last train car called “The lower car”. They had the whole car, as well as an overfilled urinal, to themselves. The train effortlessly flowed through familiar towns, Acton, Concord, Belmont…and finally stopped in Porter Square in Cambridge.
The town always seems a bit different after a day like that, doesn’t it?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
2009 Iceman Cometh
There were something like 4000 racers registered for the Iceman on November 7 this year,so of course Hup was there.
It was the 20th annual edition of the"road race on dirt" and we had a beautiful day for it,sunny and mid 60's by the afternoon,no ice but I didnt hear any complaining.
Hup had a great day,many personal bests,results were-
Mike Koetsier-2:07:34-65th Expert 35-39
Jurrien Davison-2:09:56-51st Expert 30-34
Mike Doezema-2:14:22-30th Sport/Expert Clydsdale
Chris Davison-2:16:38-32nd Sport/Expert Clydsdale
Mike Clark-2:21:10-62nd Singlespeed 40+
Kathy Tahy-2:45-20th Sport Women 35-45
It was the 20th annual edition of the"road race on dirt" and we had a beautiful day for it,sunny and mid 60's by the afternoon,no ice but I didnt hear any complaining.
Hup had a great day,many personal bests,results were-
Mike Koetsier-2:07:34-65th Expert 35-39
Jurrien Davison-2:09:56-51st Expert 30-34
Mike Doezema-2:14:22-30th Sport/Expert Clydsdale
Chris Davison-2:16:38-32nd Sport/Expert Clydsdale
Mike Clark-2:21:10-62nd Singlespeed 40+
Kathy Tahy-2:45-20th Sport Women 35-45
KissCross #6 Manhatten Park
It was a tough day for Hup Michigan at Manhatten Park this year,flat tires and mechanicals seemed to be the story of the day,I cut a big hole in the sidewall of my tubie that ended my day and Chris and John both had bike issues,John rolled a tubie in the B race so figured he would race A's instead then had ghost shifting issues that knocked him out of that race too.Nice day for a race,sunny and mid 50's,challenging course with a big sand pit,a couple of tough steep hills and a rough muddy descent.
Hup results-
Jurrien Davison-25th A's
Chris Davison-36th-B's
Mike Clark-17th-B masters and 20th C tandem
Kathy Tahy-33nd C's
Doez and John Evans-DNF's but tried hard!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Cross Crusade #8 - Attack of the Gravel Pit
Sunday was the last race of the Cross Crusade series. Held at Barton Park (and the adjacent gravel pit), this venue tends to be one of those hate it or love it locations. AO loves this place, as his win here in 2007 earned him his upgrade from Bs to As. Slate is rather ambivalent about Barton. He's had good results, but has also experience big rocks and broken bikes. Max hates the gravel pit. He's left more skin, blood, and broken parts here than anyone should (or maybe that's Dan). So coming in to the final race of the Cross Crusade series, everyone has different expectations.
Race conditions were perfect. A week of rain leading up to race day softened up the ground that wasn't paved or covered in gravel. It was dry the day before, so some of the slick mud dried out and some of the deeper puddles went away. Clouds and sprinkles throughout the day kept everything just soft enough to remain challenging. The course avoided the most extreme parts of the gravel pit, but still had a steep off-camber downhill leading to a muddy wood plank bridge across a ditch. A couple of steep muddy run-ups with lots of loose rocks kept things interesting. The rest of the course was wide open and flat, allowing for power riders to put the hurt on anyone with poor conditioning.
All three of our racers had some mechanical issues, but all managed to finish. AO had some brake lever slipping issues that led him to finish the race with no back brake. Both Max and Slate took advantage of the neutral Shimano pit wheels after getting front flats. Like true teammates, they flatted together, pitted together, and finished together.
Final Results:
AO - 31 (A)
Max - 21 (Master 35+ A)
Slate - 22 (Master 35+ A)
Many more photos can be found here.
Race conditions were perfect. A week of rain leading up to race day softened up the ground that wasn't paved or covered in gravel. It was dry the day before, so some of the slick mud dried out and some of the deeper puddles went away. Clouds and sprinkles throughout the day kept everything just soft enough to remain challenging. The course avoided the most extreme parts of the gravel pit, but still had a steep off-camber downhill leading to a muddy wood plank bridge across a ditch. A couple of steep muddy run-ups with lots of loose rocks kept things interesting. The rest of the course was wide open and flat, allowing for power riders to put the hurt on anyone with poor conditioning.
All three of our racers had some mechanical issues, but all managed to finish. AO had some brake lever slipping issues that led him to finish the race with no back brake. Both Max and Slate took advantage of the neutral Shimano pit wheels after getting front flats. Like true teammates, they flatted together, pitted together, and finished together.
Final Results:
AO - 31 (A)
Max - 21 (Master 35+ A)
Slate - 22 (Master 35+ A)
Many more photos can be found here.
Bay Area Super Prestige #3 - Sierra Point
The NorCal HUP contingent raced under the lights this past weekend in the third Super Prestige race of the year. Morning showers threatened to treat the racers with some mud but the dreams were short lived as the sun quickly reclaimed its turf for yet another weekend.
-
Sunset at Sierra Point. Let the games begin.
HUP NorCal strategists Mike and Chris look on.
-Andrew and Greg headed out on course just before sunset to contest the Masters B race. Both rode well to display the HUP kit at the front of the race.
-
Andrew works the step-through on the first set of barriers.
Greg over the first set of barriers.
Greg crests the last short steep ride up on the course.
Andrew just seconds behind.
Greg and Andrew managed to find each other well into the race and put the TTT plan into action.
-
Next up under full lights was the Open B and Single Speed B race contested by Chip (B), Eric (SSB) and Andrew (SSB).
-
Greg over the first set of barriers.
Greg crests the last short steep ride up on the course.
Andrew just seconds behind.
Greg and Andrew managed to find each other well into the race and put the TTT plan into action.
-Next up under full lights was the Open B and Single Speed B race contested by Chip (B), Eric (SSB) and Andrew (SSB).
-
Chip had his strongest showing of the year under the lights.
Chip closing out the last laps of the race in good form.
Chip kindly displays his exhaustion to the camera.
Eric putting the hammer down in the SSB race.
Eric was unfazed by the relative darkness around the course. His well lit bicycle provided ample view of the terrain.
Andrew taking home the HUP Hardman Award for the night. Race twice on any given day/night and you quickly become a favorite to take home this coveted title.
-
Last up on the night was Basil in the Masters A race. Second to last race of the night and the crowd was in good form atop the short hill in the middle of the course.
Basil keeping the pace high in what must be one of the fastest masters fields in the US.
Last time over the barriers for Basil.
Chip closing out the last laps of the race in good form.
Chip kindly displays his exhaustion to the camera.
Eric putting the hammer down in the SSB race.
Eric was unfazed by the relative darkness around the course. His well lit bicycle provided ample view of the terrain.
Andrew taking home the HUP Hardman Award for the night. Race twice on any given day/night and you quickly become a favorite to take home this coveted title.
-Last up on the night was Basil in the Masters A race. Second to last race of the night and the crowd was in good form atop the short hill in the middle of the course.
-
Basil prepares to drop down off the hill.
Basil keeping the pace high in what must be one of the fastest masters fields in the US.
Last time over the barriers for Basil.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Take the podium picture in the post below this one and have everyone move to the viewer's right and you have the podium for the state champs. After 10 years of trying it did not happen again. Great hard race though and at the end all 3 of use were separated by 3 seconds. With a flat, twisty course I could not accelereate enough in the last 100m to catch back on. The race was at a dirt track speedway in Savannah, GA and it was 80 degrees for the race.The single-speed race would have been better had I not suggested to my friend and closest competitor that he should race it too. I even set up his bike. He won the state champ in that by about 10 seconds over me so basically I kicked my own ass, that and he rode a 50x17.
I got to meet a 75 year old Ken Laidlaw, Scottish cross champion who never lost a race and placed 16th in the 1962 tour de France, being the first Scot to do so. What a treat. When waiting for the single-speed podium he asked if we rode it on fixed gears and when we said no, he asked, what is really the point then? I thought that was really funny. Also met a Flandrian who offered me a trip to Belgium and to meet Eddie M.
Hey, at least they had a fly-over...\
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