I’m on my home turf for the Masters 30-34 category at the National Cyclocross Championships and I’m about to take the most important corner of my season.  My right hand is out on the hood, but my left is on the top of the bar.  I want it on the left hood.  I need my brakes.  I can’t mess up this corner, not after these people have pushed me to where I am.  I’m cross-eyed and can’t seem to move my hand to where I want it.  I keep pushing and cross over to set up for the turn.  I reluctantly let go of the bar and move my hand out.  One way or another, this next corner is going to define my season.

The day did not start off as a normal cross race day.  Most cross races require me to travel 3 hours to the Portland area, race, then travel 3 hours home.  Unpack, eat (again), shower, and then sleep.  When the Monday work day comes I can barely wake up and I am reminded of how crazy cross makes me.  Why do I do this to myself?  When the next race comes around and I’m pushing my limits, I remember.

No, the day was not a normal cross race day.  For one, it was the National Championships.  Second, the race was in my town, 5 minutes down the street from my house.  What does that mean?  It means I slept in my own bed.  It means I actually slept in.  I made my own breakfast.  I watched one of my favorite shows.  I worked on my bike in my garage.  All week people were asking me if I was ready.  My response?

“As ready as I’ll be.”

Well, how do you feel?

“Tranquillo.”

The only thing I knew for certain was that I was calm and when approaching your biggest goal of the year, what more can you ask for?

I rolled down to the venue to start my race routine.  Unload wheels.  Unload bike.  Unload the trainer.  Go eat Bob’s Red Mill oats.  Thump Coffee.  So good.  I missed out on some teammates races, but cheered on others.  The previous days were about others, but today I had to be selfish.

I hadn’t ridden the course all week.  No need to.  It changed daily.  I didn’t want to stress about crappy conditions when I knew that Saturday at 3:30pm would only be like Saturday at 3:30pm.  When I finished getting dressed, Adam Myerson rode up to the Sunnyside team tent.  He was working with Mike Schindler for the weekend and I am coached by one of his Cycle-Smart coaches, Ben Turner.  I hopped on the course and he rode ½ a lap with me giving me his take on the course.

“I like to ride the tape,” he told me.

“Me too!”

“The ground is usually firmer, but you run the risk of hitting course markings.”

“I know, I have skin missing from riding the tape at the USGPs last weekend.”

The fact that I had similar course lines as Adam brought on a confidence that I needed.  He pointed out the line NOT to take through the ditch before the flyover.  He had flatted on a course recon lap when he rode through the middle.  DO NOT RIDE THE MIDDLE.  I would pound those words into my head as I readied for my race.  We walked the stairs and at the top he stopped to give me what would be the best advice of the day.

“The line on the left is way faster, but don’t ride it if you’re towing people around.  Save it for when you need it.  Use it for your attack and if you cross over before the corner, you’ll be fine,” he told me.

After that, he left me to ride at a quicker pace for my warm up.  I got 2 laps in and felt that was enough.  A trip to the car for some dry clothes and shoes and I was ready for my final prep.

1 hr to go:

SportLegs, Hammer gel, dry clothes, olbas oil, on the trainer, iPod

Lil Wayne

Not joking around with surrounding friends like usual

Concentrating

Focused

2×3 min at low threshold

3×1 min high cadence

164lbs

31psi in my rear Schwalbe Racing Ralph

29psi in my FMB Grippo (old Racing Ralph tread) Molly Cameron Special Edition

Change in to my Castelli cross speed suit, Hammer gel and head to the start

The only hitch in the whole things was that I missed my call up.  I didn’t let that stop me though, and I made my way to the second row where the previous day’s top 10 TT had landed me.  Lucky call up #13.  Almost proved to be Unlucky, but who really believes in that stuff…

I downed a Red Bull on the start line, as I knew we would be standing around for a few minutes.  One piece at a time I handed my legwarmers, jacket, bottle and helmet cover to my friends, who for this day had transformed themselves in to my “Damian Kicks Ass” fan club.  These are some of the people I want to do my best for.

The gun goes off and a flurry of spandex flies down the start straight.  Without going to deep, I find myself taking the first corner with only a few in front of me.  I go wide and only a few more take me on the inside.

Goal 1 accomplished: Make the first corner without crashing or being behind a crash.

Hard, bumpy pedaling, another corner and some puddles.  A tight right off camber.  Riders down.  Weave around the chaos and hit the first grassy mud bog.  Low cadence, high power, tight corner, more power and then pavement.  The pavement brought on a little relief after the hard start and I realized only a few riders were in front of me including the pre race favorite, last years 2^nd place finisher, Matt Pococha (who killed me at the USGPs).  After another quick off camber that merged to more pavement, I set off in pursuit of who I thought was going to win this race.  Before we hit the steep ride up/run up I had made contact with Matt and one other rider while a lone rider was several bike lengths off the front.  I was right where I wanted to be.  4^th wheel and with the pre-race favorite.

As we crossed on to the Deschutes Brewery property and rounded the right hand corner, the Sunnyside tent erupted.  More people I want to make proud.  A long grass stretch and a left corner where all four of us went wide to the snow fencing.  Disaster struck.

I think a previous rider hit some course markings.  I think.  All I know is that the snow fencing was leaning in to the course and as I stayed glued to the wheel in front of me, I hit a course stake and went crashing to the ground.  I landed on my back and slid away from my bike.  It seemed like an eternity and I remember being impressed that the grass, which was now covered in mud and snow, was acting as a slip and slide.

Fuck!  Fuck!  Fuck!  Get back to your bike.  Too many people are going by.  There goes the winner!  Shit!  You crashed last year and never saw the top 10 again.  Go!  Go!  GO!  Collect yourself and pedal your bike.

As I remounted my bike, it was hard to not question if the entire season had come down to this.  Lap one and done.  These guys have been thinking the same thing all year.  They came here to win and now I have to eat my way through them just for a shot at the top 10.

Initially my legs did not want to move very quickly.  The lactate that had just exploded through my legs was now pooling and making it very hard to move fast.  The grass before the flyover seemed to sap all my energy and what was left disappeared as I crawled up and over the other side.  I settled in to my grass bog rhythm and as I approached the corner by the stairs I was reenergized.  The Sunnyside tent was yelling, the stairs and top stretch were lined with people I knew and they were going crazy.

Hit the start straight and accelerate.  Corner, accelerate, corner and accelerate.  Repeat.  Don and Mike are cheering me on from the pits.  Can’t let them down.  Grab a group and then ditch that group.  Keep moving forward.  My second time up the flyover, I thought I was going to fall over.  How am I going to make it over this 3 more times?  I’ll find a way.

Eventually I made it up to John Curry and we continued to move through the field.  Top 10.  Done.  Top 8.  Done.  Top 5 is just up ahead?  Are you kidding?  The Old Mill side of the course was nice for getting splits.  John had friends on the least populated side and they were telling him where he was in the race.  As his new best friend I was also getting the info.  We made our way in to the top 5 and for 2 laps we beat the crap out of each other.  If things went well the worst one of us would finish would be 5^th and we would both be on the podium at Nationals.

Photo: Heidi Swift

I felt stronger off road, but he would pull me back on the pavement and accelerate past as the next dirt section approached.  I would pull him back in the technical spots and I rode the bogs stronger.  With 1 lap to go approaching, and a slight gap in the bog after the flyover, I busted out my secret weapon.  As I remounted at the top of the stairs I stayed left and tried to ride away for 4^th on my own.  I crossed over to the right, took the downhill off camber corner and hit the pavement with several bike lengths.  I stood up and gave a dig, but Curry made contact.

Bell lap and we took corner 1 shoulder to shoulder.

I led through the pits, grass bog and to the second pavement stretch.  That’s when he accelerated past me and got a gap.

DIG!  Make this corner and stand up!  Ride back to his wheel!  The effort came easier than I was expecting and we continued toward the podium as 6^th place seemed to be making up ground.  As we rounded the pit for the last time and blasted through the puddles I was getting ready for my final push.

On the slight uphill before entering the Deschutes property I pulled even with Curry and pushed through the deeper mud to make the pass.  I wanted to come into the grass in front.  The Sunnyside crew would see me first and that would fuel me.  I would get to take my lines and try to put him on the defensive.  I wanted to earn the spot on the podium that I would occupy, whether it was 4^th or 5^th.

Pulling around Curry for the final time. Photo: Heidi Swift

Barriers, hill, pavement, flyover.  I had the gap.  Amber and her blue cape are running next to me and I hit the stairs for the final time.  The name Matt Lieto passes through my head as I run up the stairs.  Matt would crush these stairs, so I’m going to crush them as he screams his head off for me.  Like the previous attack, I mount and ride the left side.  The firm ground assures that my cadence rises and I hold my gap over Curry.

Ambeer letting me know I should pedal faster on the last lap. Photo: Heidi Swift

I’m cross eyed, gasping for air and the noise from the crowd is muffled.  My hand is in the wrong spot and I can’t move it.  I don’t trust my arm to get my hand to its destination and I feel like throwing in the towel.  If I slow up, I can move my hand even if that means getting caught.  At least I wont crash off the podium.

slow down.

no.  it’s nationals.

Slow Down and move your hand.

No.  It’s Nationals.

SLOW DOWN TO MOVE YOUR HAND OR YOU WILL CRASH! NO PODIUM!

NO! IT’S FUCKING NATIONALS!

Final Push surrounded by friends. Photo: Matt Haughey

The roar of the crowd re-enters my ears and I hear 3 distinct voices.  Julia, Amber and Sara.  They were at the start line and they’re here for the most important corner of the season.  My vision focuses.  My movement is quick as my left hand makes the move it has made a thousand times this season.  It snaps in to place and lands on the hood.  I cross over to the right, take the corner and rise to the pavement.  I stand up and accelerate down the finish stretch and give a look back.  The gap has held and a wave of accomplishment rushes over me.  I shake my fist and punch the air in relief.

Relief. Joy. Photo: Whit Bazemore

The roar of the crowd makes me feel like I just won.  I did just win.  Not the race, but the battle within myself.  The battle to set goals, do the work to achieve those goals and to reach them.  I wanted the podium at Nationals and I got it.  I earned the podium at Nationals in my home town in front of my friends and Bend family.  Plus, another Bend resident held on for 3^rd and my sparring partner for the last 2 laps held on by a few bike lengths for the final podium spot.

Setting my bike down on corner 1 and taking some deep breaths it all settles in.  I was surrounded by photographers who had been following the events as they were being narrated by the announcers.  Friends start arriving and smiles are everywhere.  Handshakes, hugs, laughs and tears.  I felt like the entire community was there congratulating me.

Photo: Matt Haughey

For me, the season ended right there.  Sure I lined up the next day for the Elite race, but Saturday is what I had trained all year for.  After my first lap crash, it could have ended very differently, but I pushed through the mistake and rode the best race I could.  The other 3 were just better than me.  I crossed that line knowing I had done everything I could have done.  I was engaged in a battle for the podium and when it really counted I was able to deliver the knockout blow.  Next year in Madison, I hope I can battle for the win.  Maybe it’ll even be against a local who lives close to the venue, whose friends and family are there willing him on so he can feel what I felt.  The community of Bend made this the most special day I’ve had on the bike.

A lot went in to making this cross season happen and it would be hard to thank everyone, but if you’re reading this and you know that you helped make it possible, thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thanks for sticking with me through the long post…

Photo: PDXcross

Making Serena cry. Such a dick. Photo: PDXcross

Schindler. Photo: PDXcross

FRIENDS!

Another hug from Colby! (couldn’t figure out how to borrow it from Tracy)

Teammate. Friend. Matt Fox. Lea, Serena and Marcel in the background. Photo: another Heidi Swift production

Photo: Dave Roth dmroth.com

I showed up to the Portland round of the USGPs with some high expectations.  I had worked hard since June to see how I would stack up with the fastest cross racers around.  I had just finished a big two week block of training and my biggest goal of the year was only a week away.  I was eager to push myself harder than I ever had and I knew my biggest competition for Master’s Nationals would be there.  What followed was a series of disappointments.

If you’d have asked me before the USGPs I was pretty sure that I could contend for the win in my nationals race.  At least the top 3.  A tall order I know, but I believed it.  Why not right?  I’d had my best season to date, just finished a big block of training and the race was down the street from my house.  Plus, if you never tell yourself you can win, then you wont.  Sure my legs were tired at the State champs (6^th place finish) but I had been riding myself into the ground leading in and out of it.

The USGPs were gonna be my coming out party!  I wanted to blow people’s minds, well at least my own.  I was gonna finish on the lead lap.  I wanted to crack the top 20, something I’d never been close to before.  I had visions of tail gunning the lead and chase groups.

WOW was I wrong.  My trip over the pass in the morning was a series of errors.  Going back to bed for an extra hour.  No problem, still plenty of time.  Shoot!  I have to go print out my permission to ride form at Sunnyside.  No problem.  Gas, dang!  Fill the water jugs, arghhh!  Better remember to eat breakfast (egg mcmuffin…yes an egg mcmuffin).  Why are people driving so slow on straight open roads???  Ah!  I hate driving through Gresham.  Starting to get stressed.  Traffic jam on an I-84 exit, no worries, just go around and continue to I-5.  SHIT!  How am I on 205S????  Crap.  I don’t know what the best decision is, continue on or back track?  At least I had my OSU Beaver Civil War game to listen to.  Another downer!

Basically, I got to the venue after the women’s race and it was my own fault.  A series of bad decisions had me basically missing my race start.  Chuck pointed me to registration and ran over to pin my numbers on.  I got a ¼ of a lap in for warm up and then lined up near the back.  The gun went off and I suffered through 40 min of racing.  I think I got scored 4 or 5 laps down.  Yeah, lead lap?  Not.  Top 20, NOT!  WTF did I think I could pull off???  FML.  I worked so hard and I fucked it up.  I FUCKED IT UP.  Go home and try again.  Pull it together Schmitt.  You didn’t work this hard to approach a big race with this kind of rookie shit.  Who are you fooling?  You’re an amateur and that’s all you’ll really be.  You didn’t even take off your seat bag.  Dang!  Tomorrow is another day, so get over yourself and make it happen.

Racing hard for a placing in the 50s. Photo: Dave Roth dmroth.com

Another day it was, but not much better.  I did approach the day much more professionally (sans the beer and whiskey drinks the night before to drown the sorrows), but what followed was a similar result.  There was no amazing ride.  No top 20.  No finishing on the lead lap.  Not even 1 lap down (although people 3 seconds in front of me got to go out for one more.  WTF? There was no one behind me for a minute and it wasn’t the leaders).  The worst part?  I finished 5 minutes behind some of my master’s nationals competitors both days.  Fuck.  Win nationals?  Yeah right.  Time to re-evaluate.  Top 10 IF everything goes well.

Really though, what should I have expected?  I mean, I blew it on Saturday.  Plain and simple.  Couldn’t expect much more than that as a mortal bike racer and it shouldn’t be the barometer for my fitness.  I wasn’t too far behind some of Oregon’s fastest (non traveling) racers.  We were all getting a whooping.  I raced HARD the whole fucking time.  I hadn’t been pushed that hard all year.  The USGPs are just a different speed that you don’t get on a local level.  When I could, I was standing, shifting to a harder gear, raising my cadence, just plain giving it.  I rode clean and felt stronger than I had weeks before.  I had an amazing start on Sunday and then just slipped back as the race went on.  A few of those masters who would be at nationals actually weren’t too far in front of me.  Most of the results were filled with racers who had been traveling nationally all year.  The courses were fun!  In my head, I was hoping for a little too much I think, but in reality, I still had strong days with positive lessons to take with me in to nationals.

Great start working my way in front of UCI point holders. It would not last. Photo: Dave Roth dmroth.com

Sometimes we put a lot of pressure on ourselves.  We want to do as well as possible to make the efforts seem worth the sacrifice.  We want to make others around us proud.  We might have expectations that are a bit out of reach, but if we don’t have those expectations we’ll never reach them.  We need to keep raising the bar higher, so we continue to push ourselves.  That’s why we are out here right?  To have fun and push ourselves whether it’s as a beginner, elite or everything in between.  I need to be able to smile and I need to get better.  Eventually both happened after the PDX USGP weekend.

Cross Nationals 2010 had descended upon us here in Bend!  Last year I was a little flustered with all the events that I put on with my friend Scott (and a little help from Amber) and felt like I had taken on too much considering I was racing as well.

We did the first (and an updated once marked) course preview:

Pre-Ride Tips with Carl Decker (many of these tips will work for this years couse too)

A QnA with some locals

And hosted the official Sunday night after party.

WELL, NOT THIS YEAR!

Wrong…although I was able to spread the work load this year, so I am much more relaxed and clear minded.  Here’s a list of what I’m involved with/in this year.  Hope to see some of you out there and if you’re a random reader, say hi!

NeighborImpact Benefit by Rebound Physical Therapy.  Come hear about Adam Craig’s knee rehab and chat it up with some local hot shots…and me!

Lazer/Pedro’s Athlete and mechanic night.  Come meet the Cannondale boys, LUNA Chix and their mechanics.  What really goes on in the pit???  Plus there’s a Wii Dance off!

Breast of Bend Cancer fundraiser.  I get to dress up in fancy clothes from Vanilla and walk around with good looking people.  I <3 Boobies!

Pedro’s, Vanilla Bikes, Cielo and Chris King at Thump Coffee.  Come check out great brands and a great coffee shop!

And…The Sunday night after party hosted by The Summit!  A little more low key than last year.  No raffle and no roller races, but great music from DJ Mud and special guest (amazing local hip hop).  Drink specials all night!  Come let off some steam after a long cross season.

Here’s a schedule of all the amazing things going on in Bend this year!

Oof. I'm tired. Photo Dave Roth

Ah, rest.  A term all of us cyclist are familiar with.  Your body must rest in order to recover and return stronger.  Makes sense right?  Do you rest as much as you should?  I do!  Oh man, I love rest weeks.  When I get a rest week and it says ride/or not, I tend to NOT.  Feels so good.  We spend so much time the previous weeks structuring our days around riding that it feels really, really good, for me at least, to not ride and NOT feel guilty about it.  An extra cup of coffee in the morning, a second breakfast, extra snuggles with my dog…and my cat…and my roommates cat.  Ok, forget that last part.  My point is I like rest.  Not as much as I like riding though and since my last update, I had a week of rest that I wasn’t really planning on.

Hilsboro:

Coming off my best result of the year at Astoria, the Cross Crusade headed to Hilsboro to race around the fair grounds.  Some people still associate this race with the first years route through the horse poop coral.  We just like to keep things interesting here in Oregon.  I remember it because last year my car broke down on I-5.  After taking my cross bike off the top, riding a strip club side hill to the off ramp to secure an alternator belt, I was rescued by a perfectly timed Tim Jones who had just popped the hood as I rode back up with the part in hand.  Following the rescue, we lined up for the familiar race around in pseudo circles.  Then I broke my derailleur hanger.  Close to the pit though, so that was nice.  I finished that year on my single speed.  Good times.

This year was a different story.  Front row start.  Nice!  Not too much bad luck (unlike last years string of crap).  Nice!  Some extra fast guys showing up.  Uh…nice?  We took off from the gun with Shannon taking the lead and the rest of us following him around.  The first lap is always tricky.  You can pre-ride, but you never hit the corners as fast as you do when you’re racing.  At some point I decided to try and push the pace and took the lead.  Maybe ¾ of the way through the lap?  Not sure.  It’s always a good feeling when you can help make those first splits.  I led through the finish and in to the trickiest part of the course.  A slow 180 to a muddy side hill.  As I carefully navigated my way to the bottom of the side hill, I realized that I was the only one riding.  Dang.  I hadn’t thought of running that part.  I was promptly passed and settled in to 4^th place.  A foreshadowing of what was to come.  I rode out the hill, only hopping off for the last little rise.  For every other lap, I would run the hill and it was much more effective!

Lap 1. Photo David Haines

What followed was chasing Shannon, Ian, Adam McGrath and Babcock for the majority of the race.  I rode with Sean until lap 3.  Up to that point, I felt great and the lead was within striking distance.  All of a sudden, I found myself alone in 5^th place.  I didn’t think the other guys attacked and I didn’t feel like I slowed down, but at least one of the two things happened.  All alone.  Lucky for me, Tuckerman, Reeb and Luelling were gunning for me.  Lucky!  Anyway, I yo-yoed just in front of those guys the whole time.  Kinda stressful to be honest.  One mistake and all of a sudden I’m racing for 8^th instead of 5^th.  Come to think of it, I did a nice endo by the finish line, but was able to get back up and moving without losing a spot.  Close call!

With two to go I noticed that McGrath had slowed and I gradually ticked him back.  When I made contact I didn’t wait long and accelerated past.  He didn’t grab my wheel and that was it.  I’d moved up to fourth place with a lap and a half to go.  I was able to hold that spot and was pretty stoked!  The result matched my 4^th from the previous week, but was against a tougher field.  I’ll take it!

Enter my extra rest.  For some reason, following 2 months of training, working and traveling every weekend, everything caught up with me and I got sick.  This was not part of the plan!  Not cool.  Plus, I had an extra shift at work.  For some reason, I don’t like calling in sick, but maybe I should have.  It could have been the difference of having a head cold for 2 days vs. the entire week.  Oh well, lesson learned, and for my Saturday shift, I did cut out early to rest up for the Crusade finals.  I was lining up with a shot at 5^th overall, rested legs, and a clogged head.

Barton Park:

Barton, Barton, Barton.  I think every year I consider racing my clinchers at this venue and every year I stay with the tubulars.  Unfortunately, it has proven the wrong choice 3 times over the years.  Twice in the last 3 years, I’ve flatted within striking distance of a good result.  This was one of those years.  My first mistake was not pumping up my wheels myself and not double checking the psi.  Why did I switch up my routine?  Second mistake was not wearing my glasses for the start.  This course is a road race where soup mud is flinging in your face the entire time that you’re not on the front.  I was immediately blind.  Oops.

I settled in to my group chasing Shep, Tuckerman and Ian.  Shannon had flatted early and his teammate Tuckerman launched in a bid to move up in the overall.  A brilliant move that stuck.  Kudos to him for taking that race by the balls and calling Ian out to defend his 3^rd place overall.  For 5 of 8 laps we raced around with our group changing a little here and there.  My goal was to beat Luelling, Tuckerman and Gallagher.  Tuckerman had left everyone except Shep in his dust, but the others were in my group.  Ben attacked on the long gravel straight and Ian went with him.  I was annoyed since I was on the front and no one reacted, including myself.  I was a bit gassed at that moment and the race for 3^rd went up the road.

Eventually my legs came around and I was ready to see who I could shake.  I started upping my efforts and was feeling good about my situation.  That’s when it happened.  Rolling in to the long run up at the finish my race ended.  I didn’t notice it until I set my bike down at the top.  I was in the front and ready to go, but my front wheel just sank and so did my motivation.  I went over the barriers and thought for a second that I could hang with my flat to the pits.  Not too far off after all, right?  Wrong.  I had already flatted my brand new tubular, I didn’t want to ruin my wheel too.  2 of the 3 that I needed to beat rode away on one of the fastest parts of the course.  I stopped. That was a decision that I would end up feeling regret about the whole next week.  The Crusade had started with a bang and ended with a whimper.  At least I was first in line for the hose!  Side note: I had a blast screaming myself dizzy for all the junior racers who traveled from Bend with Bend Endurance.  So awesome to see all of the kids out having fun with us.

Psssssshhhhhh. Flat. Photo Mat Howie

It’s hard sometimes to not think about the “what ifs”.  What if I hadn’t crashed at Alpenrose?  Would I have held 2^nd?  Would Rainier and the following races had gone better?  Who knows?  What I do know, is that I lined up at every race expecting to do well and to push myself further than I had in the past.  Alpenrose gave me a confidence that I didn’t have before this year and I’m carrying that in to the USGPs, nationals and next year.  I had my best races, best results and best overall Crusade (7^th) this year and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.

The first line up in the new kit. Photo: Dave Roth

The customer service I received from Castelli blew my mind.  Awesome communication with Rich, a small minimum and just the right timing meant that my kit was ready a lot faster than I thought it was going to be!  I could not be happier.  The suit is designed for cyclocross.  It fits better with more fabric from the waist up and has a beefed up zipper.  Perfect for the abuse that they take.  If you’re looking for new team clothing, call them up.  Good pricing, easy to get people on the phone, quick turn around and based in Portland.  What more could you ask for?

Check out all those little Sunnyside logos! Mmmmm Deschutes Beer and Silverado Jewelry.

The course was the standard multi tiered affair.  A fast, but short pavement stretch sent us screaming down a bumpy decent into a grass field.  From there we navigated a few turns, including an uphill 180, before climbing back out in to the horse barns.  After negotiating the back and forth greasy corners of the barns we were sent up a steep, slimy hill.  It was mostly rideable, but lapped traffic made the lead in difficult.  A bumpy downhill sent us to the team tents and around some muddy corners.  Another drop, 180, pavement climb, uphill off camber left around the big tree and we were headed back to the team tents for the barrier set of the day.  Several fast sections later we dropped into the horse arena and to the start finish before re-entering the arena and heading back down the first hill.

I’ve never done that well at Astoria, but I like the courses.  The race usually lacks a few of the faster guys and this year was no exception.  Shep, Ben, Tonkin, Babs, and Molly were all missing.  This left Shannon to whoop up on us, and whoop us he did.

Yeah, yeah! New Castelli skin suit!!!!

I had a good start and after a few laps was settled in to the battle for 6th.  6th was obtainable and 10th wasn’t too far off the other direction.  With 2 to go, I put a big dig in and was closing on Schulz and Brett Nichols.  With 1 to go, I felt like the catch was just a formality.  I flew down the hill that started our race and set up for the first muddy corner.  Before I knew it I was sliding on my side in the opposite direction of my bike.  SHIT!  Hunter and Bradway were not too far behind and now all that work I just did was out the window.

I remounted and with Steven just seconds behind me, I set in to damage control mode.  I could no longer catch the 2 in front of me, but I HAD to keep these other 2 away!  I was riding the hills strong all day and punched it up the steep pitch before the barns.  I entered the barns and could hear cheering for Steven behind me.  Stand, accelerate and turn between the barns.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  I hit the corner into the next big climb perfect and blasted up as hard as I could.  Once I had made it all the way down to the pavement 180 climb, I knew I had gotten my gap back.  I negotiated the turn, made it around the tree and cruised by the team tents to the barriers.  We had a good sized crew of Sunnyside riders out, so it was motivating every lap when we went by the tents.  A few turns later and my race was over.

8th place.  Not the 6th that I had set my sights on, but not 10th, so I was happy.  Plus, it was the best I’d felt since Alpenrose.

Now, here’s my problem.  I have a hard time going to bed early on race nights and this problem is even bigger at the Halloween weekend.  Why would I go all that way and NOT hang out at the bonfire?  I mean, after all, I’ve gotten to see naked guy jump the fire on a bmx, participated in bike derby events, illegally (cleverly) obtained a Team Beer hat for a non Team Beer member and seen Brad Ross fall in the fire.  Why would I go to the team house for a great dinner, quiet night and good sleep?  Not sure.

It’s basically been a problem since traveling around with this guy in college for bike races.  In all fairness, we did win a swim suit competition together in Montana the night before the conference finals.

Weaver and I usually know how to party

As much as I wanted to be a good bike racer, I enjoy hanging out with all the good folks that camp, so I decided to stay at the fairgrounds too.  It was a great decision!  Good dinners (two of ‘em), good people and my iPod rocked the dance floor.  A few beers, a few whiskeys, lots of water and all of a sudden I was one of the last people at the bonfire.  I curled up in my car, not knowing what time it was since my phone died, and fell asleep.

That's my friend Bob. He was a garden gnome for halloween.

I think I nailed the alcohol to water ratio, because I woke up rested and feeling fresh.  Sundays course was basically run opposite direction of Saturday with some extra muddy turns and a long pavement section thrown in.  After a good start I found myself near the front on lap 2 as Skerritt rode away from us once again.  I faded back a bit a few laps in, but was able to reconnect with Ian Brown in the battle for 2nd place.  We went back and forth for a few laps with him negotiating the barns a bit faster and me taking over on the climbs.  With 2 or so to go, we both fell in between the barns.  The falls were unrelated, but we both went down at the same time!  He remounted and pedaled off.  As I started to pursue, my gears decided that they were done working and I struggled to get the bike moving.

Lap 1. Photo: Dave Roth

This allowed Ian to ride away uncontested by me and it also allowed a hard charging Brett Nichols to catch me.  When we hit the pavement, he came around and accelerated away.  I remember not being too worried when he went since I felt strong on that section, but moments later I knew I’d made a mistake.  Dude stood the entire length of the road and bridged up to Ian.  Brilliant and strong move that left me all alone.  Wasted opportunity right there.

One aspect of the race that I can’t remember is when or how I ended up with Michael Gallagher for the 4th place battle.  I think he closed the gap after Brett showed me how to attack.  On the last lap, I took the lead up the long climb and with Luke Demoe and Co. cheering, tried to get rid of Michael.  No such luck after negotiating all the tricky corners.  We hit the long road section together and I set the pace.  I wanted to go just hard enough that he wouldn’t want to come around and give me a draft.  I figured that I could punch it up the steep kicker before the finish and hold him off if I got to the grass corner leading to the line first.

Trying to Rock Ian's face off!

I held position, hit the wall first and took the inside right to inside left.  He hadn’t come around and when my wheel hit the last bit of pavement for the final sharp turn, I knew I had it.  The last bit was too short to be out sprinted.  I rolled onto the finish stretch and prepared to give one last kick.  That’s when I heard Michael go down.  He had slid out on the final slick corner.  I coasted in for my best finish of the year.  4th.  I felt like I could have stayed in the battle for 2nd if not for my gears, so I wasn’t overly thrilled, but it was a good result and I was happy.

Photo: Dave Roth

Thanks for reading!

It’s hard to motivate and do a blog post when things aren’t going the way that you’d thought they would. After an amazing Alpenrose experience I found myself in a world of hurt. The day after, actually the entire week, I had a solid black eye and abrasions on my face. At work customers were constantly asking if my head was ok.

“Yeah” my head is fine, I would say, “but I can barely move my neck, arms and back.”

What followed the statement was a poor excuse for the robot dance that I so love to do at parties. I would rotate my head, arms and torso about 5 degrees in any direction. Not good. I couldn’t lift bikes to put them on hooks and I generally was just feeling sorry for myself as I struggled through my Monday and Tuesday work shifts.

When my days off rolled around, I had made the decision that it would be a rest week on the bike, since the thought of holding myself up with my battered limbs on the handlebars, was far from appealing. Instead I set off to drink coffee and write. On Thursday I had a massage scheduled that I tried to push back to no avail. I had spent the morning typing away and really did need to get out on my bike, so I canceled the massage. That proved to be a mistake.

Following a disappointing Rainier Cross Crusade I realized that maybe my body was more messed up than I thought. I did a warm up lap and my back was hurting. I didn’t think too much of it other than the fact that it had never happened. My back starts to feel the races, but usually not until the end. During the race I had nothing. I felt like I could barely pedal hard and I couldn’t stand up to accelerate. My back was screaming at me the whole time and it took its anger out on my legs by shutting down.

That race hurt, but at least my curl stayed in place. Photo: Dave Roth

After the race I came to terms with the fact that, for the first time ever, a crash had taken a major toll on my body. The following week I made it a priority to keep my massage appointment with Amber. She went over my back extensively and found that my right side was wrecked from my neck down. I even had a few ribs out of whack! Nice!

A few races later and a visit to Rene at Rebound Physical Therapy has me feeling much better, but not completely fixed. My neck is still feeling the effects of whiplash and certain movements remind me that my ribs are still tender. Rene did some EMS on my back, manipulated me, had me do some pelvic bone realignment and diaphragm breathing exercises. Was this PT or a bad date???? Ah, I digress.

Following Rainier, Sherwood also disappointed, but by PIR (another favorite) the legs and back were coming around. I even managed to lead most of the first lap, but when the heads of state decided it was time to go, I couldn’t follow.

Alpenrose. Damn you Alpenrose! You are so dear to me and my summer was spent thinking of how I was ready to rekindle our romance for another year. You lifted me up for a brief moment and when I wasn’t paying attention, you reminded me of your power by striking me down! Now you linger in my mind constantly reminding me of your presence like the ex girl friend that all your friends like more than they like you! I guess Poison said it best.

Here are some quick race recaps from the middle of the season.

Heiser Farms:

Hey Portland cross racers. Don’t you think it’s time you drove your car 45min and supported some races that aren’t the Cross Crusade? I mean, seriously. Get in your fucking car and race some sweet courses on a Saturday. If you think you’ll miss the circus atmosphere of the Crusade, don’t worry. There’s a pumpkin cannon and they shoot cars with it. Yes, beer too.

Oh yeah, there was mud. Too much for me to want to ride hard. Good thing my freewheel broke. I think I got off easy though, as some broke both their “A” and “B” bikes.

I think I got off lucky with just a broken free hub body.

Rainier:

My back hurts. Can’t really hide on this course, but there’s a sweet downhill to shred. Good start up the hill…there goes the top 10. Huh, I’ve got no punch. What a difference a week makes. This new loop is all punch. See previous sentence.

Shit, here comes Tuckerman! Gotta ride the last lap hard. 14th.

Sherwood:

Trebon, Shep, Babs, Tonkin, Skerrit, Molly. Dang. Hot, dry, fast. Holly shit, these tires are getting pushed to their limits on these corners. Bah! I nutted myself on a remount. 2 laps of stomach pain. One lap of excruciating ear pain caused by a bell in my face up the hill. I really did try to pick up a dollar, but no luck. Glad I spent the whole race with my skin suit unzipped to my belly button. Pulled without being lapped and charging for the top 10. Oh well. 12th.

PIR:

Wet. Cold. Muddy. Fuck yeah! Whistle, pedal, pedal, pedal. I’m in the lead. I didn’t want to start this hard. Oh well. There goes Shep. There goes Skerrit. Thompson, Sheagly, Luelling…Fuck! My legs don’t like running today. Damn you Bradway why are you falling in front of me???? Oops, I just fell in front of Heather Clark in the same spot. I feel dumb. Hard last lap charge. I have more energy than I thought. Dang. 11th, but I could spit on 8th…I tossed my favorite glasses (blue Smith Pivlocks) and forgot until I was ½ way back to Bend. Did you pick them up for me? Don’t tell me to use fucking croakies…although I appreciate your opinion.

These frames w/clear lenses...anyone???

Thanks for reading!

Kiddie Cross

That almost broke the old record alone!  People unveil GOLD VANILLA SPEEDVAGENS WITH Di2…WITH MATCHING PAINTED FINGER NAILS!!!!!  IT’S FUCKING ALPENROSE!

Tina Brubaker and her new Vanilla

Sorry, I got carried away for a moment.  Bottom line is, Alpenrose doesn’t need a crafty header.  It stands on its own.

My focus has not been Alpenrose, but the cyclocross season in general.  This means that since May most all of my riding has been for these 3 months.  Mid December is the main event, but Alpenrose is what I’ve always viewed as the starting spot.  This is where I was going to find out how I stacked up with the other familiar riders who have been thinking of the same stuff as I had been.  September was my first introduction to the high end of training and racing for the year, but it’s still early.  I had no idea how I was going to do at Alpenrose.  I wanted a top 10.  A top 5 would make me giddy, but a top 15 would bum me out.  I’ve left town 3 weekends in a row to get myself a call up for this race.  Consistency, along with big guns staying away, netted me a call up.  Front row.  Our local Velonews correspondent tapped me as a possible winner, but I felt unworthy of the mention because I knew the early race fields were not representative of the Cross Crusade fields.  However, I had put myself where I wanted to be and now it was up to me to do the rest.

Before I start the report of the actual race, I just want to give props to both of the Bs who got manually upgraded (not very nice Kenji) to the As for Alpenrose.  This is not an easy transition.  We race 15 minutes longer.  The starts are faster, the speeds are faster and the skill level is much higher.  Not many make the transition very smoothly, especially the first year.  Kudos to you to for being thrown to the sharks in the largest field of the year and holding your own!  Big props to my long time friend Nat Johnson, one of the two upgraded riders, who, as he settled into his pedals at the blow of the whistle went crank rotation for rotation with the likes of Brett Luelling, Ben Thompson, Shannon Skerritt, Erik Tonkin and myself on the front row.  Not to mention having Chris Sheppard and countless others right behind him.  I felt like I had the hole shot, but realized that I would have to settle for second wheel around the first corner.  The thing I didn’t expect was that it would be Nat leading me around that corner.  The nerve of this newly minted A to tow us around the first 5 corners!  Good on you Nat!  I was stoked to take your draft (for more reasons then you actually being taller than me!).

My start went flawless.  I settled in second wheel and when we hit the first of the dirt, I went around Nat, giving him a “nice work” as I pedaled into the lead.  As I rounded the loose, bumpy section that we’d never seen before at Alpenrose, a spectator yelled out that I had a gap.  “Nice,” I thought.  “Maybe I can make the lead group!”  A series of grassy 180 turns led us to the velodrome.  As I navigated the slick off camber above the entrance I heard a familiar voice.  Marcel Russenberger cheering with a surprised sound in his voice.  “Damiooon nice,” “not too crazy, not too crazy!”  The familiar, hard to understand Swiss cycling star (here’s a video) would be at the same spot pushing me on for the whole race.  Hearing familiar voices can do a lot as you push yourself to your limits and Marcel always has an enthusiasm that lifts your effort.  Click his link, he knows a thing or two about cross.

I entered the velodrome ending our first short lap and gave a look back, expecting to see riders accelerating past me.  No such riders were on my wheel, but Brett Luelling was the closest to making contact.  I stood up down the straight and settled in to a rhythm around the bank and into the infield.  Over the barriers, out of the drome, up the steep hill and down the other side.  Looking back again, it was still Brett behind me and I was expecting contact to be made.  No such luck.  My two man TT was not meant to be.  I rode, or dangled, at the front, until the start of the fourth lap, every corner, standing up to accelerate and concentrating on the task at hand.  An unfamiliar position for me to be in to say the least.  I was leading the Alpenrose men’s Elite race, solo and basically from the gun.  Near the end of the third lap I emerged from the bumpy uphill with less of a gap on a hard charging Chris Sheppard.  My line had not been the smoothest and he took advantage, shooting out of the chase group.  He made contact after the finish line when we started the fourth lap.  I would hold his wheel until about ½ way through the lap.  He surged along the team tents and I questioned if I should go with him.  Physically I felt I could hang, at least for the time being, mentally I wasn’t sure.  I had never been in this position.  I didn’t want to blow, so I chose at that moment to stay in my own rhythm watching Chris ride away.  The gap didn’t grow much at first and the gap behind stayed pretty steady.  The mix of straight sections and 180 corners seemed to keep gaps at bay.  With three laps to go I felt tired.  I took the barriers out of the velodrome and burped a familiar flavor, Red Bull.  “Oh, oh,” I thought.  I may actually make myself puke for the first time in a race!  Side note:  That would have made me pretty happy in a sadistic way.  The following lap saw my gap shrink.  I started to get my legs back with two to go and when I looked back I could see Shannon gunning it and the gap was coming down quick.  Bell lap.  2^nd place, maybe five seconds up.  “Here we go,” I told myself.  “Take the barriers calm and collected because when I leave the velodrome, I’m going to make them work for it.”  My plan was to recover on the infield and up and over the steep rise on the side of the velodrome.  After that, I was going to leave everything I had on the course.  Hopefully that would mean holding 2nd place.

Photo from Dave Roth http://www.dmroth.com/

A short rest over the barriers and a fast acceleration up the steep grade led to the decisive moment.  At the top of the hill, I went left to right on the short, bumpy downhill.  A line I hadn’t been taking all day.  Trying to save a fraction of a second around the corner that would lead to my biggest effort of the day.  Next thing I know I was picking myself up off the ground as three chasers went by.  Skerritt, Reeb and Tonkin blew by as I collected myself and all I could do was watch as I stood there dazed from my fall.  I hit a wooden course stake, a hole, I don’t know, all I knew was I wanted to get moving.  I didn’t look at my bike to assess the damage, I just got on and started pedaling.  That would be the fastest way to know if something was broken, on me, or the bike.  Things seemed fine other than my twisted stem and bars, and the fact that Ben had now made contact and passed by.  I rode up to Ben, altering my cornering with my new bar configuration and settled into the last ½ lap battle for 5^th place.  We went shoulder to shoulder around some of the final sections and neither of us was going to back down.  Coming out of the familiar uphill, bumpy section leading to the pits, I feel like I took a great line.  Maybe I gapped Ben a little without really going for it?  I thought I might hold on for 5^th.  As we reached the top and the ground leveled out, I knew it was over.  The adrenalin had worn off and I finally realized that I was pretty hurt.  Ben pulled around me into the grass where I had watched the chase group behind me the entire race and I conceded defeat.  I gave him a “nice work” and he rode a few bike lengths ahead of me.  We stayed that way through the final corners and made a little time back on Tonkin.  We entered the velodrome and the race was finished.  A sprint with a lapped rider (that I lost) brought a memorable experience to an end.  I was hurt, dazed and a little disappointed.  The voices that pushed me on through the whole race were now drowned out with the noise in my own head.  I had blown it.  I rolled the final corner of the drome and saw some familiar faces.  Sarah and Veronica had seen the crash and picked up my glasses.  The same glasses that I didn’t even notice were gone.  Stoked they picked them up though because they are my favorite pair of Smith Pivlocks!   The look on Sarah’s face and comments that followed had me riding off to the medic tent after giving Shep and his Rocky Mountain crew a congratulations.  I think I got a hug or two from the girls as well.  Always nice after a crushing moment!

I got cleaned up, rode around a little chatting with friends and looked for my mom.  The words from everyone were extremely encouraging.  I had gone for it.  I took Alpenrose by the horns and pushed it till the end.  We are out there riding at our limits for an hour and mistakes are bound to happen eventually.  Today it was me that made the mistake.  I slowly came around to the conclusion that I had just had the Cross Crusade of my life and was happier and happier as moments went by.  I’ve never led an A race at the Crusades.  I’ve never stayed in contention with the riders who I was surrounded by.  When I thought about the place, 6^th, I got a little down, but when I thought about the race, I was stoked.  My goal was top 10.  Top 5 would have made me giddy.  I’m still pretty giddy with 6^th.  Now, lets just hope I’m not a one hit wonder.  Although, if I’m going to be a one hit wonder, I’m glad it was at Alpenrose in front of my mom.

The aftermath. Got more color on Monday.

Thank you for all the kind words of inspiration and encouragement this week.  A lot of us work hard to have a little weekend glory and the support I felt this last weekend was amazing.  I hope I can put on another good show this next week.  You can bet that I’m going to try!

Race Coverage:

Velonews article, picture gallery

CX Magazine

OR Cycling Action

This little beauty comes on every time I turn on my car.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time it wasn’t glowing bright red in the upper left had corner of my dashboard.  It serves as a constant reminder that everything needs work once in a while.  In this instance, it’s telling me that my car engine needs a little (more) TLC, but, to me, it’s also been a metaphor for life and most recently cross racing.  Everything needed maintenance and as nice as it is to just pull off a full overhaul, it’s not that easy.  The approach I’ve taken is the slow build, constantly and consistently working on things, keeping the big picture in sight.  The life portion of this philosophy is better talked about over a few drinks, perhaps ending with Bloody Marys and breakfast at the D.  Cross season, on the other hand, is front and center right now, and has all but began for most everyone.

Slow build:

It’s hard not to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, especially in Bend, land of the local (and national) heroes.  It seems that, whenever you go on a group ride, someone is always killing it, and it’s not me!  My best friends in town are all amazing athletes and we have shared many rides talking about bikes, relationships, work and just life in general.  My saving grace has always been the excuse that I’m focusing on cross and my season doesn’t start in February!  Gradually as the season wears on, I slowly close the gap and my fitness goes up.  I show up to the local mountain bike races and at first I lose 15 min, then 10, then 5.  I sit in for other’s intervals and my heart rate skyrockets as I feel the first burn in my legs and lungs since the previous December.  Eventually, I’m the one who needs to do the efforts and others sit in.  While I may not be burning their legs, I know that the process is working and realize that we’re all working towards different goals.

Constant:

Change doesn’t come overnight, nor does it come from one miracle fix (although I’m sure 20hrs a week on the bike w/no work would be pretty close!).  I’ve found that in order for this year to progress more positively, I’ve had to make a change to multiple areas in my life.  Eating a little better.  Drinking a little less.  Continuing education on better training techniques.  Not volunteering for a work schedule that kills me.  Not being so negative when I feel that my schedule isn’t as flexible as others.  Wearing compression socks while on my feet for 10hr workdays (no matter how unfashionable they may be w/shorts!).  Working on keeping a more positive living situation.  The list goes on and on.  All little tweaks that help make the big picture a little brighter.

Consistent:

Probably my biggest limiter in the past has been my consistency with training, which has led to inconsistency in racing.  While I may be fortunate, or motivated enough to put in a 15 hour week on the bike once in a while, it’s historically proven that the next 2 or more weeks are followed by 4 hours each.  Not the best way to get in shape when you’re racing in the nations largest cyclocross series.  If there’s been one thing that I’ve worked on the most this year, it’s consistency.  I didn’t care if it was going to be 20, 10 or 5 hours a week of training, I just knew that it would be consistent and it would lead me in the way of progression.  I put in a good month of base hours this spring and then hired a new coach at CycleSmart to give myself accountability.  I work 4 10s and I train the other 3 days.  On some work days I have workouts and I do them (mostly).  A new week starts and the cycle continues.  The shop got so busy in the summer that I feel like I blinked in June and now it’s almost October.  I think I only left town once for a good friends wedding and now it’s race season when I’ll be leaving every weekend.  I wanted to be consistent this year and so far I’ve won the battle by finding a good balance of training, work and life.  Now, if I can just keep this blog consistent, then we’ll be in business!

Slow build + Constant + Consistent = Time to Check the Engine!

What’s all this babble mean?  It’s been a long post before the payoff!  It means it’s race season.  For most everyone who has been thinking about October since last December, it’s time to make those final preparations before blasting out of the gate.  We’re lucky here in Bend to have a great week night race series in September.  4 races to blow out the cobwebs.  For a lot of us it’s the first time of the year that we’ll take barriers at full speed, hit that run up (and it’s a beauty this year) just a little harder than on training runs, and bump elbows with our local adversaries before sharing stories and laughs after the race.

My first races have gone about as planned.  Hard training the day before followed by chasing Trebon, Shep, Ben and Cody around in modified circles.  Some battles won, some lost and some new faces showing at the front.  In other words, they’ve been pretty fun!  The fitness is about as expected too.  Strong, steady and coming along nicely.  The first 2 races were spent at what seemed like one speed.  Steady power, which, by coincidence is just what I’ve been training!  Watching some accelerate away and some fall behind as I just cruise uncomfortably and feel that next level of burning for the first time this season while trying different approaches to the same corners, barriers and runs.

I hit up Pain + Sufferin’ and I’ll tell you what, it was just as described.  Possibly the hardest effort I’ve ever done, at least in the moment and days after when recounting the race with friends.  Hot, dusty and hard.  4 sets of barriers, 3 sets with 3 planks each, a steep climb and bumpy terrain kept me on my toes.  A steady start and riding meant that I picked people off as the race went on eventually finishing 5^th more minutes down that I would have liked, but in the money, so that was nice.  On the next Monday at the local Blitz to the Barrel renegade Super D, a funny thing happened.  I felt a little snap that wasn’t there the day before.  I was attacking out of corners and standing to accelerate more often.  So nice!  That also translated to the Thursday night race and although I flatted with one lap to go, I was happy at my progress.

This last weekend I traveled to the Hood River Double Cross weekend with my new buddy Massimo and had a good training weekend with two 2^nd places.  The first came at the hands of Eric Sheagley.  I’ve always liked the mountain bike style course at the school in Hood River, but I think this course is tailored for Eric.  Two years ago I felt he sucked my wheel the whole race and then punked me at the end.  This year, he just plain rode away from me with 3 laps to go.  Pretty impressive effort that I just couldn’t match.  Early in the race we traded attacks and disposed of the rest of the field.  In the middle of the race we shared most of the work.  He was stronger the whole day though and showed it at the end.  On Sunday I took the hole shot and then settled into chasing Donald Reeb as he accelerated away from the rest of us.  Slowly chipping away at his lead I took over in the mud after he had a mechanical while leading by a few meters.  Shortly after that, his teammate Graham launched and I couldn’t follow.  For the remainder of the race a few of us took turns setting the pace and eventually with just over two to go, I set off on my own.  On the bell lap I had closed to within a few seconds, but as we hit the long false flat pavement section he extended his lead again.  From then on, I rode as hard as I felt I could and came up just short.  Great battle and the wet conditions made the course much more interesting than last year.  Two 2^nd places meant overall winner for the weekend.  A nice bottle of wine and some fruit rewarded me for my efforts.  Not too shabby.

So, here we go.  One more test this weekend at Barlow before Alpenrose kicks off the Cross Crusade in two weeks.  My engine is getting checked (eh, eh, get it?) and I like what I’m seeing so far.  Unlike last year, I just hope my car makes it through the season too, but that’s another post!  Thanks for reading the marathon post and maybe you’ll check back during the season.

Picture from PDXcross.com