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Iceman Breakth

Great start - 2nd into holeshot and then Billy Street did his cyclocross thing at the front for awhile. I got on front to keep it honest and backed off right before we hit the dirt. Big mistake. All hell broke loose as we were crammed onto the trail behind the high school wtih a chain link fence to our left and a dense cluster of trees to our right. I (poorly) choose the right side and had someone fall off of their line in front of me and take out my front wheel. I was headed ass over tea kettle with under a mile of the race done, and knew the next few moments weren't going to be pleasant.

I've never crashed hard before in a group and its actually a pretty nerve racking experience. I tucked in and tried to become as small as possible as it felt like the entire Expert 19-34 field was riding over the top of me. I dared not move in case someone was trying to ride around me and I unexpectedly got in there way. Once the dust had settled, I got back up and took a quick survey of the bike. The handlebars and seat were spun, so I quickly straightened things out and got back too it.

About 10 miles later, I noticed the decal was coming off on the newly loaned Superfly 100 I was riding. I was bummed I was going to have to give the bike back in less than optimal shape but I found out that was the least of my concerns. The downtube had sustained some substantial impact damage from the crash/getting run over and I was damn surprised I was even able to finish the race give how the frame looked.


Fought back to 6th in age group and about 20th in my wave, but in this type of race, if you're not on the train, you're not in the race. Still had fun at the finish thought and Claire killed it on the SS to take 3rd.

Iceman Cometh

8 hours of driving for a 90 min bike race? Sure, why not!!!

I did my first race as a 3 this weekend for cross. I had a killer start and then faded fast when I had to get off and run. Results at the race said 10th, online says 12th, so I took 11th(?). I'm still racing CX like its XC so hopefully I'll figure that out before the end of the season.

Oh. And I got one of these to use for Iceman. I'm convinced there is a small gerbil hidden in there making the bike go faster - its crazy quick on the flats. If I had to make a quick comparison between this bike and my Top Fuel, it would be that this one feels faster when you can carry your speed, but the Top Fuel feels more playful and accelerates better in almost all conditions. Basically everyone needs two bikes. Look for a more in depth write up in the coming weeks.

Fall Color Ride

Rode out to Blue Mounds with a great group on Sunday via the Military Ridge trail. It was a great ride and I had a blast. I also have some bike fitting to work on as you can see in the above picture and as I can feel in my upper back today.


(Thanks to Geo for the photos!)
This was pretty good lookin though. We ended up road riding, packed graveling riding and mountain biking at the end of the day. Pretty awesome.

Oh, I've also missed a few posts. Like Sheboygan. Sheboygan was great. This was my first year racing this course and I had a blast. I had a GREAT start and faded hard at the start of the fourth lap. Still a great race and an okay finish.

Oh yeah - there was Beechwood too.

(Thanks to Brittany for the photo!)
I didn't really want to race this at the start so I decided to ride with Claire for the race and it was great! She did great and held off some chasing women to take 3rd at the end of the day. Many thanks to Mike Curtes and all those who helped put this it event on - it was much appreciated and enjoyed.

End of the season post soon. The season unexpectedly got extended by Iceman but am excited to go!

Bear Paw

(Thanks to Jack for the photo)
Cool trails. Cool temperature. Lukewarm racing attitude. Not the best start, but okay. Someone decided they wanted my line more than me on the start climb and I lost a bunch of spots. This rider has done this before, and honestly, I just need to be a bit more aggressive. Burned a few matches to get back up to the group I wanted to be in, and then got yo-yo'd back and forth - I REALLY need to work on my positioning in a group. I never really got a "killer" instinct going but I had a good time none-the-less.

Last race is Sunday. My series is kind of set where it is, with the possibly of moving up possible, but difficult, and the possibility of moving down likely. I'm feeling very motivated for this race and feel like I did before Crystal Ridge. I'm not going to expecting spectacular, but I'm going to turn myself inside out and see what happens.

Chequamegon

I'll take 43rd for the first go. My goal for this race was top 50 so I could get an automatic preferred start next year so I'm happy with my result. I made a big tactical error and hung out too far back in the pack and got separated on one of the slightly twisty descents. I put my head down and tried to bridge but it was a no go with 17 to go. I think Scott Cole said it best with "This is a really bad spot to not be in a group." We cruised together for awhile, then I was by myself, then I was caught, then I was by myself and then I finished. I felt GREAT when I crossed the finish line and was overall happy with my performance.

I've been feeling REALLY good on the bike lately and think I might have some late season fitness on the way. I'm excited to head to Fall Color Festival this weekend and let it rip on the trails where I discovered mountain biking.

4 Laps of Racing and 1 Lap of Riding

I set out to pace myself better this race and it kind of worked. I thought it was going to be a long day in the saddle, and races aren't won in the first lap. I went much slower off the start which I still have mixed feelings about but I did feel much better my first two laps. In hindsight, there were a few times where I should have given it a bit more to close a gap, hang, etc, but I'm still learning. I decided against wearing gloves since it was so hot but that ended up back firing when I had to hang on for dear life to my slippery foam grips. Not a huge deal but it was a huge mental blow on this technical course. Everything was going along so-so until the third lap when I ate it on the chute after the rock garden. Bubba said it looked like a nasty fall, but I jumped back up and got on the bike as soon as I could. My handling progressively got worse and worse as the race went on and my mind got worn down. I kind of beat myself this race when I started my forth lap and in my head went, "Holy sh*t. I've got to do two more of these." Totally blew up mentally the final lap and got passed by 9 guys, 5 in the last mile or so. I just didn't have the gas to go anymore. On the upside, I still had a ton of fun racing so all in all it was still a great day.

Getting back on the horse after August has been hard but I'm hoping I can pull something together for the rest of the season. Consistancy is King, and I could use some work there. Chequamegon is this weekend and my early season goal was to take top 50 here - hopefully some smart racing and semi-consistant riding these past few weeks can put me there.

Thanks to Dallas and Smash for the water at Treadfest. And nice moves Smash on your first overall win!