Catching Up - Hudson

I've fallen behind on my blogs the last few weeks though I'm not sure how many are following this anyway. Raced a new venue in Hudson, WI a couple weeks ago. Caryn's parents were in town so that was nice. A different course consisting of a lot of turns strung out over a large, flat grassy area. The county shut down access to the adjacent woody area so they had to be creative with what they had. I had a terrible start which was not good for this course as passing was very limited. I sprinted as hard as I could the first couple of laps to try to catch some groups with limited success. I also learned that I need to spend some time working on my 180 degree turns as I ride the brakes too much, but that's all part of 'cross.

I downloaded the GPS file from the race. As you can see, lots of turns. We didn't actually go over the buildings as this suggests...I think there's a projection issue between my GPS and google earth.

This is a download of my speed and heart rate (in red) from the race. It's definitely an anaerobic workout!

My training regiment is a bit different from a couple of years ago. It includes weekly rides with my cycling partner. He doesn't seem to help much on the hills but enjoys the rides. We don't ride together much this time of year because of the early sunset.

Duluth Weekend and Corcoran

It's been awhile since my last post. I've raced the last couple of weekends. Two weeks ago was a back-to-back race weekend in Duluth. Friends we've gotten to know through Dentist Dave were running the events. The first night was an evening race in on a cross-country ski course. Lights were positioned all over the course. It wasn't an easy course as there was a lot of climbing and the flat sections were soft and muddy but it was fun. The next day was at a high school. This course was vastly different and better suited to my abilities. The highlight of the course was a long, steep run-up. There wasn't a huge turnout for the weekend as there was a big race in Madison but hopefully they can have it next year as it was definitely worth it. Caryn and Gerrit spent Saturday evening in the hotel and did some swimming. We had a nice lunch at Fitger's brew pub before hitting the road for home.

Portion of duluth course at the high school.

Photo of me "enjoying" the run-up as you can see on my face.

Last weekend we went to an old race in a new venue in the NW portion of the metro. The race was located at a moto-cross park. It had all of the elements required for 'cross racing including a run-up, barriers, sharp corners on loose gravel, sharp corners on grass up hill, and whoops. Whoops are rolling hills on the motocross track. They are a common feature of european 'cross races but are typically smaller and spaced closer together. Nonetheless they made for an entertaing feature of the course. I enjoyed this race finishing 25/57 and top 20 in my category. Wish I was a little further up the placings but it takes me some time to get my race legs under me these days. Perhaps a combination of getting older and not being able to put the miles on that I used to. Having a lot of fun though which is all that matters.

My training partner.

My mechanic making some last-minute adjustments before the race.

The whoops.

Pork Chop Challenge

We did the first race of the season this past Sunday with the traditional opener in St. Cloud. Joining us was our friend's boys Luke and Paul Dahlen as their parents had an opportunity to attend a Vikings game.

Paul started the day in the C race. Paul and I pre-rode the course. I quickly realized this was a tough course this year...more than usual. There were back-to-back runups and some other tricky sections. I gave Paul some pointers on gears to use in different sections and the like and go him lined up at the start. The C race is a 30 minute ordeal. We stationed ourself at the top of one of the runups; however, this venue enables you to see most of the course from one vantage point. Paul looked really good on his new Trek XO2 'cross bike. I was really impressed at how well he re-mounted his bicycle at the top of the run-up. This requires you to jump back on your bike after running up a steep hill. It's not an easy feat for any rider and Paul made it look easy. Paul's race lasted around 4 laps and he finished a strong 3rd in the Junior 10-14 age group. A great start to the season indeed. He even took home some hardware and found a place on the podium. Way to represent the Velo Rochester team!
















My race followed Paul's. Not much to say here. As always the race started out fast. There was a crash mid-way that split the group up a bit. I did a couple laps with my usual companions from years past. I fell off the pace a bit with 3 or 4 to go and wanted to slash my own tires to end the pain and suffering. No matter how I train, I never seem to be prepared for that first race. It's difficult to simulate the suffering. I was happy to see the last lap sign and finished mid-pack. It was a great course albeit one of the hardest we'll do all year.

Luke was next up after the completion of the A race. While we waited Bjorn Selander was standing nearby. He won the national championship for the under 23 (espoirs) category last year. We've gotten to know him and his father a bit over the years. I asked the boys if they wanted their picture taken with him. The reaction was written on their faces. Bjorn was very gracious and even gave them one of his water bottles. Notice the stars and stripes on his jersey...only he is allowed to wear that this year in his category. He totally made their day as they are big fans of his and talk about him all the time. He's certainly a good role model in these days when role models are hard to find for kids that age.

Luke lined up with about 12 other kids. There were led out by one of the race staff for about a half lap of the course. Luke went out fast and took the hole shot. He fell off the pace a bit in the middle but gained a position with his wicked skills over the barrier near the finish.

It was a quiet drive home as everyone was tuckered out from a long day of 'cross. It was great to catch up with all the familiar faces. Looking forward to another fun year.

'Cross Blog

I had fun with my blog of our trip to France this July, so I'd thought about doing a blog for the cyclocross season as well. I often get asked by friends and family what exactly is cyclocross. Wikipedia provides a pretty good overview (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclo-cross). I also visit cyclocross world for updates on everything related to 'cross.

I started racing 'cross in 2002 which makes this my 7th year. Back then I did about 3 races. Now there are races every weekend beginning this past weekend through Thanksgiving. One could race both Saturday and Sunday for over 20 races! Consequently, it's the fastest growing racing discipline in the U.S. I think there are a number of reasons for this trend. You can hold races almost anywhere, there are categories for every skill level and age, and it's family/spectator friendly. In Minnesota we use a 3 or 4 race format. I ride in the middle category (cat 3) which is also combined with the master's 45+ and open women's categories in the 3 race format. A full race schedule is available on the Minnesota Cycling Federation website.

I hope to provide race summaries and pics for those interested or just looking to burn some time at work!