I'm not as funny as JPows and I neither sing nor dance in this episode, but I thought it was pretty entertaining. Here it is. Hope you enjoy!
UnderTheBarriers #1 from Kim Bailey on Vimeo.
Race report, etc. to follow!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Under The Barriers Episode 1
Kim Bailey's easily one of the coolest people I've had the pleasure of dealing with this 'cross season. She's the closest I have to a 'local' teammate, she's welcoming, and has done way more for me than I deserve! Plus, her dog is pretty awesome. I crashed with her last weekend before the race in Winston-Salem, and she had the idea for a spoof/homage to "Behind the Barriers".
I'm not as funny as JPows and I neither sing nor dance in this episode, but I thought it was pretty entertaining. Here it is. Hope you enjoy!
Race report, etc. to follow!
I'm not as funny as JPows and I neither sing nor dance in this episode, but I thought it was pretty entertaining. Here it is. Hope you enjoy!
Race report, etc. to follow!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Rambling and planning
Today's my birthday! Woohoo! I don't really make a big deal about my birthday... it's not exactly like I was actively involved in the process. In actuality, I turned around and tried to head back in. But I do like free stuff, and my favorite acquisition this year so far has been a 2001 Specialized Hardrock... even though that wasn't a birthday present.
I'm not a real big fan of Specialized as a company. It's the punk rocker in me that rebels against the norm. Plus, "innovate or die" is a stupid slogan. But, I've been looking for a mountain bike for a while and I didn't have to exchange any cash for this. I love a good trade.
Basically, I like road riding, but road racing irritates me. It hurts. Traditionally, I'm not fast, and I just get frustrated. I enjoyed the USA Crits Speedweeks. Not racing it, but traveling to watch the pro races-- standing on the side of the road and screaming at TMK in South Carolina's smallest towns, driving 3:30 to Athens to stand in the rain ALL DAY was a lot of fun! But actually participating in these races was less than exciting.
On the flip side of this, I LOVE RACING CYCLO-CROSS. I love training for 'cross, I love being in the dirt and the grass, I love driving my bike a lot more than pedaling it, I love the cold, I love how much it hurts. Most importantly, I love how fun it is even when you suck. Getting dropped in a road race is depressing, but since the field blows up so much in a 'cross race there isn't really any "getting dropped". I'm looking for a spring time competition that can be as fun and motivating as 'cross is in the winter.
I'd rather spend 3 hours in the woods on my 'cross bike any day over riding 3:30 to Lake Murray on my road bike. The 'cross bike isn't the best equipped bike for the trails though. I'd like to try other trails around here and I'd like to be able to hammer them a little bit harder. I'd also like to be able to ride with other people and go to other trails (FATS, Pisgah, Dupont) and not feel under equipped. This is where the mountain bike comes into play.
For awhile I resisted the urge to take up mountain biking. I thought road racing was more beautiful, classical and I enjoyed the persona of a roadie much more. After racing a season on the road, I'm looking for something a little bit different.
So now that I've got a mountain bike, I'm looking at mountain bike races in which I can participate. Winter short track in Charlotte is the obvious choice. NC Cyclo-Cross wraps up on January 23, and there are short track races every Sunday after that until February 13 (and then there's more 'cross racing in Knoxville on February 20 and 21!!!!). Short track is an obvious transition from 'cross. It's short, fast and hard! I'm pretty much committed already! After this is gets a little bit hazy.
Last year I stopped racing at the beginning of May. Took May off and started training the second week in June. This meant I got May to rest, relax and enjoy time as a normal person. Plus I have a girlfriend that likes to spend the occasional weekend with me. Next year's training is even more important to me. I want to start racing 'cross in September next year and then go to collegiate nationals in January (2012). So getting some solid training in before this seems like a pretty good idea.
However, we have a Southern Regional Series for mountain bike racing (http://www.southernclassicmtb.org/). It runs March-August. The races are pretty spread out. So it may be possible. Plus, one of those races is a 10 minute bike ride from my house... DUH! It's tempting to keep racing through the summer. You know, like most normal bike racers. But I'm not a normal bike racer. I'm a CROSS racer, so I should probably use some of that time to be training, not just racing. Who knows.
There's also no reason to QUIT road racing. I just don't think I'm going to put as much emphasis on it as I did previously. There's no reason I have to choose one over the other, is there?
So my new challenge is to try to figure out how to transition from 'cross into winter mountain biking in February, then to cross-country racing in the spring (maybe with the occasional crit and spectating at Speedweeks), and then how to fit in training for the 2011-2012 'cross season. I'm not very good at making decisions.
I imagine this reads like I have no idea what I was trying to say. I don't really. This should be funny to read in the morning.
I'm not a real big fan of Specialized as a company. It's the punk rocker in me that rebels against the norm. Plus, "innovate or die" is a stupid slogan. But, I've been looking for a mountain bike for a while and I didn't have to exchange any cash for this. I love a good trade.
Basically, I like road riding, but road racing irritates me. It hurts. Traditionally, I'm not fast, and I just get frustrated. I enjoyed the USA Crits Speedweeks. Not racing it, but traveling to watch the pro races-- standing on the side of the road and screaming at TMK in South Carolina's smallest towns, driving 3:30 to Athens to stand in the rain ALL DAY was a lot of fun! But actually participating in these races was less than exciting.
On the flip side of this, I LOVE RACING CYCLO-CROSS. I love training for 'cross, I love being in the dirt and the grass, I love driving my bike a lot more than pedaling it, I love the cold, I love how much it hurts. Most importantly, I love how fun it is even when you suck. Getting dropped in a road race is depressing, but since the field blows up so much in a 'cross race there isn't really any "getting dropped". I'm looking for a spring time competition that can be as fun and motivating as 'cross is in the winter.
I'd rather spend 3 hours in the woods on my 'cross bike any day over riding 3:30 to Lake Murray on my road bike. The 'cross bike isn't the best equipped bike for the trails though. I'd like to try other trails around here and I'd like to be able to hammer them a little bit harder. I'd also like to be able to ride with other people and go to other trails (FATS, Pisgah, Dupont) and not feel under equipped. This is where the mountain bike comes into play.
For awhile I resisted the urge to take up mountain biking. I thought road racing was more beautiful, classical and I enjoyed the persona of a roadie much more. After racing a season on the road, I'm looking for something a little bit different.
So now that I've got a mountain bike, I'm looking at mountain bike races in which I can participate. Winter short track in Charlotte is the obvious choice. NC Cyclo-Cross wraps up on January 23, and there are short track races every Sunday after that until February 13 (and then there's more 'cross racing in Knoxville on February 20 and 21!!!!). Short track is an obvious transition from 'cross. It's short, fast and hard! I'm pretty much committed already! After this is gets a little bit hazy.
Last year I stopped racing at the beginning of May. Took May off and started training the second week in June. This meant I got May to rest, relax and enjoy time as a normal person. Plus I have a girlfriend that likes to spend the occasional weekend with me. Next year's training is even more important to me. I want to start racing 'cross in September next year and then go to collegiate nationals in January (2012). So getting some solid training in before this seems like a pretty good idea.
However, we have a Southern Regional Series for mountain bike racing (http://www.southernclassicmtb.org/). It runs March-August. The races are pretty spread out. So it may be possible. Plus, one of those races is a 10 minute bike ride from my house... DUH! It's tempting to keep racing through the summer. You know, like most normal bike racers. But I'm not a normal bike racer. I'm a CROSS racer, so I should probably use some of that time to be training, not just racing. Who knows.
There's also no reason to QUIT road racing. I just don't think I'm going to put as much emphasis on it as I did previously. There's no reason I have to choose one over the other, is there?
So my new challenge is to try to figure out how to transition from 'cross into winter mountain biking in February, then to cross-country racing in the spring (maybe with the occasional crit and spectating at Speedweeks), and then how to fit in training for the 2011-2012 'cross season. I'm not very good at making decisions.
I imagine this reads like I have no idea what I was trying to say. I don't really. This should be funny to read in the morning.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
CBC Cyclo-Cross 12/5
I have an exam I should be studying for. Instead I will continue my blogging marathon over a bowl of tortellini-- my personal favorite variety of stuffed pasta.
Let's hop in the cyclo-cross time machine and go back to 12/5/09. I loaded up the car and made the drive to Greensboro, NC for a race at the Bur-Mil Park and it was good. It was muddy and gross and cold-- in the 30's. Only ten people lined up! I killed the wet stuff, rode in shorts and short sleeves, crashed carrying my spare wheels to the pits, and finished on the podium. I won some wool socks and a mini-pump. I carry that pump with me on every ride now!
It seems fitting that on the day that one upgrade point I earned in Greensboro "expired", I would earn my second ever upgrade point.
Lunch related interjection- how does a microwave choose which pieces of pasta to overcook and which to leave frozen?
I loaded up the Suzuki RENO (Really Enraging, Never Own one) and shipped down to Charleston for the last race of Charleston Bicycle Company's inaugural cyclo-cross series. The course was a good mix of pavement, grass, sand and single track complete with two back to back run ups. The only down side-it was SHORT. We were going to do a lot of laps, which would be tiring.
The race was a combined 1/2/3/4 race, but the 1/2s and the 3/4s would be scored separately. I was scared that I would try to ride with the fast group of 1/2s and end up blowing up, and that the 45 minute race (15 minutes longer than normal) would kill me.
Fortunately, 45 minutes didn't kill me but doing 10-11 laps on that short course almost did.
The first sand pit was deep, and apparently the ruts got filled in every lap. It was rideable, but you were grinding and mashing at the end. Lots of people, myself included, were getting bogged down and dismounting about halfway through. For a couple of laps part of the course tape was down, so you could ride the grass longer and carry more speed into the sand. Too bad somebody found out and fixed it.
The hills were rideable too, though apparently not for me. The people who were riding were mashing and grinding (again) at the top. I thought it was just as fast to run, but since the bottom of the first run up was a u-turn into the next one, people who rode were faster at the bottom and then coming into the next hill.
The u-turn at the bottom especially kicked my ass. I was usually still trying to get into my pedals at the bottom and going so fast that I was slipping, sliding and skidding through the turn everytime.
All in all, I felt pretty good. Lots of riding alone again since the field got pretty strung out. The leader of the 1/2 race lapped me, and I was passing a lot of slower lapped guys. The entire race, I could see one guy just a few sections in front of me and two guys a few sections behind me. A few times I could see my chasers literally a corner behind me, and ceded my position to being caught. But, those two never got me. I don't know what I did to stay away from them, but I did.
Came across the line 7th on the course-- 5th in the 3/4 race. Obviously, my best finish of the season, but I was shooting for a podium. Oh well!
I'm really excited that I felt so good for 45 minutes of racing. Makes me even more excited to go up a category... eventually. I know Charleston is a smaller pond than North Carolina, but I'm still pretty happy with myself.
Let's hop in the cyclo-cross time machine and go back to 12/5/09. I loaded up the car and made the drive to Greensboro, NC for a race at the Bur-Mil Park and it was good. It was muddy and gross and cold-- in the 30's. Only ten people lined up! I killed the wet stuff, rode in shorts and short sleeves, crashed carrying my spare wheels to the pits, and finished on the podium. I won some wool socks and a mini-pump. I carry that pump with me on every ride now!
It seems fitting that on the day that one upgrade point I earned in Greensboro "expired", I would earn my second ever upgrade point.
Lunch related interjection- how does a microwave choose which pieces of pasta to overcook and which to leave frozen?
I loaded up the Suzuki RENO (Really Enraging, Never Own one) and shipped down to Charleston for the last race of Charleston Bicycle Company's inaugural cyclo-cross series. The course was a good mix of pavement, grass, sand and single track complete with two back to back run ups. The only down side-it was SHORT. We were going to do a lot of laps, which would be tiring.
The race was a combined 1/2/3/4 race, but the 1/2s and the 3/4s would be scored separately. I was scared that I would try to ride with the fast group of 1/2s and end up blowing up, and that the 45 minute race (15 minutes longer than normal) would kill me.
Fortunately, 45 minutes didn't kill me but doing 10-11 laps on that short course almost did.
The first sand pit was deep, and apparently the ruts got filled in every lap. It was rideable, but you were grinding and mashing at the end. Lots of people, myself included, were getting bogged down and dismounting about halfway through. For a couple of laps part of the course tape was down, so you could ride the grass longer and carry more speed into the sand. Too bad somebody found out and fixed it.
The hills were rideable too, though apparently not for me. The people who were riding were mashing and grinding (again) at the top. I thought it was just as fast to run, but since the bottom of the first run up was a u-turn into the next one, people who rode were faster at the bottom and then coming into the next hill.
The u-turn at the bottom especially kicked my ass. I was usually still trying to get into my pedals at the bottom and going so fast that I was slipping, sliding and skidding through the turn everytime.
All in all, I felt pretty good. Lots of riding alone again since the field got pretty strung out. The leader of the 1/2 race lapped me, and I was passing a lot of slower lapped guys. The entire race, I could see one guy just a few sections in front of me and two guys a few sections behind me. A few times I could see my chasers literally a corner behind me, and ceded my position to being caught. But, those two never got me. I don't know what I did to stay away from them, but I did.
Came across the line 7th on the course-- 5th in the 3/4 race. Obviously, my best finish of the season, but I was shooting for a podium. Oh well!
I'm really excited that I felt so good for 45 minutes of racing. Makes me even more excited to go up a category... eventually. I know Charleston is a smaller pond than North Carolina, but I'm still pretty happy with myself.
A little November Round Up
I am a LAZY blogger. So instead of posting blogular reports about the North Carolina Grand Prix and the Georgia 'Cross Series in Palmetto, I'll just try to sum it up now. Roughly two and a half weeks later.
North Carolina Grand Prix 11/20-21
I really like this race! It's a super awesome course, and getting to stick around to watch the Elite races is pretty sweet.
On Saturday, I lost the race before the race. I ended up lined up on the third or fourth row right in the middle of the group. That wasn't a lot of fun.
I made up a good bit of ground after my somewhat poor start. I felt good over most of the course. There weren't any super tricky parts or anything that tripped me up. I love the double stair steps and I was actually able to ride the "wall" this time.
I got the bell and could see the group in front of me at the end of the start stretch. I started turning myself inside out to try to bring those guys back. I didn't know at the time, but that group would have put me in striking distance of the top ten. Never could bring them back and ended up 15th.
Sunday was a bit different. I usually feel better the second day of racing than the first. I guess I worked really hard yesterday, because I was TIRED down the stretch.
Started way strong-- top tenish. But it was like the front group had a big elastic band tied to our backs because we got hit like a tidal wave by 30 riders behind us who wanted to be in the front.
That's when the crashes started. Every corner for the first half lap. Seriously.
Anyway, I pushed hard to make up the ground I lost (my friend Joey, the Cycle-Smart Grassroots Bouncer, said he counted me back as far as 25th). One difference today was that I could not make it up "the wall". It was frosty/dewy in the morning, and I was spinning my back wheel at the top. Going down and sliding to the bottom seemed slower than running to me. The wooded climb also made me hurt today. I guess the fatigue from yesterday made it a bit tougher. I was hurting up the hill and then wishing I had some extra time to recover after.
The group in front of me was much closer today than yesterday, and I caught them at the bottom of the wall on the last lap. However, the group behind me caught me at the exact same time. There were five of us coming into the sprint. Went into the last corner in 4th wheel, and the guy in front of us started to slide out in the corner. I guess that was his strategy because he KILLED IT coming out of the corner. I tried to sprint, finished 18th.
Georgia 'Cross Series (Palmetto, GA) 11/28
The course was super tough. It really favored the mountain biker at heart. We started on a grass stretch and twisted into a long downhill gravel road. You better be in a good position going into the turn headed into the woods, because you weren't passing anybody from there. Lots of single track, some shortish climbs and then fast downhills. About halfway through the course there was a long run-up (for me). It was rutted and eroded and clay. I couldn't ride it, and I was able to make up a good bit of ground running.
After the run-up, it really opened up-- started to ride like a 'cross course. There was one more long uphill and then the best part of the course--the cow crap. We were riding on a farm (there were cows standing beside one part of the course), and a good many of the grassy sections had hoof-print pot holes and lots of cow crap.
The race was pretty uneventful. It rode like a mountain bike race but still hurt like a 'cross race. Lots of me riding alone, assuming that I was last.
I managed to catch two people in front of me coming into the finish, putting myself in another sprint situation. I took a really good, fast line coming to the finish line, but just got out powered by one of the riders. Came across 7th, not too badly.
North Carolina Grand Prix 11/20-21
I really like this race! It's a super awesome course, and getting to stick around to watch the Elite races is pretty sweet.
On Saturday, I lost the race before the race. I ended up lined up on the third or fourth row right in the middle of the group. That wasn't a lot of fun.
I made up a good bit of ground after my somewhat poor start. I felt good over most of the course. There weren't any super tricky parts or anything that tripped me up. I love the double stair steps and I was actually able to ride the "wall" this time.
I got the bell and could see the group in front of me at the end of the start stretch. I started turning myself inside out to try to bring those guys back. I didn't know at the time, but that group would have put me in striking distance of the top ten. Never could bring them back and ended up 15th.
Sunday was a bit different. I usually feel better the second day of racing than the first. I guess I worked really hard yesterday, because I was TIRED down the stretch.
Started way strong-- top tenish. But it was like the front group had a big elastic band tied to our backs because we got hit like a tidal wave by 30 riders behind us who wanted to be in the front.
That's when the crashes started. Every corner for the first half lap. Seriously.
Anyway, I pushed hard to make up the ground I lost (my friend Joey, the Cycle-Smart Grassroots Bouncer, said he counted me back as far as 25th). One difference today was that I could not make it up "the wall". It was frosty/dewy in the morning, and I was spinning my back wheel at the top. Going down and sliding to the bottom seemed slower than running to me. The wooded climb also made me hurt today. I guess the fatigue from yesterday made it a bit tougher. I was hurting up the hill and then wishing I had some extra time to recover after.
The group in front of me was much closer today than yesterday, and I caught them at the bottom of the wall on the last lap. However, the group behind me caught me at the exact same time. There were five of us coming into the sprint. Went into the last corner in 4th wheel, and the guy in front of us started to slide out in the corner. I guess that was his strategy because he KILLED IT coming out of the corner. I tried to sprint, finished 18th.
Georgia 'Cross Series (Palmetto, GA) 11/28
The course was super tough. It really favored the mountain biker at heart. We started on a grass stretch and twisted into a long downhill gravel road. You better be in a good position going into the turn headed into the woods, because you weren't passing anybody from there. Lots of single track, some shortish climbs and then fast downhills. About halfway through the course there was a long run-up (for me). It was rutted and eroded and clay. I couldn't ride it, and I was able to make up a good bit of ground running.
After the run-up, it really opened up-- started to ride like a 'cross course. There was one more long uphill and then the best part of the course--the cow crap. We were riding on a farm (there were cows standing beside one part of the course), and a good many of the grassy sections had hoof-print pot holes and lots of cow crap.
The race was pretty uneventful. It rode like a mountain bike race but still hurt like a 'cross race. Lots of me riding alone, assuming that I was last.
I managed to catch two people in front of me coming into the finish, putting myself in another sprint situation. I took a really good, fast line coming to the finish line, but just got out powered by one of the riders. Came across 7th, not too badly.
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