Excess

So, what do you do when you take 600+ frames and only come out with about 70 good shots?

I don't like feeling this way.

Snowboard, Bindings, 2 pairs of boots, Gloves, Goggles, Board Bag.... Have a good winter you b@#$% a@# m@#%@#%@! coward of a f@#%@% theif. Karma is a bitch. Enjoy your cancer.

Consolation

No matter how bad of a day I've had, I can rest assured that Sarah Palin probably had a worse one...

A new low

I guess I missed hearing about this before.

Carpenter Cross Race Report

I arrived in Carpentersville in time to photograph the Men 3's and Women 1/2/3's. It takes up a bit of the day, but it's so nice to be at the race venue with plenty of time to hangout, get dressed, warm up, and race. I don't recommend the show and go method. My pals at the Bone Bell can tell you about that.

With the temperature hovering around 60 degrees I opted for arm and knee warmers, and got in lots of warm ups. I had a chance to ride the course a couple times, which had changed a bit from last year. A much shorter starting straight lead into a series of sharp, somewhat tricky turns over very bum-bum-bumppity terrain. The single barrier followed by the ditch jump was still there, but this time you had to make a hard left hand turn into the barrier. They threw in a longer pavement second with a 180 leading back to the rideable ditch crossing, and then the sandbox. This is a tricky pit to ride due to the 1) very bumpy ground leading up to it making it hard to get up to speed and 2) the 4-5 in inch drop into the sand that, if you're not careful, will put you on your face! Once again they used the bump of a hill in the middle of the course as a run up. I love this one because it's a short intense burst run rather than a long slog like the toboggan hill from last week. And the short remount period at the top really pays dividends if you're on your technical game, and just in time as the finish is right around the corner.

I felt great all day warming up and at the start. I was in an ok spot in the second row. But a bad start, and then a big jam up in the first turn soon put me in the hole. Everyone in front of me suddenly came to a stop and my wheel was pinned against the wheel in front of me. I started to fall to my left but before my foot even hit the ground someone ran into me from behind. Let me just tell you, being violated by a brake hood is NOT the way to start a race. I rode that d*mn thing from one side of the course to the other, ticking off a few riders in the process I'm sure. I couldn't sit again for the rest of that lap!

The field was so deep that I was still in the thick of things, though decidedly at the back of the pack. By the second lap, though, things started to thin out a little. I began gapping up to riders ahead, recovering, and then getting another. On the final lap going into the single barrier/ditch combo I banged my banged my rear wheel off the ground either right after the barrier or on the bank of the ditch. Either way, my chain jumped off. The same thing had happened to me in warm ups, but then I was much faster at getting the chain back on. Just as I got the chain on my buddy Naz from Half Acre caught up to me. I remounted and said "Ok, its you and me, Naz!" I knew we'd duke it out to the finish. With Naz hot on my trail I couldn't let up a bit. I stood up on the pedals on the pavement and making the turn I could see he was still there. Last time through the sand pit I rode it again and Naz caught me, running, by the end, but I was able to pull away quickly. I could feel him setting me up for an attack at the run-up. So after the off camber section I clicked up a couple gears and hammered the long stretch around the field prior to the run-up. Naz hung on strong. I had to clean the barriers and make a clean remount or get eaten up. Jump. Jump. Sprint. I pedaled away and took a look under my arm. Still there! A few more hard pedal strokes to the finish and I held him off!

After nearly collapsing at the finish, I made my way over to the Half Acre tent to re-hydrate! :D The only thing I like more than good beer is friendly people with a cooler full of good beer. What a great way to spend a Sunday. Thanks to all the folks involved with the Chicago Cross Cup series. Great job once again!

PHOTO CREDITS: Top: Luke Seeman Middle: Velogrrl Amy Bottom: Me

The rest of my pictures can be found on my Flickr site.

Carpenter Cross

Finally, temps are starting to get 'cross-like. I'll take the sunny days, though...















More to come, as well as a race report.

Holy Macro!

Hawthorne Woods CX - ChiCrossCup Race #3

This past Sunday I made the trek up to Lake Zurich to race in the Chicago Cross Cup race #3 at Hawthorne Woods.

Since I was last on the bike for the Apple Cider Century exactly 2 weeks ago, I had very low expectations for this race. Again I would race the 4a's. Last year it was Carpentersville when I started doubling up in the Masters 30+ as well. But this year time, budget, fitness and motivation will probably conspire to keep my in the 4's only. Plus, I'm working on my sports photo skillz by shooting the earlier races, something that I cannot do when racing in Masters. I arrived early and was able to shoot the 3s race (here and below). Not terribly happy with the results. I still struggle with direct sunlight and concentrated more on my exposures than composition.

So, the course was pretty straightforward (well, ok, there were some turns... ;) ) The biggest challenge was going to be the giant toboggan hill that we had to climb not once, but twice. This guy seemed to be more of a climb that Cricket hill, but now in retrospect I'm not sure. The nice thing is you could at least ride it the first time up, then there was only a barrier at the bottom of the second climb, prompting some to try to remount and ride the second time as well. I rode it in practice, but pretty much knew I'd be "running" it in the race. Besides the barrier at the run-up, there was only one other barrier, in a pretty open straight just before the Gazebo at the center of the course. This made it a great spectator spot and where most of the cheering was going on all day. Lastly there was a culvert/ditch that we rode along side for about 20 yards or so and eventually crossed at a 45 degree angle. The fast line was also in the deepest part of the mud, and you had a tree with low branches to contend with. The right side was more open, but put you at a bad angle on the other side, and with a bit less traction.

My goals were pretty meager. I wanted to hit the open barrier at full speed and take it clean, and I wanted to pass one rider on the last lap. My standing goal for all races is to at least finish in the top half.

I was certainly more apprehensive going into this race than any in recent history. Riding all out for 30 minutes (yeah, I know, boo-hoo it's only 30 minutes) when you haven't so much as touched a bike for 2 weeks is no picnic. I also have not been sleeping well lately, so that didn't help. And the feeling stuck with me right up to the work "GO". It makes for sort of a surreal start as you find yourself sprinting in a mass of elbows and handlebars and wheels and your still thinking "do I really want to do this??"

I made the decision to get a spot in the front because I didn't want to be tied up in traffic as we hit the hill at the beginning of the lap. I was sitting about tenth as we climbed the hill, and held that position up and down and up and down again.. As we came to the flat around the ball field, and then onto the pavement, though, people started to pass me as if I was standing still. I decided to ride my own race at this point and just stick to my plan. It's not fun getting passed like that, but it's no fun when your lungs explode and your legs fall off either, so I chose humility.



It was a fairly long course, and I think we only did 4 laps. Once I settled into my race about mid pack, it was nice to see that i was able to make time on the technical sections. I passed people through the barrier and the mud ditch, usually to be passed again on the flats, but that's ok. Going into the last lap I could see I had a chaser about 20 yards behind me. Thankfully the switchbacks on the hill allowed me to see that he was gaining pretty fast! If I wasn't going to meet my goal of passing someone on the last lap, I sure as hell wasn't going to let myself get passed. I tried to put a little more pressure on the peddles as we hit the ball field, and by the pavement I could tell he had dropped back a little. One more time through the barrier I worked for the cleanest pass yet. It was fast, but my remount wasn't pretty. That's ok, move on to the mud and it's hammer down to the finish. Picking up the pace to drop the chaser brought the rider ahead of me into view. Along a long back stretch just after the mud crossing he was just a few seconds ahead. "You don't have it in you" I thought. "Of course you have it in you, but do you want to hurt?" I retorted. "You're gonna do what you always do which is just let him go, aren't you.." Now I'm not only concerned with my racing, but also my mental health. The fact of the matter is my head wasn't really into the race from the beginning. So I told my brain to take a hike and let my legs take over. It wasn't really an explosive effort, but more of a gradual building until I was on his wheel, then sailing by, hoping to dissuade any thought of a counter attack. As I went by he said "Nice pass". The ultimate compliment considering just seconds ago I was languishing in self doubt! Now the finish was in sight, and I just kept the power on. I finished much stronger at Jackson park, but I'm pretty happy with this finish from a mental standpoint.

Apple Cider Century 2008

Now that I've scared most of you off with that picture, I'll tell those that remain about the Apple Cider Century on Sunday.

Despite the fact that my dad had ridden more miles this year then perhaps he has in his entire life (ok, not really, but close!) he and I had not been able to get in a ride together. So we planned on meeting in Three Oaks, MI this past Sunday to ride the Century together. This would be a cool down ride for pops who completed a cross country bike ride this summer, and then rode the One Day Ride Across Michigan (ODRAM) earlier this month. I, on the other hand, have not been getting much riding in at all.

It was a perfect day for a bike ride. Temps in the 70's, overcast, and not too much wind. I took advantage of the folks being in town for this one and drove in to MI on Saturday night and slept in the RV. I was able to register Saturday too, so Sunday it was an easy up, eat, and out!

We got on the ride by about 8:30. We started at a nice 18-19mph pace, but I could soon tell this was a little faster than the old man had in mind. So we slowed to about 15mph. Soon, however, we're back at 18-19, and dad's setting the pace. So I just tried to stay a half wheel back and let him control the pace.

At the first SAG stop I ran into a co-worker, Charlie, and some xXx guys. I also saw Jeff who was complaining of some rustyness, but from what I could see he was riding just fine!

The lines at the port-o-john's told the story of the 5000 rider count this year. We got a late start last year, and that seemed to be to our benefit as most of the crowds had already passed through the SAGs. This year it was hurry up and wait!

It was good catching up with my dad for most of the morning. It was also nice riding at his pace as I really didn't need to worry too much about fuel. I could eat whatever I wanted as I wasn't pushing too hard, and at the same time I didn't need much for the same reason.

By about the 60 mile mark the miles and hills were taking their toll on dad's legs, and he said if I should lose him on a climb to feel free to ride my pace to the next SAG. Just then a buddy Kevin from Half Acre and his friend Julia rode by. We chatted for a while and sure enough, I noticed pops fading into the distance. I gave him a wave and shouted I'd see him at the next SAG. It was good riding with Kevin as we kept the pace spirited up the climbs. It was good to stretch the legs! There really must be a name for the disease that causes you to grin from ear to ear at the sight of pavement turning skyward.

I bid adieu to Kevin and Julia at the SAG as the old man rolled in barely a few minutes after us. I would catch up to them again after this stop for a short ride, but given that I had not been fueling for harder efforts, I quickly dropped back to finish the day with my pop. While a challenge, it was nice to take it nice and easy for the last 20 miles or so. We talked biking, politics, Fuller Center for Housing, etc... We finally rolled back into Three Oaks at about 5:00 pm. A little longer of a day than we had hopped, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Dinner #1 in the big tent near the start/finish was followed by showers, a change of clothes, and then dinner #2 at Roma's pizza with both of the folks.

So, only my second century is in the books. Days like this remind my how much i really dig riding my bike.