The morning was clear and the wind was relatively calm as the third race of the SoCalCross Prestige Series got underway at the Hansen Dam Recreation Center On Saturday, October 20.
I volunteered to help set up the course on Saturday. I highly recommend helping out if you can. Seeing the race course set up in action gives you a new appreciation for the hard work and dedication that is involved in setting up and running a race. There were many people helping which was a good thing. At one point we pounded a stake too close to a hornet nest and I got stung in the head and ankle at the same time. A Bear Claw team member got stung in the chest. We immediately left the area and let the hornets alone.
The course was set up and ready for race action on time. We set up cones, tape, stakes, and delineators all over the park. It was a great team effort that pulled off the set up. I will definitely help again!
Onto the race action! I signed myself up for the Mens 35+ 3/4 race. I managed to get pretty warmed up during the set up of the course as predicted by Dorothy!
We lined up and got instructions from the UCI commissar. An interesting item he mentioned was no water or feed hand ups. I thought this was a normal deal. Since I had no supporters at the race I carried a water bottle in my jersey pocket with my usual recipe. At the sound of the whistle we were underway. I jumped off the line hard, but not too hard. I gauged the effort of the field and a few guys were pressing the issue. I shifted up a gear and hammered it. I could hear the announcer say that there was no clear holeshot going down as we sped towards the grassy climb. I stayed on the gas and held my line. At that instant I was in the lead and I maintained the position until the very top of the climb as we bumped towards the grassy descent. As usual I got passed by one, then two riders. As we made our way through the course I was feeling ok until we hit the flat grass area near the hornet zone. The course did not traverse the hornet area but it did go over very bumpy grass. I got passed again by a couple guys. At this point I settled into my rhythm and felt ok. One highlight was the short steep run-up after the long paved section. This run-up was steep, really steep. Feeling inspired by elite racers I saw last year I went for it every lap 100% determined to ride up the climb. The first 2 laps failed. And on the 3rd lap I made it, I actually climbed the run-up! Every other lap after that failed near the top and I had to dismount. Feeling a little fried I kept flogging and eventually got passed by Tak and another racer. I dug down deep and couldn’t quite catch Tak but I did catch and pass the guy chasing him at the finish. I ended up 11th out of 14. My goal was achieved, I did not get lapped.
I encourage everyone to get involved and help out. Even if it’s just a little bit of time it really does go a long way towards the success of cyclocross in SoCal! See you all at the races!
This weekend there are not one, but two cyclocross races in SoCal. The Hansen Dam Recreation Area is the spot. I have no doubts that this will be a tough demanding course. There will be a lot grass, climbs, some dirt, barriers, etc. It is on! Oh, and I ordered a new single speed cross bike today.
This ain’t your grandma’s race report: Rated PG!
Under partially cloudy skies and cool temperatures the first race of the Urban Cyclocross Series got underway in Palos Verdes Estates.
First up was the Category 4 Men’s race. The course is used for cross country running. There are several narrow areas that make passing difficult if not impossible. During the warmup laps I found the secret line thru the water crossing at the top of the climb. Immediately after a barrier at the top of the climb there was a small creek that was bordered with cinder blocks hidden under palm tree fronds and leaves. Upon seeing this I took a few steps onto the cinder blocks and found that they were stable and able to be stomped on at race pace. The course was a bit sticky due to a shower the day before. I got in 3 laps before the race and felt good.
At the starting line I went to the front and took charge of position #1. Nobody seemed to care that I snaked 1/2 the field to get the prime spot. All is fair in love and cross. Once the whistle blew I starting hammering! I saw a couple guys on my right making a good run to the first turn so I increased the heat and immediately slipped out of both pedals and launched onto the handle bars nearly licking my front tire. I got back into shape and kept the motherfucker upright. Once I got my feet back on I was in about 8th. Have no fear – the Mighty P.A. is here – I easily passed some pussies in front of me and got into 5th place thru a chicane that made the pussies ride the brakes while I pedaled. Things got really interesting at this point. Immediately after the chicane the course went straight for about 30 feet and then took a hard hairpin right turn. Mr. Brainy in 1st place turned sharply to the right BEFORE the turn thinking that he was at the actual turn when he was actually turning right after a stake that was holding up the course marking tape. 2nd place lemming piled into 1st place Mr. Brainy. 3rd place lemming piled into 2nd place lemming. 4th place lemming piled into 3rd place lemming. The Mighty P.A. took charge! Realizing that this Blues Brothers re-enactment was my moment to attack I put the motherfucker into overdrive and sprinted hard away from the pile up. As the course went up up up hill along Via Coronel I couldn’t hear anyone behind me at first. After a minute or so I could hear some shifting behind me which meant I was under attack! Fuck this shit, I started cranking harder and harder nearing the summit of the climb. At the barrier I hopped off and crossed the water using my secret method. This kept my feet dry every lap! There was a small run up after the water. As I remounted I glanced back and 2nd place was right there. The course takes a long downhill speed run at this point. Utilizing my fearless descending techniques I cranked it up and went for it. Scaring the shit out of myself going down the run I maintained 1st place. The course has a nice scary off camber left turn at the bottom of the downhill section that requires high speed. I made it around this and kept the lead to the big run up. Mr. 2nd place got past me here. I ran up the climb and kept 2nd spot all the way to the start/finish line. So far I was feeling like a pimp being in 2nd for the 1st lap. That has never happened for me in a cross race. As we ground out the 2nd lap I could feel the pressure coming on from the chasers. I was able to maintain 2nd spot for most of the 2nd lap. One guy went by putting me in 3rd. On the 3rd lap normalcy returned to my dream like race. I got passed by 4 or 5 guys all within 30 feet on the long climb. So I was now running in 9th place and maintained that until the 2nd to the last lap. I was able to chase down and pass one of the speedies that got me earlier. Take that motherfucker! I ended up in 8th place and received a very Gaylord Focker-style 8th place participant ribbon.
After this glorious display of two-wheeled fun I had the pleasure of getting into the single speed race after about a 7 minute rest. I instantly got left behind due to being tired as fuck and also riding my ss mtb which is no match for the lightweight ss cross bikes. I kept my focus and stayed on the gas and passed up two racers and ended up 7th out of maybe 13 or 14 riders (maybe less – updates to come when the results are posted).
That’s it until this coming weekend when the SoCalCross Prestige Series Race #3 goes down somewhere in LA!
Sylmar was the place. Cyclocross was the race. I got my best placing ever in a cross race, 11th! Sound the trumpets! I was running in 9th for most of the race. I then got a slow leaking flat and got passed. I made it to the pit area and got my backup bike on the last lap. I ended up getting passed by another rider. I dug in and passed him back but he ended up getting me on the last straightaway to the finish line. All in all it was a blast. I highly recommend giving it a shot if you’re into bikes. Even if you don’t have a dedicated cyclocross bike you can use a mountain bike. Just take off the bar ends if you have any and go for it! Next up is the first race of the Urban Cyclocross Series. Taking place in Palos Verdes Estates. This race is sure to please the climbers and runners. No grass on this course! All dirt and loose wood chippy stuff with two climbs. See you there!
I got down and busy in Fullerton over the weekend. Check out my ramblings on LJ for details.
In short – I survived, didn’t crash (Race #1 of my ‘cross career in 2005 , huge stack on 1st lap), and had fun.
