the good part

2 guys in the top ten is the good news. Especially when one is on the top step. The bad news we will handle latter, but if you see Thom tomorrow-give him a beer.

Cross over load

Bewtween Gloucester and Night Weasels there has not been enough time for me to finish a report. There will be something to post here after Providence. In the meantine I found this picture.


Time to go soak my skinsuit again, the mud from Night Weasels is everywhere.




*photo courtesy of Russ Campbell photography.

The short, short version

Billy had the best finish at both the Noreaster on Saturday, and Suckerbrook on Sunday. However it is Wednesday and Billy still hasn't posted anything.

Noreaster:

Holy awesome. Stayed right on course (I mean almost literally. The place we stayed was right at the high point of the course right before the euro shoot of doom.) This course was awesome and was written about much better elsewhere. I crashed out, Thom crashed out, John not only finished, but aquitted himself well finishing in his first cross race finishing 38, Roger finshed 29. Billy came in third scoring the first (and hopefully not last) podium spot. (lots of photos including these at http://bicykel.com/)

Suckerbrook:

This is at the middle school I went to as a kid, and is 3 miles from where I grew up. This summer riding around in the back section I decided to lose my garmin. I hoped this would go better. If you watch this video, you can see that I rode an ok race, right up to the part where I flat heading back onto the pavement. I was sitting ok (nearish 12th) when I flatted, rode the flat to the gravel, had to run to the pit from there. I managed to get a wheel change and proceeded to claw my way back to 27. Thom finished 17 seconds ahead of me in 25th, sandwhiching Giessel. Roger finished 32 just 11 seconds back. Billy was the winner once again. He flatted on the bell lap and still managed to finish 12th.


Next up: Gloucester!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A bunch of videos from Green Mountain Day One

While Nick was busy with the camera, Thom was taking some videos. Enjoy

women's elite race

another lap of the elite ladies

3 race lap one. If anyone knows how to flip the footage-let us know

3 race at the barriers


and of course you all remember the first lap of the Elite Men on the steps

The rise and fall of Catamount weekend

It started out so good. The car was packed when I got out of work, so it meant just a short drive from Boston to the hostel in Burlington. Head over to eat burritos, then on the way. In Stoneham Thom is turned around talking to me and says "We just lost a wheel."



"What?" - Roger

"A wheel just flew off the roof" - Thom

*please let it not be my wheel* - Everyone.



Turns out it was Thom's wheel. We take the rest of the wheels off the roof, and get back to driving. Anyone who's ever taken me somewhere knows that I'm bound to fall asleep in the car. Probaly mid conversation. I don't know why, but it happens all the time. I even once fell asleep while drinking a Red Bull, clutched in a death-grip in my hand. After my nap we listen to the new Madball (awesome) and a Brian Posehn comedy album (listen to it.)



I'll tell the Hostel story another time (night digging) and start with getting to the race venue way too early. The Catamount Outdoor Center is an awesome place, lots of great views, and a ton of rideable terrain. Watching the fog burn off in the morning, and having it get about 10 degrees warmer in about 35 minutes was pretty awesome too.

Day one: Front row start. Ken from Threshold and I go out pretty hard and are leading up the first hill. By the time we get to the first left turn I've drifted back to 10th wheel or so (ah uphill sections.) I don't remember much except getting myself back around Giesel before we get back through the start/finish. Honestly this whole race is a blur. I do know that I rode up the bike jump every time, and that I managed to stay upright the entire ride. I also passed a couple of riders on the last lap n order to take 6th on the day.

I took a ton of photos after my race and proceeded to watch the Tim Johnson show before packing up and heading out for pizza and beer.

Day two: After a night of restless sleep it's back over to the venue super early for pre rides. It looked to be more suited to me (less climby) than day 1 and looked to have only 1 real feature to separate the race out (at least in the 4 field.) I was cautiously optimistic about my chance but was not getting good sensations from my legs during pre rides.

Front row start again. Again Ken leads it up the first hill and around the corner. Unlike day 1 I drift really far back during this part. I realize that there is now at least 1 Geekhouse rider ahead of me. I cannot allow myself to be treated this way and decide to move up on the left hand side. All the way to the front, and then to ride harder. I'm first wheel headed into the turns and still first wheel after the run up (yes I ran in every time.) I got passed just before it went back downhill, but stayed in the front group of 5 or so. We traded places amongst ourselves for most of the rest of the lap and rolled through the finish with me driving a train of 6 to the hill. I realize this is a really bad spot for me to be in so I weave around a bit to get off the front (in retrospect maybe the front is where I should have stayed.)

Back around the course on lap 2 it feels pretty good riding with this front group until we get to the downhill part. I managed to overcook a soft right hander and land right on my head. I also somehow manage to drop my chain behind the cassette and into the wheel. I get right up and realize that my oxygen starved brain can't fix my bike so I pick it up and start running.

I ran a lot. All the way down the hill, over the barriers and to the pit. I vaguely remember Roger yelling at me to keep running as he passed by. Stephen Pierce and Dave Wilcox, god bless their souls, met me in the pit to try and help out. I put my bike down and said "Chain. Needs fix." or something really intelligent like that. Between the 2 of them, and with an assist from Neutral by Mark himself I was back out of the pit quickly and right back into 14th place.

I proceeded to push myself harder than I ever have before in an attempt to catch not only the Geekhouse rider just ahead of me, but I needed to reel Roger in too. I relatively quickly caught up to the Geek (he washed out in a corner I think)and proceeded to cross paths with Roger for the next lap and a half or so.

I make a move to pass Roger and he lets me by with some words of encouragement. I think I see Giesel ahead of me, but he's to far to catch, so I just keep turning over the pedals trying to make up some time. Good for 12th on the day.

Overall I think we did pretty well for ourselves. I know Thom wasn't to happy with 16 on day 1 and 14 on day 2, but Roger seemed happy with 15 and 13.

Up next is the Noreaster and Suckerbrook. Keep an eye out for a special guest rider on Saturday.

The season begins...

There have been a few races already, but the big guns of the internet, came out to play Sunday in Bedford (some guns are bigger on the internet than in real life.) Thom and I went over on Saturday to help out with setting up the course and to drop off the team tent(s). If you liked the turns after the pit, thank Thom and I, if not, blame Ian for leaving us unsupervised.



I've been practicing as often as possible since Blunt Park, hoping to improve on my DNF. I started well for about 35 seconds, then went 1st to 50th in about 5 seconds by going into the tape in the first turn. Actually it wasn't even the first turn. In true cat 4 form I miss judged my speed heading up off the pavement and didn't turn enough sending me right into the tape. I quickly regrouped got back on the bike and started trying to claw my way back toward the front. I made a couple of passes through the start finish, and ran the first "circle of death" part at the bottom of the hill passing a bunch more people. That running part earned me a "Watch out for the guys with tattoos, they're aggresive" comment from a guy in a Bike Barn jersey. When a Bike Barn guy says you're aggressive you know you're racing bikes. Seriously if I can run past you maybe you shouldn't be still on your bike. Just saying.

I finally sorted myself out some and found the group that I would ride with, ahem behind, and settled in for some redlining.

I finished 29 of 88 better than last year's 54 of 91, but not as good as Billy's 12th.

After my race I got to hang out the rest of the day and watch bikes and enjoy a Beer of the Gods from one of the Newbury Comics water bottles that we passed out. I had so much fun Sunday, I can't wait for VT this weekend.


-Nick

Quad Cross

Photos are up on our facebook page. Race reports and more photos to come.
Awesome day of racing! Thom and Nick did a ton of work helping to set the course up and break it down. Thanks Team!