Cross Shares

Well mud season is now finally upon us.  Racing in the wet gunk brings an entirely new dimension to cyclocross, and it’s a dimension that requires a few special pointers.  Here are a few mud tips that I’ve learned over the years:

Spare Shoes and Socks.  If you have a spare pair of biking shoes bring them to use during practice and warm-up laps.  Before your race switch out to dry footwear. 

Rear Fender.  I like to use one of those long plastic fenders that strap to the seat tube and extend horizontally over the rear tire during practice and warm-up laps.  While this type of fender is worthless for group rides they are super effective for keeping your ass dry.  Keep yer butt dry as long as possible.

Glasses.  Wear some kind of eye protection, preferably clear lenses.  Cross tires hold a lot of mud and when you hit pavement, gravel or packed dirt all that gunk from the rider in front of you gets flung into your face.  So unless you’re in front you’ll be needing some eye protection.

Garbage Bag.  Bring a big hefty and fill it with all of your wet, muddy gear.  Deal with the mess when you get home.

Pump sprayer.  Get one of those one or two gallon sprayers that gardeners use to spray whatever they spray on plants, fill it with water and use it to clean your brakes and drivetrain after your practice and warm-up laps.

Jacket Minder.  Wear a jacket to the starting line and have someone close by to whom you can toss it.  This is when it’s a good time to have teammates. 

(Baby got) Bac at the Tac

The Cross Revolution guys put on yet another great race down at North SeaTac Park.  The cross scene here in the Great Northwest just keeps getting better and better.

Trevor, Chris R and I joined Dave S in the wee morning hours working registration.  Working the tables is a good way to put names to faces: I know a lot of faces and I know a lot of names, yesterday was a good chance to connect the dots.  Steve B and Jim W took over the afternoon shift.  A big thank you to all of the Cucina guys who stepped up and helped make the race happen.

The Cucina squad was in full force yesterday, and we had some smok’n results:

Peter S
Darren J

Darryl

Mike M – 18 laps

Jeff G – 1^st place

Dan L – 3^rd place

Dave S – 8^th place

Terrence S

Trevor H

Peter M

Jim W

Chris R – 4^th place

Erik O

Paul D

I’d like to make a special shout out to Chris R for taking fourth in a brutal Masters 1/2 race wherein only five guys managed to finish on the lead lap. 

The course was awesome with two significant run-ups and a bunch of fast single-track.  I hit hard on the first lap – it took me about ten minutes with a finger nail brush to get all of the dirt out of the wounds – and was basically just happy to finish.  The tent was a happening scene with Terrence doing dollar bill hand-ups, Mike recovering and getting ready for some more and Peter just quietly popp’n barleys.  Hanging out underneath the tent, staying dry and yelling at the racers makes for some serious cross fun.

Pain is Temporary -MFG #4

The dirt heads made a noble showing at MFG #4 Magnuson Park on Sunday.  Highlights of the day were Mr.Hall’s third place finish, Dave S doubling up and Chris M doing the devil’s work on that sweet Raleigh single speed.  A special shout out goes to Jeff G for keeping his cool, Darryl was ready to clear the benches in defense of his teammate.

The course was fast with nary a minute for the catching of the breath.  Zac, Terry and Rich once again did a bang up job of setting the route.

It feels like cross season is finally upon us.  No more of that sissy sunshine, it’s now time to HTFU.  Even if you don’t plan to race I really encourage everyone to come out, grab some Motofish coffee and hang wit yer boyz in the tent.

Remember pain is temporary but twenty ninth place is forever.

Keep a Little Change in Your Pocket

HB 1550 was signed by the Governor in May and we’re pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2016, event promoters will no longer be required to collect sales tax for races or events in Washington state. You can see the full bill here.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/evergreen-helps-eliminate-sales-tax-for-wa-bike-races-2015.html

Paper Numbers

After five years I finally discovered how to properly pin on a paper number.  Forego the holes.

Sprinker 2015

This was my first time racing down at the Sprinker Rec Center down in Parkland, and I have to say that if it wasn’t my favorite all time course it was certainly in the top three.  The Cross Revolution guys really put a lot of work and planning into laying out a fun and challenging course.  Unfortunately I do better on courses that I don’t really like –hilly – than I do on the courses that I enjoy – flat and twisty.

The course started on the road and went through a few twists before entering a long straightaway behind a ball field.  From there it was a convoluted set of twists and turns with a couple of steep, but short, uphills thrown in.   A short barrier made the second hill a run up and this is where I really seemed to lose position as I continually had trouble clearing my cleats and getting back into the pedals before slamming down a bumpy descent.  A tricky little sand patch was placed at the top of a small rise, the trick was to go straight through the sand and then make the turn on solid ground, I watched a lot of guys in the earlier races go over the bars when they tried to turn too early.  Another uphill, a few hairpin turns, a single barrier and then it was a drag race back to the start/finish for another time around.  I really liked the single barrier, it was off and back on, no messing around with that running stuff.

Per usual I started fairly far back but once off the pavement I settled onto the wheel of a strong rider from BikeSale – Denny Bartlet, who had settled on the wheel of our own Mike Rolcik.  My goal was to stick with these two for the duration.  Two guys got in between, but I basically managed to keep those two guys in my sights, so the race within a race was a success.

Jeff G and Chris S raced early.  Terrence S and Dan L followed with Dan taking second in the Masters 35+ category.  Mike R, Chris M, and I raced the Cat 3 45+, with Dave S doing the Cat 3 55+.  Erik O and Mike M finished out the day in the Masters 1/2 race.

More photos are at  https://greenliteheavyindustries.smugmug.com/Sprinker-CX-2015/