End of Season Races

Sorry but late on end of season recap of the last 2 races. Both of them cold and still lots of fun!

TaneyTown Mabra Championship race:

Recap from 2008, cool, muddy beyond belief and a bog fest, hopefully better this year. Well no immediate rain for this one, but it was cool and windy for a few days before race so course should be dry. EEEEHHH! Wrong again my dear Watson. It was cold, sloppy, and slick. Given nicer weather this would be a sweet course, but i have never experienced that here in my short Cross career. Well got there in plenty of time, saw my Cross nemesis and buddy, Adam L. Chatted for few, went and registered, and visited favorite location prior to all races. Deciding what to wear, try on white knee warmers and skinny. this is before i knew it was muddy. Went out and reconned the course a little, and white knee warmers now trashed in mud. Well go back to car, down more water, changed a few pieces of gear out for some drier items and head down to start. Syd is there leading us in the right location, gotta love that kid, even when he kicks my ass all over the course. Well line up and only 1 row behind Adam. Aha!!! I have a chance, but no biggie no hurry at all. this will be quite a few laps, that i know. Start race first corner is at he start of mud bog 2009, sludge through the straight away, and then turn 45 degrees to the left and bam mud and water. Dismount and run up short hill, see riders jumping back on up top and riding down short hill only to get slowed by corners, so i figure run it out and remount on the clear straight away after another 90 deg. turn to the right. I think a smart move overall. first 180 corner causes a little pile-up so dismount and run again till safely able to remount. long straight away with off camber hill to left and then lots of long zigzags all over field, finally end up out on gravel road. come up on another 90 turn to the left, most riders off and running through ankle deep mud, i decide to torque it out and actually manage to get thru the slime/goo rather well considering but used considerable power to do so. Having fun and taking names. passing a few, see Adam up ahead and hone in on him. , do off camber hills after longer straights. Then we go back to a road(short jaunt) and then right turn back on grass , wind through the trees and then behind tennis courts. a Pair of barriers waits on the straight away, easy and fun, remount and take a sweeping left turn into a divot and back toward a tree. Roundabout behind a tree and around ball pen, come to a section(after a few more turns) in which is a longer straight away into another turn. Super bog down, that straight away was a slow down section to the crawl. didn't look that bad, but it just sapped you of energy. Back to right turn9muddy section) and then top of small hill riding along till drop to right and do a sweeping left turn to short uphill. Had to dismount and run most of this section, too muddy to even try. Get to top of little hill and traverse the top of it and then quick right downhill along fence line, another slow muddy bog section, which leads to a sweeping left turn around small body of water. a few quick turns and back out on gravel road to start area and then all over again.

Did this again at least three more times, for a total of four laps. Passed Adam right after first bog section on second lap and never looked back. Finished decent for weather conditions, 25th out of 54, so at least in top 50% range. Adam came in 28th position, was hoping for more of a distance, but still beat him. Made it through the rideable ankle mud section 3 out of 4 times, when last time going too slow so dismounted and ran it. Here's is a pic of my bike in the after effects of the mud. The other pics are of the masters race in which teammate Mark W. is in. Thought i would grab some pics for fun.

Capital cross at Reston, Va.:

Last year (2008) race was so cold and windy, it was ridiculous. hopefully 2009, would be better, NOT! It had snowed the day before the race and lots of residual. Figured it might not be too bad in Va. though. I got up early as ever and drove down, roads pretty clear just lots of snow on side of roads. Still only high 20's that morning, this should be fun. Get down to the reservoir rd and it is completely snow covered with extra ice. Not a Good sign at all! Well went and signed up, after almost falling on ice up stairs, saw Adam and chatted few minutes. AH warm Bathrooms, how nice a luxury! got changed, and went out of course. Holy @$#%^$#&, ice and snow. Don't mind the snow but ice on start line on the road, ice going across reservoir, ice on backside of course. Dam, i can see some injuries here today. Well start is on icy road and everyone was smart and started slow( I was 5 rows behind Adam-not good). We then sweep right into a snowy section of grass follow that around a big semi circle and go down short decline and up short incline, around tree, and into short straight away. this led into the double barriers, which leads to a great crowd, cheering section. Colder then a witches tit out here! Remount and short cross road section which lefts to left turn into off camber section, not too slick considering. slight right and then left around dicey hard uneven ground, will be a few wipe-outs before end of race at that spot. then go left and then quick right around tree, leading to a gradual zig zag section, which is next to first pit area. this is slightly muddy with ruts throughout and snowy as well. Right turn up hill is next, some riding, but too many riders slowing things up so get off and run that section up mud. Get to top and remount and ride across reservoir, only one actual riding lane and it is to the right. Ice and snow everywhere else, so mostly single file through this section. Then right to run up hill section. Easy footing considering and up to top of hill and then 180 switchback on loose rocky trail, hard to keep line but manage to do so. Sweeping left turn to downhill section, great mtb section and then left again to off camber section which is either a run or dab/foot down section.

Enter onto a short road section, off to right into a sweeping small downhill with grassy section a mud feast, slip and slide through that and go uphill slightly to a another sweeping left and then a fun cool nice downhill section. Swing around to right again and a little zigzag area @ a tree and then right again to a longer straight away. this section good recovery section and easy to pass some riders, a little right , and then a left, and then a right into a muddy bog puddle section. Another left around a tree and then a icy straight with a sweeping right onto a snow/icy road again. quick left short uphill, easy to ride up with some minor effort. Up on top of hill and then a few zigzags again, leading to a short downhill to a short straightway and then a left sweeping ice/snow turn onto gravel with ice in the middle of it, make a short right after bridge and back onto the finish/start line again. Each lap thru this course was more treacherous. int that riders would take extra risks. saw quite a few go down. I managed to stay up (which was my main concern, not hurting oneself last race of year) and adam did beat me, but that wasn't my main concern this race. I stopped for a down mtb when that last section of gravel ice road, he went outside of the thin trail everyone was making and went down hard and slide fast first along the ice. I watched him, and then watches him not get up, so i stopped and he looked up at me with a haze look to him and asked if ok, he said go on, i'm good then he laid his head back down. A few marshalls' saw it and were already running to him. that didn't help the race results either, but oh well. Tough race. got 35th out of 89, while Adam got 31st of 89. That's how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

good overall season, happy with last 6 race results besides Tacchino ciclimo, so last 5 races in the top 30's and 20's. Had fun, no mechanicals, no DNF's, and no major crashes! A great season, now having fun riding in the frigid 20 degree weather, and looking forward to whatever else comes along. Thanks for listening to my race recap and keep the rubber down and get out and ride.