Sunrise CX 2024 - 55+

What a mess it turned out to be.

Coming off a good result at Jackson Park I was excited about Sunrise Park.  Other than the dreaded (at least for me) Heckle Hill it is a fun course.  

There are a couple of wooded single track sections, logs to jump, and yes... Heckle Hill.

I signed up for the 55+ and the Singlespeed races again.  

TLDR: 13th/35 in the 55+.  DNF in the singlespeed with a broken derailleur hanger.

And the broken hanger was only part of the mess...

It was chilly (35) in the morning as I arrived at 6:45.  It was still dark (too dark to preride) so I sat in the car an extra 10 minutes.  I was also bundled up with multiple layers including a parka for the couple laps to check out the course.

With no wind and dry skies by race time it wasn't too bad.  Once on the course you heat up quickly so it is really only the 5-10 minutes before the whistle where the chill kicks in.

My Cross Results points have continued to improve so I had a 2nd row start.  I also got a slot on the left side which I prefer when the first turn is to the right.  I find it easier to move up when not getting bunched up on the inside of the turn.

As I've mentioned a couple times over the course of 2024 I like to judge myself by the company I keep.  In the 55+ I have my eyes on a few guys who typically finish in front of me and try to hold wheels as long as I can.  After a good start where I help my position I stayed with the company I wanted throughout the first lap which was a big deal for me.  Right before the end of lap 1 line I had a couple of them behind me (although they slid by at the line).  On the 2nd lap right before Heckle Hill the racer in front of me slid out in a corner and I had to brake and slid a bit too.  Only one guy got past me but it created the gap to the people I had my eyes on which I just couldn't bring back.  

Heckle Hill was a bit easier this year (not sure why they made it easier) but as the laps built up the grass got matted down and became a bit more slick.  I DIDN'T FALL though.  Whoo Hoo!

Laps 2 and 3 were about keeping ahead of people and getting past the back of the 35+ group quickly.

My lap times got quicker each lap which is great.  I usually have a lull in laps 3 and 4.  But not this week.  My fastest lap was my last.  8:05, 8:05, 7:56 and 7:53.  The first lap has a bit of extra yardage/time because of the start grid.  The second lap was probably a bit slower because of the slide out.  

On Lap 4 I kept pushing and when I was approaching the logs I saw ahead of me a friend Matt.  As I looked ahead I noticed he dismounted and ran the logs.  I kept going and bunny hopped and ended up passing him.  Looking at the video after I gained 4-5 seconds on just that lap because of my mad log skills :)  

I kept pushing and stayed ahead of him and when we hit the start finish line for what should have been the penultimate time and they stopped us.  This is where it gets messy.  We knew there should have been another lap because we had only been racing for 32 minutes of a 40 minute race and we were doing sub-8 minute laps.  So heart rate pumping we stop and start loudly questioning the judges.  The head judge (who was later deemed to have made the mistake) snapped back at us which was more uncalled for.  By the point we were done yelling at each other people from behind us were passing us and they were letting them continue racing.  It was a mess.

Without getting into too many crazy details we ended up being lucky that the racer right behind us on the course is also a judge.  After he finished his 5th lap he went to the judges tent and told them we should be placed ahead of him.  So all in all, our placing was correct (although who knows what disasters could have lay ahead > um, see above broken hanger) and they decided to give us a fake time for the ghost lap we didn't do.

13th is my highest finish this year and my legs felt good.  Also happy about the logs although I chickened out and ran the barriers.  Better to run than fall which I had 2 guys next to me do.  I also finished on the second step of the podium for the Cat 4/5 sub-group within the race.  Because of the goofiness above there was no official podium picture. So Matt and I took one of our own.  

Like I said above I didn't even finish the first lap of the Singlespeed race.  I had a good start from the 4th row.  In the second corner someone went down and caused a big clog but I had the inside line and made it through quickly passing maybe 10 people.

But Heckle Hill bit me one more time.  Every year I either fall or just don't even try to ride it and run it.  This time I made it through the first corner but then hit too much brake on the second corner and the wheels slipped out.  It was rather low speed and I even had my right foot unclipped to balance.  But the derailleur hanger bent and was clicking the spokes.  My brain was fuzzy but I did hear a spectator yell my derailleur was in my wheel.  So I stopped and tried to bend it back and SNAP!  It did what it was supposed to do but it also ended my race.

Next week is Halloween Cross at Campton Hills.

First Lap:  https://youtu.be/sPpj3O94bpo?si=rI737c_6wJUqqGb3

Full Race:  https://youtu.be/CZRwIc72yFI?si=QgqQdIBJWE_ob3lt

Jackson Park CX 2024

We were back to Jackson Park near the Museum of Science and Industry - the home of Relay Cross.  This time they changed up the course and there were no partners to rely on... it was all on each of us.

At Glenwood George dabbled in the single speed race as well as the 55+ race so I decided to join him.  I like the idea of doing two races but waiting around 3 hours for the Cat 3/4 is just too much.

Besides the beautiful October weather the big news was that it was my first race on my Cervelo R5-CX cyclocross specific bike.  (The bike created for Wout and Mariana Vos).  I built up the frame with the components from my Crux and it didn't disappoint.  The handling was impeccable.  I kinda suck at turning but between that and the counter-steering technique I was practicing last week I was actually catching up to people in the corners... I never thought I'd say that.

The 55+ race was first and got off to an awkward start because the official walked away from start line and we weren't sure when he was gonna blow the whistle.  A whistle from a distance blew and off we went and my start was ok.  Not near as good as Glenwood but slotted right up there in the top 15 (there were 28 of us at the start).  After getting some really good Cross Results points at Trek CX I moved up to the 3rd row which helps.  

The one technical challenge that was on the course (and not included in Relay Cross) was a 180 up a short embankment (right near Lake Shore Drive).  On the first lap I knew it was gonna be a mess and sure enough someone slipped out and the rest of us were running.  The rest of the first lap was a back and forth with a few different riders.  It was really fun to try and move up and protect corners.  

The course was dry and didn't even have any dew.  As I mentioned in another race report the first race of the day (8am for us) doesn't have the lines burned in yet so while that means good grip (Green means grip) it also means that you don't have lines to follow.  I started pre-ride at 25/26 PSI and lowered it in the middle.  Probably ended up around 24/25 which seems to be my sweet spot.  My rear tire slipped a few times throughout the race so maybe I could have gone a little lower but since I didn't go down it was probably right.  It was a fast enough course to go with a higher pressure but it was fairly bumpy and it is better to smooth out those bumps with a lower pressure.

My legs felt good (other than right after the sprint start).  I kept my power and had the energy to keep pushing throughout the entire 40 minutes.  It was a light week on the bike which may have accounted for the freshness.

Most of the second half of the race (5 laps total) was spent catching up to the back end of the 35+ race which had started 2 minutes in front of us.  Trying not to get stuck behind people which can let others catch you from behind is a challenge.  

Early on I had a back and forth with #32.  He finished only 5 seconds in front of me which means I should have pushed that much harder.  Next time.

I finished 14th/28.  I continued my goal of finishing top half and achieved my goal of top 15.  I hope to keep moving up.  My last lap was my fastest lap and and I was pretty consistent all around so I am pretty happy.  Average HR was 164 with a max of 173.

For the single speed race I had no idea what I was doing and just hoped to pick the right gear.  In the 55+ race I shifted 150 times (SRAM AXS app lets me know this) and now I wouldn't be able to shift at all (I took the battery out of the derailleur).  George had let me know for Glenwood he picked too easy of a gear so I went 1 gear harder than I thought might be right.  I have a 35 tooth small chainring up front and I'm pretty sure I ended up in the 17 in the back.  The course was pretty flat except for that 180 turn mentioned above.

The legs still felt pretty good surprisingly and the lap times reflected that.  In fact my fastest lap all day was the last lap of the SS race.  I was in traffic the whole race which makes it a lot more fun.  Trying to pass people or trying to hold on to wheels.  On the second lap I tried to make a pass but ran out of real estate when the course jogged right.  I hit the brakes but also the bushes.  Thankfully the new frame seems to have come out ok.

Just before that I had passed a couple people and now I had to chase back again.  With the adrenaline rush from the vegetation I kept going and not only caught the 2 people but also passed the guy who put me in the bushes.  He ended up 6 seconds behind me and there were two guys who were 8 and 2 seconds in front of me so the motivation was there the last couple laps.  I tried to pass the guy right in front of me on the last lap but couldn't do it and was hoping to take him in the sprint but as I took the last corner and ramped it up my back wheel hit a couple of holes and that was that.

I ended 25th out of 39 which isn't too bad as it was my second race and I had never done a SS race before.  Looking forward to doing it again this week.  Avg HR 165 Max 181.

Upcoming race is Sunrise Park in Bartlett.

Full Race - 55+: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-xTTf6pjyw

First Lap - 55+: https://youtu.be/esC5mYRMw2Q?si=WJQ4enUGPb-h5ok_

First Lap - Singlespeed: https://youtu.be/x9mbw5CmDDY?si=YdMKYP9Y93gt8FUg

Trek CX Cup 2024 - 50+

 Let's bring a Volkswagen to an F1 race.  Or, perhaps a better analogy, fuel that F1 car with E85 instead of rocket fuel.

Trek CX is always one of the highlights of the racing calendar for people and it brings people from far and wide.  This year, though, it isn't a World Cup.  So, only a couple of Euro pros were racing instead of most of the best.  But that doesn't mean the rest of the categories weren't stacked.

There were 3 days of racing and George, Bob, and myself did 2 of them; Saturday and Sunday.  All total there were probably 20-30 CCC people up there with some good representation (and at least 3 podiums).  We did the 10:30 time slot which had 4 different age groups starting each about 30 seconds apart: 40+, 50+, 60+, and 70+.  All told 120+ racers on course at the same time,

Before the weekend my Cross Results points were about 500.  My points aren't good but for a Cat 4 slumming with the 50+ age groupers they aren't horrible.  Of the 60 guys in my race I was predicted 58th based on points.  The top 10 all had sub-300 points.  Top 20-30 had sub-400 point.  This field was crazy stacked.  In fact only 11 guys of the 52 who actually showed up (8 guys paid and didn't show) finished on the lead lap.  41 people were lapped.  That's crazy.

I finished 40th out of 52 on Saturday.  Much better than predicted but still far down the line.  

The course is very different than anything we see in the CCC.  And we didn't even do the pro-only line.  Lot's of punchy rises along with 3 man-made flyovers.  A couple of slow drags uphill.  There was one descent that really should have been done on a mountain bike.  I am honestly shocked I didn't crash and I didn't see others wipe out:  bumpy, dusty, and steep.

Needless to say my Chicago legs were not ready for this.  I've raced up there 3-4 times so I know it is hard but it is always a shock to the system.  My last two laps were 30-40 seconds slower that the first 3.  I was burnt out.  One thing about doing things out of the ordinary is that you have to plan better to not forget anything.  So, I forgot to take any caffeine before the race.  My HR was an average of 161 so not too bad but not the 167 of the week before.  (More on HR later)

The rest of Day 1 I spent watching all the races including the pros.  It was warm and a lot of fun.  Lots of walking and not near enough water.  Trek has an area tucked away on course called the Secret Bar and they were giving away beer back there.  No water.  So I had a beer just for something - I'm not a big beer drinker.

That leads us to Day 2 where I was not in good form.  My legs hurt after the first day like I had just done 100 miles at Mineral Point.  They didn't bounce back for Day 2.  I actually did take caffeine this time but for some reason (lack of water/fitness?) I could only must a HR avg of 152.  My times weren't actually all that horrible but they weren't good.  I finished 44th out of  48 and three of those guys DNFed.

The highlights of all the races is hanging out with friends.  George and Bob and I had dinner together at a surprisingly good truck stop/restaurant.  So fun to hash out the racing and make excuses.

We also got to talk to some of the pros (Not the Taylor Swift security level up there) and got a picture with Maghalie Rochette.

Day 1 Lap 1:  https://youtu.be/Y8RfkHaD6zs?si=E-ozjcBAQ2Bt2Ey1

Day 2 Lap 1:  https://youtu.be/Gut1d-PPgj8?si=inFTzQO7-TCnNzCf

Glenwood CX 2024 55+

 I have graduated by virtue of the clock ticking.  I am now eligible for the 55+ category (I'm only 53 as I type this but Race Age is a funky thing in cyclocross.  I get to join the other great Tower Racers now instead of just watching them.  It also means racing an hour earlier at 8am which I wasn't looking forward to.  I had a nice rhythm with the 8:55 start I need to adjust now.

Glenwood is the first stop in this year's Chicago Cyclocross Cup (CCC) series. It is on the campus of Glenwood Academy and has pretty much no elevation.  The trickiest part of the course was around a couple trees where roots were exposed and my back tire kept slipping.

It has been dry and the course matched that.  By the end of the day the lines were probably pretty burned in which can make it a bit more slick but in the morning it was fine.  Not even any dew on the grass.

Before I get into the actual racing I wanted to take a minute to talk about my mentality for the 55+.  Being the youngest guy in the category in my mind meant I should be one of the fastest.  At least in my cloudy brain that made sense.  One thing about racing is that as you get older it is the good racers who keep racing and the others drop out.  So you are left with a higher percentage of good racers.  So when I started looking at racing points for the guys I'd be racing against my dreams of a wide angle podium started to change to more of a top 15.  Let's see how the season goes.

My call up was 4th row based on my points which wasn't great.  But the last guy in the 3rd row was lazily walking his bike to the start so I rode past him and snuck into the 3rd row.  This turned out to be very fortuitous for the start. It was also good that the slot was near the right side of the row.  The first turn was to the left and in my experience it is better/easier to move up on the outside of the corner as most people dive for the inside and it is clogged.

As it turned out the sea parted in front of me at the start and at the hole shot I was in 6th position without having to work too hard.  It was a paved start which also made it a bit easier if not potentially sketchy (I've been crashed on paved starts before - can anyone say new helmet?).  Now it was a matter of holding my position as best I could.  There are only so many places on course where you can pass but also only so many watts available in my legs. I started vaguely counting as riders passed by as well as checking out numbers.  If the number is higher than mine then I know I'm falling too far back.  By the end of lap 1 my top ten had gone away but wasn't too poorly placed.

Actually, after lap 1 only 2 guys passed me so once I settled in things were relatively good.  On the first lap there was a Half Acre Cycling guy who was having issues with the corners so I made a point to get by him.  Turns out he is a pretty good racer and I'm not sure what was up.  He finally got it together and snuck past on the 3rd or 4th lap (of 5).  At the end he was only 3 seconds in front of me.  Our friend Mark Misicko was only 9 seconds in front of me.  The company you keep....

After doing CX for so many years you get to know people.  At least on course.  Tim was one of those guys and he passed me on the second lap but I held him close.  He's one of the people I mark myself against so I wasn't happy to see him slide away.  But later in the race he started to come back.  I was getting excited that I might catch him until we were about to hit the berm which was the highpoint of the course (insert laugh here) and saw him pull over with a flat.  Ugh.

On the last lap I knew I has someone behind me but not too close.  Then, at one point he tried to cut me in a corner.  I had taken the inside line and blocked him (A great move if I had known he was coming).  But now I knew he was there and my mission was clear.  Keep on the gas and keep him back there.  I was able to do just that and finished ahead of him by 2 seconds.  Again, the company you keep; he is a Cat 3 with almost 100 points better than me on Cross Results.  That pushed me to my fastest lap of the race (which is how it is supposed to be).

I ended 17th out of 38.  That's top half of the field which makes me pretty happy.  It took me a long time to get into the top half of the 45+ category and even then I didn't always stay there.

Tires: PDX

Tire Pressure: about 24 front, 25 rear

Avg HR: 167, max 178 (40 minutes)

It was also fun to race with George and Bob.  Wishing Fran was there too.  (Read the sign George is holding).  Brad will join us for the next race.

Next race is Trek CX Cup in Waterloo WI.

Lap 1:  https://youtu.be/0wyeV0_D-7M?si=zC6VSh4KcZsYcEcD