Jingle Cross is the Measure...

...against what all other Midwest venues, courses, and fun are compared (IMO).  Hands down my favorite with L'ville snugged right behind.

So after a pretty easy week of training Friday morning Dale and I loaded up with Focus for another three day race weekend, but this time we headed northeast in the opposite direction of last week.  Six hours later we pull into the Jingle Cross venue which always brings a smile to my face as these guys believe in getting off your bikes multiple times during races.

I was looking forward to racing, but also seeing long time friend Ira Brown who moved to Montana what seems like 20 years ago (actually only 1, but you know what I mean).  He was stopping in for the race weekend en route to seeing family in SE MO.  After a bunch of hugs (that's right, almost kissed him too) we unloaded and set up camp.  Got a prime spot on the start line next the KS Energy guys from Wisco who were super all weekend.  Big (no, make that HUGE) thanks as always to the guys at ..Kuat.. who provide not only the best bike transportation devices on the planet, but also shelter for a demanding 'cross season.  Neither I, nor MWI, are 'sponsored' by them, but they love to take care of cyclist and I am fortunate enough to call these guys friends.  Can't say it enough, but thanks!

Home for the weekend at race site; canopy with walls are a must
at Jingle Cross as the wind and weather are always a factor

For all conditions, but especially mud caked/coated a Kuat NV
is the freaking best rack on the market

After a couple pre-race laps the recon found a new section added to the weekend which changed up things just enough to keep it interesting, but not stray too far from Jingle Cross at it's best.  Day 1 we were headed up the 'run-up' of Mt. Krumpet, but with dry conditions I imagined some would be able to ride it in my Masters 45+ race.  Not me; it was much quicker and steadier to simply shoulder and run (relative term) it.

With number 820 figured I would get a third row start and sure enough there I was... until for some unknown reason an empty spot on the 2nd row grid opened and the official told me to hop in - sweet!  Gun goes off and so do we.  The start is wide open and goes for quite a ways before a gentle right hander so there was plenty of time to position well.  Turn, go, turn, go, over the flyover, and before I knew it we were heading up Krumpet.  Ran next to a guy who rode it, but he was fried after that effort and dropped way off (I'm sure it was impressive for the crowd, but not for his results I imagine).  Back onto the bike and found myself in the top 7 or so and feeling really good.  Couple laps went by and I was in a three-man chase group in 3rd.  Made a silly bobble in the cattle barn and a Cal Giant rider went clear getting a gap on us.  I recovered and put the gas down (dropped the guy in our initial group) trying to bridge back, but little by little he was pulling away.  Going into the last lap I was in 4th with the Cal Giant guy out of reach and after a quick inventory behind figured I had my spot sewn up so I backed of pace just a tad knowing the weekend would be long.  Almost on the finishing straight and out of no where JW Miller passes me with the hammer down.  What the heck, I knew there was a guy kind of close, but thought he was in the masters 35+ race (tons of people all over the course)?!?!?!  Having not buried myself on the last lap I had more than enough to jump on his wheel and take him in the sprint to the line finishing 4th (which snagged a little cash).  Legs, lungs, and body felt great and knew this weekend was going to be fun.

Cleaned up, caught Ira racing the 3's, then we all hung out and spectated the rest of the races that evening.  So much fun catching up with Ira and watching the big boys making it all look so easy.

Ira, myself, and Dale inside the Sand Barn.  If you haven't been
here some things on the course are hard to explain

After a late dinner we all crashed knowing the morning races were not far away.

Relaxed early morning as I didn't race until 11:15am.  Headed over to the fairgrounds (race site) and took in a couple warm up laps checking out the changes.  All was the same except the new southwest side of the course had a new climb taking us to the top of Krumpet.  The new section was pretty cool as it dove back into the wood over a bridge then there were a series of short steep punches up each followed by a short decent then up again (rinse and repeat)...  demanding to say the least and with my lack of climbing ability I knew this would suck.  Once on top it was THE classic switchback decent on the east face of Krumpet.  Hard to explain how 'off camber' the straights and the extreme drops of each turn.  You quickly can see how can 'drive' a bike and who 'rides' a bike.  The rest of the course was standard Jingle.

With my top 8 finish I earned a front row start which is always nice and beneficial.  Gun goes off and day 2 is under way.  Felt solid again and surprising after the first time up the climbing sections I am in the top 10 (way better than expected).  Continued to ride at a pace within myself and by the last lap I was in 6th with 5th place just in front of me (the Cal Giant guy from the day before).  He was struggling up with climb so by the top I made contact and set in until we hit the lower north infield.  Figured I would let him pull me to the line, but as we entered the long open straight he look back and looked cooked; I jumped hard around him and his tank was empty leaving me to finish 5th (another day in the $$$).

Like the day before we caught Ira's race then hung out spectating the fast kids (and gals).  After that it was an early dinner and hanging out in the room taking it easy. 

Day three was another 11:15am start which gave us time to leisurely grab breakfast and take in most of the Sven doing his thing at the Super Prestige.

Over to the venue which found it soaked from the night's rain, but not near as bad as I've seen in the past.  Got out on course to check out the changes; was happy to see the 'run-up' back in play with a little bit of climbing on to the top before a fun decent to the floor.  Pretty straight forward and similar to days prior but with the muddy condition I opted for the Dugast Rhino's with a couple lbs's dropped instead of the Clement MXPs.  Warmed up while Dale did his thing in the 55+ event and before you know it we were at it again.

My best start of the weekend slotted me in 2nd after the gun and maintained it thru the first passing of the pits before a handful went by and I latched on.  By the time we hit mid-way up the slop of Krumpet I knew I had solid legs again and as before reminded myself to 'ride within my abilities' and not go into the RED (yet).  After two laps I was in 5th with 4th (Cal Giant guy) repeating Saturday's race and coming back; front two were gone and 3rd with a healthy gap.  On the third lap I made huge inroads toward him up Krumpet and actually smiled a bit knowing the next lap I could pass him, but then it happened on the north infield... my first 'mechanical' of the season; rear tire went immediately flat and it was way to long from the pits to reach and still compete so with a smile on my face I called it a day.  Bummed for about 30 seconds then satisfaction of a solid weekend took over and all was OK; I mean with this being my 1st bike issue in 18 'CROSS races its hard to be upset.




Mid-climb looking down (notice how small the folks are by the barn)
 and the below pic is midway up and yes, it is as steep as it appears

Prior to hearing the POP and below is
afterward doing the 'walk of shame'

 

Loaded up, said quick goodbyes to friends, and six hours later pulled into the homestead in Bolivar.  As always tons of hugs and love from my crew as I came into the house; that never gets old!

So races 16, 17, and 18 are in the books.  Roughly one month to go in my season which will get a couple events in the KC area in a couple weeks and then the MO State race in STL on Dec 8th.  Having way too much fun again and so thankful being able to race a full season so far.

So on the family front:  last night Darion participated in his 2nd grade musical and was fantastic.  He and Deb picked out clothes for it over the weekend and he just had to wear a tie (funny stuff). 

I have got to work on my 'smile'...

Ian is a week away from his basketball season opener and as expected loves practicing everyday.  It's not uncommon for me to run him up to SBU in the evening where he plays with the college kids for a couple hours.  Pretty cool seeing these guys 'request' a 12 year old play on their team.

Ruts N Guts and on the mend...



So a handful of weekends ago was Gateway Cup in STL; I felt pretty strong coming into it, but Saturday morning I felt the onset of either sinus or head cold issues early and during day one racing simply the energy level tanked quick after 30 minutes (it was weird).  So go to sleep that night with a bit of a hack and snort and by morning I felt miserable.  Told Dale I would pre-ride, but didn't expect to race.  Well, as you know from the last post I did race, finishing spot was solid, but physically I was a wreck. 

 

Not a big deal as I simply moved my recovery week up one thinking in a couple days it would pass and back to grindstone I'd be.  By day five I am feeling worse and worse (and that's with total 100% rest) and finally by day ten (that's right 10, which is some folks entire off season) I am back on the bike for some decent riding feeling better, but still nothing of interval status.

 

So that's two days before Ruts N Guts in Oklahoma which is a decently large attended three day event.  I knew this was going to be a 'character builder', but necessary to get back up to speed; I mean if three days in a row is not a jump start what is????

 

Dale and I load up and head southwest Friday late morning.  Show up to the event pretty early and have ample time to survey the course and unwind.  Good layout with a nice mix of a lot of various features including elevation change, mud crossing with immediate run up, railroad tie run/ride ups (depending on ability), plenty of turning, and open power pedaling sections.  Temps were spot on for cross as I believe mid-50s with quite a breeze. 

 

Warm up and head to the start to see who's lining up in the Masters 40+.  Shadd and Bill, a couple other familiar ones, and several faces I'd never seen.  Official does the stupidest start leaving half of us still wondering what just happened, but off we go.  Pace is decent and I am feeling pretty good until Shadd goes through and breaks up everything with a higher pace and I start suffering...  45 minutes later I was surprised I lasted to the end and nabbed 4th place.  Way better than I expected, but also felt the effects of no intensity for the last couple weeks as the punch in the legs were gone and my breathing was super shallow. 

Podium Friday night; think I photo-bombed this as they announced the top 5
so I thought we were all going to be in the pic - maybe not...



 So we stuck around and watched the other races before heading out.  So this is pretty cool: a couple weeks ago I contacted the promoter who hooked us up with a host home in Tulsa.  Made contact with the couple and they had a couple open beds waiting for Dale and I.  Jeff and Jeannie Moon - awesome family who took wonderful care of us all weekend.  We'll be back!

Since day 2 didn't start until 4:30pm Dale and I yack'ed it up with Jeff and Jeannie before heading out for a couple errands before going to the venue.  Arrived to find a non-technical (but lots of turning) flat grass (and a bit of asphalt) course - this was going to hurt. 

Toed the start and found the same guys minus Shadd, but add Jeff Park, a fast (FAST) guy I knew from living in San Antonio who wrecked in the Open race the night before and decided to punish the masters Saturday and Sunday.  And that's just what he did...

For the first half of the race the pace was controlled and six of us all rode together.  Then Park and Bill, along with Ian Moore (from Texas) whipped up the pace with various attacks and I was out the back.  Rode the rest going hard, but not killing it as no one was close behind and 5th was not obtainable - finished 6th.  Legs felt better, but still unable to open my lungs fully; anyway  I'll take it!



Day 2 racing with Jeff Park from San Antonio (right most in pic)
who took the win

Another relaxing evening at the Moon's and before you know it morning was there and back to the same course we did Friday night.  Legs and body felt tired at first, but as I warmed up I was happy with my condition. 

Back to the start at 10am and off we go.  Maintained a decent spot for the first four laps then started to feel labored and dropped back a bit from Bill and two others (two guys were off the front with a decent gap), but then there was some confusion from the race official.  I won't go into the entire thing, but at one point the lap card said 2 (to go) so I upped my effort, bridged on the back of Bill's group and was hoping for the best on the last lap.  Well as we came through (for what we figured was the bell lap) the official was standing in front of the lap card telling us 3 to go.  I took a quick assessment of my physical status and knew I had to back off the pace a little now as I think the others did also, but Bill was on the attack, burying himself that lap.  He went clear and as we rolled though with 2 to go he was pulled off on the side (not riding).  I thought maybe he was injured or something, but the race was still on so head down...  Couldn't make it up to the couple ahead of me and finished 5th.

Trickly little crossing before a set of railroad ties; never
got it dialed in comfortably

Afterwards Bill recounted he thought the race was over and stopped.  He got back after 'discussing' it with the official and finished 6th.  It was a screwed up Officiating weekend as results and their general lack of 'officialness' was embarrassing.  Results took FOREVER Sunday and I felt bad for the promoter but honestly that why you spend a little more money and bring it quality groups like OneToGo and such.

For where I had been the last couple weeks I was happy with how the weekend went and actually finished 4th in the weekend Omnium.  The head cold is gone and now am looking forward to a couple good solid weeks of training and racing without coughing and snorting.

Oh, and ride of the weekend was the guy (not sure of name) from Soundpony killing it on a single speed each day in the Open - crazy power!  Think he was in the top 5 each day.

Up next is Jingle Cross in Iowa Friday for three more days of goodness.  It's a big and super fast race and an awesome course(s).  Forecast has it typical Jingle weather = cold, wet, and cold...

On the family front being sick meant good quality time with Deb and the boys on Halloween and the weekend.  Did a bunch of fun stuff to include Ian, myself, and Deb's dad (Jim) hitting the walnut trail.  Ian wanted some extra spending money, said he would work for it, so we picked walnuts all Sunday morning in a farmer's field outside of Bolivar.  By the end we had a small trailer load (one tree we hit the mother-load) and Ian pocketed $55.  That was a fun day.



That was a good day

Grandpa pitched in to help and had a ball; these
guys are great pals

The crew showed up to see the hulling

At the hullers waiting to get paid

I am coaching Darion's 2nd grade YMCA basketball team and to put it mildly, we are 'skill challenged' as a group and the highlights are probably the snacks after the games, which is perfectly fine.  I am a huge believer at this level score and winning are insignificant as long as fundamentals and FUN is obtained every practice and game.

Gateway Cross Cup Weekend

With a routine week of training behind me it was time to load up the Focus Saturday morning with Dale and head off to STL for the Gateway Cup weekend.  In the past the event was a single evening affair on a Wednesday, but it was nicely moved to a weekend for double the pleasure (or mostly pain).

I have a hate-hate relation with this race as the first year I raced horribly and last year was the morning of the back implosion and subsequently warm up laps just made things much worse and that day was end of my 2012-13 season.  Put on top of this the $45 entry (with no discount for a second race) and the somewhat of a grass crit with little to no technical skills required and it's just not my favorite of races (I will be so bold as to say it is by far my least fav I will do all year).  But... now that my little rant is over it does bring typically a decent masters field and so I toe the line and will continue to do so. 

Got to the race venue with plenty of time to unwind and catch up with a couple MWI kids who made the trek south as well as our Commander and Chief (Mike H.) over that the Rapha-Focus mini-compound. 

Temps were pretty nice during warm ups and the pre-ride found about the same setup as past years which meant fast with not too many places at all to recover.  Got a front row position between Bill Marshall (#2) and Tom Price (#1) which the USAC rankings had me 6th in this race, but didn't recognize anyone else on the front row.  Whistle/light goes and it was on for 40 minutes of racing.  Tucked behind Price the first lap until he slid out (eventually dropped out) near the end of the lap and then I was on my own for a couple until reality set in and a guy came around me quick enough that I was unable to hold his wheel (off he went) and with one lap to go a guy from Trek Midwest passes me and I was able to hold on for a bit before a bobble had him going up the course without me.  At this point I was having some real problems getting a full breath (worse than regular) and my power/energy was dropping.  Bill Marshall, who had a mechanical on lap one was charging from behind, but I was pretty confident I could hold him off until I made a stupid error and overshot a corner with less than 800 meters of racing and by the time I got back on course and started again he came by with enough momentum I couldn't get to his wheel and so there I was finishing 4th 3 seconds behind him... and off the podium. 

**Above photos from Eville Mike (STL Biking)

Pretty concerned with how my body dropped on the last lap and frustrated at such a stupid simple mistake, but after a couple hours of thought my attitude changed 180 as I actually had a solid ride on a wide open course that I had dreaded leading into the weekend.  Collected some 'coin' and kicked back with Dale the rest of the day enjoying the races.



Patrick getting kitted up for his Open race (in which he did great)

I know the Cardinals were playing in the WS in STL, but the fan turnout for the afternoon/evening was nutty low for a C2 event.  Will be interested to see if this event continues in the future.  Always amazing to watch the pros/elites totally flow the same course we armatures bounce around on; and that's why they are elites...

Crashed at Jay and Cory's for the night (super huge thanks for the beds) and before you know it off for day two.  Fought a little bit of a head cold/sniffle during the night and was unsure about racing Sunday morning, but figured I would ride a couple warm up laps and see how I felt.

Deb had a fun day while Ian was off with friends she and Darion hit the local pumpkin patch for quite the outting.  They had a great day.

Chilly start to the morning during pre-ride and found the course changed up in a couple places requiring a tad more turning (which is good) breaking up some of the open sections and actually giving a slight reprieve to catch a breath.  Didn't feel too bad and the breathing was decent so I figured I'd give it a go. 

There we were again toeing the line for another 40 minutes.  Decent start again as I slotted behind Marshall, Price, and one other ahead of them for 1/2 of the first lap.  Tom and Bill moved off the front and I pursued keeping them within reach for the first lap, but after that it was decision time: get to them and burn a big match or settle into my tempo and be realistic... Easy choice - #2.  Half way though came upon Tom laying on the ground not moving or looking good (but being attended to) and so I was in 2nd 14 seconds behind Bill (now solo) and four or five guys 10 seconds back.  Continued to ride my tempo and by the end was able to hold off the pursuers and finish 2nd. 

 



Myself, Bill, and Randy Murdock



All in all a solid weekend of racing on a course I'd been dreading for some time with the exception of a significant loss of energy and a stupid bobble on the last lap Saturday. 

Loaded up and headed home where I found Deb had homemade peanut butter cookies freshly out of the oven... have I mentioned lately her awesomeness?!?!?!?

Up next is Colavita Cup (Saturday) and Blvd Cup (Sunday) both in KC.  These are typically larger events with quality big and fast fields.  Looks like a new venue so who knows what to expect.  Taking the family for a KC weekend so I'll jump in the later Open race then the earlier masters on Sunday. 

Oakley Nightcap and Joules Cross

Fun filled (and driving filled) weekend of 'cross as I took in the Oakley Night Cap in Des Moines, IA Saturday evening and then hit day two of Joules Cross in Lawrence, KS.  Ended up around 12.5 of windshield time, but that's why invented NPR and PRI, right?

 

First and foremost Deb is awesome!  From Sept thru Dec she pretty much lets me set my own race schedule and typically gives me a smooch goodbye either Friday afternoon (or Saturday morning) and has some kind of baked goods waiting late Sunday afternoons when I pull back into home.  The boys have pretty much grown up with this as a way of life so it's just kind of what happens in the Fall.  That being said it provides an opportunity to take in several different races in various locations within a 7 to 8 state region and that's a great thing as it would drive me nuts to week after week line up against the same guys and do the same 'dance' typically knowing who is finishing where and so on and so on.  I know most don't have this flexibility but have no idea how that could be fun.  So...

 

Take in Darion's soccer game early Saturday morning then off to KC to snag my weekend companion (will remain nameless) en route to Des Moines for the Oakley Night Cap race.  The event has always been on my radar and it just worked out that I could make it.  Pull in to pick up un-named person and he tells me he is bailing and that I am on my own.  HUH???  Ok, so since he was the one hooking us up with a place to stay in DM I know need to re-think racing the Open (after the masters) which starts at 10pm... Hmmm.  Drive passes easy and arrived to find a pretty cool venue and a turny (really turny) course. 

 

Snag my number, change up, warm up and before you know it we are on the start line.  Pretty solid turnout in the masters fields as the grouped the 35+ in the front, 45+ (my group) second with a slight gap, and 55+ behind us.  I get a kick out of not knowing a single person on the start line as it makes it much more interesting then 'ok, follow so and so'.  Did snag front row in my group and looking over the  35+  who probably had 30+ racers of varying ability it's then the official tells us we are all going off together without any gaps.  Lots of traffic from the gun...

 

Solid start as a hole opened up on the right and myself and two others quickly move though most of the 35+.  Before you know it an Atlas rider in my class jumps away and I am not able to cover it.  Spent the rest of the race battling with a Trek Midwest guy from Omaha as we moved through the fields.  Came down to a sprint at the line and I came up short to get 3rd (and actually 4th in all masters classes).   Fun racing to say the least.

 

Photo snagged from the one and only Eric Burch (pictured above)

Barrier sequence

 

 

 

 

Hard to sprint for a line with a bike throw when the officials don't
have an actual LINE for a finish - pretty weak stuff

 

 

 

Snagged the swag (Oakley and Primal gear, an eatery gift card which I gave to a local, and 6 of beer) and decided to book it back to KC instead of being homeless for the night.  Snagged a warm bed with the nameless (which was great) and the next morning on a whim decided to take in Joules Cross over in Lawrence, KS.  After a short drive with coffee and I'm warming up on a grass crit course with a couple of deceptively tough climbs, but nothing at all technical with only 1 set of double barriers. 

Some of the regular KC crew is on the line along with Bill Marshall (just got faster) and a guy who, for the lack of better description, just looked fast as he was drilling it in warm ups. 
 

Whistle goes and Bill takes it out fast, but not lung popping fast.  Shortly after I move to the front and keep the pressure for the first lap just to see who is who.  Small gaps but shortly after lap 1 Bill is glued to me and the 'other guy' is not far off.  Three of us get together while Bill and I pull and eventually Bill lets the guy know he's got to contribute so he does and the pace immediately goes up (crap, I am in trouble here as the climbs have been giving me fits)...  With two to go a small gap opens and I am dangling, but 1/2 way though close it back up just in time to see Bill and the other guy fly away to start the last lap.  Finished the last lap steady and ended up 3rd (theme for the weekend) while Bill was gaped at the finish to get 2nd.  Fastest I've ever seen Joules but that's good as STL next weekend is another grass crit.
 

Chatted with the winner, John Nelson from Sioux City, IA after the race and hopefully will see him again at Jingle Cross; nice guy and strong on the uphills.  Collected swag (socks and beer) and headed home.
 

Roger Harrison pics below:

 

 

 

I have no idea what my stance is all about here?!?!?!  Photo fom B Marshall

Pulled in to see the crew out back picking up walnuts (we have two huge w trees) in the backyard so before I unpacked I jumped in the work.  Afterwards it was backyard football with the neighbor kids jumping in, basketball with Ian at the gym, Deb's homemade Taco soup (which was great) and topped it off with Sunday night football while folding laundry (and sampling some of my winnings).  Not exactly Lake Woebegone, but it does just fine by me...

Next weekend is Gateway Cup on Saturday and Sunday.  Looks like a fast and decent sized masters field on another grass crit course (at least this on has you on and off the bike more which is good for me).  Will be nice catching up with a couple of the MWI 'yanks' who are heading south.  

'13 360 Cup

So this past weekend was 360 Cup, a two-day'er in Lawrence, KS.  Missed it (along with most) last year so was really looking forward to racing a new spot. 

6:30am solo departure had me pulling up to a slightly chilly 9:30am course already full of folks warming up.  Registered, changed up, and hit the course to see for what I was in store.  Cool layout with plenty of ups, downs, fast turns, technical turns, power sections and only one spot with a potential dismount (double low barriers on a riser).  With dismounted sections as a strong suit for me I was a little disappointed, but that didn't last long as the rest of it was a blast.  Decided on the Clement MXPs instead of the PDXs as the course was pretty grippy even though they got some rain the night prior.

Small(ish) field in the Masters 40+, but good solid competition had me excited for the whistle.  Not a stellar start had me a couple wheels back until we hit a longer open section where I went full on.  Rode a pretty clean race with only one real mistake where I bobbled on the 2nd barrier while riding late in the race and took a solid hit to my lower leg as I tumbled.  Other than that the legs and lungs felt good and was able to win with somewhat of a decent gap.  Really fun course.



Great mix of a little of everything on this course



Rode the barriers about the same as I ran them;
couldn't tell which was faster, but I know what
the fans liked

This and above photo from Matt Cunningham album

Combination of four seperate photos from Roger Harrison

Little cash and free beer; hard to beat

After the race I hung around a bit before heading across Lawrence to the River Trail.  It had been years since last there and holy cow that is a perfect training place on a 'cross bike!  Really lets you rip into corners and push the limits of the tread (Clement PDX).  After a fun hour session I headed back to catch the Open race.

After that is off to Overland Park where I was a guest at casa Bill Marshall for the night.

Next morning it was a quick cruise back to Lawrence and found the course reversed for the day's action.  This made for, in my opinion, a much faster race.  Warmup laps were great on the MXP's again.  The temps were great for 'cross but a little chilly on the start line.

Off we went and was mildly better off the line and before we got too far down the course I had jumped in the lead.  Rode the first two laps at a good tempo with a couple guys setting close behind so 3/4 way thru the 2nd lap I made a solid effort for the next two laps and the gap opened.  I was able to ride a fairly clean race and was fortunate to snag another win. 

 

I have yet to clip in clean at a start this year, but its getting better

 

 

***Above photos from the shutter master himself Roger Harrison.  I take the photos and do a little editing via picmonkey.com.

360 Racing did a great job both days on the course and support.  I'll be back.

Packed up and headed home.

So this concludes my first month of races and the end of my first designated block.  This week is total recover with no racing next weekend then it's more tuning as some bigger races approach.  My body is telling me the rest is needed, but  

Next up is the Oakley Night Cap in Des Moines, IA on the 19th (masters at 5pm and then Open at 10pm).

Manions '13 In the Books

Solid week of training after TrekCXC and before you knew it Dale and I were packing up early (5:45am to pick him up) for a trip to KC supporting Volker Bikes and their race team at Manions.  Raced there a couple years back; hillside course has you either going up or down.

 

As we pulled into KC the rain started, but held up just enough for us to set up the mini-Kuat compound.  Racing masters is nice as it's usually the first race of the day so plenty of time to get out on the course and try to dial in some things. 

 

Course had tons (and I mean tons) of turning and tight turning on top of that.  During warm up there was plenty of grass (but that changes during the course of our race and eventually way worse) to drive all sections (except for the ditch).  I did one lap on the Clement MXP before switching to the Rhino's (with PDX on my B bike) the next and that was obviously the right call.

 

Two weeks ago it was sun shade, this week legit rain and wind shelter.

Good field (maybe 18-20 guys) in the masters 40+ race.  Been a while since I had seen some of the folks and that was nice to be back in the mix.  Start was less than stellar, but fine and by 1/2 way through the first lap I had a decent little gap on the field.  By the end I think it had grown sizable and was able to take the last couple laps off the gas to try to save some for the later Open race and come away with a W.  The course was more about driving than power which at this point of the season is good for me (still building).



Photo from Micah Gordon shows a little of what the course was about

Took it easy between races with Dale catching up with a couple folks here and there before lining back up for the Open.  Good sized field for a local race (maybe 20) with some fast guys.  Thinking I was in simply for training I went to the back of the field and figured I might be able to move through a couple guys, but soon after the start and the first two corners (I ran them instead of trying to ride through muck in a pack) I found I was near top 10.  I was riding well within myself simply choosing smart lines and dismounting at sections that were simply faster on foot then trying to ride.  I continued to move though guys until I was in 5th battling with 3rd and 4th (closing on 2nd).  Half way through I swapped out to my B bike with PDX's and continued to 'hook up' pretty well.  Then with 2 to go (think we did 7 laps) it was clear my steam was fading and 3rd and 4th put good time into me.  Simply maintained good lines and by the end snagged 5th place.  Pretty decent result for me and the only way this happened was being a good 'driver' and having solid equipment as it would have been a different story if it was a power race.


I am interested listening to folks after races talking/griping about not having this or that kind of wheel/tire or 'just putting a bike together' showing disappointment in their results.  Yes, bad things happen outside of our control during 'cross season, but equipment preparation along with pre-riding to select/adjust tire choice/pressure and such is a HUGE key to racing not too far behind physical preparation (much more so than other bike racing disciplines).  I think many overlook this.


Dale rode well in both the Master 50+ and the 3's. 

Kuat NV is the only way to go with muddy bikes.  And yes, I'll keep plugging them...

OK, guess which bike stopped of for a spray down after the race?

 

Yep, it was one of those kind of 'cross races...

Packed up after the race and headed home, but not before a stop at Freebirds (fav for the burritos) and a car wash for a little bike de-mudding. 

Decided after having a solid day to forfeit driving the 2.5hrs one way for day 2 of Manions to snag some time with the family.  Early morning spent detailing the bikes/wheels while watching Worlds (great finish if you are not Spanish) and then church.  Darion and I caught a movie then I kitted up for a nice three hour cruise.  Got to the edge of town enjoying the nice weather and did a 180* back to the crew.  Changed up and then Deb, Ian, D, and I rode bikes to the local tennis courts for several games (I'm pretty sure D and I won, but that's still in question), Sonic slushes, and back home to a great game of backyard football (D and I got beat on the last series, but it was close).  By then it was bedtime for the youngsters and I ended up on the rollers for a couple hours (catching up on Breaking Bad).  Plenty of two and three day racing coming up so the 'stay at home' pick was a winner as we all had a great day.

Up next is two days of 360 Cup in Lawrence, KS.