Finally a Cyclocross Course! SCC #4 Report

Sunday was the 4th race in the Seattle Cyclocross series. It was held at Ft Steilacoom, the scene of my favorite cross race so far, the Rad Racing GP. And, finally, it was on an actual cyclocross course, not a mountain bike course with barriers. We didn't get to do the famed Knapp-time run-up that was in the Rad Racing GP, but there was a fine run-up with four barriers along it.

I had my usual poor start, but it wasn't from lack of desire to go fast - it was from lack of desire to crash. We were so packed in the third row that our bars were touching all along the row. I tried to edge forward a bit in anticipation of the start whistle, but so did everyone else, which only packed us in tighter. So, I paused a bit right at the start to let a small hole open, giving me a bit of a safety cushion to get rolling. I probably hit the dirt in around 40-50th place. OK, probably 50th.

From then on, I moved up. This was the first race this season where I felt like I was actually PART of the pack, rather than chasing it from behind. I moved from small group to small group, making progress on all the straight sections and the grassy infield. I would gain at least one place every time up the run-up.

The last two laps, I was trading with a guy from Pedal Mashers, and we knocked off a couple of other racers along the way, but were stuck together. He went hard on the last long downhill section and gapped me a bit, but I closed it on a gradual uphill that followed. I stayed on his wheel right up until when we hit the pavement and then began my sprint (hey, I didn't know what place it was for, but I was going to make sure I beat this guy). He chose that moment to look back and see if I was sprinting, which was his downfall. I nipped him at the line by perhaps 10 cm.

Some pics snapped by the wonderful cadre of photographers who show up at each event:

The screaming fast downhill
See? I really am ahead of people! I left all these guys behind.

The course was super fun with a series of off-camber turns

The stairs at "the ruins"

I had a blast. And, I got 36th place, which was pretty much mid-field. I was 45 seconds off the leader's lap times, and I suspect mine were slowly improving each lap. I'm very happy, especially given that I had no good training for two weeks and had been sick.

Hopefully this coming weekend will go as well or better!

Emy has the Pox!

Of the chicken kind, that is. Poor kiddo. She's weathering it well, but going through the worst of it today, I think. Most of her bad ones are on her head, which is good (doesn't rub on fabric all the time) and bad (really hard not to scratch, and to lie down).

Just looking at the sores makes my skin itch in sympathy!

Luckily, we already carved her cat-o-lantern:

She'll be over it soon. Looks like it is progressing quickly, without any of the nasty upper-respiratory side effects.

DNF?

So, I am finally feeling almost all well. We headed to the cyclocross race today, again at South Sea Tac, which I am very glad to say, is the last time we race there this season. We got there with plenty of time, so I got signed in, and got a bib number for Emy to do the kids race.

After watching for a bit, I did a pre-ride of the course with Landon and Ryan. Jeff had warned me that the course was really "all mountain bike" this time, which really made me unhappy. There had been plenty of consternation on the SeattleCyclocross.com forums about using SeaTac yet again, and people who echoed my thinking that every race there is a mountain bike course, with a run up and some barriers. Cyclocross, according to the UCI really isn't about singletrack, and neither am I. But, as I said before, you gotta ride what the course dishes out to you. During the pre-ride, I couldn't hold on to Ryan and Landon even when I tried, which didn't bode well for the race - they are both strong dirt riders.

I got to cheer on Emy in the kids race this time, which is always fun. She raced it a bit like Dad this time, coming in near the back (OK, at the back), but unlike my racing, she wasn't riding hard. She loved it, and Bree and I got it on video, so I guess we're perfect parents.

I rode the trainer by the car for 20 minutes, and then after downing some last water, I rode to the start line. I got a decent position, one row back from the top 16 or so, who get called up based on their series placing. I have several team mates in that group - go Cucina! We sprinted from the gun, and I was immediately struck from the right by one guy, then from the left by another guy, both of whom almost went down. Thanks to riding the track, I am like a wall. But, all this jostling put me darn near the back, which sucked, since I was actually HOPING to get near the front this time. The first lap was uneventful, at least 80% singletrack, and I got stuck behind two crashes, knocking me even further back in the field. Why is it always the guy right in front of me that crashes? The guy behind me always gets to ride around me, while I have to extricate myself from the due laying on the ground, flopping around like a fish.

On the second lap, I was making up a ton of ground in the paved sections, the "thighmaster" run up, and the wide infield section. I even passed some guys in the deep sand section early in the lap. But then, I overcooked a corner, right before a steep downhill, and had to stand there while nine riders went by, before I could insert myself in the stream again. I was pedalling furiously to rejoin the group of five I had caught in the sand, flying through the start/finish area past the announcers stand when distaster struck. Some complete idiot spectator was crossing the course, looking the exact wrong direction (he was looking to same direction I was, which meant he was not looking at me!) at the moment he popped out from behind the caution tape, directly in my path. There was nothing I could do - I plowed into him at full speed, hit him, and landed hard on my left hip. Nothing hurt at the time. I swore at him quite loudly (sorry Bilko - you didn't need to hear that), picked up the bike and ran, since the barriers were just ahead. I ran over them, jumped back on the bike, and pedalled about 30 feet before I knew something was wrong. My crank was sticking partway through the pedal stroke, and there was a loud grinding noise. I moved off the trail, blood still boiling, only to discover to my complete dismay that my chainring was bent, and my chainguard, to the point that it was not ridable.

It hit me that my race was over, two laps in, and rght when I was starting to feel better! I KNEW I was going to move up through the field today, as I was riding surprisingly fast, despite not much quality training and riding for the past 10 days. Keeping my anger in check was a monumental effort.

Since I don't have a spare bike (and was quite far from the pit anyway), I slowly walked back the way I had come and off the course. Sinc all my friends were racing, or cheering, there wasn't anyone nearby to share my pain, or hear me whine. I walked over to where I saw the guy I had hit. I asked him if he was the one I just collided with, and he said he was. I asked if he was alright, and he said yes. He asked how I was doing. I said I would be fine, but that my crank was trashed. He sort-of said he was sorry (he was not particularly apologetic, which didn't help my anger much) and that he walked in front of me because he was confused which direction the traffic was going on the course (which was lame - it was obvious). Anyway, I walked on back to my stuff and changed into regular clothes.

Since I had no idea where Emy and Bree were on the course, taking video and cheering, I was trying to figure out what to do next - look for them, or pack up the car. I opted for car, sinwould be easier to look for them unburdened, and thought they might even be at the car, or would look there if they didn't see me on the course.

Luckily, I saw them right away and told Bree about the misfortune. It sounded like they weren't having much fun either, since Emy was just moping around (although she swears she was having fun). We packed up the car. Emy was excited, though, as she'd gotten an awesome grab bag full of Vanderkitten swag from Tela, who is on Vanderkitten, and also teaches the kids track classes at Marymoor. Emy looks so cute! Thanks, Tela!!!

When we got home, I assesed the bike, and discovered things were worse. One of the spider arms on the crank was also bent, slightly. I managed to use a crescent wrench to bend everything back into some sort of alignment, since the last thing I was to do is buy another crankset, with six cross races remaining in the season for me. Hopefully it will last me the rest of the season!

On the plus side, my back is doing better. It still doesn't like me sitting in an office chair for long, and Bree had to make the trip to IKEA to get us a new, much firmer mattress last week, but I think I will mend eventually.

While sick, I read

So, I've been moping around, not riding my bike, which is very hard. Yesterday I tried to get Bree to go for an easy ride with me, only to change my mind and fall asleep on the couch.

I've been reading. Right now I am in Seierstad's The Bookseller of Kabul, which is very good. I just finished the second book in Sharon Kay Penman's medieval mystery series, The Queen's Man. Now, I am trying to follow my usual plan of reading a couple of books by recent Nobel winners, when it is award season. This plan led me to Naipul's A Bend in the River and Saramago's Blindness a few years back, which is still one of my favorite books. I'm still on the fence as to if I will see the movie. So, I started Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul, but memoirs often fail to grab me, and was true for this one. I'm going to try reading Snow, or maybe My Name is Red. Unfortunately, this year's winner Le Clezio has few works in Engish, but I will start with The Wandering Star and wait for a translation of Desert. I'm going to add Lessing's The Golden Notebook and The Fifth Child to my library list too. Bree is reading the Oates books I checked out, The Tattooed Girl and The Gravedigger's Daughter. No, Oates hasn't won the prize, but has often been mentioned as a potential winner, so maybe I can get ahead of the game.

That ought to carry me for a while. I'll keep reading all of Penman's works in the meantime. I love historical fiction, particularly of medieval times.

How do you stop a rhinovirus from...? Seattle Cyclocross #2, S SeaTac

I'm down for the count with a nasty cold. I started feeling it last weekend, on Saturday, but in infinite wisdom, I still raced on Sunday at the second race of the Seattle Cyclocross series. I had already paid, and I consoled myself with the idea that I would just drop out if I felt too sick to continue.

Check out the hot new skinsuit
- just for the cross racers on Cucina Fresca

I'm not very talented at giving up, so I soldiered on through the race, weak and slightly addled in the head. At the start line I thought "maybe I won't be TOO slow?", but as soon as the race began, and I "sprinted" while everyone else actually sprinted, I knew my hopes for a decent finish were dashed. It sucked, since I finally feel like I am getting the handle of the racing, although SeaTac is never going to be my best course. Maybe if I spend a lot of time riding singletrack I could improve, but really I am much better at the "actual" cyclocross courses, as in, ones that meet the rules for what a course is supposed to consist of - minimal singletrack, mostly 5m wide sections of grass and dirt, lots of tight turns, and some good running sections. Some of the courses later this season, like Steilacoom (where the Rad Racing GP was held) will fit that criteria - the first race of the series at Evergreen High School did meet the rules as far as I know. It is just an excuse, though - you gotta deal with whatever the course throws at you.

As to the race, I did fine, considering. Didn't get lapped, and didn't come in last. My lap times were about one minute slower that the winner, my team mate Chip, which actually mirrors all of my performances at SeaTac so far this season. I enjoyed the huge sand pit, and managed to ride it for three of the five laps (but man was my heart pounding harder than it should have been).

Here's a few pictures taken by Bree, who was able to enjoy spectating without having to also be a mom (Emy stayed with Bree's parents for the night and had a great time):

The start led to a run up, downhill, then runup,
and since I was not near the front,
it was faster to just keep running in-between the hills

See? I was actually ahead of a few riders!

Bree said she saw some not so great barrier technique during the race,
probably owing to there being three barriers.
But, she said I had no such trouble.

Ah, the finish line. I managed to sprint past the pink (Vanilla Speedvagen!) singlespeeder just before we got to the line. Of course, we aren't in the "same race" so it does not matter. But it helped my pride a little bit.

Research Paper on Cycling and How Some Countries Have Made It Irresistible

http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf

Here's the Abstract
This paper shows how the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany have made bicycling a safe, convenient, and practical way to get around their cities. The analysis relies on national aggregate data as well as case studies of large and small cities in each country. The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily traveled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighborhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and wide public support for cycling. In addition to their many pro-bike policies and programs, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use, and parking. Moreover, strict land use policies foster compact, mixed-use developments that generate shorter and thus more bikeable trips. It is the coordinated implementation of this multifaceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling. For comparison, the paper portrays the marginal status of cycling in the UK and USA, where only about one percent of trips are by bike.


It's worth a read - not too long. No wonder Bree, Emy and I feel so at home in the Netherlands! I don't even want to imagine the amount of $$$ it would take to transform cities in the USA to make cycling a more viable and safe mode to dominate transportation (let your kids ride helmetless?), and the current economic crisis isn't going to help policymakers open the government pocketbooks. However, it must be done - all the rhetoric about reducing the need for foreign oil and clean energy simply underlines the need. I, for one, would be happy to forgo the car in favor of bike, bus and train, if it were actually feasible to get everywhere you need to go with few to no transfers, and easy access to safe, bicycle only routes. Someday.

Ouch, My Back!

For the past three weeks, I've been waking up a few times a night, with a painful mid and lower back. It's actually mostly fine during the day, but as soon as I lay prone for a couple of hours, it gets stiff as a board and sore.

As it turns out, I did something to my back, specifically the spinal erectors and quadratus lumborum, likely from poor bike fit on the cross bike (saddle was too high and saddle was tipped down in front), poor posture working at a computer all day long, and just straining some core muscles too much, too fast. I'm sure I didn't help things much by my crash on Labor Day in my first cross race. It was quite a whack. My crash earlier in the season on the track may have precipitated my current state, as well. Everything labeled in this picture is where it hurts:


That said, I found a great chiropractor, Gentry McGrath, who also happens to race cyclocross, so not only is he speaking my language, but he's very motivated to see me recover so I can race healthy.

For the past week, he's been adjusting my well out-of-whack spine and working out those muscles. He told me he was sorry to tell me that at age 34 I am showing signs of arthritis, but since my x-rays are virtually unchanged since the first time Bree and I saw a chiropractor in 2001, I'm neither surprised, nor overly concerned. Not yet, anyway!

I'll see if I can get a picture of the x-ray so I can post it - my back really is kinda nuts...

So, for the past week I've been really ramping up on the core exercises, something I have gotten out of the habit of doing (other than abs) since I was ending my rock climber days a year ago in the spring. It's amazing how much better my back feels just by doing these exercises. Hopefully I will be waking up pain free by the end of next week. This morning was the best in days, and I actually slept soundly until 5 AM, versus waking every two hour or so, and needing to stretch out and attempt to find a position that doesn't immediately lock me up.

I went to the cross workout on Wednesday, and while I was sore and tight afterward, even before my back was injured I would have been sore and tight after two hours of cross practice at Marymoor. Riding there is like having your back pounded by a jackhammer, as the grass is so potholed and uneven.

I've got the go-ahead from Gentry to race on Sunday, so I am stoked. I've been taking this week pretty light on training, so I will either suck (more), or be really fresh.

I went for a run yesterday and it reminded me how much I like running. I gotta get back into the habit of running at least twice a week - good for cross, and good for a change of sport after a long, long season on the bike.