# Race Reports 9/22, 9/23



## Gripped (Nov 27, 2002)

Post 'em if you got 'em. Startcrossed and the Steilacoom UCI race are a big kickoff to NW racing this weekend and I know a bunch of you guys are racing. I'll be at the beach, honing my fitness (12oz curls, baby).


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## Lord Taipan (Aug 10, 2006)

Pikes Peak Supercross.....at least I don't think I was dead last this year...almost though. I liked the course better this year. I think it was harder too. Keep your fingers crossed for my results. The last two laps I started running out of gas.


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## flanman (Jul 7, 2006)

Don't be too sure about not being DFL. Last year in my first race my first two laps were a disaster, did everything wrong, crashed, failed to unclip, you name it - when i figured things out a bit I had lost more than half a lap. Busted a gut to catch a few stragglers and people who had to make wheel changes etc. Turns out every one of them dropped out before the end and I was officially DFL. My reward for perseverance and sucking it all up. Such is life!

My car crapped out on me this week and I wasn't confident about making it down to Co Springs and back from Denver. I'll do the Green Mountain Velo Race in Littleton on Sunday. Will you be there or is today's race enough for the weekend?


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## allons-y (Nov 15, 2006)

From the blog:

Eco Cross, men's beginner

Sneak into the front row at the start, whistle goes, don't really "go" for the hole shot but sit in the top 10. This course bottlenecked hardcore and if you weren't in the top 10 at the first, your hopes of winning were toast. I got into the woods 6th. Not bad. Rode there for a bit, into some more narrow stuff, where I catch my bars in the course tape. I have to stop, pull on my bike, pull down the course tape in the process (it was bound to happen eventually), and get back on. Everyone behind me gets held up, and the front 5 open a gap. I start working my way forward, and catch back on towards the end of lap 1. Some guy had a mechanical, I ride around someone, someone overcooks a turn, I rode around 2 more guys, and I'm riding 2nd wheel. I follow this guy (Putney maybe? Orange skinny) for awhile. He overcooks the 180 in the dirt, and I am forced to unclip, but get around him (while holding spots 3-5) behind me and am riding in the lead. This is mid lap 3. I give it some gas and quick;y open a gap. Keep on riding, but not killing it, and the gap is staying where it is. Lap 4 comes I ease off a bit since the gap isn't going anywhere and I don't want to overcook myself. The gap comes down a bit according to colin, but I still am leading by a decent margin. Bell lap comes, still out front, feel good, give it some gas. Spend the entire lap telling myself to just ride my own race, take the tricky spots carefully, and not crash. Before I know it I am approaching the line.

First win for me on a bike, ever.

Eco Cross, Men's Open

Decided I was gonna do the Open men race, against a veritable whose who of NE CX. McCormick. Marzot. White. Keough's. Other pro's elite's who I don't know by name. My chance to see how I would stack up at a verge elite race, sans j-pow or some other top-top level PRO. And me. Drank some water, ate a bit, changed, got re-kitted, warmed up. I was the last person into the woods this time. Hurray. I just rode my own race at the back, sorta intimidated, but was riding technically wayyy better than the first race. I got lapped like lap 4 or 5. I was actaully able to stay 5m behind McCormick for 1 minute before my legs blew. And I was 5m behind some other elite who passed me for almost half a lap. I don't have the technical ability for sure, but the legs were closer to their ability than the technical ability is. I learned a lot following Wolfson for a bit about riding lines I was riding about 5-6 from the back at 2 to go, and my legs went to crap. Pedaling squares, the works. I got passed by everyone behind me, and avoided getting lapped a second time by maybe 15 seconds or so. Rode it on home. I got better and better technically as the race progressed, and had a great last lap, even if I had no legs and was DEEP in the paincave at that point. 1hrs of CX is a long time, esp after you raced earlier in the day.

First DFL on a bike for me, ever.


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## colinr (Nov 20, 2006)

Eco Cross Open Men

Thanks to the lack of a B Men's field, Mark McCormack and Matt White got to break my legs in half like two kids with the wishbone at thanksgiving.

So I started at the back with allons-y and we traded last place back and forth for a while while the bottleneck cleared up. It was a really narrow course so this took almost a lap.

After that I got my act together a bit and started passing people to get the hell out of last. Luckily there were some other riders out there who were going to be eaten by Mark the Shark before me. Things were going pretty well, like normal cross intensity and speed, until I came through after 4 laps and saw 7 to go. And I was like, holy crap this 60 minute stuff is no joke. And my legs were like, eff us, dude.

So I slowed down, but everyone else not wearing a jam-related kit was slowing down too, so I ended up riding with Pvb and Ben Corbalis for a while. After brushing wheels with Ben twice riding like an idiot, I got frustrated and tried to make a pass where there wasn't really a line for that kind of thing, and next thing I know a giant foot comes out of the sky and squishes me into the ground. Despite rolling head over heels and getting jumped on by my bike, I was able to get up and get moving again.

Then I had the typical post-crash lap where you question your will to race.

Then I had the typical post-post-crash lap where you realize you do want to go pain spelunking, after all.

So I caught PvB and Ben again, and then threw it down to get the lead into the last super-narrow section, and then held them off to the line.

Oh, and only Matt White lapped me, so I guess he got the big half of the wishbone.


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## cbuchanan (Mar 6, 2006)

allons-y said:


> From the blog:
> 
> Eco Cross, men's beginner.......First win for me on a bike, ever.
> 
> Eco Cross, Men's Open.......First DLF on a bike for me, ever.


That's fantastic, hitting both ends of the spectrum on the same day. Congrats on the win and way to stick with it until the end of the Open race. :thumbsup:


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## Lord Taipan (Aug 10, 2006)

flanman said:


> Don't be too sure about not being DFL. Last year in my first race my first two laps were a disaster, did everything wrong, crashed, failed to unclip, you name it - when i figured things out a bit I had lost more than half a lap. Busted a gut to catch a few stragglers and people who had to make wheel changes etc. Turns out every one of them dropped out before the end and I was officially DFL. My reward for perseverance and sucking it all up. Such is life!
> 
> My car crapped out on me this week and I wasn't confident about making it down to Co Springs and back from Denver. I'll do the Green Mountain Velo Race in Littleton on Sunday. Will you be there or is today's race enough for the weekend?


Yeah it's possible that one guy did dnf. I'm hoping results will be up on the web sometime. I have to work today (sun) so no racing for me.


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

*Charm City Cross in Baltimore MD.*

85+ riders at the start for the Masters 3/4 race. I got to the race a little later than I would have liked, but still got a decent warm up. I head down to the start and start to line up a little past mid-pack. Ok. Not great but I'll take it. Turns out, they started to line people up in the order of their #'s. WTF?? Guess what? I was # 265. Only about 2 rows behind me . So, the starter yells "GO!" and we're off. LESS THAN 20 FRIGGIN yards into the race a guy is stopped in front of me!!!!! Guys on each side of me, nowhere to go so I stop. The field is now officially GONE. I spent the 1st lap clawing back but wound up going too hard (cuzz I was pizzed). I had a few laps where I was really dying then I recovered a bit but by then it was way too late. On the + side, I ran the barriers well and my dismounts and remounts were good. The Grifo's RAWK and so does the Empella. Unfortunately, after getting shelled off the back I just kind of said eff it and rode out the race. I wasn't DFL and if I had another lap I'd have caught teh guy in front of me, but really, there was no point in it. Oh well, there's next week......(Note to self-register EARLY next yr.)


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## UltraRob (Jan 17, 2006)

I didn't race the Pikes Peak Velo SuperCross since I'm far from even OTB shape. I spent a lot of the day doing course setup and traffic control but I still managed to get several pictures.
<br>


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## vonteity (Feb 13, 2005)

I have a bizzuncha excuses for why my race blew, but it's early in the season. More races and more chances to kick some a-- will follow. 

Kram -- the start is everything in cross. My start was a primo example of how NOT to race cross. ("Oh I'm fourth!... Oh, okay, go ahead and take that line. You can have that one too, if you want. I'm not crashing to fight you for that line. Ho-de-hum... why are you girls going so hard? Wait! I'm at the back? HTF did that happen!??!" Reg early and bust your hump for the hole shot. I am still learning how to do that without taking out the tape at the first turn. :wink:


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

It's teh suXX()r when some idjuct STOPS in front of you, nowhere to go, nothing to do. I THINK he a had a mechanical, but jeebus, don't you check yer bike b/f a race??


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## Lord Taipan (Aug 10, 2006)

UltraRob said:


> I didn't race the Pikes Peak Velo SuperCross since I'm far from even OTB shape. I spent a lot of the day doing course setup and traffic control but I still managed to get several pictures.


Thanks for helping out with the race Rob and the links to the pics too.


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## bicyclenerd (Feb 16, 2005)

My race at charm sucked too... Tis early.... I hope I can pull it together in the next few weeks. Technically things were good, physically I am little off, but I expected that. The start of the A race was pretty nutty, some crashes, some wheel rubbing, some definate bar rubbing, I made out alive and in ok position after starting on the 4th row.


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## Cruzer2424 (Feb 8, 2005)

*I was at Charm City Too!*

I raced men's B.

I finished somewhere in the top half I think. I didn't bother sticking around for the results.

I saw/met (kinda) Voneity doing the registration... actually she registered me. Didn't say anything because there was like 8 people behind me and I didn't want to hold up the line. Von, if you're curious, I was the tall(ish) Asian with the shaved head-- was riding for my school, Carnegie Mellon University

Anyways... Since I was day of reg (read: teh suck), I had a 2nd to last row starting position. I had a fun time making up lost ground in the first bottle neck after this "sideways hill" thing in the first kilometer of the course. Spent the rest of the time trying to pass people. It worked... kinda... not really...

I wouldn't consider it too bad for the 2nd cross race in my life. Still got a whole season ahead of me.


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

My Teammate was in that race. He had a "World Cup Ski and Cycling" kit on. Not sure how he did. He's pretty much a cross noob but a pretty strong road rider (cat 3, I think). Nice job.


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## Cruzer2424 (Feb 8, 2005)

Kram59 said:


> He's pretty much a cross noob but a pretty strong road rider (cat 3, I think). Nice job.


That's me...

Cross n00b. Cat 3 roadie. Won my race last week in the C field by enough to make me think that I can be competitive in the B field (ha ha...).


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

Yep. Ben did a couple of cross races last yr and placed well, so he went up to B this yr. Cross is a different beast from road fer sure.


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## vonteity (Feb 13, 2005)

Cruzer2424 said:


> I raced men's B.
> 
> I finished somewhere in the top half I think. I didn't bother sticking around for the results.
> 
> ...


Hey, I do remember you! I looked at Carnegie Mellon when I was looking at schools, so it stuck out in my mind. Hope I was super nice and smiley and all that. Things were hectic, and I feel like I might have been rather "business-like".

For everyone who raced Charm City and enjoyed it, please feel free to e-mail the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks and let them know how psyched you were to race cross in Charm City. We can use all the good press we can get, and we are so thankful that they allow us to use Druid Hill park year after year.

The Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks website is: http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/recnparks/index.html You can choose your favorite person to e-mail on the "Contact Us" page (click the link on the left), but the director is Connie A. Brown (Connie.Brown at baltimorecity dot gov).


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

Will do. It's a great race. Now all I have to do is not s*ck so much... (plus it's only about 1 hr drive for me. Mega points for that!)


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## KMan (Feb 3, 2004)

*Charm City Here....*

I was in the bright Pink Henry's team kit.
Masters 35/45

Things almost started out terrible for me - I was heading to the starting line pre-riding the course and some idiot pre-riding decides to get off the course but cutting in front of me on an off camber...I had to lock up the brakes and cut my wheel to keep from T-boning him and ended up rolling my front wheel (Tufo tubular clincher)...quick run to the car to remount the tire. I get to the starting line almost dead last, but the reshuffling puts me up a few into the 6th row.

Technically I road the course very well and made all my passes usually in the tight corners. I think I made all my passes in the first two laps and then the rest of the time was battling back and fourth with the same group of 4-5 guys. Our little group held our own ground and kept from being passed by others. The last two laps had me pretty wasted with not a whole lot left in the engine room - finished in 24th which I was happy for since I had a goal for mid-pack.

I'll have close to a 1000 pictures from the race in my website in the next day or so..
www.MLKimages.com
Charm City Cyclocross direct link: http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/2007 Sports/248101

Michael




Kram59 said:


> 85+ riders at the start for the Masters 3/4 race. I got to the race a little later than I would have liked, but still got a decent warm up. I head down to the start and start to line up a little past mid-pack. Ok. Not great but I'll take it. Turns out, they started to line people up in the order of their #'s. WTF?? Guess what? I was # 265. Only about 2 rows behind me . So, the starter yells "GO!" and we're off. LESS THAN 20 FRIGGIN yards into the race a guy is stopped in front of me!!!!! Guys on each side of me, nowhere to go so I stop. The field is now officially GONE. I spent the 1st lap clawing back but wound up going too hard (cuzz I was pizzed). I had a few laps where I was really dying then I recovered a bit but by then it was way too late. On the + side, I ran the barriers well and my dismounts and remounts were good. The Grifo's RAWK and so does the Empella. Unfortunately, after getting shelled off the back I just kind of said eff it and rode out the race. I wasn't DFL and if I had another lap I'd have caught teh guy in front of me, but really, there was no point in it. Oh well, there's next week......(Note to self-register EARLY next yr.)


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## bluedog18 (Aug 19, 2006)

*Want to thank some guys at the Charm City Race*

My first cyclocross and the gun goes off and I have flat front wheel, what the &[email protected]! I preroad the course and later standing at the start of race and I even remember looking down to check my tires and there was air in them and a minute later no air. 

Guy name Mike racing the B race traded me wheels and I got off just before the woman started. Talk about hauling to catch up atleast I didn't finish dead last, actually not sure where I finished, the C race result were mess up. I'm hoping that they'll have it fix before post on the web. But Thank you again Mike

Also I need to thank the guy on the reddish Waterford bike calling Teach (yea I'm an art teacher), we were going back and forth and he was pushing me along, I was pretty well spent after first lap trying to gain some ground. We had awesome sprint across the finish line.

Looking forwards to Ed Sanders race next week!


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

Only at a cross race would this happen. I'll see you at Ed Sanders. Glad you had a good time.


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## vonteity (Feb 13, 2005)

bluedog18 said:


> My first cyclocross and the gun goes off and I have flat front wheel, what the &[email protected]! I preroad the course and later standing at the start of race and I even remember looking down to check my tires and there was air in them and a minute later no air.
> 
> Guy name Mike racing the B race traded me wheels and I got off just before the woman started. Talk about hauling to catch up atleast I didn't finish dead last, actually not sure where I finished, the C race result were mess up. I'm hoping that they'll have it fix before post on the web. But Thank you again Mike
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear about your race, but it sounds like you made out okay considering!

FWIW, once the results are final they can't be fixed or changed. Unfortunately we are all at the mercy of the officials when it comes to results, and alas, they are human. It's certainly not a cake walk to score 100 riders when not everyone has completed the same number of laps. They do try their best, though, and do try to get all protests resolved in a timely manner. While the officials know that everyone feels their race results are important, they are mainly worried about correctly scoring the first 15-20 riders across the line (for series results and ranking purposes).

I apologize if the final results don't correctly list your finish, but there's always next week. You know where you placed and you'll know when you're improving. One day your name will be in the top 15-20!


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## Sadlebred (Nov 19, 2002)

There is no racing here in the Southeast for another 2 weeks...WAHHHHH!!!!


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## allons-y (Nov 15, 2006)

full report on the blog.

in short, i took 2nd in mens 4 at Bedford. Good start, riding in a front group of 4, NEBC guy catches and passes us, I crash into a tree on the tricky descent, came out 5th or 6th, worked my way back to 3rd, got told by colin r that I couldnt win this one roadie style in a sprint from behind, shortly thereafter pull one of the best moves I have ever pulled on a bike (take a shorter alternate inside line that just appeared to me as we approached this turn in the woods), bump (gently, roadie sprinter style) in Cory enough to make him hesitate so I can get in front (1st was out of sight). Pull out every single trick I can think of (so 3) to hold him off for the last half a lap and cross in 2nd. 

Lined up for the 3/4, met an rbr-er, but I blanked on the name (my bad). I was deep in the paincave, my legs were done, 4 races in 2 days is too much, and it was a power course. I just worked on my techincal riding and faught the little battles within the race, slowly slid back, and wound up packfill....it happens.


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Too darn hot...*



Sadlebred said:


> There is no racing here in the Southeast for another 2 weeks...WAHHHHH!!!!


Yeah, it was like 90 here today!!!


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## bluedog18 (Aug 19, 2006)

Results are nice and understand with the number of riders today but I think most importent part of today's race for me was to get out there and race, just glad I was able to get a spare wheel and thanks for a great race and course!


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## vegan (Sep 24, 2007)

*Chicago Cyclocross*

The first race of the Chicago Cyclocross series was held today in Jackson Park. I race the Women's Cat. 4's. I took 7th out of 16 which is much better than I did at any races last year but I was still disappointed. I started out really well and was in 4th, I think, for awhile but kept making stupid mistakes as I was redlining and letting girls pass me without being able to give it enough gas to get back in front of them. Didn't help that a junior kind of ran me almost into a tree on an incline and a woman get in front of me and then practically make us miss a turn. But, mostly, I kept making stupid mistakes and need to work more on technique when I'm going all out (avg. HR was 184 with a max. of 191).

The course only had two sets of barriers -- it originally had three but one kept getting knocked down by people in the first race of the day (I was the second). It was a fast course -- quite a few turns, but flat and most of it without any barriers. Gorgeous day for a race as well.

Although I wish I could have held on to a better finish, it's early in the season and I'm still so happy cyclocross season is here! And, as a mostly mountainbiker, I don't think I ever thought I'd be this excited about something that involved running and jumping over barriers.


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## wunlap togo (Oct 1, 2004)

cbuchanan said:


> That's fantastic, hitting both ends of the spectrum on the same day. Congrats on the win and way to stick with it until the end of the Open race. :thumbsup:


Word! This was an awesome race report, Josh. Congrats on your win, and your DFL. Didn't I sell you some wheels a while back? Hopefully so, this is the kind of racing I was hoping they'd get to be a part of.


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## allons-y (Nov 15, 2006)

wunlap togo said:


> Word! This was an awesome race report, Josh. Congrats on your win, and your DFL. Didn't I sell you some wheels a while back? Hopefully so, this is the kind of racing I was hoping they'd get to be a part of.


Thanks. Im putting 'em to good use I think.

Yes you did. Finally got the FMB's (talk to zank about those) mounted up in time for this weekend. That was the first time I was ever on the wheels or the tires. Both wheels and tires were amazing. Made it easy.

When does your season start wunlap? We all love to live vicariously through the elites....


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## wunlap togo (Oct 1, 2004)

Kram59 said:


> 85+ riders at the start for the Masters 3/4 race. I got to the race a little later than I would have liked, but still got a decent warm up. I head down to the start and start to line up a little past mid-pack. Ok. Not great but I'll take it. Turns out, they started to line people up in the order of their #'s. WTF?? Guess what? I was # 265. Only about 2 rows behind me . So, the starter yells "GO!" and we're off. LESS THAN 20 FRIGGIN yards into the race a guy is stopped in front of me!!!!! Guys on each side of me, nowhere to go so I stop. The field is now officially GONE. I spent the 1st lap clawing back but wound up going too hard (cuzz I was pizzed). I had a few laps where I was really dying then I recovered a bit but by then it was way too late. On the + side, I ran the barriers well and my dismounts and remounts were good. The Grifo's RAWK and so does the Empella. Unfortunately, after getting shelled off the back I just kind of said eff it and rode out the race. I wasn't DFL and if I had another lap I'd have caught teh guy in front of me, but really, there was no point in it. Oh well, there's next week......(Note to self-register EARLY next yr.)


Alright, you got that one out of the way. Sounds like you raced hard and got the first race jitters out. Get that first or second row start position- by hook or by crook- and you will be in a position to race that thing!


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## kajukembo (Jan 20, 2003)

*Star Crossed 35+ 3 and Stielacoom 45+ open*

did em both. masters 3 at star crossed. got a second row stage and the gun went off and things were quite orderly. I entered the course in about 7th and finished I think top ten. I was in the lead group for the first lap, but got spat out. Guys came back from the lead group and others moved across to the lead group, but my position stayed the same. Anthony Rutter finished one spot ahead after riding with me and a temmate for most the race. My teammate countered a move to get across to the lead 5 or so guys and I sat on which was about all i could do anyway. two guys passed me on the finishing straight and a little stubborn pride kicked in and and I out sprinted them without too much problem.

Steilacoom. why do I like that place, it's murder. I was staged on the front row this time, but entered the course outside the top ten. the first time approaching the run up at speed, I got the bike sideways, stayed up right, but ended up standing still on the wrong side of the bike. i hoisted the dam thing and got it on the correct shoulder and passed five or so guys going up and was the last guy to get onto the group that formed at the top. I thought I had it made, but they rode away from me on the grass infield section on the bottom. One guy came up to me and another came back and they'd gap me on the course, but I'd make up 30+ meters on the run each time and re pass them. On the last lap, i was only able to barely catch and pass them, but they both quickly repassed me. My teammate said I finished 7th. 

My ability to pedal my bike is ok, but I can run like hell up a steep hill. what's wrong with me, I'm a bike racer. the bad news is i kind of suck. the good news is there's a lot of room for improvement.


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## wunlap togo (Oct 1, 2004)

allons-y said:


> Thanks. Im putting 'em to good use I think.
> 
> Yes you did. Finally got the FMB's (talk to zank about those) mounted up in time for this weekend. That was the first time I was ever on the wheels or the tires. Both wheels and tires were amazing. Made it easy.
> 
> When does your season start wunlap? We all love to live vicariously through the elites....


Rad! Those FMB tires look sick, but I'm pretty psyched to be running the Challenge tires since I'm going to be staying local this year. I have torn up a couple 1 year old Dugasts already this year.

Today was my 6th race of the year, believe it or not. I've had some good early results this year (2 wins, 3 second places and 1 third place). You can click on my blog for today's race action. 

Seriously, nice work on your win- it's important to experience a few wins in the lower level races before upgrading. You may not get the chance again in the near future if you keep lining up with Mahk and the rest, so glean what you can from these good times.


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## zank (Aug 4, 2005)

Bedford, MA cat 3/4

Snipped from my blog:
This course was a little more heavy than Sucker Brook. The grass was a little slower and there was a good run up to test how us bike racers do on foot. Some fun "S" turns, one set of planks, lots of other corners and some good false flat uphills.

I lined up for the 3/4 race in the new zank kit. Rosey and I were flying UTR in royal blue. Yash and Josh were in there in Belgian Blue. Hey, who's that in the Quebec "national" kit? Damn good lookin' legs for a fella. Whoa! Look at that tush. Damn he's hot! Oh wait. That's Lynn Bessette. I was in the second row of the field of 50 starters. Not ideal, but there was plenty of room to pass. The gun goes off and it was a little sketchy through the first few corners. I picked my way through as best as I could until the run up. The traffic made the descent a little hairy as seen in the photos below. Thanks for the photos, eyebob! As I came down into the field, I got a clear view of the field. I was sitting around 4th and Myette was leading the way. He had super legs going, putting the hurt on everyone. I was working hard with my pal Ronnie. Rosey bridged up to us by lap 3, rode with us a little bit, then leapt across the gap to Myette and a Cambridge Bicycles guy who is the current World Messenger Champion and an accomplised cat 2 on the road. Lynn also went through our group and up to Scott, Matt and World's fast guy. So the 4 of them were duking it out and I was with Ronnie and another dude. Our group of 3 was working well together, but I came unglued right around 2 to go. And that was the point of major bummer of the day. Myette rolled his ankle something major. Photos and story here. Matt has been working so hard all season and is in super shape right now. The good thing is this guy is a hockey player. He knows what its like to work through pain. Mark my words. He'll be back on the trainer by the end of the week and will be on the start line at Glouecster. The guy is all heart.

Anyway, I gave it everything I could through the last two laps. I just tried to limit my losses and consolidate my place. The heat and dust were putting the hurt on me. With Matt's unfortunate exit, I was sitting in 6th. But Colin R was charging hard behind me. He passed me just after the "S" turns and kicked it hard to establish a gap. I had no answer. There was another guy gaining ground too, but I held on for 7th. Completely cracked. I don't know how some of you guys do two races in one day. I was destroyed. Yash rocked it and made his goal of top 20. PVB and Dan C had fantastic races in the 1/2/3 race, which was dominated at the front my Jeremy Powers and Matt White.

3 more points in the bank. I would have much rathered 2 though with Matt still in the race.

Photos courtesy of eyebob. It was a little hairy coming down the sandy descent on the first lap!


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## CrossWorkOrange (Oct 16, 2006)

*Molly Stark Cyclocross @ New Boston, NH*

Here's my blog report from Saturday... (Sunday too follow when work slows down)
Saturday morning I drove north through some serious fog to New Boston, New Hampshire for the first ever Molly Stark Cyclocross Challenge which was being held at the Hillsborough County 4H club. We lined up at 9:15am and they had a local 6th grader sing the National Anthem. Big props to this young girl as she grabbed the mic she informed us that "I jusst got my bracesshh on Monday ssso I don't know if I'll sssssound good" She had a nice voice and did well, then they blew the whistle and we were off for what would be 5 laps of CX racing.

Some the course features:

* A new surface that I had not yet raced in, horse poop.
* A single barrier on flat followed by a few grassy turns
* A brutal stretch of bumpy grass that had more pot holes than some neglected city streets.
* A set of barriers that were spaced about 20 yards a part. In between was mud with a puddle before the 2nd barrier. Supposedly they ran the hose out in the area the night before to make it a little more fun.
* One other barrier that forced a dismount and then a short but tough run-up.
* A rocky downhill that made for a precarious descent after the run-up

I got a decent start and was in the top 5 for the first lap. It stretched out a bit on the 2nd lap, and despite a bad dismount, I recovered and caught back up to the the top guys. I was able to hang in 3rd behind Dan O. from Gamache Cyclery and a Noreast Cycling racer who won the 35+ Cat 4 race afterwards.

Note to self: I really have to work at eliminating the Yo-Yo effect after corners, I don't know if it's my line, too much braking, or not enough power after coming out the corner that is causing me to lose the wheels in front.

This yo-yo'ing went on for a few laps. I was probably 15 seconds back on the last lap and just tried to ride mistake free for the remainder. Congrats to Dan on his first win, he has been consistently placing in the Top 10 since last season. I finished 3rd of the 15 in the Cat 4 Men's race, and got my first bike racing trophy ever, yea!

I forgot to add that I attempted to race the Master's B immediately after my race, which turned out to be a mistake. I figured I'd work on some leg-through dismounts, without pre-clipping my left shoe. I went 2 for 4 on these, a dropped chain and then I don't know what happened... I think I endo'd and when I got up I noticed I was facing the wrong way, my bars twisted and offset, chain was off, and my front tire was hitting warped. As I cleared the cobwebs and probably horse sh!t,I discovered that I broke my Salsa Bell Lap bars...
This was a good time to call it quits since I still had a race on Sunday morning.

I stuck around for a while and cheered on some more Hup peoples, Mike S. Jim Airgood, and Meg. Mark S. the Waterboy looked to be doing real well in the Masters 1/2/3 race, he is killing it this year. And of course it was great to race with EyeBob for a little bit before I DNF'd that Masters B race.

Post Race Recovery: After scrounging for change in my car I got a cheeseburger and a hamburger for only 4 and a half bucks. The old-timers who were cooking up the dogs and burgers even asked if I wanted it medium or well-done. I like that "Have it your way", talk about a super value meal. Once I got home I refreshed myself with a this a fresh Sam Adams Oktoberfest.


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## TedH (Jan 1, 1970)

*Van Dessel Holeshot CX race (NJ cup series #1)*

I was having a super race for the first 3 laps of Men's B. Got into the tight stuff in 4th and stayed between 4th and 5th for 3 laps while guys behind crashed all over the place (roadies and those who don't understand tire pressure and cornering on wet grass) and gave 5 of us a gap. It rained hard for 10min during the women's race, so I kept hearing the lovely sound of metal skidding across asphalt as these guys overcooked a grass turn and slid into the service road. The other popular crash sites were the off-camber hill, the two sweeping downhills and the flat hairpins that guys tried to dive. It was impressive how many guys just destroyed the course tape. There's a nice sequence of the C men crashing here where some guy tried to take the inside line that didn't exist. http://www.cyclingcaptured.com/gallery/3522084#P-2-15 

Then unfortunately my chain exploded while correcting some chainsuck, so I figured I was DNF, took off my helmet and had a slow walk back to the start/finish pits. When I got there, one of the scorekeepers I know gave me his bike to finish up on, so I jumped on and rode 3 more laps. Had to stop the next lap to raise the saddle 2in, and then crashed once b/c he runs his clinchers waaay too hard and ended up a lap down, but strangely not last. 

Hip flexors hurt today!


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## Phat&SlowVelo (Nov 27, 2004)

*Hood River CCX*

Hood River CCX
I was stressin’ all the way up to Hood River in the car from PDX, I don’t want to suck! 
My buddy Ken was cool and confident. 
Got there early, registered, warmed up and lined up. Note to self: pay attention on the line! The whistle blew and took me off guard, I was mid pack at the first turn and after a lap and a half, I’m still with the leaders! WTF, what am I doing up here? I’m hanging! Go faster! 

A bunch of us came through this single track section with a wooden bridge that was very narrow, I clamped on the binders and dove in behind a wheel, there was a guy who was on the right side of the bridge that got forced off, he went over the bars and head first into the gully, scared the crap outta me, I was right behind him and thought he broke his neck or something. I stopped to see if he was ok, I lost 6 or more spots just like that. He was ok, I felt for him that was a tough fall. 
I’ve lost the lead group, get back up! I was given’r hard the next few laps trying to get back up the lead group.
There was this switchback like chicane that started with a barrier, it was tight and with lose gravel. Tricky section, I went for it on the inside line and passed 4 guys by the time I remounted at the bottom. The runup coming out of the woods was just the opposite, one barrier at the bottom, followed immediately by another barrier switchbacking up the run up. 
I was doing great through all the transitions, but I just don’t have the fitness to bang those big gears on the grassy sections, and pavement. Fitness will get better, I made up some ground, but by the bell lap I was spent. 

Finished 23 out of 34, all in all I had a great race, didn’t flat, or crash, and I didn’t suck. 
My buddy took 5th, with a better start he would have won it. 
Cross is the greatest sport there is, I love it! 
I can’t wait for next Sunday!


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## wunlap togo (Oct 1, 2004)

I've posted a race report from yesterday's Central Coast Cyclocross race on my blog- check it out!


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## spacemanrides (Aug 11, 2006)

*Starcross report*

http://spacemanrides.blogspot.com/

The good the bad the ugly are on the blog.


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## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

> the C race result were mess up. I'm hoping that they'll have it fix before post on the web.


They had me (Charm City -- is it, btw?) at 14th, someone told me, and then today I was somehow promoted to 11th in the official results in the C race.

Not bad, huh?!

I hope that the guy who actually did all that work feels good about his race, because whoever they had down for those results isn't me. I don't know where I was, but I sincerely doubt that it was any better than 20, 25.

Was fun, though. Hard and fun.


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## CrossWorkOrange (Oct 16, 2006)

*Bedford Cyclocross @ Middlesex Community College*

Snips from the blog...

Sunday morning, my wife Gretchen packed up the Subaru and headed down with our dog Beulah to Bedford for another inaugural cross race this time hosted by Quad cycles at Middlesex Community college.

Course Features:

* Single barrier followed by
* a steep run up, more like hiking than running
* tricky bumpy descent that took its share few victims
* fast set of barriers where the ground was just rough enough to cause concern
* lots of pure power areas followed by 180s

I did not get to the start line early enough to get a front row spot, but when you can put out more watts than Granite City Electric it does not matter. I had faith in my Tommeke like power to get me through this cat 4 pack fodder [/sarcasm off]

The one thing I did do well was react and take the correct line on the 2nd turn after the pavement, this put me in about 4th or so. I spent much of the first few laps trying to keep up with fellow Hupper Josh, ECVer Cory, and Casey from Harborside in my sights. Random Observation: Trailing Casey B. I noticed he dismounts on the drivetrain (right) side.

So we raced around 5 times and it was hard. I got passed by a NEBC rider who ended up winning and another ECV rider who took 5th. I ended up 6th out of 40 plus racers so that was a decent result for me.

_One to Grow On_: take the extra 2 seconds to make sure you are clipped in before hitting a bumpy descent. I lost a chain one time because my bike was bouncing around like a bucking bronco beneath me. Not being clipped in and getting tossed around on the saddle is a recipe for dropped chain stew. Ron Steers caught this particular descent and yelled out "RODEO" I laughed while managing to wrangle my bike under control, Whoa Nelly! One bad thing about racing in the Cat 4s is that you don't get to see how the more advanced riders actually handle the course at race speed until after you've raced (But I'll just take those lemons and make lemonade next weekend). They don't rush the sections where major time can be lost. Hopefully next time I can stop panicking on these technical parts of the course, and relax a bit, which will probably save many seconds.


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## morganfletcher (Oct 18, 2004)

*CCCX CX #1 Prunedale, CA M35+ B 9th/24*

Here's my race report:

http://teamoakland.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1984#1984

This week's watchword: recovery.

Morgan


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## DPCX (Nov 11, 2004)

*StarCrossed, Ft. Steilacoom double weekend*

These two courses work me over like no other & to have them as a double weekend....Lets just say I'm a little spent. 

Starcrossed, Cat 3/4 Masters 28th/85 starters

I got a great start postition on the front row but it all went backwards from there. The start was pretty fast, crazy & a bit sketchy at times but by the time the field of 85 strung out I was sitting uncomfortably inside the top 20.I usually love this course with all the twists & turns but this year didnt suit my style. There were way too many long straight sections of bumpy grass so power was more of an advantage than bike handling. I lack that kind of power this time of year so it was painful from the gun. I pretty much hovered around 20-25 for most of the race but by the last lap all I could think about was Sundays run-up. Mentally the game was over. I lost a couple places to some hard charging guys on the final straight sections of the course but I just wanted to be done. I was pretty dissapointed since I rode with the front group the whole race last year to finish inside the top ten. This years field was quite bigger & definitely stronger. These early races are just training for me so its all good. I should be ready to go for the first Seattle series race next Sunday. Bring it on!

Steilacoom report to follow........

DP

A look of pain........


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## Vegancx (Jan 22, 2004)

vegan said:


> The first race of the Chicago Cyclocross series was held today in Jackson Park. I race the Women's Cat. 4's. I took 7th out of 16 which is much better than I did at any races last year but I was still disappointed. I started out really well and was in 4th, I think, for awhile but kept making stupid mistakes as I was redlining and letting girls pass me without being able to give it enough gas to get back in front of them. Didn't help that a junior kind of ran me almost into a tree on an incline and a woman get in front of me and then practically make us miss a turn. But, mostly, I kept making stupid mistakes and need to work more on technique when I'm going all out (avg. HR was 184 with a max. of 191).
> 
> The course only had two sets of barriers -- it originally had three but one kept getting knocked down by people in the first race of the day (I was the second). It was a fast course -- quite a few turns, but flat and most of it without any barriers. Gorgeous day for a race as well.
> 
> Although I wish I could have held on to a better finish, it's early in the season and I'm still so happy cyclocross season is here! And, as a mostly mountainbiker, I don't think I ever thought I'd be this excited about something that involved running and jumping over barriers.


So, I'm vegancx, and you're the vegan who happens to race cx? 

Excellent... soon my army of cyclocross racing vegans will be complete!

muhahahahaha!


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## Vegancx (Jan 22, 2004)

I raced Van Dessel Hole Shot Cross in Jersey too. 

4th in the Bs... things will start to come together soon enough.


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## TedH (Jan 1, 1970)

Vegancx said:


> I raced Van Dessel Hole Shot Cross in Jersey too.
> 
> 4th in the Bs... things will start to come together soon enough.


You had a great fishtail heading down the sweep towards the barriers on lap 1 (I told you nice recovery as I passed you!  ) 

Of course you then passed me when my chain blew after the run up.  

Really liked the course, and I was trying to keep the group of 3 within reach. Oh well, c'est la vie. I'll be at the Mahwah race in a few weeks; I'll be the 6'4" guy wearing a CycleCraft jersey and riding a Redline with SRAM. Say hey at the start.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

Valley Park-Hamilton, Ontario Canada

As the leaves outside have started to change a bit, the time for some cyclocross plotting and planning has finally come to my little basement workshop in the cupboard under the stairs. After the little children are safely abead and given their special requests for just the right blend of water in the sippy cup, the serious work of mixing up draft of special potion in my sticky tubular glue cauldron has arrived. Working slowly, and with the aid of a J.W. Dundees pale ale, I smeared up a sticky mess and stuck another set of sketchy tires onto some fairly deplorable rims for another season on the cross pitch. Unsticking a pencil from my forehead, I emerged with all of my equipment in top form for another season on the circled square, marveling yet again at all the abuse a Mavic rim can withstand while still remaining sort of round.

Sunday was a perfect day for a road race, with bright skies and wall to wall sunshine. Dismal,grey and snow flecked trails were but a memory from seasons gone by. The course was dusty and fast with a few odd barriers and a lot of turns. On the starter's whistle we were off for another season, everything going smoothly for the first hundred feet until a rider went over the bars right next to me, taking out the center of the pack. No mind, I was safely ensconced right toward the front and all was well. After a few more turns, some hapless rider tried passing to the inside and slid out, taking my wheels out from under me, pushing me back a couple places. I sat in what was turning into a group of sorts until I followed suit and crashed on one of the turns, sliding out my front wheel. I was to crash once more during the race (sliding out my back wheel to keep symetrical-like) and make a slew of mistakes to lose dribs and drabs of time to end up 7th. for the day. All considered, not a great opening day but good to get all those mistakes out of the way, hopefully. After a welcome back into the U.S. at the Peace Bridge, we were back home safe and sound with a few new bumps and bruises to start the new season off right.


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## KMan (Feb 3, 2004)

*Photos from Charm City - Baltimore Maryland*

Replying to my own post I am adding some photos I took from the Charm City Race (I'm a photographer as well).

Enjoy!....and to see many at Ed Saunders, but my wife is "trying" to get me to go elsewhere,

<img src="https://www.mlkimages.com/photos/199970438-M.jpg">

<img src="https://www.mlkimages.com/photos/199969883-M.jpg">

<img src="https://www.mlkimages.com/photos/199970833-M.jpg">

<img src="https://www.mlkimages.com/photos/199970629-M.jpg">

<img src="https://www.mlkimages.com/photos/199968812-M.jpg">

<img src="https://www.mlkimages.com/photos/199971221-M.jpg">

<img src="https://www.mlkimages.com/photos/199971452-M.jpg">


Plus I have close to 1000 photographs of all the races (except Masters 4/5) here:
https://mlkimages.smugmug.com/2007 Sports/248101

Michael www.MLKimages.com





KMan said:


> I was in the bright Pink Henry's team kit.
> Masters 35/45
> 
> Things almost started out terrible for me - I was heading to the starting line pre-riding the course and some idiot pre-riding decides to get off the course but cutting in front of me on an off camber...I had to lock up the brakes and cut my wheel to keep from T-boning him and ended up rolling my front wheel (Tufo tubular clincher)...quick run to the car to remount the tire. I get to the starting line almost dead last, but the reshuffling puts me up a few into the 6th row.
> ...


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## Vegancx (Jan 22, 2004)

TedH said:


> You had a great fishtail heading down the sweep towards the barriers on lap 1 (I told you nice recovery as I passed you!  )
> 
> Of course you then passed me when my chain blew after the run up.
> 
> Really liked the course, and I was trying to keep the group of 3 within reach. Oh well, c'est la vie. I'll be at the Mahwah race in a few weeks; I'll be the 6'4" guy wearing a CycleCraft jersey and riding a Redline with SRAM. Say hey at the start.


Thanks! Fortunately, that was my only technical bobble of the day. 

It's amazing how much not falling down makes up for not being fast.


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## cbass (Nov 14, 2001)

KMan...

Those are some beautiful shots!

I did the Charm City Masters 3/4 and found a way onto the box in 3rd, with teammates in 1st, 2nd, and 4th.

Good times.


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## KMan (Feb 3, 2004)

*C3*

Well Mr. Nystrom - C3-Sollay.com had a bang up of a day. Great wins and podiums throughout the day and you guys/gals put on another EXCELLENT event! I always love your race.

I ride with Marc and Ethan throughout the year.....I was racing in my Pink Henry's kit and managed 24th. Nothing spectacular for many, but since I do not real training, haven't seen an interval until 2-3 weeks ago and even barely manage to ride my bike all that much any more - I'll take it and be very proud of that 24th 

If your team is looking for any photos for your website, drop me a line at [email protected].

Also not sure if you noticed - but I have a page set up on my website that will show ALL the local team photos from throughout the year:

Local Team Page:
http://www.mlkimages.com/gallery/2219197

All C3 team photos - (263 for C3 and still working on adding the Charm City race photos):
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/keyword/Joes#199771827

Michael
www.MLKimages.com






cbass said:


> KMan...
> 
> Those are some beautiful shots!
> 
> ...


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## roadent (Aug 18, 2004)

*KTR Michigan Double Cross - Saturday editions.*

I did Saturday only because of family commitments. Biggest CX race I've done... wicked cool course with lots of off-camber turns. 

Being I drove 3.5 hours to get here, I made it worthwhile doing a double. Ended up 11th in the B race, and 22nd in the Master's 35+ after I slid out on an offcamber chasing 14th place, and the guy on my wheel rolled over my bike... rolled the tire, skewed the bars, and the right lever...

It's good to be racing!

Hung around to watch Page and the Elite's obliterate my times. What a great day.

Full report on my blog...


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## vegan (Sep 24, 2007)

Vegancx said:


> So, I'm vegancx, and you're the vegan who happens to race cx?
> 
> Excellent... soon my army of cyclocross racing vegans will be complete!
> 
> muhahahahaha!


I keep telling my husband we vegans are taking over the world.


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## myette10 (Jul 20, 2003)

*Bedford MA*

from the blog...

Third row spot for the 3/4, but no big deal, this one doesn't really count. This race is training, time to try something new and/or stupid. It ain't Gloucester. At the gun I'm 9th or so into the first few turns and 6th by half way through lap 1. The speeds are low and I didn't want to be behind a crash on the loose peety run up with a quick transition to a bony peety downhill. I moved to the front and came through that section in the lead. Feeling less constrained by the pack, I set my own pace and was soon enough well off the front for the first 3-4 laps. A Cambridge Cycles rider came up and passed, I was tiring but noticed that only he, Rosenthal and Lynne Bessette were gaining. I couldl live with that. Rosey caught me next, and offered well wishes/condolences as he rode past. Bessette was on me with 2.5 to go and passed me at the S/F line, pulling me back up to Scott a bit. I was resting a little bit on her wheel and decided to get in front of her for the run up as she had bobbled it earlier and again I didn't want to get held up because someone else did something wrong... even though it was Lynne Bessette.

Off the bike to hurdle the barrier and start my run up when my right foot lands sideways on this rock trying to support all my weight. It rolls to the outside and I go down. Race over. Season over? Man that hurt. I crawl under the tape and the EMTs are there with ice, ace bandages and no ibuprofin. The rest of the day kind of sucked.

More recently, the ankle feels much better, and only hurts when I walk. Running is at least 3 weeks away, and even then I'll be tentative. I may try the trainer this week.

Thanks to all who expressed well wishes... there are a lot worse things that could be happening to me than a twisted ankle.


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## Thor (May 25, 2004)

Anyone know if Charm City is going to post full results? I've only seen top 20 in each race and 88 guys started in my race. 

And no, I was not in the top 20.


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## cbass (Nov 14, 2001)

The officials had some issues scoring some of the races, particularly the C race.
Full results for all but the C race will be posted once they are scrubbed. There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes to double check the results and clean up the mess.

The promoters are not happy about it and are already working on a solution for next year.


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## KMan (Feb 3, 2004)

*Blog Reports......*

I don't know about anyone else, but for those that post - Read my race report on my blog - I'm not spending the time to go to your blog to read - it's pretty darn easy to "block, copy and paste"

Just an fyi - if you really want anyone to actually read your reports.

Michael
www.MLKimages.com





wunlap togo said:


> I've posted a race report from yesterday's Central Coast Cyclocross race on my blog- check it out!


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## Thor (May 25, 2004)

cbass - thanks, that's good to hear. I was in Masters 3/4, but I had some teammates in C and they will be bummed. I feel for the officials, that's a lot of riders to score. 

We'll keep this in mind for Sunday when my team puts on Lilipons.


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## cbass (Nov 14, 2001)

*Final Results*

Final results are now up

http://charmcitycycling.com/Charm_City_2007_Final_Results.htm

Unfortunately the Cat 4 (C) results remain incomplete due to major scoring issues.
Sincere apologies to all affected.
We'll get it right next year.


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

D#mn. I WAS DFL. (Many didn't finish, but oh well...) I'd have pressed harder to pass the guy in front of me had I known.....


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## CHAOTICMESS (Nov 9, 2004)

vegan said:


> The first race of the Chicago Cyclocross series was held today in Jackson Park. I race the Women's Cat. 4's. I took 7th out of 16 which is much better than I did at any races last year but I was still disappointed. I started out really well and was in 4th, I think, for awhile but kept making stupid mistakes as I was redlining and letting girls pass me without being able to give it enough gas to get back in front of them. Didn't help that a junior kind of ran me almost into a tree on an incline and a woman get in front of me and then practically make us miss a turn. But, mostly, I kept making stupid mistakes and need to work more on technique when I'm going all out (avg. HR was 184 with a max. of 191).
> 
> The course only had two sets of barriers -- it originally had three but one kept getting knocked down by people in the first race of the day (I was the second). It was a fast course -- quite a few turns, but flat and most of it without any barriers. Gorgeous day for a race as well.
> 
> Although I wish I could have held on to a better finish, it's early in the season and I'm still so happy cyclocross season is here! And, as a mostly mountainbiker, I don't think I ever thought I'd be this excited about something that involved running and jumping over barriers.


Great job Vegan! You gals were flying! I was hopping over that barrier after seeing a mtb hop it in the masters 30. I only hit it once out of the four times!!


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