Team Santa Cruz 2006 Race Reports

• Peak Season #1, 12/17/2006, Mike Evans
• PEAK SEASON numero uno, 12/17/2006, Brij Lunine
• CCCX #4, 12/10/2010, Mike Evans
• Surf City #3, 12/9/2006, Mike Evans
• Surf City #3, 12/9/2006, Phil Trenholme
• Piarcitos#5/Districts & CCCX#4 Ft. Ord, 12/10/2006, Brij Lunine
• Pilarcitos #5 BASP, 12/3/2006, Mike Evans
• Pilarcitos #5 BASP, 12/3/2006, Julianna Perry
• CCCX #3, 11/26/2006, Mike Evans
• Surf City Cyclocross Race #1, 10/15/2006, Mike Andalora
• Pilarcitos BASP # 4, 11/19/2006, Mike Evans
• Piarcitos#4 Golden Gate Park (BASP) & CCCX#3 Prunedale, 11/26/2006, Brij Lunine
• Welsh League Cyclo-Cross Series, Race 7, 11/12/2006, Alex Anderson
• Piarcitos#3 McClaren (BASP), 11/5/2006, Brij Lunine
• Mid season Cyclocross race report, 10/29/2006, Brij Lunine
• Surf City #2, 10/29/2006, Mike Evans
• 24 Hours of Chamberlin Ranch, 10/28/2006, Norman Field
• 24 Hours of Chamberlin Ranch, 10/28/2006, Dan Henderson
• England Western League Cyclo-Cross Series, Race 6, 10/29/2006, Alex Anderson
• Team Big Bear State XC Series Final, Castaic, 10/22, Ron Riley
• England Western League Cyclo-Cross Series, Race 5, 10/22/06, Alex Anderson
• 5 Races into Cyclocross Season, Brij Lunine
• Surf City Cyclocross #1, 10/15/06, Mike Andalora
• Surf City Cyclocross #1, 10/15/06, Mike Evans
• Surf City Cyclocross #1, 10/15/06, Lindsey Collins
• Surf City Cyclocross #1, 10/15/06, Karen Kefauver
• Pilarcitos Cyclocross #1, 10/8/06, Lindsey Collins
• Whiskeytown 9 to 5, 10/7/06, Daniel Henderson
• Central Coast Cyclocross #2, 10/1/06, Mike Evans
• Central Coast Cyclocross #2, 10/1/06, Karen Kefauver
• Welsh Cyclo-Cross Series Race 1, 10/1/06, Alex Anderson
• Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress #4, 9/30/06, Mike Evans
• Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress #3, 9/27/06, Mike Evans
• Central Coast Cyclocross #1, 09/26/06, Mike Evans
• Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress #1, 9/13/06, Mike Evans
• Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress #1, 9/13/06, Winona Hubbard
• Team Big Bear State XC Series Race #7, 9/9/06, Ron Riley
• University Road Race, 8/27/06, Dennis Pedersen
• 12 Hours of 5th Avenue, 8/19/06, Chris Pearson
• 12 Hours of Willamette Pass, 8/5/06, Daniel Henderson
• Watsonville Criterium, 7/22/06, Dennis Pedersen
• 12 Hours of Humboldt, 7/15/06, Daniel Henderson
• Cougar Mountain Classic Supercuts Road Circuit Race, 7/15/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Coyote Creek Criterium, 7/8/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Davis Fourth of July Criterium, 7/4/06, Larry Morin
• Pescadero Coastal Classic Road Race, 6/24/06, Dennis Pedersen
• CCCX MTB Series Race 5, 6/4/06, Dennis Pedersen
• ICCC Dash For Cash, 6/3/06, Larry Morin
• Team Big Bear State XC Series Race #5, 6/3/06, Ron Riley
• ST Bikes Memorial Day Criterium, 5/29/06, Dennis Pedersen
• 12 Hours of Weaverville, 5/27/06, Daniel Henderson
• Pacific State Bank GP, 5/21/06, Rob Evans
• Panoche Valley Road Race, 5/21/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Modesto Criterium, 5/20/06, Rob Evans
• ST Bikes Cat's Hill Classic Criterium, 5/13/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Coolest Mountain Bike Race, 5/6–7/06, Karen Kefauver
• EMC2/Vellum Cycles Criterium, 5/7/06, Larry Morin
• EMC2/Vellum Cycles Criterium, 5/7/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Firestone Walker Classic Mountain Bike Race, 4/30/06, Ron Riley
• Napa Valley Dirt Classic, 4/23/06, Ron Riley
• Wente Vineyards Road Race and Criterium, 4/22-23/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Copperopolis Road Race, 4/15/06, Matt Wocasek
• Menlo Park Grand Prix, 4/15/06, Rob Evans
• Menlo Park Grand Prix, 4/15/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Sea Otter Classic Cross Country, 4/9/06, Troy Boone
• Sea Otter Classic Cross Country, 4/9/06, Ron Riley
• Santa Cruz Classic Criterium, 4/9/06, Larry Morin
• Santa Cruz Classic Criterium, 4/9/06, David Gill
• Santa Cruz Classic Criterium, 4/9/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Sea Otter Classic Circuit Road Race, 4/7/06, Larry Morin
• Ronde Van Brisbeen, 4/2/06, Dennis Pedersen
• CCCX MTB Series Race 4, 3/26/06, Dennis Pedersen
• 4th Orosi Road Race, 3/25/06, Eric Clarkson
• Monterey Circuit Race, 3/12/06, Dennis Pedersen
• County Line Jamboree #8, 2/25/06, Brij Lunine
• Apple Pie Criterium, 2/4/06, Evan Cushing
• CCCX Road Circuit Race, 2/4/06, Dennis Pedersen
• Patterson Pass Early Bird Road Race, 1/28/06, Dennis Pedersen and Evan Cushing
• Peak Season Cyclocross Race 1, 1/15/06, David Gill
• Early Bird Criterium #1, 1/8/06, Dennis Pedersen and Evan Cushing

Peak Season #1, Watsonville, CA USA, 12/17/2006

Mike Evans

Singlespeed:

I had a pretty clean start. After the finish line, leaving the pavement on the first little up hill, I bogged down a bit and was passed by several people including Stella. I still had an overlap on Stella going into the next left hand turn, but I knew what was coming and back off just in time as Stella chopped the apex into the corner. Stella would rather eat her first born than concede a corner to me! I passed her back when she bobbled the little log crossing. As we exited the muddy path on the perimeter of grass field I was forced to dismount for the tiny little up onto the grass and Stella passed me for good.

There were three tiny up hill sections on the course that were giving me problems because I was running the biggest possible gear combination that I on my have on my singlespeed; being that the rest of the course was so flat. The one after the S/F line was doable because I could carry a lot of momentum up from the pavement, but I would still have to grind over the top. The other two, up onto the grass and up from the service road, I couldn't ride consistently during practice and decided to dismount and run during the race. I figured riding the two sections and then bogging down and being forced to dismount and run was slower than just dismounting and running both.

For the next two laps Stella slowly pulled away from me while my teammate Erik Thunstrom slowly reeled me in. After remounting from running up from the service road, Erik caught me. I didn't think to ill of this as I thought we could work together and try and bring Stella back. Erik went immediately to the front to take a pull and on the way by he gave me grief for not riding the hill up from the service road! We hit the double barriers before the finish line side by side when I heard a Ka-Whack-Thud and I knew immediately that Erik had tripped and crashed over the barriers. I asked the spectators after the barrier if he was all right and they replied in the affirmative.

I rode the almost the whole next lap alone while Erik slowly reeled me in again. By the time we reached the service road he was right behind me. I dismounted and ran up the little hill, remounted and look back over my shoulder to watch Erik ride it. He bogged out at the top and was force to dismount and run it! Erik eventually passed me on the grassy section and I clamped onto his rear wheel and held on for dear life for the next lap.

My body was giving me the signal that I was about to blow. I figured I would throw one last move at Erik before he dropped me. Just before the drop in to the service road I sprinted past Erik. I figured I would be in better shape if I hit the little hill first. Eric, once again gave me grief for dismounting and running. 30 seconds later I blew sky high and Erik rode away from me. I rode the next couple of laps solo and enjoyed the course and the day. With most of the course being so wide open, I could see I was in no danger of being caught from behind. I even got to smile and say "hi" to David Crum, who was a spectator at the little hill after the service road whom I haven't seen in a while.

PEAK SEASON numero uno, Watsonville, CA USA, 12/17/2006

Brij Lunine

After actually putting in a little work Friday afternoon and Saturday morning it was great to get out on a stellar day and race a course I had tiny bit to do with. With Nats on and many moving on it was an intimate affair. After waiting on the start line for Kem and who I assume was Thomas Sullivan the start took me by surprise. I had to ride like the devil to get from the back towards the front but it was too late I missed the bus. Howie and Thomas Feix had about 20 seconds and I couldn't find the extra gear to close the gap. (I also pulled a lame one and had to cut off teammate Eric Thumstrom although I'm not sure it was a finable offense.) The course was awesome and I was having fun holding Feix at a steady 15 seconds while Howie absolutely steamrolled. I was able to ride the run up four of six laps (with at least one dab and a cramp which put an end to that). My buddy Brett Lambert reeled me in which was fine by me—he's like an older version of Howie—steady and smooth. We divvied up the work with Brett probably doing a bit more, although I did wait when I'd gap him. Brett took a monster hot lap and we had Feix super close. So close I was thinking there was no doubt we had him (this was just before the descent). But to his credit he put it down and opened it back up to nearly 30 seconds by race's end. Had I been able to match Brett's work it might have been a different story but I was content to ride within my limit after being on the ropes for most of a lap. Brett was limited when his handlebars loosened up and I was feeling a yellowjacket bite that sketched me out a bit. Tactically I decided I wanted to be first to the barriers since there wasn't much room afterwards for the finish. I attacked with a bit of an aggressive line for the descent and led up the run up. Was surprised to have a gap but road an easier gear saving it for the final effort. Brett stayed back and I thought he had decided not to contest the finish but after I jumped on the pavement as planned he came storming up and we hit the barriers side by side. I concentrated on not screwing up. Poor Brett hit his front wheel on the barrier (I think it was) and barely pulled it. Third place—I was aiming for second but quite happy with where I ended up. Great job by our team—really nice scene, awesome course, really good burritos after, the whole nine. If our next two races are half this good we'll be in great shape.

CCCX #4, East Garrison Fort Ord, Seaside, CA USA, 12/10/2010

Mike Evans

Preface:

Same drill as usual except it was pouring rain! By the time we arrived at the East Garrison are of Fort Ord for the 4th race of the CCCX series, it was still pouring. We erected the team compound as fast as possible, surrounded it on 3 sides with cars, filled sand bags and lashed them to the tents to keep them from blowing away and finally put plastic sheeting on the weather side of the tents to keep the wind out. This whole gyration worked amazingly well! While not exactly toasty, it was significantly warmer inside the tents than it was outside.

The Course:

A slight variation of the normal East Garrison course that featured a long climb (for a cross race), a super slimy mud singletrack and a new paved descent. In conditions like this it was very important to pre-ride the course and ride through the larger puddles to see if there were any hidden ruts or holes. I found a large hole in the first big puddle after start/finish paved section and almost went over the handlebars. I could tell by my reconnaissance laps that I was very tired from racing the day before as I was struggling a bit.

The Race:

From the get go I didn't have it. I had a bad start and couldn't seem to clip in. The group arrived at the first big puddle and 3 guys augured into the hole I had found earlier. One guy went head first so deep into the puddle I thought he would have raise his snorkel! From there I steadily slid backward. Lap 2 was even worse, as I suddenly seemed to forget how to ride a bike. With a lap and a half to go I was caught by from behind by Robert Barber and Paul Sadoff. I managed to get a little gap on them on the paved section before the finish line going into the last lap. Around this time I was starting to feel better and kept extending my position until the finish. I didn't do much for my overall standings in the series, but it could have been worse!

The Epilogue:

The sun came out for the last race of the day (A men) and dried out our tents. This, however, was the only thing in my van that was dry. Two days of rain and mud had taken their toll on the equipment. When we arrived back at my house, we washed everything. I took my kit with me to the shower and tried to rinse as much mud out of it as possible before I threw it into the washing machine. I was amazed to find that a small beach had formed in the bottom of my washer after I had removed the load of clothes.

These last 2 days of racing were amazing and won't soon be forgotten!

Surf City #3, Watsonville, CA USA, 12/9/2006

Mike Evans

Preface:

It was the usual story; up at the crack of dawn, load the van, load Race Director, Field Marshal/Dictator for Life David Gill, get coffee and breakfast and drive to the venue. The only difference was that when we arrived at the Watsonville fairgrounds for the final race of the Surf City Series, we were told we would not be allowed to set up anywhere near the course and in fact we would have to set up the team compound in the parking lot a half a mile from where the center of action and in fact you couldn't even see the course! This didn't sit well with Race Director, Field Marshal/Dictator for Life David Gill and he put his game face on and marched off. Upon David's return, he informed us that everything had been worked out, so we hopped into the van and drove to the back entrance and down to the lower portion of the course. We set up at the bottom of the long downhill after the Start/Finish straightaway, next to the covered cement pad. It soon became apparent to us that the cement pad would become very dangerous as mud and water would soon coat the surface making it very slick. This proved correct throughout the day, as numerous riders crashed there.

The course:

The Surf City crew was restricted in where they could put the course so most of the course ended up in the lower section of the fairgrounds. This location combined with 8 hours of rain prior to the event could only mean one thing: MUD!! I did 2 reconnaissance laps and encountered every type of mud on the Dave Carr's list (http://members.aol.com/napavelo/mud.htm). The mud had turned many rideable sections into running sections and in fact this course had more running that any course in a long time.

The Race (Singlespeed):

After watching several people rip their derailleurs off of their bike I was glad to being racing my singlespeed! I got the holeshot at the start and led the field to the concrete section where the team compound was set up. I could hear the collective cheers of my teammates! Just after exiting the concrete, I got completely sideways and lost most of my momentum, as well as several places. I now could hear the collective groans of my teammates! After that excitement, I settled in. I was having a great race! I had lowered my tire pressure considerably and it seemed to be doing the trick as I felt completely hooked up. I seemed to be making my best progress on the flat muddy straightaways. While people were sliding all over the place I just seemed plow straight ahead at good pace. For the fist couple laps I had been really sticking it to my teammate Mike Martin, when it occurred to me that Mike was in second place for the series and I might be jeopardizing his standings, so I stopped and waited for him. I told him we should work together and see if we could bring the rider in front of us (Monty Worthington) back. All was going according to plan until I had my first bike exchange. I had borrowed Team Dictator and Field Marshal for life, David Gill's bike and I had forgotten to change pedals (Time for Crank Bros)! Duh! This was actually not as bad as it sounds, but the main problem was the semi-slick tires on his bike didn't sink through the mud and pack up like you read about! I was now running sections that I had been riding on my bike and promptly lost Mike Martin. I finally got my bike back, but Mike was gone. After riding a lap by myself I spied Monty in front of me. He was coming back to me pretty fast. I caught Monty on the big run up, he made some excuse about his freewheel not operating correctly and that the low barometric pressure was making his corns hurt. We both knew that Barry Wicks was about to lap us again just before the finish line and this would eliminate the need to ride one more lap. As we hit the finishing straight, Monty sat up to wait for Barry. I thought about it for a second or two and thought to myself "no way I'm stopping" and headed off for my last lap. It was a very lonely lap! I was at the very end of people finishing and in fact, the Surf City crew had started to tear down sections of the course as I rode by.

The Epilogue:

The bike exchanges not withstanding, this was my best race of the year. I felt good, my bike worked perfectly and even though I got completely got sideways twice, I never came close to crashing. I was rather shocked how well I rode in the mud! All the worries about Mike Martin and his second place standings were for naughtl as Mike was going to finish in 3rd overall no matter what I did. I did however ruin my chance for 5th place overall as I lost the tie breaker and finished 6th overall. Ugh!! Cheers to the Surf City crew for all of the work this year; I know it was difficult!

Surf City #3, Watsonville, CA USA, 12/9/2006

Phil Trenholme

Well this is my first race report and Surf City #3 was what I had visions of (and feared) when I decided I was going to try and race CX this winter. I am a new team member, 51 years old and race in the 45 A group. I used to do a lot of bike racing but pretty much quit 10 years ago and bought a racecar to fuel my competitive needs. This race was my 4th race and was promising to be a lot different than the first 3 races where the weather had been pretty darn nice. It rained hard the day before the race and driving to the Fairgrounds the rain was still coming down. Fortunately the weather let up just before my warm up lap. That scouting lap opened up my eyes big time and actually had me laughing as I could not really imagine racing in mud like that! My bike was completely trashed after that 1 lap but conveniently there were plenty of hoses setup so that everybody could wash their bikes down. It wasn't terribly cold so I went to the start line for my race in my short sleeved jersey and regular bib shorts, and as we lined up the hardest rain of the day was coming down and I was kind of wishing I had a rain jacket. I finally got a good start and when I went by the SCCCC compound I was in 2nd place! Keeping in mind my main goals of not crashing and not getting lapped I went as hard as possible but still found myself going backwards through the field. My bike sounded terrible and would not shift into the big chain ring (although now I am not sure why I wanted to do that) and I was convinced that I was going to last longer than the bike. In places the mud was so deep that riding used far more energy than running although running/stumbling/walking may have been a bit slower. The bike stayed together, the SCCCC support team kept cheering me on and giving me water bottle hand ups (thanks!), I didn't crash or get lapped and I ended up finishing 7th which was my best result of the year. I am looking forward to the club race series and it looks like there will be plenty of mud!

Piarcitos#5/Districts & CCCX#4 Ft. Ord, San Burno/Seaside, CA USA, 12/10/2006

Brij Lunine

Pilarcitos Final and Nor Cal District Championships

Let's see what I remember from two weeks ago…

Great venue and the added districts made for a loaded Masters 35 field. I got the start I wanted and was thinking good thoughts ("good start, good start, I'm on D'Aluisio's wheel…") when BOOM I got shoved way hard from the back and went off piste right at the top of the climb just before the parking lot reprieve. Lost a lot of ground but figured I could go to work like years past and move up. Not this time. I wasn't feeling too good and really had a tough time. I battled back and forth with a Kevin Merrigan riding for Otis Guy but he won out. Then came a number of others until I found my spot with Jordi Cortes riding in 12th and 13th where we finished. I was hoping to be up a few spots and ride a little stronger but I did manage to hold my 7th overall for the BASP series.

CCCX #4 Ft. Ord.

After driving to LA with my 5 and 2 year olds (and no wife to help, but I did have my little brother) Friday and then back Saturday night I was in a giddy state of sleep deprivation and excitement. Happy to ride after not getting out much at all last week. The motivation to train hard has really faded but racing is still fun. Plus despite all the extra work I really like racing in the mud. It's all about attitude and having "the ass of power." Plus General Gill was there with DS Evans. The compound was buzzing and we had posse running so deep. Evans' pressure washer took the cake.

I love the start at Ft. Ord and managed second over the barriers. It was really cold and I had trouble feeling my feet and legs. I quickly got out of the way of the big boys and tried to hold on to who else? Howie. Ran fourth for a couple laps and was then caught by Anastasio Flores Jr. We road well together for awhile and then he dropped me like a bad habit. I don't know to what degree he speeded up or if it was me slowing down—I bobbled and had to dismount and it took me half a lap to catch him at one point, but he was soon gone. Then I was caught by John Kammeyer of the Lapierre/Ritchey team. I would drop him but he kept coming back. Last lap (of six) good guy Brock Dickie (Buy/Cell) catches us and it's on. Brock and I start racing back and forth with some good passes and attacks. We all definitely went for it on the descents—I know I figured it was time to take a few more risks. I attacked on a flat dirt stretch before the one dirt climb (a great addition to the course) and got a big gap. But those boys had me back and on the ropes on the climb. I kept trying to pass Brock on the right with nowhere to go. I finally got around him at the top on the left for the mud mogul section which I really wanted to lead through. Cruised and was thinking how nice it was to make it through this whole race without crashing when BAM I stack it onto the pavement. So lame. So weak. John and Brock come around and Brock gives the "Are you OK?" and actually slows up and means it. I tell him "Yes, go." I straighten the bars and the ride the brake/shift lever rotated in for a frustrating 7th. Gannon took it, with Krammer, then Howie and you can figure the rest. John worked Brock over. These guys are way too nice. After they said they felt guilty…please I'm the idiot making the mental mistake. I somehow got a shiner and sore chin which my wife says makes me look like I got out of jail. Just now the poison oak is coming up—I did take a trip into the bushes in the mud mogul section…you got love it. Peak Season Baby it's about to be on.

Pilarcitos #5 BASP, Coyote Pt., San Mateo, CA USA, 12/3/2006

Mike Evans

Preface:

Yet another race over the hill, which means getting up at the ungodly hour of 4:30. This particular morning was more difficult than the others as my girlfriend's company Christmas party was the night before. I ended up playing bartender for four hours, but in the process I managed not to pour myself it oblivion and only consumed two glasses of wine. Just when I thought we were about to make our escape I heard the rallying cry "let's go to Brady's Yacht Club," which is the neighborhood dive bar. Bugger! To make a long story short, I managed not to over indulge but we didn't get home until 01:00. When the alarm went off I was convinced it was a terrible mistake!

Field General and Dictator for life David Gill arrived on time and we were off to Coyote Pt, San Mateo for the 5th and final round of the Pilarcitos BASP that also doubled as Nor. Cal. district championships. Upon arrival we disemboweled the van and set up camp next to the water front.

The Course:

It had been a couple of years since I have raced here and I had forgotten how hard this course is. From the beach section, to the grass filled with S turns, to the uphill section under the eucalyptus, this course just sucks the life out of you! I can't possibly imagine what it would be like if it rained!

The Race (Singlespeed):

This race was absolutely brutal. If it hadn't have been for the sight of Brent Chapman dangling in front of me, I think I would have quit. Needless to say this was not one of my best races, but I did finish. Afterwards my body felt like I had been run over by a cement truck.

The Epilogue:

All in all, this was a great event and venue, but two days later I still feel like I was hit by a cement truck!

Pilarcitos #5 BASP, Coyote Pt., San Mateo, ca USA, 12/3/2006

Julianna Perry

There's nothing like a sleeping child, a desire to escape more fining, and a rough finish to yesterday's race to inspire a race report. The latter not only made falling asleep difficult (the tape rolled over and over), but it made the morning bed-lingering less comfortable (see below for details)

I hadn't been racing much in the Pilarcitos series, only raced the last two given the good venue report they had. Coyote Point being the District Championships, a good venue, AND close to Grandma and Grandpa made it an easy decision. I am so glad that I decided to race. While the course was challenging, I really enjoyed the rigor.

The Eucalyptus forest was SKETCHY—the incessant uphill, combined with downward sloping S-turns and bumpy drops made the whole experience a killer. While the first lap up that hill into the duffy mess just spelled crashes, it got a bit easier with more distance between riders. Still, the fun didn't end with the spill out onto the beach. Thank goodness for the bell-ringing, beer-drinking crowds to cheer you on (and images of pavement danced in my head). And just when you thought you could "recover", all those road racers picked up the pace so you ended up hammering down the sidewalk. That actually was a good portion for me, as I could see my "bait" in front of me, and it helped me to catch those who led my way. But where was I to find the strength for the energy-sucking grass and continued S-turns?

Despite what I write, it wasn't such a nightmare. Hey, we only had to do FOUR laps. No, the nightmare came when I was on my last lap just yards away from the finish line and my chain dropped. The woman whom I had passed on the second lap was creeping back. On the last set of barriers, she was just behind me. My mind entertained the idea of just letting her pass me, after all, I didn't have much vested in the series, and she clearly wanted to beat me. But, I had just a little more to go—enough to have a mechanical problem. I remember Steve telling me how he had dropped his chain several times in his race, how I should keep it in the big ring, especially on the bumpy downhill. But nobody mentioned curbs! *@$#%, I almost had second in Districts and third in Masters race. Oh well, I guess the cross karma gods were at work—I do remember last year in a Peak Season race smiling when my competitor blew her tire.

A big thanks to my team mates: Brij and Simone—I love how you place yourself along the course and cheer me on; Lindsay—your words of encouragement on the first lap; Mike, Eric, and Philip—for screaming at me as I ran on the beach, and waving a cold one in front of my nose; David Gill—your feeds and your update as to my place in the race; Steve—your feeds (despite saying, no, no to you) and most importantly your shoulder to cry on.

CCCX #3, Manzanita Park, Prunedale, CA USA, 11/26/2006

Mike Evans

Preface:

This is becoming the usual drill: get up at the crack of darkness, fill up water bottles, load into the cooler, load the van, wait for Race Director and Team Dictator for Life David Gill to show up, load David into the van, drive to Coffeetopia for liquid stimulation, drive to venue, if it's a long trip, stop for more liquid stimulation along the way, upon arriving at the course dump entire contents of the van on the ground and build the Team Santa Cruz compound/pit.

This is what has been going on every Sunday since late September or so it seems. The only difference on this Sunday was we were greeted by Rod Hernandez's smiling face At Manzanita Park for CCCX #3.

After setting up the pits David who has been injured all season, asked if he could borrow my bike and take a lap. "This is an encouraging sign" I thought to myself and let him borrow the bike. David reappeared on my bike after taking a lap with sealant blowing out of the front tire. Staring at my tire, I moaned in disbelief, but little did I know this was to be the beginning of a day filled with flats. Fortunately all of the flats occurred during warm up!

The Course:

You can't beat Manzanita Park for a cross race! I think this is the 9th year I have been coming here for CCCX races and I have raced many different version of courses here and they all have been great. I think the park has the perfect combination of pavement, sand, dirt, grass and of course, elevation changes. This course was a slight variation of the normal course with a new run up added. Although it wasn't steep or long, it was directly after a high speed straightaway and had a steep berm at the base. I believe Barry Wicks was the only rider who was able to ride the run up.

The Race (Master 45A):

I just couldn't seem to get my legs going during warm up and I paid for this at the beginning of the race. I had a slow start and it took a couple of laps to feel good, but after that I felt great for the rest of the race. Teammate Tom Sullivan was dangling behind me so I slowed down and ask him to help take pulls in an effort to reel the guys in front of us in. This didn't work so well as I kept popping Tom off of my wheel. I had convinced myself that 2 were better than 1 on this course and with hindsight this was wrong. The first time this happened I should have hit the gas and kept going. I'm sure this caused me a couple places in the end. All in all though, I felt very good about this race.

2nd Race (Singlespeed):

I joking told Pat Schott at the starting line that I would lead him out. So I did. The whistle blew and I got the holeshot and sprinted as hard as I could, uphill until we reached the first turn. The combination of the first race and this sprint just fried me! I spent the rest of the race in pure agony. My legs were so shot I couldn't ride the little bump after the singletrack at the top of the course for the last 2 laps. I was very glad when then race ended!!

The Epilogue:

It's nice to see so many teammates showing up for these events. It makes getting up so early worth it!

Surf City Cyclocross Race #1, Soquel, CA USA, 10/15/2006

Mike Andalora

Yikes, the universe works in mysterious ways. I was talking to Ron Riley at Alex and Winona's party and telling Ron I needed to change my routine and he suggested the CX Race at Soquel High.

Now I'm an old mountain biker/motorcycle rider and can't resist falling sometimes. So Saturday I get my M-Bike ready (I thought) and off I go on Sunday morning. Funny the feeling you get when trying something the first time, it's like everybody else there is a pro, you're the only rookie in the whole universe and you know that there are people who are there for there first time but you don't see them.

I go up to the friendly face at registration. She says its $35 bucks since I don't have a license and yikes I only have $30! So she gives me the number and I race on down to the ATM at the Quick Stop and get the 5 bucks, she's grateful and I am too because she is so patient. So I get my number half/ass pinned on and the big guy stops me before I get on the track and says I got the wrong number. So back to my smiling lady at Reg, she helps me out.

Boom, I am out on the track, again I feel like I'm the only one on the planet. Then (yikes again!) flashes come whizzing by. I finish two practice laps and I pull up to the Team Santa Cruz booth and David greets me with a "so you wanna try this?" smile and the team helps me out again with my numbers and bike. I get my Picture taken and get a last word of advice on how not to get run over and next thing I know I'm standing in a sea of bikes again.

I feel like I'm in this void 3, 2 1. Gooooo. I carry my whale of a bike up hills and over jumps and I'm watching not to get in somebody's way. I feel Ron Riley pushing me up a hill, faster and faster I go, being careful not to crash. I ride by David, he hands me a water bottle and I think "I always wanted to throw one away." Then I see Harriet Riley taking my picture and I feel very good about the warm friendship. Faster and faster I go; I want to make at least 3 laps, getting a little winded now, I don't know if I could make 4, then my front derailleur casing breaks on my bars and I have to hold it in the middle chain-ring to finish, faster, faster there's the finish. "You're done!" the man says.

YIKES I DID IT! THANKS EVERYBODY!!

Pilarcitos BASP # 4, Golden Gate Park, S.F., CA USA, 11/19/2006

Mike Evans

The preface: All around nice guy and Team Santa Cruz Dictator for Life David Gill and I got up at the unworldly hour 04:ish to make the long drive in my over packed, lethargic, VW van for the 4th round of the Pilarcitos at Golden Gate Park. The plain was to get there early enough to find a good set up location for our team tents and a good parking spot. All was going according to plan as we arrived a little before 07:00 until we were informed we would not be able to drive 200 meters up the paved access road to the set up site and would have to hump the contents of the van on foot. While David and I were staring at each other in disbelief one of the Pilarcitos workers volunteered his wheelbarrow for our use. 3 cheers to him! We set up at a prime spot right next to the course and in fact it was such a good location, people kept coming to our tents trying register!

The course: This had to be one of the best courses of the year! It had everything: lots of single track and double track, a high speed sand pit, lots of roots and some nice paved areas. I really enjoyed the sand pit. I would wind up my single speed to terminal velocity and just send it into the pit! I never exited in same place twice! The Pilarcitos BASP series is a bit of an enigma though; you either love their courses so much you wish you could race 3 times a week or you hate them so much you contemplate taking up a different sport.

The race: After a bad start I settled in with rider by the name of A.J. and for the next several laps we traded pulls in an effort to bring back the rider in front of us. With 2 laps to go we finally caught the guy in front of us and dropped him. I then got a pretty big gap on A.J. after the little run up (for me). I'm not sure if A.J. had a bobble or if he went for the money people were sticking into beer cans. I then blew sky high just after the uphill double barriers. A.J. caught me on the long paved straight away and when he came around me I had no answer. I spent the remainder of the last lap making sure the guy we worked so hard to catch all race didn't pass me. I succeeded in this little victory and finished the race. All in all I felt good about this race.

A side note: It was excellent to see Teammate and genetic mutant Phillip Sims back on the course after 3 months of not riding due to an injury. His break didn't seem to slow him down much!

Piarcitos#4 Golden Gate Park (BASP) & CCCX#3 Prunedale, San Francisco, CA USA, 11/26/2006

Brij Lunine

Pilarcitos #4

Well after a welcomed week off from the Surf City fiasco it was great to race in Golden Gate Park again. The full squad was in effect and I'm always extra stoked to race in the city in front of friends and the family. The course was so much fun and utterly relentless with Chris D'Aluisio killing it on the long slightly downhill sections. As Team Manager D. Gill said, I really turned myself inside out. I was racing for third and I'm glad I was in the mix but ultimately paid the price fading from the group of Howie (some day I'll hang with him, maybe), Dan Harting, D'Aluisio & Jordi Cortes. I tried pulling through with Harting and letting Howie sit on (a mistake but I was willing to experiment after sitting on him numerous times only to be slowed down in to the corners and gapped continually out of them). We caught Jordi and the erratic riding D'Aluisio. After Jordi was dropped it was my turn as Howie went to work. I suffered in no man's land for way too long only to be caught by the holder of the hole shot, Greg Regan. Luckily I was planning for this and worked him over in the sprint for 6th. Up front in was all Alan Coats and Steve Reaney with scientist of sprint winning out. Great fun. This race marked the return of the certified mutant Philip Sims back after an extended hip injury. He may have lost a little but it's pretty unfathomable how good he's going after three and half months off.

CCCX#3 Yo soy pavoté

The team was in super full effect again, great to see DS Evans and the crew.

I felt like a turkey bog. John Funke decided to slum with the old guys including Rich Maille, Gannon Myall (4th overall in the US Grand Prix!), Kramer, Hoefner and most of the usual suspects. Made the front group after a few pedal issues at the start. Sat on Funke who was a little whippier than I'm used to. Then I got gapped off somewhere, don't remember but predictably I was with Howie. Then he dropped me, no surprise, I was paying the price for a lot of effort lap one. Kept him fairly steady for awhile and watched him just about bridge up to the front group of Kramer, Hoefner, Funke and Maille (Gannon had a mechanical). I was suffering by my lonesome waiting for my friends Mark Abele, Eric Bustos and Tim Thompson to catch me. I was glad to see Mark and then eventually Tim and settled on to Mark's steady wheel. Long story short: I attacked those two on the downhill with one to go since there was a pause, not the smartest move but I kept some in the tank. Got caught on the S/F climb and then Tim absolutely punched it onto the little singletrack section at the very top. I got around Abele on the first decent (right after all the sand) and chase Tim as hard as I could. I think I caught him at the last barriers. We had a good sprint with me nipping him by a wheel for 6th.

This race marked the return of Janel Lodge and teammate Steve Hess—a welcomed sight on both accounts.

Welsh League Cyclo-Cross Series, Race 7, Abergavenny, Wales, 11/12/2006

Alex Anderson

Now this was a cyclo-cross race! Great course, a large field, barriers and multiple run-ups.

After races in Bristol and Bath the last few weekends with turnouts of less than 25 riders I thought I would try a race in the Welsh League again. The event was in the historic town of Abergavenny just south of the Brecon Beacons National Park in a very scenic valley of South Wales. After destroying my shifter on my ‘cross bike last race I had no choice but to ride my single speed mountain bike for the event. If only there was a SS class I could have my first UK podium since there wasn't a single speeder in sight, but I wasn't going to be that lucky.

We lined up for the start in the now-expected UK mass start of Juniors, Seniors and Vets all going off at once. There must have been 70 racers at the line which was a great turnout since the biggest race I had been in to date had about 40. We started off on a fast grassy track and then hit a quick gravel section before a short road climb that lead to a narrow, slick run-up. One of the first riders in my group tried to ride up the hill, but quickly went down and a group of 10 piled up behind him. The rest of us shouldered our bikes and got around the crowd. After a little more climbing we had a fast short descent into a nasty off-camber right-hand turn just below the next run-up and a pair of barriers. A couple more riders went down as they got off on the downhill side of the turn and lost their footing in some strategically-located mud. After getting back on we had a short, quick downhill into a tight series of S-turns through the trees then back around to the start/finish line. I went around for the usual fifty minutes plus one lap and was only a little distressed at being lapped 3 TIMES by the winner – a 20-something local star. Still it was a fun, challenging course and I'm hopeful I placed somewhere in the middle of the pack (if I did I'll let you know, otherwise the link may get lost)

Piarcitos#3 McClaren (BASP), San Francisco, CA USA, 11/5/2006

Brij Lunine

I guess our squad disdains travel north—Lindsey, Eric and myself excepted. In this case it was y'all's loss. Really a great course if you ride your CX bike off road a lot. I know riding up & down Wilder really paid off for me.

The course was really selective. A nice fast flat S/F, great steep dirt run up, and then tons of hard climbing and descending, basically single track although there was room to pass on the extra bumpy sides. There was also an overdone grassy tree section with turns that were close to 280°—a bit too much in my opinion. (This section was faster to run but too long to.) A real backbreaker of a day. I was pretty dizzy from being sick but managed to pretty much pass people the entire race to snake into 10th. Bike handling was at a premium. I had fun on the descents, passing people on the top of the last absolute grinder of a hill and attacking through the S/F. My back is pretty thrashed after the whole ordeal. I wouldn't of raced if I wasn't in the points but once I got there I was glad I did—I really like all the Wilder-like terrain. Lots of DNFs and crashes though. Funke has a good description on his blog (link to on the NCNCA site). And of course Aaron Kereluk with the big WIN. Too cool.

Note: Told ya—Jordi Coates with two wins—Fairfax and Sacto. While he tries to play it off noting the field size I argue that: it's really hard to win a race, you can't control who shows up, and, most significantly, any time you beat Rich Maille you're riding well. Way to go Jordi (a former teammate and super nice guy).

Mid season Cyclocross race report, 10/29/2006

Brij Lunine

SCCCCCC teammates,

It's the mid-season, 6 races in. I'm sitting here with an eye infection, lacking motivation, just like I did trying to put in that one hard day training today…

Looks like the pecking order has definitely been established in the Master's A's: The A list: The Strawberry Mob: Gannon Myall, Henry Kramer, Todd Hoefner and (newcomer to the Masters?) Steve Reaney. These guys have how many wins this season between them? How many stars and bars and even a rainbow tunic in the closet? The Specialized employees/Morgan Stanley duo of Chris D'Aluisio and Alan Coates are to be feared. And good guy Mark Howland aka Howie is definitely right there. Now there's some other eligible racers who choose to race A's or who aren't at most races but these seven are money.

On the bubble: Jordi Cortes, Cliff Bar. He's right there with speed and power to burn.

The B list: Tim Thompson, Eurosport/Flossaid—barely off the A list. The Strawberry Mob II: Eric Bustos and Anastasio Flores Jr. The Buy-Cell Squad: Brock Dickie, Caesar Chavez, Michael Matthews, Kurt Gensheimer—all nice guys who I'm betting will come on strong in the weeks ahead. Teammates Murray Swanson and Thomas Feix (over 45 and can beat most of us). The same goes for the undefeated-in-the-45s, Rob Meighan AKA Buckwheat, not to mention Mark, smooth-as-butter, Abele, and then there's your truly and injured teammate Steve Hess. On the one hand, it's nice to be in the top ten consistently even if it's on the "ugly end"; on the other, I don't where I'm going to find 30 seconds to a minute to crack the A list. Fun though. I need to motorpace (Philip?).

So yeah the race, Surf City Numero Dos at the Watsonville Fairgrounds. This course featured the coolest use of a field I've seen: the swirley. It was really fun to spiral through on grippy grass and then barrel back out to the next section of loose dustiness. The rest of the course was pretty routine. I liked the new run up and the long dirt road was a nice—in terms of being able to open it up. The start was ill-conceived but things sorted out and the above suspects from the A list including Jordi were grouped up, plus Buckwheat. After passing quite a few folks on the run up Howie (who was having a bad day and therefore with me) and I went to work. A lap or two together and we caught the lead group with Buckwheat on the front. It was nice to be up with big boys for a minute but when things reshuffled after the little run up it was Buckwheat, Howie and me for awhile. Howie dabbed after the big run up and I promptly hit his wheel and fell over. Never saw him again. By the time I got up the gap was too big to contemplate. Me and Buckwheat. We rode quite a few laps very steady—believe it or not. It was great to see the leaders and chasers in the spiral. Meighan didn't contest the final and I ended up pretty satisfied with 9th—few mistakes and a pretty solid effort. Gannon took the honors and I'm sure it won't be the last time. I'm definitely stoked for McClaren this weekend. It's raining right now!

Surf City #2, Watsonville, CA USA, 10/29/2006

Mike Evans

While sitting across the table from Melanie Dominguez at Simone's birthday party on Thursday night, I had an idea. Mel told me that she and husband-to- be Mark were flying to NYC for the weekend. I asked Mel if I could borrow her cat costume for the costume race at Surf City #2. I said this as a joke but Mel thought it was great and when I got home the next day, there was the costume sitting on my door step. I guess I would have to go through with it after all! To complete the costume I borrowed a skort from Shauna P. and added one of my old Bike Trip jerseys to complete the look. I wondered if people would get that I was trying to look like Melanie Dominguez; a lot of them did!

The course:

Even though I liked this course, I thought it wasn't very challenging in the bike handling sense. I think it was lacking some kind off camber section or some kind of section that would have made me pucker a bit! The new long run up did seriously kick my ass and the swirl got me dizzy a couple of times though.

Costume Race:

While at the starting line we were given instructions that ended with "it's only cheating if you get caught." At this point, cheating sounded pretty good to me, as I was encased in fur and was on the brink of overheating without even turning a pedal! After the race started, I cheated heavily and cut the course at every opportunity, but apparently I didn't cheat hard enough and finished 4th... or so I was told!

The race (Singlespeed):

I made my usual fast start then instant fade in the first few minutes. Both of my teammates got past me and I spent the next half of the lap trying to chase them down. I was just about to make contact with them in the section known as the "Pit of Despair," when both teammates (Mike Martin and Troy Boone) sat up. It appeared that Mike was having some kind of difficulty with his rear wheel. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I immediately attacked both of them and got a sizable gap going. On the second lap I could see Mike entering the swirl section as I was leaving. On the next lap he was even closer and I shouted to him how much I hated him at his point.

Mike was making me ride very hard in an effort to stay ahead of him. The next time through the swirl I was starting to blow a bit and he had closed the gap even further. By the time I had reached the big run up Mike was directly behind me! From the big run up to just after the pit of despair we were together, but then Mike attacked me on the tiny little run up out of the pit and that was it. I blew trying to close the gap back to Mike.

I went into survival/recovery mode and rode as hard as I dared without blowing sky high! I could see Troy about a minute back and figured I could survive one more lap without him catching me. I survived the big run up one last time, but barely. If I had had to do the big run up one more time I think I would have completely cracked! It is always my intent not to get lapped by my own species (singlespeed) and I came within 300 meters of my objective. All in all this was a great race and venue. Three cheers to the Bellas for such a fun event!

24 Hours of Chamberlin Ranch, Los Olivos, CA USA, 10/28/2006

Norman Field

I know people are interested in how the 24 Hours of Chamberlin Ranch turned out for me and I'm eager to share the experience.

A few enigmatic statements to start the report:

• Only one small furry animal was killed during the race
• Sleep is a weapon
• Of all God's creatures, cows have to be the dumbest
• Glowing eyes in the dark of the night are not to be feared
• Success is defined by the victor of the battle between mind and body
• Never trust the time keepers

I rode my mountain bike 180 miles, a personal distance record, did 24,000 ft of climbing, and came in first place in the 40-49 Solo rider category. While the prizes were irrelevant to me at the time, I must say the awards presentation was unusual. The race director would call up first, second, and third in that order and each person would pick out two items from a big pile of schwag. I picked out a new red Specialized helmet for Karen, my one-woman support crew, and a Light and Motion Vega commuter light (retail $175).

It was a long race with various facets to it. Karen and I arrived and camped the night before after a five hour drive. I woke up at about 3:30 am feeling cold—I've never been cold with that sleeping bag before and the rest of the night passed by slowly since I couldn't warm up. The race started at 11am—a Le Mans-style start with the front wheel removed. I didn't feel so great the first lap, nor the second, nor the third. Each lap was 15 miles with 2000ft of climbing.

The course wasn't too technical. The most difficult challenge was the cows. They were on the trail and sometimes wouldn't move. Worse yet, the calves would look one way and then run erratically the other way. I heard coyotes baying at night, saw owls flying, dodged mice skirting across the trail and herded cows off the trail.

I was worried about how fatigued I felt during the first four laps, since normally those would be the best. I thought it might have been the lack of sleep the night before or the hot conditions (sunny, about 90 degrees). I felt better when the sun went down and the race really got going. I rode until about 4am when I started getting loopy, crashed coming into the pit area and decided I need to lie down. I got in the sleeping bag and closed my eyes for a while. When I miraculously awoke without an alarm, through great will power, I forced myself to get out into the freezing cold (35 degrees) and continue riding. When I looked at the clock, I was surprised to see that an hour and a half had passed. I figured any chance for a podium place had slipped away. I felt lucky, given my fatigue, that I managed to wake up.

After getting back on the trail, I realized the sleep had done a lot of good. I felt much stronger. The sun came up on that lap and things started looking up. I rode another lap and figured I would just barely have time to do one more. I asked the time keepers for my placing and they said I had won the race. I felt relieved that I could stop at 11 laps. However, when I asked how far back the second place ride was, they fumbled through the papers and then told me it was neck and neck. So I went out and finished the race with 12 laps (which turned out to be unnecessary to win it).

If you ever want to have a successful 24 hour race, you have to bring along someone with great organizational skills like Karen. She set up camp, organized the food, kept track of times, and was always cheering for me. I don't think I would have won without her, because I would have had to spend the time and energy taking care of myself.

It was great to have a teammate at the race as well. Dan Henderson rode single speed and we didn't see each other after the first lap. However, we touched based the next day. Hopefully, he'll tell you his story. I will see you at a cross race again eventually. I am headed out of town again for the next few days and don't plan to race Sunday at Pilarcitos. See you soon!

Terri Schneider provided me with weekly workouts over the last four months where were a key factor in keeping me motivated and in shape. Thanks to Team Santa Cruz for the EZ-Up tent—must have for these races. I also received well wishes from all over the world: Alex from the UK, friends from Austin, Washington DC, and various team members. Thanks for the support!

24 Hours of Chamberlin Ranch, Buelton, CA USA, 10/28/2006

Dan Henderson

Well, what can I say? There was a whole mess of riding. Some of it was really fun and then some of it was awful and really scary. I was super into the glowsticks they had marking the course at night. Maybe I should start going to raves or something. Gosh, I don't know. I think I just need some time off the bike.

I think I was about 6th out of 15 total solos. Norman won his class and I think was 3rd overall.

England Western League Cyclo-Cross Series, Race 6, The Tumps, Odd Down, Bath, England, 10/29/2006

Alex Anderson

Another race, another tale of bike woe, but at least no flats this time.

This event was located near the historic town of Bath, in the village of Odd Down. The course was more challenging and fun than my 2 previous CX races in the UK. Part of the course was on an older BMX track complete with a pair of 2-foot tabletop jumps and 3 bermed turns which made for good fun. Although no barriers (again!) there was one legitimate run-up this race. The course was very short with my lap-times at about 5 minutes so it was likely under a mile. The combination of jumps, the run-up and significant portions of the course on soft, wet grass meant that there were few places to recover. This was the first of 3 races to be held under sunny skies but there were a number of mud bogs from the rain of the last few days.

Only 23 of us lined up for the start, with Juniors, Women, Seniors and Vets all going at the same time for 55 minutes plus 1 lap. I settled into a moderate pace about mid-pack and tried to concentrate on being smooth considering the nature of the course as I tried to chase the other vets. This is tough to do in the UK as we all have double-digit numbers, not the usual 3-digit numbers of our Santa Cruz races that distinguish the racers in each class. I just convince myself that the guys passing me are young and the ones I'm passing are old – wish it were really that simple!

About halfway into the race I slide on a bit of mud and drive my right hand shifter hard into the ground. When I get up can't shift at all. Fortunately I'm in the large cog in the rear so although I have to end the finish the race as a 2-speed my gearing is pretty reasonable. In the last 20 minutes of the race I get lapped by the young guys, but have no idea how I place relative to the Seniors and other Vets.

Another fun race, but I sure miss the relatively large classes and high-quality courses I experienced racing at home.

That's all until next time. Next weekend I have a choice of another venue in Bristol or a race near Swansea in South Wales – assuming I'm in any kind of shape to ride after the Guy Fawkes celebrations planned for Bristol over the weekend.

Team Big Bear State XC Series Final, Castaic, 10/22

Ron Riley

The final Team Big Bear State Series MTB race was held Sunday 10/22 at the Lake Hughes Park in Castaic, CA. The temperature was in the high 70s under clear skies as the Sport categories started their two-lap, point-and-a-half value, race.

My race strategy was pretty simple: go for the win, but avoid a DNF. A DNF would eliminate my chance for the series (best 6 of 11 races) 65+ Sport Championship.

The Castaic course is seven miles of mostly single and double track. It is by far the toughest course we race on because of the granny gear climbing—four tough climbs per lap, one rated at over 30% grade!

I led Hans and Richard, the other two in my class, up the first climb. The course and a mistake-free ride now became my challenge. Relax, focus, push the bike when it's faster than pedaling, and stay hydrated. At the end of the first lap, Harriet handed me a new water bottle and I was away for another hour of pain.

As I crossed the finish line, I realized my long season that started in April, was over and that I had gone undefeated to win the State Series 65+ Sport Class.

Thanks Team Santa Cruz for your support and encouragement. Hopefully, Mike Evans won't fine me too many Swiss Francs for my unzipped jersey at the finish.

England Western League Cyclo-Cross Series, Race 5, 10/22/06

Alex Anderson

My first UK 'cross race since my unimpressive debut in Wales a few weeks ago. This time I thought I would try one of the Western League races since I'm staying in the Clifton area of Bristol and the race was only about a 5 minute bike ride away. The Western League has 12 races over the season and races occur mostly in an area bounded by Bristol to the South and Gloucester to the North. This race was located in Ashton Court and old estate converted to a city park with some double-track mountain biking and a little bit of single-track riding through the woods. The course was again a surprise as, just like the race in Wales, there were no run-ups and no barriers to jump over. I asked the race organizer about this and he said that they only brought out the barriers for a few races a year but tried to encourage new riders by minimizing the technical difficulty of the races—seems backwards to me since a lot of the appeal of 'cross is the fact that the races were like no other bike races. Met a transplant from Lancashire (a few hundred miles North) who said the races there were usually very technical. One race had 13 dismounts in a single lap!

Turnout for this race was less than 30 but there were some fast, young riders. We started on a flat meadow for about 100 meters before picking up a fast double-track downhill for about 400 meters before entering a rooty, rocky, single-track section through the woods. Then out into a meadow where we picked up a flat double-track before entering the woods again and some more single-track. Finally, a double-track climb back to the start/finish. I had a bag of excuses (jet-lag being the primary one I plan to use for rest of the season) but I still battled as best I could for a mid-pack position until I pinch flatted about 1/4 of the way into a lap after about 35 minutes on the course. I decided to run it out as best I could and changed my tube back at the start/finish. Too bad no SCCCC contingent there with Mike Evans to take care of pit duties. I figured DFL was better than a DNF (plus I had to ride the bike back home anyway) so I didn't even think of not fixing the flat. Got back on the bike for 2 more laps but I was happy to be done after nearly a full hour of riding and a too-long run. Next weekend the race is in Bath which is only 20 minutes up the road from here. After 2 flats in the last 2 races I'm hoping for a better showing.

5 Races into Cyclocross Season

Brij Lunine

To avoid any further fines here's my early season update:

Central Coast #1—Prunedale...

...was a good first race of the year. I love Manzanita park and can't wait to race there again. I like the heat too and after a fairly lame start I managed to ride my way into the top ten. I was psyched to be with teammate Steve Hess until he flatted with an absolute gunshot. Passed on the last lap by the indomitable Mark Abele. 9th place I think.

Central Coast #2—East Garrison.

Same old place but a slightly different course not really to my liking (give me the jeep track climb any day). Actually started well—third place into the barriers. I was running OK with Mark Howland until a series of bobbles and such took their toll. Ended up dropping my chain twice and having to get it unstuck from the 3rd eye (see bayareacyclocross messageboard for this topic—I'm running the magic sandwich now). Ended up around 14th with Abele dropping me again towards the end.

Pilarcitos #1—Hellyer Park.

Tough course, all bumps and a beautiful velodrome. After avoiding some off-the-line pile ups I went work and moved on up to about as high as 5th or 6th. Steve Hess and I were together and having fun. I jumped on the super-impressive Jordi Cortes (watch out this guy will win a race as soon as he puts together a few more things, mark my words) and hung on for dear life. After getting dropped and staggering along I was disappointed to get passed by a couple of last-lap-late-chargers. 8th place and I couldn't complain. I was super sorry to see Steve Hess curled in a ball on the entry to the track. Here's hoping we can mash it up late season.

Surf City #1—Soquel High.

After a day celebrating Oscar's 5th birthday I was running a little slow. Coupled with the early start time I was a bit out of sorts. Finally got in a bit of a groove and was really happy to see Eric Bustos and Jordi charging along. Then I flatted. Ran the whole bottom section, was yelled at, got a wicked wheel change from DS Evans and was back inittowinit. Then I flatted again on the same spot (cement drainage crossing). Bummer. The kiddie cross made up for it all and then some. DNF, I'll take the fine too. Should've listened to Phillip and ran higher air pressure.

Pilarcitos #2—Candlestick Point.

Donde esta nuestra equipo? Only Matt and I lined up for this one with no other teammates in sight. After getting snaked out of my call-up by the eager masses it took a couple of laps to get going again. Lindsey Collins (the only other teammate I saw at the race), Phillip and I did a great ride Wednesday and I was feeling OK. Plus the heat was good for the weary bones This was by far the best course out in the postindustrial wasteland (y'all missed out.) Moved up trying to follow Gannon Myall for a lap or so (he had had a mechanical) and ended up with Jordi and Thomas Feix. Jordi dropped us last lap and Feix and I duked it out for 9th. He got me by a wheel with a hardman's line but I was pretty happy with a more complete ride. 10th place.

Thanks to Phillip for all the rides and feeds (not to mention strategizing and moral support), Mike and David too. It's great to be racing for SCCCC. Here's to improving as the season goes on. Onwards, Brij Lunine.

Surf City Cyclocross #1 Soquel High School 10/15/06

Mike Andalora

Now I'm an old mountain biker/motorcycle rider and can't resist falling sometimes. So Saturday I get my M-Bike ready (I thought) and off I go on Sunday morning. Funny the feeling you get when trying something the first time, it's like everybody else there is a pro, you're the only rookie in the whole universe and you know that there are people who are there for there first time but you don't see them.

I go up to the friendly face at Reg. She says its $35 bucks since I don't have a license and Yikes I only have $30! So she gives me the number and I race on down to the ATM at the Quick Stop and get the 5 bucks, she's grateful and I am too because she is so patient. So I get my number half/ass pinned on and the big guy stops me before I get on the track and says I got the wrong number. So back to my smiling lady at Reg, she helps me out.

Boom, I am out on the track, again I feel like I'm the only one on the planet. Then (yikes again!) flashes come whizzing by. I finish two practice laps and I pull up to the SC booth and David greets me with a "So you wanna try this?" smile and the Team helps me out again with my numbers and bike. I get my Picture taken and get a last word of advice on how not to get run over and next thing I know I'm standing in a sea of bikes again. I feel like I'm in this void.

3, 2, 1. Gooooo. I carry my whale of a bike up hills and over jumps and I'm watching not to get in somebody's way. I feel Ron Riley pushing me up a hill, faster and faster I go, being careful not to crash. I ride by David, he hands me a water bottle and I think "I always wanted to throw one away." Then I see Harriet Riley taking my picture and I feel very good about the warm friendship. Faster and faster I go; I want to make at least 3 laps, getting a little winded now, I don't know if I could make 4, then my front derailleur casing breaks on my bars and I have to hold it in the middle chain-ring to finish, faster, faster there's the finish. "You're done!" the man says.

YIKES I DID IT! THANKS EVERYBODY!!

Surf City Cyclocross #1 Soquel High School 10/15/06

Mike Evans

Directly after the last CCCX cross race I became very sick. This illness lasted almost two weeks and I ended up missing the first Pilarcitos race as well. Even though I brought my bike, I had no real intentions of racing at the first Surf City.

The morning was quite hectic! After emptying the contents of my van and setting up the team compound, the action started. I have never seen so many flats at a cross race before! Besides a few teammates and friends having problems, there was a plethora of other people having problems. It's kind of disheartening to see somebody pay $25 or $30 to race only to have them flat on the first lap! Many of the people in the beginning groups don't own a spare bike or spare wheels, so we at Team Santa Cruz took pity upon them and started to offer wheels to those that needed them. There is a bit of danger in this. There's good chance that our wheels and tires could be damaged by the borrower, but it all came out good in the end. There were plenty of mechanical issues, so we had several bike swaps as well.

In between this mayhem, I was busy preparing bikes for friends and teammates and I even rebuilt Rachel Lloyd's rear wheel because she broke a spoke warming up. I guess all of the activity got me fired up and I started entertaining the idea of racing. Before I got that far, however, I decided to suit up and take a couple of laps around the course to see what all of the fuss was about. I thought the course was very good. I thought the Velo Bella/Surf City people did a nice job in using the terrain, in particular the little run ups that required no barriers: the goal post, the baseball backstops and the little culvert. I was having difficulty with the baseball backstops section and never could seem to flow just right. As I approached the big drop in section there were four girls staring over the precipice apparently wondering what line to take. I gave them a whistle to let them know I was coming and they divided up two by two as I approached. I hit the apex just right, got my rear wheel to brake loose as I exited and then hit the drop totally crossed up. This was the best I hit any corner all day, very fast and smooth, but unfortunately my left pedal hooked the girl's rear tire on my left! I barely felt a thing, but the force of my pedal caused her to high side over the edge down to dirt and dust below. When I was finally able to stop I yelled back to see if she was ok and then I apologized and took off. I've been on this planet 45 years and I never cease to amaze myself on how stupid I can be while trying to impress women!!

I decided to race (singlespeed), but in retrospect I wish I hadn't. I almost choked on my own bile right after the start, I got worked over by Stella Carey, slid wide in one of the corners causing me to hit a chain link fence and flipped over the bars, hit a large bump causing my handlebars to slip and forcing me to ride in a very down position for two laps and finally, I flatted my front tire on a hole that I was knew was there after riding past it 12 times, forcing me to ride the last half of the last lap on my rim.

All of this paled in comparison to how I felt after the race. The combination of being sick, not riding in two weeks and this course, really worked me over. I can honestly say I have never felt this bad after a race before!!

Surf City Cyclocross #1, Soquel High School, 10/15/06

Lindsey Collins

I had a bit of an identity crisis during this race. First, people kept calling me Karen. You have lots of supporters, Ms. Kefauver! Now, I've seen the race photos, and I know for a fact that Karen looks a lot more cheerful during a race than I do, so I don't know how anyone could confuse a nice, pleasant smile with a scowling grimace. Nevertheless, I took all the cheering I could get, as Lindsey and/or Karen. I may have to get a chin-length blond wig to continue stealing applause from Karen's unwitting fans.

Second, Mike, in his apparent effort to emulate my Texan mama, has really taken a shine to calling me "Lindsey carol." Yes, Carol is my middle name. But only my mama calls me that when she's mad. You can imagine how it rolls off the tongue in an angry Texan accent: "Lindsey Carol Collins, what the hell are you doing??" So, being ever the southern gentleman, Mike cheered me on as Lindsey Carol. I think this must be what caused me to ride like a southern belle on sunday, while my poor, delicate back spazzed out and cramped up on all that bumpy dirt and grass. As my mom always says, "you're at the age now where you need to just SLOW DOWN and get off that bicycle." Apparently, Mike's cheer called out to my inner Texan debutante, slowing me right down to a painful, but ladylike, crawl.

So, I'm with Karen—or is it Lindsey?—on her race report: I was just glad to finish. my back hurt like a beeeatch. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm kind of ready for some mud...

Surf City Cyclocross #1, Soquel High School, 10/15/06

Karen Kefauver

I was an inch away from quitting the race today at Soquel High School. I was ready to bail: I was exhausted from busy weeks of work and was feeling the impact of ZERO riding since the last race at Fort Ord 14 days ago. On the hilly course today, I looked for a spot where I could exit unnoticed. Nothing looked good. I knew I should tell the officials I was a DNF. I imagined the torture would end soon and forced myself to pedal to the start/finish area to inform them of my bailout. As I approached the officials, they called out: 2 more laps! Grrrr. Could I survive 2 more laps? I decided I had to keep going and slowed down even more in order to pace myself to the finish.

What kept me in the race? My teammates! I did not want to go back to the tent and say I dropped out just because I was tired and out of shape. Plus, the idea of Mike Evans sending out an email with me getting the highest fine (in francs) for being a DNF was a powerful incentive to continue slogging around the course despite exhaustion. Team Santa Cruz spirit was so amazing! It propelled me along: David Gill and Winona handed me water; Grant Stoner, posted at the top of the steepest run-up, cheered my every aching run up; Mike Evans threatened me to stop smiling; and the whole gang cheered in unison. Janel Lodge helped by encouraging me over the set of barriers each lap, too.

My biggest victory was simply not dropping out today! Incredibly, I was not DFL in the Women B's. Also, I feel certain that with my donation of Team Food: homemade pear cake and chicken rice fiesta bake, I can avoid any steep fines. Oh yes, Troy and I both donated our winnings: beer and Gizdich Ranch pie for all! Those treats were from the Limbo Race, which for me, was 3 laps and two chances to go under a limbo bar. That was fun. Velo Bella did a great job on this event and I salute Sabine and that team for the work that went into this! Bravo!

Great to see more women joining our team. Good turnout today from Team Ladies. Congrats to newest ones: Lindsay, Katie and Deborah. Welcome. Missed Melinda, Samantha and Simone. Not the same without you all. Congrats to friends Michiko, Natasha Perry and her husband for their first cross races and congrats to Shauna for her first victory of the year and for sharing all those delicious strawberries. Steve Hess is a trooper in handling his injury with grace. Winona, thanks for reuniting the Go Go Go Girls who raced at 24 Hours: Winona, Karen, Henri and Michiko. We are going to miss Alex and Winona.

OK, I won't see you all again til November. I will be missing the September 22nd race (will be in Seattle) and the September 29th Halloween Fiesta (Norman and I will be in Santa Barbara for his 24-Hour mountain-bike race). Harriet, please go crazy with the photos at the Halloween race. Thanks and Good job to all Team Santa Cruz!

Pilarcitos Cyclocross #1, San Jose, 10/8/06

Lindsey Collins

Just wanting to hear about how today's race in San Jose went. I didn't go because of what is quite possibly the lamest bike accident in all history. I just finished a great ride on my cross bike up on the campus trails and was stopping at the light at the bottom of campus, when my girlfriend Lara tipped into me on her bike. My knee took all the impact, and today it doesn't like to bend very much. Please feel free to harass Lara about her clipping out problems at the next race.

I remember something about getting fined in Swiss Francs for stupid bike tricks—I think this might set me back a few.

Whiskeytown 9 to 5, 10/7/06

Daniel Henderson

I raced hard and felt good. I prepared the night before the race by pre-filling water bottles and making a couple of sandwiches. My goal this race was to finish well and get my pit times down to about a minute by eating while riding. Even with the time I gained I still lost by a whole lap to Matt and his friend Jim. These guys were totally crazed this race and they were riding like maniacs for 8 hours straight. Jim even beat all the teams there too. I had a good battle going with a guy from Soulcraft for a couple of laps, but he popped about 6 hours into the race and I knew that I had at least sealed third. 72 miles total.

For the series I finished 1st overall, but more importantly I feel like I learned a lot more about competing in long races. Total 397 miles on a 34:18 gear ratio, some of the best trail I've ever ridden, and some of the sweetest people I've ever met.

Central Coast Cyclocross #2, East Garrison, Fort Ord, 10/1/06

Mike Evans

Unfortunately, this will be the last bicycle race of any type at the building/church area of the East Garrison at Fort Ord. This is pretty sad as Keith and Rod have put on some really fine races here over the years. The East Garrison, with it chaparral and oak forest, will be leveled to put in (I believe) 2,000 to 3,000 new houses.

For the second night in a row I had no sleep and when I arrived at the course I was a grumpy jerk! So if I snarled at you I apologize! After setting up the team compound I eventually suited up and went to check out the course. This course was little different than previous years, but still incorporated the long paved straight and fast singletrack in the back. In fact this was a very fast course. I could leave it in the big ring for the whole race. While lining up for the start I wondered what I was doing there as I all I really wanted to do was take a nap. As soon as the whistle sounded I forgot about being tired and sleepy and had a great start and in fact for the first four laps I was feeling great! I was having a fun little battle with the two guys from the LGBRC, but on lap five I blew. For one lap I staggered around the course until I recovered, making many silly little mistakes in the meantime. For the next two laps, with nobody in my class in sight, I set my sights on teammate Ray Mendoza, who started in the class in front of me. I was slowly reeling in Ray, but the race ended before I could catch him.

I just couldn't bear the thought of doing the singlespeed race as well and packed it in. My original plan of doing six races in eight days came short by one. I'm very sore and brutally tired and I will take it very easy for the next week.

Central Coast Cyclocross #2, Fort Ord, 10/1/06

Karen Kefauver

Where: Seaside, East Garrison entrance

Wearing: Team SC kit for the first time. Borrowed shorts and jersey from Norman

Why: So I could avoid the nonstop barrage of "Where's your kit? " that I endured at Race 1, last Sunday and to enjoy my $10 team discount. Thanks!

Race Strategy: Tried to relax and let Norman's good race "juju" emanate from his clothing.

Mike Evan's Suggested Race Strategy for me: Smile less and race harder! :)

Race report: Great start charging uphill, fantastic sprint finish trying to catch Julie Brothers, and oh yes, some stuff happened in between: lost my chain, lost my balance and went down hard on the off cambre section where the trail split in a "V" in the dirt. But enjoyed myself and overcame strong desire to quit after lap 2 to go eat pumpkin pie that was in our tent.

The Winners: Team SC rocks! This is only my second race as a Team SC member and I am really enjoying being part of our local team. Thanks for setting up the Team SC tent. Thanks esp. to Mike Evans, Grant and David for keeping track of my water bottles and Team SC fashion statement. Winona, I missed seeing you in the race, but you are a great cheerleader. It's fun having Maya and Cooper at the scene. Simone and Mike, welcome back to town. Ladies, looking good out there! Lindsay, what a great way to comeback to cross: with a victory in the Women's Cs. Congrats to all.

Had fun there and see you all next Sunday!

Welsh Cyclo-Cross Series Race 1, 10/1/06

Alex Anderson

With my impending move to the UK I figured I should dive into the local racing series as soon as possible. I had no idea what to expect only that I knew from my few mates in the UK that I could expect "real" cyclocross weather (meaning that mud was guaranteed and ice or snow as the season wore on). I knew I was in for a good introduction when I heard the rain coming down when I went to sleep Saturday night and woke up to a steady rain with occasional thunder Sunday morning.

The venue was in a park in South Wales near the town of Tredegar. Interestingly the park was situated on the site of an open-pit coal mine that had been restored like many in the area after the demise of the industry in the 1980's. Luck shined on me when I got to the race and I had a full hour of dry weather to change out the 2.1" tires on my single-speed mountain bike (I left my CX bike in Santa Cruz in the hope of racing Surf City #1) to some narrow 1.5's and also change my rear cog from an 18 to a 15.

In the parking lot I met a few of the blokes in the Veterans division who would be racing with me. Definitely a different scene than Santa Cruz with only about 1/2 the riders on 'cross bikes and the rest on mountain bikes. I had just enough time to ride 1/2 the course before we assembled for the start. Under 12's, Youths and Novice Women raced earlier in the day. Juniors, Women, Seniors and Vets would all start at the same time—no staggered start. Also no ability categories in this series—no A's, B's and C's. It looked like about 40–50 people with maybe 5 or 6 women in the group.

The start was up a paved road for about 100 meters then quickly into a sloppy, rutted downhill with a sharp uphill off-camber section at the bottom. This rapidly sorted out the riders as a few went down hard in the mud at the bottom of the hill. At the start, I jumped to the middle of the pack from the rear position where the vets started but lost my chain at the bottom of the mucky downhill. Not a promising debut and I would lose my chain 3 or 4 more times over the course of the race. This made for a "competitive" race for me as I would pass the same 5 or 6 riders after getting my chain back on then see them go by as I cursed at my drivetrain. I repeated this over the course of the 50 minute race and ended up finishing 30th out of 41 finishers.

Odd thing about this race was that there were no barriers and no run-ups on the course—I'm sure Mike Evans would have imposed a 5000 Swiss franc fine on the organizers if he had been there. It's possible the organizers figured the two 50-meter sections of 3–4" deep mud was sufficient challenge—I didn't complain!

With ten races over the season in South Wales I'll have plenty of challenges. With Bristol and Glouchester, England less than an hour away, the West England series has as many races and I'll race a few of those to see how the scene compares. Results and other races are posted.

Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress Series, San Francisco, Race #4, San Francisco, 9/30/06

Mike Evans

For some inexplicable reason, I had insomnia on Friday night and barely slept two hours. When I awoke early to go to the last race in the Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross-Dress Race Series at Golden Gate Park, I was a complete zombie! I knew this didn't bode well for me and I was right. I crashed five times and dropped my chain four times! Until this race I haven't dropped a chain all year. The last the crash was very nice, as I hooked my pedal on a log and was flipped over the bars, racking my shin in the process. The start of this race was hilarious, as about 50 people tried at once to go from the pavement to the dirt in a space that maybe was two riders wide. The resulting log jam had riders from behind busting through bushes on either side of the course. My handle bar hooked the guy next to me as we ran away from the carnage and we had to spend a moment detaching from each other. There was some character in a dress on an old Schwinn girl's bike who positively railed the thing! I know this from a first-hand account as I was behind this guy for a couple of laps; every time I went to pass him, I would inflict something terrible upon myself. Half way through the race I had enough. It was obvious that I had no flow or finesse so I put it on cruise control and rode to the finish. I very glad when this race was over!

Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress #3, 9/27/06

Mike Evans

"Spectacularly unmotivated" would sum up my Wednesday to a tee. My phone starting ringing as I was driving to the rendezvous spot for carpooling to Team DFL race # 3 at Crocker Amazon Park in SF. Teammate after teammate reported that they were bailing for various reasons. I decided after the last call that if nobody showed up I would go home for a long ride (nap) on my couch. Just as I was about to give up and drive home, teammate Jeff Bronack appeared, so we loaded my car and hit the road.

When we arrived the first thing I noticed was there were no course markings on the East or South side of the park. After suiting up, I walked over to Dylan asked him where the course was. He pointed towards a gap between the skateboard park and the soccer field. I hoped on my bike rolled out in that direction and the first thing I encountered was a very long staircase; 52 steps to be exact with an arrow at the bottom pointing up it. "Bugger, this is going to be fun!' I thought to myself facetiously. There were a couple of other hard sections; in particular the climb up to Start/ Finish line, but in most cases there was a long downhill after these on which to recover. It felt a lot like doing hill repeats.

After the start of the race I promptly launched myself to the back of the pack. I was still too tired from Sunday's two-race effort and just tried to ride a tolerable pace until the end. This was my third cross race in four days and I plan on doing three more this weekend. Eating heaps of food and taking naps are sounding better and better to me all the time!!

Central Coast Cyclocross #1, Prunedale, 09/26/06

Mike Evans

The 2006 cyclocross season officially began with the first race of the Central Coast Cyclocross Series at Manzanita Park, Prunedale. I had a lot of apprehension coming into this race as the combination of two DFL races and a particularly hard Saturday ride in Santa Cruz, combined with several weeks of hard riding, had sent me over the edge. All week I had been extremely tired and very sore. I had even slept through my alarm a couple of times. I laid pretty low before this event and prayed my legs would feel better!

Team director and dictator for life David Gill, along with new teammate Katie London, hopped into my van which was loaded to the gills at 7:00am and headed to the course. The first thing we did was disgorge the van and set up camp for the team.

I suited up and went and checked out the course. I really like this course, but soon I was wondering which set of tires to run: file tread or knobbies? After several laps of swapping wheel sets and messing with tire pressures, I settled on the file tread. I knew I would be a little loose on some of the high speed turns, but I thought it would more than make up for it on the pavement and the long dirt straights. This is a decision I would soon regret!

Master 45+ A

I got a good spot on the line and had a nice start, but faded a little bit by the top of the hill. For the next couple of laps I held my position, but I was sliding all over the place. I then crashed over the bars at the 180 turn that dropped onto the baseball field. I got up very quickly, but decided right then and there I would swap bikes for my singlespeed with knobby tires. It soon became apparent that the singlespeed was much slower than my geared bike and I would have to swap back. The next time around the pits, I asked my teammates to swap the wheels on my geared bike. Next time around I came into the pits and had what I would consider to be a perfect bike exchange except for one thing; the chain wasn't on the front ring! After all of this I still felt pretty good and was able to keep pushing, but I failed in my goal of not being lapped.

After the race I put as much fluid back into body as possible, as it was very hot and I didn't want to cramp in my next race. I took the fact that I had to take a leak before start of the singlespeed race as a good sign.

Singlespeed

While on the climb, my legs let me know right away after the start just how unhappy they were, but by the end of the first lap I felt much better and was able to push the pedals quite well. My teammate Eric Thunstrom was dangling in front of me for the next three or four laps, but I just couldn't close the gap. On the fifth lap I blew very hard and went into survival mode for the remainder of the race. I guess the combination of the first race and the heat got to me. After the race I felt completely cooked, but I'm happy to report I had no problems with cramping as I have had in previous years. I have been taking lots of supplements, drinking lots of mineral water and it seems to be working; knock on wood!

Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress #1, San Francisco, 9/13/06

Mike Evans

I'm Back!

I finally got to do my first race since my bad crash at the Surf City Halloween race last October. After that race I had water on my left knee for 2 months and I still have nerve damage there as well. To top it all off I then got tendonitis in both of my knees over the winter so bad I couldn't sit longer than 30 minutes without being in excruciating pain. With all of the pain and injuries over with I got to ride a lot this summer and made good progress towards my ultimate goal: the cyclocross season!

Teammates Winona H. Simone M. Alex A. Troy B. Larry M. David H. David G. and myself met at Big J's on the Westside so we could carpool up the first Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress race of the year. To say I was excited would have been an understatement. I was literally bouncing off of the walls inside the car by the time we made the long drive up to Golden Gate Park. Unfortunately we arrived very late and we barely had time to pin our numbers on before they lined us up for the start. "Oh great," I thought to myself, "no warm up and I have no idea where I will be going." Having no warm up was bad enough, but not knowing the course would be worse as I wouldn't know any of the fast lines or what gear to be in. Team DFL leader Dylan uttered a few words to us, something about not running him over and that he would count down from 3. He yelled 3 and before he could say 2, the pack, almost exactly 100 of us, took off like a bunch of frightened cattle!

I thought I slotted into the start well, but Larry, who was to my left, seemed to find a crease in the masses and shot ahead. Without any warm up, I concentrated on not going out to hard initially as I was afraid of immediately blowing up. Larry, on the other hand, put the pedal down and soon I couldn't even see him. Any thought of getting lost on this awesomely sandy and root-strewn course was immediately put to bed as the first couple of laps were nose-to-tail riders playing follow the leader.

Somewhere in the middle of the second lap Larry came back into view as if he was going backwards. I soon passed him like he had thrown out his anchor. Larry had completely blown and I never saw him again. At exactly 27:53 into the race I started to blow as well. I glanced at my HRM and saw 184 (I avg. 175bpm for the race) and immediately throttled back for almost a full lap. After I had recovered, I started having fun with this course as I became more familiar with it. I must say that Team DFL always seems to lay out nice courses and this was no exception. There were barely any spots to rest as this course had many undulations, numerous dismounts and runs, plus one long steep run up that really started to kick my ass in the last half of the race.

In all of the confusion before the start, I completely lost track of teammate and arch rival David Gill. I was totally convinced that David had lined up behind and throughout the entire race I keep glancing over my shoulder trying to spy him so he didn't lay a sneak attach on me. At the end of the race I thought I had finally beat David in a cross race! Imagine my dismay when I saw David standing after the finish line already done! Apparently in all of the confusion just before the start, David has weaseled a spot on the first row and managed to avoid all of the bottlenecks that happen behind the first 10 or 20 riders and was launched. Bugger

Team DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo Cross Dress #1, 9/13/06

Winona Hubbard

Race was brutal. Basically, everything I worked on fell apart. No decent re or dismounts. Wore too many clothes—hot! Shoes came off on sandy hill climbs. Felt like retching. Not in the right kind of shape. Need to do sprints. Got there late. Noooo warm up what-so-ever. Joined the back of the pack as they were taking off! To go from sitting in a car for 1-1/2 hours (with a burrito in my tummy) to sprinting was horrible. Cross is boss!

On the upside: lots of guys in sexy dresses. (Anyone who cross dressed got in free). Troy looked HOT in his pink negligee. Especially loved the ruffled panties. Temptress Alex was fetching in his ensemble of see through top w/ his wife's mini skirt. Incriminating photos to follow. Mikes, Jeff's, David's, Larry's and Mark's? macho egos were too fragile for cross dressing. Cowards! Thanks for the support Simone!

Team Big Bear State XC Series Race #7, Elings Park, Santa Barbara, 9/9/06

Ron Riley

What old guys do on a saturday morning

Our four hour drive from Aptos to Santa Barbara on Friday was the maiden bike race trip in our new Honda FIT. With my Specialized Epic's front wheel removed and the bars turned backwards, it fit behind the front seats nicely. The rear seats of the FIT fold down and form a huge cargo space. The 1.5 liter engine had no trouble maintaining the 70 MPH speed limit found on much of Hwy 101.

After four hours behind the wheel I was ready for an easy pre-ride of the course that had beat me up pretty good back in June. I found the steep downhill switch backs that had done me in then to be even nastier with big breaking bumps, deep ruts and loose powder – gulp! The Saturday 11o'clock start was under overcast skies and mild temps – a BIG difference from June's 90 degrees + scorcher.

The Elings XC course is a mix of paved and unpaved roads and single track that ascends and descends a 700' "hill" once each four and a half mile lap. I escaped my one crash with just a dirty backside. Harriet took care of my hydration by handing up my water bottles at the start/finish line each lap. I had a good day, was able to avoid any major problems and beat my one challenger to win the 65+ Sport category. My time was 1:52 for three laps. After I washed off some of the grime, we had some delicious tri-tip sandwiches from the on-site caterers. A couple of New Belgium beers from the beer tent topped off the "recovery" requirements. At 3 o'clock, after the awards presentation, we headed for Aptos.

University Road Race, UCSC Campus, Santa Cruz, 8/27/06

Dennis Pedersen

A Cautionary Tale

The University Road Race and the San Ardo Road Race are part of the "2006 California Cup" race series put on by Velo Promo. But since they were both on the same weekend I really couldn't see myself racing both of them. The University race would be 10 or 14 laps of a 3-mile road course up a long, steady climb on Hagar Road (with a nasty steep section or two), right on McLaughlin and downhill to Coolidge. I had originally decided to race the San Ardo Road Race on Saturday the 26th, upon the advice of Larry Morin, Larry Broberg and Scott Martin. With 2 or 3 laps on a nice, mostly flat, 22-mile course with a few rolling hills, it sounded like a great way to finish up my season. The only downside was the long drive down Highway 101, while University was within easy bike-riding distance for me. But when Matt Wocasek called me and said he was going to San Ardo too, I was settled.

The Thursday night before the race, though, I slept poorly and was tired all day Friday at work. The idea of having to get ready that night, then get up at 4:00 a.m. was totally unappealing! Yeah, I do this for fun, not as self-punishment. I think. So I called Matt and Larry B and told them I'd cancelled. If I felt better later I'd race University on Sunday the 27th. The Velo Promo web site actually had a list of pre-registered riders this time, and I saw that the field was only about 2/3 full, so I'd likely have no trouble entering on race day.

Sunday morning I woke up at a pretty reasonable time: 7:00 a.m... a big improvement. And since I felt pretty rested I went ahead and ate my usual huge breakfast, packed my backpack, dressed in my team uniform and pedalled off to the UCSC campus. It was gray and damp, but not too cold. The further up the hill I rode the more damp it was, and my legs didn't feel all that strong either. Still, I've learned that some days I can feel mediocre at first but feel strong during the race, as was the case at Coyote Creek.

Unfortunately I discovered that others had the same idea as I did, and when I went to register I was told the Master 45+ race field was full! But they reassured me that since I was first on the waiting list I'd have no trouble getting in. So I waited around while the previous Master 35+ 4/5 race finished. I spotted Martin Wolff and Scott grunting along, with the whole peloton fractured into individual riders and small groups. Doug Smith was spectating for a while, and was riding his cyclocross bike around. He told me the fog was already gone just a mile away from us, so I decided to ditch my arm- and leg-warmers before the race.

15 minutes before my 10:30 start time I was back and got signed up! I then quickly prepared myself for the race, and was lucky that Larry B's wife, Priscilla, could help me get my number on and stow my backpack. Mark Edwards and Larry B, both of Bicycle Trip, and Chris Cerruti of Giant Strawberries were also racing in my group, so I was happy of that. Scott had just finished in the 35+ 4/5 race, so he could cheer us on with Priscilla and Mark's wife Margaret, as well as a few other friendlies. I told Mark I just wanted to see how long it would take before I got lapped, and he replied that he had no idea why he even entered this crazy race. I told him "at least we know the course" (from our hill repeats training before Pescadero) but he said maybe that wasn't a good thing. "Yeah, it might just demoralize us," I replied!

We were grouped with the Master 35+ 1/2/3 riders, and started 2 minutes after the Category 3 riders, so there were essentially three races on course at one time. Our group had numbers starting with 200, and they'd separate the 35+ 1/2/3 and 45+ racers later on in the results, and the Cat 3's numbers started at 400 so the scorers could tell us all apart on course. We were given a brief spiel by the starter, and were soon huffing and puffing up Hagar Road on our first lap. I was glad of the rest downhill on McLaughlin... that was not a good sign that early in the race. But it was still gray and cold, and the long drop made me shiver with chills.

The climb back up Hagar was hard! I couldn't believe the pace... well I could, but I didn't want to! These were the mutants from Patterson Pass all over again. Even Larry B was looking weak as we neared the peak at the end of it. I passed him, wondering if I should hang back instead, but he somehow dug deep and passed me just as we crested the hill. Mark and Chris were still in the main group about 100 feet ahead of us, but I could tell the gap was growing. At least I wasn't chilly any more.

The next two laps Larry slowly gapped me... I just couldn't do it. I was wheezing some, my legs were wooden, and my breath was coming in gasps. I was clearly not on the form I'd had at Pescadero and Coyote Creek, or the course didn't favor me, but I hoped I could hang in there long enough. As in Scott's race we were spread out all over the course. All I could do was team up with a few other guys and try to minimize the damage, and Larry did likewise.

At the end of my third full lap a smiling guy by the scoring awning said "flat tire" to me. Huh? I looked: my tires were fine! "What?" I asked. "Please retire." Huh??? "Why?" I asked. "Because you're 2 minutes back from the leaders," he said. I was a little puzzled, and deflated. I was clearly having a really bad day, and I coasted to a stop by the spectator's area.

As I mulled things over I was joined by some other pulled riders and Scott. We were a little sheepish, and not too happy either. Scott said I should just keep going, but I knew it was pointless, and I am too obedient anyway. The next lap more riders were past the 2-minute cutoff and also got pulled. Larry was one of the guys asked to retire, but unlike me he just ignored them and kept riding, as did some other riders. It was sort of a civil disobedience demonstration! It sucks to pay $30, then suffer for it, then get told that you, well, suck!

Each lap more and more riders were pulled. Larry finally pulled out, but not before giving the guy a piece of his mind! Mark and Chris did well, but eventually they too got pulled. Mark said his laps were a fast 7-1/2 minutes, which was a good speed, but that was still not enough? We all just stood around shaking our heads, not knowing what to do next. The leaders from our Master's race were so fast they caught up to, and then passed, the leaders from the Cat 3 race that had started 2 minutes ahead of us! But the vast majority were flirting with the 2-minute cutoff, including none other than National Master Champion Larry Nolan. Somehow none of us thought he'd get pulled, and even though he did miss the cutoff we were proven right. That's not too cool.

It would have been nice if we could have been allowed to ride so we could get our money's worth. Larry B felt they could have just crossed out our numbers instead. But no. Instead I had to ride around town for an extra hour just to burn off all those calories from my breakfast! I still felt kind of lethargic, and the next day I came down with a cold.

On a happier note, Eric Clarkson managed to sign up on race day too, and finished with an awesome 3rd place in the Cat 4/5 race! Way to go Eric! Only 27 of the 60 riders finished with him—we're very lucky to have him on our team. And Matt finished 25th at the San Ardo race. Cool! Wish I'd been there instead.

When the results were posted I saw that only 6 riders had finished in my race. Yes, six! Clearly Velo Promo can't expect many people to sign up for this race next year if they don't change how they conduct the race. I know I won't.

Ending my season with a whimper!

12 Hours of Willamette Pass

Daniel Henderson

I arrived at the race in central Oregon a day early to pre-ride and when I saw Matt's car in the parking lot I knew I had my work cut out for me. This course was also beautiful, with a rough and steep climb up the front of a ski resort and a long singletrack descent down the back. I ended up coming in second behind Matt, who raced hard and had really strong descents. I completed 111 miles but felt uncomfortable coming in second. They were running a 24 hour race at the same time and the next morning after getting a good 8 hours of sleep, I woke up to watch a woman from Roaring Mouse complete her final lap with a bloody nose from a crash. It was very magical and inspiring.

12 Hours of 5th Avenue, Santa Cruz, 8/19/06

Chris Pearson

We decided in advance I would be Road Pussy #2, so I rode on over to 5th Ave. after a nutritious, mid-glycemic index breakfast of cheerios, almond butter toast, and OJ (sorry Dennis, I could not resist), arriving at 7:50am. I dropped off my backpack of spare clothes and food/beverages and did some light stretching and general preparations. All too soon, Dennis came tearing in and breathlessly handed me our route map and I was off!

My first excitement was nearly getting hit by a pick-up truck and locking up the brakes two blocks from the start just before dropping onto Lake. That got the adrenaline flowing. I managed to stay out of trouble on the rest of the paved section. I was tempted to run the light crossing a largely deserted Hwy 1, but a CHP car waiting opposite on River discouraged me. Then up on to the tracks, I rode by a few surprised homeless people and made my way to the singletrack. I got into a nice rhythm twisting uphill and soon enough made it to the top.

I'm really glad we had the pre-ride on Tuesday, as I would have been totally lost otherwise. Even with the pre-ride and the course markings (thank you volunteers!), I still had to stop several times to consult the route map winding through UCSC. However, I enjoyed the singletrack though I was not able to go very fast, and even managed to clear all of the log jumps. I crossed Empire Grade to Gray Whale, then cruised down the gravel path making sure I did not overshoot the LH turnoff to the Ribbon Trail like I did during the pre-ride. About halfway down my friend Credence, who was riding solo (nut job), caught me, so we rode together for around 15 minutes and chatted.

Then as he screamed down the rutty bit leading down to Old Cabin trail, my second water bottle shook itself free and ejected onto the trail. I slowed to stay in control; and a gap formed between us. About halfway down Old Cabin, I was again passed by Kazim and another rider, but caught them and Creedence on the climb out. Unfortunately, I had to stop almost at the top as I nearly collided with two riders coming in the opposite direction—again a gap formed, and alas I did not catch up to the racers who passed me.

Except for a low speed fall on the rocky strech before the kilns, I negotiated Wilder OK, and was psyched to hit the paved part back to down. I dropped into TT position (or as best I could on my mountain bike) and hammered back to 5th Avenue and was happy to see Larry Morin (Road Pussy #3) ready to roll as I arrived on the line. By my watch, first lap = 2:07; not too bad, I felt, for a Road Pussy.

I hung out at Mike's house eating and drinking and meeting people in the club while Larry and Dennis cranked out two great laps between them. I emerged from the port-a-pot around 2:15 just as Dennis finished his awesome second lap, and I was off for my own Part Deux. Climbing up Uconn proved more difficult this time as I started cramping in my legs every time I got out of the saddle, so I concentrated on spinning smoothly while seated. Lap two was uneventful and peaceful as I did not see any 12-hour racers and only a few recreational riders. I got into the nice flow you achieve while totally concentrating on the trail ahead, and soon enough made it down to Hwy 1.

I definitely appreciated the considerable tailwind riding back to town, and thought I was going to better my first lap time. Came close, arriving at 2:07 again—I'm not particularly fast, but I guess I'm consistent. While Larry motored off for lap 6, I happily sat down having survived my first MTB event! Thanks to my team mates, the whole thing was a blast and I'm glad for the experience. Kudos to Mike and club and volunteers for making it happen 9 years in a row!

Watsonville Criterium, 7/22/06

Dennis Pedersen

I love this race, so it was definitely on my list of races to enter this year. Last year David Gill warned me about the 35+/45+ race at Watsonville, making it clear that it had a very fast group of riders. Back then I made sure to race in the Category 5 race instead. That worked out well.

But this year, I felt confident that I'd be able to hang with the old guys because I'd already raced successfully with them several times. Ergo, I pre-registered as a 45+ rider. But our newest member, Chris Pearson who we "stole" from LGBRC, wanted to race in the Category 4 race, so I decided to race that one too if I felt good enough during warmup. Also, Eric Clarkson wanted to race the Cat 5s, and I thought it would be nice to show up and watch him.

When I arrived it looked like Eric's race's field had already been whittled down, but he was looking strong in a breakaway. Eric had been forced to bridge up to this good-sized break, so he was too tired to really contest the finish. Even so he finished 4th. Good job Eric! Now we just need to get him to wear a Team Santa Cruz jersey instead of his old UCSC duds!

The latest heat wave had even affected mild Watsonville; when I got there the temperatures varied between 84 and 92 so there was little reason for me to warm up. I just pedalled around a little and tried to keep cool. I felt pretty good though (maybe it was because of my huge breakfast!), so I went ahead and signed up for the Cat 4 race after checking to make sure Chris had signed up. While I wandered around I met David who was helping run the event. He sure is hard working. I also saw Robbie Abundis riding around on his brand new Trek. It turned out he was also racing in Cat 4. So with him and Chris I'd be in good company!

Category 4 Race

We were scheduled to race for 24 laps in about 45 minutes. When I lined up for the start I saw that the field was huge; 66 riders! Chris, Robbie and I lined up and listened to the starter's spiel, and I looked around for other familiar faces. Martin Wolff of Newman's Own was there, as was Doug McKenzie of Fightin' Bobas who I met the previous weekend and remembered from Pescadero. Soon we were off and running... er, riding! I had a little trouble clicking into Brij's loaner pedals (operator error... but my pedals are broken), so I lost some positions to that. But I rarely feel any need to be up front so soon, so I didn't care. That turned out to be a costly mistake, because the peloton just raced off like banshees. Soon we were stretched out in a long group snaking through the numerous turns (read my race report from last year for a course description).

When the pace is high, especially on a tight course like this one is in places, moving forward in the group is even harder because you have to ride really hard out in the wind; there are no wheels to follow. The only place where passing was easier was in certain turns or in the climb. But that meant I got very few breaks. And it's really disruptive to the peloton when riders try to pass in the turns. Most guys pass on the inside; that forces everybody else to swing wider, or risk squeezing the passer against the gutter on the inside. Dangerous either way. Later in the race several guys went wide in a turn, maybe for that very reason as several riders were trying to pass in the turns, where the race organizers had failed to move a parked pickup. Slam! Right into the rear fender! I think three guys went down just ahead of me, and I barely squeezed by them without running them over. Eek!

This course really demands that you be up front to avoid the usual yo-yo effect that comes from being at the back of the peloton. But since I was near the middle I did a lot of braking and accelerating through the turns due to the nature of the course. My friend Chris Tanner has tried to teach me his energy-conserving tricks which pretty much involve not using your brakes, but it was impossible here. So, I spent a lot of energy trying to pass people and dealing with the yo-yo effect. With the heat and exertion my skinsuit was soon drenched in sweat, but even so I felt pretty good. Chris did not, however, and he dropped out rather than waste energy hurting himself. On the plus side that meant that he could cheer me on from the sidewalk with his family... thanks! Mark Edwards and Scott Martin were also there and added their own voices. There was also a huge family who had set up chairs in the shade of their front yard to watch, and other smaller groups of residents who came out to watch. Cool!

With about six laps remaining one rider from San Jose Bicycle Club somehow managed to break off the front of the peloton and solo off by himself. He was quickly followed by another guy who promptly drafted him for the rest of the race without taking any turns at the front. Classic wheel-sucker! I noticed this happen, and also noticed a second SJBC rider was at the front of the peloton and allowing the gap to grow... suspicious. I called out "go around him, he's blocking!" But this had no effect and they were able to stay away. Darn.

On the last lap the pace went up slightly, but since we were already flying it wasn't as obvious as usual. I had managed to move closer to the front to maybe 20-something-th or so. As we sped through the last turn and started the climb up to the finish line I was surprised to find that I was actually able to sprint! Woo-hoo! I managed to pass quite a few riders by weaving through the tired masses and staying to the right. I even thought I might be good for a top-10 finish, but finished 14th out of 60 finishers. Robbie got 9th! I found that I'd averaged 179 bpm, which is a huge effort, and maxed out at 196 bpm, burning 728 calories in this short, 45-minute race!

After the cool-down lap I had to quickly slam a bottle of GatorAde to rehydrate and get ready for the Masters race. I only had about 20 minutes. I spent most of my break yacking with Eric. Suddenly I noticed they were staging for the Masters race, so I quickly got Eric to pin on my next race number and lined up for more pain.

Masters 35+/45+

This race's field was fairly big, but somewhat smaller at 47 riders. Michael Hernandez of Safeway/GA was there (which made me fearful of the pace we'd be setting!), Steve Hess of Bicycle Trip, and Mark Patten, Martin and Larry Hampton of Newman's Own were there, several Morgan Stanley riders, plus the other usuals.

Yes, I was right to be apprehensive; the pace was every bit as fast as my first race! In fact, Mark and Scott timed our laps and said we were 15 seconds per lap faster... just what I needed! This time the whole peloton was strung out in pretty much single-file all around the short course! Ugh. I was hanging in there, again in the middle, wondering how I allowed myself to forget to stay nearer the front.

I thought there'd be some slower laps, as often happens in Masters races, but I didn't notice any, and was I ever looking! That was maybe because a group of about six riders had broken away and were just tearing up the race without mercy. They seemed to all be in the 35+ race, so our main peloton was probably going hard because of the fast 45+ riders in there. I know the Newman's Own riders were all still in my group.

About 22 minutes into the race the guy in front of me suddenly sat up in exhaustion, in the twisty area of the course, and before I could get around him to chase back on the gap to the peloton had grown to almost half a block. Oh no; the beginning of the end for me it turned out! I wish he had sat up somewhere where passing was easier, or had pulled away more cleanly.

I chased the peloton by myself for three laps, folks, pretty much maxing myself out, and that gap didn't get one inch smaller! I kept thinking the pace would drop for a few seconds and I'd be able to catch up, but this race was like a time trial. No letup! And there was also that break still off the front for everybody to worry about. I wasn't sure there weren't any 45+ riders in the break, so catching the peloton wouldn't have been enough, I'd have to bridge up to the break to be in contention. This wasn't motivating enough for me. OK, I confess: I sat up and coasted back to my car. My first DNF ever!

Standing in the shade, drinking water and talking with Mark and Scott was much more pleasant, and we watched the break build their lead to at least half a lap. I started wondering if they'd lap the peloton. It would have been funny to see the whole peloton get pulled from the race! On the last lap one of the guys in the break slipped in the last turn and crashed in front of us. But because their lead was so big he didn't lose his position to anybody in the peloton, even though he staggered back onto his bike and pedalled very slowly up the hill to finish! Michael Hernandez won in 35+ and Mark Patten finished 2nd in 45+.

With the season starting to wind down I guess I am a little disappointed. I've worked so hard and have only one USCF road upgrade point, and 3rd- an