Cyclocross Racing - Ed Sander Memorial/Lilypons CX: 9/28/8

man, i love this event, but this year, it was made even more awesome by the significant amount of rain we had in the days that led up to it. the course was a great combo of spongy, saturated ground, deep dank mud, loose and packed gravel and some rutted sloppy peanut butter that all added up to a big ***** of crossawesomeness.

from the start/finish you have a few tight turns that then lead to the barriers. after this, you enter the areas surrounding some of the ponds and you snake your way along for a bit... pretty mushy spongy stuff and was quite energy sapping. at one point you come around a corner and bam... there's this big ass mud pit that goes on for quite a ways. we're talking deep, stank, sewer smelling stuff like you'd sink into along the bank of a slow moving river. after taking a terrible line through the mud on the first lap, i found the best approach for me to be riding about 1/3 of it and then shouldering the bike and slogging through it. i also found that if i ran a bit further than the other guys, i could get on the bike w/ more speed which made a big difference for me. i ran alot this week as it was much faster and i felt a bit gearing limited w/ a 42x12-25 on the bike.

first lap i rode my ass off to try and make up for position lost due to some knucklehead coming into me as we came to the barriers the first time. second lap i was working hard trying to find my rhythm. third lap i traded positions with a few guys and we worked off one another, picking people off who were drifting backwards. by the last lap, i was feeling good and was closing in on a group of 5 riders. i passed and dropped a few, then caught up to two guys who were riding just strong enough that i couldn't do much. when we got to the backside, the guy in front of me and i wanted desperately to get around the dude who was in front of us, but he was all over the course and passing opps were pretty rare, so i waited for the sprint thinking i could jump them both... i was wrong as we all finished in the order that we were coming out of the last turn. finished 11th. not bad. my teammate killed it though and won...

also, we had a new addition to our team this weekend and he crushed it in his race. it was nice to meet you ryan and i hope to see you and your gf (forgot her name) at hagerstown.

anyone else??

I got off to a great start. Was riding through the mud strong before the guy in front of me bogged down and stopped. Lost a couple spots there but recovered and started powering on the gravel road. Then I flatted ... about a mile from the pits. Called it a day and hoofed it back to the car. During this stroll through the lily ponds I did see Lithuania coming on strong and gave him a cheer.

I was pretty bummed for the rest of the day at my luck. I was also second guessing my decision to bail until I read VeloNews this morning about jeremiah Bishop in the elite race:

“That turn had a depression in it,” he recalled later, “and when you came through there, and were turning and coming out, there was a lot of pressure on a tubular.”

The resulting crash not only took Bishop out of contention, it took him out of the race as it occurred just past the pit exit, meaning he would have had to run for more than a mile to the next pit entrance with virtually no chance of decent placing. Like a wrestler who knows when he’s stuck in a position from which he can’t escape, Bishop tapped-out and called it a day ..."

http://www.velonews.com/article/83843/winfield-schempf-tops-at-sander--cross

On a technical note, it was a good race for a little R&D. The new Fango clinchers from Challenge rock in the mud. However, if you weigh 184, 35psi is too low for a gravel road. Ran the same pressure for an hour at Langdon Park on Saturday (mostly grass) and it was fine.

This was the second year in a row I flatted at this race. I believe tubulars are in my future.

thats it, i'm only gonna pack like 2 beers in the cooler this time, and the rest will be root beer since none of us apparently drink, except john, who can have my 2 beers.

also, pictures here:
http://flickr.com/photos/ryandudek/sets/72157607568029248/detail/

i will gladly drink your two beers ryry.

really pissed i missed this.

I was pit ref again. Lots of fun watching you all. I'll stick to the road racing, thanks!

Kinda sucked that I had to tell Jerimiah Bishop he couldnt back up 50' to get a new wheel after he rolled his tubular 10' from the pit exit. He was a very good sport about it. The pros usually are!

ill paste my report from another board below but first I will say it was a great day. I got so muddy several hours before my race even started and I ended up staying through the end of the elite race before I even considered cleaning off. By that time it was too late so I just threw my twice as heavy bike in the back seat of my POS car and hopped in still covered in mud.


I raced the Ed Sanders B (3/4) race today.

This was my first real B race. Ive raced twice before but both times were following C races. This time the B race was my main focus.

I raced this course last year and it really suited my single speed because of all the long straight false flat sections. Last year was super dry, dusty, and fast. It was my first "good" result in a cross race too so I was excited to return this year.

This year was much different. We had lots of rain the last two days so the course was nice and soaked. Lots of mud. This is the type of course Ive always wanted to race in. Last year we didnt have anything like it. I got there nice and early so I had plenty of time to get ready for my first mud race and figure out my tubulars.

A couple warm up laps with the tubulars really low I was really floating over the really long mud section but I was too unstable on the turns in the rest of the course. After talking to a bunch of other usual tub riders that were on clinchers today I was scared into throwing a mud2 on the front.

After the 9am race I took off for a lap on the clincher. I dont know if it was the tire or just the change in the course over the first race but I could not ride the mud this time. I doubled back a few times but no dice. I was picking up TONS of mud trying to ride it too. I was a lot faster on the rest of the course. The second race started and I really obsessed over what tire to ride. Finally I settled on the clincher.

Because of call ups and registration I got a terrible start. I must have been 2/3rds back in a field of nearly 60. The race starts, I clip in and get going. I am learning that my single gear does not work well in starts on the higher level. Its much faster and I spin out quickly. Never the less I get off alright and dont lose any more spots than I gain.

Get on the course and I am far back but am not nervous because of all the long straights. Get to the mud and I just run. Thankfully everyone else around me is too. The long run hurts me and from that point on I swear I am redlined.

I settle into a nice pace and start moving up. On the back side of the course on the last turn before the turn into the run up I go down really hard on the shoulder I infamously stacked on last weekend. This was a real shock to my system. I get back on fast but I really suffered from this and took a long time to recover. It didnt help that immediately following this I had a run up to tackle and because of the slick course and my one gear there were two more hills that forced me off the bike shortly after where the gears could ride.

After the first lap I was dying. Could I really do 4 more? Yes.

The rest of the race I was pretty smooth. I was redlining and in the hazey zone where you can barely focus on anything other than the wheel in front of you. I didnt go down again which was a nice improvement over my last few races. Very nice when you consider the sloppy course. I dont think I got passed the rest of the race.

One big mistake I made was settling in on groups I would catch instead of overtaking and conituning on. I would only continue on when someone else would move on first. I ended up in a group of 4 and on the last lap I pulled away.

I came in 26th out 55 finisher. I am pleased with this result. I was almost 5 minutes off the winners time but less than a minute from a top 20 and a couple guys that absolutely killed me last year.

When I pulled off the course my shoulder was in serious pain. For a few minutes I started to get scared a trip to the ER was going to be in order. Thankfully after about a half hour I started to feel better and even took a few more laps on the course playing with more tire pressure.

I stayed and watched the rest of the races and its really interesting to see how other ride the course. Its also interesting to see how spread out groups ride the course differently. In the elite race The field got blown apart quickly with 2 leading a group of 5 or so chasing and then further back a larger group of like 8. The first two guys rode everything. The second group did too for the most part but the next groups didnt even try to ride the mud. It made me think they didnt realize it was possible. As the race progressed the mud hardened a bit and some guys were flying through it but others didnt even make an attempt. Finally spectators started telling them they could ride it and lots of people did. It really makes me wonder how often I dont do something because the guys right ahead of me arent doing it.

so, have you washed yourself off yet or are you still wearing your skin suit? :-D

also: I haven't raced Hagerstown yet... can someone describe the course?

hagerstown: pretty flat, grassy. one deep sand pit that's short so people try to ride through it. it's rideable but watch out for guys who dont make it. no real run ups, several off camber turns, fast charm city like finish.

at least that was last year.

^^nice. thanks DP. I need to meet you one of these days. you're on bike rack?

yep, reddish beard, beer belly. i'll be on either a grey crosscheck or a bmc (not sure which color yet, waiting on a warranty replacement).

apparently my team is helping put on the kelley acres race on sunday, so due to obligation i think i'll be at that one instead of hagerstown. bosslady permits one race day per weekend :)

but i'll see you out there soon, you're racing union these days?

hah. i'll be at sunday's race, too. we have family in purcellville, so i'm just going to stage from their place and race both days. that kelley acres course looks pretty interesting, in a possibly hill-centric sort of way. yep... racing union til the end of this season, then really not sure about next year as we are not going to renew our club license.

Brian -

I didn't realize until yesterday that Brian from my (new) team was Brian from the internet, then I laughed and was like wow, I'm an idiot. Funny how that worked out.

Steve, that was a great write up. How did you feel about your tubulars at the end though? I feel like I could have used a little bit more pressure in mine. I was right around 30psi. Hope your shoulder heals up. See you all on Saturday.

no worries, ryan, i look nothing like my avatar.

everyone keeps telling me hagerstown is really technical with lots of off camber stuff.

Ill be at both races this weekend.

As for the tubulars I dont have much to say yet. I hear so many people express some amazing life altering experience on thier first ride on tubs but personally I need more time to figure out proper pressure before I am riding them to thier potential.

Part of my problem is that I was riding my clinchers super low last year (<30 at times) so when I try to go even lower like you can on tubulars they get real sloppy. I end up folding the tires on almost every turn when I do that.

I'll be at Hagerstown on Saturday. 6'5" bearded guy on a neon green Redline and sporting a new unattachedrider kit. Say hey if you see me.

no worries, ryan, i look nothing like my avatar.

ryan, on the other hand, looks EXACTLY like his

I'll be at Hagerstown on Saturday. 6'5" bearded guy on a neon green Redline and sporting a new unattachedrider kit. Say hey if you see me.

I too will be at Hagerstown. I'll be the blond guy with a scrappy beard, a blue Raleigh Rx1, and probably wearing a red and black "Friendly Bike" (my old LBS in NC) jersey. I might also be the one on the verge of puking from nervousness ... it's my first cyclocross race ever.

also what are you racing union guys doing next season?

Not sure yet.

I'm probably going to start the dirty photons racing club.

No dirtyphotons allowed.

DP: some folks are going to whole wheel (WWVC), but I haven't yet figured out what I'm going to do. I have heard good things about the regional Colavita team and have considered that.

irideacenturion... good luck and have fun!

DC need a proper cross team kinda like the c3's in bmore

truth. that was kinda the idea at the start of the bike rack team. but with a shop there are many egos and many agendas. ends up we had a strong core of folks who were primarily interested in road and they were just a lot more interested and dedicated this year than the crossers.

i'll still ride with those guys when schedule allows, but i'm very interested in seeing what happens with all these noncommitted folks as well.

unattachedrider kit

Not sure yet.

I haven't yet figured out what I'm going to do.

DC need a proper cross team kinda like the c3's in bmore

truth
... hey guys ...

also, those unattached kits are sweet.

DC need a proper cross team kinda like the c3's in bmore

that would be really cool.

C3 guys race mtb, and time trials, maybe road races? everybody mixes it up these days.

my team DCMTB is MTB oriented with CX 2nd (1st in my heart) and the odd road race, but we've tried to help develop the DC CX scene with our DCCX race and this year some free CX clinics (including DC-Chix, which was a real hit).

It's clear there are a lot of people in DC that are interested in checking CX out, and it's the perfect cycling discipline in the city, and for people with busy lives. getting to place for MTB is a lot of time driving.

People looking for a solid team with nice people to do MTB and CX with in DC should check out dcmtb.com

marc
DCCX
DCMTB/City Bikes

Marc,

It is very true that you guys have done a lot for CX in DC. As a matter of fact, I hadn't even thought of DCMTB as a cross team, even though you guys do race and put on a race. Probably the name is what always makes me skip that option. I wish I could have made it to a clinic, but was super busy on Wednesdays for some reason. Damn jobs.

Also, I met like 5 dudes named Marc from DCMTB this weekend, not sure if you were one of them. Either way, seems like you have a lot of very nice and outgoing people on your team. If I met you, it was nice to meet you.

Ryan

Marc,

It is very true that you guys have done a lot for CX in DC. As a matter of fact, I hadn't even thought of DCMTB as a cross team, even though you guys do race and put on a race. Probably the name is what always makes me skip that option. I wish I could have made it to a clinic, but was super busy on Wednesdays for some reason. Damn jobs.

Also, I met like 5 dudes named Marc from DCMTB this weekend, not sure if you were one of them. Either way, seems like you have a lot of very nice and outgoing people on your team. If I met you, it was nice to meet you.

Ryan

yep- pretty sure we met near the finish line, not long after my race! hi again. we do have a few marc(k)s :)

we had a pretty good showing at ed sanders, maybe 8-10 guys?

fyi, my brother blogs about CX, MTB, and just riding in the DC area- some ed sanders stuff in there.
http://www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com/

ah, you are THAT marc. haha. i met the other marc/ks at bike dc the day before, where my friend had asked me to help out the city bikes crew. it was a good time.

see you saturday.

i see c3 at cross races more than anywhere else. I havent done mtb racing yet so I can vouch for them there but I dont remember seeing any of their kits at road races.

The Ed Sander Memorial 'Cross was AWESOME!!!

It was only my eighth 'cross race, but my first true mudfest. Let's just say that the difference between a dry, dusty CX and a muddy CX is like the difference between modern civilized negotiation and ol' skool trench warfare. I used to see pictures of racing like this when I was a kid, back when 'cross racing in America was rare - I always dreamed about doing racing like this - so it was pure awesomeness to finally experience it no matter how tough it was.

Great course alone in dry conditions, harder yet funner in wet and muddy, especially the "Back Nine". I raced the Men's C/cat 4 race - finished 29th, which is three placings better for me than from last year. Went out maybe a little too hard, started suffering mid-way, slowed down a bit and put some reserves into the tank for the last lap, where I made my passes and sprinted a Coppi guy to the line to take the last spot in the top 30.

Had to hose myself and my bike off before my wife would give me a post-race kiss and let me hold our son, who one day might be kicking all of your arses in these races (no pressure, though, he is only nine months old, but has a wicked sprint!).

I'll be racing again at DCCX, but good luck to all the guys contesting the races this weekend, and BTW, happy new year/Shana Tova to all the CXers who just celebrated Rosh HaShana.

i see c3 at cross races more than anywhere else. I havent done mtb racing yet so I can vouch for them there but I dont remember seeing any of their kits at road races.

They're more well known on the road scene for thier womens elite team.

NCVC suprised me with thier numbers. My team, ABRT, has a few guys who race cross, but not nearly as many as we put on the road.

I was stoked to see Russ Langley from Battley HD do well in the Elite race. He got smoked, but I'm sure it had more to do with a lack of dirt skills than his fitness.

I will not be working at either race this weekend, as i'll be camping with my wife on the Eastern Shore. I will be working every race the rest of the season after.

do any other teams aside from NCVC do partial race reimbursements?

yes

my team all american does depending on how the year went budgetwise

anybody else get poison ivy after the race? i've got it all over my right leg... i must have been brushing against it during the race or something. clearly the line that takes you by the poison ivy is NOT the best line.

:-D

anybody else get poison ivy after the race? i've got it all over my right leg... i must have been brushing against it during the race or something. clearly the line that takes you by the poison ivy is NOT the best line.

:-D

I'm going to chalk this up as my "silver lining" after abandoning on lap 1.

Q:"how'd the race go?"

A:"Well ... I didn't get poison ivy ..."

anybody else get poison ivy after the race? i've got it all over my right leg... i must have been brushing against it during the race or something. clearly the line that takes you by the poison ivy is NOT the best line.

:-D

There was alot of it present on the back nine section near the beer. That whole run up area was cut through some ivy as was the area where most spectators were standing.:(

thankfully i had a nice coating of mud the entire day to protect me from any poison ivy

Better late than never - got some pix of this race up on my blog:

http://thecompletejewishcyclist.blogspot.com/2008/10/ed-sander-memorial-cyclocross.html

There's mud. Enjoy!