Great Lakes - Montrose Harbor Cyclocross

How was the Montrose Harbor race...MJH2, PSI, anyone else race Montrose?

Ugh. Cold doesn't begin to describe it. Covered in snow and ice. Conditions seemed to get worse as we rode. Got the hole-shot and was 3rd out of the starting straight. Heard a lot of wrecks behind me.

Couldn't hold the groove in a lot of places and started to slowly lose position.

Started falling down in a lot of places and lost more positions.

Had 2 mechanicals - chain drop, brake caliper got jammed in the rear wheel.....and lost more places.

I was at least able to sprint off a guy at the end but it was for 23rd. :(

MJH2 - had a great race and placed in the top 10. I'll let him tell you his story.

that would be a great course if it was warmer out.

i got stuck be hind that big piles up and just never recoverd. my hand were frozen for the first 2 laps. i was having a hard time pulling the brakes. by the time i got feeling back in my hands the damage was done. 40th out of 52. boo.

What was the temp / windchill?

I got up Sunday morning here in Milw. and it was +4F ... no way I was going. :D

MJH2 - had a great race and placed in the top 10. I'll let him tell you his story.

Readers Digest version:

Got a good spot to line up (second row, right on the well worn groove behind one of the top 10 guys). Unfortunately the dude in front of me must have broken a pedal as his left (but not right) pedal was a platform. Needless to say he and the guy next to him got a slow start, and I'm mid-pack within 10 feet. After some bumping and an elbow or two (the groove was small and people didn't want to back off) I made a break for the far right side and passed a few guys. That put me on the outside of the first (left hand) turn. Oddly enough, I was able to carry a lot of speed around the first turn and passed a lot of guys. As luck would have it, as I'm creeping up into the top 12 or so around that turn and a rider goes down collecting his own team mate and jamming up the entire course. As I was on the outside, I missed it, passed a ton of guys going around, and worked up into the top 5-6.

From there I jammed on it trying to creat the biggest gap possible. As I look up, I see PSImet sitting 2nd or 3rd. Good for him! From there the course wrapped around a little bit before a down/up/under a bridge section. Going through there, I checked back to see what sort of gap I had. Not only did I have a huge gap, I looked back in time to see (what I think were) the same guys go down and bottle everything up... AGAIN.

Needless to say, the gap from about the top 10 back was huge... took a lot of pressure off. From there I settled into a pace. I was passed by a few guys, and got a few guys back. I managed 7th for my best cross finish of the year.

Various Bikeforums.net members at Montrose:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/3091778176_3db4e39a67.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3091765236_d516ba25d8.jpg?v=0
credit: Velogrrl (http://www.flickr.com/photos/19091172@N02/)

that beard is getting out of control, rob has that same face in all the pics i have seen him in

Yeah. You let it grow much more and you'll have homeless people living in there.

that beard is getting out of control, rob has that same face in all the pics i have seen him in

It's your thing....and yes I do. It's the "holy crap I'm going to die" face.

It's your thing....and yes I do. It's the "holy crap I'm going to die" face.

Hey Psimet-

You're famous. Guess where this came from:

The next few laps went well I was able to get past some riders and that’s when I saw my arch nemesis, Rob from Bicycle Heaven. He was two ahead of me and in my reach. I started to really push. I knew if I could get behind him coming into the strait away I could power pass him. That’s what I did, I blew right past at the start/finish line. I know that he knew it was me and he started to chase. I went as hard as I could, trying to get a gap, but he was right there along with one other rider. I was able to hold them both off till the finish to get 21st Jorge was able to keep a 10sec lead on me for 19th.

:rolleyes: I hope he realizes I was so defeated at that point he was simply passing the shell of a man.


.....how long until the next cross season?

EDIT: BTW - I need a link to his blog...

Found it....


some guy looking like Grizzly Adams jammed up on my left side. I didn’t know if he thought I was going to move or what. I hope he didn’t, I’m 200lbs and I don’t mind getting bounced around. We got the start and I followed Jorge’s wheel right up the middle. I left Grizzly in the back

Hmmm....think he was referring to...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/3091778176_3db4e39a67.jpg?v=0

I only put that out there on the internets (where it can NEVER be erased) to help you, man. I'm all about helping. And, we should get Bob on here, he's good people.

Speaking of the link:
http://bobmurrayracing.blogspot.com/

And, if you scroll down he does have the clip of me giving him crap as I got him at Lansing. Good reading, there.

Found it....



Hmmm....think he was referring to...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/3091778176_3db4e39a67.jpg?v=0

Probably, although I thought jbernaeyge lined up on the other side.

I'm pretty sure that I could grow a beard like that if I didn't shave for the next 12 years.

Great finish MJH2 and congrats to you guys racing in weather that.

Cyclocross Magazine’s Live Race Coverage

USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships

http://cxmagazine.com/live-coverage-cyclocross-race-updates-1