Cyclocross Racing - Howard County Double Cross

Signed up for both next week. We'll see if my ancient body can handle races back to back.

Any comments on either course? Flat, hilly, techical?

Who's going? I'm registered for the Cat 4 for the rest of year.

I'll be there for both days in the B masters. I can't comment on the courses since this is my 1st year racing cross down here.

Stick around to watch the B race - Lith is looking fierce.

I can't believe we only have 4 races left...

What's the 4th? I have the HoCo dbl and Reston.

I will stick around for the Master B (we need a term for that - like Dirty Old B's or DOBs). Bringing the wife and kids to watch.

Umm, the championships dude!

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=9426

ill probably be at both days. might look to race twice one of the days.

there are an additional 5 days of racing in january if you are willing to travel to NC.

I'm signed up for both, but seriously considering flipping to Masters B. At any rate, I'll be there both days and will be hanging around after my races, at least to watch the Elite Masters.

Are the Championships just effectively another race, same folks, etc or are things stepped up a bit?

For the majority of us, its just another race. I'm already signed up to be Cat4 filler.

I'm signed up for both of HoCo days but still getting over knee pain from Tacchino. Gotta fix this. I may miss one or both of hte HoCO days.

I'm signed up for both of HoCo days but still getting over knee pain from Tacchino. Gotta fix this. I may miss one or both of hte HoCO days.

aww, come on dude! I've been suffering with lower back pain since May, doctors have no idea what it is, and I'm still going :p

haha. I don't spin my back at 80 rpms!

For the majority of us, its just another race. I'm already signed up to be Cat4 filler.

I'm okay with being filler, but I feel bad about being an rolling obstacle if folks are actually racing to win something official even if it is just the Cat 4 race.

the cat4 race isnt a championship event so dont sweat anything. honestly unless you are impeding people in the A race I wouldnt worry about impeding anyone unless you were being a dick on purpose or something.

there are an additional 5 days of racing in january if you are willing to travel to NC.


You guys should definitely come down for our Winter series if you can. I'll bring the beer. :thumb:

I'm doing Sunday for sure. And on the fence for Saturday (waiting to see what the wife and boy are doing).

Wife and kids are coming, probably on Saturday.

You guys should definitely come down for our Winter series if you can. I'll bring the beer. :thumb:

i came down for it last year but i will most likely have to skip it this year.

Back to HoCo - and comments on the courses from last year?

This is the first year for Schooley Mill so no feedback on that. I only spectated the 2008 Rockburn cross as I was recovering from a borked collar bone, but took lots of picutres here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeneary/sets/72157608614612156/). The course has changed some from what I've heard, but someone else can probably give you a better idea of its layout and technical sections.

ive heard the rockburn course changed significantly so im not sure your going to get much out of last years comments.

This is the first year for Schooley Mill so no feedback on that. I only spectated the 2008 Rockburn cross as I was recovering from a borked collar bone, but took lots of picutres here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeneary/sets/72157608614612156/). The course has changed some from what I've heard, but someone else can probably give you a better idea of its layout and technical sections.

Yay, sand.

I hate sand. Sand did me in a couple of weeks ago at Fair Hill. It messes with my head.

this sand is much shorter and pretty much not worth riding so dont fear it.

Just got word that I was successfully transplanted to the Masters B races. bitterken, its on!

Damn. I better start working on my excuses.

nah, you don't have to worry; I fully intend to bring up the rear if I even start. Got my MRI results back today: bulging disc in my lower back. At least I know I'm not crazy about the pain I've been dealing with all year. See the ortho on Friday so racing will be a game time decision.

ouch man that sucks

Im registered for Sunday. My first Cross race. My goal for the race is don't be DFL..

make your goal to have fun first and finish second. dont worry about anything else.

Im registered for Sunday. My first Cross race. My goal for the race is don't be DFL..

what race?

what race?

Cat4. Good call Lithuania! I havnt really been on a bike much in the last month due to work/ school schedules. New goal...have a blast...finish the race. Say "hi" if you guys see me around..i'll be in the Rockstar games kit....black/white/pink.

This has been my first season and it is definitely fun first and all else comes later -- getting fitter, going harder and faster are all now seen through the lens of fun.

Cat4. Good call Lithuania! I havnt really been on a bike much in the last month due to work/ school schedules. New goal...have a blast...finish the race. Say "hi" if you guys see me around..i'll be in the Rockstar games kit....black/white/pink.

I'll be at the back on the the very traditional Orange Bianchi.

I liked the course today - a little squishy at points but not out of control. Dropped my chain twice, got lapped by the top 3 or 4 riders. I've definitely reached the point where my bike handling skills aren't holding me back. The sharp descent into a right hand turn back uphill to the barriers was the least of my worries. Now I just need better legs.

On to tomorrow.

i found the course conditions to be brutally hard today. i still hurt

i found the course conditions to be brutally hard today. i still hurt

It was definitely hard, but I just figured that that was my suckitude. I guess when I said "liked" I was thinking more about the venue itself. It's a place and layout that I'd like to race again. Hard or not, I also liked riding the course (other than the steps). There were points bombing the longer descents where I felt like a kid.

If I had to rank venues without regard to how bad I got spanked or the post-race vibe, it would be:

1. Kelley Acres
3. Schooley / DCCX (tie)
4. Ed Sander
5. Winchester
6. Hyattsville

The day I can ride Kelley Acres well will be a proud day. They were all fun though.

Yeah, it was a tough course. Not particularly technical, but lots of power sections with very few places to recover. The muddy/wet sections were tough for me; heard they got drier as the day went on. Back exploded on the 2nd lap then I was just kind of out for a ride. Got lapped on the last lap near the pits and the speed with which I was overtaken *really* made me feel like I just out for a ride. Instinctively tried to grab the wheel of the leader when he went by; that lasted for about 5 seconds. I finished and wasn't last: still on track to meet my goals this year.

Another nice day out racing. The course was technical, with a few muddy spots, but overall fun to ride. One hard crash, but I wasn't the only one. The patches of mud took out a few people. Moderate length hills are definitely my limiter. Probably had the best race of the year even though I was feeling a bit beat up from yesterday. I was bummed that they shaved us a lap - might have caught a few more people - but such is life. The delay in the start gave me an extra lap of warmup and time to change the pinch flat I got while taking my first lap of warm up.

i felt good today but i am much too timid for courses like this. the redone course was the best theyve done yet.

I had to bail in the middle of your race, but you were looking good around laps 2 and 3.

There were definitely some gutsy turns where someone bold could take time. I crashed the tape a bit on the hard right in the mud coming out of the fast straight through woods (advice anyone?), and fell trying to ride that up-down-up-down right before the finish. I saw some big guys manage to navigate that one, which was really impressive. Gotta figure out how to those sharp turns with a bit more speed (advice anyone?).

I wish I had stayed to see the elites - the FB page is saying a 15 yr old was 6th!

My problem wasnt so much the turns as it was the downhills and the sections in the woods. I just cant see good enough to not brake the entire descent and I have to ride slower in the woods because i cant tell if stuff are roots or leaves.

sam okeefe is awesome. hes handled the mid season jump from b to a amazingly well. It will be fun to see him and 17 year old bahnson fight it out next year.

My day started a little crazy, but it all worked out. I was making good time from NJ and the GPS said I was 6 minutes outside the race when I hit traffic on I95 and stopped. I was dead stopped for over an hour!! Turned my trip into over 3hrs! Finally got into registration at like 825, and then got ready quick for some warmup. I got 1 lap in on the course and then putsed around for a bit. My goal was to come really early and get a feel for the course over a few laps being as it was my first race but that didnt happen haha. Forgot to eat since I was all stressed bout missing the race. Not to mention this was on 3.5 hrs of sleep since I had to see TSO cpncert with the g/f's family last night haha

The race was a blast. Settled in with a good group of 3 or 4 racing for 50th place...NOT LAST! YESSS! I think there were like 63 or 64 finishers? Didnt have any crashes tho a few close calls. I felt fine with picking lines but I need to have a lot more faith in the bike..I was just going too damn sloow through some of the corners. Also need to climb a cog higher I think as I was getting a ton of wheelspin and got passed a few times on the larger hills. Was running my tires at 43psi.

It was the most painful race ive ever done. I couldnt breath tho that is pretty much the norm for me now :( (going to doc), I was cramping, I had side stiches...got that nice metallic taste in my mouth a few times...It was freaking awesome! Have 3 more scheduled before the season is over.

Anybody know where there might be pics from this race? HOping to find on e of myself...

monitor gamjams.net the next few days for links to pics. crossresults.com will have links to pics too.

RacerJRP - That must have been my group - I was in the blue jersey with white long sleeve underneath pn the Orange Bianchi.

Were you the guy in black who zipped in front of me when we hit the final asphalt? I had nada left.

am i the only one who thought Schooley Mill wasn't a hard course? Although I did still have Urban CX fresh in my mind.

I loved rockburn last year, and this is still one of my favorite races in the season. I felt great the entire race, although still did pretty mediocre results wise.

i didnt think the schooley mill course itself was hard just the conditions. on a dry day it would be fast

Wasn't able to stick around too much today. Had a good time -- I've slowed down since my legs started acting up at tacchino and have booked time to do a bike fit and PT. Rockburn has been so far my favorite course. Just enough mud, good speed, great turns. It felt like the whole thing was off camber. Some mechanicals got in the way -- barrel adjuster fried so my rear cog kept grinding, and dropped a chain on the last lap. Some sections i felt like just got faster each time -- more and more courage on the off cambers, etc...

RacerJRP - That must have been my group - I was in the blue jersey with white long sleeve underneath pn the Orange Bianchi.

Were you the guy in black who zipped in front of me when we hit the final asphalt? I had nada left.

Sounds like me! Good race, deff had fun out there. Thought we were gonna catch that Coppi guy...

I think y'all passed me fixing my chain on the last lap :)

I definitely liked day 1 better, but mostly because I sucked more then normal on day 2. Day 1 was a soggy mess, but I could power through okay. Day 2 was slippery, and I kept on sliding out and either crashing or getting tangled up in the tape.

I think have to start doing some offroad rides. It's never a good sign when I'm not winded at the end of a race because I couldn't handle my bike well enough to use my fitness. More then a couple of guys I ended up riding with commented that I would pull away from them on the climbs but then bog them down on the technical sections... :-(