Wilke,

I think that's Richard Feldman, not Christian Heule you've got posted. He's a former world masters tt champion, see the stripes on the helmet. Not the best technical rider. He was losing a couple of seconds on that tricky double off camber on each lap.

Dekalb was my least favorite course of last year. Others thought it was a blast.

Might suit sprinters. 100 yard hole shot into set of hairpins into flowy woods into runup to steep off camber hairpin (the best feature, see that carnage on the greasy slope last year) into more flowy stuff with a couple of tricky turns into short concrete path into single track to open space to barrier to singletrack to series of wide curves to off camber section to bumpy start/finish stretch back into woods.

Another one where the placing is decided in the first 10 seconds. I found it very difficult to build up enough of a head of steam to pass anywhere - maybe I was just on bad form on the day.

If you see a passing chance - punch it immediately and get past. Very easy to get stuck for 1/2 a lap or so before you get another chance.

That occurred to me because of the kit he's wearing, BUT the rider is #2 and that matches the official results for Heule. I did NOT see Feldman listed in the results.

I'll get over to my other computer and check the results again.

CRAP!

How can a UCI race have TWO riders with the SAME NUMBER **********

I LOOKED at that!!!

Will fix.

I started with Carpentersville last year so I don't really know for sure but the guys rated it kind of "meh". I am definitely riding it though. I am jetting from the last fall fling crit to do it.

Hope to see you there. Register 4A. This early in the season there isn't a reason not to and we can race against each other again.

35+ race

Thanks Carlos & Psi!

You know, I've been going on and on about building my 'cross bike and I finished it on friday just as I was getting sick with a nasty cold...like literally, the first tickle in the throat occurred as I was putting on the bartape. I have not ridden the bike for more than three blocks, yet. But I read somewhere that "racing is training"...so if I get spousal approval, I'm in for 4as.

Tjiak?

Yup. Good to see you back in the mix!

Pop Quiz:

Do I go 30+, or Cat3 at Dan Ryan Woods?

Advantages:

Cat3 starts later, and it's an hour plus drive.
30+ will be slower at the back (where I will be) of the field.

Disadvantages:

30+ may very well be insanely fast among the very top riders. Greater chance of getting lapped by guys in own race.
Cat3 (According to rumor) will be starting only 2 mins behind the womens 1/2/3. Greater chance of having to weave around the slower women while possibly being lapped by the faster women.

What should I do?

Both?

Have you used your Cat. 3 status yet?

Both is NOT going to happen.

I have not raced a Cat3 race yet. And, I should add that there is a potential 3rd option... the 1/2/3 race. Out of respect for the 1/2 crowd, though, I'm not even really thinking about that. Hurts me to even type it, really.

I say 3's.

Think of all the pain potential.

Cat 3 will give you a fairer indication of where you are at. The dropoff in 30+ is so steep that it doesn't really tell you if you're improving or not.

You won't DFL and will still have people to be competitive with in cat 3.

1/2/3 will be depressing and the top guys will yell at you.

thanks! saturday was alright, sunday went better. saturday i was 33rd after starting in the last row of 80+ riders for the cat 2/3 race. i was caught behind the massive pileup on the pavement after the start, once i got around that there was finally some open space but everyone in front of the crash was out of site.

after narrowly avoiding a crashed rider after the downhill (i may have ran over his foot) i went down due to a momentary lapse in attention (right after saying "wow, that was close" to the rider behind me). i went to yank my bike upright, but it was caught in the guy's spokes who went down with me so that cost a few more seconds. this probably cost me about 10 places.

sunday i decided to register for the singlespeed class since i was at the back of the pack anyways, plus we got to wait a minute for the 2/3's to start out. after missing my pedal at the start i quickly made to 4th wheel and the group as a whole quickly caught the 2/3's where things slowed down suddenly and the game became pass as many people as possible to put some people between myself and the other singlespeeders. i was 3rd wheel on the second lap behind 2 other ss'ers into the barriers where i was able make my move. after that i just had to hold it until the finish for first place ss! i was also in the mid 20's compared to the 2/3 riders i passed that started a minute ahead.

sorry this was supposed to be a quick post.. whew!

also, i loved the course and am psyched for cx season, although i moved to the chippewa falls area from madison and will probably go to more minnesota races.

p.s. anyone know if there are podium pics online anywhere (sunday ss podium specifically)?

I'm officially in the 3's. I'll line up at the back, pick the most out-of-shape looking guy and try to hold his wheel. Hoping to get lapped by as few of the women as possible...

I had never even really considered the 1/2/3 race. Not only would it be disrespectful to those guys, I'd probably rather be dead than try to hang on for an hour.

I did the estabrook race again last night. I got 2nd in the A's behind Kyle again. It's still really hard.

Didn't I see that on a T-shirt somewhere??

Hmmmm ... where was that? ...

https://www.zazzle.com/faster_tshirt-235536509223004497

I think that cyclocross man is the sexiest mofo around:

https://www.zazzle.com/cross_man_blac...86616933403162

Kind of like the Seinfeld episode referring to a similar name ... you should get license plates that read "Cross Man".

I just might!

And, I'll post a pic as soon as the hoodie gets here. It shipped the other day.

Early report from Lapham. Good turnout. HUGE 4's field ... they just never stopped coming. Damp but tacky single track, two miles long. Mostly flat and in the open with a couple barriers on one end, small but barely rideable climb on the other. Kristen Wentworth rode away from the women's field, youngest of the Lalondes, James, took the Men's. Photo's later.

awww yeah!

Okey, DeKalb was hard. The ground was soft and felt like it was vacuming out every bit of power I could dole to the pedals. The first time in my life I thought I was actually going to puke on the bike. The ride out the rt23 looked flat... but it wasn't. Convincing myself to get back on the bike the second time I went through the backfield barriers took some effort as well.

Anyone know where I can find the results from Lapham Peak? They don't seem to be up on wicycling.org. I'd like to know how well I didn't do.