I did it.  I competed in the national championship race.  Amazing experience.

Bend is a bit of a drive for me, so I made an overnight trip of it.  I drove there Friday afternoon, and went home early Sunday morning.  That's a lot different from my normal routine of arrive/race/get home for dinner.  I brought along friends Hugh and Monty to take in the sights and sounds of the national championship.

Most of my fellow competitors were in the same boat.  2000 people came to race this weekend, along with who knows how many spectators accompanying them.  The racing started on Thursday, which meant by Saturday, everyone who'd raced the previous two days were out watching the races.   In short, there were a lot of very enthusiastic spectators out there.

Clearly, I'm no PRO, but MAN I do love cyclocross.  And the scene in Bend this weekend...well it doesn't get much better than that for a guy like me.  So many crazy spectators.  So much energy.  And the course?  Awesome.  I'm still smiling when I remember riding through the tunnel of screams by the beer garden, or the crash-hungry crowd willing us through the long off-camber section.  Doing what I love to do on an super fun course while getting screamed at by thousands of people...YEAH!

So how did my race go?  I had a blast, it was great.  My result was quite underwhelming, but I'm still smiling, so I did something right.  Turns out I was the last sucker to ride the lead lap.  As I rode through the finish line with one lap to go, the announcers went nuts.  The fans went nuts.  The screams were unreal.  Why were they screaming for me like that?  I looked back just before leaving the asphalt to see the race winner holding up his arms.  Ahh, that makes sense. 

I tried to catch the guys in front of me on my last lap of my cyclocross season.  I got awfully close, but I just couldn't do it.  When I crossed the line, I was wiped out, nothing left.  I hunched over my bike and closed my eyes for a second to catch my breath and come to grips with what I just did.  My season was over.  I was the last guy on the lap.  I was kind of embarrassed, maybe a little disappointed.

But then I opened my eyes, and there were friends of mine smiling at me.  We talked about the race, the course, and how fun it was.  Nothing but encouragement.  It was the best five minutes of my weekend,  and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

So I guess I finished 75th (out of about 140 I think).  Not so great but that field contained some very serious, dedicated and talented athletes.   Every year I do this, I learn something.  I learn new technical skills, like how to ride through really thick mud without tipping over.  I also remember how it feels to finish a race like this, and all the little segments where I knew I could go much faster with just a little bit more fitness.  I can certainly do better, and that's what I'll be gunning for in 2010.

The bike worked great, no mechanicals.  I had one crash at the base of the stairs and several close calls saved by a quick foot stomp on the ground.  And it was muddy!  Gotta love the mud.  Mud in Bend, who would have thought. 

I got to see a lot of people I don't normally get to hang out with.  John and John from Bailey Bikes were there.  Brent Prenzlow was also there representing SoCal.  And I finally met the infamous GeWilli, a crazy cyclocrosser from New England.

So thanks everyone for the wonderful experience.  I had a blast.  I will be back next year. 

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more adventures.

Race photos courtesy Matt Westermeyer.  Thanks!

Once again, we are fortunate to have had the USGP roll through town for another weekend of racing.  Normally, this is the big finale of my racing season.  However, since the national championships are in Bend this year, I'm ending with an even bigger race instead.

It's been a while since I've raced, and I certainly felt it out there.  Training has been pretty sparse, too.  It's awfully hard for me to keep riding during the Holiday season with so much family stuff going on.  The first half of the race was hard for me to just get going fast.  That's been a big problem of mine this year.  The last half of the race always goes better for me than the first.  And since the USGP and National races are only 45 minutes instead of an hour, my second half is not so long.  I'll just have to keep that in mind all week leading up to Bend.

The USGP race was held at PIR, same venue we used a month earlier.  The course used a completely different part of the grounds, incorporating the motocross track and the infield area used for short track racing in the summer.  The course was awesome, with lots of twists and turns, sharp off camber corners followed by an immediate steep slippery climbs, and tons of wide open roadway to tie everything together.  Fantastic course. 

It's been cold and dry for the past week, so I assumed we wouldn't have any mud out there.  I was wrong.  When I arrived and pre-rode the course, the ground was either rock hard frozen, or super snot slippery.  I'm telling you, the mud at PIR is the best cyclocross mud around.  That doesn't mean it's easy to ride in, but it's just so...so...gooey.  And it changes characteristics with the weather, always different.  I love it.  Nothing like the soul crushing mud at Krugers.

Anyway, midway through the race, the course got a lot more tacky and I could ride more of the short steep climbs that we all ran at first.  Each lap of the race was better, and probably faster for me.  I would love to review the lap times, but I doubt that's possible because I forgot to wear my timing chip.  Doh. 

That was Saturday.  I skipped Sunday's race in favor of some nice family time.  I'll be in Bend for the weekend, and I'll sure miss them.  I'll be racing on Saturday in the 35-39 Elite race.  I know several people I'll be racing with, all much faster than I am.  It should be really fun.  I might also partake in a rumored clydesdale race (200 pounds or more), which is apparently going to be the entertainment for a party on Saturday night.  

So that's what I'm up to.  I'm hoping to ride a respectable race in Bend on Saturday.  I just want to ride a clean race and come out happy with how hard I pushed myself.   Oh, and if you are also going to Bend, and you happen to see me on Saturday wondering around, do me a favor and ask "aren't you supposed to be warming up right now?"    Warmups are so easy to procrastinate and so hard to do quickly.

One more race to go, and then it's time to reflect on the season and hang up the 'cross bikes for a while.  I've already broke out the fixie and looking forward to riding it all winter.  One more race to go.

One more thing - thanks for the cheers on Saturday.  I heard a lot of them, and I really appreciate it.  I have not figured out how to acknowledge them while racing, but that doesn't mean I don't hear them.  I'm usually focused 30 feet up the course and have no idea what's going on right next to me.   So thank you very much.  Have you heard Heidi Swift yell?  Holy crap.  Cracks me up every time.  Thank you.

See you in Bend?

Here's how my race went:

The only people anywhere near me were Brody Boeger and Tina Brubaker, and we encouraged each other.  Here I am, uh, falling into the corn maze next to Brody:

It was surprisingly comfortable in there:

Yeah, I guess it really was fun.  Glad I made it out there.

Thanks to Tim Marrinan for the fun photos

There I stood, watching my race leave without me.  I got off my bike to find the source of the loud cracking noise that brought me to a grinding hault, not five seconds after the start.  My brake's straddle cable came off, the caliper caught the rim and got sucked into the spokes.  Seriously?  How does that even happen?  I fixed the problem, and looked up to the challenge ahead of me.  I joked out loud, saying I had them just where I wanted them.  Actually, that was true.

I had nothing to loose.  If ever I was the underdog, this was it.  I hopped on my bike, stomped on the pedals and started a crazed hunt for victims.  I'd passed my first rider within a minute, and they just kept coming. 

It didn't take long for me to realize something wasn't quite right with my bike.  I'd pulled a spoke clean through the rim, and it was getting pretty badly out of true.  My gears were jumping all over the place, too.  I had a spare in the pit, but it was a single speed, and the passes kept coming, so I just stayed with the wounded 'A' bike.  I decided I'd do a bike swap when it became unrideable, but It never did.

Coming into the bell lap, I heard someone tell me I was just a few places outside the top ten.  Really?!?  Top 10 may not sound like much, but I really wanted that.  I kept digging to see what I could get.

Final lap, last half mile.  I bridged up to a group of five with Mike Szwaya.  We were riding along a gravel road on the top ridge of the park.  Soon, we'd make a sweeping downhill left-hander into some slick, fast ground.  The time to attack was now.

Just moments, and I mean maybe one second before I attacked, Mike took a dig.  His teammate Martin Baker saw it happening and grabbed his wheel, and I found a bigger gear that wouldn't skip and jumped on behind him.  Down the sweeping turn, through some slick bumpy ground, we slowed up a bit.  I jumped at the chance and attacked, heading to the final nasty run-up before the finish line.  I hit the run-up in front, but Martin outran me and got to the line first.  I rolled in for 10th place, which I think is my best placing ever in the Master A category.  Yeah, I'd like to be fighting for the win, but one step at a time! 

Today, I'll take 10th, gladly. 

Race photo courtesy Dave Roth

Holy cow, Brent Prenzlow has won 100 elite level cyclocross races.  I don't even thing I've participated in 100 cyclocross races. 

Even more amazing:  He won a lot of these races wearing booties!

B.P. is a stand-up guy.  I've known him for a long time now.  Congrats Brent, and keep it going!