WhirlyBird CX

The entire week had been a struggle...the company I work for owes me nearly $600 in back pay and is giving me the run around. I received a letter from a lawyer indicating that a long time tenant would be holding rent in lieu of repairs. She filed a complaint with L&I indicating that her heat did not work, even though I told her on numerous occasions that it did...and it does...the technician confirmed it on Friday morning in her presence. I’ve a laundry list of repairs to tackle over the next few weeks. People expect to just snap their fingers and have things done. Let me tell you, contractors are not the easiest people to pin down.

So, needless to say I was looking forward to racing this weekend. It had been three weeks since Charm City. I was on my bike three times since then and was hoping for fresh legs instead of that rusty feeling. 

I never trust the 10 day. The 5 day can be hit or miss as well. Both were forecasting rain on Saturday...and rain it did...but I didn’t even care. WhirlyBird will always be special for me because it was my first CX race...and this was my two year crossaversary. I had waited two years for a mud race. It was Saturday morning and it was here.

I arrived at Bensalem High School at 8am, walked to registration and took a look at the course. After two preview laps, I revisited the off camber sections. They were rideable, but all bets would be off at race time.

I got my useless front row call up and ten people blew by me when the whistle sounded. Going into the barriers I wasn’t in the best position. I knew that people would be riding aggressively on the first lap, making them more prone to errors and falls on the slick sections...and that’s exactly what happened. This enabled me to gain some ground on the lead group. 

My strength is endurance and the ability to pick people off as they wear down. Unfortunately, this was a short, three lap race which had me begging for one more. I crossed the line fourth, not far behind a buddy of mine who I enjoyed heckling in the final minutes of the race. I was covered in mud...I was happy...and for thirty two minutes I had forgotten about the battles I had been fighting all week.

199

We were walking from Camden Yards to the parking garage last weekend when I saw a dime laying on the ground. After taking a few steps past it, I explained to my girlfriend that I really wanted to pick it up, but there were too many people around to stop. “Wouldn’t it have been better if it were a twenty dollar bill?” she said. “Well, if I found 200 dimes I’d have twenty dollars. You gotta start somewhere."  

Today I was walking the dog and I found a dime. I picked it up. Only 199 more to go. 

One day at a time...little goals...the big picture.

Non-Race Report: Town Hall CX

At the first race of the year, I parked my car next to a couple from Boston. The guy asked me if I liked the disc brakes on my CAADX. I said they took some time to get used to. “Oh, are you a roadie or a mountain biker?” he asked. “Neither” I said, “I am a runner.”

I woke up before my alarm went off this morning. There was a pibble who needed walking before I drove to Bethlehem for Town Hall Cross. A beautiful morning was unfolding. I thought about the three plus hours I’d be spending in the car today, just to race my bike for forty minutes.

When I got home I put on my sneaks and went for a run. I kept running. I ran right past the time I was supposed to leave for the race. At the end of last season I promised myself I wouldn’t miss these magnificent Fall days because I was trapped in a car traveling to a race. Fresh air is good for the soul.

Charm City CX Day 2

For the two years I’ve raced, Charm City CX has been on my birthday weekend. Last year I had a poor result on day two and spent the remainder of my birthday in a shitty mood...but this season isn’t like last season and I’m not racing for results. 

I woke up at 6am and made a cup of French Press coffee. Hotel coffee is nasty. If packing a French Press makes me “high maintenance” I’m perfectly ok with it. I accidentally discovered that walking is a good way for me to get moving on the morning of a race, so I made my way to the fitness center of the Holiday Inn. The music I was subjected to for the next thirty minutes was awful...terrible...a mix of everything from Paula Cole to Oldies to Country. I wanted it to stop, but it didn’t and it stayed with me for days to come. 

The ride to from Cantonsville, MD to Druid Hill Park was short and foggy. Thankfully, visibility improved as I made my way to the course for a pre-ride. There were a few changes. The most notable was the “fly over” which was deemed too hazardous for us to ride on day one. 

I didn’t get the best start and was forced to dismount at the first technical section (a short, off camber) because other riders decided they needed to walk it. The leaders slipped away and gained more separation as I fought my way through the traffic. It wasn’t looking good. The climbs felt steeper and the sand was unforgiving. With two to go I had myself in a decent spot to make a push for 6th, but I ran out of gas and crossed the line 8th. 

I got changed and chatted with some friends (one of whom presented me with an awesome six pack of Left Hand Milk Stout). It was a tough two days of racing and I was glad that it was over...mainly because I was about to head to Camden Yards for a baseball game and dinner at Du Claw Brewing Company. 

Thanks to everyone who made my 40th birthday weekend at Charm City a good one!

Charm City CX Day 1

Most of the car had been packed the night before, so when the alarm sounded at 5am there wasn’t much to do. I grabbed some coffee, donned my headlamp and walked the pibble before taking off for Druid Hill Park. After a couple of miscues, I arrived in the correct location, pre-rode the course and picked up my number. 

The course was different this year...there was more climbing, more sand (four sand pits total), and a “fly over.” My primary concern was the sand, so I went back to that section to watch. Some of the guys in the first race were running it, some were riding it and I couldn’t tell which was faster. Last year I didn’t attempt to ride it because my technical skills sucked. Not much has changed since then, but I figured I would give it a shot and see what happens.

We were informed that the “fly over” would be removed from our race because it was too dangerous. The announcement was met with mixed reactions. While I had no problem riding it, I certainly didn’t want someone who couldn’t to come crashing back down into me. 

Every time the whistle blows it’s a blur. I’m starting to piece together these fragments, realizing that I need to be more aggressive at the start. The sand pits came at the end of each lap, after we had already passed through two sets of stairs and some brutal climbs. I stuck with my game plan and (to my surprise) successfully rode the sand pits. I knew there were four people in front of me, but only one was in sight. Eventually, I was able to pass her and shortly thereafter, another rider (who was removing course tap from her rear derailleur). There were still two laps to go. Both of the riders I passed were strong and could easily come back to pass me, but they didn’t. I crossed the line third. It was my first podium in a MAC race! 

The encouragement and cheers coming from the CAWES ladies as well as the elite women racers were definitely heard and VERY much appreciated. 

After the race, I did a quick yoga podcast, ate a peanut butter sandwich and headed south to Washington DC to visit my brother in the hospital. We talked and took a walk downstairs to sit in the atrium. It was the first time he had been outside since his surgery on September 4th and mom said it was his best day so far. Later that night, I had BFD (breakfast for dinner) and banana cream pie...and thought to myself “Yeah, it was a pretty good day."

My 40th Year

Star Rock, West Chester, Crossasaurus Awesome, Swashbuckler, Kutztown, UPGRADE! PACX Series Champion...Stoudts, Fair Hill, CRXC, WhirlyBird, Town Hall, Nittany, Charm City...out of habit, sweet potatoes and chicken, superstitious, Taylor Swift, Honey Bagder...Batsto, Batsto, Batsto...cupid, hashtagnofun, New Brunswick, Princeton, cupcakes, cookies, french press, breakfast for dinner, D & R Canal, words with friends...greetings from the arsenal, the stars aligned, like clockwork, too much of a good thing...road rides, retired, running, HIIT, burpees...SVT, EKG, echocardiogram...decaf coffee...American Authors, One Republic, Phillip Phillips, Imagine Dragons, The Lumineers...Iron Wood, on belay, zip away...Catskills, Giant Ledge, Panther, Balsam, Eagle...Atlanta, Apollo, Atlantic City...Riley, Tap Shoes, Mary, Bridget...saying good bye on her own terms...MedStar, Washington DC, Sugarbaker, waiting...cancer sucks...sometimes I ride mountain bikes, but not very well...Fair Hill, Ramsey’s Revenge, it’s not like CX...slow pitch, soreness, groove, dairy fields...Cape May Brewing Company, Triumph, Victory, Stoudts, Iron Hill, Appalachian Brewing Company, DuClaw...flights of beer, growlers to go...EFT, agility ladder, flip Bob, no talk Thursday...commuting, life in the slow lane, sweaty kits...L&M, eat all the donuts...compex, compression socks, epsom salt, recovery...structure is for suckers...Street Tails...The Hazel Diet...Hammer, Whole Foods, sprouted grain bread, primal yolk coffee, popcorn, wild caught...minimalism, selling everything I own on eBay...Focus, CAADX, disc brakes, can’t stop won’t stop...peanut butter sandwiches...staycation, Federal Donuts, Phillies (suck), Little Baby’s, beer, pizza...eat fresh, eat local...pumpkin...smoothies, donuts, beer, cookies, everything...congratulations.

fall

Fall is the season in which I am most aware of change. The colors go from green to yellow, red, orange and brown, the air becomes cooler and we lose day light. Many people adhere to the notion of “spring cleaning” but I prefer to do mine in the Fall. 

I came across this post a couple of weeks ago and it stuck with me...“You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people around you."

I like this play on words. It reminds me that I am responsible for my own actions, emotions and (ultimately) happiness.