YoungBlood

friday

take your cell phone

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There's nothing quite like turning yourself inside out for the sheer joy of accomplishment.  The spectators have nothing to do with it, though a riders suffering often provides pleasure for their eyes.  When your in the gutter nothing matters but quitting yet we still push on.  60 degrees and sunny has nothing to do with how you will feel and there is no way in telling when it will happen.

Redemption surfaced the following day as I pushed though the North Carolina slop fest.  Riders were going down like they were riding on thin ice.  I don't even need to write a review on Dugast Rhinos - ride them in muddy conditions and you'll never go back to anything else.  When you invest yourself in a race like that your commitment to the sport will soar.  My best UCI finish in my short cyclocross history is proof - 6th place.

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Photos:  Shane Orr

Double WI Weekend

Kletzsch Park was way beyond my expectations as the course gets better and better every year.  The course hurts with it's fast technical wooded single track, wide open down hills and the infamous "Polska Puker" run-up.  We had a small group for the first couple of laps before Tristan went and I tried to follow.  His gap opened on me throughout the race though having someone to chase allowed me to keep my chasers at bay.  Day 2 at Gibbs was similar as Tristan again went and I tried to follow.  He opened a small gap then lessened the pace which allowed me to bridge up.  Scott McLaughlin saw the opportunity and was close on my wheel.  Tristan picked it up and pulled me out of the gutter as we began to gap McLaughlin.  We traded pulls the next few laps before Tristan put a couple of surges in to win the race.  I finished 2nd for the second day in a row.

 

Photo: Djonnymac

golden shower

 

Photo:  djonnymac

Polska Madness

 

Photo:  Joe Curtes

Friday

Sometimes you just need a place.  A place where you're on a first name basis and the business card is behind the bar.  A place with no windows and wildlife mounts on the walls.

Karin and I crossed the MN border just before dusk on Friday as we zigzagged our way down rural highways and country roads into Northfield.  Daniel and Linda were awesome and put us up for the night.  The following morning we split Northfield pretty early to get a good breakfast at Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis before arriving at the Singlespeed Regional Champs venue.  A big thanks to Dave W. and his wife Lisa for showing up all the way from Milwaukee!  The field was pretty stacked and I went for it right from the start.  I got the holeshot before Hollywood came up along side and pulled the group through the next portion of chicanes.  Just before dropping into the velodrome Marko went and I took the cue to follow.  I was feeling good and was about to power up a steep 180 bank when I heard a crack and spun my chain off.  I looked down to fix the chain but my chainring was hanging around my pedal (see previous post).  I cut a short corner and ran down just beyond the pit taking a bike handup from Hurl.  I don't know what I was on but it was steel, it fit pretty good and the gear was just right.  I was probably sitting 5th and trying to make up time.  About a lap into my chase I came around a corner just before dropping into the velodrome again when an official pulled me from the race - DQ'd for cutting and taking  bike hand off outside of the pit!  I was forced to withdraw and on the drive back home decided to redeem myself at Estabrook Park the following day.  

Photo: Al Haas

Local stud Chad Hartley led us out on the roadie favored course.  Into the first turn my pressure felt a little low in the rear tire.  We cleared the first barriers and entered a small technical section when my rear flat was confirmed.  I held my line and picked up my spare bike in the pit.  

Photo: Al Haas

Coming out of the pit I was sitting 5th and the group eventually began to break up on the flat straights.  Kevin Klug put in a lot of hard efforts and strung us along for several laps.  I went out front when I could and tried to return the favor but nobody besides Kevin wanted to do any work.  He was riding really strong and I could tell we were gapping the rest of the field in the technical sections.  The final 2 laps it was down to Kevin and myself.  We had a decent gap on Hartley, though a couple times when I looked back around corners he was down in TT pursuit mode.

   Photo: Al Haas

On the final lap I came through the barriers and put in an effort to gap Kevin but I could see his shadow close behind.  I bunny-hopped the log climb and put in another surge creating a good enough gap to win as long as I could maintain the same speed.  

Photo: Al Haas

I felt the course was a significant improvement from last year.  The 4-pack of barriers and pinwheel were a nice touch.  It seems every year as the WCA Cyclocross attendance grows the venues continue to get better and better.  It could be a slow upcoming weekend but I'm planning on racing at least one day locally.

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