Monster Cross

Lesson learned.... the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires are NOT winning!  At 570g and a design that is made for durability not speed, they are just sooo slow.  I was not aware how much of a disadvantage heavy/slow tires would be.  My idea was that the Mondials would be bullet proof and therefore no worries about flats, but they are such a huge disadvantage in a race that being flat resistant does not even matter.

not for racing... trust me :)

After the race was over I looked at what the winners were riding... haha... they were riding file tred tires!  Oh man I really made a mistake with my ultra cross setup.

Right from the gun I was getting dropped by the main pack of the Elite field and they were not even going that fast, I just could not go any faster.  I am positive I should have been able to keep pace with them easily. My fitness is there, but my tires were definitely holding me back.

Once I lost site of the main group I was riding with 3 others.  They advised me to take a wrong turn and we went off course for 2.5 miles.  I returned to the course where I left it 10 minutes later and just drilled it for the rest of the race.  On the bright side I got in a GREAT early season workout!!

At the end of the race I was able to help my team mate Auggie Plitt and another friend Brian Patton do well in their races by acting as their person domnestique... that was very fun!

With bad luck/results in the last 2 races I am just going to hope that I have gotten all of my bad races over with for the year.  There is so much more racing to be had still.  Can't wait!!

Lance won the Open Cyclocross Division and he was actually 1st amongst all non-pro racing divisions!  He had the race of his life.  Adam won the Single Speed Cyclocross division and was able to work with Lance the entire race.

Lance, myself, and Adam eating some post-race chili!

For my next Ultra Cross race I will NOT be riding on the Mondials... I need to reevaluate my setup that is for sure.

Southern Cross

Sometimes it is good to get your butt kicked... keeps things in perspective...

Greg Rittler, Tom Blanks, and I made the trek from Baltimore to Georgia on Friday before the race.  We made it there in a solid 10hr 15min of driving and we arrived just before packed pickup closed at 7pm.  Greg did all of the driving... while Tom and I prepared for the race :)

Sleeping while Greg does all the driving!

I was pretty excited to race this one and I was hoping for a top 5 finish.  I am still not super strong and coming off of base training but I still figured I could put in a decent effort and do decently well.

The morning before the race I had 2 bowls of oatmeal and 1 probar.  In the past I usually eat way more than that before any race but I felt like I didn't need any more food so I didn't eat anymore... this ended up being my #1 mistake of the day.

At the start Greg, myself, and Tom

The race started at a medium/fast pace.  I was not outside my limit but I had a bad start and the lead pack of about 7-8 guys got a gap on the group I was with.  By the time I was in a position to catch them they had already created a substantial distance between our groups.  Luckily I had some strong guys in my group and we were able to work together to catch back up before the start of the 1st climb.

The first major climb was a little over 5 miles and very steep at the top.  I had overdressed a little and I was really sweating about 1/2 way through... that was okay though I would rather be hot than cold.  As we were getting closer and closer to the top I was starting to get really hungry and feeling really weak.  I was only in zone 4 and I didn't feel very strong anymore.  I could not seem to push into zone 5 and I watched the 4-6 leaders slowly got away from me... I had nothing to respond with.  My heart rate slowly decreased and so did my power output.

Not doing so good... (photo by Donna Combs Garcia)

Lots of guys passed me for a very long time :)  It was not until the last aid station at about mile 33 that I finally was able to find enough food to eat to make a full recovery.  the last 10 or so miles I felt great!  I was back to myself but it was way too late to salvage my race at that point.

I have trouble traveling and racing well.  I think the traveling messes with my eating schedule.. I need to figure this out for my races this year because I am traveling to quite a few.  There are other races like Cohutta that are in TN that I really want to do well at and I can't make this mistake again.

Greg Rittler crushed it!  He rode strong the whole time and finished 10minutes faster than his goal.

Tom Blanks had pretty much the same issue that I had, we both struggled with our energy levels.

We all had a great time!  The course was super challenging, well marked, and very well run.  Maybe next year I can have a good race when I go back.

Southern Cross This Weekend!!

I will be traveling to GA to race SoCx this weekend.  Heading there on Friday morning with Greg Rittler and Tom Blanks, staying there over night on Friday, racingggg on Saturday and then returning home right after the race is over!

I am really looking forward to this one.  It is a 50ish mile ultra distance cyclocross race over mostly gravel roads and big climbs.  There will be over 6k in elevation and 2 major climbs that are about 10 miles each.  The course suites me well.

I ended base training (long slow mileage) a few weeks ago and my speed is just coming back.  I am hoping to be in decent form for this race, not great form but decent...  If I can just manage to ride hard the whole time and not have any mechanicals or flats that will be a victory!  My last Ultra Cross race was Iron Cross last October where I got a flat that took me out of contention.  This time I am riding Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires that are basically overkill/bullet proof.  They might be a bit heavy but I will sacrifice that weight if it means no flats!  

Some of the fast guys, that I know, who are registered to race: 

• Gerry Pflug - Riding in the SS class but having only 1 gear won't slow him down that's for sure.
• Garth Prosser - 40+ overall winner from last year's Ultra Cross series
• Mike Simonson - Super fast dude who can crank out the wattage
• Paco Mancebo - Actually he is a pro level race who has crushed the Tour De France... I don't expect to be even close to this guy.
• Thomas Turner - Winner from 2012 Southern Cross in a time just over 3hrs!
• Brian Toone - This guy puts in massive mileage
• Brian Patton - Ultra CX expert!
• Jordan Kahlenberg - Training buddy and x-AFC team member

I hope I can keep up!