HALLOWEEN CYCLO CROSS

My Mom calls it nutty cycling. When you are 56 years old and your mom still thinks you are a kid life is pretty good. I wasn't going to go to Astoria for this years Halloween race. I don't really party (beer and I do not get along). So for me the real party is the race . I am not much of a costume guy either, but I love everyone else's costumes. Last year I realized the girls (women) did the slinky lingerie much better than the guys. We had a few this year who really let it hang out. Eye candy for the guys. Why not? My favorite was the cloths line. Bridgette and Dani actually rode with a cloths line between them. It was fun.
Some of you know I have been training with Justin Wadsworth the last few years. He has been a great help. My training this time of year consists of weight training (once or twice a week) intervals (at least twice a week) and racing(once a week). I try to train for a specific event this year state championships) so the weekly routine is pretty intense with no real rest for the normal cross crusade races. I like to do well but I like to look at the big picture. This last week I did what we call a block of intervals. It started on Friday with a 4,5,6,7,6,5,4 set of intervals, rest on Sat, race hard on Sunday, two sets of 4X4 intervals on Monday (one in the morning and one in the afternoon, rest on Tues, one set of 6x5 intervals on Wed with weights in the afternoon. Then 6x4 intervals in the morning and 4x5 in the afternoon. Rest on Fri and Sat. So I should be tired right. No I felt fantastic on Sun and other than a bobble in the first minute I rode my strongest race in years. It is a wonder what a good coach and a healthy body will do. I was ready for an off day. Sorry for all the interval details.
I had a great time cheering all my friends and teamates at the race yesterday. I was exausted by the end of the women's race and I still had one race to go. Instead of running around I just camped out in one spot and screamed the whole time. It helps to have the custom Sunnyside Sports cow bells(provided by Pedros and Damian).
The other thing that happened this week is I did not drive. Damian took me over the day before in the Pedros flower van. We shared a motel, I slept in, (that could have helped my race). If it wasn't for Damian I would not have gone. Thank you so much.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Brett Jarolimek. I did not really know Brett. I met him for the first time at Alpenrose, he parked near us. We talked a bit. He,like me,loved cyclo cross and cycling. I usually cheer for his competitor in the single speed race but I cheered for him also. I was touched by the things Brad and Rick said the begining of the silent lap. The reason I cross race is it is fun but it is the one time I get to see all the cycling friends I have made in Oregon in the last 30 years. No other venue brings us all together. It is a 8 week long celebration of what we all love. It is hard to loose one of those family members. Till next week.
Don

One day later

Well we made to the Cross Crusade Race in Rainer all right. Chris slept in (smart man) but Emily and I left at 4:00 am and arrive at 7:40. 2o extra minutes for me. The course made the drive worthwhile. It was 2 miles long, with long climb, a long descent and some tricky corners. How good is that. I first couple of laps I was tentative on my attacking and I made one mistake on a tricky corner. After that I got going again and really pushed myself to the limit. I ended up a strong 3rd catching 2ND with first and Steve Yenne no where in sight. There were no barricades (rumor has it were worn out). I could ride all the steep stuff so I could rest my arm let it heal a little more. I love the muddy corners were you can do a controlled drift.

I drove over with the charming Emily and we discussed everything from astrology to cyclo cross worlds.

I will miss the race in Astoria next week. Just too far (as if Rainer wasn't). I had another bonus this weekend: last summer at Pickett's Charge mountain bike race I ended up 4Th. I good result considering how strong everyone is in our group, but I was bummed because Robin and Julie had come up with the most awesome medals, and I didn't go fast enough to get one. I learned later that summer that the winner of our category (50 to death) was only 49. So I ended up with one of those beautiful medals after all. I will hang it in my bike shrine. I have posted a photo of the medal and of some action on the Rainer race course.

11 HOURS TO GO

I am at work on Sat and I just realized I need to leave for tomorrow's cross race in less than 11 hours. In that time Chris and I need to finish work (2 hours), go home, put on my snow tires (the car), eat dinner, sleep 8 hours, drive 4 hours sign in warm up and race. Is there enough time? I don't know. I will try. I had a good training week and feel like I am ready. I can now lift my bike on my shoulder which could come in handy. Time to go.
Don

CROSS IN OREGON

Yesterday was the second Cross Crusade race this year. Brad and company have been getting record turnouts. They deserve the credit for this. There are other states, bigger than Oregon.
These races are hard, lots of competition, and fun. I drive three hours one way every week to attend. Next week it will be 4 hours. I will not make to the 5 hour one as we all have limits.
Yesterday was remarkable in many ways but the two that got to me was how many women raced. I have posted a photo, the other is once again I find my self watching Adam Craig winning, smiling and showing off his Single Speed Worlds Tattoo.
I was talking to Eric Tonkin, long time Portland Cross racer, about the competition. I thought it was getting better every year. He is one of the best and has a different perspective, and then I reminded him of Adam being National Mountain bike Champ, and Ryan Trebon, if he wasn't in Europe could also be here.
I think last year 5 of the top Americans in UCI points raced in Portland while the UCI race in the Midwest had to go on without them.
Cross is where it is at in Oregon. This is not just for the winners. The reason we have so many is the venues and the fun that the promoters of the Cross Crusade provide.

CROSS CRUSADE 2007

It was the first Cross Crusade cyclo cross race yesterday. There were 1078 riders. It was huge. There were lots of Bend people there and again the Sunnyside team showed a big presence. The main thing about cyclo cross is how hard it is and how fun it is.
My day starts at 3:45 AM. I get up make juice get my food ready load the bikes etc pick up my passengers (yesterday it was Chris Corno from the store) and try to be on the road before 5:00 AM. At six I have a simple breakfast of two hard boiled eggs (I like protein). This usually happens around Warm Springs. I can tell if I am making good time when the auto two hour notice shows up on the cars computer. If I past the Mt Hood information center then we are doing well.
I usually get to the venue around 8:00am. This gives me one hour to check the course and warm up on my trainer. I like to do three three minute efforts building up on each one. This takes 15 minutes and I need to be at the start around 8:50. Not much time. I like it that way so I can concentrate and race. When I am done with my race (yesterday I think I was 6th) I wash up drink a recovery drink, eat some yogurt and then relax. I wait for my teammates to show up, make sure they have everything they need. I try to watch every race, I take some photos and shout myself hoarse.
Every week I come home thinking I may be getting a cold.
Between races I visit with friends and tell war stories.
That is how the next 7 Sundays will go for me. I have posted a couple of photos of the race. If you are a bike racer you need to do a Cross Crusade Cross race.

BEND IN 2007

I I have lived in Central Oregon since 1969. I have seen a lot of changes. When I moved here the population was 12,000, now 75,000. Then no mountain bike trail, now hundreds of miles. Then 4 bike racers, now .... Not all bad things have happened with more people. I great library, lots of good places to eat, and, as you can see in the photos, we have lots of professional bike racers living in town. In this photo, of the local thurs night cross race we have a couple of Sunnyside Riders and a fellow dressed in Pink. One of the spectators asked why anyone would wear pink. Well, I pointed out that is Aaron Olson of the T-Mobile team. Recently returned from Europe with a podium (3rd) finish in the Tour of Ireland. In the other photos you can see recently crowned SSWC and current mountain bike champion Adam Craig, and his team mate, 2nd in SSWC and 5th ranked American mountain bike racer, Carl Decker. Of course Carl is no new comer to Bend. He has been here since around 1980. He started racing the same year I did. He was around 10 and I was 33. Bend is a great place to live if you like bicycles.

OCTOBER ALREADY

It just seems like a few days ago it was August and I was headed to Scotland. Now the month of September has passed and we are into October.
I was out on my new Trek Cross bike yesterday in the rain and remembered once again October is the best mountain bike month in Bend. The trails were sweet. It was a little cold but it was worth it. I did get a pinch flat. It is easy to get going as fast as the mountain bike and then hit that one rock.
Cross season has started and the team is doing well.
Robin Laughlin was third in the master women. She said she loved the mud. Mike Schindler was fifth in the master 35 + men. Excellent result. The cross crusade starts next week, I hope to start my season then.
I was in the store today and noticed a stars and stripes painted bike. It was Adam Craig's Super D Giant. Great paint job. It is fun to work in a bike store. No photos this time.
Don