O/T: Duckwrench races again! Race #5, Sunday Dec. 7th. Season Finale!!

[duckwrench13]

For those of you interested, tomorrow is race #1 of the Bay Area Super Prestige Cyclocross Series.

http://www.pilarcitos.com/2008CrossLaunch.htm

Race#1 @ McLaren Park, SF. The first race of the day starts at 8:30am. Depending on where they place me... I still have my Sr. Expert license, so I'm not sure how that will stack me in their ranking system... I'll be racing at 8:30 with the Men's Category C, or with the Masters 35+ Cat-B at 10.

Either way, it's a blast to watch! If you've never seen a 'cross race, this is a great way to get a first hand experience. Guaranteed to be a hoot no matter how you slice it!!

And with all things 'cross, there will be plenty of  , and most likely plenty of  .

So come one, come all, and watch the crazed masses of masochists carry perfectly ridable bicycles around a race course for no apparent reason other than to torture themselves! And you can count on seeing a certain wrench wielding DMFer (yep, your's truly) put his face in the dirt on more than one occasion.

[desmoquattro]

Good luck mate!

[duckwrench13]

Since there was no question of my license status, I decided to play it safe and race in the Men's Cat-C group, at 8:30am. I figured it would be a slightly milder pace, and a good gauge of how my back would handle the abuse.

All said and done, it was a pretty good race. It was actually run in Crocker-Amazon Park, on the lower side of the McLaren golf courses. The course was more suited to a cross country mountain bike race, instead of cyclocross. Super hard-packed and lumpy as hell. Lots of stutter bumps/brake chop on the descents, and hundreds of gopher holes/mounds in the softer damp soil of the football/softball fields.

The 50 meter "Super Quad" barrier was slightly intimidating. It was made from 4 floor joists about 12" tall. The intimidation came from knowing that if you clipped a foot, you were going down! Those things had absolutely no flex!! And then there was "The Beast." It was a 30 meter run-up, up a 50-ish degree incline that was rock hard and glass smooth on the sides, and ankle deep silt across the middle. There was a fair amount of paved portions and sandy sections mixed in to round things out.

Overall, not a bad return to 'cross racing. I'm guessing I finished in the last third of the field, but I'm not too concerned about it. I held a decent pace, didn't fumble or crash, and finished feeling fairly good. I'll complete the entire series this year, and just make mental notes as it goes along. Next year I will have a training plan, and take a serious shot at an overall podium finish.

Next race is on November 2nd, at Candlestick Recreation Area. 

And now for the ever important post race recovery routine... 

[Desmostro]

w00t! way to go  mang 

[somegirl]

 

We need pictures next time.

[Popeye the Sailor]

We need pictures next time.

Forget that-we need video.


Especially if he faceplants.

[duckwrench13]

We need pictures next time.

I guess the 8:30am start time was too early for the photographers.... I'm still waiting for the earlier races to post up somewhere so I can grab some pics.

[duckwrench13]

 Race #2 of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series is here, and so is the rain. And when you mix the two of them together, you get true cyclocross racing!!

Racing starts at 8:30am, and continues throughout the day (and the rain) until 3pm. I'll be racing in the Masters 35+ B's @ 10am. 40 minutes of wet muddy hell! And you can bet the farm there will be plenty of slippin' -n- slidin' mud soaked crashing all day!!

So grab your umbrella, and head on over to Candlestick Point for some fast paced, mud slicked, wet, wild and crazy racing action!!

[sonofabike]

Didn't get there till noon today because of a morning commitment.  Missed your race, but I caught the A men and women, and that huge field start of the Bs at the end of the day.  Word was all those folks had it good with better mud pack and all the C groups were racin' on a long slip 'n slide.   

Too bad I missed it!  And congrats to you.   

[duckwrench13]

This was the first wet race since 2004, so it was anyone's game. The course was fairly flat, with the elevation changes coming from going over large berms around the park. There was a good sized run-up...nothing like "The Beast" at McLaren... and plenty of mud. The rains had helped to soften the ground a bit, and knock down much of the harsh choppy bumps (thanks to the gophers), but also gave us some really great muddy flats to negotiate.

My start was better than I thought. I had lined up around mid pack, just to the outside left along the fencing.  I got a good drive off the line, and took a hard tight charge to the inside on first turn. By the second lap, I had  settled into a good pace within the lead pack of the field. According to my co-worker, who was staged just behind me, I dropped about 12-15 riders on my first turn charge, and then dropped about 10 more through the next couple of corners. I was holding on to a 20-something place when my back started giving me problems. By the end of it all I had dropped back to 38th out of 60. 

All told, it was a good day. Conditions were good, and the course was fast and fun. I would've liked to have held on to my lead pack position, but the back wasn't having it. Oh well. This is purely an experimental season for me. I'm planning on a full attack of the 2009 Series, so for now this is going to be a chance to regain my form and try new tactics and set ups.

Next race is on November 15th, @ Sierra Point, starting at 2pm. Master 35+ B's (my group) goes at 4pm. It should be a real entertainer, since the later races being run under the lights! http://www.pilarcitos.com/2008Cross.htm

And keep your calendars clear for Nov 30's race at Golden Gate Park. We're gonna get some folks together, set up the tents and bbq's, and make a day of it!

[Desmostro]

  Mud FEST!

GG Park sounds fun!

Glad your back is allowing any racing. Get better!

This was the first wet race since 2004, so it was anyone's game. The course was fairly flat, with the elevation changes coming from going over large berms around the park. There was a good sized run-up...nothing like "The Beast" at McLaren... and plenty of mud. The rains had helped to soften the ground a bit, and knock down much of the harsh choppy bumps (thanks to the gophers), but also gave us some really great muddy flats to negotiate.

My start was better than I thought. I had lined up around mid pack, just to the outside left along the fencing.  I got a good drive off the line, and took a hard tight charge to the inside on first turn. By the second lap, I had  settled into a good pace within the lead pack of the field. According to my co-worker, who was staged just behind me, I dropped about 12-15 riders on my first turn charge, and then dropped about 10 more through the next couple of corners. I was holding on to a 20-something place when my back started giving me problems. By the end of it all I had dropped back to 38th out of 60. 

All told, it was a good day. Conditions were good, and the course was fast and fun. I would've liked to have held on to my lead pack position, but the back wasn't having it. Oh well. This is purely an experimental season for me. I'm planning on a full attack of the 2009 Series, so for now this is going to be a chance to regain my form and try new tactics and set ups.

Next race is on November 15th, @ Sierra Point. It should be a real entertainer, since the later races being run under the lights! http://www.pilarcitos.com/2008Cross.htm

And keep your calendars clear for Nov 30's race at Golden Gate Park. We're gonna get some folks together, set up the tents and bbq's, and make a day of it!

[enzo]

Hey duckwrench, check your PM.

[duckwrench13]

Saturday, November 15th, is the 3rd race of the Bay Area Super Prestige cyclocross series.

Races start at 2pm, out at Sierra Point in Brisbane. C'mon out and take in the racing and festivities.

The Masters B 35+ race is at 4pm, and the last 3 races of the day will be run under the lights! Woo-hoo! Night racing!!

http://www.pilarcitos.com/2008Cross.htm

[ducnymph]

Have a good race DW 13! Me and T might be able to come out and support/harass you for the 4pm race. It's been for-evs, miss ya.

[Desmostro]

How was it mang?!