Creve Coeur Cyclocross

 Creve Coeur is usually a place for me to avoid when cyclocross racing.  I mean, it's flat.  I'm not good on the flat ground.  However, with my newfound excitement for racing my mountain bike in inappropriate places, I decided to do it anyway.  And it was great!  I lead the first long lap and only began to get passed in the second lap.  I was never farther back than 4th place!  The first photo is the second or third lap, chasing Scott Ogilvie.

 There was a killer dirt mound on the backside of the course.

 I was putting some distance between myself and some 'crossers, while getting gapped at the front by the fast guys.

 Scott schooled me EVERY time on the barriers.

Some VERY cool corners.  I finally got away from Scott when he rolled a tubular on a particularly tricky corner.  Too bad, as I was hoping to actually race to the finish line.  I ended up 3rd place, my best placing in a 'cross race since 2001.

Thanks to Chris Creed for the great photos!!!

st. vincent cyclocross race

Thanks to Mike Dawson for the killer photo!

After the horrific race at Faust Park last weekend, I was very close to giving up on cyclocross racing, AGAIN.  I mean, really, I give up on it every year.  I start the 'cross racing season with all good intentions, and then bail on it because...well...I suck.  I have never mastered the sport.  I can't insult all of the good 'cross racers by saying that I have put in the time to be good at it, because I haven't.  I just expect it to be like mountain biking and it's not.  I don't put in the time, my good intentions get shoved down my throat, and I sell the 'cross bike and quit for the season.  In my defense, the season is only 7 or 8 weeks, so it's not like I'm giving up an enormous chunk of racing, but it is extremely helpful to race 'cross because it lengthens the racing season, effectively shortening the down time winter enforces upon us.  If you stop racing in Missouri when the MTB racing season ends (most of the time mid-October) then there is a 4-5 month wait to race again. 

So, every year, I start racing the Bubba Series and every year i quit.

I didn't exactly quit this time, although I did quit racing an actual cyclocross bike.  I don't ride those bikes well.  I'm timid, I'm non-aggressive, and I'm slow on those bikes.  One could argue that racing a mountain bike on courses designed for 'cross bikes is slow, too.  And that's a good argument.  But, at least for me, mountain bikes are generally faster as long as the course isn't perfectly flat and non-technical.  I love riding mountain bikes, and when I set one up right for 'cross, it's not a bad tool for the job.  For me, it's the best tool I can grab.

So, I grabbed the P.O.S. Sette, outfitted in the lightest way I could think of, and headed to St. Vincent park today for the Bubba race.  The course was awesome with a capital AWESOME.  Really fun, ups and downs, sand pits, chicanes, climbs, descents, etc.  I did better than I have done in a 'cross race in almost 10 years, 6th place.  For a while there, it looked as though I might keep it in the top 5, but what I gain in handling and confidence with the mountain bike, I lose in the power sections to the 'cross bikes.  And, let's face it, there are some good riders in this series and I could have been on a rocket powered scooter and still been off the back.  And they ride 'cross bikes very well, thank you.

There you have it.  I'm as good as I'm going to get on 3-4 hours of riding a week with this 44 year old body.  And I'm thankful for that.

just some dog stuff

 i resurrected an old phone of mine recently.  i just couldn't stand the way my newer phone worked, so i tried the old one out.  i've come to really like it, so i'm happy.  whilst fooling around with it, i found an old photo on there of our dear rocky.  seems he was really living it up on the blankets in our room.  that made me think of this old post i did a while back of our two canine friends enjoying a little time together:

rosco: dude, seriously, warn me if you have one of your famous gas attacks.
rocky: there are hundreds of soft places for you to lay in this living room and you choose my butt.
rosco: there are none warmer and there are none softer than your old, flabby butt.
rocky: if i wasn't so comfortable i would pick you up by the scruff of your neck like a puppy and toss you out in the cold like a stuffed animal.
rosco: if you weren't so comfortable you would probably be in the kitchen eating my food.
rocky: i didn't know that Gund's could talk.
rosco: i didn't know that sta-puft marshmallow also made dogs.
rocky: i think someone is missing their hamster tonight.
rosco: rocky?
rocky: yes?
rosco: g'night.
rocky: g'night, rosco.

eli lost a tooth!

forgive the bad cell phone photo, but i had to give you a look at our baby, who lost his first tooth today.  he's looking forward to the tooth fairy's generosity.....

this looks comfy

he seems to find the best places to sleep.

super short video of tyson racing 'cross

night time cyclocross at faust park

 tonight was the night race at faust park in chesterfield.  it has a halloween theme, so the kids did a little dressing up.  hanna got a cardinals makeover.  she was gorgeous in the new world series champion colors.  eli was a storm trooper, and tyson went as a bike racer, because he was actually racing tonight.

 deanna and i went as matching hincapie models.  it was nice to see all of our friends on the off the front team, as this was sort of the year in party for them.

 tyson was doing his first juniors race.  he showed the cunane kids around the course as a warm up.

 old partners in crime, the beautiful mrs k, cristal, and mary.  cristal did the cross race in a fat suit, and hilarity ensued.

 tyson lined up with mike bobelak junior and sawyer cleeland.

 all of the juniors receive pre-race instructions from mr. pirtle.

the course was hard and long.  sawyer took the race wire to wire, and tyson took the second.  he was suffering but kept the heat on.

mountain bike stuff

The Sette got a little make-over.  Actually, it got a downgrade.  Sort of.  It's no longer the go-to bike, so it's back to old cranks, mechanical discs, and even a carbon rigid fork.  It's an all season warrior now.

 And that is because of this.  It's a 2012 Scott Scale 29'er Carbon Pro.  It's getting the good stuff (the stuff that will fit, anyway).  It will be a few days before it's ready for prime time, as the Prime Pro brake line is too short.  Grrrrr.

'cross at fort belle fontaine

thanks patrick kirkes for the great photo.

more pain and suffering at fort belle fontaine today.  not my ideal course, as the corners were faster, straights were longer, and power was necessary....and we know i don't have any power.  so i made the best of it and came up 8th once again.  start was good.  started falling back after a couple of laps.  held on pretty well and even had some rider attrition to help out.  my bike held together, which seemed to really be a problem out there with lots of dropped and broken chains.

maybe faust park will be different, but knowing the lay of the land there, i say i'm in for a bit more of today's type of course than that of queeny park, which suited me much more.

cyclocross racing at queeny

after racing the hermann race under the lights this year, i had my doubts about continuing racing cross.  i mean, i was struggling.  but, after a bit of evaluation, i came up with a plan to improve on what i think is an impossibly hard cycle sport.  after today's race at queeny park, i can see some improvement and i'm glad i kept with it.

it was hot, the course was technical and bumpy, and a fair amount of people showed up today.  i had a good start, briefly found myself in the top three, suffered for better than an hour, and finally settled for 8th place.  i dare to say i had fun while doing it, too.

i need to work on being more aggressive in the corners.  i need to work on my power production.  and, i need to stay with the race at the front as long as possible.  ok, pretty much sounds like i need to work on everything.

so glad to have my cheering section as well at queeny.  it makes all the difference in the world.

ferrari in the hood?

what the heck is a ferrari doing in my neighborhood early this morning??  just down the street, too.  it had dealer plates, so i don't think anyone won the lottery.  maybe a late night bootie call that stayed??

my women

i love my women.  aren't they beautiful?

bike stuff

so i have been sporting my new cross bike lately.  it's a raleigh RXC carbon bike.  i upgraded some of the cheaper components so it's a pretty competitive bike.  now, if only i could be competitive on it!  never fear, it will be for sale at the end of the cross season in december.  line up your purchase now!

 i finally added the hayes prime pro brakes to the mountain bike.  they are super trick.  i love the lever feel and there are tons of adjustments to get the engagement just right.  sweet.

take a kid mountain biking day

tyson negotiated the obstacle course with ease.  impunity, even!

after a couple of great rides on the trails, hanna waits patiently for her chance in the raffle.  she carted off a super cool back pack and tyson nabbed some really cool mtb gloves.

gorc sponsored a really neat event at brommelslick park in st. charles county on saturday.  it was called "take a kid mountain biking day".

i took some goods out for give-aways courtesy of big shark west, so i brought along the kids.  the kids got to ride some really cool obstacle courses in preparation for a little bit of actual off-roading on the trails.  tyson has already done some off-roading of his own, but it was hanna's first try and she had a great time.  i sagged the groups of kids that were led by park rangers.  i was worn out from helping a few kids on bmx bikes (with questionable braking power) get up and down the hills.  all in all, it was great.  we had a blast.

way to go, hanna!

it was a long weekend of vollyball for my oldest.  she had tournament games on friday night and all day on sunday.  the friday night games had flashes of brilliance, but the team went away without a win.

today was a different story.  after starting off with with a couple of mediocre losses, the team bounced back and won two in a row, both very good games, both with some gutsy playing.

way to go, hanna!