Hey @AnthonyOtt, yes I am in and have space for two other riders. I have a SUV and a three bike rack. So there's plenty of room. Do both of you live in Manhattan? I live in Queens so I have to pass through Manhattan to figure out a pickup location. Shoot me a text (347 6288194) and we'll discuss further. 

@RobertPeras apologies as this is a bit of unsolicited advice, but it is in my radar that this might be your first race.

If it is, even if it is an hour or two before the race, have Anthony and/or Max talk you thru dismounting and remounting at barriers, and how to suitcase/carry the bicycle. Even doing it very slowly but correctly, will be faster and safer than improvising during the race.

@eloy thanks! This is my first race. 

Still seeking a ride for Sunday. I race at 3:30.  My fall back plan will be the NJ transit to Trenton and warmup ride to the race (no rain please!).  Please let me know if there may be a chance to coordinate.  Thank you!

Tut-tut, it looks like rain.  Mud tires

So much mud

So jealous. Do tell

AnthonyOtt said:

So much mud

I raced at 8am, first field of the day, and it was already wet and muddy. The best lines changed a bit as the race went on, but there were a few sections, especially in Whirly's (in)famously long straightaways, where there was still some grass to follow. By Anthony's race at 3:30 p.m....bikes, riders, the course--everything was mud. What a day to open the season. 

Well, that was a lot of mud.  I just finished overhauling my BB and rear hub.  Bike should be in good shape for Nittany!

I spent Saturday night at my college friend's place downtown Philly.  We had a good dinner, but I abstained from the beer this time.  I got my haircut Sunday morning and stopped by McDonald's for Hot Cakes (an old DePaul prerace tradition – don’t knock it until you try it).  

I got to the course a couple hours early and prerode with a couple extra layers for warmth and to keep the kit clean.  I rode some slightly bald PDXs at 40 psi on first pre-ride lap.  I was spinning the rear wheel without much effort, so I dropped down to 25 psi or so for the remaining recon and race.  No green grass to be seen except for on the straight-aways.

The entire woods section and 3 or 4 ponds on the course had inches of standing water.  An off-camber, extra muddy section was faster to run.  I ran the second half of the woods section as well, mostly to avoid a pinch flat (running 25 psi inner tube clinchers) on one of the many roots beneath the water.

After a couple more warm up laps before 1/2/3 race, I felt like I was ready in terms of equipment.  I shivered in the car sitting on a towel purchased especially for the occasion.  I rode to the line 10 min before start.  The start was delayed 15 minutes because 1/2/3 lap times had slowed tremendously.  The race started and I was toward the back of the field of 21.  I really need to start harder.

I reeled in a handful and sat in 10th position at the end of the first lap and held it for the second lap.  Early on, I had much more power than those around me, which says I need to go out and stick with the next group up the course in the future. 

The gas tank emptied in the last two laps.  I got passed twice in the fourth and final lap to finish 12th on the day.  By the numbers, it was one of my better races in the last few years.

Let's boogie at Nittany!  I will be closing out both days once again in the 2/3s.  Maybe the hurricane will make for some more mud!

Generally speaking your effort in the hole shot should be about the same as for a winning sprint - ie: everything you've got. Once the hold shot is over things line out and it's much, much harder to pass people.

we out here, Rob killing it currently 7th place... race ongoing looking sharp!!

I will ride over shortly

Hahah omg the look of struggle. 
Ended up 8th in the 4/5s! 

Won the SS.  There were two of us.....but they started us with the 3s and I finished higher than I normally do in the 3s.  Should I run the SS against the geared guys in the 3s at nittany? Or geared bike in 3s? Or stick to SS class?

Good times at Whirlybird. Suffering all around. Saw Rob race - he looked he was all in. 

Eloy and I raced the 50+ while Jim Feehan joined the 60+ club. The 50+ is a fast group averaging a little under 7 minutes a lap. Harry Hamilton, who won the 60+ group blew past me around 2 or 3 to go. He races Leadville every year. 

Jim's brother Thomas who rejoined Kissena (he was a member long ago) was also supposed to race the 50+ field but was involved in a crash on the Triangle ride on Thursday night. Ended up with a broken clavicle, cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. He had been building up to CX season which has clearly taken a hit. He is still in the hospital. 

I didn't get to see Anthony race, but his lap times on a single speed were really fast. Was he 50, he would have challenged for the podium in my field. Wow.

Maybe it's the shock of the first race of the year, but I felt I was struggling to keep up with the fast guys in my field. I had a third row call up and wasn't able to move up much in the start. The first lap or two were wicked fast. I stayed with the leaders and tried to move up on the uphills. This put me in 12th after the 1st lap, but I paid for those grinder/uphill efforts as I started getting gassed and made a few mistakes. I slipped out on one corner and a few laps latter hit the barrier with my rear wheel sending the bike into the air. I hope someone got pictures or video because it probably looked pretty funny. After getting myself back together I pushed on, catching some and being caught by others. I made time on the climbs (really grinders) but tended to lose time on the power sections. Go figure. Good enough for 17th.

Caught up with some cross racers I haven't seen since last season. Glad that cross season is back. Good to see some Kissenas out there. Come join us!

Speaking of suffering - some HR data from today.

Race report from the 4/5s: 
Call ups were done by order of reg, so I ended up 3rd row at 29th. I thought a lot about getting out quick at the start to make it toward the front by the first right hand turn and ended up making it there in the top 10. I tried to keep on the gas until things sort of spread out in the hopes of making it to the barriers without a huge group. I was at in 7th for much of the first 2 laps, 2 guys passed me shortly after. One was a guy who was called up #52 but I had raced with at Killington. He mowed everyone down and ended up second for the day I think. Then I was able to pick off one guy that blew up and was racing on my own for the rest of the way until the 2nd to last lap where a guy from behind passed me. I think he came from a ways back because after he made the pass he blew up pretty bad and I managed to sneak around him right after the grind-y long hill. 

I'm super pleased and frankly a little surprised with how well the day went. I've never cracked top 20 in cross so sneaking in the top 10 was great! Also had a lot of take-aways for next race. Time to get out of cat 5's!

Anthony - HFS -Nicely done!
That sounds like a seriously shit deal for Thomas.

Congrats Anthony!! signup for the Cat 3 but race it on the SS

Not much to add, they simplified the course from previous years -- from what was already a relatively simple course -- still tons of 180s turns and omg so much bumpy. Totally feeling it in the arms as I type this.

Eternal nemesis Patrick and Barry Jones totally beat me, but barely by a few spots, this is a good course to ride wheels, so of course I missed all the groups, frankly kinda ok for first race of the season. 

Lots of rusty bits to work on, but excited for the 2019 season!

How do you like my socks? Best part of onboard video is catching odd moments like this wipeout



At one point Eloy was closing in...



The first lap



The first corner



If you look at the shadow you can see me wrestling to regain control of my bike after the tire bounced off the barrier. Not proper technique, but I kept moving forward!

those photos are the coolest hotness!

also, forgot to mention, got a TP HR Notification, highest 20 min HR of 2019

Love the flying feet!

Full video from the 50+ race:

https://youtu.be/dUOwjYBIVag

Whirlybird 2021 Report:

• Cyclocross is back
• Hotness
• OMFG
• OUCH
• 3rd row, but ok-ish start
• After one lap find myself ahead of James and just one place behind nemesis Barry Jones
• Keep that place for what feels like forever
• but judging by how I'm feeling we must be close to the end of the race...
• obvs... 
• I can feel myself fading soon...
• look down at my computer, I have raced only 15 minutes 
• wut
• wut
• wut?!?!!?
• WTF
• OMFG 
• OUCH OUCH OUCH
• ouch
• that means 30 more minutes
• wut
• OMFG
• no way
• no way
• wut?!?!?!!?!!?
• start doing math in my head:
• "actually..., dude, 30 more minutes for Roger..., for you, dude, gonna be like 40ish more minutes"
• how rude?!!!!!!!?!??
• WTF
• NO FFFFng way
• so rude
• an infinity later, I end up finishing 2 spots behind James, both quietly in the 20ish
• default goals for next race: beat James, top 20 place
• 2021 cyclocross here we go!
• Oh there was a cool runup and a couple of muddy bogs, course super different than ever before
• tons of crazy hard fun
• very veldrijden
• highest 20 minutes HR for 2021

Jim Feehan looked like the hotness, Rob got an amazing result, James was going so hard he doesn't remember passing me. Good times.

Let's go race bikes!

Addendum:

• Some kids by the run up yelled at me: "c'mon! you got the coolest glasses!"
• Post race, Dan Chabanov said: "Looking good out there, Eloy"
• I assumed he meant in the first 6 minutes

I can probably retire now.