Results are up on crossresults.com

I spent all day saturday building my new G&T. This involved disassembly and cleaning of the components from my old bike, and rebuilding of my campy shifters, one of which had a broken spring carrier that I had somehow miraculously had the foresight to order in advance. After a lot of fretting and buiulding and rebuilding and adjusting and readjusting, I finally got the bike together at about 11 pm. No real test ride, but a sore back and gouged fingers. Collapsed on the couch to watch the opening skit of SNL before collapsing in bed to wait to see what the morrow would bring. Well, the bike felt weird. Not really bad, just weird. My front tire pressure was too low and the geometry of my front end is radically unfamiliar. Oh, and my rear shifter has way too much friction - very hard to shift. No warm up due to circumstances. Bad start - like last in my group. Then I had fun. The bike turns, though it may do better now that I have loosened up the headset (now virtually no load). I passed people (both 55+ and 45+. but in the end I felt I could have gone harder. I didn't ride the course as the really fast speedway it was until the last lap. Missed the beer and the drug testing.

Results are up on crossresults.com

Doh, yep

Jules said:

Ah Wump! E tu, glue job? Terrible. Are the results posted online anywhere yet?

also, if you click on your name in the results I posted, it will link you to crossresults.com. Results were up right away after the race was done...there are two timing guys who upload to the interweb like this Alan Atwood is one, and the guy who did today's race is the other. Not sure what his name/company is, but I've been in other races he's worked and the results get posted immediately.

The Hotlist should be sleeping or something, but its alter-ego still has over 100mg of caffeine, a Red Bull running through his veins and the nasty aftertaste of getting lapped in a cross race keeping him up, so let's break it down a bit. Today's, rather yesterday's, HPCX saw plenty of Kissena action and many of those early morning racers stayed around to cheer on their teammates in the later afternoon races.

1. Eric Ragot. Some deep undercover reporting done by the Hotlist today revealed that last week Rag-man indeed started at Marty, but DNFed due to being tired, feeling bloated, having a 'not-so-fresh' feeling or some other lame excuse. But this week, after a solid 17th place at HPCX where the winner Roger Aspholm was awarded 189 points, Ragot again proves that he can still crush your will to live on a pre-race warm-up lap.
   
   
2. Todd McLoughlin. He was scared of a little wind and rain (that isn't predicted to actually hit the area for like 5 more days) and bailed on racing the cat 3s. Still just one week off from racing and the hotlist has to keep our killer Cat 3 in number 2. But look out below...you've got competition in the "forum-sphere."
   
   
3. Joe Mueller. About right now, you might think I'm just cutting and pasting from last week's update. But you would be wrong. The Hotlist doesn't plagiarize from itself. Joe took his HTFU warning seriously and seriously whooped the Cat 4 field at HPCX for an excellent 2nd place worth 360 crossresults points. That's some good pointage for a Cat 4 nearly win. It's just about time the boy with the stars and stripes tights upgrades. Of course the hotlist will never hold it against anyone who waits for the top step of the podium.
   
   Four and five were tough to pick. Both were claiming flu season victimization, both had either begged off a day of racing or very nearly so, both rider's HPCX rider results were less than 3 crossresults points apart, both were riding bikes once owned by the same dude. In the end, the hotlist had to decide (for that is hotlist's lot in life)...
   
   
4. Jules Roazen. Dude likes the number 9. He comes back for the second week in a row and scores another 9th place, this time against a bigger and more competitive field. If we believe crossresults.com, this is actually his best result of the season. I guess someone's going to be going around licking subway poles and doing lunch-lady duty so he can catch some more sweet virusy-bacterial stuff.
   
   
5. Michael Perlberg. Oh man, is the Prez back? Maybe, early signs point to YES! A solid mid-pack finish in HPCX Cat 2/3/4 race suggests that he might give a few guys fits at the KCC CX Champs in a few weeks.
   
   
6. Jim Feehan. The hotlist likes reliable consistent things. Jim, on the other hand, I'm quite sure does not care what the hotlist thinks. Jim's results are reliable and consistent. Despite not having raced since Whirlybird, The Enigmatic Mr. Feehan jumps into another 45+ Master's race and busts out another finish in the 20s. In this case 27th. So how does a guy who places in the twenties make it so high on the the hotlist? Well, if you look at the crossresults points, his results have earned him from 346 to 402 points from week to week. If we could get another Cat 4 to crank out a top 10 at a big race, Feehan would have some competition, but not this week!
   
   
7. Joaquin de Baca. Another Hotlist battle for number 7--that gave the list pause--given the results of today's Master's 35+ race. Crossresults points would give the edge to JP, but the crossresults didn't race (and get beaten soundly) by both of these dudes today. Joaquin was the last guy NOT lapped by the top 4 of the race and held off not one, but TWO different charging long-haired freaks (see the Natural History's newly renovated Hall of Old Things Sad and Dusty for more on these two relics) Crossresults points put this guy at the top of the bottom 1/3 of the KCC crosser, between Bertucco and White, but Hotlist knows he's better than that.
   
   
8. JP Partland. Dropping from the #2 spot last week, the other long-haired guy on the team got to show what's he's got against some of his intramural rivals by racing the 35+ "Elite" race. A good start had him on track for a mid-ish pack finish, but a rolled tire and trip to the pit, ensured that he spent the rest of his time chasing stragglers. Disposing of Bertucco was easy as all those excuses you make after a bike race, but after getting as close as 5 seconds to the back side of Joaquin, the man on the Bianchi soon pulled away with enough distance to relegate JP to 8th on the hotlist.
   
   
9. David Stokes. Speaking of excuses, and despite breaking the cardinal rule of bike racing, "Don't screw with your bike the night before a race,"  David "I think I'll rebuild my shifter, yeah that's a good idea" Stokes hangs onto a spot on the hotlist with a 10th place finish. Quality-wise, his third best of the season earning him 448 points for his efforts.
   
   
10. Konrad Ratzman. Making his debut on the hotlist Konrad, is, looking at yesterday's results, the best of the rest finishing a solid 20th (especially given that it was his 2nd race this season) in the cat 4s. Further solidifying his rank this week was the fact that he was one of the many guys who gave awesome cheer to the hotlist as he was stinking up the joint, trying not to be in last place in the 35+ race.

Speaking of which, there was lots of great team support going on at the race yesterday, from collegial pre-race chatter and warm up laps, working the pits, screaming their heads off during the race and listening to post-race reports after our bells were rung, it felt good to wear the colors the best cycling team in the region.

BUT, the hotlist isn't the sentimental type, so let's also keep it real. We're past midway of the season and some of us need to start bringing their a-game to the big races. Hot one week, not the next. Hotlist not happy with having to drop dudes off the list but will. If you are a top 15 guy (you know who you are!) and are finishing something less than that, then you need to step it up. Punks.

Dear Hotlist,

For those of us who can't travel to Cycle-Smart, is it better to take the weekend off or to travel to some small new race in NJ? Do I risk dropping in the ranking through non-participation?

Thanks,
Concerned Crosser

"Working" from home today so I have some time to write a race report. Jules pretty much summed it up but I will throw in my perspective. 

This is the race in Jersey next weekend:

https://www.bikereg.com/NET/17527/Bubblecross-presented-by-Team-Town-Cycle

about 1:15 away. Eric, can you upgrade Joe so he can come beat up on me in the cat 3 race?

Im up for this race if anyone wants to do it.  Logic would be the B race, but for shits and giggles, anybody wanna throw down and be laughing stock with me in the A's?

No excuses here.  West Milford is riding distance.

A few notes from the 35+ field at HPCX:

1.  Cross is fun.
2.  Riding bikes is fun.
3.  Going fast is fun.
4.  Not a good start.  Started last, and only picked up 4 or 5 spots in the hole shot.  Took down another few in the first lap, but traded places with a couple of those.  It was pretty congested back there for the first lap.
4.  The officials were enjoying toying with our hopes and dreams.  After 2 laps, we had 4 to go.  So, after another four, I put in a finishing burst.  Unfortunately, the lap card said one to go at that point.  I think Mike got to see my face as I came to terms with that.  Oh well, time to shift back into gear and get back to work.

Northhampton is next.

I'm thinking of buying some new chainrings for the cross rig.  Standard Shimano BCD.  Any suggestions for respectable brands and online merchants for this sort of thing?

OK, I have excuses.

I've been waiting for that frame since beginning of Sept. No way was I going to let it sit in my living room while I went to another race. And the shifter was actually broken.


As for Ragot's Marty thing, Luca bent his fingers back right before the start and, as any Dad will know, you can't concentrate while wondering whether you should take your kid to the ER

(Luca was fine).

And 'cross is fun.

And don't think about editing the pictures in your post!

Hotlist LOVES those pics of Eric & Son!

Hotlist hopes everyone understands it has mad respect for all you crossers out there and pokes fun because it cares...and can't think of good heckles at the races.

Our top 10 list aside, Hotlist thinks that from a sporting/training point of view, Perlberg should keep his good momentum going and race, if he can, the local event this coming weekend. It would be different if he had a good solid block of training and/or racing leading into this weekend, and could use it for some quality training and/or rest, but hotlist thinks that putting in a few more solid weekends of racing and training without breaking just yet will do wonders for the form.

Hey just poking around the internets, trolling for results and found this page listing the New Jersey Cyclocross schedule. These races have points, and if you are looking for Garden State motivation, at a quieter, more accessible racing series than either the New England or MAC stuff perhaps this is it:

http://www.njbikeracing.com/cross-schedule.html

Joaquin said:

I'm thinking of buying some new chainrings for the cross rig.  Standard Shimano BCD.  Any suggestions for respectable brands and online merchants for this sort of thing?

130mm BCD, correct?  I think 46/38 is more or less standard.  So any 38 will do.  As for 46s, I even go so far as to not care about whether or not the ring is pinned and ramped--it's only an 8-tooth difference.  I think TA or Cyclocross World rings are 'cross specific, but I wouldn't worry about it.  I'm running SRAM rings at the moment.

Yup, 130 BCD.  I'm running 38/48 right now, and I'm finding that I'm frequently over geared in the big ring.  I might opt for a whole new compact crankset, and shoot for 36/46 (hoping that the little ring will be more useful as well), or I might just get the 46.  Thanks for the brand/store recommendations.

To run anything over a 46 in the US, you have to have McCormack as a surname.

Joaquin, I think you'll be able to use the 48 at Northampton for at least 1/2 of each lap. One year I got stuck in my big ring due to shifting issues. With a 28 in the back I was able to ride everything except for the big transitions between the top and bottom of the course (which half the time are guaranteed run ups anyway).

Well, Sandy is crashing the party this week, so I think we can expect some fun in the mud (if there is any fun to be had at all).  Run ups seem likely.  But I think I'll try to get my hands on a 46, if possible.  Anyone have an old 46 lying around, by chance?  Willing to sell?

What is BCD on campy? I have a selection.

135

36/46 is my setup or 34/46. I would even suggest 44 as you can run 12-27 in the back and do.most anything.

@dstokes, if I remember correctly, Campy has a standard BCD of 135.  Thanks for the offer though.

mugwump said:

No excuses here.  West Milford is riding distance.

But I can't race.  I'll be finishing up riding the marathon.

I forgot about this. My mom is running, so I may not race to watch her. Then again, she might call me a wimp and tell me to go race, so we'll see. I'll try to decide by tomorrow.

HPCX Photos up here: http://dmadson.photoreflect.com/store/ThumbPage.aspx?r=1&e=8733145

Bubble Cross, the NJ race this weekend, is on.  I'm registered in the Cat 3 race and will try to make it.

With Sandy come and gone, relief efforts in full swing, and the city making it's way back (however slowly) to "normal," the hotlist (disappointingly void of post trick-or-treating sugar high due to an unprecedented number of little goblins who devoured all but 2 fun-sized Twix candy bars last night) turns its attention to fun times in the wintry northland this coming weekend.

Adam Myerson's Cycle-Smart International is in its 22nd year and that makes it this country's longest running UCI CX race. Northampton, Massachusetts' Look Park will again host this epic showdown on what will be a frozen tundra at the start of the Cat 4 race at 8:30am, become a muddy slickery mess about 1/2 through the 4 race, then as temperatures rise from a predicted low of 28 degrees to a frisky high of 48, be perfectly tacky for the pros in the late afternoon. Yay for them.

Online registration isn't closed yet, but it looks like Kissena is fielding a nice group cat 4s and Master's Class racers David Stokes and Eric Ragot will be contesting the 55+ and 35+ races respectively. Looking for our Cat 3s, hotlist hears chirping crickets and nary an ill-fitting skin suit in sight. Weaksauce, yo. But let's keep it positive.

Let's break down Saturday's course a bit for the uninitiated. Why? Because as much as the hotlist would like to beat his intramural rivals who like to nap a bit at the start of cross races, the consequences of this technique on Saturday would be disastrous...for them. And the hotlist always plays fair.

Starting grid, nice and wide on the tundra, 75 meters or so before a right/left combo that = the first pinch point. A literal jump over a curb onto pavement for another 75 meters through the finish line before a 1/2 cinnabon of death leading to a steep, NEVER rideable, muddy run-up. Game over to anyone who gets to this feature more than 30 guys back.

After the run-up, you are now in the Enchanted Forest of Ricocheting Roots. How are your slaloming through trees skills? What about your tire pressure? Too high and you will get bounced right off your bike into a prickly pine needle bed of agony and defeat. Too low and you'll be cursing your significant other because she won't let you buy a $3500 pit bike after you pinch flat.

The exit from the forest is slightly different every year, but usually involves some combination of steep drop-off followed by mini-railroad crossing/launching point that will cause you to catch air. The only difference is whether they chose to put in a 90 degree left turn, mid air, or give you some run-off room straight before you have to make the turn. Here's hoping Myerson's not taking out his frustration on his recent sub-par performances on the course design.

Now you are on the tundra. Normally this is the place for "roadies" to make up time. But if this year's forecast and last year is any indication, you will have to treat wide open grassy turns more gingerly than your motor would like.

At some point, you'll run through a sand-pit that is brief and almost always rideable. Barely worth a mention.

The dismount barriers are always on the flats and straight away, so you can practice your "step-through" technique and not worry about bringing your rock climbing gear to get over barriers that are not hammered in deep enough and at the base of a hill.

Now that we've discussed the course, let's look at our competitors and see what the Hotlist thinks of each.

Cat 4s (listed in order of their crossresults predicted finish/call up position)

1. Jules Roazen. Mr. Consistency is back and will line up in the 2nd row. Hotlist thinks this will be the first time Roazen has ventured out of the mid-atlantic region to race and for his troubles he will be be snug as a bug against many cat 4 sandbaggers who have, in one case, already won 2 BIG cat 4 races this season. Crossresults predicts him to finish in 13th, and based on his string of 9th places and his aformentioned competition, hotlist agrees. (Although he would be delighted to be proven wrong).
   
   
2. James Nelson. Dude knows this course. And he's getting a third-row start.And he's a late bloomer. A look at his results reveal that his five best finishes come from the end of last year, starting with day 1 of the Cycle Smart International. Crossresults predicts him to finish in 22nd which is in the neighborhood of where he finished last year (26th) on day 1.
   
   
3. Marc Bertucco. The first year he did this course, he finished dead last in the Elite Master's getting lapped by Aspholm and many, many others. The next year, lost in a fog of steam coming off his body during the 26 degree pre-race warm-up, he misses his front row call-up, starts at the back of 130 rider field. With 11 races already under his belt this year Bertucco is coming into this race with some fire and something to prove? Crossresults predicts him to finish in 24th which is a very real possibility given the technical nature of this course, and technical nature of Bertucco's deficiencies.
   
   
4. Derek Chiles. Mr. Northwest is back, but is he BACK? Pre-registered to show off his finely tuned Cat B Cross Crusading legs at HPCX, he instead was a DNS in the cat 4 race. Fair start line position will keep him in the game at Northampton, but he's yet to show quite the form this year that earn him a crossresults predicted finish of 28th. Hotlist hopes he's been doing some secret training these last couple of weeks and proves it wrong.
   
   
5. Joaquin de Baca. Crossresults does many things very well. Dealing with dudes who don't race a ton, confuses it. His predicted finish of 35th place is largely a function of two subpar races this year where he earned himself 503 and 505 points. Hotlist KNOWS this is wrong and thinks he could top-10 this race. If he is motivated at the start. Nothing to screw with your results like holding your bike, standing still for days at the bottom of the first run-up.
   
   
6. Jeffrey White. He's already done almost as many races this year as he did all of last year. He's been pretty consistent with his results too, making his crossresults predictive finish of 50 out of 150 starters believable. Hotlist will keep it's fingers crossed that The Whirlybird Jeff White (18/107) comes to play this weekend and can squeeze out a top 30 on the weekend.
   
   
7. Joshua Ceasar. Dude loves cross. Dude's an inspiration when it comes to weight loss stories. Dude's improving every year he races. Crossresults says 121st place finish, but hotlist DEMANDS that dude, go off his diet this weekend and eat some mother funking eye-of-the-tiger and crack the top 100!
   

55+

David Stokes, with rapid fire shifter in perfect order, kind of wants to punch the hotlist in the face. Instead he will take that potential energy and get all kinetic (and jiggy) with it by besting his crossresults prediction of 27 out of 51, and crack the top 20. Maybe top 15. Northampton master's fields are DEEP, yo.

35+

Eric Ragot, with pimped out pit bike waiting for him like a freshmen girl getting taken to her first senior prom, better be ready to take his crossresults predicted finish of 18th and give it to someone else. He won't have Aspholm's merry Axis of Scandanavian Altitude Tenters to contend with this weekend, but will have guys like Todd Bowden (176 crossresults points, yo, Dee-ammn!) Alec Donahue, Mark McCormack and Chandler Delinks to keep up with. If we believe the points system, Ragot will place as high as 16th and as low as 20th, but Hotlist is ever more so optimistic and would pee itself in joy if Ragot got 11th. Master's fields in New England are DOUBLE TROUBLE DEEP.

Love me some hot list almost as much as I love to race cross.  I'm gonna give it my all; seriously a 28 degree start?  Brrrr

Wow, that is a big field for 55+ (in fact we got a message that it is oversold and looking for volunteers to shift to the 45+ field). Unfortunately, my plans are on hold. We have no power or water and the car rental place is dark. I'm not giving up yet . . .

PS. Shifter works perfectly now, but bottom bracket creaks. I guess I can live with that.