• Sandpits swallowed me whole
  
• One of the coolest pieces of cyclocross is that we have assembled this nyc masters crew, and we are definitely aware and racing each other -- Ryan Enschede, Marc Bertucco, Thomas, Patrick, Rod Millot, myself + James Redeer, Lawrence Liu, etc... 
• That crew took all of the positions from P14 to P20 (expect for a NJCX racer in P16) 
• The battles are real!!
• I am almost sure that mid first lap I somehow managed to get ahead of the full crew
• As the race progressed, one by one, all of them passed me
• Maybe I have some checking to do, also trying hard to not let it get in my head much
• Kudos to all, specially Thomas who passed me like a rocket uphill, and Patrick who made the pass about 20 meters from the line
• Ultimately, honestly, tons of fun and great vibes pre & post & during the race
• Rode the stairs every lap
• Also, that one last lap where I rode the sand totally clean, that was the hotness! hahaha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmi2JXADkNA

• Sat Oct 19 Terror @ Twining CX (PACX Series)
  
• Sun Oct 20 Cooper River Cross p/b Aistriu
• Sun Oct 20 Belltown Cross

David Yang said:

Beast Cross, Sat Nov 6th, close by in Vernon Township NJ - so within 50mi one way.

I'm doing the 8:30a race which includes Masters 1/2/3/4 40+ and Cat4. Room for up to 2 pals. Depending on fam schedule I may or may not also register day of for Masters Cat4 40+ at 11:30a.

If you want to join, hit me up and we'll carpool. 

https://www.bikereg.com/beastcross

• Third row call up, ehhhhhhh could be better
• Fast start bumping shoulders and elbows, JP's bumping drill paid off and then some
• This course is flat, like so flat
• The sand pit definitely has grown over the past few years
• This season may as well be called "Matt learns he actually loves sand" (stay tuned, after Beastcross it may turn into "Nope, screw the sand, we hate it")
• Me and 2 others are fighting back and forth the entire race for 11th-13th place
• Jackie from ROR is in 10th, looks like its another race spent chasing him
• Jackie's within striking distance, it's last lap, who needs anything left in the tank?!
• Friendly remind to not full send it into sand that has a 180 degree turn at the end of it, you won't make it
• Lose my hold on 11th so it's back fighting for the place
• On the wheel for the final sprint but the legs have decided enough is enough
• 12th out of 35 it is
• Through max heartrate and all the lactic acid in the world I remind myself that this is everything we want bike racing to be
  
• NJ road trips aren't complete without Wawa
  

• 2nd row start
• Marc Bertucco, Tom, Ryan, and new(ish) nemesis/victim Mike Grey are racing too
• At the start line Kelly Cline says something about how we keep showing up. It sounded very sweet and a little emotional.
• In the last two races I've burned out and exploded, after going way too hard and also compensating for mistakes
  
• So goal today is to go hard, but stay within my limits and don't explode
• I have a truly crappy start, maybe worst of the season so far haha
• Oh well, whatevs, precisely the goal is to keep calm and carry on
• The hole shot has changed a bit and it is a bit narrower than in the past, with a super dusty/sandy first corner
• The 50+ field is smart and most everyone gets thru fine
• I do an ok job of staying on wheels for a while, post race Marc would describe it as "last of the lead group"
• A bunch of juniors have setup heckle shop around the barriers and printed a bunch of $100 bills
• MONEY Y'ALL
• Eventually the racing pack break up, I'll pass one or two people, but find myself alone for about a lap
• Michael Grey catches back up to me, we'll battle and ride together for a few laps
• Mike Festa heckles from the sidelines "I am taking very composed photos of you, Eloy" -- he would later win the elite race
• Marc Bertucco is about a turn or two behind, gotta keep the pressure on
• The Cat 3 field started about a minute behind, eventually the leaders catch up to Michael and me, we both jump on those wheels, but Michael does a better job of sticking to them
• He eventually opens a little gap, not even a full turn ahead, I get a little closer when technical-ish, but Cooper is not very technical, Mike beats me this time
• Marc would finish a few seconds behind me, with Tom and Ryan
• Ultimately put together a good race, hoping to carry this momentum to Really Rad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyITtjjkll0

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ys231ksQCBo

Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross Race Report

• Really Rad last weekend was amazing—one of the best-produced races I've done.

• All the awesome vibes

• Endless stream of high-quality post race content too: videos, vlogs, podcasts, photos, etc

• The track is stupid fast, so many sections to just rip, and then so many sandy dusty slippy corners to lose it all! haha

• Friday Pre-Ride:

• The NYC crew arrives at staggered times, but eventually, we’re all out on course checking things out.

• The sandy, dusty moments will be race-defining, especially the main sand pit, which is deeper and way harder to ride than last year.

• Almost no one is riding the full sand pit, but even for those who do, it’s slow and power-sapping.

• Got on Andrew Strohmayer’s wheel during my last preview lap. He rode the sand but seemed slow and match burning. He’ll go on to win Saturday, choosing then to run the sand every lap. I’m off the bike earlier, but same same

• Friday highlight is dinner with the Kissena crew in Falmouth

• Marc Bertucco and I shared a room at the Mariner Motel—highly recommend; rooms were perfect, prices great

• Saturday Masters Race:

• Start: Second row start with Patrick, Marc, James, and around 30 to 40 other Master riders; juniors start a minute behind.

• Season Goals:

• Plan and be intentional on tricky sections, especially those first few turns and any lap one bottlenecks.

• Race within my limits—be aggressive, but don’t explode. Avoid overcompensating for mistakes or gaps.

• Henry Coote, who wins the Elite Men Sunday, refers to “Racing patiently” “Let the race come to you”

• Race Highlights:

• My start is pretty solid. After a few turns, I can see the front, I must be around 12th-15th ish 

• Yosef from TBD leads the race, even riding the sand. 

• I’m running it. I am not convinced riding it is faster or easier.

• I find flow for most of the race, except for those last sandy/dusty turns — someone later dubbed them “The Valley of Despair”

• I can see Marc and Patrick close behind; they’re keeping the pressure on!

• Final Laps:

• On the last few laps I find myself battling with Eric Hallman

• I am able to gap him on all the flowy sections, but he is way faster on
  “The Valley of Despair" -- which is the last section before the finish straight away

• As we approach it one last time I don't think I can see him behind, in fact I am closing on Vlad Kapka ahead

• But as we come out of despair, Kapka is gone

• And as I hit the straight away to the finish Eric is back on my wheel, a junior has caught up to us too

• Hand on the drops, click click click, find that gear, LFG!!!

• All 3 of us are sprinting for it!! 

• I can see Eric's bars on my right, but somehow they never come pass

• Good enough for P12

• Marc and Patrick directly behind

Post-Race, Spent the rest of the day eating food trucks and ice cream, talking lines and Falmouth, and watching the elites kill the  course!

• Sunday Masters Race:

• Start: Cold weather led to many no-shows, so we had a smaller field. First-row start with Patrick, Marc, and Tom (though he’s last row) and about 20-25 other racers.

• I have a great start, grabbing 4th wheel through the hole shot and first few turns.

• The start is quick to the barriers, sand pits which are chaos, then a fast, slightly tricky false downhill, followed by some upsie downies

• So it takes a bit for the course to open up again, where I get a clear picture of who’s ahead.

• I am still sitting 5th or so, with the leaders barely ahead, each of us holding small gaps.

• Three riders ahead seem to come together and maybe slow down. “Eloy, that’s the podium... LFG!”

• Hindsight: That’s where I let go of my “Race within limits” goal, but hey, I guess we got to give it a try…

• Spent a full lap chasing, even catching Vlad, before the burn set in.

• Try to find some flow again, Tom is coming FAAAAAST from behind

• He passes and takes Vlad along with him.

• I’ll spend the next few laps chasing but the gap to Tom keeps growing

• Post race Tom said I ran the sand and stairs faster (appreciated the comment!).

• He was bullet fast.

• Tom finishes P5, Vlad P6, and I take P7

• Patrick P9, w/ Marc P11

• All the Kissenistas in the top 10!

Honest fun times at Really Rad! Come next year!

Let’s go race bikes!!

Photos by the race:

• 33rd Annual Cycle-Smart Northampton Cyclocross presented by Verge and ShiftGear Sat & Sun - Patrick, Tom, and myself will be there -- this is the race. In the heartland of cyclocross in the US.
• SLY FOX CROSS Sun in Pottstown PA -- Patrick and I raced here a couple of seasons ago, and this course is crazy town amazing, hosted by a Brewery, really well produced by the PA crew. 

• Sand, sand and more sand
• The entry into the sand pits 1 and 3 were aggressive and the sand was super dry and deep and riding through was hard
• First lap was going pretty well (top ten I think) until it wasn't
• Hit sandpit 3 and the first half is compact, rideable and great, but the second half, well not so much. It's deep, slow, ate your speed and took your lunch money without giving it a second thought
• Some people took the grassy highland to avoid it, but then dropping back into the sand put you right on the back foot
• I finish running through the sand and am just struggling to get really going. This becomes the trend for the day
• Laps 2 and 3 were much of the same. Survive sandpit 1, blast through sandpit 2, try to catch someone here and there, ride the mountain bike section and maintain position, slog through sandpit 3, question life
• Every time I come through the finish I think to myself I can't believe we still have 3 laps, 2 laps and so on
• By the last lap I'm cooked, tired and done with sand and this race
• The Master's field started to lap, but no one from my race comes around me 
• 45 minutes later, I finish with some dignity but wooooooof
• Post race hangs with Dave, Pat and Tom are always great
• Utopia Deli egg sandwiches make everything better

ZOE BÄCKSTEDT GEARS UP FOR NEW CYCLO-CROSS SEASON

Mark Taylor said:

Both the Men's and women's Elite fields this year are proving to be existing , lots of different riders fighting for the podiums

• Sat Nov 16 - Blunt Park 2.0 p/b Competitive Edge Racing (RVCX Series #5 Series Final!) (Springfield, MA)(Possible MA/CT weekend)
• Sun Nov 17 - Moran Cross - PMCX Series #6 (Wallingford, CT) (Possible MA/CT weekend)
• Sat Nov 16 - Pedals and Pints (Parkton, MD) (Possible MD weekend)
• Sun Nov 17 - Rockburn Cross - Event #5 of the 2024 BikeReg Cyclocross Super Series (Elkridge, MD)(Possible MD weekend)
• Sat Nov 23 - Secret Squirrel CX (Raynham, MA) - Registration
• Sun Nov 24 - Tacchino Cyclocross - Event #6 of the 2024 BikeReg Cyclocross Super Series (Derwood, MD) 
• Sun Dec 1 - Orchard Scorcher - PMCX Series #7 (Guilford, CT)
• Sat Dec 7 - The Ice Weasels Cometh (Southwick, MA) 
• Dec 12 to Dec 15 - Cyclocross National Championships (Louisville, KY)