Dale & 'cross . . . hook, line and sinker . . .

Jules said:

Thanks guys. Bittersweet tho because Hotlist was headed for a podium until he rolled a tub with less than 400m to go.

It was kind of an awesome race, Jules and I were basically one and two all race long, back and forth. Sarah reports that we got some excellent mic time too from Richard Fries and Ryan Kelly. Occasionally an interloper would get in between us, or even in front of us for a bit, but they never lasted long. We were boss out there. Best part, is that we might get to do it again tomorrow.

eragot said:

I don't much carecare. Do what you wish to do as you are racing masters and will likely to continue to race masters. Upgrades don't really matter there.

I don't know what this means. If you want to race Master's in the Verge Series (unlike the MAC series which is 1/2/3/4) you need to be a Cat 3. If you want to race Master's nationals you need to be a cat 3. So, by my count, upgrades actually do matter.

But if you are referring to the fact that the points earned in Master's 4/5 racing don't officially count towards upgrading than I say, fine, letter of the law, but otherwise, spirit of the rule wise, that's a bunch of hooey. Racing a Master's 4/5 field in the Verge series is a whole 'nother kettle of fish than racing 4 Masters in the New Jersey Cup races for example.

But that's really all besides the point. Jules wants to race Cat 3, and he's ready. But it's going to take some coordination of various entities to make it happen because the Cat 3 field at Providence is sold out. So he takes his upgrade and then loses his entry fees from the Cat 4 races because he can't race the Cat 3s because of a sold out field. Unless the Providence promoter will give him a spot in a sold out field. It's just a fussy situation that needs a little coordination between multiple parties.

I had a ton of fun today racing and seeing everyone. Apprehensively raced the B field. Started hot, faded, climbed back on ended up 28th. Excited to race with the 4s tmrw. Super excited to be back on the cross kick.

I was in the lead group then I flatted, ran to the pit. Cool, started bridging back. Then my chain broke... FML.

Damn that's some shit luck Andy.

No matter what Crossresults says, my true nemesis is turning out to the Town Hall Cross. Broke some ribs last year and this year sprained an ankle after being wheel chopped about half way though the first lap. That race is contributing to a horrible feeling of fragility.

Awesome racing by a lot of the local crew and some tasty beers saved the day.

Big thanks to Harry who ushered me to the med tent, chatted up the nurse while she wrapped and iced my ankle and then procured much needed beer and Aleve.

Hope to be back by Whirlybird.

Hot, dusty, fast.......& HOT. Perfect conditions for my first race of the season at Bear today. The hot was worse than the rest, as I packed my bag early in the week, and, after neglecting to closely follow the weather, found myself kitted up in a fleece-lined, long sleeve skinsuit. Yikes. Well, it was hot, it was dusty, and it was definitely fast. The first climb strung things out quickly, and we were off. The dry conditions made the run-up sketchy, and the right-hand sweep downhill into the 2nd barriers equally treacherous. I was with the lead group for the first two laps, back and forthing between 4th and 5th. At the end of the day, I came across 8th, hot, drippy, and happy. Harry, I am super jealous of your donut hand-ups!! Nicely done.

I didnt get DFL at my race. Yes! Oh and yeah, it was very hot. Best heckle I heard, "hey Kissena, you came all the way here to go this slow?".

Great to see people I haven't seen in a while. And @bruce, you're a glutton for punishment. ;-)

dstokes said:

Dale & 'cross . . . hook, line and sinker . . .

It's true.  That shit is fun!  Had a pretty good race at Town Hall yesterday.  Good Start, came over the hill 5th and then worked my way backward to 12th for the finish.  

Town Hall CX: first time doing this race and it was fun. I started all the way at the back since I forgot to register for this race so I had to day of. Was able to pass a few people at the whistle and by running around the bottle necking at the first few turns on the ladder climb. I really really hated this ladder climb followed by the very steep but short climb, but the rest was super fun! I fadded during the last 2 laps as I thought I was going to get heat stroke. Felt as if I had a vice around my head or something. Was able to move from 66 place to 28.

Westwood CX: 2nd time doing this one. Last year it didn't go to well and was probably my worst race of the year. This year it seemed history repeated itself, sort of.
First good new was, after picking up my number I realized I would have a first or second row call up, awesome!

First bad news I left my KCC bib shorts at Konrads house so I had to race in my Jorts (Jean shorts) and KCC jersey.

Second bad news, I was practicing the famous dirt run up (also used for Supercross last year as the donut run up) as I realized it would be a good ideas to get to staging I heard the whistle blow and saw my cat 3 buds roll away. wtf I didn't even hear them call for staging! I sprinted down to the open street from the dirt runup and crossed over to the course where the pavement met the grass incline. It took me almost half the course to reach to whoever was in last place. Thankfully I didn't fumble once throughout the race and just kept passing people every lap, even people that passed me yesturday really enjoyed the heckles I received for wearing JORTS.

Second good news out of 34 entries (I think) and 25 finishers I got a surprising 15th place.

With all the bad luck aside fun weekend with great cheers/heckles from Harry, Phill and other KCC members and congrats to my KCCX dudes

Oh m goodness I'm swimming in a blissful fog of CX celebrations.  Great reports (finalmente a Bruce VS Cross Race Report - it was worth the wait!) and so awesome to read about the new devotees (I'm lookin' at YOU Dale...) and old hands alike.

... plus JORTS?!?!?

I had a really fun day yesterday at Gloucester. I suffered three relatively minor wrecks very close to one another and the ensuing crisis of confidence for a good half lap, and I still came in 33rd out of 140 starters. But all the while I kept hearing the announcers going on and on about how Jules and Marc were manhandling the front of the field. Marc rolled his tub about a minute from the line, thus cheating us all out of an all-KCC sprint for the win. But still, a great day at the races.

Nelson Martins said:

I was practicing the famous dirt run up (also used for Supercross last year as the donut run up) as I realized it would be a good ideas to get to staging I heard the whistle blow and saw my cat 3 buds roll away.

Having made many of these less than ideal decisions sometime in the last 5 or so years, I've learned a few things about cross that I would like to share.

1) wear a watch, or set you Garmin-thingy's so you can see the time without navigating through 115 sub menus. Let me tell you about the time I missed my front row call-up at Northampton and had to start at the back of a 120-rider field...

2) Those crazy run ups? Sure do 'em in warm-up, but your warm-up time would be better spent practicing a swooping off camber descent or some other less dramatic appearing feature. Those run-ups and other feature features? They're mostly for show. Yeah, you might discover a slightly better foot hold your third time up the hill, but the time gained there will pale in comparison to what you will gain on some other tricky handling section.

^^ yep.

It was definitely a ride-up. I rode it 3 out of 5 laps and the time gain
was enormous when I managed to pedal up it. Caught and passed a guy who was
50 yards ahead of me seconds before, but at least several bike lengths
behind me after.

Any and every technical challenge is an opportunity to make up time and
gain an advantage.

Now if only my tires would stay on my rims!

Best,

-Eric

Eric J. Robertson

*Mr. X Gotham*
214 Sullivan Street
New York, NY 10012
ejr@mrxfx.com
Office (212) 993-7878
Mobile (917) 509-4696

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On Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 5:50 AM, eloy <

JORTS! photo cred from Team Vulpes

Props to nelson for finishing as well as he did after missing his start!

those suspension forks make an appearance every 8 or so years. it is whatevs. there is no shark

I actually owned a Cannondale cross bike with a headshock.  It was awesome.  I used to take that thing on the trails and rip it up on the drops.  I entered a MTB race with it that had a 1/2 mile fire road start...so I was first into the singletrack...and cursed by every rider who passed me shortly thereafter...."Get that fucking cross bike off the trail"...was a popular one.  Fuck em if they can't take a joke...

Pics are up for westwood velo  http://www.sergiogphotography.com/westwoodvelocrossrace 

anyone driving out to caffeinated cx for the cat4 race? 

Hotlist #5 2014

 

If you can’t sleep, you might as well write. Or glue some tubulars? Problem is, what happens when you roll a sentence? A DNF? A dangling participle?

 

5 weeks into a glorious cross season saw Kissena racers compete at multiple race locations this past weekend. If you weren’t choking on Michael Bay-worthy dust clouds in the Massachusetts seaside town of Gloucester, you probably tasted sweet dirt from Pennsylvania and/or Harriman State Park.

This week’s Hotlist is consistent only in so far as there are once again some pretty dramatic changes including some new faces, and the disappearance of familiar ones due to two consecutive weeks without racing. BECAUSE NOT RACING IS NOT HOT.

 

1.    Michael Perlberg. Despite not suiting up this past weekend, Mike is still on top of the KCC heap on the strength of his Cat 3 6th place at Charm City Day 2.

2.    Todd McLoughlin. No one got to see the scary race-face this weekend, but on the back of his Charm City result, he too holds onto the hotlist podium.

3.    Jules Roazen. Two days of outstanding racing at what is unquestionably the biggest and most competitive cross racing of the year for the amateur categories, earns the tall man a step on the Hotlist podium. Day 1’s racing action featured Jules’ winning, yes winning the Cat 4/5 35+ race! And as if that wasn’t enough, after upgrading for day 2, he starts back row in the Master’s 35+ 1/2/3 field and cranks out an impressive 60th place finish.

4.    David Vollbach. In all of last year, David did two cross races. This year, in as single day at Town Hall, he decided to tune up his monster engine by racing two races in one day. 2nd place in an 89-racer cat 4/5 field, then jumping in with the 3/4s and earning another 380-ish crossresults points by finishing 16th out of 55 finishers. A few more races like these and he’ll be lining up next to the rest of KCC’s killer cat 3s.

5.    Jim Feehan. No racing for the New Jersey-based crosser this weekend, but his solid performances at Charm City keep him in the running.

6.    David Stokes. The mad scientist of Kissena jumped back into a beaker of fun and published his peer-reviewed results for all the world to see. 6th out of 22 finishers in the 55+ category at Town Hall. Not his best work of the year, but strong enough for a spot at the lab bench.

7.    Marc Bertucco. Received a compliment this past weekend, describing his racing as “consistent.” This reminded him of the time his mother bestowed similar high praise on him by declaring that he was really “competent.” Truer words never spoke. A workman-like 9th and 6th place finishes in the Cat 4/5 Master’s 35+ in Gloucester earned him two of his best crossresults points of the year and the right to take up space on another week’s Hotlist.

8.    Joaquin C De Baca. When he’s on form, he’s a force, but a weekend off of racing, followed up by a "tainted-by-sick," back-of-the-pack-ish Cat 3 finish in Gloucester, drops Joaquin down the list this week.

9.    Dale Suttle. Bitten by the bug at Granogue…

 

Oh how many,

a love affair

started in Delaware?

 

…Dale wasted no time and got back on the cross bike for Town Hall and Westwood Velo this past weekend scoring 12th and 9th places in the Cat 4/5 races respectively.

10. Andy Da Silva. It’s been at least 4 years since Andy has had anything close to a full season of cyclocross, but if his results at Town Hall (28/55 in the 3/4 race with two major mechanicals) suggest that we might have another good one. Stay tuned.

 

Most weeks cyclocross fans have to wait for the weekend to get their cross fix. But this is Holy Week and that means tonight The Night Weasels Cometh… comeths?

 

This mid-week race between Gloucester and Providence has quietly grown into the kind of race that sells out within days of registration opening. And unique to the New England scene, it reportedly features some of that Northwest-CX-style goof-ball shenanigans.

 

With barely enough time for proper recovery, many Wednesday nighters will be racing again on Friday and/or Saturday. The KMC Cyclocross Festival weekend begins on Friday with single speed and also “Madison” style cross racing. Jules and Jeff will be teaming up for this unique event. Come the weekend proper, “Divine Providence” is also offering up the only C1 race on the entire eastern seaboard. Here organizers are aiming for World Cup selection and to that end they’ve apparently turned up the difficulty of the course to…11. In addition to in Providence, New Jersey CX Cup racing continues in Mullica Hill with Caffeinated Cross. As always, Hotlist can’t wait to hear how all our racers fare.

 

The Hotlist is what you wish all bike reporting could be.

Could someone please advise on the best place to access trails at Cunningham park, and the best place to park for that spot

If y'all haven't seen the CX Results Team Page, you should check it out. Hotlist is SMASHING it on the "busiest racers" front...