Report from the B men:

This race was tough. My first time racing since the end of July, and the lack of fitness in general and race fitness in particular really rocked my system.

I thought the 3PM start time was going to be relaxing and great to preview the course, but it turns out it just forced me to miss the beer tent offerings.

I started somewhere around 5th row. Not a great spot. I started OK and managed to dodge the riders crashing left and right of me, but quickly found myself DEEPLY in the red. I lost a few positions but started to recover around lap 3/4 of the way through the lap. I got my act together and latched on to a rider who was passing me and moved up a few spots.

Next lap, just as I was getting confident and comfortable, I do a remount and my seat repositions itself into a semi-vertical position that makes me slide off the back of the saddle. Luckily, I didn't loose a ton of ground because you can't actually ride in the mud bog!Exiting the mud bog, I tried to do a really hard remount to force the seat back into position. Didn't work. Had to stop at the mechanic and get a wrench and push it back in place. Lost about 10 more spots. Shit.

I got it together and was feeling downright fresh after the mechanical break. I jumped across to a group up the road and started picking my way around them. Remount after the barriers / run-up and I screw the seat up again. Major bummer. I decide not to stop and just deal with the instability around corners and on descents.

I took a few beer hand-ups for good measure to finish the race off. Lots of fun, but also totally disgusting.

Enjoyed some cracker barrel post race. Great fun. Didn't go back for day 2.

Masters 35+ Saturday Report
Me and Joaquin.
I felt horrible riding on Friday (too many days off on vacation, too stressed, etc...)
Started around 52nd (my number), but missed the call ups because I was previewing the course. I just slotted in next to John Lombardo (last year's nemesis and great guy). Gun, too easy of a gear, get moving, but too many people about.

Just be patient...

Riding up the first little hill, Maurice Gamaho comes by. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Didn't pre-register" he replied... I tried to follow him, but I felt like poop (see Friday's commentary above). Then I rode through first mud bog and got mud in my eye and mouth. Yech!!! Lots of shouldering. My shoulder is bruised to sh*t.

I just kept is steady, taking the faster lines in turns and using some handling skills to slowly claw ahead of people. But i just felt slow. Time passes...

Perlberg, Dan, Rich , Luka and a host of others yell at me... My back hurts. Something about being in 19th... I pass a couple of more guys and then there is a group of 4 chasing me on the bell lap. I crash before the mud bod from hell and while I get back up, I've lost my momentum and get passed. "Damn, 18th" I think to myself.

Out of the mud bog, I am riding as hard as I could, but get passed before the drop down to the finish and I just can't make up the ground. "19th." I though.

I can live with that.

Results show 22nd. Not bad I guess for feeling like poop the whole time. I can't wait to get my legs back under me again. Pretty good considering the competition is better than last year's B-Masters. I beat the race predictor on crossresults!

Best comment of the race. Bill Elliston yelled at me from the pits one lap "Having fun yet Eric?" I laughed. My back was just starting to hurt.

A little form and I think I'll be nosing around the top 10 soon. I have points now, so my starting position should be better at Whirlybid. But we'll see how low I end up after Baltimore.

Cheers,
Eric

@ Perlberg: a bike seat in the "takeoff" position is nothing to be trifled with. "My Balls!" might become out team slogan...
@ Eric: sorry I couldn't stick around to watch the Big Men *or* the Little Belgians duke it out - Family Man, et al.

B-Men's race report from the back half.

I started in the same row as Michael, and stayed very close to him up until the barriers when the crowding got too bad going up the run-up, and I decided not to get smacked in the face with a tire, but started gaining on guys through the running sections, and some of deeper mud. Going through a tight rooty left-handed turn near the gun range, I go down, on my left side, and I get back on the bike, but something isn't right. The bike is fine, but I just can't put the power down. I am struggling and getting passed by guys who I should be putting way behind me. I am baffled by this, but keep soldiering on, until the second time through the mud bog behind the velodrome I am gasping like a fish out of water, something is filling up my lungs but it is clearly devoid of oxygen and I start retching. I can't get back on the bike, I can't fill my lungs, I stagger to the tape and I crumple to the ground and proceed to dry heave while everybody else passes me. Eventually the wave of nausea passes and my lungs fill with air, I get back on my bike and proceed to finish the race in the most epic manner possible: Taking as every beer hand-up offered, and getting as sloppy-muddy as possible. The rest of my race was a mix of cheap beer, wet mud, sticky mud, slippery mud and good old fashioned squishy mud, oh and relishing the last place position.

Once I finished the pain really started rolling in. I realized I had done something to my left ribcage and it really hurt to breathe deeply and laugh. Looks like a cracked rib. CX season going to be interesting. I rode this morning but it hurt to get my HR over 125. So it looks like lots of recovery riding for me for a while.

WOW. I hate to admit it, but it's actually relieving to hear all these seasoned CX vets succumbing to the chaos that was that race. Sucks that you ribbed yourself, though, Dan. Keep an eye on that.

My next CX race is Whirlybird, and before that I need to learn how to do corners much, much better. I was crushing guys slower than me in the straightaways and in the running sections, but they kept catching back up to me in the corners, which got to be really frustrating.

Awesome reports guys... loved reading all of them.

@ Whitey

Cornering is one of my many weak spots. You pretty much perfectly described most of my first cx races last year, where you pass 7 people on a straight, uphill, or run, but then they come back when you plow awkwardly around a rooted turn. I'm probably not that much better now.

BUT: Go to one of Ragot's Cunningham clinics. Just going in these semi-offcamber figure 8's around trees and through a course of cones really helps. Also helps make you dizzy. There are a lot of tight circles you can go in around there in a few spots. You just progressively go faster and faster until you crash or get nauseous. Randall's also provides some of this, but as has been pointed out, it was pretty packed with people pseudo-racing, so I I got more out of the Cunningham stuff. Of course, Eric's very generous with info, there were far less people, and I only went to Randall's once.

Great race reports. So glad cross season is upon us... It think I have forottwn what real pain is like

After spending quite some time cleaning my bike, relubricating a rusting chain and readjusting a balky rear derauilleur, I thought I was ready for the week of cx practice. Go down to change out my mud tires to find my front wheel squeeking. The bearing had siezed! No wonder I was going so slow! Managed to get it unsiezed, but it is still far from smooth. This is the hidden cost of mud followed by power washes. Make sure to relubricate everything well! Meanwhile, anyone know anything about replacing Ksyrium SSC bearings?

@Eric: I need to practice some scary obstacles at speed. Some granogue style off-camber is probably a good idea. Or some marginal ride/run up that requires power AND finesse.

@David
Scary barriers at speed is easy at Cunningham. I also know where the side-hill trails are. We practice on the 24th perhaps. Maybe this Sunday, but I have to get the packing done on Saturday.

Results are up at crossresults.com

It turns out I was 20th. Schweet.

Dan: ugh, sorry to hear about the rib. Hope you're healing up soon.

[Late report]

Day one: got in 2 practice laps and lined up with Whitey, Jules and Josh for the C race. 4th row start, based on reg. order. Passed a bunch of people at the start and in the first left corner, settling into a rhythm around 20th. The course was still pretty slow and grassy at this point with a couple of wet n muddy spots and a nice little rooty section through the trees where you could make up some time with a bunny hop and a good wide line. Most of the race was spent watching for opportunities to move up, putting power down on the straight gravel road sections and trying to take good lines without any sliding out. Two rides and two runs thru Big Mud Bog (TM). The rides would not be repeated during the weekend. Inside of lap 3 I became the object of some good heckling "Looking good. How do you feel?" "I feel great!" (Must've been mental coping -- Who was I kidding? I felt like hell.) "Well you sure don't smell great!" Due to the garlic overdose from last night's dinner coming from my pores or the fact that I was covered in horse shit? I'm not entirely sure. During the last lap I was passed by one rider, good for 13th place, feeling a bit ill, but smiling.

Day two: Feeling good. Hey, 13th is good for some call-up action, right? Not this year for cat4 men. Had I read the MAC series points guidelines, this would have been clear, but I didn't. After two practice laps it was clear that the course was much wetter than the day before and there would be no riding Big Mud Bog (TM), menacingly placed just after the hole shot. Oh boy, _that_ should be fun. Called up to 4th row again, with Jim Nelson, Josh and James G, who I had met earlier in the parking lot. A fast clip-in and strong start made up some places. Big Mud Bog was a mess, threatening to steal the shoe from my foot but it was a great place to make up places, if not slightly demoralizing every run through. I heard Stokes yell out "15th, move up" and thought things were looking good, but in a panic remount after the run/ride and log hurdle, veered off course, snapped the tape and lost about 5 places. At that point I knew it would be difficult to best yesterday's result and it was a race to hold position just for top 20. Each run through the mud bog burned my lungs a little more but was good for two places each go. A run through the rooty, sandy tree section proved good for another two! Throughout the last lap I could hear breathing behind me but would turn around and see no one there. Dictating the lines and pace proved to be a good strategy and I was able to hold position to the finish. It turns out that a rider from Lamprey Systems who I had passed earlier had been riding so close that I couldn't even see him, just waiting for me to bobble a turn. 14th place for day two.

There are 3 Kissena Cat4 men ranked in the series at this point: Jules Roazen, Jim Nelson and me -- in 37th, 38th and 8th place respectively. I'd like to move that 8th place up but we'll see how missing Charm City affects it.

Overall a great weekend of racing, much better beer Saturday as opposed to Sunday (Victory Hop Devil yum, Shock Top and Bud boo). Big props to all the Ks for racing like champs this weekend.

Really nice job Rich.

Jeff putting the wood to the competition...

jeff's got great cross murderface.

Redneeeeeeeeeck!!!! Nice!

Nice shoes

You could ride that section in the morning???? Lucky!

@Mike: First and second lap, I rode it. It was faster to run it, and took much less energy.

@Rich: As in murderer face or getting-murdered face?

Just tell us that longhair in yellow didn't beat you to the line...

Posted By: Jeffrey WhiteAs in murderer face or getting-murdered face?

mmm a little of this a little of that.

Nice work Rich!

Marc Bertucco said:

Because "Cyclocross 2012" is going to get too full, once the race reports start flowing...

Good idea Marc.  I merged this with previous Nittany threads.

eloy said:

This race is level awesome in the level of awesomeness level.

Last year this was the least technical cross race of the Mac series. Unless it rains super hard, this year too.

Likely to be stupid hot, which distorts the mood a little, and feels a bit more like you are in an Mountain Bike race. Except dust and roots.

Here's a ton'o'fotos I took last year, after racing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/groovylab/collections/72157624836614099/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/groovylab/4992369521/in/set-72157624836777017/

Again - I can't make it. If anyone wants my B  entry (2/3/4) for Saturday I can see if they will transfer it.

Would be a great opportunity for someone to double back from the cat 4 race to get some extra training.

Grrrr...no results up yet, and bizarrely they didn't keep all the category results posted at the venue, so when I moseyed over to see how things shook out for the Cat 2/3/4 race, nut'n.

Lots of Kissena's racing today. Many guys in the morning Cat 4s, and there were some really strong results, led by Jules who was Kissena's top finisher. I can't remember exactly where he finished, so he'll have to tell his own tale.

Dan Strika raced the always hypercompetitive 45+ event and he seemed really pleased with his solid run at it.

Eric Ragot crushed it in the Master 1/2/3/4 race (otherwise known as the second fastest race of the day), and finished in an impressive 14th (?) place. I expect multiple top-10s for him this season as soon as his fitness catches up with his finesse on the bike.

William DC and myself represented Kissena in what Eric likes to call the "B" race. Right after his event, he ran us through the course "hot lap" style to show us the best lines. Nittany has a reputation of being not very technical, and while it's true there are no off-camber stretches, or gimmicky "cinnabons of death," the course is not without it's challenges. Today was dry and dusty and that made for some slow turns through the wooded sections. True to form, I was chatting away and watching the kids race and so I managed to miss my call-up...which I assumed was going to be last row, but for whatever reason, my number would have had me much closer to the front.

Meh, no matter, I'm just getting back into this, I got no business racing with 2s and 3s anyway, so I go out and do what I can do. Despite not being able to hold William or Ragot's wheel during our warm-up hot lap, I think it still must have done me some good because I actually felt pretty good on the bike today. Not sure where I finished up though, I wasn't last.

At the run-up, there was a nice group of Kissena hecklers doing their thing. Thanks guys for hanging out and cheering!

In the Pro races, I was surprised to see National Champion Jeremy Powers out to play.

(Looks like Green Mountain hosted the other big names including Tim Johnson, Jonathan Page, Bazin, Lindine...and wait for it...Dan Chabanov who got 8th place! That has to be his best result to date.)

Any-hoo, it was an interesting race for the pro men field. A big group of 6 or so played follow-the-leader, nose to tail for what seemed forever. Eventually with about 3 or 4 laps to go, JPow, Jeremy Durin and Ryan Knapp were in a 3-way. Then the Jeremys wanted some alone time. Then with 1 to go, Powers put the hammer down and cruised in for a pretty solid victory by about 15-20 seconds followed by Durin and the much later Knapp.

Weston Schempf was a serious player in the race, but as I looked over the results, I see that he was DQ-ed. For what? I have no idea.

Finally, I'm going to get a custom-made Kissena jersey, that says "I'M NOT JP PARTLAND." I mean jeesus, I've been racing in this region for 10 years and people still can't tell us apart?

And one more thing...for a while I was chasing around some guy in a kit who's butt featured a logo that read "Fu@K" So no letter, "c" but some kind of symbol and all I'm think is that there are kids at this race and who in the world thinks it's good form to put profanity on your kit? I realize that I'm probably a little prudish in this regard, but I have to say, I found it very offensive.

Looking forward to racing the Cat 4s with the team tomorrow.

Cat 4:

9. Jules Roazen
13. Joe Mueller
14. Chris Young (?)
15. Derek Chilies
26. Jeffrey White
31. Joaquin C de Baca
61. Ben Reid
106. Joshua Ceasar

Cat 2/3/4
58. William DC
89. Marc Bertucco

Master 35+ 1/2/3/4
15. Eric Ragot

Master 45+
26. Jim Feehan
60. Dan Strika

Don't know how I ended 15th. All the observers said 14th. Don't know how I could have even protested.

Rest and repeat tommorrow.

really good times today

makes me wanna race! good work!