Max nittany report is the hotness. Here's a photo to go with it.

Hey Max,

I love that you're tearing into CX with a vengeance!

If you're making time on people in the corners and the mud you've definitely got skills. TBH the difference between 7th and podium as much mindset than fitness. #OBV if you're getting run down on the final straightaway you want more legs (god did I ever love chewing up guys on that uphill straight) but I think the difference can be made in your races buy turning the screws harder on yourself and your competition.

7th is 5th and 5th is usually just a handful of mistakes from the podium. Make fewer mistakes than the next guy.

How?

Fight hard for that hole shot don't relinquish that top 5 spot without a fight - and by fight I mean make someone burn a big match to get that extra spot.

Think a bit more about really using your skills to gap guys.

Are you really coming out of corners as fast as you possibly can?
Are you only braking when you *really* need to?
Are you getting as much of a gap over the barriers/stairs as you could?
Are you *really* finding all the free speed on the course?
Have you found the spot(s) in the course where you can attack? Are you doing it?

Follow the Elites around on their hotlaps. Ask questions. Ask your girlfriend/teammate to video you and critique it. Don't be afraid to preride the same damn turn twenty times until you can completely rip it.

For sure train as hard and smart and rest as well as you can, but after a full season you're not going to suddenly find 30 more watts at threshold or (judging by those arms in the photo) drop 20 pounds. You can train yourself to recover better from the violent efforts, for sure.

Peace,
j

I was up early Saturday and out the door to Penn in order to get to the Newark airport for a rental car.  I drove to the Allentown airport to meet a college friend/former teammate, Andrew Giniat, who narrowly escaped the hurricane to make it.  We ate lunch and got to the course around 12:30. I was getting sunny, warm, and somewhat humid – the mud pit stood no chance of drying. 

We pre-rode, and Andrew showed me how it’s done.  I called out his position to him from the pit and prepared for a quick wheel change (he could not take two bikes on his flight in), if needed.  He took 10th in the UCI race – securing a UCI point!

I launched off the line with the 2/3 race.  A sizable pile up occurred at the whole shot.  I avoided it for the most part, but had to slow down to avoid going down with it.  Another crash occurred about one minute later.  I lucked out there, too.  After finishing the first lap, I was pleased with my start and looking to move up.  The course had three dismounts (steps, barriers, and mud pit).  I felt smooth around all elements.  These guys were fast though, by far the fastest field I have raced since collegiate Nats in Asheville.  We were on the gas out of every corner and changing positions every straight away.  After a long fought battle, I finished 32nd out of 65.  This was about 20 spots ahead of where the predictor had me finishing.

We ate a hearty meal and retired to host housing Andrew had secured with race coordinators, Bob and Tom….Tom Mains that is. 

We slept late Sunday – making breakfast at 10:30-11ish.  We got to the course around 12:15.  Weather was sunnier, hotter, maybe a bit more humid.  The course had been damp in the morning and dried to be fast – really fast. 

Andrew DNF’ed his race after rolling a tubular. I changed his wheel (a thru-axle) as quick a I could, but the 20-30 seconds or so standing in the pit was too much to make up.

I could not match my Saturday start in the 2/3 race.  I was sitting around 40th wheel after the wholeshot/mud pit dismount.  I hit the deck about 2 minutes into the first lap.  I had too much air in my rear tire after hitting a root hard in pre-ride and fearing pinch flat.  As a result, I lost traction on the worn-in line/mud rut around a corner and landed squarely on my shoulder, bashing my left lever inward where it would remain for the next ~40 minutes.  I was DFL by the time I got back on.  I fought a few spots back over the next lap and a half only to wipe again on the deceptive root in the woods section.  I only lost one spot in the second fall, but it certainly had my confidence lowered and me cornering more gingerly.  I reeled a few more in over the following laps, finishing 42nd of 54.  This was about 10 spots ahead of where the predictor had me finishing.

I was a long, multi-modal trip back to NYC, but worth it for such a stellar event.

This weekend I am thinking of heading up to Newtown CX.  Any advice on taking the Metro North on the weekend to Danbury?  I think it’s a $5 bike pass and transfer at South Norwalk station along the way.  Would be a ~9 mile ride to/from the course from there.  Weather looks good!

This weekend - let's go!

AnthonyOtt said:

This weekend - let's go!

One of the most awesomest CX races out there. DO NOT MISS

Registration closes tomorrow at 3 PM

I am registered both days for the Masters 11:30am race and have a zip car in reserve. Should be able to drive at least one other rider.

Open to spending Saturday night or driving back to Brooklyn both days.

Only caveat, (sorry Anthony) is that I need to leave Sunday shortly after my race, have to take care of a few things that afternoon.

eloy said:

I am registered both days for the Masters 11:30am race and have a zip car in reserve. Should be able to drive at least one other rider.

Open to spending Saturday night or driving back to Brooklyn both days.

Only caveat, (sorry Anthony) is that I need to leave Sunday shortly after my race, have to take care of a few things that afternoon.

All good - I like the idea of staying out there.  Maybe I can find a return trip on Sunday and take you up on getting out there Saturday and splitting hotel.

awesome -- will look into making a reservation...

I signed up kinda last min for saturday morning (motivated by a front row start i think i get?) but I can't race sunday unfortunately. If anyone else is tryna get real weird with it in the 4/5s and head out afterwards, let me know! 

I signed up for the saturday morning 40+ 4/5s. it will be my first CX race! haven't sorted out transportation.

Great to see Rob sharpen his CX chops and James try his first CX race. Looking sharp boys! Here are a few shots I got while they were racing

Nittany has a great vibe, lots of great cornering plus some roots and bumpy bits. In my field, Eloy was on Fire! Not only was it the debut of his smoking Specialized Crux, but he had the legs to match.

My race was good for the first two laps, but my legs lacked any real power for the rest of the race, giving up a slew of spots. I woke up that morning with a slight post nasal drip and my Whoop score in the red. By the end of the day I had a full blown cold. Good thing I didn’t repeat last year’s effort of two races in the same day!

Look how good Eloy looks cornering!

Nittany is a forever favorite course, altho this year there was no pizza oven on Saturday's farmer's market, needed more handups too.

Was definitely a ton of fun to race a new bike, figuring out how it behaves. It seems to corner faster than my old bike, but able to hold longer before things start to skid sideways. It definitely ripped the single trackie bits. A couple of times the paddles reminded me this was no longer Shimano, but otherwise enjoying the shift to SRAM and the one paddle for everything.

The course felt infinitely more bumpy that I remembered, even tho I ran about 25ish psi both days, tried a pre-ride lap with a little less but that felt dangerous stupid. 

Was awesome to arrive to James and Rob full wide smiles after their races.

Also, awesome, over the years, we have built this small masters crew, Sean Runnette, Barry Jones, Patrick, myself, etc... we all know we can beat each other on a given day. Even if just two show up we got a race! and we are gonna push each other hardcore. Saturday was sweeet as all four of us were there. Hope we will keep it up all season. Trying to pass Patrick can make us pedal deep af.

Have plenty to work on, and crack the top 20 of these Mac races. Raced very clean on Saturday, but could have been stronger mentally, and push those corners a bit more. Sunday felt unsurprisingly harder and less fresh, one last lap barrier mistake on Sunday opened a gap to Sean, but who knows if I would have been able to come around him. In any case, can't wait for more!

Anthony looked mega sharp racing single speed pro.

Also, worth note, Edwin so did a double take when he noticed the bike, we did not talk about it.

Here in this photo, I so clearly went from non believer to asking God for forgiveness hoping it'll stop the pain. it did not work. haha.


Let us go race bikes!

So midi much fiyah

So..., week late Nittany Lion Cross 2021 report.
(don't have a lot of time, so this report is looong)

• James, Thomas F., Thierry, myself and my nemesis, Barry Jones, lined up for the Masters 50+ Jim F. is in the 60+
• Before the race, Thierry flats his rear tubular, I give him a bottle of sealant and tell him to dump it all in the tire. It works! Fixed!
• 35ish starters in the 50+
• I am 3rd row w/ James
• Barry is first row
• I have an honestly great start
• Still kinda hard to tell where the front actually is, haha
• Quickly single file, slot in and follow wheels. This course is perfect for this.
• Trying to stick to my strategy from the past two races of not blowing up
• But find myself very eager to pass riders and drive drive drive, so I do
• Eventually amass a few riders on my wheel
• As we approach the end of lap 2 there's some shoulder bumps as a couple of them try to pass
• I say something "c'mon, let's work together, not need to bump just yet" one of them replies "c'mon, you know what's up"
• Ultimately we settled in a relatively friendly group of 5(ish)
• Drafting in CX often feels like you could go oh so much harder, but the price to pass can be high, I have learned to chill, specially on less technical courses, also, trying to conserve energy (foreshadowing, btw)
• Next time under the banner, the announcer says: "And here's the chase group" 
• I'm like wait, am I in really in the second group? I try to scan for the front group, but not really sure where they might be... still..., we might in contention for a top ten here
• As the laps go, the group swells up to 7, trickles back to 5, swells again, etc...
• Barry is in the group, a sign this is a good group
• As we get under 2 to go, I am feeling the fatigue and the accordion effect getting expeeeesiiiinveeee!
• Tell myself to try to make it to the bell
• Barry takes the front  of the group and turns it up!
• hold on hold on hold on hold on hold on
• as we hit the very fast barriers, I make a mistake, and while I save myself from fractures or death or hitting anything really, I loose contact with group
• f**************************ck
• Ride the next last and a half chasing chasing chasing chasing chasing
• Near the end of the last lap I catch Werner Freymann and Jaime Hibell, who too became dislodged from the group
• they jump on my wheel in the last few turns
• when in doubt, lead it out!!
• is that a saying? because if it is, it is a lie!
• we sprint it out, they both finish barely half a wheel ahead
• fist bumps and "omg dude" ensue
• Later, I learn Barry exploded the group, he would finish 9th
• I was 16th -- literally last in the group, ouch ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Thomas and James came in a few seconds later in the 20s
• That was so much hotness

Let's go race bikes!