Bay Cross 2012–story & results….

Nice weather despite the temps today.  Another near perfect BayCross weekend.  Things warmed up though and so did the racing.  A three race event.  It kicked off with a kids race at 10:30 – it was really fun to watch & actually close one right up to the finish.

The action followed with a good sized 45 minute “B” race.   Who’s become a regular traveler to the annual BayCross events, Jeff Staloch, pushed it from the get go & eventually distanced himself for 1st & from a close finish between Jim Metry & Dave Cismas who took 2nd & 3rd. 

For an event that is regularly growing, it was great to see the all the racers that made the trip from the Eau Claire area & Duluth/Superior mix it up with our local riders.   To name a few, we had big time EC area cycling supporter Bob Schwartz make the venture up.  The newest local Doc formerly of the U.P., Ryan Brang, was initiated into local racing by showing up & giving it a go.  In addition, James Sajdak, Dennis Liphart, Chris Bulovsky & Scott Armstrong (until his race was cut short) to mention a few other friends.

The B race was also the Women’s open race.  It was treat to meet my coach’s (Gordy Paulson) daughter Aimee Zabrowski (btw, she’s got a sweet looking cross bike).  Apparently she knows how to ride it as well, has some good gene’s or hard work ethic passed down from her dad as she won the Women’s event.  Followed by the Lisa Weisphenning in 2nd & in 3rd my dear wife, Kate, who thought to jump in even after her 6 mile run at 7am this morning… (w.t.h. is with that?  Must be something in the well water at the Swanson house – encourages inane amount of physical activity?  And along along I thought it was just me?)  Personally?  Being the financial guy I am, I’m thanking her for coming thru, getting on the podium & bringing home the prize money.  She claims to have had fun & enjoyed herself…but I thinking it was a ploy to have a fantastic reason to go out with the girlfriends tonite for some pampering.  Can’t blame her… I’m thinking a 6 mile run woulda killed me.

That’s finally brings up the big pony race, the 60+ minutes of searing lungs & ripping-off-legs kinda racing… the “A” race.  Starting at 1 it was all fun & jokes til the metaphorical gloves came off (the real ones…, they were gonna stay on cuz it was still pretty chilly) at the starting siren. 

Jack Zabrowski, showed no hesitation in getting things rolling, followed by Jon Jurek & Scott Nesvold.  Me? I’m happy to let some else take charge cause everytime I lead out the first lap of that damn race – it’s tends to be alittle hot, thereby giving the officials an exaggerated unsustainable speed to calculate the remaining number of laps… always put us at WELL over an hour.  I’m not happy with it and usually neither is the rest of the racers.

The course designed by Mike Weisphenning, quickly strung things out into a long train of riders on the initial out & back starting loop.  Putting you directly in the line of sight of the other racers-- so you could peer back into the eyes of those behind you.  There’s this thing about not looking certain animals in the eyes, it’s dangerous…. I’d say the same thing goes for cyclo-cross racers.  Especially the ones with drool coming out of their mouths…anyways…

Yeah, so back to the race, Jack leads things through the first set of triple barriers with Jon following close as I pass Scott Nesvold & move into 3rd.  Again, happy to be there.  The course was sorta like a partial irregular starfish pattern.  It put you out on fingers/tentacles only to wind you back into the center of things.  Great for spectators!

I made a move mid lap to go to the front only to have my rear brakes fail me on the 180 degree turn & send me into the toolies & put Jack, Jon & Scott back in front of me.   On the gravel road section that lead through the old Prentice Park deer park  (think of that for a second– there used to be a day & age when they fenced in deer so people could view them – now it’s just a work of art to dodge them on a drive home day or night.)  I worked my way back to the front & was content leading things for a while & still holding the first lap time in check. 

Lap 2 of the 8 lap race I felt the need to go for a go old fashion beat down workout with or without company.  It got me an ever increasing gap….until that is – the earlier mentioned 180 degree corner decided to rip air out of my front tire –ugh.  The tubeless Michelin Mud2’s burped some & put me in that place no one in a cross race likes to be.  Coaxing along a near flat tire to the pit area.  Fortunately I shouted out to a friend/spectator three quarters of the way thru the lap & it allowed them to notify Kate to bring over my spare front tire.  I’ve never had the misfortune to had to pit in a ‘cross race, do some mechanical & try to get back into the race.  I knew I had a gap to work with… I just didn’t know for how long.  I was able to stop the bike, unskewer the wheel & watch 1,2, 3 guys go by before I could spin in the new wheel, adjust the brakes & get back to chasing. 

Fortunately or not, this made for the biggest effort lap of the race.  The guys in front weren’t showing me any mercy… a bunch of piranha’s smelling blood I tell ya!   So I went about my merry way of trying to reel them in.   I’d count the seconds of when they’d pass a point until I got there.  It wasn’t looking good for awhile.  In the open sections I noticed I was closing more but some of the technical stuff which I was riding well, but they were riding just as good.  Wasn’t until Kit Cischke found that same air-ripping-from-ones-wheel 180 degree corner and went completely flat did it slow those guys up for me to pass them again. 

Confident in my equipment, I tried to pour it on the rest of the race.  I have this mixed feeling about shooting for lapping any racers.  Some appreciate it (because they have 1 less lap to do), others…well, it’s also not fun to get lapped or pulled early from a race.  I get that.

As it would go, I manage to continue a similar pace the remainder of the race & keep the lead into the finish.  It was a hard but good workout.  I raced with a G3 powertap so I could take a look at the effort afterwards.  Not quite on par to where I wanted it, but given the recent hard week of training, it’s not something to be bummed about.

It was great watching the finishes behind me at the end as they had a few close ones at the line of guys that went back & forth during the race.   The Brian Hammond, Scott Nesvold & Kelly Mcknight one especially.  Brian put the hammer down that Scottie couldn’t come around on. 

The lowdown on the results below…  pics probably up at Skinnyski or another site later.   Big great tasting potluck after, along with awards and nice swag/give-aways.  

Local event or not, it’s a great friendly race & festivity that I strongly encourage any person put on their calendar.  It’s always been a good time before, during and after the race.  Be on the lookout for it again next year!  Til then ride hard & keep the wheel down…

BayCross*

Putting the word out there…..

One of the best keep cyclo-cross secrets out there!  Check your schedule.  Make the drive, come check it out.  You won’t be disappointed that you did.  I promise.  Great event.

Thinking of catching up…. & Tues Night Cross Racing in Twin Cities

Bummer to have a season full of stories & race recaps some of which go untold…battles waged, crashes witnessed, spectacular racing at times….yet, not always enough time to catch up & express it.

Maybe with something more than a half hearted effort those stories & tales will yet come forth. 

In fast forwarding to the present, with finish of the always awesome DeerFly Chase MTB race at Hickory Ridge trails 30 min north of Eau Claire, it’s almost always the end of MTB racing for me.  Sure there’s one last really good WORS race in Sheboygan this coming weekend.  And if one can endure a 8hr drive to Traverse City, MI – there’s always the Iceman Cometh in November.  But with the growing popularity of cyclo-cross, racing activities start to tilt in that direction.

Now despite being incredibly fortunate of having miles of single track in my backyard (literally) & being relatively close to the Cable/Hayward “CAMBA” trail systems.  With really no shortage of MTB racing opportunities within a 1-2hr drive all summer long.  However my opportunities for ‘cross racing get squeezed due to geography & it seems like everyone that’s turning wheels & pedals in the summer around here is picking up guns & shooting forest chickens in the fall.  Needless to say I digress…

So to get into some more frequent ‘cross racing it takes a bit of effort.  Generally it’s 3+hr drive to the U.P. of Michigan or the 3 1/2-4hrs to the Twin Cities.  Head east or head west… toss a coin.

The U.P. has got a super great weekend series and community like no other for cycling.  Dedicated folks that I very much admire.  The MN series…ah, plenty of good there too – they run under USA cycling rules & regs so -- their races trump others because valuable sanctioned point systems are needed IF a person plans on racing the big State/Regional/National races.

So far I’ve taken in the Lowes Creek Cyclo-cross race in Eau Claire in early Sept.  A stab at the Madison USGP of cyclo-cross right the weekend after Chequamegon Fat tire.   Then a MN series ‘cross race the EC3 at Elm Creek. 

Tuesday night, opportunity presented itself to be in the Twin Cities and take in the Tues Night Cross races.  Nice point possibilities & two races in a night.

Got there with plenty of time to spare, with a questionable rear tubeless Michelin Mud 2 tire, I swapped it out for file tread Bontrager CXO.   It began the start of good going bad…

After some warmups, it was time to line up in first race of Masters 35+ race.  At the “go” Doug Swanson, in his like only 3rd time on the bike in… over 3 months, took to the front like only he knows how.  All heart… even without the legs.  Gotta love it.  I found a reasonable place in between 2nd & 5th with Jesse Reints following. 

All is going well & probably 2 laps in Jesse decides to go to the front when Doug falls off the pace.  Jesse grabbed a decent lead & I was left to follow with Oliver V. &  two others.  About the 3rd lap I feel my newly place Bontrager getting low & one bump on the course later it’s rim riding time for me.   Ugh. 

I go to the pit area, grab my pump try to re-inflate. It won’t take & no tubes with me.  So mid race I walk to my car to get my questionable Michelin 2 which I knew would at least inflate so I could finish & then be ready for race #2 -- the Cat 1/2/3 race that started immediately afterwards.  As I re-enter the course… only a half lap into that, the Michelin blows off the rim entirely.  Crap!! 

So besides blowing a good opportunity in a the first race, I’m in a pickle to even be able to do the 2nd race.  Get to the pit area & see the other guys finishing when my savior of the night comes along.  Jeremy Ames – Angry Catfish racing, tells me to check with the support area for a spare wheel, but to no avail.  He then says  “Hey, you can’t have driven all this way & not get in a race.  Here I’ll pas son racing, take my wheel.”  How friggin’ cool is that!!   Thanks a million Jeremy!  Now not only is it a rear wheel… it’s a tubular with a Challenge Griffo tire.  My first time ever riding a tubular. 

I can almost say I had an epiphany – wow!!  I had no idea skinny tires could grab & go around a tight corner like that!  I was a kid in candy store.  The course had plenty of twists, turns & cornering so it was a great opportunity to experience the benefits of tubulars.   Amazing considering what my experience had been previously on regular tires.  On certain courses those tires or tubulars can make all the difference….. I gotta get me some!!

Though a back row start on the race, I got a nice welcome from Pete of the Crossniacs & moved into the top 10 quickly into the start.  Sorta got stuck in with Brian B. & Owen T (nice SS MTB effort).  We traded things back & forth, but a mistake or slip here & there & gaps would open up.  We caught up & passed two riders a 2nd or 3rd lap in on a race course that was quickly disappearing due to the daylight waning.  I had a barrier & clip in issue & it gave them the gap to get away on me.  I think I finished 7th or 8th?

All in all, for the night the bad luck turned into good opportunity thanks to the generosity of a friend.  Given the situation, happy to have tried the TNC races, a real nice thing you guys in MN have going there.  Great to see.

Once we all coughed the cold air out of lungs it was onto Pizza Luce with Jeremy & later catching up with Chris Ames of Freewheel.  Sure nice to finally meet Chris, a great guy & good conversations we had.  Hope opportunity presents itself again in future seasons to do some more TNC!!

DeerFly Chase 2012

 

It what could soon become a favorite for MTB racers not yet ready to hang up the bike after the Chequamegon Fat Tire or ride circles & jump cyclo-cross barriers, the 2nd annual 2012 DeerFly Chase at the Hickory Ride Trails this past weekend was held under weather & trail conditions nearly unequivocally to anything else this season. 

The trails located  just north of Eau Claire in the New Auburn/Bloomer area hold great variety, challenge & fun.

As those of you who know me, it’s not out of the norm for this father of four, that getting to a race on time presents it own challenges.  But I actually rolled into the parking area with 15 minutes to spare before the 10am start.

Without anything more than a ride through the parking lot & accepting the good natured razing from the race director, Noah Michaelsen, about my timeliness & from racing c0hort Nate Lillie.   It was onto the start line.   Taking a survey racers, notably missing was last years champ Chad Sova, having moved further down state.  Leadout train machine Mike Johnson, not to mention Nate Lillie down & out due to crash earlier in the week and the vastly improved Matt O’Meara, who so graciously took over child care duties so his better half could give the race a go. 

Even so as I lined up I was  greeted by expert racer & top 40 Chequamegon finisher Mike Wenzel.  With Mark Foslien, and Kevin “I didn’t know he had a bike with more than one gear” Roytek  not far behind among many others.

A 4 wheeler rollout on pavement couldn’t be long enough for legs that’d been idle in a car for the previous 2+hrs.  Must have been just over a mile when the course finally turned a corner onto gravel & the racing hammer got dropped.  Mike Wenzel quickly jumped up to the front to lead up a climb that started to separate everyone.  Mark F. followed and I turned over to Kevin R. to basically ask if that’s something we should be catching up to.  His response to speed up was my sentiments exactly & shortly after the top of the hill it was down to a group of four of us. 

Mike leading followed by Mark, Kevin and me bringing up the tail. 

It continued on this way with Mike mostly staying at the front & Mark going ahead from time to time.  I was still waiting for my legs to feel better & was more than content sitting in for a while longer.

When we hit a couple small rolling climbs I felt modestly comfortable going to the front, to do my part & knew the first section of single track couldn’t be too much further away.

 

Knowing how strong Mike was at the Chequamegon 40 burying me on the Fire Tower climb at that race.  I was hoping his technical skills were rusty.  And seeing him struggle just a bit to take a few of the gravel corners it gave me added incentive to get into the single track first & maybe start getting a gap before the race came back out into the open sections.  I wasn’t sure what Mark was capable of …..& Kevin?  Well, I think his momma must of given birth to him on the trails so it was gonna be wishful thinking if it was the last time I’d see him in the race.

Sure enough, upon hitting the single track, it’s said how fast gaps can open up and it’s true.  I accelerated quickly and not far in I soon had a nice 6 or 7 second gap on Mike and it was growing -- so I settled in at a more comfortable pace.  However minutes later an opening in the trail later allowed for Kevin to pass Mike & Mark and the hunt & chase began. 

I rounded a 180 degree turning section the course to look back and see Kevin steaming up the trail.  Ok, decision time…. ease up and work together or hammer down again and make him work hard to catch up.  I foolishly choose the later.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  It wasn’t like this early in the raceI was gonna ride him off my wheel.  The only guy I was gonna wear out in the process was myself.

Even so, I pressed on.  At times he’d sound closer, and then it’d be silent or on some turns and corners I catch a glimpse of him.  Seemed like a constant 7-10 second gap.  He was a both a shadow and a mechanical sounding demon bearing down after me.

I was doing my best to ride smoothly and not take chances, at one point I thought I was able to finally get rid of him… uh, not the case, he later told me it’s just that he dropped a chain & that what delayed him.  Ugh.  Finally after a few more miles he eventually climbed onto the back of my wheel. 

Far be it from me to hold back a superior technical rider so I gave him the pass & he lived up to what everyone told me about him.  He took to the front like a man possessed…. I’m mean, seriously…. look at this picture below, can you honestly disagree with me?  The look in the dude’s eyes?  He’s hell bent on ripping my legs off & only then content after beating me with them.

Kevin’s got a style of riding that is effortless, subtle and smooth.  He’s carves a trail like a hot knife through butter… and yet flows along it like that same stick of butter melting on popcorn.  One minute you see him, the next he’s gone. 

Disappearing in the shadows of the trees, with the only hint of his presence?  The particles of dust lingering in the air as he’d power out of the corners.

 

Chasing… & chasing…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was like one of those old Looney Tune cartoons with the skunk chasing the cat, except the other way around.  I was the the Cat scrambling for dear life to hang onto the easy going Pepe Le Pew.

 

Uh…What is this dude’s kryptonite? …cause I gotta find it & find it soon…

 

 

 

The course had changes from the previous year and while it was single track intensive in the first half I wasn’t sure what to expect in the second half.  More of the same & I might be checking out & saying adios to Kevin.  However the course is broken up nicely and has ski trails & some gravel roads in the middle of the race before getting into some last remaining sections of single track. 

On the open sections Kevin & I figured we were probably clear of any chasing racers and got to chatting a bit while still trying to keep up the pace.  For a guy who mostly rides a single speed, he didn’t forget when & how to shift gears.   He pulled a lot of the open sections & where I could I tried to trade off & go to the front.

When we entered the last sections of single track some of it was old & some newly built.  At a particular tight section I had to joke with him as it was definitely made for 26” wheeled bikes as even his superb skills were being put to the test.  He was on a 29er hardtail, I on the full suspension 29er.

On the newly created single track, my full suspension helped a lot to soak up the bumps while Kevin was bouncing around abit more.  At one point he took an alternate path & told me to go to the front. 

It wasn’t shortly after that I could of sworn on a switchback we’d just come through, I’d seen a rider, probably Mark F. behind us clear as day not more than 20 seconds behind.   Again Ugh.  It’s never fun racing, thinking you’ve got an “out of sight, out of mind” gap only to find out it’s not the case.  So whether it true that Mark was that close or just where the different sections of trails come together I’m not sure.  But it gave me all the motivation I needed to keep the hammer down & I told Kevin I wasn’t gonna let us blow the lead we had. 

When we finally came out of the final single track it was a few more miles to the finish but in mostly open ski trails.  I figured Kevin would be plenty ready to go -- after all I was fully convinced he could have been whistling Dixie & filing his nails all the while following me in the previous sections of single track in how easy he makes it look when he rides it.

I asked him if he wanted to trade off taking turns at the front every 30 seconds or so, but sorta rolled his eyes & gave me the you’ve gotta be kidding look.  Nonetheless, I went to the front, did the ‘ole “making friends with the pain-cave” and began to turn over the cranks with what I had left.  Kevin did a big share of work in the race so I wasn’t gonna mind taking over now & just let the chips fall where they would at the finish. 

With 2 miles to go I looked back and Kevin had fallen alittle bit back.  I was just looking forward to getting to the finish line, so I pressed on and slowly the lead increased to about 20 seconds.  With a mile to go, I saw the smiles & cheers of Nate Lillie & Matt O’Meara at the top of hill yelling at us.  Quite amusing when I used to seeing them grimace in the races with me.

Anyways, I was also getting some slight cramps & backed off alittle to save myself in case Kevin mustered a come back.   But it wound up that I could enjoy the final mile cruise  into the finish line.  Seeing my wife, Kate & the kids cheering.  Also getting to appreciate the far from easy win with how hard Kevin pushed it throughout.   

Kevin followed in with 2nd, followed by Mark, Mike & a really good ride by Adam Tripp.  Lot’s of racers came through with smiles on their faces so I gotta assume it was enjoyable to all regardless of results.

After a quick cool down & catching up with some of the other racers, it was off to the post race gathering for food & beverages.  I don’t know the formula as to why, but some races/event, just really “have it”.  The DeerFly Chase is one of them.  A really great event with a low key friendly atmosphere.  Consider putting it on your calendar for next year, I pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.   Lot’s of thanks for the people and sponsors that worked so hard to make it come together.  Noah Michaelsen & co, my appreciation goes out to you for making a great event that so many people could enjoy.