I’m typing this from the back seat of Todd’s car as we return home after competing in the Masters World Championship for Cyclocross.  This is it.  Cross season’s over.  Really?  Now what?  For the past year this was my target, and now that it’s over what happens?  It’s been a long season this year.  We started in August and raced almost every weekend up to now.  Even planning for this all along, It’s been a challenge to keep motivated.  We managed though andTodd Bowden, Vickie Monahan and myself made the journey to Louisville, KY.

The world Championships for cross have never been held outside Europe until this year.  The masters worlds were held as a test event in advance of the Elite worlds to be held next year.   The promoters did a great job under tough conditions. Joan Hanscom and Bruce Fina, have fine-tuned the process after many years of promoting the USGP of Cyclocross, the biggest series in the country.  So it was no surprise that they had an answer for all the twists Mother Nature had in store.

The last real race in New England took place on December 17^th and 18^th leaving almost a month until worlds.  Since none of us had ever tried to continue racing this late in the year, we had to find ways to hold on to our fitness for nearly another month.  Luckily we were able to gather a few friends and hold the “fake races” at MCC.  In the last week leading up to the trip there’s not much you can add to your fitness.  It is what it is, as they say.  The only thing left to obsess over was the weather.

We all have smart phones with the Weather Channel app installed, so from 10 days out we watched the weather, sometimes multiple times a day.  It looked good.  The forecast called for light rain on Wednesday then above freezing temps and sun the rest of the week.  Perfect!  Todd and I had heat races Thursday and we both wanted a sloppy track, but not necessarily raining.  Well, we all know how weather predictions usually go and this would be no exception.

We left for Louisville Tuesday after work and spent the night in a cheap hotel along route 80 in western PA.  Eight hours after leaving Wednesday morning we pulled in to the Eva Bandman Cyclocross Park just in time to ride the course before it was closed for the day.  Heavy rain Tuesday night and most of Wednesday had left the venue a soggy mess.  We were told that pumps had been running all day to clear the flood water that covered a good amount of the course.  So after eight hours in the car we kitted up and took to the course to see what was in store.

Two laps were all we could stand.  Everything was covered with mud.  Thick river bottom silt that sticks to everything combined with chopped grass to make a dense adobe.  The majority of the course wasn’t too bad though.  Sure there were deeply rutted sections, but there were still some good lines to be found.  It was the last quarter lap that was going to be the challenge.  A steep bank was climbed then descended five times in a row.  There weren’t any courses we raced this year with a feature this difficult.  None of the uphills were rideable and two out of three dowhills were barely rideable, and then only with a foot out and the rear brake doing all the work.   This was going to be good.  All season I’ve been running my mouth about the courses being so easy.  This one would not be.

On our way to the hotel we stopped and picked up our numbers for the heats.  The numbers were picked out of a bag at random and would determine your staging position (allegedly).  We also had to get a pass to be allowed in the pits during the races.  We headed across town and checked in to the hotel, did a load of laundry and enjoyed the amazing homemade lasagna that Vickie brought for dinner.  There was a little nervousness in the air as we prepared our gear for the seeding heats that Todd and I would race the next day.

As we arrived at the venue Thursday morning we could see that the course wasn’t made any less sloppy by the light overnight rain.  Todd’s race was first and would be 3 laps and supposed to take 30 minutes.  They did three laps, but it took 45 minutes for everyone to complete them.  Todd rode really well and was in the front group until the last lap then faded just a little to finish in 5^th.  The next field did 3 laps also in about the same amount of time.  There was a break in the racing from 12:00 to 12:45 to allow riders to inspect the course.  The heats for the 45-49 racers, my group, were up next and very few people took a preview lap, opting to go on the intel gathered yesterday.  The promoters made the decision to shorten the heats to 2 laps in order to stay on schedule.  One of the good calls they made.

I was in heat 2, so was sitting on the trainer during heat 1. The temperature dropped from over 40 during the morning races to just above freezing for the afternoon heats.   I watched as the weather  turned from rain to snow during heat one.  As I changed for the race I was glad that we had setup our warm-up area in a heated tent.   I made my way to the start for the call ups. Yesterday I drew number 12, which should have put me on the second row, but after just a few names were called it became apparent that, for some reason, they were calling up alphabetically.  I was on the last row.   The heat went off and the 2 laps were completed in just a few seconds under 30 minutes.  I finished 16^th out of 32.  This would determine my starting position for the main event.  At the end of the day the course was a sloppy mess, rutted from tape to tape.  The weather was forecast was for cold temps.

Friday was a day off for the three of us and we were in no hurry to get going.  Like good crossers, we brought our own French roast coffee and French press which let us enjoy a healthy coffee buzz from the comfort of our room.  We took full advantage of the hotel breakfast then returned to the room for more laziness.  Something was nagging at me that we should probably get out and at least see the course, but nobody was really motivated to put a plan into action.  After all it was 16 degrees out.  The course was only open from 12:00 to 12:45 and about 11:30 we finally decided to head out.  This turned out to be one of the better decisions we made during the week.

My cross experience is fairly limited.  I’ve done a lot of races in the four years I’ve been at it, but have never had a race under these conditions.  I’ve heard of the legendary races in Kansas and Providence and even this year in Madison, where a muddy course is locked up in deep frozen ruts, but had never seen it let alone ridden it.  You know the saying “how does it work”?  Well, that was my first thought after riding the first few feet.  Frozen Ruts…..How does it Work?  It turns out that if you try and just ride along with the ruts you will very quickly and violently find yourself on the ground.  What you have to do is “paperboy it”.  Todd overheard a rider saying she just” paperboy’d” her way around the course.  So, like a paper boy making his way back and forth across the street, chucking your paper in the shrubs, you zigzag your way down the course.  One and a half laps later I felt just enough confidence that I should be able to complete the race without being DFL or breaking any bones.  Vickie, on the other hand, looked scared.  No amount of assuring her that she has great bike handling skills (which she does) or that once the race started she would blaze through seemed to help.  She was nervous.  Todd didn’t seem to be fazed by any of it.  I think he could ride through a pit filled with oily broken glass and alligators (or whatever would be really extreme conditions) and make it look smooth.  We’re really lucky to have his talent on our team.

Friday night was pretty uneventful.  We went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner then hit the hotel to get everything ready for the big day.

Saturday morning, and the air was thick with anticipation and excitement.  Vickie has gotten her fear under control, but is still pretty nervous.  I’ve been working all season on handling race stress and turning nervousness into excitement, so I practice all my best lines on her.  I think it worked.  Like I said earlier, Todd doesn’t seem fazed. Normally.  This morning even Todd was showing intensity I’d never seen.  He was quiet and busy with preparations.  We were getting ready to race the one race we’ve been preparing for for  a long, long time.  This is the WORLD MF’ing  CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

Vickie was up first at 10:20, my race was at 1:00 and Todd would go at 2:00.  We decided to get to venue by 9:00 in order to take advantage of the open course and ride a couple laps.  We were relieved to see that the promoters had modified the course a little.  They had tastefully moved the tape around to provide a rideable line through most of the course.  They would move the tape out on one side of the course by a foot or so to a point where you would be forced to cross the ruts to pick up another clean line on the other side.  A few areas had been filled with dry soil and others were left just the way they froze.  The most technical parts of the course, the steep off camber hill and “stone steps of death” were left untouched.  The uphills were actually pretty rideable, but the down hills were either parallel tire ruts or deep, chaotic frozen foot prints.  No part of this course would be relaxing.

At 10:00 the sun was out, but the temperature was still well below freezing.  The course was rock hard.  Vickie’s field of 18 racers sprinted off the pavement into the grassy frozen ruts and we held our breath waiting for the carnage.  It didn’t come and they all made it through clean.  After 2 laps she had ridden up to 5^th place and seemed to be getting the feel for it.  But, like I said the course was not relaxing and the crashes started.  She toughed it out, even after smashing her face into the metal barricades that lined the course, and finished strong.  Unfortunately the mishaps took their toll and she finished up 12^th of 18.  Pretty damn good for someone who had never ridden a cross bike before June of last year.

At noon the course was open for inspection.  Based on the laps I did at 9:00, I made the call that I would benefit more from warming up on course and try to dial in the lines, than sitting on the trainer.  That turned out to be absolutely the right move.  The sun had started to make the course greasy and the 35 -38 psi I had found good at 9:00 was now way too high.  Mud and grass caked my bike which meant bike changes were going to be critical.  I was surprisingly relaxed as I went to the start.

I had watched the 50-54 race start just after Vickie’s race and there were six separate crashes in the first section of ruts.  I decided that given my forth row start position I would be conservative at the start and try to ride my way up through the field.  There was one crash in our start and it was right in front of me.  Luckily I avoided it and was forced the right way to where the good riding line was.  I rode well for three laps and was up to about 25^th spot. I had switched to a clean bike and the Griffos didn’t react like the Limus tires I had been riding and I crashed.  Not hard, but I rolled off course and my bike was tangled in the tape.  3 guys passed me.  I got back on and caught them.  The next time through the pit I got back on my Limus tires and started to catch people again.  I rode up the steep climb before the stairs of death and realized my back tire was going flat.  I rode the half lap to the pit and switched bikes.  Two more crashes later and I finished the race in 31^st place.  I met my goal of finishing higher than my starting number, which was 32.

Todd was up next.  I rode directly from the finish to the pit and got ready for action.  Vickie and I were there, but were we ready?  Not really.  Todd slotted in about 9^th place coming through the ruts at the start and was there going through the pits.  Shortly after the pit there was a sand area with one firm line through it.  The approach to the sand was a maze of deep glazed ruts with one smooth line around the long side of the curve.  I watched Todd ride the sketchiest line across the ruts and into the sand.  He was now in forth.  I said out loud “WOW”.  By now the course was a sloppy mess in some areas and the pit was crazy with activity.  The next time the racers came through the pit Todd was driving the Train!  Oh shit, Vic and I are freaking out.  We don’t have any tools, brushes, rags, nothing and our guy is leading the world championship race.  Game on!!  Todd comes in and switches bikes and we go to town ripping mud off it and using a borrowed brush and bucket to get it as clean as possible.  He comes back in and switches bikes and I tell him it’s as clean as we could get it.  “Man I hope it works” is all I’m thinking.  I don’t know why I didn’t think to use the pressure washer on the first bike, but for the next one I did.  Much better.

By the time the race had 2 laps to go the duo from Boulder Cycle Sport of Pete Webber and national champion Brandon Dwight had taken over the front of the race. Todd had slipped back to fourth place and was fighting it out with Mark MacCormick, former multi-time national champion.  Todd would hold on to 4^th with Pete Webber taking the rainbow jersey.

Our work was done.  On the previous muddy days I had loaded all the muddy clothes into the hotel room shower and pre-rinsed them during my shower.  I would take them to the hotel laundrymat after.  Today none of us felt like doing laundry since we were heading home the next day.  We stuffed everything into bags and put it away.  The bikes got cleaned just enough so that the hotel staff would let us bring them in.  Far from clean though.

We went out to dinner then returned to the hotel to meet out new friend Jose, the Spanish national champion (we think).  He didn’t speak any English.  We also met up with Paul Nyberg and the five of us walked to the awards ceremony for the day’s races.  We wanted to get an early start home the next morning so we called it a night.

Our good friend Amanda Bedard was racing the next morning.  Amanda and Paul Nyberg have spent quite a bit of time with our group and we were disappointed that we weren’t going to see her race at 9:30.  As it turns out, by the time we finally got the car packed and were ready to roll it was 9:30 so we decided that since we were there anyway we should stick around and cheer Amanda on.  She rode really well and I’m pretty sure she finished 7^th.  We hit the road and 14 hours later I was home.

I was hesitant at the end of the year about whether I could make this trip.  Work was slow and I was broke.  Some good work came my way and I decided that I would go.  I’m so glad I did.  This was possibly a once in a lifetime experience.  The bonds I’ve made with friends are worth far more than the cost of the trip.  I’m going through a rough patch right now with a serious illness in my family.   The person who got me into bikes when I was in high school and showed me the way to see and enjoy life, music, art, nature is struggling.  I was thinking about some advice for my daughter the other day and though I never told her I think it’s true.  Learn from the past, think about the future but enjoy today.  As Homer Simpson said “you could wake up dead tomorrow”.  See you next year.  Maybe.

Jon

While the propane heater was blasting, on the chilly morning of December 10th, we finished setting up the course and opened racer registration inside the big white tent.  Well over 100 racers came out to try to score some points and try out this challenging course.  Many spectators were scattered around the course, some were heckling in cyclocross fashion, and some even setup their own barbecue lunch.  The highlights of the course include the gnarly off camber mounds of dirt with switchback turns, long grassy straight-aways, the fast turns that carve through the loose dirt in the woods, and the run-up and ride down on “no-brakes” hill.  Needless to say, there is something for everyone.

All four categories went off smoothly and many racers finished the course with smiling faces and fast beating hearts.  We heard one racer comment, “I did 17 cross races this year, and this is my favorite race out of all of them!”  With that sort of feedback, we are really excited about the word spreading for the 2012 rendition of Silk City Cyclocross.  Mark your calendars once the 2012 cross schedule is out!

Thanks to all of the support from the racers, spectators, and sponsors, and everyone who made it all possible.

Also, thanks to Steve Yao for the awesome collection of photos that he posted here.

The Cross season kicked off for real this past weekend at the Nittany Cross race in Breiningsville, Pa.  This is the first UCI cross race of the season, in the world.  Jon T. and Cliff K.  made the 5 hour trip to PA for the chance to get in a hard, early season race before the New England Verge series begins this coming weekend.  They made the trip last year and the conditions couldn’t have been more different.  The course resembled a desert dust storm last year, while this years course had been hammered by two recent tropical storms.  For the most part the grassy course was just made greasy by the rains, but some portions of the course held significant water.  This standing water was quickly churned into a peanut butter like mud.  One large mud bog was on a slight uphill and remained rideable for the entire race.  the other however, was not rideable and consisted of a 75 yard run through 8 inch deep slop.  Needless to say, the mud quickly sapped their strength.  Cliff and Jon both had good starts and were in the first 5-6 places on the first lap, but the effects of the mud took it’s toll and both faded over the duration of the race.  Jon finished the 45+ race in 9th with Cliff in 10th for the 35+ field.  You can see in the picture of the mud bog that the race organizers move the course markings over to give the two pro fields a fresh strip of grass.  Our races charged through the middle of the slop.

Only a couple of us had done the race previously.  The veterans regaled us with details of the pain we were about to endure.  As we watched our cheering squad begin the drive up the auto road, we hopped onto trainers or hit the road to warm up.

Let me set the scene: the race consists of 4,639 ft. of climbing over 7.6 miles! (0 ft. of downhill, yes, not one freakin’ foot!)

Warm up seemed quick, as the event organizers began to call the groups to the starting location, which is the toll house at the beginning of the auto road… BAM!  A cannon shot off and the first wave started racing up the mountain. Many, including myself were totally unprepared for the cannon and it almost caused a domino effect of cyclists falling down!

Rob Recalde was first among the Expo crew to go and we all wished him luck, sarcastically saying that he was the “rabbit” and that we would be seeing him in a mile or two… He laughed and said, “yea, good luck with that!”

Steve Yau was in the next wave five minutes later, BAM!  And off he went.

Tom H., David D. and I rolled up in the next wave; Keith H. starting in the wave right behind us smiled at me and now YOUR the rabbit, he said. Great. I thought.

BAM! Off we went and David D. and Tom went hard from the start.  I started at the back of our wave, determined to let my training and game plan guide me, not the pack.  The climb is rude from the start with consistent 12 to 16 degree pitches and the carnage started quickly in my group.  As I saw David D. and Tom move up the road, I (and two other riders) began to settle into a rhythm and pick off riders that went too hard too fast.  I stayed seated and focused on breathing and keeping a steady medium+ cadence.  I had my cross bike set-up with mountain bike gearing and a bail out 34/36 ratio.  It turned out to be my savior.  Using three gears on the climb and the 34/36 “saved” energy, as it took off a bit of pressure while allowing me to pick up my cadence—something I am comfortable with.  A little over two miles into the climb, the grade was steep, but lessens slightly.  It provided me a chance to hydrate and pop some energy shots.

The aid/water station at the halfway mark was a welcome sight, as I grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over my head.   A couple of switch backs and the road pitched up a bit more.  I grinded up and around another corner, the infamous mile long dirt section glared at me.   The dirt portion is a rather narrow section of road, just above the tree-line and totally exposed to the elements.  Our race day was perfect, but I can now relate to the stories of riders being blown off their bikes on this section.  I was exactly five miles into the race and I slowly rolled up on the “Rabbit Rob”.  I gasped “Go Expo” and rolled ever upward, full well knowing that Keith was still behind me, though clearly not far behind given his strong climbing ability.

Now off the dirt road, I went as hard as I could.  I was above the tree-line with a clear view of the summit still over a mile away.  My brief eye on the prize ended as I heard Keith utter “finally” as he rolled up to me at mile 6.5. “Good job” was all I heard.   I tried to stay on his wheel, but he was in good form and began to slip up and away.

Pockets of spectators began to appear about a half mile from the finish and it invigorated me.  I zipped up my jersey ala the TdF and mentally prepared to face the 22% finishing grade.  There were numerous l cow bells and the road was heavily chalked with good luck messages.

Ahead of me Keith got the royal treatment from Marty who was on vacation in the area and showed up to cheer us all on I could hear the cheering fans and I got out of the saddle for the first time to drive up around the last couple of hairpins to the finish line.  I was exhausted and spent as I rolled across the finish line.  I took a couple minutes to recover before I looked for the rest of the team as they finished.

We all suffered physically and mentally, but we all finished!

I will not speak for everyone, but I personally want another shot at that pile of rocks!

The requisite summit photo ops. 

Cliff, Dave and Joe lined up for the 1/2/3 race just behind (30 seconds) the 35+ field of around 25 riders.  At the whistle it was time to drill it – all the planning of the summer and training came to this first and very exciting moment.  Cliff and Dave entered into the woods at the head of their field and motored through traffic from the 35+ field and found themselves at the front of the race quickly.  Joe continued to put in a solid effort throughout the race which is very impressive given he recent riding trip to Canada where he logged over 50 hours and 500 miles in just 8 days.  The race continued fast and within the first lap Dave and Cliff were on the front with no one else in their group in sight.  They were at the front with the two leaders from the 35+ field setting a good overall pace through to the finish.  Dave and Cliff would finish 1st and 2nd and Joe just outside the top 10.  Chris Franson put in a good showing in his field and finished in the middle of the pack.

All and all it was a great day and the Expo fella’s put in a good showing. -DaveH

This is how I got to ride with Jellybelly Pro (Brad Huff) and a young Elite rider from Canada (Sean Adamson) by accident. The night before I decided to change my tires, so within the first couple miles I pinch flatted from my awesome tire changing abilities. So here I am by the side of the road, forgot my tire iron, trying to use a stick to pry my tire off as everyone flew by. I debated hitching back to the car to get a very early jump on the festivities just as Sean, sweeping the course asked if I was OK. Great, he can help me and I may have a chance to catch back up. I handed him my 1st tube…..too small (not sure why I had a small tri-bike tube)…..2nd tube out of the plastic package had a hole in it?! OK, Sean kindly offered his only tube, popped it in and yup…..it had a hole in it! I think at this point Brad Huff was there, seemingly annoyed, takes one out from his back pocket tool box and a minute later tells Sean to corral me back. I hop on Sean’s wheel and we are moving pretty good until we hear Brad yelling at us from down the road, damn we missed the turn. Now obviously annoyed he tells Sean to go ahead and we started riding.

We had a nice conversation and he was super nice, asked me what I did for living and then I politely asked him what he did for a living……oops, he’s doing it right now (i didn’t know who he was)! Along the way Brad offered some nice tips and a nice view by his garment selection for that day of missing material in the rear.

After riding with Brad and Sean (again) until they had to rescue others, I eventually made it to the first water stop and was pleased to see Dave J. and his girlfriend Linda. We rode together until we came upon the ice cream truck stop, yes ice cream stop where I was surprised to see Jon T., he was sidelined for a while waiting for a new wheel from the SRAM neutral support. I actually wasn’t feeling it and took a pass on the ice cream. Back on our bikes, Jon was gracious enough to ride with me for the last half (more like pull me) through some gorgeous challenging country rodes and farms.

We made it back to the tent without any more incidents (just barely) and thus began the Pig-Roast BBQ with the gods at High & Mighty Brewery serving up the Beer. The crew was already enjoying the festivities with the exception of one “Man” who thought 64 miles with 5,400 ft of climbing and 20 miles of dirt rodes just wasn’t enough so he would bust out the Hundo with double the climbing and 20 more miles…….nice job, you deserve a few extra beers for that Todd B!

What else can I say but the FUNdo/Hundo was a blast, that supports a great cause (J.A.M. Fund) and shared with friends!

In November 2010 I got an email from Thread City Cyclers looking for interest in attending the 2011 Bicycle Tour of Colorado.  I reached out to a few of my Expo friends to see if there was interest in attending.  The first taker was Keith Hurley so we booked our trip.  The cost of the tour was $390 and we got Southwest flights for just over $300.   Southwest will fly your bike case for $50 each way. – Not a bad cost considering it is an epic bike trip.  Rob Recalde decided to attend about 4 weeks ago so he joined us last minute.  You can actually sign up for the day before the event starts.   Tom Phillips also attended and has been attending for several years.  We saw Tom each day out there and gave high 5’s to him and said “Go Expo”.

The Bicycle Tour of Colorado was started in 1995 and has been 400+ miles in the Rocky Mountains each year over 6-7 days and has always included challenging climbs over several mountain passes throughout the week.  The route this year went from Central City to Estes Park to Granby to Steamboat Springs to Glenwood Springs to Frisco and then back to Central City.  The organization is fantastic and the rest stops are first class with a full stock of food.  

Keith, Rob, and I flew to Denver on Friday the 17^th of June and got there around 9AM.   We stayed in Blackhawk Colorado (9,000ft) the first night.  Blackhawk Colorado is one of the most depressing places I have ever seen.  It is an old mining town filled with casinos.  There were over 500 gold mines within a few miles of Blackhawk.   Riding a bike is illegal in Blackhawk.   The casinos run the town and they fear  a bus hitting a cyclist.  There is absolutely nothing to do in this town but gamble.  The town is filled with ground pollution from all the mining.    Since we could not ride our bikes Keith, Rob, and I went for a walk to see how the thin air was and we managed to find a saloon.  It was not just a saloon but was the oldest saloon in Colorado (Crook’s Palace) and it had the only pool table in town.  We played pool for several hours since we had no interest in gambling and did not have transportation other than our bikes.   We met up with 8 of the TCC folks for dinner at the saloon which had great pizza and some very strange raspberry ice cream with extremely hot peppers in it. The thin air was a little challenging.   We were experiencing headaches and I woke up several times that night hyper-ventilating from the thin air.  On top of it I was getting sick with a cold.

On Saturday June, 18^th we departed Blackhawk and headed to the starting location of the bicycle tour – Gilpin County School in Central City, CO.  We set up our tents, built our bikes, and headed out for a bike ride.  We thought of riding to Boulder but as we started riding in the thin air we quickly decided to just ride to Nederland, CO which was about 18 miles away.  This was one of the most challenging 36 miles on my bike because of the thin air.   We got to Nederland and found a great Bakery/Coffee Shop.  They had fresh scones and very good coffee.  We sat and enjoyed part of the day at the coffee shop and then headed back up to the school for the first night in our tents.

On Sunday the 19^th we had an easy day planned – 56 miles from Central City to Estes Park.  There were two pretty large climbs and we experienced our first very fun descent for about 8 miles into Estes Park.    In Estes Park it was Sunny then rainy then sunny then rainy.   The weather in Colorado changes very quickly.   We heard there may be snow at the top of Trail Ridge Road that night so the route may change for Monday’s ride including possibly riding back to where we came from.   We got word that we had to be in the cafeteria at 5AM for an announcement about the next day’s ride.    On Monday we got up at 5 and they had no news because they were waiting to hear from the Forestry Department.  We waited and waited after we packed up our wet tents.  Finally around 8AM they told us we could head up to Aid 2 which was 18 miles up the mountain but the gate was closed.  They said that the gate would probably open as the weather cleared and if it did not we could ride back down and they would bus us to the next destination – Granby, CO.  Keith, Rob, and I quickly got on our bikes and charged up the 18 mile climb.    The average grade was about 6% for the climb.  At the top and there were about 100 cyclists there and the population was growing.  The gate was closed and we were getting very cold and shivering.  We were at an elevation of just under 11,000 ft.   We were there for just over an hour and we had numb hands and feet and a woman there had hypothermia.   We were doing push-ups to stay warm.  Rob, Keith, and I decided it was best to just ride back down and take the bus to the destination before we ended up with hypothermia.  Many others made the same decision.   The 18 mile descent was extremely cold.   When we got to the bottom we found out that the gate had finally opened, several cyclists made it over the top, and the ride got closed down for the remaining cyclists got bussed off the mountain.  I also heard that an entire bus went to a hospital with people suffering hypothermia.  We made it to Aid 2 but there were still 6 miles of climbing beyond the gate.   It was 27 degrees at the top with heavy wind, sleet, and snow.   We got loaded into a bus (The 6^th bus of the day) and it was  3+ hour bus ride to Granby.  The bus had to go around the mountains so it was a long ride with wet cycling clothes and no food.  We had breakfast before we left but it was now about 2PM when we got on the bus.  When we arrived in Granby it was pouring rain and cold.  Keith and I were joking about ditching this trip.  I think we could have convinced each other to rent a van and drive back to CT at this point.   When we got to Granby it was absolutely pouring rain and we had to set up our tents.

On Tuesday things started to turn around.  We had an 80 mile day planned from Granby to Steamboat Springs.   Most of morning was filled with ripping fast pace lines with up to 75 cyclists in each one.   The weather was nice and we started to get into the groove.   I had an average of about 20mph for the first 40 miles and Keith and Rob were quite faster.  I could not keep up with those boys with my bad cold.  At around mile 50 we hit a major climb and climbed to 8772 feet to Muddy Pass and to 9426 feet over Rabbit Ears Pass.  We crossed the Continental divide twice this day.  We had one of the best descents of the week from Rabbit Ears pass 9,426ft to Steamboat Springs 6,800 ft descending for about 14 miles with an average speed close to 35mph.  Steamboat Springs was a great little town.    We found a bar and grill with great burgers and beer and a local big Harley guy that was anti cyclist.   Then we found a great coffee shop and a great bike shop.   We then headed to the town park near the school where they had a band and a beer garden.   We relaxed, ate, had a beer, and socialized with many cyclists.  One guy we talked with did Ride the Rockies the week before, Ran a race up Mt. Evans on Saturday, and then was on the tour with us.  Just when you think you are doing something crazy you meet a guy like this.

On Wednesday we rode from Steamboat Springs to Gypsum – about 80 miles where we left our bikes at a high school gym and took a bus to Glenwood Springs.  For the first 50 miles we climbed from 6800ft to just over 8500ft.   The bike path was flooded so we could not ride to Glenwood Springs.   When we got to Glenwood Springs the weather was fantastic.  We got our tents set up, it was sunny out, and we walked down town to a brew pub for a burger.

On Thursday we had the day off and spent the morning rafting down the Colorado River.   The river was flowing the fastest it has in 37 years.   We went 22 miles in 2.5 hours.   The river is on a 12 hour cycle meaning the water we were on was snow 12 hours prior.  4 people have died on the river this month.   Rob Recalde jumped (or was maybe pushed by Keith) into the river.  He survived the cold water for about 8 seconds before Keith pulled him back in the raft.   We spent the afternoon in Glenwood Springs.  We took a tram up the mountain to an amusement park at the top of the mountain.   We went on a cart down the mountain, zip line, and Rob and I braved a huge swing that swung us over the mountain.   – terrifying!

On Friday we went from Glenwood Springs to Frisco (91 Miles).   The first 78 miles of the ride were all climbing.  We went over Vail Pass which is at 10,666ft.  Most of this day was spent on a paved bicycle path up and over Vail Pass.   We had another great descent into Frisco.  When we arrived in Frisco we got the tents set up and headed in a bus to Breckenridge for some lunch.  2 other riders from Cincinnati joined us for lunch.  When we got back from lunch we spent some time down by a lake with a band playing some music.  – This is where all the BTC people were hanging out and enjoying the afternoon.     We rode our bikes to this lake on the bike path so we had a fun fast ride back to the school as the sun was setting.   Then we got to spend the last night in our tents for the week.

Saturday was the last day of the tour.   We rode from Frisco back to Central City – 64 miles.   This included another crossing of the Continental Divide at Loveland Pass  (Elevation of 11,990ft).   This climb was quite challenging after having all these miles on our legs for the week.  On the back side of this climb the bike path we were supposed to ride was closed to us because of a ½ marathon being held that day. The tour organizers got permission for us to ride the interstate.   This was quite interesting because we were descending on a highway for about 20 miles at a very fast pace.   As we got closer to Central City we hit some monster climbs that seemed to never end and made us toast at the finish line.   When we got to the finish we broke down our bikes, got a ride to the school so we could catch our shuttle to the hotel at the airport.   At this point we were all exhausted from a fun and challenging week.  We flew home on Sunday and everything went very smooth with the airlines.   Keith and Rob both get king of the mountains for the week.

The Purgatory Road Race in Sutton, MA, was one of the latter for me. A 5 lap, 11 mile rolling loop, with a stiff stair-step climb at the end, contested on wet roads in a very un-June like 58 degrees. The motivation for me to hang on past the first lap (which was strung out for way too long) was stoked by the fact that the other 4 guys I drove up with (Dave, Keith, Jay, and Cliff) showed no sign of cracking, and I didn’t want to be “that guy that got popped” on the drive home. So I hung in there, even though the pack had been severely whittled down. Dave came back on the 2nd lap and asked how I felt (not good).  He indicated he didn’t feel good since he spent the first lap trying to create a break (thanks for that), and he wanted to get back up there and help the team.

Well, the legs did come around (although a break of 4 had already gone) and I started to really enjoy the course. It might be the best road race in New England – the downhill had sweeping turns, the rolling parts were twisty, there were lake views, and the climb – though tough, was not HC.

Highly recommended; with the right motivation.

The Fat Tire Classic at Winding Trails in Farmington was the first stop in April 2011.  In Cat 2, Expo’s Jesse Quaglioroli finished up with a solid 5th place in a big field of 21 riders.  Chris Franson clocked in with a 22nd place effort in a monster field of over 40 riders for the 40-49 age group.  Representing the fairer side of cross-country racing, Vikki M. grabbed a spot on the podium with a 2nd place finished.  Three Expo team members hammered the big-ring course in Cat 1, with Jim H. testing his early season form with a 6th place ride, while Dave H. and Jason M. both battled mechanical troubles to finish 15th and 22nd respectively.

The second event of the series took place at Massasoit State Park in East Taunton, MA.  Heavy rains and cool temps made for a soggy and chilly slogfest for Expo’s three representatives.  Jim H. staved off frozen toed misery to finish 4th in the Cat 1 19-29 crowd, while Jesse Q. endured the deteriorating conditions to post a 6th place standing in Cat 2.

The rainy weather persisted for the 3rd stop at Winsted Woods.  Several Expo riders abandoned road racing ambitions for the day to have some fun in the mud out in western CT.  Cliff K. and Dave H. powered to victories in their respective classes on the shortened course.  Jim H. ran out of steam to finish 3rd, while Todd B., Jon T., and Jason M. grabbed 5th, 6th, and 7th respectively. The second and final leg of the CT State Championship Series also saw 3 Expo riders recognized.  Jim H. was crowned 19-29 State Champion, and Dave H. got the silver medal in the 40-49 group.  In Cat 2 action, Jesse turned in another podium effort for 3rd place.

The action really heated up for Coyote Hill as 80 degree temps made for a tough event at the Vermont mountain bike camp.  Riders had to be on their toes to keep the rubber side down while negotiating the never-ending piles of Green Mountain State roots.  Jesse led things off in the Cat 2 race riding to a 5th place.  In Cat 1, Expo reps Jim H. and Jon T. battled the physically demanding course for 3rd and 5th place finishes in their respective age groups. 

The series returned south for the June 6th running of the Domnarski Farm XC race.  The event is becoming a riders’ favorite, and it is not hard to see why.  The course has all of the elements: Endless climbing, fast woods roads, bermed motocross style doubletrack, technical singletrack, and plank sections all on a somewhat atypical 10 mile loop.  First to start was Jim H. who was rewarded for his quick start in avoiding a first turn pileup.  Jetting away up the climb with only one other rider in sight, Jim held onto 2nd until the end of the final lap.  At the finish, just 6 seconds separated 2nd and 3rd, but Jim was pleased with his best race of the season.  Cliff put in another strong ride to finish 2nd, and the podium was becoming all too familiar with the Expo kit as Todd B. also grabbed 2nd.  Jim, Cliff, and Todd were able to bag some extra prize money thanks to promoter Matt Domnarski’s coveted $10 reward for turning in a sub-hour lap.  In Cat 2, Jesse narrowly missed the hour mark, but did pick up 2nd place.  Joe T. and Chris F. nailed down 10th and 14th place finishes respectively.

The season continues into July with the next 3 races at Pats Peak, Putney/West Hill, and Wrath of the Boneyard in Meriden, CT.  Currently, Jim H. sits in 1st place in the series overall for the 19-29 years old age group.  Cliff K. holds down the 6th spot in the 30-39 overall, Todd B. is in 6th in 40-49.  Jesse is the number 2 guy in Cat 2 19-29.  Expo Wheelmen have been well represented in the series this year, and it would be great to see even more folks take to the woods at one of the remaining races. -JimH