Bike Authority CX Series #8 - Kirtland Park

Once again, here it is nearly a week after the fact and I'm just getting around to writing about last weekend's cyclocross race up in Cleveland. I can't even begin to describe how crazy-busy we are at work and, combining that with all of the other events of this week, not much time is left for the old Intertron.

I actually had a better race than I anticipated last Sunday. When I rode up to Ernie's Bike Shop to ride home with Lorena on Saturday, I wasn't so sure about how I was going to feel on Sunday. Since I missed races 5 and 6 in the series, I couldn't exactly miss another race lest I ruin my chances for a good finish in the overall series points. Going into Sunday's race I was sitting in 9th in the overall standings. Fortunately, I woke up feeling pretty good on Sunday and the weather couldn't have cooperated any better. It's hard to complain about racing in shorts and short sleeves in the middle of November.

The course they set up at Kirtland Park was awesome. We raced there back in 2003 and apparently there were a few races held there while we were in Idaho. No barriers, but a couple of sets of stairs to run up and a couple nice grunt climbs. There were sections of the course that made me glad I have mountain biking skills.

(Photo by Julie Sroka via Robert Sroka)

I started on the front row and, once again, had a little trouble getting my left foot clipped in as we barreled down the opening straightaway. I was still near the top 10 as we went into the first climb and then a few people suddenly forgot how to ride their bikes. The guy in front of me got stopped, I slammed my front tire into his cassette, and I'm sure I uttered some not-so-repeatable words about the situation. That certainly cost me a few places, but I managed to keep working my way up through people as the race wore on and finished in 12th place.

On the last couple of laps I knew I was lapping some other people. Right before the last run-up on the last lap I caught and passed a rider and didn't know if I was lapping him or not. Since I didn't know I decided to just go as hard as I could through the last few turns and got into a sprint finish. I think he beat me by a hair at the line, but I had no idea what place I was racing for and, damn it, even if he was a lapped rider you shouldn't leave anything out on the course anyway.

Based on the results that are posted over at TeamLakeEffect.net, I'm now in 7th place in the overall points if you take the top 6 finishes for every rider. I think the best I've ever placed is 5th in the overall for the Bike Authority Series and I believe that was for the 2005 series. Most certainly, I can't complain about how my cross season has gone and I guess this is just further proof that cyclocross racing is where I've had the most success. The Boughton Farm race is next Sunday and marks the end of the series. Here's to hoping I can crank it up one more time for the year.

As usual, many thanks to Bike Authority and Team Lake Effect for putting on such a fun cross series. Truly one of the highlights of the racing year in Northeast Ohio.

More photos via: Robert Sroka and Julie Sroka

Bike Authority CX Series #7 - Kent State

There simply aren't enough hours in a day. That is why it's Wednesday evening and I'm just now getting around to an update about last Saturday's cyclocross race.

Saturday was race #7 in the Bike Authority Cyclocross Series and took place at the Kent State main campus. Major kudos go out to Kent State for allowing two cross races this season on two of their campuses. The weather was considerably better for this race than it was at the previous (link to previous write-up). In fact, it was warm enough to race in shorts and short sleeves. I most definitely didn't expect at 60F+ day in the middle of November. I also certainly cannot complain about a mud-free race after how many muddy races we've already been through.

The start was on gravel and was basically a sprint to a near 180-degree turn. Since part of the turn was on the gravel, all 55 of us in the B-race were trying to make the turn without crashing. This naturally led to some bumping of handlebars and probably a few expletives, though, I think we all made it through crash-free. Gravel in turns was a theme in this race and only really caused problems when groups of riders were trying to go through them. Once the race became more strung out, if you crashed in a gravelly turn, it was your own damned fault. Fortunately for me, I didn't crash once. (Does that mean I wasn't riding hard enough? You know the old adage... )

There was a nice singletrack section in the woods that featured two run-ups that were perhaps the best run-ups I've ever experienced in a cross race. The footing was good, the weren't too steep, and they weren't ridiculously long (unlike some we've done in the past). Maybe I was just feeling good, but I felt like I did the run-ups great every lap. I don't recall ever having that feeling before and I guess that is probably a compliment to the course designers for making the run-ups "fun".



Except for the first lap, I was only passed by one other rider and I passed him back on the last lap. On all of the other laps I was making up ground and passing other riders. I joked on Facebook that I need to abandon the Idaho Vandals football strategy of spotting the competition a gap and then try to make it up before the end. It's a marginal strategy at best and I really should just work on getting a better start.

For the day, I ended up in 14th place. I'm not too displeased with that considering it had been almost a month since my last race. Looking at the race results, I don't think anybody was going to catch the guy that won. What really caught my eye was how close the times were between places. Especially 8th-11th (5 seconds) and 12th-14th (5 seconds). I also found it interesting that there was about 1 minute between these groups. It felt closer than that during the race. Then again, things always seem a little different when oxygen debt is part of the equation...

Finally, there was a great turnout of spectators on such a nice day. You can thank a one Heath Brown for the photos and plenty of cowbell during the race. More importantly, I thank him for suggesting a post-race burrito at Taco Tontos. Hopefully, the weather will once again cooperate this Sunday for the next race in Cleveland. If you're not racing, come on out, ring some cowbells, cheer on a bunch of crazy cross racers, and maybe even offer up a bacon hand-up. You don't have to be a single-speeder to appreciate bacon.

Race Results

Robert Sroka's Race Photos

Beware the Bambis

In light of my recent 'What I Saw On My Ride Today' posts, this one might be more aptly titled 'What I Almost Ran Into On My Ride Today'. Night riding after work has been pretty much the norm lately and the 'warm' temperatures during the day/early evening have certainly made those rides much better. We have pretty good light systems for riding at night and I'm often amazed at how far ahead they project. On the other hand, I don't know if, on tonight's ride, the battery was getting low or if there was some fog settling in the valley I was descending into. What I do know is that my light didn't project far enough ahead to prevent me from having to lock up my rear wheel and skid to avoid t-boning a deer that was standing in the middle of Lawndell Road.

I'm doubtful it was a premonition, but I actually had the thought 'You may want to not bomb down this hill because of how active the deer have been lately.' right as I started down the hill. Before seeing the deer that I almost hit, I actually caught a glimpse of one on the side of the road just as I saw the broad side of the one in the road. Even better, I heard another one on the left side of the road and had no idea whether it was going to come out and t-bone ME. Needless to say, it was an interesting experience that I don't really want to have again soon. It reminded me of photos I saw a few years ago from a road race where a rider or two were taken out by a deer crossing the road. I guess even daylight doesn't give you an advantage against those of the whitetail persuasion.

This is mostly just a friendly reminder to all our cycling (and driving) friends to watch out for deer after dark. At least here in rural Ohio. And while you're at it, keep an eye out for Amish buggies too. I saw 3 or 4 of them after dark tonight too and they were difficult to see as well. In most cases I heard them before I saw them. Be safe and keep all those wheels on the ground.

What I Saw On My Ride Today: 11/7/09

The best part is, I wasn't even halfway into my ride when I took this photo. Got to love night rides on the cross bike.

What I Saw On My Ride(s) Today: 11/2/09

The Frosty Morning Commute



The predominant view during my training ride. (Damn you Daylight Savings Time!)



The camera flash really lit things up. I had Lorena's new NiteRider Mi-Newt Mini light on there. I love how small the battery is and the simple mounting to the bars. It might throw a better beam than my Princeton Tec light but the Princeton Tec light has a longer run-time. I suppose you can't have everything...