Dromgoogle

Bryan Fawley and I headed up to the Showdown at Sundown in Broken Arrow, OK arriving an hour or so before our race started. We got our numbers, had a look at the course, and proceeded to get dressed. We had surveyed the course from the highway when we were coming in, and it didn’t look like there was going to be a lot to offer, it was a driving range so from afar it seemed really flat and really stretched out. Once we were dressed and on the course for a few warm up laps, we were showed it had a bit more to offer. There was a steep climb with a set of barriers at the top, some good connecting corners on the backside. Add in the wind from the highway across the treeless driving range in we were in for a long cold race. We got call ups based on USAC points, Steve Tilford, Fawley, a few others, and then I heard my name. I got the second to last spot on the front line.

We got the whistle and it was on, tearing down the straight to the hill and run up, it split immediately down the back side of the hill, the first few laps were game on, but soon the wind began to beat us down. We would separate and come back together on the backside, 7 of us would ride together for the most of race, occasionally yo-yoing apart. The last few laps it started to get going again, it split with two to go, but slowed on the backside with the headwind and we all got back together. Heading into one to go, there was some attacks heading to the hill, some separation, and everyone was chasing as hard as they could to catch back on. Fawley would make it back up to Tilford and Laskey and take the win. While Matt Ankey and Chris Drummond would stay away from me and I would finish 6^th, catching one other rider in the last lap.

Podium Pic from Showdown at Sundown 

Saturday was the Ruts and Guts event, Fawley had raced it the year previous and knew it had potential to be really hard. We were not disappointed. There was about 125 feet of climbing per lap. Each lap being about 5 minutes long we would do over 1500 feet of climbing in a little over an hour. The race started up a steep incline and onto a a downhill right handed sweeper then down to the bottom of the stair-ed run up. I was feeling good and was in the front group, but would get gapped off by the time we hit the climb on the backside, and would ride with Stefan Rothe and Andrew Coe for a few laps until I dropped my chain going up the stairs. I would catch back on before we went through the start finish but Stefan attacked and I went with him, but was riding too close to his wheel when we hit one of the hills and had to un-clip and run the hill.

This would be the last time I would have contact with them. I was keeping them at a sustainable distance for a few laps, but then I could see Fawley around the next bend from them and they must have tried to chase him down because they disappeared. Now I was riding in no mans land, as I would look back every now and then and would see no one anywhere close. I got the 4 laps to go sign, and checked my clock. 50 minutes. There was no way I was going to do 4 laps in 10 minutes, so as I knew I wasn’t catching Stefan or Andrew I let up a little, not so much to let anyone catch, but enough that I was burning less matches, as I knew I was racing Sunday in Fort Worth as well.

I’d finish at almost 1:10, in 9^th place. I’m happy with the result as there were some really strong riders in front of me, some of who had fresh legs, having not raced Friday night. We headed over to the awards party, got our money, grabbed some Marble-slab Creamery for recovery and started the trek back to DFW.

Pic from the off camber climb at Ruts and Guts

Sunday would bring myself and Michael Wilder down to Fort Worth for the Escalera Loco at Trinity Park. Michael had raced the day before, and as we drove up said the course was very similar looking to the previous days course. We got our numbers and headed over to the course to warm up. It was nice having an open hour between races to get ready. We took a few leisurely laps and did some leg openers on the start/finish straight. The course was wide open, had a few connecting corners, but they were wide enough to be sweepers. There was a set of barriers, a short sand pit, a few rides up the levee, and one run up the levee. They had extended the course from the day before, adding in some more sweepers on the far side of the course. This was a definite power course, which was good news for me.

Cross Insanity, what with the yelling.

We lined up for the start, by registration order. Usually they separate the categories, but they decided to put us all together, so there were cat 3’s on the front line with myself, Wilder, Paul Bonds, and Ian Moore. The start seemed long enough to space things out, but there wasn’t. I hit the levee first, but a cat 3 rider was surging right next to me. He hit the turn first and went back up the levee. There was an off camber section, right away and I knew I had to be in front of him before we got to it, so I made my move and got the hole shot. Through the barriers, and back up the levee, and it had sorted it self out a bit. We hit the barrier before the run up, and Paul and I hit it first. Wiley, Stefan and Austin Stewart were right behind. I knew Paul wasn’t going anywhere so I tried to make a gap between us and the next three. We did a lap like that and on the second lap Stefan came rolling through on the road section like a freight train. I hoped on Pauls wheel as he came around and settled in. I ended up back on the front and had a small gap on Paul and Stefan with a group of four chasing hard. I was feeling good settling into a nice pace, but on the back side of the course I went into the corner heading back towards the course and took it a little too hot and washed it out. I rolled out of it, and remember seeing Paul’s wheel on top of me almost immediately. Him and Stefan passed me, as I tried to evaluate the situation, the group of four with Wiley, Steven Williams, Austin, and Scot Minard came by me. Moved my shifter back into place and put my chain back on, and started chasing. I was probably 15-20 seconds down at this point. I turned myself inside out for 3 laps trying to chase those guys down, making a little bit of headway each lap. I caught Wiley first, then the other three. Austin was attacking the group as I was coming up so I bridged to him after another half lap or so.

Getting back on the bike after the run up as I catch Austin. 

I was looking for two things when I caught Austin, I wanted to catch Stefan, and if that was not possible I wanted to insure that I got third place. We rode together for a lap, and I was leading, but Austin wasn’t going anywhere. So I started attacking out of the corners, which there were plenty of. After two laps of this we weren’t getting any close to Stefan, so I knew I needed to separate myself from Austin. I let him pull up the road straightaway to take a drink of water and we got three laps to go. Once we got back to the dirt, I could tell he was fading a little bit, so I hit it back up the levee and put a gap between us. By the time I hit the barriers I had a sizable(5-8 seconds or so), so I knew I could concentrate on Stefan. He was a little too far up the road with only two laps left, but I kept it on, incase of a incident on his part of mine. I would get close, but not close enough before we crossed the finish line.

Paul Bonds got the win in first, Stefan came in second, and I rounded out the podium in third. 

All in all a very productive weekend of 3 hard races, after a hard week of training. My first full weekend on the Zipp 303 CX wheels, and I was very happy with the way they felt, and performed. The Vittoria Xgs were a perfect tire, even on the grassy course on Friday night, they hooked up plenty in the corners and I knew I could take them with a little more speed. This week is a recovery week, perfect timing too as my mother is in town for thanksgiving. My wife and I are headed to the Fort Worth Turkey Trot 5K tomorrow, so that should be a fun time for sure. Not much else planned for the weekend, rest and relaxation mostly. A whole bunch of book reading most likely.

Click through for a video from Tulsa as well. 

Rut N Guts 2011 from Design Your Ideas on Vimeo.

4th today and 5th yesterday. Pretty good weekend for training hard all week. Next week is recovery and I have a new set of wheels coming in. So next week should be pretty good as well.

Cyclehaus Tough Cross

Race Report from this weekends racing. 

I got 7th on Saturday and 6th on Sunday. 

Pictures as soon as they surface. 

Pictures from last nights Tuesday Night Cross. 1st in the short track, and 2nd behind Wiley. I was creeping up on Wiley, kept gaining a second or two a lap. Photos by Cole Kirkpatrick.

GPOYW - heading to a race in the van, pasenger fixing my flat.

This weekend was a big weekend for Texas road racing. There was a big race, under the lights on Friday night, a race on Saturday, and two State Championships, Skill/Catagory Based on Sunday, and Age Based on Monday. A very busy weekend, I drove well over 300 miles, and they were considered local races!

Fridays race was Bike the Bricks, our race started a little before 9, so it was completely dark when we started, glad I had my clear lenses for my Oakley Jawbones. The race started fast and furious. I was towards the middle of the starting line group so I had to try and move up as quick as possible to help out my teammates. I could see Jesse at the front chasing stuff down, so I knew I needed to get up there to give him a hand. I moved my way up to about tenth wheel, and there was a few guys up the road, I got antsy and tried to make the jump up to them, I got most of the way but could not complete the deal. The pack caught me/them, and I moved back to try and recover. I moved farther back than I should have, and ended up paying for it. I wasn’t aggressive enough to move back up until it was too late, and ended up 22nd. My teammate Jesse did well and got 7th in the sprint.<br>

<br>Saturday was a P/1/2 race, and was really windy. We did a lap or two, and I was mid pack, but a gap opened up in one of the corners, and I did all I could to close the gap, but could not manage to close it, so I was out in the wind for a lot longer than I needed to be, trying to get back on. Once I couldn’t go anymore, a bunch of people passed me, and as I had been riding hard to get back, I was already toasted, and couldn’t catch back to those guys either. And thus, my race was over. It only lasted about 15 minutes. I put in an effort with the other guys who had fallen off the back, but we weren’t getting any closer, so at about 30 minutes I gave up, and decided to spin for awhile.

Sunday was the Category based State Championship. The plan was to protect Jesse for the sprint for the jersey. All the best plans are for naught once the whistle blows. I was active at the front of the pack, and went with a move during a prime lap, and it stayed off for a lap or two. We got pulled back into the group, and I fell back through the pack gradually. I would try to bridge up a few times to other breaks, but was unsuccessful, but so were they and they got brought back. Eventually two guys would get up the road while I was at the back of the pack so I didn’t know about it until it was too late. Jesse snagged a $100 dollar prime, essentially uncontested. The two up the road had 40 seconds on the field, when I saw two elbows riders get to the front. I thought they were blocking, having seen one of their riders go up the road, but he had been brought back apparently.

Well I wasn’t going to go down without a fight, so I stopped their “block”, and got in front of them, and started to pull, trying to bring the break back. Their lead increased to 50 seconds, and would stay that way for awhile, at 5 laps to go, I had enough, and the gap wasn’t getting any smaller, so I pulled off. Paul Bonds from OKC Velo was nice enough to let me back into the draft, and I recovered a bit. Jesse was back on and in the mix, and Lalla instructed me, no more work until the end. I would get gapped, and passed in the corners and gradually fell to the back of the pack.

Coming through the back side of the course Jesse got after me to get to the front, and instructed me that I was spinning too high of a gear. I shifted down, 2, then one, then one more, and I moved up, and planted myself a perfect 4th wheel. Jeff Labauve was leading out his former teammate Danny Parks 5 seconds off the front. The wind killed their momentum by the last turn and I was still sitting pretty in 4th wheel. Two Park Place riders, and a matrix rider. At the beginning of the parking lot shift/chicayne the Matrix rider jumped, and I was right there waiting. He made it to about the stop sign/entrance and was done. I jumped him at this point and never looked back. I hit 40.5 mph and had half a second on the matrix rider in 4th behind me.

Monday was the Age based Crit Championship. We had 6 riders in this race. Myself, Adam, Phillip, Collin, Jesse and Michael Lalla. The plan was to stay at the front incase Elbows started to push the pace, and if they didn’t, we could initiate. The group consisted of the Under 23, 23-29, 30-34, and 35-39, categories. There was at least 75 riders to start. I got off to a bad start, by missing a pedal, so I was moving back in the pack. Then I decieded that it would be a good time to take a energy gel shot, seeing as it was only a 60 minute race. Gel shot good, timing BAD. I dropped to the absolute back of the pack. I could see a few of our guys at the front of the race, so I knew I needed to move up. I worked my way up to a better placing, about mid-pack, after a few laps. Phillip was still at the front and I was going to ride up and try and slide in with him. I got up there, and decided to instead roll off the front, and give it an effort myself. They let me roll off for a bit, then two guys came blazing past me. Nick Boulle, and a a Super Squadra rider, likely a Haga Brother. I tried to accelerate with them, but just couldn’t handle it after being in the wind myself.<br>

<br>Luckily another group made their way up the road pretty soon after that. I knew I had to keep up with them or make my way back to the group. I jumped into the back of the line, and tried to rest a minute. Once we got a proper rotation going, I knew we were golden. We had 5 in the group, One Elbows rider, myself, a Matrix Rider, a 787 rider who got 2nd the day before, and a Park Place rider, who had been having a really good weekend. With 5 laps to go, Austin Stewart the Elbows rider started to attack. This put us down to three riders after we dropped the guy from 787 and the Park Place rider. 1 lap to go Austin was at the front, and neither myself or the Matrix rider, were going to come around. He would pull the whole lap. With 500m to go I jumped and the Matrix rider was right on my wheel. He would beat me at the line, I ended up 12th in the overall, and 4th in the 23-29 category. Adam got 6th and 2nd in the 23-29 category.