Staten CX- the best DFL

It's taken a good long while, but i think i needed some time to reflect on the race.

Staten CX ripped through NYC on November 30th. Jed, myself, and John put everything into this race and it paid off. I've never been prouder to be part of something like this. This whole event speaks volumes about the New York 'Cross scene, my friends, and the people that came together to make this race the awesome new nyc tradition that it will surely become.

I'm wary of taking too much credit for putting this race on (and that's rare coming from me,) but this race happened because of my friends and the greater cycling community here. this race was everyone's baby. We had incredible sponsors, fantastic press coverage, amazing volunteers (i owe you all big time...), fantastic music, great food, a killer course, awesome photos, and great racers all come together for a good cause.



putting this race on made me realize that if you really like what you're doing, you can do great things. it doesn't feel like work. you want to do it. we did so much work for this, but it didnt feel like a chore. Weeks after the race, i'm left with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, and i want to do it again (and we will).

I'm going to pull a move usually reserved by hip-hop grammy winners- time for long winded thank you's (its' a long list)

Jed



jed got the idea of putting on a cross race. we've been partners in this through and through. putting this race on together also made us close friends. i'm totally pumped to put more races on with him next year.

John Cutler



the lone ranger in the full CRCA kit and (kind of) matching 14-year-old-girl rollerblade helmet, john jumped in to help the cause out of nowhere. he's was responsible for getting us a ton of sponsors, including the FREE belgian wafels (more on that later), and also getting the race course equipment to staten island.

The Sponsors

Honest Tea showed up and supplied their great beverages.



Schaller & Weber Provided sustenance in the form of amazing sausages.



Wellshire Farms accosted us with 25 lbs of delicious, dry-rubbed bacon (drool).



Thomas Degeest, owner of Wafels & Dinges, sent some waffle men over to give out free waffles.



The waffles were free thanks two two great sponsors: Visitflanders.us (thanks Elke!), and Velo Classic tours (visit belgium! ride the cobbles!). Visitflanders and Velo classic also came to the race and added some belgian culture to our race village.

Chef Matt Sigel made sure the brats and bacon were nice and hot.

Kendra dropped furious beats and put on a euro-trash techno party in between races.



Cadence sent their team of crack mechanics (complete with Fu-manchu mustachio) to make sure the bikes survived the epic course conditions. they also came with 6 BMC demo bikes, which allowed for a ton of people (like Lisa Force!) to try out cross for the first time.



thanks to their bikes, a ton of people are going to buy a bike next season and race cross!


Claudette Lajam from orthochick.net made sure the ladies were taken care of and put in for Ladies-only primes. Robert Dvorin was another great sponsor and put in for additional Food and i believe some primes.

Jan from Sportique sent me a ton of great chamois cream and embrocation to give out as prizes.



Andrew crooks from NYC Velo donated a ton of great schwag to the prize list, as did Tandems east and Toga! john's friend Gus was a huge help and brought over Myles' Step ins and barriers all the way from Southampton. Myles did us a big favor by lending us his cross course equipment- a buttload of step ins and a pair of barriers.



Friends



The best thing i took away from this race was the affirmation that i've got the best friends in the world. they all helped in so many ways- whether it was gathering Step-ins in wet 35 degree rain after the race, getting the word out about the race, bringing in bacon sponsors, etc. So, i owe a beer and one (1) lewd act to each of the following people:



Kendra- DJ extrardinaire/Trophy assistant/podium girl


Kyle Peepo- He's Prussian, you know
Evie - sandbagging step-in-gatherer
Patrick littlefield- announcer/wino
Jason Gay- bacon intermediary- also did the write up for velo news
Rich bravo, Hott sam, Beth Renaud, Tony Slokar, Jed's Parents, brian gatens- (course setup)



Austin Horse, Evan Chalfin, Bret Vaughan- HUGE. course breakdown
Heidi Reijm- registration ALL STAR.
Lindsay Paluska and corinne Karmiel- podium girls, etc
Alan Atwood- officiating and facilitating USA cycling permit stuff. also helped with course logistics
Patrick wilder- PDX transplant! helped design the course- added some PDX flava'
Josh Creem- donated a sweet cyclosportif winner's jersey (which roger aspholm now owns- obviously)
the paparazzi: Maria Q (sweet video!), Anthony Skorochod, Liam Quigley, Kevin Dillard, david Chomowicz, Claudette Lajam, Jerry Kapkow, Eloy Anzola, and Harry Zernike
Colin Prensky- sandbagger extraordinaire
Lauren Zucker- for lending me her crazy Yellow Pickup Truck
The CRCA (notably Mike Green, Ken Harris, "Evil" Matt Howard)- for backing the event- this race was as much a CRCA event as it was an NYC event!


I want to thank the racers that showed up- we had over DOUBLE the pre-reg of any race that day in the north-east- 119 pre-reg'ed and a bunch more same-day. you guys braved the elements and came out to race in perfect, miserable Belgian weather. you made the race fun and duked it out on the course. Nice job to everyone- Especially to those who tried 'cross for the first time- what a day to try it! you experienced 'cross at its best and worst: the mud, the wind, the rain, the cold, the people cheering, the food, the music, and the attitude. The whole scene is what its all about. As Barry Wicks said- anyone can put on a 'cross race. But for it to be fun, you've got to embrace the right atmosphere. We had just that on November 30th, and it was thanks to all of the people i mentioned above



and a BIG thank you to the NYC Parks department- Sarah Frazier, Sandra Fernandez, Vincent, and Laurie. the parks department was a HUGE help, and this race could not have happened without their support. their willingness to help and their level of accommodation was astounding. From the entire new york cyclocross community- THANK YOU!



As for my race, well there's not way to sugar coat it: i came in DFL in my own race! DFL! I know. apparently 2 hrs of sleep has an effect on my performance. instead of coming in 3rd to last, i came in dead last. and of course colin prensky had to win the damn thing.... Next time i'm putting that guy into the tape...



By the way, i love how different his blogging is from my own. He reports from the front of the pack, I report from the middle/back. He waxes poetic on the spirit of competition and winning, i make fart/bacon/poop jokes. i think it's awfully complimentary...

Putting this race on was a great experience through and through- i made some great contacts, new friends in the cycling scene, and i was able to spend time in a borough that i had barely visited! Staten Island is a mythical, elusive, and funny place. it was the perfect setting for our race, and hopefully will be for years to come.

As for next year, watch out. We've got big plans. cool stuff is on the way. i think you're goin to like it...

Oh god it's everywhere

On a whole, the north east cycling scene has had it pretty easy when it comes to inclement weather. hell, the first really rainy, horrible, muddy, wet, disgusting race of the season for me happened last week at beacon 'cross. it was kind of a blessing.



Since I missed dressing up for a Halloween CX race this year, i decided to do it a week late and blame daylight savings! Tony, Kyle, and I drove to Beacon last week with my Mario suit expecting a total shit show, and I for one can say that I wasn't disappointed. The Beacon race was one of the harder races of the season. Maybe it was a combination of the rain, mud, huge steps, and sand traps, but i was completely thrashed after that race. I practically needed a step ladder to get up those amphitheater steps! for some reason I'm guessing that the stairs in Ryan Trebon's house are about that size. Good for him, not so good for Baldy McShorty over here...



My performance at HPCX the next day was a joke. my new goal in CX racing has gone from trying to place to trying to not let Andrew Crooks lap me...




I'm a big fan of technical clothing- spandex/roubaix/dryfit is awesome. Denim, while tough, is also a great fabric to wear in the rain... In oppositeland. The rain inundated my Mario overalls with so much water that i felt like a bloated pregnant woman. i was carrying at least 15 lbs of extra water weight, and was craving rocky road ice cream with pickles... The denim also stuck to my legs and made it quite hard to pedal. That being said- dressing up as Mario for a cross race when its not even Halloween is plain awesome.

Fast forward to this weekend- the USGP at Mercer. last year this was a pretty fun course, with a huge pit and a fly-over. the race was wide, sweeping, and fast. The weather was generally agreeable and it was a great time. This year it was a completely different race. it was like we were racing in Portland.



I've been saying all year that i wanted to race in horrifically muddy conditions, and I got what i asked for. The best way I can describe the last two days of racing is by using the term "Mud Bukkake." I mean, it was everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I mean, look at Jed- Someone get him a moist towelette or something...

photo by Anthony Skorochod

Day 1

photo by Anthony Skorochod

After a late start due to me getting rides from hungover people (cough, cough Slokar), we just barely made it in time. As we pulled up to the park, the C race had started. I noticed people running on flat sections. It was that muddy. People were completely covered in mud, and it was windy and rainy, but not that cold. I quickly slapped on my skinsuit and ran to staging. i got there just as they called my name- 3rd row, not to shabby! I looked around and saw the normal cast of characters that had made this season so fun. This was the calm before the slop-storm.

The whistle went off, and it was the usual mad dash for the start line. I had an ok position going into the hole shot. once we entered the course, the mud started right away. Last year the fly-over and the long sand pits were the challenging parts of the course. This year, they were the easiest parts. (note the "oh shit" face)

photo by Anthony Skorochod

Every other part of the course was inundated with mud. You had to plant your ass as far back as you could and just slog along.




I ended up DNFing thanks to ex-C field sandbagger Sam Fiorno... i crossed the line and the official indicated that i had 1 lap to go. Sam was just ahead of me. as we rode into the course again he said that they pulled him from the race and that we were done- I was as eager to do an extra lap as i was to get intimate with Star Jones, so I didn't argue. Lo and behold, we both got DNF'ed. that's too bad, because i was in contention for 40th place... This is serious, man!



The aftermath of the race was hilarious- we all looked as though we went spulunking in a septic tank. i had to hose my bike off twice just to get it clean.



I was so muddy from slopping through the mud like a pig that my chamois was covered in it when i peeled off my skinsuit (kind of like taking the skin off of a weisswurst).




And yes, I'm like 80% sure it was mud. shut up.


after cleaning off, we ran to a fantastic NJ Diner where i tried scrapple for the first time. The best way i can describe Scrapple is that it's the Foie Gras of New Jersey. It somehow manages to be both delicious and horrific at the same time...




After our trashy, delicious feast, we made a beer stop and rushed back to the race. We had some 'drinkin to do, people to heckle, and, oh yeah, Fliers to hand out for the Kick-ass CX race that's happening on Nov 30th!

when the Elite men came on, we were 2 six packs into some Belgian-style Tripels. For some reason our buddy Phil bought a UCI license... He stepped it up and played with the big boys in one of the hardest races of the season. I think that warrants a beer hand-up...


Sure, Shaking the can of Bud for 5 minutes and then opening it in his face as he rode by may have been a bit douchey- but you know what? That Phil Riggio is a CHAMP. he grabs the can from me, pours the rest on his head, CRUSHES the can on his helmet, and rides away. That, my friends, is Pro as shit (.dk)



Day 2




I didnt think it was possible, but somehow day 2 was worse. it was 40 degrees with 30 mph winds, and there had been ANOTHER torrential downpour on sat night. The ground was even more inundated with mud. it was so bad that the race organizers cut the course in half because it was "unrideable." What was considered "rideable" was pretty comical...

But first, I'd like to point out how important it is to properly embrocate before cold races. it's an important ritual that ever CX'er should hold sacred. the rub-down of embro on one's pale legs is essential to any decent CX experience. And if you're Croatian like Tony, you probably like embrocating your eyeballs and gums.



By the way, This week's Embrocation and Chamois cream was brought to you by SportsBalm (review to come).




As we waited in staging, 35 mph winds whipped around us and made the whole B field shiver. We knew what was to come. this was going to be miserable. why were we all still here? We could have just gone to brunch! But no- we were all standing there in spandex skinsuits, freezing and waiting for a whistle to blow so that we could bike and run through a giant pig pen wrapped in caution tape. Why?




The crux of this sport is suffering. Not just suffering due to self-imposed exertion, but rather suffering through pitting yourself to a tough environment as well as other people. You're not just racing other people- you're fighting your surroundings. Mud swallows your wheels and bogs down your bike. Barriers and run-ups block your way and make your life all the more difficult. But everyone in that field is pushing themselves as hard as they can- not just to try and best their peers, but to overcome the course itself. A good number of people didn't finish on Sunday. But everyone who did finish pushed themselves to their limits, and I think that's where the satisfaction lies in this sport. I think its easy to be complacent in a road race if one wants. It's alot harder to do so in a 'Cross race.




racing on Sunday at Mercer was akin to biking and running through a mile-long turd-covered slip'n'slide. Every part of this course was grueling and treacherous. it was slow and painful, and full of slop. It was the hardest 'cross race i've ever done. It was also the most satisfying.




After Tony had had enough of racing throug the slop, he decided he'd have more fun by throwing beer at me and heckling me for losing to a triathlete...




I guess i really wanted a muddy sh*tshow for the very novelty of it. the after-shots of muddy races are fantastic, and it just adds to the difficulty and drama of 'cross. that being said, slogging through mud makes a race exponentially harder. It's completely saps your energy. you grind through slop at 3 miles per hour, pedaling at 35 rpm. A friend of mine who was watching yesterday said it was the slowest cross race he had ever seen. the mud was so thick on most of the flat sections that you had to run them.



As we drove back from a mud, beer, and scrapple filled weekend, I became a little sad that the cross season is nearly over. This year has been more fun than I've had yet, and it wasn't just because of the racing: it was because of the friends that I've been racing with for the past two months. Everyone has been having fun and riding their bikes without pretense or elitism, but competing. I can only hope people carry over some of that attitude into the 2009 road season, because it'll make it that much better.


By the way, for all you NYCX'ers- I'm organizing a CX practice on Wed, Nov 19 @ 530 AM- meet at the entrance to the park on 72nd and 5th. we'll do a warm up lap and then do drills on the northwest side of the park near Harlem hill. You know you want to. Anyway- Balki will be there- how can you say no??

Making the race- Staten 'Cross

It's totally my fault, but i forgot to mention on my blog that I'm organizing a cyclocross race! Between racing, work, and organizing the damn thing, i never got around to posting it on here! Well, here it goes.

There had been a ton of talking within NYCX community about putting our own race on. everyone was into the idea, but actually following through is a completely different story. there were just so many variables to consider. Where would we have it? would we get permission from the Parks department? was there enough interest? was there a date left in the 'cross season that didn't conflict with a big, established race?

Little by little, it started falling into our lap. Jamie Bogner from NYCMTB had found a small gem of a park in Staten Island. He went to check out Wolfe's Pond Park and thought it was a great spot. Now all we needed to do was get permission from the parks department. I really was prepared for that to be a total waste our time. From what i had heard in the past and with CRCA races in central park, the parks department was pretty strict and extremely sensitive about their lawns. Obviously they would have no problem at all with letting hundreds of cross bikes tear up park land! We decided to give it a shot anyway and reached out a new acquaintance i had made in the Parks Department (Thanks Michael and Marjory!) Although i was prepared to deal with a bureaucratic nightmare, i was instantly proved wrong. Getting a permit for the even was easier than i ever thought it could be.

We drove over the the park last thursday to meet with the Park's Manager and the event coordinator. The manager was a Staten Island native named "Vincent" who had a pristine S.I. Accent and had worked in the park's department for years. we started to carefully explain that bikes would be ridden on the grass, but that we would make every effort to not damage it and use well-traveled parts of the lawn. Vinny Smiled and said "There is nothing you could do on those bikes that would mess up my lawn."

oh, it's like that. That's a Challenge.

Moral of the story: Vinny is awesome. The Parks People were so accomodating that we were a bit taken aback. where was the bureaucracy? where was the hard time? They have pretty much given us carte Blanche to put on an awesome race!



The Park itself is perfect for a 'cross race: TWO Parking lots, Bathrooms, Hoses, Electricity, Grass, Mountain Bike trails, and a Beach. this course is going to have it all, and its going to bring it.

Here's the deal on the race:

Date: Sunday, November 30th

The race is on Staten Island- a mysterious and magical place, easily accessible from New Jersey, Long Island, and the rest of the Metro area.

The race is on November 30th- the weekend right after Thanksgiving, and the Day after the New Jersey 'Cross Championships. This will be one of the last race weekends you can double up on before nationals come around!

Why come to our race?

* Come and support the growing 'cross scene in the NYC area. Every year, more and more people get into cyclocross, making it more popular than ever. NYC has been without a cross race for far too long, so be a part of something historic!

* Come for the awesome course we put together. With the help of some Portland CX expertise, the course we've designed promises to be challenging- we've got something for everyone: A 100 Meter Beach run (the course is right on the water), a Circle of Death, barriers, a rooty-rutted-leaf covered run up, and some good old-fashioned tree-slaloms. Here's the Map:

* Come for the Prizes- Awesome trophies, Cash for Elite men/women/masters, and great merchandise from NYC Velo, Cadence Cycling and Multisport Centers, Sportique Skincare, and Honest Tea, as well as some "Staten Island ONLY" Premes.

* Killer jams by DJ Kendra, who will be dropping beats all day.

* The Park is easily accessible by car or public Transportation- Take the Ferry to Staten Island then take the Staten Island Rail to the Prince's Bay Stop. The Ferry allows bikes, and you should be good to go on the Staten Island Rail.

* Any profits from the race will be donated to Ichallengemyself (http://ichallengemyself.org/) - a nonprofit dedicated to fighting childhood obesity and getting disadvantaged youths on bikes.

* Come work off the marathon binge eating session you will have just gone through after T-day. We know we'll need to…

All info can be found on BikeReg.com:

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=7298

REGISTER!! Do it for BACON! Do it for GLORY!

Big Thanks to the CRCA, Alan Atwood, The NYC Parks Department (thanks Vinny and Sarah!), Cadence Cycling and Multisport Centers, NYC Velo, Sportique, and Honest Tea. This race would not be happening had it not been for the support of these people and sponsors. buy their stuff if they sell it!

Whirlybird and DCCX- Get to zee Choppa!

photo by Anthony Skorochod

This weekend presented a bit of a Lull in terms of Big 'cross races to go to, so we decided to double up on smaller races. Whirlybird was on Saturday, and DCCX was on Sunday.

I didn't really know what to expect with Whirlybird- All i knew from the bikereg site was that that the town the race is held in is the site of where the original whirlybird took off (didn't any of you see the Pippy Longstocking movie??). That, and the race was on Bryn Athyn College's campus, and there was no alcohol aloud- dry campus. Dry campus? at a cross race? what?! I was beside myself.

Turned out that you didn't really need alcohol to have fun at this race. We got there and it was about 45 and rainy. FINALLY- perfect 'cross conditions! The course looked like fun- we couldn't see most of it, but noticed some off-cambers, and they had set up a "circle of death" just like at Wissahickon. we got there a bit late, and by the time we embrocated and got our numbers pinned on, there wasn't much time for a warm up. so we just lined up and went for it.

Doing a 'cross race without pre-riding it is alot like a rest-stop glory hole- You don't know what's on the the other side of the hole (shot)... This course was a roller coaster ride- lots of turns, off cambers, and wet stuff. Frankly, going through it at race pace without having scoped it out was a bit scary and fun at the same time- my bike went through a ton of abuse in the first lap- slamming my wheel into holes and roots that i hadn't initially noticed.... For the record, my Campy Eurus wheels have been rock solid- these wheels have become great 'cross wheels- They spin up really well, are light, and only go out of true if you crash and snap some spokes. highly recommended.



There has also been a good bit of friendly competition amongst the NYCXers. Kyle, Myself, Ethan, Jed, and Tony, are out to best one another in the world of barriers, mud and off cambers. I think crossresults.net has made if even more concrete as it keeps score. Colin Doesn't count as he's in bagger of sand category, and frankly, me beating him in a cross race is a hilarious prospect, even though he's only done 5 (and won 2).

Going into lap 2, Colin was ahead, bagging sand or whatever it is you do when you're at the front of a race (I wouldn't know). He was followed by Jed, myself, Ethan, and Peepo. Ethan and I were battling it out in the first two laps. but Ethan has been trying out a new riding style called "falling down"- i don't know if he read too many Chris Charmichael articles or something, but hey- whatever works for him. at one point he gets in front of me and decides its the perfect time to make out with the lawn. sorry dude! the "HaHa!" sound effect from the bully on the Simpsons. and now its time for karma to kick in!



As i approach this wet downhill switchback before the barriers, i slide out. i hear a loud CRUNCH.

did i break my arm? mmmm nope. i keep going- i shoulder the bike and go over the barriers- as i get ready to jump back on, i realized what had happened- another set of broken carbon bars!



Su-weet.

I feel like the folks at cadence would give me more shit about this if it didn't mean i kept going over there and spending money. So far this season I've trashed two pairs of carbon bars, two sets of brakes, and one campy shifter... God, I'm like the ideal customer! every time I call cadence, Mark Purdy picks up and says "what did you break now?"



Taking a break from talking about myself for 2 minutes, Big props to Colin for ripping everyone's legs off and winning the B race, and big ups to Jed for snagging 6th place. That sixth place finish was a big one for Jed, and he was so overwhelmed with joy that he tried to hug his bicycle:

photo by Anthony Skorochod

He's a sweet kid.

The race promoters also had a small Helicopter brought it to do fly-by's of the race while it was going on. the helicopter was maybe 10-15 feet above the racers- i'm sure it made a couple of people poop themselves. all i could think of was "Get to zee Choppa!"



As i had to race in DC the next day, I drove to cadence in Philly and had the bars replaced with some great Aluminum 3T bars- shallow drops, traditional bend. i really like them so far. If i snap these I'm going to use a solid steel pipe as my next handlebars.

After putting on my 3rd set of handlebars this season, I headed over to DC with Caroline and Union Steve. The venue for the race was a huge, beautiful Veteran's Retirement property- There was a ton of space, and the organizers definitely made good use of it. The weather had done a complete 180 from the prior day at Whirlybird- sunny and 70 degrees. It was going to be another beautiful, dry, painful course

This had to be one of the longest cross courses i'd seen yet. At over 3.8 km, the laps were going to drag on. The race organizer did a pretty good job of mixing up the course- there was a good amount of variable elevation and terrain- long, slightly uphill stretches (My speciality!) tight, swoopy turns, short, rideable steep sections, 2 sets of barriers (one natural, one man made), and a few off-cambers. that being said, the course wasn't too technical, and the barriers were the only parts of the course that required a dismount.

photo by John Cutler

As per usual, I was met with a crappy starting position at staging. something like 10 rows back. I'm really starting to resent call ups that are done by pre-reg order. Union Steve and I weren't too Happy...



It was Great racing with Steve and Caroline this weekend- Both of them are going through their first season of 'Cross and loving it. I love having cool, new people get in on the 'cross scene, and its great to have more friends at the races with you, racing, ringing cowbells, drinking beer, wearing spandex, and pinning each other (sometimes all at once)



Much like every cross race, this race was just plain hard. I was riding the pain train from start to finish, trying to pick people off one by one. I somehow managed to get through the ENTIRE race without crashing once! I was so proud of myself! I had actually purchased an extra set of handlebars at Cadence just in case!

As i got to the last lap, i had a guy on my wheel- we approached the finish line together, and like a good bunch of cat 4's , sprinted for 38th place. I think i took him at the line... take that, 39th place loser! ha.

while it's lame to sprint for 40th in a cat 4 road race, it's expected in a 'cross race. people cheer and scream for you to do it. I guess it's more in line with the idea that in cross you're going all out the entire time, till the very end. If you're pack fodder and there's no chance you'll win the race, you don't stop trying. Everyone in that race is going as hard as they can, whether they can win it or not. I think there's somethign to be said about that. Some might call it an exercise in futility, but then again, isn't all bike racing?


I would also like to take this opportunity to let you all know that I have broken my Bacon fast. "How could this be?" you ask? Well, i justify it in the following ways

1) bacon is too delicious not to eat
2) like, really delicious
3) My finishing time in the "B" Race on sunday was faster than the winner of the "C" race. therefore, by proxy, I WIN!

In case you're wondering, I broke the bacon fast with Bacon wrapped dates that were stuffed with Blue Cheese. I could tell you how delicous it was, but every time i think of bacon i get a Lardon.