Race Report: Bay Area Super Prestige #1

Bay Area Super Prestige #1, Sierra Point, 10/7/07
7th place, Elite Men

Had a pretty mellow week training-wise, so I was hoping for some fresh legs on Sunday. There were forty or more guys at the line when I rolled up to the start. Tom Simpson blessed me with a callup to the front. When we were all set, Funke lit a firecracker and we were off. Lining up on the left turned out to be a mistake, as I got pinched on the inside in the first corner and watched ten guys go right by me. Crap. Okay, run through the first little down-up section, back on the bike and get to work. Lap two, I'd moved up to around tenth, and was sitting on a couple guys and waiting for a good spot to come around. Here comes Rich Maile barreling up from behind. Rich usually races 35+ and was killing everyone in his race until he flatted out. I guess he hadn't had enough and jumped into the Elite race. He proceeds to come around without missing a beat, and I know this is my best shot at continuing to move up without destroying myself. So I jump on and we ride away from the guys I was with. A lap and a half later, Rich rides me off his wheel and keeps going forward. Half a lap later, I uncross my eyes and spot Aaron Kereluk just ahead, coming back to me. I latch on, get a break for a lap, and get my head together. Rich is up ahead 10-15 seconds running in sixth. Kereluk and I are sitting seventh and eighth. Looking back, I see Aaron O'Dell coming up smoothly. I didn't want to be riding with Kereluk when O'Dell caught on. That would have been two Rocklobsters against one Sycip. So I rolled around Kereluk and got on the gas. I managed to ride away from him about two-thirds of a lap later. Meanwhile Rich has popped and comes back past me and then O'Dell and Kereluk. So I'm riding sixth at that point. O'Dell makes it up to my wheel a half a lap later, with about four laps to go at that point. He rests for a bit, comes around and digs again. I hang on his wheel for about a lap when the rubber band finally snaps and he rides away. The last three laps, I hang in there, try to be smooth and stay out in front of Kereluk and Maile. Roll across the line for seventh. Easily my best result at a Pilarcitos race. Psyched.

-Aron


Rich ripping it in the singlespeed race.


Matt rolling through the barriers.

results

Race Report: Central Coast CX #2

CCCX #2, Toro Park, 9/30/07
5th place, Elite Men


Ready set go.

A tougher course than last week. It started with a steep paved climb (20-25 seconds) then dumped onto a fast singletrack descent that took you all the way to the bottom of the course. Then gently uphill as you wound your way through a bunch of loose/sandy chicanes and a few barriers until you arrived back at the start. It was moderately hot, but not unbearable. The same fast guys were there again, except for Josh. But AndyJM was there, so same difference. I got a call-up and held close to Justin going up the hill and entered the singletrack in fifth. towards the end of the first lap, I didn't have quite enough to stay on the wheels of the lead four. I was less than five seconds back when they hit the pavement to start of lap two. But they just motored away. There was one other kid (Logan) with me as I hit the pavement, but he popped on the hill and went backwards. Managed to stay within 10-15 seconds of the leaders for the first three laps, but I knew that unless they started messing around I wasn't going to make it up to them. About halfway through the race, Aaron O'Dell popped off the back of the lead group and started coming back to me. With about three to go, I had closed to about 10-15 seconds on him, but he turned on the gas again and extended back to about thirty seconds by the finish. Hopefully one of these days I'll be able to hang with the leaders for more than a lap.

Still, a good race. Glad last week wasn't just a fluke. The steep climb made the course more selective. Good to see Bill out there again, as well as the Sycips that made it to the Fairfax race on Saturday. I was just spectating. That looked like a rough course.

-Aron

Results
Rick's Photos

Race Report: Central Coast CX #1

CCCX #1, Manzanita Park, 9/23/07
5th place, Elite Men



I had a very good first race. Lined up second row, and was about tenth wheel about 60 seconds after start. As the gaps formed on the first two laps, I'd leapfrog up to the next rider(s). By lap 3, I'd moved up to Hooptie's wheel (Rob Evans) and was working pretty well with him. We were running 5th and 6th at that point. At about 30 minutes in, I put in a bit of a dig on the start/finish climb and rode him off my wheel. Maybe not the smartest move, as the next guy up the road (Aaron O'Dell) was 20-30 seconds ahead and I probably wasn't going to be able to bridge to him unless he cracked. But I felt like I could ride a bit faster than Rob, and didn't want to tow him around to the end, where I knew he could out-sprint me. So I spent the second half of the race solo. Extended to about 20-25 seconds ahead by the end of lap 7, but wasn't gaining much on the guy ahead. So I went into conservative mode for the last 3 laps, focused riding smoothly. Lance had come up to Hooptie behind me and they were closing some in the last two laps. But never got closer than maybe 10-15 seconds. I still had a nice buffer when I rolled out of the last chicane and accelerated up the hill to the finish.

-Aron

Glad to see other Sycip folks out there and in the results.
http://cccx.org/2007/race1/2007_CCCX_Race1Results.shtml

Photos

Central Coast MTB Race Report

CCCX #8, Fort Ord
June 23, 2007

Another go down at Fort Ord. Sunny skies and a cool ocean breeze were on the menu. As well as six laps around the sandy course. The usual suspects were in attendance and I marked Brock and Keith closely as they shot off the line at the start. Within two minutes, we had caught the tail end of the under 35/ singlespeed field. Brock slipped ahead through the crowd and kept hammering forward, looking for Jason Rahwles and/or Hibbard (in the pro field) to latch onto. Keith couldn't stay on Brock's wheel today and after pondering a moment, I gave it some more gas and came around him. He didn't seem to want to stay on my wheel either and I motored forward, moving up through the younger riders and singlespeeders.


Off the line.


Moving up.

Starting the second lap, I was riding solo maybe twenty seconds behind Brock. He was a bit spent from his first lap effort and slowed a bit, allowing me to ride up to him by about halfway through the lap. We began working together for the next few laps. Taking turns pulling for about half a lap each. Things got interesting again late on lap 5 when we caught the two leaders of the singlespeed field. Brock smartly got around them and promptly opened a gap on the shallow decent down towards the start/finish. I had to wait a bit for a good spot to pass and then pinned it to close the gap. I caught him near the end of the lap and tried to recover a bit. But that effort proved to be my undoing as Brock managed to gap me on one of the climbs about halfway through lap six. He stayed strong and held it for the remainder. I rolled in for second place, about thirty seconds back. I'll have one more shot it next Saturday at the CCCX finals. Good fun.


Latched on.

Thanks to Rick for the photos.

nevada city race report

This is one criterium that I've always wanted to do, and finally made it happen this year. Treated me pretty well too. It's basically a long hill followed by a long downhill with a wicked cornering section at the bottom. It was a very warm day, but not unbearable. The cat3 race got started around four in afternoon, but before we could get really going, there had to be a bit of chaos. While waiting at the line, we were informed that a lead moto would take us through the hairpin and up the climb slowly on the first lap, then let us loose at the top of the course. Okay, fine. The emcee calls one minute to go, then counts us down in the last few seconds. People push off and start rolling. Only the lead moto doesn't budge. I don't think he even had his engine on. Guys just roll right into the back off the moto and two guys go down right there. I was on the edge of the group and didn't get caught up in the mess, but it was kinda lame. Roll through the corners the bottom of the course without the moto and the guys in front take off up the climb. So much for a nuetral pace the first time up.


Rolling the corner in the middle of the field.

I had started close to the back and spent the first few laps suffering and working my way forward. After fifteen minutes, I had moved up to the front ten or twelve guys and began to relax a bit. I didn't have to work too hard coming out of the corners of the bottom and that made the rest of the climb a lot easier. Halfway though, starting to feel optimistic, and that's when a minor disaster hits. I was running around seventh coming though bottom of the course when a guy two spots up clips a pedal coming out of the second corner and goes down. The guy in front of me locks up and goes down as well, both of them sliding into the wall of hay bales on the outside. I have nowhere to go and come to complete stop behind them, unclip and put a foot down. I can't get by them on the outside since they're up against the hay bales, and guys are blowing by me on the inside. I wait until there's an open gap between riders, jump back in and pin it going up the climb trying to get back to the lead group. I blow by a bunch of guys that had been gapped and latch back onto the leaders near the top of the course. Spend the next two laps recovering and getting back to my comfortable spot near the front of the group. Phew.


Getting going again.


Strung out going up the hill.



At the front.

I helped cover a few attacks in the last third of the race. Nothing strong enough to stick for more than a lap or so. After my mid-race big effort, I wasn't feeling confident about making any attacks myself. Just waited until the end for things to play out. As we went over the top on the bell lap, guys start surging and I stay up there as best I can. Click into the 11 tooth cog as we start the downhill to the finish. It's pretty tough to come around folks at 45+ mph, not to mention scary. I came across for sixth. Optimistic that I could contend when I come back next year. Great course, great crowd, great event. I can see why it's been running for almost 50 years.

-a

ps. Added bonus of seeing Ned Overend (I think he's 50) come out and hang with all the fast guys in the P/1/2 race. Inspiring.

santa rosa dirt crits

The Howarth Park Dirt crit series is rolling again in Santa Rosa. 4 separate races on Wednesday evenings though August. Juniors, C's, B's and A's.
http://norcalmtnbikeracing.blogspot.com/2007/06/2007-howarth-dirt-crits.html

Jeff and I rolled up early and got a bit of a ride in at Annadel before our race. It was hot hot hot and we stuck to the shady trails as much as possible. Still went through two bottles in an hour though. Thankfully, it cooled somewhat by the time we started. There was a great field of almost 25 in the B race before us, including three or four women. 15 folks turned out for the A race and we started just after 7pm. The course is a gentle climb on fireroad, followed by a gentle descent on twisty singletrack, with a small gap jump thrown in right as you exit the trees and head for the start/finish. We were running about 3 minutes per lap and going for about a half an hour total. I settled in on the second lap and ended up battling for fourth place with one other guy for pretty much the entire time. He rode away from me on the last lap and I had to settle for fifth.



Other noteworthies: Curtis came out and rocked the A's with us. Andrew took 6th on his 24" singlespeed (the anti-29er).

Pics and results:
http://bikemonkey.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.dirtCrits2007