Cross!

So I've registered for my first CX race of the season. I'm racing the C race on Saturday and B race on Sunday at Charm City. My philosophy is that on Saturday the course will be fresh and everyone will be nervous so I have my best chance of doing well. Then on Sunday everyone will be feeling good and I will get my ass kicked, thus erasing any ego I can build up on Saturday while getting a serious workout. It should be a fun race overall. I did surprisingly well last year considering how much Jameson I drank the day before, how hungover I was and how much I threw up in the car on the way to Baltimore. Who knows how well I will do this year...

I'm also doing a super lame crit race in Bowie in a week and a half. I'm half terrified and half excited for it. I have no idea what to expect but it gives me something to focus on and it will be one road race under my belt. If I like it I will definitely do more road races next year.

Oh, and if I can get off my butt and go to College Park this weekend I will probably buy a Jake the Snake. The Jamis has had it with cross so I'm happy about upgrading this year.

That's it for now. I'm excited about the upcoming season. Who knows, maybe someone on 1213 will podium this year.

...soon.

Cyclocross is coming. I am out of shape. i dont even have a cyclocross bike. evil steve is gonna have disc brakes this year?

mandatory reading

Rules To Live By

-mz

NORTH CAROLINA WINTER CUP!

2010 WINTER CUP
Race 1 - Saturday, January 9, 2010 - Salisbury, NC
Race 2 - Sunday, January 10, 2010 - Mooresville, NC
Race 3 - Sunday, January 17, 2010 - Fayetteville, NC (C4 Racing)
Race 4 - Saturday, January 23, 2010 - Raleigh, NC
Race 5 - Sunday, January 24, 2010 - Greensboro, NC (GVC)
more info here (eventually).

get ready for more of this...

get in touch with danny or chris if you are interested in joining in the carpool down to some of these.

Also Bike Reg has West Virginia's Backyard Road Racing Series posted and open already.
4/3 morgantown wv
5/15 farm county
6/5 tucker county
8/21 appalachia visited

Yep, thats THE tucker country road race. voted one of the toughest road races in the country. get yourself some legs or buy a compact crankset.

can I wear tight pants?

Not a race report, not in fact, anything constructive. But damn its funny.

-mz

ps.......can anyone who is better at this figure out how to make it fit?

tacchinicals

I know it is really really silly, but for some reason it makes me feel really good to see me and mouse's names here, despite them being for 20th place in the 3/4 and 4 fields respectively.

1213 was out in actual full force at Tacchino. ES/EF had his best race ever and was totally killing it, staying upright, and looking good. Despite mechanicals for both EC and DK they were always moving forwards (when their bikes were working that is). I felt really great and with the exception of some not so stellar barrier work and following a teammate's wheel into the tape, I thought I rode a pretty flawless race.

By the end of the regular season, I will have ended up doing twice as many races as I did last year, which is kind of crazy. Urban CX, HoCo Double CX, Superior CX, Taneytown, and Reston are all that's left with a possible VA Beach CX race or maybe even Nationals. Six or seven races left, not bad. Oh yeah, there is also that whole winter series too...and of course, the Superbowl of Singlespeed.

I love cross, I love rolling up to a race with a full car, full trunk and roof rack, and cheering on my friends. A tiny bit of me is looking ahead to the cold winter months of long, slow riding, but even that serves as a precursor to the next fall (the season and the act)

Gotta love the new digi-camo C3 skinsuits, but it wouldn't touch mossy oak break up. Although I think my team next year may go for a Flex Your Head themed skinsuit.

DCCX

Fun race this weekend at DCCX. Got to sleep in, rolled 10 blocks over to the race. I started the C race and was doing pretty well for a minute or so. But then I went down a bumpy hill and shifted at the bottom. All of the sudden I couldn't pedal so I figured I threw my chain (a common occurrence in my cyclocross life). When I looked down I didn't have a chain and my derailleur was hanging by the cable. So I took DNF but was able to get a bike (thanks Larry) and race the B race. The B was a bit more competitive then usual so I had to push myself harder. Rode harder then I have all season and finished 59th out of around 90 riders. After the race I cashed in my beer ticket and my french fry ticket and proceeded to hang hard. Overall great course, great race, great company, great pictures (thanks Erika), great weather...can't wait til next year!

EC and CC at Winchester

We went up to the Winchester Apple Cross race this past Sunday. It was windy, cold and muddy. Great course. We both raced the B race. CC finished 7th, EC finished 12th.

Thats all I got today. DCCX this weekend.

- ec

'cause I'm sick of watching from the sidelines...

Any thoughts before I put money down on this little lady?

Specs are here.

when your shop has no business, you blog

The Hyattesville race was one of the best courses I've raced this year, especially given the lack of terrain changes they had to deal with. Super fast big ring course, technical sections you just barely had to tap a break to get through, somewhat rideable sand (not for me on a lap...thanks Evil Steve), and some nice off camber stuff. The only thing lacking was a brutal uphill which surely would have split things up, but groups stayed together pretty well.

First weekend of good racing, not feeling like total shit during the race. 9th in Richmond, "Dont want to talk about it" placing at Hyattesville although I felt great and thought I rode pretty flawlessly and strong aside from crashing in the sand, although getting crashed out ended that streak.

One of the best things about this cross season is seeing Evil Fred tear it up, Mouse take two steps for every one the other guys do, and knowing Danny will be racing at DCCX (it's on a blog, it's happening). MZ needs to get a bike or just do it up on a road bike with big tires and no clearance (we won't have any mud anytime soon!).

Racing in Winchester this week, no one is signed up for the 1/2/3 race. Does this mean I am guaranteed to make money?
-CC

Hyattsville

Fun race this weekend. Loved the course, super fast. Got off to my best start of the season, was in the top 15 or 20 at the beginning of the race. Then I squandered that great start when I threw my chain in the first third of the first lap. Watching half the field pass me from the sidelines was pretty demoralizing. I made up some spots and rode the last lap pretty hard. Got close to catching a pretty big group but just couldn't do it before the finish line...should have gone harder earlier. Finished 25 of 66(6) in the end. Another satisfying week. Other highlights: beer garden, heckling Chris by the sand pit and making him crash, hanging with my mom. Great way to spend a Sunday. Big ups to Scratch and Mouse and the rest of Route 1/Arrow for putting on a great race. Already looking forward to next year.

-Evil Fred

New cycling radio show on Radio CPR 97.5 fm

This Wheel's on Fire
Radio CPR - 97.5 FM, Washington DC
7-9 PM, 2nd and 4th Sundays
Hosted by Dj Bottom Bracket
thiswheelsonfireradio.wordpress.com
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Bicycle news and views with a classic country/bluegrass/no depression
soundtrack.

Special guest 10/11 - Ben West, WABA Bike Ambassador.
Music this week will be classic country of the 60s and 70s.

- ec

EC Kelly Acres update

So, EC and SS went up early for the C race. CC and DK came out and CC raced the B race.

I had a rough race - dropped a chain at the start and crashed out twice on the first 1/2 lap, but fought my way through the field and ended up 14th (I think) out of 80/90 or so. Not sure where SS ended up - top 25 maybe?

CC's rear gorilla got caught up in his wheel sticks and he had to borrow a bike in the B race. Fought hard and finished, but I had to leave early to get to a wedding in Germanntown so I didnt find out where he placed.

The course was sick and the flyover was amazing. Definitely coming back next year and hopefully crashing less.

- ec

well?

No updates from this weekends races? Surely somebody raced at least 1 of the 2? Also, why am I not listed on the sidebar?

-MZ

Waffles, Beer, Pain...Cyclocross

Perhaps the ultimate definition on 1213 Racing? Chris riding hard while I eat waffles and drink beer from the sidelines. I approve.

Ed Sanders CX

I had a blast this weekend at Ed Sanders. After lots of rain the course was super muddy and pretty tough. I'd never done a muddy course before so it was a learning experience. Raced the first lap pretty hard then dropped back for the next couple laps. On the last lap I felt my legs still had something in them so I started making some moves and gained a few spots. I lost a sprint finish to place 40th out of 90 starters. Top 50%, I'm satisfied. Last weekend I finished bottom 50, so any improvement is good. I still have some things I need to work on but I'm feeling pretty good about this cross thing. EC finished 21st in the C race. Congrats, maybe some race this year I'll give you a run for your money. CC did alright in the B race with a tough field on a rough course. Cheering on CC while eating waffles and drinking free beer was the highlight of my weekend....except for when I wrecked in the mud, that was pretty cool too. Getting pumped for Kelly Acres next weekend, maybe I can get off my ass this week and do some skills training...

Ed Sanders at Lilypons - 9/27/09

Race update to come, but EC and SS were in the Cat 4/C race; CC was in the Cat 3-4/B race.

Rain all saturday afternoon and evening created course conditions described in three words: muddy, muddy and muddy.

Also, beer and belgian waffles.

- ec

cross season is upon us

I've been waiting for this time of year since January, and here it is, cyclocross season. 1213 had a busy weekend hitting Nittany and Charm City. I have a write up about my races here, but long story short I always crash in the last lap, I rolled two inches of my tubular yesterday, finished 39th/75 on Saturday and 40th/125 on Sunday in the 2/3/4 race and am totally in love with the season.

Mouse and Evil Steve hit the C race and it was great to be there to heckle them and everyone else. EC looked furious riding, especially taking the barrier that was about half his size, and Evil Steve's biggest battle was against any food that his stomach that did not want to keep down thanks to a staff meeting at a bar the day prior.

Ed Sanders on Saturday, and then only another week or two before DK can join us.




i really hope I am not testing the threads of that skinsuit.

Also if you haven't signed up for the raffle at Ed Sanders, do it now. You have like a 1/300 chance of winning a $2000 bike.

mango.

chris after embrocating for todays ride, "i smell like a yankee candle."

Check out a new radio show...

http://thiswheelsonfireradio.wordpress.com/

This Wheels on Fire - Bicycle news/views/events and classic country-bluegrass-no depression-americana
Radio CPR-97.5 FM in NW Washington DC (Listening area - Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Mt Pleasant, Petworth etc)
9-11 PM
2nd and 4th Sundays, every month

- ec