my wife inc cyclocross team

Colt Says MWI Best CX Team...

2012-01-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

... based on the FUN Factor (when you are a non-pro squadra what else is there)!

Watch more video of Who's #1? Cyclocross Rankings 2011/2012 on cyclingdirt.org

Mike, Jessica, and everyone else who has fired up the propane heaters, popped up a pole, or dipped up a bowl of chili for a visitor at 'The Compound' all I can say is THANKS, you guys ROCK!

One Day After - CX Nationals

2012-01-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

The results were not as good as I had hoped: 37th after a starting spot of 36.

And the end came way too soon as the overzealous USA Cycling official pulled a large group of us that were more than half the course in front of the leaders.

But it was still a pretty successful race.

I started in the fifth row and moved up a lot in the first three minutes. The course was in horrible shape: Deep frozen ruts were throwing guys' bikes every which way. There was a lot of broken tape on that first lap.

Somehow, though, I rode through a lot of the carnage. I was riding stupid maybe, not really thinking or caring about the likelihood of crashing. I just pedaled the bike.

I was probably in the top 20 and moving up through the first pit. I even passed people going up the hill.

A rider who had crashed early came up behind me early on the hill and caught a rut. He apologized as he ran into me.

I, though, caught a rut too, and crashed into the tape. Unfortunately, I was in a big gear and then had to run all the way up the hill.

Game over.

Most of the field passed me. I got back on at the top and was a little tentative then.

By the start of the second lap, I was feeling more confident, and could ride the ruts decently. And by the third lap, I was riding stupid again, turning off the thinking, even when Dave. E crashed hard in front of me.

I was feeling great on the third lap, passing a lot of people and gliding through the now melting ruts.

That's when I got pulled. And that's why I was so bitter. Just when I was feeling good...

I had a few words for the official, but wisely moved away before I said anything really stupid. I was fired up, though.

I ended the season on a positive note, knowing full well what I need to work on for the next year. I'll do another post for cxmagazine.com on my season and what I've learned from this process.

It's been a good year. I'll leave it at that and move past the bitterness and not being able to race another lap!

It's definitely been a good year.

Now it's time to go watch the elite women and men rip up the course.

One Day to Go...

2012-01-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to keep calm today. It's sort of working!

By this time tomorrow, I will be done with my first ever national cyclocross championship race.

At least I'm ready for the post-race: I bought some Scotch and some cigars to enjoy while cheering on the other Saturday racers.

I drove to Madison last night for a brief visit to the CX Magazine party to meet publisher Andrew Yee. He's been kind enough to publish my column this fall about how to stay focused and positive in recovering after my bike-truck crash two years ago.

It was cool to hear Andrew talk about the future of the magazine. Its arrival is always a treat, and I've been honored to write for them.

I didn't get a chance to meet Molly Hurford, an online editor, or Josh Liberles, the editor, but I hope to meet them during the rest of the weekend.

The Madison trip was also about getting my numbers and sign my registration. I didn't want to worry about it today.

I just want to leave school as early as I can today, drive to Badger Prairie, pre-ride the course after the fast masters' women finish, and do nothing but eat and rest for the rest of the evening.

It's been a bit of a challenge to remain focused here at school. I really should have taken a personal day, but I used it to travel to Cincinnati to race. Trade-offs.

I'm writing now like I feel: a lot of nervous energy. So I'll try to immerse myself in school work for the next 20 minutes until the kids show up for class.

Fergie said to expect the energy level of the race to be high, especially at the start. I want to line up behind Dave E. since a) he's a big guy with a big draft and b) he usually gets fast starts and moves to the front quickly. Dave, you ready?

I'm a six-cylinder diesel engine that for one day is going to pretend he's a 12-cylinder turbo-charged diesel that takes no prisoners.

Fire it up. We got to 11 tomorrow.

Two Days to Stay Calm

2012-01-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012

I'm trying to stay calm.

In two days, I'll race my first nationals cross race. I have zero chance of winning, but I have, if everything goes perfectly, a decent chance of finishing in the top 20.

I've been doing everything I can this week to rest, recover, and mentally prepare.

And while I've been telling myself and anyone who would listen that it's just another race, I'm lying. It's nationals.

It's a bit of a circus now in Verona, right outside Madison, and I wish I was there. I check my twitter feed constantly between classes, and I keep the cxmagazine.com tab open at all times.

mwi cross teammate Patti Kaufmann, who does have a legitimate shot at winning a jersey today, goes off this afternoon.

Her 15-year-old son Ian Haupt, The Talent, rides tomorrow afternoon in the 15-16 junior category. He too has a legitimate shot at winning a jersey.

Me? I'm an old guy who has never been terribly fast, and who now has a gimpy leg as an excuse. But I still want to ride my brains and guts out. I want to leave nothing out on the course Saturday morning.

So today I'm spending as much time as possible visualizing me racing Saturday morning. I'm rehearsing what I'll say to myself if things are going really well, and I'm rehearsing what I'll say if the race is a disaster.

In the past, when I've trained for a peak, the race has been awful. The nervous energy and self-pressure added 30 pounds to my bike.

I'm physically ready, and I'll be rested and recovered by Saturday. I'm going to wear out the recovery tights, wearing them constantly at school and traveling. I have a bed set up for Friday night in Fergie's basement. He's racing at the same time, so I won't wake anyone with coffee and breakfast.

I'm planning the warmup routine on Saturday morning. What time I'll get there, what time to start warming up on the trainer. I'll pack all my clothing tonight so it's ready. I want to do this race as well as I possibly can.

Yesterday, I visited Dr. Matt, my chiropractor. I'll visit him again tomorrow morning.

Today, though, is all about mental rest and rehearsal. Visualizing smiling with righteous anger when I'm climbing that hill in the mud, visualizing picking off one guy after another in a slow progression to the front.

Truly, I will be satisfied with 50th if I race as hard as I can. If I'm slow, I'm slow. If I finish 14th, that's great too.

So be it.

Just so you know, I'm adding a little snarl and anger into the mental rehearsal, though. Get out of my way because I'm not using those brakes much, and I'll be taking a lot of risks, especially in that downhill section.

Behind that smile, then, will be one fired-up, old, gimpy-legged, angry dude, who knows this is the last race of the year, and I've got nothing to lose.

It’s Always a Good Day to Ride: Near End-Season Blues and Re-Focus-Ation

2012-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Since cxmagazine isn't publishing this...

It’s Always a Good Day to Ride
Mid-Season Blues and Re-Focus-Ation
by Paul Warloski

All season I’ve been racing above my weight class in the 30 or 35 plus events.

I chose that mostly to race with (and against) my teammates, but also to improve my crossresults.com and USA Cycling score. Supposedly the system rewarded racing in more challenging fields.

That didn’t work out so well. After tough races in Cincinnati, Louisville, and Jingle Cross, my score showed that I’m sucking more now than in the middle of the season.

Nice. Just in time for New Year’s Resolution,and Nationals.

I will admit it: I’ve lost focus on the WFQ (Warloski Fun Quotient). I’ve been wanting, as we all do, for the giant efforts of training to start paying off in results.

That hasn’t been happening.

I’m blaming it on fatigue. I’ve been racing a lot, school has been challenging, and I’ve putting in a lot of work into promoting our Wisconsin series and the mwi cross team races.

It started at the Halloween race at Washington Park. Some kind of stomach bug hit me, and I felt awful, pulling out of the 1, 2 race after two laps. I didn’t travel to Sheboygan the next day so I could rest.

A group of us traveled to Cincinnati Thursday night for the Cincy3 events. We arrived very late to our gracious host’s condo. The course Friday was probably the most physically demanding I’ve ever done. It was all steep uphills and downhills and mud. In a tough field, I managed to fight for 12th until untimely crashes helped me finish 18 of 30-some.

I didn’t feel great Saturday but did alright, and on Sunday, I did the 2 / 3 race to ride with my teammates. Crashes again put me at the back.

I got home Sunday night at midnight and got to sleep by 1, up at 5 to ride to school. So by the time I recovered, I was driving to Louisville! The racing in Louisville, though, was unbelievably awesome. The course was epic, and the scene electric.

I started both days of the 35 plus in the sixth row. I rode strongly both days, but crashed a lot again. My left leg has a bunch of cuts, gouges, bruises, and scrapes.

On Sunday, I rode to Bandman Park from the Ramada. On the way, I saw a bunch of the cat 2/ 3 racers warming up on the road. They were all focused and intense.

I realized at the moment I had become way too intense. I am a 48-year-old dude with a “leg with character scars” who is not going to be a pro any time soon!

I tried to race Sunday with a smile. I found myself able to chase down a lot of people and pass them. Then I would crash. Chase, and crash a second time. Both crashes were dumb driver errors, and while I felt a little better that even seasoned pros like Tim and Ryan crashed on the course, I’m still sick of crashing.

At the Wisconsin state championship, I wanted do well, maybe even end up on the 45 plus podium. I worked all week on simply remembering that it was just another chance to ride my cross bike! I practiced breathing a lot, thinking that by relaxing I could be smoother.

The first half lap went pretty well at states. Then I just started going backwards. There was no power in the power room, and Commander Scotty from Star Trek was nowhere to be seen. And to make matters worse, as I was sucking badly, none of my teammates offered me a beer handup! A tragic travesty, I tell you.

Jingle Cross was a muddy mess. I tore off my derailleur in the Sunday race. If I can ride up that hill, I’m fine, but if it requires running, it’s just not much fun for me.

And Badger Cross, held on the nationals course, was pretty good. The course is not technical enough for me, but it’s still pretty fun. And I’m stoked nationals is coming to our backyard.

So lately, I’ve been racing and resting. I’m riding to school every day, continuing with the maintenance lifting, and doing a few sprints and jumps for the weekend’s race. There is still three big races left this season, and I don’t want to be in any kind of hole. Or if I’m already in a hole, I want to at least be able to suck in style!

I smiled at a race again finally at an after-season race down in Chicago. The Afterglow, held in a Chicago park, was snowy, muddy, and way early in the morning. I had a blast that day, racing most of the event with my teammate Ross through sand, mud, snow, and some crazy off-camber drops onto a beach.

In Louisville, I had a chance to talk with Georgia Gould a bit. Georgia, as you know, is a world-class cyclist, but cheers on everyone from juniors to old cat. 4s. She was even cheering for me in Cincinnati and in Louisville.

Georgia, as you may also know, had a tough cross season. She raced a full mountain bike campaign this year, and she was clearly running on fumes for the cross season. She started the whole “heckle me” as a way of at least making her poor results fun. Everyone got nervous on Sunday when Georgia found a megaphone while she was heckling everyone else!

Georgia, again, has made the best out of a potentially bad situation. She could complain about a lack of form or fitness or that she’s too tired from the mountain bike season, but she doesn’t. She says she’s just out riding as hard as she can right now, and she started the heckling competition to inject some fun.

Maybe that’s what I need: more heckling. As a member of the my wife inc team, the best heckling I got was last year at the Sun Prairie USGP when a woman I didn’t know told me “your wife wants her entry money back because you’re going too slow!” And I’m not even married!

I’ve been getting a ton of support this year with people shouting “Go Paul” everywhere on the courses I’ve raced. Maybe they see my leg and its “character scars” and feel sorry for me that I’m going so damn slow? Maybe I just need more heckling so I’m laughing while I ride.

This is, after all, a sport where grown men and women ride bicycles through mud, snow, grass, dirt, over barriers, and call it fun.

How can you take that too seriously, especially when it’s not my livelihood?

I’ll be at the New Year’s Resolution race in Chicago and ending the season at Nationals at the Badger Prairie course in Verona.

Bring a cowbell, and please offer some creative heckles. If it’s mean-spirited, I’ll run my bike over your feet. But if you make me laugh, you and I both win.

Day Two

2012-01-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

At least birthday boy Mike Heenan had a great ride, finishing 7th in the 30 plus!

My race, though, was SLOW. I felt slow. Rode slow. Was so slow in fact that superfan Mabel asked me if I was riding a practice race! Yes, Mabel, clearly I was.

So glad I have one more race on Saturday to make up for the weekend. I'm going to sleep a lot, eat right, and be ready to go.

One more for the road!

CCC-New Year's Resolution: Day One

2011-12-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

Day one started without:
- proper caffeination
- proper breakfast
And day one started at 5:20 a.m.!

I chose not to wear leg warmers, which turned out to be a mistake because by the third lap, I could feel the energy escaping from my legs.

First two laps went very well. I started sixth row, moved up into top 15 or higher. Lots of long open stretches made for a hard day, kind of like doing vo2 intervals!

Not sure of my finish today, but I slowed down a little when I got cold and was passed by three guys who I had passed earlier. Top 20, I'd guess, in a strong field.

Course was very open, lots of grass, some good mud sections, and a lot of sand traps that had sketchy lips when you exited. This is a course that will change throughout the day. For example, I could ride up the dirt hill until the last lap when it was getting too greasy. Ross, who is about to race, will be running up the hill!

This was a good warm up for tomorrow!! Just need to make sure I find some coffee!

Stumped!

2011-11-08T05:37:00.001-08:00

Two days of racing with the 360 Cup and the Boulevard Cup at Stump park in Shawnee made for a nice fall weekend full of cyclocross and free beer!

I started the weekend Saturday with the Master's 40+ race at the 360 Cup. The course was fairly technical with a long sustained climb every lap - actually the climb was my favorite part of the course, and I passed people every time up.

There were some really FAST old guys racing with me, and I wound up getting lapped on the 3rd of 7 laps, only to crash out hard on the 4th lap on a steep down hill left hander turn right after the big climb - the handlebar shaped bruise is almost gone, though.

Before I crashed out, I was rockin' the eye burning stars version of the MWI kits (my personal favorite), and after a few races on my team edition Corsa 2.3T's, I couldn't be happier with them - they're light, stiff, awesome looking, and they make me feel fast, which is almost as important as being fast, or at least that's what I tell myself.

Saturday, I had full intention of doubling up and racing SS, but not wanting to repeat that nasty little crash incident, I decided to have a cold one and regroup for Sunday's Boulevard Cup single speed race. Sunday's course was wide, flat and fast, with most of the technical difficulties coming along a berm on the west side of the park which was up and down punchy little climbs about 10 times including a run-up, which left many racers cursing. There was a cool - and ridable - sand pit, which I made it across very nicely, only once putting a foot down due another rider cutting into my line. I had a good day, battling back and forth with a couple of guys, and sprinting hard for the line but just missing the guy in front of me by about half a bike length. Even though it was for 13th, it felt great to have a little left and sprint like that at the end of a 45 min race.

As you can see, the trusty old Blue with the Single Speed Corsa 1.2ACR's did great in the sand, although the flat course had me spinning out the 38x19 gearing.

Finally, thanks for Jon Peck for the pictures and for a little push to keep be from falling over in the sand.

KC - 360 Cup and Blvd Cup

2011-11-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

This past week I did some smart things after doubling up in the Masters/Open at BC #3; I made sure I got plenty of rest (Monday & Tuesday), got in a great 'big gear' interval session on the Frisco finished up with 4 start simulations which included a long dismounted run for each (felt totally recovered), another rest day (Thursday) and then a little bike driving on Friday (included routine openers). Recovery & rest had me feeling ready to go for the 360 series races kickoff weekend.

Headed of to KC's west side Stump Park... pulled up and immediately realized elevation was in play. After talking with some masters guys who raced earlier and taking a quick pre-ride it was clear there were places to make solid efforts and plenty of places to recover. No dismounts required as the barriers were short (easy to clear) and the potential for a run up was rideable every lap (even in the opening traffic). Fun course with a lot of off-camber stuff and just a great layout.

Got there too late to watch Karl racing the Masters, but I imagine he did the MWI kit proud.

Good pre-rides and warmup had me toeing the Open line with 23 others (most notable was the front line of who's who of the fast kids minus only the Tradewind folks). Got off to an OK start and things went better as the race progressed. Ended up riding most of the race with Troy Krause (NE masters guru) until I simply couldn't hold his pace up the climb with 4 to go. From then on it was chase and fend off those coming behind. I caught a decent second wind with 2 to go and made a run at TK only to come up short by about 5 seconds to finish 12th (of 24). I am not a climbing type of guy so I was pleased with my result and especially my handling as it was a clean race hitting good lines pretty much all race.

***Great photos from Roger Harrison, Keith Walberg, and Jon Peck***

Early in the race chasing GLove

Pulled up to Stump Park on Sunday, pre-rode the fast power course which was totally different from the day before. Flat open start into a couple switchbacks, more flat pedaling into tall barriers, to a fun technical section (that kept you on your toes) of up and downs and off camber turning (with a short steep dismount bump), then more power pedaling, thru a deep sand pit (totally rideable even though I dumped it once - can you say Her-Crustules ala 2010 Herman?) back to open pedaling... and do it for an hour with no recovery to speak of.

Got to catch Karl drilling it in the SS events; great job, my man.

Lined up with another good sized field of fast kids (27) and off we go for the BLVD Cup Open. Got a decent start (for me) and tried to keep the gas going from there on. For most of the race I swapped spots with a guy from NE (Noah something) in the lower teens in placings; I would put in a dig and open a gap, he would then counter... it made for a non-stop on the gas FUN race. At the end Noah bobbled in the technical section, I punched it, and was able to hold on for 11th. Once again I was satisfied with the way I raced mentally and physically and came away with a little confidence boost going into the rest of the season. Oh, on a side note, I dumped it three times during the race (once in the sand - embarrassing and twice simply pushing the technical sections a little too fast when smoothness and reserved was needed. Fun layout and great racing!

Short, but steep little 'bump' zapped the legs

Another great course layout! The last three races/venues have been super and the FUN FACTOR 'cross racing on these courses is off the chart!

Still tentative to really open up fully on the first lap as in the back of my head I continually think "it's an hour, conserve for later...". I need to get past this as I am losing too many places early and spend the rest of the race chasing those I should be near early on. Now, that being said, it's interesting racing with the same guys several times as I can pretty much tell you who will go out hard and fade in the last 20 minutes of racing while I feel I am hitting close to negative splits (runners term). Gotta figure out how to fix this mentally...

Next weekend I'm heading to L'ville for my first USGP. I registered pretty early and might have a 1st or 2nd row start for the 2/3 race. With it only being 40 minutes I am going to have to kill it early to hope to get in the top 20 (wishful thinking and actually have no expectations). Should be fun.

SS BC3 @ RT BMX

2011-11-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

I raced the Singlespeed race at Boss Cross #3 last Saturday - in between JJ's double-up - and had a lot of fun for my first time on a BMX track.

Like JJ said, most of the technical challenges on the course were concentrated around the BMX track area - a gravel section, a double log crossing with a gravel hairpin turn in the middle of the two logs, the BMX track, a loose dirt section, a sharp but rideable uphill, and final gravel section - all within about a quarter mile on the course. The rest of the course was pretty plain - lots of open but very bumpy grass riding, and one standard set of double barriers.

I had a fairly good start and settled in around 9th with a couple of other SS'ers right close to me. I stayed close for most of the race, passing them both as the race went along, finishing in 8th place, didn't get lapped, and scoring my first SS Boss Cross series points.

I did see a couple of injuries on course Sunday - one guy hurt his ankle during warm-ups, and one guy crashed pretty hard on his head on the BMX track during the SS race. It really reminded me to be careful on course and take it slow on the features I'm not comfortable with - at 41 years old, I'm not bulletproof like I was when I was 21.

Doubling Up at Boss Cross #3 (BMX Style)

2011-10-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

Boss Cross #3 was yesterday and for the first time this year I doubled up (Masters and Open). Scheduling has been the main reason this hadn't yet happened, but with a single day of racing instead of two this past weekend and a little extra time I jumped in the pain cave...

Sunday I headed to KC for a new venue; Raytown BMX track. The layout was fun with a semi-technical section (pretty short) on an actual BMX track (high bern corner, rhythm section...) then the rest was full on open flat pedaling in some non-technical grass fields. Temps were pretty nice for 'cross, but the wind was a gust'in and that would suck in the open sections.

Got to the site early, got in some good warm up laps, then off to the start line. Gun goes off, David H drifts my way a tad, Jeff Yielding and I almost lock bars, and by first turn I re-gathered myself and set on David through the BMX part, then BOOM! Once we got to the open area he flat took off. Shea Bergman and myself kept it steady with Jeff on our tail and we were not closing anything on David. Jeff jumped around and I went with him (with Shea on my wheel) until I fell off Jeff's pace. From there Shea and I worked some together until he dropped me. I worked for a good 1/2 lap to trying to close it to him, but it wasn't happening. 5th place was wayyyy behind us and knowing I was riding the Open in a couple hours I backed off the pace to save what was left the legs. Ended up 4th (DH won, JY 2nd, Shea 3rd).

Here I am chasing David thru the rhythm sections

The learning curve for riding the BMX track was steep!!

Had two hours to recover and prep again...

Regular fast kids lined up in the Open and short into the first lap settled in 8th-15th (pretty good group just stuck together) and stayed their for the first handful of laps. I pushed the effort a couple times trying to break it up, but felt the efforts of the Masters race and decided to 'hide out' for a couple to see if I could make it to the end. During this time Micheal Gaherty, my MWI teammate, started mixing it up and so for the first time in forever we actually raced as a team and took turns firing attacks while the other covered all the moves behind. Mike made a strong move with about four to go that shattered the group while I sat on a Dogfish rider who was trying to run him down. A Colovita guy jumped the group next and I quickly moved to his wheel as he was moving pretty good and with three to go he had caught Mike with only I on his wheel. This guy tried to attack us in a gravel section and went down (hard!) so Mike and I quickly buried ourselves swapping pulls and opened a big gap. I grabbed a second wind just about the time Mike started to cramp. He moved backwards to the chasing Dogfish rider while I held on for a couple laps to get 10th and Mike 12th. Some of the funnest racing I've done in a while and big thanks to Mike for such great teamwork.

As we loaded up my body was completely drained, but in a good way. Don't know how many more 'double ups' I have, but it was definitely what I needed for this one day event. Solid day of racing!

Up next is 360 Cup on Saturday and Blvd Cup on Sunday; cash payout for Masters which is a rarity these days so it should be loaded as ever with some fast folks.

** Above photos from Roger Harrison and Mark Breeding - sweet pics, guys **

2011-10-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in K.C., the Epic Cycling Team pitched in and filled an open spot with a new race at the Pflumm / Bichelmeyer Park in Shawnee.

The course was fairly short - 5 to 5 1/2 minute laps - and was full of tight hairpin and off-camber turns, one set of barriers, one curb drop-off, and two of my least favorite features - sand runs. You entered both sand runs on a right hander turns, both runs included a 90 degree turn in the middle of the pit, and they were pretty much back to back with about 10 to 15 yards of grass between the first and second sand pit.

I did the Masters 40+ race which wound up being 9 laps, but I got lapped with 3 to go, and only did 8 laps. I felt good to only get lapped once - I just didn't have anything in the tank or in the legs for the race. A combination of a course that didn't suit me, plus a long rough week sealed my fate - I finished 17th out of 20 starters.

Next week, I'll be out on the SS bike at Boss Cross #3 at the Raytown BMX facility. After that I'm going to take a weekend off - I don't know if I deserve it, but I sure feel like I need it.

Joules Cross in Lawrence, KS

2011-10-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

Busy week at home leading up to the weekend and I debated and debated between heading to STL for a Bubba weekend (Sat night and Sunday late afternoon race) or head to Lawrence KS for Joules Cross (Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning races). Made a Friday night decision to keep it closer to home and headed off to Joules Saturday for the Open race. I raced one day at Joules last year (mechanical took me out 15 minutes in) and while it was not high on my list of favorites, it would be two days of solid racing with quality competition.

Got to the course and the pre-ride found it much like last year which meant moderate up and downs, little bumpy & rough, and wide open power pedaling with 0.0% technical aspect (not my strong suit). Chatted up some friends, warmed up, and at 3:15 it was go time.

A smallish quality field of 14 lined up and after an hour of suffrage I was 9th after a frustrating day of felling 'off' and never could mentally or physically get it going. I will openly admit it's hard to get mentally fired up for a race you know your going to get drilled; in other words I could have my best race of my life and be absolutely lucky to get a top 6, oh well, enough pity...

*photos from Keith Walberg and Roger Harrison*

Sunday morning got in a solid warm up and pre-ride (much different course with less elevation change still a power course, but a little longer) and lined up in the Masters 40+. Good group of guys and solid racers. David H. jumped away and George Robinson (Slimen) dangled the entire race around 10-15 seconds ahead (simply couldn't close the gap) and finished 3rd. I raced much better as being near the front will do that to a person (unlike the Open for me).

Next weekend is race-free and I am looking forward to being home with the family. I now have 8 races done and achieved my main goal of the early season with winning the overall Cat 3 at Hermann and racing solid at both Boss Cross 1 & 2 events. I feel like I am racing better, smarter, and faster than last year, but that might just me my imagination.

My next month 'run' includes Boss Cross 3 (masters and Open), 360 Cup & Blvd weekend, and then L'ville USGP.

Oakley Night Cap Cross

2011-10-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Mike Gaherty and I took a ride up to Des Moines (that's in Iowa) for the Oakley Night Cap Cross race.

The race was held at Mullets Bar and Restaurant, which is across from the Principal Park, where the Iowa Cubs play, and right at the point where the Raccoon River meets the Des Moines River. (It's amazing what you can learn from Google Maps)

The course was set-up along the levee and grassy area near the Raccoon River, and in a small field outside of Mullets. The course was fairly short - only about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per lap - but it was a wide layout with lots of room to ride and pass. There were three obstacles, two full barriers, one on the river levee, and one on a sharp uphill back to the Mullets field, and one railroad tie, which, depending on the race, about 50% to 80% of the racers hopped (I don't have to tell you I was one of the 20% to 50% who ran it, but in the end, hopping it or running it was about the same time wise)

Mike and I lined up in the Masters 35+, starting at 5:00pm and went for 40 minutes, which turned out to be 11 laps for the leaders, and 10 for me. On such a short course, I felt good about only getting lapped once. I had a good start by my standards, coming down the levee about 11th. I passed one guy at the first barrier/run-up, then spent the next two laps chasing a couple of guys, and I had caught and passed them by about the third of fourth lap. I raced back and forth with a couple of the 45+ guys for the rest of the race, and finished 8th out of 14, +1 lap. Mike finished 2nd, and scored a bunch of Miller Lite and Oakley swag, and a gift certificate to Mullets, which we took advantage of before we left.

The guys at Bike Iowa put on an awesome race at a great, spectator friendly venue, with a live band, a bunch of light plants to light up the whole course since the last race didn't start until 10:00pm, food and drink specials at the restaurant, and tons of spectators who got more rowdy as the night went on - a perfect urban cyclocross race. Mike and I both said we'll be back again.

Next week I'm staying local for the Epic Bike and Sport "Shawnee Rescue Radcross" in Shawnee (obviously.)

'Cross out Cancer - from a few places back

2011-10-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

First of all, thanks to Roger Harrison for the picture. He's a great suporter of Kansas City area cycling.

As you can tell from the title, I raced with JJ last weekend, but finished a couple dozen places behind. It was a beautiful day on a course that was full of technical twists and turns and fast power sections, and as you can see from the picture above, a need for me to work on my bunny hops. I was happy to finish without getting lapped - always important when your wife and in-laws are watching.

This weekend, Crusty, Mike G. and I are heading up to Des Moines for Rob's Oakley Night Cap Cross at Mullet's on the river.

Cross'ing Out Cancer on a Recovery Week

2011-10-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

This past week worked out way better than I ever imagined...

I try to stick with a training routine of 3 weeks on the gas and 1 recovery/rest and this past weekend it came at a really good time. I was starting to feel the five races over the past three weeks and after Boss Cross 1 & 2 I turned the training volume and intensity way down. Got in some cruising miles on the road, the Frisco, and some good ol' Polk County backroads and restarted my two-a-week run/stadium step workouts.

On Sunday I needed to get back to Bolivar early for an event so I opted to race the Cross Out Cancer event in KC for the early Masters 35+ race instead of the Open three hours later. It's been since early last year that I last toed the line with the masters and was surprised to find 28 guys in my race alone (and not really sure how many of the other categories were on course at the same time, but it was a ton).

Course was pretty similar to last year, some open pedaling stuff, lots-o-turns, regular set of barriers, and a low set (which was easily 'hoppable' every lap). Temps were a tad warmish for Oct cross and with a lack of rain the ground was hard and bumpy (easy fix with tubulars). Not a favorite, but it was fine.

Gun goes off and Brendon Jenks (360 guy) jumps out and solo's for most of the first lap with myself and a Slimen guy close behind. The Slimen guy joins Jenks and I get pretty close to contact before they open up a gap and that was it. Slimen guy rides off solo for the win while I chase Jenks at a 20 second distance for the rest of the race. We finish that way while 4th (a Cow Town guy) finished not too far down on me.

Solid effort and the 45 minute event was just what the 'recovery' doctor ordered for the last day before hitting full gas again. That extra 15 minutes in the Open really tax me and it was nice not to dig deep this week. Feeling physically and mentally recharged and refreshed is a good spot to be in after six races in three weeks (at least for me).

Up next is a couple Bubba (I know, the name if fitting for Missouri) races in STL next weekend; a Saturday night event (starts at 10pm!!!) and then a Sunday day race.

Boss Cross 1 & 2 (KC at it's Best)

2011-10-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Been looking forward to Jeremy and Joe's events since pulling off of the State course in December (they are just that good at setting up courses and running them off smoothly) and this weekend I partook in the goodness that is Boss Cross 1 (Saturday) and 2 (Sunday) in KC.

The week leading up had some quality workouts and bike driving, but Wednesday's intervals with Ira had me cooked and hoping I would recover before the weekend; which I did, but I was sweating it.

A quick walk thru and a couple laps ridden found it had a mix of a little bit of everything and was typical of a KC course (need to be able to drive a bike and have fitness). Bit bumpy in places, but with the dryness of late it was expected and a challenging double sand section every lap was going to be the demise of anyone not quick on their feet.

Ira (my main training partner) and I lined up in the Cat 3 field and before you know it I was off the front with Kyle Skinner (Bicycle Shack, or something like that). I led the first lap and then he took over for a couple. I put in a couple of attacks, he did they same,nd the result was neither could drop the other so 1/2 way thru we briefly chatted and took turns riding laps. On the last lap Kyle put in a well timed dig as we were passing a lapped rider (who apparently wanted

to race us - sigh) and the lapped guy dove in front of my on a tight corner and blew me off of Kyle's wheel with two turns to go and I never could reach him and finished 2nd. Oh well, it was a solid effort by both of us and he deserved the win. BC races the Cat 3 field with the Open so we race and hour like the big boys, but when after 3 laps they flashed 8 to go I knew it was going to be a long day and it turns out we raced for 1:13 minutes.

Picking up the awards (a little cash) Joe and Jeremy gave us some humorous crap about racing up as apparently we finished minutes ahead of 3rd place. Speaking of cash payouts: I'm of the opinion that two classes should get paid cash for placing: Men's Open and Women's Open, the rest should get some swag or a little something, but cash in the lower categories only entices guys to stick around and collect (absolutely temping, I must say). Example (and I told Joe this): Skinner got $60 for the win in Cat 3 and that's the same amount 2nd in the Open gets; I got $50 for 2nd and I believe that's the same as 3rd in Open... keep the cash for the Open guys and don't bait baggers (not saying that Kyle or I was, but the enticement is there).

Sunday Ira and my son Jake jumped in for the drive to KC for BC #2. I debated what to open and after a quick chat with Jeremy and Joe I moved up to the Open race. Smaller field than the day before, but still quality guys. The course was ran backwards and one technical section was removed which made for a much faster race. I felt good and at the end of the hour finished 8th (of 17 starters). I think this shows I need to race Open (and throw in some Masters) from here on out. I'll never see the front of these races, but don't imagine I'll see the tail end of them too often either...

Two great days of racing in somewhat warm temps, but nothing too bad. Looking forward to some events in the near future in the 50's for sure. My fitness appears pretty good and my 'punch' and 'snap' is still coming along nicely. Bike driving is at an all time high as the mtb'ing all spring and early summer along with our routine driving sessions during the week have me confident on most anything a course can throw at me, but I will admit the sand started feeling really long the last part of day 2...

Picked up my new MWI custom Giro Aeon helmet and that is the lightest lid I've ever seen. The MWI graphics are spot on sweetness; Mike H knocked it out again. *Picture is a little jacked as I was still cross-eyed on the drive home, but you get the gist*

Fun seeing the 'southern' MWI guys in full force and cheering them on as the fly the Jacka

lope banner proudly! I feel like the University of Oregon football team (multiple uniform combinations) as you never know who's going to wear what; I saw four different MWI kits in action the past two days.

Next week is racing in KC on Sunday at Cross Out Cancer.

Boss Cross #'s 1 & 2

2011-10-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

I kicked of my '11-'12 cyclocross season this past weekend with a short drive up to Kansas City North to Barry-Platte Park for Boss Cross #'s 1 & 2.

With a few exceptions, the course was pretty much the same as last year's race. A very dry summer here in KC left the park bone dry, and some construction in the park - asphalt walking paths being replaced - left lots of gravel. The dirt and the gravel made for some sketchy corners, but for fast racing.

On Saturday there were 3 or 4 dismounts, depending on your speed and skill - two long sand pits, one set of barriers on a hill, and a short, sharp uphill that some ran and some rode. Sunday was the pretty much reverse of Saturday's course with the two runs thru the sand, but the sharp uphill was removed, and the barriers were moved to a long straight stretch which made them super fast, and I think really fun.

I would up with mixed results. On Saturday, I finished 11th out of 16 in the single speed race, but I didn't get lapped! Sunday, I DNF'ed with a broken pedal that happened right after the start. I was really disappointed - the course was really fast and I was really looking forward to the race.

Despite my poor showing, I did get to try out some of the new MWI goodies

I love the new Pactimo kit. The Ascent Pro Bib shorts are really comfortable and I really like the lycra compression leg gripper - hands down better than elastic grippers. The Ascent Jersey is very nice too, with nice comfortable arm openings and a rubberized gripper on the bottom to keep it in place.

My new Corsa Concepts 1.2ACR's were awesome. Greg built the rear up with a White Industries Eccentric ENO hub and a 19t White Industries Freewheel. I finished them off with Challenge Fango 32's and ran them at 30 to 32 psi, and they felt great in the dust, gravel and sketchy corners. My combination of 38t Chainring and 19t Freewheel was just about perfect for the up and down course.

The new MWI Oakley Jawbones were perfect for the hard bumpy course. The rubber nose pads held them in place great (my Minute 2.0's, which have been discontinued, are great, but have hard plastic nose pads.) Thanks to Rob for the super color selections, and thanks to my eye doctor for getting the prescription lenses.

So, that about wraps week 1. Next week I'll make the short drive to Shawnee Mission Park for Cross out Caner.

USGP Planet (Awesome!) Bike Cup

2011-09-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a weekend! The traveling circus rallied in Sun Prairie for the first leg of the USGP and I'll give you, dear reader, a brief race report of my butt crack early 4's race that went off Sat. and Sun. at 8AM.

Saturday: I was slated for a 2nd row start, but the fellas in the first row left the perfect lane open on the inside of the course. Thank you very much I said, as I took the HOLESHOT! Ooowwwwww! That was a goal of mine last season that never really materialized, but the nonetheless, I can put that one in my pocket.

Went down on a little off camber section after the double barriers as I was wanting to really pin it, but things were a little too slick from the morning dew for the super-fast high and tight line. Lost one slot.

Working hard ripping the corners, I couldn't get my legs to come around on the power sections and was passed by a peep, who I've done serious battle with last season. Next lap and a half-ish was spent closing the gap on 1st and 2nd wheels. Made the bridge and heard another guy coming up on our group. I was absolutely gassed, but I knew I couldn't sit on to recover long before the 4th guy was going to make his move. Took about 6-7 seconds worth of deep breaths and attacked a power section that leads into a hairpin turn with a quick left to exit onto the pavement to work into the back section of the course. Biff. Over cooked it, went wide and my effort was wasted. The group flew by with a counter attack. See ya. I'm done.

Kept churning the pedals in for 4th. Fought a good battle and I was down right excite with that.

Sunday: Temps a little bit warmer at today's start, but the ground a little bit tackier with the light rain overnight. An okay start from the second row, I made up the 20 or so places I was back just after the start of lap 2. Up to 3rd place in 2.5ish laps and working on 2nd. Closing the gap to about 30m on several occasions in the power sections (really me?!? I ain't go no muscle!!), I could taste it.

Working for the podium with 1 to go, I could feel 4th place nipping at my heels. Deep breaths, thinking smooth is fast, I weave through the "snake pit" and work past the pits to the 180 followed by a left right chicane. NO!! NO!! NO!!!!!!!! With a now light rain coming down, my rear wheel slipped a bit causing me to lean hard and hold up a hot second on putting the gas back on in the power section. Boom. 4th place dude makes the pass. Shift up two gear, in the drops and crushing the pedals to close the gap, I can do it! No!! Yes, I can!! No, no I can't as he putting a couple seconds on me leading into the off camber uphill before the run up. Heart break is setting in as I schlep my yellow Mavic shoes up the run up. Roll in, head hanging, feeling crushed.

4th. Two days in a row. Not a bad result, but tasting the podium and then having it slip away is hard.

But wait. I'M NOT DONE YET!!! #CANTSTOPWONTSTOP I'm gonna to get ya Saturday and my stomach is full of anger!!!

Wednesday Night at Gateway Cross Cup in STL

2011-09-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Gateway Cross Cup in STL Heman Park. Incredible event and a pretty cool venue which made the most of a pretty compact community park. Wednesday racing is a rarity, but no way were we going to miss racing and later catching the UCI.

Got in three laps a couple hours before our race and, man, that was a fast fun course with four dismounts (2 - short stairs, 1 - flyover, 1 - double barrier) and just about as flat of a course as I've raced. Lots of turning, but none very tight or technical and the Grifo's hooked up great. It was almost the anti-Hermann course; I was in trouble as there were a ton of great crit racers in my field...

Early registration for the USAC Open got me a front row on the start grid, got a solid jump (thanks Jim Davis for the photo) and almost got the hole shot coming off the asphalt, but I lost my nerve right before turning off and dropped into third or so into the grass. First lap was pretty quick and was feeling OK (but not great) and the second lap was disastrous; couldn't get my legs to do anything and had little zip which caused an immediate drop of way too many places. By mid-race I got a new breathe of life and felt really good, but the damage was done with all the spots lost earlier. Felt much better the 2nd half of the hour and was able to reel in several in the last laps to finish 20th (of 63 starters). I was OK with that and had a lot of fun. *Side action shot from Dan Singer - www.dansingerphotography.com*

Shameless Commercial Advertising

2011-09-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

It's getting cooler outside. Racing has started. Time to restock your supply of embrocation. Give the custom blended Jackalope Embrocation by Mad Alchemy a try. Click HERE to get your own personal supply. You caffeine addicts out there can also get some of the team edition coffee at the MWI store too.

Dogfish Cross Starts the Season Off Right

2011-09-19T11:32:00.001-07:00

nd just like that it's we're back at...

Jeff Yielding's Dogfish Cross is the kick off to MO's 'cross season and is a restaurant quality event; Jeff and crew go to great lengths to make sure every aspect of the races go off top notch to include seamless registration, great mix of a little everything on the race courses, prizes and swag, and endless entertainment. Now on to the racing.

Ira and I loaded up and made the three hour drive to Hermann is perfect 'cross weather/temps; everything about it just felt 'crossy. The course got some rain earlier in the day but it wasn't sloppy, just a little damp and cool.

Checked into the motel and relaxed a bit before our 8pm start for the Cat 3 race. Back to the venue to roll a couple laps and found everything was pretty tacky and fast. The course was pretty routine (which = awesome) for Hermann Park with a good mix of stuff; especially like the double sand with the low barriers on the turn -nice touch. Course was pretty tacky and nothing slick to speak of. Time flew by and before you know it I was embro'ed up with MWI's own sweet blend (available at team store) and on the line ready to go.

Got a good start and settled into second place off the asphalt and by the time we made a couple turns on the course myself and another guy had a little gap. I passed him leading to the stairs hoping not to get caught up behind a mess and it worked out pretty good as from that point on I had clean driving off the front. After 4 laps (of 8) I had established a healthy lead and settled in to maintain it and with 2 to go I was able to back off the gas some (hoping to save a little to Sunday) and cruise in for the solo win. Picked up the Source Endurance leaders jersey and hopefully would keep it tomorrow. The new carbon wheels and Challenge Grifo's were crazy hooking up and made for such a quicker ride. Everything felt pretty sharp and hopefully a good indicator for the weekend and the season.

*Pactimo has by far a super fit, comfy level, and pro feel and I know the above kit is not the latest, but I simply love the Black SS*

Here is a video circulating from the boys at Airborne; incrediblely done! There's a couple clips of me early, but after that its all of the chasers.

Sunday was nice and laid back as we didn't race until 2pm. We grabbed a little breakfast then headed over to watch the Masters and check out the course. It rained overnight and everything looked a bit slicker than the night before. Back to motel to hang out and then back to race.

Rolled a couple laps before the race and while it wasn't bad there were some slick corners to watch for. Rolled to the line wearing the Source Endurance leaders jersey (target on back) and took by light-hearted ribbing from the others.

Another solid start and led off the pavement where I promptly took out the tape on the first little sweeper (embarrasing). Regained composure (still leading) and put in some good digs to get off the front with a decent gap by the top of the stairs. From there on it was like the day before - ride smooth thru the turns, stomp a bit on straights, and really push the pavement. By the second lap I had a decent lead and maintained it until to top of the stairs with less than 2 to go. BAM, chain gets jacked up in my Pauls catcher and it's time for cool heads. Took a bit but worked it back on just as a Big Shark guy passed me; jump on his wheel and follow until last time up the stairs where I put in a good dig; got a little gap and rode it to the finish for the win.

*Above pics snagged from Jason Watkins and Dan Singer*

By winning both day I won the overall points and snagged some goodies from Tin Mill brewery (good stuff). I wanted to go well at Hermann and it worked out as I hoped. Great catching up with folks I hadn't seen in a while and as always chatting up Jeff.

Soooo, I appears I probably need to punch my Cat 2 license and get it over with. I was hoping to get to race Boss Cross as a 3, but that's not realistic after this weekend. Looks like I will race quite a bit of masters stuff this year with some Open mixed in.

Rest and recovery and get ready to do it again in STL on Wednesday at the Gateway Cross Cup...

Kicking off the 'cross season with a.... CRASH!

2011-09-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back home, tired, tired and more tired. It was a good day though with Mike and Paul on the trip down to Chicago. We kicked off the season with Chicago Cross Cup's series opener at Jackson Park.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, as I've never headed to the metropolis of Chicago for the "famed" CCC races. I've seen photos, video and heard lots of stories, but today was my first venture into the Chicago culture. To be honest, it was okay. The racing was fun, don't get me wrong, but lining up 45-50 minutes early for the 4A's was a little ridiculous. And their "strict" 10 wide starting grid was at least 20 wide.

Made for an interesting start though. I must have been somewhere around the 3rd or 4th row, avoided a gnarly crash in the chute and made some ground over the first barrier and into the big downhill swoop. Things were bottle necked here, so put in a big move....dismount and run past 15 stalled riders. Nice.

After that, it was corner, slide, corner, slide, corner. Not much for straight sections to really turn it up and open the legs before the next technical bit. Never felt maxed out, but maybe that was because I had to slow to not take multiple tree branches in the face that were masking parts of the course. I ate mud twice on lap 2 after washing out on the grease that was plentiful around the course with the all day light rain.

Finished 29th on the day, which isn't too shabby considering starting where I did in the sold out field of 100. Upward and onward to USGP next weekend!!! Stoked! Can't wait to rip it up from a solid front row start! Lets get dirty.

Jackson Park Race Report

2011-09-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

The 30 percent chance of rain turned into 100 percent by the time the 1, 2, 3 race took off. Heenan and I lined up together in a field of about 40 people, including Scott McLaughlin, Mike Scherer, Kevin Klug, and Mike Hemme. Needless to say, I didn't see those guys again except for when the course doubled back on itself.

The course set up at Jackson was different than previous years, and a lot of fun. Lots of curves and off-camber corners. And with the rain, those corners got greasy quickly.

I slid out twice to the ground. Once, of course, when I started chatting with the the xXx guy I was riding with. Duh, Paul. Ride your damn bike!

There were, though, three downsides to the race. 1. The organizers did not trim any tree branches and ran the course through low-hanging branches. Several times I was clonked on the head with a tree limb and another time scraped across the face by branches.

2. There were very few straight lines in the race and many sections that weren't "regulation" width. So it was very hard to pass and very challenging to get any kind of rhythm going.

3. The official pulled Mike and I on the last lap when the leader was about to win. We had perhaps a minute on him but we still got pulled. I wanted to keep riding, and since Mike was getting close to catching me, he definitely wanted to keep riding. Alas, I finished one place ahead... (no matter that he spent the last 36 hours putting our bikes together and gluing wheels!)

I felt great on the technical aspects of the race: cornering, barriers. The Orbea is an amazing bike. I am definitely lacking in punch power right now, more of a consistent diesel engine.

Some WFQ (Warloski Fun Quotient) points today awarded to myself. I was a little freaked out racing against cat. 1s and local pros. Once they left me behind, though, I just rode my bike. I was pleasantly surprised to feel so good technically.

Glad first race is done. Bring on USGP next weekend in Sun Prairie!! We're racing the 35 plus event, which is just stacked with national talent. It's going to be a slug fest, and I can't wait!!

And did I mention before that I finished one place in front of Mike today?

No Longer Around the Corner...

2011-09-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

...it's now smack dab on your doorstep! Are you ready?

Just secured my front row for this...

Took a look this morning at the Gateway Cross Cup (in STL) UCI list and looks like they'll have an all-star line up under the lights - awesome!

Going over a tentative 'cross schedule for my first 8 days of the season and it has me at JY's Dogfish Cross on Sept 17th and 18th (Hermann, MO), at Gateway Cross Cup Sept 21st (STL), and then hitting up Manion's on Sept 24th and 25th (KC, MO). Nothing like baptism by fire... Would have loved to make the trek to Madison for the USGP, but leaving it to the 'northern relatives' to take care of business. The following weekend is Boss Cross 1 & 2 (Sat and Sun in KC), but no information on this yet published.

Stupidweek Day 3, 4 - Whitnall Park RR, Crit

2011-07-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Four races, four paydays! Well, yes, the fields have been small - we had 12 old dude racers today!

The positives are this: One, I am again starting to be able to climb hills. Both days had a short climb that hurt the legs after so many repetitions, and I never struggled except for the sprint.

Two, I've now done four races in six days. I'm tired now, but felt good during the race. I made a couple of efforts off the front today, and closed down a couple of break attempts. I did quite a bit of work today. So I am perhaps getting some recovery finally. Two efforts in races a month ago wiped me out. Now, I'm okay.

Progress. Cross season is getting close.

The part I need to keep working on is the closing sprint speed. I haven't done any minute-long interval sessions yet that will bring me to that kind of fitness. That speed will come.

Two races left to go in Stupidweek: Kenosha and Bay View, both completely flat. I'll try to get into a better position in the last lap and try to get the W. Kenosha is always a good time. I'm not sure about the Bay View course, though. There is one very sketchy corner and some construction at one of the corners.

But the racing's been fun in that challenging, what kind of legs do you have kind of way. Whitnall Park RR was very high on the WFQ points. Even today, a cit I've done a lot before, was pretty fun.

Two more races, and we'll shut down the road racing and start preparing for cross. And that is, after all, what matters...

Stupidweek Day 2: Brookfield

2011-07-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

I had some serious doubts about racing partially in a parking lot around the police station in Brookfield.

It turned out to be pretty fun! I raced boringly. The first five in the race, including me, did the majority of attacks and covers and work. The race came down to a field sprint. I missed a bit of top-end speed and couldn't move up for the sprint. Still finished 9th and in the money!

Next races are Monday and Tuesday at Whitnall Park. Mike and Patrick may have convinced me to race the youthful 4s at the Whitnall RR. Since it will be 91 Monday, an early morning race might be better!

StupidWeek Race Report-Cudahy

2011-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

I started the first of a few StupidWeek races today in Cudahy. It was a flat, pretty nice course by the lake. As with most StupidWeek races this year, there weren't many of us today, maybe 20-25 guys.

The racing in the masters 4/5 was pretty boring. In the first two laps, we just rolled around, so I got impatient and attacked. After a lap solo, when I realized no one was coming with me, I sat up and got back into the group. With 10 to go, I was really getting antsy and took off again. I was also solo again. The pack let me go but were letting me dangle a bit so with 5 to go, I sat up and tried to recover before the sprint.

I thought one guy was the sprinter so I sat in behind him. But by turn 3, when I was sitting 10 wheels back, I realized he was not going to sprint! So I gassed it and ended up 8th.

I am going to race boring tomorrow, follow any groups that go off the front, and wait for the sprint.

The best part of the race today is that I got PAID! First race check in four years!!

karl's jr. - winning(s)!

2011-07-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

While my team mates have been doing some racing and more racing and blogging in famous places, I've been hitting the road training for 'cross season, and winning, or at least riding to the mailbox to collect my winning(s).

Twice during the Giro, I hit the jackpot. First, at least in reverse chronological order, was racejunkie's contest, where I placed second in the Week 3 contest, where I won a mess of stickers, but being the shrewd barterer, I traded a jar of our world famous MWI Embrocation for one of racejunkie's custom embroidered moisture wicking Walz cycling caps. The fit is great, and I can't wait to get it sweaty and dirty once the weather turns cooler.

Before that, I cashed-in during the Pave blog's Cima Coppi Contest, by correctly guessing that Stefano Garzelli would be the first to cross the Passo Giau, the Giro's highest point. For that brilliant guess, I was the lucky winner of a Laekhouse t-shirt, and appropriately enough, I picked the Fausto Coppi.

So, thanks to all my new friends at the Pave Blog, Laekhouse, the racejunkie blog, and Walz caps. I personally invite you all to come out to Kansas City, Milwaukee, or any other stop on the MWI 2011-2012 cyclocross season barnstorming tour - we'll bring the cupcakes and beer.

It's Not Cross, But Still Fun

2011-06-18T08:37:00.001-07:00

That felt like my first big time race back from the crash.

I entered the Tour of America’s Dairyland Thiensville race in the masters 35 plus 3/4 race. I had done a boatload of training miles, intensity, and lifting in the weeks prior to the race, so I had no sense of what my legs would do.

Last year, in my “comeback” year, I started in Thiensville in the masters 1, 2, 3 race because that’s what I used to race.

I lasted all of 7 minutes! The next day, I raced the 3s and lasted 15 minutes. I clearly was not ready to race!

Yesterday, I felt surprisingly good. I purposefully stayed at the back, avoiding the riders who don’t know how to corner.

When the announcer yelled there were 10 laps left, most of the remaining field got all wound up and tried to make their way to the front.

I didn’t plan on sprinting so I sat back. But with eight to go, my legs started twitching a little, and I started moving up the field.

My chain, which had snapped in warmup under my incredible power, had been fixed with a master link. But I was having shifting problems.

And with five to go, though, bad luck struck. The chain fell off to the inside and then wrapped around the rear derailleur. And there were no more free laps.

Craig, one of the officials, said I had gotten my bad luck out of the way!

But I was thrilled that I had some legs under me. Today is Grafton. If the storms hold off, I’ll race again, and this time I plan to actually race, see what’s in the tank.

Anything that’s there is going to be a welcome surprise, and I’ll be grateful!

Down & Dirty MTB - Racing Scared...

2011-06-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

...not because of the competition, but mother nature. Let me explain:

A handful of years ago I got a pretty stiff heat injury during an adventure race in Nebraska, spent the night in a hospital, and have never fully recovered (absolutely no problem with cold temps). That's why I usually move from mtb racing to crits at the end of May for the summer as the stagnant hot air in the woods zaps me much worse than having air moving over me during crits even with temps near the 100's. After years of doing this I know my limits and this year I am pushing them trying to make it the state mtb race next weekend (will probably pay for it).

Yesterday was a hot one in the woods at the Warsaw Down and Dirty race (United Dirt Federation series) and I psyched myself out before the race even started worrying about heat injuries. I was the furthest from aggressive and I hate racing that way.

I raced the SS class and pretty much set in the lead group for the first ½ of the first lap (1 or 2) trying to not overheat. It was all going good until I got stuck behind a wreck (no big deal) and began chasing hard to catch back to the leaders. In my haste, I overcooked trying to pass someone and took a nasty fall on some rocks… leaders ride away while I bled from my leg and arm. Chased for 4 or so miles and at the end of the 1st lap I am in 2nd with the leader just ahead of me. I grab a cold bottle and notice the leader was doing the same and I get out first. Led the whole loop by quite a bit but keeping it under control as I was on the limit of overheating and a couple times I even stopped to cool off a tad dumping water over me. 1 mile to the finish and I miss a turn (unmarked and on the first lap a guy in a vehicle was there telling us where to go, but on this lap he is nowhere to be found and I caught a glimpse of an expert rider up the trail – he missed the turn also). I ride quite a ways before I turn around as it just didn’t look and feel right. I jump back on the course and see off in the distance the guy who was 3rd (now 2nd), I chase and catch him pretty quickly, catch a glimpse of the (now) leader and close in, but ran out of trail and he beats me by 20sec or so. Frustrating, but oh well 2nd was still pretty good. Asked the race director about it and was told the corner marshal left to help an injured rider. Turns out I was one of several who missed the turn. Decent event, but not a huge turnout.

Next weekend is the MO State MTB Championships in KC (Landahl Park) and I am planning to go unless the temps/humidity keep climbing. This is all play in prep for 'cross and don't want to risk re-aggravating my heat injury and missing base work in the coming months.

On a side note my riding partner took this picture of me sprinting a cow (I was simply trying to get around it) on our 83 mile Memorial Day Ride - go ahead and tee off on 'Bodunklivar Living' (I would)...

ICC MTB Race - Could Do Without the BUG

2011-05-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Indian Camp Creek 3/6hr mtb race in STL and for some time a training buddy (Ira) had been on me to team up for a race so that's what we did.

Training/racing leading up to the race was going really well until on Thursday morning I woke with a BUG; flu was going around and it landed straight in my body (and pretty much was purging everything quickly). I was hoping it would pass, but come Saturday it was still hanging on and my partner still wanted to race... I was drained and still hurting, but what the heck.

I have raced my Rig SS so far this year and even though the course was a hammer-fest I decided to keep it single and simply try to survive. The field in the team event was stacked with the best of the best duo'ing it; not a good day to be sick.

Race starts with Ira taking the first lap and he has us in a decent position. I bury myself with what energy I could find and keep us steady as I pass it back off. Immediately I know something is wrong and start hurling everywhere. The race promoter made sure I was OK as I was quickly trying to replenish what I just lost. Ira comes through and I take my turn, but it's game OFF as I have nothing in my legs. We kept it going (Ira 4 laps and I 3) until they called the event at 5:30hrs due to lightening (thank goodness). Rough day as we finished 6th of 7 teams. Wouldn't have even thought about racing it if I was going solo, but when you're a team its step up time.

Got a couple weeks to regroup in hopes to ride well at the Missouri State MTB Champs in KC (hoping to see Sir Crust-A-Lot).

Tour De Tick (make that Ick)

2011-05-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Sunday) was the Midwest Fat Tire series Tour De Tick race in Neosho, MO. I raced this as a sport rider two years ago in a downpour of rain with made the course a bit of a swamp and with the forecast all week calling for rain on Sunday I figured it would be the same for '11.

Ira (my Bolivar training partner) and I loaded up the SS's and drove the 1:45hr (close for us) to the event and sure enough it was raining on the way and the temps never got out of the lower 50's (chilly dampness). The turnout was a bit low which is interesting as why do mtb'ers skip on nasty weather, it's a mountain bike after all and isn't it supposed to get nasty and dirty!?!?!? Must be the 'cross part of me speaking out here. Anyways, the course was a 6.8 mile loop with a mix of rocky, rooty, flowy, climbing, fire roads, and slippery corners (about everything you expect). SS class did three laps and on this wet and chilly day that was just about enough.

Race got going and Ira and I set off on a solid pace and gaped everyone else. Somewhere early on he decided to endo his bike without letting me know first so when I turned around 1/2 way through the opener lap he was gone. I set out then to see how many experts (Cat 1's) I could pull in over the next couple laps. That didn't end up being too long as I caught and passed the Cat 1 leaders 1/2 thru the second lap. The rain kept coming down making the course a mudfest so I shut down the last lap a bit and made sure to keep upright with no mistakes. Mission accomplished and ended up snagging my third SS win of the year with Ira taking a solid 2nd.

Another great venue for the 29'er SS as mud and bad conditions are not an issue when you aren't shifting. Talked with teammate GLove's wife after the race and we both decided it was a great 'cross muddy course training.

Legs and fitness are solid right now even though I haven't started a serious regime of intensity; that is starting this month as June and July has a nice set of crits for which I want to prime (Tusla Tough, Tour of KC, and Tour of Lawrence).

Not sure how much racing I'll do this month as the gas prices and lack of driving partners is making me a bit more selective (notice a race 1:45 hrs is considered a 'local' close one).

Hitting The MTB Until the REAL Season

2011-04-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

What's a guy supposed to do during the 8 month off season... This year I decided to turn my spring attention to mountain biking and try sharpening the bike driving skills when I can and use it to build some base miles. After the new year I bought a 29'er Trek Rig single speed (with option of adding gears); both the 29'er and SS concepts were new to me, but thought they sounded fun. I had no idea how true both would be!

The handling of the G2 setup is not much off of riding a 26; it's pretty darn quick in the tight stuff and I don't feel like I am 'lugging' it around corners. The biggest thing is how freaking easy the 29er rolls over rough stuff and smooths it all out (I don't miss my Fuel full suspension at all). I have the 'bull in a china shop' riding style and the 29er now lets me get away with much more without punishment.

The SS part of it a blast and that's mostly due to the fact that the midwest has no 'long' climbing and mostly short punchy stuff which is perfect for SS. I have a couple different cogs I toy with but so far I am a 32/18 kind of guy. My 'spin' has become way better and my power up climbs has always been one of my strengths so the combination is working.

So on to racing: A couple weeks ago I entered my first '11 race at a local event (Warsaw Pain and Glory) on a super short course (13 miles at most). The field was not stacked so I took advantage of getting off the line first, hit the single track in front, and never saw anyone for the rest of the race. I ended up winning the overall by 8 or 9+ minutes. I felt really good and decently smooth, but was never pushed enought to get a real feel of my fitness. BTW - I'm a big fan of our 'lime' kits, but when it comes to mtb'ing I have to go with the black (it's my fav!).

This past weekend was the Bone Bender 3/6hr race at Clinton Lake State Park outside of Lawrence, KS. While I do ride consistantly I don't have many LONG miles in my legs so opted for the 3hr SS. 9.3 ish mile loop which featured everything u would want on a course; technical, open flowy, tight... it was all there. I regulated my efforts according to my abilities and came away with the win in the SS class doing 4 laps in 3:43hrs and placing 9th fastest overall. I was pretty happy with my consistancy as I rode 55, 55, 56, and 56min for the laps and never felt outside my comfort level. Chris Locke and crew did a great job with this event; I'll be back next year for sure.

Got a handful of mtb'ing races over the next couple of months before I turn my attention to crit racing and sharpening the speed before the 'turning of the leaves'. Hope eveyone is getting out there and enjoying the spring; later...

Hot Stuff!

2011-03-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is:

The official My Wife Inc. Dia de Los Jackalope Embrocation, custom blended by Mad Alchemy. A big thanks to Pete Smith with Mad Alchemy for his patience with versions of the blend and for making it so easy.

You can get yours here, but use with caution - it's hot enough to turn a pink jackalope RED.

shiny new things for a new season

2011-03-06T14:23:00.001-08:00

Every season brings new things. Spring brings a good cleaning, plants greening up, rains to wash the road salt away, and for me, shiny new things for my bikes. As you can see from the first picture, this spring brought changes for the Blue - new life as a single speed with new wheels from Corsa Concepts, our new wheel building friends from the pacific northwest, and new chain, chain ring, cables and bar tape.

Greg Hudson did a super job on a custom set of Corsa 1.2ACR's with a White Industries ENO eccentric hub and freewheel out back. I can't wait to get these really dirty. Expect a non-race review soon.

The road bike got some new stuff too - a new chain, new cables all around, and new bar tape. It's amazing what slick new cables will do for your shifting. If only there was something as dramatic and easy to get me back in to riding shape.

Coming Soon!

2011-01-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Something HOT!

crossing out 2010

2011-01-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

The only thing better than a day off from work is a day off from work with a cyclocross race. I made the short trek to Stump Park in Shawnee yesterday, for the last race of 2010, and the first one with my recently renewed 2011 license.

The course was pretty much non-technical, but included a pretty long run-up - probably 60 or 70 yards up the side of a steep hill at the east edge of the park - and one set of barriers that you could hit at a pretty good clip. The only other notable feature was the descent after the run-up which include a tricky off-camber turn.

The weather was the story of the day, however. When I left the house, it was 48 degrees and sunny, but dropped to a cloudy 36 degrees in the fifteen minutes it took me to get to the park. Thursday night, brought just less than a half inch of rain and freezing rain, then the 20 to 25 mph winds dried most of the course out, but left a few soft spots, and a little mud in one or two places. I am proud to say "Karl didn't fall down". The Fango's at 25psi did a great job - never felt slipery or sketchy in the mud or corners.

We were all shivering in the cold wind during staging, but warmed up quickly with the effort and in the sun, which peeked out from behind the clouds about midway through the race. I didn't get clipped in well, and got off poorly, but made up a few places throughout the race, especially on the run-up, and finished pretty much as expected, in the bottom half, but not DFL for once.

Thanks to Roger Harrison for the above picture. He's a great supporter of the KC cycling scene, and always has a lot of good race pictures, including one or two of a pretty good crash about 10 yards after the start line in the Master's 30+ class that took of just before my Master's 40+ group.

Just two more races are on the local CX calendar to close out the season, including one tomorrow at one of my favorite venues up the road in Parkville, MO.

Recommended Sodium Intake = 1500 mg/day

2010-12-20T06:26:00.000-08:00

The weather this past Saturday proved to be nice enough to pull the road bike off of the trainer and hit the mean streets of south Johnson County and test out my new MWI Showers Pass Soft Shell Trainer.

My kitchen thermometer read 37 degrees, with a light wind from the southwest. I dressed up for the cold with a sleeveless base layer, a long sleeve base layer, my regular short sleeve jersey, and the soft shell trainer on top. I was a little cold to start, and had to stop to put on shoe covers to keep my little piggies warm, but once I got warmed up, I was reasonably comfortable.

I headed south and west from the house to Kenneth, just west of the state line, and hit a couple of my favorite local "hellingen" (no cobbles) before cutting over to State Line Road and about 3 miles of gravel south of 199th St., including one of the steepest gravel road hills I've found around here, before looping back to Mission Rd. for a straight shot home. It turned out to be a great ride of just over an hour and a half, aided on the way home by the unseasonable south wind.

I was really happy with my Softshell Trainer. The fit (size M) was very good, and even with the other layers under, it never felt bulky or constricting. I liked the all of the zippers: the two under arm vents, the one rear vent high on the back, the two zippered pockets, and the cuff zippers. I think that the cuff zippers and the two big rear pockets (rather than 3 on a regular jersey) turned out to be my favorite features. The cuff zippers made it really easy to get a good seal around my gloves and the big pockets were easy to get into with my gloves on, and deep and wide enough to hold a lot more stuff than I needed on my short ride.

And the sodium reference in the title? Well, about a week ago, we got about an inch of snow, and Johnson County laid down a lot of road salt. Enough salt that it is now dried out and caked on the roads, and riding over it can cause it to dust up a little. That dust found it's way to the nozzle on my water bottles, and I got my daily sodium intake via my salty water bottle nozzle.

Over the Riverside and Through the E H Young Park

2010-12-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

Today's Tip - Avoid standing at a Christmas party for 4+ hours the night before race.

That's what I did last Friday night before the Boss Cross #4 / Missouri State Championship Race at E.H. Young Park in Riverside, MO. Jeremy and Joe put together a great, Championship worthy, course at a great venue - gotta love a place with large heated restrooms on a day hovering around freezing.

The heart of the park is relatively flat, but the river bank, a couple of berms and mounds, a sand volleyball court, two curbs, two sets of barriers, and hill up near a wooded area provided the technical challenges. The start was a long drag in a tail/crosswind followed by a sweeping left turn on to the main part of the course. The first obstacle was the sand pit which had an uneven entry at the apex of a left turn, which caused a few to to have troubles either stumbling or swinging their bike wide. Next was a planked curb which you had to hop at a good clip to maintain your speed because there was a long stretch into the wind right after. The long river bank sand run was next, again with an entry at the apex of a left hander. After a quick remount there was just enough time to get ready to drop off a curb and into the pavers and more grass. A set of barriers at the bottom of a hill turned it into a run-up, complete with trombone playing hooligans, then a few long stretches and sweeping turns and a speedy down hill off a berm at the north of the park led back to the final barriers and the finish line.

It was a rough day for me. I was tired from the night before, and had no legs, but I rode a steady pace, and focused on skills and cornering. I have raced at the park before, and it can get very dry and very sketchy, especially if your tires are too hard. I had the Fango's at 27psi, and they did a great job, although this was a course made for the Grifo's file tread, if only I had them glued up.

I did Master's race on the Blue, and the singlespeed race on the old aluminum steed. Every time I do two races, I am amazed by the weight of the Blue and how easy it is to suitcase over the barriers and how easy it is to shoulder and run with it.

I don't know what the end of the month holds - there are four more local races in the last week of December and first week of January. I might try to make it out, but with the first snow predicted for K.C. later this week, it looks like the trainer and treadmill might see some action too.

Missouri State Race - O Legs, Where Art Thou...

2010-12-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

Cold and windy MO State 'cross race this past Saturday on a fun course used earlier this year for the Boss Cross #1 event. Not a drop of moisture on the ground meant a super fast course for a strong Cat 3 field.

Got a decent start sitting top three after a couple laps in and that's when I started noticing my legs were starting to fade a tad. I kept plugging away, but lap after lap I struggled more and more to maintain any semblance of power and this started jacking with my mind causing me to lose focus during dismounted portions; I was a mess (sigh). As several moved past me mid-race I didn't fold and tried to focus on each rider ahead of me and little by little was able to crawl back to finish 6th overall and 4th for the MO Championships.

Disappointment and frustration was quickly replaced with an overall sense of satisfaction as the season in a whole was a success and more fun than I'd had in years. Out of 20 races I had flat legs only twice and #2 just happened on the day I needed them most.

2010 was absolutely great and has me pumped for 2011! Big props to BLUE for making a rocket of a rig and to Challenge for the best tires on the market. Even bigger to the MWI crew for facilitating our dreams of being rock stars on two wheels - Mike and crew, you guys are the best!

Jingle Cross Rookie

2010-11-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'll make it quick with just the highlights

- MWI teammates (and wives) are awesome and a great bunch of 'cross racing nuts!!!!

- Mt. Krumpet is no joke (up or down)

- Friday Night: Cold, slick, and cold - 11th

- Saturday: Tough (but good for me) run up and slick riser, broke pedal, awesome 'Chili' bike swap in the pit - 12th

- Sunday: Solid race start to finish with some muddy sections - 7th

- MWI teammates and wives are awesome (and yes, I know I repeated this)!!! Chili has ruined me for all others...

- Blue rig and Challenge tires killed it all weekend long!

More to come later but for now...

That's It!

2010-11-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

I'm done with this year's cross season.

I pulled out of the second day at Jingle Cross in Iowa City. Had a bit of a challenge getting the bike up over the barrier with two laps to go. This was after several long, long run-ups up Mr. Krumpit. That was enough of a sign for even me to read. Time to pull the plug, even with a fun Illinois race next weekend.

I've pushed, cajoled, requested, beaten, intimidated, and threatened my body enough this season. I started 21 races, finished 18, finished fifth overall in the 45s, had some good 5th places finishes, renewed some good friendships, made new friends.

Overall a successful season with my wife inc. We had a lot of fun throughout the season.

Time to start healing and resting. Time to rebuild hip and leg muscles, shoulder muscles. I'm already planning with Craig on how to build up my hip muscles and build core strength.

I had good equipment this year. The Blue Norcross bikes performed flawlessly and the Challenge tires gave me confidence in corners and mud.

I'm already planning my 2011 schedule to be physically ready for the whole season. I've already written about the plan to ride a lot of mountain bike, some TTs, some road races and crits - and a LOT of weight lifting, pilates, and yoga.

It's exciting to think that maybe that not only I can come back to where I was prior to the crash, but even get seriously faster and stronger. Everything this season points to more strength and speed next year.

Bring on 2011. Thanks for reading. And thanks to everyone who cheered me on this year, especially the crew at mwi. So many friends and family members encouraged me this year. The wall of noise from the mwi tent at races was awesome.

Boom!

Paul Chili Warloski

I'm not done yet

2010-11-25T01:17:00.001-08:00

Just when I thought I was going to hang it up and call it a season, I decided I'm not ready.

Sitting at the breakfast bar in my kitchen this morning, sipping coffee and looking at facebook, I really, really, really had the urge to ride my cross bike. That urge turned into the want to race, immediately! But Jingle Cross is out of the question for me with things at home happening. So what to do!?

BAM! Chicago Cross Cup is expanding the 4A's and 4B's to 100 per field instead of the usual 75. Currently as it stands both the A's and B's are sold out for IL State Championship race on December 5th. I'm friggin' all over that. Get me on a waiting list or something! My BLUE needs to tear up a cross fast! Throw Chili's Grifo's (or Fango's if I'm lucky to have "awesome" weather!) on and Imma gonna get me a podium!

Mom I'm Changing Majors!

2010-11-22T08:20:00.001-08:00

Two Part Post - Wisconsin State CX Championship Race Report and some news!

News: Mom I'm Changing Majors!

Well it's official folks, for next year I have decided to tailor my studies to major in Cyclocross with a minor in Road Racing. I just love cross so much more, it only makes sense for me. I'll just be starting my training a little bit later this winter and enjoy some more varied sport time (read rock climbing, skiing, snowshoeing, and anything else that I do to stay off the trainer) before base building. Racing will start in June instead of March with Quad Cities in Illinois, but then I'll be staying local for a few select Dairyland and Superweek races to tune the engine for CX season.

Race Report:

It all came together. The morning of rituals, breakfast, the warm up, all went perfectly today. 3rd row start, which was not exactly where I wanted to be, but I was on the inside lane and got clipped in immediately. Shot up the inside and got to fourth wheel for the first corner. A little too much hesitancy (I really don't know if that's a word, but I'll roll with it) from a couple of riders in front of me in the corners let Nate Labecki (EXPO Racing Junior) slipped away almost immediately. Them damn juniors.

I moved up pretty quickly on Lap 1 to second wheel after a couple crashes from 2nd and 3rd place riders, who I was in a group with. Biffed the uphill double barrier re-mount on Lap 1; just missed the pedals enough not to get clipped in and started loosing momentum. Lucky for me 3rd, 4th and 5th place fellas were still there, so I used one of them as a post and leaned on him with my shoulder to get situated. Thanks guy!

Picked up the two spots I had lost fairly quickly on the straights coming into and out of the start finish and for the next two laps I maintained 2nd place with a slight gap. I was getting word on the course that Nate Labecki (EXPO) was 14 seconds ahead of me with one to go and was making mistakes (later found to be that he crashed several times).

Bell Lap and I was starting to slow slightly. I got passed by Travis Gruchow somewhere before the finish coming into the bell lap - maybe the uphill barriers? So I'm now sitting 3rd and chasing 2nd. Legs are getting heavy, but lucky for me there were several dedicated MWI Superfans on course cheering me on. Couldn't have turned the pedals any faster without their support.

I mustered up my last bits of energy to close the gap on Travis in 2nd and was coming hot into a right - left greasy chicane. Braking, braking, braking..... too much speed! Oh chican't! Went down and was passed immediately by Marc Ano (IL). Got up, mounted my steed, but wait! I can't ride with my bars twisted 70 degrees off center! Pounded them back and off I went again.

I knew two guys were breathing down my neck, Larry Gundlach (MadCity Velo) and Jesse Collins-Davies (MAGNUS), so I had to play tactically. I knew Larry has got a great kick in open sections, so I needed to make him tired before the finishing straight. I went hard into every technical corner and then scrubbed nearly all my speed in the apex before sprinting out. Making it twice as hard for Larry and Jesse to come back up to me. I attacked the climb and threw caution to the wind on the twisty decent. Larry was still tight on my wheel over the barriers, but he choose to run the hill instead of remounting. I nailed the remount and was to the next corner before he was on his steed, but he caught me again when my front wheel started to go out from under me on the uphill off chamber section. Played tactical again through all the trees as I was in front still. Hard in, nearly full on stop and sprint out. Four more times. I thought I had him.

Over the foot bridge for the finishing straight and I'm givin' her all that's left. Shifting, down in the drops, I feel someone coming around on my right, Larry. 25m left to the line and we're rubbing shoulders and bumping elbows. Got 'em. Nope. Pipped at the line. 5th Place (4th if you exclude Marc Ano from Illinois).

This year has been excellent for me. Totally found my niche with cross. Many thanks go out to the whole MWI Team and Sponsors for their support this season. I may not have had this awesome of an experience without them.

Not Quite What I'd Hoped For

2010-11-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

Given the form that was coming around, I'd hoped for a podium spot at today's race. Not because it was the Wisco state championships, but because it was the last 45 plus race in the series.

I felt pretty strong in warm ups, got the Grr face and attitude, and felt ready to go at the start. Bobbled the clip-in, but pushed a big gear to catch the leaders. One racer took a bad inside line in the first corner to pass me, then slid out in front of me, forcing me to a complete stop. The three at the front kept going.

And somehow I never regained confidence in the corners. My heart rate went through the roof, and once I calmed myself down, the race was gone. My tires felt low so I switched bikes. Those tires did not grip in the greasy corners, so I switched back. I lost so much time to other riders in corners because I was so damn tentative.

It was one of those days.

I don't know what I was afraid of, the corners were slow enough that if I fell, it was no big deal. But I never relaxed until the last lap. Beat Eckel again, but that wasn't really the goal today.

I maintained my fifth place overall for the series. Given this is the first year back after the crash, and I was actually able to race every race, I'm pleased. Last year I had to pull out in October to get the pins out of my knee so the fact that I'm still racing in November is good.

Next year, I'm doing a boat load of mountain bike races so that I'm comfortable drilling corners at high speeds. I'm also going to do one million jumps over the summer to build some snap along with some time trials to build speed at a top end.

I'm also going to not worry about the season-long series. I'm going to Louisville, Cincy, and other races. I want to race the elite race in the local series or the 30 plus, just to keep my head fresh.

On Friday, we travel to Iowa City for Jingle Cross. Tomorrow I'll be excited to go. Once I get my head out of my ass and relax, which I can do away from the home races, I'll have some fun.

The high in Iowa City on Friday is going to be 30 degrees and we race in the dark under the lights.

Break out the thermal skin suit.

- chili Warloski

Kansas Double Race Weekend

2010-11-16T13:22:00.002-08:00

Contrasting weekend races were on tap with the Grand Prix HPT (an auto dirt track race course) being traditionally crazy fast with long straights and fast 'infield' and outer sections, while contrasting De Stad Cup at StMU featured climbing, technically challenging sections, and a little more climbing.

Saturday I arrived in Topeka to cool temps (dropping steadily as the night progressed) for the GP HPT night race and this year was a 180* change from years past. Rain the days before made everything a muddy (the thick paste type) and it was clear you better have brought your running legs (which I just happened to pack - smiling still). Most of those who chose to 'ride' the thick parts of the infield were rewarded with clogged wheels and derailleurs, while tactical riders moved a tad slower, but much more consistent keeping their bikes operational. I chose the path of the 'tortoise' and ran most parts and by night's end bagged 2nd in the Cat 3 race, which was defined by physical and mental discipline.

After a good night's sleep it was off to Leavenworth, KS for Sunday's De Stad Cup #2 held at St. Mary's University and is by far my favorite venue. With so many different terrain features with which to work they didn't disappoint again this year with lots of climbing, downhill barriers, optional technical run/ride ups and super fun flowing tight corners (and of course off-camber, but that's a given).

Legs felt pretty heavy from the prior night's run-fest during warm ups and early laps of my Cat 2/3 race, but after 2 in they opened up and I was able to get down to business; too bad the leaders were already gone with little chance of tracking them down. Had a blast riding this course and finished a decent 6th place against a strong field. I did notice that only one rider ahead of me raced the night before (just saying...).

Both events the BLUE was solid and even with the shallower clearance on last year's model it never clogged up and performed like a champ. I personally hope we continue our relationship with Blue for future seasons as the Norcross is a freaking rocket. Saturday night I opted for my Vitorria mud specific tubulars (sorry Challenge) which hooked up great at low pressure in the thick slop and shedded like a dog on a white couch (perfection).

Mike G. kitted up for both events and had solid results at each; no signs of the Crust either day... must be saving up for something special at Jingle Cross. Only six more races left for the 2010 season for me and while I am looking forward to my rookie appearance at Jingle Cross I'm more focused on a solid result the week following at the Missouri State Champs.

2010-11-16T13:22:00.001-08:00

Some People Can Race Sick

2010-11-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

Some pros can ride sick and still do a great race.

Not me! The Saturday and Sunday races were both a lot of fun, but not so successful!

I traveled to Indian Hills for the ChiCrossCup race Saturday. These guys want to host a UCI race there some day. They're ready! It's a great venue with an excellent facility. The course should take advantage of some more of the off-camber little hills on the golf course, though. It needs some more technical challenges!

I never planned on going really hard Saturday, just hard enough to open the legs a bit for Sunday. I did have a chance to heckle Nikki Cyp and the officials, though! No idea where I finished, though, nor do I care!

And speaking of technical challenges, Paul Roltgen created a crazy course for Sun Prairie. Full of short punchy climbs, off-camber turns. Kind of felt like a BMX race in some respects. It was a blast. Another one of those courses where you wanted to race again.

But my legs fell off somewhere on the course. There was a small explosion and boom, they fell off, just one and half laps in!

My whole goal was to follow Greg Ferguson's wheel. I stuck behind Dave Eckel for too long, but when I passed Dave and tried to bridge to Greg's group, it wasn't happening! Boom!

So I limped around the course, having fun with it. But if someone had offered me a beer at the top of the hill, there's no doubt I would have stopped and shared it! I finished, somehow getting 7th out of 12 or so.

I'm hoping that with some active rest this week, a good training week, I'll be firing on all cylinders for Sunday's state championships. It would be nice to end with good legs and a bang.

Not a boom where my legs fall off.

Sun Prairie CX? More Like Cold Prairie!

2010-11-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

Wow. Sun Prairie CX hosted by Brazen Dropouts was a stellar course. Pure cross here folks. Short hard climbs, numerous off chamber turns, triple barriers and two run ups (one was a possible ride up, but ridicuously steep) made for hard technical racing.

I wasn't expecting a whole lot coming into today's race with only riding on Monday and Tuesday, and then moving the remainder of the week in addition to working! Oi vey. Let's just say the legs were stale and I was happy to just ride my bike to relieve some stress. But I gave it a go and was top 5 or so on the hole shot. Side bar: the only part of the course that I did not care for was the starting chute. It was too short and narrowed quickly. Also with using the parking lot that part of the course was on wasn't the best idea either as riders and vehicles were dodging each other all day right next to the race course....Anyways, with my lack of fitness this week, I slowly dropped back from 5th position. Couple spots each lap. Dammit. Ah well, I felt like crap and legs and lungs did not want to go any harder. 12th on the day isn't shabby considering.

Still playing with tire pressure. Rear Grifo was good, but was running the front a little bit too soft. Slid the front out on the fast up hill off chamber on lap 1 and the grass - pavement - grass transition didn't feel too hot either lap after lap. I'll get that one of these days too. Hopefully by next weekend for the State CX Champs! I've been re-playing last year's State course in my head over and over. Feeling very well mentally prepared; now just need to ensure next week goes as well on the bike for it all to come together.

Double Down Saturday

2010-11-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

Since Crusty already gave his rundown of Saturday's race in Lawrence here, I'll try not to repeat what he said, but I do have to agree that it was bumpy, but not this Bumpy.

I toed the line for two races on what started out as a cold and a bit dew-y Saturday morning, enough to get my feet a little wet on the pre-ride before the 10:00am Masters race, which turned out to be a pretty good start for me, where I stayed with the 40+ pack for most of the first lap, so I guess you could say my fitness is improving after 2 months of this, but not this. I settled into a back and forth battle with a Wheatland rider, and I probably should have rode his wheel a bit longer on the last lap, but I passed him right after the run-up, and tried to get away, but he caught and passed me on the last uphill stretch before the final turn to the line. Overall a good race on a bumpy and progressively more and more rocky course. Back on the Blue for the first race this season, I had the Fango's at 25psi, just a bit softer that Crusty's 27, but I thought it was good for the slightly softer, slightly less rocky early morning course.

About an hour later, I took to the start line for the single speed race. The course had dried, hardened and a few more rocks had been exposed. The SS'ers raced with the Cat 4's again, but started ahead of them this time. I could definitely feel the first race in my legs from the start, although I was consistently passing riders (ok, Cat 4 riders) on the long uphill, where the one gear ratio gave me the advantage of having to pedal hard to keep moving. By the end, I was really whipped and rolled in 6th out of 8 SS'ers.

I did, however, get to try the Challenge Latex Tubes, since I'm still clinching up the single speed rig. I pumped them to 30psi, and that was probably pretty good for the course. I could tell the difference from the regular butyl tubes that I used last week. The latex tubes are definitely "softer", and probably could run a couple psi lower than a butyl tube, great for 'cross. There is a slight weight advantage with the thinner latex tubes (about 35 to 50 grams per tube, depending on your tubes and your scale), and even though the cost is 2 to 3 times the cost of a butyl tube, I think they are a great investment for clincher riders looking to get a little closer to a tubular tire without the investment of new tires and wheels.

I don't think I'll make it to Topeka next week - Saturday night courses are hard to make - but I might make it out to the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, site of several races last year.

ChiCrossCup - Woodstock

2010-11-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Maybe I got a little something this season after all.

Roscoe and I traveled to Woodstock, Il for a ChiCrossCup race. We signed up for the 30 plus race, but neither of us felt terribly ambitious at the start.

Within 20 yards of the start, the chute narrowed. Guys were going to be pinched. Sure enough, after the whistle, a mountain bike dude was pinching me into Ross. I let off the gas and was now WAY back in the 65-rider field. (I passed that dude with a vengeance later on!)

Since we were there to train and have some fun, we both were nicely relaxed. And since many Chicago racers use their brakes WAY TOO MUCH, we had fairly easy times moving up in the field. Riders also had issues with the short sand pit, crashing, stalling out. Don't get that at all. Even when I forgot to shift up, I still powered through it easily.

In the whirly section first lap, Ross was just ahead of me so we said hello as we passed each other! I kept him in sight until the last lap when his big-ass motor had more juice than my skinny-ass motor.

I passed a boatload of guys in the race, but I had no idea where I was in the field. So it was a pleasant surprise to check the results to see I was 14th! Ross finished 8th! Imagine if we had taken the race more seriously!

It was a great course today, lots of flow. EXCEPT for the two barrier sections, placed at dumb-ass parts of the course. You couldn't run over them, just kind of step over and keep moving. They totally disrupted the flow. The rest of the course, though, was awesome, full of fun little climbs and descents, and tight corners.

I'm totally stoked tonight, even though my legs are dead. I rode completely within myself, rode hard, and just picked off guys one - sometimes three - at a time. There's hope for me. I keep wanting to sing "Ain't no truck big enough" but that's going to be bad karma or something.

Next week, Mike and Ross bring the mwi circus to Fort Collins. And since it's sponsored by Fat Tire Ale, I'd sure like to be there. But I'll head down to Hilton Island for the Chicago race, then to Sun Prairie for the next to last WCA race. I hope Chad, Patrick, and Aaron will be able to join me!

I'm not sure if you can call what I'm doing peaking, but I'm certainly coming into some form. I felt like a bike racer today.

Ummmm...it's bumpy?

2010-11-07T04:37:00.000-08:00

Well if some of you read the twitts? going out yesterday you may have seen the mention of a 'bumpy' course. Just to get this straight, we ALL race on the same course. We ALL appreciate the effort put forth by new promoters. BUT when the question was asked of me ALL I could say was 'ummmm...it's bumpy'? Showing utter politically correctness and gratitude for someone stepping up to make us have a racing weekend.

BUT when there is open field, no pavement, no gravel, non technical, 2 barrier section, spiral of death, one drop in(that was rideable for some people) along with a Jingle Cross climbing style hill added in. (BTW I learned I can climb all of a sudden this year. Can you say ego boost rolling into Jingle?) Not much to say but 'bumpy!'

To the race report. 2nd row start on the grass(did mention this course is grass?) Got a decent start top ten. Finally starting to get my starts of old down. About time now that the season is almost over! People falling down on the bumpy grass corners(why?) Glad I was running my Challenge Fango's at 27 lbs. Only bottomed out once on a bump I didn't see in the malay of the first lap. Honestly I'm not going much farther than that on how the race unfolded. I managed to gain several positions back on the long climb but lost them for some reason in the spiral of death. I OFFICIALLY hate that obstacle now. I finished in tenth which is in the right direction considering the ebb and flow of my season.

So today it's a road or mountain bike ride due to the fact that the race is at the same 'bumpy' venue.

One Bigger Gear...

2010-11-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

No, I don't think so Paul. I'm fine where I am :-)

The cheers and heckles where greatly appreciated today at Estabrook as I really needed them after working until 4:30AM, sleeping three hours and being grouchy.

A less than stellar start, as one of the fellas that got a call up to the line for being top 10 in points, had some trouble finding his pedals or something like that. Top 15ish was not where I wanted to be on the roadie course today and I had to burn some matches to get myself up to the top 10. The course was so wide open and lacking technical aspects that I dig, that the top 10 cat 4's stayed together for basically the first two laps.

Not much to speak of during this race, other than going slightly cross eyed into the first set of double barriers after coming out of the circle of death. But that only happened on the last two laps in my severe oxygen deprived state - so no fall down and go boom for me.

Unfortunately I lost two spots on the last lap. One in the barriers, when someone couldn't make up their mind what side of the barriers they wanted and switched mid-way through, and another through the trees just before the finish. And to top it all off, the guy that got me through the trees was on...... a mountain bike..... feck. But you gotta be pretty strong on this course with all the open sections, so maybe he was sandbagging? Yea, I'll go with that.

8th on the day isn't shabby considering the few hours of sleep and work. I think it may have contributed slightly to my mental preformance, but wasn't a physical limiter. Still need to work on the tight technical corners and play around with tire pressure in the rear. Kept bottoming out on the roots and in the single track.

One race at a time, though. Maybe I'll get it all right for the State CX Champs?

Maybe?

2010-11-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

I discovered my big gear today.

And although I still didn't feel good, I was much faster at Estabrook Park, the 8th WCA race of the series. Beat a couple of guys who are strong TTs on the road. But I don't think either one was feeling his best today. There's definite improvement.

I replaced my 46 with a 44-tooth ring, and that allowed me to stay in the big ring all day today. I kept shifting last weekend, and was waiting for the chain to get sucked in. I rode the Williams wheels with Challenge Grifo XC file treads and flew on the mostly grassy crit-style course.

The previous weekend featured two WCA races, and both were top-notch. Halloween Cross at Washington Park was better than ever. Luke and the Trocodero boys added a stretch and utilized more off-camber technical turns. I loved the course.

On Sunday, Herman and I traveled to Madison for the first ever cyclocross race at a Madison city park. Nice course with some challenging terrain. The best feature was a sweeping off-camber descent of a hill. The only downside was the run-up. I'm not a fan of long, steep run ups any longer! I felt okay on the day, but didn't feel like I was going until there were only two laps to go. I would have liked another two laps at that point.

Tomorrow, Roscoe and I travel to Woodstock, Illinois. I'll do the 30 plus and get my old man's ass handed to me. But it's good training to stay in fields of that size.

And with my new chain ring, I'll be able to hammer along, even though the course description promotes a lot of hills.

I'm getting sad the season is already more than half over. There are only three WCA races left, another three Chicago races, and Jingle Cross in Iowa. That's it.

Can't wait for nationals to extend our season. Even if it is in the middle of the damn winter.

'Cross STL Style

2010-11-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hopped over to St. Louis this past weekend to see what Bubba (local series) had going on. Saturday night was a 10pm start time for the Open/A race on a fairly open grass crit style course with one triple barriers section and a long sand run (a little surprised to be the only one 'shouldering'). Raced pretty solid (for me) for the hour long effort and finished 14th. STL is really developing on the 'cross scene even though it seems like it's more of a party where a bike race breaks out wherein KC is a bike race with only Crusty getting rowdie. Favorites for the night was the 'money grab' from the mouth of a huge dead fish-on-a-stick during the beach run and the guy in the B race dressed in a fully inflatable Sumo outfit (barriers were hilarious).

Sunday's venue was the same, but the course changed to more technical with still only one triple barrier section (beach run removed). I was looking forward to this as the night before I made time on the little bit of technical stuff we had and lost on the open power sections. Lined up with the Open again and near the end of the first lap I was in a solid position when I goofed on a turn and dumped pretty hard causing my front break and shifter to go inoperable for the rest of the 55 minutes - ugh, I was dead freaking last with a single speed machine. Luckily the course was pancake flat and the one gear I had was a decent fit so off chasing I went. Gave solid efforts for the hour race and was able to bring back some to finish 17th. Slightly frustrating, but really like the strength workout it gave me (lemonade from lemons...).

As always the BLUE was solid and responsive while the Challenge Grifo XS's were the way to go (those things are crazy fast). The kits still get attention and a group referenced the 'pro' setup at the USGP's; nice job boys, keep it up.

This is the halfway mark of my season with 11 races in the books and 10 more to go. Looking forward to the extended seasons in the upcoming years as 'cross is such a short season for such a fun event.

First, first and tenth

2010-10-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

In my "first" race of the season, my "first" single speed race, I placed "tenth", dispelling my prediction earlier in the week that I wouldn't put up a top-ten placing, although I won't divulge the number of starters.

The K.C. Boss Cross series put on a nice race on a fairly technical course, far from the much maligned grass crit, with two long sand pits, two sets of barriers, and a run-up/ride-up depending on your speed and skills, lots of twists and turns, good straight aways and a hand full of Halloween costumes.

The race had the Cat 4's, the Single Speeders (me), and the Cat 4's 40+ running 40 minutes. We started 30 seconds behind the Cat 4's, and I had a good start, based on my standards anyway, about in 8th place into the first turn. I passed one or two and got passed by one or two by the time we hit the first run thru the sand pit, where we hit the back of the Cat 4 field. I ran thru a few Cat 4's and got stuck behind a couple who couldn't ride a steep switch back turn and lost a couple places amongst the single speeders. After that was the run-up / ride-up, which turned into a run-up for me because I was usually in a group as I hit it, and because my 36x19 was a little high to ride it (excuses, excuses - I'm just not in shape.)

The first set of barriers were next - nicely set-up to get a fairly speedy run into them, with just a slight uphill after - followed by grass, pavement, fast turns, and then the second set of barriers. The second set was on an uphill stretch, then about 50 feet later was the second sand pit. After the slog thru the sand was a few more twists and turns, ups and downs, and then the finish line.

I was running about 9th most of the race until I caught a course marker with my left pedal and ran off course. The guy behind me came by as I was extracting myself from the course tape, and was gone for good when I stumbled on the run-up the next time by. I was making a little time on him after that, but didn't have enough time before the end of the race.

I felt pretty good after, and really good for my first single speed race, not knowing what to expect. MWI was well represented with Crusty and Mike on hand in Cat 3 and Open races. Next week is a two days of racing in Lawrence, although with three days in Oklahoma for work this week, I may only race Saturday.

Bunny Hop or Die

2010-10-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

So, last weekend at Kletzsch Park was tough. I felt terrible, the legs felt terrible, went nearly full on vomitron on the first lap (usually this comes around the 4th lap for me) and I was dreading writing a post for the site. I was thinking about it all week, reflecting on what I could have done better, what went well and what I need to work on. It basicly boiled down to my bike driving in moderately muddy conditions was friggin' asinine and my climbing ability has been severly lacking since not riding so much on the road these past couple months. Nonetheless, I decided to to keep my fingers still this week until after Halloween Cross at Washington Park.

Redemption

I was so jacked up this morning I couldn't sleep with the anticipation of today's race. Up an hour and a half before my alarm, I headed to the garage to do some minor wrenching and bike prep on the Blue's. Put down breakfast and some Java and off to the races the lady and I went. I was half expecting another year of ridiculous lines at this race as it seems to draw the even crazier crazies out! But to my dismay, no waiting! Sweet. Hooked up with Chili just before my warmup and he strapped on a pair of his Easton EA70 tubulars wrapped with Grifo's. With a bit of tweaking by top notch wrench - Heman, I was off to get my tubular cherry popped.....and I was sold pretty much right away. They just roll over everyting so nicely and feel so supple.

Anyways, lets get to the racin'. Good position in the start chute and into the first corner. Sitting top 5. Exactly where I need to be. I heard carnage just before the hard right that consisted of lots of wheel rubbing, followed by "WHOA!" and the crunching of some carbon. Sitting 5th wheel on Lap 1, managed to pass a feller before the tree section leading up to the Coffin Hop. Mantained that and started closing down on 3rd wheel. I started to become a bit foggy and didn't see a lot more than 15 feet in front of me on the next lap and a half but he had maintained about a 50m gap on me in the open power sections. Made up a good bit of ground remounting soon after the barriers on the run up, although not quite where I wanted to remounted, but I felt that I needed to run just a bit to get my momentum up as the barriers were pretty far up the hill. Unfortunately I fell victim to a mechanical while remounting the first set of barriers and my seatpost sitting down with my saddle just about resting on my top tube. Luckily I managed to ride, feeling like little kid with an ill fitting bike, back to the pit where I had stashed Dr. Road Rash's C bike in case of an emergency! Chili and Jess conjured up a guesstimate of where my seatpost should be and were waiting on the next lap with A bike in hand. Bell lap now and I've lost a bunch of places between pitting, riding like a midget, and then driving the boat - aka Aaron's C bike (and I never realized until today how big that bike is for me haha!). I think I may have made one pass and also got passed on the last lap, but it was quite a blur between me gasping for air and my legs about to fall off in pain.

All in all 13th on the day isn't too bad considering the mishap and double pit. I'm good with that and looking forward to Estabrook next weekend. Unfortunately going to have to miss Wizard Cross this Sunday Funday as I currently blogging from work....but if I take a little nap, I'll be good to go for an early AM departure to Madtown right? Man I wish!

- P Bro out!

Anticipation...

2010-10-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, two months into the 'cross season, and I have yet to pin on a number - I've been busy working in Memphis, and seeing the king. All of that changes tomorrow.

I've read my teammates race reports wishing I was there, rubbing dusty or muddy elbows with Euro Pros, clanging a cowbell in Crusty's ear as he sped past, eating a LeBam cupcake, or swimming for safety.

I don't expect to see anyone who raced at Plzen here in Kansas City North on Saturday, and I don't expect score a top ten finish like Ross, but it'll feel good to spin the pedals, run the sand pits, and once again enjoy the pure sweet hell that is cyclocross.

LouVull USGP

2010-10-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well the traveling circus converged on good ol' LouVull Kentucky in the new Eva Bandman Cyclocross Park. Yes LouVull is a very progressive thinking city. A dedicated cyclocross park just on the edge of downtown. No wonder they were able to secure Worlds CX along with Masters Worlds. Ok now back to the race report.

Friday

The course, well it was brand spanking new. As in we were suppose to be the first one's on it Friday for pre-ride. So new in fact that the sod hadn't even taken yet on the Sella Italia Run(ride) Up. The sand pit still had plastic bottles and other such trash items hidden in it. Sunday they were digging out a root during our race. Good times! Plus some asshat has been using the park as his private driving range.

Saturday

To the race course the three amigo's report at our designated time of arse crack early 7am. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy. Sit til 8:30 to pre-ride the course. Pre-ride the course a couple three times. Return to the compound. Sit. Watch. Sitting. Watching. Change into race kit. Warm up. Go to staging with 134 other tight clothed fella's. Exchange greetings with others. After the call up from hell they decide to reduce our race by one lap. Thanks. Thanks a whole hell of a lot. I traveled 7+ plus hours to get a reduced race. How about a reduced entry fee? Just sayin.

USAC official gives the 15 second warning. "Any time after 15 seconds the gun can go off", "15 seconds" suddenly someone leaves from the Johnny on the Spot. Damn near everyone flinched. Right after that the gun went off.

The mad dash down a long straight away was crazy. Turning from pavement to fresh sod even crazier. Nice step down leading to a soft left hander. Then a sweet BMX jump with an immediate dismount over two barriers. Really fun. Really sketchy. I heard someone go down which stopped the field behind me. After that a couple of turns into the Sella Italia Run up which everyone rode, WTF? Down the backside into a right, left sweeper into the pit of death. Totally carnage ensued lap after lap. Amazingly I rode it every lap without a problem. Unphuckingbelieveable I know. A real confidence booster after my somersault to cartwheel to slight disco/breakin move at Hermann. To be honest after that it was all kinda of a blur. I think all the dust must have affected my memory.

The only other thing that sticks out in mind is the Rosco P Fasttrain decided to see what it was like to kiss the barrier with his noggin. He was not looking so good when I passed him. Facing the barriers on his knee's but I didn't find out later that he really did get F'd up pretty badly. Cat Scan on shoulder, stitches to the melon, and memory loss.

Sandpit of Death

Dusty crusty

All that I do know is that the official pulled me with 2 to go. Oh well it was fun.

Sunday

Reported at the same bat time, same bat place. Oy vey. Wait til the sun came up at 8:30 pre-rode the course. Checked out the sweet changes back in the dust bowl section of the course. Gnarly drop off into the fence, I mean into a 180 then a run at the run up from yesterday. I did hear some of the 2/3's did make it. I never could do it during warmup so I figured that would not be a good sign for the race. You know being surrounded by 140 tight clothed fella's ain't goin help.

Same ol, same ol. Stage, call ups, yada, yada. Gun goes off, I felt I had alot better start than the day before. Get to the BMX jump unable to actually see the barriers from all the dust. GOOD THING I PRE RODE!!! I heard several panicked fella's stating they couldn't see the barriers. After that I don't remember much. Raced for awhile then got pulled with 3 to go I think.

Great weekend of racing.

A dedicated cyclocross park is amazing
Not a lot of fans there.
A Hell of alot racers though.
Papa Johns pizza at the venue was great
Why is that both Doctors on the team fall down so much?
Hermann gets very upset at other racers.

So if you need some new tunes for warm ups, riding fast, driving faster. Check out Volbeats new one. Not to heavy, just heavy enough. Plus if you like Elvis you get it.

A Minor Victory and a Lot of Mud

2010-10-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

With new perspective on fun, I drove up to Kletsch on a warm Saturday morning. It was less of the mountain bike course it has been in the past, but it still had the hellacious hill run up. A good course and a fun day for the race put on by our friends at Pegasus.

Dave Eckel was in front of me for most of the race, but in the last lap I caught him. I tried to pass him up the rideable hill but he matched my effort. So we rode together to the last set of barriers just meters before the finish. My repaired knee doesn't always like full-speed barriers: it crumples sometimes in that first step off the bike. It happened in Grafton, and I crashed into the barrier.

I rode up next to Dave and decided I was either going to crash or beat him. The knee held, I ran quickly, and sprinted to the line. Dave had a rough remount and finished behind me.

When I drove to today's race in Cambridge at the Camrock County Park, it rained the entire way. I smiled a lot. And when I arrived, I could see the first set of cat 4 masters covered in mud! Oh frabjous day!

I love me my Fangos in the mud! In the first lap, I could actually stay with Ferguson and the boys at the front because of the tires and bike handling. But as the course dried out, the mud became sticky peanut butter. I don't have the power yet to ride through that kind of muck. I understand now why HeMan thought I should get two sets of the Fangos. When I switched bikes midway through the race, the Grifos held nicely but not like their mud brothers.

Eckel pulled away from me today. It's becoming a fun rivalry as he has gotten much better this year. Another big improvement has been Mark McGeen, who won today's race.

Next week is the Halloween cross at Washington Park in Milwaukee, then onto Wizzard Cross at the new venue in Madison. Hopefully, my legs will continue to improve with more races in them. Maybe I'll find some power along the way!

Tulsa Racing Weekend

2010-10-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Quick recap: Tulsa races for some reason typically have large payouts so with all the 'big boys' gathering in the Midwest (central Midwest) for a Friday night and Saturday event I didn't want to miss out.

Course was interesting to say the least with the upper level being mtb'ish and the lower simply running back and forth with 180's. No complaining here as variety is the spice of life and from time to time I need to back away from the delicious 'cross course buffet KC provides and snack elsewhere.

Front row start for the 3's and was in the top 6 half way through the first lap when a guy cut in front of my wheel, engaged my front, and !POING! a broken spoke. Still riding it when at the start of lap 2 I flatted a KCCX loaner rear (since mine went flat in warm ups right before the start) carbon wheel/Grifo and didn't want to damage it so I called it a day (after two freaking laps).

Was frustrated and simply wanting to race something I jumped in the 50 minute Masters, got a third row start spot (crap), made several early attacks riding super solid and finished 3rd (nice little bank paid for the weekend). Never rode outside of my abilities and was climbing and accelerating pretty decent.

My CHALLENGE Grifo XS's were spot on for this course and they performed outstanding and the Blue rode like a 'cross bike should - point and shoot (fast). Always fun wearing the MWI kits to new areas as tons of comments were made all evening.

Here's a video of the Rut N Guts highlights (I am in there a handful of times):

***Katherine Walberg, Kenda rider from Topeka, winning the women's race on the 2010 Blue Norcross - sweet!***

Woke the next morning and headed to a local bike shop before Saturday's race to get a new spoke repair, but found the hub damaged and rendered the wheel useless (not a big deal as it was pretty old and in need of replacement soon).

With Slime Tubes in hand I headed to the Newblock Park Cyclocross race near downtown Tulsa. The reason for the 'slimers' was Friday night's main conversation was about how the GOATHEAD thorns were everywhere a on the Newblock course (and they were correct). Folks were flatting left and right in warm ups and racing, but I guess the Slime tubes inside the Grifo XS's did they job as I didn't have a single issue.

Wanting to get home earlier I hopped in the Masters race again and rode the 'crit style' course (wide open with no tight anything) to another 3rd place finish. Once again the Challenge XS's flew on this course and were the right pick.

Super fun weekend which netted me races #8 and 9 for the season so far. Taking next weekend off as I need a week of easy recovery riding before the assault on the 2nd half of the season with Jingle Cross and MO State Championships coming up.

No recap...

2010-10-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, all I do is post photos of myself. Well some weeks that's all there is time for and all I have, but I do have a few bits for you this week.

I rode my bike around in circles at a race down in Illinois, nothing really happened.

File Treads - buy them, practice on them, and they will rock your socks off. Seriously, take a look at what tyres Stybar won the World Cup on over the weekend. The Challenge Grifo XS are just the ticket for smooth grassy races. When these bad boys come out of the quiver, speedy smiles follow!

I still think fly-overs are the "spiral-of-death" for 2010, even thought this one was huge it still didn't add anything to the race (sorry Ted) it was simply another forced dismount. Okay it did allow the course to figure 8 itself...

Japanese Cartoon - can't stop listening to their new EP. They were inspired by Joy Division, so if that's your thing then you should check them out!

Next up - the mwi traveling circus hits up the Lou'ville USGP.

PsychoCross

2010-10-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

I went down to Chicago land for racing on Saturday. Our good friend Ted put on a race as part of the Chicago Cup series, and asked us to come down to support him. For all Ted does for us, I figured I would go down and do what I could to help. Ted asked me to be the race doctor, which I thought was pretty funny, but I said sure! I had to be there for the entire day, so why not race as much as possible.

So, I leave the house about 6 am to get down there to pre-ride the course and be available for first aid when the first race starts. Little did I know I would have to dodge bullets during pre-ride, literally. Some dudes were hunting in the area with gunshots poppin' off while we where checking out the course. Oh well, just ride faster than the bullets, right?

So the course was held on a golf driving range, but was actually fun with many fast swoopy turns and a fly over (I know some peoples' view on fly overs, but whatever, it was something different).

Anyway, I line up for the masters 30+ race. I end up 4th row in the grid. Boo. I have a decent start from that position and continue to work my way up. I'm feeling pretty good, able to put down some power, make some good passes and to top it off, I'm having fun! I end up 6th, just out of the money, but happy with how it went.

Next up, Pro/1/2/3 race. At this point my legs are starting to feel like poo. I've been standing around all day. I've already raced and my motivation is kind of low. I kit up, do my old school warm up (which means pretty much nothing) and go to the start grid. Again, I lined up 3rd or 4th row, everyone at this point is just packed together. I have another decent start. I make some passes, then, I get chopped in a couple corners and that's it. I drop 10-15 places, arrrvvvvvv! I need to get better at that soooooo bad. Crusty? Mike? Bueller?

I keep working my way up, theme here, until I'm in a group of 4 that is running just outside the top 10. I'm feeling good again, just sitting in a bit and recovering. Then one of the guys makes a move, two of us follow. No problem right? A half lap later, things start to shut down. My legs start cramping and there is no power left in them. I see the two guys fade into the distance and think of what could have been. Now, I think, just don't let the guy behind me make the catch. I end up enjoying the last 2 laps, flashing waves and other gestures at my fans, I mean fan, I mean the one Title Sponsor that was there supporting (some of the sponsors had to work, you know, so they can sponsor!). I finish 16th, but had a ton of fun and some great training for the coming weeks.

Next up?

USGP Louisville

Perspective, Once Again

2010-10-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

No legs this weekend, but perspective from one race definitely made the second a lot more fun.

I wasn't really happy to travel to Badger Prairie for the race Saturday. I'd much rather be traveling with Mike and Ross and the traveling mwi circus.

Nor am I a fan at all of that course. It's all hills or descents.

But as a way of appeasing my spirit that I can still race cross, I'm chasing WCA points.

The course met all expectations. Boring. The only interesting parts were bunny-hopping the railroad planks and railing some higher speed corners. (I don't think I've ever bunny-hopped anything successfully before!)

And before the race, I was amped up, maybe too much. I got a good start sitting third behind Greg and Mark, the two I really wanted to keep up with. But my head started to drag my legs into the hard Dane County earth.

Too much self-expectation and pressure makes my head and legs explode. I did not ride well. I did not keep up with Greg or Mark or anyone else, really.

After the race, Mike told me on the phone that I have to look at the big picture. First, I'm still recovering. Second, I don't have many races in my legs since the crash. Most of these guys raced a full mountain bike and/or road season. I didn't.

Then Crusty told me, again on the phone, that a lot of this season is working toward next season. Getting races in the legs, getting used to the suffering on the bike again.

That night, Myerson twitted about practicing patience and perseverance. Okay, I'm getting the message.

I drove down to Carpentersville Saturday afternoon to avoid more driving. And since I'm not joining the circus on any races, this is my chance to do a road trip. Got a lot of class work done, visited Emmett's Brewery in Dundee for a couple of pale ales and an amazing burger.

The race this morning in Carpentersville, Il was just what the doctor ordered. It was the most fun cross course I've done in a long time (sorry, Mike, our course was hard and challenging, but the climbing was not fun for me!) There were off-cambers, straightaways, an awesome little hill that was a blast to descend, an easy sand pit, and a couple of barriers. There was even a hoop-te-do with six mounds of dirt closely spaced, like a moto-cross obstacle.

It is definitely the kind of race I want to come back next year to win. It was so much fun I did a cool down lap on the course, and seriously considered shotgunning the 30 plus just to race some more!

Once more thanks to Mike and Craig for offering their wisdom. I'm a pretty emotional guy (what a surprise!) and get amped up easily. I'm learning (even at my advanced age) to channel that energy into positive fun.

Even when I'm riding so hard, I can't see straight and puked a lap ago....

Badger Prairie - Further Cross

2010-10-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

So yesterdays race...it was... lets see, a grass crit. Wasn't a big fan with it's short hills, followed by jackhammering down hills through mowed prairie fields. Not enough of cross staples for me. Only a small bit of technical stuff with two sets of double barriers that were pretty freakin' close together - enter the tech - barriers - exit the tech - barriers - then grass hiking paths.

I digress. 70 Cat 4 lined up on an awesome fall day. Temps were a little on the warm side and after a lap I decided I was over dressed in my awesome MWI long sleeve skinsuit. I just can't seem to give that thing up for races. Pro.

Oh, noteworthy event in the starting chute. One rider tried to sneak around on the grass after the whistle to go for the hole shot.......except he didn't see the lap counter, cones, and other miscellaneous items that were lying in wait. E for Endo! Heads up while sprinting kids!

The wind started taking it's toll on me on the last lap, just before the second set of barriers - straight headwind on a slight rise. Then onto the gravel road I felt like I was in slow motion. Got passed by 3 fellas, but in turn I passed a few. Nailed what little technical bits were left and drove the bike home for 17th.

Judging by results and the names on said results, I need to work on my starts. There's a handful of names that I know I am more than capable of pwn'ing in any given cross race. But I had to weed my way from 3 rows back. I was somewhat aggressive, but I need to get to the front of the line. Not necessarily the hole shot, but top 10. Do it! Bike driving skills are still on the rise and I'm feeling more confident with every race and every practice during the week. Barriers are a big strength for me, but I'm going to keep hammering then and work on attacking through them.

Kletzsch on schedule for next weekend. Power course with bits of technical and a couple hills, one run up and one ride. Work calls on Sunday so no Cam-Rock for me.

Stoked for next weekend and it's not even Monday yet! ---Cross bug in full effect.

A few of my favorites...

2010-10-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

From our CrosstheDomes race. Enjoy.

Grafton Pumpkin Cross and Bagpipes

2010-10-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

It was a wide-open race in the 45 plus with Greg Ferguson gone. So I had hopes of bringing home a W. Dave Eckel and another rider took off from the start, but I stayed third or fourth wheel for the next few laps. Different riders took the lead as Dave and another faded.
   The guy who won obviously had some physical issues when he went over the barriers but he was quicker on the bike. But we were neck and neck with some others for most of the race. No one could get a commanding lead.
   Then disaster struck in quick succession. I slid out on a dusty corner and let two guys pass me when I was second. I crawled back to second again, then somehow crashed into a barrier. No idea what happened. But all day I felt like I was driving the bike poorly.
   I finished 6th on the day, a disappointing end to what could have been a nice victory or at least a podium finish.
   But the good side is that each race I'm feeling stronger. We're about to go into the part of the season where I'm racing both days each weekend. I'm going to need to be careful about recovery so I feel strong and fresh going into the race.
   As for the course, I'm not a huge fan. It was a short lap. Not a fan of pavement to grass sharp corners and there were several, especially after a long downhill stretch that I was spun out in my biggest gear.
   The highlight of the day, without question, was dancing to a wild Irish band after most everyone had gone home. Patrick, Jess, and I did the team proud by slamming into each other, dancing wildly, and drinking some beer.
   Cross races need more bagpipe!

HOT AND DUSTY...OHIO UCI3

2010-10-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

As we were loading up to head to 3 days of racing in Ohio, Crusty sent word that he had injured his mangina and would be unable to attend. Another year and another mangina flare up - I think he should see a specialist.

It has been unseasonably warm in the Midwest and Ohio was no different. Friday would prove to be a dramatic change from last years day one mud fest. 85+ degrees in a dust bowl.

Back Half of Day One. The less hilly side...

Front half - hilly side...

Day one, what can I say it was hilly, hot, and hard! I started well but the exceeding long pavement start followed by the long back and forth through the dustbowl proved to be a bit too much and I started to pay the price. Laps 2 and 3 were.... well I kind of mentally imploded per usual. But I managed to regain a bit of composure and pick a few guys off during laps 4 and 5. Not my favorite day, but better than the 1.6K hamster course back here in Wisconsin... The big news on the day - maybe the only time I beat Ross this season, unless he continues to crash and break stuff.

Day Two, I like the second day course of the Ohio UCI3 races much better. (Katie Compton calls it her favorite course of the year!) Good flow and nice technical sections. But guys for serious I am sending you some rakes next year. I had another decent start...

Must be the first lap, I am in front of Ross...

But then those pesky laps 2 and 3. If I could find a way to skip those laps I might be pretty damn fast! Hey coach are you reading - hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink... Had a ton of fun on Saturday driving my bike, but couldn't hold the pace up the start climb and after the second sand run each lap and lost ground. Laps 4 and 5 I was sitting last wheel in a little group, the guy in front would not let me pass, but kept letting the wheel in front of him slip. One bike length, 2 bike lengths, 4 bike lengths... in just a few hundred meters. I yelled "at least hold the wheel if you aren't going to let me pass!" (it may have been worded a bit less nice than that, but I can't remember...) He couldn't and the gap grew until I forced my way around but it was too late.

Chasing solo.

To make matters worse, I apparently was given a different number for day 2 (despite all signage stating to keep your number for all three days, signing in on day two and not being given said new numbers) and since I signed in but was wearing my original number was listed as "AB" - abandoned - WTF. I find all of this out on Sunday after trying to sign in for the last day of racing. I am told they are going to "look" into it but mid pack is mid pack either way.

Ahhh Day C. Fast, hot, and fun! Let's see how did those first 2 days go - good start, bad laps 2 and 3, come back on a bit for 4 and 5. Yep day 3 would be more of the same, however those middle laps weren't quite as bad, not good just not catastrophic. Going into lap 3 up the long thick grass finish hill a group passed me and I couldn't do a thing about it (coach are you still reading?) that was it, top 20 riding away...

Funny story... here

This was right after he passed me at the top 180 turn before bombing down this descent. I yelled "NICE pass Marc" and well he heard different. So glad I went over to say hi after the race. It really was a sweet move, so jealous!

Sunday was fun!

So Ohio UCI3 - will I go back? Probably! I really hope this race weekend continues to grow, despite it's hiccups (all races have them) it has been a fantastic weekend of racing the last two years, even if the "Travelling Circus" was a few members short this year.

If you want to see some top notch photos of the Elite races head over to our "Traveling Circus" Team member Lyne's awesome website! Not only amazing photos but interviews as well. And be on the lookout for some cool stuff coming from Lyne in the not to distant future...

Parting shot. Take a close look at those socks on their way to a 5th place at Sundays C1 race!

Brian is a great guy and we try to help him out whenever we can. He won our race a week ago and got some socks. He raced in them Friday and Sunday - thanks for the love Brian. Be sure to check out his account of Friday night/Saturday morning...

Thanks to my Numero Uno Sponsor for the pics!

Crusty will you shut the hell up about a recap now?!

De-Feet

2010-10-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Well, since I have not been racing lately - that's what 2 months on a construction site in Memphis will do to you - the least I could do is offer a product review of the latest MWI branded product - the De-Feet Aireator MWI Socks. Some of your are already aware of the De-Feet brand of socks, but please stick with me for a few minutes.

I received my order of MWI De-Feet socks in the mail Friday, and being pretty particular about those things, promptly tossed them in the wash - I had clothes from my trip in my suitcase; please don't think I was wasting water on a whole load for three pairs of socks.

I mainly look for two things in socks. First, the fit, and second the comfort and position of the toe seam.

As far as the fit goes, I have size 8 1/2 to 9 feet, so I am at the extreme upper end of S/M socks, and the extreme low end of L/XL socks, so my feet look for the proverbial "Goldilocks" socks - not too big, not too small, but just right. The De-Feet fit my feet pretty well - my toes were in the toe and my heel was in the heel, which wasn't pulled up on my ankle. The toe seam is thin -thick ones can irritate and cause blisters - and seems to stay put, pretty much where you had it when you put your socks on, not mashed up at the tips of my toes, or pulled up on top of my foot, just what a toe seam should do.

Of all my socks, I probably have the most from the Sock Guy, and they are nice, but the toe seam needs occasional repositioning, unlike my first two rides (22, and 17 miles) with the De-Feets, which I put on and forgot about them, The MWI De-Feet socks are just a bit thinner than Sock Guy socks, and maybe not quite as stretchy. I think that the thin-ness will be a benefit for the colder wet days, when I like to wear a second pair of waterproof over socks, inside the shoe.

Overall, I give the De-Feet Aireators two big toes up. Go out and get you a pair and try them for yourselves.

Boss Cross #1

2010-10-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

The Southern Chapter of mwi dawned the colors on Saturday in the lovely setting of Riverside, MO. Always a nice setting for CX action JJ & myself lined behind the big boys. The 3's actually went 60 minutes following a 30sec gap from the 1/2/3's which also did 60 min. I must say going around for 9 or 10 laps is an awful long time. Adding some money to the bank for races later on in the season.

The course screamed pure Missouri technical. Twisty, tight turns, off cambers, you name it we had it. The other benefit is that this crowd can actually drive their bikes rather well. Although some like to the body block(I was a recipient) in a nasty 180 uphill corner. Well let me take that back, as the race wore on skillz starting slipping for some. A mistake here, a mistake there and bang lose a spot.

As for myself I played the conservative game, pace thy self. The interesting thing about 60min is that the first few laps are free. What seemed like an entire race for me, especially just coming back from a UCI C1, was just beginning. When they posted the laps to go I saw SEVEN! Holy shittee! Never had I thought I would actually use a gel during a CX race but I did! For about 3-4 laps four of us were jockeying for what position I did not know. Pure joy and entertainment I gotta say. After a couple of bobbles and one serious rubbed tire the competition was eliminating itself without me having to body block or anything. Thanks guys.

In the end JJ got 2nd with me coming in for 8th. Good day for SCmwi.

Manion's CX & Dirt Crit/Short Track a Wrap

2010-10-01T08:36:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday was one of the hardest CX races I done at the Manion's Cross event in KC. The course was on the side of a pretty long hill and the creators used tons of switchbacks to scrub off speed/recovery on the downhill portion and likewise the climb back up; throw in soft spongy (but not muddy) ground from rain a couple days before and it made for a slow loop.

Wanting to get the most bang (translated to suffering) for my drive up I raced the Masters 40+ and the Cat 2/3 events. Crazy solid field in the 'old man's' race and I rode good to finish 7th and with my butt still dragging managed to finish 8th in the 2/3 field. The last race it was sheer pain every time I had to haul my large carcase up that hill. Mike G had a solid showing for 4th in the Masters field and every time I thought I was gaining on him he would up the pace and open a larger gap; good to see him in the Jackalope Pink and Green(ish). All in all good racing and even better endurance training for upcoming events.

Tuesday ended the seven race A&B Cycles short track mtb races and like most weeks I finished 3rd, which put me 3rd overall for the series. Rewarded with a sweet Dry Sac Short Track (no comments on the name please) hoody and tons of sharpening the bike driving skills. Already looking forward to this next year.

This weekend is race #1 and #2 of the Boss Cross series (KC's oldest) and for some crazy reason the promoters decided to have the Cat 3 field race for 1hr; that put a stop to doubling up with the masters (at least for Saturday). Hanging with Crusty for the two days - always a good time. Picture of new leader's jerseys for each category - nice!

USGP #1 mwi Representing In Many Ways

2010-09-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

mwi Compound

Chucker rockin into the downhill

Herman leading Dr. Roadrash

Chucker showing perfect form for portage

crusty, well showing up Chucker in proper form

Herman telling the front row our umbrella's are on order. Roscoe thinkin how cool!

Off we go!

Herman pushing the Blue through the corner

crusty showing some fella's a faster line(Lord knows these guys need HELP)

Roscoe P Fasttrain well being Roscoe P Fasttrain

Dr. Roadrash keeping the rubber side down! At least during the race.

Check out the first few seconds of the intro. That's the mwi crew on the front row. Representing Herman, Roscoe P Fasttrain, Dr Roadrash. Missing the bunch are Chucker and crusty.

We were graced with Molly Cameron, Tim Van Nuffel, Francis Mourey presence at the mwi compound. That made for a busy weekend for the whole crew. Pitting for Molly, TVN, Steve Fisher, and Brian Matter added to the excitement of the weekend.

Oh yea, check out Colt's t-shirt. That's how we roll.

Visit cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

SWMO Dirt Crit #6

2010-09-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

Low turnout last night, but still some quality guys. LBS demo'ed me a Specialized 29er (never ridden on before) for the wide open 'roadie' course and it was a good choice (terrain too rough for the 'cross bike). Stuck with leaders (two guys) threw 1 1/2 laps then got gaped for rest of the race. Finished third (again) and got in a solid 40 minute suffer-fest. Bike driving ability is on the rise as these events are forcing me to be smoother with much more flow then ever before; if this keeps up by the time I am 50 I'll have 'Crusty Like' skillz (smooth as margarine).

Tried and tried to arrange schedule to play with the boys this weekend in Madison, but family and work is keeping me south. Heading to KC on Sunday for the inaugural Manion's CX for a double (Masters and then 2/3 race). Good luck this weekend fellow Jackalopes and ride 'em if you got 'em.

When it Rains it Pours (Literally)

2010-09-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Instead of re-entering the saga take a look HERE for the full scoop.

Quick summary: Fitness and bike driving is on the rise and feeling great, don't EVER use Challenge latex tubes, I need to learn to glue tires better, Her'Crust'ules breaks out in gymnastic moves for no reason during races, pop-up campers are not water-tight, insurance is always a good thing to have (luckily I do), and Crusty is BANNED from every camping with me again (so far has lost a tent and a camper when he is involved).

Hermann Under the Lights Race Report

2010-09-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

The call up was grueling. USAC official is the chute nazi:
'Go to the back of the field, you missed your call up"
"Don't overlap his tire, I said DON'T OVERLAP HIS TIRE, You know your holding up this whole race?"
"I'm going to penalize you."

After much drama the emergency evacution siren goes off. JJ's front row argy-bargy call up goes well. Mine well I've been practicing ways to miss my pedal at the starts. Another successful endeavor. I'm not a quitter!

Pinched going from pavement to grass transition. Pass a couple through the twistys on the backside of the ball fields. Nice downhill off-camber 180 to chop block a couple more. Move into top 15. More carnage at the FLAT straightaway one barrier. JB takes a dirt nap. Over the barrier make a spot or two move. I'm good at the whole barrier jump over, jump back on bike thingy. Ride like a demon towards the 32 step run up to hear a half arse rock band playing some crap music. Down the paved hill grass transition 180 left hand off camber downhill to 180 right hand off camber downhill totally smoking it now. A soft chicane to uphill road transition then back into the grass then...

Editors Cut

I hit my IT so deep that my left quad wouldn't pedal anymore. So I just practiced my mad bunny hop skillz to remedy myself for all my adoring fans.
I would like to thank Cale for the best comment of the night: "Ohh your the one everyone is talking about that ate shiittee in the sandpit. All that dirt on your kit gave it away. Heard it was awesome!"

It was awesome!

The Old Guy's Race Report: WCA cross #1 and Chicago's Jackson Park

2010-09-19T11:28:00.001-07:00

Saturday:

A strange thing has happened to my body since the crash: I used to be a good climber and hills made me happy.

Since the crash, though, I struggle up hills. I don't have as much power. I can't snap up hills like I used to.

So despite my initial glee about the course conditions at No Good Double Cross in Eagle: lots of mud, repeated climbing of the steep, reasonably long hill drained me. I still did alright overall in the 45 plus, yet I felt slow and sluggish.

One positive was the bike driving. The mud tires gave me a sense of confidence to carve through a lot of corners without brakes.

The course was okay. I missed stretches of length, where we could get into a rhythm and go. It felt a little choppy, and the "orchard" was pretty rough with rocks. The venue owner told me the whole orchard pathway had been opened up by the tornado that swept through Eagle last year.

The venue, though, is unique and fun. If the promoters could find a way to lengthen it, that would be better.

Sunday:

Last year Jackson Park was my first post-crash race. I finished somewhere in the 30s or lower, but I finished and wasn't lapped. I was thrilled.

Today, there were 100 40 plus riders who lined up! With some heavy hitters. A definitely stacked field. I forgot how much of an argy-bargy a cross start could be when my foot got knocked off my pedal as I was clipping in. I lost 10 spots right away from a second row start!

I drilled it then steady and strong. I felt tired, but still passed a lot of people. Many riders in Chicago use their brakes WAY TOO MUCH. Once I cleared through riders, and had a clean line, I barely touched the brakes except in the off-camber stuff on the hill.

I was able to jump and power through a lot of the course. My legs felt dead from yesterday's race and all the training, but I was still able to hammer along.

One of the best parts of the day was that I passed several riders or caught up to several riders while I ran the barriers! Last year, it was all I could do to walk over them!

I was also thrilled with Mike Heenan's gluing and bike build up job. Riders all over the course were rolling tires (lots of off-camber stuff) and I just dug in with no brakes and flew.

I finished 20th despite the poor start and tired legs. I was very pleased to see that result, given the long year of training, rehab, and continued therapy. And while the drive was long, the wake-up call damn early, the competition was fierce down there. I'll definitely go back.

Jackson Park was a great course, although I don't understand why XXX Racing didn't tape off the whole course. The little red flags became seriously hard to see as the race wore on and I was seeing double.

I'm beat now after driving home and showering. An excellent way to start the year.

Next weekend, all the big dogs show up to Sun Prairie for the USGP. A while back, I had dreams of making a run at the 45 plus USGP overall, but those hopes have been derailed. Still, now that I have the kinks worked out, it's time to be aggressive and ride hard.

I can't wait!

Chili Warloski

Barriers

2010-09-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

As revised July 1, 2010, UCI Rule 5.1.024 states that: "The course may include a single section of planks. This obstacle must consist of two planks placed minimum 4 metres and maximum 6 metres apart. The planks must be solid for their entire height and not made of metal. They must have a maximum height of 40 cm and extend the entire width of the course." (This was adopted by USAC, but hasn't made the current online version of the rule book yet - 5A10. That's because this "season" of cyclocross is the 2011 season and the on-line rule book is the 2010 version.)

For all of you who need the converison 4 meters is 13 feet, 1 1/2 inches, and 6 meters is 19 feet, 8 1/4 inches (40 cm is 1 foot, 3 3/4 inches, but that's not important right now.) In other words, the barriers are a good distance apart - about as far apart as two mattresses laid end to end. 4 meters is a distance that gives most people two good running strides between barriers, without having to half step or stutter before gracefully leaping the second barrier.

Why am I pointing this out? Beacuse last night, I attended a cyclocross clinic, and of course it included a set of barriers, but they were set way too close together, maybe only 8 feet apart - less than two mattresses. So, just a friendly reminder to all of the cyclocross clinic and race organizers out there, please bring a tape measure with you and set the barriers at the right distance apart. I'll thank you, the other experienced riders will thank you, and the beginners will thank you, although they'll probably be wondering why in the heck they'll have to get off a perfectly good bicycle and carry it over wooden planks set up across the course.

One other reminder, since this is the 2011 Cyclocross season, your racing age is your age as of December 31, 2011. So, who is now eligible to race with the Masters?

SW Missouri Short Track #4 and #5

2010-09-08T06:46:00.001-07:00

Last week we started getting a reprieve from the brutal heat and humidity which made for fun cool weather for racing. Almost has a 'crossy feel to the air (almost).

The race promoters switched up the course last week and went with a super short loop focused primarily on tight single track with the only open pedal mashing section coming at the end of each for about 300meters. I knew right away I was in trouble as 'mad skills - Crusty style' is not my strength (heck, it's so bad it's below weakness). Never the less I was racing with pretty good fitness and wasn't bouncing off too many trees in the woods and managed to come away with 3rd place (the front two were no where in sight) taking advantage hammering the open section to make time on others behind.

Last night (event #5) the promoters kept the same loop (oh crap) as apparently others really like it. The turnout was pretty low, but the quality was primo with the addition of local stud and Jelly Belly sprinter Brad Huff to the mix (he is no joke on knobbies). I took my Blue down and took a warm up lap on her to see if it was an option and sure enough I made it thru pretty smooth and quick, but decided to hold off as some lite rain was making some rocks and area slick and it wasn't worth dumping my girl for this. Back to the 30lbs Fuel...

Race was fast and furious and at the end of the night I held on for 4th while Huff took the win and nearly lapped me. So far a 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, and a 4th and I think that has me in either 2nd or 3rd overall (some of the leaders missed a couple races). Three more to go for this fun series.

I am definitely not a mtb'er, but am having a blast at this series and can drastically tell my bike driving abilities are increasing. Last night I followed my training partner Ira (who is silky smooth in single track) on lap two following his lines which helped understand flow and the rest of the race I increased pace thru the tight stuff - made it a lot more fun than work.

Week and a half before my 'cross kickoff in Hermann, MO and I can't wait.

mwi Merchandise You Must Have

2010-08-27T05:22:00.000-07:00

mwi Must Have Items

Hello my wife inc fans who love us,

It's that time again! We will be ordering t-shirts and hoodies! Mike(Herman) has done another amazing job with a design! This year, to simplify things, we are only going to have one color shirt as well as one color hoodie. There is a tshirt design for the men and one for the ladies. The hoodies are unisex and will all have the same design. Clear as mud?

Please let me know what size of each item you would like. I know this is crazy talk but the sooner we get the order in, the sooner we can get the shirts! We would love to have them in time for the start of the season.

The tshirts will be $20 and the hoodies will be $40.

thsirt design- hopefully you can guess which one is for the men and which one is for the ladies......if not, just ask the ladies, they will know!http://www.americanapparel.com/2001.html?cid=198- the color is grass and we will be getting both men's and women's sizes. The logo will be white

Hoodie design. http://www.americanapparel.com/5452w.html?cid=211- color is black with pink thermal lining. the logo will be mwi green.

Thanks and happy shopping!!!!

Also, as a side note, last year, we had a lot of requests from non-team folk for tshirts to purchase. Due to the small size of our team and no budget, we could never really order extra shirts to sell. So if you would like one please make sure to get your order in soon.

Please leave contact info in the comment box.

Jessica Heenan

Merch Supervisor and Title Sponsor

The Summer is Flying (hope to be also...)

2010-08-26T11:12:00.002-07:00

Quick update on some action the southern most Jackalope has been up to. My early summers are totally focused on crit racing and getting those good sensations of speed and power so it won't hurt so bad once 'cross efforts drop on me. Like most of us, all these events are simply lead ups to 'cross and definitely not a focus or hold any expectations of glory... but I wouldn't pass it up if presented - HA!

As Crusty posted some time back he and I hit the Tour of KC (Breakthrough Tour is it's name now I think) on a Friday tough course and I took on 'Cliff Drive' (Pain City) Circuit the following day. I felt solid on each, but lacked a finishing punch to make higher placings; I attribute most of it to being off late spring with my broken wing and trying to play catchup the rest of the spring/early summer. Skipped the last day as I knew when enough was enough.

Next up was the KU Campus circuit race of the Tour of Lawrence (a mother of a course) in which I had a solid result, but not stellar. Why the heck I show up to these up and down courses in beyond me as I am no goat...

As I do every year I took most of July and first part of August off from any formalized training/activities and did a bunch of 'playing' on the bikes. Heat/humidity and I are bitter enemies so I lay low until I can't stand it anymore knowing 'cross is just around the corner and if you experienced our summer than you know it's been brutally hot/humid.

Shifted the Blue to a full on 'cross bike again (I race crits and road on it with set of road tires and a bigger chainring combo - works like a charm) and she is a beaut! I love the ride/feel of this rig so much more than anything else I have ridden and it looks so freaking cool (and yes, the bottle cage comes off for training and races)! Still loving the Sram components and really looking forward to mounting the white (that's right, white - as Keller in Colorado would put it "white sex") Challenge XS's for the fast dry courses of early 'cross in MO/KS. Our new kits get tons of attention at the events, but I do love sporting last year's black SS; folks absolutely love the way they look.

Most August mornings have found me back on the 'cross bike at a local university which has three cx courses I laid out with each working a different aspect of 'cross. This month has me simply doing a bunch of bike driving getting back in the flow of corners and up, corners and up, corners... you know the drill. I smile every time I cut that first track through dew covered grass in the early AM hours... just the sound of gears clicking and the beating in my chest; these are the mornings my race license may say I'm 42, but I feel 19! I fit in some lite running (mostly hills and stadium steps) and swimming (best total body/core workouts) weekly to supplement focused time in the saddle.

Springfield (30minutes to my south) has finally started getting a 'racing' scene going with the implantation of an 8 race dirt crit series every Tuesday night running till the end of September and 2 road races (for now - look for many next year) worked in between the dirt crits with the 'A' race 33 miles in length (3 laps of 11m). I have taken full advantage of these as my mid-week effort sessions and I am feeling them do their jobs even though I am not going 100% race pace (still way too early). Here's my results so far:

Waffle Race #1 - 5th (A race)
Dirt Crit #1 - 4th (A race)
Dirt Crit #2 - 3rd (A race)
Waffle Race #2 - 5th (A race
Dirt Crit #3 - 3rd (A race)

My first CX begins on Sept 18/19 at Hermann Under the Lights in central Missouri and after that is pretty much full on racing every weekend somewhere (mostly in KC and STL) till mid-December.

Well, that's about it from the southern tip of MWI. Everyone be safe and ride the heck out your rig every chance you get!

The Summer is Flying (hope to be also...)

2010-08-26T11:12:00.001-07:00

Gravel

2010-07-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

crusty Race Report

2010-06-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well make that a training race report for me.

JJ, well he raced.

It was a hot one Friday night. 92 degrees with a heat index of 105. It was a race of attrition for sure. My race lasted a little over 20 minutes of the 40 minute +3 laps. Couldn't recover, breath, or pedal. Hello race pace, nice to meet you. Don't worry I will be back soon to visit you. I promise to keep adding minutes til I'm where I need to be. Thank you.

JJ did a really good race staying with the pack the entire time. He just faded a little on the last climb coming into the sprint. Otherwise he looked good. Well we both looked good to our wonderfully designed kits. Thanks DS.

Pics provided by Lyle Reynolds.

SRAM Service

2010-05-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Recently had my 6 month old SRAM Force right shifter mechanism literally come off in my hand the other day while 'I was just riding along...'. Took it down to my SRAM authorized LBS for warranty last Friday. Got a call yesterday (Wednesday, that's right 5 days) the new replacement mechanism arrived - THAT WAS FAST.

So let's take a look back at my '10 year (so far)... New Blue Norcross = cracked seat tube, SRAM Force = broke off in hand, and John Jones = broken arm. I do need to mention that each one of these received immediate attention by the makers and were quickly replaced/repaired.

So if you have SRAM issues feel secure that this company wastes no time making sure riders and their equipment are back on the road/trail as soon as possible - AWESOME.

2:45.41 of H8T

2010-04-10T14:37:00.001-07:00

I finally did my first H8TR after a few years of forgetting and missing the deadline I finally got in and am glad I did. The H8TR so much fun, so much suffering. It turns out the H8TR is basically a 2+ hour 45 mile out and back cross race on grass, and chat trails with a nice steep pavement climb and some rollers thrown in on the way back, in my case to give my body a rest from the pounding. Headwind - yep we had that to all the way to the turn around.

Lots of bike set up choices at the start. Mostly cross bikes with a mix of cross tires and larger volume road tires. I chose the Roubaix Pro tire - 25 casing with a 23 tread, not a horrible choice but probably not the best choice. I think an old school 28 or 30 file tread cross tire would be the perfect choice for the dry condition H8TR we had. Ben Popper had an interesting find in the parking lot pre-race and it found it's way to his SWEET new Rock Lobster

Once the truce of the neutral start was over all hell broke loose. I had no idea what was coming and then...

50+ riders battling for the good line and absolutely hauling. "Race" mentality took the best of me and I tried to stay on the back end of the second group a little too long, for which I payed dearly later. After too many miles of riding on the grass with road tires we hit the chat trails. I started feeling a bit better, but still not great good enough to not whip out the camera until the return trip. So I did not get a shot of the tunnel entrance. After riding into the sunlight for over an hour even taking off my glasses and turning on my light didn't help much. Thankfully? there were some "supporters" in the tunnel with a boom box, flashing lights and fireworks - AWESOME! After coming out of the tunnel there was a slight downhill and I accelerated just a bit and the group I was with sort of just disappeared, that was it I would be in no mans land for the rest of the day. I didn't have anything left to chase to the next group and everyone was so split up behind, the next 20ish miles were mostly solo. So I managed to catch a few pictures.

Mile 33. Pretty much hanging on for the end at this point.

Most of the 45 miles looked like this.

On the home stretch...

The H8TR was fantastic despite my lack of endurance this time of year. It was great to see all my friends from the last cross season out for a spring punishment. Next year I will have to put a few more miles in my legs before I make my trip back out to H8trville, but I will be back - It was just too much fun. Maybe, just maybe I will get my gravel crazed teammate from down south to make the trip...

New Kit

2010-04-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here's my new MWI kit. The Pactimo stuff seems to be pretty nice. I especially like the fleece/thermal long sleeve jersey. I'll give a full report after a ride this weekend.

Photo courtsey of my wife - really, my wife took the picture.

Feeling Guilty

2010-03-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've gone from being totally excited about racing in the mwi Gent's Race this weekend and beating myself up racing hard, to sitting grading papers, doing bills, and watching snow and NOT TRAINING at all.

I feel guilty!

That, friends, would be a sign of the sickness.

Besides, it's going to be sunny and warmer tomorrow, so I'll do a long ride regardless.

Days off are good. Days off are good. I need to keep reminding myself of that!

Feel Secure About Your Blue Purchases

2010-03-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

I recently found a small crack in my Norcross seat tube so I had Mike start the warranty process. I prepared myself for the dreaded 'pulling of teeth' usually involved with such efforts to get a replacement.

Let's just say from start (Mike) to The Q-Factor (Ted) to finish (Mary Pat Jones @ Blue Competition Cycles) my head was spinning with how fast they got the ball rolling and wrapped it all up! First class folks and first class products.

So, if you have the misfortune of an issue with a Blue product don't sweat it as they go above and beyond to make it right. I am a lifetime customer and believer!

Coming along...

2010-02-17T19:17:00.001-08:00

Plans for the 2010 season are well underway. The new site is under construction and rolling out bit by bit. Our super rad kit is in production and only weeks away. And our eldest member has been cooking up some stuff trying to keep us rolling this fall...

And also the mwi cross race this fall. Wait forget you read that it's top secret...

Awesome...

2010-01-29T05:08:00.001-08:00

So stoked to wake up to the news that the Cyclocross World Championships are coming to Louisville in 2013. Not only that but the Masters World Championship is going to be in 2012 and just days before the big show in 2013. That is simply amazing! Louisville?? It seems strange that one of the cross "meccas" here in the US of PDX or the NorthEast didn't try to pull this off, but having raced in Louisville I have to stay they have their act together!! They are in the process of building a PERMANENT cross course, not some local promoter, but the city of Louisville.

While this is amazing news, will it really matter outside of the cross community? Are thousands of "spectators" going to trek to Louisville in the dead of winter to watch? Not racers but people who only want to go watch a World Championship. If there is a World Cup in Europe the weekend before the World Champs will all the US racers skip it? Otherwise the now "the Euros will have to deal with jet lag argument" applies to them as well. Hopefully this will mean that the Domestic race scene will extend past December and we can get some breathing room during our season.

No matter what happens I will see you in Louisville in 2012 and 2103, oh and the USGP next year and the year after...

Size does Matter & Friction is the Issue

2010-01-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

The Blue Norcross is only the 3rd cx bike I have ever raced, or ridden for that fact. However, it is by far the best cx bike I have been on! First of all, the original paint scheme was great, with clean lines and metallic red on black & white. But, the colors did not match real well with the MWI kit. So, me being the guy I am, I had mine custom painted (green replaced the red). Oh yeah, all built up as you see it, this thing weighs nothing at just over 16 lbs without compromising durability with chincy parts.

My first ride was while pre-ridding the USGP Madison course the Friday before racing began. The stiffness of the bottom bracket was amazing with all the power I was putting into the pedals causing direct forward motion. Another primary enjoyment of the Norcross is the lack of fork shudder. In only one race was I able to make the front fork shudder, a great improvement over my pit bike (Blue CX6.5, which I also love).

I would talk about the Norcross and it's corning capabilities, but as all the MWI riders know, the bike is WAY better at corning than I am. I'm sure in no way did I push this rig to it's limits.

Geometry was comfortable for me with the ML size frame while riding, but the length of the seat tube/height of the top tube left little seat post showing and less stand over height. This is actually quite a bit different than my ML size Blue CX6.5. In fairness though, the only time I'm standing over the bike is at the start.

The other main complaint I have is mud clearance. We had a couple muddy races this year, Jingle Cross being the worst, were mud got really packed between the tire and frame at the seat stays and the "ledge" where the chain stays converge with the bottom bracket. I was running 34mm Dugast rhinos and was dreaming of more clearance at a couple moments during those races. I also noted that when running low pressures in the 34mm rhinos that I could get the tire to rub the frame in certain situations.

Another small issue is the water bottle cage mounts. In a full on race rig like the Norcross, I don't see any need for them. Period.

Durability was not an issue for me. As most of you know, I crashed this year, multiple times. Pavement, grass, mud, sand and wooden stakes to the face may have slowed me down and given me bumps and bruises, but the Norcross has barely a scratch to show for it!

Overall, the Blue Norcross is a GREAT bike. There are a few things I would change, but hay, we are all a work in progress. I would buy another Norcross in a heartbeat, just make sure to get your sizing correct.

If this works...

2010-01-23T07:32:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody send me $150.....

Just checking. If you couldn't tell I asked everyone for their opinions/review of the Norcross frames we raced this year. I thought asking for money might elicit the same response....

Blue Norcross

2010-01-23T06:19:00.000-08:00

These are incredible bikes! I've ridden several different cross bikes, and the Norcross is by far the most responsive and dependable. I bought two this year and felt completely PRO by having such thoroughbred cross RACING bikes. I love them.

I felt like I could rail corners without any flex. In the short, twisty sections of a course, I could quickly turn the bike; it went where I wanted it to go. It's stiff i the bottom bracket and chain stays so jumping out of corners created instant power, a welcome change from aluminum bikes.

The standard sizes fit me well. I outfitted it with TRP brakes and SRAM Force. The large bike allows me to sit comfortably over the handlebars so I can ride a long time without feeling any ill effects. It's incredibly light and stiff!

My only two "complaints" and that's like saying I don't like the mirrors on a eight-cylinder Mustang, are the small ledge behind the bottom bracket. It tended to collect a bit of mud, not a lot, but enough to add some weight and some rubbing against the tire.

Also since this is a true cross racing bike, I'm not sure of the value of the water bottle cage screws. It would be awesome to streamline the tubes by removing them. Again, though, not a big deal.

I'm thrilled to be riding these bikes. If I only I could ride as fast as these bikes would let me!

Blue For You...

2010-01-22T10:44:00.001-08:00

...sounds like your run of the mill sad sappy country song, but the title could not be farther from the truth. Obviously I am talking about the 2009 Blue Norcross that most of the team raced this year and if you are in the market for a new steed don't bother shopping around as it doesn't get any better than this - Blue IS for you!

Last summer we got the word that a deal was struck and MWInc would ride Blue Competition Cycles' new carbon Norcross for the '09 cyclocross campaign and I was immediately stoked when I heard JP had a hand in the design and even more when I saw the secret spy pics on various cycling websites. I was looking forward to my first 'carbon' rig and seeing if I could really tell any significant differences in the aluminums. I jumped at the chance to buy a 'complete' bike as I heard only positive reviews on the Sram Force componentry (and turns out it is as good as advertised).

It was like Christmas the day the box showed up on my doorstep and I could wait to build it up and take my first ride. Immediately out of the box I was digging the sexy design and paint scheme; loved the metallic sparkle in the red and the carbon 'mesh' look - very unique. Build up was quick and easy and out the door I went.

With the first (and I do mean first) stroke I knew this thing was a missile as the response was instantaneous and explosive. I cruised over to my routine practice course to run it through the paces and I could not believe how tight, stiff, and agile Blue built it. I was cleaning corners and climbs effortlessly that used to give me fits and accelerations were never so easy before.

Racing was the same as my initial training ride; I was more aggressive since the Norcross was so much more responsive and tight then other bikes I had ridden. It did get tiresome (not really) to constantly hear how cool it looked from others; the cross you will bear for riding a Blue.

I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to this angle or that lateral stiffness and all the jargon, but I do know compared to my C'dale and Orbea, I have never had such a responsive machine in my stable; not to mention how it is freaking lite!

Ok, so with all the good things must come a couple that could be changed - rear tire chainstay clearance. At several events I ran 34mm tires and current design leaves little (to no) mud clearance and the muck quickly built up on the 'shelf' where the chainstays and bottom bracket area come together. Another issue is the wider than normal spacing between the rear dropouts. Hopefully Blue will tighten that up in the future. Lastly, after the 'cross season wrapped up I broke down the bike for total cleaning, lubing, and rebuild and noticed a slight crack in the seat tube/collar area. I could not tell if it was an issue with the paint or carbon frame so Mike got the ball rolling with Blue to address the issue. My frame is now in the Norcross, GA headquarters for review and I have to say they are awesome to deal with and very timely so far on all aspects of my issue; that says a lot about a company.

So I guess now I have to give it some kind of rating; let's go with 9 out of 10 neon jumpsuits (10 being a Crusty Day-Glow one-piecer). On a serious note: I am telling anyone and everyone to check out Blue before buying another brand as I can't imagine a better rig out there. Great job Blue Competition Cycles!

Another year...

2010-01-16T08:01:00.001-08:00

So I managed to get the new blog header up, as you can plainly see. It's a preview of the new look for my wife inc. With each new year comes a refinement of the mwi design and presence and I feel that we are now getting closer to direction that I want for my wife inc.

We have a lot of exciting ideas for my wife inc this year, so I hope you will check back occasionally to see what we have brewing.

But more importantly what would you like to see from my wife inc in 2010...

2010 Accessories...

2010-01-14T16:32:00.000-08:00

Caps and warmers (arm, knee, and leg warmers) are available to all this year. If you are interested you can preorder now for late March delivery.

Check back soon for a redesigned website and blog. 2010 is going to be AWESOME.

A Dilettante's Blue Review

2010-01-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Webster's defines dilettante as "a person having a superficial interest in an art or branch of knowledge". I'd say that about sums up my place in the cyclocross world, however, MWI's founder asked for reviews of the Blue team bicycles, so here goes:

The set-up:

Blue Norcross, carbon fiber cyclocross frame, size M

Mavic R-Sys tubular wheels (the front is the warranty replacement)

Challenge Fango 32 tires

Ritchey WCS Aluminum Bars and Stem
Thomson Elite Seat Post
SRAM Rival Shifters
SRAM Force Rear Derailleur
SRAM 12-27 Cassette
FSA Gossamer Crank, 170mm
CrankBros Egg Beaters
Fizik Arione Saddle
4ZA (Ridley) brakes with Swisstop Green Pads

Gore Sealed Cables

Putting it together was a breeze - of course only run a single front ring, so that meant one less cable to run. The only issue I had was paint overspray on the cantilever bosses - I had to get a razor blade out to scrape the studs and spring mounts off.

Once together and a thru a shake out ride, I hit the races with my new steed. The frame's stiffness was quickly evident, and the power you put in the pedals goes quick and directly to the rear wheel and off you go. Sitting on the saddle with my hands on the hoods or the tops, it really felt good - nice and compact and very responsive. I felt that the CG was low, which was good for corners, but not so low that I had problems with the cranks hitting the ground. The handling was good over a wide range of conditions and terrain - grass, gravel, bricks, asphalt and mud - point it in the direction you want it to go, and it goes that way.

I was a little worried about the wheels at first, because of the stories I had read on the 'net, but I really thought they complimented the bike - stiff and light, and ready to go fast.

Two things of note: First is the side to side clearance between the chain stays - the Fango 32's were a cozy fit (and rubbed when the air had leaked out) so 34's would be even tighter; I only did one muddy race and it was more watery than peanut buttery so I had no issues, but thick sticky mud could be a problem. Second is the spacing on the rear drop-outs - it is not quite 135mm, but a bit more than 130mm; this could be an issue if you needed to make a quick rear change - luckily I only had front flats this season.

Overall I am very very happy with the Norcorss. Even under this dilettante, it was light, fast and turned on a dime. Much more bike than I deserve.

IT'S OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL!

2010-01-10T11:45:00.001-08:00

mwi Gentlemen's Race

2010-01-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

The Jackalope adapts to really cold climates and snow and cross country skies in Sunday Suit style.