We have come to expect that the off-road racing scene has a more lax atmosphere, thereby, making it a more accessible arena to get up close and personal with our cycling heroes. In spite of the meteoric rise of the cyclocross sport across the country, the pro level has remained consistently approachable and eager to share the excitement with their fans. There is even a spectacular showing of the younger elite crowd that were once overshadowed by the masters elite group and now forcefully taking the front of the group and perhaps the reins of the sport.

This younger generation is the next bastion of fun and vigor that are taking the sport into new depths of skill and speed. We are confident that soon riders such as Zach McDonald, from the prolific Rapha-Focus Cyclocross squad, will become the bane of the elite Euro cyclocross racer. There is an energy that exists in cyclocross that is greatly exemplified by the youthful spirt and talent from Rapha-Focus, and it is indeed why we line the barriers, toll The Bonebell, and devote our personal lives to the sport – for the glimpse of talents that blow by in front of us in the mud-ladened courses could be the talents we speak of for generations to come.

Zach McDonald - Nationals Race Face

Thanks to the humbleness and grassroots approach of the cyclocross sport – we were fortunate to have been introduced to Zach McDonald through his team management at Rapha-Focus. They had sparked our immediate interest via our love of the elan-inducing Rapha name and its association with a jubilant star and incredible pro talent of Jeremy Powers onboard the Focus rockets that have become a fashion signature in the cyclocross US scene. Zach is not just a young gun on the squad, but an integral team member that showed style with his winning attitude as a U23 class rider, and as a veteran-smashing elite racer when it counted most. Zach is the future of the US cyclocross elite and we asked a few questions to see what is behind it all. Here is the excerpt from a set of interview questions we posed specifically to Zach – we have more questions we will be publishing on a separate date in conjunction with an interview with his teammate.

Tearing into the lead at the start!

After your roller-coaster start in the Elite race at Nats, you torched laps 2-4. Did you think you were going to catch that lead group and be a major factor in the race like you did?
I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. I knew my legs felt good so I more or less just went hard and tried to see how long I could hold the pace for and how far I could move up. At that point in the race I really had nothing to lose so I put all of my cards on the table and just let it unfold.

You are known to be one of the best bike handlers on the North American cross circuit. Where did those skills come from? Where did you learn the wheelie that is quickly becoming your trademark? And do you have barrier hopping in your bag of tricks?
I think a lot of my handling comes from when I was just getting into cycling. I loved downhill and really wanted to race but we didn’t have too many races in the northwest at that point. I tried to ride as much as possible and got a chunk of days in cruising runs at whistler on a 5 and 5 trail bike. I never really thought twice about running the hardest runs on the mountain with the bike which made me pay close attention to line choice, especially since I’ve always loved going fast. When you’re ripping through a rock garden and make a mistake on a 5 inch bike, you pay for it more than a full blown downhill bike. I was always riding over my head and pushing myself to go faster and be smoother. I think helped a ton with line choice, speed and confidence. Now I’ve mellowed out on the downhill bike a bit but I still get out there and it definitely helps with line selection and just being confident going into corners at speed and nailing braking points. As far as the wheelie goes, my buddy and I always tried to see who could wheelie the furthest when we were kids, and he usually came out on top; I can get him now though, and yes, barrier hopping is in my bag of tricks but I rarely use it, it’s rarely fast enough to justify the risk.

How familiar with a course do you need to be before you can really let go and brake late in the right lines? Do you need a few runs on the course to dial in the tough sections, or is it mostly a fly by wire thing for you?
You just need to be comfortable with the conditions and the corner. How long that takes varies for everyone including myself, if there is solid traction and fairly basic corners than just a lap usually works. The more I’ve raced the less prep time on courses I’ve needed to get them more or less dialed. That being said, there are always places where you can corner faster, the possibilities are endless.

Zach - powering in the back half.

What advice do you give the juniors who look up to you and want to go down the path of professional cyclocross racing?
Well, I wouldn’t really say that I’ve quite made it down the path of “professional cyclocross racing” yet since I’m still a student, but make sure it’s fun and keep an open mind. If you aren’t having fun at some point of it then why bother. It’s important to remember that everyone is different and others might approach their racing and just life in general differently than you, if their approach doesn’t sit well with you and takes the fun out of it then keep doing it your way. The whole time I’ve been racing everyone has told me that my approach to racing won’t work or I need to do this or not do this and yeah, some of it might make me a little faster here and there (and the rest are old myths and the like) but it’s important to be able to be able to decipher what works for you as a rider. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another. I can’t even count how many times people have told me that a line I want to take in a corner or through a rough patch will be slow or impossible until I hit it and they realized it was faster. Sometimes you try it though and it doesn’t work out, but if you never tried you wouldn’t know. That and stay in school, seriously, cycling won’t last your whole life. It never hurts to plan for the future.

We see you are studying Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Washington. How do you balance racing and studies?
I’m currently (possibly only temporarily) out of the Aero program and into the business program due to a handful of reasons. The school and cycling balance is a delicate one but a good one. They each can hurt each other at times but it keeps me balanced and it keeps me on track. If I did just one or the other I would have to fill the void left by the absence of the other with something anyway. Training is no problem as well, the only thing that can get in the way is travelling. In my ten week quarter this year I flew roughly 45000 miles and was on the road 30 of the 70 days and didn’t miss a single class. So far I’m happy with how I’ve balanced it, the only thing that gets me is that I can’t get myself to work on plane flights, I can’t retain anything I read on a plane. More or less any poor grades can be put on my shoulders since for me it’s more of a question right now of finding something to study that I’m motivated to learn about. I’ve pulled 4.0’s in race seasons and I’ve pulled 3.5’s for me it’s really just about being engaged in the subjects I’m learning about.

Here at the Bonebell we are dirtbags – a name we coined for those who prefer to ride off-road. Can you tell me a little about how you think a roadie approaches cyclocross differently than a dirtbag? Does that difference even matter?
A roadie is like a drag racer, tons of power but hard to turn where the mountain biker tends to be more like a rally car where it has the handling but might need a bit of engine work to keep up with the drag racer on the straights.

What is your favorite MTB trail?
I don’t get on the mountain bike too often anymore but I used to run this sequence of trails at Whistler all day when I had my season pass: Original Sin to Goats Gully to In Deep to D1 to Upper Whistler Downhill to Lower Joyride to Heart of Darkness.

What are 5 tracks that you have been listening to recently on your iPod?
5? I tried to narrow it down to 5 and got to around 15ish…it rotates quite a bit depending on how quickly I’m bringing in new stuff but here’s what it’s been recently in no particular order:
I.D.G.A.F.O.S. – Dillon Francis
Blood Theme – DatA
Off to the Races & Video Games (DSTRYD Moombahton Edit) & Blue Jeans (Club Clique ‘Nothing Is Real’ Remix) Lana Del Rey
Fire Hive – Knife Party
Lofticries – Purity Ring
Not So Funny (Indo Silver Club Remix) – Sawgood
Novacane/Nostalgia Ultra – Frank Ocean
Make it Nasty & Rack City – Tyga
Sonata Rabidus III – b.hantoot
Smile Back & Donald Trump – Mac Miller
Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem
Mr. Me Too – Clipse
Last Man Standing – Asher Roth
Trouble On My Mind – Pusha T

Zach McDonald - U23 National Champion 2012!

It was apparent that Zach gets into a groove musically as much as he found the groove on the race course ruts of the CX Nationals course – he won the U23 category on Saturday, January 7th in a commanding lead. Zach brings the prowess of downhill mountain bike handler to the powerful speed of CX racing in his own physical mash-up of a pro athlete on a bike. Speaking of which, his team manager made it a point to tell us about his off-racing activity of doing exactly ‘that’ with the music he loves.

We look forward to publishing the next interview finishing up Zach’s input from the CX Nationals course along with his team compatriot and Men’s Elite National Champion Jeremy Powers – Coming Soon!

All Photo Credits: Amy Dykema

There’s a great deal of dedication to any activity that you want to do well at. We simply don’t believe in participating in off-road cycling without the notion of improving your cycling skills in every way that you can. People can say they’re just in it to have fun – but we profess that you can have even more fun when your more fit, and definitely more skilled. The Bonebell Crew is made up of seasoned race veterans who have been racing for well over a decade. We are not all seasoned pros though some of our crew like Dave Norton, Greg Heck, Brian Parker, and Julia Daher have given the best of the best a run for their money and placed well on good old homegrown effort in the local racing scene.

We love to race and we love our bikes even more. Racing to us is nothing more than our ability to see how far we can push ourselves to our limits and witness the outcome, not matter what it is. It is there for public viewing amongst the small crowds of friends and fans. We say small, because even at our largest races that we’ll attend, we number in the low thousands compared to the running sport which can command tens of thousands of participants. We would love to see the sport grow into these numbers, and it starts with a little nugget of motivation to get folks to ride their bikes. Not necessarily race – but ride their bikes in epic fashion. Racing isn’t for everyone, and is usually unnecessary if all you want to do is get better at riding your bike. In 2012, we want to help you do that and get motivated to meet the greater challenge of riding and exploring more with the benefit of getting stronger and faster by reaching new limits, with or without, racing goals. There is a trail system that everyone wishes they could rip through faster. There is a farm road that inspires you to pedal into bliss. There is an epic ride that demands your greatest fitness to enjoy. Will you rise to meet those challenges?

Starting in January 2012 – we will provide you with a distinct riding plan to get you motivated to ride more, get healthier, change your perspective in long distance riding, and all at a homegrown and low cost effort. If you are new to exploring off-road cycling, this will be key to you gaining an understanding of how to approach the summer months at some great trail systems. If you are a seasoned rider, it can provide a fresh perspective to base training and skills focus to get you in gear for a summer of racing. This plan will be available for everyone who reads this site – free of charge and cataloged for easy reference. The plan will include phases of riding from beginning of the year through the end of the year with focus on riding points, skills building, and even nutrition options. It will be intended to motivate you to consider a different riding approach while meeting your riding goals in the summer whether they be an epic gravel grinding effort, a weekend trip at a trail system to blow your buddies away, or to enter the cyclocross season in top form. The options provided in the plan will also include some group rides with The Bonebell crew at various locations throughout the midwest to explore the off-road journey. If you follow the plan – every group ride will have its reward as you find yourself more confident and fit and we’d love to see your success along your journey.

There is no mystique about getting faster and stronger on a bike – it’s about putting the time in and enjoying the time you do put on your bike.

Be stronger, be fit, be epic in 2012. We hope you rise to the challenge and join the program.

The course is a decent cyclocross course. Admittedly, it is not as technical as many of the twisty and tight courses that utilize off camber features to strike fear in the hearts of roadies, but it is still a technically minded course. In fact, it is safe to say that compared to the entirety of the Chicago Cross Cup, it is a course that stands up to the series and even is better in racecourse features than a few of the races in the series. The course when previewed via YouTube is as deceptive as the course actually is when you race on it – while seemingly mundane at first glances, the notion is quickly stripped at the first jarring thuds your wheels take when hitting the bumpy grassy knolls robbing you of speed and reminding you to keep your wits about you.

The course is most definitely a European style cyclocross course, make no bones about it, it is indeed a reflection of St. Wendel’s course. The technical adversity on the Badger Prairie course does not lay in the individual technical sections, of which there are few, but as the sum of the total of the features put together. It was evident after a few laps at full on race pace, the riders that excelled were the ones who could capitalize on key points of the racecourse that were deceivingly simplistic but critical for maintaining a competitive position. The course is wide and has many wide enough berths both on the straightaways and on the climbs to easily get past traffic, if you can’t pass someone on this course, either you are truly on one of the few tight turns of the course, or you simply don’t have the fitness to make the pass count. It’s that easy to pass someone. The turns may be uninspiring in many parts of the course, especially in the transition turns from gravel to pavement or gravel to grassy climbs. The thought of uninspiring may turn into frightful as the winter introduces gnarlier elements to the already gravel strewn transitions. The climbs are substantial and weren’t very evident in the video, and at race pace, will be a deciding factor on whose fitness can sustain the punchiness of the elevation changes.

Rundown
Start is a typical paved start on a wide road with a 100M lead out to a soft right turn going into the course full speed from pavement to grassy transition with immediate bumps, possible hooked turns here depending on final course selection but the course changed from Saturday to Sunday by softening those chicane turns to minimize crashing at the very start. The grass section is deceptively bumpy and bucked every rider into finding the smooth line for another 200M to a 90 degree right hand turn for another 100M to a quick twisty right hander onto another straightaway leading to a right hander into the first introduction of tight turns through very rough terrain. It navigates leftbound pass the pit for the first time, and straight ahead 50M to your introduction of the first climb.

A 90 degree left embarks everyone on a 200m false flat (3-5%) to an 80 degree right onto a 10-12% 25M climb that really starts the grind onto yet another false flat for (3-5%) for another 100M. A right hand turn to a quick left downhill on a gravel strewn descent excellent for recovery that takes you to a fast flowy right hand turn, in all about 400M of fast descent before a turn into the first actual dirt of the course in the form of an uphill soft dirt introduction to a rail tie step feature of approximately 15 steps widely spaced apart. This section immediately ends at the top of the hill with a quick remount on a bumpy section that leads to a soft s curve transition to a 50M fast descent onto a paved road transition that immediately points upward at 5-7% for another 150M then slopes down slightly after a soft left curve onto a dirt transition once again that points upward another 5% for 25M before a hard 90 degree left onto one of the most gratifying long descents as your reward.

The descent is incredibly fast and met with many bumps and dips that with one misstep, you may find yourself in the thickets along side the 10 foot wide section. The descent lasts almost 400M onto a sharp right 5-8% climb into a double barrier with a sharp left turn into one the courses only tight sections that leads back past the pit area, and into twists and turns going left and towards a short sandpit, which no matter how it’s used, should not be much of a challenge given its quick 10M distance. Beyond the sandpit, the back section riding continues with a 100M straightaway that parallels the paved road from where the start was. The straightaway takes a sharp 90 degree turn into some very bumpy sections that follows alongside a pond that hopefully no one takes a dive in.

The course follows the pond shortly before going into the next climbing section which is about 5% for the next 100M and then rises a bit to 10% for 5M, and then continues for another 50M before arriving at a 15% pitch for 8-10M. After that immediate pitch change, you hook right for another reprieve on a downhill that cross a paved road section and maintains the bumpiness, into a very fast right hander that if miscalculated will lead you into the thickets again. The speed is very important to maintain as the right hand turn glides upward slightly into a left hand turn onto pavement, the turn here is critical for the entry into the grassy bumpy section again to keep at high speed to navigate the final twisty sections that will inevitably slow everyone down to their rough state and tight turning, this then leads to the lap leadout on pavement back to the start finish. In all, the maximum length of a CX course is raced at just over 2 miles.

Technicality
The degree of technical difficulty for this course is low – however – the true technical nature of this course has to be valued at the sum total of all it’s components. It’s not unlike an MTB course where the climbs are meant to separate people, and the downhills are not just the recovery but the ability to carry speed through the next section while maintaining the best line to keep that speed as every bump and hole scrubs speed. Taking the turns at the highest speed possible is going to be critical for conquering the laps on this course. There is little room for actual rest as the name of this cross game is getting up to speed and maintaining that speed as much as possible to not let the weight of the grinding climbs get you too far down. It was evident in how strung out the field was in every category at the damage the punchy climbs had, in addition, to the incredibly bumpy descents and straightaways. Power riders do not necessarily excel on this course, but neither did the incredibly technical riders as there was little to interact with and gain momentum on in technical sections – this blended the saavy of reading the course, attacking on the climbs, and being fearless on the descents.

Weather
Day 1 was 18 degrees and dry, with slight wind and no sun. It was a cold reminder of what we’re in for Nationals. Day 2 was a sunny reprieve at 40 degrees and perhaps the thank you we deserved for being out at the course both days. Two hours of full on racing on the course, and it’s evident that if this is the best that it will ride in good conditions, than come winter, with snow and ice, the course will take on another technical capability that can only be imagined as difficult climbing situations, slower and more cautious descents, and even scarier gravel to paved road transitions. The snow, if it comes, will hopefully smooth out the bumpiness of the chopped grass course which would be very welcome, but will pose challenges such as the steeper pitched climbs that were easier to hammer out of the saddle, but will prove meddlesome with ice and snow under our rear tires, especially the sharp pitched ones. The cornering, though in small quantities now, may still prove troublesome depending on conditions as they are in tighter areas with little room to pass causing traffic if a rider goes down. The rail stair run up – will be amazingly frightful if it freezes over. These are all good things to look forward to for a true CX course in the midwest.

Recommendations
Cross NEEDS to remain spectator friendly. If not for our friends and loved ones coming out to cheer for us and of course heckle us, we racers, do experience moments of mental weakness when we are exposed to the elements on our own in long lonely and desolate parts of a course. This is rare for over 90% of all the cross courses in many of the series across the midwest. A national caliber course should have mandatory access for spectators to get to various parts of the course without much hindrance. Especially in the conditions of January, the racers need spectator support and providing that access will be key to fully qualifying the event as spectator friendly.

The pit area should be reviewed for better placement for ease of access into and out of the pit in two viable directions that allow for an easy transition for racers to switch bikes or wheels. The current pit experienced definitely made for some cramped quarters that made for some sketchy transitions (don’t put the pit into a transition on a turn!).

The transitions should be reviewed closely in the coming weeks as the weather turns to snow and ice, gravel descents onto grass won’t be a major cause for concern, but the gravel descents onto pavement are a definite cause for concern. Icy pavements are no place for downhill transitions from an off-road course in the winter, and in the European races, they do pour sand over this transitions to ease it up. This should highly be considered to avoid any unnecessary carnage at critical areas.

Warming tents – this can’t be stressed enough – keep the spectators happy, not just the racers. Leaving folks from the ‘warmer’ states happy can go a long way in leaving a great impression on our hospitality.

Final Thought
The course is worthy. Granted, I, have only read and heard from friends experiences at National CX races in the past decade, so I do not have a first hand experience in how it can compare to those races. However, from what I do know is that every CX Nationals race isn’t without it’s challenges from both the promoting venue and mother nature. Cold weather racing is not for the faint of heart, and I’ve never known cross racers to be faint of heart. The conditions can be as gnarly as what has been experienced in epic cross nationals such as Tim Johnson racing to victory in a blizzard, or it could be a soupy wet and cold mess like Kansas City Nationals. The midwest brings you cold, icy, and a technically demanding course. If you truly believe that this is course is not worth the Nationals course, you haven’t given it a chance. We have two years to deal with Nationals at this course and we can make things accommodating and better for racers and spectators between now and January 6th – and even moreso next year with this year’s run.

We are all in the midwest together – and this is our gem we can highlight as ‘our own’ and we have the ability to make it shine despite any circumstance and put our best foot forward for our visiting racers. We are a great racing scene when spread across WORS, ChiCrosCup, DINO, ICA, WCA, etc. – let’s not let initial opinions misguide the effort to produce one of the best cross racing experiences this part of the country can offer. If a Californian thinks its retarded to race in sub-zero weather – well kudos to them for living in California. This is how we roll, let’s roll proudly and let’s roll together on this race.

That is exactly why The Bonebell is tolling for John Gatto for winning the Illinois State Championship in the Masters 30+ field.

Photo: Rachael Gatto

The Masters fields are littered with incredibly strong riders of every level and the lead roles played in every field, are generally the Category 1 racers from various disciplines. There is no denying that the Masters fields are as tenacious as the Cat 1/2 fields. This entire year the podium has been a rotating shift of Verdigris, The Pony Shop, and one lone privateer from Twin Six, John Gatto. We, at The Bonebell, have been following John’s career closely as by the spring and summer months, he’s tearing up the trails at the WORS and Illinois Homegrown MTB Series. We admire what John has been doing for both MTB and CX racing under the Twin Six Metal moniker representing the dirtbag spirit, but also being independent and supporting small frame builders by way of Form Cycles. John, is not alone in his endeavor as a privateer as his wife is also a fierce top competitor in the MTB scene. Together they have quietly dominated the toughest challenges across the midwest MTB racing scene, while raising a family and keeping to their busy work schedules.

The Twin Six team has provided John friends throughout his racing career, and the national network reminds him that he’s not alone when toes the line against the juggernauts of teams who have established presence and tactics. He takes on his challengers with a quiet and humble attack that hides a steely attitude and incredible technical grace. He is keen on his competitors and fits a training regiment in his schedule that keeps him honed on the podium finish. He appreciates the world of dirt as much, if not more, than we do – knowing that on the dirt, in every race, it’s you or your competitors. Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

John isn’t just a fast privateer dirtbag – he’s also a huge advocate of getting younger riders on bikes, excelling their efforts through mentorships that aren’t published grandly, but silently succeeding – as he does – following through on conquering the dirt. He is a selfless individual who appreciates the laid back nature of the mountain biking scene as much as the tortuous 24 hour relay journey of a National Championship. We are proud to share a beer with our friend and are not surprised that our prediction was spot on.

I saw John spinning for his warm-up shortly before the Masters race – I told him that this was ‘his course’. He smiled coyly and agreed that it was a mountain bikers course indeed. I knew at the moment, this championship was his. I didn’t need to say it. All he had to do was come across 1st to fulfill the prophecy, and he did, exactly that.

Congratulations John Gatto – Twin Six METAL privateer – and Form Cycles rider.

Photo: Amy Dykema

My stepfather, had an incredibly strict regiment that was born out of necessity, then honed through the military system, and carried on through his life, to his family, and inevitably, me. I’ve seen him run over fifteen marathons, most under 3 hours. He had shin splints, tendonitis, bursitis, and every runner’s affliction concievable – and nary did I see a wince of pain of grimace in his face while running. It was old school – no pain no gain. This undoubtedly affected my psyche in any sports endeavor I would do after witnessing his athletics in my formative years. In fact, it hasn’t been until recent years that we’ve spoke of his mentality and it’s impact on me in my life. The irony, is that in his current age, now in his sixties, he reflects on his hardcore mantras and willingness to persevere, and he thinks now – he wishes he would have thought he hadn’t the need to prove himself all the time.

His belief system was born out of a time that he wasn’t socially accepted to be an equal among his peers. A short statured Mexican man in a very American army in the sixties led to a lifelong struggle to prove his worth to every solider, boss, peer, and sometimes his own family that he had the gumption to overcome anything given to him. He was no longer the boy that sold fruit on the streets of Mexico – and he could prove it.

I recently had to attend a three day training session on the discovery of belief systems and how they can influence management decisions. The belief systems we carry have a negative or positive impact in the way we deal with people both consciously and sub-consciously through the years of re-inforcing those beliefs on our own, perhaps even without knowing that we build them up throughout our lives. This was not necessarily an eye opening type of seminar for me – but it did allow me an opportunity to reflect this value of pain that I have carried with me to this day. I can endure pain and suffering for long periods of time because I carried that belief system with me from childhood – a man I looked up to was invincible and measured success by extreme tolerance. There’s pain tolerance, and then there’s winning a race.

Every Sunday’s CX battlefield is filled with the hopeful pain gluttons looking to overcome over 30 minutes of lung searing ‘fun’. Personalities in the field vary from the athletically lean and focused to the beer can swigging chubster in spandex. I line up next to the mixed personalities, one of which wants to destroy me at any cost, and the others who are happy to let me go by without a fight. No matter what the pain tolerance is in each individual – they will all endure pain and their dealing of that pain is what may separate their chance of growing stronger or enraging themselves to failure. It’s only been four cross races into the season, and I’ve been cussed at, raged at, and even once at the USGP Madison, physically manhandled and thrown into a course stake. I am non-plussed. I am my step-father. You will not get to me.

This past Sunday’s race – I was speaking to some friends who are newer to cross but were completely lauding themselves and each other for reaching deep down into the pain cave so far that it warranted dry heaves immediately after the race finish. They were still smiling. They had reached a darkness and tunnel vision only visible to the few that push themselves hard into the cave in the race. There they stood, with half smiles and giggles, the lot of women they were, gleeful that they have overcome a pain they thought wouldn’t end. There was grace in their eyes even still after their effort and the sense of pride that they found what they were looking for. Pain. Only a cyclocrosser would be so bold to call pain, fun.

Everyone deals with pain differently on and off the course. Whatever beliefs we each were brought up on dealing with pain is very much going to be subject to coming out clear in the open – in the cross race, amongst our friends, in the field, at the line, at the course. Do you curse when you feel pain? Do you lash out when you feel pain? Do you quietly suffer in pain? Do you smile in pain? Know that you can change your belief in how you deal with pain; and it may indeed change your perception that you’re not just doing cross for fitness or fun – but to actually try to win your race every week. Every week you have a chance to win the race you want. Maybe next week you win the race by not taking things to personally on the course, perhaps you push harder around the corners and not let people pass you as you curse them as they ride away, perhaps you lay it all out so well, you can’t stand when you cross the line.

My stepfather recently carried his newborn grandson. He was nervous as hell that he’d drop his new grandson. He was laughing and incredibly jovial while being nervous about it, this stoic Army sargeant, and unsure of his nature to be a gentle grandfather given his machisstic legacy. He was merely afraid he’d cause his grandson any pain, because now later in life, he has discovered that no one should endure any more pain than they have to. There is nothing left for Sargeant Moreno to prove, than to be gentle.

Off flies my warm-up jacket as I grab my bike and barrel down to the S/F through the throngs (“Excuse me! Excuse me! <collide with a dog> Excuse me!”), head in the gates, past the 50 / 60+ men, and yell to the officials as I zoom by “That’s my race!”.  A simple “Yes, it is” from David Fowkes confirmed my contretemps.

Still cursing at myself (unfort this is not a first time occurrence) but at the encouraging cheers from the Sprockets tent I decide to make the best of the race and go for it.  Despite the rain-drenched course and late start, I did reasonably well!  Brian Parker (Bonebell / XXX) laid out a killer course full of chicanes that would make any dirtbag smile.  I was in pure CX heaven.  In fact, of all my cross races over the years, this was my favorite course ever.  Fast, flowy, twisty, turny, slippery – YES!!!  Excellent job, Stiggity my friend.

As I was finishing my first lap, the mens 50+ leaders passed me… and I held a strong 5th place in their race for a good half lap!  And I must say that the mustache pack did an excellent job redeeming themselves from this sort of behavior.  On the whole their co-riding and passing was courteous and unobtrusive – and for that I thank you, chaps.

I was feeling excellent all-around today and really didn’t care for the race to end.  I was hoping to ride a couple more laps when on lap 4 the women’s leaders passed me just before the S/F and ended up being the last lap for the Womens 123.  Which meant that I finished a lap down from the remainder of the women’s field.  Which meant that I finished in last place.  Wah-wah.  Such is life!

All in all, great race and good times today – thanks to the officials who let me start late and finish without being pulled, thanks to the Bonebell / Sprockets / Humble / Robots crew for cheering me on, and to the CCC and XXX for yet another awesome race down in the books!

Lesson learned: I’m adding a WRISTWATCH to my race pack list.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Really the only news this week is the Palos Meltdown. We know you signed up, but why didn’t the rest of your crew. Pre reg has been down this year. For all the two wheeled dirt riders out there that know how great the Meltdown is, get out there and twist the throttle. For those that have never ridden the Meltdown course at full speed, this is your chance. Check in starts at 7:30. The course has not been officially released yet. Expect a short grassy loop to begin to string out the field before the singletrack. As we enter the singletrack it should remain that way for most of the rest of the course. Hurray, mas singletrack. Get that big ring spinnig though, you don’t want to loose any positions heading into the first section of trail. The bonebell crew will be out there bonebell in hand reminding you how much fun you are having.

IMAGINATION GLEN

It started all nice and hot, but the rain came halfway into the first lap and turned the perfect conditions into a slip and slide bonanza. No one was able to purchase any traction anywhere. The rain subsided almost as soon as it began, but the damage was done. For the remaining two laps the trail dried out amazingly well. But not well enough to keep the average falls per lap to around 5 times on the ground. I plowed through a corner at about 20mph and slide on the gravel for real nice patch on my calf. No real harm. Hopefully the junk in the cables and brake pads will be gone by next Sunday for the main event. A fifth place finish was a great reward in a race that was quite a victory in itself to even finish.

World Cup History

Aaron Gwin has ridden his way into the history books by becoming the first American to win the World Cup DH Title. There is one more race left on the calendar. However, his performances have been so rockin’, that his lead is insurmountable. The bonebell tolls for Aaron Gwin, he has blasted through the World Cups this year. Here’s to 2011 and many more to come. Check out Universal Sports Channel  or .com if you don’t have the channel. They have a lot of great coverage of most of these races so far. Really cool to watch those guys tear it up in my living room.

The day couldn’t have been any more different than last year, cooler temperatures and dewey fog brought on by the impending storms fast approaching the farmlands. Almost triple the amount of brave souls showed up to participate in the challenge this year – all with a hearty appetite to appreciate the difficult roads ahead of us in spite of the looming weather prediction. We rolled out in unison, with smiles, with abundant glances of luck to each and every one. The neutral roll out was calm, and led into the open road where the men with serious horsepower took immediate charge and laid out the notion that they were here to take mother nature on directly with the same fury she was to unleash on us. I glanced down and was thankful I wasn’t entirely on the rivet, but definitely took caution to maximizing their attack and gauged my legs accordingly, a five minute assault on the field in a 32 mph breakaway made the field disappear quickly in the fog behind us. It was to be a difficult push in the upper echelon of my ability to sustain the effort to keep from being dropped completely, and my friend Allan, was there to keep the pace steady early on. Riders that underestimated how hard it is to keep high paces, were shed off in the first half hour, first forty five minutes, and eventually the first hour, shaping out the leads of the field.

I felt great. Solid, great power, and propelled by the confidence of last year’s performance, I kept the pace on even when I pulled away from the groups that helped lead me into better positions, the legs were abiding by the natural cadence of a consistent attack. This was helpful, since I took a wrong turn. Unfortunately, I misread a cue and the foggy view of the course, hid the pack after a certain distance and though I saw them turn, I missed the immediate turn afterwards and found myself at a crossroads, literally, waiting for the pack behind me to catch me to ask where the hell I was going. They reached me and the conclusion that we indeed went off the course. We blasted back in reverse and noted the correct turn where other groups were turning into. This mistake, though costly, was at most a mile of a difference – I knew I could make up a mile and proceeded in doing so, hammering out a faster pace and immediately cruised to catch the groups ahead. The rain started. The rooster tails of debri, water, and pebbles slapping every rider, cruising out of draft lines to avoid being continually pelted. I found more friends all wondering where the hell I came from, and quickly charged ahead to lead them into the section that I had been longing for which I knew was the determining factor in the ride.

The mud. All of the obnoxious mud that has been the nemesis of mountain bikers enjoying the trails in Chicago and throughout the region. I knew the path would disappear into the fields of mud and that alone would destroy people or in my case, invigorate them to ride a path that wasn’t red flagged for protection of a trail system. No holds barred riding through the muck to get to the next checkpoint as fast as possible. New lines were discovered through the mud, the grass, and the unknown. The mud led to the gravel again, and the rain continued. The path led to the Dead End sign where I remember the real onslaught awaited us. There was a creek crossing first before the continued drudge through the mud – the creek was ankle deep when I arrived and it was moving swiftly enough that I could feel a misstep would pull me into the water. I crossed, and then continued the muddy plight. A friend who was nearby had stated he was beginning to cramp up. My generous nature dispensed a half pack of electrolyte chews on the trail for him to retrieve of which he did and it gave him immediate relief. We rode together, with good skill navigating through the mud as the rain now starting coming down faster and with more desperation to break into the storm of the darker clouds ahead of us indicated. The skies crackled. One of the crackles was so loud, it felt like it came from below me. That was because it did, and I stood over my bike, motionless, incapable of being forced into gear, because there were no more gears. The rear derailleur jammed into my wheel and broke in half.

The rain pecked at my helmet. I stood dumbfounded at my luck, having never experienced a mechanical of this nature, ever, in all my years of racing, adventures, and the like. I held a multi-tool in my hand trying to figure out the obvious which looked impossible. A rider came up and offered a chain tool which I gladly took hoping to salvage the chain for singlespeed duty. I couldn’t find how unfortunately. Riders would come by and offer advice and look at the mess and find themselves as confounded as I was. After about 10 minutes of coming to the realization that no multi-tool would save me from the mess I was now in – I shouldered my bike and continued the plight on foot. I walked out of the muddy section and made it to the road and walked alone for a good half mile when more friends came upon me and offered assistance and then realizing after seeing the situation, that it was indeed grim. Nevada Dave came upon me which was a surprise considering he wasn’t doing the ride but instead decided to do it anyway despite wearing pants and a cotton t-shirt and not so waterproof thin jacket. He rode ahead to notify the checkpoint I was in need of help. I continued my lonely trek in the rain on the road with the disparate view of farmhouses in the grey horizon of a darkened sky. I was though, in elation. I had a good ride up until that point, and had good legs. I couldn’t have asked for more. The walk now, is easy. The eye of the storm arrived in my lonely travail and the deluge met me isolated with no cover in the middle of the road as I carried my bike, at this point mile three of the journey. I couldn’t help but to be positive, in that in DeKalb, IL, a Latino was carrying a bicycle as expensive as some of the farm equipment around him, wearing black lycra that exalted ‘METAL‘. The irony and the backdrop of my situation was comical and provided levity in my attitude. In total I walked six miles on my own, with a wind gusts howling around me, and small hail pelting my helmet. I had plenty of time to get into a meditative mood and think of how easy it was to be me that day. I willingly signed up to do a ride in the eye of impending storm, knowing full well how crappy things could get. I would do it again.

There are people in Guatemala that deal with what I did on a daily basis, and in fact, not just Central America but the world over in rainforest climates. During the rainy periods of the tropical season, the rainforests are a thick muddy mess. The life in a forest isn’t so rough to the ‘campesinos’ (countrymen and women) who walk daily for miles on end for the simple things, out of necessity, struggle, and even basic recreation. I wouldn’t have dreamt of coughing up a single complaint about the situation I was in. There weren’t mosquitoes at least – and help was really a farmhouse knock away.

I couldn’t help but feel positive in my solo endeavor through the storm, knowing that my silly sport is purely recreation and not out of necessity. I found myself in the same thoughts one year ago, thinking of family and friends, as they kept me company in my thoughts, and laughing out loud and how ridiculous they must believe I am for choosing to do this to myself rather than stay inside and drink coffee. This ride was truly epic, on all counts. I heard afterwards that the creek I crossed became waist deep for some and even almost took a few riders downstream. They persevered and were found smiling in the warmth of North Central Cyclery afterwards. This was a race of the human capacity of mind, body, and spirit – and those that finished it, will be greater for it and will bask in the sun, more jubilant than before. Congratulations to all who participated, the telling smile on every rider’s face spoke volumes – they all fought Mother Nature, and won.

Taking off from Chicago on Friday night - psyched!

My brief pre-ride confirmed that the course had withstood the deluge and was in really nice condition.  Despite being so early in the season I was feeling fairly good about my fitness level and general preparedness for the race.  Bonebeller Paolo Urizar and I had tackled Saw Wee Kee Park in Oswego the week prior and if I could handle the technicality of that trail system, then this was going to be a relative breeze.

The combined fourteen Cat 1 & 2 women lined up and were off following the waves of Cat 1 & 2 men.  Out of the starting gates and around the first turn I was about 2/3 back as we entered the singletrack.  One gal and I played cat and mouse for the first quarter of the course; I was faster on the climbs, she was faster on the downhills and flats. Being of an athletic build, I was determined to not let this “skinny legs” gal beat me.  But alas, she ended up pulling ahead and I wasn’t able to catch back up to her.  (I learned later that she is an active triathlete.)

This was my first race on my new 2011 Pivot Mach 4, the first full-suspension bike I’ve owned.  Prior to this race I had very little trail time to get used to the new rig and the differences between a hard tail and FS, however I kept playing over in my head some of the tips Paolo had given me the week before.  Point your front wheel the direction you want to go on downhills and let the bike do the work.  Easy on the brakes; no brakes if possible.  No need to fully shift your weight back when descending.  Shift your weight forward to clear obstacles.  The trail system at Warsaw is overall fast and flowy singletrack and includes some tricky switchback climbs and descents.  Overall I felt pretty confident on the bike which also happens to be a blast to ride!  My energy was waning a bit at the end – still need to work out the amount of hydration and nutrition I take in – but I finished strong, and in 2nd place of the Cat 2 women!  Woohoo!

I received a DINO plaque and picked out some Kenda Small Block 8s as my 2nd place loot.

We had several podium-wins from the good number of Chicagoans in attendance representing The Bonebell, Half Acre, Johnny Sprockets, Kinky Llama, Bicycle Heaven, and possibly others.  The weather ended up being nearly perfect, albeit a little humid, and we stuck around for the awards ceremony at the Fat & Skinny Tire Festival in which this race participated.  It was also nice to catch up with DINO race directors Amanda & Brian Holzhausen – Amanda was one of my roommates at Purdue where they first introduced me to off-road cycling.  Later when they purchased the race series, I began racing (and running the website and results for) DINO.

Overall a fun day, awesome riding, great company, and surprisingly nice weather – although of course it rained on the way back home, which was fine by us!