Race Report - Southern Pines (aka The Liter box)

I wanted to do both days at Southern Pines, so I decided to make it a family outing as well. Since my race was at 10am and it's a 2 1/2 hour drive, we had to get up pretty early. I wanted to do both days it is pretty flat and not a lot of climbing. Yes, all that was true, but the SAND! Some of which I smuggled back with me as a souvenir inside my bottom bracket, chain, shoes and body crevasses. Life's a beach..... sometimes...... so is Cyclocross!

Day 1-
I took a easy spin around the course just to get a feel for the turns and obstacles. I took another lap with more speed, checking out different lines, and to see if places were ride-able. Although the course was flat, it was tough.  It wasn't an exciting day of racing for me.  Yeah, I passed a few racers and I raced pretty well but nothing worthy of writing a race report. The only thing exciting about this race was when the sprinklers came on mid-race. For the excitement see Day 2. That being said, watch this video of a portion of the course-by far the most difficult part.



link to video

You can also see "The Shelf" at the top of the run up. Some of my fellow height challenged competitors had to kneel on the top step to get up to the top.

Day 2-
We arrived early.  It was very foggy; it had rained the night before and the grass was wet. On pre-ride the small mud puddle at the bottom of the hill had turned into a 20' long gauntlet of slick mud. Somehow they also found more sand for the second day and re-routed the course to include more drivetrain killing sand. I finished 1 lap and wanted to switch tires to my Clement PDX but realized I forgot to bring a tire lever. I bailed on switching tires and decided to continue with warming up. On the warm up I could hear the sand grinding the inside of the bottom bracket. That's NOT good!



Foggy and damp start to day 2- greenway to the finish line.

The whistle blew and we all sprinted down the straightway then slammed on the brakes for everyone to file 2x into a narrow paved greenway. Into the woods then out onto a paved downhill section and into the mud. While most guys took the inside line, I followed my friend, Bob, on the outside which was a little straighter and much dryer. Mind you, this mud is directly after a fast paved downhill, so you are going through this mud with some speed.  Mud was thrown everywhere-on the bike, legs, shoes and fellow racers. The course then turned to grass with sandy corners. Then another fast downhill with a really fun 90 degree right hard banked turn with a slight uphill-no brakes needed on that turn! The turn put you on top of a dam of a small pond, then more SAND.  Actually, an uphill section of sand that was maybe 1/4 mile of soft sugar sand which stuck like glue to the mud from before. Then the crux of the course was a 1/2 pipe of soft sand which provided the crowd with many stopped front wheels and resulting face plants. Once past the sand the course set up pretty well for me - a ride-able steep hill followed by a grassy flat field and a paved track to the finish.

The first few laps everyone got sorted out into their positions. Going into the race I wanted to stay on Bob's wheel, or least have him in sight as long as possible. Bob has always finished a few spots in front of me. On the last lap things were pretty much as they had started until the sand run-up. On the run-up my legs were burning.  The sand was so soft-- as I took a step my foot would sink into the deep sand.  I was exhausted and my legs said "We aren't running up this!" so I relented and walked up the sandy incline-2 guys ran pass me. We followed each other down the drop-in and up the small sandy hill to a hard right hand turn. The crowd was going wild- ringing cowbells, yelling and heckling us.  With the 2 racers right in front me, I jumped on the gas and passed one before a narrow section of single track. Then I passed the second guy who was on a mountain bike. I gunned it as we approached the steep ride up. I had to take the outside line because of the big roots on the inside. Once I got to the top I made a hard right turn.  Just as I got my bike straighten out, the guy on the mountain bike rode up next to me, apparently taking the more direct line up the hill. We were neck and neck on the flat grass, pedaling side by side on the back side on the course. As we approached a 180 degree corner, I got out in front, took the corner and poured on the power after the corner to drop him.




You can see the 2 guys in front me that I'm getting ready to pass. Knuckles & Elbows!

Next up is a group of 3 riders, one of which was my friend Bob. I'm in no man's land all by myself. We went through the volley ball court (as if there wasn't enough sand on the course) and passed another guy that was sitting up and spinning- he was fried! I passed him and went through the barriers and noticed Bob and another racer on the Greenway heading towards the finishline.  I took the turn onto the greenway and closed the gap on the mountain biker. I blew by him.  I wanted to put enough distance between us to dissuade him from trying to catch me but before I knew it I was closing in on Bob. I was happy where I was but I just kept peddling. I thought it was going to come down to a sprint at the finish but I passed Bob as the track straighten out. I finished, EXHAUSTED! The course was set up very well for me- A Fast flat finish! I finished 39th out of 59- my best finish to date. I'm beginning to think that racing every weekend is finally paying off. I feel like I'm getting faster, and bike handling is getting better. I'm able to trust my tires more in the corners.  I was able to make it through some tough sections of sand. Overall I'm very pleased with the weekend of racing.


Me with Bob in my sights - 100 yds from the finish.

All that being said, I doubt I will be back to play in this sandbox (see liter box). Once we got back I immediately had to disassemble the bike and spent the next 2 days cleaning the drive train of grit to get ready for the "Fight under the Lights" race on Tuesday night.


My crank after the 2nd race. I'm pretty sure sand isn't supposed to be inside the bottom bracket.



Race Report - Boone (short and sweet)

Cold, sticky mud, big nasty run-up, great racing, costumes, heckling, grilled pizza's, flat course (?), big fields, free beer, fast, loads of spectators, and a fun course! I had a great time. Thanks Boone, See you next year!

Race Report- Winston-Salem

We (myself and the family) made the drive to Winston over the weekend to race the All Hallows Eve race presented by Mock Orange Bikes. It was pretty cold when we arrived but warmed up nicely by the start of the 10 O'Clock race. I did my usual warm up, and got the to start early and positioned myself in the middle on the left side. The whistle blew and we took off, we all sprinted up a paved road and then some switch backs where I was either in the weeds or the tape on every turn. Then it really bottled up and had to dab a foot. Once again the best thing about racing CX is even if you are in the back there are still people to race. This race was no different, myself a 2 others guys were changing places on the first 2 laps. I'd get a lead then they would catch me on the 1 long climb.

The end of the second lap I noticed I was pulling a guy around the course, and was taking some very bad lines through the turns. As we approached the end of the lap he was behind me as we started down a short downhill with a hard right hand turn with a climb after the turn. I set myself for the turn, hit the apex and turned on the jets. I stood up and powered my way up the hill. I kept on the power, and was all by myself for the entire last lap. Approaching the finish line some of the leaders were passing me. The last turn into the finish and someone behind me yells "Left". Thinking it was another leader and not wanting to get in the way of the leaders I moved over. As he passed me at the finish Line I realized it was the guy I had been racing the entire race. I was disappointed that he passed me at the finish- That won't happen again!

The last lap approaching the finish- you can see the guy that passed me at the finish in the background.

I loved the course- some sections were a little rough but the fast, flat and smooth sections made up for it. My favorite part was a section around the soccer fields- you entered the field on a downhill with 2 18" jumps, and the field was flat, hard, and short grass. I could fly on this surface, and the corners held up well. I also loved all of the Off-Camber turns. As we headed back to Charlotte I couldn't wait until the next race in Boone. See you there.

Race Report: Queen City Cyclocross

My first Cross race of the season was this past weekend. Here's how the race went:

I spent the week leading up to the race watching the weather closely to see if I needed to put on the mud tires or keep the Racing Ralphs. I went to help Luna Cycles/ Fiets Maan racing to help set up the course up Friday. The course was dry even though it rained the day before- I decided against switching tires and stick with what I had. The morning of the race was cool and damp/ a slight drizzle but no mud.  I went to get my number and the guy apologized and said "this is no reflection on you as a person". I looked at it and read 666! I'm not a superstitious person and thought BEAST MODE! I did my warm up laps, then saw some friends and talked with them for awhile and then headed to the start line. I lined up right in the middle of the pack. I was a little nervous it being my first race of the season, but once the whistle blew I was in race mode. About 100 feet into the race and at full speed the mountain bike in front of me started skidding the rear tire- he threw his chain into the rear wheel spokes. I hit the brakes and then went around him, I stayed with the pack until the finish line climb. I was pretty focused so I don't remember a lot of details. I do remember racing a few guys, back and forth changing positions.

On the 3rd lap I was following a guy around the course but didn't have a great place to pass. We rode through the bottom of the course near the start line, I wanted to put a little pressure on him so I positioned myself on his hip. We up the small hill, he went wide and I cut inside. We were side by side on the short steep descent. I pedaled hard to the run up, took the inside line and ran as hard as I could to the top. Got back on the Van Dessel and pushed as hard as I could, I was trying to put as much distance as I could between us. In my opinion this was the hardest part of the course- most of the elevation changed happened in between the run-up and finish line. The rest of the race I was pretty much by myself the rest of the race until the finish line. As much as I was glad it was over, I couldn't wait for the next one in Winston.

The rest of the day was spent cheering on Kevin and friends, and taking lots of pictures. By the way, the team (Kevin and myself) did great this weekend, lots of compliments on the jerseys, and we had a lot of fun! Looking forward to have the other guys with us soon.

 

-Mike

 There was this too- Doughnut Hand-ups!

Kit Design

Here's what the new jerseys will look like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Velominati states " Rule#17 Team Kits are for team members". We agree, but if you aren't a member but still you want to fly the colors of the Slippery Sasquatch team we are working on getting some T-Shirts made up soon. If you want a T-Shirt either message us or find us at the races.

 

With any luck we might have them for the Charlotte Race October 19.

Gettin' Fancy!

Drumroll please............

Paul Cunningham has been working on a final logo and design for us. Yes we had one but it was a very crude drawing. Paul re-drew it in his fancy computer thingy. Now, the logo will look awesome instead of looking like someone drew it with a crayon. What do you think? We love it! If you see Paul please thank him and tell him what a great job he did.

Currently we are working on a jersey design with our newest Sponsor, Giordana Custom - we will be revealing the design very soon!

Waaazzzzzzzzzzz Uuup?

Jon and I have been thinking about doing this for quite some time now.  It's been difficult keeping it a secret for these last few weeks. The past month has been busy trying to get things lined up for the team. We've asked tons of questions, bounced ideas off each other, and taken our time making plans. We want this to be an asset to our Mountain Bike community, as well as our team. The last few weeks have been filled with looking at sponsors, logo design, setting up the blog and Facebook page, and on top of that, training for the upcoming Cyclocross season. We think we have a good plan and we are excited to announce the launch of ....... Slippery Sasquatch Race Team. The team will focus exclusively on Racing in the Dirt. That means anything from Enduro, Cross Country, Gravel Grinders, Cyclocross, Endurance Mountain Bike, and Short Track. We are still working on sponsors but hoping to line to up some awesome sponsors for the upcoming year.  Please take a look around and let us know what you think. And, please give us a like on Facebook. Thanks for supporting us!

 Wanna Join us? Check out "How to Join"


P.S.- We would like to thank Paul for helping us out with the logo design - coming soon. Also, thanks to our first sponsor/team member, Dread.  Dread runs a mobile bike repair business in Charlotte. Speaking from experience, Dread is an awesome Mechanic! He is also going to be racing for us as well as providing support at the bigger races/events. Go visit his site: Dread's Mobile Bike Repair and be sure to give him a like on Facebook as well.

Thanks Again, Slippery Sasquatch (Mike and Jon)