Cap City Cross - Smith Farm Cross

Freeeeezing cold and WINDY out there yesterday! Aside from dropping my chain twice I had a great day. I felt strong through the entire race!

What a fun, fast race. Cold, but it didn't snow until the A race. Lots of long straights and fast turns. Hardly used my brakes. My legs didn't want to go up over the barriers. They felt heavier than the bike.

Fun race, cold and windy with frozen grounds. Great venue by the Cap City Guys!

Bbrrrrrrr...that wind was brrrUTAL!

Started off getting there with only 20 minutes to get dressed and warmed up. Not enough time, but I wasn't racing naked. I roll up to the line at call ups and tucked in the first row. Took off my outer jacket and was ready. The wistle blew and I took off in full force. I didn't get the hole shot, but a close second.
Halfway around the pond, my legs tightened up as soon as I turned the corner and headed into the wind. Before I knew it, half the field passed me. Pissed at myself for the lack of warm up, I decided to trudge through the pain and pick off a couple people. It worked! I finish 4th in the 35+ cat 3.
This was a very cold ride, but Lobdell should be worse. Awesome course and thanks to everyone for making it happen.

Great race!

Cap City Cross - Smith Farms, Cat.3 Masters 45+ finished 5th. Going into the race I am sitting 3rd over all for the series - WOW, I had no idea! : )

Chilly, windy day with snow flurries flying all around. I started the race with very little warm up, like any of us could accually warm up to day. I had one of my wounderful slow starts, could not find the right location to click into the left Crankdbrothers Eggbeater pedal (I'm still getting used to them), click in and I'm off. I passed two riders quickly and set off to try to catch the back of the pack. I catch Riedel in the double track wood section, he still has a great start and I'm able to get pass. I lead him and three others going into the triple, I swing my leg over and before I know it my left foot unclipped and I am on the ground with a lot of pain in my left knee as it buckled on me. One rider by two riders by, I hear Blair yelling at me to get up, three riders by. I get up limp over the barries with Blair & Bob still erging me on. I'm back on the bike chasing, the First pedal stroke are painful, but quickly improve as I turn the pedals over. I get by one, then the second rider and I catch Riedel. John is so very smooth through the corners and I am unable to get past him on the short staights. Going into a right hander I see a small opening and go for it. I chopped John going into the corner, he's mad (my team manager....I'm in trouble)I yell SORRY John...I got impatient and felt I needed to get by very soon and I was afraid I was lossing to much ground. It was like an F1 race with Red Bull's Weber leading Vette and Vette's youth and impatience decides to knife his way into the corning, touching wheels through the whole corner and the team manager will be giving a very stern talking to Vette after the race for being stupid and almost taking his teammate out. I found John after the race to apologize and to take my lumps for my impatience.

Ok....I'm by and I'm off. As I get up and over the hump at the barn and round the corner I can see Ben up a ways. I'm doing what I can to chase him down for the next several laps. Ben gets by a rider and if I can keep my pace up. Three laps to go I catch the rider and I can still see Ben. I know he's not in my class, but I keep chasing. Two laps to go, one lap to go, I'm starting to close more on the double track head wind section. In to the woods and out of the wind, the snow flurries are coming down even more and I'm still closing, but can I catch him. Over the hump at the barn, only a few more turns and the hay bail double run over (which I really liked.) Right turn off the bike, over the hay bails, Ben misses his pedals, I'm by him. Left turn, I can feel him charging, right turn, he's attacking, final turn, I'm out of the saddle sprinting, 100 meters, shift, 75 meters, shift again...I've got nothing left, but I keep sprinting , 50 meters, 25, 10 and through the finish line, wooohoooo! I just keep rolling. I finally tuning around and see Ben and I give him and high five and we tell each other great race, fun chase and catch and I say the same to the other guy who was right behind both of us. It was a fun, windy, cold (just my toes) snow flurry race. One more Cap City race next Sunday! See if I can keep third or catch second place. :)

cold!

Very fast course. Probably should not stay out drinking all night. Party on.

Cold. Windy. Long fast course. Tore it up with Cleveland, Garth, Tony and Mason on the first lap then Cleveland attacked. Rode with Garth until rear derailleur went out of true. Finished 8 out of a decent size A field.

Didn't warm up enough for the 20-ish degree start time. Lungs burned the entire race. Finished DFL except for the DNF's

This past Sunday I participated in my first cross race. I say participated because I don't really call what I did racing. I tried one of these a long time ago for sh*ts and giggles but I did it on a mountain bike with football cleats so that didn't really count. I have had this beautiful bike from Masi and all this gear for cross but never seem to pick going out and racing in the mud over watching football. Well this past weekend was just meant to be as the race was close, and the Patriots played Monday night:-)

So Tara and I headed out to Smith Farms to see if I could not embarrass myself. A few last minute wrinkles... I was setting up my shoes the night before (don't ask) and noticed the cleats I had didn't fit my shoes... so had to make a few desperation calls and luckily Joe Hall came through for me with some pedals and cleats. So I had fun installing those about 10 minutes before the race...

Didn't get to ride the entire course before we started but I got most of the technical part in... tried to figure out how to do that dismount thing but that was a bit awkward. I was hoping to just bunny hop everything but it seemed the barriers were a bit close together and a little to close to coming out of a turn to do so... plus my legs wouldn't get me going fast enough to attempt it.

It was cold, probably 27 degrees or so, and super windy... but the sun was out... so not too brutal. This is how these races are supposed to be right? Add in a few snow flurries and I was loving it. Of course at the start line I looked around and most had on only 1 layer.. me, I had on full winter gear.. 3 layers with thermals... haha... maybe a little over dressed....

Well the start was fun and i shot to the front... but i remembered shortly that I hadn't gone hard since pro crit nats in August and my legs and lungs were doing a good job of reminding me of that... stayed at the front and hit the 1st barrier/dismount section about 3rd and once I got on my bike and going again I was about dead last... guess I should have practiced that one. The rest of the day was spent riding by myself and having fun. Certainly got better from a technique standpoint as the race went on... Was nice to have a ton of people screaming for me even though I was sucking (even the guy who yelled, "Marco its not a road race"... guess he doesn't know me real well... I don't do those either).... 1st person I saw before the races said "there's something you don't see everyday" and I imagine he was talking about me riding in the cold?? who knows:-)

All in all it was a blast and I am glad to see that this sport is on the up and up... probably won't be hitting anymore this year, but I also might not sell my bike just yet. Thanks to my wonderful wife who didn't make fun of me too bad but did have the quote of the day...I got done and said.. "I didn't get last did I?" and she says to me..."well ya certainly didn't get first" haha love ya! Thanks to Adam as well for coming out and watching in the cold and for everyone that yelled for me during the race... good times...


**for my full story check out my blog at www.marcoaledia.com