Another stellar day at Look Park. We arrived in time for Marc and Steve to get in a few laps of the course before the 9:30 race started. Good thing we did as the course had changed quite a bit. Kudos to Steve W., Adam, and J.D. for doing an impressive job on the course changes.

Often when you have two races back-to-back at the same venue, little to no course changes are done for the second day. Well, the Cycle-Smart crew did not disappoint. As predicted the course was much tighter up top and much faster on the bottom. I heard a lot of people saying how much the really enjoyed the course and actually preferred it over the day one course. Essentially the two days offer two different types of courses – that suit different riders. The strongest riders still rode to the top on both days but in each field you saw some different mid-pack results – I think this is due to the course changes. Thanks Cycle-Smart for some smooth courses.

Marc and Steve were off at 10:30. What a race! I had a blast watching Marc. He rode so well. I was so proud of him. He had a decent start. Got in a good group. Was riding super strong. Driving the group, hammering the road, bridging gaps – racing like I know he can. Unfortunately he crashed twice – once in the roots up top and then in the entry to the sand. This cost him a few spots but he recovered really well. Up on his bike super fast, head down and giving it all he could. Awesome ride Marc! Steve’s back was giving him some trouble during the race – but he still rode super strong. Shout out to Kurt Perham – he had a phenomenal ride. Nice ride Kurt!

Had a good time hanging out in the pits chatting with Petar about his race and biking in general. It always helps to have a friendly face in the pits, helps to know that if something does go wrong, help is there. Thanks Mavic for the great pit support this weekend.

Saw lots of people again on Sunday. It is amazing who you bump into and the new people that you meet at a ‘cross race. Old friends from ‘cross camp. New people who have read my articles in Cyclocross Magazine or have found this web site. Very cool.

I’ve got to say I’m loving my new Mavic wheels – those Carbones rock! Super strong and fast. Thanks OGC for helping me out this season with some great race gear.

My race went fairly well today. A better result than yesterday and a good performance. I’ve posted a race report and as soon as photos are available I’m put them up as well.

We left fairly quickly after my race and had a very easy drive home. I drank a medium-sized latte and that kept me going for quite a while. Nothing like a big cup of coffee for a non-coffee drinker. I’m thinking I should drink one of these before my races!

It was a great weekend. Looking forward to racing in Northampton again next year. Thanks for the cheering, the support, the smiling faces and for being out supporting cyclo-cross. And if you live in the Northampton area and have never been to Look Park – go check it out. That is one nice venue for walking, cycling, and even just relaxing with a good book along the water.

Well, day 1 of the Cycle-Smart International race weekend is in the books. What a day! Couldn’t have asked for better weather. Coolish for those watching but perfect for those racing.

My day can really be summed up with one word: people. I ran into so many people that I’ve met over the years of traveling down to New England to race and attend ‘cross camp. The coolest thing was meeting Kathy.

We were parked across from Kathy and her husband and she came over to introduce herself. We were just chatting when all of a sudden – she and Marc were hugging. Yep – just like that! It turns out that Kathy and Marc went to university together. Talk about a small world!

The day kicked off with Marc and Steve racing at 10:30. These guys both rode super well. The early part of their races were filled with crash avoidance and crash avoidance recovery. But in the end both of them dug super deep and rode to great results. Next up were Josee and Karl racing at 11:30. I did not see these two race but from what I heard both rode super well. Congrats guys on some good racing.

I raced later in the day at 2:00. Marc and I got out after the women’s 3/4 race to run lines and practice a few key sections of the course. This helped so much. Thanks Marc. Especially the line through the gravel corner at the top of the course – practicing this helped my confidence a great deal. I’ve written a race report.

After my race, I chilled out a bit – got a recovery drink and took a little spin to flush out my legs and brain. Tough one today. But in the end a good one. I watched a bit of the elite race and spent time catching up with some folks. Great day at Look Park!

The real treat of the day was a little side trip we took on the way back to the hotel. Don’t know if you know this, but I’m a knitter. So when I realized that Northampton is the home to Webs. Wow – what a place. Pure heaven. I could have spent hours there. I’ll spare you bike racers the knit geek details but suffice it to say – I can’t wait to go back to this store.

Just relaxing in the room now. Supper is done. Lunch and pre-race food is ready for tomorrow. Race bag is good to go. Tea is ready. Time to relax. Looking forward to another good day at Look Park. Thanks very much for the cheering and support out there today. It really did keep me going today. Have a good one. See you tomorrow.

(Wrote this last night but neglected to post it…)

Sitting here chilling in the hotel room. Bag is ready. Food is ready. Bikes are clean and ready to go. Next up – bed and a good night’s sleep.

Had a smooth ride down. No hiccups with the exception of a slight merging issue on the 401 – luckily the van is big – other cars move… Made it to Look Park at around 3:30. The whole crew was out marking the course and riding. Nice to see some friendly faces right away.

The course was fully staked out so the four of us got kitted up and hit up the course for a few laps. All I can say is dry. Super dry. Lots of crunchy leaves and carpet-like grass. If it stays dry it will be super fast. Saturday’s course is the same as the traditional Cycle-Smart International course. Lots going on.

Twists and turns. A sandpit. Forced run-up on loose terrain. A fun little descent. A few railroad track crossings. More twists and turns. A little power climb. Some super fast barriers. Bicycle path. Nice paved road.

I really like this course. It is challenging – physically and mentally. But there is nothing in that that I really dread (for example, like the run-up in Seattle or Mooney’s Bay hill). This course is simply challenging but not intensely hard or intimidating.

I’m impressed with how well organized Adam, Steve and the guys are. Nice work guys! Looking forward to racing tomorrow and catching up lots of people. I saw so many people today that it made for some slow laps. That’s okay – this is simple pre-race day – shake out the legs and get comfy on the course.

Mavic is here doing support and working the pits. Nice. Todd and Peter (spelling?) are super cool and always have lots of smiles to go around.

We had an easy supper here in the hotel room. I whipped up a tasty meal at home for us to re-heat here and we supplemented with some salad and dessert compliments of the Stop-N-Shop.

Okay, best go. Marc and Steve are racing at 10:30. Josee and Karl are at 11:30. I’m at 2:00. Send your fast vibes our way. Looking forward to some fun racing and cheering. Check back tomorrow for a race report. Have a good one.

It seems like forever since we’ve gone on a road trip. I guess it is because you get in a groove during the road season of traveling every weekend. We had two great weekends here at home. Lots of time to chillax and recharge the batteries. Not to mention getting to race in our local cyclo-cross series and hang out with cool people.

Tomorrow we are off to Northampton. The weather is looking good. The race courses will be slick. A good time shall be had. Oh and the clocks change so we’ll get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday. (Nice!)

I did another ride on the trainer today. Not where I wanted to be – in the basement with a fan blowing on me watching television. 90 minute recovery ride today. The time passes so slowly during recovery rides. Interval work-outs are a little bit easier on the brain on the trainer – something for the brain to focus on other than time slowly ticking away. The one bonus of this two days of trainer riding, is now I’m finally caught up with ER.

I’m looking forward to Monday – when the snow is gone and the sun is shining again. I don’t care how windy or rainy it is – I’m not getting back on that trainer until the snow is on the ground again. Maybe this is just Mother Nature playing a trick on us cyclo-cross racers to remind us how much we like the cold and rain…

Lots to do tonight. Bags to pack. Food to prepare. Bikes and wheels to cram into the back of a vehicle. We have a pretty good system for these trips but somehow we always end up running things a bit tight. Such is life.

One thing I’ve been thinking about a bit is “why do you/I race cyclo-cross”? Why is that we spend the not-so-nice fall and winter months zooming around on our bikes in the rain, through the mud and soggy grass, with snow and frost on the ground? Why do we do it? What makes you get out there when you could seamlessly ease into the “off” season? I suppose some people race cyclo-cross because they’re good at it. Another group does it because they are paid to do it. But what about the rest of us? I started racing ‘cross again four years ago – and I certainly wasn’t good at it then. But I stuck with it. Slowly and steadily increasing my focus and desire to ride and race the ‘cross bike. I can’t really pinpoint what it is that made me stick with it. Of all the bike racing I’ve done, ‘cross is definitely the hardest – physically, mentally, and time-wise.

I think for me it comes down to community. The cyclo-cross community is so strong and welcoming. In North America, cyclo-cross is hot and booming – the fans, race organizers, media, and racers all embrace one another – it seems there is an understanding that one can’t be there without the other. There are races all over the place with all sorts of categories and caliber of racers. Little kids racing on super heavy mountain bikes. Older men and women racing around with big smiles on their faces. My experiences in Europe last year were simply overwhelming. The fans were intense. But what really struck me was the way the other racers embraced us. We hooked up with a weekly training group of mostly junior-aged boys – the parents and the boys welcomed us and soon enough were hanging out with us at the races and cheering us on. Amazing.

The racing is awesome and really gets me stoked. But I love hanging out after the race, cheering on the other racers and hearing other people’s race stories. I really enjoy talking to the parents of the younger kids and seeing the smiles after the race. Hopefully you can get out and experience this over the weekend.

The Ride with Rendall Wednesday night ‘cross training is canceled for Oct. 29.

Training sessions resume next week, regardless of weather….

So this snow forced me into the basement. Onto the trainer. Yuck. Did not enjoy it. Is it just me or does the effort seem harder on the trainer? At the very least I got in an excellent work-out. Three 15 minute sweet spot tempo intervals. Ouch. Great training sensations that I will summon this weekend in Northampton.

No ‘cross practice tonight. Honestly, I wouldn’t have gone anyway. Conditions like this are excellent for training in. But – they are also ripe for making me fall off my bike. I’d like to keep up my one-week epic of “not falling off my bike”. I’ll be there next week. For sure. I hope this snow goes soon. I don’t have time for shoveling nor do I want to spend my time on the trainer.

I really haven’t got much else for today. No deep thoughts or pondering. Just some tired legs and a rosy cheeks. I love the way the training sensations stick around well after the work out is complete.

Hitting the road on Friday to make the drive down to Northampton for the Cycle-Smart International races. Should be good. I read on the NEC message board that the organizers are planning on running two different courses. Smooth. Very smooth. Saturday will be the traditional course and Sunday will see a tighter course with some direction changes and other cool stuff. Make sure you pre-register. No race day sign-ups.

It was on this race weekend last year that I raced my first “elite” races. Made the jump from the 3/4 category to elite. Yikes, I was so nervous. Had no idea what to expect. I struggled the first day in Farmington, Conn. but rebounded with a better ride on Sunday in Northampton. It will be interesting to see how I do this weekend.

So much has changed in a year.