Six Hours Cathedral pines. through the eyes of a Capers

Couldn't have asked for a better day for 6+ hours racing mountain bikes on Long Island, in the middle of November. As expected, this year's Six Hours Of Cathedral Pines was a real treat and an opportunity to shake things up a bit while in the midst of cyclocross season. This would be my second year participating in this event and I couldn't be more stoked to race it again.

Hit the road around 6AM with teammates Rob Perazzo, Dana Napurano and Chris Brawley (Pooriggy). We crammed 4 bodies, 5 bikes and a ton miscellaneous shit onto and inside Rob's little Toyota.




Arrived at Cathedral Pines County Park about an hour before the start. We hooked up with Kirt and Dave Clapp at the gate so that we could all park and pit together. Shortly after, the Gozicks rolled up.

I don't see much value in warming up before long format races like these, so my pre race ritual became a bit more laid back than normal. I picked up my number, kitted up, ate and cruised around to check out the scene. Chatted it up with several friends and teammates. The vibe was good.

After the pre-race meeting, all 300 or so of us lined up for a mass start. I picked a spot towards the front and shot the shit with my buddy Dan Brodeen. As we were talking, the gun went off without warning, taking us completely by surprise. Unprepared for this, I leaped onto my saddle cyclocross-style and pedaled like a madman up the prologue. As with any race, I did my best to pick through the riffraff to secure a decent position towards the front, leading up to the singletrack.


The Mass start is as crazy as you've heard - Photo by Jennifer Carlson

There was a bit of congestion as we entered the woods but thats unavoidable considering the volume of riders. There were some hang-ups on the first series of hills but I managed to dodge & pass those folks and kept pedaling. I wasted no time jumping ahead of riders that were not moving fast enough and by about 25 minutes in, settled into a nice groove with a group of about 8 guys. We hammered out the remainder of the first lap which ended up being 51 minutes exactly.

I continued riding with this group for just about the entire second lap, always keeping someones wheel a couple feet in front of mine. Half way through lap 2, I spot my teammate Rob and he takes the lead for a while. we pushed the pace a little bit harder and banged out a 49 minute 2nd lap. I'm feeling pretty good at this point. While passing through the transition area, I pull up alongside Rob, we exchange pleasantries and I take the lead into the singletrack. Always a good feeling when you have a friend to ride with. Rob stayed relatively close behind and was never out of site. By now the group had mostly broken up into smaller pods of 2's and 3's as we continued to hammer through the sweet, flowy Long Island singletrack.

I kept a consistent effort, onwards through the next several laps but It wasn't before long that something evil began lurking within my legs. I have never experienced this before in a race, and that evil was the cramp monster! The cramping was relentless and hung around for the remainder of the race. The only way to suppress the pain was to pedal faster. Slowing down only caused my legs to lock up. At times I found myself shifting to an easier gear to spin a faster cadence. Nevertheless, I fought through it and did my best to maintain momentum. I still had plenty of gas in the tank.

I really had to force myself to eat every time I came around through the transition area. I didn't want to loose any time so my stops were 30 seconds or less. I mostly ate on the go, which was rather difficult with solid foods. Nearly choked on a cliff bar. That was ugly.

At the end of Lap 5, Chris (Pooriggy) catches up to Rob and I. We all pass through the transition area together. My cramps are at their climax right now. I downed almost an entire bottle of water, a banana and a package of chomp blocks. Chris Takes off and thats the last I see of him. Rob decides he doesn't want to ride anymore and bails right then and there. This is OK for him as the registration numbers were so low for his age group that at this point, he wins by default! I congratulate him and take off for lap 6.

For the next 2 laps, I find myself mostly riding solo with the occasional wheel sucker latching on. Dialed into autopilot mode, my bike rails the twisty turns with speed and finesse. I am quite literally in that special place called "the zone". James Brown's "Get on the Good Foot" is on repeat in my brain and my groove is unstoppable. By now many of the other racers are really beginning to fade, none of which were racers in my class. I 'm passing folks like like crazy. Well, passing as courteously as one could. We're all here to have a good time so I did my best not to be a jerk.

Towards the end of lap 7, I look down at my Garmin and see that I have passed the 6 hour mark, so an 8th lap isn't going to happen. I have a huge gap on the next rider in my field behead me so I ease up and cruise the last mile or so to the finish line. I end up wrapping it up with 7 laps at 6:11 and a 5th place finish. Not a bad day!
It wasn't until I dismounted that it hit me how beat up my body felt. It's the good kind of soreness though, the kind you earn!

I was pleased to learn that every single one of my teammates threw down strong finishes in their respective classes. Outstanding! Quite a few podiums were had for MTBNJ..


Results

Rob Perazzo 1/1, Cat 1 Male 19 to 29 Laps 5, Time 4:18:26.9
Dana Napurano 3/5, Cat 2 Female 30 to 39 Laps 5, Time 5:51:12.6
Eric Capers 5/23, Cat 2 Male 30 to 39 Laps 7, Time 6:11:11.6
Chris Brawley 3/27 Singlespeed Open. Laps 7, Time 6:02:22.7
Chris Gozick 7/27 Singlespeed Open. Laps 7, Time 6:17:09.3

Kirt Mills 3/19 Male Duo Relay Laps 8, Time 6:38:19.5
David Clapp 3/19 Male Duo Relay Laps 8, Time 6:38:19.5


ChrisG - Photo by Wayne Lewis


Dana - Photo by Anthony Benavides


Capers - Anthony Benavides


Iggy on cruise control - Photo by Jennifer Carlson


Kirt doing his part - Photo by Wayne Lewis


RobP drinkin' up - Photo by Jennifer Carlson


Part of the crew enjoying the delicious post-race chili.

Supercross & Sussex Weekend

That's right, 3 races, 2 states, 2 days, 10 MTBNJ racers, and 1 newly certified spin instructor. If you weren't out there racing this weekend you missed plenty of good times. If you were, then bonus! Surely you saw lots of blue & orange if you were.

Behind the ‘Stache : Super Cross Cup Edition (by Fred)


The Long Island race weekend historically for me has been the weekend that leaves me packing my car with haste and more than a few curse words about my weekends riding.  Fried burnt out, cracked.  Ya, any of those describe how I would be feeling on Sunday.  But this year I have focused on trying to keep things fresh and not race EVERY race that I could find.  This has become especially crucial with the addition of Nationals to the schedule.  Wisconsin in January?  Sure!  Sounds like a great idea!

The mid week rain had me curious to what the course conditions would be like come the weekend.  A Fast, Flowy (more so on the second day) and Fun race course are what we arrived to mid morning Saturday.  Good, hard, clean (like not muddy) bike racing was in store for us at Eisenhower Park.

Both days were just that.  Good and hard bike racing.  I hung onto the wheels of the boys at the front for as long as I could…the brutally hard accelerations corner after corner made things a bit tough to keep up with.  I’ll get there one day I hope.  The fields were not big but they sure were strong.  I was happy to finish inside the top 10 on both days.

 I am pretty happy with the weekend.  Two good rides and I am not ready to hang it up just yet.  Plus I was able to convince Linda to take the winnings on the weekend and apply them to something I have had my eye on for quite some time.

 Time for some rest, relaxation and over eating.  Madison or Bust!

Saturday:
Fred: 9 of 20 - Elite Men
Maurice: 3 of 30 - Masters 35+


Sunday:
Fred: 8 of 16 - Elite Men
Maurice: 2 of 25 - Masters 35+

SCCX#1 (by Norm & Pearl)


Meanwhile, in NJ I lined up with the old men at 9:00 and gave it all I could for a good 3-4 laps, where I was able to hang with those leaders until they pulled away from me on the run-up. For all my preaching not to bother running when you train, this thing really got me. By no means am I short, but I felt like I was 3 feet tall on this one. The last 2 laps was an effort in just riding it out, as 5th place was pretty far back. I ended up 1-2 minutes back of the leaders and comfortably in 4th place. My series is pretty much locked up in 3rd place at this point.

It was nice to have a dry course for a change. Here was the easy run-up, which was right after I slipped and almost fell.




After I cooled down and got dressed, I hung around for a bit and took some pics of the ladies. Here Robin rips on her way to 4th place, matching what I had done in the first race:



Then I had to go. Eventually some of the other guys showed up, including Pearl. In his words...

Front and center. The trumpet sounds and we are off. I find my pedal and I'm in front of everyone in sight... WTF? I easily had the best first 200m of my life. I'm 2nd into the first uphill climb behind the Knapps rider (guy who was pounding the beers at Westwood). Paul easily sneaks by me. I try to latch onto his wheel and he pulls away. Can't remember how the next 3-4 people get by, but they do. Mostly on the climbing sections of the course. I end up behind Dan Harpers wheel. Motivation kicks in. I want to give this guy a run for his money. Couple of times I try to sneak by, whether dismounting the tree turn or after he OTB's on the smaller barrier section. I have better cornering skills than Dan but he has the legs and lungs. Chris26er squeaks by and is now working on Dan. He eventually gets around him.

This happens for 4 laps, me chasing Dan around and trying to squeeze him out. The bell goes off and so does Dan. WOW. Dan and the rest of the field had another gear that I didn't that day. I lose contact with Dan and am in no mans land. I see RobG and another rider battling 2-3 turns back. I'm trying to save something as I know they will get me, but not let off the gas too much. I peak back and see RobG take a good, protecting line from me. Not sure if he knew this, but the inside line helped out with the other guy on his tail to keep his position. One last turn.

I feel as recovered as I could for the last 200 meters of a sprint. I peak under my left arm and see another rider, not RobG, out of the saddle and hammering it.



I give it all I can, for as long as I can... I had about 20 pedal strokes in my body and it shut down. I lose 8th spot and finish 9th.

What an awesome venue and course. 13.5MPH average? I was on the fence about racing next week at the same place, but holy crap this was fun.




Norm: 4 of 16 - 40+ Men
Robin: 4 of 9 - Cat 4 Women
Ilya: 9th of 24 - B Men
Utah: 12th of 24 - B Men
ChrisS: 6 of 31 - C Men
Pearl: 9 of 31 - C Men
RobG: 10 of 31 - C Men
ChrisRU: 11 of 31 - C Men

Fair Hill & Westwood Weekend of Pain

Saturday: Fair Hill & Westwood

The weekend kicked off down south at Fair Hill, which is somewhat north of the Mason-Dixon line. I think?

From Robin:

"This past Saturday I had the choice of either racing Westwood (NY) or Fair Hill (MD). Both were going to be a drive and I was already signed up for Sunday’s Westwood race. I decided to go with fair Hill since my coach, Ben, would be there and it there would be some new faces to line up with in the Cat 3/4 Women's.

"Arrived early enough to get a lap in between races and went over some spots with Ben. Warmed up and went up to the call-up. There weren't as many girls as Granogue, which was my first MAC race, but more than I'm used to at the NJ series. I was in the third row for the start, which included slight gravel climb. I felt really good out of the start, making my way into the course - which I absolutely loved. Turns and little ups and downs. Conditions were prime - dry and fast. Did I mention I loved the course?

"I had a blast out there. I placed 9th, and considering the girls I was up against, overcoming my fear of passing, and dealing with a "flat", I'm very happy with that finish. Great vibe at the race - spectators cheering and tasty beverages. The race promoters did a fantastic job and I’ve put this on my “to-race” list for next season."

-Robin

Fair Hill Results:

Robin - 9th/16
Fred - DNF (he got run over)
Maurice - 1st/33

Meanwhile, up north it was a disaster. I (Norm) got there bright and early and did a lap of the course, and while it was wet, it was nothing like it would become. I was having a great race, holding down 2nd in the 40+ until my wig was soiled, and my chain exploded. Without question, I was incredibly disappointed and wanted to throw my bike. I hear stories that Fred did exactly that which is what I was close to doing. But the price tag on this sport is already high enough, no need to tack on a few thousand dollars smashing a perfectly good carbon frame. Better luck next time, so they say.

Westwood:

Ilya - 5th of 13
Utah Joe - 8th of 13 - B
ChrisRU - 2nd of 17 - C
Capers - 11th of 17
Norm - 2nd...wait, DNF. EAT IT!!

Sunday, Westwood

Pearl on Sunday:

Sunday Westwood Experience: I raced Sunday, and boy was that painful. Mud sucking your shoes off and running through long stretches of oozy, thick, peanut butter mud just did me in. I can't remember the last time I ran more than 20 feet, but trying the run, learn how to shoulder (my shoulders are really puny and boney) and try not to fall on my face was a task in itself.

I ended up flatting halfway through the second lap, so my day pretty much was over. Dan Larino was in the pit and loaned me a wheel, but my brake wouldn't work as his wheelset was wider. I can't say what else I had left in the tank, as I was slowly starting to walk instead of even jog in these mud sections. Anyway, Here is the rest of the day in pictures!







Mandi starting another painful lap, ladies ended up doing 4!







Robin through a tricky downhill corner, saw a couple of guys eat it here later in the day







Mandi and Robin right after the race, Fun faces!







Fred working the steps






Fred and Maurice on the podium in the A race.







This was the scene for a couple of sections of the course. Ouch.







Chris showing the rest of the field how to ride the run-up.







Shout out to this guy from Knapps, can someone ID him? I think he was doing well in this race as well.

Team Results:

Ilya - 5th of 23
ChrisS - 11 of 29
ChrisRU - 15 of 29
Pearl - 22 of 29
Robin - 5th of 10
Mandi - 7th of 10
Maurice - 2nd of 13
Fred - 3rd of 13
Norm - 7th of 18
RobG - 8th of 22

Hidden Valley in Our Own Words

Breaking down Hidden Valley, race by race, racer by racer. The day started cold, but we did our best to warm it up fast. First on tap, the old men. Represent!

Master 40+ (8:30 am)


 "I just could not bridge that goddamn gap. When I went to bed that night, I fell asleep 5 seconds from getting to bed. No matter how many times I woke up and tried to crawl into bed, I just never made it. I woke up Monday on the floor." -Norm (4th/23)

 "Startedfrom maybe the 3rd row, was in 10th when we hit the grass.  This was myfirst key for the race:  To improve my start.  I really enjoyed thelog, bunny hopping it allowed me to briefly move into 9th on the first lap. The remainder of the first lap was given to settling in and seeing whatmy motor would give me.  Doug Spitz and Chuck Erndl, the guys I ride withmore than just about anyone, both got by me by the start of the second lap, andthat was that.  No one passed me for the rest of the race.  I kept myhead down and dug, opened a big gap on the rider behind me, and tried to reelin whoever was in front of me.  Second key point:  To maintainposition with consistent effort and good driving.  Finished 12, animprovement over 14th at Morris.  Most of all, it was super-fun, a coolcourse, and lots of good folks.  Thanks to everyone who took the time toencourage me, it’s a huge help." -ChrisG (12th/23)

Woman B (10:29 am)


 "As always, I want to poke my eyes out as I'm racing...hate it. But as soon as I am done, there is a smile on my face." -Robin (3rd/16)


 "I end up crossing the line 6th, my best finish yet. I rode up to the top to give Robin a big hug since I knew she must have had a great result. After that we waited to watch Patty finish who kicked butt on her mountain bike!" -Mandi (6th/16)


"Raced the Hidden Valley on my Mt. bike today. Mission was to get a good workout, have fun and spend time with my team girls. Mission accomplished. Robin picked me up so we had some catch up time together. It was great to spend time w/ her and Mandi. I see why racers get hooked on cx. It's awesome." -Patty (11th/16)

Men B (12:35 pm)


"This is what I love about this sport, every season I meet people who I will know forever, and every race is a reunion of sorts as we are all in a kind of graduating class." -Ilya (3rd/29)


"By the last lap I was feeling like the august version of me again. I had worked my way up and Esnes was either 1 or 2 guy in front of me. I think I had a good shot at catching him...then front tire explosion...yet again. I really have no luck with CX tires. So far I have done 9 CX races and have flatted 4 times. With the mountain bike, I have yet to ever get a flat in a race since 2008." -Utah (18th/29)

Men C (2:30 pm)

"Same race as norms. After the first lap I am passed by one person and that is it. Kind of just ride smooth and keep the pressure on. Never bridge to Anthony or Overlook guy. Finish 7th. Great course. I really enjoy cross and love just about everything it has to offer." -Pearl (7th/40)


"I ended up 10th. Not too bad but if I took any care of my self this week and didnt gourge on shitty food and alcohol I may have been able to make a few more moves. I had a cramp in my side the entire race which i'll contribute to the crap fuel i have been feeding me. " -Jeremy (10th/40)


"This race was a bit disappointing for me. Last weekend I had an awesome race in terrible conditions. Looking back at today though, I probably ended up where I should have. I'm not going to make excuses, stuff happens in races and that's part of the game. Its a bike race, and at the end of the day its about having fun, which I did. Its always a good time being out on my bike, especially now when the only time I get to ride during the daylight is on race days and sometimes Saturdays. Next up is the Westwood double." -ChrisRU (17th/40)



The Team

The top 5 on the day was a pair of 3rds, a 4th, a 6th, and a 7th. Solid, and that should help us keep our spot as #2 in the NJ CX Cup. Looking forward to next week and the Westwood double. Bring it on!

Ramwood/Ringapo Extravaganza

Cast of Characters

Chris B (Iggy), Chris S (26er), Dave & John (Igg's pals), The Falcon (Rob P), and me (Woody).











The Plan

Beats the hell out of me!...I caught a rumor that Upper Skyline at 8am was The Place to Be.

The Weather

Perfection!

What a great day to be out riding…Temps were in the 30's to start, but a blazing sun made it feel downright toasty while gearing up in the lot.







We warmed up so quickly that Iggy decided to take a swim in the first creek crossing about 5 minutes into the ride. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the camera out in time.

It got up to around 55 degrees and the sky was Disney Cartoon Blue.







The Ride

(I can never remember the names of the trails up there, so I’ll channel The Falcon here)
We started at the upper Skyline lot, took Red to Yellow to Green to New Red into Ringwood. Then we hit Renegade, up Warm Puppy to Skylands and a bunch of the race course, took Green down into Bear Swamp, and then Cannonball back to the lot.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/126975891


























These trails serve up a kick-ass combination of techy challenge and crazy-fun flow. New Red is just amazing! I can’t imagine how many hours went into building that trail – an insane amount of bench cutting and rock work – huge props go out to all involved in that effort.

Our pace was pretty hot while we were moving, but there were lots of stops to clear deadfall.







26er was having some drivetrain and braking issues, but the Bike Doctor got him squared away lickity split.







And, of course, no Ringwood/Ramapo ride would be complete without some hike-a-bike.







All in all, a great ride, an awesome day to be out playing in the woods, and a real fun time hangin with the boys!

Resizeable pics and more of 'em here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38008833@N03/sets/72157628069217584/.

Is this the most epic weekend of CX in NJ?

When you sit on your patio in July, having maybe your 4th or 5th beer on the last real throw-down of the summer, and think of cross, this is kind of what you have in mind. I say "kind of" because this isn't really what you have in mind. On one hand, it's summer, it's 90 degrees out, and you're drunk. So you're thinking that the easy mid-summer miles are about to end, and you're about to ramp up for the second season, cross season. You think mud, rain and snow, beer and waffles. Maybe not in that order. Maybe not all at once, but that's what you think.

Just...not in October.

With snow (and a shit load of rain) in October, the cross fans were in for a treat. For anyone who was out at Beacon or HPCX, hats off to you. For anyone who was out at both, you may want to check your head. Without question this was an epic weekend. Yes, I said epic.If you were there, you'd know. If you weren't, you should have been. As you sit here and read this, you're safe and warm, just like I am. Point is, you get over it.

Beacon

I wasn't at Beacon this week, but a few team members headed down. We heard tales of a 5 hour drive back in the crazy storm that hit us. Amputated toes, frozen fingers, sideways rain, foot deep puddles and long stretches of sand set the stage for an incredible event. I haven't found many pictures, as 38 degrees, windy and rainy are not ideal photography conditions. I will take everyone elses word for how crazy of a day it was. By all accounts, it was crazy. Fred summed it up in 1 word: Miserable. He later added stuff like: incredible, amazing, epic, and "crap my shower broke."

Results:

Sherry Shapiro - 15th/19 (cat 3/4 women)
Fred Brown - 27th/40 (UCI elite men)
Maurice Gamanho - 2nd/37 (master men 35+)
Ben - DNF (master men 35+)

HPCX 

On Sunday, the snow in Jamesburg quickly turned from 2-3 inches of a hard, crusty surface to soupy, peanut butter deliciousness. After that it got downright stupid, in an awesome way. While a fair bit of New Jersey was without power due to the heavy snow, people decided not to sit in their houses and instead came out to play anyway. The turnout was huge, the day was beautiful, and there was money in the mud before too long. All was good at HPCX.





Mandi battling Melissa atop the short run up.





Freds mud bath, complete.





Ilya through the goop.





The Killer B's. Chaos.

Results:

Chris Ruiz - 16th/65 (men C)
James Pearl -30th/65 (men C)
Eric Capers - 31st/65 (men C)
Chris Gozick - 15th/30 (45+ men)
Mandi Tabbit - 18th/25 (cat 3/4 women)
Maurice Gamanho - 2nd/43 (master men 35+)
Norm Zurawski - 25th/43 (master men 35+)
Fred Brown - 19th/32 (UCI elite men)
Ilya Cantor - 17th/64 (cat 2/3/4 men aka the Killer Bs)

Stay tuned, as there was apparently 17 inches of snow up at Hidden Valley this weekend.