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.

Robin's October 22-23 Weekend Recap

-Contributed by Robin (Robin)

My how times have changed...a year ago the Morris CX race was my first glimpse of what ‘cross is. A year later, I was racing in it. This was my second CX race of the season. After hitting Granogue last week, I was looking forward to lining up with some familiar faces.

I arrived early enough to see Norm and Chris G.’s race and get a glimpse of the course. Shortly after I arrived, Mandi and James pulled in next to me. We had some time before the ladies went off, so we changed, zipped around on our bikes and did a lap on the course...oh and did some fist pumping to Fred’s music.


Time to line up...I would say between both classes, a total of 20 women were at the start, all with smiles and wishing each other the best of luck. I have major “proximity anxiety”...so big groups scare me (i.e. Granogue’s Cat 3-4 line-up). However, I wasn’t too worried about being in the back row, since it was only the second row for our class. And the start was on a “four lane highway”, as Norm put it.

Bam! We’re off...and I sprint up to the front of the pack and into the course. I make my way into the top third of the girls and maintain it through the first lap. Second lap I start to inch up a bit and keep pedaling...I sprinted into the third lap to pass a few ladies...and I paid for it...hence my suffer face....


I managed to stay upright on the bike and had a great time out there. I definitely felt like my mountain bike skills paid off on the turns and some of the twisties...I was dogging on the straight aways. I managed to place 4th - which I was happy with.

The after-party was a blast - cheering on friends and teammates. The sounds of cowbells and cheering carried all over the park. Oh, and the Waffles & Dinges...I’ve been introduced to Speculoos...oh the horror!



Fred and the rest of the fast guys in for an hour of pain


Pearl and the Mens Cat 4 start


From L to R: Fred, Kirt, Capers, ChrisRU, Jeremy, Robin, Pearl


Waffle guys. Yum.


Post Race Treat!


Greystone Morris Cross

Ilya Cantor - 4/36 (cat 3 men)
Utah Joe - 36/36 (cat 3 men, rolled his front tire)
James Pearl - 9/69 (cat 4 men)
Chris Santalucia - 15/69 (cat 4 men)
Chris Ruiz - 17/69 (cat 4 men)
Jeremy Short - 19/69 (cat 4 men)
Eric Capers - 36/69 (cat 4 men)
Jake Kovalcik - 41/69 (cat 4 men)
Robin Evensen - 4/12 (cat 4 women)
Mandi Tabbit - DNF (cat 4 women, pulled calf)
Fred Brown - 3/18 (cat 1/2/3 men)
Norm Zurawski - 5/27 (men 40+)
Chris Gozick - 14/27 (men 40+)
Rob Glick - 5/26 (cat 4 men 40+)
Kirt Mills - 7/26 (cat 4 men 40+)

West Point Sunday

Rob Glick - DNF (master men, mechanical)

Granogue by Fred

-Contributed by The Stash (Fred)



Granogue. If you live on the east coast and race cyclocross you know what Granogue is. If not you should be ashamed of yourself.

Granogue weekend this year will be my third year. My first experience at Granogue was a complete and udder mudfest. I for one typically am not for these kinda races, but something about this place captured my heart. Rain, sleet or snow…Granogue we go!

With all of that out of the way, I wont lie I was not looking forward to the mudfest that I and many others expected this weekend to be. My buddy Pete shredded up the C race and replied that the conditions were not as bad as he thought on my way down 95. Ok…not so bad. But what does that mean? Mud? Soggy ground? WHAT?!?! When we arrived I quick checking out everyone. HEY? Where is the mud? There was none! Happy Happy! Both days were super fast and hard. There was a great mix of technical sections and those that required some power. Granogue’s renowned off camber sections did not fail to disappoint. My front tire which was ripped from my wheel can attest to it!

I love Granogue. Even as I write this now, the morning after my entire body is sore and my head is aching. I feel like I was out late roaming College Ave. Although this weekend was not my weekend results wise I had a blast. I raced hard. I had fun. This whole racing Elite thing when it comes to UCI weekends is something go get used to. That will come.

I had a great weekend enjoying the company of the extended family that is the cyclocross family. You know what I am talking about. We truly don't get to spend enough time together.

My weekend in pictures:




Cameron wants to know, is that moustache real?





Hey you should be riding that off camber section Mr Smiley-Stache!



Mexican Post Race Dinner YUM!



We had a sweet suite for the night!



Stan’s Yellow Tape Seals Charlie’s Air Mattress



Morning!



Team Rockstar’s pre race routine



Riding the “run-up”



Ouch! That really hurt!



In the end it is all about having fun, enjoying friends and of course a few of these.

Cheers!

Team Results: October 15-16 Weekend

Ilya on one of the many run ups at Granogue this Saturday.

Granogue Saturday

Maurice Gamanho* - Master Men 35+ race cancelled due to rider crash
Ben Tufford - Master Men 35+ race cancelled due to rider crash
Ilya Cantor - 33rd B Men
Sherry Shapiro - 30th B Women
Fred Brown - 31st UCI Elite Men

Granogue Sunday

Maurice Gamanho* - 2nd Master Men 35+
Ilya Cantor - 27th Cat 2/3/4 Men
Rob Perazzo - 69th Cat 2/3/4 Men
Chris Ruiz - DFN (rolled tire) Cat 2/3/4 Men
Robin Evensen - 30th Cat 3/4 B Women
Jason Fenton** - 27th Cat 4 Men
Rob Perazzo - 30th Cat 4 Men
Chris Ruiz - 41th Cat 4 Men
Fred Brown - 38th UCI Elite Men

Fred flying.

* races cross for Van Dessel
** of Halter's Cycles fame

Special Delivery: MTBNJ Socks

It was dark when we started. It's an interesting time of year, in that riding at 6:00 isn't an exercise in cold-pain management, but at the same time, the sun isn't remotely close to waking up. In fact, it's not even thinking about the snooze button yet. It's just plain dark out. Witness, too dark to even focus:


We hit the road at 6:23, lights fully blazing. The cast of characters for this one was Chris RU, Kirt, Utah, and myself (Norm). Iggy wants to see a picture of the author for every post, but at this point, the last thing the world needs is more pictures of my ugly mug (at least this early in the morning). Young Rob was close to joining, but he had to work at the shop at 10:00, and it wasn't likely we'd be back in time to allow him to swing that.

We set sail with a mission in mind: get the socks to Fred. The aim was to get one of the few remaining pairs of MTBNJ L/XL socks to Fred so he can deliver them to a special, yet-to-be-named, guest. I had mailed out a top secret letter the day before to go with the sock delivery. If all goes well there will be more news on that front in the future. For now, let's just hope this bike ride will be the beginning of good things to come.

But hey, at worst it was a good bike ride with some good friends. Here we regroup at a traffic light on route 22, the sun having just come up not too long ago. From left to right, Kirt, Utah, and Chris:


You may recognize these guys from...well, pretty much everywhere. To the far right is scorekeeper extraordinaire, Chris RU. You know the short track results that are emailed to you within 1 hour (truth!) of the race being over? That's him. For 2012 I've promised him a monkey with the ability to type 90 words per minute, so you can expect those results to hit the airwaves in less than 4 minutes, 15 minute protest period be damned.

Anyway, on we continued to Fred's house, where he was letting his dog Nacho get some business done before he tried to drool all of us into submission. Fred was getting himself and his bikes ready for the first of his back-to-back cross races down at Granogue this weekend. No comments on the Beastie Boys stache he's got going on:


So I delivered the socks, we had a quick chat in his kitchen, then we were off to tackle the informal Zion Road Time Trial hill climb. We stood around just enough to cool down, so when we hit the road again we were all pretty much freezing. In a few minutes it was business as usual and before long we hit the base of Zion Road, far too deep into the ride to post any meaningful results.

In the end, only Utah and I took a shot at it. He led most of the way up the hill, but towards the top I jumped around him and did my best to make the top 5 of the overall. Alas, due to my proficiency at eating ice cream, I failed in that quest. I rang in a bit of a disappointing 9:52 which puts me in 8th place.

Here's the end of the run, a picture taken with Robin from another day. As much fun as it would have been to ride with her she wasn't around for today's festivities:


From there it was an about face, cruise back down the hill, then a route home which was exactly the way we had come - a true out and back. Normally I'd try to make a loop out of it, but with time constraints we needed to be as efficient as possible. The day was warming up on the return, but it continued to be a breezy one. The wind hurt more on the the front half, and going home we had the pleasure of picking up some tailwind. But as anyone who rides the road knows, the wind is against you something like 80% of the time. So it was on this day.


We rolled in just a shade over 3 hours, which was more than enough for me. Just like cross season last year, my ability to ride much more than about 90 minutes at a time disappears. In addition to the day being a special sock delivery, I wanted to help remember that big base I built way back in January when I was riding overseas for 6 weeks while everyone here was snowed in. Not sure that 1 day is going to do it. But of course, 1 is a bit more than 0.

When we got back, my daughter Julia ran out and greeted us with smiles. It was a good day, and it was nice to see her so excited to come out and say good morning. She's in this goofy stage now where she can't smile normally when a camera comes out, so this was purely for the moment. Notice the clasped hands and left foot slightly twisting off the ground. Where do kids get this stuff?


In all, a good day, sock delivery or not. I enjoy fall riding, be it mountain biking in the wet fallen leaves, cross races in the mud, or plain old road riding. No matter which way you slice it, this ends up being a great time of year to be out on your bike. Yes, it can be a bit chilly in the morning. But I love the crisp air and the changing season. Do yourself a favor and get out there while it's still nice out.

-Norm