Chequamegon and Cross is in the air

Going back two weekends, it was the big race of the year, Chequamegon. I say big race of the year because this race has a personal meaning to me more than most. If you’re a long time reader you’ll remember that last year I said I’ve been racing it since I was a young kid. I’ve been up in the Chequamegon forest in September every year since I can remember in some form or another. I’ve been doing the kids races, and Sunday Funday since I could ride a bike. More than any other race, Chequamegon has informed my opinion about what mountain biking is and what kind of an experience racing a bike should be. To really make it stick, I should get some old photos together some time.

Dad trying to get fresh with me.

So going into Chequamegon there is always more at stake than just another race. It’s always been the way my dad measured his season’s success and as I am his son, it’s the same for me. Beyond that, This year has seen some milestones, but overall hasn’t been all that I hope it would be. I was looking for one more stamp of success to be satisfied with the mountain bike season for 2014. Certainly a top 10 and a top 5 was really what I wanted.

The course had some surprises for us. Heavy rain and winds the month prior to the race had trees down all over and the directors scrambling to hold the race. They did an excellent job because the race went off fine. They removed a sizable chunk of birkie trail and added in fire roads instead. No problem there, but in my opinion it was one of the easiest courses I’ve raced.  But it didn’t make the race any easier. Jeremiah Bishop took the start along with the usual cast of characters including Eric Thompson, Isaac Neff, Corey Stelljes, Brian Matter, and the whole crew. Sure to be fast and furious. In fact the forest roads presented a challenge for those of us at the front. With the course being easier, it wasn’t enough to just ride fast to make the selections because unlike the birkie trail, the forest roads just weren’t hard enough to make that happen. The group was much bigger than it normally was and this made for some nervous riders. Brian and I being teammates traded attacks to try and add some extra dimension to the race, but they only served to thin the group a little. We came into Sealy Fire Tower road with a big group. The small climbs leading up to the big Fire Tower climb thinned the group more and I made a concerted effort to position myself well in the group knowing what was coming.

But even though my efforts were successful, they didn’t help as much as I hoped. I was certainly in the correct position but when the chips were down I didn’t have it and once again saw the leaders pull away and crest the top about 30 seconds in front of me. But as much as I struggle on the climb, I’m strong on the back side descending to the finish. Of course it’s a lot of up and down from there, but I was able to catch the group in front of me and turned the screws in an effort to bridge up. It wasn’t in the cards but I had the best legs and was able to manage 10^th, winning the group I ended up in with David Lombaro, David Flaten and Jeff Hall. Good company for sure and happy to take 10^th. Additionally, Brian was able to take the W, and I’d like to think it was in some small part because I helped, although that’s doubtful. He makes it #6 and that’s no fluke.

I made it back to Madison Sunday night, got some sleep and made a fast change of gears to get ready for my first CX race of the year at the Trek CXC Cup. Not only is the race held at Trek HQ which is neat, it’s a stacked national level field. It was last year and it was this year. I spent the week not so much training for CX, but just getting my body ready for the shock. Tuesday I did 5 hard laps out at badger prairie and then Wednesday hit up CX practice at Badger prairie as well. Tuesday night I was able to pick up a pair of very awesome Crocketts from Emery’s and build one up in time for the CX practice. I’m really happy with the bike. The handling geometry is fast and precise and it loves to accelerate. It’s made for racing and bread from the best, Katie Compton and Sven Nys. Nuff said.  To go along with the bike I was lucky enough to have the support from PSImet with their 38W wheels and Challenge Tires off course to wrap them. More about Psimet in a latter post.

The Trek CXC Cup has a certain atmosphere about it. I missed it last year so I was excited to make it out this year. It really does carry with it the old party feel from the Sun Prairie USGP race but there is something more. There is the feel that this is something important. We’re not just out there racing our bikes, we’re there racing in the dawning of big American cyclocross. The fans are amazing, the support is big and its all run very professionally.

Anyway, my races. Saturday I showed up with good legs and felt relaxed. The big theme of the later part of 2014 has been that I’ve really been able to dial in my race preparation. I’ve been looking at each part and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Recognizing good races and what went wrong and recognizing good races and why they were good. Not just looking at results, but how I raced. But none of that mattered too much Saturday since two laps in, sitting 13^th and feeling good, I flatted. Po po.

Sunday went much better. Once again, legs were good. Maybe not quite as good as Saturday but almost, certainly more rested then everyone else. The only thing was the last row start. After racing hard off the line, I was able to settle in to a rhythm around 15^th and started picking off a few more riders. I made it up to 13^th, and for a brief moment, 12^th, but succumb to the rider behind and finished 13^th. Overall I’m very happy with the weekend, but looking for more this CX season. Next big UCI race will be Jingle CX as I’ll be more focused locally. Thanks for reading! Coming soon will be a review of the rig I’m on!