Quaker City

Matchbook

Quaker City made huge strides forward in course design, a vast improvement from it's inaugural race last year.   If it stays small, and keeps itself on the schedule after Town Hall,  it fits in  nice with what I'd like.   A weekend of climbing.   and a bit of "locals" racing. 

I burnt a lot of matches early, and suffered, trying to stay fourth.  I had to dig, and never got out of the hole I put myself in.   I spent most of my time over the limit.    The gap in front of me got away.  

I finished 4th.

Carlos Cabalu,  I like his photos.  I like that he shoots film.  He knows his stuff.

Three of his shots:

                   photo: Carlos Cabalu

                         photo: Carlos Cabalu

                      photo: Carlos Cabalu

My legs hurt, I'm tired, I've got a couple little bits to teach myself/change, .....a good weekend.

Cheers!  dlowe

Snake Eyes

the paper is strewn about the floor, kicked aside, from the rabid excitement to rip open our presents.
I know what I've got,  and I know what you've got.
and it's now just down to work,
Race Race Race
and I know that somehow,
I think I got it in me,
somewhere
I really want to stand on that top box.



Town Hall Cross:
More awesomeness from promoters & crew.   Hard it was, all done up rightly nice.  parking, toilets, officiating, great job on crushing me, with a longer uphill, no switch backs, and the drop and pea stones, Nice!

I clipped in fine, and us old folks got off to battle, Me and Paul Wahner squared off again.
I punched him in the abs, he slapped my ear.
I bit his thumb,
and he kicked my ass.
Wahner 2nd
dlowe 3rd.

Rick was nimble and smart, He left us all in the dust,  Douglas Gray, Kevin, all of us to our infighting,
and again got the best view, from atop the biggest box.


maybe I'll make up spoke cards for the waterice ride it's "Snake Eyes"  11 next year.

                                        photo: m.c. delicious  Derek Green

Cheerio, dlowe

Tent Life

Nittany CX   "Turnaround"

             crushing myself, and some peeps having happy tent time Photo: Bob Wassell jr.

I was in a bit of a funk,  my mind, on day one,  it just would not sit down.  I tried to focus on the process, prep, eating, pre-riding.  I was fixated on cornering, I wiped out a couple of times during the warm up laps.  and during the race, sitting in the lead group of  the  55+  I took the first dirt turn in the woods, and washed the front wheel out, plowed into and blocked the line up for the group.
I also wiped out around the 180 downhill,  I never got into the groovey mind set of racing.   but in the end, I had a good race, and finished 5th.

I think I suffered more, in my brain, than muscle and lungs.

                                      my internal fight - photo: Bob Wassell jr.
Day two,
the course is turnaround, and races the opposite direction.

I did not figure out a way to dissipate my internal demon thoughts, they just left me.
I got a great start, sitting in the front group again, comfortable, even put in a dig on the front.
then, dangled and got gapped, dug hard, and deep.
I had Paul Wahner gapped, but you know the Wahner Bros.  they ride like the Krays, proper English Gangsters,  they don't forgive a debt, and will make you pay.  With not a lick of concern for their pain, or well being,  they will get you!   Paul f'n chased me down, as soon as he caught me, I attacked, he was gapped a hair, and then there again, I attacked, ditto.   He came around, and I followed his wheel, to finish the last lap,  I was gonna wait, as long as I could, and not give him a chance to get me back.  I went on the finish straight, and just nipped him at the line,  maybe got him by 8 inches.

                                       glued on - Photo: Ryan Filson

                                     Tent life, post day one  Photo: Glenn Turner

at the end of day two, sitting under Ben's tent, chatting it up, I looked at Kelly Cline, "I don't want to go back to the real world"  

good weekend.

Cheers!  dlowe

The Pits

Fairhill.

what I remember,  not much, hot, going hard,  trying to escape the grim reaper bearing down on me the last two laps,  You don't want to look in the rear view mirror and see a Chris Long,  closing in on you.  The 55+ riders, the front group,  seems to be pretty even in strength, some a bit up, some a bit down each race.   A couple just a bit stronger than the rest.


The course, excellent,... I took some stuff I learned in a cx clinic this year, and took a wider outside line in the corners, and conserved my effort, as much as I could.    The people in the pits,  spraying a little water on me,  that helped.  Big old Rob Sutherland,  dousing me like a flash dancing cx racer.

Cheap Mexican beer, is good on hot days, and sitting in the shade with the grim reaper, after the race with Feathermen, and others,... dazed-iling chatting, cooked,  boiled, poached, roasted, seared.

It was hot,  it was just another obstacle to master,....and  to hold off the grim reaper,... just look ahead, ride hard, smart, don't pop,  keep away from the reaper.

Cheers to V3 Fairhill,  just as excellent as always.

dlowe

I had my camera, but have gotten a bit lazy and focused on other aspects of the day.  so more poached photos...

                                    thankful for photos:  Bill White photographer

start of the Master's 55,  still shaking it out, we are riding a bit to much, nose to ass, as a group, anxious to win,... as a group, an early attack, steady and strong drops the clogged infighting group of chasers, for sure!


that is Rob with the beard,  seeing him each lap,  was like seeing a greek god,  pelting me the weak mortal man, with just a tad of water,

so  much awesome!

                                   photo:  Bill White!

New Kids on the Blocks

Hug your promoter.



Granogue,  just Delaware in general, I consider,  since I first started inkling around in cross, to be a Mother Land.   The riders, the land, the talent, teaching,  it's community of good hearted humored peeps, it's proud independence, diy,  They have a strange way of naming things, down there;  The Blue Hen Chicken,  The DCCoD (delaware cross coalition of Delaware,  the new flyover  DMBoD (Delaware memorial bridge of Delaware).
The place, does seem to be a soul of cross in this area.  It emanates from Delaware.   Granouge is the epicenter of CX for me.

       photo:  Delawarean Dennis Smith

I bumped up an age group this year,  to the lofty in years sounding 55+.     I learned a lot last year racing, 45+, and, damn,  If I won't need every trick in the book to f'n survive and battle these blokes.   It was a blast to be out there, it was a good race for me,  nose down and pedaling hard the whole race.  A grand 3rd place as a reward.     These guys might talk a bit less,  at a lower volume, better chosen words, reserved a bit, with more respect,   ....pushing their reading glasses up the bridge of the nose to be able to read results, ...they made me feel welcomed, the new blood into the clan.  

Thanks for the rude awaking, old guys,   and thanks for trying to crush the life out of me,  I promise to try and bring it every race, to crush you,  you bald, blind, and arthritic,  55+er's.

at the end of the day leaving Granogue,  I did something I picked up at the end of last years racing, from Marc V,  I saw Paul and Lisa,  the promoters.   I thanked them,  I HUGGED them,  wrapped my arms around them and squeezed 'em.     A big hard hug,  all the way down to the core of every rider, volunteer, and tricky off camber turn, to the tips of  VP Joe Biden's black shoes.


Cheers!  to the Blue Hen Chickens!

dlowe