Enzo is the national road champ !!

Yes- in the junior 15-16 age group you are looking at the winner , pictured here with his parents at last year's CX nationals. Before he gets scooped up by a pro-devo program it looks like Enzo will be going to Arkansas with the rest of the team for serious racing and questionable dining. I have a bit of work to do on his behalf to get him ready for the fall campaign but it's obvious that Enzo is more than ready to get to the next level.
 

Larry Bullard , team racer and sponsor.

 Back in 2004 we started the Rock Lobster team. Jeff Traugott and I were the split sponsors and for the first year we kept the team rolling in a very modest way. In 2005 the Spokesman bicycles sent a couple my way who were interested in getting cyclocross bikes. They were Larry and Karen Bullard. Very nice folks and enthusiastic about the local CX race scene they were keen to get the team issue frames and start riding in the dirt. 

Once the bikes were done, Larry came by to pick up his bike. He did a short test ride and Simon and I watched him quickly roll by and said to each other : "Hey, maybe we should ask him to be on the team "Larry looked at us as if we had just handed him the keys to the city- needless to say , he said yes. He raced and eventually made it onto the podium for the overall in the local CCCX series-something I had failed to do for about 5 seasons. We, and he were very stoked.

The next year , Larry asked what it took to be the title sponsor of the team. I told him the various levels of sponsorship and what it would mean in terms of logo placement on the team kits. Immediately he wrote a check and we were team HRS (Human resource solutions - Karen's business ) for the next four seasons. The 2006 kits were the notorious argyle with Karen's puzzle piece logo mixed in. It was a big year for the team with trips to the USGP races in Portland and Tacoma and the nationals in Providence. Team HRS was getting national exposure and Larry and Karen were the ones helping to make it possible.

Larry was always upbeat, positive and wickedly funny without trying to be- he would just make an observation that would be a hilarious truth that most of us might have overlooked. Larry and Karen came to the team parties and got to know the rag-tag CX crew and they accepted us with all of our various eccentricities. They were never trying to steer the team or change anything we were doing- they were unconditionally supportive and really helped launch us to another level. 

Larry passed away last weekend , a victim of cancer. He had only just retired from his career at AMD the previous December. He was just starting out on retirement with a dream house that he and Karen built in Scottsdale, AZ. Larry was dedicated, worked hard-was a positive influence on everyone he came into contact with from my experience. He, and Karen's enthusiasm and support for the team in its early years was elemental in getting the team national exposure and helped create the reputation that it has to this day- a group of racers who value having fun while racing and showing people that as difficult as CX can be, the community does not take itself too seriously. 

Larry is gone too soon and he will be missed but his and Karen's role in building this team will never be forgotten . Rest in peace , my friend. 

Nationals day five

grey skies but warmer temperatures were on hand for the final day of races. The super fast tacky conditions of the day before were altered in a big way by a rain storm that lasted the night. The course was  soupy mud on one side and chunky slippery mud on the other side. It would be hard to keep the bike upright on the Sunday version of the course at Joe Creason park. Our solo junior at this years nationals was Enzo Berghout in the 15-16 race . Enzo got a third row start -even with five falls he managed to break into the top-20 with a 19th place finish in his first trip to the nationals.

Later in the day Kathleen Bortolussi would line up with the women's 60-64 age group . Kathleen has had a few trips to the nationals but usually sickness or injury prevented her from success. This time nothing got in the way and she rode to a podium and a medal in 4th place. After decades of racing she can mow claim a national medal racing against the best in her age group in truly difficult conditions.

Last race of the day would be men's single speed. Max Judelson has raced many a single speed nationals in the ten years he has spent on the team but this would be Andy Wulfkhule's first try at it. The course was still very slippery but both riders kept their bikes upright with Max finishing 7th and Andy finishing 14th. 

With two podiums and a couple top 10 finishes and everyone in at least the top 20 , this was a very good nationals for the team. We came with a small crew but definitely made an impact. The director of the race thanked me personally for bringing the team and taking part. Next year the race will be in Fayetteville, Arkensas but the same director and crew will be putting it on. I think there's a good chance we will make the trip.

 

Nationals day four

Today was a day for heroic rides and that what happened. In the early afternoon Dan English lined up for the U-23 UCI race without having planned to do CX racing this season- it was an afterthought. His ride to 6th place was done with style and consistantcy-he looked in control the whole time and had a great last lap to pickup a place. Not bad for someone who was not totally focused on CX.

Max and Andy rode the Elite race and both had to start in the back rows. It did not take long for the both of them to move up and ensure that they both finished on the lead lap.Max came in 12th and Andy came in 20th-both of them improving on their results from last year on the same course. It was a good day.

 

Natonals Day three

 The night before Friday's races was prime for a team dinner with pasta, roasted vegetables and salad-just as it has been for many years. Having dinners at the team house is a tradition going back since the beginning of the team in 2004. Friday would have Max and Andy riding in their respective age-group races. 

Max was first to race at 9:00 AM and had a front row call up. He made the most of it and rode away from the field with two other riders. Soon he had only one other rider with him and a real battle for the win went on for nearly half the race. Max wound up second with a silver medal and the first podium of the trip for the team. He really rode a great race and left it all out on the course.

The next race at 10:00 was Andy's first race of the season after a couple of months of illness. Nobody knew how he would roll and having the last call up in a field of nearly 40 riders would make things even more difficult. As soon as the race started Andy began to pass riders and wound up 7th at the end-a remarkable ride and a heroic one for sure-one of the most memorable in years.

Tomorrow the elite races are happening so another big dinner tonight-big day tomorrow with Andy, Max and Dan English riding .

Nationals , day two Master's 70-74

I was the only one to race on this day with the absence of Rick Ortenblad. When I got my number I knew that I would be starting at the very back-upholding a long relationship I have had with USA Cycling - which is essentially, I give them money and they allow me to have the chance to pass as many people as I can. While I'm not as happy as they might be with this relationship , there really is no experience like riding at the nationals......even starting behind a whole field of your peers. Below you can see in print that not only was my call-up the last one, there's no point total- not even the points from the last nationals. By not racing last year because of injury I guess I am not in their records. They did not demote me to a lower category though....
 

So- I did my best to pass as many people as possible and wound up 18th. I can thank friend of the team and fellow racer Jim Gentes for doing Nor-Cal a solid and setting up a heated tent with trainers just for Nor-Cal racers to use.I used the outdoor trainer to stay used to the 32 degrees and did about a 30 minute warmup before my race. This would not have happened without the generosity of Mr. Gentes, who has year in a year out really looked out for Nor-Cal teams and racers. I tip my hat to you, Jim !

Day one - nationals at Louisville, Ky.

Day one at Joe Creason park started out pretty cold but dry. The course appears to be about 95% turf. This of course will change to mud when the predicted rain shows up on the weekend . Unlike last year, the course features some steep uphills and no less than three sets of stairs, two of them being stone. There's a set of UCI height barriers as well. I got to ride the course today and found the lap to be pretty 'heavy' with the turf and climbs making it tough to get any speed. This is a good thing as the lap will take longer and people worrying about being lapped will have less to worry about. That said, punchy climbers will have fun on this course.
 

VSRT race in honor of Jim Lund

It's a long drive from anywhere to get to Rancho Los Mocos for the VSRT race but if you make the trip you will be rewarded witha CX course unlike any other in Nor-Cal. The track is almost like an MTB short-track course with a good climb, some twisty singletrack and some fast descending. That said, there was a proper CX race in many respects. For some, this would be a last tune-up before the nationals starting next week in Lousiville, Ky. 

In all, we had nine racers from the team taking part and some very good results spanning nearly all of the age groups . 

 

In the juniors 10-14 Noah Hekkert got the win.

In the men's 35 A race Eric Brown got 2nd. 

In the men's 45 A race Carl Hekkert got 7th

In the 60 A race Paul Sadoff got 3rd.

In the women's 55+ race Kathleen Bortolussi got 2nd.

In the open B race Finn Cunningham got 2nd with Kai Yee coming in 7th.

In the men's single speed A race Matt Miller came in 2nd.

In the men's single speed B race Jaiden Ramiro came in 4th.

In the Pro-women's race Maddie Ortenblad came in 2nd. 

Nutty 'cross- Dixon, Calif.

Nutty 'cross.......Le Mans starts ?  Big pond ride with muddy slip-and-slide followed by a ride over some decomposing hay bales ? Chickens everywhere ? Almost as many spectators as racers ? -Yes....this is the second year of this race and it is definitely a thing, maybe the most popular one-day race in Nor-Cal. 

So, what happened ? To me it looked like everyone had a great time and without a really technical course there still was some exciting racing. The spot to watch was the pond-about a foot and a half deep, followed by an off-camber that got muddier as the day went on. Racers in the morning had little trouble with it.Later in the day, about half the racers wound up on the ground slipping and sliding in the mud. It was a great day for the spectators. Here's how the team did that day:

Junior 10-14 race 

Kai Yee  1st.

Noah Hekkert 7th.

Men's B race

Finn Cunningham 3rd

Kai Yee 5th

Gene Park 14th

Women's 55+

Kathleen Bortolussi 2nd.

Men's 60+ A

Paul Sadoff 8th

Men's 35 A

Eric Brown 1st.

Women's single speed 

Maddie Ortenblad 1st.

Men's single speed A

Connor Hormell 5th

Matt Miller 8th

Kyle Taylor 10th

Men's A Elite

Brendan Lehman 6th

Fields were large and about 370 racers took part. Pretty sure we will be back in 2025.

 

Sacramento CX Miller park

Windy day and lots of turf,short punchy climbs and turns on this course. The team did well and the racing was fast. 

Kathleen Bortolussi won the women's 60+ race with time to spare in spite of two dropped chains.

Rick and I raced the 60+ men's A race with Rick coming in 9th and me 8th. 

Matt Miller did a great ride to come in 4th in the single speed A category 

Maddie Ortenblad got on the podium with a 3rd place in the women's elite race. Kailin came in 15th in the men's elite race and Kyle Taylor had a DNF in the single speed A race- not sure why but probably a mechanical. 

 I think the race was well put on and the course was a lot of fun for the most part. 

Surf City CX next weekend.

 I know that it is tempting to stay away and sip latte's and chardonnay in the comfort of your pied a terre , but resist the urge to idle...... get up to the Crest Ranch and do some laps , maybe do some heckling and most importantly, do what you can to make the event one to remember. These times are ephemeral and we only live so long.......now is the time, not later as there might not be a later-at least for this event. It all comes down to what we put into it. If many of us stay home , the event will die. It's just up the hill 9.25 miles.......surely most of you can do that. Get yourself and your bike up to the Crest Ranch next weekend-you might not regret it......hey, only one way to find out. 

Bariani CX , Zamora

Out in the middle of the central valley it is usually very hot and dry this time of year but this day the conditions were much nicer for this flat and very fast course. The team showed up in most of the categories with some very good results. 

Kai Yee got the win in the junior 10-14 race with Noah Hekkert getting second.

In the masters A races the team was well represented starting with Eric Brown getting 4th in the 35 A race, Carl Hekkert getting 4th in the 45 A race and I got 4th in the 60 A race followed by Rick Ortenblad in 5th.

Kai Yee returned to race in the open B category and finished 12th. 

A big result for the day was Matt Miller finishing on the podium in 3rd in the single speed A race. Another standout ride was junioe Enzo Berghout finishing 2nd in the men's A race after leading it for at least 4 laps. Nathan Delaney also rode the men's A race and finished 5th. 

I really wish that I had gotten more photos but I'm sure that some will show up on the event website as there were at least three photographers track side that were very active during the event. The course was a lot of fun with some very fast sections, some whoops and a little pump track , even a flyover. I would encourage all to check out this course next year-I have to say that it was one of my favorites.

 

RIP, the Wolf- Dave Wyandt

 A mythical racer on the team- really much more than just a bike racer- has passed. Dave Wyandt was only on the team for a few seasons and newer racers might not know his name but anyone who raced CX in the years from 1998-2010 would know his name. Dave started racing young and was a top junior MTB racer at 16. He went into cyclocross not long after and was on the legendary Clif Bar team in the early '2000's. He was good enough to podium at a UCI race and race pro on the road.

Starting a family meant that Dave had to give up his cycling career and work closer to home. It was around 2007 that I invited him into the team and immediately he changed the dynamic of the elite team adding his experience and wisdom. Other racers on the team really appreciated his low key take on CX and his sense of humor. He seemed to be the smartest person in the room without any arrogance. He mostly worked to help his team mates win, even in races where he was clearly the strongest. 

Dave was usually holding court at team parties and led animated discussions about much more than racing. He had depth as a person and was an original thinker , seeing things that most others overlooked. 

On our team socks there's always some sort of ironic saying and it changes every year. This year's saying is "It's never too late to be late " . A favorite from 2008 was "We're not happy until you're not happy" . Dave came up with one that summed up CX racing with just three words. The team was at the Sierra Point night race, an event that can draw 800 racers. The sad truth is that 95% of these racers have no chance at a win and little chance of getting anywhere near the podium. Several of us were at the course and as usual, music was blaring loudly and not the kind of music that Dave appreciated.A Journey song came on :" Don't stop believing" . Upon hearing this dave uttered :" Don't start believing " . The irony of this illustrated the futility of most people's racing experience while at the same time was a hilarious parody of the song. I had to put this gem from Dave on the team socks and the next order I did. 

Dave will be missed by many, even those that didn't know him that well. He did not live long but seemed to have been on the CX scene forever. Even people older than Dave referred to him as the "Old Man". In the ultimate irony, he didn't live to be old and died way too young. Rest in peace Dave and shred the great beyond. I sure hope the music is better wherever you are now.......

Some like it hot, some not- Surf City UCSC

102 degrees greeted the 200+ brave riders at the Surf City UCSC CX race, pretty much a re-creation of a nationals course from several decades ago. Courses then were quite different so the addition of some really sketchy parts made for interesting racing. The amazing thing was that the red cross tent was not busy at all.....seems that people paid attention and managed tp keep the rubber side down- no small feat on this course. the absence of rain and the hot air made for a dusty and dry day with never enough water handups. That said, people did appreciate the uniqueness of the event and of course the view of the bay.

Early races started with the juniors. Noah Hekkert got 3rd in the 9-14 age group.

In the masters 35 C race Patrick Lewis got 10th. In the masters 35 A race Eric Brown got 3rd.

In the masters 45 A race Carl Hekkert got 7th. In the masters 60+ A race Greg Foy came out of retirement to get on the podium in 5th , followed by Rick Ortenblad in 6th and Paul Sadoff a distant 7th.

The women of the team showed up in record numbers and if it weren't for them, it would have been a pretty low turnout. The women's A podium was nearly a sweep for the team with Dani Moreshead winning , Mara Valcarcel 2nd, Hannah Solberg 3rd and our Pennsylvania team mate Clem Nixon in 5th.

In the womens single speed Maddie Ortenblad got the win with newcomer Keelen Senkier getting second in her first race. Chloe Ortiz got the win in womens tracklocross. In the womens masters 45+ Sarah Jordan got 2nd with Kathleen Bortolussi getting second in the womens 55+. 

Men's A field had Max Judelson traveling up from So-Cal to take 4th with Anthony Griffin Yeh coming in 8th , Nathan Delaney in 11th, Enzo Sapojnikoff in 12th and Kailin Waterman in 14th. 

In the single speed mens A race Dylan Gong got 4th, Gene Selcov 6th, Matt Miller 7th and Kyle Taylor 11th. In Tracklocross , fixed gear specialist Isaac Estrada got the win with Gene Park coming in 2nd. 

The team raced well but also did the heavy lifting along with other volunteers to create a course where one had never been-back in the '70's and 80's other parts of the campus were used for the CX races so this was a real challenge to find a long enough lap to really have a proper race. At one mile, this course was short but with all the obstacles and the searing heat it was a very long mile. Will it happen again next year ? Time will tell. 

 

Big race weekend at UCSC- Surf City CX # 1 , Oct. 6th

 Sunday will see the first CX race on the UCSC campus in nearly 30 years. The team and other locals are pitching in to put on an old school CX event of the most primitive style. There's going to be some really rough ground to negotiate on the course but since everyone has to ride on the same track it is an even playing field-if a rough one. 

We will have out of town guests in the form of Max Judelson and Clementine Nixon- both of them CX nationals stars with Clem being the current women's 35-39 national champion. This might be the most complete gathering of the team this season so show up and be part of a historic day. 

First race of the season- Sacramento CX race #1 , Napa Skyline park.

I have not ridden here since 2008 and that was a single speed MTB race. This is the first time I have heard about the park being used for CX and I'm glad there's another venue out there. 

We did not have a big group at this race but there were some good results. The standout would be Noah Hekkert winning the middle school boy's race-it was one of the larger fields of the day.

His father Carl got 5th in the men's 50+ A race.

I scored a rare podium in 3rd in the men's 60+ A race and Rick Ortenblad got 5th , even though he missed the start. He also did not have his timing chip on so he won't appear in the proper place in the results but trust me, he came in 5th.

Kailin Waterman rode to 12th in the men's A elite race , even with a bike change. 

Next stop- UCSC -all you Santa  Cruz team people should be there and help us put on this race....it will be historically significant as this is the 40th anniversary of the nationals being held there.