Crank Brothers USGP Round One and Two

Sorry it is just a little late. Day One: When we finally left the hotel room after a late nite arrival, we learned the course was 500 feet outside our door. This was rad. We all walked over to the course, I picked up my numbers and I was number 20! The course was super fun and fast with four sand pits, a railroad tie run up and the infamous green monster fly over.

With all the PRO racers converging on one venue for the race weekend I was rightfully expecting some super fast and aggressive racing. The start straight was called the "wholeshot of death" and that was because after the flat pavement straight it made a left hook and the course quickly narrowed. If I thought my start on Sunday in Cincinnati was good, my start on this first day at the USGP was great. I followed Trebons' wheel into that first turn. I was off the pavement well in the top twenty surrounded by guys I am very unfamiliar racing with. It did not last long and things shuffled and settled in, but for that few hundred feet, it was pretty damn cool to be right in the thick of it.

I really focused on riding a consistent race. And it showed. With every pass of the pit Sam was calling out 26th to me and I was riding in the same group for the first four or five laps. Then the group started to fall apart and I was riding to hold my position. With some familiar riders in front of me I kept on the gas trying to catch them. With the lap cards coming down, I could see that a few riders in front of me were slowing down and I was riding with a couple new riders. I was trading pulls with Will from the Richard Sachs team and felt pretty good to be riding with him. We were representing the two best cross frame builders in the matter of a few feet. So with two to go, I turned it on as best I could. Not a whole lot changed in the standings, but it felt really good to push the pace again at the end of the race instead of slowing down.

I crossed the line well on the lead lap at 24th. There were 56 starters, so I felt really good to finish in the top half, in the money and without having blown up at 40 minutes. It left me excited to race again the following day and maybe pick off a few guys who may have gotten tired from today.

Day 2: The course for the second day of the Louisville USGP was much the same as the first. Hours turned into minutes after a bunch of warm up laps, it was go time.

The second day always seems a little bit more relaxed. But after a not so stellar starting position forcing me towards the fence I had to back off the pedals breifly. That couple seconds was all it took for much of the field to surge ahead. Not the end of the world, as I was probably in the top half.

I was not being aggressive enough through the first half of a lap and it cost me. By the time we were passing the pit for the first time, I was riding at about 32nd. A couple of bad moves later and I was even further behind. It was time to put some of those guys behind me, so I set up to make a pass through the barriers. We all rode into them hot, and where the guys in front of me slowed a little stepping through, I didn't let up, hoping for a hole and an opportunity to slip through. That hole never appeared and I ran into the back of another rider. I tripped and hit the ground hard. Next thing I saw was the blue sky, and I had that panic... was I hurt? My bike? The other rider? I stayed down for a second and then everyone started yelling at me. "Get up! Go get them!" By their call everything was ok, so I got myself together the best I could and pressed on.

As I hit the ground one of the cantilevers released, spun on its' axis and was rubbing the rim. The design of Paul Components brakes is brilliant. Where other brakes probably would have broken completely and more than likely damaged the brake mounts in the fork, Paul designs the springs in his brakes to release when they are forced the wrong way. I babied myself and the bike the short distance to the pit. Switched with Sam again and rode out of the pit with Adam McGrath. I was pretty convinced my race was over at this point, but Adam was wearing the U23 leaders jersey. I turned around and told him that I wasn't sure how long I could go, but that I'd help him out and to tuck in behind me. It turned out he was having an even worse day than me and was not able to hold on for long.

So, I am sitting in no mans land in 36th place. But the more I rode, the more I loosened up and felt good on the bike. The course was still a super fun time to ride and there were so many sections that were meant to be railed. With five to go I started catching guys. I stayed on the pedals and kept pushing. The laps kept coming down and I was still slowly getting around riders. I finished strong and rode the remainder of the race after the crash pretty smoothly. So again, I finished on the lead lap and in 26th place. Not as good as I had hoped, but I am pretty confident had I not crashed like an idiot, I could have been more in the range of 22nd.

It was a super fun weekend. And it felt great to finish strong in such a fast field. Photo by: Amanda.

Bucket Heads got some skillz

Newby RL kid Scott "Buckethead" Chapin jumping the log at Mclaren Park cross race
See the race vid here:
http://vimeo.com/2014166

Surf City sensation

Seems like this team can't stay off the podium at the local events. I wish I had been more attentive with the camera to catch some of the racing action as these shots only show the aftermath of what was a terrific day for the team. If not for a few flat tires the overwhelming strength of the team would have been even more impressive. As it was, there was Courtney Grossman continuing to be a factor in the 35 B men, Scott Calley doing the same in the 45 B men and Brett Lambert continuing his quest for the NCCA cup overall in the 45 A men. Stella and Sarah rode away from the rest of the womens elite field and had no real challenge after 4 laps. It was if the train had left the station and two engines were going full blast-it was impressive to say the least. Josh Snead looked good to win the elite men but suffered a flat in the last two laps but held on for third. Scott Chapin rode to a strong fifth and an impressive A.K. passed much of the field in the closing laps to finish seventh. Alex work had a great start and held onto twelfth while Aaron Odell finshed tenth in spite of a flat . Frank Kalcic also had a flat in his race but was very much the center of attention in the tent with his BBQ-beer-tap trailer. Tim Watson brought an actual real coffin for an authentic Halloween decoration. Matt Jordan rode well with Tim in the 35 plus men. Tom Fox had a top ten finish in the 45 plus A group and Steve Itano and I finished twelfth and eleventh in the 45 B men.

ChiCrossCup: Taking on the Local Crowd in the Windy City

It was strange to roll up to the line and feel like a marked man. This was the first local Chicago race I had made it too this year and the first time I would be racing against some of the local fast guys. It quickly shaped up to be a great day so I wasn’t worried.

At the start, as much as I didn't want to, I took the hole shot-- those UCI starts just get under your skin and stick with you. I lead out the first half of lap, then traded pulls with Scott from the SRAM factory team a few times. After a lap or so, Scott asked me to pull for real, as if he sensed I was not totally on the gas and we were making a gap on the rest of the field, so I turned it on a little. Though the second lap, he was falling off my wheel through the corners. I had intended to try to work with him, but later I'd learn I was putting time into him on the barriers and through the sand and he was pushing too hard to close the gap after them.

So with two of ten laps down I settled into a solid pace, riding alone off the front. And it was super solid. I managed to make the gap bigger with each lap, topping out at about 30 seconds on second place. The cover band was playing welcome to the jungle by G'n'R and I was loving the course. With 4 to go, I was at the point where I normally was loosing speed and fitness, instead feeling incredible. I was passing lapped traffic and everything was going great.

Then with three to go disaster struck. I washed out in a corner and a lapped rider who was riding my wheel ran over my back end and slashed the sidewall of the tire in the process. I had a good lead on second place at this point so I rode the flat into the pit and grabbed the "B" bike.

Disaster number two. I had not pumped up the tires in the "B" bike before the race. So what would have been my ride to a win, was a ride on two practically flat tires. I will never make that mistake again. Julie was on the backside of the course and I told her what was wrong so she went to the pit to find a solution. A new friend lent her his rear wheel and my bike was ready for me the next time around. That saved my race and gave me a chance to catch Scott, who had slipped by me. I grabbed the bike change with one to go and a 20 second gap to close to take back the lead. I laid it all down. Half way though the final lap, I had 10 seconds to close and at the line he had beaten me by five seconds.

Either way, the course and race was fantastic. It was such a great day. I am super happy with how I rode. It felt great to ride that last lap and make up ground on Scott. To know I still had that effort in the tank. This weekend, racing with all the big boys at the first round of the USGP in Louisville Kentucky. Photo by: Amy

Josh Snead Win

Wil Matthews thought we would like this picture of triumph.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilmatthews/

Congrats Josh!

Pilarcitos starts with a bang

We have such an amazing team this year. Early in the day four of us started at the back of the 45+ B field but a super srong Scott Calley made his way to 4th place. In the single speed A group Evan Adams got a podium position with a strong ride for 4th as well. Josh Snead had a battle with Justin Robinson that looked early on to be going Justin's way but Josh kept focused, regained Justin's wheel and outlasted him for the win. Sarah and Stella owned the women's A race pretty much from the gun with a nearly scripted display of power and tactics. Brett Lambert rode his way through traffic to get to 5th place in a tough 45 + A field. There were many mechanicals and flat tires affecting the outcome of many of our team but with the depth we have there is no doubt it will be tough for any team to beat us for the team competition, especially in light of Frank Kalcic's new creation- a beer-barbeque bicycle trailer, the likes of which never seen before. Many thanks to Frank for providing much needed heat and bacon at the race, probably preventing a few cases of hypothermia.

Cincinnati 3 Day UCI Cross Festival

How do you sum up a weekend of racing three UCI races in a row? In three words, hot, fast and fun!

Friday's Darkhorse Cyclostampede had a condensed and afternoon schedule putting us on the line at 5 PM. Regardless of the big races on the East Coast, the competition this weekend was stiff, Wicks, Powers, Parbo, Wells, Baker. The list goes on.

The course was super bumpy and dry, which made the tight corners pretty technical and a lap that had little room for recovery. I made a total rookie mistake on the line and started in the little ring, watching the pack ride away. I made a quick recovery and found myself riding in the mid teens.

With two to go I needed to make a move around a rider. He was slowing a little and two or three riders behind us were trying to catch us. As the first rider finished working to catch us, I stood on the pedals and worked to gap them. I pushed to hold off one final rider and a hard effort to the line. I finished the race strong, happy that I was able to put such a strong effort in late in the race. I finished 23rd of 44.

Saturday's 85 degree race did not go quite as well as Fridays' race did. There was a pile up right off the start line. When you are standing on the pedals, pushing as hard as possible, and the guy in front of you goes down, you are pretty guaranteed are run in. I spent the first two laps pushing hard to race back into the group I am used to being in. The problem was, my chase group contained guys slated for the top ten, and they were pushing their pace. Too fast for me, as with four laps to go I broke down. Riders passed me like I was standing still.

Mid way through two to go, Powers past me and that was it. I had two riders catching me and I pushed what little was left into my legs through the remainder of the lap to take 33rd one lap down.

Sunday topped out at 86 degrees near the start of race time. Two days of racing were starting to take its toll, but the final course of the weekend was amazing. And with a few more places being awarded points the pressure was on. I needed to race smart, strong and within my limits.

I had a great start, everything went right and I was positioned in a group that spanned 16th to 25th or so. This was exactly where I wanted to be. Riding those first few corners shoulder to shoulder is such a rush, and for just a short while you are actually racing right there with the best. I used my skills to make up some time in the sand and technical sections, and hung on for dear life through the open grass.

With four laps to go, as riders were imploding all over the course from the heat, I followed suit and my body shut down. I slipped back a handful of positions as riders flew around me, and I got pulled with one to go. Finished 32nd out of more than 60 racers.

I can't wait for some real cross weather and the rest of the season!

(Photos: Naz Hamid)

Kerlin Report- Gloucester races

Last Thursday, Matt and I headed out on our third trip of the cross
season, this time to Gloucester for the second stop in the North
American Cyclocross Trophy Series. Our hosts, the de Leon family, had
dinner ready and a comfy guest room. Staying with the de Leons was
one of the highlights of this trip for us - there was always
something delicious in the kitchen and they took good care of us.

On Friday we headed out to meet Josie and Andy Jacques Maynes at the
venue. They rolled up with their 45 foot trailer RV - it's their home
for the next several months as they tour the east coast and midwest
cross races. It's a great set up, with room for 8 bikes and a
mechanic's sleeping area. They parked with a view of the Atlantic
ocean, right above the start line.

The Gloucester course is very fast, and rarely changes from year to
year. There is a short uphill run with barriers, and a sand pit. The
rest is fast and dry grass, with a paved hill to the finish. Starting
position is very important on this course, and you can't let up at
all. On Sunday they added a new feature to the course - a steep loose
dirt run up. Matt and I really liked the run, it just begged to be
sprinted up.

Matt was called up in the very last row of 100 men in the Master's
event - not sure how that happened since he wasn't last to register,
though we do know being from NorCal doesn't earn you any fans when
racing in New England. On Saturday, Matt rode very well and moved up
to finish 50th, showing he is gaining those road legs after all. Matt
woke up Sunday with a sinus infection. He decided to give his race a
try, and ended up finishing further back but still put in a good
effort. He ran up the steep hill so fast, people started cheering "Go
Spiderman!"

Saturday my race started out well, by the second lap I was in the
lead since everyone else at the front of the race has crashed
themselves out. I rode steady since I knew a chase group was coming
up behind me, and with the wind coming off the Atlantic being in the
front alone was risky. Eventually Amy D caught back on, and we rode
together for a lap. 25 minutes into the race, I still had not seen
lap cards and I was starting to fade. I had misjudged how much gel I
needed to eat pre-race, and my blood sugar was dropping fast. In the
last 2 laps a number of riders came up and passed me, and I finished
in 5th.

For Sunday, I made sure I toook in some pre race calories and started
out conservatively. Amy D. went to the front right away, and in the
first series of turns she opened a little gap. I was riding in 4th or
5th in a chase group of 8, but the first lap pace was too slow. On
the second lap I attacked and came within 5 seconds of Amy, and
within another lap 2 more riders had caught back up to me. We never
got any closer to Amy, but the three of us rode together, with one
rider doing the bulk of the work for 1 1/2 laps. Finally, she got
tired of that and pulled her brakes to force someone else to lead.
The third rider in our group had not taken any pulls, but she pulled
her brakes too. I yelled at them to stop playing games, and jumped to
front to keep the chase going. At this point there was only a lap and
half to go. For the final lap I had just Mo Bruno-Roy glued to my
wheel. I kept the pressure on through all of the transitions and
before we got to the finishing hill I had a few seconds gap on her. I
rolled in for second place, still about 10 seconds behind Amy who had
a great solo ride off the front.

I was glad I made it into the top 3, since the podium ceremony was
great - complete with a giant glass of Erdinger Hefeweizen, a very
refreshing drink after a hard race. I'm in 4th now for the NACT
series, though the 2nd and 3rd place riders have only done 2 of the 4
races. I hope next year the point spread between the top 5 places at
each event makes the overall tally more fair.

We'll be home for a few weeks before our next trip. We are looking
forward to hanging with the team at our local races!

Sarah and Matt

Back home on the West Coast Stella is busy...

...Kicking some butt.
While Sarah Kerlin was on the East Coast, Stella kept the West Coast front charge taking the win at the Laguna Seca course. Dang the ladies were killin it.
Meanwhile, the men had to duel with some bigguns. Snead and Chapin held their own to keep old Ned from beating them to the finish line.

Hernando chats it up on the Norcal bloggery


021, originally uploaded by J. Suzuki.

Props to J.Suzuki for snapping photos!

Kerlin 2nd at Gran Prix of Gloucester

Sarah did some chasing to close down a gap created by Velo Bella rider who went away solo.
Looking forward to Sarah's tales!
Read more on Cyclingnews
Good job Sarah!

Oregon contingent : Alan T. Ott

This distant figure is Alan T. Ott, based in Eugene, Oregon. So far, Alan is 2 for 2, winning the local series in the open B catagory-this is significant as Alan is over 50. I guess you never forget how to pedal fast. When Alan was 19 he managed a 9th place at the CX nationals. He'll be representing us for the fifth season up in the land of Cross Crusade.

Madison: Planet Bike Cup

Racing in Wisconsin is about as home town as it gets for me. And after Vegas and Michigan, the proximity to home was welcome. I was looking forward to the familiar faces as well as the new ones too. I got to meet two teammates this weekend, Sarah and Matt.

When the namesake of the race is Johnathan Page you better expect a top notch course. Jonathan designed the course to suit his Euro riding style and it was challenging yet super fun. The course was riddled with tight corners that over the course of the weekend would become more and more washed out. The second half of the lap was hidden under a grove of large trees and on a hill. Here the course became technical and swooping. Combined it all made for a super fast, super fun lap.

A sunny and hot Saturday afternoon started with Matt up against a strong 30+ masters field. He had a great race battling it out with a group of riders and crossing the line with a top ten finish in 7th. Next up was Sarah's first of two stellar performances. She started the race and finished it near the front, scoring a second place finish after separating herself from the rest of the field. I was able to score a second row call up that helped with the super fast and aggressive start. Working my way through some riders before settling in and keeping the pace high against such a fast field, I battled it out. The tight corners on the course made the hour a hard fought race. I finished on the lead lap in 19th place.

The second day brought much of the same. They did not change the course much, but the changes they did make made it even faster. The barriers moved to an uphill, so now we had to run the bike a little more. Some of the tight turns were eliminated or changed making the course more fluid. Again, Matt started and raced strong taking home another 7th place finish against the same strong field. Sarah seemed to have things even more dialed in Sunday and pulled away from all but one rider straight from the start. She raced with the leader in her sights the entire time and finished the race strong in second place again. I was having a hip problem after the beating the course gave me on Saturday, but I decided to line up anyway. After a modest start, I was riding with a pretty strong group. Even our group effort was not enough to stave off Page and Wells, who passed me with about one lap to go, leaving me to finish 22nd.


Combining this weeks results with last weeks amazing rides in the Northwest, Sarah has earned a 4th place national ranking! Way to go Sarah! Photo from here.

We know how to party

Party with the team......we got the beer, we got the glue.

CCCX II.....Wot a team, I tell ya

Even Frank Kalcic's kids got on the podium today.

Steve Gile and Brett Lambert went 1th and 3rd in the 45 A group, Bill Hall won the single-speed B race,Courtney Grossman placed second in the 35 B race, even your swiggboss managed 7th in the 45 B race. The Elite races were successful as well with Stella easily outdistancing the womens A field. The Mens race was an all-star contest between the Cal Giant strawberrys and the HRS crew. Cal might have won the race but our squad showed that we had nearly as much firepower on the day with Josh Snead coming in a lose 2nd, Scott Chapin narrowly getting outsprinted by Justin Robinson, Aaron Odell coming in a solo 6th and Alex Work finishing 10th. Those are your top-ten finishers, at least the ones I know about until the CCCX lists the final tally. Max Clifford, Tim Watson and Frank Kalcic represented in the Masters A race and Jeff Patton , Dean Poshard and David Wyandt rode in the Elite A race. The best is yet to come and these results are fantastic already.

Fairax photos -

Thanks to a few friends we got some nice shots of the team racing. Looks like per the mini race report it is the return of the giant strawberry duel.
Thanks Jason for the pics!

Team Rock Lobster- shot10, originally uploaded by jason braun.

Team Rock Lobster- shot4, originally uploaded by jason braun.

Fairfax mini-report

The Lion of Fairfax race was a hot and dusty affair with a lot of families bringing thier kids to race. Lucky for the kids, they got to race first before the heat went up . Our A squad was a little lean, missing a few players, most notably Aaron Kereluk and Dave Wyandt. Lucky for us, our depth allowed for good results and some bolstering from Max Clifford who elected to race the hour rather than his age group. Andy Jaques-Mayne and Justin Robinson showed up to make it a real race, and that's just what they did. Josh Snead held his own the longest but was shadowed by Justin Robinson nearly the whole race. The predictable move came midway through the race as Andy attacked and no one could follow. Scott Chapin was up in front for the early part of the race but when Andy made his move, Josh gave chase with Justin in tow and Scott was alone for the rest of the hour. Aaron Odell suffered a flat and had two wheel changes but still finished just ahead of an impressive Alex work. The heat proved too much for Evan Adams but Jeff Patton and Max Clifford toughed it out to finish. At the finish it was Josh 3rd,Scott 4th, Aaron 6th and Alex 7th.......four in the top ten. I do not have other results but the probably will be up soon.

Josh Snead Lion Of Fairfax in the news

Josh Snead snags more press time regarding htis weekends assault on the Lion Of Fairfax event.
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_10549082?IADID=Search

Good luck to Snead and the rest of the team headed out for racing this weekend.

Interbike and CrossVegas

I had never been to Vegas before, let alone Interbike, so it took a little while to get adjusted to the high levels of oxygen mixed with cigarette smoke in the casinos. It was really cool to get to go to the show and see all the new cycling goodies, but that was not the reason I made the trip to Las Vegas. Wednesday night after the show closed its' doors the masses migrated to the Desert Breeze soccer complex on the outskirts of town to witness the madness that is this sport we all love so much.

The start was blistering fast and the pace did not let up. I rode the first few laps in pretty good position. Besting Lance at the start, I hung in his group in the high twenties for a couple laps before fading back to the low thirties. I could hear the announcers excitedly accounting how aggressive the lead riders were being and started wondering how long it would be before they started pulling riders, so that there were not any conflicts with the leaders.

So with four or five laps to go, you get what the picture shows you. I was in a group of seven or eight riders and the front few were able to separate themselves from the rest of us. I figured it was not long before they were going to pull our plug and the fun was going to be over so I decided to make the most of this time with so many spectators. There were tons of people along the fence at the finish line and near the barriers. I started riding by them with my hand out stretched, giving high fives to anyone who would take them. This was about the same time I realized I could make some good money ($8) if I took the singles people were holding out.

What I did not expect was to stay strong and keep the pace high enough that I would not get pulled. It was so much fun. The crowd was so intense and energetic that it became hard to slow down. Definitely one of the most fun races I have been in yet! And I might add that the bikes look pretty hot under those lights too.
Photo by: Kurt Jambretz

Full Press Release

HRS/Rock Lobster 2008-2009 cyclocross team.
Team HRS/Rock Lobster enters its fifth season with the goals of continuing to dominate San Francisco and Nor-Cal cyclocross races and will also be sending some elite members to select U.C.I. events and Cross Nationals thanks to a continued title sponsorship with HResource Solutions of Santa Cruz California and factory support by Rocklobster Cycles.

Last season the team tallied over 20 victories and nearly 100 podium places, swept the podium for the NCNCA cup, and a podium spot at Lebbeke Kleicross Belgium.
For 2008 with 35 riders including Elite and new up'n coming racers in 2 states, the team is one of the most formidable west of the rockies and is locked and loaded for a full-frontal assault on 'cross.

More info available at http://teamrockblogster.blogspot.com

Sponsors:
HResource Solutions, Rock Lobster cycles, Jeff Traugott guitars, Value Outsourcing, Mavic sports, Easton-Bell sports, Chris King, Paul Component Engineering, Challenge tires, Ristorante Avanti, and Blackburn .

Racers:
Elite Team: Stella Carey, Sarah Kerlin, Ben Popper, Aaron Odell, Aaron (Bacon boy) Kereluk, David Wyandt, Joshua (DJ) Snead.
Elite Masters: Max Clifford, Tim Watson, Matt Jordan, Evan Adams, Sean Coffey, Brett Lambert, Steve Gile, Frank Kalcic.
A-Men: Dean Poshard, Scott Chapin, Nick Purtscher, Alex Work, Jeff Patton.
Staff:
Directeur swiggif / Sommelier: Paul H. Sadoff
Mechanic : Ryan C. Bontrager
Stylist : Simon Vickers
Publicity and logistics : Brent Chapman
Inventory and treasury control : Tim Watson
Mascot and inspiration : Scott "buckethead " Chapin.

Stella crunch 2008 CCCX #1

PHOTO CREDITS: 2008 CCCX #1 Sept 21 592, originally uploaded by SWoo.

Stella drops the hammer on Mini Melody on the last shot to the finish for a win.
The battle was epic in this race.