So after arriving at Canton at 8:30am and watching some CX races in perfect weather for 5 hours, it started to rain. This rain, unlike the rain during the 3/4 race, was ungodly cold. By the time the 3/4s were finished I completely regretted my decision to do the 1/2/3s with CMJ. After the 3/4s Cory and I headed out and did 2 laps to get a feel for the course. As you all know, Canton is generally a very firm, fast course. Even after 2 hours of steady rain, the course could be described the same, only now there was the addition of the slickest, wettest mud possible to deal with. After the pre-ride, I spent the remaining time (as did all the other guys) sitting in a parked car, watching the 1/2/3 women miserably finish, and warming up via car heaters, rather than trainers.

This is not of Devo (though he might be the guy approaching in the distance).

Quad Cross marked the start of the cyclocross season this past weekend at a new venue in Maynard, MA.  The Threshold guys enjoyed working with Ted, the Quad Cycles team and the Newbury Comics team – thanks for all of your efforts and for putting on a great event.

Velo Photos By Joe

(click above image for full Quad Cross album)

One of this year’s features, the Four Burgers Run/Ride-up

Elites ride the Run-up

Winners of each* field will receive a $15 Four Burgers gift card in addition to any other winnings!

Did you hear that Four Burgers now makes their own pickles in house!

*Details: gift cards will be awarded to the first place finisher of the following fields: mens 4, masters 4- 35, masters 4- 45, masters 4- 55, womens 34, womens 34- 40, cubs, mens 3, U19, masters 123- 35, masters 123- 45, masters 123- 55, mens SS, womens SS.  (sorry, elites)

Which burger are you?!

Yesterday the MTB squad journeyed to the North Shore for the 2nd annual Weeping Willow race at Willowdale State Forest.  It was Cory, Devo, Leo, and I – the only one missing was BB who had raced Sunapee on Saturday.  Cory and I raced the Weeping Willow last year and we had a blast, despite having our butts kicked by the challenging course.  Though not overly technical, the race was predominantly twisty, turny, singletrack that required you to be on your game at all times.  We rode the course again in the snow before winter’s end, though we were not aware that they were changing things up this year.  It didn’t really matter as its great fun to ride in Willowdale and it is only about an hour from Boston.

Warming up (all photos courtesy of Toro Loco)

This year’s course ran in the opposite direction and was slightly shorter than last year, with most of the difficulty coming in the first half of the race.  The recent rains made for some greasy corners, accompanied by slippery roots.  But once you hit the first long section of fire road the toughest part was behind you (except for the narrow bridge, more on that later).  We did 2 laps in the Sport category for a 17 mile race.  Devo was in the 19-29, Cory was in the 30-39, and as the old man of the group I was in 40-49.  A slight shame that we don’t get to race together but since those two are faster than me I really don’t mind.

Settling in on the singletrack

The race began on a long section of double track before we hit the woods.  I had moved up several spots on the long run into the singletrack and felt like I was in a good position for the first lap.  Unfortunately I was still ahead of some racers with far superior tech skills and it took a little while to reach a section of the course where they could blow by me never to be seen again.  Things settled down and I was at the front of a smaller group of maybe four or five riders and I was able to switch off my brain and just ride since people seemed content with the pace and weren’t upset about the amount of time I spent riding my brakes into the tricky corners.  I had to make a few cyclocross style dabs here and there but for the most part had no major bobbles riding the roots or gaps in the rock walls we crossed as we made our way through lap one.

Eventually we hit the first section of fire road and I gave it some gas. I’m sure I’m not remembering this clearly but I think it was on the second longer section of fire road where I looked back and realized I was alone.  I kept pushing on, trying to drink and slurp some GU on the fire road since it was impossible to grab the bottle on the singletrack.  I rode through several huge puddles even trying to leap across one that was so deep that when I came down I was worried I had bashed my front tire enough to burp it.  Luckily that was not the case (sidenote: I was running tubeless at about 22/25 and probably should have gone lower).

Off the bridge, into the bog

At some point I re-entered singletrack, back on more fire road and then came to the narrow bridge where I had my only real crash of the race. I don’t think I had ever been in this part of Willowdale so I was seeing the bridge for the first time.  It ran over a bog and was pretty narrow at the entry but widened out in the middle.  Of course I hit the bridge thinking about nothing but falling off of it and promptly did so, right into the bog on the right.  It was pretty ridiculous and earned some good hoots from the crowd watching the race at the bridge.  I hopped back on the bike and when I grabbed my grip I noticed my glove was covered in thick black mud, along with most of my leg.  Thank god for the new black kit!

I finished the first lap feeling pretty strong, unlike last year where I had already cracked and never truly recovered.  The course seemed even more slippery on lap 2, though things always seem tougher as fatigue sets in.  I started to pass riders from other fields, and had to pull over a few times to let riders from the elite field pass.  It was all cordial and much appreciated by me, and I was seriously impressed by the skills of other riders from both the women’s field and the elite men.  I think two or three guys came back and passed me from my field, and I had one more tiny crash where my rear wheel slid out in a turn (likely from me leaning over instead of just leaning the bike).  I ran the bridge on lap two to avoid falling off again and finished off the lap unbroken and pleased with my race.  I ended up 16th out of 42 starters.

Devo getting it done!

Cory finished a strong tenth in a pretty stacked field, and Devo absolutely crushed it for a big win. I am always impressed with his combination of speed and skill in the woods — he beat my time by nearly 23 minutes.  With my late finish I missed the start of Leo’s race but was psyched to learn he came in 2nd place.  A great day out in the woods for the team.

From Randall (Cat 3):

Rode out to the start. Thought start was at 9:45 when it was really 9:25. Had (mother) Matt Miller hold my mittens and pin on my ‘my name is’ badge on my back. It said ’78′. Thanks tofu!!
Started out great – having a blast chit chatting with lots of dudes: Wissell, Sullivan, Cramer and of course Gert and Drew.

First two laps were really easy. The 3rd lap I was maintaining good position on the climb and saw Matt Mitchell make a dig and the Harvard bruisers went with him.  I made the choice not to follow thinking it would come back on the downhill.  The dudes held us off for the final 3 laps with only a 10-20 second gap. With 1.5 laps to go I had a clear path and attempted to bridge up on the downhill. I got halfway across the gap and was hurting. We were approaching the gas station turn and I realized that if I was spent at the corner (in order to catch them) that they’d drop me on the climb. I sat up and recovered and tucked back in the pack. The climb hurt more this time after my half-assed bridge effort. In the final lap Cramer and I surged in the final stretch on the approach to the final climb. We got swarmed just after the first hump. I got gapped by most of the pack on the final climb. I didn’t have much left and finished in 40-something. I had a lot of fun and I’m still racing my way into fitness. Riding 1-2 times a week isn’t really cutting it so I’m okay with a near-pack finish. Fun all around.

photo courtesy of Bike Milton

From Tucker (Cat 4):

Today was really great.  It was awesome seeing everybody in the Cat 4 race involved throughout the entire race. Matt (Joe’s brother) drilled it on the second lap keeping the pace high and stringing the field out, he even caused a break of about 4 riders. Joe was right up front most of the race climbing like a champ and Ken was always near me.  I don’t think Vic ever dropped out of the top 20 for the entire race. I really need to figure out how to ride like that.

I tried to stay near the front and did better than I normally do (I was never at the very back) but I still need to keep working on it.  I was briefly on the front during the second lap and saw Ian (he finished 3rd) from Back Bay off the front so I bridged to him but it was really too early for a move and he and I just let the field close.  After that I rode mid-pack for the next 2 laps trying to move up when I could but still ended up starting the final climb mid-pack and was too far back to respond to the moves at the front. I finished 12^th.

photo courtesy of Double Hop

I felt pretty good today. It was nice having Vic there to warmup and race with. It felt a little strange to do this race this year without getting a CRW or Wells race in prior. 2 years ago this was the first “real” race that I ever did and I had this feeling that I needed to save something for later because that little kicker would get hard or I might get gapped in “the turn”. There were also a couple of crashes 2 years ago, after the one on the kicker I ended up trying to hold Miller’s wheel to catch back up on the last lap but just couldn’t do it. Put simply it was hard for me to keep up the pace 2 years ago.

This year was much different. After racing cross last fall I really got my pre-race routine worked out. Vic and I warmed up for about 20 minutes on the trainer and then headed to the course and got 2 laps of course recon in before pulling up to the starting line in last place – we missed most of the race announcement as I quickly took my jacket off and tossed it to the side. Vic and I discussed some strategy before the race but for some reason I was content to just ride around in circles for most of the race moving up a few spots every lap but without being overly aggressive. I kept an eye on Vic who was always 3-5 five rows ahead of me but I didn’t work my way up to him until about 5 to go only to quickly lose position again. I kept waiting for the pace to pick up but it stayed pretty mild for most of the race. I haven’t looked at the numbers but I would guess we were doing about 21-22mph on the rolling hills on the back side of the course.

The last 2 laps of the race got a little bizarre. I am not sure what was going on, either people just started blowing up in front of me or we were lapping riders but I ended up dodging slow riders that seemed to come right through the peloton. I found I could move up a bit on the inside before the last turn, probably because this is the worst line ever but I thought it was worth taking it to move up in position going into the final climb. I ended up having to slow down a bit to take the turn on the inside and gave up some position. I stood to close down a little gap out of the turn but at this point it was too little too late. Again more riders giving up or getting lapped. This continued up the climb. Because of all the “debris” I really couldn’t just mash the pedals so I gingerly rode up the climb, started to sprint and remembered this isn’t cross, there aren’t any more points for 12 vs 17 so I sat back down and rode behind Brier and a clump of about 5 riders to the finish.

All in all it was a nice day and a nice way to start the season. I probably could have put out a little more effort on the last few laps and tried for a better result, I certainly had the legs, which is a welcome change from a few years ago.

See you guys out there again at Blue Hills.

Myles Standish Road Race (Cat 4 – Mover)

Lined up front row with Brier and Chris (who, along with like a million dudes, said he knew Dan from ‘cross and was wondering where he was.  CycleLoft).  A few guys asked if I was racing ‘cross, since I was wearing the skinsuit (snarky mental response involved something like “um, this is a 20mi circuit race and I barely need this small bottle, let alone pockets”.)  Whistle goes and Brier and I drill it to string the field out.  This hurts a little bit, but set the tone for the race. From that point on the race was dudes just throwing themselves on the front and the field (in usual 4 fashion) not letting anyone have an inch.  Tried a few things, but realized it was diminishing returns.  A few times I lost my nerve on the narrow-Turtle Pond-without-a-yellow-line-rule course and dropped back in the field. I used this as an opportunity to work on moving in the pack.

On the final lap the race went by the script which dictates all Cat 4 races: everyone thinks they can win.  There will be a crash.  Dudes will yell at each other.  Only those in a first few riders heading into the final turn will have a chance.  No one will work together. The crash ended up being pretty bad and split the field into two groups of 40.  It happened to my right on some cut up piece of road. Nick was stopped by the crash, but thankfully didn’t go down (he actually stayed behind to help!  What a dude!)  I made the front group, but ended up stuck on the wrong side of the field and in the wind.  I went to follow a wheel, but it ended up going backwards and found myself in poor position for the last turn.  I turned it on enough to take 23rd in the pack.

King of Burlingame MTB Time Trial  (BB)

This weekend was the season opener for Cory, Ken, Leo and myself as we did the King of Burlingame MTB ITT.  This 7 mile loop of mixed fire road and pave power sections and super technical rock garden style single track (often warranting dismounting and running) made it challenging to pace output during this 30-40′ ITT.

Firstly, this race is part of the EFTA, Eastern Fat Tire Association, series, and the first thing I noticed is how relaxed and friendly everyone is.  Sure, a little less organization compared to your average road race which resulted in about a 30′ delay in start times, but the atmosphere is
centered around good old fashioned fun.  No one is eying you down and making fun of you bc you aren’t wearing white shoe covers or discounting your non-$2k wheelset.  Us in our Threshhold skin suits were probably the most pro looking in the Sport category (MTB does beginner, sport, expert, pro cats).

Cory, Ken and I did a thorough warm up on the road and then lined up at the trail head.  Ken and Cory described the course to me since they raced it last year so I knew that the first 2 miles were technical.  This did not translate into ‘go easy until after the techy section’.  Cory and I started back to back which was fun.  I started out smooth and fast and then entered the technical section which was rideable but very tiring.  I caught my 30′ man (Cory) within the first few minutes, marked by CJ saying “you little f#$@er”, to which all I could respond with was a flem filled “haaa”, and stayed on his wheel through the technical section.  But once out on the next power section I watched CJ on his 29er ride away and around the corner out of site.  I looked down and realized that I was operating at 103% LTHR, and had been for about the last 5′.  Crap, had to recover when I should have been hammering.  I learned from this mistake, but some damage had been done.

There were 2 pave sections where they made you dismount/remount when you
merged onto the road as a safety precaution in lieu of expensive police details.  CROOSSS!!!!  At the first pave section CJ was still within 30′ of me but once back in the woods I didn’t see him again.  CJ had a really well paced ride and nailed a 3rd place finish in the 19-39 Sport cat and 5th overall!  The last 2 miles of the course was interesting bc that’s when everyone was getting bunched up, I must have passed 5 guys in the last 2 miles.  I came in 9th overall, 7th in the 19-39 cat.

Ken rode a strong top ~15th and both Ken and Cory noted marked improvement in bike handling that allowed them to ride what they ran last .Great event, a little far of a drive, but I’d like to do it next year now that I know the course better.

Beanpot Weekend (MM representing Harvard)

The Men’s A TTT was a success, although I played a (very) limited role.  It was a shortened version of the Fitchburg TT from last year where BHaul crushed it.  Gently rolling, windy course.  The three other riders in the squad with me were Dave (Cat 3, A collegiate), Jordan (started the weekend as a Cat 4 (now Cat 3)) and Stu (Former elite level junior in Europe.)  These dudes killed the TT and totally blew me off their wheels after a few miles and some of the longer rollers.  My average for the first 5 minutes was just under 400w.  Quite the pedigree of racers.

In the ITT later in the day Dave won the Men’s A ITT and Jordan won the Men’s B ITT.  I was totally blown and got 19th in the B ITT.  My avg pwr for the 18 min effort was 283w, which is about 30w lower than I should have been able to put out for that duration if I was well rested.

Yesterday’s Tufts crit was super fun.  This is a crazy technical, fast, short course.  It lived up to its storied reputation and I’m so happy I had a chance to race the course.  After the first 5 or 6 laps we had dropped the field and were a group of 14 for the rest of the race. MIT kept sending dudes down the road but they would either get caught or blow up in the long, false-flat headwind finish straight.  Homeboy Jordan won the B race (3rd win of the weekend) then doubled up for the 4/5 race.  I left about 5 laps in and he already had a 45″ gap on the field.  He won by lapping the field for his 4th win
of the weekend. Wow.  My numbers for the crit: 50′ race, Norm Pwr: 300, max 880w (lower than I thought), avg HR 180bpm (around 98%LTHR), 450ft elevation gain.

Charles River Crossfit Newfitter Throwdown (Bhaul)

Didn’t race bikes yesterday thinking that I would likely have a better time doing some competitive Crossfit in Needham than getting dumped unceremoniously off the back at the Tufts crit. And thus, my report from the Charles River Crossfit New Fitter Throwdown.

The format of the competition was three workouts (WODs), overall score was based on finishing position in all three WODs (kind of like an omnium, lowest score wins), with the tiebreaker being total seconds used.

WOD #1:
3 rounds, for time
- 400m run
- 15 thrusters (front squat + overhead press. See video below), 65#
- 15 box jumps, 24″

WOD #2:
7 minute running clock
- 1K row
- Max rep kettlebell swings to fill the remaining time. 53# (score is the
number of swings completed after the 1K row)

WOD #3:
rep scheme 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (eg, 10 of each, 9 of each etc)
- deadlift, 135#
- burpee
- situp

This was my first time doing something like this competitively so I was more nervous than a cat 4 pack in sight of the finish line. I knew that the last two WODs suited my strengths and was a little nervous about how the first would go. Plus, I have a huge competitive streak and really wanted to do well.

The first workout, I went out too hard. My running is very good lately, but it’s still not something I can use for recovery. So all my recovery came at the cost of speed in thrusters and box jumps. WOD 1 time was something like 11:30. Put me about 5th overall.

Second WOD was where I started to stride well. I’m a pretty efficient rower, so I got through 1k in about 3.5min, leaving me the rest of the time for swings. I missed a few reps for not getting the swing high enough and with about a minute left the guy working next to me lost control of his kettlebell and it landed on my judge’s foot (!!!!!!!) but, being a total trooper, she didn’t miss a rep! Kind of threw my rhythm off and the guy ended up next to me kind of impinging on my space. Not cool, but whatever. I broke off 71 reps, which was also about 5th overall. Three dudes did over 90, with one cracking 100. I could have hit 75 with some better focus, but I doubt much more.

WOD 3 was where I was confident in my ability. The descending rep scheme works really well for me and I’m great at deadlifts. I crushed this WOD, did it in 7:21, winning by 12 seconds.

After, while scores were being tabulated, I was hanging with my friends who also had come out and they were announcing the podium and mentioned there was a 4 way tie for second with the tiebreak being seconds used. Turns out that I won the tiebreak and finished second overall to a friend who was representing the same gym. When my name was called, I was totally
dumbfounded.

SO anyway, Battenkill next weekend. I better remember how to ride a bike.

DB scores 9th place with a solid start and good pacing. Great way to finish off a rookie season (Dan = Threshold’s CX Rookie of the Year!)

Cat 4 Day 2

Cat 3 Sand Running clips

Cat 3/4 race featured Dan-o-mite on the ThreshCam, Tucker of the mighty donut handups and Devo of the “I showed up seven minutes before the start so they made me start back row.”

Cat 3/4 Lap 1 and Beer Feed Bonus

Cory, myself and Ken towed the line for the wild Singlespeed race.

Open Singlespeed and Handup Medley

Thanks to Colin for another ridiculously good Weasel production. We fully expect that this will become a legit Natz tune up race. Unfortunately, it will then probably be known as Ice Weasels powered by Budweiser and Walmart …