Horse Ridge:  Saturday, February 18,
Maston:  Saturday, March 3,
Horse Butte:  Saturday, March 17.  All rides Leave from Sunnyside at 10:00 am.  Email for more information.

When I was at CX Nationals this year I was talking to Serena about innovations in cycling and in nordic skiing. I find it interesting that most racers do what the “pros” do not what they have come up with on their own. The  funny thing is a lot of us masters have more experience than the “pros”. We should be the ones dictating what works and what doesn’t. It doesn’t work that way. It takes a real independent thinker to come up with really great innovations .

The biggest one to my mind is skate skiing. When I started nordic skiing back in the 70 there was one technique. We now call it classic skiing. I went to many training camps to improve my skiing and one of the things we learned was how to corner in a race. We did a technique called the step turn. The step turn is the same as skating around a corner. We would step out of the track and step around the corner. We were told this was a faster way to corner. IN FACT WE WERE TOLD WE WOULD ACCELERATE AND COME OUT OF THE CORNER FASTER THAN WHEN WE ENTERED IT. In other words most skiers in the 70s were told that skating was faster, we just didn’t hear it that way. It never occurred to us we could accelerate out of that corner and then just keep accelerating by continuing to skate. It took some more rebellious skiers to figure that out. The story goes than a Finnish Skier (Sintonen if I remember correctly) was in a ski race where it was pretty flat and the was was just not working. He just started to skate and won the race by many minutes. At the time it was thought this was possible only because the conditions were icy and fast. It just wouldn’t be possible on normal snow. A few years later a couple of American skiers (Bill Koch and Dan Simoneau) took the world cup by the storm by skating in most of the races. We were told it would take an exceptional athlete to skate over 10ks.

Now of course skating is thought of as the easier technique, I always smile because we new about skating years before anyone was smart enough to do it.

Since then I have tried to be my own person when it comes to innovations. Not that I have actually invented anything, but if something comes out I like to try it and see if it works for me.

In cycle cross there are two things that come to mind. One is deep dish wheels. These wheels were developed for the aero properties . They are widely used in CX. I tried some years ago and decided they were not for me. The do not handle well in mud and they are heavy. Tests from some magazines show I am correct in my observations but they are still very popular. Neils Albert, our current world champion uses the smallest dish Shimano (his wheel sponsor) makes. The y are 32mm deep. He would prefer the 24mm wheels but they are not available anymore. I think when disc brakes become the norm we will see a move back to normal size rims to get the weight down.

The other innovation in CX that I do approve of are the auxiliary brake levers that came out a few years ago. I would be wrong to think I am as a good a bike handler as Tim Johnson or Sven Nys. I am not close. They choose not to use these levers. I think they should. I have seen both of them in sketchy situations where if they had their weight back it would have been easier. What I will say is with these levers it allows me to be closer to how they ride. At CX Nats this year there was a nice sand pit in my race. I was the fastest through it every time. It was no problem . Every one knows in sand you need your weight back. So why not have those levers which make it easy. I notice that the women have no problem with those levers. The two best in the world Katie Compton and Marianne Vos both use them.

The last thing is dropper seat post. I had no clue as to what value a dropper seat post would do. I though it was for riding really hard and steep trails. Adam Craig set me straight. He said in the Ashland Super D I would be 5 minutes or so faster. I tried it and he was correct. The thing about the Ashland Super D is it uses a similar downhill to The Spring Thaw cross country race. I am thinking if I can be minutes faster on the downhill portion of an XC race how much slower would I be on the uphill because of the added weight. Well I can guarantee it is not minutes.

I tested my dropper at Pickett’s Charge I rode the downhill section three times with the dropper (a Rock Shox Reverb) and three times without. I was very close to 2 minutes faster with the dropper. This comes to 4 minutes in the race. My guess is the added weight cost me maybe 30 seconds. I used my Reverb at nationals this year. When I got to the top in first place I knew no one would catch me, as I was the only one with the secret weapon. I flew down the hill, did the tricky rock fall with the full confidence that I would be fastest that day. I am thinking this year we will see some world cup guys trying a dropper. In not they will have at least pursued the idea (this I know for a fact).

My suggestion to to all of my reader is don’t look at the seasoned pro to decide what is best, I would look at the women (they ride more like us then the pros), or ask someone like me who wasn’t born in 1982 but who started to skate and mountain bike in 1982. We have the experience. just make sure you are not asking a retro grouch.

After the win

It has been a few weeks since my last blog, sorry about that. Christmas is a busy time in the world of retail and one thing or another made me procrastinate. First of all we have a new year, 2012. We are well into the 21st century now, it seems odd to me that I grew up thinking the 20th Century was something. I am not going to make predictions or worry about the future. The world of politics is beyond the scope of what I will write about here. So Happy New Year. The big news around Bend is we really do not have much snow. I have only been up a couple of times. Mt Bachelor has had some great skiing and it still does, but where I like to ski, Meissner it has been spotty. Instead I have continued to ride my bike. In fact I rode so much I decide to go to Cyclocross Nationals. I got back yesterday. We had a great crowd from Bend and Oregon and I can say we all had a great time. I ended up 9th in my race. Not my best but not my worst. I took one bad spill which allowed the group ahead to leave me so instead of fighting for a top 5 I fought for a top 10. 9th was not as well as I hoped but as the week went on it looked better and better as this course took it tole. The Bend crowd got one medal. Cameron Beard was third in his jr race. He was tough. He started at the back and just rode through the crowd of racers to the front. The rest of us did well and had a good time. We all learned something again and I would say most of us will be back. This was my favorite Nationals cross course. I have done 9 now. I do wish it could have been in Madison, Wi proper but I think Tom Shuler decided this was where the best course was. We stayed minutes from the course. Bill from the Bend Endurance Academy drove  out the van and trailer with all of our bikes, trainers etc so the trip was quite easy. No checked baggage, no bikes to get lost and we even had spare parts. It was the easiest Nats I have ever traveled to.

I spent a fair amount of time helping out. Fixing bikes, being in the pit, washing bikes etc. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is great to be able to race and then be relaxed and have the time to help out the others. Serena was there in the pit for me on Thursday. Though I didn’t need anything it is a relief to have the help and know there is a spare bike (Thanks Damian) waiting for you.

The last thing I have to say is how I was treated. Trek Bicycles is locate in Wi about 40 miles from Madison. Because I have traveled numerous time to Trek I know quite a few people in Madison. Some of them have come to Bend so through the years we have  become friends.

We were picked up at the airport by Margaret and promptly taken out to Verona (the course site). She took some time off work to make this happen. On Thursday evening John and Margaret came and picked up at the hotel and took me out to dinner. I was able to watch John race on Saturday morning. On Saturday night my good friend Harry (newly retired from Trek) came and visited and then returned later to take me to dinner. We went to the Great Dane. A popular and busy place in Madison. And then on Sunday, Carolyn came to the races watched for a while and took me to her house for my last night and then at 4am took me to airport for my morning flight. It is nice to have such good friends who don’t mind dropping their usual routine to help out.

This year it was a last minute decision to go next year I think I have already decided.

Thanks for reading.

Don

and cross country ski gear in Central Oregon. Since 1972 we have serviced and supported those many road cyclists, cyclocross riders, mountain bikers and Nordic skiers who live or visit our beautiful town of Bend, Oregon.   Please enjoy our website!

RACING FOR PRIDE NOT PLACE

If you race as much as I have some days just don’t go the way planned. It has happened to all who race. I think  of Nationals in Providence the first year I raced there. It was snowy, I felt great everything seemed to be in place for a good race and then I flatted 2 minutes into the race. I had to run for half a lap to the pit. In my mind I was thinking I have to wait until next year. But no once I got my spare bike I fought as if I was in it for the win. I passed back more than half the field and ended up tenth. I was racing for pride not place.

This weekend it was the similar. The first day I had a mediocre start and I got behind a strong rider who didn’t have the same skills as I had. I was not very aggressive in passing and finally he crashed right in front of me. I lost about 30 seconds and a chance for a medal. I fought back though and was in fourth when I was hit from behind and got my wheel tangled up with another bike. Result 5th. Not my best result but one of my best races.

On Sunday I had a different approach. I was going to be more aggressive, pass when I could and really fight for a podium. I started pretty well, I was in good position when I decided to make my first “aggressive pass”. I dived to the inside on a left hand uphill corner got around three guys when my front wheel washed out. When I started to remount I noticed my chain was off and quite tangled. It took me a good minute to get going again. My plans were ruined (all my fault), I was way off the back in last place. But once I got going I just decided it was time to have some fast lap times and see what would happen. After a lap by myself I started to catch some riders, then it was groups of riders. With one lap to go I was in 6th ready to pass into 5th. I was at the limit, both physical and technical. I was trying to rail every corner and stand every time I had to accelerate.  I missed a corner again and fell. This time I got back on but I had lost my speed and momentum. I never did catch 5th again and I even lost the sprint for 6th so I ended up 7th. This was even a better race than the day before though. I was really at the limit. I had let it hang out to try for a podium. The top three guys were really fast and the only way I was going to be there was to be extra aggressive and take some chances. I had done that, and though it didn’t work out I was out there racing for pride. The crowd was great. They knew something had happened and when I started to move up they were all cheering for me as if I was in the lead.

My story was simple, nothing on the line except doing well at a couple of races. There were two women in a elite field who had more on the line and had worst luck than me. Meredith Miller, who was in second overall for the whole GP race flatted on the first lap of the last day. She ran for 1/2 lap got her spare bike, minutes behind the leaders and kept on racing. She knew she was going to loose her overall placing and she knew she didn’t even need to finish this race to end up third overall. But she kept on. She passed a lot of the ladies and I guess in the back of  her mind there was a chance for Nicole Duke to not finish. Meredith did finish, out of points and ended up third in the series. She raced for pride.

Serena Bishop also had bad luck. Somehow on the backside of the course just as she was starting to get her legs and move up her rear derailleur  snapped off. She ran for half a lap got on her spare bike and managed to not get lapped, finish  the race and feel what is like to have hundreds of friends cheer her on. Not the race she wanted. Serena is still new to our sport and this was the first time in a cross race she had to dig deep and race for pride and not for place. It will happen again. It is part of our sport.

There were others who did the same thing this weekend, Matt Fox (Serena’s teammate), Danny Summerhill to name a couple. Cross racing is an unforgiving sport. A perfect race can mean a medal, one mistake can take that all away. There is no time in a cross race to recover from an accident, a mechanical or a mistake. So you have to just charge on, race for pride and move on. It makes for good drama and good racing.

Don

This blog is more a rambling of thoughts without a real theme. The first is the end of the year. I still have two cross races left (GP races in Bend), but I feel like the season is almost over. One is I set some goals at the beginning of this season, usually I don’t make all of my goals. I set them high on purpose so I have to work hard. This year my goals were three fold. One win a medal at the National Mountain Bike Marathon Championships and two win the overall Cross Crusade Title for the 60+ group. If you read this you will know not only did a win a medal at the Marathon Nat races I  won the XC National Race. I also won the Cross Crusade Title. This is something that has eluded me for years. I have come close but to win one has to commit to all of the races and really focus on every race. This year by choosing not to go to Cross Nats I was rested for every Crusade Race and gave everyone my best. Goals are good to have for me and to supersede those goals is very satisfying.

What is wrong with Oregon and State Championships? I can’t figure out why in Oregon our State Championship races are not better attended. 200 category c racers will shop up for a Cross Crusade race to fight for 100th place but only a handful will show up to be the best in the state. I have always tried to attend our State Championship races as I feel it an honor to be State Champ. Oregon is a great state to race in, we have our own organization so to win an OBRA championship race is to be the best OBRA racer in the country. I think part of the problem lies with our organization and part is the rider culture. This is something that we can change though. One we need to get the word out that State Races are important to attend. We need to change our culture to make the State Race the most important single race on the Calendar. More promotion, more flair and I think OBRA should give State Jerseys to the winner not make them buy them. I would suggest more age groups and less racing level groups. Having a State Championship race part of a series really doesn’t work. These races should be like our road races with Elites and age groups. I know our Calendar is pretty full but this is how we need to make this race count.

I was at the awards for the Cross Crusade series this weekend and once again it was obvious why this series is so successful . Fun is on the top of the list. How many races have you gone to where fun is the number one priority. Is the word fun even in the vocabulary of USAC. We in Oregon like to race hard but fun is always there. I realize Cross Crusade Races are crowded affairs. That is the nature of a Cross Crusade race. Riding in traffic becomes a big issue. I have heard many complaints about it this year. Many people think that their group is the worst. I am not sure which group has the most traffic, or biggest discrepancy in skill and speed but I do know my group is one of the biggest, over 220 riders in most races, and one of the most diverse with 12 year olds racing the same time as fast 35 year olds. I have to pass an average of 80 riders if I am to win my group. Passing is part of the strategy, in 5 races I made the passing part of my winning plan. In two of the races Ron Strasser used his ability of passing in tight places part of his winning plan. It worked both ways this year. If you plan to win a Cross Crusade race practice your passing, how to do safely, quickly and efficiently. It is time we quit complaining about the numbers. If Cross Crusade wasn’t so successful most of us wouldn’t be racing anyway. Enough ranting for the day. Take care and get out those skis.

Don

More than our own reasons this event was a big success. The town embraced this race like it was a major event. We had the hand made bike show, separate art show, big Deschutes Brewery party etc. At Astoria we had a bon fire. It is fun to have this kind of event with this kind of support in my town.

Our teams did quite well. I won’t go into all the details but we won our share of categories, some had personal bests finishes and fun was had by everyone. I have included some photos of the race. My costume, sitting with friends and me eating traditional Belgium recovery food. In all honesty I was at the Tour of Flanders last year and when they interviewed the riders after the race everyone of them was drinking a Coke.

The other photo is of Renee. She won on Saturday but was feeling tired on Sunday (like most of us). She was having a decent race, not her best but good when we heard she had crashed. It was on the huge log dismount on the back of the course. She tripped on the first log and hit her face on the second. Broken jaw, tooth and chin. When a good friend gets hurt at a race it brings home the danger of what we do, even though we are out there for fun and laughs. I think she will have that same smile as the photo when she heals, as she is in very good hands. Will she want to race again is my question. Racing isn’t the most important thing we do in this world but it does give us this connection to a large group of people that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I hope she races again, I would miss her if she didn’t. She is good. She runs barricades as if she was 7′ tall, though she is closer to 5’4″. She laughs but she is serious. So here is hoping, wishing and wanting a quick recovery.

Life is interesting in that we get the highs and lows all the time. Win one day crash the next. The team did well but one was hurt. No real purpose in all this other than self satisfaction and friendship.  So my thoughts are with you Renee, we will be racing next week in Portland  but our thoughts will be with you.

Don

For me the season has changed from Mountain Biking to Cyclocross. That would be summer to fall. I am not hanging my mountain bike up though. Fall is the best time to ride a mountain bike in Central Oregon as the trails are firm, no dust and if it hasn’t snowed in the high country all the trails are open. I have friends who ride their cross bike out on the trails this time of year but I prefer the full suspension, the big tyres, the ability to get some air and “shred” the downhills. I have raced the first two Cross Crusade races and have faired well. A week ago was the opener at Alpenrose Dairy in Portland. Our group was huge and my wave started behind over 100 riders. I managed to pass over 80 of them but I needed about 5 more and Ron Strasser pulled of a good win with me second. Yesterday was another story as the groups were smaller and the course more wide open with slick mud and a long climb. I felt my old self and attacked on climb got a good gap and held on for the victory.

Now for some firsts in my life. As most of you know I won the National Mountain Bike XC championship this year. It was a big moment in my life and proved my Dad correct that no matter how old you are one still has dreams and goals, the same as one is younger. I had two goals this year one was to get a medal at a National Championship (I got two the Gold in the XC and the silver at the marathon Mtn Bike race). My other goal is to win a Cross Crusade series. I have been second many a time so I felt it was time to go for the win. Currently I am tied for first with my good friend Ron Strasser, more on that as the season unfolds. After winning the Stars and Stripes jersey I felt I could ask for some sponsorship so I emailed the President of Trek bicycles and asked that Trek send me a new Superfly 100 Pro. A week later it arrived. I have been racing on Trek bicycles since the I raced on the Prototype Trek in the early 80s. I did race on some Bridgestone bikes for a couple of years but and an ORBEA for one year, but most of my time has been on a Trek. When I raced for Bridgestone they helped us with our Bikes but this is the first time I have received a bike based on performance and my relationship with Trek. Thank you John Burke and Toby McElravey. The new bike is over a pound lighter than last years.

Another first is I weight less than 155 pounds. I didn’t mean to loose weight. Kathy told me we were going to stop eating grains, and being a good husband I said yes dear. Now three months later I am weighing less than I have since high school. I don’t want to loose anymore so I am trying to eat more, but the truth is I am not always hungry. I used to tell people that I have been hungry since I was 4. But no more.

Now to the most important first. My friends Andy and Ros are getting married next May in Peebles, Scotland. Kathy and I are going and it will be fun to see all our friends over there and go to a wedding. The surprise was is Andy asked me to be his Best Man. I have not been a Best Man before and this means a lot to me. Andy is 30 I am 60. I guess we hit it off the first day we met and the age thing has never been important to us. Somewhere in my heart I kind of wish I was younger so when we ride together we would be a little more equal but even that has not been important and Andy has always been a gentleman and when we ride together it is together.  I am honored to be asked and am looking forward to being part of the ceremony.

We didn’t make our annual trip to France this Fall. It is great to be home though. I am enjoying the Cross Crusade, the great Fall trail conditions, helping Kathy harvest the garden and really being home. We have been camping in our new Pine Cone Tear drop trailer a few times and that has been great. Thanks for reading and see you on the trails.

Don