Platinum Performance Cycling Team

No one could complain that the course wasn’t perfect for a national championship event…unless they had something against racing without oxygen. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) notwithstanding, the course had hard, intense climbs that included plenty of passing room; gnarly single track descents; rocky, technical climbs and (if one had time to look) a beautiful backdrop of the Colorado Rockies.

Lap times for the 9-mile loop were in the neighborhood of 55 minutes. The more experienced racers…well, okay “senior citizen racers” needed to do just two laps. Any of the Cat 1 racers under 50 years old had to add most of a third lap; I shutter at the thought…

The Cat 1, 50-54 race went off Saturday morning. The sky was clear and the temperature was fantastic for racing. We don’t know who designed the course but we were all in agreement that whoever it was had some serious issues they needed to work out with themselves. The course started on a steep incline that got even steeper within a couple dozen yards (that’s just plain mean). I attempted to keep my effort in check at the gun but a couple boys from CO jumped out and really pushed it so I jumped on. One of the guys blew while Henry Kramer (last year’s champ) and Keith Sanders hung back a little allowing the two of us to gain a small gap. I got into the lead at the top of the first climb but checked my effort again and allowed Thomas Hayles to pass and save some energy. With that reduction in effort Kramer soon got up with the two of us and all three gained even more time on the pack.

While pre riding with Gary Douville (who we later found was racing with pneumonia), we found a good fire road climb near the top that would offer a good place to put a good effort in. Hearing Henry and Thomas Hayles breathing hard I figured it was a good time to hit them and jumped out and gained a few second lead. My illusions of grandeur would soon be thwarted as they eventually reeled me in and then started to gap as we entered the rocky, technical climb. I did my best to work my tempo and not relent hoping for the two of them to wear themselves out. Then more trouble; the fourth place rider at the time, Keith Sanders, had bridged up and was now on my wheel. I did the honorable thing and gave him some room to get by. He mentioned that “he knew the trail” and to “hop on”. Nice dude but the pace he was running down the single track was faster than I cared to travel early in the event and he soon was out of site. I later learned
he pulled up on Kramer and Hayles and went by them on the descent like they were going the other way.

Going into a section we were calling “the Waterfall” Hayles went over the bars giving me enough room to pass for third. Sanders was gone and Kramer had gained over a minute at the end of lap one. I accepted a water bottle from the very lovely Mrs. Langin (who also offered some good encouragement “I love you and pedal hard”—ain’t she special) and pushed hard the second lap but never saw Henry or Keith. The lap was uneventful except while entering the waterfall, there were bodies, bikes, photographers, and spectators everywhere. Unfortunately with the carnage, I had to dismount and enlist some ‘cross experience and run down the sucker. No time lost however and I was in the final 15-minutes of racing that was mostly downhill…downhill that left me questioning the wisdom of going with a hard-tail at my age; it was rough fo-sho!

Nearing the finish, I saw no one in front and no one behind and didn’t see Hayles fall so was thinking I had finished 4th or 5th (I also got passed by a 45-49 year old who had flatted and there were no leg markings so I didn’t know) but none of that mattered as anything less than a championship just didn’t taste well. Argh!

Platinum Products helped keep my energy levels high and the Specialized Stump Jumper S-Works with Crank Bros 4-ti pedals worked like a champ; the carbon, tubular wheel set I picked up at Bicycle Bob’s (sooo light) climbed well and handled the downhill better than expected. Without those elements, there is no doubt that things would not have gone as well. Thanks to all.

What happened to Bob haunted me all Saturday night. The familiar pinch-flat that dooms so many at Downieville. I was up 3+ minutes after winning Stage 1, the XC point-to-point, of the 35+ Expert All-Mountain Class. Saturday's race had many highlights, some of which, riding the wheels of top DH pros Miles Rockwell and Nathan Riddle on the decent into town. Earlier on the climb, a group of us mixed Experts and Pros got passed by a VERY young Frischknecht, while his Dad was competing for the top spot out in front. The race attracted new and old legends of the sport. At the end of a first day, Platinum had two of us in position for the overall. Krage Orlich in 3rd, with a time of 2:20 and me up 3+ minutes with the lead at 2:17.

Stage 2 is a 17 mile time trial known as the famed "Downieville Downhill". "Downhill" is somewhat misleading, as the course throws everything at you - technical, smooth, fast, quick steep climbs, longer climbs, flats, creek crossing, etc. 3 minutes my seem like a big lead, but I decided to race on a 29inch Hardtail this year. 2nd overall, Sam Lueke, was riding a Santa Cruz Nomad, and Krage was on his carbon Specialize Stumpjumper (perfect for this course) in 3rd. Bike selection, tires and tire pressure can make or break your race (read Bobs post below). It should be noted that in the All-Mountain category your bike is weighted and photo'd before each race. You can't change anything from the day before. So it was me and my hardtail against the big guns in the DH showdown. 4 - 5 am earlier that morning- the unthinkable. Thunder, lighting, and RAIN!!! Perfect conditions for a great day of racing after dry, hot,
and dusty conditions Saturday.

I was second out of the gates in my class. Strategy was simple. Clean, smooth lines at 90%, hammer in the safe spots and climbs. At 52 minutes and change I was at the bottom in one piece and with no flats. The waiting brought some pretty cool drama. Could Krage or Sam rip down the mountain and make up 3+ minutes for the overall title? Sam came first in first with a solid run. Not enough to take it. Then Orlich came in much faster ... definitely faster than my time - but my how much????

In the end, krage won Sunday's DH (50 seconds faster than my time), but I was able to hang onto the overall for the All-Mountain title. With his big win Sunday, Krage moved into second overall and Platinum took the top 2 spots in the Overall All-Mountain Expert 35+ category.

And in Downieville, the racing is just the beginning to all the fun up there. It's a place you have to race at least once in your career. Oh and bring your party hat. The town goes off! Also, stay tuned for some write-ups in Velo. I heard Ross Schnell almost hit a deer and a coyote on his DH run!!!!

In the previous 4 seasons, I have not had one flat, nor a mechanical, and I have finished every race I entered. Of course, its bound to happen... this year, I've had two flats. The first one didn't matter much because I had two flat legs to go along with the flat tire....this second one, well to say it hurt is an understatement. I used Stan's No-Tubes, but when I got to Downieville on Friday for a pre-ride, it wasn't holding for some reason. I did all the usual tricks to get it to seal and then blew the seal. I was forced to put in a tube and hope for the best...

Now about Downieville. To say this course is 100 times better than Big Bear is no exageration. (more on course later) There are also other cool things about Downieville:

1) The race is point to point...I don't know, there's something cool about that
2) The town is super cool and so is Sierra City where the race starts
3) Although they say there are some strange mountain folks who live on the fringes who don't like mountain bikers, everyone i met was super friendly
4) There are like, rivers and creeks everwhere
5) You get a free beer with your reg. and you can drink in the streets after the race!
6) You get a free meal with you reg....very good pasta and salad!
7) There's a crazy jump contest into the river after the race
8) Lots of pros and people who are crazy fast going downhill come to this race
9) Its a massive confusing start with all pros and experts starting at same time....frustating at first, but that's downieville... you get to ride with the pros if you can stay with them
10) Its quite simply the best organized mountain bike race in the country

The course starts at 4,100 feet and climbs up to 7,100 feet in 8 miles or so. People do not like this climb....if you're from santa barbara, you love this climb! I started in the middle of the pack and was able to weave in and out of folks as I settled into a rhythm. Middle chain ring the whole way except for one steep tricky section. I felt good but didn't actually realize I was passing as many people as I was. I caught Willow Keorber near the top of the climb. She was in second place in the pro women field. I rode with her along the rollers on the top of the ridge and then went through the feed zone and got to the single track first. From here, you descend over 5,000 feet in 17 miles. Its a mix of killer single track and some fire road with "baby heads" thrown in for some extra excitement.

ok, so here's why this course is so good: If God decided to create the perfect, technical, fun, cross country descent (technical, but not too technical that it would be considered a "downhill" descent) this would be it. It just does not get any better: technical parts, flowy parts, baby heads, creek crossings, bridges, some uphill in the middle, more single track, pedalling single track, jumps, banked turns, drops, more single track ...well, you get the idea...

I felt I was having a decent race up to that point. Willow was yelling at me to get out of the way on the initial single track, but hey, I was racing too!! On the next rolling section of fire road, I let her ride my wheel for 2 miles or so, so I figured that was fair. Made it through the baby heads, made it through the next, often technical section of single track, 500' climb, and on to the flowy stuff where people hits speeds of 30 mph easy.

I'm home free. 25 more minutes of riding down easier single track and I should podium. Then it happend. pinch flat. How, i don't know. Under perfect conditions I know I can fix a flat in 3 minutes. In a race, it always seems to take 5. of course, as I fixed the flat people were flying by me. I had no way to know who was in my class (45+), and who was not.

I finished fixing the flat and tentatively road down the trail slowly picking up confidence that it wasn't going to flat again as I went on. After another 4 miles of super fun single track, I got to the finish. My clock said 2 hours, 20 minutes. Their clock said 2 hours, 25 minutes. 5 minutes to fix the flat. shouldn't kill me i thought...

Oh and by the way, they get the results up super fast.

Winning time in my group: 2 hours, 21 minutes! I would have Won!!!! (as it turns out, I still finished 5th)

I promised Cathya I would only say, "I shoulda won" 8 times, but by now I think its been closer to 27.

Oh well, what are you going to do?....train more....race again!

Final thought: People need to go to Downieville next year! Not kidding. This is the epic mountain bike race in the state!! check out two happy customers at the end of the race: http://www.velonews.com/photo/95066

Dust, heat, elevation, the end of a era, the end of a series, I wanted to finish like Seinfeld, and Team Platinum, on top of the game. But just showing up in my catergory is generally more than half the battle, so I was confident enough to go for the 6 hr progressive neighborhood dinner party the night before after an 8 hr day at work.

Morning came too early and Big Bear is a long ways away. At the start line it seemed like a smaller than normal group with all the familiar faces. Everyone seemed to start quite a bit faster than usual though, but the guy I was chasing from Woodruff Off-road had popped the last three races about 2/3 of the way into the race and finished more than a few minutes back. I wasn't to concerned making the initial 2+ mile climb when I couldn't see him anywhere near the top of the course.

I had gone with about three extra PSI front and back after flatting at
last years final. It didn't occur to me at registration that the section
that the extra pressure was added for had been trimmed out of this years
course. Floating so many soft fire road corners and having to slow coming
into them just to keep the line had me wishing I would have flirted with
the chance of flatting a bit more.

I finally made visual contact with Jason Woodruff on the single track up
to the "three bitches" where the Cat 1 riders rejoined the medium length
course on the final three fire road peaks to the top of the course.
Latching onto a few of the faster Cat 1 rider wheels and bridging up to
Jason was slowly and painfully getting me closer. The Luau themed Mai
Tai's and Kalua pork from the night before wasn't seeming like such a good idea at this point. But a half mile past the top of the course on the
downhill fire road into the single track descent is where I squeezed by. I
didn't look back at the top of the rolling single track and log ramp.
Several racers were bottlenecked at a little makeable soft run up so we
all had to dismount, at this point Jason ran by me and two others in front
of me, and I had no answer, nothing left in the reserve tank. I kept
walking up the little rise. I couldn't get by the two between us until
the next fire road, and couldn't reel him back in down fall line to the
finish and ended up half a minute back.

A disapointing way to end the series but will look forward to fall classic
to redeem myself and maybe will wait to make a pass until I know I can
hold the lead.

Brandon, Chester, Derek, Roger, and Steve Smith lined up for 9 laps around a 7 mile circuit that local race organizers had opened up on the SLO National Guard base. Temperatures were mild, but the wind was kicking up. About 60+ riders lined up for the Cat 3 race, the race started out with a brisk pace and about 3 miles into the circuit, there was a 5% hill for 3/4's of a mile. Cattle guards greeted riders at the base of the climb in addition to rough or no pavement and large gapping potholes. There were immediate gaps on the first climb. I hung in, but had indicated that I planned to give it a go the next day and did not want to waste too much energy on a race that I knew that would be challenging to win with the repeated hills. The group then proceeded to launch back down towards the starting line. The descent was sketchy, off camber turns, potholes and menacing cattle grates all made for an exciting ride.

Chester as usual was driving the pack, hammering the group at the front, riders were shelled on the descent and a couple riders went off into the weeds on a sharp corner. The group reassembled at the start line with the pace picking up again, the group weaved through the minefield of potholes, gravel, and cattle guards and the pace quickened again as the ascent approached. I decided that too much effort was being put out, so I bagged the ride midway on the 2nd climb. I ended up nearly catching the group on the descent, but pulled over in the feed zone. By the time that the group came back through the feed zone, it had totally exploded and Chester and Steve Smith were still in the group. I went back and loaded up my truck and watched the group go by the start line with Chester still in the breakaway group. He ended up flatting later in the race and would not finish.

Brandon Droese and Mike Weber lined up at 8:00 AM Saturday morning in their respective Cat 2 classes hoping to show the field the benefits of Platinum Performance nutritional products. Normally the writer would have separated the two as their ages are vastly different (the term “vastly” was not used in error); Brandon, a young up and coming mountain bike aficionado; Mike, an over-the-hill, battle-scared relic. However, in Colorado Springs , they operate differently than what us So Cal folks are used to. In light of that, once they lined up all the categories (youngest first to older in the back), they blew the whistle for the whole bunch and let them sort it out.

The start was absolute mayhem. There was poor language, there was pushing, and there was downright rudeness making up the first lap. The savvy Weber found his way around the first lap in decent position but Brandon didn’t fair as well and was pushed around like a red-headed step child by the misbehaving adults rounding the first lap behind his competitors. Not that anyone could tell as they did not mark the racers leg. Weber ended up winning his class (50-54) while the gritty Droese (who is always a pleasure to talk to at the races and represents us well) finished a respectable 8th place—great job in difficult circumstance for sure!

The Cat 1 field was next to take the line. They too were blessed with the mass start making the 101 at rush hour look nearly deserted. However, it did give us older gents time to catch up on how each other’s families were doing at discuss macro economics and Democratic policy changes during the first half hour since no one hit anaerobic threshold. Steve Silva was showing the love making for some good comedy until we finally hit the downhill and were able to spread things out a bit. Silva and Langin rounded the first lap in decent shape entering lap two. Both California boys found the rock gardens a bit tricky until the third lap where things started falling into place and they got their flow on and used moto skills to make up time. Once again, without leg markings it was difficult to tell where one finished but both Silva and Langin ate plenty of Platinum Performance products in advance and finished 5th and 1st respectively.

The 6th round of the California State Series took us to the Santa Barbara Bike Festival and our home track at Elings Park. This course is filled with short, punchy climbs and baking bump filled downhill switch-backs that some consider gruesome and painful, but which suit the talent of this Platinum rider quite well. From the gun, the 25-29 Cat 1 class took off like it was shot out of a cannon, racing up the first deceptively long fire-road climb jockeying for position before the single track.

I settled in about a third of the way up in the train, holding back just a little to make a quick move before the downhill. When we got to the left turn to go downhill, I stood up and made a quick sprint to pick off two unsuspecting riders before heading down the first set of switchbacks. With the whole group together, you couldn't see more than five feet in front of you as dust was flying everywhere from riders jamming on the brakes to make the next corner. Knowing all the corners here is where home course advantage comes through, and trusting the guy in front of you doesn't go down.

Out of the cloud we hit the road climb back up to the top of the hill. The lead group was still in tact and everyone closed together through the windy flat section, catching a little bit of breath before we'd have to go back up. At the end of the first lap, I found myself in a group of four fighting for the last step on the podium. Two attacks came up the first two climbs and we were able to drop one, then through the back section of the course we were able to drop another setting up for a two lap showdown. I was pretty cooked at this point, but was determined to hold on. Heading back up the road climb we started running into some lappers, and he was able to put one between us going up the twisties. This five foot gap started to grow, and by the end of the third lap I couldn't see him anymore. This made the fourth lap long and grueling with n o one to chase, though I could see some other Platinum riders starting to catch up which I couldn't allow. This gave me enough juice to get over the finish in 4th, by far my best ride of the season..

There’s not much to say about the prologue except that it had a bunch of turns, two climbs, a good descent onto the main street finish, and was only 1.7 miles. Everybody could have benefited from a race pace pre-ride but on this typically traffic-ridden course nobody had the opportunity so everybody was equalized. Then entire cat 3 field was separated by about 40 seconds and I was 4:06, 10 seconds off the leader.

I didn’t feel too well but luckily this semi-local venue made it possible for me to go home and take nap between the prologue and the Criterium. I returned rested and anxious to race. The downtown crit was exciting and demanded everyone to pay toll each lap with a punishing climb. As the climb relentlessly blew the field apart the lapped riders were pulled off the course. The cat 3 Platinum team consisted of Chester Gilmore, Derek Johnson, Steve Smith, Steve Weixel, and me. Our team plans were set but the rate of attrition set everyone into their own mode. Chester and I always stayed near the front and went with any attacks up the climb. With two laps to go I got shuffled into bad position so on the last climb I nailed it to put myself in good position. I came into the fast downhill turn before the sprint glued to the second wheel. First and second opened it up and went side by side early so I got to pick what wheel to jump on. As second faded I jumped onto first and as his acceleration ended I jumped around for the win. Chester finished 10th and Steve Weixel finished despite being crashed out mid race and taking free laps. The others finished within the time cuts to race the next day. The crit win put me first in the GC, first in sprinters points, and gave me a yellow jersey for the road race.

Originally I was dreading this circuit race fearing lackluster fitness and lots of climbing but when Sunday came I was feeling good and confident. My tentative plan was to cover the other top GC contenders, which really turned out to be nearly everyone, whose numbers where written on my arm. My goal was to get mid sprint points and to be there to content the win. With each new lap I gained confidence. Close watch on a few high in GC gave me the impression they were suffering hard on the climb. Coming into the second mid sprint I positioned myself on the 2nd in GC because I knew he was going for the time bonus which I had planned to steal from him. However, he was looking cooked and let two get away. He didn’t respond so I jumped to bridge the large gap. With the gap nearly closed I looked back to see a train on my wheel so I pulled off with the plan to get right back in. Unfortunately, the train died on my wheel, the two got away, and I was cooked which was the beginning of the end. During the next climb I felt twinges and then hard cramps came fast. As my quads locked-up I sat up and watch the lead group slowly ride off. I nearly came to a stand-still working out my quads and trying to pedal circles. Fifty yards up the road I passed Chester sitting on the side tending to his cramped legs. I was able to soft pedal the remaining three laps and was passed by other solo riders including teammate Smitty. I figured it may be my last cat 3 race so I wanted to finish and be counted in the GC. The last three laps were very peaceful and I actually enjoyed the ride. Little did I know that there was a string of solo riders behind me including teammate Weixel.

Following Sea Otter I was sick with bronchitis then pneumonia and was able to put in 16 hours of riding before this stage race. I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty but really wanted to be a part of this local stage race. I never imagined it would turn out so nice with a win and a yellow jersey. I’m not disappointed in cramped circuit race legs but really just happy it didn’t happen in the crit. There was some good suffering but in hindsight it was all a lot of fun. I had a great time racing with my teammates and listening to Chester’s life stories during our drives. Huge thanks go to my buddy, mountain bike nemesis Dermot Carroll, for being my crit cheerleader and giving me circuit race feeds.

Round four of the state series found us at beautiful Santa Ynez valley on a shortened version of the old course. Mike Hecker had the course in prime condition and the weather cooperated nicely except a little wind. In the 50-54 class Bobby sr. was back and ready to shred after a little set back at the Otter, my nemesis Dean Swank and the rest of the class shot off like a canon due to Bobby’s exceptionally fast starting ability which unfortunately for the rest of us doesn’t slow down.

Up the first climb I tried my best to keep 2nd place Swank in contact but he put about 45 seconds on me by the top of the second big climb.

That pretty much held until the last climb across the ridge where I started to bridge across it seamed he would hold me off. We hit the flat single track on the run in and Dean was about a 100 yards or so down the trail, so I put my head down and started a time trial which saw me jumping by a couple of small groups catching him right before the dry creek.

I took a line on the left dropping in to the sandy bottom, shot by on the left, and passed him down the finishing straight.

It felt pretty good! Dean usually puts a couple minutes on me so it was sweet reeling him in.

Thanks to Roger for dialing my Specialized Epic in. Thatbike is a joy to ride also thanks to bike bob for all his support. Great job to all the platinum team out there today the team rocks. We get a nice break after 4 or 5 weeks in a row of racing, but round 5 at Big Bear will be here to fast…

The Sea Otter Classic is the "Grand Daddie" of all bike races! With over 10,000 athletes and 100,000 spectators visiting the venue over the four day span. This year the weather brought out even more crowds. The Sea Otter normally experiences cold and rainy weather. This year was a first in a long time....Hot, Hot temperatures (especially on Sunday). The temperatures hit 95 degrees on Sunday, causing the race organizers to shorten the Pro race. The Cat 1 raced the full 38 miles earlier in the day, but by the 2nd lap it became a race of survival. Liquid intake was the number one priority out on the course. In fact, both of my bottles were taken off the fence by riders desperate for fluids.

San Diego was the third stop on the US Cup/Cal State Series. The SageBrush course is deep in tradition with hosting over twenty-fives years of racing. The course has everything! The terrain is a mirror image of the Sea Otter course with loose sandy flowing singletrack with tons of turns, long open climbs, rock face climbs, "hike a bike" climbs and rocky fireroad descents. The Pro/ Cat 1's race over a 26 mile course with 3500' of total climbing. The Cat 2-3's drop down the Kernan Trail instead of climbing up Los Pinos Mountain with the Pro/Cat 1 group. That cuts off 6 miles for thier race. At the end of the day I saw nothing but dust, blood, sweat, and tears. Team Platinum had a strong showing.

I found the ticket for a family visit up in the bay area... Find a race the same weekend. The Ronde van Brisbeen was a two day omnium with a crit and a circuit race. I raced both the 45+ 3/4 and Cat 3. Both days started with the 45+ with a two hour rest before the Cat 3. The fields for the crits were limited to 75 due to the tight course. One practice lap and I knew I had to stay in the very front which I did for both races.

The 45+ race went well. I won one of the two primes and then the last lap was looking perfect until a sneaky attack got me by surprise and I ended up second. Pretty good swag for the race…I won a Yakima rack for the prime, money and a medal for second, and get this; a bottle of wine for “most aggressive rider”. It’s not that I was attacking off the front but I was covering most of the stuff that went off the front so appeared to be a player. I’ll take it - beats being called a “wheel suck’n bitch”.

The Cat 3 race went well too until the last lap. I blew it by staying on wheels when it slowed and got passed by too many guys with two turns to go. The tight course didn’t provide enough space to make up the distance and I ended up eighth.

The 45+ race went pretty much as planned. I stayed near the front and again missed a move at the end and a sneaky guy won and I got another second. I tied for first place in the omnium but since the sneaky guy beat me on the second day he won the omnium.

During the first lap of the Cat 3 I knew I was toast. However, I managed to stay in the front until the last 100 yards. The uphill headwind finish had the field curb to centerline with everyone twitching. I missed the move and got swallowed up with powerless legs.

So now I’ve got mixed feeling about racing two crits or circuit races in one day. I guess it could be good training to go round and round but really the lessons are in the last couple of laps. My feelings now are that if you don’t have normal power and snap at the end you can’t be where you need to be, and at best, you end up with a good view of the sprint finish. Then, the only lesson for next time is to sign up in the one race you want to do well in. At first I was bummed that I just didn’t enter the Cat 3, but then looking at my race files, my average power and average speed was higher in the 45+ race. So maybe I did do my best in the best race.

What a race!!! That's what I call a "real mtn bike race". The new 6 mile course was full of steep climbs, the longest "hike a bike" section I've ever seen, and sandy technical single-track downhills with tons of tight turns. Each lap pushed the riders to 1000' of elevation. The Cat 1 racers took on four laps. Bloody knees and elbows were common to see at the finish line.

My race had a full roster with the return of Bonelli winner Bill Daley and runner up Mike Hileman. The riders hit the "Wall of Voodoo" within the first mile. Nor Cal racer, Dario Frederick pulled away from the front group by climbing the entire "hike a bike" section. He put a gap on us. I was back and forth with Bill Daley. Mike Hileman was playing it smart by hanging back and saving energy for the section half. By the end of he 2nd lap Mike had caught Bill and myself.

With the abundant amount of single-track, bottle-necking was a problem. Mike got away with a few swift passes. Bill and I, continued to battle till the end. I put a small gap on him on the downhill and it was enough to cross the line with 5 seconds over him. Mike's tactics worked and caught Dario in the last mile. It's been awhile since I had such a race with one rider from start to finish. Thanks Bill.....I'm fried!

Today was the second stop on my comeback tour, a CCCX race this time at Toro Cyn Park, which is right across Hwy 68 from the Sea Otter course. Again, 5 laps, but this time is was a pure mountain bike course, up 800 feet, then down a tricky single track decent. Good times. Same class as last time, single speed pro/expert class. Smaller field, but the fast guys from the last race lined up with me at the start.

After putting in my first real 2 week training block in a couple years, I was curious how I'd do. My legs felt dead at the start, but I hung with a group of experts and semipros up the first climb. Climb 2 things started to feel better, and I started to reel in riders, including the SS racer who had been in 3rd. By the bottom of lap three I could see the two leading SS racers just up the trail. On the climb I caught and passed the 2nd place guy, and closed down to about 20 seconds on the leader... Just where I thought I wanted him coming into the final lap... one problem... he was younger, stronger, and better... Dang... So halfway up the climb, he sees me closing, and just like that, he was gone...

I ended up about 30 seconds down on him for second place. The good news, two weeks ago that same guy beat me by around 4:30, so either the form is coming, I got lucky, or the course was a lot better for me.

The crit the first day was flat and fast but had a very difficult corner that was the site of many crashes throughout the day, including one in the cat 4 field. I lost a lot of position on the last lap when someone dive-bombed the corner, someone else braked, and I was behind it all... Ended up cruising in for 32nd out of the 56 that finished... From over 90 starters.

The circuit race on Sunday I was hoping from what people told me would be rolling enough to make it difficult but after a recon lap on Saturday it was obvious that was not going to be the case. It was laid out like a 4 mile long crit with only a few tiny ripples. My plan was to jump from the gun and make people work for it. Hopefully keep the race fast and safe. I made sure to get there early and took two warm up laps, and then went off immediately as planned. I stayed away for about 12 minutes but then they started to reel me back in and as they got close I eased up and reintegrated. I stayed near the front for a while but people kept moving up over the center line and I was unwilling to do so and it became increasingly difficult to maintain position. There was a crash on a false flat about halfway in because of stupid crap (apparently someone freaked out and locked up) so I pushed my way to the front again and did about half a lap on the front to string it out and try to get others to work with me. Two guys from one team tried to work with me but nothing was working and eventually I filtered back a bit. With 3 laps to go I started moving back up toward the front and with 2 to go, about a mile from the start finish for the final lap I was sitting in the top 15 or so. Suddenly bikes and people were flying and parting and I skidded to a stop but not in time to avoid running into a friend, slowly. I didn't go down, but had to stop and run around the melee and spent about 3 minutes chasing back onto the group. I was never able to regain enough
position to contest the finish but still managed to work my way far enough
up for 19th.

To me, The Keyesville Classic represents one of the most enjoyable courses we race. Forget the city parks and fireroad races. Alpine singletrack is why we ride mountain bikes, and so we make the trip each year to Keyesville. Maybe it rains and maybe it's snows but whatever the weather the course is always perfect.

I was welcomed to the start with the young set. I normally race 50+ but the age group was lowered to 45 which meant I had to get a good start and keep the tempo up. Dave Letteri lined up in front of me and I hoped to keep him and Rod Garret, another Chicken Rancher, in my sights. At the top of the first climb I was a minute or so behind but cleaned each climb and felt like I was in good shape. I had my sights on a familiar white jersey up front and was resigned to the fact he would beat me again. But low and behold it was a mirage as Don Jackson was actually behind me and getting closer as the second lap was about the begin.

I was jockying back and forth with one rider who I'de pass on the climbs and he'de scoot by on the downhills. As it was he was in a different class but made the race interresting. Don and he were side by side up the climbs on the second lap and I was concerned Don would get me on the lower fire road part of the course with his climbing power.

Then it happened....At the top of a small steep sandy pitch Don, dropped his chain and was having a tough time extracating it from the wheel and sprocket. Well......you take advantage where you can and I got to the finish just ahead of Don, something it's taken me 3 years to do. We used to be pretty close in years past but not recently. I finished 7th out of 19 and felt great about it. Letteri won the race and Rod was in 6th just ahead of me.

A good number of the Platinum Team attended this years race including Bud Donatoni, Aaron Transky, Chris Burke, Kat Post, Roger Moore, Bob Nisbit and Steve Silva. A fun day was had but in the end it looks like I need to buy a transmission for my van. I just about never made it up the grapevine as my engine would just spin to redline slipping 4th gear to the top. I limped home and very glad to have made it to Keyesville and back.

Steve Weixel, Peter Boberg and Derek Johnson all woke up to greet daylight savings with a series of race in Dominguez Hills. The 4's race was a full field, the pace was quick and with three laps to go, Derek moved up to the front of the pack. He marked attacks and counter attacks and on the last turn was able to be third in a train of spinters. Derek managed to pull off just in time to take 1st place. Steve Weixel came in at 20th.

Peter Boberg was up next in the 55+. It was a big field with some riders who were clearly doing some work. Peter as promised, stayed in the pack, hoping to move up towards the end with a promise of a respectable finish. Unfortunately, he got caught up in some reckless racing when a rider went down in front of him. He swerved to avoid the racer, but grazed his bike and went down. A trip to the medical tent and some beers on the way home tried to smooth the bruises and bumps.

The 30+ 3/4 race was a full field. The officials as they did at Isla View lectured riders to pick up the pace in order to have a fully scheduled ride. The group was strung out throughout the race with both Steve Weixel and Derek Johnson taking turns going off the front. With three laps, Derek moved to the front and did a repeat as he did on the 4's, moving up on the last lap to third wheel and on the last turn, opened it up for 1st place. Steve Weixel came in at 16th.

Trying to get a leg up on the competition for the upcoming US Cup race, I headed out to Fontana for the fifth round of the Southridge winter series to give the course a once over. Much like our home track at Elings park, this course had a little bit of everything; climbs on both dirt and asphalt, fast single track rollers with the occasional rock perfectly placed in racing line just to make sure you're paying attention, and sand, lots of soul sucking sand. Fortunately, a little bit of rain over the previous weeks kept the sand sections in check and the dirt nice and tacky. With a sunny Saturday morning, a cheerful staff, and the rumor of a bikini clad brunette roaming the course, it was a great day for racing.

The 27-34 yr expert men (aka Cat 1) had a mass start with a few other age groups and put the hammer down from the sound of the horn. I placed myself about mid pack and held my own up the first climb. After about half a lap, the pack seemed to have separated itself out a little and I found myself in a group of 4 riders in various classes. Since the leaders were pretty much gone, we spent the first two laps more or less working together to make sure the groups behind us didn't catch up. At the beginning of the final lap, I attacked on the first uphill. I went as hard as I could knowing I could rest a little on the rollers to come, and got a small gap on the back three. I held it for most of the course, but on the long flat section leading to the finish the train came through and there was little I could do to hold on. Out of gas, I rolled into the finish about 20sec back and in fifth overall.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the rumors were true, and she proved to be great motivation those last laps trying to get up those hills.

The Island View Classic was held with no island views this year, as the race was held in Goleta, but it did not stop platinum riders from placing some respectable finishes amongst a competitive field of local and regional talent.

The morning stared off with the 4's race. The plan was for a Platinum train to bring Tom along for a win. The field was full of some fired up Cat 4 riders. It was a sunny day, with slight breeze out of the southeast. The pace was relatively smooth with Tom attacking the front and marking any counter attacks. It was followed up with equivalent work by Steve who was pulling the field around the course. As the bell rang at three laps to go, the pace quickened and both Platinum and Chicken ranchers began to assemble at the front. On the last lap, three chicken Ranchers pulled around the last turn looking to lead out one of their riders. Derek jumped on the train, pulling Tom along. The Chicken train ran out of steam and a all out sprint ensued. Derek was able to hang out for 2nd, with a UCSB student taking 1st place. Tom came in for a 4th and Steve in at 22nd place.

The 35+ race promised to be a much quicker pace, with racers from almost all categories ready to either warm up for the pro 1-3 or warm down from previous races. The officials indicated at the outset that the faster the group went, the longer the race would be. The pace started out at a respectful pace with a few breaks trying to make it off the front. They were instantly chased down and counter attacked. This scenario played out throughout the race. John O was working the group along with Brian. I just sat in as was advised by Brian to avoid the wind and hopefully save some energy for Cookie. The last three laps picked up with Brian asking for me to stay in the pack. I was marking sprinters wheels that I knew to be solid. Unfortunately on the last lap, I lost the wheel and Brian zoomed by. There was a lead out by a Rock Racer, who sat up right after the turn. This caused the group of sprinters to split. I managed to squeak through, placing 8th. Brian came in at 11th and Ron Takeda at 15th.

The Pro Race featured Team Bissell Cody O'Reilly who promised to make the afternoon race a smoker. Immediately, six went off the front including Cody. They worked well together and eventually were able to lap the field. They blended into the pack and with a three laps to go, the pace quickly picked up. The group held together with the six who lapped the field mixed in. As they rounded the corner. Cody was able to break out and out sprinted the Rock Racing National Crit Champ for 1st place.

Scott Tedro had a vision to reorganize the mountain bike racing scene in the US. If this first race of the season is any indication of what's to come, we are in for a real treat. Bonelli Park was the sight for the first race of the US Cup and the California State Series. The venue was full of vendor tents and trailers. Including the fancy new Sho Air rig. Even the Team Big Bear trucks were revamped. The swag was flowing....and the racer turnout was huge with over 700 entries!

The weather was beautiful. By the afternoon, the Pros and Cat 1's were seeing temperatures in the low 80's. Many riders were not prepared for the high temperatures this early in the season. This was a weird contrast with the snow in the mountains in the distance. The course was completely new. This is a fresh slate for the 09' season. Team Big Bear laid out a 7.4 mile figure eight loop. The majority of the climbs were fire road with some newly added single-track through parts of the park many riders haven't seen. The lap times were fast considering the riders were tackling 1185' of climbing per lap. Overall the course had a little bit of everything. The Pros raced 4 laps, the Cat 1's raced 3 laps, the Cat 2's took on 2 laps and the Cat 3's covered 1 lap.

Platinum Performance had 29 racers setting their sights on early points in both series. Bobby Langin Sr moved up to the Cat 1 50-54 class and was forced to race only two laps. Bobby killed it with a solid 1st place finish with out breaking a sweat. Brandon "Young Guns" Droese dusted off his mtn bike and showed them who's boss in the Cat 2 17-18 class with a win. Platinum's new recruits to help bring in points for the series showed promise with Peter Park (Cat 2 single-speed) and Mike Daley (Cat 1 40-44) whipping up on their respected fields for top podium finishes. Another new recruit, Chris Burke rode to a 3rd place finish in the Cat 2 25-29 class. Bud Donatoni was on fire racing against Johnny O'mara in a heated battle to the end. Bud succumbed to a respectable 2nd place finish in the very competitive Cat 1 45-49 class. Sidney Beck raced hard to a 2nd place finish in the Cat 3 under 13 class. Terry Dahl had his hands full today, but walked away with a 3rd place finish. Kat Post made her debut, after extensive knee surgery, to pull off a respectable 3rd place finish in the women's Cat 2 40-49 class. This was a great start for the Platinum team as their mountain bike season is under way.

Steve Smith and I drove out to the Southern Nevada Stage Race at Callville Bay. Saturday morning started with a relatively shallow uphill time trial. I put in a fairly strong 11:26 for 7th (of 45) in the 4s, and Steve Smith put in a mid-field 11:25 in the 3s despite being sick.

In the afternoon we begain our respective road races. The course started up the TT route out of the Marina, then ran up Northshore Drive to the the highest point 20 miles away, back down the length of Northshore drive, and 11 miles back to the marina finishing on a slight downhill for the last 1K. It seemed like a course well suited for me with a lot of climbing, but mostly punchy rollers and nothing too sustained.

Several fields were combined and we were starting with the Women 1-3 and the Juniors 17-18, for a total field of at least 70. We went off at a fairly casual pace but picked up quite a bit, pushed on by the strong morning TT'ers, and we shelled several riders before we even got to the main road. The juniors drove the race early on and had a break going for a while but were reeled in near the halfway point. In the last 15 miles the top GC riders (me included) set the pace over the last 15 miles. I was was able to do little work in the early part of the race but approaching the end I wanted to keep position near the front and respond quickly to any attacks.

With 1K to go I jump and barrel down toward the finish. At 500m to go my legs are screaming and I was sure I was about to be caught and warmed... but it didn't happen, so I pushed harder. As I appoached the line I knew I was clear of the field, and I came in first. It was one of the most violent painful things I have ever done, but when I crossed that line first and saluted to the crowd I was elated. Steve finished in the pack of a chase group in his race, behind a 5 man break.

Wrapping up the stage race weekend, today was the "marina crit", a .8 mile loop with a small rise, carved out of the parking lots at the marina. I gained a position in the GC and was sitting 6th, in the money. I had a few guys within time bonus reach of me so I had riders to mark in the crit. I was 12 seconds behind 5th and would not be able to gain any position with time bonuses.

I raced the crit very conservatively, starting mid-field (down to just over 30), and waited until about halfway to start gaining position. Around 3 to go I worked my way up near the front. The rider second in the GC had rolled off the front pretty much unchallenged earlier but we were closing in on the final lap. He stayed away and I came in 9th in the field sprint, keeping my 6th place GC. Because Steve was sick, he did not stay for the crit.

A contingent of Platinum road racers rallied down south for the Dare to Race Grand Prix in Ontario . The overcast weather held out with only intermittent sprinkles that never jeopardized the safety of the races. The San Gabriel Mountains were snowcapped and provided an incredible background to the intense racing. The 1.2 mile course was seven turns of wide open roads with a long fast finishing stretch. Platinum was represented in the 30+ 4/5, Senior 3, 30+ 1/2/3/4, Men 4/5, and Pro 1/2/3 with most riders racing more than one event.

Derek Johnson and Steve Weixel raced in the 30+4/5 with Derek placing 7th. Brandon Droese, Chester Gilmore, Steve Smith, and I worked well in the Senior 3. and Brandon finished with a very respectable 10th. I sprinted for second place.

Steve Weixel raced again as did Steve Smith, back to back with his Senior 3 race, in the Masters 30+ 1/2/3/4.

Derek and Steve Weixel raced in the 4/5. Derek the powerhouse contended the sprint again this time getting second.

Brandon, myself, and Chris Walker raced with dimming skies in the last Pro 1/2/3 race.

Brandon and I were just trying to gain experience in the strong field while Chris Walker mixed it up in the front as usual. It was a great race day with Platinum.

The St. Valentine’s Day Criterium in Brea turned out to be another fun day of racing for Platinum. Due to the unknown weather conditions there were only seven racers preregistered in our cat 3 field but with holding weather a whole field showed up and surprised the promoters. The race started with a neutral lap in memorial to Roger Millikan followed by 55 minutes of racing on the fast twisty course with incline and decent.

Our cat 3 subset consisted of Brandon, Chester, and I. We stayed at the front and nicely covered any attempts and I had the fun job of blocking as Chester made a couple of hearted break attempts and took a prime win.

The field didn’t let anything get away for long so it was all together when the lap cards came up. Chester and I took our reserved spots at the front and were twitching with anticipation. Chester commanded me to his wheel but unfortunately everyone sat on us with three to go.

At two to go something ignited and we got reshuffled. I came off Chester’s wheel and went with the momentum up the side but then at one to go it was Chester, Brandon, and I across the front of the reved up field.

When everyone finally dumped their clutches and held it wide open it was awesome. I had good position coming into the last turn and jumped around a few guys in the turn to drag race the lead monster. I came up next to him but couldn’t finish it off and got pipped at the line by a Giant rider putting me in third. Chester ended up 15th and Brandon was in the field.

The UCLA cycling team has been promoting a killer race up in Pear Blossom for sometime now and this year they decided to open it up to USCF categories. The course was very similar to Devils Punchbowl RR, the only difference being they took the first right up a steep ~1 mile run up to the finish cutting the lap sizes down a bit. The course was roughly 13 miles a lap with 1500 feet of climbing per lap. The Cat 3's did 4 laps, the P123 raced 5.

The Cat three race was pretty tame for the most part. The biggest selection came on the second lap seeing only about 1/4 of the peleton in the main field. The course took its toll on the riders with fewer and fewer riders in the lead group every lap. Cresting the hill on the last lap only about 15 riders remained. There were a few attacks and counter attacks on the downhill and the false flat leading into the finishing climb. When the lead group began the final climb there was still a rider 200m up the road. Several riders attacked and the gap whittled down, but no one was willing to do too much work with the finish line rapidly approaching and the pitch of the road growing steadily. At 200 meters to go local Santa Barbara Platinum Performance rider Chester Gillmore attacked, passed the rider who was off the front, finished with a very comfortable sized gap and as the Belgians would say, "no one else in the photo".

Doug Urbach rode a solid race in the CAT 4's and finished 16th.

Chris Walker, AKA The Vampire put the screws to the Pro field throwing the entire peleton deep in the pain locker. He then slammed the door, locked it, and threw away the Key of said locker. He took second place in a very strong p123 field.

Boulevard was a bust… I hit a cattle guard 11 miles in and double flatted. My only consolation was that I was not alone, two other guys in my field flatted as well, and a guy in the cat 5 race destroyed his wheel. And I heard that it continued to happen all day. Sunday was a new day and a new race and hopefully a chance to salvage the trip.

I took the course for a warmup lap immediately after and came around and there were already tons of guys on the line, and figured I would be starting from pretty far back. But inexplicably, someone left a big hole and I got up to about the second row. Not to shabby. Whistle blows and UCLA guy is off immediately. Crap. It’s early, not going to worry about it yet. He gets pulled back and we are together on the hill on the second lap and I counter-attack. I was completely solo for a lap and a half until I was joined on the backside by two riders. We stayed away but were joined by a few more on the next lap and could feel the field closing in. Of course no sooner than we are reeled in, someone else takes off. Attacks continued for most of the race; there was almost always someone off the front but they never got any traction. At that point I figured just ride it out, stay near the front and cover anything that looked like it might stick.

With two laps to go I made my bid for position and was coming up the right side of the field on the hill when I heard the unmistakeable snap crackle pop of a crash. Fortunately I had clear road ahead and knew it must be behind or to the side so I just kept driving up the side and came into the bell lap well positioned. One more time around and everyone was very aggressive but I held my ground and kept my position and remembered the advice I was given not to charge up the hill and blow before the finish. I crested somewhere in the top 5 and waited for someone to make a move, but I could not match the sprinters' accelerations and managed to hold on for 10th. I was actually nipped at the line by 2 places.If I had only thrown my bike... lessons learned.

Chester raced in the 3s and was in a break for much of the race, and finished 16th.

With clearing skies Keith Horowitz and I made a last minute decision to go down to race the Dominguez Hills criterium. As we approached LA it started to sprinkle and by the time we were registering it was full on raining. I sat in my car to pin my number on and was considering finding a covered business porch to set-up my trainer to warm up. Luckily though the rain lasted about 15 minutes and by the time our races started it was clearing up and getting sunny.

The four corner course was wide open with great pavement so even though it was wet it was fast and safe. I stayed at the front and went with the break attempts but nothing stuck because it never got organized and the stiff wind required the horsepower of more willing attackers. When the laps cards came up the front got re-shuffled and I noticed that two had just scooted off the front. I turned to Jon Baskin of Team Possibilities (He won the Poor Kids RR and was in a lot of break attempts at Mothballs) and asked him to bridge with me but he said his teammate was off the front. So I led and he sat on my wheel. I yelled back and suggested that LaGrange bring ‘em back because I thought they had some guys planning to lead out their guy Stratton (who nipped me at the line at Mothballs last weekend). No response so I yelled for any team to bring ‘em back. Jon was still on my wheel and said “tough proposition”.

I fought to stay at the front (not very hard because nobody wanted to push that wind) and jumped on two guys flying up the side at two corners to go. At the last corner we reeled in the two off the front and I was sitting third. I sensed stuff coming up the left so I jumped a little early and drag raced the two for the lead. I couldn’t come around and one guy came up the left so I ended up with another fourth. At the end of the race the roads were completely dry, the sun was out, and I was happy with another fun crit.

Not much to report for me besids a trio of ~20th place finishes. I spent a lot of time in the first race (45+) trying to take "digs" with the intention that when I got pulled back, that either Chris Walker or Marco would counter and get a break going...but heck, with an average speed of almost 27mph for that race, I can see how it was hard for any breaks to stick.

I followed up the 45+ immediately with the Cat 4 race. I quickly realized my mistake of having "warmed up" with the 45+ race...but still ended up "playing" on and off the front at various times throughout. I prefer staying "safe" at the front of a 4s field than taking my chances in the sketchiness further back. Coming into the last lap, the plan was for me to lead out Derek with Steve on Derek's wheel...but that all ended up being "forgotten" when Derek jumped on the backside of the last lap to try to go with an attack from Echelon Jr. Ben...obviously, Derek's a "beast" since even though the pack caught them before the end, he still ended up coming in 4th. I had some pretty poor position coming into the finish, I didn't even stand to sprint and let all the other guys battle for 10th place...

After a brief respite during the 3's race, I lined up one final time for the 30+ 3/4 race. Not much to talk about on this one, except for when "The Beast", AKA Derek, decide to go off the front solo about 2/3rds into the race. Chicken Rancher Dave Larsen (a good TT'er) bridged up to Derek to lend a hand. At that point, both the CR and Platinum teams were in force at the front trying to give those guys a chance. After awhile, a pair of riders attacked and bridged up to the front pair making a total of 4 in the break.

Back in the pack, again, the CR and Platinum teams were doing their best to "clog" the front and discourage an organized chase. All the way into the final lap it looked good for the break...BUT, on the backside of the last lap, a rider WHO WAS THE TEAMMATE of one of the breakaway members made the bonehead move of attacking to try to bridge. All that did was line out the field and bring the group up onto the break just before the finish. I actually had an OK spot...and was right behind CR'r Blingerman just before the final turn...he happened to JUST squeeze ahead of a VERY squirrelly rider before the last turn that I had to back off from to make sure I wasn't "pinched" in the corner...Blinger ended up 2nd, while that one mistake of mine put my back into 21st or 22nd or so...but, that's what happens in the roll of the dice of a field sprint on a flat, fast course. Derek, being "The Beast" that he is, STILL hung on for 5th place. Awesome. Oh yeah...the guy who was in the break who was guaranteed a 4th place finish minimum if the break stayed away, and who's teammate actually caused the break to be caught at the line...he was 6th. Doh!

So, in the end I logged ~100K yesterday of crit racing...around a 1K course. You do the math...I'm still a little dizzy :-)

50+ - Shigy Suzuki, Mark Luke, Mike Weber, Tim Marquez, and Bobby Langin Sr. lined up at 1:10 to enjoy the fine weather in the San Ynez Valley. Things were incredibly civil as the big pack left the line and traversed along the rolling hills against a minor head wind. Mark Luke seemed to be the most proficient among the Platinum sect as he kept himself near the front but making sure not to pull more than necessary. He was also very helpful with talking to Sr. (who, BTW, had no idea what he was doing out there) keeping him out of trouble. Mark pulled hard to the turn-around keeping us near the front in anticipation of the hit back up to the finish.

In true Langin fashion, Sr. decided it was time for a flyer and went off the front with his mind filled with the vision of a glorious finish, hands raised high as the cycling groupie’s showered him with affection back in the pits…the poor old guy is not only loosing his memory, he’s apparently delusional as well. After just a short while another rider bridged the small gap. Meanwhile Luke was doing his best to control the field allowing Langin to bath in his illusions for just a while longer. As the lead group neared the short climb, another couple of riders had come across the gap now making the lead group 5-strong. “Strong” being a relative term.

Langin crested the climb in front but was soon accompanied by the other four. The five were not working very well back down towards the finish and thus the field was coming quickly. Mark, still doing his best to control, was running out of options as many a rider would attack in hopes of catching the breakaway. At 1 K to go, the shenanigans were beginning up front. Langin could see the field coming fast and was sweating like Blagojevich at an ethics conference and figured he’d rather finish 5th than be involved in a mass sprint finish so he hit it just as he was able to see the line. The other four were happy to take advantage of Langin and would cross the line ahead giving the delusional guy a fifth nearly getting swallowed up by the pack as he crossed the line.

Langin missed out on the throngs of young blondes lavishing him with attention but had fun nonetheless. Mark Luke was Platinum’s most valuable player in the mêlée as he not only allowed Langin to go off the front but then worked like a dog to protect him. Thanks Mark, I owe ya one!

Race 2 at Southridge was a gamble weather wise. It had been raining for a few days in Santa Barbara and through the south. I wasn't sure about rain for the race but friday, reports were predicting a window of overcast weather in Fontana. Instead of riding in the rain at home, chose the dry route in Fontana.

The course this week had been extended. Not quite to it's full length but some added new singletrack which connected us to the hillside trail that ends in the big cement wash and culvert chute. 2 laps for beginners, 3 for sports and 4 for the rest. My race was just shy of 18 miles and once again 3 times up the paved climb and past the water tower.

This race was pleasant, not having to deal with the 50 mph winds. I felt stronger and held a consistent pace, crashing once in the sand, luckily caught by the bushes lining the trail instead of the jagged edge of a culvert. The leaders in my group are all strong and Gary admitted to middle ringing all the climbs. Well..... that's something I have to work on.

Races like this are won on the sustained climbs. My age group is always one of the larger and more compeitive groups. It is great training at this time of year as many race the entire CA series as well, so easy to guage fitness as the season progresses and make needed adjustements. I finished 7th this time. A little better than race 1 and looking to pick up the pace a bit more for race 3.

I decided to get one more cyclocross race in after last weeks crash and burn at the Talley Vineyards in San Luis. This weekends race was in beautiful Long Beach, actually is was at a great park called El Dorado. The course was nicely laid out making great use of the parks features which included pine needle single track, grass, a 180 turn in a sandpit a very tough section, and a double barrier run up. We lined up with 24 racers ready to go in the masters 45+ lucky for me are teammate Langin SR. didn’t show. I got boxed out in the first turn and was in 6 or 7 at the next turn I tried to dive inside and found myself on the ground again with some choice words coming from my fellow racers!

Like idiot and serves you rite I guess I was a little too pushy. I jumped up got going and counted 13 in front. Angry from going down two weeks in a row I set out chasing after two laps and some fun passing I found myself in the leading group of 4. I was surprised to have good legs because I was really sore going in to the race. I sat on for a lap than passed one at a time until I was on the front with two laps to go. Long story short the last 3 hundred yards the second place rider bridged back and I rode like the idiot I was called earlier and let him come around thinking I would be in a good spot for the sprint WRONG he went tight in the last turn forced me a little wide and I couldn’t close the ½ bike down. I was bummed I let a win get away; they don’t come my way to often anymore. But it was a great race and I can’t wait for next year’s cross season. If you have never raced Cyclocross you should give it a try it really is big fun.

Race 1 at Southridge began with a long line to register. Suited up and warmed up for a few minutes before the call to the start line.

The pros and experts went off as a big group as did us sports. A 5 second countown and we were off. The start was different from last year but basically just the next road up which was narrow to filter through. To the water tank we had roughly 50 knot winds in our faces. Not a big help on the climbs. The first turns into the dirt up top I wondered if I was going to get blown of the trail but kept low and not a problem.

A few familiar faces in the group and I was prepared to just sit in mid pack but the leaders got a good gap and I wasn't up for the chase. Maybe second or third lap I'll reel them in. No such luck.

We were on a novel new course. The back canyon was off limits so our course today was 4 miles and beginners did 2 laps, sports 3 and expert/pro 4 laps. The sandy section where you normally go right and up the canyon was where we turned around so while we lost racing the fun singletrack there it still provided about the same elevation and distance.

Fun course, sunny and warm. Just how I like it mid winter. 10th place was pretty poor but I'm training through a few of these and my plan is to improve and exceed my mid pack status from last season.

I was the sole representative from Platinum. Next race I expect a few more will race. It's the best time of year to ride in Fontana.

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