Alki Rubicon Racing

Rapha Focus Grand Prix & Starcrossed...2 weeks late

2011-10-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

Clark here (Not Jane...as pictured)...and although I didn't race the RFGP, I did start the season out the previous day at Starcrossed. My race followed the script I had envisioned considering my complete lack of practice and time on the bike prior to the race/season. Coming off of four weeks of Paternity leave with no time on my cross bike, I figured that my dismounting and remounting skills would be lacking, and that I would run out of "gas" somewhere around lap four. Suprisingly, I felt great getting on and off the bike, but true to form I had one really bad lap, lap 4, where I first hit the side of the wall in the sand pit, then got tangled in the course tape minutes later. As a result, I lost 6-8 spots, ande most of my motivation. I eked out the last few laps, and was just happy to get the first race out of the way. Can't wait for Starcrossed to return to Marymoor next year.

I didn't race the Rapha Focus GP on Sunday, but wanted to share photos courtesy of Steven Matera. Cut and paste the following link into your browser...

https://picasaweb.google.com/AlkiRubicon/20110918RaphaFocusGrandPrix#

Starcrossed and Rapha GP

2011-09-21T18:41:00.001-07:00

Starcrossed which normally uses the Marymoor Velodrome was moved to Lake Sammamish State Park in conjunction with the Rapha GP. The course highlights had to be the Fly-Over (big-o ramp) and the sand section. The name of the game was go fast and then go even faster. It was technical and at times dizzying with all the curves and turns . The sand oh the sand, the conversations about that section where amazing. "Go to the wall and you can ride it, just don't hit the wall" and my personal favorite "I like the sand you just run as hard as you can its like a sprint" - Heidi.
Rubicon was well represented both days. For Cat 3 we had myself and Clark, both of us getting the last row call-ups. Clark some how makes moving up through traffic look so easy I just don't know how he does it! So needless to say Clark is about 5 to 7 places ahead of me for the first three laps. That was until I some what moved up to him and then out of nowhere he was into the tape !?! I am not sure but I think it was his way to set me up to pass the three guys sitting on his wheel, a true team player. The rest of the race was spent chasing the group up ahead but at the end of it all a 27th place finish is what was written in stone. But the nights highlight was the single speed-shootout. Are own Hahn, was the only one of us that could be bothered to put down the beer in hand and fly the colors. After winning his first heat with a solid performance the Semi finial was a little different story, he was chopped... no he was hacked at the start and came up one spot short. He did make the barriers! All in all Starcrossed was great I cant wait tell next year.
Rapha GP was the next day, same course as before with a some mud showing from the previous nights rain. The course was still fast in fact was a little more so with the mud in some corners helping out traction. The single speed's got to start in front of the 3's thanks to Lincoln mumbling something about Lemond's race number he had when winning the TDF. I got a better call up than the day before so I was happy for that. As we started I was amazed how well my legs felt. In the end I caught up to Hahn for a brief second and then ran out of gas for the finial lap to get 17th. It wasn't my best result but I can fell the speed coming back. I hope to see everyone this weekend for the first SCX race @ Marymoor.
- Nate -

MFG Cyclocross Kick-Off

2011-09-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

90 Degrees is not what I would call typical weather for a great cross race, however with dust and fast conditions it makes for challenging course none the less. When I arrived I saw Jim with coffee in hand and a tent area that would make the Velonews guys proud. The attendance was impressive to say the lest. The course had minor changes but for the better, with the same single track sections and the winding field section it was clear that you needed to be on the gas the entire race. It was great to see so many Rubicon riders out getting it done. I would say the Hard Rider award goes out to two of our Ladies 1st is Heidi for showing up with a night out in Belltown in the legs, and 2nd is to Holly for her "off-the-couch" dominating performance.
My race went well as I started a little too slow for the first lap or two. As the grouping started to come out I found it a little easier to get around slower riders and to pick up the pace. The small hill in the middle of the course always puts me to the test and with the dust it was no different this year. Working my way through to the last lap I was happy to see the finish line, but a rider that I didn't see was riding my wheel and blew by me at the last second to put me in 17th. The lesson learned here kids is race all the way to the end because you could be one place out of call ups for Starcrossed.
It was great to see everyone and the kids out there for the kickoff of the season. And if anyone really cares Jim 0 - Nate - 1 . See you at Starcrossed and Rapha GP should be a great weekend of racing and Spectating.

Boat St. Sufferfest

2011-07-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

I feel like Boat Street is just one of those races you have to do because it’s so close to home. However, I was not looking forward to it as I have not been on my bike as much due to house projects, the weather called for rain, it was going to be my first combined race as a 3 with the 1/2s, and the race was twice as long as what I was use to…a whopping 50 min. With all these perfectly good reasons to not race I decided I had to pre-register in order to ensure I’d get down there.

I woke up on race day and of course it is raining. Jim and I ride down there in the afternoon and the roads were wet, but the rain had temporarily paused. The race before me seemed to dry most of the roads out. I was very happy about that since last year I remember doing “the turn” in the rain and it being a sketchy experience. My race plan for the day was to reverted back to last year’s goal of finishing in the group. I had a good start and was in the first couple riders the first 5 laps. There was a crash in corner 1 on lap 3 that I managed to avoid and was toward the front for so I didn’t get caught up in having to slow down at all.

The speed of the entire race was unbelievably fast. I thought to myself 50 min at this rate and I will never last. After 20 min or so my body seemed to get use to the torture. There were maybe 6 primes throughout the race. All of which somehow girls managed to kick it into another gear for. I was confused and upset why someone would sprint for Honey Stinger Waffels... I managed to stay on and thankfully there were a few laps in there where the speed settled down to less than Mach 10 up on the straightaway near turn 2.

Each time through the start/finish straightaway was always a burst of acceleration out of “the turn”. The road in this part was awful, cracks, seams, potholes which forced me to look at the road and not the clock (a blessing in disguise). Once we got down to the lap board I was more than happy to realize that I might have a chance to finish with the group. Just a few laps to go and I was hanging on by a thread. I finally hear the bell for the last lap my legs are so excited to be done, I come through “the turn” standup to “sprint” and there was nothing left. I managed to finish in the group, very much towards the back of the group, but nonetheless it was a group finish and I had survived. I was more than thrilled.

Without a doubt it was the hardest sustained effort I’ve ever done on a bike. Even harder than my first cross race. I was thankful to have Jim there cheering for me since I was millimeters away from cracking on every lap and that little bit of encouragement went a long way. We averaged over 22 mph for the 50 minutes. I’m hoping to recover before the up coming cross race this Thursday.

The 'Claw Stage Race 2011

2011-05-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks Jim, for the prologue to my race report. Saturday morning was the TT. There aren’t many things that are more nerve-racking than being at the start line, entirely clipped in, held up by one guy, and hearing the sound of the count down beeps. But, I went off without making a fool of myself so that was a success. I didn’t manage to catch the girl in front of me that I knew I should’ve been able to beat, and got caught by the girl behind me so I knew I didn’t have a good finish. I improved my time from last year by 45 seconds, but last years time was awful too so that didn’t help much. It was the first time riding aerobars this year so maybe I’ll blame it on that. Duquette, I have to believe you have this TT thing down so you next time you might need to give us Rubi’s a training session prior too since none of us Rubis this weekend did too well. So it was disappointing to be starting the race out already a minute and a half down.

Jim’s words of encouragement for the crit was “well since all those other girls went faster than you in the TT, you should have more energy than them to kill it in the crit”. Well I feel he might have been right, as right from the get-go, I felt a lot faster then the rest of the girls. The pace felt so slow compared to the 5:30 Sewards that I’ve been doing. And apparently within a years time, I’ve figured out how to corner which is essential with this 8-corner crit. I stayed near the front the entire race so I could pick my lines and avoid the yo-yoing. The first prime bell went and I didn’t know right away I was going to go for it. I was in a good position after corner 6 and coming into the start/finish I gave it a go. It didn’t seem like anyone was with me so I was happy to take it home. The same thing happened with the second and third primes, I had great position and had the sprint nailed to take those as well. I was surprised I was getting away with this. I could hear Jim yell to me don’t waste all your energy, I think he was getting nervous I wasn’t going to have anything left for the finish. The fourth prime lap was right after the third prime I took and I decided I better lay off with only 3 laps to go. The whole race seemed like such a breeze, I had all the control of where I was in the race and what lines I wanted to take up until that last lap. Girls really started to jostle around and fight for position. I wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be going into the second to last turn, I was maybe 6th wheel. I took the inside line on the last corner and put forth my best sprint. I ended up in fourth, and wondered how many girls weren’t going for the primes in order to save it for the finish. I felt good enough I wish I would have came away with a W, but coming home with lots of prizes was a good feeling too. AM, it’s fun to race like you:)

Oh, and you can see by the photo above I’ve learned how to sprint standing up AND in the drops when taking one of the primes. I should maybe look ahead instead of down though…

It was wet for Jim and Hahn’s crit and I’ve never seen so many people crash before. I had to have seen at least a dozen guys go down on nearly all separate occasions. I even saw sparks fly when one guy crashed and I saw another guy actually tumble a couple of times when he hit the ground. It was quite the race. I was secretly happy Jim was off the back as I didn’t want to have him caught up in any of the crashes. It was such a sketchy race that it was even too much for Hahn to handle.

The next morning was the road race. I really didn’t have much of a shot at the GC so I was just going to race it as a stand alone race. Thankfully we only had to do two laps. I felt good up the first two kickers of Mud Mountain. The last stretch was the tough one. It got to be a bit too long of a climb for me and a breakaway group of 5 got away from me. Myself and a few other girls tried the entire descent to catch back up to them but did not succeed. A few more girls caught up to us in the farmland. The second time up the climb felt a lot easier. Probably because I didn’t have the strongest climbers with me anymore. There were three of us that made it up the climb together. Again we worked like mad to try to gain some time on the descent. It did not work. Some other girls caught us and they decided to stop working once they got to us. I should have listened to Jim’s words of advice for this race of “DON’T WORK” since as we got to the finish lines the girls sitting in the back had quite the jump on me. I managed to get third in our group, but 9th overall.

It was a fun stage race, another learning experience. And most importantly, inspiration for crit season to begin!

New Bikes, New Found Speed?! Sequim #1

2011-03-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

So Saturday morning Jim, Hahn, Aaron and I all get up at O’dark thirty to get rolling to Sequim. Jim and I load up our brand new Cervelos that we had ridden for all of maybe 30 minutes the day before. It was pouring rain most the drive and we kept waiting for this “rain shadow” to appear, and it thankfully did just a few miles outside of Sequim. Jim, Hahn, and Aaron line up and take off with the threes. I line up just after and am off with the fours. My cat was about 28 girls. Lap one was pretty mellow, not many attacks. I did a lot of pulling up front to keep the pace up and prevent from getting stuck in the back where the new girls were.

Lap two, a little more interesting. Some girls try a little harder to get on a break. I was often in the front and could see the attacks coming and would not let them get too far away. On the back stretch on one of the few rolling hills (this course was flat and fast as I never got out of my big ring), I essentially fell into an attack as I realize I’m climbing much faster than most girls. As I got up over the hill the headwind greats me so I didn’t put too much effort in continuing the attack. Then we came into the last corner of the race with still a lap to go and someone jumps. A couple girls go with, myself included. We had a break of 5, then 2 more managed to bridge. My heart rate was skyrocketed and we were working furiously to stay away. I knew this was a great break as most the girls were the strongest riders of the group so I was happy to be with them. Unfortunately it didn’t last long, maybe a quarter of a lap. I was disappointed, but I got a good taste for how hard it is to be in a break even if it didn’t last that long.

Onto lap 3, the final lap, I try to sit in a bit more and rest. I was mid pack in the back stretch of the course not really liking my position and feeling trapped. Going into the last corner I took it inside and moved up quite a few spots. Now just over 1k to the finish a Group Health girl starts ramping up the pace with some GH girls behind her. I tuck right in that train and as we get to the 200m sign girls really start putting the hammer down. I still had some solid wheels in front of me to follow so I stayed right behind them. Once getting to maybe 100 m to go, girls start dropping like flies, I stand up (yes, final gave a stand up sprint) and start picking off girls one by one. With maybe 20m to go I’m in the lead and a little surprised. As I cross the finish line I see a girl just to my left that would have caught me had there been 5 more meters to go. I rolled through and was shocked that I had for the first time in my life had a great sprint finish to a race.

After finishing my race I see Jim roll through the start/finish for his last lap, but noticed he’s with only 7 other guys. I’m thinking to myself, did I miss the lead group or is he in a break? It took maybe 3 minutes until my suspicions were confirmed as I see the main group roll by with Hahn and Aaron. I go to watch the finish as I think maybe Jim will put in a sprint finish since the group is so small. I see the breakaway coming and I search for Jim, I’m happy to see he’s stayed in the break and finished up 8^th, his best road finish since being in Washington. I wait and see the group finish, but Hahn and Aaron are nowhere to be found. Turns up they got caught up in a crash. Lots of scrapes, dented top tube, broken shifter, broken helmet, they both seemed to be ok.

All in all it was a great day for the new Cervelos. They rode well and got both Jim and I our best finishes so I guess they are worth it. Orcas here we come!

Sprinker and Monroe races mark an end to the year

2010-11-29T15:23:00.000-08:00

With Sprinker Park and Monroe Fairgrounds marking the end of the 2010 CX season, it has been an up and down season for me. After a difficult start to the season with recovery from a meniscus injury I can say that the last two races have given me confidence that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Sprinker Park was a race to remember as a fast power course. With all the turns, a sand section, and an added bonus of snow. The temperature was freezing making the course a mixture of frozen, bumpy ground and slick corners. The start funneled you into a narrow "hole shot" between two poles with 7 ft between them. I started in the last row making it clear that the game plan would be to stay away from any crashes at the start and work up to the the front as best I could. I had a good first lap keeping the leaders in sight. As the race progressed I moved to mid pack looking to move up as I went. With 2 to go I had lost sight of the top 3 guys but a large pack of the rest of the field was around 15 seconds in front of me. As I traded pacing with another racer it seemed we where gaining ground however with the last lap bell it was clear that we had given everything to catch on but without success. Our friendly arangment went out the window as my "friend" attacked on the paved straight away. The finial lap had both of us trading efforts to drop each other. I put a gap that would stick by bunny hopping the railroad tie before the run up. Even thought I came across the line in 11th place it was the first race all year that I felt like I was really racing someone. Not to mention the snow added to a feeling of a "belgianesque" course.
Monroe Fair Grounds was another great course by the guys at Seattle Cyclocross Series. With the false flat going into a number of twist and turns topped of by a crazy down hill to off camber section with an added single barrier in the way. It was clear they wanted to leave your legs burning with a sense of what a real Dan Norton course feels like. The start was a straight away that was fast. Going into the snake turn part of the course it was all about pedaling wihout slipping and to much braking. I had the carrot in front of me every lap as there was always another guy to catch on every part of the course. There wasn't any epic battles to be had except the one in my head but all ans all I crossed the line to finish 17th but happy.
So thats a rap for me this year now its time for the roadie to come out. Group rides with the team, some base miles and I hope to make a real effort to do well (get out of cat 4) and race a lot of road this coming year. See you next year Cyclocross I will miss you.

Holiday Party

2010-11-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

don't forget the alki-rubicon holiday party on Dec 18th at the stonich/kessler home. get it on your calendar! more details to come, but plan on potluck style.
address is 6203 27th Ave NE, 98115

Ohhhhh Canada....by Jim Wood

2010-11-08T11:31:00.001-08:00

This weekend instead of racing the infamous SCX Maris Farms Race, Heidi and I decided to travel up to Bellingham for the Cross Border Clash Race hosted by the folks from the Cascade Cross Series. Heidi and I arrived bright and early Saturday morning and were surprised to see that it was cloudy but not raining. We pre-rode the course and noticed it had a few jungle cross aspects including a giant pile of gravel, and a really rhythm-less pump section but beyond that the course was fast. There were also two very short steep climbs, one set of barriers, and a sand section that was about 25 yards long.

Heidi raced in the Women B’s field (~Cat 3/4) which comprised of 15 or so women. Heidi had a great start and went into the hole shot 4th wheel and after the first grass section had made a move into the lead of the race. From the start it was clear that this would be a 2 person race. Heidi continued to put the pressure on through the first half of the course and had a 10 second gap going into the back half of the course which contained the two steep kickers, the pump section, and the sand run. I did not get to see this section but I could tell it did not go well as Heidi did not come out of the sand section first, instead she came out second about 10 seconds down. For the next 4 laps Heidi would claw back up towards the lady in the lead and then lose 10 seconds in the back section. In the last lap the leader was looking very tired and Heidi was finally starting to make up some time but the race was just not long enough. Heidi finished a strong second. Luckily the lady who beat Heidi was a US Citizen so the US side went 1-2.

As it turns out Heidi struggled to ride the two short climbs and that cost her the win. The first lesson of the day was to spend more time during warm-up figuring out the hard to ride sections. The second lesson of the day was when in doubt RUN!!!

I raced the Single Speed Race which was combined with the Men B field (~Cat 3). Overall there were probably 10 single speeders and 15 Men B’s. I had been forewarned that one of the Canadian Single Speeders was a Cat 2 and he would be my primary competition. On the start the Canadian Single Speeder took the hole shot and I came into it 4th behind a couple of geared guys. By the first pavement section I had passed the two geared guys and was sitting second wheel behind the Canadian. I quickly determined that the race would be between the two of us for the Single Speed win. After the second grass section I made a move to take the lead and push the pace up just a bit to see if I could shed the two geared riders. Just as I did this my race almost came to an end. As we approached the barriers I dismounted and lost my footing at full speed. I slid along the wet grass right into the first barrier. I tripped over the first barrier, somehow remained upright and stumble over the second barrier with my bike wildly in tow. I collected myself remounted and kept on riding only managing to lose one spot. I had hit my ankle on a barrier and made myself look like a fool but was otherwise unscathed.

After my barrier snafu, I was behind the Canadian going into the back section. We flew over the hills and into the pump section and hit the sand at full speed. I quickly realized how I could win this race, the Canadian was not a strong runner and the finish line was 100 yards after the run. I regained the lead with the following strategy, hold the lead, run as hard as possible to get a gap and make the Canadian regain contact after each running section. The course was short so for the next 7 laps that is what I did. I would gain 3-5 seconds on the run and then the Canadian would chase back onto my wheel, and with 2 to go you could tell he was losing steam. In the mean time with 3 to go the one remaining geared rider made a move to come around me. The problem was that on the straight away’s it took nearly everything I had to stay on his wheel, so I was not confident that I could take him for the overall win. It turned out it did not matter, as during the 3rd lap he tried to ride the sand section and as I was about to pass him while running he lost control in the sand and ran into me. This pushed me into the tape and tangled my front wheel in the tape. I quickly untangled my wheel but had lost contact with the geared racer. I never managed to get back to him as he pulled away from me on each straight away. I reverted back to just making sure I could win the Single Speed Race.

With two to go with the Canadian still on my wheel I began to wonder if I remembered how to win a race. I know I can’t sprint so I needed to build a gap in the next two laps. I hit the sand at full speed and go a huge gap on right before I saw 1 to go. I kept the pressure on to try to keep the gap. At about the halfway mark there was a point where there was a 180 degree turn and you could easily see your competition. At this point the Canadian had always been back on my wheel but this time I made the turn and saw the gap was getting bigger. As the Canadian and I passed each other he gave a wave, and a nod of the head, which to me signified that all I needed to do was to stay upright for the Single Speed win.

I made an effort to catch the geared guy in front of me but there was just not enough real estate. So I crossed the line 2nd in the overall field but 1st in the Single Speed race. This was my first win in a bike race since 2004, and was probably the first win on a green machine Rossman! Most importantly it was a US victory in my Category.

Every now and then it is nice to go to a race where you know you have a chance to win. There is not a Craig Etheridge or a Jason Williams there who could beat you even if they were riding a tricycle. So I’ll take my win even though it was not the stiffest competition, at least it was a race…

Jim

BC CUP #5 - Pumpkin CX – October 24, 2010

2010-10-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

It’s a sinking feeling when you pull up to a race to find nobody there. Luckily in this case I was a day early, instead of a day late. After an hour drive back to the apartment I was feeling a need for a spin. A couple of hard efforts gave my legs an opportunity to remind me of the damage that had been done the prior weekend at Silver Lake. I rolled back home wondering if Sunday’s race was going to be one of those days when your legs just won’t put out. When they burn so bad, all you can do is watch hopelessly as your competition passes you one by one, while you struggle to turn the pedals over.

By the time I was called to the start line nearly 24 hours later, I had done everything I could to bring some life back to the legs. Rest, water, a solid nights sleep, good breakfast, early arrival, early pre-ride, more rest time in the Alaskan, and a good warm-up, all with a healthy dose of my trusty recovery socks. Even with the perfect pre-race routine I was feeling the fatigue.

A second place call up gave me a great start with the opportunity for the hole shot. Still not sure my legs could deliver I made a split second decision to let someone else set the pace. Bowing out, I quickly fell into third position, my first mistake, but not the decisive one. The slightly toned down pace for the first half lap left me complacent, another mistake, and before I knew it I found myself in fifth position with the leaders just within reach. Turning it up a notch I set out to pull back a couple positions.

Hosted by an equestrian facility east of Vancouver in the town of Maple Ridge, the Pumpkin Cross course wove its way through an old steeplechase course. A long gravel road running along the top of a levy split the course in half and formed the run up and off camber sections. The designers incorporated several of the steeplechase obstacles including three coffins (A 12”-24” step up, followed by 15’-20’ gravel table top, and the same step down on the other side). A selection of racers could ride all three, but I only felt comfortable riding one of them. A double barrier, and a step up about 18” in height at the base of a short run up, gave the course a grand total of five separate dismounts. Together, the step-ups, a good assortment of slick grassy turns at a variety of speeds and an alder grove with a greasy trail winding through it gave a huge advantage to the bike handler over the power rider. Jumping off the coffins at speed was not my cup of tea, but otherwise the designers put together an impressive course.

The big mistake of the day came when I realized I’d better turn it up a notch. Coming off the top of the levy down into a fast sweeping right hand corner I went into a two-wheeled drift that required me to unclip. It was a relatively smooth save, but I missed a shift; the right-hander took you right back up the hill to the top of the levy. By the time I grinded my way back up on to the gravel road, first and second had dropped the hammer. Keeping the throttle on and focusing on handling I safely finished out the race in no-mans land. The podium was a carbon copy of BC CUP#4: Kim Steed (Steed Cycles) 1^st; Bob Welbourn (Glotman Simpson) 2^nd; and myself in 3rd, happy to be on the podium again. Appropriately my swag for the day was a Pedro’s bike-cleaning-kit-in-a-bucket!

SSCXWX

2010-10-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

lots of great pictures out there....

but Aaron makes VeloNews!

but I really like this one too!

Jim Jinxed Me! Beverly Park Cyclocross 10-10-10

2010-10-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Jim Jinxed Me!

A firm believer in the power of the JINX, I hold Jim responsible for the outcome of my race.

But before we get to that, I need to set the scene. Beverly Park was the fourth race of the year for me with steady progressions each race (Cat 3 Men). Although I had only been on my cross bike once, I felt like I had a strong showing at Starcrossed (34th), and taking into account that I tore out my right break lever on a second lap slide-out in the mud (which lost me a number of places and left we with inadequate breaking) I finished the race feeling much further along than the same time last year. Race number two was a terrible showing at Evergreen HS, probably the most blown out I have ever been at a cross race, with no apparent reason, but it allowed me to get back up to speed on my bike handling skills. Finally, Starbucks GP, I started from the back row and managed to ride a steady, solid race, clawing my way up to 14th, with the couple of spots ahead of me within reach.

So I found myself really looking forward to Beverly Park. Now, I am not a “mudder,” so the monsoon type downpour of the previous night left me a little uneasy, and the Master rider who walked by with his derailleur hanging limply from his chain didn’t help (and foreshadowed the outcome of the day), but I felt good, and was ready to hit the course. So I headed down to the infield to scope out the scene. Somewhere along the way I ran into Jim, John, Heidi, and Rob discussing tactics. And IT happened…Jim laid out the big JINX! It went something like this (these are not exact quotes)

Clark – Holy s*&t John, How did you get so dirty?
John D – I pre-rode a lap and a half of the course, and it’s ridiculous.
Jim W – Yeah, I wish I had put the long cleats on my shoes…
Clark – I just put mine on last night.
John D – wish I had one of my fancy wet suits and a pair of running shoes
Jim W – Clark, If I were you, I wouldn’t bother shifting, you’ll blow up your derailleur!

AND THAT WAS IT…the jinx was on

So how did it shake out? We’ll, being the last race of the day, the course was especially blown out to the point that there were only two places to recover, a paved section about half way through the lap, and a short downhill from the upper part of the course to the athletic track and the start/finish. Not being know for my power or handling skills, my goal was to stay upright, run if need be, and win the mental battle over my competitors (knowing we would all be suffering). I survived a sub-par start and was able to start moving my way up to the top 15 by the end of the first lap. Over the next few slow, slow laps I was able to make my way to the top 10, leap frogging with 2 other riders. Closing in on 2 laps to go I had shed a rider and been shed by the other and was sitting comfortably.

Check out this video of the Single Speed race, cut and paste this into a browser: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpXgDRCE-58

BC CUP #4 - Escape Velocity CX – October 9, 2010

2010-10-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

A severe weather warning issued Friday afternoon for the BC south coast and Vancouver prompted me to set up one of my wheel sets with a pair of Michelan Muds. Torrential rain was expected through the night with a break in the weather Saturday morning and then another heavy system sometime in the afternoon.

The rain delivered, but you wouldn’t have known it pre-riding the course. Despite the previous nights downpour, it was remarkably not muddy. Located in South Surrey at Foreshore Park, this virtually flat course was reminiscent of your classic SSCX course. The tight grassy turns, sand, logs, and single track favored the technical rider with good mountain bike skills. A minimum of straight sections and big gear sections kept the average speed down, still, recovery was hard to find.

Pre race excitement, for me, is par for the course, and easily managed. But I found myself fighting some anxiety that I had all but forgotten. Sitting in third for the series, and having been denied the podium in back to back races I had been psyching myself up all week for the race. I new I could podium, possibly win, and the pressure was getting to me. I was nervous. It was short lived though, once I reminded myself that I was three weeks away from standing at the altar. If this were getting to me I would have no hope for the wedding day nerves.

Game on. Good start into corner one, coming out third wheel. Kim Steed (Steed Cycles), after three consecutive second place finishes, was looking for a win and was wasting no time with cat and mouse race tactics. Bob Welbourn (Glotman Simpson) was sitting second wheel with two first place finishes for the season. I fought to maintain my third wheel position for the first three laps, but the pace was demanding and Steed was gaining at least four seconds every lap bunny hopping a large log I found too risky. By lap four I had fell off the lead group and slipped into no mans land, still in third place. Welbourn opted to dismount for the big log as well but was able to claw back his losses staying with Steed for a few more laps. Steed managed to snap the elastic about mid race and Welbourn lost contact. With four laps to go the separation between first, second and third was just about equal. Welbourn was in my sights, but I had little chance of catching him. At three laps to go a spectator informed me that I had a huge gap on fourth and urged me to go after second. Honestly, I was so focused; that from the time I was called to the line I never looked back. That was the first time I was aware of who was behind me, and what their proximity was. Ironically I almost gave that hard earned lead away in the wooded single track soon there after.

There were two logs to cross in the wooded single track, one after the other. The first led into an immediate right turn. During pre-ride I was able to clean it, but wasn’t terribly confident. During the race with the exception of the first lap, I had been riding both logs every time. On the third to last lap, with fatigue setting in, and a determination to keep Welbourn in my sights, I lost focus and bobbled the first log rolling my clincher partially off. It snapped back into place on it’s own, but I heard some hissing and was convinced I had pinch flatted. Momentarily I saw my podium hopes dashed by pulling a rookie mistake (or a Hahn Rossman if you will), but fortunately my fears where unfounded. Refocused, I finished out the race without incident, maintaining third place, and securing the much-desired spot on the podium!

For a great race video by Vancouver local Jeremy Sayers, highlighting the Masters Race, click here. It’s almost like watching a race recap, as all the scenes are sequential.

LIttle Rubies Rippen' it Up

2010-10-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

RACE FACES!

Luca's Cowboy Style mount

Don't let the sweet smiles fool you, these ladies are FAST!

Little Gus, he just started walking, so I imagine a bike will be underneath him in a week or so..

And their off!!

Tiniest pace line ever. What? David Jr, drafting off of True Erbeck?

Little Betsy spinning so fast her ponytail is all a blur!

True pushin hard with his Dad at his side

Only an Erbeck smiles like this going up a hill

.....and smiles through the sand, it is in his blood!

The question of the day? Ride it or run it? These guys decided it was faster to pick up or push the bike through the sand.

Sprint to the finish!

"Mom, Mom! Did you see me win?" I later heard from Tracy that True said, "It wasn't long enough, and there weren't enough hills........."

MFG: men's cat 3 or single speed?

2010-10-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

the start of the MFG race for men's cat 3 and single speed was decided a very old fashioned way....with the winner of an arm wrestling contest. Uncle Lincoln ~~insisted~~ volunteered his arm for the single speeds.....guess which group started the race?

BC CUP #3 – Vanier Park CX – 10/3/2010

2010-10-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Driving to Vanier Park, located on the south shore of English Bay in downtown Vancouver, it was looking like we were going to pay for the good weather granted to us the day before at New Brighton. In the end, a light mist was the extent of the precipitation. Just enough to make some of the grassy corners a little greasy.

The designers pulled off another winner with this course. Set against the City of Glass backdrop, Vanier Park is relatively flat, but they managed to maximize every foot of elevation. An uphill barrier section, and a couple of significant false flat climbs, as well as some short punchy hills, kept the legs burning most of the race. A technical rider, picking the right line, could find some recovery in the twisty sections that were distributed nicely around the course. Wind was a factor in a long sweeping grass section that skirted the sea wall. My only complaint was the short exposed aggregate concrete stairs run up. The potential for carnage here was high, but it seem that veteran racers were aware of this and most riders approached them cautiously.

A couple of good finishes in the previous BC Cup races gave me third position call up. I was starting to get some looks from the top locals wondering who this dark horse was in the crazy outfit. Is he for real? As it was, I had already been seen pre-riding the course in my knee high Sugoi recovery socks, and it goes without say that Rubi’s have never been known to let fashion get in the way of function. Of course the Canadians make you feel welcome, and there was plenty of friendly small talk at the start line.

In hindsight, the start favored a good call up since you were almost immediately funneled into a chicane that would allow two riders wide at best to pass through. After that it was the long grass section next to the seawall into the stairs. I had a good start and found myself somewhere around 6^th or 7^th after safely clearing the stairs. I remained more or less in the same position for most of the first lap in a tight single file line. Maybe I was just feeling good, benefiting from racing the day before, or maybe the pace was little light, as a result of the previous days race, but I had the feeling this wasn’t the fastest pace the top masters could set. There were two tell tale signs. First of all, I’m used to racers hammering it hard out of the corners. Not my strong point. And second, there wasn’t a lot of jockeying for position, or attempted passing. There was an exception though, and it brought a moment of humor to me in the excitement of the race.

About half way through the first lap, someone tried to thread the needle between a stake and myself. One of my mantras since my early days of cyclocross racing has been “there are places to pass, and places not to pass…” if only as a reminder not to crash out myself and my competitor(s) as I attempted a bone head move while suffering from oxygen deprivation. Of course, when your racing with the big dogs, in a UCI elite race for example, those niceties’ kind of don’t exist. And therein lies the humor. I’ll be the first to let you by when I’m fighting for 12^th place in the local 1/2 field where I might break the top ten. But if you think I’m going to let you slip by to take 6^th place away from me in a race that I might podium in… sorry bra. “Oh come on!” was his response to my shutdown. I’m thinking, your lucky I didn’t run you right into the tape… like they would in a UCI elite race!

Somewhere around the 20-minute mark, the lead group had been reduced to four: Kim Steed (Steed Cycles); Norman Thibault (Frontrunners); Graeme Martindale (Frontrunners) and myself, comfortably holding my position there and even taking my turn on the front. I think much of the selection had been made at the barriers. The positioning of the barriers on the short climb followed by a bumpy false flat required a quick remount and an all out effort right back into the grinding grassy climb. If you missed a beat, it was hard to gain it back. With about 4 laps to go Thibault dropped his chain and then the lead group were three. I spent the next two laps focusing on form and a possible strategy for the finish. Guaranteed podium if you stay upright. That is unless Thibault claws his way back the lead group, which he did, and then drops the hammer, which he did. And that’s when the pace began to feel a bit more familiar. More like trying to stay with Eric Attwood out of the corners. I was able to hang though - just barely. Gaps would form and I would claw back. There was a tricky single-track climb up a short wood chipped slope followed by a tight grass “S” turn into a short 20 meter sweeping right to the finish. Your finishing position was all but determined as you came into the wood chip climb, and I just didn’t have the juice to move up prior to it. Thibault, sitting in third, bobbled in the “S” and it gave me a fleeting chance at the podium. But the sweeping right hand was to his advantage and he got me by half a wheel. I wish I could say I had used a family friendly word to express my frustration.

Finishing just off the podium in back to back races was a little disappointing. Just being a podium contender made up for it though, and this was the most fun I have had in a cross race in a long time.

BC CUP #2 - New Brighton CX – 10/2/2010

2010-10-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

The weather god’s blessed us with sunny and mid 70’s for Saturdays race at New Brighton Park in northeast Vancouver. This water front park with the North Shore Mountains jetting up on the opposite side of Vancouver Harbor, shares some similarities to the Rad Racing GP course at Lake Sammamish. Incorporating a double sand section, a long section of pavement, and a variety of grass turns and classic off cambers, the most notable difference would be the significant elevation changes as compared to the RRGP course.

My 7^th place finish in the Men’s Masters 1/2 35+ category at the first BC Cup race on September 5^th gave me a front row call up. I had a good start but was a little gun shy coming into the down hill asphalt hairpin after about a 750 meter straight sprint, and I gave away a couple positions without dispute.

It should also be noted that I was running on a 9spd Connex quick connect pin on my 10spd Shimano chain. During warm up my bike was uncharacteristically skipping and miss shifting considering the spotless and virtually new drive train. I had neutral support take a look and we noticed one of my chain links had spread apart and I would have most likely broken the chain during the race had it gone unrepaired. All I had in my toolbox was a 9spd quick link, which seemed to perform flawlessly under preliminary tests. But the fear of snapping a chain under heavy load, and the image of smashing face first into the ground, stuck with me for the first few laps until I was confident with the temporary fix.

As we fought our way toward the sand in a long single file line of riders, I could see the leaders about 15 meters up. It was hard to determine my placing, as we had already begun to overtake some of the Elite field due to a poor starting strategy on the part of the officials. The first time into the sand set the trend for the remainder of my race. I cut a weaving line through several running racers, almost sticking the entire first sand section. A distance of 30 meters, give or take. The back section consisted of some off camber ups and downs that favored the technical rider. I was running Challenge Fango tires for the first time and they were delivering perfect traction. The sand was an out and back style, and coming back into it, you came in hot. Again, channeling the European Pro’s, I blasted an impressive line through the entire second sand section only dismounting at the end of the run to get up over a short concrete wall that bordered the beach. I’m sure some rode the step up, but I found it more efficient to pop off and run it. (My performance in the sand can surely be accredited to the many drive train damaging runs through the Sands of South Seatac. I despise the damage the sand does to your drive train so much that I don’t even attempt to pre-ride sand sections any more, choosing to take them as they come in the heat of the race. They are pretty much all the same: hit ‘em hard and if you can’t pedal, start running…).

And that is how most of the race played out. With two laps to go, a battle for what was rumored by cheering spectators, to be for third place, broke out between myself and one other rider. My challenger was Derek Shiers (Derek and Nicola Mann are long time Seattle crosser’s living in Bellingham now.). His bike handling was excellent, on par with what I was capable off, but he had a little more punch out of the corners. My advantage, consistently advancing my standing lap after lap, was the sand. I would let a small gap form allowing me a couple recovery breaths just before the sand. After each crossing we would be neck and neck again. We emerged from the sand on the last lap once again neck and neck. I decided to take the lead and risk giving up the draft advantage to Derek. A rather sketchy left hand 90-degree turn off the grass onto the pavement gave you about 150 meters to the finish. I was already in the big ring coming off the curb onto the pavement, giving it all to the finish. Later Derek told me it wasn’t even close, he was spent and I road away from him. Unfortunately it was 4^th place we had been fighting for, and I ended up one off the podium.

ouch

2010-09-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

MS Bike Ride 2010 (WA.)

2010-09-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

(photo: Dollie staying out of the rain in the van, while Mom cranks out 50 wet miles)

This past weekend, Jason W, his wife Laura, Jim W, Heidi F, me (Clark), and my wife Vanessa, rode as part of team Mile'n for Myelin in the Washington MS Bike Ride 2010. For those who don't know, the funds raised by the event directly support the National MS Society and our friends/team mates, families, and neighbors affected by MS.

Reflecting on the MS aspect of the weekend, I had three conversations with folks living with MS that I was unaware had the disease prior to our chat. In each case, I was struck by their positive attitudes in the face of the potentially devastating effects that MS may have on their lives. I was also reminded how lucky I am to be able to get out and ride my bike anytime I want, and how hard it would be if I lost that ability, or the ability to manage the basics aspects of day to day life. Every year the MS Ride is both a humbling and an energizing experience for me.

The ride and weekend was a fabulous time. Once again, Dollie (7 mos) struggled with acclimating to a different sleep routine, but we borrowed Dave R's Vanagon so it was more comfy than a tent, and kept the noise to a minimum for both Dollie and our fellow campers. Saturday was my ride day, with perfect fall weather, so I had a great ride with Jim, Heidi, and others from the Mile'n team. We did the 92 mile loop, and followed that with some home brew that one of our honorary team members makes. It is great stuff! That evening there was an official “Event” to get people psyched about being a part of the MS cause, which included some team awards. Our team won the “Best Jersey award” thanks to Jason and Laura's hard work. Sunday, the weather was a bit nasty up North by Bellingham, and it was Vanessa’s day to ride, so she had an unpleasant day. But, she was a trooper and finished the 50 mile loop.

All you Rubicon folks should make it a priority next year, you won't regret it. Photos will be forthcoming...

The Kick-off

2010-09-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

Sunday was the first of the great MFG race's, and as per normal Zack, Terry and the rest of the crew put on a great race in Big Finn Hill park. The course was fast technical and overall a wonderful one. Upon arriving I watched as Nicola,Greg, John, and Barry (fresh out of retirement) giving a Alki Rubicon clinic on cross style.
As it came time for the start of my race as well as the Single Speeders we where greeted with a leg wrestling competition to see what group would lead out. The gear heads beating the single minds would mean that I would be racing two races in one, I would try as hard as I could to get top 10 and not let Wood by. As we started the carnage started early with a rider not making the mandatory funnel with a result of running head first into the metal barrier. Then as everyone charged off the pavement over a knoll the leader some how went over his bars. The race settled down and the tempo set to a more manageable tempo. I was happy to see that I was moving up in the field every lap yet I had no real idea where in the field I was. Trying to keep the tempo high I somehow managed to get wrapped up in course tap but after a few seconds of holding my breath I cleared it off and got on the gas again. The last lap bell rang to my relief as I glimpsed Jim coming on strong. Some how I managed to keep him at a safe distance until I hear a familiar voice, "Lets go Nate". How did he get past me! then the chase was on with the only a flat stretch to catch him before the finish but it was not to be. All in all it was another good race with what I hope will be a top 10 finish but I am thinking top 15 is more realistic.
With the first double weekend of Starcrossed and Rad GP this Saturday and Sunday I hope to better my results and have a great time doing so. Plus there has been a rumor that Rassman frames may be debuted this weekend but that's just a rumor.
Nate
Jim 1 Nate1

The Change of Seasons

2010-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

The seasons have changed and as the rain and cool mornings have come so has cyclocross racing. To some the summer was short lived however I have been looking forward to change of seasons. I will admit that I felt some what weird riding a cross bike this past two weeks with the sun shinning but it always excites me when you can ride hard around Greenlake, hoping on and off all the while people wonder if this is some new type of "boot camp work out".
Labor Day Cross Championships was once again held at North Seatac, known for the hard run-up and single track riding/running. It was great to see Rubicon was well represented by Heidi, Jim , John D. , John H. , and myself. As per the normal routine I woke up with butter flies and wondering if any of my attempts to start the season with good fitness would help. After watching Heidi put in great efforts during her race my motivation was high, and as it came time to line up I was calm and the nerves had left. The start was as usual a shock to the system at how hard an effort you need to put out first thing. I found my self in the middle of the pack and very little room to move up so myself and a really fast kid from First Rate seemed to work well together sharing the pace making until we found ourselves alone somewhere between the front and the main pack. After three laps down the polite etiquette was lost and we traded attacks on the finial two laps. With half a lap to go I was able to put one last good effort to hopefully drop my shadow, which was successful. As I crossed the line in 6th place I was happy to see that some of my half hearten training paid off.
So the season has began with a sense of strength and happiness. Next up the MFG Kick Off that promises to be a great course and fun had by all. I hope to see all your faces grimacing with the look of labored happiness.
Nate

Boston Harbor - Podium Result

2010-06-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

First of all, I need to say that of the 12 people that did race the Capital Crit with Anne Marie there were two of the very top Cat 4 women that were racing, so her win and sweep of the primes was quite an impressive feat!

Anyways, I decided to race the Boston Harbor Circuit Race State Championships to redeem myself from being DQed the previous day at the Capital Crit for being way too young. A lot of people asked me what happened at the race the day before, many confused as to if it was me or Anne Marie who got DQed (apparently we are hard to tell apart). Needless to say, I’m now known as the 25 year old in my category…

Sunday’s race there was a women’s masters field AND a cat 4 women field that raced together. It was a good size group probably close to 40 in all. It was a perfect day for a race, partly cloudy, dry roads, and 60 degree temps. The course was a 6 mile loop with rolling hills, some quick turns, and a steep short climb 1 mile before the start/finish that was the critical element in the race.

The race was pretty mellow with no shoulder on hardly any of the sections which made it pretty difficult to move anywhere (reminded me a lot of Mason Lake). A couple of girls pulled some of their cross skills out and tried advancing up the sandy shoulder. This was a move I stayed away from. I sucked wheels for the most part only working on a small section in the back stretch. I was pretty good about staying close to the front the entire race since I knew how hard it was to be able to advance on such a narrow road. I think there were only one or two girls who attempted to take fliers off the front, neither of which amounted to anything and the group pretty much stayed together. There was nothing to really break it up. The last turn goes into a pretty fast downhill then to that steep short climb. Fortunately, this portion of road had a nice wide shoulder and had ample room to move around. My first time through this section I realize that not getting stuck behind someone on the hill was crucial. It was the perfect hill for me where I could attack up it and pass a lot of girls.

Quite frankly the race was pretty boring, nothing exciting happened until the last lap, so I’ll fast forward to that. I know going into the last turn before the downhill is where I had to make my move. I come around the turn probably 15th or so and scream down the hill. I move way over to the left after the hill bottoms out since all the girls seem to have been crowding in the shoulder. I was ecstatic to find the left side completely open. It was a free lane for me to go up the hill as fast as I wanted, yahoo! I gunned it up the hill as hard as I could I get to the top and I’m on one girls wheel and look back and was shocked we had killed the group and they were probably 30 yards back. Now I’m thinking to myself oh crap, 1 mile left to the finish I’m on a break I can’t stop now and this is going to be very painful. So I’m riding hard to try to stay away. Slowly two girls bridged up to us. I hopped on the wheel of the second girl who bridged and rode it in until 200 meters to go. I honestly don’t remember much from 200 meters to the finish, but knew the girl in first had it locked up. I did my usual stand up sprint for maybe 100 meters then sit down sprint for the rest and crossed the line to my amazement in third! I was relieved I was able to muster out enough strength to finish that last mile without getting absorbed back in the group. I loved the course, well I loved that the hill at the end of the course. This was the only reason I did so well, had the hill not been there I would have had a measly middle of the pack finish. Finally my first podium finish and now it seems as though there aren’t any more races left for me to repeat my performance on. Next year I guess…

Capital Crit "Masters" Championship

2010-06-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

This blog post starts with a few disclaimers: 1. There were only 12 racers. 2. Those under 35 yrs old were disqualified (that included my stellar teammate, Heidi). 3. We must get slower as we get older. That said, the story ends on a good note. If I’ve still got you, read on for the full race report. Some days, I think the real challenge to racing is figuring out what to do with your three kids and managing not to forget your shoes on the way out the door. This was one of few-and-far-between ultra smooth days when the kids weren’t even up when I left, Jim was already pumping up my tires when I came down to the garage and Heidi ran the schedule which thankfully operates nothing like mine (i.e. we actually left with plenty of spare time and arrived at the race 1 hour early). The latter of which proved to be crucial.

The course was set around the Capital building in Olympia and a cool but sunny morning. The front side of the course was deceiving serene with wide sweeping turns, lush green lawns and a fountain to boot. But the back side might as well been the wild side, it seemed more like a mountain bike course with potholes, cracked cement, lids, turtles, sharp corners and a slight downhill. As Heidi and I circled the course for what seemed like our 80th warm-up lap (this coming from the racer who generally “warms up” the first few laps of the race), I actually started to enjoy the mountain bike section and the succeeding out-of-the-saddle sprint to the finish line. We start the race (finally) with our seasoned (read: old) group of racers, easing into our first couple laps like the Golden Girls out for a summer stroll. As usual, I take the back-of-the-pack-spot, content with my newly discovered blue hair, happy to keep my brittle bones in one piece. The first prime bell goes off as we cross the start/finish which heads into a slight uphill. Perfect time for an attack up the left side… this is an obvious move for a person who would prefer to mountain bike single track. Passing the calming fountain, I continued to solo through the hairy single track section, around the final turn and into the drops for the sprint. Almost got caught on the line, but managed to fend them off narrowly by batting them back with my cane. I then fell back into the pack, grabbed my oxygen tank and rested. The next two primes are easily described: I did exactly the same thing. With two laps to go, my spry young Rubi friend took the lead and I fell in right behind her, we cruised by the fountain, down the single track and around the bend.. perfect position for the final lap. Like textbook, Heidi pulled through the start/finish and I took off on my blue-haired crusade again. Geriatrics at its best: Despite the fact that I pulled the same move 4 times in a row, it worked yet again… and I crossed the finish line 1st. Wahoo! Now where is my wheelchair?

2010-06-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

In follow up to Clark’s post, I have to agree that the Cascadia Crit Series is some of the most fun I’ve had racing in a long time… the beauty of the multiple races in a row is you can actually capitalize on that fiery regret feeling when you just narrowly missed a better finish by getting back out there a giving it another whirl…

It started on Thursday night with a Cat 4 Women’s race at Seward. I was thrilled to be able to race Seward with a group of women (as opposed to struggling in the 5:30 with the guys) and immediately felt at home on a course I’ve ridden so many times (or shall we say been dropped on so many times). With this group, the pace through the corner felt great, climbing the hill was easy… it seemed like I could jump mid-hill and take any sprint by going inside and hitting it hard. So I took the first prime, narrowly missed the second and easily won the third. This went to my head. Going into the last lap, I moved to the front-ish of the group, hit the hill, waiting to my usual mid-hill spot to move inside and start sprinting… and suddenly was blocked out, girls in the front were moving faster, I weaved in between a few gals and pulled out of the group but only then noticed one gal already had a good gap on me… I was gaining on her but couldn’t catch her before the line. A happy 2nd. Lesson learned: don’t get cocky, don’t wait so long, go earlier and make sure you have the inside line from the bottom of the hill. Good news: Dave Douglas announced that there will be a Women’s Cat 4 race at 5pm every Thursday night. Wahoo! I love this venue and think racing it with the gals will be a hoot.

Filled with lots of could’ve/should’ve feelings, we headed to Ballard on Saturday afternoon. I had reviewed the course and strategy extensively with Stambaugh and Dave the day before during a typical backyard play session with the kids where we had too much time on our hands to talk about bike racing. I knew this race was going to be won by the first person through corner 3 and 4, and being in the top three on the last lap was essential. It was a glorious sunny day and the streets were bone dry… fantastic. Even better we had 4 Rubi ladies out and as always, this elicits comments from the crowd… “Alright, the Rubi’s have a strong presence today”. Something about the uniforms, people always comment when we show up in mass! The gun goes off and immediately this race feels different…suddenly everything was fast and furious… where were these racers on Thursday? This was clearly going to be a different outcome. The technical cornering and fast pace immediately paired down the group. Tracy, Nicola and Heidi were all staying comfortably in the mid-front of the group, I was impressed and proud, as I personally could hardly hold on. I was consistently hanging on the back, trying to figure out how to carry more speed through the corners, and constantly having to sprint to catch back on after corner 4. There would be no prime wins in this race. Not even close. With 10 laps to go, the pace became furious. Group Health and Bike Sale.com were sending girls off the front in a string of counterattacks, and the rest of the pack was chasing… things got very strung out, I was sprinting every lap just to stay with the gal in front of me… at the most crucial times, it seems like each of my teammates was there to close the gap and pull me up (thank god for teammates!). With four laps to go (I think), I finally made a move up to the front, taking the inside line past the finish line, just before the crash happened. I hear the ugly sound of what seems like the whole field going down behind me… with only a couple gals around me, we hit the backside strung out and still chasing one off the front. I move to the front and pull for ½ a lap then jump back on a wheel and the gap closes. With one lap to go, I hear John’s voice in my head “the top 3 going into corner 3 will take it”… I then pull off something I am so rarely able to do, corner. In corner 2, I cut it so close to the inside, I saw the straw from the hay barrel touch the frame of my bike, in corner 3, I actually passed someone, shocking… in corner 4, I was in 3rd or 4th… I jumped in the final sprint with good position, trying to catch #2, desperately trying to turn over the big gears and accelerate, approaching the line in what seemed like a solid 3rd, when out of nowhere, a wheel suddenly beats me to the line. I lost 3rd place on the line. Bummer. Lesson learned: don’t expend energy chasing the flyers, gear down on an uphill finish, get down in the drops on a sprint. Darn it. Now time to find my teammates whom I am hoping did not go down in the crash…

Sunday morning at Boat Street offers one more chance to apply lessons learned. But then of course it was pouring rain during our race, which changes everything. And not to mention there is “the Turn” to contend with. Jim tells me before the race “do not break in the Turn, or you will go down”. This seems like simple logic and I take it like religion. It was a small group this time, maybe 20 riders and I was pleased as always to have Heidi by my side. Heidi immediately rocked this race, managing to stay perfectly in the mid-front of the pack despite what I felt was the most treacherous cornering of my life. I was absolutely terrified of the Turn with the slippery turtles and white painted lines. After the first couple laps, I thought to myself “no way, I’m out”..but you have to finish. Again, I spent the whole race on the back to the group, talking myself through the Turn and sprinting to catch back on because of my poor cornering. Every time I came into the turn, I thought of Jim’s words and forced myself to let go of the breaks. With five laps to go, there were attacks, which I didn’t help real in (tough to do from the back of the group). One gal was way off the front, and with two laps to go, the chase was fading. I jumped on the backside, moved to the front and no one followed. I had the whole Turn to myself. Me against the Turn. This is it, the race is either won or lost right here. Do not hit your breaks. I didn’t. I stayed out in front of the group. I chased the lead and started closing the gap, but couldn’t catch her. 2nd. Frankly, I am just relieved the Turn didn’t eat me alive.

Thank you Rubi’s for all your support: to the ladies for pulling me up the next wheel when I couldn’t do it myself, and to the guys for their endless race knowledge and strategies. It is great to have teammates.

Cascadia Crit Series - Ballard, Seward and more

2010-06-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Clark Here....wanting to say that the new Cascadia Crit Series is the best thing to happen to road racing in the Northwest in the 11 years I have been here (non-crit fans may disagree). Take away the fact that it has been raining almost non-stop for the last two weeks, and the fact that I piled it up on lap 2 of a rainy Fremont crit, and you have some great times. To prove my point, I am going to give you two pictures, one you will have to imagine, the other you will see.

First, imagine, its Seward Park last Thursday, you are me sitting comfortably at the back of the pack when the prime bell rings. As we come around to the climb (we're going counter clock wise), I see the beautiful site of the Green Rubi-train hitting on all cylinders in tight formation...Up the right side...Aaron leads out Stonich and releases...Stonich leads out Dave Rider and releases, Dave crests the hill and unleashes a nasty sprint to win the prime. There ain't no more beautiful site, or is there?...

Picture number two, Ballard crit...what's more beautiful than this?

Nicola, Tracy, and Heidi come out to help get Anne-Marie a 4th place finish. It doesn't get much more pretty than that!

Ballard Twilight Crashterium

2010-06-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

i'm not a fan of crits...but what can you do when you have two teammates who are out there racing and they'd like more support? you gotta step it up to support the girl alki/rubicon effort...there's no choice. it's a team solidarity kind of thing...i know you all know what i mean.

so there you have it. i had to do ballard twilight criterium. and there i found myself at registration, timid and nervous, but excited to get it done. the guy who registered me said i'd likely be pulled because of my catlike helmet (not ANSI approved)...so i took my helmet off and kept it hidden until riding. fortunately, or maybe not, the officials never noticed.

we line up for the crit, it's all the usual chatter- "i haven't been training at all", "i haven't ridden in weeks", "i haven't slept in days", "i forgot to eat enough today". it's par for the course...everybody wants an excuse in case they don't perform well. or perhaps it's an opponent psych out.

anne marie sets the stage for us.....she's there to get the primes and to win. we're there to work for her. she wants heidi to take a "flyer" off the front with 5 laps to go. i'm hoping to just be able to hang on.

off we go and it's clear that the pace is going to be faster than the last time i raced. corner one- no problem, i have my line. backside, great tailwind, love it!. corner three- i have my line, no problem. corner four- around and up and damn! that head wind is going to make it tough! i'll struggle every lap at this spot.

really the race was not particularly eventful. there was a rider off the front, group health girls did a lot of chasing, i did a little, anne marie did a little, but it didn't seem like we were going to get her. i wasn't feeling olympic, i kept have to chase on the last corner to get the wheel in front of me. this wore me down.

it was with 8 laps to go when i started thinking in my head that i was impressed all these cat 4 riders were cornering so well and riding smart. my fatal mistake was thinking that the peleton would escape with no crashes....

and there we are, out of corner one, gong down and i see it to my right. a rider goes down and then it was slow motion.....it seemed like she was getting run over by everybody..boom another rider down...oh god, here comes a bike, sliding across the pavement in front of me....i do little calculations in my head....how do i get out of this?! but there was nothing to be done, i was going down, that was evident. BOOM! i'm sliding too, bikes tangled in my legs. s l o w m o t i o n. i stop and stay on the ground. nic is my side, are you all right? are you alright? tracy are you all right?

i was. they untangled me and pulled me to the side of the road- the medics came over but we sent them on to the girls that obviously needed help. i couldn't believe nicola had stopped for me. she could have been in contention! but she's a friend and there she was and we got on our bikes and finished the race- soft pedaling, happy that things turned out as great as they did.

btw- Anne Marie posted a 4th place finish! way to go AM!!! she's totally rocking the crits and i have a ton of respect for this full time working mom of 3!

ballard crashterium, i had a fantastic time. and officials...have no fear, that catlike helmet is now history. sniff.
owie

2K10 Orecrusher

2010-05-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

Location: Squamish, BC

Weather: Sunny, 65 f

Distance: 39k (24.2mi) / (6) 6.5k Laps

EL Gain: 1920

Time: 2:16:11

HR Avg: 178

HR Max: 190

Naturally now that I own a mountain bike the next step was to try my hand at racing. The past month has given me an opportunity to dial in the Kona Hei Hei, so I went into the race feeling pretty comfortable on the bike. The reality was that I had no idea what I was getting into. Even though the trails were difficult to decipher, I was able to ride some of the course about a week prior to the race, so I wasn’t going in totally blind. That being said, the actual race distance and estimated time to complete it were debatable. An informal poll of racers and event coordinators concluded that lap times would be between 20-30 minutes. Given that the 35-40 category had 6 laps on the board, the difference between a 20 minute lap and a 30 minute lap could make for a long day. I was starting to question what I was getting into, and my race strategy was being modified continually. Final strategy? Steady and hard on the double track and climbs; let the guys who look like they know what there doing lead through the single track; ride within your ability in the single track; hydrate and gel regularly; quit if you have to. After all this is just for fun, and if there was one thing I learned on my first day mountain biking with Rob, it was that you can’t ride up everything. Sometimes you have to get off and walk.

The 200-meter Lemans start got me to the pit mid field. The Pro/Elite men and women were two minutes ahead of us. My start included all categories from 18-40. After locating my bike from the wrong section, I was in the back of the field but made it up quickly as the start of the race took you around a school running track and into a long double track before you hit the first single track section. The racing through this section was actually quite civil, but that might just have been my impression after so many congested first laps with the big dogs in the elite cross races. The next section was a steady 3-5% climb up a rocky power line road, then you were out of the big rocks and the sunny power lines into the shade and a nice park like groomed double track climb. Flip the Pro-Pedal switch and settle in for some high wattage steady climbing. Nowhere on the course was the grade more than 5%, with the school/start-finish/feed zone being the lowest elevation. At the top of this climb was the high elevation point, flip the Pro-Pedal switch again and head into the next single track section. The first lap through I followed one of the elite women. I had been through this trail a week before but really was not familiar with it. She was smooth and it was a perfect pace for me, and due to time and concern about just how long my race day would be, I had opted not to preride the course. You had to be on your game for this section. I guess if there were anywhere on the course that you could call a “recovery” section this would be it, although to say I was using my core muscles here would be an understatement. This section of single track was about 25% of the course with a steady elevation loss along the way. Next you popped back out into the sun and the power lines again briefly before you hit the fast double track. Shift to the big ring, flip the switch! I love that Pro-Pedal. This was a fun section weaving through trees on another park like double track trail. The final section took you through another technical single track and then surprise surprise, back to the school. I looked at my watch, 24 minutes. Ok, this is doable. Lets see what the next lap brings.

Lap 2: Near miss crash in the upper single track; passed several racers with flats, but the ride on that bike is so smooth I felt as if my tires were invincible…

Lap 3: Clean and fast; zen-like concentration through the woods; grabbed another bottle at the pit…

Lap 4: Don’t even remember it…

Lap 5: Back hurts; left hand hurts; single track getting hard to navigate; Elite Mens winner blows past my group in the fast section on a Scott hardtail (Winning time: 2:13:16. Not bad, he only beat my by three minutes, except he did 7 laps!)…

Lap 6: Final lap. I hit the climb steady and hard, slowly picking off the competition. I never looked back, but I could tell someone was on my wheel. At the summit I let him pass. He was wearing Fox manpree’s with a camelback and riding an all mountain bike. Looks like someone who’s going to school me in the technical. My suspicions were verified when he bunny hopped the first log like he was on a bmx bike. Within 3 minutes he was out of sight. I flailed my way through the technical taking every bad line available. Running on adrenalin alone at this point, I pushed through. Hit the school track and finished strong to the announcers congrats: ‘James Birkenbuel from Seattle with Alkey Rubeecon racing’. Kristin was there at the finish to grab my bike as I tried to stand up straight. My back still hurts. I had no clue about my placing, and we had plans for the afternoon, so it was back to Vancouver for us.

Checking the results a few days later I realized that I should have stuck around because I got third! First time on the podium in years and I left without my swag. Oh well, I’m super happy with my performance and I had a great time. Next BC race on the agenda? The Cardiac Classic at Mt. Burnaby in Vancouver, June 13th. I have been riding this course regularly and the name says it all. Who’s coming up?

Michelob Ultra Circuit Race Report

2010-05-04T17:04:00.002-07:00

Hello all,

So Saturday Jim and I went to the Michelob Ultra Circuit race over by Port Orchard. I believe it was a new race this year. The course was described to be a 6 mile loop with a few punchy hills and “punchy” should have been bolded… The start/finish to the race was relatively flat, but the rest was rolling hills with two very steep very short hills in it. For once the pavement was nice and smooth for pretty much the entire course and had some long sections with a pretty wide shoulder.

I was surprised when my category lined up that it wasn’t sold out. In fact there were fewer than 30 women that raced which is the lowest show of the season yet that I’ve seen. The race started out at a pretty fast pace. I was caught completely off guard when we got to the first steep hill. When looking at the race profile beforehand the two short steep hills didn’t show up because they were too short. After the first hill we continued to go through some more rollers and took a right hand turn and BAM, there was the second steep kicker that was strategically placed so there was no way you could see it coming. We get to the top and I’m thinking “I have to do this 4 more times”! I wasn’t quite sure I had enough legs for that. We made it back around to the start/finish road which was pretty flat and allowed me to catch my breath. The next few laps around the course I seemed to be dancing up those hills. I was climbing them like the finish line was at the top and was usually the second one up. I was absolutely dead once I got to the top, but everyone else seemed more dead than me so it worked out.

I spent almost the whole race in the front few riders. I was feeling pretty good about conquering those hills and was racing a good race and then we get to the finish and things start to go downhill. We took the final corner for the last time and I was in good position. We start rolling down the road towards the finish and a couple of girls picked up the pace. I wanted to be sure to stay towards the front and so I was pushing hard too. Unfortunately, I was being very smart and was out in the open not wheel sucking to conserve my energy for the sprint. Just inside 1k to go I knew this wasn’t going to be a good finish I already wasted a lot of energy. We finally get to 200 meters to go and I was pushing and pushing, but the legs were done, nothing left. I crossed the finish line and was thankful it was finally over. A lot of girls passed me on that sprint inside 200 meters like I was standing still. I still managed to pull out a 10th place finish even with that disaster of a “sprint” finish. I was really happy with how the race went minus the whole finishing part, but I’m slowly and painfully gaining an appreciation for how far 1k and 200 meters really are. Hopefully shortly here I’ll figure out when to turn it on and to conserve my energy a little bit longer.

All in all I really loved the course. It was pretty tough, but I really enjoyed those short little climbs. Never thought the day would come when I would say I enjoyed a climb, but then again I never thought I’d be racing bikes…

Jim raced right after me. I’ll leave it up to him to tell his story which is quite a bit different than mine… You’re up Jim!

volunteer park pain

2010-04-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

a feeling of dread instantly hit me when i agreed to sign up to race volunteer park crit. why would i want to race? why would i want to race A CRIT no less?!

well, i'll tell you. first of all, her name is heidi. she's the newest alki/rubi girl and she rocks. she's racing. i owed it to her to get out there and support her.
secondly, nicola. nicola was my cheerleader (come on YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!). hmmm. ok. thirdly, anne marie. she agreed to sign up. and crap, she's less post-partum than me, so i SHOULD do this, right?!

still, the dread. i swear, my stomach was knotted for a week. i couldn't dwell on it, lest i drive myself insane.

so i put it in the back of my mind. i'd treat this like any other ride. what else could i do? i had scheduled oral surgery the day before and i still planned to go through with the procedure. secretly, this would be my out if mentally i could not get into the game. good out. who could argue that?

then it snowed in the mountains. a lot. my boss said, hey, take a day off, let's go snowboarding. well, twist my arm! i canceled my oral surgery, but still excited that i might have an out if i couldn't go through with the race. (side note...the pow-pow was deep and light...face shots all morning and most of the afternoon).

did i mention 2 hours at the pub? with somebody else buying the beer?

saturday morning came faster than i wanted, and my brain said don't do it, but my heart said, go for it. the heart always wins. at least i think it should.

aaron tuned and cleaned my bike, put on race tires, packed some "injury" (true's pronunciation of "energy"). i ran out of excuses. what the hell, this should be fun. i hopped on my bike, kissed the kids, and made my way to volunteer park.
(wanting to puke the whole time).

i timed things well- just a brief wait before race time. perfect. nic was there, anne marie was there, heidi was there. my god, i thought, we have a team. ann marie quickly laid out the plan- she and nicola would sprint for the primes. my job was to blow up the field when i could (it's the mountain bike racer in me that loves that), and to give the ladies a wheel whenever possible. overall, our goal was to not let anybody crash out us out. anne marie said, stay in front. sage advice, but could i do it?

we line up. some girl asks us who we are. we are strangers to these women, even though we've been racing off and on for years. the girl likes our kits. she says they're always interesting and she looks forward to seeing what we'll be wearing each year. isn't she sweet, i think. i can't wait to school her.

the gun goes, we go, the crowd roars (remember, this story is too grand to be bound by mere fact). it's not long before i'm anaerobic. nicola is with me. we're both barking at a sketchy rider. she's all over! i hate barking at riders during races, but i'm not in the mood for a new scar.

things start to calm down, but i'm still anaerobic. crap, i think, how am i going to do this?! we come around the second lap and they announce the first prime. huh. i really don't give a shit at this point. i mean, i'm wondering if i'm even going to last. i settle into a pace, and my mind starts to clear, and i can see where my strength and weaknesses are. too bad there are more weaknesses. i'm going to have to do this race on experience- i'm lacking in fitness. the lap comes back to the start... there are no rubis in contention for the first prime and i'm still not giving a shit.

the second bell rings for a prime lap. the peleton is shattered by now- we've shed 30 girls. perfect. things speed up, we come around the climb and i notice ladies are getting in position, deciding who's wheel to suck. i'm still not caring.

but guess who cares? anne marie! she plays it smart as hell and stands at the right time. she goes around a group of 7 and easily takes her prime! nicola and i scream! right on!

with renewed energy and hope i have decided that i will finish this race! i will not be dropped!

then we cross the start/finish and i see i have 17 minutes left. my heart sinks. this is gonna suck. i secretly wish for a flat (in a nice safe place, of course).

the bell rings for the second prime....the girls hit the gas...i go hard, hoping that my team has my wheel and i can give them some help. i don't even know if they are back there, but i hear stoney on the side screaming, so i figure they must be! i go as hard as i can for as long as i can and just as i'm wondering if maybe i can get the prime, the peleton comes around me. there's my answer. but like a flash, i see nicola come around me, stand up, and go go go go go! she sprinted long and hard, but i tell you, nobody could hang on to that wheel.

boom! prime number 2 for alki/rubicon ladies! the crowd was going crazy, the announcers were shouting amazement at the power of the team! (again, this story is too grand to be bound by mere fact...).

with three laps to go i decide that i want to lead this race for at least one lap. my only thought is that i want to get our sponsors names out there. i want everybody to know who we are. i want to be up front to prove that you can have a family and still have some fight in you (i know, i know, this is just a cat 4 women's crit, but it's still note worthy in my mind). so i lead. for most of a lap. i had this dream that i'd lead for the rest of the race and anne marie, heidi, nic and i would cross the line together....but i fell apart. i hung in with the lead pack for the last 2 laps...but i was cooked. there would be no sprint finish, there would be no zipping up my jersey nor making the sign of the cross across my chest. there would be no kids jumping up and down yelling "mommy won! mommy won!".

but i tell you what i had...a husband who was proud. a team who rocked. and the renewed burning desire to be competitive again.

Ravensdale-Cumberland Road Race

2010-03-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Its a new era! I can now legally race with the Masters. Although I still feel like a young buck, the training realities of being a new Dad, and the 90 mile distance of the Cat 1-2 race, made participation in the Masters A-B race a no brainer. Plus, racing at 9:00am, although totally aweful, means you are back in town with half a day to work with. So after some discussion with Dave R (who has even fewer base miles and hasn't raced a 60 mile road race in years) we agreed that we would both make our first foray into "Masters" racing. (Have you ever seen some of the bikes these guys ride?! Some serious bling!)

What looked like a great decision, started to look bleak when the weather man's prediction of sunny skies on Saturday would turn nasty by race time Sunday. If you were awake at 5:00 Sunday morning, you can imagine my consternation as the wind whipped rain against my windows and made the vent hood rattle against the house. Luckily, by the time we got out the door and all the way down to Ravensdale, things had begun to clear up, and would eventually dry out.

The race was not much to brag about, or write home about. Due to the popular Independance Valley RR the day before (under sunny skies), and the projected rain for this race, all of the fields were tiny in comparison. Dave and I both went into it figuring it would be a great barometer of where we are fitness wise, and just hoped to be competitive and to make it to the finish. We realized that our task would be especially difficult as we lined up as 2 of a pack of 21 riders. After a short roll out and few climbs to get the legs warm, the pace began to pick up. For the first 15-20 miles, various people took flyers off the front to try and establish a break, but to no avail. At one point, a small break had formed and Dave rolled up next to me and said, "If one more guy bridges, that break is gone," in other words, "You got to get up there!" Unfortunately, I didn't have the legs, nor did he, and as he guessed, the break stayed away to the finish. Meanwhile, in our group of 15, the 3 teams with riders in the break basically shut down the chase until they were far out of reach, and did as little work as possible up until the last 10 miles, at which point the started taking flyers to try and break up the group. By the finish, we had lost a few folks, and basically had a slow motion false flat sprint for 6th-13th place.

Two top 20 Finishes for Rubicon!!! (don't tell anybody that there were only 21 starters)

sequim race report #2 by Jim Wood

2010-03-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

So this is not going to be your typical race report. As you know last weekend I decided to do a broken half Ironman. Heidi was the only one brave enough to join me for this event...

We started off with the swim on Friday night. The swim was 1.2 miles, 2000 yard, 40 laps, or 80 lengths. However you look at it, its a long ways! I have not swum at all in a couple of months so I knew this would not be that much fun. Swimming is not very exciting so I'll just let you know the time. I managed to swim the 1.2 miles in just under 25 minutes. Heidi was only a couple of minutes behind. So event #1 was out of the way.

The next day was the Sequim #2 race. Hahn, decided to join us for this one. Hahn showed up at my house at about 6am not ready to go. He had been up all night drinking with Dave (thanks Dave), without a race license, number, or food. We fed Hahn some coffee and oatmeal, let him use a computer to buy a license and off we went. The Cat 3 Men had a big field of 70 or so and apparently the decision of the day was to ride as fast as possible. During the first lap every time I looked down we were going over 30mph! I took a few fliers off the front but the pace would just not slow down. For nearly all of the 60 miles there were fliers off of the front from the IJM team, but nothing was going to stick. With 5 miles to go, Hahn popped just as one of the juniors from Rad Racing took a flier off the front. I and a couple of other guys jumped to try to catch him but the best anyone could do was get about 10 bike lengths from him before their engines gave out and they returned back to the group. In the end the junior held us all off and took the win. I hung back in the group sprint and finished around 35th.

In Heidi’s Cat 4 race there were a bunch of girls (40+) much to Heidi’s dismay. Heidi was much happier the week before when the fields were smaller and she felt she could move around a bit more. The race stuck together the entire time, and ended in a group sprint. As we know from last weeks race report Heidi can’t sprint. She made it to the line with all the girls for a top 30 finish.

Sequim #2 facts

Cat 1/2 Avg Speed – 27 mph (per the WSBA list serv)

Cat 3 Avg Speed – 25.2 mph

Cat 4 Womens Avg Speed - 21 mph

One word can describe Sequim #2: FAST

The final event was the Mercer Island Half Marathon. Stoni, Anne Marie, John, Ruth Twenty, Heidi, and I suffered through this one. And let me tell you running Mercer is WAY harder than riding Mercer. I was determined not to kill myself early in this one so I decided I would try to stick to 7 min miles. From the start I went a little faster than plan but stayed in the 6:15-6:30 range for the first couple miles then settled in at about 7:10’s or so. Miles 8-11 were really hard for me, as I had not really trained running, and I was losing time on every decent. My legs were kind of stiff from the ride the day before and I could not relax going downhill. I pushed through the pain and really pushed the last mile. I managed to come in at 1:32:44 which was at 7:05 miles (however my GPS had me at 7:00 miles because the total run distance was a little over 13.1 miles). John was not far behind me at 1:38, Stoni followed at 1:41, followed by Heidi at 1:51 and Ruth and Anne Marie right around 2:05 (sorry if I got anyone’s times wrong). That run really hurt me and I am only today walking ‘normal.’ That really means I am just not scared to walk downstairs at work, but am extremely sore…

Overall my broken half Ironman time was 4:11 min. I think if I were to every try an actual half I could never get that time. I would be psyched if I could go sub 5 hrs. The crazy part to think about is that if I double my half time, it is still 15 minutes slower than the world record for a full Ironman, and I cheated by drafting on the bike and sleeping and recovering between events…crazy.

I think this is going to have to become a tradition, and I hope more of you will join me next year.

Thanks for reading and who all is racing this weekend? Heidi and I are racing IVRR and Heidi would be excited to have some ladies to race with (they just opened up a second Cat 4 Womens race due to high demand).

Jim

and more......

2010-03-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

we're off

team

random

more random

girls ride with boys

lots of alki/rubi love

2010-03-22T20:35:00.001-07:00

tina and nicola love

lincoln and nicola love

gabe and tina love

hahn and gabe love

Jim Wood's Mason and Sequim Race Report

2010-03-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the Cat 3 Race Report...

Mason Lake #1
First I helped Heidi get ready for her first ever road race. She was nervous about riding in a group and racing, but went for it anyway. I watched Heidi finish the 'sprint' and then I thought, this bike racing stuff is hard, why am I here? Then I sucked it up and got on the bike for my race.

As Clark eluded, I attacked a few times on the first lap and did not get anywhere. As many of you have experienced the Mason Lake World Championships always end in a sprint. So I sat in for the next 40 miles, but quickly realized I had not ridden 60 miles but one other time this year and I was getting tired. On the 5th and final lap, I was worked, and it had started to rain. I had a premonition that there would be a large crash inside of 1k to go so at 1k I Sat up and rode about 10 yards off the back. At 500M to go the crash started and spread the width of the road. I rode through the dirt on the left side of the road and moved from 70th to 26th.

A few facts about the race
Distance: 60miles
Avg Speed (2010): 23.1
Avg Speed (2009): 21
Climbing >5000ft - yep not that flat lots o' rollers!

Sequim #2
For race number 2 Heidi and I opted for Sequim because we raced at new venue, though there would be less people, and we both raced at the same time. The race was PACKED. We almost did not make the ferrry because there were so many cyclists! Once we got there I had the opportunity to change 3 flats because both of my valve stems sheered off while pumping my tires, then one of my spare tubes had a hole in it. I felt like a true Cat 5 racer with a pile of tubes at my feet. All I needed was a chainring mark on my calf.

The race started and in general was not very exciting. The wind kept us together for the most part, but there were lots of people willing to dangle 20 seconds off the front for a lap or two. The course was great as Heidi mentioned and and there were some good team tactics going on. On the last lap two or three guys hung 20 seconds off of the front and one of them managed to just hold of the sprint for the win. The other two blew at about 1K to go. I sat back in the sprint and watched (I am scared of sprinting...) and rolled over the line about 35th.

A few facts about the race
Distance: 60miles
Avg Speed: 23.6
Climbing >1000ft - but it was Windy!

Hopefully we get a few more Rubi's out there this weekend!

Jim

team kits 2010

2010-03-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

Cross Nationals

2009-12-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

Bend was showing single digit temps on the first day it hosted this years cyclocross nationals. By the time I race on Sunday, it had warmed up to around 35 for the start of the elite race. My call up number was 62 out of 160. I figured I was in the first row of Cat 2’s. All the Cat 1’s got call up priority as well as anyone with UCI points. The first lap was insane. Probably one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. There was a long paved start into a sweeping left hand hairpin. After clearing that corner without incident, I was sitting in at least the top 50. It seemed like there was a crash in every corner. There was plenty of contact now that I think about it. Lots of aggressive passing. I was really focused. A set of stairs marked the start of I what I referred to as the tunnel. I would describe it as a channel winding through a crowd of cheering spectators and the deafening ring of cowbells. It was technical riding too. There was a fast off camber into a downhill left hand hair pin. Another fast section into a hair pin right. Then it bent around the beer garden into a set of barriers (which you couldn’t see until the last second), finishing into a icy right hand. It was intense, but I would consider it to be the “fun” part of the course. The big guns were fast and the course was short. Less than 40 guys finished without being lapped. I made it 40 minutes before Phil pulled me, finishing 67. I didn’t fall, and really that was my first objective. I feel good about the race and I won’t soon forget the experience.

Cyclocross Nationals

2009-12-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

Bend Oregon was the scene of this years National's and as promised it was a weekend of fun and challenging conditions with a course that did not disappoint. Early Thursday morning with a car full of bikes and equipment and a thermas of coffee I started the trek to Bend. Ariving at the course I was greeted to a snowy and frozen landscape. The racing was under way already and it was evedant that the conditions where playing a major factor in the racing.

Walking around the course it was amazing how it had everything you could want, off camber sections, tight turning area, flat fast power straight aways, and my personal favorite was the "stairway to heaven". On Friday the open course warm ups was a bit of insanity with the amount of people all trying to get a grasp of what was the best lines to take and which tires to select. After a solid hour of riding it was evident that it would be a last minute call as the course was frozen in the morning but as the sun came out to warm us up the ground became soft with muddy sections and slippery thawing ice in many corners. After getting done with the warm-ups it was back to the house for a dinner and a pre-race beer.

The morning of saturday I was greated to warmer conditiions than the previous days. After a quick bowel of oatmeal and a cup of joe it was time to dawn the Alki/Rubicon colors and get to the course to see what the condition's had for me. To my suprise it seemed that it was becoming consitently tacky throughout the course. After watching the U23 race from the sidelines motivation was high. Getting on the trainer in the parking lot it was crazy to see a constint flow of people coming equiped with cowbells and various noise makers. Getting to the start line with call ups under way it was clear that with likes of Molly Cameron in the front row my second to last row call up would make the importance of moving up as fast as posible without getting caught in any crashes that much more important.

The start pistol was shoot and with that we where off. The start was just what you would expect, a sprint to the first corner with everyone trying to stay up in the corner. The first lap was the fastest I have been in yet. Groups had formed almost instantly with everyone trying to chase to the next. Riding as hard as I could for the first to laps I had moved up to some where in the middle of the race. As everyone settled in to there pace it became easier to move up from group to group. Coming across the line seeing 3 to go me and another rider started to work together to move up at a good pace. With 2 to go my friend sate up and proclaimed he was done with the pace. It is amazing how someone elses pain can motivate. My goal through the race was to not get pulled, and some how the front runners where not coming up behind me. For the last lap the goal changed from survive to get past as many riders as possible. As I ran the stairs for the last time I was focusing on getting to the next section all the while trying to go as deep as I could. Seeing the finish banner was a welcome sight. Crossing the line I looked to see that I wasnt the last person to come across which made me hopeful that I had placed higher than my goal had been. After riding around for a good 30 minutes I returned to check my placing and had indeed placed 42 out of 110 guys.

The season is over and it ended with a bang. The rest of the weekend was me camped out at the beer garden watching our very own James make it look easy, as well as seeing Tim Johnson put a clinic on in the Elite Mens race. Another season done and as happy as I am part of me cant wait tell next year to see all the guys and gals from Alki/Rubicon pinning it around the course with the style that can only be done by Alki Rubicon Racing. A big thank you to all the sponsors, and to everyone on the team for making the cyclocross season my favorite time of the year.

the 2009 Cyclocross Season Comes to an End

2009-12-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend marks the end of the cyclocross season in the US with Nationals being held down in Bend, Oregon. James B and Nate will be down there flying the Rubicon colors. Hopefully we will get a race recap...

It has been another great season for Alki|Rubicon, not just in terms of racing success, but also in sheer fun and participation. Victories were notched by Dave Stonich and the tandem of Seth & Holly Davis, while great overall seasons were had by Nate Solomon, James Birkenbuel and John Duquette. Beyond that, there were sightings of almost every single Rubicon member putting the hammer down. Low-lights included the requisite mechanical issues and Duquette's dog taking out one of the Men's Master master fields, while the highlight of the year was definitely the 1st Annual Woodlawn Park GP, co-hosted by none other than Alki|Rubicon. It was a huge success and hopefully will be duplicated next year. Click to see photos of some of the action and the people who played a part...and enjoy the upcoming holiday season!

Hahn "the cheerleader" Rossman

2009-10-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Sooooo, when was the last time any of you did 200 meter dash repeats on the beach, a loose sandy beach, say 6 or more times at least with a bike on your shoulder?

Well on Sunday, October 4, there were many Rubi cross racers doing just that ,in style, at the Issaquah MFG race. Some of us were REALLY fast (Holly, Seth, John D., James, Clark), some looked really good (Stoni, Nate, Jim, Lincoln, John S., Anne Marie, Ruth Twenty), and for the rest of us, ME, it hurt very badly, it wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast!

I started the race on Holly's wheel, around every corner and tree and then, I dismounted, picked up my bike to run the beach, I look up and see that Holly is just flying away from the whole pack. I really don't even think she touched the sand with her feet. By the time I made it 100 meters, she was gone! Holly put a serious stomping on the Cat 3 woman that day to finish first! Nice work speedy Walker!

As the race continued I managed to hold a steady place in the back, not last, but in the back.

Every lap as I ran through the beach section I could hear my teammates cheering me along. But the voice that stands out most to me was Hahn's voice. As some of you may know he truly is one of the best cyclo cross cheerleaders around. It went something like this:

Hahn: "Go Nicola, Go! RUN, RUN, RUN! FASTER, FASTER, FASTER!!!!! GET THOSE GIRLS!! ARE YOU GONNE LET THAT GIRL IN A MOUNTAIN BIKE HELMET BEAT YOU?!!!! GO, GO, GO, GO , GO , GO !!!!!!"

Me: "UGGH, I am spent Hahn! she took me out. I feel awful.!!!!!!"

Hahn running along side of me SCREAMING, " IF YOU ARE TALKING TO ME RIGHT NOW, YOU......ARE......NOT........GOING..........HARD...........ENOUGH!!!!!!" NOW!!!!, RUN THAT BIKE UP TO SPEED! RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN, NOW GET ON AND RIDE!!! GET....... ON....... THAT.........BIKE..........RIDE!!! GO....... GO...........GO........... GO........ GOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Hahn's cheerleading did make me try to increase my speed to the point of wanting to vomit. He kept me from coming in dead last, I was second to last, but not last, sooo thanks HAHN!!

The other highlights from the beautiful day we spent on the east side were watching Skylar run the barriers with great skill, her out of the saddle sprint finish, Seth and Holly's fantastic soup and hanging with the team when the day was done to enjoy a beer.

Thanks for the great fun team!

Cyclocross is here

2009-09-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend has come and gone. To many it is the last chance to get in a BBQ and enjoy the last of a short Seattle summer. Yet to a small number of people that race cyclocross it is ,the beginning of what we hope will be muddy days filled with pain, personal torment and hopefully the glory of winning even if you don't cross the the line first. This Monday's race was nothing short of a great season opener and a great motivator, personally. With the weather being to most a let down, for me it was a liquid filled joy. The sight of all the Alki/Rubicon kits was a welcome sight! The day started out with Jon Rob, and Seth and their warped view "I haven't trained so I am JUST going to race single speed". Watching the three hammer the course (all very close to one another) put a very large grin on my face. I was great to see Alki/Rubicon putting in a solid effort for all to see. Standing by the run up there was a lot of comments made about those guys in the crazy colored kits. With Seth taking 2nd, Jon 3rd and rob 6th the word is out that Alki/Rubicon are going to be a major factor.
The next race was Cat. 3 men and Cat. 3 Masters. Myself, Lincoln and John H. where in attendance. Going into the race I had the goal of going as hard as I could for as long as I could. Lincoln I am sure had the goal of putting some pain in but insuring that he had that famous Erbeck smile on his face the whole time. John, well what could you say about john's plans other than kicking some a*# but always being the nicest guy about it.
The start of the race was great, I got a good start and tried to capitalize on it. After looking back after the run up it seemed that there was only one other guy with me. As we entered the greasy single track, the guy with me started to put a lot of pressure on as he tried to pass at every possible chance he had. I tried as hard as I could to shut him down and gap him but, he did the job as I took a slide on the back side of the course. As I got up to my dismay and some what surprise the ACS rider opened it up and was out of sight. The next lap was riding as hard as I could to get back up with him. After a few brief molments of hanging with him I had nothing left. The rest of the race was spent going as hard as I could and trying to limit the amount of guys that passed me , with the help of Nicola and Skylar on what seemed every corner. After ever thing was said and done I crossed the line in 9th place, with Lincoln close behind in 12th and John crossing the line in 5th. All and all it was a great day of cross for me and can not wait for next weekend.
Nate Solomon

2009 Capitol Crit in Olympia, and more...

2009-06-21T20:54:00.001-07:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I am not a great writer like Dickens, but I will try and wrap up the last few weeks in the Rubicon racing scene, and we have some good news and som badd... There have been multiple sightings of Alki|Rubicon and local mountain bike races with mixed results, as has been the case on the road. A strong showing by both Dave S and John S at Ballard netted a bunch of time on the front the race (Dave won a handsome cupcake prime), which was followed by a strong showing by the Rider brothers in the Cat 1-2 race, with Dave taking 6th overall. On the other end of the spectrum, Jim Wood got taken out by a wayward racer at Seward Park and wound up with a shattered collar bone. Big Dave R followed up his impressive race at Ballard with a 5th overall at the Capitol Crit. Brother Clark (me) had my worst race since Seward Park circa 2002. It was the first time I have been in top shape, feeling strong, only to be dropped half way through the race. Over on the dirt, the bad luck caught up with Greg Twenty when a nasty wreck sent him to the hospital for the placement of some heavy duty steel plate to rebuild his right arm...hang in there Greg!

for a few photos from Olympia, copy and paste this link... http://picasaweb.google.com/AlkiRubicon/2009CapitalCrit#

Photos from the paste 5 months

2009-06-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Copy and paste these web address to see photos

Tour of California -

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=AlkiRubicon&target=ALBUM&id=5344269460852445313&authkey=Gv1sRgCNTxkOuY8YbJnAE&feat=email

Orcas Island Weekend -

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=AlkiRubicon&target=ALBUM&id=5344265884353930001&authkey=Gv1sRgCN_rgLbK3oSUdw&feat=email

Volunteer Park Crit - Memorial Lap for Kevin Black

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=AlkiRubicon&target=ALBUM&id=5344268277893169841&authkey=Gv1sRgCPz_6bC9gaWvSQ&feat=email

2009-06-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

We are behind the ball this year...only 3 photos of bike racing action and we are over half way through the road racing/mountain biking season. So I am gonna rectify that situation just a bit. Here are some images from three different events. First, Dave R, Nate and Clark took a trip to Cali to take in the first 3 stages of the Amgen Tour of California. The second album is from the team training camp on Orcas Island. The final album are photos from the memorial lap at the Volunteer Park Crit in memory of Kevin Black. I haven't quite figured out the best way to link to the full album...so bear with me.

To the Dirt!

2009-05-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

here are a few pictures that Scott Keiper snapped last weekend at Whidbey Island Mudder.

(btw, did anybody know that Aaron took first place in Single Speed at the Indie Series South Seatac race a few weeks back? he did!)

Alki Rubico's Wood out 4 weeks

2009-05-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Alki Rubicon Racing Blog is first to report that Alki Rubicon Racing's Jim Wood suffered a broken collarbone at the Seward Park Thursday Night Crit.
"Some dude made a stupid move and took my front wheel out on the decent. I am probably off the bike for 4 weeks" Wood reported in an email. He then added, "I have beer and painkillers in my future."
The setback is significant for both Wood and the team. Although the majority of the road race season is over Wood has been testing his skills in the mountain biking arena and has been seen at several fat tire events over the past month.
"I'm gonna miss seeing Jim at some of these mountain bike races," says Wood's teammate John Duquette. "He always crossed the finish line a filthy bloody mess and had great stories about all the different ways he crashed in the previous hour. It was pretty entertaining to hear about and sometimes I'd learn some new swear words."
There have been no reports on how the beer and pain killer recovery program is working for Wood but those close to him are hopeful that with copious amounts of both he can be back riding his bike as soon as 2:00am Sunday morning.

Footage of the prologue from the Tour of Cali

2009-03-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Rubicon's Nate, Clark and Dave were joined by Rob and Ehben on a road trip to Cali for the Tour. Keep an eye out for locals Ian Mckissick and Tyler Farrar battling it out with the big boys of racing. you can also find it on you tube

Mason#2

2009-03-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

After last week, Jim and I were determined to cover every break...well maybe every break beginning with lap three and anything promising in the meanwhile.

Jim arrived punctual as usual and in a chipper mood. I was well rested and not to put off by the rain."Typical Mason etc." seemed to be the comment of the morning. The drive was uneventful except for the unsurprising loss of Jim's frame number. I'm still trying my hardest not to complain publicly about those #$%^& numbers.

After registering and sharing a hilarious anecdote about how Dave Douglass managed to save his marriage with a propane heater, but only after his wife threatened to build a fire at the next Mason, we started a serious discussion about what clothes we were planning on wearing. This went on for some time, it never reached the intense level of detail and paranoia that James Birkenbuel brings to the subject, but we came close! The end result was us wearing everything we brought with us!

The start was uneventful, there were several attacks on the first two laps. Either initiated by Jim or your narrator, or covered by them. Eventually the french guy riding zipp 1080's(!) managed to eak his way off the front with a Junior from first rate.

This move had surprising legs, both from the riders, and also from first rate doing a bang up job of foiling the chase and/or people trying to bridge. The mystery was Hagens doing everything they could to help first rate? At one point as I was dragging two hagens riders and two first rate riders off the front of the peloton I started to doubt who was up the road?

This went on for longer than I care to admit, while simultaneously it had started to rain harder and get colder.

After several unsuccessful attempts by Jim, myself, and a few other racers to bridge, combined with dropping core body temperatures I decided that I would simply have my team chase...err I mean Jim and I, despite the other 58 guys drafting us.

So lap three consisted of several huge efforts for the both of us, dragging a protesting gaggle of first rate, umbro, and hagens riders along. eventually cucina fresca and the one second ascent guy realized that we were determined and waded into the fray.

The end result was catching the break, getting warm enough to stop shivering, but not warm enough to feel either my hands or feet. This makes it really dodgy shifting and breaking!
After the catch while Jim and I were enjoying a well earned rest a six man group slinked off the front looking really well represented. Jim looks over at me and says that's the winning break.

As I was engaged in trying to find the hole to the front to make the bridge First rate decides that this race should be a sprint finish! They chase their own team mate down. I start to consider that they may have talked earlier and are trying to get the same guy to win as last week?

Lap 5 starts with the slighty soggy ringing of the bell as we pass the start finish. I look around at the group and realize that at least half the people who started obviously had pressing engagements elsewhere that they suddenly remembered. I can't find Jim for the first time all year and start to wonder if he flatted, or if the lure of the baked potato was too strong?

The run in to the finish is a lot more organized than usual. I attribute this to the obvious trouble everyone was having breaking and shifting (by this time I have to stare at my right hand while shifting to make sure I'm doing anything). I'm feeling a little zapped from lap three still, but pretty good at the same time. I'm having trouble decifering the sprint ( as usual) but know that coming into it on the yellow line 8th wheel at 200 sounds right. People jump, well more like startle, at the 200 meter mark and start to ramp it up. I'm in a fine position and just keep pedaling, hoping no one crashes due to total numb paws.

I see our bro Dave, formerly of bainbridge, now first rate win! I end up some where in the teens, and there is im rolling over the line looking very cold!

In the post game wrap up with Dave, Jim, and some miserable ladies, over chili and potatos I got the final details.

At the point on lap 4 when Jim lost tghe ability to choose which gear his bike was in, he was spinning along at 19mph. He continued to do this, as well as some mighty 200rpm efforts to stay in touch while the race accellerated. It's amazing how hard it is to shift into a harder gear with those ultegra levers, when you are just stabbing at them with your frozed chicken in a glove.

First rate was trying to set up last weeks winner for the sprint. This explains seeing Dave spending a lot of time in the back/middle of the race literally sitting on his hands trying to warm them up. He explained he was the lead out man for last weeks winner, but ended up pulling a Gert Steegman on his Boonen! He was so excited by his first Cat 3 win.

Hahn"no expense spared on my glove shopping trip"Rossman

Mason Lake#1

2009-03-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Mason has always been the season opener, and highly anticipated because of that. I snuggled in bed next to my wife dreaming of unicorns and elves amid all the moss of the kitsap peninsula.

I was cruelly awakened by the sound of pounding rain against the windowpane. For many of our intrepid racers this is the obvious way to wake up to go race at Mason, but the weather all week had been great, and I groaned and squinted at the clock reading five AM.

Those of you who have had the pleasure of visiting the holler I call home will realize that it rarely rains sideways here...As I listened to the driving rain I wondered about the wind and started to realize that it sounded a little more...substantial than usual.

I eventually relented and emerged from my warm bed to feed and water the dogs and start really dreading the weather in earnest. I had made a tactical mistake the previous day in opting not only to carpool, but to have the ever chipper Jim Wood pick me up. This meant that despite all the evidence that today would be a repeat of an earlier experience with hypothermia at TST, I was going to race my bike!

Jim shows up fifteen minutes early and looking fresher than usual. He neglects his usual excuse of having drank way to much the night before and exchanges some jokes with me about our collective sanity at loading race bikes up in the sleet and rain.

We drive out of Seattle, passing through different variations on horrible rain, sleet, wind and gloom. Jim diverts me with talk of crashing airplanes and the hail mary device he is helping to engineer for the 787. I continue to swill coffee in high hopes that it will make me feel better.

At some point south of Tacoma the craziest thing happens! Simutaneously the coffee finally negates the horrible nights sleep, and the clouds part and display the clearest day I have ever seen on the Kitsap. All would be well if it wasn't for Jim repeatedly exclaming how gosh darn windy it was as he tries to keep his car in the correct lane.

I'm able to forego the morose thoughts of galloping girdy as we drive sideways over the Tacoma narrows bridge.

We arrive with just the right amount of time to say hello to all the old friends and get registered. Jim even remembered zip ties so we could attach our race numbers to our bikes. The new cloth numbers for the jerseys are awesome, but the frame numbers are rediculous. I'd complain more publicly about this, but I'm worried that I would be assigned to the WSBA number commitee!

At registration the wind is blowing accross the Lake and up that access road. I'm wearing quite a bit of kit and freezing my ass off. I'm delighted beyond words to see that the sun is shining however.

We roll out and begin the leisurly neutral portion of the race. It noticably warmer (but still cold) and people seem happy and relaxed.

For those of you that haven't raced here, there is barely any turns worth talking about. Despite this on lap one some jackass takes a weird line and ends up hip checking me. This is a little startling, but since no one goes down, I shrug it off.

By now the peloton has determined that all the exposed parts of the course have a headwind or cross wind of biblical (or according to Jim typical New Mexico) porportions. This leaves the tighter run in to the finish as a sort of recovery? Whatever the case the wind is killing folks.

Periodically someone gets fed up with lollygagging in the group and attacks. It seems easy, since the group is rarely above 22mph. However speaking from dire experience, once your nose is exposed to that wind you are suddenly trying to estimate what the equivilant grade climb is to the effort you are putting out on this almost flat stretch of wind cursed tarmac.

Being a slow learner and never good with math I had to do it twice to determine that for my frontal area on the highway at 2:15pm= at least 25%grade!

despite this clear indication that the safe place to be was sixth wheel, reorganizing your favorites in your ipod while the peloton tried in vain to keep it above 20mph (Jim saw an indicated 12mph at one point) Jim and I covered every break for the first 4 laps. Jim managed to try out some of his management training concepts while trying to get his lap 4 break to work together.

After that was caught I figured that we were too close to the finish for any hijinks, and I should just sit in. Apparently this was a dumb move as a break formed in almost slow motion and stayed well clear.

In the debriefing stage over baked potatoes and soup, Jim and I discussed various other racers and the year ahead. All in all an auspicious start.
Memo to self "cover all breaks no matter how unlikely".
Hahn Rossman

Thank You! (check out the linked Video)

2009-02-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

We want to personally thank each and everyone of you who supported Kevin this week. His family has called to express their appreciation of your love and effection, and your overwelming show of compassion.

To Wines of Washington for the assistance throughout the week and at the ride.

To Loyal Heights parents, students, teachers and PTA for the Origami Cranes.

To University of Washington for the love and memories.

To Kevin's neighborhood "the Four Corners" for the friendship and fellowship.

To Alki Rubicon for website updates, info, planning and celebration.

To All who attended each of the functions and shared memories and stories.

Thank you and be safe.

The Black family has suggested that in lieu of setting up a fund for Kevin's girls that money be donated to the Cascade Bicycle Club's Education Foundation. Proceed to the following site to donate http://www.active.com/donations/campaign_public.cfm?key=CascadeFoundation

For those interested in seeing the coverage of the memorial ride on the My Ballard site please visit:

http://www.myballard.com/2009/02/08/bicyclists-ride-in-blacks-memory/

And on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KXAkRgHSQ4

We are hoping to get some of the photos of Kevin included in the slideshow posted soon...

Weekend Memorial Schedule for Kevin

2009-02-06T00:46:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY:

There will be a public service this Saturday, February 7th, at 2:00pm at The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church located at 5041 9th Avenue NE. All are welcome.

SUNDAY:

The Black family and Alki Rubicon Racing would like to encourage anyone and everyone who knew Kevin to take part in a short procession and dinner/potluck/celebration to follow at Golden Gardens. The group will be departing from the corner of 65th and 24th NW in Ballard this Sunday, February 8 at 2:15pm, heading to the Golden Gardens Bath House. In a effort to include multiple circles of Kevin’s life and provide the opportunity for celebration and reflection of Kevin we encourage cyclists and non cyclists to bring their wheels for the precession. Our hope is that Sunday will an outward facing event to heal ourselves, each other, and the community.

Kevin loved Mexican food, and had a favorite enchilada recipe. In memory of this, the food theme for his wake will be Mexican. Please bring appropriate food and drink and be prepared to come hang with us and Kevin’s family from 3-8pm. An indoor, outdoor, Northwest beach experience to help friends and family heal from the loss of our awesome friend, dad, son, and teammate.

Megan and Emily:

For those of you that have enquired about Megan and Emily they are in good hands, with lots of love, great family as well as plenty of financial support. With this in mind, the family has indicated that they will not be setting up a memorial fund. However the family and Alki Rubicon would recommend that if you wish to contribute, please give to a program that was near and dear to Kevin, the bicycle safety education program. This program is part of the Cascade Bicycle Club’s Education Foundation and is geared towards teaching bicycle safety to elementary, middle school and high school students. www.cbcef.org

email questions or concerns to info@alkirubiconracing.com

Update on vigil and memorial plans

2009-02-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Thurs the 5th, at 5:30pm, there will be a vigil held at the location of the accident (64th and 24th in Ballard). This will not be a ride.

Updates about memorials, opportunities to remember Kevin and more will be posted on our Blog as soon as it is available.

2009-02-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, February 4th, 2009 we receive the terrible news that our teammate Kevin Black was killed in a car on bicycle accident. Kevin was a one of a kind guy, an A-plus guy in all the best ways. We are crushed by this loss, as are his family and all of his other circles of friends, from the PTA, to the folks at the UW where he worked.

More news about memorials, opportunities to remember Kevin and more will be posted here on our Blog.

We miss you KB...

Baby Bullbaugh!!!

2008-12-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've read John's email about the new addition to his family...but I did want to get it into the Rubi blog as well....

"Adeline Madrona Bull Stambaugh was born at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday,November 25th --20 inches long and 7 pounds 4 ounces. Labor was quick and superintense -- only 1 hour from start to finish!"

I'd say we have another 'cross racer on our hands- quick, superintense and only 1 hour from start to finish! Yep, sounds like a 'cross race to me.

Congrats Karina, John, Odessa, and Adeline!

Monroe course doesn't disappoint

2008-11-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

What started out as a cooooold and foggy day for the early races turned into what has become the norm in the Pacific NW this year, sunny cross racing (did I really just say that). I guess I probably jinxed us for next week.

The course in Monroe was a new one. Built within and around a banked speedway, the course had all of the trimmings of a great cross course except for a set of barriers. The races started on the paved infield of the track before hitting a very tricky 110 degree right hand off camber turn. Racers headed back into the infield into a BMX style set of dirt table tops sandwiching a 180 degree burmed turn, all of which were layered in some good old NW mud. We then headed back onto a long stretch of smooth pavement and dirt taking us far out of the arena into the more technical sections. Racers were greeted with two nasty run ups, both ow which had ditches immediatly before them. Between the two run ups was a twisty-turny grass section and techical descent before hitting the second run up. From there, the course was pretty straight forward before arriving back in the infield for the hardest section, a 6" wide mud bog about 50-60 yards long, followed by another muddy grass section heading into the start finish. It was a great venue, and hopefully one we can return to next year.

Heading into the end of the season, AlkiRubicon did not have its normal headcount, with some traveling, and some awaiting the arrival of stork number two. But many of the regulars were there. Mo braved the early cold weather, little Finn Gjerdrum made it for the kids race, Dave S, John H, and Twentey battled it out with the Master 3s, Clark hit the 3s, and Hahn and James finished the day off in the Master and elite 1-2s.

We only have a few photos http://picasaweb.google.com/AlkiRubicon/2008_1123Monroe#

but I'll have good video to come later.

Cross half time report

2008-11-07T14:16:00.001-08:00

Here we are a little more than half way through the cross season, and I cant believe how the time passes so fast. Cross season is the time of year that I look forward to the most. Mud, Beer, Bikes, and Friends, is there anything better. Starting the season in 80 degree weather seemed a bit like cheating but you take what you can.
My season so far can be summed up by mechanical messes, first was a crash at Copper Cross that left my rear derailleur in pieces. Next was two rolled tires (tufo tape = no good) at Star Crossed, then a broken saddle at South Seatac. All could have been avoided by myself but live and learn. Speaking of learning this year has been an eye opener as far as how much you can really push your self. After my early race, I get to watch the likes of Hahn, Clark, James, Stoney, John and the rest of the team push them selves harder and harder on every lap. Every time I see them, I go home thinking of how next week I need to push it like them. If you have yet to do a cross race you should and you will feel the joy of pushing your self farther and farther into the pain cave!!
As the season goes into the finial stretch I can't wait to try and get another top three finish before moving up in catigories. This sunday is Bremerton and as I remember it has some serious soul sucking grass sections. See you guys there.

2008-11-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

Donida Farms (11/2) Race Report by Clark "hope I didn't loose my wedding ring" Rider

One look at this photo and you get an idea of how my day went. A terrible start and first lap, combined with very soggy conditions, meant that I spent the day battling it out mid pack. After getting what seems to be my weekly crash out of the way I settled into a basic routine...get dropped on the long, bumpy flat sections, and catch up in the muddy forest single track. Rinse and repeat.

To sum up the rest of the teams day...Sightings of Victoria, Nate, Mo, Hahn, James, John D and Dave Stonich found mixed results for each. The one constant was the mud. Early showers meant that all racers would be battling similar conditions. Check out these few Muddy Ass pictures and you will get the idea. http://picasaweb.google.com/AlkiRubicon/2008112_Donida#

Alki Rubicon 2020---Sponsor extraordinaire, Dr. Gjerdrum showed up with family in tow, with Finn ready to race. So this year, Alki-Rubi 2020 has seen the likes of Emily, Skyler, Finn and Petra line it up! (hey parents, if you have photos send them to me)

Emily Black at Crosstoberfest

Alki|Rubicon's blog now live!

2008-10-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Cyclocross season is half over and we are just getting our act together on this new blog. We have had a great turnout at all of the major races thus far. We will soon be including race reports and links to photos from previous races. Hang tight if you don't find the links, we are new at this...

To keep you all going until then, here is a pic of James "the Body" Birkenbuel looking oh so hot! Not sure if he even broke a sweat at Evergreen.

copy and paste the link below to see photos in our Picasa web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/AlkiRubicon