Slow Twitch Fast Twitch

So after a summer of work it was a rare weekend off- so that means actually getting to pedal instead of watching everyone else do it.

Saturday was the D2R2 Randonee, 100k (for me) of wickedly hilly dirt roads. The Randonee format is really cool- it's like a timed bike tour for most, a race for some, and an adventure for everyone. It draws a whole mix of people, from bike racers looking for 'cross base miles, to tourists looking for a beautiful ride, to people who need an excuse to bust out the Hawaiian shirt, panniers and chrome fenders.

Normally a 60 mile ride would be no problem, but on 25% grades, with temperatures in the 90's and matching humidity it quickly becomes a suffer fest. Even with a compact crank and 'cross gearing it's a struggle to maintain 5mph up some of the climbs. Fortunately the feed zone in a Randonee is a little more civilized than a road race- they had a great spread with sandwiches, fruit and tons of water. But that does make it tough to get back in the saddle...

After spending 5 1/2 hours on Saturday cruising through Western Mass and southern Vermont, Sunday brought the first cross race of the season down the road in Agawam Mass. A first year cross race put on by the Cyclonauts, they had a surprisingly strong turnout- riders came from as far away as Canada! The course wound through Robinson State Park and was a nice intro back into cross. While kind of narrow, the course was fast with a few technical sections and one steep run up.

There was no mistaking that it was the first race of the year- everyone was nervous and there were more than a few unplanned dismounts as folks remembered how to turn in the sand. Or more correctly how *not* to turn in the sand... Despite the jitters (and some heavy heavy legs after the D2R2) it was a great time. And as a super double bonus the local swim team had a concession stand with veggie burgers that were cooked on a separate grill!! It was a perfect ending to the weekend. Up next- more cyclo-cross!!

ZAP!!

Ok, we'll try to recap the past two working events quickly:

Tour of the Hilltowns:

A New England classic that's been running in various forms for almost 20 years. This was the NCC's 9th or 10th time running the event, and for us it's a pretty easy day- show up early and set out all the signs and cones, then drive back around and pick them up. Since the race is a single 55 mile loop, we never really get to see any of the race- we're either in front or behind the riders the whole time.

So imagine our surprise when halfway around the pick-up loop we encountered "Road Closed" signs and fire trucks that weren't there two hours earlier when we set out the course.... Turns out the massive winds had brought down some trees and power lines just before the first races arrived at that point in the course! Fortunately everyone quickly worked to figure out a shortcut (that involved some sketchy dirt road) and got the riders back on track. Seems like 'cross season gets here earlier and earlier!

Keith Berger Memorial:

After doing the equipment for Hilltowns, it was back to the results gig at the Keith Berger Memorial Criterium in Hartford CT. Fortunately it was a lot less windy than Hilltowns, so everything went smoothly- no trees or powerlines, just good old fashioned sprinting. It was a great course with some exciting racing and they raised a fair bit of money for charity as well. Good job Guys!!

Gate City Cyclone

This past Saturday brought the revival of the Nashua Gate City Cyclone Criterium. Located up in Nashua, NH this race was first held many years ago, but fell off the calendar in recent years. The race was revived this year to compliment a stage finish of the Montreal-Boston Stage Race. When M-B folded, Gate City stayed on the calendar.

Working alongside us at Nashua was Richard Fries, announcer extroidenaire. We've worked a ton of races with Richard over the years, and after all this time it's goes like clockwork. Which is nice, because it's kind of that time of year where the work routine can start to feel like a rut. Working with the same familiar crew each week is great, because it lowers everyones stress level. With all of the little things that go wrong at the races each week, it's nice to know the rest of that staff can handle it. From missing start sheets, to crashes, to cars on the course, an experienced crew can keep the train chugging along no matter what comes down the tracks.

Back on the other side of the tape

A Sunday off. No work, but heading to the bike races anyway. After going 2.5 southwest on Saturday to work the Doc, on Sunday we headed 2.5 hours northeast for the Fort Rock Revenge mountain bike race. It took a bit to climb back into the truck at 6am, and arriving 30 minutes before the start probably wasn't the best idea, but it was totally worth it. And it was a day to pedal, not to do results- after months of watching everyone else play it was good to get on the bike.

As is typical of the races in the EFTA series it was good old school mountain bike racing. 2 nine mile laps of big rocks, bridges, sand and twisting singletrack. Plenty of fun for everyone. Some race course you would only ride because there was a race there- this one you could ride every week and still have fun and find new challenges. Just make sure to bring the A game, cause this is no Sager-esqe aspen lined freeway, this is East Coast. Roots and rocks, the way mountain biking should be.

The Doc

While most New Englanders were going around in circles up in Concord we headed south to New York and the Doc Reilly Memorial. This is a great little race nestled in the hills by Howe's Cavern. It's cool to go work races like this because you see a lot of local riders who are doing the race because it's in their backyard. At this point in the season it's great to hear people talk about how awesome it is to just finish the race and to do something they didn't think they could do.

Oh, and it was also funny to walk past the staged riders and hear guys talking about Dugast tires and getting out for their first runs of the year.. It's almost that time again..

Off Topic

OK so these have nothing to do with bike racin'- but they're cool if you like tech stuff, sports stuff and/or behind the scenes stuff.

From c/net.com:
Behind the scenes at Cirque
Puts our little bike racing promotion to shame

Tech at the San Jose GP
Can you ever have too many monitors?