Barnstorming: Part 2 - T.N.T.

So we were back again in Augusta for round two of the Sussex County Cyclocross event and the second-to-last race in the NJ Cup series. After crashing hard last week, I vowed to keep it on two wheels and have a better performance today. I succeeded in both those goals, yet I am left wishing things had gone better still.

I rolled in to the venue with AC/DC's T.N.T. cranking on the stereo. Nothing like a little "fire me up" music to get the head in the right place. The lyrics suggest "winning the fight" among other antagonistic phrasing. I had the song in my head at the start of my race and low and behold, I got the wholeshot and was leading for the first half lap around the time in the song when the lyrics say, "... watch me exploooooooooooode!" Well, I didn't physically explode, but I certainly blew up, as T.N.T. has a tendency to do.

I faded and watched guys go by me, trying not to count them. It took me about a lap before getting my second wind and I slowly began to come back. I was aware of what sections of the course I could make up time in and which ones I could rest and I passed a few guys with ease while others were less willing to let me go.

Some friendships have developed with many of the guys I've been lining up with each weekend, and after I'm done trying to kill them, it makes me happy when I see them have a good race or say something positive about one another. With one race to go, it can be any of us who ends up placing in the state championship and I'm looking forward to defending my now very slim chance, but I would be happy for all of them because we've all worked hard to get there.

I also want to thank Stacey Barbosa of Montclair Cyclery for coming to my aid at the start of my race. I had accidentally ripped my number completely off when trying to remove a layer at the last second, having missed my call-up, and almost the start of the race. She helped me pin it back on and I got to the line just in time for the 15 second warning. Thank you! She got some good karma sent her way as she also had a great race today. Way to go!

HPCX

This is what cyclocross is about; cold, rain, and a lot of mud. Only someone who has been there could know how it feels to pedal with everything you’ve got through deep mud and to feel like you’re not going anywhere. To quote Garth from Wayne’s World when he was having his hair cut by the Suck-Cut, “It’s sucking my will to live!” Well, it certainly does suck.

I found my spot, once again, in the back of the pack at the start in a field of 54 C racers. I got a decent warmup and prerode the course, so I felt ready for what was about to go down. From the gun, I just went all out and tried to pick off as many guys as I could on the first lap. Unfortunately, I came out too strong and didn’t save anything for the end. I blame it on the mud, since the effort put into powering through it is twice that of what you’d normally expend. I still managed to finish in the top half of the field, which at this stage of the game and this being only my first cross season, is pretty good.

Despite the most abysmal conditions, I had some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike. Cross is amazing that in such a short time, one can experience every kind of emotion ranging anywhere from, “This is awesome!” to “Why the f*ck am I doing this?” I can’t get enough of it.

Barnstorming: Part 1

Lined up in the front row during call-ups. How can I mess this up?

Like this.

Today was day one of the Sussex County Cyclocross event and to date is my favorite course in the NJCup series. It had everything (except mud, but wait 'til next week), two climbs, a sand pit, off-camber technical curves, a run-up, twisty high-speed descents, paved and unpaved roads, and my favorite... a zig-zagging path that took us through several barns. Awesome!

I got a great start and was 4th in a breakaway group including points leader Bill Romollino, 4th ranked Greg Pizarek, Jason Fenton himself of Halter's Cycles, and myself. I was feeling great and happy to be doing battle with Jason who is a worthy adversary, but certain events such as crashes or flat tires have kept us from dueling it out to the end each time we faced off. I buzzed his tire a few times and we traded back and forth in the first half of lap 1, until I removed myself from the chase.

Upon successfully storming the first barn, we made the tight left on a dirt road to enter the second. The turn had a huge patch of loose gravel, making it super sketchy. I had the inside line and overcooked it, lost traction and low-sided it at full speed. As I was falling, my head narrowly missed the red painted bench that protruded from the side of the entrance to the barn. Luckily, I hit it with my hand to protect my melon. There is red paint on my glove and left control lever. I proceeded to slide, crit-style, on my side until grinding to a stop. I felt tears building and my heart breaking as my view perpendicular to the vertical saw a chance of a series title and the lead group disappear.

I picked myself right up, ran into the barn and attempted a remount, but my rear wheel wouldn't spin! Damn it! A quick systems check to find the issue; Derailleur straight? Check. Chain on the chainrings? Check. Brakes? BRAKES!?! The culprit: my left caliper had been shoved beneath the braking surface of my rear wheel as a result from laying the bike down. I quickly popped it back out, made sure it worked, and was on my way.

Mentally, my race could have ended right there, but I wasn't about to let it. My hand ached, my control lever was askew, and I had no idea my leg was hurt yet, but quitting never crossed my mind. I continued to race at full speed and the gap the leaders had on me never grew, but it didn't diminish either. I just didn't have the ability to ride at 2x my capacity to bring them back and I settled in to the position I was in when I recovered from my crash. I still managed a respectable finish and am really happy that I was able to enjoy such a great course.

Afterwards, I was talking with my friends about our race and how I wiped out when one of them pointed out the blood coming through my shorts. I hadn't felt anything, but I pulled them down to reveal a nice raspberry on my thigh. As my adrenaline wore off, the pain began to set in. Bill Romollino was so kind as to supply me with some first aid supplies to take care of my leg. On the course, he was the only guy I really wanted to beat the crap out of today, but off the course he is one of the nicest people I've met through racing. His dog, Camper, is awesome, too.

I stayed until the last race and enjoyed cheering for all my friends and I'm happy that they all did well in their respective races. Now, I'm going to take care of my leg, keep up with my training, and continue to prepare for next Saturday, which will be a return to Sussex and another chance to do better and not eat it on the gravel. I was a little bummed about what happened when it happened, but I'm over it now and will use the experience as my ammunition to kill them next time. In the FACE!

1st degree MURDER!!!

Ok, I just had to call it that. Check back soon since I am yet to collect all the photos from this race and a full report is yet to be written. One thing I can say is, this was the best day of my life.

Hup! Hup! Hup!

I would have gone faster, but I think my number was acting as an air brake.

I love this picture because it depicts two polar opposite states of heart rates. I'm turning myself inside out and the lady in the chair is passed out. Greg Pizarek is seen nipping at my heels.

I'm a model, you know what I mean?

Of all the things I am, a model I am not. However, I volunteered myself to show off one of the latest pieces available from DeathRow Velo cycling wear at one of my races this weekend.

http://rutgers.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3775033&id=57346057572#/photo.php?pid=3775033&id=57346057572

Happy Birthday to me!

I was a little undecided as to what to name this post. A few good titles came to mind, i.e. "Gettin' my kicks!" since my race number today was "66", "2nd degree MURDER!!!" which you will see the relevance of as you read on, but sounded a little too menacing, and the one I chose since yesterday was my birthday and I gave myself the best present ever.

I turned 29 yesterday, my last year as a "twenty-something" before I hit that milestone that suggests to some that they are no longer young. I'm not really worried about that. It was however my best birthday thus far for many reasons. The birthday wishes began the night before and continued all through the day with a few unexpected surprises. My day started with a ride with my boss on the cross bikes before heading in to work. It was as perfect of a November day as a birthday boy could have asked for. The woods were literally golden with the early morning sun shining at a low angle through the last of the leaves still on the trees boasting their most vibrant shades of yellow. Once at work, while receiving a birthday phone call, suddenly the lights switched off and a chorus of voices rang out to the tune of "Happy Birthday" and a candle-lit ice cream cake hovered through the darkness in my direction. I was as blown away by the kindness of my coworkers as the candle was after the making of my birthday wish. Later that night, I headed over to my Mom's house for pizza and, yes, more cake! Looking back, it seems that a diet of cake, pizza, beer, and cake is just what the doctor ordered for the day before a race.

I'm not really 31.

Everyone was in the birthday spirit!

Today was the First Annual Horseshoe Scramble cyclocross race hosted by High Gear Cyclery in nearby Warren, NJ. A special surprise was the attendance of my sponsor DeathRow Velo's creator, John Landino, whom until today was more of a pen pal than a team manager. I arrived early enough to chat it up with him and get a good warmup and a pre-ride of the course, which I was very familiar with since I helped create it and turned plenty of laps in the weeks leading up to today's race. I pre-registered for it over a month in advance, but still found myself lining up worse than mid-pack during the call-ups. For once, my mind was clear at the start and from the whistle, I just went to work picking people off. The course was very fast and didn't offer any areas where riders could take a rest from the intense pace. By the time the pack entered the first technical section, I had worked my way into the top ten.

Now, fully aware that I was near the front, I knew I had to keep the pedal down to make my passes stick. The cheers from my friends were all I needed to slay people as I overtook them over the barriers, around corners, and even on fast straight sections. I was hauling ass and my body showed no signs of letting up. As I passed the start/finish area (not sure of what lap it was) I heard the song "Panama" by Van Halen (for those of you who don't know, it's the song played in the movie "Superbad" when the cop is doing donuts in the police car) playing over the PA and it fueled yet another attack on the riders ahead of me. When the race ended, John was quick to point out that he thought I came in 1st. I didn't believe him, since I was sure there were riders ahead of me and figured myself to be no better than top 5. I went to see the officials and asked who came in first and they gave only a number (not mine) and not a name. I asked where #66 placed and they said 2nd. WHAT?!? I was so shocked, all I was able to say was, "I'm 66!!" with a huge beaming grin. I couldn't believe it! I felt I was killing it out there, but 2nd? I murdered them in the FACE!

It was really the best present I could give myself, a podium finish. Also, what better way is there to make a good first impression to your sponsor than to get on the podium? I also found out later that the leader and I did an extra lap because we were so effing fast, we were among the lapped riders as we came through the start/finish area. Unsure if the race was over, but given the impression by the cheering crowd, I raised the front wheel in true Nick fashion as I crossed the finish line. I know I say this all the time, but I really mean it when I say that THIS was the best day of my life!

Wheeee!!!

My winningsesseses.

Along the D&R

ABC and I went for a recovery ride this afternoon along the D&R towpath. Having left so late in the day, I was sure of two things: I was going to witness the sunset and it would be dark by the time I got back. The autumn sky is capable of some pretty amazing things. The air smelled of winter and a growing season's worth of detritus had covered the trail almost completely. The only sounds were of an incessant crinkling of leaves beneath my tires interspersed with the high-frequency buzzing of one getting captured in my brakes.

Aside from the awesome sky, a highlight of the ride was on a portion of the trail where the canal and river are right beside each other, with only the towpath to separate them. It was nearly too dark to see, but I noticed a four-legged creature on the trail. I initially thought it was a dog, but did not see it's owner anywhere and as I got closer I realized it was much too large to be a dog. It was a huge buck and when he noticed me, he began to run. Only he had nowhere to go since the river bank was on one side and the canal's on the other, so he ran straight down the towpath with huge leaps and bounds. I immediately gave chase, following that flashing white tail with everything I had. As soon as he had some room to get off the trail, he slipped into the trees and vanished.

Halloween critical mass ride

This Friday was the monthly Marty's/Morristown critical mass bike ride, but since it was the day before Halloween, all the participants were invited to wear their costumes. I dressed as a hipster, which was pretty easy and a good excuse to wear really tight pants. I don't dress like a hipster, but when I put together the right combination of clothing articles from my usual rotation, I was able to create a convincing ensemble. I added some knuckle tattoos for good measure.