And Then It Was Over...

As they say, parting is such sweet sorrow. Sunday saw the conclusion of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup Series and as usual the weather played a significant role in the racing, or the mayhem depending on how you chose to look at things.

I knew things were going to be rough after speaking to Tony who had to do the Masters 30+ due to familial obligations. I think he said treacherous at least a dozen times during our brief conversation while recounting his race to me. He mentioned that he went down 5 times during the 45 minutes, 3 of those occurring during the first lap alone. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park by any stretch. He mentioned deep snow, deep wood chips, a sand section and the nasty underpass. What he failed to mention was how everything seemed to be turning icy.

After my brief course inspection where I saw Scott from SRAM go down I knew things were going to be rough. And with a family cruise scheduled for next week, I wasn't in any position to take any unnecessary risks. I had resigned myself to more or less riding the course rather than racing it, and proceeded to spend my pre-race in my car staying warm. As we approached race time, Elvis, Patrick and myself found our way over to the start area. I managed to have a brain fart during the lining up process and found myself sitting in the third row with Patrick and Elvis close by. Maybe because I had taken the pressure off of myself and any expectations I had about finishing, but in the corral I did not feel any of the usual pre-race jitters. The final instructions were given and the countdown began.

Thats when things changed. The whistle was blown and we were off and I was racing, without even realizing it. About 200 yards in there was a massive pile up that had bodies in the air and bikes on the ground. As the leaders rode away from us I had no choice but to hoof it. So I got off the bike and started making up ground as best I could. I could hear Elvis behind me telling me to get back on, but I seemed to be passing people so I continued on foot until the under pass. I am assuming that Patrick was caught up in the initial scrum, as I was onlt able to catch glimpses of him when the course double backed on itself.

Elvis and I rode together for the rest of the race trading pulls and bringing back riders. I was starting to feel good and was taking the corners pretty well just as the race was starting to wind down. On the third lap we started to hit lapped traffic and therefore lost a bit of the impetus and caught fewer riders. Going into the last lap we surged in an effort to bring back just a few more places and also to keep from getting caught from behind. Things were working well and the minutes were counting down to the end of a succesful season when with about 5 corners to go my front wheel washed out and I went down for the first time all season. Elvis was able to capitalize and came past me without hesitation. I chased back but couldn't close the gap any further. As we neared the finish another rider capitalized on my fall to close the gap to me. We started a sprint, but I was a bit undergeared for it. I threw the bike at the line but was nipped for 27th. Elvis finished 25th and Patrick 33rd, never able to make up the ground he lost in the first pile up.

After finishing I quickly made my way to the car and some warm clothes so that I could take in the 4B race. I missed the start and Bob's first crash after he and Jorge had great starts. Turns out he also took out Jorge when his front wheel washed out. They both chased back and only lost a few places. Things didn't go to well after that though as Bob was brought down again just after the underpass by a fallen rider. Bob remounts and heads for the left hander in the wood chips when a rider goes down in front of him again and Bob has no choice but to ride over him, or at least try to. Back on the bike and he is left no choice but to chase Jorge and the rest of the field.

The remainder of the race was clean for both Bob and Jorge as they steadily made up lost ground. Bob was able to put down his TT power in the straights as Jorge made his way through lapped riders. Bob was able to claw his way back to 21st, while Jorge pushed through and finished 18th. Incredible considering both men have only completed 9 events previous to this.

So with this report, the 2008 season is now in the books. From our beginings til now we have come a long way this year. If this is any indication of things to come for 2009, I can hardly wait.

Snow Or Mud?

While the hill isn't this steep at Montrose, it does appear that we will either have a fresh layer of snow, or several inches of mud to deal with come Sunday and the series finale. Might I suggest a pair of toe spikes. Either way work on your running while you can, you will definately need it.

T-Minus 7 Days

The race we have all been waiting for is finally just one week away. On Sunday December 7th, the Chicago Cyclocross Cup Series will culminate with the Illinois State Championships. Some of the overalls have already been locked up, but the Womens 123, Womens 4, and both the A and the B of the Mens 4's is still up for grabs. Look for the racing in those races to be particularly aggressive in an effort to clinch the overall title to what has been a great season up to this point. With a chance for snow several times this week look for Montrose to live up to its expectations and provide us with a sloppy and freezing cold course again this year.

I would also like to pose a challenge to all teams in an effort to give back to Chicago and its hungry this year. Turin is teaming up with the Greater Chicago Food Depository again to help erradicate hunger for Chicago's homeless by sponsoring a food drive at the race this weekend. Lets see if we can get Chris at Turin to offer a prize to the team that donates the most food, based on weight. Of course some teams are larger than others so this might not be exactly fair, but if they could calculate based on a percentage of total team members then a smaller team might have a chance at beating a team like xXx. Lets show the rest of the cycling community what a bunch of scrappy 'cross racers can pull off and donate over 1,000 lbs of food products.

Based on the results from Woodstock there were roughly 200 racers. If each person would bring just 5lbs of food products we could meet that goal of 1,000 easily.
If you look at it in terms of cans, I am only asking you to scrounge up 5 cans from your kitchen cabinets, or just one bag of rice for that matter. How much are those five cans worth to you? Probably no more than $7 or $8, yet to someone who doesn't have the means to provide a meal for themselves or their children it is priceless.
So I implore everyone to dig into their cabinets, or take their kids with to the grocery store. When they ask what you are doing, tell them you are helping to make a difference.