My first ride back in hell....

Man, it's been a while since you've been here. Are you ready? These guys are going to whoop your can.. No, you can do this, stay focused and you'll be fine.. Okay, we're off. Manage your heart rate, don't be stupid. Okay you idiot, you're already at 90%, back off. They're leaving you pick it up! You are so toasted, your gonna get killed by these guys.. Stay calm it's okay, just focus. Focus.. 102%!! You idiot, you've gone too deep, you're gonna blow! Calm down, pace your self, you're doing good, it's your first race back, your doing good. Wow, you did it, you finished and you didn't get lapped! Good job! You suck!

Robert Woldring and I were riding back home Sunday and were talking about our worst enemy when we're in the race.. our minds.. It's funny, I thought I was the only one that talked to myself, but as it seems, I'm not the only one who faces the demons of the mind.

My goal for my first race back after missing almost two seasons, or at least being very limited, was to not get lapped and have a top 20 finish. I succeeded in both, and am there for happy with my return to "hell". See you guys in Macon..

Update on Jay's Crash

From his email to me...

I am doing fine thanks to the help of Shey and Kari. I guess I landed on a sharp rock or something. I am not exactly sure. I crashed in front of Nate as we were transitioning from the road back to the trail at the sharp right hand turn. I had noticed gravel on the road and thought I made a mental note of it. Apparantly not.

Nate was a really good sport. He stopped short of me sprawled across the ground and yelled at me to get up and rejoin him. He hesitated, waiting for me, as I tried to unclip my foot that was still attached to the pedal after I crashed. I finally got my foot loose, picked up my bike, and then started to chase. Immediately, I heard the sound of my derailleur hanger sitting in my spokes. I jumped back off, bent it back, remounted, and started to chase again. At that point I knew I had a problem.

My glove was already significantly soaked with blood. My handlebar tape was covered and it had already started to drip over my bike and shoes. Having my heart rate pegged did not help matters. I was still in the mindset of winning this thing and was honestly trying to do the math of heart rate needed minus blood rate lost times laps left to go. In the end, I realized the equation was not working out my way and I needed to pull out. I eased up and rode tempo back to the start.

I jumped off my bike, lay down on my back, and started compression on my arm.
Kari and Shey helped me clean up and wrap the wound. I spent 5 hours at the ER, got an updated tetanus shot, and had my arm stitched up. My road rash is not too bad.
I was a little sore throughout the night, but what night after a cross race am I not?
I plan to ride tonight on the trainer and see how it goes.

I should be at Monroe.

Wendell's World Race 1 & 2

Race # 1 Conyers - The first race of the season and my first in the Masters 45+ category. I thought the course was fantastic and flowed much better than last year's. The week prior to the race I converted my bike from an 8spd double ring setup to a 10spd single ring setup with 42x12-27 gearing so I was anxious to see how I would do with this in a race. I was surprised at how large the field (26) was; and did not have a good position at the start line. At the start I took a wide outside line on the first right hander and held my speed longer into the first barriers, this set me up well coming out of the barriers as I passed a number of people and came out in about 8th position. I held this comfortably until exiting the wooded section after the log run-up. I took a bad line over some roots there and dropped my chain; I was pretty disappointed in this since that was one of the reasons for the single ring setup and I had a third eye on the inside as well as a guard ring on the outside. Hopped off and got the chain back on pretty quickly but still got passed by a number of riders as everyone was still pretty close together at that point. Not sure if it was the fact that I had to dismount, stop and bend down to get the chain on or just that point in the course leading into the grass climb but after that my legs felt like they were swimming in latic acid so I immediately lost contact with the front of the race and felt like crap for a half lap. Still on the first lap coming down the grassy zig zag descent my rear tire slid out and I fell on the second zig; I was overly slow and cautious on that turn for the rest of the race. By the second lap the field had thinned out pretty much and it was me and a couple of GTC guys and another rider having our own little race, by the 4th lap I had a pretty good rhythm going and was able to distance myself from our little pack and then I could see another rider up ahead (Bobby Thrash) to try and chase down. I worked the last couple of laps and was finally able to get on his back wheel at the top of the grassy zig zag descent but he gapped me on that descent and I could not bring him back. I wound up in 11th place at the end.

Race # 2 Ft Yargo - Another beautiful day and another great course. I got my patented poor starting position and the rider in front of me had trouble clipping in at the start so I was stuck even further back. I have decided that starts are something I definitely need to work on; I tend to be conservative at the starts as I like to start slower physically and don't like jostling for position but poor starts consistently hurt me. I was able to pass a few riders on the pavement before we hit the twisty back section where things stayed pretty much single file and then I passed a couple more on the wooded section below the mini-golf course. I could see the guys in front just gradually distance themselves at the various points on the course where I could gauge my position. I settled into a pace I could hold and raced with those around me (Wojtek and another rider) for a while. On the 5th lap I was able to distance those guys as we seemed to be working our way through a steady trickle of the 35+ guys. Going into the last lap I saw Bobby Thrash ahead of me again so I worked to try and bring him back; close but no cigar, I finished about 10yds behind him in 8th place. Some thoughts from the Yargo race:
- I had decided to dismount early in the sand rather than later and risk loosing all momentum or falling I think this was the right choice for me as I don't trust my bike handling skills in sand.
- I think I did a surprised double take of the headless GTC rider on every lap not because he was headless but because I kept thinking it was a stopped rider.
- I had never had my triceps hurt like they did in this race; I know I'm just a little girly man but that was something new to me. Looking at the course there was a lot of re-accelerating from very slow speeds up an incline; more pulling on the bars than I'm used to.
- This course kind of scared me with my new single ring setup as I thought I might want my old bail out gears but I didn't miss them at all. The first lap I could have used a bigger gear on the paved descent but it was not really a factor and in general I am really happy with the single ring setup it just seems to make things simpler and no chain drop this race! I did adjust my third eye in closer and higher after the last race.
- The off camber turns kicked my butt; I just felt really sketchy in both of them and I came acorss a number of people taking them slower than I was.
- I felt pretty strong at the finish which makes me think that going out harder might help my placing, we'll see at Monroe.

New Masters 45+ Goals

This year is my first racing in the Masters 45+ category. I have raced the C/Cx4 category the past couple of years and though I wasn't burning up the competition in CX4 I decided this year I wanted to try the longer races. Some things I wanted to improve this year in my CX season:

- Endurance for the longer races, the jump up in category is a 50% longer race. I was usually able to finish strong last year but knew that would be tough this year.

- Work on eliminating my double hop on re-mounts; my dismount/re-mount technique has been improving a bit each year and I want to continue that by getting rid of the momentum killing extra hop.

- Turn a bigger gear; this is another way of saying "go faster". I tend to be someone who spins rather than mashes a bigger gear. I think this tendancy causes me to bail to a lower gear and spin in instances when I would be faster staying in a bigger gear, so I have been working on this in training and hope to see some increases in leg strength and more importantly speed.

- At least one top 5 finish for the season. I figure the main players will be the same this years as in years past in the Masters 45+. I don't think I am going to be dueling with the GTC trifecta of Dan, Gerard, and Torre; throw in Lamar, Jim and the other usual suspects and I'm not sure how realistic this goal is but I'm gonna try!

Still Sick in Women's 1/2/3

"Think there is a coffee shop anywhere around here?"

The course is one of my favorites despite a fair amount of climbing. The start/finish is on uphill pavement. The first turn is left down the paved hill to a twisty section in dirt and grass. A short jaunt down the pavement leads to uphill dirt and then around the mini-golf course. The next few turns are very loose, and they come out on a gravel road. The famous "Beach Run" is next. It is difficult to ride because of the depth of the sand and squirrely lines that get formed during the race. After passing the bathhouse, the barriers await after a right hand turn. The gravel uphill leads back to the start/finish.

I have been very sick all week and was out of work and in bed with a fever for 3 days. I only got back on the bike on Saturday, and it was a very slow, pitiful ride. I knew today's race was not going to be fast for me. I got a poor start and was nearly last off the starting line. My least favorite kind of start--uphill pavement. I caught back on going down the hill and stayed in the mix until the beach. Teresa ran away, literally, from me and Alison. I'd later learn she spent 6 years living at and running on the beach. Experience counts. After the barreirs, I had a VCD (breathing) attack and had to sit up to recover. I watched Teresa and Alison ride away frmo me up the hill. At this point, I settled in to ride my own race. I kept it steady and rode as hard as I could while coughing up my sick lungs and trying to breathe. DFL once again. Hopefully, I will not be sick for Monroe. I've been very disappointed with my last two races. Then again, what can you do when you are sick but try your best?

The barriers were bigger than some of the Juniors.

Fort Yargo Cyclocross Race

How did everyone do? The masters race had some nasty crashes and some new podium placers. Great job everyone and hopefully Jay Wansley is alright.

Everyone tell us YOUR story...

Masters 45+ Video!

The Badger's Perspective --Masters 35+

I must say that today was interesting at the very least, with highs and lows in equal measure. I showed up with high hopes, but realistic expectations. I was on vacation last week in Albuquerque, NM, had some good rides and a good showing in their first series race, but Tuesday was all travel and the rest of the week has been one of little sleep (I'm still on Western time) and no time to ride what with the panic and anarchy of being out of work for six days (maybe now would be a good time to ask for that raise). Anyway, the warm-up / course familiarization was demoralizing with labored breathing, heavy legs and an unusually low heart rate, and it didn't get much better at the race start. I got a good start and was top five to the barriers, but I still have a long way to go with my running skills. I think I was probably out of the top 10 by the log run-up, and the hill was labored and slow. But I just kept it steady and by lap 3 things had turned around. Finally... My pedaling got smoother and I started passing some riders which gave me the motivation to keep pushing. Gerard caught up to me going into the final lap, but I was able to glue myself to his wheel, only losing it in the tight turns when I nearly washed my front wheel out. I could feel another racer close behind so I dug deep and hammered the rest of the way in.

This is season #2 for me in Cyclocross, and every race is a learning experience. I still watch with envy as the leaders leap the barriers with ease and lope up the steep run-ups, but it lets me know what I need to work on. I'm beginning to understand my strengths as well and am learning how to use them to my advantage. Best of all though - this is still the most fun I have ever had on two wheels. I am a lifelong 'Cross convert. There is still a long way to go in the series, and maybe I will have one of those magical days and reach the podium, but even if I don't, I already am planning on how to make myself stronger and faster for next year. Now if I could just solve that work/commute/family/yard/bills conundrum and ride full time!!

See you at Ft. Yargo!


Theron "Badger" Colucci, GTC RacingLawrenceville, GAtkcolucci@bellsouth.netelaart@bellsouth.net

The Need to Stop

Shey and company laid out a very nice course today. It had a little bit of everything that makes Cyclocross fun, including the famous Conyers run up on the back side of the course. I’ve had 3 good races so far this season. It was time for a bad one. I had a decent warm up and really liked the course when I prerode.

I got a good start and was 3^{rd or 4th} going over the first set of barriers. I had 4^th-6th position through most of the first lap. I felt really good and was flying along the course. By the second lap, I’d settled into my race rhythm and was just behind Alison, Theresa, and a new rider. I was able to make up a little time in the woods and nearly caught them coming into the third lap. Unfortunately, after the first barrier set, I got really sick. I think it was from something I ate earlier in the morning. I barely made it up the run up. The nausea was too much, and I had to stop in the woods to relieve it. I still felt sick, and my legs were dead. I sat up but managed to hold off the two riders behind me until the last two laps. I barely finished in one piece. I sat down for over 15 minutes afterwards before I could get up. Maybe next weekend will be better.

Bob Kuhn in the Masters 35+ race.

Masters 35+

Bob Kuhn, HUP United
What a splendid day for any kind of outdoor activity. It was a chilly 50 degrees during warm up but at race start it was well into the 60s. The course was laid out very nicely. Gone was the large loop around the parade grounds but instead the race stayed close to the spectator area. There were 2 wooden forced dismounts and 1 sandy forced dismount up a hill. Other than that, a slight hill after the run-up was very hard for me each lap. I tried to get the start off fast and soon Nate had taken the lead and I decided to try and follow. After a brief gap on the first lap, Jay Wansley joined us and soon both of them had gapped me on the little hill. It was only a 7-10 second gap but that is where they rode the rest of the race, finally figuring out that it was better to work together than battle. Coming into the last 180 degree grass turn, they sat up just a bit and looked over their shoulder. I was charging hard so they did not screw around and got right into the sprint. It was a great place for a sprint, short grass made it a fast run in and it was dead flat with folks cheering. From the back it was hard to tell who won but in the end it was Nate who won it and took over the coveted series leader jersey. With Brady also riding strong and Gerard probably riding the 35+ in the future, it is going to be a very tough series this year!

Others, please post your experience and if you want to author it onto the site, email me at bobkuhn3@netzero.net and I will add you. Please add posts to this post under the correct race category, with your name and team affiliation.

Conyers International Horse Park Cyclocross Race

How did you do? What did you think?

Leave your comments here or if you would like to post a race report, email me and I will add you as an author.

Cross Season Goals

At the beginning of the year, my goals for the season were to not race with a broken bone, not to have to have surgery right before the season, not to race the entire season sick, and to have fun. The last several CX seasons have been hard on me between racing the first 4 races in 2006 with a broken hand and being sick for the entire 2005 season, which ultimately resulted in 2 surgeries. Unfortunately, I've already missed my goals with having to go under the knife a few weeks ago when I found out that I had early stage cervical cancer. Now, I want to come back as strongly as I can the second half of the season and not be last in at least one race in Georgia. A Top 30 at the National Championships in Women's B and a Top 20 in Master Women 30-34 would be nice, too.

Pre-Series Question

What are your goals, hopes and/or dreams for this year's cyclocross season?

GA Cyclocross Interviews, Polls, and Contributions

This blog has been set up for the 2007 GA Cyclocross Series and is intended to be used as a way to get reactions to racing in the series. If you would like to contribute via interview, race report, or in another way, please email me at bobkuhn3@netzero.net



The Georgia Cyclocross series can be found at www.georgia-cross.com