2007 Cross Crusade #3: Rainier High School

Race Report

Cross Crusade #3: Rainier High School

Rainier, Oregon

Sunday, October 21

If last week was a journey to the ol’ south down in the bayou, this week was a drive to the early nineties to a high school that sat atop a hillside that brought memories of football rivalries and homecoming celebrations.

Rainier High School is located on top of Rainier Hill just 30 minutes north of Vancouver, WA.  It is vary pretty this time of year with all the fall colors coming out and glistening from the previous day’s rain storm.

I arrived a day early to meet up with some friends in Vancouver for dinner.  The drive past Hood River was nerve-racking as the rain fell in sheets and covered the freeway.  Wipers at full tempo and knuckles white with a death grip that could crush a rock (not really, but that’s what it felt like), it took a few seconds after I stopped just to relax enough to let go.  My friends were very hospitable as I was given a warm bed, allowed me to sleep in and fed a gourmet bagel breakfast sandwich and tasty coffee in the morning.  I had everything I needed for a great race that day.

Arriving at the venue a few hours before the start of my category, cars packed into every nook and cranny, racers huddled under their tents on trainers warming up for their event and bikers riding this way and that, I instantly felt at home or at least amongst a familiar setting.  It took some searching to find a place to park but after a few minutes we found a spot high above the high school and race course.

I suited up to take a practice lap to check out the course as my friend Lori (who has never been to a cyclocross event before) ventured out the see what all the fuss was about.  She saw folks on road bikes riding through the grass and mud like little children who found a mud puddle and didn’t care what mom was going to think.  There were friends and family members, boys and girls; screaming, taunting spectators shaking loud cowbells; bikes of all shapes and sizes.  There were burgers grillin’ up at the start line, Belgian waffles cookin’ at the finish and on top of that a scent pure fun and excitement saturated the air.

As Lori was out soakin’ up the good times I road a practice lap.  The course started out with a climb from the starting line, up past the vendor/expo area and finish line on a paved road to a dirt path that followed the north end of the school property.  The path was wet and slippery but solid.  The path quickly took a left to descended parallel the road we drove up leading up to the high school.  It was interrupted with many root forcing me to stay out of the saddle.  A hard left at the bottom connected with a gravel road for a brief moment and quickly turned right onto some grass above a football field.  An off camber right into an ‘S’ turn around a large tree would spell doom for those coming in to fast.  Another decent down into the football field, behind the goal post and onto the track for a 200 meter sprint to the first run up  (which was very rideable if kept to the outside away from the slippery center).  A quick 180 at the top, back to the track for a quick 100m then a left into the mud bogs.  This was about a 300 meter stretch of pure muck along side the soccer field.  Riding it was questionable as every peddle stroke spun the rear tire as the front sank deeper and deeper.  Now that my tires were 4 lbs heaver with no traction the course headed off into the woods.  Here there were tight twists and turns on a greasy dirt path with a couple of steep climbs that forced a run up because traction was non-existent.  A quick remount at the top and a short flat paved section to spin off the mud a regain traction it was a quick left turn decent into the “sand pit.”  This was a short section of the course that brought us past the jungle gym through deep sand where steering wasn’t an option.  Just like in that game with the ball you drop at the top of an angled surface with several pins hoping it exits the bottom on the big prize slot...  Here, pick a good line at the start of the sand pit and hope you came out somewhere in the middle on the other side and not into the slide on the left or the tree on the right.  After the pit was a hard left, through a set of swings and back into the trees before spitting you back out onto the soccer field.  A wide sweeping right arc though the grass to get up to speed brought you to a 200 meter climb back to the finish.  Fortunately no berries but plenty of slick hills that forced plenty of dismounts.

I arrived at the start early to secure a good position only to be forced to a third row start after the single speed division and the call-ups of my division worked their way to the front.  The whistle blew and we were off for 45 minutes of pure hell.  Five laps later, no technical issues, and staying upright, I had a good race and, down one spot from last week, finished 16th out of 77 Man B riders.

A quick shower, dinner and a short drive I was back home already planning the next adventure which will be held in Astoria, OR (filming location for the hit 80’s movie The Goonies) this weekend for the 4th event of the Cross Crusade series.

‘Til next time, your humble race reporter,

Ryan Brown

2007 Cross Crusade #2: Horning’s Hideout

Race Report

Cross Crusade #2: Horning’s Hideout

North Plains, Oregon

Sunday, October 14

The fog was thick and fluid, the morning sunlight fighting to be seen through the trees; we motored down a narrow dirt road.  Winding around trees and marsh it was a seen reminiscent of Deliverance.  In fact, I think I heard dueling banjos playing in the background.  Wait a minute, it was Dueling Banjos.  Just for fun (after getting a heads up from a fellow crosser that had been here before) I had downloaded Dueling Banjos from the soundtrack Deliverance to my iPod and started it just as we entered the decent into Horning’s Hideout.  It fit perfectly! :^)

Brian Schur and I had left town Sunday morning at 4:00 am to arrive in time for his cyclocross race start at 10:00 am (mine was at noon).  Arriving a few hours early, we had plenty of time to get Brian registered and take a few practice/warm-up laps before his start.  One lap revealed a dry, twisty course with lots of off camber turns and little opportunity for speed.  Constantly braking to avoid sliding out and short steep hills required changing gears often.  There was lots of single track with some grass and gravel road (loose gravel), only two run-ups and one set of barriers; everything else was rideable.

Finishing our first lap and a short discussion about strategy we hit it again.  This time pushing the limits to see where we could make time; power sliding through corners, attempted to “ride” the run-ups, and looking for the perfect line on the descents; it was flawless.  On a distant off-camber left turn that brought you into it from a slight down-hill grassy area on to a gravel road with a lake just feet from the edge, it required finesse and the perfect amount of breaking to survive the turn.  I made it.  Brian, right behind me, was not as fortunate.  Feeling a little too secure about the corner he came in to fast.  Not able to go wide to correct for his speed he was forced to wash out.  He went down hard scraping up his knee and shoulder.  After a quick inventory of “what works and what don’t” he felt a numbing sensation underneath his full fingered gloves.  Removing his left glove revealed a finger that was not like the others.  All he could do is laugh and say “hey Ryan, you got to check this out!”  A quick glance at his had showed a dislocated pinky finger.  “Well, are you going to pull it back into place” I asked?  A quick tug and we were back in business; so we thought.  Every time he tried to make a fist it would “pop” back out again.  “This is not good” he said.  A nearby paramedic was on the scene quickly had a splint in place and sent us on our way.  Brian got his entry forwarded to another race and was now just along for the ride.

A few hours later, Brian now officially labeled as Ryan’s support crew/camera man; I was making my last few warm up loops around a small hillside surrounding the start line.  I noticed a few riders starting to line up.  I quickly headed down to secure a nice 2nd row starting position.  I immediately flagged down my “support crew” to bring me some water to wash down a gel.  A quick thumbs up to my “support crew” indicated I was good to go.

As we neared the start time the race director informed us he was going to call up the top 15 riders from last week’s event.  Well, I was 13th overall last week so this would mean a front row start.  …not quite.  By the time I was called up, the front line was already full and I was back in the second row again.  Oh well, such is life.

Ok, now I’m getting nervous.  A quick glance to spot my “camera man” I quickly made a few goofy poses at him to try and shrug off the butterflies and remind myself it’s all about having a good time.

Lap 1:  The sun was now shining brightly and the air temp was a comfortable 60 deg.  A calm covered the crowd and now I’m staring strait at a 75 yard climb out of an outdoor amphitheater.  A few moments later the whistle blew and it was complete chaos as cow bells rang, spectators cheered and 80 riders in unison sprinted up the hill and made a hard left turn passed the expo area and a scent of Belgian waffles cookin' in the background.  ...Yum!  I was in about 20th position.  Moments later was a hard right going from gravel up an off-camber climb over an exposed root to a short single track section.  Needless to say this was a spot where many spectators congregated to taunt the fallen.  A few sharp turns revealed a strait stretch to gain some momentum into our first grassy section.  It started with a fast bumpy descent.  Coming in hot I just relaxed the arms and legs and let the bike take the beating.  Needing to get around several I was forced to the not-so-traveled area resulting in even harder conditions. ...I felt my jaw starting to rattle so bad I though it was going to fall off.  A quick break, hard off-camber right then, oh no, crash corner!  Getting into the drops, lowering my center of gravity and hugging the cones, I picked the largest arc through the corner as I could.  Whew!  Still upright but barely scraping the edge of the gravel road; a few more feet and this might have turned into a triathlon.  Now it was back into the trees for some more single track.  A few rolling hills, a short fast section to pass a few more people, a hard 180 right hand turn to a steep steep descent followed by yet another off camber right onto a gravel road.  Don't think anyone actually turned on the road but took it wide and turned on the grass on the other side.  A quick climb to some more wooded single track, another off-camber, foot-down, left hand turn and back to some more jaw rattling rough grassy switch backs.  Our first run-up was an immediate hard right and about 20 yards in length up into the trees.  A quick remount at the top only to dismount again 50 yards later for our 2nd and final run up.  It consisted of two short stair-step style run ups.   I found this to be rideable on my practice loop but was to congested with people now to even attempt.  ...maybe next time.  More single track with a series of short leg burning climbs, another fast decent to a right turn on yet another gravel road, with one more long climb back to the expo area.  A right turn at the top was our final loop away from the expo that brought us to a sticky, slow-you-down, cry-to-your-mama muddy section.  A fast decent into another friggen off-camber sweeping turn.  Again, hugging the cones seemed to work for me.  It was a little more hard packed and less traveled there and my tires were gripping nicely thus allowing me to pass a few more riders.  A fast decent just before a set of two barriers forced me to lay on the breaks and skid into the dismount.  Hop, hop, a quick remount and 6 minutes later, I was off for another lap.

Lap 2: Pretty much the same thing... whoa, there's the root...  ... Fly down the rough grassy descent all the while my brain is being scrambled.  ...Uh oh, watch the "crash corner!"   ...huff it up the run-ups and... Oh no!  Stuck in my large front chain ring???  Un-clipping, I tap "gently" with my toe to see if I can shake it loose.  ...nothing!  There must be something wrong with the shifter.  I am now out of the saddle on the climbs grinding away in my large ring in the front and large ring in the back.  Folks passing me left and right as I give everything I have to keep enough momentum from turning the later hills into more run-ups.  ...hop, hop, clear the barriers, remount and go for lap 3...

Lap 3: Watch the root!  ...make up some places on the down hill trying not to get bounced off the bike.  ...power slide!  Scramble up the run-ups.  Force a grin for my camera man on the hills as I creep by, sweat now pouring down my face.  ...Hop, hop, remount and go...

Lap 4: Root! ...Rattle!  ...Move up a few positions. ...Slide!  ...Crawl!  ...Dig, dig, dig!  ...Loose a few positions.  ...Hop, hop, remount, repeat!

The laps now start ticking by... Lap 5 ...Lap 6  ...Lap 7.  Now at the end of the final lap, rounding the final bend into the barriers, I give it everything I've got.  Two other folks are right next to me; one in front and one behind.  Forced into the barriers on the outside, I take the barriers with force but it was no use.  Having the finish line only yards away from the barriers, no one bothered to remount as the three of us run it in for the finish.  I place 15th overall dropping two spots from last week.  Had yet another fun filled cx race with no injuries and managed to keep the rubber side down.  Lived to tell about it and race another day.

A quick bite to eat and it was time make the journey home.  Next stop: Rainier High School for event # 3 on October 21.

'Til next time...
Your humble race reporter,

Ryan Brown

2007 ross Crusade Event #1: Alpenrose Dairy, Portland

Pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal... HOP... Pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal... RUN!!!  Pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal... HOP HOP... Pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal... CRASH! Pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal... CLIMB... Pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal... HOP HOP HOP HOP HOP HOP... Pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal pedal...  REPEAT... FINISH... KEEL OVER... EAT... GO HOME. :^)

2007 XTERRA USA National Championships

XTERRA USA
National Championships
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
September 30, 2007

Xterra Vashon Island, Xterra Mountain Championships, Xterra Wild Ride… Now Xterra USA. Earning enough points to not only qualify for Nationals but acquire the rank of Regional Champion in my age group, it was time. Cramming all as much gear and food in the back of

my car as I could, I departed for Lake Tahoe. Stocked up with enough Red Bull and beef jerky to feed an army, an 11 hour audio book (The Golden Compass) and the power of Text Messaging, I had everything I needed to make the 700 mile journey.

After splitting the drive up between two days, I arrived at the lake Friday afternoon to cold temperatures and high winds. Earlier that morning the winds and swells in the lake had capsized a boat.

The next morning I awoke to snow covered paths and freezing temperatures. Watching the Sport race (Xterra Nevada) held that day and how cold it was, I quickly scrambled to obtain a full wetsuit (as I had only brought a sleeveless) and some extra warm weather attire.

That night was the pre-race banquet, The Night of Champions, where awards and recognition were given out to athletes and staff. For example: Mr. Xterra, Xterra Ambassadors, top Points Series winners and the regional champions. It was an entertaining evening with speakers, videos and awards. I received the coveted 2007 Regional Champion bike jersey and a moment to show it off on stage (along with 100 or so others).

The night before the race, the temperatures, once again, dipped below freezing. Race morning was very chilly, although there was now snow this time, the skies were clear and the forecast called for warmer temperatures. Things were looking good.

As the start of the race crept up so did my nervousness. Being one of the first to arrive at the Hyatt Regency Beach, things were calm and quiet. One by one athletes started filling the beach until it was packed with hundreds of participants and spectators resembling a bowl of red and green gum balls with their brightly colored swim caps contrasting their black wetsuits.

After the national anthem and a quick warm up it was time to line the beach and prepare for the mass swim start. A lowed explosion of the canon and we were off. The first leg was a two loop, 1.5-kilometer swim in Lake Tahoe. There must have been a cold stream flowing into the lake nearby as temperatures near the beach were very cold but about 75 yards out the temps warmed up significantly and turned out to be very comfortable. After the first loop, athletes had to get out of the lake and run 50 yards or so long the beach before getting back into the lake for our last loop.

Triathlons usually consist of a swim, bike and run (in that order) and 2 transitions: one for the bike and one for the run. But today, it was more like a swim-run-bike-run with three transitions because the “run up” to the first official transition was a 1/2 mile journey passed some businesses, down a walk path, across the street, through a parking lot and finally to the bike racks. Most everyone left a pair of running shoes at the beach for this purpose which was, unofficially, my first transition with the 2nd and 3rd at the bike racks.

By the time I made it to the “swim/run to bike” transition my fingers and toes were cold making it very difficult to put on socks, shoes, gloves, arm warmers, etc... After spending minutes “suiting up” for the bike leg, I was off and, except for my toes, exceptionally warm.

The bike leg was a grueling 32-kilometer loop. Starting at 6200-feet above sea level, the first section of the bike course was a 1,600-foot climb up the sandy Tunnel Creek Road to the famous Flume Trail, a 4.5-mile section of single track known for its exposed crossings of sheer rock faces and incredible views of Lake Tahoe. The second leg of the bike course was the famous aspen lined route near Marlette Lake. It's a leg-burning climb to nearly 9,000-feet above sea level.

The return trip was a fast decent down twisty single track to Tunnel Creek Road and finally returning to the bike-to-run transition that seemed to last only minutes as average speeds were in the tear wrenching thirties.

The run was smooth, flat and, theoretically, fast. It was a 2 loop, 10-kilometer, single track rollercoaster. Twisting left and turning right and gradual ups and downs, the course kept you on your toes… literally. Quite a difference from the steep, uneven, rocky course in Utah a month and a half ago that nearly brought me to my knees. No, this course was different. Footing wasn’t an issue here, no, it was balance. Ducking under fallen trees and running along them length wise. One wrong move and it would be a 15-foot plunge into a creek below.

Starting the run, temperatures were now well into the 60s but my feet didn’t seem to care as they hadn’t warmed up from the swim. First, running felt like running on stumps because I had no feeling in my toes. Then, as they started to thaw the pins and needles feeling came and finally, the pain set in, like pliers crushing my toes. Luckily this didn’t last very long and neither did my energy. The altitude from the bike course must have affected me because the only thing I wanted to do was lie down and take a nap. It took everything I had to stay up right and keep moving. Every mile or so I was forced to walk to regain strength. This pretty much went on until I reached the finish line. I finished 9th/35 in my age group and 60th/353 overall.

A quick awards presentation/BBQ and dinner with my folks it was time for bed. Monday would come quickly and I had a long journey home the next day.

After a quick breakfast the next morning at the Hyatt, I hit the road. Finishing up my audio book, several text messages to keep me company and another 700 miles later, I was back home quickly in bed.