It's Cyclocross Season Again

I raced in Moscow, ID yesterday. I wasn't prepared for racing but I raced nonetheless. Well, I wore a bib number and rode around the course until I had to stop. I'm about five pounds heavier and I haven't trained for 'cross at all so it was no mystery to me why I wasn't as fast as I've been in the past. I usually do more than one race because I really enjoy being on the course. Yesterday I did the single speed and Cat 4 back to back. Then I had a couple of hours rest before the men's masters 60+.

To top it off, since I hadn't even ridden my cross bikes before the race, the single speed race was my practice. While approaching the barriers shown in the picture it was like I forgot how to dismount and I wiped out. It was pretty funny. Fortunately, the worst of it was a small flesh wound.

Me in my Sunday best.

Last Cyclocross Race Of The Season

Today was the last cyclocross race of the season locally. I entered three races: single speed, Cat 4, and masters 60+. They were in that order and back to back. John Abernathy of The Bike Hub and Simon Hartt of Two Wheel Transit had their trailes and tents set up just beyond the finish line. I stopped by and asked if they were doing beer hand ups. John pointed to the two cases, "PBR or Rainer?" I went with PBR. I l opened a can and either John or Simon handed it to me when I stopped by during each lap. I went through one can per race.

I managed to get my five laps in for during the first two races even though I was stopping for beer each time. In the second race I finished my fourth lap in the knick of time so I got to do one more. I knew that wasn't happening in the third race. I was beat and those 40+ and 50+ masters tear the course up. To ease my pain I accepted additional PBR hand ups. One on the long straightaway to the finish line. (I stopped and traded cans with Simon.) And a couple at the run up. There were also peeps at the run up. Those didn't go down as good as the beer.

Once I was done racing, I cleaned up and stationed myself at the run up for the juniors race. I had a wad of one-dollar bills and a couple of fives. The kids have it really tough on the run up and grabbing a dollar bill or two helps make their day. But they're really focused on getting up the hill so you have to get their attention to look for the money. Their reactions are great.

"Money? Where?" Look all around. Spot it. Drop the bike and go grab it.

Fun times.

Single speed fun in race #1.

Early on in race #1 so I'm still all smiles.

 Race #2 with the inestimable John Speare fixin' to pass me.

Race #3. I'm pretty tired. Thing I'll go home now.

(Thanks to Bryan MacDonald for the photos.)

Crosstoberfest 5

John came over from Tacoma for two days of cyclocross racing at Crosstoberfest 5 in Sandpoint. He brought a couple of push up canopies that we planned to sleep under since we could camp at the race site. Thunderstorms and rain moved in Friday night and gave us a good drenching. The yellow canopy leaked at the seams. After enough water torture I got into the truck a little before midnight. I didn't sleep much better there but I was dry. Some time later, I guess John moved things around and used the bikes as weight to hold the canopies in place. The rain continued in the morning. The juniors were the first to race. The poor kids were miserable.

I signed up for single speed, 60+ masters, and men's cat 4 on Saturday. John was in 50+ masters and men's cat 4. The rain finally let up about halfway through the single speed race. The course was slick and muddy, which means it was great although a bit treacherous in a couple of spots. AFter the rain stopped and the clouds slowly moved out the weather warmed and the course got stickier and drier. By the time John and I did the cat 4 race, the last of the day, the course was completely dry except for the descent and run up by the creek.

The course was reversed and slightly rerouted for Sunday. We had one set of barriers instead of two and if you weren't too tired or too weak--like me--you could ride up what I was walking up. I did the single speed followed by the 60+ again. John, who was in the 50+, dropped back and rode with me. It was nice riding together. I felt bad because he was basically just doing warm up laps since I was out of gas from being out on the course so much. But it was cool of him to hang out with me as I plodded along. We crossed the finish line together and wrapped up the weekend.

After viewing the accommodations of everyone else who camped out...

 ...John proudly noted, "Nobody's got what we got." 

(Photo by John Greer)

John can make the best of any situation.

Ready to get muddy.

(Photo by John Greer)

Coming out of the sand pit on the single speed.

(Photo by John Greer)

Grabbing some cash hand ups during the cat 4 race on Saturday afternoon.

(Photo by Chris Hogan)

Just grabbed a dollar from the sign during the Sunday morning single speed race. 

(Photo by John Greer)

Here are a couple of photos from the first day of racing taken by Jacob Green. I don't know him but I thank him very much.

 Still smiling on the single speed.

Not so much after my nth time on the run up.

Liberty Lake Cyclocross

Yeah, this is over a week late. I blame the power outage. And my laziness for not using a bike-powered generator to run the computer.

 Argyle, baby!

As usual, the Liberty Lake course deceives you by looking level when it's actually going up hill. But you are less deceived with each lap. The killer run up was rideable for the strongest racers. So not so much for me. The beach was a blast. I kept my weight back and my hands light on the handlebars and cut through the sand really well. Then we touched on the water and started coming back through the sand. And you could tell it was a climb. But it was fun. I managed a couple of soft crashes in both slick mud and loose dirt. But I stayed upright in the gravel turns. One fellow was not so fortunate and broke his collarbone.

Last hand up and a coast to the finish line.

I donated a bunch of $1 bills for the kids to pick up on the run up. They should get something for pushing bikes that weight almost as much as them up a hill.

The Bike Hub was on hand with beer hand ups and I grabbed one every lap on both races I did. Hydration is very important.

I can still see where I'm going.

All photos by Phyllis Benish.

Liberty Lake Cyclocross from hank greer on Vimeo.

Final Cyclocross Race Of The Season

Sunday was the final day of cyclocross racing in the Inland Northwest Cyclocross Series. And with the power out and what with the weather being so cold, I thought I'd go out with a bang and sign up for as many races as I could. I was thinking I could sign up for single speed at 9:00, mountain bike at 10:00, Men's Cat 4 at 11:00, Men's Masters 60+ at noon, and finally the Men's Cat 3 at 3:00. But when I signed up I was told that since I was Cat 4 I could not race Cat 3. You have to upgrade first. Well, not doing that fifth race turned out to be a good thing.

I did one lap to recon the route and stopped by The Bike Hub tent which was next to the barriers. They're always good for a beer hand up so I asked if they would be offering. They said they would be if I was asking. I told them to put my name on a cup because I was doing four races in a row and stopping here on each. After all, bikes are for doing epic shit, right? They turned out to be my loudest and most energetic cheerleaders during the day.

The route itself was typical for Riverside State Park. The run up was long. There were a couple of new features with some whoop-de-doo stuff and one with an interesting off camber turn through a ditch. Outside of two long straightaways it was mostly a technical course, which I enjoy the most.

The college men raced with us single speeders and they had a one minute head start. I reeled in a couple of them during the 40 minutes of racing even with the beer stop for each lap. And I did stop. I'd dismount, jump over both barriers, come to a complete stop next to The Bike Hub tent and drink my beer. Then I'd thank them and get back on the bike. On the last lap, one of the college guys pushed hard to catch me. Well, that just wouldn't do, you know. So I chugged the last beer and apologized for not sticking around long since I wasn't about to let some college kid catch me. And he didn't.

After the race I downed half of a Gatorade and then got my mountain bike out. The mountain bike was much more comfortable on the frozen ground. But I found the giant handlebars kept me from hugging the turns as tight as I normally can with a cross bike. The dual suspension made up for it--except when it came time for going over barriers. Picking that bike up was awkward. Fortunately, I was not concerned with speed. More beer with each lap. Happy times.

Right after the MTB race, it was time for the men's Cat 4/5. I knew this was going to be a faster race and there would be more participants. So I announced at the start that everyone should pass on my right at the barriers because I was stopping on the left side for a beer hand up on each lap. The race went smooth and I didn't get lapped, which meant I got three five-lap races completed. And more beer.

Still happy during race #3.

I drank more Gatorade and got ready for the men's masters 40+, 50+, and 60+. Since I'll be 60 at the end of the calendar year in which the current cyclocross season ends (2016), I qualify for the 60+ category. There were four of us. But there were plenty in the 40+ and 50+ groups. So I repeated my pass-me-on-the-right-at-the-beer-hand-up announcement. The other races were 40 minutes long. This is 50. The 40+ started followed by the 50+ a minute later followed by us geriatrics 30 seconds after that. I was pretty beat but still able to ride well. And I knew I was going to get lapped by the 40+ leader, which would trim one lap off my race. That was not going to hurt my feelings. So I pressed forward and three laps into it the 40+ leader blasts by me. Yay! One less lap. And to top it off, not only was I getting beer hand ups at the barriers but also at the run up. I was feeling pretty done on my fourth lap so I lingered at the barriers, sipped my beer, and chatted for a bit before continuing. It proved to be just the amount of time needed for the 40+ leader to catch me about 10 feet away from the finish. He double lapped me and I was thankfully done. Nineteen laps and just as many times on the run up was more than enough. It was a good day.

I changed clothes, thanked the Bike Hub guys again, and headed for the run up for the juniors race. I sprinkled the run up with dollar bills on each of their laps. Those little kids work so hard to get their bike up the hill and being able to stuff a buck or two into a pocket helps take their mind off the hurt. A couple of them were so focused that they blocked us out when we would point out the money to them. That's cool to see a nine-year-old that can already deal with the pain of a run up. And no beer! Those are some tough kids.

Final Wild West Series Race - CdA

The weather worked out perfect for me over the weekend. Saturday was nice so I could get yard work done. Sunday was a rainy mess for cyclocross racing. I was in the first and last race and got both bikes equally muddy. Unfortunately, my second race--on the single speed--was cut short. With two laps to go I flatted the rear tire. I don't have a spare so I DNF'd. But it was okay because I got plenty of time in. I didn't take many photos because I focused on making a video this week.

This was the last of the Wild West CX Series. The Inland NW Cyclocross Series has two more weekends of racing. I can't believe the season is almost over already.

Wild West Cyclocross - Coeur d'Alene from hank greer on Vimeo.

Coeur d'Alene Cyclocross

I went to the race on Halloween. I'm always in costume so no worries there. My single speed race was a blast. Lots of mud to splash through. The course dried out a little during the day so my second race wasn't as messy. But I did have an unusual quasi-mechanical problem. While dismounting at the barriers my mountain bike shorts caught on my saddle and I ripped the butt right out of them. I also wear a liner so there was no danger of inappropriate exposure. I tried to continue but my torn shorts would catch on my saddle at times and I couldn't stand up on the pedals at key times like I needed to. I bottomed out so hard on a short descent that I knocked my saddle out of alignment so the front was pointing upwards. Rather than deal with that discomfort for the last lap I walked to the finish and waited for the leader to cross the line. That way I didn't get a DNF.

My favorite course condition--muddy!

See, they do exist.

I did not realize, nor was I aware of, the significance of this duct-taped costume.

 The run crawl up was especially brutal for the kids.

 This young lady was so stoked to be riding in the mud.

Rolling Thunder Cyclocross

To say I've been remiss in posting is certainly an understatement. I'll blame it on Daylight Wasting Time now that we're saving it so much.

Two weekends ago I went to Missoula to race at Rolling Thunder. There's something different about 'cross races in Montana. More beer for one. Free giant cowbells. Free water, soda, and snacks. And night racing at this venue.

One per family.

This year the event was held at Big Sky Brewery. Unfortunately, the course itself was not as much fun as last year, which was held at a state park if I remember correctly.  The table top, the whoops, the two sets of barriers, and the wood ramp going over the wrecked Subaru were cool. But the long, back-and-forth bumpy flat parts in a field that looked like it had been used for event parking was really hard on the back. More than one of us bailed on racing twice because of it.

I got to hang out with Steph and she took a ton of photos for me. She captured two shots of the scene below before moving out of the way of the poor fellow who crashed in front of her. He tried to pass on my left just after cresting the table top. Unfortunately, the whoops bumps are just as wide as the table top, which means their rounded ends are on the course. It did not go well for the guy. I felt bad for him. We caught up later on and he said it was his bad and that he shouldn't have tried to pass like that. I was relieved he wasn't blaming me but I still felt bad for him. He was a bloody mess.

And here's the video. The women with the prosthetic leg is a bad ass.

Rolling Thunder 10 - Day 1 from hank greer on Vimeo.

Cyclocross Racing In Walla Walla

What I was up to last weekend. Wearing the pink and yellow striped tie and striped socks to match my pink and yellow bikes, everybody knows who Hank is even though they don't know me. On Sunday a set of parents told me their son said he "wanted to be like Hank" and wear some flashy socks. So now he's sporting Seattle Seahawks colors. Hey, as long as he's having fun.

Saturday's racing was especially fun. I got through the single speed but the men's 60+ was great. Steve Rapp, Frank Benish, and I battled for third place for nearly the entire race. Steve and Frank are strong on the straightaways where they'd blast by me. I'm faster in the technical parts and I'd get right back in front again on a turn or at the barriers. Frank dropped back and Steve and I pushed each other hard for a couple of laps. On the last lap, Steve pressed forward on a straightaway and I just couldn't answer. I was out of gas. As we winded our way towards the end of the race I saw that Frank was catching up to me.  Being tired and feeling pressured I made a huge mistake at the barriers and crashed. (It's right at the end of the first video.) That allowed Frank to gain a lot of ground and later pass me with about 100 yards to finish. Had I stayed upright I might have held him off for fourth place. But that's part of racing. For me it was fun just to have someone to race against.

Allegro Cyclocross Day 1 from hank greer on Vimeo.

Allegro Cyclocross Day 2 from hank greer on Vimeo.

To my shock and surprise my name was called for third place in the men's single speed. I had finished fourth out of four on Saturday and fifth out of five on Sunday so how can that happen, right? It turned out that the combined scoring system they were using that weekend required you to race both days for your score to count. Only three of us raced both days so I scored this wooden belt buckle with a number "3" made out of bike chain links. Sweet!

Truth be told, though, this is hardly a testament to my prowess on the single speed. Racing the single speed is hard and I'm not nearly as strong as the other racers. I'm in it for the fun of riding the course. I like to get two races in and doing the single speed allows me to have a two or three hour break between races.

Cyclocross Racing In Moscow

It was fun racing yesterday. A strong wind made the course even more challenging. It finally got me on my last lap when the wind blew the tape into my handlebars. I quickly tried to clear it but to no avail. The tape pulled on my handlebars and down I went. Luckily I only got some minor scratches.

Palouse Cyclocross Races from hank greer on Vimeo.

Crosstoberfest IV

This weekend was my first cyclocross race and it was at my favorite course up in Sandpoint. This year the Team Autism folks built it up into a very challenging course. There's a set of stair steps spaced about 15 feet apart consisting of buried railroad ties. This is on a slight uphill grade. Directly after the steps were the barriers. Not the best place for barriers so most of us were in for a long run. The run up had two levels to it. The first is rideable although I couldn't on the single speed. And the second level is steep. A new addition to the course is a LASR (pronounced lay-zer), which, in this case, is the opposite of the speed of light. A Long-Ass Sand Run. Of course, for the elite athletes it was a Long-Ass Sand Ride. It's about 100 feet of soft sand. And there was a double barrier of logs to get over. This course kept you honest.

As usual, I entered the single speed and 50+ races. I got all six laps in on the single speed. The wind was blowing fiercely, making some of the straightaways slower or faster depending on the direction you were going. And it made the sandpit area more like a sandstorm at times.

I worked on technique and finding good lines. The ground was getting soft in many places especially later in the day. One thing I was confident about was my ability to jump over the logs. I'm thrilled to report that I cleared the double logs on each of the eleven laps in my races. A couple times I was able to pass someone because they either dismounted or slowed down to ride over the logs. They still caught and passed me later on but small victories, right?

The 40+ and 50+ masters raced together. I was a little tired from my earlier race but I was still able to ride hard. But not quite hard enough. The 40+ leaders caught me on their last lap, which made my fifth lap my last. One thing that didn't help my time was my stopping at the halfway point in the sand pit and accepting the beer that was being handed up. I was their best customer! And to top it off someone handed me a can of beer just before the finish line.

The Wild West CX Series medals are pretty cool. The medal for each race location consists of part of the shield logo. So if you medal in every location you can put the pieces together and make a complete shield. Since the only way I end up on the podium is if there are less than four people racing in my category I'm focusing on having fun and staying fit.

Here's the video from yesterday's racing.

Crosstoberfest IV from hank greer on Vimeo.

Tis The Season

Cyclocross season is coming up and, as usual, I'm looking forward to racing. Yesterday I drove down to Moscow for a practice race at Sky Ranch. My two warm up laps were rough. I was doubting myself and my confidence waned as I struggled through the course. That changed once we lined up to race. There's something about going head to head with others that gives me a huge boost. I jumped out in front of as many as I could at the start so I'd be ahead of them when we hit the single track. That worked out really well for me. I reeled in a couple of other rides on the first lap and ended up behind a young lady. I'd catch her in the technical parts but she'd run away from me on the straightaways. I may have done better if I had more gears on my single speed.

But then it wouldn't be a single speed.

Anyway, I kept reeling her in and she kept running away. On laps 3 and 4 I focused on picking good lines, riding as smooth as possible, and relaxing. I was breathing hard but I felt good. Laps 5 and 6 went by so quickly. Again I'd catch up to that young lady and she'd pull away again. Near the end, her undoing was a dropped chain when she set her bike down to hard after the barriers. Bummer for her but that's part of the game. Right after passing her I realized we had closed in on a young man. He gunned it and tried to run away on the straightaway to the finish. I don't think I've ever spun my legs that fast before. I got right on his tail, darted around him about 100 feet from the line, and sped past him.

That felt good.

So here's what I'm looking forward to.

Inland Northwest Cyclocross Series Schedule

Wild West CX Series Schedule

And I hope to squeeze in a race or two on the west side of the state so I can race with my brother John.

Tacoma Cyclocross Racing Weekend

What a tough but fun weekend. I got to hang out and race with my brother John and catch up with my Team Double Check team mates whom I see about once a year. Saturday's race was at Marymount. The rains had thoroughly soaked the grass, which was then churned into thick mud by hundreds of bicycle tires. John did the Masters 45+ race at 9:10 and the heavens opened up for him. He didn't say so but I'm sure he was thankful for that. Racing in the rain is true cyclocross racing. The rains eased off for my Masters 55+ race at 10:00 and another large field of riders churned the ground up even more.

The upper part of the course had all the soft ground. The lower section was nice and solid. There was very little in the way of technical stuff. And there were two run ups. We dropped down to the lower section twice where we got to feel like we were going faster on firm ground. The we got to run up the hill and slog through the mud. It was hard work.

I raced again at 12:45 on the single speed. It was exhausting trying to get through the wheel-grabbing mud. It was so thick at the barriers that my bike would almost come to a complete stop when I jumped back on. So I just kept running with the bike until I hit more solid ground. One thing that helped me was the whiskey hand ups I took. The first shot didn't sit well for a half lap or so. But I was ready for it when I came around for the second shot. I'm pretty sure I finished DFL but I had a nice buzz going. And I made the local paper.

 Although John's not smiling, he is having fun.

 All racers looked like they shat themselves something fierce.

 Tired and muddy after the single speed race.

Sundays venue was at Steilacoom Park. This course was definitely made for roadies. There was no technical stuff whatsoever. And there was no run up. They had a long climb and a fast descent with a coupe of sharp turns. The remainder was flat and featureless. John and I did the same races as before. I was tired from Saturday's efforts. About 45 seconds into the Masters 55+ I was all jacked up and coming in hot to a 180-degree turn. My front wheel slid out on the wet grass and down I went. Those who hadn't passed me yet now had a clear shot. The rest of the race was uneventful. On the bright side I did finish 14 our of 17 so no DFL there. 

During the single speed race, in which I got to see all the other riders twice, even John Speare's friend Dylan who was tented right next to us. We both kept thinking we knew the other and finally got that settled when I spoke up. 

John kept my spirits high with some beer hand ups. It was great to have something to look forward to because the long climb was brutal. With each lap I was spending more time standing on the pedals and trying not to hate life. But I stayed upright the entire race, rode as hard as I could, and had a good time.

 John tearing it up at Steilacoom.

John doing me a solid with a beer hand up.

I always bring my A game when it comes to beer hand ups. Bryan MacDonald caught these shots of me at the top of my form.

My Reputation Did Not Precede Me

This weekend I'm headed over to Tacoma to hang out with my brother, John, and do some cyclocross racing. I signed up for the Men's 55+ and the Single Speed on both days. After registering I clicked on the Race Predictor for all the races. I'm listed in third place for both of Saturday's races. And I'm listed 2nd and 4th for Sunday's races.

That's crazy! I don't know how USA Cycling crunches the numbers to reach these conclusions. Maybe they forgot to carry an aught or something. I wonder if doing two races each time makes a difference.

Hopefully, nobody goes to any great lengths to find out who I am before the race.

Racer 1: Hey, who's this Hank Greer guy from Spokane?

Racer 2: That's him over there wearing the pink and yellow tie.

Racer 1: With the matching socks?

Racer 2: Yeah.

Racer 1:  (pause) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

No pressure on me, right? My plan is to race the 55+, complete the single speed, and have fun. Mostly have fun.

Riverside Rumble Cyclocross Video

This is from Saturday's racing. I didn't shoot video on Sunday.

Riverside Rumble Cyclocross from hank greer on Vimeo.

It's hard to believe the season is almost over.

WSBA Cyclocross Championships

The ruts in yesterday's mud froze solid overnight. Almost every water puddle was frozen solid. The course was slightly modified to avoid the largest of the miniature ice rinks. Nonetheless, it was still very challenging. I raced the single speed today. It's not my strongest event so I planned on just having a good time. Before the race the Bike Hub crew asked me if I wanted beer hand ups when I went by.

Yes!

After roll call they did the call ups. Call ups are for point leaders. You get a spot up front at the start. Imagine my surprise to hear my name for the final spot.

Whaaaaaaaaaaat? How did that happen?

I think they were just being nice. Basically it meant that I would get to see everyone behind me pass me. The whistle blew and most everybody took off like a scalded cat. I was more the mewling kitten.

The Bike Hub guys were not expecting me when I came by the first lap but they were ready on lap two. The difficulty for me was they were right before the barriers. So I dismounted early, grabbed the beer, jumped the barriers, drank the beer, and then jumped back on the bike. The next lap wasn't so easy. Since I was handed a can of beer, I immediately poured as much into my mouth as I could and then threw the can back before jumping over the first barrier.

There was no hand up for lap four because four ended up being my final one. The lead Cat 3 Men's racer passed me on the run up so I was done early.

A good time was had by all. I posted tons of photos on the INWCXS Facebook page.

Andrew Ackerman coming back from a mechanical and on his way to finish 7th.

  Beer hand up #1 on the second lap.

Beer hand up #2. Surprised, he just hands me his can of Oly.

Cat 3 race leader riding up the run up. Because he can.

I wasn't DFL. I stayed upright. And I had fun.

*** Update ***

I almost forgot. Matt Morra had the strangest thing happen during his race. He was attacked by a clown who had mad balloon tying skills.

Okay, he rolled the tire off the rim while the inner tube was inflated. Crazy.