12/7 Missouri State Champs @ St. Vincent. Masters, 1 OA.

 

Very rarely do I feel this level of satisfaction from racing, let alone across three races in the last few months. I think a large portion of it is coming from the discoveries I've made this year and how that translates to racing at the highest level possible for my current fitness and age. I get a lot of satisfaction from that. The craziest thing I learned from yesterday is that I was likely only 90% rested for the Burnin' and less for the BT Epic. The biggest pitfall was quite simply trying to squeeze in more volume before both, and not enough time to taper, decisions made largely based on vacations before each. I felt so good for the Burnin' I question it a bit, but it makes more sense at the BT Epic where much higher powered repeatability was needed and I wasn't able to.

I had a pretty high level of confidence after racing in the snow the weekend before, was feeling great all week with unusually low anxiety, usually did pretty well at St. Vincent and was really looking forward to some bad conditions. I was a little bummed leading up to the race that there weren't more people registered in  either the 40+ or 50+ classes, but when race day rolled around, there were some heavy hitters and it was going to be a race. What I wasn't expecting was a very unique course layout that had a ton of climbing. It was either climbing or flossing snow covered ground soft ground with a frozen layer below that  which changed dramatically as the race went on. It was pretty epic. 

My plan was pretty much the same as it had been since moving up to the 50's- go out hard and try to get to the pointy end of the 40+ race as quickly as possible. I had a hint of reservation due to the stiff road climb shortly after the start that if I went out too hard I might detonate, but what's between my ears typically gets overridden by brute force so planning to much of anything is often fruitless. 

We lined up behind 10 or so 40+ with Devin, Anthony and Terry in the mix and gave them a 30 second head start. I flubbed the start and didn't get the hole shot, slipping back to 5th, but once we hit the pavement I launched a nuke and went all in on the climb, about 655 W for 30 seconds, which was a PR for me. I passed some of the 40 plus guys and got up to Terry and Laberta with Devin and Anthony leading the charge 5-10 seconds ahead. By the main climb on the 2cd lap I had caught Terry, Anthony and Devin but Devin countered and put a gap into the rest of us. 

For the next two laps Anthony and I rode together with Devin 10-15seconds in front and Terry not far behind. I don't remember the exact spot where we caught Devin, but he was off the back pretty quickly and Anthony and I started trading blows with Terry dangling. I was trying to communicate to Terry that Anthony wasn't from MO, but it wasn't going to well. Anthony and I were riding pretty dirty and it was a ton of fun. I was putting time into him on the more technical sections so he was juicing it to get in front of me through the 180 run up.  Rico and Christopher were there and offering a ton of encouragement and there was never really a point I started to have doubts. Not to say that I was thinking about winning, I just never had an issue staying with Anthony and was riding pretty well. 

With 4 to go I gapped Anthony through the upper really technical section and by the off camber along the road at the bottom, which was by far the most technical section of the race, he was out of sight. I glanced over my shoulder once at the top of the second climb on the bike path, probably 30 seconds back, and he wasn't in sight. I didn't Thibau for the rest of the race. 

I charged for the next 3 laps. I was riding at my limit and didn't give a fuck about riding conservatively to avoid mistakes, which I made few. It was the hose. I got pretty fired up on the bell lap with CC and Rico hollering and went full send one more time up the hill. I ended up winning by a pretty good margin and was utterly thrilled. 

Thinking about this past season is nothing but positive, maybe my best ever. Form like this was always hard for me to maintain, but I learned so much and think I might be able to improve on it for next year. Super stoked. 

11/30 Bubba #10 Bellafontaine Numero Dos, Masters, 1st.

 Snow day. It snowed way more than I was expecting on Saturday, about 5" by the time we woke up. Saturday was ultra stressful and I was a little run down from the holiday week. I started my openers indoors and bailed because I wasn't feeling it.  It was supposed to shift to rain later in the day and I was assuming most of it would melt and it would be a mud fest, but instead woke to a crusty 3" on Sunday morning. Weather was pretty chilly with a 17* wind chill but naturally I was pretty stoked for some fun conditions. 

I walked a bit of the course and found it to be pretty straightforward so opted to get a good warm up in on the rollers and a quick lap before lining up. It was going to be slow and  pretty straight and there wouldn't be any real lines from the small group of die-hards warming up until a few laps in. I considered trying to run really low pressure, as it was 100% snow covered, but stuck with the usual 24/24.5 I've been running all season, which turned out to work really well.

I was happy to see Anthony and another 40+ guy in attendance I didn't know, among the other regulars. There were about 5 40+ and 4 SS that started in front of us. Dr. Mark took the hole shot and I waited a bit before making a move around him and then burned a lot of matches moving up off the line. It was brutal. I think I caught Anthony and the other guy on the second lap and shortly after that had my only real mistake of the race and went down, but didn't lose much time. 

I built a decent lead on the Purdue guy and Anthony with 3 lap cards to go and when I came though the next time it had been adjusted up. It felt really hard and I had no idea how long into the race we were but had started to nail some of the lines and was finding it was pretty easy if you didn't deviate, but my legs felt torched. I had almost a half a lap (short laps) lead by the time I finished, which was about 31 mins. I couldn't believe it was that short, definitely didn't feel like it. Overall really happy with the way I raced and getting my shit together this week so I feel a little better next weekend at States. The weather this week should make things interesting!

11/23 Bubba #9 Creve Couer, Masters 50+, 1st

Hadn't really been paying that close attention but had been stacking some pretty big weeks of training from the last week in September, through the BT Epic and after a few long rides with Robbie realized I needed some rest. Took 3 full days off and then ramped up a bit so I would feel good at Creve Couer, which worked. I made a few adjustments to the fit on the Cervelo, which really helped and was waiting on the 0 offset post to finish it off but was amazed at how well the bike handled on a very technical course, after only having ridden it twice on grass. The main apprehension I had with the longer front end actually turned out to be better for me in the tighter turns, which I did not expect at all. Now that I've changed to the 0 offset (post race), it feels nearly perfect. 

The course was sick. Definitely a bike handlers/mtb course. There were tons of wet leaves but I wasn't having issues with traction and the course had enough climbing and tech that I figured it would suit me well, which it did.

There were a lot of SS and 40+ guys this week but I got a good start and started moving up quickly to catch Sam and Anthony. Sometime on the first lap I felt my rear tire was weird but passed the pit and kept chasing. I caught up to Sam and Anthony and then realized it was pretty much flat and had to pit to change my wheel. Dr Mark caught up to me but I stayed in front and got back on the gas quickly. I caught and passed Sam with 2 to go and was closing the gap to Anthony, who was 20-30 seconds ahead, but couldn't close it down and started to hit lots of lapped traffic on the last lap, which didn't help. 

Overall really strong race and happy with the way I raced. 

11/8 & 11/9 Bubba 6 and 7, Faust. Masters 50+. Day One- 2cd, Day two- 1st

The 2025 CX season rolls on and I need to acquire the fire before it's gone and I miss it. 

Day 1 was really hard. I crashed hard in the first minute or so, replaced the buckle that popped off my shoe and worked on a 15 second gap back through traffic up to Paul. It was hard and we rode together a bit but he would stomp me on the hill every lap and the band snapped. I was able to stay within 10 seconds or less the rest of the race and put in some efforts on the last few laps to close it down, getting pretty close, but think he was saving a bit for Sunday.

After a relaxing day with Robbie on Sat and a good night of sleep I was tempted to do the A race, but since I knew Paul was racing in the morning to get on the road, I opted for that. I always race way better the second day at Faust, usually one of my best races of the year. I went from the gun and felt strong and ultra motivated. I was able to put time into Paul every lap and build a commanding lead, which I felt good about. I really enjoy racing against him and he's such a good all around guy/competitor. 

I stayed and watched Robbie dominate the B race, looking ultra strong and taking his first win. He was able to catch and pass a group of three in the A race, which was cause for me celebrating the rest of the week but making poor decisions, binging shows and eating tons of ice cream. The old trick of putting the post CX season whiskey stash in a box in the basement didn't work but we got in some good TITS and had a great visit. My new frame showed up on Friday and, against better judgement, I started to build it which came very close to sabotaging our Saturday long ride, but we pulled it off in the clutch and enjoyed the weather, which was amazing. Great visit.

11/2 Bubba #5 Vlasis, Masters 50+, 2cd.

Probably my favorite race of the series, and this years course did not disappoint. Best yet. Felt really good. Little bit of rain the night before so the grass was slick. Lots of off camber and tricky turns. Went out at a more moderate pace and opened up a little bit of a gap after the sand. Paul caught me on the hill after the sand on the second lap and I thought it was game on. What I found is my lack of time on the CX bike and Paul's superior cornering left me working hard. We stayed together for a lap and then small gaps started to grow. Mid race I went over the barriers and my seat dropped a good 2 cm and twisted. After the fact I found my seat post and frame were cracked, likely from the prairie dog hole impacts the weekend before. I considered stopping but rode it out. I was getting faster as the race went on and keeping Paul in my sights, finishing about 30 seconds back. A kid on a SS, Sam, was a little in front of him. Really good racing. Bummed my 3 year streak at Vlasis broke, but he really is riding better than me right now so can't complain.

Replaced with a Thomson post and the frame is holding, but shopping around. 

 

10/26 Bubba #4 Bella Fontaine, Masters 50+, 2cd.

 First CX race of the year for me, with virtually no prep, no anxiety and no expectations. Feels good, except it gives me the excuse to get into Holiday mode (whiskey)  a little sooner than I should if trying to be an athlete, which has always been hard for me to balance.

 After buying a CX bike in November 2021, the goal was to win a masters jersey and accomplishing that last year combined with getting back into mtb racing, especially with my two priority races in the fall, has made this CX season less than planned. Regardless, I love CX and it brings back floods of memories of good times with the old Mesa crew, meeting my wife and spending a lot of time at McGurks on Sundays after racing. Best memories. To be honest, I watch follow and watch CX more than any other discipline and love the week in week out racing. Convenient and low impact racing.  

This was the first 50+ race I have entered, which is extremely weird from a milestone perspective, but I really enjoy racing in the morning and having some family time in the afternoon, so old fucks it is. I thought I might cat down to the 40 plus, but then realized the added challenge of starting a little behind the SS and 40 plus and going for the overall would be fun.  

It rained a lot Saturday night with rain in the forecast on race day and I  was pretty stoked to see a good field of 40's and 50's, including some fast guys, mainly Dust, Dr. Mark, Hartzel and Paul Carter from out of town, among others. The course turned out to be incredibly dry, slightly tacky and rough, which didn't change until it started to rain the last few laps. 

We took off about 45 seconds behind the SS and 40 plus, I would guess. I fucking charged. No real game plan other than slicing and dicing to the front, and by the second lap I had caught everyone but Dust, Ian and Laberta, who got a great start! Not long after I caught Ian, and was basically riding like it was a two lap race, but didn't really care. I could never close down on Anthony and on the 3rd lap my left quad/IT starting locking up (I think it's the warmup and q factor, ordered some extenders) and got caught by Ian and Paul. I think I stayed with them for a lap and then started getting gapped. 

By mid race I was closing back in on Ian, maintaining to Anthony and going a little faster each lap, less chaotic, more steady power. I started to feel better and was close to catching Ian on the last lap, but he sensed it and I made a mistake in the pines and couldn't close it down. Paul came very close to catching Anthony, which was super impressive, and I finished 10 seconds or so back from Ian. 

All gas, all power, no tech. Was a good race. If I could save a few matches earlier in the race and get my IT straightened out things will improve. Super stoked to be back out there. 2cd in the 50 plus, 4th overall. 

10/18 B.T. Epic, Pro 6th OA.

 Long time listener, first time caller. 

I think this race started in 2008 but I was super committed to racing CX that year, and wasn't a huge fan of the format. I didn't do it the next two years either and then stopped racing. I don't think it was long after that the race became the premier regional MTB Epic and assume that when the Burnin' burnt out, it got even bigger. After I got back on the mtb last year it still wasn't on my radar until the fall when everyone at the One Eyed dog was talking about it, but still, I started this season with plans of XC racing and it wasn't until I dipped my toes back into endurance racing and put the Burnin' on the calendar that I decided to give it a go. True to form, I went totally OCD on the planning and got in some good training rides with Dan, Terry and solo. Riding with Dan and Terry one thing was clear- there would be a lot of 3-5 minute efforts, which was probably my biggest weakness. I was doing almost all endurance training for the Burnin', with the intensity coming on the MTB rides, but nothing too specific. After the Burnin' I had 9 days off the bike and had a few big weeks of volume, but kept the intensity relatively low and not very specific. TBH, that was probably the biggest limiter I had during the race, but still think the endurance volume outweighed the V02 efforts. I'm saying this because I don't want to forget it next year.

The long range weather forecast was calling for a continuation of the heat and dry weather, then a little cooler with a chance of rain, and finally strong storms with possible hail, lightning, tornadoes and 1-2" of rain. My biggest fear was them cancelling or rescheduling the race, the fact it wasn't it still crazy to me, but I'm happy it wasn't

I didn't really care about an age group win so I opted for the Pro Class to get away from the masses, which turned out to be a good strategy. We had the 2024 Elite XCM rider in attendance, the majority of fast regional guys/kids  and a good number of out of towners. 

I was expecting the attacks on the climbs to be far more chaotic, but I stayed with the main group and wasn't feeling like it was terribly hard, until the first climb in the singletrack. I was blown out the back of the front group pretty quickly and fell back to 8 or 9th, with the lead group of 3 and the chase group of 6 in front of me after the first rocky climb. I  burped my front tire in the creek crossing before the climb, but it was rideable so I kept my fingers crossed it would hold air.   After the climb my legs were locked and I was suffering, but I managed to keep the chase group in sight, led by Dan, and kept pushing. After the first climb on the Berryman it is mostly flow down to Brazil and I was able to close the 45-60 second gap to the chase group and Dan, Kenny and I took the lead with Brody in tow. 

From Brazil to Berryman we put a gap on Brody and rode together, but my weakness was apparent and there were a few of the climbs that I got gapped and caught back up on the flats/descents. We hit the campground at 1:40 or so, which was close to 5 minutes faster than the 4:20 pace I was targeting. The number of people going nuts at the Berryman Campground was unreal and definitely lifted the pace with adrenaline. Dan casually mentioned his NP was 270, which probably wasn't good for me to hear.   Kenny tossed his pack, grabbed a bottle and we started flossing. 

About 20 minutes later the rain started. Nothing like later in the race, but things were getting slick, my glasses were getting messy and I wanted them off. Sometime before the spring I got gapped. I started the climb after the spring with them in sight, maybe 20 seconds ahead but by the Floyd Tower Road crossing they told me it was 45 seconds, and I never saw them again. I had not seen Brody in quite some time and hit the mid race funk.

At the last fire road crossing before exiting Berryman I saw Mark Grumpke and he was nice enough to take my glasses, which really helped. I exited Berryman, climbed out and hit the gravel. I was trying to stay focused but was getting gravel in my eyes and was feeling the funk. I took some Tylenol and hit the Three Sisters section at about 3:05, a little slower than pace.

This is when the weather started to change. By the first climb it was dark, wet and raining fairly hard. Surprisingly, it wasn't as slick as I would have expected. I was able to ride fairly strong up the climbs and was descending well, considering the wetness. When I crested the last climb it looked to be clear over to the left, where I was heading and was optimistic but by the time I hit the cow pasture it was raining very hard and there was standing water on all the gravel. 

I grabbed a bottle at Bass, saw Terry, was amazed that they weren't pulling racers and kept going. 

On the climb out of Bass it was pouring buckets and it hit me- I was sitting in 6th overall and just had to ride it out. There was no way I was turning back and in the back of my mind I contemplated the chance of a place change before the finish and got pretty fired up. 

When I hit the gravel at the top it was insanity. The gravel was under water, almost completely, and the rain was now dumping. The rain was so heavy from here to the finish that there never was a time I could see clearly. Not long after I turned off the gravel into the singletrack the real shit hit the fan and the storm crested out of one valley and was directly over me on the ridge. There was lightning followed by immediate cracks. I was mostly right thinking it was heading in the opposite direction as I descended into the other side of the ridge. Riding through the technical descent was pretty much Jedi at this point but somehow I only had to dismount to get through the gulley at the bottom.

I think the Tylenol was working and I wasn't feeling much as I climbed out, literally through a stream down the trail. I was keeping my eye on the clock and amazed that I was still running a pretty respectable time, given the obvious slower pace, and crossed the line at 4:23. There wasn't anyone there. It was fairly comical how anticlimactic it was. I went inside, saw Kenny drying off and that was that. 

I'm still digesting this and it's a little tough to swallow the "what could have been" aspect of it had it remained dry, but am pretty amazed I was able to do that. I was shooting for a top 15 overall and a 4:20 pace and to finish 6th with a 4:23 in those conditions is quite rewarding and up there with one of my best performances ever.