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.