Jshort’s bike thread

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Was nice to see you riding towards the front as we came through that flat part with the 180 and we passed each other. Good job. Don't come to any more cross races, they're dumb.
 

MadisonDan

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
why did i click that
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pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
There are those people who proclaim " I don't give a fuck", however those who really don't give a fuck are recognized by others...and people say, Steve just don't give a fuck.
And that's hardcore.
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Good seeing you on Saturday and disappointed I missed seeing your race. Now that I showed my face at an event, I can go back into hiding.

Did you see my game of skate challenge on IG? You game? If you accept, it is my trick next.
I will accept your early step off for my defensive toe drag:
View attachment 57894

I’m probably best to decline here. I can envision my wimpy ankle cracking. I feel like I dodged a bullet. Maybe if I get a little more time on it I’ll take you up.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I’m probably best to decline here. I can envision my wimpy ankle cracking. I feel like I dodged a bullet. Maybe if I get a little more time on it I’ll take you up.
You can at least survive some shuvits
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I’m a schlub in my own ways. Dan inspired me to catch this thread up on Cross season. It’s crazy how just because the sun goes down 3 hours earlier, it’s like the days have 3 hours less to get shit done.

Anyway, a brief recap of my last few races starting with...


Caffeinated Masters 40+ NJ CUP:

It was hot as hell if I remember right. The course has some aspects which lend itself to a MTB'ers skill set. I found myself in second place 2 laps in and really felt like I could ride away from the race. So on the 3rd lap, just before we entered the woody, singletrack-ey area, i made a move. When i looked back a few minutes later I had a huge gap. I kept pushing the pace for a few laps and with 1 to go i totally blew up. Luckily i was so far ahead nobody knew. I was able to ride at tempo for the remainder and still make it to the finish in first without any stress.

First place - Cross Results score of 340


Cooper River 35+ MAC

Masters categories at MAC races definitely bring out a higher level of competition. This is easy to see by just looking at crossresults. The front end of this race would definitely be able to hold their own in the A race. As soon as the race started i knew it was not going to be a good day. I just did not feel like I had good legs and lungs. 2 laps in I was mid pack and in no-mans land. I got picked off with 2 laps to go. I gave it a chase but could not catch back up. I also had a few guys chasing me which I was able to hold off. Definitely a hard effort and i was happy to get out with a top 10.

9th place - Cross results score of 329


Marty Cross 40+ NJ CUP:

I knew exactly how this race would end the day before. Ask @seanrunnette. At the CR group ride on Saturday, I correctly predicted the 1-2-3-4 finishing order. 1 Lap in 1st and 2nd were gone. Ralf and super strong jalapeno guy were riding their own race. I was chasing @Delish. After 2 laps of seeing him execute every turn perfectly with seemingly no brakes, and myself having to brake and power of every turn to stay within sight, i pulled the plug and took my 4th place.

4th place - Cross results score of 336


HPCX Day 1 35+ MAC

Again, this is a much tougher level of competition. I felt good on the course and warming up. Once we take off I get into a little tangle with another racer. I kept trying to take the inside line on the first turns and he kept shutting door after leaving it open for a little longer then he should have. Not wanting to waste any more energy than I had too, i let up. On the next straight I blew him away. He chased but I was able to hold him off.

Starting the second lap I bridged up to Dan L. His back was exploding and as i passed him i said sorry that sucks. I like Dan a lot and like to see him crush it. Good for him, bad for me, he recovered enough to pass me again. He's way stronger and when he is healthy he's got a shot to podium. After he passed me, the same guy who picked me off at Cooper passed me. Grrr.

I finished right behind them, never able to catch up.

12th place - Cross results score of 329


Apple Cross at Melicks - No Series Affiliation

This was a weird day. Between a late dinner and some drama going on, I didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before. I was going to bail on the race even though it was at noon, or so I thought. I decided to race and then realized it was an 11 AM start and not 12. Luckily it’s a 10 minute drive.

We start and there are 3 of us. Me, brandy, and a guy who I had not raced before. 2 laps in we dropped Brandy.

I just sat in second place and was really content. Judging from Sean's commentary every time we went by the start/finish, I was pretty sure I could pass the guy.

So with 2 laps (very short laps) I made a move and was able to make it stick.

1st place - Cross results didn’t even feel it appropriate to give me a score for this one.


Next day at

SCCX - A Race, NJ CUP:

I decided I would try to 1-2-3 race at SCCX. It was the last race of the day and it fit my schedule. Plus, if I raced the 40 + I knew exactly how that would finish so I said the hell with it and went for the hour race. Pre-Reg got me lucky #13.

My strategy was to not blow up with 15 minutes to go. So after the start I tried to keep it in my head that this race was going to last longer than any other race I’ve done. I settled into a group of 3 with Kucharski and loguduce (SP?). Eventually we bridged to Offer and then there were 4 of us.

I think we stayed in a group for most of the race. We may have traded a few positions, but for the most part we were together. I was staying in the back of the pack and looking for spot where I could make a move in case it presented itself, but we were all pretty tight in our lines. There were a few climbs and then swopping downhills that went right back up and they were super slick. Definitely an area that needed concentration and a little luck. Not much to be gained but you could lose 3 spots instantly.

With 2 to go the pace picked up a little. Andrew seemed to have had enough and fell off the back. That left 3 of us.

I was pretty sure I had a lower gear and would be able to get up the climbs faster with less effort so I decided to make a move there. On the first climb I went. I should have waited for the second, but i was already committed. I think I was able to drop kucharski here, but Offer bridged with half a lap to go He was slightly stronger in in the straights and my advantage in the twists was negligible. With 30 seconds to go he made his move and it was in the perfect spot. The last straight with a few twists left. I was able to stick his wheel but there was nowhere to pass. We got to the road and it was gonna be a sprint.

Usually I like my chances but he was the stronger rider that day. I may have went too early but he held me off and pulled up. I say up with 50 ft. to go reluctantly satisfied with 5th.

I was torn with being happy to pull a podium but somewhere I knew i had a chance for much more impressive 4th. Hats off to Offer though.. dude man is fast. After looking at his cross results, maybe i should be happy to have been as close as i was.

5th Place - Cross results score of 329


Bubble review coming up next....
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Bubblecross !


The day started off less than ideal with a family obligation. I had a 60th birthday brunch which i left the party at 1 and got to the race at 2ish. I had outside hopes of making it in time to race the A's which started at 2:15, but i couldn’t pull it off. Cat 3 race it is.

I paid the 5 bucks for the exclusive VIP parking and pulled up next to Team O's hot rod Minivan. For the entire ride up, when i wasnt mixing my beet juice, I was thinking how to streamline my set up. I had to change, reg, hit the potty (more than once), preride, adjust bike if necessary, and then warmup on trainer all within an hour. Not easy, but i pulled it off. with 25 minutes to go I was on my trainer talking to @Dominos , and getting warm.

On a cold day, i really think the trainer is the way to go. You have so much control over everything like temp and effort, its a no brainer.

When the A race wrapped up I grabbed @Delish and told him to stop hyperventilating and tell me all the secrets. He did. Then @mbruno came by and i told him how disappointed I was with him not beating Aaron Snyder. Really though, that was a fun battle to watch. Aaron just seemed like he had one more bullet ready to use and executed his plan perfectly. Matt's a fucking beast though and really for 99% of us, to be able to tell a story how we battled Aaron Snyder and barely lost, is great story to tell.

My race was almost as exciting. I had not done a Cat 3 race all year so I had no idea who to look out for. Cross Results had me predicted top 2 or 3 so I figured I would ride my race and should end up near the front.

We line up, and off we go. I'm feeling pretty good and am able to make my way up to the top 5 pretty quickly. One guy shot himself out of a cannon and had a 30 yard lead 1 minute into the race. Uh oh.

Starting the second lap, I’m in 3rd behind one guy and the other guy who is waaaay out front. Dude man in front of me says "if you got the legs go for it". Before he finished his sentence I was on my way. I caught the first place rider shortly after.

After another lap of being on his wheel we had opened up a huge gap on the rest of the field. I'm usually looking at my heart rate, but on the first lap the strap slid down to my stomach. Oh Well... maybe I’m too skinny? :p

As we pass the starting line and head up to the wide open grass he tells me to take the lead. I am assuming he wants me to do some work while he recovers behind me? I wasn’t really sure but i got in front. I didn’t push though, maybe a quick snap out of a turn here and there but for the most part I rode a quick tempo in the straights.

He found his way back in front of me and then we continued this pattern of me leading in the grass and him leading in the woods for a few laps. He was hopping the barriers but I don’t think it was faster than me dismounting. Definitely not worth me taking a chance. He was also a little faster on the downhill before the sand, but i was definitely better once in the sand.

I heard @seanrunnette telling the entire race how I did the same exact thing at apple where I followed the first place rider for the entire race, then made a move on the last lap. He wondered when i was going to make a move in this race.

Regardless of what Sean was saying, this was adding up to another sprint finish which after losing last week's race, I was mentally preparing to throw down. He was definitely fast and had above average skills. And I wasn’t sure how much he was saving for the end of the race.

On the little run up after the finish line, i had been well…. Running it. But I thought I could ride it. There were some stairs, but at the corner, where the plank ended, there was a line. But to hit that spot, it was less than optimal line because it left the inside WIDE open. If I did it right and rode the entire run up, I thought I could get a gap. I decided that would be where I went for it on the last lap.

Going through the Finish line, I was in the lead. I still wanted to execute the plan thinking it could give me a gap so.... I took the turn really wide to line up as I planned... and.... I fucked it up. Had to put a foot down. My momentum carried me into his line and I may have blocked him but he was still right behind me. I powered up the climb, then over and then back up again the next climb. When we get to the barriers, I'm hoping he doesn’t ride them right past me, but I think he dismounted and ran them too.

The next 3 minutes is a blur, me riding faster than I had, trying not to be too reckless on the downhill and following sand, putting out as much power as I could once in the straight and when I hit the grass.

I still have my head down and am powering every stroke of the pedal with all I have, totally unaware of where the other guy is. When I get to the end of the last long straight at the top of the loop I sneak a quick look and see the race is mine. Dude man must have either messed up something or just didn’t feel like matching me, but I had a sizeable lead. I concentrated on riding the rest of the race smooth. The finish was pleasantly non eventful with me finishing in first.


Lap times showed I saved my best for last:

6:47

6:34

6:44

6:44

6:41

6:57

6:17


When I was on my way back to my car, Sean puts the mic in front of my face and asked me how it was. I blanked and said “easy”. Definitely NOT easy. I’m an idiot and should never talk into a mic again. ;)


This may have been my most complete race, other than fucking up the potentially clinching move.

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Magic

Formerly 1sh0t1b33r
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Your lap times make me sad. Nice work! Wish I was able to stick around and watch some more races.

Are you doing both days at Supercross? Westwood? See you there?
 

seanrunnette

Brain Damaged Ray Romano
Team MTBNJ Halter's
That was a great race to watch. Just like Aaron and Matt the lap before, but you had a couple more kittens in the box than Aaron did, even. You could have gone for it pretty much anywhere with the same result - I was just trying to gin up the suspense :)
 
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