Can I get a freakin race report?

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I was on vacation all week, suffering on my road bike going up and down Long Beach Island Blvd, bored out of my mind, trying to burn some calories to combat the massive amount of hoppy ales I had was consuming, all in the name of showing up in some shape other than fat and hungover.

Well, I failed miserably. The beer won all week and I'm pretty sure im in the hole as far as the calorie count goes. But this is my very unofficial cross season kickoff. I've been looking forward to tomorrow for a few months but I'm suddenly feeling a real lack of motivation. And the lack of hype from today's race on this forum is NOT helping.

I am fully aware of the ride for Schilling Today at allaire and I'm bummed I missed it. Maybe that had something to do with the lack of hype, maybe not.

Regardless, can I get something ? Anything? I'll be there tomorrow in sprinkles and if I don't get a donut handup offered or even thrown at me mid race, I may give up all hope.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Aren't they all the same?

-was out late drinking the night before.
-wasn't able to preview the course enough.
-started last row.
-some guy cut me off in the first corner.
-spent rest of race working back up to 75th place.
-felt amazing and would've easily won with a better start.

Standbys...
-blame Tubeless wheels.
-gear ratio was wrong.
-too hot.
-some thing about a USAC official.
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Aren't they all the same?

-was out late drinking the night before.
-wasn't able to preview the course enough.
-started last row.
-some guy cut me off in the first corner.
-spent rest of race working back up to 75th place.
-felt amazing and would've easily won with a better start.

Standbys...
-blame Tubeless wheels.
-gear ratio was wrong.
-too hot.
-some thing about a USAC official.
Yup that about covers it, that's what fall season is for:rolleyes:
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
How'd errbody do?

I got destroyed. Way worse than I thought I would.

Anyway, even with getting smoked, I haven't felt so fresh and rejuvenated after a ride since pre-lew mo. Not sure what, but I feel like something clicked, my engine cleared out whatever junk was preventing me from making gains, and now I'm ready to do some work.

I know people get tired of hearing about cross during "The best time of the year for MTB riding" but I just like to race and God Damn if cross racing isn't the best form of bike racing. It is in my opinion, hands down. Not everyone shares this and I get it. Not even counting the "vibe" or the "scene", which are admittedly losing their charm, but just the actual racing that happens between GO and crossing the finish line. I was in more 1 on 1 battles today then I had all season in MTB racing. I lost more than I won, but holy crap it was a rush.
 

Delish

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
How'd errbody do?

I got destroyed. Way worse than I thought I would.

Anyway, even with getting smoked, I haven't felt so fresh and rejuvenated after a ride since pre-lew mo. Not sure what, but I feel like something clicked, my engine cleared out whatever junk was preventing me from making gains, and now I'm ready to do some work.

I know people get tired of hearing about cross during "The best time of the year for MTB riding" but I just like to race and God Damn if cross racing isn't the best form of bike racing. It is in my opinion, hands down. Not everyone shares this and I get it. Not even counting the "vibe" or the "scene", which are admittedly losing their charm, but just the actual racing that happens between GO and crossing the finish line. I was in more 1 on 1 battles today then I had all season in MTB racing. I lost more than I won, but holy crap it was a rush.
Amen sister.

The snake may have eaten its own tail but GD it's still delicious.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I know people get tired of hearing about cross during "The best time of the year for MTB riding" but I just like to race and God Damn if cross racing isn't the best form of bike racing. It is in my opinion, hands down. Not everyone shares this and I get it. Not even counting the "vibe" or the "scene", which are admittedly losing their charm, but just the actual racing that happens between GO and crossing the finish line. I was in more 1 on 1 battles today then I had all season in MTB racing. I lost more than I won, but holy crap it was a rush.
I've gotta add another "Amen".

I was called up 36th, and finished 36th.

In between, I battled every moment to catch and avoid being caught. I evaluated the places I was stronger and weaker, I watched the guys I was grouped with and thought about how best to deal with them. And finished with a full-on, in the drops, 2-up sprint for 35th place, which I lost, but the stoke I'm taking away is way more valuable than the placing.
 

seanrunnette

Brain Damaged Ray Romano
Team MTBNJ Halter's
@ChrisG, the mote in my eye for 6 laps.
So much of CX is prep. And this early, my internal checklist is all goofed up. Didn't bother hooking up the PDX wheelset. Threw a beater set of 40mm Maxxis in the bag instead. NOT a mud wheelset. The bike is sporting Happy Mediums. (Think a Chicane for poor people. Or a LAS with good side traction.) Only remembered rain-stuff at the last minute, and even forgot most of it anyway. Out the door, feeling relaxed, with plenty of time. To remember that I had no food, no money and the wrong 2nd wheelset.
The rain falling as I crossed over the Delaware reminded me that I suck at packing and would have a terrible day, sliding through everything to a DFL. Thankfully, the rain stops just before Easton.
Off on 222, headed right to the Whole Foods. Which will be awesome in 2 months when it opens. More aimless driving, more time eaten up, find a bank, find a gas-station store. Stocked up on crap and chocolate milk, which will get warm in the car because I forgot the cooler, I roll up to Nittany. First thing I do right: park near Dan Larino, Stacey Barbossa and Erin & Angelo M. Win!
That would be as close as I got to winning :)
Quickly dive in for a half lap before the 9am race. Left some stuff on the car - another vote for not screwing around in the morning:
IMG_20160918_090610379.jpg

Like Eric said, I may be the only person who can see what's on top of a Honda Odyssey.
Rain begins to fall again at 9am, and I am reminded again, that I am a lazy dummy.
IMG_20160918_100609467.jpg

They all brought rain tires. See how happy?
Rain stops and I get two solid laps in before the 10am race. The parched ground has already soaked up the rain, and with the murky exception of the Ebola Pit behind T-Town, it's drying nicely. The HMs are grabbing the corners well and I'm starting to feel like I dodged a bullet. Right before being crushed by a bus.
The line up sees me in 3rd row. I dunno how that happened. I'm with guys who are running 2-3 minutes faster overall than I am. I am resolved not to crash them, or myself, out. That's job one. I can't remember job two. I think it had something to do with remembering to keep my mouth closed in the mud. Succeeded at one, not so much at two.
Ramjet in full effect-
upload_2016-9-19_8-50-13.png

(Stolen from Brandy Boyle, who is awesome)
The start is relatively mellow. I hemorrhage spots like a bleeding ocelot for a half-lap and the race starts to settle in. Despite being 10lbs heavy and totally lacking in pop, the snap and crackle are in there somewhere: lines are good, I anticipate getting chopped and avoid a couple of em, I can move when I need to, within our lil group.
For about 200 yards.
Then effing @ChrisG moves and busts our little pack into pieces and I'm chasing, remembering how much fun we had at Town Hall two years ago. Today, though, it's like when you drunk-dial an old girlfriend, remembering all the fun times, and you get together and THEN you remember her penchant for torturing animals. Today I was the animal. Me and a coupla old people try to chase Chris down. There's a brief moment of hope when he goes through the tape on the top side, but he refuses to stay there and continues racing, still ahead. I auger a pedal on a corner (loving the high BB of the Kona, btw. Even with a 180mm crank, I'm able to pedal through stuff other folks can't.)
What it looked like from the side. All I saw was Chris' butt.
upload_2016-9-19_9-0-19.png

(Again, stolen from Brandy)
Fun things that happened while Chris was riding in front of me:
-The log-over was removed just prior to our start, so I was unclipped and half off the bike when "NO LOG NO LOG NO LOG!" became something I could understand and I got to gimp back on without touching the ground.
-I ate mud. Every single lap.
-I didn't suck over the barriers as much as I thought I would. GODDAMN those things come up quickly. Followed immediately by a tricky lil downhill juke. Just perverse enough to be fun.
-The MTBNJ corner was AWESOME! HI @pearl! Hi @mandi!
-My lap times were consistent:
7:40
7:43
7:48
7:45
7:47
7:51
(While not fast, I'm happy. By January I could be ready for CX!)
I love to hate on Nittany: early season, too hot, roadie course, same course. I take it all back. I had a great time. @Robin crushed it again. The Sole kids, Dan and Erin both got well-deserved wood, and Barbossa's 7th behind Arly's 1st in the Elite Womens was icing on a very happy cake. (I missed @The Heckler's ride as I had to get back home, but I was happy to see that his usually super-specific race report was like a kid's finger-painting, meaning all of that magical "how does he remember that" specificity was sacrificed to the gods of SPEEEEEEEEEED!)
 

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The Heckler

You bring new meaning to the term SUCK
sacrificed to the gods of SPEEEEEEEEEED!)

Sacrificed or blocked out. Seriously thinking my brain hard reset so I wouldn't remember anything so I might toe the line next week.

Also, I'm going to go ahead and just plea to you to start a recap thread of your own. I'm a huge fan and your writing is simply magnificent.

P.S. You look great in sprinkles.
 
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