Alex are your are one observant mofo, you are the H2H accountant. good race yesterday, see you at jungle.
Chain Stretcher Recap Thread
- Thread starter Norm
- Start date
Alex are your are one observant mofo, you are the H2H accountant. good race yesterday, see you at jungle.
ChrisRU
Well-Known Member
Cat2 19-29
I met up with Dr Rob in the AM and we headed up to Blue. Race days are getting to be pretty routine. After grabbing our bikes, we registered, chatted with some familiar faces, got geared up then met up with ChrisS for what turned out to be a solid warmup. None of us had prerode the course so we hit the first half to check out the climbs, then took a shortcut out to get to line nice and warm with only a few minutes to start.
SS goes off, then my group follows. This was nice because the past few races we have been starting towards the back which leads to a lot of course traffic. My group starts out fast, as it always does. Flying down the road we hit the sharp left onto the loose gravel climb. Almost everyone goes down. I was mid pack and saw it coming, so I shifted into a low gear and attempted to slow spin my way through the mess. This ended up not working at all as my tire was just spinning on the gravel. I had burnt a lot of energy and by the time I dismounted to run up most of my group was already back on their bikes and on their way. I get back on but get stuck behind two guys taking their sweet time climbing, I think I was in last at this point. As soon as I get a chance I blow past them, but there was no one else in sight. I keep a decent pace on the climbs but I'm really pissed at my start, and out of sync. I tell myself its a long race but I don't settle in until at least halfway through the first lap.
I rode by myself for most of the first lap. I may have passed some people but I don't really remember. A few of the leaders from groups that started behind me pass me, and I catch a glimpse of Pearl up ahead in one of the twistier sections.
I come through the start/finish greeted by a great cheering section and a perfect bottle exchange thanks to my girlfriend Kayla. I'm feeling good and know I can make up some time on the climbs so I settle in and try to put down a smooth and consistent effort. Before the downhill to the lake ChrisS comes by followed by Kirt who was battling with some guy. I enjoy the second lap much more, as I'm riding the way I want to ride. I was cleaning everything Blue was throwing at me.
I eventually start catching some glimpses of Pearl again. I eventually catch up to him and he rides my wheel for the last 1/4 lap or so, dropping off only at the very end. He was riding solid and I was surprised that I caught him considering he was staying right with me.
I cross the finish really happy with the race and effort I put down. I was thinking that I must have placed pretty lousy though because I lost everyone at the start. When the results posted I was excited to find out I ended up in 5th. They also posted the splits. My second lap felt faster and it turned out that it was.
Thanks to the promoters for putting together a great event and to everyone who puts time into maintaining Blue, the place is such a blast to ride.
I met up with Dr Rob in the AM and we headed up to Blue. Race days are getting to be pretty routine. After grabbing our bikes, we registered, chatted with some familiar faces, got geared up then met up with ChrisS for what turned out to be a solid warmup. None of us had prerode the course so we hit the first half to check out the climbs, then took a shortcut out to get to line nice and warm with only a few minutes to start.
SS goes off, then my group follows. This was nice because the past few races we have been starting towards the back which leads to a lot of course traffic. My group starts out fast, as it always does. Flying down the road we hit the sharp left onto the loose gravel climb. Almost everyone goes down. I was mid pack and saw it coming, so I shifted into a low gear and attempted to slow spin my way through the mess. This ended up not working at all as my tire was just spinning on the gravel. I had burnt a lot of energy and by the time I dismounted to run up most of my group was already back on their bikes and on their way. I get back on but get stuck behind two guys taking their sweet time climbing, I think I was in last at this point. As soon as I get a chance I blow past them, but there was no one else in sight. I keep a decent pace on the climbs but I'm really pissed at my start, and out of sync. I tell myself its a long race but I don't settle in until at least halfway through the first lap.
I rode by myself for most of the first lap. I may have passed some people but I don't really remember. A few of the leaders from groups that started behind me pass me, and I catch a glimpse of Pearl up ahead in one of the twistier sections.
I come through the start/finish greeted by a great cheering section and a perfect bottle exchange thanks to my girlfriend Kayla. I'm feeling good and know I can make up some time on the climbs so I settle in and try to put down a smooth and consistent effort. Before the downhill to the lake ChrisS comes by followed by Kirt who was battling with some guy. I enjoy the second lap much more, as I'm riding the way I want to ride. I was cleaning everything Blue was throwing at me.
I eventually start catching some glimpses of Pearl again. I eventually catch up to him and he rides my wheel for the last 1/4 lap or so, dropping off only at the very end. He was riding solid and I was surprised that I caught him considering he was staying right with me.
I cross the finish really happy with the race and effort I put down. I was thinking that I must have placed pretty lousy though because I lost everyone at the start. When the results posted I was excited to find out I ended up in 5th. They also posted the splits. My second lap felt faster and it turned out that it was.
Thanks to the promoters for putting together a great event and to everyone who puts time into maintaining Blue, the place is such a blast to ride.
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Neilism
I Owe Norm $10
Hope you get well soon......what kind of pedal did that to your leg?
Willy your right. The rules are pretty clear about racing as a cat 2 then stepping back down as cat 3. As for Bautista Blue Mt was his 5th podium this year , again according to the the rules he is also supposed to move up.
Thx for the props. couple of my goals this year was to podium a cat 3 race. and then move to cat 2 and be competitive. It took alot of of hard work and commitment.I feel good about accomplishing it. since my fitness base was about a zero last year.
Wish i knew how to do multiple quotes here.
Sasquatch it was good racing with and no you didnt hold me up anywhere.
Pampa congrats on your first win!
Oreo cant wait to see the video. again nice meeting you. Hey 9th would be great if it true. That was a fast field!
ryderX
Well-Known Member
This topic seems to come up every year around this time, so here's the 911 on it:Upgrade Rules
Mountain bike racing is a challenging and fun sport, and the Campmor H2H promoters will do the best we can to keep it that way. This responsibility does not fall on the shoulders of the promoters alone, however. Racers should continue to challenge themselves and upgrade to the higher categories.
The Campmor H2H Series will be following the USA Cycling Mountain Rules (www.usacycling.org) when it comes to upgrading situations. Simply stated, riders must advance to the next skill level if they have five top five finishes in their current category and class, provided the race consisted of the minimum number of competitors in each category and class (see table below). Upgrades will be based on a rider's placing in their current category during a calendar year. Riders advancing from Cat 2 to Cat 1 must apply to USA Cycling (www.usacycling.org) or can be upgraded on-site by a USA Cycling Official and will be required to purchase a USA Cycling License. If a rider wishes to stay in his or her current category in pursuit of a series title, that a rider must obtain a wavier from USA Cycling which will allow the rider to finish a series in the original category. A rider in this scenario is also responsible for notifying the series coordinator. However, if a rider is finishing consistently in the top three (3) of any category, it is strongly suggested that they upgrade to continue to challenge themselves and keep the racing fun. Remember: you will transfer the actual value of your points earned to the category in which you upgrade.
If you upgrade, please contact the series coordinator and series scorekeeper.
Class Men Women
Senior 19-29 15 10
Master 30-34; Master 35-39 15* 10*
Master 40-44; Master 45-49 10* 5*
Master 50+ 5 5
In those classes that require a minimum of ten competitors, the top three in the class are counted for upgrading.
In those classes that require five, the top finisher will be counted for upgrading.
*Changed from 2008
It is the rider's responsibility to keep track of their status. If a rider is found in violation of the category advancement rule, then they will be subject to the consequences, which will at the very least mean instant advancement. It may lead to disqualification and loss of series points and may even result in suspension from the series and or suspension of the rider's USA Cycling license.
If someone has good basis to believe that there is a rider in violation, please research the rider in question by first checking the Series Results (www.campmor.com or www.h2hrace.com) and their USA Cycling Results (www.usacycling.org). If your suspicions are true, then contact a USA Cycling Official and a series promoter and we will look into the matter and take action if necessary.
In the event of a downgrade request, the rider must petition USA Cycling in writing with a rationale for the request and report the downgrade to the series coordinator and series scorekeeper.
Any change in category should be immediately reported to the series
coordinator and series scorekeeper. Their e-mail addresses are located on
any series results page and the series website (www.h2hrace.com).
This is the rider's responsibility.
Mountain bike racing is a challenging and fun sport, and the Campmor H2H promoters will do the best we can to keep it that way. This responsibility does not fall on the shoulders of the promoters alone, however. Racers should continue to challenge themselves and upgrade to the higher categories.
The Campmor H2H Series will be following the USA Cycling Mountain Rules (www.usacycling.org) when it comes to upgrading situations. Simply stated, riders must advance to the next skill level if they have five top five finishes in their current category and class, provided the race consisted of the minimum number of competitors in each category and class (see table below). Upgrades will be based on a rider's placing in their current category during a calendar year. Riders advancing from Cat 2 to Cat 1 must apply to USA Cycling (www.usacycling.org) or can be upgraded on-site by a USA Cycling Official and will be required to purchase a USA Cycling License. If a rider wishes to stay in his or her current category in pursuit of a series title, that a rider must obtain a wavier from USA Cycling which will allow the rider to finish a series in the original category. A rider in this scenario is also responsible for notifying the series coordinator. However, if a rider is finishing consistently in the top three (3) of any category, it is strongly suggested that they upgrade to continue to challenge themselves and keep the racing fun. Remember: you will transfer the actual value of your points earned to the category in which you upgrade.
If you upgrade, please contact the series coordinator and series scorekeeper.
Class Men Women
Senior 19-29 15 10
Master 30-34; Master 35-39 15* 10*
Master 40-44; Master 45-49 10* 5*
Master 50+ 5 5
In those classes that require a minimum of ten competitors, the top three in the class are counted for upgrading.
In those classes that require five, the top finisher will be counted for upgrading.
*Changed from 2008
It is the rider's responsibility to keep track of their status. If a rider is found in violation of the category advancement rule, then they will be subject to the consequences, which will at the very least mean instant advancement. It may lead to disqualification and loss of series points and may even result in suspension from the series and or suspension of the rider's USA Cycling license.
If someone has good basis to believe that there is a rider in violation, please research the rider in question by first checking the Series Results (www.campmor.com or www.h2hrace.com) and their USA Cycling Results (www.usacycling.org). If your suspicions are true, then contact a USA Cycling Official and a series promoter and we will look into the matter and take action if necessary.
In the event of a downgrade request, the rider must petition USA Cycling in writing with a rationale for the request and report the downgrade to the series coordinator and series scorekeeper.
Any change in category should be immediately reported to the series
coordinator and series scorekeeper. Their e-mail addresses are located on
any series results page and the series website (www.h2hrace.com).
This is the rider's responsibility.
sasquatch2
Member
I saw the meat hanging from the cat3 racer' leg 😛uke:
but before I did I thought what a cool red splatter custom paint job he had on his bike until I saw where the red had come from! I went looking for a second paramedic but there was only one and he was applying a band-aid to another dude's knee so I pointed out the gusher and he jumped on it! Those paramedics are awesome! this race in particular they deserve equal praise to the promoters!
but before I did I thought what a cool red splatter custom paint job he had on his bike until I saw where the red had come from! I went looking for a second paramedic but there was only one and he was applying a band-aid to another dude's knee so I pointed out the gusher and he jumped on it! Those paramedics are awesome! this race in particular they deserve equal praise to the promoters!
wlee
Active Member
Thanks Steve for also speaking up and ryderx for the correct explanation. I am not going to say anything to any official, I am simply going to keep training and riding harder and just beat them sooner or later.
Pampa
Well-Known Member
Thank you Steve! I was happy as a dog with two tales! That's until some people started calling me a sandbagger though, that really soured my day. For me this was a great accomplishment and one that I honestly didn't expected in the least. I started this season after not getting on my MTN bike for almost 2 years! Not to mention I have always been technically challenged (just ask any of the Marty's guys I ride with in Hackettstown!). However, I was in pretty good shape (had been training to qualify for the Boston Marathon) so, in part, I made up my lack of skills with fitness.
This year I had decided to give it my best shot at this sport (goal was, and still is, to finish top 5 overall) and for that I've been training like crazy, riding with people better than me every time I can and taking a bit more than wise risks at races. All this has paid off and I'm having a racing season much better than I expected.
I've always planned to go to Cat 2. People that know me will tell you I challenge myself, even in unwise manners. Every race I do my best and that's what I'll do in JH this Sunday. If I end up finishing in the top 5, I will move up to Cat 2 immediately (I'm well aware of the rules) and do Ringwood in Cat 2 (which I have never even been to, same as JH until this afternoon) and I'll be happy with that, even if I have to drop from the overall chase in Cat 3 at the very end. However, I'm not going to move up early just because some people (you know who you are🙂) think "I do not belong" in Cat 3.
In any case, I'm looking forward to a challenging race and moving up to Cat 2 to keep battling with some familiar faces.
Thanks again for the congrats.
wlee
Active Member
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wlee
Active Member
cretin
Member
Results for the Chainstretcher are posted here, but the times do not seem to be adjusted???
http://wmba.org/
http://wmba.org/
yeah cat 2 isnt adjusted. hopefully they will correct the times.
PlayAllDay
Member
Cat 1 women should be subtract 18 minutes