The Heckler
You bring new meaning to the term SUCK
2017 Orchard Hill Assault - Amherst, MA
An on campus bike race at UMass Amherst? The very school I received my degree from in 2012? On the same trails I started riding on? AND THE FIRST TIME THEY ARE HOLDING IT SINCE 2011, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST TIME AND PLACE I EVER RACED XC AS A CAT 3?!?!?!?!? Sign me up.
It's no secret I like to drive very far to race my bike. I loaded up with @rsinger814 and Keb and ripped up to Northampton Friday night. Zach drove out and we all met and crashed at Chris and Ty's place. One stop for chipwiches at a food store in CT, 4 for $2.49 (gotta remember that deal) and one more stop for beer in Noho and we were there by 10:30.
The race was being put on by the UMass bike racing team. Early course reports from Ty were that the course was "soooo goooodddd!!!! *surfer laugh*"
Zach was coming out of MTB retirement to race Cat 2 with Tyler who left before I got up to preride and had a little accident just before I arrived at 10:20 to catch the start of the Cat 2 race. He would not be racing.
We grabbed ham and cheese croissants from Tart Baking Co on the way over, my favorite.
I ran around for an hour and took some pix of my friends racing. I picked up a used Sony 70-200 f2.8 for the alpha 77 and finally broke it out for a race. It's prettttyyy legit, still need some practice with it but stoked.
ZACH!
Ty, also running around cheering and taking pixxx despite TWO BROKEN RIBS AND A PARTIALLY COLLAPSED LUNG.
Kool Keith is a LDBCX alum now racing for Zank/Mad Alchemy. Keith has the best pain faces in the game.
Tim has been ripping my legs of in CX for a few years now, this was homies first XC race so he was stuck as a Cat 2. Breaking the pain face with a smile as he climbs for the win.
Chris "Boogie Beats" Bassett rides harder and has more fun than anyone on earth.
The course really was "sooooo goooooddd!!!! *surfer laugh*" Uphill 100 yard gravel hole shot right into the downhill I took to class everyday. Some tight switchbacks and a couple kickers and logs. Climb back up on an off camber with a couple hard to track mud sections marked comically with "caution, wet floor" signs. Quick rip at the top with a A/B line option featuring a double mini double then back downhill.
Pop out and 1/2 climb back on the grass, slight grass down, then finish the up. All the way back down fast open grass turns and back into the woods. A few tight turns then a steep single track climb almost back to the top. Rip a s/t down with a few berms and kickers, then back on the grass to climb back to the start finish.
Now just do 5 of those chasing Nick Lando with the Garmin reading 96. Sick!
I have a shitty start and go into the woods in 6th right behind Matt E. The front 4 open a small gap by the bottom of the DH and I make a pass around Matt up the slippery floor climb. I make one more pass at the top of the hill and am behind New England SS phenom Aiden. 1 and 2 have made some time and I yoyo with Aiden for 2.5 laps. I reel on the climbs and he dumps me on the DH like the patheic roadie I am. Finally his gear catches up to him and I come around up the grass on lap 3 and open a solid gap by the top.
Elite Endurance/UVM rider Sammy is ahead of me in second. We do a similar yoyo without ever being too close. He totally drops me out of sight on the DH and I bring him back to 15 seconds on the grass climbs. Nick Lando pulls a Nick Lando and is totally gone. Last DH run Sammy totally drops me down and I think it's over until I'm at the bottom of the final grass climb and see him sitting up nearing the finish. I stand and sprint the whole hill and close the gap to maybe 100' before my friends blow up my spot and start screaming at me. Sammy looks back and is forced to make a quick effort to keep me away. I probably would never have caught him, but damn was his scramble worth the final attack. I think my max HR was that last attack. I probably should have been doing that all race.
3rd!!! sickkkk!
I spin down with Nick and Sammy and shoot the shit for a few, then go back and chill with the crew in the lot. So much stoke but my g/d brains were melting out of my ears. It. was. HOT.
Podium at the same event, 2 classes up 6 years later. cool beans!
Hit the hanger for wings and beer after then hangs the rest of the night.
Short race but with the temp I'm thankful. 1:10, 11.6 miles, 1634'
https://www.strava.com/activities/963245978
Our Sunday Earl's ripper got cut short by some rain, but that was fun AF while it lasted! Ripped so hardddddddddddd!
https://www.strava.com/activities/964837707
An on campus bike race at UMass Amherst? The very school I received my degree from in 2012? On the same trails I started riding on? AND THE FIRST TIME THEY ARE HOLDING IT SINCE 2011, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST TIME AND PLACE I EVER RACED XC AS A CAT 3?!?!?!?!? Sign me up.
It's no secret I like to drive very far to race my bike. I loaded up with @rsinger814 and Keb and ripped up to Northampton Friday night. Zach drove out and we all met and crashed at Chris and Ty's place. One stop for chipwiches at a food store in CT, 4 for $2.49 (gotta remember that deal) and one more stop for beer in Noho and we were there by 10:30.
The race was being put on by the UMass bike racing team. Early course reports from Ty were that the course was "soooo goooodddd!!!! *surfer laugh*"
Zach was coming out of MTB retirement to race Cat 2 with Tyler who left before I got up to preride and had a little accident just before I arrived at 10:20 to catch the start of the Cat 2 race. He would not be racing.
We grabbed ham and cheese croissants from Tart Baking Co on the way over, my favorite.
I ran around for an hour and took some pix of my friends racing. I picked up a used Sony 70-200 f2.8 for the alpha 77 and finally broke it out for a race. It's prettttyyy legit, still need some practice with it but stoked.
ZACH!
Ty, also running around cheering and taking pixxx despite TWO BROKEN RIBS AND A PARTIALLY COLLAPSED LUNG.
Kool Keith is a LDBCX alum now racing for Zank/Mad Alchemy. Keith has the best pain faces in the game.
Tim has been ripping my legs of in CX for a few years now, this was homies first XC race so he was stuck as a Cat 2. Breaking the pain face with a smile as he climbs for the win.
Chris "Boogie Beats" Bassett rides harder and has more fun than anyone on earth.
The course really was "sooooo goooooddd!!!! *surfer laugh*" Uphill 100 yard gravel hole shot right into the downhill I took to class everyday. Some tight switchbacks and a couple kickers and logs. Climb back up on an off camber with a couple hard to track mud sections marked comically with "caution, wet floor" signs. Quick rip at the top with a A/B line option featuring a double mini double then back downhill.
Pop out and 1/2 climb back on the grass, slight grass down, then finish the up. All the way back down fast open grass turns and back into the woods. A few tight turns then a steep single track climb almost back to the top. Rip a s/t down with a few berms and kickers, then back on the grass to climb back to the start finish.
Now just do 5 of those chasing Nick Lando with the Garmin reading 96. Sick!
I have a shitty start and go into the woods in 6th right behind Matt E. The front 4 open a small gap by the bottom of the DH and I make a pass around Matt up the slippery floor climb. I make one more pass at the top of the hill and am behind New England SS phenom Aiden. 1 and 2 have made some time and I yoyo with Aiden for 2.5 laps. I reel on the climbs and he dumps me on the DH like the patheic roadie I am. Finally his gear catches up to him and I come around up the grass on lap 3 and open a solid gap by the top.
Elite Endurance/UVM rider Sammy is ahead of me in second. We do a similar yoyo without ever being too close. He totally drops me out of sight on the DH and I bring him back to 15 seconds on the grass climbs. Nick Lando pulls a Nick Lando and is totally gone. Last DH run Sammy totally drops me down and I think it's over until I'm at the bottom of the final grass climb and see him sitting up nearing the finish. I stand and sprint the whole hill and close the gap to maybe 100' before my friends blow up my spot and start screaming at me. Sammy looks back and is forced to make a quick effort to keep me away. I probably would never have caught him, but damn was his scramble worth the final attack. I think my max HR was that last attack. I probably should have been doing that all race.
3rd!!! sickkkk!
I spin down with Nick and Sammy and shoot the shit for a few, then go back and chill with the crew in the lot. So much stoke but my g/d brains were melting out of my ears. It. was. HOT.
Podium at the same event, 2 classes up 6 years later. cool beans!
Hit the hanger for wings and beer after then hangs the rest of the night.
Short race but with the temp I'm thankful. 1:10, 11.6 miles, 1634'
https://www.strava.com/activities/963245978
Our Sunday Earl's ripper got cut short by some rain, but that was fun AF while it lasted! Ripped so hardddddddddddd!
https://www.strava.com/activities/964837707