The C
that's the cliff jump
IGVENTURE
- Thread starter pooriggy
- Start date
that's the cliff jump
Gneiss!
stilluf
Well-Known Member
Very cool Igventure! I can attest to how much cleaner the water is. In the 80s and 90s, I worked with my father on his lobster boat in NJ while in school. He told me then how much cleaner the ocean water was from when he was a kid in Brooklyn, especially after ocean dumping of garbage stopped (yes they actually disposed of garbage by putting it on a barge and dumping it out at sea!). And now, the water is even cleaner than it was then. This is why we routinely see whales and other marine life so close in shore these days. Nature's resilience is amazing, just give it a chance.
New helmet? And a hat? Are you Mitch?
Two minutes to go, said the starter as 25 of us straddled our bikes in the 1/2/3/4 50+ class at HPCX on Sunday morning. The line was dead silent, these are hard men, who know how to race and are good at going fast. One minute to go is announced, his voice breaking through the air like thunder, there was no shortage of testosterone around me, everyone had on game face. Finally the whistle blows, which sends us off like a pack of hunting dogs.
Iggy race face, thanks @Magic for pics.
The start of the course was a straight, slightly downhill road into flat grass with a turn into a sand sections. Looking at this start before the race made me feel uneasy, given the fact that I was racing a SS mtb, I would have preferred an uphill start. I let those uneasy feelings go and remind myself why I'm here...to do the best I can with what I got and just go hard. For me, these are training races, a chance to push myself to the max and at the same time gain the experience of cx and hanging out with team and friends. My real goal is to kick ass at Cathedral Pines in 3 weeks as a team with Brian Ackerman.
Surprisingly I come out ripping, I spin my SS like the start of SSaP, which is the fastest you will ever go on a road in one gear. Coming out of the sand sections I am sitting in 5th place as we jump back onto a road and head up to the mud. The climb up is not so bad however it gets worse the higher we go, my Racing Ralph tires are now ballooned out to Sloppy Sally. As we approach the first off camber section near the basketball courts, I am now that orange cone on the highway that found it's way onto the center of the road, forcing people to dodge it at high speed. I hear the word fuck and Iggy several times from Victor S, who is my racing peer in mtbing, he's like...ok Iggy, you had your fun, now get the fuck out of the way. I get it, I've more or less have said the same to others while racing.
Thanks@Norm for pics
I continue my plummet further back in the pack as we run through 150 yards of ankle deep mud, I emulate other racers and shoulder my bike, however the weight of it with mud allows me to only slog forward, verse run this stuff. I remount on the backside of the tennis courts, only to slide down hard on the off camber peanut butter as we come around the tennis courts, Norm got a good view of this. I get up and push my bike around the front of the tennis courts and hop back on and peddle to the barriers. This is where I was passed by a warm fuzzy giraffe that I like to hug, otherwise known as my teammate Sean. Despite his gangly appearance he floats past me like a giraffe cruising the Serengeti. After the barriers there is an road section, which despite the fact that it's uphill, I'm happy to see, finally something to ride. Once at the top, the course gradually winds downhill through mud back to the start, even though it's downhill, it's still more effort then it should be, given the conditions.
With the start of lap 2 I feel like I'm DFL, I can't confirm it at this point but that feeling makes it really hard mentally for me to give it all I have. It's easy to go all in when you are riding for a podium, winning is a great motivator. I can't stop the clock and call a time out, so I keep on moving, but damn, those muddy running sections hurt, I never worked so hard to gain so little. I felt like a rodeo clown getting my ass kicked by a bull. I was encouraged to see 2 laps to go as I came around after 3 laps. I settled into a rhythm and developed a game plan, don't get lapped, finish out the race for 5 laps. This meant I had to keep pushing hard on my 4th lap, knowing the leaders were not too far behind. This plan provided the motivation I needed to get around the course and begin my 5th lap.
This last lap was mine and I felt a sense of accomplishment in getting to ride it, the icing on the cake was catching a few racers and passing them to finish out strong. For me getting 15th out of 25 was very rewarding mentally. Thinking about it now, on Monday morning, CX is like basic training in the marines. The marines run through mud with backpacks on, cx racers run through mud with bikes on there back. The only purpose it serves is to test you physically and mentally, it makes no sense, other then to make you hard and strong. I'm not ready to join the cx army, but dabbling in these races is a good way to become a better mtb racer. Racing cx every week is too hard for me, I enjoy mtbing more and don't want to give that up to train/race cx. I am thankful to have the option to jump into a local cx race occasionally to supplement my mtb race training, maybe I should look for some better tires to throw on my mtb for when I do jump into cx races.
Me and my warm fuzzy giraffe.
Hard to believe this was just 3 years ago...what happened to the cx scene?
Iggy race face, thanks @Magic for pics.
The start of the course was a straight, slightly downhill road into flat grass with a turn into a sand sections. Looking at this start before the race made me feel uneasy, given the fact that I was racing a SS mtb, I would have preferred an uphill start. I let those uneasy feelings go and remind myself why I'm here...to do the best I can with what I got and just go hard. For me, these are training races, a chance to push myself to the max and at the same time gain the experience of cx and hanging out with team and friends. My real goal is to kick ass at Cathedral Pines in 3 weeks as a team with Brian Ackerman.
Surprisingly I come out ripping, I spin my SS like the start of SSaP, which is the fastest you will ever go on a road in one gear. Coming out of the sand sections I am sitting in 5th place as we jump back onto a road and head up to the mud. The climb up is not so bad however it gets worse the higher we go, my Racing Ralph tires are now ballooned out to Sloppy Sally. As we approach the first off camber section near the basketball courts, I am now that orange cone on the highway that found it's way onto the center of the road, forcing people to dodge it at high speed. I hear the word fuck and Iggy several times from Victor S, who is my racing peer in mtbing, he's like...ok Iggy, you had your fun, now get the fuck out of the way. I get it, I've more or less have said the same to others while racing.
Thanks@Norm for pics
I continue my plummet further back in the pack as we run through 150 yards of ankle deep mud, I emulate other racers and shoulder my bike, however the weight of it with mud allows me to only slog forward, verse run this stuff. I remount on the backside of the tennis courts, only to slide down hard on the off camber peanut butter as we come around the tennis courts, Norm got a good view of this. I get up and push my bike around the front of the tennis courts and hop back on and peddle to the barriers. This is where I was passed by a warm fuzzy giraffe that I like to hug, otherwise known as my teammate Sean. Despite his gangly appearance he floats past me like a giraffe cruising the Serengeti. After the barriers there is an road section, which despite the fact that it's uphill, I'm happy to see, finally something to ride. Once at the top, the course gradually winds downhill through mud back to the start, even though it's downhill, it's still more effort then it should be, given the conditions.
With the start of lap 2 I feel like I'm DFL, I can't confirm it at this point but that feeling makes it really hard mentally for me to give it all I have. It's easy to go all in when you are riding for a podium, winning is a great motivator. I can't stop the clock and call a time out, so I keep on moving, but damn, those muddy running sections hurt, I never worked so hard to gain so little. I felt like a rodeo clown getting my ass kicked by a bull. I was encouraged to see 2 laps to go as I came around after 3 laps. I settled into a rhythm and developed a game plan, don't get lapped, finish out the race for 5 laps. This meant I had to keep pushing hard on my 4th lap, knowing the leaders were not too far behind. This plan provided the motivation I needed to get around the course and begin my 5th lap.
This last lap was mine and I felt a sense of accomplishment in getting to ride it, the icing on the cake was catching a few racers and passing them to finish out strong. For me getting 15th out of 25 was very rewarding mentally. Thinking about it now, on Monday morning, CX is like basic training in the marines. The marines run through mud with backpacks on, cx racers run through mud with bikes on there back. The only purpose it serves is to test you physically and mentally, it makes no sense, other then to make you hard and strong. I'm not ready to join the cx army, but dabbling in these races is a good way to become a better mtb racer. Racing cx every week is too hard for me, I enjoy mtbing more and don't want to give that up to train/race cx. I am thankful to have the option to jump into a local cx race occasionally to supplement my mtb race training, maybe I should look for some better tires to throw on my mtb for when I do jump into cx races.
Me and my warm fuzzy giraffe.
Hard to believe this was just 3 years ago...what happened to the cx scene?
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I've been married 25 years as of today. I can tell you about bike racing, kayaking around Manhattan, XC skiing racing, those are fun adventures and have found them to give meaning and purpose to my life, but being married to Mary is my life, it's part of who I am.
Without someone to love, and be loved by, someone to hold and be held by, there are no adventures for me. That someone I need in my life is Mary. Like something you have for a long time, you come to cherish it, protect it and it becomes of greater value to you. Living together in our 50s we have seen the good, bad, heartbreaking things that happen in life, we've seen it together. Even though love did not keep Captain and Tennille together, it will keep us together. Love u momma.
Don't just like this post, after reading this hug your spouse/partner and tell them you love them.
I think we were 23ish in this pic.
Without someone to love, and be loved by, someone to hold and be held by, there are no adventures for me. That someone I need in my life is Mary. Like something you have for a long time, you come to cherish it, protect it and it becomes of greater value to you. Living together in our 50s we have seen the good, bad, heartbreaking things that happen in life, we've seen it together. Even though love did not keep Captain and Tennille together, it will keep us together. Love u momma.
Don't just like this post, after reading this hug your spouse/partner and tell them you love them.
I think we were 23ish in this pic.
The Kalmyk
Well-Known Member
Happy Anniversary you and your wife Iggs!!! Wish you many more.
I think 25yr gift is CX bike.
Yeah, just checked the interweb. CX Bike it is. Happy Anniversary kids!
FYI... 25yrs 1week is pit wheels. 26yrs is pit bike.
Juggernaut
Master of the Metaphor
Welcome to the 25 n Up club!
I need to dye my hair, we were talking about this at HPCX. Norm thought Victor S was 40+...Victor doesn't have gray hair.
If I dyed my hair I'd look old, instead of old as shit.
Iggy, I'm happy to see you liking the CX, as I think you're doing it exactly how you should be, at least for you.
Your focus is on XC, yet you find CX races good to drop in on. Race your heart out on the bike you have, don't get too serious in CX specific training, buying CX bikes, etc. Place where you place while keeping fresh for the races you actually care about.
CX started as a way for road riders to keep at it in the off season, maybe people do take it too seriously sometimes.
Your focus is on XC, yet you find CX races good to drop in on. Race your heart out on the bike you have, don't get too serious in CX specific training, buying CX bikes, etc. Place where you place while keeping fresh for the races you actually care about.
CX started as a way for road riders to keep at it in the off season, maybe people do take it too seriously sometimes.
I guess everyone finds there niche or nietzsche, I've found mine in xc mtb racing, however I must say I was thoroughly impressed with how many strong old guys there were in the 50+ class. It's inspiring as a 50+guy to see this, in mtb racing the number of 50+guys seems to thin out, there was a surplus of them at HPCX.
Also, it was good to see a large field of pro women killing that course on Sunday, to be honest, I've never seen that many strong women in one race. I wish mtb races attracted that many pro racers.
Yeah, I don't want to go down the road of full on CX guy. I've developed a greater appreciation for how strong these folks are, and I know where to go for an ass kicking race, if I do jump in, it's to get tuned up and join in the fun with team and friends...at least for now.