Beer, Bikes, and Snow

I had no plans of racing CX this year.  I have not done any training since Nationals 2017 .  Not only have I lost fitness, I've also lost the desire to race.  But a friend gave me the nudge to get out there again.  I dusted the cobwebs off my CX bike and hit a few of the Wednesday night Otto practices.  I told myself  that I would enter the CX races that mattered - the first being Lucky Charm CX.  I met Michael "Lucky" Lukowiak in 2011 at the MTBNJ 2011 Mooch Madness race. He was a complete goofball and always made me laugh. In the fall of 2017, Lucky was participating in a cross race and had a sudden massive heart attack following the race. Lucky Charm Cyclocross came about as a way to honor Lucky. So figured that if I was going to pin a number this year,  it would be for him. I  registered for the Elite - Cat 1-2 race and knew I was going to get slaughtered. But I didn't care. My goal was to put in a good effort and have ...

It's been a few months since I last checked in - I had just been cleared by my hand surgeon and hand therapist.  That was early November.  A few have asked..."how's the thumb"?? It's ok.  I'd say I'm at 85%.  Opening jar lids and bottles is still a challenge.  It's stiff and and stretching my thumb across my palm is still challenging.  I'm not in pain though, which is a plus.  Many have told me it takes at least a year to be fully healed. I've been reading sports motivation books - this is from The Brave Athlete I've been back on the bike but it's been a struggle - both mentally and physically.  Even though I was running (which I'll get into later), I lost fitness over those months of not training and being off the bike.  I certainly feel it when I climb.  And I notice it while riding with others I used to keep up with. I also lost confidence riding more technical and challenging terrain.  What if I fall and get hurt agai...

I love Bubble CX.  I have had some really great races at this venue.  And this year it would be a double race with the NJ State Championship on Day 1.  But when the dates were announced, I already had a "save the date" for a friend's wedding.  What to do...I made the decision to race and then head to my friend's wedding after.  Luckily the Master's race was early enough that I could race and make myself presentable for the wedding. I couldn't sleep and rather than sit at home I got to the race early.  I knew that getting out to pre-ride would be limited due to the stacked start times.  I watched the first race then got out for a lap.  My legs were still feeling HPCX and I was a bit worried about how they would feel racing today.  I knew the sand to woods transition would be tricky, so I went back and tried two different lines.  I opted to sit and watch the other races before getting on my trainer. There were only 3 of us in the M...

When I was planning out my CX season, I made sure I included Caffeinated CX.   Last year was my first time racing this venue and I absolutely loved it.  The course venue is the Gloucester County Fairgrounds and is known to be quite technical.  This year was no different. My friend who rides for Caffeinated told me that they changed the course a bit.  I was worried they made it "easier" but upon my arrival, I realized it still was a CX made for a mountain biker.  With the week's drizzle leading up to the race, there were some corners and off-camber sections that required skilled handling.  The small steps leading up to the sand run-up were still in the course.  I was psyched for this race. Due to the small number of ladies racing both Elite and Master's, they combined our races so we were all out on the course at the same time.  The Elite ladies lined up in front of us Master's, and had a 30-second gap on the start. The official blew the ...

Last year I couldn't wait for CX to end.  The combination of a long mountain bike race season and new CX category left me feeling...burned out.  I thought about how I could change the 2015 year to avoid this and have fun. Since I wouldn't be competing at Nationals this year, I was able to end my mountain bike race season early enough to have some "fun" over the summer before training for CX.  I managed to cross a few "to-do's" off my list - climbing Bear Mountain, climbing Sunrise Mountain and High Point, downhilling at Mountain Creek, and just riding for fun with friends. I also adjusted my goals and expectations for my CX season.  I mapped out a total of 16 races for the season. I chose races that were relatively local and most lined up to be back-to-back on the weekends.  I supported the "home grown" races of the New Jersey CX Cup and one PACX .  I also did most of the MAC races, with the exception of Charm City. I finished all of my...