Our soundtrack this week is courtesy of DC-area band, Tiny Bombs. Check them out at TinyBombs.net. The tracks on the video are available for download at the site. Give a listen, then go check them out live.

Housekeeping note: I will be posting BCA and Kelley Acres podium interviews soon. Thank you to everybody that participated. It is truly appreciated and I apologize for the delay in getting your responses on the site.

And now to the video. Thanks for watching.

As always, if your machine is like mine and can’t handle the HD version, click on the red HD button in the bottom right corner of the viewer and the video should stream quicker.

2008 Bethlehem Cup. They're Cross Bones ... Arrrgghh.

We got the Mens Elite podium out of hibernation to see what they remember about the day.

How were the conditions on race day? Did you have to do anything special to prepare?

JUSTIN LINDINE (TARGETRAINING), Mens Elite First Place: Conditions were good on race day. A little on the cold side so warming up was trickier. The course however was a little drier then it had been in past years.

MARK STOTZ (Corner Cycle, Guerciotti X-Crow) Mens Elite Second Place: It was pretty muddy but nowhere near as muddy as the previous two years. I thought it really had everything good to go for the race.

WAYNE BRAY (Syracuse Bicycle / Spokepost.com) Men Elite Third Place: Fairly dry …except for the couple of very muddy sections… fairly cold.

What was the best part of the course? What was the hardest part of the course? Anything you would change?

WAYNE BRAY: Fast downhill gravel road section with the “berm.” I don’t know if it was necessarily the best but it was certainly interesting… I don’t think I’d change it but the runup was absolutely murder…it was more like a climbing wall.

MARK STOTZ: I like the section after the brutal run-up. It’s always rutted and slippery. Takes some power and finesse to manage. The hardest part of the course is the run-up previously mentioned. It’s fairly long and steep and always very slick. The approach to the run-up is nasty and means you can’t go into it with any momentum which makes it even tougher. I really enjoy this race and wouldn’t change a thing. Chuck [Quackenbush] and his boys do a great job.

JUSTIN LINDINE: I always like the top section of the course that runs through the woods. It is often muddy (though not so much this year) but still a little technically difficult. The long run-up into that section though is probably one of the more difficult and deciding factors of the race. It is incredibly steep and slippery and a good spot to attack either while running or immediately after remounting. As far as changes go, I don’t think I would change much, although personally I don’t care for the second set of uphill barriers. But that’s more my feelings on having to do as little running as possible.

Describe the decisive moment or moments in the race. Did it play out the way you hoped?

JUSTIN LINDINE: The race played out fairly straight forward. I got a gap after the first lap with Mark Stotz and we held that until the end. I put in a surge after the last run-up to gap him and take the win.

MARK STOTZ: Two of us got away from everyone really early. It was fun but coming into the finish I was pretty spanked. Justin got the jump on me and I didn’t have much left.

WAYNE BRAY: The decisive moment was during registration when I realized that most the the fast guys weren’t racing! Followed closely by when one of the faster guys crashed pretty hard during the first of the muddy sections… and he couldn’t follow my wheel (since he was laying in the mud and all).

Do you have any pre-race rituals? What kind of a warm-up did you get in? What did you eat before the race?

MARK STOTZ: I drink a Coke before every race. It settles my stomach. If it wasn’t for that I’d quit. Throwing up after a MTB or cross race isn’t fun. Need a good warm up nowadays. Basically rode the course several times and then did a few intervals in the area before the race. I keep my diet simple. No heavy meals, basically oatmeal, yogurt and lots of bananas for later races.

JUSTIN LINDINE: I don’t have anything too specific. I was actually a little tired that day so I didn’t warm up as much as usual. I always like to get a couple of laps in on the course and make sure I have a GU on the line just before the start, but that’s about it.

WAYNE BRAY: I don’t have any pre-race rituals…but I do like to get there plenty early to spend as much time possible riding the course. I have pretty poor technical skills so repeatedly crashing during the pre-ride gets me ready for the day… I think I had a bagel and some peanut butter, but I don’t remember exactly…maybe a gel scrounged out of the console of my car…oh and coffee…lots of coffee.

What tires and pressure did you run? Do you think you made the right choice?

WAYNE BRAY: First race on newly built tubular wheels (Ultegra/Kinlin rims) with Challenge Fango 32 tires. Pressure was enough to bottom out a few times a lap but not too much…not sure what PSI that corresponds to. I gotta say for those conditions they were perfect…a lot of fast firm sections…a few greasy corners and a couple mud bogs…and the Fangos were good in them all.

MARK STOTZ: Warmed up on a Tufo Flexus and nearly killed myself when the front end washed out. Ended up going to a Dugast Rhino 32 C. Ran probably about 30 psi. Perfect tire for the conditions. Thank god my teammates finally convinced me to run lower tire pressures this year. Nothing like trying to corner on 50 PSI in the mud.

JUSTIN LINDINE: I ran Michelin Mud clinchers because the course was a little slick and ran them at about 29lbs or so. I think this was a great choice because I seemed to be hooking up in the turns a little better than some other people on less aggressive tires.

Anything out of the ordinary or remarkable stand out?

MARK STOTZ: The neutral support guy was awesome. Saved my ass. Had a cassette problem that he fixed about 30 minutes before the race.

Do you work with a coach?

MARK STOTZ: John Verheul is my coach. The days of racing totally overtrained are over.

JUSTIN LINDINE: I don’t currently work with a coach. I develop my own training plans and try to listen to my body.

WAYNE BRAY: No coach… but my results haven’t been that great either so…

Is CX your main focus? If not, what is? If it is, how long have you been riding cross?

JUSTIN LINDINE: Road is my primary focus but I try to be on good form for cross. I take a little time off after the road season and try to come back around for cross. I have been racing cross for 3 years now, but this is the first season that I’ve put in a full season worth of racing.

MARK STOTZ: It’s not my total focus but close. Also enjoy racing on the road and MTB (okay sometimes on the MTB). Racing cross 6-7 years.

WAYNE BRAY: I don’t think I have a main focus…I race more road just because the season is longer. I just like riding and racing my bike.

Any words of wisdom for the aspiring cross racer?

MARK STOTZ: Have fun -it’s hard to go that hard if you’re not having fun. Enjoy it while you can.

WAYNE BRAY: Ride so hard that you completely blow up to get to know how it feels…then you’re ready to go race ‘cross.

JUSTIN LINDINE: I’ve found that it’s really important to recover in cross racing. If you race both days of the weekend that’s a lot of intensity work. Make sure you’re not doing too much intensity overall or you will burn out before the end of the season. Also, work on skills….those are precious seconds dismounting, remounting and running.

Other than race, what do you do?

JUSTIN LINDINE: I work in a bike/ ski shop called Windham Mountain Outfitters.

MARK STOTZ: I work as a Physical Therapist. Hike with Bubba the black lab.

WAYNE BRAY: Well I work, I train, I ski a little bit, and I eat…alot.

What are your goals for next year?

WAYNE BRAY: Not be OTB/DFL when the freaks show up to race.

MARK STOTZ: Keep having fun. It’s pretty easy with my teammates and support from George Sykes at Corner Cycle.

JUSTIN LINDINE: I will be riding with a new team this year, BikeReg / Cannondale so I am looking forward to doing well with them on the road….maybe winning a race or two, getting some good NRC experience and then in cross season I would like to again focus on the VERGE New England Series where I podiumed in the overall this year with third. Hopefully I would like to improve on that for next year. We’ll see. That all being said, I like to play things by ear a little in terms of goals….you never know what’s going to come up.

What are you currently doing for training?

MARK STOTZ: Drinking beer. It’s early January and laying pretty low right now.

WAYNE BRAY: Currently just tempo and threshold work to get ready for the road season. Unfortunately here in the Upstate NY Snowbelt it’s exclusively on the rollers or trainer.

JUSTIN LINDINE: Right now I’m back doing base miles getting ready for the upcoming road season.

Anything else you would like to say?

MARK STOTZ: The guys at NYCROSS put on some really fun events. I think we’re lucky that they do.

JUSTIN LINDINE: Ummm.

Give a shout out.

WAYNE BRAY: Tons of credit to the NYCross folks for consistently putting on well run local events…good courses, prizes and atmosphere.

MARK STOTZ: Thanks to George Sykes at Corner Cycle for all the help.

JUSTIN LINDINE: A shout out to my sponsors at TARGETRAINING for a great two seasons and Kyle Wolfe the team manager for doing such a fantastic job.

Bilenky Urban Junkyard Cross 2008 by Damien Talese

The 3rd annual running of the junkyard cyclocross took place December 21 and I caught up with four souls that voluntarily risked tetanus and grave bodily harm to take part in the day’s festivities. Here are their thoughts on how it all went down.

Not to state the obvious, but this race is different. What makes it different for you?

MARC VETTORI aka FAT MARC (C3 Sollay.com): I didn’t make my mind up that I was going until the morning of … Only brought one bike, no trainer.. Worried about staying dry and warm more than anything else. The course was super fun, but not so UCI.USCF legal. Hell, I’m not sure it’s legal anywhere and I mean the laws of the land, not cross rules. VIVA LA RESISTANCE!

HARLAN PRICE (Independent Fabrication): It’s in a junkyard. It’s officially not serious, but is seriously fun.

ANNE ROCK (Sturdy Girl): Fear of tetanus.

DAMIEN TALESE (Ambler, Pa.): I’ve never done a CX race before. I don’t do much if any racing. Mostly ride with friends just for the fun of riding (and to stay in shape).

How did you prepare for the race? Pre-race food, warm-up, pre-race ritual?

FAT MARC: Well since Reston [Capital 'Cross Classic] I’ve been riding my fixed gear two days a week. I’ve also been catching up on eating and drinking. Especially the stuff I skipped during cross season. I got to do some days at the climbing gym working some bouldering problems, too. None of that was proper preparation. Saturday night I went to a party that my buddy Peaches’s in-laws hosted. Buddy the keg breaker made sure I was properly hydrated. Jeff [Bahnson] bought me a chicken and bacon sandwich from the roach coach before our race.

ANNE: Race preparation: Prepare? Pre-race food: candy canes. Warm-up: Rode from my house in Mt Airy, Pa. Pre-race ritual: usually, a visit to a heated bathroom and listening to my IPod that has songs in sync with my warm up pyramid.

DAMIEN: Race preparation: Weather was iffy, so I sat on my couch all morning and wrestled with myself “go or not go.” Pre race food: coffee and a bagel. Warm-up: one lap around the course. No pre race ritual.

What did you wear and did you get it right for the weather?

DAMIEN: Spandex and a winter Under Armor top Gore jersey. Yes I got it right, until I got wet during my warm-up. Then got wetter during the race.

FAT MARC: I had initially planned on riding my race by being paced by Anne Rock, but she stood me up. I had intended to wear my cargo pants and my Granogue Cross sweatshirt. Jeff was in the heat before me and wearing his pajama bottoms. They got really funky, really quickly. I quickly slipped back to the car and put on some tights and my C3-Sollay.com shorts. I pulled the bibs up over the sweatshirt for maximum sexiness.

HARLAN: I always get it right. Even when I’m wrong.

ANNE: I have a knack for that.  Extra socks, plenty of wool, and lobster claws for the ride home.

What bike did you race? What tires and pressure?

DAMIEN: SS Ti Bontrager, Maxxis mobster tire, 35 psi. I liked the course it was nice.

ANNE: The Felt FX1 with Michelin Muds. I didn’t flat, so I guess the pressure was just right.

HARLAN:  Pneumatic hydrolic cross IF machine. Rubber higher than usual.

FAT MARC: I raced my 5 year old Fort Frames Cross bike. I had clinchers on. No tubulars for the junk yard. I think I ran 35lbs in front and rear.

Describe the course. What was the best part of the course? Sketchiest?

FAT MARC: After you rode out of the trailer there was a couple of switch backs. The one cut left hard. I would always go way outside and start to dive in. With the normal taped courses I could lean the tape to make the corner. Unfortunately there was the frontend of FORD F150 as the course marker, and I came awfully close to being a fly on the windshield a number of times. The 6-pack of railroad ties were fun to ride over.

HARLAN: Through a junkyard. Take every piece of road shrapnel you’ve ever seen and put it in a two acre lot. Best part was the stupid sign. Sketchiest was the submerged railroad rails.

ANNE: It was hard to see the course through my mud encrusted eyes.  Lots of pot holes, lots of cars, train tracks, dead bodies, and crack vials.  Best course of the year.  I didn’t pre-ride the course, so I found entering and exiting the trailer a bit of a surprise.

DAMIEN: I liked the course it was nice. The best part and sketchiest was the trailer with the trailer people in it. Once you got in it the floor was wet and slippery.

Is this your first time doing this race?

DAMIEN: It was my first time doing this race and first CX race.

ANNE: First time doing this race.

HARLAN: First time.

FAT MARC: Yeah, it was. I’ll definitely be back.

What was the key moment in your race?

HARLAN: Taking a lazy line, thinking I had enough of a gap, but not counting on a slipped pedal to let Bush come around. [ed. note: Harlan finished 2nd behind Bush].

FAT MARC: A few thoughts here. The start was way faster than I had expected. I quickly found myself near the back. Next about 7 laps into my 10 lap heat, I realized that riding the fixed gear bike to the donut shop wasn’t great training for a 10 lap cross race. Finally, and this was the biggest key for me, was realizing that Anne Rock had showed up during my heat, and that since I had qualified for the final (by finishing 4th in my heat), that she was going to race the final for me. Jeff, who took second in his heat had the same idea, and Anne raced the 2 lap final wearing both our numbers.

ANNE: When the little dog ran in front of me. Didn’t see that coming.

DAMIEN: I was in the mix ’til he said go. Everything just blended together.

Any standout moment before, during or after the race you can share with us?

ANNE: Seeing Damien trying to race cross. The roach coach. The dude in the red, white and blue outfit. Pirates. The usual.

HARLAN: Wrapping ourselves in packing tape.

FAT MARC: Once I realized that the gap between Dan Langolis (Action Dan) and me was not changing and I asked him to slow down and wait for me. That tactic didn’t work and better than me trying to chase my brains out to catch him. My Jedi skills are weak. Dan’s are much stronger than mine.

Give some advice to somebody thinking about doing the Junkyard CX race next year.

DAMIEN: My advice-It’s a must do race, there is a big mix of people racing. From pro MTB racer to the non-pro MTB racer. Even if you just wanna go and spectate you can. There was beer and food and chill people hanging out all day.

ANNE: Heavy sedation and lots of bacon before the ride.  Also, many changes of clothes. Or just ride naked-that way you’ll avoid a wet kit.

HARLAN: It’s not a race. If you don’t appreciate petroleum products on your face don’t go.

FAT MARC: Beer than liquor never sicker, liquor than beer, have no fear. Buy low, Sell High. If it’s too good to be true it probably is.

Give a shout out.

DAMIEN: Shout out to Bilenky bike builders and whose ever junk yard we were in.

ANNE: A shout out to the fine folks of Bilenky bikes for hosting this grand event.  Also, the [DCCoD] stalwarts Jeff B. and FatMarc for giving me their race paper-plates. You guys are alright in my book!

FAT MARC: My wife Diane rules. This lifestyle wouldn’t be as fun or even possible without her. I’ve said it before but having a partner who understands all this Tom Foolery that is the cross lifestyle just makes all this that much more awesome. Thanks to the Delaware Cyclocross Coalition of Delaware. Thanks to Lauri Webber for allowing me to take her 15-year-old son to race in a junkyard. Jeb is a great traveling partner. To all my teammates on C3-Sollay.com, the 2008 MAC Cup Champions; Thanks to my coach Chris Mayhew. Thanks to Kris Auer for deciding on a black kit. For a bigger fellow like myself, black is very slimming. Thanks to folks at Henry’s bikes and Howard at Newark Bike Line for their support as well. . I’d also like to thank the inventor of the apple fritter, clearly the world’s most dominate donut. Thanks to Lenore for emailing me and telling me the race was still on. I was getting ready to settle in for a long day of couch surfing, and this was much more fun.

HARLAN: Blogoyavich!

Enjoy. 

Natz, Natch.

 Travel … 

(a) How did you get to Nationals? Did you travel alone?

AMY DOMBROSKI, Velo Bella-Kona (U23 women 1st Place and Elite women 5th Place): Drove in a Golf TDI (45 mpg!) with my mechanic Dave Drumm, and holder Colleen Flaherty.

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place): Drove from East Coast, with 5 others there and 3 on the way back. 

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): Three buds and I packed up our Honda Odyssey with equipment and enough beer to satiate a small Belgian town. 

ANDREW TROY, Virginia Commonwealth University (Collegiate A, 29th place): I flew out with my mom.

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): I was planning on driving but changed my plans at the last minute and actually flew. The ticket was not that expensive, under $200 with one lay-over round trip. Some tickets were cheaper if you booked them earlier. I did have my bike driven out which saved a lot of money. 

(b) What and how were your accommodations?

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): Residence Inn Suites. Great set up. Dinner and breakfast plus a kitchen in the room and free wifi. 

WES SCHEMPF: We stayed at a hotel near the host hotel. 

ANDREW TROY: We stayed at a host hotel, I forget which one, I know it was a Hilton.

AMY DOMBROSKI: Gracious hosts Kip and Andrea LaMunyon, 8 miles from the course. 

GREG KELLER: We stayed at the La Quinta Inn (say it with the applicable accent). 

(c) How many days before your race did you arrive and how long did you stay? 

KRISTOPHER AUER: Got there on tuesday night to set up for the C3/DCCoD [Delaware Cyclocross Coalition of Delaware] crew. Stayed until monday morning. 

AMY DOMBROSKI: Arrived on Thursday night, raced Sat and Sun, left on Monday. 

WES SCHEMPF: I arrived a day before (Wednesday) and stayed until Sunday. 

GREG KELLER: We got there on Friday, the day before our main events. 

ANDREW TROY: I raced Sunday at 11, we flew in on Friday and left Sunday at 5.

MARK BROADWATER: I arrived 2 days before my race so I could check out the course and relax. 

Packing … 

(a) What was in your travel bag? 

AMY DOMBROSKI, Velo Bella-Kona (U23 women 1st Place and Elite women 5th Place): Coffee, caffeinated gels, IPod-izzle, down jackets and mittens.

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): My travel bag included skin suit, several base layers (2 Craft, 1 Under Armour), extra kit to pre-ride in, knee warmers, helmet, sunglasses, gloves (lots of gloves depending on the weather), and shoes. 

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): Besides my cosmetics and special hair creams, my race bag was stuffed with 3 pairs of Sidi Dragon SRS (white of course), two warm up kits, two skinsuits, Craft base layers, Specialized S Works helmet, 661 and Pearl Izumi gloves, Freddy’s Choice embrocations, Oakley M Frames and Radars and all kinds of leg warmers and waterproof crap. 

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place): Everything but the kitchen sink and a short sleeve skinsuit. 

ANDREW TROY, Virginia Commonwealth University (Collegiate A, 29th place): I packed one change of regular clothes and 2 kits with arm and leg warmers and a winter jacket. I usually pack light, I also had my bathroom stuff, toothbrush.

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): Everything was in the bag. Cold weather, rain and regular gear. 

(b) What was the one thing you forgot that you missed the most?  

AMY DOMBROSKI: spare Challenge Fango, toe warmers. 

WES SCHEMPF: Nothing that I couldn’t get by without. 

KRISTOPHER AUER: For a change I didn’t forget a thing. 

ANDREW TROY: I forgot that little face plate thing from my stem so I had to get to a bike shop and get a new stem.

MARK BROADWATER: I didn’t really forget anything except some warm-up pants, it was cold!! 

GREG KELLER: I brought EVERYTHING (except maybe some legs! ha!), but one thing I wished I had was a small Honda generator to power the washer. 

(c) How many bikes and wheels did you bring and did everything make the trip unscathed?  

AMY DOMBROSKI: 2 bikes, 6 wheels – one Fango blew. 

MARK BROADWATER: I only brought one bike and it arrived in great condition, thanks Tom [McDaniel]!! 

ANDREW TROY: I only brought my one bike and the wheels on it, everything made the trip fine.

GREG KELLER: I had with me my two Rock Lobster Team Scandiums, 3 sets of FSA wheels with a mix of Dugast Typhoon and Challenge Grifo XS file treads. All made it A-OK. 

WES SCHEMPF: I brought 2 bikes and everything made it fine . 

KRISTOPHER AUER: I brought 2 bikes and 2 additional sets of wheels. Everything made it fine. Tom Mcdaniel drove it out special. 

Recon … 

(a) Did you get a chance to walk or pre-ride the course? 

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): Walked the course on Wednesday.  Rode the course on Thursday 2 laps in muddy conditions. Opted out for pre-ride on Friday as the conditions changed then one lap on Saturday before the race.  

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place): I pre-rode the course Thursday when it was still sloppy and was excited about the conditions. 

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): We drove 10 hours directly to the venue and pre-rode for an hour or so. Maybe even too much as I felt it the next day! 

ANDREW TROY, Virginia Commonwealth University (Collegiate A, 29th place): I rode the course twice on Saturday after the races were done.

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): I did have time to both walk and pre-ride the course. 

AMY DOMBROSKI, Velo Bella-Kona (U23 women 1st Place and Elite women 5th Place): Pre-rode on Friday. 

(b) Did course conditions change at all between your recon and the race? 

WES SCHEMPF: The course changed from the pre ride to dry tacky conditions by Friday and remained for the rest of the weekend. 

AMY DOMBROSKI: The course went from greasy peanut butter on Friday to tacky on Saturday and Sunday from the wind. 

GREG KELLER: The course UNBELIEVABLY changed from the night before to the next day. It had changed an order of magnitude from Thursday to Friday before we got there too as it changed from mud to sponge. 

ANDREW TROY: The course stayed pretty much the same from when I rode and raced it.

MARK BROADWATER: The course did deteriorate a little between when I raced and pre-rode. I let some air out of the tires to meet the changed conditions. 

(c) What were your impressions of the course? 

WES SCHEMPF: I was not excited when i first saw the course as there could have been better use of the terrain from folks that walked the course. After riding it, much of those concerns were confirmed. As the course dried out it turned out to be quite fun, but still not a top quality course for a national event. 

AMY DOMBROSKI: Loved it in both conditions. The tacky course made for flawless riding and railed corners. The slick peanut butter made for an unpredictable and loosy-goosey ride. 

GREG KELLER: The course was interesting. Extremely hard (as a good course should be) but with the most vertical I have ever experienced in more than a decade of ‘crossing. It was all up, then all down. Nothing technical about it, just a slog up … albeit a slalom ride down! The sponge factor made it extremely hard for flatlanders like me to excel. This said, the park and course were beautiful for spectators for sure. 

ANDREW TROY: I thought the course was great, the mud was good and tacky so it didn’t stick to your tires and you could take turns pretty fast.

MARK BROADWATER: This was a great course, it was essentially race uphill then come screaming down the hill. The course was safe and fast from my impression. 

Pre-Race …  

(a) Was this your first Nats experience? 

AMY DOMBROSKI, Velo Bella-Kona (U23 women 1st Place and Elite women 5th Place): 3rd ‘cross nats experience. 

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): This was my first Cyclocross Nationals and it was a blast!!! 

ANDREW TROY, Virginia Commonwealth University (Collegiate A, 29th place): This was my first time at nationals.

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): I’ve raced a bunch of Nationals in the past but took a long hiatus from it. 

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place): This was not my first Nats experience. 

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): I’ve hit most nationals since 1996 minus one or two. 

(b) What was your pre-race preparation and food, was it any different than the past couple weeks? 

AMY DOMBROSKI: cold oatmeal cooked the night before for the U23 race, as it started at 9am! Delish. 

MARK BROADWATER: My pre-race food was cereal, coffee, and eggs. I really didn’t divert from my normal race diet. 

WES SCHEMPF: Pre race prep was similar to other races with the exception of the master’s race which was earlier in the day (11am). Prep for that was the breakfast at the hotel and then a small snack of a bagel and gel before the race. 

KRISTOPHER AUER: Prep was about the same. 

ANDREW TROY:  my prerace was pretty much the same, small breakfast, on race day I always lose my appetite completely, I was hardly able to get down half of a waffle, even after the race I never eat much which is not good but I guess that’s what my stomach does on race day.

GREG KELLER: Pre-race was the same: Pancakes in the AM, pre ride at the allotted time to open up, bump up the sugars with a gel and race! 

(c) What tires and pressure did you run and do you think you made the right choices? 

AMY DOMBROSKI: Challenge Grifo 32 with 21psi were the bomb diggedy. 

MARK BROADWATER My tires were Grifos, at 35 psi. I definitely had the right tires on, they really gripped the muddy corners well. 

GREG KELLER: I ended up running file treads. The U-23 guy won on them and I watched him carefully. I pre-rode Typhoons and the File Treads and the latter hooked up beautifully and I assumed would help with lass drag up the climb. I think it was the absolute right call as they hooked up super well on all parts of the course. 

ANDREW TROY: I ran 35 psi, I could have gone higher because of how tacky the mud was.

WES SCHEMPF: I raced challenge Grifos glued to carbon rims for both races at 29 lbs front and 30 rear which seemed to be a good choice. 

KRISTOPHER AUER: tires were Challenge Grifo on the light carbon wheelset. I ran about 30 psi front and rear as the mud dried up.  

(d) Did you bring a pit bike and did you have somebody working the pits? 

AMY DOMBROSKI: One pit bike with the best mechanic in the world-Dave Drumm. 

MARK BROADWATER: I had access to a pit bike, thanks to Kris Auer who worked the pits for me. Thanks Kris!!  

ANDREW TROY: I had nothing in the pit, I thought about bringing a backup wheelset but I couldn’t afford to fly them out.

WES SCHEMPF: I brought a pit bike, which i used to pre ride the course and ride back and forth from the venue to the hotel. I did have a couple people in the pit for me for the races. 

GREG KELLER: Indeed we had a great pit crew who watched over all us Boulder folk and yes, my B bike was waiting for me just in case. There was no mud to speak of (absolutely no build up on the bikes) but nice to hear them shouting as we came through the pit area each lap! 

KRISTOPHER AUER: Pit bike was set up the same and I had full support in the pit. 

(e) Tell us about what was going through your head lining up for the start, did you approach it as just another race or something more? 

AMY DOMBROSKI: A race is a race is a race-a whole lot of jittery blah and screaming music. 

WES SCHEMPF: Nationals is always a big event and a solid result is good for you, your team and sponsors. I was nervous about the Master’s race, but with a front row start position all I needed to do was keep upright and try to stay at the front. 

KRISTOPHER AUER On the line I was a bit nervous with five minutes to go but that changed to complete readiness at one minute, full on adrenaline. Not just another race, nationals is about the jersey and testing yourself against the best in the country. 

MARK BROADWATER: I treated this race as any other race, I didn’t want to get too nervous. The start was very chaotic as every cx start is but after a half lap everything began to sort out. 

ANDREW TROY: Usually I have nothing going through my head before a race, if anything it’s a Rage Against The Machine song. I tried to make this race like the rest because I had a lot of good days during the season so i didn’t want to change that, but I think simply from the scale of this race compared to the rest I was a little bit more nervous.

GREG KELLER: My line up was 4th row and honestly, I had no expectations. I was just focused on being clean and riding my race and staying out of any hole shot hero mistakes that lead to crashes. When you race a series weekend in and out you get to know the moves of your regular competitors and can anticipate them. Nationals and like events are a crap shoot and can be dangerous with lesser experienced folk lining up. 

Race … 

(a) What were your expectations going in?  

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): My expectations were for a top 20 after seeing the course and the competition.

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place):My goals for the Master’s race were to win and for the Elite’s to place in the top 15. 

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): No expectations….just a clean race. 

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): My goal before the race was a top ten. I had been riding well, thanks to good coaching and good luck racing (Thanks Kris, again, and ADG!!) so nevertheless I was shooting for a top ten. 

AMY DOMBROSKI, Velo Bella-Kona (U23 women 1st Place and Elite women 5th Place): Reclaim my U23 title for the third year and top 5 in Elite. 

(b) Did the race go as planned? 

KRISTOPHER AUER: The race went better than planned the key moment was after I rode into 4th spot on the second lap. 

WES SCHEMPF: Both races didn’t pan out as hoped, but that’s part of racing. 

AMY DOMBROSKI: I guess the races went exactly as planned. 

GREG KELLER: The race went as planned ONLY as far as cleanliness was concerned, yet the climb and how I felt on it was the direct opposite and totally unexpected. Warm up was ‘OK’ but race time proved that much was lacking in terms of my ability to attack where I’d normally attack. Thank GOD for that downhill! It’s where I’d re-pass the dudes who’d take me on the climb! 

MARK BROADWATER: At the start of the race there was a long flat road and it was pretty crazy. I got really bumped around but made the initial selection in the top 15. I worked up to about 13th and had a group ahead, so with Wes’s and Kris’s cheering, I caught up and passed the group. Then it was all about maintaining my position, no crashes. I sprinted it out for 8th position and unfortunately lost this sprint but it was still a blast to meet my goal. I placed 9th. 

(c) Was there anything you would have done differently? 

KRISTOPHER AUER: I stupidly hit the front and tried to crack the rest of the group.  I whittled a group of 8 or 9 down to 4 but was unable to follow an attack several laps later.  I held 7th for the remainder until another stupid mistake on the barriers let 2 riders catch up. I was able to outsprint one but lost the 7 spot for 8.   

WES SCHEMPF: In both races, I raced to finish not to win. I didn’t expend more energy than I thought I would be able to sustain. This worked as I finished both races, but had I raced with more “intensity” I may have gotten better placings, but that could have also cost me my final positions as well. 

AMY DOMBROSKI: Next time I won’t get myself into a head to head sprint with the sprint-master, LVG [Laura Van Gilder]. 

(d) Describe the key moment for you in the race? 

AMY DOMBROSKI: The key whoops moment: I made the selection with Katie, Georgia, and Rachel, and should have run the run-up, instead of ride it-bobbled and couldn’t close it down. 

WES SCHEMPF: Key moment in Masters race: I realized I was doing too much work towing the other rider around but instead of attacking on the climb and risking a counter I waited to see if it would come to a sprint. It was close to doing that when I missed a pedal on the final remount and lost 7 meters which i couldn’t get back. 

GREG KELLER: I wish I could say “it was when I attacked and dropped the guy to take the top podium spot” but in reality what was decisive for me and my motivation was hearing my name screamed at my ALL OVER the course by good people I do not even know! It was incredibly motivating and THE DECISIVE element for me pushing on. 

(e) What was the first thing that popped in your head after you crossed the finish? 

WES SCHEMPF: The first thing I thought when I crossed the finish line was, “3rd place again.” 

KRISTOPHER AUER Crossing the line I was just happy to be in the top 10 and race a solid race on a course that wasn’t ideal for my strengths. 

GREG KELLER: What popped into my head when I came across the finish was finding the quickest path to the Honda which had the beer cooler and within it a Duvel waiting for me. 

Post-Mortem … 

(a) Are you going back next year?  

AMY DOMBROSKI, Velo Bella-Kona (U23 women 1st Place and Elite women 5th Place): Heck yes.

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): I will definitely be back next year to race. I think the promoter did an excellent job with the course. Thank you guys! 

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): Not sure about Nats next year. We’ll see. With family, balance is key so it’ll depend upon how things are later in 2009. Frankly, I’d like to save up my husband points and go back to Europe to race again!

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place):Right now I’m planning on going to Nationals again, but we don’t know where it is so that may or may not play into the equation. 

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): I’ll always go back, for support or to compete.   

(b) What will you do differently, what will you repeat?  

AMY DOMBROSKI: I will only be racing the Elite race next year, and I expect to be top 3. 

WES SCHEMPF: What I’d do differently is pay more attention to staying off my feet. We had plenty of people that were able to do things that I was doing, but I didn’t ask for help. 

KRISTOPHER AUER: I have a front row start position next year, I’ll try to plan around a solid race and go for the win. 

GREG KELLER: I wouldn’t change a thing for next year if I go to Nats. Maybe try to convince some more bros to go! 

(c) What was the coolest thing about being at Nationals?  

AMY DOMBROSKI: The support I received from friends and sponsors what overwhelming. Gotta keep the good ones. 

MARK BROADWATER The coolest thing about nationals was all the team camaraderie, C3 did an excellent job at helping each race perform to the absolute best of their ability. I couldn’t have done as well with the help of my teammates!! 

KRISTOPHER AUER: Coolest thing about nationals is seeing folks for the last time this year and the tension and relief as races are run and finished.  Some folks go on to Europe and worlds but for most of us it’s the end of the season.  Now we look forward to next season. 

GREG KELLER: The single coolest element at Nats is seeing buds from across the country I do not get to see often. We commune, geek out on ‘cross, get our beer on and just have these unspoken moments where we all realize how good this all is. 

WES SCHEMPF: Hearing your name being called out for the podium. Watching your friends stand on the podium, too. 

(d) Any funny moments you can share? 

AMY DOMBROSKI: Too many to share. I think I was laughing the entire time. Maybe one of Dave Towle’s shoutouts: “It is illegal in the state of Missouri to spank your kids as hard as Dombroski spanked the U23 Women’s field today.” 

GREG KELLER: Funny moments? Plenty that would require an R rating, but the après party was epic and hilarious. Tim Johnson grabbed me by the shirt collar into his circle, handed me a Guinness in one hand and a shot in the other and we celebrated a season ending with an Irish Car Bomb. Priceless. 

WES SCHEMPF: All I can say about that is “pounce and bounce.” 

Give some advice or words of wisdom for the person thinking about racing Nationals next year. 

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): Roll with it. It’s a great experience and a great time. The whole Mid-Atlantic groups up and gives out support regardless of team affiliation.

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place):If you go, you should plan on fully committing yourself to the experience. In the end we are just pedaling our bikes in circles, so have fun and enjoy the event. 

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): Advice: GO! As the registration process is a crap shoot (unless of course you podiumed the year before and get the mad front row call up), go, set reasonable expectations, race hard and soak up the scene. These are good people playing in the mud. Talk to ‘em about ‘cross in there region. 

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): My advice is to try to travel and stay with fellow teammates. The more the merrier, but seriously, the more people to help each other really goes far. 

AMY DOMBROSKI, Velo Bella-Kona (U23 women 1st Place and Elite women 5th Place): Take ‘er easy at the after-party. 

Give a shout out or any last thoughts. 

KRISTOPHER AUER, C3-Sollay.Com (Masters Elite 35-39 8th Place): C3-SOLLAY.COM and special thanks to the DCCoD. 

WES SCHEMPF, C3-Sollay.com (Masters 30-34 3rd Place and Elite Men 22nd place):Shout out to: Tom McDaniel for providing the transportation and laughs. Adam McGrath for coining the term “find your brown speed”. Aaron House for superb heckling skills. Lauri Webber for food and logistical support. 

GREG KELLER, Boulder Cycle Sport (Masters 35-39 43rd Place): Shout outs definitely for my wife manning the home front while I battle my demons in the mud, my sponsors at Boulder Cycle Sport, Shotty at SRAM and Lance at TRP and of course Dubba for taking the stars and bars in our race! We trained super hard this season and no one was going to beat him this year. Trust me on this. 

MARK BROADWATER, C3-Sollay.com (B Men 9th place): I want to thank C3-Sollay.com for their unwavering support and my coach Kris Auer for all the great coaching this year.

The MAC cyclocross series held its finale December 7 at the Capital ‘Cross Classic in Reston, Virginia. Lake Fairfax Park hosted a great day of racing that can be summed up in one word: wind. The course featured a new run-up followed by a dodgy off-camber descent and wind, wind, wind. Racers were greeted with a 20 to 30 mph headwind on a grassy ascent immediately followed by vicious crosswinds as they bisected a lake on a fully exposed dam. 

Capital 'Cross Classic 12.7.2008

For many at the top this was a final test before heading off to CX Nationals in Kansas City, Mo. We checked in with several podium finishers to get their take on the day. 

1. How did you prepare to tackle the conditions? Did the wind affect your race planning? 

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): I just did what I always do…put on a ton of gear to warm up, strip at the line, freeze for a few minutes, and then go! 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): I dressed slightly different, using a windfront baselayer but otherwise pretty standard on the clothing with a long sleeve skinsuit and leg warmers.  On the bike side of things I opted out of deep section carbon rims due to what I judged to be heavy cross winds.  At my size a deep rim in a bad wind can be hard to control.  Switching to low profile rims gave me one less thing to think about. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): I tried to stay warm before the start and did a pre-lap. I rode Zipp 404′s which were really fast when the wind was at your back but treacherous across the dam. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): I had brought all the gear I own, but my most important preparation was slathering hot cream on my fingers, toes and legs when I woke up that morning. The wool baselayer and wool socks were a must, and baby powder in the socks helps to keep your feet dry (and therefore warm)! I’m also really fond of the Under Armor Fleece Glove for those conditions. Windproof gloves can be bulky, making it hard to shift and brake, but the fleece cuts the wind enough and keeps your hands warm and mobile. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): I made sure I had plenty of layers on to stay warm. The wind definitely impacted how much I wore. After pre riding the course I had an idea of which sections would be a bit difficult because it was gusting so badly and played that into my race strategy. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): I didn’t do anything special to prepare. Since my race was the first of the day and they were going to line everyone up by order of registration I just tried to keep moving until the race was about to start. I was glad to see the strong winds because I think I race better in harsh conditions. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Lots of Sportsbalm. No, but when I was pre-riding I thought my headset was loose because my bike kept wanting to steer left. It was just the crosswind over the bridge. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary for the race other than use hand warmers between the rubber gloves I had on and the regular gloves. I just wanted to try it because I’ve had a lot of trouble with my hands and it kept my hands warm the whole race. I also put bubble wrap on top of my feet in my shoes and in my jersey over my chest for insulation. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): I wore a wind-block base layer and a generous application of HOT Sportsbalm with legwarmers. These helped to keep the wind from getting to me. 

ANDREW “BAD ANDY” WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): Well, first I wore a lot of clothes so I wouldn’t get cold. Second, I made sure I ate and drank plenty. Finally, I pre-rode the course and choose the appropriate tire pressure. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): I brought lots of layers. Multiple everything.

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): I haven’t had a chance to prepare for cold weather this season, as I broke my finger severely enough to require surgery 3 weeks ago, so I’ve been confined to the trainer. However, I would normally attempt to get as much outside riding in as my schedule allows, despite the temperature, to learn to adjust to really cold races. Wind happens, so you just have to deal with it, almost pretend like it isn’t there.  

2. What was the best part of the course? What was the hardest part of the course? Anything you would change? 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): I liked the back stretch right after the big run up. It was smooth and fast, and a good place to gain time on people because it’s a “lazy” part of the course. It followed a difficult section, so people are naturally inclined to relax and let their guard down momentarily. The hardest part was the section by the first pit entrance. It was into the wind, and pretty much a complete false flat, and very bumpy, which required a bigger effort than would be expected to get through it. I would probably change the decent/off camber section. It was an interesting element, but maybe a little too extreme. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): The best part of the course for me had to be the run up to the downhill off-camber. I felt like I had the advantage on that section and plus the off-camber is just such a blast to ride. The hardest part of the course was the section prior to the dam crossing. It was uphill in the grass in to a blazing head wind.  No wind would be my one and only change.

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): I really enjoyed the course as a whole. I felt it flowed well and rewarded those who could find a smoother line. One of the parts I struggled with was the stretch after the pits up to the bathrooms. It was windy, it was slippery. I felt I was at a standstill. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): The hardest part of the course was the technical downhill which lead into the off-camber section where I fell on the last lap. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Best part: the run-up followed by the off-camber downhill. Hardest part: the long uphill stretch by the pit. Wouldn’t change a thing. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): I really like the new climb up and around the tree. The way everyone gathered to watch from that spot really gave the course a big race feel. The longer run up was awesome too. The harderst part for me was the steep off-camber downhill by far. I had feared that feature since last season. The added snow and ice for the 9am race didn’t help things. I can’t think of anything on the course I would change. It had everything except a nice sand section. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): The best part of the course was that it was technical and still icy in parts. That played to my advantage from a mountain biking back round. The hardest part of the course was after the man made barriers by the parking lot. It was a long uphill to the road with the bridge. Once you crested the hill to the road the wind was gusting so hard from our right that it was literally blowing us off the road on 2 of the laps. Top that off with a dismount to log barriers and a steep uphill run up. It just hurt every lap at race speed. 

MIKE MIHALIK (Mens 2/3/4 3rd Place): The best part of the course was the steep downhill and the frozen off camber right after it. The hardest part was the paved section with the bridge, those crosswinds were nasty. I wouldn’t change anything, those guys lay out an awesome course.

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): I really enjoyed the steep downhill section. The hardest part of the course was the uphill run up. I liked the course, I would only change the cold weather if I could. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Always a good course. The new run-up made a huge difference. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): Best part for me-the longer run up. Running has become one of my strengths. Hardest part-the long descent and sketchy off camber onto the road, which was frozen solid early in the morning. Descending is decidedly not my strength. The course this year was less technical overall than prior years-I’d add back some of the more tricky turns around trees, etc. and the descent and long climb after the run up.

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): I thought the run up was great and the downhill off-camber was obviously tough for newbies like me.  

3. Describe the decisive moment or moments in the race. Did it play out the way you hoped?

 JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): There were many…Greg Faber and I found ourselves off the front with a small gap when I crashed due to rolling my tubular off the rim. As I am forcing my tire back on the rim and wondering if I should continue, a few riders go by me. I decide to give it a go, take it easy on the down hills and tight corners but kill it on the flats. The chase begins! I was able to catch up to Steve Riskus first and then, unfortunately for him, Scott Stahl flats prior to the run-up on the last lap. I then caught up to Eric Lundgren on the back side and was barely able to get by him at the line for 2nd place. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Dave Weaver actually set the tone at the start and went very hard and opened a big gap. I waited then bridged across with Blair Saunders. Dave and I were able to gap Blair on the run and downhill sections but he clawed back every time. I missed the finale due to a softening rear tire but just meant I didn’t have to be shamed in the sprint. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): The decisive moment was going underneath the Start/Finish Banner into the headwind, really hurt my legs. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): I was really struggling to find the right place to ride away from Nikki, who was with me for most of the race. Each lap, I tried to gap her earlier and earlier to avoid getting caught on the run-up. I finally did it in the right place on the backside of the course coming into the last lap, she probably gained time on me on the run-up but didn’t catch me. That worked perfectly. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): I was with 2 others at the front for all 4 laps of our race. It was myself, Shawn Downing, and Paul Wahner. I couldn’t get a gap on these guys and by mid way through lap 4 I knew I needed to make a move to shake them as they are both excellent sprinters. About mid course after the wood bridge there was a nasty off camber ‘S’ bend I had been making pretty cleanly and I knew I had to attack hard out of it. I got through it smoothly as planned and put an attack in as soon as I got straight at the bottom. I was able to get about a 3 or 4 second gap by the time I rode by the pit. When I hit the asphalt to the finish I looked back and those guys were locked in their own race, I just kept my pace hard to the line to take the win. It definitely played out how I planned it. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): I caught Tracy Lea at the run up on lap 3. As far as I knew, she was in the lead at that point. I stuck on her wheel, letting her pull me around the course and through the wind for a lap, and then attacked on the run up in the 4th [final] lap. I got a big gap which she was unable to close. Since Tracy was in fact the furthest forward in lap 3, and getting past her put me in the lead until the end, it worked out pretty well for me. Tracy and I have a long history of battles on this course, and she usually comes out on top, so the outcome was particularly sweet.

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): The decisive moment was getting to line up on the outside of the 4th row instead of the 9th as I feared I would with my pre-registration number. Besides the U19s being started in front of us the race played out better than I expected. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): In the first lap I was smoked by Lynne Bufka on the run-up. In the second lap I got a small gap on the bridge. When she didn’t pass me on the run-up I attacked on the downhill off-camber and was able to hold it. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): When I fell on the off-camber section the guy who won caught me and eventually passed me for the win in a sprint. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): I lined up on the left side of the second row behind Shawn Downing. I knew if I could hang on to his wheel I would do OK. I didn’t really expect to find myself in 6th behind two other guys coming up the finishing straight. I gave it all I had on the uphill sprint into the wind to take 4th. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): The most decisive moment in the race had to be the first half-lap. Wes took off at the start and had a good gap so I tried my best to slow my group down and then Bishop made a mistake on the run-up which allowed Wes to really take off. In addition the 3rd lap when Bishop crashed on the downhill after the off-camber allowed me to get away from the group and in to 2nd overall. 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): I almost got caught by the 4th place rider crossing the causeway. I knew I could pull away from her on the run-up, but I had to really kick it in. It worked out well because I think she put in a little too hard an effort right before a difficult section. 

4. Do you have any pre-race rituals? What kind of a warm-up did you get in? What did you eat before the race? 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): I have no pre-race rituals. I like to get about 35-45 minutes in on the trainer, then take a lap or two right before the race. I usually eat my homemade granola, toasted baguette with Nutella, and a banana for breakfast, then nothing until Jelly Belly Sport Beans during warm-up. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I wouldn’t call in a ritual I just have a routine. I pre-ride after the masters race and start to warm-up about 60 minutes before my start. I warm up on a trainer and try to get a few good intervals in the legs. At 30 minutes before the start I hit a Gu and change my baselayer so not to get cold on the line. If there is time I might do another lap of the course or just get back on the trainer. 15 minutes before I am at the start line. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): Breakfast is important to me. I had a large bowl of oatmeal (real Irish oatmeal, the stuff you have to cook for 30 min) before leaving for the race. At the race I had second breakfast – a gel and some water. Oh and coffee. Lots of coffee. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): I just try to ride the course a few times get a feel for it and try to stay warm. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): No. 2 laps. Egg and cheese croissant, 1 glazed donut, coffee from Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and an Enervit gel 10 to 15 min before the race. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): I do not have any consistent rituals but I’ve started drinking Starbucks iced vanilla lattes 20 minutes before the race because I had a good result or two earlier in the season the first time I had one. I warmed up doing laps on the course. I had a croissant on the drive to the race and then one of those lattes and a hammer gel 20 minutes before the race. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): I try not to get into a ritual so much so that I don’t get stressed about missing something. If anything I like to get to a race early and get a full pre ride in and warm up for 30 minutes on the trainer. I ate Kashi cereal and fruit for breakfast about 3 hours prior to racing. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): Tried to eat well, stay warm, and not miss the callups. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): Not as rituals per se, but I do the same things every time before races. I am a creature of habit. Warm up: 2 laps of the course, then riding around on the road or in the parking lot to keep warm. Breakfast: Oatmeal and orange juice. A bottle of Accelerade in warm up.

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): I rode one lap of the course for the most part but only to check out the ground conditions and refresh my memory. I did spin around and try to keep as warm as possible again this week. 

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): Two weeks in a row I had French Toast…two weeks in a row I’m on the podium. I have a new ritual!

5. What tires (type, width and tubular or clincher) and pressure did you run? Do you think you made the right choice? 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): I only have Michelin Mud2 clincher tires that I was running at around 38PSI and they were fine for the race. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): Challenge Grifo 32 tubulars. 30psi. It wasn’t such a choice as this is the only tire I have but felt they had good traction on the off camber portions. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I ran my Challenge Grifo tubulars with about 28psi. in the front and 30psi. in the back. 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): Clincher, Hutchinson 35′s at about 38. Probably could have run a little lower pressure, in the 36 range. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Tufo Elite LPS tubulars. Not sure of the width. Pressure was probably about 30. Yes, they’ve treated me well for 2 seasons, Stan’s and all. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): 32mm Grifo tubulars 28f/30r. I should have gone lower in the front but the rear ended up perfect because it has a slow leak. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): I ran Tufo Flexus 32, 32 mm width, tubulars at 35 psi. I’m no tire expert but they felt good. I didn’t get sideways so they held pretty well in the snow, mud, and obviously on the road were fine. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): Challenge Grifo tubulars, 34′s, I think. I ran really low pressure, maybe around 20 PSI, basically because I accidentally let too much air out at the start line. I didn’t have time to do anything about it and didn’t want to change bikes, so I rode what I brung. Actually, I think it ended up being a good tire pressure for the course. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): Grifo’s, 35 psi in the front, 40 psi in the back tire.

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Challenge Grifo again. 32mm but would have like 34 today. I ran 30 PSI front and rear wouldn’t change anything. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): Michelin Mud 2s. I started at 40 psi, but took some air out. I had good grip, and didn’t flat, so it seems to have been the right choice.

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): I ran Challenge Grifo’s at 35 psi on Easton EC90 aero wheels that obviously weren’t glued very well!

6. Anything out of the ordinary or remarkable stand out?  

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): The wind. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): The people cheering right before the long dam section were great, it was really motivating to hear them cheering for you. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): My crash on the left-hand off-camber, while not out of the ordinary for me, was pretty remarkable. I knew someone was going to eat it there, I just didn’t know it would be me! I had just bridged up to Arley (who was in 3rd) on the last lap when it happened. Nikki ended up catching me and it changed the whole race for me. Suddenly I was trying to figure out a strategy to stay in fourth without having to expend too much energy. My initial strategy was to out-sprint Nikki on the pavement into the finish, but it’s a long sprint and it was windy. I geared up to go, but the wind was too much. She drew even with me, so I fell back and sat on her wheel, using her as a lead-out to the finish. It worked, but just barely. I think I won the sprint by an inch! That was pretty amazing. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): The wind over that road section with the wooden bridge still has me wondering how we got through it. I had the bike leaned into it at about a 30 degree angle at one point while pedaling like mad. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): Starting the U19s 30 seconds before us really threw me off. We started passing the younger kids right after the barriers and the whole race I would hear Joe commentating on the NCVCs being off the front so I thought I was much farther back then in reality. Jay rolling a tire and having to get off the bike twice to try and get it back on and still winning the race was pretty remarkable. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): I liked it when Joe Jefferson announced I had ridden myself into the top 20 of the guys. I knew it wasn’t true, but funny nonetheless. Also, Alicia Styer had an awesome race. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): There was a snow squall as we loaded up the car at the hotel. The front desk clerk clearly thought we were completely insane, going out to race bikes in that weather.

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): The wind was remarkable to me. After crossing the bridge, making the right on the gravel I was actually getting blown sideways so hard I was sliding in the gravel. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): Well, I am very happy with my result. It is my best result since 2003 so this one goes out to Tom McDaniel….HAHA! 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): Nah, this was a pretty low-key race. Must have been the cold. 

7. Are you heading to Nats? Or, is your season over? Any first impressions on either scenario? 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I am excited [about Nats]. I came down with a cold this week but I am feeling better. I just hope to have fun and to have a hard, fast ride. 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): I’m psyched for Nats, anxious to see where everything shakes out. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): Sadly my 2008 season is over. I can say I learned a lot, made new friends, had a blast and improved in my ability to race a cross bike. I am already looking forward to Charm City Cross 9/20/09 and starting it all again!! 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): My season is over. I’m sort of sad, sort of ready to be done for a bit. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): The off season started when I crossed the finish line. I loved Nationals in Providence, but Kansas City is too far away and too much of a hassle. The off-season is good. It’s time.

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): No. I registered [for Nats] but have decided not to go, so my season is over. I will take 2 weeks as transition, then begin base for the road season. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): My season is over. I’m hoping to make the last two weekends of the NC winter series but I won’t be training for them. My first race of the year was March 15th so I am glad to be done with the intense training for a while but I already feel depressed about there not being another huge get together, aka race, this weekend. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): My season this year is over. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): Nope, my season is still going [at Nats].

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): I will be going to Nats. Let’s hope the weather is good! 

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): I can’t wait a whole year for Cross season!

8. Do you work with a coach? If so, how has it helped the most?

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I work with Kris Auer and Athlete Development Group. I owe Kris a great deal of my success this season and in my career. Kris is great at providing workouts that fit my schedule and are not too aggressive. Plus he is one of the few people who believed in me when nobody else would. I owe Kris a lot he is a great friend and coach. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): I work with Kris Auer. He is a really good coach that has brought me a long way in this short cross season. I attribute much of this late season success to his solid coaching. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): Yes, my coach is Kris Auer from the Athlete Development Group. Kris has been coaching me since way back in 2004 when I was on Team BBC. It really helps to have an expert outside opinion of how my training is coming and what my strengths are. He’ll tell me that I’m really strong this season or something and I’ll be very surprised! It’s too hard for me to see it, I ride with myself every day so I don’t notice the gains as much, but they are there. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): Yes. Kris Auer with Athlete Development Group. Kris has given me daily workouts which really got my fitness where it needed to be to get podium results. My main goal pre-season was to just be competitive in the Masters 35+ Field based on previous years’ results. Kris’s coaching put me on top of the field and upgrading to Cat 2 and the Elite Masters 35+ field for next year. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): Kris Auer (ADG) is my Coach and Sensei. Training me in the way of the Fist: Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy. 

[Ed. Note: To state the obvious, Kris Auer knows what he is doing when it comes to coaching cyclocross. Can he help you? Ask him and find out: kristopherauer(at)Verizon(dot)net]  

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): With my mediocre performance I am a little embarrassed for myself and my coach, Mike Birner at Mid Maryland Coaching. Not having to think for myself when it comes to training has been the biggest help. I just do whatever I am told and let him worry about it, instead. I probably should have joined the army.

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Yes, Mike Birner. Mike has been wonderful. I had some decent results at the beginning of the season but didn’t feel good during my races. I started working with Mike in October and he has worked wonders. Not only have I since scored my first MAC wins, but I don’t get as tired and fade during my races anymore. He also worked on my starts which have improved immensely. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): During the road season I worked with a coach and I really felt that I peaked at the times when I wanted to. This is my first cross season and didn’t really do anything specific for the season. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): Yes. I love structure, so having training plans to follow suits me well. I have no idea what workouts I should be doing to train best, so I put myself in his hands. 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): Yes, Josef Brandauer. It has been a huge asset to my riding. I had very little guidance regarding cyclocross training before this season, so the new structure has played a huge role in my success.

9. Is CX your main focus? If not, what is? If it is, how long have you been riding cross?

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): Road was my initial main focus, but with the success of this cross season, that may change. However, I will still be racing road with Hub Racing this upcoming season. This is my 2nd full cyclocross season. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): CX is my main focus. This my 8th or 9th year….I think. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): In terms of racing bikes, yes Cross is Boss. This is my third year racing cross, my first full season in B Masters. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): CX might be my main focus next year but road was last year I started riding cross the end of September. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Not really. I race a full road season as well. This was my third year of cross. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): All cross all the time. Except that I also race road and MTB in the spring and summer, but less intently than cross. This was the seventh year I’ve raced.

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): Yes. This is my second season racing cross and I attempt to race road to get ready for CX. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): CX is my main focus. This is my 3rd season. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): I split my focus between road and cross, which makes for a long season. I’m more competitive at cross and I really enjoy it, but I really hate cold weather. I like riding in the summer and do really well in the heat. I also love the strategy of criterium racing, which doesn’t come into play in the smaller women’s fields of cyclocross. If I had to choose one sport though, I’d probably stick with cross – it’s my one true love! Besides, I have yet to lacerate my liver on a cyclocross course. Can’t say the same for road. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): No, but it will be next year! This is my first year at cross. 

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): This is my first year riding cross and it will be my main focus moving forward.

MIKE MIHALIK (Mens 2/3/4 3rd Place): Cyclocross was my main focus for this year. This was my second season racing cross. After my first season in 2007 I realized I really liked cross, and had a knack for it, so I tried to make it my main focus for this year.

10. Any words of wisdom for the aspiring cross racer?  

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): Just do it!

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Always hit the line with a good attitude. You don’t need a smile on your face but be excited to race. Aim for the finish line. 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): Listen to your coach, it’s no coincidence that you do well when you listen. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): Other than fitness, work on keeping speed through corners, over barriers, and dismounts/remounts. Those few seconds saved through each add up as your race goes on, and if you’re off the front it’s really important to ride smooth and remount fast. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): Get to races more than an hour early and stay and watch how the more experienced racers ride the same course after your done.

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): Above all, make sure you’re having fun. It takes practice and experience to feel like you know what you’re doing, but cross is about the most fun you can have on a bike, even when you don’t know what you’re doing. The race scene is great-I’ve met a ton of very cool and fun people through racing.

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): Have fun. Give back to the sport. Don’t be one of the few dishrags who show up, race and go home, but still find time to complain about something that they think could have been done better. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): Ask questions and learn as much as possible about the sport, gear, training, everything because cross is a sport of inches. The racers who makes the least mistakes wins.

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): Its super fun, the people are really laid back and more than willing to help out a new rider, so don’t be afraid to ask! The more the merrier! 

11. Other than race, what do you do? 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): I am a law student. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I am an elementary school Librarian in the city of Lancaster, PA. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): I like to take things apart and put them back together. I like to cook. I read a lot and enjoy crossword puzzles. I dabble in ornithology. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): Not a whole lot other than ride and work. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): Work, eat, sleep and train.

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Accountant. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): I am a network “engineer.” 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): I’m an electrician by day. I plan on spending a lot more time with my daughter and wife now that weekends are free. I’m also looking forward to getting back on the mountain bike. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): I work as a programmer at Johns Hopkins. I also knit a lot, cook and bake. I’m a regular Betty Crocker! 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Well after next week I’m hoping to get a bit of non bike related travel in.  Maybe kayak a bit and see what other people do on the weekends. 

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): Sales manager and Family man. 

12. What are your goals for next year?

 JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): To be competitive in the 3/4 35+ category. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): I’m being transferred to Paris for work, so we’re hoping to race cross in France and Belgium!

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Build the cross race, Build the team and build the sport.  I’d like to be answering these questions after nailing a podium at nationals. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): Win Women’s 30-34 Cyclocross Master’s Nationals. It’ll be my last year in that age group, so I have to do it. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): I plan on racing the Elite Masters 35+ field and my goal is to make some top 10 finishes with those guys. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): Next year I hope to be competitive in the Bs with some top 10s and maybe even a win. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Haven’t really thought about it. Natz? Holding on for dear life in the elites? 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): Place well in B cross races as well as have a strong showing as a CAT 3 on the road. 

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): I am looking to upgrade my Cat 4 license to a 3 and race the Elite Masters. Improve my ability to hold a pit bike and a drink and still have a smooth exchange. Develop witty answers to post race podium-finisher questionnaires. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I want to be more competitive at the national level and I want to give Wes a run for his money in the MAC. 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): Keep moving up the rankings from this season.

13. Anything else you would like to say? 

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): Thanks to the promoters, officials, and sponsors who put on a great race. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Good luck to everybody from the Mid-Atlantic at nationals, see you there. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): Beets. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): Thanks again to all of the promoters out there putting these events on, and everyone who raced in them. It’s been a great season and I look forward to seeing everyone next year. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): The season really flew by didn’t it. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Thanks Potomac Velo for putting on such a fine event. In fact, thanks to all the MAC and MABRA race promoters out there. 

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): I’m going to miss my fellow “Old Ladies” and B Women racers.

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): Cross is a great community of people that consistently give of themselves for the good of the racers and the sport. I would like to say thanks to all the people who have helped make Cross in the Mid-Atlantic a huge success! 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I would like to thank everyone on C3-Sollay.com and the DDCoD for a great season and all the great support. I would not be successful without it…You all Rock… 

14. Give a shout out to somebody. 

ANDREW WULFKUHLE (Elite Men 2nd Place): I would like to say hey to my wonderful wife Kat, my guinea pig Andy Jr., Fat Marc, Wes, Mike, Tom McDaniel, Newt, and Kris Auer…You guys rock!! 

ARLEY KEMMERER (Elite Women 3rd Place): Hub Racing, Coach Josef, and therapist Ann who is working really hard to make my finger work again!

NORMAN BRACH (Masters 3/4 4th Place): Kris Auer for being so dedicated to growing the cross scene. He consistently gives his own time and money to help other people learn and enjoy the sport. The free cross clinic he runs is where I got started and still go to drill the fundamentals. He takes time out of his day to do this and riders of all abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate. 

ERIC LUNDGREN (Mens 4 2nd Place): Thanks to Chris Mayhew for putting on the Pittsburgh cross practices, driving me to races, and giving me tons of advice for cross. 

CHRISTINA BRISENO (Women 3/4 1st Place): Sonja Evers first and foremost for being my pit crew and so much more. Team CycleLife for the moral support. Mike Birner for what he’s been able to achieve with a pretty stubborn client over the last 2 months. 

STEVE RISKUS (Mens 4 3rd Place): My wife for always coming out and watching the dog. I’d like to thank Birner and all my teammates, especially Chris and Aaron. I’d like to thank Scott Stahl for keeping me stoked to race the final few weeks. Also anyone that cheers for me at races. I can’t believe how many people cheer for me at races sometimes. It really feels great when you hear friends and strangers shouting for you when you are really hurting. Finally I’d like to thank all the racers that haven’t kicked my ass for heckling them mercilessly during their race. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 35+ Cat 2/3/4 1st Place): Shout out once again to my wife and daughter putting up with me being gone for a day or more a weekend since September…much love. Another shout out to Kris Auer for some great coaching. 

HEIDI VON TEITENBERG (Elite Women 4th Place): My team is the best! Their cheering motivated me to do better than I thought I could, drove me to keep going and not give up. Every inch of that course was covered by someone in the black & blue who was yelling at the top of their lungs when I rode by. They always cheer like that, regardless of whether you’re in first place or last. That’s awesome! 

MARK BROADWATER (Mens 2/3/4 4th place): I want to thank my team, the sponsors, and all of my teammates for really being there for me this entire year. Thank you C3-Sollay! 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 3rd Place): Same shout out.  C3-Sollay.Com and all its members and sponsors. Thanks for a great season. 

JAY MORALI (C Men 1st Place): C3/Sollay!

KAREN TOURIAN (Women 45+ 1st place): My team, Guy’s Racing, and my strongest supporter, my husband Rolf.

MABRA CX Championship 2008

Racers were treated to a well-designed course that seemed to redefine itself throughout the day as the rain turned a predominantly grassy track into a mud bog. So how did it go? We checked in with a hearty crew of survivors to get their thoughts. 

Here are my takeaways: (1) If you think teammates only matter on the road, C3-Sollay.com begs to differ … and has the results to prove it. (2) Some may argue that techno is the soundtrack of cyclocross, but Pantera, Radiohead and Zeppelin seem to get you decent results. (3) I’m pretty sure my questions are starting to annoy Gunnar Shogren. 

Check out the photos tab at the top of the page for pictures from the race, or click here. 

Finally, let me know what you think about the site. If you see something you like, leave a comment. If you see something you think could be improved, even more reason to let me know. You can also e-mail me by using the contact link on the sidebar. 

1. How did you prepare to tackle the conditions? Do you think you got it right? 

JAY MORALI (Cat 4 1st Place): It is always important to pre-ride the course but it was absolutely necessary on Sunday…there were some really technical sections given the rain and mud. I only made a couple minor mistakes. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): I had enough layers on to keep my base body temperature ok. With the rain and riding through standing water, I lost feeling in my feet and fingers by the end of the race. Not much dress wise I think could have been done for that due to the rain and conditions. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): I’ve raced mud a few times and love it.  the frozen hands I could have done without.  I rolled with Long Sleeve skinsuit, Long sleeve base layer, leg warmers, lots of embrocation, and gloves that were way too thin. 

MARC VETTORI [fatmarc] (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): I consider myself a pretty good mudder. I like nasty conditions, rainy days. I admit I was giddy as we started to stage. cold, but giddy. I’m not the strongest guy in the pack, so anytime I can use guile and treachery or hide behind technique in bad conditions, I’m all about it. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): I wore slightly warmer clothes than normal, I got everything right except for gloves, after the race my hands were burning like crazy. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women 3/4 2nd Place): I didn’t prepare nearly enough-I didn’t have enough clothes and I should not have pre-ridden so early. I got way too cold. 

MELANIE SWARTZ (Elite Women 2nd Place): I was physically prepared for the conditions and had enough layers and dry clothes, rain pants and jacket, boots, toasty toes warmers, extra of everything. My big mistake was that I was not mentally or emotionally ready to accept the conditions of cold rain and mud. So as a result I was kind of grumpy and miserable. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): 5 cups of coffee, Pantera’s ‘Vulgar Display of Power,’ and a childhood full of mud clod fights and bmx drag races on gravel roads. Seems like perfect prep for cross! 

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): I wore everything I owned to ward off the freezing cold and managed to stay pretty warm during the race. Had I known it was going to be so wet and muddy, however, I would have worn my mask and snorkel. 

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 3rd Place): By not pre-riding the course and just warming up on the trainer. Yes, I think I got it right. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): I just raced and tried not to freeze. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): The conditions were cold (~35 Degrees) and raining so I tackled these conditions by trying to stay as warm as possible before the start. While warming up, I had several extra layers on because I feel you shouldn’t make your body work to stay warm before the start of a race, this could possibly waste energy. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): My hands were in bad shape. Bad. They just don’t handle the wet cold very well anymore. Too many years of abusing them doing this sort of nonsense I guess. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): I tried not to be cold at the start. Sometimes a person is screwed before the race even starts by not staying warm and dry until the last possible moment.

2. What was the best part of the course? What was the worst part of the course? 

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 3rd Place): Best: slick, but rideable off camber corners and fast slimy turns. Worst: the large pond after the start finish. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): I liked the mud, especially the “River Runs Through It.” I suppose the worst part was that run-up, as I had to walk like a duck to try to get up it. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): The best part of the course was everything that was muddy and twisty, the worst had to be the run-up I could never get it right there. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): The new course was great! Would have had a grand time, had it not rained and been 34 degrees.

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): The best part of the course was the long, gradual uphill gravel road. This section was much appreciated because there was no deep mud and was a great place to go faster without worrying about a crash. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): I really liked the swooping sections through the trees-the couple minutes after the start finish were probably the hardest. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): All of it, and all of it. 

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): My favorite part was the short downhill towards the end of each lap. It was slippery and fast, as well as close enough to the finish line that it felt like good news every time. The worst part was probably the lake right after the first hill after the start; there’s nothing quite like swimming on your bicycle. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd Place): Loved the steep, muddy run-up after the pit. The chain link fences started freaking me out after awhile-I was visualizing some nasty eye injuries. 

MELANIE SWARTZ (Elite Women 2nd Place): The best part of the course, was the familiarity of it to me – I’ve raced this course at Taneytown for a few years now. The worst part, was the conditions effect on the course. I was not enthused about riding into the lake of a drainage ditch within 200m of starting. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): I thought the entire course was laid out very well. The course had good flow and was lots of fun. I guess if I had to pick a section my favorite section was the drop down, and run up near the end of the lap. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): the entire course was well done.  the weather made it extra fun but it had a nice blend of off camber, technical and power sections.  Last years course was good, this years was excellent.

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): The best part of the course was the second part of the course off of the asphalt that led you into 2 uphill off camber turns that were run ups. They were just slick as snot every lap. Fun stuff. The worst was the beginning of each lap after the asphalt. The grass to the short pop up hill seemed to be the hardest part of the course for me probably just because I was sprinting up the road every time to it and it was like riding through peanut butter. 

JAY MORALI (Cat 4 1st Place): Muddy hill! 

3. Describe your winning move. Or, when the race was lost. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): After a poor start I was fortunate to roll off the front with two teammates (Chris Nystrom, Fat Marc) and also West Virginia’s finest. With a small amount of seconds to the next group I was hoping for a wait and see situation but Gunnar started going hard in the off cambers, I responded and was lucky enough to nail a couple corners at top speed and open a gap.  After that it was just head down trying to stretch it out.  It wasn’t until the last half lap that I felt confident I would get it.

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): Worried too much about my cold stubs that used to be hands.

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): I got third so there really wasn’t a winning move. I got a strong start and about 1/2 way through the first lap was in a group with 2 teammates ([Kris] Auer and [Chris] Nystrom) and Gunnar [Shogren]. That was pretty good. My job wasn’t to try and win, but to ride well and support my leader. I clearly wasn’t the strongest guy today, more like in the right place at the right time…Things unfolded and worked out well for us.  

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): It helped to keep my wits about me in the mud. It was bad news to think too much about the mud and cold. 

MELANIE SWARTZ (Elite Women 2nd Place): I was putting everything into trying to win the first lap prime and then keep going. However the race losing move came on the first lap, heading off the final off-camber mud-slip-and-slide right before the final turn onto the finish-line pavement stretch, I slid out and the bike and I slid 10 yards in opposite directions, including a break-dance spin in the mud on my back. I laughed and cursed to myself and wondered if any one witnessed the calamity. I ran to the bike and saw Betsy [Shogren] coming up the trail. I had a 15 second lead until the wipe out. I debated jumping on the bike and just going for the first lap prime, but my saddle was too crooked and she passed while I was hitting my seat back into place. After she passed me, I tried to stay near but the culmination of all the little slips and mistakes here and there, I was never able to get her back. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): I lost the race when I bobbled on the last run-up and [Jeremiah] Bishop passed me. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): I was sitting in 3rd for half of the first lap. On the second half of the course with the 2 uphill off camber turns, rider #2 went down in turn one trying to ride it. I quickly dismounted and ran it taking second place. I caught rider #1 within 2 bike lengths as he tried riding through turn two uphill. He crashed and I dismounted again running up the hill and remounting taking the lead. I just started laying down hard tempo and concentrated on riding smooth through the course and not bobbling in the mud. It worked as I started making time on my chasers. Fortunately with no mechanicals I took the win. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): I was in fourth after the first lap, by the second to last lap I was is third for a little bit and I just picked up the pace as much as I could for the last lap and a half-my teammate who won had a big gap so I raced for second. 

JAY MORALI (Cat 4 1st Place): I was with the lead group sitting 4 back after 1 lap and the group all sprinted hard for the 1st lap prize while I sat back(I actually forgot about it) and they all slowed down to recover so I found myself on the front and decided to make a move. Before I knew it, I had a 15 second gap! I put my head down, rode hard, but smart, and held off the field for 3 laps. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): My 2nd place move: not falling on the course, starting hard but not contesting the first lap prime-rocked steady for the remaining laps while others fell back. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): I lost the wheel of the first place finisher on the gravel section on the second lap but was still somewhat close. But then I dismounted a little late on the hill behind the sheds and slid all the way down to the bottom, I was slow getting up and back on the bike. 

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): Whenever it came time to get back on the bike after dismounting, I fumbled and had trouble getting started again. Part of it was me just moving slowly in the crap conditions and the other part was that my mud-covered mountain bike weighed roughly three hundred pounds. It was a painful struggle. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): I’m not sure that I actually had a winning move or an attack that separated me from the field. After the barrier section on the first lap I was in the top 3, I went as hard as possible over the barriers and didn’t let up. I got a small gap before the run up and really never looked back. I think keeping my pace steady and crash-free is what won me the race. 

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 3rd Place): There were no moves to be made this day. I thought for sure that Jeff [Bahnson] was going to come back at some point, but he excels at riding these conditions and kept increasing his lead. 

4. What is your pre-race ritual, warm-up, food, etc.? 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): My pre-race ritual starts with a bacon, egg, and cheese on an English muffin, medium coffee, orange juice, and a donut. I then try to drink Gatorade before my start to stay hydrated. My warm-up depends on the conditions outside, I either try to ride a full lap of the race course or I try to stay warm in my car and do a quick 15 min warm-up before the start. I really don’t like wasting energy being cold. 

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 3rd Place): Register, pin up, dress up, ride the trainer, eat a gel 20 mins before race. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): Aside from trying to take care of necessities (food, equipment), I tend to shy away from pre-race rituals. It is better to be able to go with the flow than to panic when your ritual gets messed up by things cropping up at the last moment (like late arrival time, flat tire, dog needs attention, forgotten essentials, etc.) However, I do try to eat a banana ~15-20 minutes before a race. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): I ate well, warmed up well, but was doomed from the start I’m afraid.

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): That day I was just trying to stay dry and warm before the race, started warming up on the trainer 45 minutes before and drank lots of water. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): My usual routine is breakfast ~6am, slow laps after the mens 4 and masters 3/4 races, eat something ~10am, fast laps after the mens 3/4, then change into my racing kit and try to relax until my race. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): Coffee, oatmeal, metal, and two laps. 

MELANIE SWARTZ (Elite Women 2nd Place): One of my pre-race rituals is to pre-ride the course two races and one race prior to the start. However for this race, I was not excited about getting the bikes dirty and then cleaning them off again so I skipped the pre-ride. As a result I didn’t know the best lines or the proper weighting and leaning of the bike for the corners. It was stupid to not go out there and in the end it cost me time during the race with every dab or slip, and definitely played into the race losing move. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): Coffee, bagel with cream cheese, pre-lap, two trips to the port-o-let, style my hair, ride trainer, crack jokes with wife and friends. Usually get wife ready to race, pit for her, then get myself ready to go. Listen to Radiohead in Rainbows. Weird fishes rules. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): today I arrived early and walked the course but chose not to pre-ride.  steel cut oats for breakfast, 2 Krispy Kremes and a large coffee fueled me up.  I did try to stay very warm and dry before the start.  30 minutes on the trainer kept me loose. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Food 3 hours before race. Healthy cereal, fruit. Powerbar 45min -1 hr before race if I feel I need to top off. Warm up for 35 minutes before race start. I usually try to pre ride the course but didn’t for this one. Too muddy and wanted to save the bike for the race. No pit bike in my arsenal yet.

JAY MORALI (Cat 4 1st Place): I changed from a PB&J to French Toast this week…it may have to be a new ritual! 

5. What tires and pressure did you run? Do you think you made the right choice? 

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): I ran Specialized FastTrack Controls at 40psi (mountain bike tires). With as much mud as there was, though, I could have strapped tractor tires on my bike and it would not have made a difference. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): I ran about 30-35 in both tires which seemed to work well with clinchers.

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): Based on my coach’s advice, I ride the Grifos which are a great all-around tire that can ride well in all conditions. My tire pressure was 35 psi. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): Ran a little less than 40, which for the Hutchinson Bulldogs (clinchers) is pretty good. That wasn’t my problem. Those tires have been great this year. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): I heart Michelin Bulldog tires. 

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 3rd Place): Dugast Typhoons 32. no idea of the pressure. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): I think I made the right choice using the rhinos at about 30 psi. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): I elected to use my Michelin mud clincher wheelset (usually in the pits) for this race rather than my Challenge Grifo tubulars. I thought that they would cut through the mud because they are a heavier wheelset and because the tires are more suited for mud. I was worried my normal wheelset would skate over the mud. 

6. What is something you saw a newbie do that made you think “I really need to have a friendly word with that guy”?

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Helped a few people in the parking lot running either really high pressure or running too low. Something so easy as tire pressure can really make or break your race as far as handling. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): Nothing sticks out today, lots of suffering and misery though.  Good Stuff. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): I don’t think I saw anything like that. I was hiding under an easy-up most of the time. 

MELANIE SWARTZ (Elite Women 2nd Place): I felt like the newbie for not embracing the conditions and saying “Now this is ‘cross.” 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): That would be me. I’m sure I pulled some shady moves, but I’ve blocked them all out. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): Umm, I guess my only advice in these conditions is to do whatever you can to stay warm and dry before the race. I looked like the Michelin man out there, but I didn’t care because I started the race with feeling in my extremities, unlike a lot of competitors. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): I’m a newbie, this is my first full season doing cross!! I’m only getting through with the advice of my teammates, they are the best! Some of the advice I have been given is try to focus on riding the course smooth and focus on your start. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): “Why are you in shorts, are you freezing? You’re not, well I hate you.” 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): Just warning everyone when races are muddy and you open the port-o-let to not be startled by what you see on the floor, just a warning it’s just mud. 

7. Racing next week? What will you do differently, what will you try to repeat? 

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 3rd Place): At Reston for the MAC finale. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): We will be racing Capitol Cross next week, our first UCI race of the season! I think the only thing I will do differently is wear my new boots my mother-in-law bought me. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): Next week I’ll try to keep my hands much warmer, and I will try to start as fast as I did for this race. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): MAC finals and final prep for Nats in KC. I can only hope and pray that it’s not rotten out. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): I am racing the final MAC race in Reston on Sunday. I hope to follow the same diet and warm-up that I have been doing all season, seems to be working! Then nationals! 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): I got a good start and I think it makes a big difference. 

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): I think I’m done for the season. I’ve been racing since April and at this point, I am exhausted. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): Reston: go harder! I’d love to vomit on a cross course. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): Conditions dictate, I did a walking inspection last week. I prefer to ride a lap or two if possible. I plan to follow my normal routine which usually serves me pretty well. I’d like to race like I am not satisfied next week. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): yes, RESTON and hope to do it all the same, minus the frozen hands. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): I’m racing Reston this weekend. It’s the last race of the season, so my mail goal is to race hard and leave it all on the course. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Yes the Mac series final in Reston. I’ll be a row back in the call ups so I’ll have to work harder at the start to move up. I’ll try and repeat the effort and the result. 

JAY MORALI (Cat 4 1st Place): Still debating… 

8. Do you work with a coach? If so, how has it helped the most? 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): Chris Mayhew from JBV Coaching and I have been working together for 2 years now. Chris had done an amazing job of helping me to plan my season and achieve my goals. Chris is very detail oriented, and provides me great guidance. He is very familiar with Mid-Atlantic races so he can always give me some inside insight. Chris also knows that I’m a chronic over trainer, and does a great job keeping me from riding myself into the ground. I could never figure that out on my own. Mayhew really knows when to push me, and when to keep me fresh. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Kris Auer is my coach. I’ve been working with Kris since early summer just for Cx. He’s given me daily workouts to put me at the fitness level I needed to be at to podium in these events. I wanted to peak for finals for both the MABRA and Mac series. So far so good. (crosses fingers for next week). 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): I coach about 20 riders throughout the east coast. Many are crossers and I’d rate cross as my specialty.  I run the athlete development group with associate coach Johnny May. 

MELANIE SWARTZ (Elite Women 2nd Place): I am coached by Mike Birner with Mid-Maryland Coaching. It has taken a huge stress off of previously always planning and wondering what my next workout should be or if I am training the right way. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): Kris Auer (ADG) is my coach and he has been great. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): I work with Kris Auer of ADG. Honestly, I couldn’t be where I am at right now without his coaching. I started working with Kris over the summer after a long period of over-training. I was pretty tired and ready to call it quits. But, after some sound coaching advice and a few weeks of rest I started feeling better. I have never felt this good this late into the season and I can attribute this to good coaching. While my work schedule is demanding Kris customized my workouts to fit in with my daily work-life so I am having time to recover. I am more motivated then ever racing my bike. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): Yes (Alec Donahue at Cycle-Smart). It saves me time and energy from figuring out what I’m supposed to be doing and worrying about whether I’m doing it right. My background is in swimming which is a completely different sport and a lot of the training principles don’t translate very well. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): Yes, I think it has helped in a lot of places but mostly with my starts. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): I kick myself every morning. Keeps me motivated. 

9. Is CX your main focus? If not, what is? If it is, how long have you been riding cross? 

JAY MORALI (Cat 4 1st Place): This is my first year racing cross and I love it. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Yes CX is my main focus. This is my third year cross racing.

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): Yeah pretty much, I’ve been getting into the multi sport scene to a degree, just the racing parts though.  Cross since 1996/97 plus a few races as far back as 1989. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): First cross races were in the snow valley series at the high school, back in 1997. I am a crosser. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): From here on out, Cross is my main focus. Don’t tell my wife. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): Cross is the best but I have been mountain biking for about 3 years. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): CX and Mountain biking are tied at the moment, I think I have been riding cross for 5 years now. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): Cyclocross was not my original focus, it was more a fun activity to stay fit over the winter. But, after getting some good results I became completely immersed in cross. While this is my first year racing cross, this is quickly becoming my favorite racing. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): Damn, I keep answering this question! Stop the insanity! Been racing Cross since Nats in ’94, wanted to years before that but it wasn’t ever really feasible. Had a Cross bike since ’89. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): I just like to race bikes. Any bike!

10. Got a training/racing/life/stock tip you would like to share? 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): Go Veg! 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): Always have fun. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): My best tip for people is to remember to give your body time to recover. This advice was some of the best advice I was ever given. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): Skyline Drive. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): Enjoy it all, the training, the racing, the lifestyle, the circus. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): you get out of life what you put into it. Instant Karma is a bitch. Pull through. Always pull through. No matter what, we do this for fun, it’s all beer league softball, win, lose, or break your chain. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): racing is racing the course is secondary.  Treat them all the same and have fun. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Set goals, work hard, results will come. 

11. Other than race, what do you do? 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): I am a microbiologist at NIOSH. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): Wash dishes, do laundry, work on bikes. I train. I ride. I watch old TV series and interesting movies when I can. Sometime I write Haiku. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): I work at T. Rowe Price. Racing and training are big parts of my life. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): Besides work, I like to cook, take pictures and swim. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): school. 

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): I don’t have a job but I do go to school and hang out with my friends a lot. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): I am a simple man, I love my wife, I play with my dogs, and I ride my bike. I enjoying sipping a “high life” now and again, and rock climbing has been pretty relaxing for me as well. 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Electrician by day. Cyclist by afternoons. Family man at night. 

12. Will we see you at MABRA CX races, next year? 

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 3rd Place): Sure will. The quality of the events is growing each year and providing another series for the riders of the southern Mid Atlantic. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): You bet-I heart MABRA CX! 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): Yes, this is a great series. All the promoters have done an incredible job at their races, they have all been great and stress-free!! 

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): Absolutely. Cross is great training and the prizes are awesome. In cross country racing, you win a race and they give you a pair of socks that say “North Dakota 2006″. In cross racing, you come in twelfth and they give you a new car. 

MELANIE SWARTZ (Elite Women 2nd Place): If there aren’t too many conflicts between MABRA and MAC and UCI races, I’ll be at the MABRA races. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): We’ll have to see how the schedule unfolds. The past few seasons I have hit a number of MABRA races early, and then focused my energies on other races, this year I ended up doing more MABRA races deeper into the season. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): Absolutely, got to wear that new shirt a few times.

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Absolutely. I’ll be racing Masters 35+ Elite races. Looking forward to it. Good bunch of guys, no doubt I’ll be taking some lessons from them. They are really fast.

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): Yes but maybe less often-I may do more MAC races next year and I’d like to race in some other regions to see how it’s different. I may jump in some Men’s 4 races as well. 

13. Anything else you would like to add? 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Still trying to figure out how I got all the mud inside my shorts.

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): thanks to the MABRA and MAC series as well as all those that raced this season. This is a great community, let’s keep it growing and keep it cool. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): I have a wonderful wife, who I love very much. None of this bike racing silliness would happen without her. The fact that she races and we get to share these experiences is, well pretty awesome. I will admit when we have both have bad days, the drive home can be pretty quiet. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): Thanks to all the MABRA promoters and folks that make this series happen. It is nice that this series is not too big and not too small.

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): This weekend is the Capitol ‘Cross Classic put on by my club, the Potomac Velo Club. It promises to be a great event and…wait for it…there will be heated bathrooms. If that’s not a reason to come out and race, I don’t know what is. 

SAM O’KEEFE (Men 3/4 2nd Place): The mud was great. 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): I feel incredibly fortunate to ride for such an amazing team, C3-Sollay.com. This team is made up of great people that continually impress me for their dedication to cycling, their racing, and their teammates. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): How about something I would like to subtract or multiply? [ed. Note: See what I mean. I'm annoying him.] 

14. Give a shout out to somebody. 

BETSY SHOGREN (Elite Women 1st Place): Shout out to my mother-in-law! She’s a really great MIL (and I’m not saying that facetiously). 

MARK BROADWATER (Men 3/4 1st Place): Thanks Kris for all the great coaching!! 

LINDSAY BAYER (Women Cat 3/4 3rd Place): Thank you, Bobby, for driving me to my race, standing in the icy rain to cheer me on, hosing off my muddy clothes, and allowing me to get back in your car to go home. Your support means everything. 

MATT EVEN (Cat 4 2nd place): Bega for the bike, Megha for digging cross, Corey for the guidance, Plotz for the training, Jen for racing with the dudes, Mike for the beer, Jim for the loose pork sausage, and City Bikes for replacing my crank set the day before the race. 

MARC VETTORI (Elite Masters Men 3rd Place): Thanks to my great teammates on C3-Sollay.com, To my training partners in the DCCoD, to everyone working in the pits, to Slick Rik for teaching the ways of the white hand of Saron. To Mayhew for just being a great coach and really helping me to deliver my best, to my first grade teacher Ms. Floyd for telling me I was different because my name was spelled with a “c.” My mtb buddies who wait patiently for me, To the Eagles of Death Metal for saving rock and roll, to my parents for teaching me to be passionate and tenacious, to Bing’s bakery for great donuts, to Led Zeppelin for Kashmir, to everyone that cheers for me during a race, to my freakin’ amazing wife. 

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters Men 1st Place): Jan, Marc and Chris thanks for the extra support and the rest of the C3-Sollay.Com cross team in the pits and on the course. 

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women Cat 3/4 2nd Place): My teammate Jim, I got his car all muddy. Sorry!

JEFF BAHNSON (Elite Men 2nd Place): Go Henry’s Bikes and DCCOD!!!!!! 

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Shout out to my wife Chris for yelling words of encouragement as she ran all around the course in the rain cheering me on. Thanks to my coach Kris Auer for getting me this far this year. Thanks to the C3 guys in the pit giving me gap times and encouragement. 

JAY MORALI (Cat 4 1st Place): Thanks for a great race to the promoters and sponsors of the MABRA Championship Race. 

GUNNAR SHOGREN (Elite Masters Men 2nd Place): Jackie, quit chewing on your foot.

There’s also the allure of beer premes, low-entry fees and a trombone-playing gorilla.

Check out the site at kisscross.com.

‘In the Crosshairs’ caught up with a handful of folks from Kisscross Race # 6, Richmond Park (2.0). Here’s what they had to say.

1. What is it that makes Kisscross different from other CX series?

 TIM CURTIS (Masters B 2nd Place): Kisscross(keep it simple stupid) is as it sounds, low cost, basic scoring and each week a different local group sets up and takes down. This way most everyone gets more involved. Make no mistake, when the gun goes off-It’s a race.

TIM KRONE (Masters B 1st Place): Kiss is the only cross I’ve raced, but the low cost and proximity to my home are huge draws.

ANNE GROFVERT (B Women 2nd Place): It’s like you have your own cheering section! They are super. The courses are often more technically challenging too.

MONICA TORY (B Women 5th Place): Promoter Rick Plite has perfected the ultimate grassroots ‘cross race:  something for everyone (beginner through elite); friendly, social scene; low, low entry fees; and “prizes you can use” (like a 6pack of Founders or cycling related goodies) that do NOT necessarily go to the race winners.

ALAN BECKE (Cat C 5th Place): I’m new to the sport and Kisscross is the only series I have attended. Very relaxed and fun.

JILL GORKOWSKI (C Race 2nd Place, 1st Woman): It’s the only one I have done so I can’t compare.

2. What was the best/worst part of the course?

ALAN BECKE: I enjoyed the short descent and trail into the woods. Worst part was the 180 degree turn right after the barriers. 

ANNE GROFVERT: Best: The muddy run up. Worst: The muddy run up, no really it was the downhill right after the muddy run up.

TIM KRONE: The mud pit worthy of monster trucks.

TIM CURTIS: Best and worst might be the same depending on your view, last week we had a run up with landscape timbers at the bottom and wet clay the rest of the way up.

MONICA TORY: The uncertainty leading into this race … would it happen at all? Which park? When would we know? Where was the next closest race if this one was cancelled? … that was by far the worst part of the event, for both participants & organizers. But on the day, the last minute venue change & improvised/recycled course were brilliant. True ‘cross weather (33 degrees Fahrenheit, flurries of snow, gusts of wind, and naturally…. MUD), Everything you could ask for in a ‘cross course (stairs, lots of grass, packed sand, single track, deep puddles, a gravel road, a slick run up , and a good stretch of slip-n-slide =oily oily mud). My favorite part? That slick run up, complete with trombone playing spectator.

JILL GORKOWSKI: The best part was all the mud, the worst part was the stairs and having to clean my bike.

3. Describe your winning (or losing) move.

TIM CURTIS: No big moves here, just steady hard pedaling.

TIM KRONE: My buddy said, “Quit screwing around start up front.” So I did, and it seemed to work.

ANNE GROFVERT: Hmm, racing forward. Always chasing down whoever was ahead. Then moving on to the next racer.

ALAN BECKE: Not falling down helped.

JILL GORKOWSKI: I lost right at the end to a guy, but before that I was just trying to push myself as hard as I could on the flatter sections. 

4. Pre-race ritual, warm-up, food, etc.?

ALAN BECKE: Nothing special just a couple of laps to check the setup and conditions.

ANNE GROFVERT: Get in some laps to learn the course. Ramp up the speed. Get into the burn zone a few times. Do a race to warm up for the next one on training weekends.

JILL GORKOWSKI: I usually just do 1 lap to warm up, no rituals or special foods for me.

TIM KRONE: I made waffles for the family before I left the house.

TIM CURTIS: Try to save the beer for after the race!

5. What is something you saw a newbie do that made you think “I really need to have a friendly word with that guy”?

TIM CURTIS: Overdressing, but that’s part of cold weather racing

ANNE GROFVERT: Watching the C race and cheering them on. Encouraging them afterwards, giving kudos on something they did that was super. Offer a technique tip if there is something they are clearly struggling with. Barrier dismounts/remounts are often a good one.

JILL GORKOWSKI: Well, I am a newbie so maybe people want to have a word with me!

6. Are you sandbagging?  

ANNE GROFVERT: No sandbagging here (unless rolling around in a sand pit counts). Been racing the B open rather than the age group, so often lining up against guys half my age. Some weeks to get more punishment in, er racing, I line up with the A guys and get crushed.

TIM KRONE: No. I just had a good day. The course that day wasn’t very technical, so it failed to expose my crappy bike handling skills.

JILL GORKOWSKI: No, I am not sandbagging, it was my first ever cyclocross race. 

TIM CURTIS: I finally finished high in the Masters, I will race A group tomorrow. This after a broken collarbone in August. So, I’ve kinda been baggin’.

ALAN BECKE: Definitely not.

7. Racing next week? What will you do differently, what will you try to repeat?

ANNE GROFVERT: Two races left in this all too short season. Differently: Start more assertively. What will I try to repeat? An outstanding race at Nats.

TIM KRONE: I’ll race, but it’ll be the A race in which I’ll get my butt handed to me, perhaps on a collectable platter.

JILL GORKOWSKI: Yes, I will do the last two races of the series.  I need to practice getting on and off my bike quickly.

TIM CURTIS: I’m going with the A group this week, Just gonna try to hang on! [ed.: Tim reports he finished 18th and still had fun.]

8. Do you have a coach?

ANNE GROFVERT: I’ve worked with Hunter Allen (Peaks Coaching Group) for quite awhile now. Making the most of limited training time has been great.

9. Is CX your main focus?

ALAN BECKE: No. , just a way to extend the cycling season.  

ANNE GROFVERT: Yeah, it’s surpassed mtb riding. Though I love to mix up the season with endurance mtb. Perhaps an odd pairing of near opposites but it works for me.

TIM KRONE: No. I like lots of stuff in addition to cross.

TIM CURTIS: Mountain is my focus, this is for giggles.

JILL GORKOWSKI: No, mountain biking and some road.

10. Got a training/racing/life/stock tip you would like to share?

TIM CURTIS: Have fun with it, it all gets better then.

TIM KRONE: It’s all in the writings of Kurt Vonnegut.

ANNE GROFVERT: Find a life sport that you are passionate about. Stick with it and enjoy it. Not much surpasses that ‘fit’ feeling day in and out.

JILL GORKOWSKI: Have fun.

11. Other than race, what do you do?

ALAN BECKE: I am involved in Randonneuring (long distance, non-competitive cycling). This is really a great change of pace.

ANNE GROFVERT: I love riding bikes. Formalizing the coaching business shortly after a few of decades in advertising and graphic design. Also have some CX-specific clinics lined up for next summer. The big one is a full week camp. Here’s some shameless promotion: www.bicycle-coach.com/camps/crosscamp09.htm

JILL GORKOWSKI: Work and train.

TIM KRONE: Work. Love a wife. Love and raise a kid.

TIM CURTIS: Kayaking, CC skiing

12. Anything else you would like to add?

ANNE GROFVERT: CX is wonderfully addictive. If you haven’t tried it, come on out. The folks doing this are some of the most friendly and fun-loving riders around. Plus, it’s one of the few ‘approved activities’ where an adult to run around and get muddy! Keeps you on the bike longer and makes winter a whole lot shorter.

JILL GORKOWSKI: Can’t wait to do all the kisscross events next year.

13. Give a shout out to somebody.

JILL GORKOWSKI: Thanks to all the River City Velo guys for letting me be part of their team!

TIM KRONE: Hi Jonathan! Thanks for the advice.

ANNE GROFVERT: Rick Plite for building one of the best batch of races going. Endurance MTB & CX! Kent Eriksen and Scott Quiring for some fine riding bikes.

The Mid-Atlantic cyclocross scene visited Leesburg, Virginia November 23 for Squadra Coppi’s Tacchino Ciclocross. Racers were treated to crisp conditions and a challenging course. We got some great responses for this race. If you want to know how the top racers in the Mid-Atlantic take care of business, keep on reading.

Here are my takeaways: (1) suitcases of sausage are good … even for vegetarians, (2) first time on this site we have admitted sandbaggers … I like that,  (3) also for the first time we got actual stock tips [disclaimer: I am not offering advice, just reporting] , and (4) whether it’s his clients or his own performance … Kris Auer seems to know something about this cyclocross thing.

I would love to know what folks think about the site. Take a second and leave a comment.

Thanks and happy reading.

]]> http://www.cxhairs.com/2008/11/25/tacchino-ciclocross-2008-the-one-with-the-sausage/feed/ 0 http://www.cxhairs.com/2008/11/25/tacchino-ciclocross-2008-lets-reconnoiter/ http://www.cxhairs.com/2008/11/25/tacchino-ciclocross-2008-lets-reconnoiter/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:02:24 +0000 schiek http://cxhairs.wordpress.com/?p=240 1. What was the best part of the course? What was the worst?

WESTON SCHEMPF (Elite Men 1st Place): The entire course was great, but if I had to choose one section it would be the section from after the pit the first time through the choppy ride up (3rd up hill) and the second section would be the “S” turns around the pine trees with the rock in the apex of the turn after the second pit.

KRISTOPHER AUER (Elite Masters 2nd Place): best part was the unusually punchy flow. What was the worst? the start (downhill) and the finish no room to sprint to tight to run more than one abreast effectively.

STEPHEN CUMMINGS (Elite Men 3rd Place): My favorite part of the course was from the barriers to the pit. It was a long uphill drag after a hill section, and the barriers. After remounting, people were hurting here. If you could pace yourself for the whole effort, you could grab a few seconds on people.

IAN MATHIAS (Cat 3/4 1st Place): For me, hardest part was not over-braking on the steep down-hills and sharp corners. A few laps I felt myself being too cautious and giving up the progress I made on the up-hills.

JOE LILLIBRIDGE (Masters 3/4 1st Place): Best part of this course was the layout of the corners. They all seemed to be a bit over 90 degrees and made you lose quite a bit of momentum getting through them. The worst was probably the backside climb where all of the ‘baby head’ divots in the ground going uphill really took it out of you every lap.

MATTHEW PARSE (Cat. 3/4 4th Place): Best Part: All of the tight fast turns. I am technical ride so I prefer lots of turns. Worst Part: the uphill section with the soft ground.

PAUL RADES (Cat 4 Ist Place): The steep hills on the back stretch. No worst part.

GREG FABER (Cat 4 2nd Place): Best: Steep up and down climbs (whoop de loops?) Worst: the low grade uphill bumpy sections.

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM (Women 3/4 First Place): Best: the high speed turns, Hardest: the long bumpy uphill after the curvy up and downs.

JIM CARLSON (Cat 1,2,3,4 55+ Masters 3rd Place): The best part was the quick up-hills and down-hills section. I caught and passed people there (probably from mountain biking experience). The worst part was the long shallow up-hill where you ground away and didn’t feel like you were even racing.

STEPHEN CUMMINGS: Amazing espresso from our hosts’ Super Automatic machine. Bagels with peanut butter and honey and raisins, a bit of dark chocolate before the start and a Hammer gel. I pre-rode the course for 3 laps and sat on a trainer to stay warm for about 20 minutes before the race.

MATTHEW PARSE: Food: Egg McMuffin from McDonalds. It is a gotta have for me. Warm-up: I keep it short. I like to spin for about 15-20 minutes than I get on the course and try to do one hard lap to figure out how fast I can take the corners.

KRISTOPHER AUER: Sunday, well Beer and Wine on Saturday night followed by a very late arrival 30 minutes before the start. I had a donut and a giant cup of coffee.

WESTON SCHEMPF: Get to race 2-3 hrs before to register, and help teammates in the pit if necessary. Get kitted up and do a couple laps on the course. Jump on the trainer about an hour or so before my race. Eat something significant 2 hrs before, drinking water or Gatorade up to the start and a gel 30 mins. before race time.

JOE LILLIBRIDGE: Pre Race Ritual-Kashi cereal, fruit cup, and raisins for breakfast 3 hours before the race. Power Bar 45 minutes before race. Warm Up every race by doing some easy intervals 35 minutes before the race and getting in a fast pre-ride of the course in if I have time.

PAUL RADES: Never got warm, despite my best efforts reconning the course.

IAN MATHIAS: I try to show up pretty early, mostly because I like hanging out and not feeling rushed. Nothing crazy though … just drinking lots of water, pre-riding the course, and some trainer time before the start. Usually the more I think or stress, the more I screw up.

GREG FABER: Not much of a ritual, but definitely hit the port-o-john to achieve race weight. Warm-up consisted of dropping wheel in the pit and riding the course once. Pre-race food was bagel with cream cheese a ton of coffee and Gatorade, then 2 power-gels and a red bull right before the race.

JIM CARLSON: Eat a good breakfast (oatmeal, protein bar, banana) 4 hours before race time. Then do a GU on the start line. Get to course at least 2 hours before start to get numbers on and everything sorted out so that you can get at least an hour of warm-up riding in. Try to do at least one or two laps on the actual course to check out all the lines, best tires to use, prepare mentally, etc. The best final warm-up is on a rear wheel trainer for the last half hour, with 2 or 3 hard 1-minute intervals to get your legs ready.

LINDSEY HILLESHEIM: My typical pre-race ritual was out the window as I was in charge of setting up and staffing registration on race day. I did get in my typical race breakfast (Greek yogurt, honey, granola and coffee) though.

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