CCC Race Catch Up

Hello Blog, it's me, Jonathan... It's been a while but for my own vanity I want to drop a few brief race reports. Later in the week I've got a big community post that'll go up.

Hup Hup Hup

DeKalb set

I love Half Acre Cycling, and I love Iowa, so how could I say no to the Dekalb race. Fun course, some awesome high speed flowy corners, but lacking some really tech stuff. Unless you count the flyover - which was awesome. It's fast downhill approach, short top deck, and g-out transition quickly separated the mountain bikers from the road guys.

I had a good race. Battled out front for a bit then found my groove and held on for my first top 20 finish of the year.

Dirt Bags

Elvis Cross set

Beverly Bike Vee-Pak went two for two with their race. Last year they introduced a real crusher of a course, and this year it was more of the same, plus Elvis and all his accoutrements. Even with some of the big power sections this was a mountain biker's course - killer hill, tight loomy corners, and a few gravity fed sections that required more skill and less braking.

If you were comfortable laying the bike through the corners and getting a little drift in your skift then there were big time gains to be had. I'm born and raised a dirt bag and I railed corners all day on the south side to close gaps on the guys that are typically faster than me. I walked a way with my first top 10 of the year and huge grin.

My dirt bag instincts were on high alert as John Kalnins (pictured above) flew by me in one of the downhill sweepers. I later learned he was a factory DH racer - awesome.

Charge!

Pic: Luke Seemann

I was a double looser last weekend at Psycho Cross. First, I lost the opening lap prime in the last 50m even with a solid holeshot. I had given it everything, lost the lead, picked it back up, stayed on the gas, lost the lead, launched a big attack at the double barrier, got the lead, got passed with 50m to go, got passed with 30m to go, then made it up the flyover - so close, yet so far.

Then after suffering on the power course (curse you long straightaways!) and earning my way into overall top 10 standings I couldn't make the Sunday race and missed out on a call up (curse you responsibility!). Kyle and Brian, I'm coming for you.

As a lead in to my next post I've got to say the guys racing in the 4As are awesome. We heckled, encouraged, and raced hard against each other all in the name of good fun and maybe a little post race puke. The community that is Chicagoland cyclocross rocks.