Who woulda thunk?

Rogues racing is primarily a road racing team (with a little cyclocross thrown in), but apparently they can race off-road just as well. Six of us showed up at the Rowdy Dawg mountain bike race held right in our back yard along Poverty Creek, Gap and Brush mountains. Dan, Matt, John, and Cole showed up with a glistening stable of new 29rs, 69rs and 96rs. Brian and I were racing in the vintage category. The conditions turned out to be great. The rain left early enough on Sat to leave the mud dry and tacky. Really perfect conditions. After we got our instructions (follow the little tiny green arrows scattered about the forest), we started going in circles immediately, down the road the wrong way and back through the parking lot. While I was trying to remember how to shift my mountain bike (has it been a year since I have even touched my mountain bike?!), the rest of the team barreled down the road at the head of the pack. Eventually I got going and settled in at a steady pace trying not to bounce off the never ending boulders in to the woods somewhere. Don’t let anyone convince you to buy into this retro, vintage crap. Rigid bikes with cantilever brakes are complete garbage and a leading cause of rigor mortis before death. I still don’t think the feeling has come back to my hands. Eventually the course led across the road to the Brush Mountain side, home of fast smooth trails. I finally started passing some people on the long ascent to the top of brush mountain. This was actually starting to be fun. Unfortunately, the trail turns down again and all those people passed me while I was holding on for dear life. Finally back to the road at the bottom and I am thinking, “this wasn’t too bad”. Then the marshalls point back to the Gap side indicating another lap through rock garden hell (Queen Anne). At this point, my bike is starting to think this is all a bit too much. First my saddle starts to fall off, and then one of my tubes fails. I wasn’t even riding my bike at the time. I was pushing up some hill and then pssshhht, no air. After rattling along for a while I did actually reach the finish to the cheers of most of the Rogues who had already finished and changed and eaten lunch. Strangely, Cole wasn’t there. It appears he went into the woods and was never seen again. If anyone is riding along and sees a hulking man beast running through the trees, no it is not Saskwatch. As it turns out, Rogues scored 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the sport class. (Matt P, McKenna, and Dan) Not bad for a couple of roadies.

The event was organized really well (courtesy of Ben Brown and Montgomery County Parks and Rec. ) and the barbecue from Professional Catering was fantastic.

Someone might post a recap, but the greater recap is the visual one where you can see the blood, sweat, and tears and then judge for yourself. Congrats to everyone.

Living on the east coast, you get used to the variable weather that the summers bring. Each of us Rogues are very familiar with the spontaneous thundershowers that ruin bar-b-ques, postpone lawn-mowing, and cause race cancellations. Five of us were faced with that very same predicament for the last Dixie Classic Crit of the month. We wanted to race, but a 50/50 chance of thunderstorms had us on edge. Still, we made the drive down south to Winston-Salem, gambling our race-eagerness with some Mother Nature whims.

We made the right choice because Mother Nature had a soft spot in her heart this Tuesday. Only the third vehicle in the parking lot, we arrived just in time for the officials to debate the race – some light rain having begun falling at that point. Minutes later, the rain ceased, the sun came out, and the wind was just as terrible as it was before. So, let’s race.

Actually, let’s race after an hour of warming up. The first crit, Cat 5 & citizens, began almost an hour late due to the tardy people registering. The course was an old go-kart or small auto track – dead flat with dozens of surface imperfections and regular bumps throughout. Warming up on the track at speed, it was an uncomfortable track, to be sure. A warm up under our belts, we watched as the Cat 5 crit rolled off the line.

Matt Cage was representing Rogues in the Cat 5 race. Sticking to the pack for most of the race, he made several attacks resulting in some exhausted pursuers. At least from my perspective, it looked like a great race. He finished in the main field.

Some minutes later, the Cat 3/4 crit began. I was in this field along with Tim Ciarkowski, John Webb, and Eric Carlson. The field was a huge mix-match of ability and steadiness and, fortunately, the half-dozen of uneasy moments never resulted in a crash. Without any change of grade with which to shine on, I was fine with the knowledge that I wasn’t going to win in a group sprint so I prepared to work for the other Rogues. In order to keep my other teammates safely back in the pack while exhausting some eager riders, I attacked off the front on two occasions. Just like all of the other breaks that made an attempt throughout the 45-minute event, no one ever seemed to want to rotate with me in these breaks – a complete lack of cooperation that was the order of the evening. So, after running near threshold for a minute, I would reduce my pedaling and allow us to get pulled back in. Eventually, I succumbed to the field and just rode in the slipstream of other riders to the finish. Oh, and Tim won a mid-race $10 preem. We all finished at various points in the pack.

The flat course was nice to no one but the sprinters. A field of 47 riders and some narrow turns meant that moving up the field over a half-mile track was practically impossible. As the pace of the 3/4 crit picked up, it was clearly impossible to make it to the front unless you had already found your spot there. And, without inter-team cooperation in the breaks, the 3/4 field was a mess.

Anyways, the Pro 1/2/3 crit rolled out shortly after the 3/4s had changed back into street clothes. Tim and John Webb were feeling lucky and decided to go out for round two, there Cat 3 classification providing that opportunity. The lights above the track were turned on as the sun set, fulfilling the promise that these Dixie Classic crits would occur “under the lights”.

The Pro 1/2/3 race was a beast. The pace was fast. The cornering smooth. The breakaway of three Time Pro Cycling riders was the highlight of the race. Watching the pace of the main field made be weak in the knees, but then seeing the Time riders lap the main field twice could have made me vomit my Clif bar were I not careful. Tim finished in the field while John Webb knew better and pulled back.

Afterwards, IHOP. It’s where a cyclist properly refuels. I’m really glad we took the chance against impending weather and I hope we venture out for some of the remaining Dixie Classic crits this year.

Rogues have been making a strong showing so far at the Mud, Sweat, and Gears CX series in TN. Here are some highlights:

Dave Lehn powering around despite the squishy, heavy mountain bike. MSG #2, Men’s CX 4.

Tim Ciarkowski on his way to a sixth place finish. MSG #2, Men’s CX 4.

John McKenna on his way to second in the master’s 35+ field at the MSG #2.

Thanks to Bart Nave for the pics.

One score and 12 days less ago 5 Rogues, a girlfriend, and a trusty canine ventured south to the cancer producing haven that is Winston-Salem, NC. Featuring an open, undulating circuit and temperatures reaching into the mid 90’s, the Hanes Park Classic guaranteed an epic battle.

Dan Rapella and I rolled off the start line with a pack of 60 tense Cat 4’s around 9 am. The race was a rather timid affair with a few short-lived break aways. I was unconcerned with these futile attempts because I knew Dan and the other teams would bring them back in short order to setup the inevitable field sprint. The open, flowing nature of the course made moving up (and back) in the peleton relatively easy. I was feeling just this side of terrific as the laps started ticking down. I held third wheel coming out of the last turn when the pace fell off and I found myself at the front. I was faced with a decision; go long from 350m out and risk dying within view of the line or wait to get on another wheel and risk being boxed in near the line. I decided to hit the jets early and held it to the line for my first win on a road bike. Dan and I celebrated with a magnum of champagne and numerous kisses from the podium girls. We even got some digits! Phil Ligget was so impressed with my sprint that he tracked me down after the race and proceeded to tell me I would be the next Robbie Mac!

Kevin Crosby and Matt Phillips took to the streets late in the afternoon for what was to be a combative 2/3 race. Numerous strong attacks forced the groupetto to work very hard to haul back breaks the majority of the race. With only a handful of laps remaining, Matt P looked to be in a good spot to unleash his massive sprint. However, it was not to be. A crash with 2 laps to go left our Rogues gapped from the winning group, but thankfully no worse for wear.

The soothing tunes of Wilco took us home…

Disclaimer: The accounts used in this description may have been exaggerated for dramatic effect.