Wildcat beating, Dropped Chain

         This past weekend's race was SuperPro Racing's NCCX #3, Stafford Lake Wildcat, in Navato, the location of a new bike park currently under construction.

Photo From: http://staffordlakebikepark.com/
Stafford Lake Bike Park trails started

         The weather was just about perfect for the Men's B race with the series late start time of 3:00 pm, and the course was fast, bumpy, and dry after a storm two days before. From the start was gravel fire road leading to a left over a bridge and a hard right followed by a short straight to get speed for a steep hill/stairs. The course winded down the hill from the top of the stairs via a few off camber straight sections, small quick punches up and with sharp descents, and a hard off camber fading left leading into a quick fading right around a disc golf tie slab. After the descent the course would pick up speed down a "smooth" fire road into a hard headwind, before heading towards the lake and long, fast, but extremely bumpy back stretch, including a barrier to slow the field. Shortly after the first barrier was a tight right left chicane leading to the final fast section starting with a short stint on pavement, before heading onto dirt, over a few roots, over two barriers and a "Belgium farm wall" before the lap marker, and another bumpy section and the start line.

Photo By: Samantha Smallwood
Chris Seymour hopping over the "Belgium farm wall"

Check out Hans Kellne's video of the Masters Mens 45+'s first lap to see the course

  

         I was on my way to staging when they were just finishing call ups, missed my call up, but the field allowed me to head up to the front row to take my spot. A good starting spot was needed with the hard climb so close to the start, and not wanting to be in the back of the pack for it.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Eric Stocker leading out the Mens Open B race.

         I slotted in 4th at the start charging down the fire road, would take the left side and push hard for the whole shot, but Eric Stocker would narrowly take the whole shot, and lead the field up the hill with myself in second. I had practiced the hill in warm ups trying to find the speed and gear combination to make it up, but on the first lap I would not make it and have to run up the last 10 feet, not loosing much time on Eric, and slightly holding up the field behind me.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Bryan Cheung and Chris Seymour practicing the hill

         After making it to the top of the hill I quickly caught Eric and held his wheel until we made it to the fire road. With a quick burst I would pass him and start putting an effort into the headwind, Eric Stocker would hold my wheel for the rest of the first lap, where we were had made a 20 second gap on the strong single speed racer (on a geared bike this week), Bryan Cheung.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Eric Stocker bonking in the back ground

         After staying with me for the first lap and both of us making the hill on the second, Eric Stocker started to bonk after the descent allowing me to build my lead substantially going into the third lap, around 30 second at the top of the hill on the third lap. Shortly after making it up the hill I had a mechanical issue, my chain dropping on the outside of the cranks like at Ft. Ord earlier in the season. I would have to get off and yank/pull it free which erased my lead, bring it down to around 5 seconds. For the next few lap Dave Mongan, and Lee Slone would be close on me, I would have just enough left in the tank to hold off attacked between the high speed barrier pavement for two laps, before the bell lap. 

Photo By: Mark Seymour

         Going into the bell lap Lee (on a mtb bike) had passed Dave, and was charging hard, so after cross the farm wall I attacked as hard as I could to build a gap knowing if i could making it down the descent first I had a good chance at holding him off on the pedaling sections all the way to the finish. Charging hard on the hill making it for the 4th of 6 times in the race allowed me to focus on keeping my chain on and two wheels underneath me for the descent. I made it down first. But, Lee was clos e on to my wheel and would attack on the long stretch toward the barrier, I believe getting with in a second or two. Countering his attack, I would take to much speed into the chicane taking out a little tape before turning onto the pavement and giving it all I had after just under 45 minutes. As I came off the pavement and crossed the roots, my chain would bounce off to the inside. I tried, but could not get it back on causing me to have to run about 20 yards before hopping over farm wall, and running towards the finish, and remounting with a dropped chain to roll across the finish, taking the win. 

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Mens Open B Podium
Lee Slone, Chris Seymour, Dave Morgan

         This would be my 4th win of the season, and first of the NCCX series, putting me in the lead of the NCCX point after 3/5 races , with 111 point only 4 points ahead of Superpro Racing's own Aaron Spinddell

Unexpected Double Weekend......Double Win

Photo By: Mark Seymour

          Saturday I found myself back at CSUMB for CCCX #6. The course was a mix of speed, turns, and loads of sand. Starting quickly into a left and hard right onto  gravel straight, followed by a second gravel straight flanked on either side by left handed turns. A slight right bend leading to a long hard packed fast pedally section leading right into the middle of the course and all the loose sand/dirt turns and a single telephone pole barrier. Shortly after the barrier was two sand pits, the first being about 20ft and pretty wide, and a short but deep pit before the only hard climb on the course, which  required ducking under a tree half way up. 

Photo By: Steven Woo
The man behind all the Rock Lobster Bikes,
Paul Sadoff, in the sand pit before the climb

Descending from the climb was two lines leading to a hard right, the main line on dirt, making the right a really sharp turn, or a fast inside through the ice plant line, softening the right. The last section was a long maybe 150 foot sand pit, proved trouble for some racers through out the day, and a second pedal section a long the road, and a sustained climb back to the start/finish.  

Photo By: Mark Seymour

          I received the number one call up for leading the series, among a field of great racers and friends. The group for CCCX #6 included Lee "Slonie" Slone, Chris Neher, Matt "Donde" Gracia, Scott Lappe, and young ripper Ben Gomez-Villafone decided to race the B race right after the junior race this week instead of the Elite race, this field meant it was going to be a hard race.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

          Again I had a bad start third off the whistle, but quickly recovered and dove inside on the first turn taking the lead with young Ben, and Lee on my wheel. Something happened behind us close to start and the three of us had a good gap by the end of the first lap. On the second lap, Ben would take the lead after the long pedal section and would build a large gap on Lee and myself.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

       During the middle of the race Lee and I would trade second and third until Ben started to slow near the end of the 5th lap and the gap lessened.  We had made it to within about 20 seconds of Ben at the start of two to go when Lee got a water handout, took a slip, and handed it off to me. I think this little bit of water and great generosity from Slonie gave me the needed hydration and inspiration, I dropped the bottle and started the attack to try and catch Ben.

Photo By: Mark Seymour 

      I put my head down and charged ahead, slowly gaining time on Ben in first and making a gap on Lee in third. A few turns after leaving the long pedal i had caught Ben, but he still had some left in him and held off my attack. When we made it to the small climb I noticed he did not have enough power left to hammer up it, but was better at the insuring sand pit. We crossed the line neck and neck going into the bell lap and the lead would switch a few time for the first half of the lap. Knowing from the previous lap if i could get to the climb first I would have a chance at winning. I took a lot of speed through the first sand trap far on the right as Ben went left, I downshifted and spun through the second on moving from the right to left just inching in front of the fast 14 year old. From there I push hard up the hill and even hard on the last 1/3 of the lap with out looking back, putting a 24 scound gap on Ben by the finish.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

      After winning at CSUMB I decided to spend the next day racing, and arranged to head up to Santa Rosa.

          Sunday morning, local fast guy Santa Cruz Bicycle's employee Rock Lobster elite racer, Scotty Chapin, and I headed up to Santa Rosa to for Santa Rosa Cup #2 at A Place to Play park the course there what about speed and cornering, check out the video of the start of the Masters Men's A race start from Hans Kellner  to see the course.
          In the Men's B race I  didn't have a call up, and lined up on the right side of row three. On the start the I went into the line about 15th before passing about 9 races on the first dirt section finding myself right around 7th at the back of the second group, with two guys already making a gap. I stayed with this "chase" group until the back stretch around a baseball field where I made a move to the front of the group hoping someone would grab my wheel as I took off to catch the lead group of two, no one did. Going into the second lap I was close to the lead group, caught and passed them on again on the first dirt section, again I was hoping at least one of the two guys  would stay on my wheel so we could work together to put a gap on the field, but alas neither did.

Photo By: Joe Fabis

From there I put a small gap on the field and maintained the gap as the two former leads got caught by the chase group. With about three to go Rob Pitchford, already the winner of the Masters Men's B 45+ race, emerged from the chase group and attempted to bridge the gap to no success. I was saving energy for the last two laps and going into the bell lap I dropped the hammer and put 20 more seconds into the gap before the end of the race.

          Next weekend is the opener for the long running local Surf City Cyclocross Series, at Aptos High, it should bring out some fast racers for what should be a hard hilly technical course

a Podium and a Flat

This weekend was the second double of the year first with CCCX #5 on Saturday at Toro Park in Salinas, and NCCX #2 the Lion of Fairfax.

Saturday at  Toro park was a mild but sunny day, the course started with a fast grass straight leading to slippery flat grass turns and 2 barriers followed by with a fast straight and semi-loose climb, fire road descent before going over two tree barriers with a u-turn between them before a quick pedal to a larger tree barrier, and a sprint before three more barriers and the start/finish.  

Photo By: Mark Seymour

I found myself with the number one call up, leading the Men's Open B CCCX series. and on the front row, with my co-workers Jory Stanwyck in the Open B, and Bo MacArthur in the singlespeed B race.

Photo By: Jeff Vander Stucken Santa Cruz Bicycle's Bo MacArthur

Photo By: Jeff Vander Stucken Santa Cruz Bicycle' Joey Stanwyck

I’ve been having some problems with my right shoe coming unclipped on start, but this day i had the opposite problem and could not clip in leading to a “bad” start for me filing in 3rd going into the grassy flat turns, following the front two until the straight where I went out ahead going into the climb. I decided to run the trees while some others were riding them.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

Photo By: Jeff Vander Stucken Rock Lobster's Alex Work

Crossing the line into the second lap Josh Pizzica picked up my wheel, and held it for the lap before passing me in the flat turns. I would only be able to hold his wheel for a lap before a few small mistakes let him take off, which would be the last i saw of him. 

Photo By: Mark Seymour

The rest of the race consisted of the winner of the singlespeed race Bryan Cheung swapping pulls around the track until i dropped him on the last lap, finishing 2nd/11.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

While Sunday another north bay scorching hot day for the Lion Of Fairfax at White Hill Middle School . The course was a mix of loose dirt, packed running track, pavement and roots. The laps started off with a short pavement section across a basketball court, a short rooty off-camber climb followed by a second even shorter, but faster off-camber climb. Next was a really steep loose run up, rode by a few of the elite men, a long section of flat turns through a dusty dirt field before descending a short gravel section, and a quick down up into a hard right turn, preceding a tight rooty section. All this was leading to the pavement, and weaving through the middle of the school before leading around the school’s baseball/grass field, with the course sole barrier on the far side before continuing around to the start finish.

Video By: Brian Mott

Again like Saturday I found myself with a front row callup, 7th allowing me to keep a good spot even missing the holeshot, for the second time in the weekend.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

On the first lap there was a bottleneck at the first off camber climb, check it out in the above video, which allowed a small gap to form for the leader, i was slotted in 5th behind Ryan Gallagher, and a few others and a Aaron Spindell, a racer for SuperPro on a mtb, going into the dirt before 2nd, and 3rd had a mishap going into a tight loose u-turn. 

Men's B Check out 30-45 secounds Video by:Nick Fain

From there I grabbed Ryan’s wheel and stayed on it as we caught and passed Aaron near the end of the lap. From there Ryan and myself started to put a gap on the field, until after taking the lead in the middle of the third lap

Photo By: Mark Seymour

I hit hard coming off the basketball court on the forth lap, and had my rear go flat on as I got off for the run up. I let Ryan know I had a flat as he passed me coming off the loose dirt before leading towards the middle of the school and later on the lap the neutral wheel pit. I continued to ride my flat getting passed by just 2 or three racers until the pits getting quite loose on some parts of the pavement before the neutral support had a wheel waiting as Ryan told them I was coming for a rear wheel. The swap took a fair amount of time, but I finished the lap in 8th, a far throw from the 1st I started it in. For the rest of the race I put my head down and pushed along slowly gain spots, grabbing a beer handout from the one Scott Lappe,near the end of the race.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

With two to go I waved off my support, the beautiful Samantha, at the start of the hard pack going around the grass field so i could put as much power down as possible to get close to Aaron in 5th place Going into the last lap i just pasted him and charged ahead finishing a short 7 seconds ahead of him in 5th just 31 seconds off the podium.

  Stay tuned for next week's CCCX #6 at CSUMB.