Double SIerra Point Weekend, Double Podium

         This weekend was a double weekend at the Brisbane Marina on Sierra Point, races #2, and #3 for BASP. Saturday was a late start for racing with my race, Mens Bs racing at 4:00 pm and the Elite race not starting until 8:00 pm, on a  counterclockwise course, while Sunday was a normal schedule with the Elites  racing at 1:00 pm and Mens Bs finishing off the day at 2:10 pm on a clockwise course.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
First mud pit of the year

         The two day's course were very similar; with four pavement sprints, two sets of barriers with one set before short steepish climb, a set a steps heading up what they call the "table top area," tight bumpy turns, and a mud pit at the start of the lap on Saturday and the end of the lap on Sunday. Even though Sunday was basically Saturday's course in reverse there were some differences; on Saturday after coming off the "table top" there was a bridge before a few turns leading to the second set of barriers(first set on Sunday) near the Marin Bikes pit before a sand trap, the bridge was omitted on Sunday, the other major change was the location of the first set of barriers on Saturday (second set on Sunday), they would be put on the other side of the flat u-turn, so both days you would come out of the turn before heading to the barriers.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

Check out Brian Mott's video from the 1st lap of the Mens B's race to see the course on Saturday

         The race Saturday was a large fields, 73 racers, and for me started with a pleasant surprise, of after finishing 42nd at BASP #1, enough people ahead of me weren't here allowing me to snag the last call up on the right side of row three, about 20th in the large field.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Staging for BASP #2 Mens B

          At the whistle the guy right ahead of had a good start so I would did not get bogged down, see the above video link, Brian started just to my right. I would hit the first turn right around 15th and take the far right line through the mud before making the turns to the pavement where I made a a few quick burst to get up to 5th behind Chris Neher going into the first little off camber uphill. Chris let me pass and chase down the leader as we made it to a flat fast long dirt turn. From there I would pick off most the remaining racers ahead of me to get into 2nd place entering the pavement at the end of the first lap.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

          Going on to the pavement after the mud I would pass the last guy for the lead, and start to build a gap, riding relatively by myself for the next few laps when I would start to make small mistakes; taking a different line through the mud, grabbing a dollar hand out going into to the bridge and not being able to remount on the top, these and a few other small mistakes allowed Richard Reffner to catch up and take the lead with two to go.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Battling with Richard Reffner

         I would battle with Richard for the last two laps, and watch little Ben Gomez Villafane, who started on the 6th row, make a hard attack where the course past close to previous spots. Richard and I stayed close with him having a slight lead going barriers before the "table top" area. As we made it to the two steps I dismounted and pinched him into the tape as he tried to ride the steps. From there I would use all I had left, through the bridge, and last two barriers to the finish to take the win by 4 seconds, slowing just enough not to lap Scott Lappe.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

Photo By: Mark Seymour
BASP #2 Mens B podium

         After winning the day before, I would have the number one call up, little Ben the third, and Eric Stocker the forth. I would take the far left spot, which if I had a good start would of set me up nicely for the first right hand turn over the curb.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Start of BASP #3

         I would go over the curb around 12th, but would go wide and pass 5 people up to around 7th on outside before falling in line going into the sand box. Ben Gomez-Villafane would already be out of the sand and hopping the barriers before I i got through the sand. For first lap I would ride in traffic; going up the relocated two steps someone would try and fail to ride them causing a bottle neck, later in the lap on one of the short but loose climbs two guys on mountain bikes would come together and both crash causing a second pile up.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Riding behind Chris Neher on lap two

         These pile ups would cause me to enter the second lap around 5th. On this lap I was still in traffic, but no one crashed or had issues with any of the climbs and I slowly made my way up to second by mid lap. The rest of the race was spent riding at the front of a three person chase group, trying to remain smooth, and erase a 25 second gap Ben had formed. With three to go I would miss the frame as I tried to grab my bike while running a set of barriers. Causing me to hit the barrier with my back wheel shooting the bike into the air and making me come to a stop to get my bike under control.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Leading the chase group of Myself, Miles Stepto, and Eric Stocker

         The three of us in the chase group would battle and switch spots over the last three lap. I would lead going into two to go, but Miles saw a few openings and would take the lead going into bell lap, with me on his wheel and Eric on my own. After we passed the first set of barriers I attacked hard going into the "table top" and would take over second place and hold it until the end of the three pavement straights. I would take too much speed exiting the pavement and go wide into the turn allowing Eric to pass on the inside. After he passed, I again took too much speed into a turn this time the right hander with woodchips and would have to unclip to stay on two wheel before the mud pit. I couldn't get my cleat to clip back in until just after the mud pit, allow as Eric build a just enough of a gap as turned over the curb on to the last pavement sprint to hold onto second place, leaving me in third, not what I wanted but a second podium for the weekend.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
BASP #3 Podium

          Next week I stay local and head up to the Cal Fire training ground on Empire Grade for Surf City CX  #2.

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

Tough run up, hills, and Donuts

        This week's race was the opener for the local Surf City Cyclocross series on a Ben Jacques-Maynes designed course at Aptos high. The course was a mixture of  technical descents and quick short climbs with an pedal section thrown in here and there.
          The start was on the northwest side of the gym going north, passing the pits and looping around to the southeast side before turning up a long steep loose run up, but not before a barrier.

Photo From: Surf City Cx facebook

         Following the run up was a short pavement sprint before dropping down the first short but steep as the course  descended into the school, across a quad and up a few concert stairs. Two pedal strokes after the stairs was a short climb starting with a few roots and stumps, before smoothing out and the second short descent.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

         This descent was loose sandy dirt fading away right turn leading to a pedaling section around the outside school's softball fields ending with a gravel pit and a short hairpin across a black top basketball court. Coming off the basketball court the course quickly ascended on to a gravel road, before just as quickly doing an about face and heading back down onto concrete looping next to the pits for a second time in the lap. Immediately coming off the concrete near the pits there was a choice of taking the high line with a steep run, or the low line a off camber sandy climb, both leading to a quick sandy descent quickly into a loose right turn lead to the second loose run up, which had section on the far right that became easily ride able later in day. At the top of the second run up was a quick pedal on a path used for disc golf before a quick but tight left-right chicane to slow racers down before a steep and bumpy descent onto the road. Just as quick as the course dropped onto the road it hopped over the curb on the other ride leading into a quick shallow descending off camber right turn before a long fast pedal down the left field wall and foul line of the baseball field with a really fun chicane halfway around the outfield wall. After making the way around the ball field was a tight hairpin and a muddy climb dumping onto the right side of more pavement and a little more climbing before dropping off the left side of the pavement and a quick hard pack dirt walkway  leading back to the start/finish.

Video of First Lap of Masters Mens race by Hans Keller

         As they called the Men's B racers to the start was just finishing preriding the course and lined up forth row, about 35th  Although before bring the racers to the line they did call ups, and based on results from last year, I received the number 7 call up and a front row start.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

         On the start I was about fifth, but dove inside of the first turn and broke late sliding into third on the way around the gym towards the run up. At the top of the run up, I found myself ahead of little Ben and a second racer while the front two racers, Alec Howard and Isaiah Rapko were off and build and a gap. Ben the other racer and myself would lead the pack for the first lap, but as we climbed the run up on the second lap they both seemed to have an easier time and got to the top before I could. From there they made formed a gap on me, and would maintain it the rest of the race. For the nest two laps I rode by myself trying to maintain pace, but my laps would just keep getting slower, and I started making mistakes.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Almost going off course and having to unclip

         With two laps to go, after coming down the steep descent on to road while attempting to go over the next curb, I caught the my front wheel and went over the bars landing on both wrists and my shoulder. I was quick to get up and on the bike but my front shifter was pointing 45 degrees towards the other shifter. I slowly made it down past the baseball field wacking my shifter straight and regaining composure, but would loose a lot of time and energy going into the bell lap.

Photo By :Samantha Smallwood
Going into the bell lap, Rob's shadow close behind

Shortly after crossing the line with the bell banging, I found my self at the run up for the last time of the race, but this time Rob Martone would say "Hi" and talk briftly about how strong I've been riding this year compared to year, before passing me and riding away. At the time I did not know we were racing each other and let him build a gap, taking away what would of been a podium spot. But i continued around the last lap stong by myself and would grab a donut hand out before crossing the line, 6/51.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

NCCX #3 next week, the Stafford Lake Wildcat in Novato.

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.

Hills and Heat NCCX #1 Vallejo

This week’s race was in Vallejo, at Dan Foley Park, across a small lake from Six Flags and was the opener for the Nor Cal CX (NCCX) series presented by Superpro Racing.Their race schedule is a bit different from the other Bay Area series, with the B Men finishing off the day of racing with a start time of 3:00pm. Starting late provides extra time to sleep in and for driving, but it doesn’t let me finish racing and relax watching everyone else race before driving home.

Photo By: Ornot Bikes
Men's Elite start

The race started with an abbreviated first lap, cutting off the first half of the course, instead starting on a uphill paved sprint leading to a grassy hill in the middle of the normal lap that had an interesting barrier, read tree, at the top.

Photo By: Ted Katai
Elite Men negotiation the tree barrier

Three ways to pass the tree,either dismount and go over the left side, dismount and go under the right side, or try and ride under the right side. Following the tree was a mound of chipped wood before an off camber winding descent before a short loose steep ridable up pitch. The end of the lap was a fast flat sprint immediately followed by tight off camber switchbacks on a small section of grass leading to the start/finish straight. After the short first lap the first half of the course was revealed with the race line going next to a line of sprinklers and a bunny hop over a tall curb into a loose decently long climb.

Photo By: Jeff Namba,
Rocklobster's Ian Stowe hopping the curb

A fast descent into  a series of sand pits and turns awaited ahead before two hope crushing run ups, the first being concrete stairs, followed shortly by the second, a choice of more stairs, the longer way, or the short but steep loose dirt runup.

Photo By: Jeff Namba
First of two run ups

Before getting to the grass climb from the start was a ride around a baseball diamond and a small off camper grass climb.

Photo By: Ted Ketai

As we lined up for the start at 3:00pm the temperature must of been around 95 degrees or higher with everyone waiting in shade for race promoted Murphy Mack to call open B men to the start line.

Knowing my legs and body were tired from a few days of hopping around Socal at Disneyland, and Magic Mountain,I lined up on the front row hoping to get the holeshot up the hill to the tree because my only chance at doing well was to get out in front and try to hold off as many people as possible.

Photo By: Mark Seymour
Chris Seymour trying to hold hold position

I made it up to the tree first tried to ride under it and got caught up, and had issues not being able to shifter well after it allowing the two racers who would finish first and second go by. For the rest of the short lap and first full lap I held onto third place, but by the hill after bunnyhopping the curb on the second full lap my body was hurting and over heated. For the rest of the race i suffered on this climb, and ended up getting off and walk up it each lap each lap having another racer pass me. I would end the race in 8th place not a bad finish in a field of 47 racers.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

Also with the heat and my black race kit my body was overheating the whole race leading me to take unzip my jersey on the second lap, and taking it completely off by the third, finishing the race in my bib. Luckily i had a water handouts arounds the course with one after the second runup, and the other near start/finish along with a friend spraying me down with water. Without the help of these friends I could not of finished the race. Upon finishing the race my body was not functioning, and completely overheated to the point of having to sit down for about 15 minutes with ice  and cold water being pour on me to cool me down, most likely the beginnings of heat stroke.

Photo By: Mark Seymour

Next week is a double weekend with CCCX at Toro Park, and NCCX in Fairfax