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orthopodcyclist · 7 years ago

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Gobble cross sandpit. Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Faster to run than try to turn, so I learned. This is the men cat 4/5 race. I raced too early for photographers, apparently.

#crossisboss #gobblecross #alabamacross #sandpit

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rhadzor · 8 years ago

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A post shared by Randy Hadzor, illustration (@rhadzor)

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A little making of video, for the #gobblecross 2016 #illustration. #turkey #snowmonster #cycling #yearofthefatbike (at Variety Studios)

#turkey #cycling #illustration #yearofthefatbike #gobblecross #snowmonster

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joshuaalexandrehaines-blog · 11 years ago

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I hail from Kansas City originally but my cross racing experiences are about 90% based in Chicago where the fields are huge and the competition is tough. When I come home to visit I try to race if there's a race. The fields are smaller and I can usually hold my own better than in a Chicago race. The fact that they don't do call ups helps me greatly. So when I saw a few races that corresponded with my travels back home for Turkey Day I brought the bike with me.

First race was held behind a cider mill out south of town. Temps in the low 20's made for a low turnout. And by low I mean 9 guys racing in the 3's. My pre-ride laps went well and aside from the ice forming on my face I was feeling decent. I got the holeshot and when it came time to shift and go into the first corner the drivetrain was incredibly unresponsive. Wrong gear for the slight uphill and two guys pass me. Drivetrain feels worse when I start to chase. Phantom shifting and clanging all over the place. Constantly in the wrong gear means more and more guys pass me. I'm gassing myself on the first lap just to stay in the top 5. Lap and a half in I'm almost DFL, getting passed by slow guys who have bikes that work properly. I call it quits. DNF is better than a shattered drivetrain. Embarrassing as hell, though.

A few days later I head out to help my good friend Steve Weiser set up a course at a makeshift cyclocross park that he helps maintain along the Kansas river. Chicago don't got that. It's mostly a grass crit course with some barriers and a few super sweet downhill-to-singletrack sections that require dismounting and shouldering the bike to get back up from. More Belgian than Chicago. We ride the course a few times and I decide to practice bunny hop skills. Rear wheel clips one of the barriers and I go over hard. Bruised ribs. Lots of pain. I'm telling you this because Steve was throwing a cross race at the park on Thanksgiving morning and now I'm doubting my ability to ride let alone shoulder a bike up a sandy hill.

Race morning and I've got 2400mg of ibuprofen in my blood. The pain is being kept at bey...barely. The weather is much more pleasant and I'm surprised when about 40 people show up. It's super cool that someone was willing to put in the time, effort, and cash to throw a Bandit CX race just for the hell of it.

Now KC cross may not be as fast as Chi CX, but it's not slow by any means. I line up near the front next to a Cat 1 (cross), a 15 yr old Cat 3 (road), and a handful of Cat 2/3 MTB racers. There's also a husband and wife duo from Team Yacht Club in the mix. So when the whistle blows I hammer it. The 15 yr old is right next to me so I pull a little Svenness and lean over towards him to push him wide at the first corner and grab the lead. Us plus the Cat 1 and one of the MTB guys separate from the pack a few corners and I'm out front. I quickly see that nobody wants to work but luckily there's no wind. First lap goes without a hitch but there's no sections where the other three aren't right on my wheel. Half way through the second lap Cat 1 dude attacks us hard and we can't counter. Even him bobbling hard in a corner doesn't slow him enough for us to bridge. And since the remaining two guys behind me still don't want to work I give up any hope of 1st place. It's super weird to pull lap after lap. The 15 yr old finally makes a move on me but I know he's fast enough to leave us so I get back around him in a corner and try to attack when we get down to the singletrack. But they got all the handling skills and they stick to me like Super 77. Last lap and I have to keep shutting the door on the 15 yr old. He's itching to take me in the last corners. Finally he makes a squirrel-y move and cuts the course to pass me. We almost tangle and this open the door for the Cat 3 MTB dude to fly past us. Super good move that he timed perfectly. I give the little shit some elbow to repay him cutting the course and he eases off. I roll in for 3rd place but I should've grabbed second.

This is my first podium and most people would argue that a bandit race doesn't count. Especially one in KC on Thanksgiving morning. And they are probably right. It was a good learning experience (I guess every race is) but mostly I'm glad I raced well and re-payed my good friend for all his hard work getting this race together. I hope he makes it a tradition. Cross needs more good people like him.

#cyclocross #cx #gobblecross #kccx #tuxboom

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rhadzor · 8 years ago

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