Why Sandbag?

Why sandbag in cross? Really do you have to even ask? Because it is F'n really hard. You can be a fast road racer (well probably crit rider right?) and super strong mtn bike racer but with one pedal stroke into the steel cage that we call a cross circuit all that periodization and power tap training don't add up to jack. It can be a huge bitch slap of reality across your fleshy cheek. And after a couple of weeks of getting beat down each Sunday it is going to get demoralizing really fast. You might even think F this cross business I am going back to my fixie and my tight jeans... at least the coffee shop girl thinks I am cool..

 

Nobody wants to feel like they suck. Frankly if you aren't sandbagging cross isn't fun at all. Seriously if you are having fun on a cross course you are probably sandbagging. If you are racing in your proper category you will literally feel like you are dying. There is no other way to be fast. If you are racing you have to turn yourself inside out each lap to just hang on to a mid-pack finish and maybe avoid getting lapped. This doesn't sound so sexy when people ask you how you did at the race that weekend. They want to hear "top ten" or you "won" they do not want to hear about moral victories of not getting lapped by the leaders.

People are pretty pissed about sandbagging right now. It's kind of like smoking right now. An easy target. And there have been some pretty blatant offenses lately. But what does it really mean to be a sandbagger? Is it winning? Winning by 2 minutes over some "fast" guys? Is it rolling up to a 3 race or a 4 race with deep section carbon wheels that cost more than some peoples monthly salary? Is it a fetish for all manner of french tubulars? 

I have been subtly (or not subtly) accused of sandbagging the Masters 3/4 race. And I did sandbag the 4 race out at PDX at the USGP finals. But like all sandbaggers I wasn't really sandbagging because I was still a 4 at the time and there was no other category for me to go in but the 4s. So when I was wayyyy out in front on the first two laps and Richard Fries was "guaranteeing" my victory it was the height of east coast sandbaggery on the PacNW. Thankfully I crashed heavily on the final lap and three locals beat me or the baseball bats may have come out for day 2..

The point is raise your hand if you have never sandbaggged? I don't see a lot of hands up. Wait you say you had a reason for racing that 3/4 race because of time constraints? Or you weren't feeling good that week? You sandbaggged period. By your own definition. Personally I think we all need to lighten up.

It will all work out. I am wayyyy over my head right now racing in the 45+ As. I am going to get beaten like a drum at the Verge races that are lining up like some kind of Algonquin lacrosse gauntlet. Oh you never played JV lacrosse and had to run the gauntlet? Lucky you. Your only hope was that no one brought a wood stick and they'd play by the code and only hit you on the back of the legs...I was never so lucky always took one across the front of the thighs...but that shit makes you tougher trust me. And that is how I am looking at this right now. 

Ok enough soapbox onto some good stuff. A little PSA for my cross brothers and sisters. One of our biggest FoHU the outlaw Jesse James has been bitten hard by the cross bug. He has totally drank the Hup Koolaid and wants to jump in the deep end of this cross game. First call I made was to Mickey. Holy crap that dude just gets it! I sent him what I thought was THE parts list. He fires back a list and I am like "hell yeah" why didn't I think of that...If only I wasn't soooo deep in the doghouse with my benefactor at the moment I would be all in for my own personal spooky....maybe next year...in the interim if you are even considering getting a cross bike do yourself a favor and call Mickey...

Blunt E-postcard

Ok so apparently the sound guy had a few too many Anchor steams and was last seen hiding under the ez-up because it was raining too hard...its a work in progress the video is still RAD thanks eli...

Cross F'n Rules

Yes it does....thank you e-richie for making the most badass t-shirt on the planet. And thank you for pointing out the obvious and beating that drum...because we are hearing you man...Big Time!

Who will be the king of the mucky muck? photo by Rob Bauer

It was a split squadra weekend for hup this weekend. A bunch of us pointed the compass north to contest the Vermont Verge weekend and to hunt for the oh so ellusive verge points!! Thanks to the glory of twitter we kept in constant contact! With Hupdates on the minute...lots of crazy stories coming out of the Green Mtn State...Mike W on the podium!!! We need to sort through fact and fiction but I believe I heard a report that my coach was bit by a donkey...I do hope his tetnus is up to date...The Fabulous Five....Tom, Ronnie, Eli, Marky Mark and myself stayed local and hit Blunt Park! And man am I glad we did!

Ronnie looking beat after laying down some mad watts!!! He got the holeshot in the 3s almost brought it home but it was not to be...soon my brother soon...it will happen I can feel it. None the less the man rode possessed! Big T did the double dip racing masters 35+ and then the 3s...he got bloody in the process but efforts like that will pay big dividends in Nov! Marky Mark raced tough in the 4s whose leader put down faster laps than the combined 1/2 field and Masters 35+ field! Ok whoever was driving that 4 train might need to get their upgrade on...

It was a perfect day to fly our home colors...pouring rain all day, greasy as all hell. We had two ez-ups and plotted and schemed on how we can pre-game and tailgate cross like its never been done before! Oh you wait it will be good. It may take a month to dial in but look out at Noho cause its a coming...

Rob Bauer and Big Tomeke lined up in the 35+ field looking stoked! Rob is the coolest guy on the planet and shot some incredible pictures. He also won the fastest upload on the planet as I wasn't even 1/2 way home and I see the finest shots ever taken of my ugly self coming up on facebook. If he can make my sorry ass look this good on a bike he's good trust me...

Why again do educators think cursive is a dead form of writing? Really? Have they seen Indy Fabs new logo? Gorgeous

Blunt was just a fantastic day of cross. I felt sooo sick all week. Took good care of myself rested up but I did force myself to do openers on saturday and am so happy I did. I am now a true believer in openers. My life is insane. Basically I forget everything, cannot concentrate and am a bundle of nerves leading up to race day. But if I do openers I can race well...no openers no race so well. It will be like a religious experience for me...call it Saturday Mass for the Church of cross. 

Blunt was a great race course. Super greasy, muddy wooded nastieness. All the roadies were complaining. There were yardsale crashes that defy all logic. I saw one guy go down on pavement and slide by me like he'd been shot out of a cannon. I hate to think what his ass looks like right now..not pretty I assume. The Fangos rocked! I was freaking out on the warm up lap as I was sliding all over the place. When I went back to the car I pumped them to 25 psi and did it again. Presto! The magic number. I railed the course. They are such a fast mud tire. You slip around a bit and they pack up but they also shed it and are really really fast. I am sold...and with an FMB casing? Just the bees knees.

So somehow I found myself out front for a lap or two....How did that happen? Roadies crashing all over the place I guess. After a few bobbles and some strong men coming by I ended up 6th out of 20. Super stoked about that. Especially as 5th was real close...Learnt a lot today:

#1. And it probably sounds like a broken record but my teammates rule! I just love hanging out with these guys. They keep my shit from falling apart...and me going into full on freak out mode. Plus all the other cool cats that we just get to hangout with each weekend make this time of year so killer

#2. FMB/Fangos kick ass and you can drive over them in your van and they don't break..true story. I am such an air head right now. I roll out of the parking lot after the race only to hear Ronnie yelling my name and holding a wheel in the air. That's funny I think...oh shit. My wheel must have been propped up in front of the van and I ran over it right in front of Ronnie! Thank god it somehow fell perfectly in between the wheels and was not smashed into a million pieces! 

3. Openers---can't race without them! I am too old to race without openers...plus I have the perfect little circuit 10 minutes from my haus to just rev up the engine and dial in the machine

4. Cross Fuckin Rules!! Hell yeah. Sadly I was too shy to ask Mr Matt Kraus who lined up in the 35+ for his two cents about why cross fucking rules in his opinion but don't despair I will be getting over my bad self and insert myself into the public and add a new feature to velocb.blogspot...we will pose this question upon the unsuspecting at cross races all across NE...be prepared to answer the question of why it rules for you!

Squadra Flying!!!

The Bikes of Waterville Valley CX

Sounds kind of dirty doesn't it? well bike porn is like that to some it is art and to some it is pure filth...some nice new colors out there...

Nice belgian blue Spooky

When I asked the rider if I could shoot this she, in such PRO fashion, clicked down into big ring and the 11 cog to get the rear der down and put the cranks at 6 o'clock...very PRO

cockroaches.....hmmm 

lots of love for the Geekhouse bikes...

Vanilla....kind of like forbidden donut...so tasty

In the tech zone there wasn't a ton to report. The biggest revelation (and again a testament to how cool a guy Eli is) Tufo Flexus tires are FAST!!! They won the 4 race under mr Bramhalls powerhouse legs. Eli lent Jeff his race wheels as this course just screamed for tubies and all Nitro had were clinchers. Eli raced them to a 4th spot in his cat and then Dave Wilcox the uber fast rider who's Vanilla is pictured above raced them in the Cat 1/2 race...that my friends is teamwork! If the Flexus keeps bringing home the bacon each weekend like this I may have to rethink my opinion of the Tufo tubies!

The hills are alive with the sound of cowbells

How do real Belgian cyclo-cross racers do on a Swiss cx course in Switzerland? I have no idea. All I know is that after four hours stuck behind 200, 000 rednecks on their way to a Nascar race in Loudin NH when I saw these mountains my heart soared. Did I feel like Yodelling? Maybe...what's wrong with Yodelling?

Hup Came, Hup Saw, And Hup (Geekhouse!) conquered! Waterville CX was a huge success! First time race at an incredible venue, put together by people who get it and are among the coolest cats in New England. If you missed it bummer for you. I hope you had a good reason and it wasn't some lame bs like you were saving yourself for Sucker Brook...

Haler Flying over the barriers! Dj laid down a solid 3rd place in the cat 4! Woohoo

Like the Wu Tang Clan Hup is spinning off hits and solo acts in NE this season. Geekhouse is bringing it! And they look damn fine if I say so myself. They still bleed belgie bleu in my mind. To keep the Wu Tang theme going think of Geekhouse as one of Method Man's side projects

You want headbadges we got headbadges!

Can I call a rival teams rider classy? I think so. Nicholas Mashburn of CB is one damn classy rider! Brother fought hard today for second place

Now that my friends is how we do it!!! More in depth post later but I'll just leave it at this was by far one of the best cross trips I have ever taken. Major props and shout outs to Uber director of Hospitality Eli...That man is Hups housing coordinator extraordinaire..Great to assemble such a big group of riders to help support a great race. No excuses...next year get your butt up to Waterville!

Big Bad Bart out!

Damnit! Looks like Bart Wellens is going to be on the sidelines for a while. Sucks as I love Big Bad Bart. I still think they should have let him keep the karate kick victory at Overijse as that had to be one of the most hard fought victories ever and frankly the kick (video here wait for it at 1:03) barely grazed the guy htfu its cross for gods sake! ....story about his illness is here at cyclingnews.com

Love him or hate the guy brings it every race....I do love Nys who doesn't, but Wellens is like a pit bull. And I love that he doesn't win all the time but he buries himself kamikaze still for victory instead of just trying not to lose...heal up fast it won't be the same without him in there keeping all these pretty boys honest...