Early Bird Crit - Fremont - first non-race of the year

It really wasn’t supposed to be a race. It was the Early Bird Crit, and it’s a series of four weekend sessions in an industrial park in Fremont, where racers of all ages can run a “practice crit” with mentors riding along providing critique and suggestions on how to ride safely and fast.

So the idea was to finish safely and not get hurt.

Team AC dominated anyway.

Alex put on an incredible display of power, picking up time on the pack each lap (I noted the times on the photos) and finished so far ahead that no one else was in sight when he crossed the finish line.



Spence battled it out with another guy, who nosed ahead at the finish for second, with Spence in third and Skyler in fourth.

Chris, the newest member, did a great job on his first ever crit (nice new Pinarello for Christmas!), and is ready to go for the next race. There was one crash during the race, but it happened just behind Skyler and none of the injuries were serious though several riders were done for the day.

Here are some pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/glocalize/200901EarlyBirdCritFremont?feat=directlink

Bob (as you’ll see in the pictures) watched from his wheelchair, the result of one of those “I can totally make it” jumps on his hardtail – about a 6’ drop straight to the flat earth, at “The Berm” in Mill Valley. The landing went fine, but was VERY hard - he thought he’d broken both ankles, but after spending six hours in the ER yesterday, the Xrays seem clear and there is just a massive amount of soft-tissue damage. He’s expected to make a full recovery in a couple of weeks, but right now he cannot bear ANY weight on either of his feet. So we picked up a wheelchair for his mobility during the rest of January.

The weather was pretty incredible today – probably 70-75 degrees, sunny and almost no wind – perfect for crit training, but not representative of typical “winter” weather.

Congratulations to the boys, and it looks like the beginning of what could be a strong season for Team AC Juniors.

Now, Alex will have to pull Spence and Skyler (and Bob when he’s recuperated) and then they should be able to take over the podiums like they did in ‘cross this winter.

NCNCA Cyclocross Final - Watsonville

Sunday morning started very early – we left Mill Valley at 6 AM, and I saw a low of 28 degrees on the way down to Watsonville. Our car was full of Siegels (all four of us) and Alex, squeezed in the center seat. We saw the Rapkos and the Foxes there, so there was a good turnout representing Team AC and “related parties”

First race was Juniors, with Bjorn, Isaiah, Alex and Bob racing – they all took the lead, and it was a fast 30 minute race. The course was really fun – lots of nice “texture” including icy grass for the first race! Laps were longish – 7 to 9 minutes. I raced Men’s C at the same time, so I wasn’t able to photograph the race, although I think Katie Fox may have some photos in her camera.

Finishes for the Junior race were:

Bjorn Fox – First Place, Series winner!
Isaiah Rapko – Second Place, second in series
Alex Howard – Third Place, fourth in series
Bob Siegel – Fourth Place, third in series

Some good schwag for Bjorn, including a nice Timbuk2 bag, and everyone came home with pint glasses and T-shirts.

Claire raced in Junior Women, and finished the course – she managed to even help out some other women riders who were struggling up the runup!

I managed to finish Men’s C, ahead of a few riders, so I was happy.

Tom Fox raced Men’s 45+ A, and did well – I think he finished 7th. By the time he raced, it was pretty choppy on the course.

Here is a link to the pictures – mostly of Claire since I was able to run around and take photos ;-)
http://picasaweb.google.com/glocalize/200901NCNCACXFinalWatsonville?feat=directlink

Sacramento CX Final - Sutter's Landing

Despite yesterday’s rain, today was a very clear and sunny (but cold) day for racing. When we left Mill Valley at 7 AM, it was 32 degrees, but by the time we arrived in Sacramento, it had “warmed up” to about 41 or 42.

Small turnout (from Team AC) with just me, Bob, Alex and Claire. But we made the best of it (well, THEY did ;-)

I did the Men’s C race – the conditions were great, with nice damp earth, some slippery leaves and grass, and NO barriers! I completed the race (I think I finished about 29 out of 33, so nothing special there).
It was my second race of the week, as I did the Mt. San Bruno Hill Climb on New Year’s day, along with Bjorn and Tom Fox.

They did very well, with Bjorn taking 5th in Junior U18, and Tom taking 10th in Masters 45+ Men. I finished 31st out of 36 racers, but felt good about my effort – I had plenty of energy at the end, and probably could have pushed harder if I had realized how short the race was ;-)

Anyway, after my CX race, the boys went out, in Junior A men. Bob got the hole shot, then Alex passed him during the first lap, and won the $30 preme! They traded the lead in the second lap, and Bob just pulled away and took the entire race, with Alex in 2nd place.

Claire raced in Junior women, and completed the race with a strong Third Place finish – so three more medals for Team AC riders!

This also meant Bob won the entire Sacramento CX series, and I think Alex came in 2nd or 3rd for the series – we should have final results later. There may be some schwag, but we decided not to go to the party in Sacramento which started at 5:30 PM, so we just headed home, to get ready for tomorrow’s race down in Watsonville.

Not too many great pictures today, but here they are:
http://picasaweb.google.com/glocalize/200901SacramentoCXFinalSutterSLanding?feat=directlink

We also saw Bjorn racing in Men’s A (I think) and he looked very strong, for the 20-30 minutes we watched him race.

Hope you are enjoying a great New Year, wherever you are…