Race Report

Race Report by Dave McCrimmon

Hey All,

Well the turnout for this 8 hour was less than in years past. Although they had over 20 Solo riders but no female soloists.

The TWW Turnout was good:

- Paul Ollerich and Dave Ambrose going Solo.
- Jenny and Julie riding two person.
- Loren, Franck, Dave, and Pascal riding 4 Man.
- Allan and Rich riding two person.
- Mark Ong and a group riding 4 Man.
- Peter and Myself riding 2 Man

Lots of TWW Podiums:

Jenny and Julie - 1st
Loren, Franck, Dave, and Pascal - 2nd
Allan and Rich - 2nd
Peter and Myself - 4th
Mark Ong's Group - 5th
Paul - 8th Solo

What a fun weekend and great Medal Count!

Dave

Team ChinCrackin

Peter and I started discussing what each of us were going to do for this race months ago. It went from Peter not racing for the season, to us both doing it individually, to over the last month deciding to do it as a two man. Well I can now say that I won't do this race solo, two man is fun and alot of work, three man would probably be the ticket, and as a 4 man crew there is way too much sitting around.

Sunday Morning and I go to pick up Peter. Were are cruising along, me driving like a Grandma, and Peter has a very worried look on his face. Then comes, aww Dave could you pull over my front wheel is about to fall off the car. Well the velcro strap had come off but I reassure him that its will stay on for now. He's not buying it but I am looking for a place to pull off. Back on the road with wheel safely in the car, I continue to drive when Peter mentions we could use the fast lane. He then reminds me that he is going first so he would like time to warm up. Whoops just got in a zone and totally forgot that we were racing that day.

The race starts and Peter is off. This is basically the last time I really speak to him all day. He comes around in the top 10 and I am off. The first lap I am riding like crap, I must have almost gone over the bars 4 times. I pass a few people here and there but really just reminding myself that I will have to do this atleast 6 more times. I come around and Peter is off. This basically is how it continues for all the way up to my 6th lap. During the race the other guys tell me Peter crashed 3 times on the first lap. I was impressed because he still turned a really fast time. Then a few laps later they tell me he is cramping really bad. Its really wierd finding out whats going on with your teammate from other people, well thats the way it goes for a two man team. Well on my 6th lap Peter comes in and he looks to be struggling, I offered to do back to back laps. He accepts and I am off. I start questioning my sanity as I climb the first hill. When I start descending the speed just picks up and I am all smiles, this is topped off by the photographer being on a fast DH section that I am moving. I quickly do my cool pose, will see what it really looks like later, and I am jamming. This lap feels really smooth but I keep telling myself I have to do another right afterwards. I pass the guys I think are in 5th, finally we are back in 4th. Now I am super motivated. I come around and Peter cheers me on, helps me fill my water bottle, and then says if I can get around in time he will go out for our 14th lap. Well now its time to use the reserves. My legs are pretty tired on the pavement climb but I have to get around and give Peter enough of a gap on 5th place. The photograper is in the same spot so that motivates me. I start climbing and get near the small hike a bike section that was rerouted around the tree when my hamstring reminds me to drink some water. I shift down, let Pascal (Loren's 4 man teammate) pass and continue to climb. Upon my return Peter is all suited up and ready to rock. He blasts out. I get cleaned up and then head out to the course to cheer Peter up the climb.

What a great time! 1st place did 15 laps. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th did 14 laps. 5th did 12 laps. So we really didn't need to go back out for our 14th, because we still would have been in 4th but I am glad Peter did it! Thanks Peter, way to keep me motivated.

Dave

Race Report by Peter Sterlacci

I have never cramped as much as I did in that race. I bascially rode the final 3 of my 7 laps literally fighting off both of my legs cramping. I am still paying for this today with stiffness and pain every time I go from a seated to standing position. I feel like a Grandpa when I walk. I am still trying to figure out what induced the cramps. It was probably the combination of the heat and poor hydration as I was using bottles instead of my camelbak. I will certainly get a bottle of Endurolytes for the CCP and will eat my 5 pills per hour to ward off the cramps. While Dave points out that we did not need to do the 14 lap to secure 4th place, I simply had to do it. Rich Henthorn's smack-talk email before the race mentioned that we would be lucky to do 13 laps and I had to prove him wrong!!! Besides, as much pain as I was in I also told myself that I had to endure it for another lap because I will have to face these 'pain demons' again in a few weeks at the CCP. It was a good race and Dave certainly saved my life by doing 2 laps in a row.

Peter

Race Report by Julie Brown

What's there not to like about this race? A course that will take you down at any point if you're not paying attention, a great group of diehards who like to punish themselves for fun, and a super barbecue afterwards. Billycross is a treat, especially during the 8-hour race.

I was a little disappointed at the small turnout this year, but of course loved that there were so many TWWs representing. We were everywhere. Jenny and I pulled the ToS team name out of retirement (don't ask what that stands for, though I'm sure Mike Gin would love to tell you if you asked him directly) and took the Bella Vellas on. I was hoping to have more ladies out on the course but there just wan't enough turnout this year.

I got to ride my brand new Titus Racer-X for only the second time. The first lap was just horrible. My handlebars are way too wide and I felt like I was steering a boat. Well, that doesn't bode well on the Billycross course, which is twisty, turny, off camber, stuttery, rocky and everything else you want. It's hard enough to get any sense of rhythm on this course. It felt to be a long day unless I got my act together quickly. Jenny and I had decided to do two lap pulls and by the second lap I felt like I had a bit more control. But the difference going from a hardtail to full suspension was really noticeable on this course. I didn't crash all day and only had my front tire wash out twice even though my tires are practically bald, and the bike gets all the credit. Can't say enough about it.

Anyway, this day is all about the course. I had decided to take it conservatively, not go too fast, and not do anything that might make me crash. New bike and a long day, so I played it safe. My strategy seemed to work and I felt pretty good all day and probably had another two decent laps in me, and maybe one or two really horrible laps after that. Jenny and I did five laps each and then they yanked me off the course. We ended up beating the Velas by one lap and got 1st place. Our lap times were decent and we both had a great day out there. Jenny had to remove her HUGE bling bling engagement ring before the race because of the weight factor. It helped as her lap times were definitely consistent and strong.

Can't say enough about this race. Come out next year and support a good cause and help keep Billy Cross the great grassroots racing that it is.

Race Report by Jerry Cherra

I have to say that this race turned out to be a lot of fun and less pain than I anticipated. Special thanks to all the TWW encouragement. Some that come to mind include: Max telling me that I look fresh as a daisy many times coming up the climb into the parking lot, Jenny saying that I was kicking booty, Paul's words of encouragement out on the course, and of course Dave Ambrose's help. Dave really helped educate me to be able to do this race solo...thank you, Dave.

The race was a last minute decision on Friday afternoon. My shock had been sent back to Cannondale to be rebuilt and I didn't expect it back by Friday. When I found out it came in I decided to race Saturday. I spent all afternoon Friday getting the bike ready and strategizing nutrition, hydration, and race pacing. I was able to get everything ready for the next morning and actually get some quality sleep.

It was nice to actually start an XC race at a moderate pace. It almost felt a little wrong, but I went with it. The first 5 laps were great because Dave and I just hung together and B.S.'d. We were comfortably riding 3rd and 4th and occaisonally saw 5th chasing us. I think it was the 5th lap that the heat was starting to get to Dave and he wanted to slow a little and preserve energy. I knew that the 2nd place guy was only a couple minutes ahead and wanted to chase him down...so I did. Once I caught him I went out for my 6th lap. I wanted to put a gap between us so I could take a quick 2 minute feed break. When I came in I found Dave relaxing in a chair. The heat was too much and he decided to call it a day. I really thank Dave and Erin because they stuck around for a few more laps and kept my bottles full and Dave was coaching me on keeping my breaks short.

Up until the 6 hour mark the race went by pretty painlessly. I kept trying to make up time on the leader, but he already had 17 minutes on me by the time I moved into 2nd place. I kept thinking that he couldn't maintain his pace and would eventually take a break...I was wrong. By the 12th lap he had 20 minutes on me and there was no chance. The 12th lap really hurt and I was hoping I wouldn't have to do a 13th. When I came in from number 12 I couldn't tell who was in 3rd and by how much. I decided that I would just do the 13th lap and seal 2nd place. The last lap really wasn't too bad. I think it felt good because I knew it was the last time I had to go around that course. I ran about a 37 minute lap on my last lap and was happy when it was over.

It was really great after the race to have a beer and a couple hot dogs and get to know some of the TWW crew a little better. I got to talk to Paul, Jenny, Julie, and Max quite a bit after the race. And yes...I did wear my TWW kit at this race.

thanks for reading,

Jerry

Back to Main Page