Monday, October 25, 2010

X-Mas cross & MTB Follies


To kick off the end of the cross season, team bicycle therapy will be hosting the return of the X-Mas cross and MTB Follies. This was a race that the shop used to promote back in the days when people did cross races on old steel clunkers cobbled together from leftovers in the basement or junkyard. In this vain we will be holding this race the day before the Bilenky Junkyard Cross race for an extra special weekend of cross as only the city of brotherly can provide, full of shenanigans and tetanus shots. The "Follies" race will be held on December 18th up on the Belmont plateau and the Junkyard cross will be held amongst the twisted metal that the boys at Bilenky call home.


More details will follow.


There will also be a party Saturday night

Thursday, October 14, 2010


So this lasr wekend a few of the team went up to race in Providence RI and a few went up to NY to do the westwood race. for the rest of us it was a weekend off. which means long rides with coffee in manyunk and a dutch pancake (pannkoeken) party. Here are a few shots of the weekend, cause you know we can't be bothered to write up a race report.

Meisha never stops surprising me, like when on Saturday he pulled out musette bag for carrying home baguettes.
On Sunday's ride we saw something on the side of the road that reminded us that big pussies needs love to.
Some people think the handkerchief hanging out of the back pocket looks cool. Mikey, on the other hand, likes the pancakerchief. mm panckaes and beer.
These two are shots of the consequences of the first real muddy race last weekend (town hall). I finally got to use the hose in my back for something other than ....
Mr.T's water war!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Townhall Cross Men's B Race Report...

Last Saturday, Willem and I hopped in the Focus and blazed up the Northeast Extension to Bethlehem, PA for the first annual Townhall Cross Race. On the way up we made our usual stop at Wawa for their pretzels and clean facilities (race day always gives me a nervous stomach.)

We did a pre-ride and the course was pretty compact...there weren't a lot of fast power sections, but lots and lots of fun up and downs and off-camber turns as well as the main event: St. Luke's Staircase, a long slog up a hill with somewhere around a half-dozen switchbacks. It ended with a nasty, slick kicker at the top that a lot of people ended up running.

I ended up starting in the first row for the first time ever and wasted no time in taking the holeshot. However, my time at the front was short-lived, but I did get a brief moment of glory as we ascended St. Luke's Staircase for the first time. Willem and I were right at the front and we both rode the steep, slick top part. Somebody behind us was impressed and yelled out something along the lines of "WAY TO GO, BICYCLE THERAPY! RIDE IT!" which got me psyched.

Willem got into a pretty select group after the top of the hill and I didn't see him again until after the race when I asked him how he did (he won, taking Team BT's first cross scalp of the season.) I faded back a little bit, lost a few spots but then found my rhythm.

One of the fun things about cross is that even though you may be out of the race at the front, you can still find yourself in an epic battle somewhere in the middle, and I spent the final three laps of the race duking it out with two dudes for 6-8th place. I ended up finishing 7th...one dude I just couldn't catch and the other dude I did everything short of tackling him to keep him from passing me. At one point, I slid out on a turn passing a lapped rider and spread my entire body out in front of him to prevent him from getting by. I apologized for racing like a dick afterwards and we laughed about it...reason number 3497239472 why cross rules. If that had happened in a road race there would have been a fist fight in the parking lot. Matt Allyr and Eric Oishi, I only know your names from the results on USACycling.com, but we had an awesome couple of laps and I look forward to crossing swords again. I fricking love bike racing.

After the B race, Team BT had a couple of people in the later races. Meisha took 5th in the 55+ Masters race. While cheering him on, Willem and I had the following exchange:

Willem (cheering on random Masters riders): "C'mon! Keep it up! Keep it up!"

Jack: "Dude, that's fucked up! Don't tell a masters rider to keep it up! They probably hear that shit all the time!"

I kid, I kid.

There was only one women's race, so Nathalie and Linda took on a pretty stacked field in the 1/2/3/4 race...Linda ended up 10th and Nathalie 13th.

All in all, an awesome day of racing...great weather, great dudes and ladies, and AM beers in the parking lot after the race.
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