anyone? anyone?

ill be there

mens c. or b. most likely c. maybe both.

look for a skinnyclimbertype 20 year old HUP kit, beat up fuji, havent shaved the face for a few days.

see you there.

i hope it went better for you than it did for me.

What was the course like?

What was the course like?

Post-race chatter was along the lines of "the most like a mtb course i've ever seen a cx course". I've never raced mtb's so I'll let others answer that (zank, argyle, others who were there). I will say it was not your typical flat/grassy affair. It favored a more technical rider I think (a guy on a mtb DESTROYED the C and B fields).

I can describe it for you as I remember it though:

Start on grass. for 15ft or so. Then onto pavement, longish slow rise. Left turn onto singletrack, hardpack dirt through the woods with some roots. Two "climbs" to speak of seperated by a flat section in between. Out of the woods breifly, onto some sand/dirt (still hardpack but looser), back into the woods for more dirt/roots, but a bit wider here, and all flat. Over a downed branch that you had to bunnyhop, a little bump thingy, more dirt, single barrier, then some more dirt that was also wider, then a tricky right hand turn followed by a sharp drop off with roots on it (on which I flatted) a few more short up/down thingys, a downed tree that effectively was a barrier, a switchback and then a long, long, long hardpacked dirt/rock/root descent. On the brakes type descent. Longest descent I've ever seen in a CX course in my limited experience. Loose right hander out of that, onto some hard dirt that was wide, then the pit which was immediately followed by a run up. Shortly after the run up you were onto the pavement which was flat then down for a while, another fast, loose, turn (left this time) onto some hard pack dirt (and "back" entrance to the pit), a quick short downhill, then back to the start finish area. Before you hit the line there was another single barrier followed by 3 switchbacks on the grass, and then the line.

Due to the heat they allowed hand ups (feeding) at "slow" sections. Most people took bottles right before the line coming out of the switchbacks on the grass and tossing them right before the pavement started. I took a bottle I think 3/4 laps and it was awesome to be able to take a sip and a squirt on the head. (see picture)

That was probably wayyyyyy more detail then you cared for, but that was the course in a nutshell.

Great description, thanks, details help give us a picture of the event. Good for you getting out there and racing cross in the summer.

that was a really fun start to the new england series. surprisingly good turnout, including the aforementioned semi pro mountain biker who crushed both the c and b fields...

i heard two extremes. great course and way too technical. i personally thought it was great. if the trails closer to home were like that, i would have no need for an mtb. fun, twisty, and enough aerobic sections to keep you honest. i commend the promoters for a great event. well done.

It was a fun course mostly all in the woods. I also flatted on some big roots. But the run up sure did remind me I need to start running, it hurt.

i hope it went better for you than it did for me.

haha. i was gonna say the same thing.

for those who like mountain biking, they had fun. if anyone did Brockton last year...it reminded me of that course...

the fun part was hanging with zank & the hup boys... meg/jd, and the rest of the crew after the race was over...

Almost everyone that i spoke to said that the run-up was hell. I don't even remember the last trip up it, i must have blacked out by then.

Fun course, well-organized, definitely a tester for your handling skills. On a wet day that course, rocks, roots, mud would have been really, really nasty. Bordering not fun.

I sucked, of course. Poor old Waterboy would have had a Top 5 if he didn't puncture.

Argyl, say hello next race. I'm prolly the only NHCCer there.

BT

Almost everyone that i spoke to said that the run-up was hell. I don't even remember the last trip up it, i must have blacked out by then.


Argyl, say hello next race. I'm prolly the only NHCCer there.

BT

haha... after a few trips up, someone was yelling "ctodd's teamate!!" and was holding a bottle out for me... i seriously had no idea it was a bottle.. i was sooo cross-eyed in pain, i that i thought it was a camera... haha.

i will def come say hi next time around... same for you. im the tall goofy one with big sideburns.

Oh, God yeah, I need to try some running. uphill. My son's got some good video of Waterboy and me slogging up the hill (before we each flatted).

The video is up at crossnut.com (http://www.crossnut.com)

(Waterboy is 54 seconds in)

Will there be any changes to the Suckerbrook course? Could you share them? Will you have to kill me if you tell me?

BT

Will there be any changes to the Suckerbrook course? Could you share them? Will you have to kill me if you tell me?

BT

i just made a new post about this....so no killing will be necessary...

I was there. I raced the B race and didn't flat, but I thought I was going to at time. I also agree about the running. Need to get working on that. It was exciting to get back on the CX bike though. I'm looking forward to my next race. I'm pretty sure I'll be at sucker brook.

Looks like a real hump buster. Is there an advantage to shouldering your bike up a hill like that as opposed to wheeling it up along side you and sparing your legs 20# of dead weight? I can see carrying the bike over mud or sand. . .

Looks like a real hump buster. Is there an advantage to shouldering your bike up a hill like that as opposed to wheeling it up along side you and sparing your legs 20# of dead weight? I can see carrying the bike over mud or sand. . .

both ways sucked... :)
im not sure how it was possible...but i was a little slower when pushing rather than shouldering.

both ways sucked... :)
im not sure how it was possible...but i was a little slower when pushing rather than shouldering.Got it. It looks like an easier push, but looks don't mean a whole lot.

That was a fun race.

It reminded me of the old Wompatuck races from the early 90's that Tom Stevens put on....except the old Wompy trails were rougher and there was always a drop off from hell.

If that don't sharpen your skills, nothing will. Speaking of skills... anyone notice that Paul Curley spanked us 45+ guys, and brought back a lot of the 35's that started 2 minutes in front of us....using a 28 Tufo file tread on the front. I guess that's why he has a closet full of Stars n stripes.

As far as pushing the bike up the run up....it was too steep, long and bumpy.

PS...Eyebob is lying! He had a good race!

I can't believe the 45+ started 2 min. down, I'm chugging along, and I mean chugging, and I hear from behind "track! 45+ coming" and I'm like, what!!!! But then again, getting caught and spanked by him is no disgrace.

And yes, Mayor, I sucked. I sucked it hard. Especially on the run up. It's all I've thought about today. How can I get stronger on the run ups? I guess that my skinny legs need more quad muscle work. I sucked it.

BT

If I was looking at your time right, you did ok ...there was a lot of guys from your group coming back on the first lap.

How to get stronger on run ups? Practice. You don't have to run very much...just be specific.

Between the heat...and ringing my bell on the second lap(got my bike and body around the trees..but somehow hit my head on one)...it was a pretty tough race.

Did that guy hopping the barriers on the MTB bike have a camel back on? Sweet!

And yes, Mayor, I sucked. I sucked it hard. Especially on the run up. It's all I've thought about today. How can I get stronger on the run ups? I guess that my skinny legs need more quad muscle work. I sucked it.

BT

dude, EVERYONE was slow on that runup.... just some (myself included) where slower than others. :)
it was a tough hill, no doubt about that. good thing there are only a few races (putney) with that much damage.

just think, milford will probably be flat
and SBC is REALLY flat (except for the stairs:) ).

dude, EVERYONE was slow on that runup....

I saw some people walking it. (oh wait, I did too right after my flat).

It was really killer. When going over my race, how dead I was out of the runup really came to mind as a thing to work on. Good to hear I'm not the only one.

dude, EVERYONE was slow on that runup.... just some (myself included) where slower than others. :)
it was a tough hill, no doubt about that. good thing there are only a few races (putney) with that much damage.

just think, milford will probably be flat
and SBC is REALLY flat (except for the stairs:) ).

There was a race last year down in CT that had a hill twice the length of Agawam. Had a small dogleg around a tree half way up...at which point you'd see how much farther you had to go. It was crushing.I usually like run ups...but that one got no love from me( or anyone else)

Argylesocks

Milford I hear will not have a run up, but the gravel road from the Dome to the football field is uphill

Did that guy hopping the barriers on the MTB bike have a camel back on? Sweet!

Yeah, it was hot! He is 15 by the way.