Wednesday, November 10, 2004
wedding picts
http://www.kansasmemories.com/photo/wedding/
recent_weddings/roy_seipp/index.html
recent_weddings/roy_seipp/index.html
Cross Honeymoon Style
Getting married the weekend before cyclocross season and the weekend before
Peggy's season started, left no time for the traditional honeymoon. We
decided to take a long weekend to Colorado for a mini-honeymoon. I had no
intention of thinking of cycling for this weekend (ok, if you know me that
would be next to impossible). But, two weeks ago Peggy said "are there any
cross races in CO while we are there"? Of course I had the schedule already
memorized in case I could not kick the cross bug prior to leaving. What
could be more romantic? Our eyes all googly as we stared into each other's
as I passed by drooling and covered in mud as she handed me a bottle and
then her chasing it down as I threw it to the side. I knew that I had met my
soul mate as she enjoys handing me bottles and encourages me to ride and
race as much as I do.
Ok, enough with the sweet sappy stuff. I did a little research to see if I
had a chance of feeling good at altitude after living in MN. I found this
article
http://www.michaelbarry.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=Home.NewsDetail&cid=68
Some highlights include "Racing at altitude is like breathing through a
straw with a couple of weak attacks in the arsenal. It usually takes one
week of acclimation before one can ride comfortably with less oxygen. Racing
at altitude while not being acclimated is a challenge. The key, I find, is
to limit the amount of shells you fire while monitoring the frequency at
which they are fired. In the thin air it is much harder to recover.
Therefore, if attacks are made repeatedly it takes longer to recover.
Furthermore, the gun that is familiar with firing off the attacks has fewer
bullets to shoot, so they should be used wisely."
Saturday Cat 3 race: I hooked up with some old teammates from Vitamin
Cottage and donned the colors so I could race with some teammates for a
change. 30+ dudes on the line for the cat 3 only field. I ripped out of the
start up the climb and opened a little gap and was leading. But I forgot
what I had read the day before about limiting the amount of shells you fire,
when suddenly I couldn't get any O2 and 10-12 guys blew by me. I settled
into a rhythm as I sucked O2 out of a straw. My legs wanted to go but the
lungs wouldn't let me. Lap after lap I caught one or two riders and finally
hooked up with a teammate and another rider. 3 laps to go and we had a group
of 3 and my teammate was ripping it up the climb but letting gaps open on
the technical sections. 2 laps to go and I let my teammate pull up the
climbs and I kept it together on the technical sections. 1 lap to go and we
hit the final climb and my teammate gasses it up the climb and the other
dude falls off and I don't have the heart to come around him as he has been
pulling me for 3 laps. I settle for 8th.
Oh yea, the guy that won was some 14 y/o National Champion with a huge gap.
Sunday 35+ race: I got to the race quicker then anticipated so I decided to
try the 35+ race. I thought they may be a little less competitive then the
3's if things hold true to MN racing. But, this is CO and all the over the
hill pros lined up. I was a little nervous about how I would feel when I
read this before I left for the trip "The evidence is subjective, but most
athletes tell us they feel
worst 24-48 hours after reaching altitude. Professional teams such
as the Giants and Raiders reduce this low physical capacity by
arriving as close to kick off as their governing body allows." I was 30
hours in at this point. The gun went off and 40+ dudes at the line, the
oldies were flying and I wasn't. I settled in around 16th or so. We hit the
first grass section and it was like riding a jack-hammer - super bumpy, then
to a triple run-up to flat fast grass section to a double run-up and then to
a mud-bug that when you hit it at speed it took you to almost a complete
stop with visions of falling over into a foot of mud and water, to a fast
flat single track section to the road climb to the finish. After a lap I
started feeling good and on the climb I would pick off 2 or so riders. 3
laps to go and I'm in a group of 4 with two guys on the same team and me and
another dude. The two teammates go to the front and the one lets the other
roll off and blocks us out from chasing. I tried 3 times to go by but he
wouldn't let me and would swerve over and try to take me into the grass. We
finally hit the road climb but his teammate is gone but I gas it and get rid
of this yahoo and take the other guy with me. 2 laps to go and it's me and
another guy and he must be a mountain biker as he pulls me around the last 2
laps. We hit the final climb and I give him the MN sprint and dust him and
settle for 11th.
MN race report? Where are they?
Rock it
Jared
Peggy's season started, left no time for the traditional honeymoon. We
decided to take a long weekend to Colorado for a mini-honeymoon. I had no
intention of thinking of cycling for this weekend (ok, if you know me that
would be next to impossible). But, two weeks ago Peggy said "are there any
cross races in CO while we are there"? Of course I had the schedule already
memorized in case I could not kick the cross bug prior to leaving. What
could be more romantic? Our eyes all googly as we stared into each other's
as I passed by drooling and covered in mud as she handed me a bottle and
then her chasing it down as I threw it to the side. I knew that I had met my
soul mate as she enjoys handing me bottles and encourages me to ride and
race as much as I do.
Ok, enough with the sweet sappy stuff. I did a little research to see if I
had a chance of feeling good at altitude after living in MN. I found this
article
http://www.michaelbarry.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=Home.NewsDetail&cid=68
Some highlights include "Racing at altitude is like breathing through a
straw with a couple of weak attacks in the arsenal. It usually takes one
week of acclimation before one can ride comfortably with less oxygen. Racing
at altitude while not being acclimated is a challenge. The key, I find, is
to limit the amount of shells you fire while monitoring the frequency at
which they are fired. In the thin air it is much harder to recover.
Therefore, if attacks are made repeatedly it takes longer to recover.
Furthermore, the gun that is familiar with firing off the attacks has fewer
bullets to shoot, so they should be used wisely."
Saturday Cat 3 race: I hooked up with some old teammates from Vitamin
Cottage and donned the colors so I could race with some teammates for a
change. 30+ dudes on the line for the cat 3 only field. I ripped out of the
start up the climb and opened a little gap and was leading. But I forgot
what I had read the day before about limiting the amount of shells you fire,
when suddenly I couldn't get any O2 and 10-12 guys blew by me. I settled
into a rhythm as I sucked O2 out of a straw. My legs wanted to go but the
lungs wouldn't let me. Lap after lap I caught one or two riders and finally
hooked up with a teammate and another rider. 3 laps to go and we had a group
of 3 and my teammate was ripping it up the climb but letting gaps open on
the technical sections. 2 laps to go and I let my teammate pull up the
climbs and I kept it together on the technical sections. 1 lap to go and we
hit the final climb and my teammate gasses it up the climb and the other
dude falls off and I don't have the heart to come around him as he has been
pulling me for 3 laps. I settle for 8th.
Oh yea, the guy that won was some 14 y/o National Champion with a huge gap.
Sunday 35+ race: I got to the race quicker then anticipated so I decided to
try the 35+ race. I thought they may be a little less competitive then the
3's if things hold true to MN racing. But, this is CO and all the over the
hill pros lined up. I was a little nervous about how I would feel when I
read this before I left for the trip "The evidence is subjective, but most
athletes tell us they feel
worst 24-48 hours after reaching altitude. Professional teams such
as the Giants and Raiders reduce this low physical capacity by
arriving as close to kick off as their governing body allows." I was 30
hours in at this point. The gun went off and 40+ dudes at the line, the
oldies were flying and I wasn't. I settled in around 16th or so. We hit the
first grass section and it was like riding a jack-hammer - super bumpy, then
to a triple run-up to flat fast grass section to a double run-up and then to
a mud-bug that when you hit it at speed it took you to almost a complete
stop with visions of falling over into a foot of mud and water, to a fast
flat single track section to the road climb to the finish. After a lap I
started feeling good and on the climb I would pick off 2 or so riders. 3
laps to go and I'm in a group of 4 with two guys on the same team and me and
another dude. The two teammates go to the front and the one lets the other
roll off and blocks us out from chasing. I tried 3 times to go by but he
wouldn't let me and would swerve over and try to take me into the grass. We
finally hit the road climb but his teammate is gone but I gas it and get rid
of this yahoo and take the other guy with me. 2 laps to go and it's me and
another guy and he must be a mountain biker as he pulls me around the last 2
laps. We hit the final climb and I give him the MN sprint and dust him and
settle for 11th.
MN race report? Where are they?
Rock it
Jared
CX Mud and Rain
As I left my house in the down-pour I thought what kind of fool am I? The
day promised rain and mud. But, then I remembered the history of cross.
Cross was born in the Euro regions as something to do when the the weather
turned nasty. As I pulled into the parking lot the rain had turned into just
a little mist. I slathered on the "hot oil" and jumped on my trainer, under
cover of a deck, for a 30 min warm-up.
Course review: Start on a dirt-road to a tripple, then to a long road
section, turn into twisty double track then to a mud/quicksand bog, to a
super high haybale dismount, to twisty slimy single track, to a single
dismount, back to slimy single track to a short climb and back to the dirt
road. You roadie & mountain bike people would have loved it. Super fast and
no run-ups.
I lined up front row as the start was critical. You didn't want to be behind
anyone slow once you left the road. The pace was hot from the gun and I
settled somewhere in 10-15th place. Brick blew a tire mid-way through the
first lap, but he had a sweet hole-shot. After 2 laps I settled into a group
with Kevin Kralston, Dale, Chuck Norrie and Jelly Belly Paul Ellis. 1st
place A2 rider superstar sensation Bjorn was off like a rocket at the gun
with Doug. I was stoked with my group and felt strong. Midway through the
race, it's hard to say what lap as you are cross-eyed right from the start,
Dale and Paul rolled off our group. I didn't bother chasing as they were A1
dudes. So, it was Kevin A1, Chuck A2 and myself. I was worried about Chuck
because him and Kevin were bunny-hopping the single barrier in the woods and
I couldn't and I would have to chase hard after it to catch back on. 4 laps
to go out of nowhere comes Scott Ralston A1 and he joins our group and he is
flying. We ride with him for a lap and he takes off and we don't chase. 3
laps to go and I need to get rid of Chuck. I don't want a sprint finish and
don't need him gapping me on the single bunnyhop. I attack on the road but
he comes with me but we drop Kevin. We rip it up and then 2 laps to go a
group is catching us from behind - Hollywood, Scotty Rob and Jason MacDogg
A2 rider. I don't need another A2 rider with me so I push the pace on the
road section but Chuck is still with me. We hit the mudbog and I find a
better line then Chuck and open a gap, I fly over the haybale and expect him
to catch me on the single, but he doesn't and I continue to hammer. 1 lap to
go and I'm a madman posessed. I rip up the dirt road and stand up and sprint
the whole pavement section and look back and see nobody ;) Such a nice
feeling. I continue to hammer through the singletrack and finish with a
large gap. I end the day in 9th overall and 2nd in A2. All in all a good
day.
Rock it
2 races left and I need some serious points to get CRY. Ive got a 1st,
2-2nds and 2-3rds. They take the best 5 races. It's almost out of reach
but I'm going to bust it with all I have to the bitter end.
Rock it
Jared
day promised rain and mud. But, then I remembered the history of cross.
Cross was born in the Euro regions as something to do when the the weather
turned nasty. As I pulled into the parking lot the rain had turned into just
a little mist. I slathered on the "hot oil" and jumped on my trainer, under
cover of a deck, for a 30 min warm-up.
Course review: Start on a dirt-road to a tripple, then to a long road
section, turn into twisty double track then to a mud/quicksand bog, to a
super high haybale dismount, to twisty slimy single track, to a single
dismount, back to slimy single track to a short climb and back to the dirt
road. You roadie & mountain bike people would have loved it. Super fast and
no run-ups.
I lined up front row as the start was critical. You didn't want to be behind
anyone slow once you left the road. The pace was hot from the gun and I
settled somewhere in 10-15th place. Brick blew a tire mid-way through the
first lap, but he had a sweet hole-shot. After 2 laps I settled into a group
with Kevin Kralston, Dale, Chuck Norrie and Jelly Belly Paul Ellis. 1st
place A2 rider superstar sensation Bjorn was off like a rocket at the gun
with Doug. I was stoked with my group and felt strong. Midway through the
race, it's hard to say what lap as you are cross-eyed right from the start,
Dale and Paul rolled off our group. I didn't bother chasing as they were A1
dudes. So, it was Kevin A1, Chuck A2 and myself. I was worried about Chuck
because him and Kevin were bunny-hopping the single barrier in the woods and
I couldn't and I would have to chase hard after it to catch back on. 4 laps
to go out of nowhere comes Scott Ralston A1 and he joins our group and he is
flying. We ride with him for a lap and he takes off and we don't chase. 3
laps to go and I need to get rid of Chuck. I don't want a sprint finish and
don't need him gapping me on the single bunnyhop. I attack on the road but
he comes with me but we drop Kevin. We rip it up and then 2 laps to go a
group is catching us from behind - Hollywood, Scotty Rob and Jason MacDogg
A2 rider. I don't need another A2 rider with me so I push the pace on the
road section but Chuck is still with me. We hit the mudbog and I find a
better line then Chuck and open a gap, I fly over the haybale and expect him
to catch me on the single, but he doesn't and I continue to hammer. 1 lap to
go and I'm a madman posessed. I rip up the dirt road and stand up and sprint
the whole pavement section and look back and see nobody ;) Such a nice
feeling. I continue to hammer through the singletrack and finish with a
large gap. I end the day in 9th overall and 2nd in A2. All in all a good
day.
Rock it
2 races left and I need some serious points to get CRY. Ive got a 1st,
2-2nds and 2-3rds. They take the best 5 races. It's almost out of reach
but I'm going to bust it with all I have to the bitter end.
Rock it
Jared
CX Down South
Today brought another cross race. Cross in my humble opinion rocks like no
other bike race. Ok, crits come close.
The gun went off and my goal was to stick to Harry Anderson's wheel. He is
kicking my butt in A2 CRY. My start was less then stellar as I was around
20th or so going into the single track. My lady said people were like
"what's wrong with Jared is he hurt or is something wrong with his bike".
But, those that ripped the start soon blew and I eased by a lot of riders on
the road section on the 2nd lap. Finally I found a good group with fellow
B-wooder Brick, Andy Powell and some A3 dude riding a Dean. We rode together
for a few laps when all of a sudden Jason MacDogg A2 rips by us. At the time
I was sitting 2nd A2 with Harry up the road. I immediately moved to the
front and bridged our group to Jason. I'm not a fan of having any A2 riders
close to me, so I attack on the next lap on the road and Brick, Andy and A3
Dean dude come with me and we drop Jason. I continue to push the pace until
the gap is big enough not to worry about Jason catching back on. We take
turns pulling each other around until 3 laps to go. Then Andy P A3 attacks
hard on the road and Brick yells GO and I hop on. Brick is sitting 4th wheel
and expecting the A3 dude to work but he doesn't. So Andy and I roll
together for the next 2 laps and I force him to pull on the road and take
whimpy pulls because CX maniac Brick is near and I want him back in the
group. Finally with 1 lap to go Brick bridges to me and Andy. As soon as I
hear Brick catch his breath I throw down an attack and force Andy to chase.
As soon as he catches me Brick launches another hard attack and I see Andy
shake his head and he can't bridge. So, Brick opens a little gap. We hit the
final run-up and last time up Andy was hurting so I attack hard up the
run-up and bridge to Brick and drop Andy. We hit the final single track and
Brick gractiously lets me pass for 8th place overall Brick for 9th. It was
sweet to ride with a teammate for a change. I settle for 2nd in A2s and
Brick 7th A1. A good day for the Blue but my CRY chances are null unless I
can somehow come up with a solid ride at the state champs next weekend and
Harry has some serious trouble.
All, I expect to see you next weekend at the state champs. Come and support
the team and throw some tacks down or stick a stick in Harry's spokes ;)
ROck it.... Oh yea, big Matt S represented in the B race on his single and
Sr. Ladric crushed the C field after protesting having to buy a license to
ride the B race.
Jared
other bike race. Ok, crits come close.
The gun went off and my goal was to stick to Harry Anderson's wheel. He is
kicking my butt in A2 CRY. My start was less then stellar as I was around
20th or so going into the single track. My lady said people were like
"what's wrong with Jared is he hurt or is something wrong with his bike".
But, those that ripped the start soon blew and I eased by a lot of riders on
the road section on the 2nd lap. Finally I found a good group with fellow
B-wooder Brick, Andy Powell and some A3 dude riding a Dean. We rode together
for a few laps when all of a sudden Jason MacDogg A2 rips by us. At the time
I was sitting 2nd A2 with Harry up the road. I immediately moved to the
front and bridged our group to Jason. I'm not a fan of having any A2 riders
close to me, so I attack on the next lap on the road and Brick, Andy and A3
Dean dude come with me and we drop Jason. I continue to push the pace until
the gap is big enough not to worry about Jason catching back on. We take
turns pulling each other around until 3 laps to go. Then Andy P A3 attacks
hard on the road and Brick yells GO and I hop on. Brick is sitting 4th wheel
and expecting the A3 dude to work but he doesn't. So Andy and I roll
together for the next 2 laps and I force him to pull on the road and take
whimpy pulls because CX maniac Brick is near and I want him back in the
group. Finally with 1 lap to go Brick bridges to me and Andy. As soon as I
hear Brick catch his breath I throw down an attack and force Andy to chase.
As soon as he catches me Brick launches another hard attack and I see Andy
shake his head and he can't bridge. So, Brick opens a little gap. We hit the
final run-up and last time up Andy was hurting so I attack hard up the
run-up and bridge to Brick and drop Andy. We hit the final single track and
Brick gractiously lets me pass for 8th place overall Brick for 9th. It was
sweet to ride with a teammate for a change. I settle for 2nd in A2s and
Brick 7th A1. A good day for the Blue but my CRY chances are null unless I
can somehow come up with a solid ride at the state champs next weekend and
Harry has some serious trouble.
All, I expect to see you next weekend at the state champs. Come and support
the team and throw some tacks down or stick a stick in Harry's spokes ;)
ROck it.... Oh yea, big Matt S represented in the B race on his single and
Sr. Ladric crushed the C field after protesting having to buy a license to
ride the B race.
Jared
State CX Race 11/7
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blue supporters who showed up and gave encouragement. I couldn't have made
it up that run-up without all of you there. Every lap there were like 10-15
people yelling support. It was awesome.
For those who have not witnessed the sufferage of the state cross course
here is a description: The start was crucial because you started in a
parking lot and then made an immediate right turn to a dirt road downhill to
another hard right onto double track to the infamous stairs run-up to a
super steep downhill to a flying left hand corner to double track to a
triple to short pavement section to fast dirt road climb to a left into the
grass to an off-camber climb to the Red Bull run-up.
I pre-road and watched the C & B race starts and was a little concerned
about the start because the hole-shot was ever important or you would be
standing waiting at the stair run-up.
So, I lined up front row right next to Doug Swanson. If I could hang with
him at the start I was golden. The gun went off and Doug got the hole shot
but I was in 2nd position on the downhill into the double track and 2nd up
the stairs. Rock on! Then we hit the fast road climb and the fast start took
it's toll on me and my CRY chances (Harry Anderson) flew by me and I settled
into a group with Dale S. Dale and I traded pulls for a couple laps and then
he popped and I found another group with about 10 guys. The pace was super
hot and the legs were aching from the run-ups. We hit the stair run-up and
Scott Robertson ate it and a gapped opened in front of me. So me and two
others were forced to chase. We hit the Red Bull run-up and the legs felt
awesome and I closed the gap. Back in the group for a couple laps and then
my legs missed one of the steps on the run-up and I ate it with Andy Powell
and some other dude behind me - the group in front was gone. The three of
us worked together for a lap trying to catch back on but couldn't. The dude
with Andy and I then opened a gap and he was an A3 so I told Andy to chase
since he is an A3, he made a comment about me eating it on the stairs so I
felt guilty and gassed it on the dirt climb and bridged us back. Andy then
popped and so did I. 6 laps to go and I'm all alone pushing the pace and
suffering up the run-ups. 2 laps to go and Doug Swanson passes me ;) Yes,
only 1 lap left as I solo in for 13th overall and 4th in A2. It was by far
the hardest cross race of the season.
Harry Anderson got 2nd and scored enough points to clinch A2 CRY so I got
bumped to 2nd.
All in all a good season for cross.
Now I'll take a well-earned 2 week hiatus from the bike and then start
preparing for the 04-05 season.
Thanks for a great season blue. Stay tuned for rides through-out the winter.
We ride as long as the temps are above 15.
Rock it
Jared
11/10/04
