Singapore & the Luisella H. Cosulich

It’s been a few months since Debbie and I returned from our Hong Kong/Singapore trip, but I’m still sorting through photos. The reason for the trip was to attend the YPO Global Leadership Conference/EDGE in Singapore.

It was our second time visiting Singapore. We also visited in 2012, the last time the YPO conference was in Asia. That time, we brought our young children, but this time, we were on our own.

I already wrote about the Metasprint Duathlon, but I wanted to share some other highlights, including the incredible visit we made to a tanker fueling ship. That trip was arranged by our friend, Tim, from the sixth generation of the business owning Cosulich Family.  Their firm, Fratelli Cosulich, are leaders in maritime industries and have a significant Singapore operation. Refueling other ships, particularly tankers, is one of their business operations.

We joined a group of friends from the USA and Italy (where Tim is from, and where Fratelli Cosulich is headquartered), on an amazing adventure to the Luisella H. Cosulich, the ship named after Tim’s mom.

We boarded two small tenders at the Port of Singapore for the 15 minute ride to the Luisella. She was anchored off-shore amongst a fleet of other ships. She was tied to the larger tanker that she was refueling. I was in the first tender to board, and Debbie was in the second.

One of the amazing things about Singapore is its maritime prowess. From the roof deck of our hotel, the Marina Bay Sands, you could see ships anchored all the way to the horizon.

One of those ships ended up being the one that we boarded, which was a harrowing experience. Tim had some previous experience taking other small groups to the ship, but they were able to mount a ramp along side of the ship and you could easily walk up from the tender.

On the day that we went, a stiff breeze was blowing and the sea was choppy. This meant that we had to board from a rope ladder that was lowered from the deck. The fact that the Luisella was tied to the the larger tanker in addition to being anchored, meant that she was stable.

It was the the tender that pitched wildly. Boarding proved to be a fun, but nerve wracking challenge. Debbie was fine with it, but I was recovering from my broken leg, had only been walking without crutches for two weeks, and didn’t want to get hurt.

In the end, everyone in our group did fine and we all successfully boarded the ship. The crew were fantastic. They looked out for our safety. Once aboard, we split into two smaller groups and toured the vessel. It was really cool. I asked a ton of questions. We saw the deck, the crew quarters, the engine room, and the bridge.

Getting back into the tenders proved to be only slightly less challenging. The effort was successful in raising my heart rate. Once back on shore, I was happier. We had to show our passports when we entered the country again. Technically, we were in international waters, and we needed to pass through security before entering Singapore again.

In one afternoon, I soaked in the nuances of the shipping industry and the role of the Luisella in refueling the much larger tanker ships that transport oil on the ocean. It was a great way to see the grittier industrial side of Singapore, a stark contrast from the glitzy retail of Marina Bay. Debbie and I were both thrilled with the experience.

The ship adventure was on Saturday and the duathlon was on Sunday. We returned home on Monday.

While we were in Singapore, we had two fantastic meals. The first was at Meta Restaurant, where we had an amazing seven course (plus two “snacks”) vegan meal. Meta turned out to be on of the best fine dining experiences I’ve ever had. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2017. The service was awesome.

Our second Singapore date night was at EMPRESS, one of the Privé Group’s restaurants. We had a beautiful table and another vegan feast to celebrate the last night of our trip.

The service was also fantastic. Afterwards, we took a leisurely stroll around Marina Bay on our way back to the hotel. It was a fun way to wrap up our two weeks in Asia.

Gillette Castle State Park

A few weeks back, I visited Gillette Castle State Park for the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA) Board of Directors/Staff retreat.

Gillette Castle is a real gem. The State of Connecticut DEEP prides itself on the acquisition of this stunning property (in 1937) and its various renovations. My friend, Christine Woodside, wrote this great piece about the restoration, for the New York Times in 2002.

I hadn’t been to the park in a long time, so it was great to return for this strategic planning meeting. It was a rainy Wednesday night, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. We got a private tour compliments of the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park. Our guide was informative and witty.

This is one amazing 99 year old building with so many special detailed design features. The setting on a bluff high over the Connecticut River is also spectacular. William Gillette’s Seven Sisters estate cost $1.1 million when built between 1914 and 1919. That’s like $30 million in today’s dollars. Gillette was the eclectic entrepreneur and actor who first portrayed Sherlock Holmes on the stage, and became world-renowned for playing the character in more than a thousand shows. 

After he died in 1937, the estate was purchased by the state with help from nonprofit CFPA for a total of $29,000. The Great Depression dealt a serious blow to its value. It really is one of the crown jewels in the state park system. 

At a time when budget cuts threaten state parks and trails, CFPA is doing incredible work to preserve the places that we love. Check out this post on SJ 35, an important bill that will help protect public lands.

If you have never been to Gillette Park, you should plan a visit.

Monadnock Hike & Bike (and the Scouts BSA)

 

Last weekend’s trip to Mount Monadnock and Monadnock State Park was awesome. It was the “capstone” trip/event of Debbie’s career as our son’s Den Leader.

We have been involved with Bolton Cub Scouts Pack 157, and Den 5, for the last five years. Our involvement in Scouts won’t stop. Next month, Shepard will earn his Arrow of Light and move on to Boy Scouts Troop 25 in Manchester. He will start his journey towards Eagle Scout. Two of my first cousins, Brian and Tim Nelson, are Eagle Scouts/alumnus from Troop 25.

I’m also an Eagle Scout (1988) and am a product of Troop 11 in Vernon. It’s likely that our daughter will continue with Scouts, but transition from the Girl Scouts of the USA  to the “boy’s side.” I’m a step or two behind on the new rules of the Boy Scouts of America (now known as Scouts BSA), but I’ll get up to speed soon. They made some big moves in the past 18 months to get with the times. It will be interesting to see if the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts (Scouts BSA) remain relevant for the next generation and beyond.

Five years ago, I wrote about the Boy Scouts in this blog post, where I shared a letter that written to the corporate leadership challenging  them to be more inclusive. For more than 20 years, I kept my distance from the Boy Scouts and their exclusionary policies, but five years ago, my son’s involvement was on the horizon, and I was conflicted about getting involved. I wanted him to experience Scouting and the skills that it teaches. I attribute Scouts for my love of the environment, my role in conservation organizations including the Appalachian Mountain Club and Connecticut Forest & Park Association; and my zest for outdoor adventure.

This post is less about the politics of Scouting and more about the joy of hiking (and biking). Debbie put together the Monadnock trip for her Den and in addition to our son and daughter, three other boys and their fathers participated. I hadn’t been to the summit of Monadnock in years, though we have been to the area many times. We were last there in 2016 for the Wapack and Back Trail Race. We (both of us) also ran it in 2014. In both cases, we were on Pack Monadnock, a nearby mountain, but didn’t make it to Grand Monadnock.

I think the last time we were on Grand Monadnock was like 15 years ago. Maybe more. Prior to that, I had climbed the mountain a few times with friends from Team Horst Sports. Even before that, I climbed it solo when I was in college. It really is a great mountain. It’s one of the most frequently climbed in the world. It’s reported that Mt. Fuji in Japan is the only mountain climbed more often.

We drove up on Saturday morning. The overnight showers cleared and by the time we started our hike, the weather was gorgeous. The summit was crowded, as you would expect for the best weather of this wet spring. The kids had a blast, and the parents were able to keep pace. We lingered on the summit and then returned to the state park where we set up camp. We spent the night, which was fun. It turned out to be a wet one as the rain moved in again.

The four of us woke up in our tent with many leaks. Debbie has been talking about an upgrade, but our 20-year-old four person tent has done us well…until recently. After we got up, we didn’t linger. I had previously hatched a plan to ride my bicycle home from Monadnock, but the steady rain was a blow to my morale. I waffled about the ride, but eventually declared that I was doing it. We packed everything but the tent, saving it for last. I pulled my bike out of the car where I had stashed it for the night, and parked it under an overhang.

Once we got the tent down, I changed in the car, working up the courage to start a long ride in the pouring (cold) rain. The temperature was in the low-40’s Fahrenheit, which can be the worst kind of weather to ride in. If you stop for a moment, hypothermia will set in. I think that risk is partially what motivated me to go for it rather than joining the family in the car for the 100 or so miles home.

My math said I could get home in about seven hours if I averaged close to 15 miles per hour. The route would have more downhill than up, but there would be enough up and down to challenge me. I had my Seven Axiom SL super-commuter, which is my favorite bike. I took off the panniers, but kept the rear rack, fenders, and front pack. This is the bike I ride to/from work and I just love it. It isn’t the lightest road bike, but it’s my most versatile bike.

In the end, the fenders only helped a little. The family rolled out of the parking lot five minutes before I did. I was on my own. I coasted down the hill to the entrance of the park. I stopped and took my only photo of the day. I turned my iPhone off to save the battery should I really need it. I tucked it in my pocket and that’s where it stayed until I reached Stafford Springs, Connecticut nearly six and a half hours later.

10 minutes into the ride and I was already soaked to the bone and chilled. Somewhere in that first segment of the ride, I missed a turn on to Rt. 119, which would take me to Rt. 32, the main route for the day. I was already cold and miserable, so I just kept riding until I recognized a road. I sensed that I was going the wrong way and that was confirmed when I saw signs for Keene, which is northwest of Monadnock. I needed to go southwest, and then due south on 32. I stubbornly rode towards Keene until I found the main drag. Eventually, I turned left, in the direction of south, and rode until I found the airport south of town. From there, I just used my gut to navigate. Eventually, I found 32.

Nearly 90 minutes had passed before I finally came to the 119 intersection. I figured I had added 20 miles to the ride and that was a real bummer. By the time I crossed the Massachusetts line, I was frozen and struggling to keep my handlebars straight on the steep descents. Some of the heaviest rain hit me in between Royalston and Athol. I was wearing my eyeglasses, but eyes were so cold and wet that I felt blinded and it was hard to see when descending. It was a bit sketchy, but I forged on knowing that if I stopped for even a minute that it could spell disaster. Long point to point rides with no support in these conditions leaves no room for mistakes. That’s why I was having “fun.”

32 goes from New Hampshire all the way through Massachusetts and then on to Connecticut, so once I was on 32, I knew where to go. All I had to do was pedal and keep on 32, which was by no means a straight line. It jogged left and right and cut through small towns as it worked its way south, skirting to the east of the Quabbin Reservoir. You can see the route on my Strava feed if we are connected. Speaking of the Quabbin, the last time I was this cold on a bicycle was seven years ago at the 2011 Quabbin Reservoir Classic, which I wrote about.  Excerpts from my post were published along with the stories of three other riders from that race, in the now defunct 9W Magazine, a literary/cycling journal.

Thankfully, the temperature was a bit warmer last Sunday, and despite the pouring rain, I hung in there. I didn’t eat much. I had a Clif Bar and a banana. Eventually, I stopped in Stafford Springs after the rain had stopped, but only had a coconut water and a Naked juice. I burned more than 3,000 calories while only taking in 600 or so. My only wardrobe issue was that I forgot my booties. My feet were very cold. The booties wouldn’t have kept them dry, but they would have added insulation. I also wished I had a warmer pair of gloves, but it likely wouldn’t have made that much of a difference. I carried a lighter weight second set of gloves, and eventually switched to them when the rain had tapered off.

The stretch through Massachusetts was diverse. As I rode south through Royalston, Athol, Petersham, and Barre; I enjoyed the solitude. That section of 32 is beautiful and less congested than the southern section. It brought back memories of some of the great western Massachusetts road races that I did in the 1990’s including the Hubbardston-Barre Road Race. My old teammate, Will Kirousis, hails from Petersham, and we visited his home many times in those years.

I pushed on. The stretch of road from Ware, through Palmer, into Monson, and then Stafford Springs, was the worst. The Sunday afternoon traffic was bad and unfortunately, I had several run-ins with motorists. I kept my patience, but was “coal rolled” three separate times. These huge jacked up pickup trucks pulled up next to me, and then jammed on their accelerators, belching putrid exhaust into my face as their engines roared and they pulled away. It’s such a cowardly thing to do, but sadly common for “boys” who I dub Swamp Yankees (a New England version of “yahoo”). There were many other inconsiderate motorists who left me with a lot less than the recommended/mandatory 18 inches of space.

In Stafford Springs, a huge GMC Suburban pulled up next to me and the passenger (a woman) hung out the window and yelled at me to “move over.” I completely understand if cyclists avoid roads altogether. The situation has clearly gotten worse and its dangerous.

By the time I got to Stafford Springs, I was cracked. Thankfully, a cool wind had blown the rain out of the area. It was still overcast and cold, but I was a bit warmer, so I stopped at a Cumberland Farms to message Debbie and buy the juice. I had gone six hours and not even drank half a bottle of water. I was fine, but still enjoyed stopping to hydrate. Amazingly, I avoided any serious chaffing on the whole ride. I hadn’t ridden that far since my 132 mile Vermont Six Gaps Ride in 2016, also on my Axiom SL.

Last Sunday’s ride ended up being 119.9 miles and it took me eight hours and four minutes of moving time to get it done. I was very happy to get home. Debbie asked me why I didn’t ride another .01 miles to get an even 120, but then I told her about the missed turn and 20 mile Keene diversion, and she understood why I was ready to be done. I doubt my GPS is that accurate anyway!

Last weekend’s dual adventures were awesome. Every so often, I need these long solo rides to sooth my soul. It’s hard to explain the feeling, but I tune out and spend time with my own thoughts. I hatch business plans, think about goals, and zone out. My subconscious takes over and I enjoy the moment, even if it involves suffering.

Some of my first big adventures started when I was in the Scouts. It’s great to share my adventures with my own kids and their friends. I have no doubt that they will inherit my love for the outdoors, hiking, and biking.

 

2018 Fat Tire Classic

Earth Day 2018 and we spent the day outside in glorious sunshine at one of our favorite places. The 24th annual Fat Tire Classic was held at Winding Trails in Farmington, Connecticut.

We know Winding Trails well. We race there a lot. My records show that I’ve raced there 67 times since 1999.

The Summer Tri Series is every Tuesday for 10 weeks in a row starting in mid-June. I’ve done the Tuesday night race 47 times since 2009. And of course, the Fat Tire Classic is every April. Records show that I’ve done 10 of them. My first was in 2000.  We have done a number of other races there over the years including the Chainbiter Cyclocross, the Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series, and the Hartford Triathlon, which was my first ever race at Winding Trails.

There is always something going on at Winding Trails. We love the place so much, we even had our Jack & Jill there in 2001.

Today, I only watched the races, but I had a blast. Shepard did the Category 3 (9-12 year old) race and showed that his skills and fitness continue to improve. More importantly, he had a fantastic time.

The weather was so much better than the Hop Brook MTB Race from two weeks ago. Today, the sun shone brightly. It was still chilly, especially in the shade, but without a cloud in the sky, the sun did it’s thing.

Once again, the CCAP Team Horst Junior Squad had a fantastic turnout. We had seven boys and one girl race. There were several other Team Horst affiliated riders too. The Team Horst Sports Masters team also had a great showing with Art Roti, Joseph Dickerson, Brett Chenail, John Meyerle, and Wade Summers flying the team colors.

We even had visitors. Arlen Zane Wenzel and Erik Emanuele showed up on their road bikes.  Tom Ricardi, Tim Rourke, and I just watched. Debbie also sat this one out. She went for a run on the course.

Just like Hop Brook, there were so many kids. This is awesome. The CCAP continues to drive the success of junior cycling in Connecticut. Today’s race was the second event in the 2018 CBR (Connecticut Bicycle Racing) Offroad Series. The next event is 20 May at the Team Red Dragon MTB in Berlin.

Today’s race was also the kickoff of the 2018 Bubba Mountain Bike Trophy Series. That series continues with the Bear Brook Classic on 12 May. The mountain bike season is rolling.

Race Results (will be posted when available)

 

 

 

 

2018 Traprock 50K (and 17K)

We had glorious weather for yesterday’s Traprock 50K at Penwood State Park in Simsbury, Connecticut. After a spring with less than stellar weather, yesterday was a welcome respite. I’m wrapping this post up on Sunday morning, and I’ve already been out for a bike ride. The temperature is back in the low-30’s (Fahrenheit), the wind is whipping, and snow is in the forecast. So, was Saturday’s awesome weather an anomaly? The temperature was warm, the deep blue sky was cloudless, and brilliant sunshine shined through the still leafless trees. We want more of that.

Our family hadn’t been to Traprock since 2014, a rare four year layoff from a race we love. Debbie first did this one back in 2010 when it was founded by friends Kevin Hutt and Steve Nelson. Kevin remains the Race Director, and he has a good team of volunteers to assist him.

The Shenipsit Striders have always helped, whether it be directly or indirectly. Today, our club had a sizable turnout for both the three lap 50K (more like 33 miles) and one lap 17K (more like 11 miles).

The hilly course got some modifications since we last ran it. Now, it has more singletrack, more hills, and it’s a bit longer. There is about 6,500 feet of elevation gain and 6,500 feet of loss. The changes mean that the course is quite a bit slower than it used to be, but it is still very runnable. This is the second year since the course was modified, and it was the first time running this version. for Debbie.

We saw so many friends today. I think the sunshine drew them out. Some even came south from snowy New Hampshire. Great weather has a healing effect as evidenced by the shorts, short sleeves, and smiles.

Traprock kicked off the 2018 Connecticut Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series.

It was a long day for the kids and me. Dahlia helped out at the finish line aid station, and had a lot of fun sharing stories with her fellow volunteers. Shepard brought his mountain bike and explored the park. I took a lot of pictures.

Debbie didn’t need a whole lot of support, but we remained near the finish line to cheer her on during each of her laps. A few times, I walked up the Metacomet Trail to get a better vantage point.

After a while, Charles Merlis joined me and we had a fun conversation about running, acting (another one of his passions), and life. Earlier in the day, Charlie had run a 5K race in Avon, and came out to Penwood to cheer on his son Josh, and Josh’s girlfriend Michelle Pratt. Charles always makes me smile. He is a member of the Run 169 Towns Society, joined Debbie for her 40th birthday run, and is a regular at Shenipsit Striders races. It’s hard to miss Charlie. He is usually shirtless, wearing a tutu, and wearing wings.

It was nice to chat with friends new and old. Kevin’s Dad, Ernie Hutt, was the official starter. He got a nice ovation at the start, and revealed a surprise, that Kevin’s Mom was going to run the race. It was a joke, and he made everyone laugh.

Brian Rusiecki took the win in 4:58:25. He was pretty toasted at the finish and took a few minutes to relax before he returned to chat about the race. He said that on his third and final lap, he was hot. I’m sure everyone was hot. The race claimed quite a few victims and the DNF rate was high. There were 68 finishers with the last person finishing in 9:54:43. That’s a long day on the trail! Brian was followed by Koby Nelson and Brandon Baker, but with a 16 minute difference between first and second, he was never seriously threatened.

The women’s race was much tighter. Coming into the end of lap two, the aforementioned Michelle Pratt had a narrow lead over past winners  Kristina Folcik, and Stacey Clark. Kristina left the aid station first, but Michelle and Stacey were within a minute of her, but she extended her lead on the first major climb, and the gap grew from there.

All three of them were running strongly, but things sorted themselves out over the last 11 miles, and Kristina took the win in 5:48:16. Michelle finished in 6:02:35. Stacey was only four minutes behind her, and looked strong despite the heat. Debbie had a decent race, finishing in 6:52:27. This was her second 2018 ultra, after last month’s Mt. Tammany 10 in Delaware Water Gap.

Kevin and the Traprock crew have been strong supporters of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, with a history of generous contributions to CFPA and other conservation organizations. CFPA is the nonprofit that created and maintains Connecticut’s 825+ mile Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails system, including the New England Trail, of which the Metacomet Trail is a key piece.

Traprock lowered their fees for 2018, with entry only $35, a relative bargain in the fast-growing ultra segment of the running world. It was no frills with three adequately stocked aid stations, post-race pizza (including the vegan variety), and no swag. Nearly 300 runners registered for the sold-out event.

Next up in the Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series is the Soapstone Mountain Trail Race on Sunday 20 May. This will be Debbie’s 15th year as Soapstone’s Race Director. It is also a great value, so if any Traprockers want to experience a race that is another great value ($25 pre-registration for the 24 kilometer long course and $12 for the 6 kilometer short course Jerry Stage “Sampler”), join us in Somers. The post-race feast features food from Rein’s Deli, and “cooking” by my mother-in-law, Barbara. How can you beat that?

Soapstone isn’t an ultra, but it is one of the legendary New England trail races. This is year number 34 for the event, a stalwart in the New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series. Only the NipMuck Trail Marathon (which turns 35 in October) is older, and still continuously running.

The Shenipsit Striders also promote NipMuck, and this year, to honor the 35th, there will be a 35 mile version of this classic. Sadly, this year, NipMuck conflicts with the Vermont 50 Mile Ride & Run, which is prone to happen every six years or so.

I won’t lie. I’m partial to east coast trail running, and particularly biased to the northeast, and New England where we have the most challenging terrain in the country. Yes, I said I was a fan.

We have a great community, great races, and awesome trails. The season just got started, and it’s already been memorable.

Race Results

SmugMug Photo Gallery

2018 Hop Brook MTB Race

The 2018 mountain bike season kicked off in style at the Hop Brook MTB Race in Middlebury, Connecticut. Once again, the crew from the Laurel Bicycle Club and D’Anniello’s Amity Bicycles did a fantastic job organizing this early season event.

The weather was kind of what you would expect for Southern New England in April in 2018. It was raw, cold, and blustery. The sun poked out from behind the clouds on a few occasions; but then the clouds covered it again, and the wind to kick up.

By late afternoon, it was just plain miserable and no one could stay warm. It may have been harder to spectate than to race. Still, the racing was tough as most riders were competing for the first time in the new year.

That didn’t stop a lot of people from getting on their mountain bikes and riding on the rugged Hop Brook Lake Recreation Area course. Team Horst Sports was well represented in the both morning events and the afternoon events.

We had several Masters racers in the Category 1 and Category 2 fields.

Later in the day, the CCAP Team Horst Junior Squad had five boys race in the Category 2 and Category 3 Juniors race. Sean Rourke led the way with a strong finish on the challenging terrain. Shepard Livingston, Cole Ricardi, Bodain Chenail,  and our newest junior teammate, Weston, all had great races.

It was awesome to see so many kids out there. Many of the faces were familiar. We know many of them from the cyclocross community. We last saw some of them in December, when the Elm City CX, the last CT Series of CX race was held in New Haven, and also hosted by the Laurel Bicycle Club and D’Anniello’s Amity Bicycles.

It was fitting that they promoted the last cross race of the season and the first mountain bike of the new season. I think the weather was better in December!

Anyway, we will be back at it with the mountain biking in two weeks at Winding Trails for the Fat Tire Classic.

Race Results

SmugMug Gallery Photos

Hong Kong

It’s been five weeks since Debbie and I visited Hong Kong. Upon our return, I’ve had no time to sort photos and reflect on what a cool adventure it was. When in Asia, I had the time to post about our Lantau Island hike.

However, over the course of three days, we packed in a bunch of other sightseeing. It was our first time in Hong Kong and it is a splendid city full of modern infrastructure, history, and parks.

We only scratched the surface on this visit, but it proved to be a welcome stopover on our trip to Singapore for the YPO Global Leadership Conference.

To get to Hong Kong, we took a direct flight from Boston on Cathay Pacific Airlines. Cathay is a fine airline. I recalled doing a case study on the company in business school. We left late in the evening on Tuesday and arrived early on Thursday morning. There was a 13 hour time difference. The day we arrived, we recovered from the trip and caught up on email and reading.

On Friday morning, Debbie went for a run and I went for a swim in the hotel pool. Then we took the fairy to Lantau Island and did the hike. That took all afternoon and we got back late at night.

On Saturday, Debbie met up with our friend Rod, who joined her for a trail run on the Hong Kong Trail, another one of the Hong Kong area’s long distance hiking trails. She did a 20 mile section in the southeast corner of the island.

Rod broke off after 10K and she continued on her own. She eventually ended up on the Dragon’s Back and ran up and over to Shek O Beach. When she started the run, I headed for the bus depot. I took a bus to Repulse Bay. Rod had explained that this was a good open water swimming spot. He told me that there would be “shark nets” so it was safe. I thought that was comforting! He also noted that in March, I wouldn’t find many others in the water.

That part was true! There were many people on the beach, but I think there were only three or four other people in the water. I was the only one who was actually swimming for exercise. I ended up doing two laps of the enclosed swimming area.

There was a huge changing room with showers, so I was able to wash off following my swim, but the fresh water was not much warmer than the salt water in the bay. From there, I took another bus to get closer to the Dragon’s Back trailhead. It was late morning, but the temperature had remained cool.

I struggled to figure out the bus routes,  and ended up in the village of Stanley, which was farther south, but actually the opposite direction from which I needed to go. I had to get north and then east in order to cut across a short peninsula. So, I flagged down a taxi and told the driver where I wanted to go.

It was the first time she had ever been to this part of the island, so we both enjoyed the adventure on the steep, narrow, and winding mountain roads. At times, it was so narrow that only one vehicle could pass. There were rock cliffs on the left (the side of the rode that you drive on in Hong Kong) and steep drop offs to the right. Crazily, they allow full size buses on these roads, so several times, we had to squeeze over even farther to the left in order to let one by.

 

I used my iPhone and Google Maps to navigate to the right spot. I felt safer when I got out of the car. From there, I messaged Debbie and she called. She was at Shek O Beach, which was perfect. She had gotten to the spot where I was standing, about 90 minutes earlier, so she continued on the trail up and over the Dragon’s Back.

I was still hobbled by my broken leg and she warned me that the trail was steep and rocky. I told her I would meet her at the top and then we would turn back together. So, we ascended the Dragon’s Back from opposite directions. It was her second time.

The trail was crowded with tourists and locals. When I say crowded, I mean it was jammed with people. The closest thing to compare it to would be climbing Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire on an early summer day. It was far from a wilderness experience. Also, the air was thick with smog and damp clouds, so there were zero views. Supposedly, this trail can offer fantastic sights, including the entire Hong Kong skyline, but I couldn’t see a thing.

I got to the top and did 15 minutes of people watching before Debbie came up the trail on the back side. It was great to see her. We took some photos and then descended the trail back to where I started. From there, we caught a bus to Shau Kei Wan, an MTR station. MTR is Hong Kong’s main transit authority and the trains and subways are clean and efficient. We took the train back downtown and were back at the hotel in the mid-afternoon.

That night, we had a fantastic meal at Pure Veggie House, a fantastic restaurant that was walking distance from the hotel, but to get there, we took a short cab ride. We had to get there by 6:00 P.M. for an early reservation. They said that they were sold out for the night. They squeezed us in and we had a great time. With less time constraint on the return trip to the hotel, we walked and wound our way through Hong Kong Park, one of the beautiful green spaces.

On Sunday morning, we went for a swim in the hotel pool and then packed up. Our Singapore flight was around 3:00 P.M., but we needed to get back to the airport on Lantau Island shortly after noon. Once we were packed, we ventured back to Hong Kong Park to explore the Aviary along with the Zoological and Botanical Gardens. We were pressed for time, and want to return so that we can visit the butterfly garden.

Getting to the airport was a snap. We were actually able to check our bags in at Hong Kong Station before boarded the train. That was really cool. We checked them in at the train station and didn’t see them again until Singapore. What makes this so amazing is that the airport is 30 kilometers from central Hong Kong, so they securely load your baggage there and transport it to the airport on a separate train car, where it is securely transported to the correct plane for the trip to your final destination.

We enjoyed our short stay in Hong Kong, but there is so much more to see. We only passed through Kowloon, and didn’t have the time to stop and explore. There are also other trails to run/hike on. We took off and after a three and a half hour flight, we were in Singapore by 7:30 P.M.

2018 Finally Spring 5K!

It had been five years since we last went to the Finally Spring 5K hosted by the Manchester Running Company. I think its been five years since it last felt like spring. Actually, in 2013, it was pretty cold too!

Today, the sun struggled to shine through the clouds, and the temperature was barely above freezing. Dampness hung in the air after yesterday’s snowstorm. It was perfect conditions for running!

The course is slightly different from when we last ran it, but still includes the trails in the watershed that feeds the Howard/Porter Reservoir. It’s a fun place to run or ride.

Debbie, Dahlia, and Shepard all lined up for this one. Dahlia did the one mile kids race along with 24 other children. It was a nice turnout on a chilly day.

Being so close to home, this was a fun race to do. I enjoyed watching, taking photos, and saying hello to friends.

The Shenipsit Striders and Silk City Striders had good turnouts. The Manchester Running Company has a strong team of their own. It was also great to see folks from the Hartford Track Club and the Mohegan Striders. With the Boston Marathon a week from Monday, there were probably a few holdouts.

Morgan Kennedy took the win for the men. He was chased by Jon-Paul Mandelburg and Samuel Alexander.

Elizabeth Fengler took top honors for the women. She was followed by Darby Dustman and Linda Yamamoto. Linda told me she got her one and only “trail race” done for the year. Truth be told, the trails on this course are pretty mild. This isn’t 7 Sisters, or even the Soapstone Mountain Trail Race, which are both coming up in May.

Debbie and Shepard both got prizes in their age groups, which was cool. Nothing beats a short race that is so close to home. We were back at the house by noon, with the rest of the day open for work and play.

Debbie is the Race Director for Soapstone, which is part of the Connecticut Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series. The series kicks off a week from today with the Traprock 50K. We will be there!

Soapstone is also part of the New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series.

So, if you liked these trails, come out and try some of the races in these series. If you missed today’s race, there are many more for you to choose from.

Race Results (1 Mile Kids Race)

Race Results (5K)

SmugMug Gallery Photos

2018 MT. TAMMANY 10

Yesterday, Debbie ran the MT. TAMMANY 10 in New Jersey, for the first time in its five-year history. She learned about the race from our friends at Mountain Peak Fitness, who have a page on their website dedicated to this difficult trail ultra.

This was her first ultra since last August’s Cascade Crest 100. She did great. The format is unique. The start/finish and only aid station is at the Kittatinny Point Visitors Center in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The aid station is at a pavilion about 1/3 mile (on road) from the trail head at the Dunnfield Parking Area on the other side of Interstate 80, which also cuts through the Gap. There is a 3.5 mile counter-clockwise loop. You take the Red Dot trail to the 1,526 foot summit of Mt. Tammany,. Then you connect to the Blue-Blazed Trail for most of the descent. You parallel beautiful Dunnfield Creek and then you briefly connect with the Appalachian Trail, before entering the back side of the parking lot. You do 10 loops of the course, including the 1,200 foot ascent of Mt. Tammany. On every even loop (laps 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) you return to the start/finish to check in. The race relies on the honor system. You have to count your own laps.

The total mileage ends up being between 38+/- with 12,000 feet of elevation gain and 12,000 feet of descent. That’s substantial for a race of this distance and the per mile gain puts it up there with some of the more hilly ultras in the country, and certainly on the east coast. The trails are rugged with lots of rocks, requiring some scrambling. The snow and ice from three weeks of Nor’easters just added to the challenge, though some veterans said that the presence of deeper snow on the descent permitted faster running. Some folks opted to use traction devices on their feet, but Debbie went without. She also started the race without her poles, but during the second half, she used them on the uphill section of the course.

The goal is to complete the race in 10 hours or less. Well, the real goal is just to finish. It took Debbie 10:21:13, which is still a great time. There were 35 official finishers. 22 people didn’t finish, or missed the time cut. The race is meant to be small, partly because this is a popular hiking trail, and it was crowded with visitors. More runners would have only added to the traffic. It was cold and breezy, but the sky was clear and bright sunshine helped the morale. That sun is what drew many visitors to the park on a (very) early spring day. The views from Mt. Tammany, especially on the climb, are spectacular and another reason for all of the hikers.

We have always been friendly with members of the New York/New Jersey trail running community, and frequently venture beyond New England to do races in their region. Last year, Debbie ran Manitou’s Revenge, and that’s where she first heard about this race from Ben Nephew, a veteran of both events. The highlands of northwestern New Jersey on the Pennsylvania border, have fantastic terrain and trails. We have explored it some, but need to visit here more. Six years ago, we went to the AMC’s Mohican Outdoor Center, and passed through the Gap. When I was in the Boy Scouts, I did a 50 mile canoe trip on the Delaware River.  I recall that our guide hailed from nearby from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

After such a long layoff, Debbie needed to get back in the game. This early season race will help build her fitness as she looks to tackle half a dozen ultras in 2018. This will be more quiet year for her. 2017 was a big year with Manitou’s, Hardrock, Cascade Crest, and several other ultras. She is planning a series of races in the 50K to 100K distance, but likely no 100 milers. She gave her body and mind a long rest after last year. Over the last six months, she has mixed in more cycling, and more cross-training.

On Thursday 24 May, our entire family will be at the REI store in West Hartford, Connecticut, for a presentation on the Hardrock adventure. If you want to hear about this amazing race, join us. Debbie, the kids, and I will all be speaking and sharing our excitement for trail running. We will have Hardrock photos, gear, and memorabilia to show and discuss.

This week was really busy. It was our first full week back after our Hong Kong/Singapore trip. It culminated with our daughter’s participation in the Bolton Center School Variety Show on Friday night. After the show, the four of us piled into my car, and drove to Debbie’s parents house. The kids stayed with them because there was a second show on Saturday afternoon. Debbie and I got up at 3:00 A.M. and drove the 2 hours and 45 minutes to the race.

The start was at 6:30 A.M., just as the sun was coming up. Some people used headlamps, but she didn’t bother. I walked one lap, taking photos of the runners and the views. Then, I went for a bike ride on Old Mine Road, which parallels the Delaware River on the New Jersey side. It goes north for about 35 miles through the National Recreation Area and adjacent Worthington State Forest. After a few hectic weeks at work, I needed some time in the saddle, and also in the woods, so this trip was perfect. I took the road north for about 13 miles. I didn’t go too far because I wanted to make it back in time to catch her at the finish of lap eight. I’m taking it slow in my comeback since breaking my leg in January. After I helped her in the aid station, I rode around some more, including a trip across the bridge to the Pennsylvania side of the gap. I explored a bit more through the Gap, before returning to the trailhead to see her finish her 9th lap.

After that, I changed up, and waited for her to finish. She was in good spirits, got to catch up with several friends, and make some new friends too. Garry Harrington came down from New Hampshire, though in recent years, he has spent a lot of time on the road out west, traveling from race to race. We saw him at Hardrock and Cascade Crest, so that’s three in a row! Kehr Davis (who won Manitou’s in 2017) had a fantastic run, taking first among the women. She was followed by Kathleen Cusick. On the men’s side, Jay Lemos and Steven Lange had a race-long battle, with Steven prevailing.

It was great to see Julian Vicente and Elizabeth Azze from Mountain Peak Fitness. These trails are in their backyard. Both hail from nearby New Jersey communities. Alex Papadopoulos is the passionate Race Director who hosts the race. His organization, Athletic Equation, Inc., based in Virginia, promotes several ultras that are part of a series, hosts trail running travel adventures, offers coaching, and sells gear. We invited Alex to come run the Soapstone Mountain Trail Race, the Shenipsit Striders race that Debbie has directed for 15 years. I think we can convince him to visit and run it in the future. We told him to bring his whole family.

One nice touch was that each finisher received a rock mounted on a wood trophy. The rock is symbolic of these rugged trails. The fun part was that Alex had plaques pre-printed with each runner’s name. So, she got to choose the rock that appealed to her, and he mounted the customized plaque on the spot. That was cool. It’s not our only rock trophy. I’m pretty sure that the Shenipsit Striders started that “trend” nearly 30 years ago.

We were in the car and on the road by 6:00 P.M. After a few stops for gas and to stretch our legs, we were back at her parents’ house by 8:30 P.M., in time to visit with the kids. We were both famished, and after eating a late supper, it was lights out for me. Apparently, Mt. Tammany was tough on both the runners and the crew! Next up for Debbie is the Traprock 50K, the first race in the 2018 Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series.

Race Results

2018 Metasprint Duathlon

The YPO Global Leadership Conference (GLC)/EDGE brought Debbie and me to Singapore for the second time. We were last here in 2012, when the event was last held in Asia. It’s typical when we travel for us to look for an event to do.

On prior conference trips, we have done the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Six Foot Track Marathon. The last time we were in Singapore, Debbie ran a 10K road race. This year, she opted for multisport. Today she did the Metasprint Duathlon.

She had never ridden a true road bike, so we rented a Merida (Shimano Ultegra drivetrain/Mavic wheelset) from a local bike shop, on the recommendation of our friend, Tim Cosulich. The day before the race, a bellman delivered the bike to our room at the Marina Bay Sands. I’ve never had a bike delivered to my hotel room before! On Saturday, I rented an ofo city bike and rode with her, giving her some pointers on how to handle the bike, how to corner, how to shift, how to dismount/remount, and other tricks.

Today, she did her first road duathlon and it was a lot of fun. I was planning to do this race too, but the broken leg I suffered at the USA Cyclo-Cross National Championships in January has been a setback. I only ditched my crutches a week before our trip and have been increasing my workload each day. On this trip, I’ve hiked, swam, and now ridden outside to go along with my daily stretching/strengthening regimen. However, I can’t run and don’t plan to for several more months.

In contrast, Debbie is in good shape right now, and building towards her first ultra of the year, the Mt. Tammany 40 Miler in the Delaware Water Gap in two weeks. Today’s race was over in 66 minutes, which is considered a sprint especially for her. She had a great result, finishing second in the 40-44 age group. The format was a 3 kilometer run/18 kilometer bike/3 kilometer run.

The run course was a narrow loop along the Kallang River, finishing on the bike path before it reached the transition area. The bike loop was also narrow with a few turnarounds, but at least it was on completely closed roads. Both were dead flat, given that Singapore is a low-lying island with no real elevation. Part of the course is shared with the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix course.

Tim raced in the Elite Men field. He is a talented triathlete and won the Aquathlon which kicked off the Metasprint Series last month. The trilogy completes in April with a sprint triathlon and he should be favored with his strong swimming ability. He was busy with the YPO conference all week and out late at night (like us), but he managed fifth overall and fourth in the tough 35-39 age group.

We had a momentary scare last night when Debbie was organizing her gear and reading the race materials on-line. She found a page where it said that packet pickup was last Tuesday (in person) and that there was “strictly” no day of race bib number pickup. This concerned her because she hadn’t received any confirmation emails or race instructions, though she did find her name listed with the starters. She slept restlessly, but was relieved when we arrived at the venue and there was an area for Overseas Athlete Kit Collection. No sweat. She submitted her medical form and she was ready to go.

The weather in Singapore is pretty much the same year round. It rarely dips below 74 degrees Fahrenheit and day time temperatures usually reach the high 80’s. The humidity is omnipresent and typically in the 70% range like today. At 6:30 A.M. when the first wave went off, we were already soaking in sweat…and the sun hadn’t even come up yet.

Debbie had a really good race. Her only problem was a rookie mistake. She was leading her wave after the first run, but entering transition, she couldn’t remember where she racked her bike. The racks were numbered, but in her mind, she transposed her bib number. She thought it was 1828 instead of 1282. She had placed her bike in transition when it was dark and when there were few other bikes in the rack, but in the race, this led to confusion and cost her 30 seconds as she searched to find it.

Aside from that, things went smoothly. If she does this again, she will have to learn how to use aero bars, since they make a big difference. She much prefers the trails and XTERRA style races, so her road duathlon/triathlon days may be infrequent. Time will tell. We are already thinking about our next foreign adventure. The YPO conference returns to Cape Town in 2019.

Race Results

Lantau Trail Hike–Hong Kong

Our Lantau Trail hike in Hong Kong turned out to be the first big test of my leg. In classic Livingston Family fashion, Debbie and I underestimated the difficulty of this route.

Our day hike turned into a grand adventure with a fair amount of suffering, just like old times. We eased into our first full day in Hong Kong. Debbie went for a run to The Peak, while I spun on the stationary bike at the hotel gym, and then swam for 30 minutes in the outdoor pool.

We had a late breakfast, and then after reading email and catching up on the news back home, we meandered down to the piers. We took a 12:30 P.M. ferry to Mui Wo on Lantau Island. The intention was to do a three-hour leisurely hike. We knew the terrain was hilly, but we didn’t expect it to be so rough. We arrived in Mui Wo after the 50 minute trip, and then took a taxi to the Nam Shan trailhead. By the time we got moving, it was nearly 2:00 P.M. The sun sets around 6:30 P.M., but we never thought we would be chasing daylight.

I brought a headlamp on this trip, but left it at the hotel room. I’ll save the suspense: we didn’t need it, but it would have been a prudent safety measure to have it, especially since my iPhone battery died. Debbie’s phone was fine, and in a real pinch, we would have used the flashlight feature, but that would have been pushing it.

It was warmer and more humid than expected. We had a few bottles of water, but that proved to be inadequate to fully satiate our thirst. The hike ended up being 8.25 miles, but when you factor walking to the pier and then home from the train station, it ended up being a 12 plus mile day, which was hard on my legs (both of them). It was time for a test on my left one, 10 days after ditching my crutches.

I followed the doctor’s orders and didn’t fall, but I’m sure this is not the kind of walking he had in mind. It wasn’t just the broken fibula that slowed me, but my overall level of fitness. I hadn’t hiked in six months since before cyclocross season started. My legs didn’t fail me, but they came close. Over the course of four hours, the Lantau Trail basically went up, down, up, and down again. On our route, there were two major climbs. The first was up Sunset Peak, and the second was Lantau Peak.

We skirted the true peak of 869 meter (2,851 feet) Sunset and avoided a side trail that would have required us to backtrack, but the Lantau Trail went right over the top of 934 meter (3,064 feet) Lantau, which is pretty impressive considering that we arrived on a ferry!

The fog and smog were intense. Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island are known for their bad air quality. I’ve got nothing to compare this with, but it was pretty bad. This limited the views, which would have been spectacular on a clear day. We still enjoyed the trail. We saw a handful of people, but it was generally pretty quiet, especially high up. We saw some backpackers heading up for overnights, but most people were out for the day.

The TransLantau ultra (25K, 50K, 100K) was on Saturday and the course was already marked on Friday. Sadly, we didn’t hear about this race until it was sold out. Prior to our trip, Debbie inquired about race entry, but the event was full. That’s OK. It would have been fun, especially now after seeing the terrain, but she accepted the circumstances and now we have a reason to come back. She would have been happy to do the 50K. The 100K would probably have been much since she hasn’t done an ultra since Hardrock last July. Plus the race started at 11:30 P.M. on Saturday and wouldn’t have been over before our next flight. She has had a long stretch of “time off,” but is gearing up for Mt. Tammany 40 Miler in March, and Traprock 50K in April. She has other races planned during the summer including the North Face 50 in Massachusetts in June, the Vermont 100K in July, and the Ragged Mountain 50K in August. After that, it’s a bit up in the air, but she plans to ride the Vermont 50 again.

The TransLantau is rugged. We saw the trail up close yesterday. The most impressive feature was the stone steps. There were thousands of them. The rock work/trail maintenance was awesome. The stones were perfectly placed and went up the steep gradients in both directions. Navigating them on reduced power and a damaged leg was incredibly hard.

When we got to the road crossing between the peaks, we tried to take a bus (shortcut) but couldn’t figure it out. The first bus that came was the wrong one, so at my behest, we stubbornly pushed on. On the climb to Lantau Peak, I regretted the decision and mumbled about leaving the headlamp at the hotel. I kept checking my watch as we made painfully slow progress up the steps. Our goal was to reach the Big Buddha at the remote Po Lin Monastery. A friend had described the route and given us some basic info, but his estimated times factored in some running. We were only walking, so it took a lot longer than expected.

The climb up Lantau Peak was brutal, but the descent was even worse. My legs were shaking and I had to stop multiple times. I had to avoid a fall at all cost. The steps and gradient were very similar to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Both climbs ended up being about 2,000 feet of climbing for a total of 4,291 feet of elevation gain based on Debbie’s Suunto GPS data. It was the 4,000+ feet of descending that killed me.

Seeing the Tian Tan Buddha at the end of the trail was worth every painful step. It couldn’t have been planned better. We got here just before sunset. Unfortunately, the steps to the Buddha had closed an hour before we arrived at dusk, but he was lit up in all his glory. We heard “buzzing” from a kilometer a way, and it turned out to be two drones, controlled by photographers in the square.

Just past the Buddha was a tourist village, but all of the shops were closed. So too was the funicular that came up the hillside from Tung Chung. One last store was just about to close, but we stopped and bought two bottles of water, grape juice, and coconut milk.

The drone pilots were two of a handful of tourists left visiting the monastery. In addition to the photographers, there were quite a few wild dogs, which didn’t make Debbie happy. At one point, there were three of them surrounding her, and she shooed them away. If the dogs weren’t wild enough, there were half a dozen cows wandering around the square and nosing through the garbage cans. A couple of them just plopped themselves down in the middle of the bus parking lot. Street signs warned of their presence. We wandered around the village looking for transportation information. We eventually found the bus terminal and the attendant said that one more bus was coming at 7:20 P.M.

He pointed us in the right direction and 20 minutes later, we were on our winding way down the mountain to Tung Chung. There, we found the train station and an hour later, we made our way back to Hong Kong Island. The train goes under the water to Kowloon on the mainland, and then under the harbor to Central Station. We walked from the station back to our hotel, washed up, and went straight to bed. It was a long and fun day.

Recovery

I’m making progress with my recovery after my broken leg (fibula). It’s been seven weeks since I crashed out of the singlespeed race at the USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championships.

I’ve gone from no boot, to a boot, to a cast, back to a boot, and now no boot. I would say that the first part of my recovery has been good, but a full recovery and “pain-free” status is months away.

This past Tuesday, I returned to the orthopedic doctor and got an updated x-ray that showed the “callous” forming around the break. The “crack” is still clearly visible, but the material formed around the sides of it are a natural stabilizer. The persistent pain and discomfort is partially due to all the soft tissue damage that occurred during the impact/crash, and also as a result of the pressure from the callus.

I stayed off my feet, using crutches, for nearly six weeks. The combination of the boot and the crutches was causing all kinds of other issues, including back pain, IT band pain, and frustration. So, when it felt like I could put weight on my leg, I started walking. That was about 10 days ago. During my layoff, I shortened my work days and did a lot of work remotely via computer and phone. As for exercise, I maintained a simple strength,  stretching, and Yoga routine that saw me doing 25-35 minutes a day of floor activity.

Subsequent to starting walking without the crutches, I’ve swam a few times, and spun on the indoor bicycle a few times. I’ve returned to “normal” days, which for me, means being on the go for 12 hours at a clip. In the first week, I was completely knackered at the end of the day, but I am starting to regain some strength and stamina.

The last two months have been rough, but I’ve also learned a lot. I withdrew from the Metasprint Duathlon, the Mt. Tammany 40 Mile Trail Race, the Traprock 50K, and the Rasputitsa Spring Classic. I’m going to ease my way back to full strength and focus on swimming and easy riding. One of the benefits of the situation is that I will “reset” and go back to building my fitness base.

When I return from my trip, the time will have changed, and I’ll begin commuting to work. I’m going to be cautious about mountain biking, likely avoiding it for a few more months. I have no plan or desire to run. I’ll be happy if I can run by August. It may be sooner, but I’m in no rush. I only want to be ready to go for cyclocross in September, and if I’m not hitting my stride until November, that’s fine because it is a long season and my main goal is to redeem myself at the second 2018 Cyclo-Cross National Championships in Louisville in mid-December.

Everyone in my family, at work, and in my various networks has been super helpful. I’ve gotten some great tips and shared experiences from many of my athlete friends. My broken shoulder felt more traumatic at the time of the injury, but it as turned out to be a lot less significant than this broken leg. The immobility challenge, the lingering effects, and the fact that it sets back everything; biking, running, swimming, and even walking, means that it is worse.

Others have suffered far more debilitating injuries, including double fractures, compound fractures, and breaks requiring surgery. In that regard, I’m fortunate. Factor in that the fibula is a small bone that isn’t used for primary weight-bearing, but rather for stabilization and support. This means that I have to move it to get the muscle and tendons to begin their healing process. Folks with a similar injury have told me that the pain lingers and that there is a potential for setbacks if you re-injure the leg.

The doctor said I could walk, spin, and swim. The spinning includes riding outside, but easily and on the road or smooth surfaces. I haven’t ridden outside yet, but plan to do so in mid-March.

The most challenging aspect of this injury has been the mental challenge. I went from being at peak fitness to being hurt, in an instant. My original January/February plan was to return from Reno, rest, recover, and then reset my base before I started running more in advance of the duathlon and the two trail ultras. Debbie is still doing these races, so I have to support her while missing out on the fun. I also missed a trip to Nicaragua and several important meetings. My Asia trip has also been significantly impacted. During this entire struggle, I’ve had the type of daily chronic pain that I’ve never had before. All of this has forced me to summon mental strength of a different sort. I feel like I’ve handled this OK. I have been mindful that my two children are witness to my setback and how I handle it is a lesson for them. I would want them to persevere, so that is why I’ve pushed on and maintained a positive attitude.

NAHBS & Bicycle Talk

Bicycles are always on my mind. Last week, I returned to the UConn campus in Storrs, Connecticut to take part in another live interview on the Bicycle Talk show on WHUS. I was joined by my Horst Engineering colleague Arthur Roti, and had fun in an hour long discussion with host Ron Manizza, and his co-host, Fran Storch.

This was Episode 85. You can also find the Bicycle Talk Podcast archive on iTunes. I was also on Episode 35 back in April 2017.

Bicycle Talk covers bicycle culture, bicycle Advocacy, upcoming cycling news and all kinds of other interesting bicycle related topics. Ron has been around bikes his entire career. He owned Rainbow Cycles in Willimantic and has been a bicycle manufacturers’ representative for more than 20 years. He is also the Race Director of the Riverfront Cyclocross, and the Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross. The latter is one of the oldest cross races in New England.

We had a lot of fun. After “Ron’s Rant of the Week,” we talked about kids and cycling, the 2018 Cyclocross Nats, the Team Horst Junior Squad, CCAP, Cyclocross Worlds, and other fun bike stuff.

Ron and Fran have had some great guests on the program and they are doing a service for everyone in the bicycle community. I can think of at least 100 other people who would make great guests on the program. Bicycle Talk won’t run out of topics.

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) was at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. This was the first time in the show’s 14 year history, that it has been in New England.

Our family joined other members of Team Horst Sports and the Team Horst Junior Squad  at the event. We saw so many other friends. I didn’t take many pictures. There are so many great photos from NAHBS on the Internet. Just search around. Follow their Instagram or Facebook feeds, and you will see some of the finest bicycle craftsmanship in the world.

I’m still hobbling around from my Reno CX Nats crash, so I didn’t cover a whole lot of ground at the convention center. I saw some good stuff, but if I was feeling better, I would have taken in the whole experience. Horst Engineering had a small presence at the show. We have a fun collaboration with our friend, Richard Sachs, the noted Connecticut bicycle frame builder. We helped him produce the Richard Sachs Seat Lug Survival Kit, also in partnership with SILCA and NixFrixShun.

Several of Richard’s kits were on display in the SILCA booth. Also, our friends from Victus Coffee were doing a bang up job, serving customers from their brand new mobile trailer. Victus sponsors Team Horst Sports, and they had our Cross Spikes display at the show.

After the show, we went to the Arch Street Tavern for the Hartford Bike Party hosted by the CCAP. This was a lot of fun. We hung out and participated in the raffle benefitting CCAP. We didn’t score any of the prizes, but again, saw a lot of friends. Richard Fries did a fine job as at the Master of Ceremony, and our daughter, Dahlia was his sidekick.

I’ll be interested to hear how this version of NAHBS compared with past years. Was the attendance on par? Did it meet expectations? I hope the show returns to New England when I’m not using crutches. If not, I’ll seek out NAHBS in a future city. This was my first time attending the show, but it has always been a bucket list item. It was good for Hartford that it was here in 2018.

Final Results: 2017 Connecticut Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series

2017 was another great year for the Connecticut trail running community. For the fourth year in a row, some of our best individual trail running races came together to form the Connecticut Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series. Debbie and I envisioned this years ago, and in 2014, we kicked it off. The New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series will always be the standard-bearer for trail running in New England, and we view the CT series as a compliment. A handful of the races are in both series.

I wrote this paragraph in my 2014 report, and not much has changed. If anything, it’s even more true now:

The Grand Tree was the series to run, long before this current trail running boom cluttered the calendar with other events in the region. The growth of the sport is fantastic, but it has been problematic for many of the long time/old school trail races in New England. The surge in ultrarunning has also left many of the mid-distance races in the dust, as participation levels at some events have dropped dramatically. Overall participation in the Grand Tree Series has risen at the individual level, but the number of people doing multiple races (you need to run six to qualify for the series standings) has dropped. People want to go short or long and not as often in between.

In 2018, the Grand Tree will be returning to its roots with fewer races, a focus on the old school low cost races, and those geared towards beginners. Rob Higley, the longtime WMAC and Grand Tree Series Webmaster shared these thoughts:

I’ve made a couple of changes to the Grand Tree for 2018. The series originated in part to provide beginning trail racers an introduction to races farther from home or of differing distance or character, and by inclusion in the series to help new trail races become established.

To steer the series more towards its earlier character, with a greater proportion of races that are easy to enter in terms of cost or need to register far in advance, 

The second change to the Grand Tree for 2018 is that in the future anyone who runs at least six races of the current season will be invited to join an email list whose members decide the next year’s list of Grand Tree races.

These sound like positive changes to keep up with the shifting dynamics of trail running in the Northeast.

In Connecticut, the Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series has various distances for a wide variety of fitness levels and is very family friendly.

2018 Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series Schedule
Date	Race	Distance	Info
4/14/18	Traprock	50K/17K	https://www.traprock50.com/
5/20/18	Soapstone Mt. Trail Races	24K/6K	www.shenipsitstriders.org
6/3/18	Goodwin Forest	10K/30K	www.friendsofgoodwinforest.org
6/10/18	Nipmuck South	22.7K	www.shenipsitstriders.org
7/29/18	Soapstone Assault	8.9K	www.shenipsitstriders.org
8/4/18	People’s Forest	12.1K	www.greystoneracing.net
September TBD	Run for the Woods	10K/5K	www.ctwoodlands.org/runforthewoods
9/16/18	Trails to a Cure/Cockaponsett	12.9K	www.snerro.com
9/30/18	NipMuck Trail Marathon	42.5K	www.shenipsitstriders.org
10/21/18	Bimbler’s Bluff	50K	www.bimblersbluff.com

I ran five of the BBTRS races in 2017. I did the Soapstone Mountain Trail Race, of which Debbie is the Race Director. I did the short course at the Goodwin Forest Trail Runs. I did the Soapstone Assault and the People’s Forest Trail Race. Then, I did the Trails for a Cure/Cockaponsett Trail Race short course with Dahlia.

I did two Grand Tree races outside of Connecticut, the Mt. Greylock Trail Race and the Monroe Dunbar Brook Trail Race (the short course with Dahlia). In the 2000-2010 timeframe Debbie and I often averaged more than a dozen Grand Tree races per year. Now that Shepard and Dahlia are running with us, we have returned to doing more of the short races. I’ve also been riding more and running less.

In the BBTRS, there were 14 events (between the 10 races) in 2017, ranging in distance from 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) to 50 kilometers (31 miles). All of the events added up to 187 miles. 944 unique runners competed in at least one race – 343 Female and 601 Male. The total participants were down a bit from prior years, but the total mileage is still impressive. 18,556 total miles were run – 5,731 miles by women, and 12,825 miles by men.

The overall women’s title went to Colleen Malone-Singer. She finished seven of the races for a total of 98 miles and won her age group at Nipmuck South and Run for the Woods. The men’s title went to Stefan Rodriguez. He finished nine events, had one overall win at the Soapstone Assault, and three age group wins at Traprock 17K, Goodwin Forest 10K, and Run for the Woods 10K. He ran a total of 112 miles in series races.

Congratulations to Colleen and Stefan.

The Shenipsit Striders have been very generous to the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, contributing proceeds from all of our race, including Soapstone and NipMuck. Many people don’t realize that CFPA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. CFPA is not a state agency. If it wasn’t for CFPA, their volunteers, and donors; more than 825 miles of Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails may not exist. CFPA’s advocacy is legendary and whether you support CFPA or some other local trails .org, you should keep these trail maintainers in your thoughts. Our parks and trails depend on them. Debbie and I are longtime supporters of CFPA, I am on the Board of Directors, and we always felt that a trail series would help raise awareness and funds for our cherished trails.

The Shenipsit Striders philanthropy has inspired others, including the Traprock 50K, to bestow their generosity on CFPA. Thank you to Dominic Wilson who calculated all the scores. He also made the cool awards that were presented to Colleen and Stefan at the Shenipsit Striders year-end party, which we held earlier this month.

Look for both the WMAC and CFPA websites to be updated with full 2018 details soon.

Click here for the 2017 Men’s Results

Click here for the 2017 Women’s Results

Crash! Part Deux: My 2018 USA Cyclo-Cross National Championships Story

Well, the diagnosis is in. Sometimes, thing just don’t go as planned.

I broke my leg.

It’s a clean break of the fibula, also known as the calf bone. It happened about five or six minutes after 3:00 P.M. Pacific Time on Saturday afternoon in the singlespeed race at the USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championships in Reno, Nevada. This was first diagnosed on Monday afternoon at the UConn Health sports medicine clinic in Storrs. It was confirmed today when I returned for another X-Ray, and to get a cast put on.

I fell on the dreaded off-camber hill on the back side of the Reno course. I’ve replayed that moment in my head, and I still can’t figure out exactly what happened. I’ve pieced together a probable explanation using my memory, some video, and the analysis of the orthopedic doctor. There was heavy traffic in the field of 135 riders, which was the largest of the week. The course was in rough shape after week full of racing, and because it was the last race of the day. I was tired after a week of travel, promoting Cross Spikes™, and racing in the Masters 45-49 Championship, but I only needed to get through one more event. It was the 25th of the season, the most in my 20 year cyclocross career. The singlespeed race was the last non-UCI amateur race of the week and before the Sunday UCI level elite races. The hill had dried out and was very slick with lots of loose rock. I started in the fifth row and was running around 45th at the time of the crash. I’m not a great bike handler, but I’m also not terrible. I wasn’t intimidated by the course, and had been around it more than a dozen times, but I made a mistake, and it cost me.

I’ve watched this Instagram video captured by @jarednieters that shows the crash, and replayed it numerous times. If you want to see an overview of the singlespeed race with highlights including the start, sand pit, and off-camber mayhem, then check out this CXHAIRS clip. video focuses on the off-camber carnage. The still photos are screen shots from @jarednieters’ video.

He panned away for a split second at a critical moment during my fall and the perspective is from the right side of the course, so it’s hard to tell exactly what happened to my left leg. After reviewing my X-Ray’s and manipulating my leg, the doctor thinks that it was blunt force that caused the break and not a twisting action. My guess is that I had my leg out for balance and support, and when my rear wheel kicked out, I planted my foot and it got jammed on the ground or smashed against the hillside, and/or against the course stake. Whatever I collided with, forced me back and I fell backwards on the steep downward facing slope. My bike ended up pointing in the opposite direction.

As soon as my leg impacted, I knew something was wrong. It felt like everything in my calf just got yanked like the worst muscle pull ever, but it wasn’t a cramp. I know that feeling all too well and that is quite different. Judging by the reaction of the crowd, it was an ugly and awkward crash despite the relatively low-speed.

I sprung up because there was a line of riders behind me. My response was to grab my bike, start pushing, and remount without losing much time. I’ve crashed a lot and that surge of adrenaline is usually all you need to get going again. My problem was that this time, something was different. The pain in my leg/foot was intense, and I could barely move. A gap opened up between me and the riders in front. Several other guys took the low line to get around the traffic jam that I caused. I didn’t notice the cuts on my right arm or the scratches on my back.

As soon as I remounted, I realized that I had no strength and the pain was excruciating. I was blocking riders, but I thought I could just get going again. I was sorry to hold them up. Eventually, I was able to make some forward progress. I got my right foot clipped back into my pedal as I approached the super-steep S turn descent, and either I got my left foot in the pedal or I was resting it on the pedal. I think it was out because all week, including my reconnaisance laps earlier in the day, I had been taking my left leg out for the steepest part of the descent.

This time, I got around the bottom left hand corner, but had trouble getting my left foot back in the pedal again. It wasn’t until I got through the rutted section and over the berm along the sidewalk next to Herman’s Pond, that I was able to clip my Sidi Dominator into my Shimano SPD, and it hurt like heck. I got passed by another stream of riders because I couldn’t apply any pressure to the pedals. I rode around the pond, over the bridge, up the road, under the walking bridge, and into the Dinosaur Park. Even before I got to the start/finish straight, I was in bad sorts. Riders were blowing by me despite my effort to get back up to speed. I rode through the finish line at half speed, and kept going through the field, up the false flat, past the pit and up to the set of stairs. And to think that these are the same stairs that Christopher Blevins, Cody Keiser, and Tobin Ortenblad were bunny hopping in Sunday’s elite races.

The crowd was going bonkers. As I approached the steps, I think I got my right foot out and swung my leg over my saddle to dismount, but when I shifted all my weight to my left leg, it just gave out. I couldn’t support myself, and didn’t have the strength to twist it out of the pedal. I don’t know exactly what happened next, but I think I rolled up to the stairs and used my right arm to push my foot out of the pedal. I’ve had to do this before, but typically after a mountain bike crash, when you get tangled up and the bike is on top of you. Usually, it is no big deal. I don’t remember much else, other than I walked up the steps carrying my bike and couldn’t continue. At that point, there were probably still 75 people behind me. The first lap was 1.9 miles long. I crashed at about 1.3 miles and made it another 0.6 miles. I tucked myself into the inside corner by the course tape and leaned on my bike to catch my breath and assess the situation.

Several fans were heckling me. One guy, who I think was shirtless, had multiple one dollar bills tucked in his pants. He was yelling at me to take a dollar or two from his waistband, but I had no interest. I just wanted to get off the course. I spotted a course crossing a hundred feet further up on the right-hand side in a bend. Two marshals had a pink course ribbon draped across the opening to keep spectators back. I remounted, but again, couldn’t get my left foot in the pedal, so I just rested my foot on top and pushed with my right leg, which I was able to clip in. I made it to the opening and signaled to them with my arm that I was coming through. They dropped the ribbon and I coasted 10 feet, got off, and fell on my back in the grass with my singlespeed Seven Mudhoney SL beside me. It was my first race on that brand new bike. I hit stop on my Garmin 920XT and now have those 10+ minutes memorialized on my Strava feed.

It took a minute or two for me to compose myself, but I immediately felt cold because I was ony wearing a shortsleeve skinsuit. I got up and remounted, but only clipped in my right foot. I let my left leg dangle and I pedaled one-legged across the field, and over to the Race Expo where the Horst Engineering tent was located. It was only 500 feet away. As I approached, I saw Art Roti, my teammate, colleague, and friend. He was talking to someone who had stopped by the tent. He saw me and was surprised. I rolled up and said something like, “I’ve got a big problem.” As I slowed to a stop, I thought I was going to fall over, so I asked them to help me and they immediately grabbed me. They helped me off, and I told them about the crash and how bad my leg hurt. He said he would get my jacket. I told him where it was in the truck. He brought over my Team Horst edition Patagonia Nanopuff and I donned it. I took off my helmet and wanted a dry hat, so I limped back to the truck, and dug it out of my bag.

I knew that the medical tent was only a few hundred feet away, so I shuffled over. Two EMT’s, including local athlete, volunteer, and uber rescuer, John Kennedy were treating another athlete who also crashed. John had been super helpful all week-long. I slumped into a folding chair and they began attending to me. I told them the big problem was my leg above my ankle, but that the pain was radiating throughout my foot. I described the crash and they did their best to determine the extent of the injury. I think I talked them into the high ankle sprain explanation, or pulled calf, but there was no way for them to tell. They helped me remove my shoe and sock. The best they could do was tape it with an ace bandage and then tape an ice pack on. John wasn’t keen about my travel plans (an 11:30 P.M. “red eye” flight through Chicago to Hartford). He warned me about blood clot risk, told me to wear my compression socks, elevate the leg, and move around. He encouraged me to seek medical attention. They washed out the cuts on my right arm and put on a few Band-Aids.

I got back to our tent and Art helped me change at the truck. While he packed my bike, I sorted through the remaining Cross Spikes™ and packed them while sitting there with my feet propped up on the table. It was a bummer to hear the announcers still calling the race that I was supposed to be in. Jake Wells won, earning his second national championship jersey of the week. After the bike was boxed, we took down the tent and packed up the remaining gear. I was cold, so I got in the passenger seat of the truck while Art went to say goodbye to our Expo neighbors.

We drove back to the house. I went inside while he got all the bikes ready so BikeFlights/FedEx could pick them up on Monday; and so our friend, Darron, could ship back the remaining inventory and gear. I showered with my bad leg hanging outside of the tub in an effort to keep the ace bandage dry.  I packed my bag, got to the couch, and put my foot up. He got some frozen peas from the freezer and we taped it to my leg. We called Greatful Gardens, where we ate twice earlier in the week, and ordered take out. They have fantastic vegan options. On his way to the restaurant, he stopped to refuel our rental truck, and he picked up some beer at a local tap-room.

We had dinner back at the house, and were eventually joined by our hosts, Addie and Darron. The four of us split the beers and then tested some of their home-brewed porter and cider. We had a great chat about cyclocross, work, family, and life. After hugs, we were on our way to the airport by 9:30 P.M. We returned the truck, walked to ticketing, checked our bags, went through security, and then walked to the gate. I laid down on the floor with my leg up on a chair, and waited there until boarding.

I had a middle seat, but was able to switch to an aisle seat on the left side of the plane, so my leg was still pinned in. There was a woman sitting in the window seat, but at least we had an open seat between us. I just wanted to get home. I slept a little. I got up a few times, walked the aisle, and used the bathroom once. We arrived in Chicago at 5:30 A.M.  We deplaned and then walked to our connecting gate, but I was in agony. About 1/3^rd of the way there, I laid down on a bench. We stayed there for 45 minutes, and then walked the rest of the way to our gate. There was no good place for me to put my feet up, so once again, I laid on the floor and rested my legs against the window facing the tarmac. Art went to get some breakfast while I rested.

After a while, I needed to use the bathroom and I was thirsty, so I walked back towards the other gate and got a steamed soy milk at Starbucks. When I got back to our gate, Art said the flight was delayed. After another 90 minutes or so, we boarded. When I gave the gate agent my ticket, I told her that I was going to need assistance at BDL and she assured me that someone would be there to give me a ride. We waited a long time but never took off.  Then, the pilot came on the PA system and told us that we were overweight and needed to unload 1,000 pounds of fuel. I had an aisle seat, again, on the left side with a passenger next to me. The process of removing fuel took another 30 minutes while were strapped in. During the flight, I got up and went to the bathroom a few times while walking the aisle to stretch my legs. We arrived in Hartford around 11:30 A.M.

I deplaned ahead of Art. There was no one to assist. At the top of the jetway, there was a gate agent, but no one else, so I just started walking to baggage claim. I stopped and used the bathroom and then continued. Art eventually caught up to me. He helped me get my bag off the conveyor belt and we waited outside. His shuttle bus came first.

I got to the LAZ Fly self-parking lot and gave the driver a tip after he helped me carry my bag down the steps. Unfortunately, when I gave him the tip, I lost my LAZ Frequent parker card. I got my car started and checked everywhere, but I couldn’t find it. I went to check outside on the ground where the bus dropped me, but it wasn’t there. At the ticket booth, I used the call button, but it went to voicemail. It was freezing cold outside and I was exhausted. I saw another shuttle bus and went up to it and knocked on the door. The driver helped me call dispatch. Then, we went back to the machine and called again. This time, someone answered and she processed my transaction. I paid with a credit card and the gate went up. I was free!

I got home 35 minutes later around noon. It was great to see my family. I showered and then spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, with the kids, watching the USA Cycling YouTube livestream of the Women’s U23 race, Men’s U23 race, Elite Women’s race, and Elite Men’s race. After dinner, Debbie helped me upstairs. We propped my leg up on a pillow in our bed. I had a restless night of sleep. When I got up, I knew that my leg was messed up and it didn’t feel like an ankle sprain. I got up and made my way to the basement where I located the walking boot and crutches that I saved from a prior stress fracture injury in 2014.

Debbie helped me get my leg in the boot and made some breakfast. I wrote an email to the doctor who helped after the 2014 crash that resulted in my broken shoulder, cc’ing my primary care physician, who is also the “team doctor” for the Hartford Extended Area Triathletes. I drove to work, and did our Senior Leadership Team Daily Huddle on the way. By the time I got to the shop, the doctor had replied, confirming that someone in his office could see me today. His assistant called me and we scheduled the appointment for 1:00 P.M. I read some email and then attended a meeting with our Controller, our CPA, and his partner.  We discussed accounting and finance matters for nearly two hours. I dealt with some HR stuff and then did a 30  minute telecon from the car on another business matter.

By the time I got to the appointment, I was tuckered out. A junior doctor met with me, asked a bunch of questions, and manipulated my leg. In Reno, I reported that the pain was six on a 10 point scale, and repeated that to the doctor in Storrs, though there were moments when he squeezed my leg and the pain was probably a nine or 10. He was joined by a osteopath who further discussed my symptoms. Then, I was walked over to radiology where they shot three X-Ray’s. I was in terrible pain as they moved me around on the table. When I got back to the examination room, I was sweating profusely. This was harder than the race!

The two doctors came in and gave me the bad news. They put the X-Ray’s up on the digital monitor and you could clearly see the break in the fibula. I was devastated. After one of my best cyclocross seasons, I had blown it in the last race. I also knew that the resulting recovery was going to have a huge impact on my heavy meeting and travel schedule. I was due to fly to Nicaragua this coming Saturday, but it was evident that I shouldn’t have even traveled back from Reno without first visiting the hospital. Flying to Central America was not going to happen. I also had several important planning meetings that would be impacted. I hung my head as they talked through the next steps.

The big concern was whether or not the fracture was displaced. The osteopath wanted the orthopedic surgeon to review the images, but he was in surgery at the Farmington office. They got me back into the walking boot and scheduled me for a followup visit on Thursday morning, which was today. They told me to wear the boot all of the time, even while sleeping. They asked me to elevate my leg as much as possible, in an effort to get the swelling down.

Tuesday morning, I got really good news from the surgeon. He emailed to say that the break looked clean and that with a cast, the bone would heal on its own. He said to keep the appointment as planned and that he would see me then, with no change to the orders that they had given me. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I participated in meetings remotely while resting on the couch. Wednesday night, I attended the Connecticut River Valley Chamber of Commerce with my family and the Horst Engineering Senior Leadership Team. It took a big effort to put on a suit and get to the event, but I was honored as the chamber’s businessperson of the year. This award is a nice reflection on the success of our family enterprise and is shared with all my colleagues. By the time we got home last night, I was wiped out and anxious for today’s appointment.  This morning I got up, packed a rucksack, and drove back to UConn.

The orthopedic surgeon was on duty. He is the same doctor who treated me in 2014 and despite the circumstances, it was nice to see him. Yesterday, he had three major surgeries, including one on the knee of a man who was in a horrible skiing accident. My case was “easy peasy” as he put it. They took me to radiology for one more X-Ray to make sure nothing had changed since Monday afternoon. We talked over my crazy travel schedule and the stupidity of my trip back from Reno. The X-Ray looked good, and he said the cast should do the job. His assistant presented me with a color palette to choose from. I chose black and orange to match our Team Horst Sports kit. He was thrilled and insisted on casting it himself rather than delegating it. He said it was one of his favorite procedures.

I was in and out in a half an hour with another appointment scheduled for two weeks from today. He said my prognosis was good and that given the circumstances, I was very lucky. We talked about my upcoming travel, races, and other stuff. The Nicaragua trip is off for me, and I don’t have to fly again until the end of February. Ski season is over before it even started. I was planning a March duathlon and I’m registered for the Mt. Tammany 10! (40 mile trail race), the Traprock 50K, and the Rasputitsa Spring Classic. Those races are all on hold until I get better. The good news is that even if I miss the spring campaign, I should be back up to speed for the summer mountain biking and triathlon seasons, and of course, the fall cyclocross season. That’s what matters.

The pain sucks and this is a huge disruption, but much like my 2014 year of setbacks, I’m going to focus on other things. I’ll rest, improve my sleep, do some yoga, and work on my core strength. I use a standing desk and don’t have a chair in my office, but in the coming weeks, I’ll figure out how to stay off of my feet and take it easy.

At dinner with the family on Monday night, our daughter asked if I’ve ever cried as an adult?

She said, “I mean, not from being sad, but when something hurt?”

I said, “Yes, many times. I cried three times at the doctor’s office today.”

She replied, “I cried twice today. At the trampoline park, she was jumping and a girl swung her fist and accidentally hit her in the chest. She said, “You know, like when it knocks the air out of your lungs and the water out of your eyes.”

I said, “Yeah, that hurts.”

She went on, “then, when I was with Mommy, a boy stepped on my toes and didn’t even notice. I cried again. His mom made him apologize five times. She told him to look me in the eye and say it like he meant it.”

I didn’t predict this crash, but by the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, I was pretty burnt from the long season, the crazy start to the year, and from being on the road since Tuesday morning. Despite a solid build-up, strong motivation, and a new singlespeed bike, I wasn’t 100%. I had also started thinking about the trip home. So, couple those thoughts with 134 other guys on a tough course, and I’m not surprised that I got hurt. That was my first DNF at a cyclocross race in four years.

How the rest of the week went:

The 2017 USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championships were in Hartford and it was a spectacular event. Being in our “backyard,” we had a lot of involvement. Horst Engineering hosted an Open House & Plant Tour for a group of friends and out-of-town guests. Several key volunteers from the Reno CX Nats Race Committee, including Darron, and his friend, Race Director Coby Rowe, joined us for the tour. As the 2018 race approached, they insisted that we come to Reno, be part of the Expo, and participate. Art and I are really glad that we made the trip. They returned the favor by being great hosts.

I had challenges all week-long. On the trip out to Reno, I lost my toiletries bag on one of the airplanes. The bag fell out of my carry on. It contained my toothbrush, toothpaste, and two sets of contacts. I didn’t have a contacts backup plan, so Debbie had to work with my assistant at to ship a set via UPS Next Day Air. I got them on Thursday only a few hours before my race.

I have been to Lake Tahoe on two occasions, when Debbie participated in the 2013 and 2014 Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs; but I had never made it to Reno. We had a blast in town and at Rancho San Rafael Park, which proved to be an excellent venue. The course was much faster than the Hartford track, and that was also because of the dry conditions. It was wetter on Tuesday and Wednesday, but by the second half of the week, and after a couple of big wind storms, the course was mostly dry. One of those windstorms destroyed the Horst Engineering tent, which is the second tent we lost to wind this season.

In addition to three great meals at Greatful Gardens, we dined twice at Laughing Planet Cafe, which had a great shrine to Reno native, Greg Lemond. We also picked up açaí bowls at Basik Acai, a cool spot. I’ve been to their sister location in Kona, Hawaii, but that was back in 2010. We avoided the casinos, but did attend the Mechanics National Championship.

Art did the Masters 40-49 Non-Championship race on Tuesday, but I came straight to the park from the airport via Uber, and just watched. Our big race was the Masters 45-49 Championship on Thursday afternoon I had an OK ride, consistent with my start position, and finished 37th in a field of 98. I was hoping for top 30, but faded on the last lap, let some gaps open up, and had to settle for a mediocre result. The 4,700 foot elevation at the park was a factor in the race. Fellow New Englander, Adam Myerson won for the second year in a row, proving his fitness and cyclocross prowess.

When we weren’t racing, we were hanging out at the Expo, meeting Cross Spikes™ customers, and gaining new customers. Many people came up to us and told us how our spikes were a big help to them and they love the product. We helped many people install their spikes. It was a lot of fun. During the first few days, the wind caused us a lot of problems. It was difficult to keep our tent up, but later in the week, after the winds calmed, we were able to stand around without freezing our butts off.

Early in the week, we also had the pleasure to work the pit for Richard Sachs, our longtime friend from Connecticut. Richard sponsored Team Horst Sports in the late 1990’s and I’m fortunate to have three of his bicycles. Also, Horst Engineering recently partnered with him to launch the Richard Sachs Seat Lug Survival Kit. I still ride one of my Sachs bikes on the road, I have an old cross bike hanging in the basement, and I have my original 1989 Sachs frameset mounted on the wall of my office at work. Richard was in the Masters 65-69 Championship, but he too struggled with the altitude and had a sub-par race. Still, he kept his spirits high and enjoyed the trip.

All week-long, we watched cyclocross and cheered for our friends, especially those from New England. In our race, old friend, Chris Peck, wearing a Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program kit, charged to 5th place after starting way back in the field. The Team Horst Junior Squad is a CCAP team. On the weekend, we helped out local rider, Nic Villamizar, who competed in the Junior 15-16 Championship as a CCAP rider.

Watching the Elite Races on Sunday got me fired up for more cyclocross. Now, I can’t wait for September when Team Horst Sports and the Team Horst Junior Squad start their new season. As they say, “Cross is coming!” The national championships are moving from January to December, so I’ll get another crack at a 2018 championship race when they are in Louisville, Kentucky later this year. I may not be an elite cross racer, but I love the sport dearly and still fight for position in every race I enter. Sunday afternoon’s women’s race saw an awesome battle that came down to Ellen Noble chasing 13 time champion Katie Compton. Katie prevailed for her 14th title. Kaitlin Antonneau finished third. That means that all three women on the podium are Cross Spikes™ ambassadors.

That was followed by a men’s race for the ages. A group of six turned into a group of five and after a series of attacks, more challengers dropped off the pace and the race came down to a fierce battle between four-time champ Jeremy Powers and defending champ Stephen Hyde. Stephen got past Jeremy in the second half of the last lap and took the win. Kerry Werner hung on for third place. That means that all three men on the podium are also Cross Spikes™ ambassadors.

Click here for full coverage of the Sunday races. Fast forward to 4:15:00 for the women and 6:03:00 for the men. If you have time, watch all the races, including the Men’s U23 race that had some spectacular highlights.

A special moment from Saturday afternoon was a visit from my friend Tony Lillios and his daughter Iva. They drove down from Incline Village, where they live near Lake Tahoe. They arrived minutes before the singlespeed race, but we had time to exchange hugs and get a photo taken. They watched me complete one lap, and then they watched me in agony. Still, it was great to see them. Once Tony saw cross live, I think he was hooked.

As I sit here on my couch and wrap up this blog post, I’m looking back on the whirlwind of the past 10 days. I went from some emotional and physical highs to some serious lows, but despite being laid up, I’ve already bounced back. That proves that we are resilient beings. I owe a big thanks to Art for helping me get out of Reno and back to Connecticut. I shouldn’t have taken that risk, but I’m glad that I got the treatment locally and wasn’t stranded in Nevada. Debbie and the kids have already swung into action and are helping me around the house. The Horst Engineering Senior Leadership Team is proving that they don’t need me, at least not every day, which is better for the business. Team Horst is our number one Core Value. Another one of our Core Value’s is Perseverance, which is a word I love, and a perfect idea to end this story with.

In hindsight, I probably should have taken those dollar bills from that heckler. It would have been a down payment towards my medical bills.