2017 Appalachian Mountain Club Photo Contest

The Appalachian Mountain Club recently announced the results of its 23rd Annual Photo Contest. I’ve been an active participant since the mid-2000’s. I started a continuous string of modest success in 2009. Success continued in 2011, 2013, and 2015.

Per the rules, because I was honored in each of those “odd” years; I had to “sit out” the “even” years of 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. Of course, I still took photos and as luck would have it, some of my best AMC contest qualifying images were shot in those off years, but were never entered in any contest. I’ll have to put a gallery together of the best images that I never submitted, and we will see what folks think.

Regardless, I was back at it in the official 2017 contest and am pleased to say that one of my images was chosen as an Honorable Mention in the People Outdoors category.

The image titled: “Look Out! And Where Does This Trail Go?” was taken on Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine, on 02 July 2017 during our EPIC family hike and adventure. There were so many great images that came from that trip, but I selected what I thought was the best one that fit the contest’s criteria for that category, and I’m glad that the judges agreed.

I have to admit that even though I was carrying, and using my Leica MP Rangefinder throughout that trip, this image was taken with my iPhone 6s. This is proof that sometimes the quality of the image is less about the quality of the camera and more about the composition and capturing the moment. I frequently use my iPhone to take video, but also convenient still images that are easy to upload to social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. I just pressed the “shutter” and the iPhone, which was set on auto, handled the settings.

The metadata captured the data: 11:23:23 A.M., ISO 25, 4.15mm,  f/2.2, 1/1282

I can picture the exact spot on the Cathedral Trail where I was hiking behind Dahlia and Debbie and spotted them ascending as the wind picked up. I took several photos in the series, but this is the one that captured the moment perfectly. The honored image is pictured above, but also included in the fully sequence below. The images were taken over a six minute span as we worked our way up the trail.

Debbie’s UltrAspire hydration hose is obscuring her face, but that’s something I didn’t notice,and since I snapped this action shot in the moment, can’t change. What works in this image is the position of their legs, Debbie’s hand on Dahlia’s shoulder, and Dahlia’s hand on Debbie’s knee. The definition in Debbie’s leg muscles demonstrates the effort of climbing this great mountain. Admittedly, back in 1999 when we met in the Ascutney Mountain parking lot at the Vermont 50 Mile Ride & Run, her strong calf muscles were one of the first things I noticed about her; and 18 year and many miles later, still make me smile. These were some of the smaller rocks on this trail, and they still dwarf our 8-year-old daughter. The lichen covered granite has great texture, and the presence of a couple of blue blazes on the rocks gives faint indication of the direction of the trail in this boulder field.

The four AMC contest judges are highly respected in the New England photography community, and deserve a shout out for their AMC related work. These descriptions are from the AMC website contest page:

Jerry Monkman is a conservation photographer and filmmaker based in Portsmouth, N.H. He is the author of 10 books, including AMC’s Outdoor Adventures: Acadia National Park, the winner of a 2017 National Outdoor Book Award. He was recently honored with the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2017 Mission Award. You can find his work online at ecophotography.com.

Allison W. Bell is a designer and photographer in Whately, Mass., specializing in cultural and natural history projects. With Nancy Slack, she is co-author of the award-winning Field Guide to the New England Alpine Summits (AMC Books). Her latest book, Glorious Mountain Days, is due out later this year.

Paul Mozell is proud to have served as a judge in the AMC Photo Contest nearly every year since its inception. He is a photographer of landscapes, architecture, and business and family portraits, as well as a photography educator. He has been an AMC member since 1975. See galleries of his work at mozellstudios.com.

Jim Salge is a nature photographer, writer, and educator based in southern New Hampshire. He is a former weather observer at the Mount Washington Observatory, and the White Mountains remain a primary focus of his work. He currently serves as Yankee magazine’s fall foliage forecaster and blogger, and he teaches high school physics in Bedford, N.H. View his online portfolio at jimsalge.com.

Congratulations to all of the winners in this year’s contest. I don’t have time to submit to all of the different contests out there, but AMC’s will always be my favorite, and you can be sure that I’ll try again in 2019.

2017 Contest Results and Slide Show

2017 Scrooge Scramble

Merry Christmas!

It wouldn’t be Christmas in the Livingston household if we didn’t run the Scrooge Scramble. This was the 12th time in 13 years that Debbie and I have done this race on Christmas morning. We started doing it as a couple, then we transitioned to pushing the kid (or kids) in the jog stroller (Chariot), and now they run it with us. This was my 50th (and probably last) race of the year.

Today’s 27th edition was slightly modified due to the snowstorm. The heaviest snow fell overnight and early in the morning, but it was still snowing lightly during the race. Three  or four inches fell in total. Longtime Race Directors, Janit Romayko and Mary Lou White did their best to coordinate today’s race and adjust for the conditions.

The start was pushed back 30 minutes to 11:00 A.M., to accommodate folks who were delayed by the weather. The numbers were down from the 200+  runners in 2016, but we still had a good turnout, and the donations will still have a positive impact on the The Cornerstone Foundation, which operates the community shelter/soup kitchen that doubles as the start/finish line.

Another change was that the normal out and back course was modified to be a 1/2 mile loop around Rockville’s Talcott Park. We heard that the neighboring town of Ellington wouldn’t permit us to run the normal route into their town, and back, due to the snow.

Before the race, I joined Bruce Christensen and a few other runners in a shovel brigade. We cleaned up the snow and ice on the most slippery corners.

We ran the loop six times to get the 5 kilometers. The race was about 1/10th of a mile long. On the way to Rockville, we dropped Debbie off on the rail trail so that she could do a little workout.

This is always part of the tradition. The kids and I registered (there is no fee but donations are welcome), and then mingled with many of our friends from the Silk City Striders and Shenipsit Striders.

This year’s race got some press, thanks to a timely story in the Hartford Courant, written by Lori Riley, and published in Sunday’s sports section. I got a call from Lori on Saturday night, and she quoted me in the article. Just like in prior years, Platt Systems “donated” their timing services. I chased Josh Merlis around for six laps. Each lap, I would close in at the top of the hill when he stopped for 1) a kiss from his fiancée Michelle, and 2) a Munchkin. By the sixth lap, it looked like he was only stopping for a kiss and that after three or four Munchkin’s, he had enough. He held me off for “the win.”

Shepard had another fine run. It won’t be long before I’m chasing him. Dahlia and Debbie ran together and got a big ovation at the finish. One more snow squall hit as we were leaving Rockville for home, but as we came into Bolton, the sun burst through the clouds, reflecting off the beautiful snow. It has been a great day already.

Merry Christmas!

Race Results

2017 Elm City Cyclocross

This morning, we were back in New Haven’s Edgewood Park for the Elm City Cyclocross. The race was hosted by the gang from Amity Bike and was the finale of the CT Series of Cross. It doubled as the finals of the Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program (CCAP) Cyclocross Series.

This is the third year that I’ve done Elm City and this course never fails to disappoint. We didn’t have the post-Nor’easter snow and mudfest like 2016, but we had enough snow and ice to make it challenging. Whereas last year’s post snowstorm race was wet and a mild, this year was frigid. We awoke to a morning temperature in the low teens (Fahrenheit) and it rose to the mid-20’s by the late morning. By early afternoon, the temperature had peaked around 30, and then it started to go down again.

The Junior riders started at 9:30 A.M., and no one could blame them for having cold hands and feet. Unfortunately, not all of the 9-12 year old racers got to do two laps of the course. We are going to sort this out for 2018 because 10-14 minutes isn’t enough for these boys and girls. For all the preparation, travel, and investment, they deserve to do two laps (minimum) at every cross race in New England, and especially in Connecticut, where junior racing is championed.

Boden, Shepard, and Lars were the Team Horst Junior Squad competitors in the Cub Juniors and then ended the season on a high note. Boden had a great race, finishing 4th, and Shepard cracked the Top 10 with his 9th place finish. In the 13-15 year old race, our riders were Cole and Sean. They both had strong rides on the technically demanding course.

As usual, the Masters fields were fiercely competitive. The 40+, 50+, and 60+ riders were all on course at the same time. This track is narrower than most, so there were times when lapped traffic made it hard to pass. I heard my fair share of verbal battles, but everyone kept it civil. We all care about one thing, riding strong and being safe, but competitive spirits often result in “banter” especially when it includes the sayings, “rider back,” “on your left,” or “on your right.”

For the third race in a row, my legs were empty. My only explanation is that it is a long season and I need some rest. Training hard at this point of the year isn’t going make a difference, but I have to stay sharp for another month. I thought today would be the day that my legs would come around. I was motivated, but alas, they were weak.

I had an OK start, but halfway through the first lap, Joe Kubisek and Brian Girard were already 20 seconds up the trail. I can’t match Joe’s power, but at several races this year, I was close to Brian. He does better on the technical tracks, and today’s snow, ice, and mud made for a challenge. I did the best I could. I ended up riding in third spot for most of the six lap race, occasionally trading a spot with another chasing rider, but I didn’t slip past fourth until the last lap.

There was a large group chasing me and on the narrow course, I was able to see them frequently. Despite pushing, I never got a gap, which was frustrating. Brian was way out of sight, but I kept pulling in an effort to stave off the guys that were trailing me. On the second to last time up the climb, Rob Stiles jumped me on the hill and I had no answer. I kept the gap manageable and figured I could close it down by the time we got to the short road section through the start/finish.

I knew that my own teammates, Arthur Roti, and John Meyerle, were in the chase group because they were getting loud cheers. Both of them have come on strong late in the season and this may have been their best race of the season. As I chased Rob coming into the last lap, we hit some heavy lapped traffic. I got around a few guys, but a few more blocked me as I came on to the road.

Once I got past them, there were two more to contend with and on an icy left hand turn, one of them laid it out on the ground. I had to stop to avoid ramming into him. I got off, and had to run around him, and in the chaos, one of the chasers jumped past me in pursuit of Rob. I had trouble clipping in after dismounting in the snow.

I was frustrated. In most any other race, I would have had no problem bridging to the guys in third and fourth, but today was different. I had nothing left and had to fight just to keep my own teammates at bay. In the end, that was cool that they were the ones chasing me. I figure that my effort helped drag them along to some of their best results of the year.

John even made a move past me on the climb, which was really impressive. I got him back on the long stretch that led to the big descent. I held off John and Art in the windy final section and had to sprint giving it every last bit of effort to hold them off. We finished fifth, sixth, and seventh, but I was still disappointed that I squandered an opportunity for the podium.

John,, Art, and I were joined by Wade Summers, Andris Skulte, and Brett Chenail. We had a great showing in the 40’s. We had even better results in the 50’s, where Mike Wonderly took the win. This course is made for Mike and his skills. Tom Ricardi was also in the 50’s.

After the race, I had two things that made me feel better. The first was lunch at Claire’s Corner Copia in downtown New Haven. Claire even stopped by our table to bus it and clean up. After 42 years in business, it’s great to see the founder out there doing the “dirty work.” I would expect nothing less. She welcomed us to her city and her cafe, and gave us a bunch of tips about the New Haven museums, but today wasn’t a day for museums. We needed to get home, if only to warm up.

The second thing that made me feel better was a glass of SAP from Tree House Brewing Company. I stopped at Tree House on Friday evening during my nasty five-hour drive home from Sterling Machine. I assure you that the beer was worth the wait.

Thank you to the Elm City CX crew, the CCAP, and congratulations to all of my fellow riders for a fantastic 2017 CT Series of Cross.

Race Results (will be posted when available)

2017 NBX Gran Prix of Cyclocross

This weekend’s NBX Gran Prix of Cyclocross was another fantastic adventure with family and friends. This was the final two races of the Northeast Cyclocross Series, and signals that the New England season is winding down.

All that remains are the CT Series of CX finals at Elm City CX on 19 December in New Haven, and a smattering of other local races in Massachusetts over the new few weeks. A lot of riders will hang up their wheels after NBX.

I didn’t leave anything in the tank after my efforts in the Masters 40+/Juniors 16-18 (combo) races yesterday and today. I was empty yesterday, but somehow rallied to push through another tough race today. I didn’t have good legs either day, but persevered. Today, I was literally cross-eyed as I pushed to limit my losses after a costly series of early race mistakes.

One of the great challenges of cyclocross is executing a “clean race.” Even if you have the best legs, you can give up a lot of time with a bad start, poor bike handling, and mechanical issues. Fortunately, other than a bent brake lever or two, my mechanicals were minor. The very rooty and unforgiving Goddard Memorial State Park course is very hard on bicycles. There were lots of punctures, broken wheels, and broken bicycle frame. It was carnage for some folks. My legs weren’t good, so that meant that my self-inflicted mistakes had even greater consequences.

My pain came from not having my A-game bike handling skills on a tough course that had a lot of mountain bike features. There were lots of loose sandy corners, lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, and lots of roots.

This Warwick, Rhode Island seaside park and race course is one of my favorites, but it doesn’t suit my strengths, but it does have features that make me a better bike racer. This race will always be special since it was one of my first ever cross races back in 1995. I’ve done it many times over the years, but not since 2013. It always falls on the first weekend of December, which coincides with a holiday party that Debbie and I have attended every year since 2003. This year, the party was in Woodstock, Connecticut, so I was able to squeeze that in between Day 1 and Day 2.

We had a great turnout from Team Horst Sports and the Team Horst Junior Squad. Shepard did the Juniors 9-14 year old races and had a good time with his teammates. We have watched our Junior Squad improve in so many ways since those early season races back in September. Thankfully, the weather was dry. It was cold, but tolerable. In addition to the junior race, we had good representation in the Masters 50+ race, and of course, in the Masters 40+.

Yesterday turned out to be the better of my two races. I think the long beach run favored me, as did the extra few uphills. Today, there was less running and my legs were just blown, probably from racing yesterday, and dancing last night. There were some dance instructors at the party, and I actually learned both the Salsa and the Merengue, so all is not lost.

Today, I had a rough start, recovered almost all the places I lost, and then promptly gave them back when I went down on a steep uphill and got my bike hopelessly tangled with another rider’s. We had to calm down and get them unhooked before jumping on and chasing the 15 or so guys that got by us. The trouble with losing time early in a race like this, is you can ride your butt off for the remainder of the race, turning laps even with the same guys that passed you, but still never make up the time. When you are flat-out, going 100%, you just can’t accelerate from there. One bright spot was the last lap of today’s race. I buried myself to make up ground. I caught up to teammate Arthur Roti, and felt bad passing him, but I was just giving it my all. If I rode that pace for the whole race, things would have been better, but I proved to myself that I could suffer.

In the end, I was very happy with the race weekend. Having such a great team is a fantastic boost. The kids are loving the racing. This race has a great vibe. It’s even worth noting that Goddard Park is beautiful. The park has lovely stonework, including the infamous stone steps that we have to run up.

I’m going to enjoy the recovery over the next few weeks. I’m going to skip racing next weekend and aim for a good day at Elm City. I’m working plans to be at the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships in Reno, Nevada next month. Punishing my legs this weekend will pay dividends provided that I get the proper “rest” and stay fit over the next month.

Race Results, Day 1

Race Results, Day 2

2017 March Farms Cyclo Madness

We returned to March Farms Cyclo  Madness for a special Black Friday cyclocross race. Last year’s March Farms event was a complete white out in an epic snowstorm. The organizers moved the date of the race from late December to late November, in hopes that the weather would be better.

They made a good call. This is the third year that Shepard and I have done this race, and this is the best weather that we have had. It was cold in the morning, but brilliant sunshine made it feel warmer. There was a light breeze, but it was nothing like last year’s blizzard. The course was on the “other side of the street” from the 2015 race, and we finally got to see it properly.

This is the most hilly race we do. The farm is in a picturesque setting in Bethlehem, Connecticut. This was penultimate race seven in The CT Series of Cross. The finals are at Elm City CX on 17 December. I made up some points on my friendly rival, Stan Lezon, who was holding third spot in the series behind Eneas Freyre, Travis Burleson, and Joe Kubisek. Stan finished two spots behind me today.

I had a race-long battle with Travis. We were chasing Eneas, an out-of-state rider, and Joe. We shared the workload, alternating pulls for nearly an hour. It was slow going. This is what you call a “heavy course.” The rough grass and serious elevation gain with multiple sharp ups and downs made for a super hard track. There was a little mud, especially in the cornfield. There were no barriers. Some folks had to run numerous climbs, but I was able to ride everything but the long run-up after the stream crossing.

I spent a lot of time in my little ring. Everyone did. Debbie and Dahlia joined us and after the race, we did some Christmas shopping at the farm store. Team Horst Sports had a strong turnout. Tom Ricardi, Keith Enderle, and Dave Geissert were in the Masters 50+ race. Wade Summers, John Meyerle, Brett Chenail, and Tim Rourke joined me in the Masters 40+ race. Cole Ricardi and Sean Rourke did the Juniors 13-15 year-old race. Shepard was joined by Lars Roti, Boden Chenail, Owen Lezon, and Ethan Lezon in the Juniors 9-12 year-old race. The Juniors races were full fields with 30 kids in each.

Unfortunately, the 9-12 year olds only did one lap. This also happened at the Cheshire Cross. The organizers of the CT Series and the CCAP need to get together to agree on standard/minimum distances for these kids. For some of them, the race was over in seven minutes. They had already shortened the course to avoid some of the steepest hills, so they should have had them do at least two laps. Our boys were frustrated.

Thankfully, my legs weren’t sore after yesterday’s Manchester Road Race. I ran with Shepard, so for me, it was like a tempo run. I had good power today, but it was still a hard effort. Our race was one lap too long. I would have gladly given one of our laps to the Juniors. My time was around 55 minutes, and I had to pedal the entire time. There was no coasting on this course.

I heard a lot of complaints about the climbing, but people were generally smiling. I think most cyclists like to complain about hills. It’s part of the sport. The fact that this race was on Black Friday may have caused registration to be lighter than a weekend event, but I think it was a nice touch. Horst Engineering is closed today, so this was a great way to spend time outside.

Race Results (will be posted when online)

2017 Manchester Road Race

The weather for today’s 81st running of the Manchester Road Race was spectacular. It was cold at the start, but he brilliant sunshine warmed things up just enough to make it a great Thanksgiving Day on the roads of Manchester. This was my 28th MRR and my 23rd in a row.

A few weeks back, Fox 61 News interviewed me as part of  a series that they did on longtime MRR runners. The premise was to share your favorite part of the course and talk about your MRR experiences. Naturally, the hill, near the top, is my favorite part of the course. It’s closest to my house in Bolton a few miles up the road and a pivotal point in every race.

I really do love this race. Today, I shadowed my son, Shepard. It was only the third time that I haven’t “raced” Manchester. It was tough to hold back because I entered a new age group (45-49) this year, and my previous times would have had me on the podium (likely 2nd) for that division.

That’s OK, the race has become a family affair for me. I’ll get a chance to run it again in the future. I’ve been doing a lot of cyclocross, but counting today, I’ve only run six times in the past month for a total of 25 miles. I would have had to race on guts today, which isn’t a problem for me, but it was smarter to keep an eye on Shep and save my legs for tomorrow’s (Black Friday) March Farm Cyclo Madness.

Shep runs better on his own, so I started with him, but hung five seconds behind him the whole time, monitoring his progress and make sure he didn’t get tripped in the crowd of 12,000+ runners. I didn’t want to influence his race for better or worse. In the past, the presence of Debbie and I has resulted in meltdowns, especially when the effort got hard. Today, he ran a smart race, all on his own, with good pacing, and a strong finish. He had an Under 38 minutes seed card, and his goal was to break 35 minutes. He has improved every year and this year was no exception. He smashed his personal best, running 32:52 (gun time) for 8th in the 13 and under age group. He was very happy. He has two more years in this age group, so there is opportunity for improvement.

He is into the stats, but I reminded him that the important thing is to continue to love to run. Right now, he is having a blast. I’ve seen a lot of kids burn out, but given our family passion for endurance sports, that is unlikely, especially if we balance the running with cycling, triathlon, hiking, and other fun activities. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious how much he and our daughter can improve.

Debbie and Dahlia ran together and achieved their goal of breaking one hour for the event. They finished in 57:56. Dahlia’s legs hurt. Debbie taught her how to use a mantra, “strong and steady, strong and steady,” to get through the 4.748 mile course. I’ve heard that mantra a lot this year, and especially at the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run and Cascade Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run.

Shep’s legs are going to hurt too, so he has to relax before tomorrow’s cyclocross race. I think mine will be OK. I ran in Central Park in Manhattan on Tuesday, to soften them up a bit before today’s race. Early this morning, I went for a road bike ride and scouted the course in reverse. It was fun to see all the volunteers setting up the course and to see all the police involved with the pre-race security measures.

We saw lots of friends, which isn’t hard to do in Manchester, and had a blast. Deb’s mother, Barbara Schieffer, is a superfan. She joined us to watch our bags and cheer us on. The Silk City Striders and Shenipsit Striders were out in force. I heard Shepard get some cheers from spectators and that motivated me too. It’s too soon to tell if I’ll run hard in 2018. I have to keep my streak going, and if I’m serious about running fast again, I’ll have to run more and ride less.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Race Results

2017 Supercross Cup

Team Horst Sports had a tremendous time at the Supercross Cup in Rockland County, New York. Both our Masters riders and the Team Horst Junior Squad did great rides on Day 1 (Saturday) and Day 2 (Sunday).

The team behind Supercross Cup, led by Myles Romanow, deserve a lot of credit for putting on a fine event. My only wish is that more riders will pick this race weekend and put it on their calendar. The course is one of the best, if not the best, that we do in the Northeast.

The crazy weather conditions (just like 2016) added to the epic nature of the event, but it has also made it hard on the organizers. With last year’s snow and wind, the course took a beating on Day 2. This year, Day 1 ended wet and muddy and it only got crazier from there. Today’s races actually got drier as the day went on, but the wind never let up. It was impossible to keep the course tape, stakes, and fencing from blowing away. Everything was blowing away, including our team tents, which got destroyed overnight when we left them unattended.

Until today, I had never seen a garbage can blow across a cyclocross course, but there is always a first time for everything. The wind was nuts. It nearly blew some of the Junior riders off of their bikes. Speaking of Juniors, Myles and the team didn’t charge the Juniors a penny. At Supercross Cup, Juniors race free! That is a huge commitment to the future of our sports and that is another reason why we showed up with our squad.

Sean, Shepard, and Lars raced the Junior 9-14 year old race both days. The girls and boys started a minute behind the Category 4/5 Women. It was great to see so many women on this course. They also had a Masters Women’s field and an Elite Women’s field. I knew it would be hard to draw the Massachusetts (and north) crowd, especially with the Shedd Park race in Lowell today; but I do wish they would travel south for a race at least once in a season! I also figured that the greater New York/New Jersey cross community was larger than it appears to be. With such a huge population center, we need more people to race cyclocross. Yesterday, there were 379 registered racers.

I expected more for a Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series event (race five and six). Last week’s series race in Northampton drew 620 on Saturday and 572 on Sunday. With an 8:45 A.M. start for the Juniors on Saturday morning, we drove down after work on Friday night. That left me feeling a little tired. I pushed really hard at last weekend’s even in NoHo and was a bit under the weather this week. So, I came into the race with heavy legs and a scratchy throat. Arriving at the hotel 10:00 P.M. on Friday night didn’t do much to help me prepare for the race, but that’s how it goes.

Saturday morning was freezing cold. Still, the kids did great. They course was mostly dry with a few slick spots. It is one of the hilliest courses in the Northeast, so you have to work for your result. The punchy climbs and steep descents are demanding. Yesterday’s course had beautiful flow, and you could really hammer some of the descents. A new expanded woods section added a nice section to the course.

Our Masters team was well represented. Keith Enderle and Dave Geissert raced the Men’s 50+ event. Joining me in the Masters 40+, were Wade Summers, Art Roti, and John Meyerle. Tim Rourke raced the Men’s Category 4/5 race.

I struggled the entire race. I never had any oomph. My legs literally felt like wood and the guys I normally stay with just rode away from me on the climbs. I hung tough, but spent the second half of the race in no man’s land. I was fairly frozen at the finish and just happy to have pushed hard.

We hung out all afternoon. We had a heater in the tent, which took the edge off of the cold. Our tents were set up at the top of the hill by the only set of barriers on the course. We had a great vantage point and cheered for everyone loudly. By early afternoon, the rain had started to fall, turning the course into slippery muck. It was great to watch the Elite Women and Elite Men. We had many Cross Spikes™ ambassadors at the race. Cassie Maximenko had a great ride in the women’s event, finishing second. Horst Engineering’s toe spikes were all over the podium of the Elite Men’s race. Kerry Werner, Curtis White, and Cooper Wilsey were 1, 2, 3. It was great to see Jeremy Powers racing. He finished sixth. We had some inventory with us and helped out several riders who never used spikes before. They needed them today!

Tim and Sean camped at the race venue, and they got to experience the wind storm as it rolled in. I awoke this morning to a texted photo of our mangled tents. We weighted them down before leaving the venue, but it wasn’t good enough. We should have known better and will have some work to do to repair them. That was a tough way to start the day, but at least it was warmer. We got back to Rockland Community College by 6:30 A.M. to help clean up the tent mess. The wind continued to roar, so we disassembled the remaining tents and stowed everything.

It stopped raining by 8:00 A.M. when the first race went off, but the wind picked up. The course, which was being run in reverse, was waterlogged, and was very slippery. The thick mud was caking on gears, brakes, and tires. It was heavy too! The Juniors went at 8:45 A.M. again and they were super-heroes in the tough conditions. There were multiple off-camber sections that required a combination of delicate riding and intense running. It was great to watch them.

Our same crew raced on Sunday, with one exception. Wade sat this one out. The rest of us were covered in mud, but everyone was smiling. Even Art, who thought about skipping, enjoyed the challenge. I had a better race, and felt that my legs were coming around by the last lap. The wind was fierce. In some spots, it threatened to blow me sideways. Even though I was going better than yesterday, I was still off the pace. I’m planning to rest a bit this week. I’m only going to jog the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving, because March Farm CX is on Black Friday.

Cyclocross remains my favorite family friendly event. It was great to see both the Mattern and Grimm Families, who drove down from Rochester. When our boys weren’t racing, they were playing in the woods, building forts, jumping dirt piles, and playing games. The community college is a great venue. It was too bad that the organizers had to deal with today’s windstorm. The podium signage literally blew away. Everything blew away. If it wasn’t for the muddy track, you wouldn’t have been able to follow the course. The mud was a major factor, so navigation was a non-issue!

We had a lot of cleanup. We first washed our bikes at the race, but then we really washed them at home. We decided to not stay for the afternoon races. We were home by 3:00 P.M. and it took a few hours to clean all our gear. We need to do laundry too.

Race Results (Day 1)

Race Results (Day 2)

2017 Northampton International Cyclocross

We just wrapped up a hard weekend of racing at the 27th annual Northampton International Cyclocross in Massachusetts. This was the second back to back race weekend in the row. This was the second round of the Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series. The third round is next weekend, another double race weekend at the Supercross Cup in Rockland County, New York.

Day 1

We drove up early in the morning to get to the Junior Boys and Girls 9-14 year old race. They were the second race of the day. Originally scheduled for 8:45 A.M., all of the races were pushed back 30  minutes because of the frigid temperatures. That helped us out because we drove from Bolton. It also helped the course soften up, a bit. Even still, the kids were frozen solid after 30 minutes on the Look Park course.

The Team Horst Junior Squad was well represented. In addition to our son, Shepard, the field included Sean Rourke, Boden, Chenail, and Cole Ricardi. All of the boys had good races on the fast course.

In the Masters 50+ race later in the morning, Team Horst Sports was represented by Dave Geissert, Keith Enderle, and Tom Ricardi. All three men rode strongly in the field of talented veteran racers.

I did the Masters 40+ race, which was combined with the 15-18 year old Juniors. This made for a very strong field. It was one of the most talented line-ups of the year. I had a good race, though it could have been better. I felt strong for a Saturday race, and after a good start, I pushed really hard. I was so close to breaking the Top 20, but couldn’t close the gap to a group of six riders who took places 15-21. I was pushing so hard on the last lap and felt like I was going to close the gap.

I had attacked fellow Master Brian Girard and Junior Tommy Servetas and gotten a nice gap. It looked like I had a chance at getting on to the back of the group that was up ahead. I was counting the seconds and the gap to the last rider was between five and eight seconds. However, when I came into the fast twisty ball field section that had some muddy corners, I was definitely at my limit. I was taking a sharp right hand turn in the mud and cut it too close. My right shift/brake lever hooked a course stake and it jerked my handlebars to the right, which swept out my front wheel and sent me sliding in the mud. I had untangle my bike from the course tape, and get going again.

In the process, Brian and Tommy shot past me. I worked hard for the rest of the lap to catch back up to them. There was no chance that we would catch the group in front of us, so I focused on staying with them. After I reconnected with Brian and Tommy, I went to the front and pulled them along. In the wide open field section that led to the finish, Tommy went past me and I grabbed his wheel to stay out of the wind. He led me into the last corner and then I came around him. It looked like I was going to take the sprint from them, but I didn’t shift up into a hard enough gear and Brian came up on my right and pipped me on the line. It was a photo finish. I was disappointed in my crash and then bummed about getting beat on the line, but 23rd was still a fantastic result.

I was joined in the 40+ race by teammates Art Roti, Wade Summers, John Meyerle, Andris Skulte, and Brett Chenail. They all had fun on the classic course. We all went for a cool down on the rail trail and exchanged stories about our race. Afterwards, we spent the afternoon watching the rest of the races, including the kids race. Horst Engineering had two tents in the Race Expo and we met a lot of Cross Spikes™ customers.

There was some great racing in the Elite Women and Elite Men’s races. The Juniors explored every corner of Look Park. Afterwards, several of us went to dinner in Northampton, before retiring for the night. Debbie, the kids, and I stayed at a local motel, which saved us the drive back to Bolton and set us up for a short commute this morning.

Day 2

Sunday was quite a bit warmer than Saturday. It was still a lot colder than it has been this fall, but it was better than yesterday. The race schedule was not altered, so the Cub Juniors went off at the scheduled 8:45 A.M. The course was reversed for Sunday’s races and it had a few more technical features, including a steeper run-up and a very steep (and gnarly) descent.

Sean, Shepard, and Boden had good races. They were joined in the Junior 9-14 year old race by Team Horst Junior Squad members Lars Roti, Owen Lezon, and Ethan Lezon; who didn’t race on Saturday, but came out to battle on Sunday. The kids did great. It’s so much fun to watch them having fun before, during, and after the races. Look Park is such a great venue.

Only Dave and Keith raced the 50+ race for us on Sunday. They improved on their Saturday results. Art, Wade, John, Brett, and I returned to do the 40+/15-18 Juniors on Sunday. I had a terrible start. 50 meters after the whistle blew, in an all out sprint, I “blew out” of both pedals. I’m not sure what happened, but I unclipped from both simultaneously, which resulted in my falling to my top tube. I nearly lost control of my bike, and came to a dead stop before getting my feet back on my pedals.

More than 20 riders got past me, which was a real bummer. I lost more ground throughout the first lap as I pushed to make up ground. My heart rate skyrocketed and I was “all over my bike,” which means that I was not handling it well. Several other times, I was forced to get off my bike and navigate around downed riders. Being at the back of the field is a real disadvantage. I could have quit, and thought about it for a split second, before reminding myself that this is how some races go. I had an opportunity to recover from a bad start and still have a good race.

Art had a strong start, so I marked him for most of the first lap, as I picked off one rider after another. Eventually, I settled down, got my heart rate under control, and started moving up through the field. Things opened up a bit more for me on lap two and I put on a huge charge, eventually passing another 15 riders between laps two and four. One of those riders was my friend and “nemesis,” Stan Lezon, who I always race hard. I was definitely exhausted from all of the effort, and nearly got into the top 30 with two laps to go, but on the steep technical descent, I took a bad line, grabbed too much brake, and went “cartwheeling” down the hill. I got some applause from spectators and compliments from Sean Goguen and Jaymz Lipinski, the two Junior riders who I was battling with.

I had just passed Sean and Jaymz and was ready to put on one more charge, but the crash set me back. I had to work hard just to get back to them and I never made it. I stayed in front of the group behind me, but over the last half lap, I spent way too much time in the wind on my own. I didn’t get caught, and ended up 33rd, 10 spots behind yesterday. Tommy and Brian, my two foes from Saturday finished 17th and 25th respectively, so I was disappointed with my result, but still happy that I didn’t quit and made up a lot of ground after my awful start. What could have been!

I’ll get another shot at a clean race next weekend in New York. We hung out for most of the afternoon. It warmed up a bit under a strong (for November) sun. My Dad drove up to say hello, which was pretty cool. We had more Cross Spikes™  customers come by the tent. It took a while to pack everything up, but we were on the road by 3:00 P.M. This race deserves the attention it gets as the longest continuously running event in New England. Adam Myserson, Alec Donahue, J.D. Bilodeau, and all of their volunteers and crew hosted another excellent event.

The muddy course left me with a muddy bike, so when we got home tonight, Shepard and I cleaned our bikes. It’s always nice to go to bed knowing that you have a clean bike.

Race Results (Day 1)

Race Results (Day 2)

2017 Newtown Cyclocross p/b the CCAP and Team 26

Today’s Newtown Cyclocross p/b the CCAP and Team 26 was total radness. The new course at the Second Company Horse Guard Stables was short, but excellent. If they add a few more turns, this track will be even better. Just watch out for the horse poop!

We had an awesome contingent from Team Horst Sports and the Team Horst Junior Squad. Since the race was co-promoted by The Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program (CCAP), there was a fantastic junior racer turnout. CCAP kids raced “free.” CCAP is an organization whose goal is to improve the lives of Connecticut’s youth and young adults through the sport of cycling. With the help of more experienced riders, the CCAP supports young people in cycling from our state’s high schools all the way to the top of the sport.

Team 26 is another important part of this race. The team is a group of cyclists affected by the tragedy at Sandy Hook School who support common sense gun safety legislation. They inspired the Nation with their courageous ride from the Sandy Hook School to Washington D.C.

In prior years, the race was held across the street at Fairfield Hills, but race promoter Monte Frank told me that the horse farm is the preferred venue for the future. I liked the course. “Undulating” would be a good description. It was also grassy, which in the constant drizzle, became a very challenging surface to navigate. I tasted a bit of that grass in my first head first slide on lap one of the Masters 40+ race.

Once again, I had a super battle with my Bolton neighbor, Stan Lezon. I think he has 8 inches on me (height wise), but we are evenly matched when it comes to cyclocross. Yesterday’s battle at the Cheshire Cross was another classic in our long running series, and I came out on top. Today, he took advantage of my first lap fall, and held the gap to the finish. I nearly closed the gap with three laps to go, getting up to his rear wheel, only to see my chances go away with another fall on a hairpin turn. He pulled away again. I spent the last three laps chasing furiously and was wishing for one more lap because I was gaining on him. The race ended up short at 39 minutes, but after the first of six double race weekends over the next six weeks, I’m not complaining. I have to nurse my nose back to health!

I wasn’t the only one to suffer a mishap. Joe Kubisek, was in the top three when he rolled his rear tire. I actually made a tire mistake today. I warmed up with my TUFO Flexus Cubus tires with are for muddy course. It wasn’t raining and I felt they were slow in the grass, so I switched to my TUFO Flexus Primus tires and I paid a steep price. They are OK in mud, but when the rain intensified, the course became treacherous and I was wishing for more grip. I ran relatively low pressure around 26 psi, but still had trouble. Thankfully, I didn’t have the problems that Joe had. I feel bad for him, but I’ve had my fair share of mechanical trouble this season. Hopefully that is behind me.

Eneas Freyre took the win, just like yesterday. Travis Burleson made amends for yesterday’s crash, and took the second step on the podium in front of Stan. I ended up 4th. My teammates Wade Summers, Art Roti, and John Meyerle all had good races on a course that favored bike handlers. In the Masters 50+ race, Mike Wonderly was 2nd, just like yesterday. He was in the lead when he caught me (they started one minute behind us), but he bobbled and crashed, which allowed another rider to sneak past him. Mike is an amazing bike handler, so this course was made for him. I followed him until he crashed and marveled at his skills. I even noted to Wade as we chased that we needed to follow Mike’s lead. He is so good at turning his bike in slippery corners. Tom Ricardi also raced the 50+ and was strong. Even Tim Rourke got into the fun, racing in the Men’s 4/5 event.

Shepard and the boys on the Team Horst Junior Squad had a blast. He was joined in the 9-12 year old race by Boden, Lars, Owen, and Ethan. In the 13-16 year old race, Cole and Sean represented the team.

 

The CT Series of Cross pauses until the day after Thanksgiving when we head to March Farms Cyclo Madness in the Litchfield Hills. Next week, is a big New England race, the Verge Northampton International Cyclocross. This is a classic and an A race for me. It is part of the Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series

Race Results

2017 Cheshire Cross

Yesterday was the Cheshire Cross, which has become a favorite race. The course is very challenging with a tricky woods section that includes lots of singletrack, sharp rocks, and roots. There is also a sizable hill, called Heckle Hill, which I like.

I had a good race and a fun day with the family, but still left the event frustrated because of how the Junior 9-12 race went. I’ll start with the frustrating part of the day. The Juniors started at 10:00 A.M. and the race was advertised (on BikeReg) as 20 minutes, but there was a note that said, “All riders will finish in 20 minutes or less.” In my mind, that is a contradiction. The way cyclocross should work, is that the lead rider should finish in the targeted time for the field. The riders that follow take longer.

So, it’s typical for a Masters 40+ race to be advertised as 45 minutes. After two full laps, the officials calculate the average lap time and then estimate how many laps there are to go. The next time around, you are given a lap card countdown. Today, I finished in just under 50 minutes, and I was a few minutes behind the winner. We completed seven laps. It’s important to note that the start was about a 1/4 mile behind the finish line, so the first lap was bound to be longer.

Then, prior to the start of the Junior’s race, when the head official was giving instructions, he said that anyone finishing the first lap in more than 10 minutes would be pulled. I gather that he was merely reiterating what the promoter had decided, and what had been posted on the Internet. He added that they would be scored according to their place and that their points would count towards the series. I heard this, but I didn’t think much about it at the time. With all of the noise and chaos of getting our kids ready to go, it never dawned on me that this would affect EVERY one of the riders on the Team Horst Junior Squad. Boden, Shepard, and Lars have all been finishing in the top 15 of CT Series of Cross races, so I just assumed they would make it two laps. Owen and Ethan are the youngest boys on the team, and they have been lapped by older riders on short courses, so I knew that this rule might impact them.

There were more than 35 girls and boys on the start line, which is awesome. The officials didn’t do a good job lining them up and there was a bit of a crush (overlapped wheels), which resulted in a start line crash. Still, most of the riders got off the line cleanly and it was a fast beginning to what turned out to be a short race. We watched the boys on several parts of the course before we rushed to the finish area to cheer them at the start of their second lap. Boden was somewhere around 9th place when he came through and the official told him to stop. He missed the 10 minute cut-off by 20 seconds or so. I wasn’t paying attention to the time, and there was no clock, so this caught me by surprise. After Boden finished and after I realized what was happening, I yelled to Shep to sprint because he was with two other riders, but I didn’t get the word to him in time and their positions didn’t change in the final 50 feet. Shepard was about 15 seconds behind Boden and ended up a few places back. He was also told to stop, which brought a mix of anger and tears, before he calmed down.

All of the boys coming through the finish at around this time were furious. I don’t think they heard the announcement at the start, and even if they did, they didn’t understand. Every other race this season has been two or three laps and 20-30 minutes, which gives them time to ride and improve their cyclocross skills. I shared my frustration with the official, arguing a bit, but eventually I walked away. I didn’t want to be “that parent” yapping at the referee, and like the official said, he was just following the promoter’s instructions. It just made no sense to let eight riders through and then stop 30 other riders after one lap of this course.

10 minutes was an arbitrary number to choose and shouldn’t be considered “half of the race.” The first lap is always longer with the finish line 1/4 mile back, congestion, and the crash. Only 8 riders were allowed to continue for a second lap. That’s a joke, which gave riders in the 9th through 15th spots no chance of making up time on a faster second lap. Some parents drove two hours to the race and they were more mad than I was. These kids are the future of our sport and we need to let them ride more than 10 minutes. Every kid should have gotten to do two laps, regardless of their speed and regardless of what the BikeReg page said. I bet most of those parents didn’t even see the “fine print.”

Despite the announcement at the start, most riders had no idea they would be pulled after one lap. They don’t wear watches or even pay attention to their pace. And if they did, they don’t know how to pace themselves. That’s why they are Cub Juniors! They are LEARNING how to do cyclocross and you can’t learn in 10 minutes. The race organizers, who are good volunteers and deserve support for a grassroots race, had so many other options. The Men’s 4/5 race ran long. The Masters races ran long. Later in the day, there were gaps between the races. It seemed like all the morning events were crammed together so tightly. I just don’t understand their position on this Junior 9-12 field. To be fair, a few other races have advertised one lap races and the parents have successfully petitioned to get at least two laps. Most of them also didn’t have any time to pre-ride the course because the 4/5 race ran so long. That meant that they were seeing the course for the first time on their first and only lap, which is another reason why first laps are often always slower than the remaining laps. One other option that race organizers have is to shorten the lap for the youngest Junior riders. It would have been easy to chop off a section or two of the course without much effort. A shorter lap would have been everyone a chance to at least do it twice. As it turns out, some of the adult riders in later races were riding NO faster than the Juniors who got pulled in the 10-12 minute mark.

I’m sure another important factor for parents is the cost of doing this sport. Between the gear, the travel, and the entry fees, it’s a big investment. One lap races are a very low return on investment. Four Livingston Family members raced today, so we were traveling to Cheshire anyway, but if you drove all that way just for just one race, I totally understand why you felt gypped. I think I said enough about this. It was frustrating for sure, and you can count on me and other parents to make sure that at the start of tomorrow’s Newtown Cyclocross, that we are clear about the rules. Tomorrow, I hope, and expect the kids get to ride at least two laps.

Anyway, the rest of the day went better. My race, the Masters 40+ started a minute in front of the Masters 50+ and a few minutes in front of the Masters 60+. That made for a crowded course, but these are the same guys I race with every weekend, and we know how to ride with each other. The congestion is just part of cyclocross. We were catching some of the 60+ riders on the second lap. Knowing how to pass cleanly is an important skill and all of them were courteous. I did my best to call out what side I was going to pass on.

Within my race, there were some fun battles. It was unfortunate (for him) that the leader, David Hildebrand, punctured a little past the halfway point. That moved me up a spot. Then, Travis Burleson, who was one group in front of me, crashed on a technical descent. I came upon him just after he went down in the woods. He was fussing with his chain, trying to get it back on. I picked up another spot at his expense. That left four guys in front of my group, which included Stan Lezon, Laurence Merling, Joe Rodrigues, and at least one other rider who I didn’t know.

I thought I was the strongest guy in the group, but didn’t want to wait for a sprint, so I didn’t show my cards until two to go. I pushed the pace in the first five laps, but the gap to the group in front of us was too big to get across without being chased by the group I was in. Late in the race, it was best for me to race smartly and at least finish in front of the guys I was with. I moved to the front after the last big descent on the penultimate lap and then attacked right after the barriers as we headed towards the upper field. I hammered through those hairpin turns, extending my gap. I held my gap, which was 5-10 seconds, through the start finish and into the woods. I rode the final climb of Heckle Hill cleanly, and kept my gap all the way to the finish. Each lap was 1.4 miles long.

The last time up Heckle Hill, I was within striking distance of third (Keith Gauvin) and fourth (Joe Kubisek) place. I got close, but not close enough. They held me off and I ended up fifth. The officials had a hard time with the results, which was another frustration. They were counting by hand, and with the mixed fields and all of the lapped riders, it was very difficult. I hate to say it, but for a $35 race, you really need to have some sort of timing and scoring system. A camera system costs money, but is necessary. Even chip timing would have worked today. Using our own GPS’s and Strava would at least capture the correct order and eliminate the risk of counting lapped riders. Every 5K road race with comparable registration fees, has chip timing. The results are usually flawless and they are published immediately. The mess that the officials were dealing with was reminiscent of the road bike races I did back in the early 1990’s where after the finish, there was always a scrum with every rider lobbying for his position. In 2017, every cyclocross race deserves to have good timing and scoring. Technology helps.

Dahlia did the kids race, which was fun to watch. She had a good ride and got to stand on the podium. I’m looking forward to 2019, when she will be ready to compete in Cub Juniors. We got to see our cousin, Lucas Smallidge, race the Men’s 3/4 race. He had a great battle for second place with another rider and unleashed a powerful sprint at the finish to secure second. It was great to see him. He is in his second year at UCONN, so I hope to meet up with him for a ride. Debbie did the Women’s 4/5 race, which started with the Women’s 1/2/3 race. She was the only woman on a mountain bike, but she still had fun. She wasn’t last and learned a bit more about cyclocross. Hopefully she does another race and continues to improve. I bet that in 2018, she gets a cross bike.

I’m still a fan of Cheshire Cross, and thank the volunteers, but I hope that they iron out the issues next time.

Race Results (will be posted when online)

2017 Wicked Creepy Cross

I love the Wicked Creepy Cross. It’s one of my favorite grassroots races on the New England calendar. Today, we returned with the whole family. It required us to get up at 5:05 A.M. and leave the house at 5:35 A.M., but it was worth it!

We drove to Bennington, Vermont in a driving rainstorm, but the precipitation lessened (a bit) when we got on the western side of the Green Mountains. It was still a beautiful drive. On the way home, it was all rain.

This was the first real muddy race of the 2017 cyclocross season. It’s been unseasonably warm and dry. Today, it wasn’t too cold, but the wetness made for a challenging course, with several muddy sections. It wasn’t too cold, and it certainly wasn’t hot. It was sort of “hypothermia weather” if you were standing around.

The Livingston’s were joined at the race by the Chenail Family and the Roti Family. The Team Horst Junior Squad and Team Horst Sports were well represented. The fields were small, but that’s OK. Everyone’s morale was boosted by the results. Debbie did her first ever cyclocross race. Her goal was to hold off Shepard, who started one minute behind her, in the Cub Juniors 9-12 year old race.

The Junior Squad had a great day, with a podium sweep. Boden Chenail chased Shepard all race, and pipped him on the line for the win. It was a good lesson for Shepard, who was a bit surprised by Boden’s surge. Still, a great day. Lars Roti wasn’t far behind, and took the third step on the podium. They were all smiles after the race.

Debbie battled hard to finish 4th in the Women’s Category 4/5 race. It isn’t normal for her to go anaerobic in a 30 minute +/- race, so this was good. She used her Seven Verve mountain bike, which wasn’t ideal, but worked fine. She plans to race again next week at Cheshire Cross. Look out!

Brett Chenail rode the Men’s Category 4 race, which had one of the largest fields. They softened up the course prior to the Masters races. Art Roti and I represented the team in the 45+ field. We started with the 35+ riders, which for some reason, I didn’t know until after the finish. The 55+ Men started a minute behind us.

Until the National Championships, this is one of the few races I do with a 45+ field. Normally, I have to race the 40+ category, and sometimes the 35+ category when no 40+ is offered. It was nice to be one of the “younger” guys in my race!

I had a really good start, and led the first lap. On lap two,  Jürgen Beneke surged past me, which I was expecting when I saw his name on the start list. He has been winning local races all season, and was top 15 at the GP of Gloucester, where I finished in the 30’s. He has real cycling pedigree. He won the 1993 UCI World Cup in downhill mountain biking, and is an X-Games gold medalist in downhill mountain biking. He can handle his bike and it showed on today’s course.

After he went by, I stayed in front of the other riders for nearly the entire race. I battled with Ryan Conley for five more laps. I led Ryan for almost the entire lap each time. He would pass me on the road section that led up the major climb, but I would re-pass him before or during the technical (and slippery) upper section. I was stronger in all of the technical turns, and had better acceleration out of the corners, but he closed down the gap every time when he had open field or open road.

It was a little frustrating, so going into he last lap, I was committed to attacking him every chance I got. I didn’t want to risk a sprint because he was stronger in the final 200 meters after the steep and sandy run-up. There were a few other riders chasing, but we had a comfortable gap so we only had to worry about each other. I wanted second spot and gave it my all, but he closed in on me before the final slippery left hand turn on to the road. He jumped past me, but then I was able to rebound and close back in on him before I ran out of road. He nipped me on the line. I wasn’t happy, but I accepted my defeat and thought about Shepard, who experienced the same disappointment after leading the entire race. I told him to stay positive, so I told myself the same thing.

There was a silver lining because when the results were posted, I still got 2nd in the 45+ race. Ryan was 1st in the 35+ race. I race everyone hard and still wanted to win that sprint, but we sort of both won on this day.  Jürgen was stronger than both of us and was out of site, so our real goal should be to close the gap to him. I’ll be back at it next week at Cheshire Cross.

Everyone at Horst Engineering was happy to see mud for this weekend’s races. It was muddy in New England today, which meant both Wicked Creepy and also Orchard Cross, were gnarly. It was also muddy in Sherbrooke, Quebec, which hosted the Canadian National Championships. The same storm system also hit Ohio, and the Cincy CX Festival.  We expect Cross Spikes sales to pick up now!

Kudos go out to the volunteers who hosted Wicked Creepy, and also to the folks at NYCROSS who put together the series. If we lived closer, we might do a few more races in the series. Of course, Connecticut has its own series and we do those races before any others.

Debbie, the kids, and I celebrated at Hearty Eats in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.

Race Results

2017 Belltown Cyclocross

Today was the inaugural Belltown CX in East Hampton. It was race number four in the Connecticut Series of Cross. Heading into the race, I wasn’t feeling to hot. I’m a little nicked up after several weeks of heavy racing. Plus, last night, I drove back from Crawford Notch, NH. Four hours in the car contributed to my legs feeling stiff.

Yesterday, Debbie took Shepard to the third race in the series, the Brodie CX in New Hartford. I had to miss the race, which was disappointing, but fine. Last weekend was a double race, so this weekend, I was happy to only do one. We had another day of unseasonably warm weather. The course was dry and the sun was hot.

Belltown turned out OK. My legs were definitely heavy. I’ve got a nagging right quadricep  issue that results in late race cramping. I had to measure my effort to keep the quad from  hurting too much. I ended up in a group with Stan Lezon and Joe Rodrigues. The three of us battle frequently.

My teammate, Wade Summers, was with us for a good part of the race. The first four spots were out of reach, but we fought each other for 5th. Late in the race, Ernie Tautkus squeezed into our group. I don’t know the full story, but it would appear that he missed the start and chased all race, working his way up to our group.

I held off the trio for 5th in the Masters 40+ race. Stan got pipped on the line by Ernie, and Joe and Wade dropped back a bit. It was a fun final last fracas. The course had lots of wide open riding, but many of the corners were on gravel, making it treacherous. There were a lot of crashes and a lot of skinned knees. After smashing my left knee last weekend at the Gran Prix of Gloucester, I was happy to stay on my bike for the entire race today. Unlike last Sunday when I botched the sprint in my little group, today, I executed it well, leading them the whole way.

There was another great turnout for the Junior races. There were 37 boys and girls in the 9-12 year old race. There were another 18 riders in the 13-15 year old age group. They even had a kids race for 8 and under. Dahlia did the modified two lap course and had a blast. She can’t wait to do the real races when she turns 9.

Team Horst Sports and the Team Horst Junior Squad had a great turnout and some good results. Mike Wonderly won the Masters 50+ race for the second day in a row. Dave Geissert had his best cross race ever, finishing second behind Mike after Bob Bisson in a sprint. He was thrilled.

It was another good day of cyclocross racing. The crew from Airline Cycles did a great job with the race. The prizes were fun and cool. Bevin Brothers Bells is in East Hampton and they make the best Made in the USA cowbells. The Connecticut Series of Cross continues in two weeks at the Cheshire CX.

Race Results

Appalachian Mountain Club & Crawford Notch

At the end of this week, I made a short trip to Crawford Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for an Appalachian Mountain Club Board of Directors meeting. We met at the Highland Center, one of AMC’s wonderful lodges, and a favorite place for our family.

Crawford Notch is amazing at any time of year, but late October has to be one of the best. The foliage was just past peak, but the colors were still lovely. I drove up on Friday morning. I had several business calls to make during the drive and was frustrated by the AT&T service. It has been getting worse, especially for iPhone users. I made my last call just as I arrived at the Highland Center. As soon as I got there, I pulled my bike out of the back of my car, changed in the parking lot, and then rode south on Route 302 through the notch.

I went 10.5 miles to Bartlett, and then turned around. It was all downhill on the way out, and I had a strong tailwind. It was gusting to 25 miles per hour. On the way back, the combination of the climb and the headwind made for an awful ride. However, the views were spectacular and I was just happy to be getting some fresh air after four hours in the car.

I got to the meeting for 12:30 P.M., and we had a great afternoon of discussions. AMC is a wonderful organization with so many interesting facets. We are working on some big projects, including our headquarters move from 5 Joy Street (Boston) to 10 City Square (Charlestown). Last month, Debbie and I were at another AMC meeting at the Stephen & Betsy Corman AMC Harriman Outdoor Center in New York. Back in July, we were at the brand new Medawisla Lodge & Cabins in Maine.

On Saturday morning, I got up early and went for a little trail run/hike. I donned my headlamp and headed up the Crawford Path, starting at 6:00 A.M. I didn’t know how far I would go, but figured I would just test the legs. I didn’t feel strong at all. I actually felt weak. I’ve had a few weeks of intense cyclocross racing. Last weekend’s Gran Prix of Gloucester was hard on the body. I smashed my knee on some rocks and I smacked my face with my own handlebars. I’ve been dinged up a little, so I turned around after 1.5 miles and jogged along Saco Lake before returning to the lodge for breakfast.

The meetings kicked off and went until early afternoon, but then we spilt up in a few hiking groups. I joined a group of seven for the easy hike up Mount Willard. That hill has the best bang for the buck in the White Mountains. What I mean by that is that it has the best steps to view ration of any mountain. The view is spectacular and it’s only a short walk. That’s what I call a good hiking Return on Investment (ROI). The trail was absolutely jammed with people, enjoying the incredible fall weather. It has been unseasonable warm since mid-September. I think this will be the warmest October on record in New England.

We lingered on the summit for a half an hour and the people just kept coming. It was nice to see so many people out, but when it got to the point where we had to raise our voices in order to hear each other, it was time to go. The only other times that I’ve had to raise my voice like that on a summit was to speak with  my climbing partner above the roar of the wind.

We had a leisurely walk back to the lodge. I departed shortly thereafter, and was home by 8:30 P.M. I stopped at the Putney Co-Op, my usual spot, for a quick dinner. My only regret is that Debbie and the kids couldn’t see the lovely leaves of Vermont and New Hampshire.

 

2017 Gran Prix of Gloucester

We had a spectacular weekend at the 2017 Gran Prix of Gloucester cyclocross race in Massachusetts. “We” is Shepard and me, plus the rest of Team Horst Sports and the Team Horst Junior Squad.

The last time I raced Gloucester was in 2007. Pretty much every year for the last 10 years, this New England classic has conflicted with the Vermont 50 Mile Ride & Run. With cyclocross schedule changes, the event was moved to mid-October from its historical late-September date. I was happy to return for many reasons.

I love the North Shore and Cape Ann. Sterling Machine is in Lynn, so I’m on the North Shore several times a month. The seaside Stage Fort Park course is picturesque and fantastic. The expo brought out some great sponsors and cycling industry stalwarts. The robust race fields (848 riders competed on Saturday and 787 competed on Sunday) prove this event’s popularity. In addition to the fields being deep, they are incredibly strong with the best showing up to do battle. The Elite Men’s and Women’s races featured some of the strongest riders in Northeast, with a few national pros and Canadians mixed in. Also, there are more spectators than any other cross race in the region. The beer garden was packed. This is what I like to call: The “New England World Championships.” I’m not talking Belgian-sized crowds, but if you ever want to spectate at a “local” cross race, pencil this one into your calendar.

Our Masters team was well represented with Art Roti, Wade Summers, John Meyerle and me in the joint Masters 40+ Category 1/2/3 & Junior 17-18 year old field. Brett Chenail did the Masters 40+ Category 4/5 races. Dave Geissert and Keith Enderle did the Masters 50+ Category 1/2/3 races. All of us raced both Saturday and Sunday.

The Junior Squad also had a good turnout. Shepard raced in the Juniors 9-14 old category and was joined by Sean Rourke, Boden Chenail, Lars Roti, and Nate Summers on Saturday. Those boys plus Ethan Lezon and Owen Lezon raced on Sunday.

Day 1 (Saturday)

Yesterday’s course was a leg burner, with several long and exposed sections. The morning races were rainy and the corners were slick. Shepard and the boys did well. They were all smiles. He was very happy with how his race went. The course remained damp during my race, which started at 11:30 A.M. with light rain falling. My only mishap was on the first lap when running the one rocky run-up, I slipped and planted my left knee and elbow on a sharp stone. The knee took the brunt of the fall and might have earned me “best blood” if they had such a category.

 

 

I started well back in the sixth row (eight riders to a row) on the grid, but moved my way up and finished  39th in a stacked field. The first seven spots were taken by the Junior boys, which is amazing. They are getting faster and faster, and the top 40-49 year old racers didn’t have a chance against them. Matt Timmerman, the national champion in our age group, was the top 40+ year old male, all the way back in 8th spot. I felt good about my race, but was knackered by the finish.

 

After the race, Art and I did a long cool down, riding northeast, along the coast. We had spectacular views despite a few rain showers. The boys played all over Stage Fort Park and we watched the rest of the afternoon races. The view from atop the large rock, an iconic spot in the park, is awesome. You can see more than half the course from that one spot. The Elite racing was intense and enjoyable.

Day 2 (Sunday)

We spent the night at one of my usual business oriented hotels on. Route 1 in Danvers, so it was only a 25 minute drive to the venue. The day dawned foggy and damp. The Gloucester weather was changeable, with intermittent sun and clouds and a stiff ocean breeze. It misted a bit in the early morning races, but then the course dried out and it became less humid as the day went on. By the time I raced, the course was bone dry and very dusty. Dust and above average temperatures have been the story of this cyclocross season. I’m waiting for some cold, which is what I prefer. I’m sure its a matter of if, not when.

The Junior boys raced again at 9:31 A.M. and the Masters 40+ men were at 11:30 A.M. like yesterday. The course was altered slightly with several new sections and several sections removed. The run-up was different, but just as challenging. There were fewer long power sections, and there were several added technical sections. This made for a shorter lap. Some folks termed it “mountain bikey.” I did think that the loose sand and lots of transitions were pretty gnarly. It was a lot of fun, but I guess I preferred yesterday’s course better because it favored me more.

I gave it my all today. The 17 and 18 year-olds dominated again, but the top masters rider was Alec Donahue, who bested Timmerman. By the third of six laps, I found myself in a group of six riders that included former national champion, Mark McCormack. At times the pace of the group slowed, so I decided to do my part to keep our gap to the group behind us, so I pulled for most of the last two laps. I felt good out front, but despite applying the pressure several times, wasn’t able to get away and create my own gap. Cognizant that I was going to get jumped on the last lap, I eased back into third spot in the final 1/3rd of the last lap.

I was confident that I could beat all of them in a sprint, but I was unsure who was holding back. in the final few corners, I tried to make a move on the right side, but one of the riders pinched me in the final right hand turn before the road and I lost my momentum The first two riders, including McCormack, got a gap that they held to the line. I had to battle with the other four guys and two of them pipped me right before the finish. It was a frustrating way to end the race after I rode so well. I thought I had a chance to improve my position from yesterday’s race, but ended up 42nd.

I’m just happy to be able to do this stuff. My heart rate was above Zone 4 the entire race and averaged 169 beats per minute for the 50 minute effort. I was even more toasted today, and I’ll need a few days to recover from these hard efforts. Chances are it won’t be another 10 years before I compete at Gloucester again.

 

Race Results (Day 1)

Race Results (Day 2)

2017 Monroe Dunbar Brook Trail Race

Yesterday, the Livingston Family returned to the Monroe Dunbar Brook Trail Race for the first time in since 2014. The four of us did the 2 mile “sampler” version of the race, which is a simple one mile out/one mile back course along Dunbar Brook. It’s a fun little jaunt with lots of undulation, wet roots, and slippery rocks.

I’ve personally run Monroe eight times since 2000, but Debbie has done it more than that. Her first was in 1999, and for a while, she was “streaking,” with more than six in a row. Six of the eight times that I ran it were in the 10.5 mile main event. I last ran the 2 miler, way back in 2000. She and I had been dating for about a year. She must have convinced me to run. I’m sure my legs were trashed! This year was Shepard’s second time doing the short course, and it was our daughter’s first time experiencing the beauty of Monroe.

I know it had been a while since were at Dunbar Brook Picnic Area because all of the pine trees at the start/finish line are gone. I know they were there in 2014 and before that, in 2012. My photos prove it! The picnic area looked different this year with all of the open space. Debbie and I were in this neighborhood in May of 2016, but we passed by without stopping to notice that the trees were gone. We rode River Road from Rt. 2 as part of a mixed asphalt/dirt loop adventure that we did on our gravel bikes.

Yesterday, I rode that road again. I rode from Savoy Mountain State Forest via Rt. 2. It was a fun, but very wet ride. We camped at Savoy on Saturday night after driving over from Berkshire East Mountain Resort. On Saturday afternoon, after the Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross and a soccer game, we drove to Thunder Mountain Bike Park at Berkshire East in Charlemont. We went there for a YPO family event called “Pick Your Own Adventure.” Shepard and I got in a few runs on rental downhill bikes. That was a blast.  We intend to return when we have a full day to explore the trails.

I normally ride a 29 inch wheeled Seven Sola SL rigid singlespeed mountain bike, so the Giant Glory with 203mm of suspension and 27.5 inch plus tires was like riding an air mattress. Our first run was led by Guide Paula Burton, who is a tireless trail advocate and longtime NEMBA volunteer. Paula gave us some great tips for riding berms and technical descents. While Shepard and I rode, Debbie and Dahlia spent time on the Thunderbolt Mountain Coaster.

After dinner, we drove to Savoy, located in the town of Florida, where we spent the night. We’ve been to Savoy many times over the years for trail running and snowshoe races. It was a windy and rainy night, but we slept in the van. Early on Sunday, I rode to the start of Monroe. Debbie and the kids passed me on the way, and then we met back up just before the start.

The WMAC website has a lot of great history about the Monroe Trail Race, and results dating back to 1992. We wanted to get back to Monroe this year because we miss the people. I know that the faces have changed, but there is still a core group of New England trail runners who have been going to these classic races since the beginning. The calendar is full of newer events that conflict, and some interest in the Grand Tree Trail Running Series has waned, but it was THE series to participate in when Debbie and I first got involved. Monroe was part of the WMAC Trilogy, along with the Mount Greylock Trail Race and the Savoy Mountain Trail Race.

I wish I had more time to socialize, but my ride took longer than planned. It poured the whole way, but it was gorgeous. Seemingly, overnight, the leaves changed colors and with mist rising from the valleys, the colors were finally starting to show. I got there about 20 minutes before the 10:00 A.M. start. The short course race went off 10 minutes later. Debbie ran with Dahlia and I chased Shepard. After we finished, we hiked down to the Deerfield River to see the Dragon’s Tooth. The water was flowing fast, but the kayakers had already passed through. We had to consult YouTube for video of people actually navigating the rapids.

We climbed back up to the picnic area, changed up, and waited for the first 10.5 mile runner to arrive. That turned out to be Kelsey Allen, who broke the women’s course record by winning the race overall. That’s fantastic! It was great to see her. We saw two more runners finish, Daniel Grip, and Todd Bennett; before we snuck out of there. We ha to high-tail it back to Connecticut so Dahlia could attend a friend’s birthday party. Life is busy. We did make a quick pit-stop for lunch at Hearty Eats in Shelburne Falls.

WMAC has so many great longtime volunteers. Ellen and Pancho Mach are two that come to mind. Pancho was at his usual spot, the turnaround point of the 2 miler. I swear that he was there 17 years ago when I did this race the first time. Ellen was minding the finish line food tables, just like in years past. The Monroe Trail Race will always been one of our favorites, and it’s even better now as a family affair.

Race Results