2015 Manchester Road Race

Today was my 26th Manchester Road Race, and it was a wonderful one. I have no favorites, but this year, I took it easy (again) and jogged it with Debbie and our son, Shepard. It wasn’t a jog for him. He had to push, and he ran a fantastic time. This was his third MRR, and I hope he continues the tradition and “streaks” as long as he can.

It was my 21st in a row. We had incredible weather, with our warmer than usual autumn continuing. The sunshine was brilliant and the temperature was way above normal. For us, the MRR isn’t just one event. It is a week of celebrating. Last Saturday, Debbie ran the Know Your Pace Race, with our Silk City Striders friends. That was followed by the Manchester Road Race Expo, and then the Little Manchester Road Race.

Both of our kids participated, with our daughter running the one mile, and our son running the two-mile. More than 800 kids were registered for the four races, which also included a 100 yard dash (for the littlest ones), and a 1/2 mile. Last weekend’s weather was also excellent.

Last night, we went to the annual spaghetti dinner at the Elk’s Lodge. We saw many of our friends there, and again today at the race on Main Street. Given the extraordinary weather conditions, its likely that the race was maxed out at the 15,000 runner limit, and that most of them showed up and did the 4.748 mile race. Next year will be a big one; it will be the 80th anniversary.

At last night’s dinner, we heard Charlie Duggan and Steve Gates speak. Charlie won the 1980 edition of the race, and to this day, Steve’s time in 1980 remains the fastest that a Manchester native has ever run on the course. This year’s winners were Will Geoghegan and Diana Nukuri. She repeated her 2014 victory, and he won for the first time, out kicking local favorite, Donn Cabral, of Glastonbury. We got to see Donn at last night’s dinner, and hope that he wins this one someday. He is close to the top step.

Neither Debbie or I were interested in racing hard. I’m focused on cyclocross and haven’t been running much. I didn’t feel like pushing with some nagging “lower body” (like a hockey player) injuries. Debbie decided to “shut it down” after September’s ULTRA-TRAIL Mt. FUJI. It was nice of Debbie’s mom, Barbara, to stay with our daughter at St. James Church near the start/finish line. The support of the Schieffer Family is another Thanksgiving tradition.

Our son had a strong run. Debbie and I are proud of him for being positive and having a great attitude. He ran steady the whole way and his net time was just under 38 minutes, which is wonderful for a little guy. At the four mile mark, he really wanted some water. There are no official water stations, but with 20,000 spectators, someone always has water. Debbie spotted a table on the left side of the road. We were on the right, so I had to backtrack and cross traffic to get the water. To my surprise, they also had beer, so I asked for one of each, and they were so kind to oblige. I caught back up to them with a can of Busch in my left hand, and a cup of water in my right. Both Shep and I were happy!

It was nice to see the Welts family down from New Hampshire! In addition to seeing many of our Silk City Striders friends, we hooked up with our main club, the Shenipsit Striders. This weekend is our annual Shenipsit Trail End-to-End Run on Saturday. If you are interested in running any distance up to about 50 miles, then join the club! This year we are going south to north.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s 80th. Maybe our daughter will join us for her first MRR. Maybe I’ll run hard. We will see…

Hartford Courant Coverage

Race Results

2015 SuperCross Cup

After all of these years, I finally made it to the SuperCross Cup in New York. I’ve always wanted to race this event, but never made it to Long Island, when it was located there, and I missed the first two editions at Harriman State Park. It has been several years since I visited Harriman, and I’ve missed it. Debbie, the kids, and I were there in 2011, the last time she ran the Bear Mountain 50 Miler.  There was an aid station at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area, right at the start/finish line of today’s course. I hadn’t raced in Harriman since 2009, when I did the HarryMan Triathlon. That was a long time ago. Even farther back, I used to race in Harriman when we did the Bear Mountain Road Race. Before that, we used to race the Harriman circuit as part of the West Point Stage Race. That was back in my days at Boston College and Boston University when I raced collegiate road cycling. I absolutely loved that course.

Well, I made it back into Harriman today, but for a cyclocross race, and it was a good one. This was the third time the SuperCross Cup was held at Anthony Wayne and the race attracted more than 400 cross racers over the course of two days of racing. We had a busy Saturday, so I didn’t make it until today. My son and I drove down last night and met up with my teammate and Horst Engineering colleague, Arthur Roti, and his son. We stayed about 20 minutes from Harriman, and then drove to the start this morning via the beautiful (but full of potholes) Palisades Parkway.

The Masters 35+ race was at 10:45 A.M. and we had a competitive field. Art raced yesterday and it was muddy. We had more rain overnight, so the course remained muddy and slick. It was our first real muddy race of the year and I loved it. However, it took me too long to get comfortable with the slipping and sliding. My legs were heavy for the first three laps and I really struggled. On lap three, I was still in contact with a group of five other riders, but I was anaerobic and that led to several bobbles. I lost touch with the group and was stuck in no man’s land for a few laps. A couple of riders caught me from behind, and then I started to figure out the right lines to take through the sloppy corners. By then, it was too late. I made a charge on the last lap, gapped a NYCROSS rider that I was battling with and nearly closed in on another rider, but ran out of asphalt on the finishing stretch.

I could have easily gone another couple of laps and made up more ground, but the race was over. I was still happy and I had a lot of fun. It was worth the 2.5 hour drive from Bolton to Stony Point. Heck, driving over the Tappan Zee Bridge (twice) and seeing the massive construction project for the new bridge, was worth the drive. There were three run-ups and a set of barriers on this well designed and technical course. The first hill was unrideable and a perfect testing ground for Horst Spikes. Again, I used my Mini Standard’s, but I wish I had installed my Long’s before the start. They would have given me even more grip. The mud was thick!

The second run-up was a set of concrete steps, so spikes weren’t much help there. Some of the more talented riders were riding up the steps. Not me. The third hill was a slick (especially at the bottom) steep affair that curved to the right. Only a handful of racers were able to ride it. I chose to run, and again, the cross spikes came in handy. The barriers were also in a muddy section of field on the upper part of the course. It was great to have a race with four dismounts and all of that running. It was more like a European cross race than any of the courses we have done lately. There were some tricky spots, so I was happy to stay upright the entire race.

Arthur had a good race too. Our teammates Wade Summers (who raced the 45+) and Paul Nyberg (who raced the 55+) also had good races. Yesterday, Paul and our other teammate, Pat Cunningham, joined Arthur at day one of the event. Our kids had a blast at the venue, got a little muddy themselves, and did the kids race loop several times. We really wanted to stay and watch the Elite Men and Elite Women, but we had to get going. We went from the far southwest corner of Connecticut all the way to the far northeast corner. My son and I met up with Debbie and our daughter and the rest of Cub Scout Pack 157 Den 5. Debbie organized a nature walk at the Goodwin State Forest Education & Conservation Center. It was fantastic, but it was a long way from Harriman State Park. This was the end of yet another busy autumn weekend.

I definitely plan to return to the SuperCross Cup on 2016 and I’ll bring more friends from New England with me.

Race Results

2015 Newtown Cross

Today was the Newtown Cross, race number six in the CT Series of Cyclocross. Overnight, the temperature dropped, and it was very cold when we awoke this morning in nearby Prospect.

Yesterday’s Cheshire Cross was a cool and blustery affair. Today, it was cool, but the wind had died down, and the sunshine was brilliant. The Master Men had a 9:00 A.M. start, which can be a challenge on a Sunday. We work all week!

Nevertheless, the positive side of an early start is an early finish. Debbie, the kids, and I stayed with her parents last night, so the drive was less than 30 minutes to the venue at Fairfield Hills, the site of the former state hospital.

I hadn’t been there since 2013 when this race debuted…in the snow and I hardly recognized it without the white stuff. The course has changed a bit since then. The event was presented by Team 26 and the Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program, which has created a lot of excitement for youth and junior bicycle racing. The junior race, which followed our race, had the largest junior field in New England, and proceeds from the event will benefit CCAP.

The Masters fields were competitive, as usual, though the registration numbers were down a bit from yesterday, and that could be due to competition from races in New York and Massachusetts. Team Horst Sports teammate, Pat Cunningham, continued his winning ways in the 50+ race with a resounding victory. Paul Nyberg wasn’t far behind.

Art Roti and Wade Summers joined me in the 40+ race. Place-wise, I had one of my best results of the year. I had the opportunity to sprint for second place, but ended up fourth after getting out-kicked by Monte Frank and Bryan Atwood, who beat me in the sprint for eighth yesterday. The winner was Matt Krause, who is a very strong Master’s rider.

I rode a smart race until the final 200 meters when I let Monte and Bryan lead me onto the finishing straight. I never had a chance to come around them and they were too strong in the finale. That’s the third week in a row where I’ve given up valuable places in the last 200 meters of a race. After today’s disappointment, I’ve vowed to race more aggressively on the last lap and to attack. Right now, I have no sprint, so there is no point waiting for a sprint.

The course was fun, with a lot of riding. There were some tight turns, but it was mostly an open race. There was a stiff grass run-up with a little ring climb that followed. I tried to ride the hill in warm-ups, but crashed and slid down the sidehill, so I decided to run it every lap in the race. Riding it would have been no advantage.

There were some challenging roots and rocks in the woods that caused more than one puncture in our field. You had to pick the right line to avoid a pinch flat. There was one set of barriers that forced you to dismount. Other than the hill and barriers, it was all fast riding.

Monte led from the start, but he punctured on the first lap, and then was having gear problems with his pit bike. That allowed Matt to slip away from us, and we never closed the gap. Monte, Bryan, and I were joined for part of the race by Lawrence Merling. He may have also had a mechanical, but I’m not sure. With two to go, we gapped him and then there was a little cat and mouse between the three of us.

Monte keep the pace high and Bryan pressured him while I hung on. I missed my opportunity to jump around them and the final few turns were around the buildings, which left me no opportunity to pass. I think I was stronger on the hill and long grinding slog in the grass afterwards, but I mistakenly sat on them waiting for an opportunity closer to the finish. Oh well, I was one spot “out of the money” but all proceeds went to CCAP, so it is no loss!

My legs were a little tired after yesterday’s race, but that is no excuse. It was a fun weekend of cross racing. Next week is Stony Point in New York, but I’ll only race once. I earned the right to drink a Connecticut brewed beer, and I’ll have one tonight!

Race Results

2015 Cheshire Cross

Today, I raced the 10th annual Cheshire Cross in Cheshire, Connecticut. It was race number five in the CT Series of Cyclocross. I’ve done it several times over the years.

The course is one of my favorites because it is technical and it has a long steep hill. That hill, known as Heckler Hill, has quite the reputation. Most people can ride it, but it isn’t easy. The “Hill People” congregate on it and they are nuts.

My race was early, 9:00 A.M., but by noon, the hill people were out in force. They were loud and hilarious. Many were dressed in costumes and they were proud of breaking UCI rules. This wasn’t a UCI race. It’s one of the fun local events that make New England cyclocross so interesting.

I had a decent race, but once again, failed to pick up a spot in the final sprint. I had a last lap battle with Bryan Atwood. I led him until the bottom of the hill, but he muscled his way past me as we crested. I figured I would have a chance to come around him in the soccer fields, but as I made my move to pass him on the finishing stretch, a lapped rider blocked the way and I had to hit the brakes.

Oh well, I still had a fun day. It was cool and blustery, but the intermittent sunshine was pleasant. Debbie and the kids came to watch and the kids race got good participation. It was a longer loop than usual, which was nice. Next year, our son will be ready to try some junior races.

The Horst Engineering Cycling Team had some good results. Pat Cunningham won the 50+ race and Paul Nyberg wasn’t far behind him in 4th. I was joined in the 40+ race by Wade Summers, Art Roti, and Mike Wonderly.

I hung around after my race to watch the Elite Men and Elite Women. The men’s race was won by Matt Timmerman after a tight battle with a young rider. It was fun to watch. The women’s race had a dominating performance by Jena Greaser, who took the win.

The Connecticut series continues tomorrow at the Newtown Cross.

http://www.crossresults.com/race/5695Race Results

2015 Cycle-Smart Northampton International Cyclocross

We had a fantastic weekend of cyclocross racing in Massachusetts at the 25th annual Cycle-Smart Northampton International (NoHo) Cyclingnews.com has a nice overview of the race and its history from its early days when it was known as the UMASS Cyclocross. Like last weekend’s West Hill Shop Cyclocross in Putney, I’ve done NoHo/UMASS 12 times (years). I’ve actually done more races there because going back many years, it has been a two-race weekend and I’ve done the double at least four times.

Like Putney, I first raced this event back in 1995 in my first year of cyclocross racing. I raced UMASS five times when the event was held on the Amherst campus and have been back seven times over the years, to race the Cycle-Smart version of the race at Look Park in Northampton. Like Putney, it is one of my favorite events. For me, cyclocross season doesn’t really kick in until November and the first two weekends of this month have always been special because of Putney and NoHo. I missed them both in 2014 because of my broken shoulder, so I was really excited to be back this year.

Race Director, Adam Myerson, and his colleagues/friends/teammates/volunteers from Cycle-Smart Inc., Northampton Cycling Club, and JAM Fund put on a good show. This is the third largest cross race in New England behind Providence and Gloucester. Look Park is a great venue. It is a very fast course, which favors strong road cyclists who have time trial type power.

This year was unique for me because Horst Engineering got involved with the race as a sponsor for the very first time. For the past two years, we have supported Adam with our Horst Spikes cross spikes. We got to talking and agreed to sponsor the run-up, which is a rock strewn sandy slope that takes you from the grassy lower section of Look Park to the upper wooded section. Cross spikes are the ideal product sponsor for a course feature like this. We donated Horst Spikes for each category and participated in the Race Expo. It was a lot of fun for Team Horst Sports and we got great support from our team to man our booth and participate in the festivities.

Pat Cunningham, Matt Domnarski, Paul Nyberg, Wade Summers, Arthur Roti, Andris Skulte, and I raced Saturday and Sunday. We were joined on Saturday by Randall Dutton. Our “roadie” mates Erik Emanuele, Max Accaputo, Trent Sullivan, and A. Zane Wenzel helped us with the expo and Horst Spike sales. Arthur and I owe them a big “thank you” for pitching in. We had a blast with the event. In addition to our team, many other riders we support were at the event, including Cassie Maximenko, Ellen Noble, Kate Northcott, and Lizzy Gunsalus. It was great to see them along with so many other friends.

The weather was excellent both days. Yesterday, it was partly sunny and cool with a stiff breeze. Today, it was also cool, but the sky was blue and the sun was a bit warmer than yesterday. Thankfully, it wasn’t as windy. The conditions were ideal for cyclocross. We had some rain on Friday, so the course was damp yesterday morning, but by this afternoon it was dry and dusty.

Everyone on the team rode well against some of the best regional competition. I had two good races in the challenging Masters 35+/Juniors 15-18 field. I’m not a big fan of the combined Masters-Juniors races, but it makes for an extraordinarily fast race. Our pace is second only to the Elite Men. The challenge is that the race combines some of the most skilled Masters riders with the inexperienced, and generally poor bike handling, Juniors. The Juniors are like young colts. They are full of raw power and speed, but they lack the finesse required to ride clean lines around the tight turns and they often struggle with the technical features on the course. There is no point being frustrated; you just make the best of it, but I look forward to “aging up” next year when I can race with the Masters 45+/55+ men.

Both races were wicked hard. I definitely left it all out there and I’m pleased with how my cyclocross form is improving. Both days, I missed the opportunity to pick up several spots in the final 300 meters. Yesterday, we covered five laps, but the course was a bit quicker today and they had us do six. I was in a group of six, but didn’t have the kick at the finish and all five of my competitors beat me to the line. Drafting was critical for the long open stretches of the course. Today my laps were between 8:17 and 8:29 each and I averaged 14.9 miles per hour. Yesterday was only 0.1 mile per hour slower, so pretty much the same speed, which is fast for cyclocross. Today, I was in a group of three with another rider just ahead, but again, didn’t have the necessary kick, my right quad cramped in the final stretch, and I couldn’t improve my placing. Nevertheless, it was so  much fun. The inter-race battles were excellent.

Normally, I would do my race, and then depart, but NoHo is an all day affair…and for two days in a row. We were there from early morning until the Elite Men finished at 4:00 P.M. on both days. There were food trucks, a beer tent, and lots of things to see and do. Look Park is very family friendly. It has multiple playgrounds, a zoo, and lots of places to ride and play. There was a kids race each day and attracted nearly 50 participants under the age of 10. The kids joined me both days and Debbie joined us today. Everyone had a lot of fun. We will all sleep well tonight.

This coming weekend, the Connecticut Series of CX continues with races five and six in Cheshire and Newtown. After a medium-sized production like NoHo, these little races will be a different experience, but I like them just the same.

Race Results Day 1

Race Results Day 2

2015 West Hill Shop Cyclocross

Today was the 25th annual West Hill Shop Cyclocross in Putney, Vermont. I made the journey north with Debbie and the kids. We joined up with several Team Horst Sports mates, including Arthur Roti, Wade Summers, Pat Cunningham, and Matt Domnarski. The “Putney” race is one of my all time favorite events. I absolutely love the course, and I love this time of year. The race is always the first weekend in November. For many years, it was the day after the Frank-N-Horst Cyclocross in Keene. Frank-N-Horst may be gone, but Putney race is still with us.

This was the 12th time that I’ve done this race, so I’ve done nearly half of them, which is pretty good. I think of the 130 or so career cyclocross races that I’ve done, I’ve raced West Hill more times than any other. It was my fourth ever race, the first one coming 20 years ago in 1995. So, today had some nostalgia to it.

I was happy to be back in Putney with both teammates and family. It was perfect cross weather today. It took us a while to get out of the driveway. We took our VW Westy and our Gearwagon, but it took a while to gather all the necessary stuff. we had five bicycles between us. I joked that my heart rate was elevated and I was sweating, before ever leaving the driveway. When we left home, it was raining lightly and it was cool.

When we got to Putney an hour and forty-five minutes later, it was still overcast with light drizzle. The course was damp, but not too muddy. As the day went on and the breeze picked up, it dried out. By the end of my race around 1:30 P.M., the sun was breaking through the clouds. The kids had a little race around 12:35 and all of the Masters 35+, 45+, and 55+ riders started 10 minutes later with each group spaced by 30 seconds. Next year, I’ll be in the 45+ age group, but this year, I’m one of the oldest in the 35+ which is a disadvantage, but I’m not complaining. I’m happy to be racing strong at 43 (racing age 44).

I had my best start of the season and going into the third lap, the front group of five or six was just ahead of me, but that is when the elastic band snapped. I couldn’t close the 10 second gap and it eventually opened up even more. I was with another rider in between the front group and a  larger chasing group. Things got reshuffled and I stayed ahead of the chasing group. I don’t know where I ended up. I’ll have to wait for the results on Monday. I didn’t even bother to go look. I was happy with my ride. I gave it everything I had.

One of the famous features of the Putney course is the run-up. It’s one of the hills that has inspired the design of Horst Spikes. Before the start, I changed out my Medium cross spikes, and installed my Long’s. They were great for the loose, but damp sand on the hill. There are two other dismounts on the course, including a set of barriers, and a short muddy run-up with wood stairs.

We got to do dine at some of our favorite places. For lunch, on the way to the shop, we stopped at the Putney Co-Op, where we are members. Then, on the way home, we stopped in Northampton. First, we got bread and sweets (take out) at Hungry Ghost Bread, and then we had dinner at Paul & Elizabeth’s, our favorite restaurant. We will be back in Northampton next weekend on both Saturday and Sunday for the Cycle-Smart International Cyclocross. Horst Engineering is sponsoring the race, so our team will have a big presence. NoHo is one of the bigger races in New England. It ranks behind only Gloucester and Providence in participation. Look Park is a great venue, so if you are interested in watching a really cool event, come to NoHo and see some of the best cyclocross racing that New England has to offer.

Race Results (will be posted when available)

2015 Wicked Creepy Cross

Today, I went to the 9th annual Wicked Creepy Cross in Bennington, Vermont. It was the fourth of five races in the NYCROSS Series, and I was joined by Arthur Roti, his son, and my son. The boys had an absolute blast. This is the only cyclocross course that I know where the venue also has a BMX track. My Garmin results show the course and the track.

Willow Park in Bennington was the site of the festivities, and it is a little jewel. The views of the southern Green Mountains and the views during our drive through the Berkshires were fantastic. It was a bit rainy, so the foliage was a little dark, but it was still another great New England autumn day. The BMX track was certainly a hit with the boys. I did see some big smiles on the adults too.

The cross course was also very good. This was my first time at this race. It was well done and had those little touches that make a good event. The kids race was a short course/one lap affair that was more ceremonial than competitive. There was even a Costume Lap, which was good for a few giggles.

I got to see Chris and Kate Northcott for the second weekend in a row and Chris was kind enough to keep an eye on our kids while Art and I raced. Last week, I saw the Northcott clan in Keene, New Hampshire at the PumpkinCross. We are going to see a lot of them in the next month with the West Hill Shop Cyclocross in Putney, Vermont next weekend, and then the Cycle-Smart International in Northampton, Massachusetts the week after that.

Art and I were joined by our teammate, Paul Nyberg. All of the Masters riders 35 and up started together, so it was one big group of 35’s, 45’s, and 55’s. Paul scored third in his age group. Art and I had decent rides against our peers. I had a good start, whereas Paul had a big wipeout in the first corner. He recovered, only to fall again during the race, so maybe he could have done better than 3rd without the mishaps. I rode a generally clean race and had some nice inter-race battles. When you aren’t lighting up the front of the race, that is what cross is about. It was muddy in a few spots and slick in others. I was happy with my Seven Mudhoney  Pro; the bike handled well.

I lost a little ground with a few laps to go, but maintained a steady pace and held off some rivals as the finish neared. The race had a mix of tight turns, sharp sprinting, and medium drags. There was a short run up with wood steps that I had to dismount for. There was also a set of barriers requiring a dismount, and there was a steep loose dirt run-up that sapped the leg strength. I used my Medium Horst Spikes today, though I could have used Long’s. We finally got to use them in some proper wet and muddy conditions. I didn’t have time before the start to swap them out. I’ll definitely have Long’s in my Sidi shoes for Putney next week. That course has one of my favorite run-ups in New England.

After we packed up, we watched a little of the women’s race. Kate was off the front and doing very well. It was fun to watch. On the drive back to Connecticut, we stopped in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts for a late lunch and to check out the Bridge of Flowers. It was a fun Sunday with the boys.

Race Results

Takewondo Belt Testing & Black Belt

Today, our son earned his first degree Black Belt at Park’s US Taekwondo. Our daughter earned her High Blue Belt. He has been working towards this goal for 4.5 years, and she is in her second year. Both of them have benefitted tremendously from the program. Our son was a classmate of Master Park’s son at the local Montessori school. They donated a trial membership to the school’s auction fundraiser. We purchased it and it got us started down this Taekwondo road.

The five aims of Taekwondo are:

1. Respect
2. Humility
3. Perseverance
4. Self Control
5. Honesty

Those are a pretty good set of core values. The curriculum has taught them many other lessons. The focus on form and breaking has been both fun and educational. The physical component of the sport has kept them active two to three days a week. Their speed, agility, flexibility, and strength have improved. Both kids have enjoyed this goal oriented Korean martial art. Master Park and his staff have been fantastic. They challenge the kids to do things that they otherwise might not experience. I love watching all levels at the belt tests. The beginners are thrilled with their accomplishments and the experienced students are highly skilled.

I love watching the combination of grace and athleticism that the advanced students exhibit. There were a few second and third degree Black Belts at the test. It’s good for both the younger students and the parents to see what the highly skilled students have accomplished. For our son, he had to earn 15 prior belts on this path to Black Belt. For each one, he had a test similar to this. However, over the past year, while he was a Deputy Black Belt, he had to test three times to earn the right to wear a Black Belt for the first time.

The role that Debbie and I play is no different from with their other interests of soccer, running, cycling, Scouting, and gymnastics. At times, we have had to push gently and we have always offered our support. Our wish is that they both continue with Taekwondo and further their journey. With our son earning his Black Belt, today was a day to celebrate.

2015 Keene Pumpkin Cross

Today, I drove to Keene, New Hampshire for the 2nd annual Keene PumpkinCross at Surry Mountain Lake State Park. For many years in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, the Horst Engineering Cycling Team joined with Team Frank to promote the Frank-N-Horst Cyclocross in Keene. Earlier this week, when registering for the Cyclesmart International, I decided to register for PumpkinCross.

I traveled solo today. My family had a busy weekend and I couldn’t convince anyone to join me, so I drove solo while listening to the BBC, the Grateful Dead Channel, and mentally planning the work week ahead. My only teammate at the race was Andris Skulte, who happens to also be one of my colleagues at Horst Engineering. Andris’ in-law’s live near the race course, so it was an easy trip for his this morning. It was nice to see Andris and his wife, Kristen. It took me two hours to drive from Bolton, but I didn’t mind. I awoke to the coldest morning since last winter, with a temperature of 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Throughout New England today, we had very changeable weather with bright sun, puffy clouds, and then intermittent heavy snow showers. The air aloft was very cold.

The course at this Army Corps of Engineers property was really good. The foliage on along the lake was spectacular. The course had a mix of tight turns and straightaways where you could hammer. It was mostly flat, with a few sharp rises, and one stiff run-up on rough ground. There was a dismount over a large fallen tree, and another dismount over a set of barriers. The whole course could be ridden in the big ring, but I chose to ride the second of two deep sand sections in the little ring because you had to hang a left turn in the middle of the sand. The first sand section was a straightaway with a good line that you could hammer. The upper section of the course was more hillyand there was a bit of busted up asphalt and gravel. The grassy sections were slick at the start and there were some ruts in the turns, but overall, the surface was in good shape and you could take the corners fast.

In the 40+ race, I had a good start, but then I had a few bobbles during the rest of the first lap, including one in the second sand section that required me to clip out, but not dismount. I settled down on lap two, but let a gap go to the front group, that I never closed. That group included Keith Burgoyne, Matt Boobar, Craig Vettori, and Brian Whitcomb. It reshuffled, Keith ended up out front with Craig and Brian chasing.  I’m not really sure how they sorted out their positions. Matt was chasing them with one or two riders, who eventually ended up behind me. I was chasing with Carl Ring (a fellow Team Seven Cycles rider) for a while before he dropped off the pace. With  a lap and a half to go, Steve Arsenault, the winner of the 50+ race (which started right behind us), caught me and then bridged to Matt.  I was just off the back of them on my own when I came through for the bell lap. I had a nice final lap and was able to catch them on the steep descent after the asphalt section at the top of the course.

I was gassed, but I hung in there on the potholed pavement before they gapped me again going into the grass chicane before the finish. I was proud of myself for not giving up because Steve pulled away, but Matt faded and I pipped him on the line with a big final kick and bike throw. We covered 9.5 miles in just over 42 minutes for a pretty high average speed for a cross race. This was a fun local race without a super strong field, but I was still happy with 4th. I was bummed to not get third, which would have paid some prize money. It would have been nice to cover or at least defray my $31 entry fee (plus http://www.bikereg.com fee). Cross races aren’t $15 like they were in the Frank-N-Horst days…

It was great to see so many old friends from New Hampshire, including Paul Rhodes, Chris Northcott, Kate Northcott, Chris Logan, and Jill Logan. The Northcott’s and Logan’s were very involved with our race when we hosted it in New Hampshire. I’ll see them all again the first Sunday in November at the West Hill Shop Cyclocross in Putney, Vermont, one of my favorite all time races.

My day took a turn for the worse when I realized that I lost my car keys out on the course. I had them in the back of my jacket. I figured that on my cool down lap, when I was taking pictures of the amazing venue, that they fell out of my pocket. Thankfully, that turned out to be the case. After  bit of frantic searching, I got on the course after the finish of the 3/4 race and retraced my steps. I went to each spot where I stopped to take pictures, and sure enough, at my third stop, I found them. That as a huge sigh of relief, and my day was good again. It was cold, windy, and snowing lightly again, so I was happy to finally change out of my kit.

The West Point Cycling Team was at the race and I enjoyed chatting with the cadets. I told them that the West Point Criterium was one of my top-5 all-time favorite races. The campus course is spectacular with a steep descent, tight turns, and an uphill finish that even goes under a building. Seeing their trailer and vans brought back memories from my collegiate cycling days between 1991 and 1995. I wish we had collegiate cyclocross races back then; It was was only road and a little mountain.

I stopped for a snack in Brattleboro, before rejoining my family at a birthday party at Storrs Adventure Park, a ropes course not far from our house. It was a good day in New England.

Race Results

2015 Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross

Today, I returned to race the Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross. This is one of my favorite courses. An 8:30 A.M. start on Saturday morning is kind of rough, but I dealt with it. I don’t mind early starts, but I always struggle with Saturday races after tough work weeks. This week was challenging because after returning from Japan last Saturday, I spent Wednesday in Boston and Thursday in Cincinnati and Chicago, after missing my connecting flight back to Hartford. I didn’t get back until mid-day on Friday and the work week wasn’t over yet with an afternoon full of meetings.

Anyway, sometimes, the lead in to races isn’t ideal. With so many fun events going on this weekend, including the Hartford Marathon, Grindstone 100, Ironman Louisville, and Ironman World Championships; I wanted to race too. I absolutely love competing at this time year, and October is my favorite month. This is the fifth anniversary of when I raced the Ironman in Hawaii, and Debbie raced Grindstone in 2011, but we were happy to be close to home today This was race number three in the CT Series of Cyclocross and we had a strong turnout from the Horst Engineering Cycling Team. Pat Cunningham continued his stellar 2015 campaign by winning the men’s 50+ race. Paul Nyberg wasn’t far behind him in fourth.

In the 40+ race, Mike Wonderly was just in front of me in 10th spot. Art Roti wasn’t far behind me. Unfortunately, our teammate, Wade Summers, fell hard after catching his bike on a course stake, and fractured his clavicle. I feel his pain after missing the entire 2014 cyclocross season with a fractured scapula. Wade will be back. I don’t think it is a bad break. He was coming in to good form, and I don’t think his season is over.

Randall Dutton and Andris Skulte represented us in the 3/4 race. Everyone enjoyed the fantastic fall weather. With the foliage nearing peak, the reservoir views were gorgeous. Ron Manizza and his crew of volunteers lucked out with the fine conditions. I’ve done this race in the snow before! It is one of the longtime New England classics, going back to the mid-1980’s when cross was a much smaller sport.

Debbie and the kids came up to watch and enjoy the wonderful weather at beautiful Mansfield Hollow State Park. I had a lot of fun. I could race cross every day. Of course, my body couldn’t take that, but my brain wants to do it all of the time, even when I’m tired. I had a nice race long battle with my longtime nemesis (and friend), Ricky Legault. He, Mike, and I swapped spots several times. Ricky is a supreme bike handler. I had more horsepower in the open fields, but he was quicker through the corners, over the telephone pole, and in the sand. I did OK on the barriers today.

I absolute love riding my Seven Cycles Mudhoney Pro. It’s hard to have a favorite bike because that’s like saying you have a favorite child, but it is one of my favorites. I don’t think I would choose it over my Axiom SL supercomputer, but at least I can say it is my favorite cross bike. It’s nice that proceeds from the race go to the Friends of Mansfield Hollow. It really is a lovely park.

Race Results (will be posted when available)

2015 KMC Cyclocross Festival

Today was day two of the KMC Cyclocross Festival in Providence, Rhode Island. The event is commonly known as the “Providence Crossfest,” or just “Providence.” The race has become one of the most significant on the national cyclocross calendar, and it is the largest and most successful race in New England.

The Saturday race was a UCI C1 event and is a candidate to become part of the World Cup. The only race in the United States that is part of the World Cup is CrossVegas, and that just happened this year. I’ve done variations of Providence many times in the past. This venue at Roger Williams Park, hosted the national championships several years ago. The Sunday race is C2, but still competitive. Yesterday, I watched the men’s and women’s races live on the Internet. The coverage was good and it was great to see Jeremy Powers, a rider who uses Horst Engineering’s cross spikes, take the victory. He also crushed it last weekend at the GP Gloucester, New England’s other huge race.

I missed last year with my broken shoulder. This year, I was only able to make the Sunday event because we got back late on Friday after two weeks in Japan. After ULTRA-TRAIL Mt. FUJI, it was Debbie’s turn to support me, so she and the kids piled into the van with all  of our stuff. We briefly stopped at the NipMuck Trail Marathon. Conveniently, it was on the way. My 12:30 P.M. start was convenient too, but the problems was it felt like 1:30 A.M. Japan time. The jet lag was fierce.

I knew it would be hard to get the legs turning after three weeks off of my bike, but I wanted to do the race because it has the most competitive 35+ field in the region. The local races are fun, but sometimes, it feels good to do a big one. Providence is big, with a full on expo and three days of racing. The unofficial kickoff is the New England Builders’ Ball, which was Friday night. I was really sad to miss it this year after being there in 2014, but my colleague and teammate Arthur Roti, was joined by our teammate, Zane Wenzel to host the Horst Spikes booth.

Horst Engineering had a successful night at the Ball, and the Horst Engineering Cycling Team had a successful weekend racing in Providence. Matt Domnarski, Pat Cunningham, and Paul Nyberg all had solid results in the 50+ race both days. Matt and Pat got top 12 today. Art and Wade Summers raced both days in the 35+ and I joined them today. I wish there was a 40+ race, but it wasn’t to be.

Yesterday, we had a lot of rain, though it dried out by the end of the day. Today, the course was damp, but the mud was tackle or completely dry and rutted in spots. The pace of today’s race was fast. I cramped badly with three to go. My right quad was acting up and I had to back off a bit to get it to calm down. I had no “pop” and struggled a bit on some of the technical sections, but thankfully, I cleared all of the flyovers without walking or crashing. I saw a few wrecks, but stayed on my bike, and feel good about that. I’ll come around. It was good to blast it hard for 49 minutes.

Another reason for enjoying the race today was because we got to see some old friends. I missed Jon Gallagher, but heard his voice from behind a barrier. He was busy in the results trailer. His One2Go timing business is very successful and he does most of the big races around the country. Jon and I raced together more than 20 years ago and spent the summer of 1994 on the kermesse circuit in Belgium. Hopefully I see him at another race this fall, or at least in Asheville, North Carolina for the national championships.

It was fun to swing by Richard Sachs‘ tent. We go way back with Richard. My first real road bike (after my Shogun 400 and a steel Trek), was my 1989 Richard Sachs. That frameset still hangs in my office at work. I’ve been converting my circa 1997 Richard Sachs cross bike to a single speed and hope to debut it sometime this fall in advance of the national championships in January. Richard has a very successful team and I love his branding with House Industries. Richard no longer lives in Chester (one of my favorite Connecticut towns), but we enjoyed visiting him there particularly on the 4th of July during the years when we were in town for the 4 on the 4th Road Race.

Debbie and I reconnected with longtime friends, Erik and Sue Grimm. Erik is one of my all-time favorite athletes. He has succeeded at everything from triathlon, to adventure racing, skiing, swimming, cycling, to running. Lately, he has been crushing masters fields in cyclocross and he scored third place both yesterday and today. Erik is a fellow member of YPO, so he also has to juggle family, with work, community service, and endurance sports. Erik, Sue, Debbie, and I have had some good times in far-flung places like Sydney, Australia, but we haven’t seen each other in the Northeast for several years. They had kids (triplets) several years ago, so it was great to introduce our kids to their kids. At the park, they got to horse around, climb trees, and ride their bikes. Both of our children did the kids race, and then we packed up and headed home, still jet lagged, but satisfied that our reentry weekend with the LEGO 5K, NipMuck, and Providence, was a success.

After a big cross race, we return to more local grassroots events next weekend when the Connecticut Series of CX continues at Mansfield Hollow.

Race Results

2015 NipMuck Trail Marathon

This year, no one in our immediate family ran the NipMuck Trail Marathon, but many people in our extended family did. So, we hustled to Ashford early this morning for the start of this famed event. We watched the runners head out from Perry Hill Rd., and then we went over to where the Nipmuck Trail crosses Rt. 44 in Mansfield, which is the 6-mile turnaround.

We had fun hanging out with Ken Larson, (Coach) Kathy Manizza, and the Eastern Connecticut State University Women’s Cross Country Team. They were manning the aid station. I love that spot on the course as you run along the river. I got some fun photos of the runners emerging from the woods and then heading back.

I wish we could have spent a little more time helping out our Shenipsit Strider club mates, but alas, we were squeezing a lot into a short weekend. Kehr Davis was leading Sean Greaney at that point in the race. They were chased by one other runner and then there was a large chase pack led by Brett Stoeffler. I’ve battled with Brett in the past, notably in 2011 when he DNF’d after he sprained his ankle with five miles to go. He has some great NipMuck results on his resume, and today, he ran the smart pace that he always runs, caught up to Kehr, and passed her before the finish. It would have been great to see a woman win the overall title, but she had a stellar time and he is a deserving winner.

NipMuck was race number 10 in the 2nd annual Connecticut Blue-Blazed Trail Running Series. Only Bimbler’s Bluff 50K remains. NipMuck was also race number 14 in the New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series. Several races remain. The Monroe Trail Race is next on the list, this coming Sunday.

As always, NipMuck wouldn’t be possible without the great volunteers. Most, but not all are from the Shenipsit Striders. They should all be appreciated. NipMuck is a 32 year tradition.

Race Results

2015 LEGO Family 5K Road Race & Children’s Fun Run

For the second year in a row, our family participated in the LEGO Family 5K & Children’s Fun Run at LEGO’s North American headquarters in Enfield, Connecticut. Debbie and I returned from Japan late last night (via Boston) and were a bit jet-lagged, but we wouldn’t miss the opportunity to run with our kids at this fun event.

The weather was atrocious, with intermittent rain and a cold temperature. It was raw, but the promise of LEGO swag and lots of fun, drew more than 500 runners to this sold out event. Debbie was pretty knackered, but that didn’t stop her from pushing. She amazes me. Six days after running 180 kilometers at ULTRA-TRAIL Mt. FUJI, albeit at a slower pace, she hammered for another 5 kilometers this morning and got first in her age group. She was awarded a nice LEGO plaque.

Our son got his 5K PR last year and this year he shaved 59 seconds off of that time for another PR. There was a one mile kids fun run followed by a 1/4 mile kids fun run. Once again, Henry Domnarski dominated the men’s race. He was followed by Eric Silva and Nathan Kucera. Jennifer McHale was the first woman. She was followed by Melissa Roy, and then Debbie.

LEGO had a silent auction, raffle, and lots of gifts for the runners. Once again, they were very generous. Proceeds from the race will benefit Camp Courant.

Race Results

Citizen Machinery Co., Ltd.

Yesterday, Debbie and I had the pleasure to visit Citizen Machinery Co., Ltd. in Karuizawa, Japan. Citizen is the manufacturer of the 18 Cincom CNC Swiss Automatic Lathes (screw machines) that Horst Engineering operates at our South Windsor, Connecticut plant site. Citizen’s partnership with Marubeni is Marubeni Citizen Cincom (MCC) and we are supported by their office in Agawam, Massachusetts.

Cincom machinery has been an important part of our manufacturing operations since 2003. The 18 Swiss are used to produce hundreds of different products and we recently expanded to our new Burnham Street plant site and moved all of the machines into one building. This will give us much greater efficiency.

The invitation to visit Citizen was welcomed and the plant tour was fantastic. They build very high-end machines. In addition to the production of Swiss type machines (sliding headstock), they manufacture the Miyano brand (fixed headstock) of lathes and multi-tasking machines. As I learned during my visit to Okuma last week, the ability for a country to have a strong machine tool industry is critical to its economic development and strength because these are the machines needed to build all other machines.

We got to see how much craftsmanship and skill go in to the hand scraping of the ways and other critical manufacturing processes. Citizen operates multiple plants in Japan, plus they have factories in Thailand and China. The Karuizawa facility is where they develop many of their products.

We got to tour the Museum of the Automatic Lathe, which chronicles Citizen’s history. The company realized that they couldn’t obtain the necessary equipment to produce their watches to the highest standards, so they built their own, starting in 1936. The equipment line expanded and became a business of its own. Miyano got its start as a file manufacturing company. Both businesses were inspired by machine tool manufacturers in Europe and the USA.

Cincom and Miyano machines are used to produce amazing products. We use our Cincom machines to make a wide range of aerospace components, including pins, bushings, sleeves, and fasteners. We also use the machines for some medical components, including surgical tools. Recently, we have been producing our Horst Spikes product line with the help of Cincom machines.

The Karuizawa headquarters is in Nagano prefecture and is in the shadow of Mount Asama, an active volcano. It’s a beautiful part of Japan, but one that is always under the threat of natural disaster. We could see smoke and steam rising from the summit cone of Asama.

The factory is modern, lean, and very clean. We saw 5S postings and it was obvious that they lived their values.

• Seiri, 整理 (Sort)
• Seiton, 整頓 (Systematic Arrangement)
• Seisou, 清掃 (Shine)
• Seiketsu, 清潔 (Standardize)
• Shitsuke, 躾 (Sustain)

Our hosts were justifiably proud of the skill levels that their employees have attained. It was clear that they are a company built on their engineering strengths. At Horst Engineering, we have always believed that to build the best products, you have to use the best machines, tools, and gaging while training the best the best employees to develop their skills. Cincom machines are the best you can invest in for Swiss type lathes.

Again, I wish I had more time to spend at Citizen. I’m very appreciative of MCC for helping arrange the visit. It would have also been nice to see the Kitakami Works factory, so I’ll just have to return in the future. I was excited to see some of the new products they have developed and I even like the new paint scheme for the Cincom line. I’m motivated to work with our team to win some new work that will allow us to grow and possibly invest in some of the newest Citizen technology. The visit may have been short, but I was still able to learn much more about the company and what makes them tick…literally.

Okuma Corporation

Our trip to Japan has been fantastic. One of the highlights (and reasons for being here), was the Okuma Corporation visit last week. The day after visiting one of our key customers in Amagasaki near Osaka, I was fortunate to tour Okuma’s Kani and Oguchi plant sites near Nagoya. Each site has multiple buildings.

Horst Engineering has three Okuma lathes. Interestingly, our LS model is one of the oldest machines that still runs at our East Hartford plant. The two LT2000 EX  models are the two newest, and one of our largest capital equipment investments to date. We featured a news item about these machines at the end of last year.

I’ve been fortunate to take some amazing plant tours during a lifetime spent as part of a manufacturing family, but the Okuma tour is legitimately near the top of my all-time list. I’m sure just about any tour I take at a Japanese industrial company would wow me.

Interestingly, unfounded manufacturing prejudices in the 1980’s that were inherited from my grandfather, prevented us from embracing Japanese machine tool technology until the 1990’s when we bought a Matsuura machining center. The technology wowed us. We did most of our milling on Bridgeports and had a German Deckel machine, but it required manual tool changes.

Fast forward to now and we have more than 100 CNC machines that were built in Japan or have controls that were built in Japan. After years of benchmarking the Japanese approach to lean enterprise that is espoused by the Toyota Production System, it was wonderful to tour a plant where lean is woven into the fabric of the culture.

Okuma has developed an amazing amount of automation at both its Kani and Oguchi plant sites. Oguchi is their Dream Site 1 (DS1) facility. DS1 has more than 500 wall mounted solar panels and 3,800 roof mounted solar panels. The solar and other sustainable building features are an amazing display of green technology in a manufacturing environment and consistent with Horst Engineering’s own solar and green investments.

Okuma headquarters is also the site of the Okuma Memorial Gallery and the Global CS (Customer Service) Center. The museum is an awesome display of their history in the machine tool business, starting with their first noodle making machine. The CS is a show room that has nearly every modern machine in their portfolio. I’ve been to IMTS on many occasions, but seeing one manufacturer’s full catalog in one room was wonderful. My only regret is that it was too short of a visit and I would have liked to spend more time there. I’m really appreciate of the team at Morris Group, Inc. and the folks at Okuma Corporation, for making this visit possible.