Night Weasels CX

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strat
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Night Weasels CX

Post by strat »

The mud weasels...a comedy of errors and misfortune...

Entered the 4/5 40+, which was a combined field with the 4/5 U40, along with about half of MRC - great turn out! Pre-rode before the Cat 5's went off and things were already pretty sludgy...didn't race this last year so I'm not sure if the course differed (other than the conditions!).

Was 2nd row on the grid behind Mike Fowler. Mike got a great start and I was able to slot right in behind him, probably sitting 6th or 7th wheel by the time we reached the sludge path climb (was very rideable - except for the final run up - but most opted to hop off and run this...guy in front of me swung his bike up over his shoulder and twatted me on the head with his rear wheel...my recovery caused the guy behind me to have to take evasive action and pay me a nice compliment!). Mike was out in front and opening up a gap like a good 'un.

My first lap was clean, was sitting 9th and all seemed steady when I pushed too hard in the middle field (off camber right hander) and washed out. My RH shifter was plunged hood-deep in the Ski Ward clay...yanked it out and hopped back on only to discover that the rear brake no longer functioned (erm...ok...no pit bike so will just need to make this work). 3rd lap came and - in the darned middle field again - it suddenly became very easy to pedal...dropped chain, wedged between the chain ring and chain stay. Thought is was game over but managed to free this and get it back on...probably cost me 8 or 9 places but I figured I was still top 20-ish. Made up some places up on the 4th lap then on the bell lap something got wedged between the rear tire and the seat tube (WTF?!) locking things up. I stopped and raked the area out with my fingers which seemed to free whatever was binding things up (yes, this was also in the middle field). Hopped back on, passed the guy that just got by me and crossed the line (20th)...talking to some of the team at the bike wash I think several encountered mud-borne thrills and spills.

Congratulations to Mike and Robbie for taking 1st and 3rd!
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cbusick
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by cbusick »

That was tough. I started in the 2nd row surrounded by 545. First turn it was all contact on both sides all the way to the lake where we made an epic splash. By the time we got to the next turn we were all running, and ran most of the hill with people trying to ride and wiping out and jamming things up.

I passed a bunch of people on the downhill, mostly because they were laying in the mud and I was still upright. Then I started trading places with Burgel. He'd get ahead of me on the hill, and I'd reel him back in every time he hit the deck. It was like the Chris Farley Ice Skating sketch where he kept falling and didn't know when to quit. Then he'd pass me again on that miserable run/hike a bike/slog up the hill.

Ryan kelly was announcing that some Minuteman was off the front but the didn't know who. Every time he announced that they didn't know I yelled 'peter kuhn' because who else would it be?

I got close to Josh on the last lap, and asked him to fall down again so I could get ahead but he managed to keep it upright and finish ahead of me. I think I finished 10th but the font was too small in the results for my old eyes.

Thanks to the MRC members in the beer garden representing well as usual. It helps.

Somehow Greg Jackson beat me, so we'll see if I can sleep tonight.... At least I rode the stairs every lap..

Update: it wasn't Chris Farley, but Jason Preistly on SNL that I was thinking of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYeEAx-0sGg
-Chris Busick
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by ppereira »

oh man, what a day. 4/5's under 40 for me, staged somewhere near the back as usual. I did a preride before the 5's even raced, so to see how much it changed in the matter of a race was nuts. first lap I try to do my best to ride through the mud and was doing it well but with too many people off the bike I had to join in. otherwise, I wasn't really focusing on getting past people, just trying to stay upright and not get stupid in conditions that I have absolutely no experience in. Mission accomplished lol Ended up finishing 44/88 (at least that's how it was on the sheet inside, not sure if they'll separate the fields when they upload), and it was fun suffering with other MRC folks throughout.
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by rraymond »

Race predictor had be at 6th (how does that happen?) but I started 3rd row because they combined staging with the 4/5 40+. Immediately after the gun the guy next to me starts to crash into me and I brake to stay upright loosing way too many spots (maybe 20 more?) before we've even hit the big puddle. By then it was big muddy pileup into the first real turn so I get off my bike and proceed to run and keep running all the way up the hill passing people who can't ride the mud or can't run in the mud. By the top of the hill I was probably back in the top 20ish and just kept pedaling hard when I wasn't running more.

The course was so muddy that you really couldn't get any speed to carry into the corners so I my lack of handling wasn't a handicap plus I was able to ride through mud easier than most.

I kept hearing the announcers say Fowler was in first and they were trying to figure out who was in second place for the u40. They decided it was a JRA rider who I had passed on the hill. I didn't know how a rider behind me could be in second when Fowler was in first so I assumed it was a different JRA rider until he passed me right by the announcers who proclaimed the JRA guy was "already lapping riders!". Fuck no he isn't!

That stoked the fire and I focused in on not crashing and staying with JRA. Last lap and he put in a big dig on the bottom flat section getting a gap. I slowly closed it until halfway up I dismounted and ran the rest of the way catching him and dropping him when he blew up on the actual run up. From there it was just staying safe through the corners and thinking I finished second based on what the announcers had said about JRA.

Turns out there was a BC High kid ahead of JRA and myself so I actually got third. AJ Camelio suggested I retire from cx now since I'll never be able to top that.
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peterkuhn
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by peterkuhn »

cbusick wrote: Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:17 pm Chris Farley Ice Skating sketch
lmao this is such a good metaphor for the whole race
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peterkuhn
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by peterkuhn »

Quad CX was my first race on a cross bike. Midnight Ride was my first race without flatting on a cross bike with all its bolts appropriately tightened. Night Weasels was my first race in a thick and continuous mudpit at night on a cross bike with intact boa dials on both shoes.

Image

I followed a strict nutritional program of swiping as much halloween candy as possible from work (specifics: kitkat, twix, reeses, and plain m&ms if there wasn't anything better) in order to carbo-load. This is a real thing, I heard about it on the trainerroad podcast. They do it with sweet potatoes and brown rice for like, leadville, but same difference. The great thing about having a race at the end of the day after work is that instead of frantically shitting and pissing for half an hour before you can frantically shit and piss for up to 12 hours before and even more if you have a late race or like to wake up at the same hour as psychopaths and garbagemen. I'm sure I've made this same joke before in a race report but imma do me.

Here's a course map. The whole entire thing was greasy, so I only mud-coded the sections that were absolute slop with about a 1:1 riding/running speed differential. The best way to describe the brown sections is if you collected multiple tons of fresh cow patties and then put them on the side of a hill and watered them gently until the whole mass almost starts to slide down the hill and then have someone ride a bike through it a thousand times.

Image

Last year it was hot and dry and I led the race for a lap or two before getting passed by Shanta Keller, so the rematch was on in the 3s. Looking at the race predictor we were both like 7th wheel so I thought we'd be in a position to move quickly out of the gate. I was wrong about this, because they staged us with the 40+ guys, who all have very low points on account of being old(er). This works somehow, Colin Reuter explained it on a podcast once. The best ways to get low points are to be fast or old or ride a single-speed. So I started 4th row.

Robbie said to run the whole first hill, so I ran everything from the mud pond all the way to the top. Dudes falling down, dudes getting mashed in the mud, dudes mashing other dudes in the mud. Like a autumnal gay frat party made up entirely of hyperventilating dads. Up and down the first hill was pandemonium.

Lap two up the hill and I'm in 7th or 8th wheel, people in front of me are still trying to ride it (I can understand why, running up it sucks) so I run by them and I'm in the lead by the top. Normally you have an advantage being in front because you can pick your line, but instead of a line now you get to gamble that whichever side of the slop pit you just rode into doesn't have a rut underneath it that's going to deliver you into the slowest moving, least dignified wreck of your career. I'm pretty bad at this, but everyone else seems to be as bad or worse, because nobody makes up time on me going downhill or when I almost eat it twice in the same spot in front of the pits.

Literal and accurate photo of the course.

Image

For a lap or so I thought a New England Devo kid named Luca was going to gobble me up on the climbs; later I realized that on account of being light he probably had to do even more work than the rest of us going downhill. He doesn't come closer, which is great, this would not be a fun course to duel to the line on. On lap 3 my saddle comes loose and starts adjusting itself. All things considered this is a pretty mild mechanical; Shanta blew up his derailleur hanger along with quite a few other folks throughout the night. Even so, I babied the bike a little to avoid running or ride standing for the last lap or so.....

...and took the win!

Image

I got a jersey and Podium Cheese.

Results: https://www.crossresults.com/race/8298
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1883452583
strat
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by strat »

peterkuhn wrote: Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:49 am Quad CX was my first race on a cross bike. Midnight Ride was my first race without flatting on a cross bike with all its bolts appropriately tightened. Night Weasels was my first race in a thick and continuous mudpit at night on a cross bike with intact boa dials on both shoes.

Image

I followed a strict nutritional program of swiping as much halloween candy as possible from work (specifics: kitkat, twix, reeses, and plain m&ms if there wasn't anything better) in order to carbo-load. This is a real thing, I heard about it on the trainerroad podcast. They do it with sweet potatoes and brown rice for like, leadville, but same difference. The great thing about having a race at the end of the day after work is that instead of frantically shitting and pissing for half an hour before you can frantically shit and piss for up to 12 hours before and even more if you have a late race or like to wake up at the same hour as psychopaths and garbagemen. I'm sure I've made this same joke before in a race report but imma do me.

Here's a course map. The whole entire thing was greasy, so I only mud-coded the sections that were absolute slop with about a 1:1 riding/running speed differential. The best way to describe the brown sections is if you collected multiple tons of fresh cow patties and then put them on the side of a hill and watered them gently until the whole mass almost starts to slide down the hill and then have someone ride a bike through it a thousand times.

Image

Last year it was hot and dry and I led the race for a lap or two before getting passed by Shanta Keller, so the rematch was on in the 3s. Looking at the race predictor we were both like 7th wheel so I thought we'd be in a position to move quickly out of the gate. I was wrong about this, because they staged us with the 40+ guys, who all have very low points on account of being old(er). This works somehow, Colin Reuter explained it on a podcast once. The best ways to get low points are to be fast or old or ride a single-speed. So I started 4th row.

Robbie said to run the whole first hill, so I ran everything from the mud pond all the way to the top. Dudes falling down, dudes getting mashed in the mud, dudes mashing other dudes in the mud. Like a autumnal gay frat party made up entirely of hyperventilating dads. Up and down the first hill was pandemonium.

Lap two up the hill and I'm in 7th or 8th wheel, people in front of me are still trying to ride it (I can understand why, running up it sucks) so I run by them and I'm in the lead by the top. Normally you have an advantage being in front because you can pick your line, but instead of a line now you get to gamble that whichever side of the slop pit you just rode into doesn't have a rut underneath it that's going to deliver you into the slowest moving, least dignified wreck of your career. I'm pretty bad at this, but everyone else seems to be as bad or worse, because nobody makes up time on me going downhill or when I almost eat it twice in the same spot in front of the pits.

Literal and accurate photo of the course.

Image

For a lap or so I thought a New England Devo kid named Luca was going to gobble me up on the climbs; later I realized that on account of being light he probably had to do even more work than the rest of us going downhill. He doesn't come closer, which is great, this would not be a fun course to duel to the line on. On lap 3 my saddle comes loose and starts adjusting itself. All things considered this is a pretty mild mechanical; Shanta blew up his derailleur hanger along with quite a few other folks throughout the night. Even so, I babied the bike a little to avoid running or ride standing for the last lap or so.....

...and took the win!

Image

I got a jersey and Podium Cheese.

Results: https://www.crossresults.com/race/8298
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1883452583
Oh jeez, Hilarious account Peter! Congrats on the W.

Not sure why they separated 40+ & U40 registration if everyone gets staged and scored together?!
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eboos
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by eboos »

4/5

Showed up early and did a preview lap. This turned out to be my fastest lap of the day since I was the first one on the course, and it was still very rideable. A second preview after more people showed up revealed the deteriorating conditions, but the course was still rideable.

Thought they were going to split the field into 4/5 and 4/5 40+, but for some reason they didn't. Got squaded pretty deep, and I chose the right side. On the start, a crash happens halfway down the starting strip and I get veered off to the right and outside the tape. I get back on course and put out a respectable first lap.

Second lap I am starting to struggle with the conditions and after dabbing a foot in some mud I couldn't quite get reset in time to start cranking and ended up going over my handlebars. After a quick laugh I get back on. Right about then I get passed by Brian and I stick to his wheel. I spend a lot of time right with Brian and I think Ben (on the MTB?).

On the second segment of the third lap I drop my chain and loose Brian, Ben and Emmanuel. I reset my chain and continue on, but by now I am pretty sore. My back is hurting, and my calves from all the running in the first segment.

I don't know exactly when it happened, but on my fourth lap I got lapped by the leaders in the last segment going in for the finish. At the barriers, I turned up the gas to try to hold/gain a couple positions and after the final turn I am sprinting with someone just ahead. There is room to overtake on the right side, so I make my move. The guy to the left veers right just as we are side by side. Our handlebars intertwined and we go down. I am pretty much okay, he banged up his knee a bit. After checking to see if he was okay, I grab my bike and run it in for the finish. 65/89.

I went all season without a single crash, and now yesterday I crashed twice. Points wise, at least this is better than KMC Day 1. Bars got tweeked, and I bent my derailleur hanger. Big thanks to Landry's for straightening the derailleur hanger so quickly.
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by fowleezy »

Mostly no point in posting this after Peter's post, but here goes anyway.

I got out of work late and rushed over there to get there at 4:25 for the 4:45 race. I quickly got dressed and got my number, and which point I was told that my number was almost given away and that the rule of thumb is to be there a 1/2 hour before your race starts. Point taken. Anyway I headed over to staging and MRC was rolling DEEP. Between our numbers and the race being held at Ski ward it felt like a home game.

I had a front row start, and I was slow out of the gate and was sitting fifth our sixth wheel heading into the first turn. Then the home field advantage kicked in and I took a better line around the first few turns and got out in front just after going through the pond. I struggled up the hill trying to ride as close to the tape as possible where there was still a little bit of grass left. Looking back I saw I had a gap opening up which I was really surprised about because I felt like I had never ridden a bike before struggling through the mud up that hill. Coming down the hill was actually super fun letting it slide around the corners until you slot into a rut. I kept pushing and looked back at certain points to make sure my gap wasn't getting smaller, and with 2 to go it seemed like I had it and I just tried to keep it safe, was really happy to get my first cat 4 win. Now time to upgrade and get the doors blwon off.

Looking at the times from the later fields it was obvious the conditions must have deteriorated really quickly and drastically, the P12 times were not much faster than the 4/5 times. Must have been brutal.
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peterkuhn
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by peterkuhn »

fowleezy wrote: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:35 pm was really happy to get my first cat 4 win. Now time to upgrade and get the doors blwon off.

Looking at the times from the later fields it was obvious the conditions must have deteriorated really quickly and drastically, the P12 times were not much faster than the 4/5 times. Must have been brutal.
WELL DONE.

Would love to hear from someone that did the P/1/2/3 race on how the conditions worked out.
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JeremyC
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by JeremyC »

Here's my race report. I showed up but I forgot my bike, and my kit. So I went to the beer garden and watched what I thought would be bike racing but everyone was going really slow. I wondered if someone ruffied my beer, but no they really were going that slow. I kept drinking because the racing was really boring, except for when one guy tried to do a wheely on the boardwalk and crashed. I met up with Patrick Collins who wanted to buy a new saddle off me. He then tried to offer me instead 1 used clincher tire instead of the $20 I posted it for. I gave it to him for free because he's still 12 yrs old and has braces. I then went to Medusa brewery in Hudson until they kicked me out. When I woke up I felt like crap and wondered if I in fact did get ruffied.
Jimmy
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by Jimmy »

4/5 Under 40. Had a good first lap, never stumbling or crashing. Kept yelling at Cactus to stop crashing which in turn pissed him off and had him pull a 1 switchback gap on me. Things were going well for me relatively speaking. Couldn't believe how good the Vittoria XL Pros were in the Mud after having ridden the Vittoria wets for a while. I'm just about to clear the 4th lap and I'm figuring I'm on pace to finish in the mid 20's then I hear an awful sound while just pedaling downhill. The weasel ate my derailleur/chain/hanger/spoke and munched on the frame a bit. Race over.

To cope with the big sad I had post race, I heckled Chris and Josh for a while with Cactus and Reese. That was fun.

When I got home, I dug a big hole in the back yard and buried my bike in it.
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jraguin
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by jraguin »

I am almost in tears over Jeremy's race report. Same with Peter's, but that is every one of his.
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by Briana »

peterkuhn wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 9:22 am
fowleezy wrote: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:35 pm was really happy to get my first cat 4 win. Now time to upgrade and get the doors blwon off.

Looking at the times from the later fields it was obvious the conditions must have deteriorated really quickly and drastically, the P12 times were not much faster than the 4/5 times. Must have been brutal.
WELL DONE.

Would love to hear from someone that did the P/1/2/3 race on how the conditions worked out.
Right before lunch I wrote a P/1/2/3 report and thought I posted it but somehow it disappeared into thin air. I could re-write it but I don't really want to relive the horrifying experience. I can some it up in a few words, Pare talked me into it and then bailed, I here this is pretty standard. I hate running, especially up hill when carrying a 50lb bike in 6" of cow shit. I hope to get back on track in the pretty stacked Masters 40+ field this weekend after what had been a great start to the season.

Brian A.
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JeremyC
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by JeremyC »

Briana wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:37 pm Pare talked me into it and then bailed, I here this is pretty standard.
Yes this is quite common. At least he came to the race, usually he just goes to Vietnam...
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pace21
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by pace21 »

Briana wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:37 pm
peterkuhn wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 9:22 am
fowleezy wrote: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:35 pm was really happy to get my first cat 4 win. Now time to upgrade and get the doors blwon off.

Looking at the times from the later fields it was obvious the conditions must have deteriorated really quickly and drastically, the P12 times were not much faster than the 4/5 times. Must have been brutal.


WELL DONE.

Would love to hear from someone that did the P/1/2/3 race on how the conditions worked out.
Right before lunch I wrote a P/1/2/3 report and thought I posted it but somehow it disappeared into thin air. I could re-write it but I don't really want to relive the horrifying experience. I can some it up in a few words, Pare talked me into it and then bailed, I here this is pretty standard. I hate running, especially up hill when carrying a 50lb bike in 6" of cow shit. I hope to get back on track in the pretty stacked Masters 40+ field this weekend after what had been a great start to the season.

Brian A.
Don’t believe ‘em Brian. It’s never happened before.
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Deltabrian
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Re: Night Weasels CX

Post by Deltabrian »

Guys, I counted up the ruffies in my bag and I'm missing one. Did I give one out?
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