Jim Hewett's Blog (106)

I built my new Santa Cruz Highball carbon 29er hardtail and rode it Friday - very nice! - so I had to race the Toro Park CCCX XC race on Saturday to really give it a good break-in.  I was excited to do the Toro Park course, as I had a lot of fun on it the last time I raced there (2006?).  Pretty much a 15 minute 700+ft climb on a gradual fireroad with one steep section and then a ripping 5 minute bermed descent, then repeat.

There were some fast guys there.  Danny Macnaughton, Kevin…

Last year I raced the Pro All Mountain stage race at the Keyesville Classic in Southern California.  The race consisted of an XC race, a short track race, and a downhill race.  All Mountain racers did all three events on the same bike and results were totalled to crown the overall winner.  I raced a carbon hardtail, definitely set up XC style at under 21 lbs, and pulled off the win, despite a rather weak downhill result.

This year, I decided to show up with a bike that would be more…

Cool often represents the first "real" race of the year for our team.  Usually muddy, often cold, always a lot of fun, and a cash payout for pro class.  Almost the whole team made the trip this year:  Carl, Shiloh, Mike, Paul, Mandy, and new team member Ryan all joined me for the trip in the Summit Bicycles van.  The time change forced an early start, but we made our way to Cool as the sun rose and the clouds gathered.

The course conditions were actually very good, despite the light…

Training has been moving along steadily in preparation for my first priority race grouping in April.  Today, I travelled to Roseville to race on the Granite Bay course for the first time.  It was another miserable winter day in Northern California - 75 degrees and sunny.

I arrived early to ride the course a little and familiarize myself with the terrain.  It was fast and flowy, a lot like the Ft Ord CCCX courses.  I could tell from past results that we would be doing about 32 miles in…

The Grasshopper Adventure Series is a great Sonoma county grassroots event that draws lots of riders to the dirt roads and pavement of West Sonoma County.  I've always tried to do the Old Cazadero ride, as it provides enough dirt descending and climbing to allow me to be competitive on a mountain bike.  They moved the race to January from February last year and I was unable to do it due to a work conflict.  This year my work schedule, if not my training schedule, allowed me to make…

Second week in a row racing at Golden Gate Park.  This one was a little more serious and less sloppy than last weeks SSCXWC race.  The weather was cool and sunny for our afternoon start and the Elite men's field was loaded with talent.  I recognized the usual podium finishers, as well as Justin Robinson, Ned Overend, and a Jelly Belly pro I had seen at a DFL race.  As there were only 60 feet of climbing per lap, I knew this would be a fast race.  I'm reaching the end of a fitness peak and…

I showed up on Sunday for the 2011 Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in Golden Gate park ready for business!  Dressed for success, from my double vented tropical wool suit, to my Zegna shirt and Faconnable tie.  I left the brief case in the car, though.

The rain had been falling all night, and the…

As luck would have it, the San Francisco installment of the SSCXWC happened to be while I was racing cyclocross.  I love to ride single speeds, so I had to overcome my distaste for "ironic racing" and check it out.

Saturday was the qualification process, as they had hundreds of people that wanted to race and only 150 spots for the main event.  I was encouraged that there was a qualification process, as that did suggest a level…

Like last week, rain the day before the race cleared to create pretty good conditions on race day.  The course at Sierra Point was a little soft, but the weather was ideal for a race under the lights.  The men's A race was going off at 8:00, so I took a nap in the middle of the day then made my way down for the festivities.

A quick reconnoiter of the course revealed lots of corners.  They do the best they can with this venue, which is a large flat field of landfill with a small hill…

Today was the first cyclocross race ever at Stafford Lake Park in Marin.  There were other races in the area, but many racers from San Francisco, Santa Rosa and Marin made it out to show their support for more cyclocross racing in the North Bay.

I volunteered for course setup Saturday, which gave me a chance to check things out before the race.  The course shaped up pretty well and I rode a few laps before the rain came Saturday afternoon.  The terrain was bumpy in places, and thick…

I travelled down to Aptos for the first of the Surf City races because I knew the Santa Cruz locals would be there and I had heard good things about the courses.  The weather was warm and dry, which seems to be standard for the first half of the 'cross season in Northern California, and the course was a lot of fun.

I arrived and began preriding well before my race.  The laps looked longer than our usual races, probably between 7 and 8 minutes long, and there was actually a decent…

After straining my calf at CCCX #4 last week, I didn't hold much hope for racing the first of the BASP races.  I was on crutches Monday, then shuffling around without them Tuesday and Wednesday.  Thursday I rode a bike for the first time with minimal pain, though I couldn't really drop my heal.  Running was out of the question, but riding was manageable.  Friday was a little better, and walking up stairs only hinted at the possibility of sharp pain.  I decided to take it easy Saturday and…

Early in the week I learned that my grandmother had died and I made hasty plans to return to Georgia for the funeral.  I wasn't able to ride Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Instead of training I would have to settle for sitting on an airplane.  I arrived home Saturday night about midnight and questioned the wisdom of racing the next day.  I decided that it would be worth it for the race-pace training, as the first BASP race would be the next weekend.  I also knew that a few of the fast guys…

A few days of rain last week followed by nice weather had created ideal conditions for offroad riding in Northern California.  I was tempted to stay at home and ride the trails, but also eager to get in more training for racing 'cross.  I travelled to Prunedale to race the CCCX race at Manzanita Park, a new course for me.

It was fun to race the 35+A and then the Open A at the last CCCX race, but it had left me less than fresh for the latter.  This week I figured I would focus on the…

Saturday was the Lion of Fairfax cyclocross race at White's Hill School in my home town, Fairfax.  I was excited to have such easy access to the venue, though my attempt to pre-ride Thursday was thwarted by a middle school XC track meet.  I made my way over to the venue Saturday morning and got my first look at the course.  I had raced this race two years ago, and the course was similar.  Bumpy and loose, through the school on pavement and concrete, around the ball field on bumpy grass. …

After a couple more hours in the car on Saturday morning, I arrived just in time to register and warm up a little before the 35+ A's race started.  I lined up with a group of 20 or so and we proceded to race CX.  The course was pretty cool, with…

Since I missed the latter part of the XC racing season, I guess I should do some 'cross racing.  Part of the preparation is getting used to the pacing and relatively flat and fast nature of cyclocross courses.  The earliest chance for that is the San Francisco underground race series put on by DFL.  Vague details are distributed by word-of-mouth, usually a time and place.  Racers show up and many begin to don their "cross-dresser" attire, from a simple tutu over the kit to very elaborate and…

This morning I ventured to Mill Valley to start my third consecutive day of racing up Mt. Tam - this time on foot.

A group of about 100 people gathered for the Mt. Tam Hill Climb, a traditional labor day race from downtown Mill Valley to the door at the lookout on top of East Peak.  I've never actually done a running race but this was the third stage of the Triple Crown, so I thought I would give it a go.

We left at 8 o'clock and immediately hit a long flight of steps.  I got…

I felt pretty good as I rode over to Ross through Deer Park to start the mountain bike stage of the Mt. Tam Triple Crown.  I was excited that I was not too fatigued from Saturdays road effort and, of the three ways to climb Mt. Tam (road bike, mountain bike, on foot), climbing Eldridge Grade on a mountain bike is my preferred mode of ascent.

I have done about 6 good attempts at time trialing from the start of Eldridge (Phoenix Lake intersection, bottom of Fish Grade) up to the gate at…

I'm starting to feel more fit and thought the Mt. Tam Triple Crown would be some good fun and training.  I did the dirt section of this a couple of years ago, but this year I'm doing all 3 stages:  road bike, mountain bike, and run.

We met early in Mill Valley and I was happy to see a couple of familiar faces from mountain bike racing.  Mark Weir, Taylor Smith, and Den Satake were there, as well as many people I don't ride with much.  I'm not the fastest guy around on a road bike, but…