Doublin' Up

Another weekend of cross action has come and gone. Next up I'll be rippin' it up on the blue grass of Louisville, KY...but first things first.

Verona;

You know it's going to be a good weekend of cross racing when you get a little BOC on the radio while driving to the race!!!

The race was good with a new and improved course since the last time I raced in Verona. There was a nice section of corners by the start/finish and a sweet log barrier that I jumped every lap except the first in traffic.

I won. Kristin won the womens race and Elicia was 4th. I pushed myself to the limit on every lap.

Wally killed it over the log barrier and scored some $$$ from the superfan's!!!

Yes this photo was taken at Arby's where we enjoyed our post race meal!!!!!

Gibb's Showdown;

Andrea decided to race in the morning so it was a quick departure, but we didn't forget anything. A 2:30 hour drive down to Gibb's allowed for a little more recovery time y tiempo a estudiar espanol.

Andrea did her first cross race on a cross bike and was 9th amongst the women. Kristin won and Elicia moved up a spot to 3rd. I'm not so sure she enjoyed the lung searing efforts of cross compared to the mtb.

The course was run backwards from years past which made for a long run up in the back section of the race.

I needed some practice running with the bike. It was a really fast 1st half of the lap w/ 20+ mph dirt sections. Someone in front of me crashed on the descent. The crash opened a gap, I chased hard and caught Kyle J just in time for a flick of the elbow to go through. I went by him and never looked back.

I stayed much more steady compared to yesterday....just trying some different things out...all in all another great weekend of cross racing. Thanks to all who took photos and cheered. Thanks to GG, Easton, Trek, Hyundai, Oakley and Crank Bros.

Memoirs of a Superfan

My career as a Superfan began at an early age. Norba Nationals Traverse City MI 1994. My goal was to get as many autographs as possible. Film the best action possible and hope for the biggest crashes possible.









I came away with autographs from Tomac, Furtado, Wiens, Juarez, Grewal, Hans Rey, Lopes, King, Carter, Giove. It was awesome...if only I could find some of that video footage at my parents house you could see what it was all about in the mid 90's.


Luckily I had some great Role Models from the beginning. My dad and Lou Reeves were some of the best Superfans out there as pictured below on a brisk fall morning at the Boyne Downhill State Championships in 1995.

10 years later they were still at it, but now they had perfected the look.(brim on hats getting bigger)

They would scout the best areas for photo ops, they would photo every technical section of the course to help us pick our lines. Rain or Shine they were at the start line, in the woods, on the descent, and back to the finish religously.

Here is a famous section of trail in Mt. Snow.

Below are some Superfans lining the descent in Snowshoe!

Look how fast these superfans had me rockin' this section.

After I started racing pro I didn't completely give up on my career as a Superfan. I just had to be smart about it....

In Mt Snow towards the end of the lap the old race course went under a bridge. Instead of hiking up 4 miles to the best part of the course we figured if 2 of us yelled as loud as we can under the bridge it was really loud! Like a rock concert loud. We had so much fun we stayed for hours even though we still had to race later that afternoon. By the end of our Superfan session we were handing out dollar bills to confused racers who were baffled out the decibel level from only two Superfans. The transition from light to darkness in the tunnel and then to light again made it difficult to focus on the $$$ hand up on the other side of the bridge. One thing not to forget we were still poor bike racers so we made sure we handed the dollar right close to a pothole, so the racers had a difficult time taking the money we needed to eat Ben & Jerry's with later that night

If we were done racing...it was back to being a Superfan ASAP as pictured below in one of the many Short Track races that were ended a few laps too early.

OHIO 2 & 3

That's more like it...Racing bikes is fun....traveling with friends is fun....and not being at work for a three day weekend is really fun. All in all I'm really happy with the weekend. I made the right decision not to do the local race in Sheboygan and go for the triple header in OH. So after day 1 we (Marko and Kristin) hit the Applebees for a Brewtus burger and then settled into the Super 8 for some R&R.

Day 2:

Java Johnny's in Middleton, OH. The course was less bumpy with some good off camber corners, and a double sand pit. It started pretty bad right off the bat when 2 or 3 guys missed there call up....Then they just backed it in the front row. So now there is 10 or 11 guys in the front row when there is enough room for 8. Marko was behind Troy Wells and I was just to his left. Troy either skipped a pedal or pulled out of his cleats and did a major swerve. 2 others did a major over reaction and crashed directly in front of me. I was on the ground for at least 20 seconds. Not really on the ground I guess, because I was actually on someone else. I got up after stepping on some wheels and untangling bars from spokes. Started going to realize my chain was off. Hopped off the bike to put the chain on...back on the bike to realize the stem is crooked...back off the bike to straighten the stem....back on the bike to start a long chase...made it up to 15th, but not happy with the end result...something that could have possibly been avoided had the UCI officials maybe been a little more on top of it...

After the race my mom and I went to the Montgomery Inn for some world famous....I'll let the pictures do the talking.

I wonder if Sven Nys eats this good during his 3 day Christmas races!

Day 3: Bio Wheels Dairy Farmers in Fairfield OH.

More of a roadie course with lots of drafting. Some tough sand pits and a screaming fast descents that had my Tufo Flexus tires holding on for dear life. A live band with a Superfan drummer on the cowbell, and an awesome blow by blow announcer. A much better start had me 3rd wheel behind Powers and Wicks after the first 2 or 3 corners. I was feeling good. I drifted back a few spots and settled in by mid lap. Starting lap 2 I had a slight bobble and had to touch down with my hand. My chain fell off and I fell off the lead group. I quickly put the chain back on as 9th-11th passed me.

I bridged back up to Marko, Tonkin, and Adam Mcgrath and there I stayed the rest off the race. Mcgrath crashed on the same corner I did with 3 to go and then it was 3. With one to go Tonkin was riding like an animal trying to chase down Parbo. I was dropped on the final climb and rolled in for 11th. More UCI points!

Kristin had an awesome weekend against a stacked womens field. She was 7th, 7th and 8th! That should be a good call up for KY!

The Planet Bike Sprinter rolled into Milwaukee at around 11pm and I was home by midnight. I can't wait for more cross racing. When I woke up this morning I was so pumped I had to ask myself, "Did I even race yesterday?" Thanks to my MOM (my biggest Superfan) for making the trip from Athens. A huge thanks to Team Planet Bike for the ride to and from the races. Thanks to Gear Grinder, Trek, Hyundai, Crank Bros, and Oakley. In local news Andrea scored a podium finish with a 4th at the Sheboygan WORS.

OHIO

I had a good day at the first of three races in OH. 8th Place. Some pretty tough competition. I had a solid start from the 2nd row. I followed Powers and filtered in around 5th or 6th wheel. By midway through the race I was in a group of 3 with Wells and Tonkin. Wells was pretty strong, Tonkin wasn't taking the best of lines. With 3 to go Wells checked out and Marko bridged out of nowhere. With a half lap to go Marko launched and I waited till 4 corners to go to get by Tonkin. Right now we are shacked up in a Super 8 about 10 minutes from tomorrows race. Tomorrow my Mom is going tomake the trip over from Athens. I wonder what Rosco is doing?

The American Dream

This past weekend I was just a normal dude. I worked around the house, climbed a ladder, made some chilli, and watched some college football. I was even lucky enough to score tickets to Sundays Packers Game. I was learning how to be a Superfan!

I hooked up the surround sound system in the house, watched some politics, and worried as the stock market tumbled lower and lower. I cleaned the gutters(just in time for all the leaves and pine needles to start falling), I did some dishes, ate some good food, and did some vacuuming!

It was all fun and good, but I'm ready to be a bike racer again. No Sheboygan WORS for me this year. I'm off to Cincinnati for more CX.

Superfan 101

The Superfan:

Here is a quick post about the Art of being a Superfan.

Superfans are energetic, loud, and even obnoxiuos.

Superfan rules to live by:

Rule # 1 Go to the toughest part of any race course and make lots of noise.

Get right up in the action: If a rider crashes be sure to heckle them and be overdramatic and extra loud about the fall. Also be close enough to save them from crashing.

If a rider can't clear a section make sure you let them know....even if it is world championships and they are the best in the world and there is no way you would even attempt it yourself. If a rider looks like they don't know what they are doing be sure to let them know.

Don't be afraid to yell off the brakes or go faster even if the rider is maxed....even let them know you could go faster.

Superfan rule #2

Offer hand ups: Pez, Beer, Cold Chicken Sandwiches, or Money....whatever it may be offer it up....If the rider passes let him/her know your dissaproval...if they take the hand up....cheer louder than you have ever cheered before.

Superfan rule#3 Dress the part

If you are at the Napa World Cup Disco Flyover...you should be ready to do some Disco

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Rule #4 Don't be afraid to show some skin! If you can get a pro racer to do the double take you know you have done a great job.

and if you make a mountain biking magazine (as we did with this photo taken during the pro downhill at the Norba in Snoqaulmie, WA) you know you are on the right track to being a Superfan.

Finally Rule #5

Support your favorite riders by purchasing team clothing so you can look and dress exactly how they look and dress.

Stay tuned for some Old School Superfan stories!

Quotes from the weekend

My favorite has to be at the start of day 1 when a Superfan yelled from the bleachers,

"Sun Prairie Loves Molly Cameron."

The look on Molly's face was priceless.

The one I wish I heard was towards the end of day 2. As we went through the start finish with a couple laps to go the announcer called my name and said something about the fact that, "Brian Matter is in a Lalonde sandwich." According to a very reliable source, a Superfan Babe then busted out,

"I'd Like a bite of that Sandwich!"

Now that's priceless!

Next up???? Sheboygan or more Cyclocross?

MadCross Day 2

After the race Saturday Andrea and I drove home so we could hang with Rosco. It was about 1:45 back to Sheboygan. I watched Penn State take a solid Big 10 victory then went to bed.

Sunday morning was a bit painful after racing behind the 8-ball for a full hour Saturday. By afternoon I was ready to let 'er rip one more time.

My start wasn't quite as good as day 1, but I was OK with that as I approached the race with a different strategy. I filtered in around 15 -18th wheel around the first corner. Midway through the first lap I was behind Tilford, but he was already opening gaps and not riding as strong as the rest of our group. I passed him on the run and then decided to chase down Molly Cameron. Within a half lap I caught and passed him and our group was formed.

I was feeling really good, and was riding steady and smooth. By midway in the race it was more or less Wisconsin weekend of racing as Marko, Jesse, and I were battling it out. A Swiss rider was latched on the back of our group, but I think he was at his limit. I was still feeling good and with 4 to go went to the front and started pushing the pace. Dropped the Swiss rider, but then went down in a corner. I think Marko and Jesse both rode over me and my bike. The Swiss rider caught me as I was getting up and Marko and Jesse has 5 seconds. I was able to catch back on with 1 to go. I went by Jesse, but Marko was motivated by the stars and striped dangling like a carrot 10 seconds ahead. We caught Johnson with one corner left, but it was pretty tough to pass at the end.

Maybe had I not crashed we would have caught TJ earlier and I would have been a little more fresh for the final lap. Nonetheless I am happy to score another top 10.

After the race I was baffled at my perceived effort compared to the day before, but pretty much the same result? Fast start and lots of suffering = slow start and no suffering???

Thanks to Madcross for putting on a great race, all the superfans, and all my sponsors who help me get to the races weekend after weekend.

MadCross Day 1

Page, J
Mueller, M
Selander, B
Wells, T
Wells Todd
Lalonde, M
ME
Lalonde, J
Cameron, M

I lead it OUT and suffered for it the entire race!!!! Only one way to learn to go fast and that is just bite the bullet and go fast! I passed Page in corner number 3 and led for 1/2 lap. Page passed me back and so did Wells. Wells rolled his tire and gapped me which was enough for Page to check out. I followed Baker for a lap. Suffered, followed Troy for a lap and couldn't recover, followed Bjorn and M. Mueller, couldn't recover. Then I took a lap for myself. Marko caught me and It was go time again. I had spent my matches though and could only follow him. With 2 to go I was done and hung on for 7th.

I guess Baker crashed pretty good, so maybe no go for him, but TJ will be there. Time to go rest up....

For Sale

2 days until Mad-Cross...did some motor pacing, now just resting. With the Easton's on the XO, I need to ditch the Dura Ace Tubeless Wheelset. Anybody interested $565. E-mail with Q's

Dura Ace Tubeless Wheelset - w/ 3 sets Hutchinson Tires. Bulldogs(new), Pirannha's(new) and Fusion Road. Only 3 races (less than 300 miles) on this wheelset. SBF, Road State Championships, and Holy Hill.

Double Cross

I had a great weekend in MI even though the Packers and the Steelers lost. We (Bill Street Player & TJ Woodruff) rolled out of Sheboygan Friday morning. The Hyundai was jam packed with wheels, tires, and gear. We arrived to our host house in Gregory, MI just in time for a trip down memory lane. A perfect bike ride to the old hood in Pinckney. We even got in a little cross practice on the old sledding hill! After the ride it was over the the Reeves farm the scour the barn for goodies! I found something priceless and I'm going to be mailing it to Skyler soon! We completed the ride with a trip through Hell! The Darkness would have loved it!

Saturday DAY One Double Cross:

Second row call up after Marko and I almost got skipped out with our hard earned points from last year. Good start. Tilford was a little out of control in the corners and was having chain problems. The course was really good, but a little bumpy. Page was off the front and Michael Mueller was chasing. The race for 3rd was a group of 8 riders. I rode pretty strong and stayed good position until 3 laps to go. I went to the back just at the wrong time. Marko went to the front and Tilford gapped one too many times. 3 slipped off of our group and I finished up 8th.

We went to Zukey Lake for some Pizza after the race and then wathced LSU vs Auburn.

Sunday morning we had some killer Mexican Omlettes from the Gregory Inn and then headed back to the races.

DOUBLE CROSS Day Two:

After making some adjustments to the bike Saturday night I was much more confident with my position and my brakes. With another good start I was in the mix right away. After 1 lap Page and Mueller were gone and I felt really good in the next group. I saw that Tilford was struggling and pushed hard to separate the chase group to 3 riders. With two to go I still felt strong and was able to drop Garrigan and the Swiss rider and a short climb. I put my head down(visor) and stayed smooth to finish 3rd and land on my first UCI podium.

Pretty good company on the podium! The new Easton tubulars rocked!

After the race it was over to my best friends house for some awesome Chili and some Sunday Night Football in America!

Thanks to all my sponsors - Gear Grinder, Hyundai, Trek, Crank Bros, and Oakley. It was great to see some of the old school MI crew and race on home turf.

More cool pics and here!

X

CX Season is here...with a few more changes I am ready to rock!

Swapped to a carbon bar, carbon stem, some Swiss Stop yellow pads and a sweet 46t DA ring!

Oh yeah and some super light weight Easton EC90's w/ the Tufo Flexus Tyres!

Still rockin' the Ringle Peace Cable Hangers!

Leaving for MI tomorrow AM w/ Bill and TJ. Can't wait to see the old hood!

Chequamegon 40

Too bad it wasn't the Chequamegon 39! Luck plays a part in the triple crown races. This year with one crash I thought I was done for, but got back up and kept going....then the bad shift...

I'll start from the beginning..

Friday AM we loaded up the Gear Grinder Hyundai Sonata and headed north. The leaves were changing colors and it was a relaxing drive up. We arrived at 3:00 with plenty of time to pre-ride the last 12 miles. Unfortunately I flatted on the firetower descent. Demo Ken saved the day with some fresh Bontrager rubber for the race.

Wild Bill was with us and somehow forgot to register! How do you do that?

After registration it was back to Hayward to our hotel and a good nights sleep. Saturday morning came and it was slightly warmer and a little more wet than last year.

The cannon went off and we were racing towards Rosie's field.

The ATV's stayed on hwy 77 longer than in years past which made for a smoother lead out...when the ATV took off so did Cole House who entered Rosie's with a 30 second gap! I was 2nd into the field and after the first crest dropped comfortably to 5th wheel.

The lead group was huge and stayed that way for a long time. Tilford was the first to go with a flat tire. I looked around no Simonson, no Marko, but plenty of company with Doug, Page, Hall the Three Amigos from 212, TJ, Landon and a few others.

Bender launched an attack on the dirt road that set up Hall's podium move. With Jeff off the front I was waiting for the Birkie to follow Page. Just before the Firetower I went down in a blaze of glory. My body was shocked from the crash and the cold muddy water that I slid into head first. I stood up to pick up my bike and my legs cramped bad. I fought through the pain as the group was going relatively slowly approaching the Firetower climb. Finally the legs relaxed and I was back in the mix going up the firetower.

Over the top Hall had 40 seconds, Tj led the chase with Page, Chris P and myself. After the descent Mike P and Landon latched back on....

The Birkie Trail proved to be pivotal as Page easily rode away from the group to catch Hall and win the sprint at the finish. Our group stayed together as we were all hurting. I figured I'd dig hard again and see what happens only to have the chain go over the cassette and into the spokes. I stopped and my chances of a podium ride had vanished. Maybe I bent the hanger when I crashed earlier?

I finished 17th and it took over 5 minute to fix my bike. One crash I could overcome to still have a good ride, but not two major problems in the point to point style racing.

I chose to ride the Fuel in a world littered with rigid 29ers and would choose the Fuel again next year! Is riding a full suspension old shool now?

Andrea had a great ride and finished 13th amongst the women!

We skipped Sunday fun day and headed back south to Sheboygan in the morning. We listned to Larry and Wayne call the Packers game on the drive home. A little early on the dagger call guys! Packers are 2-0 but scared me in during the 4th quarter in both games. Steelers are also 2-0 and look solid. Back to reality for a couple days before heading to MI for the first cross action of the season!

I feel bad for Jesse. I think he would have repeated with his fitness if he would have been in the front group. Sorry man.

check out skinnyski.com for great photos!

Flat Tire

The bad luck started during Fridays pre-ride when I flatted coming down the Firetower descent. It continued Saturday 25 miles into the race somewhere past Smith Lk when I crashed in a big mud puddle. Then with 1 mile to go my chain went between the spokes and cassette. 5 minutes later after hoping to squeek out the last podium spot I finished 17th. Full report soon.

Destroyers

From the Old School to the New School; George Thorogood would have been proud!

1997 Team Jackhammer

an aluminum custom frame from the BSG garage

2008 Team Gear Grinder

an eco friendly casual clothing line inspired by cyclists

with products such as these and this (made from that flat tire at O2S)

Thanks Sponsors!

Smokin

4th yesterday at the WORS race in Rhinelander. It was kind of a weird race! An early arrival to Eagle River saturday night after a day at work and some VO2 intervals. A relaxing Sunday morning and a quick 40 minute drive to Camp Tesomas. Perfect fall weather and a great race course. A long dirt road lead out was just what I needed after a subpar warm up. Settled in the top 5 or 6 to watch TJ hit a rock and almost highside and Chris P. flat. The race was settled. 4 of us off the front. The same top 4 from last years overall WORS points. After a lap Mike P was opening up gaps in the singletrack. I went around to the wheel of Marko who was following Jesse like glue. We came to the option in the course and I went around(didn't preride had no idea what was on the otherside and didn't want to end up like this before cheq) and the 2 second gap was enough to turn into 5 then 10. I had to settle down and they were gone. I felt saturdays efforts the whole first lap and as soon as I started feeling good I got dropped straight up! I love races like this where the best mountain biker wins. Jesse was the best even though we finished a lap early due to a freak hail storm. It was an abrupt finish and a sprint would have been weird so I sat up. Andrea was 4th in the womens race and is getting closer to scoring a top 3. She had a blast racing in the hail!

After the race Andrea and I went back to the cabin for some BLT's and a relaxing evening with Rosco and some Sunday Night Football in America.

The short race plus some hard efforts Sat should be perfect for next weekend! I'm pumped. I've heard rumors of Lance racing, but now I hear he's going back to the Tour. Who knows???

Labor

So Labor Day has come and gone and I did my fair share of pedaling the new bike. It started off with some hill repeats on Mt. Hingham Thursday. Followed by a couple hours at work and the north to Eagle River. First stop. Snuddy's house to pick up the XO1 and the XO2. Andrea bought a cross bike and might just do some racing this cross season.(She's in Madtown at cross practice as I type.) Everything goes smooth in Green Bay or so it seems. back on the highway and over the river to QDoba for a burrito and another 3 hours to the cabin.

We made it to Crandon and panic set in real fast. After about 4 root canals, 6 hours of ortho work and lots of pain killers Elicia 'Jaws' Hildebrand was already hurting, but then she realized her baby blanket was MIA. Oh Shit, I think to myself I put E's pillow on top of the car at Snuddy's. How could five adults not notice a pillow on the car as we pulled out? More panic as the 5.0 behind me flashes his lights and I get pulled over for speeding. The night went south real quick in the five minute time span.

After a few heroic attempts by Snudden to locate the pillow and blanket(yes she is 31 and still has a baby blanket and so does Andrea????) we decided to go to the cabin and get some sleep.

To make a long story short it was back to Green Bay Friday morning for a successful rescue mission of the pillow and blanket. Back to Eagle River to have a sweet campsite dinner and build cross bikes.

Saturday morning was some northwoods mountain biking, followed by a 2 hour nap. Andrea and Elicia picked a gallon pail of wild blue, black, and rasberries. Sunday was a 4 hour epic on dirt roads shaking down the new XO2.

Followed by a drive home.

Monday was another 4 hours on the cross bike and a definite scare as I thought Dano was dead on the side of the road. Back to work now....stay tuned another old school update coming soon!

Oh yeah...we had some home made wild berry pie when we got home! Mmmmmm

Why do I always think so hard about the title...who really cares? Just read the post.

It's actually just a quick post. Home from vacation with lots of good stories. Lost blankets on the lonely streets of Green Bay, sweet singletrack, cyclocross bikes, and wild berry pies! I'll do a proper update as soon as I have time. Until then feast your eyes on this!