la sopa es bueno - West Chester Cross Nationals Prep Choose Your Own Adventure...

Dear Readers,

Getting Ready To Rock...

Diane has been playing with an app that helps folks practice their Spanish. When Diane finished school, she could muddle her way through Spanish pretty well. She's enjoyed playing with the app. From time to time I would repeat what I heard her say.

Today was the West Chester Nationals Training Race or the Choose Your Own Adventure Race as I like to call it. When I came home, I saw Diane on the couch playing with the Spanish app. She asked me, in English, how my race went.

I responded, "la sopa es bueno!"

She smiled. Did you get a good start?

"la sopa es bueno!" I said with a smile.

Did you have fun she continued?

"La sopa es bueno!" I replied in my most sultry voice.

She asked, do you know what your saying?

"the soup it's good right? That app is teaching an old dog new tricks!"

Old Dogs?

Luxxy, D-Lowe, and P-Wahner..

West Chester Nationals Training Race was great fun.

The Queen of Rock is her name...

D-Lowe in DEMAND!

Mr. Joe

Judah's new profile picture?

Two groups set off with 30 seconds between them, and eventually a choose your own adventure with lots of friends who also love bombing around in the mud. I lined up in the 3rd row, as I wanted to simulate being totally boxed in with lots of people around. (thinking nationals)

Here's 3 minutes and some seconds:


First lap went really well. My tyres hooked up, I felt good, I was riding with group of guys I wanted to be riding with... I was pretty damn stoked...

Second lap I came undone a bit. I MEAN A LOT. Legs felt tired. I may have slipped into survival mode and lots of people passed me. Perhaps I should have been more conservative on the start?

Third lap Fatmarc started to get his groove back (thank Goodness).  I can see my friend (and hero) LVG just up a bit from me.  I tried to claw my way back to her... Heading into the fourth lap I knew that would wrap me up with about 45 minutes, which was my choose your own adventure goal for the day (45 minute race pace). I can't lie, negative splits make me smile.

The last pitch, I called out to her, keep going LVG we're almost there! I rolled down the hill and made contact.  We ran up the run up together and I filed in behind her- believe me I had no intentions of trying to sprint Laura. We both relaxed as we pedaled towards the finish. She smiled at me and said, "Nationals in January are pretty silly!" We both laughed and rolled in together.

Pigga, Mr. Joe and Marty

So much fun. So much great bike driving today.... Thanks Bob, Scott, Rick and all the West Chester Cross Alliance that made today happen.

Marty, Kelly, and Featherblog

I am also proud to announce: Team Deluxx Bicycles and the Vanderbacon Family Picnic will be sponsoring the port-o-let for the West Chester Nationals Training race (choose your own adventure style for December 2016!

Team Freymann -(Emma, Werner and Jackie)

thanks for reading.

Photo credit Ron Ramil:  Kelly, Consorto, Dude Cuter than James Franco and Ali...

respect
fatmarc

yeah, still cuter than James Franco

Dear Reader,

Friday afternoon I called monkey and said, "I'm kinda torn about what I want to do this weekend. Reuther is having a cross practice in West Chester, there's always the angry man ride, or maybe I'll head out on the mountain bike and do some efforts."

She answered, "Cross Nationals in January is pretty fucking stupid."

I just laughed.

Saturday afternoon Monk and I were in the Beer Church buying some Christmas presents, and we got separated. I met her at the front of store and she held up a number of big bottles of beer! As she doesn't drink beer, I was a little surprised. She smiled at me and says, " I saw these and they look like something you'd like! What do you think? "

I smiled and grumbled at her, "Cross Nationals in January is pretty fucking stupid..."

Did I mention watching the weight was a little tough?

the bottles are stored away nicely...

Sunday- I was pretty shattered. Diane and I looked forward to have some friends over and doing a nice big, mellow, make a toast and sing Bob Joos happy birthday in the middle of the ride mountain-bike ride kinda ride. It was perfect.

During the ride Johan noted that he was surprised that none of us were on single speeds. We laughed as half of the old Mighty Spot Brand Team was present. Truth is we are all too old and have broken knees, shoulders and backs to ride single speed anymore. We all laughed. The ride was splendid.

merry Christmas dear reader.

respect
fatmarc

Laatste Ronde

Dear Reader,

This is the bottle of Delirium Tremens Noel that I bought before the start of cross season. I have been saving it for the final night of my season. That, dear reader was today.

Today was the last race of the Mid Atlantic Season for me. Solstice Cross in Emmaus, PA offered up an amazingly fun course. . I'll admit, I left home a little earlier than normal. I wanted to get to the venue to ride on a cross course one more time, and to take it all in. I wanted time to talk to the officials, and thank them. I wanted to follow my friends around warming up and gossip a bit. I wanted to see all my friends and peers, just one more time. Just one last time this year, I wanted to breath in all that is regional cross, and racing in the Mid Atlantic. It was wonderful. I am honored to be among you.

My race was less than spectacular. I was a hot mess the first two laps after blowing my start. I was driving really badly, losing ground and anytime I tried to stand on it a bit, I felt like I was losing ground. Kinda like that scene from the replacements:




"You're playing and you think everything is going fine. Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can't move... you can't breathe... because you're in over your head. Like quicksand. "

So yeah, I couldn't drive, and I couldn't throw any watts. HOT MESS. Finally, local Mr. Bowman came around me, and I followed him around. I figured out that while bunny hopping the barriers was super pro, it was slower. Slower isn't pro. I watched Bowman's lines, and then I stole them. My tyres still had too much pressure.

Announcer Dave Pryor encouraged the racers on, and called our group the group battling to be "PEOPLE'S CHAMPION". I smiled, and dug in for the final laps. Finally, I started to make the bike go. I felt like, you know I'm actually an okay bike driver. I worked through the group and Up the final straight I charged to the line, holding off a hard charging Mr. Bowman at the line, rolling across on flat front.

It was that kind of day.

It was the most fun I have had in a race going horribly wrong. So yeah, I'm kinda stoked tonight...

I dilly dallied around in the parking lot talking to friends, and sharing stories from the day.  I knew I needed to get on the road, but I wanted one last moment to breath all this in....

Thank you Mid Atlantic Cyclocross.

God Speed and see you in three weeks Asheville.

respect
fatmarc

Return to December...

Dear Readers,

Loaded up the car last Saturday and headed out to Wrightsville, PA for the Rivertown Cross race put on by the Mason Dixon/Cycle Works crew. The race was the perfect December race. The course was really good, a little tight, some good technical sections and some good power sections to really open things up. Okay, Okay the series of 180's might have been a little excessive, but frankly I appreciated the recovery there, and I needed it! Nestled between a cool small town, and the muddy banks of the Susquehanna river, the course was wicked fun. While the event was low key, the usual suspects showed up for another exciting and battle filled race.  While I had not done this race before, there was a familiar comfort with venue as the parking lot filled up. Partly a product of forgetting my knee warmers, I raced in shorts. In December. I know what you're thinking, "so pro, so Belgian." The entire event- the day was outstanding.

keep it MOOVING Fatmarc ! 

Dear reader, let me tell you a secret, largely a product of school, I haven't raced cross in December since 2012. Yeah, I know, I may have just lost my hard earned button. Don't tell anyone.

I had written down a number of goals back in January, one of them was race cross in December. Score! mark that one off the list.

On the way home through Lancaster there was a water-main break and detour. It was actually a beautiful
tour other then my legs seizing up. I dug this sculpture that said create when you looked from left to right
and influence looked from right to left... create and influence... food for thought..

Photo Credit Christy Perkins

The race went well. The course was tricky, and had some killer off camber that I was LOVING. I found myself in a nice group with some familiar faces in Werner and my teammate Mr. Joe. Rounding out our group was Sean who I haven't raced yet this year. It was a strong and savvy group. We battled wheel to wheel the rest of the way. Good stuff for sure...

Sunday I got out for a nice moutainbike ride. My legs were pretty damn destroyed. Monk was happy to make me suffer any chance she could.

A clean bike is a happy bike...

thanks for reading.

respect
fatmarc VDB
(still cuter than James Franco)

Cyclocross Black Board

Dear Readers,

So we have this cool chalk board wall in our kitchen. After each of the races that Diane has done or been a part of she would draw a little picture from that race on the wall. I actually think it turned out really cool. It started out pretty funny, I wanted to capture it before it get's wiped clean...

So here's the full wall:

and the close ups: 

of course Granogue! 

Paradise Cross Frenzy at Harpoon Brewery!

West Chester Cross Classic

Sly fox! 

Cross of the Corn...

Crossasaurus Awesome! 

Charm City- the flyover where Monk got taken out...

and of course QCW cross - or that farm where they grow rocks as it has been described! 

Anyway, thank you for letting me share, and don't tell monkey...

thanks for reading.

respect

fatmarc