Mountain Bike Race Recaps

MASS – 2018 The Iron Hill Challenge – CAT 1 40-49: 5th Place

… Following a decent performance at Granogue, I decided to continue with the “no pressure, race for fun and race by my heart rate” at The Iron Hill Challenge. Preregistration deadline day: The morning of, there was one person registered in my class and by mid-day, two people which had me leaning towards not racing,…Read more MASS – 2018 The Iron Hill Challenge – CAT 1 40-49: 5th Place

MASS – 2018 Escape Granogue – CAT 1 40-49: 4th Place + Bonus bike stuff

“I heard The POP” Leading up to this race, I was looking for a little redemption from my previous years performances where last year I DNF’d after three crashes in the first lap and feeling like death as a result of contracting Lyme disease. The year before that, I finished sixth after crashing a bunch…Read more MASS – 2018 Escape Granogue – CAT 1 40-49: 4th Place + Bonus bike stuff

MASS – 2018 D&Q Summer Sizzler – CAT 1 40-49: 6th Place

The weather forecasted extreme heat leading up to and during this race, which had me debating if I wanted to suffer through a two-hour torture fest or skip it and go hangout at the pool. I opted to race and dragged my son Cameron along with me. Thankfully, the race promoter bumped the start time…Read more MASS – 2018 D&Q Summer Sizzler – CAT 1 40-49: 6th Place

MASS – 2018 The Challenger – CAT1 40-49: 3rd Place

The week leading up to this race was following our last NICA race of the season and I was struggling with a severe NICA race weekend  / season hangover. Those race weekends really drain me. Additionally, now that the season was over, my mind wanted to dial it back and go on vacation. On the…Read more MASS – 2018 The Challenger – CAT1 40-49: 3rd Place

MASS – 2018 On the Rocks at French Creek – CAT1 “Expert” 40-49: 5th

From ER on Monday to 5th place on Saturday It’s been a while since I wrote one of these… I started writing about my last cyclocross race and never finished it mostly because I lost interest in writing about me racing cyclocross; it was quite depressing to say the least. In fact, based on my…Read more MASS – 2018 On the Rocks at French Creek – CAT1 “Expert” 40-49: 5th

MASS #7 2017 Escape from Granogue – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: DNF

Always go with your gut! Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed racing Granogue and even though I made some early mistakes (crashes) which eliminated any shot at a podium finish, I was hoping to improve on last year’s performance as this course lends itself to my strong suits, climbing, heat, technical, all of which had my…Read more MASS #7 2017 Escape from Granogue – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: DNF

MASS #6 2017 D&Q Summer Sizzler – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: 4th place

This year’s Summer Sizzler race was a race I was looking forward to for many reasons. Convenience and proximity - It’s 35 minutes from my house, the trail system and race course are super fun, I really like the guys who promote and organize this event and they do a great job. A bonus for…Read more MASS #6 2017 D&Q Summer Sizzler – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: 4th place

MASS #4 2017 The Challenger – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: 6th place

First, I’d like to thank my local bike shop, Bicycle Pro of Bordentown, for helping me this past week, without them, this race would’ve never happened. The prior weekend, I was coaching at a NICA race, I experienced a significant issue with my front brakes. After speaking to a few mechanics friends, I was thinking…Read more MASS #4 2017 The Challenger – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: 6th place

MASS #1 2017 Bike Line XC at Fair Hill – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: 2nd Place

"You got to just DRILL IT!" - Jeff Mandell Life allowed me to be selfish and race today. It took some creativity and I found a way to use my broken race bike. Having to wait three months for a frame warranty isn't fun. So I figured out how to make it work and rode the broken…Read more MASS #1 2017 Bike Line XC at Fair Hill – CAT1 “Expert” 19-39: 2nd Place