Is this the End for Pandas?

The final BASP cyclocross race at Coyote Point saw Panda action in two categories.

C Women’s Race. Race Women! Race!
The canon sounded and the women were off and up the hill with Fox quickly settling into her new race strategy of finishing mid pack while providing color commentary to the Fandas. That is until the last lap when her competitive instincts kicked back in and she found another gear to finish within the group she had been chasing for a top 10 finish! Pantastic! Women’s Cs also saw Tara making her cyclocross (and Vertical Panda) debut, finishing in fine form, with only 2 crashes and one drop chain – better than I can say on my debut. Although she crossed the line in last place, she scored double points to finish 39 out of 44 in the GC.

Men’s B (or not to B?)
Three Pandas entered - only two Pandas would survive. Mark and Stephen got their call up while I clapped from a decent spot near the front. After a slight delay, the canon boomed and the race took off up the pavement and up the first hill. Dismounting before the crest, I ran by Stephen, head down and consoling his rear derailleur that in a word was “broke.” For Stephen, the race was finished. Myself, I moved with the pack down the tight turns among the Eucalyptus trees and onto the beach. I tried running past another racer on the inside, but ran out of room and remained stuck while my group took a 20 yard break. Goodbye group, goodbye. Although I lost contact with the group I was trying to stay with, I did settle into a second group.

With three laps to go, I made my move on the pavement so I could be first up the off camber dipsey doo squirley roo thing. The move proved decisive and I pulled away on the hill. Cresting over the woodchips, with Clark shouting "Push it", I saw a wonderful sight. Was I dreaming? Is that realy pork on the race course? Not only was it pork - it was fried pork, or more specifically - bacon. Only one thing a racer of my caliber could do: I grabbed it and I ate it. I shoved the piece into my mouth without thinking and I ate the bacon. I. Ate. The Bacon. Must say, not the smartest thing to do while riding racing - very dry, nearly choked but after 3/4th of a lap I was ready for another piece. Grab bacon! Grab!

Mark finished 18th to take 9th GC while I finished 54th finishing the series 73rd out of 159. Chris and Stephen finished 30th and 49th respectively in the GC.

Although BASP has ended, Vertical Pandas remain. There are other cyclocross race series (Livermore, Peak Season, Santa Rosa) and we can always just go for a bike. Ride Panda, Ride!

Pandas in the Park

Sunday after Thanksgiving in the park: sun shining and pandas smiling. A perfect day for getting vertical. Christine made her debut cross race this season tearing it up with the Women's C's. Nora and Chris, Julie and Jeremiah cheered on, "Go Panda! Go!" while Christine responded with snappy quips ("Drooping Panda") and even smarter poses. Christine crossed the line in an impressive 20th place, finishing on the same bell lap as the leader.

Men's B saw another large crowd, despite the absence of two Pandas. Mark and Jeremiah lined up front, and despite my decent start there was some bottle necking to get the hole shot on the first turn. Good day of racing, and I guess the big story for me is a dropped chain which caused me to lose contact with my group. Still, a good race - not lapped and sprinted to a 74th position. Mark crossed the line in 7th place, retaining his top ten overall GC (7th). After the race, two Vertical Fandas hop on borrowed bikes and rode up the course into the sunset. Will we see them at the starting line next season?

Next Sunday is the last BASP, Series Final at Coyote Point. GC points are doubled, so a good showing here with a little luck can move a rider up the GC significantly.

Make Mine A Dubbel ...

(Photo credit SWoo)

From Dusty Downs' November 16th CCCX Race Report:

• "CATEGORY B MEN- Brian Duke of the Salinas High School MTB Team posted his first Cross win in thrilling style. The division was full of experienced riders, yet Duke out hustled the entire group for the win. Duke looks set to have a strong MTB season for the High School league races, and his win against some very strong Croos riders shows that the Salinas resident is for real when it comes to racing his bike. Series leader Nico Cerna(VOS Racing) was second place seven seconds behind the motivated Duke. Tyler Frasca(SV Cyclesport) was 3rd place on the day about 35 seconds back. Making up the rest of the top 5 were Eric Highlander(Evil Cycling) in 4th and Mark Shaw(Vertical Pandas) in 5th place."

Pandapodium!

Lights, Camera, Action!

(photo credit cyclofiend)

Having time to reflect on the race I can say I am disappointed with the results, but not the performance. I truly thought I rode well. I felt good (though a bit dusty in the mouth) and met one pre race objective - start near the front. However after the good start, I found myself behind the racers I was aiming to keep with, and when they went, I did not. I was riding well, but fast? I thought so, but not fast enough and for not long enough. Afterwards I saw my result and thought, damn ... I'm slow.

(photo credit SWoo)

The RACE: At the whistle the pack surged, and within 50 meters a big pile up. Chris went down hard, while I managed to escape to the side locked with another person's handlebars. After untangling, the first lap moved quickly, and then I settled into racing. The course was contained in a tight patch of dust, under the 15 construction lights pumping out just enough watts to find our way. The pack first turned onto a paved straight away then a tight 180 back on itself on the dirt. We then snaked to and fro until a couple of steep inclines were broken up with a sharp downhill. More snaking to a set of four barriers followed by an incline then a dirt half pipe. I managed to get some air on the half pipe ( http://www.veronikalenzi.com/basps32008large-3.php?imagename=IMG_1604basps3-08.jpg ) until three laps to go. I went down on a gravel turn before the last incline and right after Clark cheered "Go Jeremy!" Confidence shaken, but not stirred, I picked myself up, fixed my chain, ran up the hill, hopped back on my bike and continued my race. The snaking continued which turned to three longer streches, including a pavement finish. I must have lost some momentum from the crash, as I was no longer with anyone. Alone on the course with 80 some odd other persons. How can I be so alone with so many people? I may not be the fastest or the strongest, but my wife indicated that I looked good, a lot faster and stronger than half the people that beat me. I guess that's true, she is a good judge of people. I may not be "specialized" like Boonen or Pattini, but my mom says I'm special and my wife thinks I look good, what more can I want?

(photo credit SWoo)

The PANDAS:Stephen lost a sprint at the line to finish 7th while Chris made an impressive(courageous, inspiring, etc.) recovery to finish 52. During the race, Chris attempted to communicate with the pit, calling for glasses, a new bike, and two Advils with a swig of bourbon but apparently his race radio was not working. He continued to press on - Courage! Go Panda! After the race, the medical tent looked him over and taped up his wounds and slung his shoulder. After further examination, his injuries may be more substantial - a bum shoulder that may keep him from Golden Gate park. Mark finished 54th after a chain snap, later on noting that his job was to ride the bike and not score where he finished. Myself, I finished 80th scooping up a single GC point. Apart from the race (or actually part of the racing) were the Vertical FANdas. It was great to hear everyone cheer us on, then BarBQ later on. Great sausage, sides and salads, cookies and cupcakes. The night felt like summer, all that was missing were fireworks. A few of us stayed until the final lap of the final race to see Rock Lobster take 1,2,3 and I thought, damn ... now they're fast.

CycloBarBQCross

After a weekend off from racing, the Pandas are hungry - hungry for some podium spots and some BarBQ. Though I can not promise a podium spot, I can promise BarBQ. We will have a grill set up this Saturday night for some truly authentic cross cuisine after the race - sausages, chips, beer, buns, sides and the like. We will have plates/cutlery and some chairs, but feel free to bring whatever else would make you feel comfortable as we chow down to the sound of cowbells.

Men's B is starting at 5:00 under the lights at Sierra Point and the Elite Men will start at 8:00. It should be a fast and tight course, with lots of opportunities to route on your favorite Panda.

http://www.pilarcitos.com/pdfs/2008raceflyerSierraPoint.pdf

On your mark ... get set ... Go!

Start in the beginning, particularly in cyclocross. Although I arrived at the line early enough with my teammates to ensure a decent spot for the whistle, I had to leave to take care of some gastro issues which cost me my place in line. Far from the upper/middle I made my way to the rear. Noticing my number was on the wrong side, a fellow racer assured me, "there is nothing you can do about it now." True. The whistle sounded and I waited the few seconds as required under the incomprehensible rules of traffic before actually racing. I moved up the pack taking an outside line, picking up some spots before the dismounts. On the backside (right after the up/down 180 turn in the mud) I took the inside line of a left curve when my handlebar hit a tree/bush. A pygmy California cedar I think, or perhaps coyote scrub? Anyway, I went down. More accurately I went up and over and then down and then rolled on the ground a bit away from my bike. I jumped up to hear my fellow racers sound the alarm, "Crash! Crash!" as riders navigated the newly created obstacle - a 60cm red Soulcraft in the middle of the course. I waited for the field to pass before retrieving my bike. A little bit of a brake/chain issue, but all systems go. Back on.

Although I caught some racers, I again found myself in no man's land, away from the pack, alone … at the bottom ... a loser (or at least close to it.) I had planned to mark some riders who had posted similar times in previous races. My planned failed spectacularly and although I harbor thoughts of coulda, woulda, shoulda, I did enjoy my race, satisfied with my ability to ride up all the inclines and pleased not to have shit myself. I competed and I finished (81/85). I will continue to compete and I will continue to finish. I will keep you posted on the where and when.

Other Pandas will have to tell their own story, however I can share the results - Stephen took 7th right behind McLaren's winner to retain call up honors for next race. Mark and Chris took 11th and 12th. Mark also retains a top ten position in the Series and Vertical Pandas is well represented in the call ups. Vertical Pandas appears to be a force to be reckoned with in Men's Cat B. Go Pandas!

There are races in Livermore and Sacramento next weekend, however I will not be racing. Will keep you posted regarding a Bar-B-Q on Saturday, November 15th at Sierra Point. Cat B start racing at 5:00 PM -http://www.pilarcitos.com/pdfs/2008raceflyerSierraPoint.pdf

Take Me Down to Surf City

Vertical Pandas tripped down to Soquel for Surf City Cyclocross last weekend. Men's Category B swelled with riders as the start left a film of dust on all except those able to get out on the front (Mark looking nice and clean before lunch while the rest of us looked like we just finished our shift at the mine.) The first lap stayed together with pile ups at every dismount and tight corner. I ended up riding with and finishing with a group from Team Oakland/Kaiser Permanente in 56th place out of 73. Although I dropped my chain once, I raced well, stuck to the wheels in front of me and even picked off a few places (though it should be mentioned that two of the gentleman racers were sharing a beer when I passed them.) I am a big fan of the "Swirley of Mayhem" and the DJ's performance can be summed up as "rocking it." Mark and Chris finished 14th and 19th respectively while Stephen's flat tire resulted in a DNF. Mr. & Mrs. Shaw, Kate, Christine, Nora & Julie cheered from the sidelines and their presence certainly was felt and appreciated by the riders. Even Clark was there, and I could hear him shout "Go Pandas!"

After the race, we all stayed to watch a great Costume Cross ( http://surfcitycxresults.blogspot.com/ ) complete with Mexican superstar wrestlers, Santa and his sleigh, Unicorns, bulls & all other sorts of mayhem. Bikes on racks, we all headed for post race Mexican food. November 15th may be a good time for a little post race Bar-B-Q in the evening at Sierra Point - will keep you posted.

Next Up:
Rains begets mud; mud begets racing. This weekend will bring two races (Saturday in Santa Rosa and Sunday at Candlestick Park). I am not racing Santa Rosa, but will race Sunday.

Pandapodium at McLaren!

I added a few names to the Vertical Panda email list to thank all of the support from friends and family at last weekend's race. Your encouragement is much appreciated. The team looked sharp in our new kits, with Mark Shaw going "pandapodium" scoring an impressive 5th on the infamous McLaren park cross coarse. Mark caught and passed me after the final log hop. As I rasped words of encouragement, he gave me a look back (not necessarily "the look") and calmly stated, "I have a flat." Refusing my offer to swap bikes (which later on we realized would be be a violation of cross rules) I followed his wheel all the way down to the infield turns, watching him weaving to and fro - with a near fall rounding the pitcher's mound. Alas, in the end, Mark's flat cost him the silver - but that's the way it rolls sometimes - and he had to settle for fifth. The Donahue Brothers finished strong as well, with Stephen making particular nice gains after a dismal start in the rear (with me) and some nice crash encounters (I somehow evaded.) This weekend provides another opportunity to strut our stuff, and test our abilities. There is a Livermore Cross race on Saturday (I am not going to attend) and Velo Bella / Surf City down south in Soquel on Sunday - http://surfcitycx.blogspot.com/ The next "local" race is Sunday, November 2nd at Candlestick Park (note daylight savings!) and another good race to watch (participate!) will be November 15 at night and under the lights at Sierra Point. Perhaps a little Bar-B-Q may be arranged?

Upward and Onward!

Hi Ho Vertical Pandas! Jerseys have been shipped and we can expect them for next weekend races (options: Livermore on Saturday 10/11; Ft. Ord on Sunday 10/12). After a pre-season clinic, the first race saw Julie, Mark and Jeremiah survive a scorching 102 degree heat wave in Livermore. Big thanks to Julie for supplying the water and Kate for supplying the crowd support! The second week of racing took VP (Mark & Jeremiah) down to Ft. Ord. for the first race of the CCCX series. The race was a good mix of sandy bits and quality family time. Last weekend, VP again braved the heat, this time in at the Lions of Fairfax with two (Mark Shaw and Chris Donahue) making the podium and Jeremiah doing all he could to just finish. Although later in the afternoon, a good crowd (again - thanks for the water!) with a special three generations of Donahues in attendance! For all those who are racing this weekend (Santa Rosa, Saturday or Vacaville, Sunday) - Good Luck! Will keep all posted on the jerseys when they arrive.

Fit Kits Are In!

OK, the fit kit is in, however it is just men's. I have requested they send women's so we can have proper fitting garments for all our teammates. Thursday appears to be the day that will work for most. Say 7:30 ?

Also, Julie and I will be joining Mark at the clinic this Saturday, and then perhaps a cross ride in Southbay. Bay Area Super Prestige Series calendar is up - http://www.pilarcitos.com/2008Cross.htm

Although there is a big time delay between women and Men's B, there is an evening race! Lets plan on a Barb-B-Q after the race for November 15, 2008.

Cheers
Jeremiah