#cicli devotion

[aces5050]

Cicli Devotion Team Cross Bike by Seth Rosko (via Prollyisnotprobably)

[sanctumcycle]

Cicli Devotion / Chari & Co Team rider, K-Tel at the Red Hook Crit

[ototheo]

Grants Tomb Crit 3/9/13

This past weekend was Grants Tomb Crit. Fun, fast course. I felt like I did everything right during the race until the end. The final sprint started way earlier than expected. By the time I realized what was going on, I knew my chances were over. I probably put in a solid 75% effort at the end and ended up 9th out of a field of 50 or so. Our lead group of 11 had about 45 seconds on the rest of the peloton at the finish.

Photo © Anthony Benavides

[ototheo]

Sunday team ride

Sunday I went for a ride with a few from my team. I haven't seen most of these guys since Cross season ended. We put in a great 75 miles in some epic fog, and got back just in time to watch Cyclocross Nationals while we killed some pizza and beer. Perfect day.

[ototheo]

Bubble Cross, NJ 11/11

Staten CX was cancelled this year because of the destruction in Staten Island. We made last minute plans to Race out in NJ at Bubble Cross last Sunday. The course was very technical. I would say that 1/8th of it was on sand. From the sand you exited to a singletrack climb that entered a whole twisty, dirt back section. There was some good climbing on the front section, a small kicker that you could catch some air off of, and a short set of stairs. Weather was in the 60's so all of this made for a really awesome, challenging race. Our team did really well in the Cat 3's taking 1st and 2nd. I took 5th in the Cat 4's behind Wilis (king kog) who took 4th and Keith Garrison (pink rhino racing) took 1st. We were just notified today that this weekends upcoming races at Super Cross Cup were postponed, so we are currently trying to find a game plan. I really want to race this weekend. My season is nearing a close. I have more than enough upgrade points and I think I'm about ready to make the jump up. I plan on upgrading right before my last race of this season so I can get a taste of what things will be like next year. Enough from me, heres some photos from the day... Jen was nice enough to shoot some photos of the cat 4 race while I was racing. The rest are mine: Full gallery HERE

K-tel and Brian Quinn post race

Catchin a little air during my race

[ototheo]

Marty Cross days 1&2, Chester, NJ

This weekend we headed to Chester, NJ for Marty Cross thrown by Marty's reliable cycle. The course was strung out on a hill with a really scenic view. Most of it was off camber. On day 1 there was a big climb that most people ran up. It had the stickiest, clay-like mud that I've seen all season. I had some serious trouble clipping back in after the run up as the mud was so thick that it wouldn't come off my shoes and pedals. There was also a paved downhill section that went right into a muddy, rutty section with a tight turn at the end. You could easily trash hard if you took it with too much speed. I took it really fast on one lap and nearly lost it. On day 1 I was in 5th place most of the race. I dropped my chain twice. The first time I lost 4 positions because I couldn't get it back on. The 2nd time I lost even more ground. I ended up 12th despite the issues. Thats the first (and 2nd) time I've dropped a chain all season. Day 2 the course was much faster, but with a lot more climbing. Most of the time was spent on the bike as there was only 1 set of barriers. Day 2 was much better. I ended up in 6th place. I have zero complaints with how I rode,  and zero issues. I'll take it. We had most of the consistent racers in Brooklyn at this race, so it was cool to just race with a bunch of friends. Keith from Pink Rhino Racing and Jun from Chari and Co ended up on the podium. :Marty Cross Gallery of days 1&2 (click me): A few randoms (click to enlarge):

[ototheo]

Town Hall Cross 10/6, Cooper River Cross (CRCX) 10/14

So I'm a little behind with my updates. Everything has been a blur lately. Last Saturday we raced at Town Hall Cross in Pennsylvania. There was quite a bit of climbing, and a lot of switchbacks through mud and wet grass. I was supposed to start around 30th in the grid. I missed my call up and ended up having to start around 80th position. I pushed my way through and ended up taking 3rd! To date I have never made up that much ground in a race. It was a tough race but I felt really strong throughout it. Today we raced at Cooper River Cross in Cherry Hill, NJ. This was a mostly flat course with some technical sections, a rideable staircase, and a lot of loose dirt. I didn't have a very good start and the leaders got away quick. I started about 5 rows back. I made my way up and by the 3rd lap I was in 6th place. I was battling with the guy behind me the rest of the race. I held onto 6th until the final sprint. I got nabbed by the 2 behind me and ended up 8th. That hurt. I am happy to be in the top 10, but bummed at the same time that I didn't step it up and hold my ground. Looking back I think I could have pushed it harder, but in the moment I caved. Either way, another day, another lesson. I didn't go crazy taking photos at these races as I did at some recent ones, but here's what I got: A few from Town Hall Cross (FULL GALLERY HERE):

my second podium this year...3rd at Town Hall Cross

A few from Cooper River Cross (FULL GALLERY HERE):

[ototheo]

Floyd Bennet Field Race (2nd place!) 9/2/11

I haven't been able to make any of the Floyd Bennet Field races this year because I was always working. They just started their Sunday series, so I figured it would be a good way to end out the summer road season. Off the line, 3 people took off sprinting and made some serious headway. I spent the first lap and a half riding by myself trying to catch them but never did. I fell back into the pack and tried to regain myself. 2 of the 3 people that went out early couldn't hold their ground and eventually fell back into the pack. I was at the back of the pack just hanging on and watching the one rider who was still way out front. We would get closer to him but as soon as we were out of the wind, he would make more ground on the pack. the first 2 straights are directly into the wind and the other 2 are not. As soon as you hit the straights out of the wind, you can go much faster. On the 4th lap I held on to the back of the pack. I made my way to the middle as we were coming up to the 3rd straight. The pack slowed a little and I made my move and broke away. I thought someone would go after me or latch on to my wheel but no one did. I killed myself until I slowly caught the lone racer who was way out front. We went for over a lap before I had regained myself enough to pull out front. Him and I worked together for the next 4 laps and held a considerable lead on the rest of the pack. I have to give him credit though as he did more work than I did, and when it came to the final stretch, I went into it accepting whatever I would get. I ended up talking second. It was really awesome how it played out. I took a big risk and it was worth it. Very happy with the outcome!