Race Reports...

North Seatac, ECC Race #1, 9/25/05

Over 9 months ago, North Seatac was the site of the final race of the 2004 season. It was a bone chillingly wet and muddy day (see the video from last years race click here). This years opening day race could not have been different. Dry and beautiful end of summer type weather left conditions dusty and fast. Rubicon had a great turnout on the day, with racers from Anne-Marie back on the cross bike for the first time in over a year, to James beginning his first full year as a Men's A racer. The dry and fast conditions played havoc for some of our racers, with Clark going down hard on the first lap, and both James and Hahn having major blowouts that left them out of contention. But not all was lost. In the Womens B race, both Nicola (4th) and Jane (6th) had impressive outings that will serve as a solid platform to build on in the overall ECC standings. Dave Stonich matched Nicola's 4th place performance in the Mens Bs. Big Dave led most of the race and finished in a the lead pack of four strong riders. Early set backs were no problem for Gabe who finish not far behind in 11th. See you at Star Crossed...

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Star Crossed, Clif Bar/FSA at Marymoor, 10/1/05

It was and Epic weekend for cyclocross in the Seattle area.  The weekend started out with the Clif Bar/FSA Star-Crossed at Marymoor, one of the biggest events held in the Northwest.  The racing started late in the day with the Women B & C racers and culminated late in the evening with the battle of some of the top racers from across the country vying for victory under the lights.  The highlight of the evening for some was watching Carl Decker, Barry Wicks, and Geoff Kabush battle to the finish, with Decker putting on a masterful display of tactics to win and Wicks nosing out Kabush by mere inches, if not centimeters in the sprint for 2^nd place.  But for many, the highlight of the evening was watching a field of 80 Mens B racers duke it out in what started as a drizzle, but quickly morphed into an outright deluge, capped off by a hailstorm, and laced with lightening.  The racers were urged on by hundreds of fans packed into the beer garden and lining the upper lip of the Velodrome, who grew more and more frenzied as the weather intensified.  The fans kept up the enthusiasm right up to the finish of the final racer.  Epic!!!

            Alki|Rubicon was well represented, with racers in almost every category.  Nicola raced women’s Bs, Josh in men’s Cs, Gabe and Clark in men’s Bs, Hahn and Dave Stonich in master As, and Dave Rider and James in men’s As.  Results for the team spanned from an impressive 4^th place for Nicola, to a broken chain, to just a good old learning experience.  More importantly though, it will go down as one of the most Epic race days in the annals of Seattle cyclocross!

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South Seatac, ECC Race #2, 10/2/05

This year’s first race at South Seatac had a lot to live up to after Star-crossed, but back-to-back race days, a longer drive, and more rain didn’t stop many from coming out on Sunday.  Racers were treated to lots of running, lots of sand, and a good bit of mud just for kicks.  Overall, it was a tough day for Alki-Rubicon.  Josh started out the day dropping a chain which left him out of contention, while Hahn (after obviously pissing off the tire gods) had a couple of flats, as well as a nasty wreck.  At the same time, James was half way around the course battling mechanical problems of his own (but still finished 11^th).  Gabe showed a lot of heart by battling to the line to finish 16^th after hurting his back early in the race.  Clark was the only racer who seemed to avoid trouble finishing a strong 12^th.  So rest up Rubicon, and appease those tire gods however you need to, there is more racing to be done…

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Rad Racing USGP of Cyclocross, Steilacoom park, 10/9/05

Dave Rider led the way for the Alki|Rubicon racers with a 3rd place in the Mens B category on Sunday. It was a great day for racing as frequent sunbreaks kept racers at an optimum temperature, not too hot, not too cold. For those who had raced the course before, they knew what to expect from the Mt Everestesque run-up at Steilacoom, but unlike races past, the rest of the course was shortened up and very fast. Holly and Jane battle it out with a strong group of womens, finishing 6th and 10th respectively. Nice work ladies! In the Mens Bs there were over 70 racers. The start was a 200 meter sprint into a sharp right turn so a strong start would make or the race for many. Starting towards the back of the group, Dave, Dave, Hahn and Clark had to dodge and weave their way through a tangle of riders. Dave Rider was successful, and would have vied for 1st place had there been one more lap, as he was pulling in the leaders with each lap. Clark finished not far back in 12th, with Hahn 18th and Dave 21st.

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Tour De Tunnel, Fort Warden/Port Townsend, 10-15-2005

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Kelley Creek, ECC Race #3, 10-23-2005

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Steilacoom, ECC Race #4, 10-30-2005

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Donida Farms, ECC Race #5, 11-06-05

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Fort Flagler, State Championships and ECC #6, Nov 12-13th 2005

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Team Rubicon had a great weekend out at Fort Flagler. A majority of the team shared two nights of lodging in the barracks at Ft Flagler with Team Ragnarok. Thanks for putting that together Doug! Both teams had a great time on and off the cyclocross course. For those of you who haven't raced there, you have missed out on one of the premier courses in the country, in my humble opinion. Sand, grassy expanses by the beach, hills, mud, single track, and more, with views of Pudget Sound and the snow capped Olympic Mountains. You can't beat that! Congrats to Holly and Clark who each placed second overall in their B categories, and to John for winning the B's and Aaron the single speed category. Not a bad tally!

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Evergreen HS, ECC #7, Nov 12-13th 2005

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South Seatac, ECC #8, Nov 27th 2005

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Kelley Creek, ECC #9, Dec 4th, 2005

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National Cyclocross Championships, Providence, R.I. Dec 9-11, 2005

Hello Team,

 Some of you know that I, Craig Fowler, the newest addition to Alki Rubicon made the trip back East to celebrate Christmas with my family and race at the Nationals.

 On Saturday I went down to ride the course during the open practice only to find out that they changed the schedule due to the heavy snow on Friday.  The course looked tough.  It had three sets of barriers and lots of small climbs and three road sections. 

 Dale Knapp won his title, Todd Wells won the Elite race and also the Liberty Cup $10,000 race today.

I raced at 9:30am on Sunday and was seeded 92 out of 173 riders (under 35).  This means I was in the 9th row.  I had hoped for a top 25 before I got my number but wasn't sure after I got it.  Once under way I made quick work to get to the outside and I moved up fast.  I just made it passed a nasty pile up on the second straight-away.  On the next section, a long off camber I took the middle and moved all the way to the top 10.  I managed to move to 7th at one point but mostly bounced between 8th and 10th.  On the last lap I got passed while in 10th only to then pass two unfortunate riders who threw their chains.  Which landed me in 8th for the day!  I was so happy and still can't believe after last years 66th I got a top10.

 It hurt bad but well worth it.  I started my race and the ground was pretty much frozen but as the race went on the sun melted much of the top layer of ground making it pretty muddy and slick.  My race was nothing compared to what the racers after me had to deal with.  The course got so nasty.  People were going down left and right.  Dan Norton crashed at least 3 times on the way to his 55-60 A National championship title.  The third crash include two dislocated fingers.

 That's enough for now.  I'll be at the party and tell you all about it.

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