Dirty Bikeneticrit

[josh]

I’m planning on doing this, looks fun.

[rcannon100]

Wow! The Dirty Bikecrit is THIS week!

[Steve O]

If you don’t like getting dirty (or don’t do cyclocross – GASP!), then join the Bicycle Fan Club ride on Sunday and enjoy a lovely day at the ballpark with a bunch of your bikey friends.
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[Sunyata]

@Steve O 180240 wrote:

If you don’t like getting dirty (or don’t do cyclocross – GASP!), then join the Bicycle Fan Club ride on Sunday and enjoy a lovely day at the ballpark with a bunch of your bikey friends.

Guess what? The Dirty BikenetiCrit is actually NOT a cyclocross race. It is a gravel crit (which means no barriers/dismounting, no crazy sharp turns, big hills, etc), and is actually run using road racing rules and categories. Plus, there will not be much “dirt”. Just a little gravel dust!

Besides… Why pay $8 for a beer at the stadium when you can have FREE beer at Dirty BikenetiCrit?! (You do not have to race to earn free beer, so even if you want to just come spectate or do the Anything Goes race, FREE BEER!)

[drevil]

ORRRR if you really like dirt and rocks, hipster EVOC fannypacks, and only getting your time counted while pointed downhill, you can join me at the Frederick Sheduro enduro bike race: https://www.facebook.com/events/803918859807632/

I was wondering why I didn’t see any Bikeneticans signed up; now I remember why

[Tania]

Or….dunno…how about if you want to promote OTHER events, maybe do it in a separate thread?

Sunyata’s just too nice to have said that.^^

I’m not. Maybe this is why I got a talking to at work the other day for being “too direct.”

[drevil]

@Tania 180257 wrote:

Or….dunno…how about if you want to promote OTHER events, maybe do it in a separate thread?

Sunyata’s just too nice to have said that.^^

I’m not. Maybe this is why I got a talking to at work the other day for being “too direct.”

Haha, yes, go to the Bikenetic thing. Most def.

[Tania]

I’d MUCH rather be up at the Shed riding the trails about which we do not speak but now that they’re quasi legal/sanctioned we actually DO speak of them. And now apparently race them.

[Sunyata]

Last day to pre-register for the best bike party this summer!

https://www.bikereg.com/dirtybikeneticrit

Ride bikes, have fun, drink (FREE) beer!

[sjclaeys]

OK, I’m in!

[rcannon100]

@Sunyata 180249 wrote:

Guess what? FREE BEER!

The heck you say.

Brought to you by P.O.T.H.
(People Opposed to Thread Hijacking)

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[Steve O]

@Sunyata 180249 wrote:

Guess what? The Dirty BikenetiCrit is actually NOT a cyclocross race. It is a gravel crit (which means no barriers/dismounting, no crazy sharp turns, big hills, etc), and is actually run using road racing rules and categories. Plus, there will not be much “dirt”. Just a little gravel dust!

Besides… Why pay $8 for a beer at the stadium when you can have FREE beer at Dirty BikenetiCrit?! (You do not have to race to earn free beer, so even if you want to just come spectate or do the Anything Goes race, FREE BEER!)

Apologies for misrepresenting this. Truthfully, I would have organized the ballgame ride on a different day if this had been announced just 24 hours earlier.
Unfortunately I had to make a snap decision about what to do with my rainout tickets. It would undoubtedly be better if people could do both, including me.
But alas.
Have fun!

(Some beer is now $16 at the ballpark, Sunyata; the cheapest is $12, so drink twice as much free beer at the races to get your money’s worth)

(Or half as much? Maths!)

[josh]

I did the men’s cat 5 race because I have zero experience racing on the road (unless you count Wednesday night spins or a single alleycat) or racing cross. The race was at 1, which means the weather warmed right back up and I had plenty of time to not drink free beer before the race. Finally started to warm up around noon, and I think I got two separate laps of the course in between various races. None of them were actually at race pace though, which detracted from their usefulness. I figured I’d explore some of the nearby roads, and I did spot a wild turkey crossing the road. I did some more parking lot loops and then rode around with Birru for a bit.

My strategy was pretty straightforward: I figured I should stay with the main pack if possible, don’t take any pulls, be in the top 5 coming around the last turn, and then just sprint most of the last straightaway. I started the race towards the back, but quickly moved up to stay with the group. First 7 or so laps weren’t that bad, but I’d fall behind in the second half of each lap, and then make up time on the straightaway and in the woods. I leapfrogged with the commissaire on the motorbike probably once per lap. I couldn’t take the turns well, and ended up going out too wide and going onto the grass many, many times. Not sure how much to chalk that up to poor skills on my part versus poor tire choice (slick Compass Barlow Passes). Eventually someone made a move and the pace went up, and I couldn’t hold on to the main group any longer. I just kept going, and couldn’t really sprint the last straightaway as I had imagined. Keeping my HR pegged near my max for 45 minutes was rough (who’d have thought?), but I managed to snag 7th of 30 racers.

Takeaways:

• Get your pre-ride laps
• Use tires with some knobs on the sides
• Work smart, not hard

I’ll be back next year, and if I do cat 4/5, I could also do the singlespeed race not back-to-back (assuming the schedule doesn’t change). I’ll also use different tires, although I was better off than some. Looking at my flybys, it seems that at least one person brought a road bike assuming it was a typical crit.

[rcannon100]

@josh 180430 wrote:

I did the men’s cat 5 race …

Josh pounded. Held with the peleton most of the race.

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Sign up for DCCX. Its local and a great op to try out CX.

[sjclaeys]

Can’t say that I did as well as Josh, but it was fun in a painful way. Wiped out on a turn in the first lap and got lapped by Josh and the other faster riders, so all went pretty much as planned. The upside to riding almost last by yourself is that you get to hear the race announcer say your name a few times and you can pick up a playing card for a preem (bike wash kit). Also appreciated the loud cheers from Bob and Tania, as well as the antiseptic spray from Casey for my abraded arm and leg. Finished 22 out of the 28 who finished. Almost chased down the coveted 21st spot in the last straight away, but then had a WTF moment and drafted the guy in. Then there was beer and grilled cheese. Already signed up for DCCX. What could go wrong?

[Author]

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