Cross Crusade 3: Herron Lakes PIR...Everyone came out for this one...

 

 

We were able to grab the perfect spot next to the concrete block/vault on Saturday.  Across from Trusty and next to Team Beer..how could we not have fun being sandwiched between these teams.  It was a perfect morning for a cross race and the dry weather ensured that the course would be faster then fast!!!   Ed and Karl got us started...and Ed was complaining about being hungover.  All I could see was Ed leaving a red cloud behind him during lap 1.  Gosh I hope that wasn't from the drinking? 

 He crushed it as always and continues to make progress.

 

 

We got to welcome Karl Winston back to cross after recovering from an MTB injury that he sustained during the summer...here he is lining up his vault.

 

 

Master Cs was full of Mongers with Brian, Ryan, Kyle and myself...sorry dudes I was racing too so there were no photos...scour the Internet.  Oh, I have this one gem of a sea of green and beard.  I think Kyle is in there, somewhere?

 

 

The party at Herron Lakes is so good that the team's Guvenor Sean "Beermonger' Campbell came out to make sure we had what we needed...nice work brotha it makes our weekends some much more fun!!!  Thanks for the support!!!  Now we need to find you a bike, a helmet and a BMCC jersey so you can ride too...

 

 

 

Abram, Brian W. and Stroup rolled out in the Master B race and even though the sun wasn't out yet these boys shined like some crazy-ass diamonds...whoops until Brian had a mechanical which sent him walking off the course, doh!  No worries you have a single speed bike too.  Here Abram is about to embark on some passing on the gravel road. Git sum!!!!

 

Stroup was going so fast the only thing I could read on his kit was the words "Beer" and "Mongers," Nice!  I like the one sock high, one sock short.  Must be some gang signs?

 

 

Tragically Bill 'the BMCC Town Sheriff" was out enjoying some R&R on his raft cause no one was around to defend us from the Le Femmes invasion....I mean that's my trainer your on.  Sheriff Bill we need you back!!

 

 

The fog did eventually burn off and the Mongirls were at it again...Abby, Jericho and Shawna did us proud in the Cat C race...Mari (Brain Little's wife) got her first 'race on' and looked solid too.

 

 

 

Kim tore it up during the Women's B race...here she is getting heckled from some gal with rolled up bike shorts.  Oh the humanity...

 

And then there is Julie 'the Real Deal' who friggin kicked it up a notch and won the Master Bs race...I mean you better have another shot or Candi is going to be emailing you.  My advice is to figure out the math so you can win Master Bs without being forced up and then SANDBAG!!!   I am embarrassed to not have a photo...nice work JulieJo!!!

 

While all of that excitement was going on between the tape I was getting my slippery, butter fingers on a legendary bike....that's right I got to ride around on Niels Alberts 2012 World Championship bike....uummmm electronic shifting.

The final race of the day had Matt, Dan, and Justin in Cat Bs with Andrew and two-timing Brian in the single speeds....Matt's working to get his number on correctly so the announcer will know who he is.

Dan and Justin have ripped-it-up in the Cat Bs on single speed bikes this year but this flat, dry course did not favor their set-ups and they could only do so much.  Nice effort lads...you still kicked arse...

 

Bustin 'BUSTIN' the vault....

 

Andrew came flying around the first corner in a solid pack and he was looking for some spaces to pass.  He rode hard and kept it all together with the mono-speed racers...Yo bro what's your geometry???  Unfortunately Brian burned up another bike and he had to run out the last 1/8 of a lap...if I only had Albert's bike I could have passed it to him.

The vault certainly brought out some high fliers and the Mongers partied post-race.

 

 

 Its becoming a tradition for the Mongers to be the last team to leave this great venue and 2013 was no exception...the sun was out, the beer was cold and the laughs continued til sunrise....I mean I am old and I left at 5:45pm. But not before I got this killer Trusty-Monger shot. See yins in Bend!!! 

 

Oh snap!!! Rainier already...The infamous course comes early every year....

I met Bustin and Denial early on this fine autumn morning for race 2 of the Cross Crusade: Rainier High School in Rainier, OR.  The early rise hurt but once we got rolling up I-5 the coffee was flowing and the tunes jamming.  Parking in the lower lot we unload the Monger-mobile and got to work setting up our base camp.  The agony laid out on this course is legendary.  It even drives little girls to pull up a chair to see what all the fuss is about.

 

 

Before we knew it the Beginners were rolling by and then the Cs/Clydesdale's.  Ed got the BMCC off on the right foot or pedal.  He looked so happy and content once it was over....cheers Ed!!!

 

Just last week I suggested that our Master C field had been decimated, enter Marc and new rider Brian Little plus Kyle and I.  A hell of a course for your first race of the year, well done Marc and Brian  for not being afraid to push yourself so close to vomiting on your first week.

 

 Abram must drink the same water as Brian L and Marc cause he started his season with Rainier too.  Damn it!!!  There are some sadistic MoFo's on this team.  I could train all year and it would still come damn close to killing me.

The dry conditions allowed folks to open it up on the downhills.  The only problem with this strategy is the uphills come back around so quickly.  Brian comes flying down the long descent here....vroooom!

 

Solid work Stroup...I am not sure where that smile comes from, other then the fact that you are done.  Yipppeee!!!

 

Rainier is such an awesome venue that we even scared Kyle H into riding his Salsa Fargo up some logging roads from Scappoose to come and hang-out.  Here he explains to Bustin that you don't need to race to get worked by  hills in this part of Oregon.

 

The Mongirls were next and with a solid showing of lime green and yellow kits they made the course look like a mess of swirled peas and corn...As previously mentioned the Cat Cs are stacked with Mongers and every week these girls are fighting it out against each other.  Shawna and Lindsay were wheel-to-wheel for several laps.  Here they push each other up the long hill.

 

  

Its on courses like this when I really need the cheering of teammates and friends.  However, shouting at people to pass someone when they are recovering is just not that helpful... I can tell Abby is like, "shut-up Campbell I am trying to breath here!!"

 

Steph had a killer race and she gave it her all on the steep climb to the finish...how very Tour de France of the Cross Crusade crew. 

 

Jericho opening up the speed on a downhill sprint toward the barriers.

 

Julie is becoming the Real Deal again with some amazing performances...on one of the hardest courses in the region she grabbed 3rd place and let all the other Master B ladies know that the pre-race bourbon shot can fuel you to the podium.

 

 

Lastly we had the Cat. Bs...these fellas stood around all day hearing about how hard the other races went, not sure if they should have a brat, worrying about their bikes and then its time to go....and go they did.  Denial has been ripping up the Cat Bs with a single speed and he pulled a 5th place finish on a hilly-arse course with a singlespeed..  Amazing!!!!! 

 

Bill his working his way up the Cat B ladder and he had a solid race....coming by the tent here ready to recover...oh hell no this guy recovers after the race.

 

 

Bustin had a solid race but he tried out a Sage Cycles bike with gears and dropbars...YIKES!!  No photos were taken of this experiment to protect the innocent.  All in all the Mongers had a stellar day and we are in the top 20 for the team competition.  Abram and I had to slide out a little early to watch the Timbers beat the Seattle Flounder 1-0 at the JW.  RCTID!!!!!

We're BACK....that's right the 2013 CX season is well underway....

Its early October and the days are becoming shorter as the temps drop...rain seems to be in the forecast constantly but its not as reliable as the local CX scene.  The Mongers have added some super nice folks this year and I am personally happy to have the new riders crushing the souls of their competitors.  Welcome to the BMCC: Ed, Lindsay, Abby, M&M, Brian, Dan and Bustin, I mean Justin.  Others are coming along too.  Along with the new peeps Abram put some excellent work into design some new kits.

 

 

 

Alpenrose always provides a world class venue to get the Cross Crusade off to a great start!!  The tail end of a monsoon (sounds crazy) had hit PDX the weekend before so the course was dry in most sun exposed areas and a little muddy in some of the hollows.

Ed got us started in the Cyldesdales race as he moved up from Beginners for a bit more sleep and some extra race time.

Typically, we have a ton of C riders but folks have moved out of this Category this year in favor of other Cats.  Master Cs will save us....there are always tons of these guys in the Mongers.  This year it looks like Ryan, Kyle and maybe some others.  Ryan doing his best Pendleton Round-up impression, as he works to control his new stead while TrustySwitchblade's Jason Miranda closes in.

 

Oh the run-ups...they weren't slippery but they weren't awesome either. Kyle grits his teeth as he powers up this bad boy.

 

The Men's Master B field this year is full of Mongers.  We have Abram, Stroup, and Brian.  Abram was still sitting out as he recovered from a broken hand sustained during a MTB spill in Colorado.  Abram and Brian were ready to roll and roll they did.  They kept it nice and tight and had some excellent back and forth.

 

This year the Mongirls are on the rise and the Cat.C field in a downright 'Mongirl Brawl.'  Typically, we have at least four racers in this Cat. but at Alpenrose we had 5.  Here you can see these girls battle it out!!!

 

 Steph, Lindsay, Jericho, Shawna and Abey will make the Women's Cat. C our largest of the day.  In the early days of the 2013 Cross Crusade series Julie 'the Real Deal" rode with Kim in the Cat. Bs.

 

 

 The last race of the day comes way too quickly and this year we have a stampede of Men Cat. Bs and Singlespeed Morphis.  Dan, Bill and Justin rolled out in the heat with some fast dudes and we cheered like no tomorrow.

 

 

It was a solid first day of the 2013 CX Crusade and our crew was super happy to share tent space with the newly formed CX Pistols and Bread Winner cycling teams.  Life is good in the world of Oregon Cross!!!!