DownEast CX - MUDDY MAYHEM!

Downeast Cyclocross (aka Mudfest 2011)
Day 1
After a week of solid rain, the farm was one giant mud pit by Saturday morning. Chris and Rich were first out for the day. Unfortunately, Chris rolled a tire but he was lucky and able to quickly fix it and keep going. This cost him some time, but he still managed a 27th place finish for the day. Rich struggled with the conditions, losing time by riding sections he should have just got off and ran. He looked strong throughout the race and finished in 19th . Tracy was having a great race, up about 6 mins on her crossresults.com nemesis, before having her chain slide off the wrong side and get stuck. She was right at the pit zone, but with no pit bike, she was forced to run her bike in the rest of the lap. She completed the race without getting lapped, managing to finish on the lead lap even with her mechanical. Luckily fellow team members were able to get her bike back in working order for the next day, as she was hungry to get back out and race.

photo of Rich Gauvin courtesy of Tayler Rae Dubé


Day 2
The conditions continued to take their toll on racers. In the mens cat 4 race, one unlucky racer didn't even make it past the start/finish line. He broke a derailer hanger and was out of the race before getting off the pavement. Rich got lucky and found all the right lines on his first lap, but not everyone was so lucky and he had to fight to stay upright as others nearly took him (or the course markers) out. He battled back and forth with one racer for the entire 4 laps, gaining on the turns and the climb, but losing ground elsewhere. On the final lap he was ready to pounce and pull the other racer in for good, but one slip of the tire on the hill section gave his competitor room to create a gap, leaving not enough time for Rich to get him through the twisty finish section. Overall though a real breakout race for Rich with a 6th place finish.


Chris (Crash) Adams was excited for another fun day in the mud, his favorite way to race. His bad luck continued, however as he took a pretty rough fall on the course's descent. He battled back in the remaining laps, still looking strong at the end. He was happy to come away relatively unscathed and with a bike in one piece, while finishing 22nd.

photo of Chris Adams courtesy of Tayler Rae Dubé


John made it up to Maine for day 2, sitting on fresh legs from not racing the day before. It was a weird race for him as it seemed to be a balance of powering through mud while still trying to finesse the slippery off camber turns. He slipped out on an off camber section twice; once crashing in slow motion, the other time managing to catch himself. He was pretty drained at the end from all the running and riding through deep mud, but he had a lot of fun except for getting blitzed at the line by someone he thought he had dropped. He’s learned his lesson and realizes he now needs to pay more attention to that in future races. He placed 33rd overall in cat 4 and had a top 20 finish for 35+ men.


Tracy came back with a vengeance on day 2, determined to complete the race on her bike this time. She got caught behind a crash in the opening stretch, causing her to have to clip out and go around. This cost her some time on the start and she was in the back end of the field into the hole shot. She quickly recovered and moved up through the field. She once again gained ground and was able to put time in on her top opponents. With a problem free final lap, Tracy flew past the finish line in 28th place.

photo of Tracy Gustafson courtesy of Tayler Rae Dubé


When asked how the weekend went for her, Tracy (aka T-rock) said, "What can I say but MUDDY FUN!? Well actually, I was a bit nervous for my team mates and myself when I saw derailleurs breaking like twigs. Luckily we all remained unscathed. My goal for the race was not to break anything. Day 1, I was feeling good making good time then the chain jammed, and I could not fix it. Luckily, I was only about a 1/2 lap from the finish, so I picked up the bike and ran as fast as I could to the finish. Okay, I mostly walked since the bike was tremendously heavy with all the mud on it. I finished and didn't get lapped, so I was happy. Day 2, still feeling good, and having no mechanical I was happy with my finish. Both days, trying to lift the now 30 lb. bike covered in mud over the barriers was less than smooth."

October 15 & 16 Race Recap

another awesome write-up by Crystal Gauvin
Mansfield Hollow

After monsoon like rains on Friday, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at Mansfield Hollow Saturday morning to see a relatively dry course. This was a big day for team DAS with racer Ben Burdick making his cyclocross debut and racer Elizabeth Allen doing her first non DAS cyclocross event of the season. The team ended up with 5 racers overall, two in the men's cat 4 and 3 in the women's field.

Rich managed a second row start for this race, so he was excited to get an early jump on the rest of the field. Unfortunately, the front row racer in front of him crashed just off the start line, leaving Rich scrambling to get back into position. He managed to make it through a pileup in the first twisty section, but Ben wasn't so lucky. After bunny hoping the first barriers in front of heckler's hill, Rich mistimed the second and ended up having to get off and run his bike up the hill with the rest of the cat 4s. He redeemed himself on the second lap, able to stay on his bike and ride all the way to the top. Ben followed the majority of the field getting of his bike before the barriers and shouldering his bike up the hill each lap. Both Ben and Rich were able to gain ground after the first lap, with Rich finishing in 14th and Ben in 36th. Both were happy with their finishes, but happy to be done for the day.

All three women's races were on the course at the same time, with just a 2 minute separation at the start. Liz took off with the Cat 1-3 group (which included the likes of pro mountain biker, Karen Potter), but being her first race since 12 hours of Bradbury, she started at a more relaxed pace. In the final lap of the race, Liz finally got her motor going and was ready to race, so she was disappointed that the race was over after only 45 mins. Tracy had a bit of an off day, racing in the 35+ category and struggled through some of the tougher sections of the course. Opposite of Liz, she was more than happy to hear the bell ring for the final lap. Crystal (cat 4 race) still didn't feel strong fitness wise, but this was the first race where she really began to feel her handling skills were improving. She was able to keep her momentum going through the turns and stayed upright the entire race. All in all, the women posted positive results with Liz and Tracy both taking 5th and Crystal taking 10th in their respective categories.

MRC
What a difference a course makes! After a beautiful, dry course Saturday, team DAS was not happy to find the Bolton fairgrounds full of mud and slick corners. Pulling up to the course, some team members were excited to see a flyover had been added to the course since the Wednesday Night race here a couple weeks back. Unfortunately after the master's men's race, officials had to block off the flyover, rerouting the course around, as it became to dangerous to use. There were no actual stairs on the run up side of the flyover and as it got wet and slippery with mud from racers, there were many face plants happening. After a bit of a hiatus due to his wedding and honeymoon, racer John Young was excited to race this course for the second time this season. Along with the flyover, the big change in the course was riding it in the reverse direction from the night race. This actually made the course a bit easier and removed some of the more challenging sections.

Both Rich and John raced the Cat 4 men's race starting middle of the pack and back of the field respectfully. Rich had his strongest start of the season and was able to get ahead of most the large packs in the first lap. He held strong in the second lap (falling in around 14th or 15th) but began to fade in his third lap and lost some spots. Luckily, he managed to pull it together for the final 2 laps and even out sprinted 2 racers on the line to take 14th overall out of 81! John had to fight through a good amount of traffic on his first lap, but he managed to avoid getting tied into any serious crashes. Each lap he looked stronger and it was hard to believe he had gained 8lbs and been off the bike for 3 weeks! John moved up 15-20 spots, giving him a good finish his first race back.

Tracy and Crystal were next up in the women's cat 4 race, which took place at the same time as the women's open for the second day in a row. From the start Crystal felt her legs were lacking and felt beat from racing the day prior. This lack of energy showed as she wasn't able to hold on going through a tight turn in the wood chips and crashed. Tracy, on the other hand, was an entirely new woman. Though a little slow out of the gate again, she quickly turned her gears over and started to roll. She easily took riders on the first incline and continued to drive hard through the entire course. Tracy looked strong and determined during all 5 laps of the course, as she managed to hold off the elite/pro women until the last section in her final lap. This was definitely a breakout race for Tracy, placing in the top 25%, and team DAS is excited to see what she will do next!

2011 TCC Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross Race Results

2011 TCC Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross Race Results

Providence CX Day 2

Providence Day 2:by Crystal
Day 2 again saw abnormally high temps for fall in NE, so many racers were wondering what they were doing with thermal skin suits and long sleeves. The male members of team DAS (Chris and Rich) had a great showing in the cat 4 race before the air warmed up. They worked together most of the race, showing how great it can be to have team members in the same category racing. The pair worked their way from the back, down into the top 25. Unfortunately, on the last lap Rich heard a "snap, crackle and pop" from behind as Chris crashed, causing a flat. He make it to the pits, changed the wheel and managed to only drop about 10 spots. Both powered through the final barriers, passing people as they quickly remounted. Final results put Rich finishing in 23rd and Chris in 30th, a great showing for both.

The women's cat 4 race didn't go quite as well for team DAS. Both women struggled a little on their first lap as they tried to find their racing legs after competing the day before. Tracy managed to find her motor 1/2 way through lap one, as she moved up one by one. Her face showed pure determination on day 2, and although she faded some in the final lap, Tracy finished 22nd in 35+ category. Crystal, on the other hand, was never able to find her rhythm, really feeling the month of no physical activity from being sick. She did manage to pass and stay ahead of the two women she had beat the day before (one being an individual that had beat her at the midnight ride of cyclocross).

Overall, day 2 was another positive stepping stone for a young team!

Cyclocross - Providence - SAT 10-8

Providence Day 1:
(via Crystal)

Weather started a little on the cool side, but conditions were dry and
fast! The sun quickly warmed things up and temperatures were in the
80s by mid day. Chris and Rich once again opened the day, racing cat
4 men. Chris took an early lead, but after a face plant on lap 3, he
was seeing stars and not sure what he was doing and why he had a bike
in his hand. Rich had a bit of a slow start due to a 7th row start,
but he quickly got through the bulk of the pack and was able to make
up some time. Both riders improved their finish positions from last
week (31st and 53rd) and are ready to tackle the course again
tomorrow.

The women's race featured first timer Tracy Gustafson and Crystal.
After gashing her leg and forced to sit out Gloucester, Tracy was
cautious off the start line. She got into a nice rhythm between the
2nd and 4th laps and was able to move through the cat 3 & 4 riders.
Finishing in the top third of cat 4 racers, Tracy is hooked and can't
wait for another race tomorrow. Crystal managed to improve from her
first race, passing 2 women on the first lap. She made it almost 2
full laps before getting passed by the leaders, and as a personal
achievement was able to make it up or over all the curbs (there were
many!) on the course by her final lap.

Race Re-Caps

by team racer and reporter Crystal
Wednesday September 28 - Midnight Ride of Cyclocross

It was a beautiful NE evening, with perfect cross conditions. Races started with cat 3/4 men. John Young started at the back of the pack, registering day of, but he had a great race managing to get through some traffic jams and finish on the lead lap. In her first ever cyclocross race, Crystal Gauvin showed potential racing in the women's open race (pro through cat 4). Even though she finished last, it was a great experience for her racing against top UCI pros such as Helen Wyman.

Gran Prix of Cyclocross - Gloucester MA

DAS riders Rich Gauvin and Chris Adams raced the first race of the weekend (cat 4 men). There was stready rain, which led to some muddy conditions. Chris started strong, and really enjoyed the "sweet course" which included a newly added flyover. Rich, in his first cyclocross race, started with the back pack, but continued to move up spots each lap. Both were happy with their results and looking forward to their next race.

The Who's Who of Who to Talk to....

I'm sure you've figured out by now that Donnie D is the bigwig behind the race team. That being said, he is not our go-to guy for team management stuff. There are three people you should talk to who will gladly help you out however they can and they can pass any info onto Don. He is busy running the shop and getting our bikes ready for races, so he doesn't have time to worry about the logistics of the team organization.

So, if you need to talk about team kits, Rich Gauvin is your man. He has generously offered to take on the hassle of dealing with all of our clothing needs. This is a big job and can be a little crazy... be sure to thank him for taking this over. Crystal Gauvin is looking into sponsors for us. Again, this is another big job. If anyone knows of businesses willing to sponsor us, talk to Crystal. If you have any problems with anything else, including your "team captain," talk to your team captain Liz Allen. I'm here to hear you all out.

I've reworded a few of the team rules because they seemed to be a little confusing and I hope everything's a little more clear now.




So, any questions?



Kick some butt this weekend in Providence!!!