Tag Archives: btb

Saratoga Cyclocross Races

This past weekend was pretty awesome. A bit exhausting… as we made that short almost 3 hr drive over to Saratoga to ride some bicycles.

Never have I broken so many bicycle wheels in such short time… I hear they call it ‘tacoing’ as when the wheel no longer rotates straight but wiggles its entire way around. Thanks to the dude who trued my rear wheel between races! I have observed your ways and I will soon be repairing the front in the same manner.
the michelin man attacks the mud
Anyhow. It was a blast check out the Results on the side, Riding for BTB was Daniel Fitzgibbons, Wes Hadzor, and my new hurried alias ‘Randy Hadzer’ that’s what happens when fitz sleeps in and you have negative 3 minutes to register for the race.

any how, it was a blast and i googled the race looking for pictures and found :
Some pictures on a blog!

Check out that blog link to see pictures, there are some good falls at the steep down hill hard right turn spot… and one of eric making his own path, and one of me suitcasing like the michelin man.

LaFayette Apple Run

This past weekend was the applefest in LaFayette, where all of central new york converges on the small town of LaFayette, technically just west a bit nearing the town called Cardiff.. infamous for a hoax you can probably find in your history books if you care to look for it. That hoax would be known as the Cardiff Giant. Some crazy man who inhabited the valley years and years ago claimed to have found the skeletal remains of big foot… pretty cool actually…

Read more about the Cardiff Giant: applefest; wiki; hoax museum

Anyhow, there is a festival of apples, the lands were settled and planted with apple orchards due to the hillsides which were optimal for growing of apples. Some of the best orchards are out there and everyone from the area has a fond place in their hearts for the apple fruit. So naturally they should host a festival every year.

At this festival there is the apple run. A bunch of years ago, around ten or fifteen they used to hold the race but had since had stopped. Last year, 2008, they brought the race back and teamed up with the Syracuse Track Club and the Apple Fest, offering a 1mile fun run, a 5k (3.1miles) and a 15k (9.3miles).

I grew up in Syracuse and I can remember wayy back to the great fall days when we would travel south out of the city up and over the hills down through the colorful valleys through what seemed to be a bit of a trip back up on the hills to this area to pick apples at the Beak n’ Skiff orchard.
Then mid-way through highschool the Hadzor family moved out of Syracuse and down to LaFayette… where I ran XC and started the mini make shift track programs and stuff at LaFatte Jr. Sr. Highschool… so I call this my hometown race.

My dad and I did the 15k this year:

I ran last year and got second to some Navy SEAL guy who was rediculously fit, and was using the race as a tempo run… but this year I won with a time of 55:25.

It was exciting and I got one of the awesome hand carved apple trophies!

My dad also did well in the 15k, using the race as a decent uptempo run as part of his marathon training awarding him 33rd place with a time of 1:11:30.

Check out the Apple Fest& the Apple Run:15k Results,5k Results

Ommegang CX

So this past weekend was Cyclocross at Ommegang. It was a delicious time. I’m still a bit sore, a good sore, that you know you worked hard and had fun kinda sore.

So the BTB cast for the weekend consisted of Daniel Fitzgibbons, Wes, and myself. Accompanied by crew members Sarah and Marcus on mountain bikes monitoring the perimeter and guarding the vehicles.

Dan Finished up in 2nd place in the Citizens/Cat 4 race, and came back with a solid attempt in the Cat 3/4.

Wes was in the top ten for most of the race until he dropped his chain and lost some time and places there. He came back in the Cat 3/4 race, where his chain decided that was it as he was shouldering the bike over the barriers and came apart.



Yes, ^ that is the moment of impact which broke wes’ chain.

I was pumped for the singlespeed race. Thought I would see what it was like racing against similarly impaired bicycles to the frankenbike… These guys .. and their bicycles are sick. Disc brakes, handle bars designed for racing, very solid competition. It was a blast, until my chain also decided it had had enough, and after a couple little creaking noises I looked down to watch it break and next thing I know it has vanished. Still missing to this day.

Here are some exciting links related to the day:
King of Cross: hand up
More photos someone took.
Photosnaps I captured.
Write up on the event from the editor lady of some bicycling mag. That’s the rumor anyhow.

What you are doing this weekend.

This weekend beginning at 9:15 they will be serving up cyclocross at Ommegang. Bicycling and belgian beers, you know you don’t have anything to do, so come out and watch.

It’s like road racing… for the woods.

So anyway, come on out it’s Cooperstown, if you can’t find diversions at the brewery there are plenty of fun filled activities for the whole family in the quaint region of NY:
the farmers museum
the baseball hall of something
there’s a lake (you can swim in it)
there’s restaurants and stores (to buy your forgiveness from your significant other after you may have over indulged at the brewery)
fenimore art museum
glimmerglass state park

Ch-ch-check out the schedule. Both Randy and I will be in the Citizens/cat4 race, then I will be in the cat3/4 race, then Randy will potentially be racing in the single speed bonanza of speed.

Then stick around to watch the really fast guys and hell why not enjoy some adult beverages and post race festivities. Bring your bicycle and extra clothes so you can get dirty, play in the mud, and have fun.

September 19th, 2010 = 70.3

They have announced that next year they will be holding a half ironman at Jamesville Beach, right in BTB’s backyard.

After our tri team tests the waters a couple weeks from now, in Longbranch New Jerseys – War on the Shore, there is an entire year of training where you can bet you may find some BTB representation swimming, biking, and/or running some combination of miles that ends up to be just over seventy.