This is my first offical blog entry. It was a great day today as we had a great sunday with Erin and all the family. It always amazes me what a great group we are! Saturdays ride was about as good as it gets. The whole family troup together, good job guys, even though the sprint started just abit early. We hope this year is a great year for all. Doug

Doug's test

I am writing to test out the blog. I am having a hard time doing it, so bubba is doing it for me.

Doug (actually bub)

Eugene Cyclocross Race

Well, it feels like I just competed in my first cyclocross race. The weather here has been pretty rainy and windy. A lot of the city lost power because of the wind last night. When I woke up this morning to ride I wasn't feeling very well, my throat hurt and my nose was running. But I ventured on my bike anyway.

My ride started out normal, rain and darkness. Putting these two together makes it difficult to see objects (specifically fallen tree branches). I was riding along the road when I came around a small bend. Up ahead I thought I saw a puddle, but it turned out to be a big branch. I swerved into the road quickly to avoid it. I quickly turned back into the designated bike section. Between the ashpalt and the cement there was a two inch rise. As I turned my front tire rail slided along the higher section. I lost control and slammed into the curb sending me over the handle bars and landing on my shoulder. Luckily, I was ok and so was my bike. So I picked it up and headed on my way.

I continued and made my way to the bike path. The bike path was covered with tree limbs and debris. I was feeling a little sore, but alright. I even did a dismount to go over a tree limb in the path and hopped back on. I looked down to see what time in was on my computer and noticed it wasn't working. I did a quick glance down to see if my speedometer was not aligned, and again was catapulted from my bike. Again I slammed on my left shoulder, but this time I hit my knee pretty hard. As it turns out a small tree branch came up and got stuck in my fender causing me to endo. I had to break my fender back in to position, but made the last five miles on the journey safely.

Aside from being sore it was pretty fun. I can see how addicting cyclocross could be. Even though it wasn't a sanctioned race I finished my first cyclocross race. See you all soon.

Bubba

Tanner's the Man

The final cross race of the season brought mixed results for the Cottle crew. Tanner had a great day and I got up close and personal with the ground. Tanner won the junior race against a good junior field. The course was a mixture of mud and frozen ground that resulted in many crashes. Tanner road very well and kept the crashing to a minimum to score a solid win. It was his best race of the year, by far. I was really proud of him and he also won the overall points in the Utah Cyclocross Series for the junior class. There was an awards party afterward and Tanner recieved a medal for his 3rd place at the State Championships as well as an award for winning the overall series. What a great year for the T-man. He has developed into a solid bike handler and is very competitive. He pushes himself to the limit at each race. He's already looking forward to next season.

I had a good start in my race and was leading for most of the 1st lap. I was a close 3rd when I went down hard in some ice on the second lap. I chased back to 4th and was closing a bit on 3rd when I went down again. This pattern repeated itself the entire race. In the end, I crashed 5 times and lost any hope of catching the leaders. I finished 4th about a 1/2 lap down. I was disappointed with my result, but happy to know I can compete with the fast guys in my group when I keep it upright and have good legs. The best crash was missing the re-mount after the barriers right in front of the announcers and crowd. It was impressive and I have the scars to prove it.

I'm off the bike for a week or two now as I take a break before beginning the build for next season. I have 3 months of lots of hours indoors and out ahead of me. However, I had my best year ever on the bike and I'm motivated to get faster.

I forgot the camera Saturday so I don't have pictures. However, utahcyclocross.com should have links to some pictures up in a day or two. Brady, I'll post pictures of skiing this winter just to pressure you to consider moving back!

More Pictures

Pictures

I think I've figured out how to post pictures, finally.

1 More Cross Race to Go

Pretty good time at the cross race yesterday. It was in the 20's, snow on the ground and ice in the corners. In other words, a great day for cross. Tanner had a solid race against a very good junior field. He kept it upright and finished 3rd. With a good finish next week, he should win the overall point series. He has come a long way in a short time and I'm really proud of him. He doesn't have the natural engine like some of the juniors (he's like his Dad in that regard), but he is a grinder and doesn't give up. He's having a lot of fun and gaining valuable experience and fitness.

My race was very good for 45 minutes. For the first time in my cross racing career, I was with the big boys. The course was great for me because bike handling really mattered. It wasn't like Wheeler Farm where the guys who can go fast in a straight line dominate. I was 2nd out of the 1st corner and rode with another guy for a number of laps. I moved into 2nd and stayed there for 30 minutes. I could see the leader and I began to close on him. He had about 30 seconds and I cut it down to less than 5 seconds with 4 laps to go. I had closed the gap to 10 yards and was confident I'd pass him. I was thinking "wow, I'm going to win this thing". With the snow and ice, we were on the edge of crashing all day. Well, coming into a corner near the start / finish area I went down without warning. I wasn't hurt and was up quickly. However, my carbon handle bar broke right behind the front brake/shifter. I couldn't believe it. While I was figuring out what to do, 2 guys passed me. I got back on and tired to ride it. I decided to give it a go and raced the last three laps (15 minutes) with half a bar, no front brakes and stuck in the big ring. Even though I couldn't go fast in the technical sections, I manged to close on the 3rd place guy and almost got him. I was really bummed because everything was falling in line for a big win for me.

Even though I didn't get the win, this was a breakthough race for me. I now know I can race with the fastest guys in the masters group, particularly in technical conditions. I can't wait for the final race next Saturday. I'm praying for snow this week!