Team Hungry was well represented throughout the 2010 regional cyclocross scene. Thirteen team members, some veterans and some newly joined, raced more than 85 races combined, making it to the podium thirteen times.  The main focus was the increasingly popular Ohio Valley Cyclocross series (OVCX), consisting of fifteen races from mid-September through early December, including the epic three-day UCI3 Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival, three state championship races, and two days of the USGP.  The team also dabbled in the Cap City Cross series out of Columbus, and two members even made a special appearance at the last two USGP races in Portland, OR.

We all know what CX is about, riding the orange-red heart rate train of pain for 45-60 minutes, making friends and rivals, laughing, heckling, beer, falling, getting back up, mechanicals, and most of all -fun. But it also includes … Read More »

A few weeks ago Alex called me – “Wanna go to Portland USGP?” – of course I did!

I barely have a job, and my bank account is diminishing since my high roller days in an office, but it doesn’t matter. When a buddy ask you to go race in Portland, you just have to make it work. The opportunity to race through the infamous mud and roaring crowds is something that a cyclocross racer cannot turn down.

We arrived in Portland Friday and stayed with an original Hungarian – Brentus Momentus. He hooked us up with his single speeds to race with so that we didn’t have to pay the exorbitant shipping fees for our own bikes. We went to the veloshop to build up the bikes. This is Molly Cameron’s shop so we got to drool over her … Read More »

I need a good morning of pre-gaming (moonshine & bikes) before closing myself indoors for a few hours with the family during the holidays. Many people share this sentiment. Team Hungry usually heads for the mountain bike trails every Thanksgiving, but Corey Green’s rain dance brought mud and an impromptu cyclocross race that we couldn’t resist.

The race began with a track-influenced qualifier – Miss-N-Outs – where groups of five weaved around a small bunch of trees. The last person around on each lap was removed until you had a winner. The catch: if you were first on any lap, you had to take the mandatory desert hand-up (see below).

Starting order of the main event was determined by the qualifier and Corey Green’s discretion. Racers were released in heats based on some six-sigma algorithm that was worked out in seconds before … Read More »

It was a warm November day for Lexington Cross… Even warmer were Doc, Stinker, Party and Hairball’s guts after a night of good ol Kentucky Bourbon. I almost got a buz smelling Stinker’s early morning breath. O.k., it wasn’t that bad. But some of the aforementioned struggled to get moving. The late November temp was pushing towards 70. Gotta love climate change.

Before I got to the race everyone was telling me how the course was “flat.” Well, that flat course kicked my sorry ass. Lots of off-camber hold on tight turns with mega-watt requiring hill bursts… huh?!

On to the action:

Cat 4′s heated it up with Jamie, Harbaugh, Doc and James. Doc took second for Cat 4′s overall!

I had to get back early so I missed the 3′s and 1/2/3 Elite Action. Apparently Pardi Took Cat 3 – 35+ age group … Read More »

It was a hot day. The weatherman said stay inside, drink plenty of liquids and hope to hell your a.c. doesn’t break. Fortunately, the clouds brought some much needed rain in the afternoon and cooled nasti off by about 10 degrees.

I got to Devou in time to watch Christa begin and finish her race! Yeh, this is a great achievement for her… Earlier in the year she’d get dropped off the back of the paddy wagon never to return. Great job Christa!

On the first corner of the race, I watched Nate go into the corner *real* hot and endo-bump over the curb AND was able to keep the rubber down! On his second time around the course, his tire was nearly flat. He ran up the hill and swapped his wheel with someone and got back in the race.

Nate returns … Read More »

Nobody died as far as of last report, despite the ruthless heat and climby course that made up the Southwest Ohio Master’s road race, held June 20, 2010. Yup, for you yunguns, that’s a race for those 30+ sinewy crusty riders, that took place on a hilly course akin to the Bond Rd course of Spring Series, but a helluva lot hotter! But to put it in perspective, the fastest dudes in Cincinnati are over 30, wait, they’re over 40 years old! Something to look forward too, huh? Well, if you’ve been paying attention, its no surprise the Huntington boys blew the barn doors off with some good ‘ol bait and switch tactics, then one (John Gatch) just plain powered to a solo flight win in the 40-49 group. But as you might be thinking, “Masters race, what the?”, fellow … Read More »

The TRRG is a three day Omnium ( cumulative points race) held yearly in and around the beautiful and challenging Red River Gorge in Kentucky. This year, the Saturday road race served as Kentucky’s CAT4/5 state championship race. THC represented as Andrew Suchocki, Alex Steinker, and Zach Cahill to race Saturday’s CAT4/5 road race, Brendan Kiefer racing Saturday CAT3, Zach Cahill racing Sunday’s CAT4/5, and Scott Pardi on the injured list offering support, drunken slurs, and coffee bumps. The boys reported an amazing course(s) with excellent race organization and course support.

The highlight of the weekend goes to Andrew Suchocki who, in top form, toasted the front group by riding away from the bunch sprint!! Andrew has been on fire since St. Leon, racking up points in the Ault Park Crit Series, and this powerful finish in the Kentucky State Championship race shows … Read More »

The Spring Road Race Series ended with the epic St. Leon course near Brookville, Indiana. Alex, Zach, Scott, Andrew, Nathan Kemphues, and new member Brendan Keifer (CAT3), were Hungry for action (but ended up very thirsty for water). The day was hot, the course was an 18 mile loop, country roller coaster, featuring a Paris-Roubaix sandy, wooded, wet, knarly climb, lots of rollers, wind, rough pavement, fast twisty decent, and a false flat finish. The 5′s did two laps, the 4′s did three, and the 1,2,3′s roughed it for 4 laps. The race was very challenging, but THC vet, Andrew Suchocki layed waste to any challengers for the sprint in the CAT4 race. Drews acceleration up the last set of hills before the finish broke the break group of ten including a shredded Scotty P who scraped in to 8th. Congrats … Read More »

THC boys showed up in force to battle Bond Road. This course had essentially two major challenges: 1st, make it up the steep switchback and drawn out climb, and 2nd, survive the wicked white-knuckle decent to do it all over again. The uphill bit hard, but perhaps the smell of burning brake pads while trying to hold a good line downhill was the most daunting aspect of the race. Chewning, Suchocki, Pardi, Steinker, Cahill, Kemphues, and Puryear all paid to play. Best finishes came from Pardi, 3rd in CAT4, Suchocki, 5th in CAT4, Kemphues, 9th in CAT5, and Zach in CAT5. Here are a few pics.