Iron Cross # 6 - 3 days to go. Live in Pennsylvania

Only 3 days left until the sixth running of YBR's 60 mile Iron Cross in Michaux State Forest, and I'm here in Pennsylvania, wondering where the start might be...

Actually, and for the benfit of Civil War buffs, this is the memorial to General G K Warren on the summit of Little Round Top at Gettysburg. For further FYI - the IC6 start is about 30 miles distant in the blue ridge directly behind Genl. Warren's head. I've been lodging in Gettysburg since Monday evening and will be moving on to my B&B near Michaux tonight. The Raleigh 853 is all set up having arrived safely courtesy of Virgin Atlantic's baggage handlers and has had a couple of excursions onto the local battlefield in the last few days (below).

Given that I'm now moving out of a 'wireless' zone for the race - I'll probably not be back here until after the event - so best of luck to all the Iron Crossers, and see you there.

09.44hrs Sunday 28th September 2008

Just prior to the 'off' last Sunday morning. No other caption required, except to say that I can only see three former winners of the 'Peaks in this picture - and I'm sure I should be able to see four?

(photo: Bina "Snapper" Briggs - click on the image blah, blah, blah)

Roger Ingham MBE & John Rawnsley, who deserves one.

I just really love this picture. It shows the 'Voice of the Three Peaks' - the very wonderful Roger Ingham MBE. Roger provides both the riders and the spectators full value entertainment with his inimitable commentries every year. Here he is, with our equally wonderful organiser John Rawnsley at the finish line, apparently momentarily taken aback to be photographed himself, while an admirer looks on.

I suppose I really could have cropped myself out of the shot - but what the heck; and I promise it's the last pic of me for a little while.

(photo - as you might imagine; Bina Briggs. Click on image to view full size)

The man with too many 'cross bikes...

And this is the one that I'll be packing up in a bike bag tomorrow for the trip to Iron Cross #6.

Ex-ebay Flam-blue Raleigh Special Products 853 frame*. Deore LX 9-spd transmission / Tiagra levers with a Powerpro triple MTB chainset 46/36/24 (blue anodised to match the frame*). White* Selle Italia C2 gel saddle. Classic ITM Eclypse steel quill stem (these used to be the stem of choice for any self-respecting 'cross racer), 3T bars and Specialized Roubaix padded bar wrap (N.B. this stuff is excellent and well worth the £10 asking price). Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels with Schwalbe Landcruisers and Froggleg brakes (red anodised*).

*Perhaps too much bling factor? - never mind, psychologically it might be worth at least .0001 mph next Sunday.

So someone does read this blog...

And here he is.

Just before the start of this year's 'Peaks I was feeling generally pretty pleased with myself (another year, another race - and all my metophorical ducks in a row) but part of that curiously anonymous throng of anxious lycra - when a fellow rider walks up to me and says "I love your blog".

Mark Churchill - Gloucester City CC. Thankyou Mark and nice to meet you - and I didn't even realise my missus had taken a picture of the moment until I downloaded the memory card this afternoon.

Now the dust has settled

(photos - Bina Briggs: click on image to view full size)

Having been 'in transit' for the last few days - and now preparing for our trip across the pond to the US for Iron Cross
http://www.yellowbreechesracing.org/ironcross/ , it has been apposite for us to remain briefly silent here.

For those who want to see simply 100s of pix and extensive gossip / views about Three Peaks 2008, there's enough to sate any appetite on the official website here:- http://www.3peakscyclocross.org.uk/ so it's pointless to add many more here. (see 'forums' and 'photos' in particular - but also spend some time going through the excellent results pages, courtesy of SportIdent).

Needless to say we would like to say a big thankyou to John Rawnsley, Bradford RCC and everyone involved in any way in the running of the race. It was a real classic this time, run in perfect weather and the course even more horrible than ever. So all the more amazing that Rob Jebb - Wheelbase UK (above) managed to shave even more time off his own course record...

So... what more to add? Perhaps only a single personal tale for the moment.

My CBRC team-mate Chris McBurnie flew in from Saratoga, NY USA to be with us, and finished in an excellent 4hrs 18mins. However to say that the 'Peaks was a bit of a culture shock for him would be a understatement of the largest type. The piccie above above shows Chris pulling in to pick up fresh drinks and food from my wife Bina at Ribblehead (aka Batty Moor). Apparently at this moment he is saying - "What the @!**&%$##@ next?!!" - but of course he's just experienced the horrors of the descent of Whernside - so 'nuff said I suppose.

He was also very impressed with the amount of animal faeces that he rode through - though quite where he found it I'm not quite sure... I didn't see very much at all.

After the race on Sunday evening, we were all sitting down quietly to dinner and Chris had by then recovered from most of the shock. But he was still pondering the sanity of anyone who rode this "Crazy Race" in full knowledge of what confronts the riders - i.e. - anyone who's ridden it more than once. A longish pause - "You know" (another pause) "I guess all you guys are just tough"...

We can all take a bow then... and Chris himself plans to be back next year with another CBRC rider to make up what we think will be the first ever US-registered club to field a full team of three in the 'Peaks.

Off now to fettle my bike for Iron Cross - Michaux State Forest beckons.