M.F.G. #3/Starbucks Grand Prix

What a day!

Sunday was filled with so many good things and great weather that it will be tough to make a long story short. We woke up Sunday morning in a Fred Meyers parking lot sleeping in our new True North O.S.V. following a late night wedding in Seattle on Saturday night. We made our way to Lake Samammish State Park and set up for the 3rd round of the MFG Cyclo-cross series. We got a good spot to set up the new O.S.V. and right away had numerous people come check it out to feed their curiosity. We had lots of interest and gave out numerous brochures and business cards. Sumner RV has stepped up to be our regional True North support team, and it will be easy to send people their way for their great customer service that we have witnessed first hand.

It was a great surprise to see my in-laws show up unexpectedly. They decided to come over to watch the race from Wenatchee as a suprise. They are our biggest fans, and we love having them at the races. The course was absolutely beautiful in one of the best 'cross venues we have ever been to. Though the course was flat, it was filled with high speed tight turns, lots of roots in the trees, putting green quality grass, and the biggest sand pit section we have ever seen. I would guess that the sand section was nearly 100 yards long running the length of the beach. Ouch!

I lined up on the front row, and got a perfect start. I got the hole shot and led the field for the opening of the lap. Half way through the lap, the top contenders began to come through, including one of my team leaders, Todd Morse Tucker. The course was lined with great fans and spectators and the head to head racing was superb. During the race I was able to work with another teammate to work over a couple of riders to our advantage. The sand section was faster to shoulder and run than attempt to ride and we had to complete that section no less than 10 times during the race. Brutal, but soooo cool! At the end, I was able to outsprint the guy in front of me on the home stretch to end up in 12th. Not exactly a top result, but definitely getting better compared to last week at Evergreen and I felt pretty good and smooth the entire race. There was one intance though, when I hugged tight to a tree and hit my right forearm and shoulder pretty hard knocking me out of my flow for a bit. I can say, that I'm feeling that tree today in my shoulder for sure! What a fun fast course.

Congrats also to Kristi for working hard for a 2nd place in the Elite Women's race, my teammate Todd for getting a well deserved 3rd place, and our son Holden having a good fun race in the junior field. I have to say, that the highlight of our day, was being able to work out of our True North O.S.V.. The tunes were bumping, the coffee, rice, and pasta was cooking, and it was nice having a place to change, and just chill out inside for a moment after the race to collect our thoughts. What a great addition to our race season. Our next race will be next Saturday in Steilacoom, and then Beverly Park (Seattle) on Sunday. For now, I'm gonna finish this cup of Jo, and head out for a crisp October morning spin, to loosen things up and begin to prepare for the "Double Weekend".

Talk to you soon!

True North S.U.V.

We are excited to announce that we will be receiving our True North "Freelance" S.U.V. by Northwood Mfg. on Saturday (10/3). We will be picking up our unit from Sumner R.V. and our happy to be working with that dealership as a partnership for our race season.

Having this unit will be a big advantage on race days to support our family with some outdoor comfort needs to support our cyclo-cross campaign. We will be spending Saturday night in the trailer sleeping at the race site and waking up ready to race.

Stay tuned for an update of pics and thoughts on our first weekend using our True North trailer. Holden will even be posting his thoughts here from the perspective of an 8 year old.

Talk to you soon!

S.C.X. #1/Evergreen

Well I was hoping for a great first race in the Seattle Cyclo-Cross Series today. In fact I had a good week of preparation and even had some time to relax and get plenty of sleep over the last 2 days. My warm up and pre-ride of the course went and felt fine, and the Bicycle Centers/Collision 1 Squad even had a good strategy plan for the race.
Unfortunately, my race did not go at all as planned. I didn't get off to a good start and was back in 10th or so place at the base of the first run up. For some reason I could not generate any power today, and nothing felt totally smooth. I tried to hang for as long as I could thinking my legs might come around and catch me back up to my teammates. Instead, I never found what I was looking for and had to settle for 21st place which was well below my goals and abilities, but alas that's all I earned today. I packed up my pride and started thinking of what I need to be doing this week to prepare for the MSG #2 next Sunday in Issaquah, and making sure that at the next SCX series race, I get down to business.
Other than that, Kristi had a great race and chalked up her first win of the season, as she powered away from the field to win by 25 seconds over an Idaho racer. Very impressive!

Holden, went head to head with the 10-12 year olds (as an 8 year old) and had a good ride working his way up to a good finish. Good job Holden. Also, my good friend Gino, raced his first 'cross race ever and rode like a champ. Way to go!
I want to thank my teammates at Bicycle Centers/Collision 1 especially Dave Pearson, and Micah for their work and professionalism in the pits. It gives me confidence to know that they are there for us. Even on the rough days.
Talk to you soon.

Papa?

So where does the nickname "Papa" come from, you might ask? This goes back to the 2001 'cross season. Kristi and I had just had our son, Holden, born. A good friend and local race announcer, Nathan Keiger, was happy for us as new parents, and at some point during that race season, Nathan started referring to me as a new proud papa, and began introducing me as Chad "Papa" Berg. The name stuck, and though it made me laugh, it was something to be proud of. After all, not everyone is fortunate enough to be a Dad.
So here we are 8 years later, and I am addressed commonly as "Papa" on the race circuit by some folks I do not know and kids who know nothing different. Nicknames are a funny thing, cause if done right, you shouldn't be able to pick your own. But if you're lucky enough, you might not mind the one you have been given. I'll chalk it up as luck, and appreciation.
Thank you Nathan!

A blog, really?

For the 2009 cyclo-cross season, I'm going to be trying out this "blog" thing! I have alot to learn, but I'm looking forward to keeping this up to date with pictures and how my racing season is going. All of this in an effort to keep my family, friends, and sponsors in the know. I will continue to keep the posts coming all the way through the U.S. National Cyclo-Cross Championships in Bend, Oregon.

Wish me luck!