4, November 2009

Greetings -

The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team took this past weekend off, or so I thought. And then, out of the ether
I was reminded that Matt Pookums Kraus with one S made the trip to the Garden State to compete at the UCI
C2 venues in Bridgeton and then Highland Park. The great news atmo is that Pook had two excellent races finishing
7th Saturday and then getting the win on Sunday. Matt is in the 35+ Masters category and these events, particularly
the ones in the MAC region, are as difficult as there are anywhere. Here is Pookums' account for us:

The Highland Park Cx race has always been good to me. Two seasons as an elite I was able to grab that elusive first UCI
point at Thompson Park. Sunday I was the lone ranger representing. It was an awesome mud version of the race so I spent
a lot of time on the course, getting my lines down. After those practice laps I got stuck behind the junior girls lined up to
clean their bikes at the hoses, which is akin to the slow lane at the supermarket with three price checks. So I went for the
"pick off the mud with your hands" clean job and left my bike in the pit. Forty minutes later I was on the line and got the hole-shot.
Within half a lap I had taken two other guys away from the pack. By the end of lap 1 it was just me and my friend Mike Yozell.
As we approached the pit on lap 2 he asked if I was going to pit, "nope" I said. Little did he know I had no pit service so had no
plans to pit. Soon after Mike dumped it on a root and I got the gap that I extended till winning by a minute. Can I tell you how
much fun it is to win like this? Its like flying, where you get in lost in your own word of focus. I was able to enjoy the last two laps
because I knew barring any catastrophe, it was mine. People were giving me love from the sidelines all day. In the last minute of
the race I started to smile and some spectator said "yeeah, you should be smilin', its your race." That comment melted the ice
and I relaxed and enjoyed my approach to the finish. On a day when I should have pitted every lap or two, I rode the start bike all
the way out. Needless, despite the grassy mud, the equipment braked, pedaled, clipped/unclipped and rolled me (on wicked
responsive wheels) to victory. So good, I want it again.

Atmo this makes me happy. Matt's victory gives the RS 'Cross Team its 7th of the season. Most rawesome ( the R is silent).
By the way, here's what the Pookmeister looks like at speed ----> XXXX and XXXX and XXXX and XXXX and XXXX .

This coming weekend all of us will be at the Cycle-Smart International weekend of UCI C2 races held in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Please come out and relabel us with cheers and the sound of cowbells at every turn. Here's a link for race venue info -----> XXXX .

Many thanks for reading.

e-RICHIE