I'm in a dilemma about 'cross nationals.
Pro: I race 'cross, that's what I do. I've traveled to race in KC when the wind chill was -40, that was silly. Ft. Devens, San Fran, Napa, Baltimore, Portland, Portland, Rhode Island. Some highlights, some low-lights.
Con: I used to not suck, now I do. I thought it was silly to be at nationals when you had no chance of a respectable finish. I have revised my thinking.
Pro: It's the coolest sporting event in the US, with some great athletes. Bartman-G, the A-train, Socks, Krispy, Krieg, Proctor, Gunnar, Norton, Page, Wells, Tree-boo-hoo, Timmy, Kathy, Compton, Rachel, etc. A lot of really cool riders, and interesting personalities.
Con: It will probably cost me a kilobuck with the usury airline bike fee, and the fact that my race is on Friday. I would have to fly out Thursday, requiring a 3-nights in KC to stay through the Elite race on Sunday.
Pro/Con: $1K I spend on a cross race is a $1K I won't loose in the stock market.
Pro: 3 Days of watching my friends battle in their respective races against 100 of their mortal enemies.
Con: 3 days in KC. I've been there twice before to race 'cross. The place has no redeeming characteristics I'm aware of. The promoters have likely improved the ambiance by placing the venue next to the airport. A tourist destination par excellence.
Pro: It would be the highlight of my social scene this year.
Con: It would be the highlight of my social scene this year.
Pro: Not too long ago, I thought I might never race a bike again. I should line up just because I can.
Con: Tilford might lap me.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Work
Work took it's toll on me this week. No riding early in the week and a bunch of late nights. I was hoping to get a fitness boost from the double race weekend last week. The pro plan would have been to do some a couple good recovery rides Mon/Tue, getting 9-10 hours of sleepy a night, quality training later in the week, rock-and-roll on Saturday. No such luck.
Suffered at Heber, but made the competition look good, again. Theresa et al. fed me extremely well after the race, and hanging out with the crew was good therapy.
Marlo picked up a new Chipotle kit at the DZ fire sale. I used her arm warmers in the race Saturday, but I needed DZ power more than cat-like skills. C'est la vie.
Suffered at Heber, but made the competition look good, again. Theresa et al. fed me extremely well after the race, and hanging out with the crew was good therapy.
Marlo picked up a new Chipotle kit at the DZ fire sale. I used her arm warmers in the race Saturday, but I needed DZ power more than cat-like skills. C'est la vie.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Equipment Review
I jinxed myself today by posting the Stan's, guaranteed, no-flat solution to 'cross. Not even sure how it happened since I retained about 10 psi, but the end result was a 1/2 lap jog around to the pit.
I'm overdue to give the lowdown on a few new, and a few old equipment ideas for 'cross. Today was a great day to test the gear, especially that component that we know is most important, tires. The conditions were monsoonal (a word?) with a steady, hard rain for at least an hour before the start, and then continuous hard rain until the finish, when it stopped. After a good warmup on the rollers I did one practice lap with the Tufo Flexus on Reynolds carbon wheels. This had the unfortunate combination of poor mud traction, and poor braking.
A hasty retreat to the car, where I swapped to the venerable Michelin Mud2 tires on aluminum. Almost missed the start, but it was totally the right call. I got a solid start and was riding the slick stuff well, until the unfortunate loss of pressure. I've done this experiment enough now, so you would think I would finally acknowledge the still unsurpassed performance of the Mud2's in mud conditions.
BMC 2008 CX01 Carbon Cross Bike, Red Camo, DA 9-speed. Fox showed his new Orbea road bike on his Pergo floor. Here is the BMC, freshly washed, in it's place of honor in the kitchen. Floor looks good too, don't you think?
Couple equipment items are the Eggbeaters, and the DA shift levers. Eggbeaters again are just a no-brainer, although Time pedals are OK too. The DA levers may seem like an extravagance, but the feel and leverage is better than Ultegra and 105. For females, or others will small hands, the DA levers are a huge improvement. I've seen a number of women 'crossers who are struggling with their braking. A part of the problem is that 105 levers are fat around the hoods, and those with small hands can't get enough leverage on the hoods. Easton CX90 carbon fork is wonderful, light and stiff with no brake chatter. Another good upgrade for any bike.
Avid Shorty Brakes. Inexpensive, work great. These brakes use standard v-brake cartridge pads allowing you to use the pad formula you like best. Swiss-Stop yellow pads work with carbon wheels as well as aluminum. My experience with V-brakes on cross bikes has not been good, no matter what Adam Craig says. Road levers just don't have enough cable pull, even with a stupid "travel-agent" adapter.
In-line cable adjuster. A "must-have" for both front and rear brakes. Today I swapped out my carbon wheels for aluminum at the last minute. The aluminum rims aren't as thick so I had to quickly adjust my brakes. No problem with the inline adjuster. As your pads wear, easy adjustment. Need a little more power on a dry course with a steep descent, crank it up. Another cheap and easy, must have solution.
Stan's Raven cross tires. I just sang the praises of the Michelins, but the Ravens are an excellent tire that is "tubeless ready". Today I had to switch bikes, and did about 3 laps late in the race on the Ravens. Not quite as good as the Muds in the super slick stuff, but surprisingly good. Yesterday in the dry conditions I ran the Ravens the whole way and was really pleased. I would/will use these in all but the most demanding conditions, and certainly on a fast course. The side knobbies make all the difference, and are much improved over the awful Crows that were Stan's first attempt at a semi-slick MTB tire.
Significant other with Leo the Cat. Everyone needs a cat big enough to eat small, wayward dogs. Besides, Fox always shows his cats. I try to emulate the master blogger, and then grovel for validation.
I'm overdue to give the lowdown on a few new, and a few old equipment ideas for 'cross. Today was a great day to test the gear, especially that component that we know is most important, tires. The conditions were monsoonal (a word?) with a steady, hard rain for at least an hour before the start, and then continuous hard rain until the finish, when it stopped. After a good warmup on the rollers I did one practice lap with the Tufo Flexus on Reynolds carbon wheels. This had the unfortunate combination of poor mud traction, and poor braking.
A hasty retreat to the car, where I swapped to the venerable Michelin Mud2 tires on aluminum. Almost missed the start, but it was totally the right call. I got a solid start and was riding the slick stuff well, until the unfortunate loss of pressure. I've done this experiment enough now, so you would think I would finally acknowledge the still unsurpassed performance of the Mud2's in mud conditions.
BMC 2008 CX01 Carbon Cross Bike, Red Camo, DA 9-speed. Fox showed his new Orbea road bike on his Pergo floor. Here is the BMC, freshly washed, in it's place of honor in the kitchen. Floor looks good too, don't you think?
Couple equipment items are the Eggbeaters, and the DA shift levers. Eggbeaters again are just a no-brainer, although Time pedals are OK too. The DA levers may seem like an extravagance, but the feel and leverage is better than Ultegra and 105. For females, or others will small hands, the DA levers are a huge improvement. I've seen a number of women 'crossers who are struggling with their braking. A part of the problem is that 105 levers are fat around the hoods, and those with small hands can't get enough leverage on the hoods. Easton CX90 carbon fork is wonderful, light and stiff with no brake chatter. Another good upgrade for any bike.
Avid Shorty Brakes. Inexpensive, work great. These brakes use standard v-brake cartridge pads allowing you to use the pad formula you like best. Swiss-Stop yellow pads work with carbon wheels as well as aluminum. My experience with V-brakes on cross bikes has not been good, no matter what Adam Craig says. Road levers just don't have enough cable pull, even with a stupid "travel-agent" adapter.
In-line cable adjuster. A "must-have" for both front and rear brakes. Today I swapped out my carbon wheels for aluminum at the last minute. The aluminum rims aren't as thick so I had to quickly adjust my brakes. No problem with the inline adjuster. As your pads wear, easy adjustment. Need a little more power on a dry course with a steep descent, crank it up. Another cheap and easy, must have solution.
Stan's Raven cross tires. I just sang the praises of the Michelins, but the Ravens are an excellent tire that is "tubeless ready". Today I had to switch bikes, and did about 3 laps late in the race on the Ravens. Not quite as good as the Muds in the super slick stuff, but surprisingly good. Yesterday in the dry conditions I ran the Ravens the whole way and was really pleased. I would/will use these in all but the most demanding conditions, and certainly on a fast course. The side knobbies make all the difference, and are much improved over the awful Crows that were Stan's first attempt at a semi-slick MTB tire.
Significant other with Leo the Cat. Everyone needs a cat big enough to eat small, wayward dogs. Besides, Fox always shows his cats. I try to emulate the master blogger, and then grovel for validation.
Stan is the Man
If you race your bike off of the pavement, you should know Stan. If you ride sew-ups anywhere, you should know Stan.
I foolishly took a short-cut through the gravel yesterday and picked up about 30 goatheads in my Ravens. No worries, I picked off the ones that hadn't broken off, pulled out a few others, gave the wheel a spin, and was good to go. Tubeless ready 'cross tires like Hutchinsons, or Ravens are likely the best, but I've been running the venerable Michelin Muds for years with a Stan's rim strip.
I put Stan's in my $100-a-pop Flexus sew-ups. Why not? I put Stan's in my road sew-ups so I can ride my fancy Reynolds DV46 wheels out to the RMR. MTB bike tubeless, with light Hutchinson Pythons, a no brainer.
Stan is the man.
I foolishly took a short-cut through the gravel yesterday and picked up about 30 goatheads in my Ravens. No worries, I picked off the ones that hadn't broken off, pulled out a few others, gave the wheel a spin, and was good to go. Tubeless ready 'cross tires like Hutchinsons, or Ravens are likely the best, but I've been running the venerable Michelin Muds for years with a Stan's rim strip.
I put Stan's in my $100-a-pop Flexus sew-ups. Why not? I put Stan's in my road sew-ups so I can ride my fancy Reynolds DV46 wheels out to the RMR. MTB bike tubeless, with light Hutchinson Pythons, a no brainer.
Stan is the man.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Weber
The promoters did another good job with the 'cross course at Weber. Great venue and a solid course. The long riding sections made it crucial to be with a group; this I did not do and paid the price. Still struggling with the starts. I need to get to the front and ride more aggressively. I'm not yet convinced that I belong in the front group, and it becomes a self- fulfilling prophecy.
Kept the HR above 150 for an hour, woo-hoo. The assistant nega-coach laid out a good plan for me this week, and I was about as prepared physically as possible. Still got to the race late after working some in the a.m., and didn't get my equipment totally dialed. Should have had a water bottle on both bikes, and was actually saved by having to switch to the B-bike that had the water. Thanks to Theresa and Dayna for giving me a refill. This allowed me to finish fairly strong.
A little confusion on my part regarding the lap counter caused some frustration, hopefully the promoters/announcers (who are all hopefully still my friends) will understand that oxygen debt/dehydration caused me to be uncharacteristically (yeah, right) annoying at the finish.
Fox didn't comment on my mad bunnyhopping skills. I was pretty pleased that I was able to attack the small log with some speed. Bummed that I didn't get to see the B-man jump the big log, that must have been cool. I remember him, Page, and Wells the only ones at Portland Nats jumping the "tabletop", a scary-as-shit concrete slab about 20 inches high. It was sweet to see.
Kept the HR above 150 for an hour, woo-hoo. The assistant nega-coach laid out a good plan for me this week, and I was about as prepared physically as possible. Still got to the race late after working some in the a.m., and didn't get my equipment totally dialed. Should have had a water bottle on both bikes, and was actually saved by having to switch to the B-bike that had the water. Thanks to Theresa and Dayna for giving me a refill. This allowed me to finish fairly strong.
A little confusion on my part regarding the lap counter caused some frustration, hopefully the promoters/announcers (who are all hopefully still my friends) will understand that oxygen debt/dehydration caused me to be uncharacteristically (yeah, right) annoying at the finish.
Fox didn't comment on my mad bunnyhopping skills. I was pretty pleased that I was able to attack the small log with some speed. Bummed that I didn't get to see the B-man jump the big log, that must have been cool. I remember him, Page, and Wells the only ones at Portland Nats jumping the "tabletop", a scary-as-shit concrete slab about 20 inches high. It was sweet to see.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Harrison Bergeron
In these trying times, we can distract ourselves with the antics of the pro cycling community.
A clearly unstable Greg Lemond, may convince even his ardent supporters that he has indeed become completely unhinged. The genetically challenged among us can rejoice since Lemond is proposing that riders be tested for their performance. If they exceed a power output that he has deemed "impossible", they will be judged as dopers and sanctioned.
While one might claim his ideas prescient, he is regretfully behind in his thinking, and no less than Kurt Vonnegut foresaw a society where the playing field would be so leveled. Harrison Bergeron would find little to celebrate in Lemond's peloton. However, in a country that increasing rewards mediocrity and "folksiness" over talent, perhaps handicapped bicycle racing is the wave of the future. DZ would have to tow a 3 meter parachute, while I would get to wear a skinsuit.
We wouldn't want the untalented and unmotivated in any area to feel that they are being disrespected. Joe-six-pack has every right to guide financial policy, and every clydesdale should ride the Tour-de-France.
A clearly unstable Greg Lemond, may convince even his ardent supporters that he has indeed become completely unhinged. The genetically challenged among us can rejoice since Lemond is proposing that riders be tested for their performance. If they exceed a power output that he has deemed "impossible", they will be judged as dopers and sanctioned.
While one might claim his ideas prescient, he is regretfully behind in his thinking, and no less than Kurt Vonnegut foresaw a society where the playing field would be so leveled. Harrison Bergeron would find little to celebrate in Lemond's peloton. However, in a country that increasing rewards mediocrity and "folksiness" over talent, perhaps handicapped bicycle racing is the wave of the future. DZ would have to tow a 3 meter parachute, while I would get to wear a skinsuit.
We wouldn't want the untalented and unmotivated in any area to feel that they are being disrespected. Joe-six-pack has every right to guide financial policy, and every clydesdale should ride the Tour-de-France.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Mom, Apple Pie, Cross
MT was impressed with my choice of recovery food at the crit last week, causing me to realize that I needed to kick it up a notch in the post-race sustenance department. Emeril is probably pleased that he makes the third best apple pie. Someone has to be pack-filler. The 2nd best is mine, below, and the first-best is of course made by my mother. Since you're unlikely to make the trek to the hinterlands of WA during the holidays, the best you can hope for is that one of these will make an appearance at a post-cross party. The famous lemon pie is reserved for extra-special friends, so let me pass in the single-track.
Given that the conditions for the 'cross race were going to be tough, I was hoping for some help from the the pit crew. Nothing doing! They took one look outside and decided on a more intelligent course of action. I did see a bunch of dogs running around in the rain, though. That caused the kids to snicker when I told them about it.
I need to be on record congratulating Matt and Jon on the race today. A great course, IMNSHO. Even in dry conditions it would have been a killer race, but the rain really raised the bar. The course held up well with 300 riders pounding around it, and it slickened up enough to really become a good test. Too bad everyone in my class has great dirt skills because then the race becomes all about fitness. I got off to a pretty good start for a change, and was just back of the front four. Thirty seconds into it and I was in a pretty good frame of mind. I tried to hang with the usual suspects, Bobby, Darin, John Iltis, Krafty. Midway through I thought I might have John and Bobby put away, but I faded and they came roaring back. The Throttle was riding super strong the whole race.
The HR trace tells no lies, I really cratered at the end. I think it is just a simple fitness issue, nothing more sinister. I need a bigger base to maintain that kind of effort for an hour. Bobby showed last week that he got stronger as the race went on, that was probably the case for him again today. I do like that he went to the front at the start and hammered into the headwind, like a true MTB'er.
I am really happy with the new bike. This is kind of like the testimonial of a new car owner though; what are you going to say, that you threw down for a POS. No buyers remorse here, and a big thanks to Ryan and Al for hooking me up with this ride. This was going to be Allyson's bike, but her back is keeping her off the cross circuit. I'm cool with riding a girl's bike.
I think the BMC is much happier now that it's covered with mud and grit. I weighed it: 17.1 lbs. Tell Ryan at Contender that you want one ASAP, but you need a component set that brings it under 17.0. He'll take care of you.
After food and nap, I made my way to the wine store to replenish the "everyday" stock. Walking in, Victor the clerk says "you must be Dr. Cross". What! I was thinking I still had a bunch of mud under my eyes or something. Even though I was wearing a Exte-Ondo jacket, I think that was a pretty big leap. Turns out a long time "friend of cross", Edward, was telling his co-worker about the one-true-religion. The three of us are talking dirt while a line forms at the counter. Victor is going to be coming into work late on Saturdays, it seems, since he's seen the light.
Given that the conditions for the 'cross race were going to be tough, I was hoping for some help from the the pit crew. Nothing doing! They took one look outside and decided on a more intelligent course of action. I did see a bunch of dogs running around in the rain, though. That caused the kids to snicker when I told them about it.
I need to be on record congratulating Matt and Jon on the race today. A great course, IMNSHO. Even in dry conditions it would have been a killer race, but the rain really raised the bar. The course held up well with 300 riders pounding around it, and it slickened up enough to really become a good test. Too bad everyone in my class has great dirt skills because then the race becomes all about fitness. I got off to a pretty good start for a change, and was just back of the front four. Thirty seconds into it and I was in a pretty good frame of mind. I tried to hang with the usual suspects, Bobby, Darin, John Iltis, Krafty. Midway through I thought I might have John and Bobby put away, but I faded and they came roaring back. The Throttle was riding super strong the whole race.
The HR trace tells no lies, I really cratered at the end. I think it is just a simple fitness issue, nothing more sinister. I need a bigger base to maintain that kind of effort for an hour. Bobby showed last week that he got stronger as the race went on, that was probably the case for him again today. I do like that he went to the front at the start and hammered into the headwind, like a true MTB'er.
I am really happy with the new bike. This is kind of like the testimonial of a new car owner though; what are you going to say, that you threw down for a POS. No buyers remorse here, and a big thanks to Ryan and Al for hooking me up with this ride. This was going to be Allyson's bike, but her back is keeping her off the cross circuit. I'm cool with riding a girl's bike.
I think the BMC is much happier now that it's covered with mud and grit. I weighed it: 17.1 lbs. Tell Ryan at Contender that you want one ASAP, but you need a component set that brings it under 17.0. He'll take care of you.
After food and nap, I made my way to the wine store to replenish the "everyday" stock. Walking in, Victor the clerk says "you must be Dr. Cross". What! I was thinking I still had a bunch of mud under my eyes or something. Even though I was wearing a Exte-Ondo jacket, I think that was a pretty big leap. Turns out a long time "friend of cross", Edward, was telling his co-worker about the one-true-religion. The three of us are talking dirt while a line forms at the counter. Victor is going to be coming into work late on Saturdays, it seems, since he's seen the light.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Easily Satisfied
I'm so easy. Raced the 45+ and then the 35+ crit in Ogden today. I felt like a real bike racer for the first time in over two years. There is still a long way to go, and the brutal setback could absolutely happen. I'm prepared for it though and I'm sure I'll get punished some on the 'cross bike.
It is just fun to feel like the pedals aren't there, to bridge across to a break and then go hard for two laps knowing that even if you get caught, you won't get dropped by a counterattack. It was "only" the old guys, but in the middle of the summer I was summarily dropped from the 45+ state crit. The early season MTB races were even worse, and I just didn't belong with Bob, Daren, and the rest of expert mtb'ers.
I just had it today. I did get schooled in the 35+ race since a 3-man break got away, and they had teammates behind with me. Big Bad Bob Walker and I did our duty and pulled those guys around, but we had clearly missed the podium so it didn't matter that we got whacked in the finale.
Wells always disses on race reports, so I'll provide the non-race highlights. There were a lot of good things about the Odgen races. The street fair was going on so we actually had some spectators. I chowed after the race on a good brat with sauerkraut and German potato salad. Unfortunately, old man Louder went down in the big pileup on the last lap of the 45+ race. Ken escaped with only a big hematoma on his shin, but a couple other guys that I don't know were carted off in the ambulance. Ken was still walking around waiting for Jeff to race, and turned me onto the homemade ice cream stand. Two scoops of Bear Lake raspberry and two of chocolate, yum. Hung with the Cottle family to watch the big boys race. We also hit the taco cart , and I put away my second Coca-Cola recovery drink. With the brat and the pork-taco for protein, and the ice-cream, potatos, cokes for carbs, it was probably damn close to the ideal 1:4 recovery ratio.
No pileups in the 1/2 race, and Sleevie won the field sprint for the win. He's a wine drinker living in Utah county, so he probably needs a little love.
It is just fun to feel like the pedals aren't there, to bridge across to a break and then go hard for two laps knowing that even if you get caught, you won't get dropped by a counterattack. It was "only" the old guys, but in the middle of the summer I was summarily dropped from the 45+ state crit. The early season MTB races were even worse, and I just didn't belong with Bob, Daren, and the rest of expert mtb'ers.
I just had it today. I did get schooled in the 35+ race since a 3-man break got away, and they had teammates behind with me. Big Bad Bob Walker and I did our duty and pulled those guys around, but we had clearly missed the podium so it didn't matter that we got whacked in the finale.
Wells always disses on race reports, so I'll provide the non-race highlights. There were a lot of good things about the Odgen races. The street fair was going on so we actually had some spectators. I chowed after the race on a good brat with sauerkraut and German potato salad. Unfortunately, old man Louder went down in the big pileup on the last lap of the 45+ race. Ken escaped with only a big hematoma on his shin, but a couple other guys that I don't know were carted off in the ambulance. Ken was still walking around waiting for Jeff to race, and turned me onto the homemade ice cream stand. Two scoops of Bear Lake raspberry and two of chocolate, yum. Hung with the Cottle family to watch the big boys race. We also hit the taco cart , and I put away my second Coca-Cola recovery drink. With the brat and the pork-taco for protein, and the ice-cream, potatos, cokes for carbs, it was probably damn close to the ideal 1:4 recovery ratio.
No pileups in the 1/2 race, and Sleevie won the field sprint for the win. He's a wine drinker living in Utah county, so he probably needs a little love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
