When 'flat out' isn't good enough

Much like last year, 'cross season ended with a bust. Rather, 'cross season ended with a buRst. Burst rear tube.

Without Nationals on the race schedule, I looked to Reston as my final race this season. I rode there last year to a pretty unimpressive finish, but totally dug the course. And Reston's also the first place I watched a 'cross race, so there's that. Special place.

Arrived to the site with the bearded one in tow. Weather was ripe for 'cross. Nice nip in the air and overcast skies. Was feeling pretty good with my fitness but also knew I wouldn't be in contention for much with the MABRA 'A' crue racing down a category at the MAC event.

Things took a turn for the worse when I noticed I left my lucky charm back at the ranch. The pig has protected during a lot of close calls. Given a crash at a 'cross race generally doesn't yield major mechanical dysfunction or serious bodily injury, I held out hope I might get through the race, sans pig, without any bad luck. I was even running a new chain watcher and tightened down the crank arm that nearly fell off at Taneytown, so I thought I'd at least be immune from dropping or chain or, worse still, an entire crank!

The pig chillin'...2.4 style

Pre-rode once and liked the changes to the course. Lined up third row. Was, for once, not shivering or nervous at the start. Gun went off and...par for the course, I couldn't find my friggin' pedal. Clearly something to work on for next season. Watched the strong guys ride away. Lost all sorts of position, but felt strong on the power sections. Cutting to the chase...3/4 of the way through the first lap, I flatted out back. Game over. Season over. Story over.

Overall, this 'cross season was a bit of a joke for me. No results, save a 6th at DCCX. I didn't put much effort into training for the sport this year, so I'm not surprised by the disappointments. At this point, I am looking forward to some social winter riding and also keeping fingers crossed re: an upgrade to the 'III' ranks.

Rush Job

Think the fellers at Legal Intentionz can get the Redline up and running with a phat system in time for Capital 'Cross Classic??? Fingers 'crossed!

Expecting???

For those who think cycling causes infertility, check out these shots!!

Busted Up in Boise

There's misery. And then there's misery. Running a nice fever right now and feeling like utter, utter poop, so I'll get to the point.

Just back from a 4.5 days trip to Boise, ID. That place takes the cake for having the nicest strangers I've met. How nice is this? I entered a 'cross race out there. Strangers were willing to let me race their bikes. I used Hal's, as the rig the promoter arranged to let me use never showed. Long story short, I effed up Hal's bike real good. And banged myself up pretty nicely in the process. The damage count? One sheared derailleur hanger, one broken chain, one rear wheel in dire need of truing, and some badly mangled cable and housing. How did Hal handle the news? He laughed it off like a champ. Unbelievable. Ain't nuthin' but a thang to him. Beyond that, I just got an e-mail from the race promoter telling me he heard my day turned out to be a major bust. He wants to return my money. Really? Man, too nice. I think the $25 should definitely go toward's Hal's next entry fee. No doubt.

In other news...I'm sick as a dog. Or did I already mention that? Ugh.

Off to attend the condo's annual association meeting. More misery.

Remember This???

I'm a stubborn bastard. That's for sure. Any sane person would've taken this incident to heart and done something definitive to prevent future malfunction. Not me. Lazy (note the blog name) and mechanically dumb.

The Tacchino course is the kinda course that makes me squirm with glee. Only catch, it's bumpy as heck. Kinda like my washboard abs. Or not. In any case, seems the courses suited to my strengths are the ones that also like to shake my chain loose. Again, see this report.

After five dropped chains this past Sunday, I had to excuse myself. Pretty disappointing, but so was having to dismount twice a lap to fix my chain. Beyond that hiccup, the fitness was surprisingly okay. The field was similar to DCCX, the course was slightly less technical, and I saw a top five within the 'crosshairs (pun...intended...absolutely) after another front row start. The 'cross season has been a bit of a bummer, but I also haven't devoted time, energy, and fitness to it. The DCCX result was encouraging and another decent result on a course I really like would've been slightly redeeming. I guess that'll have to wait.

This coming weekend...Race Pace. I won the C race there last year. Must be another course I like. I remember some sweet power sections and some good run-ups I managed to ride. I'm psyched to see how I fare in the B race. But that will have to wait until next year. This weekend will find me scoping the scene in Boise.

I'm turning over a new leaf on many fronts, so I hope to update here much more regularly.

It happened again...

Dunno that I've written about it before, but I've, several times in the past, suffered bizarre episodes of hearing tunes by favorite musicians creep their way into corporate advertisements.

It started with a Buick(?) commercial several years ago. I was in the kitchen and washing dishes. The boob tube was on in the other room and suddenly I heard the opening riffs to 'Gravity Rides Everything' (Modest Mouse). Hunh? I thought the TV had shut down and the stereo had suddenly sprung to life. Hands still wet, I scooted into the living room and couldn't quite believe my eyes and ears. A big-wig ad exec probably overheard some 'indie' tunes spilling from his teenage son's bedroom and figured it'd make a good soundtrack for his next project. And so there I was, watching a soccer mom load up her Buick mini-van to Isaac Brock's wistful guitar composition.

Next up was Dickie Buckman (politely known as Richard Buckner). Same situation as above. TV was on, I was in another room, and I heard a tune that hit home. And this time it was 'Ariel Ramirez' as background for a VW commercial. With that one, I even got the background story, as I chatted up Richard at the next Iota show he played. Of course, I can't remember how it all went down. Needless to say, I don't know the exposure launched Mr. Buckner to any sorta super-stardom. I have to say, though, he hasn't been as publicly available at the last coupla Iota shows.

And now VW's back at it. They've jumped on the Jeff Tweedy express. That's right. Wilco is prominently featured in VW's current ad campaign. I've seen two commercials and, on first listen, recognize them from 'Sky Blue Sky.' That album isn't yet permanently ingrained in my brain like all the others, so I can't cite the specific songs played. Never mind one ad seems to promote driving for no constructive reason. In it, some dude wakes up at 5AM to drive around with no specific errand to run and crawls back in bed one hour and twenty-seven minutes later. Good message to send with gas at $3+ a gallon. Anyhow, I guess it all leads to one conclusion...

My musical tastes are a little more conventional than they used to be.

Next thing you know, I'll hear Built to Spill's 'Reasons' as the backing track for a Target commercial. When that happens, I think I'll have to official retire any aspirations of being 'music forward.'

A Shared Pain

Mike May smartly sums up the coach/cyclist relationship here.

Tri-hawk Confusion

Apparently, my lack of follow through has caused my Grandma some confusion. Long ago, I promised an entry describing and showing a newly discovered, fashion-forward, blow the Euros away hair-do. I never made good on the offer and didn't realize my actions would have such major repercussions.

And so here is a photo of the style I call the tri-hawk. Though the faux-hawk still seems a bit radical in the U.S., I think this look steps it up a whole level...maybe two. Check it:

That one's for you, Grandma.

A pleasant time at the Good Valley Road Race

Rather, 'A good time at the Pleasant Valley Road Race.'

This past weekend, I lined up for the first running of the Pleasant Valley Road Race. Great course. Decent rollers, but nothing out of control. The finish was cool...a pretty steep pitch with about 200 meters to go.

The heat was the toughest part of the race. I heard several reports at the start line of temps hitting around 108 degrees. Hot!

The race was largely uneventful and I didn't feel too taxed...despite the heat. Maybe it has something to do with 15 years of athletic competition in Miami, Florida, but I tend to do okay in the extreme heat.

For me, the highlight of my race was my ill-timed move to the front. As I've mentioned, my worst enemy for a finishing sprint is, not surprisingly, position in the last km. I tried to work things out so I would move to the front for the last 3km or so. Well, my cyclometer must've been playing tricks on me. I worked my way forward thinking there were about 1.5 miles to go. Dave Crouse was up there and I got the sense he also thought we were closer to home than we were.

We jockeyed up front for about 3 more miles before we hit the final two pitches. Coming into what was the feed zone, I was sitting about third wheel. Never one to want to piss off the bunch, I held off crossing the yellow line in the closing stretch. I kinda thought we were free to move over at the base of the feed zone climb, but then I heard someone claim the road was open at 200 meters to go. Of course, I never saw a 200 meter sign. And so I never made a jump that might've won the sprint. Instead, I gave a push up the final short hill and passed a Route1 rider about 1 yard from the finish line. I try not to give up coming to the line and this time it paid off with a fifth place finish.

It was a wonderful day to be out racing bikes and it was all the better with my closest crew cheering from the sidelines. Thanks to hEllicott, the Commish, and SVR for being there at the finish and then trucking up to Ellicott City for post-race sustenance and libations. Mmmm.

Recycled News

With the heat index still over 100 degrees at 7:30PM, surely I've an excuse for feeling lethargic. My lethargy is forcing me to recycle my account of a fun and entertaining weekend of racing at the International Tour de 'Toona. At the urging of my 'mates who weren't around to witness my results, I posted the following on the team's Google groups board:

Friday

The circuit race was fun. I heard there was little chance at breaks sticking, but I didn't let that stop me from bridging to the only break of the day. Turned out to be a bust, but at least I opened up the legs a bit with that one.

The finish was in town and quite technical. I wasn't forward enough coming into the first turn into town. There were requisite crashes and I held on for a not-so-impressive 23rd. No points.

Saturday

The 4s did a short race. We went up and down one hill and came ripping into 'Toona. I crested the climb with a lead group of about 15. The descent was incredible! Looking at the cyclometer, and I assume my max speed for the stage wasn't during the sprint, we maxed out at 54 mph. That was made possible by the very cool rolling enclosure. Those speeds are only do-able when you can take the whole road for turns.

Coming into town, I heeded Evan's excellent advice and kept my eyes open for the 1 km sign. I guess our lead group turned into about 27 guys by that point. I tend to have a problem getting good positioning coming into a sprint, so this time I made a decision that coulda bit me in the tush. At about 750 meters, I clawed my way to the front, right side of the group. I hung out in the wind for a good 500 meters. It was my only chance to stay up front. At about 250 meters, I saw the 200 meter sign and figured my best chance was to go from that distance. I ramped up and laid down as much sprint as my 131 pound body could muster. Turned out to be enough. Good times. 25 points.

Sunday

So...after stage two, I was sitting pretty in third on the GC. The guy in fourth was one point back. The goals for Sunday were to finish the crit and try to keep rider 603 in my crosshairs so I could finish near him. I thought I had it wrapped up. With five laps to go, I stopped seeing his number in the 20 or so guys who were ahead of me on course. Seemed like good news. Like Friday, I never took the risk enough to get into the top ten for the finish sprint. I rolled in for 21st, but was content to finish a crit that clocked in faster than the cat. 3s. Not seeing 603 ahead of me, I thought I was gonna hold on to my GC spot. No such luck. During the podium presentation, mister 603 was standing tall on the top step. Doh!

In the end, my weakness in the crit bumped me three spots to 6th on the GC. Not the best. Not the worst.

All in all, 'Toona was a blast. TnT's support was excellent and appreciated. Of course, Evan needs to get better soon.

The Big 'Toona

Complete post in short order.

Short(est) story...pulled off a 'w' for stage two and a 6th in the overall GC (Cat. IV, of course). Felt strong every step of the way.

Vino Collapso

Borrowing from Phil Liggett's commentary a few years back. Then, however, he said, "Not quite Vino collapso." Now we can just lop off the 'not quite' and be done with it. (BTW...maybe Steven can confirm the term's Scottish origin.)

I hate to rush to judgment, but...this is just sickening. I can only imagine the first excuse will be from a doctor. He'll say, "Vino suffered some massive blood loss during his crashes. A transfusion was the only option to keep him going." It sure kept him going, eh?

Judd's Preliminary

1. Vino
2. Levi
3. Valverde
4. Evans
5. Menchov
6. Sastre
7. Moreau
8. Kloden
9. Schleck
10. Popo

Green: Boonen
Polka: Rasmussen
White: Dekker

In the wings: Rogers, Karpets, Beltran

Rob's Preliminary

1. Vino

2. Levi

3. Menchov

4. Kloden

5. Evans

6. Moreau

7. Kashenchkin

8. Sastre

9. Contador

10. Pereiro

Green - McEwen

Polkadot - Moreau

The Rules

Choose the top ten.

1 point for each rider in the top ten.

Additional 3 points for each correct podium placing.
Additional 2 points for a correct placing in the top 4-10.

5 points for the yellow jersey.

3 points for points jersey.

3 points for mountain jersey.
3 points for white jersey.

47 total possible points.

XS

Turns out, extra-small cycling jerseys have extra-small rear pockets. Who woulda thunk it? I guess I must choose between fit, fashion, and function.

Been trying to find a moment to settle in for a substantial update covering euro-style trend setting (I stumbled on a new hair style I'll call the 'tri-hawk'), trials and tribulations out on Skyline Drive (I pulled a Pete Custer and snapped a cable right at the start of things), and speed and fury at Reston (I finished the dang thing despite wasting sh*t tons of energy wondering if I should actually saddle up after watching a fellow in the 3/4 race break his arm nearly in two). Sounds like a potentially meaty post, eh?

Maybe I'll be in good shape to jot a robust post after tonight's beer tasting dinner at Colorado Kitchen with MattyD. and Katie. Should be fun!

Say it ain't so!!!

Many, many, many years ago, he was one of my absolute favorites.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070612/ap_en_tv/obit_herbert

RIP

The Quicksilver--2007

I'm kinda at a loss to make something exciting out of something quite ordinary. The Quicksilver was a tough-ish effort and nothing more thrilling than a chance to avoid falling down.

I've not succeeded much with the crit thing and wasn't expecting much more this time around. At least the day was pleasant, with sunshine galore, and I didn't need to rise at 5AM to get to the race start. As much as I prefer early mornings for getting a jump on the day, I don't tend to excel at the early morning racing.

Arriving early at the race allowed for some solid pre-race socializing. Pete Custer (racing with the 4s for some mind-boggling reason) was manning the DJ booth and keeping the tunes fresh. Had a pleasant chat with Steven Grant and got caught up on his whirlwind European tour. Drooled over Dave Crouse's carbon hoops (which, unfortunately, didn't serve him so well down the road). And laughed a bit at how mellow Linus, Eric Welp's greyhound, keeps it. Apparently, he used all his energy out on the race track (Linus, not Eric). Also touched base with William Stiles, the fellow whose badly injured finger at Poolesville left me looking like a real warrior. See the long overdue bloodbath shots.



It was nice to warm it up out on the course and, believe it or not, the few loops seemed adequate and a nice change from time wearing down the rubber on the trainer.

We started with 100 guys and I actually landed a second row starting position. In the past, good starting positions usually yielded messy pedal entry and lost momentum and position for me. For once, the start went fluidly and I wasn't out the back before the first turn. TnT was pretty well represented and I had some mid-race communication with David Kemp. We tried a few tandem moves, but I think the tactics still need some brushing up. In due time.

The long and short of it is...I didn't get dropped, lapped, or catapulted towards the pavement. Heck, I think (as it all runs together after going round and round and round and round) I even covered two attacks and vaguely initiated two. One time, I even tried to bridge to Kemp and thought we might power along together. No luck there. Another time, I was glad to see Pete Custer bridge up. If the past was any indicator, I thought we might gun it and actually stay away. No dice there either.

Needless to say, this crit was another chance for some hot heads to scream and shout and curse and more or less get violent in the closing few laps. As others noted, there were even some fists flying on the last lap or two. I just don't get that. Seems like, once the crashes start, the tempers flare even hotter.

Speaking of crashes, I came really, really, really close to getting taken down. The first crash of the race happen two wheels ahead of me. There were the typical jumps and jives to avoid the fallen men. I ended up leaning heavily on rider 490 (dunno know his name...just his number). He/we did, in my opinion, an excellent job of counter-balancing and righting ourselves. Freaky shit, but we made it through.

For me, the finish was fair to middling. I came into the last turn far enough up in the field to avoid the requisite crash that effed up a bunch of guys farther back in the pack. I didn't, however, come in far enough forward to really contest the sprint. And the course was really well suited to my finishing ability...a punchy little uphill for the last 150m. Much like at Carl Dolan, I was far enough back to survey the front twenty guys losing all sorts of steam. Of course, I felt like my cylinders were ready to fire it up. Alas, I just didn't have the killer instinct to wind it up to fight for that top five or ten. I get pretty nervous that the fellers fading up front aren't gonna hold a steady course as they approach the line. Picking, bobbing, and weaving through the ten guys ahead of me just struck me as too risky. And so I settled for 17th.

Considering my past weak showings at crits, I'm relatively satisfied with how things panned out at The Quicksilver.

There are actually a few road races on the calendar in the not too distant future. Hopefully JB can help me train up for some good results at the discipline that better suits my abilities.

More speed for 2008

On the heels of my earlier post...looks like they'll just keep making the cars faster and faster. My 150hp engine always seems to get me where I need to go...on time. Do we really more cars with 300+ hp engines???

Speed

Driving scares the crap out of me. This past Sunday, I drove to and from Camden Yards. On the Beltway, I was sitting pretty at about 70 mph. I was still driving above the speed limit. The way cars around me passed so quickly, it seemed like I was practically sittin' still. They had to be clocking upwards of 85 and 90 mph.

And then shit like this happens. It's a tragic, terrible thing. I can't, however, help but dwell on the final sentence of the article...

'The accident "illustrates the problem we have with speed and what can happen in an instant," High said.'

This isn't to say any of the resulting damage wouldn't have happened at slower speeds, but I think lots of folks don't register how bad it all can get at 85+ mph.

I say, "Slow down!" It's true on the highway and it's true on side streets.