I've realized something

didn't read ctodd's comments till this morning about being a tool if i don't use my tool...

and riding in on the QP this morning - no dashboard, not feed back other than the legs...

i've realized that over the last few months - this little yellow thing is like a speedometer and a tach for a rally car driver...

knowing how fast ya going and what the rpms/power ya doing is good, and yeah - you can race instrumentless but only if you've been training with them...

I was going to claim weight means i don't need it, i was going to claim, racing without knowing the speed/time/HR would be good thing...

But... it ain't really, maybe if i'd been instrumentless for the last few months...

but i haven't...

After this morning's ride in on the "race bike" with the trailer hooked up, i can say... as beautiful as the rear cluster is with the brand new 12-27 and the cleaned up Hugi rear hub it doesn't give me the info that the heavy ass slow ass thing does.

Besides, I weighed the bikes last night - the Croll is almost 26 pounds... The Klein just 19...

It felt like i was on a track bike. wicked narrow bars (compared to the Bontragers on the Croll)... responsive, not an ounce of flex lost in the frame or crank or tires... silent... freaking spooky...

I guess i'm going to be playing with some Zip-ties tonight.

Lots of love to send out in blogger land...

maybe i'm the last one to find Gunnar's blog links - thanks for posting that up Joel!

This is the best:

Never mind the turtle. Don't you think you're sure to win?
Matters not to win, just to participate. Get up, get out, get going.

That's a Shogrenism if i've ever heard one. His positive, fun, laid back energy is just that - taking greatest satisfaction in participating it seems. Sure he kicks ass as well... but it seems more like a side effect than a focus... But then - the most recent updates from them are '04...

I loved the 29vs26 vid that GoClipless links...

Solo must have been bored, tired, or resting to write the thesis he did for the Monday april 9th entry... maybe he's just telecommuting and all that... But i'll throw some praise out. solobreak does write well... quite well indeed.

Maybe he has a good copy editor up north that checks over his stuff prior to posting. Or maybe he is really quite smart, as those who know him are not shy to mention.

Instead of heading down to the Chris Hinds... I did the normal, ballet, weekly trip to wholepaycheck, thing, then worked on cleaning and setting up the Klein. And topped off the day with 2.5 hour spend under/over/under/over/under/over/under/over the hood of the car... went out to the farm where the tools and ramps live and replaced the hose lines for the oil bypass/cooler setup. The hose i'd used on the initial install in 2000 were only supposed to be in service for 2 years, per manufacture's spec. They were also quick connect. Which meant, (and i didn't realize) the hose i'd purchased to replace it wouldn't work with those fittings. I was one male 1/8" NPT with 1/4" hose barb short of a complete install. Fark. Bro was at Lowes. They didn't have anything. I rigged it so it was drivable and loade the fam in the car and check Home Depot. Nope. Got tons of weird wary stares as i strode through Home Depot, covered in oily dirt...
I'm like pigpen when it comes to working on my car. Just no way in hell can i do it and not get filthy. Was like that at the bike shop too. There are mechanics who stay clean and mechanics who get dirty - and from what i've seen it can never be used as an indicator of their abilities.
Anyway - Pep boys finally had a part but the nipple side was a wee bit short. Workable but short.
The hose i picked up caused me most problems. I had overlooked or just didn't grasp the challenge of cutting wire braid reinforced synthetic rubber hose. That and it grabbs the freaking hose barbs tightly... And there's no way in hell it slides on to the quick lok style hose barbs.

Its running. Fixed and i think leak free. So while i didn't race, i worked on "core" strength with the constant hours of routing running cutting fitting pulling changing the lines... Of course my little bro pulled out some cutters yesterday and said - you shoulda used these... well one of the lines (the one i couldn't hook up w/o the barb) is a bit long... so i've got em and will hope to effect a nice quick cut and fix-up tonight or tomorrow.

Friday night i hit a local GTG of the TDI gang (VW diesel car heads). They meet on the first friday of the month and for a change it was in RI. So i went... spend a couple hours and got home just in time to tuck the girls in and sing them a lullaby. Great to see some friends that i haven't in a while. They are a good bunch, scratch that, a great bunch.

Just before hitting that group i stopped in to visit our team's Title Sponsor. And spend a few minutes watching an accountant flip papers around and punch numbers... More $$ than doing it myself, but i'd wager he save'd me way more than the price difference between the TurboTax Fed+State and his fee... That and other than writing a check it was painless. So i can mark finally the big bit of anxiety off the list. The only thing left to do is ditch the lingering sinus infection... That and to see about somehow getting the youngest to sleep through the night. The last week it seems she's been waking up and man it just cuts into that much needed rest. I think one of the few nights she actually slept through was when Cronoman crashed at our place.

Easter was pretty insane. But quite fun. As one would expect, with two little girls eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Easter Bunny it was an early morning. But that was great. We had plans to go out for a special easter breakfast at the JWInn at 8:30. Heck we'd finished the easter egg hunt (the Easter bunny hides eggs for the girls) by 7 and were ready to roll by 7:15... hit the buffet with the first wave (only one other table was there) and the girls had the place to themselves. Which was good. Then headed back home - then to Church. It was the first time i'd driven to an easter service arriving 30 minutes early to a completely empty parking lot. Wow... so we toured the town a bit and returning 15 minutes later it was starting to fill up. It is a small church, beautiful interior and very traditional. The sermon was conservative in the religious sense. No revival mass market church style preaching about money and sin and all that... it was a kick ass (dryly delivered tho) bit about how people handle death. It also was the first time i'd been to a catholic service that actually sang all 4 verses of the hymns. And the first time in a very long time that i wasn't enraged and uber grumpy leaving 'church' normally i don't go because i get really aggravated. It was a nice change.

Back home - made a big salad to take to Easter Dinner (lunch) at the farm. Then after that we hit the Carousel. The one by our house. An old wicked fast one. Very cool with brass rings and everything. It opened yesterday (easter) and we of course had to go ride. It was fun. Headed back home, i continued working on the bike, and we just hung out and had a mellow evening.

Got a lot done. Had some great family time. Just a wonderful weekend. And off the bike completely. I did some stretching through out the weekend but that was the extent of it. Taking it easy the next few days... then well... then it will be time to get into race mode... Woooot... or Uh Oh... mostly woot... i'm really looking forward to this. It probably (like all the races I did last year) will set an initial mark that i will be able to shoot for improving next year, but that itself, as gunnar said: "Matters not to win, just to participate. Get up, get out, get going."

respect,
g