Sure all the "Big Boys" are in Cross Crusade Land. But. They ain't who ya go head to head with every weekend are they? Come on out and support the Easthampton race or Wrentham. Preferable both.
Weather should be cooperating at least regarding the mercury. Temps hovering at or just above Freezing for both races. Good fun stuff.
And if ya ain't gonna race, pull out your snowmobile suit, or if ya ain't got one of them grab your foul weather gear and put a few layers of wool under it and come heckle, cheer, and laugh at the spandex/lycra clad folks running around.
so show up... race, or watch...
Friday, November 30, 2007
One must read today
NYT article on cross...
many others have posted it...
but it makes a good follow up to CTodd singing and interviewing people...
many others have posted it...
but it makes a good follow up to CTodd singing and interviewing people...
cycles.... and what not
sure - someone's sine waves entry title got my brain thinking...
but then i got thinking about that... sine waves, pendulum, balance scales, yin/yang, ebb and flow of the tides, phases of the moon, change of seasons... rest and activity, peaks and valleys, highs and lows...
Every once in a while i find my self swinging back the wrong way... sort of veering off course... I guess just realizing that the course has changed and making the corrections is more than many people do. I guess some people just change course, or pretend it was deliberate, roll with it and act like it wasn't a mistake.
Recognizing mistakes, personally or publicly acknowledging them is the first step in reducing their frequency. Lying to yourself perpetuates and reinforces the acceptance of wrong, inappropriate or hurtful actions, as slight as they may be. It is hard to be the ideal person. Nay impossible. But as long as you are mindful of the shifts and work to mentally correct course maybe it is okay...
Back early in the season some one (i don't remember who) talked about getting old and doing two on and one off in terms of training. Two weeks on the bike one week off. Peak and valley. Lots of recovery. Some people say one on, one off... others like the kids racing can get by with one or two days off a week.
I had the overwhelming mountain of factors pushing me to get in the car and drive in. It was 33°F out there with cold 10 mph slightly off headwind blowing unobstructed off the water. I'd ridden every day this week. One day was a "hybrid" day, drive into the city and leave the car at day care and ride the last two miles in. That and i've got a lecture this afternoon and so i brought the lappy (i don't usually bring it). And to top it all off we were running late. I guess maybe if the fuel light wasn't on in the other car (it was on all day on Tuesday, okay it turned off if i parked it down hill slightly), i might have taken it. But it was and that was just enough to get me on the bike. No fossil fuels for the two of us getting in. It was a great ride. A bit cold. But the passenger was super toasty warm when she hopped out at her stop.
I'm still suprised by all the attention (positive) that the lights on the trailer get. Every day. Without fail. I get at least one person slowing down and rolling their window down to say how cool it looks, or a pedestrian on the path remarking to their friend much the same, or a cyclist. My goal was just to make it more visible. I looked at $30 blinky LED safety things (non-bike application design). But, i don't think they would have had the same impact as my $6 target LED bead set of lights. Battery life has been pretty amazing too. The idea wasn't my own. Last year a co-worker here at the giant U wrapped his big bike frame with christmas lights. I haven't quite gotten to busting out a set for my bike. My passenger wants more lights though. She did manage to break one of the interior lights by playing with them with her feet. Fortunately it only knocked out the last 6 or so leaving 12 still lighting up the inside. Still plenty of light. And now that the end strands are broken she can kick em as much as she wants while singing "The Wheels on the Bus" song. Took me a bit last night to figure out what she was singing but when she got to the "MOVE ON BACK" verse, i knew. She sings that the loudest "The driver on the bus says: MOVE ON BACK, MOVE ON BACK, MOVE ON BACK..."
Life is good here in New Belgium. Esp for us flatlanders with lots of water to keep our temps nice and mellow. Oh and New Beligum tickled a bit of a ponder: Does anyone else find "Cross Crusade" somewhat offensive at all? Sure it is just a name, and they are deliberately playing up the whole religion farce. But, the crusades are a pretty shitty episode in the 'western' history. Drop all the religious crap out and what you have is a new civilization going out to beat the crap out of an older more advanced civilization out of ignorance. Maybe the portland 'new' cyclocross civilization is just pissed at the heritage and legacy of cyclocross racing in New Belgium, I mean New England. No way in hell was i part of the history. But, those west coast folks always seem to be acting similarly the original crusade rivalries. Sure. Maybe i'm stretching too far. But. It was a line of thought in my head. And i'm not really afraid to say what i think, in so much that personally i am very willing to change what i think. And saying something, is one of the only ways to get the crap outa my head. I could be so far off base it isn't funny, but i'm not afraid to change, to admit i was wrong, correct the course and move on in a positive direction acknowledging my fault. It is kinda funny though that it took someone from the portland scene to say that "our" self bestowed title of 'New Belgium' rubbed them the wrong way before the whole Cross Crusade really began to bother me. Honestly thinking about it, the 'bishop' they were pulling at '05 nats (i didn't notice them at '06 maybe because i was too busy sucking on the bike and working to help a real PRO make it to the worlds selection team).
Anyway to completely change the subject only slightly. The Vanilla Journal showed up in my inbox this morning. Web version can be found here. Gotta say, those are some sweeeeeeet bikes. They, without a doubt, are bestowed with soul from the get go.
talk is cheap, all the wind baggin in the world won't make up for a simple act of kindness.... actions are critical in this impersonal world of the internet... let your actions and interactions with real people be what defines you... smile at someone. Offer a random but genuine compliment to someone. Make someone happy for no reason. There is a reason peace and love are often linked together.
peace,
G
but then i got thinking about that... sine waves, pendulum, balance scales, yin/yang, ebb and flow of the tides, phases of the moon, change of seasons... rest and activity, peaks and valleys, highs and lows...
Every once in a while i find my self swinging back the wrong way... sort of veering off course... I guess just realizing that the course has changed and making the corrections is more than many people do. I guess some people just change course, or pretend it was deliberate, roll with it and act like it wasn't a mistake.
Recognizing mistakes, personally or publicly acknowledging them is the first step in reducing their frequency. Lying to yourself perpetuates and reinforces the acceptance of wrong, inappropriate or hurtful actions, as slight as they may be. It is hard to be the ideal person. Nay impossible. But as long as you are mindful of the shifts and work to mentally correct course maybe it is okay...
Back early in the season some one (i don't remember who) talked about getting old and doing two on and one off in terms of training. Two weeks on the bike one week off. Peak and valley. Lots of recovery. Some people say one on, one off... others like the kids racing can get by with one or two days off a week.
I had the overwhelming mountain of factors pushing me to get in the car and drive in. It was 33°F out there with cold 10 mph slightly off headwind blowing unobstructed off the water. I'd ridden every day this week. One day was a "hybrid" day, drive into the city and leave the car at day care and ride the last two miles in. That and i've got a lecture this afternoon and so i brought the lappy (i don't usually bring it). And to top it all off we were running late. I guess maybe if the fuel light wasn't on in the other car (it was on all day on Tuesday, okay it turned off if i parked it down hill slightly), i might have taken it. But it was and that was just enough to get me on the bike. No fossil fuels for the two of us getting in. It was a great ride. A bit cold. But the passenger was super toasty warm when she hopped out at her stop.
I'm still suprised by all the attention (positive) that the lights on the trailer get. Every day. Without fail. I get at least one person slowing down and rolling their window down to say how cool it looks, or a pedestrian on the path remarking to their friend much the same, or a cyclist. My goal was just to make it more visible. I looked at $30 blinky LED safety things (non-bike application design). But, i don't think they would have had the same impact as my $6 target LED bead set of lights. Battery life has been pretty amazing too. The idea wasn't my own. Last year a co-worker here at the giant U wrapped his big bike frame with christmas lights. I haven't quite gotten to busting out a set for my bike. My passenger wants more lights though. She did manage to break one of the interior lights by playing with them with her feet. Fortunately it only knocked out the last 6 or so leaving 12 still lighting up the inside. Still plenty of light. And now that the end strands are broken she can kick em as much as she wants while singing "The Wheels on the Bus" song. Took me a bit last night to figure out what she was singing but when she got to the "MOVE ON BACK" verse, i knew. She sings that the loudest "The driver on the bus says: MOVE ON BACK, MOVE ON BACK, MOVE ON BACK..."
Life is good here in New Belgium. Esp for us flatlanders with lots of water to keep our temps nice and mellow. Oh and New Beligum tickled a bit of a ponder: Does anyone else find "Cross Crusade" somewhat offensive at all? Sure it is just a name, and they are deliberately playing up the whole religion farce. But, the crusades are a pretty shitty episode in the 'western' history. Drop all the religious crap out and what you have is a new civilization going out to beat the crap out of an older more advanced civilization out of ignorance. Maybe the portland 'new' cyclocross civilization is just pissed at the heritage and legacy of cyclocross racing in New Belgium, I mean New England. No way in hell was i part of the history. But, those west coast folks always seem to be acting similarly the original crusade rivalries. Sure. Maybe i'm stretching too far. But. It was a line of thought in my head. And i'm not really afraid to say what i think, in so much that personally i am very willing to change what i think. And saying something, is one of the only ways to get the crap outa my head. I could be so far off base it isn't funny, but i'm not afraid to change, to admit i was wrong, correct the course and move on in a positive direction acknowledging my fault. It is kinda funny though that it took someone from the portland scene to say that "our" self bestowed title of 'New Belgium' rubbed them the wrong way before the whole Cross Crusade really began to bother me. Honestly thinking about it, the 'bishop' they were pulling at '05 nats (i didn't notice them at '06 maybe because i was too busy sucking on the bike and working to help a real PRO make it to the worlds selection team).
Anyway to completely change the subject only slightly. The Vanilla Journal showed up in my inbox this morning. Web version can be found here. Gotta say, those are some sweeeeeeet bikes. They, without a doubt, are bestowed with soul from the get go.
talk is cheap, all the wind baggin in the world won't make up for a simple act of kindness.... actions are critical in this impersonal world of the internet... let your actions and interactions with real people be what defines you... smile at someone. Offer a random but genuine compliment to someone. Make someone happy for no reason. There is a reason peace and love are often linked together.
peace,
G
Thursday, November 29, 2007
grumble
that was my tummy...
it had to wait until 2pm to start eating my leftover pizza i made last night...
i normally eat lunch as early as possible...
when pizza i sometimes find myself finishing lunch at 11am...
i've got one slice left and it is 2 freaking 30
how's that for personal content?
hopefully my bloodsugar will recover quickly...
The ride in was awesome this morning. Finally broke out the late 80s bellweather long sleeve winter weight jersey. Slapped on the mid 90s PI vest, bib shorts and late 90s wind*not gloves... under the mid 90s Giro Supermoto i had a simple cotton cycling cap (too keep the pad adhesive on the foam from sticking in my hair)...
with nothing less than my mid 90s worn out soled Dominator 2s on a 1986 Waterford Paramount silver brazed lugs (damn it why can't i remember who made the damn lugs? (Ishywada?) with SL/SP tubes...
it was about 45° out there... it was perfect. Had to unzip the vest all the way even... (yeah i could have taken it off and stuffed it in the amply huge pockets on the Bellweather jersey...
Riding in the cold is awesome...
The sensations in my legs seem to be great... the muscles sort of seem to be saying hey thanks - that was good work! The running i did on Tuesday night seems to really make a difference in the spin. Yes the big diesel can spin if he wants to... but really if ya listen it ain't so much spinning as having a constant hum of the chain... or trainer... no WHIRRrrrWHIRrrr More of a WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR... i noticed that when i was cranking a bit today my hips were rock solid and the power hitting the pedals was substantial (HR climbing, slight incline, heavy trailer, pushing a slightly hard 40x13, as if any specific gear is a variation of hard, they just are)...
out of curiosity i took a look at the time separating last years race... if LZ was 1 lap down in THAT race and not being the first person 1 lap down (our MAN paul curley was) he would have been in 75th or something just in pure extrapolation...
So top 10 back then? Sure, i'd be freaking STOKED to be 75th in the elite race. Hell i'd have been stoked to be 75th in the 35-39 race... (but i was having the worst race of the season that fateful friday - and thus the quip "INSIDE ASSHOLE" was probably deserved)... anyway... be cautious of what past results suggest... are they really indicators and comparable with current numbers? Would Hank Aaron be the king today he was back then? Would Gretzky be as great today as he was then? Would Sawchuck or some random unknown dude named Moog(sp) be any good in net today? Maybe. maybe not. Those folks might be the first to say "No way in hell. At my best i was never as good as the average players now days." It is debatable, sure. All things are. Hell Gary freaking Fisher was kickin ass in cyclocross back then! That's cool to see. Me? I'm just happy to show up and battle what ever battle there is to be wagered. Just withing myself or with someone else, it doesn't matter. How i did is not measured by where i finish. Solobreak's bribe of a 12 pack wouldn't change how i felt about a race.
Now if you excuse me, i have one last piece of pizza to eat, and i don't want to get grease and flour dust (from the underside of the crust) on the keyboard.
peace
G
it had to wait until 2pm to start eating my leftover pizza i made last night...
i normally eat lunch as early as possible...
when pizza i sometimes find myself finishing lunch at 11am...
i've got one slice left and it is 2 freaking 30
how's that for personal content?
hopefully my bloodsugar will recover quickly...
The ride in was awesome this morning. Finally broke out the late 80s bellweather long sleeve winter weight jersey. Slapped on the mid 90s PI vest, bib shorts and late 90s wind*not gloves... under the mid 90s Giro Supermoto i had a simple cotton cycling cap (too keep the pad adhesive on the foam from sticking in my hair)...
with nothing less than my mid 90s worn out soled Dominator 2s on a 1986 Waterford Paramount silver brazed lugs (damn it why can't i remember who made the damn lugs? (Ishywada?) with SL/SP tubes...
it was about 45° out there... it was perfect. Had to unzip the vest all the way even... (yeah i could have taken it off and stuffed it in the amply huge pockets on the Bellweather jersey...
Riding in the cold is awesome...
The sensations in my legs seem to be great... the muscles sort of seem to be saying hey thanks - that was good work! The running i did on Tuesday night seems to really make a difference in the spin. Yes the big diesel can spin if he wants to... but really if ya listen it ain't so much spinning as having a constant hum of the chain... or trainer... no WHIRRrrrWHIRrrr More of a WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR... i noticed that when i was cranking a bit today my hips were rock solid and the power hitting the pedals was substantial (HR climbing, slight incline, heavy trailer, pushing a slightly hard 40x13, as if any specific gear is a variation of hard, they just are)...
out of curiosity i took a look at the time separating last years race... if LZ was 1 lap down in THAT race and not being the first person 1 lap down (our MAN paul curley was) he would have been in 75th or something just in pure extrapolation...
So top 10 back then? Sure, i'd be freaking STOKED to be 75th in the elite race. Hell i'd have been stoked to be 75th in the 35-39 race... (but i was having the worst race of the season that fateful friday - and thus the quip "INSIDE ASSHOLE" was probably deserved)... anyway... be cautious of what past results suggest... are they really indicators and comparable with current numbers? Would Hank Aaron be the king today he was back then? Would Gretzky be as great today as he was then? Would Sawchuck or some random unknown dude named Moog(sp) be any good in net today? Maybe. maybe not. Those folks might be the first to say "No way in hell. At my best i was never as good as the average players now days." It is debatable, sure. All things are. Hell Gary freaking Fisher was kickin ass in cyclocross back then! That's cool to see. Me? I'm just happy to show up and battle what ever battle there is to be wagered. Just withing myself or with someone else, it doesn't matter. How i did is not measured by where i finish. Solobreak's bribe of a 12 pack wouldn't change how i felt about a race.
Now if you excuse me, i have one last piece of pizza to eat, and i don't want to get grease and flour dust (from the underside of the crust) on the keyboard.
peace
G
special feature
The Ask GeWilli Morning Edition.
To preface, i have a few friends who ask advice on occasion. It doesn't happen often, #1 cause i only have wicked smart friends, and #2 who knows if what i will offer up is right (sarcastic negative humility). There are probably a few more #s, like i don't have any friends, or they know better than to ask a question that could lead to a 1000 word email essay and prefer to call or what ever reason there is. Or like gluing tubulars. I ain't going there, more than i did already.
So.
On to the question for the day.
This is from A down in the Carolinas,
Your Leonard Zinn? I'm flattered. But i think the only similarities between me and Zinn are in vertical stature and a passion for bikes. That well i think we are both better mechanics than we are racers (he's i think a bit better than me in both areas - something to strive for on my part, no?).
To the answer
single speed... yes, fixed gear... no (you can but it'd not really work as you point out with the slack)
If you had a double derailleur, one on top, one on bottom... it might just work if not for the next problem:
problem with fixed gear wheels is they generally have track spacing
ie 120mm and that no work on 130 spaced road bikes.
In general though. With a bit of futzing with cog/chainring sizes and chain length you can make most vertical drop out bikes work as a fixie. Just look at fixed gear gallery for "ideas" assuming the axle spacing is 130 on the hub. Many shops can convert a fixed gear track wheel over to a 130 drop out. But then ya looking at buying a new axle, spacers and the labor involved in it.
Bottom line Fixed can have no slack. The chain needs roughly equal tension on both sides. Think about it symmetrically. Normal geared or singlespeed bikes apply force only on the top so there is always a slack side. On a fixed gear bike you apply force equally (biased significantly to the top but not as much as you'd think).
Why ya want to fixie your road or cross bike anyway? Hell you can buy a cheap ass complete one for under $500, it won't be light but it'll last at least a couple years of winter beating. Probably 10 down in your neck of the woods.
So there ya go AC in the Carolinas...
Hope that helps
GeWilli
To preface, i have a few friends who ask advice on occasion. It doesn't happen often, #1 cause i only have wicked smart friends, and #2 who knows if what i will offer up is right (sarcastic negative humility). There are probably a few more #s, like i don't have any friends, or they know better than to ask a question that could lead to a 1000 word email essay and prefer to call or what ever reason there is. Or like gluing tubulars. I ain't going there, more than i did already.
So.
On to the question for the day.
This is from A down in the Carolinas,
Can you run a fixed gear rear wheel on a bike with a derailleur?
Seems cheaper to buy a fixed gear rear wheel and throw it on your
beater road bike or cross bike than to purchase a fixie. Is this
possible or would the slack in the chain as it runs through the
derailleur cause the chain to skip off the cogs when meeting the
resistance of the fixed gear?
You are my Leonard Zinn.
A
Your Leonard Zinn? I'm flattered. But i think the only similarities between me and Zinn are in vertical stature and a passion for bikes. That well i think we are both better mechanics than we are racers (he's i think a bit better than me in both areas - something to strive for on my part, no?).
To the answer
single speed... yes, fixed gear... no (you can but it'd not really work as you point out with the slack)
If you had a double derailleur, one on top, one on bottom... it might just work if not for the next problem:
problem with fixed gear wheels is they generally have track spacing
ie 120mm and that no work on 130 spaced road bikes.
In general though. With a bit of futzing with cog/chainring sizes and chain length you can make most vertical drop out bikes work as a fixie. Just look at fixed gear gallery for "ideas" assuming the axle spacing is 130 on the hub. Many shops can convert a fixed gear track wheel over to a 130 drop out. But then ya looking at buying a new axle, spacers and the labor involved in it.
Bottom line Fixed can have no slack. The chain needs roughly equal tension on both sides. Think about it symmetrically. Normal geared or singlespeed bikes apply force only on the top so there is always a slack side. On a fixed gear bike you apply force equally (biased significantly to the top but not as much as you'd think).
Why ya want to fixie your road or cross bike anyway? Hell you can buy a cheap ass complete one for under $500, it won't be light but it'll last at least a couple years of winter beating. Probably 10 down in your neck of the woods.
So there ya go AC in the Carolinas...
Hope that helps
GeWilli
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Last night's ride home
I stopped on the small bridge in the last shot from yesterday's weather post and pulled out the camera in the dark.
This is what i captured on the charge-coupled device without a tripod.
The sky line of the city... 1 sec exposure iirc, camera held against the bridge railing for the longer exposure...
Trailer... with flash on...
Flash off...
The multi-color glow of 40 battery powered LEDs make for a unique and eye catching phenomenon rolling down the street. 20 LEDs for $6... show me a bike shop with that kinda deal. It says indoor use only but sofar in the wet it has been pretty good. I keep the battery packs dry inside the cargo area. And i get lots of very positive remarks.
Visibility is the first step in safety. Esp on the bike. Side note, normally the short flag is sticking out horizontally... on the path i'd be taking out people left and right if i didn't pause to change its position... on the road it is just one extra 'please share the road with me' warning... I keep thinking about making it a bit longer and putting some Ben Hur spiky sharp car scratching stuff on the end... but... well that ain't nice. I don't have anything against the drivers, just kinda want them to swing wide. And for the most part, they do.
As always. Share the love. Pass on a smile. Break the circle of pettiness, of anger, of retribution. Be the peace maker, be the mature one, don't perpetuate the hate.
-g
This is what i captured on the charge-coupled device without a tripod.
The sky line of the city... 1 sec exposure iirc, camera held against the bridge railing for the longer exposure...
Trailer... with flash on...
Flash off...The multi-color glow of 40 battery powered LEDs make for a unique and eye catching phenomenon rolling down the street. 20 LEDs for $6... show me a bike shop with that kinda deal. It says indoor use only but sofar in the wet it has been pretty good. I keep the battery packs dry inside the cargo area. And i get lots of very positive remarks.
Visibility is the first step in safety. Esp on the bike. Side note, normally the short flag is sticking out horizontally... on the path i'd be taking out people left and right if i didn't pause to change its position... on the road it is just one extra 'please share the road with me' warning... I keep thinking about making it a bit longer and putting some Ben Hur spiky sharp car scratching stuff on the end... but... well that ain't nice. I don't have anything against the drivers, just kinda want them to swing wide. And for the most part, they do.
As always. Share the love. Pass on a smile. Break the circle of pettiness, of anger, of retribution. Be the peace maker, be the mature one, don't perpetuate the hate.
-g
Yet another one
This last couple weeks my open tabs list has grown... grows too damn fast to keep the links to the left current.
Seems like the whole MRC cross team has an individual blog, not to mention all the HUPsters and all the individual reprobates polluting the internet like CTurd and KL. Ah polluting the internet... Not really polluting... that's just the phrase that resulted from the thought process...
So there's this guy, who started a new one.
GO light up his hit counter. That is if he has figured out how to patch one in there.
http://blog.engvt.com/
Why?
Well a couple reasons:
He lists as racing for Jonathan Page.com
that's gotta be reason enough, no? Pride of New England Cross! Wicked Cool!
He races on the quintessential New England Cyclocross rig.
That and he's been kicking my ass lately...
Back at Amesburry we traded places a few times going round in circles, i'd pass him in a couple spots... then he'd get away from me... the whole time i'm thinking, who is this dude in full Richard Sachs team Kit that's racing in the 3/4 masters race?
Each year ya find different guys to mark in races. Ya find that as your skills and fitness changes (hopefully for the better) that courses play an increasing roll in results. Monster roadie courses like Gloucester or Southington (with only one dismount at each) favor some over others, and all the races i've seemed to miss, Mansfield, Palmer suit another more nimble gazelle like racer (like my team mate Curtis).
Holy shit... they just turned off the air handler in the building. Soooooo quiet. Peaceful and nice. Damn. Why'd we get such loud shitty handlers in this new purpose build dungeon? (that's rhetorical - don't bother with the particulars working my life in the bowels of buildings has me more familiar with HVAC systems than any non-union dude should ever be).
Okay, now everyone in the hall way is talking about how nice and relaxing it is in their offices now that the air handler is down. Bwahahahah.
No Air Handler and David Gray's Sail Away cranked on the sound system is pretty damn mellow... awesome...
okay - so via pedal pushers i clicked over to umbrella girls then clicked over to the velonews interview - thinking i'd see a nice written interview... no... i am sitting listening to the most annoying man making videos... sad thing is he THINKS he's all smooth and smart. Man, maybe he's a decent dude off camera but he's a freaking TOOOOOL. That's it. No umbrella girls publicity can get me to finish watching the whole thing. That said. I think we need umbrella girls for Cross races. no? But then maybe all bundled up they would not have the same attention getting factor that they do at the summer races in California...
talk about a tangent...
dig up the links yourself in that one...
now not only did i pause David Gray for "Mr fingernails on chalk board Rogers" the air handler is back on...
and the Farmer's market wasn't there today - walked all the way down there hoping to buy a 1/4 peck of nice local apples... the square was deserted...
i guess i'll have to supplement my lunch with fig and insect paste newtons...
peace
g
Seems like the whole MRC cross team has an individual blog, not to mention all the HUPsters and all the individual reprobates polluting the internet like CTurd and KL. Ah polluting the internet... Not really polluting... that's just the phrase that resulted from the thought process...
So there's this guy, who started a new one.
GO light up his hit counter. That is if he has figured out how to patch one in there.
http://blog.engvt.com/
Why?
Well a couple reasons:
He lists as racing for Jonathan Page.com
that's gotta be reason enough, no? Pride of New England Cross! Wicked Cool!
He races on the quintessential New England Cyclocross rig.
That and he's been kicking my ass lately...
Back at Amesburry we traded places a few times going round in circles, i'd pass him in a couple spots... then he'd get away from me... the whole time i'm thinking, who is this dude in full Richard Sachs team Kit that's racing in the 3/4 masters race?
Each year ya find different guys to mark in races. Ya find that as your skills and fitness changes (hopefully for the better) that courses play an increasing roll in results. Monster roadie courses like Gloucester or Southington (with only one dismount at each) favor some over others, and all the races i've seemed to miss, Mansfield, Palmer suit another more nimble gazelle like racer (like my team mate Curtis).
Holy shit... they just turned off the air handler in the building. Soooooo quiet. Peaceful and nice. Damn. Why'd we get such loud shitty handlers in this new purpose build dungeon? (that's rhetorical - don't bother with the particulars working my life in the bowels of buildings has me more familiar with HVAC systems than any non-union dude should ever be).
Okay, now everyone in the hall way is talking about how nice and relaxing it is in their offices now that the air handler is down. Bwahahahah.
No Air Handler and David Gray's Sail Away cranked on the sound system is pretty damn mellow... awesome...
okay - so via pedal pushers i clicked over to umbrella girls then clicked over to the velonews interview - thinking i'd see a nice written interview... no... i am sitting listening to the most annoying man making videos... sad thing is he THINKS he's all smooth and smart. Man, maybe he's a decent dude off camera but he's a freaking TOOOOOL. That's it. No umbrella girls publicity can get me to finish watching the whole thing. That said. I think we need umbrella girls for Cross races. no? But then maybe all bundled up they would not have the same attention getting factor that they do at the summer races in California...
talk about a tangent...
dig up the links yourself in that one...
now not only did i pause David Gray for "Mr fingernails on chalk board Rogers" the air handler is back on...
and the Farmer's market wasn't there today - walked all the way down there hoping to buy a 1/4 peck of nice local apples... the square was deserted...
i guess i'll have to supplement my lunch with fig and insect paste newtons...
peace
g
Courses and other stuff (of course)
Added feature: 53x11 Coffee is "sponsoring" The Log. Cleanly jump The Log in your race, and you get a free sample bag of coffee, while supplied last
Is that one clean jump per race? or per lap? Say we do six laps and i cleanly jump it every time do i get six sample bags of coffee?
I dare say me and the other ubertall freak that rides the Moby Dick bike may have a slight advantage over some of the riders...
I just noticed Joel added a clarification to his goddard park race:
The race will be held in the same basic area as the NBX GP, but the course will be much different. Look for very fast racing on lots of grass, a bit of sand, and a nice long finishing straight.
So indeed, Il B can rest easy in that he won't be taping the same course 2x...
Back to the MRC race (ya know - everyone should really race there, unless you live in East Bezerkly Vermont i guess), if ya missed it GCDavid's course outline sounds a fair bit like last years course... and i'm excited... me very excited...
Wrentham course:
Two sets of well placed "very nicely painted barriers" (thank you very much)
-Tight hairpin sections on flat ground
-Fairly smooth single and two-track through the woods (slight incline)
-downhill off-camber switchbacks
-barrier run-up into a tight hairpin downhill/uphill combo
-turns
-downhill into a flat grassy power section
-The Log
-Repeat
That's it from a comment if ya missed it
The Log...
Coffee...
mmm...
I did finally remember my musings. Rich deep pocket races hire folks like JD's outfit to do scoring and results. Right? Sure there is an official there at the start finish to keep track of lap times and all that important stuff. But it seems to me that if they are busy enough dealing with all that, let em do just that. Maybe we'd have better results/races if the responsibility for results was given to the promoter. The officials would obviously verify it and certify it and all that, observe and double check. Yes, it would add an extra burden to the small races who can't pay for the PRO results guys, but it would add that bit of accountability. And remove the scape goating the officials get. BRC the bad results were blamed on overwhelmed officials. "please come race at our course next year, your lack of results are not our fault" Sure they are.
I also recalled a bit after the fallout from Southington. One of my better 1/2/3 35+ results last year. But i didn't get scored because i was out of the top 25. Wade assured everyone that next year he would hire a results/timing crew to get accurate scoring. Well. He didn't. The officials (same head dude) did a better job it seemed.
I keep wondering... how hard would it be to get a decent digi vid camera for the final lap? I don't think ya'd need the super high speed one to use as a back up. Or two of them... doubling the chances of catching each racer as they go through. Frame by frame counting each rider. sure, it is painful but what is the alternative? No results? Screwed up results?
The past is history. It is now expected, demanded and deserved that if you pay for a race, and you finish, or even don't, that your placing (or lack there of) is recorded for everyone to see. If you started the Gster race and didn't finish? Let it be shown. For shame or motivation. Call it the scarlet letter.
There are lots of reasons to race. One of the least of which should be for results, unless your paycheck/contract depends on them. Even then a strong case can be made for a rider with a 'contract' who doesn't get results, but DOES get attention. Sure you should prove yourself right? But. This is the age of marketing. Look at Nascar (or F1 or any motorsport). There are maybe not as many fans for the guy who is on the bottom of the points list, and maybe he never wins a race. But maybe he's the most charismatic driver out there and he makes a good front for the product. Just the fact that he's out there all the time giving it his best is good. Sure saying you sponsor a loser ain't the best 'marketing' but sponsoring a personality... that is... It is pretty lame when you have to list wins to sell a product. Most cyclists are smarter than that. Look at a Zancanato. How many World Cup wins does that brand have? How many World Champ wins does it have? Or maybe take a step higher, how about Kona? At the pinacle of the sport in the WC circuit, how many wins? Can they use the results there? Sure the bikes were there. But they didn't win. Doesn't change the fact that it is a good bike for cross.
well there ya go solo - that was a weird fork in that rail line... back to the original track... it would seem that making the timing/scoring not part of the officials duty would be a good thing for the racers and the officials. It would make for an extra headache for the promoter. BUT the PR benefits/accountability should be well worth it, and maybe, it would be easier to get officials to work Cross races? Or maybe it doesn't matter and officials just need to get better at writing really quickly and need to pay more attention? I mean how do you miss the lead rider going through? Then as a promoter how do you let only the top 22 riders get scored? Why 22? why no explaination? Why not list the rest of the riders as 1 lap down or something? why? lots of questions...
And yeah - i see it everywhere... T-MOBILE is gone THE CYCLING WORLD IS IMPLODING. Get a freaking grip. It is one sponsor. Name all the sponsors that ain't sponsoring any more. Maybe T-Mobile/Telekom needed to get out when Motorola did. I dunno. It ain't nearly as insulting as Lance "I'm GOD and I'll have sex with the Olsen twins if i want just for publicity" Armstrong pulling the plug on the team formerly sponsored by Discovery Channel. Um. You just won the fahking tour DEEEE france and ya don't have a sponsor? Yeah. Right. Uh huh. Selfish dickhead hiding a "clean" past. Clean, yeah right. Draggin Frankie Andreu down into the mess too. gettin him fired from the US team thing he worked hard to put together. That's an example of bike sponsorship that makes you go WTF are they riding? Anyway. I think it is far more important to keep track of JP's sunweb saga. Why is he not getting a two year deal when "what i think's" current name throb is? Results any much more different? Oh. Right. That dude's Belgian. JP's from New Hampster U S of A.
Now that's enough of the horse poop slinging from a guy who don't know squat other than how to squat and make a pile, usually with landing it on his feet.
So go read someone's good stuff. Positive stuff. Well written, grammatically (mostly) correct.
BKW. Dats the stuff. Go read his current entry. You tell me ya don't get all nostalgic hearing about Fat Chance, pre-buyout days....
peace
g
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Congrats to...
Tonkin! He's a dad! Very Cooooool
Big global interwebthingy congrats
and...
To JP... sounds like things are moving forward! Kick some ass in Spain (assuming ya get that Motorhome rolling asap)
Big global interwebthingy congrats
and...
To JP... sounds like things are moving forward! Kick some ass in Spain (assuming ya get that Motorhome rolling asap)
MRC Race....
Head to Wrentham!
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
show up... be there... race...
win... or just flat out have fun...
i like that course.
i did last year at least.
it was fun.
tough, but fun...
you should do it.
support a good cause...
it is put on by a damn strong cross team
that and instead of pre-reg ranking by date for your starting grid, you have colin's totally random completely relative ranking system to go off of.
Get the gals out to race too. Get everyone ya know.
The season ain't over yet. You can rest all spring and summer...
Batten down the hatches... man the bilge pumps and keep the damn ship afloat... weather the mental storm and when ya come out of it the crew (legs and brain) will be stronger and will work together much more effectively from here on out...
at least until you give em shore leave and then, well all hell will break free and good luck going fast for a while after that...
wrentham...
race at wrentham...
do it
go register
now
if ya only gonna race once this weekend... pick Wrentham. Of course the optimal thing would be to race both days... but sacrifices have to be made...
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
show up... be there... race...
win... or just flat out have fun...
i like that course.
i did last year at least.
it was fun.
tough, but fun...
you should do it.
support a good cause...
it is put on by a damn strong cross team
that and instead of pre-reg ranking by date for your starting grid, you have colin's totally random completely relative ranking system to go off of.
# Rankings from crossresults.com will be used to assign starting positions
Get the gals out to race too. Get everyone ya know.
The season ain't over yet. You can rest all spring and summer...
Batten down the hatches... man the bilge pumps and keep the damn ship afloat... weather the mental storm and when ya come out of it the crew (legs and brain) will be stronger and will work together much more effectively from here on out...
at least until you give em shore leave and then, well all hell will break free and good luck going fast for a while after that...
wrentham...
race at wrentham...
do it
go register
now
if ya only gonna race once this weekend... pick Wrentham. Of course the optimal thing would be to race both days... but sacrifices have to be made...
weather
yeah - to a (bike) commuter the weather is ever present and of much more importance than the folks who choose a lifestyle of pumping fossil fuel emissions into the air to get to their place of "work" or more correctly, the place where they go and order stuff online, read news, watch short amateur video, interact with friends... and write... Some people can make that all work, those generally are people in a support roll. Where your skills and knowledge are in demand sporadically and just being there can prevent major problems or solve small ones before they become big ones.
So this morning. The comment by the regulars on the bike path (one group of walkers specifically) sums it up: "What, Do you think it is SUMMER?" as i went riding past wearing shorts, and a short sleeve jersey. And yeah. My core temperature was slightly elevated. Even the wet ground and the spray from the wheels wasn't cold.
But i got a few shots. Popped the digi cam in the jersey pocket and with the brilliant low angle winter (couple weeks from the equinox is winter enough of an angle) i couldn't pass up stopping to collect a few images. It got me thinking about the deliberateness you have with film. The careful framing of the image, the economy of shots. There are people who can treat digital cameras that way but i can't. I know there isn't a limit to the number of shots, I can't make myself overcome that barrier. And at one point the whole digital camera shooting IR started to intrigue me. IR is as close to black and white as you can get with a digi cam in many ways but then i still come back to the 'wonderful' (/sarcasm) Bayer Mask and the filtering of light on a pixel by pixel bases with regards to wavelength. Black and white images are cool because they are collecting ALL photons with little regard to color. Using photoshop to 'convert to grayscale' is pretty sucky IMHO. CXMag's biggest problem is the images. They suck in general. The black and white conversion stinks. The big black bars on either side ain't good either. Subject matter? good. Images? Me no like. But then i've logged far more hours in a black and white darkroom than most. So my frame of reference is a bit skewed. So back to the IR. I got thinking it might be cool to overcome the whole color filter basis. But then. Um. What you wind up doing is imaging ONLY in the red lensed CCD wells. Cutting your effective, or true resolution down by a ton. If you output directly and look at the raw Red Channel you can get the black and white data out of there. But then. I got thinking. Whats the difference just outputting a color RAW and making the Red Channel only the Black and white? Down side yeah, you are collecting VISIBLE red. So then that won't work. No way to separate the IR from the actual Red values. And the IR has much less energy than the visible red meaning you're collecting almost IR relative to a metered red image. Comes back to the desire for a good black and white sensor based digi-cam.
Why not?
There is some new cooler sensors in the pipeline. Maybe some of the new ones will have a way to count and collect all the photons per giving pixel w/o preference to color. Because as soon as you collect preferentially you have to make mountains of assumptions. Different companies make different assumptions so that's kinda why they can look different (same field camera to camera). Binning would be great. IF the digi cams actually BIN (combine groups of pixels to increase sensitivity, decrease exposure time) then say a 2x2 BIN image would be funneling all the photons into one display pixel. Problem there though is that we are still collecting 2x as many green photons spatially as red or blue ones.
Film sure sounds a lot easier to get good black and white images from. Then scanning them becomes simple and nice. Giving ya good black and white digital images that are truly based on the pure intensity resolution (photo count) per unit on the imaging surface (film for example).
For the curious the best reading is here:
Molecular Expressions. A CMOS sensor is a bit different than a standard Bayer CCD. But. it still employs a bayer mask system.
Wiki's entry is good and has some new data on there about some developments (good reading)
This one of the simpler and more basic explanations of it.
Now for some images...
revel in the beauty that surrounds you
do what you can do to preserve it
peace
g
So this morning. The comment by the regulars on the bike path (one group of walkers specifically) sums it up: "What, Do you think it is SUMMER?" as i went riding past wearing shorts, and a short sleeve jersey. And yeah. My core temperature was slightly elevated. Even the wet ground and the spray from the wheels wasn't cold.
But i got a few shots. Popped the digi cam in the jersey pocket and with the brilliant low angle winter (couple weeks from the equinox is winter enough of an angle) i couldn't pass up stopping to collect a few images. It got me thinking about the deliberateness you have with film. The careful framing of the image, the economy of shots. There are people who can treat digital cameras that way but i can't. I know there isn't a limit to the number of shots, I can't make myself overcome that barrier. And at one point the whole digital camera shooting IR started to intrigue me. IR is as close to black and white as you can get with a digi cam in many ways but then i still come back to the 'wonderful' (/sarcasm) Bayer Mask and the filtering of light on a pixel by pixel bases with regards to wavelength. Black and white images are cool because they are collecting ALL photons with little regard to color. Using photoshop to 'convert to grayscale' is pretty sucky IMHO. CXMag's biggest problem is the images. They suck in general. The black and white conversion stinks. The big black bars on either side ain't good either. Subject matter? good. Images? Me no like. But then i've logged far more hours in a black and white darkroom than most. So my frame of reference is a bit skewed. So back to the IR. I got thinking it might be cool to overcome the whole color filter basis. But then. Um. What you wind up doing is imaging ONLY in the red lensed CCD wells. Cutting your effective, or true resolution down by a ton. If you output directly and look at the raw Red Channel you can get the black and white data out of there. But then. I got thinking. Whats the difference just outputting a color RAW and making the Red Channel only the Black and white? Down side yeah, you are collecting VISIBLE red. So then that won't work. No way to separate the IR from the actual Red values. And the IR has much less energy than the visible red meaning you're collecting almost IR relative to a metered red image. Comes back to the desire for a good black and white sensor based digi-cam.
Why not?
There is some new cooler sensors in the pipeline. Maybe some of the new ones will have a way to count and collect all the photons per giving pixel w/o preference to color. Because as soon as you collect preferentially you have to make mountains of assumptions. Different companies make different assumptions so that's kinda why they can look different (same field camera to camera). Binning would be great. IF the digi cams actually BIN (combine groups of pixels to increase sensitivity, decrease exposure time) then say a 2x2 BIN image would be funneling all the photons into one display pixel. Problem there though is that we are still collecting 2x as many green photons spatially as red or blue ones.
Film sure sounds a lot easier to get good black and white images from. Then scanning them becomes simple and nice. Giving ya good black and white digital images that are truly based on the pure intensity resolution (photo count) per unit on the imaging surface (film for example).
For the curious the best reading is here:
Molecular Expressions. A CMOS sensor is a bit different than a standard Bayer CCD. But. it still employs a bayer mask system.
Wiki's entry is good and has some new data on there about some developments (good reading)
This one of the simpler and more basic explanations of it.
Now for some images...
revel in the beauty that surrounds you
do what you can do to preserve it
peace
g
Monday, November 26, 2007
talk about behind the 8 ball
MIF got an article published at cyclocrossworld.com? NO WAY?
As a fellow father of a daughter... Big up props to ya MIF... even if it took 10 years to get there...
and how did i find it? Well ya see this ATMO dude mentioned it. And his page opens before stu's page opens but see'n as this was lower down on the list of stuff on Thorney's page i might have missed it...
Steve's got some good content up there and a nice little video. I keep forgetting to mention the kick ass sticker i scored at Canton. That and not only do i keep forgetting to mention it. I keep forgetting to install it. At the epic pooper line that happens at the single hole indoor facilities at Sterling Steve was there suggesting that not training for a couple weeks combined with working 50-60 hours a week on a new job are not the best prep for racing the 1/2/3 Masters field. I didn't feel like heaping self effacing humor on myself at that point (but maybe i did and forgot) by saying "well it hasn't stopped me yet" (the lack of real and specific training, yes, i ride a bike routinely, and i do certain stuff, but train? who has time for that).
I'm ALMOST done reading the whole internet. I wonder if CTodd has written another song in the mean time.
I haven't washed the mud from yet another wet running track off the bike or the skinsuit yet. After Lowell i washed the suit and stuff once the normal way. NO good. Second time plunked the washer on pre-soak, doubled up the soap and stain remover, put it on the heavy wash cycle with an extra rinse. Ah perfectly clean. Except for the BLAZE socks. Man i love those socks. The got run yet again. And were acceptably clean. Right now. All that is back to being dirty again. Washwashwashwashwash... could be worse. we could be dealing with Kruger Treats, not just dirty running track yuck. Yeah it was "muddy" mostly just for our race it seemed. First and part of second race it seemed to stay frozen enough. Then it seemed to start drying out after the 2/3 race. 1/2/3 masters? as sketchy and slippery as it could be. But maybe we should let J-Cozy tell us in his own words in his web log what he thought of the track. Pretty polar opposites, J-Cozy on his balloons and curt on his itty bitty bubulars.
Oh since someone brought up a fork in a web log (if you can find it in that entry i'm referring too - props). What the hell is up with one of the make you poop more regular drug adds on TV. WTF. They said people normally poop 5-6 times a week. And that the drug should let you at least make it 3-4 times a week. Sure, now i know constipation ain't nutting to joke about... but um... just eat some freaking Yogurt everyday at the very least. The list of potential side stuff was scary. Anything that could damage the development of a fetus just can't be good for the rest of your cells in the body. HOly CRAP. Daily constitutional. Speaking of sitting on the can... i think you'd need a two day crap to make it through all of "someone's" post that i mentioned when i started this paragraph. How can ya skip taking a dump at least once a day? Unbelievable...
I got designs on writing about the food i made for turkey day... i am just finishing up my lunch (yeah, it is late, some of our service contract guys like to show up at 11 and work through the time i'd normally sit down and eat). The food turned out pretty damn well. The turkey was amazing. The ice cream for my home made pumpkin pie was killer. Yes, i made a pumpkin pie, two technically, from one fresh pumpkin and a bunch of raw ingredients. Didn't use any canned anything for it. Hell i even made the crust from scratch. And yes. It was super super tasty.
Damn brooke is taunting me with hot as hell pictures of bikepronography. I tell ya, does it ever get old looking at a Speedvagen? I don't think so. I will say, the bike hacker article in the CXMag certainly has me thinking about some nice el cheapo campy shifters. too bad they don't fit me hands so well... Seems after the 9 speed dura-ace first run, the integrated levers have gotten smaller and smaller and smaller... and that don't make me happy. Sigh.
Oh and there gotta be nuttin as durable as that old 8 speed dura ace drive train. I got thinking about that with how worn and funky that chain was on the p-mount. That old stuff is solid.
Okay - so much for this just being written over lunch. It is nice to be back and constantly interrupted...
peace
g
As a fellow father of a daughter... Big up props to ya MIF... even if it took 10 years to get there...
and how did i find it? Well ya see this ATMO dude mentioned it. And his page opens before stu's page opens but see'n as this was lower down on the list of stuff on Thorney's page i might have missed it...
Steve's got some good content up there and a nice little video. I keep forgetting to mention the kick ass sticker i scored at Canton. That and not only do i keep forgetting to mention it. I keep forgetting to install it. At the epic pooper line that happens at the single hole indoor facilities at Sterling Steve was there suggesting that not training for a couple weeks combined with working 50-60 hours a week on a new job are not the best prep for racing the 1/2/3 Masters field. I didn't feel like heaping self effacing humor on myself at that point (but maybe i did and forgot) by saying "well it hasn't stopped me yet" (the lack of real and specific training, yes, i ride a bike routinely, and i do certain stuff, but train? who has time for that).
I'm ALMOST done reading the whole internet. I wonder if CTodd has written another song in the mean time.
I haven't washed the mud from yet another wet running track off the bike or the skinsuit yet. After Lowell i washed the suit and stuff once the normal way. NO good. Second time plunked the washer on pre-soak, doubled up the soap and stain remover, put it on the heavy wash cycle with an extra rinse. Ah perfectly clean. Except for the BLAZE socks. Man i love those socks. The got run yet again. And were acceptably clean. Right now. All that is back to being dirty again. Washwashwashwashwash... could be worse. we could be dealing with Kruger Treats, not just dirty running track yuck. Yeah it was "muddy" mostly just for our race it seemed. First and part of second race it seemed to stay frozen enough. Then it seemed to start drying out after the 2/3 race. 1/2/3 masters? as sketchy and slippery as it could be. But maybe we should let J-Cozy tell us in his own words in his web log what he thought of the track. Pretty polar opposites, J-Cozy on his balloons and curt on his itty bitty bubulars.
Oh since someone brought up a fork in a web log (if you can find it in that entry i'm referring too - props). What the hell is up with one of the make you poop more regular drug adds on TV. WTF. They said people normally poop 5-6 times a week. And that the drug should let you at least make it 3-4 times a week. Sure, now i know constipation ain't nutting to joke about... but um... just eat some freaking Yogurt everyday at the very least. The list of potential side stuff was scary. Anything that could damage the development of a fetus just can't be good for the rest of your cells in the body. HOly CRAP. Daily constitutional. Speaking of sitting on the can... i think you'd need a two day crap to make it through all of "someone's" post that i mentioned when i started this paragraph. How can ya skip taking a dump at least once a day? Unbelievable...
I got designs on writing about the food i made for turkey day... i am just finishing up my lunch (yeah, it is late, some of our service contract guys like to show up at 11 and work through the time i'd normally sit down and eat). The food turned out pretty damn well. The turkey was amazing. The ice cream for my home made pumpkin pie was killer. Yes, i made a pumpkin pie, two technically, from one fresh pumpkin and a bunch of raw ingredients. Didn't use any canned anything for it. Hell i even made the crust from scratch. And yes. It was super super tasty.
Damn brooke is taunting me with hot as hell pictures of bikepronography. I tell ya, does it ever get old looking at a Speedvagen? I don't think so. I will say, the bike hacker article in the CXMag certainly has me thinking about some nice el cheapo campy shifters. too bad they don't fit me hands so well... Seems after the 9 speed dura-ace first run, the integrated levers have gotten smaller and smaller and smaller... and that don't make me happy. Sigh.
Oh and there gotta be nuttin as durable as that old 8 speed dura ace drive train. I got thinking about that with how worn and funky that chain was on the p-mount. That old stuff is solid.
Okay - so much for this just being written over lunch. It is nice to be back and constantly interrupted...
peace
g
long breaks
are good...
in a way...
Others, they just make more work when ya come back...
I missed what seemed to be about 90% of the comments about the BRC race. I had contemplated buggin the officials regarding where i was on the list, i didn't. They always seem pretty busy and stressed, esp when another race is going on. I don't need the results to be there to know how i did. Moving on from that i rode my bike once between packing it up there in Lowell and beginning to warm up at Sterling. Once. To the post office and back on Wed. Maybe 2 miles. But it was on the cross bike and it was just one of those fun rides that is well, ya know, one of those rides that makes ya realize how much ya like your bike.
I'm not even 1/2 through the emails. At least there aren't any voice mails to deal with.
So cutting to the chase, Sterling was fun. The official's pronouncement of a "parade" lap meant different things to different people it seemed. Some of us at the start sort of assumed a neutralized parade around for a lap before taking off. Others just nuked it from the whistle and did well for themselves. I was the former. For all of about 5 seconds. Then i got boxed in on the inside as people were blowing through on the outside and wound up back where i was lined up on the grid after one lap. At the back. First couple laps felt pretty good. Mr Official Jerry was the former and being so tiny and wearing the kick ass black Sachs kit he magically moved up about 30 spots in the first "parade" lap. But he was just up ahead, w/in reach until someone came to a stop in front of me as i was riding up the little up and down thing on the hill. OOPS. I more or less seemed to block the course with the behemoth of a bike before i could wrangle it around pointed in the right direction. And for a while i was holding water. IE not going backwards relative to a few people. Then. Well then i couldn't down shift to the little ring. Seems washing the bike the day before in cool weather and not blasting the STI mechanism and the cables/housing with WD40 afterwards was a bad idea. The weather wasn't terribly warm and the left shifter froze up. Well the right one did to. Wouldn't let me drop down past the 18ish at all. Hell for a while it wouldn't drop down at all. So i really turned the diesel power on. And I know all the sayings, and have read, heard, about how much over gearing can really suck the juice out of you. Well. Here was my chance to empirically find out if not spinning up a hill was slower. Well. Any reasonably intelligent person would recognize. Yes. It is a bit slower. Unless ya are unstoppable. I'm definitely stoppable. The saving grace was finding the course designer (great course, i liked the changes) slipping backwards. I caught and passed him with a few to go. And although i wanted to grab matt m's wheel as he went flying past, it was the presence of Tom back there. His gaining on me in a few sections that i was sucking more than i should have been, was enough to get me out of the saddle digging in to the 49 tooth chainring. Yeah. My single ring up front was a 49 for most of the race! Whooo hooo. Legs hurt after the race. But i didn't get lapped by the freakishly strong field of uber fast dudes. I had fun. I saw lots of great folks. That 1/2/3 masters field is wicked damn tough. Once i nail down my starts again (different level of intensity starting in the back of an almost PRO field vs starting on the front of the 3/4 masters races), once i nail them down again things should be looking much much better.
Did a bit of work on the P-mount yesterday. Ditched the well worn 50t for a 40t. Took off the amazingly worn old old Sedis-Sport chain, put a new one on. single ring with an old mangled ultegra front der. Now here's what i don't understand. People are bolting on this and that and another thing to keep their silly single ring rigs running... Why not just put a front der on there? They don't weight a whole hell uvalot, certainly not more than a 3rd eye or a pair of chain guards... but hey, it might look goofy. I dunno. So. I didn't change the cassette. DOH. Well not really it was by design. I didn't have an 8speed one laying around and i knew from the last time i cleaned it that the 12-13-14 were in good shape and the 25 was actually in pretty good shape. So, well. I got a 4 speed. Till i get a new cassette on there. Drivetrain actually is smooth, wicked less friction. An amazing amount less. Fun. And it even stopped raining by the time we were ready to go. And it held off raining even as i had to change yet another flat tire on the trailer. Bit of glass this time. And fortunately we were at home. Easy. Just time consuming. The ride in was nice, and again a bit warm. Granted i did put knee warmers on and the team Warsaw jacket on over my ssjersey. Had to have it unzipped most of the time.
Who knows if i'll ever catch up with the web log/internet world from last week. But i got a feeling i wasn't the only one on vacation. Time to fire up the coffee, and overthink the options of either cleaning or replacing the cables on the Cross bike.
peace,
G
in a way...
Others, they just make more work when ya come back...
I missed what seemed to be about 90% of the comments about the BRC race. I had contemplated buggin the officials regarding where i was on the list, i didn't. They always seem pretty busy and stressed, esp when another race is going on. I don't need the results to be there to know how i did. Moving on from that i rode my bike once between packing it up there in Lowell and beginning to warm up at Sterling. Once. To the post office and back on Wed. Maybe 2 miles. But it was on the cross bike and it was just one of those fun rides that is well, ya know, one of those rides that makes ya realize how much ya like your bike.
I'm not even 1/2 through the emails. At least there aren't any voice mails to deal with.
So cutting to the chase, Sterling was fun. The official's pronouncement of a "parade" lap meant different things to different people it seemed. Some of us at the start sort of assumed a neutralized parade around for a lap before taking off. Others just nuked it from the whistle and did well for themselves. I was the former. For all of about 5 seconds. Then i got boxed in on the inside as people were blowing through on the outside and wound up back where i was lined up on the grid after one lap. At the back. First couple laps felt pretty good. Mr Official Jerry was the former and being so tiny and wearing the kick ass black Sachs kit he magically moved up about 30 spots in the first "parade" lap. But he was just up ahead, w/in reach until someone came to a stop in front of me as i was riding up the little up and down thing on the hill. OOPS. I more or less seemed to block the course with the behemoth of a bike before i could wrangle it around pointed in the right direction. And for a while i was holding water. IE not going backwards relative to a few people. Then. Well then i couldn't down shift to the little ring. Seems washing the bike the day before in cool weather and not blasting the STI mechanism and the cables/housing with WD40 afterwards was a bad idea. The weather wasn't terribly warm and the left shifter froze up. Well the right one did to. Wouldn't let me drop down past the 18ish at all. Hell for a while it wouldn't drop down at all. So i really turned the diesel power on. And I know all the sayings, and have read, heard, about how much over gearing can really suck the juice out of you. Well. Here was my chance to empirically find out if not spinning up a hill was slower. Well. Any reasonably intelligent person would recognize. Yes. It is a bit slower. Unless ya are unstoppable. I'm definitely stoppable. The saving grace was finding the course designer (great course, i liked the changes) slipping backwards. I caught and passed him with a few to go. And although i wanted to grab matt m's wheel as he went flying past, it was the presence of Tom back there. His gaining on me in a few sections that i was sucking more than i should have been, was enough to get me out of the saddle digging in to the 49 tooth chainring. Yeah. My single ring up front was a 49 for most of the race! Whooo hooo. Legs hurt after the race. But i didn't get lapped by the freakishly strong field of uber fast dudes. I had fun. I saw lots of great folks. That 1/2/3 masters field is wicked damn tough. Once i nail down my starts again (different level of intensity starting in the back of an almost PRO field vs starting on the front of the 3/4 masters races), once i nail them down again things should be looking much much better.
Did a bit of work on the P-mount yesterday. Ditched the well worn 50t for a 40t. Took off the amazingly worn old old Sedis-Sport chain, put a new one on. single ring with an old mangled ultegra front der. Now here's what i don't understand. People are bolting on this and that and another thing to keep their silly single ring rigs running... Why not just put a front der on there? They don't weight a whole hell uvalot, certainly not more than a 3rd eye or a pair of chain guards... but hey, it might look goofy. I dunno. So. I didn't change the cassette. DOH. Well not really it was by design. I didn't have an 8speed one laying around and i knew from the last time i cleaned it that the 12-13-14 were in good shape and the 25 was actually in pretty good shape. So, well. I got a 4 speed. Till i get a new cassette on there. Drivetrain actually is smooth, wicked less friction. An amazing amount less. Fun. And it even stopped raining by the time we were ready to go. And it held off raining even as i had to change yet another flat tire on the trailer. Bit of glass this time. And fortunately we were at home. Easy. Just time consuming. The ride in was nice, and again a bit warm. Granted i did put knee warmers on and the team Warsaw jacket on over my ssjersey. Had to have it unzipped most of the time.
Who knows if i'll ever catch up with the web log/internet world from last week. But i got a feeling i wasn't the only one on vacation. Time to fire up the coffee, and overthink the options of either cleaning or replacing the cables on the Cross bike.
peace,
G
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
i knew it
Not there. Just like Southington in '06. But at least there they told ya "Git off the course you don't count as a finisher." Yeah. I know. Back in the old days it was the exception to be listed in the results if you weren't in the money or the points.
See dats the thing. I is pretty sure i was in front of Belgian Dave... Maybe not... i was behind Timmeeee... I dunno... I can hear solobreak bustin my ass with "you lucky you are getting listed 1/2 the time anyway with your finishes"
True. But say i used crossresults to track my races... but then it only tracks the races i get listed as finishing. Ah well. Suck it up. Better luck next time. I can pretend i never raced, because there is no record of me finishing. I wasn't that far behind Matt "My bike sounds like it is falling apart" Domnarski. But then maybe he was the last rider to finish (of the 35s) in front of Curtis and that being the cut off for being scored. Why i getting all bent outa shape about it? I dunno. I dunno. Mike B didn't get listed in his race either. I know this ain't the special olympics. it ain't a freaking marathon. Just "finishing" isn't the goal. So getting list as just finishing shouldn't be an expectation. But when every other race sort of follows the pattern of listing riders... not to mention the fact that the officials screwed up. If Curtis hadn't done an extra lap i wouldn't have been lapped and maybe we'd all be scored. Or not. Whatever. Move on. It was a good race. I realized a few things. Next race. Move on.
Looking at the pre-reg list, it got longer for Saturday's race. And it being verge... well that means those who haven't reg'd start in the back. Unless ya got call up points or some stuff like that. So, we'll see all yall there. Till then though it is vacation time. time away from the normal routine. time to recharge and refresh. which really means work harder at different stuff and get even more exhausted.
Whoo hoo...
might even wash the mud off before sterling...
maybe...
we'll see...
till then, remember, smile, break the cycle, start something good... Freedom, it starts with kindness and understanding, not hate and violence...
peace,
G
See dats the thing. I is pretty sure i was in front of Belgian Dave... Maybe not... i was behind Timmeeee... I dunno... I can hear solobreak bustin my ass with "you lucky you are getting listed 1/2 the time anyway with your finishes"
True. But say i used crossresults to track my races... but then it only tracks the races i get listed as finishing. Ah well. Suck it up. Better luck next time. I can pretend i never raced, because there is no record of me finishing. I wasn't that far behind Matt "My bike sounds like it is falling apart" Domnarski. But then maybe he was the last rider to finish (of the 35s) in front of Curtis and that being the cut off for being scored. Why i getting all bent outa shape about it? I dunno. I dunno. Mike B didn't get listed in his race either. I know this ain't the special olympics. it ain't a freaking marathon. Just "finishing" isn't the goal. So getting list as just finishing shouldn't be an expectation. But when every other race sort of follows the pattern of listing riders... not to mention the fact that the officials screwed up. If Curtis hadn't done an extra lap i wouldn't have been lapped and maybe we'd all be scored. Or not. Whatever. Move on. It was a good race. I realized a few things. Next race. Move on.
Looking at the pre-reg list, it got longer for Saturday's race. And it being verge... well that means those who haven't reg'd start in the back. Unless ya got call up points or some stuff like that. So, we'll see all yall there. Till then though it is vacation time. time away from the normal routine. time to recharge and refresh. which really means work harder at different stuff and get even more exhausted.
Whoo hoo...
might even wash the mud off before sterling...
maybe...
we'll see...
till then, remember, smile, break the cycle, start something good... Freedom, it starts with kindness and understanding, not hate and violence...
peace,
G
2 in a row
first time in???? that i've taken the car to work 2 days in a row...
Now many may have caught the link to JP's journal entry. Well Curtis mentioned that it wouldn't be there today. It isn't.
Yeah. I had a bad race. I let it get to me. I personalized it. It is what i do. I shouldn't have. But i did. Yes, 1/2/3 is a faster race. Guys who i kinda use as markers kicked my ass. But then, they had a kick ass race and i was in suckville. But that said. I didn't look defeated on the bike. That's good. Right? I don't have cinder burns on my ass like someone who crashed in the lead on the track. There were people behind me. I'm over it. And sheesh, Jerry found this thing? Who let him on the internet????
Okay - enough about my crappy race. Moving on.
Got my copy of CXMagazine in the mail last night.
Lots to say about it. Not sure the publishers or the contributors want to hear some of what i will say about it, but, lemme put it this way. I still have great hopes and aspirations for the zine, just hoping they can sort the stuff out. Best add though is by far mr. Z's, as in Zank's. Good to see Paul W in there as well.
Another thing i was contemplating at somepoint was Sterling last year. Specifically the registration. A huge negative for having the biggest field going off first at 9am is registration. Specifically the fact that if it opens at 8, there are 150+ people who want to get their numbers to race. It was a big CF last year. Registration opened late, and the hallway was super narrow and the lines were not marked and it took a while to sort out that there were even 2 lines. Pre-reg folks were able to walk right up and get their number, pin up and go start warming up on the course. That's kinda nice, eh? Sure they had to start in the very back of each field. But they at least were warmed up. Not only was registration a total mess, the bathroom situation wasn't stellar and the start. Oh don't get me going on the start again. Slamming into the back of the 4s at the run up. Total mess. Disaster. Complete disaster. Make for not fun. But. Ya always are passing someone. But the problem is the speeds often are rather different.
Yeah. That's a heap of negativity upon one race. That said. It is a cool course. Good venue. Great guy promoting it. And the results guy is pretty cool. And they have a results guy. that's a big bonus. not to take away from the officials trying to score by hand. but compared to last year there seems to be more screw ups than in previous years. Although, if the day of results were an indication, Lowell might be like southington was for me last year. Ie no race posted there in crossresults.com
CTodd finally has some new content up. Amazing. Is it me or did he get a lot more attractive in this toddcast? Speaking of cars. I turned over 266666 miles this morning. Its a 1999.5 model. One nice thing about it is i can drive from home to Putney and back, around all week (not much honestly) and then up to Lowell and back. All on one tank of fuel. ~650 miles or so. 1/3 of that with a bike on the roof. Driving in New England traffic (ie not slow). I think that's pretty damn cool. That and burning biodiesel to boot.
Hey. Reminds me. Anyone have an old (in decent shape) cinelli 26.4 handlebar kicking around? I'm tired of nearly wrecking the P-mount when i go down to the drops (they ain't there). Yeah. I cut and flipped the bars. Why? Well when i started commuting i was a bit heavier, and less flexible than i am now. Not to mention slower. So i didn't think i'd need the drops. They were a crappy Trek System1 anyway. I got a beautiful Syncros stem in the tool drawer i wanna use, and well, it needs one of those ancient archaic 26.4 bars. If ya got one laying around and might consider donating it to a good cause lemme know.
Oh and it is snowing out there. First snow of the year.
amazing...
getting piled on inside and outside...
it is a good day
g
Now many may have caught the link to JP's journal entry. Well Curtis mentioned that it wouldn't be there today. It isn't.
Yeah. I had a bad race. I let it get to me. I personalized it. It is what i do. I shouldn't have. But i did. Yes, 1/2/3 is a faster race. Guys who i kinda use as markers kicked my ass. But then, they had a kick ass race and i was in suckville. But that said. I didn't look defeated on the bike. That's good. Right? I don't have cinder burns on my ass like someone who crashed in the lead on the track. There were people behind me. I'm over it. And sheesh, Jerry found this thing? Who let him on the internet????
Okay - enough about my crappy race. Moving on.
Got my copy of CXMagazine in the mail last night.
Lots to say about it. Not sure the publishers or the contributors want to hear some of what i will say about it, but, lemme put it this way. I still have great hopes and aspirations for the zine, just hoping they can sort the stuff out. Best add though is by far mr. Z's, as in Zank's. Good to see Paul W in there as well.
Another thing i was contemplating at somepoint was Sterling last year. Specifically the registration. A huge negative for having the biggest field going off first at 9am is registration. Specifically the fact that if it opens at 8, there are 150+ people who want to get their numbers to race. It was a big CF last year. Registration opened late, and the hallway was super narrow and the lines were not marked and it took a while to sort out that there were even 2 lines. Pre-reg folks were able to walk right up and get their number, pin up and go start warming up on the course. That's kinda nice, eh? Sure they had to start in the very back of each field. But they at least were warmed up. Not only was registration a total mess, the bathroom situation wasn't stellar and the start. Oh don't get me going on the start again. Slamming into the back of the 4s at the run up. Total mess. Disaster. Complete disaster. Make for not fun. But. Ya always are passing someone. But the problem is the speeds often are rather different.
Yeah. That's a heap of negativity upon one race. That said. It is a cool course. Good venue. Great guy promoting it. And the results guy is pretty cool. And they have a results guy. that's a big bonus. not to take away from the officials trying to score by hand. but compared to last year there seems to be more screw ups than in previous years. Although, if the day of results were an indication, Lowell might be like southington was for me last year. Ie no race posted there in crossresults.com
CTodd finally has some new content up. Amazing. Is it me or did he get a lot more attractive in this toddcast? Speaking of cars. I turned over 266666 miles this morning. Its a 1999.5 model. One nice thing about it is i can drive from home to Putney and back, around all week (not much honestly) and then up to Lowell and back. All on one tank of fuel. ~650 miles or so. 1/3 of that with a bike on the roof. Driving in New England traffic (ie not slow). I think that's pretty damn cool. That and burning biodiesel to boot.
Hey. Reminds me. Anyone have an old (in decent shape) cinelli 26.4 handlebar kicking around? I'm tired of nearly wrecking the P-mount when i go down to the drops (they ain't there). Yeah. I cut and flipped the bars. Why? Well when i started commuting i was a bit heavier, and less flexible than i am now. Not to mention slower. So i didn't think i'd need the drops. They were a crappy Trek System1 anyway. I got a beautiful Syncros stem in the tool drawer i wanna use, and well, it needs one of those ancient archaic 26.4 bars. If ya got one laying around and might consider donating it to a good cause lemme know.
Oh and it is snowing out there. First snow of the year.
amazing...
getting piled on inside and outside...
it is a good day
g
Monday, November 19, 2007
looking ahead
burn out, mental exhaustion, poor pre-race focus/prep, no mojo, self-doubt, whatever it was, it happened.
Time to move on. I feel somewhat turned around. Not to take away anything i wrote - it is pretty damn unadulterated. That said it could be worse. Did yall read what JP has been going through? That's solidly sad and messed up. Maybe, this is a temporary down turn. Having a poor race ain't the end of the world. I ain't getting paid for this. Heck the winner of our race only got $25 out of the deal. $25 for winning an open Masters race (technically it was a $50 bill, but then with an entry fee of ~$25, day off or almost that via bikereg, it is what it is). It isn't about the points (Masters are masters, categories are meaningless essentially, you are fast if you train or are genetically gifted). It is about racing.
Bad days, good days. They come and go. Learn and move on. Learn from both. Make a correction in the course and look towards the future. Like steering a ship, you can hold a steady course by watching the wake, but if you aren't looking ahead you'll crash and sink... it takes more skill to look a head and steer a straight course, more work. But it has to be done.
So the decreased attendance lately is bothering people. Why decreasing? Just the cold?
Could it be the increasing number of races on the calendar for a given day? Or is it the races down in the MidAtlantic pulling riders? Races around the country pulling people away from our region? We have a strong region but maybe many of the throngs travel to the biggest races in the country. Leaving the smaller races feeling the pinch of lower participants?
Maybe it is the changing race day schedule. Early season there were individual categories for most races. Now. It seems the promoters are sticking the earliest starts to the two largest fields. Cat 4 and C 3/4+. Ala Sterling and Farmington. Then when you add a third field (and not the smallest of fields either) the 55+ to the mix. And then ask the 55+ to go for a championship while trying to ride through both the 3/4+ and the 4 racers i dunno. That's a tough call for a 9am group.
Sterling has 128 racers pregistered for the 9am race, 31 for the 10am race, 57 at 11, 60 at 12, and then the last two UCI races don't count so much as they are elite/UCI men and women races.
Does that seem disproportionate? Rightfully so or not. It is odd. The 11am race should be considered an elite event as it is the 1/2/3 Masters race. the 12 is the 2/3 race...
For many of the 9am participants they can come, race, and go home and have a full day doing other stuff: watching the Patriots dismantle another team or playing with the kids or raking leaves or what ever. But, that is the big core of your spectators right there. They go, sure and then there is parking for the elites in prime locations. But no spectators for them.
Then there is the whole notion of starting the Cat 4 before the Cat 3/4+ and then making the 55+ start last. Pretty crazy. If it was me, i'd do it backwards. But then, maybe they have done it backwards and maybe it doesn't work doing it that way. I dunno. Why not put the lowest (traditional) turnout earliest?
Are the races i talk about the least the ones w/o any attendees? Or is the fact that i'm talking about something the reason other people are showing up?
There are two races this weekend. I'm only considering doing one of them. Baystate obviously. Yes i had a crappy day on the bike. But my wife said i looked good out there. Meaning, i've stopped looking bad on the bike when racing. That's a good start right? A good day at work is still a good day and it does rank higher than a bad day on the bike. But yes, you can't have good days without bad days or the good days cease to be good. I do seem to have better days when the 3/4+ race is its own race. Those races i can start aggressively and attack and hold on. The 1/2/3+ races i haven't been as aggressive in the start and it seems to someties translate into the rest of the race. Lowell's start wasn't sub par due to lack of aggression, it was due to the fact that my freaking left foot (ground foot) slipped and i botched the start. Had to play catch up. The affect maybe of the start wasn't during the race but afterwards. I'd not raced in knee warmers. Not sure what prompted me to start racing in them yesterday. But then, maybe if i'd kicked ass wearing them i'd have been glad i did. Experiment and learn. Right?
I've really only got 4 races left in the season. If you count Baystate up in Sterling. 4 left. 2 of those are at Goddard park here in RI. Baystate, MRC, verge finale. GCD is right though. If i don't race Sterling, i'll be worse off mentally than if i did. It would be a replay of Canton all over again i think. But then, if i had been racing at Canton maybe i wouldn't have dug as deep in Dayville to pull out a 4th place there. Who knows. Look forward. And yes, rethinking and rethinking is what i do too much. Too much thinking. Not enough turning the brain off and going as hard as i can towards the objective...
Okay - there - way too much introspection for one day... way too much...
-g
Time to move on. I feel somewhat turned around. Not to take away anything i wrote - it is pretty damn unadulterated. That said it could be worse. Did yall read what JP has been going through? That's solidly sad and messed up. Maybe, this is a temporary down turn. Having a poor race ain't the end of the world. I ain't getting paid for this. Heck the winner of our race only got $25 out of the deal. $25 for winning an open Masters race (technically it was a $50 bill, but then with an entry fee of ~$25, day off or almost that via bikereg, it is what it is). It isn't about the points (Masters are masters, categories are meaningless essentially, you are fast if you train or are genetically gifted). It is about racing.
Bad days, good days. They come and go. Learn and move on. Learn from both. Make a correction in the course and look towards the future. Like steering a ship, you can hold a steady course by watching the wake, but if you aren't looking ahead you'll crash and sink... it takes more skill to look a head and steer a straight course, more work. But it has to be done.
So the decreased attendance lately is bothering people. Why decreasing? Just the cold?
Could it be the increasing number of races on the calendar for a given day? Or is it the races down in the MidAtlantic pulling riders? Races around the country pulling people away from our region? We have a strong region but maybe many of the throngs travel to the biggest races in the country. Leaving the smaller races feeling the pinch of lower participants?
Maybe it is the changing race day schedule. Early season there were individual categories for most races. Now. It seems the promoters are sticking the earliest starts to the two largest fields. Cat 4 and C 3/4+. Ala Sterling and Farmington. Then when you add a third field (and not the smallest of fields either) the 55+ to the mix. And then ask the 55+ to go for a championship while trying to ride through both the 3/4+ and the 4 racers i dunno. That's a tough call for a 9am group.
Sterling has 128 racers pregistered for the 9am race, 31 for the 10am race, 57 at 11, 60 at 12, and then the last two UCI races don't count so much as they are elite/UCI men and women races.
Does that seem disproportionate? Rightfully so or not. It is odd. The 11am race should be considered an elite event as it is the 1/2/3 Masters race. the 12 is the 2/3 race...
For many of the 9am participants they can come, race, and go home and have a full day doing other stuff: watching the Patriots dismantle another team or playing with the kids or raking leaves or what ever. But, that is the big core of your spectators right there. They go, sure and then there is parking for the elites in prime locations. But no spectators for them.
Then there is the whole notion of starting the Cat 4 before the Cat 3/4+ and then making the 55+ start last. Pretty crazy. If it was me, i'd do it backwards. But then, maybe they have done it backwards and maybe it doesn't work doing it that way. I dunno. Why not put the lowest (traditional) turnout earliest?
Are the races i talk about the least the ones w/o any attendees? Or is the fact that i'm talking about something the reason other people are showing up?
There are two races this weekend. I'm only considering doing one of them. Baystate obviously. Yes i had a crappy day on the bike. But my wife said i looked good out there. Meaning, i've stopped looking bad on the bike when racing. That's a good start right? A good day at work is still a good day and it does rank higher than a bad day on the bike. But yes, you can't have good days without bad days or the good days cease to be good. I do seem to have better days when the 3/4+ race is its own race. Those races i can start aggressively and attack and hold on. The 1/2/3+ races i haven't been as aggressive in the start and it seems to someties translate into the rest of the race. Lowell's start wasn't sub par due to lack of aggression, it was due to the fact that my freaking left foot (ground foot) slipped and i botched the start. Had to play catch up. The affect maybe of the start wasn't during the race but afterwards. I'd not raced in knee warmers. Not sure what prompted me to start racing in them yesterday. But then, maybe if i'd kicked ass wearing them i'd have been glad i did. Experiment and learn. Right?
I've really only got 4 races left in the season. If you count Baystate up in Sterling. 4 left. 2 of those are at Goddard park here in RI. Baystate, MRC, verge finale. GCD is right though. If i don't race Sterling, i'll be worse off mentally than if i did. It would be a replay of Canton all over again i think. But then, if i had been racing at Canton maybe i wouldn't have dug as deep in Dayville to pull out a 4th place there. Who knows. Look forward. And yes, rethinking and rethinking is what i do too much. Too much thinking. Not enough turning the brain off and going as hard as i can towards the objective...
Okay - there - way too much introspection for one day... way too much...
During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director
how do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.
'Well,' said the Director, 'we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a
teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her
to empty the bathtub.'
'Oh, I understand,' said the visitor. 'A normal person would use the
bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.'
'No.' said the Director, 'A normal person would pull the plug. Do
you want a bed near the window?' (thanks for the joke Lee)
-g
when the wheels fall off
Sunday, the wheels fell off, and the motor died. Just riding around it seemed like. Shoulda been en fuego. Shoulda been. But wasn't. First lap was okay. Hung in on the train. Second lap i tried to stay on the train. Third lap... who knows. The laps were pretty fast, all twisty hard tight turns and i should have done better. but i just mentally checked out it seemed. I'm still pretty down about it all. I had better legs than i rode with. I shoulda been able to get up with Jerry, should have been able to stay with CTodd after he crashed and got back up... A race of shouldas. Even the "mud"
yeah there was some "mud" mostly just a wet clay/cinder running track. That was the only mud and then it was just puddles of melting frost. No issue with traction. No issue with anything other than getting dirty. None of the good stuff that goes along with mud. No slogging sections of the course. So if yall saw me and said "HEY THERE WAS MUD EH?" all excited and stuff and got my less than enthusiastic response, well. No, it wasn't mud. But what it was is still on the bike. Didn't get it washed off yet. I still can't shake the funk. It sucks having a crappy race, esp when i should have had a much better one. To add insult on top of it all the leaders did an extra lap... and on that extra lap they caught me. I got lapped. that sucked absolutely the most... It even has me thinking of just bailing on next weekend completely. no racing... maybe not a bad idea but it ain't making me feel any better... The race just started off poorly. I screwed up the start. I haven't screwed up a start yet. And then i just couldn't dig into that sustained effort of pain after the first or second lap... couldn't find the switch... no excuses... no reason... and that's just fueling a downward spiral of me feeling like crap keying off the race. Sure, i could point to an array of things that physiologically might explain why i felt like i got schooled. Chatting with Jerry he said it was a great course for a little guy, not so much for a big guy. I dunno. I sort of agreed with him at that point, but in retrospect, nope. No excuse. I should have been able to attack in certain spots, to not get gapped and dropped in others. Maybe once i pull the images off the camera that my wife took i'll feel better. She was glad to come along and watch me race... my crappy race didn't detract from her experience from the spectator point of view.
I didn't even ride in today. I drove the bioD burning rig. Maybe i'm just too tired, wiped out, mentally and physically. Time for a recharge. But. Now it is time to start cooking the signature American Meal. Time to gear up for the ultimate Thanksgiving feast. Something that i've missed doing, and have been looking forward to. But right now, nadda, zip, zilch. So, excuse the funk. I might get the pictures up today. Maybe. But race report beyond what i've already mentioned won't be happening.
-G
post publish edit...
I'd come up with a single line for the above yesterday and just remembered it:
I didn't have my Mojo working.
yeah there was some "mud" mostly just a wet clay/cinder running track. That was the only mud and then it was just puddles of melting frost. No issue with traction. No issue with anything other than getting dirty. None of the good stuff that goes along with mud. No slogging sections of the course. So if yall saw me and said "HEY THERE WAS MUD EH?" all excited and stuff and got my less than enthusiastic response, well. No, it wasn't mud. But what it was is still on the bike. Didn't get it washed off yet. I still can't shake the funk. It sucks having a crappy race, esp when i should have had a much better one. To add insult on top of it all the leaders did an extra lap... and on that extra lap they caught me. I got lapped. that sucked absolutely the most... It even has me thinking of just bailing on next weekend completely. no racing... maybe not a bad idea but it ain't making me feel any better... The race just started off poorly. I screwed up the start. I haven't screwed up a start yet. And then i just couldn't dig into that sustained effort of pain after the first or second lap... couldn't find the switch... no excuses... no reason... and that's just fueling a downward spiral of me feeling like crap keying off the race. Sure, i could point to an array of things that physiologically might explain why i felt like i got schooled. Chatting with Jerry he said it was a great course for a little guy, not so much for a big guy. I dunno. I sort of agreed with him at that point, but in retrospect, nope. No excuse. I should have been able to attack in certain spots, to not get gapped and dropped in others. Maybe once i pull the images off the camera that my wife took i'll feel better. She was glad to come along and watch me race... my crappy race didn't detract from her experience from the spectator point of view.
I didn't even ride in today. I drove the bioD burning rig. Maybe i'm just too tired, wiped out, mentally and physically. Time for a recharge. But. Now it is time to start cooking the signature American Meal. Time to gear up for the ultimate Thanksgiving feast. Something that i've missed doing, and have been looking forward to. But right now, nadda, zip, zilch. So, excuse the funk. I might get the pictures up today. Maybe. But race report beyond what i've already mentioned won't be happening.
-G
post publish edit...
I'd come up with a single line for the above yesterday and just remembered it:
I didn't have my Mojo working.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Get yours NOW
Hot Artwork
Support a good cause. We've got ours from last year framed and hanging where everyone can see in the house.
So go buy a Poster.
Support a good cause. We've got ours from last year framed and hanging where everyone can see in the house.
So go buy a Poster.
bike lust
In this case it was a slow rolling boulder that brought on the current jones'n for a specific frame.
Started off innocently enough up in Putney. A guy was preppin his Yeti for the race. I think maybe a HorstB guy maybe? don't remember much other than the Yeti colors and the arc stays and the fact that it was a cross bike. First glance i figured, like a few others at this event, it was a mt bike. Nope. Cross bike.
So, not much happens of it. And then i'm reading mud and cowbells as i'm eating my chinese food truck szechuan beef with some Mapo Tofu doused in 2-3 tablespoons if hot chili sauce. Specifically "the tunnel of light" and when he mentioned yeti, the trigger was pulled. Ah. Yeti. lemme check on the web page. What is up with the cross bike.
Okay - before i get there: why the fascination with Yeti anyway? What is the big deal? Yeti owners were/are like Klein owners. Fiercely loyal and passionate about their rides. And for the most part Mt bikers. I didn't get it, until. Until one day we had a test bike in the shop. It was a large, not an extra large. didn't fit me great. But i could get the seat high enough that i could pedal in a motion somewhat close to my clown bikes. So i rode it. I took it out to Rose Lake. Holy freaking crap. Talk about an AMAZING ride. The only other bikes i've been on with that sort of holy shit this is how a bike is supposed to ride feeling have been my Kleins. Sure, a bike is a bike, but the bike should feel alive and connected with you. It should be a part of you, enhancing the riding, not making you fight for it.
The yeti had me flying through stuff faster than i'd done. It felt fast. I think i was faster. And no, it wasn't just the smallish frame. I've been on smallish frames before. Ridden other people's bikes for the hell of it. Nah. This was different.
Sort of like when you made out with the chick that was way hot in high school, but then never figured out how to ask her out on a date and get stuff going. But man, that kiss was great. And to think. If i'd whole sale dropped the Kleins for the Yeti at that point? Who knows what i'd be doing now. But, like the kiss, there were other things in the way.
But that impression on that ride. Like nothing else. Hey it wasn't like we didnt' get some sweat ass cool bikes come through the shop. We had plenty of them. Just for me, next to the Klein Adroit, there wasn't ANYTHING as sweet as the Yeti ARC.
So i click over and check out the cross bike. Oh... my...
Okay. So the frame is gorgeous. Ya know? I even like the color. Not just like but i LIKE it. Awesome. And best part?
The size. The top tube is effectively just under 60 cm. It is like they made one just for me. No. not the lightest frame... but...
um...
wow, i'm like in love or something...
Pretty high bottom bracket tho... only drops 61mm... so i dunno... i kinda like the low bottom bracket in concept and report. But then maybe the Croll is sitting around at that number. If the same... would make for a smooth transition.
But ya never know until you ride it. I rode a Ridley Supercross in the monster size. Honestly, and yes i know we are sponsored by them (here have a discount sponsorship, not here is a free frame sponsorship), but riding it around, it felt dead. Lifeless. And very strange when shouldering. Didn't feel right at all. Granted there are lots of guys loving their Ridleys. Heck a handful of the team is riding them. They love em. Me? Not so much. I dunno tho... Sure, the Yeti comes out of a Mt Bike heritage. In many ways so do i. A retail price of 1099 including an Easton EC-90x and a Chris King headset... heck that's less than the team sponsored cost for a Supercross... sadly...
Ah to dream.
Sure, the speedvagen is the holy grail right now. Sure, it is something so unattainable for me that it might as well not exist. But, hey. Without Dreams, you have no goals. With out goals, you make no progress.
The most progress is made by reaching for goals just out of your grasp. Although i don't see anything changing about my being able to reach a speedvagen unless i start playing powerball or something and then actually winning.
But i go back to the Yeti and look at the enlarged shot... it is sooooooo cool. Sooooo freaking dreamy...
*sigh*
Started off innocently enough up in Putney. A guy was preppin his Yeti for the race. I think maybe a HorstB guy maybe? don't remember much other than the Yeti colors and the arc stays and the fact that it was a cross bike. First glance i figured, like a few others at this event, it was a mt bike. Nope. Cross bike.
So, not much happens of it. And then i'm reading mud and cowbells as i'm eating my chinese food truck szechuan beef with some Mapo Tofu doused in 2-3 tablespoons if hot chili sauce. Specifically "the tunnel of light" and when he mentioned yeti, the trigger was pulled. Ah. Yeti. lemme check on the web page. What is up with the cross bike.
Okay - before i get there: why the fascination with Yeti anyway? What is the big deal? Yeti owners were/are like Klein owners. Fiercely loyal and passionate about their rides. And for the most part Mt bikers. I didn't get it, until. Until one day we had a test bike in the shop. It was a large, not an extra large. didn't fit me great. But i could get the seat high enough that i could pedal in a motion somewhat close to my clown bikes. So i rode it. I took it out to Rose Lake. Holy freaking crap. Talk about an AMAZING ride. The only other bikes i've been on with that sort of holy shit this is how a bike is supposed to ride feeling have been my Kleins. Sure, a bike is a bike, but the bike should feel alive and connected with you. It should be a part of you, enhancing the riding, not making you fight for it.
The yeti had me flying through stuff faster than i'd done. It felt fast. I think i was faster. And no, it wasn't just the smallish frame. I've been on smallish frames before. Ridden other people's bikes for the hell of it. Nah. This was different.
Sort of like when you made out with the chick that was way hot in high school, but then never figured out how to ask her out on a date and get stuff going. But man, that kiss was great. And to think. If i'd whole sale dropped the Kleins for the Yeti at that point? Who knows what i'd be doing now. But, like the kiss, there were other things in the way.
But that impression on that ride. Like nothing else. Hey it wasn't like we didnt' get some sweat ass cool bikes come through the shop. We had plenty of them. Just for me, next to the Klein Adroit, there wasn't ANYTHING as sweet as the Yeti ARC.
So i click over and check out the cross bike. Oh... my...
Okay. So the frame is gorgeous. Ya know? I even like the color. Not just like but i LIKE it. Awesome. And best part?
The size. The top tube is effectively just under 60 cm. It is like they made one just for me. No. not the lightest frame... but...
um...
wow, i'm like in love or something...
Pretty high bottom bracket tho... only drops 61mm... so i dunno... i kinda like the low bottom bracket in concept and report. But then maybe the Croll is sitting around at that number. If the same... would make for a smooth transition.
But ya never know until you ride it. I rode a Ridley Supercross in the monster size. Honestly, and yes i know we are sponsored by them (here have a discount sponsorship, not here is a free frame sponsorship), but riding it around, it felt dead. Lifeless. And very strange when shouldering. Didn't feel right at all. Granted there are lots of guys loving their Ridleys. Heck a handful of the team is riding them. They love em. Me? Not so much. I dunno tho... Sure, the Yeti comes out of a Mt Bike heritage. In many ways so do i. A retail price of 1099 including an Easton EC-90x and a Chris King headset... heck that's less than the team sponsored cost for a Supercross... sadly...
Ah to dream.
Sure, the speedvagen is the holy grail right now. Sure, it is something so unattainable for me that it might as well not exist. But, hey. Without Dreams, you have no goals. With out goals, you make no progress.
The most progress is made by reaching for goals just out of your grasp. Although i don't see anything changing about my being able to reach a speedvagen unless i start playing powerball or something and then actually winning.
But i go back to the Yeti and look at the enlarged shot... it is sooooooo cool. Sooooo freaking dreamy...
*sigh*
Perfect morning...
Nice and cold, but not frigid.
Managed to dodge all the rain drops yesterday (except the puddles and wet roads) and this morning. How fortunate i feel.
I also feel fortunate to call all yall friends. Got me wondering. I write stuff down here first for me. But there is always a subconcious act of knowing that i'm not the only one reading it and sometimes i do pointedly write something not for me. But, let me say - thanks friends.
I'm still pissed and all off kilter about missing the damn Pre-reg opening for the RI Cross race weekend. "What does it matter?" well. It doesn't. Not now at least. I won't race in the cluster Fahk 9am race. That's just flat out insanity. I've made my opinion known on mixing the 3/4 Masters fields with the beginner Cat 4 fields. So. See'n as it is suicidal for me to try and holeshot against the masters who train regularly and specifically, and holeshotting is really pretty stupid unless you can hold that position. Signed up for the 1/2/3 35+ race.
I actually liked the old steadman's course the best. Goddard park though should be cool. But then i hate the downhill start and the hard turns on the pavement... But the sandy runs and the rest of the course is pretty fun.
Couple cool things - you might have missed if ya ain't regular followers of Josh or Gwadz or the target of their linkage:
the G'Zilla linked Crosstube.net a collection of cyclocross videos from u toob it looks like.
Josh aka "125 pound tubular rolling roadie" posted a link up to Chris's "what makes a 'cross course"
Thinking about Goddard for both days is sooooo cool. Not only is it super close to the house - 11am start is luxurious... That and with all the big hitters coming from around the country as the traditional lead in to Nationals the following weekend. It'll be big, huge and wicked damn fun!
Speaking of traditional. Here's a seasonal twist.
Turkey. Mmm... got my fresh natural turkey ordered. Can't wait to cook it up next week!
G
Managed to dodge all the rain drops yesterday (except the puddles and wet roads) and this morning. How fortunate i feel.
I also feel fortunate to call all yall friends. Got me wondering. I write stuff down here first for me. But there is always a subconcious act of knowing that i'm not the only one reading it and sometimes i do pointedly write something not for me. But, let me say - thanks friends.
I'm still pissed and all off kilter about missing the damn Pre-reg opening for the RI Cross race weekend. "What does it matter?" well. It doesn't. Not now at least. I won't race in the cluster Fahk 9am race. That's just flat out insanity. I've made my opinion known on mixing the 3/4 Masters fields with the beginner Cat 4 fields. So. See'n as it is suicidal for me to try and holeshot against the masters who train regularly and specifically, and holeshotting is really pretty stupid unless you can hold that position. Signed up for the 1/2/3 35+ race.
I actually liked the old steadman's course the best. Goddard park though should be cool. But then i hate the downhill start and the hard turns on the pavement... But the sandy runs and the rest of the course is pretty fun.
Couple cool things - you might have missed if ya ain't regular followers of Josh or Gwadz or the target of their linkage:
the G'Zilla linked Crosstube.net a collection of cyclocross videos from u toob it looks like.
Josh aka "125 pound tubular rolling roadie" posted a link up to Chris's "what makes a 'cross course"
Thinking about Goddard for both days is sooooo cool. Not only is it super close to the house - 11am start is luxurious... That and with all the big hitters coming from around the country as the traditional lead in to Nationals the following weekend. It'll be big, huge and wicked damn fun!
Speaking of traditional. Here's a seasonal twist.
Turkey. Mmm... got my fresh natural turkey ordered. Can't wait to cook it up next week!
G
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wine and Cheese Tasting
Tonight.
Warren, RI
at the Market at Cutler Mills.
free admission just walk on in.
Right off Child street between 136 and 114.
6pm
It is a great market and if ya are in the area - stop on by. Don't drink? have some cheese. Don't like cheese? have some wine.
Warren, RI
at the Market at Cutler Mills.
free admission just walk on in.
Right off Child street between 136 and 114.
6pm
It is a great market and if ya are in the area - stop on by. Don't drink? have some cheese. Don't like cheese? have some wine.
Always Never
use absolutes... almost always and rarely ever...
I try not to use absolute modifiers, as a rule. Because, it seems almost all the time (see - that ain't absolute but it would have made for clearer(sic) prose to have used an absolute modifier), because, it seems almost every time i use an absolute i am served a bit heaping plate of crow.
Rather than pile up on the comments - yes - i saw Compton's comment about feeling the rim at least once. I will heartily concur. Very sound rule. A rule for tire pressure that i've heard repeated often.
This morning i managed to dodge the rain drops. And even contemplated a base layer and arm warmers. Decided against them and was glad. Even with just the jersey and bib shorts i was over heating on the way in. Also found that the rear wheel had shifted and the brake had been rubbing. I'd been thinking the tire was rubbing on the seatstay again, but didn't get around to checking the brakes until this morning. DOH. Much easier to hold speed this morning.
the 15th of Novermber, and i'm sweating riding in in the morning. Crazy. Ah well, i'm sure it will get cold enough soon enough. Probably looking at Feb being like last year - cold.
Ah well... I can get my extreme cycling kicks just commuting all year. And so i do.
peace
G
I try not to use absolute modifiers, as a rule. Because, it seems almost all the time (see - that ain't absolute but it would have made for clearer(sic) prose to have used an absolute modifier), because, it seems almost every time i use an absolute i am served a bit heaping plate of crow.
Rather than pile up on the comments - yes - i saw Compton's comment about feeling the rim at least once. I will heartily concur. Very sound rule. A rule for tire pressure that i've heard repeated often.
This morning i managed to dodge the rain drops. And even contemplated a base layer and arm warmers. Decided against them and was glad. Even with just the jersey and bib shorts i was over heating on the way in. Also found that the rear wheel had shifted and the brake had been rubbing. I'd been thinking the tire was rubbing on the seatstay again, but didn't get around to checking the brakes until this morning. DOH. Much easier to hold speed this morning.
the 15th of Novermber, and i'm sweating riding in in the morning. Crazy. Ah well, i'm sure it will get cold enough soon enough. Probably looking at Feb being like last year - cold.
Ah well... I can get my extreme cycling kicks just commuting all year. And so i do.
peace
G
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Six Pack
ORBA has all the fun...
mud AND six barriers....
lets see Sven bunny hop all those...
oh and seeing as spinter del casa mentioned Frank M today here's a cartoon from O'Grady:
Then of course the six pack got me thinking of this cartoon:
which lead me to these next couple...
mud AND six barriers....
lets see Sven bunny hop all those...
oh and seeing as spinter del casa mentioned Frank M today here's a cartoon from O'Grady:
Then of course the six pack got me thinking of this cartoon:
which lead me to these next couple...
Some peep holes asked for it...
Gluing Tubulars
I didn't write it but Brooke did.
The method i've used isn't terribly different, certainly not worth attempting to communicate my variations only to have someone mis-interpret them and screw up $175 of FMB Racing Ralph goodness...
Check it out. Seriously, it really isn't that hard, doesn't even have to be that messy, gluing them on. And there really is no excuse for a rolled tubular.
At least the consequences of a rolled tubular in cross aren't as scary as it is on the Track.
peace
G
Oh and i gotta say, it is hysterical seeing rims that have been languishing in bike shop rim bins for 20 years laced up to modern hubs... really actually pretty damn funny. All the crappy FIR and off brand (non-mavic or campy) rims that shops couldn't unload between 1985 and 2005. Stuff that was acquired in the 70s, now seems to be flying off the shelf. I wonder if Velocipede Peddler still has the 2-3 linear feet of tubular rims still sitting there under the wheel building bench???
Oh, just found this method:
with tape, i'll say this - the tape looks right retarded used in that function. Go with Brooke's recommendation- don't use tape. But, be careful. Follow up post to that story was that he rolled his tubular the next race it seems! Murphy's law is a bitch. Here's to hoping Brooke's method is so sound and tried and true that he doesn't roll one in the next race.
That all said, i'll add this: A properly glued tubular should NEVER roll off and should let you turn way too sharp even without rolling. But, i also ride clinchers, so what do *I* know.
I didn't write it but Brooke did.
The method i've used isn't terribly different, certainly not worth attempting to communicate my variations only to have someone mis-interpret them and screw up $175 of FMB Racing Ralph goodness...
Check it out. Seriously, it really isn't that hard, doesn't even have to be that messy, gluing them on. And there really is no excuse for a rolled tubular.
At least the consequences of a rolled tubular in cross aren't as scary as it is on the Track.
peace
G
Oh and i gotta say, it is hysterical seeing rims that have been languishing in bike shop rim bins for 20 years laced up to modern hubs... really actually pretty damn funny. All the crappy FIR and off brand (non-mavic or campy) rims that shops couldn't unload between 1985 and 2005. Stuff that was acquired in the 70s, now seems to be flying off the shelf. I wonder if Velocipede Peddler still has the 2-3 linear feet of tubular rims still sitting there under the wheel building bench???
Oh, just found this method:
with tape, i'll say this - the tape looks right retarded used in that function. Go with Brooke's recommendation- don't use tape. But, be careful. Follow up post to that story was that he rolled his tubular the next race it seems! Murphy's law is a bitch. Here's to hoping Brooke's method is so sound and tried and true that he doesn't roll one in the next race.
That all said, i'll add this: A properly glued tubular should NEVER roll off and should let you turn way too sharp even without rolling. But, i also ride clinchers, so what do *I* know.
Return of "Must Read"
That or i find this so entertaining i gotta make sure i document it here for posterity!
BSNYC might be the new kid on the blog when it comes to cycling satire, but the gods smile on patrick o'grady... Esp since he's actually poking fun at a real magazine this time!
Check it out here... or just read the "quote below" (shamelessly captured here)
Brilliant... I'm lmfao... Explain that DNF... Ahahahah... mirror on the cover... LOL
ahhh
Thanks O'Grady!
G
BSNYC might be the new kid on the blog when it comes to cycling satire, but the gods smile on patrick o'grady... Esp since he's actually poking fun at a real magazine this time!
Check it out here... or just read the "quote below" (shamelessly captured here)
. . . here comes Masters Cycling magazine, your guide to the world of sand-bagging, treachery and egomania. Every issue will have a mirror on the cover and contain a number of cutting-edge features vital to the gray panthers of the peloton, including:
The Mercedes-Benz GL550: Six Bikes That Look Fast On the Roof!
‘Watch Your Line, Pencil Dick!’ And Other Witty Phrases for Clearing Your Path of Junior Racers
Entry Fees: Outrageous Expense Or Critical Tax Deduction?
The Bike Mechanic: Cheaper to Rent or Own?
Explaining That DNF: Top 10 Reasons You Shoulda Won
This thing is gonna earn like a no-bid reconstruction contract in the Green Zone. It’s a zero-overhead plan if ever I saw one. All a guy needs is a strip-mall storefront containing an accountant to tally the cash from hot-car, designer-booze and wiener-drug ads, an IT guy to field all the incoming training logs from CTS pootbutts and a custodian to keep those cover mirrors polished.
Brilliant... I'm lmfao... Explain that DNF... Ahahahah... mirror on the cover... LOL
ahhh
Thanks O'Grady!
G
Pictures
not of me...
The morning commute. I stopped at one point to get the shot looking east:
Then turned and got the shot looking North-Northwest:
And seeing as i've picked up a couple extra sets this weekend i will reveal the top secret super awesome night time bike riding "BE SEEN" lighting set.
20 bright LEDs. plastic crystal sort of refractors on each LED makes for a twinkling visible and bright string of lights. 4 AA batteries provide the power. That or any 6volt (think night rider battery) source would work.
Sourced at Target. Yes they are made in China. They carry a "wash hands after handling the wires due to lead content" or something. Not good. But visible. Not "outdoor" approved, but i have the battery compartment isolated from the elements. We'll see how much rain these lights can take and still keep shining.
peace,
G
The morning commute. I stopped at one point to get the shot looking east:
Then turned and got the shot looking North-Northwest:
And seeing as i've picked up a couple extra sets this weekend i will reveal the top secret super awesome night time bike riding "BE SEEN" lighting set.
20 bright LEDs. plastic crystal sort of refractors on each LED makes for a twinkling visible and bright string of lights. 4 AA batteries provide the power. That or any 6volt (think night rider battery) source would work.
Sourced at Target. Yes they are made in China. They carry a "wash hands after handling the wires due to lead content" or something. Not good. But visible. Not "outdoor" approved, but i have the battery compartment isolated from the elements. We'll see how much rain these lights can take and still keep shining.
peace,
G
popular? I'll say
Google alert pulled up 34 (i think - rough count) news and blog hits for cyclocross today/last night. That is a record i think.
Good sign? I think so.
Got a good run in last night. But man i tell ya, dog owners are pains in the ass. All out there wearing black walking a black dog, no lights no leash... okay - some had a leash. Maybe it is because i ride home on the path at night with lights and like to know what the hell is up the road. I had a nice red LED light belt on and Lucy had a blinky triangle thing clipped to her harness. hard not to see us. Got a good 3 miles i think in - maybe 4. Felt wicked easy. Pace wasn't blistering but we were moving pretty good. Most annoying was someone walking two dogs (on leashes at least) wearing a headlamp. Kept looking right at me. And well headlamp + eyes adjusted for darkness = painful. Needless to say until Lucy got agitated i didn't realize that she had two dogs!
I'm ready to figure out how to run with the damn monster battery pack and my 15W spot Niterider. Sumbitch isn't as bright as some fancy new LED or HID lamps but. It is still eye searing bright. At least I'll get as much warning as Lucy's nose if people have dogs and stuff.
That said - it was awesome running there in the dark. Just enough light from the sky to provide some contrast on the path we were running. It was cool. And Lucy was running well, no pulling on the leash keeping a good pace just in front of me.
This morning riding in i could feel a twinge of soreness lingering in my hamstrings. Not a bad soreness, just noticable. Kinda nice. Even with the heavy stick session (heavy for me means 5-10 minutes a couple times that night). Not much more time than that to self apply between everything else.
Okay so i broke down and read the new DIRT RAG issue that came in the mail yesterday. Issue #132. Damn fine stuff. Just when i thought all i would need is a new cross bike... i am reminded. I need a 29er. Big freak like me needs a 29er. Okay, not need, i've had plenty of fun and still love my current MTBs to death. But. It just seems natural for someone my size to be on a bike that doesn't look like a geared BMX when i'm riding it.
Traffic this morning was intense. Picked the right day (yesterday) to drive in. Wow. Backed up EVERYWHERE. Every road getting into the City/towards the city from the east was packed with cars and drivers looking bewildered. Days like that it takes LONGER to drive in than to ride in.
Someone was looking for tunes... and so i checked my D-Z, and David Gray was what i hit first. So, i've got some DG blasting in the dungeon here. Might be sunny outside but i wouldn't know it. David Gray kicks ass.
Music kicks ass. But don't ever ever ever ever ever go riding around on public roads with your damn fahkin iPod shoved in your ears. Don't Do it. M'Kay? And if you decide to go running on a bike path with an iPod? Turn the fahking thing down so when i shout at the top of my lungs "On your left, WIDE LOAD" you actually hear me. Cause if you don't move you're gonna get wapped by a flag on the trailer for your stupidity. Be conscious of your surroundings. If you want to check out into la la land, do it on a trainer or a treadmill, some where that your self centered music focused training won't impact adversely the lives of others. "but i can ride harder and longer listening to music"... I'll counter with: You aren't allowed to race with music. Get over that crutch. Find some mental toughness that you can lean on. Music is definitely good stuff for motivating and all that. But... when it comes to racing... an internal motivation will be the more effective one... yes you can internalize the music... do it on a trainer when you can close your eyes and pretend you are in the TdF or racing at Koppenburg...
sigh...
Kinda of an issue. That and the other problem i got are all these damn novice fixie riders blowing stop signs at full tilt. Sure, fine, cars don't obey the speed limit. But, that's not as visible as some punk ass super tight jeans wearing kid blowing stop signs, making other bike traffic and cars yeild to their stupidity and selfishness.
Yes. Being a complete selfish dick makes it hard for those who at least pause at stop signs to make sure you aren't pissing anyone off or cutting someone off. Having a bit of respect for everyone out there. Esp of the cyclists. Ya know? Screw the cars and their mean spirited ways. But don't fahking blow a stop sign and nearly t-bone some old fart dragging a trailer because you are a punk ass dickweed on some trendy fixie... Fixed gear bikes have a place...
Positive fixed gear rider - my team mate. He's a messenger in the city here. I've watched him cruise through. Sure he's not always waiting for the green light but he's going smoothly, respectfully, and artfully through the traffic. He's riding with Zen. Not riding with a big one finger salute to the rest of the world.
Show some respect to those around you. Even if you feel that they haven't "EARNED IT" (don't get me started - "earning respect is right up there with the 'i'm entitled to _____ assbags'). Be the one to start the circle of respect. Don't wait for someone else.
believe it or not, it is noticeable, and it does make a difference...
okay - damn it - how did i wind up on this damn soap box?
be good, show some random respect... peace,
G
Good sign? I think so.
Got a good run in last night. But man i tell ya, dog owners are pains in the ass. All out there wearing black walking a black dog, no lights no leash... okay - some had a leash. Maybe it is because i ride home on the path at night with lights and like to know what the hell is up the road. I had a nice red LED light belt on and Lucy had a blinky triangle thing clipped to her harness. hard not to see us. Got a good 3 miles i think in - maybe 4. Felt wicked easy. Pace wasn't blistering but we were moving pretty good. Most annoying was someone walking two dogs (on leashes at least) wearing a headlamp. Kept looking right at me. And well headlamp + eyes adjusted for darkness = painful. Needless to say until Lucy got agitated i didn't realize that she had two dogs!
I'm ready to figure out how to run with the damn monster battery pack and my 15W spot Niterider. Sumbitch isn't as bright as some fancy new LED or HID lamps but. It is still eye searing bright. At least I'll get as much warning as Lucy's nose if people have dogs and stuff.
That said - it was awesome running there in the dark. Just enough light from the sky to provide some contrast on the path we were running. It was cool. And Lucy was running well, no pulling on the leash keeping a good pace just in front of me.
This morning riding in i could feel a twinge of soreness lingering in my hamstrings. Not a bad soreness, just noticable. Kinda nice. Even with the heavy stick session (heavy for me means 5-10 minutes a couple times that night). Not much more time than that to self apply between everything else.
Okay so i broke down and read the new DIRT RAG issue that came in the mail yesterday. Issue #132. Damn fine stuff. Just when i thought all i would need is a new cross bike... i am reminded. I need a 29er. Big freak like me needs a 29er. Okay, not need, i've had plenty of fun and still love my current MTBs to death. But. It just seems natural for someone my size to be on a bike that doesn't look like a geared BMX when i'm riding it.
Traffic this morning was intense. Picked the right day (yesterday) to drive in. Wow. Backed up EVERYWHERE. Every road getting into the City/towards the city from the east was packed with cars and drivers looking bewildered. Days like that it takes LONGER to drive in than to ride in.
Someone was looking for tunes... and so i checked my D-Z, and David Gray was what i hit first. So, i've got some DG blasting in the dungeon here. Might be sunny outside but i wouldn't know it. David Gray kicks ass.
Music kicks ass. But don't ever ever ever ever ever go riding around on public roads with your damn fahkin iPod shoved in your ears. Don't Do it. M'Kay? And if you decide to go running on a bike path with an iPod? Turn the fahking thing down so when i shout at the top of my lungs "On your left, WIDE LOAD" you actually hear me. Cause if you don't move you're gonna get wapped by a flag on the trailer for your stupidity. Be conscious of your surroundings. If you want to check out into la la land, do it on a trainer or a treadmill, some where that your self centered music focused training won't impact adversely the lives of others. "but i can ride harder and longer listening to music"... I'll counter with: You aren't allowed to race with music. Get over that crutch. Find some mental toughness that you can lean on. Music is definitely good stuff for motivating and all that. But... when it comes to racing... an internal motivation will be the more effective one... yes you can internalize the music... do it on a trainer when you can close your eyes and pretend you are in the TdF or racing at Koppenburg...
sigh...
Kinda of an issue. That and the other problem i got are all these damn novice fixie riders blowing stop signs at full tilt. Sure, fine, cars don't obey the speed limit. But, that's not as visible as some punk ass super tight jeans wearing kid blowing stop signs, making other bike traffic and cars yeild to their stupidity and selfishness.
Yes. Being a complete selfish dick makes it hard for those who at least pause at stop signs to make sure you aren't pissing anyone off or cutting someone off. Having a bit of respect for everyone out there. Esp of the cyclists. Ya know? Screw the cars and their mean spirited ways. But don't fahking blow a stop sign and nearly t-bone some old fart dragging a trailer because you are a punk ass dickweed on some trendy fixie... Fixed gear bikes have a place...
Positive fixed gear rider - my team mate. He's a messenger in the city here. I've watched him cruise through. Sure he's not always waiting for the green light but he's going smoothly, respectfully, and artfully through the traffic. He's riding with Zen. Not riding with a big one finger salute to the rest of the world.
Show some respect to those around you. Even if you feel that they haven't "EARNED IT" (don't get me started - "earning respect is right up there with the 'i'm entitled to _____ assbags'). Be the one to start the circle of respect. Don't wait for someone else.
believe it or not, it is noticeable, and it does make a difference...
okay - damn it - how did i wind up on this damn soap box?
be good, show some random respect... peace,
G
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