New Stuff

As much as I hate to admit it, CCR may be on to something. Personally, with my upbringing it is going to be CX-mas.

I haven't been appreciating the new shit as much as I should have. Maybe that last smidge of a lap on the Giant helped. But also there's that period of time when you aren't sure (maybe) if newer was a good idea. Is it really better? Or is it just different.

This weekend we got the new team kits. Photos abound and I'm too tired to dig them up and the only self portrait i took after the race with the new facial hair makes me look like i have a giant double chin (I don't unless I look down into a camera).

I don't like new stuff. Maybe some of you, my friends, have noticed that over time. It is/can be a problem. Often though the new stuff winds up being pretty good despite my initial over-reaction. The kits, well I just had no idea what to expect (you can never tell from the art mock up what it will really look like on you), the kits are pretty damn nice. I like them. Yes, racing in them two days and seeing all the shots in FB and other places, well ya know, they are wicked cool. Also I've been wearing them for a couple days now. Have to break the new stuff in. There's a list of things with the Hincapie clothing that isn't anywhere near as nice as the Vermarc or Verge stuff, but hey, it still works.

Wicked cool details on the Long Sleeve really make it awesome. Like the reflective stripe on the sleeves. Nice touch. Long sleeve is generally going to be worn training and if you train/ride outside for cross, there is a damn good chance it will be dark at some point, and cold. Another nice feature is the gripper sticky strip around the lower hem. Nice touch.

The colors are unique. The yellow reminds me of lemon gelato... subtle yet strong and all good. The pin striping is sort of a bit hipster but it has a nice artistic flair and is super subtle.

So yeah. Having the new kits have helped sort of kick off the season maybe in the way Bedford did and not the way VT and G-ster have.

Sure, I'm a guy and it is all about pictures. Words are good as long as they are descriptive. And it wasn't just the pictures of the kit. It was pictures of the bike.

I look at them and think "Damn that bike DOES look good." It does. At least I like it. I'm getting that 'holy shit that's MY bike?' feeling. Finally. It is exciting. I'm over just how much the frame cost (the parts not so much but i've got a theory on why my luck seems to have drastically switched or spread to G-ride).

Riding it these last two days - out of competition has been pretty informative in a way. That quick jump on the Giant and almost eating shit three times because I was used to how quickly the Blue stopped and how much grip were in the tires and how well it turned sort of sealed the deal. Riding these last two days to work on the new bike have made it seem real. Yes I do mean to mostly commute on the Giant, but wow, can I say just how sweet this thing handles? No effort to move it around, it stays well centered under me, very controllable even when flicking around all the massive debris littering the paths and roads on the commute.

I was going wicked easy yesterday and this morning, but on the way home running a bit late I hit it hard and the bike really responded. That front der still isn't tweaked just right, it is being a pain in the ass. But it is close and it isn't adversely affecting anything and I've got lots of other shit to worry about.

But the new team, and the new bike, these are all sinking in, and it is a good thing.

The rest week has also been important. I've slowly been upping the green tea intake, esp with the last few weeks of waking up before 5:30 to get in an extra work out on top of the commuting, couple that with late nights and stress, and this weekend and all the emotional stuff, wow, I'm run down to rock bottom. I needed to start the season well rested, not at wits end. I needed the whole candle intact to have a good start, but no, I managed to burn it all out before gloucester.

Night Weasels is tomorrow. That Cat 3 race sure looks like fun. But it is a school night and well over an hour away (w/o rush hour traffic to factor in) and as much as I would love to be there, it just won't be happening. Providence? Yeah that's happening. Going to be a biblical (epic has been retired) blogger face off in the 35+ race. CCR, G-ride, Solobreak, Murat, Bold... who else, I'd put Myette in there but he almost updates less frequently than mr advertisement murat. Well Bold obviously wins but the rest of us middling pack-fodder will be locked to the death on the course this weekend. Okay Myette should beat the rest of the bozos pretty handily too. It is going to be fun. Wet for a day or so more but then, boom yeah, sun will come out and it might be almost like G-ster, just slightly damp. Nah, it will likely be worse - that soil has a lot more organic matter in it (and broken glass). Either way it will be fun. I'm trying to keep Thursday clear to offer a hand in setting it all up but work's kinda of doing a great job of putting me in a scheduling conundrum.

So, maybe a couple more decent nights sleep, no waking up for 5:30 am workouts should make a difference... hopefully. Local race without much travel also should help this weekend.

we'll see, maybe things have turned around...

heddwch
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