Monday, November 10, 2008
Ode to a Black Man
The economy is in about as rough shape as the sound quality on this, but how can you resist. Especially with... Huey Lewis on harmonica????? What? Obamas/Bidden. Lynott/Lewis. Why not.
My wife gets the credit for tracking this one down!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Cross Weekend One
"Tensions ran high, but we ran higher". So goes one of my favorite quotes from the My Rules photozine. Nothing is quite as fondly remembered as the butterflies in your stomach as you line up for some event your not so sure you can do.
That was the thing running through my head as I lined up for my 1st cross race. Buy a bike on Wed, race it on Saturday? Sometimes you just have to jump first and look second. I had practice mounts and dismounts on this bike for about an hour.
Got to the race(Plymouth North) early to be able to preride as much as I could. First off which way does the course go? Luckily, people at a cross race seem friendlier than at a road race so that question gets answered quick. Off I go one set of a barriers and one run up. One pretty technical( for me!) single tracky section. Pre ride ended fast.
My mind was racing-how many layers to wear? what tire pressure?. Would I even notice a difference on tire pressure? What would be worse a flat or a rougher ride?
Line up for the start. A prime for the hole shot and a prime for the first lap. Based on that, I knew it would be a fast start. I lined up in the second row and didn't challenge the start. First time through the barriers was ugly. Luckily no one was watching. The run up was much better and after one lap, I was pretty sure it would be okay. Just another 30 minutes in the pain cave. Off the back, but okay with that. Shifting the SRAM wasn't a major problem, but my thumbs were ghost shifting where the Campy thumb levers should have been!.
Andrew from October was there and gave me some encouragement which was appreciated as racing off the back can feel like a lab experiment as you ride drooling past people talking and laughing behind a piece of tape. The urge to fake flats and get some neutral support Zipps was running high.
Bell Lap and it's over. Last place? Hard to know since I didn't get placed in the results.
It is obvious why cross is so popular. Fast and fun and over pretty quick.
Packed it up pretty fast after the race
Day Two. Plymouth South. Get to the race nice and early. My legs felt OK, not great, but not lead either. Start to preride and right off the bat, this is a harder course. Off camber corners after the start. Steep Sections. And a ton of riding around a soaking we soccer and baseball field. Steep hillsx2. Lots of wind and it was a loongg lap. Two warm up laps in, I am feeling like I might be in over my head. This is killing me and I am not even going full gas. But since it is technical and challenging, I decide to skip the race and preride until the racing starts. Maybe I can figure out how to ride some of it with some practice. Good move. I got in about 90 minutes of training and bailed when the racing started. Watched the races to see what lines people took. I felt lame for not racing, but I think it was the right move. My 1st season goal is in December, so I need to bring what little "form" I have to a boil slowly and not burn it out when it doesn't really matter (excuses, excuses, I know....._)
There is something to be said for trying new things. Your mind gets fully utilized as there are hundreds of decisions to make and you can't go on auto pilot. I read somewhere that one of the keys to keeping your mind sharp as you get older is to pick up new hobbies and activities (they suggested learning new languages), and as long as I don't crash on my head, I think cross will keep my mind engaged for the foreseeable future. Just dialing in tire pressure seems like and endless quest. Never mind maintaining the mental upgrade list for another bike......
That was the thing running through my head as I lined up for my 1st cross race. Buy a bike on Wed, race it on Saturday? Sometimes you just have to jump first and look second. I had practice mounts and dismounts on this bike for about an hour.
Got to the race(Plymouth North) early to be able to preride as much as I could. First off which way does the course go? Luckily, people at a cross race seem friendlier than at a road race so that question gets answered quick. Off I go one set of a barriers and one run up. One pretty technical( for me!) single tracky section. Pre ride ended fast.
My mind was racing-how many layers to wear? what tire pressure?. Would I even notice a difference on tire pressure? What would be worse a flat or a rougher ride?
Line up for the start. A prime for the hole shot and a prime for the first lap. Based on that, I knew it would be a fast start. I lined up in the second row and didn't challenge the start. First time through the barriers was ugly. Luckily no one was watching. The run up was much better and after one lap, I was pretty sure it would be okay. Just another 30 minutes in the pain cave. Off the back, but okay with that. Shifting the SRAM wasn't a major problem, but my thumbs were ghost shifting where the Campy thumb levers should have been!.
Andrew from October was there and gave me some encouragement which was appreciated as racing off the back can feel like a lab experiment as you ride drooling past people talking and laughing behind a piece of tape. The urge to fake flats and get some neutral support Zipps was running high.
Bell Lap and it's over. Last place? Hard to know since I didn't get placed in the results.
It is obvious why cross is so popular. Fast and fun and over pretty quick.
Packed it up pretty fast after the race
Day Two. Plymouth South. Get to the race nice and early. My legs felt OK, not great, but not lead either. Start to preride and right off the bat, this is a harder course. Off camber corners after the start. Steep Sections. And a ton of riding around a soaking we soccer and baseball field. Steep hillsx2. Lots of wind and it was a loongg lap. Two warm up laps in, I am feeling like I might be in over my head. This is killing me and I am not even going full gas. But since it is technical and challenging, I decide to skip the race and preride until the racing starts. Maybe I can figure out how to ride some of it with some practice. Good move. I got in about 90 minutes of training and bailed when the racing started. Watched the races to see what lines people took. I felt lame for not racing, but I think it was the right move. My 1st season goal is in December, so I need to bring what little "form" I have to a boil slowly and not burn it out when it doesn't really matter (excuses, excuses, I know....._)
There is something to be said for trying new things. Your mind gets fully utilized as there are hundreds of decisions to make and you can't go on auto pilot. I read somewhere that one of the keys to keeping your mind sharp as you get older is to pick up new hobbies and activities (they suggested learning new languages), and as long as I don't crash on my head, I think cross will keep my mind engaged for the foreseeable future. Just dialing in tire pressure seems like and endless quest. Never mind maintaining the mental upgrade list for another bike......
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Koppenberg Cross Race
Koppenberg is a killer climb in the Tour of Flanders.Now imagine having to turn right onto a mud path at the top of it??? And then climb it lap after lap???? This footage is crazy.
Mass young gun Luke Keough finished 7th in the juniors race. He is having a good run in Belgium. You can help support him by buying raffle tickets here.
That is it from Arlington's biggest cross poser
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Off Season
Just got back from a 2 hour hike with my dog. Off season is in full effect. Running, doing 5Ks, attempting to strengthen my core/gut, and trying not to gain too much weight.
It is also the time to review the season and try and prepare for next year.
hard to believe I only did 10 races. Started early and ended early. My summer got owned by lyme disease and my kids getting ready for college. That said, I did have a good spring, so overall stoked. Best result? Ouch, probably Sturbridge RR. 39th. Mt.Agamenticus was super fun despite the pain cave-maybe because of?
As far as worst where do you start? Wells Ave crash that ruined me and Billy's bank accounts. Norwell margarita purge. Blue Hills handlebar fiasco. There were a lot of not so sweet moments.
Biggest regret? Missing Deerfield, not upgrading to a 4, and not racing cross this year.
Next Year?
Battinkill, Marblehead, Sturbridge (or Palmer-whichever one goes uphill more), Blue Hills, Myles Standish, and Deerfield. I want to hit a late summer race either Hilltowns or GM stage race. Something to keep me turning the wheels through August.
Then try out cross!
What will be harder, finding form or finding cash for a cross bike and gas to the races?
Based on the roughest calculations it is 150 days until my next race. Rollers are out. Get busy!
It is also the time to review the season and try and prepare for next year.
hard to believe I only did 10 races. Started early and ended early. My summer got owned by lyme disease and my kids getting ready for college. That said, I did have a good spring, so overall stoked. Best result? Ouch, probably Sturbridge RR. 39th. Mt.Agamenticus was super fun despite the pain cave-maybe because of?
As far as worst where do you start? Wells Ave crash that ruined me and Billy's bank accounts. Norwell margarita purge. Blue Hills handlebar fiasco. There were a lot of not so sweet moments.
Biggest regret? Missing Deerfield, not upgrading to a 4, and not racing cross this year.
Next Year?
Battinkill, Marblehead, Sturbridge (or Palmer-whichever one goes uphill more), Blue Hills, Myles Standish, and Deerfield. I want to hit a late summer race either Hilltowns or GM stage race. Something to keep me turning the wheels through August.
Then try out cross!
What will be harder, finding form or finding cash for a cross bike and gas to the races?
Based on the roughest calculations it is 150 days until my next race. Rollers are out. Get busy!
Dog in a Hat
Bare knuckle, hard times bike racing in Belgium. The sales pitch for Dog in a Hat is a no brainer and most bike riders are grabbing it like zombies grab fresh brains. The good news is it is a good book.
All the seedy side of cycling is here th drugs, buying races, etc. There are tons of memoroable moments.
It even has funny stories about racing cross. What else do you need?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Italy's next big thing
It wasn't too long ago that people were anointing Visconti to be Bettini's successor. Well, say what you will about Paolo, but I never saw him shopping for make up looking like this..... WTF???? Looks like growing up Gotti hits the motherland. And not Ivan Gotti either!. Give me Ballan any day.
As seen in the photo above, it doesn't get more Italian than pulling a pink jersey over the national champs jersey, but he has a long way to go before I can get over the whole manscaping thing.
But what's worse? Plucked eyebrows or Cera-enhanced bravado? Visonti beats Ricco. (until proven otherwise.........)
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