Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
Snow
A classic Nor'easter formed and delivered a lot of the fluffy white stuff. Friday the stores were packed with people trying to beat the storm. Parking lots were full at the grocery stores, the department stores and home improvement centers. One would have thought Armageddon was upon us. Me, I was exchanging emails with the guys trying to see who going to ride in the morning.
9 pm and the snow starts to fall. Nothing heavy, but, earlier than predicted. By 11 pm the ground has a nice blanket of whiteness and I start to wonder if it'll be too deep to ride at 9am. 6:30am and the early morning haze reveals 5+ inches of snow and steadily rising. A quick call to DKEG and he's out. Thumb hurts too much from a crash on Friday. Frank bails to ride locally and do some sledding with Grace. The Outlaw is on the fence then opts out to do a townie ride. I call the Dutch. He's still interested and DCTony is on his way with two other guys. Crap.....now I have to ride.
I load the car with all the usual stuff for a ride. Chainsaw, avalanche shovel, come-along and a tow rope. I'm pretty sure I packed a bike as well, but, I needed to have the essentials covered. The drive up 270 was amusing as I saw no less than 6 accidents involving a lot of cars that had no business being on the road. Downtown Frederick was covered in 6+ inches of snow and I can only assume the extra inch fell on the drive up. The Mark boys got an early start and were already outside playing when I arrived. Their father could learn a few things about punctuality from them. Even after the DC/VA contingent arrived, Dutchie kept us waiting while he brewed an espresso, re-faced his bottom bracket and cobbled a pair of Italian hiking boots. The snow was getting deeper by the minute.
We opted for the back door and Mountaindale road. The thought was to minimize steep, paved roads in favor for some traction on the gravel. A few cars had been down the road and we didn't have any serious problems getting to the trail-head. Iceberg, that's were we parked and what we attempted. I won't even call it a "ride" anymore. It was hiking with brief sections where we sat on our bikes and tried to turn the cranks. The "Tip" was our goal and that was all we would see of Iceberg on the "ride". We did clear off a section of trail leading up to the Tip and sessioned that tiny section of trail until our media cards were full of bloopers and out-takes. Our party of 5 trudged back to the cars were we cracked open some brews and watched our cars fill with the driven snow. The toughest part of the entire day was dealing with fogged up windows as we made our way off the mountain. That one will go down in the books for sure.
9 pm and the snow starts to fall. Nothing heavy, but, earlier than predicted. By 11 pm the ground has a nice blanket of whiteness and I start to wonder if it'll be too deep to ride at 9am. 6:30am and the early morning haze reveals 5+ inches of snow and steadily rising. A quick call to DKEG and he's out. Thumb hurts too much from a crash on Friday. Frank bails to ride locally and do some sledding with Grace. The Outlaw is on the fence then opts out to do a townie ride. I call the Dutch. He's still interested and DCTony is on his way with two other guys. Crap.....now I have to ride.
I load the car with all the usual stuff for a ride. Chainsaw, avalanche shovel, come-along and a tow rope. I'm pretty sure I packed a bike as well, but, I needed to have the essentials covered. The drive up 270 was amusing as I saw no less than 6 accidents involving a lot of cars that had no business being on the road. Downtown Frederick was covered in 6+ inches of snow and I can only assume the extra inch fell on the drive up. The Mark boys got an early start and were already outside playing when I arrived. Their father could learn a few things about punctuality from them. Even after the DC/VA contingent arrived, Dutchie kept us waiting while he brewed an espresso, re-faced his bottom bracket and cobbled a pair of Italian hiking boots. The snow was getting deeper by the minute.
We opted for the back door and Mountaindale road. The thought was to minimize steep, paved roads in favor for some traction on the gravel. A few cars had been down the road and we didn't have any serious problems getting to the trail-head. Iceberg, that's were we parked and what we attempted. I won't even call it a "ride" anymore. It was hiking with brief sections where we sat on our bikes and tried to turn the cranks. The "Tip" was our goal and that was all we would see of Iceberg on the "ride". We did clear off a section of trail leading up to the Tip and sessioned that tiny section of trail until our media cards were full of bloopers and out-takes. Our party of 5 trudged back to the cars were we cracked open some brews and watched our cars fill with the driven snow. The toughest part of the entire day was dealing with fogged up windows as we made our way off the mountain. That one will go down in the books for sure.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Capitol Classic
The MAC series championship held at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, VA.had all the elements for a great cross race. Frozen temperatures, snow, ice and mud were served in copious amounts this past Sunday and I couldn't have asked for better conditions. Cross, in my mind, is about racing in adverse conditions. While not a huge fan of the mud, I can appreciate the skills required to race in such conditions. Throw in some off-camber turns in the snow and ice and the game changes a little. It's less about the big engines and more about technical skills and handling. Sure, you need something under the hood to power your way through the muck, but, a metric ton of wattage won't do shit if you can't stay on the course.
The day started an hour earlier than expected when David called and said he was going to race Cat4 at 9. The previous days snow made traveling questionable and we got rolling early, just in case. An uneventful trip got us to the venue early with lots of time to freeze are asses off and survey the landscape. People were sliding all over the place and we saw several hit the deck hard. We were still in the parking lot. This was going to be an interesting day.
David registered that morning, so, he started pretty much at the back of the pack. I kept waiting for him to ride by when his race started and the poor guy had a lot of traffic to fight through. He kept pushing the entire time and I could see his progress with each lap. In the end he finished 37th on the day in his first cross race. Not to shabby considering were he had to start from. By the time he finished I had gone into pre-race mode and was getting ready for the Masters B race at 10.
Several hundred sets of tires were cutting through the snow and previously firm sections were quickly getting rutted and muddy. Carlo and I took a casual lap over some of the course and it was quite different from the lap I rode earlier. We rolled back to the start and line up on a solid piece of ice that once passed for a road. Fortunately this was just staging and the organizers moved us to firmer ground for the start. As usual, I hit it as hard as possible from the start and tried to gain positions before the grass, er snow, actually. Oddly, I found myself moving through the pack quickly and I was in pretty good position for the first time. Now, I just had to ride smart and maintain for 4 laps. The first lap was by far the most enjoyable. The course was still somewhat firm in places and my legs felt pretty good. There was one particular section that I really enjoyed. This was an off-camber, snow covered descent through an s-turn and around a couple trees. There were a couple roots leading into this section and it was all about cornering and bike skills. It opened up briefly before a sweeping right muddy turn. Pure pleasure if you chose the right line, not so much if you didn't. I nailed the turn on the first two laps and carried the speed into the next section. Lap 3 was ugly and I took out a section of tape. I survived lap 4, but, it wasn't pretty. I am, however, getting ahead of myself.
That put us down at the stream level and some sections of open running. The turns were a little greasy, but, the ground was flat and you could really get the cranks spinning through here. The there was a short steep run-up followed by several twisty off-camber turns....that were muddy. The run would pack my cleats and more than once I had trouble clipping in. Not really a problem as I'd have to throw an outrigger for the next turn that came up fast. Through these trees it leveled out again, but now we had to contend with an icy sweeping turn on the road. Lots of guys were going into this one with one leg out for balance. Past this we were back at the start with three laps to go.
One particular section that bothered me was the long, twisty section in front of the pit area. By the third lap this section was deeply rutted, peanut butter mud that sapped my energy. Running a 42x19 made it hard to get on top of the gear and several times I'd have to run most of this 100 yard section. Mental note: my running sucks....work on it. Riding this section would have been better, if I could. However, if I blew a corner all momentum was gone and it was time to run. Did I mention running sucks and I'm not very good at it?
Through the peanut butter one last time, over the bridge and to the run-up. I'm with a couple guys that all seem to have fresher legs than me. They sprint up the hill like a couple gazelles being chased by a hungry lion. My only hope is to ride smart and minimize mistakes. They caught me on the run-up, but, I got one on the descent and the other on the muddy turn. The fast open section is coming up and should be interesting. The gaps don't change much and we go into the last run-up with me in front. They both take the hill faster and I lose my position. On the chase, I get a little power to the legs, but, it's not enough to close the gap. I end up in 12th place in the Masters 2/3/4 category. My best finish to date in this new found obsession called Cyclocross.
Additional photos by DKEG
The day started an hour earlier than expected when David called and said he was going to race Cat4 at 9. The previous days snow made traveling questionable and we got rolling early, just in case. An uneventful trip got us to the venue early with lots of time to freeze are asses off and survey the landscape. People were sliding all over the place and we saw several hit the deck hard. We were still in the parking lot. This was going to be an interesting day.
David registered that morning, so, he started pretty much at the back of the pack. I kept waiting for him to ride by when his race started and the poor guy had a lot of traffic to fight through. He kept pushing the entire time and I could see his progress with each lap. In the end he finished 37th on the day in his first cross race. Not to shabby considering were he had to start from. By the time he finished I had gone into pre-race mode and was getting ready for the Masters B race at 10.
Several hundred sets of tires were cutting through the snow and previously firm sections were quickly getting rutted and muddy. Carlo and I took a casual lap over some of the course and it was quite different from the lap I rode earlier. We rolled back to the start and line up on a solid piece of ice that once passed for a road. Fortunately this was just staging and the organizers moved us to firmer ground for the start. As usual, I hit it as hard as possible from the start and tried to gain positions before the grass, er snow, actually. Oddly, I found myself moving through the pack quickly and I was in pretty good position for the first time. Now, I just had to ride smart and maintain for 4 laps. The first lap was by far the most enjoyable. The course was still somewhat firm in places and my legs felt pretty good. There was one particular section that I really enjoyed. This was an off-camber, snow covered descent through an s-turn and around a couple trees. There were a couple roots leading into this section and it was all about cornering and bike skills. It opened up briefly before a sweeping right muddy turn. Pure pleasure if you chose the right line, not so much if you didn't. I nailed the turn on the first two laps and carried the speed into the next section. Lap 3 was ugly and I took out a section of tape. I survived lap 4, but, it wasn't pretty. I am, however, getting ahead of myself.
That put us down at the stream level and some sections of open running. The turns were a little greasy, but, the ground was flat and you could really get the cranks spinning through here. The there was a short steep run-up followed by several twisty off-camber turns....that were muddy. The run would pack my cleats and more than once I had trouble clipping in. Not really a problem as I'd have to throw an outrigger for the next turn that came up fast. Through these trees it leveled out again, but now we had to contend with an icy sweeping turn on the road. Lots of guys were going into this one with one leg out for balance. Past this we were back at the start with three laps to go.
Through the peanut butter one last time, over the bridge and to the run-up. I'm with a couple guys that all seem to have fresher legs than me. They sprint up the hill like a couple gazelles being chased by a hungry lion. My only hope is to ride smart and minimize mistakes. They caught me on the run-up, but, I got one on the descent and the other on the muddy turn. The fast open section is coming up and should be interesting. The gaps don't change much and we go into the last run-up with me in front. They both take the hill faster and I lose my position. On the chase, I get a little power to the legs, but, it's not enough to close the gap. I end up in 12th place in the Masters 2/3/4 category. My best finish to date in this new found obsession called Cyclocross.
Additional photos by DKEG
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Lawyers
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law..
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law..
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Rockburn Cross
While my second cross race wasn't as good (from a results perspective) as the first one, it was still a great day and a ton of fun.
Pre-occupied the day before with my new Spot frame, I didn't anguish over pre-race preparation. After a morning filled with paperwork, I spent the rest of the day building up the new frame and playing with the belt drive. The cross bike really didn't need any attention. Hell, it's a single speed, short of some oil on the chain, she was ready to go for the race Sunday morning. Now, if I were a more serious cross racer, I would have had my spare wheelset set up with different tires, just in case. Well, not being "that" serious (and not owning a spare set of wheels), I thought the SB8's would be fine and I'd rail through the turns, just like I did at Roseryville. Rockburn, however, is a slightly different animal.
A very tight, punchy course with soft off-chamber turns and a couple muddy sections to deal with. The Small Blocks were not a good choice for this course and they hurt my ability to push through the turns and attack the hills. I found myself taking turns wide or losing control all together. One particular section was a sharp, muddy right turn followed by a short climb. This section killed me every lap. I'd come around the turn wide and would spin the rear wheel as I tried to grunt my way up the short hill. By the last lap I realized it was faster to simply run up the section than waste precious energy trying to ride it.
I am, however, getting ahead of myself. The morning started out great and the weather forecast looked incredible. Sunny with a high temp around 60. Barb and the kids didn't get motivated early enough and decided to meet me at the venue before my race at 10. Jonathan was going to race the Lil Belgium's race at 1 and was really looking forward to his first bike race. To think it was only a couple months ago when he required help riding his two wheeler. Now, he's entering his first race. Makes a daddy proud. So, I roll out solo, get lost when I got near the park and finally made it to the park by following a car loaded with cross bikes. In the small lot I see Seibold, Gwads and Carlo. Jonathan bums a tube off me and Carlo continues to have seatpost issues. I kit up and head down to the registration tent, wherever that may be. A serious lack of signage didn't help the rookie racers like myself. After crossing a maze of taped off lanes, Carlo and I finally make it to registration. Number in hand and waivers signed we head back up to grab the bikes for a little spin. I dumped a little tire pressure when I saw some of the muddy tires coming off the course. I also get a chance to walk around and see a few of the sections I'll be racing on in a little while. This course was very different from the Tacchino course. Less open running, tighter corners, off-chamber sweeping turns and a little mud thrown in for good measure. Boy, I wish I had those Conti Twisters hanging in my garage right about now. As a wise man once said, "run what ya brung", so, that was the motto for the day. I'd make the best of the situation and in the end it really doesn't matter, I was going to have a good time.
Cross is a little different from mountain bike races in that they line you up in the order you registered. The "early bird gets the worm" as it were. I registered late, 69th to be exact, so, that put me pretty far back at the starting line. I was gonna have to work damn hard to move up through this field, on this course. From the start we have a couple hundred yards of asphalt with a slight climb to weed out the field. I punched it hard on this section and cleared through a good portion of the early registers. The tires weren't going to do me any favors, so, I had to ride smart and not push them too hard in the turns. A small pile-up in the sand pit, I ran around the bodies and twisted metal to get clear of some more riders. Just prior to this I caught up to the In The Crosshairs guy and followed him around this twisty section, through the sand pit and into the wooded double track. On a slight left turn I go for the inside line and he promptly shuts me down with a nice elbow/shoulder lean towards a tree. I didn't realize this was NASCAR, but hey, I'm new at this stuff. Hindsight being 20/20 it was a smart move. If I had botched the pass, I would have taken us both down. It reminds me of my old BMX days where we'd scrap around the entire course, banging shoulders through every turn. Something you don't see at the MTB races, at least not the long ones I enjoy. No worries, I found a good hole a little later and continued to munch on new carrots when possible. I did make the video this week, watch for the prison stripes around the 2 minute mark and for a couple minutes after that. Video credits go to Bill @ cxhairs.com. Check out his site, lots of great pics, videos and interviews from the local Cross scene.
As I slide around a few of the turns I'd traded positions with a few guys and kept the tempo as high as possible. The short steep climbs were doable on the bike, but, slow and energy sapping. With this in mind, I'd run-up a few of them and usually made up a place or two in the process. Now, with one lap down I knew the course and how to ride it. Each lap was about pushing my comfort level and riding smart. By lap 3 the muddy corners were becoming downright nasty with more guys opting to attack off the bike. This strategy was working for me and I should have employed it in a few more places. The off-chamber corners were also becoming rutted and slick. You couldn't attack them at the same speed without losing traction or control. It was by this lap I was cursing the tires that could do no wrong just two weeks ago.
3 down with one to go, ride smart, keep up the intensity as much as possible. A couple guys catch me early in the lap and I have a couple carrots to munch on for the next 10 minutes. Not much action going on behind me. There is a small pack about 20 seconds back, but, I'm not letting up and pushing hard when I can. Some mud packs up my cleats and makes getting clipped in difficult. Frantic about losing time, I slam my feet into the pedals and get me feet set. The turns were getting lose now and the tape had been torn away in several turns. I'm sure other guys are having similar issues with traction. Coming through the barriers one last time and the big push towards the finish. The front wheel started to break free and I reel it in before completely washing out on a sweeping right turn. Only a few more turns left before the final sprint and the finish line. Nearing the tennis courts, I've caught my carrots and I'm on their wheels. The next couple turns are tight with little room to pass, but, I catch one on the steep climb and another on the final stretch of asphalt. We go down to the wire and I'm not sure who placed where. In the end it doesn't matter I guess. The race leaders were already done for the day and we were battling for the low 20's. I ended up with 21st out of 88. Not as good as the 18th I got a couple weeks ago, but, I learned a few more things and will employ them at my next race.
Pre-occupied the day before with my new Spot frame, I didn't anguish over pre-race preparation. After a morning filled with paperwork, I spent the rest of the day building up the new frame and playing with the belt drive. The cross bike really didn't need any attention. Hell, it's a single speed, short of some oil on the chain, she was ready to go for the race Sunday morning. Now, if I were a more serious cross racer, I would have had my spare wheelset set up with different tires, just in case. Well, not being "that" serious (and not owning a spare set of wheels), I thought the SB8's would be fine and I'd rail through the turns, just like I did at Roseryville. Rockburn, however, is a slightly different animal.
A very tight, punchy course with soft off-chamber turns and a couple muddy sections to deal with. The Small Blocks were not a good choice for this course and they hurt my ability to push through the turns and attack the hills. I found myself taking turns wide or losing control all together. One particular section was a sharp, muddy right turn followed by a short climb. This section killed me every lap. I'd come around the turn wide and would spin the rear wheel as I tried to grunt my way up the short hill. By the last lap I realized it was faster to simply run up the section than waste precious energy trying to ride it.
I am, however, getting ahead of myself. The morning started out great and the weather forecast looked incredible. Sunny with a high temp around 60. Barb and the kids didn't get motivated early enough and decided to meet me at the venue before my race at 10. Jonathan was going to race the Lil Belgium's race at 1 and was really looking forward to his first bike race. To think it was only a couple months ago when he required help riding his two wheeler. Now, he's entering his first race. Makes a daddy proud. So, I roll out solo, get lost when I got near the park and finally made it to the park by following a car loaded with cross bikes. In the small lot I see Seibold, Gwads and Carlo. Jonathan bums a tube off me and Carlo continues to have seatpost issues. I kit up and head down to the registration tent, wherever that may be. A serious lack of signage didn't help the rookie racers like myself. After crossing a maze of taped off lanes, Carlo and I finally make it to registration. Number in hand and waivers signed we head back up to grab the bikes for a little spin. I dumped a little tire pressure when I saw some of the muddy tires coming off the course. I also get a chance to walk around and see a few of the sections I'll be racing on in a little while. This course was very different from the Tacchino course. Less open running, tighter corners, off-chamber sweeping turns and a little mud thrown in for good measure. Boy, I wish I had those Conti Twisters hanging in my garage right about now. As a wise man once said, "run what ya brung", so, that was the motto for the day. I'd make the best of the situation and in the end it really doesn't matter, I was going to have a good time.
Cross is a little different from mountain bike races in that they line you up in the order you registered. The "early bird gets the worm" as it were. I registered late, 69th to be exact, so, that put me pretty far back at the starting line. I was gonna have to work damn hard to move up through this field, on this course. From the start we have a couple hundred yards of asphalt with a slight climb to weed out the field. I punched it hard on this section and cleared through a good portion of the early registers. The tires weren't going to do me any favors, so, I had to ride smart and not push them too hard in the turns. A small pile-up in the sand pit, I ran around the bodies and twisted metal to get clear of some more riders. Just prior to this I caught up to the In The Crosshairs guy and followed him around this twisty section, through the sand pit and into the wooded double track. On a slight left turn I go for the inside line and he promptly shuts me down with a nice elbow/shoulder lean towards a tree. I didn't realize this was NASCAR, but hey, I'm new at this stuff. Hindsight being 20/20 it was a smart move. If I had botched the pass, I would have taken us both down. It reminds me of my old BMX days where we'd scrap around the entire course, banging shoulders through every turn. Something you don't see at the MTB races, at least not the long ones I enjoy. No worries, I found a good hole a little later and continued to munch on new carrots when possible. I did make the video this week, watch for the prison stripes around the 2 minute mark and for a couple minutes after that. Video credits go to Bill @ cxhairs.com. Check out his site, lots of great pics, videos and interviews from the local Cross scene.
As I slide around a few of the turns I'd traded positions with a few guys and kept the tempo as high as possible. The short steep climbs were doable on the bike, but, slow and energy sapping. With this in mind, I'd run-up a few of them and usually made up a place or two in the process. Now, with one lap down I knew the course and how to ride it. Each lap was about pushing my comfort level and riding smart. By lap 3 the muddy corners were becoming downright nasty with more guys opting to attack off the bike. This strategy was working for me and I should have employed it in a few more places. The off-chamber corners were also becoming rutted and slick. You couldn't attack them at the same speed without losing traction or control. It was by this lap I was cursing the tires that could do no wrong just two weeks ago.
3 down with one to go, ride smart, keep up the intensity as much as possible. A couple guys catch me early in the lap and I have a couple carrots to munch on for the next 10 minutes. Not much action going on behind me. There is a small pack about 20 seconds back, but, I'm not letting up and pushing hard when I can. Some mud packs up my cleats and makes getting clipped in difficult. Frantic about losing time, I slam my feet into the pedals and get me feet set. The turns were getting lose now and the tape had been torn away in several turns. I'm sure other guys are having similar issues with traction. Coming through the barriers one last time and the big push towards the finish. The front wheel started to break free and I reel it in before completely washing out on a sweeping right turn. Only a few more turns left before the final sprint and the finish line. Nearing the tennis courts, I've caught my carrots and I'm on their wheels. The next couple turns are tight with little room to pass, but, I catch one on the steep climb and another on the final stretch of asphalt. We go down to the wire and I'm not sure who placed where. In the end it doesn't matter I guess. The race leaders were already done for the day and we were battling for the low 20's. I ended up with 21st out of 88. Not as good as the 18th I got a couple weeks ago, but, I learned a few more things and will employ them at my next race.
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