And friends in San Carlos have a free couch--free, as long as you can take it away. It's big. It's puffy. It doesn't smell or have nasty stains, I swear. Let the kids jump on it and don't worry.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Discount Xmas shopping
Every room needs a TV. Stick this combo in the corner of the garage while you're working on the bike and watch TdF DVDs:
And friends in San Carlos have a free couch--free, as long as you can take it away. It's big. It's puffy. It doesn't smell or have nasty stains, I swear. Let the kids jump on it and don't worry.
And friends in San Carlos have a free couch--free, as long as you can take it away. It's big. It's puffy. It doesn't smell or have nasty stains, I swear. Let the kids jump on it and don't worry.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Do the math
One billion. 1,000,000,000.
Big number.
Let's see...60 seconds to the minute, 60 minutes to the hour, 24 hours to the day, 365.24 days to the year, makes 31,556,736 seconds per year. That means one billion seconds is about 31 years, 8 months, 8 days, 24 minutes, and 30 seconds (give or take). So, at some point this week, I will pass my billionth birthsecond.
Despite doing these endurance sport-like things, I am not blessed with the cardiovascular system to give me a resting heart rate of 28 or the like--y'know, the kind that confuse medical instruments expecting to find a pulse in a reasonable amount of time. My ticker usually clocks in at 65 bpm or so, it seems. So the poor blessed thing has contracted, most likely, at least a billion times.
Assuming a car engine revs at 2500 rpm when doing 60 mph (about right for my car), a billion revolutions would allow it to travel 400,000 miles/640,000 km.
Mind you, a billion atoms of uranium only weighs 0.0000000000004 grams, which is small even if you convert it from metric.
OK, I should probably return to preparing for an interview tomorrow...
Big number.
Let's see...60 seconds to the minute, 60 minutes to the hour, 24 hours to the day, 365.24 days to the year, makes 31,556,736 seconds per year. That means one billion seconds is about 31 years, 8 months, 8 days, 24 minutes, and 30 seconds (give or take). So, at some point this week, I will pass my billionth birthsecond.
Despite doing these endurance sport-like things, I am not blessed with the cardiovascular system to give me a resting heart rate of 28 or the like--y'know, the kind that confuse medical instruments expecting to find a pulse in a reasonable amount of time. My ticker usually clocks in at 65 bpm or so, it seems. So the poor blessed thing has contracted, most likely, at least a billion times.
Assuming a car engine revs at 2500 rpm when doing 60 mph (about right for my car), a billion revolutions would allow it to travel 400,000 miles/640,000 km.
Mind you, a billion atoms of uranium only weighs 0.0000000000004 grams, which is small even if you convert it from metric.
OK, I should probably return to preparing for an interview tomorrow...
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Racing in Golden Gate Park
Today's race went awfully well. I got to SF in plenty of time to wobble around the course on my bike in jeans and running shoes, enough to see that the layout was little changed from last year save the placement of one barrier. Lots of time to get changed, hydrate, eat lunch, and do some warmup laps on the track with Mr. Hole Shot from last week's race before the ~1pm start.
The Open B field seemed pretty big, especially compared to last week's field of 13. My sprint at the start was adequate, and left me pushed over to the right side on the first loose corner--a mixed blessing. It taught me that the right side was far firmer than the middle or left where I had ridden in practice. It also taught me that shortly thereafter, the right side turned into pillowy dust into which my front wheel seemed to sink endlessly. I had predicted before the race that someone would go tail over teakettle in that section at the start, of course hoping it wouldn't be me...Ah well, it was soft, and I was soon back up and on my way. Everyone else was flailing too, so I don't think I lost much time/distance.
The race then progressed into a steady series of catches. There were three long straightaways favoring, well, going fast, which many riders seemed to forget. A couple times I passed strings of riders drafting off some poor guy--drafting's great and all, but if you're drafting off someone who's going slow, you're not helping yourself. The barrier-rooty runup worked in my favor: other people dismounted way early while I found riding up to the barrier pretty manageable, I could power up the hill pushing the bike rather than shouldering, and then most of my remounts were clean. And the right-hand line in that one corner saved me all sorts of misery as I watched all sorts of riders sink their rims into the dust.
I remember looking up at the race timer after 4 laps and seeing 17 minutes and change. I totally expected to come around again and see a "2", indicating 2 laps to go. It said "3". Oof. Hey, more racing for my money.
Still, today, it was probably in my favor. The legs were turning over the big ring over the entire course, and I kept catching people as they slowly blew...I was following one Altezza rider for 2 laps at least, before pulling away on the start/finish straight. I was really surprised to see myself catching up to Kea, who's normally way ahead of me in the results (turned out he had fuzzed out on laps remaining and sprinted with 2 laps to go, emptying his tank). When I passed Josh in the last lap (he was leading a string of riders at the end of straightaway #2, at the rise where you passed the pit tent a second time) I knew I was having a good day. The goal after that pass was to ride clean to the finish, but I was getting tired and could've ridden a couple sections a lot smoother. So, when I turned onto the pavement and started trying to sprint, a couple guys from Josh's train had the chance to pull around and outdash me to the line.
Even getting nipped twice at the end, I had a great race. My legs felt good every lap, my accelerations were good, and mentally I felt I was a lot more interested in going fast than most of the guys I passed (why draft off a slower rider?). It'll be interesting to see how I actually did in the results--I expect it'll be a significant improvement from my, uh, 51st? at the last Pilarcitos race.
A nice twist at the end of the day was that Olaf announced that Lauren had won the raffle for all race entrants for a brand-new, custom cyclocross frame from Sycip. She and her man already purchased custom frames this year and I imagine they already have one of the most expansive collections of bicycles in the Bay Area, so we'll see what happens there...
(added 10 minutes later) It was all fun and games, but I was pretty sore afterwards. Just keep popping those ibuprofen...
And: I saw in the singlespeed race today that Tim C. was having an off day. Usually he's pushing the lead, and here he was sorta spinning along, not in last, but not near the front. I ran into him afterwards and it turns out he was riding with several separated ribs and general bruising. It seems that when descending the fire road after making a night deposit of some beverages for the Thanksgiving fest atop Kennedy, his front light cut out and he quite literally flew off the edge...forget about going slow, the man's probably lucky to be alive. I hope the beverages were worth it.
The Open B field seemed pretty big, especially compared to last week's field of 13. My sprint at the start was adequate, and left me pushed over to the right side on the first loose corner--a mixed blessing. It taught me that the right side was far firmer than the middle or left where I had ridden in practice. It also taught me that shortly thereafter, the right side turned into pillowy dust into which my front wheel seemed to sink endlessly. I had predicted before the race that someone would go tail over teakettle in that section at the start, of course hoping it wouldn't be me...Ah well, it was soft, and I was soon back up and on my way. Everyone else was flailing too, so I don't think I lost much time/distance.
The race then progressed into a steady series of catches. There were three long straightaways favoring, well, going fast, which many riders seemed to forget. A couple times I passed strings of riders drafting off some poor guy--drafting's great and all, but if you're drafting off someone who's going slow, you're not helping yourself. The barrier-rooty runup worked in my favor: other people dismounted way early while I found riding up to the barrier pretty manageable, I could power up the hill pushing the bike rather than shouldering, and then most of my remounts were clean. And the right-hand line in that one corner saved me all sorts of misery as I watched all sorts of riders sink their rims into the dust.
I remember looking up at the race timer after 4 laps and seeing 17 minutes and change. I totally expected to come around again and see a "2", indicating 2 laps to go. It said "3". Oof. Hey, more racing for my money.
Still, today, it was probably in my favor. The legs were turning over the big ring over the entire course, and I kept catching people as they slowly blew...I was following one Altezza rider for 2 laps at least, before pulling away on the start/finish straight. I was really surprised to see myself catching up to Kea, who's normally way ahead of me in the results (turned out he had fuzzed out on laps remaining and sprinted with 2 laps to go, emptying his tank). When I passed Josh in the last lap (he was leading a string of riders at the end of straightaway #2, at the rise where you passed the pit tent a second time) I knew I was having a good day. The goal after that pass was to ride clean to the finish, but I was getting tired and could've ridden a couple sections a lot smoother. So, when I turned onto the pavement and started trying to sprint, a couple guys from Josh's train had the chance to pull around and outdash me to the line.
Even getting nipped twice at the end, I had a great race. My legs felt good every lap, my accelerations were good, and mentally I felt I was a lot more interested in going fast than most of the guys I passed (why draft off a slower rider?). It'll be interesting to see how I actually did in the results--I expect it'll be a significant improvement from my, uh, 51st? at the last Pilarcitos race.
A nice twist at the end of the day was that Olaf announced that Lauren had won the raffle for all race entrants for a brand-new, custom cyclocross frame from Sycip. She and her man already purchased custom frames this year and I imagine they already have one of the most expansive collections of bicycles in the Bay Area, so we'll see what happens there...
(added 10 minutes later) It was all fun and games, but I was pretty sore afterwards. Just keep popping those ibuprofen...
And: I saw in the singlespeed race today that Tim C. was having an off day. Usually he's pushing the lead, and here he was sorta spinning along, not in last, but not near the front. I ran into him afterwards and it turns out he was riding with several separated ribs and general bruising. It seems that when descending the fire road after making a night deposit of some beverages for the Thanksgiving fest atop Kennedy, his front light cut out and he quite literally flew off the edge...forget about going slow, the man's probably lucky to be alive. I hope the beverages were worth it.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
RussellP does domesticity
1. Baking
The price of admission for Thanksgiving dinner this year: 2 pies.
All they need now will be a garnish of, oh, I don't know--bacon chocolate?
2. Laundry
Bike commuting exacerbates my lack of cycling kit--I don't have enough jerseys and shorts to get from one laundry day to the next without rewearing something. To avoid utter nastiness, I've been handwashing them. Problem is, without a dryer, I could only get so much water out by wringing, and it took forever for them to dry, risking moldiness--until I started using the salad spinner.
A few spins and the jerseys and shorts come out drier than I could ever get 'em just by squeezing. Now, some would suggest that it's easier to wrap the clothes in a towel, but (a) the spinner works just as well if not better and (b) it doesn't create a wet towel which will get moldy. I'm also sure that no one who reads this will ask me to make a salad.
Happy American Turkey Day!
The price of admission for Thanksgiving dinner this year: 2 pies.
All they need now will be a garnish of, oh, I don't know--bacon chocolate?
2. Laundry
Bike commuting exacerbates my lack of cycling kit--I don't have enough jerseys and shorts to get from one laundry day to the next without rewearing something. To avoid utter nastiness, I've been handwashing them. Problem is, without a dryer, I could only get so much water out by wringing, and it took forever for them to dry, risking moldiness--until I started using the salad spinner.
A few spins and the jerseys and shorts come out drier than I could ever get 'em just by squeezing. Now, some would suggest that it's easier to wrap the clothes in a towel, but (a) the spinner works just as well if not better and (b) it doesn't create a wet towel which will get moldy. I'm also sure that no one who reads this will ask me to make a salad.
Happy American Turkey Day!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Homestyle 'cross
I haven't been terribly useful since getting home from today's cyclocross race, but in a good, warm, fuzzy, endorphin-induced way. But first, let's go back a bit...
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I did no physical activity whatsoever. It's great for reducing the laundry load, not so good as a training regimen. Work and finding work have been my preoccupations, and combined with a disinclination towards waking up early and severely curtailed evening daylight, rides and runs have not been happening. To compensate, when going to bed Friday night, I set myself to going on a long road ride on Saturday. I haven't been doing those in favor of either riding my 'cross bike on the trails to train, or just to "save my legs" for Sunday's races. After three days of inactivity and general deadleggedness on my bike commutes, a 60-mile ride seemed like a recipe for disaster.
It was fantastic. This was a beautiful November weekend, even for California: the sun was shining, the winds were calm. I hadn't been on the roads up to Woodside and Palo Alto in months, but they're still familiar. I kept looking down to find to my surprise that I was ticking over the big ring pretty much all the time, without strain. Around the Stanford campus, I ran into two friends from my masters swimming days for some chatting, then was on my way home. Without dehydrating, without bonking, without straining: 3 1/2 hrs continuous riding, 60 miles. It can be so relaxing to not have to worry about cavernous bumps underneath your wheels.
I was a bit scared to get up this morning to find out what my legs felt like--and things were a bit stiff, but maybe I'm just getting older. I did sleep in, but still had plenty of time to drive down to Watsonville for the race and get some practice in. I hadn't done a Peak Season race before, though I watched one race last year post-eye surgery and noticed the smaller, more local crowd. When I lined up for the B race, well, it was a field of 15, tops.
The course was fun. Swirly descending down to the lakeside, and a steep-but-rideable return; a nifty chicane; some nice singletrack; a good run-up on a log staircase; uphill and off-camber corners. Two negatives: first, the boardwalk/pier over the lake was gimmicky and sorta even dangerous, and I hope the course designers don't use it again; and second, oh, the bumpty bumps.
The race (Men B) was fun. Before the start, we were all anti-trash talking about how we all sucked, but there was some good racing goin' on. Self-Trasher #1 even got the hole shot, but when he looked around to see where everyone had gone, he sorta missed the first hairpin turn...He was up and bouncing, if a bit startled, by the time the field passed him, but more importantly, he had a glorious moment. After a lap or two, I was trying to catch two guys who kept 5-10 sec ahead of me: Red Jersey and Belgium Jersey. If the race had been a lap shorter, I may not have caught them, but with 2 to go, Red Jersey blew and fell back. On the last lap, I screwed up riding up from the lake, but was fresh/adrenaline-accelerated enough to sprint up the hill and keep the gas on. Good thing, because Belgium Jersey was soon ready to blow too--the bumps sucked out his soul. I wanted to be in front coming off the pavement into the last section of grassy turns (and bumps) because passing there would've been difficult, but Belgium let me by on the big swooping 180 on the back before the run up and didn't keep up. The race-within-the-race was mine! I have no idea of the bigger picture, but I ended up 5th out of 13 finishers. Top 1/2 of the field!
The singlespeeder was left at home today--and this course would've hurt on a SS--so I was free to eat and socialize and take pictures, in some beautiful fall sunshine. I was trying out a new digital camera, so I'm still unsure on best settings for action shots, and there's a noticeable soft-lens effect in most of the photos, hmmm. I had the most fun with the rapid-shoot feature. I'm sure professionals use something like it a lot, rather than try to guess exactly when the exciting moment will happen. I just like the sequence of events that you capture, for instance:
(My apologies if it's completely tasteless to post pictures of someone crashing--anyone objects, and it's gone. The guy was fine--I asked--and raced on.)
Anyway: why "homestyle" 'cross? Well, could be 'cuz it's Thanksgiving week, and everyone's feeling all family-like. I think having a field of only 13 racers makes you feel more a part of things compared to 70+. The sheer number of racers I could recognize and cheer for when my race was done. Having a barbeque with footlongs after the race. Soccer games in the background. Well done, Peak Season, and I'm looking forward to your next race.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I did no physical activity whatsoever. It's great for reducing the laundry load, not so good as a training regimen. Work and finding work have been my preoccupations, and combined with a disinclination towards waking up early and severely curtailed evening daylight, rides and runs have not been happening. To compensate, when going to bed Friday night, I set myself to going on a long road ride on Saturday. I haven't been doing those in favor of either riding my 'cross bike on the trails to train, or just to "save my legs" for Sunday's races. After three days of inactivity and general deadleggedness on my bike commutes, a 60-mile ride seemed like a recipe for disaster.
It was fantastic. This was a beautiful November weekend, even for California: the sun was shining, the winds were calm. I hadn't been on the roads up to Woodside and Palo Alto in months, but they're still familiar. I kept looking down to find to my surprise that I was ticking over the big ring pretty much all the time, without strain. Around the Stanford campus, I ran into two friends from my masters swimming days for some chatting, then was on my way home. Without dehydrating, without bonking, without straining: 3 1/2 hrs continuous riding, 60 miles. It can be so relaxing to not have to worry about cavernous bumps underneath your wheels.
I was a bit scared to get up this morning to find out what my legs felt like--and things were a bit stiff, but maybe I'm just getting older. I did sleep in, but still had plenty of time to drive down to Watsonville for the race and get some practice in. I hadn't done a Peak Season race before, though I watched one race last year post-eye surgery and noticed the smaller, more local crowd. When I lined up for the B race, well, it was a field of 15, tops.
The course was fun. Swirly descending down to the lakeside, and a steep-but-rideable return; a nifty chicane; some nice singletrack; a good run-up on a log staircase; uphill and off-camber corners. Two negatives: first, the boardwalk/pier over the lake was gimmicky and sorta even dangerous, and I hope the course designers don't use it again; and second, oh, the bumpty bumps.
First I limp to the side like my leg was brokenI sorta doubt that anyone in Digital Underground ever raced 'cross, but there are some striking parallels. There were some looong transition sections over some very bumpy ground today, and not even a few hundred bike-crossings flattened them out. It's totally legit for 'cross, but wow, I was hankerin' for some suspension.
Shakin' and twitchin' kinda like I was smokin'
Crazy wack funky
People say ya look like M.C. Hammer on crack, [B]umpty
That's all right 'cause my body's in motion
It's supposed to look like a fit or a convulsion
Anyone can play this game
This is my dance, y'all, [B]umpty [B]ump's my name
No two people will do it the same
Ya got it down when ya appear to be in pain
[B]umpin', funkin', jumpin',
jig around, shakin' ya rump,
and when the dude a chump pump points a finger like a stump
tell him step off, I'm doin' the [B]ump.
The race (Men B) was fun. Before the start, we were all anti-trash talking about how we all sucked, but there was some good racing goin' on. Self-Trasher #1 even got the hole shot, but when he looked around to see where everyone had gone, he sorta missed the first hairpin turn...He was up and bouncing, if a bit startled, by the time the field passed him, but more importantly, he had a glorious moment. After a lap or two, I was trying to catch two guys who kept 5-10 sec ahead of me: Red Jersey and Belgium Jersey. If the race had been a lap shorter, I may not have caught them, but with 2 to go, Red Jersey blew and fell back. On the last lap, I screwed up riding up from the lake, but was fresh/adrenaline-accelerated enough to sprint up the hill and keep the gas on. Good thing, because Belgium Jersey was soon ready to blow too--the bumps sucked out his soul. I wanted to be in front coming off the pavement into the last section of grassy turns (and bumps) because passing there would've been difficult, but Belgium let me by on the big swooping 180 on the back before the run up and didn't keep up. The race-within-the-race was mine! I have no idea of the bigger picture, but I ended up 5th out of 13 finishers. Top 1/2 of the field!
The singlespeeder was left at home today--and this course would've hurt on a SS--so I was free to eat and socialize and take pictures, in some beautiful fall sunshine. I was trying out a new digital camera, so I'm still unsure on best settings for action shots, and there's a noticeable soft-lens effect in most of the photos, hmmm. I had the most fun with the rapid-shoot feature. I'm sure professionals use something like it a lot, rather than try to guess exactly when the exciting moment will happen. I just like the sequence of events that you capture, for instance:
(My apologies if it's completely tasteless to post pictures of someone crashing--anyone objects, and it's gone. The guy was fine--I asked--and raced on.)
Anyway: why "homestyle" 'cross? Well, could be 'cuz it's Thanksgiving week, and everyone's feeling all family-like. I think having a field of only 13 racers makes you feel more a part of things compared to 70+. The sheer number of racers I could recognize and cheer for when my race was done. Having a barbeque with footlongs after the race. Soccer games in the background. Well done, Peak Season, and I'm looking forward to your next race.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Ramblings
--Need a reasonable couch? Off-white, on the loosely puffy side, lightly embroidered pattern in the fabric. My friends want to sell theirs to make room for what sounds like an "installation". Never exposed to cigarettes, no nasty stains.
--Checked my back tire to see what exploded at the end of the B race on Sunday. A 2-inch gash in the tube matched a place where the tire bead had been shredded to where I could see the steel wire. It's hard to say what abuse I laidon to cause that kind of damage, but they're both gone.
Checked the wheel too, and it's maybe good that I did, since I found in a completely different, unrelated location on the rim that the weld is corroding and cracking. It's a 9-yr-old Campy Berlin rim (ever have one of those? didn't think so) on a 105 hub that was original spec on my road bike. It's mostly scrap metal now.
--With the change to standard time, bike commuting requires riding home in the dark. It's sorta nice in the dark: no matter how slow you're really going, you only really have the breeze on your face to gauge your speed, and you feel fast. There's also the practicality that if you're going to ride home in the dark anyway, you may as well work 'til 7 and wait for most of the cars to get off the road.
--Dinner: thyme-roasted eggplant with julienne carrots wrapped in warm garlic naan bread.
--Riding in the dark also makes me grateful for all the drivers who have passed me and not run into me over the years, which I'm happy to say is all of them so far. Reflective clothes, blinky light, a bright headlight, and a good route make it OK. Still, I was thinking on the ride tonight about all the things that could go wrong. Probably the #1 thing that makes me nervous on the road are drunk drivers--day or night, whether I'm riding or driving, it's so not cool. I have no idea my DUI/DWI is treated so casually in this country: it's a frickin' crime, and for good reason.
If you're going to have beers after a race, make sure someone else who's not drinking is going to drive you home. I'm asking, that's all.
--I may have gots me a phone interview, which is the first glimmer of a future I've had in a while.
--Checked my back tire to see what exploded at the end of the B race on Sunday. A 2-inch gash in the tube matched a place where the tire bead had been shredded to where I could see the steel wire. It's hard to say what abuse I laidon to cause that kind of damage, but they're both gone.
Checked the wheel too, and it's maybe good that I did, since I found in a completely different, unrelated location on the rim that the weld is corroding and cracking. It's a 9-yr-old Campy Berlin rim (ever have one of those? didn't think so) on a 105 hub that was original spec on my road bike. It's mostly scrap metal now.
--With the change to standard time, bike commuting requires riding home in the dark. It's sorta nice in the dark: no matter how slow you're really going, you only really have the breeze on your face to gauge your speed, and you feel fast. There's also the practicality that if you're going to ride home in the dark anyway, you may as well work 'til 7 and wait for most of the cars to get off the road.
--Dinner: thyme-roasted eggplant with julienne carrots wrapped in warm garlic naan bread.
--Riding in the dark also makes me grateful for all the drivers who have passed me and not run into me over the years, which I'm happy to say is all of them so far. Reflective clothes, blinky light, a bright headlight, and a good route make it OK. Still, I was thinking on the ride tonight about all the things that could go wrong. Probably the #1 thing that makes me nervous on the road are drunk drivers--day or night, whether I'm riding or driving, it's so not cool. I have no idea my DUI/DWI is treated so casually in this country: it's a frickin' crime, and for good reason.
If you're going to have beers after a race, make sure someone else who's not drinking is going to drive you home. I'm asking, that's all.
--I may have gots me a phone interview, which is the first glimmer of a future I've had in a while.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Return to Manzanita
There was a good ol' rain coming down last night, so I brougt enough raincoats and clothing changes to swim across the Atlantic...and it was sunny, gorgeous, beautiful, all day. Thank you, California.
Still, water had fallen from the sky, and not all of it could drain away before the 'cross races started. A 10am start for the B race should be easy enough to get to, but I still managed to sleep in and dawdle to the point where I hadn't time to pre-ride the course. It would've been a good thing: frankly, the mud freaked me out at first, and there were some changes from last time's course that left me wondering to the end of the day what the right lines were. On the bright side: no blood! It was also a little exciting when my rear tube exploded (bang!) right close to the end--hadn't done that before. I'm curious to find out what failed and how: that tire may have earned its pension.
The CCCX schedule also gives a very reasonable 2+ hours to recharge after the B race before trying out the singlespeed race. Had lunch al fresco (well, al back-of-carro), made meaningless tweaks to bike, and had just a wee bit of time to watch the women's race (Lloyd won speeding away, but I couldn't help wondering if/what Kerlin was holding back). My singlespeed start was atrocious even for my standards as I pushed off heading straight into some other guy's back wheel; in retrospect, I don't know which of us was swerving more, but it left me flailing at the back. In the 2 hr of sun and breeze between my races, the course had dried out to become mostly flat, tacky stuff--the good stuff--with the occasional mud puddle to liven things up. I caught a few wheels in the first 3-4 laps, then the gaps to the riders ahead of me started getting bigger...time for safety mode (still no blood!). I tried goading Jeff/Geoff from Altezza to make up the 5sec gap I had on him, but he was pretty blown too after the 35A's so I got to hold my ignominious spot in the results. Just good ol' fun.
Now I have a large Bag of Filth to deal with, thanks to the flying chunks of peanut butter and glop and ooze on the course that have sunk into jerseys, gloves, shorts, socks, shoes...Digging the stuff off my derailleur pulleys was a non-trivial task. I appear to be dealing with Bag of Filth for now by ignoring it.
Something very noticeable during the singlespeed race was how many bad lines had been cut into the corners. One person leads, another follows the wheel, and eventually a berm gets molded that is not where you (well, I) want it to be. Not only that, but all the dirt that got pushed out of the way mucks up the better line. Someone give the C's a tutorial on apexing, wouldja? (As if I know what I'm talking about.)
Downer about the double race is that socializing and photographing become well-nigh impossible, which makes for pretty dry reportage. I didn't even remember to ask Lauren to get an envelope for me when she's in Manila. Many thanks to Swiggco for storing my keys during the races, too.
Still, water had fallen from the sky, and not all of it could drain away before the 'cross races started. A 10am start for the B race should be easy enough to get to, but I still managed to sleep in and dawdle to the point where I hadn't time to pre-ride the course. It would've been a good thing: frankly, the mud freaked me out at first, and there were some changes from last time's course that left me wondering to the end of the day what the right lines were. On the bright side: no blood! It was also a little exciting when my rear tube exploded (bang!) right close to the end--hadn't done that before. I'm curious to find out what failed and how: that tire may have earned its pension.
The CCCX schedule also gives a very reasonable 2+ hours to recharge after the B race before trying out the singlespeed race. Had lunch al fresco (well, al back-of-carro), made meaningless tweaks to bike, and had just a wee bit of time to watch the women's race (Lloyd won speeding away, but I couldn't help wondering if/what Kerlin was holding back). My singlespeed start was atrocious even for my standards as I pushed off heading straight into some other guy's back wheel; in retrospect, I don't know which of us was swerving more, but it left me flailing at the back. In the 2 hr of sun and breeze between my races, the course had dried out to become mostly flat, tacky stuff--the good stuff--with the occasional mud puddle to liven things up. I caught a few wheels in the first 3-4 laps, then the gaps to the riders ahead of me started getting bigger...time for safety mode (still no blood!). I tried goading Jeff/Geoff from Altezza to make up the 5sec gap I had on him, but he was pretty blown too after the 35A's so I got to hold my ignominious spot in the results. Just good ol' fun.
Now I have a large Bag of Filth to deal with, thanks to the flying chunks of peanut butter and glop and ooze on the course that have sunk into jerseys, gloves, shorts, socks, shoes...Digging the stuff off my derailleur pulleys was a non-trivial task. I appear to be dealing with Bag of Filth for now by ignoring it.
Something very noticeable during the singlespeed race was how many bad lines had been cut into the corners. One person leads, another follows the wheel, and eventually a berm gets molded that is not where you (well, I) want it to be. Not only that, but all the dirt that got pushed out of the way mucks up the better line. Someone give the C's a tutorial on apexing, wouldja? (As if I know what I'm talking about.)
Downer about the double race is that socializing and photographing become well-nigh impossible, which makes for pretty dry reportage. I didn't even remember to ask Lauren to get an envelope for me when she's in Manila. Many thanks to Swiggco for storing my keys during the races, too.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Skinny tire day
Just, like, ow.
Starting with warmup laps today, I so noticed the lack of suspension in my 'cross bikes after riding Big Green yesterday (see previous post): it was another lumpy bumpy dusty course, the type of surface that the full-suspension rig soaked right up while my 'cross bikes were letting me feel it a bit more directly, shall we say. At the same time, I can appreciate the comments from the shop guy who said he had tried 'cross after riding mountain bikes, and didn't do so well: suspension takes away a lot of decision-making that has to be done on a rigid frame.
It was so totally inappropriate for me to race singlespeed at today's McLaren Park CX race. I don't have the power-to-weight ratio to ride up steep stuff and haven't been running enough to compensate. In the cloud-with-silver-lining column, my brake hood came loose again (that'll get replaced now) forcing me to descend in the drops--and whaddya know, I had better control. The loose corners on the descent also reminded me how much better control I have when pedalling versus when coasting: delivering power, keeping the chain tensioned, and keeping leg muscles active are all good. In further cloud-with-silver-lining news, I got lapped twice by the leaders of the A race, keeping me from trotting up Evil Runup any more--for this race. The race-site results credited me with a lap I didn't do, but checking online results this evening show that the error has been corrected...darn, they're fast with posting those. They must be catering to the obsessive 50% of 'cross folks who can't sleep until the results are online.
The B race came right after the SS race, and I lined up at the very back fully expecting to stay there. The first couple laps sucked 'cuz I was so tired already, but surprisingly I was feeling better and better and kept going (at the start, I thought managing a couple laps and then pulling out would've been plenty honourable). Bits unrideable on the single speed became rideable again, and I started catching people: at first, just those knocked out by flats and mechanicals, but eventually some guys who I think were genuinely trying to pedal. It didn't last. Despite going "fast", my muscles and brain were probably desperately tired, and I lost focus/balance in an easy corner and slid out. Normally I'd just bounce back up, but in my condition I pretty much went into shock, with wobbly legs and feeling cold. So, I pulled over for a couple minutes and sat in the sunshine. I think I lost about 10 positions (including watching Nemesis pass me, grrr), but it was okay, I was cooked. Rolled home one lap down and guzzled all available liquids.
While it's fun to attempt the double, I won't do it for the Pilarcitos races any more: back-to-back is a bit too much pain. Some pain is good for you, too much is suffering. Hopefully I can improve my B results a little for the next 2 races (not hard when my last two placings were in the 50s).
Big thank yous to Morgan and Lauren for feeds, and to Michael and Sabine for not driving away with my car keys, and to my friends on the peninsula for the impromptu early chicken pot pie/pizza/ice cream dinner, and good to see so many of you fine folk out enjoying a balmy November Sunday.
Starting with warmup laps today, I so noticed the lack of suspension in my 'cross bikes after riding Big Green yesterday (see previous post): it was another lumpy bumpy dusty course, the type of surface that the full-suspension rig soaked right up while my 'cross bikes were letting me feel it a bit more directly, shall we say. At the same time, I can appreciate the comments from the shop guy who said he had tried 'cross after riding mountain bikes, and didn't do so well: suspension takes away a lot of decision-making that has to be done on a rigid frame.
It was so totally inappropriate for me to race singlespeed at today's McLaren Park CX race. I don't have the power-to-weight ratio to ride up steep stuff and haven't been running enough to compensate. In the cloud-with-silver-lining column, my brake hood came loose again (that'll get replaced now) forcing me to descend in the drops--and whaddya know, I had better control. The loose corners on the descent also reminded me how much better control I have when pedalling versus when coasting: delivering power, keeping the chain tensioned, and keeping leg muscles active are all good. In further cloud-with-silver-lining news, I got lapped twice by the leaders of the A race, keeping me from trotting up Evil Runup any more--for this race. The race-site results credited me with a lap I didn't do, but checking online results this evening show that the error has been corrected...darn, they're fast with posting those. They must be catering to the obsessive 50% of 'cross folks who can't sleep until the results are online.
The B race came right after the SS race, and I lined up at the very back fully expecting to stay there. The first couple laps sucked 'cuz I was so tired already, but surprisingly I was feeling better and better and kept going (at the start, I thought managing a couple laps and then pulling out would've been plenty honourable). Bits unrideable on the single speed became rideable again, and I started catching people: at first, just those knocked out by flats and mechanicals, but eventually some guys who I think were genuinely trying to pedal. It didn't last. Despite going "fast", my muscles and brain were probably desperately tired, and I lost focus/balance in an easy corner and slid out. Normally I'd just bounce back up, but in my condition I pretty much went into shock, with wobbly legs and feeling cold. So, I pulled over for a couple minutes and sat in the sunshine. I think I lost about 10 positions (including watching Nemesis pass me, grrr), but it was okay, I was cooked. Rolled home one lap down and guzzled all available liquids.
While it's fun to attempt the double, I won't do it for the Pilarcitos races any more: back-to-back is a bit too much pain. Some pain is good for you, too much is suffering. Hopefully I can improve my B results a little for the next 2 races (not hard when my last two placings were in the 50s).
Big thank yous to Morgan and Lauren for feeds, and to Michael and Sabine for not driving away with my car keys, and to my friends on the peninsula for the impromptu early chicken pot pie/pizza/ice cream dinner, and good to see so many of you fine folk out enjoying a balmy November Sunday.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Fat tire day
Things I learned:
1. It's a long, twisty road to Soquel Demonstration Forest--but worth it for the MTB riding. Great place for it, great trails.
2. My 9-yr-old Specialized Rockhopper is sorta crap. Still, with some patience, I hauled it around a circuit with some fairly difficult bits. As a hardtail, it climbs well, but its descending is not confidence-inspiring.
3. Sometimes old bike bits aren't that bad. For instance, when I went over a dropoff that I didn't intend to go over and at too low a speed regardless, my seat saved me from a self-inflicted proctological exam. Too bad for the seat, though.
Despite the...uh...drooping, it was really quite functional for riding back to the parking lot and I thanked providence for causing me no more damage than that. Still, it's done for; not even a handful of little blue pills are going to help this one.
4. After doing a test loop on old bike, I got a demo bike to try out. I had thought it would be nicely systematic to progress through a modern hardtail to a mid-range full-suspension to a glitzy whiz-bang machine, but (a) the loop was longer than I expected, so not enough time for all that, and (b) there was only one large bike left--this demo thing was quite popular! And so, enter the whiz-bang, high-end-componentry-laden, full-suspension 29er:
Better everything, shock-absorbing, and big, big tires. And probably no heavier if not lighter than my bike. Just as I had been getting back to camp, OV and VB came riding up, and they kindly waited for me to get checked out on Big Green before leading me yonder.
Oh what a difference it made. I was searching for potholes on the road to see if I could feel anything-no. Washed-out ruts? Climbed through them like a champ. Spinning, it could accelerate uphill without hesitation; standing, yeah, it flexed, but why stand when these things have such ridiculously low gears?
That was just the uphill climb. On the downhills, despite only having 4-inch travel in both shocks, this bike was point-and-shoot, except for some truly nasty rocky bike-killer stuff. This was my first time out mountain biking in about 2 years and I've probably never taken stuff on with such confidence--all because of the bike. In the end, I can't tell you how much was due to components, suspension, or 29er wheels, but the combination was supernatural compared to the Ol' Silver Hardtail.
5. Conclusion: I am a believer. If say a friend somehow convinces me to ride a 24h relay again, I'd definitely want to be on Big Green or something like it. But of course, the catch: there's a price to be paid. Big Green retails for a cool US$4100. Ol' Silver Hardtail was $600, 9 years ago. There'd better be a dramatic difference.
Ah well, maybe it's time to start another piggy bank...or not. I'm really not sure if I have time or inclination to use one of these bikes enough to justify that kind of investment. And now I'd better get some laundry done, otherwise I'll smell like a dead horse at tomorrow's 'cross races...
1. It's a long, twisty road to Soquel Demonstration Forest--but worth it for the MTB riding. Great place for it, great trails.
2. My 9-yr-old Specialized Rockhopper is sorta crap. Still, with some patience, I hauled it around a circuit with some fairly difficult bits. As a hardtail, it climbs well, but its descending is not confidence-inspiring.
3. Sometimes old bike bits aren't that bad. For instance, when I went over a dropoff that I didn't intend to go over and at too low a speed regardless, my seat saved me from a self-inflicted proctological exam. Too bad for the seat, though.
Despite the...uh...drooping, it was really quite functional for riding back to the parking lot and I thanked providence for causing me no more damage than that. Still, it's done for; not even a handful of little blue pills are going to help this one.
4. After doing a test loop on old bike, I got a demo bike to try out. I had thought it would be nicely systematic to progress through a modern hardtail to a mid-range full-suspension to a glitzy whiz-bang machine, but (a) the loop was longer than I expected, so not enough time for all that, and (b) there was only one large bike left--this demo thing was quite popular! And so, enter the whiz-bang, high-end-componentry-laden, full-suspension 29er:
Better everything, shock-absorbing, and big, big tires. And probably no heavier if not lighter than my bike. Just as I had been getting back to camp, OV and VB came riding up, and they kindly waited for me to get checked out on Big Green before leading me yonder.Oh what a difference it made. I was searching for potholes on the road to see if I could feel anything-no. Washed-out ruts? Climbed through them like a champ. Spinning, it could accelerate uphill without hesitation; standing, yeah, it flexed, but why stand when these things have such ridiculously low gears?
That was just the uphill climb. On the downhills, despite only having 4-inch travel in both shocks, this bike was point-and-shoot, except for some truly nasty rocky bike-killer stuff. This was my first time out mountain biking in about 2 years and I've probably never taken stuff on with such confidence--all because of the bike. In the end, I can't tell you how much was due to components, suspension, or 29er wheels, but the combination was supernatural compared to the Ol' Silver Hardtail.
5. Conclusion: I am a believer. If say a friend somehow convinces me to ride a 24h relay again, I'd definitely want to be on Big Green or something like it. But of course, the catch: there's a price to be paid. Big Green retails for a cool US$4100. Ol' Silver Hardtail was $600, 9 years ago. There'd better be a dramatic difference.
Ah well, maybe it's time to start another piggy bank...or not. I'm really not sure if I have time or inclination to use one of these bikes enough to justify that kind of investment. And now I'd better get some laundry done, otherwise I'll smell like a dead horse at tomorrow's 'cross races...
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