One week's vacation

All the kiddies should be stuck in school and their parents should be making sure that the kiddies go to school, leaving the roads and parks open for me to go see some Things I Have Not Yet Seen.


A far from comprehensive list but one that's relevant to the week ahead:
Hwy 120 through Yosemite NP
Death Valley NP
Las Vegas
Interbike (Actually, I probably won't get in, but I can be in its presence)
Cross Vegas
Hoover Dam (maybe)
Sequoia and King's Canyon NPs

Would've left already except that glass class starts up again tonight. Hopefully I can wake myself up early tomorrow and get on the road.

That's not supposed to happen

It's a bad thing when your chainring bolts get loose at any time, let alone in the middle of a cyclocross race. It made for some good spectating and a pseudo-heroic finish, I hope.

CCCX #1 was held at the Fort Ord DOD building, a roughly counter-clockwise loop of the roads and sandy singletrack. My B race at 10am went OK, but the field was clearly much stronger than the LAPRD field. The CCCX course was also hillier than LAPRD's, so I got to say hello to my back muscles for the first time this year...Got 11th out of 18-19, and frustrated that I couldn't figure out how to ride up the sandy climb.

After two hours, lunch, and some advice from Josh Snead on how to ride the sandy climb, I lined up for the singlespeed A race. I had a reasonable start, but spun out/slowed down before the first corner and that was the last I saw of most everyone else in the field. It gave me time to think more about lines through the loose stuff (having my speed governed by the fixed gear ratio probably helped too).

Last corner, just after getting lapped by J.S., I hopped back on after the last barriers, pushed on the pedal, and rather than moving forward, I bent the bejeezus out of my chainring (see pic above). Since it was the last corner, I picked up the bike to jog over the finish line, no effect on final results. I had heard suspicious pinging noises from my drivetrain somewhere and thought I might've broken a spoke, but it seems to have been a chainring bolt or bolts coming loose. I lost two of five in the end. Yes, I feel a fool, but let my story be the cautionary tale: when's the last time you checked if your chainring bolts were tight?

Thanks to Gannon M. for advice on tire inflation, J.S. on the riding advice (worked a charm), the SS field for the commiserations/mocking, and Rod for not making me do another lap post-Chainring Incident. We'll see if I "man up" to a 42t or replace my girly-man 38t...

Big X

I moved to California ten years ago today.

I was supposed to have moved to California ten years ago as of yesterday, but a little confusion while coming through the immigration desk the first time meant that I got to watch my flight leave the gate and take off while I was standing in line to come through immigration the second time.

Two suitcases and a bike box...and now all this crap around me is mine!

larp'd #2

Livermore was blessedly cool compared to last week--the forecasted high was only 92F/33C. Heck, I may have even felt a chill before the races started.

Men's B: bigger field than last week. Similar pattern: 8-9 guys in a group at the front after the first lap, then hanging on to see who could last. After a couple more laps, I saw the group split in front of me...never good to see that gap. I wasn't rolling as well as last week, both in my own head and compared to how the others were rolling, but just how so will remain unknown: I flatted just before the bell. Thanks to the spectator with "cool hands" who helped me after I flubbed switching out my rear tire. Still picked up 7/12.

Sarah Maile came out and raced against the B's (and beat me!). Josie JM and Sarah Kerlin showed up for the women's race just beforehand, and so it could have been a three-way battle--but oddly, JJM and SK finished at the front of the women's race hand-in-hand without a sprint, and SM held off until the B race. Maybe it's just too early for racing for those with the real goods, so a little detente for the time being.

I lined up on-time for the singlespeed race--I know at least Gianni was swiveling and looking for me at the start line this time! Cesar "Big Dog" Chavez showed up for the SS race, though, so G and I both knew we were done for. AJM lined up in stars-and-bars trimmed kit and that's the last I saw of him for a while...

At lap 3 or so I was running second-to-last when my rear tube blew. Never good on a singlespeed bike, especially since I had no spare wheel. But there was a spare tube in the car...

Picked up the bike.
Walked back to the car.
Got a tube, pump, tire levers, wrench.
For some reason, walked over to the pit tent to fix things.
Realized I had dropped the tire levers somewhere.
Watched the leaders go by...again...
Was somewhat pleased to find that a forgiving rim-bead combination allowed me to get the clincher tire off with my bare hands (whatcha gonna do...?).
Tube out, tube in, bead back in, pump it up, off we go!
Oops, chain fell off--what a fool. Back to the pits to adjust to loosen the axle bolts and try again...
Watched the leaders go by...again...

So it wasn't much of a race, even less so than last week's. I got back on the course, though, and rode 'til the end, good enough for third! Yes, out of three.

Double dippin' in the hot, hot sun

A cyclocross race in Livermore when the forecasted high was 38 C/101 F was a dubious proposition, and doubling up under the conditions was really just not wise...

But you know me.

First race of the 2008 'cross season (at least a month before it could really be considered 'cross season) was hosted by Shane & Co. of the parks and rec dept. in, yes, Livermore. My start time #1 was 10.30am, and it was already hot enough that basic motions like walking led to sweating.
The course was wide and flat, leaving lots of room to pick different lines and pass people--nice.

After my lousy start and a lap, the B field was a bunch of 10 at the front, with me hanging on to the back.

A lap or two later, I had passed and moved up, and there were maybe five. Fitness and heat were taking a toll.

And then I was chasing two.

Halfway through the penultimate lap, #2 pulled up--flat!--and I took his spot. Unfortunately, #1 had decided to stop toying with us and had shot out of sight. One more heat-blasted lap, and the second step on the podium was mine!


Um, except that I had the single speed race to prep for in 15 minutes, and missed the podium. Instead, I was slapping a bag of ice on the back of my neck, drowning myself in Gatorade, etc. I hadn't mentioned anything to CaseyK about doubling up, though, so in the middle of repinning my number the race was started and away without me.

A minute later I was off playing "catch-up", but there wasn't too much response from my legs. Given the gap, the fatigue, the heat, and the $5 entry fee, I was pretty content to do practice laps for an hour. On the bright side, 1) Josh Snead lapped me a second time about 100m from the finish line, so I didn't have to do that last lap, and 2) with only 5 single-speeders starting, everybody was on the podium!


End of race: more water, more Gatorade, more ice, shade, shade, shade. Some folks had the strength left to hop the fence and stand under the sprinklers in the neighboring field. There were some blasted-looking bodies strewn about the finish line. Some familiar faces, too, and it was nice to catch up.

Make it stop

Labor Day weekend--

Friday night: Athletics game from behind home plate, thanks to a friend getting "Diamond Level" tickets. Upside, free ballpark food. Downside, probably showed up stuffing my face on TV. And what do I do with this bobblehead?


Saturday: laps of Redwood Park on the 'cross bike. New tires to test. Clockwise on the ridge trails, it's all good except for the hill climbing up West Ridge--mmm, trudging uphill in bike shoes...It was good to get offroad but starting in a pack of riders will probably still freak me out come race time.

Sunday: morning swim followed by afternoon culture, Chihuly at the de Young. Showed up and there was a huge line just to buy tickets, but not 10 seconds after getting into the line a guy walked up to us and scalped us some tix for face value--sweet! Popular exhibit, crowded, lots of gaudy glass baubles on display, incredibly hyperbolic curation. Eating dinner afterwards, the miso soup was brilliant--umami!

Monday: back into SF for the Giro di San Francisco. A crit course giving spectators lots to watch. Checked out the cat 4/5's thinking I might be able to keep up in some crits and road races next spring. Watched and wandered al fresco au velo from 10am 'til 5pm, listening to the occasional meaty thuds of cyclist hitting asphalt. Happy to see pab and xbunny, 'cuz it sounds like I won't see them at the 'cross races this fall.

It's not even 10 and I want to/need to/will go to bed now.