Wednesday, April 25, 2012

oh, you're still here.

RIGHT.

So, I'm not good at updating a blog. I remembered this quaint site today whilst on an unscheduled CX ride after my road bike had a disappointing mechanical. You would know this if you follow me on the twitter. I should just put a twitter feed on this bad boy and you can see the thousand of inane things I say every day. No downtime, no waiting.

If you have been following along on the twits, you would know such things as a) how last season ended (with upgrades to Men's 1/2 Elite and my first BC Cup race with those kids) b) how the off season was full of drunken debauchery (also known as working) and c) what's been happening as the road season has kicked in (new kinds of pain).

I'd taken it upon myself to search high and low for a coach, and went with the guy that suggested that I get a coach. Sugar Savage has been putting me through the paces since the beginning of the year, shaping me up to take on some BC Road Racing as a strength training/humility exercise. It's been interesting. I was shamed into starting in Cat B during the Spring Series races. Two crashes, one top 20 (yea yea, prove it) and nothing else of much note have shown me that I'm much more in tune to racing in CX than in road. No matter. Learning through doing.

Local Ride's Race the Ridge will be my first big race of the season, so I'm hoping it's fun. Again, choosing to register in Cat 3's, a little above my pay grade. Lots of climbing, corners. Possibly beers.

I'm expecting something interesting to post after this race. I'll do what I can to make Mighty Riders proud and we'll see you back here next week.



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

from the top to the bottom to the middle and beyond


I haven’t posted for a while. apologies would be in order if I didn’t feel vindicated by other posts in other places, work done and many races between. life is hectic, and now I find time to write.

cyclocross season is upon us. it greets with cold mornings, hot afternoons and intermittent rains. I love the turmoil. though I could use better rain pants.

to flash back in time, I would be remiss if I didn't highlight the first race of the season, the Langley Cyclocross Classic at Aldor Acres, thrown by our very own Mighty Riders Basse Clement. I’ll keep it brief, but in the first race of the season I felt powerful.  new year, new gear, I wanted to rock. and I did. the field was small but competitive and I was excited to go off solo and capture the win on the hot, dusty course. the full Mighty race report is here: http://mightyriders.blogspot.com/2011/09/langley-cyclocross-classic-race-report.html  as well as a shout out from Aaron Schooler on CX Mag here:  http://www.cxmagazine.com/race-report-hr-block-langley-cyclocross-classic-school-cross-clinic

sprints!
after a week of recovery (did I tell you I lift heavy objects for work?), Chessa and I headed down to Seattle for a friend’s wedding and the first MFG CX race of the season. again, it was hot and dry, unseasonably so for CX racing, and I was met with a large field of Cat 3 racers and my favorite crew of Heidi and Jermaine and team Hodala, the Raleigh Single Speed contingent. Best People Ever. the race was bumpy and harsh, and in a poor cornering move past a concrete curb in the first lap, I ripped a hole into my new rear Tufo tubular, had to run to the pit and flatted again to make for a crappy, hot, and annoying day. from 1st to DNF in 7 days flat. honestly, the heat made the racing so hard, I was almost happy to sit it out – too bad it cost me replacing the tub!

thanks to Jay “Showtime”, who was selling off the same Tufo Flexus Primus that I lovingly destroyed, as well as Paul (my Cat 3 inspiration) who helped glue it, I got my rear tub replaced in time to get a few rolls in before the big show, Starcrossed and Rapha/Focus GP in Lake Sammamish, WA on the 17th and 18th.

the Mighty crew was out in full force, and my family in Issaquah made most amazing hosts. You can see a bit more on the goof-troop excursion here, written by our pro-mechanic Matt Barber: http://mightyriders.blogspot.com/2011/09/star-crossed-official-post-in-pictures.html



to speak solely for myself, it was an amazing weekend dotted with mild stress. I was nervous – the fields are always huge in the US, and this was no exception – 60 Cat 3 riders on both days. I got myself so stressed out for Starcrossed that I gave in to stomach cramps after my race. seriously. the Rapha/Focus GP the next day was sponsored by Imodium and Tums.

both days consisted of the same layout. long, winding, dual sand-pit, grass course. fast. with a flyover. I felt OK on Saturday, racing Starcrossed with a little too much nerve and took too many spills to make up the ground in such a large field. with no opportunity for a hole shot in the 5th line call-up, I stuck to picking off who I could, but after a few wipeouts, it was about holding on. I managed to keep an eye on a few competitors around me, and fought for 21st until the line. nothing spectacular, and down 8 spots from last year’s finish in Cat 4. but who’s counting.

shot of Lake Sammamish by Doug Brons

we got to watch most of the Mighty team in their races, including Haley crushing in Cat 4 (and deciding to upgrade). I rounded out the day drinking a few beers and thinking about the Rapha race, while we watched the pro’s tear up the course. I helped Heidi scream at Wells, Trebon and our own Kevin Noiles in the sand pit. high knees – do it or else. again, the Hodala team makes my life better.

Jermaine and Heidi, not yelling at the moment
Sunday came fast, after a few ginger ales at the house to quell my stomach and a brief viewing of Wolverine with my dad, I was out and slept like a rock. I ate heartily as I thought my stomach wanted to in the morning, but still stuck to Tums and Imodium as after mints. thanks for the foods and the medicines, mom!

I felt like I had a bit to prove at the Rapha/Focus GP considering the field was pretty much the same, and I needed to up my game. The Cat 3 men, 60 of us again, started behind the Single Speed men, and were quickly setting a strong pace. I knew I was in the top 15 out the gate, chasing for a hole shot with our driver and chaperone Dave Collins, but had a hard time keeping focused on what/who I was passing and trading spots with.

I felt stronger on the second day, with mighty leaps and quick moves. I was hoping my teammate Paul and I could work together, but he had an unfortunate tubular roll in the first few laps and was out, back to the tent for  cheering and jeering. I needed the encouragement – my mom was even helping. apparently I do better under pressure.

I had a few grinding moments in the sand-pits, including one that had me pressing knee against a granite step while riding it out, but everything felt a bit smoother. in the end, I finished up 6th spot, much to my surprise, after a good battle with the fellow in 7th. Doug Brons caught some awesome photos of the race, and allowed me to dabble with this one:



again, the US scene makes it easy to stick around, have some beers and watch the pros. we did so, cheering teammate Nick Berry as well, and man, do I hope Vancouver CX starts to grow into what Seattle has going on...

another week, with a little training stint at the Gentlemans CX Race on Tuesday, and it was back to BC racing with the New Brighton CX Race put on by Westwood Cycling. with “real” CX weather in town, it was soggy, and a bit windy for the Cat ¾ callup. usual suspects were there, with Paul, Ross, Brett and David in the callup, as well as a new transplant from the US. nice size with 19 riders. the course was a slight variation on the previous years, with a few more turns on flat sections, but sill all the grassy off-camber that catches you off-guard and two sand pits almost equidistant on the course. 5 of us stuck together for the first two laps, with some Cat 4 riders in the holeshot off the front, but after riding the sand-pit in the first laps, the lead group was formed. Nigel, the US racer took a fast lead, with myself, Paul and Brett in pursuit, but he was off the front by a good amount. I raced with Paul and Brett at my back, gaining in the first ridden sand section on runners, but losing ground to Paul over the back stretch up to the second sand pit. I managed to tough it out into 2nd, but wasn’t feeling the pursuit of Nigel – will have to work on that next weekend at Vanier Park. There are some great shots by Joe Sales at Cyclocross Mag here: http://www.cxmagazine.com/2011-wedgewood-brighton-cyclocross-joe-sales-photo-gallery

hopefully I get a little rest in and a little spin to help the legs. and maybe I can convince the lady to race again if she’s got time!

OK, back to regular life for the rest of the week. more updates sooner. I almost promise.

Friday, September 2, 2011

bike check

it's been one fast august. too fast for some, just fine for those of us looking to pain cave that is fall cyclocross season.

work has been continuously hectic, but that's a no-brainer. take when the taking is good. Chessa's trip to the cabin in West Yellowstone helped her hone some skills on the new Brodie, while I spent a lot of time with the dogs. we finally did it right with a few Mighty CX Thursday rides from the 4th Ave shop before our beloved teammate and pro mechanic Meshkat left to greater things in Kelowna. and finally, the crush to prepare for this:

Langley Cross Classic


the first BC race of the season. I've had a hand in prepping the course on more than one occasion and Basse from Mighty Riders is a tirelessly evil course designer. the run up, the gravel, the flats over farmland, the switchbacks in the trees, the whole thing is designed to kill. and as the first race of the season, I think it easily wins for most taxing. better time than any to get the new tubs rolling.

in the interest of boasting about one's tools, I think the Guru is going to be one of the sickest machines in BC Cyclocross this year (at least Cat 3). I'm not sure I deserve to race something so amazing. to ensure I live up to the bike's obvious standards, I will be big ring racing the whole of this season. and to further the bicycle's own obvious ego, a gear check is in order:



Guru Cycles Sidero CX (so light, real steel)
Shimano 7800 Dura-Ace shifters, rear derailleur, Ultegra front derailleur (hot)
Ritchey Logic WCS Carbon Cross fork (best design on the market)
RaceFace NEXT sl carbon handlebars, setback seat-post (best seat-post, ever)
RaceFace Cadence cranks, bottom bracket
Crank Bros Egg Beater 3 (2009 version)
Fizik Arione CX (good for my bum)
Spooky Cyclocross Carbon Brakes
FSA RD-488 carbon tubular wheels (for traversing space time)
Tufo Flexus Primus 32mm tubular tires (for gripping, crushing)

And lets not forget footwear this year - my Sidi Dominators finally passed away after 3 long years of unkindness from commuting, racing and general wandering. They are now replaced with THESE SICK PUPPIES: Sidi Spiders - my favorite aspect being the replaceable tread. The kind folks of On The Rivet got me into a pair of them just in time for the season.

OK, enough flattering pictures and shiny links. it's time to drink beer and get mentally prepared for the weekend. Oh, and make sure my heart rate monitor is ready to go to 11.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

work.

By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.

~Robert Frost


for those of you that don't know, I'm a small business. me and myself. owner, operator, designer, manufacturing, sales, IT, logistics, accounting (poorly).


this makes life exciting and rewarding and busy. I enjoy what I do, and enjoy sharing it. but no matter how much you like your job, or your work, it will make you tired. and being tired doesn't lend well to doing more tiring things. sometimes, rather than consider a ride or race, I welcome the soft embrace of mindless Netflix watching like a baby latches onto a pacifier. downtime. I can has.

working for yourself can mean great flexibility in all things, from scheduling to location to appearance at work (5 days of the same pair of pants, covered in sawdust). some days you might work 4 hours, some 22. more often than not, it's in between, doing 8-10 hours at the shop or site and a few hours of computer work at home. I find it means you work more than you would on another person's schedule, mostly because you like it. it also means finding time to ride can be hard to muster when you're crunching deadlines or burning the midnight oil. that fatigue alone makes it hard to be motivated to get back on the saddle. it would be harder, I think, if I didn't have to ride a bike to do my work.

I don't commute for 40 minutes in one direction, nor have consistent route, but (I like to pretend) the boon to my CX training is the constant variation. the daily ride is a cargo track bike, the KHS Flite 100 t/rack with a custom Vallie Components front rack and a Burly Cargo trailer for heavier loads. it keeps me healthy. or strained. but they feel similar, I think.


changing job sites for woodwork installations, and varied dog walking schedules (Bison and Bear need love too) keep me running to and from my house and wood shop in various directions every day. HTFU is the mantra, as 15 minutes is the desired commute time so that an hour lunch break has 30 minutes of dogwalking/eating before the next 15 minutes back to work. I rest on days that Chessa is anywhere near the house to walk the dogs, as her commute from UBC would be much more irritating than mine.

more than an hour a day of commuting, however, doesn't hold a candle to actual riding, and I need to find more balance. hauling lumber is great strength training, but doesn't hone my skills or endurance. any time on the bike is a blessing, albeit in disguise at times, and sometimes I just need to relish the freedom and opportunity.

we are entering the final training month for CX before the racing begins. the weekend riding has been fairly consistent and long (another 150km ride this past Sunday with Mighty was great). weekday CX rides are going to pick up and hopefully I'll get in some trails to refine my twisty turns.

OK. into the wild we go.


Saturday, July 2, 2011

LILLOOET


alright - in the interest of saving energy - I'm forwarding. I wrote a post at the Mighty Riders blog, which also piggybacked on the blog that Chessa wrote about our Lillooet trip. I think of it as "blog drafting". I'm attacking on the climb, surging ahead where I can.

also in the interest of saving more energy, I'm upgrading parts. I just got these beauties:


needless to say, I'm excited. they've been proven by the powerhouses of KONA/FSA , and I do like the bits of FSA I've used. my wonderful friends Heidi and Jermaine helped facilitate. these are going to have these radical TUFOs on them soon: http://www.tufonorthamerica.com/tires/elite.php?seriesid=9

now the training continues.

Friday, June 17, 2011

the distance

I'm no randonneur, and a might bit unseasoned for the challenge I put myself up to last weekend. but sometimes you just need to grin and bear it. listening to the Jens Voigt Sound Board helps.

the plan had been simple enough - visit family and friends in Seattle, WA, drink copious amounts of alcohol, drink equal parts coffee, ride back to Vancouver, BC. 250 KM in one day. the most I've ever done in one go.

I took a small bag, a worn out pair of shoes, cutoffs, Mighty kit, appropriate cycling accessories and the Lynskey R340, hopped into my friends truck for the ride down and hoped it wouldn't rain.

a recent acquaintance from Montreal had expressed interest in joining me on the trip. he showed up on Friday night, in Seattle, having ridden the distance down from Van with no phone, no idea where he was ending up, and only his Garmin 705 (oh man do I want one) and a bag that was way too packed full of crap. he was forced to spend time with me and my old chums at a going away party whilst wanting to sleep/lie down/eat.

my glorious friends Heidi and Jermaine put us up in their home on Capital Hill. we hung out (drank) all Saturday and my parents took me on a quick trip to REI to stock up on provisions for the ride. I think I ate every kind of energy bar available, from Naked to Cliff to Lara Bar to whatever. I am, however, addicted to these Picky Bars that Chessa gave me. such is the fickle cyclist. I wish beer was more compact and hydrating.



Sunday arrived after a night of mysteries (I mean, something happened, but I can't be sure what). I believe drinks were forced into the past tense. Someone would need to verify.

after a hearty breakfast at Glo's, we saddled up, Colin on an amazing modified Nagasawa with couplers put in by a friend in Montreal, and his Garmin pointing the way North. (and his big ass bag facing south)



I'll summarize now, as the post lengthens. I wanted to vomit. for about 8 hours. I think I coughed up the sawdust that was hiding in my lungs. if it weren't for Colin, my pace would have been about 17 KM an hour. It would have taken me 2 days.

my friend Jermaine joined us during the first two hours as we traveled through Seattle to Shoreline along odd roads and parts I'd never ventured to for lack of need. the trip to Everett involved pawn shops, gun stores, liquor stores and strange espresso stands that seemed to be more concerned with the breast size of the baristas than the quality of the coffee. Jermaine had to head back as the road was getting weird and he wanted to make sure he knew a route home. and he helped with our only flat.



at that point the road (Old Hwy 99, for the mostpart) started to open up to nice views. we stopped for greasy mexican food at the 1/3 mark, picked up and rolled again, stopping for a bit of coffee and water every time I thought the fever might get worse. Colin was far too understanding, and I did manage to lose my voice a bit to really get the concept of my sickness across.

taking Chuckanut Drive was a genius idea, as the quick hills and rollers really helped to get my busted ass out of the saddle. The 2/3 point was actually where I felt the best, perhaps I was losing my mind. euphoric might be an appropriate word. I believe most of my thoughts went "go go go" and "you won't remember this". funny, since I don't.

the border guards though we were stupid, or crazy, and couldn't seem to get it that we weren't carrying any booze (where would I have room?) though I wish I had picked up some of this stuff.

the last leg, through Surrey, Burnaby and Vancouver involved the most climbing and had to drop our average speed.

all told the trip took 11 hours, 8.5 hours on the bike, with a rolling average of 28.6 KM/H for 246 KM. not bad.



it took me a week to recover, though I'll definitely blame the cold I picked up for some of that. the legs, however, still feel rough and gritty, like a drivetrain after winter training. and my undercarriage has stopped cringing at the prospect of straddling the Arione, much less any saddle. good thing we've got more riding planned in Lillooet next weekend!

Monday, June 6, 2011

sprung.

road riding.

the sun arrived and I finally got the Lynskey out for more than a half weekend of fun. granted, I take the "good bike" out for trips to the grocery store sometimes, but it's been actual, sunny, riding this weekend.

this year was technically (more like theoretically) supposed to be my year of road racing. I had a plan, I had some desire, but I had no follow through. apparently, I keep it all for cyclocross. the rest of the year is hibernation.

I did a good bit of winter training, trying to keep up on my Mighty rides, not to mention our awesome Lilooet training ride (blam). this only translated to one road race during spring series at Bradner.



now, road racing may not be what I dig at, but I do like the crits. it's like the crappiest part of a cyclocross race (the flat, dry parts). but pair that with a good thursday park ride, and it's game on.

I hope to keep up the crit action, and see about doing at least one more road race before the CX season begins. and by the CX season, I mean the REAL season.