Okay - Now I'm a bit PISSED!

Dave brought something to my attention the other day with this post:

http://benjacat.blogspot.com/2007/12/bout-that-240.html



While the Bicycle Commuter Act (HR 807) was included as part of the Energy Bill sent to the Senate, it was stripped from the bill along with several other "green initiatives" and " all tax provisions in the bill".

Below here is a link to a transcript of Ohio Representative (and House minority leader) John Boehner's prior remarks about the bill.

From: http://republicanleader.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=80156



"... This is not what the American people want their money to go to.

"And although this is not an earmark, what I really liked in the bill was the $240 tax credit that we are going to provide every 15 months for people who regularly ride their bike to work for the purchase repair or storage of their bicycle. Now, amongst us, I know there's one of my colleagues that would probably benefit from this. I hope he's going to recuse himself when we vote.

"This is not going to solve America's energy problem. I think we ought to get serious as a country about energy independence and saving our future and the future for our kids. But while we are here dealing with this bill that doesn't frankly do much and will not solve our problem, think about what we haven't done. ..."


From: http://www.roadbikerider.com/currentissue.htm#shorts

Good news / bad news. The League of American Bicyclists reports that the Bicycle Commuter Act was included in the Comprehensive House Energy Bill on Dec. 6. Among other things, the act would give a tax credit to people who commute to work by bike. The idea is to offset costs associated with commuting (maintenance, repairs, bike storage) so more people will be encouraged to get out of cars and onto bicycles. Unfortunately, LAB reports, the Senate has seen fit to throw out all tax provisions in the bill. Hope remains, though, because that action will be reconsidered during a committee meeting. If you're a voter in Ohio or Washington, you may want to read what LAB terms "unfortunate remarks" about bike commuting by John Boehner (R-OH) and Doc Hastings (R-WA). They're highlighted in a PDF prepared by the League from the House debate: http://tinyurl.com/24w9l9

From: http://bikeportland.org/2007/12/14/bike-commuter-benefit-does-not-survive-senate-vote-on-energy-bill/ (at the bottom)

...
Here's a little bonus audio from Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) taking a pot-shot at the bike commuter provision of the "Pork laden" Energy Bill. (I recorded this from a YouTube video of comments he made on the House Floor on December 6th.)

From: http://www.bikedenver.org/news/bad-news-from-congress/

Sat 15 Dec 2007
Bad News from Congress
Posted by Bicycle Maniac under News


I normally don't do polemics, but my blood is about to boil in watching our not so good friend in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, trash the Bike Commuter Act (which was successfully stripped out of the transportation bill). Here, watch for yourself.

What Boehner doesn't mention is that right now, drivers get a deduction of up to $2580 per year, funded by you, the taxpayer, so that they can park their cars at work. In that context, a $240 per year deduction for people who choose to bike not only seems like the least we could do, IT STILL SEEMS GROSSLY UNFAIR. My favorite quote, "this isn't going to solve our energy crisis…" Great point John, so why do anything at all? If the opposite of Pro is Con, then is Congress the opposite of Progress? I think in John Boehner's case, Yes.

Proper Trainer Setup

I can think of someone who can really use this advice. Too bad it doesn't go into detail about how to ASSEMBLE the trainer. ;)

CX growth

It's good to see growth in the sport, but there are some very good concerns in this well thought up write up on Until the Snow Ends.

Update: Here is a video on YouTube which shows the mayhem in the same section of the course where Trebon was taken out, only it shows the first lap.

Now that's the Christmas Spirit!

Saw this over at the Avoid da Bummer Life Blog...






I know they have "Christmas down in Africa" and all, but I think Twisted Sister can bring light to the season in a way that Toto just can't ;)

brrrrrr

Well, instead of getting a ride in on Fri or Sat, we waited 'till today to break out the bikes and hit the road. Timed it almost perfectly in that we were 2 miles from the car when it began to snow hard. We're talking white out too.

A quick meal at the Winking Lizard and coffee at Starbucks was just the ticket for warming up!

Everyone have a safe, wonderful, and Happy Holidays!

TAG - Consider yourself warned!

I got tagged by Tri Eric the other day. This requires me to post 5 random things about myself and to tag 5 other people. After a long while of meaningful reflection (and procrastination), I've come up with the following:

1. I'm really a country boy at heart: grew up working on my uncles' dairy farm; took four years of Vo-Ag in high school; was an active 4-H & FFA member (and president).


2. I've always been competitive after I began running track and cross country in junior high.


3. I would consider myself a jack of all trades and understand that I'm really master of none (which is ok).


4. I like a variety of music, but I'm a closet '80s fan and my favorite band is Def Leppard.


5. I consider my Grandpa as the biggest influence in my life; he's given my family and me so much over the years that I can never thank him enough.

The 5 lucky tagees are:

1. Brett


2. Brooke


3. Donny


4. John


5. Shawn

Race stats

John E posted a link to an excellent map of last Sunday's race at the top of his blog entry. I figured I'd oblige and post some stats to go along with the grueling laps. A picture is worth 1000 words.

Boughton Farms mudfest!

Racing at Boughton Farms always brings variety. The final two races last year were case in point. The first race on 11/26/06 had beautiful weather with a high of 64*. While the following week the course was muddy with some snow, and the temp was freezing causing lots of problems with derailleurs. Sunday's weather was in the low 40's with a bitter wind. While it wasn't raining for the race, there was mud-a-plenty from the rain earlier.

The 'B' race lined up on the lane leading to the first long field crossing. The lane and path through the field was somewhat narrow, and we were lined up several rows deep (with me being toward the back). After the start, I was right on John Bodell's wheel and as we picked up speed I encouraged him to push it as the group started to string out. Once we made the right hand turn into the field, I was able to start getting around people. I pushed it hard for the first 500ft or so and then I started to settle in just a little. As 1 or 2 people came around me toward the end of the 1000ft field crossing, I knew I had to get back on the gas and keep pushing.

After the 90* right at the end of the field, I could see that gaps were starting to form up ahead with one large group still at the front. I really picked it up here to get back on the lead pack. As we made a right-left-right jog down and up a small rise, I picked off some more people. I yelled to Rick that we've got to catch on that group as I came up on him.

A quick left led us onto the grass which would take us all the way back to the woods. I think I passed Rick at this point and maybe another rider or two. Turning right through the woods, I'm not sure if the lead group had shed some riders, but I came up on a few riders. Exiting the woods and hitting a short rise we started jockeying for position. A couple of riders got off the front including Ed Delgros and I think I passed Julie at this point.

The right turn around the field to lead back toward the farm took us up a long muddy incline that just seemed to sap every ounce of energy in order to get passed it. Over the top I was able to downshift and get some speed going. Going through the first quick section of single track, we headed back near the S/F and then made another right around the corner of the field to take us back to the woods.

The lane we were riding down was muddy, but it had some packed soil beneath the mud. The real factor in this section, however, was the headwind which was probably 15mph. I can't remember if I had someone in front of me at this point, or if I was on my own.

Wrapping through the woods and then heading back toward the farm took us though some quick rises and 3 quick sections of singletrack. I made good time through these, even though they were rutted with mud and had tight turns. I was pushing pretty good because I knew I had chasers and I could see Ed Delgros up ahead, but with a pretty good gap.

Through the first set of barriers and out up a grassy lane there was a 180* switchback across a quick rise and then leading slightly down to a really muddy right hand turn. We then wrapped left around the oil well, over a 2nd set of barriers, through some more sloppy mud and up a small incline to cross the start/finish line. Hopefully you can tell by my description that the lap was long and painful. Only 3 more to go! Ugh.

Crossing the field for the 2nd time, I finally managed to close the gap to Ed. I wanted to stay on his wheel at this point because he usually finishes ahead of me and through the long grass stretch back to the woods there was a headwind which was blocked a little by the trees. I also didn't want to push the pace against him and have him chase me, because he was racing Master's and I wanted to give Rick a better chance of catching him/us.

I had to fight hard up the muddy incline to stay with Ed, who had gapped me just a bit by the time we got over the crest. I could have passed him on the downhill, but I still wanted to hang on his wheel for the reasons mentioned before. When we hit the single track, Ed slid out and fell. There was no way I could pass him at this point because it was too narrow. He recovered quickly and we continued. Going back toward the woods, I was RIGHT on Ed's wheel through the wind. I really had to work not to bump his wheel, I was so close.

Going turning out of the woods I could see that Rick was back there, but I wasn't gaining any ground. Through the first technical section of single track, Ed went down again. Again it was too narrow here to get by and I hoped that Rick was getting closer. As we came to a lapped 'C' rider in another section of singletrack, I yelled up to warn him we were approaching as it would be tight. Just as we were passing the junior who had pulled off on the left, Ed washed out and fell to the right. I made a quick decision to split between the junior and Ed's bike before he had a chance to get up, and it worked well.

Once past Ed, I hit it hard to drop him. Past the barriers and switchback, I could see that I had a pretty good gap, but it wasn't what I wanted it to be. Rick was still a ways back from Ed and there was another rider who was gaining on us from behind. Past the S/F, I worked hard through the field, but my reserves were getting a little low. To borrow a line from Ray's blog, I at this point hit a small pothole sized 'puddle and somehow fell right over going in a straight line.' It was seriously like I was JRA and all of a sudden my handlebars were plowing through the mud! I got up with the bike and was a little shaken, but I knew I was losing/lost precious time. I didn't look back at all, but started running with the bike, built my speed, and remounted from the right just before the end of the field.

Through the grass back to the woods and then around the corner of the field, the ascent again took its toll on me. I had caught glimpses of my chasers and could hear them on my wheel up the gradual climb. When the first rider passed I said 'good job', but I didn't recognize the kit. The 2nd chaser, Ed, also came around me, but he didn't push it in the descent and let a gap form between us and the other rider.

I was content to stay on Ed's wheel as it had worked OK for me. He went through the quick section of single track OK and I stayed right on him through the long windy section. In the woods he had a little problem on a wrap around left turn heading up a hill. I had the outside line and with him stalling on the inside, I gassed hard in order to shake him. I could see that I was gapping him and at the same time pulling that much closer to the rider in front of me.

Through the first set of barriers and at the switchback, Donny was eagerly cheering me on and yelling 'Get Julie'. Then it clicked, that it was Julie Lewis in front of me. Passing the S/F, I was thankful when they announced one lap to go! But, I had my work cut out for me, since Julie is a strong rider.

I slowly decreased the gap to Julie all the way back to through the woods, where she still had a couple hundred feet on me. I could also see that she was gaining on another rider, who ran up the long rise instead of riding it. Maybe I could catch both of them! This thought was very short lived as I struggled to make it past the muddy rise for the final time. Julie seemed to have doubled her gap by the time I made it over the peak.

Out of the singletrack, Sadie was yelling for me to go get Julie. I knew it would be hard with the windy lane coming up, but I'd give it my best shot. If I could have only gotten to Julie's wheel before the straight... I grunted it out and slowly the gap was decreasing. Coming out of the woods, it was back down to a couple hundred feet.

I could see Julie running one section of single track ahead, and knew I could make up ground to her. I kept good lines although I was unclipping my right foot a lot, which would cause my calf to really cramp up. Through the last section of single track, I hit the 'center of a bump and slid off' as Ray refers. But I slid off to the left and into the trees! I managed to stay upright and cut back to my right to the parallel trail. More time lost.

Onto the grass, I could see Julie all the way up at the first set of barriers heaving her bike over them. I gave chase and wasn't making up ground quickly on her, but time was quickly running out. Julie looked slow through the 2nd set of barriers and I knew I could make up time there, but the finish was only 100 yards from there.

I took the barriers and remounted as quick as I could. I then stood on the pedals and hit it as hard as I could, dropping gears as I went. It seemed to take forever to get to Julie and to the finish line, but when I looked down my wheel was a meer 6 inches in front of hers. The finish wasn't really well marked, as original start line in the mud was pretty much gone.

I rode through the finish and didn't stop for 50 feet or so. I didn't know for sure that I'd gotten Julie until I visited the scorers table a while later to warm up in the greenhouse. They had me down for 9th place (again!). This makes the 4th out of 5 races where I've finished 9th, which is a great improvement for me over last year.

Congrat's to everyone a great races. Drew Bercaw scored his first win in the 'B' race series after a strong race. Sadie Deckard continued to dominate the 'C' Women's race. She missed riding her singlespeed and forgot to shift from her 50t front ring to her 34t ring for the whole race. Rick Adams grabbed another 2nd place in the 'B' Masters. John Ehrlinger and Dave Steiner both had great results in the 'A' Masters and 'A' race respectively.


Results have been posted on Team Lake Effect's website.

Pics posted

Pics from the Boughton Farm 'A' race have been posted in this set on Flickr.

Dave S. has some great pics of the 'B' & 'C' races posted here.

I hope to have my race report up soon; before I forget vital details.

Finally! A way to get my upgrade

I shouldn't be advertising this and just keep it a secret for myself, but I've finally found a way to dramatically increase my CX standings:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330193492270

I've got to hurry though, the auction ends Dec-04-07 11:47:29 PST. It looks like a sure thing too, as the seller does a good job of responding to any questions!


UPDATE:

It looks like I'm not the first one to the party after all. But if I can get my hands on these points, I might be inclined to share them with others in need, or to resell them to the highest bidder!

2007-11-24 BA CX#3 Broadview Hts

Dirty Bikes!,
originally uploaded by gburkhol.

This Saturday's CX race was true to tradition for the Fields. Snow started in the evening on Thanksgiving and by Friday morning there were a couple of inches on the ground. Sadie and I wanted to pre-ride the course on Friday; but first a trip to Bike Authority was in order to pick up a new CX bike. Sadie's RedLine track bike wouldn't have the tire clearance to handle the snow, ice, and mud buildup. The last of the '07 bikes are priced to move at BA. Shawn got Sadie setup with a shorter stem and took off the extra brake levers. He also said that Rudy and team were down setting up the course, which would be run in reverse from last week.


Come Saturday, some of the snow had melted, but this had just made more MUD to bog down in. Luckily, reversing the course meant that we would be riding down the sled hill which had been a tough run up last week. The other big difference was the gravel descent which led to a small bridge and up a steady gravel climb on the other side.

The Start/Finish was near the top parking lot and the course lead quickly into the single track at this point. I didn't get a good position at the line, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway as I chose too high of a gear and spun/got bogged down in the mud. Once I got moving, I was able to build good momentum and move from near last place to the top 15 by the first turn. I was able to pick off a couple more people before we got to the single track, but at this point passing wasn't really possible.

I did manage to pick up a place or 2 in the woods and then caught another rider on the gravel climb. Surprisingly, I caught Cameron Jackson right before going between the two baseball fields and down the hill. The rest of the race was jostling back and forth for position between me, Jack Turner, and a rider from Team Awesome. Tony Marut had flatted so we ended up catching him with 2 laps to go, but he wasted no time coming back and overtaking the 3 of us.

The loop from the parking lot around the soccer field and back to the lot was really bogging me down and taking it's toll. When a attack came here leading into the last lap, I didn't respond in time and got gapped. I maintained position from here to the finish and grabbed another 9th place finish.

Pics of the 'A' Race are posted here.

What coulda been...

Pics from both the Broadview races in 2005. Right now, it looks like the weather will be good for this Saturday's race.

Hopefully Copley's will be good too.

(Although I'm certain it won't be in the 60's like it was last year)

2007-11-18 BA CX#3 Broadview Hts

Sunday's Bike Authority CX race was one of the best course designs I'd ridden on and the best I'd ever finished (9th) at The Fields in Broadview Heights. The weather was perfect for CX; far and above the snow and slop we raced thru in 2005. The innovative Cannondale "C" on the descent provided a great challenge and good amusement for those watching from the far hill.

Having made the mistake of not typing something up right after I raced, I don't remember much. But several other racers have posted their accounts (leave a comment if you have a blog you'd like me to link to):

Rick, John, Ray, Brett, Ernesto, Robert, Bill, Shawn, Julie, and Drew (who has an AWESOME video of the start of the 'B' race)

I on the other hand will give a photographic account of the 'A' race on Flickr.

John before the finish with the Cannondale "C" in the distance.

Getting some miles in

I was able to take Monday off and get 53 quality miles in with Sadie on the towpath. The weather looked a little iffy at first and throughout the day. We got started in the early afternoon, and missed the brief down pour just before unloading the bikes in the parking lot. There were a couple of other quick showers, one of which we stopped for under a bridge, but we pretty much stayed dry all the way to Akron.

The towpath had been extended about 1/4 mile further south and you could see where they are currently working on extending it further (within view of the First Energy building). Turning around, we had a slight tail wind and the towpath is downhill going north. Right before we got back to the car, there was a steady light rain for the last mile or so. Just enough for us to know we were pretty lucky to stay dry as long as we did.

Rick was bummed that we didn't drag him out (he's not a fan of the towpath). But he had his revenge yesterday; see the following link:

http://web.mac.com/blwmiller/iWeb/Brooke%20Miller%27s%20Official%20Cycling%20Site/Blog/CAC0904B-FAFE-4AF8-AF14-EA979F98F1A8.html

SPIN CX results are up:

Click here for the results of the Spin CX race:

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dt95m24_51gzv6zm&pli=1

SPIN - Cross your Heart and hope to DIE

John E. and Dave S.,
originally uploaded by gburkhol.

Today's cyclocross race was put on by Spin in Willoughby, OH. I got conned by Mehul into doing the A race since only 2 other people had signed up at the time and they were paying out 10 deep. The final field ended up being about 20 guys. Had I raced the B race, I probably would have had a pretty good chance at placing, since there were only about 5 guys who weren't racing masters.

The race turned out to be a bust for me, since I flatted less than 1/4 mile into the 2nd lap of the 1.8 mile course. The spot where I flatted also claimed Paul Martin on the first lap and Brett Davis around the 4th or 5th lap. It was a dip perpendicular to the course which had gotten muddy and rutted up as the day went on. I had run the spot on the first lap, but tried riding it on lap 2. When my wheel went into the mud, I felt a solid bump and heard hissing. I thought I had pinch flatted at first. I was running a Tufo Elite LPS tubular clincher on the front at about 38 psi. I really didn't think I had hit hard enough to pinch flat, and it turned out that I hadn't. Upon checking the tire there was a 1/2 inch long cut which was at about a 45* angle to the tread. Chalk up another $60 tire tragedy this year.

There were 2 bright sides to flatting though: I avoided the utter PAIN of doing what turned out to be about an hour and 15 minute race for some people, and I was able to take some decent pics of the A race. Pics are posted HERE Needless to say, when Rick saw that I wasn't racing he wasn't too pleased. I had talked him into doing the A race...

I'll give a short description of the course, but I'm thinking John, Ray, or Rick will go into more detail. The start was on pavement, continued up a wide sidewalk, through the parking lot, and to the spot where I flatted. After the dip, there was a run-up with 4 switch backs taking you up and down the side of a hill. The turns were off camber and the climbs didn't have much traction, so several people were running this part.

Then after shooting down you hit a short steep pop over a roadway and around a off camber turn where you had to avoid going into the reeds. Ride out on the grass and switch back along the edge of a gravel parking lot. A well banked turn and a few more turns snaked you through the parking lots down a paved path and back onto the grass. There was a few tight turns and switch backs along the river and a 3 foot high log dismount, which one guy on a MTB was able to bunny. A uphill switchback and then some more turns taking you into a straight stretch with a double barrier leading to the pit area.

After the pit was a few wrapping turns back and forth around some trees. There was a turn around a ball field and a quick switch back and another hard right turn. At this point you could finally open up in the grass for a few hundred feet. Making a couple of sweeping turns brought you up to a point where you rode a little ways up the hill and then had a really off camber switchback across and then down the hill.

Ride out and turn around a light pole and then ride back to the hill. This time you get to go all the way straight up the hill for about 100 feet. There was a barrier 20 feet up the hill to force you to dismount, not like riding this hill was even possible. There was barely enough traction to run up it, and it was STEEP. At the top, you turned right and then right again to remount and plummet down the hill going at least 20mph. 40-50 feet after the bottom there was a switch back on the edge of a ball diamond which was muddy, rutted, and slick. You had to practically lock your brakes up to be able to slow enough from the descent to make the turn.

After the turn, there was a stretch of grass and then a quick jog up a rise, where the traction was a little sketchy. Ride along the top, cut around a pine tree, go down around the fence, to get to another 'S' turn leading onto another muddy ball diamond. Cross behind home plate and keep your momentum from carrying you into the fence while you turned right. You then got to circle to the left past the fence and ride through a picnic shelter where some cool tunes where playin. At this point you were on the pavement which took you past the wheel pit again and through the start/finish.

I hope I painted a nice visual of the pain that this course dealt to those who got to do a complete race on it today. The pics over at Flickr will show you what I mean. Snakebite had a really good showing today with all of our racers doing the A race and with John E claiming 10th place for the final money spot. Awards took place afterwards at the Willoughby brewing company in true CX fashion. Kudos to Greg and the guys from Spin on putting on a great race!

.

New and Improved BIKEAUTHORITY.COM

Be sure to browse over to the new Bike Authority website at http://www.bikeauthority.com The graphics and layout are great and much better than other sites that I've seen. There are also some awesome deals on '07 bikes from C'dale and Cervelo HERE



Also, this is the LAST DAY that you can vote for Bike Authority on Cleveland's Best Businesses Fox 8 Hot List:

http://myfoxcleveland.cityvoter.com/details.aspx?business=24464

You can view all the rave reviews here

UPDATE: The Current Standings are now secret for the final days of voting.

Will Supermice mean Supermen?

Check out this article on some of the latest resarch from Case Western Reserve University:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=220&objectid=10473819&ref=rss

Excerpts from the article where CWRU professor of biochemistry, Richard Hanson, describes the "supermouse":

"They are metabolically similar to Lance Armstrong biking up the Pyrenees. They utilise mainly fatty acids for energy and produce very little lactic acid. They are not eating or drinking and yet they can run for four or five hours. They are 10 times more active than ordinary mice in their home cage. They also live longer - up to three years - and are reproductively active for almost three years. In short, they are remarkable animals.

"On the downside, they eat twice as much as control mice, but they are half the weight, and are very aggressive. Why this is the case, we are not really sure."

"We humans have exactly the same gene. But this is not something that you'd do to a human. It's completely wrong. We do not think that this mouse model is an appropriate model for human gene therapy. It is not possible to introduce genes into the skeletal muscles of humans and it would not be ethical to even try."

Hanson acknowledged it would be possible that athletes could abuse any future drug developed using these findings.

Looks like Dr. EPO has some professional competition.

;)

Wish me luck...

Tracking Number: 109xxx
Request Date: 11-07-07
Status: Open and Pending Approval
Member: Gary B.
Request Type: Cat Chg-
Assigned To: Jeff Aufdencamp
Description: xxxxxx - 2007-11-07 19:11
Member: Gary B.
License: Road Racer
Request to change category from Cat 4 to Cat 3

Member Explanation/Resume:
Date - Event - Location - Type - Category - Results - Field - size - Permit#

9/25/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race field approx 30
9/18/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race field approx 30
9/11/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race field approx 30
9/9/2007 Freewheeler Fall Challenge Peninsula, OH USCF RR Cat 4/5 11th place approx 20 2007-1823
8/28/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race field approx 40
8/21/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race field approx 40
8/14/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race field approx 40
7/21/2007 Troy Classic on the Square Troy, OH USCF Crit Cat 4 DNF approx 35 2007-1692
7/7/2007 Ohio State RR Championships Danville, OH USCF RR Cat 4 4th place field 26 2007-283
7/3/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race 4th place approx 20
7/4/2007 Twin Sizzler Medina, OH RR Elite 34 under field approx 45
6/26/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race DNF approx 40
6/12/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "A" Race field approx 30
5/29/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "B" Race 4th place approx 25
5/20/2007 Chippewa Creek RR Brecksville, OH ABR RR Cat 4 13th place field 29
5/12/2007 RATL Series #4 Munroe Falls, OH USCF Crit Cat 4 1st place approx 30 2007-440
5/8/2007 2007 Westlake Race Series Westlake, OH Training Crit "B" Race 5th place approx 25
5/5/2007 RATL Series #3 Munroe Falls, OH USCF Crit Cat 4 field approx 30 2007-440
4/29/2007 Team Akron Spring Race Series Akron, OH USCF RR Cat 4/5 3rd place approx 30 2007-885
4/22/2007 Team Akron Spring Race Series Akron, OH USCF RR Cat 4/5 field approx 30 2007-885
4/21/2007 RATL Series #1 Munroe Falls, OH USCF Crit Cat 4 field approx 30 2007-440

Final hours of the Fox 8 Hot list

Time is running out to vote for Bike Authority on Cleveland's Best Businesses Fox 8 Hot List:

http://myfoxcleveland.cityvoter.com/details.aspx?business=24464

You can view all the rave reviews here

UPDATE: The Current Standings are now secret for the final days of voting. Ahhh the SUSPENSE...



On a different note, I'm almost fully recovered from Liz's hardcore Spin class at the Omni in Middleburg Hts. I did several of her classes last winter along with ones taught by Tom Keller at Progressive Ins. Lets just say that I will need to take 2 x 28oz water bottles to her class, since I sweated what felt like at least 3lbs when picking up my wet clothes. Classes are Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30pm. SPD cleats will work on many of the bikes. And remember 'more turn' = 'more burn'.

Halloween Costumes for Cyclists

Michelle one of SBR's multi-sport powerhouses passed on the following email to me today. I know Donny will get a kick out of the Doping Cyclist costume.

It's pretty sad if this is indeed the case, but I think that a filter on the Yahoo newsgroup or a different email system replaced word 'cocked' below with '****ed'.

"Wear a bike helmet backwards and ****ed
to one side."



-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Holloway dickholloway (at) gmail.com
To: TeamUSA@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 12:54 pm
Subject: [TeamUSA] Late, but still funny.

Halloween Costumes for Cyclists Not sure what to wear for Halloween?
This article, passed along by a good roadie friend, will solve your dilemma.
There's even a helpful tip specifically for triathletes.

8 Halloween costumes for cyclists

As a cyclist, you are much, much better equipped for Halloween than the
average person. Why? Because you already wear outrageous costumes on a
daily basis.

Think about it. Even though you are a (presumably) sane adult, you wear
a shirt that would look much more at home on a superhero. You wear
shorts that are much, much too tight, as if you were on your way to lead
a jazzercize class. You wear a hat that belongs on an alien.
And, to top the whole look off, you wear what sound and look like
tap-dancing shoes.

It's no wonder, then, that cyclists tend to be pretty lazy about
dressing up for Halloween parties. Instead of putting time and money
into it, you just show up in the outfit you rode to the party in. Hey,
why not? A little sweat completes the effect, right?

What you don't realize, though, is that all your friends, family and
co-workers are rolling their eyes at your lack of imagination. "There
goes Tim," they say, "pretending again that his cycling outfit is a
Halloween costume."

It doesn't have to be that way, my friend.
By spending just a few extra minutes, you can alter your cycling outfit
for the evening, making it so you're not just "a cyclist" at the party,
but a very particular sort of cyclist. Simply follow these easy
instructions.

Doping Cyclist Dress up in full pro kit. Use a marker to draw needle
tracks up and down one arm. Tie a length of surgical tubing above one
elbow and leave a syringe sticking out of your vein. Wheel around an IV
tower for the duration of the party. Stuff your jersey pockets with
bottles of drugs. When anyone asks what / who you are, respond that you
are a professional cyclist. When they ask what all the needles and drugs
are for, say you have no idea what they're talking about. No matter
what, do not admit you have any drug-related items on hand.

Mountain Biker (If You're normally a Roadie): Prepare for the party by
gaining 10Kg and getting 20-30 tattoos. Wear baggy pants -- baggy enough
that they keep falling down. Arrive drunk at the party and continue to
drink once you get there. Insist you have mad skillz.

Roadie (If You're normally a Mountain Biker): Prepare for the party by
putting a stick in your butt. Wear uncomfortably tight cycling clothes
for the party, drink nothing put thrice-filtered water and tell everyone
exactly how many calories and fat everything they're eating contains.

Triathlete: Don't come to the party, because you've only done four
workouts today and still need to get in one more and you don't want to
break training, no matter what.

Recumbent Rider: Tape your glasses together, somehow manage to affix a
pocket protector to your jersey, and loudly and insistently explain to
all and sundry that recumbents are really much more comfortable and
practical than "wedge" bikes. Talk a lot about prostates.

Recreational Cyclist: Wear street clothes with your right pant leg cuff
completely greasy and shredded. Wear a bike helmet backwards and ****ed
to one side. Tell people that you're starting to bike again to get back
in shape.

Commuter: Wear street clothes, but carry a backpack or messenger bag
full of what are clearly stinky bike clothes the entire evening. Make
your helmet hair extremely obvious. Keep looking for opportunities to
casually introduce the fact that you are a bike commuter into every
single conversation in which you participate.

Fixie / Track Cyclist: Dress the same as a road cyclist, but you must
always either keep walking or -- if you must stay in one place -- you
must trackstand by moving a couple inches forward, then back, then
forward and back again.

Dick Holloway




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Bummer - DST

I just realized last night that the time change is going to mean sunset is coming an hour earlier. For some reason I thought that we were going to gain almost an hour of riding time after the DST change this Sunday. Bummer. Time to charge up my LightInMotion. I also might see what kind of deal Solo Goat would give me on some of his used lighting equipment here.


On a different racing front, there's good news in Formula 1. They're going Green:

http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/news/2007/11/formula_one

OrrvilleCross #3

This Sunday was cooler, but it was perfect Cross weather. I made it down to OrrvilleCross for the 3rd race of the series. The course was short and fast. Ray has an excellent description of it on his blog.

I managed to get good starting position in the front row on the far left. I had commented to a Stark Velo rider, J. Leaman I think, that I was surprised he wasn't in the big ring for the start (we had about 50-75 yards of pavement). At the start, he took of HARD and got the hole-shot with me right on his wheel. Tony Marut just managed to stay upright in the start, but really came close to losing it for some reason.

I kept a steep pace for about the first 1/4 - 1/3 of the lap, where I let Tony around me into 2nd place. I held 3rd for a bit, but I soon let some more riders around in the long pavement parking lot section.

I was really starting to hurt early into the 2nd lap. I don't think I'd gotten a good enough warm up in. As I was falling back slightly, I looked back and saw Julie and Pat Miranda starting to gain on me.

At this point, I noticed that I was gaining on the Stark Velo rider who had fallen off of the 2 Orrville riders in front of us. I made a move to get up onto his wheel, at which point he sped up and we worked our way up to the Orrville riders. From here it was a shuffle of positions for the next lap or two.

After a while one of the Orrville riders fell off and it was just the 3 of us. We had kept and increased a large gap on the riders behind us. Through the barriers with 3 laps to go, I got a good deal ahead of the other two. This was good, since there was a strong headwind at this point, but I wasn't thinking I could maintain and increase my gap at this point. The SV rider looked like he had caught up to me as we came to the corner to turn out of the head wind. I was going to say something to him about working away from the Orrville guy, but he must have done too much work to get up to me because he fell off hard as I picked it up.

When I saw that I'd started to get a gap, I hit it harder. Starting the 2nd to last lap, I had a substantial gap. I worked to increase/hold it on the 2nd to last lap, but was more concerned about not making any errors or loosing time.

The bell lap came and there was really no one close in front or behind me. More consistent riding had me finishing out in 4th place overall. The course was 1.4 miles and I maintained a solid 13 - 13.5mph pace turning laps at +/- 6:10min per lap.

Results:

http://orrvillecycling.com/OrrvilleCross.php#results

CX practice

We had a fun and productive CX practice last night at Edgewater. Since there was less daylight, we got started on the practice lap promptly at 6:15, but with sunset at around 6:31 we were barely able to get 1/2 an hour of good riding in. Hopefully the start time will get pushed up just a hair for next week, and then the time change on 11/4 will give us a extra hour of CX pleasure.

The course was short and quick this week. No run-ups on the monster hill by the lake and no single track. There was pavement galore spread out over 3 different sections and the only tricky terrain was the loose gravel near the picnic area. There were the usual tight turns, including one particularly nasty switchback from a downhill to uphill around a tree. Rick was having lots of problems following the course at this point, and kept going on the wrong side of the fence as we headed back along the road.

I had an issue with the barrier rope on the practice lap, which was kinda embarrassing. I tripped on the first barrier (tripwire), pulling the stake out. Then my bike hit the 2nd string as I struggled to keep my feet under me and not face plant. After fixing the barriers, I caught back on.

Rick and I definitely got to practice some CX tactics. A rider in a Nat City Points kit (don't know his name) was scrapping it out with us for most of the race. I had first caught up to him on the start of lap 2 and let him pull me through a fast, long, and windy pavement section. Once through the pavement, I attacked hard and caught up to Rick (almost to the point that I would have run into his rear wheel HARD as he was taking a corner). I stayed with Rick and the guy from Nat City was close on my wheel. He would usually attack in the grass section along the road and then we would pass him back around the 2 turns before the barriers. He would then attack again when we were along the road on the other side of the bridge, and we would get him in the turns and up the hill at the end of the lap. We were doing a good job of gapping before the long pavement section, but he always kept creeping back up.

At one point, the Nat City rider did get a really good gap coming toward the end of the 2nd to last lap. We traded positions a couple of time and I sprinted to catch his wheel (with Rick grabbing my wheel) on the fast pavement. We attacked again and probably traded spots as usual, but after crossing the bridge Rick shouted that I had a gap.

I geared down and pushed harder. Meanwhile Rick stayed at the same pace, if not easing up a little. This forced the other rider to attack around him. When he did, Rick counter attacked hard and was able to drop him. He caught up to me right at the finish. I'm not sure how many laps we had got in at this point, but it was getting pretty dark and people had already headed back to the parking lot. I'll take a look at my Polar data to glean some more details later.

The Best of Cleveland 2007

Be sure to check out Cleveland Magazine's Best of Cleveland 2007 HERE (scroll to the very bottom)


BIKE SHOP
LeBron James loves bicycles. He cross-trains on one, hosts an annual charity ride in Akron and even owns part of Cannondale, which manufactures the bikes that James and his NBA buddies ride during the benefit. Afterward, the 50 black and gold cycles produced for the event are sold through select dealers (for $599). The only place to find the “King James” bike in Cleveland is at Bike Authority in Broadview Heights. (They were allocated six, but you’ll have to wait till next year — they’re already gone.) Yeah, this is the shop where the serious bikers hang out. It hosts its own races, has its own team, and helps sponsor just about every bike event in town. But best of all? The knowledgeable staff treats even novices like, ahem, royalty. www.bikeauthority.com; 7979 Broadview Road, Broadview Heights; (440) 546-9966

SBR Group Ride

The Saturday ride from Bike Authority went really well. We had 5 current members and 3 new members who were able to make it. Dave Steiner and Chris Belowich rode out to BA from the Cleveland Hts. area (into a strong headwind). Fortunately they were sporting their aero Cervelo rides; Chris with Flash Point wheels.

Depending on the weather outlook, we'll try to do another ride in 2 weeks.

ENVIRONMENT

Please see http://www.blogactionday.com/ for lots of good information on how we can save the PLANET.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Ride map

Link to map

SPIN CX practice

This week's CX practice had 3 times the attendance of last week due to the good weather and InterBike being over. The course layout definitely pointed out a weak point for me and for a few other people: bunny hopping. We did a similar course last year where we had to ride over a 4 inch curb. While I don't think I pinch flatted last year, I bashed my rear wheel so hard that I needed to replace my rim. I was running Tufo tubular clinchers at the time an they weren't inflated enough to really protect the rim.

I wanted to run the Tufo's to get some practice on them prior to racing with the set. It seems like they handle a lot looser in the corners and I want to get used to the drift. In hindsight, I should have changed wheelsets and gone with the trusty Ritchie Speedmax rubber. The first warning sign was on the warm up lap, where we went over a really small bump entering the parking lot. I bunny hopped, but not well and my rear tire still hit the bump (hard enough to knock one of my rear disc brake pads out). I had problems with a pad falling out on Sunday (which I didn't notice until we were done with practice). This time I heard the pad hit the black top and was able to back track and get it. Saved spending another $22 for a replacement.

After getting the pad put back in and just missing the start of the practice race, I was able to catch back on the end of the pack and start picking people off. The pace was much higher initially today compared to last week. I was doing well and made it past the point where I'd lost the brake pad (once or twice), when I came to the 2nd spot where a bunny hop was necessary. I again wasn't able to clear my rear wheel properly and immediately heard my tire pop and loose all its air. The rider right behind me made it through, but the person after him also pinch flatted at that point.

We were joined by Matt who had also flatted as we walked back to the parking lot. Here we found Tom Dominic and Matt Weeks who were also changing tires. Derek had also got a mechanical (front flat I think) earlier in the lap, so there were definitely people having issues.

I swapped out the rear wheel and after pouting briefly over the loss of a $50 dollar tire, I caught on to the back of the race. At this point I was just out for a work out and trying to practice technique. However, I still ended up taking two pretty good spills. I think my front tire might have been handling a lot looser than the rear (Ritchie), thus causing cornering issues. In any case I came away unscathed.

Definitely time for me to start practicing bunny hops. I need to be able to clear something bigger than a dixie cup.

Awesome CX practice

Kudos to John and Brent for putting on an AWESOME CX practice yesterday morning. Donny doned his PVC barrier sets and we had everything we needed to get the day started off right at 7:30am. The rectangle starts, dismount/mounting, carrying, and barrier drills will really help us out.

Please Vote for Bike Authority on Cleveland's Best Businesses Fox 8 Hot List:

http://myfoxcleveland.cityvoter.com/details.aspx?business=24464

You can view comments here and current standings in the Bike Shop category here.

SPIN CX practice

Wednesday was a fun and really good CX practice out at Edgewater. Bart helped Zak layout the course and it was ripe with wet off camber turns.

After the intro lap we took off for the practice race. I stayed behind Bart and Zak because the course was long and I think we all wanted to be sure where we were going. The first lap wasn't a killer pace. About 1/4 way into the 2nd lap, I passed Zak and Bart going downhill heading into a long sweeping off camber section (Zak was unclipping his inside foot through there). I held the lead for almost 1/2 a lap where Zak put on a strong move after a corner on the open grass. Zak was slowly getting away from me and I got close to him after the other technical off camber downhill corner. Once we got up the hill on the road, he gassed it again at the parking lot and got a strong gap. I managed to keep him in site for the rest of the practice and was able to bring him back somewhat on the optional 5th lap.

The disc brakes on my bike were really making up for their weight penalty. The Ritchey SpeedMax Cross tires I used held their traction very well. I did end up going down once heading into the single track on the 4th lap, but that was mainly because of mishandling on my part. I was pretty worried at this point because I lost some time on Zak and I saw Bart heading into the single track just as I exited it. The temp was perfect with the rain, not too cold, but warm enough that I needed to keep my jersey and vest unzipped at the top.

2007 Weslake season's final race

Tonight wrapped up another successful Westlake race season for SBR. Dave Kovach took 2nd in the B race tonight after a strong leadout from Jim Nichols and Matt Orehek claimed fourth place. Series results should be posted at http://www.cvalleyvelo.com/westlake/results.php soon. All of the SBR regulars finished in the top 20 for the B's and Tom Keller finished *just* out of the money for the year in the A's. The competition was fierce this year as the series continues to grow.

The A race was the fastest of the year: 11 laps for approx 22mi at over 27mph avg

Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gburkhol/sets/72157602154827574/ (Thanks to Michelle Mead for shooting the pics!!)

BA#1 Kirtland Park

My first CX race this year went pretty well. I was fairly well rested and prepared coming in. A HUGE hat's off to BikeAuthority for taking a look at my bike and fixing the brakes on it just before the race.

The Kirtland course was significantly longer this year, which is good because it was also a lot faster. We ended up doing 8 laps for the 'B' Race. I didn't get a good spot at the line and had to work my way up the whole race. I think out of all the people I passed, there were only 3 people that passed me and made it stick. I had some problems staying upright: I hit my pedal on the off camber turn across the hilltop; I had issues at the bottoms of both sets stair run-ups (including taking a spectacular fall when I slipped).

I was able to keep presure on Rick from lap 3 on, which helped both of us. I might have been able to finish higher, had I gotten a better start and stayed upright, but I am very happy with my first top 10 finish in the Killer 'B' field. The race was very fast and competitive. See the link to Ray's blog for a more detailed write up.




Results are posted on: http://teamlakeeffect.net/default.aspx

Dave Stiner kindly posted photos at: www.flickr.com/benjacat

While I couldn't stay for the whole 'A' Race, I took some pics which are posted here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gburkhol

More FUN at Westlake

Ahhh - the season is winding down; the days are getting shorter and so are the races. For this week and last it was 13 laps (about 26 miles) of pure enjoyment. Those in the points races (top 20 for A's) are trying to maintain and/or improve position. Most of the rest of us are just trying to hang on for DEAR LIFE.

The races continue to get faster (depending on the breaks and the chases). Rick and I managed to score back to back primes for SBR on Tues - right before a tear your legs off breakaway started. It was like being shot out of a cannon (backwards) as I was launched to the back of the field after the prime I took. Fortunately the field was strung out single file and I had some time to recover without going off the back completely.

I still have to download my Polar data, but I'm particularly interested in the hard turn on the final lap. I definately felt my front tire slide out about 3-4 inches at which point I slowed up a bit and looked down to still see 25+ mph. I've still got to work on getting my line though the appex of the turn.

Fall Challenge

It was rainy, but it wasn't too bad. The downhill was kinda sketchy - my glasses were fogging up a bit on it. I helped a break get away with 2 guys from Summit on the 2nd to last lap. I thought we were caught, so I settled into the field. The 2 guys from Summit stayed out, but one of them ended up crashing. So, it might have been better that I let them go. I worked the front of the field trying to bring them back on the first 1/2 of the last lap. There were a couple of guys from Orrville that did some work, but really no one else wanted to. There was also guy from Summit sitting at the front of the field.

I worked pretty hard at the bottom of the hill on the last lap, but I blew up through the rollers just before the finish. Chris B from SBR got 3rd which is cool. All in all, it was a good time.

Upcoming weekend

Getting riding plans finalized for what promises to be a great weekend of fun-filled riding. Pictures soon to follow!

Update - Until I get my pic's uploaded, pics are available here

Westlake 8/28/2007 - the quick and dirty

There were 40 riders out, and all the teams were well represented including me, Rick, John, Dave S., and Chris B. from SBR. There were no breaks. I haven't downloaded my Polar data yet, but the average speed was a touch over 26mph (including the warm-up lap).

Everyone from SBR mixed it up at the front during the parts of the race; there was a ton of jockeying for position the whole night. I was not ready for them to ring the bell. I heard it ringing, looked up to see what the prime would be, and there was a '1' showing on the lap card. I was sitting about 30th at this time - NOT GOOD. I managed to find my way into the top 15-20, but I was more worried about getting in a crash than trying to be in position for the sprint.

HELP!!

Even though this year's MS-150 ride is over, there is still time for YOU to support a truely worthy cause. People are most frequently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the prime of life (ages 20 - 50).

Click HERE right now to help win the fight against MS, because you can never know what tomorrow might bring for you or for someone you love.

Thanks,
-Gary

Daddy Like...

So, I got to take the ride of my life (thus far) on this sexy mama tonight. Pics to follow - I know you can hardly wait!

UPDATE: Get your PEEPS HERE!!

I also hit the Spin ride for the first time in over a month. Kept toying with the idea of trying to hang with the A's, but it was probably better that I rode with the B group. As it is today, I'm a little sore. Didn't affect me too much tonight, though.

MS150 / 2 = MS75 day two

Woke up early to the cold morning and RAIN. I had been thoroughly impressed with the awesome weather on Saturday; remarking continually that it had rained during day one of the MS150 for the past 2 years.

My grandpa kindly offered to drive us back to Berea, and we quickly accepted, although I continued to keep my hopes up and threw my kit on under my street clothes. At the high school we ran into Murray as he was leaving. He laughingly called us 'wussies' for not riding, and we smiled and shrugged it off. Having brought no rain gear or stuff for the colder temp, we might have been pussies for not riding, but at least we wouldn't be 'wet wussies'.

It's a REALLY GOOD thing that we wimped out. It rained HARD on the way back on the turn pike, and there was even what would have been a significant head wind to boot. We about froze just for the brief time when we unloaded the bikes from the HHR and put the wheels back on so that Rick's hitch rack could hold them. The temp in Berea was a whopping 56 degrees, and we were VERY thankful for not having to ride in it.

MS150 day one

Having been much lighter on the mileage (and suprisingly enough on the scale too??) for most of the past month, I was looking forward to the MS150 and getting to Cedar Point early so that we would be able to head out in time to see my mom and her new 'puppy' at my grandpa's (where we would be spending the night).

Got up at the butt-crack of dawn and got to the Berea fairgrounds JUST in time to make the 6:30am picture, which was fortunately at like 6:45am... Doned the new Cleveland Clinic Team Mellen jersey, which looks GREAT. It's made by Voler (www.voler.com) who also makes our racing kit. The new jerseys look a little like the Discovery Team's.

Still running behind, we missed the sendoff when Team Mellen got to leave early. When we rode out at 7:30am sharp there were 3 other guys from our team who missed the initial wave. It was a little congested as we were leaving Berea - one of the reasons for wanting to take off early. We had to be very cautious working our way past slower riders who were sometimes riding 4-5 abreast... Turns out that the 3 guys from Team Mellen were very good riders, even though they were new. (It was the first organized ride for one of them).

We were starting to make good time when we came across an injured rider. We stopped briefly as many other people did, but aid had already been called for and was en route. Not wanting to be part of a 1,000+ rider bottleneck, we continued on and signaled to approaching motorists to slow down & proceed with caution.

Soon after catching back up to Zack, Greg, and Jason, yours truly had a flat tire. Trying to squeeze 150mi out of a badly worn 175gr race tire ended up costing Rick and I 8minutes while I put on a new tube and a less worn tire. We didn't see the other 3 from our original pace line until we were in the cafeteria for our lunch rest stop.
Once we got past the congestion and were warmed up after lunch, it was back to our quick pace. My HR strap wasn't working at the start of the ride, so data from the beginning is a little sketchy (in addition to the 2 stops). For the 22.8mi leading up to lunch, Rick and I averaged 20.6mph. For the remaining 41.5mi we stayed consistent and would end up averaging 20.5mph. HR data was consistent as well with 177bpm leading in and 178bpm average after lunch.

We would have really arrived early except that Rick had a spoke break a few miles before the last rest stop. He had to fully release his rear brake to keep it from rubbing. At the stop the mech from Eddy's was great. He just wrapped the end of the broken spoke around another spoke and tightened the neighboring spokes and the wheel was almost perfectly true. Pics can be found on Rick's blog here: http://inquintessence1.blogspot.com/
Professional photos can be found and purchased here: http://kmorris.exposuremanager.com/p/85/p2p_035837

Once in Sandusky, we parked the bikes, cleaned up, ate until we could eat no more, and headed to Cedar Point. We made good use of our limited time by riding some of the 'classic' rides like the Demon Drop which had 15min or shorter waits.

Caught a bus back to Sandusky High School where my grandpa graciously picked us up. Made it to his place just in time to meet Kayla for the first time.


Too bad they don't make a 'green eye' reduction feature for dogs...

Getting back in the saddle...

Lots has happened since my last update, so I'll give just the quick and dirty:

• Rode over 200mi from 7/12 - 7/15
• Didn't ride at all from 7/16/ - 7/20
• Felt like crap warming up for the Troy Crit with Jason and Rick on 7/21
• Wrecked HARD (27mph), was KO'ed, and got a trip to the ER. This happened 13.2mi into the 20mi Troy Crit.
• Didn't ride at all from 7/22 - 7/27
• Did 30mi 7/28 for a night ride on the towpath
• Did 57mi 7/29 during the 50mi Sweet Corn ride (with the 3 optional hills)
• Felt the sore ribs again and didn't ride from 7/30 - 8/3
• Rode 21mi on 8/4 and led a 54mi MS150 training ride on 8/5
• Having been in the 'habit' now of not riding during the week, took 8/6 - 8/10 off
• 33mi on 8/11 (took the pace up a notch) and 31mi 8/14 (felt like crap but kept a 19mph+ pace).
• Took the remainder of the week off (again new 'habit').

Dumb Duh Dumb DUMB!

State Road Race Championships - Danville, OH

Yet another learning experience...

The race flier listed the Cat 4 race as starting a little after 3pm; 3 laps and 55.5mi long; medals to the top 10. The $40 race day entry fee was quite high, especially considering there were no payouts in any of the races. Word was that many didn't race because of this.

There were 26 or so entrants in the 4 race; we started out at a relaxed pace and I was getting pretty antsy early on. At mile 4, with no one working the front (guys basically just sitting up in the descents, riding on the bar tops, etc.), I took a solo flier. Pretty quickly I was about 1/4 a mile up the road and on the tail of our lead car. I stayed off for about 1.5 miles and decided to ease up and go back to the shelter of the group.

At the bottom of the first 200ft climb, I was back within the pack. I was a little concerned that there might be another attack, but no one tried taking off at this point. It was probably a good thing too, as I hit 205 (my peak HR for the race) at the top of the hill. I only went over 200 one other time during the race (201, also on the first lap).

On CR43, the rollers masked about 200 - 400 ft of descent and it was here that Stark Velo's Darrin Kert took a short flier up the road. He had 4 other teammates as the best represented team. Orrville had 2, as did about 3 other teams, Chris Belowich and I headed up SBR. On 514 Darrin again went off the front for a brief bit. I told Chris that this is the guy I'm most worried about - especially since SV had numbers.

The steeper climbs on 514 must have really taken their toll on the pack, because as we completed the first lap it looked like we'd shed about 10 riders. It took me a while to realize (and I spent plenty of time checking) but Darrin was no longer with us; I'm assuming he had a mechanical.

On the first climb of the 2nd lap, before the feed zone, I began to notice my left hip was feeling really sore. I'd been spending a lot of time out of the saddle, and I kept trying to mix up positions to find something that felt good or let me stretch out. I also began to wish I had brought more than 2 x 20 ounce bottles of accelerade (or just some straight water as the accelerade was very warm by now and giving me cotton mouth). Plus with the temp floating around 90+ staying hydrated is going to be hard.

Again, no one really wanted to work. Chris and I spent more than our fair share of the time on the front, but we were really tying to be smart about it. With the numbers SV had we needed to watch them as they weren't working much.

On the back rolling descent I went out front and bombed the hills allowing my momentum to really carry me up the next rise. There was also a nice S turn that was tight and well banked, and I was able to really fly through here. I hope that this helped push the pace a bit, and I wasn't working that hard. I just couldn't STAND having to brake and scrub speed and momentum being in the pack.

After most of the downs were passed and I was back in the pack, Chris told me that he'd been talking to a solo rider who would be willing to work here on the last lap. It sounded like a great idea and I said I'd do what I could, if noting happened sooner.

The steep ups on 514 again took their toll, as we were down another 4-5 riders after the 2nd lap. My left lower back or hip was still nagging at me. It would seem to get better after sitting up or standing, but it always kept coming back. After the right turn at the bottom of the hill, I also noticed my right calf was starting to cramp up. I drank a lot of my last bottle of at this point, only leaving some for CR43 and a drink on 514.

It was again really noticeable that other teams didn't want to work much. SV guys would go to the front, but with the pace below 20mph I wouldn't really call it working. I had been thinking about Chris's plan and I was worried that with the pace being this slow, that people would have no problems responding to any moves. I told him this and that I would push it a little through the first part of the rolling descent to try and stretch it out. I also wanted to be able to BLAST through those S curves again. I had company this time as a rider in white and light blue kit was also descending well. He was a bigger guy (200lbs + I think) but I would always get a bit ahead of him on the inclines.

Chris and the guy in the Swiss kit didn't attack and we were all together on 514 heading back into town. The hills coming up promised to be a factor as people finally started to push the pace here. I found myself off the back briefly at the top as 4 riders were already dropped behind me. Fortunately I was able to descend well and catch back on as was the guy in the Swiss kit. Up the last major hill and the same thing almost happened, except that I was more aware.

The pace slackened again with about 1.5 mi to go. I again went off the front in a couple of small attacks just enough to get a gap. I would let myself get pulled back in and settle into the pack; staying in the top 4-5. With under about 1/4 - 1/2 mi to go, a rider attacked strong off the front and Chris chased.

Here is where I really F-ed up. I should have stayed in a good bit longer. The pace had been 1mph slower each lap and others also had a kick left. I had no problems shooting up to the front and hitting 40.7mph. I could see a wheel RIGHT behind me as I got within what I thought was 20 or so yards from the line. MISTAKE - I was actually sprinting for the point where the officer was detouring traffic and had a cone set up. When I realized the finish was further up the road I also realized I was probably going to be SCREWED. It was pretty much an exact replay of my 3rd place finish at the Covered Bridge race. One guy passed me, and then another. A third guy got me by way less than 1/2 a wheel length at the line.

My demise:








Stats:

Duration: 2:48:48
Distance: 56.6 miles
Heart rate: 180 avg; 205 max
Speed: 20.1 avg 49.3 max
Cadence: 81 avg
Ascent: 4140ft

Lap stats:
Lap 1: 21.2mph 182bpm
Lap 2: 20.1mph 182bpm
Lap 3: 19.3mph 176bpm

Recovery Ride

Took a quick ride on the towpath to unwind the legs from racing the last 2 days. Left from Rockside and went north to Harvard; the path's really nice since they've added bridges over the 2 busy intersections. Turned around and went south a bit past Rt 82. It was starting to get dark and the bugs were beginning to wake up. I had decided not to grab my glasses - I won't do that again... I hope we get some rain soon, the path is really dusty. Might be good for a run though.

Stats:

Time: 1:42:52
HR: 134avg 168max
Dist: 27.1mi
Speed 15.8mph avg 26.3max
Cad. Avg: 94 Max 118
Ascent: 140ft
KCal: 750

Twin Sizzler

I raced the Twin Sizzler in Medina, OH for the first time today. It was a really fun race, but I was a little out of my realm as I had no idea what to expect from the course. I should have mapped it out last night on google, because the map on the event website was no where near being to scale.

Both SBR and Spin did a good job of working the front and the lead group stayed together for the whole race. Dave took a flier off the front with around 1km to go. Had I known that we were that close to the finish, I wouldn't have made a feeble attempt at sitting up and trying to block...

Coming out of what would be the last set of turns I was sitting at about 15-20th. I look up the road and wonder, gee why are all those people standing up there cheering?? I was able to sprint into the top 10-12 (I think) - it was definitely a mass finish. The volunteers at the finish line were basically looking for the racers to tell them what the finish order was. I will certainly be more prepared come next year's race!

I've added info on 2008's Twin Sizzler race here [including a Google MAP]:
http://cyclonecross.blogspot.com/2008/06/next-scheduled-race-in-neo.html

On a more positive note, I grabbed 4th place at the Westlake world championships last night. I'd had a hunch that the BIG DOGS would be resting up for the races today. And I was correct. Matt Weeks and a rider from RGF had a solid break away with 6 or so laps to go. About 800m from the start of the final lap, Stefan Kadar (RGF) and Justin Piccorelli (Spin) jumped. I waited back briefly waiting for Tris or one of the A&F guys to leap to the chase. When no one else responded, I quickly bridged and hung just a bit back to catch breath and settle the HR. We continued to work and build our gap all the way to the finish. With 200m to go Stefan was 1st, Justin 2nd, and I was 3rd. Stefan got a good jump and I wasn't able to catch him.

I'm still waiting on my Thomson Masterpiece seat post to arrive. The Selle Italia SLR saddle I just upgraded to, was exactly 1/2 the weight of my 270g Fizik saddle. The bike is now sitting around 16.75lbs. I just need to upgrade the 105 crank and the Ksyrium Elite rear wheel, and I might be able to drop the weight close to or below 16lbs.

40mi MS150 training ride

Got up on time and fiddled around getting ready. I roll out at 8:40am; needing to be at the Canal Visitor Center at 9am sharp. I take it easy warming up until I get on Rockside, and then I hit the jets and get serious about making the start time.

Fortunately it's pretty much all down hill from Parma to Valley View. I have no problems keeping it above 20mph for an average speed. The CX bike rolls down the road a lot better on Conti Gator Skins then on Ritchie Speedmax Pro CX tires (imagine that). I see Christine at the corner of Rockside and Rt21 with 2 bikes on her car - hmmm. Right after turning onto Canal, I pass 3-4 guys going the other way on the Sunday Spin ride (I think).

Rolling into the parking lot, I'm there in under 20 mins and have plenty of time since Murray had to go home for his helmet. I hadn't gotten time to send out the reminder email, so there were only 6 of us: Murray, Christine, Allan, Linda, Khantie(sp) and me.

The ride goes well. No mechanicals, although Murray and Christine had some shifting problems. The eatery we went to last year wasn't open either on the way out or back, so ended up going to Starbucks instead.

We ran across a young couple who were 2 weeks into a bike tour from Chicago to Upper Maine. They were well loaded and with the head wind had to work pretty hard. The guy had just graduated college and the gal was DEFINATELY hard core as she was pulling up until the last time we saw them.

We passed Shaker Cycles on the way back and I met Mitch who gave my Cannondale CX a not so nice critique. I didn't talk to him long enough to explain that the bike was full Ultegra before yesterday, since we had to get going.

On the way back we rode behind Steel Yard Commons. Really nice to have a bike path back there, and Jennings road was repaved almost all the way back to Harvard.

I had another Ernesto sighting on the tow path just north of the rail road bridge. By the time I decided to try turning around to catch him and chat for a bit, he was long gone. Or had it been only a dream???

Once back to the parking lot, I debate riding the towpath and checking out the 'scenery', but it's been a long ride and I decide to head home instead. There will be plenty of riding later this week.

Bike work...

It's funny how things just cascade in these situations. I finally got around to measuring the chain on my CX bike. It was definately at the replacement stage with a measurement of 12 1/8th inches. I should have checked it and replaced it sooner, although the cassette and chainrings still look good.

The question at this point became, do I slap another 9sp chain on there? I've been intending to change over to 10sp for my CX bike. This doesn't really help me with compatability with my 10sp road bike, since my CX has disc breaks and 135mm hub spacing. In thinking about it after the fact, I didn't really have a compelling reason to go 10sp. But hey, why not...

And while I'm going 10sp, I also want to swap my handlebar and stem from my road bike to my CX. On friday night I get started. Cambria Bike Outfitters was kind enough to sent me out a spankin new EA70 stem for 49.95 shipped off eBay. I am still extremely bitter with Performance Bike for reneging on the EA90 stem I ordered from them (they refunded my the cost of the stem, but not the tax they charged on it).

I pull the tape and shifters off of my current FSA bar, pull the stem off the fork and slap the set on the scale; 320g. I mount the EA70 stem to the EC90 Equipe carbon bar and weigh it; 240g. I'm hoping the stiffness will be OK. The bar and stem aren't OS, hence the weight savings. The Easton parts go on the road bike and the tape goes back on OK. I torque everything to spec and it feels really solid.

On Sat at about 4pm I decide it's time to work on the CX bike, as I need to have it rideable by 7:30-8pm for the Century Cycles night ride. Rear derailuer comes off since it looks pretty ragged and in need of some cleaning and lube. Rear shift and break cables look reusable. Tape, shifters, bar, and stem come off.

I'd like to remove the bar top brakes at some point, but they'll stay on for now so I can reuse the cables. Bar and stem from road bike go on, and the reach is really good. I had been feeling pretty cramped on the 40cm bar and stem that was about 1/2 the length of the 120mm that I've moved to. I decide to use the old 105 shifter from my road bike and save the new Ultegra shifter for a Frankenbike project (more to come). The 105 RD, 105 25-12 cassette, and hardly worn Shimano 10sp chain from my road bike find their places on the CX.

I get everything back together and adjusted OK and realize that my roll of bar tape is over at Rick's. Oh well, that's what gloves are for... I head out to the night ride and like the last one realize I won't make it to Lock 29 in time.

This time I drive to an park at the Canal Visitor's Center instead of at Rockside. I run into and chat with a friend from work briefly and then am on my way. I figure if the ride is going north, I'll run into them really soon. If their going south, I've got some major catch up to do...

Turns out that they went south and I finally caught everyone at the Botzum Station, where they had stopped. After about 5 minutes about 10 of us proceeded to ride further south to Portage trail. We turned around to head back firing up our lights. A brief detour down Ira and to past Hale farm(?) and then back to the towpath.

Back at Peninsula, Brett, Cheryl, a guy from the RR Century store and I grab a bite at the Lizard. Afterward we part ways and I ride back to my car; getting there at 12am sharp and 58mi round trip.

9am start time for a Team Mellen MS150 training ride and more biking fun.