Danville State RR Championships

On the bequest of Dave Steiner, the men of SBR headed to Danville to do the 1-2-3 State RR Championships. A non-existent warm-up, combined with trying to work in the race as opposed to just sitting in, didn't work out so well for me. In the 11 person field, I was the 2nd person to be ejected from the back 1/2 way through the first of 4 laps amongst the first set of climbs.

I made a 1/2 hearted attempt to chase back on, but fully realizing the suffering which would lie ahead if I were to rejoin, I considered my race over. On the 2nd major climb of the lap, made contact with a rider from RGF who pulled off at the top of the climb. Through the start/finish, the official told me 3 laps to go, and I continued on. I let myself get as far as the Danville city limits before I bagged it, headed back, and told him I DNF.

I talked with Paul Mayton's dad for a bit and then decided to head down to the feed zone to give hand offs to my team mates. As I waited, the 3 leaders of my race came flying by: Jeremy Grimm, Joe Cooper, and Hayden Godfrey (the current Omnium World Champion). Let's just say that I had made a poor choice for my first try at a 1-2-3 race. A few minutes later two more riders from the field came through, but it was several more minutes before Tom Keller rolled through. I gave off a much deserved water bottle and waited for my other team mates.

It wasn't until much later when Dave drove up in his Element. He and Pete had called the quits after the end of the 2nd lap. After chatting for a bit we decided to head back into town. Tom was done after his 3rd lap which was good for 6th place, the final finishing spot. The rider ahead of Tom also stopped after 3 laps.

Ohio State Road Race Results - Saturday, July 26, 2008
Here are the results for the 2008 Ohio State Road race Championships [more]

Last year's race went a little bit better, although I did have a costly error.

I found out today that my Cat 3 Upgrade was approved. Let's hope that Zoar, my first true race as a Cat 3 goes much better!

Upgrade attempt part deux

I've been starting to feel the weight of sand in my pockets over the past month or two. Having put in for my Cat 3 upgrade late last year and having it declined (probably because I shouldn't have included any non-USCF races), I figured I'd sit in as a Cat 4 for a while. A total lack of training over the winter left me racing my way into shape this year. Although, I'm rather certain that I would have trained harder had I been upgraded and know the competition that would await me in spring.

My current results are not spectacular; in part due to poor racing strategy in the Race for Alex and in one of the RATLs where I didn't work smart in the break and got dropped. The races I've done well in (2nd - Shreve, 3rd - Mill Creek, 2nd - Mid-Ohio) were where I didn't necessarily race smart, but where I was able to do well by pushing myself. I've been racing in the Cat 4 field in much the same way that I had raced the 'B' field at Westlake: by thrashing myself (and at time others) in an effort to move up to the next level (the A field at Westlake or a Cat 3 upgrade).

While it might be nice to continue to remain in the Cat 4 field chalk up some more podiums, I know that this isn't what I should do or need to do. I feel that I'll make far bigger improvements from a tactics standpoint by being in a field where I have to race smart in order to see results for myself and/or my teammates.

4th 07/17/2008 - Ohio Track Development Series - Criterium - Pro/Cat 1/2/3/4/5 - Elite - 2008-893
7th 07/17/2008 - Ohio Track Development Series - Road Race - Pro/Cat 1/2/3/4/5 - Elite - 2008-893
2nd 07/12/2008 - Shreve Chiropractic Cycling Challenge - Road Race - Cat 4 - 2008-73
3rd 07/10/2008 - Ohio Track Development Series - Criterium - Cat 2/3/4/5 - Elite - 2008-893
3rd 07/10/2008 - Ohio Track Development Series - Road Race - Cat 1/2/3/4/5 - Elite - 2008-893
4th 07/10/2008 - Ohio Track Development Series - Criterium - Cat 1/2/3/4/5 - Elite - 2008-893
3rd 06/08/2008 - Mill Creek Criterium - Criterium - Cat 4/5 - 30-99 - 2008-852
12th 06/01/2008 - Race for Alex - Road Race - Cat 2/3/4/5 - Master - 30-39 - 2008-854 (2nd - Cat4)
17th 06/01/2008 - Race for Alex - Road Race - Cat 4/5 - 2008-854
2nd 05/24/2008 - Mid-Ohio - ABR Criterium - Cat 4/5
21st 05/10/2008 - Races at the Lake - Criterium - Cat 4 - 2008-192
cancld 05/04/2008 - Bull Run Farms - Road Race - Cat 4 - 2008-37
7th 05/03/2008 - Races at the Lake - Criterium - Cat 4 - 2008-192
DNP 04/26/2008 - Races at the Lake - Criterium - Cat 4 - 2008-192
DNP 04/19/2008 - Races at the Lake - Criterium - Cat 4 - 2008-192
11th 09/09/2007 Freewheeler Fall Challenge Peninsula, OH USCF RR Cat 4/5 11th place approx 20 2007-1823
DNF 07/21/2007 Troy Classic on the Square Troy, OH USCF CRIT Cat 4 DNF approx 35 2007-1692
4th 07/07/2007 Ohio State RR Championships Danville, OH USCF RR Cat 4 4th place field 26 2007-283
13th 05/20/2007 Chippewa Creek RR Brecksville, OH ABR RR Cat 4 13th place field 29
1st 05/12/2007 RATL Series #4 Munroe Falls, OH USCF CRIT Cat 4 1st place approx 30 2007-440
DNP 05/05/2007 RATL Series #3 Munroe Falls, OH USCF CRIT Cat 4 field approx 30 2007-440
3rd 04/29/2007 Team Akron Spring Race Series Akron, OH USCF RR Cat 4/5 3rd place approx 30 2007-885
DNP 04/22/2007 Team Akron Spring Race Series Akron, OH USCF RR Cat 4/5 field approx 30 2007-885
DNP 04/21/2007 RATL Series #1 Munroe Falls, OH USCF CRIT Cat 4 field approx 30 2007-440

1-800-CRIME-TV

Updates posted 8/28/08 - click here: http://cyclonecross.blogspot.com/2008/08/killer-coming-to-justice.html

The Top Story currently posted on America's Most Wanted http://www.amw.com/

Ohio Man Shot, Killed While Biking To Work
07/18/2008
For more than 25 years, police say David Babcock was a loyal employee at a Toledo, Ohio air freshener manufacturer. He typically drove to work, but as gas prices skyrocketed in the early summer months of 2008, it became too much for David to bear. On Tuesday, he decided to ride his bike to work; the choice proved to be a fatal one.

Read more HERE. In the words of John Walsh: "LET'S CATCH THIS GUY'S KILLER!"

Can you say Pie Plate?

I'm wondering what gearing this guy was using! From Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Gear Calculator a 56x11 at 120rpm gives about 48mph with 700x23 tires. He'd have to been pedaling at close to 200rpm or above to help him reach close to 135km/h or over 80mph!



That is some CRAZY motor pacing...

Problems in Portland?

I'm sure that Cycling Phun is going to be less than thrilled to see the links below after his post. According to the Drunkcyclist, things are looking a little less rosy in Portland right now:

http://drunkcyclist.com/wordpress/2008/07/10/he-did-what/

and

http://drunkcyclist.com/wordpress/2008/07/14/biker-down-10/
(biker down isn't a very accurate title. it should read biker gets a ride on car hood...)

From: http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/driver_arrested_after_targetin.html

Cyclist on car hood

Hopefully these are isolated incidents in Portland and things get back to normal soon! I know despite this, Portland is still way up on the list of places I'd like to live. The lesson to be learned here: if you've been drinking, do not operate a bicycle or motor vehicle.

Lots of crits this week!

This link is dedicated to Cycling Phun. With that said, it's time that this blog returned to its racing roots; I know Rick will be thrilled as well.

Upcoming races this week:

• Zipp demo at Westlake Tues 7/15
• a choice of the Lorain Series or Chapel Series on Thrus 7/17
• the Troy Classic (a 3/4, and separate cat 5) on Sat 7/19
• Tour d'Burg (State Crit championship with separate III, IV, and V categories) or the Fort Cherry RR (123 and 4/5) on Sun 7/20
• Just need to save a little for the State RR (with a 3/4, 4/5, or separate cat 5 race) on Sat 7/26 and to make sure to plan for nutrition and hydration appropriately (is it just me or did they shorten the race from last year?)
• Also the Sweet Corn Challenge is Sun 7/27 and is a fun non-race event which would make a good training or recovery ride.

BTW - If you don't have training or racing plans for Thurs, I'd highly recommend heading out to Lorain. I doubled my race count for 2008 in just one day and for only $12 (the price drops to $7 on subsequent days). See: http://usacycling.org/results/index.php?compid=235538 There is a Crit format to where 3 of the 6 races are done on road bikes. I think my total mileage for the 3 crits was only 15mi (it was basically a lot of interval work). If I hadn't done the 3 track races, I probably would have rode a workout afterwards.

The land down under is setting quite an example

As I've previously posted: Bicycling saves Australia nearly a quarter billion dollars in health costs each year.


This is a prime example of how government can use creative thinking to resolve a growing problem.

We can either be helped or hindered by legislative decisions.

Fair and Balanced? You have got to be kidding...

I used to watch FOX news and follow Bill O'Reilly 6-7 years ago. This was during my darker days when I watched a lot more TV and was 30+ pounds over weight.



I also used to lean more to the 'right' than the left. The more I think about it, I wasn't really leaning toward the 'right', I was leaning toward the wrong.



A friend sent me the following link this morning. I used to despise moveon.org and their snide advertisements. Little did I know how right they could be or how wrong I could be. Take a look at the images to the left from Salon.com . It makes me ashamed to have ever aligned myself as a Republican. I was also not very shocked to see the name of Benjacat's boy Boehner scrolling across the bottom of the screen.



http://pol.moveon.org/stopthesmears/

FOX: Stop the smears

FOX has really gone over the line this past month--using racism, prejudice, and fear to smear Barack Obama. Each time they apologize--then they do it again.

First, a paid FOX commentator accidentally confused "Obama" with "Osama" and then joked on the air about killing Obama. Next, a FOX anchor said a playful fist pound by Barack and Michelle Obama could be a "terrorist fist jab." And then, FOX called Michelle Obama "Obama's baby mama"--slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man's child.

FOX won't stop until it becomes too painful to continue--until the public calls them out and advertisers start getting worried. Nearly 100,000 Americans have already expressed their outrage. Can you express yours by adding your name to his message?

A compiled petition with your individual comment will be presented to FOX.

I've signed the petition, and I will encourage all of you to do the same. I am also thinking about blocking Fox 8 Cleveland from my TVs (although I would miss Robin).

http://pol.moveon.org/stopthesmears/

Mud, Sweat and Gears: "The Portland effect"

Mud, Sweat and Gears: "The Portland effect"

A good watch from MSNBC!

Tagged!

TAG - Consider yourself warned!

I got tagged by Tri Eric not too long ago. This required me to post 5 random things about myself and to tag 5 other people. Then last week Cycling Phun up'd the ante and told me I had to man up and do a cool 1/2 dozen... After a long while of meaningful reflection (and procrastination), I came 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.


6. (added for Phun) Sometimes I wish I was a politician. I like to think that it would be a meaningful way to leave a positive impact.
   

The 6 lucky tagees are:

1. Brett


2. Brooke


3. Donny


4. John


5. Shawn


6. Jim
   (added for Phun)

Take that gas prices!

Came across a posting of the cartoon below on a New Zealand blog. Too bad folks in the land 'way down under' can figure things out before lots of people in the good ole U. S. of A.

From:
http://www.raleighusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/gasmileage.jpg