Thelma vs. Bones - rumble on the road

Some of you might remember back in January when I met Thelma and started a meaningful relationship that has lasted just over 7 months now. Well, I know it's usually not good to bring up a previous fling, but I need to really show the change that Thelma has brought to my life.

Don't get me wrong, my relationship with Bones was a good one while it lasted. We had many good times. Reminiscing to a previous post 'What coulda been...', I sometimes miss my rough and ragged Bones:

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)

It seems like it was only yesterday that this pic was taken at The Fields in Broadview Heights:

Dirty Bikes!,
originally uploaded by gburkhol.

It tugs at my heart to remember trusty old Bones 3 and the good times we had. She has now hitched a ride to the west coast with a dear friend of mine. I had almost forgot about the brief stint I had with Bones' little sis Bones 2 after she and my friend grew apart and when Bones 3 took a liking to his car and latched on. I really hope for his sake that she wasn't just using him for the ride to LA. My brief fling with Bones 2 (I would hardly even call it a fling, especially since Thelma is the jealous type) ended almost before it started when she hopped in the car and rode off with another friend of mine looking for Nirvana or something.

It's good to remember all the fun times that I had with my Saris Bones 3. When I let her go, she looked almost as good as the day I first met her 7 years ago. She was very sturdy and it's not like I treated her as nicely as I could have by leaving her on my car year round the majority of the time. She did have her way of showing displeasure with her rougher touch on my Alero's finish and the frames of my bikes (the car's finish could have been easily protected had I not shared the same disregard for it as I did for ole Bones).

But enough about the past; I'm really looking forward to a longer and better relationship with my Saris Thelma 3. I will be sure to post more pics of her in all her glory when the Cyclocross season starts next week. But until then to hook up with a Bones or Thelma of your own, see the fine gentlemen at Bike Authority. They have a great selection of Saris racks to choose from. And this weekend you can even look forward to a 10% discount on the Saris rack of your choosing. Click HERE for more info, or just read down the page.

Decisions, decisions...

So which one should I choose???

Hey Thelma, Nice Rack!!

I broke down (or I should say, my car broke down), so I had to get a different vehicle. As much as I'd like to be able to live a car free, I am not at a point in my life where I am able to do so. Strangely enough, one of the primary reasons I need a car is to be able to transport my bike to races. This is how/why I was introduced to Thelma, the new lady in my life:

(Disclaimer: women and children should avert their eyes because naked pictures and a description of Thelma's sexy curves follows below.)


Click the pic for the full resolution image.

My Saris Bones 3 bike rack had given me exceptional service on my Alero. However, using the Bones with a trunk or hatchback would require me to either take the rack off or to load the groceries in the front or rear seats... The Bones rack holds bike by their frames and will wear the finish (although this can be prevented with some packing or electrical tape on the frame). The Bones also contacts the car's finish and thus precautions had to be taken to protect that as well, unless your like me and care more about your bikes than your car. Not wanting my vehicle and bikes to get Boned any longer, I initiated a breakup and decided to move on to a new relationship:

Click the pic for the full resolution image.

My new woman, Thelma, has a soft touch for the bike by lightly caressing its rubber. She's also hands off when it comes to the car. Thelma is one limber lady as she'll fold up when not in use, yet will still let me get the top glass up on the Vibe. She'll easily bend over for easy access to the rear (of the Vibe that is) or for getting my bicycle threesome on in style.

Thelma has a lifetime warranty; it's always good when you can look forward to a long term commitment! To arrange a meet up with your own Saris Thelma 3-Bike or another fine rack, see the pimps over at Bike Authority. They will gladly hook you up with a 'mail order bride' of your choosing, if the particular rack you're looking for isn't in stock.

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. ;)

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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...

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.