Last year I raced this less then a day after returning from Nepal. This year it was the final MAC event, and I thought my last race of the season. Unfortunately, I missed pre-reg by an hour, so no call-ups for me. I set out to see how far I could move up, but found my technical skills were lacking on the twisty, slippery course. The run-up was great fun though, I managed to ride it twice, with plenty of encouragement from the spectators whom had chosen an optimal location and were heavily "fueled" by some choice beverages.
The narrow bridge section was a bit unnerving. Here is David on the run-up.
Joe had a very good race and came in second to one who is arguably one of the series worst sandbaggers.
This guy has the whole thing on youtube.
Click these links for just the highlights:
Woody section First time down nearly crapped myself.
Into the run-up. It was rideable, but really helped to have a clear shot at it.
Bridge.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Phelps School 2011
After a fairly poor race at Kutztown, I wanted to better at Phelps, no excuses. The race almost didn't happen, as the start was changed to way down the hill this year, and I booked it down there only getting there with seconds to spare. Ryan wasn't as lucky, he completely missed the start and had to jump in after we were long gone. I ran the Captain CX this time, and they worked well. Most of the course was dry, except for one really deep, thick part that we rode through twice. The mud was something unbelievable, really thick and dense. I'm sure you could build a pretty good house out of it. It layered up on the bike and probably doubled the weight. Removing it was a real challenge.
Plus, it gathered up reeds and grass, which acted like re-bar.
I rode what I felt was a good race until the last 10 minutes, when I pretty much started to fall apart. Willem caught and passed me, then Mike, then Joe at the very end. I was gone. Definitely lacking the fitness for 60 minutes.
But I liked the course, more then last year, I'll be back again.
Plus, it gathered up reeds and grass, which acted like re-bar.
I rode what I felt was a good race until the last 10 minutes, when I pretty much started to fall apart. Willem caught and passed me, then Mike, then Joe at the very end. I was gone. Definitely lacking the fitness for 60 minutes.
But I liked the course, more then last year, I'll be back again.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Mt. Mitchell
Last year, I left my car in the mid 40s, and the summit was at 20 F, not counting wind chill. I rather froze on the way down. This year, I was much better prepared, the weather was significantly warmer, and consequently there was much less suffering.
I rolled away from the car with temperatures in the upper 60s, and clear blue skies with a warm sun. I was carrying extra layers, more water, and about twice as many bars.
The 30 miles up to the top can be divided into three sections, the first has a little up and down and is quite sheltered by trees and ridges, so it is the warmest part. After crossing over to the other side of the ridge, the temperature drops, and the road is much more exposed to wind. This part is the long, grinder of a climb. A steady up and up. The last third has some descents, so it is easy to get chilled here. The last 5 miles feature some of the steepest sections on some switchbacks, and within 2 miles, you can see the ramp on the summit looming over head.
Instead of the frigid temps last year, today was only 48 at the summit, rather pleasant. After turning around from the summit, I wanted to be able to just descend back home, but there are still two climbs over the next 10 miles. Finally, with about 20 miles to go, the descent opens up and you can just fly down the switch twisty roads.
It took 2:45 to get to the top, 15 minutes of sight seeing, and then 1:45 to get back down.
Some great riding down here in North Carolina.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Kutztown Cross 2011
If last week everything went perfectly, this week was the opposite. Hopefully, I learned a few things in the process. Although my bike stayed together, I pretty much fell apart, and I could tell instantly.
Right after the start, on the sweeping 180, my front tire was squirming out and I couldn't properly turn. I had taken a lackadaisical warm up off the course, and a tire pressure that felt ok at putzin' around speeds, was way under pressure at speed. (Later I checked, turned out it was only about 12 psi. Clearly, not enough for any tire.) I had to back off in the turns and realized that I was holding up the line behind me. Plus, I then attempted to hop the log on course, although it didn't look so difficult to do, my lack of skills just about put me over the top, "ass over tea-kettle". The course this year was super twisty, and I was totally washing out all over the place. I decided to pit and try my other wheels, as this arrangement was pretty much un-rideable, or rather, un-corner-able.
I had the Captain CX mounted tubeless on my pit wheels, and what a world of difference. Immediately, my confidence started returning, and I got focused on trying to catch back up as much as possible. The difference in cornering traction was astounding, and I gradually started to carry more speed into turns, feeling out the new limits of this tire arrangement. On the next lap, however, I came through a tight turn and BRRAAAPP washed out the front entirely. There was a hissing sound coming out of the front tire, some dirt and rocks had lodged into the tire bead opening the seal, and was letting the air out. I'm not sure if the burp triggered the wash-out, or vice-versa, but now I had a very flat front tire. This was now completely un-rideable. I half jogged, half coasted my way around the lap again to the pits, where I used a pump to inflate the Captain CX again. Fortunately, it held air, and I was back on course rolling on two wheels again.
But now, trying to focus on the race again was difficult, it didn't take long before the top 3 came through and blew right on by. Joe came up shortly afterward, lapped me as well, and asked what happened, all I could think to say was "nothing good...". My race ended some 100 meters after it started, so I just tried to work on finding some flow, and riding the twisty sections. I think that it would have been a pretty decent course, but I was mentally checked out and never gave it a fair shot.
Although not super technical, it would be a good course for those with good bike handling skills, and those are clearly cross skills I have room to improve on. Fortunately, the PA series have a range of course types, suiting all kinds of riders, Town Hall has got the St. Luke's Staircase (hill), Spring Mount is the power course, and apparently Kutztown is the swoopy: keep-turning-now-turn-the-other-way course. It takes all kinds to make a complete season.
Right after the start, on the sweeping 180, my front tire was squirming out and I couldn't properly turn. I had taken a lackadaisical warm up off the course, and a tire pressure that felt ok at putzin' around speeds, was way under pressure at speed. (Later I checked, turned out it was only about 12 psi. Clearly, not enough for any tire.) I had to back off in the turns and realized that I was holding up the line behind me. Plus, I then attempted to hop the log on course, although it didn't look so difficult to do, my lack of skills just about put me over the top, "ass over tea-kettle". The course this year was super twisty, and I was totally washing out all over the place. I decided to pit and try my other wheels, as this arrangement was pretty much un-rideable, or rather, un-corner-able.
I had the Captain CX mounted tubeless on my pit wheels, and what a world of difference. Immediately, my confidence started returning, and I got focused on trying to catch back up as much as possible. The difference in cornering traction was astounding, and I gradually started to carry more speed into turns, feeling out the new limits of this tire arrangement. On the next lap, however, I came through a tight turn and BRRAAAPP washed out the front entirely. There was a hissing sound coming out of the front tire, some dirt and rocks had lodged into the tire bead opening the seal, and was letting the air out. I'm not sure if the burp triggered the wash-out, or vice-versa, but now I had a very flat front tire. This was now completely un-rideable. I half jogged, half coasted my way around the lap again to the pits, where I used a pump to inflate the Captain CX again. Fortunately, it held air, and I was back on course rolling on two wheels again.
But now, trying to focus on the race again was difficult, it didn't take long before the top 3 came through and blew right on by. Joe came up shortly afterward, lapped me as well, and asked what happened, all I could think to say was "nothing good...". My race ended some 100 meters after it started, so I just tried to work on finding some flow, and riding the twisty sections. I think that it would have been a pretty decent course, but I was mentally checked out and never gave it a fair shot.
Although not super technical, it would be a good course for those with good bike handling skills, and those are clearly cross skills I have room to improve on. Fortunately, the PA series have a range of course types, suiting all kinds of riders, Town Hall has got the St. Luke's Staircase (hill), Spring Mount is the power course, and apparently Kutztown is the swoopy: keep-turning-now-turn-the-other-way course. It takes all kinds to make a complete season.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Spring Mount Cyclocross 2011, Crossasaurus Awesome
Two years ago I did the C race here, last year I raced the Bs (coming in 6th both times), so it seemed somewhat fitting to sign up for the A race this year. Fortunately, David granted me the Cat 2 upgrade last week, just in time to be able to sign up for the 1/2 Elite race.
I was a little nervous seeing the list of names on the pre-reg list stack up with some seriously fast people, and my originally very optimistic outlook regressed to not getting lapped too many times and try not to finish DFL.
The weather turned out to be ideal, partly cloudy, cool, but pleasant fall weather. We arrived in time to see Jeff ride to 10th place in a competitive Masters 35+ field, and then Jen take a very solid 4th place in the women's race, behind such powerhouses as Selene and others.
The Philly Ciclismo guys and gals always have a fun atmosphere, and this year was no different. Free food, plus a much improved course over last year, good work guys.
I had very little pre-race nerves, probably due to my much lowered expectations. I was playing head games and talking myself out of it before it had even begun. Surprisingly, I got one of the front row call ups (probably alphabetical), but there were only two rows in a relatively small field, so it didn't make much of a difference. Fortunately, as soon as the race begun I clicked out of mental mode, and into race mode. No room for intimidation.
As expected, the start was fast, and I slotted into a spot about in the middle. After things started to string out, I tried to move up as much as possible. Before the really wide open head wind sections, I wanted to try and get into a good position. I followed third place for most of that lap, and we continued to trade back and forth for most of the rest of the race. First place (Kincaid) was looong gone, but we could see second place dangling not too far ahead. I put in some extra efforts to try and reel in some ground, but he was still steadily pulling away. I felt really good for the first 40-45 minutes, but really suddenly, with about 2 laps to go, my legs started blocking up and I realized I was cooked. I lost his wheel after the sand section and just couldn't catch back on. It was a good gap back to 5th, so I just rode smoothly to finish out the race.
There can be a lot of head games in cross, so much of it is mental.
I ran about 20 psi in my tubulars, and could have even gone slightly lower in the front, but they felt pretty fast on the course. The Tracers clogged with mud quickly in those short sections, but it all flung off fast enough in the grass or gravel. Good, fast tires for the course.
Thanks to Craig Lebair for the photo.
The 60 minutes felt like a real shock after getting so used to only 45 minutes of race effort, ouch. That whole evening my body felt completely wrecked, I couldn't even eat for a couple of hours. I started to get the full color visual swirling precursors that sometimes precede a migraine, but fortunately it was a false alarm and after some unpleasantness, started to slowly recover. Two cups of emergency coffee may have helped as well, but it was still a few hours before I could eat any real solid food.
I'm definitely extremely satisfied with 4th place, certainly better then I expected.
Be sure to read Festa's account here.
I was a little nervous seeing the list of names on the pre-reg list stack up with some seriously fast people, and my originally very optimistic outlook regressed to not getting lapped too many times and try not to finish DFL.
The weather turned out to be ideal, partly cloudy, cool, but pleasant fall weather. We arrived in time to see Jeff ride to 10th place in a competitive Masters 35+ field, and then Jen take a very solid 4th place in the women's race, behind such powerhouses as Selene and others.
The Philly Ciclismo guys and gals always have a fun atmosphere, and this year was no different. Free food, plus a much improved course over last year, good work guys.
I had very little pre-race nerves, probably due to my much lowered expectations. I was playing head games and talking myself out of it before it had even begun. Surprisingly, I got one of the front row call ups (probably alphabetical), but there were only two rows in a relatively small field, so it didn't make much of a difference. Fortunately, as soon as the race begun I clicked out of mental mode, and into race mode. No room for intimidation.
As expected, the start was fast, and I slotted into a spot about in the middle. After things started to string out, I tried to move up as much as possible. Before the really wide open head wind sections, I wanted to try and get into a good position. I followed third place for most of that lap, and we continued to trade back and forth for most of the rest of the race. First place (Kincaid) was looong gone, but we could see second place dangling not too far ahead. I put in some extra efforts to try and reel in some ground, but he was still steadily pulling away. I felt really good for the first 40-45 minutes, but really suddenly, with about 2 laps to go, my legs started blocking up and I realized I was cooked. I lost his wheel after the sand section and just couldn't catch back on. It was a good gap back to 5th, so I just rode smoothly to finish out the race.
There can be a lot of head games in cross, so much of it is mental.
I ran about 20 psi in my tubulars, and could have even gone slightly lower in the front, but they felt pretty fast on the course. The Tracers clogged with mud quickly in those short sections, but it all flung off fast enough in the grass or gravel. Good, fast tires for the course.
Thanks to Craig Lebair for the photo.
The 60 minutes felt like a real shock after getting so used to only 45 minutes of race effort, ouch. That whole evening my body felt completely wrecked, I couldn't even eat for a couple of hours. I started to get the full color visual swirling precursors that sometimes precede a migraine, but fortunately it was a false alarm and after some unpleasantness, started to slowly recover. Two cups of emergency coffee may have helped as well, but it was still a few hours before I could eat any real solid food.
I'm definitely extremely satisfied with 4th place, certainly better then I expected.
Be sure to read Festa's account here.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Bear Creek cyclocross 2011 Day 2
I believe that this will go down as one of my favorite cross racing weekends. A double header, less then 20 minutes from my house, in familiar "home" territory, with perfect fall cross weather, and good racing. The atmosphere was fun and friendly, with free beer and sausages.
After my bike carnage on day 1, I had many offers for replacement wheels and complete bikes for day 2. Having a catastrophic failure directly in front of the spectators probably helps, even Ryan was trying to offer me a bike during the race as he rode by to take the lead.
Thanks to Cutter's bike shop, after a quick repair Saturday night and a quick spin around the yard, I was ready and extra motivated for Sunday morning. The bonus hour of rest thanks to daylight savings was good for catching some extra sleep, but I think the best part was the weather felt significantly warmer.
After checking out the course and seeing some of the tires of the 'C' racers, I was glad to be on the Captain CX tires which have a more aggressive tread and shed mud well. The mud was even slicker then before, and the dense consistency was like a structural building material filling in the tread of many tires, turning them into slicks.
Now, with the course in reverse, we'd have a short straight section, before a 90 degree left turn, and then the off camber switch backs around the back of the baseball diamond. This we all expected to be messy in the start, and no one wanted unnecessary crashes.
Off the line I was third going around the first corner, but when we hit that mud section there was a large tangle of wheels, pedals, and legs. I saw someone's pedals going into my spokes, so just took my time to make sure I was completely clear before picking up the bike and running the rest. Thankfully, made it through cleanly, however I had lost a lot of places and was now sitting pretty far back. I moved up as I could, and after a lap I was back in the third spot. Ryan was in front of me, and Julian from Philadelphia Cyclocross School was riding away from the rest of us. Ryan had flatted, and was just trying to make it to the pits, unfortunately his spare bike was a single speed which was quite a disadvantage on the long straight sections of this course.
I then spent the next few laps trying to catch Julian, but it seemed like he was still getting farther ahead. There was a big collection of spectators by the barriers, along with the sausage grill and Bill on the microphone who was giving me time checks on each lap. For a while, he dangled at about 20 seconds, which looks pretty far off. For much of the course he was out of sight. Gale was chasing behind me in third, and I could see him working hard. Finally the time checks started coming down, 17 seconds, then 6, the spectators seemed to be getting into it, and it all helped as I was digging for extra motivation.
With two to go, he was in sight, and I changed from thinking that there was no way I could catch him, to suddenly thinking it might be possible. Basically with one to go, I caught him near the start finish line. I think that we both slowed up a bit at this point, as we each tried to decide what to do next. We traded the lead a few times in the last lap, I tried an acceleration up the hill to the switchbacks on the back side where it was dry and fast, but he followed me easily. But that did put me in front through the barriers which was probably the better place to be. At the top of the hill before the finishing straight there was a set of muddy switch backs that were really slick. I concentrated on not sliding out at all, which basically required creeping along at barely a crawl. Neither of us could get much traction, so nothing changed, and I hit the slightly downhill straight first. I tried to accelerate quickly, as I wanted to stay in front, but be ready to respond to his sprint. I could look down and watch his shadow, and when it looked like he was up out of the saddle and really starting to go, I clicked down and sprinted as hard as I could. My smallest cog was caked with mud as I hadn't used it before in the race, so the chain started jumping around, and he was starting to pull up alongside me, but the line came up quickly and I had just managed to hold him off. Definitely the tightest finish I've ever had in a cross race, and the most exciting.
I was completely knackered, sprinting after 45 minutes of hard cross racing left me with absolutely nothing. Julian was going really fast, we finished together with a full 2 minutes on the next finisher. Such a tight battle made for excellent racing, one in which every little dab or bobble could make the difference, coming down to less then a bike length.
I'm pretty sure we did one more lap then we did on Saturday, and the Captain CX tires worked really well. I easily picked up a couple of extra pounds worth of mud around the bottom bracket and stuck to the frame tubes of the bike. You could have built a solid house from that stuff, but the tires stayed mostly clear.
On day 1, I was trying to preserve my lead, and on day 2 I was trying to catch the leader. Both were very different experiences. I could definitely feel the pressure on day 1, as Ryan kept eating into my lead. On day 2, I could dig much deeper for motivation to chase. Neither spot is easy to be in, but when you're at your limit, a little extra motivation can make all the difference.
Definitely one of most fun cross weekends yet, I love the MAC races and will certainly do more, but it was a great opportunity to race in front of so many familiar faces close to home and soak in the fun vibes.
After my bike carnage on day 1, I had many offers for replacement wheels and complete bikes for day 2. Having a catastrophic failure directly in front of the spectators probably helps, even Ryan was trying to offer me a bike during the race as he rode by to take the lead.
Thanks to Cutter's bike shop, after a quick repair Saturday night and a quick spin around the yard, I was ready and extra motivated for Sunday morning. The bonus hour of rest thanks to daylight savings was good for catching some extra sleep, but I think the best part was the weather felt significantly warmer.
After checking out the course and seeing some of the tires of the 'C' racers, I was glad to be on the Captain CX tires which have a more aggressive tread and shed mud well. The mud was even slicker then before, and the dense consistency was like a structural building material filling in the tread of many tires, turning them into slicks.
Now, with the course in reverse, we'd have a short straight section, before a 90 degree left turn, and then the off camber switch backs around the back of the baseball diamond. This we all expected to be messy in the start, and no one wanted unnecessary crashes.
Off the line I was third going around the first corner, but when we hit that mud section there was a large tangle of wheels, pedals, and legs. I saw someone's pedals going into my spokes, so just took my time to make sure I was completely clear before picking up the bike and running the rest. Thankfully, made it through cleanly, however I had lost a lot of places and was now sitting pretty far back. I moved up as I could, and after a lap I was back in the third spot. Ryan was in front of me, and Julian from Philadelphia Cyclocross School was riding away from the rest of us. Ryan had flatted, and was just trying to make it to the pits, unfortunately his spare bike was a single speed which was quite a disadvantage on the long straight sections of this course.
I then spent the next few laps trying to catch Julian, but it seemed like he was still getting farther ahead. There was a big collection of spectators by the barriers, along with the sausage grill and Bill on the microphone who was giving me time checks on each lap. For a while, he dangled at about 20 seconds, which looks pretty far off. For much of the course he was out of sight. Gale was chasing behind me in third, and I could see him working hard. Finally the time checks started coming down, 17 seconds, then 6, the spectators seemed to be getting into it, and it all helped as I was digging for extra motivation.
With two to go, he was in sight, and I changed from thinking that there was no way I could catch him, to suddenly thinking it might be possible. Basically with one to go, I caught him near the start finish line. I think that we both slowed up a bit at this point, as we each tried to decide what to do next. We traded the lead a few times in the last lap, I tried an acceleration up the hill to the switchbacks on the back side where it was dry and fast, but he followed me easily. But that did put me in front through the barriers which was probably the better place to be. At the top of the hill before the finishing straight there was a set of muddy switch backs that were really slick. I concentrated on not sliding out at all, which basically required creeping along at barely a crawl. Neither of us could get much traction, so nothing changed, and I hit the slightly downhill straight first. I tried to accelerate quickly, as I wanted to stay in front, but be ready to respond to his sprint. I could look down and watch his shadow, and when it looked like he was up out of the saddle and really starting to go, I clicked down and sprinted as hard as I could. My smallest cog was caked with mud as I hadn't used it before in the race, so the chain started jumping around, and he was starting to pull up alongside me, but the line came up quickly and I had just managed to hold him off. Definitely the tightest finish I've ever had in a cross race, and the most exciting.
I was completely knackered, sprinting after 45 minutes of hard cross racing left me with absolutely nothing. Julian was going really fast, we finished together with a full 2 minutes on the next finisher. Such a tight battle made for excellent racing, one in which every little dab or bobble could make the difference, coming down to less then a bike length.
I'm pretty sure we did one more lap then we did on Saturday, and the Captain CX tires worked really well. I easily picked up a couple of extra pounds worth of mud around the bottom bracket and stuck to the frame tubes of the bike. You could have built a solid house from that stuff, but the tires stayed mostly clear.
On day 1, I was trying to preserve my lead, and on day 2 I was trying to catch the leader. Both were very different experiences. I could definitely feel the pressure on day 1, as Ryan kept eating into my lead. On day 2, I could dig much deeper for motivation to chase. Neither spot is easy to be in, but when you're at your limit, a little extra motivation can make all the difference.
Definitely one of most fun cross weekends yet, I love the MAC races and will certainly do more, but it was a great opportunity to race in front of so many familiar faces close to home and soak in the fun vibes.
Bear Creek cyclocross 2011 Day 1
Saturday was cold, so I warmed up with my full winter coat and kept it on right up to the start. Might as well be comfortable before 45 minutes of distinct discomfort. I had a nice front row start to a long, fast, straight, and slightly downhill starting section. The whistle blew and I took the hole shot leading up into the first muddy switchbacks. I bobbled and dabbed a foot, long enough for Jack to get by. I followed him through the fast downhill barriers, but he overcooked the sharp left-hander at the bottom and I managed to turn inside and get by.
From then on, without anyone in front of me to judge my efforts by, I just rode hard trying to extend my lead. On the switchbacks in the back section I could see Ryan just a couple of seconds behind me. Each lap I'd get slightly further ahead on the long straight sections, but then he'd gain on me in the really rocky and rooted part. Each lap he was steadily getting closer. I was starting to feel the pressure and make mistakes.
On the final lap, coming through the off-camber section, I made the 180 left up the hill and went a bit too wide, clipping the course stake. Wouldn't have been a problem, except it popped out of the ground, and the metal pointy end went into my rear spokes. Anthony Skorochod caught the sequence here. Three spoke nipples sheared off, and one spoke got neatly wrapped around my cassette. It took me a while to realize what was going on, untangle the spokes and try to tuck them out of the way around some of the remaining spokes. I could then at least ride, but the bike was making a horrible racket, and something was definitely still dragging as it was really hard to turn the pedals. Ryan was long gone, and now Jack was gaining quickly. Shortly after he passed me, my derailleur got sucked up into my cassette and exploded, so I shouldered the bike and ran the last section of the course, hanging on to third place.
Despite my ravenous cassette eating bike parts, it felt like a good race. I'm not convinced I could have held Ryan off, but it was a good battle.
Stoudt's brewing was there with free beers, as well as someone grilling up delicious spicy sausages. Not a bad way to spend some post race spectating.
Fortunately Cutter's had a SRAM rear derailleur as well as the derailleur hanger in stock, so the bike will be ready to go with my tubeless wheelset for day 2.
From then on, without anyone in front of me to judge my efforts by, I just rode hard trying to extend my lead. On the switchbacks in the back section I could see Ryan just a couple of seconds behind me. Each lap I'd get slightly further ahead on the long straight sections, but then he'd gain on me in the really rocky and rooted part. Each lap he was steadily getting closer. I was starting to feel the pressure and make mistakes.
On the final lap, coming through the off-camber section, I made the 180 left up the hill and went a bit too wide, clipping the course stake. Wouldn't have been a problem, except it popped out of the ground, and the metal pointy end went into my rear spokes. Anthony Skorochod caught the sequence here. Three spoke nipples sheared off, and one spoke got neatly wrapped around my cassette. It took me a while to realize what was going on, untangle the spokes and try to tuck them out of the way around some of the remaining spokes. I could then at least ride, but the bike was making a horrible racket, and something was definitely still dragging as it was really hard to turn the pedals. Ryan was long gone, and now Jack was gaining quickly. Shortly after he passed me, my derailleur got sucked up into my cassette and exploded, so I shouldered the bike and ran the last section of the course, hanging on to third place.
Despite my ravenous cassette eating bike parts, it felt like a good race. I'm not convinced I could have held Ryan off, but it was a good battle.
Stoudt's brewing was there with free beers, as well as someone grilling up delicious spicy sausages. Not a bad way to spend some post race spectating.
Fortunately Cutter's had a SRAM rear derailleur as well as the derailleur hanger in stock, so the bike will be ready to go with my tubeless wheelset for day 2.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Snow Storm
The prediction said "4-6" on snow for Saturday. Given the warm fall weather, it was hard to imagine that snow was on its way, especially since the trees still had most of their leaves. However, when we woke up and the world was white, we knew that it was really coming.
Pretty quickly, I canceled my plans to race Beacon, as the plows had gone by several times, and the snow was still accumulating on the roads quickly. Shortly after, around noon, there was a loud boom, the lights flickered, and the power went out.
We went for a walk, and soon saw the reason. A tree was down on top of one of the power lines. We got to the corner market just in time to grab a gallon of milk before they closed, because they were without electricity as well.
The snow showed no signs of letting up, and it was really accumulating quickly. The trees started to droop way over, and we constantly heard the CRACK and BOOM of branches and entire trees coming down. I shoveled the driveway three times. Each time, by the time I finished one side, the other already had a good thick layer on it. By dark, there was easily a full 12" on everything.
And the trees were really sagging.
So we worked on letters by candle light,
played Settles of Cattan,
made tea on the wood stove,
and cooked dinner on it.
Plus, many trips to the wood pile, and siphoning out the water from the basement because our sump pump was no longer running without electricity.
The wood stove put out good warmth, and we were very comfortable that night. We could still hear the sounds of tree branches coming down, and even some nice firework show. Apparently, when transformers blow, they light up the sky with an eerie green light.
The next morning was crystal clear with blue skies, but the trees were obviously over stressed.
More trees had come down during the night, including this one on our driveway.
Notice the car in the ditch:
Seidersville Rd was basically a single lane.
The warm sun was melting things quickly. As the snow came off, the extent of the damage became more apparent. The willow tree was just plain gone, and the other trees around were much shorter after losing their tops.
Overnight, the basement had accumulated quite a bit more water, so we had to siphon it again. This time, it involved me climbing out on the second floor balcony with a bucket water, pouring water into the open end while Becca held the other end open just long enough to get all the bubbles down. Then we lowered the hose end with a rope, carefully keeping it vertical. When Becca got it down in the basement, we were both glad when the water continued to drain out, another successful siphon.
After the HPCX race, I was anxious to get a hot shower, so we drove down to her parent's house. However, the next day (Monday) we needed to return in order to drain the basement again, among other things. All the usual roads around our house were impassable, but we managed to get through and back home. After cleaning out the fridge and packing some more things, we turned around to pull out of the drive way when two big trimming crews came down our road. I was glad to see them arrive, however, we were now completely blocked in.
We talked to some of the crew for a while, they told us how they were working long shifts, and the many other crews come from as far as Kentucky and Michigan to help out. They were kind enough to let us escape and we quickly slipped out.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
HPCX 2011
Wow, that was definitely the muddiest course I've ever ridden, it might have been the muddiest course I've ever seen. It made Nittany look like a couple of dinky mud puddles.
I was glad to get down for the race, after our Beacon plans were nixed by the incredible amount of snow we got on Saturday. We lost power around noon, and water shortly after that. We cooked on the wood stove and melted snow for water, and I shoveled the driveway three times. All afternoon and evening we heard the distant (and sometimes not so distant) BOOM and CRACK of branches and trees coming down. Today the two lane road by our house looks like singletrack. Plus our basement sump pump stopped without power, so every few hours we've been siphoning it out with a garden hose. But that's another story.
So getting down to HPCX was a welcome escape of sorts. The park itself looked quite beautiful, the leaves were still on the trees, and a fair bit of snow on the ground. But wow, the course was the biggest mess I've ever seen. I did part of a warm up lap, but bailed because my drivetrain was loading up with mud and starting to make bad noises.
Getting to start on the second row was a huge advantage. After a short pavement section, the course turned up into a muddy climbing section that would be a big mess during a crowded start. I got into the top 10 somewhere, and traded spots with the same group for a while. I was able to make up good time on the muddy climbs, usually by running, but lost it on the flats or more technical sections. Twice I wiped out pretty good, once on each side, just to spread out the mud evenly.
Finished 8th, good race, liked the mud more then expected. I rode the Captain CX tubeless, which seemed to do quite well. I could feel the rims hitting on some of the deeply rutted parts, but no problems.
Edit: check out Shippensburg's photos, they capture the mud quite well. The entire course was like that.
More photos here, from swanson22. Excellent photos, really shows the mud.
Also, check out the HPCX photos and videos from the cxmagazine.com website.
I was glad to get down for the race, after our Beacon plans were nixed by the incredible amount of snow we got on Saturday. We lost power around noon, and water shortly after that. We cooked on the wood stove and melted snow for water, and I shoveled the driveway three times. All afternoon and evening we heard the distant (and sometimes not so distant) BOOM and CRACK of branches and trees coming down. Today the two lane road by our house looks like singletrack. Plus our basement sump pump stopped without power, so every few hours we've been siphoning it out with a garden hose. But that's another story.
So getting down to HPCX was a welcome escape of sorts. The park itself looked quite beautiful, the leaves were still on the trees, and a fair bit of snow on the ground. But wow, the course was the biggest mess I've ever seen. I did part of a warm up lap, but bailed because my drivetrain was loading up with mud and starting to make bad noises.
Getting to start on the second row was a huge advantage. After a short pavement section, the course turned up into a muddy climbing section that would be a big mess during a crowded start. I got into the top 10 somewhere, and traded spots with the same group for a while. I was able to make up good time on the muddy climbs, usually by running, but lost it on the flats or more technical sections. Twice I wiped out pretty good, once on each side, just to spread out the mud evenly.
Finished 8th, good race, liked the mud more then expected. I rode the Captain CX tubeless, which seemed to do quite well. I could feel the rims hitting on some of the deeply rutted parts, but no problems.
Edit: check out Shippensburg's photos, they capture the mud quite well. The entire course was like that.
More photos here, from swanson22. Excellent photos, really shows the mud.
Also, check out the HPCX photos and videos from the cxmagazine.com website.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Cyclocross at Central Park of Morris County
MAC weekends are great, some of the best racing, best courses, and top competition. But driving two+ hours each way, and racing both weekend days can be a bit tiring. So it was a nice change to get to a local race just across the border in New Jersey for a low-key event. Greg and I arrived in plenty of time; we had time to ride some laps, watch some races, and even grab a belgian style waffle. Wow, the speculaas spread was something incredible.
I was just sitting around, leisurely watching the A race, and felt like I could have just taken a nap right then and there. With no specific goals for a NJ race, I felt like this was just going to be for fun.
We lined up towards the back, but the start was so wide open, and the field relatively small, so there was plenty of room to move around in the start. I'm definitely not a fast starter, but followed Greg up the field for the first half of a lap. I moved up a few more spots in the open sections, and got to about the top 6-7 riders. It looked like one guy (Eric?) was off with a good margin over everyone else. Coming through the start/finish I moved past the group and started working on chasing down the leader.
The course was deceptively rough, it looked like a nice grassy course, but there were ruts, big roots, rocks, and it made for a much rougher course. After the practice lap, I dropped my pressure down to 23 in the front, 27 in the back, and that made a world of difference. This was a course where tubulars were a significant advantage.
About half way through the second lap, I caught the leader and followed him for a while. I didn't want to wait for a sprint at the end, so decided my best bet was to try to get ahead and stay there if I could. I put in a hard effort and didn't look back until a lap later. By then I had a good gap and just rode to maintain it.
In the end, it was myself, Jerry, and Eric.
But man, those Belgian style waffles were awesome.
I was just sitting around, leisurely watching the A race, and felt like I could have just taken a nap right then and there. With no specific goals for a NJ race, I felt like this was just going to be for fun.
We lined up towards the back, but the start was so wide open, and the field relatively small, so there was plenty of room to move around in the start. I'm definitely not a fast starter, but followed Greg up the field for the first half of a lap. I moved up a few more spots in the open sections, and got to about the top 6-7 riders. It looked like one guy (Eric?) was off with a good margin over everyone else. Coming through the start/finish I moved past the group and started working on chasing down the leader.
The course was deceptively rough, it looked like a nice grassy course, but there were ruts, big roots, rocks, and it made for a much rougher course. After the practice lap, I dropped my pressure down to 23 in the front, 27 in the back, and that made a world of difference. This was a course where tubulars were a significant advantage.
About half way through the second lap, I caught the leader and followed him for a while. I didn't want to wait for a sprint at the end, so decided my best bet was to try to get ahead and stay there if I could. I put in a hard effort and didn't look back until a lap later. By then I had a good gap and just rode to maintain it.
In the end, it was myself, Jerry, and Eric.
But man, those Belgian style waffles were awesome.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Granogue, 2011
I kept hearing good things about this race, so decided to sign up for both days this year. Glad I did, the first day was rough, but the second one went better. It's nice to have a day 2 for a chance to seek a better result.
The course was dry, fast, and hilly. The first day seemed especially technical, with some bad rock sections, gnarly roots, and plenty of twisting. The pre-reg list showed 128 in the 2/3/4 so I was glad to be staged on the 5th row, it could have been much worse. I managed to get into the top 20 somewhere, and was riding alright (with my usual technical troubles) when I rode straight into one of the white posts, taking me to a dead stop. My front wheel wouldn't turn and it took me a couple seconds to realize that my front brake was shoved underneath the rim, totally jamming it up. I managed to wrench it loose and get going again, but lost a bunch of places. The impact was so hard that it shattered my front shifter cable and left me in the small ring. No problem, but it took my a while to figure out why my front ring wasn't shifting. Strangely, my bar tape was completely shattered as well, it looked like it just exploded.
I didn't stick around to see the results, but in hindsight probably should have because I was scored as DNF. I definitely did finish 2 spots behind Joe and should have earned more MAC points, but it sounds like Marc is going to graciously fix it for me, at least for the MAC points.
Day 2 we didn't get stuck in traffic, and made it with plenty of time to pre-ride the course. It felt faster, and more "flowy", I liked it. Fourth row this time, I spent most of the race yo-yo-ing with a constantly changing group, first catching up, and then washing out, going down, and losing contact again. I'm pretty sure I fell more times then I successfully rode the swooping off-camber part at the top of the hill. I've really got to work on that. Some hecklers had picked me out as the guy who would always fall there, and deservedly point out the errors in my ways through that part of the course. Somehow I didn't learn from my mistakes...
Finished 13th by count of at least two different people, but scored again at 15th. Seems like there was an unusual amount of errors with getting the placings right this weekend.
The highlight of the weekend was after the race when someone approached me and said that they'd call me "Fignon" from now on, called me a spitting image. I hadn't noticed, but I'll take it. I am probably destined for his awesome hair.
The course was dry, fast, and hilly. The first day seemed especially technical, with some bad rock sections, gnarly roots, and plenty of twisting. The pre-reg list showed 128 in the 2/3/4 so I was glad to be staged on the 5th row, it could have been much worse. I managed to get into the top 20 somewhere, and was riding alright (with my usual technical troubles) when I rode straight into one of the white posts, taking me to a dead stop. My front wheel wouldn't turn and it took me a couple seconds to realize that my front brake was shoved underneath the rim, totally jamming it up. I managed to wrench it loose and get going again, but lost a bunch of places. The impact was so hard that it shattered my front shifter cable and left me in the small ring. No problem, but it took my a while to figure out why my front ring wasn't shifting. Strangely, my bar tape was completely shattered as well, it looked like it just exploded.
I didn't stick around to see the results, but in hindsight probably should have because I was scored as DNF. I definitely did finish 2 spots behind Joe and should have earned more MAC points, but it sounds like Marc is going to graciously fix it for me, at least for the MAC points.
Day 2 we didn't get stuck in traffic, and made it with plenty of time to pre-ride the course. It felt faster, and more "flowy", I liked it. Fourth row this time, I spent most of the race yo-yo-ing with a constantly changing group, first catching up, and then washing out, going down, and losing contact again. I'm pretty sure I fell more times then I successfully rode the swooping off-camber part at the top of the hill. I've really got to work on that. Some hecklers had picked me out as the guy who would always fall there, and deservedly point out the errors in my ways through that part of the course. Somehow I didn't learn from my mistakes...
Finished 13th by count of at least two different people, but scored again at 15th. Seems like there was an unusual amount of errors with getting the placings right this weekend.
The highlight of the weekend was after the race when someone approached me and said that they'd call me "Fignon" from now on, called me a spitting image. I hadn't noticed, but I'll take it. I am probably destined for his awesome hair.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Spiffy
I've been riding the road bike around very infrequently, now that cross season is fully underway. But every time I noticed that the hood was torn, and although I got used to it, it still bothered me. Finally decided to swap it out for a new one. Much better. I think that bar tape used to be white, but it sure is hard to tell. Amazing what a damp terry cloth can do, wow. What a difference. It's the little things, feels like a new bike.
I bet it's faster.
I bet it's faster.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Town Hall Cross 2011
I had been looking forward to our second race ever since our first one, a year ago. Several days of actual sun and good weather made for a mostly dry course, with only a few patches of thick, rutted mud. The day of the race had absolutely fantastic weather, cool in the morning, bordering on hot later in the day, and lots of sun all day long. A welcome change from the consistent rain that has been drenching the east coast this year.
I was fourth here last year, and hoped to improve on that result. We had a larger field this year, but I benefited from a front row start in the B race (3/4). The start wasn't particularly fast, I think everyone realized that the first time up the climb would sort some things out. I settled into 3rd or 4th, moved up when someone rolled their tubular, and battled with second place for a few laps. I got past him a few times, but then promptly got sloppy and fell, losing the position. Tom was long gone and looked to have the win in the bag, but 2nd, 3rd, and 4th were still close together. We'd lose 4th place on the climb, but then by the time the barriers came around, he would have caught back up. On the final lap he got around me when I fell on the tight off camber turns on the back field, and I couldn't pass him before the finish line, so I rolled in for 4th again.
It was great to see such a large turnout all day long, and hear the positive comments about the course, as well as the obligatory complaints about the climb, it wouldn't be the Alpe d'Huez of cylocross without it. It seemed to have the right atmosphere for a good day of cross racing, some goofing off and fun, some serious racing, and a necessary dose of heckling.
Big thanks to St. Luke's, Cutter's, CycleOps, and all the volunteers that helped all day long.
I lined up again for the A race, with a small field of 1/2/3 riders. It was an honor lining up with some of the best of the Lehigh Valley, as well as nation & world in the case of Bobby Lea. I had no specific goals except to try and ride a better technical race then I had in the Bs (don't fall down), not blow up for an hour of racing, and try not to get lapped.
I was still pretty cooked from the B race, but managed to ride much smoother, stay up right, and not even get lapped. It is interesting to note the progression of my pain face during the day:
Early in the B race, still feeling composed and smooth.
Pain face developing on the switch backs of St. Luke's staircase.
Now turning into a sad monkey face...
And a grimace while I dump my gears after attempting to sprint for the end of the B race.
The A race started off well enough,
But then quickly regressed to an angry monkey face, and didn't get better from then on:
Thanks to Anthony Skorochod for the photos.
Update: Here is a very nice write up by Selene on Bicycling.com about the race.
I was fourth here last year, and hoped to improve on that result. We had a larger field this year, but I benefited from a front row start in the B race (3/4). The start wasn't particularly fast, I think everyone realized that the first time up the climb would sort some things out. I settled into 3rd or 4th, moved up when someone rolled their tubular, and battled with second place for a few laps. I got past him a few times, but then promptly got sloppy and fell, losing the position. Tom was long gone and looked to have the win in the bag, but 2nd, 3rd, and 4th were still close together. We'd lose 4th place on the climb, but then by the time the barriers came around, he would have caught back up. On the final lap he got around me when I fell on the tight off camber turns on the back field, and I couldn't pass him before the finish line, so I rolled in for 4th again.
It was great to see such a large turnout all day long, and hear the positive comments about the course, as well as the obligatory complaints about the climb, it wouldn't be the Alpe d'Huez of cylocross without it. It seemed to have the right atmosphere for a good day of cross racing, some goofing off and fun, some serious racing, and a necessary dose of heckling.
Big thanks to St. Luke's, Cutter's, CycleOps, and all the volunteers that helped all day long.
I lined up again for the A race, with a small field of 1/2/3 riders. It was an honor lining up with some of the best of the Lehigh Valley, as well as nation & world in the case of Bobby Lea. I had no specific goals except to try and ride a better technical race then I had in the Bs (don't fall down), not blow up for an hour of racing, and try not to get lapped.
I was still pretty cooked from the B race, but managed to ride much smoother, stay up right, and not even get lapped. It is interesting to note the progression of my pain face during the day:
Early in the B race, still feeling composed and smooth.
Pain face developing on the switch backs of St. Luke's staircase.
Now turning into a sad monkey face...
And a grimace while I dump my gears after attempting to sprint for the end of the B race.
The A race started off well enough,
But then quickly regressed to an angry monkey face, and didn't get better from then on:
Thanks to Anthony Skorochod for the photos.
Update: Here is a very nice write up by Selene on Bicycling.com about the race.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
WhirlyBird 2/3/4 2011
My goal was to not have a mechanical, ride cleanly, and shoot for a top 25. With 88 pre-reg riders, and a starting number of 351, I'd be starting just in the back half of the field. Better then Charm City, this might be a shot at some MAC points.
I staged to the far left, and scooted around a few people in the start, but it was fast and I'm not a particularly fast starter. But after the first lap, the pace dropped off and I started to move up. I've been stutter stepping my remounts so I paid extra attention to them during the race. I think that the practice sessions during the week have helped a lot here, they aren't perfect, but they're definitely much better then they used to be.
With two to go, I started to get a little sloppy, and wiped out one one of the turns with roots. I let one spot go, and couldn't get it back. In the end, managed a ninth place which I was happy with. Now some MAC points, and no more staging at the back.
I liked the course, definitely wetter then last year with some more mud, but only one set of barriers.
I staged to the far left, and scooted around a few people in the start, but it was fast and I'm not a particularly fast starter. But after the first lap, the pace dropped off and I started to move up. I've been stutter stepping my remounts so I paid extra attention to them during the race. I think that the practice sessions during the week have helped a lot here, they aren't perfect, but they're definitely much better then they used to be.
With two to go, I started to get a little sloppy, and wiped out one one of the turns with roots. I let one spot go, and couldn't get it back. In the end, managed a ninth place which I was happy with. Now some MAC points, and no more staging at the back.
I liked the course, definitely wetter then last year with some more mud, but only one set of barriers.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Charm City 2011
Wow, I did not realize how fast this race was going to fill up. I'm lucky to have been able to race on Sunday. A few weeks ago, when I finally got around to registering, Saturday was full, and Sunday had precisely one spot left.
Good: I got to race, not as good: I get to stage at the very back of the field. Every number was called up from 400 to 524, and wearing the final digits, I got to choose my place in the rear. My goal had gone from getting a top 25, to try and see how far I could move up.
Also, hope my wheels didn't collapse, or my new tubies roll off.
The course was fast and flowy, and I managed to scoot through a few large groups of people early in the race which definitely helped. I was definitely struggling on some of the more technical sections, especially the barriers, the sand, and clipping in after. Need to work on that more.
Thanks to Dennisbike.com for the photos.
With about two to go, I caught up to a NCVC and a Bicycle Therapy rider, we traded spots a couple of times, but I couldn't stay in front of them. I gave it one last shot in the final meters, but couldn't pass them. So final spot, 32nd.
I rimmed out hard on some of the curbs between the grass and pavement sections, fortunately no flats, and the tires felt like they had good traction in the twisty parts. First ride on the new wheels was definitely a success.
Next week, Whirly Bird.
Good: I got to race, not as good: I get to stage at the very back of the field. Every number was called up from 400 to 524, and wearing the final digits, I got to choose my place in the rear. My goal had gone from getting a top 25, to try and see how far I could move up.
Also, hope my wheels didn't collapse, or my new tubies roll off.
The course was fast and flowy, and I managed to scoot through a few large groups of people early in the race which definitely helped. I was definitely struggling on some of the more technical sections, especially the barriers, the sand, and clipping in after. Need to work on that more.
Thanks to Dennisbike.com for the photos.
With about two to go, I caught up to a NCVC and a Bicycle Therapy rider, we traded spots a couple of times, but I couldn't stay in front of them. I gave it one last shot in the final meters, but couldn't pass them. So final spot, 32nd.
I rimmed out hard on some of the curbs between the grass and pavement sections, fortunately no flats, and the tires felt like they had good traction in the twisty parts. First ride on the new wheels was definitely a success.
Next week, Whirly Bird.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Lehigh Mountain Top Classic 2011
I've ridden a mountain bike exactly once, and the trips pedaling myself down suburban roads to middle school don't count. But since a MTB was offered to me (two actually), and the race was literally up the hill from our home, I couldn't dismiss the opportunity to try a new form of bike racing.
It was fun, but I spent most of the race in a continual state of falling down.
The Lehigh XC course has been described as "technical", apparently that means full of rocks, roots, steep climbs, and descents. Not really having any idea what I was doing, I lined up for the LeMans start of the "C" race. I started about in the middle as we funneled into the trail, I quickly realized that I was a terrible descender and technical rider. Not a huge surprise. But then I found out that there is quite a bit of class and etiquette in MTB racing, on the climbs after the first descent I found people very willing to let me pass if I was coming up behind them. I quickly learned to return the favor when I started holding people up on the technical or downhill sections.
Unfortunately, shortly after a Millersville rider let me go by, we came through an intersection that wasn't marked, I took a quick guess and headed downhill. By the time I came out on a road and saw the Penske truck for the downhill riders, I realized that I had definitely taken the wrong turn. Unfortunately, others had followed, probably assuming that a Lehigh rider should know the course. Sure showed them. It took a few minutes to climb back up to the intersection, and get going in the right direction.
I passed a few more people, but as soon as we hit rocks (which happens frequently if not constantly), I'd fall down a bunch. I became extremely difficult for me to get back on the bike, because there wasn't room to make half a pedal stroke before bouncing off the next rock. Eventually I started running large sections.
Anyway, it was a good time, and I've got some real bruises and bumps to complement the injuries from the wreck last week. Tomorrow will be interesting as my left arm has some limited range of motion.
It was fun, but I spent most of the race in a continual state of falling down.
The Lehigh XC course has been described as "technical", apparently that means full of rocks, roots, steep climbs, and descents. Not really having any idea what I was doing, I lined up for the LeMans start of the "C" race. I started about in the middle as we funneled into the trail, I quickly realized that I was a terrible descender and technical rider. Not a huge surprise. But then I found out that there is quite a bit of class and etiquette in MTB racing, on the climbs after the first descent I found people very willing to let me pass if I was coming up behind them. I quickly learned to return the favor when I started holding people up on the technical or downhill sections.
Unfortunately, shortly after a Millersville rider let me go by, we came through an intersection that wasn't marked, I took a quick guess and headed downhill. By the time I came out on a road and saw the Penske truck for the downhill riders, I realized that I had definitely taken the wrong turn. Unfortunately, others had followed, probably assuming that a Lehigh rider should know the course. Sure showed them. It took a few minutes to climb back up to the intersection, and get going in the right direction.
I passed a few more people, but as soon as we hit rocks (which happens frequently if not constantly), I'd fall down a bunch. I became extremely difficult for me to get back on the bike, because there wasn't room to make half a pedal stroke before bouncing off the next rock. Eventually I started running large sections.
Anyway, it was a good time, and I've got some real bruises and bumps to complement the injuries from the wreck last week. Tomorrow will be interesting as my left arm has some limited range of motion.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Wheelbuild #3
Tensioning and trueing went very smoothly, and was actually quite enjoyable. Cathartic, even.
Spoke nipples greased, threads treated, rim sanded, cleaned with alcohol, and now begins the layers of glue.
Should by ready by this weekend for Charm City, just in time as the Ksyrium Elites are out of commission.
Spoke nipples greased, threads treated, rim sanded, cleaned with alcohol, and now begins the layers of glue.
Should by ready by this weekend for Charm City, just in time as the Ksyrium Elites are out of commission.
Nittany Cross 2011
Cross is finally here, and it is great to have Nittany Lion so close by to kick things off. David, Ron, and Roland started in the Cs, while Chris and Greg went for the Masters 35+ which looks super competitive this year. The field was totally stacked. Chris missed his start, but still managed to charge his way through most of it to land a top 30 spot.
Unlike the fast dust bowl that we raced last year, the recent rain made this course super muddy, with several big muddy sections, including one puddle that smelled suspiciously like sewage. I liked the course, though, more running then last year and not as fast, which suits me a bit better. My pre-reg put me about smack dab in the middle of the 2/3/4 B field, and I got a decent start.
By lap two I was moving up and was somewhere in the top 20 when my left pedal fell off. I half walked half jogged back to the pits and got it reattached. My own fault for not tightening it enough. After that, I was pretty much at the back, so just concentrated on seeing how far I could move back up in the remaining laps.
A fun race, but I was hoping to get a better result on Sunday, no excuses. I felt pretty good, and again staged right about smack dab in the middle of the field. The start was fast, like usual, but suddenly after about 100 meters there were bodies and bikes laying on the ground in front of me and I had no way to avoid them, next thing I knew there about 3 bikes piled on top of me. After untangling myself from the mess, I tried to jump back on to continue, but the rear wheel was going nowhere. It took me a second to realize that it was totally taco'd. Unfortunately, for another guy caught in the crash, his new carbon tubulars were totally trashed. So we did the reasonable thing and headed over the heckling corner and demanded beers.
It was awesome seeing Jeremy Powers in action, I didn't realize he was racing until I saw him on the course. Wow.
Next week is Charm City.
Unlike the fast dust bowl that we raced last year, the recent rain made this course super muddy, with several big muddy sections, including one puddle that smelled suspiciously like sewage. I liked the course, though, more running then last year and not as fast, which suits me a bit better. My pre-reg put me about smack dab in the middle of the 2/3/4 B field, and I got a decent start.
By lap two I was moving up and was somewhere in the top 20 when my left pedal fell off. I half walked half jogged back to the pits and got it reattached. My own fault for not tightening it enough. After that, I was pretty much at the back, so just concentrated on seeing how far I could move back up in the remaining laps.
A fun race, but I was hoping to get a better result on Sunday, no excuses. I felt pretty good, and again staged right about smack dab in the middle of the field. The start was fast, like usual, but suddenly after about 100 meters there were bodies and bikes laying on the ground in front of me and I had no way to avoid them, next thing I knew there about 3 bikes piled on top of me. After untangling myself from the mess, I tried to jump back on to continue, but the rear wheel was going nowhere. It took me a second to realize that it was totally taco'd. Unfortunately, for another guy caught in the crash, his new carbon tubulars were totally trashed. So we did the reasonable thing and headed over the heckling corner and demanded beers.
It was awesome seeing Jeremy Powers in action, I didn't realize he was racing until I saw him on the course. Wow.
Next week is Charm City.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Wheelbuild #1
This cyclocross season I've decided to build up a tubular wheelset. Got a good price on a new pair of sensible Mavic Reflex rims, some used Shimano 600 hubs, and a pile of of double butted spokes from Cutter's.
I read a bunch about the various lacing patterns and different schools of thought regarding the tradeoffs between each one. I concluded that the best way to equalize spoke tension in the rear wheel is to have radial spokes on the drive side with 3-cross on the non-drive side. A hub should have no problems handling the torque from one side to the other flange. However, then there is problem of having only 8 trailing spokes to handle pedaling torque. So a better solution would be to go 3-cross on both sides, but have heavier gauge spokes on the drive side. My plan was to use XL 14 (2.0 - 1.5 - 2.0mm) spokes on the front and non-drive side, with DB 14 (2.0 - 1.7 - 2.0mm) on the drive side.
The middle section of the DB14 spokes has (1.7/1.5)^2 = 1.28 times as much cross section area, and according to Damon Rinard's spokecalc, with my hubs and rims, the drive side will have a tension ratio of 1.75 (drive/non-drive). So those two sets of different size spokes would help equalize the strain on each side of the wheel. However, even larger spokes on the drive side would be more appropriate.
Unequal tension is not the primary problem in a dished wheel. When the same size spokes are used, the consequence of unequal tension is unequal strain, so each set of spokes are loaded differently. Then one set has a disproportionally higher chance of breaking because the loading cycles will be more severe and they will fatigue faster. A wheel will be strongest and most reliable when the load is distributed most equally.
However, the XL14 spokes weren't available, so I'll do DB14 all the way around. So much for the math.
Spoke prep overnight.
Drive side half way laced.
I read a bunch about the various lacing patterns and different schools of thought regarding the tradeoffs between each one. I concluded that the best way to equalize spoke tension in the rear wheel is to have radial spokes on the drive side with 3-cross on the non-drive side. A hub should have no problems handling the torque from one side to the other flange. However, then there is problem of having only 8 trailing spokes to handle pedaling torque. So a better solution would be to go 3-cross on both sides, but have heavier gauge spokes on the drive side. My plan was to use XL 14 (2.0 - 1.5 - 2.0mm) spokes on the front and non-drive side, with DB 14 (2.0 - 1.7 - 2.0mm) on the drive side.
The middle section of the DB14 spokes has (1.7/1.5)^2 = 1.28 times as much cross section area, and according to Damon Rinard's spokecalc, with my hubs and rims, the drive side will have a tension ratio of 1.75 (drive/non-drive). So those two sets of different size spokes would help equalize the strain on each side of the wheel. However, even larger spokes on the drive side would be more appropriate.
Unequal tension is not the primary problem in a dished wheel. When the same size spokes are used, the consequence of unequal tension is unequal strain, so each set of spokes are loaded differently. Then one set has a disproportionally higher chance of breaking because the loading cycles will be more severe and they will fatigue faster. A wheel will be strongest and most reliable when the load is distributed most equally.
However, the XL14 spokes weren't available, so I'll do DB14 all the way around. So much for the math.
Spoke prep overnight.
Drive side half way laced.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Upgrades
I officially got my Cat 3 upgrade today, and as someone with a tendency to over-analyze, I couldn't help but prepare this excessive post.
Here is a chart of my finishing position (yellow), points available (orange), points earned (green) and field size (in grey). [Only considering 4 or 4/5 races, no Masters results.]
After coming close to the points in 2009, I figured that in 2010, I'd be able to upgrade to Cat 3. My confidence was high.
But then 2010 came, and I finished far out of the upgrade points at every race, until my last RR at Tek Park gave me a glimmer of hope, maybe it would be possible in 2011.
Collegiate season was great, managed some top 10s in the Bs, the PSU Black Mo' RR course was climb-tastic, and I carried my Battenkill motivation through into the road season. I hit the Tek Park race overconfident, but then a surprise 3rd on the flat Smoketown Crit. Next weekend was a second at Oxford, and I knew it was close.
Yes, I did say it was excessive.
Here is a chart of my finishing position (yellow), points available (orange), points earned (green) and field size (in grey). [Only considering 4 or 4/5 races, no Masters results.]
After coming close to the points in 2009, I figured that in 2010, I'd be able to upgrade to Cat 3. My confidence was high.
But then 2010 came, and I finished far out of the upgrade points at every race, until my last RR at Tek Park gave me a glimmer of hope, maybe it would be possible in 2011.
Collegiate season was great, managed some top 10s in the Bs, the PSU Black Mo' RR course was climb-tastic, and I carried my Battenkill motivation through into the road season. I hit the Tek Park race overconfident, but then a surprise 3rd on the flat Smoketown Crit. Next weekend was a second at Oxford, and I knew it was close.
Yes, I did say it was excessive.
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