Tubeless for Cyclocross

I had been wanting to try it for a while, so I finally got the Stan's NoTubes Cyclocross kit and gave it a try. My first thought was to try the conversion with one wheel from each wheelset and test them out to see which worked the best. I started with a Mavic Aksium wheel and a Vittoria XG Pro tire. With a liberal sudsing of soapy water, I got the combo to inflate with my floor pump. It helped to hold the tire in a certain way, I pulled the sidewalls apart as far as I could so the tread was laying flat and held it against the rim with my palm while I supported the wheel in my hand. Easier to do then to describe.

It worked so well I decided to skip even trying the Kysrium Elites or Mavic Reflex clinchers. Besides, I didn't really want to subject the Elites to cyclocross, and I had heard that OpenPro (similar to Reflex clincher) was a poor candidate for tubeless because of the deep center channel.

I then added sealant, and had both wheels converted within an hour. Over the next two days, I went on several rides while successively letting air out to lower the pressure. I started with 40 psi and got down to 20 psi in the front, and 25 psi in the rear with no signs of burping or air loss. Not much point in going lower, or I'll just be riding on the rims. So far so good!

Next, I need to find some fast, flat, grippy east coast grass to really put the side loads on, but I'm feeling confident that this will make a great racing combination so far. 20 psi in the front, and 25 psi in the rear is much lower then I could run with tubes, I can feel the difference as I float over rocks and roots instead of bouncing around.



It's only the end of May, and I'm getting excited for cyclocross season already.



This bike came with the usual chainrings for a compact crank on road (50/34) and the 50 was just about useless on most courses, at least for me. I swapped it for a TA Specialties Zephyr 9/10 sp 42 tooth outer ring (ramped and pinned, nice!) which is infinitely more useful on a cross course. I'm hoping I'll be able to ride it like a single chainring configuration, and not have to shift the front during a race.

I also switched the rear derailleur from Ultegra to Shimano XT (MTB) in order to accommodate the IRD 11-34 10sp cassette for Becca. It was very fortuitous that I grabbed the medium cage version ($5 at the Velodrome flea market) instead of the long cage version that I thought I would need. It turns out that because I changed the big chain ring from a 50 to a 42, that reduced the number of chain links that the rear derailleur needs to take up to a number that is within the capabilities of the medium cage.



Shimano long = 45T; medium = 33T

(42-34) + (34-11) = 31T

Perfect. Now I can leave the 11-34 on the bike with road wheels for Becca, and swap to the cyclocross wheels with a 12-25 and not have to worry about chainlengths or anything else.

The last thing that I did was to get rid of the front brake cable hanger that mounted with the spacers on the steerer tube. It was really close to the stem and put a sharp bend in the cable. Although the bike didn't have any brake shudder problems, the fork seemed like a better place for the cable hanger. (See Leonard Zinn on brake shudder)



Thanks to Cutters bike shop for drilling and tapping the Tektro hanger for a threaded cable stop.

The bike is ready, and I'm ready, when does cyclocross season start?

West Branch Classic race report

Michigan is flat. I know, anyone could have told me that, I've lived there for years, I should know that. Still, it looked like West Branch might have enough climbing that it could play to my advantage (skinny-ass white guy).

The race started with some drizzling rain, but fortunately it cleared up quickly and soon the roads were dry. The course was 2 laps of 22 miles each, with a climb up through the finish. The rest was pretty flat with some small rollers. When we came around to the climb at the end of the first lap, the field strung out and I used that chance to move up in the field. I had been sitting at the very back (as usual) for the entire first lap. I got to the front and decided to try and push the pace to see if things would split up at all. I was riding next to BK from Leadout and there was one guy in black up ahead with a gap. As we neared the top, BK asked me if we had a gap. Even though the pace felt high, when I looked back, the entire field was still there looking comfortable.

As we crested, I slowed up and no one else was interested in pushing the pace either. In hindsight, that would have been a good spot to really keep the tempo hard. Anyone that did get gapped on the climb, had plenty of time to chase back on after.

The second lap was much like the first, I rolled around at the pack of the pack. As we neared the final climb, I tried to move up knowing that positioning has been my downfall before. We hit the real part of the climb and I was cooked, I completely faded and drifted in way at the back of the strung out field.

I was hoping for a better result, given that the course had an uphill finish. The race wasn't as hilly as I was hoping for, a skinny guy such as myself needs a lot more vertical feet to have an advantage. I definitely don't have the strength to put out the power and speed for a fast finish, even a fast finish on a hill. As a point of comparison, West Branch had 1100 feet of climbing per 22 mile lap, while Mt. Nebo had over 5000 feet of climbing per 9 mile lap. That works out to be about an average of 1% grade for West Branch, and over 10% for Mt. Nebo.

So while I would have liked a better result, I have to remind myself that May has been a real off month for training. I spent the better part of 2 weeks sprawled out on the couch ill, and my riding has been spotty for the entire month. This is a good chance to take a look at the season, pick some new goals, and get excited about racing again.

Farmersville RR

Three days later and I'm still trying to make up my mind about what I thought of the Farmersville Road Race.

I signed up for the 4 race hoping for some "rolling hills" and an "uphill" finish. Well, the course turned out to be quite flat and the unphill finish wasn't more then a slight riser in the last 300 meters.



Counter to my usual tendencies, I staged right at the front and decided that I'd work on keeping a good position. Right from the whistle some guy took off and got about a maximum of 45 seconds on the first lap. I took a few pulls at the front and felt pretty comfortable. After we caught him, I drifted towards the rear of the pack.

At one point we were really strung out and gaps started opening up so I put in a big effort to move up, soon we came around with 2 laps to go and I picked up the pace on the finishing stretch to get back to the front. That worked well, but it was hard to stay there, by the time we came back around with 1 to go, I was back at the rear of the group again. I tried moving back up, but everyone else had the same idea and I couldn't get anywhere. The last lap got pretty quick and by the time we hit the final kilometer guys were holding their spots pretty firmly and I couldn't get anywhere. We came around the final turn and sprints opened up with me starting at the back of the group. I rolled through in the very back, to finish 27th out of 51.

I had been secretly hoping for a good result, last year I had several finishes in the top 10-15 of Cat 4 races and I figured that I was much stronger this year. But it was not to be, my legs felt good, but they couldn't get me anywhere. It was really a race of positioning and that showed me that I have much to learn in that area.

That said, fighting for positions on a narrow country road with chicanes, doglegs, and rough gutters just isn't my ideal type of racing.

It's a good thing it was such a beautiful day for riding in Lancaster county.

I sat down by the finish after the race to just relax, soak in the beautiful day, enjoy the peace and quiet, and watch the Cat 5 and 2/3 races go.

I'll be looking for hillier races in the future, something that breaks up the field a little. However, this race makes me think that a Cat 3 upgrade is going to be very difficult this season. Up until recently, that goal had been a major motivation for training hard this season. I'm beginning to think that I'll take a shift in my racing goals for the season, maybe bring in some more running, find some duathlons, and try some adventure races. If the road races go well, and I get some upgrade points, that's great. If not, I'll still be having fun.

Nah, who am I kidding, I really want to get some good result in Cat 4 this season! It's time to do some real training, re-motivate myself, and pick up some races to really focus on.

One of the three ways to get to Cat 3 is earn 20 points in a 12 month period. That's going to take a lot of racing.

Marten

Tour of the Battenkill Race report

Well that was fun.

We drove up Friday early afternoon to beat traffic and get to the hotel in Saratoga Springs, NY at a good time. But before we could leave, we had to have some car issues looked at. I don't think that the mechanic quite knew what he was doing, after a few tactful suggestions, we decided to just move on.



So a little behind schedule which meant that David couldn't get to pre-registration, so he'd have an extra early morning on Saturday. We ate well on the way up, plenty of good food packed! Becca's post marathon cookies were a big hit.



We made it just on time to check in to the hotel and scoot over to meet the rest of the team for dinner.



After that we were all ready to go straight to bed. David had to get up at 6am to get registered and make his start time at 9:25 am. It was freezing in the morning, literally only a few degrees above, but with a vicious wind chill. I tried to sleep in a bit, but I was too wound up with pre-race nerves and was wide awake by 8 am. I barely managed to get my french toast breakfast down, then it was time for final preparations.

The thing with biking is that it has too many accessories and paraphernalia. Layering clothes for the weather, arm warmers, knee warmers, which gloves? bottles, food, drink mixes or water? gells, shots, or bars? Spare wheels, bag of tools, etc etc...

We drove out to Cambridge and I was glad to see that the weather was coming up through the forties and there was even a hint of sun once in a while. Steve called to say that it was frickin' freezing, and the wind chill was brutal. Alright, maybe I'll add a base layer.



Most of us were racing, but Becca and Amy did a fantastic job with support. After we rolled out, they headed out to the second feed zone with all the kids, bottles for everyone. I'm trying to imagine watching those kids, keeping an eye out for the groups of racers coming through, and trying to get the right bottles to the right people. Not an easy task! Plus, they were looking for 4 of us in the Masters 30+, 1 in Women Cat 4 35+, 1 in Women Cat 4, and 1 in the Cat 4 Men.

David was still racing by the time we rolled out, so I didn't get to hear his story until we were finished.

We started with almost 50 degree weather, but the wind was quite chilly. I was actually surprised how slow the first part of the race was, but as soon as we hit the first real climb, we were definitely going. I saw Greg and Jeff still sitting in good position, but on the paved climb between the feed zones, the pack split and the field took the opportunity to try and separate for good. Greg was caught out, but after a hard chase, he got back on. After that we slowed way down for the next several miles.

Becca's bottle hand off was perfect, I heard her yelling and got over to the side of the road just in time to scoop up my bottle.

I hit a max of 48.3 mph down the dirt descent, but most of the dirt sections were pretty smooth and were very rideable with a smooth line.

My moment of "oh crap" came after the climb to Meetinghouse Rd. I looked up and saw two walls of dirt road and the field was really laying down the hammer. I hung on for the first climb, but a small gap opened up on the second part of the climb and I couldn't make up the deficit despite burying myself. I looked up and saw a group of 30-40 descending after the yellow Mavic tent and I knew I was popped off. I jumped into a small group of 3 others who were chasing hard, but I was too cooked to stay in the rotation. I slowed up and got on a larger group that were working pretty well together and rotated through until the final dirt climb. Everything completely split up at that point, but I followed 3 guys up and over the top. For some reason, I decided to try and get around the front guy on a descent and that extra effort put me a little too much into the red, for a little too long, and then I lost contact with them. They rode off and I soloed in the last few miles. The finishing miles were flat, and I felt alright, but my legs had no extra strength left.

So I rolled in 37th out of 84 finishers. Not bad for my first Masters race, so I'm happy with that.

It was a beautiful course, after the first few kilometers I relaxed enough to start looking around and enjoy the race. The route was smooth and it was great fun to come barreling into these towns and have all traffic stopped for the field. Greenwich even had a big cheering section going.

Definitely a fun race, for some reason I let the idea of a Masters race get to me and spent the morning far more nervous then I should have been. The roads were actually in really good condition, the Masters pack was very smooth, and it was just a really well run race.



There is no way to not be in a great mood after a race like that.

What worked:

1. Specialized bottle cages - Nothing is coming loose from those grips
   
2. Continental GP 4000 25mm - Good traction and a good ride, no flats
   
3. 12-27 cassette - Crucial, I could sit and spin while maintaining traction on the dirt climbs while passing guys trying to mash a taller gear and just slipping around
   
4. Bring a spare tube - If you do flat, it's a long way home
   

Jen got second and earned herself a podium spot!

Ah, this is going to be a good season...

Other Battenkill Masters 30+ race reports [1]

Greg's Garmin File.

Battenkill Prep

So Battenkill is less then a week away.

Do I feel ready? I don't think it is ever possible to really feel ready for a race like this, but I've done what I could. I wanted to have at least 500 miles for the month of March, and I logged 510. Much of it was just good base miles, plus some great training like the Monkey Knife Fight, the Derby, some intense intervals with Dave and David, and some fast and hard group rides with the team. I even put in a solid century last Saturday with some hill riding in the morning with Jeff who is super strong.

Now the week before the race is the time to taper, I hope some pep returns to my legs, they've felt quite tired this past week. Today's ride was a relatively easy hour with Dave and David, including some moderate hill efforts to shake out the legs and make sure they don't forget what tougher efforts are like. From now on it will be resting, with a spinning ride or two to keep my legs limber.

I'm expecting the Masters 30+ race to be ridiculously fast, and I'll need to ride smartly in order to hang on as long as possible. I think it will be important to be in a good position for the climbs, and well protected for the fast sections. The descents will probably be the hardest, and I predict that when I pop, it'll be on the way down.

This should be fun.

Monkey Knife Fight

Well, it wasn't technically a race, but the Monkey Knife Fight was my first competitive event of 2010.

It was a blast.

Take a really good group of riders, out to raise money for cancer, add a perfect day (seriously perfect, 65-70 with no humidity and sunny), throw in some good climbs with some scored points, and that is hard to top for a day on the bike.


(Thanks to Mark Bowman for the photos, and for organizing the whole thing.)

I biked down to Emmaus for the start, about 9 miles and got there early for the 8 am start. It's amazing how I can motivate myself to get up for a day of riding like this. We rolled out pretty easily after a few words from Bowman, the organizer. The pace was easy until we hit the first dirt climb and the whistle blew (meaning: it's ON), I was sitting pretty far back in a big group (50+ riders) and when I started to go, my chain dropped for the second time this week. I've got to figure that out before Battenkill. Apparently 4 guys flatted on the first dirt section, so we lost Dave for a while as he stuck around to help them.

Anyway, on the second climb I had a better start towards the front. At first I followed Selene and passed her on a false flat section in the middle of the climb. Someone on a mountain bike surged past and I couldn't match his speed, so I rolled to the top in third place.

The next few climbs went well, I had a 4th, and another 3rd, then we hit this ridiculously steep section. It was hard to go in a straight line, let alone pass anyone. Whenever I stood on the pedals, I only started slipping around and losing traction. My arms were sore after that one.



Here comes David up Mt. Mary.

One of the middle climbs was a shallow section of dirt road and I was completely out powered by the entire lead group, so I decided to just save my legs.

On what I think was the last climb of the day, I felt pretty strong and was riding well. Selene and another guy were right behind me on a short flatter section in the middle of the climb when he told me that my rear had flatted. I looked down in denial, hoping that it wasn't actually flat, but sure enough, soon I felt the gravel hitting my rim so I pulled over. Pinch flat! I think at that point I was in second and feeling good, so I probably could have hung on for at least 3rd or 4th again.



After that, the lead group was gone. The size had dwindled constantly during the day and now I was out, fortunately there were only a few miles left at this point. Back at the shop, after 75 miles, it was good to just sit back for a while and listen to the stories. First and second place were separated by only 1 point! Gabe Lloyd (Van Dessel factory team) beat Bobby Lea (Bahati Racing) in the end.

David rolled in with a flat rear tire that gave out 2 miles from Emmaus, it was just shredded from old age. I'm surprised that it made it through all the gravel and pot hole sections just to give out on the streets of Emmaus.

The riders came from a wide range of experience levels, from recreational weekenders to two current pro riders (one of which was a 2008 Olympian). Greg and Steve rode well, it was an excellent Battenkill preparation ride, hopefully it helps us all out in 3 weeks when we head to NY for the main event.

Final results:

1. Top Monkey - Gabe Lloyd 46 Pts.
   
2. Bobby Lea 45 pts
   
3. TIE Aaron Snyder and Andy Munas 23 pts
4. 
   
5. Marten Beels 15 pts.
   
6. Jasen Thorpe 13 pts.
   
7. Stefan "Geronimo" Kincade 10 pts
   
8. Ryan LOF Pomajevich 8 pts.
   
9. Jordan 4 pts.
   
10. Selene Yeager (1st place female) 2 pts.
    
11. Matt Allyn 1 pt.
    

It's pretty cool even being on the same list as 2 professionals, a Cat 1 rider, 2 Cat 2 riders, a semi-pro mountain biker, and an Ironman triathlon winner!

2010: Goals and Ambitions

Like every new beginning, it feels appropriate to take a step back and lay down some goals for the new year. To try and keep myself accountable, I'll spell them out here, so here they are:

• Upgrade to Cat 3 in Road This will be my main goal for this year. I had several 10th place finishes last year, but upgrade points start at 9th. Although there are several routes to a Cat 3 upgrade, I'd like to earn mine via points. I think this will be doable, but it won't come easily. I'll probably have to focus on hilly races like Mt. Nebo and work on developing something that at least resembles a sprint.


• Compete in a stage race. I'd like to try one of those 3 event weekend stage races with a RR, crit, and TT. This means I gotta work on my TT.


• Improve TT, do 8 miles in 20 minutes or less. This works out to 24 mph average, and I'm a long way to being able to sustain that for 20 minutes. I think this would really help in my quest for a road upgrade, as well as improve my cycling over all.


• Not get dropped before mile 10 of Battenkill Masters 30+ I don't expect to make the first selection, but I'd like to at least hang with the main pack. Last year was apparently 30+ mph, so this will be interesting.


• Upgrade to Cat 3 cyclocross This really isn't a goal, all I have to do is one more race. Cyclocross doesn't need any goals, it is just pure fun.


• Keep Running I want to do some trail races, maybe a Ron Horne event.


• Multisport This has got to be the year for a duathlon or triathlon. They look like fun.

And that's it. The TT goal will be the toughest I think, I'll focus on strength training this winter, and then switch to high intensity intervals and 2x20 type workouts in the spring. Oh man, I can't wait, 2010 will be great.