Seriously!!!

What is going on???

Tonight was an awesome night for a ride. Temps in the 60s, not too windy, dry and clear. IN CHICAGO JUST 2 DAYS FROM NOVEMBER!!! What is wrong with this picture?

It looks like by moving the Iceman back a week, all the organizers have done is give us another week of late summer-like riding to prep for yet another balmy and dry race.

I'm trying to keep my riding up, as I need to figure out this problem I'm having with dead legs on race day. I've got another 'cross race this weekend, and I'd like to actually race with good legs one of these days. I'm sure my problem in my last race was the 50+ miles I rode the day before. But I didn't really have any legs for the first race of the season either. This week I'm going to try racing the Masters at 10am and then the Cat 4 race at 2. We'll see what that does to me...

Picked up a couple wheels from Andy, so I now have 5 bikes and 5 sets of wheels! it's Miracle!! I can't wait to get the Loki back together. Gold frame and gold rims.. HOT!! Plus I need my Ray's bike in tip top shape for the winter!

So true...

Quoth the Bike Snob.

Carpentersville Cross

Today was the second race in the Chicago Cross Cup series at Carpenter Park in Carpentersville, IL. Incidentally, I ran into someone who also rides a Raleigh Rx1.0. He said it's made in Carpentersville, though I've yet to confirm it.

I'll try to be breif, as I know I can get a bit windy here.

It was yet another unseasonably dry and warm day for a 'cross race. The course was mostly flat though there were a number of false flats, and not much room to stretch the legs. Obstacles included a double barrier leading to a run-up, a barrier followed by a small dried culvert you had to jump (repeated again later in the course)
and about 30-40 feet of playground sandbox. In warmups I both ran and rode the sand, but opted to run it in the race. What made the sand partiularly tricky was a 6" drop into the sand, making it difficult to pedal strong into the sand. Rather, to prevent endoing, you had to lift the front and drop into the sand, losing precious momentumum.



Only about 45 on the line for the 4a's this week. Despite the reduced numbers, I still failed to get a spot on the front line. I lined up on the second row in the middle, making it very difficult to get free at the start. I settled into the pack about 30 back. The first two laps were uneventful, save for the searing pain in my legs. Beginnig lap three, before the first set of barriers is a paved straight with a sharp left turn at the end. I hear a racer come up on the inside of the turn fast. I'm thinking, how the hell is this guy gonna make the turn coming this fast and on the inside of the turn! Well, the answer is, he wasn't. I later learned he thought it was a RIGHT hand turn.. :( So, when I turned left into the turn, hoping he would hold his line, I ended up running smack into his rear wheel. I went down, and he made it through more or less ok... At least I was able to launch off the bike as I went down to land on the grass and not the pavement..



I remounted and tried to pedal away. My saddle was severly skewed to the right, so I stopped and corrected. However, upon remounting, something still wasn't right. I thought my bars had turned too, but luckily it was just a shifter turned a little out of wack. I tried to straighten in, but to no avail. It was so weird to me to be standing on the course of a cyclocross race. I've come to know CX as an all out sprint to the end, and even though you do get off the bike from time to time, you're NEVER standing still. And yet, here I was. It was not a good feeling.

Getting back into the rhythm was tough, and I don't think I ever quite got it back. I reeled back a couple of lost places, and managed to hold off a late attack by a couple of guys who had been working together most of the race. I ended up 17th of 45. A ways off of my top 10 a couple weeks ago, but considering the cirumstances, I guess I can't complain.



All in all, a good day. Got to hang with some new friends and make newer ones! And I manage to snap a few pics in the process. Good times all around.



Someday there'll be snow...

Soup

Proof that God loves us....

Gorgeous days like today!!

Went for a 50 miler on the inaugural Spider Monkey club ride. Some members of the Higher Gear club/team? are puttin' together a new club. They're riding saturdays at 8am from Roscoe Village Bikes.

It was a nice 20mph pace most of the day. Good to spin the legs before the Carpenterville race tomorrow. Looking forward to a good showing in the 4a's.. I'm hopeing to have a little more in the legs and less on the stomache for tomorrow's race. And with the 4's being split into a's and b's, I won't have to fight through the hordes for the first lap. Gonna try to go out hard and work my way through the top 10. But we'll see.

Hope y'all enjoyed the day in one way or 'nuther!

soup

Trainin'....

Now that I'm starting to get a little more settle here in the Windy City, I'm trying to get out and meet more of the cycling community. And trying to get some good training rides in is good motivation to get my but out of bed early on the weekends to meet up with any of the various team/groups rides out of the city..

There's a weekly saturday ride with xXx Racing that meets at 8am not too far from my place. They're a pretty large group, but I've been reluctant to join b/c I'm not sure if I could hang, and 8am is damn early for me on a saturday.

Alex, owner of Roscoe Village Bikes, let me know about another group that goes out Saturday mornings even closer to my house, but still at 8am. So I thought I'd give it a shot this weekend.

So I managed to get out of bed early after a night of drinking and bowling (badly). I made it to the meeting spot, introduced myself around, and we were off. It was a nice brisk 20mph pace from the city up to Highland Park. 2 by 2, we were able to chat along the way. We toook a break at a coffee shop in Higland Park next door to Higher Gear bike shop. A few minutes after we arrived, the xXx group rolled in en masse. There must have been about 50 riders! After some chatting, nibbling, and a lot of shivering, we got back on the bikes.. We started off at a slow pace to lessen the chilling effect of the wind. Not long after the xXx Express went blowing by and we latched on to the back. Now were talkin!! We were hummin' along now at about 24-25mph, with sprints up to 30. I wasn't sure how long I was gonna be able to hang, but was feeling good so far. With such a large group now, we were able to blow through many intersections, and the pace stayed high. I was happy, at first, to see at least one other 'cross bike in the group, till I noticed he was riding SS... and FIXED!!

Both of us, however, got our props for riding 'crossers in a predominantly roadie crowd. It was at this point that I looked around and noticed we'd shed all but about 15 riders. I don't know if we dropped the rest or if they just took a different route. I was starting to feel the effects of the pace, but as long as I stayed in the draft, I figured I could make it. Fortunately I knew the roads we were travelling, so in the worst case I could find my way home. Eventually we came to Montrose and Damen, so I bid the group adieux and headed east toward home.

I'm feeling pretty good about today's ride. A much better result that the last up tempo training ride I did, though I was in the draft almost the entire time this go 'round. But still, I'm getting some good hard efforts in, and think I'll be in good shape for my next 'cross race in 8 days...

Ok.. time for food!

Jackson Park CX Vid

The above is a quick clip of me clearing the second barrier on my second lap. It is also my first ever youtube video.. yay me...