rosey's world

TCC Mansfield video

2011-10-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

I doubled up at Mansfield, so I'll use that as my excuse for the slow start...

Also, skip forward to 1:20 or so to see where we actually start racing.

Lastly, I didn't have enough battery life left to catch the whole lap. I missed two of the more enjoyable sections, the slightly off camber spiral turns and the uphill/downhill collarbone section that Colin Murphy has vivid and painful memories of.

your loss

2011-10-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

Last year I was a fool and sat in hours upon hours of traffic to race for 40 minutes at Granogue instead of driving 1.25 hours to the Thread City Cyclist's Mansfield Hollow CX race. This year I smartened up and stayed closer to home. This race is so much fun, and the promoters really enjoy hosting the event. I hopefully have some barcam footage still to come but in the meantime, here are some links to pictures and my lap info from Strava.

Not only is this race deceptively close to Boston, but you can eat your entry fee's worth of baked goods and wash it down with apple cider. And if you happen to be anywhere near the front at the end of the race, they pay very well, and give great merchandise prizes too. Heck, they hooked up DFL in the 1,2,3 race with a $30 multi tool. So next year, when you're sitting around listening to horrible music and not talking to all the unfriendly MAC people you don't know, you can remember that you could have been hanging out with #NECX and enjoying yourself in Mansfield Hollow. Maybe next year.

Single Speed World Championships of the World!

2011-09-16T21:33:00.000-04:00

Waaay back in August, when the temperature was still above 70 degrees at all times, I went over to Ireland to race SSWC 2011. Joining me for the race was Thom Parsons, Gerry Finnegan, and Rob Ide. Of course my bike didn't make the connecting flight so I spent the first 30 hours trying to get updates of its whereabouts and having to stay close to the house.

When it did arrive, the frame was sticking out of the cardboard box though nothing was missing or damaged

(note to self, look for packing material more than 6 hours before your flight).

I reassembled the bike on Friday night (yes, awesome way to spend my night in Dublin) so we'd be ready to go on Saturday morning. Although I had free lodging with Gerry's family in Dublin, it was at least 2.5 hours away from the race sight. We set out in two cars with bikes in the trunks and made it to the registration table about 10 minutes after they had closed. Luckily this is SSWC, not a Verge race, so they were more than happy to re-open and get us squared away. It also only took about 30 seconds per person because they don't have lengthy waivers and licenses.

Since it was SSWC, 90% of participants had a costume or bizarre attire of some sort and probably 50% were already drinking.

We scrambled to change into cycling attire (we were all lame and without costumes) and get our race gear together in the 15 minutes before the procession out of town to the trail head.

Everyone left town together and we were escorted by local police some 6 or 7 miles to the trails. It's comical enough to ride an mtb on the road, but to see a group of 500+ on single speeds with trail gearing was even better. Beers were passed around, costumes got stuck in the spokes, and janky single speed conversions were failing left and right...and we hadn't even made it to staging yet!

Once at staging, we were told to leave our bikes and go over to the music/food/beer tents that they'd set up. This gave people more time to drink beer and dance it up while the organizers disorganized all of our bikes. An eternity later, we lined up under one of those inflatable arch things and were sent running up the hill to where our bikes had been left. Slightly anaerobic from running, we all scrambled to find where they'd hid our bikes. White bikes were all piled on top of each other (there were A LOT of white bikes). Some were hung from trees, some were moved all the way from the front to the back, and some, like mine, were barely moved at all. Despite my bike barely being moved, I still spent a ton of time looking for it because I expected it to have been moved. Finally found it and set out on the two lap, roughly 20 mile course, behind at least half of the field.

We started with a long-ish fire road climb where those with janky single speeds that made it through the road ride began shooting parts into the air as their riders tried to grind the 34x15 up the hill. Seriously, so many broken chains in the first .5 miles. When I finally came to the single track, I had to dismount and wait as we funneled into the trail. Not fun! The single track though, was fun, and whenever possible I'd pass a rider or two and then try to pass a dozen on the next double track. It went like that for the whole first lap until early into the second lap when I was finally clear of traffic for a bit. Not much they could have done, but it did make for a less than stellar first half and reminded me how important it is to start well (and find your bike) if you want to take an event seriously. Also, next year my bike will be neon pink so I can't miss it!

Anyway, the course was pretty fun, and it was impressively dry given that it's in Ireland where it is rainy and crappy 364 days of the year. The winner was a local who apparently is in charge of mountain biking in Ireland and may well have built the trails. Hey, I didn't want the tattoo anyway. I did get a heinous neon orange shirt and stupid looking mismatched socks with leprechauns (seriously guys, save your money and give me a free beer or two instead) which were both used to clean my muddy bike before packing for the return.

Overall, I had fun. We didn't get to immerse ourselves in the usual silliness of the event because we were staying far away and because we had to rush back to Dublin afterwards so I can't comment on who won the partying (though I know Thom won the pre-party).

Next year is in South Africa which definitely is not going to happen for me. It's ok because I think singlespeedapalooza and Dark Horse 40 are probably better anyway.

I didn't take many pictures, but there are some good ones here: http://acunamatadaar.blogspot.com/2011/08/sswc-2011-ireland.html

Quad Cross

2011-09-16T21:07:00.000-04:00

Great job by Quad Cycles with the new venue. Here's video of the first lap of the 3 race. Yeah, I have some serious work to do.

Sutton mtb trails, aka, Matt Myette's backyard

2011-06-14T13:37:00.000-04:00

Oh man, these trails are sweet. They are almost reason enough to live in Sutton. Maybe, if you ask nicely, you'll get an invite to ride them later this summer.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91369880

Mill Pond mtb

2011-06-06T08:51:00.000-04:00

http://connect.garmin.com/dashboard?cid=5107671

I don't get to ride my mountain bike nearly enough. Even though it's how I got hooked on bikes, I no longer make the time to ride in the woods as often as I should. So this past Wednesday, when I had a window to ride new trails in Woburn, a little tornado wasn't going to keep me away. If you haven't explored the Woburn trails yet, you should put it on your list. Fun trails, close to Boston and pretty easy to navigate, even without a guide. There's a link to my GPS file at the top. We doubled back quite a few times because none of us knew the trails very well. I'll be back. From my office, it's only 10 minutes further than Bedford Paint Mines, and 15 minutes closer than Harold Parker. A good alternative for a weeknight or early morning spin.

Unsanctioned

2011-04-29T11:59:00.001-04:00

I think of any event/race put on without the constraints of USAC to be an unsanctioned event. Maybe that's using the term too loosely but it feels right to me, so I go with it. As of late, my interest in sanctioned events (excluding cx racing) has really decreased. Road races seem the same every year and the time and cost associated with them doesn't rank high on my satisfaction scale. MTB racing is fun, until you start sanctioning it and people take it too seriously.

I've really enjoyed putting together the Ronde the last two years. I've also really enjoyed taking part in other unsanctioned events like the Rapha Gentleman's Ride, D2R2, and SSapalooza. So, I challenge you, Boston area racers/riders, to create other fun, unsanctioned events. Give me more reasons to put off buying a USAC license this year.

Some ideas:

- mtb tt (3-5 mile loops)
- 3-4 person ttt (50+ miles)
- invite only, mass start road race (60+ miles)
- 2-3 person cx style ride (like the Ronde, there are lots of trails out there yet to be exposed)

Ronde v2.0 sponsors

2011-04-13T13:46:00.000-04:00

We couldn't have raised $1300 without the awesome contributions from:

47
Chip Baker
Harpoon
Landry's
Mad Alchemy
Mike Zanconato
M and M Racing
Pedros
Raleigh
Rapha
Wayne Dubb

Again, big thanks to both the sponsors and the riders. I've already got some good ideas for v3.0...or maybe v2.5...

Ronde v2.0 results

2011-04-11T11:14:00.001-04:00

First, a big huge thank you to everyone who came out on Sunday morning and braved my less than ideal cue sheet and often-missing trail markings. I had a ton of fun organizing the event and riding it this year.

Second, a big huge thank you to the volunteers that helped out. Chip Baker who worked tirelessly in the background to round up sponsors, mark trails, spread the word, and be a helping hand in nearly every part of the planning. David Wilcox and Cary Fridrich, both on the IR with foot injuries drove all around the course, checking in teams, keeping riders going, and even sharing some sorely needed calories. Eli Levine for manning the checkpoint at the top of Prospect Hill Park. That water and those fig newtons helped a lot of people carry on after the climb. Gerry Finnegan (and his staff) for letting us take over the Washington Square Tavern as the host "city"

Third, a big huge thank you to the sponsors who made it possible for us to blow our goal of $900 out of the water this year! You will get a proper post very soon, I promise.

The finish times are posted (complements of David Wilcox who stood at the Tavern to welcome EVERY team home). It's too early to declare a winner because the first team back has not produced gps proof that they (mostly) followed the correct route and there is some disagreement about whether or not their minor shortcut was valid. Oh, and they kind of sort of ditched their NH teammate to fend for himself so even though he was at the finish line with them, I think they are DSQ for not staying together as a team.

The truth though, is that Bikes not Bombs was the real winner on Sunday. Over $1300 raised which is awesome!

Send me your gps routes and I'll update the table below. Might even add some fun facts like who rode the furthest, longest time in the saddle, most lost, etc.

Ronde v2.0 taking shape

2011-02-16T00:11:00.000-05:00

I'm scheming, plotting, and inventing some challenging upgrades to the route. More trails, more climbing, more suffering with your teammates. It'll be your own little taste of Paris Roubaix, but without the radios and team cars and with some much more challenging trails in place of the cobbles.

We raised over $700 last year. This year, we have some really great stuff from Raleigh USA and Lazer already committed for our raffle. We're looking forward to crushing last year's number to once again support Bikes not Bombs.

Make sure you're reaching out to me if you plan on taking part. I've got 25+ confirmed so far and the limit will be 100.

It's coming

2011-01-21T22:37:00.000-05:00

Ronde v2.0

April 10th. Start training, find your teammates (3-4), and tell me if you're in for another edition.

too much of a good thing

2010-12-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

(Maybe should have published this on Tuesday when I wrote it. Seems less interesting now in light of the UCI/USAC fiasco going on)

We got what we asked for in New England. Lots and lots and lots of cx racing. So much racing that people are burnt out. Did we bring it on ourselves? 15 UCI events in New England, as many as 40 races, including a new phenomenon in New England, the midweek night race! We talk cx 7 days a week on twitter, facebook, the blogs, and via email. All the talk, all the action, all the options seems to have worn us down more than ever before.

Some people race a bunch during the summer, entering cx season after a brief break, or maybe without one at all. It's not surprising to see these people pulling the plug early on cx. But I am surprised at the die hards who've hung up the tubulars early or even reduced their racing schedule from years past. I suspect the total number of registrants this season was higher than previous years but it also seems the total number of races was greater.

We got what we asked for, but now racers are dialing it back, being more selective in when and where we spend our racing dollars. Big events that shelled out big dollars didn't draw enough to break even while smaller events had their greatest numbers to date (I think). What's the formula for success? Is it historic performance? location? timing? cost?

What needs to change, what needs to give in 2011 to sustain 40+ events? Nationals will be in January so people are calling for a longer racing season to support those who plan on attending. Given the current registration numbers for an event in mid December, it will be interesting to see how New England (and other regions) copes with stretching the race season through the holidays into the new year. Will the number of races in August decrease as events push back into late December and January or will the experiment of holding nationals in January leave most racers with a 3-4 week gap in their race schedule leading up to the main event? Will the overall attendance of Nationals drop due to the timing?

I don't know the answers. I do know I love gluing the tubulars, pinning on a number (not shoulder numbers, those are fucking pain in the ass), and putting myself deep into the red as often as I can with 15 or 150 other racers. Come winter time, after 20 cx races though, I love the mountain bike, long base mile rides, and not loading a bunch of gear in the car to spend an entire day for 45 minutes of racing.

2010 cyclocross race review: Sterling Day 1

2010-12-01T08:23:00.001-05:00

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58494777

Score: B

Pros:
- fun course with power sections, challenging run up, tight turns, and off cambers
- reasonably accessible from CT, NH, RI, and anywhere in MA
- neutral support from Mark

Cons:
- staging by order of registration. Tom, what do you have against using a predictable metric like crossresults.com? It seems to work well everywhere else
- the exposed course always feels 5 degrees cooler and windier than the surrounding area, making it less than pleasant for spectators
- no kids race
- this race didn't feel like it had the same level of energy associated with the other Verge events making the high race fee (consistent with all Verge events) feel even less worthwhile

Observations
- small turnout for the elite fields despite being the NACT finale. 7 of top 10 men didn't show. 3 of top 5 women didn't show
- 83% of women finished in the money, 76% of the men finished in the money
- surprisingly few places to pass on the course

2010 cyclocross race review: Cheshire CX

2010-11-23T09:23:00.001-05:00

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/57672676
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/57672679

Score: A-

Pros:
- fun course, great use of available terrain
- challenging elevation changes
- sand pit, muddy bridge crossing, hard climb, hill people
- twisty but fast singletrack, old school feeling
- single speed race adds a second option (as long as you are not also racing cat 4 at the same time)
- fair entry fee: $25 plus $10 for second race
- enthusiastic promoters and announcers
- good spectator course with fanatical fans
- sponsor support helps provide nice prizes

- kids race
- free and inexpensive food available on-site

Cons:
- a bit far for a day trip from Boston and further northeast in New England, but well worth it for anyone in CT, RI and western MA (I-91) residents
- no neutral support, though I saw very few people having mechanical issues
- if you lose control in many of the corners, you will hit an immovable object (baseball backstops, trees, corner of a shed, etc)
- the park is not entirely closed to others so there were a few instances of dog walkers or hikers on the singletrack

I'm hoping more people make the trip to this one next year.

Breaking Away

2010-11-18T10:25:00.007-05:00

I use Campy. It's overpriced and it's not easy to source at the lbs. I don't like that they moved to 11 speed for the higher end ranges but I've got enough 10 speed stuff to last me a few more years and when (if?) shifters wear out, they are rebuildable.

Those who use SRAM seem to be blowing through shifters at an alarming rate this fall. I thought it'd be fun (laughing at you, not with you) to try and count how many have broken their SRAM shifters this fall. Leave a comment with your experience. Are you sticking with SRAM in the future? I know their warranty is great/fast, but it's not instantaneous so you're out at least a few hours/days if you need to rely on it. So far I've got:

Colin Reuter: 4 shifters
PVB: 2 shifters
Ryan White: 1 shifter
Joy Stark: 1 shifter
Jordan Winkler: 1 shifter
David Montes: 1 shifter
SBZ: 1 shifter
Drew: 1 shifter
Greg Whitney: 2 shifter
Curtis B: 1 shifter
Gary David: 1 shifter
Ryan Kelly: 2 shifters
Mike Wissell: 2 shifters

who else?

2010 cyclocross race review: Cycle Smart International GP of CX, day 1

2010-11-11T16:13:00.005-05:00

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/56348585

Score: A-

Pros:
- Fun course that is modified a little bit each year. Good mixture of power sections, fast sweeping turns, and then a technical section in the upper wooded area
- Big, competitive amateur fields
- Close enough to NY and NJ to draw some different competitors than usual
- Northampton is a fun town if you want to stay for the weekend
- Typical, tight Verge series organization keeping events on time
- Races were staged by series points and then crossresults.com ranking (except UCI races)
- There were kids races on both days
- There was a specified area for vendors so it was easy to find food or product options to buy

Cons:
- It's 2 hours from Boston so it's a lot of driving to do one day only (NoHo is fun for staying overnight though)
- Look Park charges $7 for one day access (last year was $5, years prior was $3 I think) or $10 for 2 day access which isn't the race promoters fault
- The course layout on Day 1 was such that very few spectators ventured to the upper part of the course even though it is the more technical, exciting area. This may have been exacerbated by the introduction of tent row and the vendor area, giving people less reason to spread around the course. In years past, NoHo has had great cheering sections spread all over but not as much this year

Did I miss anything?

2010 cyclocross race review: Granogue Day 1 and 2

2010-10-19T22:32:00.003-04:00

Day 1
Day 2

Stats: Day 1: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53732685
Stats: Day 2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53732677

Score: B+ (would be an A if the race was closer)

Pros:
- Fantastic courses in a scenic, private estate
- Wicked off camber turns and challenging course design without being ridiculous
- Fun to race against a whole new group of people
- Fun to cheer for the few other New Englanders in attendance
- Fair price: $30
- All attendees got a reusable Granogue bag
- Some seriously fun swooping turns that felt better and better with each lap

Cons:
- Horrible drive from Boston: Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, New York, Philly, ugh
- Local accommodations are not great if you're traveling from far away and want to be social at night (I was lucky enough to stay only 3 miles away with friend of friend)
- Charged for parking ($3)
- Staged racers by series standings (fair) then by registration order (crossresults.com anyone?)
- On-site PA was horrible, causing many many people to miss the staging
- Registration people mixed up my number causing me to stage in the last row instead of mid field (100+, it makes a difference)
- This place would be horrible in the rain/wet due to the amount of off camber
- The MAC seems to be dominated by 3 or 4 teams yet the teams did not have cohesive social gatherings. Quite a shame given what we accomplish socially in New England at our events and look at the huge start/finish area, perfect for tent space!

2010 Cyclocross race review: Providence Day 1

2010-10-19T20:24:00.006-04:00

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53732694

Score: B+

Pros:
- great course, using the available terrain perfectly
- good venue for spectating
- fun infield area with vendors and side show to entertain spectators
- getting to ride the 2005-2006 cx national championship course
- reasonably close to Boston, Hartford, New Haven
- course would be fun in the dry or the wet

Cons:
- staging a non Verge series event by Verge series points hardly seems fair (lazy maybe?)
- no neutral support
- conflicting info about parking and reserved area for teams
- poor signage in the park to direct people to the course (not an issue if you've been before)
- took a long time to get results posted for participants
- a lot of people suffered flats from glass and broken pavement on the course (lack of neutral support was salt in the wound for some)
- would be nice if this race re-entered a major UCI series (Verge, USGP, NACT) to draw more top caliber riders or stopped trying to be a UCI (more expensive) event and focused on the expo and amateur riders

2010 cyclocross race review: Grand Prix of Gloucester Day 2

2010-10-08T13:42:00.005-04:00

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51686098

Score: A-

Pros:
- Day 2 was back to the uphill start
- Day 2 was reminiscent of Gloucester courses from years past: fast, open, and fun
- The seawall runup (I like it, others hate it)
- It's Gloucester, it's the biggest race in New England. Great turnout, great vendors, electric environment
- Big fields means racing some of the best in your category
- The venue has plenty to entertain (or overwhelm) the non-racers
- Course was well marshaled by friendly volunteers
- The pre-ride opportunities were plenty
- Day 2's course was not quite as long as day 1 which meant one extra lap for all (most?) fields
- I knew about the gigantic bag of Haribo gummy bears at the Pedros lounge at the beginning of the day
- Gigantic "sample" of Bob's Red Mill oatmeal
- "Tent row" along the start/finish stretch

Cons:
- Why exactly did they not make use of the sandbox? We rode right around it!!!
- Pricey entry, though you get more for your money than you do at the typical Verge event (same prices)
- I had to split immediately after my race (not the promoters fault, though I did beat the traffic)
- I got beat by Chandler Delink

2010 cyclocross race review: Grand Prix of Gloucester Day 1

2010-10-04T11:23:00.006-04:00

Grand Prix of Gloucester in Gloucester, MA October 2nd

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51686110

Score: B+

Pros:
- It's Gloucester, it's the biggest race in New England. Great turnout, great vendors, electric environment
- Big fields means racing some of the best in your category
- The venue has plenty to entertain (or overwhelm) the non-racers
- Course was well marshaled by friendly volunteers
- The pre-ride opportunities were plenty
- Long course gives slower riders a better chance of not getting lapped/pulled
- The course incorporated every technical element from years past, minus the sea wall run up

Cons:
- The course incorporated every technical element from years past, minus the sea wall run up
- Downhill start into a technical off camber dirt section or into a 90 degree left turn (for the UCI races)? Um, no thank you
- The course was wide spread and it seemed harder than usual to "learn it" and remember where you were
- The long course would have been really long if weather was bad. I prefer more laps on a shorter course but I understand the need for a long course with such big fields
- Not as spectator friendly of a layout as years past, though still above average
- Pricey entry, though you get more for your money than you do at the typical Verge event (same prices)
- I didn't find the gigantic bag of Haribo gummy bears at the Pedros lounge until the end of the day

Lots of people out there on both days. What did you think? Highlights and low lights.

2010 cyclocross race review: Suckerbrook Auburn, NH

2010-10-01T14:29:00.004-04:00

Suckerbrook in Auburn, NH September 26th
Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51258719

Score: B+

Pros:
- reasonable distance from Boston (60 miles)
- great turn out of New England cx faithful
- parking and spectating is easy to manage
- laid back, fun atmosphere for racers and non-racers
- the promoters LOVE promoting this race and it shows
- every year, there are enhancements to the course. they do a great job with the terrain they have
- the race is fairly priced and second races are only $10. plenty of opportunity to get your money's worth and your day's fill of cx racing
- the race is run in support of a chosen area resident who is fighting cancer. yeah, that's right, the money goes to charity, not the promoters. AWESOME!
- dick ring on the mic
- results were up, online within 24 hours

Cons:
- it was super dusty this year. that's not the race's fault, but if you are not a fan of dusty courses, you'd want to avoid Suckerbrook if it has been dry.
- pre-race staging is a free for all (like Quad Cross). it would be a HUGE improvement if the promoters used crossresults or even pre-reg order to line people up. as races grow in size every year, the "race" to the start line gets wackier and wackier
- due to a crowded schedule, pre-riding the course was not allowed between some of the races. this makes it hard for people to get familiar with the course before they race
- maybe we could see a single speed category here next year? i'd do 3 races if they add a single speed.

Suckerbrook has achieved "must do" status on many New England cx racer's calendars. Do it next year if you missed it this year.

2010 cyclocross race review: Catamount Cross, VT day 2

2010-09-20T11:21:00.002-04:00

Catamount Cross Race in Williston, VT September 19th

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49811051

Score: B

The same pros and cons as Day 1 generally apply. I will add a few specific notes though

Pros:
- day 2 was a more enjoyable course
* almost the same amount of climbing but not in the same all at once manner
* I am a big fan of the log ride/run up
* nice use of off camber, but fast turns

Cons:
- staying to watch the elite field (or racing in the elite field) means getting back to Boston/RI at 7pm or later

What did you think? Was day 2 better or worse than day 1?

2010 cyclocross race review: Schoolhouse Cross, VT day 1

2010-09-20T10:22:00.007-04:00

Schoolhouse UCI Cross in Williston, VT September 18th

Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49811060

Score: B

Pros:
- Scenic venue
- Efficiently run event
* quick results
* quick awards and payout
- Using the same race number for both days (or for the whole series, hint hint) just makes good sense
- Later than usual start time makes driving up the morning of a realistic option
- Appropriate number of categories
- Good excuse to visit Burlington, VT
- Aerobically challenging course with a lot of elevation gain
- Despite the elevation, the course is pretty fast in good conditions
- If weather is nice, camping at the venue is a nice option
- Smaller than average turnout means scoring the coveted Verge points for future event staging is probably easiest here

Cons:
- Wicked fah from Bahston (even worse from RI), making a day trip very hard to justify
- Most expensive race series in the USA (excluding Nationals) as far as I can tell
- Really long course means fewer laps
* fewer chances to get comfortable during pre-ride
* smaller fields become very spread out (less "action")
- Three race numbers? Really? My racing clothes suffer enough from being pinned 15+ times a season, no need to add insult with the shoulder numbers too.
- Not a great spectator venue (see previous point), even though it is scenic
- No pavement (isn't there a UCI rule about this?), though I'm not sure that really matters with this one
- UCI event means dealing with uptight officials and imaginary rules (silly French Canadian official)
- Gloucester and Providence are no longer Verge races, so earning Verge points in VT is less important (at least to me) than previous years
- If the weather is bad, lap times easily exceed 10 or 15 minutes and that's no fun for anyone

What did you think of VT day 1?

2010 cyclocross race review: Quadcross

2010-09-20T10:01:00.008-04:00

Here goes. I'm going to recap each cyclocross race I do this year. Simple bullet point style with pros and cons of each event. We'll see if it's possible for me to keep up with this all season.

Quadcross in Bedford, MA September 12th
Stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49811103

Score: B+

Pros:
- close to Boston
- very reasonably priced ($20)
- nice, challenging course
* plenty of twisty, off camber turns to remind you that driving a cx bike should be hard
* enough pavement for the roadies and for recovery
* fairly spectator friendly
* good use of the terrain available
- indoor, clean services
- efficient registration
- laid back attitude of officials, participants, and sponsors (not a cut-throat UCI atmosphere)
- could definitely be considered the appropriate "start" of the cx season for the Boston area crowd
- lively "infield" full of spectators, sponsors, and announcers
- great turnout of Quad Cycles racers to support and participate in their event

Cons:
- staging is a free for all. It would be great/easy to make use of crossresults.com, or even online reg order. Something to avoid the 20 minute, pre-start line up
- races did not start on time (not sure if there was a good reason for this)
- apparently scoring was slow and not entirely accurate
- took a long time to get results posted online (though they were posted at the venue, so this isn't a strong reason to diss on Quadcross)
- too many fields for the number of participants (reduce the fields, combine start times, and make it easier on the scorers)
- Cat 3 race should be 45 minutes, not 40
- barriers were not "secure" (this is nit picking, I know). I saw people stumble on the barriers and knock them over. They should be more firmly mounted if possible.

If you have other observations, please add them to the comments.

it's getting serious

2010-09-17T11:12:00.003-04:00

I try to make sure the Wednesday morning "practice" isn't too serious. The turnouts have been great and the course is exactly what I want it to be. This past week we must have had 30 people even though we start at 6:30am.

Now that it is September and people are getting out to race twice (or more) per weekend, these midweek practice sessions can be a great opportunity to really focus on specific skills. People have been asking about targeting specific skills during these sessions, and I say go for it! Need to practice your barriers? Go for it, as many times as you like. Need to practice your turning? There are a lot of varied turns in the course but there is also plenty of open space and a pile of leftover cones to set up your own practice area.

Weather permitting, this coming week I'll show up even earlier (aiming for 6am) so people can practice more than just the 6 (yes, next week is 6!) hot laps. I'm also thinking that some friendly/competitive barrel racing could be fun. Maybe a game of catch the rider in front of you.

put away your road bike damnit!

2010-09-07T13:32:00.002-04:00

It's almost here

2010-08-14T21:46:00.000-04:00

D2R2, 2010 is coming. Get your dirt fix.

Morning CX

2010-08-11T12:12:00.007-04:00

I like morning cx. Especially when there are more than just two of us. Eight brave souls endured the August temperatures and early wake up call to hit the new and improved Lars Anderson course.

Robert Hale outdid himself with the new additions. Many of the elements from last year are still in play but we've eliminated some of the leg bursting climbs and boring straights and replaced them with leg bursting run ups and extreme staircase dropoffs (which some folks managed just fine in road shoes).

6-7 minute laps, enough turns to keep you on your toes and greatly improve your driving skills, and a morning view that will replace your need for morning coffee (unless you are PVB who went to 7-11 for coffee before the ride...seriously).

I think we are on track for regular Wednesday morning sessions. The new course is even less dependent on cones so setup and tear down is a breeze and you all can get out there and ride without me (not that you would want to, but you could).
Time to toughen up the hands for cx season.

We had some new faces this week and I hope we have even more new faces as the fall approaches. CX!!!!

Working Man's Stage Race recap

2010-08-01T11:18:00.005-04:00

Before taking off for vacation, I decided to sample the Working Man's Stage Race. Here are some miscellaneous thoughts.

1. You definitely need to leave Boston by 3:30 each day to make it in time for the 5:30 sign-ins.

2. The group running the event (mostly Armand but also a group of well organized volunteers) are quite friendly and accommodating. Perhaps because the attitudes of the participants was more relaxed and friendly compared to your typical weekend road race with 80+ participant fields.

3. The first stage was the TT. It's a lot of effort to get up to Amesbury for what ends up being a 15-17 minute effort but the course is fun and definitely rewards people with TT equipment. A few people missed turns or were even directed incorrectly by the nonchalant police officers directing traffic but in Armand's defense, he did mark the course with green blazes that I was able to follow (it would have been nice if they mentioned this, as well as the final right turn to the finish line in the rider's meeting though).

4. Having clip on aero bars and exactly one other TT ride with said equipment this year is not enough to actually do well. I was satisfied with my 10th place but I think I could have been in the top 6 if I practiced my TT more.

5. The road race uses much of the same route as the TT, slightly extending the route to make for 8.5 mile laps. Again, I liked the course and with the smaller than average field (40) it felt safe despite the narrow roads.

6. The ECV boys had 4 or 5 in the top 10 after the TT so they tried to control the road race. They failed, lost the leader's jersey and had a few riders rightfully relegated for blatant disregard of the yellow line rule. There was also a CCB rider who seemed oblivious to the yellow line rule (maybe because he didn't speak English?). I don't understand why that one is so hard to follow.

7. I know I am never going to win a sprint finish so I decided to go for some KOM points. The climb suited me well and I picked up enough points for 3rd place (shoulda contested the first lap) and a whopping $10.

8. I tried to stay away a few times after the KOM but the field pretty easily gobbled me up on the fast descent so I resigned myself to finishing with the group, taking home 12th place and avoiding the almost-crash caused by an ECV rider making a diagonal sprint from left to right of the field in the last 100m. That was good enough to move me into 8th place with just the points race left.

9. The points race was a comedy of errors. My wife and mother-in-law picked me up at work so we could all go together. I had just installed my father's old roof rack that morning and it was not looking good.

10. Fast forward about 45 miles and I'm zipping up 95, fearing a late arrival when the rack lets go and flies off the roof with the bike! Slam on my brakes while watching cars avoid it in my rear view. I run down the left lane of the highway and scramble to pick up the pieces, most of which were still attached, including the bike. Since we had a car load already with baby seat, 3 passengers, and stroller, I had to shove parts all over the place to make it fit. The bike seemed fine except for a torn seat, brake hood, and tire/tube.

11. Once everything was packed in the car, I floored it, knowing I had some repair work to do. We got to the race track about 30 minutes before our start. I happened to have a spare tire with me and the wheel was only a little out of true. I fixed both and taped the hood back together enough to ride. The bike seemed fine (thanks aluminum handlebars!) and I did some hard efforts to make sure nothing was cracked.

12. The points race was a blur. I told myself I needed 8-10 total points to move up on the GC into the top 5. My strategy was to go for every other sprint (once every 10 laps out of 60). I pretty quickly realized it was mayhem and I had no clear wheel to follow so I repeatedly pulled up in 5th or 6th. I managed to score 1 point (4th place) before the half way sprint.

13. Almost immediately after the half way sprint I felt my rear tire going soft. Of course I was towards the front, on the inside of the track and could not easily get out of the way so I stuck my hand up and yelled out FLAT and hoped people would come around me safely which they did.

14. The Threshold crew had pit wheels and told me to grab one which was very nice of them (side bar: have you noticed the Threshold squad is the nicest group at the races? Seriously, they may want to crush you but they also want to be your friend and help you out in unfortunate situations). In my frantic state, while trying to change the wheel I noticed it was rubbing but figured I could make it work and at least hang in the field.

15. I hopped back in mid pack and rode comfortably for 4 or 5 laps, noting that the rubbing brake was definitely slowing me down. After 9 or 10 laps I was drifting further and further back until finally, with about 10 to go I was one wheel, two wheel, three wheel off the back with no hope of re-attaching. From then on, I just tried to stay on the lead lap. Unfortunately with 2 to go, one of the 36 Goguens that was racing attacked off the front and slowly started reeling me in. He caught me with 1.5 to go and the rest of the field caught me with .5 to go.

16. I dropped two places in the overall (finishing 10th) and spent way more in gas than I did on the entry fee. It was a fun experience, one that I might even consider doing again if the starts align again.

Oh yeah, while on vacation this week I submitted an upgrade request and was approved for my Cat 3 license. It just goes to show that podiums and wins are not required to move up a step to Cat 3. In fact, I only have 10 road race starts in the last three years, so that doesn't matter either. Of course, I'm retiring from road racing now so that Cat 3 sticker will just be collecting dust...

cx'y baby

2010-07-15T13:14:00.002-04:00

Rain Delay

2010-06-30T11:20:00.005-04:00

Earlier this month I spent a long week in my favorite place, Montana. I brought my riding shoes, pedals, and clothes since my father-in-law is an avid cyclist and has a plethora of bikes in my size. The first weekend I was there, we went for a mellow mountain bike ride leaving from his house. The last time I did this loop with him was during a September visit. The temp dropped 30 degrees during the ride and it started snowing on us. The loop includes a 5 mile paved road section, then a 4 mile dirt road and singletrack climb, then a 4 mile descent from the mountain tops above his house down to the driveway. Yeah, mellow, right? The terrain was not particularly technical, which is good because I was riding his old rigid full suspension Schwinn with v-brakes, but it was a great way to welcome a relaxing week.

During the week, there is a Wednesday night mtb ride. They picked a route that included 9 miles of dirt road climbing and about 6 miles of singletrack descending. For this one, I secured a much more functional and modern full suspension Ventana 29er. The bigger wheels made the climbing a breeze. I never got comfortable on the bike on the descent, mostly because the suspension was tuned to be so stiff I think. At the end of the ride, a Weber Q grille covered in Elk steaks, homemade sausages, and steak tips was waiting for us, as were two or three coolers of ice cold beer. They do it right out there!

The real treat of the week though, came thanks to a flight cancellation on our return. We were seated, ready for takeoff when the pilot told us O'Hare was closing inbound flights for the next 3 hours. I went back to the in-law's house and dragged my father-in-law out on the road bikes to ride up to the local high point. Their house is at about 4,000ft and the high point, called Skalkaho Pass is 7,250ft. It's a simple out and back route, 26.5 miles each way.

I was given the old (like 1968) Schwinn Paramount with the 21mm tires, the downtube shifters, 36mm wide handlebars, and 53-42 gearing. A true 10 speed with Campy Super Record parts that would make an antique collector proud. I actually enjoy riding this bike when I am there. It is very humbling compared to my 16lb carbon race bike or even my more modern Zanconato. My father-in-law even rode this bike across the country when he was in his early 20s, so it holds a special place in his heart too.

Anyway, we set out for Skalkaho Pass, riding together on the paved road for about 12 miles. At that point my father-in-law turned around while I decided to charge on, past the waterfall, to the summit. It's an 11 mile climb to the summit. The road switches to gravel about 4 miles in and since it was recently graded, it was nice and soft (and dusty). About half way to the summit I realized, although I had a pump and spare tube, I did not have tire irons. Fingers crossed, I really didn't want to use his nice Campy Super Record skewers to pry an old 21mm tire off the rim.

My father-in-law had warned that since it was a Sunday, Skalkaho Highway (yeah, this road is actually called a highway!) might be busy with people coming back from the lake on the other side. Busy by Montana standards is ghost town by Boston standards. I might have seen a dozen cars the whole time.

I made the summit, enjoyed a brief rest, and some snow, before turning around for the descent. At first I took it kind of easy, not wanting to risk a flat, but eventually my hands got tired from clamping the um, less than effective, brakes so I let it rip for a while. I think the road is a pretty steady 3-5% grade so you don't get going out of control fast, just fast enough to enjoy it.

Once I made it back to the pavement, I completely let off the brakes and made quick work of the remaining 12 miles back to the house. I had been looking forward to the huckleberry pie that was left over from lunch but apparently my father-in-law was too because he had finished it already. That's alright, I'll trade huckleberry pie for Skalkaho summit any day!

In summary, if I ever disappear, come searching for me in Montana, on Skalkaho Pass because there is a good chance that's where I'll be.

Killington Stage Race, day 1

2010-05-29T19:47:00.003-04:00

Rapha Gentleman's Race v2.0

2010-05-24T14:55:00.008-04:00

Hup was invited for the second coming of the east coast Rapha gentleman's race. The first iteration was a challenging bonding experience in New Paltz, NY. This one was an even more challenging route starting and ending at Mohawk "Mtn" just outside Litchfield, Connecticut. A similar version of the route was ridden by the Rapha crew a few years ago. Rumor is that some of them couldn't even finish it. For some unknown reason, PVB decided to up the ante for the Gentleman's Race. The route was increased to 116 miles and it included close to 40% dirt and gravel roads including three Zoncolan-esque climbs that had to submitted in the saddle to avoid spinning out in the dirt.

The crew below lined up along with 15 other teams to tackle the monster. We started at 9:45, 15 minutes behind the first wave and 45 minutes ahead of the last wave.

The other team that started with us was the Eastmans. Honestly, they were a very unintimidating looking bunch of 40-50+ year old guys that appeared to be ill equipped for the gravel that we were promised. We rolled together for the first 5 miles or so and then they slowly rolled away. Mur was pretty sure we'd see them by mile 80 totally cooked.

Shortly after the Eastmans rolled away, we started catching some of the squads that started ahead of us. We saw the IF crew, the Seven crew, the Bilenky crew on their tandems, and the Geekhouse guys (in skinsuits!). The terrain was mostly rolling western Connecticut hills. The course was well marked and it quickly became clear that we could expect to always turn onto or follow the dirt roads we saw. The miles ticked away, Mur made sure we ate and then it happened. Our first flat tire. Mike B had a slow leak up front after a gravel road. Too many cooks in the kitchen led to a 7 minute tube change and all the teams we'd passed rolled past.

We got going again and picked up a few of the squads as we started to hit the real hills. Our spirits were high and we ticking away the miles again, even pace lining when the terrain allowed for it. We screamed into the first rest stop at mile 30 still comfortable in second place. We made it a quick stop, topped off water, signed in, and jetted off just in time to see the "Pedro's" team accompanied by an unidentifiable squad pulling into the same stop. They'd started about 15 minutes behind us and loaded with some extremely strong last minute additions, we were fully expecting them to overtake us.

Impressively, we held them off for another 10 or so miles until we once again hit some hills. We rolled together into the first really steep gravel road climb where they pulled away, not to be seen again.
After Pedro's powered through, we didn't see another team for 30 or more miles. We settled into our own groove, ate more clif bars, swallowed more magic endurolyte pills, and joked away the miles.
Then we hit THE climb. I don't even know if the road has a name but it certainly had an attitude. It was one car wide and was more like a forest service road than an actual route. The dirt road started pitching up around mile 60. We had varying climbing abilities in the crew so everyone just sought their happy pace and chipped away one pedal stroke at a time. As we continued up, the dirt turned to gravel and at points, it even turned to rocks. It was nearly impossible to stand as the pitch ranged from 10-20% over what seemed like 10 miles (though it was probably only 3 or 4). We started to descend as a group and were passed by two more teams but both of them were missing members so they were technically dsq. As an aside, who sets out for a team race and leaves their teammate behind (alone) at mile 65 of 116? That's not very "teamly" if you ask me.

The descent was fun. It was mostly smooth dirt and then turned to paved road. We had a warning on the cue sheet that there were some tight switchback turns along the route but it wasn't until I was nailing the brakes, extending the leg moto style and praying not to hit the camera man in the apex of the first turn that I remembered about these. That was a close call. I definitely thought I was going to nail the Honda Pilot parked in the corner (hopefully there is some video of my horrendous descending skills).
The next rest stop was advertised around mile 65 (or so I thought). I really should have paid more attention at the captain's meeting. We were still descending in the woods at mile 65 and most of us were out of water, thinking we were close. We found an angel on the route at mile 68. A bewildered woman out gardening agreed to serve us ice cold water from her garden hose. It was the most delicious water I've had in a long time.

We came up on the actual rest stop at mile 71. We topped off with water, signed in, and exited ahead of the three teams that had passed us since our last ascent. The checkpoint folks promised only a small climb still ahead but our cue sheet seemed to imply otherwise. I wasn't in a mood to challenge them so we rolled off expecting that the worst was behind us. We rolled for about 3 miles on a gentle uphill as the faster teams once again passed us.
There was definitely more than just a little climb left. Holy crap! We took the right turn onto the dirt road and started the climb. I could see an endless uphill slope that eventually turned to the left. Expecting that the climb was .5-1 mile long, I settled into a reasonable pace with my head down. The dirt was reasonably hard so occasional standing efforts were ok. I just tried to forget about the never ending hill and focus one pedal stroke at a time. As I turned left, I could see the hill continue back to the right, then again to the left. I started catching some of the Embro guys as everyone just tried to settle into their own rhythm to get over the hill. The switchbacks got steeper and looser until finally the tree cover started to open up and I had a confident sense that I was near the top. One final crest to the exposed summit looking over a swap and some far off mountains.

At the top we regrouped again. I had time to look at the profile in more detail and it was clear that the worst of the climbing was behind us but despite a lot of descending to come in the next 30+ miles, we definitely still had a few short steep efforts before the finish.

With all six teammates in tow, we set off down a gravely descent that was not nearly as steep as the ascent had been. We got the paceline going and ticked away the next 20+ miles with relative ease, even catching some teams while they addressed mechanical issues.

Then, flat #2 hit us. Chip was off the bike, changing his front flat in no time. Letting him work on it himself, he was back up and running in less than 2 minutes. PRO. On we went until around mile 95 we spotted a random bate and tackle shop with sodas and water for sale. We refueled, unloaded our bladders, and got back to the task at hand.

Before the finishing hills, we were routed onto a dirt road along the Housatonic River. There were a lot of people fishing and a lot of railroad crossings but very few cars. We took up the whole road, just trying to keep the pace above 16 mph and get to the finish line. Despite the shattered feeling in my arms and neck, that stretch was among my favorite parts. I felt like I could ride for hours as my Zank just floated over the rough surface. Truly magical, in the zone type of moment.

When we got back on paved roads we were around mile 105 I think. That's when we hit the appropriately named Everest Hill. Thanks PVB. What we really wanted after 8 hours and 9000 ft of climbing was another .5 miles and 400 ft. At least it was paved though.

After we climbed Everest, the rest was easy cruising. We saw Mohawk Mtn about 1.5 miles before the turn back to the finish but that 1.5 miles didn't matter. We survived. We finished in good spirits, with only 2 flat tires, and no in-fighting.

We were recorded as the 7th team back but 3 of those teams - Pedros, Adler, and BH/Louis Garneau had dropped riders along the way so they were dsq. Officially 4th place. Not bad for a bunch of riders focused on the feel good side of bicycle racing. Hats off to the Eastmans for never being caught and taking the victory. I hope I still have that kind of stamina in 15 more years. Well ridden!

The post ride bbq was a perfect end to the day. Hot dogs, salty chips, and beer. And of course, time to retell the stories with others and watch as the salt-crusted teams continued to trickle in.

"racing"

2010-05-18T12:10:00.004-04:00

Next up on the schedule:

Planning on 115 miles of suffering with 5 of my closest teammates. We'll be starting in the middle of the pack with 4 teams ahead of us and 5 or six really fast ones behind us. We're just gonna hold on and have fun with the suffering that Rapha has in store for us.

There won't be quite as much dirt as the Rhonde but still enough to keep things interesting. Tires will be a little bigger volume than usual and cassettes will be larger than usual. No need for cx equipment though.

I should have some good pictures and stories to share next week.

Don't hate the player, hate the game

2010-05-09T21:44:00.005-04:00

I went out to Sterling for the road race on Saturday with no real ambitions. I race one or two road events each year to keep myself honest. I mostly avoid road racing because the Cat 4 field is sketchy, too serious (we're amateurs guys, lighten up) and I just don't get enough of a thrill out of it to do it every weekend.

I heard good things about the Sterling course and I realized riding back home from the race would make for a pretty good day in the saddle. I lined up a ride out to the start with recently minted Cat 3, Greg Whitney (who finished 9th in his first ever Cat 3 race!). Friend, and fellow long ride enthusiast Murat Tasan agreed to meet me in Sterling and ride back. The table was set for a good day. Then I woke up and saw the Doppler. Oh well.

The Cat 4 race lived up to my expectations. One guy rode off the front, the rest of the group was practicing their sprinting and random brake checking, and in general, no one seemed interested in organizing to catch the lone leader. After learning the course on the first lap, I moved towards the front for the second lap. I think I remember the race winner taking off as we rolled up the rain soaked Rt 12 on lap 2 but I'm not entirely sure. On lap 3 I tried to bridge forward in the same spot because I thought I could see him up the road and because the rest of the field was doing a whole lot of nothing. I wasted myself for half a mile, had a 15 or 20 second gap but was not making progress, nor could I see anyone that looked like the leader. Maybe it was a mirage or a 35+ straggler. I sat up and came back to the field figuring we had 2 more to go. On the back stretch of the 4th lap, I decided to mount another effort, hoping to get people motivated in riding hard along with me. Just as I led the way off the front with 7 others, the 45+ pace car was trying to neutralize us so the 45+ field could come through. I was already hammering out of the saddle and the pace car made no clear indication of what it wanted other than stopping in front of our field. No hand gestures, no yelling, no horns. So I kept riding, waiting for someone to tell me not to. So did the other 7 people that came with me.

Oops, we're either DSQ or 2-9. We all agreed we might as well ride until we're told otherwise so we kept moving at a decent pace. On Rt 12, the pace car came back to us. We asked continually if we needed to stop, if we would be DSQ, or what. The race referee couldn't seem to tell us what to do so we kept riding.

Yada yada, we got short changed a lap, were told we were finishing one lap early about 300 meters out, sprinted into the back of the 45+ field, and listened to a bunch of people complain about shoulda coulda woulda.

After the racing I met up with Mur for the ride back into Boston. Both of us were thoroughly soaked by the hail storm that had rolled through. For me it was on lap 2 of the race. For Mur, I believe it was somewhere beyond Concord. We left Sterling about 1:15 and set our sites on Boston. We picked up the Climb to the Clouds route and were making good time.

We found Bob from Cohasett in Berlin. He decided to ride the Climb to the Clouds route, starting in Concord with a friend, two CO2 cartridges and at least 3 tubes. He was sitting on the side of the road with a rear flat and no more CO2 left. We did our mitzvah and invited him to ride back into Concord with us. Bob is a 55+ year old triathlete who's done at least a few ironman events. He hung with us and then flatted again about 15 miles later. I guess he never got the piece of glass out of his Michelin Pro Race3 tire because it was another slow leak.

All total, we spent probably 45 minutes helping Bob with his flat tires. We rolled with him to Concord before parting ways under dark skies but on dry roads. Mur and I stopped to grab a quick snack and walked out of the convenience store to the beginnings of a rain shower. We eyed the commuter rail and while we tucked under the overhang, finishing snacks, we watched the rain shower turn into another deluge.

Our options were to get soaked again for the last 20 miles or wait 1.5 hours for the next train. When the rain let up enough for us to see (but still get soaked) we chose option 1. As we rolled up Comm Ave, the blue sky peaked out and the busy, noisy streets of Boston welcomed us home.

Mur got 105 for the day and I ended up with 95. Soaking wet, covered in road debris, but satisfied. Here are some things I realized along the way.

1. It often sucks to race/ride with 90 strangers in the pouring rain on unfamiliar roads.

2. If you don't want to get neutralized, ride faster. Seriously, this was the second cat 4 race in a row that I've been a part of that has been totally disrupted by the neutralizing of our field. It worked out in my benefit this time but it is still lame to have that impact the results (it's also demoralizing to get caught by the old guys who still had two laps to go).

3. Being a race official is a thankless, shitty job. It's also critical for the existence of these events. If they weren't there, we wouldn't be racing. You can respectfully disagree and talk with any of them. They are rational human beings that listen to reason but that also make mistakes like any of us. Yelling and screaming the loudest will not make you right.

4. CO2 cartridges are not intended for a rainy century ride.

5. It defeats the purpose to carry more spare tubes than CO2.

6. Riding in the rain with your friend is more fun than racing in the rain with 90 strangers.

Next up, the Gentlemanly Adventure, v2 in northwestern CT. It promises to be another looong day in the saddle.

Routes less traveled

2010-03-30T13:28:00.005-04:00

I received gps tracks from a few of the Rhonde teams. Using Google Earth, I've compared the different routes that teams took.

- light blue was the original route (before we got flooded and had to make revisions)
- red is Make Way for Ducklings
- yellow is Big Gay Wheels
- orange is Secret Poop
- purple is Threshold

If you have your GPS track from the ride, send it along and I'll add it.

Ronde recaps

2010-03-23T09:38:00.015-04:00

I don't find myself holding $705 in cash very often (ever?) but this is what it looks like in case you are curious. Thanks again for your generous support, raffle entries, and participation to benefit Bikes not Bombs.

I've already found a few very nice recaps of the Rhonde. If you wrote one, send me the link. If you want me to publish your thoughts or pictures here, send them to me and I'll post them.

Also, I'd like to do a future post showing the various GPS tracks for teams that had a Garmin to track their route. Send me your route link if you don't mind and I'll post them all up so we can see who (if anyone) followed the course exactly and who took the most detours, etc.

Colin's report

Chip's report

Chip's other report
Fries is cracking a smile but I assure you he was all business! Dude sprinted through those mud puddles like it was the bell lap

Natasha's photographs (the last one is my favorite. Pure determination)
Natasha's write up on cxmagazine.com (jealous?)

Hup New England facebook (the fun never ends)

Gregor's photos from Cutler (I had no idea he was so official! Very cool to see an area I did not cover during the race)

Threshold's recap (beer makes it worth it! And you are right, it should have been Ronde, but it's too late now, and the spelling does help the tweeting and googling)

Pink Beacons had fun and may have entered the blurry depths of the pain cave at times

Kevin's was a late entry but clearly that is because of the days he must have spent painting the beautiful portrait at the end!

Rock on!

2010-03-21T22:27:00.004-04:00

It's 10pm on Sunday and I am still on a huge sugar and adrenaline high. You guys and gals all rock for coming out today and making the event happen. Despite my erratic directions and less than stellar road markings, you were all troopers.

I'll have more updates soon but here are some highlights.

- $705: amount raised for Bikes not Bombs (friggin' awesome since roughly $400 of that was from the raffle alone!)
- 67: participants (and I think 67 friends)
- 100: Hupcakes consumed (Hannah, you rock. Watch out for Ryan Kelly though because I think he has fallen in love)
- 3:30pm: about 45 minutes later than I expected for the first arrivals (sorry!)
- 16: number of flat tires (two of them being tubulars, sorry Pete Smith!). Actually this is a total guess though I would be interested in knowing how many
- 2: number of SRAM rear derailleurs that got a little too close to the spokes for comfort
- 1: restaurants in Boston that would be willing to host 60+ spandex-clad, stinky cyclists (thanks Gerry)

Thank you all for taking part and for being good sports despite my sometimes cryptic route. I have thick skin and welcome feedback so don't hesitate to tell me how I could make the ride better next time (maybe just email me, not the whole list though because my skin isn't that thick).

Also, I hate to see the cx momentum stop so be sure to attend Matt and Mo's fund raising event at the new Ride Cafe in Lexington on April 1st. While ipods are pretty cool raffle prizes, they are raffling off a $7500 titanium bicycle which is definitely cooler than an ipod (sorry Chip)! Also, if you didn't know, Mo brought a ton of vegan cupcakes and cookies (without even being asked to do so!) and set a blistering pace for her teammates on the ride. Matt was definitely the hero of his mechanical-ridden team. Two great people just trying to recoup some hefty expenses from pursuing their dream. Help them out if you can.

A giant thanks to you all for making this event happen!

Hup Hup!
Scott

Ready yet?

2010-03-15T21:47:00.003-04:00

March 21st - update

2010-03-14T17:52:00.003-04:00

Wow! The list is now over 60! Thanks to everyone that has committed to the ride. I finished my recon efforts and started marking some of the most difficult to follow trails so you don't get totally lost.

The starts will be staggered to avoid massive groups on the roads and in the trails. I'll share the start times the morning of the 21st when we all meet in Washington Square. I'm also not sharing the rider list until that time. Gotta keep the suspense high, right?

March 21st

2010-03-07T20:23:00.004-05:00

Nearly 45 people have committed to an unknown route of roughly 65 miles on March 21st. On March 6th, I scouted the roads, trails, and singletrack that will make up the adventure. Overall, the route is relatively flat. For 65 miles, there is less than 3000 ft of climbing. There are, however, a lot of trails, mud pits, and even a few spots where one might choose to walk instead of ride. Overall, the route took about 4.5 hours (riding) and that's without pushing too hard on the roads. I expect that most people will be able to carry an average speed of 14+ mph so it should take between 4 and 5 hours as long as you don't get lost...

The route takes you through some scary haunts.
Be careful, the trails will draw blood!
The ride will commence at 9:30am on the 21st with route details and map info. I'm still looking for an exact meeting place but you can expect it to be in Washington Square in Brookline. There are two coffee/breakfast spots and a Starbucks so everyone should be able to find some pre-ride fuel to meet their needs. Everyone is expected to meet for the initial info debrief. There will not be any ride-specific support so pack what you think you'll need. No sag wagon here!

The first groups will be sent off at 10am and continue based on expected completion time until everyone is off. The first team to the finish line wins.

At the finish line we'll have beers on tap thanks to the Washington Square Tavern and hupcakes for everyone that finishes. Who knows, maybe some other fun goodies too.

Thanks to everyone who confirmed their groups. The ride has a diverse mix of road racers, mtb riders, cx specialists, men and women (no kids though).

get them when you can

2010-02-24T13:04:00.003-05:00

I love logging the miles during the week but I haven't been getting out nearly as much as I like lately. Last week I took advantage of a late start to my work schedule by riding the extra long route to the office. Still lots of snow in the trees from the storm earlier in the week but the roads were clean.

Thankfully the weather looks pretty good for this weekend so maybe I can make up for what I've been missing.

Gloves Off

2010-02-09T00:02:00.004-05:00

Lots of fast machines and riders this Sunday. I think these guys are ready to race.

just another winter weekend

2010-01-31T20:32:00.003-05:00

My buddies have been bugging me to go rock climbing with them for a while. On Saturday, since it was about 8 degrees outside I took them up on the invite and went to the Everett rock gym. We spent 3 hours there, taking turns climbing, belaying, and bouldering on the huge assortment of routes they offer. I think the best I was able to manage was a 5.9 that was easier than most of the 5.8's I did. Wicked fun way to spend a cold afternoon and totally rip your fingers and forearms. Of course, if I did it right, I'd use my legs more but where's the fun in that?

On Sunday I hit the trails at Caryl Park and Hale Reservation in Dover. I've ridden Hale before but never Caryl Park. There is a great assortment of trails and it is surprisingly close to JP so I think I will make it a more regular destination. Despite the snow and ice, the traction was actually really good. Aside from a few iced over areas, the trails were a total blast and we had no trouble keeping warm during our 2.5 hours. Thanks to Rob Bauer and my buddy Adam for showing me around.

Sunday morning Ice Bowl

2010-01-25T07:28:00.005-05:00

Posted in reverse order (because blogger sucks). Fun times, despite the cold with a fun crew of characters.

Winter Thaw

2010-01-17T17:39:00.004-05:00

Lots of characters out there today

the mud is not even dry yet

2009-12-08T11:10:00.004-05:00

That's it. The races are over and the cx bike will shortly get rebuilt with fenders, bottle cages, and some meaty winter tires. Sure, there is still Ice Weasels but that's more of a party with a side order of cx racing. Some fools are off to nationals but my budget, time, and interest do not allow for the long trip to cold, snowy, Bend, OR.

I can't help already looking forward to next season. Will I run the same gearing? Will I pick up some different tire options? Which 19 year old will win the series title?

Also on my mind are opportunities for improvement to the cx scene. This article on velosnooze.com is actually rather interesting. The title sponsor and race organizers of the biggest mtb series in America are thumbing their noses at USA Cycling and the UCI. Instead of spending extra money to achieve UCI accreditation, they are re-investing that money for the benefit of their sponsors and participants:

"The whole concept of the US Cup is to subsidize promoters with assistance in marketing, prizes and funding to help bring their event and the sport of mountain biking to a higher level in the U.S.,” said Kady.

“We do this by adding value to their event in the form of venue and course development, rider swag bags, event T-Shirts, number plates, onsite support and additional marketing,” said Kady. “I feel it makes sense for us at this time, to take the money we would spend hosting and subsidizing UCI events, and put it back into the races, riders and venues.”

Although 10-20 elite riders might suffer from the decrease in UCI events on the American mtb calendar, the goal of the promoters is to add benefits for the hundreds of other participants.

As I read through the article it was easy to recognize the similarities between mtb and cx events in the USA. You've got promoters all across the country trying to provide opportunities for racers to score UCI points in hopes of boosting those riders further up the international rankings. At the same time, you've got a greater concentration of higher ranking (UCI C1 and world cup) events taking place in Europe. Although cx racers are not chasing UCI points for an Olympic spot, this statement still mirrors the challenge for American cx promoters and the select few who need those UCI points:

“The entire model is built around getting points so that riders have a stronger starting position at the Olympics,” said Tedro. “But the model is flawed, in that riders in Europe have so many more opportunities to rack up points on a weekly basis. So we end up promoting an event for the benefit of a small number of riders, who still can’t compete in terms of points with guys who can jump on a train and score 60 or a 100 points over a weekend.”

In the current model, it is nearly impossible for an American based cx rider to score the number of UCI points necessary to rank in the top 15 world wide. Eventually a rider will max out the number of UCI C2 points they can earn and there will be no more upward progress in the rankings.

So I wonder, will the American cx promoters come to the same realization? Is it still worth the financial burden to host so many UCI C2 events across this country? Promoters are investing a large portion of the money from their sponsors and participants to benefit 20-30 riders (only the top 10 riders in a UCI C2 event score UCI points). Is that the best use of those dollars? What improvements could be made to an event if the UCI money was available to be invested elsewhere? Would a series like Verge New England or the MAC diminish greatly if they were no longer C2 events?

I'd like to see North American promoters work together to organize a national calendar of UCI C1 events. There are plenty of quality promoters and venues around this country that can accommodate that. Sure, those races will be more costly, but they will also draw the best fields and provide the biggest audience for the sponsors. The 10 racers who really need/want the extra UCI points will make it to these events and as a result the spectators and participants will increase.

In the meantime, those racers who want to succeed internationally currently need to race internationally before the World Championships. Yeah, it will be expensive and time consuming but if you are among the 1% of participants that actually have the talent to race internationally, that's the sacrifice you currently need to make.

In the future, reducing the total number of UCI C2 events in this country while increasing the number of C1 events would allow North American cx racers to head to Europe with a better international ranking. It may even draw some of the top European talent to North America (in lieu of a US-based World Cup) on a more frequent basis.

There are a lot of moving parts to be coordinated, but it needs to start with American promoters and sponsors focusing their resources on the majority, those who financially support them. As Tedro says:

"the company is developing a new series designed to offer racing opportunities for both professional and amateur racers across the country, redirecting financial resources from UCI licensing requirements to 'where the money really belongs, namely the riders.'"

Let's watch and see whether Scott Tedro's move to create the US Cup Mountain Bike Racing League pays off and let's learn from it.

motivator

2009-12-07T11:03:00.003-05:00

Damn you Nemeses! It will be 9+ long months before I get my chance to do battle with you again. Ah, but during that 9+ month wait, I can at least take some satisfaction that my Victims must also agonize over their place behind me this season.

Thank you Colin for giving me some motivation (and frustration) until the next season.

Pot calling the Kettle black

2009-11-22T17:31:00.002-05:00

The folks from Cheshire Cycle throw a really great party at Cheshire CX. They get great spectator and sponsor support and the course is really fun with some great singletrack, fast corners, technical corners, and a 50 meter run up where the spectators and hecklers tend to congregate. My plan was to do the single speed event and then the 1,2,3 race. The single speed event was staged 2 minutes behind the Cat 4 field. As we came into the run up on the first lap three of us had caught a number of the Cat 4's and were having a good time riding together through traffic. The race was only 35 minutes so I didn't want to drag the others around for too long. I decided to put in a hard effort on the uphill section of lap 2 and from then on I was solo single speed, chasing the stronger Cat 4's. I held on for the win and came close to catching the Cat 4 winner.

I hung around cheering for the other finishers and then headed back to my car to get my wallet and license to register for the 1,2,3 race. By the time I made it back to registration the 3,4 race was underway and Graham Garber was off the front. I was definitely surprised to see him in that race but once I spoke to the registration folks I understood why. Graham and Hunter Pronovost (promoter/organizer of the race) were the only two people registered for the 1,2,3 so they decided to bag the race and Graham entered the 3,4 to avoid making his day a total loss. Oh well, no second race for me.

Sunday I was pre-reg'd for the Durham CX race. It's a new event run by the Laurel Bicycle Club. They've been around for 30+ years and my former employer is their supporting shop so I wanted to make a point of supporting their effort. Plus, they were running around at Cheshire CX trying to get as many people as possible to come out for their race.

When I arrived, I was faced with a major dilemna. Not being able to double up on Saturday kind of bummed me out. I had my geared bike and really wanted to get two races on Sunday. The only option though was the 3,4 race because they did not have anyone interested in the 1,2,3.

I lined up with 15 or 20 other riders, including a few strong Masters riders that I know but who I don't usually race against. For the first 3 laps I yo yo'd between 2nd and 5th with one guy driving the pace the whole time. The course was really fun but also quite hilly. Not as bad as Catamount but still hillier than most CX races. I noticed I was the strongest on the climbs so I decided to test the others a bit on the 4th lap and was able to shed two of the five from our group. For the last 3 laps it was three of riding together. I spent a fair amount of time at the front but didn't push too hard in the windy spots, hoping to save something for the last lap and the second race. I let the other two lead most of the 5th lap all the way to the tough uphill on the final lap. I put in a really hard effort from the back on the hill and built enough of a gap that I was able to hold them off all the way to the finish.

I spoke to Diane Fortini at the finish and told her I'd prefer not to be scored since I really belonged in the 1,2,3 field but she insisted since I am a 3 that it was ok and she would score me.

So, after writing a post about how lame it is to race in a category where you expect to be on the podium, I did exactly that. I suck.

On a positive note, you should all try to fit both Cheshire and Durham into your calendars for next year. Just like Mansfield Hollow, these two races are run by passionate people who want to see us out there enjoying ourselves (in a sick, painful way). They had good prizes, good courses, and reasonable entry fees. Support the little man next year!

Don't you want to challenge yourself?

2009-11-19T18:24:00.003-05:00

Looking at the pre-reg list for the Shedd Park race this Saturday is disappointing. There are waaaay too many people in the Cat 4/Citizen field. Folks, the Cat 4/Citizen race is for beginners. People without an annual license, people who make it to 4 or 5 races all year, people who have almost no training time during the week or simply do not take racing seriously.

Here is my helpful guide for the 50+ people who are probably registered in the wrong category at Shedd Park.

- If you have ever finished in the top 15% of a Verge race, you know you should not be racing in the Cat 4 field at an event that offers a 3/4 race.

- If you finish in the top 30% of a previous Cat 4/Citizens event, you know you should not be racing in the Cat 4 field.

- If you have raced in the Cat 3/4 field and not finished DFL, you know you should not be racing in the Cat 4 field.

Here is some advice for the Cat 3/4 field.

- If you finish in the top 20% of the Cat 3 Verge races, you know you should not be racing in the 3/4 field.

- If you finished on the podium of a 3/4 race with more than 30 people, you know you should not be racing in the 3/4 field again.

Guess what people? Continuing to race in your category until you win is not a valid excuse (note I said excuse, not reason). There are 80+ people in the Cat 4/Citizen field and 50+ in the Cat 3/4. If everyone one of them was waiting until they won an event to upgrade, the fields would crumble under their own size.

So I challenge you, fellow cross racers, to race up a category for the rest of the season at these non-Verge events because you all have at least two options to choose from. Make it a point to choose the faster field. You might just surprise yourself and have fun without racing for the win.

Not Just Any Given Sunday

2009-11-15T18:56:00.010-05:00

This time of year is usually all about 'cross and 'cross racing. Thanks to Matt Simpson, I had something else to look forward to, helping break up the routine of racing that usually absorbs my October and November weekends.

The season ending pastry ride was announced a few weeks ago and confirmations started pouring in pretty quickly. The rules were simple. Show up, be prepared to eat tasty treats, leave your powertaps, SRMs, and race wheels at home. Wear some wool, maybe a leather helmet, and expect to enjoy 2.5 hours of casual riding with good friends and teammates.

The only downside was that the ride started in NH and a bunch of us live in Boston. The solution that we came up with was to ride up there and then enjoy the group ride before hopping on a train to get back home. Here is a chronology of my day

6:15am: Wake-up (tired) and confirm it is still raining and that fenders and waterproof clothing will be necessary.

6:30am: Get the fenders and all-season wheels mounted

6:45am: Start consuming calories (two bowls of Raisin Bran Crunch) and sit around debating whether or not I can just bag the ride and go back to bed. Verify that three others are committed so I probably need to show up.

7:15am: Reluctantly pull on my finest lycra and apply some embrocation while hoping it might stop raining before I walk out the door.

7:30am: As I walk out the door, I’m able to confirm it is just a light mist. I’ve got to drop off my bag of clothes and stuff in Watertown to be shuttled up to NH by Mr. Bramhall.

8am: I drop off the bag on Jeff’s front porch just as the mist turns into a steady rain (Can I just sleep on the porch for a little while?)

8:33am: Arriving fashionably late (and unfashionably soaked) at Peets in Lex Center I noticed there are three fine racing machines leaned against the wall. My hopes of missing the train are dashed.

8:45am: Final bits of pastry and coffee are consumed and we walk back out to the steady drizzle to begin our journey north. Luckily Murat has the route dialed because apparently he spends most weekends finding the best roads within riding distance of Cambridge and none of us really want to be fumbling with a map or written directions in these conditions.

We estimate our trip at 45 miles and give ourselves a generous 2.5-3 hours to complete the journey, not quite knowing what we’ll encounter. Murat is wise enough to find a flat route and despite one flat tire (which was rather wicked btw) we still make it to Simpson’s in under 2.5 hours.

11:15am: I am really impressed with the upbeat spirit during the ride despite the fact that it rained, drizzled, or misted for at least 43 of the 45 miles. When we arrive at Matt’s, the garage is open and we are greeted with dry t-shirts and treated to a huge spread of delicious treats, including some gingerbread cupcakes (gotta remember to get that recipe) while Matt dries out our soaked clothes on ultra gentle cycle.

11:30am: Hanging out with the Simpson family and their dog is great. It almost makes me forget the soaking wet chamois and 35+ miles that still lie ahead of us.

11:35am: The first wave of riders show up. Ronny, Mark, and Tom roll in together. I’m impressed that people didn’t back out due to the weather. Then Ronny tells me it is sunny at his house right now.

11:40am: Jimbo rolls in, with wool and leather helmet. Nice

11:45am: They’re coming fast and furious now. Justin, Stephen, Jeff, Eli, Kerry, Roland.

11:50am: Steaming hot jerseys, arm warmers, and vests are delivered from the drier. It feels soooo good to put them on.

Noon: The grandparents arrive to watch after the three Simpson daughters freeing both Matt and Kerry S to chaperone the ride

12:15pm: We embark on the most casual of casual rides

12:16pm: We discover that Roland’s casual gear is missing as he rides off the front

12:30pm: Conversational pace, everyone is behaving and enjoying the company

1:14pm: Justin shares coffee (and milk) from his travel thermos with anyone who is interested. I guess, since there are not Starbucks every quarter mile in NH we have to bring our own coffee. No complaints though.

1:15pm: Time check confirms that those trying to catch the train back to Boston ought to pick up the pace a bit. Roland is happy to help with this and he turns the casual pastry ride into a bit of a speed ride.

2:00pm: After 45 minutes of beautiful, rolling hills and slightly faster than desired pace, Roland has delivered the 4 of us to a turning off point.

2:08pm: We say our goodbyes and head off on the route that Roland just described

2:09pm: Woops, none of us listened very well to Roland and after successfully completing the first turn, we are unsure of the next turn. Consulting Nick’s Garmin 705 gets us back on track and we access our time/speed requirements.

2:10pm: The train leaves at 3:04, we estimate 12-13 miles to go, on a paved bike path covered with leaves and a few weekend walkers. Pacelining begins.

2:25pm: It’s sooo cooold, and Yash is starting to fade a bit. Murat whips out some food and forces Yash to consume. Within seconds Yash is back to full strength and pacing us to the train.

2:50pm: Enough time to spare, we roll into Ayer and Murat recognizes the commuter rail stop a short distance away. We load up with chocolate milk and snacks at the Mobil Mart and begin analyzing what was an unexpectedly great day with friends, pastries, and 90 miles of pavement.

3:05pm: We’re encouraged to take the last car on the train since we’ll have an elevated ramp in Porter Square to aid in unloading our bikes. What we don’t realize is that we are also sent to the back due to our smell, appearance, and nuisance factor.

3:10pm: The bikes are piled in the back of the train and we all start removing wet shoes and socks.

3:45pm: Conversations shift between bicycles, bars, women, and racing while the train lumbers into Porter Square.

4pm: We unload in Porter and head off in four different directions. The weekend is over and another killer ride is in the books. The season isn’t over, just changing.

Thanks Matt and Kerry for organizing the event and letting us invade your space for the day. And all the HUP and FOHUP who made the ride, let's do it again sooner than later.

Top Notch Photog

2009-11-10T10:08:00.002-05:00

Click on the picture for more NoHo goodness from the official photographic master of 2009 CX. Obviously I like this one because it is me but there are a ton of quality (can we start using quality instead of epic?) shots in her highlight real.

Addiction

2009-10-22T12:54:00.003-04:00

Being a cycling addict is much safer than being a drug addict. Even though my wife and family may think otherwise, I am pretty certain I could never over dose on cycling (racing is another story though). I'll keep trying but I'm confident it won't happen.

I just received these pictures from my father-in-law. This was right before I left their house in Montana and began a 30 day stretch without seeing any familiar faces. It's always hard leaving Montana because we have so much fun and it is a beautiful, relaxing environment. It's even harder when you know you won't see your wife for 35 more days.
Hard to believe that trip was more than a year ago.

Wednesday Morning Worlds

2009-10-19T22:13:00.005-04:00

No numbers, no lap cards, no USAC. Just lots of off-camber turns and watts sucking hills. Usual time, usual place.

Best Tailgate EVER!

2009-10-04T20:47:00.003-04:00

In an almost last minute fashion, the idea of a HUP tailgate was hatched. I expected to see some of those little floor level grills with 3 or 4 burgers and hot dogs at a time. Oh no, that's not how the HUP crew rolls. I rolled up with the Baker of Hearts and his cargo of beverages, e-z-up tent, and bikes galore. When we located Eli he already had the charcol grill warming up and a delicious looking turkey ready for cooking. He also had a service table, a cooler of beers, and a race to get ready for. It was 8:30!

As the morning continued, we had more and more items added to the table. Since it wasn't lunch time yet, the spread started with bagels, nutella, bacon, and probably some other breakfast goodies. There was a little warming up to do on the course, but when I came back the lunch spread was starting to compile. The turkey was still cooking but there was already stuffing, cheesecake, HUPcakes and liquid refreshment to serve an army...of HUP and FOHUP alike.

As much fun as the racing at Gloucester was, the most enjoyable part of the day was just spending time with teammates and friends that really know how to enjoy themselves and get along. There was not a single negative vibe anywhere near the tailgate HQ; just a lot of satisfied, smiling bike racers and spectators. The way it should be.

Moving to once a week

2009-09-25T13:37:00.004-04:00

Cross practice has been really fun and more importantly I think it has been paying off. I've never spent so much time practicing on a cross course but I kind of like it. Plus, the company and new faces have been great.
Now that race season is ramping up and most weekends will be filled with (a minimum of) 2 hard days of racing, I'm only going to be making it out for practice once a week. I'll shift the drill to Wednesday mornings at 6:30. I hope to continue seeing new and old faces each week until it is just too cold and dark to do it anymore.

Early morning carnage

2009-09-22T11:47:00.003-04:00

Robert called the new course Lars "Carnage" Anderson. After being asked to stay off the ball fields we had to get creative and utilize some completely new areas of the park. From the reactions of the 15+ in attendance, the new course may even be better than the old one.

I suck at off camber turns so I decided to put in as many of them as I could. I still suck, but I learned many others suck just as much as I do (not Dave Wilcox though, damn). I went down on one of them, tweaking my right thumb a bit, Matt Aumiller went down(hill) on one and banged his shoulder. I'm sure a few others slipped but didn't confess. Gorgeous Gary Bavolar made his first appearance and managed to screw up his left shifter. He also confirmed that v-brakes are mediocre without travel agents.

Cat 3 superstar in the making Greg Whitney showed up on his mountain bike and still held onto the front group though he couldn't quite match the pace of his teammate Mike Wissell. Thanks to the big crew of Threshold riders that made their presence known. I'm starting to wonder if they employ the buddy system at all times because I've never seen just one. It's kind of the same with the CB crew who were well represented this morning.

Lots of new faces but also plenty of repeat victims. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so that Thursday's final tune-up before the Verge season kicks off will bring out another batch of victims. I'll be tweaking the course a bit to add some length and utilize a bit more of the open field now that we have a plethora of cones to work with (thanks Matt A and Matt S). Tell your friends, show up at 6:30am, but STAY OFF THE BALL FIELDS (and don't show up if it rains)!

New course

2009-09-18T11:24:00.003-04:00

We were told we need to stay off the baseball and field hockey grass so next week we'll have a new course, focusing on the off camber, power sucking hill. Hopefully we'll still have a big turn out like we did on Tuesday.

1st Annual Upper Valley Century

2009-09-09T14:29:00.008-04:00

Last week I received a late invitation from PVB to attend what is probably my last long day in the saddle in 2009. Instructions were to meet, along with Yasushi Katsumi at a secret location with our equipment in order to be shuttled north for the ride. Actually, we just met at PVB's apartment on Friday night and we piled into the Subaru and headed north to Hanover, NH.

It's been a number of years since the first Rosey, PVB, Katsumi road trip (New Gloucester, 2004?!) but we reminisced about it like it was just yesterday and quickly reformed our wolf pack during the drive. We arrived safely in Hanover and easily found our way to the accommodations: Chris Milliman's kick-ass house within walking distance of downtown. After drooling all over his garage which overflows with high end bike stuff that has been used and abused, not babied (the way it should be!), we got the tour of the rest of the abode and it is an awesome place that the Milliman family calls home.

The plan was already in place for our 7:30am rondevious at a Hanover park. We'd be meeting some of Hanover's finest dressed men (Andreas and Mike Whitfield) as well as a few friends of Chris's, all in the name of fun and suffering together. The wolf pack had agreed on traditional Belgian blue for the day's event and with the aid of some mild strength embrocation, we were well equipped to handle the early morning cool temperatures.

I was told to expect roughly 100 miles, a mixture of dirt and pavement, and plenty of climbing. I took this to mean 28mm tires on the cross bike and in the end I was satisfied with my equipment choice. Although I was a bit undergeared on some of the descents, this wasn't a race.

Before we even made it out of Hanover, Andreas suffered a tubular flat. Mind you, the man had already ridden something like 40 miles before he met us at 7:30am but I guess a house full of 5 children and a full time Dr. job forces you to adjust your riding schedule. We waited for him to go home and grab some clincher wheels since he didn't want to use his only spare tubular and be stuck with no spare many miles from home. Not sure what was taking so long (apparently he lives at the top of a mountain, that's what took so long), we decided to roll out and let him shortcut the route to meet us later which he did very successfully.

The route rolled almost immediately out of NH and across the river into VT. Chris gave us enough time to get comfortable and stretch the legs before hitting the first serious climbs and dirt roads about 10 miles in. Despite having four long time locals among the group, Milliman had managed to find a route that included some completely new roads for the four of them. This meant not knowing exactly how far to the top of some of the climbs but that made it all the more enjoyable.

With services conveniently located every 30 or so miles we didn't need to carry much beyond spare tubes and cash, always a nice feeling. The majority of roads were empty so we were able to ride two abreast or even three across on some of the really quiet dirt roads. It was a mostly leisurely pace, only elevated when Milliman came to the front on the flats or when invited guest Kurt put the hammer down on the climbs.

I noticed around mile 40 that we'd been averaging nearly 100 ft of elevation gain per mile and unsurprisingly, that trend continued to the end. With only two flat tires, we were able to make pretty good time, arriving close to Hanover by 1pm. Some of the folks had family committments so they peeled off and we were left with four: Milliman, Yash, PVB, and me. Our plan was to head up the west side of the Connecticut River in VT before crossing back in NH and hammering home. Along the way, Milliman coyly suggested that we take a detour up a nice dirt road. It was great, except that Chris didn't come with us and we got punched in the gut with a final climb up Rt 110 into Hanover (next time you're coming with us Milliman!).All in all, a great ride that is being titled the Upper Valley Century and scheduled to continue annually.

look what I found

2009-09-03T09:50:00.002-04:00

The start of some sweet trails right above my office. Might have to commute with the cross tires more often.

Fun

2009-09-02T11:19:00.001-04:00

Morning Zen

2009-09-01T10:08:00.002-04:00

D2R2 picture dump

2009-08-31T14:16:00.004-04:00

Since I've been too lazy to write a proper recap of the event, I'll let my photos tell the story.

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-08-27T10:17:00.006-04:00

The troops woke up extra early this morning for an inaugural cross practice at a new location. I've thought about this location a lot and going back to last summer in the 95 degree heat with PVB, I've taken a few occassions to scout some possible course layouts. I've lacked the motivation until now to actually lay one down proper. After attending the featureless practice loop in Alston last fall I decided I needed something that would actually mimic a real cross course. With excitement brewing among the Boston HUP squad, I rallied enough help and motivation to put together our new training course.

Supplies were picked up by Chip and his personal support crew.
The course has some sweet bowl style turns as well as plenty of steep hills to pedal and run

It also has a long set of stairs to keep the runners happy

Lastly, practicing some turns on the ball field before hitting the off camber areas

Photos are crappy because it was early morning and it was my phone, not a real camera. But with sunrise/sunset views of the city from the hill top, I'll be sure to bring the real camera next time.

Bikes of D2R2 - Part 3

2009-08-24T10:23:00.002-04:00

This was probably the most unique bike that I saw at D2R2. Not sure if it will ever have a place beyond "gimmicky" but it was a novel idea. The lugs are stainless steel, apparently welded by NFG, the guy behind most of Spooky's in-house welding. The wood is laminated I believe. You'll have to forgive my lack of knowledge and memory on this one. I finally stopped to inspect it at dinner, some 14 hours after my day had started.

The Bikes of D2R2 - part 2

2009-08-18T22:34:00.004-04:00

There are a lot of companies in the cycling industry that slap some world champion stickers on their product to honor a world champion that rode their equipment to victory. Some riders request these world champion bands (or wc bands as they are more fashionably referred to) on their custom frames so the rest of us will know this same brand of frame was piloted to a world championship title.

Well, in the case of this custom frame, the owner himself is a former world champ! Humble as can be, Peter Bradshaw (aka Mustachio) won the messenger world championships (not necessarily UCI sanctioned but still more impressive than anything else the rest of you have ever won).

At the D2R2, Pete showed up on his work machine and was all business. He tried to be friendly and rode with us mortals until our first flat around the 3rd mile. From then on he was off aiming for a sub 8 hr time. Although he didn't break the 8 hr mark, I have no doubt he could/will now that he knows what to expect next season.

Check out this utilitarian pump location. These Topeak Morph series pumps are far and away the best option for easy, high pressure pumps. The only downside is that they don't come with a convenient water bottle mount. Very creative Bradshaw.

When you are as strong as Peter Bradshaw you don't need no stinkin' compact. Apparently you don't need anything bigger than a 25 in back either. Geez!

The Bikes of D2R2 - part 1

2009-08-18T01:02:00.006-04:00

This bike is now in the hands of its third and (very likely) final owner. Mr. Jeffrey Bramhall is a well recognized and very well respected member of the Boston cycling scene. He is also the pilot of this classic Moser.

I had the pleasure of riding with Jeff for most of the 170k and I ran out of fingers quite early on trying to keep track of how many times he said this is the perfect bike. It's a classic for sure. A classic and simple steel tubeset paired with a steel fork, Campy 10 speed components and a sensible Specialized saddle. The classic frame had room for some extra comfy 25mm tires though he did pull off an awesome double flat just 5 miles from the finish.

Jeff made the 14,000ft of climbing with sections as steep as 27% look easy despite the lowest gear being a 39-27.

He and Stephen Jablonski (his bike will be chronicled later) also had really handy cue sheet holders that they fabricated especially for the event. This was a real blessing since the Garmin track I had received was only accurate for the first 100k.

Congratulations Jeff on a fantastically functional ride that brings you so much satisfaction.

Wet railroad tracks are slippery ATMO

2009-08-13T12:18:00.004-04:00

I took a tumble on some wet train tracks Thursday morning. Besides the bruises and some bike scuffs I've got a sore neck. Watch out for those wet tracks, ok?

* I just wanted use ATMO to piss off the 5 people that might read this post, sorry.

Cyclocross 2009: Who to Watch

2009-07-31T15:18:00.006-04:00

Registration is already open for September cross events and the list of competitors in the Cat 3 field for 2009 is looking pretty strong. I used our favorite cyclocross geek's predictive tool to get a sense of what might be in store for the Cat 3 field at the first Verge race of the season.

Let's take a look at what crossresults.com has to say about the performance of the top 5 finishers in VT:

Todd Burns: I don't know Todd. Crossresults tells me he is going to win so I will obviously be looking out for him at the start line. I'll try to follow his wheel and see if I can upset the predictive tool. Todd, if you're out there, let us know what you've been doing this summer to prepare for your upcoming victory (no pressure though)

Pete Sullivan: I saw Pete on the road a bit this summer. He said he'd never raced road events before but he certainly knows how to get around a cross course pretty quickly. With his teammate scheduled to solo to victory, we can expect Pete to provide some excellent blocking and controlling at the front of the chasing peloton. Nantucket Velo (Really? The island has like 15 miles of roads, how can there be a Velo?) looks to be the dominant force in the Cat 3 field so far.

Cary Fridrich: Cary stepped it up in 2008 and from what I've seen in 2009, third place is the lowest we're likely to find him. Don't let his aliases fool you (it's Cary, not Gary or Carey). This season he was crushing it when we attempted the 6 gap and he's been mountain biking a lot lately, building on his handling skills for this season. If Cary avoids mechanicals and uses those newly acquired mtb handling skills, you can expect him to be a series contender as he represents for Embrocation Cycling Journal
Brian Wilichoski: I don't know this cat but looking at his results you can see he has made quick work of the Cat 4 field and many of the Cat 3 racers as well. Look at his nemeses. The only two names are a guy who regularly races UCI level and a guy who dominated the Cat 2/3 field last season. Plus, he is apparently in the minor league/development program with Cyclocrossworld.com so we can expect the TJ and JPow skills to manifest this season.

Greg Burbridge: This guy will kill you with his unassuming appearance and calm demeanor. Every time I see him at an event I smile. He's a good guy and an even better bike rider. No skinsuits, no shaved legs, and no cocky attitude (obviously not a roadie). I always say to myself I should stick to his wheel. Next thing I know he is gone and I am in a world of hurt. He doesn't bless the New England cross season with his presence nearly often enough but when he does you can bet he will light it up at the front.

I'm sure there will be more names added to the list. I've even heard rumors of last year's series winner returning to defend his title although I would hope he has more class than that.

All around town the talk is about tubulars, non-Verge races, and embrocation. That means cyclocross season is right around the corner. I'll be hitting the trails on the cross bike regularly, perfecting the smooth remount, gluing tubulars, and dusting off the skinsuit. In the meantime, I might get motivated to put up some more profiles so tell me who you think will be at the front when the mud stops flying in December.

No doubt this year will be fun. After all, Zanconato is returning to the scene, so what more could New England cross ask for?

Change of seasons

2009-07-29T10:27:00.003-04:00

For a while there I started thinking that 70 degree highs were normal for New England summers. The last two weeks we all got a slap in the face as the humidity and temperatures rose to create those sticky, uncomfortable conditions we know and love in New England. Despite the arrival of summer, I dusted off the cross tires last week while I was on Nantucket. There are some really good trails out there!

This morning I detoured through Cutler Park on the way to work. That place is a blast on the cross bike. It felt so right (despite the heat) to be dismounting, remounting, railing corners, and bunny hopping on the hoods. I'm looking forward to some mtb racing this weekend and then a few more road races (hopefully) and then it is time to CROSS. I'm psyched for cross.

Oops, I think I broked it

2009-07-10T14:01:00.004-04:00

After buying my sweet new ride my budget was tapped and I had to reach into my parts bin for used wheels from my stock of used wheels. The first wheelset I installed was a set of King hubs laced to Bontrager rims from 2001 or so. I bought them for pennies from a former coworker who was getting out of the sport. Although they were well built, I thrashed them for 3 years before finally relegating them to the parts bin (mismatched spokes and all). I figured I might as well finish them off so I could justify a rebuild for the new bike. It didn't take me very long and after two rides on the new rig, the rear is finished.

I went deeper into my parts bin for the next rear wheel, a King ISO hub laced to a hefty Sun rim that I built with straight gauge spokes in my "hucking" days. By hucking I mean falling over 3 foot drops and usually tacoing the front wheel. Anyway, this is one of the first wheels I ever built (I am reminded of this when I look at the valve stem that is not properly located between straight spokes, ugh). What was I saying? Oh yeah, I intended to install this wheel on the new rig. As I removed the old disc rotor and cassette body I quickly realized things were not right.

I apparently snapped the axle on this wheel, though not having ridden it in 1+ year I can't remember where or when this might have happened.

I just finished talking to Chris King and they are more than happy to work with me on the repair. Not only did a live person answer my call, but that live person was able to accurately and confidently answer every one of my questions. It's so rare these days to get that level of service from any company, let alone a bike company. But I guess if you are going to expect it anywhere in the Bike Biz, Chris King would be the first place I'd look. So, for $125 a new axle is on its way. When they get my broken one back, I'll get a credit for the cost. In the meantime, I'm stealing my wife's wheels (which are nicer than any of mine anyway). Hope she doesn't mind...

Kingdom Trails

2009-06-17T07:17:00.004-04:00

If you haven't been to Kingdom Trails, you need to go, ASAP. I was lucky enough to join a very experienced crew this past weekend that included Colin Reuter, Linnea Koons, Kate Harris (do all Canadians get a website with their name?), Sara Bresnick, Lyne Bessette, and Joe Cruz. Colin has multiple recaps of his tips there in case you want to know more. I just have a bunch of pictures and some really great memories.Nobody fucks with the Jeesuz!

Titanium Parking Only
Three bikes worth more than one car? Yup.
Rinsed and ready for Day 2.
I rode a little here, a little there...
Imparting her wisdom on us.

Reasons Why I like Mountain Biking

2009-06-05T13:28:00.006-04:00

1. You don't have to share mtb trails with cars (definitely a plus in MA)
2. It is highly unlikely that you will be yelled at by fellow ride members
3. Bike handling skills are required
4. People don't spontaneously crash right in front of you. Oh wait, they probably do, but it's highly unlikely that you are going 25 mph and landing on pavement if you hit them
5. When you meet an amateur mountain biker at a group ride, they are nice to you and willing to ride with you. When you meet a road amateur at a group ride they just want to tear your legs off as quickly as possible
6. Mountain bikers are less curmudgeonly than road bikers
7. Your upper body might actually get a workout, reducing the typically anorexic look most roadies admire in themselves
8. You get cool engineering and technology with your $3,000 mtb
9. Most mountain bike crashes are funny

This Just In!

2009-06-03T11:22:00.006-04:00

From the promoters of the Accelerated Cure Cyclocross Series:

"The 2009 Accelerate Cure Project Cyclocross Series is now on Bikereg.


The series is now in it's 3rd year and has grown each year.
It started as a 2 race weekend in 2007, grew to a 3 race series
in 2008 and has grown again in 2009.
It is now a 4 race series.   The series includes the following events:

1. Blunt Park - August 23rd
2. Palmer - August 29th (note new date)
3. Robinson Park - Sept 27th
4. Easthampton - Nov 22nd

Race Series Details:  Top 15 finishers will earn points (15-1).
Higher individual placing in final event (Easthampton) will be used as a tie breaker.

Series Prize List for Cat 4, 35+, 45+ & 3/4:
$500 - 10 places for each category

Series prize list for Juniors, Women, 55+, 1/2/3:
$5 from every PRE-REGISTERED racer in thier field will be contributed towards
category’s series prize list paying 5 places.
Example: If women field has 15 pre-registered racers for each event (60 combined
pre-registered over all 4 races), the series prize list for the woman will be $300 ($5 x 60).

Please visit Bikereg.com for details on the idividual events and the series."

It's not too early to be gluing tubulars, is it?  Btw, if you need to glance at the
2009 schedule, take a look here.  Thanks Tom!

line up

2009-05-22T11:11:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: We now have the route:

Rapha Race
Find more Bike Rides in Brooklyn, New York

Here's the list of competitors for this weekend's invite-only Rapha Gentlemen's Race. Lots of strong folks listed here. We're honored to be taking part as we know they've invited some premium competitors.

TEAM ROSTERS

9:30 AM

The Eastmans: Capt- Dara Kiese
Ira Blumberg, 26 cat 4

Neil Cooper, 39 cat 4

Scott Blau, HC
Roland Freund, 40 no cat

John Trotter, 48 no cat

Dara Kiese, 38 cat 4

Team Fifth Street: Capt- Keith Plunkett
Mark Taylor - NO ROAD CAT

DAVE PRYOR - NO ROAD CAT (though he is Mr. FitChick Selene's husband )
Matt Allyn CAT 4

Christine Fennessy women's CAT 4

Jamie Huber NO ROAD CAT

Keith Plunkett CAT 4

9:40 AM
HUP UNITED: Capt- Scott Rosenthal
Scott Rosenthal, cat 4
Jeff Bramhall, cat 4
Stephen Jablonski, cat 4
Megan Bilodeau, cat 3 (I think)
Mark Bernard, cat 4
Tom Needham, cat 5

9:45 AM
The Bicycle Depot: Capt- Mike Newman
Mike Newman - Cat. 5 on my best day maybe Cat. 3.
Danny Brennan - Cat. 5 - He's our sandbagger.
Patrick Clifford - Cat. 3
Travis Turner - Cat. 3
George Swain - no cat. - he does these 24 hour races and stupid long randonneur events.
Alex Sherwood - I think cat. 4. he has won the S.O.S. event up here and is a badass tri guy.

9:55 AM
Gotham: Capt- EW
Dave Nazaroff- 3
Colin Prensky- 3
Chris Long- 2
John Raheb- 3
EW- 3
TBD- 3

Rapha Racing: Capt- Piers North
Tom Hinnershitz - Cat 2
Phil Riggio - Cat 2
Peter Hurst - Cat 2
Piers North - Cat 3
Patrick Wilder - Cat 3
Greg Fowlkes - Cat 4

10:05 AM

Bicycling: Capt- Cush
Mike Cushionbury (Bicycling/Mountain Bike Deputy test Director, mtb pro)

Joao Correia (Rodale Associate Publisher, road pro for Bissell)

Chris Lambiase (Rodale VP, Group Publisher, Cat 3 roadie)

Selene Yeager (aka The Fit Chick, elite level triathlete and mtb racer)

Brad Ford (Men’s Health on-line, Cat 3 roadie)

Mike Yozell (carpenter for Rodale bike racers, former Expert cross-country National Champion)

Rapha Continental: Capt- Jeremy Dunn
Jeremy Dunn, cat 2
PVB, cat 3
Sam, cat 2
Graeme, cat 2
Kansas, cat 4
Spinelli, cat 1

Adler Racing: Capt- ?

Reed Albergotti, cat 2

Christoper Chaput, cat 2

Matt Cuttler, cat 3

Kevin Brubaker, cat 3

Tony Slokar, cat 2

Laurel Gitlen, cat 2

10:20 AM

Embrocation: Capt- James Morrison
James Morrison- 1/2

Peter Bradshaw- 1

Josh Gunn- 1/2

Jay Combs – 1/2

Peter Smith- 1/2

Matt Roy- 1/2

EMPIRE: Capt- Mike Sherry

Mike Margarite- 1

Mike Mathis- 1

Alex Bremer- 1

John Loehner- 1

Matt Johnson- 1

Daniel Zmolik- 1

Memories

2009-05-15T17:07:00.002-04:00

I used to take a lot of photos in high school and college. I had fancy cameras, lenses, and development supplies at my disposal. Now that I have a digital camera I seem to take fewer and lower quality pictures. Maybe it is because I enjoyed the challenge of getting a good shot with limited ammo or because I liked the delayed discovery of said shots when I had to develop them myself.

In Peru I managed to shake my aversion to digital photography. I can't say the quality is there, but I wasn't shy about snapping away. Since people have asked, here is a link to the mountain of photos I took while in Peru in April.

Peru Photos

Yes, it was an amazing trip. Yes, I would recommend it. Yes, I want to go back already.

Strong Men Also Cry

2009-05-12T18:08:00.018-04:00

I got really excited when Colin (self proclaimed resultsboy) invited me to join his scheduled assault on the infamous VT 6 gaps ride this past weekend. I got even more excited when I realized I could attend. Like Battenkill, D2R2, and a double century, the 6 gap ride has been on my to-do list for a long time. Also, with Sunapee and the Rapha Gentlemen's Race on the near horizon I figured some serious hill work would be great for my diet.

Since I was without transport, I made desperate pleas to the other attendees and was able to convince Cary to shuttle me back and forth. Having already raced Sterling on Saturday afternoon Cary's day was looking pretty full, but he was right where he said he'd be at 8pm to pick me up. We set off for our swanky hotel in White River Junction at 8:15 and almost immediately we were hit with a torrential rain. Ugh. It continued to pound us on and off for the next 45 minutes. As we crossed into NH the rain let up and we put the car on auto pilot, arriving to White River Junction around 10:45 I think.

Our companions for the 6 gap assault were already comfortably tucked into bed but they were nice enough to leave some floor space between the multiple bikes stacked around the room. No sooner did I fall asleep than I heard Colin's annoying (because I have the same one) Blackberry phone alarm alerting us that it was 6:30am. I was impressed with the expeditious packing of personal effects as we vacated the room by 7am and made our way to the greasy spoon Colin had scouted out for us.

We slowly awoke from the weekend slumber as people poured cup after cup of coffee and debated on the quality of our waitress's mullet (is it a mullet when it is that long in the back?). The service was good (and quite cheap), and the food was ok. With loaded stomaches it was time to get back in the cars and continue to Rochester, VT to meet our last ride member at the launching point.

Despite an intended start of 9am, no one was eager to get rolling because we had cold, overcast skies and insufficient clothing. The scramble to find every spare piece of cycling clothing saw people mixing and matching (Landry's kit with Embrocation shoe covers, HUP kit covered with Castelli wool jersey, and Embrocation kit with Cambridge Bike shoe covers). It was closer to 9:30 when we finally left the parking lot. There would be six of us tackling the Gaps:
Linnea Koons
Sara Bresnick
Kate Harris
Joe Cruz (ahem, Dr Cruz)
Cary Fridrich
me

Resultsboy was providing neutral support/sag duties as his knee continues to slow him down. The first Gap we tackled was Brandon Gap. Despite his claim that he would take the first two very easy, Cary was sitting on the front most of the way, turning out a nice tempo while chatting with Joe. Half way up Brandon the mist started, then the light rain, and by the time we hit the summit, it was a good 10 degrees colder than our starting point (which was already cold). We regrouped at the top, searched around in the sag wagon for any remaining items of clothing that had not already been donned and then set out on the descent. Brandon Gap offers a great, twisty descent but when it is wet it is not much fun and so I found myself riding the brakes much more than I would have liked.

As we came into the valley, the skies cleared a bit and the road was dryer. As we worked our way towards Middlebury Gap, we took a moment to refill (or fill for the first time if you're Cary) our liquids and make sure we ate. We also discovered that one of the roads we needed to take was closed to vehicle traffic (thanks Colin for the advance notice) but it was actually quite easy to get through on bikes so no detour was necessary for us. Middlebury Gap was a bit more of a climb than Brandon, especially at the beginning. Luckily the rain was holding off so the long climb was a bit less uncomfortable. It's a long, steady climb, but not the worst of the 6 by any means. Colin was waiting for us at the top of Middlebury Gap and as we crested we felt the mist return. We waited a bit hoping to regroup at the top but in the interest of staying warm, we decided to descend and regroup at the bottom. After a long wait, we heard from Linnea that Kate had broken the cable stop off her frame, resulting in a single rear cog (12 tooth!) which is not sufficient for cresting Middlebury Gap. Colin and Joe had reconfigured the cables, routing the rear derailleur cable on the other side of the downtube and removing the front derailleur cable so Kate had a 1x10. Much better than a 2x1!

From Middlebury to the start of Lincoln Gap (the monster of the route) we had about 15 miles of "recovery" terrain. We had regrouped at the base of Middlebury in order to paceline it a bit before Lincoln and to pull Kate since she was limited to her 39 in front. Unfortunately the weather continued to torture us and we were all wet and chilled to the core when we arrived at Lincoln Gap. Linnea was so chilled that she opted out of the climb and joined Colin in the cheerleading vehicle. The rest of us set out to endure the torture. Sure enough, the climb started in earnest after the dirt turned back to pavement. Cary and I caught up to Sarah and Kate on the steep climb but soon enough we were all "delivering the mail" as we weaved from side to side in hopes of reducing the pain of the 20+% pitch. Almost half way up the most brutal section I cracked. The chamber was empty, no more gears beyond my 39*25, and my arms were screaming from muscling the bike up that pitch. I had to stop, let the arms and legs recover and then try to finish. While stopped, Cary pulled past me, not showing any ill effects from his effort in the break at Sterling nor from his large amount of work on the front of this ride. I remounted, wiped away the tears, and summitted what is easily the toughest climb I've ever attempted on a road bike. Waiting at the top, taking pictures to document the pain were Linnea and Colin.

The descent of Lincoln Gap, despite the misty weather was worth every moment of suffering on the climb. The mostly dirt road sprayed mud all over me in an enjoyable and fitting-of-this-day way. Unfortunately, as my confidence grew and my speed increased, the descent flattened out and the fun ended as quickly as it had begun. I'll be back to do Lincoln Gap for sure.

At the base of Lincoln we thawed out in the general store while retelling the adventure we'd just had. Extra large hot chocolate helped warm up my core but my soaked feet were helpless. With three more gaps to go, it was not looking good. Our time and spirits were running out.

The spin from Lincoln to Ap Gap includes Baby Gap which is not a big challenge after what we'd covered but it is still enough to sting the legs. As we climbed Ap Gap, it was nice to see the Km markers that are left over from the Green Mountain Stage Race. It gave me something to pace myself by which was necessary after my explosion on Lincoln Gap. Seeing 3 Km to go I was in a rythm so I climbed and climbed until I rounded the corner inside of 1 Km and saw the steep finishing pitch. My spirits were crushed momentarily but luckily I could see Colin and Linnea at the top so I knew it was only a short bit of suffering until I was there. When I finally did summit, the wind was strong and I'm pretty sure it was a mixture of sleet and rain. As I waited for the others to crest Ap Gap I noticed that the hills just above us showed signs of recent snow. It was definitely in the 30s and wet.

The ladies (Sara and Kate) joined Colin and Linnea in the neutral support vehicle as they were too frozen to safely navigate the wet descent. I think Joe would have taken a ride as well had there been room. Joe and his aero wheels would have to endure the windy descent with Cary and I. In Waitsfield it was decided that Colin and Linnea would go retrieve Joe's car while the rest of us ordered pizza and tried to thaw out. There would be no 6 gaps, only 4. As each person recounted the day's adventure, spirits lifted, core temperatures rose, and my previously missing spare socks turned up. The folks at the pizza place were nice enough to let us loiter while we waited for Colin and Linnea to complete the nearly 60 minute shuttle run.

It was nearly 6pm by the time we left Waitsfield and we still had 3.5 hours of traveling ahead of us. Cary was a champ, doing all the driving and enduring some annoying traffic just south of 95 on 93. Plus he dropped me off at my doorstep, which at 10pm is much appreciated!

In the end, it was a wise decision to reduce ourselves to 4 gaps. Besides it leaves me with a reason to do it again this summer.

Lessons learned:
- start earlier (like 7:30 or 8)
- pack a 26 on back or a compact up front
- bring everything you could possibly think of to wear because the weather will be different than Boston
- hire Colin to be your neutral support

So for now, the 6 Gap ride remains only partially crossed off of my to-do list.

Overdue - Teammates are the best (Reparto Corse #3)

2009-05-08T09:55:00.008-04:00

This past Saturday (yes now 6 days ago) I woke up even earlier than I do on a weekday in order to catch the mythical HUP Arlington road ride. Not being a fan of Arlington and more specifically the route I have to take to get there I've shrugged off this ride all spring.

I've missed riding with the HUP originators like Stephen Jablonski and Mike Salvatore so I finally made the effort to get up early and head over to Arlington for what promised to be enjoyable company, long miles, and acceptable weather. In attendance was Stephen "I know every awesome side road in MA" Jablonski, Yasushi "it's sooo cold" Katsumi, Jeff "I swear, I've never ridden a century despite the fact that I am ripping your legs off at mile 125" Bramhall, and Graham "my beard is better than your beard" Dimmock. The plan was to ride casually to Harvard and then decide whether or not to continue to Wachusett Mtn. The overnight rain left the roads wet for the first hour but as the sun went to work, the roads dried and the temperature rose.

We took the normal route to Harvard and everyone (except Graham since he was racing on SUnday) decided to power on to Wachusett. I've only ridden to Wachusett once before and that was following the CRW Climb to the Clouds route so I defered to Stephen who had printed out some options. I also had google maps on my crackberry to supplement the decisions. I don't know how he did it, but Stephen got an absolutely awesome backroads route from mapquest (usually my least favorite direction site) that we only screwed up once. When the four of us arrived to Wachusett, there was no doubt that Stephen, Jeff, and I were going to ride up to the summit. Yash said not to wait for him because he didn't plan on summitting. We waited at the summit anyway and Yash came rolling in just as we were about to head down. I think he impressed himself the most.

We took the same general route back to Harvard and then took the usual (with a few excellent detours compliments of Stephen) route from Harvard. We stopped for a crummy lunch in Sterling and delicious pastries in W.Acton before cruising into Arlington. The final numbers are a bit daunting but surprisingly the spirits were high and the sense of accomplishment from the group was through the roof. I'm really looking foward to the Gentlemen's Race with Stephen and Jeff. If this ride was any indication, we will have a strong, positive team in New Paltz.

On Sunday we were invited to retell the experience at Chip's place while he and his wife Pam put out an impressive food and beverage spread for us. Thanks to Tom's wife Gretchen for the Hupcakes and to Rob for the H1N1 guacamole. Thanks as well to Pam for letting smelly bike people invade her house and use her hot tub.

Reverse the Curse

2009-05-07T08:59:00.002-04:00

I originally posted this during the winter when I was fed up with yet another FSA crank failure. Since then, I've accumulated some Campy Ultra Torque cranks to replace the FSA garbage I had on my bikes. The last remaining K Force crank was moved from my sunny day ride to my everyday ride when I bought my first set of Ultra Torque cranks. Even though I have a second set of Ultra Torque cranlks waiting for install on the everyday bike, I've been lazy this spring, not wanting to change the cranks because I need to replace cables, chain, and bar tape and figured I'd do it all at once. But who wants to do that when you could be riding (or surfing the internet on the couch) instead? Well, this morning, after noting last night that the crank arm felt a bit loose I did some closer inspection of the FSA K Force crank. Low and behold, the pedal insert on the drive side is loose. That is now the third pedal insert to fail on two K Force cranks. My father also had an insert fail on his one K Force crankset. At this point it is just comicle. I have the FSA phone number stored in my phone and may even remember their address by memory. No more being lazy, time to overhaul the bike and (finally) rid myself of the FSA curse.

I can no longer hold my tongue about FSA's piece of sh*t cranksets. I've owned 4 FSA MegaExo style cranksets. Three of them have failed and the only reason I think the fourth has yet to fail is because it is babied on my sunny day bike.

Gossamer
I bought my first set of FSA cranks (Gossamer MegaExo) while working in the cycling industry. The non driveside arm used to loosen every 4th or 5th ride so I always had to be attentive. I finally ignored their recommended torque range and just tightened the snot out of them. That seemed to hold things together for a good season or two. Eventually though the torx wrench requiring bolt that helps to snug the non-driveside arm tight against the driveside arm spindle wore down to a round hole. Hey FSA, good idea to use
a. soft aluminum
b. a small hole with a less than standard torx fitting
After two years of use these cranks were removed and relegated to spare/emergency duty. As a side note, if you own FSA cranks, I would suggest having a spare or back up set handy because your cranks will inevitably fail. I recently re-installed the Gossamers when my FSA SLK cranks failed for good (see below). The loosening problem is back and the stripped tightening bolt is not helping things.

SLK
I bought these cranks when I built my sunny day rider. At the time, they were high end for my budget and they were fairly lust worthy (in my eyes at least) since they were new technology and carbon. On my maiden voyage, despite suspecting they may loosen (um, see above...) they stayed tight. I torqued them to factory spec after each of my first 3 or 4 rides and everything seemed good. On my 4th or 5th ride, I was about 20 miles from home when I noticed the non-driveside beginning to loosen. I didn't have an 8mm allen wrench (no stupid torx head needed on these) so I limped them home as best as I could. Ever since then the cranks have acted like powercranks with the non-driveside arm slipping forward and backward on the splined driveside spindle despite not being loose side to side. For a while I thought it was play in my pedals or the crank arm loosening again. It honestly took me most of the season to figure it out. Fortunately, about the same time that I figured it out I also be-friended a very nice FSA employee who got me the hook up on some K-Force cranks. The SLK's were initially shelved for a year and then shifted to the Gossamer bike when I got sick of the Gossamers loosening. Confused yet?

This winter, after a season of 'cross racing with the SLK cranks I finally called FSA to see what can be done. They were very familiar with my problem (because I am willing to bet it happens a lot) and have offered to replace the non-driveside crank arm. Apparently the aluminum insert on that arm is susceptible to greater wear (again, great thinking there) than the steel driveside spindle on which it is mounted. Thankfully I have those POS Gossamer cranks to use in the meantime. Oh, and yes, the Gossamers continue to loosen almost daily.

K-Force
Being the cream of the crop, I expected the K-Force cranks to work without issue. Since they were on my sunny day ride, I never really put them through any tough conditions but I still felt they were the most expensive and therefore the best. When I saw the super dooper close out deal from my FSA employed friend I jumped at the chance to get another set. They were to be used on my 'cross bike as it was reconfigured for a cross country adventure. The compact gearing allowed me to avoid the need for a triple ring and the bonus of being lightweight seemed like a great idea. Luckily they didn't fail until I was in the middle of f'in nowhere Indiana. I noticed some play in my pedal and thought it might be the cleat on my shoe. Nope. Maybe my pedal was unthreading. Nope. In fact, the pedal insert was coming unbonded from the crankarm. When I finally figured this out I called all the area shops to see if any of them might have a similar K-Force that I could purchase. Oh, did I mention I was in the middle of nowhere so I had very limited cell reception? When I finally got to Ft Wayne, IN I found my way to a shop that allowed me to take a new non-driveside arm from their inventory while my FSA friend sent them a warranty replacement. Honestly, if I didn't have that FSA friend, I probably would have been out some serious $. Then again, I never would have bought the K-Craps to begin with...
Thinking the worst was behind me, I continued on my journey. Within shouting distance of home (Hopkinton, MA) the other pedal insert came loose. FUCK! When I got home, I mailed the cranks back and requested a different model (SLK Light). Those went on ebay and I've been slowly working to eliminate all FSA cranks from my fleet.

Although some might say I am failing to accept blame, I think it is pretty clear when a company makes a shitty product. I've used dozens of other brands without ever having problems so I think it is fair to say, FSA CRANKS SUCK. Ask Ryan Kelly, he'd tell you the same thing.

Oh, but did you hear FSA is going to release a new 11 speed drivetrain? Yeah, remind me to rush out and buy that.

Great weather

2009-04-30T08:36:00.004-04:00

This week has been full of great weather. Sure it was wicked hawt on Tuesday but I made sure to ride really early in the morning and then, since I was stuck at work until 9pm, it was a mild 65 degrees for my ride home. Last night, after getting in from my ride, I overhauled the mtb. Granted there is not much that needs to be overhauled on a hardtail singlespeed but the thing was filthy and creaking worse than an old lady's arthritic hip when we rode on Saturday. I also had a new front wheel built by Brian at JRA Cycles and I wanted to inspect the condition of it after 2 rides.
The 650b experiment seems to be working out great. It fits my Fox Vanilla fork with room to spare and feels just big enough to give me a little extra rolling momentum over the technical stuff without feeling sluggish or challenging to maneuver when it gets really technical. For those that like 26 inch wheels but are on the taller side of the scale (and thus carrying some body mass up higher than average) I'd recommend the 650b wheel option, at least on the front.

With a cold beverage in one hand and some simple green soaked rags in the other I scrubbed the ti frame clean and then moved on to cleaning the parts. I even pulled out the EBB to clean and properly lube it and I moved the bb to the bottom of the shell instead of the top just like Thom recommends. While I wouldn't call the bike spotless, it is a lot cleaner than when I started and it is (seemingly) creak free which is even more important.

The other big motivator for cleaning the Verve is that tonight I've been invited to an exclusive session at some of the best trails in the greater Boston area and I don't want to disappoint the audience with a dirty, noisy machine. I may not keep up, but it won't be due to mechanical issues.

The right way to start the day

2009-04-27T10:53:00.005-04:00

I woke up early, had some breakfast, aired up the tires on the "nice weather bike" and then set out on a long route to work. Man, I love spring!

How is your Monday?

Spotted

2009-04-09T08:38:00.002-04:00

I tested my homing beacon this morning and it seems to work. I last used it during my cross country trip and it was fun for my family to map out my daily route and report back to me at the end. Although it was annoying when my dad called and tried to give me directions because he thought I took a wrong turn. I just went into town to get some groceries.

Anyway, my wife and I are heading off to Peru tonight and will be hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu early next week. We're also doing some sightseeing in Cuzco and Lima before returning on April 18th. If you have any interest in seeing where we are you can follow this link to the Spot transmitter. Hopefully it works in South America.

My dad is better than your dad

2009-03-27T15:22:00.004-04:00

I remember a "reality" show last year called my dad is better than your dad where the fathers and their child competed against one another in athletic and "intellectual" challenges. Being 28 years old I think I am just a bit too old to take part in such a show with my father but last Thursday night confirmed in my mind that my father is truly better than everyone else's.

After spending a week in Providence helping my sister and brother-in-law welcome their second child into the world, he agreed to spend Thursday night helping me pimp out my basement workshop area with high quality lighting and electrical outlets. Those who have visited my basement workshop know I am quite fond of the space. Being a bit of an afterthought when we bought our condo it has been an absolute savior for a guy with too many bikes and a general addiction to "gear." In fact I think the only way I get away with owning so much stuff is because the stuff is out of sight and out of mind most of the time.

So yeah, my basement is an invaluable space but it needed some upgrading, so with the help of my dad we pulled down the old low wattage track lights and installed blindingly bright flourescent lights. We also rewired the lights to function off of wall mounted switches instead of impossible-to-find-in-the-dark pull strings. Not being satisfied with improved lighting and switches, I also mounted a bunch of outlets (previously had 0) in the workshop area so now my entertainment sources for winter trainer sessions and my power tools can have appropriate homes instead of relying on extension cords run throughout the space. I can't help but brag about the improved functionality of my basement now. I am just a couch and fridge away from moving in full time.

Oh, but back to why my dad is better than your dad. After supplying the majority of the knowledge and tools to conquer this job, he's heading back to Connecticut to perform his real job, saving peoples' lives as a physician. How many people do you know that can cure disease during the day and re-wire a basement lighting and electrical system during the evening.

Wednesday Single Speeding

2009-03-26T12:20:00.004-04:00

I rode my single speed 'cross bike to work and conned my buddy into transporting my single speed mountain bike to the trail head. 15 mile morning commute, 14 miles of evening riding, 2 different bikes, and no shifting. Add a few post ride beers at the trailhead and you've got a great Wednesday.

Perfectly dialed

2009-03-16T09:21:00.003-04:00

Now that my commute is 15 miles each way I've had more of a challenge getting my attire selection correct each morning. Sure in the warm weather it'll be easy but in late winter and early spring it's a daily struggle between freezing and overheating.

Today, I had it dialed. Knickers, toe covers, thin long sleeve jersey and the wind resistent Rapha coat I inherited last June. I'm not very good at riding a leisurely pace to avoid sweating so it was even more rewarding to arrive to work without being frozen to the core or pealing off sweaty base layers. It almost makes the fact that today is Monday seem tolerable.

Charitable Donation

2009-03-13T13:42:00.006-04:00

Maybe hanging out with a group of roadies last night was a bad idea. Why do I bother with this yearly donation to u-sucker-cyling? Because I naively think this year will be the year, every year.

UPDATE: Already made use of the license by joining the first Wells Ave crit of the 2009 season. Maybe I'll get my money's worth before cross season starts.

Why do I lie?

2009-03-10T10:15:00.002-04:00

Recently I've caught myself lying repeatedly at restaurants. It doesn't matter how bad the food is, I still feel compelled to lie to the staff when they ask me "how is everything?" Why don't I tell the truth. "Actually the chicken is rubbery, the lettuce is rusty, and the beans are burnt." That's what I should have said last night at our company gathering. And I know I'm not alone because as soon as the staff retreated we all talked about the sub-par quality of our meals.

Perhaps this is why Americans are overweight and why big chain restaurants are flooding the landscape. Too many people have become complacent (lazy?) and willing to accept poor quality in the interest of not offending or challenging the establishments we patronize. Too many Americans prefer the safety of a familiar menu or greasy spoon from one town to the next. I don't make a habit of visiting chain restaurants (Subway and burrito joints excluded) when given the choice. I usually find myself at one of these sub-par spots as a result of the desire of others or the result of being in "Anywhere, USA" and not having other options.

The truth is, it is not the waitstaff's fault that the food sucks but they are the faces the customers see. Since I am in the mindset of making changes to my behavior, I am going to change the way I respond to the sub-par food I too often receive. I'm going to be honest and tell them what they don't want to hear. If the cooks never get negative feedback about their food, they are never going to improve, right?

Turn down the bitch knob

2009-03-05T09:20:00.003-05:00

This winter has been cold and snowy in Boston. It's been a challenge for me to remain positive and upbeat because I really don't enjoy snowy or cold conditions in Boston. I like being outdoors and being able to get around town comfortably on my bike. I much prefer riding my bike to work as opposed to driving and fighting with traffic. I know it's still possible to get outside when the weather is nasty but my motivation to do so drops significantly.

Even though I grew up skiing every weekend I just don't get as excited about it anymore. Maybe it's the painful process of packing up and getting out of Boston with the hoards of other people trying to do the same or maybe its the fact that it's an expensive undertaking to ski 8-10 times a year. Either way, the winter time distraction I enjoyed as a kid is no longer something I look forward to so I'm left with more time to stew and sulk during the cold, snowy, dark winter months.

Over the last few weeks I've tried to embrace the last nastiness of New England winter by taking a ski trip to Vermont, riding and commuting despite the cold, wet conditions, snowshoeing, swimming, playing squash, and connecting more closely with new and existing friends. Embracing what's around me and enjoying new company and different activities has lifted my spirits.

As part of this lifting of my spirits I'm going to cut out the negative blogs and forums I used to visit. I'm turning my energy towards family, friends, and positive experiences. Enough bitching about the cold and snow, about how much my fitness is suffering, about traffic during my commute. I've realized the people and the time that I most enjoyed this winter were filled with positiveness so I'm going to continue with that trend from now on.

An end is in sight (it is March, right?) to the cold and dirty conditions that accompany winter in this city and this weekend we jump ahead an hour so we instantly gain extra sunlight at the end of our days. While I'm out there trying to cram months worth of stifled riding and outdoor activities into the first few days of spring remind me not to bitch, not to sulk, and to lift other people's spirits along the way.

Mission Aborted

2009-03-04T12:09:00.004-05:00

I tried to go mountain biking with my teammate and all around great guy Chip Baker today. I even put the studded snow tire on the bike last night. Unfortunately the trails at Cutler Park were still too covered with light fluffy snow so the bike just sank. Maybe a Pugsley would have worked but I doubt it.

So I turned back to the car and we re-equipped with more condition-appropriate gear.

Nearly 2 hours of hiking, a little running, and lots of great conversation including bikes, racing, family, careers, and geographic locations. My legs are tired from the effort but my spirits are high from the company and conversation. Despite being March, Boston is still covered in 8+ inches of snow. It may melt away with the upcoming heat wave but in the meantime I'm doing my best to enjoy what's left of winter.

Sublime

2009-03-02T15:12:00.008-05:00

On February 21st I embarked on a "casual" base miles ride with Chiu, Gunn, Morrison, Bradshaw, Murphy, CCC (on his single speed 'cross bike) and other roadies that are way too fit for February. 6 hours, a few long climbs, and 100 miles later I was home in cozy house nursing sore legs.

Fast forward one week and I met many of the same characters for another Saturday adventure. I had tried to join Colin Reuter and Cary Fridrich for a trip to Otis but my last minute planning did not work out so they went without me. On the road, Gunn and I decided not to be as bold this week and turned off for a reasonable 70 miles while the other animals continued to do the CRW Climb to the Clouds route.

Later on Saturday I met up with the Kyler for dinner and drinks in Washington Square. The best part of the night was watching an overly confident off-duty Brookline police officer who looked to be around 50 or 55 try to hit on the two 30 somethings sitting next to us at the bar. Kyle and I had front row seats to some of the worst game I've ever witnessed. When the guy took a bathroom break the ladies turned to us and asked if we had just witnessed that horror show. Oh yeah, we saw it.

Somewhere in the course of the night I cemented my plans for a trip to Otis with Colin on Sunday. Despite the forecast we figured it'd be worth the trip. We met up on Rt 24 south of Boston and shoved our two bikes into the trunk of Colin's well traveled Honda Fit.By that time the snow was coming down pretty steadily and when we got to the trailhead there were a few inches already.

We were an hour from home, there was no way we were turning back without at least trying to ride. I rode Otis many years ago but have not been back since. Luckily Colin was up for playing tour guide (even if other participants who said they wanted to join the tour did not show up) and we quickly entrenched ourselves in the maze of trails that make up Otis. Within 15 minutes we were both shedding layers and we spotted for the first and only time, another group of riders enjoying the unique conditions.

Despite promising to stop at a convenience store we somehow found our way to the trailhead without ever making that stop. I'd powered down a few bowls of cereal and some hot tea in the morning and I had a banana before we left the parking lot but I forgot to pack any trail food so I knew I'd be in trouble. Well about two hours in I was pretty cooked so Colin split his lone Clif Bar with me. The energy came back for about 20 minutes but that was barely enough to get us back to the car. We were went spent and soaked but had smiles from ear to ear. It was a great 12.5 mile "exploration."
Our bikes were nicely frosted but Colin threw 'em back in the car anyway.

We detoured on the way back to find a Subway and were rewarded with $2.99 footlong subs!

I'm not even joking. I lived off the $5 variety last summer but somehow $2.99 tastes even better. So good in fact that I ate two feet! Well, almost. Colin wisely suggested I save some for later. I never did eat the last 4 inches which is probably good because 20 inches of Subway is enough for one day.

If you haven't been to Otis, look up Colin's tour company for a future trip. It's worth the time, especially now when the trails are a mess anywhere else. If you're lucky, Colin may even be willing to drag you around with him. Actually, there's a damn good chance that if there isn't a ski race or bike race within driving distance, Colin will definitely drag you on a tour of Otis.

Mr. Clean

2009-03-02T09:53:00.004-05:00

After a week of great riding in Boston I spent some much needed time cleaning my bikes last night. If you don't already own some simple green or similar type product go out and get some. I know the bike specific companies offer their own cleaning solutions that they claim are ideal for bike specific applications but for $3/bottle simple green is pretty friggin' hard to beat. Use the $5 you saved to buy a burrito at the end of your next hard ride.