WTF: It's September Already - ShortTrack Mountain Bike Racing - 2012 Cyclocross

The season is upon us already.
Cross is Boss.
Can't say it enough. Maybe when December 20 rolls around I won't be so psyched.

<<This is how cyclocross pro's ride their bikes in a road race. Mad skills. If it was a requirement for all road racers to race cross and mountain bikes before entering a road race, there might not be wrecks every spring.





Let's see - what have I been up to...
Short Track Mountain Bike Racing -
3 out of the 4 events I attended. Quite fun, much like cross, 110% effort, full throttle only shorter in time. Still hard, and challenging. Short-track is about finding the best line you can pedal through, finding the right place to sit out of any wind, finding the right gear and mashing it around in a circle.

The last two races of the series, I focused on doing one race, the 1/2/3 race. 30 min plus one lap. Plenty.
The first race I did in the series, race #2, I did the 3's or "B" event then thought I could go out and race the 1/2/3 race and be competitive - um nope.
The Third race, I was doing well, sitting third place and had a mishap with a poorly judged turn, waited too long to lean and brake and removed my rear tubeless tire from one side of the rim - certainly it was the driver's fault (>this guy<). I got to borrow a bike, team mate fixed my tire, pumped me back up and received a nice cyclocross style bike swap and finished the race. However my mechanical and driving error, and third place was quickly dashed, since there are no "Pits" in short track - DNF for me - thank you very much.

My Team mates are crushing it this year.

The 'Rents - my dad the ex Coach giving me tips.

Last Sunday - my parents arrive to watch me win back their love, from a disappointing mechanical at previous race, and support me in the last short track of the season.
I got in a great warm up and toe the line with Garth, Phil Noble, Spencer, Joe Hall, and a bunch of other fast guys. 2 laps in, I am still hanging on to Spencer, Phil and Garth, gap starting to happen, Joe and I battle it out like two monkeys in a cage. We are hanging on to the 3 guys in front, barely, four laps in, Phil does a "look back" and just rides off the front of the race. Bam - I stand up to go and keep up with it - and um nope, not ready for prime time playah quite yet. Joe and I continue to battle and bury each other into the dirt and try to keep SupahSpencer and Dreadhead  Garth in sight. I waited till the bell to try and make a move and get in front of Joe to get at least 4th and made it happen. Good day out there to watch a 1/2/3 race for friends and fans. I had to congratulate Joe after, that's racing and fun racing for sure.
I won a Sufferfest Video for 4th and got to stand on the grass near 3rd place for the podiums. Good day on the old 650b wheel'd mountain bike.


    2012 Cyclocross Racing Schedule - (through September)

• Sept 9 - Lionharts CX 'Benefit' Race
• Sept 9 - NEOCX - Cleveland Cascade Park Race
• Sept 9 - Driving over to watch my good friend Judy finish her first Cedar Point IRONMAN "Rev3" after my Cleveland CX Race is over.
• Sept 16 - NEOCX - Cleveland Cross - @Wendy Park (love this place)
• >>  For sure CapCity - Sunday is a Maybe
• Sept 22 - CapCityCross - Infirmary Mound Park (Newark/Granville Area)
• Sept 23 - NEOCX - Cleveland Cross @Brooklyn
• Sept 30 - St. Mary’s Cyclocross, Indianapolis, IN (Maybe if I can share a ride)

I am still alive - Riding, Training, Windham World Cup-650b and Watching the Tour

I live on.
I need to get back to blogging about bike stuff.

I've been racing here and there, training as I can, and heading to Tour of the Valley Stage Race with TeamSixOneFour next weekend.

Things with Team614 are amazing, exciting and really great this year. We've added quite a few new members and things have just clicked this year. Lots of growth, lots of great people, more ladies, and some super exciting things in the works for us for cyclocross season. Kristian and Katherine are now State Road Champions, Doug just outside the podium. Allison, showed up at our practice crits two Tuesday's in a row, then races at the Tour D' Grandview and wins her first ever Crit. Props to the team.

I traveled to the Windham World Cup UCI event last weekend, which was awesome, I've got quite a few photos from that....

I rode the course a few times and enjoyed the technical aspects of it - the climbing was brutal from a racing perspective, compared to what I'm used to riding and racing.

I spent last Saturday evening eating dinner/drinks with, Stan' of No Tubes Wife/owner, Team Kenda/Seven (Mary McConneloug and Michael Broderick) and the Stans No Tubes Women's team. Some of the nicest people I ever encountered. Mary and Mike are sponsored by Kenda and even brought us some yummy cold tea, rice crackers and dip early in our week....pro's just real pro's and down to earth people. An experience I won't ever forget.

Mike even got on my mountain bike for a quick bit on Sunday and had some setup suggestions for me - which I will implement shortly when I have some time. Mike is a detail guy and has an amazing understanding of bikes, and related technology. Mary is an amazing woman, person, bike racer and inspiration. They both, are great listeners, humble people and are just so fit, and awe inspiring to view as athletes and human beings.

I've acquired some prototype Kenda 650b tires, now installed, on my Stans NoTubes 650b crest wheels on my 26" mountain bike that created quite a buzz out in front of the Kenda Tent in the Expo area. The Argentinians, Mexico team, Dominican team, South American teams and a few others all were interested and currently racing this wheel size.

"Rumor" has it, several of the Pro XC racers will be on newly designed 650b bikes for 2013. I saw quite a few of the Euro pros - men and women - all racing various 26" bikes and new prototype 650b bikes, with 650b/27.5 wheels.

On our way out of the hotel in Big Flats, NY, Stan's wife, rolled up next to the van in her car at DunkinDognuts (who doesn't love a good doughnut). She invited us back to tour the No Tubes facility and meet Stan himself, his wife and family and other amazing nice people that work at the facility. It was impressive to say the least. Stan is a obviously a technically minded guy and continues to innovate and develop new technologies. Inside and outside of the office, he likes to perfect his bow/arrow skills. No photos were permitted inside, because of all the new and current super secret things in progress.

I acquired a new 70's Schwinn 5-speed Bike project that is coming along quite nicely. It will make a nice bike to ride around town. After taking it apart, it appears, it had never been maintained, since there was not a drop of grease in the crank, headset, or either wheel. However, whomever originally owned the bike, kept it out of the rain, all the rust was just surface and cleaned up quite nicely. Funny part is I think it might weigh 40lbs.


Looking forward to cross season for sure....assembling a few things and planning to get on the CX bike in August.

Last few stages of the Tour very, exciting. I haven't dug around for any new 2012 Tour Tech stuff....will get to it.

2011 - Snow vs the Sun - 3 Hour Trainer Rides HTFU - 2x10 MTB Project

2011, is here and more than 60 days in.

I finally saw my backyard and front yard greenish brownish spotty grass and the hundreds of lumps of dog poo in my neighbors yard (so lovely in the a.m. hours).

I have been outside riding, several times, including a few mountain bike rides at the flatlands of Alum Creek in the snow. Also a few outdoor road rides, to get rid of some seasonal winter basement (riding) depression.

In the last few weeks with the weather up and down and on and off, it's go time on the weekends for trying to get outside and get in the base miles. Riding friends are good and make the time go. 

I manged about 4 weeks in a row to grow some motivation and do some long 3-4 hour road rides the last few Saturdays. And oddly, last week I was like a broken wild horse and had no motivation to do much, thank goodness my training plan was on the same page as my brain and body. Odd though this season, I have found the motivation somewhere to sit on my trainer for upwards of 2 and 3 hours twice. Does this make me better than those out suffering in the February or March 30 degree temps, I think not. 

I've been going to a free Yoga class each week for about two months now. It's been a learning experience and quite good for morale, balance, and brought equality to muscle groups in need of flexing. Note to self: continue this, it's good for old people.

I've been gathering parts for my mountain bike to move to a 2 x 10sp set up for 2011. This has been pretty fun and exciting, especially since Santa was so great to me this year.

Santa came through with some Sram XX shifters and a XX chain to get me started. I ordered a Sram XO 10 speed rear derail right after the holiday with some gift cards. I just got my hands on a great deal on a bike for sale forum on an 11/32 XX cassette. This thing is just sick. I wouldn't have ever bought this if it wasn't for the price I got, it was a new take off so, it's never been used. 

All that's left at this point is the front Derail. The situation as of today is....there is not a bike shop, retailer or parts distributor in the United States or Europe with either an X0 or XX derail I need in stock. #badinventorymanagers

I can't install my sweet S-works carbon cranks without the front derail because of how the derail mounts to the bracket low on the seat tube. 

I ordered some new high-tech lightweight cables-housing and hope to see those this week. I also ordered some fancy new rotors with shiny new bolts and scored some xx matchmaker clamps on ebah for 11 bucks! to clean up my handlebars. This clamp combines the brake and shifter clamps into one nice adjustable clamp.
On the 650b project:
I hoped to order a pair of Stan's 650b rims, but it appears all the discussion I read about on MTBR were just that rumors. None of the distributors have them in stock. We'll see, otherwise I might aim to purchase the WTB or Velocity 650b rims. For legal reasons I won't be using these wheels on my current bike or fork. Really I won't. It voids warranty. So really no I won't be doing that. really.