Entries from May 1, 2007 - June 1, 2007
Shop Talk
Get me started. I dare you. Start talking to me about cycling. Because once I start that is the end, I will not stop. Sam and I at rapid transit after hours. Julie and I over dinner, over drinks after work, or laying in bed once I get distracted by looking at my track bike. Cale and I driving in the car. Dan, Sean and I at his house, in the basement, on the way to white hen, on his deck and then finally in my living room. It seems like there are endless things to discuss, parts, stradigies, good times, and the bad ones. And I will talk to anyone. Julie and I have talked about elitisism in the cycling community and how whether or not it should be accepted that different levels of cycling separate cyclists from eachother. Do the elite level racers really have anything to talk about with the average everyday cyclist? I have always felt, maybe naievly, that for one cyclist to turn up their nose at another cyclist is just plain unfriendly and not justified no matter what level each cyclist is at in their life. I believe that cycling is cycling, plain and simple. If you put Lance Armstrong at a table with me, an official at the track in Northbrook, or my mom they all could have a resonably plesant discussion about cycling. Correct? Some do not tend to think so, or even pretend to care.
Today on my commute to work, which includes the 45 minute train ride, I had a lenghty chat with someone. As Metra's bike program gains popularity, more and more people are bringing their bikes on the train. This morning a guy gets on with me. Skinny, late 40s, missing some teeth, lunch sack, and blue jeans he is tying down his old orange Chicago built Schwinn step though, he says, "Man, this definatly beats paying for gas." His accent is thick, but I am doing fairly well at understanding him when he asks about where I bought my racks on the Bianchi. I tell him that a friend made them for me, custom. That always seems to lead into the question about how much they cost, which I always tend to respond with a really low price. Then he starts talking about his bike and how he got it. "$7" "All original" "Pretty color" Then it is back to my bike and the racks. He likes them alot. Then he realizes my front hub is huge and wonders why. I tell him about the lights, and he is amazed. We talk about sidewall generators. Then about bike laws and tickets he has gotten for riding the wrong way down one way streets and going through red lights. Number of gears. Big wheeled Schwinn trikes. Aluminnum .vs. steel. How he has old ladies offer him bikes. About how he doesn't like fancy bikes because they get stolen too fast. How no one wants to steal his bike. How much inner tubes cost, and how he thinks my tubes "with the special valves" must cost alot more since they are racing tires. It is all sort of akward because I am working at understanding what he is saying, but none the less we talked the entire ride about cycling. You could have at this guy down with Lance and they could have had a talk.
I am in no way a super fast all state champ proffessional super sponsored rocket cyclist, but cycling is a huge part of my life and I am good at it. I could have been a dick; ignored him, written him off because of his appearance and given the cold shoulder, but I didn't.
I have a whole race report about the 12 hour event Cale and I won this weekend, but that will come later.
Today on my commute to work, which includes the 45 minute train ride, I had a lenghty chat with someone. As Metra's bike program gains popularity, more and more people are bringing their bikes on the train. This morning a guy gets on with me. Skinny, late 40s, missing some teeth, lunch sack, and blue jeans he is tying down his old orange Chicago built Schwinn step though, he says, "Man, this definatly beats paying for gas." His accent is thick, but I am doing fairly well at understanding him when he asks about where I bought my racks on the Bianchi. I tell him that a friend made them for me, custom. That always seems to lead into the question about how much they cost, which I always tend to respond with a really low price. Then he starts talking about his bike and how he got it. "$7" "All original" "Pretty color" Then it is back to my bike and the racks. He likes them alot. Then he realizes my front hub is huge and wonders why. I tell him about the lights, and he is amazed. We talk about sidewall generators. Then about bike laws and tickets he has gotten for riding the wrong way down one way streets and going through red lights. Number of gears. Big wheeled Schwinn trikes. Aluminnum .vs. steel. How he has old ladies offer him bikes. About how he doesn't like fancy bikes because they get stolen too fast. How no one wants to steal his bike. How much inner tubes cost, and how he thinks my tubes "with the special valves" must cost alot more since they are racing tires. It is all sort of akward because I am working at understanding what he is saying, but none the less we talked the entire ride about cycling. You could have at this guy down with Lance and they could have had a talk.
I am in no way a super fast all state champ proffessional super sponsored rocket cyclist, but cycling is a huge part of my life and I am good at it. I could have been a dick; ignored him, written him off because of his appearance and given the cold shoulder, but I didn't.
I have a whole race report about the 12 hour event Cale and I won this weekend, but that will come later.
BenPopper
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WORS #2 - Treadfest @ Grand Geneva, WI
The rock garden while it was still dry, 1st lap. Photo by: Cale
Drive up to Komando Dans parents' lake house on Saturday afternoon with Julie and Molly. A short 5 minute drive puts Dan and I at the trail head for Kettle. It all has me wondering why I am still in Chicago. Obvious answers to that, but none the less living on a lake in the woods is tempting. This trip to Kettle is the first trail ride for the JBC pictured below, one day before it is to be raced. The trail conditions were perfect. The new connector trail off of the red loop is beautiful! The bike is a rocket. I felt strong and smooth. A quick hour or so and we are back at the lake house. On our way home we stop at the general store / bike shop on RTE 12. Dude working in the shop asks:
Are you racing tomorrow? Have you pre-ridden the course?
Yes, I am racing. No, I have not pre-ridden. Is it good?
Yes, it is super technical.
Awesome, I love technical trails!
Yeah, lots of off camber stuff.
Cool.
*then dude says*
Yeah, I am in it to win it. I am going to clean up.
I give him the fake smile and a nod. Wish him luck and Dan and I leave without buying what Dan went in to get.
Dans mom and dad provide us with a wonderful BBQ. Then a little TV before bed and we all hiy the hay. Get up and see Julie off to her sisters baby shower and get another great meal from the parents. Call Cale, who is on his way with fellow comp Team Pegasus racer, Colin. Dan and I pack up the car and leave. Pre-race registration, watching and warm up all happen at a leisurly pace.
This is my first mountain bike race this year, my second race ever. Last year I raced the last race of the WORS season as a sport class rider and placed forth. So, I upgraded this year to comp. I was hoping that the racers would show me a thing or two and knock me down a peg. I was nervous stepping up to the start line, but I was there to have fun. How I finished was not my highest priority. I would have been happy mid pack.
I learned from cyclocross racing that it is important to get in the front of the initial line up. Alot of your final placing depends on where you are off the line. So, I staged at the front of my class. And the clouds started to leak, just ever so slightly. They call up the top 10 racers of the series and then the rest of us. I roll in right between 2 of the guys already up there. Count down from 10 to 5 and then silence, until Gooooooooooooooo!
Off the line I am in 6th, atop the first hill I am at 4th, and by the time we get to the first downhill section I am in 2nd. Watching the other classes start, I knew I had to be in the front for that first downhill section, it was a really bad bottle neck and getting through there at #2 there was absolutly no slowing down. That was the only decent in the first 3/4 mile of the 5 mile loop. Riding up to the top of the ski hill was bad in one little really steep section, otherwise it seemed pretty managable. Off the top of the hill, there was this super steep drop into the single track, really fun to bomb down when it was dry. Once it got wet, it got to be a mess at the bottom and pretty hazardous. Then there was the single track. Tight and technical. A lot of off camber tech sections that were pretty aggresive. Nothing I could not handle though.
Then there was the rock garden. Oh, the sweet sweet rock garden. Colin and I both ride the same way. We are good at riding single track, but relish over the technical stuff you normally don't get to ride. We went up the hill during the sport class race to take a gander and both got really excited. It was about ten feet long and then you shot down this gully to the bottom of the hill. The picture above is me riding it on the first lap. On the 3rd lap once it got really wet, you could tell that the people who were having a rough time with it before were now not doing well at all. When I race, I want the fastest way between the start and finish, so at the top of the garden, when it was dry, I was just shooting down it. So when it was dry it was technical, but making it through the rock garden wet was the best. Coming around the turn at the top of it, I ask the people "on or off?" Their reply, "Give us a show!" So i did, I made it through without putting my foot down each time of 4 laps. it would make everyone go nuts!
The third lap was miserable. The rain made the mud so sticky. I ran probably 1/2 the single track out of necessity. Stopping at times to remove mud from my stays so the rear wheel could turn. It was slow going and frustrating. There are sections of the trail where you could see how and where everyone was sliding and you tried your best to negotiate it. So looking ahead at the start of the 4th and final lap my spirits were quite low, but there were Dan and Cale on the starting hill, cheering me on at the top of their lungs. Cale switched bottles with me, which I am so glad I did. I drank and ate all the goo from the bottle on the last lap.
Suprisingly, the 4th lap was relativly dry. It had stopped raining and the sun popped out. There were only a couple sections that were muddy and the sticky mud was not such a problem. I was solely focusing on staying upright and not making any mistakes. In one section where I was running someone in my age group caught me. So, I gave it all I had left. He rode past me where I had to get off, and then he had to get off and I passed him. Never looking back and pushing as hard as I could foward, I got though the last sections of single track with him off my tail.
Finishing felt great. Julie had shown up and was cheering me on at the finish. I knew I was running 2nd or 3rd. Completely exhausted I ended up being pretty weak and shivering at the finish. Normal end of race stuff, change cloths, wash bike and self, stand on podium! Julie asked later what I am going to do to race better next time. The answer is I am not really sure. I need to drink more water in the first couple laps. I could use a little better base at speed. I felt tired in the second lap, but felt pretty good considering, during the last lap. I need to focus on not getting anxious on the fast sections and falling. I need to stay on the bike.
Side note: Marko LaLalone, racing Elite, had to do 5 laps where I had to do 4. He passed me on my last lap, on a single speed to finish a race 5 miles longer than me in a faster time! Yes, he rides 40 hours a week more than I do, but you dont realize really how fast someone is until that happens.
Then there was the rock garden. Oh, the sweet sweet rock garden. Colin and I both ride the same way. We are good at riding single track, but relish over the technical stuff you normally don't get to ride. We went up the hill during the sport class race to take a gander and both got really excited. It was about ten feet long and then you shot down this gully to the bottom of the hill. The picture above is me riding it on the first lap. On the 3rd lap once it got really wet, you could tell that the people who were having a rough time with it before were now not doing well at all. When I race, I want the fastest way between the start and finish, so at the top of the garden, when it was dry, I was just shooting down it. So when it was dry it was technical, but making it through the rock garden wet was the best. Coming around the turn at the top of it, I ask the people "on or off?" Their reply, "Give us a show!" So i did, I made it through without putting my foot down each time of 4 laps. it would make everyone go nuts!
The third lap was miserable. The rain made the mud so sticky. I ran probably 1/2 the single track out of necessity. Stopping at times to remove mud from my stays so the rear wheel could turn. It was slow going and frustrating. There are sections of the trail where you could see how and where everyone was sliding and you tried your best to negotiate it. So looking ahead at the start of the 4th and final lap my spirits were quite low, but there were Dan and Cale on the starting hill, cheering me on at the top of their lungs. Cale switched bottles with me, which I am so glad I did. I drank and ate all the goo from the bottle on the last lap.
Suprisingly, the 4th lap was relativly dry. It had stopped raining and the sun popped out. There were only a couple sections that were muddy and the sticky mud was not such a problem. I was solely focusing on staying upright and not making any mistakes. In one section where I was running someone in my age group caught me. So, I gave it all I had left. He rode past me where I had to get off, and then he had to get off and I passed him. Never looking back and pushing as hard as I could foward, I got though the last sections of single track with him off my tail.
Finishing felt great. Julie had shown up and was cheering me on at the finish. I knew I was running 2nd or 3rd. Completely exhausted I ended up being pretty weak and shivering at the finish. Normal end of race stuff, change cloths, wash bike and self, stand on podium! Julie asked later what I am going to do to race better next time. The answer is I am not really sure. I need to drink more water in the first couple laps. I could use a little better base at speed. I felt tired in the second lap, but felt pretty good considering, during the last lap. I need to focus on not getting anxious on the fast sections and falling. I need to stay on the bike.
Side note: Marko LaLalone, racing Elite, had to do 5 laps where I had to do 4. He passed me on my last lap, on a single speed to finish a race 5 miles longer than me in a faster time! Yes, he rides 40 hours a week more than I do, but you dont realize really how fast someone is until that happens.
One Week Out
My geared cross country bike is finally done! A huge thank you to Sam and Steven for awesome hook ups and keeping an eye out for me with a couple really good scores on ebay. It is a carbon frame, made by JBC out of Taiwan. Parts Punch list: Chris King ISO hubs laced to DTswiss 2.1ds, Avid Juicy Ultimates, Reba World Cup (carbon crown and steertube), Extralite Scalehead2 Headset, Extralite seatpost clamp, Truvativ Noir Crankset, XTR Front Der., Nokon cables, Thomson X2 stem, Easton Monkeylite bars, Oury Grips, Easton EC90 Post, SLR XP Saddle, XO rear der. and shifters, Crankbrothers Sls, SRAM PG990 cassette. Race tries will be Maxxis Maxxlite 310s as long as the course is packed and not sloppy. It weighs in at 20 pounds!
So this is it then. My slightly aggresive mountain biking seson starts in a week. I am healthy and strong. I feel good. This is where and when I need to make it count. Nervous and excited to be racing a "faster" class this year. I will be able to hang. I am even more excited to race with a few team mates. None of which I have met yet, but reguardless it will be encouraging.
As of late I have been nervous at the lack of "training" riding i have been doing. Chicago is not very condusive to putting miles in off road, and I do not have a road bike to put miles in on. So I have been depending on the miles that I put on my heavy touring bike to act as weight training. But ALAS! Yesterday, being only the second day this new build has been up and running, I rode it 10 miles down south to watch teammates race the Monsters of the Midway race and to make sure it would not fall apart on me, adjust fit, etc. There is a crushed limestone and dirt path, much like single track and fire roads, running along side the path all the way south from the loop. Once I move in a month, I will be fairly close to this trail and the 7 miles or so each way that there is that I could have avalible to push myself on! YAY!
Have I mentioned I am excited to race yet? Cause I am!
Molly
Everyone; this is Molly. Molly: this is everyone. Julie and I have been kicking around the idea of having a dog for a while. There have been many reasons we have held off. One of them being, that neither of us own a car. This would potentially make it difficult because I am racing my mountain bike almost every weekend this summer. Well, Booker found Molly running around in the street up north while he was on one of his walks. He had her put into a kennel that ArfChicago was using to house some of their dogs. There was some drama there and she got moved to a different facility. She was apparently not doing very well living in her crate all day and all night. So, Booker and Brandi were taking her home on the weekends so that she could have some time around people and their dogs. This past weekend she got sick and was not able to go back to the kennel and get all the other animals sick. So, Booked and Brandi were going to hold onto her a bit longer. Sunday afternoon Julie and I went over to their place and were really happy with her. After talking a bit, they told us that fostering an animal is a possibility. We could have her for 2 days or 2 years.....until she gets adopted. This is perfect for us, as a trial to see if having a dog is a possibility. So we talked about it on the walk home and decided we should try it. It is so much better for Molly here than it was at the kennel. She is very mild mannered. Great on walks. Hardly barks. She sleeps al the time. And since she is so skinny from under feeding from her old owner and the stress from the shelters, she inhales her food. I am already way too attached.