tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32125635090484548712024-03-18T20:41:02.833-07:00The Cheater BarI'm going to write a few things that I know about bikes, show some projects that I've done for people and talk about stuff that I like. There will be some talk of bike racing as well.liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-6987817465875620582008-11-21T16:58:00.000-08:002008-11-21T17:13:43.781-08:00Better late than never...By this time, most folks have heard all about the killer night race at Sierra Point so I'll just post a quick recap. It was a really good time and I hope Tom can do this again, night races are fun!<br /><br />It was super weird trying to be ready for a 8pm start, I went and rode for an hour or so in the afternoon. I rolled down to the race with an hour to spare and got some good laps on the track to be sure the tires were set and see how it would be to race in the dark. The lights were really good and the course was well lit, I set my tires to 24 psi and got over to the start.<br /><br />I got the holeshot and tried to stretch it out but I wasn't really making gaps happen and we pretty much stayed together for the first few laps. Bucket got up there and drilled it too, and Aaron Odell showed his face after riding up from a poor start position. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQEFlmSC0wp3edUz3EwJIokIo6XcFGpmQ6ya-TcUMatySnNQzTMeec0xGYHbN0RR8Jbx2zpwLM0uRURNQBxLx5gRp1b1Z6mEF0XZxeS5cuYVSrLj7X3Zr4FjtP2gPNZ4R1nf8m6GnWkU/s1600-h/n588139124_1061115_5465.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQEFlmSC0wp3edUz3EwJIokIo6XcFGpmQ6ya-TcUMatySnNQzTMeec0xGYHbN0RR8Jbx2zpwLM0uRURNQBxLx5gRp1b1Z6mEF0XZxeS5cuYVSrLj7X3Zr4FjtP2gPNZ4R1nf8m6GnWkU/s400/n588139124_1061115_5465.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271282941302230482" /></a><br /><br />Odog got on the front and started riding a damn hard tempo. I was pretty surprised, as he's been pretty much nowhere to be seen at the races this year. He's back on form though, and he showed it on saturday by driving the pace till it was just he and I off the front.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhui1kD0-paFtTihB5MCqUE39kK1jC_XIjJ9CNOyW5WiiQ6gaLFUqtdKjSmVYvKeQcXDmB098hgpTWQp56mrl2563uIPxtyu9hO3vokZFyCZjYIY8lnfxZoT2kZGaUVCBUkPxIqbid8YnA/s1600-h/n588139124_1058632_2938.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhui1kD0-paFtTihB5MCqUE39kK1jC_XIjJ9CNOyW5WiiQ6gaLFUqtdKjSmVYvKeQcXDmB098hgpTWQp56mrl2563uIPxtyu9hO3vokZFyCZjYIY8lnfxZoT2kZGaUVCBUkPxIqbid8YnA/s400/n588139124_1058632_2938.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271282944712520930" /></a><br /><br />I took a few turns on the front so as not to look like a heel, but it felt like we were going faster when Aaron was in the wind. We rode it home and Aaron took the win with a good kick on the finishing straight!<br /><br />Scott Chapin held on for 3rd so HRS/Rock Lobster took the top 3 spots. Can't complain about that!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQpxjB2uuZVSxy6ck9hwGz3T8-WtdEzp5a21oYHhkhYQBA3LrAuA7xPbzYy2jgTeBktkH2oMOchYc5aZbUBDt0mCap0ESq3T6EH1l3aoqFqllNes8y9Kd41QtMeXNGZHqHaiku85sUmY/s1600-h/3036119163_3231505977.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQpxjB2uuZVSxy6ck9hwGz3T8-WtdEzp5a21oYHhkhYQBA3LrAuA7xPbzYy2jgTeBktkH2oMOchYc5aZbUBDt0mCap0ESq3T6EH1l3aoqFqllNes8y9Kd41QtMeXNGZHqHaiku85sUmY/s400/3036119163_3231505977.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271282946518196514" /></a>liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-41547834571148434882008-11-12T07:44:00.000-08:002008-11-12T09:04:48.672-08:00Sacramento Series #3, Discovery ParkI raced in Sacramento only this weekend, there was also a race on saturday in Reno but that's a little too far away for me. Both of these races were part of the NCNCA Cup series, which is a sort of regional series- there is one race from each of the promoters in our NCNCA district and 6 races total I think. So anyway, because this Sacramento race was part of the NCNCA series there was a good turnout for sunday's race and I think it was one of promoter Rich Maille's biggest events yet. <br /><br />The course was totally awesome. It was in a city park, as a good cyclocross course should be, and it was mainly on grass. The ground was really quite smooth and the grassy turns provided excellent traction. It was easy to keep the speed up since the ground wasn't super resistant. There were a couple sets of regulation barriers, and there was a 4-pack of mini-barriers in an early part of the lap. The 4 small barriers were right after a 180 degree turn and they were positioned in a way that required a hard, short accelleration to have enough speed to hop them all. I jumped them in practice and decided not to bother in the race, even if the other guys were hopping them I was confident that the race result wouldn't be decided there and after that I ran them each time. There was also a place where the course passed beneath a bridge, which reeked like pee and was very treacherous: about an inch of slick mud on top of pavement. It was pretty hairy in both directions and I crashed there when I was warming up so that was really the main trouble spot on the track.<br /><br />The mens A field seemed good, with all the usual suspects taking the start. Ned Overend was the surprise celebrity at the line, he was in town for a Nor-Cal high school league fundraiser and he made it out to contest the race as well which I think does a lot for an event like this. Obviously, racing Ned is an honor and although he's well over 50 he's still a contender at any race. I was stoked to see him there and I was also stoked that Rich offered up $100 to the winner of the first lap!<br /><br />So, as the whistle blew I had dollar signs in my eyes and threw everything I had at that first time around the course! My teammate Alex Work got the holeshot and held a pretty savage pace for the first half of the lap. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeXiBwo4639cYAXCbfqQ5HEMjjRXEEzxUUayz3xh2RwJ31EC08mU_OBQT_X617z93D6WK5IQ6Ytuz3UP5dBDOudNlu4vLAMKAyMPRIC8wu5RVb9m0wzTfULb1_4nqXP3oOzUa__Saq-4/s1600-h/3018789906_be615fc7a4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeXiBwo4639cYAXCbfqQ5HEMjjRXEEzxUUayz3xh2RwJ31EC08mU_OBQT_X617z93D6WK5IQ6Ytuz3UP5dBDOudNlu4vLAMKAyMPRIC8wu5RVb9m0wzTfULb1_4nqXP3oOzUa__Saq-4/s400/3018789906_be615fc7a4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267815903069212434" /></a><br /><br />I came around him on the back section with Scott Chapin close behind me but held it together to come through the finish and get that money.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1bAHdSN4w-sLeK3caCugvUuZIu6aUguB9vqqHQjVYG6tdAXEZb96N4ym8lBHnZBwQkk3KIQwE2feqch1eqKZ_TQmvSuzhpONpJY8ppJyJgnUxrExoW8taG9v4ihC8xUOgs7WuTQfftg/s1600-h/3017961247_af42ed42b2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1bAHdSN4w-sLeK3caCugvUuZIu6aUguB9vqqHQjVYG6tdAXEZb96N4ym8lBHnZBwQkk3KIQwE2feqch1eqKZ_TQmvSuzhpONpJY8ppJyJgnUxrExoW8taG9v4ihC8xUOgs7WuTQfftg/s400/3017961247_af42ed42b2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267816203426415330" /></a><br /><br />I sat up for a few seconds to rest and wait for Scott, and we just started burning up the track and getting down to the business of building our gap over Cody Kaiser and Ned, who were maybe 10 seconds back. Scott won the race in Reno on saturday and he was looking good around the course so I was looking forward to a good battle with him at this one. Unfortunately, I had a lapse of attention at the end of lap 2 and fell over in a corner near the finish. So stupid! I think my tires were a little too hard, but basically I was just jackassing through the corner and I blew it. <br /><br />So when I get up and back on my bike I'm in with Ned and Cody. I was happy with this situation because I could ensure that Scott could get the win and wait till later on and attack them for second. If Scott wasn't able to keep his gap, I could just wait till he was caught and try for the win myself. So I just got to work focusing on my position throughout the course and responding to Cody and Ned when they would attack. I would move to the front before the barriers so that I could ease up the pace just a bit and slow things down and then let Ned or Cody back to the front so they can chase hard and get tired. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbBDP5vGkEo71LbIe6ptGKaryDrZyvmcOO6wCslYHquV_Dp96Aki5USQ_YqSP07Je1IdoxtsZ61SWFTy0FJaKo0XgQcPO1jJCDUviMNNNmSscbAMC9tiK_v2nxtTPCU1JbqVswmgkKGE/s1600-h/3017966561_94e513a18c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbBDP5vGkEo71LbIe6ptGKaryDrZyvmcOO6wCslYHquV_Dp96Aki5USQ_YqSP07Je1IdoxtsZ61SWFTy0FJaKo0XgQcPO1jJCDUviMNNNmSscbAMC9tiK_v2nxtTPCU1JbqVswmgkKGE/s400/3017966561_94e513a18c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267816745552991714" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkURa25hZcMa5u0bV7qKoRIGFz12FdwPcIiqslLJHSFpnihaUBrJxBonOfFUmm5Lj5xU713_5QNW5qHptRqMolgiXZjymXveh51ngjEukPzoPU_e7MFTrXPo5dZ5A7UGIXPHgqUKzM9qs/s1600-h/3017963827_99bf8e817e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkURa25hZcMa5u0bV7qKoRIGFz12FdwPcIiqslLJHSFpnihaUBrJxBonOfFUmm5Lj5xU713_5QNW5qHptRqMolgiXZjymXveh51ngjEukPzoPU_e7MFTrXPo5dZ5A7UGIXPHgqUKzM9qs/s400/3017963827_99bf8e817e.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267816745853512034" /></a><br /><br />It was pretty awesome getting to race with Ned, an all time great in mountain bike history. He's been the world champion and he's top class. He's done an awful lot for the promotion of bike racing and he's a hero of mine from my early days as a bike racer. Cody Kaiser is a legend in the making- at 16 years of age, he's already showing the strength and sense of a champion as well. It is cool to be in the chasing group that contained the oldest and youngest riders in the race! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42H2nzUjGcSNONWTu3CEYUSINfDQsKICPHY7QP7s6UbH9LjMm7rUuHcLQFIz5ahhTNBvk-Tj2DF_aXTWG5Gx4V-Dkq1nPJqUzbP-1yx1Rnu-V3E4JTMXvO19JuYtmOm8LSP6853zouDg/s1600-h/3018791766_3ab960030a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42H2nzUjGcSNONWTu3CEYUSINfDQsKICPHY7QP7s6UbH9LjMm7rUuHcLQFIz5ahhTNBvk-Tj2DF_aXTWG5Gx4V-Dkq1nPJqUzbP-1yx1Rnu-V3E4JTMXvO19JuYtmOm8LSP6853zouDg/s400/3018791766_3ab960030a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267817053933059106" /></a><br /><br />As we got closer to the end of the race and Scott's lead was up over 35 seconds, I felt that the time had come to apply some pressure of my own so I went to the front with 3 to go and turned it up a bit. I got a gap pretty quickly and I focused on keeping the power on and getting as close to Scott as I could. I think the gap was down to about 20 seconds at the end, so that was cool. Cody attacked Ned on the last lap for 3rd and Alex Work managed to battle it out for 5th, leaving HRS/Rock Lobster with 1st, 2nd and 5th places in this race. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9b_ooY-HjXaXMJbz5m52a3m1q0Nzhxdhhxip3ZP2GKawi71T9PArOylkGwiCYKS5Q3Qc0NnK8117XAf-GDgmOA3upcQsVMuzKYi5Zhrq2_gJG05UvHzD-OM8a2aoCSxA9GuPysnkTAU/s1600-h/3017973091_25f09973c9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9b_ooY-HjXaXMJbz5m52a3m1q0Nzhxdhhxip3ZP2GKawi71T9PArOylkGwiCYKS5Q3Qc0NnK8117XAf-GDgmOA3upcQsVMuzKYi5Zhrq2_gJG05UvHzD-OM8a2aoCSxA9GuPysnkTAU/s400/3017973091_25f09973c9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267817421347977794" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76qmb-KMivDTTrgeGpOAxpo8qiF49EX6lqCmWVrN7wZQfZWw3L0z2BuuZfvQ8Rezh9FUX6eakafazCm4vMWW-Gq1j0Pq9pHldlpMZdWNTrVaDg9FHQPdOZCG7V-0YTI3J9U0rz2cYS2w/s1600-h/3017973417_485a3eac7d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76qmb-KMivDTTrgeGpOAxpo8qiF49EX6lqCmWVrN7wZQfZWw3L0z2BuuZfvQ8Rezh9FUX6eakafazCm4vMWW-Gq1j0Pq9pHldlpMZdWNTrVaDg9FHQPdOZCG7V-0YTI3J9U0rz2cYS2w/s400/3017973417_485a3eac7d.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267817422651438210" /></a><br /><br />I can't say enough about how well this race was produced. The course was awesome, things went off without a hitch and best of all there was a good charge of cash for the A men and women. I paid for my day and came out ahead thanks to the first lap prime and I got a bag full of killer swag to boot: a 22oz beer, a sweet Sac Series pint glass and a really nice Marmot winter hat. I sure appreciate this kind of prize list and this kind of thing makes a big difference for me- I'll come out to as many of Rich's races as I can!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-82047507321307463612008-11-03T15:49:00.000-08:002008-11-03T16:50:12.422-08:00Pilarcitos #2: The StickYesterday was the Pilarcitos series race #2 at Candlestick state recreation park. This is always a fun venue and this course was a treat after getting a bunch of rain in the 24 hours before the race. By the time I got there (@ around 10:30 for my noon start) the skys were more or less blue and there was no sign of rain. the air was warm and it even felt a little humid: perfect conditions for my nice short sleeve series leader's jersey!<br /><br />I signed in, pinned, chamoised and socialized. There is no on-course warmup allowed at the Pilarcitos races except in the 15 minutes between races so I got on a trainer and spun my legs for about 3 minutes. I've decided that as long as I do a hard prep in the 2 days before the race, warmups are basically unneccesary so I haven't really been warming up much these days. I did jump on the course to be sure my tires were at a good pressure (25 lbs, seemed great) and to rail into some corners and twist the throttle at least a little bit. Because the course inspection is tricky at these races, there's like a million people from all cat's out there trying to see the track so I didn't get to try out most of the lines that looked best as I was just trying to avoid people the whole time. Whatever, I've raced here before so I mostly knew my way around. <br /><br />Got the first callup and chose a spot on the far right. Most of the fast local guys were present, but no Ben or Andy J-M and no Justin Robinson. There were 40 guys total I think. At the whistle, my teammate Scott Chapin got the hole and I slotted in behind him with Cody Kaiser on my wheel. Scott was pinning it and we were ripping the corners pretty well, getting a little gap on Cody and a few others who had gotten on. <br /><br />Scott was doing a good job of dragging me around and making gaps for Cody to close on the first and most of the second lap. I came around Scott at some point and was first on to the long pavement at the end of the second lap. I wasn't feeling super good and I was noticing that I felt saturday's race a bit, but I put it in the big boy gear and cranked it up through the the paved bit.<br /><br />This gave me a bit of a gap, which wasn't truly what I wanted so early in the race, but I could see Scott back there clogging things up for Cody and the others so I just kept on the gas and tried to ride smooth. Scott and I have been talking about how to ride for one another when these situations occur so I thought I should do my thing since he was back there doing his. He looked to be letting them chase hard on the fast parts and going to the front and riding slower tempo through the twisty and bumpy bits. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbM0nwV01LTSwSRrq7kqgMd1C15OzOtKwynGLlCJnM4rivs3YyiLmT6s2hyMuNwsv1HtJNpIXsDlHwqgArqFuW2_gORaBqLagCf6D6wQgc2es8ZgR79J5jjlzU-TfUTa0De_i0EmSOAiY/s1600-h/2998993002_28d9cc4afb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbM0nwV01LTSwSRrq7kqgMd1C15OzOtKwynGLlCJnM4rivs3YyiLmT6s2hyMuNwsv1HtJNpIXsDlHwqgArqFuW2_gORaBqLagCf6D6wQgc2es8ZgR79J5jjlzU-TfUTa0De_i0EmSOAiY/s400/2998993002_28d9cc4afb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264597037216088450" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYWOlx_AmXwfP9Y5Dzz75bbZ0ENtLoZaR8buFsTeQNNbtgo9m1XrP2ZDMWbzXrkjw3k9nREb04jsnCnICK16tz4c3L20WuESeSfmKWOxEyF_3Pevz4bIlq9gi7nPw5NYh2K4pG4AYrU4/s1600-h/2998992160_abc41560b2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYWOlx_AmXwfP9Y5Dzz75bbZ0ENtLoZaR8buFsTeQNNbtgo9m1XrP2ZDMWbzXrkjw3k9nREb04jsnCnICK16tz4c3L20WuESeSfmKWOxEyF_3Pevz4bIlq9gi7nPw5NYh2K4pG4AYrU4/s400/2998992160_abc41560b2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264594348810069266" /></a><br /><br />(photos: Jon Suzuki)<br /><br />I got my gap up over 20 seconds and kept it there for the next few laps. I yelled to our mechanic Ryan to try and give me the time splits so I could meter my efforts with 4 laps to go. At this point, the wind and loneliness was taking its toll on me and when he told me 25 seconds, it felt pretty small but I was hopeful that I could maintain it. There were a lot of people cheering loud for me and my parents were out watching as well so I was getting ready to really hurt myself for those last few times around. With 3 to go, Ryan said the gap was under 20 seconds and Cody had gotten free of the group. I was pretty worried that he would come across to me so I tried again to dig as deep as I could and try to go hard while he was back there going hard.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1GDFzlpLJJYtGn2hqA-UF2Fq-4qAyb6LdZfZkS8VXNQidgyfwB_cMEHcskPEtw-aXyqBWNNBroDuxuKbgOQu1dktddtVpx41ef9qAxch-i7nsfBo_1-EFAgI1qV89ZK04F1c9LX_rx4/s1600-h/3000704936_28615877c9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1GDFzlpLJJYtGn2hqA-UF2Fq-4qAyb6LdZfZkS8VXNQidgyfwB_cMEHcskPEtw-aXyqBWNNBroDuxuKbgOQu1dktddtVpx41ef9qAxch-i7nsfBo_1-EFAgI1qV89ZK04F1c9LX_rx4/s400/3000704936_28615877c9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264596212786639362" /></a><br />(photo: Jon Suzuki)<br /><br />At this point I was feeling pretty bad and I could tell my lap times were coming down. I had to really be firm with myself and stay focused on riding the course well and digging as deep as possible on the pavement particularly since this was where I seemed to be stretching things back out. I was too tired to ride the 12t cog there by this time but I was just trying to get down low and aero into the wind and just pedal as hard as I could in the 14t which was still damned hard into the wind.<br /><br />I was struggling on the last lap and feeling that I might or might not be able to get to the line without cramping when Ryan told me the split was 30 seconds again! This was a big relief and I was able to roll into the line and enjoy my win. I am pleased with my new level of determination in the late part of tough races and I was very happy to get off my bike after this race. I feel like I rode well with the leaders jersey on and it is great to get to keep it for next round! I just hope I can continue like this- I'm reaching my goals this year so far, but there's 3 more rounds to go and a lot can happen. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_RMIqSLnA6lWh9ZHU79g8Cy5ma6YYNKlqRg6qW529SoPhgFvuKl4J-Nz5N0NzKDMbOQd3JAI90zsliTi9HEGU_lmmZIA1FK_q0s_sdj-_NDkheoAddcZrEQvERy7LQI3S-VBNlIiwQg/s1600-h/2998148519_3f6da1c5a7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_RMIqSLnA6lWh9ZHU79g8Cy5ma6YYNKlqRg6qW529SoPhgFvuKl4J-Nz5N0NzKDMbOQd3JAI90zsliTi9HEGU_lmmZIA1FK_q0s_sdj-_NDkheoAddcZrEQvERy7LQI3S-VBNlIiwQg/s400/2998148519_3f6da1c5a7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264594356803807666" /></a><br />(photo: Jon Suzuki) <br /><br />Thanks to everyone who came out and yelled for me, and special thanks to Ryan for helping me from the pits! <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2Anb5oxdwS-GtDrB3JkiFCIqQ2OLLBbnkVvjO2qfP1FDIqxAoDmv-lMwnHkF8z5bIQcqIGQSEcnq3LIgYm1hwFhCgzZ8FVJ4toCY6QnXth1b4lupdY4O5PkvURhIugTQ_Dj5juMijqE/s1600-h/2998423394_db6b800a2f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2Anb5oxdwS-GtDrB3JkiFCIqQ2OLLBbnkVvjO2qfP1FDIqxAoDmv-lMwnHkF8z5bIQcqIGQSEcnq3LIgYm1hwFhCgzZ8FVJ4toCY6QnXth1b4lupdY4O5PkvURhIugTQ_Dj5juMijqE/s400/2998423394_db6b800a2f.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264594351599649250" /></a><br />(photo: Ken Conley)liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-85563036595352619682008-11-03T08:23:00.000-08:002008-11-03T11:18:41.615-08:00Mud wrestling in Santa RosaThis week was good for me, I haven't had a lot of work to do (uh, so if you're reading this and you need tires glued or your bike built, cleaned or repaired drop me a line... all this racing's not exactly paying the bills...) so I pretty much hung around my apartment, rested and trained. <br /><br />On friday, I got a taste (Literally. Eww.) of what was to come when I went out for the first rainy ride of the year and it was pretty gross since the roads hadn't been washed by rain in about 9 months. This meant I arrived home spattereed in oil, dirt and bits of roadkill which seemed more plentiful than normal on the roads around my house that day. Time to break out the rollers (for warmup and cooldown) and stationary trainer (for intervals) I guess!<br /><br />Saturday morning I awoke to steady rain. I met up With Tim Brennan and we headed up to Santa Rosa for race #2 of the CXSR series. I wore full rain gear as I watched Tim race and inspected the course- the conditions were epic with intermittent rain but fairly warm air, probably about 60 degrees. Judging by the condition of bikes that had only done a single inspection lap, I opted to just walk the course on foot to see what I was up against. <br /><br />The track consisted of some nice grassy sections with 2 sets of 3 barriers on one side of the park. So far so good. I walked over to the creek at the edge of the park at the first crossing to find a very sketchy little bridge made for the race. It appeared to be hastily constructed with some 2x4s and ply wood, and covered with chicken wire... Sketchy at best. The creek had nearly overtopped this thing earlier in the day, according to some onlookers/course marshalls. It looked like carnage was virtually guaranteed at this spot as I watched a few riders cross over it. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFx4mmQl09MO3KpX621q-P7_Nv8jpGno_JNU9Ofq_gIFxTLCFdcig31jOrnGMLKg-KofVYr4r2BnsE2xjz19QEpb_qyb2KfL7F1eYCU7lUO0LzCGs5EO5bUECvulrZ3yqmuzxMTI5Ozs/s1600-h/IMG_0893cxsr2ythcomm110108.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFx4mmQl09MO3KpX621q-P7_Nv8jpGno_JNU9Ofq_gIFxTLCFdcig31jOrnGMLKg-KofVYr4r2BnsE2xjz19QEpb_qyb2KfL7F1eYCU7lUO0LzCGs5EO5bUECvulrZ3yqmuzxMTI5Ozs/s400/IMG_0893cxsr2ythcomm110108.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264474065288150130" /></a><br /><br />Beyond this point, the track entered what may have been a path or a dirt road. It is impossible to say, since this long section was covered with tracks through standing water and lots and lots of mud! I tested the depth of several puddles with my boots to check for hard ground and potential dangers to my tires and found that in most wet spots there was harder ground beneath. The boundaries of the course had disappeared, as it was marked with tape on the ground. The tape had long since disappeared under the mud for the most part. There were a few cool berms that were still above water so maybe this area was a kind of trail? It was gnarly.<br /><br />The track then passed over another bridge which was very narrow, but at was up to code with high handrails. The entrance to this bridge was kind of treacherous though, as there was a big tree root drop-off that could have been pretty straightforward but became very tricky in the mud. After that it was back to the more civilized grassy park.<br /><br />I washed down a lemon-sublime GU packet with a few gulps of water, set my tires to 24 lbs front and rear and headed to the line. The men's A field was small but several fast riders were present including Chris Brown and Duncan Meyers, 2 top class mountain bikers. My plan was to ride carefully and take a lap or 2 to figure out the good lines through the muddy mess. I wanted to ride conservatively since sunday was the Pilarcitos race at Candlestick and I was hoping to use this race as a warmup. But when the race started and Duncan got the holeshot, I realized quickly that I'd need to be in front to get a clear shot at the difficult track. I passed him at my first chance and settled into my rythym around the course. <br /><br />I was pretty surprised to get a gap right away and when I came into the pits for my first bike change, no one was in sight. I stretched my lead out as the race went on and I tried to relax and conserve my energy in the tough mud. Katie Fox was washing my bikes each lap and doing a stellar job in the pits, it was a huge advantage to get a clean bike each lap. I was thinking about all the guys trying to finish the race on one bike and figured that if I was careful not to crash and always take a bike, my gap would grow.<br /><br />Luck was with me; I kept the tires on the ground where they belong and I rode in for the win. Although I was trying to be conservative, I still ended up expending a lot of energy just riding the mud. It was pretty hard on my lower back since this kind of muddy race requires steady power to a big gear. I can't complain though, and I felt pretty good at the end with a sore body but fresh legs.<br /><br />I quickly washed the mud out of my eyes and off my body (or tried to...) and got dry and warm. My prize was a package of fresh pasta and pesto from local pasta company Pasta Etc. which turned out to be an incredibly tasty dinner and breakfast on sunday! I began my recovery immediately with a new product that I'm testing out for GU Sports; a yet un-named recovery drink. This stuff is being produced in a strawberrry-watermelon and pineapple-orange flavor and it's probably the tastiest recovery beverage I've ever tried. I washed down a packet of blueberry-pomegranate flavored GU Roctane gel with it and I felt better right away. GU's support has been really key for me this year, particularly on these 2 race weekends.<br /><br />When I got home I spent a couple hours cleaning my skinsuit, shoes and bikes. I rinsed my skinsuit again and again, and mud and dirt just kept coming out. My driveway was quickly covered with an incredible amount of mud. It was pretty impressive, but my suit came clean after several rinsings and a soak in cold water. I used oxy-clean in the wash and even the white parts came out looking pretty good.<br /><br />The bikes both got new shift cables and housing. There's really no way to avoid this after a muddy race, so I keep cables and rolls of housing on hand so I can do it quickly. The A bike got a new rear brake cable as well. After stuffing my face with pasta and any other food I could find, I hit the sack and passed the hell out as the final step in preparing for Pilarcitos #2!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-56150623978499375572008-10-27T08:46:00.000-07:002008-10-27T11:37:39.572-07:00Surf City Halloween extravaganza!Yesterday's Velo Bella Surf City race was All-Time. Yes, the course was awesome. Yes, the weather was perfect. Yes, the Bellas and Fellas pulled off, yet again, a perfectly coordinated event with a huge turnout. Yes, there was cash and prizes for my race and thankfully no medals which is something I really appreciate (the racers want CASH). But the fact is, the costume race was through the roof with around 100 participants. It was about the raddest thing I've seen at a cross race, people really pulled out the stops with some really awesome and hilarious costumes! <br /><br />My teammates Alex Work and Scott "buckethead" Chapin raced as Mexican wrestlers on an old Schwinn tandem:<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bpdyEBqfYqY0WEsBhSDt_KzFyzdKdsYMkYS3QChhyphenhyphen1Ls7lV8Np9WxvtXTu9oYgyAzX0qEyNaoBh-0LUYLRmVrZd4HaP0k0nzTKeV60pomyR8QeCpwASRGDOC_hcLUKpOaM_CP_qRkzc/s1600-h/2978607652_dbb148a19a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bpdyEBqfYqY0WEsBhSDt_KzFyzdKdsYMkYS3QChhyphenhyphen1Ls7lV8Np9WxvtXTu9oYgyAzX0qEyNaoBh-0LUYLRmVrZd4HaP0k0nzTKeV60pomyR8QeCpwASRGDOC_hcLUKpOaM_CP_qRkzc/s400/2978607652_dbb148a19a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261894469413889090" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcINmbhSFZ2Izxf6PgkCDgeTYi_heedlcedsjMpI7e61h9ltQYsOVE3wtWnr8Xv22NiVvLO8G07L6PETUqC0LEQ27aWF6r_TFk9VNINIoRNWQMpiaJdkPhoq6ewI5SQYM3lYl-Dhpip8/s1600-h/2977750581_4bb0d07dc1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcINmbhSFZ2Izxf6PgkCDgeTYi_heedlcedsjMpI7e61h9ltQYsOVE3wtWnr8Xv22NiVvLO8G07L6PETUqC0LEQ27aWF6r_TFk9VNINIoRNWQMpiaJdkPhoq6ewI5SQYM3lYl-Dhpip8/s400/2977750581_4bb0d07dc1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261898631756733490" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cltY71U0EHxultIuaVk2hxACW5tsln3DEeKmfJ-3WHX_PU6oQcws5N2oyUhgPImOfRUkFuyxTLupNjH2nDbnI0nrmGt31AcS4FaQvC5t3bOLEGsyX5YkZ_PK69dbfZYztgUXjxYIfpk/s1600-h/2977750347_119be9a64f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cltY71U0EHxultIuaVk2hxACW5tsln3DEeKmfJ-3WHX_PU6oQcws5N2oyUhgPImOfRUkFuyxTLupNjH2nDbnI0nrmGt31AcS4FaQvC5t3bOLEGsyX5YkZ_PK69dbfZYztgUXjxYIfpk/s400/2977750347_119be9a64f.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261898621681195602" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4uHXrixVCucvlPx3sE4UzZurKwzrOOQ7HIcMKnaAGHq4CJSDF1fvEMggq24YjH3Olo160rFVX1binZUtoqeroyW7ZAFPrejH7tRnrHP-Bkm5NtUWjRpgA5jA8rEZLAmM9am_PF3Anpuo/s1600-h/2977749293_b8fbc77b18.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4uHXrixVCucvlPx3sE4UzZurKwzrOOQ7HIcMKnaAGHq4CJSDF1fvEMggq24YjH3Olo160rFVX1binZUtoqeroyW7ZAFPrejH7tRnrHP-Bkm5NtUWjRpgA5jA8rEZLAmM9am_PF3Anpuo/s400/2977749293_b8fbc77b18.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261898613988046930" /></a><br />(Photos: Photoblake)<br /><br />They engaged the other racers in theatrical melee- at one point they were kicking the hell out of Jesus Christ, hopefully I can find some shots of that!<br /><br />I am a lame nerd and my costume was the same as it is every weekend. I drove down by myself and spent the time in the car getting wound up and ready to dive headlong into the deep lake of pain that would be the mens A race. Because my race started at 2:30, I got to go ride for an hour in the morning and I was optimistic that my legs would be good. <br /><br />I just put 2 "new old stock" Challenge Grifo's on my Easton EC-90 SLX wheels and I was hopeful that some nice sharp knobs would help keep me upright and carry me to a good finish, or, with some luck, the win. These are the classic Grifo tread, not the new tread with the extra side knobs because I can not find a pair of new ones anywhere. People have been going fast as hell on this tread for decades so I figured I will be ok with these old ones, but I sure wish I could just get my hands on some modern tires this year!<br /><br />So anyway, Sabine gave us our race instructions and Kasey blew the whistle and we all pedaled as hard as we could. The field seemed fairly large, with Ben J-M, Justin Robinson and Cody Kaiser all present. Most of my A category teammates were also raring to go including Scott Chapin and Aaron Odell. Rich Maile was also on the start and he lit it up off the line, getting the holeshot with me on his wheel. We got a little gap and on the runup I passed Rich and (stupidly) kept on the gas for a little while because I was feeling good. Of course Ben, Justin and Cody caught me later on the second lap and I slotted in behind Ben and just thought I'd stay there as long as I could. <br /><br />I was pretty happy that I could follow Ben's accellerations without much trouble. He is very smooth and he was clearly just putting down some fast laps and just going hard on all the parts of the track that would allow high speed. Because his efforts were predictable it wasn't too hard for me to be ready for them and just hang on for dear life as he cranked it up. I was doing alright on this sleighride, but so was Justin and Cody, who were also able to meet the demands and hang on to our group. We were really going hard up the runup- I was feeling fast on foot but not so fast that I couldn't manage to snag $11 worth of tips out of beer cans at the top! Many thanks to all the cheers/jeers/heckles at that spot, it was really fun to have a loud and raucous crowd urging us on!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxslAyvVvj5wL_2ltVw_UCfI2dINM3FqPRQjLaGYWJMhTESi-2u05beVg9ydQcPVfOWcgYm-rP2qPKALBUHGmQMe9f3LUwHHJySGfqulTnskcp330iIyOhaJJYZ4Y_Ducs1ApYB6-o3s/s1600-h/2976613833_c68aac5907.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxslAyvVvj5wL_2ltVw_UCfI2dINM3FqPRQjLaGYWJMhTESi-2u05beVg9ydQcPVfOWcgYm-rP2qPKALBUHGmQMe9f3LUwHHJySGfqulTnskcp330iIyOhaJJYZ4Y_Ducs1ApYB6-o3s/s400/2976613833_c68aac5907.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261894484393842066" /></a><br />(Photo courtesy of tastybite)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7CdKTu5wE-RQpp8ZQRV_bBgeJfc2AyuJ1yrSMlBmmESxZJTSm65UyoZplfk_cPcFSk-Rh_TYq6b09UUoPwSuh2zY_8MhRBBHU8EXHhLMOvdyUM4TTPa_0FGj97hXnkbKRTMpGlf7jRI/s1600-h/2977526598_1868a39e5b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7CdKTu5wE-RQpp8ZQRV_bBgeJfc2AyuJ1yrSMlBmmESxZJTSm65UyoZplfk_cPcFSk-Rh_TYq6b09UUoPwSuh2zY_8MhRBBHU8EXHhLMOvdyUM4TTPa_0FGj97hXnkbKRTMpGlf7jRI/s400/2977526598_1868a39e5b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261894475383937842" /></a><br />(photo courtesy of Lauren Haughey/Morgan Fletcher)<br /><br />I think we might have done 4-5 laps when Ben made a mistake- he got just a little off his line up the short off-camber climb after the grassy ball field and crashed right in front of me! I like to try and be a gentleman and everything, but when Ben makes an error like this (and it doesn't happen too often) I have to take advantage of it. It is bike racing after all, and these things happen to the best of us so I ran around him and got on the gas right away!<br /><br />I think this is when Cody fell off the pace and the race turned into a one-on-one battle for me and Justin once again. We settled into some good smooth laps and we both more or less kept on the gas to keep our gap on Cody and Ben, who was nowhere to be seen. <br /><br />I somehow got confused and thought at 3 to go that there was only 2 to go and I just decided to pull out the stops when I was on the front and throw everything I had at Justin. I was digging really deep at every fast part of the course, especially up the short dirt road climb that we started on. I was happy that it seemed like I would only really feel bad from this every 3rd effort or so, but my legs were starting to cramp from the runup- I should have been riding that thing. <br /><br />So when we came through the finish and heard 2 to go I was less than excited about trying to keep up my attacks but I was saved from that prospect by... a rear flat. Justin saw it and he was about as bummed as I was. Justin is top class. He almost slowed to give his condolences and even yelled to my teammates on the sidelines that I'd punctured to be sure I'd have a bike ready when I got to the pits. <br /><br />I had a pretty long, slow ride over to Ryan who was ready for me with a bike.Cody came winging by me on the dirt road climb, but noone else was in sight. I think I had to ride about 1/3 of the track with my "NOS" Grifo flapping around, useless. When I got on my B bike, I had lost a lot of momentum and I had a slow lap and a half to the finish for 3rd. I wanted to claw back up to Justin and Cody, but I was blown like my tire and I just couldn't get going again with my cramping legs.<br /><br />The drama continued on the front of the race though- Justin also had a flat on the last lap and he must have been lucky enough to get it before the pits because he changed bikes after getting caught by Cody and then had to sprint him at the end! Cody was the only one unaffected by mechanicals, Ben's bad luck continued with some kind of chain problem at the runup that resulted in his 4th place finish. <br /><br />Cody Kaiser is quickly developing into one hell of a good bike racer and at 16 years of age, he's the top new prospect in nor-cal. His fitness is amazing and he was really doing a great job of keeping on the gas even when he'd gotten sawed off from the front group. He came damned close to winning the race yesterday and I'm sure he's now well aware that things can change fast in a cross race and with determination and focus doors can open late in the race! I'm really impressed at how well he's developed even in the last few weeks, Cody's coming up!<br /><br />This was a great, dramatic race for us. Justin earned a hard fought win and even though it sucked to wreck a tire, and noone wants to see crashes determine the results, it was probably pretty fun to watch the cards get re-shuffled every few laps. I can't wait for next weekend!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-38409767616341671862008-10-19T20:00:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:20:05.448-07:00Pilarcitos #1, McClaren Park.McClaren Park is a race that I've been looking forward to, not so much because of the course but because I knew there would be a lot of people out racing and watching. We're now into the meat of the cyclocross season and Tom's Pilarcitos races are well produced and fun to do. I was second in the Pilarcitos series last year and I've never won one of these races, so a Pilarcitos win was a goal of mine for this season. In fact, the first Coyote Point cx race that Tom put on was my first ever cross race and it was the race that really hooked me on cross six(!) years ago. <br /><br />Yesterday morning was kind of silly, I rode for an hour near my house since I knew I'd have to ride the trainer since pre-riding is not allowed during other races at Pilarcitos. There is a course inspection time right before the race, but it's only like 10 minutes so I tried to enjoy my morning at home and putt around town.<br /><br />So I maybe enjoyed it too much because I got in my car a few minutes later than I'd have liked to. And then I missed the exit off 101 and had to turn around... and then I went down the wrong street after getting off at the right exit... I got to the race feeling more than a little off my mark with about 25 minutes to race time. I picked up my #, changed in the porta potty (Ewwww) since I had to park kind of far away and had someone pin my number on (thanks Dan!). I dislike having someone else pin my number almost as much as I dislike changing in the porta potty. I have a very fast and effective way to pin my own number on the steering wheel of the car, but the clock was ticking and I just wanted it right side up and on the correct side of my skinsuit. I flinged my B bike at Ryan, our mechanic, and got down to business.<br /><br />I did an "aggressive preride" and tried to get both a warmup and some idea of the course, and both of those goals were only barely met. There were a TON of people warming up from all different cat's I guess so it was pretty crowded on the track. The course was pretty straightforward: there was a very short paved start and then a bit of turf before the runup, a paved climb, a rough and nasty down hill, more climbing, a big log that was equally dangerous to try and hop or run and remount (I ate shit remounting after that log in practice, but the photog that was sitting right there said he missed the shot. Dude! Isn't that why you're camped out at the sketchy log?) then an fairly unenjoyable descent to the bumpy, moist ball field. There was a set of 4 barriers right before the finish. The course was rough, the only smooth parts were paved (and uphill, pretty much). I wanted my tires to be soft, for the cornering and to go better over the rough stuff, but there was a lot of places to bottom out and flat so I left them at 30 psi.<br /><br />I was late to the start but made it in time for callups so I got a good lane choice (far right hand side, so I could cut everyone off around the first corner if I get the holeshot ;-). There was a big field, Tom said 55 guys, and there were a bunch of heavy hitters in attendance. I was called up just after Justin Robinson and I figured that he'd probably be my main competition but the father and son duo Mark and Chance Noble were also in attendance and those guys have given me a hard fight in the past as well. There were a fair amount of other fast guys there but I didn't really get a good chance to see who else might be a problem since I was kind of running behind. I wasn't feeling really all that good about my chances and I was basically winging it after botching the morning's preparation. I don't feel like I've been climbing all that well lately, especially after last weeks steep and torturous CCCX race so I was just hoping to get the race going and see what happens.<br /><br />So, Casey gave the whistle a mighty toot and we were off. I got the holeshot and only Justin R could come up the hill with me after the runup. We took turns and started to stretch out our gap on lap 1.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QNKzzwstDSZO8fldzoXpDcvZMXkph0Pkgs87JnzSoz5dYX7qe_avGWNbod0_BtYjDqz3l-rcrUPbzv-8g0vX-CkdgFqVB_b45Fs0kl59vo7OwJTkcXmhPYT47rBUaBBJXBmjHeQUSU4/s1600-h/2956709054_0549847b0b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QNKzzwstDSZO8fldzoXpDcvZMXkph0Pkgs87JnzSoz5dYX7qe_avGWNbod0_BtYjDqz3l-rcrUPbzv-8g0vX-CkdgFqVB_b45Fs0kl59vo7OwJTkcXmhPYT47rBUaBBJXBmjHeQUSU4/s400/2956709054_0549847b0b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259298565410231778" /></a><br /><br />(photo: Nick Navarro)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylJc6ABpD5exUVzzPPIcljGa_PGR4zX7P2TkTuiyW-QbylGYODkwqSeML4zWS_LJ6uCFFG-GOhVMynuQ-TsXHpPSDK_XTX9j5pXHqSLpa2xMn3wI4y0i4Ey8BEgU6EDASDAaWaEJ52nI/s1600-h/2958746193_7546c19864.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylJc6ABpD5exUVzzPPIcljGa_PGR4zX7P2TkTuiyW-QbylGYODkwqSeML4zWS_LJ6uCFFG-GOhVMynuQ-TsXHpPSDK_XTX9j5pXHqSLpa2xMn3wI4y0i4Ey8BEgU6EDASDAaWaEJ52nI/s400/2958746193_7546c19864.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259378846431889234" /></a><br /><br />(photo: John Suzuki)<br /><br />After 2 laps Justin gapped me off for a lap or so and I thought my chance to battle to the finish might be past... I stayed calm and just rode steady until I clawed him back when he started slowing after his effort. That was good, but I still wasn't optimistic about my chances. We rode together again, but I was making sure to be ready and to make the pace fast on the climb and bumpy flats even though we had a big gap.<br /><br />There was a time when Keith Defiebre (CCCX promoter) made some comment on "making deals on the race" or some weird thing when he was cheering/heckling us at the sandy twisty part near the finish. So I said something like "Hey Justin, let's make a deal!" in a joking way and Justin goes "The deal is, we're going hard!". It was true and it made me think that what I should really do is basically play fitness-chicken with him. Just go hard hard hard even though there was a lot of racing left and we had a huge gap. Screw it. Fucking Justin always beats me on the last lap when I try and conserve myself in the race so I might as well just get in the pain-bag for 20 more minutes.<br /><br />I still pretty much thought he would beat me with 3 to go, but I was trying to figure out when to go and what to do. At the top of the hill, at the remount after the log I was in front and I must have started to get a gap- my teammate Tom Fox was on the sidelines and he yelled at me to attack so I did. I looked back to see a little gap and and then I just buried myself. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCqZzVsoeSb3bmEZaoHBwTv2uBwMdaClFf4lCkUZF0P3NFSu5WsNGFYctF4jw2o_2fK92BIQjW5yPtdMubKDulxBPKOLTnvSjRItZCfJlr9X2EdCNBEb1e3IYKa3N0_muCCiMS-Wr2cY/s1600-h/snead+snarls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCqZzVsoeSb3bmEZaoHBwTv2uBwMdaClFf4lCkUZF0P3NFSu5WsNGFYctF4jw2o_2fK92BIQjW5yPtdMubKDulxBPKOLTnvSjRItZCfJlr9X2EdCNBEb1e3IYKa3N0_muCCiMS-Wr2cY/s400/snead+snarls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259258251468281986" /></a><br /><br />(photo: William Matthews)<br /><br />I was pretty good about riding steady and not crashing and I just really tried to go hard on the hill and the flat places. In cross, you can't let up even if the gap is big- anything can happen and it's not easy to have a balance of speed and careful handling especially on a course like this. I was lapping a ton of people by this point too which made it even more tricky when I was pretty much blacked out from drilling it. <br /><br />Those laps were really tough and I was really happy at the finish. I was pretty much doing a victory freakout on the final straight and the pictures are hilarious-<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdpCfCdpL5qjuM20TdBy8Bnsx07vpVORwQxoVknqMkjgTOuvt7k-X21zglOw0bMlE7TVEUlB8yhRB91lthBvcSSXr68AstQHd9c3wcz7USaskmjdGmM_B36jtEfDKW-Yxv8rAkfxJsZs/s1600-h/snead+wins.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdpCfCdpL5qjuM20TdBy8Bnsx07vpVORwQxoVknqMkjgTOuvt7k-X21zglOw0bMlE7TVEUlB8yhRB91lthBvcSSXr68AstQHd9c3wcz7USaskmjdGmM_B36jtEfDKW-Yxv8rAkfxJsZs/s400/snead+wins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259256274601281154" /></a> <br /><br />(photo: William Matthews)<br /><br />It was good one! It was a really proud win for me and I am super stoked to have the series leader jersey (which I got to put on after being late to the podium, I was running behind even after the race!). I hope I can keep racing well, this was my least favorite track of the Pilarcitos races so the best is yet to come (although I thought McClaren's a decent track for the terrain Tom had to work with, and definitely better than last year's track). I am very happy to have beaten Justin in a mano y mano situation, he's a great competitor and a guy that I really respect. Thanks a ton to everyone who was yelling and cheering for us, I had a great time suffering deeply for the entertainment of others.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGRkCGlBqi8d-e0xirXNKYmM1bTGsBUwX5FnTDGbMbkjIl80ufWT0i0OMy238U3GwxW05LtyIhWynf-eo3J8oMj-0ZBBgWtu90IowTCz2gPqfJ8bEfywU6XN3qlU4yvuMz8MSYto4YPI/s1600-h/cx+sf+style.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGRkCGlBqi8d-e0xirXNKYmM1bTGsBUwX5FnTDGbMbkjIl80ufWT0i0OMy238U3GwxW05LtyIhWynf-eo3J8oMj-0ZBBgWtu90IowTCz2gPqfJ8bEfywU6XN3qlU4yvuMz8MSYto4YPI/s400/cx+sf+style.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259379472279433346" /></a>!<br /><br />(photo: Wiliam Matthews)liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-84850749115198559672008-10-12T20:53:00.000-07:002008-10-13T07:54:51.687-07:00Oh wow, CCCX was hard.Today I went down to the third race of the CCCX series today. It was held on a new track at Laguna Seca: Rumor has it that there will be a 'cross at Sea Otter next year and Rod and Keith are trying out the potential courses. I picked up my teammate Sean Coffey in Los Gatos and got to the place with time to spare. Sean was racing his new steel single speed Rock Lobster frame in his first go at the SS race. It turns out that this was a pretty rugged course place for single speeding!<br /><br />Todays course was part of the Sea Otter mtb short track course combined with some singletrack, dirt roads and pavement. There was a really nasty paved climb with a barrier at the top which required a very awkward dismount on loose, off camber dirt. It was a discourging finish to the hardest effort on the track. There were some fast parts and a bunch of barriers, it was really a hard course.<br /><br />There were also a lot of corners on this course that I was pretty unsure about- many were off camber and the dirt was hardpacked, yet covered with ball bearing gravel. I fell on an off camber on my last practice lap and jammed my thumb fairly hard and got a scrape on my knee that immediately began to bleed. I was a little worried about my thumb but everyone was lining up so I headed to the start. <br /><br />I'm leading the series so I got called first and chose the far right spot for a clear shot at the uphill, paved start/finish. The course went left onto the dirt so my position gave me an advantageous line if I could clip in quickly and go hard up the pavement. There were a lot of good guys, this was the hardest field in a norcal race so far. Ben Jaques-Maynes showed up after apparently "taking some time to just relax" after Tour of Missouri. He looked fit and I knew that even if he's been sitting on the couch for a month, he's probably still faster than me. Also present was Ned Overend, american mountain bike hero. Ned is, I think, 53 but he still can contest races at the elite level on the mtb, road and cyclocross bikes. I once beat Ned in a sprint at Nevada City, but it was only so that I didn't have to say that he lapped me! <br /><br />There were all the other nor-cal regulars as well, and most of my team. Dave Wyandt was missing, but Scott Chapin (Buckethead) and Aron Odell were present. Bucket's moustache is looking pretty luxurious these days! New face Mark Santurbane was there as well. <br /><br />The whistle blew and I got the holeshot. On the pavement, Mark S really pinned it and started getting a gap at the top. I was chasing him with Bucket on my wheel and I spun out in a corner. He nearly crashed as well, but he got by me and chased up to Mark. <br /><br />I got going and I could see a group with Ned, Ben and Cameron Falconer behind me for a lap. A lap later, Ben came barelling past me on the bottom of the climb. That guy is wicked, he was turning the 46t up that hill! He had a bike change later that lap and I caught him again. I was only with him to the climb though, then he was gone. <br /><br />So I'm feeling pretty crappy at this point. It's been about 20 miutes of survival mode after crashing basically twice. I was thinking pretty seriously about going back to the car and just blaming it on my thumb, which did hurt but didn't seem to actually affect me when I was riding. My lungs were absolutely scorched from my hard start and the dry air or something? I definitely didn't warm up enough, that might have been part of it. I thought I was going to crash in every corner too and I just couldn't find sweet lines or get any kind of rythym around that course. I was also expecting Ned to come blazing up to me and I could see him and Cameron all over the course just a few seconds back. <br /><br />But that actually didn't happen because Scott came off the leaders group. I caught him and we began to do some hard laps and work together and hopefully not get caught. Scott was a lot better on the descents but I imagined the climb must be brutal for him, he's a big dude. He was going right up it though, that guy is gnarly! We didn't increase our gap over Ned much, but we didn't lose it either.<br /><br />Bucket got a little gap on me after the downhill at one point with less than 2 to go so I knew it was time to make it hard up the hill. I attacked him there and got a little gap that I could hold to the finish. So, I was 3rd after all. I'm actually very happy with this, but it was weird- I was under pressure the whole time and pissed from crashing. So after the race, instead of being stoked, I think I was just complaining about how hard it was and how the hill was too steep and blah, I crashed bla bla. I need to remember to cool down instead of blabbering when the race ends! That was a gnarly 3rd place that I didn't think I could do till the very last lap! It's a proud result and I'm pretty happy that I beat Ned even though he's old enough to be my dad and just racing for fitness these days.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IYkfCE9rDYA0BaTzYh4CZb_62Fr6TsBO8JulxKCafHmM5X7lutRbSCeJ93S1yr9MtCfdWyTO1wr2MITI12_XRIAnpv6z-Au_ULUSzTNdp9vy9hfAz-1q77cBP2CVxCvj4FzR2Hgj6lo/s1600-h/P1010009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IYkfCE9rDYA0BaTzYh4CZb_62Fr6TsBO8JulxKCafHmM5X7lutRbSCeJ93S1yr9MtCfdWyTO1wr2MITI12_XRIAnpv6z-Au_ULUSzTNdp9vy9hfAz-1q77cBP2CVxCvj4FzR2Hgj6lo/s400/P1010009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256504950938743858" /></a><br /><br />Scott Chapin held on for 4th, also beating Deadly Nedly. Ned was 5th after gapping Cam later in the race, it's good to see Cam getting back into shape too. Sean Coffey did a damn respectable 6th place in the single speeds, I couldn't believe those dudes muscling up that climb! <br /><br />My thumb is alright after some ice and Ibuprofin and I put tegaderm on my skinned knee. I'm ok and that was a burly race, so the day was a success!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-56145061826332898672008-10-09T08:26:00.000-07:002008-10-09T08:49:52.408-07:00A proper wednesday.Wednesdays are important days for cyclocross racers. The body is just healed enough for hard training if it raced both days of the preceding weekend and after that training there's just enough time to recover for the weekend. This wednesday turned out to be a glorious one, weather-wise and an average one, training-wise. Sunny, no clouds, mid-70's temperature- as good as it gets! So, even though I was still feeling a bit battered from the weekend, it was a damned nice backdrop for my training efforts.<br /><br />I rode over hill and dale getting to my training place in the Marin headlands. I saw a big hawk *almost* snatch a smaller songbird out of mid-air: the hawk came ripping down out of nowhere with it's talons out, but the little bird got the jump and went ripping into some low bushes. Lucky! It was a cool little show that happened right in front of me on the trail.<br /><br />I did some dismounts and remounts for a bit and then did laps on my practice course at a medium tempo for 20 minutes. Once I was more or less warmed up, I cranked out a good hard lap that took about 7 minutes... I hope I'm faster by the weekend because I felt kinda sluggish. I pedalled back home through Sausalito rather than back over on the dirt. As I was rolling up to Thai Terrace, I went for my phone to call my Dad to invite him up for a bite since he lives more or less across the street from this place.<br /><br />As I'm opening my pack, my phone starts to ring and not only is it my Dad calling me, he'sactually calling me from inside the restaurant as he's getting ready to order! Crazy! I love telepathy! We had some killer Thai food and I made my way home.<br /><br />Next, I got cleaned up and headed over to Rachell Lloyd's house for massage. I haven't had a rub in a while and it felt great, I'm recovered nicely today as a result- she knows how to fix tired bike racers! Rachell and I ended up going down to the bike shop afterwards to buy some glue, I made her double ride me on her and Sam's new Surley "Big Dummy" cargo bike which was pretty fun. The massage made me feel kind of loopy so it was probably best for me to be on the back! <br /><br />So, today I just have to put that glue to use and get some tires stuck. Nice to get that hard training behind me- I'll rest today and then prepare for sunday's CCCX race over the next few days. New track @ Laguna Seca, that should be fun!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-42770560052197297092008-10-07T06:26:00.000-07:002008-10-10T20:28:21.227-07:00It's cyclocross time and I've got "new" bikes!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGxSkjqmOWxE7O4ga7UtXyk-9N493IZU9eTuo6lW0dkV0UpsLcJWqhyphenhyphen7Na0QKWm8222i4sdVO4VNvYJGKGUENp900pwl1BdxQYcqmw1Aw6zbFUqOf_ZB_vAMew86qd96sY4iegNP0W28/s1600-h/Abikesideview.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGxSkjqmOWxE7O4ga7UtXyk-9N493IZU9eTuo6lW0dkV0UpsLcJWqhyphenhyphen7Na0QKWm8222i4sdVO4VNvYJGKGUENp900pwl1BdxQYcqmw1Aw6zbFUqOf_ZB_vAMew86qd96sY4iegNP0W28/s400/Abikesideview.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254414250152380082" /></a><br /><br />Cross has been happening in Norcal for some weeks now and as if that's not thrilling enough, I've also got a lot of cool new stuff hanging from my bikes. These are frames that I've had for a couple seasons now and thankfully they're still in great shape. Paul Sadoff really got these right for me, I don't look forward to learning to ride different ones some day. The Scandium frames are super light, stiff and fit me beautifully!<br /><br />We've been really lucky to have support from some of the best companies in the business for some of the more overlooked parts on bikes. I got headsets from Chris King and (gold!) brakes from Paul Components a couple years back and needless to say that stuff is still working like when I first got it. <br /><br />One sponsor that is not new but has stepped up for us BIG TIME this year is Easton. I am using Easton's full range of cyclocross worthy parts this season: forks, bars, stems, seatposts, wheels and cranks. Not only am I lucky to have Easton's product on my whips, I've pretty much got Easton's BEST and NEWEST stuff! The wheels are unbelievable- my EC-90 SLX wheels weighed 1185g before I glued them up. On the B bike I use the EA-70x aluminum tubulars which are really great wheels for cyclocross and a more realistic option for most budget minded cyclocrossers. The carbon wheels combined with the new EC-90 SLX carbon cranks/ceramic bearing BB (100g lighter than DA!) get my A bike's weight down to under 16.5 lbs. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKcT-9UMm89Xv1EKlHj27eB2cDPxkY15em682mlTcTw2XUS7llu7TgOAJBi8t8upS9e5DQsksTEvSv66zqUOgB6BBAfaxce0ISvP_5n0ysLKHXJl3b5a3xodIOS1OexmN0X33kVn0UdE/s1600-h/EC90crank.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKcT-9UMm89Xv1EKlHj27eB2cDPxkY15em682mlTcTw2XUS7llu7TgOAJBi8t8upS9e5DQsksTEvSv66zqUOgB6BBAfaxce0ISvP_5n0ysLKHXJl3b5a3xodIOS1OexmN0X33kVn0UdE/s400/EC90crank.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254414257760406434" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeOQJ1l_drmB34XMFyUnJld8ZCDb59KhgeeFisvBykFRxSaRT4002sveA9u6AHIz-TywMIVCX71W4oG0v9qs0kyi2t6In1VxuK7fxa-_fQIyL-OSDMAmDGahoX0mJChzNEcXgucXGX0U/s1600-h/EC-90nondrive.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeOQJ1l_drmB34XMFyUnJld8ZCDb59KhgeeFisvBykFRxSaRT4002sveA9u6AHIz-TywMIVCX71W4oG0v9qs0kyi2t6In1VxuK7fxa-_fQIyL-OSDMAmDGahoX0mJChzNEcXgucXGX0U/s400/EC-90nondrive.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254414266790893522" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOb33SiF387zcbwTzimrKUoZoLCDumaaUC-H_PuBsmMfwH_0RvFhNz9SivK2MUn3vp-6VA9JJxV-7ZRej6kpraq3PG6p2stynJh4xii1Uct0zE4tcCUKiVulgdZYq9RU_kS7t3zg6Mwk/s1600-h/EC90pinchbolts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOb33SiF387zcbwTzimrKUoZoLCDumaaUC-H_PuBsmMfwH_0RvFhNz9SivK2MUn3vp-6VA9JJxV-7ZRej6kpraq3PG6p2stynJh4xii1Uct0zE4tcCUKiVulgdZYq9RU_kS7t3zg6Mwk/s400/EC90pinchbolts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254414274775583682" /></a><br /><br />The bars are incredibly light and stiff too and they have a great shape that feels great and doesn't undermine my traditional sensibilities regarding handlebars.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-QmhmBpTFjUCKKycrpjZyuDwrPe__VLohS41HnCph0PdOsrEowH4JJLB-ogHbzUq9vCYOH9xOu7URFgkFVRElyeOm6abmGa4A2YwrFYGM3StUgnKhpOsWpLfO_mviqP7YUyxKSJtSUc/s1600-h/P1010009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-QmhmBpTFjUCKKycrpjZyuDwrPe__VLohS41HnCph0PdOsrEowH4JJLB-ogHbzUq9vCYOH9xOu7URFgkFVRElyeOm6abmGa4A2YwrFYGM3StUgnKhpOsWpLfO_mviqP7YUyxKSJtSUc/s400/P1010009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254414281219106578" /></a> <br /><br />I got Easton's EA-90 aluminum stem and EA-70 seatpost as well, these parts were chosen for durability, reliability and light weight. I've used the Easton full-carbon fork for a few years now, I think it's the best cross fork made especially now that they've managed to fabricate them with threads in the steerer for headset adjustment. This eliminates the need for a troublesome mechanical plug to be utilized. <br /><br />Bell is providing the hard-hats for us agin this year. The Sweep model is what we get, and thankfully it fits my head wonderfully. Nothing's worse than an ill-fitting helmet. <br /><br />Sheila Moon gives us hats, base layers and arm and knee warmers!<br /><br />I am using GU products this year as well! This is a very good new sponsor for me, I've long used their product when I race and it's great to have all my old favorite flavors of gel to choose from before and after the races. Their new Roctane gel is something that I've also been experimenting with, it's really amazing on longer training days and anytime I want some caffeine on the bike. The Roctane flavors make it easy for me to go a little over board with the caffeine so I try and control myself with that stuff. The GU20 electrolyte drink is also a training and racing essential for me, that stuff tastes so good when you're thirsty and best of all it isn't too sweet.<br /><br />I'm really glad to be getting help from these great companies. I'm on the best Norcal team and we have the best bikes, so it's hard to hope for more than that! I've managed some nice wins as a result and I've had a great time over the last few weeks seeing everyone at the races and watching the battles. If you see me at the races, say hi or heckle me when I'm suffering- I'll do my best to put on a show!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-48547028646215986442008-09-04T08:01:00.000-07:002008-09-04T08:41:15.051-07:00Sandy's Felt Tri-bikeMy customer Sandy James has a new bike and a half-ironman triathalon coming up so I spent a bit of time getting her ready to race yesterday. <br /><br />This bike came with some seriously long cable housing and the first order of business was to get everything trimmed down to take better advantage of the aero inside-the-frame cable routing and tidy up the cockpit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HfdbOHMD7aqWR0U3EISjkOSIT1LRGaymLKJdBOatvUWYCu1efjrlTeI0mP-bdzPWpvPNLCOREuv3Q1pg6hNSQ1RodL5U4TmyF0riBk2EI3Q9gl95j3ivBmDtuuWfyV_vJmAd5ndP2Xw/s1600-h/P1010008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HfdbOHMD7aqWR0U3EISjkOSIT1LRGaymLKJdBOatvUWYCu1efjrlTeI0mP-bdzPWpvPNLCOREuv3Q1pg6hNSQ1RodL5U4TmyF0riBk2EI3Q9gl95j3ivBmDtuuWfyV_vJmAd5ndP2Xw/s400/P1010008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242187133437988130" /></a><br /><br />I set the bike up with her Easton Tempest II carbon wheels and made sure everything was ready for battle. Her race includes a bike leg of nearly 60 miles so she opted to mount a Profile dual water bottle holder behind the seat. The saddle that she's using has been a good fit for her, but she was having some discomfort on longer rides. We decided to modify it a bit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0coByGivLSjZ8hRrIh4Ds0RbnH6wHBZbckOwGL-YWD5VtP53yulWJKcvC0Ob7BbEKUDsK3GAvFsGP9c5lk6ZceWILrGCouySyW-NYZg7zoGTHrR8tJ494FWnnkrktT8UlMkV8eIhOAc/s1600-h/P1010003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0coByGivLSjZ8hRrIh4Ds0RbnH6wHBZbckOwGL-YWD5VtP53yulWJKcvC0Ob7BbEKUDsK3GAvFsGP9c5lk6ZceWILrGCouySyW-NYZg7zoGTHrR8tJ494FWnnkrktT8UlMkV8eIhOAc/s400/P1010003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242187154924823810" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6992yV6B-Zcd4CtOGc1oaF0n_3kfaS5UxSYM93MnR_l9ElLfuPx1Sh5Eqmms2tAg7OyX0_RFP1KBFyIiIkCnpixSN1TY0fes1p-apebQVhFiOh45xz6lwhNM7KlRjFI07mz6w_UWTBJc/s1600-h/P1010004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6992yV6B-Zcd4CtOGc1oaF0n_3kfaS5UxSYM93MnR_l9ElLfuPx1Sh5Eqmms2tAg7OyX0_RFP1KBFyIiIkCnpixSN1TY0fes1p-apebQVhFiOh45xz6lwhNM7KlRjFI07mz6w_UWTBJc/s400/P1010004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242187150873529202" /></a><br /><br />I drilled a bunch of holes and got busy with a razor knife to make a relieved area in the underside of this saddle. This made the saddle much more flexible where it counts, so hopefully this will help her ride more comfortably on the long days. The initial test ride seemed good!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8hTckDST-H19adFeWuLWDXkABk-T-fkn_KKw925dL17HqDy_cXhV4ss3PkZc1XcZXO9n6tr6MsDxXokKOhPjbCRrKDauJdoWdP8mV3uTWwPqHAxVu__qIGQsmCpjmxiQwtVaMjm-WbM/s1600-h/P1010007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8hTckDST-H19adFeWuLWDXkABk-T-fkn_KKw925dL17HqDy_cXhV4ss3PkZc1XcZXO9n6tr6MsDxXokKOhPjbCRrKDauJdoWdP8mV3uTWwPqHAxVu__qIGQsmCpjmxiQwtVaMjm-WbM/s400/P1010007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242187138253458050" /></a><br /><br />Sandy's been living at altitude and she's looking fit, so I'm hoping everything goes well for her this weekend!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGgTfC1wlCEAciwdE4JnudWfskkEhH3rqD0dczy4VrYfAB26eRWaB5-rG_gD8mQ-fZ3m48u5twaOHsrCtlLr4sHCalHsc8pGkgLnUWj0KfXXohQcGp0k07vrRbT9eNPNnsRhmo4Jc5V4/s1600-h/P1010005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGgTfC1wlCEAciwdE4JnudWfskkEhH3rqD0dczy4VrYfAB26eRWaB5-rG_gD8mQ-fZ3m48u5twaOHsrCtlLr4sHCalHsc8pGkgLnUWj0KfXXohQcGp0k07vrRbT9eNPNnsRhmo4Jc5V4/s400/P1010005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242187147267105234" /></a>liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-48247429306660620242008-08-29T08:16:00.000-07:002008-08-29T08:33:44.507-07:00Bike pranks!Assembling and repairing bikes can be a rewarding job; there's a certain sense of accomplishment that comes with creating a bike for someone after carefully choosing a frame that fits and parts that will meet the rider's needs. Indeed, after taking a well worn bike and bringing it back to it's former glory after months or years of heavy use and neglect can make the mechanic feel like a veritable good-samaritan, doing his or her part to keep a useful steed out of the landfill and give someone a way to run their errands without firing up the car.<br /><br />But after the warm and fuzzies wear off and the grim reality of the workaday grease-monkey sets in, the mechanic may occasionally feel the need to lash out at co-workers, "friends" or riding partners. Bike shop wage slaves need their fun, and what's better than fun at someone else's expense? In this spirit I've compiled a few little tricks that I've come up with over the years, or have heard of from other mechaincs (or from the victims, who will remain unnamed).<br /> <br />Some of these tricks I've never actually tried, but many of them I have. I've actually had more fun talking about these kind of tricks than using them, because I learned long ago- don't ever fuck with someones bike unless you're ready to have your bike fucked with. A seemingly harmless and hilarious filling of a co-worker's bmx bike's inner tubes with water once came back to haunt me in the form of a hot dog hidden in the seattube of my steel xc racing bike that went undiscovered for months. So be prepared, and don't start shit unless you're ready for all out war. So, to be prepared for war, you're going to need an arsenal. <br /><br />Installing infuriating and mysterious noises is a good place to start. These won't really hurt the bike or the rider and are generally easy to reverse if someone really reacts badly to the prank. Let's start with ball bearings...<br /><br />-Pop a few bearings in the handlebar. Easily diagnosed, reversed and not really even enough to start a shop war.<br /><br />-Ball bearing in top tube. Works best on steel bikes, but could be applied to any bike with vent holes that can be accessed with the seatpost removed. For maximum effect use the largest bearing that will fit in the hole, making removal more difficult.<br /><br />-If you have time, and you want to be a real bastard you could remove the bottom bracket and pop a bearing in a less accessable spot like a chainstay. This trick varies depending on the bike, and if you want to use something non-ferrous removal can be made even more difficult since steel things can be removed from odd spots with a strong magnet. <br /><br />On a bike with a steel or aluminum fork steerer there is a particularly diabloical trick that can be performed. Simply drive the existing star-nut to a depth of 2 or 3 inches. Drop a large ball bearing in on top of it and then set a new star-nut where the original one was, leaving a bit of space between the 2 for the bearing to rattle. Reassemble and adjust headset. Thanks to Ryan Bontrager for this one, I'd never heard of it till the other day. This one is tough to remove and to diagnose.<br /><br />Other noise making tricks can involve little bells like you get off of christmas tree ornaments or cat collars. These can go many of the same places that a ball bearing might go, but they can also go other places where ball bearings won't work. A good spot for little bells is inside the inner tube. It's easy- just cut a small hole in an inner tube, squeze the little bell through the hole and patch the tube. I've been riding an innertube with a bell installed on my cross bike for a while, it emits a quiet and intermittent jingle that could easily send a fussy rider to the brink of madness.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX430eey3P-iapKYlIGIFEODFDSTlVZlD32I7_FVzBlzghGRqxfcybCaeaeQQZhjNCSFZHWD4bZVi0nQW7UcfyfBc-3MKODv4M_Tf4MwbqGZFYzqRgje6XUSb_Jz572s7pigGw8IVuQnw/s1600-h/P1010002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX430eey3P-iapKYlIGIFEODFDSTlVZlD32I7_FVzBlzghGRqxfcybCaeaeQQZhjNCSFZHWD4bZVi0nQW7UcfyfBc-3MKODv4M_Tf4MwbqGZFYzqRgje6XUSb_Jz572s7pigGw8IVuQnw/s400/P1010002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239958353990670738" /></a><br /><br />Mechanical tricks are good for certain victims, particularly tricks that involve gearing changes. Riders who obsess about their condition and climbing abilities are particularly good targets for gearing tricks. Changing out the 39t inner ring of a road crank for a 42t can really make someone question their form on a hilly ride. It doesn't require any derailleur adjustment (as changing the big ring would) and if you have a duplicate of the rider's right crankarm set up with a 42/53 combination, it can be changed very quickly and even be switched back and forth several times throughout the week or season. Obviously, 110mm "compact" cranks also lend themselves to this sort of tricks as well.<br /><br />How about a trick for riders who like pushing big gears on the flats? This trick is great for crit riders and those who mash around in the harder cogs of the cassette. You'll need 3 or more cassettes for this one. Simply take the 16t cogs from the cassettes and arrange them in succession on your victims freehub. As he or she shifts up through the gears and begins to apply the power, they just get gear after gear of the same ratio till -clunk- the chain lands on the 13t or the 12t and they're totally over geared. I just set up a wheel of mine to try this one and it's effect is very odd. I just chose the 16 because it's a very useful gear and one that would have a subtle effect on the rider, it may take a while before they even notice that no gearing change occurs as they shift around in that range of the cassette.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VLuaPWARGXiBtzyepSM-hn-aEzICH9J0c19DcrXu45gzPS8D43uUuUlqvrk29YADbOy-jyp0vnJIDtQElXKqCAl3uCp5cSV1G1YhO63ydmL9vmTeJ2wrTUjPXigjKoeygI-fijYl5e8/s1600-h/P1010001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VLuaPWARGXiBtzyepSM-hn-aEzICH9J0c19DcrXu45gzPS8D43uUuUlqvrk29YADbOy-jyp0vnJIDtQElXKqCAl3uCp5cSV1G1YhO63ydmL9vmTeJ2wrTUjPXigjKoeygI-fijYl5e8/s400/P1010001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239958360370385906" /></a><br /><br />Switching the shift cables will really render the bike unridable, and possibly unsafe. It is pretty hilarious to see someone roll out their driveway and go to shift a few cogs easier when the rear shifter is actually controlling the front derailleur. This will totally ruin a days ride though, so save it for someone you hate. It goes without saying that switching the brakes is only for someone that you want to kill, and same goes for hooking the shift cables up to the brakes and vice-versa. That would be mean.<br /><br />That's all I can think of for now, anybody know any other good ones?liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-81964403152023645312008-08-08T10:18:00.000-07:002008-08-08T10:38:28.145-07:00The ladies have spoken and they want $300 jeans that actually fit!Beth Newell has come up with a pretty rad new concept for everyones favorite pro cycling team and haven for busted (and soon to be busted http://www.velonews.com/article/71575) dopers: Rock Racing. Her posts about this are here: http://bethbikes.blogspot.com/ As a jeans company that markets specifically to cyclists, it makes perfect sense that they'd create jeans for the specific needs of certain body types common among cyclists; namely the strong and sizeable quads that come from repeatedly unleashing a raw and powerful sprint (not that I fit into this demographic, since my hat size is a full 8cm greater than my quad measurement; but I digress...).<br /><br />Beth has found that the email "michael@rockracing.com" seems to work, and it presumably belongs to either Michel Ball himself or Michael Creed, one of the teams riders. Either way, it's possible that emails sent to this address could eventually end up in front of the Ballmaster himself, so I went ahead and shot him an email of my own:<br /><br />"I, for one, am a fan of ladies track racing and women's cycling in general and I think as a major player in the cycling world I think you'd be wise to address the needs of cyclists as customers- You would be making a real statement by introducing the "keirin cut" to your line and give a stylish option to athletic women everywhere. <br /><br />There seems to be a bit of a disconnect between your jean models and real life women cyclists. There's nothing wrong with making jeans for unrealistic body types, but take a look around when you're at a pro crit or at the track: the demographic that's most exposed to your primary marketing often times can't even fit into your product! <br /><br />Here's your chance to walk the walk: cyclists everywhere have heard of your company, now's the time to give them what they want!<br /><br />Sincerely -josh snead"<br /><br />So if you feel like sending off an email to either Michael Ball or Michael Creed- go for it! It's pretty fun and who knows, maybe they'll start making pants that people can actually wear!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-71327545169016099452008-08-07T08:10:00.000-07:002008-08-07T08:12:54.322-07:00The Bounty of the RoadwaysIt is widely known that the "career" of the amateur cyclist is relatively thankless. Sure, bike racing is fun, but at the cat 1/2 level there is an awful lot of saddle time that is required for most folks to even get just the requisite fitness needed to simply finish a road race or crit at that level. There's no getting around it: if you want to be a P/1/2 mid-packer in our area, you're going to have to commit to some 20+ hr weeks of training from time to time. Even in the middle of the season, upwards of 15 hrs/ week is not uncommon. <br /><br />So aside from at least average race results, what does all that chamois time get you? For most folks I'd say you can expect to spend some quality time with you imaginary friend(s), your ipod, and the elements. But if you're vigilant, the roadways can yeild a surprising bounty- poorly secured items that have fallen from (or been tossed from?) cars!<br /><br />I've found lots of great stuff as I'm out slashing along the roadways preparing for cat. 2 glory. I've managed to accumulate a fair amount of top notch tools this way. The best of these includes:<br /><br />A 10 mm Snap-On combination wrench.<br />A 12" Allen Tools crescent wrench.<br />A large pair of really decent channel-lock pliers.<br />A "Husky" folding box cutter knife.<br /><br />These are all just from this year's training. I've found other stuff in the past, including a surprising amount of porn. I feel that porn should be left on the roadside for everyone to enjoy, but just because I didn't bring it home with me doesn't mean it didn't brighten my day.<br /><br />So, keep your eyes open out there. You never know what kind of treasures you may come across!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-48681219950382897782008-08-04T09:02:00.000-07:002008-08-04T10:34:39.586-07:00The Long BikeHere's a project that I did for my friend and customer Jeff Cleary. He wanted to be able to get around town with his kids and create a practical bike that could be used for running errands and general skylarking with the boys. This bike has a lot of fun details, we started with a steel Soulcraft frame that he was no longer using and combined it with the Xtracycle rear end (http://www.xtracycle.com/) to create this bitchin' townie.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQOwyDQ_YeceUuYtL8nD_7xJ1VN8Z_3dSVUdg8gb_dmn_-xLwsUzkaN5AvYjCRc30Jaysv9ZBHc0EgplGSC4gBQu9yKuVB-cqFzXhtMAqx-1qK7WfGnw8Vo60NlSy7KylvOnRDutNQZU/s1600-h/P1010006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQOwyDQ_YeceUuYtL8nD_7xJ1VN8Z_3dSVUdg8gb_dmn_-xLwsUzkaN5AvYjCRc30Jaysv9ZBHc0EgplGSC4gBQu9yKuVB-cqFzXhtMAqx-1qK7WfGnw8Vo60NlSy7KylvOnRDutNQZU/s400/P1010006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230715177178076946" /></a><br /><br />The Xtracycle has a wonderfully simple mounting system and attaching this part to the frame was a breeze. It has a disc mount and we went with an Avid cable actuated disc brake and oversized rotor to control the speed when the bike is freighted with kids and groceries. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3IyNQVb4cHZHXmvMie6VLAS7sfSuhEyKCEASr-6_wZE5fN7nrOU_XKbryjfIDJaC4z9unyYHQ8_knIWnTjJNx55Dvqc19FTE0Ihp75oqWp3MhsaEhHfdeHX0z-DrSW2wBpS3OGUZH-I/s1600-h/P1010001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3IyNQVb4cHZHXmvMie6VLAS7sfSuhEyKCEASr-6_wZE5fN7nrOU_XKbryjfIDJaC4z9unyYHQ8_knIWnTjJNx55Dvqc19FTE0Ihp75oqWp3MhsaEhHfdeHX0z-DrSW2wBpS3OGUZH-I/s400/P1010001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230715186634251186" /></a><br /><br />Because this frame was made to be used with a suspension fork, I chose a Soma suspension-corrected rigid fork to make this an efficient pavement pedaler and not mess with the handling. It's surprisingly nice to ride even with the extremely long wheelbase as a result. Jeff wanted to use his old Mavic Crossmax front wheel and some left over XTR v-brakes on the front, so it was fine for this fork not to have disc mounts. If this bike was going to be used for more demanding rides, I'd have probably used a disc brake up front. With the rear disc underneath whatever load this bike may be carrying, it actually stops pretty well. <br /><br />I used an old Race Face MTB crank that had a 110mm bolt pattern that could accomodate a 34/50 chainring combination. This allows a good range of gears when used in conjunction with a 11/34 cassette. The super long chain shifts really well with this configuration. I had some 9 speed bar end shifters kicking around and I converted them to top mount shifters using the Paul Components "Thumbies"- these things are such a great way to recreate the old top mount thumbshifters from days gone by. I really like these things and I'd love to set up a bike of my own with them some time. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-ccLr_idjHamXaHAp9Ll8zM7k_CWUYY9xaFtXkg6TLZWq4p4gOybTlaCYDtei64JWSoQt8Dc7TAABrTgFcWEB8d5Qk3fojXpeRjA6aLWtLPqHfWnmVYR9PnOIE-wgElKC2ogQJtiBcE/s1600-h/P1010002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-ccLr_idjHamXaHAp9Ll8zM7k_CWUYY9xaFtXkg6TLZWq4p4gOybTlaCYDtei64JWSoQt8Dc7TAABrTgFcWEB8d5Qk3fojXpeRjA6aLWtLPqHfWnmVYR9PnOIE-wgElKC2ogQJtiBcE/s400/P1010002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230715191177075282" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGWOpfrNGG0jtlzsEoz1lwjfZglLZym_J3BaqaNabjCEfd5Lav8pPUFJ8MkTSls1DynSkfG5qvUKKjiO2MSDeCTi1-QeqeBfQ88AQGa3epAbI1S4zccXr2qkTKczc2jv68sBlClJR2ks/s1600-h/P1010004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGWOpfrNGG0jtlzsEoz1lwjfZglLZym_J3BaqaNabjCEfd5Lav8pPUFJ8MkTSls1DynSkfG5qvUKKjiO2MSDeCTi1-QeqeBfQ88AQGa3epAbI1S4zccXr2qkTKczc2jv68sBlClJR2ks/s400/P1010004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230715194564426338" /></a><br /><br />Other highlights include the Crank Bro's Mallet pedals for use with or without mtb cleats, pimped out cut-down Easton EC-90 carbon bars for the stoker stem that's mounted on the seatpost, custom upholstered padding on the kids seat and last but not least the rechargable "down-low glow" lighting system that shines blue on the pavement at night! The kids totally love this bike and it was great to see it in action when Jeff came to pick it up after a cleaning the other day. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKJeSOU5ChmqndyrQyHtcTsnTd1Y7CXqJEaOALhOy5P64tjysbf_TQbglTuJa8eUyooOkaPsETAGok2s7avEgRraR1fvFlLn3z8UhyDXU-3AKN36c1WImkGwqCrczku9wdEZCW7nMYQU/s1600-h/P1010003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKJeSOU5ChmqndyrQyHtcTsnTd1Y7CXqJEaOALhOy5P64tjysbf_TQbglTuJa8eUyooOkaPsETAGok2s7avEgRraR1fvFlLn3z8UhyDXU-3AKN36c1WImkGwqCrczku9wdEZCW7nMYQU/s400/P1010003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230715206718598338" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjfGAmc5860aL0qr3MDfunmPsYJrAu3Qnb1pk-QMtyL3DctDIoTYP-MaPWA7ARXTeOHrMEShCoNYLjLt-yZYH8aOBV8gyGPGBwjrJxhvYxfZcr2gEYOMO5wWChTZkyGYe5ya8Spj4ScA/s1600-h/P1010012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjfGAmc5860aL0qr3MDfunmPsYJrAu3Qnb1pk-QMtyL3DctDIoTYP-MaPWA7ARXTeOHrMEShCoNYLjLt-yZYH8aOBV8gyGPGBwjrJxhvYxfZcr2gEYOMO5wWChTZkyGYe5ya8Spj4ScA/s400/P1010012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230717203604996530" /></a>liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-64524445184149581382008-07-23T17:10:00.001-07:002008-07-23T17:35:44.892-07:00A whole day of slashing along the countryside...What's better than that?! I left the house at 8:15 am and got back around 3 pm, my computer says I spent more than a half hour lollygagging here and there (I tried not to stop much, even pee'd on the downhills and in the tailwinds). So I put in a bit over 5.5 hrs today out in the wind, mostly by myself. <br /><br />I haven't gone out and ridden that kind of miles in quite some time. It was such a beautiful day; there's really nothing I'd rather have been doing. I rode from my house in Larkspur out to Fairfax, over White's Hill and out Sir Francis Drake. I went to Nicasio and around the reservoir, and then up to the Cheese Factory. From there I continued north to Marshall, over the dreaded "wall". At highway 1 I turned south and rode all the way down the coast to Mill Valley, only interrupted by a quick stop for a peanut butter blondie from Bovine Bakerey in Pt. Reyes. I tacked on a loop around Paradise drive just to see if I could turn it into a "century"- it nearly was, but not quite.<br /><br />I saw lots of nice sights and whatnot, but the most interesting thing I came upon was a guy catching a BIG stingray in Bolinas lagoon. I thought it was a seal at first so I turned around to see what was going on. It was a big round 'merican looking fellow fishing with his daughter, Hummer parked in the breakdown lane. He said he'd been fighting it for an hour and a half! He also said he was going to throw it back, so that's good. It didn't look very happy up on the beach, but I'll admit that I've tortured a few fish in my day so I couldn't say much. I wish I had a little camera with me to capture this scene, it was really something. That ray was probably 2' across, I hope it didn't Steve Irwin his ass in front of his daughter.<br /><br />My ass hurts and my neck is sore, but my legs feel pretty good. I got on the scale this morning after not checking my weight in months and discovered I am nearly 140 lbs! I am usually closer to 135, so this gave me additional motivation to roll the long steady miles. My quads were on the big side when I got home, 50cm! (special thanks to Beth Newell http://bethbikes.blogspot.com/ for giving cyclists this new aspect of our bodies to measure and obsess over!) Maybe that's where my new extra mass is located? Hopefully so, but I think I'm going to start doing core strengthening excercises soon just to be sure.liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-11091407947785000992008-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:002008-07-18T21:14:06.700-07:00Presenting: My fixed gear SerrottaI really love this bike. I'm not all that mushy about bikes mostly, but this one is a keeper and it's my favorite to ride. Dave Pearson gave(!) me this frame/fork when I was staying at his place in WA for some USGP cyclocross races. Dave is an incredibly good guy and a cyclocross authority- this guy lives for cross season and is a fixture in WA and the pacific northwest cross scene. This bike fit me perfectly and he handed it off because it wouldn't fit anyone in his family! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31WpdzMIi7YEVB-TOujsdUUVYJPCLo9KtbXnNM7DGkguZd5nyenYyjh74befPCr8LYuTr5huKF4hx0hYkmRXUSCjwGoUvBDy1apJOWjzWs6w4640K0Zu5ZhsJVz93nho8V_iPg9c2niM/s1600-h/P1010017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31WpdzMIi7YEVB-TOujsdUUVYJPCLo9KtbXnNM7DGkguZd5nyenYyjh74befPCr8LYuTr5huKF4hx0hYkmRXUSCjwGoUvBDy1apJOWjzWs6w4640K0Zu5ZhsJVz93nho8V_iPg9c2niM/s400/P1010017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224462858178397074" /></a><br /><br />This bike has seen some days on the track, but not under me. It's pretty chipped up and I don't know its history, but it's a pretty classic race bike. A part of me regrets doing it, but I drilled the fork for a brake since this bike is set up for training. I had a hard time drilling this perfectly and I got super lucky. The pads are as high as they can go in the brake arms and the headset crown race sits just on top of the washer that's on the brake post- it's damned snug. The pads hit the rim perfectly. I probably won't be racing on the track anytime soon so I guess it's ok. It is a sacrilege though, I know. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE8oZq4Cx-WupQyYy328bCtnBKrRD0OL9ycFi96jWmTnxOwqDvhm2HE738d5VsfY3Mmlu_yeW4GsU3-6_Ij0lgIf2NdLClzxGQmIoEbfYzlG3ma9JH1bRm7Nj10OUeuimJT1mMMWEiHs/s1600-h/P1010018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE8oZq4Cx-WupQyYy328bCtnBKrRD0OL9ycFi96jWmTnxOwqDvhm2HE738d5VsfY3Mmlu_yeW4GsU3-6_Ij0lgIf2NdLClzxGQmIoEbfYzlG3ma9JH1bRm7Nj10OUeuimJT1mMMWEiHs/s400/P1010018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224462864088194322" /></a><br /><br />I'm using 170mm Record cranks with a 39t Specialties TA chainring and a 16t cog. This is a gear that I can ride pretty much anywhere. The upwards pointing Salsa stem adds to the uncoolness factor for this bike but it puts the bars where they should be for road riding. I like that stem anyway, I've had it for about 10 years. The wheels are mismatched and inexpensive, I think the rear hub is a Miche. The rear wheel is equipped with a cheap skiddin' tire. Dura Ace seatpost (NJS yo!), Cinelli 64 shallow drop bar, Record brake levers w/right blade removed. Fizik saddle, Soma bar tape, Vetta 110HR computer and blinky bar end plugs. The headset is a old school Tange that I repack with grease once a year and will probably outlast every other component on the bike.<br /><br />This bike is a perfect example of a steel bike that feels alive. This thing just kind of sings as you ride it along- it's mesmerizing. I'd love to try riding it with tubulars.liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-82927670990791691332008-07-16T06:47:00.000-07:002008-07-16T07:35:59.039-07:00Crits= Crack!So, the first half of my road season is behind me. I got a late start, I did Copperopolis first but that doesn't really count. I didn't finish. I didn't finish Wente RR either, making my total road race "results" 2 DNF's. Instead of slugging it out and suffering up the climbs of nor-cal, it seems that I've developed into crit-trash and focused on doing hard work throughout these fast flat races for my BPG/Montano Velo team. <br /><br />In past years, I've done my share of crits. Some of my favorite races have always been crits, but these have had hills in them. Cat's Hill is a good example of a race that I've always thought suited me (I won it as a 3 and I was 9th there in the p/1/2 a couple years ago). But I've never been comfortable in flat criteriums. My strategy has always been to try and get into breakaways at this kind of race since I've always figured that I'd never be able to contest field sprints since I'm a small climber guy. Crashes seem less likely if you're off the front... I'll admit that this was a big part of this strategy too. Just getting to the front in the final laps has always scared the bejesus out of me.<br /><br />But this year has been different! I've discovered that my strengths are great for crit racing- I have a good hard jump for bridging to breakaways (or at the finish!) and I can handle the bike well enough to stay out of trouble. This is the first year that I've raced with a radio and a director who can read a race (Sergei Badeka). Because of this, I've realized that I have a lot more matches to burn than I thought. There have been many races in the last few months where I've been getting in a breakaway, getting caught and then going with the counter move sometimes 2 or 3 times in a row! With Sergei yelling at me, I don't get to think about how tired I am I just keep following directions and do what he says. This has really brought me to where I feel comfortable on the front and I am getting better at thinking about what's happening in the race.<br /><br />Most surprisingly (to me) has been my new ability to get into position on the final lap. I haven't made the podium yet, but I was 4th a few weeks back at the "Dash for Cash" in Livermore, a race that I've always thought was the pinnacle of ridiculous parking lot racing. There were a lot of racers in this one- they let the 3's race with us and there were 130+ starters. I actually was pretty terrified at this race because I didn't want to tangle with less experienced racers. I did finally get 666 for my race #, which I thought was a good omen since this race is promoted by a christian cycling club. I raced really hard that day, I was in a bunch of action in the later part of the race and on the last lap I went up to the front... I came through the last corner in 4th and no one came around me! This was a revelation- I was positioned badly and I couldn't really try and sprint, but the fact that I got up in there was sort of mind bending. Hmm, these things can be pretty fun!<br /><br />I've had some other top 10 finishes as well. I think my best near miss was at Davis where I came around the last turn in 5th I think and in the sprint someones quick-release went in my wheel and broke 2 spokes. I limped to the line with a dragging brake and I was 13th but I replay that one again and again in my mind... even if I'd just held on to 5th I think this would have been my best ever p/1/2 race. Unfortunately, that was the last race for me till august- I'm taking a little rest and letting my sharp fitness fade for a couple weeks to get ready for cyclocross. I'll race more crits before that season starts so I'll have more chances to try and get a win.<br /><br />I think crits are a lot like cyclocross in many ways. The constant accellerations feel a lot like the efforts that happen all over a 'cross course- out of corners, away from barriers, etc. There are a few courses that really feel like cross- the Napa downtown crit is a good example. There is a very tight 180+ degree corner that forces everyone to slow way down and then accellerate hard to get back up to speed. This felt exactly like cross to me and the course was so short at that race that we had to go around that turn about once a minute!<br /><br />Oh well, it's an addiction. I can't wait to start doing hard efforts again to get ready for more of these fun, fast races and then.... Cyclocross!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-33587363667213623952008-06-09T11:22:00.000-07:002008-06-09T15:44:23.742-07:00My customers were riding well this weekend!Got a few race reports from people racing on bikes that I built and maintain. I had a crappy race on sunday when I broke my cleat when I hit a pedal in a corner in the Santa Rosa crit, so these guys made up for that.<br /><br />From Dean Panzica, triathlete:<br /><br /> Josh,<br /><br />Alcatraz ended up to be a good one for me.<br /><br />The stem was perfect and my bike was awesome. 2000 competitors and Ifinished as follows:<br /><br />1.5 mile Swim: 26:45 (13th overall for the day)<br />18 miles of hills: Bike 58:35 (230th overall for the day)<br />8 mile Run 57:11 (85th overall for the day)<br /><br />Hit the podium with a 3rd place finish in 2:30:41 <br /><br />Take care and thanks for your help.<br /><br />Dean<br /><br />And from Marvin Zauderer, road racer:<br /><br />> Ross' Epic Hill Climb<br />> 6/7/08<br />> Masters 45+ 4/5<br />> Field: 17; Place: 13<br />> Teammates: David C, Daryle<br />> <br />> This is the second year of Ross' Epic Hillclimb in<br />> Geyserville. It's <br />> a benefit for Ross Dillon<br />> (http://www.rossdillon.com/), a cyclist hit <br />> from behind by an inattentive driver in 2002. It<br />> features 3600' of <br />> climbing in 18 miles, mostly on Pine Flat Road,<br />> including a 1.5 mile <br />> climb at the end that contains a heinous 21%<br />> section. My goal this <br />> year was to better last year's time (1:30) and to<br />> manage my energy <br />> better -- last year I went too hard before the final<br />> climb.<br />> <br />> A few days before the race, I read that Contador was<br />> using a 34x30 to <br />> do the climbs at the Giro. Thank you, Alberto! Now I<br />> had no qualms <br />> whatsoever about using whatever technology I could<br />> find to get my <br />> body and my 20+-pound bike up those hills. I already<br />> have a 34, and <br />> fortunately, my ace mechanic Josh Snead had a 12-28<br />> cassette that <br />> worked with my Ultegra drivetrain. Luxury! (maybe<br />> next time I'll find <br />> some MTB cassette with a 30 on it)<br /><br />> As we rolled off the start line towards the hills,<br />> the predictable <br />> twitchy surges came and went. The climb began at<br />> mile 7 or so, and I <br />> maintained good position near the front. After a<br />> short time, a number <br />> of us separated from the rest of the field. I could<br />> see after a while <br />> that I was not going to be able to stay with the<br />> lead group, and <br />> would blow up if I pushed to stay with them as long<br />> as I could. <br />> Seeing that Dave was in the group (I didn't see<br />> Daryle, but it turned <br />> out he was there, too), I sat up and tried to annoy<br />> people who were <br />> attempting to bridge. I rode within myself most of<br />> the way, working <br />> with a zTeam guy for some of it. The 21% section was<br />> shorter than I <br />> remembered from last year (good sign) -- probably<br />> 1/4 of a mile or <br />> so, but it's at the beginning of a 1.5-mile section<br />> at the end which <br />> is mostly not all that much easier. I had also<br />> completely forgotten a <br />> brief flat section that appeared in the middle of<br />> that, which was a <br />> huge relief. Ultimately I crossed the line in 1:22<br />> -- a good <br />> improvement over last year. And the 35-minute<br />> descent back down the <br />> hill was awesome.<br />> <br />> -- Marvin<br /><br />Marvin Zauderer is <br />a licensed psychotherapist, sport psychology<br />consultant, and <br />workplace conflict consultant; his website is<br />www.marvinz.comliquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-24769806699567645872008-05-18T17:38:00.000-07:002008-05-18T17:47:29.766-07:00Well, I sat this weekend out...I was all fired up to race this weekend, but when I started thinking about how far it is to Modesto and how hot it is in Modesto I easily convinced myself not to make the trip. My teammates held it down, with Viktor Rapinski taking the win for our BPG/Montano Velo team. I would have liked to be a part of that, but I got some good training instead and enjoyed my weekend at home. <br /><br />Not only did Viktor win the field sprint after lapping the field, but good old Casey Kerrigan did a bit of race announcing and left the camera running at the judges booth. So I got to see what I missed from the best seat in the house and so can you, because Casey posted the video for all to enjoy!<br /><br />http://www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=179188024<br /><br />This embodies a mellow Velo Promo weekend- inner tubes and boxes of cherries for primes, virtually no spectators and insanely hot weather. The best part of the video is Casey and the other officials debating wether the 5 second rule is legit for food that has been dropped on the ground. And the prime bell, which sounds like it was being rung right next to the microphone on the camera. Good stuff!liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212563509048454871.post-18741159999597150362008-05-14T09:42:00.000-07:002008-05-15T12:48:45.593-07:00Time to start this sucker up!I guess to start things off on my new blog I'll show off my bike first. As a rider on the BPG/Montano Velo team I was issued this Cannondale CAAD 9 (that's a lot of CAADs!) aluminum frame with the Cannondale "Premium" carbon fork. I have to say that this bike is pretty much a perfect bike for week in and week out road and crit racing. No frills, no "laterally stiff, yet vertically compliant" baloney; this thing is for going fast up a hill or unleashing in a sprint. <br /><br />It's not an uncomfortable bike but it is stiff- which is what you want when you're racing. I've found that comfort can be adjusted through tire pressure, saddle choice (Fizik Arionne) and rider position. It was a relief to take this bike out on early rides and realize: I don't have to take time to get used to this bike. It fits me, and it handles beautifully. Especially when I get it going really fast. <br /><br />I'm a bit of a crumudgeon regarding carbon fiber bikes. I've owned some carbon bikes that I really liked. But the fact is, if you crash a superlight carbon bike it's often really hard to tell if it's been structurally compromised. For that reason, as a guy that gets 1 bike a year, I'll take a plain old aluminum frame over a carbon one every time. I can hit the deck a few times and this thing is going to either survive the crash or not; it won't be a guessing game. The fork is carbon and I'm just hoping for the best in that category... Not a lot of other options on modern bikes I guess.<br /><br />We're real lucky to have Thomson on board to supply stems and seatposts. These parts also appeal to my conservative approach to outfitting a workingman's racing rig. Strong, light, reliable. And cool looking, particularly the stem. No complaints here! <br /><br />Vetta is another great sponsor of ours, and I got to choose my computer from their line of products. This one has a heart rate monitor built in and has a managable amount of other useful features. I pretty much just want to know how long I've been racing and how far to the feed zone- I don't need to know the pitch of the road or the barometric pressure, although Vetta does make computers that do all that goofy stuff. I opted for the wired version over wireless- one less battery and no chance of picking up the signal from another rider. The reinforced wire is really nice and they sent a couple extra mounting kits so I can just switch the computer head to my fixed gear if I'm riding that one.<br /><br />I have been traditional shallow bend handlebars for quite a while and this one is made by Pedalsoft. This is an innovative little company that makes some pretty amazing aerobar/stem combinations which are pretty popular in the triathalon world I think. They also make a bunch of really nice shaped handlebars that are specific to campy or shimano. I talked the owner into producing this plain ol' shallow drop shape which he named the "5th Round". It's all I've ever wanted in a handlebar- light, stiff, aluminum. 'Nuf said.<br /><br />Mavic supplied a couple sets of these Ksyrium SSC tubular wheelsets to me for cross and they're going strong after a couple years. Not ultra light, but light enough for me. I like using tubulars for racing- I'm terrified of having a flat at speed with clinchers and I don't mind dealing with glue. I also have a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbon tubulars that are probably at least 6 years old that I use for crits. These things are soooo heavy, they're definitely pretty awful if you have to accelerate from low speeds but in a fast flat race they're perfect. They have a curious flywheel effect at speed and they just want to keep rolling. They also seem really stable in corners and the aluminum braking surface is easy to appreciate if you've ever had to deal with carbon rims and special brake pads, particularaly once it starts raining. I prefer Veloflex tires with the tan sidewall, I use those on the Cosmics. I have some really "well aged" Vittorias on the Ksyriums.<br /><br />I'm using Crank Brothers 4-ti pedals with the short spindles, these are also old cx sponsor parts. I'd actually like to try and get some short steel spindles for these- the weight penalty is pretty slight and because these pedals rely on a bushing that spins directly on the spindle, steel is a much more durable choice. I've never heard of these ti spindles breaking, but I have heard of SOME ti spindles breaking... I'm pretty small so I think I'll be ok.<br /><br />Otherwise, I'm running Shimano DA throughout, except for the rear derailleur (Ultegra) and chain (105). I can't notice a functional difference between the 105, Ultegra and DA chains so I go for the cheapest one and change it often. They all work great as long as they're new. I always run a chainwatcher to keep my chain from bouncing off- even if everything's set up perfectly it can still happen on a bumpy road. I have usually run an 11-23 cassette or if it's a course with some kind of really steep hill I'll mix and match cassettes to get an 11-25.<br /><br />As for shift and brake housing- I use whatever's around and replace it often. I do use alloy ferrules on the housing though, they don't flex the way plastic ones do and they wont "blow out" unexpectedly. The wire in the housing can sometimes break through the plastic ferrules and cause shifitng to become wildly innaccurate, usually at the worst possible time. I don't have barrel adjusters because the cannondale frames don't have them and I hate those "inline" mid-housing barrel adjusters. They can go in and out of adjustment on their own because of the bike vibrating and being jolted around as it's ridden. I prefer adjusters on the frame at the shifter mount braze-ons on the down tube. Since this frame doesn't have them, I just forego on-the-fly cable tension adjusters and just set everything carefully by hand after pre-stressing the cables/housing. Once everythings settled in and the cable tension is set by hand (with the r-der. barrel adjuster wound all the way IN), things don't really change much. I wouldn't really want to set a customers bike up this way, but I like it on mine.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and King Ti water bottle cages. About as heavy as a peice of paper. Holds water bottles in. Lifetime warrenty. Done.<br /><br />The bike:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTucHk17iVpy_yg1LwzLeQQ9Xm7c3o5y287OFw9rBVqUH1bDe6MQchU_L7D6Zv4_NXhtVvba5ILAodvzylarGPqJVtogz0x7YOARhbpG1Fhyphenhyphen18pBNtntsmGt9lm5qJvjk4pPsjTBjc58/s1600-h/P1010005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTucHk17iVpy_yg1LwzLeQQ9Xm7c3o5y287OFw9rBVqUH1bDe6MQchU_L7D6Zv4_NXhtVvba5ILAodvzylarGPqJVtogz0x7YOARhbpG1Fhyphenhyphen18pBNtntsmGt9lm5qJvjk4pPsjTBjc58/s400/P1010005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200290850055996978" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIVMIHQWcAa2WsHM0YfOsMLqsqJZEqsF-rSDjcHwweIplU4wwOkMXH9Cyrt9K-Taw_ELP5KSuLPJMQKXyN4KdfbfiZZcwHe-2vGo88iac8OBoP6gcC9oj5lSZy38Z3jw3tLa34q0zqk4/s1600-h/P1010003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIVMIHQWcAa2WsHM0YfOsMLqsqJZEqsF-rSDjcHwweIplU4wwOkMXH9Cyrt9K-Taw_ELP5KSuLPJMQKXyN4KdfbfiZZcwHe-2vGo88iac8OBoP6gcC9oj5lSZy38Z3jw3tLa34q0zqk4/s400/P1010003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200290858645931586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAzOkcNngEmEvWQdlEN-OXuxNTGgFgEIsMH3n31qSx_tG0FRZisCKa57yudzWJie4V6WKv6NTcyMJs3LCJrif1LLthf2_aAHDBGSjO_9AqoCwde1y5GCRCFzkjPfgfj-G7axo_UrW9WA/s1600-h/P1010004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAzOkcNngEmEvWQdlEN-OXuxNTGgFgEIsMH3n31qSx_tG0FRZisCKa57yudzWJie4V6WKv6NTcyMJs3LCJrif1LLthf2_aAHDBGSjO_9AqoCwde1y5GCRCFzkjPfgfj-G7axo_UrW9WA/s400/P1010004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200290884415735378" /></a>liquidwrenchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07310323262971615587noreply@blogger.com0