Photo and Bad Chinese Food

I ate day old Chinese food last night and tonight, I'm paying the price heavily. I'll leave it at that. I can't even think about sitting on a bike seat right now. Anyhow, what happens when your cheering sections goes out drinkin the night before, the camera gets left behind (this pertains to both of you...you know who you are) Anyhow, so the only photos I can find are from FastShots, he does a great job and shows up to many events and he's easy to order from. This is the only photo I can find of my demise: Me on the ESC with some bad Leg warmers

Canton Cup

I was looking forward to the C-race in Canton. Had two friends coming down to leer, cheer and hang out. The field was HUGE. Since I'm just out there having fun and still learning the ropes I started in the back of the field. I had a great start, passed many guys on the slight hill before entering the first turn. The bike was cooperating with the legs. Held my position and gained some positions on the first set of barriers. Hitting the pavement behind the course, witnessed too many crashes. Remember, knobby tires and high speed damp pavement turns do not mix. I've made the mistake too many times on the MTB at other events. All guys seemed to be ok, missing some skin maybe but otherwise no medi-vac. Continueing along the 1st lap, gained a few more spots on the 2nd set of 12 inch barriers only to loose some spots on the marshy grass and some bad cornering techniques. I had a blast on the long run-up to the track, that last section of the course was pretty fun and the last set of barriers some friends had camped out and were screaming lunatics, thanks, extra motivation was good. Even saw Allison Dunlap talkin' to the Gus. NICE. 2nd lap was more of the same however I wasn't moving forward as the front group had seperated and I was riding around in no-mans land and thats when the slide started. Slipped on one turn and a few riders past me, got stuck behind a slow rider and others caught back up to me so I decided to race it hard and drop them again. 3rd lap, a fun lap for suffering. Right after the long run-up I was remounting the bike on the track and I slipped but I didn't go down, I just had a very awkward recovery, at least the Seivel was there to yell enough to get my motivation back up. The last lap my backward momentum continued as I was cooked. Nothing left in the tank, bile taste in my mouth. That had to be the longest CX race of my year, even the few MTB Races I did. I finished around 43 minutes, I think my position was 46/76. I'll take it. The wind was more of a battle than I anticipated and riding around solo in the fields and on the track with no one to draft really drained my legs. Getting a better start will surely help. It seems that the front group takes off and everybody behind them gets stuck in bottlenecks letting the leaders get a way, but I'm just stating the obvious. Still having fun, the fitness is pretty average for this late in the season (at least for me). I have to get over the stamina and endurance hurdle. Next week, Chainbiter. I should once again be gracing the tail end of the field. Gotta get the bike cleaned up and ready. Hopefully there won't be any hurricane force winds to deal with and if there is, I'm bringing a sail.

No Trabajo

Decided that thursday was not a day meant for me to be at work. Aidan and I raked leaves, cleaned up the garage, well, he drooled more than helped. A good day away from the mad lab and blonde power struggle. Thursday late afternoon broke out for a good riding spell, got in a good 40 minute warmup that included the common street hill, the concord ave hill and a good 1 mile stretch of freshly packed crushed stone that was such a blast to roll over, )as they are about to repave rt. 60, tons of fun) NICE. Topped off that with some cross drills over in the belmont woods. Run-ups, sprints, jumping a stream, fast laps, startle some joggers, overall it was a good 70 muinute romp. The legs felt good for some odd reason, becuase I know on sunday my legs will be nothing but dead weight. Yes...cider donuts were in and tasty as ever, how can something this tastey be so bad...screw the cardiologists, they can enjoy their salads and brown tofu thingies.

Head-Winded

Ride home was an all out effort against a headwind. The legs were toast after only 2 miles of pedaling into it, got home only 5 minutes off my regular time though. However i'm feeling it only a few hours after, then again it could be the recovery suds. Ohlins bakery called, fresh cider donuts tommorrow morning, you know where I'll be at 6:30am...stocking up on some "power circles". However maybe I should be more concerned that the bakery calls me to let me know when certain flavors of donuts are being made...it certainly helps talking it up with the head baker there. The ESC is getting ready for canton on sunday. I think the screaming Gus will make the trip too. Not sure yet but just maybe, maybe even the owner of ESC too. hahaha. Anyhow, gotta get ready to watch Lost and finish my recovery meal....its chilling in the fridge.

The river is Protected

Wednesdays, always a tough day. Got in a good 35 minute ride home yesterday. Full out sprint, to get home in time to relieve the babysitter. Legs are jello today. Still have to resolve the pedal issue, it's definately busted and I need to take the Candy off the Giant and switch it over. The benefits of having the same style pedal on all three bikes (Crank Bro's Quattro on the road bike, awsome pedal). Quick story before I forget, this morning, 6am, wicked dark out, cruising along the river, Army-ROTC was out in full camo, packs and weapons. It was pretty funny to see them jump when i came flying by but it was also pretty odd to see a hundred or so soilders, in full gear, with look-out posts, scouts and all that stuff you see in the movies with M-16s doing exercises around the river......Started the outline to the new ESC downtube label, gotta work out what graphic font to use and locate the screen printing supplies, they are somewhere in the basement I believe but many things go to the basement never to return. Canton Cup is this weekend..that should be a fun race especially after the BC football game and festivies on saturday, as well as the time change. Gotta wake up the Gus....

Thread City Cyclocross-Crank(less) Brothers

The ride down was probably the best part of the whole morning. Great foliage, calm ride, no traffic on the pike, of course it was 7am so I shouldn't expect there to be any. Easy driving. The venue was at the Mansfield Hollow state park which is just another of saying the Mansfield Dam. The c-mens field was larger than I expected, many people there to kick my ass all over the course. It was a long lap based on my pre-ride warmup inspection. Lots of little run ups, some rideable, some not, one wet run if you stepped off the sand. For those who attended, you know you saw at least one person get their feet wet in the reservoir. Usual banter on the start line, blah blah blah (wish i could race with my MP3 player). The whistle goes off, we all take off, a cold start for sure. The wind started picking up or it was always blowing and i just didn't realize it until the lap the started and we were in the open field. The first half of lap one went well, but it was the sandy rundown and run-up when everything came apart. For starters my right Crank Brother Candy Pedal was a pain to engage, really troubling. I couldn't put much power down with my foot slipping all over the place. I was able to manage the run ups ok and not fall on my skinny ass. I could pass people on the run up and any downhill technical stuff but in the end too much of my energy was spent trying to get my feet clipped in. While I was worrying about that, pinch flat...luckily I had a borrowed set of pit wheels and was right back out there finding new and creative ways to stink. Not a problem, got back on the course only to endo in the next patch of loose sand/dirt. At that point i was just trying not to wash completely out and the day became an exercise in one legged pedaling and different ways to curse at ones shoe/pedal. Crossed the finish line with feeling I had to puke, so I guess I gave it everything I had Overall, 20th out of 27th, even if the pedal didn't break, I wouldn't have faired much better. Left the race exhausted and hungry (for something fried and greasy). I know what I need to work on....everything, more power, more energy, more endurance but at least the bike is one piece. It wasn't until I got home that I figured out what was wrong with the pedal. The clip-in mechanism/spring is popped out of alignment becuase it's bent not allowing the cleat to engage properly, ie: its' a fancy way of saying...hello warranty coverage. On a funny note, on the last lap, on this crazy hill, you had to ride along an earthan wall, about 60 or 70 degree angle, and this college kid from UNH runs into a Masters 35+ guy (looked like they both collided together at the same time )....the guy started screaming "you ruined my race, blah blah blah, a few explicitives" it was pretty funny to pass him laughing becuase he was waayyyyy too serious. He was all bent out of shape, and he wasn't even a leader or in the top 5 I don' think. I give credit to the college kid, it's racing and he held his ground (its not like this guy is gunning for sponsorship, and he is definately not the next Ryan Trebon or J Powers). I'm probably wrong but it was funny to watch and finish my day off with that, just my two cents (racing is racing). Next up...a new pedal, a kid who refuses to sleep, a crappy work week and some tailgating..I might even sneak out to the canton cup to see if I can find out how close I can come to puking without actually hurling.

Why

Why do coworkers insist on coming to work when they are beyond sick. Three people here are sick as dogs, coughing and sneezing on everything, feverish. WHY..my head feels like I got hit by this:

Wheeling and Dealing

After some serious searching, a little craigslist swapping, some extra hours at work, and hiding out in the basement (or as my wife calls it, the compound), new hoops were the first order of business. Figure they can be put on the schwinn come spring time. As Gus would say "these are TIGHT!". Speaking of which, the crazy brazilian is back. His 3 week adventure back home with family is over and he is back. You'll be seeing him at a cross event near you sometime soon. Mansfield CT is the idea for saturday. Figure test out the wheels and my severe lack of fitness. Weather, work, mother-in law and the 5 month old (but thats ok) have hampered every single ride this week. Course description? no idea. Doesn't matter all that much, I plan on achieving new levels of suckage. Should be fun to see if I can put a new spin on coming in last place. If the weather holds true, sunny and potentially in the mid-50's, these will be perfect days for cross. Hope to get three more races in before time and money run out. Then it will be recharge time and winter evenings on the trainer or rollers, whatever i don't fall off first. Time to track down some cider donuts...power circles! Thanks ESC for the bike.

None of that for me

This weekend was round 2 of the VERGE series up in New Gloucester, it took me a about a minute to say no to that race..mapquest..more than a 2 hour drive, each way. I'll take a rain check. So instead, I did what some might consider training, 20 minute warm up down by the river, growler row was silent. Headed over to the Union street ball fields for dodging rover landmines and barrel sprints. 20 minutes of various drills i've picked up from various other bloggers Colt-the newest Kona Tower, and The Zoo. Barrel races, run-ups, dogding dog crap, all while anaerobic. Then a few minutes to cool down on the way home while practicing the bunny hops over curbs for fun...The rest of saturday was spent playing "How big is Aidan"....and "Where is Aidan"...that rounded out saturday

Sunday was spent also avoiding New Gloucester. It was an eggs and bacon morning followed by corn pancakes drenched in maply syrup. It was tastey, such a treat. The lady I ventured out for a little stroll through the town center, checkin' out the foliage. The little man was keepin a keen eye on the giraffe, wrapped in his death grip. Good weather. The afternoon was followed by watching the Bungles suck it against Tampa Bay, what a joke. Bungles of old are back, finding new ways to suck, they suck worse than I suck at this bike racing thing. Polished off the afternoon with another trip around the river, different route, quiet growler day once again, and topped it off with 15 minutes of sprints along the soccer fields. The sievel bailed and had to watch Eli suck on a new level while Tiki carried the team on his back along with a solid receiving corps..oh well. He'll use that bike one day, have faith.....thats enough brain drool for today. No ride today as I washed my helmet pads last night, 2 went into the washer, only one returned...gone...so I have to find new pads to stink up

Training in the art of Tailgating

Thursday....Got some new training done, Tailgating. Spent the late afternoon and early evening on the campus of BC getting ready for the big VT game. Much better than doing sprints, barrel races, or anything exercise related. Grilled burgers, brats, hot wings, chips and copious amounts of liquid refreshment kept me hydrated and ready for the next challenge. Sitting through the game. BC won, suprisingly

Got 8 days to get ready for the next event. Probably ride the mansfield event, weather and aidan dependant. Much smaller field of riders, so i'll suck even worse and won't be able to hide behind the large field like at Gloucester...

Is it nap time yet?

C-race - Repeat

I just read over my post from the other day and realized it wasn't up to snuff from the usual garbage I dribble out on this page. So, I'm going to leave that steaming lump up and add this re-update about my time in Gloucester (stop reading now if your are looking for something more exciting)

The day started off with frantic haste to get out hte door in time. Was pretty excited to be at my first CX race, especially one with such a large turnout. All the waitlisters got entered into the race without any problems (however the results page say otherwise). Got to the starting line late and was stuck too many rows deep. Rolled off and made it through all the course bottlenecks with no broken spokes or damage, witnessed a few crashes, some bold moves. The wheels stayed true, stayed clipped in when i had to and unclipped when I had to run, no serious asthma attacks, dust wasn't too bad yet. The laps just counted off with painful anticipation till I heard final lap. About time. I realized that I suck at running, running in sand, running up hill, pedaling uphill, and controlling the old ticker. It felt like I started in a pack of 100 people but it could have been less. I was pretty secure in pushing the bike through the turns and using as little brakes as possible, figured i would push the ESC through the turns and hope the tires hold. Maxxis Larsen Mimo's..awsome traction, crap rolling resistance. Finished 37th in the C-men group...it took about 45 minutes to straighten out the results page becuase they had my correct time but the wrong name. Turns out hte number I had was for someone who pre-registered but didn't show up. Long story short, finished in about 41 minutes. I was passsed by the top 3 in the womens group that lined up at 9am. If i improved my start...should of, would of, could of. Ah well. It was an awsome time. Wished I could have stunk it up on sunday but didn't have the time off. ALready looking at the calender for the next event. Hope to hit a few more before the snow flies, but that probably won't stop me either

If your curious, spent sunday picking pumpkins, apples and anything else at Conners Farm. Monday...was spent on Thayer street and brown university in Providence, quite the experience. Thayer street, a people watching goldmine. 20 miles on the road bike monday...legs are good, body is tired.

Gloucester C-race: Efforts from the Back of the Pack

I'm sure I'll Change the title before the week is out. Saturday, 6am is when my race really started. The race to get the car packed, the bike dialed in, to escape any escapades with my awake 4month old (at least he waited till I left the house before he pooped...its was huge, so I was told), all wondering if I would even be able to race due to my delayed registration. C-race...8:35am I was in, the numbers were pinned to my jersey, #437...and interesting number. Rode most of the course when I heard the call up for staging. By the time I got to the "line", I was about 80 riders deep. Stuck in the back, no biggie, it was my first Cross race ever, so I just wanted to have fun and not destroy the bike (as it is not mine). The whistle blew and we were off, after we had to wait a few seconds for the other 79 people in front of me to start rolling, a few bottle necks on the first lap allowed the leaders to get the gap and just take off. I rode in the middle or what seemed like the middle of the pack. Handling the bike on the s-turns and the twistys was relatively easy, I was able to push through the turns and pick good lines most of the time, it was the sand and the long straight aways that kicked my ass, repeatedly, not to mention the part of the course that led to the run up, that sucked my strength as well and i just plain sucked at it. Oh yeah, running, I sucked at that too. I rode with the same group of riders for most of the race, just holding their wheels and occasionally swapping positions. The things I remember during the race were strange. I remember a green surly cross-check bike and the rider kept hitting the dirt on any sharp turn, but he would always catch back up on the straight-aways....the thank you I got for setting a good tempo on the final lap for this woman rider and giving her a good draft (I think she got 3rd..yes...she started 30 seconds behind me, she was good), a girl on a Salsa bike that could really get some distance on her snot shots and dish out the smack talk to a slower rider blocking her, some guys rear leg was all carved up and bleeding everywhere...and finally this one guy right before the run-up, every lap he had a good cheer "If you aren't feeling the pain, you are not going hard enough"..another "Welcome to the pain cave" and something along those lines, he had others but the brain is just not working. Overall, I got 37th in the c-men (my number...437..coincidence. I learned alot, didn't get lapped, bike / rider left without any severe damage or trauma, just left gloucester wanting more. I immeadiately went home, stopped a the half-way cafe for some recovery food essentials, Stone coast brews, wings and other fine culinary creations from the frielator.

Preparations for Waitlisting

25 minute warm up spin along the river (Growler Row)
5 min. high tempo
5 min. change flat tire
10 min. meandering around Wheelworks for the right tube and drooling over some new rides
10 min. re-warming up and quick sprints
10 min. barrel drills, dismounts, runs (sprint from one end of a football field to the other end with plenty of recover time)
5 min. cool down trip home

Post-Ride festivities
Dinner: Pasta, Doritos, a Pickle, glass of vino, pecans, peanuts, chocolate milk (strictly for recovery), Dos esquis, Otter Creek, Grapes (from the ESC vineyard)..

Played with Aidan, changed a few diapers, baby games and books, drool puddles, etc

Watched Lost with Todd, put the tire on the new front rim...(pretty sweet)

yupp, this is a boring one

Training in Anticipation of being Waitlisted

Where did everybody come from. Friday...BikeReg registration was wide open for the C-class riders for the Gran Prix of Gloucester, plenty of space left, didn't have the plastic on hand so I figured I would register sunday evening. Load up the page sunday evening...CLOSED. Looks like I'm waitlisted in a sea of other waitlisted riders. Still, despite this "setback", hopped on the GT last night for a little one on one training ride. Hit the MDC fields to find one quarter occupied by about 100 geese, another half taken over by the local soccer practice (minivans and SUVs as far as the eye could see). So I was relegated to the baseball field, ruts, bumps and overgrown grass. A great training pace, got the heart rate up..170 bpm, maintained that for a while, even hit the roof at 181 bpm, not too bad (yes, that stinks for 99% of most racers but it's a chappy record), kept it going for 15 minutes, linked up with two other guys doing some CX drills, Practiced sprints, dismounts/remounts...and falling. I got about 45 minutes on the bike before the front tire slipped on a turn while I was out of the saddle, cranking hard on the pedals. Went down, don't know what happened but I'm pretty sure I actually heard the spokes break on the rear wheel, the rear derailleur hanger bent and whole lot of grass stains on my right side. Decided that it was the sign to call it quits for the day, huffed it over to Farinas for a quick fix, tune up in anticipation of saturday, albiet knowing I'm most likely not going to get a starting place. Well there are plenty of races left on the calender. Definately enjoying the sfelt GT ride, the maxxis mimo's very predictable. Scooting around joggers, bladers, walkers, etc along the river is so much easier knowing i can just hop the sidewalk and hit the grass, so much easier and a whole lot more fun! Thanks to ESC

Covers

Happy Birthday
Tough exterior, weathered, hardened...but sensitive and soft like teddy bears
Ha Ha
Have a good one!