Good and Bad

Well, I was feeling kinda crappy just before my departure for the race today and decided to bag it. I just knew that if I raced I'd be wasted and probably end up sick. Wa wa, I know. But I've got some very important meetings for work next week and can't afford to call in sick.





The good part about missing the race was that I was able to install this...

a brand new Sram cross crank onto my trusty old Redline. First estimates show that it shaved 2lbs off the overall weight. NICE!

With a wheel change I might be able to get it down to 19lbs just in time for the Grumpy Cross.

Who's your favorite?

Listening to the Bike Throw I thought about how cool it is that SR and Homme are reporting on the local bike scene. So it got me to thinking who my favorite local rider is...

So I'll throw that question out to my readers, all 5 of ya.

Who's your favorite local, not including yourself:

Twine Ball Torture Fest

(Pic: Sport.be)

This weekend I drove all the way out to Darwin , MN for the Twine Ball Cross. I was pleased to find that the drive was well worth it. It was a hard course with plenty of climbing both on and off the bike. I was hurtin the whole time. I just couldn't recover after each effort.

I ended up finishing a little better but that could have been a result of the smaller turnout. I think there were 40+ racers in the B's.

Oh well, I finally got some CRY points which was nice for what could be my last B race. I've decided to give it a go in the A's at the Red Barn Classic. Not that I've posted any results that warrant the move to A's, but it's all about pushing myself to get better. I'm hoping that it will make the 45 minutes at Nationals hurt a little less.

And no the pic up top is not from the Twine Ball race. I just thought it was a cool picture of the three amigos.

Cool Cross vid from the 50's

Boom Boom Cross Jam

Results aren't up yet. I think I came in around 15th. Got third wheel on the start and avoided the accident that took out Pete and Tim from Grumpy's. :(

It definitely was an improvement on Hudson for me. Just can't seem to go fast enough. I'll have to work on that this week.

I'll be back wearing my Silver next week @ Powder Horn. Just wanted to give my friends at BCR some airtime.

Thanks http://www.skinnyski.com/ for the pics!

Practice + Confidence = Success

You feel good every time you learn something new. Especially when it comes to cycling. Well, at least I feel good.

Most of you have already mastered re-mounting w/o having to do the little stutter step. Today was the day that it finally clicked for me. Very much like when I learned (from Doug Swanson, H-wood Cross Clinic) how to dis-mount by placing your right leg in between your left leg and the bike (sweet spot) instead of bringing you right foot around and basically kicking you left foot off the pedal. It's really weird cause I don't think I could go back to the old way (stutter step).

Since I decided to go to Nationals and race the 30-34 masters event :P, I've decided to actually train for cross this year. Hudson wasn't a great result but it was a great opportunity to check my fitness and see how much I need to improve. To help in the motivation department I even have a little course set up in the park across from my house complete with grass, pavement, sand, a run-up and two barriers. If nothing else it's fun freaking my neighbors out. I'm sure by now they think I'm a freak.

Next up:
Boom Island Factory Cup. I've never raced this one so I'm looking forward to it and hopefully in better form.