Archive for October 6th, 2008
further analysis
Monday, October 6th, 2008
Hummm…
I’m not saying that I am thin, but maybe I am not as fat as I thought I was.
Maybe it’s just distorted optics.
Or maybe Frye knows when to push the shutter to get the more flattering shot.
Or maybe my right side is thinner than my left side.
I’ll consult my wife and she will let me know what an absurdity I am.
Racing this here weekend
Monday, October 6th, 2008If you had to pick one race this weekend which would it be?
Twine Ball or Wirth?
Hudson
Monday, October 6th, 2008
Thanks to Linda for taking one of the only photos of me yesterday that did not display what a total fat ass I am.
I need to keep in mind that this whole cyclocross project is really just an experiment this year. The last time I tried cross racing I went into it with no specific training and a way heavy bike. My season started slow this year and I am still on the heavy side, but I have been moderately happy with the result so far this year.
Gear I brought to the race:
-Bike (TIME Cross Proteam)
-heavy wheels, Fulcrum R5 with Vittoria tires
-light wheels, Fulcrum R1 with Challenge tires
-trainer rear wheel
-trainer
-two skinsuits, one for warm and one for cool
-two pair of shoes, one for mud (1997 TIME World Cup) and one for dry (2008 Time MXS Carbon)
-two helmets, one for mud and one for dry (both Lazer Genesis)
I used the bike, the light wheels, the trainer for 15 minutes, the warm skinsuit, the mud shoes and the mud helmet. Maybe I need to bring less crap next time.
Following the trainer warm up I took a practice lap with Ped to figure out the course. Grass straights with switchbacks, asphalt path into the woods, narrow wooded trail with switchbacks, thick muddy turn, log dismount, option ride/run muddy turns, beach sand run, back to grass straights with a double barrier.
I lined up at the back with Ped and Jimmer, the fire engine horn blew and it was on like Falun Gong (in your face Dave Towel).
I was all amped up on the first lap and tried to move up as quickly as I could passing guys just before turns and accelerating through the straights. After about 2 laps of that junk I kind of cracked a bit and had to relax and recover. I wanted to ride with Ped but he ended up having some mechanical problems. I wanted to ride with Jimmer but he caught and passed me about 4 laps in and I could not stick to him. I wanted to ride with (dis) but he had a horrible day with mechanical problems. So I pretty much rode alone. I have not seen results so I don’t know where I ended up other than towards the back. I don’t think I was last.
Things I was happy with:
-No crashes
-No mechanicals
-Comfortable on the bike
-Was able to handle mud sections without much problem
-60 minutes was difficult but not as bad as I thought it was be
-Never attempted to bunny hop log there by saving my face from certain destruction
Things I was unhappy with:
-Went out too hard and paid for it later in the race
-Stayed on the bike sometimes when it would have been faster to run
-Continually mis-judged speed required for corners
I think if I would have started a bit more conservatively I would have had more in the tank to stay with some people who went by me.
It was faster to run the muddy section after the log dismount but I did not run it every lap, probably just every other lap. The problem was that running the mud section meant that you would only have 20 or so seconds of on the bike recovery before you had to dismount and run through the beach sand. There were numerous times that I could just not bring myself to get off the bike even though I knew it would be faster. I need to toughen up mentally a bit.
At one point early in the race I was carrying a lot of speed through the start/finish and onto the asphalt path. I totally blew the corner back onto the grass. DC was standing right there and knew what was going to happen and stated in a rather monotone voice "Coming in hot." He helped me get untangled from the course tape and told me to get going and he took care of the course, thanks DC.
Other than that things went OK. Lessons for next week:
-Start a bit easier. I am not going to win so there is no reason to try and bust to the front of the race.
-Commit to riding the course as fast as possible in all sections.
-Work on corner speed, in slow and out fast, not vice versa.
All in all it was a good first event. I’ll learn as much as I can this season and hopefully be up closer to top of the results next year.
OK, so I guess Frank took a good picture of me as well. Thanks Frank.
You can check out more pictures from yesterday:
