What's hot, what's not...

Hot:
How cool would it be to have Lance Armstrong show up at your local race? Not only does he show up, he also beats the field (including 3 Santa Clauses). (http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/News.cfm?Action=Edit&MenuKey=260&theKey=260)

Not:
Look at the attendance for the race...Is it really that low, or do the promoters just do a poor job of keeping track of all racers?

Here in Portland, the races are full sometimes having ~100 plus riders (On Decemeber 12th Nationals were held here and most of the fields maxed out at 120...) The promoters ( the Cross Crusaders) are also very diligent about recording every racers place. www.crosscrusade.com.

It's great to live in Portland and be a Cyclocrosser!!!

-sprocket

Politicians, can't live with em, can't live without em.

Let's hear it for the honorable Earl Blumenhauer, once again coming through for cyclists.

Here is his speech touting mountain biking & kids.
http://www.imba.com/resources/kids/r480_speech.html#blum

Love it!

What are you, invisible?

So I'm riding along today, minding my own business. I stop at the stop light and you ride up behind me, then around me, the through the red light ignoring the cars that have to stop to avoid crushing the life out of you.

The light turns green, and I easily catch up with you (on my fixed gear no less), pass you (slowpoke) and make it to the next light which I then also stop at. Once again, you ride up behind me, then around me and through the RED light...

Don't you people understand that we will never get respect from others on the road if we don't obey the rules of the road? Are you really surprised that you get yelled at by drivers, that they throw things at you, that they honk and shake their fists?

I don't agree with their behavior, however I also understand what makes them so irritated. Not only do we as cyclists (collectively) totally disregard traffic laws, they are stuck (typically in traffic) for hours at a time.

Be glad that you have been release from the metal cocoon, free to feel the air, the sun and even the rain. Your legs are getting stronger while their asses are getting fatter. Isn't that enough?

Don't get run over or at least not in front of me.

Things to do in the mud, and other nonsense

I raced my second "crosscrusade" (www.crosscrusade.com) this past weekend. It is actually the 3rd in the series, but I had to miss the 2nd due to a family commitment (in Vegas... yeah baby)

This past weekend's race was more of a traditional cross race (slippery, slimey mud, rainy, windy, cold, perfect...). This weeks field was larger (62 racers) and more competitive. Surprisingly I did even better - 8th place!

I was able to adjust my brakes this time around so that I could actually slow the bike down when I needed to. God I hate cantilevers. I now remember why v-brakes are so popular and why I love the disk brakes on my mtn bike.

The course was relatively flat with one large climb which I managed to ride (vs carry). I was admittedly more conservative in other areas and opted to dismount/carry earlier than some other riders, I think it actually served me well though as I was able to pass many riders on the running climbs. In addition, I added toe spikes to my shoes which really helped with the grip - unfortunately, the mud was so gummy that I had a hard time clicking back in. Oh well.

I went down once on the 2nd or 3rd lap and managed to push my left shifter/brake combo to about a 90 degree angle on the handle bars - thankfully they were loose enough to not break off. After the big puddle (an axle deep muddy water) there was a paved stretch which enabled me to "hammer it back into place" with my fist. It must have been funny to see me pedaling away wacking my handlebars and almost knocking myself over as I passed the officials table!

Once again, an extremely successful effort by the promotors.

Damn, cyclocross is fun

I was a bit skeptical of what the course would be like since I had only been at the park on one previous occassion (for a company picnic) and could not for the life of me see how a cross race could be held there... (I had no idea the park was so big or diverse!).

Anyway, my fears were alleviated by a great course. This was my first cross race in 3 years. (In the mean time, I've had 2 kids and been doing Dad duty). Now my kids are old enough (3 & 1) to come to the races and cheer on Dad.

I raced the "Dad class" as I have termed the "Masters 30+ B" group based upon all the kids on the play structure (my kids included) near the sand trap.
I debated between racing regular Bs (which I raced at prior to my racing hiatus) and the 30+ Bs and ended up opting for the 30+ Bs - mostly because of the timing of the races. I think I made the correct choice (13th place). Anyway, I didn't get a very good starting position so I had to battle my way up to where I ended up for much of the race (Note to self: be at starting line earlier to get better starting position). Not sure if that mattered though as many of the guys I passed early on in the race came back and passed me on the last laps like I was standing still.
Thankfully I managed to keep my bike upright for the race, though my brakes did stop working prior to the race starting - after my warm up lap...

All in all, this was a great race. Thank you Promoters & OBRA. I can't wait for the next one (which for me will be PIR).