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Sunday, October 12, 2008

Cross Crusade #2

gotta make a silly face for the camera, yeah.



Sunday - Cyclocross race #2 - , this was in a dirt construction site in Wilsonville (25 mins south of Portland). The morning started off cold at 40 degrees, no rain, I was up at 6:30 am and throwing stuff in the car. My race was at 9:50am, in the C's. It warmed up a little but not much by the time I had to race.
For some reason people line up at the startline to get a good position, trouble is they line up 30mins prior to the race and stand there and freeze! My start position was behind maybe 60people back. The course was garbage, it was crappy, rutty and not really fun to ride, but whatever it was a cross course (perhaps), this week I managed not to break anything, thankful Felt had sent me a new fork after last weeks incident, that arrived last Wed, so my bike was good to go. I still managed to flip over the handlebars at one point in the course, but no damage done, myself and the bike was ok.

I placed 15th out of 139 riders, not too shabby, the bummer was that when I was coming in across the finish line on my final lap, I thought I had 1 lap to go, so well before the finish line, I sat up and slowed down for a breather, then 3 guys sprinted around me to the line. Oh well, I could have been 12th if I had been a little more aware - next time I guess. Also leaving it all on the racetrack is a good thing, yet something that I find hard to do.

Dave one of our riders had an open house since he lives near by and had nice warm chilli and showers to get clean. Dave Condon cleaned up the C's taking a first, he did a great job and deserved the win, after having won last week as well.
There were lot's of guys from our team out there.

Dave C - C's - 1st.
Jeff - C's - 22nd,
Tony -B's, 23rd
Nick A's - 64th
Corndog in the SS...not sure.
Joe P in the B+ - 103rd (chain snap)
Sautter A+ - 24th



In the meantime check out this t shirt - yeah you got it, naked bird and a cross bike. Let me know if you want one, I know a white van man who can.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

How to snap the handlebars off your bike


First cross race of the season, it's raining.
Cat C's @ start line, I scored a nice front row start position, All is ok, just hanging about in the rain waiting for the start.
The whistle blows, power down for 10ft, my starts head traveling towards the floor fast somehow I unclip, then i'm off the front of my bike on the floor. So out of the 120 or so riders behind me, only 3 people ride over my bike.
I grab my bike drag it out of the way, the steerer tube, sheered off right above the headset, yep, Aluminum steerer tube, not the stem, not the stem bolts. The field rides off, i'm really cheesed off, I have a little skin missing from my knees and I don't have a 2nd bike.

if you look close you will see i'm running in the air!

So I walk back to Yakima tent shouldering my bike, handlebars off, fork falling off and rear chris king wheel is now garbage, swearing and bitching.
I borrow a 53 cm bike ( I ride a 59), I swap my front wheel on, swap my pedals on, jack the seat up, realize the brakes are reversed to my normal - 10mins later jump in the race and pass a crap load of people.
Where did I come in ?, 63rd out of 131! hell yes thats some good passing.
I now have backache :) from what feels like riding a bmx but turns out my teammate took 1st, good for him

I am glad it happened here though, could have been worse could have happened on a downhill decent at 35mph or in traffic.


shear man power does this
This is how you look when you ride a bike that is way too small for you and the brakes are the opposite way round to what you are used to.

So far my race season has been a stream of mechanicals - like this:

June - snapped a carbon fiber seatpost in Short-track, 1st race, 2 laps to go.
July - two idiots crash in front of me on the velodrome, bunnyhoppe one guys bike.
August - destroyed my rear cross wheel (cracked rim) on a big fat curb
September - broke the axel bolt on my mavic Ksyrium road wheels.
October, Snapped aluminium steerer tube on my cross bike.

what next? maybe I should sell my bikes:)

Good news - off to see Sigur Ros tomorrow

Check out www.16tooth.blogspot.com

Friday, October 3, 2008

I love Chrome & 5 Day



So just watched a well wicked dvd series, called "5 Day" it's a murder, suspense , drama type of thing. It's on HBO/ BBC UK series. If you into that sorta film, you def should check it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/08_august/08/five_days.shtml