Reset

Decided to go home for a quick mental reset today. Too sick of living out of my car and sleeping on a couch. I cleaned out my car today and found Jell-o stains on the front passanger seat. Not quite sure how those got there but tomorrow will be spent removing them. Probably from the jell-o that I left in a bag on the seat in the hot sun. This also gives me time to fix my drastically broken bike. You know, usual stuff, completly rebuilding my freehub (new parts are hopefully on the way from WTB). finding the attachment bolt for my brand new X.0 rear derailleur that a stick gleefully took out at Brett's Ride last week. But exciting things are on the horizon. Something I've been waiting for for a long time:

Image Courtesy of CyclingNews.com

Transition

Given the cancellation of the Rocktober challenge and the fact that I had a campsite reserved for the weekend, I decided to go up anyway and get some riding in.  I had heard that Kuhn would be there and that he wanted to ride the course on Saturday.  Sounded like a good idea to me.

I rolled into RB Winter State Park around dusk on Friday, set up camp, made a fire, and ate dinner.  Once I ran out of wood for my fire I packed it in, crawled into my tent and fell asleep to a book.  Good times.  There's something about camping alone, even if the fat guy in the camper across the way is snoring loud enough that you can hear it, that is quite relaxing.  It might be the whole being on your own thing.

Next day woke up, found Mike, and set out on the first part of the loop with Mike and 6 others, mostly locals.  It was a good ride.  The new Ergon pack held up well, with a full days worth of food and crap in it.  Barely felt like I was carying anything.  Thanks Ergon.  After 20 miles of riding, we dropped down Black Gap or Black Cat or something.  Kuhn stopped to change a flat and noticed a snapped suspension bolt on his new Scalpel (ed: this may have been his punishment for our lamenting the lack of a 29er Scalpel... it would be prefect!).  Ride over.  Back to the parking lot.  Luckily that was about the end of the loop.

After a quick lunch of half a pb&j, I rolled back out with the local guy leading to do some of the second loop.  I got a little friendly with a tree on a super-steep descent, and came out with a few scratches.  Then we got lost and ended up practially on I-80.  Then we walked up a steep ridge.  Then we headed back and ended our ride.  Total time, about 5.5hrs of rocky goodness.  Solid.

Of course as soon as I got back to my campsite it started raining.  Sat in the tent for a while, then packed and left.  Went to Dick's graduation the next day.  Should be fun next year.  That night I bid goodbye to Ms. Geology for a few weeks (sad panda), and I'm currently squatting in my friends appartment until I can move into mine on June 1.

Going down the North Carolina this weekend to provide pit support for Zach and the Cyclesports Kids for the Burn 24 hr race.  Should be fun.  I'm doing chill easy rides now to transition down from my peak that didn't actually exist.  Oh well.  Next year.  Cross season... More racing to come in June.

FYI

Jens Viogt has the best pain face ever... 09 Giro, stage 4:

Photo's courtsey of Cyclingnews

Sad Panda...

I am a sad panda because Rocktober was canceled. It is one of my favorite races. Oh well... looks like no racing until June for me then... In other news I am now officially done with school, and lazing around until I start work. Which will be something I swear...

Slow weekend

Given the cancelation of the French Creek MASS race this weekend, due to inclement weather (which didn't actually happen...) I decided to spend the weekend chilling.  I did some cool rides on my SS (park up Cold Spring, Vista, mulit-use trail, Old Ship, Creek, Old Carlisle, Ridge, new trail to car... schwing!!!!) because the C-dale needs new brake pads from Granogue.  All told the tally from Granogue: 1 new derailleur hanger, 1 new X.O derailleur, 2 new sets of brake pads, new cables.  Could have been worse I guess.

I don't really have much else to say now.  I've been working on this Mid-ocean ridge paper for a while now, trying to get this thing revised and done forever.  I'll leave you with a podium shot...

Keepin it short

Lots of casualties in the past few weeks...

First off I got 3rd at Fair hill... don't remember if I mentioned that.  First expert race.

Second I snapped my new carbon seatpost at Greenbrier during the first 1/2 mile of the race of the Cat. 2 race.  Yeah... upgraded to Cat. 1 and proceeded to get 7th in that race, with a seatpost borrowed from Randy. Woot... qualified for nationals.

Third was Granogue, and the subsequent escape from it.  And it really needed escaping from.  T'was raining.  A lot.  But at least compared to French creek three or so years ago it was quite a comfortable race.  Of the four hours, I may have walked or ran for about 2.5 hrs.  

After the first lap... trying to look pro

After the first lap on a clear course, the sports came through and all bets of riding fast were off.  The pushing began and all bets were off.  Soon wheels were caked with mud, sticking and sliding to mud-crusted seatstay braces and bottom bracket areas.  Three laps of walking and slogging through ankle-deep mud later and I cruised the last rideable part of the singletrack onto the road. One quick downshift and my derailleur was wrapped around my cassette.  The B-tension screw, or at least the little metal loop that it goes through, was wedged up against my derailleur hanger.  Not moving.  Walked up the Kopenburg the last time.  Boo.

The final push

Derailleurs are not supposed to be here

So all in all, my days effort was good enough for third place.  I'd say pretty good.  Somewhere Ms. Geology has a pic of me on the podium with my cool plaque (Thanks Marc!!!!).  During the beginner awards Marc announced a pushup contest for two sets of Gore Ride-on cables.  I entered and won a set, much to the dismay of my arms/upper body the next morning.  The workout did remind me of my years in high school as a wrestler, so I zoned out and cranked them out until Marc said stop.  My coach would be proud, and it made me realize how much I love pushups.

Throwback: Me winning the 2005 Delaware Independent School Conference title at 130 lbs, back when I had a upper body and leg hair...

I think the best part of my day was when Rob told me, standing under the reg tent in the rain after the race wrapped in a blanket, that he wanted me to win the MASS Endurance Series this year.  That was good.  Thanks Rob.  I'll see it through.

Now my bike is sitting in pieces, and I have a new derailleur (body is bent) and brake pads on order, and am eagerly awaiting the chance to put my new Gore cables on, which happen to include extra long housing for the full lenght housing on my C-dale.  Oh and I have 2/3 exams done.  My life rocks.

semi relief

I am done with classes for this my 6th semester here at Dickinson College.  I have one course and a year of research left to do in my geology major.  I have one physical education credit left until the rest of the college says I can graduate.  I need sleep.

That's all I have to say.