Finally Something to Write About

I guess, now that the racing season has started, that I have something to write about now.  It's been a bit of a bummer for the past month-ish since I last wrote something.  Just trying to squeeze as much riding as possible into my work schedule, and semi coming to the realization that it's not really enough.  I'm making progress, but in two weekends of racing I haven't been able to show it.  I own some Strava segments, which makes me feel good, but I still don't feel like I'm exactly in the place I want to be.  I know I'm doing better than I was a few months ago, so I'm trying to focus on that and press onward.  It's semi-working.

So three weekends ago, I traveled up to Michaux for the latest addition of the Mid Atlantic Cycling Development Camp.  It was a good camp, as it always is.  Due to the low attendance I didn't have to lead the kids ride, so I was able to grab onto the "fun" ride.  We packed in 30 miles of the best trails in Norchaux, and it was awesome.  Very awesome.  

Scottie trying to ride Joe's bike.  It was funny.

Most of the group, rolling up Bunker Hill.

Coming off 3 Mile.

The weekend after that, I was back in the area (-ish) for Zach's Tuscarora MTB Enduro.  This is the Michaux MASH reincarnated.  In the week between the MACDC and the Tuscarora race, I got sick.  Sick enough that I only made it through 3 laps (about 2.5 hrs) of the race.  I was sort of on the upswing, but since conditions were super wet and muddy, I didn't want to risk making myself worse.  Definitely not a good test of my form, as I couldn't really push hard up the climbs.  It was still worth the trip; hanging out around a campfire with friends is always worth the trip.

Last weekend, after picking Ms. Geology up at BWI from her week long trip to Indianapolis for a teacher conference (all expenses paid trip... flight, hotel, food, everything), we rallied down to New Castle, VA for Chris Scott's Dragon's Tale bike race thinger.  Everything was good.  The legs were good, the lungs were clear, and the course looked amazing.  My race started with a PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS as I flatted on one of the many river crossings on Broad Run Road; the flat, super fast run-in to the first climb.  By the time I got the tire to seal up again, I was a bunch of minutes off the back of the back group, so I chased as hard as I could to find some people going my speed.  I hit the big climb, Grouse Trail, and started up.  The switchbacks (most of them required walking) yielded amazing views of the little valleys below as we grabbed a few hundred feet more elevation in just a few miles.  Once I got to the ridgetop, I was rewarded with some of the finest singletrack in the history of ever.  Unfortunately, a short time down the first descent (Deer Trail), my day ended.  With this:

Ouchies.

The culprit?  A switchback.  Me sitting far behind my seat.  Not making it around the switchback.  And this:

This is the remains of my seatpost mounted water bottle.  My leg was conveniently wedged between the pointy bit and the bottom of the cage and the tire.  There was, strangely, no pain, so I probably exacerbated the problem by pulling on my bike a bit before calmly assessing the situation, and getting someone to take the tire out so I could get back on the bike.  The Doctor, whose hands are pictured above, did an awesome job of patching me up, completely negating the need for a hospital trip, since were were easily an hour from one.  He stitched me up right there in the woods, complete with lidocane injections (two full syringes full) so I really didn't feel anything.  It was everything they would have done at a hospital minus the paperwork and the waiting around.  I'm very happy he was there, whatever his name is, as the wound is healing very very nicely now.  And the excellent race promoter that he is, Chris stuck around the whole time and filmed most of the stitching with his phone.  I would love to see it, but I don't think he'll release that onto the intertubes.  

I'll probably be back on my bike tomorrow to see how it feels.  I don't want to stress it too much, since I really want to race the Marysville Relay with my super awesome team this weekend!  I'll leave everyone on a less messy note.  Keep the rubber side down, and don't attach a waterbottle to the seatpost of your MTB.  Definitely not worth this.  From now on I will be sucking it up and pocketing it for long races.

The creek behind the venue.  It was perfect.

Ready for fun.

Long neutral roll-out.

Ms. Geology got a ride in the Chris Scott-mobile.  Oh hey, I guess that's me there...

Things to Buy: End-o-the-World Edition

It may seem a little silly that I'm selling a bunch of stuff since the world is going to end in 11 short months, but there is a season of mountain bike racing between now and then, so I'm doing it anyway [/sarcasm]

There are some big ticket items:

Wheelset #1

Wheelset #2 (with tires)

Some medium ticket stuff:

Rear Hub SOLD!!!

Crankset <---- Re-listed, price dropped!

And a small thing:

Brake Rotor <---- Re-listed, price dropped!


*NEW* Things to make your bike go forward:

X7 Front Derailleur

XT Front Derailleur

(If these links are incorrect it's because I can't check them on my computer at work...)

There will be a few more small things added over the next few days, and I'll put them up on this post so you all can easily find them.  Happy bidding!

In other news, I added this to my bike stable yesterday:

Thank you Bad Andy.  I will treat it well.

So long!

EDIT: New Items added!

EDIT: Links fixed.

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Wintery Time

I've been trying to get my cycling feet back under me since oh, about November, and I think I've made some progress in the last two weeks.  The week between Christmas and New Years, I actually clocked about seven hours of riding!!!!  A whole seven hours!  It was amazing.  All on my singlespeed, which is nice, because I love that bike.  It is my favorite out of all of them.  It just feels right.  It's even better after I got some new parts for it for Christmas.  It's much easier to pedal with a bottom bracket that actually turns round.

Took one of my friends from college, a new cyclist, on a road ride yesterday.  He brought the great weather up from Florida for our ride and we ended up putting in 31 mi at a chill chill chill pace in shorts and short sleeves.  It was pretty cool to get out on the road again, as I haven't really done that in a few months.

Enjoying some fresh powder trails in upstate NY.

Pretty NY countryside.

Shiny bits for the SS... plus a bath which it hasn't had in a few years.  Salsa Toothfairy is the best bashguard ever.

 After watching the 'Cross nats coverage on Cyclingdirt today, I'm definitely excited to get riding again.  It was pretty awe inspiring to watch those Delaware's best walk away with the women's race for the eighth time in a row, and to see her young protege pick up the silver.  And watching JPow's perfectly timed attack left me with goosebumps.  Now I am really ready to start 2012 with a bang.  I'm continuously honored to be able to ride with the great group of guys and gals that is the C3-Athletes Serving Athletes team.  All of you inspire me every time you turn your pedals over.  I'm also proud to be an Ergon Factory Rider again for 2012.  This year, not only will they be keeping my hands comfy, but my rear end as well, which is always a plus for 100 mile races.  Sore butt = unhappy bike racer.  I'd also like to tip my hat to ENVE Composites, who is coming on board with some support and some super sweet cockpit components.  They'll cut a few grams of weight off the Epic and pile on a few kilograms of sexiness.

So now that 2011 is actually over (with cross nats being finished and all), congrats to all my friends who trekked out and raced, and I'll see you all when the mountain bike thing starts up again!

Cross Closure

Last weekend ended one of my favorite cross seasons so far.  I can't quite put my finger on why.  I didn't have the greatest season on paper; my results were solidly in the lower 50%, and often in the bottom 25%.  I didn't win, place, or show at any races.  I didn't travel to exotic places, or participate in the biggest races.  I didn't get faster, but I didn't get slower.  I guess that's the key then.  I didn't get slower.  Stasis.  Usually that's a bad thing.  I'm pretty ok with it this year though.  I've felt like I've gotten faster at the races simply by driving my bike better.  I know I'm a pretty good bike handler on bikes with wide bars and flat tires, but in years past I've never felt comfortable on my cross bike.  It never quite drove right.  I think that this year I got it down.  Since I supremely suck at running, I made a point to ride everything I could this year.  Unfortunately the beginning of the season provided a lot of opportunities for running.  The season got better, though, and being able to ride over stuff was just more... fun.  And fun is what cyclocross is all about.  I enjoy stuffing myself into a skinsuit, pinning a number on, and lining up in the back of a group of like minded guys every weekend.  It's fun.

Great teammates definitely help though.  Lauri, Auer, Diane, Ben, and Fatmarc put on a great race last weekend.  As did Andy Taus and his crew.  Those races were two of the best courses I've yet ridden.  The perfect compromise between a boring grass crit and a mountain bike race tough enough to make all the roadies run home crying...

Pricey is trying to eat all the bugs.

I always gotta beat that guy.

The best part about this season has been, as I've said a few times already, the people.  Ending the year on a high note certainly didn't hurt though.

Tried to stick the inside pass here...

Surfing the sand

Looking forward to what 2012 will bring.  Even more than that, I'm looking forward to the week of vacation I'm taking between Christmas and New Years.  A week of riding in upstate New York is just what I need right now.

Top two pics from the incomparable Dennis, bottom to pics from the incomparable Ms. Geology.

Subie: A Retrospective

A few weeks ago my good old Subie died.

Subie and I soon after I got her.  Hibernia Short Track.  2007

She was a 1999.  Blew a head gasket on I-581 in Harrisburg.  Common problem with that year.

The accident.  I-81 southwest of Harrisburg.  Summer 2008.

It saddens me greatly to have to get rid of this car.

Leaving Damascus, VA with Ms. Geology, July 2011

It's like losing an old friend.

Camping with Subie at the Mohican 100, June 2011.

A friend that, oddly enough, will be missed.

Last known picture of Subie in her element.  SVBC Mountain Bike Festival, October 2011.

The final resting place of Subie, November 2011.

Subie v2.0 has arrived, but still does not feel the same.

2004 Subie... semi-props if you know where this was taken. November 2011.

I've done a few MABRA cross races in the last few weeks, both in the Elite field.  Hour long races suck muchly, but racing in a field of 25 and starting at the back is much better than racing in a field of 125 and starting at the back.  Got lapped with one to go at Schooley Mill, and pulled myself before I got lapped at Rockburn.  The Rockburn day was not a total loss as I enjoyed some pump track sessions and a good old XC ride (on a 26er HT with flat pedals) before the race...

... Hey that's probably why I was so slow...

With three races left, I'm staring at the end of 'cross season now.  While I didn't do a ton of racing, and I didn't do a ton (read: any) training, I am happy with it nonetheless.  I had fun, I worked hard when I could, and I enjoyed the company of friends.  That's what cross season is really about.

Return to Sender

Spent last weekend out in Carlisle.  A friend of our was having her bridal shower, so while Ms. Geology went to that, I spent Saturday afternoon doing very adult things with the groom-to-be and his father.  Adult things consisted of discussing/arguing about the difference between conservative and liberal politics, discussing negligence laws, talking about cookies, and watching Harry Potter 7 (part 1).  All of those are clearly adult things.  We spent that night getting reacquainted with the G-man, and I spent the night wondering why only one of the bartenders there can make a whiskey sour that is WHISKEY sour as opposed to whiskey SOUR.  For the record, that bartender was not on that night.  Much fun was had.

The next morning, I had sort of planned on hitting up the MBM ride out of big flat (after a bunch of other plans fell through).  The 9 AM start to that deterred me, and I choose sleeping in and waffles at the hotel.  I headed down to Michaux for a solo ride, and ended up riding for a little bit with some dudes.  Don't remember who they were.  I took us 1:10 to get from the Furnace Stacks to the top of Bunker Hill (at Michaux Road).  Let me spell that out for you: one hour and ten minutes.  After clearing a good bit of the deadfall off Creek Trail (whatever we could get by hand, for we had no tools), we hit Bunker Hill and began to do the same thing.  After we crested that first little rise (having already cleared one section of deadfall) we were greeted by what more deadfall than I have ever seen on a trail.  It looked like someone had run along side of the trail with a chainsaw and cut all the trees down.  We walked from there until the gate and the hard road, which had been cleared by the power company or something.  After the short ride to Michaux Road, I split off from the dudes, abandoning my plan to head out to Tumbling Run via Creek Trails both because I didn't have time for that loop and because I thought that the top of the ridge would be more clear of deadfall (stuff should fall away from the top right?).  I headed straight uphill for the new ridge stuff.

Forgive the cell phone pictures.

Still can't get this one.

Classic PA chunkiness.

An autumnal moonscape.

Shortly after that, on the hard switchback on Traverse, I did something stupid and crashed.  Not in the typical Zach crash spot (in the switchback, trying to take the not-over-the-rock line), but right before it.  The leaves defeated me and I ended up on my back with legs up in the air, still attached to a bike that was standing on its front wheel with its back wheel up in the air against a tree.  I must have wrenched my shoulder, because it hurt.  I bailed down Cold Spring, rode back to the car and called it a semi-successful day.  Riding like this needs to exist where I live...

Two days later, I was back in Carlisle for this:

I guess I'm legit now...

Apparently I gave a really good talk, and lead a really good discussing about what is being done to improve Bay health in general.  Honestly, I was surprised, as I though my talk to be horribly dull.  It felt good to be in the presence of academic minds again; a refreshing reminder that I do know what I'm doing, and I am mostly intelligent.  Unfortunately, the professor I had most wanted to see is on sabbatical this year and did not feel the need to come.  I don't blame him since he lives almost three hours away.  Fortunately, an old professor of mine, someone who I admire and respect greatly happened to be visiting from the school she now teaches at.  That was a great surprise.  I hope she had some good discussions about diabase.  I do love me some diabase.

Damn renovations happening after I graduated!  Soooo much space now...

I wish I had this rock prep lab when I was in college.  

Just remember, here at C3-Athletes Serving Athletes presented by Twenty20 Cycling, we care...

Love.