Kruger Pics

Sorry, none of me w/o the seat...

Kruger's Crossing

Ah, cross racing in Portland! I must say, it rocks the house.

I rode in the singlespeed class this week; I am convinced that I no longer want to race on a geared bike. I was doing ok, sitting in 13th place and catching folks when my coverless SLR saddle broke. Well, 'broke' perhaps isn't the best word. 'Shattered' is better. Anyway, I did the last lap-and-a-half standing up. I think I still managed to finish in the top 20. I'll check results later.

I did my first 'training' ride yesterday. Three hours of long steady distance riding. I don't know how long my long rides will be this year, but it was good to get back out on the road. Gym workouts and running start this week as well. Also, I bought a scale. Power-to-weight ration is gonna get worked from both sides this year, baby!

My race schedule for next season is still in flux, but I have decided to focus on west coast races and skip some races I have done before. So, no TI and I am doubtful about Kanza as well. Cascade Creampuff, Breckenridge, Tahoe, singlespeed worlds in Napa and a trip to Wisconsin are on the list, Lumberjack is about 80%, and there is a local 24 in Oregon that I would like to do. I need to get on the details, but it's early.

Plans are under way for an Arkansas spring training trip, a la 2006. I predict broken bikes, bruised bodies and empty beer bottles.

USGP this coming weekend. I might race one day, I might race two days: I'll be happy either way.

Porltand: if ya ain't racing cross, why are you dressed so funny?!?

Midwest Style

So, I'm back in Michigan for a week. Got on the phone to a friend Sunday AM, wanting to get a few beers in the afternoon. He says, "Aren't you doing the 'cross race?" Hmmm, didn't know there was a cross race today. It starts in two hours? You have a bike I can borrow? Heck, why not!

So I borrow a bike and off we go! Not much of a race for me, since I was not in any way prepared for competition. Still, it was a fun time and it was nice to have people cheering for me again. I still don't know enough people in Portland to have much of a cheering section.

After the race it was off to the new smoke-free Founder's Pub. Awesome! Over a few pints, the suggestion was made for some night-time singletrack riding. Well, what the heck! Another borrowed bike, and away we go. It was just like old times; me, Nate, Jansen and Shawn. I rode one of Dan's SS Niner bikes. Of course, that meant I had to run a Dan Jansen gear. Ouch! My knees still hurt.

Sounds like there will be some riding tomorrow as well; and here I thought this would be a rest week! Another ride, and another borrowed bike. This time a geared steel bike from Niner. If you have to borrow a bike, having someone with a Niner sponsorship is not a bad way to go... :)

Looking forward to getting back to Portland. It's cold here. And it looks like I'll be back in time for more cross action!

SSCXWC

Oh, what a painful way to spend the afternoon.

The race was an hour long. I treated it like a real race, and went as hard as I could. Others were more casual about the affair. Hence, me placement: 49th out of 74 finishers. I was able to pass most of the costume-wearing, fireworks-launching, beer-in-the-water bottle folks, but I had to be near the end of the people who were actually racing.

I'm not gonna lie to ya; I worked hard out there. Full-on for an hour; I really thought I was going to puke. The bike worked like a charm, although as expected the crank is starting to creak. I switched from the Small Blocks to the old-school Michelin muds with great success.

Sorry, no pictures! Give me a break--I'm out here alone and I was racing. I will say this; no pictures means you don't have to see Barry Wicks in a gold speedo. Consider yourself lucky...

Results

SSCXWC Update

SSCXWC qualifier was today. The Top 30 from the 1-lap time trial got in; I was somewhere around 80th at 2 minutes back. I thought I was done, but then I learned there was a 2-lap last-chance qualifier. Oh, well. I'm here, I might as well race.

There were 30 or 40 of us still sober enough to find our helmets and shoes for the race. The top 15 would get spots in the Big Show tomorrow. Off we went!

Man, I suck at cross. But I really wanted to get in that race, so I put my head down and went to work.

Final Result: 14th Place! Yeah, baby! This will be my second 'worlds' event. I'm guessing I won't see 3rd Place this time around. It will be cool to toe the start line with some fast folks. I guess some dude named Ryan had the fastest lap...

More tomorrow...

Still Here...

...but not much to report. The DD-X has been test flown. It is like butter, or like a feather, or a bee, or whatever is super-smooth. I have concerns about the fancy cranks in the SS application over the long haul, but they are fine for now and I have some shiny WI Eno's that can step in if necessary.

Oh, someone at the shop weighed it. Just a hair over 18 lbs dirty, with cages and those not-so-light wheels. I loves me some Slingshot!

Big cross nonsense this weekend that NOTHING will keep me from attending. I have missed way to many races already. This one should be a treat! Expect some pictures and a full report next week.

Looks like I will be back in Michigan for Turkey Day; unexpected but not unwelcome. It'll be nice to see the crew again.

Slingshot DD-X Singlespeed

I'll swap the seat for something with a little more padding to ease the 'cross remounts, and the bartape will have to be rewrapped when I get the brake levers replaced, and the yellow stickers on the wheels won't last long. Otherwise, she is ready for sscxwc.

The Local Trail

16ish miles; 2.5 hours. 4200 feet of climbing. 99.5% singletrack.

This trail is 45 minutes from my new apartment. This trail has a reputation similar to the reputation of Yankee Springs for riders in GR; pretty good if you don't have time to to get to something better...

This trail shattered my kneecaps. I dropped the gear to 38x20 on Friday. At the top of the first climb, I was wishing for 32x20 and/or a bucket of ice to soak my flaming kneecaps. There was lots of payoff, however; tons of swoopy downhill singletrack. I encountered just about every type of trail surface; greasy mud, frost, gravel, shale, pine needles, and super-buff tacky dirt.

I need to change my stem. The angle is right, but it is too long. That creates added...challenges during long, technical descents.

Pics to follow this evening, along with pics of my new ss xc wheelset... :)

Just another ride in the park...

About 25 miles, half on singletrack.

About 6500 feet of climbing.

Yeah, that's how I roll.

Swapped the 1.9" Karmas for a Nevegal up front and a 2.2" Karma out back. Lots more weight, lots more traction and comfort. I might gear up one tooth in the back; that was a bunch of climbing at 2x1. On the other hand, there were only a few small pieces that I didn't clean so maybe I should just man up and take it.

Looks like I'll be heading to the coast range for some riding on Saturday. The cross race on Sunday is pretty far away; if my new ss cross wheels are here tomorrow, I might try to mount them up and make a run for it. If not, I'll wait and hit the cross race next week.

Forest Park Yet Again

Saturday it was back to Forest Park. Just to mix things up, the weather decided to take a turn for the nasty. Pouring rain and 45F at the start. I almost didn't show up for the start, but I didn't have anything else to do that morning and I wanted to see if Brian and Frank would show up.

Sure enough, my new Saturday friends were on time and ready to ride. Our only concession to the weather was to limit the ride to 2 hours. We did about the same course as last week. I'm starting to get the hang of this trail.

On the way back I was starting to get cold. My feet were clad in Lake boots, but they were soaked through. My hands were wrapped in EMS neoprene gloves. Neither were up to the task. Feet and hands were both numb when we got back to the cars. I plan to re-waterproof the boots and wear some warmer socks next time. I think I might need to buy a new pair of gloves. Lightweight, waterproof, with just a bit of liner for warmth. Or maybe a pair of wind and waterproof shells to wear over the EMS gloves. Also, I have one gore-tex jacket that I have been using on and off the bike. With all the riding I'm doing, and the perpetually muddy state of Forest Park, I'm gonna need at least one new jacket for off the bike. I might look for an additional jacket for on the bike as well, to give the other jacket a chance to dry out between uses.

I had to miss the cross race today. I had to work in the AM for the second week in a row. Bummer. The good news is that my ss wheels from Mike Curiak should be here for the next cross race; gotta get ready for the ss cross worlds, baby!

More Forest Park

At last, I made it out for a Thursday Night Ride at Forest Park. It was wet but in the mid-60's when Andrew, Dan and I started out from Fat Tire. Andrew was on a Monocog 29er full-rigid and Dan was on 26er FS. We rode up the big hill, down some sweet singletrack, back up a hill, and down a crazy-fast descent. I think it was about the same route I rode on Saturday.

Good times! I'm starting to get back in shape a little; at least that long hill seems easier than last week. Good company and I wore the right clothes.

Notes to self: The Niterider MiNewt is great for the dirt road, not quite good enough for the 20+ MPH downhill singletrack. The slipping bar mount didn't help. Bring the HID next time...

Also, bring your fenders, you nitwit! It's rainy her in PDX; those fancy fenders don't do you any good sitting in your hotel room.

Dan says he rides every Thursday all winter. Sounds like a plan to me!

I'll be riding again on Saturday, and might get to sneak out to the cross race this Sunday. I do have to work again, but if the training I am participating in wraps up in time, the bike and my gear will be ready to go so I won't have any excuse.

Hey, what's up?

Not too much to report. Missed the Thursday ride; had some housing logistics to handle. I did manage to get out yesterday. Rode with Brian and Ken in Forrest Park. We were out for a couple of hours; it was a good ride. They have plans to ride regularly, and have generously agreed to have be tag along.

Visited with Bernie last night. Man, that guy can pick a pizza joint! It was good to catch up.

Skipped the Cross race today. Kind of a bummer, but I had a work thing this morning and by the time I finished up I didn't have enough time to get to the venue. We'll get 'em next week.

Pics for your enjoyment follow:

Forrest Park is spoooookie!

Well, maybe not *that* spookie...

My name is Bernie; I likes me some pizza!

My name is Joe; I likes me some Bernie!

For Snob (and friends...)

More 'Cross...

OK, so I was not quite in the top half of the Master's B field. I was 42 out of 70+. Not great, but not as bad as I thought it might be. Plenty of room for improvement over the season.

There were over 1000 racers at this event. Yep, you read that right. Crazy stuff.

Here are a some links to pics from the event:

http://oregonvelo.exposuremanager.com/p/cc070103/cc0701mjb109158

http://oregonvelo.exposuremanager.com/p/cc070103/cc0701smy082135

http://oregonvelo.exposuremanager.com/p/cc070103/cc0701mjb116159

When I said I leap like a gazelle, I don't make that stuff up...

Cross Crusade

I made my way to the Cross Crusade race. I selected the Master's B class. As I watched the C class, I started to get worried. All the riders in that group seemed to have GREAT cyclocross form. I saw myself getting shelled off the back of the B's...

It wasn't quite as bad as all that. I started at the back of the pack, but was able to find my rhythm quickly and was passing people left and right. My dismount was spot-on, and I was leaping barriers like a gazelle. However, my re-mount needs help. Still, I was able to hold my own, and I think I finished in the top half of the group. I'll post up a definitive answer when the results are made official.

The DD-X worked great! Sure, I failed to clean and lube it after my mud-fest ride earlier in the week so the shifting could have been better. But the bike itself worked very well. I have a set of Curiak ENO Eccentric wheels on the way; that will cure the shifting issues real quick.

Speaking of singlespeeding, there were about 100 ss crossers at this race. They went off just before the Men's Open B class, and promptly turned in the fastest lap of the day (up to that point). They were wicked fast-here are a few pics:

Yes, we did run up those stairs. Many times...

Anyway, it was a good day. I had fun, and I plan to go back. This was kind of a tame version of this event, as no beer was permited on site. I guess things will be a little crazier next week. I'll let you know...

Portland Update

Not much riding to report. The new job keeps me busy, and I have my hands full looking for an apartment.

I did get out to ride City Forrest. It is basically a dirt road. It starts out in the city and climbs for the first two miles. For a flat-lander like me, that is a bunch o' climbing. Then it is rough road for the next 7 miles out and 7 miles back. I was quite covered in mud by the end. I felt good until the ss cyclocrosser passed my like I was standing still, and on the climb no less. I tried to reel him in, but to no avail.

The Mt. Hood ride is off. They have like a foot of snow up there, and my cold weather gear is on a truck somewhere near Omaha right now. I will make my way over to the Cross Crusade race on Sunday. The question is this: DD-X or Quiring with cross tires? I plan to hang around and take pictures, so we'll see how that works out...

SLC Pic Dump

Read 'em and weep...

Ah, like butter...

What is that white stuff?!?

More of the white stuff and the wet stuff.

Views like this *everywhere*...

The Quiring looking like a million bucks.

Your humble blogger; just to prove I didn't lift the pics from Dirt Rag.

Quick update from the road

Greetings from Salt Lake City!

I was in Lincoln, NE on Wednesday. Hooked up with the Snob for a nice spin and some great pizza and beer at Yaya's. We ran into a whole herd of endurance singlespeeders on the ride; a handful of DK and TI vets, as well as some 'regular' ss-24 racers. A few, including cornbread joined us for dinner. I crashed at the casa de snob. Good times!

Yesterday it was back on the road for 12 hours to get me to SLC. Took today off from driving to do some riding. The trails around SLC are insane! I dropped the Quiring down to 2x1 and still spend quite a bit of time walking. But when I could ride the trials were some of the best I have seen to date. They are very diverse; like rolling the NTC from Michigan in with some of the climbs and descents from Sylamore in Arkansas. And the views; well, they were just crazy. I took a bunch of pictures, and will post them as soon as I reach my final destination and get my computer up and running.

Back on the road tomorrow for another 12 hours. The weather is supposed to turn sour, so that should make the mountains interesting...

End of an Era

I did the team ride last night. It was a special cyclocross training ride; we went through just about every orchard, two-track, golf cart path, and goat path in Kent County. Aside from a few crashes, a good time was had by all. I was on the Quiring with cross tires. Two other single speeds were on the ride, as well as a handful of 1x9's.

Good times.

We then adjourned to the Farmstead, where tasty beverages were consumed.

As good as the night was, it was also somewhat bittersweet as it was my last Founder's team ride. I have accepted a job in Portland, OR. I start on October 1. I'll ride with the Founder's folks whenever I get the chance, but my days of the regular Tuesday rides are over.

Not much will change on the blog, except hopefully the pictures will display more interesting terrain. Blog updates might be a bit slow as I will be driving out to Portland. I do hope to get a few rides in along the way, and I'll update as time and connectivity permit.

You never know what the future might hold...

Cyclocross Season

Must be Cross season!

Shawn

Scott

Joe #3

JoeFro

Joe #1

Smaller group for the first Cross Team Ride of the season. The weather was very fall-like, with cool temps, dark clouds and lots of wind. A mix of dirt roads and pavement was on tap. It was a nice introduction to cross season, or as I like to call it "Did Nate just lap me AGAIN!?!" season.

Post ride refreshments:

Our Team Motto

Shelf of Fame

Spandex Steve and The Farmer joined us post-ride

Good Times! More cross training is on tap. Next week the farmer has some kind of special treat in store for us. I assume I will be hurting...