Velochallenge

So after my first “true” season of cyclocross (broken collar bone last season), I decided I needed a better wheelset. I basically have a stock wheelset, Xero’s which weigh a ton and they’re clinchers so whenever I run low pressure I encountered many pinch flats. So I begin investigating my options, I was drawn to ‘tubless’ with “Stan’s No-Tubes” but I was very hesitant after hearing various stories of cyclist burbing air into their tires. Personally I don’t want to take that chance and end up running my bike back to the pits to switch out wheels. Tubulars, I am very familiar with since I run them on both road and track. So minus the clincher and tubless option the only option available would be to go Tubular. I know that by going with this option that I must constantly check the glue with all that mud and water eating away at the glue. I’ve seen my fair share of fellow crossers running back to the pit with a rolled tire. The various tubulars I scoped out where just way out of where I wanted to pay. I decided my best option was to build a set up with ultegra hubs and mavic reflex rims. That was until I spoke to my local bike shop about a new wheelset ‘Easton 70X.’

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Today’s crosscrusade race was at Estacada Timber Park, and what a wham packed day of racing. If you didn’t know this was the “unofficial singlespeed world championship.” For me, however, it was a pretty anti-climatic day of racing; I finished a little below mid-pack today but I’m satisfied with my result. A crash and a broken shifting cable-housing sent me borrowing a team mates bike from the pits and scrambling to regain any ground on my competition. Thats cross racing
Well it’s been a rather rough cyclocross season so far for me. That isn’t to say I haven’t done well I’ve managed to do well for myself with a few mid place finishes. Not bad for a roadie/trackie trying cyclocross for the first time this season. It hasn’t been easy, I’ve had to battle my way back from mid-pack/back-of-the-pack almost every race so far. Why? Mechanicals mostly. Dropped chains, flat tires, crashes…it’s been one of those seasons. Slowly, learning how to setup my bike specific for cross. Interestingly, I’m beginning to understand this suffering concept in cyclocross. As the season’s progressed I’ve found that I’ve been able to either slowly fight my way back up through the pack or fight where I’m currently positioned rather than call it a day. But this is what cyclocross racing is all about - suffering. If you can suffer more than the others, you have a very good chance of winning. Unlike mountain bike racing or road racing, cyclocross definitely requires (if you want to do well that is) that you leave EVERYTHING at the finish. Though it is my first season and I am learning there’s always that part of me that can’t stop thinking how I could have, should have, may have been able to go that much faster, push it that much harder. Oh well, there is always next year, right?

I know there’s alot of CrossCrusader’s who enjoy their beer, but here’s a friendly reminder not to drink and ride.

I guess global warming is to blame for the wonderful weather we’ve been experiencing lately. The Barton course was a complete dust bowl. The course itself was realtivity flat with two challenging run ups and plenty of loose gravel. I should know, since not out 200 meters of my first race I washed out in first corner, leaving my shifting all missed up.

Well after some tinkering I had the bike working, but decided to hang it up. But some of my fellow team members talked me into riding the B’s. So, what the heck, I decided to jump in with both feet and join the B ranks. I must say there are a few differences between the B and C ranks:

• They’re skinner (10-15lbs lighter)
• Fewer of them (compared to 120+ C racers)
• Not as fast as I thought

As I lined up I felt like a freaking Clysdale compared to half the group. Now granted I am in the process of loosing weight, not that I’m big or anything for the record I’m 179. Just want to be ready for the upcoming road season so I can tackle my goal of moving to cat 3 on the road.

So as usual I found myself in the back of the pack at the start. I know, really need to get up to the front at the start. Anyways, the first few laps were great, simply tried to stay within my limits. Just push it just enough to where I’m feeling the burn in the legs. Well, those freaking run-ups sure didn’t help matters. That transfer from on the bike to off the bike to back on the bike wrecked havok on my legs. Photographer over at Photofaction got a nice sequence of me “Not” running up the hills. If you can’t figure it out I’m the one at the front that doesn’t move in the pictures. Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3, Pic 4

Well with only a few more cross races on the calendar I’m not too worried about it. Just shooting to get placing mid pack and I’ll be happy. My main focus for the rest of the cross season is just to keep my pace up and work on increasing my endurance before I go into winter training with my team.

Well this weekend’s the annual Crosscrusade Halloween race.
Unfortunately , I won’t be attending I’ll be celebrating with my own
party the night before. So for those that are going, have fun and don’t drink and ride!
I’ll be out training getting ready for the next race at Barton Park. Hopefully its a muddy one.