Sunday, December 28, 2008
Intensity
Lord, Lord, Lord. Tomorrow will be my third consecutive cross race. I might do four races in four days, depends on how I feel tomorrow. Once I recover from this bout I'll write about them and how the cyclocross stage race experiment goes. To bed.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Belge Noir: The Setup
(This piece written by Zig Ryder, my personal narrator here in Belgium)
Usually the .38 at my side gives me warmth. Not tonight. She was empty, Belgian train rules. Not to worry, I had a hot clip at the ready if things got rowdy in second class. It was a five hour ride from Lyon, soon to be over.
I stepped off at Deinze station, chilled by a cutting gust. I was landing in Belgium with nothing but a couple ponies, a couple skinsuits, and a hankering for muddy corners. Cyclocross season was swinging and I didn't want to miss the ball.
As I checked over my bags a local brat with sticky fingers made at move on my bike box. I gave him a peek at my heater and he moved on to the next sap. The sleepy little berg was dull gray under low afternoon clouds, a thick mist whipped through the streets. Tonight I would hole up at some old maids boarding house, but first I'd drop in on the grease monkeys at Tempo Cycles.
I was met at the till by a pale little mouse. I told him to get someone who knew something about anything. A minute later I was talking with the main man. I said I was looking for some long term digs, something suitable for a young stud with wheels. He flipped through his little black book. As he dialed he sized me up with a squinty left eye. I didn't like it, but I knew he could give me the connect, so I gave him room. He swapped some pretty words with a 'Martin' and came up with a number. "That's Staf," he said, "he runs a place on the North side, they call it the Farm." I took the digits and tipped my brim.
Too be continued...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
RACE: Lichtevelde, Best Yet
Saturday, Dec 20 marked my best cross race yet. The race took place at the "Dog-school" in Lichtervelde. A Dog-school is exactly that, there are obstacle courses, sheep for herding, obedience classes. The weather on Friday was cold and clear and Saturday saw high clouds, so the course was fairly clean and dry. The course was mostly flat, tacky pasture with a few deep mud sections, seven hairpin corners and a long, windy paved section.
Last weekend's race (12/14/08) went poorly. It was my first race with the support of a pit mechanic - Freddy - and it went badly in many ways: I was tired, my bikes were slow and I got lapped after 45 minutes. Freddy is a friend of my landlord's who likes cross and has offered to help me. He speaks less English than I speak Dutch, if that's possible, so we communicate with grunts and gestures, very manly. After last week I felt bad, like I'd wasted his day.
While riding to the race this week I had a good feeling about my performance. I had been strong in training all week and knew that I was well prepared. It was strangely exciting, like I had a secret. I couldn't tell Freddy because of the language barrier, this made it even better, knowing that I was going to surprise him.
Race prep went well. I decided to run low tire pressure and rely on my smoothness to avoid flats. By the way, low pressure means just over 20 PSI on a 34mm tire. I almost don't believe the pump's gauge, but that's what it says. Lining up was typical: last call-up. Interestingly, another American got first call up, a fella from RAD Racing in Seattle. I took my place at the back and prepared for another battle for position.
I passed 20 guys in the paved starting straight and then focused on picking off more riders. My predictions about my performance were correct, I was recovering from efforts quickly and accelerating strongly. My road riding strength showed every time I traversed the paved section; I passed most of my victims in the stiff cross wind. My biggest weaknesses are technical consistency and equipment, both factors made obvious in mud sections. Riders with deep carbon wheels easily roll through muck that bogs down my wheels - bastards. The consistency issue is a matter of doing more cross racing and learning to read mud and corners, already this season I am improving quickly.
The most exciting part of the race for me were the last 10 minutes. There was one rider who had stayed out of my reach the entire race. while other racers were quickly caught and passed he had held a 40 second lead on me. His lead would grow in the muddy sections and then shrink in the wind and the corners. With two laps to go I had narrowed his lead and knew I would catch him in the final road section. With a half lap to go I snagged my handle bar on a boundary rope and had to dismount and free my bike. He sped away, no doubt encouraged by my profanities. I pushed hard in the straights and corned smoothly, it was definitely my best lap. Into the final corner he had a 30 foot lead. Despite my best effort he beat me by a bike's length. Later I learned that this one position was the difference between being in the prize money and getting nothing. I finished 21st. Next time.
Last weekend's race (12/14/08) went poorly. It was my first race with the support of a pit mechanic - Freddy - and it went badly in many ways: I was tired, my bikes were slow and I got lapped after 45 minutes. Freddy is a friend of my landlord's who likes cross and has offered to help me. He speaks less English than I speak Dutch, if that's possible, so we communicate with grunts and gestures, very manly. After last week I felt bad, like I'd wasted his day.
While riding to the race this week I had a good feeling about my performance. I had been strong in training all week and knew that I was well prepared. It was strangely exciting, like I had a secret. I couldn't tell Freddy because of the language barrier, this made it even better, knowing that I was going to surprise him.
Race prep went well. I decided to run low tire pressure and rely on my smoothness to avoid flats. By the way, low pressure means just over 20 PSI on a 34mm tire. I almost don't believe the pump's gauge, but that's what it says. Lining up was typical: last call-up. Interestingly, another American got first call up, a fella from RAD Racing in Seattle. I took my place at the back and prepared for another battle for position.
I passed 20 guys in the paved starting straight and then focused on picking off more riders. My predictions about my performance were correct, I was recovering from efforts quickly and accelerating strongly. My road riding strength showed every time I traversed the paved section; I passed most of my victims in the stiff cross wind. My biggest weaknesses are technical consistency and equipment, both factors made obvious in mud sections. Riders with deep carbon wheels easily roll through muck that bogs down my wheels - bastards. The consistency issue is a matter of doing more cross racing and learning to read mud and corners, already this season I am improving quickly.
The most exciting part of the race for me were the last 10 minutes. There was one rider who had stayed out of my reach the entire race. while other racers were quickly caught and passed he had held a 40 second lead on me. His lead would grow in the muddy sections and then shrink in the wind and the corners. With two laps to go I had narrowed his lead and knew I would catch him in the final road section. With a half lap to go I snagged my handle bar on a boundary rope and had to dismount and free my bike. He sped away, no doubt encouraged by my profanities. I pushed hard in the straights and corned smoothly, it was definitely my best lap. Into the final corner he had a 30 foot lead. Despite my best effort he beat me by a bike's length. Later I learned that this one position was the difference between being in the prize money and getting nothing. I finished 21st. Next time.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Comic Relief
For those experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder or in need of a laugh I have some Internet activites:
www.dickipedia.org - The wiki of dicks (as in people, not anatomy)
www.youtube.com - Recent favorites include 'Flight of the Conchords' (New Zealands fourth most popular Folk Comedy Band) and Jimmy Carr, British stand-up comedian (be warned, dirty/tasteless jokes. But he dresses well).
Have fun.
www.dickipedia.org - The wiki of dicks (as in people, not anatomy)
www.youtube.com - Recent favorites include 'Flight of the Conchords' (New Zealands fourth most popular Folk Comedy Band) and Jimmy Carr, British stand-up comedian (be warned, dirty/tasteless jokes. But he dresses well).
Have fun.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
K-win On Track
I take pride in my diverse abilities on the bike. I've competed in downhill, time trial, road, cross country, cyclocross, and even trials, with varying success. There are two disciplines that are obviously missing: BMX and track. For many road riders the track has a special place, a sort of mystique. An accomplished track rider who can successfully transition to road racing is a feared entity possessing great power and speed, enviable smoothness and eerie calm in fast, tight finishes.
For many Americans this mystique stems from the track's unfamiliarity - there are few tracks in the US and track racing is not widely reported or followed. Racers who are known are the freakiest of the freaks: Taylor Phinney (US pursuit record holder at age 17), Marty Nothstein (Gold in Sydney for match sprint), and Sarah Hammer (2x world pursuit champ, 20x national champ). Even within cycling these names are unknown to many; what is know is that track racers are fast.
Well you can add one more name to the list - mine. This past Thursday I had my own track success. I rode around it without falling, crying, or otherwise shaming myself. I went with Jan, a fella here who helps with team operation during road season and has time to share in the meantime. Leading up to my track debut I was repeatedly lectured on the in-n-outs and the outs-n-ins of this -ism that we call track riding. The track is marked with lanes, similarly to a running track, except the lines are multicolored and indicate different lane functions. For a detailed understanding of these lanes see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velodrome#Track_markings -.
My instructions were to start low on the track and get a feel for the turns. Once comfortable with the pace and feel of the track I should move outward slowly. OK, simple enough.
My first laps were quite thrilling, a sort of bizarre, slow adrenaline rush. I found the best state of mind for me was much like the focus involved in freediving; a calm, even state with simple focus on the work at hand and confidence that things will go well. That worked well except that the tendency in such a state is to ignore physical sensations of pain, resulting in a gradual increase in speed, leading to some very hot laps. I quickly realized that going fast wouldn't be a problem and that going slow was damn scary, so I just went fast. Eventually I worked my way to the top of the track and was comfortably moving up and down, passing other riders and following wheels.
The track is most seductive in the corners. Because of the steep banking and tight bends centrifugal forces are quite strong. Exiting the apex of the corner and launching down the straight is exhilarating. The constant left turns also lead to a vertigo like feeling. This all leads to a delirious rush of fun and fear. I anticipate in future sessions the fear/fun ratio will lean more to the fun side. My first actual race should deliver a good spike of fear back into the mix, but that's a long way off. In all I rode for an hour. Afterward I felt like I had done a hard tempo workout. More track riding to come...
For many Americans this mystique stems from the track's unfamiliarity - there are few tracks in the US and track racing is not widely reported or followed. Racers who are known are the freakiest of the freaks: Taylor Phinney (US pursuit record holder at age 17), Marty Nothstein (Gold in Sydney for match sprint), and Sarah Hammer (2x world pursuit champ, 20x national champ). Even within cycling these names are unknown to many; what is know is that track racers are fast.
Well you can add one more name to the list - mine. This past Thursday I had my own track success. I rode around it without falling, crying, or otherwise shaming myself. I went with Jan, a fella here who helps with team operation during road season and has time to share in the meantime. Leading up to my track debut I was repeatedly lectured on the in-n-outs and the outs-n-ins of this -ism that we call track riding. The track is marked with lanes, similarly to a running track, except the lines are multicolored and indicate different lane functions. For a detailed understanding of these lanes see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velodrome#Track_markings -.
My instructions were to start low on the track and get a feel for the turns. Once comfortable with the pace and feel of the track I should move outward slowly. OK, simple enough.
My first laps were quite thrilling, a sort of bizarre, slow adrenaline rush. I found the best state of mind for me was much like the focus involved in freediving; a calm, even state with simple focus on the work at hand and confidence that things will go well. That worked well except that the tendency in such a state is to ignore physical sensations of pain, resulting in a gradual increase in speed, leading to some very hot laps. I quickly realized that going fast wouldn't be a problem and that going slow was damn scary, so I just went fast. Eventually I worked my way to the top of the track and was comfortably moving up and down, passing other riders and following wheels.
The track is most seductive in the corners. Because of the steep banking and tight bends centrifugal forces are quite strong. Exiting the apex of the corner and launching down the straight is exhilarating. The constant left turns also lead to a vertigo like feeling. This all leads to a delirious rush of fun and fear. I anticipate in future sessions the fear/fun ratio will lean more to the fun side. My first actual race should deliver a good spike of fear back into the mix, but that's a long way off. In all I rode for an hour. Afterward I felt like I had done a hard tempo workout. More track riding to come...
Monday, December 8, 2008
RACE: Lottenhulle, A Fool's Errand
My second race in Belgium was last Saturday. I scouted the race course on the prior Wednesday, so I knew roughly what I was in for. Two-thirds of the course would be on a gently sloping pasture, the other part of the course was flat, puddled pasture. Two short paved sections linked the various sections or the course.
The day before the race I picked up my newly shod race wheels. Peter Stevenson, a former pro crosser from Northern England and the proprietor of Fietsen Tempo, had glued a pair of Gommitalia 34mm tubulars to my Bontrager Race X Lite hoops. When I asked how long the job would take Peter told me, “Well, I will need two days, sorry.” As if that was a long time. He glued the tires perfectly straight and centered and charged nothing for service and threw in a generous helping of local knowledge.
My main logistical problem was getting to the course with my race wheels and gear. The only solution I came up with was riding with the wheels draped over the duffel bag that I wore backpack-style. So for the hour ride to the race the tires bumped my head and pulled my hair as I endured the oddest glances the Belgian passers-by could muster. It's a bird... It's a bug... It's fool! Well, the blog is called Con Huevos and sometimes this path ain't the coolest lookin', but hey, in the words of that sad, illiterate, fat man on TV, “Get 'er done!”
I arrived with about an hour and a half for prep. I got my rig race ready and went to watch the Juniors negotiate the technical sections – lots of running on off camber mud and dismounted hairpin corners. It is the habit of course designers here to maximize their space by laying out two or more hairpins consecutively. When conditions are slippery it is fastest to dismount before the corner pin, whip the bike around and make a running remount before sprinting to the next turn around. Repeat as necessary. This is where clean ambidextrous mounting skills pay off.
Prep went smoothly, I was ready and warming up at T minus 15 minutes. An aside, I got some Quoleum #2 Hot embrocant when I bought the new tires; it was a good day to try the lotion out. Embrocation, for the uninitiated, is the use of a cream or oil to seal the skin against the elements. It can serve many purposes – ease cleanup, make legs shiny, make legs warm, reduce windburn, etc. My embrocant is a favorite here for it's hot hot heat; in temperatures below 50F it makes the legs feel nice and warm and gives them that sexy sheen that's a must when running around in the mud in a unitard. I will simply say that it worked very well and I endorse Quoleum #2 for it's efficacy, ease of cleanup, and lack of staggering chemical fumes.
Time to get some. I was again a last row call-up, so I had roughly 50 riders ahead of me. Visualize a pool of swarming salmon and a very steep, technical fish ladder with room for only one - that's cyclocross. The start was nice: 200 meters across a grass plain, open corner up a gentle slope to 2nd corner, 200 meters on asphalt, then tight corner into the muddy abyss. I moved up to about the middle of the pack in the first half lap. That's also right where I finished, which is a good lesson. Talking 'cross with Reeb a while ago his main advice was to get ready for a fast first lap, because that's what determines the race. In the first minute of racing I passed 30 people, in the remaining 59 minutes I passed maybe five. Next time I'm starting more aggressively.
I found ample motivation to race hard in number 24, a big rider who swapped positions with me a few times, each time giving me a shove in the wrong direction. Basically an asshole. He got about 20 seconds on me and then slowly fell apart. The switchback layout gave me plenty of chances to verbally encourage him. When I did make my move past him I did it cleanly and far too fast for him to play dirty. He subsequently pulled out, oh sweet success!
My biggest disadvantage is that I am racing on only one bike, whereas the rest of the field has a second, clean bike ready every lap. This may seem trivial, but a light bike with a clean drive-train is much faster than one loaded with 5 pounds of mud and enough grass in the cassette to feed a small pony twice. I was overall very happy with my Raleigh's performance, shifting actually remained crisp the entire race. I put a stream on the course to use by running and pushing my bike along in the water, this helped keep the wheels turning, though it slowed me down a bit.
With two laps remaining I realized that I would probably no get lapped. I entered the last lap less the 50 meter ahead of the race leader. I ended up finishing 24th, not a number I found impressive, but since have found that locals consider it respectable. As a result a friend of my landlord will accompany my to the next race and work in the pit passing me bikes and cleaning, so things are looking up.
The day before the race I picked up my newly shod race wheels. Peter Stevenson, a former pro crosser from Northern England and the proprietor of Fietsen Tempo, had glued a pair of Gommitalia 34mm tubulars to my Bontrager Race X Lite hoops. When I asked how long the job would take Peter told me, “Well, I will need two days, sorry.” As if that was a long time. He glued the tires perfectly straight and centered and charged nothing for service and threw in a generous helping of local knowledge.
My main logistical problem was getting to the course with my race wheels and gear. The only solution I came up with was riding with the wheels draped over the duffel bag that I wore backpack-style. So for the hour ride to the race the tires bumped my head and pulled my hair as I endured the oddest glances the Belgian passers-by could muster. It's a bird... It's a bug... It's fool! Well, the blog is called Con Huevos and sometimes this path ain't the coolest lookin', but hey, in the words of that sad, illiterate, fat man on TV, “Get 'er done!”
I arrived with about an hour and a half for prep. I got my rig race ready and went to watch the Juniors negotiate the technical sections – lots of running on off camber mud and dismounted hairpin corners. It is the habit of course designers here to maximize their space by laying out two or more hairpins consecutively. When conditions are slippery it is fastest to dismount before the corner pin, whip the bike around and make a running remount before sprinting to the next turn around. Repeat as necessary. This is where clean ambidextrous mounting skills pay off.
Prep went smoothly, I was ready and warming up at T minus 15 minutes. An aside, I got some Quoleum #2 Hot embrocant when I bought the new tires; it was a good day to try the lotion out. Embrocation, for the uninitiated, is the use of a cream or oil to seal the skin against the elements. It can serve many purposes – ease cleanup, make legs shiny, make legs warm, reduce windburn, etc. My embrocant is a favorite here for it's hot hot heat; in temperatures below 50F it makes the legs feel nice and warm and gives them that sexy sheen that's a must when running around in the mud in a unitard. I will simply say that it worked very well and I endorse Quoleum #2 for it's efficacy, ease of cleanup, and lack of staggering chemical fumes.
Time to get some. I was again a last row call-up, so I had roughly 50 riders ahead of me. Visualize a pool of swarming salmon and a very steep, technical fish ladder with room for only one - that's cyclocross. The start was nice: 200 meters across a grass plain, open corner up a gentle slope to 2nd corner, 200 meters on asphalt, then tight corner into the muddy abyss. I moved up to about the middle of the pack in the first half lap. That's also right where I finished, which is a good lesson. Talking 'cross with Reeb a while ago his main advice was to get ready for a fast first lap, because that's what determines the race. In the first minute of racing I passed 30 people, in the remaining 59 minutes I passed maybe five. Next time I'm starting more aggressively.
I found ample motivation to race hard in number 24, a big rider who swapped positions with me a few times, each time giving me a shove in the wrong direction. Basically an asshole. He got about 20 seconds on me and then slowly fell apart. The switchback layout gave me plenty of chances to verbally encourage him. When I did make my move past him I did it cleanly and far too fast for him to play dirty. He subsequently pulled out, oh sweet success!
My biggest disadvantage is that I am racing on only one bike, whereas the rest of the field has a second, clean bike ready every lap. This may seem trivial, but a light bike with a clean drive-train is much faster than one loaded with 5 pounds of mud and enough grass in the cassette to feed a small pony twice. I was overall very happy with my Raleigh's performance, shifting actually remained crisp the entire race. I put a stream on the course to use by running and pushing my bike along in the water, this helped keep the wheels turning, though it slowed me down a bit.
With two laps remaining I realized that I would probably no get lapped. I entered the last lap less the 50 meter ahead of the race leader. I ended up finishing 24th, not a number I found impressive, but since have found that locals consider it respectable. As a result a friend of my landlord will accompany my to the next race and work in the pit passing me bikes and cleaning, so things are looking up.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Flip-Flops and Socks
As I sit in my b-boy stance
With flip-flops and socks, and sweatpants
We gonna enhance your brain, check it out.
-Outkast, Wheels of Steel
...I gotta check this with my accountant or course, but my concern is that, you know, my new acquisitions may bump me into a new tax bracket. See, I just invested in some generic, Chinese made heather sweatpants and a pair of 'Celtics' brand slip on sandals. My sisters always said tapered jeans make your adult diaper look full and your Keds look good, so what would be better than some tapered sweats? I guess if they were pleated... a boy can dream.
With flip-flops and socks, and sweatpants
We gonna enhance your brain, check it out.
-Outkast, Wheels of Steel
...I gotta check this with my accountant or course, but my concern is that, you know, my new acquisitions may bump me into a new tax bracket. See, I just invested in some generic, Chinese made heather sweatpants and a pair of 'Celtics' brand slip on sandals. My sisters always said tapered jeans make your adult diaper look full and your Keds look good, so what would be better than some tapered sweats? I guess if they were pleated... a boy can dream.
Monday, December 1, 2008
RACE: Baarle, Het Laatste Nieuws
I did my first Belgian 'cross race on Sunday, it was an event in the Flanders CX Cup series. The series is sort of like the Cross Crusade series in Portland, numerous races throughout the day ending with the big boys race. Geography is the big difference - Portland may be cross mecca USA, but Flanders is cross Mecca. Period. This was an amateur event but you wouldn't know it looking at the pits; pit one had fifteen mechanics with wheels and bikes ready, pit two was twice that size.
I've been staying in Aarsele, a hamlet 15 miles from the site of the race. I woke up early, knowing I had a long day ahead of me. Looking out the window I knew the day wasn't going to get any shorter - it was raining streadily and puddles were forming in the garden.
I finished packing my small backpack and suited up for the rain. I set out, pedaling very light gears, saving my legs for the race. An hour later I parked my bike and went into the pub where race registration was being held. One year Flandrian racing licence: 5 euros. Deposit for rubber race number: 5 euros. Entry fee for 'cross race in Belgium: 3 euros! Thirty minutes in smoky pub: priceless, in a bad way.
The entry process was simple. You present your Wieler Bond Vlaander (Flandrian Racing Club) membership card to the registrar, registrar scans card, you are entered. There is no paper for, other than the sign in sheet. That's it.
Riders are provided changing rooms at all races here. In the case of Sunday's race they were the showers at the local football club. Since I was already in my rainsuit and riding gear I did a couple of laps on the course. Over half the the course was flat grass fields. Before the racing had begun the course was muddy and I knew once the lower categories had ridden it would be straight up nasty. I went back to the changing rooms and tried to get warm. I sat around for the next couple hours with my feet in hot water.
At the start the line up was smaller than I expected, probably thirty rider. The start was not too fast and I moved up to the front. My good position didn't matter though, as I was boxed in at the first corner and out the back in no time. I spent the next 45 minutes alone, chugging along through the mud, wishing I had a fresh bike in the pit and some 34mm tubulars instead of my Michelen clinchers. The biggest problem though was my bike getting completely bogged down with grass. When I got it washed after the race it looked like something dredged from the bottom of a lake. Sundays lesson: only race dry races or get a mechanic and a second bike, preferably the latter.
I've been staying in Aarsele, a hamlet 15 miles from the site of the race. I woke up early, knowing I had a long day ahead of me. Looking out the window I knew the day wasn't going to get any shorter - it was raining streadily and puddles were forming in the garden.
I finished packing my small backpack and suited up for the rain. I set out, pedaling very light gears, saving my legs for the race. An hour later I parked my bike and went into the pub where race registration was being held. One year Flandrian racing licence: 5 euros. Deposit for rubber race number: 5 euros. Entry fee for 'cross race in Belgium: 3 euros! Thirty minutes in smoky pub: priceless, in a bad way.
The entry process was simple. You present your Wieler Bond Vlaander (Flandrian Racing Club) membership card to the registrar, registrar scans card, you are entered. There is no paper for, other than the sign in sheet. That's it.
Riders are provided changing rooms at all races here. In the case of Sunday's race they were the showers at the local football club. Since I was already in my rainsuit and riding gear I did a couple of laps on the course. Over half the the course was flat grass fields. Before the racing had begun the course was muddy and I knew once the lower categories had ridden it would be straight up nasty. I went back to the changing rooms and tried to get warm. I sat around for the next couple hours with my feet in hot water.
At the start the line up was smaller than I expected, probably thirty rider. The start was not too fast and I moved up to the front. My good position didn't matter though, as I was boxed in at the first corner and out the back in no time. I spent the next 45 minutes alone, chugging along through the mud, wishing I had a fresh bike in the pit and some 34mm tubulars instead of my Michelen clinchers. The biggest problem though was my bike getting completely bogged down with grass. When I got it washed after the race it looked like something dredged from the bottom of a lake. Sundays lesson: only race dry races or get a mechanic and a second bike, preferably the latter.
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