tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-181759992024-03-07T16:38:31.397-05:00Chris and Lorena's Little WorldNotes from the field on a variety of our favorite topics including beer, bikes, coffee, creativity, and technology.Lorenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02548379534617895462noreply@blogger.comBlogger409125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-62400230416420340212011-08-06T21:08:00.001-04:002011-08-06T21:10:35.946-04:00Bike racing is fun<p>Long time, no update. Let me tell you, it isn't for a lack of <em>wanting</em> to write but simply a lack of time. Since the Mohican 100K we've been doing some racing, primarily of the mountain bike variety with two <a href="http://www.331racing.com/cms/event/powerseries/index.html">NEO Power Series</a> races, but there was also the Shreve Road Race by <a href="www.rideonwooster.com">RideOn Wooster</a> the weekend after Mohican. Brief synopsis of our results:</p>
<p><strong>Shreve Road Race (June 11th):</strong></p>
<p>Unfortunately, Lorena had to work that day so only I ventured down for the Cat 4 race not knowing how good my road racing form would be. I hadn't done any road races all Spring while prepping for Mohican. Turns out, it wasn't too bad as I managed to finish with the main group (aside from the RideOn breakaway). It was amazing how many people we shed on the big climb every lap. According to the results, I came in 17th out of 35 finishers. I wasn't too upset about this and was generally happy with my overall effort. Props to <a href="http://feelitrobert.blogspot.com">Robert Sroka</a> for helping me try to keep the pace up late in the race as we tried to reel in the break. Neither of us had teammates and it seemed like only a handful of us wanted to do any work after the break.</p>
<p>This was a well run race, but I do have one complaint. The centerline rule was well enforced by the race official following our group... until he came around us when the breakaway went up the road. Then everything went to hell in the group with people moving up at the end across the centerline. Mainly, it was disappointing because those rules are there to keep us safe and we don't get the luxury of closed roads. The same rules apply to EVERYBODY and I hope they enforce it better next time.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usacycling.org/results/?permit=2011-350">Results Page</a></p>
<p><strong>Reagan MTB Time Trial (June 19th):</strong></p>
<p>The first race of the <a href="http://www.331racing.com/cms/event/powerseries/index.html">NEO Power Series</a> and only the second mountain bike time trial I've ever done. Funnily enough, Lorena and I were staged such that she started immediately after me. Nothing like the motivation of trying to not get caught by your wife to make you go fast! The course was in good shape and we both had a good race. I crashed about a mile from the finish that cost me a little time and then burped my front tire a half mile later in a turn. Thankfully, it managed to reseat itself and hold air. In the end, we both finished before the big thunderstorm hit and drenched all of the poor beginners still out on the course.</p>
<p>Chris - 7th in 52:28 (7 seconds out of 6th and 8 seconds out of 5th) - Sport Senior 30-39</p>
<p>Lorena - 5th in 59:53 (only 4 seconds out of 4th!) - Sport Women 19+</p>
<p><a href="http://www.331racing.com/cms/event/reagan/index.html">Results Page</a></p>
<p><strong>Vulture's Knob Double-Down Enduro (July 16th)</strong></p>
<p>We've grown to enjoy the Knob more this year and have ridden there a lot, but we also knew that 4 laps (~28 miles) was still going to be a challenge, especially in the heat. I had a really good start and was 3rd behind fellow <a href="www.orrvillecycling.com">OCC</a> rider Paul Dunn. We continued this way until just after The Snake when the leader dropped back. Some other rider came past me right before The Cradle to put me back in 3rd. Something happened to Paul at the creek crossing and I was back in 2nd until right before Hubcap City when Todd Bolgrin came around us. In the short, rocky downhill after Hubcap City I managed to hit a rock and puncture my rear tire. I saw a squirt of sealant and hoped that it would seal itself. Well, it didn't and I was stuck putting in a tube as what seemed like every other racer went by me. Turns out that my sealant was a dried up ball inside the tire and wasn't going to seal anything. Time to play catch-up and so I went as hard as I could from then on to make up time. My second lap was faster than my first and the third faster than my second but I paid for it with a little slower fourth lap. </p>
<p>I also had my chain drop behind my cassette on my second lap that seemed to cost me 10 minutes because it wouldn't come out and I couldn't get the wheel out of the bike! I also managed to lay my left knee open on the second lap in a loose, downhill turn after The Furnace when my front tire washed out. That's just part of racing and I wasn't the only one with a story at the end of the day.</p>
<p>Lorena had such a great race that I never caught her after my flat! I heard her near the end and tried like hell to close the gap, but the heat was getting to me a little bit and I just couldn't go any harder. She finished 2nd (!) on the day behind Julie Lewis-Sroka.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/5996016490_816147905a.jpg" alt="" title="" /></p>
<p>Chris - 9th in 3:37:06 - Sport Senior 30-39</p>
<p>Lorena - 2nd in 3:30:34 - Sport Women 19+</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/sets/72157627202063675/">Click Here</a> for more of our photos.</p>
<p><a href="http://cyclingteamorrville.shutterfly.com/4962">Click Here</a> for race photos by Bob Grimm.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.331racing.com/cms/event/vknobxc/index.html">Results Page</a></p>
<p>In between the races and training we managed to squeeze in a great trip to Michigan over the July 4th weekend for three great days of mountain biking with Marty and Traci. We rode 56 miles of some of the most flowing singletrack around with stops at the <a href="http://mmba.org/index.php?option=com_trailguide&task=trail&cid[]=18">Potawatomi Trail</a>, <a href="http://mmba.org/index.php?option=com_trailguide&task=trail&cid[]=5">Maybury State Park</a>, and <a href="http://mmba.org/index.php?option=com_trailguide&task=trail&cid[]=19">Pontiac Lake</a>. The only other mountain bike time trial I've ever done was at Pontiac back in 1997 when I raced against Marty and didn't know him let alone that he'd be my future brother-in-law.</p>
<p>Speaking once again of mountain bike time trials... Up next for us is yet another time trial tomorrow at <a href="http://joinomba.org/trails/index.php/Findley_State_Park">Findley State Park</a> with the <a href="http://www.331racing.com/cms/event/findley/index.html">Thorn Time Trial</a> as stop #3 in the NEO Power Series. Should be fun, but we'll have to see how fast it's going to be after the storms that blew through today.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-43714175561179837402011-06-20T22:38:00.000-04:002011-06-20T22:39:27.495-04:00Mohican 100K Write-Up<p>We've been busy on the racing front these last three weekends. There was the <a href="http://www.mohican100.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59:mohican-100-mtb-race&catid=35:mohican-races&Itemid=65">Mohican 100K</a> on June 4th, the Shreve Road Race by <a href="www.rideonwooster.com">RideOn</a> on June 11th, and Sunday's Reagan Park TT to open the NEO power series by <a href="http://www.331racing.com/cms/event/powerseries/index.html">331Racing</a>. This post is about the Mohican 100K with write-ups for the others to follow.</p>
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<p>In all our years of bike racing, neither Lorena nor I had ever competed in a mountain bike race as long as the Mohican 100K. Most have been in the 20-30 mile range and there is definitely a difference in how you prepare. We began the week before Christmas 2010 on a 24-week training plan by <a href="www.lwcoaching.com">LW Coaching</a> specifically for a 100K race. Looking back, we probably could have prepared a little more intensely, but not knowing what to expect I'd say we did it right. There is certainly nothing bad that came from how we trained. We definitely had a better base than in years past. Having learned a ton in this year's event, we'll train with more intensity next year for sure and already have plans to do it again.</p>
<p>I think we both can agree this was the hardest race we've ever done. I finished in 77th place in the Men's Open category of 153 finishers (185 starters) with a time of 7h 24m 35s. Lorena finished in 9th place in the Women's Open category of 17 finishers (22 starters) with a time of 8h 00m 2s. That 2 seconds is already fuel in Lorena's fire to go faster next year. Naturally, we both want to do it faster. Not that we're competitive or anything...</p>
<p>The full results can be found here: <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlLkEeYRBJXTdFQzYU5pQ2ppTVp3OU5DZEdERzVXdnc#gid=4">Mohican 100 Results</a></p>
<p>Fortunately, I was pretty smooth on the day and only crashed once... but, it was spectacular. At about mile-41 in the Mohican Wilderness trail, I busted the GU packet taped to my stem with my crotch as I went over the handlebars. Nothing like your shorts sticking to your saddle for 21 miles to get on your nerves. Lorena's only real bad luck was a flat in the latter half of the race that cost her some time.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/5846437093/" title="100_3601 by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/5846437093_5a3088e4c4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="100_3601"></a></p>
<p>Hats off to Ryan O'Dell and all of the volunteers that make it a great race. The course was extremely well marked and you can never go wrong with lining up <a href="www.greatlakesbrewing.com">Great Lakes Brewing</a> for free beer to all finishers at the end. That first beer never tasted so good. Of course, so did the next couple...</p>
<p>There are more photos of us from the race here: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/galleries/72157626868067533/">Mohican 100K Gallery</a></p>
<p>Here's to doing it all again next year. Until then, back to our regularly scheduled racing program. Up next, the Shreve Road Race.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-67748754954027679862011-05-24T22:14:00.001-04:002011-05-24T22:14:55.925-04:00Inadvertent Social Commentary<p>The lack of updates to the blog has not been due to a lack of ideas to post, merely a lack of enough hours in a day. Despite the almost assuredly more important things to write about, I couldn't help but share these gems discovered in one of the weekly sales flyers of the weekend newspaper.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/5757016624/" title="20PctWiderChairs by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/5757016624_0511b2b200.jpg" width="500" height="213" alt="20PctWiderChairs"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/5756470693/" title="EasyFeet by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5103/5756470693_9b8f6018b1.jpg" width="451" height="384" alt="EasyFeet"></a></p>
<p>Somehow, 20% seems like an exceedingly large increase in chair width and an odd marketing slant. And, thank goodness I no longer have to bend over to clean my feet! At this rate, I'm thinking it won't be long before the 'Easy Feet' will need to be 20% wider...</p>
<p>Moral of the story? Ride your bike. A lot.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-5095305236667841742011-03-27T13:05:00.000-04:002011-03-27T13:07:01.431-04:00On the mend - again<p>For starters, here's a few photos taken on a ride from almost 3 weeks ago. The flooding around our area was pretty astonishing.</p>
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<p>It's been a little while since the last post so this may be a little long-ish.</p>
<p>The last week has been fairly disappointing from a riding perspective. That is, there has been ZERO riding by yours truly as a result of some sort of respiratory infection that began last Saturday night. I do believe that the stress of that day probably helped the infection take hold as I likely tried to cram too much into one day.</p>
<p>Last Saturday I spent most of the morning disassembling the Fox fork on my mountain bike to replace the seals and give it some fresh oil. Based on several favorable reviews, I decided to install <a href="www.enduroforkseals.com">Enduro seals</a>. Let me tell you, their <a href="http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id10.html">step-by-step guide</a> for taking the fork apart was spectacular. If you've never done this sort of repair before, their guide has great photos and descriptions of exactly what to do. If anything, I'd say they almost break it down too far. That's a good problem. Even with good instructions, I was still a little nervous about getting it all back together successfully so that I could ride at Mohican State Park the following day. (Stress Source #1)</p>
<p>After getting the fork back together, I had a field test on the training schedule. The plan was to get in about a 30-minute warm-up, do my 20-minute time trial, and then spin out the remaining 40-minutes. Well, I felt pretty good during my warm-up and proceeded into the time-trial. About 4-minutes in I hear my HRM beeping that it lost the transmitter signal. I tried moving the transmitter strap a little bit and it got the signal back. Now, my heart rate had dropped and I was hammering trying to get back up to speed. A minute later the signal drops again and never recovered. Since my average HR for the time trial was what I needed, I decided to bag the test for another day and simply rode hard for the remainder of the 20 minutes and then spun out the rest. It was disappointing because I really wanted to see how much my fitness had improved and the first part of the time trial was looking pretty good. The worst part was getting home and checking the battery in the transmitter. It had plenty of juice and so I'm left wondering where in the hell the problem lies. (Stress Source #2)</p>
<p>A sore throat started to kick in as I got my gear together for Sunday and I didn't sleep well at all Saturday night. When the alarm went off at 6:30AM, my throat felt awful and my head was fully plugged. A quick text to let the crew know I wasn't coming then it was back to sleep until around 9 or 9:30.</p>
<p>So, I'm thinking that mental stress plus the physical stress of the hard ride on Saturday joined forces to open the immune system gates. The most difficult thing about training for anything is avoiding over-training. It's amazing how quickly you an get too far in the hole and your body can't keep up. A week off the bike is my punishment for not listening to my body.</p>
<p>Lorena has fortunately managed to avoid contracting whatever has taken up residence in my lungs and sinuses. I'm jealous of her bike commute even though it's relatively short simply because it's an opportunity to get out and pedal. On a positive note, I am on the upswing and should be back in the saddle soon enough.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-59344165690109794912011-03-09T17:53:00.002-05:002011-03-09T18:05:56.827-05:00Wicked Good<p>The agenda for the last month (and reason for lack of posts) has been: eat, work, eat, ride, eat, sleep, repeat. <Insert "not enough hours" cliche here.> There have been a few days off from riding in there, but you can imagine that filling up that time with other things isn't difficult.</p>
<p>Since tonight is a scheduled night off, I had a chance to catch up on a few items I enjoy reading. This little gem came up:<p>
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20601448" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/20601448">A Hill in Spain</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1089639">chris akrigg</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p>Be sure to turn on HD, full-screen, then kick back and enjoy.</p>
<p>(via <a href="http://stellar.io/megnut">megnut</a> via <a href="http://kottke.org/11/03/introducing-stellar">kottke</a>)</p>
Up next, bike cleaning...Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-34433479822405454892011-02-06T11:24:00.001-05:002011-02-06T11:24:41.120-05:00The Great Seatpost Destroyer<p>I guess you could say we're pretty hard on seatposts. After the awfulness that was the <a href="http://chrisandlorena.blogspot.com/2011/01/perseverance.html">removal of Lorena's seatpost from her now-deceased cross bike</a>, I decided to take my own advice and start pulling and greasing all of the seatposts in all of our bikes.</p>
<p>When I tried to pull the seatpost from my Gunnar mountain bike, it didn't want to budge. This bummed me out because I really didn't want to cut a Thomson seatpost. To avoid cutting, I tried various other methods involving heat, cold, beating on it, and various penetrating fluids. I also clamped the head of the post in my bench vise and tried to use the frame as a lever to break it loose. The post was so stuck that the vise rotated on its base despite tightening the vise base with the assistance of a hammer. This was not an encouraging sign.</p>
<p>On Friday evening, I took the frame up to the bike shop because they have a more substantial vise. I clamped it up and tried twisting it again with the frame. A few tugs and I heard a loud 'Pop'. The glimmer of hope quickly turned to horror as I realized the popping noise was the seatpost cracking.</p>
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<p>Obviously, the post was ruined and now I didn't feel so bad about cutting it. Within about 30 minutes on Saturday morning I had cut the post off and made a radial cut through its wall. I was then able to crush it in enough to twist it out with some Channel-Locks.</p>
<p>Oh well. Just another lesson learned and it certainly bears repeating that everyone should GO PULL AND GREASE ALL OF YOUR SEATPOSTS RIGHT NOW!</p>
<p>Nobody should ever have to cut a Thomson seatpost. Ever.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-52596479450501708802011-01-20T22:24:00.002-05:002011-01-20T22:33:02.126-05:00XC Skiing at The Wilderness Center<p>We've had quite a few opportunities to cross-country ski already this year. The <a href="http://www.ohioanderiecanalway.com/">Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath</a> is only 1/4-mile walk from the house. While proximity is nice, it's pretty much flat and you're working the entire time. <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/winter-sports.htm">Kendall Lake</a>, in the Cuyahoga Valley, has nice trails with some steep hills that are better to go up than down on XC skis. At least you get rewarded for climbing the hills with a break now and then.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5048/5374307368_5b39ed0b55.jpg" alt="Frozen Lake" title="" /></p>
<p>This last Saturday we ventured over to <a href="http://www.wildernesscenter.org/index.html">The Wilderness Center</a> in Wilmot to check out the ski-ability of their trails. Turns out, it's pretty great as long as you avoid the Pond Trail beyond it's intersection with the Wilderness Walk. We did a big clockwise loop plus the Pond trail in about 1.5 hours. There was only one section we missed that would have probably added another 15-20 minutes. The downhills aren't that steep and didn't have sharp turns like the trails at Kendall Lake. You can view a trail map for The Wilderness Center <a href="http://www.wildernesscenter.org/General%20TWC%20Info/trailmaps.html">here</a>.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5130/5373710069_35b06c6bce.jpg" alt="Fresh Tracks" title="" /></p>
<p>There was only one guy skiing when we got there and another couple arrived just as we finished. We didn't encounter anyone else while out on the trail. Sometimes it's nice to have that 'all to ourselves' feeling whether on skis or bikes.</p>
<p>Slideshow:
<object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625745302411%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625745302411%2F&set_id=72157625745302411&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625745302411%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625745302411%2F&set_id=72157625745302411&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-15349302911027567892011-01-17T21:58:00.001-05:002011-01-17T22:00:46.229-05:00Avoid Trainer Boredom Now<p>Anybody reading this in NE Ohio knows the weather hasn't been very favorable for outdoor riding since the first of the year. Trainer/roller rides have unfortunately been more the norm than the exception for us. Avoiding boredom when riding indoors just got a little easier now that we've been turned on to <a href="http://freecaster.tv/mountainbike">Freecaster.tv</a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh_y0ENimylULspjFbuYcGrBqkP0rK0Yp-wX_6IwfuXVCOJu-PxW4JoDopBMu2bxW2YyYS5FaJTZSDjg6DNMqppcvrN9TkYfRiTMCm2ai9xeDgka7wKByMol0mpDPKNsAFwGfQQ/" alt="Freecaster Image" title="" /></p>
<p>I first found out about this from a recent blog post by <a href="http://www.jeffkerkove.net/2010/12/indoor-structure.html">Jeff Kerkove</a> and it's pretty fabulous. Set up the laptop in front of the bike, turn on Freecaster and watch some World Cup XC, downhill, and four-cross mountain bike races from the 2010 season. Most of them are full replays. </p>
<p>I'd like to see some of those World Cup guys turn some laps at Vulture's Knob. </p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-71345619504579924552011-01-16T12:33:00.000-05:002011-01-16T12:34:12.700-05:00Perseverance<p><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625598545311%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625598545311%2F&set_id=72157625598545311&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625598545311%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157625598545311%2F&set_id=72157625598545311&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></p>
<p>There's a lot to be said for perseverance. Sometimes it simply amounts to beating your head against the wall with nothing good to show for it except a bruised forehead. Other times, the end result is pretty glorious if somewhat destructive. In this case, it was getting Lorena's seatpost out of her cyclocross bike. What seemed like a pretty mundane part of stripping a bike down for repaint turned into nearly 8 hours of frustration, broken tools, and finally, success. A seatpost should never look like this after removal:</p>
<p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5124/5314341954_fe7f180c5a.jpg" alt="Removed Seatpost" title="" /></p>
<p>We've sent the frame back to <a href="http://www.gunnarbikes.com">Gunnar</a> to get it repainted because well-used bicycles eventually show off that use in the form of chipped paint, scratched decals, and rusty dropouts. Especially a cyclocross bike. I started stripping components off the bike right after Thanksgiving and everything went pretty well with a few exceptions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Corrosion on the inside of the aluminum headset spacers had them somewhat stuck on the fork steerer tube and so I had to ruin one of the spacers with some Channel-Locks to get it free. (To be fair, it was probably the first time in 7 years those components had been removed.)</p></li>
<li><p>The always-scary bottom bracket only required two people to break it free instead of the four people to get the one out of my cross bike. </p></li>
<li><p>The seatpost.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>When the seatpost wouldn't budge using the seat for leverage, I removed the seat and clamped the head of the seatpost in a vise and tried to use the frame as a lever. It simply twisted the head of the seatpost inside the seatpost tube. At that point, the seatpost was ruined so I tried clamping the tube itself in the pipe jaw part of my bench vise for better bite. This is the result:</p>
<p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5314351276_c5318cf2eb.jpg" alt="Gouged" title="" /></p>
<p>No matter how hard I clamped, the jaws just gouged deeper. As a last resort, I cut the seatpost off and proceeded to spend hours using a hacksaw blade to make radial cuts. The first few hours I simply held onto the hacksaw blade using a rag before I noticed a chunk of scrap wood that I figured would be a good handle for a hacksaw blade. This made things a lot easier but I still had to make two radial cuts to eventually chisel out a quarter of the post. The chiseling process involved breaking the chisel off in the frame and breaking a tip off a screwdriver to while trying to get the chisel out. (Spoiler: I got it out.)</p>
<p>I was never so relieved when I noticed the seatpost start moving as I tried to collapse it inward. At that point, I cut a little notch in the end of it with my Dremel so that I could use a hammer and screwdriver to beat it out far enough to get a good grip with my bench vise. Once in the vice, a little rocking of the frame was enough to twist the seatpost out... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enSYlCEz5VI">And there was much rejoicing</a>.</p>
<p>Now, we just wait until the end of January or first of February for the frame to be sent back to begin it's next seven years of service. The new seatpost that goes into it will definitely get more regular attention. Then again, if not, at least I know the exact procedure for getting that one out.</p>
<p>Moral of the story: Go pull all of your seatposts right now before you forget.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-34709887575973717752010-12-12T16:26:00.009-05:002011-01-17T22:05:21.893-05:00What a difference a day can make<p>As the Storm-Of-The-Century-Of-The-Week is bearing down upon us, I figured this recent <a href="http://xkcd.com/831/">XKCD</a> comic was very appropriate.</p>
<p><img style="width:500px; height:154px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/weather_radar.png"/></p>
<p>I'd be lying if I said we've never watched the radar hoping for those 'red' spots to head our way. Let's face it, severe weather is pretty cool, just as long as it doesn't do things like destroy your house. Why do you think those storm chaser shows are so popular? In this case though, the snow is fine as long as shoveling it is not a drudgery or your roof collapses.</p>
<p>Yesterday, Lorena and I took advantage of the practically summer-like conditions (43-degrees and sunny!) to take in 2.5 hours of Stark, Wayne, Holmes, and Tuscarawas counties on the roadie bikes.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5255001665_d74ed3731d_d.jpg"/></p>
<p>What little snow there was in places started to melt and made for wet roads and some puddles. All the cyclists around here know what wet roads in Amish country means... I'll spare the details. The only hiccup in the ride was a flat tire at about the furthest point away from the house. It's amazing what a tiny little piece of glass can do. </p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-9489404281348214352010-12-05T22:18:00.000-05:002010-12-05T22:19:02.759-05:00Guilty Pleasures<p>We've been in the "off-season" for a few weeks now and training for 2011 starts pretty soon. Sure, we've still been riding but it's nice to have a little downtime to indulge in things we often don't have time for when training and racing are in full swing. It's also a time to get some things done around the house that have been put off for the same reasons. That whole "getting things done" part might be in jeopardy with <a href="http://www.rovio.com/index.php?page=angry-birds">Angry Birds</a> in the picture.</p>
<p>This game certainly doesn't need any further advertisement since it's the #1 paid game in the App Store. There's a good reason for that. It is really stinking fun for only $0.99. I had the free "lite" version with 12 levels and got addicted. The full version has 120 levels and I've gotten through about 65 of them so far. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and don't have Angry Birds, forego just one load of laundry for hours of entertainment. You'll be so engrossed in the game that you won't notice the smell…</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bNNzRyd1xz0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bNNzRyd1xz0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-77787601662326804552010-11-28T10:26:00.003-05:002010-11-28T10:31:09.211-05:00NEOCX Series Roundup<p>As you can probably tell, it's been pretty busy in our little world for the last few weeks. My plan was to post a recap of each of the last three races individually, like usual, but "stuff" just kept getting in the way of writing. Instead, I've decided to just do a brief summary of each from what I'd already written. Hell, it wasn't until this afternoon that I managed to pull pictures from my camera from the Blue Sky (or Not) race in Euclid. . . That was 3 weeks ago.. .</p>
<h3>NEOCX #8 - Cross My Heart and Hope to Die - Willoughby</h3>
<h3>November 7, 2010</h3>
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<p>We knew this was going to be a muddy race before we even arrived. Watching the radar showed that it had rained in Willoughby for most of the day before. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as [last year](http://chrisandlorena.blogspot.com/2009/10/bike-authority-cyclocross-series-4.html. Five dismounts per lap including the infamous sled hill that was ridiculously steep with no real opportunity to remount at the top. Had to pick my way up through the crowd after a somewhat bad start. Lots of mud, wet feet, and fun. Pushed hard all the way to the end but was a little disappointed with my finish. Especially after coming off my 8th place at Chagrin Falls the week before. </p>
<p>Chris: 12th place - Men's B</p>
<p>Lorena: 7th place - Women's B</p>
<p>Here are some links to more photos from the race:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/galleries/72157625422395680/">A gallery of us as taken by Victor Dvorak</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vdvorak/sets/72157625338696682/">Victor Dvorak's Willoughby Photos</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27518066@N05/sets/72157625338423322/">Juli Lewis's Willoughby Photos</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mehulgala/sets/72157625335807980/">Mehul Gala's Willoughby Photos</a></p>
<h3>NEOCX #9 - Blue Sky (or Not) - Euclid</h3>
<h3>November 14th, 2010</h3>
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<p>Even though there was misty-rain falling in Navarre when we left, it wasn't raining in Euclid when we arrived. It was a little on the chilly side with the wind and overcast skies. The course was rather soft from recent rain and very slick in the corners. This was perhaps the most technical cyclocross course I've ever raced on. Lots and lots of turns with many being off-camber or 180-degree. I ate it three times throughout the race and those crashes cost me two places in the end. The competition was pretty tight so it didn't take much of a bobble from anyone to lose/gain time. The run-up was steep and slick, especially at the top if you tried to remount. Despite being primarily flat on top of the hill, the fastest way to traverse it was to run because of the off-camber turns around the utility poles. One again I pushed it hard right to the end but probably let those crashes get to me a little too much on the last lap.</p>
<p>Chris: 11th place - Men's B</p>
<p>Lorena: 5th place - Women's B</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mehulgala/sets/72157625385853982/">Mehul Gala's Euclid Photos</a></p>
<h3>NEOCX #10 - Kirtland Park - Cleveland</h3>
<h3>November 21st, 2010</h3>
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<p>This was the season finale and you couldn't have picked a better day or a better venue for it. I've lost track of how many times I've raced at Kirtland Park and I'm not alone in saying that it's probably one of my favorite venues. Our obvious favorite is <a href="http://www.starcrossedcx.com">Starcrossed</a> at the <a href="http://velodrome.org">Marymoor Velodrome</a> in Seattle. It was 60F or so at the start of our race and the sun was shining. The course conditions were probably about perfect traction-wise. My 10th place standing in series-points got me called up to the front row at the start. I managed to have a good start and was right around 10th before the first downhill. </p>
<p>Laps were very fast on the short-ish course and I traded a few spots on the first couple. On about the third lap this guy passes me right before a 180-degree turn and proceeds to crash in front of me in the turn. Now I have to run the turn/hill and I dropped my chain but didn't realize it until I went to remount. This cost me a place. Two times later in the race I managed to shift my chain behind the cassette going into the shorter section of stairs. This cost me a couple of places when I had to stop and jerk the chain out. I suppose that's racing. All I know is that I certainly didn't leave anything out there. In the end:</p>
<p>Chris: 14th place - Men's B</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Lorena had to work that day and couldn't be at the race. Bummer.</p>
<p>Here are some links to race photos taken by others:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thefactoryrider/sets/72157625441948006/">Robert Sroka's Photos</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27518066@N05/sets/72157625321553343/">Juli Lewis's Photos</a></p>
<p>Overall I finished 7th in the total series points for the B-field. Fortunately, I had that 6th place at Elyria and the 8th place at Chagrin #2 to help put me there because most of my other finishes were around 11th. I'm already looking forward to next year's racing season, especially cross. This was a fun year and I'm pretty pleased with my performance even though I always want to do better. Perhaps next year I can get up to the top 5 or better.. . I once finished 5th in the series and I'm overdue.</p>
<p>Hats certainly go off to everyone involved with promoting the Northeast Ohio Cyclocross Series. It's a lot of work to host a race and every team that hosted one did a great job. The series has been around for a long time and seems to grow every year. I'd say that speaks volumes to the quality of those running the show.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-43783748294125506782010-11-09T22:53:00.005-05:002010-11-09T22:58:06.973-05:00Chagrin River Cyclocross Challenge Day-2: Hyde<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?fbid=457095537760&set=a.457085087760.237818.590477760"><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs007.ash2/33696_457095537760_590477760_5432572_2670553_n.jpg" style = "width: 550px; height: 368px; border: none; margin: 0px 5px 0px 5px; float: left;" /></a></p>
<p><em>(Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=590477760">Gregg Brekke</a>)</em></p>
<p>Compared to Saturday, Sunday really felt like a polar opposite. First of all, we knew about the detour and parking situation so we left a little earlier. Second, I didn't have to work on my bike an hour before the race because of unforeseen events. Third, I didn't have to deal with a costume although Lorena decided to wear hers. Given how much time she spent making it and how awesome it was, it was only natural to do so. It felt like a regular race day and that had me more focused on the race itself.</p>
<p>The course was simply the reverse of Saturday and seemed to be a little more firm than the day before. For whatever reason, there seemed to be more flow and is perhaps attributable to just knowing what to expect. I managed to get a very good start and was in the top six or seven riders doing down the first straight. That got me even more motivated and I managed to stay there for a good portion of the race. With three laps to go, I got passed by someone but wasn't able to bring him back. On top of that, I could feel/hear someone right on my wheel with two laps to go. I basically buried myself for the last two laps to hold him off and came in with 8th place. Admittedly, it was a bit of a personal victory just to hold him off for two laps and I gave a little fist pump as I crossed the finish line. The 9th place rider and I congratulated each other on our efforts afterward because it really made it simultaneously fun and hard at the same time.</p>
<p>Of course, when you do well you feel good and it really felt like a day of redemption after such a miserable race the day before. I felt like I was right back up where I should be finishing and the Huck-A-Meter was back in the Green. Lorena finished 6th in a pretty tough Women's field this year. In fact, the leading woman passed quite a few of the men's B-field on Sunday, including me.</p>
<p><div style="width: 550px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?fbid=457094452760&set=a.457085087760.237818.590477760"><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs977.snc4/77060_457094452760_590477760_5432536_3159068_n.jpg" style = "width: 482px; height: 720px; border: none;" /></a></div></p>
<p><em>(Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=590477760">Gregg Brekke</a>)</em></p>
<p>A big thanks to <a href="http://realestatecyclist.blogspot.com">Brett Davis</a> and all of the volunteers for hosting some tough racing at a beautiful venue. I hope it continues next year.</p>
<p>Next up: Cross My Heart and Hope to Die at Willoughby</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-75665971077394405692010-11-06T10:19:00.004-04:002010-11-06T10:32:24.372-04:00Chagrin River Cyclocross Challenge Day-1: Jekyll<img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 550px; height: 368px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs796.snc4/67595_455876357760_590477760_5400843_738670_n.jpg
" border="0" alt=""/>
<p><em>(Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=590477760">Gregg Brekke</a>)</em></p>
<p>Boy, have I been remiss in updates lately. Between work, training, racing, and everyday life stuff, I finally got a relaxing morning to write.</p>
<p>Last weekend brought stops #6 and #7 of the <a href="http://neocx.wordpress.com">Northeast Ohio Cyclocross Series</a>, the <a href="http://www.chagrinrivercyclocross.blogspot.com">5th Annual Chagrin River Cyclocross Challenge</a> hosted by <a href="http://realestatecyclist.blogspot.com">Brett Davis</a> and <a href="http://www.solonbicycle.com">Solon Bicycle</a>. It was our first time racing there and you really couldn't ask for a more scenic venue. The course had a little bit of everything and they simply reversed the direction from Saturday to Sunday. </p>
<p>Here's how Saturday went down:</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Lorena had to work on Saturday and couldn't race. It's probably better that she wasn't there because the Huck-A-Meter got pushed into the red. Lots of things stacked up to contribute to this: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>There was a bridge out within a mile of the venue that required a detour of unknown length and led to my arriving later than I wanted. The 'good' parking was full leading to:</p></li>
<li><p>Being directed into 'overflow' parking between two pine trees with low hanging branches. I was nervous about this because my bike was on the roof but, there was another vehicle in there with bikes on their roof so I figured it must be OK. Well. . .</p></li>
<li><p>The branches caught my handlebars, twisted my bars around, bent my left shifter a little, and kinked the shift cable housing right at the shifter. Now:</p></li>
<li><p>There's less than an hour until the start of the race, I haven't registered, and now I have to work on my bike unsure if it's going to shift. As if all that's not enough:</p></li>
<li><p>I was already upset about the Halloween costume <em>requirement</em> for Saturday's race. While I won't go into all of the reasons why, my primary concern was not knowing if/how my costume would impact racing.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Let's just say all of this didn't make my mindset ideal for focusing on racing. Despite being on the front row, my start wasn't very good. It became single-file quickly, especially in the turn by the river. Of course, someone crashed there causing a back-up that didn't help in the 'positive thoughts' department. It just increased the amount of ground I'd spend the rest of the race trying to make up. This was made more difficult by the course being tighter than it first appeared. Most of the time, trying to pass was made treacherous by lots of roots or required being a jerk by forcing someone over. I spent a lot of time sitting behind people in the tight spots because I didn't want to be a jerk.</p>
<p>In the end, I finished mid-pack (20th) which is <em>way</em> lower than I felt I should have. I suppose you could say <em>'That's Racing.'</em> but, I have high expectations of myself, especially after finishing 6th a week prior in Elyria. You know you've had a bad day at the races when you don't want to hang out afterward and basically get changed to head home as soon as possible.</p>
<p>We had two other Orrville riders in the B-field, Aaron Hershberger and Mike Chapman. Congrats to Aaron on his 8th place finish. When Aaron came around me, I tried really hard to hang on his wheel but, he obviously had better legs (and probably a better mindset). </p>
<p>Next post: Day-2 (Trust me, it gets better.)</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-7222919410869623172010-10-23T19:01:00.001-04:002010-10-23T19:03:30.128-04:00When your wife wins the sign sprint<p>The other night, Lorena and I were out on a ride (I know, big surprise) and decided our cross bikes were more appropriate given some gravel roads on our route and wet roads from an earlier freak rainstorm. Coming back into Navarre at the end of the ride, there was an unspoken decision to sprint for the city limit sign on Elton Rd. I say "unspoken" because neither one of us talked about sprinting for the sign and it simply got faster and faster until we were both out of the saddle hammering.</p>
<p>Lorena was sitting in my draft with half a mile to go and I just kept gradually ramping up the speed. I finally dropped to my 12 with about 100 meters to go, got in the drops, and out of the saddle. I heard Lorena shift and the sound of her tires let me know she was sprinting too. We were both going as hard as we could and I was out of gear. Lorena came out of my draft and I think she got one more shift in as she was right beside me before beating me by about half a bike-length at the sign.</p>
<p>Anybody who has raced a bike knows the crazy mix of emotions that go through your mind as you're going full-tilt only to watch someone else pull away and it feels like there's nothing you can do about it, even in friendly competition. When it's your wife, there's an extra emotion thrown in and that's pride. Not in the sense that <em>my</em> pride was hurt, but in the sense of being proud that Lorena is strong enough to out-sprint me on occasion. It's not the first time she's beaten me in a sign sprint and probably won't be the last. As many of the guys in the Orrville B-group can attest, she keeps you on your toes because she'll sneak in ahead of you when you least suspect and it's too late to react.</p>
<p>The only excuse I can muster is that she had me out-geared. My new cranks only have a 46-tooth big ring while she has a 48. She also has an 11 on her cassette while I only have a 12. Oh yeah, and I probably had lower tire pressure and <insert another lame excuse here>. . . </p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-81310850952259706302010-10-04T18:33:00.000-04:002010-10-04T18:34:53.846-04:00Are those footsteps I hear?...CRUNCH<p>IMPORTANT: In case you haven't been paying attention for the last 50 years, football is a FULL-CONTACT SPORT.</p>
<p>I am so glad the Cleveland Browns have T.J. Ward as a safety. We need more players that can deliver hits like this. To all of the people whining that his hit on Cincinnati's Jordan Shipley was a "cheap-shot", if you can't take a hit, your job should never be a wide-receiver running crossing routes in the NFL. Shipley got strung out by Carson Palmer's pass and there was no way that T.J. Ward was going to be able to stop short of doing his job: keeping the other team from completing passes. Besides, he hit him with his shoulder and didn't lead with his helmet. Shipley just happened to be on the wrong end of the collision.</p>
<p>It's no wonder Cleveland had their eye on him at Oregon. He lit people up.</p>
<p><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kfoPYpC4pyY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kfoPYpC4pyY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pd6Hp5uiJgM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pd6Hp5uiJgM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-6yKxlrqbQA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-6yKxlrqbQA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-34313555524118739032010-10-03T17:28:00.001-04:002010-10-03T17:28:44.466-04:00When Google Doesn't Guess Correctly<p>The other day our Wii was glowing blue and I couldn't remember what that meant. So, I decided to use Google to figure it out and normally the instant search suggestions that Google makes while I'm typing are relevant if not exactly what I'm after. However, I was typing "Why is my Wii glowing blue?" and the <em>VERY</em> unexpected result below popped up before I could even finish "my":</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/5048785740/" title="When Google Doesn't Guess Correctly by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5048785740_3163b094e5.jpg" width="500" height="93" alt="When Google Doesn't Guess Correctly" /></a></p>
<p>Given the way Google ranks search results, I'm thinking a lot of people have gastrointestinal issues or are worried they're pregnant. Or both.</p>
<p>Incidentally, if your Wii is repeatedly glowing blue it means you have an email from Nintendo on your Wii that you should probably read. Talk about First-World problems. . .</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-79449306047928999482010-09-26T23:04:00.001-04:002010-09-26T23:06:36.303-04:002010 NE Ohio CX Series #3 - Kent State-Stark<p>Yesterday, Lorena and I made the short trip over to North Canton to hit up the third race of the <a href="http://neocx.wordpress.com/calendar/">Northeast Ohio Cyclocross Series</a>. It's the second year that <a href="http://www.starkvelo.org">Stark Velo</a> has hosted the race on the Kent State-Stark campus. <a href="http://chrisandlorena.blogspot.com/2009/09/bike-authority-cx-2-kent-stark.html">Last year</a>, we raced in a downpour and the race was shortened due to lightning. This year, we had sunny skies and temps around 60F.</p>
<p>This would be my first cross race of the season after missing the first two while my ribs healed. I probably would have been fine to race at Wendy Park two weeks ago, but the two weeks prior to that were pretty light on training so, a) I didn't think I'd be as fast as I wanted to be and, b) I didn't want to disrupt the healing process by pushing it too hard, too soon. Since the Wendy Park race I've been back to my usual training schedule and feeling better all the time.</p>
<p>When we lined up to start, I was in the third row beside teammate Mike Chapman. With 46 racers in the B field, it was quite the bunch sprint to the first 180-degree turn and then things started to string out a little bit in the fairly long straight stretch thereafter. I was definitely back farther than I really wanted to be and not very happy with my start. To make things more interesting, I had one little near-crash before the first set of barriers but managed to save it. Good to get those things out of the way on the first lap, though.</p>
<p>The rest of the race I just kept trying to catch the person in front of me and with each catch I felt more motivated. I'm not going to say what song I had going through my head most of the race, but it kept me focused and I was able to catch and pass most of the riders I wanted to beat. In the end, I finished 11th and definitely didn't feel like I'd left anything out on the course. Sure, there were times where I might have been able to pass someone if I'd not taken the line where I got cut off, but that's racing. To be able to keep moving up the entire race was definitely some good affirmation about the progress of my training. The competition was definitely close the entire race as the time span between 6th and 15th places was about 58 seconds. The eventual winner left us in his dust by around 3 minutes.</p>
<p>In the Women's Open race, Lorena rode strong and finished 4th and in the lead group of women that rode the same number of laps as the men. Those top 4 are some fast females!</p>
<p>Looks like the next race we'll be attending will be the October 24th race in Elyria. We have to make our annual fall pilgrimage to Michigan to ride mountain bikes and that happens to coincide with the next CX series race. That month will fly right by.</p>
<p>Before I forget, major props to Aaron Hershberger of the <a href="http://www.orrvillecycling.com">OCC</a> for winning the C-race in his first-ever cyclocross race. Not a bad way to start. Also, major thanks to <a href="http://www.starkvelo.org">Stark Velo</a> for once again putting on a great race. The post-race food is certainly appreciated.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-49279926712029382892010-09-19T21:58:00.003-04:002010-09-19T22:04:02.055-04:00NE Ohio CX Series #2 - Wendy Park Photos<p>I know it was a week ago, but I finally got the time to upload my photos from the race. Unfortunately, the battery died before the A-race so the photos are mainly of the B, C, Women's, and Juniors races.</p>
<p>Lorena competed in the Women's Open race and got 6th. I was still nursing some sore ribs and sat this one out. Wendy Park is such a great race venue and it was a bit of a bummer to miss another race. On the plus side, the ribs are doing great and I'll be back in action at Kent-Stark next weekend. TOTALLY looking forward to it.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157624867920987%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157624867920987%2F&set_id=72157624867920987&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157624867920987%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fcahlsb%2Fsets%2F72157624867920987%2F&set_id=72157624867920987&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-49131425890145570512010-09-05T12:51:00.001-04:002010-09-05T12:53:11.936-04:00Sometimes, Pain Threshold Doesn't Matter<p>My pain threshold is generally pretty high. At least I feel like most of the time I can push through the pain that comes with training and racing. The last two of weeks has seen that threshold challenged pretty intensely as a result of a mountain bike crash at Mohican State Park. Let's just say that your ribs are not the best part of your body to absorb the impact of a crash. I don't know if I actually broke any ribs, but even if they weren't broken, I know from previous experience there's not much you can do to speed up the healing process. Time is the primary factor combined with taking it easy.</p>
<p>Anyone who's been reading this lately knows that cyclocross is my primary focus right now and the first race of the season was yesterday. I've been really psyched up for cross and have been training pretty hard for it. Sadly, I decided not to go because my ribs aren't completely healed. Hell, it still hurts to cough or sneeze and it's pretty much my own fault. Part of me is kicking myself for continuing training since the crash even though I wasn't healed. There was definitely additional pain during those training rides and runs, but I just pushed through it. At the end of the first week I was actually feeling better, but Monday I tweaked something during a ride that almost made me call Lorena to come get me. I noticed EVERY little bump in the road on the way home. The rest of the week I wised up and took it easy, but it was too little too late.</p>
<p>I suppose it's like training when you're sick. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body and rest. That's a hard thing to do when you feel like your fitness is improving and a race is just around the corner. Thank goodness this coming week was a scheduled rest week and I can get myself back to 100%. Perhaps I need to pull my dumbass threshold back a little, eh?</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-10711360139404499422010-08-28T08:13:00.001-04:002010-08-28T08:13:33.272-04:00Further motivation<p>I watched this video the other morning while eating breakfast after finishing my run. Yes, I know, it doesn't get much nerdier than watching cyclocross while eating breakfast. However, this is a video of the last couple of laps at one of last year's World Cup cross races in Kalmthout, Belgium and is an amazing performance by pro cyclocrosser Sven Nys. We've raced in conditions like this before and knowing what that's like makes how fast these guys are going even more awesome. </p>
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<p>My favorite part is at about 3:45 into the video. Watch the spectators at about that time. I suppose that in the U.S. you have to live in Portland to have that many spectators at a cross race let alone ones crazy enough to come out in the snowy conditions. Then again, the Belgian fans have gin to take some of the <em>edge</em> off their <em>crazy</em>.</p>
<p>Thanks to <a href="http://www.madalchemy.com">Mad Alchemy</a> for sharing this on Twitter. I just bought some of <a href="http://www.madalchemy.com/products.html">Mad Alchemy's warming embrocation</a> and now we just need some cool weather so I can try it out. </p>
<p>The first cross race in northeast Ohio is next weekend! Just in case it isn't obvious, cyclocross season is my favorite time of year.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-84117777321650220082010-08-22T13:54:00.001-04:002010-08-22T13:56:40.606-04:00This is why we do it<p>Even if I wanted to, I couldn't help smiling after reading this recent <a href="http://www.cxmagazine.com/most-important-thing-column-lee-waldman">Cyclocross Magazine article</a> by Lee Waldman. Especially this paragraph:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The most important thing about cyclocross racers is that they are demented! Why else would they spend so much time carrying a perfectly rideable $2,000.00 bike if they weren't? They love the pain and suffering. Smiling through the dirt, they laugh at the squeaky-clean roadies. They survive summer, wish for winter, anticipate autumn. But, the most important thing about cyclocrossers is that they are demented.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'd say that nicely sums up why we're out running at 6:15AM before work and then hit the bike for another workout after we get home from work. All for the glory that is cyclocross, a.k.a. - competitive dementia.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-17595138169765700562010-08-19T22:49:00.000-04:002010-08-19T22:50:15.772-04:002010 Smith Dairy Milk Race Photos<p>I opted to marshal a corner for this year's edition of the Milk Race so that Lorena could have a chance to race. The standing club rule is that you can race if you provide someone to take your place as a volunteer. It's only fair and I had raced the previous weekend at Zoar while Lorena was working.</p>
<p>Since my portion of the corner that <a href="http://keith-crossreference.blogspot.com/">Mr. Feeman</a> and I were covering saw very light traffic, I took the opportunity to capture a few moments of the race with my camera.</p>
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<p>Mr. Grimm also got quite a few good shots:</p>
<p><a href="http://cyclingteamorrville.shutterfly.com/4001">Click Here For the Album</a></p>
<p>Great weather and a great turnout. Big thanks to everyone who volunteered and/or came out to race. Lorena got 8th in the Women's race, but I'll let her tell the story of how it unfolded. I've already read lots of other peoples' interesting stories of how strategies did/didn't work. It's just another reason racing is a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Especially cyclocross racing... which is just around the corner.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-6245579142861213882010-08-08T17:17:00.000-04:002010-08-08T17:18:09.373-04:002010 Zoar Road Race Write-Up<p>Today, I raced at the annual <a href="http://www.starkvelo.com/2010_Files/2010_Zoar_Flyer.htm">Zoar Road Race</a> that <a href="http://www.starkvelo.com">Stark Velo</a> hosts in Zoar, OH. The race is on roads that Lorena and I are fairly familiar with because we ride in that area often on our normal routes. Unfortunately, Lorena had to work today and so she didn't get to share in the self-induced pain that is bike racing.</p>
<p>We had about a .7 mile neutral roll out of Zoar to the "official" start with a fairly large Cat 3/4 group. The first lap wasn't ridiculously hard despite the two climbs and I was still feeling good. A couple of riders tried to form a break on the second lap, but they were caught on the second climb of the lap. On the descent back down to the finish line to start our third lap, I hit a small rock with my front wheel as we were going about 35 mph. It made my front wheel go a little squirrelly, but thankfully, nothing more. Bill Buckwalter was right beside me and he told me after the race that he wondered what I'd hit. Unfortunately for me, it caused a pinch-flat in my front wheel and I had to stop and fix it.</p>
<p>I changed the tube in what seemed like record-time and began my chase knowing that it might be futile. Our average speed for the first couple of laps was over 22mph and Bill had 22.7mph as an <em>average</em> speed for the entire race. So, I chased for the remaining 20 miles and never caught the group. The gap was pretty much the time it took me to fix the flat. The biggest bummer was that I was feeling really good at the time of the flat and was pretty optimistic about the second half of the race. On the flip-side, that's racing. I'll just chalk this up as a bit of an expensive training ride.</p>
<p>I mapped the course out on MapMyRide.com with all four laps. The elevation profile is hilarious.</p>
<!-- Start MMF Embed Tool -->
<iframe id="mmf_blog_map" src="http://js.mapmyfitness.com/embed/blogview.html?r=549128130022054777&u=e&t=ride" height="500px" width="400px" frameborder="0">
<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/route/detail/21130882/">Zoar Road Race Course - Cat 3/4 (4 laps)</a><br/>
<a href="#">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Bolivar, OH</a>
;</iframe>
<!-- End MMF Embed Tool -->
<p>Once again, <a href="http://www.starkvelo.com">Stark Velo</a> did one hell of a job putting this race on and a bonus for providing sandwiches, chips, and cookies from Subway (albeit, one of their sponsors) after the race. Even if you don't have a very good race, getting fed afterward makes that entry fee go down a little easier.</p>
<p>Up next weekend, the annual <a href="http://orrvillecycling.com/docs/10MilkRaceFlyer.pdf">Smith Dairy Milk Race</a> in Orrville.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18175999.post-54580945264789873832010-07-25T22:06:00.001-04:002010-07-25T22:08:29.002-04:00The best laid plans...<p>(Author's note: If you just want to get to the pretty pictures, scroll down... you'll just miss out on the rest of the story.)</p>
<p>On Saturday, the weather in our little portion of northeast Ohio pretty much covered the entire spectrum (sans snow). It started out very docile at 6:30AM as Lorena's dad and I hit the old fishin' hole. There was virtually no wind, the temperature was around 70F, and the Sun hadn't gotten high enough in the sky to bake us as was forecast for the rest of the day. It only took a couple of hours before the heat and humidity became noticeable and so we headed headed home. (Fisherman's bragging point: I caught a bass on my first cast. I don't remember the last time I managed that.)</p>
<p>Despite the doomsday heat-index predictions, I spent the latter part of the morning getting a couple of loads of mulch for the back yard. Sure, it was warm out, but I at least had a breeze and was working in the shade. Upon returning Lorena's dad's truck around 12:30, a random dark cloud passed over the area and it rained for 3 seconds. It had been a little cloudy all morning and storms were also predicted, but I expected something a little more substantial. The rest of the afternoon was breezy and I got the mulch spread before heading back into the house to literally chill-out in the A/C for a few hours prior to riding up to <a href="http://www.erniesbikeshop.com">Ernie's Bike Shop</a> to ride home with Lorena. Let's just say the A/C felt extra-nice when I first walked in the house as I was soaked, head-to-toe, in sweat.</p>
<p>The ride to Ernie's showed off just how "breezy" it had been all afternoon with tree limbs of various sizes on the ground. Some had already been moved and some I had to move myself. For the rest of the ride to the shop and on the return trip with Lorena, there was nothing more menacing than the simple fact that it was hot. Lorena suggested we return to the bike shop after dinner for the Moonlight Canoe trip on the Tuscarawas River. Ernie's also runs a <a href="http://www.erniesbikeshop.com/canoe_livery.html">canoe livery</a> because the shop is right on the Tuscarawas and has the Moonlight Canoe trips a few times a year.</p>
<p>After dinner, we checked the radar to make sure no random thunderstorms or rain would interfere with canoeing. A very narrow line of storms was moving West to East and looked like they might stay far enough North to not foil our plans. We decided to risk it and drove back to Ernie's. The closer we got, the darker the northern sky looked and we began to wonder if we were actually going to end up in a boat after all. Let's just say, the sky went from bad to worse and everyone was basically standing around waiting to see if it would just blow over. At least we had something interesting to look at because the sky turned all sorts of colors and shapes:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/4826370289/" title="Leading edge of the storm by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4826370289_a8ae6331be.jpg" width="500" height="359" alt="Leading edge of the storm" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/4826371229/" title="Looking North by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4826371229_e4c8e9ee6c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Looking North" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/4826980334/" title="100_3183 by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4826980334_96801afa29.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="100_3183" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahlsb/4826374961/" title="Swirling clouds by cahlsb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4826374961_d2e3264517.jpg" width="500" height="354" alt="Swirling clouds" /></a></p>
<p>The photos really don't do justice to how creepy the situation was. Clouds were moving in all different directions and we briefly heard the area was under a tornado warning. I don't doubt it. Through all of the sinister clouds, there was no rain and not even any real lightning or thunder. That is to say, until about 20 minutes later when all hell broke loose with the previously absent rain, thunder, and lightning. It's almost as if the leading edge of the storm looked worse than the back edge where the real deal was waiting to pounce. It nearly rained sideways and we all retreated to the porch of the bike shop with our canoeing plans pretty much scrapped. We made the best of a bad situation by simply moving the party that was supposed to happen after the trip to the wonderfully dry porch. Unfortunately, a few canoes were on the river through all of this and they were drowned rats when they made it back to the landing right in the middle of the worst of the rain. Their spirits certainly weren't dampened as they laughed while telling their harrowing tale and kept the cameras flashing to capture the memorable event.</p>
<p>Sure, we can go canoeing just about any day, and there will be at least one more chance for us to partake in a Moonlight Canoe this year, but I'd say these busted plans became an adventure just the same.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081880838614481900noreply@blogger.com0