Hopbrook 2012

How'd it go?
Better than expected.
Although I couldn't get near my HR max, my avg was only slightly below what is usual for a race.  When actually racing I didn't feel phlegmy at all.

On Saturday afternoon only 6 riders had signed up for the Cat1 SS, whereas almost 30 signed up for the Cat1 40-49.  Racing 30 guys sounded like more fun than 6 so I decided to act my age and race my peers (although the SS is sort of like a satellite 40+ group).

Fearless Leader had a front row spot and let me slide in next to him.  This was sort of pointless because after the first corner it is a flat drag race for a quarter mile to the singletrack.  "This is a situation where the choice of multiple gears might be good" I thought as the field swarmed around me.

I reached the singletrack near the back of the pack and suffered the accordion effect as someone way up front made the slightest bobble creating a ripple that by the time it reached me had brought the conga line to a stop.

There are pros and cons to racing against gears with a singlespeed.
Pro:  you're gonna climb faster
Con: only if you have a rideable line
On lap two this scenario raised it's ugly head.   The group I was riding with caught the back of the 30-39 field on the toughest climb of the course.  It is a fireroad but there are points that have only one rideable line.  Trying to maximize my climbing advantage and skirting around the caught riders I lost traction and found myself off the bike running.  Not exactly the plan, but sitting and spinning really wasn't an option either.

For the first 3 laps I was yoyoing back and forth with Fearless Leader.  I'd usually catch him on the biggest climb, he'd get ahead of me on the fireroad descent and I'd slowly pull him back in on the gradual climb to the next descent where he'd catch and pass me again.  On lap three as he passed me I noticed he was in a pretty easy gear so I used some "colorful" language to try and motivate him to use those gears and build a gap over me and John from Bethel Cycles who we'd been racing with.  This worked in that he built a gap I couldn't close, but unfortunately didn't get rid of John.

Not being able to close the gap on Craig and John, I found myself in no man's land for the forth lap.  I was catching more 30-39 y/os and beginning to lap the women.  When I got to the big climb I see Mike Kelly from Biker's Edge who's been away all day and Matt Bodziony from NBX who had passed me on the 2nd lap.  As I was near the crest after passing a woman, I DROPPED MY F#CKING CHAIN!  
The lady passed me going into the singletrack where I tried to not be a dick and wait for a safe place to pass her.  I doubt she thought I was successful, but I did wait to the fireroad to get around her.

This gave Dominique Desmont from Danbury Audi the opportunity to get right on my tail.  I felt a sense of doom.  He was on a geared full suspension bike going into the section that Craig and John had consistently put time into me.  But the frustration of the chain drop had lit a fire in me.  On some of the hairier descents I'd hear his bike clanking behind me and I waited for the inevitable.  On the gradual climb I caught Matt from NBX.  There is one short road section before the last climb of the course.  If I can get to the climb, I'm home free.
I take a peak behind me as I reach the road and I don't see Dominique, but I do see Mike Kelly ahead.  If by some miracle I can get near him by the climb I might have a chance of pipping him at the line...

Anti climactic ending; I don't catch Mike and Dominique doesn't catch me, although he had a similar scheme in his head.

So how'd I do?  12 of 33.   If you were to cross reference my time with the SS (of course  I did!)  I would have been third in that class (a distant third), which had swelled to 13 riders after I registered for the 40-49.

Gear choice was good, and the conditions couldn't be better.

Now about the chain.   I hate to abandon the pretty cranks, but the problem started when they went on.  Monte gave me some suggestion on EBB setup and chain tension to try, but I just might go back to tried and true.

Fearless Leader suggested I try racing gears...

Money where my mouth is

As a small American manufacturer, when possible I like to support others who do that very un-American practice of still actually making shit themselves.

If I were a better photographer, you'd see stamped on that water bottle cage King Cage Made in USA.
Being, lets say "thrifty", I couldn't justify buying new cages when I had perfectly functional ones, but when I began to wear through the tubing of my old ones, and started hearing "bottle rattle", I knew it was time.   $17 for stainless steel seemed like a pretty reasonable price too.

I'm not going to get all jingoistic here; in the modern global economic environment we live in buying domestic sometimes just isn't feasible.  Hell, in a lot of cases it's not even possible (can you buy a computer made in the USA to read this wonderful blog on?).  I've had wonderful bicycles made both domestically and overseas.  I've also had not so wonderful domestic and imported bicycles.  I've broken bikes from all global sources.

But when you can buy a top quality domestically sourced item it does feel good...

and if I win that Mega-Millions this would sure feel good too!

(actually Geekhouse's price is pretty reasonable)

Non Bike Rant

I had to go to court today.
Remember 2 years ago when I broke my hand?
I'm being sued over it.

The emergency room took my insurance and referred me to an orthopedist.
When I checked in I gave them my insurance card, filled out 2 pages worth of forms (with a broken hand!)  saw an assistant, and had a cast put on.
They then scheduled a MRI for me in about 2 weeks.

The day before the MRI they called me to tell me they were cancelling my MRI as they made a mistake and don't take my insurance and it would be too expensive for a person to pay out of pocket.

At that point I called my insurance and found an orthopedist who did take my insurance.

A month later I get a bill.  They are charging me $485 for their mistake.

In my eyes this is wrong.  They never told me I'd be paying out of pocket or gave me the opportunity to seek alternate care.

So today was the hearing.  10:00 AM in the opposite direction from work.

After a wrong turn based on the court's printed directions, removing my belt and any other metal from my person to get in the court house, my case will finally be heard.

After the judge read a statement about procedures the clerk calls attendance for all the cases.
The plaintiff's attorney in my case is absent!  I win!!!

Ah, no.
After the role call is done the judge says she needs to make an announcement.  The plaintiff's attorney called in sick and the case will be rescheduled.

Really?

If I was sick would they reschedule for me?

So now I get to miss another day of work.

It has been said

so it shall be written...

The tire combo that shall be run until further notice is

the Ardent 2.4 up front

and  let me introduce you to it's little friend out back

the Ikon 2.2.

Riding today everything just seemed "dialed".

Sure I could (and might at some  point) loose a 1/2 pound by running Ikons all around but the Ardent just seems so right.  I'd have to loose a whole lot more 1/2 pounds for a 1/2 pound to really make a difference.

Which is kinda funny as 2 years ago I struggled with the Ardent so much.
It either felt like I had a basketball between my forks, or I was giving my rims a beating.  Funny thing is now I'm running the pressure even lower than back then.

Learning how to ride or has someone been grooming every trail I ride?

KoB 2012

Adam the King with his Arm in front of Queen Ellen's head


How'd I do?
Officially all I know is I wasn't in the top 8 overall.
Unofficially I know Jonny Bold only beat me by less than 5 minutes.  On a longer course that some said wasn't singlespeed friendly that's a victory.  Hell, even if it was specifically designed for SS I'd be psyched with that deficit.

Technically I rode poorly.  Within the first mile I crashed in a very minor rock garden; the kind you shouldn't crash in.  On some of the new trails I was just sort of brain dead on how to approach the obstacles.  At one point I came to the end of a boardwalk that emptied into a rock garden and just sort of stopped.  I just couldn't figure out how to ride it.
So I ran.

Speaking of boardwalks, there were a lot of them.  Totally dry, totally safe, yet they freaked me out and I rode them with kit gloves.

The new sections of the course were awesome though.

They used a new timing system this year.  It had an elegant sounding electronic female voice (a hot robot!) counting you down to your start.  Unfortunately she couldn't do more than one thing at a time and to keep the race rolling along for all the classes, they couldn't stop to get more than the top 8 results.

I never do very well at this race, but it's a lot of fun and I'll keep coming back.

The waiting around for results that weren't coming did reward me with winning some goofy white socks in the raffle, but also sucked the life out of me; I had every piece of clothing I brought with me on by the time we left. This had a negative effect on the after race ride.  I look more forward to that than the race.

Next year, I'll skip the standing around part and get right to the good stuff.

No one remembered to bring a camera on the ride so I got this sweet shot of Alby putting on his sock

not to mention Dan refusing to use his bike rack

Season Kickoff!!

King of Burlingame, the season opener is this Sunday.
It's a flatish offroad TT, so it really doesn't play to my strengths, but fun never the less.  Really looking forward to the after race ride.

But Holy FOOK!
Has every ex-pro and National champion in the United States of New England signed up for it?

The youts 

might have a little something to say about it, but I'm betting we'll be crowning a geezer.

Chain didn't fall off.

No flats.

Lungs stayed in chest cavity.


Other than loosing my CO2 inflator (don't worry, I found my tube), I'd say it was just about perfect.