I rolled out of bed real slowly this morning, but did manage to make it down to Bluemont Park for 'cross practice. Brad and Ryan showed up and we rode a few laps together. Mainly I tried to get rid of the stutter step that has been plaguing my getting back on the bike. Well, after about five minutes of work, it was gone! I can't say that I've mastered all the skills in the DVD, but I've improved quite a bit on the remount. The simple idea of trying to get back to pedaling ASAP and to bring your leg through with the intention of hitting the pedals got the point across to me. I did the drill AHM describes in the DVD and it did wonders.

Last night I hit the jackpot on the bikes section of Craig's List! I was able to get a workshop quality repair stand and truing stand along with an array of cone wrenches, spoke keys, and a set of cable cutters. Normally I'd never be able to or even try to buy such nice equipment, but I picked them up from a guy in Glen Echo Park for a great price. He was an older dude with a lot of experience building wheels and maintaining bikes. I found him just as he was cleaning out his workshop. Really, just a terrific deal. I got lucky on this one.


The Park Tool PRS-6. It's a discontinued version and the only real stike against this one is the shortness of the stand. This is easily rememdied once I get a garage to work in.




The Park Tool TS-2. It's a professional quality truing stand second only to the TS-3. It will get the job done for years to come. Hopefully I can learn to build wheels.

It was raining today so I'm glad I opted not to ride in to work. I also wanted to give my calf a little more time to rest. Instead, I spent an hour on the trainer tonight after work. I set it up right in front of the TV and watched an episode of Law and Order and part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. I don't have anything set up to know speed or cadence, so I mainly just kept my legs moving fast and steady. I had the flywheel humming and worked up a good sweat.


Just in time for the end of the season, I took advantage of Performance's sale and my Team points and ordered my new pedals! I opted for the Time ATAC XS on advice from several people. In the end, the large area to hit when clipping in won me over from the Candy's. In any case, they should clear mud far better than my current pedals.

The calf feels a lot better and I think I'll be fine to race Sunday. Just not sure yet whether it'll be 100%.

I should have spent some easy time on the trainer tonight, but I'm lazy and worked on the audio post instead. I also watched the CycleSmart Cyclocross DVD, which was really great. I have many new ideas for how to improve my work on the barriers now. I think I'll get some work Wednesday morning at Bluemont. Goodbye stutter step!

Here's my second attempt at an audio race summary. At least I got a summary in this time. It's been a while! And just for clarification, it's the "dam" section. Enjoy.

Here's the only shot that there is of me in the race. At that point, I'm still trying to hang on to George. That's exactly the spot where I cramped up, but I don't think that's happening here--although I have no idea why my hand is on the seat of the bike. Here's a picture of the A racers on the fun downhill section of the course.

This was my first really awful race. It doesn't help when your body lets you down.

After not touching my bike all week, I finally spent some time on my Dad's old Nishiki ten-speed. I had to pump up the tires and fix the rear derailleur before it was rideable, but once I did it wasn't so bad. I must say that riding up hills without clips of any kind is more difficult than I remember. It's back to Arlington tonight.

I got up early this Sunday so I could ride in to support the Earth update. After Friday's feezing ride, I was cautious and wore my ski gloves along with a long sleeve shirt, earband, and booties with thick socks. No deer and plenty of sunlight make for a much more enjoyable ride. My hands were warm and toasty throughout.

After work, I realized exactly what the noise from my rear wheel was. I had a spoke with hardly any tension. It was rattling around. I took the wheel over to my office and put it in the truing stand and tightened it up. Before I tightened it, it was registering a zero on the tension meter.

After Jess picked me up, I went to Performance in search of winter clothing. I picked up a Louis Garneau windbreaker along with a cheap pair of winter gloves. Only time will tell how well they block the wind.

No true riding today. I spent about twenty minutes on the trainer watching football scores on ESPN before bed. Tomorrow I'm planning on braving the weather and hopefully getting some nice mileage before supporting another Earth update.

Tonight I blurred the line between hardcore and stupidity more than ever before. I had to go in to work to support an Earth update maneuver and I didn't leave till 10:18p. By that time the temperature had dropped dramatically. I was as well prepared as I could be with what I have, but I quickly found out that wasn't enough.

I have my road tires back on the Sirrus for the first time since taking up cyclocross and it was amazing to remember the acceleration they bring. I was motoring along at a great clip with the iPod blaring. At first, only my knees were cold. I didn't have anything covering them and the constant wind was pretty chilly. But really, knees weren't that big a concern.

The problems started about eight miles in when the tips of my fingers started to feel the wind through the gloves. My yellow gardening gloves are thicker than most, but I realized soon enough that they weren't cutting it. They've performed adequately in the mornings to work, but this was a different level of cold.

As I was coming down the short hill just before the Powerhouse section, I had to stop quickly to avoid two deer standing on the trail. I had to yell at them to get them to run away and after that I decided to keep the iPod off so I could hear any other deer that might get in my way.

My hands got colder and colder and I had stop three times to ball my fists up under my armpits to get them warm. That would work for a few miles each time, but after those stops I really couldn't keep very warm. My knees were still very cold and surprisingly my feet were starting to get cold despite my wearing the neoprene booties for the first time.

I stopped just before Falls Church and gave Jess a call to meet me at Bluemont Park. That's only ten minutes more to the house, but as cold as I was, I needed the ride to get shorter. I was able to make it there and she picked me up to drive me home. I turned on the heat for the first time and got warm as quick as I could.

Things I learned from tonight: It's freakin' cold without the sun! I need to cover my knees and arms with some kind of warmer. And I also need gloves that are wind proof. I think the booties work wonderfully and with thicker socks I won't have any problem there. It's a shame tonight was so bad because I actaully felt great otherwise and I was flying on the road tires.

I was able to make it to the park this morning for some 'cross practice. This was a pretty easy going ride. We only rode three or four loops and we didn't have barriers. I'll have to bring out mine next week. It was the usual crew of Peter, Ryan, and Scott, with Brad pulling up late just before I had to leave.

I feel pretty strong right now. I'm recovered nicely from the weekend and I'm chomping at the bit to race again. Unfortunately, I've got to wait two weeks. I'll be putting the road tires back on for a bit just to keep things nice and easy until then. Maybe I'll go for a run just to shake things up some.

I've got a few easy technical things I'll need to iron out over the next few weeks. My new shoes are awesome for just about everything except getting clipped in fast. Their hard plastic bottoms make it easy to slip off my pedals. The protrusions for clearing mud also make it harder to find the cleat. I think practicing starts will help iron that out. I can't allow another poor start to set a limit on my final place. Another thing I need to do is eliminate the stutter step from my remount--it kills momentum.

Riding in this morning was pretty typical. I left on time at 6:30a and rode a nice and steady pace all the way out to Dulles. The only thing of note was passing a deer which didn't want to move. It just stood there right on the side of the road and didn't care how close I got. It was really odd. Having something like that happen at night would be much more worrisome.

Tonight was just a frustrating ride. I left work late, which didn't put me in a great mood to begin with. Then I started noticing a small noise that sounded like something just barely tapping one of my spokes. I stopped probably four times, including once under the lighted bridge in Reston, trying to figure out what the problem was. I can't reproduce the noise unless I'm seated on the bike riding, which is odd. My cassette already has an annoying tick to it and I'm not sure if this is connected with that. But I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going on. Mostly it was frustrating and it doesn't affect the ride.

But I was also starving after five miles or so. That made me get sick of being out on the trail real quick. My lunch hadn't been very big and was famished. This made me keep the pace fairly slow. I need time to recover, so it's a good thing I wasn't hammering, but at the same time, I wanted to be home and off the bike, so it was frustrating. No one was riding in my direction today.

The good news is that the weather has been great. I was able to ride in short sleeves both to and from work today without even a chill. My Sidi's continue to please as well. They're so much stiffer and my feet feel far better connected with the pedals.

I finally got my USA Cycling license in the mail. That means no more carrying around the stupid yellow receipt to races. It was beginning to fall apart, so this came just in time.

No riding today. Instead I was able to pick up a few random components from an Evolution rider who was selling stuff on Craig's List. I picked up a couple 8 speed cassettes that I can use on a spare wheelset for the Sirrus along with a 105 front and rear derailleur. All the components were used but are in great condition. I'm not sure if I really have a use for the derailleurs right now, but I know I will find a use in the near future and the price was right. I also picked up a new Selle Italia Gel saddle and put it on Jess' bike. I'm not sure it'll work much better for her, but it can't be worse than the old thing she's been riding on.

Eventually I'll have time to get some race summaries written. But until then enjoy the fruits of my photographic work. I'm getting a lot better using the camera and as a result I have more quality photos from this race than from any other so far. Enjoy!

I finally had the kind of breakout day I was hoping to have last weekend in NC. I raced well on a hilly but dry course suited to my strengths and placed a surprising 5th.

I was finally able to get some good sleep last night and I felt much better when I got up. I drove down to Bluemont Park to meet the boys of Squadra Coppi for cyclocross practice. I was the first one there and I rode around a bit on my own before Peter Nicoll showed up. I had just about finished riding a warm-up lap with him when I realized after a quick downhill that the key I was storing inside my glove was no longer there! Craaaap. I had put the car key only in my glove and left the rest of the keys in the car. I had no cell phone and no way to get back into my apartment to get another car key. So I started retracing the loop hoping I'd find the key.

It was a bit ridiculous to look for the key because the loop we ride is large and varied enough that it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Ryan Newill and Brad Evans showed up by that time and I kept looking while they started riding laps. I borrowed Ryan's phone and left a message on Jess' voicemail. Then I went back to looking for just a little while longer before I'd have to ride home and spend the rest of the morning sorting everything out.

But no! I found the key! I was extremely lucky that it'd fallen out in the grass and there it was. Whew. Disaster avoided. I left the key in a backpack and got back to doing what it was I'd come for: riding. Basically we just rode loops together. I knew the course a lot better than I have the other two times I've ridden it, so it was more natural. I felt pretty good.

After decent number of laps, we decided to work on starts a bit. We lined up along one of the lines for the soccer fields and raced out to a baseball field, around the backstop and back in. I was able to "win" two of them and was right on the leader's heels on the third. I did have the inside track, but I think my starts are good enough. For me it's the rest of the first lap and the next few where I think I have the most trouble. I have a tendancy to want to settle in too quickly. To be good at cross I don't think I can really do much settling ever.

I'm planning on taking the rest of the week of from any lengthy or fast paced riding. I ate well (pasta) both last night and tonight and I'm determined to keep getting good sleep. Hopefully that'll help me start feeling better and I'll race better than I did last Sunday. I already felt a lot better today but my legs are still feeling a bit tired. I'm racing Saturday and Sunday for the first time and I want to do well in both. Top tens will be my goal.

I woke up dead tired and feeling like dirt. But I was able to get out of the house not longer after six and head over to Key Elementary School to vote. It was a lot of fun to cast a real ballot (as opposed to the absentee kind) for the first time. You feel more like you're doing something worthwhile. It was especially nice to ride to vote and a lady outside was nice enough to watch my bike while I voted. There was no line at all at 6:15 and I was out of there in less than five minutes.

It hit the road towards work and immediately I knew my legs weren't thrilled with the prospect of twenty four miles on the trail. I stayed away from pushing it in an attempt to recover. When I left the house, I hadn't expected it to be very cold, so I was riding with my Mechanix gloves and without my newly purchased booties. But unfortunately, the miles took a toll on my hands and feet and by the time I was in Vienna, I was cold. It wasn't much fun the rest of the way until I was able to hop in the shower before starting work.

Instead of dreading the ride home on my tired legs, I was excited to be riding in the dark with my new light. And riding in the dark I was since I left around 6p. I fired up the bulb and headed out. I rode a few of the offroad sections in the first five miles on the trail just to see how well the light really worked. The light allows me to see at least ten feet in front of me, which is plenty for riding on the trail and on the smooth off road sections beside the trail. But I can definitely understand now why it's necessary to have also a helmet mounted light for night mountain biking. It's hard to see where you're going when you have to turn.

As I always seem to, I was feeling strong in the dark and the crank was turning over much easier than it had in the AM. I didn't pick up any riders headed my way until just before the hill at Highway 66. He was on a road bike and scooted through the light ahead of me. I was happy to have a little bait, and going up the hill at 66, I blew past. It was fun throwing in surges as he chased after me. Everytime he got close, his light would blend into mine, so I new when he was near. I'm not sure when he turned off, but it got me moving all the way to Wilson where I hammered up the hill.

I think it'd probabaly be wise if I started switching to my road tires for riding to work. It'd save time riding and probably keep my legs fresher. I can handle most of the off road stuff easily now, so I should spend more time at the park to practice cross.

I finished an average and slightly disappointing 12th place in the Men's B race. It was the third race of the NC Cyclocross Series, held in Burlington, NC. More to come on this one . . .

Pictures from the Men's A Race are now online.

After chilling out most of the day today, we drove over to Lake Crabtree Park. I got out my mountain bike and was really excited to try out some new trails when I realized I'd left my helmet back at the house! So disappointing. I was going to be stupid and ride some of the trail without a helmet but I decided not to disobey the posted signs. Instead I rode around a bit in the field trying to pop wheelies. I also tried riding through some of the beach voleyball courts and practiced turns. At least I spent some time on the bike. Raceday tomorrow.

It appears that the cop was wrong.  I sent this email to the Arlington Police Department:

Two nights ago I was stopped going into my apartment at 1410 N. Scott St. by an officer who said that I had violated the law on my bike.  He claimed that by my passing his car on the right, I had committed an infraction worthy of a ticket.  I told him I didn't believe that was true, but he said we could settle it in front of a judge.  Obviously I did not want that.  However, after checking the Virginia DOT website, it appears your officer was mistaken about the law.  The Virginia DOT page says,

Bicyclists may overtake and pass another vehicle only when safe to do so. Bicyclists may pass another vehicle on the right or left, and they may stay in the same lane, change lanes, or ride off the road if necessary for safe passing. Please note that passing motor vehicles on the right side may be extremely dangerous if the motorist does not see the bicyclist and attempts a right turn.

  Seeing as we were both moving forward on a straight section on 15th St. just before Jerry's Subs and Pizza, there was no danger and I had plenty of room to pass on the right.  I don't appreciate being harassed by an officer who doesn't know the law.  The law to reference is Code of Virginia 46.2-907.

It's possible I'm misreading something, but it looks like I did nothing wrong.  Either way, I think the cop should have more important things to do than harass cyclists that aren't running lights or cutting people off.  I only started reading the actual law because of a discussion going around on the D20 list about a guy who was ticketed after crossing through a red light when no traffic was present.  His case is a bit more complicated.

I didn't feel like putting 50 miles on my legs today, but I needed to spend some time on the bike after taking yesterday off.  I can always use work on my technical skills.  I drove down to Bluemont Park where I was hoping to meet up for cyclocross practice yesterday (I enjoyed my extra hour of sleep instead).  I rode around the makeshift course a bit and practiced turns.  I rode figure eights around two trashcans about 50 meters apart and practiced the run up and remount a bit.  I should have brought out my barriers and given them a try.

Riding a bit on the baseball field was a mistake.  It added sand to the already nasty mix of wet grass in my drivetrain.  I'll have to clean everything up tonight  for the race this weekend.  I'm racing in Burlington, NC in the third race of the North Carolina Cyclocross Series, and I'm interested to see what another series is like.  Racing MABRA and MAC series races gives me high expectations.  It should be nice racing in front of family.

I've been trying to learn to pop a wheelie a bit lately and I did a fine job this morning.  I'm getting more and more comfortable on the bike in general.  The key to wheelies is obvious I guess.  You have to keep your weight as far back as possible.  I was determined to keep trying wheelies until I found my limit and this morning on the wet grass, I found it.  My back tire slipped and I flipped the bike backwards landing hard on my butt.  I was lucky no one saw it, but it should leave a nice bruise.  Once I get wheelies under control, I guess the next logical step is hopping things like . . . cyclocross planks?  I think it's safe to say, however, that I'm a long way from pulling off that feat.

The ride in this morning was long and cold. I had to make it in time for the launch rehersal for Telkom-2, so I left the house at 5:50a. Even with the time change, it was dark at that hour and I was barely awake.

I was using my old Mechanix gloves for the first time, and they didn't work out so well. The cold cut right through them, which I guess is no surprise since they're made to breathe. My legs felt ok early, but I spent the energy quick and the ride started to get longer than I wanted it to be. By the time I got to work, I was cold and tired and happy to be done.

The rehersal ran all day and into the night. It was 8:30p by the time I was ready to head home. Instead of interrupting Gilmore Girls, I opted to ride in the dark. My only real concern with riding in the dark are the deer on the trail. Since I see some every morning (a buck this morning) getting hit would not be cool. But I set my iPod playing and whistled most of the way home. I used my light intermittedly since it's nearly out of batteries and doesn't help much anyways. I was surprised to pass five cyclists and a few walkers. All in all, it's not too dangerous.

The strange thing was that, to my knowledge, it's against the law to be on the W&OD after dark. But just past Vienna, I passed a cop car ON the trail! He didn't say anything and we both just kept on our ways.

But I'm now officially an outlaw in another way. As I was coming down Wilson and nearly home, I was absolutely hauling. I was giving everything I had for a finishing sprint and I flew past a cop car. Haha. Well, as I was going into the front of the apartment, the cop yelled to me:

"Hey, don't you know you have to follow the same rules as cars?"
I said, "I didn't break any laws."
"Yes you did. Passing on the right? Ever hear of that?"
"You were going slower, I'm on a bike."
"I can give you a ticket and we'll settle this in front of a judge."
"No, thanks for letting me know."

His threatening a ticket took the sass out of me, but I almost wish I'd gotten the ticket. That would have been a badge of pride--something to frame on my wall. I say if I can pass your sorry butt in a car, that's allowed. And any righteous punks out there waiting to add to the cops reprimand, just shut up. That was a rush and I made it home safe and sound.

Now for a chicken pot pie and some sleep! Maybe cyclocross practice in the morning??