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New Cognition Site

2009-04-03T08:21:00.003-06:00

Hi! I know I don't post much here anymore. Mostly that's because my time is 100% accounted for with training, the new job, and working on Cognition. On that note, check out the new site! We're pretty pleased with it, our buddy and mountain biking machine Cory Gwin did a great job on it with some special design work by Jesse Lalonde. Thanks, guys!

Coming up next on the calendar: the H8TER 100. Check the kittenfactory for details.

Baraboo RR

2008-05-05T08:14:00.003-06:00

It was drizzling before the race and pretty chilly. Maybe that explained the comparatively low turnout of about 19. It felt like the race was not as hard as last year since nobody was really interested in driving the pace. Instead, the course did its own selection. Despite the modest pace most of the race, the hills would pop a few people as we went along. By the second lap we were down to about 12, and on the last lap we were at 6 at one point until some chasers caught back on.

The final selection was Jason Boynton (Endeavor), Brian Kaker (Beans & Barley), Luke Seemann and John Tomlinson (xXx), Jordan Heimer (Geargrinder), and myself. On the last lap the xXx guys started attacking, but it seemed to me that JT wasn't feeling very good so Luke did a bunch of attacking while he sat on. It looked like Luke was testing people and trying to wear us down more than he was actually attempting to get away, and the Geargrinder rider did the work of closing the gaps nearly every time so I wasn't worried. In fact, I mostly sat in despite some protestations that the chasers were catching us. After we got over the last climb I was feeling really good and felt good about my chances even with the addition of a few chasers. It doesn't make for epic racing and proud storytelling to sit in and wait for the sprint, but sometimes you do what you need to do given the situation.

The chasers caught us on the finishing stretch and nobody wanted to start winding things up. I waited very patiently near the back and positioned myself on the right side, out of the wind. After a couple of false starts, we got pretty close to the line and things opened up. I was on Tomlinson's wheel as he charged up the middle but he ran out of gas and I squeezed through on the right. It's an odd feeling for me to be flying past people in the sprint, but I had a good jump and got past everyone except Kaker, who was a couple of lengths ahead. It was a short, quick sprint and I felt great, like the win was well within my reach. Instead, 2nd is a pretty good result for a race like this.

Love to H8

2008-04-15T10:39:00.002-06:00

The H8TER 100 is in the books. The weather was perfect with just a bit of rain/snow/sleet and just cold enough to make you really think about your clothing choice.

For the most part the race went exactly as I had visualized it. After a neutral leadout by Djonn followed by a not-so neutral leadout by Nine, the lead group quickly established itself with myself, Cory, LBC, Maciej, and Scot V. After Cory led through the unfinished trail sections the group was a little spread out so LBC hit the gas to test reactions. Things came together and we rotated smoothly down to the turnaround.

The pace slowed a bit, and even Olson's "not really racing" was still fast enough to be visible behind so Maciej spurred us faster. Soon Cory attacked, I jumped with him, and after evasive maneuvering around a truck at a road crossing we all came back together.

Once the trail turned gradually uphill I got on front and went fairly hard all the way back to Seminole. These guys are strong riders but I was feeling great and wanted to see if I could wear on them a bit, and it felt good to take things into my own hands. LBC dropped off and when we got onto the road we called a truce until the finishing circuit; nobody wanted to play any games in traffic after we've all worked hard thus far.

Unfortunately I must have picked up some glass on the southwest path and flatted around Regent & Park. Deeply disappointed since I was pretty personally invested in this race, I fixed my flat and continued solo to hopefully at least lock up 4th place. I flatted a second time around the Caribou on Johnson St. (I had hastily checked the tire for debris, but apparently not well enough). At this point I refused to DNF so I shouldered the bike and ran the mile or two back to the start/finish. DP's cruiser bike was leaning on a wall inside so I grabbed that and slogged out the final loop.

No sweet hardware for my efforts, but I felt really good and thought the race was amazing. It wouldn't be the H8TER without a little H8.

Results:
Women:
1st - Angie T.
2nd - Patti K.
3rd - Katy S.

Men:
1st - Scot V.
2nd - Maciej N.
3rd - Cory G.

Congrats!

Pics from Robin.

Spring Super Crit

2008-04-08T09:28:00.003-06:00

The Sheboygan crit for Saturday was cancelled due to snow and ice on the course, so I took the opportunity to stack some more miles on with a few teammates. The weather was beautiful and there were climbs and town signs to be attacked. Somewhere between five and six hard hours in the saddle with Blue Mounds thrown in for good measure isn't a great recipe for race results the next day, but it's early in the year and I'm not stressing about results just yet so I'll go with training opportunities when I can get them.

Sunday: Frank and my teammate Robert piled into the ol' LeSabre and headed to South Beloit for the Burnham Racing Spring Super Crit. After my usual navigational mishaps, we found ourselves at the Blackhawk Farms Raceway. The facilities were amazing by normal crit standards. Smooth pavement, flat-yet-twisty racetrack with some killer wind, indoor bathrooms, viewing platform over the start/finish of the track. I quickly helped Robert get pinned and set up for his first race and the 4/5s were off. Unfortunately they both fell victim to the mishaps that are inevitable in a 75-rider 4/5s race.

The 3/4 race started as usual, people getting a read on the course and the crosswinds. Attacks went off and were reassimilated. I chased a couple of moves but nothing stuck for a bit. Eventually three or four riders got a gap that seemed to hover for a lap or two, and when I saw John Tomlinson (xXx) move to bridge I was positioned perfectly to grab his wheel. Three or four riders got on my wheel and Tomlinson pulled us all up over the course of the next lap with an impressive display of power. As we approached the break it looked like they were starting to disintigrate a bit so we provided welcome reinforcement. We kept riding hard and worked pretty well together to grow the gap. The break consisted of two Trek/Vitaminwater riders (Julian Baumgartner and Jeff Wat) and one xXx, so I think we probably had the benefit of some solid blocking in the pack. There were also single riders from Vision Quest, Turin, Gear Grinders, and probably one more.

My legs weren't feeling particularly good since I absolutely destroyed them less than 24 hours ago, but I'd rather bury myself in a hard-working break than suffer another pack finish so I took my turns gratefully. Turn, turn, move left to get a draft in the crosswind, turn, turn, move right to find a draft, hammer into the wind, spin out a big gear on the long tailwind section. We flew along for quite a while like that, gaining a solid enough gap on the pack that there was little question this would be the winning move. When it came time for a prime lap (a case of Powerade or the like) there was little need for discussion; the need to keep working together superseded some free energy drinks.

Unfortunately I started to suffer a bit more and started to really feel the fatigue in my legs. I was registered to do the following 1/2/3 race, but I told myself I'd call it a day and just head home if I did everything I could in this break. The 1.9 mile laps started to wear on me and I skipped a couple of turns at the front. I was fading physically with 3 to go but I think at some point it was mental fatigue that caused me to pull the plug. Maybe I could have dug deeper for one or two more laps until the pace possibly slowed to set up for the finish; maybe all I needed was a bit more mental toughness to push through it. Maybe I should have done less work, but I didn't want to be that guy. In any case, I was cooked and lost contact with the break. One feeble lap later I was back in the pack, resenting the churning and unorganized group. This is not the company I wanted to finish the race with.

I can't feel too badly overall, since my primary objective for the weekend was to get some good training in. On that front it was stellar. It's just too bad that I couldn't seal the deal and nab some upgrade points for my efforts. Next Saturday might well be the high point of my spring: the H8TER 100. Sunday is the first GDVC crit, so I hope to see some of you there as well. Whether I'm racing Sunday might depend on how Saturday goes.

Mother nature loves Dio

2008-04-03T11:27:00.006-06:00

photo by Djonn

Spring is making its first few attacks, testing so see if winter will let it up the road, and winter is losing the strength to respond. The birds are returning from their training camps down south; fat robins are hopping around, and I saw five or six cranes stretching their legs while I was on a morning ride. The ice fishermen have left the lakes and the muskrats have returned, loitering around their own holes in the ice. Somebody needs to tell the H8TER trail that winter is over. By all accounts it's still early March on the trail. A week and a half left to prepare as thoughts of tire selection and pressure come to the fore. It should be fun to have so many great people and strong riders assembled for a mutual hurtfest.

The Seminole Superhighway is back in full effect; I can't find a moment's solitude to suffer in peace anymore without encountering a rider I haven't seen since last fall, and the bike paths are already glutted with strollers, dogs, and walkers. My winter training grounds have been taken over and it's time to head back out into the rolling countryside.

The WCA opener is this weekend and on Sunday there's a crit at a racetrack in South Beloit. It seems like I'm more fit and focused that I was last year and the fun of racing is amplified by the more simple fun of going fast and riding with a group again.

Breakaway

2008-03-17T10:07:00.003-06:00

Kenosha training crit #3 yesterday. It was quite windy this time around, but less cold and it was dry. My legs felt pretty fried from a team ride the day before so I planned on hanging back for the first couple of moves (since last week there were quite a few futile ones that didn't get free), let the legs settle in, and then go with one that looked good. It's only a training race and I wasn't feeling great, but riding smart can often make up for that.

A few uneventful laps went by and at one point I happened to be moving up on the outside of the pack. A couple of guys got maybe a 50 meter gap heading into the stiff headwind, with the pack lined out on the other side of the road, mostly trying to hide and not eager to do the work into the wind. I was in good position on the outside of the pack and decided I didn't want to be left out of this one if it went somewhere. I jumped, and when I looked back there was no reaction from the pack. Over the next lap or so the small gap stretched back and forth with a few more riders getting across eventually, and a group of about 6 of us soon solidified the gap and settled into a rhythm. The gap stayed within about ten seconds for a while, then grew as the pack settled down and apparently lost motivation to chase. After a while, a few more riders made it across, and then Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks, last weekend's winner) bridged up solo.

Looking around at the composition of the break, I was pretty sure it would stick. There was a good representation of teams; WDT, ABD, Flatlandia, Baraboo Sharks... I can't remember who else. There were a couple of guys who were clearly looking strong, and a few like myself who weren't feeling great but were still working hard.

Eventually we got about a minute on the field and settled in for the last few laps. Coming into the last corner on the bell lap I thought had a good wheel, but the two guys who had been going hard sat up in front of me and I got boxed in when Ted Burger (Flatlandia) and Tomasz Boba (WDT) jumped on the right side. Chris Hurst was boxed in near me but pushed his way out to follow. I got around the roadblock and jumped past two other guys with a little shoulder bumping but went too early and died on the long, slightly uphill finish with a strong headwind. Having missed the winning jump, I should have stayed on those two guys until closer to the line to have a chance at 4th, but I'd rather botch a sprint from a break than sit around in the pack all day and botch the field sprint.

Overall a really good race, I rode smart and worked hard and was happy to get into the winning break. My fitness seems pretty much on track for this time of year and it's time to start ramping up the intensity. The next race for me will be in two weekends for the WCA opener at Evergreen Park in Sheboygan.

Bring the H8

2008-03-13T11:50:00.002-06:00

100k of asphalt, overgrown railroad bed, crushed limestone, train tunnel, and broken dreams. Unleash your inner H8TER in the 2.0 version of last year's Madison-Basco-Madison spring classic brought to you once again by Djonnymac. See the Kittenfactory for details.

Flyer by Jesse.

Spring ahead

2008-03-13T08:03:00.002-06:00

After a not-unexpected period of radio silence during the winter, I think it's almost safe to start looking toward Spring. I took a good mental and physical break after cross season and have been back outside on the bike for quite a while now. My road season has begun with last weekend's crit in Kenosha and I've got a clear view of my priorities and training, always keeping an eye toward the fall. What started with excitement for the MadCross race is blowing up into plans for several UCI cross races this year.

Lately I've been knee-deep in projects; getting the bikes sorted out with repairs, upgrades, part swaps, repositioning, accessorizing.

Cognition is picking up steam faster than I can publicize it on the website. We've got an article in this week's Isthmus and the embroidery projects have been starting to bear fruit. Look for some of that to come out soon. I'd like to revamp our web presence slightly, and there have been some techy projects that need finishing but any "free time" usually equals saddle time.

With the warmer weather comes new challenges. I've got the subzero riding dialed but the sudden presence of liquid water surprises me in the form of a muddy spray from the tires. Fender time.

More to come.

2007 Season In Review

2008-01-15T08:40:00.000-06:00

We're two weeks into 2008 and it's time to put '07 to bed. This is pulled from a writeup I did on bikelikemad, so hopefully it's isn't too out of context here. Anyway, as I look forward to a new year with new possibilities, some final reflections:

Criteriums: I began the year considering myself as primarily a crit racer, so with that in mind I had a really poor showing. To do well in crits you not only have to be fit but you have to be intensely motivated to take risks and muscle your way to the front at the end of the race. I lacked that killer instinct this season and sort of sat back. Out of 10 or 11 races I didn't ever crack the top 10. Fail.

Road Races: we're short on RRs around here, so I only did two. Baraboo #1 was a leg breaker and I got dropped hard on the first set of climbs. I fared better in Whitewater, sitting easily and sprinting uphill for 6th. Surprisingly good.

Track: my introduction to track leaves me with the impression that it's a total blast, and it's was nice to have some success at it. I got my first sanctioned win in the Danish (which I like) and made a lot of silly mental errors in the points-based races that I (hopefully) learned a lot from. A good handful of top finishes and lots of fun. At the VeloCity tour, where messengers competed for a ticket to the messenger world championships in Dublin, I raced against the non-messengers and won all my races (3 match sprints, 1 scratch race, 1 points race) and was the overall non-messenger winner. I'd have liked to see how I'd do against a couple of the messenger guys, though the non-messengers had some strong guys as well.

Alleycats:I had a great year of alleycats last year, not so much this year. Had a mediorcre Tour da Chicago (20th overall, 3rd out of town), I survived Stupor Bowl despite a wicked hangover and crazy-low temperatures. Skipped MMI (alleycat burnout already?). Did To Hell In a Bike Basket (not a huge fan of points/game alleycats, but to each their own). Tour de Franzia, mixed feelings. The No Bullshit Brodeo was a lot of fun - riding with Frank and then having him execute a tactically perfect attack at the end to win it. DP and I threw Tron, which turned out well but was a heavy burden to bear. Threw away potential victory at Fire's [M]CAT due to a typical stupid mistake. Threw away potential out of town victory at Sadie Hawkins in Chicago after a brilliant ride with Kelly because of another typical, stupid mistake on my part. I'm left with a lot of disappointment.

Mountain Biking:Sadly missed 24-9 due to a gnarly eye infection that played havoc with my mid-summer racing. Did Ore to Shore in Marquette, which was a big highlight. Fun times in a great place with great people. I had no expectations for the race but felt okay about it, now I can try to improve upon it next year. Gnome Fest. Amazing fun, hats off to Cale and crew. My introduction to bike polo, which was a total blast. I need to ride more dirt.

Cyclocross:Started early with the Bandit Cross series in Chicago. To my total shock I won the first race, missed the second, won the third, and took second overall. Must have been a fluke, I thought. Then the real season ramped up. 11 races, with (sorted) placings as follows: 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7. Second place in the series overall. For the first time in my bike racing career I would step up to the line and know that I had a bag of hammers I was ready to drop on people. Many fun courses, indescribably fun times with you all. Ride the tiger, holy diver, etc. However, a black cloud descended toward the end of the season. The more races I went without a win, the less satisfied I was with 2nd place, the less motivated I became, the less fun I had. More on this below, but reflecting like this is good because I realize that I far exceeded my expectations for myself at the beginning of the year. Maybe I'll be taking beer handups in the P/1/2 races next season. Oh, and Zack built me an amazing bike that I'm always pumped to ride.

Low points:

Missed M-B-M.

Crucial, costly mistakes in alleycats.

Mid-season injuries. Knee and eye problems put a serious damper on the summer. That may have helped my cross racing, however.

Mentle ilnus. I'm not sure how to put it, but this approximates it: I had trouble managing expectations this year. I don't think I'm alone in this, but I think sometimes when you have a taste of success at something your perspective can get skewed and sometimes "do your best, have fun" turns into "business time, have to get the job done". I felt this a bit at the track, a lot in alleycats, and a lot at the end of the cross season. I'm still trying to get my head around dealing with successes when they come.

High points:

Wheels On Willy, P/1/2/3. The crit I had my worst finish in, the crit that ultimately put my knee out of commission for the rest of the road season, still leaves a strong impression. Turning myself inside out to simply hold onto the back of that pain train was totally worth it because of the streets lined with awesome friends encouraging us to go on.

VeloCity tour. It's always fun when you win, but it was a great day at the track with a ton of chi/mke friends. Sunburn was not so fun.

Ore to Shore. Not for race performance, but for fun on a bike. Mexican Hammergel!

Cyclocross. So much fun, and I did so much better than I expected. A lot of us did really well this year, and I'm super proud of our posse for stepping it up and making cyclocross amazing.

Riding my bike. Seriously, I had so much fun on a bike this year while not racing. Working out in Cross Plains gave me many, many good training hours out in the hills. Wednesday Night Rides, ThunderJet, and 24MOTAB are the staples for fun times on two wheels.

Next year? I'm looking forward to a better road campaign fueled by decent fitness and better confidence. I want to see about racing a full season of track at Kenosha. More dirt, maybe Ore to Shore, 24-9, try some WORS or WEMS. Cyclocross as usual, I'll have to think about what'll happen there. I haven't sworn off alleycats, but I'm leaning more toward the low-/no budget, no hype, no bullshit smaller ones. I did 40 or 50 races this year, so I probably want to keep that number about the same. I also love having normal-person weekends where I sleep late, eat a leisurely breakfast, go to the farmer's market, drink beer on saturday, etc. It's all about balance.

Weird morning

2007-11-20T08:30:00.000-06:00

This morning has been weird. First, we're in bed and I set my cellphone alarm to give me another 15 minutes of sleep. Kelly is up, getting ready. The phone goes off and I hit snooze, putting it under the pillow on my left side. Kelly comes back and gets into bed, but I warn her to watch out for the phone since she's about to lay down on it. A few minutes later it goes off again, but now it's sitting on top of the blanket on my right side. Hmm.

Later, at a coffee shop I overhear someone sitting with a man who must have been his lawyer, talking about how he was thinking about turning himself in, but "she sure wouldn't get that $20,000 out of me if I were in jail," and the lawyer agreeing that jail would do nobody any good.

Last weekend Kelly and I did the Sadie Hawkins alleycat in Chicago, and this past weekend was the Angell Park cross race in Sun Prairie. Both of those left a pretty bad taste in my mouth, but that's a blog for another time perhaps.

Ride the tiger

2007-11-04T17:51:00.000-06:00

The last couple of racing weekends have gone about the same on Saturday as they go on Sunday. Rewind to Whitewater and Gibbs Lake: not feeling great but still rode away with Casey. Nine impressively hung in there at Whitewater until I put in a hard dig with 2 to go, and at Gibbs I reluctantly wound up similar endgame effort (despite a foreboding sense of dread the entire day), looked back, and just saw Casey. In both cases he finished stronger and took the win.

Photo: Kat

After that came the Washington Park Halloween race. Another fun course. This time it had a tombstone bunnyhop obstacle. A few hard efforts had the lead changing around and eventually Casey and Chris Hurst got a gap (with Casey taking the sprint), with me dropping into survival mode while I held off a hard-chasing Shawn Meinke for third.

Photo: Robin

This weekend came on the heels of a job change, not much riding, poor diet, and too much drinking. Saturday: Kletsch Park in Milwaukee. Team Polska put together a fun, tough course with a steep dirt climb with a barrier on top. Lots of tech sections and almost nowhere to recover very much. Due to the twisty opening sections and technical nature I figured the race would split up right from the start, but a lap into it there was still a stream of riders behind. Eventually a crash severed ties between the pack and our lead group of about four, and the gap quickly opened up. Lance Niles bridged up at some point. I wasn't feeling nearly as strong as I had the last few weeks and my riding showed it. We traded pulls for a while and with about 5 to go Casey put in an effort to shake things up. I was second wheel and didn't have much more in me and nobody else came around to chase, so he rode away to victory. I sat on Lance and Brian (who was looking strong), they gapped me at some point, and I didn't put much heart into the chase. My right calf cramped after the race and a stream of beers did nothing to relax it.

Sunday: Estabrook Park, MKE. A fairly straightforward course, fun, and fast. Light rain early in the day promised to make the leaf-strewn corners interesting. My right leg still knotted from Saturday, I wasn't feeling super. Plans were put into place to try and snag the victory for once. The start went much like yesterday's; a big group with people jostling for positions. After a lap or two the high tempo eventually broke the elastic and a lead group was whittled down to Casey, Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks), Maciej (Polska), Brian (Brown Bear), Lance Niles, and myself. Again, I was frustrated to feel like I was just hanging on. The race was unusually aggressive, which definitely made it interesting. Several attacks were made, but all were short-lived. I made my bid for glory midway through, but after getting a few seconds on the group I looked back and realized I didn't have the legs to make it stick. I was slow through the technical sections, wasn't accellerating well out of the chicanes, and eventually Casey, Lance, and Chris got a gap I couldn't close. Maciej and I went back and forth and Brian was chasing behind us. After mentally defeating myself before the finish yesterday I made sure I stayed sharp for the finish, jumping with a couple of turns to go and winding up the big gear as Maciej couldn't quite get past me in time. Another 4th.

At this point in the season, it's less about series points for me and more about pride. With two weeks until Angell Park and the state championships the week after that, I need to get focused and be ready to close the deal.

Nice racing, everyone!

number crunching

2007-10-18T09:18:00.000-06:00

Last night I was dreaming that I came home and Kelly surprised me with a ZR Cycles track bike with sweet star cutouts everywhere. I have essentially no use for a steel track bike right now but I was pumped. She had also gotten herself a red ZR 3-speed commuter with a dynohub. Sweet, 3 ZRs in the house! When I woke and told her about it, she laughed at the idea of owning such a bike. Not her style.

Stuck in dreamland and lulled by the howling winds outside, I slept in and blew off a chance at an easy commuting day to spin the previous days' efforts out of my legs. Listen to your body, they say. Mine is sending mixed messages.

Looking forward to the Trash Dash and Gibbs Lake this weekend, I need to keep my legs on track. The series is looking close, though Casey has a gap on Maciej and I, with another couple of possible threats from below. Anything can happen and there are a variety of courses left to race, so I need to stay consistent and get all the points I can. I need a win if I want a shot at the overall, and I can't help but think that Sunday would have been as good a chance as any. I guess my expectations have been on the rise since the beginning of the series, so it's time to crank it up another notch.

Madison Cross Weekend. Free Beer. Podiums.

2007-10-15T09:40:00.000-06:00

The weekend began after work on Friday. I had just picked up my bike from Zack the night before, and had time only to position the levers, wrap the bars, and take it for a spin around the block, which was enough to determine that it's way different than the Crosscheck. Armed with allen wrenches, I headed to Badger Prairie Park for one last recon visit and shakedown ride. The course was still grassy, bumpy, and grueling, and I still dreaded it more than most others. It took me a few laps to get used to the different braking, shifting, traction, handling... just about everything was different. As I got a bit more accustomed to the bike, my laps got faster and more confident, but it still struck me as a bit of a gamble to race on it the next day. Excitement to show it off trumped my sense of caution, however. I got the saddle position a little more fine-tuned as darkness fell.

Saturday. Drove to Cam-Rock with Nils (and his boombox) and Andy. The course was dry and super fast, with some mulch-filled turns and the occasional rock or root to avoid. Squeezed in next to Casey on the line for crucial starting position. The start went flawlessly, a moderate sprint up the hill to the first corner. Got ahead of the pack and backed it off a bit to follow Maciej and Casey into the turn. We quickly had a big gap on the rest of the field, and started taking turns at the front. A chaser appeared behind us and was making up ground. After the first lap I came through for a turn, which in retrospect maybe wasn't in my best interests, but I wanted to help keep the gap open and didn't want to be the guy sitting on. Right after my turn I needed to recover but the Baraboo Sharks rider caught us and kept right on going. The other two jumped on his wheel and I didn't have the gas to make it, so faded back.

photo: Djonn

I enjoyed no-man's-land for a while but was still recovering so I more or less waited for the two chasers behind me to catch up, a Moosejaw and a Brown Bear. I sat third wheel and saved my bullets for the end, sizing up the other two. I also rocked out to "Holy Diver" playing on the boombox on the run-up. Moosejaw was looking strong, so I figured he'd be my competition in the sprint, but I've been sprinting pretty well and cracking out hill repeats like nothing lately so figured I had a good shot. He slowed on the last lap, a little cat-and-mouse, perhaps, until the last few corners where he put in a dig. Brown Bear mis-shifted or dropped his chain and I made a pass on him that may have hindered him further. I got on Moosejaw's wheel and let him lead out the sprint up the hill, coming around him to just barely take 4th. A sweet day, the first podium for the ZR Cycles, decent points, in the money, free pint glass, and it turns out that my pull at the front won me the beer prime so I won a free sixer to boot. From what I can tell, most of these faces will be on the podium a lot this year.

photo: Colin

Cale won his race, and the rest of the crew either did well or was plagued by mechanicals. That night I went to the party at Nine's house, got really loaded, and barely found my way back home. Some would consider this a poor attempt at recovery for tomorrow's race, but those people don't have nearly as much fun as I do.

Sunday. The rain and chill in the air eliminated any thoughts of riding to the race, so I loaded up the car and after helping Nine put the leftover keg in his car, Erik and I drove to Verona. Showing up and seeing the cat 4s sliding and crashing all over the muddy corners didn't do much to build enthusiasm, but we registered and took a warm-up spin. Having done well on fast, dry courses so far I was somewhat expecting a reversal of fortune for me in the slop. There were also a handful of fast mountain bikers in attendance that I suspected might have an advantage.

photo: Djonn

Another front-row start, but I fumbled at getting clipped in so made it into the all-important first turn in around 10th or 12th place. Somewhat discouraged, I was able to quickly get around the slower traffic and moved up to around 3rd place behind Erik. He was setting a stiff pace, and I was already fairly happy with where I was, so I followed him for a bit. Neil Swanson was riding hard on our heels on his mountain bike and I could see Maciej not far behind, so I was eager to grow the gap. Pinning it on the road sections a few times gained us some ground on the chasers, and I think I popped Erik off at some point. At that point it was TT mode, I wasn't sure that I could catch Casey but I wanted to fend off any chasers and stay smooth and upright. The course was amazingly fun, enough muddy sections that had to be taken slowly to recover, and enough smooth sections to get on the gas. Casey was holding about 20-25s on me, but I could see a rider catching me from behind. I didn't recognize him at the time, but it was the Moosejaw rider that I outsprinted the day before. He passed me and I tried staying close. Ahead we could see Casey's gap shrinking quickly, I'd later learn that he had started crashing and dropping his chain, and had entirely lost his rhythm. The crowd was starting to go nutty as the remaining laps dwindled. Moosejaw passed Casey, and a little while later I was almost upon him when he slid out in a slippery corner. I squeezed between him and the course ribbon and kept going. He got back on my wheel before the final turns, but my line through the last grass-to-pavement transition was faster, and I heard Frank in the feed zone yelling "Sprint!" I should have been more focused mentally because I didn't know it was the last lap. In any case, he might have saved me and I put in just enough acceleration to keep Casey from catching me and rolled in 2nd.

photos: Djonn

Then we capped off an epic weekend by watched Jesse kill it in the P/1/2/3 race. Time for rest and refocus. This weekend bumped me up in the overall standings, so my sights have been raised a bit for this season. I want to stand on that top step. Thanks to pals for cheering and handups this weekend. Next weekend is the infamous Whitewater Trash Dash on Saturday, Gibbs Lake on Sunday. Bring it.

ZR Cycles: Sneak Preview

2007-10-11T11:38:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to contain my excitement for the last few weeks, but the day has finally come. That day is New Bike Day. Last night, after a quick stop at the liquor store for some refreshments, we steered the Wednesday night ride around Lake Monona to the Mainframe so I could drop off the final few parts needed to complete the build. The smell of tubular glue was still in the air as I took a few teaser photos that don't come close to doing the bike justice. I can't wait to see the paint under actual sunlight.

Hopefully I'll have it in my hands this evening, and I'll take it on its maiden voyage to do some race reconnaissance tomorrow evening. I'm still torn on whether I'll run a saddle that vaguely matches the paint or a (lighter) plain black one, but we decided that I'll race on both of them this weekend and the better result will indicate the appropriate saddle to use.

I'll have complete photos and specs up as soon as time and natural light permit, but you can come see it in person when it makes its race debut at the big Madison 'cross weekend.

See what else Zack is up to here.

Back on track

2007-10-05T10:43:00.000-06:00

Maybe inspired by my good result at Lapham Peak last weekend, or maybe just as a result of some time off the bike this summer, I've been back in the zone and training like I feel I should. It's fall, it's cyclocross, it's hardman time. Hill repeats in the pouring rain, pre-dawn recovery rides, past-dark miles spontaneously added on long after the hunger knock starts to set in and dreams of dinner start dominating my attention. Burnout is nowhere in sight, this is how it should be. Whether the results keep coming or not, I'm racing once again and it's what defines me.

Last night's session was rudely interrupted. The data:

The summary:

0:30:00 - heading south on Timer Ln, set of 3 "crit sprints". all is well.
0:38:00 - turn east onto Military Ridge. recovery.
0:40:00 - pssst, pssst, pssst, pssst, pssst
0:40:15 - flat tire. not a puncture so much as the entire tread decided to wear through rather suddenly.
replace tube and boot with piece of sandpaper. continue riding gingerly.
0:45:00 - flat again. cellphone comes out. start walking toward Verona.
1:00:00 - fuck this, I'm riding it.
1:04:00 - stop to reconfirm position via cellphone. continue riding
1:06:40 - should I try to take it easy on the rim? walk for a while.
1:10:00 - fuck this, I'm riding it.
1:14:00 - walk
1:24:00 - ride
1:30:00 - arrive in Verona, sit and wait for ride to show up

I didn't get to finish my workout, but that's how a tire's life deserves to end.

No racing this weekend, but hopefully a lot of saddle time between mountain biking and a team ride on the road.

Lapham Peak CX

2007-10-01T10:31:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was the Lapham Peak doubleheader. An uphill TT and a cross country TT on Saturday, a real cross race on Sunday. The TTs were about as un-fun as predicted, though I didn't ride terribly. Showed up ~25 seconds late for my start on the hill climb, so that hurt my time. I had a pretty good time on the cross country TT and overall I don't think my blunder was enough to have taken me out of the money on its own, so no harm done.

Sunday was much more fun. We had a pretty good turnout, and it was fun having so many people to cheer for in the 4s, almost to the point where you can't even keep track of everyone.

My race consisted of three distinct phases. The first was a bad start. I showed up to the line later than I should have (as per usual) and got a second-row start which guaranteed getting bottlenecked into the middle of the pack. Then while trying to get around riders who were at a near standstill at the first barrier, my chain came off. That could have been much worse than it was, because the front derailleur I have mounted for the purpose of keeping it on is a tight enough fit that it doesn't always want to go back on once it's off. Luckily I was able to pedal it back on, but lost a handful of spots in the process. So I spent the next couple of laps on the rivet, trying to get past slower traffic. At one point I saw Ben at the side of the trail, working on getting his chain back on. Quite an unfortunate setback for him, since he was probably at the front when it happened.

The middle phase was settling in and slowly moving up. I got into a group of four with Nine and a couple of hangers-on, and I got the impression that everyone else was pretty gassed. Nine and I traded at the front of the group a few times, and the other two would yo-yo but kept coming back. What looked like an ISCorp rider rode up to us and kept going on ahead. I was able to recover a bit, and normally this would be where I would go into survival mode to maintain my current spot. This time, though, I had a rare combination of mental sharpness and the legs to increase the pace, so my goal was more aggressive than usual. I felt I could go faster and the group was softpedaling a bit after barriers, so I came to the front and turned it up a bit through the next set, held it on the open flat section after it, and they faded back.

photo: Djonn

Now in no-man's-land, I could see riders off in the distance ahead, and nobody behind. Out of nowhere, Ben rides past me and I grab his wheel for a lap or two. We could see Casey and another rider ahead. "Is that third and fourth place?" "I dunno, is there another rider besides the Polksa up there?" "Not sure, how many laps left?" "I don't know." "I think we can catch them." Ben did a good impression of being tired for a minute and I took a turn setting the pace. Then we hit the run-up and he hit the gas again, fading off into the distance. For the last two laps I rode with the happiness of seeing the front end of the race just ahead of me and worked on reeling them in.

Ben ended up making his way all the way back up front to take the win. Unbelievable. I came in fifth, so all things considered I'm very satisfied, and whatever I did right I hope I can keep doing it. Sometimes the suffering fades into the background and things just work out.

also by Djonn

Chicago Cyclocross Cup #1: Jackson Park

2007-09-24T11:04:00.000-06:00

I started out the 2008 cyclocross racing season in Chicago this Sunday, at Chicago Cyclocross Cup #1 in Jackson Park. We haven't yet experienced much real 'cross weather yet this year, and this weekend was no exception. Warm and sunny. The course was grassy, flat, and fast, with two barrier sections and some switchbacks with sandy corners, but overall not extremely technical.

I still had a bit of a head cold lingering and the buzz from the previous night's medicine hadn't yet worn off. I hadn't done much actual training for the second half of the summer, so with only a couple weeks' hard riding in my legs I knew not to expect much fitness-wise. Lots of Chicago and Milwaukee friends were in attendance, as well as some 'cross racers from Madison (Brazen Dropouts and Planet Bike).

Surveying the 25-ish riders at the start of the cat 3 race, I knew that Ben Popper would be the rabbit to chase, though I was fairly sure I didn't have the legs to come close. The start went pretty well, and I settled into around 4th place for a couple of laps. Ben had a sizeable gap even before we hit the first barriers, and that's pretty much the last I would see of him.

I actually felt pretty good at first, but soon I felt myself having to back off little by little. No worries, I was treating this more or less as training, so I just hung in there and payed attention to how my knee was feeling. I dropped a couple of places and passed a rider or two who had crashed, and then basically settled into a rhythm, trying to fend off riders coming from behind. Adam Clark (XXX) came around me and I couldn't follow. For the rest of the race I was trading positions with David Greenblatt of Madison, and knowing him to be a competent 'crosser I was at least pleased by that. Cheering fans were strategically positioned around the course, and Simon's calls of "Madison sucks" and "you suck on the track" topped them all.

David got around me with a couple of laps ago and I faded back a bit, but surged on the last lap to grab his wheel. I waited until after the final barrier section to try to make the pass on him before the finish, but that was too late. 6th place. No cash but I won some earbuds. Good, the headphones I have keep falling out.

Considering how I didn't expect to do very well given my fitness, I think it was a very encouraging result. I'm looking forward to starting off the Wisconsin Cup series next weekend, and to seeing more great friends out at the races!

Results, my pics, Luke's excellent pics.

Reboot

2007-09-04T11:42:00.000-06:00

Well, the Tron race is on the books. DP and I are relieved for it to be over, and it sounds like most people had a great time. I "recovered" over the long weekend with some 'cross riding and a few hours of feeling terrible on the SS at the Kettle. Hopefully I can have my life back now and get back on the bike to prepare for CX.

Here's my Tron writeup, go here to discuss.

A total of 50 freelance programs assembled at the home directory to take on the Master Control Program, over a third of them (19 total) transmitted from out-of-town systems for the occasion. Our sincere thanks go out to the awesome people who traveled from Milwaukee, Chicago, and the ever-unlucky crew from Janesville, on top of the always enthusiastic Madison riders.

True to form, the MCP put up a tough fight on both the physical and technological fronts, but in the end was brought to its knees. In the final nanoseconds it came down to a not-unexpected duel between Nine and Frank in which Nine charged into the Mainframe a few CPU cycles ahead for the overall victory, and will now be charged with putting on next year's edition. Sketchy, Jonny H, and Tom put in good rides to finish not far behind. Dactyl clocked a very fast time as well, enough to secure first female, and after her time bonus upgrades she rockets up to an amazing third place. Cale claimed the out of town victory for Milwaukee, and also vanquished all comers in the trackstand contest. Jason from Milwaukee came out on top of a savage game of lightcycle footdown.

Thanks to everyone including sponsors, checkpoint workers who braved the swarms of mosquitos, Jonny, Zack, Ahren, and Leah for hosting the afterparty at their shop, and everyone who raced.

Here are the recorded finishers, corrected for time bonuses:

Overall
1. Nine
2. Frank
3. Dactyl (*First Female)
4. Sketchy
5. Jonny H
6. Alex
7. Cale (*First Out Of Town)
8. Aaron
9. Jess
10. Kelly
11. Djonn
12. Matt
13. Ruckus
14. Nils
15. Coyote
16. Zack H
17. Earl
18. Jay
19. Patrice
20. Fire
21. Adam
22. Jamie
23. Dustin
24. David
25. Timmy
26. Jake
27. Dee
28. Jason
29. Shawn
30. Randall
31. Craig
32. Chris
33. Colin
34. Brandon
35. Tyler
36. Dan

Top 5 in subcategories:

Out of town
1. Cale (MKE)
2. Aaron (?)
3. Coyote (CHI)
4. Fire (MKE)
5. Adam (CHI)

Ladies
1. Dactyl
2. Jess
3. Kelly
4. Patrice
5. Dee

Custom Caps for Jonny Cycles

2007-08-27T13:56:00.000-06:00

If you haven't seen these in our flickr set, we made some summer-inspired caps for Jonny to take to the Fixed Gear Symposium. He's got some left over, so if you're interested in some sweet Madison cycling paraphernalia you should head on over to his site and buy one!

Tron Race

2007-08-24T11:15:00.000-06:00

We're just about one week away from this and it's been taking up a good portion of my thought process lately. Last-minute preparations (the only kind I know of) are in full swing as DP and I keep brainstorming ideas. I'm completely convinced that if we had another three months to plan this we would use that time to good effect making this an unforgettably immersive experience for everybody. As it is, I think we'll make it come together just fine. We're expecting a pretty good turnout, so if you're reading this you should definitely come. It's guaranteed to involve some unusual elements never before seen in a race.

So for the next week or so I'll be stressing to the max. So many things have come in the way of training this year it's not even funny. Between traveling, knee problems, car problems, Cognition, traveling, and all the other things that come up in the course of normal life, I haven't been riding like I had hoped. After road season deteriorated on me and now with cross season looming just around the corner I'm worried that I won't have much fitness at the outset, but I guess we'll see. You race with the fitness you have, and not the fitness you think you should have. Or something Rumsfeld-esque like that.

In other news, Kelly and I have just returned from an amazing few days spent in South Dakota, primarily in the Black Hills with a stopover in the Badlands. Roadside attractions by the dozen, camping, decompressing.

Marquette, Ore To Shore.

2007-08-16T09:37:00.000-06:00

A bunch of us Madison folk went up to Marquette for the Ore To Shore this past weekend. I hadn't been able to make it up there for quite a while (a year? two years? I don't remember...) so I definitely had a full mental checklist of places to visit and things to do. And Kelly had never been up there, so I got to see everything through her eyes for the first time again, which was really exciting.

After a brief stop in Negaunee to cool off in Teal Lake, we headed into town to pick up our registration packets and get some food. The first item checked off my list was Pad Thai and eggrolls from the Rice Paddy. Aoy was pretty slammed so she demanded that DP, Djonn, and I head over to the Wooden Nickel for a beer while we waited. During my time in Marquette I don't think I'd ever set foot in there, but I knew the reputation. Reportedly it's been fancied-up since then, but I still enjoyed going to a bar that has cheap beer served in Mason jars, sawdust on the floor, and a dog sleeping under the pool table. After stuffing ourselves with food later, further drinking at the Vierling did not bode well for the race the next morning.

The race itself was great. The conditions were very dry and dusty, with many sections of barely rideable sand to capture those with deficient handling skills. They could have filmed the volleyball scene from Top Gun on this stuff. In fact, I could have sworn Val Kilmer slapped my ass at one point, and there really was a guy in cutoff denim shorts. Anyway, the sand would be great on a beach, not great spread over the course of a 47-mile mountain bike race. There were unrideable run-ups larger than your worst CX nightmare. But other than those tricky sections, the trail was fun.

Not being a very savvy MTB'er, I treated the first 20 or 25 miles like a road race and spent too much energy chasing wheels and fighting for position for no reason. The singlespeed was a harsh mistress and I spun out my 36x16 to get in front of bottlenecks that didn't really materialize. Eventually it occurred to me that I still had more than half the race ahead of me and to even make it to the end I had to ride my own pace and let things fall where they may. The race was long and tough, but overall a totally fun time. I won't be giving up my skinny tires anytime soon but I'd love to do more of this. It's both humbling and satisfying at the same time.

Complete results are up at itiming.com. I finished in0 3:21:59.6, good for 128th out of 530, and 14th of 35 singlespeeders, so I'm happy with my result and can't wait to do it again and improve next year. I've seen pics here here, and here, I'm sure there are more out there. Congrats are in order to j*pow for ending up 6th in her age group and a good finish overall and to Cory for slaughtering pretty much everybody. "Mexican Hammergel" was the preferred fuel for the BKB this time around.

We stayed at the Nordic Bay Lodge, which was really cool. Nice rooms, tall ceilings, views of Lake Superior, nearby beach, restaurant, bar, bands playing on-site. After napping in our room after the race, we drove back into town to check more items off my list. Portside for pizza and breadsticks: check. Ran into Melissa there, which was a nice surprise. It's fun coming back up because you never know who you'll run into. After dinner I wanted to show Kelly a small taste of MQT nightlife, so we went to The Matrix. I used to frequent the place when it was the Aurora, and it's not really my scene anymore. We went sort of as a joke, but ended up having a pretty good time anyway, and finished the night with a swim in Lake Superior near the hotel.

Marquette is like a dream (or a drug?). It's amazing while you're there and you can't get enough. You wish it was sustainable for longer periods of time. It's really hard to leave and puts you in a funk for a few days afterwards when it's over. We prolonged it slightly by cruising around town, doing Presque Isle and Blackrocks (no cliff jumping this time). We also stopped in Marinette on the drive home to play in a second great lake in one day. Lake Michigan was warmer, but nothing can hold a candle to Superior for me.

I'm hoping I can invent another reason to get back up there sooner than next O2S.

Kelly's Birthday Tonight!

2007-07-09T11:19:00.000-06:00

Short notice, I know, but if you're in Madison you should come to either the race (should be pretty low-key, just for fun, and rigged anyway) or just drinks @Le Tigre (1328 S. Midvale). Everyone is welcome, come out and show Kelly a good time! Hope to see you there.

Whitewater Road Race

2007-06-26T14:38:00.000-06:00

UWW Road Race. 54 miles.

Coming off a successful day at the track on Saturday, my legs were still feeling the sprints but I also had no expectations coming in, so no real pressure. My knee feels like it may be on the upswing, but it's not 100% and the lack of anything resembling training for the last couple of weeks had me prepared for the worst.

The omnium competition for the weekend was coming to a head, and the contenders were conspiring with and against each other, and generally knew who they needed to mark. I had one teammate in the race, and neither of us had raced the other events so were free to try and capitalize on how things unfolded.

The race started off in a fairly tame manner. For most of the day there was a rider or two up the road, but several attempts were slowly brought back without any real coordinated chasing. I found myself staying in the front few positions most of the time, a couple of times pulling the group; not chasing the breaks, necessarily, and there was no real reason for me to ever be at the front, but I was feeling pretty decent and wanted to keep things moving. I had to get back for 24MOTAB in a timely fashion, after all. I charged up a hill at one point and found myself with a little gap. This might have been a good chance to try to sneak away, but a couple minutes of dangling there confirmed that my lack of threshold work would be an obstacle and I willingly came back to the peloton.

Eventually it became clear that the lone rider who had gotten away would not be caught, and the field began ignoring the time gap and settling in for the finish. I was still feeling remarkably good; I was enjoying the course, the race length, making sure to eat and drink enough. It dispelled my (mostly irrational) fears about losing all my fitness from being off the bike. I certainly don't have the speed I did earlier in the year, but I wasn't totally back to square one.

In the closing miles there was some shuffling and surging, but nothing too hard to deal with and I kept myself in the top ten. With about a mile to go, somebody jumped and the group followed. I got swarmed a little bit but didn't panic, and opened up my sprint at the bottom of the finishing climb. I must have timed it well, because I was gaining positions and was almost clear of the group toward the top! One rider was ahead, but unfortunately I started to fade in the last 20 or 30 meters and held on as best I could. I ended up taking fifth in the field sprint, and with the winner soloing in that bumped me just out of the money at 6th place.

I can't help but think that maybe all the time off the bike has caused some sort of inadvertent mini-peak in my fitness, or at least some freshness in the legs. This was my best sprint and certainly best finish of an otherwise mediocre season, and is a welcome morale booster. Hopefully I can start putting in some harder work in the next few weeks and keep the ball rolling.

Next weekend is the Elm Grove crit, which is a fun one if I remember correctly from last year.

Velo City Tour 2007

2007-06-25T09:28:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend of racing. Saturday was the 2007 edition of the Velo City Tour. Held in New York, Chicago (actually at the Kenosha velodrome), and Los Angeles, top male and female messengers at each event receive round-trip airfare to the 15th annual Cycle Messenger World Championships in Dublin.

Madison was well-represented by Scott, Kelly, Frank, Zack, Jon, and myself. We brought along Kelly's bike so she could get a chance to ride on the track and see what she thought, and was actually talked into doing a couple of races. She raced with the messenger women due to the fact that she actually does transport stuff by bicycle as an aspect of her job, and she did great. Once she gets a little race experience she'll be a force to be reckoned with.

The rest of us raced with the non-messengers. It was fun to get to race with my Madison pals and my pals/rivals from Chicago and Milwaukee. Zack made a strong move with a lap to go in an early match sprint, and I followed it and came around him to claim the first two spots for Madison. I think Frank found himself boxed in with bad positioning early on in one of his races, so would later take a flyer for a few laps to try an alternate strategy. The track is fun because your racing tactics and experience from the road still apply, but there's still a whole other set of skills and strategy to learn.

I wasn't feeling particularly strong at any point, which I guess is normal for me, but the knee had subsided to a dull ache and I felt like I could get some power to the pedals for once. Phil's Trek T1 was once again perfect. Stiff and smooth. Winning my match sprint heat, semi, and the final, I basically stuck to the same plan throughout. Stay in front, even if it meant pulling the pack, because nobody got the jump on me and my last-lap acceleration was good enough to stay there.

Later was the miss and out. I had never done one before and was worried about getting pinched off the back by not paying attention, but managed to stay in front until the final selection, and come around for the win. I'm not sure if this was one of the races or not, but I confounded Simon several times at what, for him, would be inopportune moments.

Somewhere in there (my memory is foggy already) was a scratch race. What was interesting is that although there were probably several riders in the bunch who could have made a break work, there was no attacking and I was happy to sit on the front until the end.

Last was some variation of a points/tempo race. Points given every 3 or so laps. Feeling fatigued and weird from too much sun, I was thankful the day was almost over. After the first sprint for points it was Ted Burger and I holding a gap on the field and trading half-lap pulls. I knew him to be a strong rider from the Tour and other various races, but on the bell laps I was able to come around him for the points. I think Scott's war horn, made famous by its appearance at the WI state cross championships in Sun Praire last year, gave me the extra drive I needed.

I'm really happy with how the day went, and I'm excited to get a track bike built up for myself and do this more often. I won a Crumpler bag, Kelly got a sweet multi-tool, and we had a great time with a ton of awesome people. Jonny made an awesome stem (presented to Squid), and Jason contributed a sweet hammerhead paintjob.

My flickr set, one by trevor_ash, Kat, Andrew, ffonst, and Pete.

Full results:
Messenger Male
1. Andrew Nordyke, CHI
2. Jeff Perkins, CHI
3. (tie) Brean Shea, CHI / James Lalonde, MKE
5. Al Urbanski, CHI

Messenger Female
1. Jen Greenberg, CHI
2. Anzie Nelson, CHI
3. Kelly Petersen, Madison

Non-messenger Male
1. Lyle Hanson, Madison
2. Ted Burger, CHI
3. Henry Loud, CHI
4. Simon May, CHI
5. (tie) TJ Kells, MKE / Ben Van Couvering, CHI

Non-messenger Female
1. Val Brostrom, CHI
2. Katy Steudel, MKE
3. Michelle Davis, CHI
4. Emily Willobee, CHI

Stay tuned for a report of Sunday's road race in Whitewater.

Stolen bike

2007-05-29T08:55:00.000-06:00

Zack's bike was stolen over Memorial Day weekend. It's a gray ZR Cycles fixie with a celeste Bianchi cross fork, Shimano canti brake, Phil Wood/Open Pro wheelset, Dura Ace cranks, Time ATAC pedals, full fenders. Stolen from Madison but likely to turn up somewhere else, so keep your eyes peeled on the internet and in real life.

It's the only gray ZR Cycles fixie on the planet, so if you see it throw a lock on it and/or administer a ferocious headbutt and give Zack a call (47-212-83fourseven).

Bike thieves: know that I am summoning the spirit of Charles Bronson to administer some rough justice, so change your ways.

Wheels On WIlly; Cleaning up Myspace

2007-05-25T09:41:00.000-06:00

Wheels on Willy is my favorite crit of the Wisconsin Cup calendar. It went as planned until the last two corners, at which point I failed to get up front to answer the moves and was left sprinting for 13th. Disappointing, but I'll have something up my sleeve next year.

I doubled up and did the Pro/1/2/3 race since I had nothing to lose, and it was ridiculously fast. Total suffering in the accordian on the back, sprinting like mad out of every corner and digging deep just to stay on a wheel. I attribute finishing the race to the awesome crew who showed up and yelled their heads off for me on every lap. Totally made the pain worth it. There wasn't as much boozing as last year, so that will have to be remedied next time. It would have probably been a great workout except that my right knee is angry and sore, and will probably keep me off the bike for a few days now. If I'm lucky.

.....

I was on the fence as to whether it's actually worth the time, but now that I've personally shut down a half dozen bogus profiles this week, I think it's well worth the ten seconds to click "Report Abuse" whenever I get spammed on Myspace. Clean up the internet, vigilante style.

Spam gets better all the time

2007-05-18T08:46:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been getting some spam that's more interesting than my legitimate email. A lot of it is the same old porn site myspace profiles, but a lot of it is just some computer-generated text that doesn't link to anything and doesn't seem to be advertising anything. Maybe somebody is generating spam as an artform?

Hey I've been reading about you for a while and kinda have a crush lol. I wrote you a long message but it was too big for my space so i put it in my profile... (emphasis mine)

At first that reads like a normal message from a bogus profile, until you notice that it's the spam equivalent of Fermat's Last Theorem.

Here's an email I haven't been able to bring myself to delete, or even mark as spam:

From: Raven KUVAEV
Subject: The catapults' stones fell among them--and exploded in fire and shards, ripping open holes in the mass.
Body: Thou'lt not believe With how deprav'd a quality- O Regan.

Beautiful.

Windup for WOW

2007-05-15T09:32:00.000-06:00

Wheels on Willy this Sunday. Lots of cash, lots of spectators, lots of people in town for this. Coming off a too-late taper and a distinct lack of results on the road this season, I'm still pumped. I've been working on the sharpness that comes from the head and not the legs. I need to become Charles Bronson in Death Wish. I need to take back my neighborhood.

Last weekend's crit in Muskego Park provided a harsh lesson on removing valuable items from your bike when transporting on the car. Nine's bike and mine did a little jostling and bumping, and my PowerTap computer must have bailed out somewhere along the way (thanks to DP for getting me back in business). That put me in a distinctly foul mood for the race, which was largely uneventful. The usually persistent attacks from the Schwinn Homegrown boys didn't stick and it came down to a bunch sprint that spanned the entire road. I felt explosive but couldn't wind it up due to the should-to-shoulder traffic jam. My bad for not getting ahead of it soon enough, I guess.

You know what sums up all that's great about bicycles in the real world? Riding slow with your friends, eating good food, drinking beer. If you can't be bothered to actually slow down and enjoy riding a bike, you're not getting it.

Where did the spring classics go? We're into Grand Tour season now, the Giro is underway. The Landis hearings are also ramping up. Check out the powerpoint presentation of the Landis camp's opening statements. Whether or not pro cycling is riddled with doping, as it certainly is, the current anti-doping organizations are fucking incompetent. I don't know for sure if he doped but I really don't care right now. Stage 17 was brilliant, and betting on Landis funded this.

Practice crit tonight. If I publicly commit to being more aggressive tonight, will I feel compelled to execute? We'll see.

Some new caps droppin' on the Cognition front, and a myspace profile that's actually proving to be a valid use of that otherwise barren wasteheap of internet resources. I've got more swag to pump out, several big things on the horizon.

One man's "creepy head" is another man's sexy lady.

Tough Weekend

2007-05-09T09:55:00.000-06:00

After a pretty big increase in riding time last week, I wasn't sure how the racing would go this past weekend. I knew it would be rough, but it was even worse than I though. Circuit of Sauk #1 on Saturday, an actual hilly road race in a season dominated by relatively flat crits. Warming up, I could tell my legs didn't have much in them. The start rolled out at a casual pace until the first major climb approached, which we tore up at a decent clip. The pace didn't relent as we reached the top and continued upward on shallower but ever-rising slopes, and I soon found myself in difficulty. A couple chase groups splintered off the back, myself included. We made contact again with the pack but by the next climb a dark veil of tunnel vision descended upon me and knew it wouldn't be my day. I found myself among many discarded riders who banded together for survival. I did the first lap with a varying group of five or six. There seemed to be interest in catching the pack, or at least going hard, so I took my turns at the front. I probably should have just sat in. Observation: chase groups often aren't very effective because those riders who are most enthusiastic to catch the pack end up attacking the group, whether intentionally or not, and end up gapping and yo-yoing the pack every time it's their turn. Steady as she goes, pal. Either bridge up solo if you're so strong, take steady turns, or don't bother. Shortly after the second lap I did a harder turn than I should have into the wind and was dropped. Finished the last two laps in survival mode with one other rider. It was a day of shame, but I do think every racer needs to be chewed up and tossed out the back every once in a while. It's good for you.

Doing a crit in Neenah the next day didn't sound very appealing, although it would be flat and would have less big guns in attendance, so I thought a day of leisurely mountain biking would do me good. In reality, my first ride at Blue Mounds (dubbed "Pain Cave of the Mounds" that day) was several hours of torturous grinding at 35rpm on my overgeared singlespeed. There were more flats than there were spare tubes, and our group dwindled faster than the Donner Party. Remains were recovered from the trail to later be given to unsuspecting children.

It's a jungle out there.

2007-05-04T10:09:00.000-06:00

The end of another week is here. The weather has been amazing and I've taken advantage of it by clocking a truckload of saddle time. It's no longer a matter of having no daylight or time to train, it's now a question of how much is too much. My training paradigm such as it is has been shifting a lot over the last week or so; I don't pretend to have it figured out yet but simultaneous injections of new-school tech and old-school grit promise to harden me in the long run. With a doubleheader this weekend including the hills of Baraboo and the accumulated fatigue I'm carrying I'm not counting on having much snap, but then again I'm keeping my eyes on the big picture. Joe Friel lays down a good lesson on patience, one that might have served me well at Whitnall Park last week.

The ani-pals are out in force, enjoying the sun as much as I am. Eye-watering descents were made even more nervous by close encounters with deer, raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels, and unseen rustling in the ditches. A last-minute swerve prevented me from prematurely ruining this little guy's day:

Having seen more birds of prey in the last two days than I can even remember, I ushered him to the side of the road.

I've been wanting a camera to carry on rides for a long time, and the maiden voyage has already proven its worth. You can't afford not to have one of these.

A win and a loss. But all win.

2007-04-23T11:47:00.000-06:00

Chalk up another weekend devoted entirely to a cycling lifestyle.

Frank, Djonn, and myself piled into the LeSabre Limited and sped to Washington Park in Chicago on Saturday for Bandit Cross #3. During the neutral lap I wasn't so sure I liked the course. Narrow, gravelly footbridge, a set of three large steps, two iron gates that barely accomodated the width of my handlebars, and a stepping stones across a swampy moat. I started in the lead to try to apply pressure immediately but hadn't quite memorized the route and found myself needing to backtrack and catch back up to the leaders. Not a good start. I spent three or four laps chasing back onto the lead group, taking my time but still worried about somebody getting away. Then spent a lap or two sitting on, wondering who would crack first. I didn't have a whole lot of throttle left but I came around Deuce on the fast paved section and then timed things right so that I snuck in front of a lapped rider going through the gate so I'd try to gap him off a bit at the bottleneck. From there it was cruise control and people got smaller in the rearview and I started worrying about pinch flatting on the stone water crossing. Tubulars are on my shopping list for CX for sure. Ended up winning two of three stages and took second in the series. Djonn made 'em see stars and took fourth. I still don't think Frank is convinced this is much fun.

Here's a photoset, or you could read the official BKB press release.

.....

On Sunday was GDVC #2. I stayed up front for most of the first half of the race, wanting to stay out of trouble and be able to go along with any promising moves. That was probably overly optimistic since nothing had been sticking and I'd have been better off staying a little more sheltered from the brutal wind. I was feeling a bit stretched until close to the end of the race, but when we were shown four laps to go I moved back up with relative ease. I glued myself to a wheel I thought would be a good choice to sprint around and stayed in good position for the last couple of laps. At some point near the bell lap it occurred to me that where in the past I had usually been stuck farther back, this time I was actually positioned pretty well. However, somebody jumped with half a lap to go and since I was desperately trying not to be swarmed and lose my hard-fought position, I followed. That guy blew up and I was again faced with sitting up and possibly being swarmed, so I figured I'd try something new and just go for it. I put my head down, came around the second-to-last corner, and hit a brutal headwind. Halfway down that straightaway I blew up and could barely limp back to the finish line as nearly everyone came around me. I'm happy though, because at least I made a bold (if foolish) move, and I'm pretty sure I'll now know instinctively to never be in that position again. Better to try and fail than to not try at all, sometimes.

Rolling up to the finish line I saw the aftermath of a crash that my failed move had allowed me to miss completely.

That's what breaking a collarbone looks like.

A Solid Week.

2007-04-20T13:20:00.000-06:00

It's been another busy week but the sudden lack of inclement weather and abundance of sunshine has allowed me to clock a respectable amount of saddle time. Group ride on Tuesday, I was sprinting and climbing with ease. Yesterday I headed west after work, starting off with some climbing and then let the tailwind blow me west to Mazo as I kept the pain meter high. Almost vomiting lets me know I did it right. The perfect culmination of riding quality and quantity has allowed me to transcend physical existence, none of this is real anymore. I'm packing more life into a minute than everyone else. The legs are tired in a way that you know they'll bounce back twice as strong.

Tomorrow is Bandit Cross #3. Coming off a victory in the first one, I'll be looking to carry some momentum and good form into this one despite a hard week. Racing in Chicago is always fun.

Sunday is GDVC #2. My first WCA crit of the year. I have a pretty good idea of who's looking strong and what I want to do, so confidence and aggressiveness will be on my side.

.....

The Cognition train is plugging along nicely, we've got some things in the works and many more ideas waiting to be executed. It can only get better, I just wish I had more time to devote.

2007-04-12T09:44:00.000-06:00

Can we just have some nice weather already? Looks like another indoor session on the trainer tonight. I haven't yet watched the Tour of Flanders, so although I know what happens it'll still be some excitement while I ride.

When I got home from work yesterday I was cheered up by a tiny snowman standing in a yard two houses down from mine. Complete with carrot nose, stick arms, and a surprisingly expressive mouth. A good reminder that you make your own fun, regardless of things outside of your control.

Leaving the house this morning I saw that my snow buddy's mood had changed since I last saw him.

It might be a bit hard to see in the photo, but he's been pissed on. Twice.
What kind of person lets their dog pee on a cute little snowman that some kid took the time to make in their yard? Kurt Vonnegut would probably have something to say about it, but sadly he's not around anymore.

Bandit Cross #1

2007-04-02T12:08:00.000-06:00

Flying the BKB colors solo in the first of three Bandit Cross races, I showed up to Garfield Park in Chicago and found myself amid broken glass, used condoms, angry geese, plywood barriers, and about ten other adventurous souls. The opposition was in various states of preparedness, from slick-tyre'd track bike riders fresh off the street to serious 'cross rigs and everything in between. Frank came along, giving cyclocross a try, and Brent also got talked into racing on his fixed with way-too-high gearing.

For the first lap I sat in about third, sizing up the competition. I recognized two riders as definite contenders, and many riders were unknown to me, so I was hoping to just hold onto some wheels for a while and see how things played out. Cale was apparently still trying to exorcise some demons from his lungs and wasn't feeling very well. Ben seemed to be softpedaling coming into lap number two, so I let my momentum carry me into the lead and I rode my own pace. I would find out later that he rolled his tubular off the rim multiple times, so was out of contention. The next time I looked back there was nobody in sight. I had visions of blowing up half way through the race and getting swarmed, but when the cycling gods grant you some luck you have to put your head down and go.

I had good legs and was flowing smoothly through the barriers and twisty sections, and before I knew it I was coming up behind people. Still not sure it was in the bag and not wanting to risk anything, I kept the cruise control on and avoided trying to grab dollar bills out of PBR cans. The laps ticked down and seemed shorter and shorter as I increasingly enjoyed being at the front end of the race. Riders steadily abandoned, often discouraged by their equipment and wondering why they got talked into this in the first place.

After I lapped the second-place rider and having seen most everybody else from behind on multiple occasions, I was fairly sure that this would be my day. I allowed myself a satisfying but hopefully humble looking double fist-pump as I crossed the line for the last time; honestly, how many times in the average rider's career do they cross the line with both arms in the air in any kind of race? I'll enjoy the morale boost when I can, whether by strength or fortunate circumstance.

Cale set, Julie set, link.

Edit: more pics.

Hi.

2007-03-30T09:22:00.000-06:00

I guess I have a blog now. I'm done with myspace. I'm done with a lot of spaces.

I'm sure I'll fill this space with lots of jumbled accounts of races and riding and maybe even stuff that's not about bicycles, but for me it's a way to let my thoughts coagulate and exist beyond my poor excuse for a memory. Beyond this very moment, what is your life? Just a collection of remembrances. And I don't want to lose them.

Sometimes the swirl of reading, working, training, black metal, drinking, and loving comes together in just the right way so as to give you an unobstructed view of what's valuable. That's what I'm after: clarity.