Laziness out Freeport Road, back on ARB, and a loop or two through Highland Park.

It was a bit rainy, but warm-ish, so I didn’t want a chance to ride in the great outdoors to slip away. I swapped out the Speedplay pedals for a set of Shimano SLs that Dave gave me (T-Mobile pink!), and besides making it easier to walk down the front steps (oh, how I hate the cleats for the Speedplays), my knees feel a bit better with the Shimanos (I would sometimes get a bit of soreness in the left knee).

Given the weather forecast, I see lots of rollers in my future.

Posted on 4 January 2009

Middle Road and North

Temperatures were in the low 40s by ride time, the sun was out, and the sky was (mostly) blue. Rode with Stuart and Chris, and it was good to be out enjoying the day with them. A few of the hills felt hard. At least it’s (really) early in the season.

I swapped out the cranks and bottom bracket on the Bianchi, and I was glad to have the compact. Riding 39×23 up some of those hills would have killed me. The bike felt really good today. I put on my 25mm Conti tires, and made a few cockpit adjustments. I think the cassette and chain could be replaced, given the skipping in a few gears, but otherwise, the bike felt good, and comfortable.

Posted on 3 January 2009

Drawn by the fiery orb in the sky, I went for a short spin with Stuart in Highland Park today to ring in the new year. I didn’t look at my watch, and didn’t have a computer on the Bianchi, so I really have no idea of time of distance. I can’t even remember how many laps we did. It was chilly, but it was nice to be off the rollers and riding with someone. The Bianchi still has a few gremlins that need to be chased out (headset issues, and rear mech adjustment). I think I may need a new cassette, too, but I have to decide what to do about the cranks first. In theory, I like the idea of keeping the Ultegra cranks, with their 53 and 39 tooth chain rings, but reality with likely dictate I install the Campy compact double. That will allow me to keep a narrower range cassette, too. I think I’ll stick to the Cannondale for the rest of the winter, though, and I’ll probably install the fenders again. No reason to abuse the road bike in these conditions.

I tried riding the rollers on the Bianchi yesterday, and that was a total disaster. Perhaps it’s the narrow tires, or longer wheelbase, but I could barely stay upright with a hand on the washing machine.

Posted on 1 January 2009

Roller Coaster

70 degrees and sunny.

I was (finally!) on the new bike: a used Bianchi Vigorelli. Yeah, just like I used to have. The bike worked well right out of the box, though I do need to tweak the location of the shifters and adjust the rear mech a bit. The jury is also still out on the Ultegra cranks with 53 and 39 tooth chain rings, too. I miss my compact double already.

As for the ride itself, well, the route is aptly named. McCully Road goes up-down-up-down-up-down in spectacular fashion. The last climb is long and steep, too. I had also forgotten how nice it is to ride the rollers on Mt Royal Boulevard. Too bad the road is a bit busy.

Posted on 28 December 2008

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

1.     Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
	tune my heart to sing thy grace;
	streams of mercy, never ceasing,
	call for songs of loudest praise.
	Teach me some melodious sonnet,
	sung by flaming tongues above.
	Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
	mount of thy redeeming love. 

2.	Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
	hither by thy help I'm come;
	and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
	safely to arrive at home.
	Jesus sought me when a stranger,
	wandering from the fold of God;
	he, to rescue me from danger,
	interposed his precious blood. 

3.	O to grace how great a debtor
	daily I'm constrained to be!
	Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
	bind my wandering heart to thee.
	Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
	prone to leave the God I love;
	here's my heart, O take and seal it,
	seal it for thy courts above.

Posted on 25 December 2008

So last night was my first experience with rollers. Given the conditions around here recently, I figured I needed to do something this winter to keep sane if I couldn’t get out on the bike regularly. I know quite a few people who use fluid resistance trainers, but those seemed really boring. Rollers could be at least entertaining, given the potential for crashing into the workbench.

For whatever reason, I envisioned rollers as being perpetual motion machines–start pedaling and they just spin-spin-spin. This is not the case (or, maybe it’s just not the case with Dave’s old rollers). This actually makes it easier than I expected to balance. Also, do not attempt to ride the rollers with ‘cross tires run at race pressures. This is akin to riding on bare rims. Also, riding on ‘cross tires pumped up to 80 psi is also not recommended, as they are very loud on the rollers, and tend to bounce a bit. All was well once I had some road tires on the bike.

I rode for roughly 45 minutes. The first fifteen was spent with one hand on the bike, the other on the washing machine. Most of this time was spent thinking “how in the world am I supposed to let go and grab the bars?” The next five minutes were spent removing my hand from the washing machine for 30 seconds or so at a time. Then I moved on to putting my hand on the bars for about a minute or so at a time, then moving back to the washing machine for a bit. After 30 minutes, I hopped off to take the shepherd’s pie out of the oven, then proceeded to ride the remaining time with both hands on the bike.

Some observations:

• I got a better workout, even in 45 minutes, than I expected. It certainly wasn’t an interval workout, but it was better nothing, and really forced me to focus on my pedal stroke.
• I need to get a fan.
• I need to bring the laptop down and listen to music or watch a movie (anyone getting me A Sunday in Hell for Christmas?).

I’m sure the novelty will wear off sooner rather than later, so here’s hoping for a mild winter and lots of time on the bike out of doors.

Posted on 22 December 2008

So we arrived yesterday, and within minutes of finishing dinner at a little trattoria in a generic strip mall, Oren vomited. We thought we were over this (at least with him), but alas, we were not. Too much milk, methinks. Anyway, that’s how our trip started. I will note that traveling with grandparents makes the process wonderfully easy.

Today was better. Oren slept a lot, and ate a lot, and we just lounged around the resort compound, swimming and playing putt-putt. We are wearing shorts and sandals. My brain cannot wrap itself around this and the images of Christmas trees and reindeers. And for some reason, I always think we’re in California. I appreciate that this trip is forcing me to rest. While I don’t feel exhausted, I know my body needs the rest. Jen and I will hopefully check out a climbing gym in Orlando at some point though.

Tomorrow will include a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. That should be fun for all.

Posted on 10 December 2008

We’re going to Florida tomorrow, for six days. Not our usual adventure holiday, that’s for sure, but hey, it’s warm there, and the kids will get to see the Kennedy Space Center.

I’ve spent the last week looking at road bikes on eBay. Since I’m kinda addicted to this cyclocross thing now, I thought having a bike for each might be a good idea, since it’s hard to ride on the road when the bike is in ‘cross mode. There are some decent deals out there right now (including a Lemond Beunos Aires–Reynolds 853 frame!), but I can’t bring myself to hang the Cannondale from a hook for the next nine months (especially with the slick new bars I won at Murrysville). The Cannondale is made in the U.S.A., has an Ultegra drivetrain (well, mostly), and fits like a glove. I’m mulling over perhaps simply getting another set of wheels, and using one set for ‘cross and the other for road, thus allowing me to simply swap wheels. I’m also trying to sell the Monocog (interested?), and if that sells, then I may more seriously pursue a used road machine, but for the time being, the Cannondale is The One.

Oh, and I mentioned news about team membership? Well, here it is.

Posted on 8 December 2008

At least one picture of me from the C race exists, thanks to Ben Stephens:

Full set, include Dirty Dozen pics, is here.

Update: Even more pics here.

Posted on 2 December 2008

I meant to include a few other details in my initial post about the race, but didn’t. First, the bike performed flawlessly. I swapped out the Campy compact double crank I used during the summer and fall with a standard ‘cross crank set. I never shifted into the big ring–I now understand why many racers don’t even run a front derailleur. No mis-shifts in the rear, either. The brakes (IRD cantis) worked quite well, too, despite the fact I adjusted the rear on Saturday evening (I have a rocky relationship with cantilever brakes). I used a set of Hutchinson Pro Series tires (borrowed from my boss), run at about 35 PSI. No issues there, either. I think I was pushing the limit of inflation (or deflation, if you will) in the rear, but I didn’t flat, save for my incident prior to the start.

So, the season is officially over. Biking will be limited to the commute for the next month or so, I think, unless we get some really, really nice weather (doubtful). A brief of review of the season:

Highlights

• I started racing.
• Sixth place finish at the first race at the Oval that I didn’t get lapped.
• Six (I think) top ten finishes at the Oval.
• Fourth place at Strongland.
• First place, C race, Murrysville Cyclocross.

Lowlights

• Completely exploding at Mingo Creek after an ill-timed effort (first lesson learned).
• Getting lapped about twenty times during my first race at the Oval.
• Oakmont Grand Prix.
• Fort Cherry Road Race. That was over even before it started.

I don’t think I could have asked for a better introduction to the world of bike racing. The ACA deserves a pat on the back and a shout out for their C races at the Oval. The officials and marshals really helped me out this season.

Next up is planning for next season. I’m sure how much proper “training” I’ll do this winter, besides just riding. The week day hill training seemed to make a difference in my power and overall fitness, and given the sort of workout I can get in less than hour during my lunch break, that will be an important piece of the puzzle next year. I’m also looking for a proper road bike. The Monocog will likely be sold, and the Cannondale will remain a ‘cross bike for next season. My rough plan for next season looks like this:

• Do one or two of the Mingo Creek series.
• Steel City Showdown, if it doesn’t happen on Easter Sunday.
• Race at the Oval (duh), with an eye on maybe moving up the B races at some point (there is, I should note, a practical side to moving up–the B races begin at 6:15-ish, meaning I don’t lose an entire evening at the Oval).
• Fort Cherry (assuming it happens again).
• Oakmont Grand Prix.
• Strongland.
• At least one road race in the eastern part of the state.
• A race in Colorado, maybe, if we do indeed travel out there.
• A few ‘cross races.

I also have some news regarding team membership for next season, but I’m not ready to spill the beans just yet.

Posted on 2 December 2008