Monthly Archive for September, 2010

Cyclocross is HARD!!

Published on September 29, 2010 in Biking. 0 Comments

Adam et al. designed a wicked-hard course at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire last Saturday. Oh man was it hard!

I was pre-riding on Friday when the crew was just finishing setting up. The course was bumpy on the untamed, grassy ski hill. The twisting descents were not for the feint of heart, the climbs were not for the heavyweights, and the straight sections were not for the powerless… yes, this was a real cyclocross course!

So Saturday came and I rode up to the course and did a few laps; it had smoothed out a lot and was looking and feeling really good. 

I got a front row call up, but knew I didn’t want to kill the start.  I think I was in 5th or 6th at the first bend and for the first section.  I had to work to close a gap coming back through the parking lot, but got there before the switchbacks and the second dismount; until I got chopped and fought it a little too hard and got myself stuck in the stake…

Dang.  I don’t think I ever really saw the front again, but just kept riding hard.  I was mostly by myself, but could see guys spread out around me.  A couple guys went by and then I went by a few guys.  I knew I was close to the top 10, but it was just a little too far out of reach.  I rolled in 14th on the day.

On Sunday, I was off with Adam’s car (he was going down to do the Mayor’s cup in Boston) to Auburn for Sucker Brook Cross. 

I realized when I was almost there that I left an hour too early… I forgot how to count and gave myself 4 hours before my race instead of 3.  Which would have been good if the commissaires would have let us on the course in between races, but it was a struggle just to be able to see the course.  It was a wicked one though with some good grassy corners, a couple dismounts, a power section through the woods, and a good sand pit. 

I had a good start, but ended up behind Dylan, who I knew hadn’t seen the course.  I wanted to try and get by him, but to no avail.  I lost the lead group of 3 on that first lap when I bobbled trying to ride the sand.  Coming around for the second lap, Al came by me and I knew that was going to be a good wheel to follow.  For some reason, silly me, I came around him again and slowed his chase… and then when he came back around me I couldn’t get on his wheel.  So I rode for a while, chasing the remnants of that front group, riding laps with Brian and another guy.  Then it was Brian and I chasing.  We pulled up to Josh and it was going to be a good battle between the 3 of us for 6th.  Then I went and rolled my tire just coming into the sand… Dang!  I let some air out, got it out of the brake, put it back on, but had to ride at about 5km/h for a bit to get to the pit.  A bunch of guys came around me and I chased a group of 4, but I just didn’t have enough time and ended up 13th. 

Finally, I was riding at least the way I know how and then I rolled a tire… Aaahhhh!!!!

I just want a do-over…

Gloucester this weekend is going to be REALLY HARD!!!

::SAdamson

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Is it Thursday already?

Published on September 23, 2010 in Thoughts. 0 Comments

How time flies when you’re having fun…

I had written the bones of this post on Monday when I uploaded my files from the weekend, and then I was doing some other things, and bam, now it’s Thursday. I guess I won’t edit much and just let you know how it went.

Last weekend was the Green Mountain Cyclocross Weekend near Burlington, VT. All I knew is that I wanted to have a better weekend than the one before. I was feeling pretty good on Saturday’s course and felt ready mentally. I had a great start. I actually probably had way too good of a start and had to ease up a bit. In hindsight, I could have eased up even a bit more. I was going well on the first time up the climb and felt good. I managed to get on Parbo’s wheel through the first set of turns, the stairs, basically all the way until the climb again. Then I lost about 10 spots. I was able to hang on to that group for a while. Then lost more spots on the climb on the next lap. Repeat. And repeat again. Until the end. They missed me on the results… but that’s one that I would almost not rather have well-known…

Sunday was weird as I put less pressure on myself because I didn’t want to have my expectations beat down again, but I also knew that I needed to redeem myself.

I was able to get a few more laps on the course and knew where I was good and where I wasn’t. I knew I didn’t want to start as hard, but that it would be harder to make up spots if I wasn’t in good position.

I was almost bored waiting for the start. I was just ready to go. I did end up having a good start again. I think I was in about 12-15ish and I got on Parbo’s wheel again. I avoided the crash on the down and up on the first lap. I lost contact with that group after the log climb. But I rode with the next group for a few laps. Then I lost them. I was chasing them, I went by a couple guys. I saw a big group behind, coming up to me. I tried to stay in front of them, but it was no go. When they caught me, one guy rode the log climb SO SLOW that I had to get off and run.
Then that group split and I was riding with 3 or 4 guys. We caught one more, then they were gapping me a bit. I kept coming back up, but just couldn’t maintain contact on the last lap and narrowly held off Adam Sullivan in a sprint for the line.

19th place isn’t so bad. I definitely felt better. Or worse; I suffered a lot and could not function for about 10 minutes after the finish. But that’s how it’s supposed to be, right?

I guess that’s life, this weekend is another weekend of racing. The Nor’easter on Saturday and hopefully Sucker Brook on Sunday! See you there.

::SAdamson

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Update?

Published on September 17, 2010 in Biking and Life. 0 Comments

Well, sort of…

Here is today’s S.Club Newsletter. Check it out.

I’m feeling caught and settled, so things should be good from here on out. Don’t discount me just yet…

::SAdamson

ps. I’ve been thinking lots as of late. That’s either good or bad. And you may soon see some of it on here.

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The 24 year old JIT

Published on September 6, 2010 in Biking. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Yeah, that’s pretty much what I felt like yesterday…

In hindsight, I don’t think it was so bad, but not at all where I think I should be. At least I didn’t hit any potholes! However, I did manage to ride straight into the ditch…

I had come off the group just over the top of Middlebury Gap (which was quite steep and hard) and I was chasing back on the descent; there was a sweeping left hand corner that I came into really hot and tried to check my speed. It was a little too late for that and my wheels didn’t want to turn, so I straightened it out, jammed on the brakes, and headed for the ditch, where I went over the bars. No damage, get back up, pin it. Or not. I was not comfortable and my front wheel and braking were not helping…

All the while, my SRM had begun to fail and I almost wanted to stop and fix the sensor. I figured the battery was dying… but just unfortunate, especially on a day like that! Suffice to say, Sunday night was spent scouring the interweb for how to change the battery yourself…

App gap was not as hard as I had anticipated. But I guess I wasn’t trying to follow any wheels…

Matteo was working it in the break, so at least the whole house wasn’t a disaster!

One more crit today and then it’s cyclocross tomorrow!!! Can’t wait to build my bikes!!!

::SAdamson

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I guess that was bound to happen…

Published on September 4, 2010 in Biking. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Today was the second day of the Green Mountain Stage Race. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but I didn’t have any plans of grandeur anyway.

The race started alright. The descent after the KOM was FAST!! The rest of course was fairly rolling. After the first KOM a big group got away and it was just PINNED for most of that lap.

The second lap was more tolerable and I found myself sitting on a bit of a split with a few strong guys over the KOM. I didn’t do anything, but figured if the gap grew, it was going to be a good place to be.

The last time up the KOM was pretty hard with some of the strong guys going off the front. I guess they bridged up to the break. Then the pace eased up quite a bit. I think I hit 4 potholes on that last lap. I hit a few in succession and I flatted my rear wheel. The change was relatively fast, but I had trouble getting back on. I got pretty close over one roller, but the gap just got bigger from there. So I just rolled it in. Dang!

I guess tomorrow is still another day.

::SAdamson

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GMSR

Published on September 3, 2010 in Biking. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

HUGE thanks to Peter for picking me up yesterday and driving all the way down to Warren. We even had room to spare in the rear-seat-less Golf. And thanks to Doug for having a great floor space for me to sleep on. I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend of the weekend, hanging out with a good group of people!

But getting back to the race…

Yup, definitely started too hard. Does anyone ever really learn how to pace a time trial perfectly?!?

I was finding it hard to ride steady, but it really was that first 1:30 that was the end of me. I felt ok over the top of the climb and knew I could back off just a bit on the slight downhill. I thought I was killing it when I went through 1k to go and could see 500m, but that last “little” push is LONG!!!

I don’t think I’m unhappy, but I’m certainly not ecstatic either… however, tomorrow is another day!

::SAdamson

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Food

Published on September 1, 2010 in Flavas and Thoughts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

I like food.

I like cooking food, I like eating food, I like talking about food, I like thinking about food. When I say food, I include coffee, beer, and wine. Things with good flavour. Things that are interesting. Yup, I like them all.

I read an interesting interview with Anthony Bourdain. A lot of the conversation revolved around foodies and current food culture in [North] America. There were definitely some interesting comments, but this one really stuck out to me:

For an Italian person in Italy, food — and, more significantly, wine — are both part of a healthy, larger picture. You don’t see many Italians getting embarrassingly drunk at meals. They drink with every meal, but you never see them staggering, drooling, stupid drunk or binge drinking. Because it’s just no big deal! To them, great food, great ingredients are just a birthright. It’s just part of your life, and an important one. But just a part. It’s not the focus of everything. Chef’s know this; I think some of the chefs’ biggest fans don’t.

I really appreciate that thought and you can truly expand it into other areas of life. But I’m also a little on the fence, because when something is too everyday, too mundane, it can become really easy to take for granted. It’s a fine line between what I would call performing and being comfortable. If you are just truly doing what you are doing and it is excellent, then that is good. But if you are putting on a show, not being yourself, stressing, etc. then I would say that is not good.

Wow, I really strayed for a bit there, but it is an important point.

In sum, just enjoy the things that each day brings. Be content. Don’t glorify things. Don’t make things what they aren’t. Just enjoy them.

::SAdamson

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