boring day

working on final papers+rain=not a great chance of riding today. However, i did some bored bike research and found a cool site about wheels- an area id always like to learn more about.http://miketechinfo.com/new-tech-wheels-tires.htm

PAUL-WORD Up!

errrbody knows i like paul's stuff.im a big fan of his cool products and im a big fan of paul's, as he seems like a real cool guy from my various phone conversations with him. i ride his hubs on 2 bikes, and his fixed gear/track hubs on my around town bike have been ballin for a few years now- they spin forever. ive been a fan of his expensive v brakes for a while now (i was gonna order some over the summer but nobody was there to take my order for 2 weeks, so i gave up for the time being) and i intend on putting some on my single speed when i can get some more extra moneys. anyway, he just came out with some hats (ok, maybe a few months ago) and now a sweet wool jersey. maybe i can use some hannukah money to buy one.
maybe i should beat this guy up, as i think i may be stronger than him, and simply acquire a jersey that way.

tunz o ridez

i rode for 4 hours today in the frigid and windy pittsburgh environment. 2 road hours of freezing my toes (my very bundled up toes) off, and then 2 mtb hours right after. i was ht during my mtb ride and cold during my road ride, this leads me to a grand conclusion. mtb riding is better than road riding.

beer me-- BEER Wisecrackers

BEER Wisecrackers back in stock

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i came across this on a search for bike teams, hopefully cool mtb teams, which are sponsored by beer companies. i know victory brewing has a team, but i told some friends on my collegiate team that i wanted our team to be sponsored by beer. they said no-can-do because the university gives us money and they wont approve, so i proposed we just get a beer company to give us more money/perks. in my search i found this blog(post) and i think , if i can swing it, ill get one of these openers for one one my bikes. not a carbon one, because im imagining a horrible crash were the spacer twists around and somehow damages a sexy carbon frame. i dint think it can logically happen, but im afraid of the unknown so ill stay away from it until im proven wrong (or right). anyway, my search (i just kinda clicked on the first google link to my search about "beer bike teams") did not yield any bike teams sponsored by beer which wanted me to join. road ride at 11 am for 2-4 hrs, depending on weather. im starting to get excited for training to be in better shape for the summer for mtb season... and for like 2011 when i plan on doing the sea otter race(s).

beer me!

mother nature is a bitch

yesterday i went out, planning to do a 2 hr, 14 mile mtb ride, and i thought it would be fun. I used my proprietary lube on my chain, and i was excited to try it out in wet/muddy conditions. I have to say that the lube was the best part of my ride, just because it worked. Wet, decomposing leaves and steep hills is more conducive to walking that riding, and thats what i did. I a, by no means, a master of mtb skills, but some of those hills were just brutal. there are wooden bridges in the park, but when there wet not even 2.5 nevegal tires will grip. the bike fell out from under me and i thought i broke my kneecap. even worse than that was the fact that the only other person in the entire park (from what i saw)was a pretty late 20's girl walking a bunch of dogs, and i fell right as she was walking past. i broke nothing, but i shattered my self esteem. today me knee feels like it is broken though. I only got about 8 miles of mtb riding in, because mother nature decided to poop on me. lightning, 50 mph wind, and rain was on the menu. on the ride home from the park i had to ride in the small ring up front because the wind was so powerful- i almost wasnt moving. regardless, my chain lube passed the first test, now i just need to see if there is still some lube left on/inside the chain for the next time i ride. if i can get 2-3 dirty mtb rides or about 200 road miles out of my lube i think itll be deemed great.

Also, my bike now has a name. i thought about the short bus, but i then decided on sped sled. just like those buses those "special" kids in elementary school, my bike is called a sped sled. it is slightly yellow, slightly small, and im the "special" kid riding on it. also, it rhymes, what could be wrong with that.

homebrew

ok, so ive been dabbling in the home-brew realm of chain lubes for a while. the idea of making my own things (for both financial reasons and curiosity) has always struck my fancy. well, i have been using my secret recipe of chain lube i now call HalLeLuByA- because its like a godsend- and its been great. i have ridden about 100 road miles on one lubing and my chain has been sorta clean and very very quiet. i really like the quiet factor. However, more than anything, its super cheap. i can probably make about 32 oz of it for the price of a 6oz bottle of pedros/progold etc. ok, so maybe it doesnt have a sexy name and supposed science behind it (someone needs to do independent lube testing for the betterment of the bike community) but it works for me. I do like chain L, im still a big supporter of it, but why would i spend 12 bucks on that when i can spend 8 for something that I CREATED. something that works. if you want to/can afford to buy name brand lube, i wouldnt say its a bad idea. However, id like to save money to spend on bike upgrades which i will be needing soon on a few bikes. i will not give out my secret formula yet, but once i perfect it i will a) be awesome to people and put my exact recipe online or b) be a dickhole and pretend like i can sell it and never tell anyone my "proprietary secret". i hope a works out for me because i hate proprietary things in the bike industry- they just piss me off!

lack of riding

i got some rollers so i could train more as the weather gets worse. im all about being manly and riding a bike where it is meant to be ridden, but sometimes i cant. the last few days have been 28 degrees and windy and rainy- you cant really ride in this weather. however, my rollers are at home for 2 weeks while im at school. its a bummer that i cant really ride because im really trying to follow my training plan well. i want to be real good at racing in the 2010 season and training is the only way to get better.

i am excited that scott from NUUN finally emailed me back with my order form for my 2010 sponsorship. im real excited... maybe even motivated to race this next year. my lack of training rides is getting me down in the dumps. rain rain go away...

i did do some sweet REI black friday shopping and i bought myself a new knife to put in my bike bag. his name is the Undercompensator.

training n such

so i rode for 3 hrs on my road bike today, which equaled about 40-50 miles. i think im going to devote more time to road bike training, as ill probably get more mtb endurance if i get more road endurance (duh, right?). anyway, no compy, so i cant say for sure how far it was but it was decent. hills and more hills were on the menu. there were 4 very long (over 1 mile) and steep climbs. im excited for 6 months away when real racing begins again. time to go eat some hamburgers.

and i also decided i need a name for my mtb. ive given other bikes names, but they are now a)stoled or b)scrapped aka dead. i need an edgier name (cause im super badass) than just "the GT".

training ride

so my mucus has subsided enough so i decided to ride with a few Pitt riders. it was a bad idea for many reasons. i guess im still to sick to really push it. also, i had my big ol bag, and i never realized how big n heavy it was.
i have like every kind of body part warmer in there plus a tire and tubes and tubes and tubes and 2 pumps (3 after my friend returned a co2 pump to me today) and a bunch of food ( i had an entire box of mrs freshleys oatmeal pies) and i have like lotions and maps and all sortsa tool n wrenches and like 2 sets of extra platform pedals in case my eggbeaters explode on my fixed gear and i need a way to get home. heavy. it slowed me down big time. riding alone all the time i just dont realize how relatively slow i am going with my bag. my only legit excuse for going slow was that i did not know the trails really. i still like the bag because a) i spent a ton of money on it and i love to get use out of it and b) i am ocd only when i ride a bike and i tell myself i need all the shit in there. dumb, i know. anyway, i think it makes me stronger. ive realized that if i alway ride with 20 extra pounds on my back it makes me way way faster (or at least i think im faster because i dont use a compy) when i ride sans big ol baggy. lets hope it does. either that or im just real slow. its probably the latter.

sick again

over the last 3 days ive gotten a bunch of riding in- 24 mtb miles and 70 road miles- and my legs have been killing me. im officially starting my training plan and my coach says he will make my peak around late spring= mtb season= success. the problem is im sick again and probably cant ride for a few days. i found this bloggery and its how i feel now

i havent ridden in over a week!

today i think im finally unsick enough to go on a bike ride... so i did. i rode my mtb maybe 14 miles in the woods and my legs are feeling it. i totally forgot how much i hated leaves too. not even wet leaves, just leaves. they cover all the obstacles on the train and make sharp uphill switchback style turns not happen. some trails obviously hadnt been ridden since the leaves fell because there were no paths worn out on the lesser used singletrack trails. i dont think its my responsibility to clear the trails, other mtb riders in pittsburgh need to get their act together and ride more to clear trails for me.

anyway, my chain-l has worn off my chain, i was running a dry chain today i guess. i think it lasted maybe 14-20 rides, and probably no more than 300 harsh miles. its still going strong on my road bike- i think the wet/dirty conditions of mountain biking wore off the chain-l a bit early. i think im going to try 10w40 or some other high viscosity oil for a short while. lube is like 7 bucks. chain l is like 12 bucks. 10w40 is like 4 bucks for like 8 times the liquid in a 4 oz lube bottle. everything has been breaking on my bikes, mostly my road bikes, but my GT could use some work too. ugh. i gotta see if i cant cheap it out on the lube and see what happens.
-motor oil chain lube review soon.

there was something else but i totally forget.

perfect weather

just as the standard pittsburgh winter is setting in, we got a 3 day break of crappy weather via sunny skies and near 70 degree temps. i however, could not enjoy this weather because im stricken with the flu/whooping cough/unknown coughing illness. no bike rides=shitty. no bike rides+flu= i might kill myself. the one redeeming quality is that all my coughing will surely help me get some babes via big ab muscles acquired while hacking up a lung or two.

guud stuuf

amidst a flurry of flat tires and losing the world series i found out that i have been sponsored by nuun hydration tabs for 2010. im real excited to not cramp up and be tired during the home stretch of races. more to come shortly...

moraine = morepaine

last weekend (yeah, it took me a week to review my race last weekend) i raced in pittsburgh's MONTH of MUD series race at Moraine state park . the course was wet with lotsa leaves- this created problems. wet east coast courses are tough because your tires get no tractability and you cant take turns and steep downhills too fast. moraine was also really tough because there were TONS of big boulder you had to ride over- these rocks were the size of mini coopers and you had to be technically perfect to make it up and over them- i was not perfect. besides the big rocks there were a bunch of small basketball-sized rocks which made a rock garden that was, in my estimation, about 1 mile long- doing this for a few laps was tough, and it didnt help that i did not know the course.

the riding was like these pictures for many miles



needless to say, i crashed a few times on the rocks, and they weren't even the worst part. the wet logs/ piles of logs you had to ride over were tough because, well, they were wet (and im not super amazing at them regularly). i tried them all the first lap around and that was a bad idea because ididnt know how they let out. on the real big one i went over with some real gusto but didnt realize how far the drop was on the other side and i went right over the bars and was on the ground. a few no-no werds were said, as the master rider behind me left me in his proverbial dust (it was more like wet decomposing leave debris).i got some pretty gnarly cuts via chainrings/logs/other things






ok, so they werent even that bad, but i got blood on my bedsheets at home and it is cool for that reason. anyway, i finished the race, taking more precautions the second lap, and this helped me gain more ground back. i think if your careful when you ride you go faster because everything is more fluid and you mess up/ fall less. i ended up finishing the race somewhere in the upper middle half of the group of 50 people... and i didnt get passed by any women either. i didnt win anything besides the new dirt rag magazine which was kinda a disappointing issue in my opinion.

well, i got some new bike parts and i attribute them and my beefy 2.35 kenda nevegal tires and dh tubes for my decent finish. lotsa people with lightweight stuff got pinch flats but i didnt because i ran those beefy tires and tubes. and the thomson seatpost totally increased my speed because of the way it held my seat in the appropriate place.




the ergon grips have proven real comfy too and i may get some for my fixie because my oury's just arent as nice. my gt is working great. it took a thrashing at the race but held its own. my wheels took tons of abuse and they are still kinda true- i havent trued them since i got the bike- but they still ride good. ive recently become a handbuilt wheel snob, but mavic makes some awesome intermediate level wheels.

tubes v. no tubes

so i just read an article by Tony Ellsowrth (Ellsworth bikes- i always dreamed of owning one) about tubes and tubeless systems and it echoed my opinions. i ran tubeless for 2 years 2007 thru 2008 (until i got my gt i guess) and i liked how i didint get pinch flats- however, i never got pinch flats to begin with. but mr. Ellsworth explains that tubeless tires are super heavy, and i noticed that with my tubeless nevegals. also, in a race (or even a long ride), you need to hope that the stans/slime (hate both)in your wheel stops the air leak. i ran a tubeless maxxxxxxis crossmark when i first got my zaskar and my tire would go flat ever 2 days. it normally wouldn't be a problem, but it made me mad on a carbon race bike. after a while of messin around i noticed that there was a tiny pinhole in my tire and it just didnt really hold air overnight, and i didnt want to risk it on a 2+ hour ride. that being said, i came to the conclusion around july of this summer that tubes are the way to go. tires are lighter, which is a plus because they are the farthest part from the hub that is rotating (multiply grams x 4 to get true rotational weight). also, tubes arent that heavy, and they are easy to replace (i am the flat tire czar etc). they make ultralight tubes- i had them on all my mtbs, but the ones in my gt gave way during the last 3 weeks- and they are really light. i ride them in my IF ss and when i first installed them in the wheels i was blown away by how light they were (again, remember rotational weight). i do, however, run DH tubes in my tires now on my gt because they were free and i know they wont pop on rocky race courses. i go back to a previous point, if your running a sealant during a race you better hope it works, if not you need a new $60 tire (who carries them during a race?). a tube takes 2 minutes to change at most (thats with the presta cap and valve retention ring jawn)- and the co2 pumps work great (i just had a 8 dollar flat tire fixup cause i dont carry a handpump now- thans beto). all in all, i liked my tubeless nevegals when they worked, but they were a beefy non race tire- they still went flat every few days too. but, for racing i think tubes and tires are the way to go until someone creates a better system.

oh, i raced the other day and it was awesome, but im too lazy/bizzy to write about it. school work sucks... and riding bikes in the last of the pittsburgh mediocre weather is important.

raced today

i had a good race today, but i left pre-results ( i think i did ok) and they are not posted yet, but i had fun. more soon...

tire levers

changing tires/tubes is the one repair job EVERY bike should know how to do. i dont know why people pay someone else $5+ to do it, but hell, it pays my bills in the summer. ive changed a lot of tires and tubes, and im pretty good at it (in some parts, im know as the tsar of flat tires). there are three tools you need to take a tire off, and two you need to put them back on- two hands and a lever for removal, and two hands for installation. ok, so you might need a lever to get the last part of the bead of a tight road tire on, but thats a rarity. im in no position to explain how to put a tire on, but i did just use 2 different lever to change some flats (i had 2 different ones lying around my room) and ive decided which one is better. its between the sexy blue park tool levers...

and the pedros levers ( i like the pink ones best)...


i find the park tools one to be inferior. the lip on the lever is narrower and doesnt grab as much of the beat when you need to remove the tire. the pedro's lever is slightly larger (wider) and you can get a better grip on it. these things sound trivial, but it makes a big difference. i have some super shitty performance brand levers and they make it tough to get a tire on/off- they suck. anyway, i also find that the pedros lever dont crack as easy. though they do inevitably break, they arent made from as hard a plastic, making them less prone to simply snapping in half. lastly, both levers have those hooky things to fit onto the spokes. though i never use them (in fact, just having them is dumb because if you know what your doing you dont need them), the pedros ones stay on the spokes way way way better. i usually like park tools- my hex set, ts2, dishing gauge etc. , but pedros tire levers (among other things, like lube) are far superior to parks.

when im old

... when im thrity i wanna be a good mtb racer, even though i feel like racing isnt my true calling, i wanna be the funny guy who shows up to every race but looses but always has beeer and a grill and a few dirty jokes

bad weather

chain-l is still awesome, after more riding (8 miles today) in the harsh rain and mud. ive put about 100 miles on my fixed gear with it in all conditions and its so quiet and awesome.

... anyway, im just really loving my zaskar recently. i just acquired (aka free) 2 older gt frames from the co-op where i work, ones a zaskar and one is a no namer (i think an outpost or timberline). im going to build the zaskar up into a trials-esque bike with a sweet machinetech x mavic 217 wheel i got for free. the other no name one was a complete bike and i rode it on some trails for a few miles (after i rode my carbon zaskar) and it was way way way worse than my carbon gt... obviously. it made me realize that my new zaskar is super awesome- the best geared mtb ive ever ridden- and way better than nostalgic old mtbs.

today, as the looming pittsburgh winter arrived, i realized that my time on a bike will be limited. i realized that i dont want the mtb season to end (technically it never ends cause i ride in all weather, but its hard to get motivated when its windy and wet and snowy and 10 degrees) and in order to keep myself motivated through the harsh next few months ive planned on doing 3 races. a M.O.M race at moraine park, and Heather Rizzi's races during thanxgiving and christmas. road season is practically around the corner (ughghch, i dont knwo why i do it), but soon thereafter, its mtb season again.

stuff...

ive been riding a lot recently, but its getting cold so i want to get in as much riding and racing as i can- im not afraid of the cold, but the pittsburgh winter is brutal. Ive created a nice 14 mile loop i ride a few days a week and ive gotten a bit faster (ironically, as the season begins to wind down). it supposed to snow tomorrow but i want to try and get in a 40 mile ride- its a lot to ask for a park where the longest loop you can make without crossing paths is like 7 miles, but without a car, its all ive got.



anyway, ive had this sample of chain-l lube that i got from a rep last year and i recently applied it to my mtb and road bike and its amazing. it did not wash off in the rain (three wet mtb rides of 10 miles or more and two wet thirty mile road rides) and i havent re-lubed my zaskar in over 100 miles- about 2 weeks of riding i guess. i usually use pedros or tri-flow, and i like their stuff, but this chain-l is real quiet and only needs to be applied every 500-1000 miles. it is more expensive ($12 bucks for a bottle) but i go through like 4 pedros a year (plus the lube i use when i work on my bike at work) and those are like 8 bucks each. the stuff stinks and many shops dont have it - hopefully people will start to demand the product- but i really have been surprised by the lube and i think its going to be my only lube from now on. this stuff would also be awesome for commuters/ bike messengers who ride their bikes every day in all conditions. i was skeptical at first because i thought pedros, progold, tri-flow, finish line etc. were the standard for chain lubes, but i found out i was wrong. as chris king, indy fab, thomson etc. are the standards in their respective areas, i believe chain-l is the tops when it comes to lube.

new parts

so i got my ergon gx1's in green today and they seem to be real good. my friend in pittsburgh uses them and philly's own Harlan Price (rides for indy fab and ergon)uses them so I had to get some. theyre good, except on the right part of my handlebar there is something missing. i broke my remote lockout- the little button where your finger pushes snapped off- but fox was nice enough to send me one for free. thanks fox.

besides that the weather here has been awful and i dont feel like riding on wet leaves and over wet logs ( its a bad combination and i learn from my mistakes).

yesterday=more lehigh

i raced a short track xc race yesterday at lehigh and i got 3rd. i was happy with that finish considering i showed up after the start of the race (registration was sooooooo slooooowwww). i passed about 2 people per lap, mostly because i had a light bike with lockout. this one segment was a narrow paved sidewalk in the woods (it was weird, but super helpful) and i just got out of the saddle and powered past my competitors. all in all i had a great weekend getting 4th in the xc race and 3rd at short track.

lehigh

i raced today at Lehigh University in PA. it was a really tough 5 mile loop and EVERYONE had to walk to last 2 miles of rock gardens and fallen logs. my friend beat me on a singlespeed, but i have asthma (i like to use that as an excuse). overall i had a good race and i came in 4th place. no pinch flats in the rock gardens. no busted chains or pedals. everything went well, and though i took a few nice spills (i fell off a bridge that was 2-3 feet over a rocky creek bed), i ended up having a great time. more racing tomorrow- its shorttrack time!

where has all the time gone?

... ive been riding my bike six days a week in preparation for my first A category race near Lehigh University this weekend, as well as pittsburghs infamous month of mud. i plan to do mtb and cyclocross (never done one before but i race road and mtb's so i should fare ok) races on my GT. i hope to find some more races closer to thanksgiving as well.

my bike has been great except for the seat/post creak, but it just makes my bike unique. my grips are worn out now and i need some new ones and im thinking oury lock on or ergons (inspired by harlan price) but i question the control with them because that extra lobe makes your hands not be directly on/over the bars. also, my pads are worn out and i might just buy some new marta sl's.

ugh, bike troubles

im back at school and i rode some real nice trails in pittsburgh's Frick park but i noticed that my derailleur (i dont think i spell that word the same way twice) hanger was bent and that my bike was not shifting great- its actually really bent. im ordering some extras from derailleurhanger.com just in case i bend them. ive never bent a hanger on any bike until this one, its somewhat humbling to know that im not a god at bike maintenance (even though i claim i am). i did however put on some new nevegal tires and theyre awesome! ive been using them for 3 years now but i did not put them on my GT because i wanted to wear out the stock tires and some spares i had in my basement. the nevegals are slightly heavier but my bike (stock) weighs under 24 lbs with pedals so i figure a few grams wont hurt. i cant wait to take part in western PA's month of mud (MOM) races. the races are the best (and possibly only) in the western (and more crappy) part of the state. i may even do some MOM cyclocross races on my bike because it is so light. then after that ill be ready for the ECCC races in late october, i hope i can get to nationals this year and finally get to ride somewhere super cool like colorado and utah.


ive seen some bent hangers and people claim they were just riding along (JRA) but i honestly was just riding along and after a few months this happened. its pretty bent and i wont be riding my bike until i get a new hanger. its a sad sight to see such a nice bike out of commission for 5-7 business days.

more bike failures

pre-race- I felt AWESOME. everyone wanted to know how i was lucky enough to get #50

post-race- I felt like a big idiot and my bike wasnt too happy either. i wanted to know why number #50 was so unlucky




i had real high hopes for my race at french creek, but my dreams were shattered by a broken pedal. the night before the race i got some new shoes and fixed my bike up and it was PERFECT. when i got my bike off my car my friend and i rode to the table to check in and get our numbers. as im riding up the hill in my crocks i notice that there is nothing under my foot- the pedal had come off the spindle and it was on the ground. i found my pedal and picked it up and continued to the registration tent. i frantically went through my shops team's tool box and found a 8mm socket and i fixed my pedal (or so i thought). the race began and i immediately made my way to the front of the group. everything was going good, the course was the hardest course id ever ridden but i was doing ok. as i neared the home stretch (last few miles or so) my pedal once again fell off and i was stuck with the pedal on the bottom of my shoe and the spindle in the crankarm. i did not have time (or the tools) to do an on-the-trail repair so i stuck the pedal, which was clipped onto my shoe, back into the spindle. i rode but couldnt push myself or the pedal would fall off again. i got passed first by singlespeeers... and then by the women (i dont dislike either group, i just should be able to ride faster than them). i came across the finish line in almost double the time it took the winning pack, but at least i finished.

my failure in this race happened because when my pedal initially fell out the bearing races spilled out. i was riding with plastic on metal and after a few miles of riding it was too much for my makeshift setup. i love my crankbrothers pedals, but i probably should have serviced them once over the last 4 or 5 years.

race day

in about 25 hours ill be racing my bike. i just got it somewhat clean (not super clean, because itll be re-dirtied in the first 1/2 mile) and its working pretty good. i got my new specialized carbon pro shoes which dont feel nearly as comfy as my 3 year old pair. i got some hammer gel and some new socks (wool=awesome)which should hopefully be enough to propel me to victory... or at least finishing the race.

training

ive been doing a LOT of riding after work in preparation for lengthy fall schedule of collegiate and M.O.M. mtb races. its been super wet in philly and the trails are all washed out, but bad conditions wont stop me.

today i realized that i should have bought a Chris King hub because my Mavic wheels are awesome, but Chris King is just awesomer. ive been riding my king wheels on my road bike for about 3 weeks and theyre amazing... and speaking up bike parts, my Xt brakes already need to be bled, after 4 months of use. good think im a bike mechanic, i guess.

updatez

i finally got a sweet new chain (sram 991- the toughest one they make) and i rebuilt my crank bro pedals. hopefully my bike will be working well. i havent got much time to train in recent weeks due to work/heat/rain but i have a few days ff and i think tomorrow (like 7 hours from now) im going to do my own 50 mile epic philly mtb ride... rain or shine.

fair hill

racing in fair hill, md was kinda unfair to me. the race started out well and i was in the upper third of my group. about 14 miles into my race i broke my chain and ended up walking out of the woods (a crazy 5 mile walk). i was real upset and i did not even feel like crossing the finish line. i did get some ok pre-race and pre-bad-mood photos of me.

bike upgrades

i just got my chris king bb in and i promptly installed it on my bike, i dont notice any difference from the xt one but it looks sexy and maybe itll last forever. it also has serviceable bearings so on race days i can throw in some thin grease so i roll faster- i think ill be doing that this thursday at my hopefully-not-rained-out race.

though i havent had much time to ride recently due to real bad weather (3 races were canceled in the last month) and work, i did do a cool wheelie

such bad times

i just got my wisdom teeth out and this, just like my burn is limiting my riding. im real excited for my big race sunday and i know ill do ok (even though im stepping up to the next classification). it just sucks to not be able to ride my bike, especially cause its beautiful out and im off work for the next few days. id so insert a sad face here, but i need to keep some dignity.

oh, and im buying a thomson seatpost and some king hubs and bb's (employee pricing is the greatest thing ever invented, its better than money itself)- maybe ill become a faster rider. that, however, would most likely be the results of me weighing less due to the lack of money in my wallet.

not riding anytime soon...

the other day at work i got some nasty chemical burns on my ankle from safety kleen (its some real nasty stuff, it breaks down 30 year old grease in half a second). my riding for the last 2 days didint help and yesterday at work i got blisters on my ankle and many of them were the size of presta valve adapters. my doctor suggested i go to the hospital to make sure it isnt infected-which it isnt. the moral of the story is no bike riding for a week, but i better be ready to go for my race on the 21st at neshaminy. i get so many injuries, this sucks.

today

i went with my shop to the bike race in philly today and watched a bunch of top notch road racers ride. i got really burnt and my face is red like a ripe jersey tomato. the guys on the gt/ jelly belly team were doing pretty well. i also happened to find out that the manager of my shops best pal is a mechanic for that team- its such a small world. im getting sick but im trying to get better for some thursday night races and my races over the next few weeks.

evan sucks cause he lead the ride...

today was an epic mtb day before work. the ride was fast and SUPER technical. the bad part is i am not the most skilled rider (log rides, log hops, 2 ft cement walls...) and the 2nd half of the ride (at belmont) kicked my ass so bad. thats not a big deal, i left with my pride (and bike) intact. however, there was so much poison ivy, and i got so scratched and fell so much that i know im gonna have poison ivy soon. im real itchy and i know ill get it, its just a matter of time- im afraid to pet my doggy. anyway, this tough ride is getting me in shape for my next race on june 21st (im gonna step it up to the next category for this one).

training

ive been riding my zaskar almost every day of the week thus far and im getting in even better shape and my skill (and or confidence) has greatly increased recently. the bike is amazing and it is so effortless to ride up big technical hills.

bummer man...

i was going to be able to take off part of today to be in the bike race at french creek state park, the problem is it was canceled. there has been so much rain (my basement flooded because the ground is so wet and the pump just wont work) that they dont want a repeat of last weeks muddy trail-destroying fiasco. so many more races though, i cant wait.

oh yeah...

i got fined last weekend for riding my bike in philly's fairmount park system without being registered (22 dollar registration fee). ive been riding this park (valley green) since i was a lil' boy and ive never seen any rangers before. nobody at my shop and nobody ive ever ridden with has been registered. i sent in my letter and im fighting this in a hearing- i love meeting all the philly judges because thats gonna be me some day. anyway, a 25 dollar fine for riding a bike just pisses me off. and to make matters worse, my family and i belong to the organization which maintains the trails (because the city doesnt do it) and we volunteer a few times a year. uh, i knew something was makin me mad and keeping me from sleep. well, ive been up since 5 am and i had a great muddy day and i need some sleep.

escape from granogue

i just got back from a mid atlantic super series race in deleware (i was surprised at how big some of these deleware hills were)... it was called escape from granogue and i barely made it out. by the afternoon the mud was more like gorilla glue. i probably walked about 6 miles total today, during the bike race. the mud in some areas got so stuck onto the tires that when i tried to carry my bike i couldnt because it just weighed too much; i had problems shifting, braking, steering, seeing etc etc. i finished on the podium and got some really cool cuts and bruises. my bike kinda squeals a bit now, but its nothing i (or a day of dry riding) cant fix. all in all it was a good day and i did much better than i did in my last race. i should be getting my photos up soon, but my memory card is stuck under a seat in my dads car, i kinda need to search for it tomorrow.


oh, i saw this sweet old 90's Ti zaskar frame in my size which i really wanna buy, its the bike which made me first love GT's. its either that or some road wheels...

not enough time

now that schools over i have become a slave to the bike shop again- i kinda like it though. when im not working 11 hour shifts ive been out riding my zaskar. ive done maybe 60 miles this week and i have another race on sunday (i totally forgot to write about my last one, but it was just this short-track thing and i was the only guy in spandex). im nervous for sunday because i think the race is pretty tough, and i havent done much since becoming an adult (aka non junior)- i hate being the youngest guy in my category, its like being a freshman in high school all over again.

pictures and stuff

new bikes are fun fun fun! so is racing. im getting better and stronger which means i should be in great shape for some mtb races this summer- ill probably do most of these

back again

i got all my stuff and its all AMAZING. im super excited to race this season.

anyway, i moved up a category in road racing this week and i didnt do as well as id like, but i had fun, so i guess its all good. ive been doing a lot of interval training because its what i need to do to become a better crit rider, and probably mtb rider as well. but during my time off from writing lots of papers for classes ive been watching these kids...



they are better than ill ever be :(

stuff

i got a mysterious looking tent at my house yesterday but ive been so busy working and riding that i didint have time to open it before i left to go back for school. hopefully ill have a bunch of cool new things when i get home for the summer in about 5 weeks. 

race 2

tody i did another crit for PITT at stevens institute of technology and got 6th; my teammate and myself finished together but they gave him 5th. he got the points and i didnt, but my legs burn and im getting stronger. 

fun stuff

so, this is not really about racing or training (i wish someone could train me to do this though), but this is one of my favorite internet bike videos and i found myself watching it tonight. 

first post

i intend to do a good deal of mountain bike races over the next year or so, and i figured i need to train. i think the best way to train is by biking lots- this is what i do for road racing and i guess it works. i will also be road racing every weekend until my summer break to keep me motivated and fit. 

in my races last weekend at rutgers and princeton i came in the middle of my group in the TT and Crit. i told myself i was going to win, and i just didint have the right stuff to pull it off this week. ive been riding my bike to work every day and after work i do some real hard sprinting for about an hour to help me get in better shape.

before work tomorrow i plan to go to Valley Green and mtb a bit...