This Labor Day weekend, ride bikes.

"I'm never gonna stop. This is awesome."

 

 http://konaworld.com/

*Blatant Shop Propaganda*
Midwest Cyclery has Kona Jake and Jake the Snake models in stock

Evil in the 816

A few Evil sighting in CX events recently

Boss Cross #2 in Riverside 10/03/10


Photo by Roger Harrison

Watch for Evil x2 at about 1:03 and the carnage begins



Cross Out Cancer 10/10/10


Photo by Laura Keithly

Results?
Typically middle of the pack or DNF
We've been racing two races per event when two races are available.
Masters 35+ & single speed

On tap for the weekend

Its finally here.
The KC Cup weekend at the Swope Park Trails
Cyclocross (Saturday) and cross country mountain bike (Sunday) action back to back over two days.
I rode the CX course last night and its a hoot. They make use of the new short track course that was installed for the Thursday Night Throwdown. So lots of single track to really please the CX roadie set.
I'll be doing the CX race this year. I'm considering racing twice.
I can do the Master's 30+ race at 11AM on my geared CX and then the single speed race @ 1PM on... well my single speed.
Hopefully I get further in than the first lap before I flat like I did last year.
I'm blowing off the MTN race on Sunday. I just haven't logged any time on my 29er this year. I was the same way last year but did the race. Ended up so frustrated that I blew my top and pitched the 29er into the woods. Not the best tactic.
I'm not much of a MTN racer anyway. I prefer to cruise along with frequent stops.
However, I should be attending the event as a spectator to cheer & heckle the racers. Maybe I'll even bring some beers.

That is of course that I'm alive after the Pub 'N Pedal 4 gets done with me Saturday night.

Straight from the FaceBook event page:
Free to all who come out and register to race!!!

Once again I should tell you that this is a free bicycle race photo scavenger hunt pub crawl. I will not ask any money from you but the final bar requires $2 per racer to be donated to the staff. This will allow you to drink from a FREE keg (as long as it has something in it).

• Registration begins at 7pm in the old OSCO Drug parking lot at Westport RD and Main St
• Race begins at 8pm
• Teams of 1-4 people
• You are not required to drink on this ride
• One digital camera per team to take photos of objects off the manifest


Need more info? Check out http://www.kcsprints.blogspot.com/ or http://www.candycranks.com/

So there is the planned weekend in a nut shell.
It fall, its gonna be a beautiful weekend, get out there and do something with it.

Yes

Not to toot my own horn but... It looks even better bigger

Did I mention that Wednesday was new bike day?

Cause it was. At least for me.


2010 Giant TCX frame set
FSA headset
FSA Gossmer Cranks with Mega XO external BB
40t Surly chain ring
Salsa Chain guard
N-Gear Jump Stop chain guide
Ultegra 9 speed STI levers (set up 1x9)
Ultegra RD
Ultegra 12-27 cassette
SRAM chain
Shimano 105 rear hub laced to Mavic Open Pro rim w/DT Swiss spokes
Hutchison Bulldog tires
Specialized 30.9 seat post
Specialized Phenom saddle 143 CroMo rails
Paul touring canti rear Neo Retro canti front w/Salsa cable hangers
3T stem 110 31.8
Ritchey WCS bar 31.8
Specialized S-Wrap bar tape
Specialized Stout front hub laced to Salsa Delgado Cross rim w/DT Swiss spokes
Shimano cables
Jagwire housing

I had to modify the N-Gear a bit. The bike came with a pulley so you could run a bottom pull FD.
The bolt hole for the pulley was right were I needed to put the chain guide.
Nothing a little bit of grinding couldn't fix


Done and done.
Now its time to put some miles on it.
Don't know if I'll actually race it CX or not.
When I talked about it at the last race I got told I "wasn't allowed" by the buddies I race with. I guess they don't want me on gears since I normally run single speed in the CAT 4.
Maybe if I feel entergetic enough for two races I can use it for some Master's B 35+ races.
I doubt that but we'll see.
I'm just excited to have a new rig.
And its purdy too!

CX on my mind

All I'm thinking about lately is cyclocross.
Which although I'm not very good at it I do really enjoy racing.
Thinking about cross leads eventually to viewings of this:

Pure Sweet Hell
And possibly too much time watching CX videos on YouTube
Like this:

And this:

Page's victory slipping away at CX Worlds in 2007:

And Tim Johnson's victory at the 2007 CX Nationals in Kansas City:


Ah yes. I love cyclocross

KC Cup weekend

The HSP KC Cup weekend is over with
It was fun but disappointing
CX race on Saturday and XC race on Sunday
Mr Joshua and I flew the Stars and Hearts of the BKB for the CX race Saturday
It was a great course but I flatted out right at the end of the 1st lap.
I was feeling good but with no pit bike or extra wheels my race was over

Mr Joshua hung on with a respectable middle of the pack finish.
Mr Joshua's little lady even did her first CX race ever
She was all smiles for the grueling 40 minutes race in her BKB t-shirt

Mr Joshua and I flew the All Blacks of Evil for Sunday's XC race

We raced in the Clydesdale class and screwed ourselves right from the start
The course started with a long pave section and instead of treating it like a CX race and putting the hammer down from the gun we slow rolled.
This put us behind the people in our class that we should have beaten to the woods
We managed to work our way up by the middle of the first lap.
I got tangled up in a technical section and watched Mr Joshua and the others ride a way
At the end of the first lap I turned it up a notch on the road section and got back in front of a small group and started a gap.
Back into the woods I spotted Mr Joshua and thought I was gonna reel him back in
But once again when I got to the technical section (8 Pins) if faltered and stepped aside to let some other racers around me.
After that I struggled to find a rhythm, I kept clipping my pedals and was getting knocked all over the trail.
It was frustrating and I let it get the best of me... ended up losing it and in a rage threw my bike off into the woods.
Not my finest moment... luckily there was no one around to witness it.
I composed myself and got back to it. Things came together a little.
I came across Mr Joshua getting up off the ground. He had flatted his front which in turn pitched him over the bars.
He was disappointed, he had crashed (swore at the start he wasn't going to), flatted (costing him precious time) and had been sitting in 2nd when it all happened.
I pushed on and once again got tangled up and lost a couple of spots.
Popped out on the road for the finial climb and put the hammer down to catch one of the two that had passed me.
Crossed the line in 4th.
Mr Joshua got back in it quick enough to pick up 6th.
Over all not a bad race for either of us with respectable finishes just not as good as we could have done.
It was the first MTB race of the year for both of us so really it was pretty good all things considered.

Next weekend we are back on the CX bikes for the Diamond BlackFan Cyclocross Challenge at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa, KS
We're racing single speed class since it starts later in the day.
Mr Joshua determined that the 4's 10am start was too early (funny since he is an early riser) and I am working the MS150 that morning (hope I make it in time).
We normally race SS in the CAT 4 race (we never win but we're never last either) but next week we'll be dragging the SS race down to our level of mediocrity.

Cross season has begun
Time to find the bugles and cowbells