misterwaterfall

I think it's the season BBQ night at the local Tuesday nighter tonight, I might try to have them hand me up a burger. Will report back

Cross is dumb, we need more crits.

XOXO
-fatty jr.

furiousferret

We have a series of about 8 races down here. Last year cross in SoCal may have been on concrete everything was so dry. Gets the tutus real dirty.

grolby

I'm talking ice and snow bad weather, not cold rain and mud bad weather.

Also, I love cyclocross but I don't think I would call it "epic," even on the super muddy days. Awesome, maybe. Rad, definitely. Brraaaaappp, hopefully. Not epic.

wens

I mean, they race through March in northern Europe, so I'm not all that sure winter is a problem. I'm actually just bitter the local road calendar gets really light in July, August, and September as a result of cx.

topflightpro

What I hate about August and September, and even some October, cross is it is too darn hot. Cross races are supposed to be short enough that you don't need to carry water, but with how hot some of the races are here, it's rough.

echappist

coffee handwringing over. bought a Rancilio with PID. In the immediate future, this would mean i'll be saving 50% on cost of beans as i would no longer need to get special half-cafs and can buy cheaper beans from Trader Joe's etc.

Ygduf

eh, I dunno. every time I saw it I'd wonder if the milk was rancid.

Doge

I have their grinder. Very will made and runs slower so it doesn't heat up the beans. You can buy green beans and roast them yourself.

Hida Yanra

Awwww maaaaaan, that was pretty well without exception the most fun night of racing of the entire summer the 3-4 years I got to do that series.
color me jealous.

johnybutts

Downgrade approved.

Last final exam for the semester is tomorrow evening. Taking a weekend trip to New Orleans this weekend, then I will hit the training.

spdntrxi

finally got the correct shim to install my Canyon H11 bars on my bike... excited to try them, but now I have loads to cut off the steerer... or just keep for resale.

UmneyDurak

#americanfattyingermany #hadgreatridealone

mattm

What was it like when you were in the pack?

Wylde06

3 days before a race seems a little early to end preregistration...and now I have to determine how bad I really want to race (and spend the extra for day of registration..and make a 3.5 hour drive) one of the last few races on the calendar.

misterwaterfall

It was good for some cookies and a veggie burger before riding home, no hand ups though.

UmneyDurak

Well keep in mind this is from a perspective of mediocre CAT3, with few years of experience, participating in what is equivalent of CAT1-CAT5 combined field race. I am not sure how many were A/B/C, but I do know there was a German TT specialist who got 6th at their nationals, and from what I was told the winning break of 3-4 riders lapped of what remained of the field twice. The whole "critirium" was about hour and a half. They advertised it as 70 something km race.

It was weird. The field was less hectic, people had no problem racing very close. After I blew up, way after I got dropped, and they passed me they were doing it inches from me. While in the pack I had no problems finding wheels, or keeping wheel. The problem was the course, and pack dynamics. The course was a cross between an old Berkeley course and San Rafael. Climb after T1, a false flat going up on back, descent to finish in to headwind, and flat tor the finish, and the race was long. As mentioned earlier.

I had hard time finding the rhythm. On down hill turn they seemed to break more, but still remained smooth and acceleration was smooth, but brutal. As result I was expanding way too much energy after the turn to latch back in. I just couldn't keep close to the wheel and accelerate after, or play according affect. Quite honestly the level of racing was much higher. Hopefully I will be doing another race this weekend, but it said it might rain... Will see. I was just riding for fun for last two something weeks, and haven't been training. Heck this week I spent in Berlin walking for 6+ hour a day...

himespau 

I suppose I'd gotten a bit cocky. I'd never had to make the call of shame from a ride and had started to think I wouldn't ever have to. Between my large saddle bag with 2 new tubes, a patch kit, tire levers, a var bead jack (never needed that, not sure why it's still there), massive multi tool, other tool, cotton ball, nitrile gloves, emergency boot, and $20, and my nice pump, I thought I was prepared for anything and I'd gotten to be so impressed with my preventative maintenance skills, I thought I had everything under control.

Then 3/4 of the way into a ride on Tuesday, at the top of a long climb pedaling started getting a lot harder just as it should have gotten easier until I could hardly turn the wheel at all. My best guess is that somehow the bearing adjustment got out of whack and got tighter and tighter. I just hope I didn't damage the cones and races as I limped a half mile to a restaurant to call home (and eventually to my mom to get her to call home as my wife was screening calls and wasn't answering all these calls from a strange brewpub she'd never heard of before). I guess we'll see when I get a chance to tear the hub down this weekend.

Once again a reason that I really should get on getting (or building) a backup wheelset.

Wylde06

Or maybe a cellphone?

Ygduf

you're going to need like a huge saddlebag

spectastic

I feel a moral obligation to tell my roommate that his increased girth has made his bibs thinner around his hips, even more so when he's bending over on a bike, so much so that his tattoo of little hearts floating around on his left ass cheek is translucent and visible when drafting behind him. But I don't know how to tell him without making it super awkward.

Ygduf

"time for some new shorts, Joe, I don't want to see your hairy *******."

carpediemracing 

"Dude I can see your hearts dancing around."

rideaz

Lol. Sounds like he's the one making it super awkward!

Racer Ex 

Long time no hear. Hope things are good.

spectastic

I think it will be best if I leave a note on his desk, right before I move out