grolby

Is this a California thing, like 40 degrees being cold? Bad roads and sketchy (I prefer to say "challenging") turns are just part of bike racing. It's skill-building. Not that you should do a race you aren't stoked on, but as long as things aren't ridiculous I don't get the objection to courses that challenge the racers.

TheKillerPenguin

It is annoying having to worry about dodging potholes. I can understand why he'd not want to deal with that, especially if he feels like the course profile doesn't suit him.

topflightpro

I'm OK with challenging. I'm not OK with dangerous.

There's a local crit course I no longer race at due to the quality of the course. Poor quality pavement and tight corners create a fairly treacherous race. It's the kind of course where you HAVE to have emergency medical staff on site. I've seen at least two people carted off in an ambulance.

Fortunately, I've not crashed there - my wife has and partially tore her hip labrum in the process - but I have flatted two tubulars there.

That said, I also once did a race with a huge descent - 40+ mph - and cattle grates across the road. That scared the crap out of me when I saw them, because I was going faster than I would have liked when crossing them, but it turned out OK. That is something I consider challenging, but not necessarily dangerous. Still, not sure it's something I want to test too often.

grolby

Yeah, if there are lots of potholes, that's bad. I'm thinking more of bumpy pavement, which to me is just a fact of life in some races. I don't endorse dangerous courses.

One of the races in a local crit weekend (Worcester, in the Longsjo Classic) in its second year took us down an absolutely ridiculous stretch of road. Totally chewed up, big holes, multiple metal manhole or utility covers standing proud of the surface. Maybe two safe lines. And only one corner before the start finish stretch on a slight downhill. Luckily it was short, but that was just stupid. They paved it by the time we did it again last year. But now that race is gone, and while I liked it despite never having a good ride there, a lot of people won't miss it.

TheKillerPenguin

We also don't really have a choice, the roads get so beat up during the winter time that if we tried to skip races with less than great pavement we'd barely race at all.

Wylde06

Michigan wouldn't have a race calendar at all.

Ygduf

I think some people not liking some things other people like is definitely "california things".

I don't like riding dirt, for example. Heresy, I know.

topflightpro

Well, things are all kind of relative.

I've complained about the conditions of some of the roads around here. But guys who've ridden in areas with hard winters, Teton and Rankin, for example, are blown away by how great the road conditions are here.

scheibo

not wanting to ride over pot holes/on sharp turns on a descent/sketchy turns/gravel is less motivated from me being a californian princess (which I wouldn't exactly deny) but from a safety perspective, especially in a pack of other riders.

i already have difficult conversations with my parents every time i do a bike race given that they're sure its russian roulette on wheels (and its become even harder to reason with them given my dad got in a bad accident on a group ride last fall), and if its on a flat parcours that doesnt interest or excite me i'm even less likely to want to take any risks. there are a couple races that im interested in that have technical/fast descents that i'm worried about, so i'll go out an practice them a ton before racing them, but itll hopefully be worth it because the course is interesting to me (climbs).

i have no objection to races with 'challenging' technical courses, i just evaluate the risk vs. reward. i think cobbles have a place in the TdF, as do descents, etc, as that's definitely part of bike racing. its just not the part that i enjoy/am suited for/want to participate in.

hack

I think we're fortunate enough here in NorCal to have enough races where guys can pick if they want to race or not. Snelling will be well attended if @scheibo doesn't go just like Hamilton or Pescadero will be well attended if I don't go.


Re: Snelling, there are some unpleasant stretches of road, a couple years back I actually found the pea gravel leading into the finishing turn to be a smoother and faster line.

carpediemracing 

This points to needing to work on cornering. You don't have to go to the course to work on cornering if you can work on the theory. Once you have theory you can practice elsewhere. Of course practicing the actual turn has its benefits but unless you're time trialing down the descent it should take one or two descents and you should be comfortable with it.

Don't use a tall front wheel, that's my tip for making descending easier. I tried using a 60mm and 46 mm front wheel, and both got super sketchy at 50 mph. I have no idea how the pros do it. I'd use a box / non-aero front wheel. I'm totally good with one at 50 mph, front end feels totally planted.

TheKillerPenguin

Not that I am any good at it, but I find the newer wide profile rims help a lot with cornering confidence.

Ygduf

how do they feel at 75mph tho

TheKillerPenguin

You've probably forgotten by now but < cat 1 they speed limit us to 65

mattm

It's a scheibo thing.

mike868y

idk it's going to be like 40 here today and i'm riding the rollers so maybe it's a mikey thing too now

grolby

Yeah but Northeasterners know that riding over miles of roads wet with frigid snowmelt is easily the worst thing about winter.

big john

We don't normally have winter here but yesterday it rained most of the day and it gets crazy when that happens.
The rain was blowing into my work area and I had to cover my computer. An inch of standing water under my soaked feet and my pants were wet from the knees down. A lot of the guys just went home but the service writers, being the greedy ****** they are, demanded the work go on.
Took me 1:45 to drive 16 miles home, freeway was closed and on the street I drove through over a foot of water and hit something, (rock, maybe), and got turned back at a mudslide at another point.
I hope to sneak in some kind of ride today and maybe go buy some new work shoes.

TheKillerPenguin

Truth, wisdom, preach, etc

ridethecliche

Haha, apparently this was the last post of mine that was quoted.

Bought said miata. Car was in NH but originally from the PNW. Never driven in the winter.

I've been having a ton with it and I'm getting way over my head right now doing a turbo build.

ridethecliche

Also, hi internet friends.

How are y'all?

Flatballer

Does anyone ever leave a technical interview feeling like they nailed it?

Man, this company is tough. Even the HR screen had technical questions, and the actual technical interview was incredibly broad and deep. That was tough. Wait and see if I make it to the third round I guess. Normally I'm kind of "whatever" since I have a good job and don't NEED this, but I think I'd be really good at this job, so it's going to suck if they disagree.

Flatballer

Man, this place is silent lately. Everyone hibernating? Are you all accountants and it's tax season?

Ygduf

I wake up at 6:30 and have coffee. Babies out by 6:50am. I have them until 7:30. I dress and go to work, getting there around 8:30. I work until 11:30 and then ride a bit. Return to work until 4:45pm. dress and ride home. Home at 5:15 to be in the shower and ready for baby duty at 5:30. babies until 7pm. Eat dinner and watch a tv show or two with my wife. In bed by 9pm.

rinse and repeat every single day. Weekends I get a couple hours in the morning and then babies all day until 7.

free time is spent sobbing and reminiscing about the life I used to have. :|

mattm

Rarely!

There are always rough patches in those interviews for me, sometimes by design - they give you a question that is either impossible to answer or too long for the 30/60 mins you have, just to see what you do "under fire".