Friday, October 30, 2009

Winter preparation

Look closely, he's coming up the hill!







Long gravel climbs are what make road riding bearable.













Finally in sight!


























I had to go away for two days of training where the food was included. My goal was to gain 4 lbs in 2 days and I am proud to say I exceeded my own personal best....4.4lbs! Yes it was quite painful but this is one area where I really know how to pace myself properly.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Autumn comes

Monday was a pleasant day at Mohican. Rode the trail and did some extra site seeing along the way. The Gorge was at its leaf changing peak, but my legs were well past their peak. So today as I writhe in agony I ponder back on the racing season. Many thanks to GT for the fine bicycle that handled very well and never let me down once. The only mechanical I had was one flat tire all season. I only suffered two injuries; one broken knuckle and one strained arm tendon.
I'm not ready for winter but I am looking forward to next season.



































Why did I ever move back to Ohio anyways? I really miss Florida singletrack. It is very fine indeed, nary a mud puddle to be found. I can't wait to retire and move back down south again.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Off the reservation

After ride libations:Making you thirsty Lorson?

















Dressing up the neighborhood anywhere I park it.































Went down to Mohican with the Chief last week. Despite his lack of fitness he was able to turn out a 2:21. He was suffering like a fool but his handling skills kept his pace up a good bit. And he even gave me a compliment on my downhilling skills in the form of only having to nearly run me over one time. I do think I descend faster these days, mostly due to my lack of climbing speed, gotta make up for it somewhere.

I will be following Chief's return to form as he progresses this winter. In the meantime I will enjoy every minute putting him in the hurt locker while it lasts.
Now if I can only keep him out of the casinos and off the liquor bottle.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Go till you blow!

Photo credit:Bob the Picture Guy



Mohican State Forest trail...nothing in the Midwest can compare to it's quality. So despite my waning form I just couldn't resist racing there yesterday. They sent the young Pro/Experts off first then about a minute later us old guys took off. It was a bit of road before the trail so I got into 2nd place to draft some. In about 2 miles me and the eventual winner(Don't know his name, but he had dreadlocks) started catching some young guys. this went on for about 5 miles until dreadlock boy got away from me on a climb. I settled into a decent pace with Luke Spisak and a few others.
These younger guys would gap me on the climbs and then I would catch them on the downhills and then have to slow down. This makes no sense since I'm small and riding a 26 hardtail, but I will chalk it up to experience I suppose. I even passed one of them on the outside of a hairpin, nearly going over the edge. This is the kind of maneuver that I would only risk in a race, which is why racing is some of the most fun riding you can experience. There is no thought of crashing or serious bodily injury. Only pure adrenaline courses my veins. I got to witness a sweet crash as one guy fell off a wood bridge at about 25 mph right in front of me.










I was sitting third at mile post 21 when the legs blew. I cramped up hard and was waiting for the broom wagon. I got passed twice in the next 3 miles and ended up 5th. I sometimes think that I should start out slower and pace myself better. But if I am going to race, then I am going for a win, not just to survive. All or nothing is the way I like it.












On a lighter note, The Chief raced in my class with virtually no fitness at all. He finished, but when he did he WAS finished. It was poetic justice watching him laying on the ground and writhing in pain.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

No, its not a bomb.











Now this is recycling! I made my own XT disc brake bleed kit and it works great. It only took about 10 minutes per brake to bleed. Shimano makes some nice brakes, the downfall is that they use mineral oil. And I found out last winter that this stuff freezes and blows out your seals when its really cold out. I talked to Shimano and they have no solution other than moving to a warmer climate, which is a pretty good idea I must admit. I will be looking for some Hayes brakes to put on before winter starts, which seems to be pretty soon.
One more race is on my list at the Mohican State Forest this Sunday. This place stays dry better than anything else I've seen in Ohio. A 24 mile loop with some good climbing will give me some good painful memories to think about in January. That's when I'll be riding icy roads and thinking about another installment of Captain James T. Kirk's log entry.

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