Morning Roll

Montrose CX

2009-12-07T10:20:00.003-06:00

In a way, my Montrose was a replay of previous performances: deep pain and utter suckitude in the Masters 30 race, followed by deep pain and ok performance with the killer bees. Well, actually, my performance in the 4b's was my best this season! Five spots better than in Woodstock, and top 20!! Considering my lack of skills and nerve, and that the Montrose course was somewhat technical, a 20th was an awesome surprise! What gives?

Well, a bit of everything I guess: Practice makes less imperfect and, c'mon..., this is my twelfth-ish week of practice; I concentrated on not getting caught in the inevitable bottlenecks during the first half lap; I lost 4 or 5 pounds over the last three weeks; the 38t chainring, instead of the excessive 42t I've been using for 70% of the season. Whatever.

I'm sure I could do better next season. Who knows, maybe even break the top 20 in the 4A's. If there were a next season for me. I certainly hope there will.

Montrose marked the end of four wonderful months of a new thingy called cyclocross--a new thingy that made me genuinely happy. I don't think I'll ever shine in this sport, even among the 4b's, but that is not the point.

Thanks a million to every one of the race promoters, to Jason Knauff, to my teammates at TATI and to "friends of TATI," to the hecklers/cheerleaders, to Pip at Half Acre, and to Loren and Lew at Rhythm Racing.

* * *

And now what? That's the paralyzing question that crossed my mind (no pun intended) as soon as I got in the car back home last night. Any rehab clinics for endorphine junkies you know about? Trainer and rollers sound about as appealing as a bowl of raw broccoli.

Good news from the collegiate front

2009-11-12T13:08:00.004-06:00

First, the 2010 Nationals will be held on the roads of Madison, WI. Good news for all cash-strapped collegiate teams around the mid-west!

Second, they won't allow TT equipment at collegiate races any more! More specifically:

Wheels: there is a minimum spoke count that automatically allows a wheel (in the 20s?) The UCI also has a list of allowable wheels with fewer spokes including many deep-section wheels meeting certain durability requirements (this list includes some very deep rims.) For the most part, this rule eliminates discs, three and four-spoke wheels, and wheels from companies that have not gone through the UCI approval process.

Bicycles: Must use regular drop handlebars. There might be some frame designs allowed in TTs that are not mass-start legal, in which case these will not be allowed.

Helmets: most TT-legal helmets would be legal in mass-start events.

Full text. The changes will be effective for the 2010 season for categories B through D, and will affect category A too starting in 2011.

* * *

I remember when I did my first time trial. Weeks before the event I started obsessing over the aero bar thing, even though I was just a cat C racer. Everyone seemed to be using it! So I spent a fair amount of time researching the best and lightest aero bars that I could afford, and a fair amount of money buying a snazzy pair of carbon thingies. I used them, and I did fairly well at my races (an ITT and a TTT), but that was in spite of the aero bars, which probably made my position on the bike less aero than if I had just simply ridden on the drops. Very soon I came to hate my aero bars, because I had much less control over my bike when I was on them, so they just gathered dust in a corner of my closet. I eventually sold them on eBay for a fraction of their original price. Sigh.

(Morale: Before you buy a pair of aero bars, practice riding on the drops until it feels natural, even preferrable. Then lower your regular handlebars, one cm at a time. Practice again. Repeat this process until you reach a nice, "flat back" position while riding on the drops and feel comfortable riding like that for at least half an hour. Win a TT. Then you can buy your aero bars.)

The technological escalation taking place even at the lowest levels of competition is absurd. It doesn't make any sense for a cat D rider to spend any money on aero bars, or aero helmet, or aero wheels, ... Or even for a cat C or B rider. I would even argue that it doesn't make sense for most cat A riders, i.e. those who won't move on to do some serious racing for serious teams. The same comment goes for regular (non-collegiate) races and other types of ultra-expensive, "performance-enhancing" equipment: deep-section carbon wheels, ceramic bearings, carbon bottle cages, ultra-light helmets, and, yes, skinsuits, just to name a few.

The proliferation of expensive equipment keeps some new riders away, i.e. those who can't spend four grand, but believe they need to do so just to get started in the sport, just because they saw the "fast guys" do it. So sad.

Full disclosure: yes, this is coming from someone who has already spent too much money on equipment given my level of fitness and skills. But at least I own neither aero bars nor aero helmet nor carbon wheels.

Awesomeness took the shape of a hat

2009-10-30T10:13:00.008-05:00

I just received my custom winter cap. Now I need a hipster fixie to match. The cap was made to order by Caroline (aka Little Package).

Full specs

Crown: Woven wool recycled from a pair of knickers.

Lining: Delicate, soft silk, recycled from a weightless Indian dress printed in checks and lovely orange paisley flowers.

Earflap: Black merino wool.

Brim: 5cm deep fiber-filled brim which is crushable, washable, and shapeable.

Sweatband: 3/4" black cotton twill tape

It's not cold enough in Chicago yet, so for the time being I'm wearing this beauty with the earflap folded in.

Disconnected notes from Carpentersville CX (and photos)

2009-10-18T19:53:00.005-05:00

A LOT of photos. Many of them of Team TATI guys, but many others of other teams. (Thanks to El, Mr. K's daughter, for her contribution.)

-This was my first Masters 30+ race, and the first time I've ridden a 'cross bike for 45 minutes, and the first time I've doubled up (the second race was the 4b). Needless to say, I am exhausted.

-The "pump" section didn't make any difference. It didn't benefit riders with mad skills, or good runners. It just broke your pace. Nonetheless, thanks a lot to the race organizers for going to such lengths to introduce a new obstacle in a CCC race.

-The Masters 30+ field was larger than ever (52 starters in a race that usually fields 20 to 30 riders). I got lapped, and I got passed by quite a few Masters 50+, who started their race two or three minutes behind me.

-I taught myself a new technique for getting rid of my opponents. It's called: Lead them into a big tree. I was doing the 4b race and I could feel somebody's breadth down my neck. I was able to hold him off for a while, but I was sure he would pass me during one of the zig-zag sections. So coming out of a corner, I took the turn way too wide, deliberately. If you did that, you were headed straight for a frontal crash into a huge tree. I corrected my line in the very last instant, avoiding the tree by an inch. The next thing I hear is a "No!!! Shit!" from my follower, who had unknowingly followed my wheel through the corner, plus screeching brakes. No more breadth down my neck--at least for a few minutes. Yessssss. I feel so evil.

Roberto is back!

2009-10-07T11:10:00.006-05:00

The dude with the flowery helmet in the picture is no other than Roberto Heras, three-time Vuelta a España winner and found guilty of doping in 2005. The picture corresponds to the 2008 Brompton World Championships, where he placed 2nd. This year he took top honors, winning a Brompton S6L steed.

The BWC is a race held on a 13-km course around picturesque Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Participants are required to wear a jacket, tie, and shorts, and ride a Brompton folding bike.

Unlike Lance, who returned to pro racing to promote the fight against cancer, Heras' only motivation seems to be to wear ridiculous outfits and ride even more ridiculous bicycles, in a high-profile setting.

I'm not sure whether Roberto will get a rainbow jersey for his efforts, but I'm glad to see him back at the top. Go, killer, go!

New PR!

2009-09-03T11:41:00.002-05:00

at the Coll d'Estenalles climb: 35' 50'' (previous PR: 36' 34'', on June 9, 2007).

Considering that now there is an additional roundabout and roadwork on the course, I'm pretty satisfied with the improvement.

Quiet glory

2009-08-29T08:03:00.012-05:00

If you're the kind of person who gets jealous, stop reading now. What I am going to describe is a day of quiet glory, a day that makes me feel thankful for being where I am and being who I am. And it happened last Saturday.

Around 7am I rolled out of the garage, on a relatively cool and crisp morning. On the way to the selected climb, this time about 22km from my house, I bumped into one of my very old teammates and his posse at Penya Nicky's, and we were both very pleased to see each other. We chatted, remembered together the good ol' moments and exchanged e-mail addresses. We parted ways though, as he was headed for a different route.

Just before the beginning of the climb, I crossed the old town of Caldes de Montbui. Notice the very European pavé

and the 16th century Church of Santa Maria:

Don't fill your bottles here in the summer! It's a thermal fountain and water comes out at 65 Celsius. Caldes de Montbui used to be a spa resort in Roman times.

After leaving the town behind, it was time to get down to business. The day's climb, El Farell, looks like this:

Click on the picture to enlarge

This is probably my favorite "coll" around here, not because it's the hardest or longest or highest, but because of its ever-present tree shade, very twisty road, and relatively forgiving gradients, which makes you feel fast, but at the same time gives you the impression that you're climbing something serious.

I climbed it all-out the first time, to beat my previous PR (which I did, but only by 10 seconds!). But I decided that this wasn't a hard enough workout for a "hard day," so I descended and then climbed El Farell again. This time I did it on a smaller gear, at a moderate tempo, and watching my climbing form. (And relishing the aromas of pine, rosemary and thyme that inundate the air in these parts.) Once at the top again, I descended along the other side of the mountain, to the tiny village of Sant Sebastià de Montmajor (population: 6). On the way down, by the way, I almost overshot a hairpin turn Ullrich-style (TdF 2001, stage 13, Peyresourde).

The hamlet boasts an 11th century church:

Luckily for me I have a Campagnolo drivetrain, so I am allowed to lean my bike on this church.

Next to the church there was this delightful little cafe with outdoor seating, which a few mountain bikers had already occupied. Sitting on the stones, sweaty and thirsty, but with a cool breeze on my face and birds chirping in the background, I had the best can of Coca-Cola ever. (Do you understand now why I say that bike riding in Chicago sucks?)

I climbed back to the top of El Farell and descended to the valley, and then rode home at a brisk pace, waving at (and zooming by) the numerous cyclists on the road.

Total route: about 87km.

I followed the cycling activities with a home-made seafood paella, then an evening visit to Gaudí's breathtaking Parc Güell in wonderful company. After that, dinner and catching-up with my very best friend, whom I had not seen in two years, in a posh restaurant. The conversation went into the wee hours of the morning, and I would be riding again on Sunday morning, but who cares?

Photos!

2009-08-29T07:50:00.016-05:00

I got around my technological issues, so get ready for a deluge of pics from my riding forays around here. For starters, pictures from the "no-coffee" coffee ride on Friday...

The thing you see in the background is my mountain, seen from the north end of my hometown. I grew up seeing that hill (altitude 1,095m or 3,593ft), called Sant Llorenç del Munt. That's not where I rode on Friday, though--there is no road that goes up there.

Another view of Sant Llorenç del Munt, a bit closer.

Road on the way to Coll d'Estenalles. Typical riding landscape around here: kind of steep roads, good pavement, and pines and oak trees and spiky bushes everywhere.

"Porcs senglars" means wild boars in Catalan. I didn't see any though.

One of the steepest sections of the climb, around km. 10. I didn't even bother chasing those guys--no chasing during coffee rides.

Textbook switchback.

The summit!

No-coffee coffee ride

2009-08-28T08:11:00.008-05:00

Yesterday (Thursday) I spent the best part of the day in Madrid, taking care of some bureaucratic stuff--and paying a little visit to doctor F. for an "oil change"... hehehe. So no riding.
With all this traveling and what not I haven't slept much lately, so this morning (Friday) I rested and I did what in Chicago we would call "a coffee ride." Only that there are no coffee shops in the right places, or teammates to share the coffee with. (Yes, I miss that.)

Since I don't have any pancake-flat routes around here, I did the Coll d'Estenalles climb, but spinning the small gears and stopping along the way to take pictures. ~~By the way, my dumb self forgot to take the USB cables for the camera, so I can't show you the photos (grrrrr...).~~

Click on the picture to enlarge

Source: climbbybike.com

Nothing really to write home about, I guess: 14.7km, average gradient of 3.9%, and max gradient of about 9%. The start of the "coll", though, is just about 1 mile from my house! Three quarters of the route goes through forest, and half of it is within a nature preserve. Most of the route is on a narrow road, with barely enough space for two cars side to side. All in all, a very pleasant easy ride.

By the way, these twisty descents are pretty fun on my Ti steed--this is the first time I'm riding it here.

Riding in Spain!

2009-08-26T03:21:00.003-05:00

I'm spending a coupl' weeks with my folks, somewhere near Barcelona (sorry I can't be more specific about my whereabouts--the UCI vampires are after me).

Got home last night, put together the bike (the road bike) and went on my first ride this morning. I did what I call the "Volta a Gallifa" (i.e. Tour of Gallifa), a 63km loop with a few longish hills and constant changes in gradient. No categorized climbs today.

Sorry, no pictures. I was 100% on hammer mode. By the way, I discovered that my max HR is 1bpm higher than I thought. I didn't beat my PR on this course though, by 8 minutes. (My best time is 2h 1', from 7-8-2007.)

A few observations:

1. It's darn hot and humid here. I had to get up three times in the middle of the night, all sweaty, to drink water. The weather is what it is, though. I'd better change my attitude about this; otherwise I'm gonna be really miserable.

2. The hills look as steep as I remembered them, but they don't feel as tough. Good!

Dairyland Dare: report and results

2009-08-20T19:53:00.005-05:00

First of all, sorry if you visited Morning Roll last Sunday expecting updates from the DD. Half the time I didn’t have phone service; the other half I was too tired to think of anything entertaining to say.

For those who still don’t know, the Dairyland Dare is this brevet-style ride in southwest Wisconsin, starting a few miles west of Madison. Three things make DD different from your run-of-the-mill brevet: 1) The word ‘brevet’ is not in its name; 2) participants receive a timing chip; 3) it is advertised to “ironpeople” and similar endurance nuts. All of the above make the DD, I think, a relatively competitive event. The course is murderously hilly. Really. I climbed walls that exceeded a 20% gradient. Several times. Many others were between 10 and 20%. And I remember few stretches of flats. In fact, I switched so many times from small to big ring and vice versa that I was afraid I was gonna stretch the cables into some sort of bungee rope.

What follows is an exceedingly long and horrible report, which seems appropriate for that ride.

How it unfolded

About 5.30am: I get into my wool kit, which would keep me dry for the first 500 meters of the ride. But I looked classy. Well, at least for the first 500 meters. For the remaining 299.5km I looked like I had just come out of a tub of brine.

Joe and I are in the first wave of starters. There are about 50-60 riders. The others (up to 1,100 in total!) would start at different times during the morning. Riders in my group are attempting different distances, from 100 to 300km, but there’s no way to tell who is doing what.

Km. 0: Off we go! Ahead of me: the goal of 300km and the promise of a swimming pool, a shower, a massage, and a huge dinner in the evening, all provided by the Dairyland Dare organization.

Km. 2: A group of Castelli-clad overachievers quickly forms. I join them.

Km. 8: We hit some rollers and the Fast Guys keep pushing it. “Is it wise to push it now? What distance are these guys doing anyway? What if they’re doing just 100km? Is it wise to kill myself now, with more than 250km to go?” And as I think this I let them go, and any pretense of being in a race disappears. It is 6.20am. I would spend most of the rest of the ride by myself. Until 7.20pm it would be just me, my bike, and the Little Voice in my head.

Km. 35: It seems like the most energy-efficient thing to do is to climb piano piano, on the saddle, and descend as fast as I can.

Km. 38: First food stop. I stuff my face with trail mix and electrolyte capsules, refill the water bottles, drink a cup of electrolyte drink, and off we go!

Km. 47: I look down at my speedometer: 74 km/h. “If a deer crosses the road now, or a tire blows out, they’re gonna have to pick me up from the asphalt with a vacuum cleaner.”

Km. 132: “Hello, Mr. Aero Bars. Are you expecting to get the full aerodynamic benefit of those bars on the 15%-gradient hills? Or is it perhaps that you wish to have as little control as possible over your steering in the steep descents? Please, Mr. Bars, explain to this dumb roadie.”

Km. 167: Somehow I end up on a gravelly, unpaved road with a 10% downhill grade. “The person who designed this course is evil, but not a murderer. I must have taken a wrong turn.” I turn around. Yes, I missed a turn.

Km. 169: A long section of rollers. “Descents are so futile. For every descent, there’s one other hill staring at you and laughing at the pathetic excuse of a moving object that you are.”

Km. 170: Not feeling so fresh any more. In fact, this is not fun any more. “Why am I doing this? I could be doing a nice, stupid ride to Schererville instead. Who cares if I finish? Should I finish? I want ice cream.”

Km. 204: “Why doesn’t my chain break? Or a cable? Or something... Just some excuse to stop and go home…”

Km. 205: “Where is that damned food station? Where did they mark the distances to the food stations in miles? Did I miss a turn? I wanna be home…”

Km. 206: “Can I crash into that oncoming car? Just a little. Enough to get out of this with some dignity.”

Km. 211: Me: “My right foot hurts. A lot. That’s a good reason for quitting, right?”
Little Voice: “Nah, you never read ‘Rider X quits Tour de France because his foot hurt.’”
Me: “Maybe in The Onion?”

Km. 215: Blood-sugar self test: "How many units are there in a dozen?" "...err... Where is the next stop?"

Km. 219: I ride in a haze. My brain has swollen to fill all the space available in my skull. “Hereford cows are so pretty. I wish I could have a Hereford cow as a pet.”

Km. 225: “The nice thing about the sun is that it moves across the sky.”

Km. 227: Finally, the rest stop! I sit, dejected. I don't care what Joe thinks, what the Tati guys think, what anyone thinks. I'm done. I'm not moving. I'm done...

A guy in a kit from “VeloViet” on a Pinarello speaks to me. He and a guy in a Trek kit have been near me, in front or behind, the whole morning. I tell him that I feel like shit and that I’m quitting. He doesn’t look very good either though. I ask: “Are you gonna keep going?” “Oh yeah,” he says. “I drove five hours to do this.” He adds: “Just keep riding till Harris Park. That’s 266km!” “Nah, I don’t think so” I reply. The guy in the Trek kit sneers at me.

I walk towards the volunteer in charge of the food station. I’m gonna ask her what I have to do to get the sag car to take me back to the start zone. In the last second I steer away from her and walk towards my bike. “Just ride to the timing line for this rest station, 50 meters up the road, so that at least you get credit for this distance.” I ride to the timing line, then inertia keeps me going. I pedal very slowly. “OK, keep going till the Trek guy and the VeloViet guy catch you. Then you can quit.”

Km. 242: Trek catches me.
“OK, keep going till the VeloViet guy catches you. Then you can quit.”

Km. 244: I stop at a tiny water station on top of a hill to take a breather. Then VeloViet guy passes by me and invites me to follow him. I hop on my bike and join him.

Km. 250: I feel better and better. I pedal with renewed strength. My foot doesn’t hurt any more. I ride with the VeloViet guy.

Km. 252: I feel pretty strong, considering the mileage covered already. I drop VeloViet. I’m moving a decent gear and can even pay attention to my form. Now I have the certainty that I’m going to finish the 300km. Yay!

Km. 254: VeloViet and I regroup at a rest stop. We encourage each other. I can tell he’s cooked, even more than I am. “Let’s take it easy” he says. “OK” I reply. I drop him 200 meters later.

Km. 266: I arrive at the finish point. Now just one more 33km loop. I see Alison, who takes a picture of me I think. “Do you need anything” she asks. I shake my head. I don’t need to stop know. I cross the timing point and turn around. This is the home stretch!

Km. 280: I’m lost. Less than 20km to finish and I get lost!!! I take out my iPhone to find my location. No service! Wait… I get a weak signal. I start fumbling with the mapping application, but in my state of tiredness and confusion I can’t make it work. Shit, shit, shit!!!! I don’t wanna do this any more. I wanna curl up in fetal position, roll on the grass, and sob. “No, you can’t do that.” “Of course not.” I decide to backtrack to the parking lot, even though that’s not the designated route. Nobody will know. “That’s cheating!!” “SHUT UP!”

Km. 284: I stand at the intersection I missed, and precisely at that moment Joe, who had been slower during most of the ride, takes the turn, all smiles. “Hey!” he salutes. “Damn it, now I can’t cheat.”

Km. 285: Joe and I started at the same time, so if we finish together we’ll get the same finishing time. I can’t let that happen. I CAN’T LET THAT HAPPEN. “Dude, time for the performance-enhancing tricks! Let’s see… what do we have? Paris-Roubaix 1972. You’re Roger De Vlaeminck. With 20km to go, you ride away from the selected pack of favorites to glory in the velodrome! Yes, that should do it! I can be De Vlaeminck!” And as I think this De Vlaeminck/me stands on his bike and powers away from Joe. 15 km of feverish gear-grinding, corner-carving ensues.

Km. 299.8: “The finish line! I can see it! OK, you made it. You can relax now. No, wait, Alison is taking pictures!! Gotta look good!” And as I think this I clench my teeth and sprint, storming towards the camera. And then bliss falls upon me.

Joe rolls in 3’15’’ later, as fresh as a cucumber. How does he do it?

7.45pm: The parking lot is half empty. Half the volunteers are gone. Half the food is gone. No massages any more. No showers. No swimming pool. I clean myself as well as I can with a wet towel in a toilet booth.

It almost doesn’t matter. I came so close to quitting but I didn’t. I feel an immense sense of achievement. And Alison, Steve and Angela were awesome. They had stashed away a bunch of food for Joe and myself, so we were taken care of.

Epilogue: The following day

Back in Hyde Park. I bump into my friend K., a non-cyclist.

K: Hey, how’s your weekend? You were riding your bike, right?

Me: Oh yeah, I rode almost 190 miles in the hills. My longest and most challenging ride eve…

K: Ah… that’s cool. Well, my Saturday was really exciting, you know? I found these shoes… OMG! They’re like awesome, ‘cause they match that turquoise handbag I told you about, and the scarf from Bloomingdale’s for the fall season. I drove around for like 12 hours looking for them, and then at the last one they had them and I was like so excited… I saw the shoes there and it looked like that was the only pair, and they were my size! How about that as a culmination to a long day? I felt soo complete. I went to get some ice cream to celebrate.

Me: Yeah…awesome…

Results

I finished 18th. My official time is 13h 17’, which includes stops, and my riding time is 12h 2’. The best time was 11.5 hours. Two women beat me. Check out the provisional results here. (Scroll down aaaaall the way to the bottom to the see the results for the 300km ride.)

2009-08-15T19:40:00.001-05:00

Finished the 300! Riding time: 12h 2'; total time: 13h 20' Hardest thing ever.

2009-08-15T09:30:00.001-05:00

Km91 climbing piano, descending all out

2009-08-15T05:53:00.001-05:00

Km0 About to roll to the start line. Shute! Forgot the rollers to warm up!

I have ADD*

2009-08-14T12:02:00.005-05:00

*Anxiousness about the Dairyland Dare

Tomorrow (Saturday), I'm doing this Dairyland Dare ride: 300km of hills in Wisconsin. This is the longest ride I have ever attempted, by far--my previous max is about 230km.

Given the hills (about 28,000 feet of climbing in total, more than the entire Mount Everest), and that participants in this ride take it pretty seriously (we are timed with a timing chip), this will be probably the most challenging thing I have ever attempted on a bike.

Hopefully I will be able to post updates on how it's going in real time! (That's why I set up the mobile update feature, hehehe.) Look forward to mini-posts like: "OMG, I think I'm blind" or "I can see death."

Testing

2009-08-14T11:51:00.001-05:00

Testing... Now I can post to morningroll via e-mail!

2009-08-14T11:46:00.001-05:00

Testing... Now I can post to morningroll via SMS!

Dolan cyclocross bike

2009-08-04T20:43:00.011-05:00

Now available at Tati Cycles (not necessarily with this build kit).

Essentially, it's a Dolan frameset with Shimano 105 components. The goal was to produce an affordable and reliable bicycle, at the same price as the entry-level 'cross bikes they sell in big stores, but with a higher quality. It turned out to be pretty good looking too. ~~(I still need to work on the colors of the cockpit.)~~ Total weight, sans pedals, is 20.6 lbs.

Specifications:

-Frameset: Dolan multicross, 54cm (comes with headset, aluminium seatpost and carbon fork)
-Cranks: Sugino RD single speed, 175mm, black
-Chainring: Spot, 42T, 130mm, black
-Bottom bracket: Shimano BB UN54, 110mm
-Rear derailleur: Shimano 105 RD-5600, 10-speed, short cage
-Shifter: Shimano 105 ST-5600, 10-speed
-Chain: Shimano 105 CN-5600, 10-speed
-Cassette: Shimano 105 CS-5600, 12T-25T
-Brakes: Tektro CR720 (not Oryx!), black, with Kool Stop salmon brake pads (bought separately, these brake pads don't come with the Tektro brakes).
-Handlebars: aluminium, mystery brand (from another bike), anatomic bend, 26.0mm, 42cm
-Stem: aluminium, ~~mystery brand, from another bike,~~ Kalloy, 90mm
-Pedals: Shimano SPD M520, black
-Saddle: WTB Devo (CrMo rails)
-Rims: Mavic Open Pro, black (radial lacing on the front, 3-cross on the rear)
-Front hub: Shimano Ultegra 6500, 28h
-Rear hub: Shimano Ultegra 6600, 32h
-Chain keeper: Paul Components

CX videos: That´s all well and good in practice...

2009-08-03T15:42:00.004-05:00

but how does it work in theory?

Don't deny it. The C-word is already in your mind. In fact all you can think about is mud, dismounts and cowbells. For newbies like myself, here's a compilation of aaaaaall the CX tutorials I posted last year.

I know that they don't cover every aspect of the sport. And some of you CXperts out there may have cringed at the advice provided by Mickey Denoncourt. But if a few of you learned something by watching these videos, as I have, I I have accomplished something.

Dismounting I

1) Dismounting I. Part I . Introduction to dismounting and remounting.

2) Dismounting I. Part II. How to dismount a cyclocross bike.

3) Dismounting I. Part III. Doing a step-through technique.

Dismounting II

1) Dismounting II. Part I. Dismounting a bike at speed in CX racing.

2) Dismounting II. Part II. How to dismount in sand from a CX bike.

3) How to dismount your 'cross bike. (Scroll down about two thirds down the list of videos.)

Remounting

1) How to remount your 'cross bike. (Click on the "how to" section and then scroll down to near the bottom of the list of videos.)

2) How to remount a cyclocross bike at a run

3) How to dismount and remount in cyclocross racing

Off-the-bike skills I

1) How to carry and shoulder your 'cross bike. (Again, click on the "how-to" tab and scroll down to the end of the list of videos.)

2) How to carry a cyclocross bike on a shallow run.

3) How to shoulder a cyclocross bike for a steep run.

Off-the-bike skills II

1) How to go through barriers in a CX race
(Velonews.tv has its own video on going through barriers, but as of the time of writing this post, I couldn't play it. Maybe you'll have better luck: How to get through barriers. Click on the "how-to" tab. You'll find this video near the end of the list.)

2) How to run in sand in CX racing

On-the-bike skills I

1) How to pedal when cyclocross racing

2) Tips for riding light

3) How to work with obstacles

4) How to descend a hill

5) Body positioning tips for hill descents

On-the-bike skills II

1) How to brake in a turn on CX bikes

2) How to make sharp turns on a CX bike

3) How to go through closed corners

4) How to go through open corners

1) How to analyze the course

2) Pre-race strategies (eat, drink, warm-up. Mickey is a big fan of coffee too.)

3) Terrain considerations

4) Race tactics

CX bicycles

1) What kind of bike is used in CX?

2) Road bike vs CX bike

3) CX gearing

4) Chainrings and chain retention tips

5) CX handlebar width

6) Seat height

7) Handlebar controls

8) Setting up the brakes

9) Tweaking the brakes

10) Tweaking the cable routing

Tires

1) How to adjust cyclocross clincher tire pressure

2) How to adjust cyclocross tubular tire pressure

3) How to select a cyclocross bike tire tread

4) Why you should have a spare set of tires

Clothes

1) What head gear and shirt to wear in cyclocross biking

2) What to gear for the elements in cyclocross biking

The Rider

2009-08-01T16:32:00.007-05:00

Thanks a lot to Joe K., who first insisted that I read this book. Even though the English translation was published in 2002, I didn't learn about The Rider till now, so I thought others might not know either.

The Rider. By Tim Krabbé. Bloombsbury, 2002; 148 pages; about $6.

“Non-racers. The emptiness of those lives shocks me.” Every cyclist who has raced more than handful of times must read this book. Non-cyclists, on the other hand, will not even begin to understand it.

This is the first fiction book I have ever read about bicycle racing. And I think I shall never dare reading anything else—“The Rider” has set the bar so high that I fear any other book will let me down.

Set in 1977, The Rider describes a 137km amateur race in southern France, from the point of view of one of its protagonists. The narrator is a 30-something year-old Dutchman who started racing at the ripe age of 29, rising to notable success in the amateur racing scene of Belgium/Netherlands. The novel begins and ends with the race, but it takes you through numerous detours through the narrator’s infancy, his cycling career, local racing lore, and even stories from professional racing. (No prior knowledge of cycling history is needed, but you’ll enjoy the book the most if you know who De Vlaeminck was, for example.)

The Rider fills your head with faded images of dangerous descents on rain-soaked roads, weary legs attacking a climb, toe clips, forty-three nineteen, figs and half an orange in a jersey pocket, exhausted riders sitting on a curb after the effort of their lives. This book articulates all the epic of road racing, without any of the podium glamour, team radios, or soigneurs waiting for you at the finish line.

Two ingredients make this book stand out, in my opinion. The first is Mr. Krabbé’s candidness. The protagonist of this odyssey, a modest amateur racer at best, does not hesitate to share his fantasies about riding with Merckx and Coppi, and even calls himself “a hero.” But he also lets us see his humanity, and even his mean side.

The second ingredient is passion for cycling. The opening quote in this review says it all. This is a human being who lives to race. Somebody would be tempted to say that Tim Krabbé the rider would not exist without bicycle racing. I would say that if racing didn’t exist, it would have to be invented, just because of this man.

Now click here and then push the little button that says “Add to shopping cart.” You won’t regret it.

Other blurbs about this book:

-by Belgium Knee Warmers

-by Rapha

-others

Ortlieb Mud-Racer saddle bag: a review

2009-07-29T13:08:00.006-05:00

I've been using this saddlebag for four or five months, on a road bike. Overall, it's an excellent bag, definitely better than any other saddle bag I've used before. But I was expecting truly great things from Ortlieb, and it let me down. Overall score: 4/5.

If you want deailed specifications, 3D views, etc., go here. I bought mine online, at wiggle.co.uk, I can't remember the price.

I love the looks and overall quality feel. This bag is basically a pod with a semi-hard shell, with two halves joined by a zipper. (Again, look at the pictures.) The upper half is protected by a silicone wrap that covers the zipper. The silicone piece, by the way, is not as shiny in real life as it looks in the pictures.

You will need to attach a plastic piece to the rails of your saddle. The bag comes with another mounting piece, that slides into the saddle piece. A locking mechanism prevents the bag from sliding back a forth. The bag is fairly easy to attach and remove, but that will depend on your saddle. (It's a bit annoying on my Arione, because there's very little space for my finger to push the locking button.) The saddle comes with a strap to tie it around the seatpost, which would prevent the bag from falling off in the event that it became detached from the saddle. (I removed the strap because I refuse to let a lowly velcro strap hug my aristocratic Thomson seatpost. The mounts that attach the bag to the saddle look secure enough and so far have been secure enough.)

Size matters. I own the middle size, which is actually called "small" by Ortlieb. (The smallest one is called "extra small" and the largest one is called "medium." And you thought that Starbucks was the only one trying to confuse you with its sizing...) In this bag I can fit at least: three road tubes, two or three CO2 cartridges, three tire levers, a chain tool, a spoke wrench, a patch kit, and two or three Allen wrenches, and I still have some room for additional things (small things, not a wallet or a thick cell phone, for example). I'm tempted to recommend that you buy the smallest one. But the capacity of that one is 24.4 cubic inches, as opposed to 42.7 for the one I have. Almost twice as much! And the difference in weight is only 30g. So it comes down to whether you mind the bulky appearance of the larger one...

As I said, I like the bag overall, but it has disappointed me in two ways. The biggest letdown is that it is not waterproof, in spite of Ortlieb's claims to the contrary, and the spotless reputation of its commuter bags. I can't figure out where the water gets through, but believe me, it does. On the other hand, I've never had a saddlebag that is completely waterproof, and the Mud-Racer does not perform worse than others. It's just that, if you were expecting to find your tools bone dry and rust-free at the end of a rainy day, forget it, pistolero!

Just recently I became aware of another flaw. The saddle, which had been almost completely silent till now, has started to rattle when I go over rough road. After inspecting it closely, I have discovered that the inner shell of the bag has cracked around one of the bolts that tie it to the mounting piece. The shell is fine around the other two bolts, and it looks impossible that the shell would eventually decouple from the mount and fall off. But, it rattles, and rattling noises from anywhere on a bike are so pedestrian...

A mysterious saddle

2009-07-21T15:35:00.004-05:00

Cyclocross is coming, and J and I are busy putting together a machine worthy of this rider. So we're going to Target tonight. No, just kidding. The machine is way too good for me, but isn't that always the case?

I'll give you the full specs and pictures when the bike is all put together, hopefully by the end of July. For now, suffice it to say that the skeleton is made by Dolan. Tati Cycles got one the other day and I must say: the photo does not do justice to this frame. Really bad-ass looking. Just wait till I have it built.

But today I wanted to call your attention to the saddle that I'm putting on this bike. Two numbers: 224g, $29.90. If you're still unimpressed, let me drop a name: WTB Devo.

As you can see in the photo, the sitting portion is almost perfectly flat, and it comes with CrMo rails. It's got very little padding, but the shell flexes quite a bit when I try to bend it with my hands, so it could actually be comfortable. If you want something a bit cushier you should go for the WTB Deva, which has the same shape and construction, but a slightly thicker padding. (Yes, the Deva is meant for women, but I doubt it will make you guys grow boobs or anything.)

For those of you unfamiliar with off-road saddles, the WTB Devo has a great reputation among riders. Currently WTB only makes a version with titanium rails, which tips the scales at just below 200g, and is sold for $120-$150. And yet, somehow, somebody on eBay is selling this saddle for a third or a fourth of the price. So, what gives?

Well, as I said, mine has CrMo rails and it's an out-of-production model. But still, 224g... This thing should be selling for at least $80. One possibility is that it's a copycat. That would explain why you only can buy it on eBay, and only from one seller, who ships from Hong Kong... On the other hand, the item is not available any more... So this could actually be one of the few existing units of the CrMo Devo...

My skeptical self tells me that this is too good to be true, and that a hasty remount will crunch this seat in less than two months. Any bets? Stay tuned.

Elgin road race

2009-07-12T20:16:00.004-05:00

What would you call a 25-mile race with countless turns, nary a straight road, a 180-degree turn, two or three chicanes, a fast descent with an off-camber turn, a couple of short and steep hills, mostly through residential streets, on a 5-mile course? Circuit race? Long noodle twisted into itself? I would say "crazy fun." (Think about the twilight crit in Winfield, but with steeper hills and a much, much longer course.)

That was today's Superweek "road race." Eric N. and I drove down to Elgin for the Masters 30+ 4/5 race in the afternoon--great amenities and organization, by the way, as usual in Superweek.

About 1 1/4 laps into the race I got popped off the back of the field. Being all too familiar with this situation, I took a sip of resignation medicine and told myself: "Ok, finish up your noodle and go home." And that I did. As usual, I joined a small group of other laggards, which always makes the penitence easier--in those situations I like to fantasize that I am in a breakaway group, escaping from an imaginary pack barely two corners behind.

The hairy moment of the day came when the pro/cat1 field, which was on the course at the same time, passed my little posse at the worst possible moment: on a fast turn at the bottom of a long hill. Those guys were coming at 1,000mph, and I had to put my foot down and get off the course to avoid a collision. Thought: I don't think that having two races at the same time is safe on such a short course. I'd like to hear what the pros thought.

Overall, though, I'm glad I went because this is a super-course.

"I've done those climbs!!!!" or "Reminiscing"

2009-07-10T14:07:00.004-05:00

I was looking at the profile of today's and tomorrow's stages and I just noticed that I have actually done two of the climbs that the TdF riders are doing.

The first one is listed as "côte de Montserrat" and it is just 20km from my house in Terrassa. I've done that climb dozens and dozens of times, although the Tour probably skipped the topmost 1.5km to take the road that continues north towards the Pyrenees. As a cat4, according to the Tour, it barely registers in the profile of the stage, but I guarantee you that it can be damned hard. My best time on that climb is just below 25 minutes (over 8.5km) and I typically use a 39x16 to 39x21 during most of the climb, with a 39x25 for a short wall near the top. I bet those guys did it in 15 minutes and in the big ring...

The second one is tomorrow's first climb, up the Envalira. I've done this monster only once, in the course of a 100-mile ride in the mountains two or three years ago. It's classified as a cat1 and it's the longest mountain pass I've ever done: 24km of climbing is a lot of climbing in one sitting... That was a truly epic ride the day I did it. It started with rain, all the way from the start of the ride to the base of the climb, in Andorra. Then at the top of the Envalira, the wind was so strong that it ripped off some traffic signs. I swear I saw one flying over my head as I started the descent...

Ahhhh, so many memories...

Report from Whitewater road race

2009-07-05T12:20:00.005-05:00

Less than one lap to go. Loren, Rory and myself on a neat single file, powering up the hill. Nobody in sight in front of them; a couple of soon-to-be corpses hanging in the back. Atop the hill, the coroner signs the death certificates, and it's just the orange clockwork in its finest hour! The three Tatitos take turns pulling, share their water, and work together as an army of one towards the finish line. And indeed they stay away and cross the line! Not holding hands (my teammate Jesse wouldn't approve), but one after the other, very far ahead the nearest competitor. What a wonderful sight!

This actually happened this Saturday at the race. The only detail is that the three musketeers were, errr, off the back.

How it unfolded

This was a 40-mile road race. Seven laps on a course with rolling hills, a bigger hill and a fast descent. I think I started pretty well. I saw three Get a Grip guys at the front at the start line. I thought they might be up to something, so I got myself right behind them, and off we went! The first lap was wonderful: the gag fellows setting the pace and me sitting pretty smug right behind their preppy kits. Life was wonderful back then. I swear I saw unicorns and rainbows and birds chirping...

Then the second time up the bigger hill I get a text message from my legs:

legs: "we cannot do this"
Francisco: "what"
legs: "dude, u r a jerk, u have been abusing us 4 2 long. its over btwn us"

And that was that. To make matters worse, I lost my concentration for a second and I bumped shoulders with somebody. I swerved a little bit and I got yelled at. The next thing I know I see the entire field passing me, with Rory and Loren in it, and the expectation of 5.5 laps of solitary riding. Fortunately, two other fallen riders soon joined me. One was a Pony Shop guy with tattooed calves, and the other one was an MS Project rider who rode... a bit strangely. The two guys had something in common: they were very strong on the flats and rolling hills, but somehow I would beat them on the hill. And it's not because they were big guys or anything. As if gravity had put a spell on them or something.

Anyways. We rode together until some time in lap 5 or 6 when we pick up Loren, who was riding in the privacy of no-man's-land by then. And then inside lap 7 we picked up Rory, who had gotten dropped from the main field in lap 4. At some point we also picked up a tall guy with an unsightly jersey. The rest you already know more or less. Rory, Loren and I dropped the other guys up the last big hill. As we were getting rid of them, it was pretty amusing to hear Loren scream "We got a gap!!! Go! Go!" as if the Tour de France depended on it. I mean, it was amusing considering that all that was at stake was a 20-something placing.

The last half lap, for me, was an encounter with the Spanish Inquisition. Battered. Dehydrated. Hungry, almost bonking. With a headache. My legs had been replaced by mushy noodles, and I grew mortally afraid of a sprint. I really did not have a sprint in me. Not even against my grandmother. I really did not. So I was relieved when we gapped Loren and he yelled: "You guys go! Don't wait!" So I squeezed a pitiful drop of power out of my battered legs, gapped Rory, and kept going till the finish line. Anything but a sprint. Please, God, do not make me sprint today! Rory crossed the line next a few moments later, and then Loren.

Placing: 22, 23 and 24. The results sheet didn't have anyone listed after us, but I swear by Coppi that Mr. MS Project, Mr. Tattoo, and Mr. Ugly Jersey were behind us. WE WERE NOT LAST! WE WERE NOT!!!!!

That's the way I roll

2009-01-06T20:00:00.009-06:00

As a freshman rollerista, my feelings for this training machine have gone from terror to respect to indifference. After a month using rollers I can essentially ride the thing for as long as I want to—with a pause every twenty minutes to relieve pressure on my… tenders.

But, with three months of winter ahead, what will I do to stay motivated and keep improving? Here are some ideas, some of them borrowed from fellow cycling hamsters:

1. Increase your cadence. Strive for an average of 100rpm over the length of your workout. Then raise it to 105, 110 or even higher if you can.

2. Over-inflate your tires--the harder the tires, the bouncier your bike, and the more challenging it will be to ride smoothly. Extra golden star if your tire blows out.

3. Get your butt off the saddle. Try doing it for a few seconds at a time. It will improve your sprinting form—and your undersides will appreciate it.

4. Get some hot dogs (a.k.a. ultra-narrow rollers). The poor-man alternative might consist of marking the drums with tape, a few inches from the edges, and making it a goal to stay within the marks. Riding outside the marks will be penalized by eating a donut—while riding the rollers.

5. Jumpstart your acrobatics career. Ride with one hand, with no hands, then with one leg, then with one hand and one leg, finally with only one leg. (By the way, this is doable. See the video below.)

6. Put two rollers side to side. Ride on one set, and bunnyhop to the other in mid workout.

7. Same as #6, while eating a donut and reading The Wealth of Nations.

Techniques #5, 6 and 7 may not improve your pedal stroke, but they might get you a concussion—or a job with Cirque du Soleil.

I'll let you know how it goes.

South Side 'Cross

2008-12-11T23:01:00.001-06:00

1. You got the cyclocross bug and don't wanna shake it off.
2. You really wanted to do 'cross this season and didn't do it because of X, Y or Z.
3. You need a good excuse to avoid church.

If you fit either of those descriptions, you are a prime candidate to participate in...

THE SOUTH SIDE ICE CROSS series

A bunch of folks got together on the Thanksgiving weekend and decided to do a scrimmage 'cross race, just for fun. The experiment went well, and now they want to share the share the experience with all of you Chicagoan 'crossers out there.

They do a modified version of the Jackson Park course. Only your honor, and modest goodies and refreshments, are on the line.

The format of the race(s) will accommodate riders of all levels.

The first race will be this Sunday, December 14, at 10am.

RSVP & more information: j@taticycles.com (J is the mastermind behind Tati Cycles and Team Tati.)

My baby is here

2008-12-09T18:50:00.024-06:00

First of all, sorry about not writing anything for so long. Life gets in the way of life. From now on, however, I'll post only once or twice a week.

Today I received a great surprise: my new road bike is here!!!! Well, at least the skeleton of it, but that's the most important piece. Lo and behold, here I introduce you to.... LA MACCHINA. (The designer of the frame is J/Tati. He took the pictures too.)

Made to order by the finest titanium frame builder in Asia. The width, length, angle and thickness of every tube have been chosen to fit me and my riding preferences. Ain't that neat? A unique masterpiece that will last a lifetime.

A pretty stiff bottom bracket shell...

Massive chainstays.

Check out the ovalized downtube.

J marvels at how clean the welds are. So do I.

The massive, sculpted limbs, together with the finesse and nakedness of the titanium finish, conjure up images of Michelangelo's human bodies:

* * *

Now I need to make a decision about the finish of this bike. I've been saying for a long time that I was going to powercoat it in... a certain color. But after seeing the pictures I'm not so sure any more.

Let me give you some context. The seatpost will be black, made by Thomson. The stem will probably be black, also Thomson, but there's the possibility of powdercoating it white. The saddle will be white, most likely Fizik, but I might be persuaded to go for a Selle Italia. The fork will be black, probably Alpha-Q, like the one in the picture. The bar tape will be white, probably Fizik microtex. The group is a mix of Campagnolo Chorus and Centaur. The cranks are black. The brake calipers are silver, I think. The pedals will be either Look or Time. It is with much sorrow that I ditch Shimano, the only pedals my shoes have touched since I went clipless, a loooong time ago. But, as you will understand, I can't put a shred of Shimano on this bicycle. The rims, spokes and hubs will be black. I haven't decided the brand and model yet. Schwalbe tires, of course.

Accompanying this beauty, some day in the near future I'll procure a pair of Sidi or Adidas shoes, either black or white.

So, given this choice of colors/components, what's the best chromatic choice for this frame? (All options are on the table, including naked Ti.)

I know that this decision should be based purely on personal aesthetic sensibilities, but sometimes other people's comments help me figure out exactly what I want.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T01:00:00.001-06:00

On Turkey Day...
Eat only half as much as you would like to eat, try only one of the pies, and go for a ride on Friday. "See" you on Monday!

What people said about Woodstock

2008-11-25T01:00:00.002-06:00

Brady, Jim (Masters, Pony Shop): I remember after pulling for awhile and Jim coming through saying to him "we've got to stay with him, he'll be gone." But then the elastic broke.

Cartier, Jacques (M-3, XXX): However, I did have one good partner next to me, Brian Parker. This guy is the fricken Picasso of down hill decent on the cross bike. He was coming around the corners so smooth like he was painting a master piece and I was taking notes and eventually catching up on the small climbs and straightaways.

Fraser, Tamara (W-4, XXX): ...right here my teammate Mike hollers, "don't mess up these turns and you got it!" forshadowing my downfall. -- back up the hill, around the 180 at the top, braking into the first 'S' turn, braking for the second, which you can shoot right out of and into the finishing stretch . . . but I was trying just too hard and missed the angle on the second turn, the easy turn, and slid out. Mike was screaming for me to get up, and I tried, but stepped on the side of my foot, rolled my ankle and fell again -- Lara passing me, of course -- I finally got on the bike and finished in third. So frustrating. So disappointing.

Golz, Carolyn (W-4, Pony Shop)

Heck, Greg (M-3, XXX): I won... a bike at the Woodstock Cyclocross race.

Holland, Jeff (M-3, XXX)

Klug, Kevin (M-1, Killjoy): I guess it became a "training ride". Nonetheless, I figured I would ride hard and get some effort in. The course was not all that technical but it was fun anyway with some nice up and down and fast speed sections. There's something about riding a road bike off road really fast that is so much fun.

Kuhn, Lou (M-3, Pony Shop): Most of the race is a blur but I kept fighting back to Chris and got in front with just over 1 lap to go, after that I just held on rode the good lines and sprinted as hard as I could for the W.

Popper, Julie (W-4, Half Acre Cycling): I just couldn’t get my cleat in the darn things. I’m sure everyone saw this happen, and the field just rode away from me. By the time we hit the first singletrack, any chance of a respectable finish was gone. But again, who’s going for respectable?

Strout, Chris (M-3, World Bicycle Relief)

Photo from velosnaps.

News and links 11-24-08

2008-11-24T01:00:00.004-06:00

Triathletes in Chicagoland: Tati is starting a triathlon team. Learn all about it at the info meeting this Tuesday.
And yet another ergonomic design for saddles, by Selle Royal (via Bike Rumor). (Read this New York Times article about the dangers for those who use inadequate bicycle seats, that is, the dangers for all of us.)
"We are the cyclists: the intermediate stage between humans and pure energy."
iPhoners out there: Mapmyride.com has launched an application that allows you to map your ride with your phone and sync it with your mapmyride account.
The App is as simple as can be, though it does require the newer 3G iPhone with GPS. It records total time, distance, current speed, average speed and you can view your maps directly from the phone after the ride. One of the features they’re working on for a very, very near future update is to allow you to upload maps from your account directly to your phone.
(Via Bike Rumor.)
You'll get this only if you have played Guitar Hero (from cyclelicious):

Collected tales from Lansing

2008-11-20T01:00:00.005-06:00

The official results are now posted (see left column). In terms of the course, St. Charles and Northbrook set the bar really high, so I heard that Lansing was a bit disappointing. Everyone was talking about the sandpit though.

Debbie Dust (W-1, Verdigris / PACT-Dish Network)

I was happy to be finished - it was a bit of a suffer fest at times as evidenced by the (simultaneously cool yet nasty/gross) copious amounts of spit and snot stuck to the various surfaces of my bike.

Joe Kallo (Masters 30, UCVC)

As I was doing my practice laps I developed this (utterly genius, no doubt) strategy: I was going to serious bury myself for the first 2 laps. Just 2 laps. No matter what, I was going to remain over redline as much as I could muster. No thought of future laps, and nothing held in reserve.

Jesse Williams (M-4, Tati/UCVC)

I felt pretty good at the start and appeared to pass many of my competitors through the barrier/sand sections. I even managed to recover some of my entry fee by picking a dollar pass-up as I sprinted though the sand.

Lou Kuhn (M-1/2, Pony Shop)

Race #2 was an experiment of sorts, just 2 hours after my race and still in my roubaix skin suit hoping the embro that accidentally slid south is killing a bit of the bacteria that could be roaming about after sitting in chamois post 30 plus race.

I felt great for the first 4 or 5 laps, then noticed that they hadn't put laps to go up yet???? when they did it didn't help my psyche to see 6 to go. Sixty minutes is a lot longer than 45.

Holly Klug (W-1/2/3, Killjoy)

I am not the greatest rider on power courses so my goal for the race was to ride the pit to show off my "skillz" and try to hang on to June or Debbie's wheel as long as I could. Kevin said right before the race to "not do all the work" and let the other girls pull you around at the start. With this in mind, we go and I get the hole shot.

Jeff Holland (M-3, XXX)

I was caught and passed by Al, managed to catch and pass Ernie and Adam, and eventually settled in right behind Ryan. I chased him for a few laps, until he rode the sand instead of running it to get a gap on me. The next lap he went back to running it, but the damage was done. I never caught up.

Greg Heck (M-3, XXX)

For the next several laps I sit on the wheel of Jason Knauff of Burnham Racing. Since he has already won a couple of races I figured it was his reward to set the pace while I wheelsucked ( I am not embarressed to admit it!!).

The Wall Tax

2008-11-19T01:01:00.003-06:00

The ice is here. Up on the Oak St. bend, the lakefront path now gets covered by a sheet of ice overnight. You know how it goes: high waves lick the pavement, soaking it permanently, and the low temperatures do the rest.

Beware, then, when you ride through that patch. Tamara took a spill yesterday (Tuesday), and witnessed the misfortune of another unaware cyclist. The slippery conditions were the topic du jour at the bike station today. A cyclist was taken away by an ambulance.

This problem is important enough. The treacherous ice sheet cuts the heavily transited north-south bike artery into two disconnected legs. The few brave ones who dare walking (or riding!) the ice risk coming out with bruises, cracked helmets and eyeglasses, and broken bones. I know a person who once chipped his hipbone as a result of one such fall and was injured for months.

The solution appears simple: set up a barrier so that the waves won’t reach the bike lane. A wall right by the edge of the lake, along the bend, seems like the obvious solution to me. A two-meter-high parapet would suffice.

I don’t see any aesthetic concerns: the lake would still be visible from Lake Shore Drive and its west side, because the lake sits so much lower. And the wall would only block the lake view from the path along a brief stretch.

An alternative answer would consist of dumping blocks of concrete in the lake, right by the edge of the path, effectively pushing the shore outwards and making the waves break further away from the path, instead of on the path. Basically, something similar to what we have at the Promontory Point. This second solution is probably less effective, and I can’t imagine it being prettier than the wall, but I understand why some people would prefer it.

The main point is: this is an easy problem to solve. Cheaply. A few tens of thousands of dollars would make cyclists happier and safer for decades to come. Would riders be willing to pay a tax to fund the project? If you spread the cost over all the cyclists from Chicagoland who use the path, it shouldn’t take much. I bet that a 0.1% sales tax on all bike-related products sold in the city, during one year, would buy you not a concrete, but a golden wall. Plus, Mayor Daley happens to love both bicycling infrastructure and sales taxes. No opposition from that front. (Or even better but less humorous: organize a fund-raising ride.)

What do you say? Would you be willing to pay the “Wall Tax”? Vote "YES" on "Morning Roll's Proposition"!

(Is this problem more difficult than I think it is? Am I missing something?)

News and links 11-18-08

2008-11-18T01:00:00.003-06:00

Japanese fixie trickery. A lot of the tricks don't look that spectacular, but I just like watching the Japanese doing bike stuff...

trailer for FUMIKIRI from JAN on Vimeo.

How to commute in the winter without spending tons of $$$? (Hat tip to Brian Morrissey.) I'll follow up soon with a review of a couple of winter gloves. Stay tuned.
Panniers for surfboards? Only in California. Via cyclelicious.

Sorry I can't keep you entertained any longer today. Later on this week:

-Collected stories from Lansing.
-Expensive and technical is not always the best.
-Ingredients of an epic ride.

Keep riding!

Euro cyclist club rules #25-27

2008-11-14T01:22:00.002-06:00

25. Any physical activity, other than cycling, is STRONGLY FROWNED UPON. This includes any form of running or swimming and their derivatives (this includes walking). The ONLY TWO other sports with a recognized degree of euro are cross country skiing, and long track speed skating.

26. MTB gloves are FORBIDDEN in all instances. Cycling gloves will be slick, white (in accordance with kit), and have minimal padding. Padding will be beige or white in color. Wearing NO GLOVES is entirely acceptable and encouraged. In the case where said euro cyclist is wearing a leader’s jersey, special gloves will be made to match the color of the jersey while blending the team kit colors simultaneously.

27. In a circumstance where any cyclist (or triathlete) ever displays aggression or disrespect towards you, you are required to ride up uncomfortably close and slap them in the face with your team-issue gloves.

(From the Facebook group "The official rules of the Euro cyclist.")

Nifty stuff

2008-11-12T00:02:00.000-06:00

The all-in-one tool for the fixed-gear or single-speed bike. ($30). Available in January.
It comes with a 15mm hex for removing your bolt-on wheels; a 5mm hex for seatpost and handlebar bolts; 8, 9, and 10mm box wrenches for older style brakes and seatpost clamps; a lock ring tool; and most important, a bottle opener. It also comes with a small eyelet for pinning on a piece of extra chain to create a compact chain whip.
From VeloNews, through Jeff Holland.

Another review of the Shimano Di2.
I’m going to split the difference on this one: We don’t need Di2 the way we need more efficient cars. The Segway was an invention that hasn’t made the world more interesting. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to still be stuck on Nuovo Record. Great as it is, I’m glad for integrated brake and shift levers—now there’s an answer to a question someone asked. (...)
I’m going to cut to the chase: Di2 rocks. The shifting is simply the fastest I’ve ever experienced, faster, I dare say, than I would have imagined possible. While rear derailleur upshifts aren’t much faster than current Dura-Ace, the front derailleur upshifts are honestly smoother and faster than I thought possible, even when out-of-the-saddle and stomping the pedals in a Tom Boonen-goes-bye-bye effort. As a matter of fact, the faster your cadence, the faster the shift.
Classy wheel s.

Stories from Northbrook

2008-11-11T00:01:00.004-06:00

The results are posted here (riders sorted by their overall standings, not by their results at Northbrook).

Joe Kallo (M-4, UCVC)

I was also hurting a whole lot, and not paying attention to my hup hup. In the last two laps, I kept shifting the wrong direction because of the way the SRAM shifters work (well that, and my dumbass decision not to dress properly), so I gave up shifting.

Beverly Bike-Vee Pak

After ascending the stairs you had the pleasure of riding the most challenging section we have ridden all year, three off-camber muddy, greasy turns where if you had too much speed, or hesitated just a bit you found yourself upside down. And believe me, more than a few people were trying to ride that section who had no business doing so, and some were making it look easy.

KillJoy

I was almost successfully making the turn when I decided to go against everything I have learned in mountain biking and grabbed my brakes mid turn. This obviously caused my wheels to lock up and there was CRASH #1! I was able to get back on my bike quick even though it literally knocked the snot out of me (hopefully there isn't a pic of that).

Jeff Holland (M-3, XXX)

Great technical course, true cross weather, too bad I didn't bring my A-game. I had a good start, until someone plowed into the back of me about 200m into the race, which sent me right into Jacques. He managed to stay up, but it caused me to have to stop and remount. After that, I kept sliding back from the leaders. Add a crash where I wrapped my seatpost in some marker tape and went down, and a crash on the last lap down the hill trying to avoid another crashed rider, and I rolled in for 22nd place.

Pony Shop Cyclocross

On to the race...Thank you to the Garner Northbrook Bike Club and Flatlandia Cycling Team for setting up a fantastic course, which had two rarities, no man made barriers, and 2 stair run ups per lap. I never really thought about the lack of barriers, didn't miss them at all, the course had a really good flow to it, with lots of turns, but more importantly off camber turns, very tricky. The weather helped add to the technical challenge of the course and made it really feel like the Motherland.

Tamara Fraser (W-4, XXX)

As I came through the start/finish, steeling myself for another lap or two, the officials were standing in front of the lap counter. "How many more?" I asked, they called back, "You're done!" Woooo!

Jim Brody (Pony Shop)

On the 3rd lap I started getting passed in the technical stuff, first Mike and Randy from xXx, then a DICE rider, then James from Turin. I tried to stay with each one, but then I'd have to slow down in a corner. Just too tentative in the corners, wasting massive amounts of energy braking and then having to re-accelerate.

Race results and 2009 calendar

2008-11-10T01:00:00.005-06:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have started to post the results of all the races held near Chicago after Sept. 21, on the left column of Morning Roll.

I have also updated my calendar with all the events that the Illinois Cycling Association has scheduled already for 2009--the dates are still tentative, though.

And, to wrap up this administrative post, let me note that I have added three new blogs to by blogroll (see the right column): Ben Popper's (M-1, Rock Lobster), ~~current leader of the Chicago Cross Cup~~, Jim Brody's (Pony Shop) and the Pony Shop Cyclocross blog itself. (Hat tip to Patrick for the latter.)

Correction: Ben Popper is not the leader of the Chicago Cross Cup. Hat tip to Joe Kallo for the heads up!

Katy

2008-11-07T03:05:00.002-06:00

Today I'm going out of town for a friend's wedding, so no riding this weekend :(

I'm secretly hoping that the ceremony turns out as in this video (5 minutes). Don't miss the part where Katy gets down to her Skivvies and hops on a pink bike. Later on, a pack of furious bridesmaids, also on pink bikes, join her in a mad hunt for the groom.

Hot N Cold ( Official Music Video ) HQ - Katy Perry

Don't you love Katy? I'm not sure which video I like best, the one above or this one.

Euro cyclist club rules #22-24

2008-11-06T04:04:00.001-06:00

22. Campagnolo shall be THE ONLY acceptable componentry and is hereby deemed superior to ANY Shimano product in ALL circumstances. You are expected to have nothing less than an ENTIRE campy gruppo. Crank substitutions are NOT permitted. There is a case by case exception for SRAM RED.

23. You shall NEVER, under any circumstances, acknowledge the presence of a cyclist riding a bike costing less than 2000€ in a public place. This could be severely detrimental to your image.

24. You shall NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, associate with triathletes. It is FORBIDDEN to have any number inked onto your body before a race.

(From the Facebook group "The official rules of the Euro cyclist.")

News and links 11-5-08

2008-11-05T02:54:00.002-06:00

Fixie hipsters. Just fun to watch. About 4 minutes. From cycleliciou s.
Empire from Empire on Vimeo.
How to shop for bike-ish things: girl's version. Best paragraph:
Trying on a full outfit will give you the true feeling of how it will ride. Don’t look in the mirror first. Rather, sit down, or squat down into bike position. If you mountain bike, shift around a lot, and feel for seams that rub you. Roadies should imitate “the drops position”; the garment should fit best in this position and it should not ride up. OK, now look in the mirror.
A bike light that you can charge via a USB port. (Hat tip to Bike Rumor.) (And what is the practicality of this feature? Are you gonna use the batteries of your laptop to recharge the battery of your light!?)

Rave reviews of the St. Charles course

2008-11-04T03:05:00.002-06:00

Tamara Fraser (W-4, XXX)

Raced cross in St. Charles yesterday. It was a VERY technical course, which did not play to my strengths. But it was still super fun.

A Mission Bay woman gave me trouble for a while, then a Tati girl remained tantalizingly out of reach for two laps -- every time I got close, I'd screw up at a barrier or in the gravel or in the off-camber turns, and she'd get out ahead of me again. I finally caught her on the last lap, passing her on the way up the hill and somehow managing to stay ahead of her through the barrier and run-up.

That Tati girl. Again.

Joe Kallo (Masters 30, UCVC)

Above all, I couldn’t stop smiling over what an awesome day of cyclocross we had. All ten CCC races could be held on this course and they’d never hear a complaint from me. Well done guy and gals.

Beverly Bike-VeePak

Today's race had it all! The course laid out for us today in St. Charles by the Chicago Cyclocross Cup was a doozy. Not necessarily very difficult, but there was no place to let your mind wander. From the winding climb just off of the start, to the off-camber section on the back of the course, to the twisting downhill and of course the best section on the course for me was the improvised beer garden. This section was an absolute blast to ride through everytime. Riders were shouted at, heckled, encouraged, some beer hand-ups were given out, bells were rung, pictures were taken, money was handed-up, you name it, it happened all within these 25 yards. Incredible fun!

Curtis, Robert (M-5, Bicycle Heaven)

Awesome race. Robert Kelley and Matt Stewart from my team (Bicycle Heaven) set up the course and all I have to say is....OMG!!! Actually more like OMFG!!

Didriksen, Erik (M-4, XXX)

This week's ChiCrossCup race was in St. Charles and the course was set up wonderfully - kudos to the organizers!

Stuff to do this winter

2008-11-03T00:05:00.003-06:00

A few weeks from now, the 'cross season will be over and we'll face three long months of coldness, snow and darkness. But do not despair, we have quite a few events around Chicago to keep us bleeding lactate over the winter:

ABD Indoor time trials

January 11: Flat
February 1: Rolling
February 22: Flat
March 14: Rolling

VisionQuest Indoor time trials

Dec 14: Bong 40k
Dec 21: Masters National 39k
Jan 04: Tour de France Stage 4 Cholet 29k
Jan 18: Bong 40k
Jan 25: Masters National 39k
Feb 08: Tour de France Stage 4 Cholet 29k

Stair climbing (OK, not cycling, but not bad for your quads...)

Nov 11: Go Vertical (Sears tower)
Jan 25: Step up for kids (Aon tower)
Feb 22: Hustle up the Hancock (Hancock tower)
March?: Climb MS (Franklin Center/AT&T corporate center)

October's riding stats

2008-10-31T03:00:00.010-05:00

This month's stats are not representative because I didn't ride at all during the first ten days of the month. Here they are nonetheless.

Hours	31h 02'
Kilometers	790
Time in HR zones 1-2	28h 15'
Time in HR zones 3-4 (pre-LT)	2h 21'
Time in HR zones 5 (above LT)	0h 26'
Average cadence	84
Calories burned	18,200
Weight gain (loss), in kg	(0.99)

My cadence was a bit too low (I used to average 90), and the amount of weight lost is insufficient. I didn't spend much time above LT, but for this time of the year that's fine.

Euro cyclist club rules #19-21

2008-10-30T00:05:00.001-05:00

19. All stems must be a minimum of 120mm and a rise of no higher than -10 degrees. Stems shall be positioned no more than 0.5cm above the top of the headtube. ALL stems shall ALWAYS be oversized, made out of ALUMINUM, and airbrushed in kit/frame colours.

20. A rider will ALWAYS have liniment applied to his legs before appearing in public.

21. Facial hair will be restricted to (at maximum) a goatee, and even this is discouraged. Moustaches, beards, or any combination thereof are EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED in all instances. Stubble is, however, advisable in virtually ALL euro-situations. It is important to note: this DOES NOT apply to the legs!

(From the Facebook group "The official rules of the Euro cyclist.")

News and links 10-29-08

2008-10-29T00:05:00.003-05:00

(Most of today's links come from Bicycling magazine. Yes, I admit it, I occasionally browse that shallow publication. But at least I don't pay for it. Somehow it appears in my mailbox every month. I swear by Fausto Coppi.)

At WorldCommute.com you can "estimate your savings from riding a bike for transportation, track your fitness, figure how many pounds of carbon emissions you've preempted the release of, and compare your efforts to those of others around the world." Cateye maintains the website.
A Kenyan world-class climber? Singaporen Nicholas Leong is training two Kenyans from Eldoret, home to the world's best marathoners, in the mountains of France to see if they can be pro-caliber climbers. So far their times up Alpe d'Huez are close to those of Armstrong, Pantani and Sastre. The question is whether they can develop the skills and endurance needed to shine in competitions that last several hours, or weeks...
A gift idea: Roadie : the misunderstood world of a bike racer.Veteran race announcer and long-time cycling enthusiast Jamie Smith sets out to explain the sport he loves and the roadies who live for it in this lighthearted treatise on bike racing. Finally, a book to explain those people who roll out for a ride dressed in technicolored Lycra at the crack of dawn on Saturday, and return at sundown with a glow of satisfaction and even stronger tan lines.
Perfect for anyone who has ever known a roadie, considered becoming a roadie, or walked away from a bike race completely puzzled, Roadie addresses all of the curiosities that accompany the sport of cycling, from shaved legs to colorful jerseys and unbelievably expensive bicycles, shoes, and components. Every seemingly neurotic tendency is explained and celebrated with humorous illustrations from nationally syndicated cartoonist Jef Mallett (also rumored to log thousands of miles of riding per year).
Rabbit-like peripheral vision with the Nike Hindsight eyeglasses. The glasses "extend cyclists peripheral vision with lenses that bring objects from 25° behind the cyclist into the cyclist's field of vision." (From cyclelicious.)
The University of Chicago Velo Club folks got themselves a crisp new website. Check it ou t! Membership is not open to everyone though.

The weekend's (lack of) adventures

2008-10-28T00:05:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I found myself the only roadie in the team. The rest of the troupe was CXing at Palos. My initial plan was to do an easy 50 miler. But, not having ridden my bike the previous two days, my good ol' impulses commanded that I ride a bit longer. And so before I knew it I was a man on a mission to Highland Park (105+ km round trip), all by my onesie self.

No traffic to speak of on the path. Just sprinkles, cold, some wind, and a a few piles of sand.

I reached port on the verge of bonking. Perfect timing. Scurried away from the cold and into Perfect Blend for a cup of hot cocoa. Yum. Just what I needed. It warmed me up real nice, "from the inside out," as the pros recommend.

As I was sitting down, the ginormous posse of XXX riders arrived, filling the small café to the brim and overflowing into the sidewalk. Double perfect timing.

This rider sits next to me and asks:
-So why "Tati"?
-He was a French actor and director who made funny movies... And there were bicycle in most of his movies.
-So you're all French?
-No, I'm Catalan. But we're all rude, like the French...hahahaha

Nice folks those XXXers.

Came back home without incident. Just a bit cold and my legs definitely beaten after more than four hours on the saddle.

Mental notes for next time:

1. If there's room in the CXers car, try going to Willow Springs with them and do the TT course several times while they do their thang. The bike ride might get boring, but the company surely will not.

2. Failing that, join the XXX ride, or at least bring your i-Pod.

3. Order a smaller cup of cocoa. I guess it was the milk, but several times on the way home I felt like my delicious hot beverage wouldn't stay in my stomach.

What should I do?

2008-10-27T00:03:00.001-05:00

My feet get colder than most people's, I think. When I was a child, my mom used to observe all the time how cold my tootsies were. I don't know if it's poor blood circulation or what, but riding outdoors in the winter is agony. For me, neoprene booties and wool socks are no match for the fierce Chicago winter.

But I really want to ride outside several times a week through this winter. What can I do?

a) Take it like a man. Sure, but I don't see myself doing that every day. One thing is to brave the cold once I've forgotten the pain that lies ahead. A very different thing is to get out there in the morning with a fresh memory of frozen toes from the evening before. I'm afraid it won't happen. Plus, my feet might fall off, which is not good in the medium to long term.

b) Cut my feet off. Hmmm, sounds like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Definitely counterproductive in the short, medium and long terms.

c) Bite the bullet and buy a pair of Lake winter shoes ($250), which supposedly keep your feet toasty in temperatures down to 10F (I guess that means that, for me, they will work down to only 20F, which is still pretty good).

Any other ideas, dear reader?

Euro cyclist club rules #16-18

2008-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

16. Kits will always be freshly washed, and one shall ALWAYS have applied a subtle quantity of eau de toilette. It is, AT ALL TIMES, FORBIDDEN to ride in an unwashed kit, as it is extremely detrimental to your image.

17. Saddles must be white only and must be manufactured in Italy or France. Exceptions shall be made in the following cases…
i) Saddles containing WorldCup Stripes or Olympic Gold when EARNED
ii) Italian Flag color combo when rider is ITALIAN (born in Italy)

18. Handlebar tape is required to be cork as well as being WHITE IN COLOR. Bar tape will be kept in pristine white condition. This state shall be achieved either through daily cleansing or frequent replacement. These jobs will NEVER be performed by the cyclist as you must maintain your image.

(From the Facebook group "The official rules of the Euro cyclist.)

Money well spent

2008-10-23T06:00:00.005-05:00

For those of you spending your first winter on a bike, here are a couple of suggestions for winter gear. I'm not claiming that these are the best products in their category, but I've used them and they're really good stuff for the money.

Performance neoprene shoe covers ($30)

These puppies will keep your feet warm (when temps are above 30F) and dry. The inside has a fleece-like texture. If you buy these, get one size bigger than the one your normally use.
I put them on over my regular shoes and work really well if you combine them with wool socks, such as the DeFeet Blaze.

The UCVC folks posted recommendations for clothing, over at UC Vélo Café, for a full range of temperatures (read the comments).

Blackburn Mars 3.0 tail light ($15)

Seven LED's and three modes (constant, blinking and "chase"). Two of the LED´s and on the sides and are yellow. It comes with a clip-on thingy, so you can attach it to your clothes or helmet, as well as with the hardware that lets you attach the light to your seatpost. 2 AAA batteries included. It runs for 50 hours on steady mode, and 150 hours on blinking mode.
My favorite feature is that I can really believe that it's water-proof. And it seems to be made to last. In order to install the batteries you need to loosen three little screws and then pull the two sides apart quite hard. No snap-on, snap-off lousy attachment. The edges of the cover are covered by rubber (see pic). Having the three screws securing the two sides of the light also means that if you drop it by accident, it won't disintegrate into fifty little pieces all over the place.
Oh, and this light is very bright. A teammate who was riding behind me today asked me to "Please, please, for the love of God, turn it off, I'm having a seizure!!!" Which I took as a compliment.

Urgent announcement

2008-10-22T06:15:00.003-05:00

"The University of Chicago Velo Club will have its annual membership meeting today, October 22nd, at 6 PM in Harper 130. Many people have been inquiring about the meeting, and I know that it's a bit late this year, but it will be worth the wait! If you are a returning member, or if you are considering joining the UCVC, you should attend this meeting to see what UCVC 2009 is all about!"

From Dan Houle, the presi (actually the co-presi).

Race reports from Carpentersville

2008-10-22T06:00:00.004-05:00

Julie Eisenhardt (W-4, Half Acre Cycling)

This course and I didn’t have much love for each other. The barriers were knee-high to me and there was no chance of me clearing them if I ran, so instead I approached them with a ladylike side-step, dainty and slow. But there was this over-the-hill bump just before you hit the barriers, coming off some pavement, that I’d fly over and absolutely loved.

Joe Kallo (Masters 30, UCVC)

The highlight of my Masters race was my first front line start for a big kids race. I suppose the lack of a pre-race hangover was making me feel cocky because I decided to line up along side people I had no business toeing the line with.

Sophia Lee (W-4, Tati)

The corners weren't too bad, and it wasn't very technical of a course, but there was a sand pit! I just ran through it, although many of the more experienced riders in later races actually did ride through. Anyways, I got third in my race! Thanks to everyone who cheered for me. I tend to be "grimacing," but inside, I do appreciate it, and I do go faster.

Tamara Fraser (W-4, XXX)

We had 21 women [yay!] in the cat 4 race, and the start was hot. I need to practice sprinting from the whistle -- getting out ahead at the start is SO important in cross. I ended up in a pack tearing over the grass and through the narrow corners -- something I was not completely comfortable with. I overcooked a corner before the first barrier and lost about 15 places. I spent the rest of the race catching and passing, catching and passing. Which, I have to say, was extremely gratifying.

Jeff Holland (M-3, XXX)

By the time we were half-way through the first lap, I was off the back, in DFL. [sigh...] I kept going, eventually catching and passing a Big Sharks junior who had blown up. A few laps later, I was lapped by Ben Popper, and slowly I'd be lapped by the rest of the field except for Ernie, who I was closing in on. A few laps more, and I was hurtin' for certain. At this point, I refused to quit. It was more about finishing and maybe beating Ernie.

J (M-4, Tati)

But I was in the lead. I was in the lead of a lap versus some teammates after all of the races had ended. And being in the lead, I wasn't about to allow a tiny detail like riding in sock feet slow me down.
But I did slow down, and it probably wasn't because I was in sock feet. I would like to think that it was because my feet don't have Eggbeater cleats in them, but that's not the reason. If my feet had Eggbeater cleats in them, they wouldn't hurt as much today, or have nice purpley bruises in the shape of Eggbeater pedals on the soles.

Beverly Bike-Vee Pak

This time through approaching the sand I can hear my two year old son saying "go fast Daddy" so I had to clear the sand. My wife is shouting "more speed, more speed" so I have to obey. I shift up and sprint looking for the line on the left. I hit it clean, and power though, I probably smiled as I came out of the pit and could hear the crowds reaction. I also opened up a decent gap again.

Debbie Dust (W-1, Kenda)

So I was first loser on the day. An acceptable finish because really, I worked hard but I didn't bury myself too horribly, suffer that badly and I didn't break a nail or fall off my bike a single time (yay!!).

News and links 10-21-08

2008-10-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

Did you ever think about using dry leaves, moss and mud to protect yourself from the elements in the winter? Here's how. (Via cyclelicious.)
A surprisingly attractive commercial for Hutchinson tires. Love the paint job of the Masi bike and the white dress over red tights. Only 3:47. (Via cyclelicious.)
Note to self: try the Dumonde Tech chain lube (original formula). Cyclelicious claims that it won't make your chain dirty, water doesn't wash it away instantly, and you only need to use it once every 400 miles.
Annual ranking of bicycle-friendly states. IL ranks 8th, right after CA and before NJ. The friendliest state is WA, the least friendly is WV.
Sweet, white BKW/Rapha knee warmers ($70).

EPO

2008-10-20T06:00:00.005-05:00

CERA (Continuous Erytropoiesis Receptor Activator), also known as third-generation EPO, is a product invented by the Switzerland-based Roche labs. CERA is part of the highly-profitable group of drugs against anemia. This new drug does not add anything, from a therapeutic point of view, to the previous version of EPO, known as Aranesp, or second-generation EPO.

CERA possesses, however, very desirable attributes for dopers: it stays longer in plasma (about 136 hours, or three times longer than first-generation EPO does). One shot a month has the same effect as the annoying microdoses, the best way to take EPO and avoid detection by antidoping tests. Moreover, CERA barely shows up in urine.

Mircera (the commercial name of CERA) was approved for therapeutic use in August 2007 in the European Union, and in January 2008 in the USA. The World Anti-doping Agency (WADA), however, suspects that it's been in use by athletes since 2004. Something similar happened with the first-generation EPO. It started circulating in the international peloton in 1987, but it wasn't approved for therapeutic use until 1989.

There's hope, though. It took the WADA ten years to get a test for the first EPO. Only four years for CERA. The new challenge, paradoxically, is to develop methods to detect the old EPO. Labs all over the world produce copycats of EPO, illegally. These copies are slightly different from the original product, and go undetected by existing tests.

2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of the official introduction of EPO, and Roche's patent will expire. Very soon those shady labs will be able to produce generic EPO, legally, and therefore the substance will be available at a much lower price. Detecting these rogue versions of EPO is the new challenge.

Euro Cyclist Club rules #13-15

2008-10-17T06:05:00.000-05:00

13. Hair shall be kept neatly short, and matching helmet shall be worn (again with prominent logo placement). Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES shall a clashing helmet colour be worn with your euro kit. Helmets are not to be worn when venturing indoors at any time. It is, however, acceptable to wear your helmet while outdoors on a patio.

14. In RARE cases, it has been deemed acceptable to have long hair. In this event, hair shall be neatly slicked back in maximum euro-styling, and helmet SHALL NOT be worn. It is IMPERATIVE rule 12 is followed in these special cases.

15. When riding, sans helmet (with short hair), a team issue cycling cap (white in colour), shall be worn. The bill shall remain in the downward position at all times. Cycling cap can be worn forwards or backwards to coincide with specifics of current hairstyle. During spring training, cycling toques shall be worn at all time in place of caps.

(From the Facebook group "The Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist.")

This wekend's events 10-17-2008

2008-10-17T06:00:00.003-05:00

I suppose that most Chitown folks will head for Carpentersville for their weekly fix of CX racing. "Mature trees, off-camber turns, a short hill, asphalt and a famous sandpit" sound hard enough.

I wanted to remind you about two alternative events:

1) Badger Prairie in Verona, WI, which is 2h and 45min away from Chicago, on Saturday.

2) Gibbs Lake County, WI, which is about 2h and 15min away from Chicago, on Sunday.

Happy CXing!

In praise of the Morning Roll

2008-10-16T06:00:00.006-05:00

The day starts well for most people when they don't spill their morning coffee, get to school or work on time, and don't find unpleasant e-mails in their inbox. Our day starts well when we ride our bike. Which means that our day starts well almost every day.

There are few things in the world that we enjoy more than a bicycle ride. The breeze on the skin, the slight burning of the lungs, the fast pumping of our hearts. The speed, modulated by the power of our very own legs. The excitement of zooming through the bends of the road, street or bike path. The glee flooding our heads as we get off our bicycles, mission accomplished.

Then we sit down to devour delicious muffins and bowls of oatmeal, feeling no guilt whatsoever for such caloric indulgences. Because our morning roll earned us a morning roll.

And then we walk diligently to our classroom or office, a smile in our brain, sometimes on our face too. Feeling different amid the river of bodies that zombie their way from bed to chair. "I am a cyclist. I've been up for hours now, riding my bicycle. I have already proven my mettle today. I am alive and awake. I am a cyclist. I am special."

And then at night we get our kit ready. And we diligently set our alarms for 5.30am (or earlier!) and we get in bed with a quiet smile in our brain, transporting ourselves to a very near future where we hop on our bikes and ride away, and watch the sun rising, and everything is fine.

Thank you, bicycle. I love you and I always will. Every day, eight days a week.

CX 101 on video: Recap

2008-10-14T06:00:00.004-05:00

Here's a compilation of aaaaaall the CX tutorials I've been posting over the weeks.

I know that they don't cover every aspect of the sport. And some of you CXperts out there may have cringed at the advice provided by Mickey Denoncourt. But if a few of you learned something by watching these videos, as I have, I feel that I have accomplished my mission.

Dismounting I

1) Dismounting I. Part I . Introduction to dismounting and remounting.

2) Dismounting I. Part II. How to dismount a cyclocross bike.

3) Dismounting I. Part III. Doing a step-through technique.

Dismounting II

Remounting

Off-the-bike skills I

Off-the-bike skills II

On-the-bike skills I

1) How to pedal when cyclocross racing

2) Tips for riding light

3) How to work with obstacles

4) How to descend a hill

5) Body positioning tips for hill descents

On-the-bike skills II

1) How to brake in a turn on CX bikes

2) How to make sharp turns on a CX bike

3) How to go through closed corners

4) How to go through open corners

On-the-bike skills III

1) Tips for riding steep climbs

2) Riding off-cambers

3) How to race in mud

4) How to race in sand

Training techniques

1) Sprinting drill

2) Doing double sets

3) How to practice starting

Racing tips I

Racing tips II

1) How to analyze the course

2) Pre-race strategies (eat, drink, warm-up. Mickey is a big fan of coffee too.)

3) Terrain considerations

4) Race tactics

CX bicycles

Tires

1) How to adjust cyclocross clincher tire pressure

2) How to adjust cyclocross tubular tire pressure

3) How to select a cyclocross bike tire tread

4) Why you should have a spare set of tires

Clothes

1) What head gear and shirt to wear in cyclocross biking

2) What to gear for the elements in cyclocross biking

News and links 10-13-08

2008-10-13T06:00:00.007-05:00

Sophia Lee is cool enough to share her blog with the rest of us mortals. (I'm just kidding: Sophia is waaaay cooler than most cyclists I know of.) She writes about racing, riding and what appears to be software for architects. Oh, and she doesn't eat donuts before racing. By the way, I keep finding blogs by cyclists from the Chicago/Illinois area. My most up-to-date blogroll is permanently posted on the right margin of Morning Roll. In particular, I would like to highlight two recent additions to the list: Joe Kallo, a Hyde Park resident, owner of a beautiful pink fixie, and recent addict to CX; and Radio Freddy, 50% of long-time favorite Belgium Knee Warmers, who apparently lives in the Chitown area. (Can anyone confirm this?)
Chicago's "cycleway" project, on Oct. 5 and Oct. 26, got watered down, from Time Out Chicago. (Note to the TOC writer: it's "Bogotá", not "Bogatá"; and it´s "ciclovía", not "ciclovia"--accent marks exist for a reason: they alter pronunciation or distinguish between otherwise identical words.)
Get married to cycling. Yes, I mean it. Padraig of BKW draws a parallel in several paragraphs of typically delicious prose.
Jackie Chan fends off foes riding a celeste Bianchi. And apparently the Tati folks are not the only ones wearing knee-high argyle socks. (This video is only three-minutes long.) Hat tip to Cyclelicious.
BikeRumor keeps flooding us with pictures and reviews from Interbike. DudeGirl clothing got my attention the other day. DudeGirl makes snazzy yet feminine cycling jerseys (which I like)...

...as well as skimpy outfits for runners (which I find horrendous):

Euro Cyclist Club Rules #10-12

2008-10-10T06:04:00.001-05:00

10. You shall race only on Bora’s or Lightweights. Fulcrum Racing One, Corima Aero+ or Zipp (404’s or 202’s) wheelsets are considered stylish enough to be used as training wheels ONLY. Regardless, Ceramic bearings shall be used at all times on both training and race bikes.

11. ALL wheels shall be equipped with tubulars, regardless of your ability in gluing them.

12. Ridiculously stylish eyewear (see endorsed products list) is to be worn at all time without exception. Glasses are to be worn over helmet straps at all times.

(From the Facebook group "The Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist.")

Racing reports from Fall Fling: weekend #2

2008-10-09T06:07:00.001-05:00

Project 5 Racing

The P5 cat 4 duo of Greg Nash and Scott Ouimette bookended the 2008 season with some outstanding performances at the season ending Fall Fling 4 stage Omnium race. Scott and Greg opened the series by posting 4th and 5th overall in a controversial Road Race that saw the double points system tossed out due to blatant yellow line rule violations by fellow competitors. The next stage brought on a crit and the dynamic duo were game to makeup points on this stage and did just that by placing Scott in second on the day. By virtue of their finishes in the Crit Scott was able to move into 1st on GC while partner in crime Mr. Nash moved up to 4th overall.

After the TT this past Saturday the tag team partners went into the final days crit stuck in a log jam for 3rd overall. Sundays final crit was a daunting task but our boys held their own battling deep squads fielded by Team Tati and WDT. In the end the filed allowed a lone man to escape and it came down to who was going to take the 2nd place points on the line. With some heroic efforts Greg and Scott worked their plan to perfection with Scott winning the field sprint and moving into second overall in the final GC with Greg netting the final podium spot in 5ht place on GC. Awesome job guys!

Chicago Bike Racing

Who remembers this happening before? In Sunday’s Fall Fling criterium, Brian Hague (Team Tati) lapped the 4’s field -- by himself.

I can’t remember it happening in the 3’s or 4’s. I’ve seen P/1/2 breaks go up a lap, but usually when one team has a huge numerical advantage, and never solo. Shoot, I’ve never even seen someone do this at Matteson or on the track. I can barely catch my nephew chasing him around the kitchen table.

I’m told that after lapping the field, Hague went straight to the front and pulled for several laps. This memorable performance from the reformed triathlete and cross-country runner -- he put in a 5-mile run between the citizens and 4’s races -- comes after two weekends of dominance during which he won three of the four citizens stages. It’s a shame the season is ending now, but I’m eager to see how he does in 2009.

That wasn’t the only success for Team Tati. In the women’s 4’s, Elena Dorr placed 2nd but more important put enough spots between her and GC rival Morgan Moon (Team Kenda Tire) to climb into the top spot overall.

Avi Neurohr (Cuttin' Crew, M-5)

So it is with some relief that I made it back to the podium this past weekend. ok, it was a beginners' heat. In ABR. In a time trial. (Technically, I've had less than 15 mass starts, so I can, in good conscience, race that division in ABR.)

But...it wasn't a gimme. There were some strong riders out there...some guys 15 years my junior, some with all the high end gear that can shave a minute or two off in the course of 9.8 miles. I dusted off the single speed and killed it in 22:56, for second place, averaging 25.6 mph. (It would have been good enough for 10th in cat 4, but I think I would have gotten over my laziness and set up and tested a proper TT config for cat 4.)

Our team aspirations of putting someone on the overall podium in the Fall Fling weren't panning out. Rather than show up for the final stage running low on money, time, and energy, I decided to go out on a high note.

Jared Rogers (XXX, M-4)

Jared Rogers reports from ABD Fall Fling Series: So my final exam for the 2008 year was the ABR Fall Fling Series as a recently upgraded Cat 4. In 2 minutes 2 seconds, here are the cliff notes from each race: Westlake Village Road Race: 40 miles of rollers, of which I did not see all of. On the 2nd lap I covered an attack by some rider but then failed to cover the counter by a Tati rider up a slight incline. Despite the field being slowed down by a combine, I would never catch back on. Somewhere around my 4th lap I came up on Tamara and another women who had crashed. Will Pankonin was there so I decided to do what I could to help until the ambulance arrived. The women who was injured was okay when I left and I rode in for 38th or something like that. Chris MacFarland would take 9th. Fall Fling Crit No 1: 40 minutes and 2 laps of riding in the wind. Lots of attacks and lots of slowing into a wall of wind. Never quite got my positioning right and spent too much time trying to fight my way from the back. Last lap when things got strung out I was able to move up a lot, but nothing that would put me in the top 50% of the field. Oh well, there was always next week. Maple Park ITT: This was my first ITT outside of the FCTT we did this year. I was really looking forward to this and getting to use my new aero bars. Overall, it was a windless ride on smooth country roads. I pushed my self pretty hard but managed to get caught by the Pro 1/2 that was 1 min. behind me as well as the WDT rider who was 2 minute back. Both would go on to turn sub 23 times and I came in with a 25.59.80 for 30th. It was my fastest time of the entire season (albeit with aero equipment) and I think I have another discipline I want to take up. Fall Fling Crit No 2: 40 minutes and 2 laps of being out of breath. A Tati rider launches off the front from the start, puts time on us each and every lap, catches up to the back of the field and then proceeds to take the field sprint. Boy do I have a lot of work to do in the off season!

Team Tati

Tim B, who is young at heart, exhibited keen (and appropriately TATI) style on Saturday by sporting a purple lycra Pearl Izumi helmet cover and vintage downtube-shifter equipped Cannondale TT bike with Cinelli Spinaci. On Sunday, he raced M50+ and emulated teammate Brian Hague's off the front efforts by putting fifteen seconds on a field of very tough masters. That the strategy did not entirely work out is less important than the fact that he created some fun and excitement in an otherwise mundane race.

Edward Ekstrom (Tower Racing, M-4)

I go through my typical pre-race 2nd guessing. Did I eat too much this morning? Drink one too many beers last night? Ride too hard yesterday? Did I hydrate enough? At this point, none of it matters, its time to race the last crit of 2008. We line up near each other and hit the start. I follow Tom up the inside to get near the front and try to keep it that way. Somewhere around lap 4/5, they call a prime for sunglasses - I could use sunglasses. If I have a shot, I’m going for it. After turn three, I am in 5th. I see a familiar Tati uniform (it’s that same guy who drove off the front last week) 20 yards off the front. He does not seem to be sprinting just motoring at a high pace. I’m going to try and catch him. No one else challenges except for one, who quickly gives in. Tati looks back and starts to accelerate. I gun it as if the race depended on it. Fly pass Tati after turn 4 and keep going. After a look back to see if the glasses are in jeopardy, I ease up at the line. Hearing Tower Racing takes the prime brings a smile to my face. Tati keeps going. He’s going to do it again. Damn that kid is strong. I wonder if I should follow as we have a good gap at this point. I decide it would be too much effort. I need to work on riding hard while winded (next year.)

I drift to the back and get a great vantage point of my teammates up ahead. Go Tower!
As it turns out that Tati Guy laps us with three to go. I see Tom follow Tati as he drives through the pack a lap up on everyone (impressive). I follow Tati the last lap and a half in 2nd place. Get into a minor scrape when a WDT rider attempts to crowd me out of 2nd place. I’m not moving. He’ll have to move up or drop back. He actually bumps me this time, I push back, fortunately, he backs off this time and drifts back. I don’t like it when this kind of stuff happens. He apologizes later after I call him out.

I decide to leave even earlier than the prime. I take off just after turn 3. I round turn four in 1st. I am doing everything to hold off the pursuits behind, but begin to fade. I get passed by one rider with 25 yards to go and barely hold on for 2nd in the field sprint - 3rd overall. End result: Raced over 26 mph average; Tower is on the podium; I have a pair of sunglasses; $30 goes to Tower Racing Charities (which U.S. Cellular® will match).

My ridiculous team kit

2008-10-08T06:08:00.009-05:00

Yesterday evening I went for my first post-injury ride, rain and all. As I was getting dressed in full orange-and-black glory it occurred to me that I wear a very expensive team kit. Let's see (MSRP in brackets):

Spiuk Nexion helmet ($140)

Spiuk Ventix multi-lens sunglasses, Euskaltel's custom design ($115)

Ibex Fausto jersey ($125)

Ibex El Fito knickers ($120)

DeFeet Levitator Lite Wool socks ($10)

Craft gloves ($33)

Total: $543.
The only part of my kit that is cheap and doesn't match the team colors are my shoes (and old pair of red Nikes). I gotta work on that.

Fall Fling's team classification

2008-10-07T06:20:00.002-05:00

As far as I know there was no prize for the best team, either overall or by category, at Fall Fling. But if you're curious about who would have won such prize, here's the unofficial classification (I only included riders who participated in at least three of the four events).

OVERALL: The Team Unattached guys did surprisingly well overall. If only they had team tactics...
1st Team Mack (767 points)
2nd ABD (667 points)
3rd WDT (418 points)
4th Team Tati (404 points)
5th Team Unattached (324 points)

Men's Open: The hosts dominated their own party, both the guys...
1st ABD (323 points)
2nd WDT (146 points)
3rd Turin, Barker & Nester (94 points)

Women's Open: ...and the girls.
1st ABD (80 points)
2nd Team Apache (43 points)
3rd Team Tati (38 points)

Men's cat 3
1st United South Shore (166 points)
2nd Team Mack (156 points)
3rd ABD (133 points)

Men's cat 4. The Polish guys put on a strong performance in the most chaotic field. By the way, who is Tati?
1st WDT (193 points)
2nd Project 5 Racing (109 points)
3rd Team Tati (67 points)

Women's cat 4. Tati is the team with a dozen twin girls in "Darth-Vader-goes-to-a-Halloween-party" kits.
1st Team Tati (99 points)
2nd Kenda (41 points)
3rd Turin (39 points)

Men's citizens. Powered by Hague bars (both the invisible and the nutritious kind).
1st Team Tati (200 points)
2nd Team Sandbag (70 points)
3rd Bicycle Heaven (43 points)

Women's citizens
1st Northwestern (49 points)
2nd Yojimbo's (45 points)

Men's Masters 40+. Team Mack showed off the depth of their Masters teams.
1st Team Mack (304 points)
2nd Met Life (127 points)
3rd Amgen/Giant Masters (70 points)

Men's Masters 50+. But "the other " Polish guys show that they can make it to the podium too.
1st Team Mack (225 points)
2nd Amgen/Giant Masters (92 points)
3rd Warsaw Poland (79 points)

Men's Masters 60+
1st Redline Racing (55 points)
2nd Cycles Veloce (48 points)
3rd Mad City Velo (39 points)

Men's Masters 65+
1st Team Mack (48 points)
2nd Midwest Masters (42 points)
3rd Team Unattached (36 points)

Men's Masters 70+
1st Midwest Masters

Men's Masters 75+
1st Turin

Women's Masters 40+
1st ABD
2nd Team Apache

Women's Masters 60+
1st Midwest Masters

Women's Masters 70+
1st Midwest Masters

So much to lose

2008-10-03T06:10:00.002-05:00

Most competitive cyclists have a BMI between 20 and 23, as I showed here. If my height is between 5' and 6' 8'', this is where my weight should be:

height (inches)	Min weight	Max weight
60	102	118
61	106	122
62	109	126
63	113	130
64	117	134
65	120	138
66	124	143
67	128	147
68	132	151
69	135	156
70	139	160
71	143	165
72	147	170
73	152	174
74	156	179
75	160	184
76	164	189
77	169	194
78	173	199
79	178	204
80	182	209

Now suppose that I need to lose x pounds in three months (180 days). I should meet a caloric deficit of 3,500x/180 per day, or approximately 20x.

Note: the ideal-weight figures might be slightly different for women.

This weekend's events

2008-10-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

Yes, of course, the grand finale of Fall Fling and of the road season. Time trial on Saturday, crit on Sunday. The omnium is still pretty open in most categories, so we should see some aggressive racing on Sunday. The TT might not matter that much, if a bunch of specialists enter the race but are not contesting the omnium.

Cyclocross junkies will get their fix on Saturday in Wisconsin, and on Sunday in DeKalb (part of the Chicago Cross Cup) and Delafiel d, WI.

For the recreationally-minded, there is a wonderful urban tour of the south side on Saturday, leaving from Hyde Park. I am ashamed to admit that in my several years in the neighborhood I've never done it, and this year won't be the first (but at least this time I have a good reason). University of Chicago faculty will lead the ride, but as far as I know participation is open to everyone. E-mail dhays@uchicago.edu to register. Riders will convene on the corner of 57th and University Ave. at 10 AM. FYI, the weather forecast is sun/clouds and temps in the 60s. More info about this event here.

Euro Cyclist Club, rules 7-9

2008-10-02T07:00:00.003-05:00

7. Cycling shoes must contain at least 80% white!
The following exceptions apply…
i) Colours combinations such as world cup stripes, or Olympic gold where title has been EARNED.
ii) Shoes which are custom-made for specific riders by companies endorsed by this group. These shoes will be accessible to the particular cyclist only, and shall follow the preceding rules.

8. If white cycling shoes are not available where you reside, white booties with prominent logos shall always be worn. When booties are worn, socks should protrude approximately 7 centimetres above the ankle, and shall always protrude at least 1.5cm from any booties worn.

9. Your bike frame must contain 2-4 colours IN ADDITION TO WHITE. All colours are acceptable as long as they combine tastefully. In addition to this, wheel selection must also match frame and fork.

(From the Facebook group "The Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist.")

CX 101 on video: clothes

2008-10-02T06:16:00.002-05:00

-What head gear and shirt to wear in cyclocross biking

-What to gear for the elements in cyclocross biking

Race reports from Fall Fling (weekend #1)

2008-10-01T06:30:00.006-05:00

Overall results as of Sep. 28

Race reports:

Tamara Fraser (W-3, XXX) (September 27, 2008)
Raced the Fall Fling road race today. We started out with about 10 in the women's masters category -- mixed 40+, 50+, 60+ and 70+. I was feeling good and had no problem following the moves. By the second turn of our last lap, we were down to 5 -- and none of us were going to drop any of the others. It would come down to who could sprint the best after all the attacking on the hills after turn 3.

But before we got that far, the two women ahead of me touched wheels, one went down and took me out in the process. Which, c'mon! -there were only 5 of us! It shouldn't happen. But a moment of inattention, a bit of nerves . . . and there you are.

Team Tati:
Our little squad of novices provided more racers than any other team besides race host ABD, and more than half of our riders were racing newbies as of Friday. Everyone raced safely, and with style.

For those who care about such things, we enlisted team tactics in every event with more than one rider -- resulting in road race wins in M4 and M5 and criterium wins in W4 and M5. Several riders are contesting for omnium placing, and we've added $100 to the party fund, thanks to a total of seven podium places out of eight contested events!

Avi Neurohr (M-5, Cuttin Crew):

Road race: I hit a bump with one lap to go, my speedometer sensor starts clipping the front wheel, and since it's not mine, I don't take any chances. I pull over and fix it, but lose 40 seconds on the pack, at the wrong time. I waved off Brean because it would have damaged both of our chances to finish well. So I practice my time trialing, come in 34th, and my hope for GC glory is dashed.

Crit: I decided to race Beginners/Cat 5 as well. Ten laps, and three in, Team Tati executed a move after the hill in turns 3/4, and came through with two hot riders. The second one sat up, and I was a couple spots back, and thought "No Fucking Way" and came around him. Unfortunately the guys in first and second either couldn't or wouldn't chase the guy off the front (Turns out it was Brian Hague, who did the same in the Beginners RR the day before). His 5 meter gap grew and long story short, that kid can TT, nobody would pull through, and we were all left fighting for second. Seven of us separated from the bunch to contest the sprint, and though I thought I'd saved enough through the last climb into the wind, everyone else did too. 8th place. BFD. I thought this Cat wouldn't be so tough, but a sprint is a sprint, and I didn't have it today.

The plan for the 4s race was for me to "get near the front" with 5 to go, my teammates to find me, and me to lead somebody out. I was not in the best form during this race, and was really worried I'd let them down, but I stayed up front, slipped back here and there, chased a break once or twice, worked a bit, backed off a bit, and decided to go for a prime even though the one guy chasing it was already 20 meters ahead when I decided (missed it by a wheel or so).

1/4 of the way throught the final lap, I managed to find myself in 4th, so THAT part of my mission was accomplished. A couple of strong guys from Mack were ahead of me, and two guys got separation while one Mack guy blocked me. I was determined not to let that happen again so I closed it up. I had no idea if either of my teammates were on my wheel, but I suspected I wouldn't make it to the lead out. Sure enough, I caught the leaders, but was swallowed with half a lap to go. Had one or both of them been on my wheel, it might have still kept them in the mix, but it didn't quite work out like that. Mike never made it up to me, Brean was close, but he had chased something down pretty hard with two to go and wasn't his usual sprinter's self. He came into turn three pretty hot and had to ease up, and got swept in too. He finished 24th, Mike at 30th, me at 32nd, and Trey (in his first crit) at 37th. Not exactly noteworthy, but Brean might still be one spot out of the money overall.

Patrick Brock (M-4, Team Extreme):

Okay position at the start, but got stalled as a rider in front of me didn't get clipped in on the first try. Field swarmed and relegated to the near rear of the field. Found the spots to move up in turn 3 and 4, but then would get pinched in turn 1. Tried some different lines but the field was too big to get the best lines and move up at the same time. On the bell lap I was 15 wheels back and the rider in front of me sat up and exploded. I was instantly swarmed. I yelled at him to move up as a big gap was being formed and I was unable to move myself as I was now boxed in. Finally was able to get around him after turn 2, but lost too much ground. Rolled in for 41st.

Ed Ekstrom (M-4, Tower Racing):

A Tati riders pulls to the front on the inside launching a teammate. This is where it’s nice to have teammates along for the ride. (Anyone up for next week for either the 4s or 40+?) I was about 6 or 7 back when I saw this happen. No one jumped. I considered it, but hey, its only one guy on lap 2, we’ll see him again. Even his coaches on the sidelines are saying “Not Yet.” I stay near the front following the teachings of BRB. A couple more attempts to jump, only to get eaten up within a lap. On lap 8 I am getting excited, I see a Tati uniform up ahead; we are back into a race for 1st place. We swallow up the Tati rider. Throughout the race, I see some team tactics at work from a couple of Teams. I do my best to bypass the blockers and stay up front. The effort pays off; I am riding 3rd on the final lap. After turn 2, I am riding 2nd. Before the race, I had planned on hitting it on turn 4. However during the race, I think back to the Chicago crit. – go earlier. I hit it shortly after turn 3 into the wind. As soon as I gun it, I see a line of 4 blue jerseys to my right who were in the process of passing on the outside. The first blue pulls off, I am about even with the rear wheel of the new leader now and gaining. I am feeling fresh and there is no way I am losing to this guy. I round turn 4 and give it everything and sprint the final 250m to the finish line thinking I have to keep this up just a little while longer. I pull away for a 2 length win. I did it. I won my first race. I give Case an update after the race – Tower wins. Pasquale asks how I did, I coolly mention that I won.

Hammering Hank (M-4, Tower Racing):

On the last lap leading up the hill it was pretty much all together. Or at least there was no breakaway. I am sure there was some carnage off the back, but it was still a very large group intact. This made it a challenge to get into position for the sprint. The centerline rule was being enforced (Mark M. got thrown out) and several riders were pulled. We had a nice lead out set up with me as the designated sprinter. We attacked a bit too soon and when it was my turn to go, we were to far out for me to crank it up. I waited for some wheels and followed several attacks, but didn’t have enough to finish strong. I have never been in a better position to win a race. Thanks to my team mates for setting me up.

Seth Meyer (M-1, XXX):

So I was trying to count how many rides (not even races–times just riding my bike) I have done since May this summer (the last time I was as gung-ho as I had been for years), and I think the number was 18. Needless to say, I didn’t expect much from kitting up for the Fall Fling Road Race today.

(...)

Actually, what was quite encouraging was when I was trying to bridge to the break of three with a couple other dudes, and I clocked 342W normalized for those five minutes. I was stoked to record that for the first time in a race back in March! Of course, even with some of the power there, what I learned was recovery time was not! I pretty much blew up, died, and rode the rest of the race at the back of the field–a sure sign I’m out of form–but at least I know something’s there.

News and links 9-30-08

2008-09-30T06:31:00.005-05:00

One more venue to follow the pros: universalsports.com (via Belgium Knee Warmers).
The Sears Tower new bike sharing program: "It's very easy, and it's often quicker," said Dempsey, who's not afraid to bike in a suit. "We find it to be a great convenience to our tenants." Read the article in the Sun Times. (Via CBF.)
Factories are miracle places. Raw, ugly materials come in, get through complicated machines, and come out turned into elaborate objects. I still remember when I was a little kid and visited my dad's yarn factory. The giant, noisy machines torsioned and pulled the raw fibers at a maddening pace, and yet managed to produce the most delicate yarn. All amid the scent of cotton, wool or synthetic fibers, mixed with the intense odour of lubricating oil. The same characteristic smell that my dad would bring home on his clothes. All these memories were coming back as I was watching this 15-min movie about Brooks, the English maker of saddles. Plus, it has increased my appreciation for such a fine product. (Not that Brooks is my style at all, but still.) (Via Cyclelicious.):
The company was started in 1866 as a leather trading company. In 1878, the company founder and president, J.B. Brooks, was riding his horse to work when the horse died. He couldn't afford a new horse, so he borrowed a friend's bicycle to get around and was immediately horrified at the uncomfortable saddle. He created the B-1, the B-2 and then finally the B-17 was introduced in the 1890s. The B-17 is now the oldest saddle design still in production.

Brooks uses only British cows (yes, they really said that in the video) to ensure the highest quality, consistent thickness and the "finish we require." The saddles are assembled by hand in their ancient factory in England; they even drive the copper rivets in with hand held hammers and polish the finished saddles by hand.
Check out the preview of the sexy "Ladies of Team Pegasus 2009 Calendar." I think I really want one of those (calendars, I mean).

This is a Pin I could ride (and actually afford)

2008-09-30T06:20:00.002-05:00

This is the FP3, which in 2009 replaces the FP5. The picture shows the orange version, although as you can see the amount of orange is kept to a minimum. It also comes in white, blue, red and pink.

Specs:

# Frameset: Pinarello FP3 Full Carbon 12K
# Fork: Pinarello FP3 Full Carbon 12K
# Brakes: Shimano Ultegra
# Shifters: Shimano Dura Ace 2008
# Crank: M.O.s.t. Lynx CE Megan
# Front Deraileur: Shimano Dura Ace 2008
# Rear Deraileur: Shimano Dura Ace 2008
# Cassette: Shimano Ultegra
# Chain: Shimano Ultegra
# Headset: Pinarello
# Stem: M.O.s.t. Tigermax 3K carbon painted stem
# Handlebar: M.O.s.t. Xylon aluminum painted
# Seatpost: M.O.s.t. Tail C-Alu painted seatpost
# Saddle: M.O.s.t. Leopard
# Wheels: M.O.s.t. Chall
# Tires: Continental Ultra Sport 700x23 Pinarello

So it's a mix of DA, Ultegra and M.O.s.t., Pinarello's own line of componentry. Of course I'd prefer a different choice of wheels, stem, seatpost, headset, etc.

The frame is the 30HM12K, i.e. the less expensive version of the Prince's 50HM1K. The bike costs $3,800 as it is, and it weights 17.3lbs. The Prince's frame weighs about 200 grams less than the FP3's, but costs $5,500, just for the frame and fork.

Odd stuff from Interbike

2008-09-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

Velocity goes nuts with the graphics (via Bike Rumor).
Bikes made of bamboo (via Bike Rumor).
Somebody had a turtlehead of an idea (via Bike Rumor).
The people who brought us the egg beaters re-invent the wheel (via Bike Rumor).
Is this frame UCI-legal? (by Ron Cook, M-3, Project 5).

Lance Armstrong can help fix the financial system...

2008-09-26T07:10:00.008-05:00

...after he saves the world from cancer.

Well, not quite. Lehman Brothers, the investment bank that recently went bankrupt amid the turmoil in the financial markets, bought 40% of SRAM in August. Due to Lance's mass appeal, the bank invited him to participate in the deal, which he did, investing several million dollars into SRAM. (By the way, this means that every time you buy SRAM components you are putting a few dimes in Lance's pockets. I'll let you decide whether that's a good or a bad thing.)

All this happened well before anybody knew that Lance was coming back, and also before Lehman went down. But SRAM was already the provider of gruppos for Astana. Had Lance already decided, back in August, that he'd return to pro racing? Lehman, of course, should be really happy about his return, since a racing Lance will boost SRAM's business much more than a retired Lance. But Armstrong will be doing pretty good for himself too, since he owns part of SRAM. Will he?

SRAM will reach sales of around $500 million this year. I don't know what the margins in this industry are, but I'm going to assume that SRAM can make $25 million in net profits. (I'll do a reality check of this assumption if I can get data somewhere.) Suppose that Lance owns a 1% of SRAM. That would have cost him $5mm in August, since Lehman paid $200mm for a 40%, so it seems reasonable. (I also happen to know that Lance's stake in Trek is around 1%.) That leaves him with $250K in income from dividends or retained earnings. That's before the "Lance effect," which most likely will boost SRAM's sales and profits. Sales have been growing at 15-20% in the past, so they will increase at least as much in the medium term. In any case, under a million over the next one or two years. A very nice little something for most of us mortals but nothing to write home about for a super-star.

* * *

On a related topic, Contador mustn't be sleeping very well these days--both he and Armstrong, now teammates in Astana, are going for the Tour in 2009. If you ask me, I'd say that Lance should just create his own team. He can take Bruyneel and the old teammates who are now racing for Astana, and just leave Contador and Astana alone. After all, Lance doesn't want money, right? It shouldn't be difficult to find a sponsor who can pony up the salaries of his teammates. Regardless of what happens, Leipheimer is in a difficult spot. He's too good, too old and too proud to work as domestique for anyone, and he should find a new home where he, finally, can wear the pants.

Cyclingnews article.

WSJ article:

Lehman's a Fan of Lance (Wall Street Journal, 9/25/2008)

by Peter Lattman

Here's one unexpected fan cheering Lance Armstrong's return to professional cycling: Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

The collapsed investment bank recently agreed to make a large investment in a high-end bicycle-components maker. That manufacturer stands to benefit from Mr. Armstrong's plan, announced Wednesday, to join a Kazakhstan-based racing team next year.

Team Astana uses components made by a Chicago company called SRAM Corp. That is big news in the cycling world, given that Mr. Armstrong spent much of his career using gears, brakes and other components made by Shimano Inc. of Japan.
[Lance Armstrong, speaking Wednesday at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, where he also announced that he is switching teams - and bicycle components - to the delight of Lehman Brothers.] Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Lance Armstrong, speaking Wednesday at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, where he also announced that he is switching teams -- and bicycle components -- to the delight of Lehman Brothers.

It is a jolt of good news for Lehman, whose private-equity arm, Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking, struck a deal last month to buy 40% of the company for about $200 million. With its parent in Chapter 11 bankruptcy-court protection, the unit is scrambling to close the deal. Charlie Moore, a managing director of Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking, said he is confident it will close the first week of October.

Mr. Armstrong is investing several million dollars into SRAM, where he will serve as a technical adviser. He has agreed to use SRAM components when he races. A full set of top-of-the-line SRAM road-bike components retails for about $2,000.

The competition for a stake in SRAM had been hotly contested, with about 20 private-equity firms -- including Bear Stearns Merchant Banking, TA Associates Inc. and Carlyle Group LLC -- taking a close look at the company.

Lehman's private-equity team had a unique angle on the deal. The head of the unit, Charlie Ayers, had met Mr. Armstrong in the summer of 2007 at a Rolling Stones concert in Rome they were attending with a mutual friend. When Lehman started looking at SRAM, Mr. Ayers emailed Mr. Armstrong asking if he would be interested in helping Lehman take a look at the company.

As the sales process progressed, Lehman offered Mr. Armstrong an opportunity to co-invest. They also discussed ways to expand Mr. Armstrong's role, at which point Lehman introduced Mr. Armstrong to SRAM's co-founder and Chief Executive Stan Day.

Mr. Day said his choosing Lehman as a partner had little, if anything, to do with Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Day said he was initially wary of Mr. Armstrong's involvement, because the seven-time Tour de France winner had long used Shimano's components, and Mr. Day thought it would be awkward to have him as an investor. Shimano is more than twice the size of SRAM, which is expected to generate roughly $500 million in revenue this year.

But earlier this month, Mr. Armstrong surprised the cycling world -- and SRAM and Lehman Brothers -- when he announced that he will come out of retirement and return to competition.

"The funny thing, when we did the deal with Lance we were unaware that he was planning to return to competitive cycling," said Lehman's Mr. Moore. "It's serendipitous."

Now that Mr. Armstrong is returning to the sport and making the switch to SRAM components, Mr. Day is thrilled to have him on board. "You've got the former world's best coming back and switching components," said Mr. Day. "What a vote of confidence."

Whether Mr. Armstrong can return to his victorious ways is another issue. At a news conference Wednesday, Mr. Armstrong was circumspect about his prospects. "Honestly, I don't know. I've been off the bike three years," said the 37-year-old Mr. Armstrong. " I have a fair bit of confidence, but I don't have that kind of confidence, yet."

Write to Peter Lattman at peter.lattman@wsj.com

This weekend's events

2008-09-26T07:00:00.003-05:00

Aside from the obvious choice (Fall Fling), there is two days of CX racing up in Sun Prairie, WI, which is part of the Wisconsin Cyclocross Cup. No Chicago Cross Cup this weekend.

Take that, Mr. Annoying Spectator!!

2008-09-25T07:10:00.002-05:00

(The cyclist is Juan Antonio Flecha. Hat tip to June Upshaw.)

CX 101 on video: tires

2008-09-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

From watching cyclists prepare their bikes at Jackson Park, I can tell that tire pressure is more important in cyclocross than it is in road racing. Let's hear what Mickey Denoncourt has to say:

-How to adjust cyclocross clincher tire pressure

-How to adjust cyclocross tubular tire pressure

Aside from tire pressure, bike tread may play an important role under extreme conditions:

-How to select a cyclocross bike tire tread

A few words on why you should keep a spare set of tires:

-Why you should have a spare set of tires

Jackson Park

2008-09-24T07:00:00.002-05:00

The first event of the Chicago Cross Cup seems to have left everyone happy and hungry for more. The race didn't quite fit the epic image I have of cyclocross: treacherous courses, clammy weather and rugged riders doing their best to survive. Instead, we had sun, heat and grass--which I guess is not the end of the world. I had a pretty good time as spectator, and I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone when I send this message to XXX Racing: THANK YOU for putting on this event, one more time.

Provisional results are now posted on the race's website.

Kevin Clark (M-3, Half Acre) DNFed due to a little, er..., contact-point issue: " I could've castrated myself if I'd kept racing..." The good news is "I will be fully prepared by the beginning of next month... both me and my equipment. Word."

Naz Hamid (M-4, Half Acre): "I take Jeff’s bike out from under him but he’s upright. I get up and what we’re presented with is comical almost. My STI lever has one of his spokes sandwiched between the brake lever and shifter lever. My handlebar is somehow in between his rear wheel and his seat stay. We spend a minute or two trying to untangle, me, sorry, and Jeff saying, “We can do this.” And we do. All it takes is us moving the wheel in reverse, exactly the opposite way it happened. And we’re out. Jeff is off and I’m trying to go but the bike doesn’t move. I lose another minute. My front wheel isn’t moving. What?! My right canti arm is pushed in and the pad has moved past the rim and into the wheel, under the braking surface. I tug as hard as I can while flexing the wheel to the outside left and manage to get the canti arm free."

Erik Didriksen (M-4, XXX) had some problems with his chain, which made him lose position, but that doesn't seem to discourage him: "Before I raced, I wasn't sure if I'd like cyclocross. I found that answer in Jackson Park. :)"

Tamara Fraser (W-4, XXX)/Brenda placed really well for a first timer! She thinks she had a little trouble with the mounts and dismounts. I did see her struggle at the fast barrier and nod her head in frustration, but "Can't wait for the next cross race! In the meantime, lots of practice getting on and off the bike."

Jeff Holland (M-3, XXX) had a very long day, as he was one of the handful of XXX folks who participated in the set-up/tear-down work for the event. He didn't seem very happy with one of his fellow racers: "Not just a bike weave in front of you move, but a full-on, change-of-line, take you out move. Nice, that cost me at least 5 spots 10m into the race. Karma would come back to haunt that guy, as he was taken out of the lead by a mechanical." And yet: "I was pretty happy with my placing given that was my first 3's race and only my third cross race ever."

Avi Neurhor (Masters 30, XXX) got a kick out of beating a lot of guys with his $100 singlespeed. Indeed, he finished 17th in a 35+ field.

Team Tati added some (orange) color to the race, with their orange bikes, orange helmets, and orange argyle socks. Carly Schuster and Sophia Lee placed 6th and 7th, respectively, in the women's 4. Brian Hague, the triathlete/spear-fisherman, won this his first CX race ever--which, by the way, was also the first time he was riding a CX bike. Patrick Myers had major mechanicals, meaning "cranks and seatposts falling off;" otherwise he would have been in the top ten for sure. Tim "Il Pirata" Belton placed 2nd in the Men's 50+. Directeur Sportif J comments: "There was orange argyle. Several Tatitos rode the course on their road bikes. Half of our racers rode borrowed bikes, and at least three had never even sat on a cross bike ten minutes before their start time."

Beverly Bike/Vee Pak: "All in all the day went very well for us. While the DQ for Tony really sucked, it was nice to see him ride an aggressive race and even throw in a bike change. As for myself, I hesitated a bit in passing people at times and had to remind myself not to sit in, sometimes out loud. Elvis and Jim rode strong races and except for a mechanical from Jim finished well. We still need a bit more fine tuning to bump up our finishing positions, but overall I think everyone was satisfied." Apparently Tony was disqualified "because he accepted a hand up of water." I saw worse things at that race.

I think that's all. I you have comments/reviews/links, please chip in in the comments.

Euro Cyclist Club, rules 4-6

2008-09-23T07:03:00.002-05:00

4. Legs will be SHAVED year-round. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS. Certain hair removal creams are endorsed only on a case-by-case basis. One shall never show up to a race (large or small) with ANY AMOUNT of stubble visible on legs.

5. A prominent line where your kit ends and where your tan begins is essential to your image. Artificial tanning is BANNED. The tan SHALL reflect the level of training commitment.

(Here's Belgium Knee Warmers' endorsement of The Tan.)

6. The Socks must extend no less than 2cm below the main bulge of your calf muscle, and shall never extend further than 1cm past the primary calf muscle bulge. All socks SHALL BE WHITE in colour with prominent logo placement.

Tomorrow I'll post a roundup of race reports from Jackson Park.

News and links 9-23-08

2008-09-23T07:00:00.004-05:00

Chris Padfield will switch from pink and black to green and black, after joining Get a Grip. It looks like the GAG guys are gonna have a terrific men's 3 squadra next year. Off the top of my head: Aspen, Chip, Charles and Chris himself. Let's hope Jon gets well soon and can tear it up with the 3's too.
If you don't have the $ for a professional bike fit in a shop (and your team's bike shop doesn't provide them free) this DVD may be useful. (Hat tip to Bike Rumor.)
For those of you going to Worlds in Varese next weekend (or actually any other race you need to fly to), some airlines are not accepting bike boxes bigger than 80 linear inches at all. I repeat: they are not accepting boxes bigger than 80 linear inches at all. Linear dimensions are the sum of box the dimensions (height+width+length). FYI: Most bike boxes are bigger than 80 linear inches. Cyclelicious also lists the fees charged by the airlines to carry a bike or oversized box.

This weekend's events

2008-09-19T07:00:00.001-05:00

My earlier weather forecast will most likely be wrong. It'll probably be sunny and dry for the rest of the week. No mud then at Jackson Park. Smile or cry, whatever you prefer.

A short video from last year's race:

For those disinclined to riding off-road, let me suggest that you join the North Shore Century ride. It starts in Evanston and, if the route hasn't changed, takes you all the way to Kenosha, WI. Food aplenty, friendly riders and pretty roads (some of the time). Part of the route feels like a real estate tour of the north suburbs.

My new cycling club

2008-09-18T07:00:00.002-05:00

After watching four or five episodes of Over Drive, I have decided that Shinozaki is a sissy with Asperger syndrome, Yuki is too bi-polar, and Yuki's brother is just sick. If you like the show, however, gorge here.

Now I would like to introduce you to my new cycling club: the Euro Cyclist Club, which I just discovered in Facebook*. Members must adhere to a set of 50+ rules in order to join the select group of Euro cycling divos. With the noble goal of meeting the quota of pointless content of Morning Roll, I will reproduce those rules here, a few at a time.

The rules may not cover every possible aspect of a Euro Cyclist's attire and behavior. When in doubt, ask yourself: "What would Il Bello do?"

********* -THE OFFICIAL EURO CYCLIST CODE OF CONDUCT- *********
(from the Facebook group "THE OFFICIAL EURO CYCLIST CODE OF CONDUCT")

Created by Dom Guiver and Mike Flavell

1. Image and style shall be your primary concern. When suffering, one must focus first on maintaining a cool, even composure, and second on performance. Winning races is an added talent, and only counts if said euro cyclist wins with appropriate style.

2. Training is based solely on feel, while racing is to be guided by sensations and instinct. The Euro Cyclist will never accept tried or tested scientific training methods.

3. You shall NEVER, under any circumstances, wear plain black spandex bibs (shorts, regardless of color, are BANNED) or any team kit containing non-prominent logos. Shorts will extend approximately 2/3rds of the way down the upper leg. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE shall they extend any further! The bib shorts will have a compression band at the bottom, in a different color.

*The Euro Cyclist group is an actual Facebook group. Look it up if you're a Facebook member.

CX 101 on video: CX bicycles

2008-09-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

News and links 9-16-08

2008-09-16T07:30:00.010-05:00

Considering that the wet weather is supposed to continue throughout the week in Chicago, it's likely that you guys encounter some MUD at Jackson Park. Some advice from Beverly Bike/Vee Pak:
Using your front brake in the corners becomes a very bad idea, subtle weight shifts and trusting that your tires will work takes a lot of practice, but the time saved in each corner can be the difference between sprinting out of every corner or simply carrying your speed through it. If you do have to brake when entering a corner, make sure you do so before getting there. Almost any amount of front wheel braking in a wet corner will cause the wheel to wash out. Instead, brake before you get to the corner, lean the bike, weight the outside pedal, then accelerate out of the corner. Following this technique will almost surely keep you upright and in the race.
A bike-sicle. Notice the orange rear wheel.

Today's Matteson practice crits have been cancelled. There won't be any more practice crits after this week either. A big thanks to the South Wheelmen club for holding this series of training races again this year.
Hypnotize yourself to the top of the podium with this CD, which is endorsed by Leipheimer. No kidding. (Via Bike Rumor.) It's supposed to be the only cycling-specific psychology tool in the market.
Barcelona will host TWO stages of the Tour de France 2009. The city will be the endpoint of a stage starting in ~~Perpignan~~ Girona, and the beginning of the following stage, which will head towards the Pyrenees. Hmmmm... the pro peloton hanging out in Barcelona, for two days, in July. And I haven't been home for soooo long. Time to book my tickets?
I'm not into downhill MTB at all, but I have to admit that this looks pretty sick:

Do you wanna smell like a Japanese bike messenger lady? Here's the thing for you... (Via cyclelicious.)

(With no racing in sight, I know that I need to fill the "News and links" post with useless stuff, but that last one crossed the line...)

Highs and lows

2008-09-15T07:30:00.002-05:00

So it seems that my racing season is over. No cyclocross. In fact no riding at all for a little longer. Time, then, to put together "The Best (and the Worst) Of".

Overall, the season was great thanks to my team. I had a group of people with whom I actually trained and raced. And a directeur sportif. And real sponsors. And practice criteriums at Calumet. And team meetings. Cycling would have been half as fun without Team Tati for me.

The high point

I can't decide. I felt really good at Sherman Park. Usually, in a race, I find myself desperately trying to cling on to the fragile thread that ties me to the wheel in front of me. It's a rare occasion when following that wheel is effortless, but it happened at Sherman Park. It was even better: I felt so well that I got bored and I was compelled to chitchat with people around me--during two different races. I should have tried a flier with half a lap to go.

The second high point was a particular training ride in Willow Springs, at the end of June I think. Matt, Dan, Andrew, Taewon, Bernard, J, and probably a couple of other guys were there. The weather was gorgeous and the guys (and I) went bonkers attacking each other over and over and over. I think the endorphines from that ride still linger in my body.

The low point

My season actually ended on August 6, but I didn't know it back then. A deer crossed the road one Saturday when I was riding with the guys, near Willow Springs too. I braked hard, blocked the front wheel and went over the handlebars, landing on my left side. The low point of the season was the time I spent by the local Seven-Eleven, brooding over the ugly bump on my shoulder, fearing the worst, and waiting for somebody to pick me up. Miserable.

I am very thankful, though, to the guys who took care of me then. Joe bought me some ibuprofen, Sarah got me a baggie to ice my shoulder, Andreas tried to cheer me up, and Jeff and his wife took me home in their car.

The injury wasn't too bad. Just bad enough that a doctor says I have to keep my arm in a sling for six weeks (can you hear my eyes rolling?) and then do some rehab exercises. Just bad enough to keep me off the bike for two months. But I'm supposed to be as good as new once I strengthen my arm and shoulder.

Next season

I will race more, especially road races. This year I missed some due to injury (Whitewater, Oak Brook) and others due to lack of fitness (Spring Prairie).

I will in better condition. By January 1 I will have reached my cycling weight (drop those chips right now, mister!). And I'll ride through the winter, unlike last year. And by early March I will be riding a beautiful, fast, super-light road bike. Well, the new rig is not crucial, but it helps to stay motivated through the winter, doesn't it? Hopefully I'll get some collegiate races in during March with UCVC, and will be ready to roll for Hillsboro-Roubaix. That's the plan.

CX clinic+bike swap+polo

2008-09-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow (Saturday 9/13), IIT and Cycle Smithy are hosting a bike swap and a cyclocross tutorial. Both activities start at 9am. The tutorial for beginners goes from 9 through 12, whereas advanced CX riders can polish their skills from 1 through 4. Coach Ben Turner, manager of TIAA-CREF, will lead the sessions.

With no racing in a 200-mile radius around Chicago, I can't imagine a better way to spend a Saturday morning.

They'll also host some three-on-three bike polo, on grass.

Registration closing tonight at nine. Admission to the swap costs five bucks. The CX session costs $45 if you purchase it in advance ($55 at the door). Registration includes lunch and Hammer samples.

CX 101 on video: Racing tips II

2008-09-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

1) How to analyze the course

2) Pre-race strategies (eat, drink, warm-up. Mickey is a big fan of coffee too.)

3) Terrain considerations

4) Race tactics

Eddy Merckx returns to professional racing

2008-09-10T07:15:00.003-05:00

Tells somebody he doesn't need a team

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon and in an article published on Weekly World News, Eddy Merckx announced that he will return to professional road racing in 2009, including making a run at winning a sixth Tour de France.

“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my grandchildren, my grand grandchildren, and especially with my son Axel --himself retired from pro racing in 2007--, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of... err... well, I´m returning for my own glory, what the heck," Merckx said in a statement released Tuesday.

Merckx had an interview with Weekly World News, apparently the only publication who would print this information. He will hold a news conference Sept. 24 in the village of Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium, to which reporters from around the world are still figuring out how to arrive.

In the Weekly World News article, Merckx also says that he’s “one hundred and four percent” going to compete in the Tour de France next summer and that his age — he is 63 — will not be a factor.

“Look at other athletes," Merckx told the newspaper. "There's that guy... errr... I forgot his name. He´s like, 50, and he won the pétanque gold medal again last year. The woman who won the World Snooker Championships this year was 43. I´m just a couple of years older. Older athletes are performing very well. Ask serious sports physiologists and they’ll tell you that age is bullsh**.”

Merckx has spent the last few years fooling around with singers and other starlets, and hanging out with the stars in the French Riviera.

The now-toothless Cannibal told the newspaper that he decided to return to racing after training and coming in second behind "some dude" at his village training race last month.

Merckx told Weekly World News his return to racing would be with a team run by and composed of exclusively himself. "I don't need no stinkin' managers." His old teammates at Molteni, now in their 60´s and 70´s, excluded themselves from a hypothetical Merckx team saying that they "didn´t think they had another Tour in their legs."

This is a parody of this VeloNews article.

News and links 9-10-08

2008-09-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Beverly Bike/Vee Pak holds cyclocross practices every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm. I exchanged e-mails with somebody in their team, and he told me that the practices are open to everyone ("The more the merrier.") The course is not far from the expressway
"We meet at the Dan Ryan Woods Forest Preserve on 87th just west of Damen."
and it sounds like fun
"We have created a challenging technical course including barriers, off camber sections, asphalt and a nearly 60 foot climb."
If you have questions, e-mail them to beverlybike_veepak@yahoo.com.
The Chainlink is an open network of Chicago cyclists. Check it out and join! The content is mostly related to commuting and recreational riding. Who's gonna start a similar network for Chicago racers? It's really easy with Ning. (Hat tip to K, from Spidermonkey.)
If you ever have a traffic accident while riding your bike, contact the law offices of James Freeman:
The Law Offices of James Freeman
120 S. State Street, Suite 200
Chicago, Illinois 60603
(312) 629-1901
Fax (800) 619-7319
He specializes in bike-related accidents. He can usually do something even in hit-and-run cases. Visit his blog.
Reports from the ABD TTT championships: Tamara (W-3, XXX), Brian Morrissey (M-4, XXX) and Jeff Holland (M-3, XXX), and Debbie Dust, who writes a review of her teammates' TTT.
Report from Junior Nationals by Jessica Prinner (W-3, ABD). She placed third in the ITT and second in the criterium.

La Vuelta in posters, 1979-2007*

2008-09-09T07:10:00.002-05:00

*Sorry, I couldn't find the posters for editions prior to 1979.

Click on each thumbnail picture to enlarge.

Less than two weeks now...

2008-09-08T08:15:00.002-05:00

If this doesn't get you fired up, nothing will... (Via Beverly Bike-Vee Pak.)
(The image of the guy slapping himself around 0:57 is priceless.)

CX 101 on video: Racing tips I

2008-09-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

Vuelta online

2008-09-06T10:48:00.003-05:00

Live and free (in Spanish): http://www.justin.tv/mundodeporteonline1

Comments by Carlos de Andrés (mostly) and Perico Delgado (some).

Registration for Fall Fling now open

2008-09-06T08:53:00.008-05:00

Registration here.

Road Race: September 27 (worth double points!!!)
Crit #1: September 28
TT: October 4
Crit #2: October 5

From ABD:

The ABD Cycle Club and GEARGRINDER clothing are proud to announce the final details on Illinois final Road event of the 2008 season: the 6th annual Fall Fling! The Fling is a four-race series based on points and features over $9,000 in cash and prizes with $4,000 exclusively for Masters Men and Women over 40!

Riders who register by Sunday, September 21st can race all four races for $80, just $20 each! Registration is available online at Active.com or by mailing in the official Fall Fling waiver.

A change of note for 2008, the series kicks off on Saturday, September 27 with the Westlake Village Road Race rather than the traditional time trial. The Road Race is worth double points in the series and is held on a challenging 8-mile loop west of Rockford, Illinois. Stage two on Sunday, September 28 is Criterium #1 on the Wood Dale North Course. The 10-mile Maple Park Time Trial has now moved to stage three on Saturday, October 4 and gives many riders the opportunity to compare their fitness to their spring results. It all wraps up with the Criterium Finale on Sunday, October 5 and held on the classic Wood Dale South Course.

A special thanks to the Redline Racing Club for their support of ABD and cooperation in helping us to utilize the Wood Dale race courses!

The ABD Cycle Club is one of the Chicago area’s largest cycling clubs. Originally focusing on the development of young and talented riders, the ABD has grown to include riders of all ages and at all ability levels. Today, the ABD works to attract riders to the sport of competitive cycling by offering a variety of grassroots racing events designed to be fun, challenging and easily accessible.

Born out of the cycling culture, GEARGRINDER was launched with a purpose of creating a distinctive line of products for the part of life spent off the bike. Their designs utilize many of the features, technologies and styles found in cycling gear and adapts them in its unique line of casual, lifestyle clothing and accessories. Their mission is to enhance the lives of their customers, fellow riders and the cycling community at large through selling relevant, high quality, ethically-made products, and use the proceeds to support the sport of cycling and organizations that use the bicycle to improve the quality of life for all.

Weekend CX fun

2008-09-06T08:00:00.005-05:00

I don't know how important this race is, but the camerawork is professional and the guys look very fast. Plus, it seems to be in Belgium, so it's gotta be good.

And for the sake of gender parity... (This looks insane, I promise.)

Race reports from the Gateway Cup

2008-09-05T07:50:00.003-05:00

"RacerX" of Project5 Racing (Buffalo Grove), got unlucky in St. Louis, breaking his clavicle... His report is rather long, but here's an excerpt:

Coming out of turn 2 I’m sitting in the middle and riders are moving up on both sides and as the front have slowed. I grab a wheel on the left side and we move up the field; my partner inserts himself back into the main field as we approach turn 3. I’m sitting directly beside the rider he’s jumped in front of as we set up for the left hander (all 4 corners are lefts). I’ve obviously got the inside line, but as we are quickly closing on the corner he’s not moving over and we touch shoulders. I’m not giving an inch either as I start to lean in, maintaining speed and position. In the dark I’d not seen the fact that the crowd barriers were positioned right on the curb and the slant of the land had them slightly angled in toward the course. I realize it’s going to be tight, but damn it I’ve got this line and I’m fully committed. My left shoulder brushes the barrier and for an instant I think “that was close”, but just as quickly I’m down.

Chris Padfield (Pegasus), on the other hand, seems to have had a swell time:

Hello hello! I'm back and mostly decompressed from four days of hot weather and hot racing.

Fortunately for you I don't have the time or patience to churn out full reports for each day. Julian did a great job of capturing each day here.

With a little time and perspective I'm now looking back at these races as a great learning experience. With fields just shy of 150 each day these were without a doubt the fastest and most intense races I've ever been a part of. I was initially disappointed that I never cracked the top ten in any race, which had been a goal going into the weekend, but I finished each race with the pack and is good enough this time around. I can hang, I just need to refine a few things, such as being aggressive and fighting for position.

I now have the confidence that I can hang with 150 dudes blasting around and over whatever course is ahead of them. This was a real trial by fire, with the first night (emphasis on night), being seventh rung of hell hot. I have all the "I've Just Made It To Cat 3" jitters tossed out of me, just in time for winter.

I'm even more motivated now to come back and rock it next season.

Cat 3's, you've been warned.

CX 101 on video: Training techniques

2008-09-05T07:30:00.001-05:00

Dismounting, running up a hill, remounting: This sounds like something you would do over and over during a CX race, and it's a skill you can practice even if you don't have a hill nearby.

1) Sprinting drill

Doing double sets is necessary, since you will often find sets of two or three or more consecutive barriers in CX races:

2) Doing double sets

From what I've seen in videos, a good start is a huge advantage in CX races. Practice:

3) How to practice starting

News and links 9-4-08

2008-09-04T08:00:00.006-05:00

Fixed-gear, brakeless bikes in the hands of inexperienced cyclists, riding in traffic, are dangerous. Wow, who would have thought...? From the Chicago Tribune.

Garmin/Chipotle riders will ride Felt bikes at least till 2011 (via Bike Rumor).

If you happen to roll by Friederichshafen, Germany, this week, check out Eurobike, the self-proclaimed largest bike show in the world (via cyclelicious).

From San Pietro di Stabio: Assos of Switzerland launches Assos North America. In an effort to improve distribution, Assos is hiring its own sales representatives and marketing staff, and is opening a warehouse facility in the U.S. Up until now, Assos was distributed by Illinois-based Ochsner International, Inc. Continue reading here.

Half Acre Cycling's T-shirts ("The race, the ride and the fury") are now available to everyone.

Over Drive, episode 2

2008-09-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

Shinozaki's riding skills improve dramatically: He goes from being unable to ride a bike to bunnyhopping a motorcycle. He also wins his first "prime," a headband, which he promises to keep till the end of his days. Shinozaki asks his sweetheart Yuki to go on a ride with him, on the same bike, once he becomes the best rider in the world. Yuki doesn't mind... until Shinozaki explains that he'd like her to wear a bikini for the occasion.

1/3

2/3

3/3

A race report from West Lafayette RR

2008-09-03T18:03:00.006-05:00

Brian Boyle (M-3, XXX Racing)

No Haikus or Sufi love poetry or conversations with you tube links. Though I hope you enjoy them. Myself, Brian Smith and Jason Sutherland, resident of Gary did the West Lafayette RR (Men’s 3/4). Our race was 48 miles. A six mile ride to the laps. The laps were a rectangle all right hands with a hill. Brian and Brian did a lot of talk on strategy. We know Jason as a strong rider from the NWI group rides and Matteson. Jason was a very accomplished junior who is coming back into competitive cycling. Our thoughts were similar to last week at Rum Village - BB sets tempo and chases and does a lead out for Brian. Jason we would give the freedom to help, be helped by us, race a good race, see what he could do. Well - I did my usual stuff en masse if that is the right way to put it. Jason did a flyer, BB did a flyer and Brian also did a flyer. The course suited a pack finish......with the exception of one four pack break, it looked like a pack finish. With 2 miles or so left in the 3rd lap, I went to the front to pull, nobody pulled thru and there I went....off the front. I held a large gap to varying degrees. A solo bridge to me from Sam of new United South Shore Racing (Lake and Porter County team). Continue reading here.

About

2008-09-03T10:39:00.002-05:00

Contact: morningrollblog [at] gmail [dot] com

I am a cat4 road racer, pedaling in Chicago, IL, USA. I am a member of both Team Tati and the University of Chicago Velo Club.

As of today (Sept. 3, 2008), I haven't decided what Morning Roll should be about. There are too many things I'm interested in: cycling gear, races around Chicago, pro racing, gossiping about the pros, etc., etc.

If I should put my eyes where I want my bike to go, as they say, then this blog should focus on amateur racing, specifically in the Chicago area. We'll see.

And why "Morning Roll"? A morning roll is

1. The reason why I get up at 5.30am, as in "Let's meet up at the bike shop at 6 for a morning roll."

2. The hypercaloric pastry that I am allowed to eat after it, as in "Let's stop at BonJour Bakery for a morning roll."

Morning Roll

Montrose CX

Good news from the collegiate front

Awesomeness took the shape of a hat

Disconnected notes from Carpentersville CX (and photos)

Roberto is back!

New PR!

Quiet glory

Photos!

No-coffee coffee ride

Riding in Spain!

Dairyland Dare: report and results

I have ADD*

Testing

Dolan cyclocross bike

CX videos: That´s all well and good in practice...

The Rider

Ortlieb Mud-Racer saddle bag: a review

A mysterious saddle

Elgin road race

"I've done those climbs!!!!" or "Reminiscing"

Report from Whitewater road race

That's the way I roll

South Side 'Cross

My baby is here

Happy Thanksgiving!

What people said about Woodstock

News and links 11-24-08

Collected tales from Lansing

The Wall Tax

News and links 11-18-08

Euro cyclist club rules #25-27

Nifty stuff

Stories from Northbrook

Race results and 2009 calendar

Katy

Euro cyclist club rules #22-24

News and links 11-5-08

Rave reviews of the St. Charles course

Stuff to do this winter

October's riding stats

Euro cyclist club rules #19-21

News and links 10-29-08

The weekend's (lack of) adventures

What should I do?

Euro cyclist club rules #16-18

Money well spent

Urgent announcement

Race reports from Carpentersville

News and links 10-21-08

EPO

Euro Cyclist Club rules #13-15

This wekend's events 10-17-2008

In praise of the Morning Roll

CX 101 on video: Recap

News and links 10-13-08

Euro Cyclist Club Rules #10-12

Racing reports from Fall Fling: weekend #2

My ridiculous team kit

Fall Fling's team classification

So much to lose

This weekend's events

Euro Cyclist Club, rules 7-9

CX 101 on video: clothes

Race reports from Fall Fling (weekend #1)

News and links 9-30-08

This is a Pin I could ride (and actually afford)

Odd stuff from Interbike

Lance Armstrong can help fix the financial system...

This weekend's events

Take that, Mr. Annoying Spectator!!

CX 101 on video: tires

Jackson Park

Euro Cyclist Club, rules 4-6

News and links 9-23-08

Blogroll

This weekend's events

My new cycling club

CX 101 on video: CX bicycles

News and links 9-16-08