deathlap: misadventures in cyclocross mediocrity

2010-01-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

new direction

thanks for reading

2009-11-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

Go easy

photo taken by Andrew Yeoman.

You will be greatly missed

2009-11-13T21:34:00.001-08:00

CROSS II The Hecklers from Paul Michna on Vimeo.

2009-11-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Good Things

1. This Sunday: http://chicrosscup.com/2009/11/06/northbrook-preview/

2. Next weekend:

do yourselves a favor and read this as well:

SUPER-GIRL APPROVED

cheers

2009-11-05T07:49:00.001-08:00

Nervous Breakdown (A la Keith Morris)

What a great song to start the day with - pretty much on any day too! Getting prepped for the course set-up this Saturday/Sunday, and pretty stoked to hear what the racers will have to say about it. A few changes from last year's design, but the changes only add to the sweetness that is lung-busting, switch-backed, run-up, goodness.

The shit thing: I will not be racing. Not just this weekend, but at all this season. I picked up a cast for my right hand while chasing my dog around the house. Puppies are quick, and better skilled at cornering (which is my weakness to begin with!). Hand + bannister = 30 days in a cast, up to 90 days no hard cycling. Side note: sitting on a training for 15 minutes at an easy pace is somewhat embarrassing, but it is what it is.

So I am trying to figure out next season planning already. There is only so much reading about cycling I can do before I want to put in a good long road ride or tinker around the local trails on my cross bike. It's like being in a small red, fiberglass cage that smells like a wet gym sock you found in your hall locker on the last day of school. Thank Walgreens for scented hand sanitizer.

See ya at Northbrook CX this weekend hopefully. And a few other local races. If I can't lose racing, I'll win spectating.

2009-09-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

(photo by NikkiCyp ) USGP Madison, WI

"Belgian Face Warmer"

I had a lot more going on outside of racing than I thought this weekend, but it was just as awesome. Maria and I headed up to a casino for our wedding party and hit the blackjack tables. Anyone who knows me knows that I have never been to a Casino.

We sat down at a $10 dollar table around 12am and walked away with 150% of what we sat down with around 2am. Pretty cool. That should help with the last minute wedding needs and a few other things.

I heard that the 'Cross race in Madison's Angell Park was once again sweet. Haven't seen many pictures outside the one of fellow teammate Jason above decked out in his lastest Belgium Face Warmer. Inspiring to say the least.

I am kind of burnt out on trying to stay in a cycling regimen at this time - I probably should have been more honest with myself regarding this once we decided to get a house. There is always something to do, and by the time we get back home each day, it is just too easy to lay on the floor and hang out with Fritz. I don't even have my tires glued up, or my frame re-built. I am mentally and physically shelled. Cycling has become a process for me, and a process that is being pushed farther and farther back. It has developed a nagging voice that I can hear right before I grab my bibs and shoes, and a discouraging one at that.

I will have Dog in a Hat (reading it again) along with me this trip for some motivation.

the odd thing: I am starting to enjoy running more. Maybe I should hop on the Stepplechase bandwagon before it becomes so popular it demands its own snarky internet forum.

2009-09-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to:

Our Wedding. After a year of decisions, planning, travel arrangements, stress, a new house, a new pup, more planning, a change here or there - our wedding is coming up fast. We have learned a lot about the process, the frustrations, the challenges, and the happiness that comes bundled with getting a wedding organized. Maria's parents have been awesome, as have mine, at making sure we are set and sane. Maria and I attended her Mom's family reunion this past weekend - it was a glimpse of the amount of people we will see Oct 3. Her mom is one of 12 siblings, whose father was one of 16 siblings. My pops has a sister; my mom was an only child. I continue to be amazed at how large Maria's family truly is.

I hope this needs no explanation. My favorite book as a kid. Do it justice, Jonez.

and of course, Cyclocross. I have completely fallen off the wagon as far as a training plan. The wedding/dog/house trifecta has taken its toll, but those are far from bad things. Works has ramped up as well for Fiscal Year End, and I have found myself just wanting to lay down next to my bike instead of pounding out a daily program when I get home. More rides on the road have given me a boost in attitude. Building the workbench for bikes/fly tying has helped a bit as well. Each year I tell myself "there is next season," and it is repeated like some annual mantra. Setting realistic goals when you have a full-time job, a wedding, a house, family, etc - I really need to do better. My goals are like dreams - totally floating in this ether of "there is always a chance that the 15-20 riders in front of you will all flat simultaneously." Time to shift my focus. No one but me races my bike or pays my bills...

2009-09-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Can O' Worms

So I am going to open this can: What is it that the ICA contributes to Illinois racing? So far I have only seen increased race fees. I know there are ICA supporters out there (for one reason or another), but I have a really hard time trying to figure out the services ICA will provide. I can appreciate a supportive Cycling initiative, but only if the results of higher race fees are truly visible in the community.

Anyone can say they support a certain aspect of cycling, but talk is cheap and the races are getting expensive.

fire away. I am all ears. No vaporware please.

2009-09-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

the beautiful secret

it's on one of those days that everything hits you all at once. not just the heavy issues - but everything. i typically find myself hidden away on my bike, cleaning a turn or tucking in for a head-wind stretch. the fuzzy mind slowly peels away like tissues in a slight breeze, revealing an underworking that has screamed for light since i-don't-know-when. it all just spills out in a stop-frame style, like the animation in the frosty the snowman tv specials - you want to believe it's real, but it is so jerky and wide-eyed to be anything else but the afterthoughts and slight dreams of a creative force left to sleep for too long. most folks can attest to a sensation of meditative existence during which we forgot we turned left then right and then hammered a straightaway for 20 minutes only to show up at home, sweaty, tired, and amazed that we cannot recall the operations necessary to get from where we were to where we are at the minute we arrive. the fact that the path we took to get home cannot be recalled but the rusted out mailbox or the broken vacuum with a sign that reads "will take best offer" rarely bothers us - often times we revel in it. that escape of the 'everyday' is a winter window left open. it is crisp and vital, and rare.

that, to me, is the beautiful secret.

it is now a new season, when an early saturday ride no longers means 630am at the local diner parking lot. I can hear soft cheers of families and kids at their soccer games. i can hear the distant call of geese, lofted above the road ahead. i can hear the snows of winter, slowly coming up behind me.

but most of all i can feel the awkward excitement of chilled mornings. i hear the clang of bells and the taunting words of fellow racers, lovingly belittling my every effort with the utmost concern.

2009-08-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Chicago Cyclocross Cup website revamp???

http://chicrosscup.com/ -
nice little chip-in on the churchcross racing.

totally missed the change over in webdesign - not on top of my game I guess.

cheers

2009-08-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

A quick one...

looks like there is a bit of pre-season 'Cross action on the horizon...

Check it

good times ahead.

2009-08-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Meet Fritz (not frites)

Here's Fritz. He is just over 8 weeks old. American Staffordshire/Rott/Boxer mix of a pup. Picked him up at a shelter in central IL. Great temperment and energy. I am excited for when he can take the leash a little better and go on runs!

welcome home, buddy - we are glad to have you!

2009-07-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

Dispelling the heat

What is it about embrocation that makes one brand better than another? Is it some secret basement tucked away in a cold, dark corner of Belgium? Some mythical, alchemical balance of flowers, oils, roots, grass, leftovers, what-have-you?

Embrocation comes in varying 'levels' of heat and from a variety of companies - Qoleum, Sixtus and Mad Alchemy are I have used before. Some boast claims like "tested on pro-athletes" (do I hear the grumblings of a some sort of liberation movement to free these pros from the confines of test labs?) to "use at your own risk" - nothing wrong with a little heated adventure, right? With all the different choices out there, and having used a few over the past years, no one ever really talks about how to best get the sometimes searing paste off your legs once you are indoors. Some folks may just grab a bar of soap and get to it. For me, this usually means my legs will feel like hotdogs on a 7-Eleven roaster for a good amount of time after the ride. That is not such a great thing to endure while participating in a VP-level product meeting or trying to down a few at the local watering hole. So what can you do?

There are a few companies out there offering some post-ride soapless treatments, but they never really cut the oils and heat of embro free. Logically, you want something that states it can cut through grease with no problem - and the first thing that came to my mind:

I mixed this with a little water and applied it. Not sure it really cut through the embro as I had hoped, but it was much better than normal bar soap. The lemon scent did not stick around, which is not such a bad thing. I think a big bottle cost about $2 at the local Woodmans, or something to that effect.

Next, I tried Dr. Bronner's Magic All-One soap.

I went with almond as it was on sale. I didn't bother with reading the dilution recommendations and just poured some on a washcloth. Not only does it smell like almond cookies some Chinese restaurants throw in with your carry-out, but it took the grease and heat right off my legs. Both big pluses in my book. This comes in varying size bottles and can easily be pre-diluted for a quick wash if full facilities are not available. The only downside is that this is not always for sale at local grocers. Total cost was $6 for a 32oz bottle (like I said, it was on sale - normally it runs around $9-12 for this size)

So if you can grab some Dr Bronner's, do so. Plus the info on the label is kind of entertaining - it's like listening to your drunk Uncle ramble on two hours after the family holiday party is over. If you need some good soap on the fly, hit up the local grocery and grab some grease-cutting dishsoap. Or, HTFU and feel the natural burn of capsicum long after the ride is over. For me, I'll wash it off.

(For the record, I tested this out with Qoleum Medium and Mad Alchemy's Medium and WarmWeather blends. Mad Alchemy's products are damn fine and I recommend giving them a shot)

2009-07-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

A different kind of effort

I know not too many people read this blog, but for the few that do, please check out the following link:
http://www.livestrongaction.org/dedication/steve-louis

The wife of a teammate is battling breast cancer this year, and asked for folks to "sign" a dedication book. What does this mean/do? Most of us know that Lance Armstrong dedicated his ride in the Tour this year to the fight against cancer. As per the Livestrong site:
"It's our best chance to push for better treatment, more funding for cancer research and access to care for everyone around the world."

Thanks!

2009-07-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

HELLO WISCONSIN!!!!

Ok - while I figured if I had to be a character off "That '70's Show, it would be Hyde. However, truth be told...

With that out of the way: it's official - we are Wisconsin residents now. Moved in this past Saturday, still haven't unboxed 96% of the mess, but love it so much. Having a yard, a deck, a garage - a home! Lots of work ahead, but lots of time too.

Went out for a quick road ride yesterday - I completely forgot home awesome it is to hammer up hills and cruise down country roads, and how long a country mile FEELS. Still getting my bearings as far as good roads to build a solid route. Saw a few other riders out amongst the fields. Saw lots of fields. Saw few cars/homes/etc. Amazing. The other nice thing is just going - no stop lights, little to no traffic once you hit the outskirts. There is a weekly ride that leaves out close to our house too, so I can hope that train and not have to drive to get to it anymore. Couple guys from work make the ride in to work 3-4 days a week. Once I get that route figured out, I will be joining them as well.

Hoping to get over to the velodrome and spectate a bit and catch up with good folks racing at Washington park. Not sure I'll get back on a track bike this season, but if the job stays solid it may happen next year. To be honest, I'd rather stick with what I have now - lots of ground to cover after last year's back and knee problems, and trying to get life organzied to move and get married. As a fellow teammate puts it: "Sometimes life gets in the way." But you'd have to have a job and responsibilities to understand that one I guess. Took me a while to get it too.

WICycling has its 2009 Cross Schedule up

I figured the JP Cup would be the kickoff race, but I guess it cant be b/c it is a UCI event??? Not sure I can even put in the whole weekend there now due to the job and working heavier hours in September. I dunno... the first 3 weekends of October will see me married and off on a honeymoon. There have been some hints at Chicago Cyclocross Cup race dates as well, but nothing up on the website site yet. Hopefully that will come soon. Another packed Cross season for sure!

2009-07-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

My Riding Buddy

About a month and a half ago, Maria told me what she wanted for her birthday: a bike. I think I was just as excited to hear that as she was when we went and picked out the bike she wanted. We have gone on a few rides, going north and south on the DPR, and we even realized that The Shanty is right off the trail (but I forgot my chainlock...). We haven't had a lot of free time lately to get out on the trail again, but once we settled in up north, things will change. We are a short distance from Woodmans, Maria's parents, and a slew of other fun places. I am glad Maria has rediscovered biking, and as she likes it! Riding the trails with her has been nothing short of my favorite thing ever.

2009-07-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

~My Picks, TDF 2009~

Jaune: Contador

Vert: Cavendish

Polka dot: Moncoutié

Blanc: A. Schleck

Final team rosters: http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/93739/2009-tour-de-france-start-list

2009-06-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

ID'ed

I picked up a RoadID wristband. Should you be injured while riding, it gives responders information they can use (name, emergency contact, other medical info). A really simple concept, like military "dogtags" but with whatever you want as far as text. They have the standard metal plate with etched info (this stuff lasts a long time) or something new called the "Road ID Interactive." Interesting concept - this incorporates the standard etched metal plate with contact/emergency info stored online. Lots of other options as well. Check 'em out:
Road ID options

you can replace the metal plate too - kind of nice once phone number change, etc.
anyone interested can save a buck by using this coupon: ThanksJosh491409
I get nothing out of it - and I think they create these for anyone who orders.

2009-05-28T05:45:00.001-07:00

Chet Baker and the Death of Cycling in Italy as We Know It.

For the past two days, I have nursed a nagging cold. You know, the kind that greets you in the morning with eye-headaches and clogged everythings? Maria currently suffers through the same bug right now, but she had it worse than me.

So as I sat down this morning and fired up the idiotbox v2, I read a little blurb about a velodrome in Italy.
The comment:
"The tradition and culture of cycling don't mean anything any more in this country."
(thanks to Kyle at TrackosaurusRex for that little tidbit)
At first, I thought about all the companies that churn out shirts with catchy little champion stripes or pictures of Eddie Merckx/Tom Simpson/insert famous old cyclist here wrapped around a current piece of culture - you know, taking something old making it "new" via a social reference of common time, and then sell it. Something that I always question: what are these 'companies' that take imagery and pieces of cycling heritage and use it for profit doing for cycling as a whole? Does it matter to them? Anyone can give away free t-shirts to alleycats, but what about throwing down some dollars to the cycling community? Give back a little bit of what you take. But I guess it would be hypocritical of me to say this while wearing a shirt carrying the silhouette of a Italian stove-top coffee maker. By my philosophy, said owners of that logo should be giving moeny to the coffee industry (fear not, I do give to the coffee industry three to four times a day). But I have detoured largely here. I forgot about the fun involved in cycling that sometimes stems from a $25 t-shirt. Or that when I buy a $15-20 'zine, it goes to help produce the next (or feed the author a bit of java) or what have you. It beats a $100 Misfits t-shirt anyday.
So, what the hell is my point? I guess it is the exact opposite of the quoted statement above. The tradition and culture of cycling is not dead; it is changing. It would be great to save every old velodrome, wool jersey, and toe-clipped 20th century steel road bike. Some may feel it would be great to live in the days of tweed and penny-farthings. Those are nice memories, but the facts are such:

11-speed horizon
cable-less shifting
hollowed out everything
synthetic clothing
compressed styrofoam helmets
sealed cartridge bearing HS/BB/etc

these are just building upon the leather hairnets, wool "diaper" shorts (if you ever rode in the rain with wool shorts, you'll know...), and 6-7-8 speed drivetrains.
The other things change over time to make way for lighter/easier to maintain options, and little by little the grouch recedes. Maybe as cycling dies in Italy, the States go through a rennaisance of our own. Everything, past and present has its role. Cheers to that.

oh, Chet Baker. Had "Let's Get Lost" on while reading the article. Defintely good times. And of course, the cold medication. Who could ramble so eloquently without such over-the-counter wonders?

2009-05-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday, O-dark-thirty...

...it goes a little something like this:

(friday night, tapas, paella, dark Spanish beer, Maria, friends, get home at 1230am, try to grab necessities...lay down in bed, fall asleep around 230am, set alarm clock for 430am)

sleep through alarm,
miss one text,
phone rings next to bed.

(a brief conversation with one the of guys I was supposed to meet, I am still in lala-land...his parting words are "goodnight" and he heads out for the ride. I walk back to the bedroom, and crawl into bed)

Outside, as I tried to go back to sleep, I could hear the rain tapping on the window and the wind running across the roof of the apartment. I kept feeling this sense of guilt for not going. It was like someone was poking me in the chest saying:

Get up, get on your bike!!!!!

I tried a few times to roll off the bed, with absolutely no luck. My body dug into the mattress in a last ditch effort to hold the line of sleep. And I won this one.

When I got to work Monday, my boss told me I made the right choice. He dropped out of the ride early as I guess it was not the gentlemen's ride I had assumed - so good for him on the recon. I am more into LSDs right now, and I don think I need a 45 mile hammerfest quite yet. 60-90 minutes on the trainer has me riding better, but the distance is the biggest challenge for me still. But who rides a 100 mile cross race? Someone who is lost...

As of last Friday, I have a riding buddy! I got Maria an early b-day gift bike! I kind of see it as a b-day gift for me as well - I am really stoked that she wants to ride again. We rode around the complex on Friday after work making sure everything clicked the way it should, and then we rode to her Grandparents house on Sunday - and to the bakery! She wanted to make the 17mile trek from our home to her parents, and that is a great sign! We already have Sunday rides mapped out to her P's for cards, BBQ, and pooltime. The summer is off to a GREAT start!

2009-04-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

My bike training this week...
(if I were a plane)

A full week of CCNA training has put me back as far as intervals, endurance, LTs - whatever BCS had planned for me. I leave the apartment at 6-630am and get home 730-8pm, with about 1-2hrs of lab work. No time for bike until Saturday. I am getting some very helpful/useful training and I do enjoy the tech/nerd aspects of this week, it has been really hard to not get on the bike at 10pm and ride. Sadly, our apartment has "Quiet Hours" from 10pm to 6am...soon, this will not matter at all. By the way, we bought a house because we want a dog. Good enough reason, right?

2009-04-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Just a friendly reminder...

This Saturday the team hosts the Leland Kermesse
(click the ad below for race info)

A recent interview with Ted Burger of Flatlandia on the Leland Kermesse (<-- click for good readin') This should be a great first race for the team, as well as a new race for Illinois as a whole.

Maria and I would be there, but with my family in town to spend time with her family, priorities shift and for great reasons in this case!

For those of you attending the Leland Kermesse: Get out there and get ready to fight hard for every meter of this course. Good luck, riders!

2009-04-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Newhomeward bound

So, Maria and I went up North Saturday April 11th, home-buyin' guns ablazing, and checked out nine homes to be exact. Lots of decent little domiciles out there with a few "unwinterized-pipes-burst-in-the-freezing-cold" and one nasty "we-couldn't-make-our-house-payments-so-they-foreclosed-but-we-smeared-dirty-diapers-on-the-walls-and-floors-before-we-left" - a real cornucopia of bad financials and folks truly just looking to sell. It was all quite interesting. Nothing like walking into a 300k ("valued") home and seeing mold all over the drywall and the ceiling torn out in the kitchen. Or all appliances and copper tubing stripped out by banks. Each foreclosed house is a mini-ghosttown in its own right. But we did find a gem out there in the dirt.

So we are looking at a 3 bedroom, basement, 2 car garage, 2.5 bath, deck, backyard, corner lot, near Woodmans, still ridable to work, all for about 185k. Bid placed, pre-approved (thanks Uncle Sam!). I walked the house this past weekend with an inspector and we picked it apart, top to bottom. It all looked really good too. I am officially stoked. I am looking forward to the closing, VA Loan, blah blah blah - I just want to get into the house in due time and get the bar set-up. And my trainer of course. And the rest of it all...
so many options. in all realms. truly excited for Maria and I!

2009-03-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

Wounded Warrior Project.

I get random emails from Sock Guy, so today I decided to actually read one. I checked out the new selections and spotted this gem:

Each year, SockGuy chooses a charity to support, and this year they picked a great one.

So I surfed on over to The Wounded Warrior Project and started reading about the Soldier Ride..."Many of these men and women have been physically active throughout their lives and are eager to reclaim an athletic activity. The program offers wounded soldiers a chance to get on a bike and prove to themselves, "Hey, I can still do this." Soldier Ride is not about politics*. It is not about the war. It is simply about men and women who are recovering from serious injuries."

*thankfully...

Turns out there is a Soldier's Ride in the Midwest June 10-14. I won't be able to take off work the 10-12, but I am going to try my damnedest to get out there on the 13th and 14th. The info is a bit skinny on the ride details aside from the dates (above) and "Waterloo-Milwaukee-Chicago."

Cruise on over to The Wounded Warrior Project and check around. A lot of these folks are coming back to little support and need another set of wheels beside them as a reminder that not only do we care, but that they can still get out on the pavement and put some hard-earned, human-powered miles underneath them. It's gotta be hard coming home a wounded veteran and making the transition back into civilian life - it is a hard enough just making the decision to commit to military service.

Blogsite: WWPSoldierRide

Donate and Get Socks: WWPSocks (I'll be sporting these badboys until they rot off my feet)

Big thanks to SockGuy for pitching in for our wounded veterans and giving them the boost they need.

2009-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Flatlandia Leland Kermesse Road Bike Race!!!
April 25, 2009
(click flyer to view full size)

What's a kermesse, you might ask? Typically these are circuit races on closed public roads, often riddled with crosswinds, "interesting" road surfaces - similar to a crit, but with a little more "flair" (than, say, about 15 pieces of flair). Either way, come out to Leland and check out this race. Lots o' categories, lots of great sponsors, LOTS OF GREAT RACING.

hope to see ya there!