Sea Otter

So, I've been home for more than a week, and I'm still having trouble figuring out what to say. I had a great time. I raced (and got served), I oogled new bike stuff, hung out with new and old friends, and all in all, had a blast.

Anyway, I've written several paragraphs and deleted them all... I don't want to just run down a chronological report. That's lame. I'm trying not to be lame, but, that's kind of hard... And, to add to that. I had this ALL WRITTEN and it got lost in the Interwebs. Damn. Get the full story...

Sea Otter Teaser

Registered.

Sea Otter

Hell of the North Shore 2012

The name, officially dubbed by Tom Merrill, pays tribute to the "Hell of the North," Paris-Roubaix. Only our ride was much shorter, much easier, and probably much more fun. Glen has been hankering to change  up the typical type of mountain biking that most of us do... loop after loop of the same trails at the same trail network. With literally hundreds of miles of trail in this area, connecting major areas is pretty simple, and for the most part, a massive loop has already been created, the Bay Circuit Trail. In some areas, the trails are less distinct, poorly marked, or winding in and out of neighborhoods. But, the BCT IS there, and it's awesome.

Glen planned out a point to point ride starting in Ipswich, and ending in Andover, covering Willowdale, Georgetown-Rowley State Forest, Boxford Town Forest, Harold Parker, and plenty of other trail networks, many I had never heard of before.

Lost... In Willowdale?

So, my lovely wife and I went out for a cruise at Willowdale with Rob & Renee. We got a little bit of a late start, we were getting hungry, and our plan of hitting all the singletrack became less important than our plan of grabbing some food and beer.

About halfway through our loop, we decided to hop on the fireroads to get back to the car via the quickest route. That's when things fell apart. Read More!

A Forked Up Situation...

So, yesterday, while moving some stuff around in my basement (i.e. bike lair), I decide to get my TT bike ready for the upcoming season...

I swapped the pedals out (I must have last done a duathlon because I had platforms/straps on there and I'm too lazy to change my shoes in a transition area...), and I had some new tires to put on... some nice new Michelin tires. Swapping tires out only takes a few minutes right? That's what I thought...

Adventure Ride Everyone! Who's Ready? Hello? /cricket, cricket/

It ain't Garmin but it'll get me there and back.  

Tape and paper:  8 cents.  

 Not having to be associated with anything Jonathan Vaughters related: priceless.

   The spring classics are upon us so it's time to once again strike out for adventure!  I put out the all points bulletin for adventure seeking riders hoping I would get a couple hardcore guys.  When rain and snow rolled in I figured it would narrow the field further.  Sadly, the Nookinator was working (boooooo!), Glen is struggling with his road biker/mountain biker split personality illness,  2N Glenn doesn't like to get his bike dirty, and evidently DASP has been having some injury issues.  So as the temps hung around 40 degrees and the sky was drizzling it became a solo operation.

King Of Burlingame: Great, Current State of Rap Music: Yuk

 These days I choose my mtb races by watching their helmet cam videos on-line and if it appears I won't kill myself I put it on my to-do list.  Burlingame looked good and it was a time trial so I reasoned I wouldn't be holding too many people up with my constant dismounts and running.  All good until . . . 

Hats!

Yep, it's true. Spring has sprung, and our custom team hats from Walz Caps have arrived.  I'll be getting these out to those deserving folks who have officially signed up on BikeReg over the next week or so...

For the rest of you, get on the ball and head on over to BikeReg and join the fun!

Random Bike Musings

This is the hub piece that I thought I was missing when I assembled our bikes in Costa Rica... that would have been a major buzz-kill...

 Read More...

Where Are The Best Hills?

In relation to the "north of Boston" area, where do you guys, and gals, think the best hills are? I'm looking for a good distance to elevation ratio (meaning, how far do I have to go to get some "real" climbing in?). Do I have to drive up to NH or VT? After being able to climb thousands of feet while in Costa Rica (more on that later), the local hills just aren't cutting it for me...

Good Times

Great get together last night!

First, I want to thank Matt from Pedro's for coming out and discussing the proper care and feeding of our bikes and for ensuring that everyone went home with something, from lube to brushes to degreaser. Thanks Matt!

Next, I want to thank Rob for getting the Pactimo fit-kit and the clothing samples. Look for Rob's e-mail for details of an upcoming order.

And of course, thanks to everyone for coming out and getting me pumped up for another year of beer drinking and trash talking. Oh, and of course, training and racing.

Oh, and a special thanks to Pete for bringing my priceless statue back... Jean is *so* excited.

Snow? Hardly! Fun 'Randonee' exploration ride

In an upbeat mood, I suited up and went for a mixed-bag sort of ride. Trails, roads, and indeed - some minor bushwhacking. The weather reports made a whole lot of noise over nothing, as it was 40 degrees outside and barely, I mean barely - precipitating.

Goal was to get 2.5 hours of miscellaneous efforts - tempo, hills, mud, grass, easy cruising on the road portions that connected the fun parts, all on the 'cross bike. Jamie had plotted some fun routes these last few weeks - also with plenty of bushwhacking (and poison ivy), and on my own today I connected up some northern sections to add to his pretty well established connectors.

2012 Team Caucus

It's time for a gathering... a conclave, an assembly, a buzz session, a confab, a conference, a huddle, a  parley, a powwow, a shin dig...

Mark your calendar for Saturday, Feb 11th, 7pm.

The event will take place at my super-secret lair and will involve beverages and snacks (of which, you may bring a selection).

Discussion topics will include bikes, biking, races, racing, training (but probably not trains), tires, being tired, and most importantly, lubrication. We may have a special guest who is a lubrication specialist, but more on that later.

Please RSVP to let me know an approximate head count.
david[dot]racerx[at]gmail.com


NEW INFORMATION! In addition to having a lubricationologist on hand to discuss the proper way to maintain your bike, we'll have clothing samples from Pactimo, for consideration of additional orders (including women's specific clothing), jerseys, shorts, skinsuits, jackets, vests, etc, and we'll have samples from Walz caps to try on, as custom Racer-X hats are the freebee you get this year for joining the team...

BikeReg

Snow and Biking?? Hells Yeah!!

Just a little snapshot of how much fun it can be to bike in the snow on a fat bike:

Funny Stuff!

2012!

It's 2012, and I'm working on plans to make this a great year for the club! As always, let me know what YOU want (david[dot]racerx[at]gmail.com), and I'll see if I can make it happen... I AM very powerful afterall... Anyway, stay tuned for details soon. In the meantime, feel free to renew (if your membership has expired) over at BikeReg.

Otherwise, stay warm, enjoy the "off" season, and have a Hibernator... Mmmm.... Hibernator...

New England Regional Championships 2011

And so ends my 2011 Cyclocross season and my time as a Cat 4 racer.

November Bicycles give-away

November Bicycles HOT BUNS Cyclocross Frame Frame / Bike launch sweepstakes

Earlier this fall, when November Bicycles introduced its new HOT BUNS cyclocross frame, instead of wasting tons of money on glossy ads, trade shows, and sponsoring a pro squad (though maybe they’d consider a non-pro squad with complimentary black and white kits...) - they turned to something better: social networking. To encourage the spreading of the message for ‘free’ (saves them money / keeps prices low) - they came up with a nifty sweepstakes. It’s like a raffle - except instead of paying money for an entry - one simply Tweets, posts to Facebook, or otherwise spreads the word to gain entry.

Ice Weasel 2011 (photos)

Yes, I KNOW the vast majority of these pics are of Andy Nook... what can I say, he's my team mate! There's also some pics of the Comprehensive Racing paceline, and yes, a smattering of other racers. Hey, I've only got so many megapixels, and you want more pics, you can either hire me as your own personal papparazzi or join the team.



https://picasaweb.google.com/davidaldenstpierre/IceWeaselsCometh2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Ice Weasels 2011

It takes a retarded amount of time to transfer, convert and upload these files!

Baystate Cyclocross: Day Two

What a day. My head was clogged with snot, I had a horrible night's sleep, but, because I love 'cross, and I love racing, I made the drive out to Sterling for day 2 of the Baystate Cyclocross race weekend (I worked on Saturday).

You can re-live the race along with me with the following video, but before you watch, I need to say a few things. First, the aforementioned snot was working against me, and, well, you'll hear an excessive amount of throat clearing. I sound like a pig grunting. I suggest you turn the volume down. Next, as I'll discuss in a little more depth below, I was racing in a pair of slip-on sneakers and borrowed platform pedals. My mental checklist gave me an epic fail, and I drove all the way to the race without my cycling shoes. And finally, as you will see, it was a bit damp during the race, and by the end of it, the camera lens was wet and fogged up. Not the best pictures, but, you, the viewer, get what you pay for.

(re)Finding my soul..

A combination of burnout and injury derailed my 'cross season, to be sure - but this fall I've had some really fun mtbike rides. This past weekend I went out in search of the Bay Circuit Trail to see how far I could get - and how far it went. I switched plans at the last second, as the Southern Branch of the Northern half - that passes through Appleton Farms - has a no-bikes policy. Boo.

I caught a ride to a trail point in Hamilton and headed out. This first stretch of trail was mainly mellow two-track with little technical challenge - but loaded with scenic areas. I gradually worked my way up behind Pingree School and into Bradley Palmer State Park. With so many trails in the park, way-finding the BCT was a little tricky here and there - especially a large open field section - but with a little back-tracking I always regained the route. As I crossed the Ipswich River, I 'knew' where I was going now - as I've ridden Willowdale a ton.

Northeast Velo Cross

Not the shadow you want to see in your
helmet cam footage...

Wow. What a race... I'm not sure what came over me, but knowing that there was a BMX track incorporated into the cyclocross course, made me pretty happy.

I took the holeshot, and was actually leading the race for a bit (well, it was a short bit). To be honest, I didn't know what to do when I was up front... do I try to keep my lead, knowing that I was dangerously close to blowing up? Do I slow up a bit to pace myself? Do I alert the media?

Where is Glen (who cares)?

2011 My still-born race season:

Building off a great 2010 'cross season and a decent summer of riding this year, I planned to conquer the Masters field(s) this season, all over New England. Hell, once dialed I figured on trying to take my A Game to a MABRA race or two and show THEM how I roll. Oh yeah - look the f_ck out! No sooner did I set that ship to sea - ready to conquer and take no prisoners - she started taking on water. Fast.

Race 1: Sucker Brook 'Cross - Auburn, NH; Last year, I was already on good form for this fun race - hell, I was on such good form I raced both the M35+ race and the CAT3 race as well. My plan was to roll up to the 2011 edition and save it all for one race - the M35+ event, and get to know my peers I'd be facing this season. Arrive at the venue with Jamie, time it perfect so as to be able to pre-ride between earlier races and all. We hit a warm up lap and BAM. While crossing a small, non-technical wooden bridge structure with a trace of moisture on it - I washed out and SLAMMED my knee, thigh and shoulder.

Ouch.

Cycle Smart International: 11/5/11

It was freaking cold. That's all I can say. The video will tell the rest... note all of the riders ahead of me. Damn them. I suggest turning the volume down... my panting and wheezing may disturb people with weak stomachs. Cat 4, 38th out of 130.

Downeast Mudcross

Here is a quick race update for your crappy snow/rain day reading pleasure:
Rob and I ventured up the coast of Maine for two days of Downeast Cyclocross this past weekend. With the race being close to great shopping, eating, and drinking in Freeport and Portland, we decided to make a long weekend of it. Unfortunately we forgot our camera, so I don't have any photos to highlight the great fun we had racing around in cow poop, I mean mud. For now I'll have to give you this photo to set the scene:

A Short Break from the CX Racing...

Providence CX Day 1 and 2

I can easily see why Providence was the sight of Nationals back in 2005/2006. It is a gorgeous venue with a great course layout! The set up for this weekend was super fast and fun...very little technical and a lot of long power sections which favored the roadies. The weather was a little too hot for my taste (high of 80's). I was glad to be in the earlier races and catch a break from the heat of the day.

As for results, not too shabby, but nothing stellar on my part. Both days I saw a bit of bad luck getting caught up behind a crash in day 1 and a flubbed start on day 2. Luckily on these courses I had long road sections to make up some spots and I was able to crawl back up to 10th and 15th respectively.

One interesting thing to note, my body decided to get rid of the double tap re-mount thingy. Perhaps it was just too inefficient. Now if I can just correct the drunk driving, feet flailing part after I'm on, I just might have a normal cyclocross re-mount.

Rob also enjoyed the courses. Unfortunately on day 1, his front tire blew out just as he was finishing his last lap in top 20. Second day he landed 24th with all tires in tact.

All in all, it was a great weekend of racing!

A Short Note About the Weasels

 Okay, so I'm back from another episode of Night Weasels. It was sloppy, muddy, and super fun.

Night Weasels X-Cam

Crossresults.com

Gee, I can't imagine why Crossresults.com has such a hard time capturing all of my mediocre results... I've got more aliases than Whitey Bulger probably had.

Pics from Day 2

Video--Day 2

CrossResults.com Race Predictor

Crossresults.com predicts that our 10x10 team tent area will come in 23rd... that's crap. Our tent has been training and is going to kick ass. Top 10 AT LEAST. WTF?

Some GP Gloucester Pics

GP Gloucester--Day 1, Lap 1 helmet cam...

2011 GPGloucester Day 1 Pix

See if this works:

http://gallery.me.com/glenzx#100179

I am pneumatically challenged.

Quad 'Cross? Flat.
Road riding down on the Cape? Flat.
Suckerbrook? Flat.
A day of relaxation on the freestyle bike? Flat.

That's all within two weeks...

Suckerbrook had a fun course with a fast field. I flatted on the first lap, was in absolute last place when I hit the pits for a bike change, and tried to work my way back up through the field as best as I could. My back wheel on the pit bike felt a bit squishy too, so I was waiting for the 2nd flat. It never happened. I've got all new rubber on both 'cross bikes, let's see if I can keep the air on the inside for Gloucester.

Sucker Brook Race Report via Carnac the Magnificent!

"The Greek credit rating , Jamie at Sucker Brook 'Cross, any pretense your sister will have a white wedding."

Suckerbrook Slide Show

Hey, nice rack.

A few years ago, Mike Lawless welded together a pretty cool bike rack that we used at many races. Someone borrowed it (?) and it was never seen again. I was on the verge of purchasing one, but, I decided to see what materials I had around the house, to see if I could make one. Well, lo and behold, I had everything but the hinges, and for those, I used a store credit I had for the hardware store. Total cost, $0.

Drop VS Flat

Before

Quad Cross

Well, it's been nearly a week, and I'm sure you're anxious to hear about my first 'cross race of the year. To be honest, I was waiting for someone else to write about my race, as it seems, if you're truly an important person, other people write about you.

But alas, no one from Cyclocross magazine has called to get any quotes, so I guess it's up to me.

My goal was to have fun, and I nailed it. A full summer of training to have fun has paid off, and I'm hoping to carry this fun fitness all through this year's cross season. Because, really, isn't all about the fun?

Oh no you DIDN'T...

Not sure what happened today... most of these last few years racing 'cross, never did occur to me to even THINK about racing on a single speed 'cross bike. That is just nuts. Even recently, When Jay-Mo and D-Nice noted the new, Zaconato sponsored New England SS CX Series did it even cross my mind, so to speak - to consider any of that sort of foolishness.

But then with QuadCross all but out of the question due to family schedule issues, I see that at 3:30pm that crazy. mixed bag of nut-jobs takes off. I'm no speed demon, and the old Subaru is slow - but I know I can make it to Maynard, MA by 3:30pm - even if I jump out of the car, pin on my number, and hit the start line. WTF, right? We only live once...

...in a fluke, if I do get there prior to the Elite field start - guess what? I'll race that mother too. Honey Badger don't care - he's crazy! I don't know how these things happen - but who am I to try and alter the cosmic trajectory in life...? I'm sure all you early morning hammers will be long gone before I even start driving to Maynard - but I'll keep the gang updated here.

Wildcat Epic 100 (By Pete G)

Forget what you’ve heard about the Wildcat Epic 100(the bad stuff anyway). Bath salts and time keeping issues aside, this is a great mountain bike race. I grew up just south of the Shawangunk Ridge and in about 1990 started my storied mountain biking career there.

The Wildcat Epic is a prize in itself for me, and for anyone who has the legs to grind out 100 fast miles over two days. It’s a full throttle sprint to sweet climbs that lead to incredible 50-mile views. Duck Pond Carriage Way, Cardiac Hill, and Castle Point Carriage Way take you up, up, and up to vistas that let you see a long way. It’s amazing how far one can see.

Hampshire 100

I'm not sure why I thought this 100K MTB race would be a good idea. I don't remember that last time I have put that kind of miles in on the mountain bike (I don't think I've even gone that far on the road bike this year). I guess last year at the Wild Cat Epic 100, and the Vermont 30, but that was a year ago...

And I *think,* if I recall, last year I had done that thing where you ride your bike lots and lots in order to prepare for an event... I think it's called "training." Yeah, training. I didn't really do much of that this year. Oh well, what's the worst that can happen, right?

ECV TTT: Three To Tango - four to start...

Throwing together a last minute Team Time Trial squad was easy. Finishing intact - not so easy. Jamie and I teamed up with two seasoned time trial friends on the Velo de Mer team - Shawn Gavin and Scott Carrier. These guys make going fast look, well - easy. Jamie and Scott are the very epitome of tall, skinny, ass-kicking cyclists. Shawn is too - just not as tall, but holy christ his engine is the strongest of anyone's I get to ride with. If, that is - you call sucking wheel "riding with"...

With no time to warm up, strategize, or otherwise sort things out - we were off, heading north on Route 1A out of the Hamilton / Wenham high school, in lovely Essex County, MA. Shawn on the front, Scott next, myself, and Jamie anchoring the rear. I felt as though I looked like the odd man out - somehow similar to that of a rat in a boa constrictors body - you know, the big fat lump in the middle of a sleek reptilian body, partially digested but still large. And lumpy..

That Old Spark

So you may all know that I broke up with bike racing in the spring. Instead I've had a summer affair with drinking and other forms of debauchery...and damn has it been fun! The past couple summers have been spent training for what felt like a million races leading up to the 100 milers. I knew I needed a serious break from all forms of bike racing and I think it has been good for me.

But...I got my first issue of Cyclocross Magazine today (thank you David). While perusing the articles and bike porn, I noticed that I was getting a little excited. (I've heard porn can do that to you.) Maybe I even noticed that old familiar racing spark. Can it grow and turn into the fire needed for competing again? We'll see...