WDAVEBIKE aka Poser

Race Myself into Form?

2011-09-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

I find myself in a difficult place right now. That being totally out of shape. It has been a long time since I was this slow. This year so far has been very bad for me from an athletic standpoint.

My work load became very consuming and I was off the bike completely from September 2010 to June 2011 and I put on about 30 pounds over my race weight. I did a couple of short rides in that time, but nothing you could call training. So, I know why I am in the shape I am in.

My goal is to try to race at least 10 cyclocross races this season and train when I can.
I hope to get back down to my racw weight by January and really put in the time to get ready for next year. I've done 3 CX races this year so far, which resulted in two 4th place finishes and a 14th place finish.

I am not a quitter so, I'll keep at it. I've lost 10 pounds so far and only have 20 more to go. Stay tuned and check out the Cow Town website for race results and reports.

A little motivator.......

2011-06-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I posted, but I have been away from the bike for so long, that it really didn’t seem a priority. I have finally started training again and hope to gain enough fitness before cyclo-cross season starts September 17th.

As a motivator, I decided to build up a second set of carbon tubular wheels for the upcoming season. Since I use Zipp 404 tubulars for my primary racing wheelset, I prefer Zipp Tangente Cork brakepads to help slow me down. It is a pain to switch brakepads anytime you want to roll aluminum rims, so in all my infinite wisdom, I decided it would be easier to just build a backup set of carbon tubular wheels. Not a lot of sensible logic there, but I had a set of my favorite DT 240S hubs that needed to be built. The front is a 20 hole 240S radial hub and the rear is a 24 hole Ritchey design with oversized flanges and 240 internals and cassette body, that DT built for them. I would have liked to build the front with a 24 hole as well, but I would have had to purchase a new hub (remember this is a budget build). I sourced the rims from offthefrontracingsystems.com . They are 50mm Asian made carbon tubular rims. There are so many different Asian carbon rims now, that I thought I would let someone else do the research for me and I didn’t have to wait a month to get them. They cost a little more since I didn’t buy them direct from Asia, but I thought it was worth the extra cost to have the option to return them if they were not what I expected. I decided to build them with black DT Revolution spokes and black aluminum Sapim nipples. I have had great success with Revolution spokes in the past and they are only $1 each versus the $3.50 each they get for the DT Aerolite or Sapim CX-Ray spokes.

I have built a few sets of wheels in the past, but this is my first set of carbon hoops. I laced the front up radially and the back is 2 cross non-drive side and crow’s foot drive side lacing. Crow’s foot, you might ask? Well, I wanted to make sure the rear wheel would be nice and strong for cross, so I did a little research on the internet and found an interesting article on Crow’s foot lacing (http://spokeanwheel.110mb.com/lacingcf.htm). So, I decided to give it a shot. Both wheels trued up nice and round with equal spoke tension all around.

I thought I should include some details about the wheel components. Through a little research, I found out the carbon hoops are manufactured by Xiamen Sonata Composites Technology Co. and came in at around 380 grams each, so not super light, but not boat anchors either. They are about what I expected quality wise, with a 3k weave, matte finish and machined braking surface. Definitely not in league with Zipp rims, but they were about $600 cheaper each than the price of individual Zipp rims. We’ll see how they hold up to the rigors of cyclo-cross. The front DT 240S hub weighs in at 105 grams and the rear DT/Ritchey hub weighed in at 238 grams. Spokes and nipples for the front came in at 99 grams, while the rear total came in at 126 grams. I’ll save you doing the math, the front wheel weighs 584 grams and the rear weighs 744 grams. Now I have a 1328 gram wheelset to put to the test for the upcoming cross season. I’ll be finishing them off with a 10 speed Campagnolo Record 12/25 cassette, Turner TI Skewers and a pair of Vittoria Cross EVO-XM-II 32 tubular tires.

I am back!

2010-11-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Not much to say except that I have all but given up this season. I came off of my best winter training season ever to being able to only ride every now and then. I have almost hit rock bottom and I am hoping when I do, that the jolt snaps me out of this quandary. As my old buddy Chris says, you have to make the time. The passion is still there, but what drive I had is gone. I’d like to place the blame on someone else, but everybody knows that the first rule of leadership is that “everything is your fault”. I have nobody to blame but myself. So, instead of walloring self pity, I am starting my comeback tonight. It will be a long road of recovery and rediscovery, but I love cycling and everything that has to do with it. I refuse to give up because I temporarily lost my focus and I am writing this to say that – I AM BACK!

Lynskey R340 Review

2010-07-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

Thought it was time to post a review of my Lynskey R340. In case Lynskey is a name that you are not familiar with, the Lynskey family founded Litespeed Titanium Bicycles in 1986. They sold Litespeed in 1999 and in 2006, formed Lynskey Performance Designs. I like my custom Lynskey Pro Cross so much, when it came time to get a new road bike, it was an easy decision and I called up Lynskey.

I talked to my trusty sales rep, Jack, about what I was looking for. Going in, I was convinced that I was going to get the top of the line R430. I talked to Jack about what I was looking for in my new ride. I wanted something criterium stiff, but all day training comfortable; less than 3 pound frame weight; quick handling, but not twitchy. He said that although he would like to sell me the R430, I had just described the R340 to him. Jack proceeded to explain that they were both top of the line frames, but the R430 uses 6/4 TI which is more time consuming to manufacture and work with; as opposed to the R340 using butted 3/2.5 TI. Jack explained that the 6/4 TI, although a great material, tends to ride a little harsher than a traditional 3/2.5 TI frame. Lynskey shapes and butts the 3/2.5 TI tubing used in the R340 to race tune the ride. Although I was planning to purchase another custom geometry frame, like my Seven Axiom, I ended up going with a stock size medium. I did a lot of careful measurements of the Seven and took into consideration the dislikes I have about the custom Seven geometry and decided that the stock Lynskey size Medium is exactly the same geometry I would come up with if I were designing a custom frame for myself. So, I placed my order and 2 weeks later, the frame was delivered as promised. The welds, the tube shapes and the weight were everything I expected from Lynskey. With my build kit of Campagnolo Record 10-speed, Zipp 404 Clincher wheels, Speedplay X-1 TI pedals, Easton EC90 carbon bar, Easton EC90 Superlight fork, Ritchey WCS stem, Chris King headset, Selcof Carbon seatpost, Fizik Aliante carbon rail saddle and a full complement of titanium replacement bolts; the bike came in at 16.3 pounds (slightly heavier than some of the current ultra-light carbon bikes, but this bike won’t need replaced every time a rock hits it or an unforeseen crash occurs). So far, so good!

I knew from the looks of the massive bi-axial ovalized down tube helix seatstays and oversized force specific chainstays that this thing was going to be stiff. The almost complete absence of flex in the top tube and down tube is proof of the superior knowledge that Lynskey possesses when designing and tuning a titanium frame. There's no twist or give in the frame and that enables you to concentrate all your power to the pedals and that power is mainlined right to the rear wheel. Defining the ride of the R340 is pretty simple. It’s fast; real fast. It thrives when being pushed hard and keeps asking for more of the rider. It’s not a demanding bike, but if you’re willing to put a lot in, it rewards you. Braking hard and late into corners reveals the bikes excellent cornering ability and exiting corners reveals how those shape specific stays amplify any power input into huge forward velocity. Climbing, thanks to the low weight, is effortless. This is a fun bike to ride. It’ll make you twice the rider you actually are, which a lot of bikes aren’t able to boast. The downside is that if you are not fit, you won’t be able to push it to its limits.

All of that classic sought after titanium ride quality is there, but you also get a frame that snaps from corner to corner and there’s no unwanted flex in the rear triangle which can hinder some titanium frames. If you like to be able to feel just the right amount of road underneath the tires, the R340 will be right up your ally. In fact, if you want a classy bike that is as fast as you’ve got legs for, the Lynskey won’t disappoint. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, but I was. The Lynskey R340 is effortless to ride, it blasts through corners and skates up climbs. You can't help but ride it fast. It is certainly as 'stiff' as they promised but what I liked was the way the rear end held the wheel to the road as if it had traction bars. The head angle and Easton fork combine superbly for quick handling and smooth steering. You would be hard pressed to find a better bike anywhere. Lynskey offers an unconditional lifetime warranty on all their frames which is unusual for a racing bike. For me, the fact that they pride themselves on their ability to make cutting edge frames and stand behind them is a rarity in today’s market. I know that there are a lot of frames to choose from for racing, but I think you will have a hard time finding a better titanium racing 'superbike' for the money. Actually I know you won't find one, I've looked.

BEWARE OF KMC CHAINS

2010-03-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

NEVER buy a KMC chain. I have broken 2 in less than 17 miles. The second one destroyed the outer cage on my Campagnolo Record front derailleur. Use them if you dare, but they are dead to me.

Going Nowhere

2010-02-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

I can’t even remember the last time I posted, so I thought I would update on my winter training. I started a spin class at work the first week of January, do to all the cold weather we have been having (no relief in sight). It started out as just me, then after a couple of days, another guy joined me. We are now up to 5 strong on most days. It is great having the opportunity to “ride” at lunch. We generally follow along with one of the Spinervals videos or the Carmichael CTS Training Series. The favorite one of mine is the original Cyclerobx video that was the precursor to the Spinervals series. I’m not sure if I am getting anything out of the spin classes, other than the fact that I am maintaining my cyclocross season fitness. I guess we will find out when I do my next Threshold Test on February 20th.

Although I planned to participate in all of the Gravel Grinder Series, I only made it to one of them. I went to the Paola, KS ride with Guru. The ride itself was a blast, but the aftermath is what has kept me from going back. The conditions that day started out cold and then as the day progressed, it warmed up enough to thaw the gravel roads into a gravel mud mess. I was covered in gritty gravel mud by the day's end, as was my bike. This is where the aftermath begins. I get back home and my garden hose is frozen, so I can’t spray my bike clean. I had to Spray-N-Wash all of my clothes before throwing them in the laundry. Ended up having to wash them twice and they still ended up being slightly stained (strike 1). The next day, my hose was thawed after throwing it in the garage, so I sprayed my bike as clean as I could get it. My chain was in really bad shape, so I soaked it in paint thinner for a couple of days and then soaked it in synthetic motor oil for another 2 days – it works, but still needs replaced (strike 2). I noticed my crank was a little rough, so I pulled it and the Non-Drive side bearing is trashed (strike 3). I also noticed that my brake pads didn’t fair so well and will most likely need replaced as well (strike 4?). So, that ride is going to end up costing me close to $75 in parts to recover. I don’t mind regular mud, snow, rain or even the cold for that matter, but you can keep the “gravel mud”. I don't want to discourage anybody from doing the gravel grinders, because they are a blast, but I think I will stick to the pavement and my trainer this winter.

Speaking of trainers, I’m using a Kurt Kinetic Pro and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is quiet, smooth, stable and has a great progressive resistance curve. Don’t let the sticker price scare you away, as this is a one time investment (lifetime and crash replacement warranty) and will actually help to make riding indoors just a little more enjoyable. All the manufactures talk about simulating road feel, but I don’t know what that means, quite honestly. I have never been on a trainer that feels like riding on the road. The only thing that feels like riding on the road is, well, riding on the road. So, if you are seriously considering a trainer, check out the Kurt Kinetic Pro. I’m not sponsored by them or getting kickbacks, but I hate riding on the trainer and this one works so well, that it is actually not that bad to ride indoors anymore.

Xtranormal

2009-12-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

I have watched a few of these xtranormal movies and they crack me up, so I made one about one of the many conversations I have with the Cross Guru.

De Stad Cyclocross Van Mud Bath

2009-11-16T21:10:00.001-08:00

The final event of the De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series was Sunday, November 15. I would have to say that it was definitely the most memorable event of the series. Chris Locke had truly designed what I thought was a great course for the Series and Kansas State Championships. It did not favor either the mountain biker or the roadie. The course had its normal start on the brick pave’ and dumped into the grass at the normal place where the brick ends and the pavement begins. Then it turned slightly upward towards the wheel pit and snaked through this cool little wooded section, before diving down a long descent and turning back up another hill which switched back to head down through a wooded section towards the ball field and a small run-up that was ride-able for some. After that section, you curved around the ball field toward Mt. De Stad, a gigantic wall that only a few could ride up. Once you climbed the giant, you worked your way down along the brick road, on the grass though, past the start line to the Spiral of Despair. The spiral basically circled in on itself and back out again. It would look cool from the sky, I am sure. Once out of the spiral, you worked your way through some turns to Chamois Butt’R Alley which ran along the pond and used the pond itself as the outside course marker. After the alley, you snaked up through a wooded section and back onto the brick pave’. The brick section took you up to the opposite side of the road where you had to climb a small hill and then ride an off camber section to a nice short flowing downhill corner that took you along the brick road in the grass towards the Cow Town Barriers. After the barriers, you did a U-turn and headed up the brick pave’ towards the finish line. It was truly a thing of beauty.

Now, take everything I just said and throw it out the window. The class that raced at 10:00 AM was the only one to enjoy the course as it was meant to be. It started to rain steady at about 11:00 AM, just in time for the start of the Master’s races. The course turned to soup pretty quickly and those that could ride in it had a huge advantage. I tried to watch the Master’s closely enough to see who was riding the mud well and how they were riding it. Cow Town’s Tige Lamb and Local Cycling's Mark Studnicki were battling back and forth through the entire race for first and second. On the final lap, Mark had his front wheel wash out on him, so Tige put in an attack to open a gap that Mark was unable to close and won the Kansas State Championship for the Master’s 35+ Category. Congratulations Tige! After the race, I asked Tige if he had any pointers and he said to basically avoid taking the line through the corners and try to take them wide to avoid the mud. That was my quick lesson of how to race in the mud, because this was going to be my first muddy race.

I lined up at the start of the Master's 35+ CAT4 race and was in a good position, 5th I think, exiting off the pave’. We went past the wheel pit and that is where the fun began. The cool section that went through the woods after that was a sloppy mess. Nobody was hammering through it, because if they did, they would have ended up on the deck. The long downhill stayed in good shape, but the uphill after it was a challenge to climb, as it was nothing but mud. I was maintaining my position, when the guy in front of me lost it on a sharp corner and went down hard on a stake. I tried to avoid him, but when I made a sudden movement in the mud, my front tire washed out and I was passed by 3 or 4 guys. I tried to get going again, but we were all riding at the same speed. Now, I am sitting in about 9th and trying to claw my way back, when we get to the little run-up and the guy in front of me loses it on his dismount and then he couldn’t get unclipped from his pedal, so I got passed by about 3 or 4 more people. I tried to get settled down, so I could focus on the task at hand, which was pulling back the 8 guys that passed me, including my teammate Jeff. I bombed down the hill towards Mt. De Stad and on the run-up the hill, the guy in front of me slipped out and I had to change direction and go around him. Are you seeing a pattern here? No problems on the downhill leading to the Spiral of Death and I actually was gaining some ground back on the people who passed me. We got to Chamois Butt’r Alley and the pond bank was deep rutted sticky mud. I tried to ride it on the high side, but I got stuck in a deep rut and had to unclip. That was the race for me. The gap opened back up and I could not close it. The rest of the race was most of the same, but I didn’t lose anymore places. That is cyclocross racing for you. Anything and everything can happen during a race. I ended up finish 14th out of 25 on the day.
I was unable to really watch any of the other races, do to my volunteer activities associated with helping out at the event, but I do know that Cow Town's Christopher Locke won the Junior Men's Series Title and Tige Lamb won the Master's 30+ Kansas State Championship. Congratulations to both of them!

Chris has already called me to see when we can go out to work on repairing the grounds. There are a few other races still to come around the area, but this was probably the last race of the year for me. It is time to start re-building my engine for next season as a CAT3. Stay tuned……

Veteran's Cyclocross

2009-11-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today was the Veteran's Cyclocross event, which is part of the De Stad Van Kansas Cyclocross Series. The course seemed very hilly to me for some reason. There were 3 fast long descents, one of which was fairly technical through the woods. Other than that, it seemed like I was climbing the rest of the time.

I rolled up to the start line and my legs just felt bad. I was thinking that it was just pre-race nerves, but once the race started, I realized that wasn't the case. I was hanging in about 5th place until about half way through the first lap, then the lights just went out. It has been a while since I melted down so quickly. My mouth was total cotton and the insides of my lips were sticking to my teeth. Maybe I wasn't hydrated enough and that just caused me to shut down. Who knows, but it was a bad day for me physically. I conserved what I could and ended up finishing 12th out of 19. Not really the finish I wanted, but I was just thankful to finish today. I know results probably won't come this year, but I sure would like to crack the top 10 at some point. Heck, I wouldn't even care if that meant getting 10th out of 10 starters.

On the bright side, I didn't have any mechanical problems this week, so hopefully that trend continues. Stay tuned.......

I Just Can’t Catch A Break!

2009-10-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Cyclocross season has been a lot of fun this year, but I just can’t catch a break. The Smithville course had a lot of turns, a lot a straight-aways and it really tested your fitness. Chris designed an epic course! I lined up with the Master’s Cat4 35+ and got a great start, solidly sitting in 3rd around the first bend off of the pavement starting straight. I was feeling good and had a lot of motivation, and then it all ended on about the 3rd sharp corner. I heard and felt a thud and my rear wheel would not move. I had rolled my tubular tire off the rim. I shouldered the bike and started to run the 1 mile back to the wheel pit to get my spare bike. Bill Anderson hollered at me to roll the tire back on the rim and ride to the wheel pit. I had not even thought about that with all that adrenalin pumping through me. So I stopped and managed to roll the tire back on the rim. In the meantime, the entire field had passed me and opened an enormous gap. Bill reminded me to take it easy through the corners and hammer it on the straight-aways. So, that’s what I did. I could never really develop a rhythm on the first lap and it seemed really slow, but I managed to reel in a few people before getting to the wheel pit to switch bikes. Then it was game on. I can’t remember a time that I have ever ridden so hard. I just kept pushing as hard as I could, eventually blowing up and having to ease up a bit. I ended up bringing back 10 people and finishing 14th out of 24 starters. My results really don’t reflect how hard I rode today, but believe me; I made up a ton of ground to get to 14th. I would have to say that this was one of my best performances to date.

I have been having a lot of bad luck this year; broken skewer, dropped chains, bad starting positions and now a rolled tubular tire. Chris called to give me a hard time and asked if I wanted him to look my bikes over. It’s frustrating, but I am really close to having everything dialed in. The broken skewer was do to a poor Taiwanian design, the K-Edge chain catcher will take care of the dropped chains, I am trying to make sure I get to the starting line early enough to line up in a decent position and the rolled tubular tire was the result of using an old can of glue. Hopefully after I re-glue the tires with fresh glue, I will be set. Stay tuned……….

Lynskey Pro Cross Review

2009-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Thought it was time to post a review of my new Lynskey Pro Cross. Lynskey is a name that some people may not be familiar with, but the Lynskey family founded Litespeed Titanium Bicycles in 1986. They sold Litespeed in 1999 and in 2006, formed the company that bears their name, Lynskey Performance Designs. These are the folks that are solely responsible for my titanium obsession. I remember the first time I laid eyes on the Litespeed Ultimate in 1998. To me that was the coolest looking frame of that era with its curved seat tube, bladed down tube and curved seat stays. I was hooked! I was able to scrape together enough money to get one, but when it was time to pull the trigger, the dealer I went to happened to also have a Vortex in my size on hand and when I picked it up, I couldn’t believe how light it was. That started me down the weight weenie path. I ended up getting the Vortex and I have had nothing but titanium road bikes ever since. So, when it came time to get a new cyclocross bike, I called up the people that started it all for me, Lynskey.

Enough about my history with titanium, let’s get on with the review. As soon as I pulled the frame out of the box, I knew this thing was going to be special. The welds, the tube shapes and the weight were everything I expected from Lynskey. With my build kit of Campagnolo Record 10-speed, Zipp 404 Tubular CX wheels, Crank Brothers 3TI Eggbeaters and a full compliment of Ritchey WCS parts along with the fact that I replaced every steel bolt on the bike with a titanium one; the bike came in at 16.4 pounds. So far, so good!

I didn’t even get a chance to do a test ride the bike before taking it out to race it at the Chris Cross Cyclocross Challenge. I knew from the looks of the massive bi-axial ovalized down tube that this thing was going to be stiff. What really surprised me was how smooth it was. From the get go, I was awed by the comfort of the Lynskey's ride. The frame seemed to absorb everything the course threw at it. I honestly don’t know if it was the Ritchey WCS fork, the Zipp 404 wheels or the Lynskey frame, but the vibrations that hit the wheels were absorbed and never made it as far as my body. The almost complete absence of flex in the top tube and down tube is proof of the superior knowledge that Lynskey possesses when designing and tuning a titanium frame. There's no twist or give in the frame and that enables you to concentrate all your power to the pedals and that power is mainlined right to the rear wheel. So, this bike is comfortable, yet stiff and you might think that compromises the handling performance, but you’d be wrong. The bike handles awesome when you dive into corners. It never once got sketchy on me and I found myself hammering through the corners with my only concern being that I did a good glue job on my tubulars and they weren’t going to roll off the rim. Wow, I am impressed.

Now, if I can only get the engine whipped into shape, I have the tools to get the job done.

Chris Cross Cyclocross

2009-10-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Chris Cross Cyclocross race was this past weekend. It was awesome, but I made a bonehead mistake. On the last lap, I was sitting 8th or 9th and decided sit up a bit and let the group I was racing with pull ahead. My plan was to give them a long enough leash to keep them within closing distance. The finishing stretch was a long brick section and I was pretty sure I could out sprint the group I was with. Problem was that I should have never eased up, because I started to get a little tired and had a bad dismount/remount at one of the barrier sections. So, the gap got a little bigger than I wanted. I ended up sprinting past one of the guys and got close to the other 3, but the finish was about 100 yards too short and they got to the line before I could bridge up to them. I ended up in 12th out of 27 starters. I talked to Chris after the race and he said it is not a road race, so you have to keep the pressure on as long as you can and recover when you can. Taking 2 years off from racing has really hurt my racing brain, but I think if I can get my cyclocross racing skills down and learn to suffer a little better, I can finish top 10 every time. I am getting close, but still haven't cracked a top 10 finish. Rich Anderson and Chris Locke did a great job with the course design and it flowed well. Heck, the only places I had to dismount were where the two barrier sections were. I heard a couple of guys grumble about the course being rough, but come on guys it is cyclocross, not road racing. The course was sweet!

I also wanted to mention that I heard someone complain about not getting a payout for winning their class. I have a huge issue with this and I probably won’t make any friends with the comments I am about to make, so I truly apologize if I offend anybody. To start with, people know there is no payout before they signed up. The flyer with all the detail is almost always available a month in advance. If you want to win some money, then quit cherry picking the non-paying categories and race the Men's Open class. In my opinion, if you are such a talented racer that your talents garner a cash payout, then race against your peers. The Men’s Open class is just that; open to CAT1, CAT2, CAT3 and CAT4 racers. These guys like to act like they are pros who deserve to get paid to race. If you are that good, then race with the big boys, you win money in those races. It is not like your racing skills bring in the crowds. I doubt anybody other than friends and family are coming to the events to see you, specifically, race. No offense to anybody and I know it brings in more money to the promoter having more race categories, but I think the Master's Categories are a sandbagger’s paradise. If you are a CAT3, you are a CAT3, no matter what your age is. So, the next time you sign up for a race, look at the flyer and if you want to win some money, then race the class that has the payout. It does not cost anymore. For those of us never will be’s, we are happy just to get the opportunity to race and expect nothing in return. It’s tough work promoting any race and promoters need positive feedback, not complaints, to make their events the best they can be.
On a side note, the Lynskey was awesome! That thing handles like a dream and I was able to rail through the corners. It was stable, yet stiff when I was out of the saddle and pretty darn comfortable off road. I give it 2 enthusiastic thumbs up! Thanks to Mark, Jack and Don over at Lynskey for taking the time to make sure that I got the perfect frame. It was well worth the wait.

Boss Cross #1 & #2

2009-10-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

After last weeks mechanical, the cross season really started for me this weekend. The course was at English Landing Park in Parkville. For the race on Saturday, I was able to get a good starting position on the front row. The field was 31 deep. I had a pretty good start and settled in about mid pack do to some sand pits, which I suck at crossing (note to self: LEARN HOW TO RIDE THROUGH THE SAND!!). Seemed like most of the field was riding the sand and every time I approached the sand pit with someone that could ride it, I would end up chasing. The leaders had a decent gap and five of us settled in to race for the “middle of the pack”. After a couple of laps, two of the guys were off the back. I kept the other 2 guys with me and we traded punches for the reminder of the race. On the last lap, me and the SKC(?) guy gapped the other guy and hammered our way down the gravel section leading up to the barriers. I went hard and let him know I had some juice left. He took the corner too fast and went down hard. I asked if he was OK as I went by and he said yes. I was able to keep the other guys gapped and ended up finishing 11th on the day. Not bad for me, especially after taking a couple of years off.

Day 2 brought on a little more sunshine and a reverse of Saturday’s course. I noticed on my practice lap that the course seemed to flow a little better for me today, so I was hoping for a good finish. I got to the starting line late, so I had to line up at the very back. Today’s field was either 38 or 41 deep, so that was not a good thing. I spent the first lap clawing my way from the back of the pack to the middle (do you see a pattern here?). I rode up the group containing Jeremy Haynes and sat in to recover from my effort. As soon as I recovered, I went back to work and opened up a small gap on Jeremy’s group. I eased back a bit to wait for Jeremy, as I knew he would work with me to reel some more racers in. It looked like he was toast (hard to promote a race and race – I know), so I hit the gas and caught up to the next small group. I attacked the guys in this group and they counter-attacked, so I knew this was probably as far as I would get. I lost time every lap, because of that damn sand (note to self: LEARN HOW TO RIDE THROUGH THE SAND!!). On the last lap, there were 3 of us, then 2. We approached the final trip through the sand pit neck and neck, I dismounted and he rode through. That was the race. He opened enough of a gap on me through the sand, that I just didn’t have the gas to close it (note to self: LEARN HOW TO RIDE THROUGH THE SAND!!). I ended up 18th, which in my mind would have been 10th, had I started near the front.

Chris Cross, Race #2 of the Destad series, is next weekend and it is a great venue (no sand).

Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge

2009-09-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

First cross race of the season and my first DNF ever in said event. What a way to start the season off! I had planned on doubling up and racing the CAT 4 race at 10AM and then racing the Master’s 35+ race at Noon. I had volunteered to help Tige set the course up, so I ended up working right until the start time for the CAT 4 race. No big deal, because I had plenty of time to get ready for the Master’s 35+ event. I decided to ride the Ritchey today, with the Matrix Carbon wheels and Tufo Cubus tubulars. The Tufo’s performed flawlessly and hooked up on everything, never once washing out. They are great tires! I definitely won the loudest bike of the day award. Man my brakes were howlers! Everbody on the course knew when I was tapping the brakes. I don’t know if it was the tow in on the Zipp carbon pads or just the crappy braking surface on the cheap Taiwan carbon rims, but something was way off. Anyhow, I was sitting about mid pack on the 3rd lap and starting to gain some positions back, when disaster struck, I clipped my toe on one of the barriers and my chain dropped on my re-mount. So that really killed my momentum. Then I started to notice that my front brake pad was rubbing the sidewall of the tire and when I would get out of the saddle, the tire would rub the fork. Turns out that the skewer handle on my wheel had broken off and my wheel was loose. I did not put my spare wheels in the wheel pit, so my race was done. From here on out, I will have a bike in the wheel pit and not set my brakes up the night before a race, without testing them first. Lesson learned!!
Overall, Cow Town had a good showing. John Wagner won the Men’s CAT 4 race and Chris Locke took 2nd in the Single Speed race. Damian Almanza and Tige Lamb both had top ten finishes in their races. Tige did a great job designing the course and I think I heard someone say that the race had the largest one day turnout ever for a local KC race. Very nice!

2009-09-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

My new Lynskey Cyclocross frame arrived on Friday. It is sweet! Got it built up this weekend and it came in at a whopping 16.4 pounds! I got some TI axles for my Egg Beater 2TI pedals, so that helped shed a little extra weight off the bike. I have already replaced every steel bolt on the bike with a Titanium one from Hyper Bolts. I really don’t have any more upgrades I can do to it, so I guess this one is done. Special thanks to my generous sponsors; Ritchey and Crank Brothers for supplying me great parts for my rig and to Lynskey for building me a frame that exceeded my expectations. Here is the parts spec:

Frame: Lynskey Pro Cross (Size Medium)
Fork: Ritchey WCS
Headset: Chris King
Stem: Ritchey WCS 4-Axis
Handlebar: Ritchey WCS Classic
Shifters: Campagnolo Record 10 speed
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Record 10 speed
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Record 10 speed
Crank: Campagnolo Record Ultra-Torque 10 speed Compact
Pedals: Crank Brothers Egg Beater 3TI

Cassette: Campagnolo Record 10 speed 12-25

Chain: KMC X10
Brakes: Paul Neo Retro w/ Kool Stop Cross Pad Holders
Seatpost: Easton EC90 Zero
Saddle: Fizik Aliante TI
Wheels: Zipp 404 Cyclocross
Tires: TUFO Flexus Primus 700x34 Tubular

I will post a review of the bike after the first race.

Cross Season and a New Bike to Start It Out Right!

2009-09-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted and I apologize for that. My favorite race season of the year is just around the corner and man am I stoked this year. Cyclocross!!!! Check out the www.kansascitycross.com if you are not familiar with cyclocross. I really don’t know what to expect out of my body this year. Taking close to a year off the bike was not the best idea I ever had and it has been and still is a hard road back. Training has been going well, but I really don’t expect any podium finishes this year. I am sure everybody I used to race against has moved up a category or 2 and I will be fending for myself this year. I have heard tale that the fields are a lot bigger than they used to be, so that should make it more interesting. I guess my goal for this season is to get my skill set honed and hopefully Cat up to a 3 by the end of the season.

I should have my new cross rig built up by next weekend. The folks at Lynskey have been nothing but the best to work with. They have done everything in their power to make sure my buying experience was perfect. If you are not familiar with Lynskey, they are the people that started Litespeed. They sold Litespeed a few years back and decided to get back into the Titanium frame building business again. Anyhow, they are building me a cross frame to replace the used Seven Muse I bought off eBay a few years back. The Seven just never fit me quite right, as it was really 1 size too big. I am building the Lynskey up with Campagnolo Record 10 speed. I swapped out every bolt I could with a Titanium one and spec'd it with all the lightest and stongest parts I could. As the old saying goes, "Light, Strong, Cheap - Pick Two." I want this to be THE cyclocross bike!

I guess the big news is that I have made a commitment to ride cross tubulars this year, so I had to get a couple of sets of tubular wheels to mount them to. I sold some wheels and other spare parts to pay for them, but ended up making enough to get a set of Zipp 404 Cyclocross wheels and a set of Williams 58 Carbon tubulars. No question who Zipp is and they make quality stuff, but Williams is a fairly new brand that uses non-dimpled Zipp 404 rims and Ceramic Hybrid bearings in their hubs. I mounted 700 x 34 Tufo Flexus Primus tubulars to the Zipps, as they are going to be my main race wheels. The Williams are going to be mounted up with 700 x 32 Tufo Cubus tires and will be my mud/snow/ice/rough/crap course wheels. I am a little nervous about running carbon wheels only during the season, but there are a lot of people who are running them on their cross bikes now-a-days, so I am going to give it a shot.

The bike should build up at sub 17 pounds, which is pretty light for a cross bike. I will post pics, specs and the final weight when I get it built. It should be one sweet ride………………

Paci’s Bicycle Rally

2009-06-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this for my friend Joe and for all bicyclists out there on our roadways. On June 18th about 7:00 PM on N. Cherry leading out of NKC, a driver purposely struck Joe Pace while he was riding his bicycle. Joe was riding with Anne single file up N. Cherry, when they heard a motorist come up behind them blaring on his horn (this has happened to about all of us). Joe told Anne to just get as far over as she could, so the car could pass. The motorist came around Anne making sure he got as close as he could get to her and then purposely swerved into Joe, who was just a little farther up the road, striking him with the side of his car. Joe’s left arm and wrist took most of the impact, while the rest of his body slammed into the vehicle. Joe then crashed onto the street, hitting his hip and head on the pavement (he had a helmet on). The driver sped off, without knowing if he had seriously injured somebody or worse. Thank goodness Joe’s injuries aren’t life threatening and he is going to recover. There were witnesses who got a description of the car and the driver, but no license plate number. A police report was filed and a $500 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of this criminal.
Joe is having a bike rally at is Restaurant/Bar, Paci’s, on Saturday, June 27th at 7:00 AM. The rally will be covered by Channel 9 News. They are doing a cover story on the Heart of America Bridge and why the city should make bicycle lanes on it. Steve Mahoney interviewed Joe and Anne for the story and are hoping to use Joe’s story as a lead in to the Heart of America bike lane piece.
The address for Paci’s is 1825 Buchanan, NKC, MO. If you can make it on June 27th at 7:00 AM, that would be great. Hopefully we can help raise awareness that bicycles are out on the roads and we have just as much right to use the roads as cars do and maybe we can get the guy who hit Joe off the street, before he attacks another cyclist.

Take It Easy on the Commuters

2009-06-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Thought you would find this funny. I was riding a casual pace into work this morning and I am going up one of the many climbs on my route. I see this guy on his bike come up behind me and then downshift his gears and attack me on the hill. I am trying to decide if I just let him go or counter-attack. Well, I decide to just let him go, because I was not in the team kit and he was a nobody to me - just a guy on a training ride. Then, when I crest the hill, I start seeing him looking back over his shoulder. There were no cars in sight, so I knew he was seeing how big a gap he had on me. It was a pretty good gap, as I never turned a pedal in anger to catch up to him. He was pedaling like crazy on the downhill and I thought to myself, "it is time to put this guy away". So, I dropped the hammer. I ended up passing him on the next uphill section and didn't let up. As far as I was concerned, this guy was going for my podium spot and that wasn't going to happen. I could see him in my mirror giving it all he had, but so was I. He was never able to catch me and my hope is that he thinks twice before attacking a commuter with a rear bike rack and bag the next time. He's lucky I wasn't on my road bike, without the 10-15 pounds of extra gear. I would have really demoralized his a$$. I was toast by the time I let up, but I finally lost sight of him and I figured that was a job well done. Don't let the plain clothes full you…...

KC BikeWeek 2009

2009-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the first year that I did not sign up for the CarFree Challenge. My new contract does not start until next week, so I really don't need to go anywhere this week. So I elected to not participate this year. I am bummed as it is always a good time riding in with my good friend Chris Locke. I want to wish everyone participating this year a safe and trouble free ride. Go Cow Town!

OK, I Admit It, I am a TI Freak

2009-05-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

There is no denying it, I am a Titanium freak. I went from a steel Panasonic DX-4000 in 1988 to a carbon Kestrel 200 SCI and then I bought my first TI road frame back in 1999 (a Litespeed Vortex). Titanium bikes offer the gold standard of ride quality -- incredibly lightweight, forgiving and stable while maintaining lateral stiffness, all while being much more durable than carbon fiber. What more can I say? I can't get enough of the stuff. All my rigs are titanium now, so I guess I am done....... Currently I have a Seven Axiom w/ Campagnolo Record, a Seven Muse w/ Campagnolo Record/Chorus mix, a Ritchey BreakAway TI Cross w/ Campagnolo Chorus and a Seven Duo with Shimano XTR. Here are some pics of my current stable.

A Little Here, A Little There

2009-05-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I've been trying to ride at least 15-20 miles a day, as time allows. Sometimes I make it out, sometimes I don't. Went for a 38 mile ride this morning with Chris Locke and his wife Carolynn. They were on their tandem and I was on my trusty Seven Axiom. It was one of the nicest days yet. The wind was low and the temps were in the 60's. I met them up at Worth Harley Davidson and we headed over to and down 210, then up through Liberty and Pleasant Valley to home. I felt great, but definately not fast yet. I should blame it on being out late at my buddy Art's house, but I am still just out of shape.

Good times and good friends, that's hard to beat. Besides Art, my long time friends Jim and Steve were there, as well as others. I've known these guys since High School or longer and we all still hang out and torture our wives with stories of the good old days. Always a good time. Well, Art got the Pacquiao-Hatton fight on pay-per-view. Man, if you didn't get to see it, check out the hi-light of the TKO in the 2nd round. Pacquiao clocked him into next week. He was hit so hard, that his ears shook (no kidding). I clocked out at about 11:30 and headed home since I was riding Sunday morning with the Lockes, but things were still going strong when I left.

I am really enjoying the bike again, so hopefully I can ramp up the training and get ready for some road racing prior to a full cyclo-cross season. I hope to at least do the Tour of Lawrence and the Tour of KC.

Bird Legs and Beer Belly

2009-03-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it is that time of the year again, where I try to come back from my winter slumber and get back into some sort of race fitness. To be quite honest, I have NEVER had race fitness. I come out gung ho every year and just don't have the dicipline to do anything about. Chris Locke coins it the best "Dave, you are the king of the comebacks". I am going to give it a real go this year. I have been out on a few rides with my teammates: Chris and Carolynn Locke, Randy Cartwright, Dan Gierer and Sarah Kucera. They have been fairly easy rides for those with fitness, but for me they are a good starting point. I need to get in some good base miles to build on.
First thing for me is to drop some weight. I am about 35 pounds over my "race weight" right now, so that isn't helping matters any. I am a power eater, when it comes to food; I eat fast and I eat a lot. Unfortunately, I carry all my weight in my gut, it's genetics and that is just the way it is. I think if I can get my eating under control, that will help tremedously. My core needs a lot of work and that combined with diet, ought to make a huge difference. Every cyclist knows that a 16 pound bike doesn't do you any good, if you are overweight. The cheapest way to take weight off the bike, is to take it off the motor!
Secondly, I need to build some muscle, as I also inherited bird legs. Not complaining, just stating the facts. Even way back when I was in half way decent shape, I never did develop big calf or quad muscles. So, I will never be a sprinter, heck I don't have the nerves for that anyway. I think I am going to focus on climbing and being a good all arounder for my team, Cow Town Cycling.
So, part of my training plan was to start this blog to keep anybody, including myself, up to date on things. Step 1, is complete. Stay tuned if you are interested and I will post as often as I can.