Speedplay SYZR Pedals Have Arrived!

I picked up 2 pairs of Speedplay SYZR pedals last night from my sponsor shop, The Wheel Cyclery.  Although the Speedplay X series pedals are my favorite road pedals, I was never a huge fan of the Speedplay Frog pedals, just because of there limitations in cyclocross.  Speedplay first presented a pedal they were developing as a viable MTB/Cyclocross pedal, way back in 2008. So, I have been patiently waiting for it to come to production.  I think this is the 3rd iteration and they look to have hit the mark with the SYZR!   Here are my initial findings and will post a full review, once I have put them through the paces.

1. The design and finish are on par with everything Speedplay produces, so that is a good thing.
2. The cleats are complex in design and since the float is built in them, I will be curious to see how they function when gunked up in a muddy cross race.
3. Mounting the cleats is straight forward, but you need to alternate the tightening of the screws as you are threading them in.  Then torque them to 5nm.
4. Adjusting the float is easy and even when adjusted out to the full 10 degrees, my shoes did not hit my crankarms.
5. The tension adjustment on the pedals is easy, but as with any, if you tighten the release you are also tightening the engagement.
6. To engage the pedals, it is a toe in first engagement.  You can't just step down on them.
7. The wings on the front of the cleats do a good job "guiding" your foot into the pedal.
8. The float is not as "icy" feeling as the X2 or Frogs, as it offers a little more resistance.  There is a shim included that you can install to free up the float friction.  I will probably not use it, though.
9. Engagement and disengagement of the pedals is more like a Shimano pedal than an Egg Beater, which to me is a good thing.
10. The pedal body has a very open design and should shed mud quite well.
11. There is a little more maintenance involved than some people might want, as Speedplay recommends lubing the cleat with a PTFE lube every 2 rides or after every wet/muddy ride.
12. I wonder how much the replacement cleats will be and how often they will need replaced?  Being steel, they should last similar to a Shimano and not wear as quickly as the Crank Bros brass cleats do.

Cyclocross is Knocking!

Cyclocross is just around the corner............

Wintery Mix #2

Cross racing in February........apparently so!!  I raced the CAT3’s at the Wintery Mix #2. The starting line was a long wide paved straight away that gave plenty of room for the field to jockey for position before hitting the dirt. This was good since they decided to start the 1/2 field at the same time as the CAT3’s.  I hung in with the field for the first ½ to ¾ of a lap, then the 1/2 field started to open up a gap (need to get a little faster before I ever think about upgrading). I felt OK for most of the race, but regretted doing an LT test the day before, as I think if maybe I had been well rested that I might have possibly made the podium.  I had one mishap during the race, where I hit one of the dips a little hard while seated way back on my saddle and knocked the nose pointing almost straight up.  I rode as best I could on the saddle and grabbed my pit bike to finish out the race with 2 to go (I will be switching to a 2 bolt post before next season).  I ended up 6^th for the day and I am happy with the result.

 

I actually enjoyed the course, although the softer areas were tough to power your way through, as it was that thick hard, wheel grabbing mud.  The section with “the ditch” was a blast.  The mud was a little thinner and I was able to ride it both directions, although some decided to dismount and run it.  My props to Mark Thomas and crew with the course (I have to admit I had been talking the course down all week, due to how rough I had heard it was at previous races, but a little rain did wonders). I look forward to training hard over the Summer and making a run for the podium next Fall! 

I want to thank Roger Harrison again for giving me a jump start.  I had left my lights on and my battery was dead after my race.  Roger is a truly selfless person and has been an important part Kansas City bike racing for years. Thanks for all you do Roger! 

Missouri State Cyclocross Championships

I made a trip with the Locke boys down to the Missouri State Cyclocross Championships in Jefferson City this past weekend.  We went down on Saturday and stayed overnight for the Sunday race.  This was by far my favorite venue of the year.  It had a little bit of everything, except sand (not a complaint, for sure).  The course had a lot of climbing, which is good for me since I lost 40 pounds this year.  It rained enough the night before to make the course soft, but not too muddy.  I lined up with the Master’s 40-44 for my shot at a State Championship jersey.  I got a pretty good start and was in the mix for a while, but I had made the mistake of switching wheelsets just before the start.  I decided to go with my Bontrager XXX carbons with Vittoria EVO XM tires, because they were lighter than my 50mm carbon tubulars that have Tufo Cubus tires mounted to them.  Since the mud was not deep anywhere, I figured I wouldn’t need the deeper rims and went with the lighter option.  Unfortunately, I could not climb the big steep hill and had to dismount on it every lap.  I was riding it fine with the Tufo Cubus tires, but the Vittoria’s just couldn’t grab enough traction to get me to the top.  I raced a good race with only one mishap, where I lost traction up the big hill and could not get unclipped in time and fell over.  The impact knocked my saddle sideways and I had to pound it back straight, so lost some time.  Other than that, I rode within my limits and ended up 9^th.  Chris crashed out of his race, with a broken derailleur.  Christopher had a hard fought battle, but ended up 2^nd to take home the Silver medal in the Junior’s race.  Overall a great weekend of racing!!  I look forward to next year’s State Championship in St. Louis.      

Boss Cross #3

I decided to go out and try my luck in the CAT3’s at Boss Cross #3.  I first have to start off by giving Joe and company their props for designing what I thought was a pretty good course.  The starting line was a long wide straight away that gave plenty of room for the field to jocky for position before the first turn.  There were a couple of corners that were a little tight and narrow (hint: if the tape needs to be fixed every lap, that is a good sign that the corner is a little too tight – not a complaint, just an observation).  I lined up in the second row of the 18 strong field after a quick practice lap.  I hung in with the field for the first ½ to ¾ of a lap, but just wasn’t feeling like I had any power.  I really need to warm up for at least 30 minutes on the trainer prior to racing, but I got down to the venue a little later than planned.  So, I decided not to chase the whole day and just ride the course at speed and work on my cross technique.  I did want to at least ride fast enough to not get lapped or finish last.  With about 3 to go, I was feeling a little better and decided to hit the gas.  As I approached the barriers and started my dismount, my cleat did not dis-engage immediately and I almost crashed, but was able to save it at the last minute.  I thought it was strange, as my dismounts have been pretty good this season.  On the next lap, I could see I was making up ground on the guy in front of me, but had the same thing happen at the barriers again.  Turns out the bolt on my cleat had come loose, so the cleat was moving with the pedal when I was trying to disengage.  Admittedly, I never check my cleats until I start to pull out of the pedals because of wear.  So I don’t know if I forgot to torque the bolt tight or what.  After the second mishap, the wind was out of my sails and I just went fast enough to hold my position.  I ended up 17^th for the day and I didn’t get lapped (see earlier goals).  I was really hoping my comeback to racing would be a little more productive, but I think I am resolving myself to just working on my fitness and getting my racing groove back on.  

I have 3 goals this season:

1)      Don’t get lapped

2)      Don’t finish last

3)      Finish every race

 

The results will come, but they may have to wait until next year……

Ritchey BreakAway TI Cross Review

I had no less than 6 different people stop me at yesterdays cross race to check out my Ritchey BreakAway TI Cross bike.  After several iterations, I finally got my Ritchey BreakAway TI Cross frame built up the way it should have been in the first place and I thought it was time to post a thorough review.  Anybody who knows me, knows I am a Titanium freak and I love cyclocross.  So when I considered getting a travel bike to take with me when I fly, I knew I was getting a Ritchey BreakAway from my team sponsor Ritchey and I knew it was going to be the TI Cross model.  

I have had this bike for a few years now and have put quite a few miles on it.  It has flown to Rapid City, SD and St. Louis, MO several times with no issues or oversize baggage charges.  Tom Ritchey really outdid himself with the BreakAway design.  It is so simple that it is genius.  The seatpost is the connecting rod for the first joint and a special fitting with flared ends is joined by a clamp on the downtube for the second split in the frame.  You can check out the Ritchey site for a more detailed explanation and a great video of how to pack/unpack and assemble the bike.  The frame just has that classic look and appeal that I would expect from Ritchey.  With my build kit of Campagnolo Record 10-speed, custom carbon tubular CX wheels, Crank Brothers 3TI Eggbeaters and a full complement of Ritchey WCS componentry;  the bike came in at 16 pounds.  

I was very skeptical about how much rigidity the frame would have, given that it splits into 2 halves.  I knew from the first time I rode it, that I was wrong.  I did not notice any flexing around the BB area when climbing out of the saddle or any twist when putting it through a technical CX course.  I wasn’t really surprised at how smooth it was, but the lack of flex was a huge shock.  So, this bike is comfortable, yet stiff and splits in two so you can take it with you in your travels.  The rear triangle has rack mounts, so you could easily set it up for touring or add some fenders. What more could you ask for?  I am not sure; as my only complaint is that they do not offer a hard travel case for it yet.  The soft case is still going strong, but I am always nervous when I fly with it.  The baggage handlers aren’t known for their respect of passenger luggage. I have been waiting for Ritchey to release a hard case, but I may just end up buying an S&S hard case before I travel next time. 

Some of you might ask if this could be your “A” race bike.  I am here to tell you that I have raced the bike in some local cyclocross races and it rocks!  The bike handles awesome.  It has never once gotten sketchy on me; whether the course was rough, soft, muddy or even when misjudging a corner.  There is plenty of mud clearance, as well.  With a race weight of 16 pounds, it is easy to shoulder up the most demanding run-ups.  I have never had to tighten any of the fittings after any race.  The list of benefits just goes on and on.  Wow, I am impressed. 

Not only does Ritchey produce some of the best components on the market, they also make an unbelievable cyclocross bike that just happens to double as an airline size travel bike!

Boss Cross #1

Rick Barrett and I did our best to represent Cow Town in the CAT3’s at Boss Cross #1. I haven’t seen the results posted online, but I think they had about 34 starters. I, unfortunately, was the last to line up due to a last minute nature break (won't let that happen again). Rick had a great starting position and was off with the leaders. The course was pretty narrow on the first corner and if you weren’t in the front group, you had to almost come to a complete stop. So, I ended up chasing the whole day. Since the course was not very technical, but fast, it looked like to me, that where you lined up is about where you finished. Rick trashed his rear derailleur and was not able to finish and I managed to make my way up to 27^th. Not a great showing, but it was my first CAT3 race since I upgraded back in 2009. A couple of things I did learn today, was that a good starting position is critical in the CAT3 races.  They seem to be much faster than what I remembered the CAT4's being.  You also need to force you way past someone if you want to pass.  I guess maybe I race differently than some, but if I can't bridge up to the next racer in front of me, I will let someone who thinks they can, by me.  Oh well, I'll get this racing thing down eventually.  It’s great to be back racing and hope to get a better starting position and finish tomorrow.

Tis' the season.....

Tis the Season for CYCLOCROSS!!  It has finally arrived in full force and I can’t wait to do some early season races and plan to do as many as I can throughout the season to race myself back into form.  I don’t expect any real results this year, because I have been away from the sport for a couple of years and I am sure there is some good local talent in the CAT3’s. 

I have finally been able to get a steady training schedule down and seem to be making some good progress towards my comeback.  I set some goals back in January, the #1 goal being to lose some weight and #2 to start riding my bikes again and #3 quit making excuses.  I have dropped a lot of weight (40 pounds), but that has come at a price due to the calorie deficit it takes to get that much weight off.  So, although I am finally at my “race weight”, I don’t seem to intake enough calories to sustain an effort when I am on the bike.  I need to find a balance between nutrition and performance.  I really need to figure out what I can eat before and during a ride or race to give me the energy I need to sustain an effort.  Right now, I can go fast for a short time and climb like a billy goat, but I just can’t sustain either effort for as long as I need to. It’ll come, but I am not as patient as I was 40 pounds ago. 

I met Guru the other night at a secret training facility and he laid out this kick ass cyclocross practice course for us to do some heat laps on.  I brought my portable pvc barriers and we had a great course to race on, with all the necessary elements.  It was a blast and I was putting down some great lap times.  I just hope that I can sustain that kind of effort for 45 minutes.  If so, I should be good to go. 

Speaking of cross, I converted to racing 100% on tubular tires and carbon rims the last season I really raced (2009).  It was a learning curve in many respects.  First and foremost is gluing those bad boys on, followed closely by tire pressure. I won’t go into tire pressure as it is a personal thing and varies by rider weight, tire selection and course conditions, but it could mean the difference between a win and a loss. I learned why gluing is the most important thing to me when I rolled a couple off the rim during the 2009 season (see pic of a tire roll in action) and got heckled by my teammate, I mean the crowd.  So I was talking to a guy at one of the races about it and he said he did all of his using the Belgian Gluing Technique.  He even went as far to say that he had to cut the tires to get them off, so I was immediately sold.  Now, I can’t verify anything yet, because I haven’t raced on the 2 sets that I Belgian Glued, but it looks very promising. I still have one set mounted with just Vittoria Mastik One, that hasn’t rolled yet, but the glue job is getting on in years and I expect it to roll at some time during the season and then I will Belgian Glue those as well. Here is the Belgian Gluing Technique that I used, straight from Stu Thorne:  

 Step 1. After stretching the tubular tire, apply one coat of Vittoria’s Matstik One glue to the rim and tire; let set for 24 hours. Thorne notes that thin coats of glue are key to good setup.

Step 2. Apply a second thin layer of glue to the rim and tire. Thorne then adds tubular tape to the rim (the Belgian Tape from www.cyclocrossworld.com), pressing it against the rim to smooth the tape out.

Step 3. Peel the backing off the tape, revealing the second adhesive side, and apply a thin layer of glue to this side of the tape and a third layer to the tire before mounting the tire to the rim.

Step 4. Inflate the tubular to 80 psi in order to make sure the tire is properly seated on the rim. Thorne then lowers the pressure to around 50 or 60 psi to let the glue cure.

Rolling your own...tire

That’s about it for now. I plan on posting a little more often, once I start racing again this season. Here are some pics of my trusty steeds that are going to get me through the season.  My A-bike is a Lynskey Pro-Cross weighing in at 15.5 pounds and my B-bike is a Ritchey Ti Breakaway weighing in at 16 pounds.  Both are built up with Campagnolo Record 10 speed and a full complement of Ritchey and Crank Brothers parts.  IT’S GO TIME!!

 

 

Race Myself into Form?

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.......

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.