Last day of 2009...

What a great season! As I trance out on the trainer I recapped my 2009 season and smiled. As a departure from previous seasons of racing I took a new approch and avoided getting tied into any particular race series while discovering a variety of new races and disciplines. It was both humbling and satisfying at the same time. I did several road races and criteriums for my introduction into road racing. I moved up to CAT 4 and discovered I am very slow and I have a long way to go before I can call myself competitive. I did the Mohican 100 endurance race and discovered it was just about the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and I will certainly be back for more punishment in 2010. I raced the Peak 2 Peak XC on the singlespeed and discovered that gear ratio choices can either make you or break you. Great race though. I also tryed my hand at cyclocross and discovered how much fun it can be. With the cash grabs and beer hand-ups it is truly the most fun I have had in a bike race yet. Once the snow started to fly here in Michigan I discovered the velodrome in Ontario and tried my hand at track riding. What a RUSH! By doing these things I have opened the door to a host of other cycling disciplines that have piqued my interest. I better get started and dive in before I get too old.

DC Bicycle Film Festival

This short video (9 minutes) was featured at this years DC Bicycle Festival. I think what I find I like most about the flick is the pure joy on the faces of the cast as they seek out the thrill of motion and gravity. The kids on the tobaggan remind me that it's all about the ride and having fun. The music is pretty cool too.

SKI BOYS from Benny Zenga on Vimeo.

Thank you Shimano!

WOW! I have to hand it to Shimano USA for taking care of me, Mr. Little Customer, by replacing my jacked up Tiagra duel control road shifters. I sent them both back with the required return form from the website and BOOM they arrived at my door a week later. Piece of cake. In a nutshell, I have learned that cables should be swapped out frequently versus annually and to use only the finest stainless steel cable when doing so. My laziness in this area is what led to the worn cables breaking and the barrel head falling inside the shifter mechanism. Yes, I'm fully aware this wouldn't have happened if I was riding a single speed....



This is my second occassion of dealing with Shimano regarding my shifters and they have come through without a hitch. In my mind I have now become a loyal customer.
WOOT!

Back to the Velodrome

Yesterday marked the last day of Fall here in Michigan. It's cold, snow is covering the ground and I'm putting off riding the trainer. I'm in my "winding down" period of melancholy ho-hum before I turn my attention towards the 2010 season. My teammate Jeff and I headed back over to the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario for the Level 2 training class at 2pm. We arrived at 1100 and jumped into 3 hours of open riding. The track is basically divided into two primary lanes. The upper lane for the high speed pace line while the lower lane was for the less-fast pace line. It was cool to be able to move up and down the track between the varied paces and get in some fantastic riding before the class. As it turns out the class was large and things got slowed down a tad although it was a great opportunity to pick up additional information. Our last excercise of the day consisted of a high speed interval drill where the lead rider of the pace line drops down to the bottom of the oval and sprints to catch the tail of the pace line. Once the rider catches up the next lead rider sprints off the front and so on. Great fun!

Track eye-candy!

SSCXWC09 - Portland, Oregon

Well, the 3rd annual single speed cyclocross world championships are in the books and by all accounts it looks like it turned out to be another successful event. The theme was Thunderdome and the race featured a La Mans start, a stripper bus shortcut, and my personal favorite, "the bacon hand up". Read the race recap from the SSCXW BLOG for full details. I cannot say enough about how I enjoy the vibe surrounding the cycling culture in Portland.

Velodrome field trip

Unloading: The mascot: Riding the Coté d'Azur: The crew: WOW. What a great experience. Lately, the extent of my "outdoor" riding has been limited by my desire for self preservation. I admit it, I am a fair weather rider. That said, I hooked up with some buddies and made the hike across from Port Huron, Michigan over to London, Ontario to check out the indoor Forest City Velodrome. It was a cold, sunny morning and as fate would have it we arrived to discover the boiler was broken and it was actually colder inside the arena. Freakin' bloody hell, my teeth were clattering and I was shaking uncontrollably while we were receiving some basic instruction. I borrowed a neoprene jacket, selected a nice loaner track bike and began the ride. Being completely out of your element can be refreshing. I was totally geeking out with the fixie set up and my general bike handling skills were sketchy at best. Below is a noob drill moving off the Coté d'Azur onto the black line and back down.


After a few laps it started to click. Our group was limited by many recreational riders which prevented us from moving up high on the track. Regardless, we were given some lap time which literally flew by and after 3 hours we were done. Flippin' awesome experience. I'm hooked!


The malted reward:

Velodrome madness!

This Saturday, December 12 I will have the opportunity to join some friends and head over to Canada for an introduction to the world of velodrome riding. The Forest City Velodrome is conveniently located in London, Ontario and offers "Introduction to ride" sessions. I have done this once on the Bloomer Park velodrome and the cycling experience is truly unique. The beauty is that it is consistant and uninterrupted. No stop signs, head winds, or traffic. Banked turns, one gear, and...it's indoors. I'll post back later with photos and an update.

Today's ride...

Criminy! It was deceptively cold today! I saw the sun shining and couldn't pass up another opportunity to get in a ride. I stumbled upon some singletrack about 2 miles North of my place which I had no idea existed. I found it to be a tad warmer in the trees and it was fun checking out the trails. The clouds came in and the wind picked up so I continued NW for a few more miles of dirt roads until I realized that my extremities were going numb. Even the banana in my jersey pocket was partially frozen. For me, it is the official kick-off to the "Hot Shower Season". Good ride.

Is there a difference between being cheap and being thrifty?

The Frugal Cyclist

Like the site linked above I consider myself pretty frugal when it comes to bikes and bike components. I have no other choice. I'm cash strapped and my cycling "needs" take a back seat to more important family matters. Simply put, my family doesn't understand my need for XTR, titanium frames or carbon anything. It's truly sad but I have learned to go with it. That is why I use the crap out of everything I own. When something breaks I fix it or send it back to the manufacture to replace. I'm too "thrifty" to use it as an excuse to upgrade to the flavor of the day. Sad but true.

About a month ago the left Tiagra duel control shifter on the CX siezed up and the rachet mechanism broke. I wanted to wait until I was ass deep in snow before sending it back to Shimano USA. I was content to use the small ring and ride my rig as a 9 speed for the remainder of the cross season but then a couple of days ago the right shifter cable broke and the cable barrel fell inside the shifter mechanism rendering the shifter inoperable. Crap. So I box up the shifters and send them off to Shimano to hopefully have them replaced in time for the Spring thaw. In the meantime I needed to get this bike up and running. The weather here in Michigan has been decent (for December) and I didn't want to wait too long for Shimano to do their thing. I located a right shifter that I had boxed up and forgotten about and mounted it up. I needed a break lever for the front brake and decided to set up the in-line lever that originally came with the bike. Good to go!
Did I say I was cheap?