bad business

well. first race of the season resulted in a DNF. i remounted aggressively while trying to pass a guy on a Colnago and heard a loud and abrasive sounding creak. i thought that the 'seat guts' of the post had slipped and the nose of the saddle was pointing upwards. i cursed loudly but wanted to beat 'super nice bike guy.'well... i then threw my chain on the next barrier and kinda threw in the towel @ that point so i inspect the seat rails and found the post had actually cracked at the clamp. the scary thing is, i did a remount on it after i heard the noise and noticed the change in saddle position. i could've castrated myself if i'd kept racing...

...if i'd kept racing i think i could've, at least, passed a few more riders. i was feeling pretty sick and unprepared physically, but i seemed strong. i have no idea how i would've felt 40 minutes in, but i like to think i would stayed in front of anybody i passed.

the rest of the day was ridiculous fun. i cheered on Zach and Adrian for the remainder fo the 3 race. and everybody else in the 4's later. Hemme was a machine. i hung out on the Cuttin' Cruiser and watched the Bears suck. i spilled beer on myself, twice. donated a wheel to a CCC racer. replaced my seatpost (w/ another carbon one... ruh roh) thanks to Dan. rode back to the hideout block party w/ some people. awesome day regardless of race results.

the next step, obviously, is having the bike gone over w/ a fine toothed comb. i had multiple mechanicals in my first race last year and i don't want a repeat of that. the good thing is i have a little time to get the machine sorted out. last year i didn't race until mid-October. there are more races this year, but i will be fully prepared by the beginning of next month... both me and my equipment.

word.

sick; bikes

just in time for the last regatta and first cyclocross race of the season; i’m sick. i was all set to go for a run last night, but by the time i got to the train to go home from work i was feeling lousy. actually, i had an apparition or, better yet, a moment in which i knew i was due to get sick, on sundae after CX practice in the hurricane. i was able to fight it monday… i don’t even remember tuesday… wednesday i was fine– just tired, and yesterday all was well until the end of the day.

i always get sick at the most inopportune times; it never fails… ever. every year before the holidays (which i’m not particularly a huge fan of but it’s time off of work), before the Tri-State, before a road race (never a crit), etc. the funny thing is, i don’t mind actually being sick… i mind that it hinders my ability to go about things normally and enjoyably. all things in stride, it could be much worse.

my worst symptom: apathy… no energy to get angry or dwell on the fact that i’ve always got the shitluck.

yesterday i went to Trek in whitwater. it was dope. all high-end s**t. only high-end s**t. i tried to walk away w/ a rejected carbon tubular but thought better. all hating aside, if i ever decide to take road riding really seriously or i just get a bunch of $$$, i’d rock a madone w/ Red… no doubt.

Preparedness/preparation

I sat in a car for almost 4 hours worth of my workday yesterday, and my boss asked me how many bikes I had. I responded, ‘3 and a half,’ and told him that I get nervous when even one of them isn’t working properly.

That was thee fucking jinx of the century.

I knew the seatpost guts bolt on my road bike was stripped and that it has been creaking. So, when I hopped on it this morning, with every intention of getting in an hour long workout on my commute, it slipped right up into the air. Good times. I was riding it because it has a computer and I need to adjust the fit on the CX. So… back to the apartment, fumble keys, open gate, drop bike 6 times, close gate, slip back up stairs, throw things, do a bunch of crap, have a tantrum, change shoes, take CX bike off stand, knock over 875 things in the screen porch, fumble keys, slam door, fumble keys, walk a dozen steps, fumble keys, fumble keys, open gate, fumble keys, close gate, fumble keys, get on CX bike, fumble keys, hear horrible sound, realize rear brake is jacked up, ride it to work anyway because I woulda been late if had fumble keys the 4 more times necessary to attempt any other solution.

So, not only was I totally unprepared to ride regardless of situation, I suffered one day less of preparation for Sunday. I need another bike… seriously. Even if I didn’t have to spend all day yesterday before and after work away from/off of bikes, I woulda never thought of checking either over. I would been relaxing.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!

madeupwords, etc.

so. i'm gonna take the Ultegra cranks, right STI and rear derailleur, and the SRAM cassette, off the Steelman and put it on the new bike ASAP. i'd like to get everything i can done on the new frame first before i take the road bike apart. i am gonna put MTB pedals on her when i get home though... 'cause f**k 'em that's why.

i took her out for a long ride goodbye this morning. maybe i'll make a ton of money real fast and afford a FORCE group before winter sets in, but it's not likely. it's never been framesaved and i've, subsequently, never ridden it in road-salt. so, i'm gonna do a pretty good teardown and cleanup. no, Dan, it's good looks wont be tarnished. in fact, i'd consider it a facelift. i actually really want 10-speed too... i mean, there's a reason it exists.

...

while i haven't been workingout w/ any semblance of structure, i have been training harder. yesterday, on my way from work to pick up the bike i bonked really hard. i was, like, 'i can't really be hungry, can i?' then i stopped at an intersection and my legs almost buckled. i usually keep something w/ calories in my bag, but no dice. and... i thought it was a rip-off to buy one Gu @ the shop so i still rode home -- with a frame/fork strapped to my back -- all bonked-out.

then, when i had slugged home, all i wanted to do was unwrap the bike and mess w/ it so i did what any athlete in caloric debt would do in that situation; chugged a couple beers and poured peanuts out of a jar into my mouth while cutting zipties. worldclass.

adsd;fl kgj;?/.,?>>.?~_(^#!_+*#$

as with most decisions i make, i like to hear other people's opinions first. i think i have a disease. anyway... my new conundrum is whether or not i should strip down my Steelman this weekend and throw all the Ultegra on the new 'cross bike or wait til next month? i never got in a century on the bad-girl and feel like i'd rather have her on the ACC than a new CX bike -- with road tires, obviously, but with a 1X9!?!?!??!?!?...

plus, how could you not love this face?



help

10 autumnal things i'm loving/hating

loving

1: my Jamis Nova. she gone! eventually... i think... but man, are there some great memories and adventures tied up in those tubes. sure, she's heavy as f**k, too small for me and did i mention the weight? i get sentimental about alot of bikes, but this one's gonna be hard to part w/... so much so i may not, but we'll see...

2: the taste of HEED in the morning. it cues an onslaught of athletic emotions. i equate it to what i used to consider 'memorable cigarettes' or a flavor of some kind of candy from my very early days that i've rediscovered in a chewing gum. HEED tastes like happiness. it will always remind me of the moment i knew i was falling in love with 'cross.

3: any bike ride. i'm not dreading commutes. i'm not fearing weather. i'm not gonna walk to the corner for beer or a snack. i'm gonna ride. i can't get enough. i want to ride my `cross bike over everything, even your head...

4: sleeping. i went to bed the other day at 7:15. sure, i lied there listening to records for a few hours and i awoke early enough to tack on an extra 10-15 miles to my ride, but that's a lot of sleep.

5: seasonal/Oktoberfest beers. i love beer.

hating

1: football. i am not into it at all this year. bummer. i gracefully bowed out of my fantasy league this year so my sundays can be spent thinking only about CX not my running backs yardage. i also fell asleep listening to the Bears beat iindy the other day. i can't even get excited about college football. hopefully that'll change as things start to shape up. all this makes me quite sad.

2: that i'm not upset the boat is coming out of the water in a few days. we had our best regatta of the season on sunday. we were first around the top mark and got 3rd in the 2nd race! i felt quite celebratory afterwards, but it wore off quickly. i'm really apathetic towards sailing right now. i didn't even trim main.

3: that my local, morning café is closing. the coffee isn't even that good. the people, on the other hand, are what make it. no matter how abhorrent my ride to work was or whatever, i smiled as soon as i set foot in there. this is coming from a borderline sociopath! i wanted to spend my whole day in there sometimes just because it made me feel good. i don't know what i'm gonna do now...

4: my hurt hand. it hurts.

5: that i'm probably gonna sell the Jamis. gotta recoup a little bit of dough. this bike, somewhat, made me the cyclist i am today. it was the first truly functional bike i owned as an adult. from the moment i strapped her to the msngr bag on my back and rode her down LFP to lower wacker to home that late Dec. nite, to yesterday's roll through the rain and all the elation and tragedy in between, this bike will be missed once gone.