The giddiness of aughts blogging

Every so often I check to see if anything has happened on the beat bike blog and I'm reminded of my bygone days of riding in jeans and sweating through my tshirt under a messenger bag. The days of a blog instead of just posting a picture on Instagram or a ride on Strava was nice.

But, also not nice. You gotta wade through someone's diatribe, when you really just want to see a pretty picture or if they rode to Granville or not.

So anyway, I guess the era of telling everyone about your bike ride is over and now it's about showing.

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Cyclocross Racing in Colt Park - This Weekend

First - a big deal announcement.  Hartford is a finalist city for the Cyclocross Nationals in 2017 or 2018.  There are four finalist cities, and two will be selected, one for 2017 and the other for 2018.  It's time to start ringing our cowbells, as this is a competition and Hartford has to WIN it.  The other finalist cities are Bend (OR), Louisville (KY), and Reno (NV).  Hartford (in the city proper) hosted two cyclocross races in 2014, and a downtown criterium race.  There is a growing bike racing scene in the Hartford metro area, and our fair city is an excited and helpful host city.  Stay tuned to the Beat Bike Blog for more info on how you can help secure this national cyclocross race.

Cross racers mounting the stairs at the base of the Sam Colt Statue.

For those that don't know much about cross racing, this weekend is your chance to get a crash course.  On Saturday, November 8th there is a full day of cross racing in Hartford's Colt Park starting at 8:30AM.  There is still time to register (REGISTER HERE) and it's a cheap entry fee (only $30).  There are races for all skill levels, and even a kids race.  If you don't race, you can just stop by and spectate.  Bring a cow bell (marathon left overs) or a kitchen pan and holler at the riders.  They need the aural flogging to reach peak performance levels.  Cyclocross has a tradition of goodhearted heckling. I'll see y'all out there, I'm going to volunteer in some shape or form.  There is more info on the Team ERRACE facebook page.

Heckling is part of the fun.  

In the vein of healthy hecking, I challenge any of the racers or attendees to actually ride their bike to the race. Imagine that.  Using your bike as transportation in addition to a shiny fast toy.

There are obstacles on the course.  And crashes happen.

And now for something not bike related.  It could be bike related though.  You can ride your bike there.  Next week there is a week long series call The Thread.  You can find more info here.  Four consecutive days of story telling right here in Hartford.

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How to make yourself tired

I like to think I'm a tough guy and that I'm a fairly in shape one, too. I'm not so sure.

At the Hartford 'cross race last week, Doug proposed that we ride to the Cheshire race. I love the Cheshire race and try never to miss it. There are trees and rocks and those things make for 'cross course that I like. It's pretty much the only time that I feel like I'm a competent mountain biker.

So, Doug, Tony and I met up in the south end of West Hartford and rode down. I think we must have had a tailwind, because even our speed-capped singlespeeds made it there in just over an hour.

The race went ok, but I've realized that I can't go fast. I can do the bike handling and catch people that way or ride away from them, but when it came to pedaling through the flats, I just couldn't hold on. I don't know if it's these zip-tied folks shifting or being able to better select a gear day-of after riding the course or I just suck. I'm leaning towards the sucking thing. I still had fun, but I think you have more fun when you're not sucking. I even had a good start this time. I was like 7 or 8 coming out of the woods on lap one, but I ended up finishing 16. I mean, I gave up like three spots at the end of the last lap. That is not good.

I also bent my front wheel when this guy in front of me went down and I crashed into him. My fear of taco'ing and brake drag probably didn't help much on the last lap.

I've been having this general feeling of sluggishness lately. I went mountain biking on Thursday and explored the trails around Bolton Notch, some of which are pretty awesome and some of which strand you in people's backyards. I wasn't feeling like I could really get my bike moving too well. I was trying to blame it on the leaves being really slippery, but I think it's just that I suck.

Part of me feels like I still have some of that nasty cold from a few weeks ago in my lungs. My chest has been tight a bit lately and I'm still sort of phlegmy. Maybe I have diminished lung capacity from it. Or, maybe I just suck.

Anyhow, riding to and from the race was actually a lot of fun. We went through the scenic and industrial sections of New Britain. We also avoided that sense of regret from racing on a really nice day wherein you only rode for 45 minutes, but invested the whole nice day in the race. Instead, we got a nice 50 mile ride in plus a 'cross race for good measure. Of course, this makes your 60 miles feel a lot more like a hundred. Today I've got some tired legs.

I only took pictures of the kid's race for some reason.

 This guy doesn't worry about sucking at cyclocross. Also, secret tip: there's a spigot right behind him if you're running low on water during a ride through Cheshire.

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Cyclocross Race at Colt Park - Really.

Cyclocross race in Colt Park this Saturday, November 9th.  
Only $25.  Race local, save gas, build the sport.

I found the poster.  You should race, or just check it out.  Tell your racing friends the season isn't over and they are wimps for bagging it and riding on their trainers in the living room.   Spread the word.  You can still register online until Thursday.  There is also day of registration, but it will set you back an extra $10.

The race director, Sean, specifically asked if Salem was coming out.  I think that is an invitation.

The Beat Bike Blog does what it can for bike racing in Hartford.

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A new cyclocross race in Hartford

Remember when some people and me put together a 'cross race at riverside park? It was pretty awesome, but a ton of work. Since I'm a lone wolf without a cycling club, I've never done it again.

Much to my happy surprise when looking on BikeReg the other day, I saw a race scheduled for early November in Hartford. It's being put together by the ERRACE/Central Wheel people and is going to be in Colt Park. Colt Park is certainly an interesting place for a bike race, but it's pretty awesome that it'll be in a popular and visible park.

No single speed race, so I guess I'll just have to get my ass kicked with people who can shift.

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30

I've been 30 for about a week and boy do I feel old. Last night, I was angry at the dehumidifier for shutting off randomly, so I kicked it and the free hub broke yesterday on the snake bike, so I got a ride home from Johanna.

Now that I'm old, I suppose that my joints are going to start aching and I'm going to require a lot of Bengay. For example, I was riding in Vermont this road that heretofore had always been open, but someone had run an electric fence wire across it. Since wires and gravel are the same color, even with the help of my glasses (further indication that I'm old) I hit the wire about went over the bars. My shoulder was stiff for a week. The reason I was riding there is because I'm a member of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, which in the last few years has developed some pretty good singletrack. I joined it. The trails are more difficult than Kingdom Trails and I can ride to them from Glover. Also, I can ski there in the winter. They have rowing stuff, too, but I haven't seen any canoes, only those fast, tippy boats.

Since I haven't written a real blog post in a long time, I can also tell you about riding the Dirty 40. It was low key, cheap and a lot of fun. It got Salem out of retirement. He finished 10th and I finished 35th. He's still way better than me. Todd Bowden won. At cyclocross practice last week, Todd Bowden did not lap me. That was a big victory for me.

Another thing that has nothing to do with getting old, but is a cool secret thing that I've been doing is riding at Nathan Hale in between a class I'm taking in Storrs and when I have to be back for my Admiralty office hours at the law school. In that vein, does anyone know a good sandwich place near 44 in the Storrs/Coventry area? Highland Park is sort of expensive.

So, this is my return to the beat bike blog after a month or so. No great insights.

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Race Eel

The Eel has not been competitive in awhile. That's ok and all, but I think it should return to its speedy roots. The first was no doubt the most prolific.

Ideas I've had are to steal Salem's idea of a point to point race (head to head? head x 4?) along the Hockanum in East Hartford (can't do that in Manchester, competitive racing events are prohibited from the boardwalks of the Hockanum without approval from the Hockanum River Linear Park Committee. § 304-7 Manchester Code of Ordinances). Or, closer to my house, do a secret cyclocross race along South Branch of the Park River. It'd have two river crossings! That's as many as this famous race.

What do you think? Which is more attractive? Tell me!

The plan is to do this maybe early April. De Tour training. Read more!

In praise of the swamp thing

In which I become the tallest midget...

Yesterday was the Winsted Woods race. As you may have noticed, it rained a lot. When it rains a lot, people make a big deal out of tire choice. I suppose they probably have a point. Originally, I was going to run an IRC Serac, but I brought another wheel with a Maxxis Swamp Thing just in case. It was a good decision. The Swamp Thing is magical in nasty mud (terrible the rest of the time).

In terms of actual racing, I didn't do very well. I had a good start, but on the first unrideable climb (a tire can only do so much), I started running and my heart rate went through the roof. It took like a mile to recover. I went from second to fourth and never found third again. Although, judging by results, I was pretty close to catching third by the end. Too bad they shortened it to two laps. Three wouldn't have been a problem. I did two in 1:07, so it would have been three in 1:40. I think the officials just wanted to go home. Also, I hit all the jumps and the log thing, and didn't crash at all!

I'm not generally one to Monday morning quarterback by suckitude, but I chalk up some of my problems to warming up inadequately. It was raining, which was unpleasant, so I wasn't eager to go out on the course and since it was muddy, I didn't want to ride very far for fear of seizing up my bike before the actual race.

But, anyway, my 3rd place at Winding Trails and fourth yesterday narrowly made me the Connecticut State Champion (CAT 2 19-29)! I got a medal and everything (the medal was everything). Being the CAT 2 State Champion just means that it's finally time to relegate myself to the back of the pack in CAT 1.

I went for a pretty kick-ass ride to the blowhole on Friday and found some nice connective and fun trails in Dividend Park. And, I did some intense grocery shopping training on Saturday. I can fit $80 worth of Stop and Shop food on my bike, so I can fit like $200 worth of Whole Foods food.

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Diversity

While Salem was attempting to visit Hartford in the most difficult way possible yesterday, I decided to go out to Farmington to race on what I'm assuming were the only passable trails in the state: Winding Trails. I grew up near Winding Trails and that's probably why I'm a bad mountain biker. The Farmington River valley probably has 20-25 (30?) miles of trails from rt 4 in Farmington to rt 44 in Avon, it's twisty, but there aren't any rocks or climbs. My parents wouldn't let me ride up to the Reservoir until like ninth grade because they thought the roads were too busy. Sometimes we'd climb up this cliff at the top of Stonefield in Farmington and but through a friend's dad's yard on Deercliff, but that was really complicated. Going downhill into the river valley was way easier.

So, anyway. Winding Trails is a popular mountain bike race. Every year it seems to get a slightly better course and this year, due to construction at Walton Pond and the world's biggest sand castle, the course was slightly shorter but featured a lot more singletrack. It was great.

29 people started with me. I didn't get to the line at the first call, so I took a spot in the second row. To my annoyance, people later than me still tried to crowd in the front and to the side of me. For that reason, I started out the gate in like 15th or 20th, but everyone went to the left up the first little dirt road climb, which was weird because I thought that was the bad line. I went left and entered the singletrack in 9th or 10th. I beat a few more people in wider sections and got into 4th near the rails-to-trails with the three person lead group about 100 yards in front of me. I caught them on the way to the powerlines. I passed a sort of hipster-ish guy on an S-Works to get into third. The trail turned back on to singletrack and this guy in the Bike Barn kit rode off the front and I never saw him again. The second place guy from Rhode Island, or at least his jersey from was Rhode Island, tried to bridge the gap, but succeeded in getting about 200 yards ahead of me. I stayed in third by about 30 seconds for the rest of the race. The fourth place guy, who was not the hipster, but instead a guy in a bikereg kit, stayed about 30 seconds or so behind me the whole time. It was a fun race, even if all the action was in the first 1/3 of the first lap. And, for the first time in ages, I wasn't lapped by any of the 30-39 guys. It was close, they were closing near the finish.

Speaking of lapped riders, I have a bone to pick. I'm crappy racer, no doubt, but I'm respectful and pretty chill. So, when I came upon a guy that I'm lapping and he tells me to "pass at my own risk" or another who blocks my pass when I'm announcing it, I get pretty annoyed. The women I lapped were very nice (and I was totally impressed by the woman racing on a 'cross bike). I have to admit that it's pretty weird that people were being lapped in a three lap race, but just because your ego is being bruised, it doesn't mean that you have to try and wreck the races of others. It's Cat 2 and there weren't even socks to win!

In other racing news, alley cat(s) racing is tentatively returning to Hartford (or at least the Hartford line). There hasn't been one since that Halloween one a few years ago. It's being put on by Orion and his friend Matt. Orion won the alley that I put on a few springs ago. So, you should do this one in May:

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Sundry

Firstly, Johanna & I were riding to get some Mexican food from the West End last night. When we passed through Pope Park, we saw deer. That was pretty cool. They were just chillin in the, well, meadow. I guess that's what happens when don't mow the whole lawn.

This weekend is the Coyote Hill Race. I've always wanted to do it because the rumor is that it's a fun course. So, we'll see. I like fun and I'll be in Vermont anyway.

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(no subject)

I've been outside as much as I can muster lately, but it's not really leading to anything to write about. You go outside, it's nice, what more is there to say? Lots of mountain bikers at the reservoir again. It's good to have company.



Johanna and I did some hiking and camping on the AT last weekend.


First race of the year this Saturday!

And, some very sad news about that kid at UConn who got hit. I hope he's ok. Read more!

2 cats part 2: 2nd place

So, it's the midst of Hurricane Dan, there was a mountain bike race in Ashford at the June Norcross Boy Scout Camp. Though it must be said, the rain did stop on the second lap.

I think this email exchange between me and someone who did the Cat 1 race pretty much sums it up:

Thanks.

That was simultaneously some of the most difficult and fun riding I've probably ever done. I did a lot more 'racing' against other people than I usually end up doing: I had the lead for awhile, dropped to second, then the third, then caught back to second and even fended off some of the older guys. The funny thing is that this was happening at about 6 mph.

I agree about the course. I have a hard time imaging it dry, but I'm guess it would be super fast- like Winding Trails without sand. Hopefully it's not so ruined that we can't ride it next year.

Brendan

- Hide quoted text -

On Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 7:42 PM, wrote:
Hey Brendan,
Nice ride on Saturday. Sucks that you guys got the course when it was really destroyed. The course keep changing on each of my laps and by the 3rd one it was wrecked. Too bad because that was a really cool course and would have rocked had it been dry.
I believe you are right, you can have additional barriers if they are natural.
Later
-XXX

The one sad thing for me was that I thought that I had won the race upon completion. I didn't realize a guy who had passed me midway through the first lap was my age. :-( Ok, not so sad. The guy beat me by over ten minutes; I didn't have a snow ball's chance in hell. He was flying.

I also hope that the trails are able to recover, because the race really did a deed on the trail and I want to race there again next year. Then again, those boy scouts looked more than capable of fixing them.

So, should I do that 50 miler at the Landmine Classic?

These pictures were taken nowhere near the race. The second picture's photo credit is Elmar Tusch. No good pictures because the wise Johanna decided not to attend the race.
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2 cats

So, that race in Massachusetts happened yesterday. As promised, Brendan raced Cat 2. Brendan's bike, however, had no desire to do that.


I pre-rode the course, well some of it, and thought it was going to be a fun race. It felt fast and manageable. I stopped pre-riding when I came upon this crazy floating bridge.

Crazy floating bridge.

Crazy floating bridge with Brendan and some other guy.

I figured that the Cat 2 start would be faster than the Cat 3. It was, but not that much faster. I was in fourth going into the singletrack in the woods. Positions changed a bit until the crazy floating bridge, but I was in fourth getting to the bridge. My rear derailleur had started shifting funny, but I didn't really think anything of it until the other side of the floating bridge. It promptly shifted the chain into the spokes on the other side of bridge. I fixed it and on the next shift, it did it again. Things were not looking good. I lost a whole slew of positions and realized that I had bent the derailleur, though the hanger looked ok. Needless to say, this made riding with speed up any hill very difficult because I couldn't shift into any of the lower gears. I took it easy for a while, trying to figure out which gears worked and which gears didn't. I finally settled into a groove and could ride at maybe 75%. I caught back up to two 19-29 people and was started to feel a little more confident. It being my first Cat 2 race my expectations weren't very high, so I was just riding for the sake of riding and having a pretty good time.

Then my chain broke and I stopped having a good time. I ended up jogging the second half of the third lap and finishing with a depressing +2 hours time on an 18 mile course. Although, my wonderful girlfriend, Johanna, was waiting for me a little ways before the finish for some cheering up.

Brendan on foot.

She took the picture, so you can't see her.

Also, Cat 2 seems to be a good fit, though it'll be awhile until I win some socks again.

2nd also, one of the reasons that the crazy floating bridge was so crazy was that the water on either side was like four feet deep. I was told that in the Cat 1 race, someone tried to do a slick pass by running around the bridge and he sank. Also in the Cat 1 race, someone tried to jump on to the bridge, busted his ass and crashed into a tree.

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