Wednesday, September 29, 2010

It sounds so simple i just got to go...

Hey Gang,

Well... that's about all i got. I love it when life is simple.

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Okay, it's not like i really have nothing going on. I am going to Mexico tomorrow, which is nice. Our hotel even provides free bikes. Bikes are everywhere! Besides that i'm going to do my best to recreate one of those Corona commercials, specifically the one with the hot blonde in the white bikini. You know the one.

Stay tuned...

Hasta luego

Monday, September 27, 2010

Manion's cross... full re-cap

Hey Gang,

So here is a proper re-cap of Sunday's Manion's cross race. It was pretty f'ing fun so therefore it deserves a pretty f'ing great re-cap.

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The cycling team i'm on was responsible for putting on this particular race and i found that to be quite a daunting task. It's a lot of pressure, and i wasn't even that involved. Luckily we've got some smart people on our team and i think we threw one hell of a party. Oh, there was racing too.

The course was hard as balls, which is a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you are. The reason for the extreme difficulty... the huge climb at the end of each lap. I didn't find it to be that hard but then again i knew what to expect. I'm sure it came as a shock to the system for most folks. But if you thought the course was a negative then i think we had plenty of positives to tip the scales in the favor of bad ass. The weather was beautiful (thanks Mother nature) the waffles and coffee were free (thanks Parisi Coffee) the beer was flowing (thanks Boulevard) the taco's were great (thanks In-a-Tub), and the music was spot on (thanks people with awesome music taste.)

All that stuff was great but what really made the event were all the great people who showed up. People make the world go round and Sunday was no exception. We had everyone from first time racers to former world champions, folk's racing in tennis shoes to folk's whose pit bike was more expensive than my only bike, folks who were there just to have a good time and folk's who were there to win.

We really do have a great cross scene in Kansas City.

The whole day seems like a blur but at some point i raced, and did pretty well. Nothing spectacular, but i held my own. i was in the 2/3 race but kind of wished i had done the 3/4 race. the field for the 3/4 was bigger and that's always more fun. But the 2/3's went 10 min longer and i rode strong for the whole race, so i'm patting myself on the back for that one.

One cool moment happened towards the end of the race. It was nothing i did but rather what was going on around me. With about 2 laps to go i got lapped by the guys from the open race. Three of them passed me on the climb and i have to say, it was pretty cool to be crawling up the climb while looking back over my shoulder and around the switch back's to see guys like Shadd Smith and Brian Jensen as they worked their way past me. It was almost like a Tour de France stage and i was part of the early break that was now blowing up and being passed by the heavy hitters as they attacked the final slopes of Alpe d'Huez. Or at least it was something like that.

i finished 3rd to last in the 2/3 race but i was close to some folk's who i used to think were much faster than me. Then again, i think this course suited me since i'm skinny and there was a lot of uphill. Next time i'll probably get my door's blow off.

So that's it.

Enjoy the photos.

Ciao




Sunday, September 26, 2010

Manion's Cross...

What a day! I'd say it was a complete success.

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Plenty more photos to come.

Ciao


Saturday, September 25, 2010

Cross race tomorrow!

Hey Gang,

Manion's cross race tomorrow! Details here.

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We were out today putting the finishing touches on the course. Be sure to bring your climbing legs.

See y'all tomorrow!

Ciao


Saturday, September 18, 2010

Cross race #1 (KC Cup / Swope Park)

Hey Gang,

There was a cross race today, it was fun.

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The race was at Swope park, 2pm. i raced as a cat 3, up from the 4 that i was last season. We raced 50 minutes which seems like a long time for the 3's. As daunting as that seemed i just kept telling myself 'remember all the 3 hr mtn bike races you've done this year, 50 minutes ain't nothing.'

And really, it wasn't that bad. Sure my back hurts, my neck hurts, i have blisters from not wearing gloves (gloves are for smart people) but all in all i feel okay. Plus i finished mid pack, which i was happy with. Sure the pack was small and at least three people who would normally have beat me had mechanicals... but whose keeping track of all that.

The course was a lot of fun. Probably unlike any cross course i'll do this year. It was a mix of traditional cross terrain, dirt single-track (including a huge log we had to go over) and pavement. I'd say it really tested all aspects of a cyclist... and i'm all for that.

Next week is Manion's cross, be there!

Ciao

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Cyclocross almost in the house

Hey Gang,

Are you racing your cross bike this year?

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I just did a practice cross race out at swope park, after 2 minutes i said to myself, 'i forgot how fun this was.' After 10 minutes i said to myself, 'this is harder than i remember.' And now, at home and several hours removed from the practice race... i can't wait for more.

Gonna be a great fall!

Ciao


Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Huffy Hustle

Hey Gang,

We had a party yesterday. It was pretty awesome. The best things about this party was that it included bike racing.

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What type of bike racing you ask? It was a prologue time trial, thru the back alley's of my neighborhood, on a tiny purple huffy. And i mean tiny, as in built for a 6 year old. But don't be fooled by this seemingly inferior, $5 dollar thrift store purchase, tiny purple girls bike... we put that baby thru the ringer big time last night and it held up to pretty much all of it. This bike is a true Champion. Plus it's fast too. Out of the saddle was the preferred method for most racers but leg speed was a must, given the extremely short cranks.

The course was no push over either. Gravel, pot holes, water, stairs, sketchy decent's, random concrete barriers, probably a plethora of rusty nails and broken glass, beer hand-up's, candy/dollar wall, all preceded by beer chugging... It was not an event for the faint of heart.

Once it was all said and done, after everyone had taken their run and after all the random bonus's had been calculated.... The overall winner of the first ever 'Huffy Hustle' was Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey, and several of our other top riders, received some top notch Colavita olive oil plus some Balsamic stuff as prizes for their outstanding rides. I'd say the entire event was a wild success and i'm already day-dreaming about the next Huffy Hustle.

Now let's go race some cross bikes!

Ciao