The Great Circle Route

By • December 2, 2014 • Uncategorized

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To be fair it was one of the few times I actually recognized pieces of the landscape on a coastal ride through Maine.

Before Thanksgiving I made the trek to visit with Wayward, and we got some riding in as per usual.  Our mountain bike ride was cold and more adventurous than we’d hoped, and all I really mean by that is that the one trail I was hell bent on riding was the one that was completely covered in leaves and impassible.  We didn’t really get lost, but the serpentine nature of the trail made it so we had a number of different avenues to pursue.

The road ride was great, and we made the most of a warm, sunny autumn day.  We started at a feverish pace then settled slightly and rolled along for three hours.  It was the best ride I’ve had in a while and with all of the drama around cyclocross this season it was a welcome break.  It also reminded me that I have some good form although decent cross results never came to pass.

The holidays are always a tough time to stay active, but I intend on getting some more rides before we’re fully into snow mode.  And I will absolutely do the Hampsten this year- possibly GRW style.

 

 

So It Was Pretty Icy on Thanksgiving

By • November 29, 2014 • Uncategorized

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No matter what the calendar says it’s winter here.

We got hit with about a foot of snow that made holiday travel really messy.  I’m not racing this weekend, but Carrie is so after we both trashed our bikes (but had a fun ride) I had to try to rehab her rig back into working order.

The 1x setup is awesome for racing, and with this range works surprisingly well for dirt riding as well.  The current 42t with an 11-32 is a similar low end to the 34t x 26 that I run on the road bike.  And it worked well even with the massive slush build up you see here.

Look for the upcoming review on my 1 x 10 setup.

 

Gauntlet Attempt, Part 2

By • November 12, 2014 • Uncategorized

Last weekend was motivating.

Not the crashing part, the feeling like I can catch and ride with guys part.  The part where I felt like I could be racing with guys, even if they were ungodly sketchy.

I’m still on the fence about trying the Master’s field as I can “age up” to it as my racing age for cross is another year older.  I never considered that as an option because I’m not formally 35, but that’s one of the side effects of Nationals being in January.

So here’s me over the weekend, before I hit the deck.  With some tweaks and the right mindset I’m hoping for a strong showing this week at Shedd Park.

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