the scrawny cyclist

My day started at 7am, getting a ride down to KB with Bryan and Trev. We got there shortly after 8am, likely the first riders to show up. Lots of time to check out the course and 5 hours before my race (Bryan's race was at 11am). I pre-rode the course a few times, watched the 45+ men and women's categories. Bryan had a mishap with his seatpost and pretty much had to finish the race standing on the pedals. He rode very strong though, and all the St. Catharines riders showed the Americans that we're determined to kick butt.

Next was my race. It was an open men's category, which meant I'd be racing against some very fast guys including local CX'er Nathan Chown. It also meant that the race would be 60 minutes, rather than the usual 40 minutes for the 'beginner' category in Ontario. I had set two goals. I wanted to get 6 laps, and I wanted revenge on Jeff.
Being a ski resort, the course was bound to use the hill as part of the challenge. And it did use a portion of the hill. Those ski hills are much steeper than they look in the winter. A portion of the course was out-and-back on a flat dirt road, up and across the ski hill, and the rest was the usual maze of tape. Some mud here and there, one man-made barrier, and we have ourselves a loop.
I started out with the first lap on Jeff's wheel, just to scope out my competition. The second lap I was able to pull away on the hill (while talking words of encouragement to myself) and put a decent gap. The third lap I saw a rider I knew (although in the 35+ category) starting to gain some ground on me, so I tried to hold him off as much as I could. I got a bit over-zealous on a slick corner and went down pretty hard, dropping my chain and bending my derailleur hanger in the process. 3 riders passed me while fixing my bike, and now I was stuck in the 23T cog in the back with only the front derailleur useable. It wasn't so bad other than I couldn't put down much speed on the dirt road, and the climbs were even more difficult. I was able to overtake 2 of the 3 riders that passed me though.
Lap 4 I was able to make it up the hill, but lap 5 and 6 (final lap) I couldn't and had to hike-a-bike. My legs were getting tired by the last lap and had a bit of a muscle cramp, but once the course started to go back down to the finish I put the hammer down and held off a couple riders trying to get by.
I ended up in 17th out of 28 that finished, and only got lapped by the really fast guys once. I did 6 laps and beat Jeff by 58 seconds. Good job to Jeff. You rode strong but I got you this time.

Damn you Friday the 13th and your curse!!!
I'm doing the CX race at Kissing Bridge tomorrow, so I went to lube my chain and noticed my bike was not shifting correctly. Adjust the rear derailleur, it shifts correctly for one rotation, then won't go higher than the 3rd cog on the way back up and the shifting is ridiculously stiff. After a lot of cursing and twisting the adjuster barrel (resulting in it becoming cross-threaded, hooray), I discover that one of the cable housings decided to compress itself.
Well, luckily I happened to have a full Dura Ace cableset. I wanted to reserve it for my road bike but racing takes priority and I didn't want to use my mountain bike, so now my cross bike has Dura Ace (albeit one piece of housing and a cable) and shifts perfectly.

Edited Nov 9/09: added photos of myself.
Edited Nov 10/09: official results added.

Well I decided to give another cyclocross race a try. This one wasn't a casual gathering like last weekend. This was serious.

The weather was excellent (mild, sunny, sort of windy), and the course was mostly dry with some mud patches sprinkled in here and there. This race took place on a horse farm, so horse patties were omnipresent and much of the terrain was very rough. A few short, steep climbs were thrown in to make things interesting and almost ALL of the dismounts were large logs.

I started off and stayed on Jeff's wheel for a bit, passing some of the slower M3 riders in the process. Experience (the lack thereof) got the better of me after a few of the dismounts and he was able to pull away. Being a vertically challenged person, I HATE giant logs.

Eventually, I settled in a good pace and was just overtaking the odd M3 rider here and there. I had a challenger for a lap, which motivated me and I started to close the gap on Jeff. The logs again got me though and the challenger and Jeff moved away.

On the last lap, suddenly I heard a MASSIVE breathing noise directly behind me. I thought I was being chased by a horse, but it was a racer closing the gap behind me with huge effort. I managed to hold him off for a bit without much trouble but he ended up getting me at the end. By the last lap though, I was quite exhausted from the rough terrain and couldn't put the hammer down to finish strong.

Dan Dakin ended up winning the race. I finished 8th in the beginner men's category, 5:35 behind Dan. Pretty much I placed ahead of one rider and one that DNF. For what it's worth there was less than a 30 second gap between 6th position and myself, and I got 8 points to put my name on the list for the Southern Ontario CX challenge. I have to start somewhere; I had fun and I'd do it again. Planning on racing CSAJ Cross and Subway Cross coming up in Toronto.

The best parts of the day were cheering on Brandon Etzl as he destroyed the whole Junior and M2 field, as well as Jeff Moote in the Elite category (who performed an awesome holeshot). Having my own cheering squad really helped out (I think it was Neil and Aly?) Thanks!

And yes Jeff, you won this round. I will get you one of these times.

Here are a few photos courtesy of shapelike on flickr of yours truly suffering at this race. You can see my super awesome log hopping skills, and my finely tuned Tokyo drift knee balancing maneuver.




I've also uploaded several photos from the day: Click here for the album

With no previous experience, I went and did my first cyclocross race today. It was just a small, casual event at Firemen's Park in Niagara Falls put on by Zoom Leisure. I went into it thinking it would just be kind of a fun ride, but the course was set up so expertly that I just couldn't sit back and ride a recreational pace. All out it is.
The course was just under 3km, and a total lung-buster with hardly a flat spot on it. Some tricky climbs, three barrier locations (one was a giant log, and the other was a pit with smashed pumpkins), and lots of winding around grassy fields, around a pond (had to be careful not to fall in!), and through wooded areas.

I got about 3 or 4 warm up laps to get familiar with the course. At the start, I kind of fudged up clipping in to my pedal, but it wasn't too long before I passed a bunch of people and found my place. I saw Jeff, Ryan and Tom ahead of me and tried hard to catch them. Jeff eventually dropped back and I got by him, but Ryan and Tom kept inching away with each lap.

By the time I finished, I got 6 laps in. Results will be posted later. Crossed the line 8th overall. Up against some very strong riders, I think I did fairly well for my first time.

After the race, there was chili, cookies, a fire to stay warm, and everyone walked away with some awesome prizes. Thanks again to Zoom Leisure and all the sponsors and volunteers! Fantastic event, I'm looking forward to another one!

My bike (Norco CCX 1) worked well also. It's not too snappy on the road, but on a cyclocross course it was stable and handled well. It is a bit porky, which was felt on the climbs. I might be able to lose some weight (tubulars maybe next year), but the frame and fork are still heavy. It's stiff and reliable though, and works just fine for a beginner like myself. It has a lower bottom bracket than usual, so jumping on and off the bike were not much of an issue for a short person like myself (and was the main reason I chose the Norco over Kona). The WTB Crosswolf tires, which I hate on the road, were very grippy at approx. 30 psi and cut through the grass well.

I like cyclocross. It's absolutely bonkers.

The scrawny cyclist tests the Airbike P7 Ever Light SLH.
I finally got a chance to try my new light out, both on-road and in the trails.

Mounted on my road bike's handlebars, the light mount is very secure, and allows the light to be turned if needed. The battery pack sits neatly on the downtube, and doesn't budge due to the strong velcro straps and a piece of foam rubber stuck to the pack. The wires were a good length, not so long that I would have to coil it around the bars, and not too short that it would hinder steering. The weight of the system is negligible.
Performance-wise, the low setting is not particularly useful, and don't even try the flashing setting unless you want to give yourself a seizure. Aimed about 10-15 meters ahead, the medium setting works perfectly for road riding, gives long battery life, and doesn't blind oncoming drivers. The beam projects very wide, so vehicles approaching from an intersection will have no problems seeing you. I honestly don't know how I rode at night all last year with just a 1W commuter-type light.

Now the part which is probably more interesting - the trail test.
I strapped the light to my helmet for a ride with the Thorold Trail Hogs. The first thing I noticed was the extra weight on my head. I just had to click the head-band of my helmet slightly tighter than usual so I wouldn't feel like a bobble-head. The included extension cable is long enough to keep the battery in a jersey pocket. I was a bit concerned that the cable, just sitting on my back would get in the way, but there were no problems at all. The mount does sit the light a bit higher than I would prefer (I had to remember to duck where I normally wouldn't have to), but it is exceptionally sturdy, and light angle is adjustable with a solid 'click', rather than slipping around with a rubber band provided with the Magicshine unit.
The light is very bright, but in a different way than the Magicshine. The latter seemed to have a center-focused beam with a very soft light falloff. The Airbike unit has a HUGE flood area, but cuts off very sharply. Mounted to my helmet, I was still lighting trees above me. There is still a noticeable 'hot-spot' in the center, but the way Airbike does this is by a magnifying lens. Therefore, the 'hot-spot' has an odd shape, and could be square or diamond shaped depending on the orientation of the emitter. For what it's worth, I was causing shadows in front of Jeff K (who was using TWO Magicshine lights).
The light color is excellent, and very white, and gives the impression that it is brighter than the Magicshine (it may or may not be actually brighter). Oddly enough, given it has the same emitter, the Magicshine unit seemed to have a yellowish tint, much like the difference between HID and standard halogen lamps on a vehicle.
The battery held up for two hours of riding, so I have no doubt that their claims on battery life are accurate.

All-in-all, the Airbike P7 Ever Light SLH is an excellent unit, with sturdy mounts and a good included accessories. Although it works just fine as a helmet-mounted light, in my opinion, it would be better suited as a handlebar-mounted flood when coupled with a helmet-mounted spot light (like the Magicshine). It is plenty bright to travel at ridiculous speeds through the dark woods.

I will edit this post in the future with some beam shots.

Selling my Panasonic HDC-SD5 camcorder in order to fund a helmet cam.

See here for a review and more info: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-SD5-First-Impressions-Camcorder-Review-33048.htm

Barely used, works perfect. Stunning video and sound quality! 3-CCD chip for full 1080i video in a very compact package. Includes all the cables, manuals, software etc., an extra battery (worth $130) and Product Service Plan from Future Shop which protects the camera until June 28, 2011. It was a demo unit, so there is no packaging, and no memory cards included (although it takes a SDHC card which is quite inexpensive).

$500 $450 for the whole package. Email or leave a comment if you're interested.




Also selling my rollers for $120. Tacx RollerTrack T1200. Same as this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/-_-/5300002171/ Sold.

Originally posted on Jan 7/09:

1. Liberty Bicycles 8x12 - go for consistent top 50 placement. 47:xx race times (course dependant).
My worst race of the season was still top 50...top 40 in fact. I got 3rd in my age cat. So yes, I met this goal.
2. Liberty Bicycles Off-Road Squeezer - top 100 overall placement. 1:26:xx race time.
Well into the top 100 here, but course conditions meant slower race times.
3. Do the Paris to Ancaster.
I did it. Never again.
4. Complete a road race not DFL.
Accomplished this goal 3 times. One race I actually got 3rd place in my category.
5. Complete a road criterium not DFL.
2nd last is not DFL. :)
6. Complete a 24hr team endurance MTB race
Did not accomplish this goal. Maybe next year.
7. Compete in at least two Ontario Cup MTB races
Did three O-Cups this year.
8. Compete in several cyclocross events, and not come DFL.
Unfortunately, I never got a start on cyclocross. Next year.
9. Do SCCC training rides without getting dropped.
I can't count how many times I accomplished this goal. In fact, on a few of the Tuesday night races, I was the one doing the dropping.
10. Complete a 100km+ group ride (Pedal 100 etc.) without getting dropped.
Completed the full 160km of the Pedal 100 this year, but I did get dropped...
11. Have a blast the entire season.
ABSOLUTELY!

2010 focus:
Road racing is the main agenda here.

• Compete in most if not all road race O-Cups (no crits, no TT's). Goal: field finishes in all events.
  

• Liberty! 8x12 Series and Squeezer (of course!!). Goal: improvements over previous year
  

• MTB O-Cups, Tour of Pelham, Lake-to-Lake, Canal Days are secondary to road race schedule, and dependent on course conditions. Goal: no specific goal set.
  

• One or two duathlons (local events only - Welland, Grimsby). Goal: finish without injury.
  

• A few cyclocross events to finish off the season (local events only - St. Catharines, Hamilton). Goal: no specific goal set.

I'm participating in a research study involving cyclists for the Kinesiology program at Brock. Today was a session just to get some control numbers, some of which are useful to me.

Some data about me: My weight is 51.5kg/113lb, height 164cm/64.8in, age 28.

My VO2 Max is 67.2ml/kg, with a heart rate of 194bpm, at a power output of 325 watts.

I'm not exactly sure what all that means, but it sounds impressive :)

Well where do I start...hmm. How about the copious amounts of MUD with the consistency of cooking grease. Oh yeah, it was slippery out there; had to be extra cautious on corners, several inclines were unrideable, and on many downhills I should have just used skis. Apparently the afternoon (elite) race saw much better conditions (darn it).
I had a decent start and found myself with a pack of about 20 of the lead riders, which did not last long so I ended up by myself for much of the race, between two groups. My road strategy did not work so well as there was simply nobody out there to pass. I caught and overtook maybe 2 or 3 people on each of the road climbs. For the last half of the race, it was just me and a guy on a single speed, going back and forth. I'd take him on the flat, open sections, and he'd just reel me back in on the singletrack. In a way, it was much less stressful over having to deal with several other riders and I made fewer errors.

As for results, I didn't get the time I wanted, but given the conditions I think it's acceptable. I did still improve my overall position though.

1:34:31 (19.0kph avg.)
71st overall
16/80 Men 20-29
27th "not elite" to cross the finish line.

Last year was (in better conditons):
1:28:19 (21.7kph avg.)
112th overall
29/108 Men 20-29
58th "not elite" to cross the finish line.

So a 41 position improvement is not bad. I set a goal that I wanted to be somewhere in the top 75, so goal obtained.



The Squeezer is not just about the race. It's about hanging out with friends, chatting about how the race went and course conditions. Watching the elite wave come in was exciting. I yelled at riders until my voice was hoarse and cowbelled my arm off (with the awesome little yellow Liberty! cowbell I got from The Devil). Seeing friends win prizes (congrats on winning the bike Jay!) and awards is great too. Definitely one of the best ways you can spend a weekend!

the scrawny cyclist gets a First Look at the Airbike P7 Ever Light SLH, manufactured in Korea by SUNBO High-Tech Industrial Company, and sold in the U.S. by GeoMan Gear (who has quick shipping and great customer service, I highly recommend for your lighting needs). The claimed 900 lumen maximum output puts it up against boutique-brand lighting units costing 4-5 times as much (and also one no-name light at half the cost).

Specifications (transrated from some excerrent Engrish):

1. Model : P7 EVER LIGHT SLH
2. Contents: Light head, bar mount, helmet mount, connection cable (80cm), battery (3 cell Li-Ion), battery charger
3. Dimensions: Head - 5.6cm x 4.1cmØ; Battery - 7.5cm x 4cm
4. Weight : Head - 135g; Battery - 210g
5. Input : 4.2v
6. Output (brightness): Low - 6W (400 lumen); High - 16~17W (900 lumen)
7. Operation method:
- Push switch for 1~2 sec: (on/off)
- 4 modes : low->mid->high->flashing
- Last mode memory
8. Burning time: Low - 5hours; Mid - 4hours; High - 3hours
9. Battery charge: 4~5 hours

Let's start off with the packaging and documentation. It's less than impressive, and Engrish is prominent. Open up the box...oh my. Well, if they're going to cut costs somewhere, at least it's in the cardboard box. There are no real 'instructions'; and any warnings aren't very clear:

"*Matters that require attention
Please do not s/w on more than 10min at high mode
when stop position, if s/w on more 10min, the LED will out."

Well, I decided to give another duathlon a try before the season ends. This one took place at Lakeside resort, which is in the middle of nowhere. I'm talking Purgatoryville here.
I left my house bright (of which there was none) and early and trundled down the 403/401 corridor. I looked at the temperature reading in my car, 2 degrees Celsius. TWO! Pretty sure I saw frost. Definitely needed the arm warmers for this event.

This event was a 5km run, followed by a 30km bike, and repeated the same run to finish. The run portions were on gravel roads. There were 48 participants who finished (and about another 20 who did not finish or did not start). The age categories were divided up in 5 year increments (which shows me in the M25-29 category), but the awards were doled out in 10 year increments (so 20-29 for me). The participation was not as huge as I saw at Guelph Lake, so in M25-29 there were 2 athletes including myself, and 5 in 20-29.

The first run went fairly well in my mind. Once again, I'm not much of a runner, so finishing towards the back of the pack was not a big deal.

5km run
Overall: 32nd Time: 25:27 Pace: 5:06/km Transition: 1:34

The bike portion, of course was where I wanted to make up some time. Through a large portion of the course it was a moderate headwind, and false uphill flat, so it was a bit difficult. The sharper inclines again came naturally to my roadie skills and that's where I did much of my overtaking.

30km bike
Overall: 10th Time: 54:41 Pace: 32.9kph Transition: 1:17

The last run was seemed much more difficult than it did at Guelph Lake, as the first run was 3km longer, and I had worn myself out more than I should have by battling the headwinds on the bike. For the first half it was really more 'shuffle' than run (I see what they mean by 'brick' workout now). I loosened up a bit after the turnaround though and I believe my pace picked up slightly. I even experimented with sprint intervals. I was hurting a bit though by re-aggravating minor stress fractures in my feet. Work through the pain to finish!

5km run
Overall: 31st Time: 28:32 Pace: 5:43/km

Overall results
Age cat (M25-29) 2/2 Overall: 21/48 Time: 1:51:30

Still under 2 hours, so I'm happy with that.

I sauntered back over to the awards podium as they had draws for some cool prizes. I totally wasn't expecting it when they called my name up to the podium to take the silver medal in the 20-29 category. It took a few seconds to sink in, then I made my way up to the podium to collect my medal. I felt kind of silly, as the first place guy was 9th overall and finished 7 minutes ahead of me. But oh well, I get a token to remember the race, and something cool to hang on my race wall. This is the 2nd award I've ever received for participating in an athletic event. Sure, I have a bunch of medals (even a couple gold) from rowing events, but all I did was sit at the back of the boat and yell.



I think I have to take it easy on the running for a while to allow my foot to heal, and I will likely just do the local duathlons next year (Grimsby, Welland).

I've been riding on the road so much lately that I forgot how much awesome can be had on the trails. I took my mountain bike out today and just didn't want to stop riding. The trails were also in perfect condition. I rode solo around the St. Catharines trails (main portions of the Squeezer course and some sections 2 or 3 times) for about 2.5 hours today and covered approximately 40-45 kilometers, which is probably the longest I've been on my mountain bike this year. I can't wait for the Squeezer, it is certain to be epic.

Also I watched and took pictures at the 'We need more cowbell Eddy Merckx dirt crit' (or something like that) cyclocross race on Saturday. Looks like most had a good time. If you haven't seen my pictures already, they are located in a gallery here: http://s681.photobucket.com/albums/vv173/SCCCphotos/Cowbells%20CX%20race/?start=all

Just completed the sprint duathlon at Guelph Lake. Certainly could not have asked for better weather today. Sunny, warm and little wind.

I got there and probably looked a little lost as it was the first time I've done this sort of event, but I found where I was supposed to rack my bike, and organized my shoes and helmet appropriately, and found the starting area for the duathlon. Let me tell you, triathletes have it pretty sweet. Registration is $60, but that is not much more than most road cycling races. Before you do anything, you get an event t-shirt and a plastic race number that you get to keep. Attached to the race number is a tag for a chance to win some cool swag. The timing is done by electronic chips and posted promptly on sportstats.ca. You get aid stations along the run with water and Gatorade. Police supervision on the roads. Then when you finish, they have a feed station with fresh fruit, cookies, pitas, chips, pop and Gatorade.

A sprint duathlon comprises of a 2km run, followed by 30km on the bike, and then 7km run to the finish.

Once we got going it seemed like I was sitting nicely in the pack of average runners. That felt fine to me, I'm not gunning to win any running races. The first run actually seemed very long, probably due to the excitement of it all. Got back to the bike rack area and scrambled to change my shoes and put on my helmet.

2km run times
Age cat: 16th Overall: 115th Time: 9:39 Pace: 4:50/km Transition: 1:35


Now the bike course. Here's what I was banking heavily on to get myself ahead. And I did. I was passing triathletes and duathletes left and right. The terrain was rolling so I used my roadie climbing skills to rocket myself past riders up the hills. Never had to use the small ring. And I was on my road bike, no aero bars or aero helmet. Take THAT tri geeks!

30km bike times
Age cat: 4th Overall: 38th Time: 53:10 Pace: 33.9kph Transition: 1:24



Final run, 7km. That's longer than any distance I've been training. I probably got overtaken by most of the people I passed on the bike course. It actually felt pretty slow but looking at the times, it's better than I expected. I was aiming for under 2 hours, so when I saw 1:52 on the finish clock, I was ecstatic and raised my arms in victory. But wait! There was a 10 minute delay between the tri and du start times. So that 1:52 turns in to 1:42. Now I was wearing a big, silly grin.

7km run times
Age cat: 14th Overall: 100th Time: 36:29 Pace: 5:13/km

Overall
Age cat: 9/21 Overall: 64/212 Time: 1:42:14



I'm looking forward to doing more duathlons next year. If I train to have a faster run, I could actually do quite well.

Did not accomplish much on my vacation. It was rainy and/or windy much of the time. But, doing not much more than relaxing with family while away from home is better than working. The bugs weren't bad at least.
Caught two fish, a small rock bass and a 19-inch pike right off the dock, trained chipmunks to do tricks, played video games, and relaxed on the dock.

Here is a picture of my fishie to prove I'm not making it up. Catch & release of course.





The drive up was nice despite having to divert through downtown Hamilton to avoid an exploded truck (thank you AM 680 traffic report). A bit of volume through Toronto, but past Barrie it was pretty quiet. Took about 5.5 hours including a stop in Parry Sound for breakfast.
The drive back was quite crazy. Busy all the way from the cottage and gridlock through Barrie. Took 8 hours including a few rest stops along the way.

Well, back to my cubicle tomorrow, sigh.

8x12 race #8. The final one. We had an 8-for-8 series this time, which apparently has never happened before. I'm sad that it's a 9 month gap until the series starts up again. Thanks to Kurt and the Liberty! Bicycles crew, Marv and the trail crew, and all the volunteers for putting on a great series.

Pretty sure I had my best race ever. I actually got a decent start, and hammered the singletrack as much as I could. I even had my own personal drill sergeant. Thanks for the encouragement Ryan, even though you could have easily whupped me at any point. Can't wait to see the results.

Ahhh yeah, definitely best race. 19th position at 40:34 across the line. That is almost 2 minutes faster than my last best time. That puts me at 710.08 points for the best five in the series, and nets me 3rd in the 20-29 men's age category. AWESOME :D

Off to the cottage now (actually leaving at 5am) for a few days of relaxation.

Just completed the Pedal 100 for Heart & Stroke. With today's temperature topping 30C it should have been called the Pedal 100 for Heat Stroke.
Went with members of the SCCC, there were 6 of us. At the first rest stop a group of riders from Ancaster flew by; with our competitive nature we had to try to catch them and had a paceline going at about 40-41kph. We eventually did catch up and join their peleton. At this point I'd just like to express how much of a privelege it is to be a member of the SCCC.
After the final rest stop I didn't have much power left in my legs and couldn't keep up any longer, so I just cruised in back to Henley Island. My butt was killing me at this point.

All in all, a good day of riding. Extremely challenging since I'm used to riding 3 hours. The 160km today took me just a hair over 5 hours, which for me is pretty fast. I'm going to take a nice cool shower now.

23:45
Thought I was going to be late, then one of the experienced club members caught up to me on the way there, and created a nice draft for me at ~38-42kph. That was the fastest I've ever made it out to Silverdale.
Did a 10 minute run directly afterwards, which actually felt pretty good except for the part when I was blinded by my sweat.

Doing the Pedal 100 on Sunday. Maybe I'll actually complete the full 160km this year.

The final 8x12 is coming up next Wednesday. I'm pretty much settled in at 3rd place for M20-29. There's a chance I can take back 2nd if I can get a good start for once.

After that, it's up north at the cottage for a few days. No cell phones, no internet, no work. Just relaxing on the dock, maybe with some choice refreshments. Will be doing a bit of running training, no bike though :(

My feet they're playing tribute to the Bobby Marley legacy?



And to answer your question, yes. I did take a picture of my feet.

In an attempt to discover another way to cause myself undue athletic suffering, I purchased a pair of running shoes. Saucony Progrid Ride to be exact. Being smaller than the average North American male, finding shoes that fit (ie. a size 7) proved to be incredibly difficult. The Runner's Edge happened to have one pair in my size, and after a short analyzing session, I was lucky enough that they were right for my foot type. And they are super comfortable shoes.
I found out that even though I can do a 3 hour road ride without much problem, running for 20 minutes is HARD. My leg muscles have gotten used to having little impact and running is completely different. Oh well, something new to challenge me. I like challenges. And cookies.

23:56, more consistency!
My legs are pretty much done for the week, and I'm not going to do that duathlon. I'm being pushed into it too fast and I'm going to need more training first.

23rd (seems to be my favourite position this year) and 42:44 across the line. It's a pretty good finish however I'm not happy with that at all. I'm getting a bit frustrated with mad confusion at the start and having to work my way around tons of slower riders. If I can get a faster start I really believe I could cut at least 2 minutes off my time.
Guess I'll have to wait for the Squeezer and see what happens with a faster start.

Thanks to my dad for taking these photos! Some of them turned out pretty cool. I did some editing to them (blurry photo + black&white = art). Bonus points for funky angles.

YAY I suck at crits!
I prefer road races. With hills. Also not competing against Elite 3's and Juniors in the same race. I did get lapped, but only once, and I did lap another guy so I didn't finish dead last...and I did finish the race with strong legs. From what I know, there were no incidents so that is good. Much of the road surface was in extremely poor condition though (Division St. in particular).

Thanks to all of the SCCC members, and my parents for cheering me on, that meant a lot to me :)

There were also attempts to persuade me into doing a duathlon next weekend. 2km run, 25km bike, 7km run. I haven't run competitively in about 10 years, but there is a large climb (Park Rd.) in the bike portion. Perfect for me, I might be able to put a lot of ground on the less cyclist-types. Something I might consider even though I don't have running shoes yet (I have wanted to start running again though). I'd try a triathlon but I loathe swimming.

23:58
At least I've proven myself consistent.

Obligatory front hallway poser shots:





Figured it out yet?
The black round things.

New Reynolds Assault wheels. I've been looking at new wheels for a while and couldn't refuse these at the price I paid. 46mm and 1500g of carbon fibre awesomeness.

What makes them special is that they are full carbon clinchers. I could have gone with a tubular (like the Easton EC90 Aero), which would have been significantly lighter, but I wasn't comfortable with the idea of using tubular tires, and I didn't buy them for the lightness (I can climb a hill just fine, thank you.) With the clincher, if I get a flat I can just pop in a new tube without much hassle, and I don't have to deal with gluing tires. I'm using latex tubes anyways and the ride is probably similar to that of a tubular tire.

I took them for a quick shakedown, first impression is that they are not as torsionally stiff as my Fulcrum Racing 3's, thus the acceleration is not as snappy. However, laterally it seems like they are much stiffer due to the deeper rim section (ie. I can rail a tight corner faster), and they ride much, much smoother. Also at higher speeds on a flat section they just rip; I'll be able to determine if there is any benefit at the next TT. Braking performance does not seem much different than my aluminum wheels.

Also they look the business.

Despite the threat of rain, the race was on, but some parts of the course were a bit slick! I had my usual poor start (partly due to mass confusion from an even more truncated running start) and got stuck behind several less-fast riders, and did my usual roadie-style passing thing on the gravel road, and through the park. Suzanne trail rode really fast though. I flew through it and put almost a minute on the competition.
The results are 27th place and 44:53 time. I'm not too pleased, however it looks like two of my main competitors in the M20-29 category missed the race, and the other did not finish very well, so my current podium standing should remain.

23:42 today (15km). Best time so far. Windy, so it was fast for part of the race and SUCK in the other. Was nearly run off the road by a dump truck.
It was suggested that I should use higher tire pressures than my usual 'road race' setup.

A 'first look' at the new bits as described below.

Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX II tires (coupled with Michelin Air Comp latex tubes). Very smooth riding due to the soft casing, much less 'road buzz' than my Continental GP4000S's. Rolling resistance is surprisingly low. Have much more confidence cornering quickly with these tires than I do with my Conti's. After a 3 hour ride, no cuts to report of, but as these are race-specific tires, and not as suitable for weekend club rides, I can tell that the file tread is not going to last long. Mounting was no more difficult than any other road clincher, however latex tubes do stretch over time and are tricky to re-use.
Pros: Fantastic riding tire, low rolling resistance and excellent grip.
Cons: Tread will wear quickly
Not tested yet: Durability and wet weather traction.

Shimano Dura-Ace 7801 shift/brake levers.
The hoods are slightly more comfortable than my previous 105 5600 levers. Shorter lever throw gives a more positive shift feel. Shift 'crispness' and brake lever modulation seems no different than my 105's, but that may change once I install the new cables. The little 'Dura-Ace' badge has bling factor. Installation and set-up was like enjoying a slice of delicious pie.
Pros: Positive shift feel, bling factor, better hoods for small hands than 105/Ultegra
Cons: I would cry if I dropped my bike and scratched the levers and/or nameplates.
Not tested yet: Cables

First off, a follow up on the L!B 8x12 #5 post, I'm currently sitting at 10th in the overall points standings, and 2nd in M20-29. Woohoo!

Random new stuff item #1:

Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CX II tires.


(yes I am fully aware that my wheels are filthy)

My current Continental GP4000S tires only have a short amount of life left before I don't trust them, so I wanted to secure new tires. I figured I'd see what all the hype about a 320tpi 'open tubular' is all about. The tread is quite thin, I can't foresee these tires lasting more than half a season of training/racing. Next year maybe I will look for a tire that is more suitable for training, yet still very capable in a race (any suggestions?)
I am still be using my usual latex tubes for that true 'tubular' feeling, even though I've never ridden tubular tires so I can't compare. I'm going to ride them tomorrow just to see what they are like, then I'm swapping the Conti's back on until they are finished.

Random new stuff item #2:

Shimano Dura-Ace 7801 shift/brake levers.



I disliked the 105 shifters that came with my bike; because I have small hands, I frequently mis-shifted the front derailleur going from the small to the big ring, and could not perform that shift while in the drops. The Dura-Ace shifters have slightly smaller hoods, and a shorter throw for shifting. Hopefully it helps a bit.
I was considering the new Ultegra 6700 shift levers, but for a fraction of the price (ie. less than half), I decided to scoop up a pair of leftovers from the top-of-the-line Dura-Ace series.
Since I re-used my existing cables (saving the new cables for next year) the install was quite easy. All I needed was a 5mm allen key, and a pair of snippers. I didn't even have to remove my bar tape. Apparently, re-routing the brake cables was to be difficult, but I found it very easy. Perhaps I just found a better method than the suggested one I found on a message forum. I even adjusted my derailleurs and brakes to perfection ALL BY MYSELF!

So now I have a Dura-Ace, Ultegra SL, Ultegra, 105, SRAM (chain), and Campy-ish (wheels) equipped bike. It may not be a purebred but it's still a great machine.

By the way, a pair of Shimano ST-5600 105 shift levers for sale. The LH lever is a bit scratched up. Function perfectly. Clamps included, no cables. $150 firm.

24:36 for the TT today (15km course). Much better weather than last time, however quite breezy. Legs were feeling tired from yesterday's 8x12 race. I think I was faster than the kid on the mountain bike though.
Set up my bike with a 100mm stem (instead of 80mm). Feels better overall, still more comfortable with my hands in the drops rather than sitting on the hoods though.

Some new parts on the way for the road bike. Stay tuned for details.

Destroyed my time record yet again!

42:22 and 23rd overall. 10 seconds faster than last time, yet exactly the same position.

I was by myself for 80% of the race, only passing a small number of riders along the way. In a way, it was nice to enjoy the silence, but I prefer to have a challenge/rival.

*Random plug #1 for The Squeezer*





*Random plug #2 for Canal Days Mountain Bike Race*

Did my first time trial today. It was sunny and pleasant when I took off from my house. Then at the start of the race, it started to look a bit sketchy and thunder could be heard in the distance. Then, halfway through, BAM! Torrential downpour and lightning strikes 200m away (I'm not exaggerating). I was wearing sunglasses and near the end, I was just guessing at which direction I was heading on the road. I had already got myself into the mess, so I just put my head down and hammered away.
Of course, just after the finish, the sky turns happy and blue, birds chirping. WHY DO YOU MOCK ME MOTHER NATURE!!!
It's not so bad riding in the wet, as long as it's warm and not windy. The clothing dries out relatively quickly and with the exercise it's easy to stay warm. My shoes are soaked though, and I'm sure I need to clean off my chain ASAP.

My time for the 15km time trial was 23:49. I think that's pretty good considering it was my first time and I just use my road bike (no fancy aero gear).