Pando....CPS finale

This past Sunday we loaded up the van and headed up to Rockford for the Pando Challenge. This race marked the series finale for the MMBA CPS. Zack had to get more more race....and I was too sick to try. I had a cold...or allergy attack...or whatever it was...but I could barely breathe...and I knew trying to ride would kill me.

Zack had an okay race on the GT. He was flying up the ski hill until his pant leg got caught in the chainring. Ugh...he was 5th coming down the first hill...and he ended up finishing in 7th. He had a rough time after that.....and I was not jealous at all. The Pando course looked brutal.

The finish for Zack gave him 2nd overall in the CPS series. This was the first year ever racing for him and he did great! 2nd place for Beginner Men 11-14.

If my calculations are correct I took 5th place overall in the Beginner Clyde class. I never had a top 5 finish in the series....but I did have 3 6th place finishes.....and my lowest was a 9th. The funny thing was that after my 9th I took 4th at the Fort Custer TT....too bad it didn't count for the series.

Iceman is next.....gotta get to work.

Back in the saddle

Tuesday night I headed to Fort Custer. First, I stopped by Custer Cyclery in Augusta to have Dan tighten up my hub. Always good to have friends that will lend a quick hand. We had a quick discussion about the trail damage the horses caused over the weekend. I also saw some pictures and am just sick over what has transpired out there. Hopefully the trails are separated and the mountain bikers prevail....but only time will tell.

The Ride:

I headed down the red loop because it was said to be in the best condition of the three (red, green, and blue). I was pleased that at least one of the trails was in good condition. I was feeling pretty good......real good actually. I don't know if it was from all of the rest I have had, or just that I was having a good day. By rest I mean my serious lack of riding this month. Only three rides for the ENTIRE month....not good. Anyway, I held a decent average speed and did a quick check on the hub rebuild. Looks good. I saw April and Chris getting ready and headed over to talk to them.

Lap two was a bit more painful. I was chasing the best I could. I sorta hung with the group, but then I took the cutoff around Granny's Garden to I could rest. Then I promptly got spit out the back again...lol. I did catch back up because they were nice enough to wait for me. It is a good test to ride with people that are faster than you. You can push with everything you have and still watch them disappear around a corner or over a hill. I like to push myself because I understand that I will not get to where I want to be unless I push myself more.

On a side note....it might be time to set up the trainer just to get base miles in. I am busting out the Chris Carmichael book "Time Crunched Cyclist" so I can be peaking at Iceman. Time is flying by.....

Everything happens for a reason

Last week I was riding at Fort Custer and started to realize something was wrong with my rear wheel. It felt...wiggly....if I had to describe it one word. I actually stopped twice and check the tire pressure because that is what it felt like.....like the rear tire was losing air. To my surprise...it was fine. Hmm. So, I kept going.

Back in the parking lot when I was waiting for some other people I started looking at my rear wheel. My rear brake was rubbing a bit....so I reset the wheel in the drops. When I checked to see if the brake was rubbing....I hear a tick. The tick was a broken spoke. Only one....and a slight wobble in the wheel. I took it in and Laura fixed it up for me. When she put the wheel on the truing stand....she looked at me with a strange look. She said....you better look at this. My rear hub is in rough shape. It was loose....and full of sand....so loose that she was not sure she was going to be able to true the wheel. Thankfully a quick tightening (knowing I will tear the wheel apart later) and she was able to get the wheel straight.

I started thinking about this broken spoke....and loose rear hub. The wiggle that I thought was a low tire was probably the tire sloshing around on the loose bearings. I might not have ever checked the hub.....well....I know I never would have checked the hub. So....the broken spoke led to the discovery of another issue.

I guess everything does happen for a reason......

Not broken....just misread....

Sometimes life can get you down. I have found myself down lately. Just blah in general. Sometimes a person just needs that little jolt to get them out of a rut, or back on track. I made a comment that I though my compass was broken. That it wasn't pointing in the correct direction. A friend enlightened me that the compass is surely not broken, but it was probably misread. This made me think today. If I am misreading the compass....how can I figure out where I am supposed to be going. Maybe that is the answer. Maybe I am not supposed to know where I am going. Maybe I should just trust that the compass is pointing the direction. That the compass will put me right where I am supposed to be. I always struggle with the unknown. I simply want to know what is going to happen and why it is going to happen. So, I should not be surprised that I am misreading my compass. I want to end up one place and my compass is pointing me in another direction. I fight it and then wonder how I ended up where I am. I think that we have people around us that help us read our compasses. These last two days I have had the right people helping me get things straight. Help may come from places that you don't expect it....my suggestion....take it.

Thanks Don. Thanks Mike. Thanks Chelle. You guys were there when I needed you.

Priorities....get them straight....

I need to get my priorities straight. Well....they are...and they seem off at the same time. With fall comes the soccer practices and dance schedules that make everything topsy turvy. The last two weeks have seen me on my bike a total of one time....for 15 miles. Unacceptable to say the least, but family should, and will, always come first.

Addison oaks is this Sunday. My plan, to drive over Saturday afternoon....preride....and camp with the family. Reality.....not happening. Because I am a numbers guy I did a little basic addition and started to realize that this weekend was not happening. Camping, race fees, gas money, and food.....that sum is more than it should be....so we are not going. We still might camp close to home....just to take the kids camping....but it looks like rain....so we will see.

Second note. I got my chubbly little sausages on an Iceman entry. So....in about 8 weeks I am going to be kicking someones ass.....and I don't care if I make an 8 year old girl cry....I will do my best to beat her across the line....and then I will mock her to NO end...stating how superior my cycling skills are compared to hers....until a parent interrupts.......

Eh-hem. Sorry about that. I did get an Iceman entry. I do have 8 weeks to lose about 15 pounds. The plan is to finish with a time from 2:15 to 2:30 or an average speed between 10.8 and 12 mph. Very attainable if you ask me.....so no excuses. The 15 pounds should help me climb the hills and I need to lose the weight anyway right?

So....I have two more races. Pando and Iceman. Pando is important because I just want a high finish. Iceman is important because there will be a TON of people there. Gotta do my best!

Robbing Peter....

...to pay Paul. For the record....Peter and Paul (for this example) are mountain bikes. Paul is shown in the picture below...and Peter is Michelle's Rockhopper. I am setting this bike up for our last two races of the season and then he will be ready to roll next year.

Again....our family schedule has taken on its normal crazy form for the fall. Soccer and dance on Monday. Soccer on Tuesday. Youth group on Wednesday. Dance on Thursday. Soccer on Friday. Somewhere in there has to be time to ride....and it will show up eventually. I know I will get some saddle time this weekend...because I have to take Zack out to try the new bike right? Make sure its functioning before race day? Sounds like a plan. And I am hoping we can pre-ride Addison on Saturday before the race.

Anyway....sleep well people. Hopefully we can all wake up rested.