I'm completely at a loss what to say
.
McDonald's the Ageless Wonder
NOMNOMNOMNOM
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Vimeo is the greatest video site
I say this because honestly, it is. Youtube is great and all, but the quality of content on Vimeo is staggering. There are so many well-produced videos on there, it isn't even funny. This one particularly caught my eye, and I really enjoyed it. I hope you do to.
Winters of My Life from Jonathan Burhop on Vimeo.
Winters of My Life is a portrait of Howard Weamer. For the past 35 years he has spent his winters as a hutkeeper in Yosemite's backcountry. He fills his days writing, reading, photographing, and being an ambassador to mountain culture. This is a brief look into his world and why he chooses to stay.
Directed by
Jonathan Burhop
Edited by
Marlon Singleton
Music by
Mike McCarthy
Friday, October 8, 2010
RACE REPORT
I'm posting this at least 3 days after I intended too, so I figured I'd bold the title and make it look like an internet shout in case your attention was waning.
So if you've been reading my blog for, oh say 2 months, you know I raced last weekend and I did my damnest to make sure I didn't look like an insufferable fat carcass with gangrene in my legs (which would explain the stench and slowness).
I can't say enough nice things about this event, the weather was awesome, the course was great for a sprinter (read non-wisp-like marginally overweight guy), and there was a nice TCPC (Team Colavita/Parisi Coffee) contingent on hand. It's always good to see a bunch of familiar faces, although some of these guys I'd never seen before. I guess that's one of the few problems with being on a team with a 50+ member roster. I think I'm 3rd oldest (sorry DanO and Erik)(fact check, there are a handful of guys older than me).
Anyway, on to the race. I rode a prelap to try and mitigate any possible "oh shits" I might have during the race, and I found a few and managed to avoid them every lap. +1 there for me. I got to the line about 3 minutes before go time (-3 points for lining up in the back), and that cost me some spots. I need to really get there about 10 minutes before go time to get a good spot. CX is such a sprint type race, there isn't tons of passing unless your fitness is just through the roof. If that's the case, you shouldn't be racing in Cat 4. CTFU.
So I started in the back of the field, and passed a handful of people through out the race. My cornering felt solid, and barriers were mostly ok, although there was a set of barriers going uphill, and I tried to carry too much speed and dismounted too late. Then on the last lap, 400 meters before the finish, I totally ate it while being lazy/tired and not properly unclipping out of my pedal to hop the barriers. No love lost, as I only bled just a little bit, and most importantly, didn't lose any spots.
As I said before, the course was great. There were a few features that stood out to me. There was a curvy section of the course that had you kind of S turn up and over this dirt "hill", and there was a lot of off-camber bits to keep you honest. There was also a rather steep incline that had you doing an up and over, and you had to make sure to stay off your brakes otherwise you'd stall out and cost yourself a LOT of time. Then there were two sand pits, one through a volleyball court that the Open class just breezed through (see first vid below), and then one down and around junk by the river. There were two sets of barriers as well, so lots of dismount opportunities. I actually found myself passing a lot of people (roadies) through the technical stuff, so that was cool.
I felt strong, but think I need to push harder for Boulevard (next SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY). I still had snot running out of my nose and hard breathing, but this race was 40 minutes instead of the usual 30, so I wasn't so sure how hard I could push it and not blow sky high and lose a bunch of spots while I had to pull over and yak lung butter out.
Here's a few vids from the race, I took the first two, and then Chuong Doan had a great first-person cam of the race too.
So if you've been reading my blog for, oh say 2 months, you know I raced last weekend and I did my damnest to make sure I didn't look like an insufferable fat carcass with gangrene in my legs (which would explain the stench and slowness).
I can't say enough nice things about this event, the weather was awesome, the course was great for a sprinter (read non-wisp-like marginally overweight guy), and there was a nice TCPC (Team Colavita/Parisi Coffee) contingent on hand. It's always good to see a bunch of familiar faces, although some of these guys I'd never seen before. I guess that's one of the few problems with being on a team with a 50+ member roster. I think I'm 3rd oldest (sorry DanO and Erik)(fact check, there are a handful of guys older than me).
Anyway, on to the race. I rode a prelap to try and mitigate any possible "oh shits" I might have during the race, and I found a few and managed to avoid them every lap. +1 there for me. I got to the line about 3 minutes before go time (-3 points for lining up in the back), and that cost me some spots. I need to really get there about 10 minutes before go time to get a good spot. CX is such a sprint type race, there isn't tons of passing unless your fitness is just through the roof. If that's the case, you shouldn't be racing in Cat 4. CTFU.
So I started in the back of the field, and passed a handful of people through out the race. My cornering felt solid, and barriers were mostly ok, although there was a set of barriers going uphill, and I tried to carry too much speed and dismounted too late. Then on the last lap, 400 meters before the finish, I totally ate it while being lazy/tired and not properly unclipping out of my pedal to hop the barriers. No love lost, as I only bled just a little bit, and most importantly, didn't lose any spots.
As I said before, the course was great. There were a few features that stood out to me. There was a curvy section of the course that had you kind of S turn up and over this dirt "hill", and there was a lot of off-camber bits to keep you honest. There was also a rather steep incline that had you doing an up and over, and you had to make sure to stay off your brakes otherwise you'd stall out and cost yourself a LOT of time. Then there were two sand pits, one through a volleyball court that the Open class just breezed through (see first vid below), and then one down and around junk by the river. There were two sets of barriers as well, so lots of dismount opportunities. I actually found myself passing a lot of people (roadies) through the technical stuff, so that was cool.
I felt strong, but think I need to push harder for Boulevard (next SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY). I still had snot running out of my nose and hard breathing, but this race was 40 minutes instead of the usual 30, so I wasn't so sure how hard I could push it and not blow sky high and lose a bunch of spots while I had to pull over and yak lung butter out.
Here's a few vids from the race, I took the first two, and then Chuong Doan had a great first-person cam of the race too.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Boss Cross #2, Chris Cross #1
Yesterday I raced hard, and had a great time. I can't say enough about what a terrific venue E.H. Young Park was for the races, and how perfect the weather was. I'll have a full race report later today, but I felt like I did real well, but didn't place as well as I thought I did. I think starting in the back of the field had something to do with that. I need to get to the line quicker.
Anyway, I'll have some vids of the Open categories and some more pics later.
Anyway, I'll have some vids of the Open categories and some more pics later.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Long ride weekend
...or not.
I had a boy's trip scheduled this weekend to meet up in Columbia and ride the Katy Trail all weekend. We were graciously hosted in Columbia by my buddy Ryan's old professor, Doug. He was a terrific host even though he was fighting a massive ear infection, and the accommodations were very much appreciated.
Ryan and I got into town rather late on Friday night, and we called it a night at about 1am. We didn't hit the trail until about 9:30 on Saturday morning. The plan was to ride to Jeff City and back, making it about a 65-70 mile ride. We got to Hartsburg, MO, at about 12:10, and were starving. Plus they had a BBQ fundraiser going on, and Jeff City was about another hour away. Needless to say, our stomachs won out there, and we ate some of the best BBQ I've had in awhile. Pork steak, potato salad, and baked beans for $8. Can't beat that with a big stick. They took our picture, so we are somewhere out there on Facebook stuffing our faces.
We decided at that point, to turn around, and go past Columbia and ride to Rocheport. We made the trek back in what seemed like half the time, but thunderstorms were looming and we were starting to get a bit tired. My hearts and lungs certainly weren't strained, and neither my legs, but my saddle region was killing me. I let a good bit of pressure out of my tires to help ease the constant hammering, but the Katy Trail is no place for a race saddle. I'll be rolling with a nice, cushy couch cushion next time. I'm still a little sore, but I'll see how sore tonight when I try and get some intervals in before my next race.
October 3rd is my next race, Boss Cross #3, and I'm SO looking forward to it. I'll even wear sleeves this time!
So anyway, back to the trip. We ended up going back to Doug's house, getting cleaned up, and had a great dinner at the Flat Branch restaurant in Columbia. I had a beer and a half on Saturday, figuring I earned it with my calorie exertion. The food there was terrific, as was the company. The weather was starting to head downhill, and by the time we got back to Doug's casa, it started raining pretty good, and it didn't let up until the wee hours of the morning (not that I knew, I was out by 9:30).
By the time we all were roused, we looked outside and saw the damp, cold morning awaiting us and we headed to the movies and saw "The Town". Not too bad. We had some great cheap lunch at some place I can't remember the name of then went back to Doug's, packed up, and headed back to Kansas.
Kind of a lame riding weekend, but it was good to see the guys and get out of the house. Now back to work!
I had a boy's trip scheduled this weekend to meet up in Columbia and ride the Katy Trail all weekend. We were graciously hosted in Columbia by my buddy Ryan's old professor, Doug. He was a terrific host even though he was fighting a massive ear infection, and the accommodations were very much appreciated.
Ryan and I got into town rather late on Friday night, and we called it a night at about 1am. We didn't hit the trail until about 9:30 on Saturday morning. The plan was to ride to Jeff City and back, making it about a 65-70 mile ride. We got to Hartsburg, MO, at about 12:10, and were starving. Plus they had a BBQ fundraiser going on, and Jeff City was about another hour away. Needless to say, our stomachs won out there, and we ate some of the best BBQ I've had in awhile. Pork steak, potato salad, and baked beans for $8. Can't beat that with a big stick. They took our picture, so we are somewhere out there on Facebook stuffing our faces.
We decided at that point, to turn around, and go past Columbia and ride to Rocheport. We made the trek back in what seemed like half the time, but thunderstorms were looming and we were starting to get a bit tired. My hearts and lungs certainly weren't strained, and neither my legs, but my saddle region was killing me. I let a good bit of pressure out of my tires to help ease the constant hammering, but the Katy Trail is no place for a race saddle. I'll be rolling with a nice, cushy couch cushion next time. I'm still a little sore, but I'll see how sore tonight when I try and get some intervals in before my next race.
October 3rd is my next race, Boss Cross #3, and I'm SO looking forward to it. I'll even wear sleeves this time!
So anyway, back to the trip. We ended up going back to Doug's house, getting cleaned up, and had a great dinner at the Flat Branch restaurant in Columbia. I had a beer and a half on Saturday, figuring I earned it with my calorie exertion. The food there was terrific, as was the company. The weather was starting to head downhill, and by the time we got back to Doug's casa, it started raining pretty good, and it didn't let up until the wee hours of the morning (not that I knew, I was out by 9:30).
By the time we all were roused, we looked outside and saw the damp, cold morning awaiting us and we headed to the movies and saw "The Town". Not too bad. We had some great cheap lunch at some place I can't remember the name of then went back to Doug's, packed up, and headed back to Kansas.
Kind of a lame riding weekend, but it was good to see the guys and get out of the house. Now back to work!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Is this your first race?
So I already posted this on one of my bike forums, but it saves me from having to type a whole 'nother blog. Feast upon my idiocy, and enjoy!
Saturday was supposed to be my first cx race of the season, but somehow I managed to turn it into a festival of follies.
First up, I left my USAC racing license at home. I have the number memorized, but that's always been good enough. Not this time, USAC official needs to see it, because my last registration was for a 1-day license. Which is way wrong, but whatever, burden of proof is with me. So I hoof it back to the car, grab my Sprint Evo and try and login to the site, taking up precious warm up time while I decode my password. Finally get it, get my number and get kitted up. Not a big deal, but there's more to come.
Second, I was checking the bike out the night before trying to silence my banshee brakes, and noticed my chain was wicked stretched out. Thankfully my team captain/shop owner checks his email late at night and was super courteous and brought me a chain from the shop. T-minus 33 minutes and I'm swapping chains.
Now it's time to get to the line, and he and I are starting down the hill to the start line when he tells me I can't rock the sleeveless. I don't have a normal jersey, just this tri/bike jersey and long-sleeved cross jerseys. At this point, it's about 4 minutes to GO, and I say oh well, let's see if the official calls me out. I barely get down the hill in all my 110db brake squealing-glory when she starts rattling off the rule number at me and tells me to go change.
I'm like WTF, there's no time. So I sprint back up the hill, get flustered, and then call it a day. My spirit had been broken at that point, and figured it's early in the season. So I stayed and cheered on my team, and watched people try and auger themselves into the ground with 6" barriers.
It's early in the season, and I'm glad a day like this is behind me. It was all self-inflicted, but damn, that wasn't much fun.
My next race is Oct. 3rd in Parkville, for Boss Cross #2. I have cross clinic tonight, and boys' trip/Katy Trail this weekend. Of course, as luck would have it, my team is putting on a race this weekend, and needs lots of help in doing so. This race was scheduled about 3 weeks ago, and my boy's trip has been on for months. This is a fine example of my main grievance with the team. Their sense of scheduling works great for a single person living in midtown. It works like ass for a married guy with two kids, and lives in deep south OP. /rant
Saturday was supposed to be my first cx race of the season, but somehow I managed to turn it into a festival of follies.
First up, I left my USAC racing license at home. I have the number memorized, but that's always been good enough. Not this time, USAC official needs to see it, because my last registration was for a 1-day license. Which is way wrong, but whatever, burden of proof is with me. So I hoof it back to the car, grab my Sprint Evo and try and login to the site, taking up precious warm up time while I decode my password. Finally get it, get my number and get kitted up. Not a big deal, but there's more to come.
Second, I was checking the bike out the night before trying to silence my banshee brakes, and noticed my chain was wicked stretched out. Thankfully my team captain/shop owner checks his email late at night and was super courteous and brought me a chain from the shop. T-minus 33 minutes and I'm swapping chains.
Now it's time to get to the line, and he and I are starting down the hill to the start line when he tells me I can't rock the sleeveless. I don't have a normal jersey, just this tri/bike jersey and long-sleeved cross jerseys. At this point, it's about 4 minutes to GO, and I say oh well, let's see if the official calls me out. I barely get down the hill in all my 110db brake squealing-glory when she starts rattling off the rule number at me and tells me to go change.
I'm like WTF, there's no time. So I sprint back up the hill, get flustered, and then call it a day. My spirit had been broken at that point, and figured it's early in the season. So I stayed and cheered on my team, and watched people try and auger themselves into the ground with 6" barriers.
It's early in the season, and I'm glad a day like this is behind me. It was all self-inflicted, but damn, that wasn't much fun.
My next race is Oct. 3rd in Parkville, for Boss Cross #2. I have cross clinic tonight, and boys' trip/Katy Trail this weekend. Of course, as luck would have it, my team is putting on a race this weekend, and needs lots of help in doing so. This race was scheduled about 3 weeks ago, and my boy's trip has been on for months. This is a fine example of my main grievance with the team. Their sense of scheduling works great for a single person living in midtown. It works like ass for a married guy with two kids, and lives in deep south OP. /rant
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