locals need to read this

Gotta write quick because I couldn't get wireless internet fully done. So, still on the VirginMobile $20 plan with only like 12 hours a month.

Sunday a dozen of us went out to scout of the new venue of KSU. We pretty much solely rode with the Marut's choppin down the 'natural barriers.' We eliminated a run up by making it ridable, but added a shorter, steeper one no one could ride with the leaves still down. The overall venue is really small but the course was about 1.8 miles or so total. That includes about 1/3 double track, pretty passable if you want, one run-up, and one super steep long climb to finish off the woods. So far just one dismount a lap. A few artsy grassy turns, and paved start and a longish loop of gravel crushed stone path with a spiral finishes an approximate 7 minute lap on a dry day for Shawn Adams. File tread do-able if it stays dry. We got some serious cleaning to do Friday and Saturday morning though because there were three separate flats of a group of a dozen or so including a tubular of Nate Sz.

My dad also gave up on the Dugast Typhoon 30c we bought used. Shawn also had an extra grifo 32c he let me have for the rest of the year, thanks! So we (my dad) got it glued up this week and I can try it out in case the mud comes back this year. I even pulled ou my mom's Mitutoyo calipers, that cost nearly as much the tire new, and it did measure of to 31.88mm. Pretty much one of the closer tires that co-inside with their labels.

I am also trying to recover from a bit of road rash I received on Sunday. I thought adding this basketball court would give you a faster lead-up to the hill but quickly found out fresh painted basketball courts, morning dew/rain, and file tread 32 tires don't mix well. But I still finished off a great build week for nationals with 9 hours, what seemed like a thousand intervals, and 3766 feet of climbing not trying to get in climbing + Sundays ride which I bet was another 10,000 ft. Maybe.

call ups

I am the worst at making decisions for big races. I want to peak at Nationals, but also want to do well at States. But I don't know what category to go with at States. Options: Cat 3 Men or 15-16 AG or both. It seems a bit overkill to do both as in an hour fifteenish straight up of cyclocross but it is my favorite course at John Bryan SP. But I need to decide soon or else I'll get a crappy start position in both! It won't be like the local races where I just pull up 10 seconds before the start on the way side of the front row, or how Chris Nicula will save a front row for me, thanks. The junior is free entry and only half an hour, the cat 3 is the 'B' race and is still a state championship race but costs $20 not that price really matters when we are driving 3/4 across the state. So I still don't really know.

We also pre-registered for Nationals in Bend, Oregon. I'm doing the B non-championship race on Thursday, 10-29, followed by the 15-16 AG race on Friday. Totally planning on getting my butt kicked in both races but getting an idea for what I really need to do next year to hang with the kids my age.

This weekend is supposed to be 60*F plus each day so looking for some more endurance today along with a test out day at Kent State tomorrow. Then a road ride afterwords in case we get too many laps done. Seems to be a 1.8 mile course with 1 or 2 runups and some double track, from what I've heard. A full report with some pictures of the course tomorrow or Monday. Maybe even get to use the XS tread again because they are literally still this clean!

i have a nikon camera and nokon sealed cables

I saw on a. myerson's site about how he ran full housing on his shifting cables. Though I'm not nutty enough to drill open the cable stops on my new carbon Van Dessels like him, I looked up the idea with my dad. Tuesday we finally got around to it or I did, and he pulled out some Nokon housing and 'fittings' (aka the little silver cups you can adjust length with while protecting the cable.) I guess these were 'the thing' about ten seasons ago. I noticed some quick pro's: lighter, NO openings, easy to adjust length; and con's: time to install, slight increase in friction, SUPER expensive. But since these were throw-aways in that back room of the LBS (MSRP - $56 for one rear derailleur cable marked down to free for past nine years), and my dad is a wrench, this was perfect.

The whole process took about 1.5 hours of distracted working. We glued in my cut down piece of down tube holding rear derailleur cable and perfect! Cable is already stretched a bit but is as smooth without cable stop openings with 100% less chance mud can go into my housing and affect the cable/shifting. This should also work better cleaning bike without anything to shoot into my housing. Now, the only thing that can slow down my shifting is sticky mud like last weekend. Pictured is Ehrlinger's rear derailleur after saturday's mud festival. Got two weeks to get this thing perfect.

*Posted from my new 10.2" hp notebook. Wow I am pro.

Chagrin River Day 2

You don't have to watch all 410 pictures, view them as thumbnails HERE.

How one's luck can change so dramatically in twenty four hours? With equal legs and similar people showing up, and less crashes, you would think I could pull the same result, wrong!

In fact, the start was so awkward I didn't know how to react. Lets start over, I went second into the first corner. I jumped. I lead into the off camber around the telephone poll thing. I took the dry line to the left and the tap pulls my front brake lever down for me. I stop. It takes me and Paul Donatelli to get it out and everything is backed up. I guess that is what happens.

So I lead through the pine needle tree alignment section on lap one with five or so in tow of the 30 man field. I take the sharp left towards the RV trailer at about 15mph and get one wheel in one line and the rear in another... I flip flop over the handlebars into 6th whacking myself against these wooden planks. ouch, but I slowly got up and see Gary (3rd yesterday) throwing down the smack as I limp around the barriers. It takes me a whole lap to get Jason Leaman who knows to jump right on board.

I take the majority of pulls and he helps when needed. Like four laps pass as we slowly gain on Matt Brockbrader. Now there are three of us going into one to go fighting for 3rd, 4th, 5th placings with 2nd a long way up the road. I take it fast through everything and clean it up through the woods and sprint it up for 3rd. I'll take it. And Gary ended up winning.

Totally a learning weekend. Cool course, perfect for the secret mountain biker in me. And I took home a few bucks and now and am not too far out of overall contention in the series.

Great racing for TLE also today. Shawn Adams let me borrow his 32c Grifo Ksyrium front tub and it worked perfect. He then ran his file tread and bike switched to win the race on a clean bike, man that was cool. Matt Weeks took second ahead of the P.A. boys rounding out the top 5 with Tony in reach. Leader Bill picked up some more series points and showed Gartman who was boss. Johnny showed up with the hair-do-no-more and got 8th/9th A right near the Paul Martin guy with my dad not too far behind him. Scott Marut also killed it and got 7th 'B' not chasing me down today.