Exercizing the Gear Gremlins LARPD#2

Well by the title I'm sure you can tell how this one came out.

LARPD #2
Teammate: Ron Rel

This time I lined up just behind ol'CX buddy Greg Phipps at the front, Good to see Greg back out there after some phsiology issues got addressed. YA Greg!
The start was typical hurley burley CX start and I was in full gallup headin towards the first turn in about 10 or so for the whole field. I could See Rel got the holeshot, GO RON! around the corner and into the chips, If you can believe it a big guy like me got railed headin across the woodchips but I quickly got back on course after breathing in a woodchip be it a few spots down.

Slight course change from last week, less little Red Riding Hood through the trees, less winding around the grass and an addition of another set of barriers.....YUM! Nice barrier placement as well, the placement forced riders to run up a small bump before remounting. I like this. Oh ya and it rained that morning, not really muddy but at leastthe dust was down.
So onto the grass and MAN is this a power suck! However I am liking how the tubulars arerolling across the grass and bumpy stuff. Last weeks problem with the cut tire was a faulty air gauge I was running probably 15psi not good going across rocks! This time with a good gauge I'm running 40psi. Also I'm race testing a new technique for repairing the Tufo's, a glued in rubber plug. It's holding flawlessly and saved me about $120 for a new Tufo.

The race is settling in I'm catching some of the guys who went out too hard and some are catching me that went out too soft, either way the race is in full swing. I'm now 2 laps in and latched on to a Taleo and unattached riders wheel racing for 9th place sitting in forcing the pace from the back. The unattached eventually falls away and it's me and the Taleo guy for the next half lap. He's beginning to look tired and slowing up a bit. So I figure it's time to take overand make a move. The new barrier section is coming up and a perfect place to take a spot. We get off the bikes over the barriers, up the incline and I hop on the bike just a bit too hard and WHAM! My tire rolls off the rim. SOAB! Luckily the pit is just down the hill and I run the bike over. Unfortunatly the Change didn't go too well, Marianne Bless her heart again was there to help,but I couldn't figure how to get the wheel off. Luckily another Crosser swung over to lend a hand. Turns out the rear Canti and got caught just under the rim causing the wheel not to release.New wheel back on and its out for 2 laps to finish the race. I ended up in 15th even after a not so graceful change on my part. But hey that's what these first few races are for to gauge Fitness (or my lack) and to get the gear sorted out.

Again had a ball, good friends good racing. I'm gonna have to check and see if BBQ's are allowed so we can get some brats and brew going!

Cheers
Jim

Much a'deax about nothing, LARPD#1

Race: Mens 45+ B
Teammates Ron R.& Matt

Always excited for the first race of the season to get started and over with. Us IVCT guys were all lined up and ready to go, Huge turnout for the Mens B's, Me thinkest thar be some Sandbaggin for this first race;)
Pre rode the course to see how the land lays and the course, this race was in a new location across from the usual location at the Rodeo on the grass. Kind of interesting lay-out lots of twisting and turning on a big grass field before it moved over to some dirt trails amungst some scrub trees. I was a bit disappointed in that there was only one sectionof Barriers in the form of logs. then there was a lone log just aroudn the corner. Interesting position for the lone log. It was a choice of either remount just to dismount again or shoulder the bike and run the whole gamut. Seemed like the obvious choice was to run it as the time loss would be less to run. After the wooded area there was a couple of stretches of flat dirt road that if you've got your TT game on, you could make up some time.

So the line up for the race, Always the critical point. Great in theory better if practiced. Me I didn't practice it and should have shoved my way up to the front, Note for next week be agressive and just push my way to the front. They seperated the field into open B's and the ol'fart B's. Fair enough. Whistle goes off and the season is official WAAAAHOOOO! Good start everybody gets off to a safe start. After the first dirt section we are into the Grass I'm about 25 or so back and moving up some side patches. About 3 or 4 turns into the Grass I see Matt stack it up. looks like a little tire washout and he's on the deck. I see Ron Rel just up ahead and the pace is pouring on to get an early dominance. I look across when coming back on the turn Matt went down and he's back on his bike. Good deal!
Still working on some rusty cornering skills I'm loosing a little ground. A quick look at the HRM and WOW 203Bpm. I totally forgotwant a heart buster cx can be. Later I checked my peak and I hit 223! So mystery solved on defective HRM belt, I had replaced last years thinking it was a messed up unit. We're now in the Scrub treed section and headed for the logs.
Over those cleanly and I"m now clear of my bad habit on stomping on my peddle to remount my bike, I'm now officially jumping on to the saddle. For the most part I'm holding my place and not getting passed. I'm pretty happy with that, I see Rel just about 10~15 secs ahead and try to set my target on the Ron-imal. That dude is one tuff cookie, no skirts flapping from under his shorts!
Going past the S/F line and still in decent positionbut those Rocks inbedded in the road are killers. Bike handling skills are good getting through the soft stuff, Note to self go do some work out on Grass, not the medically approved type either!
Going into Lap I think 4, I hit a rock HARD! and cut my tubie. With in about 40' it was flat. Nice thing about Tubulars is that you can ride them flat right to the pit. Unfortunatly the Pit are was about a 1/2 lap into the course. So my race was pretty much over I'm seeing rider after rider go past me,m then finally I see Matt go past and yell to him Flat, good luck!

After a tire change and Bless Mariannes heart she ran from the S/F line to assist and off I went to finish the race. I have no idea where I placed but I do know one thing. I need a new floor pump. What I thought was about 35 Psi was substancially lower as my gauge was off. Oh well thats what these first races are about, get a feel for your fitness or in my case lack, also to dial in the equipment. Much more critical that the gear get ironed out as Cross if a beast on Gear.

The more important question wasn't where I placed but did I have fun? It's Cross of course I had fun!

Better luck next week.
Jim