Push your weight through, Don. Push it through.
Archive for the 'Cyclocross' Category
It really is all in the details. All the preparation. Trying to stay healthy. Trying to find some form.
Getting up to drive the moto for me at 6am. Because you have a test at school and the weather report says rain by 9am.
We got on the road, and got the work done.
The second we finish the workout and head back in the rain starts falling.
What a perfect start to the morning.
Thanks Steven.
You are a true friend.
Dani Dance turned my attention to this poster for the Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships 2009. What can I say? It dances on my eyeballs in the same way that the sounds of a hand cranked music box delight the ears of a feral child.
Time to crawl back into my hole and dig out the bladed boomerang and tubular spinergy wheels. See you in November.
Tomorrow night is Starcrossed. It may look something like this:
It’s a very hard race, and you should go out and enjoy the view.
US Gran Prix of Cyclocross – Portland, Oregon from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.
Honestly, you should go over and watch this on Vimeo in HD because it’s too good to view through the peephole above.
It’s raining hard in Portland right now. I think we can say with confidence that summer time is over, and we’ll be cleaning mud and grime off our bikes after nearly every ride for the next six months. I’m okay with that, but the deep wet is such a change from the warm sun that I’m spending today inside. After all, there’s lots to do before racing starts, like taking care of the tire situation.
I think it’s important to glue your own tires. That way when you roll your tire on some off camber or with a shitty remount, you have nobody to blame but yourself. If you’ve done a great job you can ride all season with confidence knowing that your tires are going to stick and be your advocate with the mud. That’s a good feeling. If you screw it up the first time, you’ll do better next time. I promise.
That being said, I don’t enjoy gluing tubulars. It takes a long time, smells toxic, and in general feels like pure excess. It’s the price we pay to ride on pillows. My thumbs are raw and red from scraping old tubular glue off of rims. I’ve ridden the same set of Flexus tires for the last three seasons, and the rubber is stiff and the sidewalls cracked. Tearing them off the rims reveals this scene:
And after a little elbow grease:
And finally:
Now, many would argue that the glue should not be scraped off at all. I assure you this glue was so dried out and brittle that it was nothing but a liability to leave on the rim. If it’s still chunky and sticky, by all means leave it on.
Now on to three light coats on the rims and tires. But first, some other Saturday distractions:
Signal Cycles is building some last minute ‘cross team bikes and sharing the process through their blog. Always good stuff over there. They also posted this olde timey cross video. The announcer explains that the sport “combines all the worst elements of cycling and cross country running.” Notice the rider who takes the insane line through the crowd at the start. Amazing!
Also, I just found a whole pile of these stickers in an old box. I’d love to send you a couple. Just paypal brianellin at gmail.com with a buck or two, and include your address.
Richard Groenendaal zet punt achter carrière from Productiehuis.eu on Vimeo.
He gives a charming interview but on the parcours, he has a large chip on his shoulder.
To all of the lapped riders and Belgian fans he’s roughed up over the years he says:
“In your face! I rule!”
I like the part where he “hangs” his bike up for good.
Video weekend continues. Via Mud and Cowbells
Couldn’t not post this. Everything about this video is wonderful.
We love Oregon cyclocross. Seriously, I get the warm fuzzies just thinking about the melting pot of speed, style, and culture that is Oregon Cyclocross Racing. But there is more racing in the Pacific Northwest. Namely, our oft-forgot neighbors to the North: Seattle. Home to some really fast kids, that beef jerkey team, Iddings, and a thriving cyclocross scene. And this year they are trying something new by the name of MFG. It’s a cyclocross series, with a hat tip to the cross crusade, that aims to introduce some new elements to Seattle racing.
Zac Daab and Terry Buchanan, organizers of the MFG series, were kind enough to answer a few Oregon centric questions about the series.
MFG is a new cyclocross series this year, what’s the scoop?
ZD – Yup, MFG is the new series on the block in Seattle. Seattle has a rich history of cross racing, and there is a existing series now that’s been through different iterations over the year. MFG adds more cross races to the Seattle calendar for 2009, with minor, to no conflicts on the schedule. We’ll have super-local venues to the city, and we’re going to have fun.
What does MFG stand for?
ZD – PDX Honch Slate-O coined the term Mud, Fame, Glory. We’ve heard Mission From God. I like Made For Grass as well. If you can find Terry’s wife Sonja at a race, she’ll tell you the real meaning.
TB – What does it mean to you. That is what is important. I think those three letters can define cross in a lot of ways.
When I think of Seattle Cyclocross racing, I think of courses like Starcrossed and Steilacoom. What can we expect from the new MFG venues?
ZD – One of the elements we really wanted to incorporate into our races is proximity to the city. I know for Portland racers, this might not mean much, but at least you can come up here, hang with your pals in the city for a weekend, and race some good cross. Our courses will be fast, and designed to have actual racing going on. We want to have double pits on nearly every course we put on, and we want Accident Cross Experiences to happen with passerbys, neighbors, and other park users.
I’ve always admired the passion of the announcer at Starcrossed. Will he also be announcing at MFG?
ZD – I think there have been quite a few announcers over the years at Star Crossed, and last year featured Dave Towle. We’ll have a crew of announcers from our try out session that we held back in June. We have a good crew.
TB – And if they aren’t passionate enough I kick them off the stand and announce myself. Zac will have to take over all the behind the scenes action required to put on a race.
Will OBRA members need a USCF license to race?
ZD – OBRA members and non-OBRA members will be able to race MFG without any special license. We are not sanctioned with USA Cycling, so the whole of Oregon is invited, license-free.
It’s a long drive from Portland to Seattle. Where should I stop for coffee and snacks along the way?
ZD – Rest assured, (and Molly C and Heather and Matt will back me up) the Portland Consulate (Stumptown Coffee) will be open all weekend long in Seattle for those displaced Portlanders finding themselves in Seattle, without coffee. The P.C. can be found on Capitol Hill at 2 locations. Between PDX and here, well…, Oly seems to be a pretty good stopping point, and the gas station that says EAT.
TB- This is Washington we got coffee carts at every exit. I also got to think there is a Blizzard or two between SEA and PDX. There is also a cool McMenamins in Centralia.
Speaking of coffee, will there be coffee available at the races?
ZD – Yes, there will be a coffee roaster and support crew offering coffee at all races. This is still in the works, but it will be a local, hand-crafted roaster which serves superior coffee.
In the spirit of our CPQ, write a haiku about MFG.
Unicorns aside
Beards can still grow in the North
Pleasantries abound
Who is going to win the Grail this year?
ZD – If Chris DiStefano lays a hand on me, during any MFG race, there’s going to be hell to pay.
Final thoughts?
ZD – Props to Cross Crusade, but hire a Supporters Club bus and drive the entire Portland Cyclocross Collective up to Seattle for at least one race and smoke the entire way here. Put your unicorns on the roof, put the 6 footer in the van, and show your neighbors some love.
So, dear readers, I leave you with this parting thought:
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.
-St. Augustine
Go race some MFGing ‘cross in Seattle this year.
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