It's Monday

I will be open regular hours this week. I'm sure there will be a rush of holiday shoppers eager to take advantage of the great deals at Recycled & New Bicycles. Seriously, I will sell all new bikes at any price, as long as I can cover my costs. Come and see me. Or, call me.

Results and points have been posted from this past weekend's cross races. I placed a solid 5th in Saturday's race. That puts me in 6th overall in the single speed class. Racer Gibson is in 5th overall. It is mathematically possible that I could catch him, but highly, highly improbable. He has been faster than me the entire series until last Saturday. I also have to mark Ryan Ashbridge. He could easily move in front of me in the points standings (he has done 4 races, I have done 5). I have never beaten him, although I was only seconds behind him on Saturday. Next Saturday, I am going to ride fast. Nice mantra, no?

A Long Day

I was out the door this morning before 7:30. I drove to SLC for race #8 in the Utah Cyclocross Series. All day yesterday I continued to tell myself "I am going to ride fast, I am going to ride fast, I am going to ride fast." It's all mental. I did some research about the course and found out that it was "fast." I went to the shop last night at 10 pm at put on a bigger gear, 46/20. That's a big gear for me. I got there early and did the Men's C race as a warm up. In the single speed race, I worked hard to turn over my big gear coming out of each turn. It was probably my best race this year. I have no idea where I finished, but I know I could not have gone much faster. I was not really racing the top 5 guys, because I know I can't keep up with them. I was racing me, the guy who had to be forced to sprint out of each corner. My lungs burned. It hurt to go that fast. When I got off the bike, I felt no pain at all. Next week, "I am going to ride fast." It's all mental.

I opened up the shop today at 2 pm. I had only one customer all day. So, I put all the bikes back in the shop and came home before 5. Like the note on the door says, "if you need anything, call me, I'll be right in."

And Then It Snowed

All morning I kept looking to the northwest for a line of dark clouds. All I saw was Easter-egg blue. At lunch I looked out the window, and there it was, snow flurries. It came from the east, wrap around effect, from the low pressure center that went northeast of us. The Bear River Range mountains were covered in gray clouds and white snow. Still, the northwest sky was clear and blue. Neat-o.

I may have sold a Mono Cog and a Conquest today. Really neat-o. Other than two maybes, the bike business is really slow.

I finally have my bike set up as a single speed using the magic numbers 44/20. Half link, vertical dropouts, perfect chain tension, and no derailleur. It took a new wheel without a 10 speed free hub body, but now it's right. I will be racing in SLC on Saturday morning. Magic numbers will work on any bike. You can learn more by looking at this Magic Numbers site. Feel free to ask, if the fix me up site does not make sense.

Today's Haiku

The forecast said snow.
Migrating raptors float south
In a clear blue sky.

My Weekend

Like most weekends, mine went by really fast. I closed the shop and we spent most of Saturday looking for a place to live. House hunting falls into a familiar pattern. I see a lot of houses I do not want, and probably don't really know what I do want. The pattern repeats as we always ask ourselves "how long are we going to be here, and what is the probability of Patty getting a permanent position?" So, Saturday did not include a bike race in ID.

Yesterday I did get out for a good ride with Paul. We spun through Providence, Millville, and Hyrum, and then pedaled hard up Meridian Road and to the top of McMurdie Hollow. We turned around and coasted-wash boarded down to Paradise. We had a tail wind all the way home. After the ride, Patty and Amy got in a little spin before dark.

I will be back at the shop on Tuesday. Even if no one comes buy. I am willing to sell everything in the shop for some great deals. The end of the year is coming fast. I will probably close up for winter on December 15. That will be the last day. Then, the long drive to Florida for Christmas and most of January.

Cyckel

The Cyckels have been ordered. Who knows when they will get here. Until then, check out the picture and specs. Nice bicycle. Want one? OK, the above link does not work. Try this one and then click cycles, then click urban, then click cyckel. I wish they would just let me copy the picture.

Motivation

It is hard to find motivation the older I get. I want to get out and ride and get stronger, but I seldom do. Yesterday it was raining. And cold. Today, well...by the time I had the time and finally talked myself into getting on the bike it was 9:30. That late in the day, all alone in the cold, it is hard to make yourself ride with any real intensity. I did an hour around and around the graveyard and the Spectrum and the HPER field. My own little cyclocross course, complete with low headstones for barriers. The dead are not easily impressed. I'm home now, and it's hard to go right to bed. So, here I am writing this for you. And me, mostly.

The motivation
To go ride is hard to find
Gray hairs are easy

Racing is the only way to ride really hard. There is an opportunity to race in Pocatello on Saturday. I may go. If I do, the shop will be closed for the day. I am looking for car pool opportunities if anyone is interested.

There's a free entry
For car pools of four racers
Four in my car? Tight!

Haiku after midnight is just as hard as trying to get in a good ride. Sorry for the lame poetry. G'night.

Positive Experiences

I've had more positive experiences in the past four or five hours than most people have had all day. Early tonight I talked briefly to Matt Chester on the phone. Matt says I am still sponsored for life, so I hope to be riding another one of his works of art real soon. Monster Cross Fixed Gear Specific! Yee-haa! I have said many times before, "it's not about the bike, it's about the bike you are use to riding." That said, my Ute was the best riding bike I ever had. Describe it you ask. I can't. I just felt like the rear end floated and it climbed like crazy. Matt knows.

I had to cut my phone conversation with Matt short and go to the Second Annual Fondue Party at Uncle Alan's house. Fun. The best part is seeing the circle of friends. That's what I call it here in Logan. When you are in the minority, the circle is small and the circle is tight. Margee's amaretto white chocolate is still the best. Logan, Utah can grow on a person. Like mold.

At 10:30 I rode down to town and participated in an Alley Cat race, organized by the Moose Knuckler Alliance. Don't ask me, just go to the website. Then come back to mine. The race was short and sweet. "Go to Old Main Hill (USU campus) and to Lee's Market, and then head back." Once I figured out where Lee's was (I've never shopped there) I was in good shape. It was a whole lot of fun with a lot of great people. I did not win the race, however.

Yes, positive experiences. I am going for a long cyclocross bike ride in the morning. In a few hours. G'night.

No Cross in the Morning

I have re-injured my hand. So, no cross tomorrow. I will be in the shop at 11ish.

What is Cyclocross?

It is about 45 minuets of pain, when every fiber in your body is screaming for you to stop. STOP! But you don't. You keep going with your heart beating just about as fast as it can go. Then, when you are just about to throw up, you jump off your bike running, pick it up, jump over two low hurdles, jump back on your bike, and ride, all at full speed, all in one swell foop.

Why do I like cyclocross? Who knows? I am obviously not very good at it. I am better at longer races that require endurance and bicycle handling skills. It has been a long time since I have done serious bicycle racing, and I have missed it. These races seem like a good place to start again.

Home Again

Is Utah home? No, not really, but it is familiar, and that is good after being away for so long. Vermont was nice, but there is a reason that half the people living in Bozeman, Montana once lived in Vermont. As great as it is, it is not the mountain west. They don't even really have mountains in Vermont. There just big hills. I do want to go back again. Next time, I will take my bicycle.

As soon as we got back to Utah late last Thursday night, we started gearing up to hit the road again. We stayed in the Heber Valley Friday and yesterday. Heber is another beautiful place, quickly being reduced to starter castles as far as the eye can see. Yes, I said reduced. I did the cross race there and got dusted pretty good. I dropped back fast and stayed there, ending up 10th out of 14 finishers. Seventeen started. I have the usual excuses: no training, jet lag, sleep deprivation, dry sockets, and a broken hand. Throb, throb, throb. I will do better next week. Probably. Maybe.

The shop will be open on Tuesday. Come on buy.

Dennyland

I rode a borrowed bicycle at Dennyland yesterday. This maze of trails is located in the Mad River valley in Vermont. Like so many of the east coast, mtbr.com, playground type trails, they go nowhere (from what I could tell). They are just a series of small loops and interesting trail sections that are a real challenge to clean. A local named Scotty showed me around and around and around. If you like steep, rooty, twisty, granny gear trials type stuff with moss covered green granite rocks, this is the place. Dennyland reminds me of the trails I use to ride in Florida, with granite ledges and outcrops replacing limestone pits. If you focus on trying to clean the sections without dabbbing or falling over it is pretty fun. It's just not my kind of fun anymore. I really like going from point A to point B. The mountain west will do that to you.

There is one thing about Vermont. It is probably the last place without comercial development in its towns. No McDs, KFC, or Home Despot in any of the little towns. No trophy houses on the ridgelines. No subdivisions in all the farm fields. Yet. The people here seem to do a fantastic job of preserving what they have. Finally, someone has realized that short term service economy type gains are not as important as long term preservation of small town life and rural open space. Hats off.

We're Flying...

to Vermont in the morning. We will be at Patty's sister's house in Waitsfield for a few days and then in Albany, NY. I will be closed until Tuesday, November 6. My jaws are feeling better. I'm even ready for a bicycle ride. I will try to do a race while in Vermont, the Wicked Creepy in Bennington. As for the Utah series, I am now sitting in eight place overall in the single speed class. Three more places to go to reach my goal of top five.

Like Pulling Teeth

I had my wisdom teeth removed last night. This morning there seems to be no wisdom in that decision. Yes, it was just like pulling teeth, with an extra dose of discomfort. The dentist said it would have been easier 25 years ago, but 25 years ago another dentist said leave them in. The pain looked like the hot springs in Yellowstone, blue in the middle, with green, yellow and brown on the outside. Really, every time he tried to dig and pry the roots away from my jaw bone, that is what I saw, hot springs.

Other news? I raced in Ogden on Saturday. I finished 7th. All the fast dudes were there. I was not fast enough for the top five, but I did pass three people on the last two laps. It was the coldest, muddiest cross race I have ever done, and I have done cross in Montana in the snow. On Sunday the alarm rang to wake me up to go to SLC for the race at Wheeler Park. I turned it off and slept two more hours. Getting into the top five in the points standings looks impossible at this point. We will see.

One thing is for sure. My jaw hurts. I do not feel like going to the shop or getting on the bike.

You Can Still Ride

The air's getting cold
Golden leaves cover the streets
But you can still ride

Put on some wool socks
Base layer, jacket, and gloves
Slow down a little

Reduce tire pressure
Give yourself some extra time
Leave your car at home

Come to my bike shop
And buy a good set of lights
Want rechargeable?

Slower and Faster

The bicycle business is slowing down. Way down. I don't think I even made the rent today. I am still doing repairs, but no one is buying new bicycles. That's alright. They will; the price of oil reached $88 per barrel today. Next spring we will all be pedaling to work, school, and to the grocery stores. With that in mind, I bought 4 new beach cruisers today. Later this week I may order more close-out Redline commuter and mountain bikes. As soon as I can get the Cayne Scythe, a three speed, lugged steel, road commuter, I will. I am excited about this bike!

As I blogged (bragged) last time, I had a good race this past weekend, riding a lot faster on the new bike. The points for the series were posted today and I sit at 9th out of 22. I am now officially in the top ten. The sad part is that the bottom ten have only done one race while the top ten have all done two or three. OK, so I am 9th out of 10. My goal is to get faster and move into the top five by the time the series is over. There are two races this weekend. I hope I ride fast.

Fall is changing to winter here. I rode Sunday morning and there was quite a bit of frost on the ground. Tonight there is lightning in the sky. I plan on riding in the morning, even if I wake up to snow.

Goodnight.

Hamlin Cracks the Top Five

It's not hard to do when there are only seven people in the race. That said, I did ride a lot stronger in last Saturday's race. I was in third for a long time. I slowed down near the end and got passed by two riders. I caught one. I was drafting him down the straightaway thinking there was one lap to go. There wasn't. Oh well. I'm just happy to be riding faster and to be just a few seconds away from third place. I may even train this week.

New News

I will be racing in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The shop will be open as soon as I get there, around 1:30 or so. The hand hurts but I plan to race anyway. I am currently 15th out of 20 in the singlespeed point standings. I have to move up, pain or no pain.

The weather had been really nice this week. Clear blue skies and warm days. I had a good ride on Monday. Paul V. and I rode up Green Canyon. There was snow on the ground from the picnic area on up. Patty and her sister Deanna went up there for a ride too. They hiked a little in ankle deep snow at the end of the road. Today, most of it has melted. Winter is coming on for sure. The sand hill cranes have left (passed overhead). The hawks and eagles are passing through too. There are large flocks of waxwings eating Juniper berries and flying into the windows. Today the wind is picking up out of the southwest. Another cold front is on the way. On the other hand, I have heard meadow larks and Townsend's solitaires singing their heads off this week. So, who knows?

Seven, six, and five
Snow levels are falling fast
With each new cold front

A Great Day For a Cyclocross Race

There is a cyclocross race today, but I will not be there. I am letting my hand heal, and still trying to find 37mm spacers to fit a 10 speed freehub body. As I write this, snow is starting to fall. The shop will be open today. Come buy a bike.

Snow in the valley
The first snow of the season
Falling on green grass

Here I Am, Stuck in the Middle

I did a cyclocross race yesterday. It was my first real race in a long time. Real because I paid for it, did not wear Daisy Duke's, and did not ride fixed gear. I finished right in the middle. I was on a new bike with a bad chain line (it turns out regular old spacers and cogs will not work on 10 speed cassette bodies). I had too little gear (my only single speed choice right now is magic numbers with a half-link), and I rode with a dislocated right hand and a lot of road rash on my knees and arse. Yeah, I practiced a little. I figured I better learn to ride the new bike at speed. On Friday, 48 hours before race time, I hit the pavement pretty hard. I'm still learning I guess. So much for my many excuses. I started out near the front, slipped to the middle of the pack on the first lap, and stayed right there the rest of the race. Next week I plan to move up a little. I'm thinking a nine speed cassette body for good chain line, less pain, and more training.