Frazz

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The Most Important Part

Some people say that the most important part of a bicycle is the engine sitting on the saddle powering the cranks. Others will try and tell you that the bike is nothing without the latest and greatest suspension fork, or the latest group set. And yet another set of people will tell you that unless you have super lite and super stiff wheels set up tubeless with the best tires money can buy, you won't be able to hang. Let me tell you all right now: "THEY ARE WRONG!"

This little 16 gram piece of finely machined aluminum is the most important part. Just replace one of your 1 1/8 inch headset spacers with this little beauty and you're good to go. No more will you have to use some odd bike part to open your beer.  No more worrying that you forgot the opener and don't have twist off lids, and no more being disgusted when you find out that the people running the last race brought the wrong tap for the keg. And, when you're working in your basement you won't have to walk over to the workbench for an opener when you're working on your bike, because you will always be able to open your beer and those of your friends. 

Tucked away neatly you will never know it's there.

 

So lift your bottles high and toast your friends; it's going to be another great year of riding.

A Reading From The Book of Merckx 53:11

A reading form the book of Merckx (53:11)

“Whenever two or more Cyclists are gathered to Ride Ttogether in My name they shall argue. For, verily just as Night Follows Day and One Beer follows Another, There shall be no Agreement among the Two Wheeled Faithful as to the route or the pace of any Group Ride.

Bickering and strife shall be thy lot, Brother will smite brother and sister shall smite sister, and there shall be no peace.

For it is written that some shall desire to go short, fearful that they hath not the swiftness not the strength to persevere.

While others will desire to go long, thirsting for the understanding that comes with righteous miles and Holy Velocity.

And they shall not agree, and they shall remaineth forever in the Parking Lot of Despair, quarreling until the end of their days.

But I sayeth unto you: Fear not For a strong wind shall rise from the East, and on that wind shall come a Savior,

A Good Sheppard who shall gather unto Himself the fractious and disturbing ones,

And they shall fall silent, the fast and the slow and they shall be sore afraid.

For His legs are like the Mighty Oaks, His Speed passeth all Understanding, His miles are as uncounted as the grains of sand in the desert.

They shall name him”Pain Giver” or “The Really Fast Guy” And all shall doff their helmets at the mention of His name.
Fore none shall be worthy even to clean the greasy motes from His chain. He shall rise up from the flock because He Knoweth The Route’ The Faithfull shall trust in his wisdom to deliever them from the Desert of their Indecision,

And He shall lead them into an abundant land flowing with pastries and espresso.

For it is written in the Holy Cue Sheets:

There shall be peace in that abundant valley, And their Disagreement shall be no more.

The fast and the Slow shall rise up together in harmony all of their remaining days,

And it shall come to pass that the Two Wheeled Faithful shall honor his Mighty commandment:

Just Shut Up and Ride.”

AMEN

By Greg Taylor

No I didn't write it but I thought it was worth posting!

Things You Don't Want To See At Night

 

No, those are not the glowing eyes of a monster out to get me, they are the battery meters on my lights telling me that the life is quickly draining from my battery, and I am south of US 250. All sorts of things go through your mind when this happens; first and foremost is, when exactly was the last time I charged my batteries up? Running  the totals in my head, let's see, I've got about 8 hours of use on the big pack, and it went red on Emerson Road heading out. I switched to the small one at that time and thought I had it made. But wait, now that I think of it, there are 5 hours of use on that battery.

The second thing that goes through your mind is, if I have a mechanical problem, I'm screwed. I'm not sure that if I have to change a flat, I have enough power to do it and still get home.

 I guess I need to take a more proactive stance with keeping them charged . The back roads of Wayne and Holmes counties are rather dark places to be.

Luckily, as I rolled in the driveway the red eyes had just started to flash and the pure white LED started to fade to yellow. You can bet that from now on, I will keep better track of keeping the batteries charged.

Coming in on Kansas, I saw 4 sets of headlights going south. Smiling to myself, knowing that I'm not the only fool out there refusing to give in to the cold and dark.

Soon, night riding will be a thing of the past for me. I am due to go on to second shift in a week. Not my prefered shift, but after spending a good portion of the last year on unemployment, it's just plain out good to be working again.

A Monumental Beat Down

Well, I made my decision, paid my money and raced Sport. Talk about a step up! I thought my fitness and skills were improving, but nothing I have done this year could prepare me for racing one full lap at Mohican State Park. I thought about racing Clydesdale as lately I have been hovering around the limit. But in the end I made the decision to race my age group and be done with it.

When I race I tend to forget things, as in hold some back, remember, it's going to be a long race. No more of those short one lap novice races where I can go full bore the entire time. I need to learn to conserve some energy so there is something left in the tank for that second lap, or in this case the climb on the other side of the covered bridge. Also, I need to remember to drink. If I wait untill I am thirsty I'm screwed. there is no reason to ever come back in with over half a bottle left plus an almost full Camelbak. Also, I need to remember to eat. Keep the energy level up.  I know, I know it sounds simple, but this is what might have led to the cramps and serious suffering at about mile 20.

I did manage to accomplish what I wanted to at the start, and that was to use this race as a gauge for next year. Now I know what needs worked on for next year.

It was good to see so many Orrville riders show up and race. Besides myself, Tim B., Joe M., Ryan F., Michael G. and  Mark J. were there flying the Orrville colors. Also, there was the full complement of racers from Team Soupcan, and Wangpig and Chief were there.

In the end, all I can say about my finish is I was not the first one in my age group to come across the line, but damn it, I was not the last one to cross!

Photos taken by Bob (the picture guy) Grimm

Fall has arrived

50 degrees, wind out of the northwest and a steady drizzle with periods of heaver rain. Break out the wool and put away the shorts; fall is here and it's going to be a long long time till spring.

On another note, New York City is putting in some rather innovative bike lanes. I hope these catch on and more and more people start to figure out how to get out of their 4 wheel cages and onto their bikes. Wake up America!  Bicycles are a viable means of transportation, not a toy.  All of Europe has figured it out, why can't we?

What to Do?

What to do, what to do? This was my first foray into mountain bike racing since 1992. In 1992 I did one race at Clay's Park and then completely hung up the bike. I didn't touch one again until the summer of 2003. Up until this summer the only racing I have done was a couple partial seasons of cross, never leaving the "C" or beginner field. I just never felt that I was good enough to upgrade to the next level.

Now that my first season of MTB racing is all but over, with the Groovy Series at Vulture's Knob and the 3 race N.E.O. Power Series being over, I am starting to question my plans for future seasons. Do I keep going the way that I am going, muddling along in the beginner class? I have been making it to the podium; a 2nd, a 3rd, a couple of 4th's and an overall win in my age group in the N.E.O. I didn't win a race, but I guess being consistent and showing up all the time is a good thing.

So here is the thought: do I continue to race beginner, hoping for that elusive win? Concentrating on beating the few that have been able to beat me this season? Or do I upgrade, knowing full well that for the next couple of seasons or perhaps forever, I will be nothing but field filler?

By staying where I am at, I will continue to race within my comfort zone. I am comfortable doing one lap. The suffering does not last long. It is not painful. Or, do I leave my comfort zone, knowing full well I am going to get abused, knowing that there is going to be much suffering and pain, knowing that I am going to have to dedicate myself to one idea or the other, because moving up would involve an entire new training schedule.

What to do, what to do, what to do................?

****Thanks to Bob Grimm for the pictures****