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****

Unemployed Again

Well once again good things must come to an end. It's been a really slow summer in the bike business, so now once again I find myself with out a job. I wont miss working on box store bikes, but I will miss the pay check. So If any one hears about company's hiring in the Orrville /Wooster area let me know. On the other hand there will be more time ride.

Wang Pigs New Ride

Wang stopped by the shop the other day to get fitted for his new ride. All that's left to do is regear it and set it up tubeless. He wants to go fixie with it. It's going to be the new craze. Fixie recumbant trike mountain biking. Soon all the hippie fixters will be rocking these at the Knob!

Swedish man attacked by tattooed girl gang

Sometimes truth is stranger then fiction.



Swedish man attacked by tattooed girl gang

Published: 16 Jul 09 10:51 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/20694/20090716/

Police in central Sweden are on the hunt for a gang of tattooed women who sexually molested a 50-year-old man as he was riding by on his bicycle.


Suddenly, someone grabbed hold of the rack on the back of the man's bike, causing him to fall to the ground.

"The girls ran up to him and pulled the bicycle down so he fell," Örebro police spokesperson Annika Haaster told the newspaper.

As the man was lying defenceless on the ground, the women proceeded to pull off his trousers and underwear and molest him sexually before fleeing the scene.

According to police, the 50-year-old was not otherwise beaten or physically assaulted by the gang of five girls.

The victim told police that the girl who actually pulled down the bicycle was about 175 centimetres (5 feet, 7 inches) tall and had tattoos on her forearms.

Authorities are hoping that tips from the public can help them apprehend the suspects responsible for the bizarre attack.

"It's downright unusual for five girls [to do something like this]. Perhaps there are others who've had the same thing happen to them," Haaster told Aftonbladet.


David Landes (david.landes@thelocal.se/+46 8 656 6518)

Stolen From VELONEWS

Spanish hamlet honors an Armstrong first

By Andrew Hood
Posted Apr. 19, 2009
The small Spanish village of Antigüedad hardly even makes the map, but the 500 or so inhabitants have built a tongue-in-cheek monument marking the spot where the hamlet made worldwide headlines.

When Lance Armstrong crashed out of the first stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y León with a broken clavicle on March 23, the world’s attention turned to the innocuous, narrow stretch of road across the barren fields of northern Spain.

According to a report on the Spanish wires, locals in nearby Antigüedad have since placed an old, blue bicycle with mudguards and a wooden plaque marking the spot where Armstrong crashed.

The plaque reads, “La Clavícula de Armstrong,” or Armstrong’s collarbone.

Armstrong crashed in a pileup some 15km from the finish line of the first stage of the Castilla y León and was knocked off his bike onto the shoulder of the road.

The 37-year-old sat there for several minutes in obvious pain before being transported away by ambulance in what was the seven-time Tour de France winner’s first broken bone of his long racing career.

Armstrong had surgery back in the United States and has already resumed training. He confirmed last week to race officials that he will be at the start of the 2009 Giro d’Italia, which begins May 9 in Venice, Italy.