a Valentine from a politician

Worth as much as the paper on which it's printed. That sums up this blog, and it accounts for all your race results, too. Don't kid yourself- if it ain't ____ it's worth less. I fill in that blank with the word "FUN", you do what you want since you will anyhow.

It was off to the races, in with a shout, and ending with a whimper. I will allow I considered vomiting as a real option at one point. That sand pit(!), and the barriers at the top of the climb (especially the staggered 3rd...)? Dastardly. I enjoy that shit. Cyclocross racing (the riding never stops- it's the perfect bike for these parts!) is here again, and we cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war. Battle! I am a very middle of the pack racer, but. But, I love a battle where I find it. I enjoy stuffing people in the corners wherever possible. I find a deep satisfaction in kiping someone else's clean line. It pleases me to hear the grunts of effort and despair in my wake. I am sad when people come from behind and I cannot answer. There is joy in barbed heckles.



Where were you when we filled the tub of water with ice from the cooler and blasted the racers with stream machines (shoots up to 70'? lies. But it will hit a mean 15' in the face. You know, if you're OK with it. Don't wanna ruin any strangers' or contenders' race...)? What were you doing instead of waiting to pile on the goodie spray as the As swung their fists at the orca pinata? We stuffed it with 80's NIB flouro bar tape, cowbells, coozies, tootsie pops, and corn nuts. A couple pairs of gimme plastic sunglasses which, surprisingly happily survived the bashing. And we waited. We waited until the As for that stunt, thinking they are the ablest bike handlers, but it's a double-edged pinata bat on account of how serious they tend to take the racing part of the race...maybe Bs next time.

So. CCCX#1 went well. Back at it next week. If you hear this:



know that's us and come join the party.

every man his own horse

We used to laugh so hard at this. Except for the dope beat, no laughing at that. 




Whole lot a whoa. Some road tyres (venerable [for a reason] Panaracer Paselas 35F/32R) mounted on the cross bike for a down and dirty hot lap of the Monterey Peninsula's hottt spots. Sunshine, short sleeves, stretchy pants. Putting the wood to the legs, tracking down the Good Times. They are out there, down that one trail, around the corner and up the street a ways.




Word on the street trails is this spot is due for some stools. The New Stairs is the New Caprock Bar? Makes sense to me.








All kinds of sandy corners getting sandier, getting deeper. With the slicks, you think the getting is good on the road (it is, the sweeping swoops and the maximum speed for effort)...try leaning into the different tactilities of dirt. It is exciting!

perhaps too highbrow for this crowd

It's not over between you and me.

Summertime is in effect, though. Schedules are all aflutter. Dropped kids off where kids get dropped in this ya time, parked at the skate park, and rolled through Cside(!) to shuffle around variously packed sandy singletrack.

Fixed Crosscheck, reanimated for it's 2nd ride since the shoulder/ass crash. I'm not sold on the Surly Open Bar. I tried it on the NeckRomancer, and it was too flexy. Now I'm trying it on the Crosscheck, and I think it's still too flexy. What I am loving is the quickness. 46x18 freaks out some folks, but it works real good real world style for me. I can ride thru town and ride up some hills and ride down most either and we're all gonna walk something, right? But, hey. Whoa! That bike can pick up some speed and keep turning it over. Quick to get up and enough to roll roll roll- I'll take as much as I can get.

We sashayed all around the old Friday night SS tracks, hunting and pecking the gradiest, most flowy climbs and descents, and it was faaaaaast. Fast and hot. I got the sunburned head on account of I forgot a helmet and a hat. Oops.

Riding fixed offroad makes for some fine dance moves. Cat-like.

Also, if you are riding around with powerful Western Diamondback mojo, take care of it or it will crumble.

everything these days is pictures

Pictures and a lot of noise. Nobody even knows how to talk. I was looking at some NAHBS coverage on this one website and made the mistake of reading the comments section and it was your typical internet blowfest involving semi-knowledgeable puffinstuffs who hastily type in their angry half-formed criticisms. The site is a DH (DownHill) forum, so the crowd has that angle. It was reminiscent of the aisles at Sea Otter, where there is so much division between bicycle subcultures...but it does seem common place here in the ether. Be a lot cooler if people would shut up if they got nothing productive to say. Not that I don't have some criticisms as well, but mine are well-founded. What am I criticizing about?

Whatta you got?

And speaking of shutting up and being...uh, cool...I took my riding partner out and rode a tiny, easy-peasy, gentle mixed bag of fire road and hard packed (with the occasional deep sand pit- it is the Ord) buff singletrack yesterday afternoon. Yeah, I heard what you said, but it was some well advised get back in the saddle type goings on. My whole self feels so much better for it. I been going karazy.

We drove out there (see?) and parked at the good spot, which is not 8th/Giggling. From there it was the old loop...

Any of youse remember stopping here? We did it all the time.



Stop to check out the old ropes course. Sure is a lot of building materiel laying about for the construction of some tree house. Or something. This was a good spot for rehashing the ghost stories we used to tell N and D. J is so much younger than them, he wasn't around for the 1st tellings. Which, in a way, is better since it it lends these sagas some legitimacy - having his older siblings treat them like old hat. For him they ring of history rather than fantasy.

From the broken down army buildings of the old loop we rounded to the New Stairs. Some of the materiel would be useful here. If any of youse Monterey types happen to be out there with hammers or crow bars and trailers or cargo-bikes, you should consider moving some likely pieces here for further clubhouse renovations. Maybe we'll build a siiiiiiiiick skills park. Maybe we'll just put a back rest on the drinky bench. It's your party.

On account of the mighty oaks provide a skills course of their own, anyhow.







note: the following is a photo of J trying his best to get out of the Ord before twilight brings the Skull Ghost to look for children...
On and on.

So, the injury report is what you come here to read: my arm/shoulder gets tired quick. Today it feels sore- but a healthy sore viz. post-workout. The only scary moment on the ride was picking up a 2x4 to beat the poison oak back from the doorway of one of the army buildings (because what's a kid ride worth if you don't stop to check out creepy abandoned buildings?). And this only because the rotten 2x4 broke as I began to swing it, causing my arm to suddenly shift, which freaked my shoulder out but good. Otherwise, the Surly NeckRomancer handled all the shifty terrain with aplomb. Cushy fat tyres are good for riding tanked at night, and recovering from shoulder injuries. I figure that's 2 more cycling subcultures, right there.

Ride bikes and scare your children,
Dick

change your Life in a safe retreat

3 hour tour style trip to Santa Cruz for a quick sampling of some Westernest ridge aspects under a well shaded Redwood canopy. Dirt road climb to the serpentine ribbon of all downhill from here. Only one way to get to the top...and that is to climb.

The FNG, M___, wanted to see some new riding. He was in waaaaay over his head fitness-wise (big talk for a slow guy here) going up, and at the very most edge of his technical abilities coming down. There was a lot of waiting. There was a lot of waiting.

I looked at the trail in a different light considering his present limits. That is a hard trail. You forget some of that, knowing it so well. It is exposed side-hill skibbly water bars, there is the pedal biting stump, here is the off-camber root ball, coming up is the fast section into the L-bend with an overhanging limb, etc.

It was still a healthful Good Time (riding hecka tight, buffed singletrack is great- if you're into that kind of thing), but faster is funner.

1. Lord loves a workin man.

2. Don't trust whitey.

3. See a Doctor. Get rid of it.

3 simple rules in the English language. Words to live by, folks.

Night rides? yes. Leaving your lights off to save power? you might be seeing more than you'd like of the peelers. We'd taken the bike path out to the Ord (why?) and so were cornering our way back to the Parker Flats cutoff entrance, when upon making a fast right, we popped out in front of the popo. All lit up from behind, and a fuzzy amplified voice telling us "You 3, pull over NOW."
Oops.
"Why didn't you pull over when I told you the 1st time?"
We had the wind in our ears.
"I'll take that. What are you doing riding with no lights?"
We thought our blinkies were on. We were trying to save the headlights' power. We're turning them on right now. Shuffle and scrape, my sons. Smile and nod. Bow and whimper.
"It's for your safety. What are you doing riding out here?"
Training for a 24 hour event. (ha!)
"That's admirable. Let me see your licenses. Not riding the trails out here are you?"
No!
I won't go into everthing surrounding this, suffice it to say I began sweating for a whole new host of reasons. My backpack full of beer and camping supplies wasn't helping. Neither was that other thing. Or that other other thing. And I didn't have my ID.
He was a block from his HQ, and too eager to end his shift to run the IDs, and we had pulled off seeming sober respectful citizens, so...it went as well as possible.

I am inspired to cast these pearls, so, when dealing with the one time, attempt to control the situation in the following ways...
1. Don't panic.
2. Be respectful. This really should go without saying, but I have been in similar situations in which companions have copped an attitude and/or been surly. This never works. Johnny Law will never let this slide. Shut the hell up and take it, or they will make it worse. Believe me.
3. Steer the encounter in the direction of you needing help, not enforcement... You're injured. You have mechanical problems and need tools or are waiting for a ride home with your broken machine.It's a winning strategy! This switches the scene from administering justice to administering aid; a shift in your favor.

You're welcome.




After all this, what was left was to immediately hop on those trails, pop some tops and drop some hammers. We stowed our packs in the bushes, and rode around real fast. Then I piled up inside a loose corner on downhill 50 and cracked some ribs on my left side.

OMG, this hurts. It is the hurt that keeps on hurting. I never realized how much movement depends on oblique abdominals bracing. You know what they brace off? Ribs.

external use only

Riding home from the Full Hunter's Moon feeling so fresh and thinking how great my form is (I will be peaking in 2 months) only to realize: running late at work, I got dropped off at the start via the race van so I only rode a half ride.

Of course I still felt fresh, duh.


...because my sweetie likes to watch this and laugh at me.