tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6405191091229870282024-03-05T04:49:39.479-08:00bubblewrap bartapeColin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-15476346236667527802016-04-01T19:06:00.001-07:002016-04-01T19:06:51.595-07:00Bias Score AnalysisJust a little stuff on the Bias Detector. Overview based on individual users (box & whisker dots act as filter):<br />
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<script src="https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
<div class="tableauPlaceholder" style="height: 742px; width: 982px;">
<noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Bias Score Distribution ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Bi/BiasScores/BiasScoreDistribution/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" height="742" style="display: none;" width="982"><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='BiasScores/BiasScoreDistribution' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Bi/BiasScores/BiasScoreDistribution/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='showTabs' value='y' /></object></div>
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And by domain (compare multiple domains by searching):<br />
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<script src="https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
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<noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Bias Score by Domain ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Bi/BiasScores/BiasScorebyDomain/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" height="742" style="display: none;" width="982"><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='BiasScores/BiasScorebyDomain' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Bi/BiasScores/BiasScorebyDomain/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='showTabs' value='y' /></object></div>
gibsoncnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107551728231389740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-11101065556545714232016-03-16T13:32:00.003-07:002016-03-19T11:33:51.418-07:00Comparing Clinton & Bernie Fundraising in the NorthwestI got curious about trends in donations to presidential candidates, and especially Bernie Sanders' claim that his average donation is only $27, so I decided to crack open the FEC numbers. The national files you can get from the FEC are huge, so I decided to focus on Washington and Oregon. <br />
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First, the basics. The records run from April 1, 2015 to February 1, 2016 and include donations from individuals. PAC and political party donations are not included. FULL DISCLOSURE: I donated a whopping $3 to Sanders in February. Unfortunately, I'm outside the time range so I don't get to drag his average down further.<br />
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<h3>
Washington</h3>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCGgsr2dlAD6KiI_pizHyK_MLwMa7ovR25MyIIQMBg-gFEF0zCY1iGP3ar18HksmsmrvxgVKjceQAVW_bAirMccPcxkLZ9peIWg98S74dWyt-L1FxDs5KEPVOiEy6MWEbUwuXwp5z7m4/s1600/WA+Summary.png" /></div>
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The first observation is that Bernie out-fundraises Clinton because he has triple the donors giving one-third as much per contribution. <br />
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The maximum donation allowed is $2700, so I split the donations into small ($100 or less) and maximum ($2700) categories to see how the two candidates do at the ends of the spectrum:<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyB8jwLCDmUYYcxDXIOvvdWJa2Ey6YC5MXHDtSpsg8jxIRH0wIzc82YeBDc2lll_D-fBs72gI90L0LsfX1DmRQ3fPibA7NwugSB9Ai8wB_pZ3fAzQi8adDWyUyxVe1AAqQTdlOkqslzJs/s1600/WA+Small+Large.png" /></div>
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Max donations account for more than half of Clinton's total contributions, while for Sanders they account for about 2.5%.<br />
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Here is each candidate's cumulative donations over time:<br />
<script src="https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
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<noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Cumulative ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Be/BernieClintonWA/Cumulative/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" height="704" style="display: none;" width="1004"><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='BernieClintonWA/Cumulative' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Be/BernieClintonWA/Cumulative/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='showVizHome' value='no' /><param name='showTabs' value='y' /><param name='bootstrapWhenNotified' value='true' /></object></div>
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As you can see, Sanders overtook Clinton on January 25 after trailing since the beginning of the season. Clinton's lead was sustained by a big surge in June 2015. I checked to see what was going on on June 20, the end of the increase, and found that Clinton hosted a $2700/ticket fundraiser called <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/special-events/conversation-hillary-jun-20-2/"><b>"Conversation with Hillary"</b></a> on that date at the Madison Park home of a donor. Tickets went on sale in early June. Since money is speech, I wonder if Clinton was able to get a word in edgewise.<br />
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Lastly, here is a map of contributions by zip code. The pie chart on each zip splits the donations into Clinton and Sanders slices. Use the tool to the right of the map to filter the contributions into >$100 and <$100 categories:<br />
<script src="https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
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<noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Map ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Be/BernieClintonWA/Map/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" height="769" style="display: none;" width="1004"><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='BernieClintonWA/Map' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Be/BernieClintonWA/Map/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='showVizHome' value='no' /><param name='showTabs' value='y' /><param name='bootstrapWhenNotified' value='true' /></object></div>
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The difference between the two candidates' shares of small donations and large donations is striking. Clinton receives a majority of large donations in most zip codes, while Bernie takes an overwhelming majority of small donations in almost every zip code.
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<h3>
Oregon</h3>
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The numbers from Oregon tell a fairly similar story. The summary:<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZDUck6O05Ig1WzN8q_qH5OE0qGFzoIJatx3rVXAdXvOB1SUnqCMQVFgRzckNx15AFaSYX2ifaZkrwtDvImY08gfn03PPLVC7gTPj7WMjRG6QezWPxCMKmHEHdH1zCEIuhc5hrZFacJg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-16+at+1.51.19+PM.png" /></div>
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As in Washington, Sanders has more than triple the number of contributors and less than 1/3 the average donation size. Here's Small vs. Large Contributions:</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUBEd6dL6rcFrt2uTainOwC2tJKJxBtZjrs1DLHegC-1hhjmGFt_dqhjfAzvOy6tR8TsBvLUTDmGzO9Fxvh-LqdTkTKi4JYM2XnxFcXlkZ3nmOTEDkqK2cZHeLSFArWeujIgLXxQtAf0/s1600/OR+Small+Large.png" /></div>
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Again, Clinton draws more than half of her money from maximum contributors; for Sanders, it's 2%.</div>
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The cumulative contributions tell the same story, down to the Clinton surge ahead of an expensive fundraiser visit. Tickets for the August 5, 2015 event went on sale July 10. </div>
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<noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Cumulative Contributions ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Or/OregonDemocraticCampaignContributions/CumulativeContributions/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" height="704" style="display: none;" width="1004"><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='OregonDemocraticCampaignContributions/CumulativeContributions' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Or/OregonDemocraticCampaignContributions/CumulativeContributions/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='showVizHome' value='no' /><param name='showTabs' value='y' /><param name='bootstrapWhenNotified' value='true' /></object></div>
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The map tells a similar story to Washington, with an even greater polarization between neighborhoods, and small and large donations. In Portland's Southwest Hills, for instance, Clinton takes 89% of contributions over $100, while Sanders takes 82% of contributions under $100. In my own neighborhood, NE Portland, 98.5% of small donations go to Bernie:<br />
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<script src="https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
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<noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Map ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Or/OregonDemocraticCampaignContributions/Map/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" height="769" style="display: none;" width="1004"><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='OregonDemocraticCampaignContributions/Map' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Or/OregonDemocraticCampaignContributions/Map/1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='showVizHome' value='no' /><param name='showTabs' value='y' /><param name='bootstrapWhenNotified' value='true' /></object></div>
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Looking at the map, I noticed that in the Portland area, the Willamette River seems to be a dividing line between Clinton and Sanders fundraising majorities. Sure enough:<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78BPTiShaqPDHskJaMYDvjCgYjXP8bdRNvHhMnEQAxNGddL7oh4__IUKLZoDuK9u74zTlAN0GAPY4kLtYwXPxDOJDKbGcqcv4QDaYfqmFBOSkplBum6e0WNmIwvxgLukmBhW_0wdzqgE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-16+at+2.18.26+PM.png" /></div>
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There are a lot of conclusions you could draw from this stuff, but to me the basic takeaway is that, at least in the NW, a larger group of individuals of more modest means see Sanders as the candidate representing their interests, while individuals with thousands of dollars of expendable income see Clinton as representing theirs.</div>
gibsoncnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107551728231389740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-50980477606133234912015-10-31T01:47:00.001-07:002015-10-31T01:47:02.842-07:00More Team Pursuit IntrigueOh yeah baby, it's team pursuit season! The Cali World Cup is this weekend, which means all sorts of juicy Tissot timing .csv files are hitting the web as we speak. It's been a while since the days when I <a href="http://bubblewrapbartape.blogspot.com/2010/11/fallout.html">pored over my own (hell of slow) pursuit splits</a>, and (for the moment) I'm living vicariously through way faster people.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NXhAbnIQBKc4nL0h0N6sMWOLA5_2O7v1OZLVc7e6XV3ZsIQ9rcTv9VYDebQhvvPw7CkYIzlvGZfxAo9OGfqZpRhl8xZ-vD7hRf8cGXqLr9Fvh16kRPMXP1bTF0AW46Mbn6GaipgWEZE/s1600/W+TP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NXhAbnIQBKc4nL0h0N6sMWOLA5_2O7v1OZLVc7e6XV3ZsIQ9rcTv9VYDebQhvvPw7CkYIzlvGZfxAo9OGfqZpRhl8xZ-vD7hRf8cGXqLr9Fvh16kRPMXP1bTF0AW46Mbn6GaipgWEZE/s400/W+TP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The US Women's TP in full flight. Pic from <a href="http://www.swarbrick.photography/">Guy Swarbrick</a></td></tr>
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The TP is a pretty rad mix of anaerobic/aerobic demands, technique, and pacing strategy. I might crack open the <a href="http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2007/02/darth-vader-rides-teams-pursuit.html">MAOD simulator whirlygig</a> soon to look at the physiological side soon, but since I haven't quite hacked the US National Team's power files yet, I figured I'd look at something simple regarding pacing, especially since the women's race is a good example of how different race situations call for different strategies. <br />
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One of the cool elements of TP (and team time trial, which I got to race some of in college) is that the team has to decide how to manage racing with riders of different strengths / aero profiles. Do stronger riders pull longer at the same speed, faster for the same duration, or somewhere in between? How would having a 6'3" rider drafting behind a 5'7" rider affect length/intensity of pulls? The conventional wisdom is that constant speed is better than equal-length pulls, since the added stress of accelerating/decelerating as different riders hit the front usually outweighs any benefit.<br />
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So is that how it works at the highest level? I got the lap splits from the men's and women's qualifying, first round, and finals races and plotted the standard deviation of lap times vs the team's final race time. On the graphs, closer to zero on the x-axis means more consistent pacing, and closer to zero on the y-axis means a faster time. First, the men:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmC8DIeWYpL8xcNRgPB0bJrgPsfa3SKEFjJdSkZeAkyhhg67nLMZpD88U5kWH8wzFLdxyztWz2OKmHUpfO7QpQPKqua_vJqHu3h_qVOyWnLCj7msC5JyrkvNDxldeyBe7m38q06w0dQGE/s1600/M+Qualifying.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmC8DIeWYpL8xcNRgPB0bJrgPsfa3SKEFjJdSkZeAkyhhg67nLMZpD88U5kWH8wzFLdxyztWz2OKmHUpfO7QpQPKqua_vJqHu3h_qVOyWnLCj7msC5JyrkvNDxldeyBe7m38q06w0dQGE/s320/M+Qualifying.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmspVV5SSXDaejkS4W9E_D9-sAWL_FT_YJkD6sng9riQ5atruDzhHOmnrBER0Nq-bRv8Th9wmnz3vP4OBy-dtB0RcH_izALNEo2BAVrRnLwTI2ZioEhS8591qF8bhDL8DbwK91FY_dllI/s1600/Men+First+Round.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmspVV5SSXDaejkS4W9E_D9-sAWL_FT_YJkD6sng9riQ5atruDzhHOmnrBER0Nq-bRv8Th9wmnz3vP4OBy-dtB0RcH_izALNEo2BAVrRnLwTI2ZioEhS8591qF8bhDL8DbwK91FY_dllI/s320/Men+First+Round.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJkt5RGuN7qsC03PTFVRXtJ-yG2Kl9OnI8pmMVpLvgr00AmRutyYj80TOyptBr_TEUUyfNWwFpjql-nw6H7_sum5Esktf9jQAWzRRgWB5MX2D6Cb-8f9f_RfiT5ovO5722hb4mdHIxm0/s1600/M+Final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJkt5RGuN7qsC03PTFVRXtJ-yG2Kl9OnI8pmMVpLvgr00AmRutyYj80TOyptBr_TEUUyfNWwFpjql-nw6H7_sum5Esktf9jQAWzRRgWB5MX2D6Cb-8f9f_RfiT5ovO5722hb4mdHIxm0/s320/M+Final.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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There aren't a ton of data points, but generally, faster teams are also more consistent in their pacing. On average, for every additional second of lap inconsistency, you might expect a team to go 10 seconds slower (insert large grain of salt). The limit of just looking at split times is that obviously, all the teams don't start with the same horsepower, resources, training time together, etc. Given how specialized an event like the TP is, countries that put more resources into training a dialed TP team likely see benefits in both increased strength <i>and</i> technique. (Profound, I know.)</div>
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LLLLLLLLADIES!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWMypPgxY6gxdFb_oAK4VO9xuVd0sTVyfKpH8JYYsVaSBp5Qn34kwT6WiZuERkxeAFpC7NNqOd80xV5kR76ZpFGLkkNeLYtwi1EllKgTfYy4zuvW_soLXXXpJT5es7FHRQBiX8M0oruc/s1600/W+Qualifying.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWMypPgxY6gxdFb_oAK4VO9xuVd0sTVyfKpH8JYYsVaSBp5Qn34kwT6WiZuERkxeAFpC7NNqOd80xV5kR76ZpFGLkkNeLYtwi1EllKgTfYy4zuvW_soLXXXpJT5es7FHRQBiX8M0oruc/s320/W+Qualifying.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqYPPnzahOMZ2YxtGoY0RyNdQX-wBkFyIl71JVvCeLQ3WMJ_WcabfVcBONWjnUAmUVM8dyQWao85jQ-o2VXutuk0zOFOkPwPptz3HAAbF4js4QuNFwWyoMtfvvX0aubL-bsS4nJ4Zifg/s1600/W+First+Round.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqYPPnzahOMZ2YxtGoY0RyNdQX-wBkFyIl71JVvCeLQ3WMJ_WcabfVcBONWjnUAmUVM8dyQWao85jQ-o2VXutuk0zOFOkPwPptz3HAAbF4js4QuNFwWyoMtfvvX0aubL-bsS4nJ4Zifg/s320/W+First+Round.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUWUDaWPj3_Jef7kCJKRY8hr6N3FD0HRtPMuXhJxePWYvO-DDd03LUU8SmJeP664gucOzvZU6DGoclB7mY6L9vGeNexp3F8JiMRlugXa9tBMQ9z3oLnRnKxU0wMH1NuLahRcUaQR6iyk/s1600/W+Final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUWUDaWPj3_Jef7kCJKRY8hr6N3FD0HRtPMuXhJxePWYvO-DDd03LUU8SmJeP664gucOzvZU6DGoclB7mY6L9vGeNexp3F8JiMRlugXa9tBMQ9z3oLnRnKxU0wMH1NuLahRcUaQR6iyk/s320/W+Final.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The positive correlation between lap time consistency and final time was stronger in the women's races--in the neighborhood of 18-21 seconds faster overall per second of lap consistency.</div>
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One way to look at the data points is to view points below the regression line as having more horsepower and less consistent pacing, while points above the line have better pacing but less horsepower. The most interesting example is in the women's final, where Canada beat the US 5:20.1 to 5:25.8. Despite being in the gold medal ride, the US women had the most lap variation of all eight finals runs. Here's what the lap splits between the US and Canada looked like:<br />
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The increase in the blue line in the last few laps is the US team losing some steam. One reason they may have slowed down is that they had to burn a big match in the first round (where they rode a 4:21.5) just to make it to the gold medal ride. Another may have to do with the structure of the competition affecting their strategy. If a team is trying to do the fastest run they can, a consistent pacing strategy is ideal. But the strategy changes once you're in the gold medal ride where the worst you can get is 2nd place, and you're facing an opponent that has been consistently stronger than you. In that case, the best option may be to try and match them, even if it means risking blowing up in the final kilometer. It looks like that's what happened to the US women's team. But nothing ventured, nothing gained! And they still wound up with a silver medal.</div>
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A cool problem would be looking at TP power files and coming up with a way to model the actual cost of inconsistency. But that will have to wait until I want to do something other than some rookie ax+b nonsense.</div>
<br />gibsoncnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107551728231389740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-38861641820095535242014-04-22T13:12:00.001-07:002014-04-22T13:22:12.892-07:00Walla Walla...with Jake!<div class="p1" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I went to the Tour of Walla Walla with Jake this year! </div>
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Jake and I got to stay in a child's bedroom with two beds like this:</div>
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Adorable!</div>
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Racing festivities were scheduled to begin on Friday with a 62-mile road race for the men and a bag full of anti-race-development incentives for the women. That went well until the stage was canceled due to lack of course marshals. All those snacks for nothing. Next!</div>
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The TT was a TT. I beat Jake's triathlon bike, which is the only thing that matters. After team nap time, team coffee time, team pillow talk, team fight club, team shower time, team nail-polish application, and team snacks, we rolled out to the crit. We parked where we always parked and listened to some kind of country music.</div>
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Jake and I wore fluo orange socks for the crit. Flying squirrel tactics defined the first 20minutes of racing. I was astonished at the tremendous sprinting ability that some racers demonstrated out of turn 1 early in the race. Also out of turn 2, 3, 4, 5, and every other point in the race (except for the sprint at like, the end of the race). After coasting with Jake and eating more snacks, I countered a Jacob Rathe/Benny Swedburg/HB move and got away with Dylan Davies of Russ Hays and Darren Goff of Live Well. The three of us were all pretty high on the BMI chart, so we motored and were holding at 15-20s, splitting primes and trying to get some time. Eventually shit heated up behind and we were caught with 1.5 to go. Jake got knocked out of good position due to a last lap crash, but received many congratulations for his strong riding in the breakaway, that popular rascal!</div>
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The road race was the usual 90 miles of tailwind climbing. Jake was hurting from the burger I force fed him the night before, so he was in conservation mode. I was feeling good and wanted to find a way to try and win like a #professional instead of defending my 12th place GC, which would have been a #bitchmove. Ian Crane was leading GC, but his main man Carson Miller was momentarily sleepy from pulling like a champ with 35mi to go, so I attacked with Jordan Cheyne (2nd GC) on the more selective tailwind climb, and we had a gap until every other team realized that I might leapfrog them into 9th and started chasing.</div>
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Moment of seriousness: the willingness of people to do the race leader's work for him never ceases to amaze me. Congrats to everyone who chased us and then missed the actual selection on the last lap: good job. Actual quote from the race:</div>
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"So where are you in GC?"</div>
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"Oh, like Xth place." (not 1st)</div>
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"So are you going to try and attack?"</div>
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"Nah, I'll probably defend."</div>
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Heads up: no one is trying to take your top-10 GC spot, which besides is a result that zero people care about. Going into a race with the mentality that you're not going to challenge the race leader, but that you will challenge other racers who are trying to attack the race leader in order to save the small scraps that you've managed to secure is a pretty lame way to spend a weekend and a couple hundred dollars if you ask me. Plus it makes Ian Crane's life easier, which no one should ever support.</div>
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The real selection came the last time up the same hill, and Jake and I were both too sleepy to go with it. 8 guys including Crane bridged to the small break and went to the line with ~0:45 on our group, which means we dropped way down in team GC, individual GC, and ego size :(((((</div>
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Jake gave me San Pellegrino Orange Juice after, which made everything better. Overall, a great weekend for snacks.</div>
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gibsoncnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107551728231389740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-90108572671464762882012-07-30T16:39:00.002-07:002012-08-02T11:04:40.176-07:00Local Crits<i>(edited to correct prize purses for Brad Lewis and Derby Days)</i> <br />
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It seems like there's a time each year in Washington for a rant concerning prize money inequality between men and women / prize money-to-registration fee ratios. This year, the rant came right at the end of June, which made sense because a) The Joe Homes threw some chum in the water with a Facebook post, and b) it was the weekend of Tacoma Twilight, the only local crit of the year to offer zero prize money for any women's field.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bpozVfzGuWPfwGSlrKFhhtvFTKRfiMwxm_7DIbDbp210yfuCmvVFv2zWRB4RbdJWazEkIOn66r1UU5ygfvK0l6iixUPZmqpiNwjb6NO7cmzJZcCXeC44qFHRTU2WkKlIx5VEvvDo4tE/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bpozVfzGuWPfwGSlrKFhhtvFTKRfiMwxm_7DIbDbp210yfuCmvVFv2zWRB4RbdJWazEkIOn66r1UU5ygfvK0l6iixUPZmqpiNwjb6NO7cmzJZcCXeC44qFHRTU2WkKlIx5VEvvDo4tE/s400/Picture+1.png" width="310" /></a></div>
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First off: Ivy, if you want lots of minutes per dollar, I think RAAM has a great ratio. <br />
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One issue with discussions like these is that they often bring out opinions based on impressions and anecdotal evidence rather than an actual examination of the trends that are being criticized. So because I only contribute to a discussion if I am completely right about everything ever (which happens surprisingly frequently), I decided to look at some stats from WA crits to see what is going on. After all, I didn't complete my college education in vain. I completed it in Walla Walla.<br />
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All the info here came from results sheets, registration websites, race fliers, and emails with local promoters.<br />
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Stats. Ready, go! Let's start with a simple one: total prize purse, men and women combined.<br />
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Okay, so I see an outlier. Derby days paid out $8575 across all categories. Next best was Joe Matava at $1831. They achieved this by paying out 50% of registrations for all women's races, including $425 for the women's Cat 4. </div>
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Alright. Objections. No fair! It doesn't take # of racers into account! Joe Holmes probably packed a ferry with every racer on the entire Island of Kitsap to race and pad his wallet with reg $. Nope. White Bread wasn't even there. Here's average prize money per entrant.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQimAdTcKwXpnrFE1BukJq7gVx8mL1Zn2bwUC8B-Rerg8gRQPVoffTsZLHP__TpRQSElbG9XgeUwGvoCgS30wzN3s0YydV2ys1J-HyoZFKYxU1RgXlZa37MWggHZewE_39fKOMknn6xRk/s1600/chart_3%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQimAdTcKwXpnrFE1BukJq7gVx8mL1Zn2bwUC8B-Rerg8gRQPVoffTsZLHP__TpRQSElbG9XgeUwGvoCgS30wzN3s0YydV2ys1J-HyoZFKYxU1RgXlZa37MWggHZewE_39fKOMknn6xRk/s400/chart_3%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Okay, that's impressive. $28.84 to second place Tacoma's $6.73. But Derby Days is probably one of the more expensive crits, so they can pay out more for the same % of registration income, right? Wrong again. Here is prize purse to total registration income.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeoxtfRbQKivSw5RSg8CyHcBgkp8tHpCT3rqfAqplbEu0_u3hkxTzH23dj586_AurOg4ehnIfyU-DjtFndg3FMrU4e1E2jZ8PWG5SD2cZ1LuEdfHzHHs-xhoJ2u9YjpcoXfdMMEoP8bQ/s1600/chart_2%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeoxtfRbQKivSw5RSg8CyHcBgkp8tHpCT3rqfAqplbEu0_u3hkxTzH23dj586_AurOg4ehnIfyU-DjtFndg3FMrU4e1E2jZ8PWG5SD2cZ1LuEdfHzHHs-xhoJ2u9YjpcoXfdMMEoP8bQ/s400/chart_2%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pretty much the same as the last graph. Stop and think about this one for a minute. Derby Days paid out $1.02 for every dollar that it brought in through registration. North Bend was a distant second at 27 cents on the dollar, which they achieved by paying out 50% of reg in all paying categories. Volunteer Park's purse was middle of the pack, but they brought in so much money from their big fields that they wound up last by this measure at 10 cents on the dollar.<br />
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Now, no self-respecting promoter is going to shell out without getting his beak wet first, so where did all of Derby Days' money come from? Joe Holmes gave some <a href="http://pnwbuckeye.blogspot.com/2006/10/wsba-scheduling-meeting-this-past.html?spref=tw">answers</a> about that a few years ago. Go get sponsors. There is obviously more to the prize purse equation than how much money a race brings in through registration. There are costs of permits, porta-pots, coppers, officials, insurance, etc., and Joe admits that he saves money by combining Derby Days with an existing street festival, something that not every race has the option to do (why don't we have a naked Fremont solstice crit, btw? Oh, because we would need ink numbers. Plus we would have to see Stangeland topless. Nevermind.). But even taking that into account, it should be clear that promoters could do a lot more in terms of making their races more affordable to justify the low prize purse, or increasing their prize purse to justify the entry fee.<br />
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Okay, now for the contentious stuff: man vs. woman. Here's the trend that is the source for most of the complaints from the ladies: <br />
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When I look at this, I think, a) Joe Holmes is trying to compensate for something by having the longest bar, and b) women are getting the short end of the stick. Apparently, having a small women's prize purse is enough to keep the complaints at bay, but it becomes too much to bear when Tacoma tells women that the joy of racing should be enough for them. I mean the joy of racing and a $20 gift certificate to Pirelli's Pizza. And an envelope. You can reuse that. Again, I'm skeptical of whether Joe Matava actually paid out as strong as they did at the women's race. I'm still waiting to hear from the promoter, but if anyone knows either way, they should let me know. <i>(update: Joe Matava promoters confirmed they paid out 50% to all women's categories)</i><br />
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So you don't need that chart to know that men's purses are almost without exception substantially bigger than women's. But you do need the following chart to show you how much money there is per entrant, male and female, at the races. <br />
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This chart takes into account the fact that even though there is generally less money available to women's fields, there are also generally fewer women showing up. Among races that actually paid out to women, all but Ballard and Derby Days actually saw more money per female racer than per male racer. This illustrates the chicken-and-egg situation: women won't show up if there's lousy money, and promoters are less likely to obtain prize money if they expect low turnout. Vicious cycle! For an individual female racer, it is hard to strike a balance between wanting to hold promoters accountable and wanting to give them a reason to pay out. Support a race with a bad purse and you're enabling a trend you oppose; boycott it and you give them a reason to further cut prizes. Because the group of female racers who might show up on a given race day is a much harder force to organize than the small number of people responsible for gathering prize money for a race, the onus to provide prize money falls primarily on the promoter. "If you build it, they will come" kind of thing. In exchange, women need to be ready to reward responsive promoters with their patronage.<br />
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But if you build it, will they come? This chart represents riders per $100 of prize fee. You would expect it to be pretty flat, since races with less prize money would get fewer entrants. <br />
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There is no correlation between prize purse and number of racers. Volunteer park gets 36 racers for $100 in prizes, while Derby Days gets 3. There are a lot of variables at play here. Derby Days was the same day as Boise Twilight <i>and</i> Tour of White Rock, so in spite of its large prize list, it didn't have a big draw. Bellingham had masters medals up for grabs so it got a lot of racers for an average prize purse. Volunteer Park is like a 2 minute ride from most people in the city. It had the 3rd smallest purse, but the largest turnout of any crit on the calendar by more than 100 racers. <br />
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Here's one take that I think misses the mark:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsjW3OTg33rRQeWIcka2xec4aqk0XbLgqE_7jTi5zVBMEFDonD9wi1n5aGn4Xy77gwl0ys0Un4dt7GcSrqosX8VTGM9Rk67OL7CbGgCI-wxT8ATddQsBG7BVj1BhfadFM_FPKjaxqs1E/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsjW3OTg33rRQeWIcka2xec4aqk0XbLgqE_7jTi5zVBMEFDonD9wi1n5aGn4Xy77gwl0ys0Un4dt7GcSrqosX8VTGM9Rk67OL7CbGgCI-wxT8ATddQsBG7BVj1BhfadFM_FPKjaxqs1E/s320/Picture+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yeah, if you don't like it, you can leave! <br />
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A couple of false assumptions here. First, there are a limited number of promoters in the state. It's not like there are tons of disgruntled promoters who couldn't find a time slot on the calendar and are waiting for someone to make a mistake so they can snatch a spot. Second, promoters can be lazy and still not be priced out of the market. The previous chart shows that race attendance is inelastic with respect to prize money. People will still show up, albeit begrudgingly, even if a race has a bad prize purse. This isn't the first year that Brad Lewis hasn't had a women's purse, yet women continue to come and race. The economic transaction argument relies on perfect competition and elastic race attendance, neither of which is the case. Third, telling someone to take a hike if they don't like the way things are is a really shitty way of avoiding problems with the status quo, and is especially easy to do when you're not the one who has it rough. For perspective, very few, if any racers in the state are going to live and die based on prize money at local crits. In fact, the situation isn't even burdensome enough that racers are leaving the sport in droves. But is that really the standard we should use to decide whether or not there is room for improvement in our current system?<br />
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The takeaway for me from all this is that promoters can decide whether they want to provide development for the sport by doing the leg work to make racing less financially burdensome for racers, or whether they want to provide a consumer good that transfers more of the cost of racing onto the racers. Making money off of a race and slacking on finding sponsors is obviously winning with some of the promoters in the area, and the market currently allows them to do that without fear of repercussion. Luckily for anyone who doesn't like the way things are, the racing community is small, and we don't all have to be price-takers. #occupyboatstreetgibsoncnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107551728231389740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-30854118060701460942012-03-05T09:52:00.007-08:002012-03-05T10:46:38.217-08:00Heading SouthMy legs hurt because I raced my bike for four days! Here are a few pics from the last week before I go work some more on my stark tan lines.<br /><br />"My advice would be to ransack the shit out of that shit." That was the last advice I received before Joe and I left Sacramento for the first time on the way down to Merced to race Merco. In another demonstration of the flexibility of our language, "shit" here refers to the pantry of our host house, while "shit" refers to all the food in that pantry.<br /><br />I was sad to leave our host house, filled as my bedroom was with Bionicles. Luckily for me, our hosts in Merced were enthusiasts of decorative figurines, too! In the reading room, they had a number of totems:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBfDeM8tDnQdTyGOk-QCOWLsB_X8UETJ3V0UktCMtgj2H7PUhRPZb4gsOKoEBTcqF227Y56nRq8AxNHkD_fgs4CxmNKHsbA2uNqzF6ZzcUgbUXrRIlqUYkgBcE2k0Ee-xx9Iv-pk9iVU/s1600/merco-totems.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBfDeM8tDnQdTyGOk-QCOWLsB_X8UETJ3V0UktCMtgj2H7PUhRPZb4gsOKoEBTcqF227Y56nRq8AxNHkD_fgs4CxmNKHsbA2uNqzF6ZzcUgbUXrRIlqUYkgBcE2k0Ee-xx9Iv-pk9iVU/s320/merco-totems.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716477981090296994" border="0" /></a><br />And I couldn't forget their impressive collection of mirthfully-laughing-mothers-of-large-litters-of-children:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWXGAtihKgCaR7UaWAUsb1zOl8tZU2CkOWbijwrwMXJA3jA9XZmGpjcgl6MjgMa9PzJvfvpg85KvxdFANKFEw2b_DIDtHpQg12efohKy89RFlP1qjrTgunOrSm6R5qIxeuTCQHiXeKhs/s1600/merco-doll2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWXGAtihKgCaR7UaWAUsb1zOl8tZU2CkOWbijwrwMXJA3jA9XZmGpjcgl6MjgMa9PzJvfvpg85KvxdFANKFEw2b_DIDtHpQg12efohKy89RFlP1qjrTgunOrSm6R5qIxeuTCQHiXeKhs/s320/merco-doll2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716477984946360834" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF272t-HWki48Zlwfu9YUqdRtDHFEMndNeEsUzCgbZQQef7QJlfS6RPErK_Pf8eAQuelMVDpuEAV-bjQswLtXYaQ_5v00uqX_mhLZkbQuxMCDSplzv-M7t8SRgolCLdn5MPoYUbP1y1tE/s1600/merco-doll1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF272t-HWki48Zlwfu9YUqdRtDHFEMndNeEsUzCgbZQQef7QJlfS6RPErK_Pf8eAQuelMVDpuEAV-bjQswLtXYaQ_5v00uqX_mhLZkbQuxMCDSplzv-M7t8SRgolCLdn5MPoYUbP1y1tE/s320/merco-doll1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716478406671632002" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9IMYBtI38WyR30zCFBKUFRIu8KjluvNOg-uNaO3uwkSzi37v3cK_0iI4zzpWgV7HuhS-1ZbA0dThFsTc8whEfTnXAGza4ndpSNGKbn1bcSskVCH9q3yqVtRwDhudjpppW18Fg2H_1w0/s1600/merco-doll3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9IMYBtI38WyR30zCFBKUFRIu8KjluvNOg-uNaO3uwkSzi37v3cK_0iI4zzpWgV7HuhS-1ZbA0dThFsTc8whEfTnXAGza4ndpSNGKbn1bcSskVCH9q3yqVtRwDhudjpppW18Fg2H_1w0/s320/merco-doll3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716477979031801874" border="0" /></a><br />And lastly, my favorite of their miniatures. Guess which is the real thing:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0YryPz-84KiZjA-bkVEv4_8sTuJUH0f3RzfW69aX5qqRJaEmlAXohsXHMSJZPaLGPPTkKjtPQIlmzmYHsrZxREm4dXib3t6UkzAVbcSkjCHpsKGdKopObKCUoislyt_-2tVrdUJoYe8/s1600/merco-nissan1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0YryPz-84KiZjA-bkVEv4_8sTuJUH0f3RzfW69aX5qqRJaEmlAXohsXHMSJZPaLGPPTkKjtPQIlmzmYHsrZxREm4dXib3t6UkzAVbcSkjCHpsKGdKopObKCUoislyt_-2tVrdUJoYe8/s320/merco-nissan1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716478407556119682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Nissan 350z: PRO!)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVWHRIWWPZIl6_1aT7rnJ8CNLZjrgcPyLFRv8Jz9R_BuHW_tKyVWbSr22jjWLjIGWDtAvjUiR_xC-PxJxQ7ofM9Jc2bJSLmk9IwRY6wC4D1EQvfjMPDfwcDCk-5cxeLHK_xmXWdo1UX4/s1600/merco-nissan2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVWHRIWWPZIl6_1aT7rnJ8CNLZjrgcPyLFRv8Jz9R_BuHW_tKyVWbSr22jjWLjIGWDtAvjUiR_xC-PxJxQ7ofM9Jc2bJSLmk9IwRY6wC4D1EQvfjMPDfwcDCk-5cxeLHK_xmXWdo1UX4/s320/merco-nissan2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716478408455041554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Nissan 350z model--with spoiler! Double PRO!)<br /></span></span></div><br />But enough about decorative figurines (for now). We didn't come for the decorative figurines; we came to RACE! With a team car and everything! Unfortunately, some teams have bigger budgets than us. For instance, Rabobank didn't just bring a team car, they brought a team building!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuPZ_P54bIqYgnaCPFeXzEQIpvxTx91SH2u4LPC3fFF1g41Gvhmfk1lxINpN2xMtAeMao7ufCA56avDrMcY9w6cf0rxPh06dFQXYGZ0gwp7oMx3MvSDDfB9bEwe57z72mfiepVFXJ-SI/s1600/merco-rabobank2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuPZ_P54bIqYgnaCPFeXzEQIpvxTx91SH2u4LPC3fFF1g41Gvhmfk1lxINpN2xMtAeMao7ufCA56avDrMcY9w6cf0rxPh06dFQXYGZ0gwp7oMx3MvSDDfB9bEwe57z72mfiepVFXJ-SI/s320/merco-rabobank2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716478416077951618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(I'ma need to make a withdrawal.)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIv2WEqmhdyr_BCbCinu4keGh39u_RCOzYEqLfyz4OcTOzjdBx-OzqcUBe_v-a6lFHiDGaE-ltYg4QFWuT1DcC1xg9FuBuylAVxo888YQLpOnQjCSwk_R0O7e2rd-fWHowBC5ReW14jU/s1600/merco-rabobank1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIv2WEqmhdyr_BCbCinu4keGh39u_RCOzYEqLfyz4OcTOzjdBx-OzqcUBe_v-a6lFHiDGaE-ltYg4QFWuT1DcC1xg9FuBuylAVxo888YQLpOnQjCSwk_R0O7e2rd-fWHowBC5ReW14jU/s320/merco-rabobank1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716478417683224610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Their team car was slightly less [more?] intimidating.)</span></span><br /></div><br />It was a tough weekend, and we had some bad luck with Cody breaking his elbow in the crit (heal up you fast mafa!). The 8:00 start wound up being just the way Joe described it, but it was good to stretch the legs at something bigger than a local TT ahead of team camp and Sandy Mass in two weeks. Here is some photographic evidence that I raced my bike.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj0f0-YVCqrJtY_p4EreC6k1lRzJiW4wOfw8hxbvJ_hXpaoIg14ntb2WJk4ow4e3TDeNL8lqb137ExkUd7uJTVraJK05uZlqdif7NfkyGHI_UmNighM1s5KDjCG0aQxycBr39vZAuXmc/s1600/mercorr.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj0f0-YVCqrJtY_p4EreC6k1lRzJiW4wOfw8hxbvJ_hXpaoIg14ntb2WJk4ow4e3TDeNL8lqb137ExkUd7uJTVraJK05uZlqdif7NfkyGHI_UmNighM1s5KDjCG0aQxycBr39vZAuXmc/s320/mercorr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716477972531150594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(I'm winning! I'm winning!)<br /></span></span></div><br />Now I'm back in Sacramento for a few days until a Sprinter van rolls into town, bundles me into the back and delivers my arse from temptation, I mean to Agoura Hills.gibsoncnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107551728231389740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-61814093245301363542012-02-29T12:11:00.006-08:002012-02-29T21:22:41.218-08:00DefrostingWell, global audience, all those months of hitting refresh on my blog have finally paid off. I've shed the binding ties (tying binds?) of full-time employment, and since all I have to do for the next several months is travel around racing my bike and do errands for Joe Holmes, I have more time for what's really important.<br /><br />So I'll start with the shortest of reduxes. After the Skagit circuit race, I decided that wearing anything other than a long-sleeve skinsuit was for total squares because A) no race in the NW is long enough to require you to have anything in your pockets, and B) <style></style>they make you feel like an eel! So I raced Gig Harbor in one, and got to wonder why Stanko was pulling back every break. Then I got to race Carnation in one, and follow Ian through the picture-skew farm land with its whitewashed fences.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR944iEyDN6SO2-JBRvB3hVHZaRU-O-oQeC_URgx_KZqArdFXscmzDx3R2bt-8nhUU26EKQ_aIpT4D8KnpCslmE6M0_UVXaGSs9E9rFCUCkhVuhor-HFTN_NrmrHLAoM5yf0CKnTcdkWk/s1600/carnation11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR944iEyDN6SO2-JBRvB3hVHZaRU-O-oQeC_URgx_KZqArdFXscmzDx3R2bt-8nhUU26EKQ_aIpT4D8KnpCslmE6M0_UVXaGSs9E9rFCUCkhVuhor-HFTN_NrmrHLAoM5yf0CKnTcdkWk/s320/carnation11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714658636810061250" border="0" /></a><br />I had been pondering an east coast trip to race GMSR and Chris Thater, but after much consideration of my national resources, and realizing that the RR at GMSR might require me to break my skinsuit streak, I decided to save my pennies so that I could buy some silver bullets for my TT bike instead. Well lucky me because Chris Thater got hurricaned out! And Gabe got to win the KOM shirt at GMSR, which I probably would have won instead if I had gone. You're welcome, Gabe!<br /><br />So then came the fall and winter. Short summary: hiking, bike touring (with pan-yays), body paint, a love-hate relationship with coffee, and a lot of riding in the Snoqualmie Valley. Maybe I'll go into some of those topics another time. For now I want to talk about emerging from the groggy vitamin D deficiency of winter.<br /><br />Avid readers will remember that last year kicked off with Cherry Pie road race, and even more controversially, the Jack Frost TT in Vancouver, WA. Well this year I decided to skip the road race and go straight for the controversy. Now. Last year's controversy was a two-part controversy. <a href="http://bubblewrapbartape.blogspot.com/2011/02/early-season-funtime-obra-land.html">Part I</a> was when I Tokyo drifted my way to a 30-second penalty and nearly went bowling for Cat 3 Women in the oncoming lane. <a href="http://bubblewrapbartape.blogspot.com/2011/07/im-on-map.html">Part II</a> was Tom's reaction to my post. More drama than an episode of <a href="http://xkcd.com/1009/">Downtown Abbey</a>.<br /><br />Well this year was a little less controversial, continuing the theme that, as I become more #committed as a bike racer, my life becomes less and less interesting. So as a non-OBRALAND member, I had to come check in for the TT at 8:00am, even though my start time wasn't until 12:42:30*. So I did, got the OK from the officials that the start times were final, and headed back to my friend's place for breakfast. Then I came back to warm up and race, and what should I find? Well if you looked at the asterisk from two sentences ago, you'd know. I pleaded with the officials, placing a soft towel on the ground so that I could get on my knees to beg without scuffing my leg warmers, and they finally gave me a new time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7uez4lwdAbELpAr_1vPPZFFn9oTOchqvf6VVlR-JyBWhRD-PUX3qptoA9QyEGyScQwHTm5Ewr0ixJvctgQYMYmSlKGYicQWgt1xHhrbe08l2p8Y00Nn-XccSq6a6g8EAHeU0DW9IP30/s1600/warmup.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7uez4lwdAbELpAr_1vPPZFFn9oTOchqvf6VVlR-JyBWhRD-PUX3qptoA9QyEGyScQwHTm5Ewr0ixJvctgQYMYmSlKGYicQWgt1xHhrbe08l2p8Y00Nn-XccSq6a6g8EAHeU0DW9IP30/s320/warmup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714664052675272258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(When I warm up, I picture people cheering my name.<br />In this case, they were shouting "Gibson! You are missing your start!)</span></span><br /></div><br />So I went and raced, being sure to duck the whole to avoid the booby traps (this was Oregon, so it was technically an adventure race and not a bike race).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJVNU4SsOafBPfiqX5jjtfa5ipOnO1cPyon9E28kK8M-b-z-BoMC2WJzSDfAH5L1cN7HCngf88sBXt6MjYZstDSo7KVjBtyGm_rAQvnf4y2ux_qUiOG38S_6wbRr0G0hinYfSnEbuv28/s1600/jackfrost12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJVNU4SsOafBPfiqX5jjtfa5ipOnO1cPyon9E28kK8M-b-z-BoMC2WJzSDfAH5L1cN7HCngf88sBXt6MjYZstDSo7KVjBtyGm_rAQvnf4y2ux_qUiOG38S_6wbRr0G0hinYfSnEbuv28/s320/jackfrost12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714658642641179346" border="0" /></a><br />So now the off-season is over, hopefully along with my bloff-season.<br /><br />Now I'm in Merced getting ready for the Merco stage race. There's some <a href="https://www.bikereg.com/NET/Confirmed/14881">serious racers</a> here, but whenever I get scared, Joe Holmes placates me with one of his countless stock phrases. The one that comes to mind is the one I'll leave you with**: "Just remember, all those guys put their shorts on one leg at a time."<br /><br />*That's right, I expect my readers to refer to foot notes! The officials, some point after telling me that the times were final, moved them all 6 minutes earlier. For all you non-math majors and WWU students, that means my new start time was 12:36:30!!<br /><br />**Other gems from the trip have included, but have not been limited to:<br /><ul><li>"8:00 start on Sunday? Really? That is--and I mean this in every non-PC way--that is f-----g retarded."</li><li>"The thing you gotta know about me is, [insert whatever Joe feels like doing at that moment]."<br /></li><li>"I'm all about getting outside to ride if at all possible." (as he leaves to go ride)<br /></li><li>"I'm all about cutting your losses." (as he comes back 10 minutes later, drenched)</li><li>"Oh look, a Prius, ruining everything."</li></ul>gibsoncnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08107551728231389740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-58811884614908244162011-08-01T09:31:00.000-07:002011-08-01T11:30:36.284-07:00The FlatsIt's circuit race season! Every year, HB puts on 3 circuit races, one in Silvana up in the Skagit Flats, one in Gig Harbor near AJ's house, and one in Carnation. These races are always fun, because almost everyone volunteers at them, so we usually have upwards of a dozen guys racing, instead of our usual 10. The Skagit Flats race in 2009 was the first time I felt like I was <span style="font-style: italic;">racing</span> in the 1-2 field instead of just riding and being dumbfounded, so it holds a special place in my heart. That year, Lang even gave me a pair of elite team socks that he stole from Sam. It was a pretty touching moment.<br /><br />Anyway, now it's 2011, which means there are thousands of b&w and sepia-toned photos of mundane moments during the day circulating on the internet. Let's look at what happened while we volunteered during the early races!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3QDzoTISpImJcZTmlamdvJyohm_HQtu9UOUe7hyphenhyphenmp9x38xuCnZwlxDVRNFg68vFHrZKNsrq4O2j-pDGf8LxJkltCwURIiJsmiqyK2V-6V-KERJtcDKtsbCIouF6irCDE9p3e_5jQk-mK/s1600/sweeping.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3QDzoTISpImJcZTmlamdvJyohm_HQtu9UOUe7hyphenhyphenmp9x38xuCnZwlxDVRNFg68vFHrZKNsrq4O2j-pDGf8LxJkltCwURIiJsmiqyK2V-6V-KERJtcDKtsbCIouF6irCDE9p3e_5jQk-mK/s400/sweeping.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635930087597557442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Winger, sweeping the S out of a corner. Photo Ian Terry)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44r95XZfLRfFDY2woQyexSQl6mhBpxPnBQZRAIFheiUtgxie23Fc0mg8BiEg76hoqh9v9_ySx2nxd1z6bcMrYJQFKLbaVLNPf0Khf7EK7wzTgW_xaz0kzZqkLKi0mdj5cb62FljPo-Kp8/s1600/radio.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44r95XZfLRfFDY2woQyexSQl6mhBpxPnBQZRAIFheiUtgxie23Fc0mg8BiEg76hoqh9v9_ySx2nxd1z6bcMrYJQFKLbaVLNPf0Khf7EK7wzTgW_xaz0kzZqkLKi0mdj5cb62FljPo-Kp8/s400/radio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635929898026025618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Winger mit Radio. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo <a href="http://www.wingerstudios.com/">wingerstudios.com</a></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkx3EwCvbmC1QD3VG1Ua34s-Ta0U1s2WxY11c3ONhSfW-nAHvooiML58a2aJHdcfT-d6HQBFVO8zgqvEd0TBb32F497TER-uR6PM7KO5VQtePxcbBAo8Fcx5cQxyM-eD-8NiFiEL5bxz0/s1600/broomjousting.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkx3EwCvbmC1QD3VG1Ua34s-Ta0U1s2WxY11c3ONhSfW-nAHvooiML58a2aJHdcfT-d6HQBFVO8zgqvEd0TBb32F497TER-uR6PM7KO5VQtePxcbBAo8Fcx5cQxyM-eD-8NiFiEL5bxz0/s400/broomjousting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635929892091382130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">("Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby." "Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full." Photo IT)</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5f7v9c9yNDAab3sTvxxHyyrcLnxPzA_iutltIOn_Bducb7_AeWcZW4_WOea1qA2U3X8lsX8eC_yWdwMYjlwfxE_xqgM9hVFAanmQtc4ymvzVc0oggpmACuaVx8bo1t0C3BLaUaEViz33/s1600/ian2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5f7v9c9yNDAab3sTvxxHyyrcLnxPzA_iutltIOn_Bducb7_AeWcZW4_WOea1qA2U3X8lsX8eC_yWdwMYjlwfxE_xqgM9hVFAanmQtc4ymvzVc0oggpmACuaVx8bo1t0C3BLaUaEViz33/s400/ian2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635929886512874274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Ian about to hand me what I thought was a love note as I drove past Trestle 2. It turned out to be an ad from the back pages of The Stranger. Photo IT)</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoG2DdPiexr_FQoCNj8czF1el8acDZWf-fF5lzg7uqGMZ1EiIFqhd4oidIWBaTvecg3TtvZ8r4b5pfrnovuquA2blYAQMu0mfnSCN8L0-UAmXeneJqigV31F4iJOFHE9E8HNnaKbeJXrc/s1600/oldyeller.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoG2DdPiexr_FQoCNj8czF1el8acDZWf-fF5lzg7uqGMZ1EiIFqhd4oidIWBaTvecg3TtvZ8r4b5pfrnovuquA2blYAQMu0mfnSCN8L0-UAmXeneJqigV31F4iJOFHE9E8HNnaKbeJXrc/s400/oldyeller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635929899512065074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Winger's Mellow Yellow tire. "You can't beat free." Photo <a href="http://www.wingerstudios.com/">wingerstudios.com</a>)</span><br /></span></div><br />Thanks to Ian Terry and Langer for riding with me in the my support car Volvo (#swaggerwagon). In the afternoon, we got to shed our reflective vests and walkie-talkies and suit up for some h-core racing of our own. It was a weird one, with a 13-man group going on the 2nd of 8 laps containing me, Steve, Ian Terry and the newly upgraded Nick ZZZ. We all had heavy legs, but they came around in the end just in time for the last lap, when we took turns attacking, setting up the sprint perfectly for me and Steve to go 1-2. Steve pulled the ol' sit-up-when-he-was-sure-his-teammate-was-gonna-win routine, which was confusing, because he was sprinting a LOT faster than me until the last 20 meters.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxdI7WXWNhE9HaTakaeYFYJ9VHYccK6XAIE2FRgpvijJPWanXzVHb4xP7qWg2xalWGm9Zhq5cu7myBZODqFJ7bpJ5pqje1vPqk7sW7orQk3ZDfVUItPtTvIiSXMEI49YX11J4YKnFtp6a/s1600/sprint1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxdI7WXWNhE9HaTakaeYFYJ9VHYccK6XAIE2FRgpvijJPWanXzVHb4xP7qWg2xalWGm9Zhq5cu7myBZODqFJ7bpJ5pqje1vPqk7sW7orQk3ZDfVUItPtTvIiSXMEI49YX11J4YKnFtp6a/s400/sprint1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635948205926723538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(<span style="font-family:georgia;">Steve</span>, carefully dosing his effort. Photo <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.wheelsinfocus.com">Amara</a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.blogger.com/www.wheelsinfocus.com"> <span style="font-family:Georgia;"><s>Boursaw</s></span> Edwards</a></span><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Georgia"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; </style><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehes6tTMK3VL0FnYdno0BaxMXoeWS9nrimJGf_EueJ7McJlSLBaW2ekElqZb7pn9D0zDgTuqN9jQnfvM9B_iTB9RFUqtQjc0BNdArCtI84nJ_h7tM3GzAnwkPyTZ3VP-Uyx3cRI5INypS/s1600/sprint2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehes6tTMK3VL0FnYdno0BaxMXoeWS9nrimJGf_EueJ7McJlSLBaW2ekElqZb7pn9D0zDgTuqN9jQnfvM9B_iTB9RFUqtQjc0BNdArCtI84nJ_h7tM3GzAnwkPyTZ3VP-Uyx3cRI5INypS/s400/sprint2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635948206619759874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(aw shet bru! that was piiiiiiifect!)</span></span><br /></div><br />So major booyah on HB winning races. Also, as a result, I got a Cat 1 stamp on my license, so now I get to have my ass handed to me at bigger races, which should help with the issue of my rapidly-inflating ego.<br /><br />Also in the world of HB, two of our fallen riders, Chris Parrish and Dan Bechtold, are well on the road to recovery and should be racing soon! Get well boys!!!!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza2459x0v_IvBC_fzfQxDF3GuCgfrr6aIu4zXHpk1Pcr-uO30sfVfFHRLMzpSaOPyJKZELEpniOz6KVCDTBrTW9UuM4zdZmmBPDqV81HqussznzVVurwTIzF4xzTLlS05efH3W8V1eA_L/s1600/parrish.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza2459x0v_IvBC_fzfQxDF3GuCgfrr6aIu4zXHpk1Pcr-uO30sfVfFHRLMzpSaOPyJKZELEpniOz6KVCDTBrTW9UuM4zdZmmBPDqV81HqussznzVVurwTIzF4xzTLlS05efH3W8V1eA_L/s400/parrish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635929893916308594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Chris tucking into a recovery muffin. Muffins contain nutrients that promote the growth of new skull tissue.)</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNGxYFdnI1rWaCa4bn9IF64gFcWRlMUfdjpcfwNAM3wFCvMhI__jW00jaxW4dRysiYK83XMmgNXIGmVgInuOrQZc5CNnItmxpm7HRUdR8dwS3N3R0Laslv4cVRxJ22hO5EEosl13EPbdN/s1600/danland.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNGxYFdnI1rWaCa4bn9IF64gFcWRlMUfdjpcfwNAM3wFCvMhI__jW00jaxW4dRysiYK83XMmgNXIGmVgInuOrQZc5CNnItmxpm7HRUdR8dwS3N3R0Laslv4cVRxJ22hO5EEosl13EPbdN/s400/danland.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635950492989256146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Dan showing some hip in an obligatory collar-bone-trainer-riding photo.)<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>Get healthy, get fast!!!!!<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div></div>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-36587723612775262542011-07-30T21:42:00.000-07:002011-07-30T21:48:07.623-07:00Running Around Racing v.2Finally back in Seattle! I just got done traveling for a week and some to Cascade and the <a href="http://nwcyclingcamp.com/">Northwest Regional Youth Development Camp</a> in Forest Grove. It was a killer week with approx. infinity new experiences and friends made. First, a photo recap of Cascade. We'll start where we left off, after the first stage that I unwittingly won. Here's one from the TT where I lost my yellow shirt.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW0Tn94qbj7kUFUsTD-OW2j5WCnskPDrDRPZOIeTYzjFuTHxiukf2v69DXqhl8E8l87MbrFl3G4khhANUdd9WqiU_67UIBH5e37BX3ZnX4_QHpPgFmWFMVHFds15GUNPQAo4hMZwL0bf6/s1600/st02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW0Tn94qbj7kUFUsTD-OW2j5WCnskPDrDRPZOIeTYzjFuTHxiukf2v69DXqhl8E8l87MbrFl3G4khhANUdd9WqiU_67UIBH5e37BX3ZnX4_QHpPgFmWFMVHFds15GUNPQAo4hMZwL0bf6/s400/st02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635213967108048690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(explanation: my pre-tt food is a handful of Sourpatch Kids)<br /><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Per usual, I h</span>ave tons of excuses for not winning the TT. First of all, I had no Skrillex to listen to. Second of all, they didn't give me a yellow skinsuit to race in! Instead of riding with the strength of 10 men, I was riding with the strength of one Colin, which was not enough, and I dropped a bunch of places. Next!<br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIlu9ZbWVPbY2xNhUjrInLISBroEjUALvrXIPDqPpq5-3ULs2YpLM3zdhaXAwg7zO9os2GFWd7jCiYIoEN1bibhv5p-GrkayOl1UitQ750Hrj2ABeeD_h17V900HbM9CnFJBYpxznSwQA/s1600/ccc_crit1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIlu9ZbWVPbY2xNhUjrInLISBroEjUALvrXIPDqPpq5-3ULs2YpLM3zdhaXAwg7zO9os2GFWd7jCiYIoEN1bibhv5p-GrkayOl1UitQ750Hrj2ABeeD_h17V900HbM9CnFJBYpxznSwQA/s400/ccc_crit1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635212425109019522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(making a face at Davis Shepherd. what face exactly? see below.)</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLW2IlLyC4OkdT6HQpxh3wFNSPZbzRyYW-LqRgbCsiO3DB2TpYbIbgjF2rT0nMBnqXW9wRhL_aP1s0oI1E8yTMLAsxq1tJo9CBERq5_pJqAJcZ95_Cv_KWjbE2XuQ2N_Lyk1pVDvJMldg1/s1600/ccc_crit2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLW2IlLyC4OkdT6HQpxh3wFNSPZbzRyYW-LqRgbCsiO3DB2TpYbIbgjF2rT0nMBnqXW9wRhL_aP1s0oI1E8yTMLAsxq1tJo9CBERq5_pJqAJcZ95_Cv_KWjbE2XuQ2N_Lyk1pVDvJMldg1/s400/ccc_crit2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635212431201283906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(this face! explanation: pre-crit food is chewing tobacco.)</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl39DB7xnHCsUqQ3iW8fmVYytGpS3FY2yNcGG6jgZ5wLvHfAS3cnLPEdiAoRcNbdIA8_ZDbzWzrjCvemxOYJZRdzZp_8HMtvgVBGXsZDTPfFjQtFr_nA0urCZsbhyRUA8C6jb6naIVmpD2/s1600/ccc_st03.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl39DB7xnHCsUqQ3iW8fmVYytGpS3FY2yNcGG6jgZ5wLvHfAS3cnLPEdiAoRcNbdIA8_ZDbzWzrjCvemxOYJZRdzZp_8HMtvgVBGXsZDTPfFjQtFr_nA0urCZsbhyRUA8C6jb6naIVmpD2/s400/ccc_st03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635212438987293570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(3rd in the crit = more beer! plus, no castelli belly = PRO! photo <a href="http://www.wingerstudios.com/">wingerstudios.com</a>)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I was real pleased with the crit, partially for the special performance sprint I made in order to get close to the gold-sequined dress-wearing podium girls, and partially for the four bonus seconds I netted in the process. I also got a peanut butter prime!<br /><br />Sunday, I <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> listen to Skrillex before the race, and look what happened:<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhrLYtOJB2b1z_dzaoxiL2j2_FmnUNDhWqrgKY6y9A2GAKMdWhMS02bANtevTFfPN1C78_OznLY1UR9kTMGG4LD1uwWf4CuD8oIcgCn8XKP1Wy8URlsUWIpTQh-nplr2A1XHZZdQqXgDZ/s1600/Picture+1.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhrLYtOJB2b1z_dzaoxiL2j2_FmnUNDhWqrgKY6y9A2GAKMdWhMS02bANtevTFfPN1C78_OznLY1UR9kTMGG4LD1uwWf4CuD8oIcgCn8XKP1Wy8URlsUWIpTQh-nplr2A1XHZZdQqXgDZ/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635212419162099682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(I think I'm at the "k" in "Fuck yah!")</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Definitely the best weekend I've had on a bike in a long time, especially in terms of luck. Some of my teammates have had it real bad this year, breaking collar bones and fracturing skulls, so I'm quick to count my blessings, but this weekend, everything really came into place in a way that it didn't at several other potentially good races this year. After the last stage, I also moved up to 2nd GC. 24 bonus seconds over the course of the weekend. Pro!<br /><br />Before heading out of town, I made sure to hit up Thump Coffee:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwVks-Dq-C-z4GgmQTjhcUIIfRux39Qe39qJHGI5q-mcsZme4pGfUC-iGuDNQIdrc1zTUxYiaNiFPp9MCqkE9zZImNSxnDKyCxvK-_GJRPUZWBXZVsBcMNf17kCy8gEHMn1_nltPxZuKT/s1600/thump.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwVks-Dq-C-z4GgmQTjhcUIIfRux39Qe39qJHGI5q-mcsZme4pGfUC-iGuDNQIdrc1zTUxYiaNiFPp9MCqkE9zZImNSxnDKyCxvK-_GJRPUZWBXZVsBcMNf17kCy8gEHMn1_nltPxZuKT/s400/thump.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635213975443455874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(sipping the 'spro at Thump, the very shop where my blog was born a year ago!!!)</span></span><br /></div><br />After the racing, I booked out of Bend to Forest Grove. I got the sweet opportunity to coach at one of USAC's regional youth development camps, this one in Forest Grove, Oregon. Jim Anderson runs this one, now in its third year with 36 riders. Jim has been involved with racing, race promotion, and rider development for a long time, and he's also a real nice guy and super easy to work with. The camp was Sunday-Friday, with lots of riding, lecturing, eating, and track stands. The kids were great, the other coaches were great, and the dorms were especially great. I spotted this gem of a warning above the toilet in my bathroom:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnUr6J38rwoe85LfUhKCujixVQ42893C4kDUzlgI6JfyuLMQfA3CJGiyQ86otnG4-RYaGR82fBamYYjcSY7mE_ognlhVwSfBrUPC2mID5_xFbHWxw27JSCAQBdZs_34PwZXWKyrmQkqyh/s1600/rainwater.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnUr6J38rwoe85LfUhKCujixVQ42893C4kDUzlgI6JfyuLMQfA3CJGiyQ86otnG4-RYaGR82fBamYYjcSY7mE_ognlhVwSfBrUPC2mID5_xFbHWxw27JSCAQBdZs_34PwZXWKyrmQkqyh/s400/rainwater.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635368131371424114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(what the hell am I supposed to brush my teeth with now?)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtx7qdigx-MrC9lNApM0wO1di2NogUe0eTTUxBdxS5zf86cSBdeTPDX45DE29aANl5mFnNsCQrYX9tUX3FGOuxeOw1Imt4CQXzVeoRvHC_Hk4AgxqWtZD0ft4ZLNwB_Hhw9ylKARPPgBW/s1600/valley.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtx7qdigx-MrC9lNApM0wO1di2NogUe0eTTUxBdxS5zf86cSBdeTPDX45DE29aANl5mFnNsCQrYX9tUX3FGOuxeOw1Imt4CQXzVeoRvHC_Hk4AgxqWtZD0ft4ZLNwB_Hhw9ylKARPPgBW/s400/valley.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635368127273632354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(turns out I <3 Willamette Valley)</span></span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-xl33BD4lm_el7_GiH8FY95ifNISGgSGSyW1xOl7zNjfW0wgtsB6X8VTJP8ZPf89pueI3RjJnKyDWyiaYHLRut5xbn18kMynakThsNR8yLhBkYxbjhaRI-dDnXKGhiLlVfCCCeaJ608V/s1600/usac1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-xl33BD4lm_el7_GiH8FY95ifNISGgSGSyW1xOl7zNjfW0wgtsB6X8VTJP8ZPf89pueI3RjJnKyDWyiaYHLRut5xbn18kMynakThsNR8yLhBkYxbjhaRI-dDnXKGhiLlVfCCCeaJ608V/s400/usac1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635212414355669762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Jim talking to the group on day 1)<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8amR1gAArv2uINVCSdgKqIzAARM1sHH9NjRvcr6LfXNFvu3wRXySgE2plj_CpZ5GH7miPpn2VGzouwRJfMXlxh1mBzm4F6KfSAlJOHq5gbfGrAS9MQt2pqwAzRlohLhWjYPbJYQo8Aw28/s1600/usac_group1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8amR1gAArv2uINVCSdgKqIzAARM1sHH9NjRvcr6LfXNFvu3wRXySgE2plj_CpZ5GH7miPpn2VGzouwRJfMXlxh1mBzm4F6KfSAlJOHq5gbfGrAS9MQt2pqwAzRlohLhWjYPbJYQo8Aw28/s400/usac_group1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635368125742057906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(the riders on the last day in their new German National Team kits)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2bwZbWN7PRMQECflxiNi9vAUpY8aL7dOFv2I15t8MzNbviV1X09yjn4RWBL8tzq4sTrBJJcCjxo5dpPrVyAUYzcqk4vPjT3K1hSkMgapaNvZv72cBNWyvEdx-pQfWvrGiffYU6VIk1a-/s1600/usac_group2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2bwZbWN7PRMQECflxiNi9vAUpY8aL7dOFv2I15t8MzNbviV1X09yjn4RWBL8tzq4sTrBJJcCjxo5dpPrVyAUYzcqk4vPjT3K1hSkMgapaNvZv72cBNWyvEdx-pQfWvrGiffYU6VIk1a-/s400/usac_group2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635368123088441410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(sitting in, getting ready to attack the S out of these kids)<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sUOd6jlLMNQP0NqX4zbhrCcHt-ROwXmyT6B8uFv2396qEhQ89aMjqsF6aEv471AI-mc6GIg04LrEl253YUlO2Uaxm4154gJh6x_UUuBU0ysfdJ5DymOAktDnsXZYEgm0rvuPkJCMkFEL/s1600/phil+and+butch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sUOd6jlLMNQP0NqX4zbhrCcHt-ROwXmyT6B8uFv2396qEhQ89aMjqsF6aEv471AI-mc6GIg04LrEl253YUlO2Uaxm4154gJh6x_UUuBU0ysfdJ5DymOAktDnsXZYEgm0rvuPkJCMkFEL/s400/phil+and+butch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635368127163733074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(riding with Phil and Butch, about to motor-pace that guy)</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">That week was effing rad. Special thanks to this song:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Tnsfzlxs-KY" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br /></div><br /></div></div>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-35379172806501512011-07-23T07:29:00.000-07:002011-07-23T12:57:22.968-07:00Cascading!Lemme cut to the chase:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8JmyC-mh98FTfNAl0BTjfrGXjwVKhqHwB_P1UiDrs0lyENSoGexWS-rTv5qRdiiBlI5CR7_O1YX1NZoq6yW4wiVYiRCH2_8KsTEeWyeRF0hFPlAS7iPuP1wKmfAyda6CLuOE-XFxyy6-/s1600/cccpodium.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8JmyC-mh98FTfNAl0BTjfrGXjwVKhqHwB_P1UiDrs0lyENSoGexWS-rTv5qRdiiBlI5CR7_O1YX1NZoq6yW4wiVYiRCH2_8KsTEeWyeRF0hFPlAS7iPuP1wKmfAyda6CLuOE-XFxyy6-/s400/cccpodium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632555228029889890" border="0" /></a><br />I won the first stage of Cascade!!!! Booyah! I just got back from the TT, where I managed 9th place, :58 down on the winner. Now I'm 7th GC, which is okay, because I didn't really want to have to defend the jersey anyway. Womp Womp!Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-47015929197078971862011-07-16T18:42:00.000-07:002011-07-16T18:47:25.442-07:00I'm On the Map!Ok world, big news in the world of bubblewrap bartape. Recently, not only did three <span style="font-style: italic;">different</span> people tell me that they had read my blog, but one of them even critiqued it! I'll get to the critique in just a moment, but first let me say that I think the "traffic sources" function on blogs is pretty funny. Just look at my top-4 sources of Google traffic this month.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrEuRkIR_mgshu1uqb3EgyqAs47pWoGSQp2kgdVGJIZ8bR2q3W2LvYPh4cREqhWh_WOXan1PEo77n8mfM-6DDyuDcJMwZAC3sSfyGfYds7wtjr0Z0Yo0jCKygFYzVFwXXZdt9yWttpsdz/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 63px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrEuRkIR_mgshu1uqb3EgyqAs47pWoGSQp2kgdVGJIZ8bR2q3W2LvYPh4cREqhWh_WOXan1PEo77n8mfM-6DDyuDcJMwZAC3sSfyGfYds7wtjr0Z0Yo0jCKygFYzVFwXXZdt9yWttpsdz/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629437504854588850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Jamie, stop googling yourself and go take a nap.)</span><br /></span></div><br />I'm proud to say that people searching for my blog marginally outnumber people looking for actual bubble wrap.<br /><br />Okay, on to the critique. Avid readers may remember that back in February, I <a href="http://bubblewrapbartape.blogspot.com/2011/02/early-season-funtime-obra-land.html">posted a little post</a> about a TT I did down in Oregon. In it, I mentioned that Tom Broderick's tubular gluing advice gave me such confidence in my tires that I dove into a corner faster than I should have and ended up getting slapped with a 30-second penalty for crossing some cones set up by the officials. Well, when I was talking to Tom the other day, he called me out for giving him and his employer bad press! I had two reactions. 1) "Oh snap! The joke was that it wasn't his advice, but my illegal cornering tendencies, that were the problem," and 2) "Oh SNAPPZ!!!! Tom Broderick reads my blog and thinks that it could influence customers! YEEEAAAH!!!! I'VE HIT THE BIG TIME!!!"<br /><br />I tried to contain my bulging pride at the second realization, and promised a redaction if further review merited it. After all, I appreciate that Tom wants to maintain his reputation as a stone cold human-bicycle interface:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWMuxHWoxJaCoGYeCe-bjFe-nzTBrLnPp1evEiHrSpL3cd2P6a6wUYSj5yUZBgcYANrOYQyCg3UsoE-_e0tpkIZZkOLkiD6b_p7L5xlNye2E58u54VNyk5iGKH0CFTHb_NmD2BqC5Mr82/s1600/tom1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWMuxHWoxJaCoGYeCe-bjFe-nzTBrLnPp1evEiHrSpL3cd2P6a6wUYSj5yUZBgcYANrOYQyCg3UsoE-_e0tpkIZZkOLkiD6b_p7L5xlNye2E58u54VNyk5iGKH0CFTHb_NmD2BqC5Mr82/s400/tom1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630129501057329410" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And not something less confidence-inspiring:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu35eBE3Ve4DZxH2vO-gxLvxSkZMWKqKJIwqrZVJWMchlUdTRWgCHGrQChyphenhyphendmr_zGPO7yeYFeRPRMROghlAtUN6k-O2cGv19xnxMmX6oWpRpnZ57ndq-2rLClQy2bisc6e-Zn7VI0SRo7/s1600/tom2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu35eBE3Ve4DZxH2vO-gxLvxSkZMWKqKJIwqrZVJWMchlUdTRWgCHGrQChyphenhyphendmr_zGPO7yeYFeRPRMROghlAtUN6k-O2cGv19xnxMmX6oWpRpnZ57ndq-2rLClQy2bisc6e-Zn7VI0SRo7/s400/tom2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630129502429009746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(photos courtesy of facebook.com)</span></span><br /></div><br /></div>Well, even if it isn't really funny, I'm leaving the original post up, but here's a clarification: Tom Broderick isn't a bad mechanic. He isn't a mediocre mechanic. He's a pretty effing good mechanic.<br /><br />For instance, I once brought Tom my busted up Zipp Predator track disc wheel made in 1990, and he fixed the hub using strange, arcane techniques after he got an email from Zipp basically telling him to forget about it.<br /><br />Another example: did you know that he has a small metal plaque declaring that he is Shimano Di2 certified? It is proudly displayed under the glass next to some track hubs, so that when you ask if it's for sale, (I assume) he can kick back in an armchair, cross his hands behind his head, and say, "Son, that's not something you buy, it's something you earn," eliciting a sort of sudden awe and respect not unlike this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V0_WJDige0s" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(obviously, I'm Coop and Tom is Gene)</span></span><br /></div><br />As an oft-penniless racer, I'm always searching for clever ways of getting more out of my equipment to save money, and when I've got a puzzler, and I've exhausted <a href="http://www.sheldonbrown.com/">Sheldon Brown's website</a>, Tom is the first person I'll bother with my issues. So Tom, thank you.<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-91185386334204534162011-07-09T13:12:00.000-07:002011-07-09T13:12:59.242-07:00Circle Racing, Hand Holding, and the Limitations of my VolvoCircle racing! Two weeks ago, racing got rained out, turning what would have been a high octane, h-core night of 45-50mph racing into a guilt-ridden trip to the beer garden followed by a penitent Saturday A.M. coffee shop ride, captured for the first time by National Geographic photographers in my last blog post.<br /><br />Not this time! Cloudless skies the last two weeks meant I got to hit the BG trail on my track bike, getting my competitive juices flowing on the way to the track by racing anyone who so much as looked at me the wrong way. Last Friday, I learned that I was waaay behind in terms of my weekday Seattle racing from Joe Holmes. Joe had been competing against a pretty formidable field in the relatively unknown Seattle Stage Race. Here's a link to the <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/thejoeholmes/status/86914940908216320">race website</a>.<br /><br />That night, we got to do some scratch racing and some miss-n-out-ing, with me, Joe, Logan, and Waz ready to go. We set things up well: Joe lulled the field into a false sense of security before the race by talking about how bad his legs felt, and he also created a smart diversion on the 2nd lap by dropping his chain, allowing Logan to attack. I thought I had a good moment to jump up to Logan about halfway through the 15-lap scratch, but ended up just chasing Logan back because I didn't go fast enough. Oops!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTLCo7wlrYClSeLziQ9SdHfGapVW51675nwBngYmOEMA8rdRnZPnhRm-Nk6l-YTGZpGYtkp3L3rb5RwqAbOXOrtklLoBLkRh0LHWJgEVHjwTbfnGzjkWpcyCV0L8G35BBmfXY3HW0oBBl/s1600/7%253A1track.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTLCo7wlrYClSeLziQ9SdHfGapVW51675nwBngYmOEMA8rdRnZPnhRm-Nk6l-YTGZpGYtkp3L3rb5RwqAbOXOrtklLoBLkRh0LHWJgEVHjwTbfnGzjkWpcyCV0L8G35BBmfXY3HW0oBBl/s400/7%253A1track.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624813254893057938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(me, probably chasing Logan down in a jealous rage. <a href="http://www.dbcphoto.com/">Dennis Crane</a> is a badass photograhper!!)</span></span><br /></div><br />We collected our bearings after the race, and got ready for the miss-n-out, where I had a much more plush job. I led in the pole lane with Logan on my wheel for as long as I could, until I got le tired from riding 32-second laps and he was left to fend for himself. Quotes from miss-n-out:<br /><br />Logan, lap 2: "Go!"<br />Logan, lap 10: "Colin, GO!"<br />Jamie, lap 11: "Dance, monkey!"<br />Me, lap 12: "I'm Effed!"<br /><br />Then we waited for 2 hours until our last race, a 30-lap scratch with a few primes. This time, I waited until <span style="font-style: italic;">after</span> Logan came back to attack, jumping up to a group with Jamie, Matti Herz and Zach Jones about 10 laps in. We rolled it okay and kept a half-lap lead to the finish. I tried to stay relatively fresh, and unleashed a pretty underwhelming all-in attack with 2 to go. Despite having no gas, it was the only way I could see beating Jamie, who kicked his illness and is back looking strong. He took the sprint, and I edged Zach out for 2nd.<br /><br />That was fun, but yesterday was even better: hand holding night! I talked Grant Boursaw into being my partner on the basis that we're about the same size. Grant replied that I'm a little fatter, but he'd still be my partner.<br /><br />There was decent turnout, with 10 teams for the 5x8 points race. We figured if we were gonna win, it would be by staying with Jamie and Ian and beating them in the sprints. We did okay for the first half of the race, by which time we and KR had lapped most of the field, but shortly thereafter, we got caught up behind some traffic during an exchange and Jamie got a gap on us. Waah! It was pretty effing crucial to get back up to them, and I managed to close the gap to Ian's wheel at one point, but I got to him right as Jamie came in and attacked straight away. Their gap sat at around 50 meters for the rest of the race, so we wound up 2nd. But look how cute we looked doing it! Thanks to <a href="http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/">Amara Boursaw</a> for the airbrushing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEMEs6zlrWQBnJSsc9kysM1CTpoNnhSn_4CZamClSb4Kq0Koz4aWfGoxOqbjJ7FW1fJ2tiC-EklSyEXf2Wvgx1nGjkrvbiDf6UViaYzYhka0ORBfEhsYCTyE_RCDN2znmsthqdX6Bwass/s1600/madison1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEMEs6zlrWQBnJSsc9kysM1CTpoNnhSn_4CZamClSb4Kq0Koz4aWfGoxOqbjJ7FW1fJ2tiC-EklSyEXf2Wvgx1nGjkrvbiDf6UViaYzYhka0ORBfEhsYCTyE_RCDN2znmsthqdX6Bwass/s400/madison1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627433200066783090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(Grant: "I have no upper body, sooo.....")</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eixiuIUudhv-2Ufn-K7JUlulwFda7Z1IROlFJ6xF3FX0Tuzhh5sWWEymi8qIWkp-zt6p7Cwf8B6H9su33zjtrBcTW-ipmjgEgr_T1WjoOCrOQyOyfor2LNbk2aXpTDgaNZYuNE-c1OjR/s1600/madison3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eixiuIUudhv-2Ufn-K7JUlulwFda7Z1IROlFJ6xF3FX0Tuzhh5sWWEymi8qIWkp-zt6p7Cwf8B6H9su33zjtrBcTW-ipmjgEgr_T1WjoOCrOQyOyfor2LNbk2aXpTDgaNZYuNE-c1OjR/s400/madison3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627433206788614274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Shortly before the ruh-roh.)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTcIClRAv6nkAPqX4Wt1W6_1P26chQFBNtnZuC0X3tj9h-GZytZNCEDdC6KSePdqixhPOSzAMbYatIZVAxLOqGsyKkxnPxH8UGY9h5AcidDkYbfP5DF8kbPvGzF06nrdpmO3BkDKCdbbj/s1600/joemadison.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTcIClRAv6nkAPqX4Wt1W6_1P26chQFBNtnZuC0X3tj9h-GZytZNCEDdC6KSePdqixhPOSzAMbYatIZVAxLOqGsyKkxnPxH8UGY9h5AcidDkYbfP5DF8kbPvGzF06nrdpmO3BkDKCdbbj/s400/joemadison.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627433212891407954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Joe shouted "KatJAAAAA!!" with every exchange.)</span></span><br /></div><br />Okay on to my volvo.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9phEl40K9IPQew11Zo6oze2Fd_UVuv3iXQC5LI0KvZOUM6jxWm_2IBr-OzaDos7zE_YkKHvIRjdAaQ5zz6SnwWDhVYExa2Clx_GnojHXs2cVq-ttFeOLg6_AVRj00yqeLCP4zX5goIV_1/s1600/brownie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9phEl40K9IPQew11Zo6oze2Fd_UVuv3iXQC5LI0KvZOUM6jxWm_2IBr-OzaDos7zE_YkKHvIRjdAaQ5zz6SnwWDhVYExa2Clx_GnojHXs2cVq-ttFeOLg6_AVRj00yqeLCP4zX5goIV_1/s400/brownie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627436926011063842" border="0" /></a><br />I'll be clear: I really like this car. Without racks of any kind, this car has "successfully" carried two riders and all their gear to a stage race. One of them was Steve, which saved us 5-10 cubic feet of packing space over the average human*, but the Volvo was still impressive.<br /><br />That said, there are attributes of this car that force you to drive in a certain way. First, it doesn't like to go above 68mph for more than a minute at a time. 68mph is its jam, and it can hold that speed all day, but above that, it gets cranky. This means that long trips usually take a little longer in my car. My response is to mitigate the low maximum by driving 68mph at all times, rather than engaging in the reckless inefficiency of accelerating and decelerating depending on the speed limit, much like an Ironman triathlete who chooses to go slowly for 10-20 hours on account of a lack of ability to go fast for any shorter period of time.<br /><br />Second, my car's low top speed is accompanied by a lack of "spark" or "jump." Uphill on-ramps make me sweat. However, I see this as a blessing in disguise, as it forces me to hit on-ramps (and hills) with as much speed as I can safely carry through them. While other cars have the luxury of slowly navigating clover-leaves and then accelerating on the straight, I am forced to lean hard into turns while flooring it to avoid scrubbing any precious speed. Again, I'm proud of the efficiency, but it's not always so easy. Often, I'm railing my way through a turn because I know there's a 200m section at 1% coming up, and I come up on a car who's never even <span style="font-style: italic;">thought</span> about the dire consequences of me not carrying speed through the turn. Like seeing a 1984 Volvo DL in his rear-view mirror didn't even carry any <span style="font-style: italic;">significance</span>. Times like these, I either double down, merging early across the double-white, or I touch the brakes, which will take a few minutes to recover from.<br /><br />Sometimes, it's not other drivers that mess with my strategy, it's the roads themselves. When it comes to passing on two-lane roads, my advantage is on technical sections, not on straights or uphills. The problem is that you only get passing sections on straight roads with lots of visibility, which means that the cars you want to pass might actually be going only 1mph under the speed limit, instead of the 10 under that is common whenever there is a <a href="http://kennettron.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/new-swear-word/">45 degree bend in the road</a>. So most of the time, I ride behind a long line of drivers unable to navigate anything other than a straight line, then when the solid yellow goes to ticked, everyone accelerates to the point that I can't pass. Catch-22 kind of situation.<br /><br />*Steve is little.Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-46737886938948762322011-06-27T11:01:00.000-07:002011-06-27T13:20:33.675-07:00Colin and Jake's Great AdventureOkay, here's a little prelude for you: Jaker and I simul-tweeting in Wenatchee.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl0J-ThMVy1VIR2qKXqOzeIqkZr4sNKdo2ZGpJDIcvv73OXvPhvtUw99EsWfiFcQM3MR6pJ1-9zurj6K1cSKhGsNdiHPl_225nDDSmeJPwZ15cDohwG6YXvCZwJxm1z6LpvOqBmQZ20sB/s1600/tweet.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl0J-ThMVy1VIR2qKXqOzeIqkZr4sNKdo2ZGpJDIcvv73OXvPhvtUw99EsWfiFcQM3MR6pJ1-9zurj6K1cSKhGsNdiHPl_225nDDSmeJPwZ15cDohwG6YXvCZwJxm1z6LpvOqBmQZ20sB/s400/tweet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622964613127406850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(The tweet heard round the world / house!!)</span><br /></span></div><br /><br />So while my <a href="http://craneimal.blogspot.com/">super</a> <a href="http://fishersteve.blogspot.com/">baller</a> <a href="http://pugetpower.blogspot.com/">teammates</a> were busy curbstomping bike races in the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVDN8yR3ig0&feature=related">deep south</a>, I was left to my own devices in Seattle, where there was a huge amount of racing on the calendar...NOT!! I tried to go circle racing at the track on Friday, but it got rained out like a little league baseball game and I was forced to ride my track bike, brakeless, back home, past confused fixee riders who didn't know what to make of my fixeeee+lycra getup. Most of them settled on a facial expression that conveyed a sort of blasé potential respect, though that seems to be a sort of catchall for fixee riderz.<br /><br />The circle racing rain-out is a funny sight. One moment, Evan Schmitt is up in the announcer's booth, playing something like the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekzslGuSQC8">Star Wars Imperial March</a> and describing the impending races in a grandiose voice; everyone is silently willing the sky not to open up; and pacelines and accelerations trace their way around the track. Then, an official blows a whistle, the music cuts off with a record-scratching sound, and everyone trudges across the moistening infield grass back to their cars, detouring when they are beckoned to the beer garden for a free drink. Like I said, I got my riding in to and from the track, but look what I saw the next morning!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4yhHA9uKtnh9GB1Y9daHu4f3JGcBcjbnNaid7Nfu6yFTLF45Kj3EbC4xlRHiBLUqeoar_RzPhOo0__Y1cluwi1EK080tZcg8NOl9PPnY0Nn1sTCWL1cEm0EIyyo40eHsUk5bD_Sit4qh/s1600/SSPX0147.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4yhHA9uKtnh9GB1Y9daHu4f3JGcBcjbnNaid7Nfu6yFTLF45Kj3EbC4xlRHiBLUqeoar_RzPhOo0__Y1cluwi1EK080tZcg8NOl9PPnY0Nn1sTCWL1cEm0EIyyo40eHsUk5bD_Sit4qh/s400/SSPX0147.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622966086577264578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Track racers making up for last night!)</span></span><br /></div><br />As you can see, I was a total creeper while taking this picture, but that's just because I wanted to preserve the natural habitat of these riders. I assume that the riders are drinking 16oz cups of espresso, but one can't be sure that their opaque cups instead contain something less reputable--like a big mocha, or worse, a breve--that would require several hours of riding just to avoid calorie surplus. I'm hopeful though, because the only solid food in sight is a banana.<br /><br />Anyhow, with the only other race this weekend being the Frostbite TT, I decided to drive over to Wenatchee to visit ex-teammate and possible bff Jake MacArthur.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uqcD7LI1nNvjAnkJAwLDD2VmFJ6dsgVf5tdF9s_1ZqeFERgNHvBe8iu0AWBrT7MlpZy84JeJGUACo_Ns4h2ta5INj_loTIXSSVGc2yYIlQyVG77-xOQLs4VOkpTqnilg9-c26Rexi88j/s1600/SSPX0023.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uqcD7LI1nNvjAnkJAwLDD2VmFJ6dsgVf5tdF9s_1ZqeFERgNHvBe8iu0AWBrT7MlpZy84JeJGUACo_Ns4h2ta5INj_loTIXSSVGc2yYIlQyVG77-xOQLs4VOkpTqnilg9-c26Rexi88j/s400/SSPX0023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965807852102962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(I couldn't quite capture Jake's HB t-shirt and cap in this pic. Does he want to be my teammate???)<br /></span></span></div><br />Jake was house-sitting for at least three animals. Let me introduce you to Kaiser (r) and Obi (l):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajbUb-nGo4VeHwUNufF2ALqwDtPd3CB0IYQMRUIMo1UBj2v6dNmL44vCQdO6Nv9CeZOawAjW6kcAD-RmBjo9Xo9GS8V8gbdfknxQwnVI0JLN0Sh-vXHESZp0vj1mNZALGusq4Ctj0SQQr/s1600/SSPX0022.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajbUb-nGo4VeHwUNufF2ALqwDtPd3CB0IYQMRUIMo1UBj2v6dNmL44vCQdO6Nv9CeZOawAjW6kcAD-RmBjo9Xo9GS8V8gbdfknxQwnVI0JLN0Sh-vXHESZp0vj1mNZALGusq4Ctj0SQQr/s400/SSPX0022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965810561785426" border="0" /></a><br /></div>And to Annabelle:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mBR8uADtX9Z8jYSqss2TwKiYwKwF0Nw42r3Ctjnz9yu6SU-JiT2MS1y8y-OVR7dB8UDpnXTbAb0NCCLysvJRnwEbmLs8wndHyuM6viQnt4eqb4tVdYCPF5BQ2WuhRTn0XCkaV1o0zjUm/s1600/SSPX0024.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mBR8uADtX9Z8jYSqss2TwKiYwKwF0Nw42r3Ctjnz9yu6SU-JiT2MS1y8y-OVR7dB8UDpnXTbAb0NCCLysvJRnwEbmLs8wndHyuM6viQnt4eqb4tVdYCPF5BQ2WuhRTn0XCkaV1o0zjUm/s400/SSPX0024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965820364229826" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Kaiser was full of nervous energy, and after he expressed himself by jumping up and scratching me, I asked whether he had some kind of anxiety disorder. Jake said "I think he's just a dog." So wise! Annabelle, by contrast, was relaxed, and was an expert conversational purr-er, growing louder and louder if you purred at her.<br /><br />Jake and I rode to Leavenworth on Saturday! He was loading his bottles up with a mystery substance that I asked about. Jake responded with the 2nd funniest quote of the weekend.<br /><br />"Haven't you ever heard of Lance Armstrong powder?"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy70pDO6pzvIwxaV-7OawmKyIMRxLCbDGVaLQhx7cGBAJf5-JZ4b9tLKcNnBDsedRAVSnUt4LQVOAfB4nYiCIdhpFFnc2DEjGkczlrZEUWy16Ibil1B21gbmpBkUJ-YJNXnGR3Y_rDmF5A/s1600/SSPX0026.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy70pDO6pzvIwxaV-7OawmKyIMRxLCbDGVaLQhx7cGBAJf5-JZ4b9tLKcNnBDsedRAVSnUt4LQVOAfB4nYiCIdhpFFnc2DEjGkczlrZEUWy16Ibil1B21gbmpBkUJ-YJNXnGR3Y_rDmF5A/s400/SSPX0026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622966088226486914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">("Okay enough pictures Colin, let's rally.")</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjecgycNlquWoEvJsBxw-uQqVry-dUc6hvGkwWxsrfdIkSvJZbHW53GSCuhAbnCiFlvHZQmV0jf8ug-JC-La9BZUD6mwfkZpdjN4V9_tEqGhJ1P2pmadr3QrAv_rVVXArtXmIOXdHxuCEq/s1600/SSPX0025.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjecgycNlquWoEvJsBxw-uQqVry-dUc6hvGkwWxsrfdIkSvJZbHW53GSCuhAbnCiFlvHZQmV0jf8ug-JC-La9BZUD6mwfkZpdjN4V9_tEqGhJ1P2pmadr3QrAv_rVVXArtXmIOXdHxuCEq/s400/SSPX0025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965825064099826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Samesies! Kawaiiiiiii.)<br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mBR8uADtX9Z8jYSqss2TwKiYwKwF0Nw42r3Ctjnz9yu6SU-JiT2MS1y8y-OVR7dB8UDpnXTbAb0NCCLysvJRnwEbmLs8wndHyuM6viQnt4eqb4tVdYCPF5BQ2WuhRTn0XCkaV1o0zjUm/s1600/SSPX0024.jpg"><br /></a>Leavenworth is a Bavarian-themed tourist town 20 miles from Wenatchee. It isn't really Bavarian, but that didn't bother the swaths of aimless tourists that occupied the town when we made a coffee stop there.<br /><br />On Sunday, we got up early and went for a long one. Stemitt Creek, Mission Ridge, and Badger Mountain. Booyah!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><!-- Start MMF Embed Tool --><br /><iframe id="mmf_blog_map" src="http://js.mapmyfitness.com/embed/blogview.html?r=593130920228791103&u=e&t=ride" frameborder="0" height="500px" width="400px">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/39048286"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A ride mapped on 06/27/2011&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Wenatchee, WA"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Wenatchee, WA&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe><br /><!-- End MMF Embed Tool --><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This was, of course, after some coffee at the bux.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD7jqFrLFbRxUWrnRNUBTJwa28o_xUjhhWu3-QgESIgLSI_3Hdt3KvcwRByoQ-RREcXrSzKxs0zdl7MfWnhsM6s7GMhe6YNENDZ6mBWQ_ZnHHzVwoXSpf1-_rd1qf73NXcn-rd_1KWLb8/s1600/SSPX0021.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD7jqFrLFbRxUWrnRNUBTJwa28o_xUjhhWu3-QgESIgLSI_3Hdt3KvcwRByoQ-RREcXrSzKxs0zdl7MfWnhsM6s7GMhe6YNENDZ6mBWQ_ZnHHzVwoXSpf1-_rd1qf73NXcn-rd_1KWLb8/s400/SSPX0021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965805306793442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Praise? Oh, puh-leeease. Don't flatter yourself.)</span></span><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also managed to coax my friend Lauren out of her Forest Service responsibilities to come work on her tanlines with us, although she had a different idea of what that means.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4bD3m9MzbwGthNYuP4Yxhu96KJvKfzClTExOUV9uHl0nglB8u-xJxa45BcaJOw2kws0Sf-7JS_JKOEiFOtQTFrbXj9eBDpnzJwvzlmg8nwGrgsfbHprfHEb7Rj94fyiJ-0bzgrB_DTkE/s1600/SSPX0019.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4bD3m9MzbwGthNYuP4Yxhu96KJvKfzClTExOUV9uHl0nglB8u-xJxa45BcaJOw2kws0Sf-7JS_JKOEiFOtQTFrbXj9eBDpnzJwvzlmg8nwGrgsfbHprfHEb7Rj94fyiJ-0bzgrB_DTkE/s400/SSPX0019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965107873716002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Jake in his ugly ass kit, Lauren with her 'geometrically unique' tanlines.)<br /></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiXu0VuAdYcMHS7Ry-tikPiIffSEqTGWjwDfBdXBGrbQ3sLGGogfLqcA1S2DAvq0t9IRl_6l1JzHTJnkFQExOut7Dx09FR-_nxd8E0id11Oj3usD6nUqpnRUNEUnvRcnFQGRZIO_02ql_/s1600/SSPX0020.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiXu0VuAdYcMHS7Ry-tikPiIffSEqTGWjwDfBdXBGrbQ3sLGGogfLqcA1S2DAvq0t9IRl_6l1JzHTJnkFQExOut7Dx09FR-_nxd8E0id11Oj3usD6nUqpnRUNEUnvRcnFQGRZIO_02ql_/s400/SSPX0020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965116472397298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">("I have a seven year plan to complete an Ironman." "Uh, I'm pretty sure they only take like 10 hours.")<br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4bD3m9MzbwGthNYuP4Yxhu96KJvKfzClTExOUV9uHl0nglB8u-xJxa45BcaJOw2kws0Sf-7JS_JKOEiFOtQTFrbXj9eBDpnzJwvzlmg8nwGrgsfbHprfHEb7Rj94fyiJ-0bzgrB_DTkE/s1600/SSPX0019.jpg"><br /></a>When I saw her get-up from afar, I was afraid that she had tracked down a onesie similar to the one I proudly wore when I competed in my only foray into multisport.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIpQPoh9ZfKZfCxfenxQIwNgr979t7ilZFB-MZWqH96BwS8zgt4yHLrGHDEO8Sl2frjUO1NlhHnd3QaLB3NXwLkgDVuGl6D69iLFHceBY6jITASz0NSM08xN2M_83VyVwGaQn6zOaQjFm/s1600/tri.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIpQPoh9ZfKZfCxfenxQIwNgr979t7ilZFB-MZWqH96BwS8zgt4yHLrGHDEO8Sl2frjUO1NlhHnd3QaLB3NXwLkgDVuGl6D69iLFHceBY6jITASz0NSM08xN2M_83VyVwGaQn6zOaQjFm/s400/tri.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622984947118879874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Not pictured: gold pumas, dignity.)<br /><br /></span></span></div>But her's was not nearly as absurd. Jaker even found us some gravel to ride/pee on!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtIYHGCpFi8TWCWSfzUoWwDXiREKcz03u9s0jLdY4aI3aEHTdv0LWV2c3tLRgxyF8mNjTTGjFqN2euMHsXZJZxI6RItWvGoFMolDUqSgjdfvEybb4Sziq_qnVVedIA2EIlQw7w-98RYQz/s1600/SSPX0016.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtIYHGCpFi8TWCWSfzUoWwDXiREKcz03u9s0jLdY4aI3aEHTdv0LWV2c3tLRgxyF8mNjTTGjFqN2euMHsXZJZxI6RItWvGoFMolDUqSgjdfvEybb4Sziq_qnVVedIA2EIlQw7w-98RYQz/s400/SSPX0016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965098013609186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(2nd pee of the day. Way to hydrate, Jaker!!)<br /></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14S8JJWnH3G1GgLLUJJYfX6hMevO6i0uPXt56AiPH3E3C8Nuoru9NjNChDYz2gKF0YZDcsQ1_KNmy-wttwNddorbEYbzkfY7nYqUPnOXZ1xV673zYfJY93QQ9HrTm1Py7nai3Xi4syN0Y/s1600/SSPX0015.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14S8JJWnH3G1GgLLUJJYfX6hMevO6i0uPXt56AiPH3E3C8Nuoru9NjNChDYz2gKF0YZDcsQ1_KNmy-wttwNddorbEYbzkfY7nYqUPnOXZ1xV673zYfJY93QQ9HrTm1Py7nai3Xi4syN0Y/s400/SSPX0015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965091649982962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Wenatchee Heights. Is Jake trying for 3rd pee of the day?)<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6aaj3NVfg7hmIdm2tvbeuLbE7qv-nmMoYhpiKK9E05Lt8xVvb6Ecp68iMz7zGpQVpRln7zXoB6SRJQ2fzaTMnqf7hWOG-VvuCqlpaNPNUwoA_ubjJBHH8ZZxyuCrCpylVLmXY2Ydo0Ad/s1600/SSPX0009.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6aaj3NVfg7hmIdm2tvbeuLbE7qv-nmMoYhpiKK9E05Lt8xVvb6Ecp68iMz7zGpQVpRln7zXoB6SRJQ2fzaTMnqf7hWOG-VvuCqlpaNPNUwoA_ubjJBHH8ZZxyuCrCpylVLmXY2Ydo0Ad/s400/SSPX0009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622965086461805730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Pedestrian bridge to E. Wenatchee)</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV_9qZbeX94bP4upsuyJ23LuiRZ5hKDH0cMhivZg4Pp7IkOT50JM-Ly3amB4iEnIuA6Osb5-jnc5-oih_Sf0E4neAWpDw-StH9ug7aEVPEokWzBb51LdKrP6bqKVP7ayD_HdnzDxWbuYV/s1600/SSPX0008.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV_9qZbeX94bP4upsuyJ23LuiRZ5hKDH0cMhivZg4Pp7IkOT50JM-Ly3amB4iEnIuA6Osb5-jnc5-oih_Sf0E4neAWpDw-StH9ug7aEVPEokWzBb51LdKrP6bqKVP7ayD_HdnzDxWbuYV/s400/SSPX0008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622964643444135890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(descending Badger Mountain)<br /></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAM-N-FolSYpPv3xaX_vz1Xuwym4Z0z1DgE5k3w32nPA_r0UoZGvt5O7Bwr2d90h_-KxNYRqFR-Q26LBqsFzf8HI9qr7pbbjQvJQmWUwPALE-G609df0RmEkmRaY418EKy2OAVAwiN-Be/s1600/SSPX0006.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAM-N-FolSYpPv3xaX_vz1Xuwym4Z0z1DgE5k3w32nPA_r0UoZGvt5O7Bwr2d90h_-KxNYRqFR-Q26LBqsFzf8HI9qr7pbbjQvJQmWUwPALE-G609df0RmEkmRaY418EKy2OAVAwiN-Be/s400/SSPX0006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622964635038335874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Pepsi. This upped my QOL by about 5x at the end of the ride.)<br /></span></span></div><br />After a little nap time, me and Jaker had some more espresso and some pie, then some tacos and coconut drank, then I crashed some kind of Lewis and Clark festival at Confluence Park where Lauren had procured a golden ticket to the coveted BBQ pork tent. I offered up an apple to her and I carried her foldable chairs in hopes of getting some baked potato and pork and 'slaw. It worked, and we ate it while observing the silent gliding of the canoes amidst the floating park benches.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCK8bfhETyBrPYonSyobYxScsvJ2h8TXQf5kTH1U3jMHyxPOWZP6upFDPODum1Ze3yi40-D1tY110lqMb2xdGJT_lM1_bFxbsTBUJfcoP0FG6DgWXgP3ZshsAhethkWCuZ8LeofKLXYsmr/s1600/benches.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCK8bfhETyBrPYonSyobYxScsvJ2h8TXQf5kTH1U3jMHyxPOWZP6upFDPODum1Ze3yi40-D1tY110lqMb2xdGJT_lM1_bFxbsTBUJfcoP0FG6DgWXgP3ZshsAhethkWCuZ8LeofKLXYsmr/s400/benches.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622964604799475426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Horrible planning.)<br /></span></span></div><br />Reminded me of this.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKH77pElBi-WpZea7HyeMbw2yR2N-YuzQ49JJ74xHIsJLeyWZEF_yte9ySlcMmca8Yvf77bK_892P1d8pu_XkTj2ErtfhmnyAk8GtmoyG_BMX9gKfIHZPevNl9o8ku2UuQnvDJXbTbA-Tv/s1600/hydrant.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKH77pElBi-WpZea7HyeMbw2yR2N-YuzQ49JJ74xHIsJLeyWZEF_yte9ySlcMmca8Yvf77bK_892P1d8pu_XkTj2ErtfhmnyAk8GtmoyG_BMX9gKfIHZPevNl9o8ku2UuQnvDJXbTbA-Tv/s400/hydrant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622989238689845970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Near Bellingham, Dec 2006)</span></span><br /></div><br />While I like the park benches, I think the hydrant has funnier connotations. Another thing I saw that was like something else I had seen was this.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gV0u0a0IF2kScVyV5ZK7syrQVPoI_GwJu53k8VVcPHkyxxCtft7ESRTZKy98sVyapPz3hcC5BnuzkAv0NHB3aHTu-zbbZw0BARigtkOKZXkt4ZuTNIZRCR-suypRn_C5MK1e3XFWMMyL/s1600/SSPX0003.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gV0u0a0IF2kScVyV5ZK7syrQVPoI_GwJu53k8VVcPHkyxxCtft7ESRTZKy98sVyapPz3hcC5BnuzkAv0NHB3aHTu-zbbZw0BARigtkOKZXkt4ZuTNIZRCR-suypRn_C5MK1e3XFWMMyL/s400/SSPX0003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622964626195287170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Spiral staircase en route to Goldbar, WA)</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Compare to this, seen in the central valley in CA:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZc2jaBQtix2Rc6z0fGc9POjnQXzWG5PoG9duwAJIJL_WZ2lYIlJHriKAiKe4E7E09cb8oHX0y3_cJFl4O_YMBj0WZQADuH880qudQHRXDRq8r98ZO9UtN2YIkiCG5fy9a4TPAbLTAK4Pw/s1600/snail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZc2jaBQtix2Rc6z0fGc9POjnQXzWG5PoG9duwAJIJL_WZ2lYIlJHriKAiKe4E7E09cb8oHX0y3_cJFl4O_YMBj0WZQADuH880qudQHRXDRq8r98ZO9UtN2YIkiCG5fy9a4TPAbLTAK4Pw/s400/snail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622991037218322930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Me: "WTF is that?" Phil: "Oh, that's a snail car." Me: "Oh.")</span></span><br /></div><br />Now all my teammates are coming back and we're gonna race crits super hard this weekend! Who could ask for more?<br /></div></div>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-58286963145149847832011-06-22T11:18:00.001-07:002011-06-22T12:37:31.399-07:00Coffee-related interactions in Baker City, OregonFirst off, we won Elkhorn!!!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0miBbWZ24_YaieyZeS4bH-5qhOLgiNG9B77zJQq_VoOJ6IzpzUWaK2byFPsKrmB5xXelJmsIp25t6JyrE__T-alOMTB7_kbzWG4FVHQBjqkObFlPAHZznRi6GBYq3ldWukJ87o-YTOog/s1600/lang.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0miBbWZ24_YaieyZeS4bH-5qhOLgiNG9B77zJQq_VoOJ6IzpzUWaK2byFPsKrmB5xXelJmsIp25t6JyrE__T-alOMTB7_kbzWG4FVHQBjqkObFlPAHZznRi6GBYq3ldWukJ87o-YTOog/s400/lang.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621113345372557698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(is that Castelli? it looks a little baggy in the gut region.)</span></span><br /></div><br />Lang rode ultra strong all weekend, taking second on stages 1, 2, and 4, and defended the eff out of his lead on the last day. He also knew that "races are won in the hotel," so he made sure to nap a lot and visualize success.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbC-xKOHEyoabXpGITxYICW23OACAKVnM1GYsZWZn1UbuB7WoT19K-x1pjnfp8b1Zwdk5VLW9VBRnn9sRb5s3aSf-WlY-gDMqriwJiRJAAbwKPaburIWha2Vyfijsyt6FTW2eIAaOTM-U1/s1600/SSPX0138.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbC-xKOHEyoabXpGITxYICW23OACAKVnM1GYsZWZn1UbuB7WoT19K-x1pjnfp8b1Zwdk5VLW9VBRnn9sRb5s3aSf-WlY-gDMqriwJiRJAAbwKPaburIWha2Vyfijsyt6FTW2eIAaOTM-U1/s400/SSPX0138.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621113349795974242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Lang rivaled Jake MacArthur ['09] as a gracious and entertaining bedfellow)</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This is the second year I've gotten to ride for a teammate's successful defense of the coveted fuchsia jersey, and Lang's impressive work definitely earned him this award in my book:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmisSL2UPtkQZPVoTJhnt6LXNXyQtOv274KKNvz0wxv8oW-X3E8UL5dXno7KfnHzvjse_5cOdtuoXZTGCe-9-Nz7Wnt5-0bAJVzDAZ1sGlxII7A1oqZ-35yfERA8h4diQ0-ZCtNUSq5Ym/s1600/SSPX0131.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmisSL2UPtkQZPVoTJhnt6LXNXyQtOv274KKNvz0wxv8oW-X3E8UL5dXno7KfnHzvjse_5cOdtuoXZTGCe-9-Nz7Wnt5-0bAJVzDAZ1sGlxII7A1oqZ-35yfERA8h4diQ0-ZCtNUSq5Ym/s400/SSPX0131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621113367774924770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Winning this award makes one a total babe magnet. By 'babe' I mean 'guy in van.')</span></span><br /></div></div></div><br />The racing on Sunday was strange with such a small field, and the winner's time was 16 minutes slower than last year. HB was calm cool collect the whole time, and we all played a role, with Schmitz getting in the early move, Winger and Tyler spending 30 miles on the front to keep things in check leading to Dooley Mt, and me setting tempo and covering moves on the hill before Lang burst out of his HB vest to reveal a blinding pink display of attacking that left a proud tear in my eye as it dropped me. Winger knew it was going to be a hard day, so here's a pic of his breakfast at the previously mentioned Oregon Trail Restaurant.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjk9ceF_DERYKQDcTjMfdYrw3O8EByhLrVNJuIZUr_V39HgmMBJxy2lYfZeVtMtJ7qdNqwdsHpOA6OtGNJNQglupBCD3UM8Crj7gWNMHPWFJt-P9l2CgpEczRLRNTb_DOsa20uQ6h9kuY/s1600/SSPX0144.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjk9ceF_DERYKQDcTjMfdYrw3O8EByhLrVNJuIZUr_V39HgmMBJxy2lYfZeVtMtJ7qdNqwdsHpOA6OtGNJNQglupBCD3UM8Crj7gWNMHPWFJt-P9l2CgpEczRLRNTb_DOsa20uQ6h9kuY/s400/SSPX0144.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621117900245732498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(go on, Winger, I see you <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBRL7D0wcXM">breathing heavy as hell</a>.)</span></span><br /></div><br />After the race, we still had a 20 mile ride back to town, and me and Lang still wanted to <a href="http://www.velonews-digital.com/velonews/201105?pg=44#pg44">roll some more distance in the big ring</a>, so we did a little 2-man TT threshold work back to Baker City, where Wingfield (who had been sitting on) jumped us for the town line sprint. I'm pretty sure it's the longest I've ridden in a day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlot5w6mBFSfUps1_YWU1dyphNXQtE2Bw7GBwid86PkH079m8ja0mRUx10vcpwPUU6h01OMh31ZgOLnQ17ULf_XReWb0tik8S7D0Ah3-xLFxedRNGUJbRRkIcyfS2Hno5ZtwT7w56RTBx/s1600/SSPX0141.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlot5w6mBFSfUps1_YWU1dyphNXQtE2Bw7GBwid86PkH079m8ja0mRUx10vcpwPUU6h01OMh31ZgOLnQ17ULf_XReWb0tik8S7D0Ah3-xLFxedRNGUJbRRkIcyfS2Hno5ZtwT7w56RTBx/s400/SSPX0141.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621117889400689362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(a ride like that makes you want to unload your skeleton with vibration.)<br /></span></span></div><br />Okay, enough about the racing, on to coffee talk. Faithful readers will know that this year has seen me increase my coffee consumption by quite a bit. Last year, coffee was something reserved only for daytime races, but that's all changed for this year. I've gone from an espresso man to a litre-of-drip daily man. My reasoning is that as training volume increases, calorie consumption increases, vitamin consumption increases, and coffee should be no different. I'm training a few hours more per week on average this year than last, so I'm drinking a few more gallons of coffee per week in response.<br /><br />In Baker City, I experienced coffee from two locations. First was the Oregon Trail Restaurant. As I said before, the coffee was technically coffee: it came in a pot, was served in a mug, was brown, hot, and referred to as coffee. However, like a true addict, as I drank this coffee and realized it wasn't giving me my fix, I began to get angry at those around me, blaming them for my lack of buzz. Why didn't that waitress realize what she was serving? Why didn't my teammates suggest going to a different coffee shop <span style="font-style: italic;">before</span> coming to breakfast? Where the hell was Tiny Alan with his Whisperlite and MokaExpress?<br /><br />After breakfast each day, I would pace nervously around the hotel room, itching myself and giving terse responses to questions. Eventually, I set out in search of more caffeine and found this.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKYiJURb-7wG_8ebPnxkcqHt0o6vDJu7_RLdSj_bNYQKbqejGhSErw5be-AeVZ-vUWcFmxavQp-Os_HTayixI_zb_iPaAxI68DH9CLjZR3HKRdc7aD_iZrVFCqam1iM35U4uoeEx8h29w/s1600/SSPX0129.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKYiJURb-7wG_8ebPnxkcqHt0o6vDJu7_RLdSj_bNYQKbqejGhSErw5be-AeVZ-vUWcFmxavQp-Os_HTayixI_zb_iPaAxI68DH9CLjZR3HKRdc7aD_iZrVFCqam1iM35U4uoeEx8h29w/s400/SSPX0129.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621113359237282370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(yeah I need you to cater some espresso for a nearby venue: my mouf)</span></span><br /></div><br />Boom! The menu listed a single shot as $2, a double as $2.50. Since manipulative behavior is another hallmark of substance addiction, I decided I'd pull the old bait-and-switch on the barista, asking for a single shot then surprisedly noticing that the machine pulls two shots at once, and come on, you aren't really going to throw out that second shot are you? Give me it! But this lady was having none of it. She said I'd have to pony up the extra 50c if I wanted the second shot. Torn between getting a little extra jolt and maintaining some sense of control over the situation, I stuck with the single shot.<br /><br />The next day, I headed down to the same shop with Tyler before the TT with an even more nefarious plot in mind: try and get two single shots for the price of a double. Here's the transcript:<br /><br />Me: Hi again!<br />Barista: uh-huh.<br />Me: I'd like a double espresso, split in two cups.<br />Barista: You mean two single shots.<br />Me: No, it's a subtle difference--make a double shot, <span style="font-style: italic;">then</span> split it into two equally sized portions.<br />Barista: What are you saying?<br />Me: I'd like two singles, but I'd like to pay $2.50 for them like it's a double.<br />Barista: If you want two cups, you have to pay for them.<br />Me: Ok, I'll take a double in one cup.<br />Barista: <span style="font-style: italic;">*begrudgingly pours double shot<br /></span>Me: <span style="font-style: italic;">*snatches dixie cup from water carafe station and manually splits shots before her eyes.<br /><br /></span>Presto! I just produced two shots of espresso for the price of...two shots of espresso, and all I had to do was stunt the US economy by $1.50! See, these are the little tricks I'm reduced to as a coffee dependent racer living on a limited income. If you see me show up at a race without a rear brake caliper and I seem especially peppy, you know where it went.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXQKhezm0CgzzwWDZx0yhPE4YIj8vFS5zTRC0UsZ3sZnRYBetf3-wOCd8mvIauPNCMLvO3stPjOrSnAW1ci1si7pW1TiOl7boLJnvEbs4i9gBQ75Pd1z-zFoNGpBn-ZUYnEjsOAhcZ0ca/s1600/SSPX0130.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXQKhezm0CgzzwWDZx0yhPE4YIj8vFS5zTRC0UsZ3sZnRYBetf3-wOCd8mvIauPNCMLvO3stPjOrSnAW1ci1si7pW1TiOl7boLJnvEbs4i9gBQ75Pd1z-zFoNGpBn-ZUYnEjsOAhcZ0ca/s400/SSPX0130.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621130371577415906" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-79116671894901376472011-06-17T11:57:00.000-07:002011-06-18T16:49:34.126-07:00Elkhorn!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFoWgWUGLEKxkwqqd1Id0ajdjO2UVnNDQmcugcJzC2Rpq7XV4ytHgPKO6YLwFwJfUF3ccO11lMEvM-RoGC2-XGRTX_qPh-XlB-AaIJ1Kz-6W2PWTSmMWBblCdjJfI6hlAg0JGY6j2tAXj/s1600/SSPX0138.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nU186dVScWFFhrwj-UZJOfeNk6uKXoWYoggbVY9cjtTLPxH9qaQxhwl6fm_ZfiIV2evKCl2kr1uCw5l4siFGxMXYBcqSeaiQ2c43-D_9N5kw-6542dXmYRU-VB9xYLwzYUENfPWdt9rw/s1600/SSPX0133.jpg"><br /></a><br />Elkhorn! Somehow, the completely unpredictable weather and ambivalent locals of Baker City have charmed me back for this race for the third year running. Quick Elkhorn Redux.<br /><br />2009: My first 1-2 stage race! Piled into Daifuku's MLR (Mobile Living Room) with Adrian and Jake MacArthur, packed a 1-bedroom vacation rental with 8 racers, got made fun of for wearing <a href="http://store.americanapparel.net/4415.html?cid=176">these</a> to bed, got dropped on the first hill on stage 1, couldn't chase back on, started right after Steve Fisher in the TT, caught up to him and chatted about this and that, beat the eff out of Steve for the town line sprint during the TT, <a href="http://obra.org/events/13504/results#race_183236">got penalized 30 seconds</a> for drafting off Steve, survived the crit, and drilled it on the front of the final stage for Adrian, who both won the race and went faster through a corner in the aerobars than anyone I've ever seen:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPo8rzcbRjMal46xxaKMQOWnaKWHFiTQf_BKgsi75DvVSYF_a0nCb4BWfOGWP9RMArEW6PN123gat-bOaUONyuYfSkHRLMZHBOdglXgc7oRtqYr7V0dAgPG3osFdJmIePVizPLJXEg_Gu/s1600/adrian.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPo8rzcbRjMal46xxaKMQOWnaKWHFiTQf_BKgsi75DvVSYF_a0nCb4BWfOGWP9RMArEW6PN123gat-bOaUONyuYfSkHRLMZHBOdglXgc7oRtqYr7V0dAgPG3osFdJmIePVizPLJXEg_Gu/s400/adrian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619269725477994050" border="0" /></a>(me: "'ees fast as!")<br /></div><br />2010: Part of a motley crew of aimless racers, until Sam decided to ditch Nature Vally and flew out the morning of our departure! Decided on the Oregon Trail Motel option, begrudgingly at first, until we learned of the breakfast voucher offer (source of much confusion). Tiny Alan provoked the ire of our surly, 5'4", pigtailed waitress by conspicuously smuggling his flavorful, dark coffee into the diner* , the standard procedure of which was to serve only a thin, brown, transparent liquid (albeit in limitless quantities). I gave Sam a reverse leadout in the crit, helping him close gaps through each of the unbelievably slick corners while Steve Fisher went OTF, natch. Sam took runner up to his other half, Chris Hong**.<br /><br />*prepared with his Whisperlite and a Moka Express in the motel parking lot each morning<br />**I mean someone half his size.<br /><br />2011: So far, everything has gone smoothly, save for continued confusion about the meaning of the Motel's breakfast voucher. More on that when I can upload a pic of it. That's part of the problem. The voucher uses ambiguous language, but by the time we've bumbled our way through our order, they've taken our vouchers and we can't figure them out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nU186dVScWFFhrwj-UZJOfeNk6uKXoWYoggbVY9cjtTLPxH9qaQxhwl6fm_ZfiIV2evKCl2kr1uCw5l4siFGxMXYBcqSeaiQ2c43-D_9N5kw-6542dXmYRU-VB9xYLwzYUENfPWdt9rw/s1600/SSPX0133.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nU186dVScWFFhrwj-UZJOfeNk6uKXoWYoggbVY9cjtTLPxH9qaQxhwl6fm_ZfiIV2evKCl2kr1uCw5l4siFGxMXYBcqSeaiQ2c43-D_9N5kw-6542dXmYRU-VB9xYLwzYUENfPWdt9rw/s400/SSPX0133.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619709839712240514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Spinning on the TT course)</span></span><br /></div><br />Right now, we're sitting in the hotel before the crit. Lang rode his way into the leader's jersey in the TT this morning (wtf?), so we got some work to do. BOOYAH!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFoWgWUGLEKxkwqqd1Id0ajdjO2UVnNDQmcugcJzC2Rpq7XV4ytHgPKO6YLwFwJfUF3ccO11lMEvM-RoGC2-XGRTX_qPh-XlB-AaIJ1Kz-6W2PWTSmMWBblCdjJfI6hlAg0JGY6j2tAXj/s1600/SSPX0138.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFoWgWUGLEKxkwqqd1Id0ajdjO2UVnNDQmcugcJzC2Rpq7XV4ytHgPKO6YLwFwJfUF3ccO11lMEvM-RoGC2-XGRTX_qPh-XlB-AaIJ1Kz-6W2PWTSmMWBblCdjJfI6hlAg0JGY6j2tAXj/s400/SSPX0138.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619709841514349970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Today we are looking for the best possible result, which is to bed the leader's jersey.)</span></span><br /></div>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-43717232904623463122011-06-07T19:12:00.000-07:002011-06-15T14:47:25.399-07:00The Agony of defeat!Dear readers. Sorry about the delay. I've been busy living vicariously through Ian Crane's blog, and when it's come to thinking about my own exploits, I just wasn't to be flexed with.<br /><br />Recently, after my third bout of sickness in a month, I decided to hit the reset button. Wenatchee reassured me that racing can be fun even if you don't have good legs, but nevertheless, I was feeling very rundown, and riding didn't feel as exciting as it ought to for an optimistic bike rider like me. To give an idea of how I felt after the 'chee, take a look at this picture of our host's garage freezer, home to what was once a proud selection of carbonated beverages:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl5iYqrNSt1DghfJtO-Jx502aTzZO8XZfOslYundxmiqZVRjBUStN035KZx1AVLRAyI6mZ01cQgjSv6YenyJebNOmHnSNF1lDn07tKWG2h1jKC5bZvMWo2pWKiA0X_yIYJCLmmZU5JrCe/s1600/SSPX0101.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl5iYqrNSt1DghfJtO-Jx502aTzZO8XZfOslYundxmiqZVRjBUStN035KZx1AVLRAyI6mZ01cQgjSv6YenyJebNOmHnSNF1lDn07tKWG2h1jKC5bZvMWo2pWKiA0X_yIYJCLmmZU5JrCe/s400/SSPX0101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615666966465345378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(a'splosion!)</span></span></div><br />There's an obvi silver lining to this situation: coke ice cubes!!!!! Ian, don't even TRY to claim this as a new get-rich quick scheme. I'm on this one. Now ice doesn't water down your coke as it melts! Just shake up some coke, drop it in the freezer, wait a few weeks, then eagerly shove your sweaty phalanges into the frosty pile of cokecubes and aluminum shrapnel that now fills your freezer (patent pending).<br /><br />So anyhow, my legs were cracked like the thin walls of a coke can. I put my bikes aside and focused on other things, like visiting friends in Walla Walla, where I saw this sight at Whitman's commencement ceremony:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodXKgpkSP2SAOfbLhQArIMGxleYwX9ufIeEsU_LpAJWEsOUX-J4WNolKREktsy4Gkl17zFl4PwHnEDYu6irl76SvPhdEPEDoSE4CLW9i6Pv8IAjBnW4cc9WL1fja2Apfrxb7OdjYnSmf_/s1600/SSPX0110.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodXKgpkSP2SAOfbLhQArIMGxleYwX9ufIeEsU_LpAJWEsOUX-J4WNolKREktsy4Gkl17zFl4PwHnEDYu6irl76SvPhdEPEDoSE4CLW9i6Pv8IAjBnW4cc9WL1fja2Apfrxb7OdjYnSmf_/s400/SSPX0110.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615666972925941986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(a dog that is only comfortable when surrounded by people legs)</span></span><br /></div><br />Then I traveled to Hawai'i with my family!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevOj-EJu2uRad30Ke6uqEgJ9OqBSlwWZ7ountt5sdlPhRIkclc267WuMQ0EFGU2__Xi0XbPH3y4-xWIzNX0h3PraRwxZNT5EGRW-r9pz4ASEepMVk5mbCnAlbiLxN3Px1yoTbxAqmPQjm/s1600/maui.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevOj-EJu2uRad30Ke6uqEgJ9OqBSlwWZ7ountt5sdlPhRIkclc267WuMQ0EFGU2__Xi0XbPH3y4-xWIzNX0h3PraRwxZNT5EGRW-r9pz4ASEepMVk5mbCnAlbiLxN3Px1yoTbxAqmPQjm/s400/maui.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618536005917783778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Pretty much an average day)</span></span><br /></div><br />Craig Undem connected me with his bike shop owner friend Donnie in Pa'ia, who outfitted me with a Scott Speedster (vroom!) bike for a few days. I had taken some advice from the real Joe Holmes and stopped worrying about riding as training, so I just took the steed out and rode it how I felt. Well here's what I felt like doing:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyw1kOxUPYnsxBqvFBgUKLQEni4f_zFNeOcE_a0U2RGyomPa_iocbgBmZ3xMioCjRGC-mO8_Y_qIdHEGGY6K7hQUxoT2gx5Oyog1_clB4LIg5EfL4nbJvb1tyEmRicbBB_fOUscq8uk85/s1600/SSPX0113.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyw1kOxUPYnsxBqvFBgUKLQEni4f_zFNeOcE_a0U2RGyomPa_iocbgBmZ3xMioCjRGC-mO8_Y_qIdHEGGY6K7hQUxoT2gx5Oyog1_clB4LIg5EfL4nbJvb1tyEmRicbBB_fOUscq8uk85/s400/SSPX0113.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615666974493856114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Hwy 30 on the way to Wailuku)<br /><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcEHbpsqRnsOeNbuY1W8V4E0R2tLeT5cCtm5a03iLQvtJPwnTV3XaDkem0hfTwiBk_TJLmaCKF0NIMyuQYPhShBGwp7SBgzEJwYdXyRFwaBJozQ9AULJ9XX51kbk31Gj9vAVD1kTLZal5/s1600/SSPX0118.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcEHbpsqRnsOeNbuY1W8V4E0R2tLeT5cCtm5a03iLQvtJPwnTV3XaDkem0hfTwiBk_TJLmaCKF0NIMyuQYPhShBGwp7SBgzEJwYdXyRFwaBJozQ9AULJ9XX51kbk31Gj9vAVD1kTLZal5/s400/SSPX0118.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615666978763616146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Iced Toddy stop, natch. Early starts are crucial on Maui to avoid high temperatures and wind.)</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3P716sGeatYYRg4503XR8FehQVyhwkhoN-4iV3DmMEqrSh_Mm2hlrhBTQ8clFARBgFsWDeIiykdXcLZy6lpuCav8_gf0ZbDFN2aKJ1tiWSfSz_dB8SQjlqhUho2fS4mRxCQfPng58ccNk/s1600/SSPX0120.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3P716sGeatYYRg4503XR8FehQVyhwkhoN-4iV3DmMEqrSh_Mm2hlrhBTQ8clFARBgFsWDeIiykdXcLZy6lpuCav8_gf0ZbDFN2aKJ1tiWSfSz_dB8SQjlqhUho2fS4mRxCQfPng58ccNk/s400/SSPX0120.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615666989407308722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Northwest shore of Maui. One-lane switchbacks for about 20 miles.)</span></span><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApvL1D8TV5rfEBf68DYfROBDDgTXm3V9ntWt2qiw59OTA3Sv1Mi5SRlkiguWCFzvg7-d5PlPdhhOz904utuYh5N-7g2r_fmW0jpH8pjb3YlSp64hXgfnbFiXmg2DIiQcYFizZ2sb94X-R/s1600/Haleakala.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApvL1D8TV5rfEBf68DYfROBDDgTXm3V9ntWt2qiw59OTA3Sv1Mi5SRlkiguWCFzvg7-d5PlPdhhOz904utuYh5N-7g2r_fmW0jpH8pjb3YlSp64hXgfnbFiXmg2DIiQcYFizZ2sb94X-R/s400/Haleakala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618538085575834770" border="0" /></a>That's the elevation profile for the Pa'ia to Haleakala ride. 35-miles, nbd. The bros at the shop were all LOLing at me for my late (10:00am) start, but I wasn't concerned. I could ride 35 miles in like an hour if I really wanted to, so I headed out with a bottle of water and a Snickers (Rich McClung style). 3:30 later, I arrived at the summit of Haleakala, having almost finished my bottle of water! Here, I was treated to one of many fellow-tourist interactions that made me sigh heavy.<br /><br />Morbidly Obese Ohio Resident 1: "Zomg did you ride your bike here? Are you training to ride with Lance Armstrong??"<br /><br />Ok, pedestrian enough, what else have you got?<br /><br />Morbidly Obese Ohio Resident 2: "We were going to go check out the Olivine Pools on the West end of the island, but then we heard that it was a 0.25-mile hike, so we decided to take the 2-hour drive to the top of Haleakala instead."<br /><br />Ok, now we're getting somewhere. Part of what I noticed about tourism on Maui, and I think this applies to tourists everywhere, is that accessibility can be a toxic feature of any destination in a heavily-toured area. The crowdedness of a given Maui location seemed in direct correlation to the quality of the pavement that led to it. It's true that Haleakala provides a killer view of the island on a clear day. It's also true that the Olivine Pools (and their surroundings) are other-worldly and breathtakingly gorgeous. However, the 10-minute hike that separates an automotively-encapsulated tourist from the Olivine Pools acts as such an effective barrier to entry that the roster of visitors to Haleakala probably outnumbers that of the Olivine Pools 10-to-1. I was a tourist, too, but I feel like when exploring a new place, you ought to do a little work, and sometimes the work itself is what makes the destination satisfying.<br /><br />Aaaanyway, that was self-indulgent.<br /><br />After ruminating on subjects such as these, Joe Holmes called me and told me I was to ride Mt. Hood with the Elite Team. Ruh-Roh!! I told him okay, but that my legs would be rusty, if well-rested. I decided to get my competitive juices going again at the airport on the way home, although I was defeated in my first competition back by a flock of pilots, who pro-cut us in the security line, crit start style.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5Ky9J4idBVP7F_DZ9P8HoR4KCV2ik19kJMOGsaEjssHAy5Es7V-P_zJPOv3Zb6ikVzhSC4ccIIaf8AOVgsDvcRId6euyQSJq1CpLIe9R7p1DYhc0YYUR6ZEveQgy04Rev2ARFTvwBMSe/s1600/SSPX0121.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5Ky9J4idBVP7F_DZ9P8HoR4KCV2ik19kJMOGsaEjssHAy5Es7V-P_zJPOv3Zb6ikVzhSC4ccIIaf8AOVgsDvcRId6euyQSJq1CpLIe9R7p1DYhc0YYUR6ZEveQgy04Rev2ARFTvwBMSe/s400/SSPX0121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615667455107654722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Delta CHOP!)</span></span><br /></div><br />In my next post, I'll tell you all about how my ill-preparation for Hood treated me.Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-15452759152921224222011-05-18T10:14:00.000-07:002011-05-18T10:48:45.447-07:00Wenatchee Omnium ReportHey global audience,<br /><br />I'm a little sleepy right now, so I'm posting my race report that I sent out to the team verbatim. Boom!<br /><br />Lang was a faster bike racer than me this weekend, but he's running from the law somewhere in California right now and can't type a race report when he has one hand on the wheel and one gripping his balls.<br /><br />In attendance at Wenatchee were me, Lang, Tyler, and, for Sunday's RR, Tiny Alan. On Wednesday, the forecast was 0% chance of rain, but by Friday, that had been updated to "Orange Terror Alert." I went ahead and packed on Wednesday because I like to plan ahead, so I neglected any warm clothing in my righteous certitude.<br /><br />TT: The organizers also like to stay ahead of schedule, so the 10:50 estimated start times were revised to 9:45, ruining some peoples' day with missed starts. Well, we didn't let that ruin our day. We let bad legs ruin it. Colin 17th, Lang 21st, Tyler 36th (missed start [day ruined]). Sammy J won. <b>X</b><br /><br />Crit: Rain!!!! BANG!!! Langer takes the hole shot yeeeah! Wait, why is he going so slow at the front? I have never seen someone jumped by so many Canadians at once! Ruh-roh I think Lang and Tyler are dropped. Tokyo.Drifting.Everywhere. My legs hurt. <b>X</b><br /><br />RR: The road race was the same as last year: 14 miles flat leading to the 11-mile circuit, of which we did 4 laps, then 4-miles to the finish. Lang was our go-to guy, what with all the hills. He had been talking nervously about Strava profiles all weekend, so we wanted to make sure he could set a good time up the climb. I went ahead and did the early break thing, getting in a move with Ian Mensher (KR) and Zach Garland (H&R Block) right from the get-go. With a small field (35-40) and a lot of people looking at each other before the first time up the hill, it looked like we could get a good head start on the hill without having to totally gut ourselves, plus it would put me in a position to help Lang when he caught us up later in the race. The three of us worked hard until we had about a minute on the field, then rode steady until the hill, at which point our lead had ballooned to 3:00. Garland the Canadian was much faster on the hill than the combined 13 feet and 350 lbs that constituted his company, so he took off while Mensher and I traded turns up the hill. Our gap to the field fluctuated between 2:00 and 3:30 over the next two laps, while Garland extended his lead on us to a few minutes.<br /><br />According to Lang, the field was aggressive the first time up the hill, whittling itself down to 8 riders by the top, growing on the descent as riders chased back on. The disorganization in the field helped Mensher's and my gap stay up, as we were riding steady. Second lap was tame in the field and our gap stayed at 3:00. On the third trip up, Davis Shepherd (Greggs) put in a dig early on, and Sam countered him, at which point, the field a'sploded for good. Mensher and I were treated to a reality check as first Sam, then several Canadians, picked their way past us, emerging from, and disappearing into, the thick fog that blanketed the hillside. I was already pretty screwed (see note at "Time Trial, Lack of Power in"), but when Lang came past with a Garneau rider, I dug deep to keep them within sight. I caught them up on the descent, and started riding, trying to pull back a little time on the next guys up the road to give Lang a chance at catching them on the last lap. I offered Lang a handsling at the base of the hill, but Lang is an average Cat 4 on the track, so he opted to just pedal hard.<br /><br />On the last ascent, Lang and the Garneau rider took off, while I went into survival mode. Lang worked his way through some of the guys up the road who had gone deep to stay with Sam's first acceleration, and soloed in for 5th. I got caught by a couple more Canadians midway up the hill, but kept schlepping myself to the top. I pulled back their minute advantage during the flat run in to the finish, attacking the eff out of them as soon as I caught them, coming in for 8th. Tyler rolled in for 11th, with Tiny earning himself a coveted omnium point with a 15th place showing. Zach Garland soloed for 50 miles to take the stage win, with Sam taking 2nd and the overall.<br /><br />Definitely an every-man-for-himself kind of race. It would have been a lot better if we could have every-manned up and won the crit or gone faster in the TT, but I think we did what we could with the legs we had in the RR, plus the rainy weather slightly delayed Tiny Alan's slow descent towards skin cancer, so you can't call the weekend a total loss. Plus Lang is pretty sure he set a new strava record or whatever. Special thanks to Tyler Stearns' parents for standing in the feed zone in the terrible weather!!!Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-37859157252123535032011-05-07T16:20:00.000-07:002011-05-07T21:14:15.338-07:00Good Legs, Bad LuckHey Everyone (Jake),<br /><br />The title of the post should have you saying "uh-oh" and shifting in your seat at the surely uncomfortable tales in store. Well, I've been wanting to have an uncomfortable conversation with you for a while, so here goes.<br /><br />We'll start with Cherry Blossom where I had a super ride. Preface: the last few years, I've started riding in February or March thanks to my 'successes' as a swimmer at Whitman. While becoming the 9th best all time 200-yard backstroker at a small, middle-of-the-pack DIII swim program was nice, it also meant that I developed bigger guns than Kennett!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa7suDLcduMyd_XdlxoWcgoCg9MyQ3ldkeWeJT6c6bZ027VNOx4y8vLYkGH9D2Tqr-rLylLDfFRQcNim1bxcgO75VRvGtunvQPqnM3AbMtHHSQTPChstO68vnZiBHMtG3Wfv3J4TZ8Zwp/s1600/DSCN0192.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa7suDLcduMyd_XdlxoWcgoCg9MyQ3ldkeWeJT6c6bZ027VNOx4y8vLYkGH9D2Tqr-rLylLDfFRQcNim1bxcgO75VRvGtunvQPqnM3AbMtHHSQTPChstO68vnZiBHMtG3Wfv3J4TZ8Zwp/s400/DSCN0192.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604121253927605570" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Note that my former swim trunks are my current recovery tights, as seen in this recent photo:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxw9nUtRYka18u5icFwqNe_9RsqY8cbonVhTQMkPu6VT2Slf6y7wTCihHy2njO1UK42w786Qhkh9E0PgS5yRTo1RKmEJ9Vw5xfZ5HIAq4PZM12vjonMSv2N0Opw79WmuOCSNBidRFAHarr/s1600/foam+roller.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxw9nUtRYka18u5icFwqNe_9RsqY8cbonVhTQMkPu6VT2Slf6y7wTCihHy2njO1UK42w786Qhkh9E0PgS5yRTo1RKmEJ9Vw5xfZ5HIAq4PZM12vjonMSv2N0Opw79WmuOCSNBidRFAHarr/s400/foam+roller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604123171057389346" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div>These backstroking guns meant that I climbed like a fat kid on the bike. Climbs I have been dropped on include the small hill before the big hill at Elkhorn day 1, the small hill before the big hill at Elkhorn day 3, and the small hill at the Gig Harbor Circuit Race (no big hill available). This is just a small sampling, but suffice it to say that if you can get dropped on a hill, I probably got dropped on it. Well finally I stopped swimming, and instituted a type of trickle-down economics, whereby my arm muscle trickled down to my legs.<br /><br />Metamorphosis complete, I signed up for a bunch of races with small and medium size hills in them. First, I didn't suck at a hill climb at San Dimas. Then I didn't suck on the hill in the road race! I was bulging with optimistic juices as I headed to Hood River for Cherry Blossom with Steve, who also stopped climbing like a fat kid. My big breakthrough was Sunday's Orchard Run Circuit Race, a real "slobberknocker," I'd been told. Steve was a fancy boy and got in the early break, which turned into the leaders group when things a'sploded on the last lap, while me and Logan Owen hung out and made selections. Fully expecting to wind up in no-man's land at some point during the race, I focused on digging real deep on the big paved climb and the long gravel section each lap to stay with the GC group, until at some point I realized there were only 12 of us left. I was so brazen at noticing this that I think I told Morgan Schmitt that he was a pussy if he couldn't drop me. Well on the last lap, he drop me. I drooled and stared at my front hub for a while and wound up 13th on the day, 9th overall. Very happy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwFTInCH9iltTVYljqAv92MJFT0saVes-UOYET4bjjVJVjUpB4I2XPD2gPWSuReU3c9OKmyIY_hOzOB4wMcPetWl_XXoAdSJL-CTV1n6VpPhscR_ZxBkZFo_RqlXggREGLLfNVw0-1HCl/s1600/asplode.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwFTInCH9iltTVYljqAv92MJFT0saVes-UOYET4bjjVJVjUpB4I2XPD2gPWSuReU3c9OKmyIY_hOzOB4wMcPetWl_XXoAdSJL-CTV1n6VpPhscR_ZxBkZFo_RqlXggREGLLfNVw0-1HCl/s400/asplode.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604149198547038290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(things a'splode!)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPo_C7AnrLAkdpnbFOZbHX6riu9DE6OAMeCK7kXYh-N5-WAbrGvOccIM99NFm1PDYVrPdQ8v-yaRNP8tniof_1Q61UYzKlPC2jSj_kyVjI2LRY0RCDNAUFrJMAbsM1LswtDfKaAi8laFj/s1600/vines.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPo_C7AnrLAkdpnbFOZbHX6riu9DE6OAMeCK7kXYh-N5-WAbrGvOccIM99NFm1PDYVrPdQ8v-yaRNP8tniof_1Q61UYzKlPC2jSj_kyVjI2LRY0RCDNAUFrJMAbsM1LswtDfKaAi8laFj/s400/vines.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604149194144876754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(where's my blossoms?)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkA_KuqK45xW1CebMLVuuZmVx1Lny-6D5aW0NsHs5G3eDTbxreChs8CAGG3rJhG3hAubw1qpMOu1WCiA1zUf0plpoHqWC11P6lKRL5-d1Y1SRFeuAoT71P1rJ6G-tIqAwnAUnAqEp3Ryku/s1600/gravel.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkA_KuqK45xW1CebMLVuuZmVx1Lny-6D5aW0NsHs5G3eDTbxreChs8CAGG3rJhG3hAubw1qpMOu1WCiA1zUf0plpoHqWC11P6lKRL5-d1Y1SRFeuAoT71P1rJ6G-tIqAwnAUnAqEp3Ryku/s400/gravel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604149192431564162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(I was wheat-fed and gravel-trained in Walla Walla for 5 years.)</span></span><br /></div><br />Cherry blossom capped off a good block of training, so I settled down for some R&R before Walla Walla. Now that you're all happy for me, here's what's happened since:<br /><br />April 9: Volunteer Park - Crashed on Ian Crane and led him out as apology<br />April 10: Olympic Valley RR - Crashed out!<br /><br />April 15: Walla Walla - Good...<br />April 16: Walla Walla - ...Better...<br />April 17: Walla Walla - Mystery Stomach Flu!!<br /><br />April 30: Eugene Roubaix - Wait...why do you guys race your bikes?<br />May 1: Vance Creek - Srsly, flatted out of the break?<br /><br />May 7: Ravensdale - Mystery Stomach Flu!<br /><br />It hurts cause all those races, I felt like I could pick up my legs with my hands and use them as baseball bats, but sickness and bad luck got in the way. I guess the silver lining is that it's nice that bad luck is the limiter, and not bad legs. Still, I'm all itchy and want to make like Krogg.Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-20218969371973260552011-02-26T21:58:00.000-08:002011-03-01T21:04:21.542-08:00Early Season Funtime OBRA Land!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hello Global Audience!</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last post I left you with a dramatic and cryptic statement about how seemingly good advice and medical treatment actually harmed me last weekend while racing in Oregon. Today you get to find out why!</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First, a Cherry Pie Report. I drove over to Portland on Friday afternoon to stay with Whittie Zac Strode at his place in East Portland. Zac has been living with Ben Chaddock, and has been getting back into riding seriously for the first time since 2008, when he was a senior at Whitman. In '08, Zac and I had to petition USAC to let us race at collegiate nationals, which they did, grudgingly. And boy did we deliver! Zac was our top finisher in the road race (47th), with me hot on his heels in 56th. He got dropped in the crit, I crashed out of the crit, and we got DFL in the TTT. Such were also the humble beginnings of Mr. Chaddock (although he did pull out a top-30 in the crit).</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">While driving through the gorge, I put my Volvo over 200,000!</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6KrNhnz2Uy3OGg0-Otkr_MoSX0z7_Y2tUSLdCgKae5bn87UuzRv4uELAaPtgynBVtKfSwxvi9wOC83TPbewpYmQ7vsnoY63WSEW2p0119t0VhpqTCw_-l6Rao8Mw0_mDPUHyRD5C8oIH/s1600/brownie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6KrNhnz2Uy3OGg0-Otkr_MoSX0z7_Y2tUSLdCgKae5bn87UuzRv4uELAaPtgynBVtKfSwxvi9wOC83TPbewpYmQ7vsnoY63WSEW2p0119t0VhpqTCw_-l6Rao8Mw0_mDPUHyRD5C8oIH/s400/brownie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578093976883357874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(i <3></span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs4-CBbkc_Mvizpue3vQsyHzOJXEGP3PoG_dXyK2mZT3562WPurq9uBAfEF-uoClC-s8K9jWXV4VKLmsBSupcjKoRDuVcStkd4pz4-2o_LuS_y4T5YVehM7oB7cfBEgeMjZHe17yzn733/s1600/199999.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs4-CBbkc_Mvizpue3vQsyHzOJXEGP3PoG_dXyK2mZT3562WPurq9uBAfEF-uoClC-s8K9jWXV4VKLmsBSupcjKoRDuVcStkd4pz4-2o_LuS_y4T5YVehM7oB7cfBEgeMjZHe17yzn733/s400/199999.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578087523262738194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(more pics taken while driving)</span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When I arrived, Zac was already cooking up some pasta with friends, and after some om-nomming, we went for a nerve-calming limo ride (standard race prep).</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh428CBbQdhAAN_zsnb3ClbQxKE0bd29ywPVPG4HsjonAv-aojMrFff059Y8yo8rkVPRuZNhtTR_U83I5sCVnMNK-ZjdHeZNp44EttL3bqaspRtHTjrm2VlJ3vfZdGhdzeay0vrwkhBP-OK/s1600/limo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh428CBbQdhAAN_zsnb3ClbQxKE0bd29ywPVPG4HsjonAv-aojMrFff059Y8yo8rkVPRuZNhtTR_U83I5sCVnMNK-ZjdHeZNp44EttL3bqaspRtHTjrm2VlJ3vfZdGhdzeay0vrwkhBP-OK/s400/limo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578097759247455266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(I farted in the limo, and denied it.)</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the morning, me and Z-man drove down to the race!</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzcb_hXS4HacUzi8zHuz-DYHjLBNCGCpxMtS-6FGiCabXxW6VLn19q-GtN2nI0bawtSDPUCR0FAIU_WIqVRPuyUN8yAicYRSuq06aYLrmwvGeUFJ7gcTd7bNXEpBtgHhJtpAEdgF165DX/s1600/race+numbers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzcb_hXS4HacUzi8zHuz-DYHjLBNCGCpxMtS-6FGiCabXxW6VLn19q-GtN2nI0bawtSDPUCR0FAIU_WIqVRPuyUN8yAicYRSuq06aYLrmwvGeUFJ7gcTd7bNXEpBtgHhJtpAEdgF165DX/s400/race+numbers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578093968670429794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(I missed this ritual.)
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Chris Parrish and Dan Bechtold were also at the race for HB, so we met up and talked strategy. Chris suggested "racing selfishly and making sure one of us wins," but Dan's and my strategy of "be aggressive and play off each other" won out. We figured Chris would have the best legs up the short stairstep finishing kicker, so me and Dan were on break patrol. It's a pretty short race, and quite flat, so while the racing was aggressive, no move got more than about 45 seconds. Dan and I worked to pull back a big-ish move in the last 10k, which we caught with about 1k to go, and Chris </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://oregon.cyclingaction.com/2011/wells-takes-win-at-season-opening-cherry-pie/">did his thing</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> from there. We wanted to focus more on hard racing and learning to work together than on results this early in the season, but Chris' 2nd place was a nice bonus.</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwvqxD8kWB3jjKtNehruMeb82CxPV-SKqZTiNZSvCwsLqDNYUAmRoIS1Ad4gqw49V5wlNmrbs2pdBwjJNwsGrSXRhiy-8DYBLwbCc5VGpELnFJ5EgpB2sJ_AxONRqeqjJLNaY3Cjaeo2q/s1600/cherry+pie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwvqxD8kWB3jjKtNehruMeb82CxPV-SKqZTiNZSvCwsLqDNYUAmRoIS1Ad4gqw49V5wlNmrbs2pdBwjJNwsGrSXRhiy-8DYBLwbCc5VGpELnFJ5EgpB2sJ_AxONRqeqjJLNaY3Cjaeo2q/s400/cherry+pie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579342823735726738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">(Starting some shit on the first lap.)</span></span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz-SPWb_Z1sU7WzJ8JxbWJ58uqZIixNfFFcxP__IoYPRCLJMhjAsJEwyY6TzwwvdeqL7BjjW4Gf6G3RI5vE2mFtSIBLXvQUr3TpIGHg6sc5tX9hx2PPVQdH6WTi2tCLRPOHL5NVMdAHDU/s1600/parrish.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAz-SPWb_Z1sU7WzJ8JxbWJ58uqZIixNfFFcxP__IoYPRCLJMhjAsJEwyY6TzwwvdeqL7BjjW4Gf6G3RI5vE2mFtSIBLXvQUr3TpIGHg6sc5tX9hx2PPVQdH6WTi2tCLRPOHL5NVMdAHDU/s400/parrish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579342825539793170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">(Chris' Finish)</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sunday was the TT! I had snatched the team's Cole TT Wheels a few days earlier, only to find that the glue was cracking and the Vittoria valve stems were missing. After some TLC, I got them all dressed up and ready to race. Booyah! The Jack Frost TT was a <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/28823000/">12.1-mile course</a> near Vancouver Lake. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I pounded a litre of coffee before the race and I was good to go. </span>
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<br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IDCfuWzT-5NSq-qYzDyUYPgIYA9BvDDxygjGc3zlR4a_j9-7BwOcGIrM9y0RWIGK67GIoQi0PtZEd3ABx1kUO1BdwfA9hyhvEpmjb0dFxrT8JqFQOFWELWRgQw1zmJHsnEcg3iItCEa9/s1600/tt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IDCfuWzT-5NSq-qYzDyUYPgIYA9BvDDxygjGc3zlR4a_j9-7BwOcGIrM9y0RWIGK67GIoQi0PtZEd3ABx1kUO1BdwfA9hyhvEpmjb0dFxrT8JqFQOFWELWRgQw1zmJHsnEcg3iItCEa9/s400/tt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578109039444712930" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm all about litres of coffee nowadays. Oh yeah! The cryptic statement. So Thomas at HSP helped me with the tubular gluing and David Tupper gave me a back massage in Walla Walla, each of which probably made me go faster, but each of which also contributed to my downfall. Corner 1 of the course had a set of cones funneling you into a line set by the course marshals. The thing was, it was a bad line. The cones set you up all the way into the shoulder, making a very tight kink of a turn. I could see that I would have to slow down quite a bit to stay in the cones. The thing was, it was a time trial, and I wasn't so interested in slowing down, so I stayed in the aero bars, popped out of the cones, and took the fastest line through the corner. It probably saved me about 2 seconds over the alternative, but the 30 second penalty with which I was slapped more than negated that. Oops. Good thing I could see what my time was anyway and there were no prizes. Interestingly, 25% of the Cat 1/2 field got the same penalty, including Dan Bechtold, who went about 15 seconds faster than me. The legs and the new TT position felt good, and it was sweet to be so close to Dan, since he's got a reputation for his engine, having won the TT at Cascade in the Cat 2 field last year. Avid readers may remember this as the race that I </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://bubblewrapbartape.blogspot.com/2010/07/running-around-racing.html">didn't take so seriously</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So there's that. Good way to close out the off-season. Today was supposed to be the Frostbite TT in Everett, but it got snowed out, so it's a roller interval day! Workout plan: Modified <a href="http://goodsensations.blogspot.com/2010/05/its-cruel-cruel-kind-world.html">Hegyvary ride</a> -- ride until 1) I can see myself in a puddle of sweat or 2) I am hot enough to do snow angels, whichever comes second.</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXFIV0XsGHPxbs8EUdnxWBgbPwKYgt1Gnk-9x4SK6Ds-JTS5OkMecjDW-vet-6coeSBphcXMqw2CWEIoyIYjBoR4rcARCq9M7O_YiCRKaqTayIHOgoj1d3pzi8u9rfryvfY8Z7U3ra2zT/s1600/rollers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXFIV0XsGHPxbs8EUdnxWBgbPwKYgt1Gnk-9x4SK6Ds-JTS5OkMecjDW-vet-6coeSBphcXMqw2CWEIoyIYjBoR4rcARCq9M7O_YiCRKaqTayIHOgoj1d3pzi8u9rfryvfY8Z7U3ra2zT/s400/rollers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578139758866614562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(aww hell no jigga we been on the rollers all week!)</span></span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: left;">New riding tunes:
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<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WSeNSzJ2-Jw" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMgmxPp6KzTAZowHO8mtUX9v3m3tZ_H4AJ6cHwSLsmqfaENrVam4ic1KAWphCFHfGKky4z2NFfc9CPchd4-Bs67prcY2cTMGG9pDBW3uJCaoaLTDrNgEq0N6EBecjS5WFC13i7ztWK3TZ/s1600/lucy1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMgmxPp6KzTAZowHO8mtUX9v3m3tZ_H4AJ6cHwSLsmqfaENrVam4ic1KAWphCFHfGKky4z2NFfc9CPchd4-Bs67prcY2cTMGG9pDBW3uJCaoaLTDrNgEq0N6EBecjS5WFC13i7ztWK3TZ/s400/lucy1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578139760892464610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(How effing adorable is this?)</span></span>
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<br />Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-27354624368162073672011-02-20T22:27:00.000-08:002011-02-22T10:09:31.791-08:00Oh, Walla!Last week, I got to take a road trip from Seattle to Walla Walla to Portland and back. The last few weeks, I've been training pretty well, after quitting my job as a bicycle pizza delivery rider for Snoose Junction in Ballard. The work was fun, and it paid well, but working three 5p-1a delivery shifts on Fri-Sat-Sun isn't the best for training. My schedule had me either delivering pizzas, sleeping, eating, or training. Trouble was, if I got the amount of sleep I wanted, there wasn't enough time for training, and if I got the amount of training I wanted, there wasn't enough time to sleep. Something had to give.<br /><br />On the plus side, my coworkers have a great sense of justice.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwp5S88GIrLOs5dw5bEFSbYW8tOO8O1us1Kr-A6OgpqrAboyY7yelGRcDWgJ_ZKYDSLSnOZ1gWCGciSveeAds3ERamTns-qOmlh_oBmBme_VLprNUoY5Dd4TpzY4g34Oem45S6if06tVi/s1600/mark+hobson.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwp5S88GIrLOs5dw5bEFSbYW8tOO8O1us1Kr-A6OgpqrAboyY7yelGRcDWgJ_ZKYDSLSnOZ1gWCGciSveeAds3ERamTns-qOmlh_oBmBme_VLprNUoY5Dd4TpzY4g34Oem45S6if06tVi/s400/mark+hobson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576026689511183298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(sux to be Mark Hobson!)</span></span><br /></div><br />Snoose makes some premium Italian food, and I highly recommend Sunday trivia night at 8:30, MC'd by Sean DeTore of <a href="http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/themixtape/">Mixtape</a> kind-of-fame. He is hilarious sober, and even more hilarious when he is running trivia night.<br /><br />So anyhow, I've been back on the bike, whistling as I rumble around the Snoqualmie Valley, nourished by a steady stream of cupcakes. Just so you know, I party:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hka0DLtCeYFNtVsey9rE4sFxxqDrmblQ-EEIiEDFIg-OruWfaO1JaNOmVI6FTm3sh45MDh3P5TvxDeizJ8INbMK5mdDtD6w_oBVblx6TtjAOPmMPYcI54m91cHuehO_akFAVfaeGRqr-/s1600/cupcake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Hka0DLtCeYFNtVsey9rE4sFxxqDrmblQ-EEIiEDFIg-OruWfaO1JaNOmVI6FTm3sh45MDh3P5TvxDeizJ8INbMK5mdDtD6w_oBVblx6TtjAOPmMPYcI54m91cHuehO_akFAVfaeGRqr-/s400/cupcake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576027750755970946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Custom gemstone cupcake from the Royal! It pays to know someone in the cupcake business.)</span></span><br /></div><br />The cupcakes keep me motivated to ride hard.<br /><br />So I disembarked for Walla Walla on Wednesday, and quickly realized that the theme of my trip would be: clouds. Exhibit A:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xzjT3pnTjMVYxrmf_YUd-U30JTV6nFZ2TVuph54PFT2MiYRnHnEf7MtGmciQTMLKozgG-4DwpVwxXrZaxcmA5mgTgyoQzYENPcVdkmn7WKfPhruwULCcg2uY-zmfXBB7EtPNtpBDQw78/s1600/seattle+clouds.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xzjT3pnTjMVYxrmf_YUd-U30JTV6nFZ2TVuph54PFT2MiYRnHnEf7MtGmciQTMLKozgG-4DwpVwxXrZaxcmA5mgTgyoQzYENPcVdkmn7WKfPhruwULCcg2uY-zmfXBB7EtPNtpBDQw78/s400/seattle+clouds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576028258606625602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Seattle being engulfed in clouds)</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Once I was through ruining everything by snapping pix in traffic, I made my way eastward. Coming over Manastash ridge (or was it North Umtanum?), I was shrouded in such fog that I could only see about 20 feet ahead. More clouds! Still, it was safe, since my station wagon only goes about 50mph up hills lasting longer than 15 seconds. I took out my camera to snap a shot of the milky void, and by the time I could initiate fake-shutter sound, this is what I saw.<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fg_73Sd2u0RCu2ahFiCv_cYwSex9jXKf6_0pgn2NvklaBgaPGd4RwyX3KWG-NPq2YQlyrnRz9LbCpGEjNGD8cIHZ-9SIqNP-C8-lu29r7czvcZ6FkGksNSwmtDnT3-X-q_DZOFmPatyx/s1600/yakima+clouds.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fg_73Sd2u0RCu2ahFiCv_cYwSex9jXKf6_0pgn2NvklaBgaPGd4RwyX3KWG-NPq2YQlyrnRz9LbCpGEjNGD8cIHZ-9SIqNP-C8-lu29r7czvcZ6FkGksNSwmtDnT3-X-q_DZOFmPatyx/s400/yakima+clouds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576028263206464834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(I already regret using the term 'milky void' in the last paragraph.)</span></span><br /></div><br />Cloud theme continued in Walla Walla when I went for a little spin out Cottonwood Rd. These clouds look fake.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikx5cTTX4DDiulT2NBOCZHC_17fTMkps-W-ZWJ2YQKARaZFCVF5Y3-ixUMoqFXlNyX3wzH7hwXEKcLtKc1qgpL7WUO4B0Vn3YZfxwzPsh_SRvdo3LF6u1sjYj19oO0icw5blpojKrz_PAE/s1600/wwclouds.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikx5cTTX4DDiulT2NBOCZHC_17fTMkps-W-ZWJ2YQKARaZFCVF5Y3-ixUMoqFXlNyX3wzH7hwXEKcLtKc1qgpL7WUO4B0Vn3YZfxwzPsh_SRvdo3LF6u1sjYj19oO0icw5blpojKrz_PAE/s400/wwclouds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576028267023503554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Just like </span>Vanilla Sky<span style="font-style: italic;">, except I didn't get to bang Cameron Diaz)</span></span><br /></div><br />Walla Walla was the business! I pedaled, drank the freshest of coffee, and even got to see David Tupper for a massage before leaving town. David is a physical therapist who sponsors the Whitman cyclists with his expertise and skills, and he has the hands of an angel, if the angel were an RPT. He worked on my back for an hour, and then praised MY generosity when I gave him a ride to a meeting he needed to go to. Here is a stock image of Tupper (l) from 2009 collegiate nats.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nJbME3_AUDbNqjLLQknBSTROpYU1tvxYLS7KADJICi-9YwNtjrowhd_rS2zENdYvlV0aMnNgNxyK1xsChw5jCQTeY6xqVwDHbYfjY71HTMgBBVxu_yMpX_bfUtwT3HcntLqibKQaZmne/s1600/tupper.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nJbME3_AUDbNqjLLQknBSTROpYU1tvxYLS7KADJICi-9YwNtjrowhd_rS2zENdYvlV0aMnNgNxyK1xsChw5jCQTeY6xqVwDHbYfjY71HTMgBBVxu_yMpX_bfUtwT3HcntLqibKQaZmne/s400/tupper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576265729436355858" border="0" /></a><br />Also while in WW, I got to glue my first tubular tire. I had picked up the Hagens Berman TT wheels before I left, only to find that the front tire was coming un-did. So I stopped in for some girl-talk with Thomas Broderick at HSP, and he gave me a pep talk about making tires stick to rims. Now look at it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczixXX4b41OovNeeuZVgccAqu_lvPL8u6-jC0yrYGF85gVapMojlfUF9bzut6WKY06vWSykOqKTX-WhzengBlLX6N2vquvFdoVHX96tNz5OKyZnJ6yNBe1ySvi5NNUCB9ZEWWXMDYKS4N/s1600/tt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczixXX4b41OovNeeuZVgccAqu_lvPL8u6-jC0yrYGF85gVapMojlfUF9bzut6WKY06vWSykOqKTX-WhzengBlLX6N2vquvFdoVHX96tNz5OKyZnJ6yNBe1ySvi5NNUCB9ZEWWXMDYKS4N/s400/tt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576266352751262178" border="0" /></a><br />What a beaut. In my next post, I'll talk about racing, and how Thomas Broderick's advice and Dave Tupper's massage actually hurt me at the Jack Frost TT this weekend. Suspense!Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-27399852384921178502010-12-19T19:09:00.000-08:002011-02-22T10:10:21.039-08:00Metamorphosis!It was nice having a bike that looked like this...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gEe79dvkMiNXdr5OFxMQFaacZ14brBInAg6wwkuZWdGAfVzBKWwRkVgH6GpckWcYYnPC0Zc_Br3h6UEPldVWl9mlu23doGNGeunACYtqo7kKgof-R4Jax9VOw3_t1ybwwARN3AsFUpXG/s1600/Pursuit.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gEe79dvkMiNXdr5OFxMQFaacZ14brBInAg6wwkuZWdGAfVzBKWwRkVgH6GpckWcYYnPC0Zc_Br3h6UEPldVWl9mlu23doGNGeunACYtqo7kKgof-R4Jax9VOw3_t1ybwwARN3AsFUpXG/s400/Pursuit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552597390260305410" border="0" /></a><br />...but I have much more use for a bike that looks like this:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_3SRg4Cn4HY-vT8xJS7_HaWaPMT1r3B0GDrhqHPvdedETOJHpRfnUsM15cqutZywtw7ITTKXSdj4oITMo1YQSQaZcp5dyePM-l8kcOxCgHajPTSecZyyXtkT_ltX8nI6nX87JMvDTolb/s1600/Rain+Fix.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_3SRg4Cn4HY-vT8xJS7_HaWaPMT1r3B0GDrhqHPvdedETOJHpRfnUsM15cqutZywtw7ITTKXSdj4oITMo1YQSQaZcp5dyePM-l8kcOxCgHajPTSecZyyXtkT_ltX8nI6nX87JMvDTolb/s400/Rain+Fix.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552597388131442962" border="0" /></a><br />Booyah! I've been rocking either a 42x15 or a 42x16 depending on how I feel and where I'm riding. Burke-Gilman? 15. Mercer Island? 16. The short hills on MI are loads of fun. 50 RPM tempo uphill, 140 RPM downhill, repeat 20x.<br /><br />I've also been working at Cycle U, just like Sam, Adrian, and Dan before me. It's a 6'4" legacy that I'm proud to continue. Also, given the historical record, I should have a pro contract within 2 years guaranteed. I've mostly been teaching Cycle U's flagship program, InCycle, but I've also been turning wrenches when they need turning, which for some customers is pretty frequently. Just look at this pulley I took off a customer's bike.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3z9-rdg-Q8o5GVkT2IeZHyszhyphenhyphencweZP1flJlsbVKl1WaU6SA6qTyH-_51QYCm6Rb1hTsCET7zpqXu9hkufTtnibHpxIAOYweZTAap6M30NzBFMygWQgg5fnvxhRPYOAX2QVZ9gB5e8A1/s1600/pulley.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3z9-rdg-Q8o5GVkT2IeZHyszhyphenhyphencweZP1flJlsbVKl1WaU6SA6qTyH-_51QYCm6Rb1hTsCET7zpqXu9hkufTtnibHpxIAOYweZTAap6M30NzBFMygWQgg5fnvxhRPYOAX2QVZ9gB5e8A1/s400/pulley.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552637558669541762" border="0" /></a><br />It's a little blurry, probably because my camera refused to focus on such a thing. You can only actually see about 10% of the surface. That's because by volume, there was literally more grease than pulley wheel. And it wasn't just the pulleys. The chain looked like it had been dipped in black tempura batter, the frame was smeared and caked with a patina of grease and road grime, and even the water bottle cages were covered in a mysterious greenish skin. The owner had complained of "bad shifting." No wonder--there was petrified grease in the chain's path.<br /><br />And what bike did this come off of, you might ask. A derelict 1980s Huffy? A ramshackle 10-speed fished out of someone's shed? Well, an astute viewer might recognize the trademark brake hoods in the upper right of the corner, or the distinctive taper of a 3T fork, or the patented triple spoke build of the wheel in the lower right. This pulley wheel belonged to a 2010 Cervelo R3 with an 11-speed Campy Super Record groupset. The nerve! Now granted, the owner of the bike is probably a much greater value to society than I am, and thus spends much more time than I do on non-bike fawning activities, so I understand that I can't be too critical. But I couldn't help but feel a sense of injustice at what I saw. It was like watching someone clean a well-seasoned cast iron skillet with soap and a steel scrubber.<br /><br />This made me think about how much enjoyment I get out of listening to a well-built and well-tuned racing bike purr. Extra enjoyable if the bike is curated.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJcexHvbdNR34nHegosEbR65SeWeVnKQDm7DaAnsfrOFfB6B_NFPFxxa13qmu9ThDSjST4FGwx9v_uy7ys5unyYM_5EN3IFZpg-Go3tnUBoIPh-5f_-9oNWup__ySoaijch0kTAx3UWcE/s1600/Lang+Bike.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJcexHvbdNR34nHegosEbR65SeWeVnKQDm7DaAnsfrOFfB6B_NFPFxxa13qmu9ThDSjST4FGwx9v_uy7ys5unyYM_5EN3IFZpg-Go3tnUBoIPh-5f_-9oNWup__ySoaijch0kTAx3UWcE/s400/Lang+Bike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552648399337705010" border="0" /></a><a href="http://pugetpower.blogspot.com/">Lang Reynolds'</a> bike is curated. As a sport, cycling involves an interplay between man and machine. When it comes to training, there is no shortage of things to work on in the 'man' department, and a fast rider will always beat a weaker rider with a nicer whip. But for me, working on and taking pride in my bike has few rivals in terms of generating excitement about riding. This goes for both equipment selection and maintenance. As for selection, the process of choosing each component based on its engineering and aesthetics for its intended purpose instills an awareness of my machine that I carry with me when I ride. As for maintenance, spending time looking at, thinking about, and working on it is therapeutic, in addition to obvious practical benefits. The combination of the two means that when I chamois up, look at my bike, and ask, "do I wanna ride this thing," the answer (hell yeah!) is based on a complete familiarity with the machine, respect for its construction, and confidence in its functionality. Thus, rather than taking away time from training, it actually removes impediments to training, so that I can mount up and giver skidoo in the big ring with confidence.<br /><br />Man I like bikes.Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-82494231199147428062010-12-16T12:00:00.000-08:002011-02-22T10:11:04.343-08:00FalloutMy favorite part of crashing on polished Siberian Cedar is that instead of the surface abrading your skin, you just slide until the friction begins to burn you.<br /><br />Last you heard from me, I had almost crashed at the LA 'drome during warmup. Man, would THAT have been embarrassing. Especially the day before racing started. Well, luckily I saved up all my crashing until 30 minutes before the pursuit, when I crashed during warmup. My foot came out of the pedal while I was accelerating up from the apron and I landed with a mighty 'thud.' There was a short period of serenity immediately after landing as I silently glided past the upturned faces of the racers on the infield, wondering what had just happened. The heat shortly interrupted the serenity, and I began to roll just as I felt the skin on my shoulder and hip begin to burn.<br /><br />After collecting myself, I stopped to daub myself with antiseptic and donned a new skinsuit with fewer holes in it. My high impact adventure had cost me about 20 minutes of premium warmup time, and I had the post-crash shakes something awful. I was in a bad place mentally. There had been some rescheduling issues, equipment issues, the crash, and I also felt strangely alienated at the track, despite being surrounded by people I knew. Track cycling seems like it can be pretty clique-ish, and despite having people like Tela and Jen Triplett there, I felt out of place, which was unnerving.<br /><br />So after dusting my shoulders off, I got my bike ready and started listening to Calvin Harris.<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XakS6QhcAgc" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />I don't know how much there is to say about the race itself. It feels like the pursuit just washes over me, although this time it felt a little corrupted by the bad vibes and the blown legs from racing the scratch earlier in the day. All that crap was "cut losses," and my dad was at the race, so there was nothing to do but lace up and give 'er. I wound up posting a 4:58.5, well short of my goal.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6pTqls0uajdUg3ZC3rpsd9C6w-5f7qApvrjL4-JYOgR_Vb4ZPovHs62j0UnwT8f71jGcMSev5desUo2a7sQdK1OsGcukCJIRua8bkozxheYfqT_w_xW0rLom93-pAUesclyNSL6c-xKW/s1600/pursuit.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6pTqls0uajdUg3ZC3rpsd9C6w-5f7qApvrjL4-JYOgR_Vb4ZPovHs62j0UnwT8f71jGcMSev5desUo2a7sQdK1OsGcukCJIRua8bkozxheYfqT_w_xW0rLom93-pAUesclyNSL6c-xKW/s400/pursuit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551373918186190898" border="0" /></a><br /><img src="file:///Users/Animus/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbQZ120KNPrQlSq1r0r1N05VhPQEiMHTJPhMr-qQGjFXZ5pM1XlWeLt2Xje_23UouCtqErrWmxqgq2dNudDBpfwNs86pZ2Eld-8CeielUs3BdsMeHb0KouLyid18CjAtdqPf9bBd2SCd1/s1600/Elite+Nats+Pursuit.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbQZ120KNPrQlSq1r0r1N05VhPQEiMHTJPhMr-qQGjFXZ5pM1XlWeLt2Xje_23UouCtqErrWmxqgq2dNudDBpfwNs86pZ2Eld-8CeielUs3BdsMeHb0KouLyid18CjAtdqPf9bBd2SCd1/s400/Elite+Nats+Pursuit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551375276290848594" border="0" /></a><br />Despite my disappointment, I set a personal best by about 5 seconds, and went under 5 minutes for the first time. Additionally, it was good to go and see that even the best guys in the country are human. They all put their shorts on one leg at a time, and they all make sputtering noises during the last 1k of the pursuit. Watching <a href="http://chasingafter2012.blogspot.com/">Dan Harm</a> is always impressive, and it made me want to get a lot better at this event.<br /><br />So after the pursuit was the points race. I didn't qualify in the morning heat, and that was it for 2010.<br /><br />After the race, I was overcome by a powerful anger, which I released outside of the velodrome. As I stood outside, breathing heavily, I looked at myself. I was covered in spit and sweat. The veins on my legs and arms looked like braided cable. I had brought my form to a peak, which had given me enough strength to barely hang onto the race for 20 minutes. There hadn't been any triumphant effort on my part, no perfectly-timed move to snatch victory from my more experienced competitors, just a frantic clinging to wheels until the final sprint played out 100 meters in front of me. My work, the consistent focus on training that I had maintained each day for a full 12 months leading to that race, hadn't been enough. As my clenched fists grew tighter, I cursed the slow passage of time that, if filled with unwavering attention to detail and hard work, could bring to fruition the sort of performance that I wanted <span style="font-style: italic;">now</span>. I reared back and roared at the sky, lamenting my helplessness.<br /><br />Then I began to plot how best to channel that emotion.Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-19397801809164332342010-09-28T14:42:00.000-07:002011-02-22T10:11:58.481-08:00The Gentle, Golden Promised LandBoom! Racing update now!<br /><br />Since I became one of the best Madison racers in the state, I've had a new perspective, looking down on all the little people, huddled in their masses, yearning for greatness. Well. I can tell you all: it is great, and it tastes so sweet.<br /><br />The greatness continued with more track racing. First was some Friday night racing right in the midst of a hefty training block. I sucked bad in my first ever keirin, but got my sweet revenge in the 6x5 points race, taking off about 2 laps in, snatching the first points, and then grabbing them here and there with the four guys that bridged up to me. I wound up 3rd, but I was pleased. Jamie Stangeland is so fast.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ybElFmI1W_xMtPSTxHzMhCVN0QB-Li6uj2qrTjR_uP_NRddJulV-XhKuIfMk9knMvN9aCs8rSYQYARSyo2BKo7y2QI2w_x9rLKBiaVgO2QH0cIKQ-WNphCIrRf8xVjOm4YI7TTioldq-/s1600/points1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ybElFmI1W_xMtPSTxHzMhCVN0QB-Li6uj2qrTjR_uP_NRddJulV-XhKuIfMk9knMvN9aCs8rSYQYARSyo2BKo7y2QI2w_x9rLKBiaVgO2QH0cIKQ-WNphCIrRf8xVjOm4YI7TTioldq-/s400/points1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522087469758934498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The next day was the International Omnium. It consisted of a flying 200, scratch, pursuit, points, and kilo in that order. Despite awesome racing weather, the men's field wound up with a whole nine racers. Most were pretty beat from racing 12 hours earlier, and it only took a 12.2 for me to win the 200. The scratch and points races were raced pretty negatively. A move went in the scratch and I wound up on the wrong end, getting 5th. In the points race, it was clear that no one wanted to let me attack without them, so I just played sprinter, and won it, along with the kilo and pursuit, so I won the overall.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDkCSBH_d0l-xgrtxBbJAlzMZnzC02xp_IO8glRCNmXTsnKIBWUfxXc4I6I6g-WHJg2WJ-qU1oBGRF5zvMivMIqOlz2D788hf5hPgprt5rxrbhI1iJqy8tNG8EOh0gfnwVjvitlCDGlIM/s1600/omnium.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDkCSBH_d0l-xgrtxBbJAlzMZnzC02xp_IO8glRCNmXTsnKIBWUfxXc4I6I6g-WHJg2WJ-qU1oBGRF5zvMivMIqOlz2D788hf5hPgprt5rxrbhI1iJqy8tNG8EOh0gfnwVjvitlCDGlIM/s400/omnium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522090194415385122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(my lil' steed ready for some HIGH OCTANE PURSUITING!!!!)</span></span><br /></div><br />That was the last racing before Elite Track Nats this week in LA, so I just kept busy training and getting ready for the last race of the season. Benny came up from Portland to race Starcrossed last weekend and stayed with me for a few days. We managed to get out on a ride through the Snoqualmie Valley, my new favorite training grounds.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrFnCDYwOcL_4CL3pCY9VeF4asbqIYe4s9gZoZZLYLquvIH5uzsODEmFqOG4dS_cGULwGaHsHlx_Rvkdnvryfi_HIUjw7JLg_oC0sNOIbzYc1j7TaJrrmceURZAU64EMxyvW0zQgcsWmr/s1600/benny.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrFnCDYwOcL_4CL3pCY9VeF4asbqIYe4s9gZoZZLYLquvIH5uzsODEmFqOG4dS_cGULwGaHsHlx_Rvkdnvryfi_HIUjw7JLg_oC0sNOIbzYc1j7TaJrrmceURZAU64EMxyvW0zQgcsWmr/s400/benny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522134377501862354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Benny on Carnation Farm Rd)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7v_pd0HypFICbslztlFl4jhLu1fy6wNhNgKRycchyHQyCMTBaWik-_xUzogOV_poZm2oVxiBJbyg6YXTZALylGmcXNTeALV8aTHz7PIahsRMyeCw5fzQKk2qHp9XesQ0m08sV9Yd_NZJ/s1600/cupcake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7v_pd0HypFICbslztlFl4jhLu1fy6wNhNgKRycchyHQyCMTBaWik-_xUzogOV_poZm2oVxiBJbyg6YXTZALylGmcXNTeALV8aTHz7PIahsRMyeCw5fzQKk2qHp9XesQ0m08sV9Yd_NZJ/s400/cupcake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522134380823376562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Heidi Biggs made us this custom huckleberry-vanilla cupcake at Cupcake Royal!!)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR257WAJMRTkW_bdAAkn1JjIru2ktb1bH5e1A0YEgyDCautmej1JZDkGouxjwf8Ad6gELs42zqy4pEIcqN2sZ5wRUoj00V0R7q087bpOE73HXLmHqWh-a8K2BhA-EMw9nDmHjgKKVxgejb/s1600/fortune.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR257WAJMRTkW_bdAAkn1JjIru2ktb1bH5e1A0YEgyDCautmej1JZDkGouxjwf8Ad6gELs42zqy4pEIcqN2sZ5wRUoj00V0R7q087bpOE73HXLmHqWh-a8K2BhA-EMw9nDmHjgKKVxgejb/s400/fortune.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522134388123248578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(A lady on the street handed me this fortune cookie with what might be the<br />most disappointing fortune I've ever received: a crummy commercial.)</span></span><br /></div><br />Ben headed off to Las Vegas for Interbike, while I kept getting ready for LA. One day, it was raining a LOT during my ride. My Ridley comes with the cool design feature of not having a drain for water that finds its way into the frame, so this is how you get the water out.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHrn3Yl1Fuinj_iF8TbuS9qb8T87xwJfBpjw5HgmESxiEc7n1j8rvCeE7mP_VoKY-1rT-5B_OGpkwYPkKcSA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />Two days ago, I started the drive down, and now I'm in The Wasteland itself! Here are some photo/video highlights:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LPMmaLASCVBvBdJzACcnqvDzR2w_C3s_vjrlNp123B0PhaTMFtjp6gnvoC56I5-6mTBqr4YOEwSOUp7UjSrzvTBg3PWgyZNStZ1XmvqB5MFJX_S8Tq7dg8xyXrGJdIqqmxPTdoZNYWH7/s1600/rainbow.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LPMmaLASCVBvBdJzACcnqvDzR2w_C3s_vjrlNp123B0PhaTMFtjp6gnvoC56I5-6mTBqr4YOEwSOUp7UjSrzvTBg3PWgyZNStZ1XmvqB5MFJX_S8Tq7dg8xyXrGJdIqqmxPTdoZNYWH7/s400/rainbow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522092177894275762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Rainbow coalition of trucks outside of LA)</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYwpsFpAUjSy6QSsYmP38uC2iN1EFs7AhsTklnyFThFtStpui-pWT9Fdv5m4eGYXtDF-C6deXRhT3jFJg5EAm1qNHUTczdEbs_FEWd5kgqTHYfXOG9KQryukbNhvHvj54gO9cjYFN9k61/s1600/wash+your+hands.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYwpsFpAUjSy6QSsYmP38uC2iN1EFs7AhsTklnyFThFtStpui-pWT9Fdv5m4eGYXtDF-C6deXRhT3jFJg5EAm1qNHUTczdEbs_FEWd5kgqTHYfXOG9KQryukbNhvHvj54gO9cjYFN9k61/s400/wash+your+hands.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522092188377671410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(California includes a little moral judgment with their legal reminders)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmODDGAFH7eNFocli1PqnLiynqVGtcBDEo5OfjEvORb9-aUhQNJCi-SFWdnhcREzIKU-3v442-BCSp0mhMXKRZtk3QRxZvLWPqufpHC-57ZYgzClYLbX3fEDoCrYUVZC_BgYkT2guk55l9/s1600/point+break.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmODDGAFH7eNFocli1PqnLiynqVGtcBDEo5OfjEvORb9-aUhQNJCi-SFWdnhcREzIKU-3v442-BCSp0mhMXKRZtk3QRxZvLWPqufpHC-57ZYgzClYLbX3fEDoCrYUVZC_BgYkT2guk55l9/s400/point+break.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522092192004231042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(The Baloona Creek Bike path. If it looks familiar, it's because it's where Keanu Reaves did <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY6PXoyNP1k&feature=related">this</a>.)</span></span><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaoP-u44YCrOo4A2Idfyb8bolL7anX4vHugn_zhVb09xYexRbG11vY7eqk0OZYSunpqO3sG9qFNOOyh6tZWMOckhhX9LtrX_M3YNWqlnPgDWUYJgurMsbfMhXTMvGMXV6HbAKCyeNUSuW/s1600/bike+path.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaoP-u44YCrOo4A2Idfyb8bolL7anX4vHugn_zhVb09xYexRbG11vY7eqk0OZYSunpqO3sG9qFNOOyh6tZWMOckhhX9LtrX_M3YNWqlnPgDWUYJgurMsbfMhXTMvGMXV6HbAKCyeNUSuW/s400/bike+path.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522092201381135170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCINOg1xC7ESZUGzsiH4aauGx2LekH17XPjvAIaaLwHUem6zP97DhpjXiRvcgPd-p4kNA_yMBlXwWxLuu3xLw7iBAKXszR3OOHukjwD-H2oLKOus6EoTaVbhyphenhyphenvcofrjy6rA1d1fkar06oi/s1600/inukshuks.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCINOg1xC7ESZUGzsiH4aauGx2LekH17XPjvAIaaLwHUem6zP97DhpjXiRvcgPd-p4kNA_yMBlXwWxLuu3xLw7iBAKXszR3OOHukjwD-H2oLKOus6EoTaVbhyphenhyphenvcofrjy6rA1d1fkar06oi/s400/inukshuks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522092205912336498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(The cool thing to do was make Inukshuks along the creek.)</span></span><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dznoFAjPKVQuu8IMHsjNMSKk9Y2ju5S13BzkcQrzsXGpWSuAX4y-31ftgghpcTEL-NQomxapRXDRQkrSZiIKw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />Sorry for the tiny video. I took it with my cell phone while riding on the track during a motor pacing session. The derny was scary and I kept looking back to see if it was going to run me down. Luckily it didn't, although I almost did it's work for it: apparently the fall-down speed at this track is 18mph, which is about what I was doing when I was spinning around the blue line. Oops. I got lucky though. That would have been a great way to kick of my Track Nats debut.<br /><br />More later. I race the Scratch on Thursday, the Pursuit on Friday, and the Points on Saturday.Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-34289425932641519902010-09-05T10:46:00.001-07:002011-02-22T10:13:18.938-08:00Madison Racing!New best thing: Madison racing.<br /><br />For those who don't know what's up, a Madison can be any endurance race on the track (scratch, points, pursuit, etc.), raced tag-team with 2 people. When you're in, you're racing, and when you're out, you're waiting for your partner to come along to tag you in. The thing about the 'tag' is, it's not so much a tag as it is a throw:<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y8Zcq3hIhqk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y8Zcq3hIhqk?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />I'd known about Madisons for some time, but even as far as bike racing is concerned, the Madison seems more difficult to approach because of the technical skills, need for a similarly-skilled partner, and the fact that there aren't that many Madisons to be raced around here. Luckily for me, on Monday, the prolific Bilko was kind enough to donate some of his time to teach me the rudimentary skills required to race a Madison. Part of the Monday night series at Marymoor is a Madison, but since it's not coupled with regular 1-2 racing (like Friday night), turnout is pretty low. Still, we got to practice some before the race, and then take on our competition (Hyun Lee + his partner) afterward. Peep the strategy (photos by <a href="http://dbc.smugmug.com/">Dennis Crane</a>)!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGI2FGDLzvmCeigFEPW07h7apYE8frbRzmydVES3KFlLo3RDkWIRZC1q1xA7iGYrPLmpomLFt0LCDIjSc7pXl1ELjcJh22uegKJAc8vjJnHirwl5RU7NLbJgb0z5m6IJ3RB9uyHZQFPbI/s1600/Bilko.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGI2FGDLzvmCeigFEPW07h7apYE8frbRzmydVES3KFlLo3RDkWIRZC1q1xA7iGYrPLmpomLFt0LCDIjSc7pXl1ELjcJh22uegKJAc8vjJnHirwl5RU7NLbJgb0z5m6IJ3RB9uyHZQFPbI/s400/Bilko.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513615317791613330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Bilko giving me the huck)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbOlRjOBDW3YWSd93q6k6dyTbPywr1Ok5vCR1FyUZ_Ku-bIxMEoRQwQgp9JwVrecEUWYmWdfffDCRYcusluJv9ehueFAlAGwYp8560Nbc2t6wH56An0BXGCF0U_K1o3w31vyrGpgba3mb/s1600/Shoulder.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbOlRjOBDW3YWSd93q6k6dyTbPywr1Ok5vCR1FyUZ_Ku-bIxMEoRQwQgp9JwVrecEUWYmWdfffDCRYcusluJv9ehueFAlAGwYp8560Nbc2t6wH56An0BXGCF0U_K1o3w31vyrGpgba3mb/s400/Shoulder.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513615517789035586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(I didn't know shoulders go this way)</span></span><br /></div><br />So after that night of intense, tactically brain-melting racing, I figured I was pretty much ready for anything. So I begged Ian Crane to blow off Jennie Reed and race the State Champs Madison with me 4 days later. And he did!!! See?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1i8opDBKWl4yE1dwbeLkV7vaV66226p25Pv4TSdmJTzgUdYrTSpO1bhotiz6yDL7sZ8ZMzFf1FdyhRzetjxj2AJHH98Ajfgr9JUAVsr8whjSpzpXTxdiz3hbaa5ud9sD0C-Y8t_0zQMT/s1600/Ian.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1i8opDBKWl4yE1dwbeLkV7vaV66226p25Pv4TSdmJTzgUdYrTSpO1bhotiz6yDL7sZ8ZMzFf1FdyhRzetjxj2AJHH98Ajfgr9JUAVsr8whjSpzpXTxdiz3hbaa5ud9sD0C-Y8t_0zQMT/s400/Ian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513894194639532866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(my Madison partner [and new best friend?], Ian Crane)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRhMiUrs3uWkz2GFle1DWArC6dXMyEvbTMWcCSb0QuMrPoNdjdIHX8hR90XWHk3uC3EPrOd3YzOEn4vlrH_uRle97mh2IRfbQp7TkkUzL2UQlToPkFuUQPr2vaVrSNctV7uOf1R6w7JhJ/s1600/Madison1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRhMiUrs3uWkz2GFle1DWArC6dXMyEvbTMWcCSb0QuMrPoNdjdIHX8hR90XWHk3uC3EPrOd3YzOEn4vlrH_uRle97mh2IRfbQp7TkkUzL2UQlToPkFuUQPr2vaVrSNctV7uOf1R6w7JhJ/s400/Madison1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513618428057163154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(there's Jennie Reed, probs crying because she had to find another partner)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEml1ctSOlfZYTexy9RQ-x1mqAXxrvA3CYMid0GJX1NmH5D1JgBU6Ag_zChi6nHosBQp5iw3iGBZrTK1PgD5TxM8WPSdHfVky1UKcwxQBH6BkQciflr-MK9hPNfgics5v16ocUbKvnOARv/s1600/Madison2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEml1ctSOlfZYTexy9RQ-x1mqAXxrvA3CYMid0GJX1NmH5D1JgBU6Ag_zChi6nHosBQp5iw3iGBZrTK1PgD5TxM8WPSdHfVky1UKcwxQBH6BkQciflr-MK9hPNfgics5v16ocUbKvnOARv/s400/Madison2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513620287627085346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(sling!)</span></span></div><br />They had us race three races, but I'll just skip to the 5x10 points race that finished the night off. There were five teams contesting the race, and our clearest competition was the team of Grant Boursaw and Jamie Stangeland. Ian and I decided to try and keep me in with Jamie, while Ian would go in with Grant. Timing exchanges for the sprint laps is like running at a soccer ball. 20 steps away, it's hard to tell if you're on your right footing, but when you get to 5 steps, you can tell if you're going to be on to hit it with some power. Likewise, for a points sprint, it's ideal to throw in your sprinter as late as possible so he can whip the sprint. At Marymoor, the rule is no exchanges within 200m of the sprint, so throwing between turns 1 and 2 on bell lap is the best option.<br /><br />Coming into the first sprint, all the teams were together, and most made their exchange just after the bell. I threw Ian in, and he took 2nd just behind Grant. 2 or 3 laps later, we were exchanging staggered from Grant and Jamie. I think Jamie got a jump when Grant threw him in on the back straight, and he came over the top of me and Jennie Reed. She wasn't up to covering it, so I jumped around her and booked it for 250 meters until I threw Ian in. Unfortunately, the gap was there, and Jamie's attack pretty much blew up the field. It was G+J with a couple seconds to me and Ian, with the rest of the field rapidly falling behind us. I think that in a larger Madison with a lot of strong teams, this wouldn't have been as much of an issue, and other teams could have helped us bring them back, but as it stood, it was basically us chasing after G+J, and they were stronger, so they slowly pulled away.<br /><br />Here's where the Madison rules started to play tricks on us. By about the 2nd sprint, G+J had lapped the remaining riders, while we were en route to doing so. The other three teams latched on to G+J, and suddenly, that 4-team group became the lead group that was sprinting for points, even though three of the teams were at -1 lap. Since we were in no man's land, despite being 2nd team on the road, we were getting zero points at the sprints. It was clear that G+J were going to lap us, and if they brought the field with them, then we would really be hosed, because we would have missed out on all those points, plus we wouldn't have a lap on the other teams. So we kept the pressure on and forced G+J to drop the group again to avoid us catching them. Eventually, G+J came around again, putting us at -1 and the rest of the field at -2.<br /><br />So after that little fuck up, which lasted until the 4th sprint, we decided to nail the final sprint. I threw Ian in at corner 3 coming into 3 to go. Timing-wise, this meant I had to shoot up-track and cram on the brakes so that he could throw me back in 1 lap later (2 to go) so that I could throw him in at corner 1 on the bell lap. Our focus on timing paid off. I led Grant through the bell, sprinted into the exchange, and hucked Ian in with 350 to go. Jamie didn't get his exchange until almost the pursuit line on the back stretch, by which time Grant had lost a lot of momentum and Jamie was having to use his own power to get himself up to speed. So while G+J made their exchange, Ian was already opening up his sprint, which he managed to take by several bike lengths over Jamie.<br /><br />All in all, not a bad run for my first Madison. We even made a little cash, got tiny silver medals, and a kid racer was doling out cupcakes after the races. Nice!<br /><br />Then the next day, I went riding and saw a BLIMP!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMYUQ5xUUHZg3uSbZjTYLNdWtfOYsMEV1pp1ikfgmyhSND0AqyraNgDoMpmy7k-MFqvoDlHVoVfBWvCRMpq0qLgP5CB0n-aRpdocYNr1o8D5vuuDwUFl4Cm9v0GF3bAcJMzvzf8dPqpAw/s1600/blimp.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMYUQ5xUUHZg3uSbZjTYLNdWtfOYsMEV1pp1ikfgmyhSND0AqyraNgDoMpmy7k-MFqvoDlHVoVfBWvCRMpq0qLgP5CB0n-aRpdocYNr1o8D5vuuDwUFl4Cm9v0GF3bAcJMzvzf8dPqpAw/s400/blimp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513894609253265714" border="0" /></a><br />Can't see the blimp? Let me enhance the picture:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn6PuoE8Dbnt1DSF4odhxFY7giA_opfh7kazG4AtJTawbd-hGKP65yYr9GOBoPEBwy2RLimO3WzppozNzIZEn7-jjETF6Ch-nBpp7Tbceh-t4VIO2g_m7QsuTCjwcg1VqaxNgu_Zv04mL/s1600/blimp2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn6PuoE8Dbnt1DSF4odhxFY7giA_opfh7kazG4AtJTawbd-hGKP65yYr9GOBoPEBwy2RLimO3WzppozNzIZEn7-jjETF6Ch-nBpp7Tbceh-t4VIO2g_m7QsuTCjwcg1VqaxNgu_Zv04mL/s400/blimp2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513895666156832050" border="0" /></a>Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640519109122987028.post-60820257981030909602010-08-29T22:03:00.000-07:002011-02-22T10:13:55.237-08:00Carnation and Seward: Getting it Wrong, Getting it RightHB brought a nice big squad to both of the weekend's local races: Carnation Farm CR on Saturday, and the Seward Season Ender on Sunday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carnation Farms Circuit Race</span><br /><br />Carnation was the third and final installment of the Lake Washington Velo series that HB puts on. Steve Fisher was killing it in the series and had the lead going into the third race. Relevant standings were<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2zG5Cfpc2Yy8k9u9W8bMWkULhVFtKv9ysP2VnU85VDEVVa1_G0xFRFzCZ5_yerJSQ1h0n1GdkqC1P5ODBNiUw0LKHkaFU-0MFNQ_XZjNVWsGnut1fxY4xYnoygPoniDH337VtoqqEO6N/s1600/Seward1.jpg"><br /></a>Steve -- 22<br />James Stangeland -- 20<br />Galen Erickson -- 16<br />Dave Richter -- 11<br />Me, Todd Herriott and Dave Flash -- 10<br /><br />HB soldiers were myself, Steve, Ian Crane, Logan Owen, Lang Reynolds, Joe Holmes, Tiny Alan, Tall Alan, Chris Wingfield, and AJ. With points 10-deep (15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) and a 4,2,1 intermediate sprint, we had our work cut out for us: cover moves with danger men in them, keep the danger men from getting the point sprint, and make sure Steve finished next to or ahead of his competition.<br /><br />On count one, we did alright. With a virtually dead-flat circuit (10 laps, ~4 mile lap), the racing was extremely aggressive since there were always like 20 guys tucked in and ready to swing dick when the moment arose. With our numbers, we were able to put at least one rider in every dangerous break. With the weird points game going on, the tactics were not like a normal one-day race, and a lot of those moves were destined for non-cooperation. Nothing got more than 10 or 15 seconds.<br /><br />On count two, we screwed up. We got the prime bell with 6 to go. Coming into corner 2, a downhill right-hander, HB alum Adrian Hegyvary put in a dig, bringing Joe Holmes with him. Those who followed Adrian's killer 2009 season might remember that at this race last year, Adrian attacked through a corner, and <a href="http://goodsensations.blogspot.com/2009/09/all-in.html">that was all she wrote</a>. So with the sultan swinging hard, the bunch got lined out good and quick. Luckily, I found David Fleischhauer's wheel, which gave me a nice draft and a free ride to the front of the race since HSP was doing the bulk of the chasing. Adrian's move came back as we reached the curvy shadowed section of the course, and since I was fresh and everyone else was looking at each other, I jumped and got a pretty quick gap.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3h1FVyiXX1-3qzf_XBdGT13aXQNOS5wEucmI7LHe65Di0E7g3ldlFTES9q4Lslr7YGZIIMGmBdBIsjL894idCwo_AYofIVauEQM5JLDyFIfN-08Q9SvzbxtlaO7s5UfuEqCOeS4F7bNz/s1600/Carnation1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3h1FVyiXX1-3qzf_XBdGT13aXQNOS5wEucmI7LHe65Di0E7g3ldlFTES9q4Lslr7YGZIIMGmBdBIsjL894idCwo_AYofIVauEQM5JLDyFIfN-08Q9SvzbxtlaO7s5UfuEqCOeS4F7bNz/s400/Carnation1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511446331522084674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(photo by <a href="http://dbc.smugmug.com/">Dennis Crane</a>)</span><br /></div><br />I got into pursuit mode, staying nice and low through the headwind section toward corner 4. I knew my gap was going to come down in the 500-meter finishing straight with everyone gunning for the points, and I also knew that winning the sprint would take a lot of pressure off of Steve (not to mention getting me more points), so I dug real deep. Here's where the team went wrong: we tried to have our cake and eat it, too, putting a couple riders on the front to (ostensibly) keep Steve and Ian from getting swarmed. Unfortunately, the pace they chose wasn't fast enough to line things out for Steve and Ian, but it was fast enough to bring the rest of the field within striking range for the sprint, and as a result, I was caught less than 10 meters from the line--no exaggeration. It was like this (FFWD to 3:00, unless you are enjoying the music):<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eWGWJw4WwBA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eWGWJw4WwBA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />Dave Richter took the 4, Stangeland took the 2, and I came up empty-handed. This moved DR up to 15 points, and brought Stangeland even with Steve on points. Now Steve had to beat Stangeland to win the series. Not as good as before.<br /><br />We also botched count 3. Partially because our guys were gassed from working the hell out of the first half of the race (for better or for worse) and partially because we couldn't get our shit together, Steve was pretty much on his own for the sprint, and ended up finishing in the top-10, one position behind Stangeland, losing the series by a point. It stung extra good since he would have won on a tiebreaker had I won the intermediate sprint. Womp womp.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Reg8y1e9J9iN5Siv16b4cJ1z3lKsG7C08iWhjsG8p2pD_ysg17sxK9txzsuu-HWQL43XcOvjJidsUM8hALwUICJdrBL4JuvF2oXIhw-yXFZV3BFW6c_RV2hFfY1E2QijX6o9Vt81CNIe/s1600/10-lwv-3-men-1-2-web.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Reg8y1e9J9iN5Siv16b4cJ1z3lKsG7C08iWhjsG8p2pD_ysg17sxK9txzsuu-HWQL43XcOvjJidsUM8hALwUICJdrBL4JuvF2oXIhw-yXFZV3BFW6c_RV2hFfY1E2QijX6o9Vt81CNIe/s400/10-lwv-3-men-1-2-web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511795012151149506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(photo from Rob Whitacre's sweet camera)</span></span><br /></div><br />As Joe put it, "the winner is usually the person with the clearest vision when everyone is seeing triple." That said, I think we should have been able to piece together a better race than we did.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On to the C-word Season Ender.</span><br /><br />Same crew minus Tall Alan and AJ. Weird format, with 4 $20 cash primes, and $5 to the leader of each lap after the first prime. This time, we were smarter about what we chased, what we worked in, and what we sat on. With Steve and Logan looking good in sprints recently, we wanted to set it up for them. Coming into the last 10 laps, Lang was off the front with Stangeland, but got popped when Stangeland attacked him for a prime. At that point, the two were within about 5 seconds of the pack, but after Lang came back, Stangeland found some reserves and pushed his advantage back out to about 15 seconds with 5 to go. Pretty cashed from the first half of the race (theme?), I put my chips into the chase effort, which was pretty unmotivated for a few laps. With about 2 to go, things finally picked up when people realized that Stangeland is real strong. The gap was coming down, but not fast enough. Coming up the hill into the turn on the last lap, Logan was well positioned right behind Richter. Stangeland's advantage had come down to about 5 seconds, but went to about zero seconds when he crashed himself out in the corner, a la Jake MacArthur. Logan came around Richter to win. Booyah!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2zG5Cfpc2Yy8k9u9W8bMWkULhVFtKv9ysP2VnU85VDEVVa1_G0xFRFzCZ5_yerJSQ1h0n1GdkqC1P5ODBNiUw0LKHkaFU-0MFNQ_XZjNVWsGnut1fxY4xYnoygPoniDH337VtoqqEO6N/s1600/Seward1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2zG5Cfpc2Yy8k9u9W8bMWkULhVFtKv9ysP2VnU85VDEVVa1_G0xFRFzCZ5_yerJSQ1h0n1GdkqC1P5ODBNiUw0LKHkaFU-0MFNQ_XZjNVWsGnut1fxY4xYnoygPoniDH337VtoqqEO6N/s400/Seward1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511259036981389458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(booking it through the sweeper)</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQroOb31NQbPeVtB7XUwdH7ZzD8-_ReeWm25nQzAISWPpzaRhWPctIRhThd1BLx4wb-m0S1OjJKyLhnpwiWtKtqWxlm5cSmHNzjyQ2GSgZBhoaY8XuxBaP6SQhSsXqm30hW34-237kMIaV/s1600/Stangeland.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQroOb31NQbPeVtB7XUwdH7ZzD8-_ReeWm25nQzAISWPpzaRhWPctIRhThd1BLx4wb-m0S1OjJKyLhnpwiWtKtqWxlm5cSmHNzjyQ2GSgZBhoaY8XuxBaP6SQhSsXqm30hW34-237kMIaV/s400/Stangeland.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511259245153506242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(James Stangeland during his solo effort; photos from Dustin van Wyk)</span></span><br /></div><br />This may have been the last weekend of road racing for the year, unless I go to Eugene for the stage race next weekend. We'll see!Colin Gibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05944466898011849732noreply@blogger.com0