Magic *and* Tragic

As a self confessed gear whore, I spend an inordinate amount of time mewling and hand-wringing over gear selection.  Two ways too.  Selection for purchase and selection per outing.


As such I thought I'd share a bit of magic and a bit of tragic of late.


The Magic:
Loeffler Colibri Überhose.


Really. read that twice if you need to.  Überhose.  With a name like that you just KNOW you're headed for the top box of the podium.  Ok, so you're probably not wearing rain pants if you're racing, but hell, we all need a little more umlaut in our lives.

I've had a pair of these Goretex cycling overpants for almost a decade, during which they've seen loads of saddle time on tours, long spring & fall rides and they're still going strong. They're getting a bit fuzzy beyond the edge of the reinforced seat where the saddle abrades the fabric a bit but so far they're still 100% intact, waterproof, breathable and THIS is were they excel over anything else I've seen.
They are really light and super packable,  like maybe it'll rain, I'll just throw them in a jersey pocket light.  Cause they are so packable they will actually fit in one jersey pocket without poking out the top.  At a little under 250g they're comparable weight to regular tights.


The legs are slightly long so they manage to cover the tops of shoes and keep them covered without bunching up around the cranks. The adjustable cuffs keep them from flapping around too much or getting hung up on anything and they're way comfortable.


Deadly magic.


Down side.  Nearest place I know to get them is Munich.  or München if you wanna get all Deutsch sprache over it.  They are aus Österreich after all.


Still, follow the link above through to the Loeffler  site and maybe it'll come up with something more local to you.


The Tragic:
Sidi mega dominators


I'm on my second pair of these shoes now.  The first were warrantied because the sole started peeling away from the upper.  ..or vice versa.  anyway.  I chose them initially because they have a great reputation, lots of people I know love them.  They fit me really well, comfortable and are reasonably stiff.
Pretty good mix of capabilities. (I have a hard foot to fit well so not too many shoes fit well)
The cons are that the buckles,  while they do make for a very secure fit that can be cinched up without losing so much as a pedal stroke can get fouled with debris and make getting the shoe off nearly impossible.
This can be really bothersome if you're fighting off leg cramps at the end of a ride and have to contort yourself to get the buckles to behave as they're supposed to.
Another down side is that the soles have really poor traction.  They look a mean game with an aggressive tread, but I swear they're made of congealed vaseline.   Slick like snot on a door knob.  Not so great around here where it's a lot of exposed Canadian shield and mud.


Still, so far the pros outweigh the listed cons for me.   Until this:




This is the second pair I've had this happen to.
Its not shown in the photo, but the retension plate for the screw in studs is floating around in there loose because it's opened up that far back.


poo.


This happened in a little over one year of riding mixed road and mtb.


Absolutely Tragic.

Magic or Tragic?

Its just come to my attention that the venerable Phil Wood bicycle co. has released a  limited edition track hub set.

24k gold plated.

Yeah. I'm not shitting you. real gold..  

on hubs.
for sale via a few select stores.

Holy crap.   Words barely convey how ridiculous I think this horror show is.  
(You're welcome to disagree via the little x to the right of the browser tab)
 I just lost some respect for Phil Wood bicycle co. **   for what appears to me as a vain, ego driven ploy to create a status symbol "collectible" by taking a mature fully developed product and making it stupid expensive and elitist simple by adding an expensive commodity as a coating.   The product is otherwise unchanged but for coming in a different colour is suddenly loads more expensive.

nice.

..this further offends my inner weight weenie, as gold is known for several things, and light isn't one of them.

**(not enough to prohibit me from selecting a Phil Woods Ti square taper bottom bracket, mind you, were I to be in the market for one but that decision is would be driven by a rational assessment of the equipment vs. any aesthetic or status symbol consideration)

note: currently there seems to be no information on the Phil Wood site regarding these. (perhaps they're embarrassed?) but they can be seen here,  and here.  ..is it too early for April fools?!

Winnie the pooh eats Salsa Dos Niner,

Last Thurs I stopped by Phat Moose just to see the boys.  Nothing really specific in mind but was in the area and hadn't seen the guys in forever.  Good times, of course we talked about bikes and bike stuff and whats new and more bike stuff etc.
I mentioned I was doing the Wakefield, Phillipe loop the next day and in a separate conversation later I was expressing an interest in the whole 29'r thing.  Before you know it without even asking I'm all kitted up with their super sweet Salsa Dos Niner for my ride!   Magic! Those guys are diamonds, the pair of em'.  Thanks guys!

So stoked!  The weather was calling for more cold and meh, and I was doing the ride just to get out and enjoy the rugged isolation of the parc before it gets all snowy and cushy likes.  (it's super beautiful now with all the leaves down, you get to see all the exposed ridges, ravines, outcroppings etc. that are usually obscured by leaves or snow. Striking difference)
And, having a chance to demo new equipment suddenly brought a whole new element of woo-hoo! to the ride.  Even better, it was set up with 1x9 which is something I've been considering as a destination when all my 8spd IG cassettes finally get pooched  (and are irreplaceable).

So, I got to run my first proper ride on a 29'r and also test out whether I dig the 1x9 as a next step from 2x8.
Awesome!

Unfortunately, with all the cool temps and rain we've been having the ground was mega saturated and really slow.  Some sections had a deep sopping wet carpet of leaves too so it was really mucky and slow.  The DosNiner did climb really really well though.  Even on thick matted soggy leaves on top of rock it never had any trouble hooking up.
The bike was set up with Continental Mountain King tires 2.4 front, and I think 2.2 on back running 28psi in both.  I would have liked to have run a higher volume tire in the back but Kent explained that the flattened stays of the Dos Niner softtail  was just a bit tight for the Mountain King 2.4 so it got the 2.2 as it was on hand.  Fair enough.   I'm pretty sure if it were mine to setup for my self I'd put something a little larger with low rolling resistance in the back.  ..but it was run watcha brung time so I got on with it as it was.

As said the bike hooked up on the climbs really well and when I picked bad lines up mossy rocks to test it out it would only rarely break loose, but in a really predictable way.  Nothing explosive so very manageable.
Really when it came down to it, the climbs and descents were the most enjoyable riding.  Anything approaching level ground was so sodden that it bogged down the tires with suction and made for loads more work and slower going than it should have been.
Descending on the Dos Niner was fantastic. Very confidence inspiring and despite the wet leaves on rocks and loose gravel  I was letting it run fast into sweeper corners without feeling like I was getting close to the limit.  That was nice.   The bike felt wonderfully stable and even on a couple occasions where it started to drift a bit it still felt safe.
I did have trouble with working the bike under me though.   Normally I move the bike around under me a lot and pop water bars without much thought or effort but I never got the timing or weight transfer sorted out for that sort of play on the Dos Niner.   Maybe just needs more time to acclimatise or maybe it's an inherent trade off for the stability and other aspects that the bike excels at.   Dunno. More time will tell I suppose, but I did miss being able to work the bike around under me.
The timing issue finally caught up to me on one of the downs closing in on Wakefield where I drove the rear wheel into the backside of a water bar and shredded the tube.  oops.

I only had a 26" tube with me too, but it stretched out ok with only a modicum of cursing and a couple pinched fingers.
This happened on the cleanest, fastest section of trail too.  oh, well. It wasn't raining and all went well.

The rest of the ride was uneventful in a peaceful, isolated kind of way.  I had the whole parc to myself it seemed, and added bonus the rain held off so it was really quite nice despite it being 2 degrees and overcast.
I did however run completely out of steam towards the end due to not being as diligent about taking in calories as my current fitness would warrant.  I used to be able to get away with being a bit lax on nutrition for a 4hr ride but these days, not so much.  not yet.
<- During happy engergetic
But, it felt great to spend the day on the Salsa turn myself inside out and leave it all on the trail.
Thanks again to the guys at the Moose for the loan of their ride and also mucho apologies for returning it in the state it was. Yucky mucky!   After happy dead ->

Winnie the poo day two.

The plans for this coming Friday were to do another Gats loop as per my last post.  ..a "gettem' while you can" kinda thing, but I'm thinking now maybe I'll do it a bit different.
I read up on the Tall Trees Rides Double Cross thingy that went down this past Sunday and while I was a bit envious, I was making a totally bitchin' Thomas the Train three level track system (!!) with the wee man so it was a day very well spent.   I don't have a cross bike anyway, and am slow as shit these days, haven't been getting out much and feel I need to hammer when I do, which I can't cause my fitness isn't there, and consequently don't pace myself and flame out too soon, so it's probably just as well I was otherwise engaged.
That said, a good chunk of that route I still consider as 'old stompin' grounds for me so while I was happy where I was, a part of me longed for the easy chat it up social ride that that route lends itself to as I've only done that loop once this season.  once.   Those aren't that isn't good numbers ..   That speaks volumes about my season.  One Wakefield loop.  :shakes head:  oh well, never too early & never too late to start riding.

so, this Friday I'm thinking me and meine kleine Klein are going to do the Wakefield Phillipe loop for what might be one last time this season.  ..maybe there'll be more opportunities (perhaps even Sat or Sun?)  but I'm not about to count on it and let this one get away.  I'm figuring on a solo affair (must remember the ipod) as its pretty long odds that anyone will be up for playing hooky to go for a 3.5hr ride in 2 degrees and rain weather**.  That said, if any of you Big Ringers, known, or unknown associates are itchin for some chilly wet pedal turns to earn Friday evening beers, i'll be launching from the O'Brien lot sometime around 10:00am.  Bring warm footwear. (I'm reminding myself here)
seriously, if anyone wants to join, drop me a line.

** It's typically a couple degrees cooler in the park.  so, 2 degrees and rain.  that's one bad crash or mechanical away from hypothermia.  Thats why I'll be chuffin along slow like.  ..nothing to do with fitness.  No sir.

Recovery ride - Winnie the poo day.

As the title suggests, on this blustery, rainy, cold day between meetings and such I found a window to ride. yay!

..is that silence because nobody cares or you're all just floored that soft-guy finally started his season?

Ostensibly this was a recovery ride from last weekends Del-shoes 'anti-race' but I suppose it's pushing it to call a six-day-later-ride a "recovery" ride. Still, if it's not recovery from the Anti-race, it's recovery from something..I had rather intended to mount the trainer sometime this past week, for those purposes but things being things, that didn't happen. So, with a busy schedule the only available window was Friday. Unfortunately the weather wasn't so super hot. Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be quite nice, but today was generally yechy.
no matter, it is what it is, and one has to take advantage of the opportunities presented as they present themselves.

Things started out quite well. Weather was cooperating with the rain holding off and it stayed

that way for 20min or so until I was behind the Parliment Bldgs. So, donning rain coat I continued on, as did the rain.Managed to get the clothing mostly right so while I was a little warm early on, the temps dropped up in the parc and I was pretty good. ..'cept for the feet.
I'd neglected to put on my goretex socks or booties so once the rain & spray had completely soaked my feet & ankles It got a bit chilly down there. My ankles felt like they had ice cream headaches!

Still, all was well and the park was understandably deserted. Only two cars in Gamelin lot with a pair of cyclist suiting up, and throughout the ride I saw one jogger, three small groups of walker/hikers and three cyclists besides myself.

Everyone was cheerful and offered smiles or waves. nice!
Noteably; two of the three cyclists offered purposeful and clearly discernible waves..
THAT my friend is 66% of roadies offering acknowledgment of a fellow cyclist on ONE ride!!
It just doesn't get better than that. ..granted three is a small n but I'm not going to get hung up on conditional considerations that dilute the importance of that stat.

66% of roadies waved. Now, if you want to get freaky and include me,(i waved also) that already impressive stat launches up to a stratospheric 75%!! But that might be greedy so even without me the 66% is positively massive.

I personally am going to consider that one item a positive harbinger of upcoming wonderfulness. ..two of three riders willing to remove a hand from the bars to acknowledge a fellow rider and spread some cheer on a blustery, wet, cold day.

I propose to you good people that those kind souls are spearheading the revolution. yep. Remember, you read it here first.

I also had the fortune to commune with nature for a moment when I came face to face with a young buck on ..wait for it..

Fortune.

woah, get it? see what I did there? oh, yeah I gots wordsmithing all locked up over here.
Heres young Buck himself.
(how do I know he's young? well, I don't. I'm totally clueless actually, but young buck sounds better than old buck to me and I felt I had to pick one.

Unfortunately I noticed while taking the snaps that my momentary comrade-in-climbing has an injured leg.

That saddened me.

Suddenly, trying to get a good snap to show all you good people seemed completely trivial. The consideration being that a deer with a bad leg in late November has some very serious challenges ahead of him.
The fates can be cruel bitches, and I fear that my new acquaintance had Lachesis measure out a shorter string than he deserves. ..bitch.
However, despite Bucks questionable future, it's not my place to interfere with the moira (unwise to tangle with the weird sisters) so I carried on my way wishing him the best and hoping that he stays clear of the predators long enough to heal up.

The actual climbing of fortune was pretty good as the slower pace and harder work managed to warm my feet a tiny bit.

At the top Champlain was totally deserted as would be expected. It was no day to daly about in the blustery cold rain so I snapped my evidence shots and carried on down blacks. Pretty

uneventful ride back. ..I think.

I actually got immersed in thought and when I was rounding the corner to the Raymond overpass I was thinking "have I gone down Pinks

yet?"

I was honestly oblivious to most of the descent for being immersed in thought. huh. ..hope i didn't miss anything.

Anyway it was all good back to home. I was pretty soaked but felt ok until I got in the shower to warm up and apparently my feet were colder than I thought. The shower felt like red hot pokers raining down! My thighs went beet red and my feet went all purple and blotchy while the nerves spazzed out like ..um, insert witty analogy here, I'm tired.

..but the nerve spaz was short lived and totally worth it.

How to turn a dreary old day into something better than it looks like through the windows.

late breaking news. Just checked the forecast and while it's apparently going to be swell through the early next week, it's calling for rain and snow for Thurs, Fri next week. That should make things interesting for next Fridays ride. ..oh yes. There will be a ride. This year I'm going to ride until I can ski. ..guess I better find those Goretex socks!

A Date with Ilsa?

Having my lack of fitness exposed (as in exhumed), dusted off, and shoved rudely in my face this past weekend, it has become incredibly apparent that this will not stand!

Changes need be made.

and change is a comin'!

So, facing the off season aka "dead zone" between cycling type weather and ski type weather the need for myself to seek out, plan, partake and effect some positive changes in fitness has been acknowledged, accepted and plans are being hatched.

The challenge is, that fitness for fitness sake is kindof um, ..boring. I'm not a gym type guy, and while I dig the spinning thing my favorite instructor (foreground in red) is doing his classes on Thurday evenings and that doesn't work so well for me.
Thursdays belong to the wee man himself;

and he will not be denied!

so, drastic measures are being employed. Home use of swiss ball, stretching, planks, pushups (!) and crunches are happening in my world for starters. It really is a love / hate thing for me though and I benefit from the motivation that a structured program provides. Holds my feet to the fire so to speak ..but as stated, the spinning program doesn't work for my schedule this season so apart from infrequent drop-ins I'm going to have to look further afield.

After much searching, interviews, (actually not), research (yeah, not really) and wondering what the hell to do about this, (I actually did do this) I've come across what I think will be a perfect solution..

Ilsa.

..not to be confused with Elsa who also keeps folks hoppin' but in a very different way

I don't know too much about Ilsa yet, but I've got a good feeling that she'll meet the divergent requirements of being cheap, flexible (with regards schedules) and provide an alterative to the standard mirrors, egos, narcissistic b.s.* that is a typical gym.

*"Puuush it!, It's all you! It's all you!!.."

It would even go so far as to say that a gym to me is like a torture chamber. So, if I'm going to sign up for torture I should at least be in surroundings conducive to torture and this Ilsa has seen to in spades!

Behold!

All that needs sorting is a quick visit to ensure that the change rooms provide a suitable environment for going from work mode to 'pump me up' mode, some scheduleing and we'll be good to go.

I've got a good feeling about this. yep, Ilsa's gonna make me her bitch and we'll both be better for it!

stay tuned for recon snaps of the changing facilities. giddy with excitement over here!

Anti-race weekend of get the hell outta dodge

The family truckster post Anti-race.

Not the first time OBR and myself have run with the same numbers on our plates, but this is the first time we shared that number with 25 other riders!

This past Friday after errands were run and money was hemmoraghed, yours truly packed the family truckster with one small, and one large hardtail
(one being my own and one belonging to the r-inginal Big Ring himself.) upon completing the packing** we (and by we, I mean me) headed off to Bobcaygeon to meet up with the the r-ignal Big Ring who was headed in from parts quite south of there.
Once clear of the cluster coitus that is traffic around Bank, Heron, Baseline etc, the drive was lovely. Tunes were cranked and karaoke was practiced to Morrisey, Jesus & Mary chain, Sonic youth and Jimmy Buffet among others. It was a textbook example of how to celebrate your own company without need of closed eyes, bitten lower lips and personal lubricant.
..anyway. The rendevous with the OBR went swimmingly and would have made a swiss watch look like a cereal box sundial on account of our timing. The touch-base "where-bouts-are-you?" phone call identifying that with 10min to the evenings destination, and us having started ~700km apart OBR had actually ended up right on my bumper for the last 15min into the evenings destination. ..go team! (infectious catch phrase used with apologies but without permission)

An evening of Bobcaygeon hospitality followed and the morning had us both in the family truckster on route to the Delstalk Anti-race in Collingwood. I do believe that there will be full reports and photos on the wondrous Jager fueled love-in that was Delstalk here & here among others. It was indeed wondrous, there was Jager to lubricate motivation, dull anxieties and generally provide a frivolous Anti-race atmosphere.
(I approved, I imbibed. ..Abide.)

A potentially freakish horror show** was narrowly avoided with the generosity, preparedness and good will of Del himself when I discovered that I'd left my shoes at home. ..(!!!)
I have few personal heroes beyond Winston Churchill, Lux Interior & Vinnie Jones but I can now add Del to the short list of thems' what are worthy.
The ride was awesome, the weather flawless, the company without peer and that first fucking hill drilled a hole in my soul the size of all the worlds problems.

Seriously. That mutherfuker hill made entire solar systems look like styrofoam science fair models. I can't remember sucking so hard for so long anytime in the last several years. Granted, my fitness and especially my cardio is total ass these days but the few rides that I have done this year lulled me into the belief that I could still fake it by employing my inherent willingness to suffer. sortof. Not so much on that climb. Perhaps the worst part (you know apart from ninety million miles of sustained vertical with no reprieve) was that you could see right from bottom to top, arrow straight all the way. That means you can watch the gap(s) widen as you fall off the back while riders tear you off their wheel one by one ..jeezus f'n heartbreak.
Anyway, the hill was climbed and I may or may not have been the only geared rider to dismount and walk part of it. ugh. I'm not a singlespeeder so I'm really not comfortable with the whole walking-bike up steep bits thing. ..I may have to build a singlespeed just to justify that kind of craptasticness.

The rest of the ride was brilliantly, magical, lovelyness though. Smooth flowy single track, a bit of woodsy hike-a-bike, a wee bit of gravel, and some really nice sections that felt like if Dupont Forest and Camp Fortune hooked up and had singletrack babies. Nice, flowy S-track through the woods with the odd bit of technical thrown in to keep things real and test (and illuminate) respective Jager levels.

The apre-ride (thats ski hill speak) was celebrated at Blue Mountains Fire Hall pizza joint. Blue Mountain is Intrawest so if you know what Intrawest is then you know exactly how contrived a reasonably genuine looking "fire hall" can be when you plop it at the bottom of a ski hill in a cookie-cutter pedestrian street village. But hey, they had beer so It's all good if you don't order the hot dog pizza like OBR did.
I approved, I imbibed. Abide.

So, that was my Anti-race. It was truly awesome.
Many thanks to Peter, Del, and the rest of the Misfit Psycles organizers. Good people were met, new friends were made existing friendships cemented.
Tomorrow (or some day soonish) we'll talk about what if anything the hell comes next!

**driving 550Km for a ride only to end up drinking myself legless alone in a bar instead of making badly needed pedal strokes would very probably put me in a truly apocolyptic mood for some time.

$100 Bike Challenge - Finale: Mission Accomplished!

When I last posted, the bike frame had been painted and clear-coated and was left to cure for a week. The final product turned out pretty nice and I was satisfied with it.

Reunited - frame and fork

Now the fun part, assembling the bike. First, the fork, headset, and quill which all went on easily. Next the bottom bracket and and crank set, went on fine but I notices the pedal were quite far out. Then I put on the rear wheel - I had removed the cassette and installed a freewheel - and quickly figured out that the chain line was not going to work at all. The free wheel was way too inboard and the crank too outboard! *&?%#@!! As you all know, the chain line is the key to a single-speed (SS); it has to be straight! So, I went out and checked with the experts. The guy at re-Rycles didn't know much about SS bikes but suggested that the bottom bracket (BB) spindle was too long. Next, I brought the frame in to the dudes at Tall Trees. They suggested a few things:

BB spindle too long,

• a mtb crank (which I was using) is further outboard because it has 3 rings compared to 2 on a road crank
• I could move the spacers on the rear hub to move it further out but that would require redishing the rear wheel

I have done 4 other SS builds, guess I had been lucky because I had never had any of these problems with the others. So, my option are: new BB, new crank, wheel rebuild or new wheel at that price.

Considering these options and my $100 budget, I decided to try one thing at a time starting with the cheapest. So, I started with the BB. I found one at Pecco's in Hull for $15! And not a really crappy one with plastic cups. I know it does not have great bearings, but it will do. This time I went with a 107mm spindle (the other was 113mm). Let's see what happens!

When I got home, I installed the new BB and then the crank. Well, what a difference! The cranks actually set totally flush with the spindle and gained about 1cm inboard on the drive side. Things were looking up. I put the rear wheel on and threw a chain on and 'shite'! Chain line still slightly off but not by just a couple of millimeters - slight bend in the chain. Now, how was I going to solve this bit. I put the bike away and decided to ponder this little puzzle.

See the bend in the chain at the top of the freewheel?

The next day I did a bit of research and do-it-yourself bike Guru Sheldon Brown (R.I.P.) had the solution - spacers between the crank bolts and spider. And, I just happened have 3mm spacers. I installed them as suggested and bingo! I got a straight chain line!! Pretty damn close anyway.

Spacers between the spider and chain-ring improved chain alignment

Straight chain line!!

I was finally ready to put the rest of the parts on, handlebars, brakes, seat and post, grips all went on with know. As I was adjusting the rear break, I notice something that almost made me want to throw the bike over the fence! The wheel was seriously out of true! @#$%&!!! I know that most shops charge a standard fee between $25 - $35 for truing wheel that would break my budget. So, I had to do it myself but I had never trued a wheel in my life.

So, where do you turn when you want to know how to do something? The Internet of course, and Youtube and plenty of video and I found one that I liked. I went ahead and put the bike on the stand, using the rear brake as guides and started tightening and loosening spokes as per the video I watched. After about 20mins, the wheel looked pretty good and wasn't rubbing the brake pads anymore. That's it, I can't believe it; I am finally done! The bike looks great and works great!

Grips matching the paint job

Our spokes-model shows off the new build!

This was my most rewarding build for many reasons: it was challenging, I learned a lot and it made Melissa happy!

Did I meet my objective of the challenge - under $100? Here are the details:

• Frame - $0 (from the trash)
• Paint materials $40
• wheel, tires, tubes $0 (already had those)
• Brakes, cables, housing, seat post, seat bolt $20 (Re-cycles)
• Brake levers, handlebar $0
• Grips $12
• Freewheel $10
• Bottom bracket $15
• Pedals $0
• Crankset $0
• Chain $0

Add it all up for a grand total of (drum roll...) $97! I should get a few stickers with leftover $3!

Now if you remember my very first post about this build (aka Part 1), I mentioned that I built myself a fixie. Well, take a look at the pics below. Took a few days to get use to riding fixed but I love it now and ride it every day.

Vintage Miele frame, Velocity Deep V rims - Nothing says Pimped-out like Purple!
Rides like a dream on 700 x 35 tires

Sweet chrome sweep-back handlebars with rim-matching purple grips

$100 Bike Challenge - Part 4: Paint job complete.

The painting of the frame is now done and I'm pretty happy with it. The final step, the clear coat, was the trickiest I thought. Few lessons I learned:
- Prep work is the key
- Never, ever touch clear coat before it dries
- Little mistakes can easily be fixed with low grit wet sandpaper
- Patience - don't rush it

I am allowing the clear coat to fully cure and won't build the bike until next Saturday. Hopefully for my next post, you will see the complete build. Here are some pics of the finished paint job.

$100 Bike Challenge - Part 3: Some Lessons Learned

So the frame has two coats of Ford Light Blue and is ready for the final step - the clear coat. I was keen to get the clear coat on and got set up quickly. I started applying the the clear coat and it went on very well. All was going smoothly until I noticed a glob of clear coat on the inside of one of the chain stays. I took the corner of a rag and very gently removed the offending glob - MISTAKE #1 - clear coat really sticks to paint! Touching it or trying to remove it will peel paint off!!! &%#@@!! Nothing I could do. Bike was still wet. Best to continue and deal with it after the frame dries. I also noticed a spot on the head tube where a tiny spot of paint had peeled.

Doesn't look so bad in this picture but I could not let that go...

I considered letting those blemishes go. But I couldn't. So, the next day I set out to fix them. I wet-sanded the offending spots then stood the frame on a drop-sheet in the garage and reapplied the blue paint. Took only few minutes and the frame was back like new. I placed at spotlight to help it dry quicker. I was pretty pleased with my job and went about cleaning up the garage. I opened the door to let some fresh air in (I don't know if you've been paying attention but I had been putting the frame on a stand to paint it - not this time though- MISTAKE #2). A gust of wind blew in which caused the frame to fall on the spotlight making a nice long gash in the paint, AAAARGH!!! Well, at least it was dry or it would have been worse. So, again I grabbed the wet sandpaper and smoothed out the gash, dried it and reapplied paint. Well, a disaster was averted and the frame looks fine. Although, it will need a bit more sanding and a few more coats of clear coat. So, stay tuned as I set out to apply what I hope will be last last coats of clear coat (I hope) and start the final assembly.

NCC Public Workshop

Hey folks,

Got this notice from Matt of Tall Trees fame. Anyone who can provide some constructive input should make an effort to attend. I regret that I'll be in England on business and will miss the event. Note the immediate deadline.

Public Workshop

Gatineau Park is an important natural area in Canada’s Capital Region, measuring 361 square kilometres. The park, which features rich cultural and historical attractions, and is a prime location for a range of outdoor recreational activities, receives more than 1.7 million visits every year.

Managing environmentally respectful recreation is a unique challenge and an important responsibility. The National Capital Commission (NCC) is initiating a recreational services plan that will guide current and future recreational activities and programs in Gatineau Park.

Have your say about the trends, preliminary assessment and initial strategic framework, during the first phase of the consultative process.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
6:30 pm to 9 pm

Relais plein air du parc de la Gatineau
397 Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes
Gatineau, Quebec

As this consultation will take the form of a workshop, registration is encouraged.

Please register by September 10, 2009, by contacting Emily Keogh at 613-239-5315 or emily.keogh@ncc-ccn.ca.

The second and last phase of consultation will take place in spring 2010, and will focus on proposals regarding modifications to infrastructure and activities.

$100 Bike Challenge - Part 2

In my last post, I had just finished giving the frame a second coat of primer and left it to dry overnight. The next day, I wet-sanded it again with 600 grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface. I then dried it with a clean cloth. The frame was then ready to be painted. I was very excited about this part, because the other steps had gone so well.

Melissa wanted a blue bike - light blue or baby blue, to be exact. So, I went to Crappy Tire to pick up some automotive spray paint. The colour I chose was Ford Light Blue. I was ready to paint! I started with the fork because if I screwed it up, I could do it over. Heck, I could go back to recycles and get another one for $5! Well, the first coat on the fork went on very nicely. Smooth like buttah! Sweet! It was time to do the frame. I set it up on the stand and started spraying very carefully, just very light passes. I didn't want any drips or bumps. I made sure I kept the spray nozzle clean by wiping it constantly with a rag. I went through one can of paint. Fortunately, I bought two. I finished the frame using one third of the second can. I held a trouble light in one hand and sprayed with the other. This allowed me to see if I missed any spots. Once the frame was done, I let dry in the garage for about 1 hr, then I took outside to check my handy-work. Well, the first coat look great with some minor imperfections and it wasn't bumpy at all.

Ford Light Blue automotive paint

I let the frame dry overnight and fixed the imperfections and gave it a light second coat the next day. I liked the end result and decided that would be it for painting. After drying for another 24hrs, the frame would be ready for the final step - a clear coat. That's for tomorrow's post!

The frame looking very fresh in its new colour

The $100 Bike Challenge - Part 1

This blog has been pretty quiet over the past couple of months. So, I am going to tell you about a couple of bike-related projects I have on the go. The first was building myself a fixie which I have done and is working very well. I've been riding it to work everyday.

My second project is the more interesting one (to me anyway). A while ago, Melissa challenged me to build her a ''good'' commuter bike for under $100 - basically using all the spare bike parts I have lying in the basement and in my garage. What I had in mind was to build her a single-speed (freewheel) commuter, something that would be very low maintenance. Earlier this summer, I had found two ''Supercycle'' (Canadian Tire brand) steel road frames - one blue, the other black - in the trash. They were beaten up but were structurally sound, no bends or dents. They are the right size for Melissa. She wanted a blue bike, so I decided to build-up the blue one.

Scavenging around in the basement and garage, I found all the parts I needed - cranks, BB, wheels, brakes etc. When I took the fork off the frame, I noticed one leg was slightly bent and there were some bearings missing. A quick trip to Recycles and the Bike Dump netted me a replacement fork and bearings for $5.

So, I was ready to build but one thing was really bugging me. Cosmetically, the frame was really beaten up - lots of dings, scuffs, scratches and some rust. I just couldn't let that go. It needed to be painted. So, I called around and the cheapest paint job I could find was $150. That would break my $100 dollar cap big time. The only option was to do it myself but I didn't want the frame to look like I just took a spray can to it. So, I started to search the web and I found this guy's blog. He provides simple step by step instructions on how to paint a frame. I read his posts very carefully and thought I could do it.

The original frame - Click on image to get a better idea of its condition

I began the process on Saturday and so far, it has gone very well. First, I needed to clean the frame with paint thinner then sand it with a low grit sandpaper. The trick here is to just dull the paint and smooth out all the rough spots. Once that was done, I had to clean it and prepare it for priming.

Frame primed and looking much better already

The first coat of primer turned out pretty good, not too many bumps or runs. I hung the frame out to dry for 24hrs. The next step was to wet some very low grit sandpaper (400 or higher) and gently go over the frame to smooth it out. I did so, then dried the frame and applied a second coat of primer. The frame was left to dry overnight again and wet-sanded. Now it's time to apply the colour...

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow.

24 hrs of Hot August Nights - Summary version

Very low attendance this year compared to other years. Not many teams from Ottawa that I knew. BRR mixed consisted of Mark M, Tanya, Papa G, Leslie Greene and Mark Pearson (subbing for Zamboni)

Rain started literally at the same time as the start of the race. Things got really slick by 1pm. It rained on and off until about 9pm. Chico and crew did a great job keeping course in reasonable shape.

BRR ran in 2nd place throughout and we were very close behind first. Things went fairly smoothly for us for the most part except for Mark P has an mishap during a night lap although he was able to finish his lap.

In the morning, we shuffled our order in an attempt to catch first. It was a great effort but we were not able to surmount the lead they had on us. We finished comfortably in second.

Overall, it was a fun race. Had it not been for the rain, it would have been fantastic. In my opinion, it was one of the best race course Chico ever laid out.

Manyt thanks to Melissa, Shay and Madison who fed us like and kept our camp organized for the weekend.

Here are some pics:

Mark on lap #1...

Post lap #1

Mark P. had a very wet and slick first lap...

The Vegan Vagabon put in some fast laps and always had a smile on her face

Mark P, Leslie, Tanya, Mark M, Papa G sporting some hardware

The Vagabond celebrating by stuffing her face with a huge vegan burger! mmmm!

My firt Triathlon!

Hi all

Been a long time!

Although I am a mountain biker at heart, I had to give the triathlon thing a try so I signed up for Ironman Canada!

Of course, Im no fool, who would do an Ironman as their first ever tri?
So, I did the Peterborough Half Ironman, seamed like a logical step.

Here's my report that I posted on Trirudy.com

Hi all

Check, first triathlon done! Here we go, Robert Berthiaume (Mr. Tri2cureCF himself), Martin Zollinger and myself are ready to battle.

The swim went well, I thru myself in the mix expecting a beating. But it wasn’t that bad, yeah a few hits and bumps, but I never felt that the other swimmers didn’t care and where ready to try to get ahead at my expense. I felt respected out there and I respected everyone also. Fun swim.

Into the transition I run, breathing so hard and very dizzy. Martin was already there and soon after headed out. I take off after him not really expecting to catch him on the bike, but I will sure try!

All went well, other then I crashed on the bike 3 KM in (first time ever crash on a road bike). Trying to do too many things on the go (lesson learned), I rubbed a side walk and went down. Hurt my knee and shoulder a little but nothing that would slow me down. After picking all my stuff up, check my ego, check the bike and off I went. I never saw Martin or Rob on the out and back. Great bike course but never caught Martin. A few minutes off.

Here we go, the run that I’m so not looking forward to. Transition to the run felt good, but soon after within a few KM, both quads cramped up! I had to walk it out while eating my banana and e-load caps. Started to run again and just after seeing Martin on an out and back thru the park, my left hamstring cramps. What a long 21 KM run this will be! But dealt with it fairly well and ran on.

Soon after, I see Rob on the run, I expect to see him pass me with a few KM to go, but I won’t go down without a fight. I catch Martin, run with him a bit, we admirer my left over food on the sidewalk where I crashed the bike and I run on. At 7-8 K or so, I tried to drink a little to much while going by a water station and was forced to give it all back 200 M later, stopping me until my stomach stopped rejecting the extra liquid, this to Martin’s pleasure as he ran by me with a few encouraging words. So I ran the next 2 K (passed Martin again) and then started to drink again one cup at a time with my e-load caps, gels and Tums. So other then stopping me during, it didn't affect me much.

All in all, I ran my 21 KM after the 2 K swim and 85 K bike with confidence and finished strong for me with a few new friends.

What a great experience. Whether it’s Adventure Racing or what ever, crossing a finish line, no matter my ranking is always great.

And I can't believe I was able to hold Rob off! Man can that guy run! He beat my run time by 17 min, but I still had 4 min to spare across the finish line! I ran as hard as I could and felt ok for the most part, almost enjoyable!

Still neither of us beat Ann's (my lovely wife) times in her home town.

Now, I want to get my running better as Rob will have more time to catch up for the marathon of IM Can! And he's getting stronger on the bike and he will master the swim soon enough. And as for Mr. Z, maybe I’ll get him on the bike at IM Can. Not that we are competing against each other or anything, just good motivation!

IM Canada here we come!

Thanks to all that have and are helping us along the way.

You can support our Tri2cure Cystic Fibrosis awareness campaign by purchasing a technical t-shirt at any Pecco’s. All sales and proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Breathing life into the future.

www.cysticfibrosis.ca
Thanks to Pecco’s as always. www.Peccos.com

Thanks
Tobin
See you on the trails soon enough! I'll be back!

Solstice - March of the Damned

I was about to write a post on the BRR Mixed experience after the race the I thought it would be more interesting to hear about people's individual experiences at the race because this race will probably a memorable one over the years. I also thought it would be interesting to hear from all the BRR crew, not only the Mixed team. Rick and Tanya, who raced solo, have posted their own stories here and here.

I apologize for the length of this post but think about it as an "anthology" of sorts - a collection of short stories. Anyway, if you are reading this blog, it is likely because you got plenty of time to kill! I have not edited any of the stories, except for some formatting. Enjoy!

Ed Jager - BRR Filthy Old men

This was my first time riding with Big Ring Racing. It was great to ride with a cool bunch of people that love to bike as much as I do. The riding (and walking) in the mud was hard, but once I got my head in the right place it was great. Counting the other riders I saw and checking out the bats and frogs on my night lap help keep it fun, as did passing the guy carrying his kid's bike. That and knowing my light would only last 1h45m.

Lenny – Captain, BRR Filthy Old men

Lenny’s 2009 Summer Solstice Race Report - I was looking forward to testing my foundation at this race because I have worked relatively hard on it this year. I was a bit worried because I haven’t trained my top end very much but I don’t really need to because most of my riding buddies are stronger than me so I am often in zone 2 or above. On my 1^st lap I was able to ride my bike for a few hundred metres before hitting some mud that was so thick and deep that you could not pedal through it. At first I was disappointed but it was the same for everyone so I sucked it up and pushed (literally) through it. This lasted for about 3km and then most of the next 12km was OK. When I finished my lap I looked at my chain rings from the left hand side and all I could see was my granny ring! My chain dropped down in the first section that I had to run and I never bothered to try to move it back up because speed was not a factor on this course. I think I need a new team –“Granny Ring Racing”!

Many thoughts went through my head as I was doing my lap and a bit – yes I pulled the plug on my second lap. At first I was disappointed because I wasn’t racing but instead was just walking and running through the mud. I decided that it didn’t matter because I just wanted to have fun so I started joking around with all the other people out on the course. Most people would smile when I said there was lots of cold beer at my camp site! I walked off on my 2^nd lap at about 10:30 PM because I knew my teammates were questioning whether we should still be riding. Also, I heard a lot of people quit at the transition area after their laps were done. I decided that as the team captain I would take the lead and pack it in. I found out after I got back to the campsite that the organizers had come to the same decision. The trails were a real mess and the bikes were also taking a beating and I know it was the right call.

This year’s race was truly one to remember . . . or possibly forget!

Bill Trayling – BRR Mixed

As I reflect on my first Solstice 'mud-fest disguised as a bike race' experience, I would like to make mention of a few memorable moments ...

- the endless support from the non-rider crew, who spent hours trying to create a dripless mission control, while keeping us fed and entertained.

- the humbling opportunity to hammer home our team's last lap, generously offered up by Stef and supported by a group of teammates SO dedicated that they endured a gallant bushwacking experience in an effort to cheer me on, as I navigated the last few clicks of a very icky trail.
- and the hilarity of my final 50 metres, where I really thought the dude right in front of me WAS the 'competition' - leading to me scrambling to slap the chip on the reader (twice) in desperation - only to discover (during our manly embrace) that he was just some guy finishing a 2 and a half hour lap who wanted to mess with my head!

- I'd also like to comment on the impressive resilience of all those weekend warrior riders - those who arrived with their trailers and their big screen TVs who don't don the spandex too often. Guys like 'Phil', who generously saved me from a lonely walk on the pre-ride with his chain tool and quick link.

These folks are the ones who will really benefit from the 24 turned to 12. The Monday morning water-cooler convos were that much better with the Ecochallenge-esque experience fostered by the relentless rain. My hat (or rather my muddied helmet) goes off to them.

Finally, I'd like to thank my team. I came to this race through a connection to a very special person - and in the process, have made friends with a group of awesome people who are masterful at balancing great performance with great times.

Well, this event will make the history books! What a funny story: 1000’s of mature adults slithering, slipping and fumbling through thick, goopy, wet, mud; pushing their no-longer-rideable bike as fast as they can - just because…

Kari “T-Bone” Ferlatte – BRR Mixed

Well, this event will make the history books! What a funny story: 1000’s of mature adults slithering, slipping and fumbling through thick, goopy, wet, mud; pushing their no-longer-rideable bike as fast as they can - just because…

This weekend, as course conditions deteriorated, racers began to creatively strategize how to handle the slop. Some considered running with just the seat or a wheel and I smiled as event organizers blared out over the loud speaker that you must have your bike with you on the entire lap - now you know the history of the Kari/carry rule.

since we are talking about history, I thought I’d share a little story. This event was reminiscent of my first 24 hour solo experience in Kelso in 2002. It rained for 23 of the 24 hours, turning the course into a thick clay-based mud fest (I know you can relate)! I was wrecked from trying to carry, lift, drag, push or pull my 80lb mud laden steed through the mess. At about 4 am I just couldn’t drag that thing anymore, so I tossed it into the bushes and ran to finish another lap, I was exhausted. That’s when the event organizers told me that my lap wouldn’t count as I didn't have my bike, “Kari - this is a bike race” – they said. “oh, bummer... Show me the rule”, I mumbled in my state of fatigued bonk. They looked at each other and shrugged, there was no rule. And so the “Kari/carry” rule was born.

This weekend, as course conditions deteriorated, racers began to creatively strategize how to handle the slop. Some considered running with just the seat or a wheel and I smiled as event organizers blared out over the loud speaker that you must have your bike with you on the entire lap - now you know the history of the Kari/carry rule.

Doing the race in these conditions on a team rather than as a soloist, made the whole thing a blast! It was fun enduring the slippy goop for an hour or so, laughing all the way – knowing that you could return to your ‘race family’, clean up and recharge. It was an awesome weekend of mud, sweat and tears (of laughter)!

Leslie Green – BRR Mixed

Hi, I’m Leslie Greene, I’m the guest Big ringer, I’ve never done on-line dating. As I met my Husband Bill Greene, in 1991, well before On-line dating was invented. However, I have had very good fortune with On-line dating of a different sort. It was one week before the 24 Hour Solstice Race, in 2007… I did not have a team to ride on, and so I checked out the adds, on Chico’s Forum. Ah so many to choose from, apparently women who wish to race are highly sought after. I had my pick… but something about the way Stef worded the add for Machine Head Racing, caught my eye. We sent a few messages back and forth and we had a date.

We pulled off two SILVER medals that summer, both June and August. And In 2008 Stef and Gilles, invited me back, to race on Big Ring Racing, for two more SILVER medals. So here we are June 2009 and we just pulled off the ultimate, GOLD.

Thanks to you guys, in spite of wearing Chain Reaction ( My Husbands family shop), I’m feeling like part of the Big Ring Team. They say next year they will be sure to order me a jersey.

I first knew it was slick our there, when I witnessed a large fellow, wearing a big blue cape, go for a loop, and all he was doing was spectating right at the transition area. He ended up in a pile, and lost all his pocket change in the process. He sat there and plucked it out of the mud before attempting to get up.

As for the race, what luck… RAIN...RAIN… and more RAIN.
I mean this in all seriousness “I Love the Mud” in some weird sort of way. Brings back fond memories of racing, in Quebec. I guess this is why you Ottawa guys do so well in the mud, you are used to it.

My first lap was lap 3 for our team, and I was feeling the pressure, to get back before 4pm, so I could take my kids in the kids race. I remember seeing the 5 KM to go and thinking, well perhaps I can pull this off in 20 minutes, the rest must be flatter… Wrong even hiller towards the end, and it took me a good 30 minutes. I arrived at 3:50 p.m., ran into register and sign the waiver, then raced back to the tents, scooped up my kids, Connor, Emily, our babysitter Kayleige, Gilles and Amelie, joined us too. We drove to the Start area as it was much too muddy to drag the kids along the trail. We missed the youngest age group start so we just joined the 7-8 year olds. Connor was so upset the moment he saw the mud.

“ Mud, I can’t ride in the Mud.” He cries. I assure him it would be ok if I ran along side of him. In the rush I had floppy shoes on, and was not prepared for the soggy sliddy conditions ahead of me, when trying to run along with the kids race. After a few hundred meters he was of on his own, and I yelled. “ Meet you at the finish line.’
I back tracked and slid a lot, then caught up to him at the end, just in time, to help him through a mud bog. Chico had metals for all the kids, and they were all invited to play in the bouncy castles… and so they had a blast.

After that I had to get back to camp for dinner and get ready for my next lap. With the rain all but stopped for a few hours we thought, we were going to see some better lap times, but this was just not so. I went out after Gilles and the conditions were getting worst by the minute as it had started to rain again. At 6pm they had shortened the course by 4km, but this still did not, make the time shorter, my next lap was 30 minutes longer.

Some areas were so thick with mud that it was impossible to ride down. A friend warned me to obey the flag man in one particularly fast slippery, down hill section, and when I got there I knew why, the grass was flattened, and slick, the kind of corner that will take both wheels our from under you.

Near the end of my lap I was just about there, but the mud was so thick I had to push my bike through it. But then it just wouldn’t move, so I had no choice but to carry my 60 pound bike, it was like doing leg weights.

Thanks Team Big Ring, for making me a part of the family.

Zamboni – BRR mixed

6 am Saturday, I'm woken by a faint drumming sound off in the distance. A cold, damp feeling seeping through my sleeping bag. I open my eyes to droplettes pounding on my air matteress, slowing developing an indoor swimming pool in my oversized Costco special.

Merde. Il pleut.

So this is how it's going to be. Off to the car to retrieve my extra tarp, cover the tent, take a leak and back to the part of my matteress that was not yet

wet. Fortunately, the tent is so big the gear and clothes inside was not rained upon.

The day, as others have probably mentioned, was rain off and on. I don't mind riding in the rain but the mud that was generated by all that water and all those riders was just ridiculous. Not to mention the trail damage we had collectively inflicted on the course. To find out how bad the mud was, check the posting by the Vegan Vagabond, I'm sure she's got pics of her bike. I don't know how those solo riders managed. The mud laden bikes were much, much heavier than their dry wieght and at many times on the course, the wheels refused to roll. Carrying them was not very effective....not for long anyway. Once I got riding, I wasn't moving none too swift. In Formula One racing they call rain the "Great Equalizer". I think the saying holds true for mountain bike racing as well 'cause no matter how good your equipment or how much power you have in your engine, you can only go so fast or you're off the course and into the brush in the first corner, so it kind of levels the playing field.

I can honestly say I didn't enjoy that one lap I had to do. I think the high point of my race was when Capt. Gilles met me in the transition area and asked if I wouldn't mind if Bill went in my place... in the mud and 11 o'clock and night. How could I say no to that offer. I didn't.

This was the race that required the least amount of effort (one lap instead of the usual 4 or 5) and yielded the greatest result... First Place Finish.

At least we had a good time hanging out at camp. I got to enjoy everyones' company all weekend. Thanks to Melissa and Shay for all the work they do around camp, much appreciated.

Here's to great team-mates and to a dryer Hot August Nights.

Doctor Peter – BRR Filthy Old Men

We put in a solid 200+ age group team with experienced, decent-paced riders expecting a good race. We got the Solstice Mud Fiasco, which I’m sure is being detailed elsewhere. Personally, I have only few “good” memories of this race. One was coming across Tanya near the beginning of her 6th (and winning) lap, dragging her bike up a section of SingleMud (which is what SingleTrack turns into after 2000 people have gone over it in the rain). Tanya is not one to complain, so when she asked with incredulity “Am I the only person this is happening too?” referring to the wheels on her mud covered bike’s refusal to spin when she pushed it, I knew things were not quite going as she had hoped. I stopped, and tried to pick up her bike to see if I could figure out what was wrong by spinning the wheel. Perhaps her calipers were dragging a bit? First of all, I could barely lift her bike. I swear it weighed 100lbs. Then I noticed that she had put on her “triathlon” disk wheelset – you know, with the solid bit of material that extends from the hub to the rim to help cut down air resistance - except this disk appeared to be rudimentarily fashioned out of 3-inches of thick mud. Each of her spokes was like a giant mudsicle. We fished out the mud, giving Tanya a reprise for what I imagine was at least 45 seconds of relief before the disk reformed (like something out of Terminator 2).

I also enjoyed one particularly steep and, surprisingly, muddy descent where the race officials had placed a warning squadron at the top to tell riders to slow down. On my 2nd lap, in the dark, I approached this 6th in a line of riders. The five people in front of my all fell. “Didn’t you hear the people warning us to slow down!” I joked. Moments later I was sliding down the hill on my stomach myself. Oops.

On the 2nd lap I “rode” my Vassago Single Speed, it's first race experience. My rational for doing this was that it was lighter to carry up the hills and had fewer parts for mud to cake on. Given that I walked or ran about 2/3 of my second lap, it seemed a decent strategy. The mud-covered Vassago came in at about 50lbs, a good 30lbs less than my mud-covered Full-Suspension, geared, Epic.

The other thing I enjoyed were the beers around the campfire after the race was called.

This race should have been called after three hours. I lament what we did to those trails.

Phat Tony – BBR Filthy Old Men

I can sum up last weekend's race at Albion Hills in 5 words: Big Ring Racing's Gong Show. At least for me it was - my challenges began on Thursday night. I have gear, kids and wife packed up and ready to go but needed gas to make the trek to Toronto. Filled up no problem (no spontaneous gas figths broke out, which as we all know are quite risky and more of a problem for the male modelling world then MTB'ers anyway) but starting the car up again was more challenging than expected. The starter was dead. So we call up CAA and get a ride home from a kind friend on his wife's birthday (thanks James and Happy Birthday again Gill!). Luckily friday passed without any major setbacks which brings me to Saturday.

Wake up and as expected it's raining. No problem, Albion is a dry course so I figure how bad could it be? The Good Dr. picks me up at 8:30am and we head to Albion Hills. We get there in good time and decide to set up the tent. You know what makes setting up a tent much easier? Poles. Too bad we didn't have any. Have I ever mentioned the good Dr. is kind of a dumb ass? Did I mention it's raining? No matter, I've been dealing with his idiocy for years. My dear wife was coming up early in the afternoon so my son could ride in the kids race - I call her and ask her to bring our old tent that's in storage at her mom's place. We're saved!

With that problem seemingly solved I turn my attention to getting ready for my lap. Give the bike a once over - it's sexy and ready to go... check. I eat and get dressed - sexy in spandex and ready to go... check. I'm second in the rotation so I go to wait for the Other
Good Dr. on our team to come in. I wait, and wait and as I wait I see mud covered racer after mud covered racer come in. Hmmm - dry the course was supposed to be about 45minutes and it's over an hour now. Maybe Albion doesn't take this much rain as well as I'd hoped. The Other Good Doctor arrives after about 1hr20mins dutifully cover in mud and smiling and says "Good Luck!".

I set out and within the first 2-3 hundred meters I'm off my bike and pushing through mud. I think "Hmmm.. this could be a long lap. Maybe Kenda Karma's weren't the right tire today". Right then and there I decide that there will be no rushing this lap and the main goal is to not fall and hurt myself. The first 20 minutes or so involved a lot of slow riding and walking/pushing. Then I get to the middle third of the course and things start to get fun again. Slippery, but fun. I'm on my bike most of the time, it's taking all my concentration to stay upright but I'm passing a lot of people, which is always good for the ego especially when you're in challenging conditions.

I made it up a lot of climbs that I thought were impossible when I saw them but even though the tires slip on each pedal stroke the bike kept inching forward - cool. The Karma's may not be a great mud tire, but they weren't terrible. They didn't collect a lot of mud and as long as I stayed seated, they got enough grip to get up all but the muddiest uphills. Since I didn't see anyone else ride up those hills, I stopped worrying about my tires and just rode. Rest of the lap went much this way to the point of me actually having fun, or at least as much fun as one can have with mud in every crevice when not mud wrestling hot twin sisters, but I digress. Where the hell was I? Oh yeah, something about biking... So conditions stayed rideable right up until the end of the lap. Passed the fishing hole where the other Bing Ringers et all gave a much appreciated cheer and then the thick mud again. Walk a bit, ride a bit, walk a bit, ride until the final stupid uphill mud pit to the finish. Slog up, ride gingerly down and done! 1hr07minutes and I pass the baton the Good Doctors.

Head back to camp, drink recovery drink, remove most of muddy clothing, go hose off in world's coldest hose and that's where wife and eldest son (6 yrs old) find me. Saddistic wife takes over hosing dutings while I scream like a little girl. I haven't seen Hostel, but I'm pretty sure most of the scene's were something like that. I put on fresh clothes and take son to kids race (seperate blog post coming for little ringer's race).

Son and wife leave and I figure it's time to set up tent number two, which I gratefully see has poles. Have I mentioned that I am also an dumb-ass? What my tent made up for in pole-iness, it gave back in its lack of a fly, which is a nice piece of equipment to have on the rainiest weekend of the year when camping. I don't think this was specifically my fault, as the tent had been lent out since I last used it, but it can't be pure coincidence that neither of us could bring a complete tent set to the same race. We rigged up the tiny fly from the Good Drs tent and borrowed a tarp from the Other Good Dr and voila! A somewhat water-resistant shelter.

Not much more for me to report. Second lap was much the same as the first, just a little bit muddier and a little bit worse. I'll leave it to another Big Ringer to describe how our day ended. Spoiler Alert! Man was I hung over the next day (and the next).

Papa G – Captain, BRR Mixed

The most memorable moment for me actually happened after I was done racing. I had just completed my second lap and was cleaned-up and changed when I heard that the race was being shutdown. It was around 10:30pm, Steph, aka Zamboni, had just left to tag up with Leslie. After hearing of the shutdown, I was trying to calculate if we had enough of a lead (we were 40mins up) to secure first place should the other team send out another rider before midnight. I consulted with Kari and we thought it might be best to send Bill out, who was by far our fastest rider, to be safe. I talked to Bill and he was keen on going but was concerned that Stef mav not want to give up his spot but I knew that he would give up in a second.

As Bill ran back to his tent to get geared up and I am still talking to Kari, we hear Leslie go by camp, which is only 1 kilometer to the finish. Kari says “you got to go catch Stef at transition!” So, I jump on my clean bike with flip flops on, no light, no helmet. Let me remind everyone it’s 10:30 at night; I am trying to pedal as fast as I can – rubber flip flops don’t provide for much grip on carbon pedals – yelling at people on the road to get out of the way as I make out their silhouettes. I finally make to the transition area without much incident.

As most of you may know, the actual transition is located at the top of a hill and it had rained all day and night and all the grass had turned into mud. Here I am trying to push my bike up as fast as I can while my flip flops were being suctioned in about 4 inches of mud; the closer I got to the transition the deeper the mud got. All the while I am thinking that Leslie will get here before me and I won’t be able to tell Stef that Bill was coming. I decided to dump my bike and try to run which I wasn’t able to because my flip flops got sucked even more! Instead I tried taking giant steps which seemed to work and I finally made to transition and started yelling for Stef and he heard me and found me. I told him the plan and he was more than happy to let Bill ride. Bill showed up about 20 seconds after me and Leslie about 10 second after that! Phew! We made it. Bill rode a great lap and the rest is history. We got our first victory after 4 (or 5?) 2^nd place finish in a row.

While the riding (pushing) over the weekend wasn’t much fun, I really enjoyed sitting around the camp fire until 3am with the rest of the crew. I’m liking the 12hr concept!!