The sun was shinning in Seattle so we decided to go up to Marymoor and ride the Sammamish River Trail toward Bothell. Even though the sun was out, it was not warm. Maybe not Colorado cold, but it was cold all the same.
We made it up to Bothell and then quickly turned around. It was quite dark and cold when we made it back to the car.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Day 2009
Christmas Day 2009
I took an easy ride down Lake Washington toward Renton on the Cross bike.
On the way back I stopped to take a picture of a woman coming toward me. I asked her if she smiled for the camera...she did not hear me.
Later I saw this fellow walking on water. This must have been a cyclocross portage in action....
We have a lot to be thankful for.
Merry Christmas.
I took an easy ride down Lake Washington toward Renton on the Cross bike.
On the way back I stopped to take a picture of a woman coming toward me. I asked her if she smiled for the camera...she did not hear me.
Later I saw this fellow walking on water. This must have been a cyclocross portage in action....
We have a lot to be thankful for.
Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Evergreen Cyclocross
Here are some images from the last Seattle cyclocross race.
In the mix on the climb,
Through the ditch,
Up the hill,
Around the arena,
And heading for the finish.
In the mix on the climb,
Through the ditch,
Up the hill,
Around the arena,
And heading for the finish.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Winter
The winter storms are here
Throughout the day and night
These are the times you hunker down
And live by the glow of unnatural light.
We just finished the cyclocross season so it is time to look back and evaluate what worked. This was my first cyclocross season and I learned a lot.
1. My Specialized TriCross bike is awesome. I have never been so hard on a bike. I fell, jumped ditches, hit barriers, fell again but the TriCross took the punishment and continued to perform. The bikes light weight is great for carrying over barriers and through run-ups.
2. I started the first race with tire pressures around 45 psi. What a mistake! At the end of the season I lowered the pressures to 30 psi for the front and 32 psi in the back. These pressures gave me a much better ride and more traction in the corners. Next year I will get a set of tubular tires and rims and use even lower pressures.
3. Training - the cyclocross classes I took at the Marymoor velodrome were great. I need to practice and learn more about mounting and dismounting the bike as well as cornering.
4. For the muddy/rainy races, I will bring thin water proof pants and upper shell for the warm up session. These outer layers will keep me dry and warm during the course pre-ride.
5. My body is more of a diesel engine and I seem to be at the back of the pack for the start. I loose a lot of time with my slow starts. Next year I will do interval and sprint training. Cyclocross is a sprint with obstacles.
6. Pedals... mud, sand, grass and the mix of these three, make it hard to get clicked in. At the end of the season I was using eggbeaters which provided better but not perfect pedal performance. Running through 50 meters of deep sand or mud and then trying to get back into pedals is difficult.
7. Next year I will purchase a season pass for Seattle Cyclocross. No more purchasing a race pass each week.
No matter where I place in the standings, I always enjoy the racing. Cyclocross is having a blast with fun people.
Throughout the day and night
These are the times you hunker down
And live by the glow of unnatural light.
We just finished the cyclocross season so it is time to look back and evaluate what worked. This was my first cyclocross season and I learned a lot.
1. My Specialized TriCross bike is awesome. I have never been so hard on a bike. I fell, jumped ditches, hit barriers, fell again but the TriCross took the punishment and continued to perform. The bikes light weight is great for carrying over barriers and through run-ups.
2. I started the first race with tire pressures around 45 psi. What a mistake! At the end of the season I lowered the pressures to 30 psi for the front and 32 psi in the back. These pressures gave me a much better ride and more traction in the corners. Next year I will get a set of tubular tires and rims and use even lower pressures.
3. Training - the cyclocross classes I took at the Marymoor velodrome were great. I need to practice and learn more about mounting and dismounting the bike as well as cornering.
4. For the muddy/rainy races, I will bring thin water proof pants and upper shell for the warm up session. These outer layers will keep me dry and warm during the course pre-ride.
5. My body is more of a diesel engine and I seem to be at the back of the pack for the start. I loose a lot of time with my slow starts. Next year I will do interval and sprint training. Cyclocross is a sprint with obstacles.
6. Pedals... mud, sand, grass and the mix of these three, make it hard to get clicked in. At the end of the season I was using eggbeaters which provided better but not perfect pedal performance. Running through 50 meters of deep sand or mud and then trying to get back into pedals is difficult.
7. Next year I will purchase a season pass for Seattle Cyclocross. No more purchasing a race pass each week.
No matter where I place in the standings, I always enjoy the racing. Cyclocross is having a blast with fun people.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Cross season is over
I'm going through cross withdrawal! The season is over and I'm looking for another training motivator. Back in September I tried cross just on a lark and found that I really liked the event. Cross is all about bike handling, sprinting and endurance on a 3 km course with obstacles. This is the first time that I have gone around sharp corners on grass, dirt or mud with both tires sliding, without falling. Oh, and did I mention there are another 70 to 80 guys and gals out there with you. Lots of fun.So for this season, 382 is retired.
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