Sporting the Mexico soccer player costume as I did two cyclocross races this last weekend in Morgantown, WV. I had a good showing in the Cat 4 race on Sunday morning at White Park. Marilla Park, on Saturday, didn't fair so well as I was having some mechanicals (dropped my chain ring twice; one time it got stuck between the crank and frame). However, Marilla Park was an amazing course. It offered up a deep sandpit, barriers, a massive hill with steps at the top, and very tight switchbacks. By far the best cross course that I've ridden. White Park was different in that it offered up two baseball fields. The dirty was quite loose from the relatively rainy week, so it became squirrelly in the turns. All in all, a fun weekend to be on the bike.

Month of Mud race at North Park

This particular race at North Park prompted over 200 racers to test their mountain biking skills in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. I think the ideal location and perfect weather made for a huge turnout. This race was another time trial, so individual races start at 1 minute intervals. Oddly, I was positioned just behind two friends that were 1 and 2 minutes in front of me. They were act as my "rabbits" in the chase to see if I could in fact catch them. The race began with a tough switchback climb for almost a mile. The loop continued with several steep descents and a few log crossings. One particular section was relatively rocky, so a full-suspension bike would have come in the preferred bike. I managed to pass one of my friends at about the 4 mile mark, but was not able to overcome my other friend in the last 1/2 mile descent to the finish line. I ended up placing 11th out of 45 racers in the Sport division. Again, not a bad showing and an improvement from Bavington's results placing 13th there. That's it for me this year with Month of Mud. Can't do Moraine next weekend because I'll be returning to NE for my college class reunion. Next up, two cyclocross races over Halloween weekend in Morgantown, WV.

Month of Mud at Bavington

First race of the fall season and my first mountain bike race in PA was decent. I was able to ride 1/2 the course for pre-race with a couple of other Sport racers. I discovered that the tight singletrack did not allow for me to pick up very much speed, even on descents. So, I had to keep the speed in check throughout the entire race. I ended up finishing the 7.5 mile time trial race in just over 50 minutes, which placed me 13th out of 36 Sport riders. Not bad considering it was my first official mtn bike race out here. I realized there are lots of great riders here which certainly amplifies the competition. Next up, my third ever cyclocross race this Saturday. I went through a cyclocross clinic last Saturday, so hopefully the skills that I took from that will manifest themselves on Saturday.

After I heard the wheezing from my rear tire, I knew instantly that I had a flat. I pulled off the side of the road and began the routine of changing a flat. Found the location of the instigator (see pic) thinking it was a small tack of some kind. No, instead I pulled this sucker from my bicycle tire. Thoughts: Don't nails belong in tool boxes instead on city streets? How did I manage to find the nail with a tire that a fraction of the size of a car tire? I sure hope I have a spare tube on me (I did, fortunately). Before leaving the scene of the flat change, I disposed of the nail in a Doritos bag that was conveniently laying on the side of the road with a number of other garbage items. Another thought arose: seriously...throw away your trash! I took the Doritos bag, with the nail inside of it, and properly disposed of the bag and its contents so no one else would suffer the same travisty.

Surly reaches 4000 miles!

My Surly Cross Check has reached 4000 miles after just 4 years. This isn't bad considering that I use the bike primarily for commuting purposes and running errands. Of course, it has been my bike of choice on a few touring trips (RAGBRAI and GAP trail in PA). It actually probably has more like 4,200 miles, because I didn't buy the bike computer right away. To put this in perspective, it's 3,200 miles from US coast to coast (Augusta, Maine to Los Angeles, CA). Anyway, my trusty steel steed has done very well over the course of those many miles. Surly Nation!

Excellent trip back to Raystown Lake and the Allegripis trails last weekend. Highlights: completing all of the Rays Revenge trail without crashing this time (see bloody elbow pictures from earlier blog post), using my new camping stove to cook up some tasty eggs for breakfast and chicken for dinner, riding 47 miles of pristine singletrack in just two days, and visiting a cool local bike shop (Rothrock Outfitters) between rides. Bummer: learning at Rothrock Outfitters that my frame is slightly warped in the seat stays. Conclusion is that the rear tire won't stay even in the drops. So I may have to get another frame eventually. Leaning toward the Niner M.C.R. right now. Anyway, the trip was a true success.

"I didn't pump my tire" song

Funny video with music from "We didn't start the fire."