Stockton Interview

OK, so it isn't much of an interview...but it is coolio as oV would say.

Welcome to the Track

I finally made it down to Hellyah.

It was timed event day. No mass starts.

I borrowed myself a Felt and headed that direction.

I thought I was going to do an open training session after the timed events. But, it looked like everyone was having so much fun I had to join in. Good thing too, I left at 4pm and they still hadn't gotten to the Team Pursuit (really wanted to do that...bummer).

I got to do the 500, the kilo and the 3k.

When he said go on the 500, it was the first time I ever did a standing start sprint on a track bike. Shoot, for all practical purposes today was the first time I rode a track bike...period.

I had a good time.

I mean I enjoyed myself...my times, well let's just say I left some room for improvement.

I hope I have time to do some mass starts this year. I was out of town the good weekend (no local crit), this Saturday would have been perfect but it was Junior State Championships and I think my Saturdays are spoken for the next several weeks. Ah well, we'll see how it turns out.

A quick plug for the sponsors:

Have you seen the Sugar billboard on 101N with the cyclists?

Moto-moto-vate me

De-de-hydrate me!

95º....you gotta be whackin' me,
on the Peninsula?
at least it is a dry heat,
because it is not the heat that
hurts, it's the humidity...

...but I've had worse! I recall days over in the sandbox when my Polar read 118º. That was a dry heat. Just couldn't carry enough water on those days. Of course I didn't go riding in the middle of the day. I tried to get in a quick ride just as the sun was coming up when it was still in the low 90's.

Why in the world do I have to motorpace at NOON?

Wouldn't it be cooler in the AM?

'Cause that is when the scooter is going to show up. At least I have a scooter to pace with. If you don't have a scooter and driver here are some drafting tips. I am not sure I would do this though. Drafting behind someone not specifically out there for you sounds a little too dangerous for me. It's bad enough when they know and want you back there!

Why do I have to motorpace at all? It is supposed to be good for improving bike handling at high speeds and improving top end speed and good for the track.

I think it is also a mental thing for me. If I can hang on to the scooter going up and down the hills on Canada I should be able to hang on anyone's wheel pretty much anywhere...right?

And isn't the idea to be behind the scooter?

Three laps on Canada:
1.a. Behind scooter to warm-up (did I mention it's 95º)
1.b. In the wind on signal, recover behind scooter

2.a. Paceline with scooter, change on signal
2.b. See 2.a.

3.a. Behind scooter
3.b. Go home, you are red and tired and it is hot and I am sorry I ran over your full water bottle after you dropped it and squished all the juice out.

I finally figured out how to lose 5 pounds in an hour. I also figured out that vodka and wine are not the proper rehydration liquids. I am trying coffee now. I'll let you know how it goes!

Track Frame Possibility

We'll see...

They arrive next week...one could be mine!

And, it is black, all black!



UPDATE:
After oVs comment
I checked out Fetish Cycles

The ATTACK

Looks nice...I guess it is hard
to tell from a picture though.

And, lots of people make nice frames.



I uploaded this picture
not because it is a nice
track frame
(you'll notice it is a TT frame)
but because I thought it looked
pretty damn sexy...

and the bike looks nice too.

Pesky

I am sitting here in the STL airport...

...anxiously awaiting
the news about today's race
so I dug up some pictures taken by Bill Willet
last year.

There was a picture of Dan,
he finished top ten in the P/1/2
what a stud!



Then there was this picture of me
at the finish...

...no, not the Safeway rider slaying himself,
that's oV getting sixth.

Look to the right between the guys with climbing legs
and the horsey sign...yeah, that's me and no I didn't already
finish the race but I was finished.

I wanted to save my legs for...oh, hell, I sucked and quit and hung out with VB to watch the big guns duke it out!


Then I found this picture.

In the days of carbon frames and
carbon wheels in search of
the lightest of the light,
with 14 pound bikes,
oV races on a steel bike
and leaves the saddle bag on it.

I think he does it to mess with the heads of the guys behind him...that's a lot of messing.




And now Taz
has taken up
the habit as well...

he raced Cat's Hill
with a ginormous saddle bag on

...and then he won

...the P/1/2 race!

Jealous

Been watching the build all day.

Step by step.

I am jealous.

I want a track bike.

I want to race with the boys in the world of left hand turns.

June 13th...I'm planning on it.

Beware all.......