Abbreviated Brevet Report

Last saturday was the Valles Caldera Double Cross 200k Brevet. My buddy Ryan came up to Los Alamos the night before and stayed at the house. We discussed the torrential rain and hail over beers. Ryan talked to the race organizer who prerode the course with his wife on a tandem and had to bail out half way through due to snow covering the roads in the Jemez. The forecast was for clear and cold turning into clear and warm, so I made some sammiches for the ride, got my bag ready, and then went to sleep to the sounds of rain thunder and hail.

The next morning I woke at 5am, made some coffee and eggs. Then Ryan and I packed up his car by cramming bikes in and drove the 20 minutes down to the start in whiterock.


It was not quite as cold as predicted, but still was chilly for the 6:30 am start. The field was about 15 strong, mostly NM racers looking for a good long climbing intensive training day. My pal Clay showed up as did MTB pro Damien Calvert, between the two, I think that is 5 billion race victories on the road and dirt . Anyhow, it was a great turnout for a NM brevet according to Ryan.



Anyhow, we soon rolled out in a roadie looking peleton. Ryan and I had "suitcase bikes" (overheard at the start line). Everyone else was on their road machines.



About 3 miles into the ride I flatted.

I slowly changed the tube and Ryan came back and lent me a boot. Turned out it was a sidewall tear on the Pasealas. Bah. Might have been brakes rubbing. One of the organizers rolled up in the support van and lent me a floor pump. I sent ryan on his way, finished fixing the flat and rolled on. Only to flat again less than a mile later.

Turns out the tube split at the seam. I think it was defective. I changed the flat, got rolling again, looked at my watch and realized it was 8am. I think we rolled out a 6:40. So I lost an hour and twenty minutes to flats? Seems unlikely. But the clock does not lie.

Since I was hours behind at this point I just rolled around the loop and headed home for a 22 mile day. The wrist still hurt a bit, especially after the tire changes, but it was a good early day.

I took a nap when I got home, while the riders rode up and over the snow covered passes into the caldera and back. The local fast guy Mike Englehart finished in 7:52 , the other fast fellers finished around 8hours and 30 minutes of riding, Ryan was the last finisher at after 10hours and 13 minutes, but he did eat enchiladas and have beer midride, so he is the real winner. I hope to do this ride without flats next year.

The end.

Floyd Landis is...

Jesus Manzano? Or just plain Crazy?
NYT article where floyd spills the beans

I guess he is probably telling the truth. As I have stated in the past, I think the majority of the peloton was doped to the gills in the late nineties and early to mid oughts. But maintaining you are innocent and writing a book about how innocent you are and then recanting like this is not the best credibility move. I wish he did this immediately upon getting caught. I can't wait for his next book. I hope he calls it Floydtosterone and then is forced to pay me royalties for using the phrase.

Remember Manzano as the guy who detailed every little bit of the doping calvacade at Kelme, was tarred as crazy by everyone in cycling up to the head of UCI, but it turned out in the end he was almost completely vindicated by subsequent scandals including Operation Puerto and the continued attempt to ban Valverde. See previous writing by me on Manzano, doping hero. Please note the list of substances he claims to have ingested for doping purposes. Awesome.

I also wonder if we are in for a bandwagon confession from Tyler Hamilton.

Note, regardless of doping, the Giro and Tour de California are pretty interesting this year. Check em out.

Our Far Flung correspondents

From Moscaline's west coast correspondent and Santa Barbara outpost manager and brother, currently on location in Korea, come these photos.





He saw virtually no bikes in Seoul, but did see two Strida folding bikes.

I am mocked

The original baby

Have not had a Wink256 post in a while



Here is Elena and her original needy baby. Winkie does not quite get the love he wants, but Aida gives him plenty of hair/tail/ear pullings, which he generously interprets as love.

Slowly crashing in many parts

Monday night on a post dinner grocery run, as I ride up the bike on Canyon in front of the pool, up the hill on the sweeping right turn, just before the movie theater:
1. a car cuts into the bike lane a bit.
2. My spidey sense tingles and I swerve toward the curb a bit more.
3. I hit a fairly big rock in the bike lane with the front and maybe the rear wheel.
4. This jostles the bike a bit and derails the slightly too loose chain on the IG hubbed raleigh twenty
5. Just as I pedal hard out of the saddle
6. Causing me to flip neatly over the bars.
7. Land on my right hand hard
8. Give me enough time to look at the front handle bars under me and wonder where the rest of the bike is.
9. And then have the saddle hit me in the upper back and the rest of the bike pile drive into me.

Result 1:


Former Cateye opticube well shattered. Also handlebar mounted white reflector broken. Also later that evening the striker broke off the incredibell when I tried to use it. I did continue my mission and retrieved precious milk for the baby.


Result 2:


Sore wrist Monday night evolves to swollen immobile wrist on tuesday morning evolves into morning in ER. Conclusion: no breaks, some sort of contusion on the outer right wrist with swelling bruising in the carpal tunnel, effectively ennumbing the pinky and ring finger as well as preventing most of the useful bending movements.

Analysis:
Shit happens. I am not too pissed at the car as it was shoddy driving, but shoddy driving happens all the time, but it took the trinity of the swerve, the rock and the power stroke on non-engaged chain to cause me to crash. I am pretty sure clueless driver did not even see me go down as it took more than a couple beats between the pass and the fall. My chain should have been tighter and the rock should have not been there. Eh.... I did ride to the hospital and work on tuesday, walked in and back today, probably will ride in tomorrow. Coaster brakes enable nearly manual dexterity free riding.

Coworker reaction amuses me. In order of popularity:
1. As much as you ride, you still fell off?
2. As much as you ride, I am surprised this does not happen more often.
3. You drove today right?

Fortunately it feels much better already and doc claims I will be just like new by next week. The bruise on my shoulder from the saddle and the tweaked pec/ribs hurt more than the wrist. I will be better soon. I will then continue my hella training blocks.

Darn Kids

Scene 1: Friday play group.
I take Aida to playgroup in the park on Friday while Elena is getting her hair cut. After a while I am sort of supervising Aida and a gaggle of bigger girls who are playing a complicated bird-cat-mouse-nest run-like-mad game. Aida likes the run around part, but she appears to be slightly likely to be trampled by older girls, so I hover a bit. As I am hovering the two oldest girls (5?) look at me suspiciously and have the following conversation:
1. Is that your dad?
2. No! My dad is at work.
1. So is my dad. He has stuff to do!

So there you go.

Scene 2: Saturday riding the purple schwinn while towing asleep baby in the chariot.
I ride up to a furninture sale at the masonic lodge's parking lot. A grade school kid rides up to me on his Next, 20" wheeled dual suspension bike. Conversation ensues:
Kid: Hi
Me: Hello.
Kid: Your bike is pink.
Me: Uh, well, it is actually purple, I think...
Kid: Is it your mom's?






Anyhow. I will be here all week.

A few of my favorite things

Someday I will find THE bike for these things. Until then, sitting in the parts bin awaiting their mate. I think I got them 11 years ago. TA skip tooth ring and regina block chain.

5 years ago

Heh.

Team Ed

I am proud to be a founding member of Team Ed. Our namesake has an excellent profile this week in the Knoxie Paper: here. Note the terms "tortoise mentality" used in the article. I think that means Ed is sort of the kent of the southeast.

Make sure you watch the video:

Well done Ed and G.

Also note that shorter fellers that ride more than you and live in super twisty rooty muddy knoxville are all about the 29'ers. Probably a lesson in there somewhere...


I was able to find a nice photo from the initial race of Team Ed at the 2002 edition of the 12 hours of Haw ridge race:

We were all on single speeds. That is Ed, Eric, Tarik and Gary from left to right. Ed is the one we are talking about, Gary is featured in the video and article as well. Eric has the sweet vanagon and was serving hot soup and cold beers to go with his laps. I think we were attempting to grow Ed like mustaches on short notice. Good times.

Team Ed still races actively. Check out their tales here

I am so proud.