Stone Temple 8

Just got back from doing the Stone Temple 8 mountain bike race. Held in Curt Gowdy State Park between Cheyenne and Laramie Wyoming. I did the coed duo with my friend Sally Irmiger. Sally did the race 3 weeks out or so, from having a hand fracture pinned. We all got to the park on Friday and camped out. Preride of the course was done that afternoon. These are some great trails. Woods, open prarie,tecnical rocks. All good.
Saturday came and the race started with a Lemans start. I got on my bike after the brief run and immediately got on the wheel of Charlie Hayes. He was going pretty hard ( at least to me) and took the lead . After about 400meters or so I was starting to peel off and a gap was forming which was quickly filled in by another rider. I hung with this group of eight or so riders for a bit but as we made entry into the woods I was losing contact. As we got into the woods, I was working harder than normal and hit a rock straight on. I was thrown over to the right and over corrected, and then was on the left edge of the trail and hit what must of been a tree stump and catpulted over my bars. I got up pretty quickly and looked back to see my bike on the trail. I spotted a train of riders coming towards me and quickly tried to turn the handlebars to get the wheel in the right position. However I turned it in the opposite direction . Then trying to turn it back two times I was unable to get in front of the horde. It seemed like 10 - 20 riders went past me before I could back on the trail . After that crash my bike was all f#$ed up. The front brake was squealing and it seemed like my steering was off center. Got back on the trail and caught up to pack which was like pulling teeth. The first half of the course is rather technical and hard to pass. There was a lot more on and off the bike than you would want. Got through that lap and handed off to Sally.
As Sally took off my wife Sarah helped get me food and get my knee abrasions washed by the medics. Actually they let me wash them . I have lots of practice doing that; I am an emergency nurse by the way . I picked out a chunk of wood from my right knee. Otherwise just gnarly looking abrasions. Also sprained my right thumb. Went back to camp and Bob ( Sally's husband) helped me repair my bike . Readjust front disc brake, taped up jagged edge of broken front brake lever, and corrected steering. Rested a bit and then went back to switch with Sally.
Sally came in with a smile on her face and we fist pumped and and I took off on our third lap.
The rest of the race went on pretty well(no crashes and good trails).
Sally's daughter Heather( 2009 SSWC ) and her husband JHK came up to show support for Sally. When I was going out for my 4th lap they told me to make sure I finished prior to the 5pm cutoff so that Sally would feel obliged to ride another lap. So I finished my fastest lap yet as Sally went out for her 4th.
When I finished I was greeted by my wonderful wife with a beer in her hand for me. Life is good,.
Sally and I finished, had fun, and came in 5th place in the coed duo.

Walt

Influenza.

I got my Flu shot at work last night. Have you got your flu shot. If you haven't you may want to get it. Costs run 15 - 30 dollars for the yearly immunization. You may say, "Hey , I'm not gonna get the flu, so I don't need a shot.". Possibly right. Unfortunately, even if you contact the flu but do not get bad symptoms, you can still pass it on to others. Wouldn't you feel bad if you gave the flu to a baby or a very old person; or someone else who could not tolerate the symptoms and ended up getting very sick or dying.
If you spend any time with people you should get the flu shot. It is the number 1 preventative action you can take to prevent contracting the flu. Other things you can do are wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, and cough/sneeze into your elbow. If you are worried about Thimerisol you can get it without the preservative; at an increased cost. Thimerisol is a mercury based preservative that has been thought to cause Autism. Study after study has refuted this claim. Thimerisol is a form of mercury that is broken down by the body as opposed to another chemical type of mercury that does not break down and can and does cause problems. In fact if you breastfeed your baby, they most likely receive the "good" type of mercury in dose at least 10 times higher than in an injection.
Any way, go get your Flu shot and get it early. It takes approximately 8 days till immunity from time of injection. Get your flu shot, Get your flu shot, Get your flu shot.

Walt

Cyclocross

Gonna give Cyclocross a try again this season. Gonna ride the Bianchi SanJose Awesome bike V2.0 . Did two races a couple years ago on V1.0 before it was reallocated by and to another individual. One issue with my bike is running a low enough tire pressure but at the same time avoiding pinch flats. Flats for anyone in a 45minute race are a killer, but for me they are worse because my wheel set is a bolt on solid axle. With this setup I will not be able to change a tire very quickly. To rectify this concern I am going to try a Stan's No Tubes setup for cyclocross together with some Hutchinson Tubeless cyclocross tires front and rear. Ordered both and will set up and report when they arrive. Got everything for the price of $115 including shipping. From what I hear the tubeless setup allows for excellent traction and very good pucture resistance. We'll see.



Walt

Sufferfest

The 2nd Annual BMA Sufferfest took place Saturday 9.12.09

The usual suspects were there with new faces among them. Sufferfest is BMA's end of season ride for members. It involves 35 -45 + miles of rocky Boulder county trails and fire roads. The ride ended up being a mini epic with snow, rain, hail, grappel, and chilly temperatures. Numb toes and numb nonfunctioning hands were the order of the day. Lets just say nobody did the Buchanan pass option this year.

Beer and burgers and story telling took place by a nice fire.

Walt

I love water fountains!

Today I rode the San Jose Awesome Bike from home onward to Boulder. Coal Creek path to Marshall Mesa to Boulder Creek path, up Four Mile Canyon making a left onto Wall Street. Riding down this road I came across a water fountain at somebody's driveway. Almost rode right past it but turned around to read the sign. "filtered water , help yourself". Nice. Filled up the camelback and continued on to Sunset and up Switzerland trail to Sugarloaf and back to Lafayette.

Thanks Johnsons for the water.

Walt

Third times a charm...

Took the San Jose version 2.0 out for a couple hour spin today. In an effort to get to know her better before cross season. This afternoon switched out old tires for new. The heavy but durable wire beaded WTB terrainasaurus tires for some lighter Maxxis Raze tires. Inflated to the minimum recommended PSI of 50, I set out from Lafayette to Marshall Mesa. With me I brought a tube, pump, 15mm wrench, 1 gel, and 2 bottles water with a little gatorade.
Nice ride out to the mesa via Coal creek path then up the koppenburg hill and onto the mesa trails. Scooted out across 93 and over to springbrook trail. Headed back via community ditch and backtracked the trails on the east side. Ran into some oncoming bike traffic and pulled off trail abruptly. As soon as I got going again, I heard and felt the air leaving my front tire.
I promptly began the task of chaging the tube. No evidence of any goatheads or punctures from the outside. Took tube out and filled with some air and saw the tell tale sign of "snakebite". Grabbed my new tube and inserted that and pumped up the tire and rebolted the wheel back in place. Ready to go right? Thats what I thought. I started rolling the bike and realized that the rear tire was flat too.
Unfortunately I did not have another tube, nor a patch kit,or a bus pass, or money ,or my cell phone. WTF. I started walking getting ready for a long walk home, when along came a mountain biker. He asked and offered some help. Then another rider came by, he had a patch kit and I was back in business. 5-10 minutes later , patch applied and tube installed I was ready to roll. I thanked both guys and took off back home.
3rd flat in 2 days. Flatted the day before on commute home from Boulder. Quite amazing is the fact that these three flats are what I have had this season.
Knock knock knock on wood.

Walt