I think the travel has caught up a little with me. But, there is no rest for the weary. Or something like that. I got back to Topeka way late on Friday night/Saturday morning, got a few hours sleep and headed over to Kansas City to help Adam Mills with a cyclo-X clinic. I have to admit, I wasn’t at my best, but I hope I was able to convey my thoughts coherently to the attendees.
I think there were close to 60 people gathered Saturday morning for the Source Endurance clinic. Adam did a great job of organizing the groups and keeping the flow going. It is was shock to my system getting on a cross bike and going through the motions. My left leg is pretty toast from dismounting. Even though I wrote over a month ago that we should all start getting ready for cross, I didn’t take my own advise and have done nearly nothing.
Wednesday after Chequamegon, which is 10 days from now, I plan to go to St. Louis to race the UCI race, The Gateway Cross Cup, there. I don’t think I’ll have to worry about finishing in the top 10 and getting UCI points (which would disqualify me from riding Master’s World in Louisville in January). I think a bunch of Euros that are racing CrossVegas are going to make a stop on their way to Madison the next weekend.
So, today I’m going to try to get my shit together to head up to Cable/Chequamegon tomorrow morning. I’m having a wheel issue, since I don’t seem to be locating MTB 29’r tubulars for the wheels I have hanging in my garage. I might have to call up Scott at Trek and beg once again.
I’m listening to the 9/11 broadcast on NPR right now. It was such a tragedy. But the disaster and the our nation’s response to it also have been costly in countless other ways, that has, and will continually, affect our lives and the lives of most of population of this planet for the foreseeable future. I can only hope, that sometime, something good will eventually morph from this series of horrible events.
Shad and Joseph, fellow instructors for the clinic.
Lunch.
I'm not sure bunny hopping is really important in cross, but it is something that all cyclists should be able to do just to ride their bikes.
I’ve often wondered how Muslims figure out when to pray. I guess you can go to the internet and get the specific time for where you’re at. This is the first time I can remember seeing this locally. Remember, I live in Kansas.
why the MTB tubulars? Hopefully, it is just because you have a set of wheels you want to check out. With the low tire pressure I would wonder about them staying on the rims, especially in one of those weird/awkward braking situations. I would be more apt to try them on local ride first
tubeless and ghetto tubeless are hard to beat IMHO. Worried about rotational weight I suppose? Have a great trip, BTW
I wondered about the tubulars too. The tubeless tires are just about perfect, and if you do flat (very rare) you can throw a tube in or even just reinflate and let the sealant work it’s magic. If you flat a tubular you’re SOL. Maybe a few world cup pros can justify it, with short lap courses that have tech. pits. That and the fact that they get their gear for free.
That being said, who the hell am I to tell Steve Tilford anything about mountain biking? Just sayin’. Good luck in Chequamegon, and at the cross races. See ya in Louisville.
JB
What’s this disqualification for Masters’ Words nonsense? You need to pass along to the UCI your line “Its an age graded thing not an old and shitty thing.” (That still cracks me up!) And nice comments about 9/11. Thanks for the blog, tops as always.
Taking breaks in the midst of a busy day to pray/keep silence/reflect/give thanks is always a good idea.
Devout Muslims perform Salah, ritual prayer, five times a day: at/near dawn, just after noon, in the afternoon, just after sunset, and at nightfall. A compulsory part of the prayer ritual is to face the Ka’bah in Mecca (easterly in the US). The prayer site should be clean, which is why many Muslims carry a prayer rug so that they may pray wherever they find themselves at the appropriate time (as seen in your photo). A missed prayer can be made up later in the day.
@JohnnyBold: I don’t know about tubeless tires being “perfect”. I’ve seen many riders burp or roll tubeless tires during races, so the benefit of running very low pressures (20-25psi) is somewhat dubious. Yes, the sealant does work to prevent many flats, but you can put sealant in a tubular tire (and many do) so that’s not really a benefit unique to tubeless tires. For CX, tubular tires are definitely worth the money and effort because the perform so much better than clinchers, tubeless or otherwise.