'Tis the Season...

...of a skier/cyclist's discontent.  I'm staring out the nose-imprinted windows of my classroom at a partly cloudy sky and a very mild-looking block of warmth.  It's nearly 70 outside and it's the end of October in the mountains of Vermont.  Just three days ago there was enough frost on the roads to make biking down the gaps a deadly endeavor.  It's these flip-flop weather patterns that drive me nuts this time of year, almost more so than a January thaw or a July cold snap.  One moment the weather taunts my yearning to wear my ski boots around the house in an effort to stave off early season shin bang.  I've even brought my skis in for a stone grind the second weekend of October (very early for me).  The next moment, however, I'm shedding the leg warmers, removing the fleece cap from beneath my helmet, and considering only wearing a jersey with arm warmers and maybe a vest.  Mother Nature is continuously trying to convince me to practice polygamy:

Appalachian Gap'd at the Allen Clark Memorial Hill Climb

24:27.  32 seconds faster than the previous Allen Clark Hill Climb record set by Stefan Bumbeck in god knows when.  Unofficial records seem to indicate the the record stood for 12 years.  Do the math.  Okay, I'll do it for you.  1998!  I was a freshman in college in the fall of 1998.  Wow!  Back in the fall of Elliott Smith's XO, which played on repeat in my 1992 model JVC stack stereo my dad purchased for me for my birthday in 1992, when I was in seventh grade.  Man, that stereo sounded so great.  Thanks, dad.  Anyway...

Thank You, Steven Slater, For Your Inspiration To Update My Blog And For Having A Great Character Name For A 1980's Movie

I have no excuses for not posting for 20 days.  Except that I had a final interview with the school board at the Ripton Elementary School for the grades 5/6 teacher, I got the job, I've had issues with my endorsement areas and therefore my qualifications as a teacher of all subjects, I've gotten the go-ahead with the contract signing and paperwork, I've gotten a key to the school and I've brought my dogs into the classroom as of today to help make me feel at home.

Just one of those weekends...

Here I'm radioing to the laws of physics: "Please make this pain stop!"

 

Six days after my first ascent up Mount Washington on a bicycle, which resulted in a second place finish, I took the biggest beating of my hill climbing career on Mount Ascutney.  Being the BUMPS point series overall leader, I received a super neat polka-dot jersey before the race start.  Much to my chagrin, I did not do my new tunic victorious justice.  In cycling, there's a myth of the curse of the World Champion.  The person who wins the World Championships, either in the road race or time trial disciplines, has a horrendous season the following year.  Perhaps there is a curse of the BUMPS polka-dot jersey?  I doubt it.  Besides, I think the jersey's pretty cool and would be really disappointed if I was defrocked of my lordship of the hill climbs.

2nd at Newton's Revenge (the first climb of the summer up Mount Washington)!

I will post more soon, but I'll have you know that I finished in second place today at the Mount Washington Hill Climb called Newton's Revenge.  Garmin-Transitions Tom Danielson won, and, let's face it, kicked my butt.  He missed beating his record time set in 2002 of 49:24 by nine seconds!  And, he raced it on his training bike, with training wheels, a powermeter, and a 39t chainring.  Crazy.  Anyway, after today's success, I should have a sizable lead in the BUMPS hill climb series, since my competition finished well off the pace in 10th.  Pics and a complete story soon.  Promise.

Weighted down by bronze

Okay, okay, I'll start out with the prerequisite "it's been way too long since I've last updated the blog."  It's been way too long since I've last updated the blog.  Since we last spoke, I've raced two hill climbs, Whiteface and Okemo, New York and Vermont.  While I wish I could report better news, I'm afraid I've got some lackluster results to share.  I got third place overall in both races, second in my age group at Whiteface, first at Okemo.

Game On.

And so it begins...

Saturday, June 19, 5:30pm Whiteface Hill Climb

Three days 'til the season kicks off...

...and I've got a cold.  Yeah!  I attended a middle school graduation on Tuesday and woke up with a headache and a really snotty nose.  The timing couldn't be worse with the Whiteface Hill Climb just days away on what is supposed to be a beautiful and hot June day in upstate New York.  I had always planned on recon riding the course but I never could make it over to Wilmington.

Green Mountain Bike Club Crit

I can't sprint.  In fact, your chances would be pretty good to bet on a gerbil on a wheel sprinting faster than me.  I work on sprinting sometimes.  I go out, try to look composed as I "power" my bike faster and faster along the road's shoulder.  I must look ridiculous for so much body motion and effort, for me, only leads to a top ground speed of maybe 31mph if the wind is right.  Whew!  I'm winded just thinking about it.  Sprinting.  Yuck.

A couple of quickies

First off, a HUGE congratulations to Mr. Ted King for finishing his second Giro d'Italia!  No, not some hackneyed, American, junior, amateur version of a giro.  No, I'm talking about the real deal, the big dance, er, il grande ballo.  Way to go, Ted!  I remember when I could stay in front of you in collegiate mountain bike races...for 24 seconds.  For those of you who don't know, Ted is a New England native, a Middlebury College alum, and a great reciter of lines from the movie Dumb and Dumber.  He's an all around great guy. 

What's that elephant doing in the living room?

Okay.  I'm going to do what very few other cycling-related blogs are occupying themselves with these past few days and refrain from talking about Flance Landstrong.  Who cares what I think?  I know neither of the guys nor do I feel like I can even make an educated guess about who did what to whom, etc.  It'll sort itself out...someday.

vermont gluten free

I told my mom years ago that she ought to start her own gluten-free bakery.  No store-bought product came close to the breads, cookies, brownies, and cakes she was making me.  Of course, it's no surprise since she can make even dandelion greens taste good.  She's an amazing painter, too, her true calling in life, which is one very good reason why she never went into the baking business.  Her painting is the gluten-free community's loss.  Oh well.  At least she still makes incredible blueberry cake for me when I visit.

Clearly, I need more pictures

With so much eye candy at my disposal, I am ashamed to admit I can barely share any of it with you visually.  So far, these posts have been rather wordy and, alas, so, too, this one will be.  But I'd like you to get a taste of what kind of bike bling I was fondling today.

Lynskey Helix OS Specials for May

http://www.lynskeyperformance.com/a/pages/lynskey-titanium-bicycles-for-sale---promotional-specials.php

Happy May!

I woke up to 5" of heavy snow and 34 degrees on Wednesday morning.  Yes, just this past Wednesday morning, as in April 28, just three days from May.  Today, Saturday, May 1, temps got up to nearly 80 degrees and all but a few pathetic piles of shaded snow remain from Wednesday's interesting weather.

I did some more gap climbing today.  The training is going okay, considering I'm nearly (though, not really) done with all of my school work.  I'm feeling much better on the climbs and can tell my body is getting used to recovering while climbing.  A month ago, I was a sweating, wheezing, crying mess trying to get my pasty carcass over Appalachian, Brandon, or Middlebury Gaps.

Here's a beautiful image.

Suck it, April 28.

School

Maybe, just maybe by the end of today, I'll be done with my work and I'll be done with this semester.  And then I can ride my bike and have a life again.

So, Charles, just what the heck is this all about anyway? 2010 Schedule.

At the end of the 2009 season, I decided to call it quits.  I had been racing in the pro/1/2's since 2005, on the road since 2002, and competed in my first mountain bike race in 1994.  It's been a long, amazing, un/productive, memorable, incredible ride.

TNW

It’s a national cycling institution. Every great cycling community has its version of TNW, the local hammerfest, the shootout, the big ride. Whatever you call it, the pace is fast, the breathing is loud, the yellow line is crossed and drivers are pissed off. Actually, the Green Mountain Bicycle Club does a pretty good job of self-disciplining itself when it comes to driver/cyclist relations and rules of the road. But, without fail, there will always be the guy or guys who begin their town line sprint way too early and veer wrecklessly all over the road for pride points.
The crowd at the GMBC TNW last night was big, big for April, and speedy. The tailwind starting out moved the pace right along. Some of the local big shots showed up but more importantly, the host club, generally comprised of masters racers, really impressed me. These guys are enjoying great early season form. In no way were they going to let the young whippersnappers dictate the ride.
Anyway, if you’re in the Burlington, VT, area on Tuesday nights, join us at 6:00pm (5:45 in April) at The Sports & Fitness Edge in South Burlington for a quick 1:30 of pedal pounding.

Saddle choice and the end of the good weather

I’m a Fi’zi:k guy (notice I got their logo right!)

A Review of the Lynskey Helix OS

16.2 lbs as seen here.  With Edge 1.25s, it goes down to 14.6lbs!

A review of the Lynskey Helix OS
Why go Friendly’s when you can eat Ben & Jerry’s? Why tolerate Bud American Ale if you can splurge on your favorite local microbrew? Why endure another year on another carbon frame when you can ride a Lynskey?

Wait! Lynskey, you say? Don’t they make titanium frames? And isn’t titanium so, you know, the year 2000? Answer: not any more it’s not. Behold the second coming of titanium glory and fix your eyes on Lynskey Performance Designs’ newest frame, the Helix OS!

This is a racing machine.

wow

April

April is like a…(insert clever, pop culturally relevant simile here)

The weather’s been amazing this April. Not one ride with a thermal jacket yet! Normally, I’m watching the weather like Jim Cantore, but this year weather.com is wondering why my computer’s URL address isn’t registering as much. I have a feeling we’re going to pay for this though.