Sea Otter Classic

So I signed myself up for the Sea Otter Classic down in Monterey, CA, two weeks from today. It'll be my first official race of the season since… man, since 10 years ago. I did myself in and renewed my USA Cycling license as a Cat 1 racer. Not sure how I'll fair, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to get my ass kicked. However, with all the training I've been doing this past year, especially throughout the winter, I think I'll have a fighting chance of staying somewhere in the middle.

Also, I'll be going down there with no support, as my wife will have just started her new job. My race start is on Friday afternoon, so it'll be a quick drive down, race, and drive back up. I'm nervous just thinking about it.

Last Rides

Had a good early morning ride with a friend today. The kind where you cruise at a comfortable pace to enjoy the scenery. We went all the way down to Fort Tilden and back. The weather in New York has been exceptionally good for being our last week here. I'm mentally gearing up for the move ahead. Six days and counting.

Double Flats

Ruined my day of riding by getting not one, but two flats. The first one was from hitting a sizable rock straight on, the other from an industrial sized staple. To make matters worse my Topeak Race Rocket pump kept unscrewing the inner tube valve core, deflating my tire at least 10 times. I remedied the problem by using the glue from my patch kit to keep it in place, followed by some saliva on the valve adapter of the pump as a lubricant. Fail. Can anyone recommend a small size pump like that? I'm thinking of a Lezyne.

Reflector

As we approach our last week in New York I can't help but reflect on the good and bad things about this city. It has presented itself with so many challenges I can honestly say made me stronger and more aware of what's important in life.

I used to, for the longest time, have the mindset of living to work. My work was a driving force in my life, but I'm slowly converting to the latter thought of working to live. No better place to make that transition than the West Coast. I grew up there, and know how much slower and easier life can be.

My work will always be an important factor in my life. I'll continue to work hard, regardless of what that work may be. If it's designing, illustrating or training on my bicycle, I'll have had that time in the big city to remember as a major milestone and personal mountain I climbed and conquered.

Flanders

I ended my Sunday morning ride to catch the tail end of the the Tour of Flanders. What a race! Too bad about Cancellara's broken collarbone. Eventual winner, Tom Boonen, is a beast, having won his 3rd title. Can't wait for next weekend's queen spring classic, Paris-Roubaix.

The Absa Cape Epic

I've been keeping up with the Absa Cape Epic in South Africa all week, and I've got to say it's one of the most gorgeous stage race venues I've ever seen, and most grueling, too. The race favorite Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander of team Specialized took control of the race from the very beginning. Each stage is full of amazing scenery. If you're on Facebook I suggest going to their page to check out all the great photography from each stage. Simply breathtaking.

So what do you think? Who wants to sponsor/join me for an epic adventure next year?

Have Bike (Bag), Will Travel

I decided to get an Evoc bike travel bag. Considering how much it would cost for a shop to pack, ship, unpack and assemble I would use it towards a quality bag for future rides and races. This bag has been highly reviewed as easy to pack with a lot of space even for a full-suspension 29er like my Specialized Epic. All I have to do is take the wheels, pedals and handlebar off. There are separate compartments for the wheels and plenty of padding and straps to secure the frame and parts. It also folds up nicely when not in use.

This will be my first time flying with a bike, so if you have any tips for me please let me know.

The Wiggle

There's a little known secret in San Francisco called 'the wiggle'. It's a bike route that avoids many of the steep grades of the city. It'll be a nice welcome back to riding real hills instead of the gentle grades of the east. Here in Brooklyn I have to ride at least 20 miles outside of the city to find anything worthy of being considered a leg burner. For mountain biking the best trails are an hour north of the city. It'll be interesting to go from really technical trails to the relatively buffed out single-track of the Marin Headlands.

Rapha Cycle Club

When we were in San Francisco checking things out I took a long walk up and over a mountain to come across the Rapha Cycle Club. Situated in the Marina district on the north side of the city, the Rapha Cycle Club is a welcoming space for the road enthusiast. It features a cafe, a gallery, a library of cycling magazines, two big screen TVs for live race coverage, and of course, their entire line of Rapha goods.

The people there were super friendly. They have weekly rides that leave from the store. It's a place where I could sit back to enjoy some espresso in a full cycling kit. There's even bike parking inside.

This is just the tip of my iceberg of excitement. Gazing across the Golden Gate Bridge awaits all of the Marin Headlands for mountain biking, the coastal highway and Mt. Tam for epic road rides.

See You Soon SF

My wife and I just announced to our friends and family that we are moving to San Francisco. While New York has been good to us, we're looking forward to moving back to the west coast. I, for one, am especially excited about the move. The Marin Headlands and NorCal riding at my doorstep, not to mention all the amazing roads and especially mountains to conquer.

So look out San Francisco, cause here we come!

Spring Is Here

Great to see the trees and flowers blooming all over New York. It definitely changes my perspective of the city. Just a month ago I was riding in the snow and cold rain, and now we've got sunny skies and above average temperatures. I'm savoring every last bit before we turn to the humid summer heat. I should be indoors on my trainer doing steady-state intervals, but I think I deserve to stray away once in a while.

Flying Friday

Perfect riding weather in New York today, topping out at 75º. I went out early to Bethpage/Stillwell via Long Island Rail Road. Trail conditions were absolutely perfect for catching some speed. So fast in fact I had the best lap around Stillwell Woods ever, racking up four KOM's (King of the Mountains). I'm fairly certain my standings won't hold very long as the weather gets better and better. There are so many fast guys in the area. Just a few hours after my run I was bested in two sections and nearly swiped of my ranking, granted I had ridden longer prior to the Stillwell loop.

It's fun to compare my times and heart rate zones from almost a year ago. It shows that all my hard work is paying off. The true test will come the next weekend in my first race of the season.

[UPDATE] That was fast, or should I say someone else was faster. Not even a day later someone rips into the Stillwell lap, setting a blistering pace. Damn. Guess I'll be heading back to challenge it. Gotta love Strava. It's like racing anytime against anyone.

Roval Wheels

I've been riding two sets of Specialized Roval Control 29 wheels for some time now, one set on my former Stumpjumper hardtail and currently on my Epic. I haven't had any problems with them so far. They feel very light and stiff. Having been a Chris King hubset user for years now I appreciate the quality of the DT Swiss hubs and the fact that they're hand-built vs machine-built.. They're feature straight-pull spokes and interchangeable end caps for different suspension fork dropouts. I run them tube-less with about 23-25 psi.

I'm curious about carbon rims. Being a relatively light rider I think I could manage not destroying them for a few seasons. However, they only offer them in a race-red color option, and I'm very picky when it comes to matching color-ways. Rumor has it that they're developing a black & white option later this year. I could easily drop a pound in rotation weight.

Chase You Down…

I'm a competitive person by nature. I can't help but challenge myself to do the best I can. Whenever I'm on the road and I see someone ahead of me I automatically kick up my cadence and see how long it'll take me to catch up to that rider. However, there a few things that'll flip my switch into hunt and destroy mode.

Fixed gear bikes Cut-off jean shorts Carbon wheels Pinarello Dogmas Kits plastered with logos Beards and mustaches Fixed gear bikes

Spring Riding

Man, I'm really enjoying this early spring weather we're having in New York. I feel bad for all my friends and family back home in the Pacific Northwest. I hear it's been snowing and raining there non-stop. Today it topped 72º with the sun shining and a light breeze. Perfect day for riding. I did laps around the park.

The picture above is actually from my ride over the weekend to the Palisades and back where I broke my record on the climb. 3rd place overall for that segment.

Our winter has been somewhat mild, yet I managed to complain, but only a little. Since taking up riding again I've been really tolerant of nasty weather. Never have I lived anywhere more windier than Brooklyn. Why is that? Can someone name a windier city? It's amazing how much I'm affected by the weather.

Spring Race Coverage

Had a great time watching live coverage of the early spring races, such as the Milan-San Remo classic as well as the opening World Cup cross-country and downhill races in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Nino Schurter outpaced Burry Stander in the cross-country event, beating out Jaroslav Kulhavy, the reigning world champion. And Greg Minaar narrowly beat Aaron Gwin in the downhill. Simon Gerrans edged out my favorite, Fabian Cancellara in the Milan-San Remo.

Live coverage of the UCI mountain biking World Cup races were streamed via Red Bull Live TV and will continue streaming the entire season. Right on, Red Bull. It still won't make me drink that crap.

It's always fun to sit back and watch these phenomenal racers make it look easy.