3 B's

My dream is to open a lil place called Bikes, Books and Buns. A breakfast/lunch/bike shop/book store. But last night I settled for Bikes, BBQ annd Beer. It was BBQ night at Pacific Raceways so we only raced the flats (points per lap) for 35 mins. Just before the start a rider near me slipped his chain and someone yelled "he did a Schleck!." Unlike a certain rider we all waited for him. It was a very large field and conditions were great-clear and very warm with little wind. I pretty much hung near the back chatting with some friends. I did want to attack and tried a couple of times from the rear, but the speed was constantly high and the field strung out so I decided to save myself:) The hot dog and cupcake were tasty, the company fun, and the free Aloha beer I got later very very refreshing. I love hawaiian Shirt nights at the local brewery.
My gf and I attended the FSA Grand Prix on Sat night at the Marymoor Velodrome, and it was incredible. Clear skies, a gorgeouse view of the top of Mt Rainier that changed colors as the sun set, and a full moon. Oh yeah, the racing was incredible too.

Too Much Kit

I have a great garage. It has room for 2 cars side by side, a large storage area in front of my gf's space, lots of room in front of my space for two trainers, a t.v., fan, free weights, radio/cd/tape player and 2 bike stands. There is also an adjoining storage room where I have lots of boxes and bike parts. And one box full of cycling shoes and several dressers full of cycling gear. One drawer is even fully devoted to 53x11 gear. I have several sets of alter ego kits and one red kit. Throw in 2 sleeveless jerseys, a jacket, l/s jersey, wind vest and that makes a stuffed drawer.
Sometimes with so much to chose from I make mistakes, like taking different shoes (all Sidis so they look alike at first glance) and wrong clothing. Last night in my haste to get to the Pacific Raceways for the weekly series I grabbed my sleeveless alter ego jersey by mistake. I did not realize my error til I was getting ready at the track. Fortunately it was a warm night and I was quite comfy.
The course was the clockwise loop that started on the flat and then went down a nice rolling descent with some fuy turns before hitting the steepescape route (one fun climb). There were around 30 of us in the 4/5s and we raced for 1 hour. I was riding my old steel bike from Holland as my other bikes were in the shop. I had no trouble sticking with the pack and even chased down two attacks.
Overall a quite pleasurable night of racing, even in the wrong jersey:)

Sometimes It's Okay to Hang Up the Helmet

I love live music almost as much as bike riding. Last night I willingly gave up racing at Pacific Raceways to enjoy a free outdoor concert at our town's community center with my gf. The band was Knutt Bell and the Blue Collars, one of my favorite local honky tonk/rockabilly bands. It was gorgeous weather, good food (KFC) and 90 mins of rockin music. I did have some sympathy pains though and periodically looked at my watch, thinking what the pack would be doing and visualizing the race. After the concert we went to the local brewery for a free "aloha" beer (wear a Hawaiian shirt on Tuesday nights to get one free beer).
I had commuted home from work before the concert on my single speed, and except for one bad driver I had an incredible ride. I guess that helped ease the pain of not raing some.
However, next Tuesday will find me back at Pacific mixing it up with the 4/5s. After all, I love racing more than live music:)

Local Hour Record Falls

Stewart Bowmer, a local Masters rider attempted to break the hour record for the Marymoor Velodrome in Redmond yesterday morning. He also was shooting for the national 40-44 record. I decided to show support and rode out on my single speed. I had to stop briefly for 2 deer crossing the road. I did not mind in the least. There were about 8 spectators and almost as many officials at the start of his ride. There were also two osprey nesting on the north end of the track. They did not seem too interested. As the minutes passed a few more riders/supporters showed up, including one man wearing a 53x11 cap. I had a nice chat with the man and his wife, both big supporters of 53x11 coffee. They had gone to Maui earlier this year and had a nice encounter with Evan.
The last 10 minutes of the hour flew by as we all cheered Stewart on. He did break the track record (unofficially 43.490 kms) but not the national record. It was a bit of a windy day and the track is outside so he had a handicap. It was very impressive regardless as he rode steady and strong the entire hour. It was also nice catching up with some riders I had not seen in a while and mneeting fans of the team/coffee.
I had a pleasant ride home and saw a bald eagle. All in all not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning.
Ty (aka saddledancer)

From Bike Saddle to Bar Stool

So yesterday pretty much marked the beginning of our summer-major jump in temps (80's/90's) and clear skies with BRIGHT SUN. 7 pm rolled around, which should have seen me in the saddle of my trusty steel steed (Gazelle frame with Campy 9 speed), attacking the flat course at Pacific Raceways. I like to ride that heavy old school bike now and then to remind me of my roots. Plus it has a rider's name (Tiny De Vaan) on the top tube as it was built for an amateur Danish squad years ago. Instead my rear was settled in at the local brewery having a beer with my gf. It turns out that the NHRAs are this weekend so Pacific was closed. We were told it would be next week but the organizers were wrong. I was so hyped to race in the warm weather and wanted to asttack attack attack! They did send an email out but as I was on vacation I was watching the TDF rather than checking messages. We drove all the way down just to be turned away:(
I did end up watching the 2008 Giro and riding hard on my trainer later last night.
I decided to ride both ways to work today (40 miles total) on my single speed, and the inbound leg was eventful. Lots of road work I was unaware of that led to a front flat 1/2way to work. No biggie until I discovered all my "new" spare tubes were defective. As no riders stopped for me I ended up calling my gf on her vacation at 7:15 am. She drove out with a spare tool kit full of tubes. I was able to repair the tire and get to work 2 hrs late. I love you M!!!
I do look forward to the ride home tonight and a cold shower and colder beer upon arrival. Just no flats!
All the best to my teammates.
Ty (aka saddledancer)

ARMWARMERS IN JUNE?

I read my teammates posts, describing the heat and humidity, and wonder when do I get my chance? It is almost July, summer began a week ago, and yet it is like fall here in the Northwest. I do overheat in warm weather and should feel fortunate with the cooler temps, but I wanna sweat a little....
Last night was my 7th Pacific Raceways of the year. It was another cloudy, blustery and cool evening, causing me to wear an undershirt and armwarmers. We went down the S turn, my least favorite course, but one I need practice on so I raced. It is the opposite of my favorite course. It is a counterclockwise loop that started on the flat, then swung around and down a steep ramp before entering a steep s shaped section with two good turns. It requires technical skill. Once out of the S turn you start a long rolling climb back to the flat. I always hang off the back on the descent. The race started rather slow which was nice but soon picked up.
I hung on for 1/2 the race, then got dropped on the descent. So many riders got dropped from all 3 races, riders were all over the course. I felt happy that I finished as many opted to ride the shorter escape route rather than the S turn, but I did the whole course for the whole hour.
A crash did occur early in the S turn in the Masters race when something happened ahead of us in their break away (3 riders). We did not see it happened but came upon it while flying thru the S. Never good to see but I think the riders were okay. Cars race down it too and the road had extreme tire wear from where they braked.
Anyway, just 3 more needed to qualify for swag!
Come on warm weather!
Happy early 4th to all.
Ty 9aka Saddledancer)

A Race and a Tow

Yesterday was the Boston Harbor roadrace in Olympia. I raced the Masters C event in the afternoon, which allowed me to flake in the morning. I almost did not go but my girlfriend helped persuade me as it was a nice day. Only 35 or so riders rode the 30 mile rolling course. I liked the small field as the road was very narrow. We rode 5 loops of a 6 mile course that had 2 good short descents and then lots of rollers, with one short climb (but long enough to hurt at effort) just before the finish. I rode at the back as usual and felt stronger each lap til the start of the 4th, when I was almost dropped on the climb. I did get back right before the start/finish and felt fine for the last 2 laps, even moving up and back at will. The finish was fast as we all flew up the hill. By the top, and with 1k to go we had split into several groups. There was a lead group of 7 or so then a few more than me and a couple of others. I joined the 2nd group and was able to sprint strong, finishing around 20th I think.
It was a great race and my girlfriend attended and videotaped the finish.
The drive home was actually in a tow truck as my truck died in the parking lot:( All things considered it was a very nice ride home. The beer and burger sure were tasty:)
I have done 4 sanctioned road races this year, 3 timetrials, and 6 Pacific Raceways series, the most ever for any one year. I have not had any mechanicals or crashes and have finished every race. I am so grateful.
I will be out of town in August so will miss the Crystal Mountain Hillclimb, a first since 2005. Oh well, girlfriends come first, especially one as supportive as M.
All the best to my teammates.
Ty (aka saddledancer)