Hey, anybody know if ErrinV made the start of the TD? Not sure what his real name is and I don't see anybody with his listed location on the start list: http://tourdivide.org/2011_start_list In the meantime, I'm cheering on our local boy: http://trackleaders.com/tourdividei.php?name=Danny_Hill
Ah, looks like he took a 1 day head start on everybody to do an individual time trial: http://tourdivide.org/2011_ITT-D_start_list Damn, no updates until he gets back then. Good luck, ErrinV!
Well shit... http://mtbcast.com/site2/2011/06/15/mtbcast-td11-errin-vasquez-called-from-butte-to-say-hes-out/
I flipped the stem on my cross bike over the other nite. Rode it today. My King HS was rubbing. Top cap wasn't level and it was rubbing on the front lip of the top of the cups. So I flipped the stem back over tonite (wow! is it humid!) and its fine. I think it may be that its been installed the same way since I got the bike 6+/- years ago and things are compressed in a certain way. I need a new cross fork anyway, this just accelerates the 'need' for it. M
An ITM stem I had did that, the clamping are was cast or forged and machined inside but not faced so one end of the clamp wasn't square and would bind the bearing
Weird, what kind of stem? The amount of time it was installed for should have no effect on being able to flip the stem. Those parts should not wear together in any way.
Ritchey WCS and a 'sorta prototype' Ouzo Pro cross fork. I didn't try the stem on another bike (I have a slightly different WCS stem on my Quattro Assi) to see. PITA got too big in the humidity. M
That is odd, it all should work together just fine. The only thing it could be is the stem is not cut perfectly flat on one side. I have never seen that before though. If it is the steerer tube of the fork causing the issue I would throw the fork away ASAP, but I doubt it is causing the issue. The headset could have worn bearings allowing the top cap to drop in a little more. How old is the headset and has it ever been overhauled? I have never seen a CK headset bearing wear out either.
Always good to win free beer! Final race of the local speedway series was last night. My teammate was second in the points series and our team was holding solid as first in overall points. I was there only to work for team points and keep points away from the guy in first place. Before the race even started, I could not get my power meter to work. No speed, HR, power... nothing. So, I scrapped it pulled off the HR strap and planned to race on perceived exertion only. As the whistle blew, we were off and I was on point. Going strictly by feel, rather than numbers had me going harder than I should have and I had opened up a small gap that no one was interested in bridging to, so I backed off a bit and that's when it happened... The points leader attacked and another strong rider went with him, I "just" caught what was happening when my teammate hollered break right, so I spun up and the four of us were soon hammering away from the main pack. We must have been hitting those pedals hard 'cuz no one decided to jump with us, or attempt a bridge. We stayed away and worked together. As the points leader knew there was no way we were letting him get away, we just settled in and hammered. Within about 10 minutes we had gained 3/4 of a lap on the field and were closing fast! Another 2 laps and we had lapped the field to settle in for the top 4 places. There were a few guys that attacked each other for 5th, but we had decimated the field. As the whistle blew signaling the final lap, I watched and waited for the guinea pig to jump. All four of us got on front again and sprinted to the finish line. I was able to secure a solid third place in the race, fourth overall in the series and our team won 2 cases of beer for the team points! What a great way to end that series. We had most of the team there for the beer shot.
Looks like you got good beer too! Always better than winning yellow fizzy stuff. Congrats! Which of those ugly mugs is yours? PLEASE tell me yer not wearing a blue bandana! M
Cool Ridge! Nice report too. Back in the day our team ran a circuit race. Since we had Coors sponsorship we would give beer primes. So only the vets got those. They were always popular, something about an August in Colorado race.
Got an hour in last night. Getting caught in an end of the day meeting is not how I had planned to use the longest pit of daylight. Then of course the legendary traffic gave me a good twenty miles of splitting. I arrived home hot and tired. But, determined to ride no matter what. I got geared up and on the road by 6:30. :eek1 So, I was going to use all the sunshine I guess. Turned around at 30 minutes after hammering hard to keep building the gap I'd made on the timetrial/tri guy I caught and passed as he slowly got his big gear turning after the short descent to the river form the street level. My legs were pretty dead, but that hard spin for 15 minutes got the blood moving in where the stiff used to be. At my turn I felt OK, and was able to catch another guy for a bit of a tow, after spinning pretty easily up to 20 mph. Caught another guy in the big ring, after he had caught on to me and hung out for a mile then reluctantly pulled through, only to hammer it up to the top of where I was almost comfortable. That hurt a little, but I stayed with him back up that short hill only to just be done as we topped it. I knocked it back two gears and spun to recover to the street, then back up four to a good spin at 18, as I peddled away. He caught back on about a mile later, and we rode to almost my turn before I remembered I still had "The Hill" to get up. I made it back in 63 minutes total, at a bit over 16 mph average. I did walk for an hour at lunch which got real hot and sticky... for around here anyway. Today less walking, and more riding if I don't get another end of the day fire drill.
Ha, no mandana for me. I'm the second from the left. The one with curly locks next to me held the entire pack off to assist with our break. Every time one would pass him to pick the pace up, he would jump on the front and bring it back down. In the immortal words of Colonel "Hannibal" Smith from the A-Team... "I Love it when a plan comes together!"
Good stuff Ridge ! If anyone is in Central Fl early next month - http://www.66fixed.com/news/12-hours-of-st-pete.html
Not next month, but I will be in the area the middle of August. I'm doing an ADV race around Orlando on the 13th with my buddy from Tampa and another friend the lives in Orlando. They are trying to find us a fourth for the race so we don't have to wedge all three into one canoe. I'll have my SS 29'er with me and plan on hitting Boyette and Alafia if you're free.
Was out with my buddy's wife tonite. She wanted to ride and he was outta town. No. Not like that. There were supposed to be 4 of us meeting at said buddy's house, but the other 2 were running late. No. Not like THAT either! Get yer mind outta the gutter! Rode out at the back of the pack and they wandered up the road without us. We managed to miss a turn and got somewhat misplaced. Said 'eff it we don't know where we're going but we know where we've been' and turned around and went back to the ride start. 1:30-ish easy. Just what the doctor ordered after a few weeks of hammering my legs into mush. Been a fairly mild summer so far round these parts. Hope July and Aug don't bite me in the butt. M
