Slippery

It was icy yesterday, and I experienced my first incident on my bike commute to work. I had just come down a short hill into a parking lot and swerved to avoid some metal plates that I assumed would be slippery. Trouble is, the pavement next to the plates was also slippery and I went down in an instant. My right hand hit first, then my hip. The hip seemed the worst, but I got back on the bike and continued to work (I was almost there). When I took a shower, I saw there was a small scrape on the hip, but not larger than two large bandaids. But, over the course of the day my right hand got more stiff and puffy. My range of motion went from normal to extremely limited by about 2 PM. My doc was out, but my good friend and chiropractor Gentry McGrath got me in and sent me out for x-rays. Above you can see the result - a small fracture of the triquetrum indicated by the red arrow. I'll find out more from a hand orthopedist on Monday.

Guess I'll be a runner for the rest of February...got in 4.5 miles today after work. Didn't bother the wrist at all, so that seems like a good sign.

January's done, so Spring is here?

I officially have ditched the beard. And, the temperatures keep hitting nearly or in the 50's, so I am announcing that Spring is finally here. And, I've got a PhD in Geophysics, so that means I can control the planet.

January Totals
As predicted, riding down, and running up (way up)

Bicycle (mostly the cross bike)
Distance = 300.2 miles (wow, that's like one decent week's worth back when I was a roadie)
Time = 17:42:00

Running
Distance = 49.5 miles
Time = 6:52:00

This running distance and time is nearly 1/3 of my entire last season's running totals. And it is only the end of January!

H.R. 4040 sucks!

Some of you may be aware of the current legislation to deal with harmful chemicals in toys, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 4040). For info, see the CPSC's website. There are numerous problems with the legislation, as it is written, and my primary concern is that it mean's Bree's business, Hot Tea Apparel, will need to close shop.

Here's the disappointing letter I received from my Congressman, Jay Inslee, whom I enthusiastically vote for every chance I get:

January 14, 2009

Dr. Ted Scott
6211 145th Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98052

Dear Dr. Scott:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 4040). I appreciate hearing from you and apologize for the delay in my response.

I would like you to know that I understand your concerns regarding H.R. 4040. Even though it may take time to meet new standards, I hope that we agree that the safety of children's products should be a top priority. I believe that the products on America's shelves should adhere to the safest possible requirements decided upon by scientific evidence.

As you know, H.R. 4040, which passed the House of Representatives by a vote margin of 424 to 1, was signed into law on August 14, 2008. Beginning February 10, 2009, this law bans the sale of children's products containing more than 600 parts per million total lead. It also outlines certain children's products manufactured on or after February 10, 2009 that cannot be sold if they contain more than 0.1% of certain specific phthalates or if they fail to meet new mandatory standards for toys. These regulations have been adopted to protect America's children from hazardous and sometimes lethal substances.

Additionally, H.R. 4040 mandates third-party testing before many toys go on the market. It also requires the CPSC to review voluntary safety standards for toys and, when found inadequate, requires that mandatory standards be adopted. You may be pleased to know that the new safety law does not require resellers (thrift or consignment stores) to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless the reseller has verification of testing or other information to indicate the products being sold has less than the new limit. Retailers must comply with the law and have verification that the children's products they sell are in compliance of the new law. Further, please know that I have asked my staff to convey your concerns regarding implementation issues of third party testing with the Energy and Commerce Committee as well as the CPSC.

Should you have any additional questions regarding the implementation of this new law, I encourage you to contact my office or visit http://www.cpsc.gov/ for the newest information. Please contact me via email, telephone, or fax, because security measures in the House cause delays in receiving postal mail. For more information on my activities in Congress, and for information on services that my office can provide, please visit my website at http://www.house.gov/inslee. If you would like to subscribe to my email updates, please visit http://www.house.gov/inslee/signup.htm.

Very truly yours,

JAY INSLEE
Member of Congress

Here's my response:
Thank you for the response, Congressman Inslee.

Actually, while I am happy that thrift stores are now given more leeway, I am not very happy with the remaining content of H.R. 4040. My wife is a small business owner - her business is creating clothing and accessories for children and adults, with the vast majority of her sales on the children's side. The input for her products are almost exclusively "upcycled" materials (previously manufactured and sold items like t-shirts, sweaters, bicycle inner tubes, Tyvek, to name a few), most of which are obtained from thrift stores or via Craigslist or Freecycle. She uses organic materials whenever possible. However, if H.R. 4040 is enacted as written (or at least as of the latest information available to the public), my wife will have to fold the children's side of her business, which effectively means the business will have to close. She cannot afford to have each and every item tested that would need to be tested.

What H.R. 4040 needs is an "out" for small businesses or those whose business falls under "crafts" created from raw, safe materials. I imagine that smart legislators, such as yourself, could come up with appropriate language that gives businesses whose gross sales fall under some specified amount (e.g. $250,000) or whose primary input capital is raw (fabric, wood) or previously sold material (the burden of testing would have fallen on the previous retailer of the item when it was NEW), a mechanism to stay in business and not require testing, or subsidize the testing to an extremely low cost.

Without changes to H.R. 4040, an enormous number of work-at-home moms and dads, children's furniture makers, publishers of children's books, etc., will be unable to continue working on what they love. In addition, small companies outside the US will be unable to market their goods in the US due to the increased cost. Case in point, Selecta Spielzug, maker of wonderful games for adults and children, has said they will no longer be able to sell in the US. Their games are constructed almost exclusively of wood, glass and paper, and already meet the standards for sale in the EU. We own several of their games, and they are family favorites. For reference, please see the post at Amazon.com about Selecta's decision:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK3CAM978F92K94

This post happens to be written by my wife.

Please reconsider H.R. 4040 as it has been written to allow for small businesses such as my wife's to continue operating. Please don't stifle the American dream of running a business for so many other work-at-home moms, dads, woodworkers and other crafters. Please ensure that the legislation serves more than just the giant corporate toy companies, especially in our current economic crisis.

Thank you,
Ted Scott

Season Totals for 2008

I like riding in the rain

Finally got through compiling at the stats from last season:

Running
Distance: 163 miles
Time: 21 hrs 40 min

Bicycle
Distance: 6233 miles
Time: 354 hrs 10 min
Max speed recorded: 52 mph (downhill!)

So that's roughly 376 hours of exercise, or an average of one hour a day. So far, it is keeping the doctor away.

for 2009, I expect to add a bit more running, and decrease the riding, and add in some weight training.

Goals for the 2009 season

• Upgrade to Cat 2 on the track
• Become competent in the Madison event
• Crash fewer times than last season
• Exceed 40 mph in a sprint
• Complete the Cougar Mountain Running Series
• Run at least one half marathon (I'd say marathon, but I've done one before, and right now it doesn't sound like fun)
• Finish a half in under 100 minutes (just under 8 min miles)
• Finally learn to ride a wheelie (I know - I'm so embarassed)

Happy Holidays!

If you haven't yet, surf on over to Bree's blog to read our year-end summary (you know, like a christmas letter, only this one is better - Winter Solstice!)

My mother is in town, after a harrowing flight from Des Moines to Chicago to Seattle. Luckily her flight was able to continue despite the crazy winter weather we've been experiencing. It has snowed every day for eight days, and the temps have stayed below normal, so it has been a lot more like Minnesota and less like Seattle. But we've been making the most of it.

I hate the trainer, so I have been mixing up my exercise between running, shoveling snow, cross-country skiing (even to work), and I rode the cyclocross bike one time last week when the roads were still smooth-covered snow. But now I miss riding, so it is a good thing the snow is disappearing. It will be replaced by much rain, no doubt.

I just finished reading Charles Wheelan's Naked Economics, which was hilarious and informative. I loved it. I hope he also wins Rahm Emanuel's US House seat!

My next post will include:

• the full year riding and running totals!
• what I'm reading next
• some pictures from the Seattle Cyclocross series finale
• some plans for next year

for now, I am heading to bed.

At what age does the awareness of mortality begin?

We just returned from a wonderful, but brief trip to the Netherlands to see my dad marry his wonderful new wife, Adrienne. Emy caught a cold either in the Netherlands or shortly after we got back, and so was pretty stuffed up. Last night Emy and I were chatting while getting her tucked in for sleep. She said, "Daddy, I'm scared to fall asleep." I asked her why and she said, "I'm worried that if I can't breathe through my nose and I forget to breathe through my mouth I'll die in the night!"

Wow. She's never said anything of the kind to me so far. Does this mean her innocence is slowly disappearing? Is she going to become overly cautious? Can you really forget to breathe? What should I say?

I said, "Don't worry sweetie! Your body won't forget to breathe. You'll be breathing out your mouth just fine when your body realizes it can't get enough air through your nose. You know, like when you're running really fast, or riding your bike - have you ever noticed you start breathing though your mouth without even thinking about it?"

She said, "Oh yeah, that's true. OK, thanks Daddy!" Big hug.

Just like that. She even thanked me for providing some relief to her anxiety.

So I guess fear of death definitely starts by age six.

Good Books!

I've been reading a lot, like I planned a while back. So far I've gotten through:

The Bookseller of Kabul - Asne Seierstad - awesome inside look at life in Afghanistan before and right after the destruction of the Taliban's control

My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk - beatifully written, and complex mystery. I definitely get why he won the Nobel

The Fifth Child - Doris Lessing - creepy and foreboding, this book is hard to get out of your mind for days. Another obvious Nobel writer.

and I am currently reading

The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done about It - Paul Collier

I've got a few more general Economics and Global Poverty books to come from the library (Jeffrey Sachs, Joseph Stiglitz, Charles Wheelan), since I'm finding the subject area even more fascinating than the past few months' reading into Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development. Initially those areas seemed like a great tie into my Geophysics background, but are actually quite different and just have not grabbed me as much.

My father-in-law says I am a wonk. He claims it is a positive term.

SCC#7 Evergreen Fairgrounds in Monroe

There was mud

The race was held at the Evergreen Fairgrounds in Monroe, about 30 minutes north of our house. The day started foggy and cool, and when I arrived at the race the fog was just beginning to burn off. The temperature quickly rose from a frigid 38 F to somewhere in the 40's. The course was held on and around a racetrack oval, and included a fair amount of pavement (actually it was probably the "requisite" amount of pavement per UCI cyclocross rules). There was a fun BMX section with a tabletop jump, and a steeply banked sweeping turn. Plenty of mud coated about 25% of the course, with another 25% on pavement, and the rest on wet sand and grass. It really had something for everyone, although the mountain bike-type would find it lacking in technical challenges.

The tabletop jump was cool. I didn't jump.

The race itself
I opted not to pre-ride, even though I was generously offered a bike to use so I wouldn't have to mud mine up, but the course looked really straightforward, so I just did a brief reconaissance before lining up for the start in the 4th row.

After the mad dash from the start was a hard right turn into an off-camber section before more pavement, and when I saw other races sprint hard only to slam on the brakes at this turn, I told myself to take it easy in the start. But, when our race actually took off, other than two guys bumping into each other, the start was so clean and smooth that I really should have taken more risk. I'm getting tired of poor starts, but in most cases it is entirely my fault, so at least it is something I can own and fix! That goal of getting up into the top 20 for a start is really my personal wall in cross this season. This weekend coming up is my last chance for a remedy!

The rest of the race went well. I ended up near the back at the start, but picked people off on all the straight sections, and in the 200 meter road of peanut butter mud that was one of the deciding factors in the race. If you had power, you could float through - but I saw a lot of riders slow down too much, or take a bad line, and get stuck, only to have to shoulder the bike and run the entire length of the pit. I was really happy with how this section went for me on every lap. I passed people every time through.

Amazingly, I got no mud in my mouth!

The only other tricky part on the course was a fast off-camber downhill left turn. There was a well-carved line, but a better line to its right proved better for me. Although the line I took was good, I was still a little too "on the brakes" through this downhill, and I think I got passed by one rider each time down it, except for the last lap. But, there was a straight section to a run-up immediately after, so I always got that place back.

In the end, I almost made it to the top 50%, getting 26th out of 43. My biggest disappointment was that after the race I realized I didn't really "leave it all on the course" and had plenty of go left in me.

I will remedy that problem, and the poor start this weekend!

WA State Cyclocross Championships

Today's race was a blast. I loved the course, as it favored the power rider, but had just enough technical stuff to keep it from just being a grass criterium. To top it off, my team mate Landon won the race for the Cat 3 men, so Cucina Fresca has another state champion!

I had a really poor start - first, one of my team mates got cut off by another rider, causing him to crash. Right after swerving to avoid him, I got chopped by another rider right at a corner marker, causing me to come to a near dead stop. At this point I was on the back (except for my team mate, "Dirty" still slowly getting up).

Yep, that's how bad my start was - no one around me

But, as the race ground on, I moved my way up from the back. I was in the mid-teens with two laps to go, and continued my passing efforts to move past another group of three. A short time later, I passed one more rider at a run up - he thought I was "Dirty", actually, which makes some sort of sense, since usually Dirty would be with the guys up near the front, not me!

I still need to work on my cornering, but it is improving every week. Bree said a lot of riders went down on this turn, but I never had any trouble.

This was a section on the course where you could get a little airborne.

Which Landon did with aplomb!

In the end, I finished in 11th, out of 26. Wahoo! Top 50%!

Note Emy's similar tongue technique when finishing a cross race

So, it was a good race for me. I knocked off three of my five goals! Top 50%, a lap time less than 30 seconds off the winner (28 seconds off per lap average), and I passed aggressively throughout the race to move from the back to 11th. I couldn't be happier. OK, top-10 would have been a nice icing on the cake.

I should have some goals

For the last four races of the cross season, I have a few goals:

1. Finish in the top 50% of at least one race (I've come very close now, but never made it)
2. Finish a race with an average lap time less than 30 seconds off the leaders (again, very close - I've been within 44 seconds)
3. Finish in the top 40 for Cat 3's (right now I am in 41st place)
4. Start well in at least one race, such that I am in the top 20 when we hit the dirt (this is a stretch)
5. Start passing people as soon as I can, not waiting for a wide spot, or a long straightaway

Geez - if I could do all of that, I would be very proud.

Mud. Plus Mud. SCC #5 Donida Farms

Sunday was the 5th race of the Seattle Cyclocross series, and the weather forecast did not disappoint us - it finally was a race with true cross weather. It rained on and off, with mostly on at the start of the Cat 3 men's race. I didn't pre-ride the course this time, which probably didn't make any difference in my performance, but definitely saved me some clean-up. Those that did pre-ride came back from a single lap looking soaked and mud-caked.

The course was fun - some turns around a grassy horse training area followed by a muddy wall run-up, a quick muddy downhill, a barrier followed by a short muddy run-up, then a few 180 degree turns on an infield, three barriers, and more mud, before we did a long u-shaped trail through some woods that was completely filled with - you guessed it - mud. The mud in the woods varied from thin, just mixed plaster to peanut butter. The thin stuff was the best since you could just power through - the PB mud was usually mixed with stucks, rocks, and who knows what else under the mud. After the muddy jaunt through the woods, we were back at the start line for another lap.

remounting after the barriers in the infield

I re-confirmed that I am not particularly good at mud, yet, but I improved quite a bit after completing the first three of six laps. My last two laps were probably my fastest, and if I could just get myself to pass people more often, rather than tentatively sitting behind someone slower than I, I could really improve my placings.

It was fun, the bike survived without any mechanical issues, and I was not last, nor was I lapped (although it was closer than I would like). I finished in 47th out of 67.

Next race is out in Bremerton, and based on the weather forecast, there just might be mud.

Finally a Cyclocross Course! SCC #4 Report

Sunday was the 4th race in the Seattle Cyclocross series. It was held at Ft Steilacoom, the scene of my favorite cross race so far, the Rad Racing GP. And, finally, it was on an actual cyclocross course, not a mountain bike course with barriers. We didn't get to do the famed Knapp-time run-up that was in the Rad Racing GP, but there was a fine run-up with four barriers along it.

I had my usual poor start, but it wasn't from lack of desire to go fast - it was from lack of desire to crash. We were so packed in the third row that our bars were touching all along the row. I tried to edge forward a bit in anticipation of the start whistle, but so did everyone else, which only packed us in tighter. So, I paused a bit right at the start to let a small hole open, giving me a bit of a safety cushion to get rolling. I probably hit the dirt in around 40-50th place. OK, probably 50th.

From then on, I moved up. This was the first race this season where I felt like I was actually PART of the pack, rather than chasing it from behind. I moved from small group to small group, making progress on all the straight sections and the grassy infield. I would gain at least one place every time up the run-up.

The last two laps, I was trading with a guy from Pedal Mashers, and we knocked off a couple of other racers along the way, but were stuck together. He went hard on the last long downhill section and gapped me a bit, but I closed it on a gradual uphill that followed. I stayed on his wheel right up until when we hit the pavement and then began my sprint (hey, I didn't know what place it was for, but I was going to make sure I beat this guy). He chose that moment to look back and see if I was sprinting, which was his downfall. I nipped him at the line by perhaps 10 cm.

Some pics snapped by the wonderful cadre of photographers who show up at each event:

The screaming fast downhill
See? I really am ahead of people! I left all these guys behind.

The course was super fun with a series of off-camber turns

The stairs at "the ruins"

I had a blast. And, I got 36th place, which was pretty much mid-field. I was 45 seconds off the leader's lap times, and I suspect mine were slowly improving each lap. I'm very happy, especially given that I had no good training for two weeks and had been sick.

Hopefully this coming weekend will go as well or better!

Emy has the Pox!

Of the chicken kind, that is. Poor kiddo. She's weathering it well, but going through the worst of it today, I think. Most of her bad ones are on her head, which is good (doesn't rub on fabric all the time) and bad (really hard not to scratch, and to lie down).

Just looking at the sores makes my skin itch in sympathy!

Luckily, we already carved her cat-o-lantern:

She'll be over it soon. Looks like it is progressing quickly, without any of the nasty upper-respiratory side effects.

DNF?

So, I am finally feeling almost all well. We headed to the cyclocross race today, again at South Sea Tac, which I am very glad to say, is the last time we race there this season. We got there with plenty of time, so I got signed in, and got a bib number for Emy to do the kids race.

After watching for a bit, I did a pre-ride of the course with Landon and Ryan. Jeff had warned me that the course was really "all mountain bike" this time, which really made me unhappy. There had been plenty of consternation on the SeattleCyclocross.com forums about using SeaTac yet again, and people who echoed my thinking that every race there is a mountain bike course, with a run up and some barriers. Cyclocross, according to the UCI really isn't about singletrack, and neither am I. But, as I said before, you gotta ride what the course dishes out to you. During the pre-ride, I couldn't hold on to Ryan and Landon even when I tried, which didn't bode well for the race - they are both strong dirt riders.

I got to cheer on Emy in the kids race this time, which is always fun. She raced it a bit like Dad this time, coming in near the back (OK, at the back), but unlike my racing, she wasn't riding hard. She loved it, and Bree and I got it on video, so I guess we're perfect parents.

I rode the trainer by the car for 20 minutes, and then after downing some last water, I rode to the start line. I got a decent position, one row back from the top 16 or so, who get called up based on their series placing. I have several team mates in that group - go Cucina! We sprinted from the gun, and I was immediately struck from the right by one guy, then from the left by another guy, both of whom almost went down. Thanks to riding the track, I am like a wall. But, all this jostling put me darn near the back, which sucked, since I was actually HOPING to get near the front this time. The first lap was uneventful, at least 80% singletrack, and I got stuck behind two crashes, knocking me even further back in the field. Why is it always the guy right in front of me that crashes? The guy behind me always gets to ride around me, while I have to extricate myself from the due laying on the ground, flopping around like a fish.

On the second lap, I was making up a ton of ground in the paved sections, the "thighmaster" run up, and the wide infield section. I even passed some guys in the deep sand section early in the lap. But then, I overcooked a corner, right before a steep downhill, and had to stand there while nine riders went by, before I could insert myself in the stream again. I was pedalling furiously to rejoin the group of five I had caught in the sand, flying through the start/finish area past the announcers stand when distaster struck. Some complete idiot spectator was crossing the course, looking the exact wrong direction (he was looking to same direction I was, which meant he was not looking at me!) at the moment he popped out from behind the caution tape, directly in my path. There was nothing I could do - I plowed into him at full speed, hit him, and landed hard on my left hip. Nothing hurt at the time. I swore at him quite loudly (sorry Bilko - you didn't need to hear that), picked up the bike and ran, since the barriers were just ahead. I ran over them, jumped back on the bike, and pedalled about 30 feet before I knew something was wrong. My crank was sticking partway through the pedal stroke, and there was a loud grinding noise. I moved off the trail, blood still boiling, only to discover to my complete dismay that my chainring was bent, and my chainguard, to the point that it was not ridable.

It hit me that my race was over, two laps in, and rght when I was starting to feel better! I KNEW I was going to move up through the field today, as I was riding surprisingly fast, despite not much quality training and riding for the past 10 days. Keeping my anger in check was a monumental effort.

Since I don't have a spare bike (and was quite far from the pit anyway), I slowly walked back the way I had come and off the course. Sinc all my friends were racing, or cheering, there wasn't anyone nearby to share my pain, or hear me whine. I walked over to where I saw the guy I had hit. I asked him if he was the one I just collided with, and he said he was. I asked if he was alright, and he said yes. He asked how I was doing. I said I would be fine, but that my crank was trashed. He sort-of said he was sorry (he was not particularly apologetic, which didn't help my anger much) and that he walked in front of me because he was confused which direction the traffic was going on the course (which was lame - it was obvious). Anyway, I walked on back to my stuff and changed into regular clothes.

Since I had no idea where Emy and Bree were on the course, taking video and cheering, I was trying to figure out what to do next - look for them, or pack up the car. I opted for car, sinwould be easier to look for them unburdened, and thought they might even be at the car, or would look there if they didn't see me on the course.

Luckily, I saw them right away and told Bree about the misfortune. It sounded like they weren't having much fun either, since Emy was just moping around (although she swears she was having fun). We packed up the car. Emy was excited, though, as she'd gotten an awesome grab bag full of Vanderkitten swag from Tela, who is on Vanderkitten, and also teaches the kids track classes at Marymoor. Emy looks so cute! Thanks, Tela!!!

When we got home, I assesed the bike, and discovered things were worse. One of the spider arms on the crank was also bent, slightly. I managed to use a crescent wrench to bend everything back into some sort of alignment, since the last thing I was to do is buy another crankset, with six cross races remaining in the season for me. Hopefully it will last me the rest of the season!

On the plus side, my back is doing better. It still doesn't like me sitting in an office chair for long, and Bree had to make the trip to IKEA to get us a new, much firmer mattress last week, but I think I will mend eventually.

While sick, I read

So, I've been moping around, not riding my bike, which is very hard. Yesterday I tried to get Bree to go for an easy ride with me, only to change my mind and fall asleep on the couch.

I've been reading. Right now I am in Seierstad's The Bookseller of Kabul, which is very good. I just finished the second book in Sharon Kay Penman's medieval mystery series, The Queen's Man. Now, I am trying to follow my usual plan of reading a couple of books by recent Nobel winners, when it is award season. This plan led me to Naipul's A Bend in the River and Saramago's Blindness a few years back, which is still one of my favorite books. I'm still on the fence as to if I will see the movie. So, I started Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul, but memoirs often fail to grab me, and was true for this one. I'm going to try reading Snow, or maybe My Name is Red. Unfortunately, this year's winner Le Clezio has few works in Engish, but I will start with The Wandering Star and wait for a translation of Desert. I'm going to add Lessing's The Golden Notebook and The Fifth Child to my library list too. Bree is reading the Oates books I checked out, The Tattooed Girl and The Gravedigger's Daughter. No, Oates hasn't won the prize, but has often been mentioned as a potential winner, so maybe I can get ahead of the game.

That ought to carry me for a while. I'll keep reading all of Penman's works in the meantime. I love historical fiction, particularly of medieval times.

How do you stop a rhinovirus from...? Seattle Cyclocross #2, S SeaTac

I'm down for the count with a nasty cold. I started feeling it last weekend, on Saturday, but in infinite wisdom, I still raced on Sunday at the second race of the Seattle Cyclocross series. I had already paid, and I consoled myself with the idea that I would just drop out if I felt too sick to continue.

Check out the hot new skinsuit
- just for the cross racers on Cucina Fresca

I'm not very talented at giving up, so I soldiered on through the race, weak and slightly addled in the head. At the start line I thought "maybe I won't be TOO slow?", but as soon as the race began, and I "sprinted" while everyone else actually sprinted, I knew my hopes for a decent finish were dashed. It sucked, since I finally feel like I am getting the handle of the racing, although SeaTac is never going to be my best course. Maybe if I spend a lot of time riding singletrack I could improve, but really I am much better at the "actual" cyclocross courses, as in, ones that meet the rules for what a course is supposed to consist of - minimal singletrack, mostly 5m wide sections of grass and dirt, lots of tight turns, and some good running sections. Some of the courses later this season, like Steilacoom (where the Rad Racing GP was held) will fit that criteria - the first race of the series at Evergreen High School did meet the rules as far as I know. It is just an excuse, though - you gotta deal with whatever the course throws at you.

As to the race, I did fine, considering. Didn't get lapped, and didn't come in last. My lap times were about one minute slower that the winner, my team mate Chip, which actually mirrors all of my performances at SeaTac so far this season. I enjoyed the huge sand pit, and managed to ride it for three of the five laps (but man was my heart pounding harder than it should have been).

Here's a few pictures taken by Bree, who was able to enjoy spectating without having to also be a mom (Emy stayed with Bree's parents for the night and had a great time):

The start led to a run up, downhill, then runup,
and since I was not near the front,
it was faster to just keep running in-between the hills

See? I was actually ahead of a few riders!

Bree said she saw some not so great barrier technique during the race,
probably owing to there being three barriers.
But, she said I had no such trouble.

Ah, the finish line. I managed to sprint past the pink (Vanilla Speedvagen!) singlespeeder just before we got to the line. Of course, we aren't in the "same race" so it does not matter. But it helped my pride a little bit.

Research Paper on Cycling and How Some Countries Have Made It Irresistible

http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf

Here's the Abstract
This paper shows how the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany have made bicycling a safe, convenient, and practical way to get around their cities. The analysis relies on national aggregate data as well as case studies of large and small cities in each country. The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily traveled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighborhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and wide public support for cycling. In addition to their many pro-bike policies and programs, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use, and parking. Moreover, strict land use policies foster compact, mixed-use developments that generate shorter and thus more bikeable trips. It is the coordinated implementation of this multifaceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling. For comparison, the paper portrays the marginal status of cycling in the UK and USA, where only about one percent of trips are by bike.


It's worth a read - not too long. No wonder Bree, Emy and I feel so at home in the Netherlands! I don't even want to imagine the amount of $$$ it would take to transform cities in the USA to make cycling a more viable and safe mode to dominate transportation (let your kids ride helmetless?), and the current economic crisis isn't going to help policymakers open the government pocketbooks. However, it must be done - all the rhetoric about reducing the need for foreign oil and clean energy simply underlines the need. I, for one, would be happy to forgo the car in favor of bike, bus and train, if it were actually feasible to get everywhere you need to go with few to no transfers, and easy access to safe, bicycle only routes. Someday.

Ouch, My Back!

For the past three weeks, I've been waking up a few times a night, with a painful mid and lower back. It's actually mostly fine during the day, but as soon as I lay prone for a couple of hours, it gets stiff as a board and sore.

As it turns out, I did something to my back, specifically the spinal erectors and quadratus lumborum, likely from poor bike fit on the cross bike (saddle was too high and saddle was tipped down in front), poor posture working at a computer all day long, and just straining some core muscles too much, too fast. I'm sure I didn't help things much by my crash on Labor Day in my first cross race. It was quite a whack. My crash earlier in the season on the track may have precipitated my current state, as well. Everything labeled in this picture is where it hurts:


That said, I found a great chiropractor, Gentry McGrath, who also happens to race cyclocross, so not only is he speaking my language, but he's very motivated to see me recover so I can race healthy.

For the past week, he's been adjusting my well out-of-whack spine and working out those muscles. He told me he was sorry to tell me that at age 34 I am showing signs of arthritis, but since my x-rays are virtually unchanged since the first time Bree and I saw a chiropractor in 2001, I'm neither surprised, nor overly concerned. Not yet, anyway!

I'll see if I can get a picture of the x-ray so I can post it - my back really is kinda nuts...

So, for the past week I've been really ramping up on the core exercises, something I have gotten out of the habit of doing (other than abs) since I was ending my rock climber days a year ago in the spring. It's amazing how much better my back feels just by doing these exercises. Hopefully I will be waking up pain free by the end of next week. This morning was the best in days, and I actually slept soundly until 5 AM, versus waking every two hour or so, and needing to stretch out and attempt to find a position that doesn't immediately lock me up.

I went to the cross workout on Wednesday, and while I was sore and tight afterward, even before my back was injured I would have been sore and tight after two hours of cross practice at Marymoor. Riding there is like having your back pounded by a jackhammer, as the grass is so potholed and uneven.

I've got the go-ahead from Gentry to race on Sunday, so I am stoked. I've been taking this week pretty light on training, so I will either suck (more), or be really fresh.

I went for a run yesterday and it reminded me how much I like running. I gotta get back into the habit of running at least twice a week - good for cross, and good for a change of sport after a long, long season on the bike.

Seattle Cyclocross #1 - Evergreen HS

What a super-fun course for the opening of the Seattle cross series. It was grassy, with lots of twists and turns, some sand, and a just-right run up. The weather was a decidedly un-cross-like sunny, in the low 70's. I managed to pre-ride the bulk of the course thrice, which definitely helped me during the actual race. I also discovered it was right next to a disc golf course I've played twice with my work team mates.

Before my race, though, Emy got to do a kids race:

Unlike me in my race, she lined up at the back

But, she still had a great time, and managed to pass a few. She was a bit weirded out by a girl who crashed in the first turn around the dirt running track (the venue for the kids race - no barriers this time), and took a while to get her gumption back. As long as she's having fun, we're happy!

My race went pretty well - I lined up in the 2nd row, as Jeff thought we were to go off at 1:10. Turns out it was actually the posted 1:20, so we sat and baked in the sun for twenty minutes before the race finally began. But, as Jeff said, "At least you're in the 2nd row."

I did manage to clip in right away and took off with a decent sprint, but I was a bit wary of the riders who wering all over the place on the dirt track (and a small crash I avoided) before we hit the grass. It was a short couple turns before the sandy run up, and I took the right hand side, where the ground was firmer. I regained about ten places on the run up, since it was that much better ground. The rest of the course was pretty straightforward, except for a sandy hard left that would be my nemesis for laps 3, 5 and 6 (last lap). I crashed on each of those laps in the sand, losing places each time. I regained all those places and more during the rest of the course, and by the last lap I was sitting in 32nd position.

My goal was to finish in the top 50%. But that sandy corner shot my goal. I dropped my chain and the nine riders I had worked so hard to pass earlier in the lap cruised by me as I got the chain back on.

I rolled in, a bit dejected, in 42nd place. There were 61 starters. I was pretty pissed, but it's hard to stay mad when Emy meets me with a smile at the finish, telling me I did a great job. My lap times were closer to the leaders, less than 40 seconds off per lap, but the laps were faster and shorter, so I still have a ways to go.

Here are a few pictures:

Early in the course. You can see the run-up in the background.
Yes, all those guys are in front of me...
However, I caught and passed everyone in the picture who is not running...
until I crashed, and they passed me

This side was definitely best...and the run-up
was nothing compared to one in the Rad Racing GP

a fun part of the course, shortly after the sand-pit corner

about to start another lap, just after the finish line, later in the race

My team mate Jeff, who took 2nd,
doing some nice synchronized dismounting with the eventual winner

I love this picture of the spot just before the barriers.
If you look closely, you'll see that only my front tire is touching the ground.
Both feet are airborne, as is the rear tire. I'm floating!

Poor Chip had yet another mechanical issue - this time a rolled rear tire.
But, he managed to get to the pit, swap wheels, and still passed me later in the race.

My family are the best super-fans!

I'm so purturbed by the chain coming off (3rd time this season, over the course of five events) that I just ordered up a single ring setup from Excel sports (Cyclocrossworld.com says they are out-of-stock).

I also discovered that I've been riding with too-narrow handlebars (no wonder breathing seems a bit tougher, and my back and neck are unhappy), so I ordered up some new bars as well.

No race for the next weekend for me, and it is a "rest week", so it should be a good time to tinker with the bike and get it set up for more racing.

Starcrossed and Rad Racing GP - Twice the Fun!

Before I had done a single cross race this season I signed up for this double race weekend. The two events are the "biggest" cyclocross races in the Seattle area for the season, and I didn't know any better how hard two cross races would be, much less even a single race!

Starcrossed 2008 - Saturday
Saturday was Starcrossed. The Cat 3's raced at 6 PM, which means we still have some daylight, versus the elite women's and men's events that followed. Bree and Emy dropped me off at 3 PM, so I could get in a couple of warm up laps on the course the see what it was like. It was not raining at this point, and was only slightly muddy - mostly just wet grass. This would change over the course of the warm up... I was running my Racing Ralph tires, and dropped them down to a very squishy 36 psi. I didn't bother to put spare wheels in the pit, since I figured a flat was both unlikely, and might actually be welcome.

I had registered first for the field, and so my "random" number worked out to bib #200, which meant a front row call-up. If I were a much better cross rider, I would have been super stoked at the chance for the "hole shot" (being the first rider off the start as we enter the dirt section), but I was mostly trying to figure out how I could go fast, but still not become a bottleneck. Oh, and it was raining, everyone was shivering, and teeth were chattering.

Look at me in the front row - only 81 more riders to go

I was so relieved when the gun went off. Within about 30 seconds, I was no longer aware of the cold and wet.

The mayhem at the beginning.
I am looking at a rider who just crashed, off screen to the left and trying to figure out how I can pass by.
I lost like 10 to 12 places in the next three seconds!

About halfway through the first lap, I was somewhere around the 50th position. It was not long before I was joined by my race companion for the next 45 minutes:

Sam, a.k.a. Sammy, the speedo guy and I had an ongoing battle for position the rest of the race

I maintained somewhere in the 50's-60's for the rest of the race. My only goal was to not get lapped. I figured having a goal of not crashing would prove fruitless. Amazingly, I only went down once in a downhill corner at slow speed. But, it whacked my left brake/shift lever so much that instead of pointing forward, it was pointing to the right. I had to pound it with my right fist (while riding on an off-camber mud section) to get it back to about 45 degrees from straight ahead. It stayed in this position for the rest of the race (like 30 more minutes), which made using the front brake somewhat awkward.

Here's some more shots during the race taken by Bree and other kind spectators:

Yeah, it was wet. Riders who tried to use the
track banking often slid right back down and crashed


Coming up to the log barrier run-up The rider in pink to the left is negotiating the turn where I would soon crash

The logs were kinda fun, actually

There was plenty of noise at the infield barriers

My teammate Chip is the first rider in the group of three -
he placed an awesome 7th! This was a pretty muddy turn, but I was amazed at how
well you could actually carve in the muck. I didn't get brave enough to really power
through the turns until the last lap, but now I know.

I passed my speedo friend with 1.5 laps to go, right before the barriers

Then Sam slipped on an off-camber section near corner four of the velodrome and I stomped past him. I held this positi just in front of him until about 50 meters to go when he took the last 180 degree corner much better than I did and slipped past me to beat me by 10 meters at the end. I think his cape gave him super-hero powers.

Bree and Emy found me after I hosed off my bike and myself, and got really freaking cold. They were also freezing, so I chanegd clothes and dropped them off at home to go back and watch the elite men race at 8 PM. Those guys had a torn up course, but at least it stopped raining for them. I had to extricate my contacts before I could drive back, along with a teaspoon full of sand and grit in my eyes. They were still bright red the next morning.

I managed to get 65th out of 83 starters. Thirteen riders dropped out, which actually is surprisingly low, given the conditions. One my my teammates, our president Travis, pulled his deraileur cable on the first lap, and had to chase from half a lap down after he got it repaired. He had the dubious honor of being the last recorded finisher.

After I got home, I started to wonder why I signed up to race the next day! I hoped that a night of sleep would provide some recovery. Bree and Emy were going to come along to watch, cheer, and so Emy could be in the kids cross race!

Rad Racing GP 2008 - Sunday
Amazingly, as we drove to Tacoma at 9 AM, the sky was overcast, with occasional glimpses of sun. And, when we arrived at Ft Steilacoom for the Rad Racing GP, we were all surprised to find the ground dry and the temps pleasant.

I pre-rode the course as soon as we got there, and didn't even add air to the tires, so they were probably below 36 psi. The course was super fun - fast, not super technical, with an eternal run-up (80 meters up a loose sand/rock hill), a section of stairs, and some barriers. Mostly it was wide open grass and sweping corners. On my pre-ride I realized I might actually be able to do well (for me) on this course. I pumped the tires back up to 36 psi and headed to the start line after a 20 min stint on the trainer to keep the legs fired up.

I again had an early registration position, which put me on the front, yet again. I was actually excited about it, though. Unfortunately, I didn't get my right foot in very quickly, and lost a lot of position in the starting sprint. But, for the rest of the race I was "with people" as opposed to being mostly on my own, or with one other rider.

Chip was again riding very well near the front,
but would have an untimely chain breakage on the last lap

About mid-way through the race, I started to move up from small group to small group.
Eventually I found my teammate Landon (who is much better on dirt),
and worked hard to stay nearby

With one lap to go. The rider just to my left is Andrew Yee,
one of the creators of Cyclocross Magazine,
a sponsor of the two races, and a fine magazine and online site.
Landon is just behind us in the next group, and would catch up during the lap.

I continued to push throughout the last lap, and managed a fine 33rd place out of 48. The placing wasn't spectacular, by any means, but still it was my best result in terms of how close I was to the leaders. On this kind of course, I think I am capable of a top 20 finish, with a bit more practice at the barriers and other "transitions".

Emy's First Cross Race!
Unfortunately, the kids race started 15 minutes after my race, so I saw none of it. But, right after my finish, Emy was bursting to tell me all about it. We rode the kids course for a couple of laps, while she replayed the event for me in detail.

I had told her earlier that I didn't think she would have any barriers, and that the course would be very short. Well, I was wrong on the first count - they had a barrier, and a little wrong on the second count - they had two laps of a short, twisty course in a nearby field:

The start of the 6-7 year olds.
Mostly girls.
Mostly streamers.
Mostly pink.
Emy is in the back: pink bike, streamers, black tires

Like Daddy, Emy eschewed the hole shot

On the first lap, she was mid-pack
(OK, there are a few ahead of her to the left)

Just after clearing the barrier on the first lap
One of the Rad Racing junior riders (left side, wearing red/black) was the "pacer"

You can see Emy's triumphant last lap in this video
Note the smooth dismount before the log and fast remount after
I'm such a proud Dad!

Emy smiles after winning her first cross race.
Emy wins a lot more races than I do.

We all agreed it was a great day for the family. I think even Bree was thinking cross might not be so bad after all, as long as the races are on days like Sunday.

Monday was a rest day - next race is on Sunday the 28th, the first race of the Seattle Cyclocross Series. It should be a good one for me again - flat, fast, grassy.