The original plan had been to race, the original plan didn’t include me running out of gas in the giant staircase I was driving through a deluge on saturday and shelling out for a proper half tank to get me home. The vehicle is a study in an-aerodynamics, basically a reversed sail that tops out the speedometer of a 6 liter engined vehicle at 65, hustling to make up for time lost to the weather had me burning about a gallon/mile, nice. That left me with about $16 dollars in the bank account, not enough to get a new annual license and race registration for a guy with frozen credit.

This was probably for the best, I rode out to the course and did as much riding as I could on it as a non-registered to race rider and I am not sure that I’d have survived a full 9lap, 1 hour onslought like that right now. Ripping around the turns and goofing off was better for me to remember that it is worth it to work hard to be good at this than entering the 1-2-3 race and getting shelled. Apparantly I was the only guy to take the uphill barrier via sloppy wheely to crank roll rather than running so I didn’t finish my non racing race day completely devoid of accomplishment. It’s going to be no BS to ride at the level of the field I’ll need to compete in this year, rule changes have forced me out of the familiar B race that I’d known since my first season of cross in ‘02, about time I guess but I am going to need to de-tox and get my ass in gear to make a showing out there, some of these guys I’ll be racing look like centaurs.

I didn’t get out to the venue early enough to witness the exploits of Budd Bike Works Beta production test rider B. Gurley in the 3/4 race. I am really proud of him jumping into it with both feet and making it count in his first race ever & not turning tail as would have been well understood when he found the beginner race filled up. He rode out to the course from the medford funeral home, raced in a field stacked with tuned up talent, crashed & bashed up his rear brake a bit, pitted and failed to fix it so rode the bike with only a frontbrake for the remainder with only one additional crash resultant from it and was only lapped by the dude on Tim Johnson’s team that had demolished the rest of the field by a full minute. NICE WORK BUDDY!. If you were there watching today you couldn’t have missed his bike cause it looks like the Lucky Charms Leprechaun threw up on it. The Midnight Blue Budd Cross frame has a red rear wheel, green tires, and pink handlebar tape. I want to find him a yellow saddle to complete the nightmare. I am pretty sure if anyone had told the guy to let some air out of the tires before the start he probably wouldn’t have laid the thing down on a turn in the first place. He was running 70lbs in em, silly cracker-now you’ve got no brand caps on your shifters.

If anyones got any pics from the day I’d like to see them to maybe throw in with the text here.

I guess it should be noted that the Pro Mens and Womens races at Bedford I watched were won by Adam Hodges Myerson and Mo Bruno Roy respectively and both by large margins with impressive solo efforts. One thing about the true pros is that they’ll push as hard as an average schlub like myself when I am maxed out for the entirety of the race.

I never did get out on my planned friday cross ride and instead spent the afternoon in the basement with a box of fresh parts to get a bike in order for the season ahead.

That done it’s going to take a good bit of effort to get the body to work to the same level as the machine but it should be enjoyable enough with plenty of good folks to ride with now and a new trail bike to break the monotony of the miles. Great things can be expected of the few Different But Alright Guys and Gals that may get out and race Cyclo Cross on BBWs this year.  The first foray into the fold will be Bedford tomorrow, unfortunately the bank account won’t let me get my license and pay registration till my next pay check but Budd Bike Works will be represented by my buddy Benny riding for the Wheelworks squad in the cat. 4 race.  I’ve ridden with this guy for years and he owns about 12.5% of the bikes I ever built, one of these people who is fast but never cared for the hole racing scene.  I’m glad the frame I got him convinced him that going fast against someone will be fun.

Listening to WNBR while I wrenched I did hear a great broad cast of Free Speech Radio News and an interview with a lady that wrote a book I want to check out on the positive story that was lost with the call for fear and to arms that was pushed by the media about the great sense of purpose, connectedness and importance that was felt and acted upon by so many that survived or were touched by the events of 9/11, I got a little lump in the throat.

Yesterday morning was a disaster. Zero coffee until 11am, a dentist appointment I was late to, frustration at not really having a bike I can do anything with, the empty sense of not really belonging anywhere, and mood swings like woah.

Funny, how, a little past noon, I was standing in a place I would have never expected to be a year ago, surrounded by friends who work in a bike shop in NYC, comfortably snapping too many pictures. And then having lunch with the incredibly awesome people behind Independent Fabrication.

Yup, that’s right. I went to IF. I’m still not quite sure how it happened. But when NYC Velo became an IF dealer a few weeks ago, a trip to Boston was planned, and a casual “you should come” turned into a full day of adventure.

It started, of course, in Somerville, at the infamous IF factory. A place I couldn’t have dreamed of entering without some tangible pretext [most likely in the form of a credit card and an order form for a custom frame], I entered empty-handed and left with an SD disk full of pictures, a few new friends, and some capacity to dream of racing bicycles again.

Mostly broke and with a knee that’s slowly giving out, but simultaenously terrified of the obligation to race that would come with having a fully-functioning geared bike, I’m currently having a classic love/hate relationship with the Bianchi. Yesterday it was mostly hate/hate to the point where I was hating all bicycles. Yet somehow I dragged the tractorino to Somerville to a place full of too pretty bicycles and a spray-painted wooden sign that demanded those within those factory walls to “Live the Dream.”

An audacious command, the desire to do exactly that seems to permeate the people of IF. But in a way that doesn’t reek of douchebaggery or condescension. The somewhat intimidatingly large logo on the factory door leads into a bike nerd’s paradise, but one that’s full of friendly, incredibly laid-back people. Serious people who have managed to retain the fun in their work and craft. And that is impressive.

IF’s passion for bicycles cleared the doubting depression over my ability to do anything of value on a bicycle. Team jerseys became coveted items again, as did derailleurs. Over lunch at the Tavern At the End of the World, I even jokingly recalled a casual suggestion that, to me, seemed completely absurd: that I should get an IF and race for NYC Velo in Boston. Too bad it was snatched up as “brilliant” and “great” with Andy and Joe [of IF] informing me that I could “totally pull off a Factory Lightweight” but I’d have to wait on a NYC Velo kit that would actually fit.

I blinked before backpedaling in panicked fear, the thought of an IF Factory Lightweight a little too much for my awkward legs to handle. And while talk of racing seemed centered around the kind that involves two derailleurs, NYC Velo managed to leave with the infamous pursuit IF track bike in the back of their car. I even got to touch it.

With a Dolan in my kitchen, racing track seems much more feasible. But when I do decide on something with multiple gears and the ability to shift between them…well, that Factory Lightweight is looking really sexy…

Ever thought about giving bike racing a try? There’s no time like the present, or more specifically, this coming Monday, May 11th!

Cambridge Bicycle and New England Velodrome are hosting a seminar on Beginning Track Racing this coming Monday, May 11th at the Livable Streets Alliance space in Cambridge. This seminar will be designed for those who have little or no racing experience and it is free and open to all ages.

There will be a short presentation on the history of bicycle track racing, including some great photos and videos. Tony Eberhardt, director of the New England Velodrome and New England cycling legend Dick Ring will be on hand to explain the different types of races that happen on a track, or “velodrome”, and discuss the racing schedule for this summer. We will also discuss ride share options for getting to the track, and have a question and answer session with other experienced track racers. I also hear that Craig Roth is going to be there, and he is an amazing dude.

There will be door prizes which include free passes to the track, hats, t-shirts, etc. So tell your friends and come get in on the fun!!

Monday, May 11, 2009, 6:30-9pm
Livable Streets Alliance
100 Sidney Street, Cambridge M
Directions here: http://www.livablestreets.info/node/530
Questions? email Craig: junkernaut@gmail.com

reid_and_carol over at BostonFixed came up with this amazing set of rules. We know we all do this…so what are your rules?

—-

One way or another, I end up racing people on the road. Either I pass someone and they get pissed, or vice versa. Usually, I just declare myself the winner, but I was wondering if there is any universality in ad hoc racing rules. I’ve made up a series of rules to declare when a race has begun and when a biker can be declared a winner.

Here’s what I got so far:

Rules for beginning a race:
1) at a stop light when people line up at an insurmountable red light
(Insurmountable referring to the impenetrable cross traffic)
2) Upon passing any biker, an implicit challenge is issued for an ad hoc race beginning at the moment of passing.

Rules for ending a race:(this is where I am a bit confused)
1) The winner is whomever has the lead at the point of path divergence
2) The lead must have been held for more than 1 minute, to prevent last-minute sprints just before making a left hand turn after Harvard square (curly haired Fuji-track guy, I’m looking at you).

Anyone have any amendments?
I’m also thinking that there should be degrees of winning.

Something like….

Degrees of ad-hoc race wins:
1) First degree win is when the opponent is a not visible
2) Second degree win is when the opponent is still visible but about a hundred meters behind
3) Third degree is when the opponent is a few body lengths behind
4) Fourth degree is when the opponent is between a nose and a body length behind.

And also, no complaining about getting caught in traffic! Navigation-savvy is part of the race.

Thoughts?

For the last month I have been working as a mover at Gentle Giant Moving Co. here in Somerville to keep paying the rent and put some money back in the piggy bank for Budd Bike Works.  Its brutally hard work and my pipe cleaner arms have already gotten stronger, the legs and core are feeling pretty good from running up and down stairs with heavy boxes as well.  We’ll find out once I can finally afford my USCF license but I feel like I’ll have more top end on the bike than I have in years.

Cross Training with hard manual labor isn’t even the absurdly brilliant part though.  Gentle Giant has in its posession the one of a kind Speed Stair mobile training apparatus for the next 4 months. (www.speedstairs.net). Did you ever see the season of Arrested Development when Michael has to drive the staircase? That, with a sliding board attached is the basic idea, I’d of thought I was making it up too if I weren’t trying to prepare myself to drive the thing in 15 minutes.

Gentle Giant has always prided itself on the athleticism and hustle of its movers and the Speed Stair is to be a test of the mettle of potential new hires as well as being a rolling billboard for the company when this wide load is on the road. My job will be to find venues to get this thing out there to have people try it out and see how they stack up against Gentle Giant’s Movers with The Gentle Giant Challenge (www.gentlegiantchallenge.com) My guess is that cyclists will have the advantage in this test, even far out of shape I am able to complete reps on the stairs faster than the ex-football players and thick necked strongmen at the company.
I’d love to get some competitive racer types on this thing to see how they do and I’ll be making calls to try to get it out to some local races.
As long as you’re not taking yourself too seriously running up stairs and going down a sliding board is pretty fun and before you know it your thighs and lungs are burning.
Give me an e-mail at work here at mbudd@gentlegiant.com and I can set you up with a little workout on the most absurdly brilliant training device I’ve ever seen.

Ohh yea, the Nov. schedule for Bold Sprints is out!

Nov 2, 16, 30 at the All Asia bar 334 Mass Ave. Cambridge.

Come celebrate the kick off of the cyclocross season with the MM Racing team launch party at Wheelworks in Belmont on Friday October 3rd from 7-10 pm.

Matt Roy and Mo Bruno Roy have got an incredible new sponsor to announce and raffle prizes from our dedicated sponsors. There will be beer from Harpoon and prizes from Embrocation Magazine, Chinook, Michelin, Mad Alchemy Embrocations, Pedros, Bowchies, the Atomic Cafe and a rapidly growing list.

Can’t make the event? You can still buy raffle tickets through BikeReg (event ID=7187).

For more info, email Matt at matthewr8@gmail.com or go to mmracing.org.

“stop asking questions. no loopholes. the flyer is pretty clear. ”

Yes, yes it is my friend, this should be epic.

There are just too many awesome bike video’s on the net. Here are some good ones.

more below

(more…)

(via)

The Boston Road Club and Wheelworks Presents

An Introduction to Riding and Racing for Women

By Nicole Freedman,Olympian and Two-time National Champion

Saturday, April 19 3:00-5:30 pm Belmont Wheelworks 480 Trapelo Road 617-489-3577

(Bikes not required but recommended)
Former professional cyclist, Nicole Freedman,will lead the clinic and start with an indoor session at Belmont Wheelworks, which will cover:

• Training Philosophy
• Race Strategy
• Clothing
• Bicycle fit
• Bicycle Maintenance and Repairs

Sunday, April 20 12:15-4:45 pm Wells Ave. Newton, MA
(Bikes required)

Nicole takes the clinic outdoors to the BRC’s well-known and long time practice race course at Wells Ave. to teach and practice on-the-road skills drills including:
• Individual Bike Handling
• Group Bike Handling
• Pace-lining
• Cornering
• Sprinting

Join them for a fun and laid back clinic providing an introduction to riding and racing! The clinic is designed to provide an introduction for women who would like to learn the basics of riding and racing. An interest in racing is helpful but not required, the clinic will also provide plenty of useful information for those interested in generally improving their riding skills.

Requirements Fee
The fee for the clinic is $10. They request that you bring the fee with you on the day of the clinic.

Pre-registration
They request that you pre-register for the clinic in person at Wheelworks, by phone to Wheelworks at 617-489-3577, or via e-mail at brc_wheelworks_clinic@yahoo.com.

Bikes
They request that you bring your bike both days. On the first day, bikes are not required although they are recommended for the bicycle fit, maintenance and repairs portion of the clinic. On the second day, bikes are required since the day consists of on-the-bike drills.

Questions
If you have any further questions, please direct them to Kelly Chang, Clinic Director, at brc_wheelworks_clinic@yahoo.com or to Wheelworks at 617-489-3577.

Nicole Freedman is a really nice person and very cool, any ladies out there that want to lean to be awesome couldn’t find a better teacher.