CROSS CLINICS, RACES, AND LAST NIGHT'S RIDE REPORT AND NEW RULES FOR THE ROAD

 Just a reminder that the cross season is really underway this weekend. The first stop, for those of you who would like some instruction from people who have really been doing it for a long time is the Clinic and Practice race at Waterford on Saturday. If you want some solid instruction on your skillz, and especially if you are NEW and would like to start your racing season out right, this is the place to be. Instruction is provided by Michael Wissinick and Ann Schwartz, and some of the other fine Tailwind folks. I go every year and ALWAYS learn something new. There's also a practice race after the clinic that's fun, plus you get to practice running up and over the ORANGE CRUSH. Hope I see you there. It's fun and information and costs almost nothing for a great day of cross. Check out the Tailwind site for directions to the track. It's a pretty easy drive, so you really don't have much of an excuse not to come, now do you?

CLINIC from SuperLuminal Films on Vimeo.

Want to see how a real 'cross clinic. While Saturday's clinic may not have Adam Meyerson, or guys like J-Power featured in the video above, it's still damn close.

On Sunday I hope to make it back for the KC race at Plaster Creek. This was a nice race last year, and again I hope to see you there. Let's hope this cool weather hangs on.

LAST NIGHT'S RIDE REPORT 09.08.11

 One of the sweet bikes out for the ride last night. It's becoming a beauty contest this year. CD has since dressed this up with a better looking saddle. Damn him!

Hey, great ride last night and it was wonderful seeing the Farmer and the Farmer's wife out as well new friends Will I.M.SHAVER, and the Dan Dan the Dancing Bear. Also on scene (sorry I didn't get photos) were Scott Nason with his new, gorgeous Carbon Felt Cross bike with Carbon's strapped on, and CD with is new beauty, his Carbon Ridley - if Dan Dan had ridden his Carbon Fuji we could have had a beauty contest instead of ride. Also great to see our good friend, and the guy who drove out to get more beer for the party that broke out in the parking lot, Mike K aka the FRENCHMAN. Nice to see Doez out on his pretty Ti Seven crosser. Also on hand Russ G and Werdy, Mike (aka My Tire's flat again) Craig, Big Adam Mac, or resident videographer, Tony and Marci Michermhuizen (Marshall's better 1/2) and so many more my head's spinning unlike the wheels of my bike - I think we had 15 Bastards out last night - plus the Killer Chihuahua who once again gave chase (Werdy was the designated leader last night and got the teeth! Congrats Werdy!(

NEW RULES FOR THE ROAD!

A new rule was instituted for the ride last night: NO MORE PUMPS! Yeah, you can leave that damn pump home. I don't care how good a deal you got at Performance, it just takes too damn long to pump up tires.

Just say no PUMPS from now on. It's CO2 or the highway. The only time that pumps were cool were in the moving breaking away. Not only did the guy have lots of flats, he also ended up with a frame pump jammed in his front wheel by a EYETALIAN.



In fact, watching one of our group pump up tires (3 flats I think) was a lot like watching grandpa jerk of this this little fellow back in the day when Jerking of Billy Goats was just something the old folks did.

Hey gramps, your hands are kinda cold! Baaaaaaaaaah!

Yeah it took a long time for these two to "get it off" along with a lot of elbow grease and chamois butter. At least afterward grandpa would take the little guy out for dinner at their favorite place.

We should have gone there last night. There's no longer Deep Fried Asian Carp on the menu at the HC. But it was still good ...

One last note on last night ride, it was like the video below, jumpy, yet not that fast. Next week let's start smoothing it out, and keeping it together guys. Fast is good. Smooth is good. Jumpy and holding 100 yard gaps all night is getting to me. Enjoy the jumping bean race and hope to see you at the real thing this weekend.