part deux

woohoo! 8-)

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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

k-dub

There's a nice piece in today's Wall Street Journal about musical freek and Fredericksburg, VA native Keller Williams.
WSJ
Thursday, 2/22/07
D7

Or at www.wsj.com but you have to be a subscriber.

fast & frozen

It was nice while it lasted.

From Friday to Monday we had a Winter version of slickrock. With temps in the 50's it's gone now. The trails will be wet and muddy for a while now. The upside is that riding the road will be tolerable with Spring on the horizon.

It's amazing that we had some of the most incredible conditions ever and I only saw a few other riders on the trails all weekend. They come out of the woodwork to ride when it's muddy (as long as it's not cold!) but give 'em once-in-a-decade trails and they stay home.

I'm glad the timing worked out over a long weekend, but if it had been mid-week I would have taken a couple of half-day snowdays to ride. It was that good.

I hope we see these conditions again next Winter...every Winter!

Alas, it's time to put some slicks on the 'cross bike.

baltimore sun: Chris Eatough

bloomberg.com - Michael Lewis on those who think they can do whatever the fuck they want...Wall St.

gigglewatts

Today's ride was all about the gigglewatts. I was pumping them out, having so much fun that I was giggling.

Trail conditions right now are a once-a-decade phenomenon. The snow/sleet has frozen solid producing a surface similar to slickrock. It's smooth, fast, and surprisingly grippy. You still have to use caution and run lower pressure, but traction is pretty good. Now, if you get off your bike and walk you'll be on your ass, so stay on the bike!

I had a nice ride this morning hitting most of Patapsco Avalon. The trails are only a guide as you can pick your own lines to ride the killer frozen contours in the woods. I had fun, though I did take a swim in a creek over on the Hilton/Hilltop side. Both hands and both feet went under when I lost traction transitioning from ice to an icy rock. It was chilly!

I hope these conditions last a couple of more days. The frozen 'slickrock' makes for a completely different riding experience. I want to get a little bit more because it could be another 10 years before it's this way again.

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Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

up yours Sven

A creative "2nd Place" salute



I thought this gift back in 2000 was plenty, but Groenendaal wants more. Very classy.

fellas night out

Fellas night out at La Fiesta for tasty enchiladas, guacamole, & cerveza (or milk).
The aquarium is a big draw for the little fella.
I'm hoping to ride some frozen trails in the morning. We'll see.

020207_18591.jpg
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

Changes are afoot

from the Beeeb - A change for the better in French café culture. nice! No need to inhale Gauloise smoke if you just want to sit there and drink your coffee. Prior restraint!

Crossbabble recently reported on a pretty significant Cyclocross rules change for Nationals starting this year. It appears that men will need to be a cat 1 or 2 and women will need to be cat 1-3 in order to race in CX national championships. Given the huge growth in the fields this makes sense, though it'll have some consequences:

-Like a lot of people trying to cat up (me included) so that they can race Natz. I think I can make a case for the upgrade, but it's marginal. I've got about half the official upgrade points I need. I could have tried to do more smaller races like the VA series, but getting upgrade points has never been a priority for me. But if I want to race Nationals I don't have a choice. Hopefully, the upgrade coordinator will buy into my story.

-Which will mean more people in the Elite or Masters fields at local races...and thus smaller B fields. UCI events will still have the 2/3 (old B) race. My season is up in the air, but I'll probably race Masters if I get the upgrade to cat 2. I'd get smoked in the local A races, but it would be good training so that's an option too. This might help move some people out of the huge B fields. But it might just move them into the equally large Masters fields.

-Bigger B fields at Nationals. Could they possibly be any bigger? Probably not.

-Or maybe fewer people bothering to go to Nationals if all they can do is a B race.

Anyway it's a good rule change (even if I don't get the upgrade). I just want to be able to do some good races and soak up the 'cross vibe.