221: By Stick or by Carrot.

It is not often that I get to see the whole of the Embrocation Cycling Journal Team race their bikes. It is not that I do not want to, just the whole Midwest gets in the way sometimes. So, when a freak volcano blows up and ruins everyone's plans for international travel you get to find yourself in some new situations. Coming "home"(there's that word again) is always a fun thing to do, if only because you get to see things that somehow feel incredibly relevant and totally ridiculous at the same time.


Such was the case with the Turtle Pond Race. Which, oddly enough I was able to participate in. I did not get to do this one last year. Or did I? But either way RMM's greeting of "You're the X Factor" upon arrival was enough to remind me that I was home. Or at the very least confuse me and frustrate PVB into slaying the front end of a field unwilling to chase for a few laps. Which made me smile a lot and frustrated others. But PVB always makes me smile.

I had a Di2 Equipped Seven that kept chirping like a little Golden Eagle on the attack. Such a satisfying feeling to hear that chirp and know that it means it is doing something. Not exactly sure what, but something. Shifting probably, but it is too smooth to even decipher that much. Either way, that is my review. Smooth, golden, eagle-like, pass it on. The best part about it really was the ease at which you can shift while standing. Because I do that shit all the time (not really- but in all actuality, it is possible with this stuff.)



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Read Bill Strickland's recent Sitting In. And then tell me that you have not experienced this. I felt jabs of guilt mixed with nostalgia when I read it. I have probably yelled at a few newbies, I try not to, but I am sure that it has happened. Or maybe I just feel guilty for everyone when other people yell at newbies? I know that it is a necessary evil and, honestly, probably the quickest way to set them on the straight and narrow. But at the same time I know that I have been the newbie. And most likely, more than once.

It made me think back to that Tuesday Night World Champs ride that is, or was, put on by the Charles River Wheelmen, or the BRC, or whomever chooses to take ownership of that ride. The first time I showed up (Don't laugh - ok, laugh) it was wearing a Descente reissue 7-Eleven Jersey. Holy shit did I think I was the coolest fucker out there. Did not even matter that I could have tucked that thing in my shorts or that I would not be thinking I was cool as I limped home by myself a mere 20 or 30 minutes later. All that mattered were those first few moments of awesome.

On the way to the ride my riding partner had told me that I needed to get out of the big ring. This early in the season was for spinning and I should be in the little chainring doing just that. I was pretty new to it all at this point, especially the gears part and at this point I remember feeling that there was just so much more to think about with this version of the sport than Single Speed Mountain biking or just riding your bike to work. In any case he knew more than me so I promptly forced the left side of my 8 Speed shifter inward causing the chain to drop to the inner ring.

The only problem at this point, with this scenario, is that I never shifted back into that big ring. Not when we rolled out of the meeting spot. Which was fine as there was a bit of an uphill to begin with. Not even when we made that first left and started the long drag to the next turn. And that was probably ok too. Because at that point I was still keeping up. Sure, I must have looked the part with my legs all aflutter, but it didn't matter too much, because I was about to be dropped as soon as we hit the twisty back roads of Needham. I did not know that I was about to be dropped either. But the strong hand that calmly grabbed a fistful of my jersey and all but shoved me out the back of the group said otherwise.

I was mad at this man for not letting me into his club. Mad enough (or embarrassed) to dejectedly wander home on my own accord and not want to ever come back. Not understanding how an old man with old components and a dirty old tire stuffed under his saddle (a man with no helmet nonetheless!) was allowed to participate in whatever the hell went on past mile 10 out there, while I was, decidedly, not.

I went back eventually. But, at that point I had armed myself with a little bit more knowledge (once we get rolling then use your big ring - here's how to follow someone) and maybe a little "I'll show those guys" attitude too. But, inevitably they smashed me more times than not, and would probably do so again today. Each and every time though I learned something from those experiences. How to hold someone in a group when they dropped their chain. How to stand up on a climb and not eject your bike into the front wheel of the person behind you. And of course how to rotate through a paceline and keep keep it moving.

Maybe it is because I grew up in a household full of teachers? Surrounded by a community of teachers, but I hope, whether it be by stick or carrot that there is still some of this high paced, motion based, enrichment happening out there. My father would say things like "if you aren't learning something from it, then why are you doing it?" Which by cycling standards is the equivalent to "If you aren't moving forward you're getting shot out the back." So, there is always that.

195: Hashtag NAHBS

Mary Arida took these Polaroids of Perri Mertens at Gloucester a couple years ago. It features in the new issue that, allegedly, if all goes according to planned, will be done in the next couple of days for the NAHBS. Mary also works at NYC Velo, which, if you have not been there, is pretty much the coolest shop in NYC. And while you are there, you should say hi to Mary because she is pretty much the coolest mechanic in the coolest shop in NYC. Just sayin.

Perri and I have/had (till I moved out here) been racing together for a while now. She was part of the original crew with Harris Cyclery and as well, my ride to almost every race that I did in my first few years of racing cyclocross. She has also been the design behind a lot of what shaped Embrocation, not only the Harris kits but also the jumping off of what was the Embrocation site. So, I have Perri to thank for a lot of things.

But, that is not why I was thinking about Perri this past weekend. I was thinking about Perri this past weekend because my feet felt like they were melting off.

I do not know how it happened. Maybe when I was in the shower some of the Mad Alchemy washed down and over my feet? (I was trying out the Cinnamon one - HOT) The potent embrolient (as Ben Lieberson calls it) could have stuck to my sensitive average sized clod hoppers possibly? It is definitely possible because later in the day, while I was lounging around under the sheets thinking about how amazing it would be if I could actually drift off into a nap instead of thinking about the #NAHBS— I started to feel my feet burning....


Backup a Few Years.

Perri and I are sitting in her vehicle. There have been a couple of them but they were always sporty, and to my knowledge always VW's. Could be wrong about that. In any case, we had just done a few practice laps on the Sterling Cyclocross Course. It was freezing, let me tell you. Fresh snow had neatly blanketed the entirety of the course overnight.

As Perri and I contemplated our race clothing choices in the car she turned over a brand new Speedstick shaped aplicator of Greyhound Juice. "You ever used this stuff?" My response I am sure was muffled, as any cyclist knows, you never want to be in a situation where a new subject is broached and you are not an expert on it. "No, I have used the Sixtufit stuff, but not that."

"Do you think it would work on our feet. Mine are freezing." And then we proceeded to smear the stuff all over our feet. Well, she smeared it on hers and I on mine, but you probably figured that much. The funny thing is that nothing happened. Nothing happened so much that as we returned to the car much later, after her Elite Women's Race we both commented on the fact that nothing had happened. Or maybe, and the details are a little foggy at this point, nothing happened so much that we forgot about it entirely.

Until we were about fifty miles down the road.

"I think we need to stop, my legs and feet are on fire. We need to figure a way to get this stuff off." We could not, needless to say, figure a way to get the greasy stuff off.

I guess, without getting too deep, that is kind how all of this has been. Just kind of rub it on and go. Hope for the best and maybe not burn your face off. Either way, I am excited for the new issue and to see some bikes this week. More previews to follow as I take off for the NAHBS tomorrow morning.

157: An Introduction, and Drilled out Parts.

I'll wait seven minutes. Go watch the video titled Laatste Ronde Wereldbeker Koksijde. The last lap of this cross race got me pumped this afternoon. I even thought about bike racing for a few minutes. It hurt both my brain and my legs, but it looks like fun. (The above was from Cyclocross Middlekere last December.) Sterling is this weekend and I miss it, I really do miss it. It always seemed like one of the tougher races of the year. Maybe it was because I double flatted on the line two years ago?

Have done a little bit of riding over the break. Lots of coffee, lots of food, lots of friends, little bit of riding. Feels good and makes it so that you can eat more leftovers. Which, I do not care what anyone says, is the point of making tons of food. I made Mashed Potato Pancakes this morning. And I will do it again. You just watch.

Saw quite a bit of the Embrocation Cycling Journal Kit in the past few days as well. Thanks to everyone who sends over photos when you see guys out rocking it. It makes me happy.

Photo Dave Roth

One example of this would have to be this photo of Abby Jenkins. She is the newest racer to the Embrocation family and I have to say, for her second season (I think that is right) she has been Killllling it. A handful of top-tens in the Women's A races at the Cross Crusade this year. With a strong finish in the mud at Barton Park taking 7th, which put her at 9th in the overall. The best part, she is also really awesome and really really nice. Those are both requirements for the Racing squad. Niceness and Awesomeness. Have yet to figure out a proper measurement scale for the Awesome.

This second one, also by Official HUP United Team Director/Photographer Extraordinare Dave Roth is also great. But what is even more remarkable about it is, well one, that I am hiding in the background and two, that at this exact moment two photographers pushed the buttons on their cameras. That is me dressed as a green Bibendum - the Michelin man's real name "Bib" for short. Next to me in the red is one Mike Davis - PDX Cross Photographer and all around great guy. He shot the Oregon Manifest Contstructors Challenge Race and besides that rumor has it that he worked for the White House...

This Krugers race was pretty fun. Despite the beer spray in the face. Lots and lots of mud is always a good thing. But the light was pretty awesome there as well. Had some fun photographing Ira Ryan's Cross bike before the race. Solar flares I love you. You make things look so nice and pretty, unless you are in a Michael Bay film (like Transformers2 - so bad - so wrong) then dear Solar flare, you are overused and make me tired.

Three highlights here are this.

1) His Font. Pretty amazing and looks great when this big. If I were to get an Ira Ryan (a boy can dream can't he?) the logo would be displayed in this way. This is also similar to the one that Bill Strickland got on his bike, and we know that if there is anyone to try and imitate these days, it would be him.

2) FSA SL-K Brakes. New new new goodness. Test pilot.

3) This is how to lighten up your Rival brake levers. Sure, sure, it voids the warranty on these bad boys, but you wanted light, right? Things to note here are the distance between them (apparently Ira did this without a guide) and that he used a smaller gauge bit as he descended the lever. That, my friends is PRO. Maybe Ira should also give people lessons on how to PRO up their bikes (#1 Ride at the Front, always.)

This week/weekend though has been a whirlwhind tour of whipped potatos and leisurely paced rides, which I cannot argue with at this moment. But that is only because I am planning peak number 23 of the year to happen right around the time of Cyclocross Nationals. Wait, that is something like one peak every two weeks...

We shall see about that.

142: The Weekend.

Benji Wagner put together another stellar video, this time for the cats at Signal Cycles. They have been updating their blog with some sweet shots, but more importantly I have seen them at every race this year. Love those guys. And remember Benji? He did the Breaking Away rendition down in Austin and that funny little short of me where you get to see every jiggle the my skinsuit has to offer. And apparently there are quite a few of them.



New bike weekend. For everyone. Ok, not everyone. But I have been seeing some new bikes around. The Signals, that you can see in the video above are sick sick sick! Hufnagel has a couple new frames out there that Anderson and Tommy have been raicing on and they look amazing. And then there is our little Collaboration with this pretty awesome company known as Ridley.

More on that after the Jump. What jump? Basically whenever someone writes that in their blog, I think of this jump that one of the neighborhood kids and I built when I was in fifth grade. I think we broke both our bikes, a few sheets of plywood and my snoopy skatboard (that was on purpose- too nerdy -lashing out).

Headtube Action.


Finally had some mud this weekend too, which made me happy. I prayed for it, and I do not pray. On the way to the race Steven Hunter and I had a sort of quietness about us (not true) and we meditated on the possibilities of having rain. What it would feel like, how we would react. Would we want to keep racing, or just take off our shoes and squish our bare feet around in the earth? Anything can happen.


What did happen was one of those results that I hoped for.

I went up to Molly after the race to check on Mullet Growth. You will be happy to know that here EuroStyle has quickly become EuroSteeeeze (hold out the "eee's" for dramatic effect.) Here is a photo if you are wondering what I am talking about. Aside from the hair though she also had some sweet zip offs from Showers Pass. They looked good and they keep your kit clean until you are officially ready to go for "it." Might have to check that out. (Ps, she does not have "cankles" either, it was just a funny angle.)


Forgot to mention the best-best part (best part was the mullet). She won, again. So, to all you naysaying Bitches* I say "Boom" and I say it short, (with a sort of stuccato vibe) and I say it sort of loud, but not too loud. Like an intense whisper.

"Boom."


*There were not any naysaying Bitches. Come on man, this is a sport of love. Of Athletics. This is what Pete Rubi likes to call "the Athletic Community" and there is no room for naysaying Bitches in it.

130: A little Video Action on a Monday.

1) Colin Reuter started with his seatcam video action last year (I think.) And it has been getting better and better. What is the secret to his success? Better cameras? Better Mounting Position? More fitness? (hehe) Either way, this latest installment is great.

I really enjoy the serious looks on the faces of the riders. Embrocation Cycling Journal racers Peter Rubijono and the PVB feature heavily at the start. They look great in their kits but I couldn't help having a giggle at the expense of PVB. Come on my man, you need to smile a little bit. You look almost scared. But, that being said, scared is exactly how I feel every time I line up for one of these "A" races. They're brutal.

2) Jen's Voigt races a guy on a track bike. Who wins? Found this one over at Tracko . Pretty awesome to see the man line up on some German television show. You can fast forward to 3:20 on the viewer, unless you speak German and have some inkling of what they are saying. I do not. But the 200m race is pretty spectacular.

042: Of Note.

A few quick things to note.

Embrocation Volume2.5 Cover Shot

1) anyone who missed out on the highly publicized Embrocation Volume2.5...it is back. Sort of. Our friends over at Competitive Cyclist found the copies that they had previously thought lost. Good work! If you haven't seen it, you can get one here. But do so quickly, because it is filled with references to the content contained within Volume3. Which is available for pre-order and will be here on March 23. Just in time for our release party...on the March 23.

Peter Bradshaw. Embrocation Racing.

2) I totally forgot what two was going to be. Oh yes. Embrocation Volume 3 Launch Party Release Party Extravaganza will be on March 23 at the Middlesex Lounge . There will be bikes, beer, and blood. Not to worry though, the blood is only metaphorical, it came packaged with the sweat and tears that went into producing Volume3. And if you don't think sweat and tears went into it...then there will be blood. Starring Daniel Day Lewis.

Moving on...


The weather took a turn for the worse in Boston.
That's it, I'm out of here.

I grew up in the cold, cold winters of Wisconsin and when I moved to Boston and looked at the overall temperature difference between the two states I thought. "Well, this will be a nice change. Instead of getting down to -25 degrees in the winter it only dips into the negatives maybe once or twice." Well, I'm sick of that now too.

Ok, enough ranting.


You know what is good in the snow and crappy weather?

Fenders.

These amazing marvels of modern technology have been keeping cyclists legs, feet and friends dry for years.

When I was out in Portland though I noticed a little bit of extra that was being put into the fender arena on cyclists bikes. Since they tend to get a little more precipitation than the rest of the country most of the people I rode with have "rain bikes." Makes sense I guess. A bike totally set up and equipped with fenders full-time. Something to turn to when the weather gets a little wet.

My buddy Ryan has a rain bike. It's a Vanilla. But that's kind of how he rocks it. High-Style. Not that I blame him either. Although, mine would probably have to be a Nashiki something to that effect...but who knows.


Another thing that I noticed about the West Coast Fender Scene (similar to a hard-core scene, but more subtle were the mud flaps attached to the bottom of the fenders. These little beauties hang down off the end of the fender and really stop the spray from going anywhere. You ride behind someone with these, like I did this past weekend and you start to notice that the water, instead of popping up and into your face, just collects and runs right back down onto the road, like it should.


Nothing on your feet.
Nothing on your back.
Nothing on your compatriots.

Which is why we here at Embrocation Cycling Journal decided to pull these little beauties together and offer them to you fine cycling people out there. Take a look at the "buy" section of the website. You may notice a few other exciting things popping up there...

Thanks,
jd