Since the Canadian dollar has been doing so well in comparison to the American dollar recently all of the online shopping that I debated doing last fall has recently been, in effect, put on a 15% sale. I have since gone ahead and ordered a GPS based bike computer from online. It’s available to purchase in person in Edmonton but the exact package that I wanted is something that only ships from the states (so far as I’m aware). I spent a while flip-flopping about if I wanted to spend more money to get one shipped that I wanted or save the money and buy one locally that was a bit less than desired. The thing costs enough that I was plenty content to just defer making the decision perpetually and even though I decided that I wanted this thing back in November it took until mid-April for me to actually place the order as a sort of birthday present to myself. The decision was based on the fact that I could now order things online from the USA at cost thanks to the relative strength of the dollars.
This morning I received an email that said the shipment was delayed another 10 days because of a shortage of the units. I presume this is because every other cyclist in Canada decided the same thing as me, order your spring bike gear from the USA while it’s cheap. The email suggested “Please let us know if this poses a problem for you so we can work to suit your needs.” I figured I’d see what that exactly meant and visited their website again to see what the cheapest thing they had for sale was. I saw that they had socks on closeout from the 2009 season and figured it was worth the experiment. I responded saying that there was no problem waiting for the GPS device but wouldn’t be opposed to the inclusion of some of their closeout socks in the package when it ships in a couple weeks. The reply came a few minutes later. Score!
Rules: You must drink 2 liters of full fat egg nog. The calorie count for the carton must exceed 2500 calories. Light egg nog therefore will not be permitted. The full carton must be brought unopened and un-tampered with to the start of the race. It must then be completely consumed, you may pour your egg nog into glasses or cups if you prefer but you must provide your own cups. Drinking from the carton is also permitted. Straws are not permitted.
When you complete your carton of egg nog you must exit the house, put on your shoes (no shoes inside) and run around the entire block that our house is on. The length of the run is approximately 720 meters. Running on the sidewalk or the road is permitted. Running will be completed in a counter-clockwise fashion, this permits maximal visibility during the finishing straightaway. It also provides an empty alleyway only one lot down the road for individuals who wish to remove themselves from formal competition after the first 10 steps of the run.
The winner will be selected as follows:
The first person to consume all egg-nog and run around the block with all of the egg nog in their stomach wins.
In the (extremely unlikely) event that no-one can complete the run with all of the egg-nog in their stomach, there will not be a winner, but the person who leaves the house first may be considered to have beat all of his/her competition.
Lore:
The first running of the ‘Nog Jog occurred following a mandarin orange swallowing contest. The result of the race proved that Reuben had indeed swallowed multiple segments of the orange without chewing.
The second running of the ‘Nog Jog resulted in egg-nog being ejected from a nose within the first five seconds.
Despite failing to complete the ‘Nog Jog in it’s proper format, all competitors of all previous years have continued on to pay their dues by encircling the block with a partial stomach of ‘Nog. If there is any etiquette in this tradition it is to respect the race, and making your way to the finish line is an honorable form of paying respect.
This year’s race occurred on the evening of December 23. 16 individuals arrived with their egg-nog in hand and competed in the race. The kitchen was more than full, as more spectators arrived than competitors. Racing began at 10:37pm. The first complete 2 liters was consumed 63 seconds later and the first egg-nog was ejected from a stomach less than a minute after that. The race was completed by only 4 individuals of the 16 competing.
Results:
Josh*
Reuben
Jacob**
*Fastest chug (1:03) and fastest run (3:03) of the evening. **Jacob was making his ‘Nog Jog debut, as was 4th place Trenton. Andrew was awarded an honorable mention for fastest unofficial finisher, completing with less than two liters contained in his stomach.
I am acting as race director of the 2010 edition of the race. If you are at all interested or capable please contact me. If you’re interested in racing and not volunteering please at least consider volunteering… and then if you decide that you cannot volunteer but do want to race, then maybe check out the “Spring Thaw Triathlon” page at www.ualberta.ca/~tri for more information. Registration is not open yet and it will not be until March 2010.
Cyclocross is a sport that has a couple really defining attributes. That’s nothing special, every sport has defining attributes. The thing that makes it different is that it’s mostly the loosely associated attributes or that make it great, the barebones aspects of cyclocross racing aren’t all that exciting. The sport of cyclocross is the result of a set of decisions that independently don’t create something amazing, but together the maybe unexpected ramifications create something really great.
Here are the basics:
The race surface can be composed of any combination of the following: grass, dirt, asphalt, gravel, mud, sand, puddles… and whatever else the race organizer can find to make you ride over. The changing terrain emphasizes handling ability much more than road racing.
The course necessarily includes places that require dismounting from the bicycle. This can be in the form of a super steep hill that can only be run up, sand too soft or deep to ride through (beach volleyball courts), or plank barriers typically 18 inches in height. These obstacles add a required skillset to racing, successful competitors must be able to quickly and efficiently dismount and remount their bicycles. They must also carry the bicycle through sections of the course, making the ability to pick up their bike and sometimes shoulder it while running an additional skill to learn. Getting off the bike as close to the barrier and back on it as soon after the barrier is ideal, as running is slower than riding in almost all circumstances (when it is possible at all).
The race-course is based on time not distance. Racing is done on a lap and based on how fast the race leaders do the first couple laps organizers calculate how many laps to make them to. Typically at the end of the second lap the lap countdown starts so racers won’t see it until the end of their third lap, but they’ll know how long the race is supposed to be before they start: somewhere between 40 and 60 minutes based on category.
The bike is a modified road bike, running knobby tyres somewhere around 32mm in size with extra frame clearance for mud around the wheels. Cantilever brakes are used and often only a single chainring is run up front with 8-10 gears in the rear. Cable routing on the frame is arranged to minimize catch-ups while picking up and carrying the bike.
Racing is organized into classes similar to road and mountain biking, in Alberta there are three categories for men and two for women which are always (sadly) merged during competition (because the sport is short on females: what’s new in my world). Provincial and National Championships however are split by age. If you are good in your category you’ll eventually get kicked out and have to move up to some tougher competition. If you’re at the top of the best category, someone will inevitably entice you to go and race in Europe where you will be slaughtered by some really fast guys.
Speaking of fast guys; the fast guys in this sport are really, really good. As a huge bonus, amateur ‘crossers get to basically participate in the same sport as the pros. It’s not like pro road-racing where the professional version is a completely different kind of competition than the amateur version. Sure, some aspects change a bit, like having a second bike and a mechanic in the pit lane just like a nascar race, but the concept is still ‘ride as fast as you can over this course’. Road-racing at the elite level is all about teamwork, peloton dynamics, leadouts, and whether or not the breakaway is going to be allowed to be successful, hardly about riding your bike as fast as you can over the course. For me this is definitely a pro – getting to race like the pros.
The fast guys are really good – did I say that already? here’s some proof from the World cup races last year:
Why choose to take up the sport? It’s not likely because you think that you really enjoy 1 hour threshold or near-threshold efforts on the bike. It’s not because the idea of jumping onto the seat of your bike at a full run is super appealing to you.
In fact that’s probably the most off putting aspect for many first-timers. The fact that other people are doing it however, and having fun, is a likely reason I think most people start. There is no secret, the sport really looks fun because the people racing are having fun. It’s also time limited, only happening for a couple weeks each year, and there’s an urgency not to miss out. Perhaps a few esoteric reasons too; the handling skills gained in cross are valuable to bring onto the road (and even triathlon) and the top end speed is something that can be added at the end of a season to a solid base developed for other forms of racing. Cyclocross is meant to be hard, and that’s an appealing reason to start too, it’s a heck of a challenge but I’ll get to that later. Ultimately though I think the apparent disorganization and chaos of a race makes for a good time, and as with all sports, it’s about fun times. Here’s someone’s story about what made ‘cross appealing:
We walked around the course with our coffees and I was getting stoked. Then we got the the first run up. There was a plank at the bottom of steep hill. This was something that clearly nobody would be able to ride. Riders would be forced to get off their bike, run over the barrier, and then remount at the base of an impossibly steep run up. People were crowded all around and cheering and yelling and cowbelling. At this point the tail end of the Masters A racers were coming though, and well, they certainly weren’t making it look easy. Everyone was struggling.
Then Barry Wicks came though like a cool breeze, bunny hopped the barrier and rode his bike up the hill. A man on the hill with an enormous cowbell chased him and screamed in his face, over and over again:
I CAN SEE YOU!
I can see you, I can see you, I can see you! That didn’t make any sense to me, but I loved it. I would later realize that shouting the most obvious shit is the best way to heckle your pals.
Turns out it was Bruce from River City Bicycles doing the yelling. It was that scene right there that did it for me, that made me want to try cyclocross: Bruce yelling in Barry’s face, and Barry riding the hill with an ear to ear smile.
Brian NoLastName – 2009
Others have described Cyclocross as “You make a bike race as stupid as possible, but it’s still a race, so people do it. And then you rationalize that, like, it’s so stupid that it must be fun”. I agree that the concept works for some people but I don’t think that’s how you’d sell the idea to a bunch of athletes who are actually looking for a physical challenge, which ‘cross is in spades, but perhaps the sheer stupidity is part of the reason for some folks. For the people who want to go out and race ‘cross, what most of them are really relishing when the whistle blows to start the race is that this is really really hard. The courses are laid out to prevent rhythm, just when your heart-rate is getting out of control there’s a hill to really add some nails to your coffin and bury you if you’re not careful. Just when your legs are tired from a long section in soft grass there will be a corner that really requires you to slow down and re-accelerate out of it to remind you that your legs are really tired. When your hands are starting to ache from all the jittering and shaking after riding over some really uneven terrain you’ll have to hop off your bike and grab the top tube of your bike with a serious grip to pick it up and run over the barriers, yeilding a big ache in the knuckles. When you think you’ll get to run up some speed down a big hill there will be a U-turn at the bottom, or maybe even a double barrier dismount to prevent you from reaping the benefits of the climb you just did. The changing pattern isn’t something that can be practiced as it’s different from week to week, the ability to change pace, position and focus is the underlying key, while at all times keeping the effort level high. Cyclocross happens in the autumn and early winter. For Edmonton that’s September to November; for Belgium and the rest of northern Europe, where this great sport began, it’s more of a November to February sport. The result is the potential of miserable weather. Why is that a good thing? Well, it makes things hard! Cold and wet sap determination. It makes the win go to the toughest competitor out there. If it’s hard, why do I love it? Probably for some of the same reasons that I’m signed up to tackle Ironman in August.
Maybe it’s the mud, or the bruises, maybe the beer, or the loose semblance of camaraderie. I think what it boils down to is that I feel more alive during a cross race than at just about any other time. Cyclocross is the most intense hour of effort, pain and joy I have ever encountered. I’m attracted to cross because I can put everything I’ve got on the line for 60 minutes, come out of it totally exhausted, covered in rain, mud and grime, perhaps with a trickle of blood running down somewhere, craving ibuprofen, blowing mud out of my nostrils, placing top 30 if I’m lucky, and loving every minute of it.
Kelly Hobkirk – 2008
Unlike road-racing where team-tactics play a huge role in competition, cyclocross is more of an individual sport. Co-operation on the course is a definite possibility but more often than not it’s co-operation with riders from another team. The main role of team-members is cheering when they’re not racing and maybe snapping some photos, that’s it. In that sense, everyone is on the same team. The pre-race course inspection and post-race random shenanigans are shared amongst the entirety of those assembled at the race. The event of cyclocross lasts more than the length of the race, it lasts the entire duration of the time spent at the park. Things like this would not at all be considered to be out of the ordinary:
One of the best things about cyclocross is the attitude. Gone is the testosterone-induced yelling and uber-competitiveness. Everyone seems to respect each other, no matter how talented or strong or skilled they are. Everyone cheers for everyone.
I made a tyre swap on my fixed gear commuting bike yesterday in preparation for winter which is due to arrive any day now. Autumn is still cruising along in Edmonton but the leaves are mostly gone and we’ll have to give up on pretending that it’s still fall when things turn white.
I swapped my old chain off for a new one as I had stretched the old one by 3.5% or so. If you’re not familiar the rule of thumb is that you’re supposed to replace it around 1% I think. An eighth of an inch over a foot. 1/(8*12)~1% it was making quite a bt of noise due to being too long and not fitting well on the front chainring. I also slapped on the winter tyres which are 34mm front and 36 mm rear. I’ve a sweet c-cross front tyre that runs between 60 and 90 psi with loads of little knobbies. It’s quite fun and at 80 psi makes a sweet hum as I fly down the pavement. I also swapped gears for winter and am running 48×20 instead of 48×17 which was my summertime gear.
I also caught wind of a funny product out of Denmark to make cyclists appear a bit more fashionable. I would wear one if I had it but I don’t think a third helmet acquisition is necessary in 2008, plus I’m sure they’re not cheap.
Other news is that I’ve been in the pool 3 days in a row totaling up to 5 kms which is pretty amazing progress for the shoulder. It’s nice and tired after about 30-40 minutes in the pool. I skip doing the physio exercises when I’ve swum, I think it can only take one workout a day.
So with this good internet connection I had the chance to finally get some videos online after a bit of a hiatus. Those videos include this one from last week Wednesday morning. If I were to post it with the associated day’s journal it would never be found by most people because it’s buried way back there so I’m posting it at the top of the stack:
People were making me laugh prior to filming so I’ve got a stupid grin on my face, deal with it.
Reuben (read some previous blog entries if you’re not already familiar with the fact that this guy is the source of a lot of hilariousness this summer) proposed to myself on Wednesday afternoon that we modify the previous day’s riding schedule to take in some additional miles and additional elevation on the way from Baker city to Huntington. Having had a significantly improved day in the saddle after switching seats for a day I decided it was a good idea and took him up on the offer. 15 more people also got on board for this detour after seeing the success of “detouring” on Monday and a few more easy riding days on the horizon.
Reuben had raced in the area 4 weeks prior and one of the stages in the race had finished on top of a mountain pass somewhere between Baker city and Huntington. After looking the details up on Google the directions were identified and the route was supposed to add something like 2500 feet of elevation and 10 miles to the journey.
Setting out at 8 am we rode 10 miles to the base of the climb and then the unannounced race began. The hill was 9 miles long and had a grade somewhere between 4 and 5 to my best guess, completely manageable to tackle in one shot especially considering that we had shade from the trees on the way up. Within a mile the pack had split and within another mile Reuben had dropped the lead group. John Vanderveen, Ryan Bruxvoort, Theo Bandstra, and Mark Brower and myself followed together for 5 miles and then split off each at their own pace. John won the king of the mountains title to the surprise of lots of us, he hasn’t put in nearly as much time in the bike seat as most of the rest of us. Mark took second and I was third (Reuben is ineligible for these awards because we don’t have a chance to think of dethroning him).
Following the arrival of the others we set off down the other side with 15 second gaps. Reuben second last and myself last. By the time we had reached the bottom Reuben and I had worked our way through the field and emerged in 4th and 5th. My weight and Reuben’s skill and a bit of co-operation on the descent made for what was probably the most exciting 10 miles yet this summer. Hovering between 55 and 65 kph we wound our way down through the trees and corners chins centimeters above the handlebars. The combination of curves and grade was a perfect mix accelerating us just enough that a bit of braking was required in some of the corners but it didn’t feel like we were wasting our speed. That’s probably the worst thing a road can do, make you work hard to gain elevation and then force you to loose the speed with the brakes.
After grouping up and setting out to re-join the planned route we set off through a picturesque valley complete with cows on the road, tractors haying in the fields, horses running alongside us across the fence and a rather curvy road to follow. All was going well until the pavement ran out.
Now the internet search the night before seemed to suggest we’d have pavement all the way back to the main road but that wasn’t exactly the case. After discussing with a local our options were 20 miles on the gravel road or heading back over the pass to town and doing the day’s journey from the start. 16 of us opted to climb the pass and Sylvan Addink opted to tackle the gravel road (equipped with the only bike suitable for the journey and 7 spare tubes for flats and bottles brimming with water).
The second ascent included zero racing as we realized that we now faced a day total of approximately 180 kilometers instead of the 90 we had planned. This time at the summit we remembered to do the group photo and cracked some jokes about the fact that we were destined to do any pass twice if it was called “Dooley”. The second descent was also amazing and setting off in last place again I emerged third at the bottom. It serves all the skinny 5 foot 6 inch guys right that they can’t go as quick. They didn’t have to lug 195 lbs up the hill in the first place.
Back in town we strolled through the local safeway, made use of the “buy three get one free” deal on 1 liter gatorade bottles, stocked our pockets with energy bars and decided to finally get started on the day’s route at 1:15 in the afternoon.
The ride south was fantastic as we generally were loosing elevation and had the blessing of wind ¾ from the rear. After leaving town with the fast boys (Reuben, Nick, Tyler and Ryan) we quickly came upon Larry Stehower, Mark Stehower (father & son from Kalamazoo Michigan), and Eritia Smit who I opted to join for the rest of the ride into Huntington. We cruised along between 40 and 50 and watched the average speed for the day rise and rise and rise. That’s not something that usually happens as you approach the 100 mile mark in a ride. By the time we rolled into Huntington the average had creeped above 30 kph and the grand total for the day was 182.3 kilometers and time in the saddle was 5 hours 59 minutes.
So the moral of the story is that there are more people who are classified as crazy than there were at the beginning of the week. While that is kinda true, the real moral of the story is that we’re incredibly blessed. We set out with bad plans but the day turned out to be spectacular. We set out with enough water to get us about 60 kilometers until we were going to be back on route. Unfortunately we weren’t back on route for 105 kilometers. Fortunately we were able to get water from at tap at the post office in the middle of no-where. We had a tailwind and downhill to finish.
