Let it ride

Help me let go. 8 speed Cannondale Cad 3. Very good condition. Frame size small (fits most 5'-0 to 5'-5). Headshok recently serviced, new cassette, new stem. XT V-brakes, XT rear derailleur, XT rapid fire shifters. Icon crankset—sweet, Avid brake levers. Decals all intact but lots of paint chipped from chainstay. Perfect for a woman just checking out the scene or a junior who will grow out of it. Will exchange knobbies for slicks if you'd prefer a city bike. It's now on ebay. Email me for link. bikevoice@cox.net.

I helped Carol move (again) last weekend. I snagged this curio before it could get thrown out. Why? I don’t know. Hate to see things tossed, reward for the work, being first in the dumpster line--something. This is free to whoever buys the bike. Or just free to whoever wants it! 18" tall.

If you want to see what I have listed on ebay, email me for links. 9 sp used crankset, Lemond 50 frame, 9sp barely used bar end shifters, 8sp new cassette, 8 sp new chain.

Rough stuff

Left, Pro sprinter Tina Pic went down after a clash with Laura Van Gilder at National Crit Championship this week. She was a'right. Source: Dave Schneider

Right top, Fatmarc takes the saddle sore to the next level during 18 Hours on the Farm mt bike race. Sorry could not resist. Source: Bikes and Beer

Bottom right, Don't you just hate these people? Source: Epic Riding

Not pictured, Stinging Nettles plant. How could I have never encountered these? Beneline and I both got stung while doing the Braley Pond mt bike loop Monday. Not knowing how long the sting would last (5ish minutes)was the hard part. We then drove on fire roads (I was way deer shy) to Wild something or another loop which was outstanding. I felt different on downhills, faster, for the first time really seeing through the trail not seeing it if you know what I mean.

Cross crash course

(right, Mike Stoop does the January Trashmore Cross run-up. He was high school Beach district cross country champ a few years ago. Photo by Wes Cheney.)

Along comes cross season, always too quickly, forcing me to ask myself when was the last time you ran? I answer back, I can't remember the last time I walked, really walked, let alone ran. How much running is really necessary to get ready for cross?

Michael said why train for any more than one minute sprints since you'll never run longer than that in a cross race? That sounded like my kind of plan, so I grabbed whatever I could find to back that up. I skimmed this article, basically picking out the short run parts. Here is a paragraph from the article (my comments in blue):

"Once they begin, a mistake many riders make is to go for long, extended runs. Who exactly would do this? That's one pitfall I can easily avoid. That's great if you're training for a 10K, but in 'cross you have to be specific. I like that word specific. Take a look at the length of time you're typically on foot in a 'cross race. I guess we need to ignore the Ironcross crawl-up for this quiz. Normally it's for stretches where you're at maximum intensity for about 15 seconds or so, and the longest a run should be in a well-designed 'cross course is 80 meters. Would someone tell Hosang that the Trashmore steps are longer than 80 meters? Sounds more like a short sprint to me than a 10K… 'Cross races might be lost on the runs, but they're rarely won. Yes, I get the rarely won part. It's still mostly about who can pedal their bike the fastest." So true.
--from "Running for Cyclo-Cross" by Adam Hodges Myerson

Local links

SONYA N. HEBERT/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT photo in Sunday's paper shows Hosang up front, followed by Greco, then what looks like two guys from Team Seigler Imports in Richmond, along with the rest of Cat 1-3 peleton in Chesapeake Criterium.

Lots more photos and race summaries on K-Blogg and Love2Ride.

Looking for answers

Hey bloggers, help me with a paper I am writing about cycling blogs! Respond to at least 2 questions below in comments section (give me DETAILS) and I will link to your blog and reference it in the paper. If you would rather email me answers, please do. bikevoice[at]cox.net

Thanks very much!

Brilliance

How has a cycling blog(s) other than your own influenced you?

Word works

Describe a situation in which your blog somehow changed or determined a behavior or an event.

Woo Effect

Describe how your blog has generated interest (or disinterest) in your team, club, shop or other group.

Standards

What is your criteria for creating a good blog post?

Loyalties

I gotta ask. Do you spend more time on the bike or on the blog?