Cabin fever with The Beatles and David Byrne

The Beatles in the Bahamas. Inside photo on the Help! remastered album.

I know, winter has just officially started, but doesn’t it feel like it has been here for a long time already? I’ve been taking the not-ridden-a-bike-in-a-while edge off by hopping on my trainer a couple of times a week. At the very least it gets the legs going in that familiar, repetitive motion that they yearn for. And instead of hitting the trails on two wheels, I’ve gotten out the cross country skis — an enjoyable alternative and nice way to enjoy the outdoors while getting a good workout.

Help! - The Beatles

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season and are trying not to eat too much of those tempting goodies (I admit my self-control has been lacking). I had a nice Christmas with my family and I thought it appropriate to share with you a couple of the gifts I received — bicycle related, of course. The above photo is from inside of The Beatles Help! remastered album (I’m adding all The Beatles remastered albums to my CD collection, only a couple more to go.) Who doesn’t wish they were in the Bahamas right now? I think that photo is the only thing bicycle related to The Beatles albums, oh, and they’re a great listen while pedaling away the minutes on the trainer.

I also received Bicycle Diaries by the Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. In this book Byrne takes us around the world sharing with us his compelling observations of selected cities as seen from a bike.

” I found that biking around for just a few hours a day — or even just to and from work — helps keep me sane.” — David Byrne

Bicycle Diaries - David Byrne

I’ve only read a few pages so far, I can already tell it’s going to be a good read — an easy chair biking journey without having to wear any spandex.

Happy holidays from VeloDuo. — MICHELLE

Getting better at that cyclocross thing

Rounding one of the Jingle Cross course's many corners. (Photo by Michelle Wiese)

Boy, does fear make for a good motivator!

After suffering through last year’s JingleCross Rock, where I came in second-last (to a guy who ran while carrying his broken bike) I made it a point to do more training for this year’s race. And it was a success.

I came in 43rd out of 53 racers this year (although I only recall seeing two riders behind me) but more important than that, I felt I could handle the strain of racing better than last year. Where you place is really out of your control; kudos to everyone who raced that weekend, regardless of how you did. It’s really just by chance the people decided to enter the race I was in; I could have come in dead last if the people who finished behind me competed on another day. (Maybe some people dropped out that I didn’t know about. Or, because of the lap-counting system, they may have finished “behind” me but actually did one more lap than I did!)

None of that really matters, though. My race was about doing as well as I could, and that was it.

I raced on Sunday, the final day. While doing my warmup lap around the course, I was dreading what the conditions would be like going up Mount Krumpet, which I was sure we would have to do since the beginners’ races went up it the previous two days. I fell twice trying to ride one of the “easier” hilly areas! But as it turned out, Sunday’s beginners’ race didn’t go up it.

My wife and mom-in-law cheer me on. (Photo by Michelle Wiese)

I had mixed emotions about that. There was some relief that I wouldn’t have to go up (or down) that muddy mess, but also some sadness because a big part of my training — physically and mentally – had centered on conquering Mount Krumpet. So it was a letdown of sorts.

But the race was still plenty tough though. And the other thing besides the training that was going to get me through it was my support section: my wife Megan, her mom Mary, and fellow Whiskey Riders Michon, Emily and my VeloDuo blogging partner in crime, Michelle!

It was really motivating and heartwarming hearing them all cheer for me as I made my way around the course. When you’re in the racing mode, all you think about is keeping those pedals turning, watching what’s ahead of you and trying to maintain as much of an effort as you can without blowing up. And when you hear the cheers, it really does inspire you to go that little bit harder.

The most nerve-racking part of the race was the start. I used to be really anxious and nervous just waiting for the actual start of the race, to the point where I’d gag and dry-heave. I think when you go through these things enough, though, you can kind of keep your emotions in check because you know what to expect. And the fear wasn’t as bad as it had been in the past; I felt like the training I had done prepared me to deal with the suffering that was to come.

When the race started, we all took off and I can remember seeing almost everyone else going faster than me, and people who started behind me going around me. I fought off the urge to fight to stay with them because I knew I’d overdo it and blow a gasket. So I tried to ride at my fastest yet most comfortable pace possible, and not worry about the people going past me. Through probably the first 3 minutes I could tell I was going harder than I would have liked, though, and I knew I couldn’t keep that up the whole race. I also remember trying to ride through the first patch of mud but having to put my feet down because the person in front of me had to stop too; I suspect there was a traffic jam here. And after that was the first set of barriers, followed by a steep run-up.

Pushing my way up the runup, with Emily, Michon and Michelle behind me probably yelling for me to hurry the hell up! (Photo by Megan Lee)

It was here that I finally settled down and prepared for the next half hour or so of sustained effort. After pushing my bike through the run-up, I had trouble riding along the muddy hillside and had to run (jog really) while pushing my bike. It was a chance to catch my breath before remounting and going down a small hill to the rest of the course. (On the second lap I tried to ride through this area again, to no avail. I fell here, just like I did twice during warmups. But it didn’t hurt; hey, it’s mud!)

With many ziz-zags and turns on the course, I had opportunities to look back and could see that a few people were still behind me, some of them catching up to and passing me, and a couple drifting further back. It actually was a relief of sorts knowing I wasn’t dead last, but it also made me feel like a rabbit or carrot for them to chase. And I didn’t like being in that position.

A new fear had been created to motivate me.

I looked down at my bike computer and did some computing. At the pace I was riding, I would have to do three laps. It was a familiar thought process; I went through this same situation on practice rides. So now I knew what to expect, and I dug in and rode on.

Heading to the finish line! But then out for another lap. (Photo by Michelle Wiese)

This was where it got fun. I was breathing hard but used to the effort, I was wearing the right amount of layers so that I wasn’t overheating (like last year), and I was delighted to see and hear cheers of my name along the course. Michelle, Emily and Michon were running around the course finding places to cheer me on! So that was a fun surprise.

And I knew that as I got back toward the start/finish line, Megan and Mary would be there to keep the cheering up. (Megan is seven months pregnant, so no running around for her right now!)

So it went for about 37 minutes as I did my laps around the course. One other accomplishment: I completed a full lap before I myself started getting lapped by the race leaders! I don’t think that happened last year. And the nice thing was that as I heard people coming up on me, they still said (or panted) “on your left” or “passing” and I moved off to the side to let them through and gasped “go ahead.” Still heard “thanks” from them too! And in tight twisty areas where I knew people were coming up behind me, I made sure to give them plenty of room to get by. The camaraderie between racers is great, no matter the difference in skill levels — another reason I love being a part of all this.

Finally, I was on the home stretch and my bike computer went past 35 minutes. I saw the race official motioning that I was done racing, and I saw my crew waiting for me at the finish line.

I couldn’t not smile.

I made my way off the race course and was greeted with cheers and high-fives from everyone — what a great feeling! This was what made all the effort and training worth it. I wasn’t collapsed and exhausted at the end of the race and I could look back fondly at it all.

The rest of the day I enjoyed wandering around and watching the other races, especially as riders fought their way up Mount Krumpet. I’m still a little disappointed I didn’t get to go up there, having done the beginner’s race.

Maybe, just maybe, I might skip the beginner’s race next year to ensure I get to tackle Mount Krumpet. And based on how things went this year, I think I know what I have to do to get ready for it.

–DAVE

I'm done! And I still had energy to pick up my bike! (Photo by Michelle Wiese)

Muddy madness at Jingle Cross

Jingle Cross Rock 2009

This year’s Jingle Cross Rock in Iowa City took on a Woodstock vibe with muddy conditions, blaring music and good times had by all. The music wasn’t live but the racing was. The three day event/Children’s hospital fundraiser ($25,000 raised – VeloNews) was an entertaining success.

As you may already know if you follow this blog, Dave entered Sunday’s Cat 4 race. I chose to spectate and cheer him on instead of racing this year. I kept going back and forth for the last few months on whether to race or not, and finally ended up wimping out since I hadn’t been practicing and wasn’t feeling fit enough to enjoy myself. Excuses, excuses, I know. There’s always next year.

The muddy conditions of this year’s races made for some entertaining spectating and a showing of grownups looking like children after an afternoon making mudpies turned mudfight. The best viewing area was at the bottom of Mount Krumpet looking up a steep, muddy hill where riders had to carefully descend down a rutted-out muddy track, then steer into a sharp, right turn at the bottom without wiping out or losing control.

People were sliding all over, falling down, having mechanical problems and getting mud stuck in places before unknown. The singlespeed race on Sunday had a team wearing bikinis and speedos who were gallivanting through the course including a couple riding a tandem bike. At one point, a few of the bikini girls hopped off their bikes for some fun in the mud and one yelled, “Pyramid!” They proceeded to make a muddy-people-pyramid and cheered on the other riders.

The elite races were a great showing of the skill and athleticism of the participating men and women. As they raced around the course at impressive speeds and navigated through slick areas and steep switchbacks with ease, it was quickly evident that these ARE the elite.

This year was my third Jingle Cross Rock. Every year has gotten bigger than the one before. Hopefully the fun-filled sport will continue to grow and hopefully I’ll get off my lazy butt and get training so I’ll have the guts to enter a race next year. 

- MICHELLE

 

Preparing for Jinglecross

My tire tracks from a rainy ride out at the Jones County fairgrounds, where I've been training for my upcoming cyclocross race.

Well, it’s official: I’ve signed up to race at JingleCross. My race starts at 9:15 a.m. Sunday.

It had taken awhile for me to decide whether to ride this year or not. With a job that often requires me to be gone for 12 hours a day, and preparing for impending fatherhood (our little girl’s due at the end of February), I just wasn’t sure if I’d be able to put the time in to train for it.

After struggling through RAGBRAI (yes, it was fun, but I definitely did not prepare for it like I should have; you’ll notice Michelle did the post and not me, because I was too wiped out) I knew that if I wanted to ride a ‘cross race I really needed to be ready so it wouldn’t just be 35 minutes of sheer pain and exhaustion–there at least had to be some fun in there somehow. At the very least, I wanted to make sure I’d put up a fight–not toward anyone else, but the course itself.

I’m pretty much already resigned to coming in toward the back end of the beginner’s race, if not finishing last. I just wanted to make sure it was worth the effort.

After a few weeks of decent training, however, I feel ready to give it another try. Thankfully, because I live near the Jones County Fairgrounds I’ve been able to create a ‘cross course of my own to practice on. It’s got pretty much everything you need to have a challenging course: steep run-ups, dirt (and when it’s rainy, mud), grass, some areas where you can at least pretend you’re hopping over barriers, and a maze of trees and lightposts to practice tight turns and weaving.

I’ll be racing Sunday’s Jinglecross race, and here’s a link to that day’s race map. Now, here’s a map I created of what I’ve been doing, more or less, at the fairgrounds:

I have no idea if you can understand any of that, or if it’s all chicken scratch to you, but it’s the route I’ve created that offers the biggest challenge. I even recently started riding it the other direction, which offered its own set of challenges and a whole new workout. And I’ve since added a few more hilly areas by creating a hybrid figure-8 course. 

While trying to find new obstacles during a recent ride, I discovered a little sand pit in the best–or worst–way possible. My front tire went right into the deep sand, and I did an ‘endo! Basically, front tire stopped moving, I and the rest of the bike continued forward and over the tire until we were about vertical, and then toppled over to one side! It happened so fast that I was just glad to get my hands and arms out in front of me, otherwise I would have landed head-first. Thankfully, falling in deep sand doesn’t hurt, but it definitely startled me! I did get pissed though, and upon re-mounting turned around, got some momentum and powered through that sand pit. It’s now part of my route.

I’ve also enjoyed trying out some different clothing and layering options to see what works best. Last year, although it was cold, I decided to wear my winter riding jacket during the race, and got way too hot. So this time I think I’ve figured out what works, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens and being much more comfortable, at least in terms of clothing!

Finally, I’m just excited to be part of a great weekend that is Jinglecross, and having friends and family there to cheer me on. Michelle won’t be racing this year, as her work schedule is similar to mine, plus she doesn’t live close to anything that offers good cyclocross training like I do. But she’ll be out there cheering me on, as will my wife Megan. And this year I’m excited that my mom-in-law, Mary, will be out there too!

I hope you can come out to watch too, whether it’s for me or any of the other racers. Or just come out and watch the mayhem that is cyclocross. It’s a great time whether you’re a spectator. If you’re a racer, it’ll still be a great time even though some suffering will be involved. But if you’ve done your homework and trained, it won’t be as bad.

I hope that’ll be the situation for me.

-DAVE

Ride Your Bike in the Holiday Parade!

flickr

The Bicycle Advisory Committee would like to invite you to ride in the Cedar Rapids Downtown Holiday Parade…..

Light up your bike and ride in the Cedar Rapids Holiday Parade with the Bicycle Advisory Committee and Bicycle Ambassadors. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5TH The Holiday Parade will start at 6 pm at 6th Street and 2nd Avenue SE, proceed west on 2nd Ave, south on 2nd Street, then east on 3rd Ave ending at Greene Square Park. Requirements for riding in the parade with our group: headlight, taillight and battery powered Christmas lights on your bike, helmet (with antlers optional), bells on bikes (optional). No Santa character costumes are allowed except for the official Santa in the last float. The theme for our group is “Every Season is Bike Season”. The theme for the parade is “Dashing Through Downtown”. Please email Gina Weaver g.weaver@cedar-rapids.org if you would like to ride with us (the Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Bicycle Ambassadors) in the parade. - MICHELLE

 

Bike Art

On a recent trip to Fort Collins, Colo. I visited The Bean Cycle Coffee Shop –  a bike-themed coffee shop/bookstore that inspired my latest home decor installation.

1941 track bike in The Bean Cycle Coffee Shop

Near the front door of the shop, hung high on the wall was a 1941 track bike. As I sat sipping my coffee I gazed upon the beautiful, blue steel frame, the precision-made wooden rims and the round curve of the drop bars. I took note of how they attached the bike to the wall. A simple system of eye hooks, wire and leather straps to angle the bike outwards from the wall. I could do this. My condo has high ceilings and there was one wall that I just hadn’t been able to decide what to put on it so it stayed void of adornment for over a year. Now I know what to put there!

A trip to Menard’s and $15  to buy a few supplies – 1 four foot long board, 2 eye hooks and 2 towel hooks (I already had the wire) and I was set to hang my bike. Note: the coffee shop used leather straps to anchor their bike wheels to the wall, I used towel hooks because then I can rest the wheels on them instead of more permanently attaching them to the wall. I plan to ride this bike too, not just leave it up for display.

Towel hook to hold wheel to the wall.

Step one: Paint the board the same color as my wall.

Step two: Attach eye hooks to the board and drill holes for screws.

Step three: Attach board high on the wall.

Step four: Attach wire to eye hooks and to bike estimating how much the bike will hang out from the wall.

Step five: Mark on wall where wheels need to be anchored and install towel hooks.

Step six: Rest wheels on towel hooks and tighten up top wire to desired angle.

FINISHED!

Now I can enjoy my bike year-round.

- MICHELLE

It’s ‘cross season!

Katie Compton zipping through the course in Madison, WI.

 

Cyclocross racing is fun to watch and fun to photograph. Last week’s U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross’ Planet Bike Cup in Madison, Wis. was thoroughly exciting. Dave’s last blog post ‘Inspired by the best of best’ sums it all up in words so I’ll leave you with these images that I caught on my camera. Enjoy! – MICHELLE

 

Inspired by the best of the best

U.S. cyclocross champion Katie Compton. She dominated the Planet Bike Cup cyclocross races in Madison this past weekend!

Now that it’s fall, it’s time for the cyclocross season to kick into the big ring. But after a summer of training for and suffering through RAGBRAI (albeit with a big smile on my face) I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to get into cyclocross this year. Watch it? Yes. Do it? Not sure. If you’re training for it properly, you’re hurting. And I wasn’t in the mood to be hurting.

Plus, I had already bought a new pair of tires for RAGBRAI that were a royal pain to put on my wheels, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go through that torture again! It also would have meant I needed to buy new cyclocross tires, as the ones I had really needed to be retired.

Enter the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross’ Planet Bike Cup in Madison, Wis., this past weekend. It featured 3-time world cyclocross champion Erwin Vervecken, a slew of U.S. riders I’d only read about or seen on DVDs such as Jeremy Powers, Barry Wicks and Jonathan Page, and — here was the dealmaker for me — Katie Compton, U.S. cyclocross champ and bronze medalist in the World cyclocross championships!

If you’re a cyclocross fan, this is pretty much the best of the best. I’ve gotten to see some really good ‘cross racers before, such as Todd and Troy Wells, at JingleCross in Iowa City (gonna head back there this November, by the way!) and veteran racer Chris Horner, who’s done the Tour de France. They’re all incredible riders in their own right — Todd Wells is a former U.S. cyclocross champion — and to have them headline a race is awesome.

Katie Compton flies around the corner with the lead, which she held the entire race.

But the Planet Bike Cup featured a crop of all the top riders in the sport! And once I found out that they were coming to Madison, only a couple hours’ drive from where I live, well, no question where I’d be that day. (And thankfully, the stars lined up so that I had the day off, as did fellow Veloduoer(?) Michelle.) The racing happened all weekend, but we were able to go to Saturday’s races!

Needless to say, it was a great time. Michelle and I went with our friends Emily and Jim, and we wandered around the entire course getting views of the racing from the best vantage points. One very cool thing about cyclocross is that the course zigs and zags everywhere, so no matter where you are you’ll see lots of action going on.

The course started out a bit damp and muddy but dried out throughout the day — actually kind of disappointing, since the mudfests make for the best memories (see last year’s Sunday races at JingleCross, which we WEREN’T at, dammit) but still, with the course getting more ripped up with each passing racer, it still called for expert bike-handling skills.

Saturday's elite men's winner Jeremy Powers

And it’s amazing how fast these riders tear through the course. Most courses are between 1 and 2 miles long, and the announcer said Katie and the lead women were doing laps every 5 minute 55 seconds or so; the top men every 5:30. When I do my “lap” around the course I made up for myself at the Jones County Fair grounds, it’s at least 15 minutes a lap, and I know I have a much easier course!

Another really cool thing about cyclocross (and much of bike racing, except maybe for the premier races and tours) is that you can meet your favorite riders. I got to meet Katie and her husband, have her sign my hat and have my picture taken with her! That’s the equivalent of a football fan meeting his favorite superstar, except I didn’t have to win a contest, shell out big bucks or sneak through security.

Sunday's elite winner (and Saturday's second-place winner), 3-time World cyclocross champion Erwin Vervecken

And both Katie and her husband Mark were very cool, so down-to-earth. Katie asked if Michelle or I have raced ‘cross, and we said we’ve tried it (I think Michelle did more talking, I was too awestruck) but didn’t do very well. Katie just says it’s all about having fun out there, and that she doesn’t even own a road bike.

Mark talked about how they get to travel and enjoy Europe. Much of their time is spent traveling the U.S. and Europe, racing against the world’s best cyclocrossers in preparation for the U.S. and world championships. I hope she wins them all, and I wished them both the best of luck for the rest of the season.

Mark Legg-Compton, Katie's husband, sporting the KFC shirt. What's it stand for? "Who always wins the race? Katie F*cking Compton!"

Thoroughly inspired by the day, after we left the event we headed to Machinery Row Bicycles in Madison, one of the coolest bike shops you’ll ever find. And while Emily and Jim made some initial inquiries about buying ‘cross bikes of their own (do it, you two!) I got myself another pair of ‘cross tires. They weren’t the most expensive or lightest, but they had the knobby treads, and in fact were more treaded than my inital set. I’ll go slower on the roads, but I should have much better traction off the roads. Michelle, having worn her old ‘cross tires smooth, got another set as well.

Neither of us was sure if we wanted to put in the effort and suffering to train to race again for this year’s JingleCross. We came in last in our respective divisions last year (Michelle’s racer No. 911 and I’m racer No. 855; the guy I “beat” broke a chain and was running around the course carrying his bike just so he’d finish, so I don’t count that) and although it’s all about having fun, it is discouraging to come in last no matter how much effort you put into your training and racing. (Although the race fee goes to a great charity — the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital – the fee, combined with a one-day race license, adds up to quite a bit.)

But after this weekend, we’ve decided that we’ll just have fun riding cyclocross-style, and that there’s no need to make a decision about whether to enter a race until even the week or days leading up to JingleCross. And if we decide we’ll just show up to watch and cheer other riders on, that’s totally cool.

Emily and Michelle take a break. There's a good view of the race no matter where we were!

On Sunday night I switched my tires, took off the water bottle cage and frame pump, and admired the return of my lean, knobby-looking Gunnar Crosshairs. Monday morning, I took it out to the fairgrounds. It was cold, it was tough at times, but it was fun. And it was only for one lap, at a relatively easy pace. (I had to get back and get ready for work.) I’m sure that doing multiple laps there at higher exertion won’t be as fun as the first time around, but I hope I’ll find myself enjoying it a lot more than I expect.

And come November, I hope I find myself inspired enough to sign up to race.

-DAVE

Katie Compton flies over the hurdles. None of the elite racers even break stride or lose momentum going over these!

One of the trickier parts of the course: turning around a slope where your momentum wants to take you downhill. WIth mud to boot! Lots of falls here.

Ever the alert photographer, Michelle takes a picture of me taking a picture of Katie.

Even after the race, Katie was nice enough to chat, sign a hat and take a picture with me!

Bike naked in a Flaming Lips music video

 

PORTLAND, OREGON – The Flaming Lips are looking for cyclists who are willing to bike naked in their “Watching the Planets” music video. Cyclists will be instructed to emerge from a giant fur egg. 

Article: http://pitchfork.com/news/36537-wanna-bike-ride-naked-in-a-flaming-lips-video-of-course-you-do/

Here are the basic details:
Flaming Lips naked bike video shoot
Wednesday, September 23, 10am – 10pm (drop-in)
The top of Mount Tabor, by the basketball courts
No RSVP needed. Just show up wearing clothes, please.
For more information, contact: bikeforthelips@gmail.com

- MICHELLE

Fell in love with a city – Madison, WI

Michon and me in front of Lake Mendota in Madison, WI. - July, 26, 2009

July 26, 2009: Some called us crazy for going, others were jealous we went. We had an opportunity so we took advantage of it and had one of the best trips of our summer.

When we’d finished RAGBRAI, Michon decided to stick around for the weekend instead of heading back to Des Moines. Most would have vegged for a couple days after riding almost 400 miles in 4 days but we wanted some more riding and adventure.

On RAGBRAI, Michon had talked to Dave about Madison, WI. She had not been there before. He was telling her what a great city it was and that she should go visit. (Dave’s a convincing guy.) I’ve also been wanting to check out the city, so we loaded up the bikes and made a day trip out of it.

My single speed looking bright as ever parked in Madison.

We didn’t have much of a plan when we arrived, we just knew there’d be biking, site seeing and food involved. We drove until we saw the lake, found a nice little park where we could park the car, unload the bikes and get exploring.

What a wonderful place! There were trails in the park, trails near the lake and bike lanes all through the city. I had heard Madison was a Bicycle Friendly Community, and it showed.

We rode towards downtown in search of a visitors center so we could make our plan for the day.

I’m so glad Michon has the same love for biking that I do. When I suggested we look up a few local bike shops to check out (Yellow Jersey, Machinery Row Bicycles, Cronometro and Old Town Cycles) she enthusiastically agreed.

Me hanging out lakeside of Machinery Row Bicycles.

Yellow Jersey was my favorite shop. It’s packed from floor to ceiling (literally - there are bikes hanging from the ceiling and piles of gear on the floor) and has a low-key feel to it. Machinery Row Bicycles was overwhelming. It was so big and had so many different kinds of bikes. I told Michon, “This is like a candystore for bicyclists.” Cronometro was a top-notch custom bike shop. Kinda out of our league but still fun to go in and look around. Old Town Cycles wasn’t open on Sunday but we were able to look in the window at their rebuilt bikes. There were some fun creations in there.

Our last stop was to refuel after a day of riding. We stopped at the Great Dane Pub and Brewery Co. for a beer and an appetizer. We ordered the hot soft pretzels with dipping sauce and a pint each -a great way to cap off a perfect day in Madison. – MICHELLE 

 

Walking my bike on State St. in Madison.

Bike accessories in a vending machine at Machinery Row Bicycles.

Bicycles go where cars can't, ha!

Photos by Michon Runyon – Thanks Michon!