Tuesday 19 February 2008

Gasohol, Anyone?

I guess we’ll all be riding to the races this year, as oil has now settled over $100/barrel for light, sweet crude. It kind of sounds like something you might like to put in your water bottles for a long hot race like Giro di Coppi, right? And it would be a darn sight less expensive than most of the designer crap that people put in their water bottles. I can’t get that people spend $20 for a 20 serving canister of drink mix. I bought some fancy crap once, it didn’t do it for me. For me, it’s the huge tub of Gatorade mix that the fine folks at Harris Teeter sell for $10. I got one in December and it’s still going strong. It’s probably just around $100 for 55 gallons, now that I think about it.

The smart guys are predicting that we’re going to be at $3.40 a gallon for regular this spring. Sweet. Time for everyone to go out and buy a bike carrier rack tray thingamabob and all squeeze in to one car to get to the races. Or just ride there. But when your boy does give you a ride to the race, remember that the pump is no man's friend any more and hook him the f up. It costs $.45/mile to drive a car, and a heck of a lot more to own one.

The one time I rode to a race last year turned out very badly for me. I got a sidewall cut on the way there, had some jabloney (who raced at Tradezone Sunday and is still a little sketchy) smack into my rear derailleur and wreck it and my back wheel, and nearly wound up having to walk home from RFK in my team kit. None too flashy, that. Despite my appreciation for Shawn at City Bikes, I think I’ll skip that one this year. Registration for that race, by the way, opens at 2:45am in a few days. If will probably be full by the time I have breakfast, too. And that will make me smile. Bear in mind, this race is in late June and registration will be closed long before March 1.

So what do you learn at a training race, anyhow? I guess you find out if you are on the right track or not. If you’re off the back right away I’d say you aren’t. Maybe you think you found out that you are on the right track. Maybe that lulls you into thinking that what you’ve been up to is good enough while everyone else ramps it up in the spring.

At least there is some good trainer fodder on the DVR right now. The Tour of California is underway. Although Dodgeball made last night’s trainer workout a lot better.

Why the hell am I supposed to be pedaling at 150 rpm all week this week? I was doing these fast pedaling things, starting out with like less than zero resistance, and by the time I got up to warp speed with the pedals I was at threshold power and above. Sweating like a stuck pig and fairly freaking cross-eyed. Although we share a good bit of heritage and a love for Black Forest Cherry Cake (or Schwarzvalde kirsche torte, as my good friend Jens – or my mother – or I – would call it), I am no Jan Ullrich with my pedal cadence, but this is ridiculous.

All right then.

2 comments:

Jim said...

Oh, that was you with the blown out wheel at RFK last year? Funny. I remember that, the wheel with like 15 spokes or whatever. I was sitting by Kyle Jones and a dozen Coppis. Your cursing and fuming was pretty amusing, and knowing that you split a sidewall on the way to the race, making your whole day pretty much a litany of destruction... now *that's* comedy, my friend.

Chuck Wagon said...

time + tragedy = comedy

i didn't think i was fuming that much, though, was i?

notice the list of confirmed riders is and shall remain devoid of me.

plus, memorial day weekend is for the beach.