Moderately successful bike rides

Riding bikes in February is a balancing act. You don't want it to seem too serious, otherwise you'll fall into the "training nut" or "no fun" category of cyclist. Nobody doesn't like fun! People might think you care too much. Making a lot of remarks about winter weight helps out.

Realistically, we all like to ride our bicycles, which is why sometimes we subject ourselves to less than optimal weather conditions.



If by winter weight you mean, every article of clothing I have? Then yeah, I've put on a couple of pounds.



Mike and I met up at the shop, amidst a sea of text message bail outs. This was taken from inside, mostly because of our reluctance to exit.

We rode bikes for a bit, apparently it was cold.

And now, for the most important part, the coffee shop photo:



All good rides end at Espresso Royale Caffe on Newbury St. Unfortunately, all the tables were taken, so I did not have an opportunity to take a latte pour shot.

Our ride was very exciting.


Such detail!

Stay tuned for more fun and exciting tales once I can figure out how to operate a camera with four gloves on.

Someone's idea of fun.

Sadly, most folks were not able to make it to the CXWorld party in Beverly, but we did manage to bring the team together for an indoor "training" session.

Yeah, that's right, a bunch of cyclists in a dark Allston basement hanging out and "riding bikes."

Though it was a good opportunity to do an FTP test. And also, to be heckled.

practicing.

not a game.



this was in my head the entire ride today, and i dont even know who half the people in that video are.

thanks to josh for implanting it in my brain for all time.







playoffs.

the proverbial witches teat.

we have been riding. yes, despite all common sense and the many valid and good reasons to stay inside (couches, holiday dinner leftovers, new season of project runway etc) the gloves, ski mask, booties, warmers and space suit go on and we shudder through a few hours of frozen tundra. greg posted about some changes coming, and we will have a detailed summary of those things up when in fact we know what they are. until then, keep those spirits up, split open that ton-ton and keep warm.

everyone else is doing it....

people are posting "best of" lists. maybe i will too. [keep in mind this is ME, as in mike, not the royal "b2c2 team" me] i will make, and then likely add to this list.

best thing i bought all year, bike related: tie - tubular cross wheels OR my xc race bike (epic).

other best thing i bought all year: sovtek mig 100.

worst moment on a training ride: almost got run over by a DPW truck.

most improved rider: nick. living proof that if you keep doing things you stink at, you will begin to stink less at them.

best terrestrial mammal: the rat.

best arboreal mammal: the slow loris.

best marine mammal: the leopard seal.

hardest day on a bike: 24 hours of pats peak. that was literally one day on my bike.

best rivalry: me and rmm. back and forth all season. so much fun.

best food: soup. also ham.

best place to get food: the deluxe town diner.

worst result: almost dead last in The Time Trial That Shall Remain Nameless.

best coffee: espresso royale (obviously)

best latte: drink coffee, you pansy.

best place to ride: late addition, but russell mill. xc + pumptrack = awesome.

most annoying bike trend: single speeds (still).

favorite team (other than ours): tough one... probably geekhouse, for all the enthusiasm and cheering at races. results wise... and because they can be both super competitive and fun dudes - embrocation.

worst moment at a race: when that cockbag at green mountain got aggro and almost killed us all.

best show: that one we played with summerduck.

most surprising result: getting second place at my first solo 24 hour race.

best performance at a race: gregs northampton weekend. seriously.

most gratifying cyclocross moment: when tim "lame east coast shit" johnson beat ryan "complains on the internet" trebon at nationals.

most listened to records: transylvanian hunger (darkthrone), lincoln (they might be giants), love suffers long (smoke and smoke), 10th sublevel of suicide (leviathan), dead as dreams (weakling), blood money (tom waits)

and who do we have to thank for all this?

after a busy season, some respect and high fives.

family/ roommates/ significant others



you are a bike racer. to civilians, your schedule, priorities and indeed general world view is difficult to fathom at best. first and foremost, you have spent more on bicycles and strange flavored powders than most people will spend on a car. this does not seem like a sound investment to the uninitiated. you opt out of important friday night hangout time because you have to get up at the ass crack of dawn to make it to an office park in some god-forsaken corner of america to breathe heavily through your mouth for an hour and a half. we speak a foreign language - i have recently discovered words like "breakaway", "VO2", "crit", and "cyclocross" mean almost nothing to the public at large (or, apparently to the spellcheck function, which has "cyclocross" underlined. it seems to think i meant to say "cyclotrons").

then, of course, there is the laundry basket (or im my case, the living room). these things have distinct flavors, bouquets that only bike racers can seem to stand without watering eyes and red-faced, oxygen-starved gasps of protest. like me, im sure you all have a pair of shoes deserving of a viking funeral. these shoes lurk just past the threshold, filling up a porch, basement or closet with an odor only they (or a dead homeless person) could produce. anyone sharing your living space should be thanked (perhaps with cookies, as baking them will help mask the smell) for their tireless patience and olfactory fortitude.

as for your significant other, you have likely used up many of your vacation days (not to mention vacation budget) on things entirely different from "romantic getaways". no, spending 2 days in vermont getting soaked and sleeping in a parking lot is not your boy/girlfriends idea of a good time. if you are lucky enough to have someone willing to deal with your desire to hurt yourself in remote locations with minimal amenities and one porta-john per 200 nervous bike racers, you may want to work in something nice that THEY might enjoy. and if they stand in the rain, cowbell/ waterbottle/ feedbag in hand, you have something special. dont mess it up.


promoters/ volunteers



these are the folks that make it happen. whatever discipline you race, you can do it here in new england. i raced cross every weekend this season. often, there were multiple events to choose from. on the road, we have 2 major stage races and a few smaller ones within a few hours drive. there are 2 well run and well attended training series within RIDING distance of boston. there are 2 mountain bike race series to contest, each with its own distinct feel and purpose. the 24 hours of great glen is one of the best, most well run 24 hour event in the country. and lets not forget the new england velodrome. starting with a haggard go-kart track, that place has become a great development venue for both track racers and bmx alike. in the same vein, look at highland mountain - from nothing to world-class in a few short seasons. there are too many people involved with these events to call them out. just know that we live in one of the best places in the country for grassroots racing, and if you get the chance, thank some of the folks that help make that happen.


photographers



what do the old guy with the telephoto lens, your girlfriends point and shoot and some dudes helmet cam have in common? they all let you look back and see how awesome you are. its ok. dont deny it. like me, you scour flickr, crossresults.com, picasa... anywhere you think lurks that one shot of you hanging it out on a corner, making that sick inside pass or giving your victory salute. a few of them do it for a living, but most are there because their friend/ teammate/ life partner is out there with you (that explains the tantalizing, out of focus shots of your back wheel, hand and helmet or right buttock at the extreme right or left of the picture). give these folks some love. let them know they took an awesome picture of you (or your blurry left ass cheek). try to give them the credit they deserve when you inevitably post the photo on your friendster account (or whatever you crazy kids are using these days).

enjoy the snow, everyone.

B2C2, plus the Past, the Present, and the Future

Hiho people who read this blog. I know you're there, I have super-secret tracking tools. So it looks like bike racing is over for a while. This is where we will begin the trend of slowly and perilously stretching any cycling related content over the next 3-4 months to prevent complete blogatrophy.

Team Stuff

You may have noticed the title for this website has changed slightly. What the hell is B2C2? Okay, aside from being something the military is interested in, it also stands for the Back Bay Cycling Club. And BBCC just won't do.

This is merely a organizational move for the team. This last year marks the first "official" year for the team, and I'd be lying if I said we'd planned everything from the get-go. I am extremely pleased with the teams growth, and the progress that we have made.

Stay tuned for more updates on B2C2 2010 happenings -- we've got a lot of exciting things in the works.

Hey, weren't you racing a bunch too? What happened?

Ehhh, so after Easthampton I had a bit of a knee injury. I'm not exactly sure what caused it, but I'm thinking over-use plus weird dismounts did me in. Riding my townie bike ten miles the next day probably didn't help, either. Instead of messing it up even more, I've been taking it easy -- it is December, after all.

With that said, even though I missed Sterling, NBX, and Ice Weasels, I'm still pretty psyched about my season and the progress I've been able to make in a year. Especially considering where I was at in 2006...



I've already starting filming my winter training montage, complete with smoke machines, pensive stares, and shitty music.

A slight aside, or a couple of "bummer dudes."

Registration opens for Battenkill a little too soon, and I am bummed out over the price hike. While last year I did make my entry fee back, I'm not exactly rolling in dough after this cross season. However, I also want to get myself out of the Cat 4 field pronto.

Also, Tedro totally dumped the ProXCT. So what does that leave, 3 UCI C1 or C2 events in the country? I wonder if USA Cycling will reconsider the Pro upgrade process.

Hey, Mike's posts are funny, we want more of him

If we could combine Mike's voice with my use of capitalized letters, we might have a real blogger on our hands. Also, teammate Nick (posting as "themajor") is now an author, expect more good stuff from him in the future.