Glenlivet12
Well-Known Member
I've got a ring u could use, came with the Mary cranks.
SSAP 2011 Recaps
- Thread starter kush
- Start date
I've got a ring u could use, came with the Mary cranks.
RNG1
Well-Known Member
Screw Jeremy I'm not helping him with anything anymore
Man Jeremy can't catch a break. Last year Jake this year you.
Dusty the Whale
Mr.Chainsaw
I'm sorry to say this but me and Jamie are no longer seeing each other... her flawless hand off skills helped capers beat me by 3 feet.
I'm not much for a recap writer. I will say that trying to pedal up the poo hill twisted my guts and I was lucky to bounce back from it. All In all I had a good race and im happy with my results. I was 10th in NJ that is an 8 spot improvement from last year. 17 NY/NJ that is a 19 spot improvement.
Most of all i couldn't be more happier for my friends and what they did.
James "slip in the back door" pearl came up sneaky as hell with the gear to kill us all and it worked. Hats off to you homie.
Capers and his tricky water bottle that almost killed us cause he's dumb...he really pushed me and I'm glad I did the same for him (we hate losing to each other).
Bill was more annoying than you could imagine but was glad to see him surprise himself and MANY others.
Mandible, who always says "I don't want to ruin your rides" never ruins our rides...it's impossible to do when you're riding with such a good group of friends. Little did she know she was taking her rides to the next level and changing the SS game.
Last but not least....Lou. If he didn't taco his wheel and say the F word all the time it would have been a weird day. These things happen man it's all part of it.
I wouldn't trade this day for anything...except MAYBE a win. Jk but seriously. Maybe
I'm not much for a recap writer. I will say that trying to pedal up the poo hill twisted my guts and I was lucky to bounce back from it. All In all I had a good race and im happy with my results. I was 10th in NJ that is an 8 spot improvement from last year. 17 NY/NJ that is a 19 spot improvement.
Most of all i couldn't be more happier for my friends and what they did.
James "slip in the back door" pearl came up sneaky as hell with the gear to kill us all and it worked. Hats off to you homie.
Capers and his tricky water bottle that almost killed us cause he's dumb...he really pushed me and I'm glad I did the same for him (we hate losing to each other).
Bill was more annoying than you could imagine but was glad to see him surprise himself and MANY others.
Mandible, who always says "I don't want to ruin your rides" never ruins our rides...it's impossible to do when you're riding with such a good group of friends. Little did she know she was taking her rides to the next level and changing the SS game.
Last but not least....Lou. If he didn't taco his wheel and say the F word all the time it would have been a weird day. These things happen man it's all part of it.
I wouldn't trade this day for anything...except MAYBE a win. Jk but seriously. Maybe
seriously. I thought I was pretty nice to rob in my recap.
Rob, by the way... I looked. You came in 56th.
Dusty the Whale
Mr.Chainsaw
A lot less blue an purple but more red and pink. That means it's getting better I guess
Well said anyway. Nice job on the improvement.
Now if you could only ride your bike. BTW that's a lot of pressure, at least you have a whole yr to ponder it. :hmmm:
1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
You guys all give some pretty great recaps -- almost every one of them puts me right back out there again. The only thing that kept coming to mind for me the other day was how I lost my brakes. That was pretty much all I could remember afterward, but a bit more has come back to me now, possibly because I managed ot scrape at least the first few layers of mud off my brain at this point.
I drove up Saturday afternoon, and it took me about four hours to do what would normally be a three hour drive. The rain was biblical and seemed to get worse the farther north I went. By the time I reached NY, the clouds were so thick I half-expected some WWE superstar to emerge from them while thunder played Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor". But I made it to the hotel in one piece and then couldn't sleep at all that night because the rain was beating on the window so loud I thought someone was knocking.
On Sunday morning, I grabbed some breakfast and headed over to the venue by 7:30. I'm not very bright, so the guy directing me which way to go thoroughly confused me and I momentarily considered splitting the difference between the two directions but that would have meant taking out a group of guys setting up a tent, and since I didn't really know too many people there, I figured that might end in my getting an epic ass-kicking. So I forewent that option.
I checked in and then debated wearing a long-sleeve base layer or not for what must have been 20 minutes. That resolved (I decided in Solomon-like fashion to wear it in the warm-up but take it off for the race), I rode out the roadway a bit and then doubled back and rode the prologue section, commenting out loud to no one at all that the mud and water were decidedly muddy and wet, respectively.
We started staging and I saw a familiar jersey -- aguy from a shop down my way had also made the trip. I didn't know him, but I bought my road bike from the shop he was riding for, so I chatted with him for a while. Then it was go time.
The thing that struck me about the beginning of that race was -- and I think someone else mentjoned this earlier -- there was a noticeable lack of aggression off the line. It was a roll-out as opposed to an attack. The pace was leisurely as we went down the road. At one point, the right side was completely open and just by default I found myself sitting maybe an inch behind whoever was leading ont he other side of the road. I kept thinking, "Should I try to start some sh*t here?" But I had a really bad week at Fair HIll last week where my right leg had given out for no apparent reason, so I figured if I did try to jump, I was going to be swallowed and eaten in a matter of seconds, so I sat in and tried to figure out when the move would occur, because I figured it had to happen. And it kind of did just as we hit the turn into the trail. Two or three guys gave a little acceleration and built a small gap. I thought that was brilliant because the singletrack was going to create some spread for them. I missed the initial jump, but tried to make up for it as we entered the singeltrack. It was tight, though. and one guy was saying that "it's not worth it in this mess" as people were trying to find a spot to pass, so I got by one guy and then sat in for a bit. I was lucky enough to avoid the tie up that occurred in the field on that one prologue climb. I just managed to squeak by a guy who dabbed and slid a bit, so I was maybe the last or second to last guy to get clear before what looked like a bit of a stack. I hit the road and looked back a minute or so later and there were only about three guys behind me, so I knew something happened back there.
I hit the first non-prologue singletrack feeling pretty good, and passed a few riders on the soupy climb. I credit this to two things: fFrst, I put really low pressure in my rear tire because I knew that if I had to stand up in some of the mud, I'd need the added traction. Second, by dumb luck I found myself behind a Darkhorse Cycles rider who made every good decision on that climb in terms of line. All I had to do was follow. I stayed upright and pedaling all the way up and when we hit the dirt road, I sat down and started pushing. I had no idea if I was already completely out of it or if the guys I could see up the road were in my class. I just had no clue, so I just tried to ride as fast as possible while drinking as much as I could.
For most of the first lap, I was trading spots with that same Darkhorse guy form the first climb and another Darkhorse guy who was pretty fast in the singletrack but a little slower on the climbs - I was thinking he probably had a bigger gear than I did. The three of us spent most of the first lap together, chasing one guy who was dangling in front of us by about 20 yards. I never caught that guy, and I have no idea if he was in my class or not. He maintained that gap all the way through the lap and then built it up on the road section near the start/finish. I managed to leave the one Darkhorse rider behind in the beginning of the second lap, but he caught me again a little later when I was forced to run down the hills. After a much slower ride through the peanut butter the second time around, I started to think that the ship had sailed on a shot at the podium. To be honest, I had no idea where I was place-wise, but I knew I hadn't been passed by anyone I ahd left behind earlier and I had passed a few myself, so I was thinking I was somewhere near the top ten.
I felt really good onthe climbs during the second lap. That didn't surprise me as much since I usually race enduro class, and it's not unusual for me to feel better after 20 miles than I do at the start. (Mind you, I'm still slow after 20 miles, but I just feel better being slow.)
BY the time I hit the last few short, rocky up-and-overs, I was completely without stopping power. I tried "Flintstoning" the descents at first (putting my foot down and half draggin/half-running with), but this didn't work all that well and made my left leg feel like it was coming off. So I decided it was just better to get off and run when the trail pointed downward. This worked okay until three guys passed me on the last one. I watched them go, as I stopped and had to mount my bike before entering the last puddle/pond. That kind of cracked me up, but I knew I had to get moving if I wanted those places back. The first guy to pass me was that same Darkhorse guy, and he took off. I lost that one outright. But when I hit the road, I could see the other two hanging in front to me. I started to push and I reeled the first guy in pretty quickly. The other guy seemed to know I was coming though and he started to push a little harder. I started to think I'd run out of real estate before I caught him, but then he seemed to be grabbing his leg. And that was like smelling blood. I figured I was going to go down swinging, so I started pedaling like a maniac to get on his wheel. I pulled in behind him and he didn't seem to notice, so sat there for two pedal strokes and then jumped to the left. But he moved a little left at the same time and we bumped handlebars about fifty feet from the line. I screamed that I was sorry, and he said he was okay and then started to hammer. I had a small lead on him though and I was able to jump ahead and finish about one second in front of him. ANd it turns out, that was good enough for sixth. I had no idea at the time.
Right after I crossed the line, I met Pearl. He was standing with UtahJoe, who I had met during the pre-ride the week before. (Thanks again to those guys for letting me poach their pre-ride. It definitely helped to know what was ahead of me on that first lap!)
That was such a great race and the course was so wild that I'm almost happy it was such a mess because I am not going to forget that race anytime soon. Just a great time!
I drove up Saturday afternoon, and it took me about four hours to do what would normally be a three hour drive. The rain was biblical and seemed to get worse the farther north I went. By the time I reached NY, the clouds were so thick I half-expected some WWE superstar to emerge from them while thunder played Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor". But I made it to the hotel in one piece and then couldn't sleep at all that night because the rain was beating on the window so loud I thought someone was knocking.
On Sunday morning, I grabbed some breakfast and headed over to the venue by 7:30. I'm not very bright, so the guy directing me which way to go thoroughly confused me and I momentarily considered splitting the difference between the two directions but that would have meant taking out a group of guys setting up a tent, and since I didn't really know too many people there, I figured that might end in my getting an epic ass-kicking. So I forewent that option.
I checked in and then debated wearing a long-sleeve base layer or not for what must have been 20 minutes. That resolved (I decided in Solomon-like fashion to wear it in the warm-up but take it off for the race), I rode out the roadway a bit and then doubled back and rode the prologue section, commenting out loud to no one at all that the mud and water were decidedly muddy and wet, respectively.
We started staging and I saw a familiar jersey -- aguy from a shop down my way had also made the trip. I didn't know him, but I bought my road bike from the shop he was riding for, so I chatted with him for a while. Then it was go time.
The thing that struck me about the beginning of that race was -- and I think someone else mentjoned this earlier -- there was a noticeable lack of aggression off the line. It was a roll-out as opposed to an attack. The pace was leisurely as we went down the road. At one point, the right side was completely open and just by default I found myself sitting maybe an inch behind whoever was leading ont he other side of the road. I kept thinking, "Should I try to start some sh*t here?" But I had a really bad week at Fair HIll last week where my right leg had given out for no apparent reason, so I figured if I did try to jump, I was going to be swallowed and eaten in a matter of seconds, so I sat in and tried to figure out when the move would occur, because I figured it had to happen. And it kind of did just as we hit the turn into the trail. Two or three guys gave a little acceleration and built a small gap. I thought that was brilliant because the singletrack was going to create some spread for them. I missed the initial jump, but tried to make up for it as we entered the singeltrack. It was tight, though. and one guy was saying that "it's not worth it in this mess" as people were trying to find a spot to pass, so I got by one guy and then sat in for a bit. I was lucky enough to avoid the tie up that occurred in the field on that one prologue climb. I just managed to squeak by a guy who dabbed and slid a bit, so I was maybe the last or second to last guy to get clear before what looked like a bit of a stack. I hit the road and looked back a minute or so later and there were only about three guys behind me, so I knew something happened back there.
I hit the first non-prologue singletrack feeling pretty good, and passed a few riders on the soupy climb. I credit this to two things: fFrst, I put really low pressure in my rear tire because I knew that if I had to stand up in some of the mud, I'd need the added traction. Second, by dumb luck I found myself behind a Darkhorse Cycles rider who made every good decision on that climb in terms of line. All I had to do was follow. I stayed upright and pedaling all the way up and when we hit the dirt road, I sat down and started pushing. I had no idea if I was already completely out of it or if the guys I could see up the road were in my class. I just had no clue, so I just tried to ride as fast as possible while drinking as much as I could.
For most of the first lap, I was trading spots with that same Darkhorse guy form the first climb and another Darkhorse guy who was pretty fast in the singletrack but a little slower on the climbs - I was thinking he probably had a bigger gear than I did. The three of us spent most of the first lap together, chasing one guy who was dangling in front of us by about 20 yards. I never caught that guy, and I have no idea if he was in my class or not. He maintained that gap all the way through the lap and then built it up on the road section near the start/finish. I managed to leave the one Darkhorse rider behind in the beginning of the second lap, but he caught me again a little later when I was forced to run down the hills. After a much slower ride through the peanut butter the second time around, I started to think that the ship had sailed on a shot at the podium. To be honest, I had no idea where I was place-wise, but I knew I hadn't been passed by anyone I ahd left behind earlier and I had passed a few myself, so I was thinking I was somewhere near the top ten.
I felt really good onthe climbs during the second lap. That didn't surprise me as much since I usually race enduro class, and it's not unusual for me to feel better after 20 miles than I do at the start. (Mind you, I'm still slow after 20 miles, but I just feel better being slow.)
BY the time I hit the last few short, rocky up-and-overs, I was completely without stopping power. I tried "Flintstoning" the descents at first (putting my foot down and half draggin/half-running with), but this didn't work all that well and made my left leg feel like it was coming off. So I decided it was just better to get off and run when the trail pointed downward. This worked okay until three guys passed me on the last one. I watched them go, as I stopped and had to mount my bike before entering the last puddle/pond. That kind of cracked me up, but I knew I had to get moving if I wanted those places back. The first guy to pass me was that same Darkhorse guy, and he took off. I lost that one outright. But when I hit the road, I could see the other two hanging in front to me. I started to push and I reeled the first guy in pretty quickly. The other guy seemed to know I was coming though and he started to push a little harder. I started to think I'd run out of real estate before I caught him, but then he seemed to be grabbing his leg. And that was like smelling blood. I figured I was going to go down swinging, so I started pedaling like a maniac to get on his wheel. I pulled in behind him and he didn't seem to notice, so sat there for two pedal strokes and then jumped to the left. But he moved a little left at the same time and we bumped handlebars about fifty feet from the line. I screamed that I was sorry, and he said he was okay and then started to hammer. I had a small lead on him though and I was able to jump ahead and finish about one second in front of him. ANd it turns out, that was good enough for sixth. I had no idea at the time.
Right after I crossed the line, I met Pearl. He was standing with UtahJoe, who I had met during the pre-ride the week before. (Thanks again to those guys for letting me poach their pre-ride. It definitely helped to know what was ahead of me on that first lap!)
That was such a great race and the course was so wild that I'm almost happy it was such a mess because I am not going to forget that race anytime soon. Just a great time!
steveyo
New Member
SSAP 2011 Race write-up (from one-wheel perspective)
Singlespeed-a-Palooza 2011 Race Write-up
Warning: Do not read if you don't like unicyclists.
I entered this race once before, but had a mechanical and only completed 1 lap and a fraction of another, so this is the first unicycle-completion of the race.
Very hard (not enough training), very fun.
It's a little too long to paste the text below, so here's a link to the as-usual long writeup.
Here are some pics from MTBNJ's GTLUKE.
Singlespeed-a-Palooza 2011 Race Write-up
Warning: Do not read if you don't like unicyclists.
I entered this race once before, but had a mechanical and only completed 1 lap and a fraction of another, so this is the first unicycle-completion of the race.
Very hard (not enough training), very fun.
It's a little too long to paste the text below, so here's a link to the as-usual long writeup.
Here are some pics from MTBNJ's GTLUKE.
1speed
Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
Yeah, it's kind of cool to match faces with posts. I used to use Dirtrag's forums pretty frequently because they are in PA and they have the hookup on a lot of riding info, but their forums have kind of died. I learned about this one after speaking to someone (don't remember the name) at a race I did on Long Island at the end of last year. It's a really active group here, and I've already learned of four or five events just from posts here.
Oh and it seems a sh*t ton of people here ride singlespeed -- and at least half of those are Misfit folks -- so that's a big plus, too.
Pearl
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Whoa, I think I just made a connection. Did you do the NYC Century last year? I skimmed your long write up and saw some of your others. Here is a picture I took:
Yeah that dude was directly behind me. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me directly but he could have been. I was feeling pretty rambunctious at this point. And his callout was justifiable.
I'm sure I have met you but am having a hard time putting the screen name to the face :hmmm:
Great job by the way and write up.
Pearl
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
IIRC, you were the one that tripped up (not bad, but enough to stall out) and I yelled ERICCCCCCCCC, prompting dudemans response 😛