T-boned a van today

Today started out well-intentioned. I was going to go for a quick spin out to Piermont early so that I could get some base miles in and be back in time for lunch. As i got my ride started this morning, I ended up crashing into the side of a van. I hit it with my shoulder at about 20 mph and went flying over the handlebars.

went to the ER. got X-rayed. I had the pleasure of walking around the hospital while fully donned in winter gear- my cleats clicking and-a-clackin' on the linoleum. Nothing broken, but my shoulder is sore as hell. i'll probably take the week off to let it heal.

What a close call. I could have been lunch meat.

More importantly, and rather amazingly, my bike is fine. Damage control is as follows:

-The rear Ksyrium Elite (that I JUST reviewed in the previous post)- bent rim- probably toast. (this should be covered under Mavic's replacement program, so Huzzah)
-The rear tire's sidewall has a tear
-snapped the FSA bicycle computer mount
-both water bottle cages snapped

and that's it. given the fantastic accident it was involved in, I'm amazed and overjoyed. the frame, fork and components are immaculate. Thank goodness too, cause that frame would have been a bitch to replace...

I'm hopped up on advil and Arnica, and I'm going to see an orthopedist as soon as the new year celebrations are done. Until then, there's a bottle of small-batch bourbon that'll help me ring in the new year and celebrate the fact that I'm not a vegetable (just an idiot).

no more running red lights for christophe.

(at least for a while)

I dropped the bike and my cross bike off at NYC Velo to let them take care of it. It was good to drop by and hopefully they can get my rear wheel replaced soon. till then, I'll be rolling on my race wheels.

I'm already missing the bike.

time for more advil!

Gear: 2007 Mavic Ksyrium Elites

Well, it's about that time!

Time for what, you ask? A gear review, of course!

Today I'll be giving you my impressions of Mavic's newly redesigned 2007 Ksyrium Elites:


I was looking for a wheelset that could handle both training/racing on the road bike, but could also double as my nice racing wheels for cross. This meant that I was looking for a stiff, robust wheel that could take abuse. However, I still wanted it to spin up well and not be too hefty. At the time, I only had one set of wheels for my Road bike- a set of beautiful Campagnolo Eurus Wheels. There was no way in hell that I would be racing those in cyclocross! They're much too pretty and Italian for that.

Thanks to the good 'ole Team discount at NYC Velo, I was able to pick these babies up for a steal. They usually retail for about $650.

Mavic had made some nice improvements on the wheel. Mavic really shines at allowing their high-end technology to trickle down. Most notably, the rear hub has been re-designed along the veins of the top-end Ksyrium ES's. The spoke carriers at the hub had been moved out, resulting in better spoke tension and a stiffer wheel. The spoke lacing on the rear wheel now also imitates the spoke patters on the more Expensive SL's and ES's. Also like their more expensive brethren, these wheels don't require rim tape. This yields a stiffer, lighter wheel. The wheelset now weighs in at a respectable 1690 grams. light enough to race, although they're not ultra-light climbing wheels (nor are they made out to be). For an aero advantage, the spokes are bladed, and the front and rear wheels have specific rim profiles (lower rim height in the front, higher in the rear).

My first impression out of the box was "oooh, pretty." The graphics on the wheels have been re-done to resemble the Ksyrium ES's.



I paired these wheels with a set of Michelin Krylion tires to use for off-season training. They're supposed to last an obscenely long time and have superior flat protection, so they should suit my needs just fine. I also slapped a larger-than normal (13-26) rear cassette on the back wheel to accomodate not only winter training, but 'cross racing, where lower gearing is almost necessary. Normally I run a 23-11 with my compact chainring, but that doesn't lend itself to heart-rate-zone training very well.

I took the wheels out for a spin in central park to get a feel for them. God, I love the feeling one gets from popping bike equipment cherries. It's so new, so perfect, so fresh! These wheels were nice and solid. the hubs were buttery smooth and i didn't hear and creaking out of the saddle. These wheels are stiff and tough, and I think they'd make pretty great crit wheels.

I think these wheels will make fantastic 'cross race wheels. There are a few fun 'cross races being organized for fun in January, so i might take the bike out once it's got the campy group on it and see what I can do.

Another note-worthy feature of these (and other) Mavic wheels is Their new "MP3" crash replacement program. for 8% of the list price, Mavic will repair/replace these wheels FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS. NO MATTER WHAT. If I taco the hell out of these wheels, there's nothing to worry about! just send 'em back to Mavic for a shiny new pair! Mavic is dead-on with this idea, and it's definitely was a major factor in my choosing these wheels.

I'll give updates as to how these wheels are holding up; at the moment I've put on about 100 miles with them, and they're dead true (as they should be). Next year's 'Cross season will be the real test for these bad boys; hopefully they'll hold up to the punishment. And if not, no worries! I'll just get shiny new ones for free!

Merry Christmahanukwanzakah From AIWDIB!

On Fausto, on Eddie, on Marco and Eki!

On Landis, on Cunego, on Mario Cippolini!

Merry Christmahanukwanzakah AKA excuse to give/receive presents!

Here's wishing you a fun time with family and friends, no matter what holiday you celebrate.

Here's hoping you get that set of Ksyriums or those new Sidi's you've been drooling over.

Here's to getting fat and happy for a few days (just make it up with trainer time, it's worth it!)

Here's to a safe and hilarious holiday, and keep the rubber side down!

-Christophe

So What's on YOUR holiday cycling wishlist?

2006 Cross Nationals Recap: Trebon Dominates, Christophe Palpitates

Wow.

Wowie Wow Wow.

Nationals was fan-friggin-tastic.


I don't really know where to begin recapping this action packed weekend. We drove up to providence Saturday morning with more than enough time to catch the UCI elite men's race. This was to be the main event of the weekend, and they certainly put on a show. The course was huge and really well designed, complete with three sets of stairs/run ups, crazy off-cambers, and some sick barriers. This was a fast course and it was perfect for the large crowd that showed up to watch the battle.


Well, as most people guessed, Ryan Trebon stepped up and decimated everyone. Someone set Trebon to "kill." He just pushed and pushed and pushed and no one had an answer for his attack. He finished almost a minute up on the Chase group and rightly took the win. It was pretty spectacular to watch, and I jumped at the chance to get up close for a few shots:



For the record: this man is a behemoth- 6 foot frigging 5. what a beast.



A few thousand people showed up. It was awesome having a huge crowd, complete with more cowbells than I would know what to do with! Some guy even brought a pair of cymbals. I almost felt as if we were in Belgium watching Sven in the worlds. Here were the cream of the crop cross racers in the US racing their hearts out in front of us. You can just see the pain cross racers go through by the looks on their faces. If you're going all out, there's no hiding it in a cross race. That's what I love about cross- it's raw. You go out there and rip yourself apart in order to win, and it shows.

We met up with Jay and took a spin with him while he warmed up for the elite race. It was good to see him again and I though he did well given the field he was up against. Good job getting on the boards, bud!



After watching a few other races unfold, we checked into the hotel and got some rest for the next day. Chad and I were going to race in the under 35 B field, with over 172 registered riders.
Being as it's a class higher than what I normally race, and there were almost 200 people in it, I set realistic goals:

1) don't get lapped
2) don't get pulled before the halfway mark (since the race followed UCI rules, if you are pulled halfway through the race, you're not counted as finished and you don't place. )

Well, i accomplished one of my goals- I got pulled right at the last lap. Still, I was happy with how I did. The course had decided to thaw right before our race- the result was off-cambers that were covered in a slick peanut-buttery mud that was super tough to ride over.

I wanted to make sure i chose good lines each time, as the course was pretty twisty. After about 3 warm up laps, I had a pretty good sense of the course, which really came in handy during the race.



Staging was a savage madhouse. You could feel the energy pouring out of the racers. everyone was excited and screaming and ready to go, and It was quite the scene. The same goes for the start. having 172 riders go from a standstill to a sprint is pretty fun to watch, and its exciting as hell to be in the middle of it all.



The course was a TON of fun to ride, but it was pretty painful. there was one set of stairs/run up that i soon developed a hate/hate relationship with. After about the 2nd lap, I was on the pain train. The run ups were pure suffer, but that's the name of the game. I think the coolest part of the course (aside from the bowl) was the barrier area. They set it up right next to the beer tent! Every time you approached it, you were greeted by beer-fed cheers and cowbells galore. You just had to pray that you didn't wipe out right there.



I ran into a small group of other NYC racers that had come up. It was great to see them!



Out of 172 riders, 147 were counted as finished. I came in 144th. all things considered, I'm happy with the results and had a killer time in the process.

After our race, we happened to be by the cyclocross world tent. Lo and behold, Lyne Bessette and Tim Johnson happened to be signing autographs! sweet! I got to chat it up with those two for a few minutes, which was great. They were totally approachable and super friendly. I'd been reading about their race results all season, so it was nice to be able to meet them in person.


As I sit here typing away at my computer before i take a much-needed doze, I can't help but look back on my first cyclocross season. I big smile's on my face as I'm typing this. This season has been such a blast, and I've fallen in love with a sport that I knew almost nothing about 6 months ago. I've met some wonderful people on the way, and I've pushed myself past my perceived limits. I'm looking forward to next season, as it can only go up from here!



I'll be making more of an effort to train specifically for cross next year. Hopefully I can race well in both road and cross, and I'll do everything I can to not get burnt out by the time cross season comes around. It's a delicate balance.

To see all the photos from this weekend, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stophe/sets/72157594425343056/

Bonus- I just ordered my Campy gruppo for the cross bike for next season. Next year, I'll be upgrading my cross bike to Campy Veloce/Centaur, slapping Ksyrium elites on there, and bolting on some carbon FSA K-wing bars for good measure. that should shave a few hundred grams off of the bike. Couple that with the 8 lbs I'm trying to lose, and I should be off to a good start for next season!

Well,
now it's time to prep for road racing!

I'll be taking it easy for the next week or two, but then Its base miles, base miles, base miles...
Should be a TON of fun.

Let's get ready to rumble.

Cross Nationals is nigh upon us. I'll be loading up the jeep and trekking over to Providence in the morning with Chad and his lovely Girlfriend Vicki- hopefully we can fit everything in the jeep.

I'm excited and slightly nervous. part of me is wondering what wave of idiocy convinced me to sign up for a B race with 179 other people, but then I remember that throwing caution and self consciousness to the wind can result in great events and memories.

We'll probably get lapped and pulled, but goddammit, we're going to try as hard as we can. This past cross season has been a ridiculously fun, painful, and cowbell-ridden learning experience, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

After last week, I brought the bike to NYC Velo to get the bike prepped and fixed for this weekend. I ended up having to shell out $100 for random odds and ends (it's funny how that works.. I almost never leave a bikeshop without having spent money there...). I had my bottom bracket switched out and my headset cleaned, as both were inundated with mud, and I had to have the rear brakeset replaced...


I spun my legs out for an hour on the trainer tonight, then spent a good 40 minutes adjusting the derailleurs and making sure it's good to go. My obnoxious green steed is ready for one more bout of abuse before a well deserved rest.

I'm excited to watch the UCI elite men's race tomorrow. My money is on Jay pulling a big upset over Ryan Trebon... Just you see! Either way, I'll be there fully cowbelled and screaming my ass off. It'll be a grand old time.

our race is on Sunday. I'm going to fight tooth-and-nail to not get lapped. That's the goal for the race. don't get lapped, don't come in last. Once the race is done, I'm grabbing a beer and a cowbell and I'm getting belligerent!

Lock and load.

Bring it on.

Time to kick ass and chew bubble gum.

I'm running out of Cliche' phrases, can someone help me out here?

Good luck to everyone competing this weekend!