Yeah yeah I'm ah lagggg'n

Sorry got a little behind on the race report...

Mr. Gill and the Fair Grounds didn't disappoint the hard core crossers who showed up for our weekly sermon. The only muddy race day in the Bay Area this season was a goodie. I was a little jaded after the epicness of Portland's USGP monsoon and KC's Natz blizzard, this Sunday was good rain.

as per normal I was sans camera for this one, so all the pics are stolen from the Boss, Lauren and maybe Rob...

The Pit was off in a far corner of the course but it was a really nice set up and being the fair grounds water wasn't a problem. The wash station looked to be a livestock cleaning station for the 4H'ers, on sloping concrete (nice drainage) with an asphalt road butting up to it. It had 5 nicely pressured spickets and four race supplied hoses... score I brought my own.



I really didn't need brushes for most of the race; the water took most of the mud right off. I did grease a few chains and it seemed to help out a little.

Stella killed it during the women’s race on her SS. Her SS in my favorite bike on the team, I hope she drops it off so I can clean it up for the off-season.



The guys got the worst rain of the day but it kept the bikes cleaner then the earlier clay-ier races



DodgeBall lead out the race for the first couple of laps then mechanicaled and got a wheel from the boss on the back side of the course. Tim rode like an animal getting second to Howie and taking the overall in the series.



A good race to end the season on.

The Mud Come-ith

Ah yeah. Last one of the season for me and this baby promises to be epic

The great Mr. Gill and friends will be presenting Peak Season Cyclocross @ the infamous Watsonville Fairgrounds this weekend. Mother Nature will be present for a true cyclocross mud bath.

The Corral will be in play again...



Check list for this race...
Pam
Brushes
Old T-Shirts
Hoses
Garden hose Y-Splitter
Sprayer Head
3 Gallon Bucket
Full rain gear
More chain lube then normal
Bogg Schloggers (rubber boots)

When come the mud I will give them clean bicycles to race through it.

The 2008 USAC Bill Woodul Mechanics Clinic.

Cycling technology is in a state of constant change, striving to best what has come before. As with the athletic side of this machine/culture it is very competive, but there is also a great comradely amongst those who dream, design, fabricate, build, assemble, maintain, and love these machines. I was very fortunate to be one of the 55 mechanics who gathered to attend the 2008 USAC’s Bill Woodul Mechanics Clinic in Colorado Spring at the US Olympic Training Center the past 4 days. I’m only beginning to digest the full experience, so much was shared. Of course there was the class/clinic side of this gathering where we were schooled by the clinics 10 very experienced instructors, but also the coming together of like minded people with such great respect for not only the machine but each other.

The instructors did an incredible job of organizing a curriculum, test and time line to set a pace and stress level very similar to what, would be race mechanics would be facing at an event. The days were packed with clinics, all over the training center. Some were indoors in class room settings and others were out side “labs” to compare it to a college science class. The clinics ranged from the pure mechanical and functional, to the operational side of a race and of race team, to the wrights of passage of professionalism. All were steeped with the experience and personality of each presenting instructor.

Always looming in the back of the mechanics minds was “the test” a 100 question multiple choice, open book, test that encouraged debate late into the night. It was really awesome to see everyone huddling together, in discussion and debate. It did a wonderful job of creating a “one for all and all for one” team atmosphere, evident on the last day when all 55 mechanics received their license after passing the test.

We also had a great time, it took a short time to crack the ice but once everyone was comfortable with the setting, some really great personalities came out. As one instructor said a couple of times “there isn’t a ‘that guy’ in this group”. I made several new and grew other friendships. To sum it up on a blog is impossible. It was truly an experience I am proud to have been a part of. I’m really looking forward to see what the future will bring for everyone who attended, the sport and the machine.

More Power

Ahhh Yeah, I love new toys... er Tools...

The C3 19.2 volt Cordless Inflator

Mine showed up today and the battery is a charging.

Gotta give Tim B. the credit for turning me on to this baby. No more pumps at the races for this wrench, just 19.2 volts of pure hand held air pumping power. I can see that auto shut off air gage being very useful for 'Cross.

But it'll have to wait until the 20th to see any action. Wed I'm back on a Jet bound for Colorado Springs, the OTC and USAC's Mechanic’s Clinic until Sunday. As a Jr. I got to do a couple of training camps up there and they were a lot of fun, I hope the dorms are better then I remember and the food is every bit as good.

I'll take a camera and maybe the lap-top, although I doubt I have much time for Blogging until I get home.

Well time to start packing...