Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race Report

Pro 1/2/3
DNF

The race season began with a pop and a hiss for me. I picked up right where I left off last season where I flatted in my last 2 races (1 being a stage race) of the year.


The whole family accompanied me to Marblehead, MA as we were heading back to ME after a weekend in Boston. The race began under a glorious blue sky. But I can't seem to get away from the cold! The temp was hovering in the mid-30's and there was a brisk ocean breeze. My goal for the event was to ride in the pack and maximize the opportunity to ride OUTSIDE and get a great workout in. The pace was steady, but tolerable. We were to do 17 laps of a 2+ mile rolling loop. All was going according to plan when halfway around the loop 4 laps in I heard the pop and hiss of my rear tire deflating. As this is a very informal, unofficial start to the MA road season, there was no support vehicle so I was stranded and had to walk the mile back to the start plus another 1/2 mile to the parking area. I was less than thrilled.

Photo courtesy of Redberry Photo

But, the blame lies solely with me. I was using my PowerTap rear wheel and had since replaced my hockey rim tape with the stretchy plastic kind. It had worked fine for weeks. But, I put a race tire on for the weekend. I rode a couple hours on Saturday fine, but discovered a flat Sunday morning. I didn't think too much about it as I rode through some serious car crash debris in Boston. I checked the inside of the tire and it was clean. So, I put a new tube in and away I raced.

When I got back to the parking area, I discovered the source of the puncture was from the rim strip slipping, exposing the rim spoke hole. And guess what caused Saturday's flat?!
Today, legit rim tape is on and I'm back in business, but that much further behind without the training.
Here's a quick recap of the event courtesy of Velonews:
Report

Ready for Racing?

Shaved off the winter layer yesterday. But, I had to question my actions. I was sitting outside with a winter jacket on while the boys were playing in the ever-present snow. To make matters more ridonculous, we are getting another 5" of snow as I write this. The season opener for me is a circuit race in Marblehead on Sunday. Assuming I get a ride in down in Boston tomorrow, the race will be my 6th time riding outdoors. How sucky am I going to be?!

Beep, beep, beep

The ad on TV for Volkswagon where a guy sets off the alarm on a car he has bought at a delaership when a couple walk close to it is REALLY pissing me off!

Hoppy Easter

Must be the snow and freezing temperature, the Easter Bunny brought hockey stuff for the boys! Drake got goalie skates to go with his new pads, and Fenix got new skates and hockey pants. Helped delay the chocolate egg-eating contest!

My Little Artist

Prepping for the Easter Bunny despite the friggin' snow!

Outside Ride?

No f'n way! To top it off it's 36 degrees and raining! I am not Belgian, I am human. To the rollers I go!

Best Compliment Evah!

"You're getting grasshopper legs." by Babs, the best wife evah!

Outside Ride Part Deux

Braved the elements here at home today. Roads were much improved in terms of no more standing ice and slush all over the backroads. However, the shoulders are marginal at best. The snow banks still creep into the lane in some places, the sand is deep, and the frost heaves are annoying. Definitely no place for a road bike yet. I rode the trusty Aegis Shaman.

Snowbanks up to my head still

What do the shoulders look like where you ride? Care to ride here?

KHS brings home the hardware!

Winter teams kicked ass this season earning MAISAD trophies for boys and girls skiing and boys bball.
Of course, the trophy on the top shelf is the NE D-II boys hockey championship.

Outside Ride!

For only the 2nd and 3rd time since January 1, I got to ride outdoors while on the Cape. Unfortunately, it was less than fun. The weather was wet and windy with temps in the mid-30's. The saving grace was at least the roads were clear. I was a bit more practical with my attire this time and felt semi-clammy at the conclusion of each 2 hour sessions. I rolled on the Aegis 'cross bike with knobbies not knowing what the road conditions would be like.
This was an opportune time to road test a couple of things new to me like the Craft Storm pants pictured below. They're not quite tights so I wear the padded shorts underneath. The material is a funky feel that is wind/water proof with articulated knees. Once pedaling, I didn't know they were there and that was good.

I also tried these Pearl Izumi booties that I won at a race. They're a size large and I could probably use a medium. The top surface is supposed to be water resistant. They're not too thick, so I think they're designed more for weatherproofing than warmth. My shoes still got damp on the wettier (new word) day so I assume it's the size issue. Don't know if I'll keep them.

The whole family is now back in Maine, and it looks like I'm headed back onto the trainer with tomorrow's stupid weather forecast.

Hell Week

No time to provide anything of interest! Babs has been in Italy since Saturday and the house full of us boys looks like this:

To compound the stress this week, we took the ice out.

We're off to the Cape tomorrow for a long weekend and Babs' flies in to Logan Saturday night.

The only thing comparable to her return is the prospect of riding outdoors for a couple of days!

GOOGLE Map Petition

Found this on the ROOT 66 Message Board. It is a petition to get GOOGLE Maps to include a "Bike There" option when getting directions. Seems like a great idea to me.

Sign the petition here if you like

Snow? We got no stinkin' snow!

3.5 feet of snowpack

Where do I put it Dad?!

The driveway is more like a pathway!



Here's my commute. That's a speed limit sign. Snow is just below it!

Our kids are hockey addicts!

If they can't be on the ice, they'll use anything to duplicate shooting something on goal!

Card hockey

SCORE!

Knee hockey in playroom

Kitchen hockey

New England Champions!

The KHS boys hockey team just beat New Hampton 2-1 to claim the New England D-II Ice Hockey Championship! This is the stuff dreams are made of!

KHS 4 - Hebron 3

The boys beat the Lumberjacks today in the D-II prep quarterfinal game. They face the winner of New Hampton/Roxbuty Latin tomorrow in the finals! The hockey gods are smiling on the Huskies this season!