Backwards is the New Forwards

Buck hill was backwards this week. It went way, way better mostly because the section of trail cutting across the ski hill was all false flat down, instead of false flat up. Much less demoralizing, it actually feels like you're getting somewhere. So I got stuck behind a pileup at the start and right away I was playing catchup, which was much easier on the short steep climbs you can carry momentum into when you go backwards. I was catching a lot of people, and I was catching them fast. Caught the Devil about 1/4 of the way through lap two and kept on motoring. Then I see a couple of loon staters up ahead and I get on the gas again. Looks like I'm gaining pretty quick on the two short open climbs. Get to the top of the second one, and I'm like "I have to throw up." Pull over, have a good 3 or 4 dry heaves and I'm back on the bike. That kind of broke my rhythm, and I never really recovered fully, didn't catch as many as I was hoping. Had about one of the closest finishes with the guy in front of me I've had at buck. I didn't have quite enough space to catch him in the sprint, and I couldn't believe I couldn't catch him in the woods before the finish, but he was rocking. Like Tink said, I should've had the bike throw. That might have gotten me the win. Anyways, just as fun this week. Way better time racing, I think mostly due to eating halfway decent all of Thursday.

So I've been noticing a strange phenomenon lately. I'm taking all kinds of customers and phone calls who are like "I can't find a pump to get my tubulars up to 200psi." And I've stopped trying to explain this to people because it's a losing battle every time, but in my head I have to be like "Why in the hell would you want to do that?" Even on the track that just seems absurd. I'm no trackie, but my guess is that most anyone would have a hell of a time telling the difference between 130psi and 200psi. Besides, it just seems like a bad idea regardless of whether you're riding tubulars or not. Just because it says on the sidewall good to 200psi doesn't mean you have to ride at 200psi every time, or even that 200psi is a good tire pressure to ride at.

Maybe if you had one of these. That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.

The track sucks, go to buck hill instead.
Sideburnz