1 hour 7 min. 36 sec. Not the result I was hoping for (1 hr. 4 min) but still okay nonetheless. I plan on putting the full post up on Tuesday, along with the pictures that the photographer took (same as Carlise). Also coming up this Saturday, the 6th, I have my last chance to break 1 hour at Carlise and I will also compete in the South Mountain Hill Climb TT.
Best!
Captain Crunch.
P.S. Don't forget to go to my BikeMS website and donate to a good cause!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Nightmare -
There's a lot to talk about in this post so it's kind of long - sorry...
DNF - Mechanical Failure
At 9:30am I officially withdrew from the 2008 Nightmare due to the jockey wheel on my derailluer breaking loose. The jockey wheels are the small geared wheels on the derailluer (click for a picture).
Crunch friend Brian R. (of Blue Ridge Parkway fame) was kind enough to pick me up from the food stop I was at. The bummer was that I was at the most southern point in the ride (Kirk's Mill Rd.) only 50 miles in. I also want to give a huge thanks to Steve Mazeski and his support crew. His support car took me the 8 miles up the road to the food stop where I waited for Brian. Later in the day I met up with Jim and Brian L. who were also on the ride and rode the last 41 miles back to the start/finish with them on a borrowed bike and finished the day with 91 total miles.
The offending jockey wheel that ejected itself from my derailleur cannot be replaced. Both the screw that holds it in and the derailleur cage are stripped out. Considering it has 10,000 plus miles on it, I can't be to angry - parts wear out. It is a small consolation that even if I had the right parts on the course, I could not have continued anyway.
It is especially frustrating because I had based my entire season around Nightmare. I prepared so I would be on perfect form. When I got on the bike this morning I could tell my body was going to respond well. The 50 miles that I completed are probably the hardest and I felt very strong over them. But mechanicals happen - even to the pros (his chain broke in a stage he where he was clearly the strongest).
Now I have even more motivation for next year to complete Nightmare for the second time. A big motivation this year was completing the BRP past Bear Pen Gap where I abandoned. This year's Bear Pen Gap is Kirk's Mill Rd. However, the season is not over yet. I still have two TT's to try and break the hour, and I have the BikeMS charity ride in October, plus several training rides I haven't done in a while (i.e. Gold Mine Rd.). I also get to start planning my France vacation over the winter as well
Overall it was a good day - both Jim and Brian L. finished in 13 hours 20 mins. Remember, a bad day on the bike is better than a good day at the office. While I am disappointed, I know I tried my best and I'm in the best/fastest shape of my life.
Thanks to everyone for following along with me this year. Even though the main part of the season will be over in less than 3 weeks, stay tuned through the winter. I will be blogging my France vacation preparations (planning on riding the big Tour mountains) and continuing to share my random thoughts while cycling and running (sometimes it's just too cold to ride).
Best To All
Captain Crunch
DNF - Mechanical Failure
At 9:30am I officially withdrew from the 2008 Nightmare due to the jockey wheel on my derailluer breaking loose. The jockey wheels are the small geared wheels on the derailluer (click for a picture).
Crunch friend Brian R. (of Blue Ridge Parkway fame) was kind enough to pick me up from the food stop I was at. The bummer was that I was at the most southern point in the ride (Kirk's Mill Rd.) only 50 miles in. I also want to give a huge thanks to Steve Mazeski and his support crew. His support car took me the 8 miles up the road to the food stop where I waited for Brian. Later in the day I met up with Jim and Brian L. who were also on the ride and rode the last 41 miles back to the start/finish with them on a borrowed bike and finished the day with 91 total miles.
The offending jockey wheel that ejected itself from my derailleur cannot be replaced. Both the screw that holds it in and the derailleur cage are stripped out. Considering it has 10,000 plus miles on it, I can't be to angry - parts wear out. It is a small consolation that even if I had the right parts on the course, I could not have continued anyway.
It is especially frustrating because I had based my entire season around Nightmare. I prepared so I would be on perfect form. When I got on the bike this morning I could tell my body was going to respond well. The 50 miles that I completed are probably the hardest and I felt very strong over them. But mechanicals happen - even to the pros (his chain broke in a stage he where he was clearly the strongest).
Now I have even more motivation for next year to complete Nightmare for the second time. A big motivation this year was completing the BRP past Bear Pen Gap where I abandoned. This year's Bear Pen Gap is Kirk's Mill Rd. However, the season is not over yet. I still have two TT's to try and break the hour, and I have the BikeMS charity ride in October, plus several training rides I haven't done in a while (i.e. Gold Mine Rd.). I also get to start planning my France vacation over the winter as well
Overall it was a good day - both Jim and Brian L. finished in 13 hours 20 mins. Remember, a bad day on the bike is better than a good day at the office. While I am disappointed, I know I tried my best and I'm in the best/fastest shape of my life.
Thanks to everyone for following along with me this year. Even though the main part of the season will be over in less than 3 weeks, stay tuned through the winter. I will be blogging my France vacation preparations (planning on riding the big Tour mountains) and continuing to share my random thoughts while cycling and running (sometimes it's just too cold to ride).
Best To All
Captain Crunch
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Carlise TT
Hello Crunch fans,
I came so close the hour. 1 hour 3 min. 49 seconds. I think I turned a 33:30 out and a 30:19 back. I pushed myself to the absolute edge. I have never gone that hard before. I was literally seeing stars at the finish line.
If I continue to progress at my current pace I should break an hour at the next Carlise TT. I did 1 hour 8 min in May, 1 hour 6 min in July, and now 1 hour 3 min (almost four though). So that means I hit 1 hour 2 min on the 31st @ Clarks Valley and hopefully less than an hour on Sept. 6 back on the Carlise course.
I got kudos from several other riders for putting in the time I did with the bike I have. It is an older aero steel frame with 650c front wheel, no aero wheels, and the thing weighs a ton. It was really cool to have guys racing $5k bikes admiring not only my time, but also the bike for its old-school look.
I have decided that I need an real TT bike if I am going to continue competing in the TT. I won't be spending $5k like the hardcore guys, but will probably a newer aluminum/carbon frame with some aero wheels (maybe even a rear disc). Here is an idea of what I want to build (Blue Bicycles T-14)
Next up, only 6 days from now is the biggest single event of the season - Nightmare circumference ride of Lancaster County. Stay tuned for a update next week on the result of that ride.
Until next time!
Captain Crunch!
I came so close the hour. 1 hour 3 min. 49 seconds. I think I turned a 33:30 out and a 30:19 back. I pushed myself to the absolute edge. I have never gone that hard before. I was literally seeing stars at the finish line.
If I continue to progress at my current pace I should break an hour at the next Carlise TT. I did 1 hour 8 min in May, 1 hour 6 min in July, and now 1 hour 3 min (almost four though). So that means I hit 1 hour 2 min on the 31st @ Clarks Valley and hopefully less than an hour on Sept. 6 back on the Carlise course.
I got kudos from several other riders for putting in the time I did with the bike I have. It is an older aero steel frame with 650c front wheel, no aero wheels, and the thing weighs a ton. It was really cool to have guys racing $5k bikes admiring not only my time, but also the bike for its old-school look.
I have decided that I need an real TT bike if I am going to continue competing in the TT. I won't be spending $5k like the hardcore guys, but will probably a newer aluminum/carbon frame with some aero wheels (maybe even a rear disc). Here is an idea of what I want to build (Blue Bicycles T-14)
Next up, only 6 days from now is the biggest single event of the season - Nightmare circumference ride of Lancaster County. Stay tuned for a update next week on the result of that ride.
Until next time!
Captain Crunch!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
NYC BikeMS ride
Don't forget to check out my fundraising page for the NYC BikeMS ride.
Thanks for your support!
Captain Crunch
Thanks for your support!
Captain Crunch
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About Me
- Captain Crunch
- I got my name from a friend while playing a video game a long time ago and it just stuck. As if you couldn't tell from the picture I am a huge cycling nut, always looking for something harder.
