DClog

Thanksgiving

The Kentucky-based Buster clan congregated at our house for the annual feast. The 5 month old baby, Herbert Cave, was the highlight and center of attention most of the time.

I don't care much about the holiday but I enjoy it when my family comes together and the food was very good. Nancy, Bev, Ruth, Marie and Leah all contributed to the huge feast, featuring turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffings, casseroles, gravy, sauces, breads and more. Ruth's re-creation of my mother's apple and cherry pies recipe was very special to me.

2006 Thanksgiving photo gallery

I recommend reading the following document which is well researched and written about the history of the day most Americans celebrate as Thanksgiving. THE PLYMOUTH THANKSGIVING STORY

some H'ville Cross pics

Here's some short videos from Wayne Nix - Thanks Wayne!
Torre and Dan, barriers
45's first time up hill
45's 2nd time up hill

Here's the bike getting out from under me in the first lap

The next lap I took a much better line

That went a whole lot better - than you very much!

racing with a muddy knee

tentative cornering

on the backside of the race course

bouncing chain

Adam's photo gallery
East Coast Events Photography
Trish's Photos

BTW this is blog entry #500 of this little web log project.

Hendersonville NC Cyclocross Sunday

The race course had a little something for everyone, but it was somewhat slippery and required the correct tire selection and air pressure to really go fast. I had warmed-up on the course and was not feeling too bad. But shortly before we were called to the staging area, my chain and/or derailleurs began malfunctioning, so I made a last minute decision to ride my spare bike.

The 45+ field was strong and the start was fast and furious. I had made it onto the wheel of Randy Shields, the undisputed top Masters 45+ cyclocross dude in the SE region. We had a gap on the rest of the field as we left the pavement and went into the grass. I noticed right away that my bike was not gripping the ground well, and when we came to a high-speed off-camber turn my tires completely let go and I slid across the course.

In my haste to get to the start line on the alternate bike I forgot to check the tire pressure and it was way too much for the conditions.

By the time I got rolling again about half of the pack had passed. The fall had knocked me out of contention and the lack of traction continued to slow me down in the corners. I eventually finished in ninth place not far behind Torre.

Racing will continue in two weeks when the Georgia Cross series resumes with the GA State Championship in Macon.

Working Out 'Cross Style

Steel gray skies and steady cold winds blowing a spit of rain sideways. The ground still soggy from yesterday's downpour. I rode my cyclo-cross bike over to the newly opened section of Little Mulberry Park to do a couple of race-pace intervals up the dam hill by the big lake. Just to keep things challenging I rode on that old bald rear tire used only for training. That dam hill is a steep slippery slope but the legs were feeling good and the hilltop came quickly each interval.

Mission accomplished I headed home, directly into the headwinds. Several friendly motorist waved, I flashed a mud-splattered grin, nodded and then focused on getting home before a chill set in.

After a hot shower and hot coffee it was time to check out the HRM data and altitude graph. Not too bad, it was tough but fun and I'm feeling pretty good about the day's workout.

Marietta Cyclocross Race

It was great day for a race in Marietta Georgia today. There was a good turnout and the course was mostly fast but challenging and fun. Well, the steep run-up hurt and in the end it was more of a walk-up for me.

The race started into a headwind on fairly level pavement and those are good conditions for me, so I went to the front right away. The guys behind me really had the heat turned up today so I had to concentrate and keep pedaling hard, picking my way through the Masters 35+ riders who start a minute before our Masters 45+ group.

In the end the gap back to Torre, the 52-year-old rider who has been chasing me all season, was about a minute or less. He keeps getting closer each week!

A couple of the 35-year-olds get their pride bruised a little bit when us 50-something guys start catching and passing them, but most of them don't try to "race us" or impede our progress.

Trish's photos
Jim's photos
Carl's photos

Cyclist, not "Roadie"

I have to laugh at how many folks refer to me as a "Roadie". I believe that it's mainly the off-road riders who tend to want to segregate cyclist, claiming that "Roadies" are elitist or somehow a different breed. I will have to agree that there are two totally different skill sets required for road and off-road riding, but there are many cyclist who can do both well.

Although most of my race resume is on the road, I began riding mountain bikes back in the late 80's and have competed in one or two mountain bike races almost every year since 1999, winning some of those races.

My first attempt at a cyclo-cross race was in December of 2002. Riding it on a mountain bike, it didn't take long to realize that 'cross requires yet another skill set.

After missing the entire 2004 season due to health issues, I tried to come back to bike racing that Fall, competing at five cyclo-cross races with varied results.

In 2005, after a full summer of racing, I added six 'cross races, including the state championship, with somewhat improved results.

This season, 2006, there was much less racing in the summer (just a couple of road races and a couple of mountain bike races) with a focus on the Fall cyclo-cross season. The results so far have been good... for a "Roadie".

Monroe Cross

Cool breezes and bright Fall colors greeted the 'cross racers at Monroe's Criswell Park this morning. The GTC Masters racked up more good results on the long, mostly flat course which seemed to favor the bigger more powerful riders.

Story and photos at Cyclingnews.com

Bev's photos
Trish's photos
Marshall's photos
Jim and Laura's photos
Carl's photos

Cross Practice Pop Quiz

Along with practice shouldering and running with the bike in the open field today at Criswell Park, I also did 2 sets of 10x2 dismounts (double ravine crossings) in each direction. Here's the question; how many dismounts and remounts did I do at the ravine today?

here's a visual aid