It really does get better, and I'm speaking from personal experience! Don't give up, don't let the bastards get you down...your life is worth it!!! I've been there and I know what you're going through! You're not weird or "wrong" or any of that, so don't believe whatever anyone else may have called you! You are YOU, and nobody else has the right to tell you otherwise, or judge you for it.
October 23, 2010
October 15, 2010
Less Ride-y, More Compute-y
This past weekend, I had planned on going over to Green Mountain for Wheat Ridge Cyclery's SRAM 2x10 drivetrain demos. I'd also planned on finishing out that Saturday afternoon on the Matthews-Winters Park/Green Mountain trail loop, since the weather was just about perfect.
Sometimes I can force myself to get on my bike and get going, knowing that I'll end up getting into the ride after a little while. In fact, this happens all the time and it's just a matter of getting myself out the front door. But sometimes I just know that I'll half-ass the whole ride no matter what I do, or tell myself. Basically, I just didn't feel like it, despite the near-perfect weather and the chance to try out some new 2011 mountain bikes. But in all honesty, it wasn't a huge deal to me (the demo, at least); the whole idea of 2x10 is growing on me a little bit, but the real questions I have about the setup can't be answered with a demo. I like the mechanical idea of 2x10 (wider gear range, nicer shifting). It's the durability of the chain and how well everything works when it's dirty that I'm really curious about, and those are the type of things that take time to get a feel for. I'm sure that, as more and more riders switch over to 2x10 gearing in the next six months or so, there will be more anecdotal reports and magazine articles regarding how the drivetrains are holding up. Honestly, aside from wasting a decent afternoon weather-wise, I don't really feel like I missed anything.
Neither one happened.
Sometimes I can force myself to get on my bike and get going, knowing that I'll end up getting into the ride after a little while. In fact, this happens all the time and it's just a matter of getting myself out the front door. But sometimes I just know that I'll half-ass the whole ride no matter what I do, or tell myself. Basically, I just didn't feel like it, despite the near-perfect weather and the chance to try out some new 2011 mountain bikes. But in all honesty, it wasn't a huge deal to me (the demo, at least); the whole idea of 2x10 is growing on me a little bit, but the real questions I have about the setup can't be answered with a demo. I like the mechanical idea of 2x10 (wider gear range, nicer shifting). It's the durability of the chain and how well everything works when it's dirty that I'm really curious about, and those are the type of things that take time to get a feel for. I'm sure that, as more and more riders switch over to 2x10 gearing in the next six months or so, there will be more anecdotal reports and magazine articles regarding how the drivetrains are holding up. Honestly, aside from wasting a decent afternoon weather-wise, I don't really feel like I missed anything.
What I did do last Saturday was upgrade to the latest version of Ubuntu, 10.10 ("Maverick Meerkat"). I've been using Linux off and on for the past ten years (usually with a lot of hair-pulling and frustration involved). But about a year ago, I decided to give Ubuntu a shot. I've always liked Debian-based Linux derivatives--me and RedHat never got along for some reason--and Ubuntu has really been making headway with getting Linux to be very usable and visible to the general public. Besides, since it could be installed within Windows without the need for repartitioning, I reasoned that I could just uninstall it if I got frustrated...which never happened. In fact, after using it for a couple of weeks as a "Windows install" I realized that I liked and used it so much, that I performed an actual repartition/install on my system and set it up as a dual-boot. I've been using Ubuntu as my primary OS for over nine months now, and I hardly ever boot into Windows anymore. Frankly, if it weren't for my audio software (Cubase, VST plugins, etc), I'd get rid of Windows completely. 99% of everything I use my computer for, I can do in Linux. For free.
October 9, 2010
Crankworx Colorado Set for 2011
The fifth annual Crankworks Colorado has been set for July 28th-31st, 2011. As in previous years, it will be held at Trestle Bike Park at Winter Park Ski Resort and is slated to be even bigger than years past. Unlike previous years, Crankworx Colorado will actually be after Kokanee Crankworx, which runs from July 16th through 24th, 2011, @ Whistler, British Columbia.
A few of the returning events for 2011 will be Dual Slalom, XC, Slopestyle, and Super D, among others. Event organizers are planning to add even more events to the roster for 2011 than were available in 2010. Also returning for the second year in a row will be a UCI Category 1 Downhill competition.
Crankworx Colorado 2011 attendance is expected to surpass 2010's event (which itself set attendance records for Trestle Bike Park), and will be one of the final stops in determining the Freeride Mountain Bike Association Overall Series champ.
For more information regarding Winter Park Resort/Trestle Bike Park, visit www.winterparkresort.com. For more info on Cranworx Colorado and Crankworks Kokanee, visit www.crankworx.com.
A few of the returning events for 2011 will be Dual Slalom, XC, Slopestyle, and Super D, among others. Event organizers are planning to add even more events to the roster for 2011 than were available in 2010. Also returning for the second year in a row will be a UCI Category 1 Downhill competition.
Crankworx Colorado 2011 attendance is expected to surpass 2010's event (which itself set attendance records for Trestle Bike Park), and will be one of the final stops in determining the Freeride Mountain Bike Association Overall Series champ.
For more information regarding Winter Park Resort/Trestle Bike Park, visit www.winterparkresort.com. For more info on Cranworx Colorado and Crankworks Kokanee, visit www.crankworx.com.
October 6, 2010
Contadorage
I'm not much for keeping up with professional road cycling, but I've been watching the Alberto Contador investigation with some interest. He was basically the odds-on favorite to win the TdF, and it played out pretty much like everyone thought it would (although I don't think anyone was expecting Lance Armstrong to suck quite as much as he did.)
Throughout this year's Tour de France, people were mumbling about the possibility that Armstrong had doped in previous races, thanks mostly to Floyd Landis's allegations in the press (and his monumentally huge bowl of sour grapes.) It's probably not much of a stretch to assume that potential dopers decided not to inject specifically because they were under the microscope due to the Landis/Armstrong press. I would imagine that sort of press coverage was a pretty good deterrent.
And then we find out about a week or so ago that Contador actually may have doped. His sample from July 21st came back positive for Clenbuterol, although it was supposedly something like 400 times under the detectable limit (which begs the question "then how was it detected at all?"). Contador has said that he believes it was somehow acquired from the beef he'd eaten the night before. But Bicycling Magazine brought up a really good point: Contador himself also stated that he broke from his usual rest day diet AND the beef was "outside" food, meaning that it wasn't procured by anyone professionally associated with the Tour. So why, then, would he just "happen" to not only break from his usual rest-day diet, but also consume outside food? That seems pretty convenient, and suspicious, given the positive Clenbuterol results.
I have to admit that initially I though Contador's explanation that his food was somehow tainted actually seemed almost reasonable to me: it's not entirely unheard of, and because the levels were so astronomically low that they technically shouldn't have even registered on the urinalysis that day. But now that I've read the facts on the highly unusual "coincidence" regarding his rest day meal, I'm starting to change my mind.
What's more, we can now add on to all of this the announcement that another one of his samples had detectable levels of plasticizers in it. Actually, two separate and independent tests verified plasticizers, which shouldn't be in blood. In fact, about the only way you'll find plasticizers in blood is if it's been stored in a blood bag before being transfused into a person. Contador's people are swearing up and down that they never gave him a transfusion, so it's highly likely he was self-administering blood transfusions on his own (or his trainers are pathological liars. Either one is very possible.)
Throughout this year's Tour de France, people were mumbling about the possibility that Armstrong had doped in previous races, thanks mostly to Floyd Landis's allegations in the press (and his monumentally huge bowl of sour grapes.) It's probably not much of a stretch to assume that potential dopers decided not to inject specifically because they were under the microscope due to the Landis/Armstrong press. I would imagine that sort of press coverage was a pretty good deterrent.
And then we find out about a week or so ago that Contador actually may have doped. His sample from July 21st came back positive for Clenbuterol, although it was supposedly something like 400 times under the detectable limit (which begs the question "then how was it detected at all?"). Contador has said that he believes it was somehow acquired from the beef he'd eaten the night before. But Bicycling Magazine brought up a really good point: Contador himself also stated that he broke from his usual rest day diet AND the beef was "outside" food, meaning that it wasn't procured by anyone professionally associated with the Tour. So why, then, would he just "happen" to not only break from his usual rest-day diet, but also consume outside food? That seems pretty convenient, and suspicious, given the positive Clenbuterol results.
I have to admit that initially I though Contador's explanation that his food was somehow tainted actually seemed almost reasonable to me: it's not entirely unheard of, and because the levels were so astronomically low that they technically shouldn't have even registered on the urinalysis that day. But now that I've read the facts on the highly unusual "coincidence" regarding his rest day meal, I'm starting to change my mind.
What's more, we can now add on to all of this the announcement that another one of his samples had detectable levels of plasticizers in it. Actually, two separate and independent tests verified plasticizers, which shouldn't be in blood. In fact, about the only way you'll find plasticizers in blood is if it's been stored in a blood bag before being transfused into a person. Contador's people are swearing up and down that they never gave him a transfusion, so it's highly likely he was self-administering blood transfusions on his own (or his trainers are pathological liars. Either one is very possible.)
More and more, I'm doubting that Contador didn't dope during the TdF (or at least made a half-assed attempt at it.) While I'm not a fan of Contador (I think he's a self-centered, arrogant dick), I'm curious to see how deep this rabbit hole goes. He may very well lose his Tour title, get banned from pro cycling and may not be the European TdF savior everyone thought he was. Here's a link to an AP article regarding the positive plasticizer results and the ramifications that go along with it: Contador Samples Show Plastic Residue .
October 1, 2010
SRAM 2x10 Demo
Wheat Ridge Cyclery will be hosting a demo at Green Mountain for the 2x10 SRAM drivetrain stuff. The demo is on Saturday, October 9th from 10am-4pm at the Rooney Road parking lot (west side of C-470). The demo is free to attend and it looks like Specialized will be providing the demo bikes. I plan on going, since I'm finally starting to come around to 2x10 (in theory at least.) This will be a good chance to get a feel for the 2x10 setup and ask a bunch of questions...I'm particularly curious about chain life and shifting performance when everything starts getting dirty. Check out WRC's website for more details and a link to a map of the location.
September 28, 2010
575
I'm really pretty bad about buying maintenance products until I absolutely need them. I mean, I'll go out of my way to stop in a bike shop, just to stare at really expensive bikes, that I cannot possibly afford in the foreseeable future. And as soon as I can afford any little upgrade, I'll drop everything to ride over to whichever store has the best deal. But as soon as I need maintenance products, I'll procrastinate and find whatever reason possible to buy it later.
Now that fall is officially here and snow isn't that far off, I needed to replenish my stock of waterproof lube. I finally got off my ass and rode over to Wheat Ridge Cyclery for a bottle of oil, and some window shopping. Honestly, Performance would've been a quicker ride, and probably a little cheaper, but I dislike Performance Bike (and chain stores in general) and I've been feeling kinda guilty about not supporting my fave local bike shop lately. Plus, WRC has a much better selection of awesome stuff to drool over.
On prominent display were these two lovelies:
Yes, they have two of the 25th Anniversary Yeti 575's. They're pretty much the same as a standard 575, with a few key differences: first, obviously, is the paint job in the retro Yeti race colors. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I don't hate it either and I think it's mostly because I just don't really like the color yellow. It also has a tapered headtube, which will come with a matching Chris King headset and a matching turquoise Fox Float fork. One of the biggest differences is the direct-mount front derailleur: because of the shape of the seat tube and added reinforcement (and it's really beefy), there's no way a standard clamp-on front derailleur will fit. Yeti is implementing these changes on upcoming frames as well, so the 2011 575's will be identical to the Anniversary frames aside from the paint job.
Now that fall is officially here and snow isn't that far off, I needed to replenish my stock of waterproof lube. I finally got off my ass and rode over to Wheat Ridge Cyclery for a bottle of oil, and some window shopping. Honestly, Performance would've been a quicker ride, and probably a little cheaper, but I dislike Performance Bike (and chain stores in general) and I've been feeling kinda guilty about not supporting my fave local bike shop lately. Plus, WRC has a much better selection of awesome stuff to drool over.
On prominent display were these two lovelies:
Yes, they have two of the 25th Anniversary Yeti 575's. They're pretty much the same as a standard 575, with a few key differences: first, obviously, is the paint job in the retro Yeti race colors. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I don't hate it either and I think it's mostly because I just don't really like the color yellow. It also has a tapered headtube, which will come with a matching Chris King headset and a matching turquoise Fox Float fork. One of the biggest differences is the direct-mount front derailleur: because of the shape of the seat tube and added reinforcement (and it's really beefy), there's no way a standard clamp-on front derailleur will fit. Yeti is implementing these changes on upcoming frames as well, so the 2011 575's will be identical to the Anniversary frames aside from the paint job.
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