Things I Saw

Yesterday's ride was the Urban Dirt Loop:  Emerald Necklace into Boston and then follow the Charles River back home.  At times the dirt is a narrow grove along the pavement and at others the dirt is disappears completely.  Mostly there's cinder, gravel or dirt paths.  And I can make a short detour to the shop from Watertown, which I did yesterday.

I saw a lot of stuff.  The most interesting was this flat ball python along Quinobequin Road in Newton.  Escaped?  Released?  On it's way to the Charles?  There was an alligator in a canal in Lowell yesterday.  Apparently there was a lion outside London.  No one managed to photograph the lion.  Here's the alligator:

I like my shot of the python better, but the alligator is alive.  And it was found by someone walking, not biking.

Start of CX

Two days, four races, one win, one place;  not a bad start to the cyclocross season.  I applied the new knowledge that a less-than-spectacular start is not a deal breaker (thank you Christian Heule).  I learned that KT Tape makes a huge difference with "cross back".  I got to race my very experienced team mate's bike (after a flat and a loooong run to the pit) and learned both how little I trust my glue jobs and how much I over inflate my tires.  And, of course, I had a boatload of fun.

Saturday was Monson:  a relatively hilly course that skewed toward power and away from technical.  That's were I got the win and flatted in the second race.  Sunday was Blunt Park:  pancake flat with enough tape mazes that I didn't get it all down pat until the end of the second race.  The legs above are from Blunt Park - which must have been a flood plain long ago:  lots of loose, black loam.

Way back in March, I was worried that road racing would not be as much fun as cyclocross.  Going into this weekend, I was worried that cross wouldn't be as much fun when the expectations are higher.  I guess I worry too much.

So here's to back to school, the onset of fall and the return of cyclocross.  Bon Appetite!

Randy Rocks

The NYT's Ethicist column hasn't been the same since Randy Cohen left.  I didn't read his op-ed piece when it was published last week despite the headline:  "If Kant Were a New York Cyclist".  I was busy rushing off to Wells Ave and then to Cranes Beach, but would have made time if I caught the byline.

Anyway, who knew Ethical Mr. Cohen was a cyclist?  And more importantly, who knew he rides exactly like me?  I mean exactly.  I would cop to riding exactly like him, except that I suspect I do it more and have been doing it longer - as if that counts for something.

Furthermore, I don't know if I'm passing this along to justify my law-breaking ways or to fan the flames of cycling revolution.  No matter - just check it out.