I Hate to Say I Told You So
So how about that climate change? Still don't believe it's happening?
Of course, one warm cycle does not a climate change make. And as soon as we get one day that's like 15 degrees and windy, everyone will say "where's global warming now, huh?"
Someday I will write something rational and well-researched about the problem here. But that day may be far away -- it's really depressing to write about, given that the only solution relies on selfless behavior on a global scale. Want to place bets on that happening? Yeah.
I've been spending most of my free time lately on rollerskis. I've been speculating all fall about whether or not cross racing would prepare me for ski racing, and I answered that question with a resounding "no" last week. I did intervals with Alex Jospe (another cross racer, except she trains for skiing instead of training for cross) last week and I got girled, hard. Five times. It was not fun. My limbs did not function well, they were not coordinated, they did not clear lactic acid the way they should, they basically operated like I had been sitting on the couch for 4 months instead of bike racing. So I have been getting my rollerski-induced suffer on almost daily since then. Maybe I'll be respectable in a few weeks.
That video I posted of the 35+ race at Nationals got almost 700 views in a week! It's the closest to fame I've ever been... and yet still so anonymous. I ended up talking to some guys in a bike shop in Waterville Maine about nationals, and they excitedly told me about this video they saw of the B masters race, which had 200 guys in it, and the field was like 2 minutes long after 6 minutes of racing. I beamed like a mother talking about her son's baseball game. It was glorious. If anyone knows how that video got passed around (I highly doubt 700 people saw it here), I'd love to know.
I'm also still working on crossresults.com. At some point I'll actually start trying to get traffic for it, but first I need to finish the site. Right now you can basically just see a list of what racers have been loaded and what racers have been in them, but new stuff is getting added almost daily. I can say with some confidence that there will be graphs and maybe even charts up there in a week or two. It's going to be bike nerd Christmas, I say.
For example, I wrote some code to find out if anyone is sandbagging really hard. So I sez, hey database, show me people who finished in the top 5% of the field the most times this season. And database says to me, Mark McCormack is a dirty sandbagger who finished in the top 5% 9 times this season!
That Mark McCormack guy really should be racing in a higher category.
Of course, one warm cycle does not a climate change make. And as soon as we get one day that's like 15 degrees and windy, everyone will say "where's global warming now, huh?"
Someday I will write something rational and well-researched about the problem here. But that day may be far away -- it's really depressing to write about, given that the only solution relies on selfless behavior on a global scale. Want to place bets on that happening? Yeah.
I've been spending most of my free time lately on rollerskis. I've been speculating all fall about whether or not cross racing would prepare me for ski racing, and I answered that question with a resounding "no" last week. I did intervals with Alex Jospe (another cross racer, except she trains for skiing instead of training for cross) last week and I got girled, hard. Five times. It was not fun. My limbs did not function well, they were not coordinated, they did not clear lactic acid the way they should, they basically operated like I had been sitting on the couch for 4 months instead of bike racing. So I have been getting my rollerski-induced suffer on almost daily since then. Maybe I'll be respectable in a few weeks.
That video I posted of the 35+ race at Nationals got almost 700 views in a week! It's the closest to fame I've ever been... and yet still so anonymous. I ended up talking to some guys in a bike shop in Waterville Maine about nationals, and they excitedly told me about this video they saw of the B masters race, which had 200 guys in it, and the field was like 2 minutes long after 6 minutes of racing. I beamed like a mother talking about her son's baseball game. It was glorious. If anyone knows how that video got passed around (I highly doubt 700 people saw it here), I'd love to know.
I'm also still working on crossresults.com. At some point I'll actually start trying to get traffic for it, but first I need to finish the site. Right now you can basically just see a list of what racers have been loaded and what racers have been in them, but new stuff is getting added almost daily. I can say with some confidence that there will be graphs and maybe even charts up there in a week or two. It's going to be bike nerd Christmas, I say.
For example, I wrote some code to find out if anyone is sandbagging really hard. So I sez, hey database, show me people who finished in the top 5% of the field the most times this season. And database says to me, Mark McCormack is a dirty sandbagger who finished in the top 5% 9 times this season!
That Mark McCormack guy really should be racing in a higher category.
Comments
I played college hockey, find the transfer to cycling was ok my first year (last season) but I am looking to either snowshoe or skate in 06-07 winter..
Any ideas?
Snowshoeing might be better, but it's basically just running/walking. So it's still a huge step down from actually riding, and more importantly, it's boring.
I guess nordic skiing is the better of the two, but if it's about cycling fitness with no regard to having fun, I think riding the trainer is the way to go.
I am burnt from hockey, don't want to play men's league (hacks), so am looking for the sport to keep me fit and off the trainer for the bulk of my miles.
Last winter I trained indoors like a rat on a science wheel, perhaps the same is due for me this year.
Have you got your Cat 3 upgrade yet?
And the graphs are hot.
AAAAND a bunch of my friends are on the nordic team at UNH. I see them on roller skis all the time and feel sorry for them. But, then again, in a week or so I'll be riding my trainer.
But at least I'll be doing so while playing Wii.