Phelp Helped

Ha,  I had the slowest crash on my bike today.  I pre-road the super sweet, and nice and local Phelps School Cyclocross race.  Mr. Kevin Saint Clair and his Main Line Cycling/Bikyles pals did a great job of putting it on.    Well I found my lines and I found out that ain't quite enough.   I love the start of this race, down a long grass landing strip into a hard left fast down hill off camber.  I sat in the top 10.  I hit my line going into a tight uphil 180 and the high side was closed off, I'm not one to t-bone and push it, and I stalled on the inside, and dumped it on the drive side into the tape, stuck and clipped in.  The horses galloped by.  I got on, and had some good legs, lung and sense of humor and got it on.    It weeded out, and I was in a contest with the brother of the beast I competed against at Mercer, The Dr. Barry Wahner.   I know he has a better engine, and a faster rider,  so I went out and tried to out ride him.  We battled, and that was good, and I got him today.

I like attention, but it makes me uncomfortable.  Personality, yep needs to be big, not outwordly, and not contrived.  Modest, caring, helpful, giving,...rude and drunk....  I've been craving Nebraska,

I don't listen to this Springsteen album to often.  It is one of my all time favorites, and today I called upon it to recenter me. Spirit, humph...cross...brotherhood....Yesterday on a warm down after the race it was a group of 10 I think, masters, different team, all just done from the same battle, you'd never know passing in your car.  Just another group of Freds ready for recumbents.  and today I'm glad I went out and raced, and next Sunday thats it, and on to some tinkering on the bikes, shorter stem, aloy cogs, brake bits, new treads...  and riding and planning and more freaking.... more racing.
cheers, my brother and sister, Lets kick out the Jams Mother Fuckers. dlowe.

putty

yep, still-a-suffern, and a lovin it.   got a great start today, but had a clogged fuel filter, went from 2nd to ending up 16th, despite Champ Appeltans push, and a bit of towing from tough guy K. Cline, who went on to drop me also.  but alas all is well on the mind front.   Just a little brain F'n, ...did'nt do no one too much wrong... and someone has to be the dude to beat up, even if thats me.   So only two races left for me, I need wings, lungs, legs, ahhh... despite a touch of grumps, not any harm done today to me. 

Last night I warmed my toes by the fire....

I don't like the short amount of hours of sun light, but I do like the angle of the sun this time of year.  Thanks! d.

squirrelled away

My good days, despite my flaws, errors, mistakes and poor performance I moved forward, accomplished and learned.  My bad days, I give up, frustrated, short tempered and don't want to own up to.  I'll be out on my mountainbike in a bit, a nice gray misty day to ride.  Time to regroup,  I've found small piles of safety pins around the house.  I was lucky and mostly went faster this year, stayed up right, and really enjoyed riding.  Something that I thought that would never happen to me happened, I enjoy writing.  Hmmm.   to early for a beer.  Good riding you all.  cheers, dlowe.

out of the office

flacid

on the way home from the Hamptons, cheerio....

Flacid in the terms that I'm spent.  Quite a year, and quite a weekend of racing.  Two days up in the Hamptons, and the short prep of getting the legs back caught up with me a bit.  I was able to go crossed-eyed percent effort but got my humble ass handed to me by faster, better riders.  I was still happy with my ride, just felt a bit like the brakes were rubbing.     A dinner out with 20 or so cross friends, now that was just what the season needed.   I think every season I'll be going to Louisville, the Hamptons, and Reston.    Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth once said in an interview that she likes to go on stage hungry.   I like to put every race right behind me, its not what I've done, but what I can do.   well on to the showers a little grooming and some celebrating 23 years of marriage to a wonderful gal,  Ljiljana my Love.  cheers, dlowe.

W&P

work was cool the past couple of days, and today racing was like work. 
My friends I work with....

....yep, despite my hard efforts at work, I do need to back off the play stuff a bit.  ah.. maybe not.  but as far as cross racing goes, I do have to be in the PLAYER mode and get it on a bit more tomorrow.   Hole shot Sunday,  and heres a couple of pics from the Mens elite race....

all Canondale 1-2-3 today.

out the door for some suds. cheers. dlowe

evil snake

yesterday I stopped and stared at this sculpture, it was my intervals motivation

last night I was an adult and did not go see the Jesus Lizard cause I had to get up early to work

tonights room.

thank Stan, and Anthony for your gracious bike help, dlowe.

1/2 swift

I'm not real smart, and I'm OK with that.  In the end were not judge by being the fast guy, or rich guy, or dork, were judged by our soul.  I don't believe in God but I do believe in soul.   Thats why I like to drink a bit now and then,  I slip the key under the door and let the poor wanker out for a bit of fresh air.  

I went out on the Mountain bike to the Wiss today,  still trying to recover from Sat. and Sunday.  Had a nice ride on the Salsa.  As I was leaving a rider past and pedaled just ahead of me.  He was fit and had some cut calfs, a rider.  I wanted to get home and was in the big ring but I did not just want to jump this guy and blow by.   I rode back a bit over the undulating path and at a flat section I pulled along side him, gave a nod and pedal onward at a faster pace.  He stayed a bit back off my wheel, but did pick it up some and paced off me.  We dropped on to ridge then hit the split left up main.  I was moving and he drafted and took advantage of my need to get home quick.    At Shures Lane I slowed for the light, drifted left a bit and he passed right, a nod "brother", and up the hill on his way. 

Respect,  Soul,  I owe a thanks to fatmarc, thanks for cheering me on at the Iron Hill Mtb. race.  Its been a long time since I raced on the Mtb. and a long time since I've heard a voice in the woods encouraging me on.      and the season is coming to an end and all I can do is look forward to riding my bikes. 
cheers, dlowe.

cross

the USGP mercer cup,   I did have a mechanical on Saturday, during the last lap my derailuer, clogged with grass, fold up and ripped itself off my frame.  Not too far from the pits, I ran, no one passed and Ali did a great bike exchange and I was on my way to a 10th place finish.  I'm really happy with that, not the 10th place, but I felt good, and road hard, and suffered greatly, everything I want from cross.  Sunday, more intense pain, ouch....    I wanted the hole shot and got it.  Out of the starting grid we went, and I pulled passed the faster guys, dropped it down a couple and pulled away, hitting the grass with a small lead.  I knew I did not have the strenght to hold it long, I kept the lead a couple of corners then drifted back to a mean, mean fight.  Between the Bastard Paul Wahner and the Street Punk Jeff Appeltan.   Mortal enemies.  I got out in front of the two and threw bomb after bomb after bomb at 'em.  I stood and accelerated on any solid patch of soil I could find.   I ran like a Gump, hop on, hop off and then a little bit more Gumping.  I had a finale effort of desception planned at the last second, a lapped rider in front of me.  I stood on the last dirtish road section and stood and drooled, and somehow got a bit of speed.  "gonna pass on your left" I kindly offered to the bloke, "on the right" he gargled back, with a wolf eye glance at me to reinforce the strenght and tone of his primal voice.  A coulpe of pedal strokes and I said "left" and doove the no mans line, a corner of deep slick mud, with one dry patch, just under an old decapitating broken off tree branch.  I took it. I slid and ducked and just pedal and I came threw with my head still on my shoulders.  A couple of more corners and then the Road to the Line.  Jeff went to the big ring and jumped as soon as his tires got some grip on the pavement.  I tried my lever and it just ground the teeth and would not climb up to the big ring.  I tried again, nothing, no luck.  I slam it down in the back and watched in vain as Jeff pulled away to take the battle, and 10th place, I was able to hold off Mr. Paul Wahner and got 11th.    It was the best race of my life.  Thank you Jeff and Paul.   Cheers to you Cyclocross, another hug to you Charles Erndl, the BBC Jefferson Reserve  was equal to a $10,000 prize check.  I'm still giddy, and my brain is still a bit off,  you know, a little "bees to Mexico"  Cheers, David Lowe.

KnuckleDragger

I'm going to be a real dope, of all the years a racing cross I've had  ONE mechanical.  Yep its out there now.  Tomorrow I'm going to ask my knuckledragging brain to except the pain of Mercer Cross, and yes this course is set up to mimic my thresholds, and place me upon the podium.   My brain is shot, ballpeaned, and a bit tired and drunk.  Still count me in as #3.     Pray for me.  I pre-road the course.  I buried some stuff in the sod for luck.  I pissed on the back of the podium trailer, what else? 

love ya, and ring your bells in my ears till I'm deaf. dlowe

Slew Footing

I've picked myself up, mentally and physically.   and the slew footing that life's been given me, the pain in the ass, Ha!, is almost all healed up.  It feels like the beginning of the cross season to me.  Thats good.  I am really looking forward to racing the Mercer USGP,  with a smile, not so much as a smirkey nervous sckowl, however I finish is good, I'm really just enjoying feeling heathly and faster again. 

I've moved away from Nutella and on to jam and brie.... yuummmy

This and the black beers with whiskey should hold me over till late december and my next food addiction.

and Despite the 4:30am call and a little "super cool" DP attitude on set,  yesterdays shoot with the Flyers was a good time.   

and this guy had his eyes closed, like it made him invisible.

 

to the showers for me and out on the road for work up in N. Jersey, gonna stop and get a couple of 30 packs of PBR for my pockets,  If you need a beer at Mercer, see me.  Cheers, dlowe.

Railed

I sat in the sun, handed out some PBR's to some beer less friends, and enjoyed a couple myself.  Got two races in this weekend, and found my legs and big open lungs.  I had a bunch of ideas, some vague sentence structures, but nah, keeping it simple, thats it.    cheers, dlowe. 

shot

My first real night cross ride last night.  I was inbetween, hop on the trainer and do a workout, or hop on the bike and do a ride.   Fed the cats and dressed for a nice fall night ride.   I'm not too worried or concerned with getting my fitness and speed back.   I ride because I love to ride,  the racing,... I need it too, but gotta keep your head on straight, I'm no pro, and time, injuries, family, work and life are going somehow always be there to deal with.    I toast those who are kickin ass, training smart and making the correct sacrafices to be ON.  For now I can only gasp, and suffer and just try to keep you a bit insight.  Go fast, I'll chase till,... the next race, and the next.     I saw the moon coming up over the top of the valley trees, as I speed along forbiden drive.  I stopped and waited for it to climb from behind the last tops of the trees.  I got on the bike and knew it was there over my shoulder.  It was a great ride.  More just riding this morning, do my errands and back onto a bike.  Race tomorrow and more riding Sunday.   Cheers, stay warm, dlowe.

lobbied

I show up and sit in lobbies.  We meet, show our ID's, get our Visitor Pass, and into corporate world we roll are magliners of equipment.   Lunch in the cafeteria, and if all goes well out the door before 5.  Today no bike, not one squared off pedal stroke of bad form.  I do need to work on my form.  Just another bloke making a buck to buy some aluminum cogs for my rear derailier. 

What do I got.  Well  the oldish geezer who drove down the picture car,  I looked at him sitting in the vehicle while I toiled and pulled the propper bits to rig the rig.  Behind a news paper.  Each knucle grasping an edge, tight, and crumpling it a bit.  Was he trying to see through it?  and he read and gnarled the words off the pages, hunting down stories with a dog nose sniffing and snorting.  When he found a morsel he ate it like sweet summer corn on the cob, teeth snipping to the corn kernal roots.   Vigor and Zest.

Tomorrow I'll do my training in the dark.  I look forward to the magic carpet ride down Forbiden Drive.  What should I do?  I think 4 x 10mins. a few hills and some standing looking out across the bluff in the full moon light.    I have tipped a few back tonight, and with that my friends, adios... "the Heckler". dlowe.

Ear Bud

Night's early now, and I sat and waited for the tow truck to come pick up my limping Rav4.  A little broken rear wheel rod and my crooked wheeled mobile was outta comission.   I drive a lot, and to  a lot of races, guess I'm just set up nice 'cause I'm usually the one doling out the rides.  This year we've visited Union(hellhole)City GA, Greensville SC, Batenkill NY, Lousiville KY again, Upstate PA,  and all the "local" racing.   Oh well,  I might have my thumb out seeing if I can impose on someone to get me and my bikes down to Fairhill.

Yesterday was the HPcx race lots of mud.  I rode like a bulldozer.  not too fast.  I think I've become complacent in my suffering.   I fall into my comfort pain and don't push past it enough.  See I need an ear bud playing a tape of screaming, insults, encouragement and cowbells to Rev me along.   After a good rinse off and some inspections of the gauges from post, wacks by competitors shoulder bikes, and what ever else I manage to come in contact with, I grabbed a beer and got some snaps of the Elite men. 

I wonder what compact rental I'll be driving for the next few days, and where/what race trip drive will me and Rav be headed to next?     cheers,  and thanks for the beer Tony, dlowe.

Sapling

just enjoying my coffee, a few quite moments this Sunday morning.  Soon I head out to to race, and its going to be muddy, its a course I've yet to master. 
Yesterday, Beacon, fast, fast, and I kept my fingers off the brakes and rode the berms and felt good, better still.  Not up to top speed but nice to be getting faster, and then my fitness is a bit suspect, dropping off the last 1.5 laps.  I took a look over my shoulder to see how long I could catch my breath, before the next group of wolves pounced on me, and off into the thick bristled brush I pedaled.  My eyes, eyed up a sappling and for a second or two it was gonna hit me right 'tween the eyes, but I steered deeper into the brush and the vines and my brakes pulled me to a safe stop.  

and as a reward I had a red velvet cupcake.

Friday my Mom and Stepfather came to town, a quick visit from Pittsburgh, and a nice lunch at Stella.  The "stylized"  earthy pizza place,  everthing was good, very good, but still you can't buy atmosphere, its in your soul, and dispites its attempt, it is a tad "malled" style. Forced. 

I got a few snaps at Beacon,  I liked the series of Valentin leading the charge over the top step of the first lap, up the amp. of pain.