2010 Specialized S-Works shoes

Long story short, I love these shoes. I had a pair of the S-works shoes a few years ago and didn't like them very much because although they were comfortable they made my feet fall asleep and I switched back to my trusty Shimano shoes fairly quickly. I think part of the reason I like these new shoes is because they are supremely comfortable like the old ones but they are more adjustable because of the 2 ratchet devices on the shoes this year. Also, these shoes are extremely light. You might say, "who cares if the shoes are light?" Well, in a world were people are willing to spend upwards of $1500 to save that much weight in a set of wheels it actually makes these shoes seem like a bargain. It's no wonder these shoes are showing up all over the pro peleton with some pros even defying their teams shoe contracts to wear them.
Pros:
1:Supremely comfortable
2:Super light weight (450 grams for the pair vs 650 grams for my old Shimano shoes)
3:Very secure ratcheting mechanism and much easier to adjust on the fly than traditional straps or Velcro. (the 2010 model features a ratchet that blows everything else out of the water)
4:These shoes look much better in person than the pictures show (much to my delight because I thought they were ugly from all of the photos I had seen)

Cons:
1:None so far:)

My Halloween Socks

I can't believe it's Halloween, I've got these socks and I'm have to work so I can't do a cyclocross race with them. This is ridiculous!

I did my T-max interval testing this afternoon and wore these socks to celebrate. Then I went to Taco Bell to get my free black taco (like trick or treating for kids of all ages)

Final race weekend of 2009

2 days, 4 races, 8 hours driving, unlimited amounts of fun!

Saturday's race was a mud fest. It was cold and wet and muddy. I decided to do the cat. 4 race and 3/4 race. The cat. 4 race came first. I started out well and got off to a pretty good start but then, of course, I had an asthma attack three quarters of a lap into the race. From there it was all I could do to hang on til the finish. I ended up 8th finishing just behind Dirty Mike. It was good enough to score some nice socks, a Camelbak bottle, a bike light and some candy:)
Next came the 3/4 race and I couldn't get clipped in at the start. I ended up just riding it out and finished 27th. My lungs felt awful and I wanted to quit but I gutted it out.

Sunday started with a trip to Duncan Donuts on the race to the Raccoon Twp. for another 2 race day. The weather was significantly better than on Saturday and less muddy so I decided to run my Kenda small block 8 cross tires. It was a huge mistake. Once the corners started to get muddy and ripped up the mud completely filled the tread on my tires and turned them into slicks. Slowly making my way through I ended up finishing in 3rd just behind Steve (he had a great race) too bad we couldn't quite catch the leader.
In the 3/4 race Henry, Steve and I decided to just ride at the back of the pack and parade around the course together and heckle the hecklers. It was a great way to show support and end the season.


I almost forgot to mention something. It turns out that the reason I was having problems getting clipped in all weekend was that one of the clips had broken off of my right pedal making it only have 2 engagement points instead of four:(

Ironcross VII weekend

Ironcross lite was a complete bust. It started well enough and I was mid pack and felt fine for the first lap and a half. Then a disaster occurred. Todd S. had just passed me heading into the single track section of the course and then the guy infront of him came to a screeching halt right before a large log that we were all going to attempt to bunny hop. (At this point I would like to point out that I had bunny hopped the log successfully on the first lap) Todd had to just about stop and so did I. With no momentum I had no chance of clearing the log but tried anyway. I ended up doing a spectacular somersault and landing on my left shoulder. End of race, much pain, bad sensations. I decided the best idea would be to go home ice my shoulder and take an anti-inflammatory.

Day 2: Ironcross VII
I decided to go harder than it was possible for me to maintain so I could make it cleanly though the traditional cyclocross course and get into a good strong group for the first road section of the course. Although this was a good idea and allowed me to sit in on some sections but also forced me to work harder than I was comfortable on the hills and kicked off an asthma attack that lasted roughly the first 55 minutes of the race. Eventually I fell into a good rhythm where I was not pushing too hard or going too easy. I lost some time in the single track sections but not too much. I was in front of some people that always beat me so I knew I must be having a good day. It took Betsy Shogren until mile 53 to pass me. That was a great place for her to pass because it was right before a pretty technical downhill section and I was able to follow her line which I'm sure saved me a ton of time. The course went on like it always does. It was a perfect fall day. Cold in the morning but cool and sunny during the race. I ended up finishing in 4:43:08, in 71th place overall and 39 in Male >40. More importantly I averaged 0.6 MPH and 18 minutes and 5 seconds faster than I was last year.

Steve came over for the race and he has plenty of his own stories to tell. We're already making plans for next season including a better/faster way to spread our stories. More details will be coming over the winter months. Let me leave you with one thought: CORE everyday!

Dream bike

Dream bike

Dream bike with SRM!

At least for now. I'm sure something better will come along before too long.