Setting up a ‘cross race is hard work. Setting up a ‘cross race in the pouring rain with soaking wet feet, frozen hands, and an empty stomach is even harder.
But it’s fun and totally worth the reward of seeing 400 racers tear around on the track that you had a hand in assembling and then coming up to you afterward to give thanks for the good times. I deserve little credit — I showed up, staked the lines, and rolled out tape — but others worked much harder, chief among them Tobie…
Latest Disgrace
Formerly at zthomas.blogspot.com and now here for the time being. Will eventually move to zachthomas.org when I find the time to make that happen.
To sum it up: writing about life and loss, with some race and ride reports thrown in to keep things interesting.
I also write specifically about the sport and culture of cycling at www.supertempo.com
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2009-10-06
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2009-09-29
We’ve been getting a ton of questions about the store and upcoming changes.
Here is a general overview and some quick answers.
Our goal with the store and thought behind building a production brewery right in the middle of a busy neighborhood was to make it a place where people could connect with our brewery, the process and those making the beer they drink.
It will also allow us some flexibility. To be more specific:
The Half Acre store is not a bar and will not serve… -
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I got 28th in the 3s at the first race of the ChiCrossCup at Jackson Park. I think.
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Photo by Ben Van Couvering
Helge and I drove up to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin last Friday for the first weekend of the US Grand Prix of Cyclocross. I love doing the local racing, both here in Chicagoland and in Ohio when I’m home, but it’s always great fun and a huge challenge to line up for USGP/UCI races. Where local races have the same faces and the usual sparring partners, the big races bring all the hotshots from the region and elsewhere. The fields are larger, the races… -
2009-09-23
I registered for the Chequamegon 40 mountain bike race back in March only after my teammates convinced me by saying that it was a road race on dirt. Lots of double-track, sand, and few technical bits. I like riding off-road, but big rocks freak me out a little, and my technical abilities are extant to that needed for cyclocross, so of course, I was game. Plus, I love endurance events. Racing’s a lot more fun if you’re on the bike for more than two hours, except ‘cross when anything more than…
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Via Urbanophile:
Richard Layman pointed us at this cool map of a proposed national bicycle route system.
You might think cross-country biking is crazy, but keep in mind this was put out by the Adventure Cycling Association.
Naturally, I’m a huge fan of this idea as concept. In execution, I’m sure lots will be lost to the difficulties of securing rights-of-way, community resistance, and budget issues. Nonetheless, if even 25% of this comes to fruition, it would be a… -
2009-09-14
Well, this didn’t go as planned.
I went into the race hoping for top 10 and with my skin intact. I came out of it without a scratch but near the bottom of the results. Kudos first to Tower Racing who put on a well-run road race in an improbably-close-to-Chicago location.
In the weeks leading up to yesterday, I was surprised at how the race wasn’t packed full to the gills from the moment registration opened. Out of a possible field size of 100, there were only 50 or so in the 4s. I’m not… -
2009-08-21
Here is the Tumblr.
I’ve resolved the issue that was preventing me from logging into Blogger. Well, found a workaround. Seems as if I need to post a comment to someone’s blog which signs me in without having to sign in through the Blogger login screen.
I still prefer the look of Signals, Calls and Marches, but it’s frustrating when you have stuff to post up and you can’t do it without getting an error message when trying to log in. I just want to scream out the world the… -
2009-08-20
Cyclocross Scheduling
It’s going to be a busy fall. Let’s hope I don’t crack a rib like I did in 2007 or end up broke halfway through like I was in 2008. I’m going to miss a weekend to attend the wedding of my mom’s boyfriend’s daughter’s wedding, which I think is October 17. In that case I might try the DRT Consulting ‘cross race in Bloomington, Indiana on the way back from Ohio. Or I’ll just do a nice long road ride in Cincinnati. Can’t race every weekend, yeah?
September 20: Jackson Park, Chicago (ChiCrossCup)
September 26, 27: Madison, WI USGP
October 4: Dekalb (ChiCrossCup)
October 9, 10, 11: Cincinnati, OH (OVCX) UCI Weekend
October 18: Carpentersville, IL (ChiCrossCup) OR DRT Consulting Bloomington, IN (OVCX)
October 25: Bartlett, IL (ChiCrossCup) OR USGP Louisville, KY
November 1: St. Charles/Compton (ChiCrossCup)
November 8: Northbrook (ChiCrossCup)
November 14: Indian Lake (ChiCrossCup)
November 22: Woodstock (ChiCrossCup)
November 29: John Bryant State Park (OVCX) - Ohio State Championship
December 6: Montrose Harbor, Chicago - Illinois State CX Championship
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2009-08-14
SF: Part 2
Saturday morning was taken at a leisurely pace. While up at 7, we didn’t get on with the day until about 9 when Naz, Jen and I rode our bikes easy to the Ferry Building market. We got some coffee and bread to snack on and I some fresh peaches. We met James (Jah-mez, occasionally) and together we watched a man drop a $50 U-lock into the water while locking up his bike, an event that infuriated the woman he was with. James called out to them “You dropped your lock on the BART! Damn!” which was pretty hilarious in and of itself.
James also showed us pictures he’d taken of a motorcycle accident near his house. Too Fast, Too Fifth Street.
We eventually rolled down to In-and-Out for burgers and then to a huge sporting goods co-op. We then all cruised the city back to the house, spinning the legs, and relaxing. I bought an iPhone later in the day as I left the charger to my Verizon one in Chicago. I know, I know…but I needed a new phone and I’ve wanted an iPhone for some time. May as well get one on vacation, eh?
That night we got dinner at Naan & Curry in the Tenderloin area and bubble tea — and we all got sick to the stomach from the Indian food. I wasn’t the worse off, but I felt like crud. That killed the night a little — we all retreated home to the bathroom.
Sunday morning Naz and I went out for a run on the Butter Lap to prep ourselves for the day. I put in a few hard efforts on the climbs and felt great — I’m finding myself stronger each day. I guess I’m in good shape or something (or an approximation of). When we got back we had something of a brunch and headed out the door to the Mission area. Drank more bubble tea and was turned down for bikeshop gawking at Fairwheel Bikes.
Jen stopped in a yarn/fabric shop and Naz and I witnessed the “banana hammock” man we saw earlier. SF’s full of brave souls, that’s for sure. I’m not so comfortable in my own skin for attire like that. Kudos. Oh, and the BART is spooky. I won’t say otherwise.
That afternoon we went over to Judah and Sonya’s place and kicked it for a bit before heading to Burma Superstar for a huge, satisfying round of vegetarian southeastern Asian cuisine. After the dinner we found ourselves in a creepy little fishstore where I gaped at sharks and mussels in tanks of smelly water. We finished things off with crepes — I had a large one filled with Nutella and bananas. And was in a massive food coma because of it.
Monday was an early day for a ride across the Golden Gate to the Marin Headlands. We took tons of photos and video on the climb up into the country, most of which are available in my or Naz’s albums. Coming back toward home, we were turned onto Lombard to do the “wiggle”, i.e. avoid the major climbs in the heart of the city. I saw the massive steepness of Lombard ahead and said to Naz, “We’re riding that.” He resisted, but went to it. I got up and powered over the top standing out of the saddle; he tried making a go seated and stalled out and had to walk it 3/4 of the way up. On the way down Lombard (the curviest street in the city, or one of them) we were admired by the tourists for our fetching garb.
Back at the house, we set off immediately for lunch at Frjtz. We shared a salmon crepe and each enjoyed our own batch of fries. Sadly, I missed the regular mayo and ketchup dispensers by the counter — I love regular mayonnaise and I love it on fries. Next time, I suppose.
Six miles of walking later we were off to Judah’s for a night of all-you-can-eat gorging at Goat Hill Pizza. I ate 10-12 slices (they were small!) and salad. My stomach was so full it hurt. It didn’t help matters when we drove down the other curviest street in SF in Judah’s Honda Fit. We finished the night out on Heron’s Head and watched the fog roll in.
Back to Naz and Jen’s and packed the bike up for the flight back to Chicago the next morning.
And now here I am, somewhat sunburnt and sad.
Thoughts:
I can’t spend another winter in Chicago.
SF may be expensive, but if all those urchins can make it, I could too.
The art scene is big in that town with lots of galleries, museums and schools. Are you listening, Allison?
The riding is better than I’ve ever experienced. I may not be a pro cyclist but it’s an activity that consumes my thoughts. Riding in Chicago is depressing, riding in SF is sheer pleasure. Certainly other areas of the country are comparable, but they ain’t in Illinois.
