Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Kissena Velodrome | Track Bike Race | Team Sprints

Team sprint track bike racing at Kissena Velodrome in Queens, NY
I had a blast racing with Aaron and Lucas in last week's team sprints. We did pretty good.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Framebuilding Class


At the beginning of the year, I enrolled in a class with master framebuilder, Doug Fattic. At the end of September, I'll be traveling to Niles, Michigan for 2 weeks to learn how to design and build my own frame via braze welding. I'll be joined by 2 other students and his assistant, Herbie Helm

I just received a lengthy email outlining frame design, materials (tubing, brake bridges, seat stay caps, lugs, etc) and other build options I should start thinking about. This is suppose to be the fun part of the process; however, I find myself racking my brain trying to choose materials that are going to work well together. Should I build a Kissena-friendly frame, or should I build a touring frame with all the rack and fender mounts possible? I had no idea there were so many options for lugs. Fortunately, I have a chance to discuss all my concerns over the phone before I order my stuff from England, Japan and/or the U.S.









Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Move with Your Friends

Le Tour de France 2011 is now over. I watched 19 out of 21 stages. A Nyack ride and the Kissena International Omnium came up during the other 2. Like many cycling fans, I get excited as the mountain stages approach.

Here are a few scenarios that always come to mind:

Will Alberto Contador turn it on and drop the field like he did on Mount Etna at this year’s Giro?

Chris Horner showed he was stronger than all on the Sierra Road climb at the Tour of California. Perhaps we’ll see an American on the podium in France this year?

What about the Schlecks?

Back in March, just a day before the Red Hook Crit, I ran into Al Barouh riding at Prospect Park. As I was winding down and he was warming up, I remember telling him Cadel Evans would win it all. It’s true. Ask him.

Now that we’re up to speed on my love of cycling, I want to tell you about my good ol’ buddy Nick - the man who pushed me to go farther and faster on my bike. He basically called me a giant pussy without having to say a word. Thanks to Nicky Boy, I started racing the Boogie Nights series at Prospect Park last fall. Unfortunately, his 6-month internship at a Soho design house was up and he went back to his hometown in Canada. I continued to ride as hard as I could throughout the most brutal winter in years. Running into Eric “A-YO” Walker certainly helped. I think we were the only crazy fuckers out there in the park banging out laps while it was 20 degrees out. Summer finally shows up and I start racing as a cat 5 at Kissena Velodrome. I recently got upgraded to a cat 4 and now I’m really having a blast.

Nick returns to New York this week, so we invited everyone we know with a bike to join us for a ride to Bear Mountain. Most of my riding buddies here in NY haven’t encountered anything resembling a real hill or mountain. You know the kind with a sign at the bottom that says “Muthafuckin Hill”. This Saturday, it’s fucking on! I’m excited to see who sets the pace, who crushes the mountain and who gets dropped! It’s not "le tour". It’s better because it’s with your friends.