CYCLOCROSS!

     Cyclocross. What the heck is that you say? I said the same thing the first time I heard about it. I'll do my best to explain, but only if you promise me you'll come out and watch a race this fall. Chances are the town you live in will be having one, so following through on our deal won't be too difficult. That's because it is one of the fastest growing segments within bicycle racing.

    Cyclocross is typically shortened up to either 'cross or cx. It can best be described as a high school cross country race, except replace people running with bike riding. Let's break that down a bit more. Cyclocross originated as a way for road cyclists to train in the off season, which is considered fall and winter. Races are held on a closed course, typically at a local park, that is usually 1.5-2.5 miles in length. Racers do repeated laps for a set amount of time (usually 45 minutes), much like a criterium. These courses are typically a mixture of grass, pavement, and sometimes dirt, gravel, or sand. The courses are taped off and usually have lots of turns and tight spots to ensure there is no monotony. Additionally, courses typically have a couple of places where one has to dismount and shoulder the bike. These spots can be the toughest part of the course, ranging from a muddy steep slope that is unrideable to two wooden barriers that one must jump over. The bikes look pretty much like your typical road bike, but they have different brakes that allow fatter all terrain tires. A road bike usually has tires that are 23-25 millimeters wide, whereas a 'cross bike will have knobby tires that are 34 millimeters wide. Races are unlike road racing in that one must usually go all out the entire race to win. The tactics are pretty simple, get to the front and stay there. The final piece to a good 'cross race is the weather; imagine a cold, ugly, rainy fall day and you have the perfect weather racing. Oh, and lots of mud. Cyclocross races are very spectator friendly since the racers are doing lap after lap in the same area. Also, heckling of the racers is mandatory along with good beer and good beards. Now that I have you hooked on this 'cross stuff, let me keep going and tell you about the race I just did.


   
Asheville is a pretty damn fine town. (#avl > #everywhereelse) This weekend is the Mountain Sports Festival, which celebrates all that is good and true in Asheville. Over the weekend there is live music, craft brews, and racing (be it on foot or by bike). Asheville Cyclocross puts on a night 'cross race every year with the festival. It's a great event since it kind of serves as a break from road racing and it gets everyone excited for the fall 'cross season. I participated in the B race. There were three categories: C (beginners), B (decent), A (really fast). I knew going into the race I'd have a good shot at being competitive with all my road racing this spring.
    The race. We all lined up and I believe there were around thirty guys. Yet another detail about a 'cross race is the start. It's called holeshot and it means you start as fast as you can go to try to get to the front of the pack and not get bogged down in the first turns with everyone else. So off we went and I was able to position myself in the top three. We flew through a couple of grassy turns and I was able to keep my position. Then, we hit a straightaway with a tight turn into the woods and I swooped past the second place rider to get a better spot into the turn. The only problem was that he sprinted in an attempt to defend his position, so all three of us flew into that turn quite fast and barely avoided a pile up. A couple of turns later I sprinted into first to get through a 180 degree turn before everyone else and started forming a gap on my chasers. Unfortunately, a super strong racer caught up to me, passed me, and proceeded to pull away. What followed was a couple of laps of yo-yoing where his speed would increase and then I would get closer. I got to the point where I thought I couldn't catch him, but some rowdy fans cheered me on and I closed the gap down to 30ish feet. Quick side note, this course involved riding through a sand volleyball court, which is very difficult for racers and quite fun for spectators. I was able to gain ground on him every time we went through the sand. We approached a barrier where you had to dismount, carry your bike, and hop over the obstacle. Fortunately for me, he bobbled over the barrier and I was able to catch him. For the next few laps we jostled back and forth between him leading or trailing me. Finally, the last lap started and, in anticipation of the final sprint to win, the pace picked up. As we approached the last few turns we had one final push through the sand and I managed to get a few feet ahead of him. We rounded the final turn, sprinted for the line, and this time I had a bit more left to eek out a win.  
     So there you have it: cyclocross! Now live up to your end of the deal and get to a race this fall.

Nascar for Bikes.

     Yesterday I raced in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Dilworth Criterium. This was a much bigger event than the previous weekend in Tennessee, it included three different criterium races over Saturday and Sunday, but I was only able to race the first event at Dilworth. A criterium, or crit for short, is kind of like a Nascar race for bicycles. It involves a closed road course that is typically around a mile in length and forms a loop. A crit is much shorter than a road race and usually takes between 45 and 60 minutes. They are also very spectator friendly because the racers just keep doing lap after lap and there are usually some tight turns to crank up the excitement. Crits are also considered a bit more dangerous than a standard road race because of the tight turns, lots of close pacing and jostling for position, and more wrecks. Additionally, the pace is pretty fast since the distance is so much shorter. Finally, most crits are scored only at the end with a sprint finish deciding the victor. The image below shows yesterday's course. As you can see there are two tight turns. The first turn was on Myrtle Avenue after the climb so the speeds are a bit slower. The second turn was at Dilworth Road West at the bottom of a fast descent that had numerous man-hole covers to really make it a sketchy turn. The loop finished with a climb up Romany Road to the start/finish line.

     Now that you understand the basics of crit racing, let's get to the nitty gritty of yesterday's race. We lined up around 10:50 that morning and there were a over 60 of us in the Cat 4 race. I had the pre-race jitters because there were lots of big riders with fancy carbon bikes that probably cost as much as my car. The big riders made me nervous because they are the ones that have the muscle to really tear up a sprint finish and since this was a short race I fully expected them to be there at the end. The starting whistle went and we were off.  I had started near the front and after the first turn, I got on the inside and shot up to the top five where I tried to stay for the whole race. As I said last week, the key to bike racing is not working hard until you have to. Which means one should stay near the front in order to stay out of wrecks and respond to attacks, but not at the very front working in the wind. Being near the front in a crit becomes even more important because of all the accelerations and decelerations throughout the race. When the pack, or peloton, goes into a turn the entire group has to slow for the turn. Then as the front of the pack exits the turn, they accelerate and the pack spreads out so all the riders at the back have to work extra hard to make up that gap. So, staying near the front of the group is key. The first few laps were very fast and I was hurting, but I was still where wanted to be. The course was especially difficult because in each lap we had to slow for the second turn and then climb up Romany Road and each lap made Romany Road hurt more and more. Halfway into the race, despite the fast pace, I still felt like I had the strength to finish well.

     Yet another aspect of crit racing are prizes given to the leader at different laps during the race, called primes (pronounced preems). Primes are given out at different points, usually as a way to shake things up and get the pack to work harder. They had already given one out, and then they rang the bell and said there was a 50 dollar gift card to a local bike shop for the first person across the line on the next lap. I stayed near the front and was thinking that I could waste some energy for that gift card. As we climbed the hill to the start/finish I was in second, took off for the gift card, and then won it. Boom.

     Other than winning that prime I continued to race smart by minimizing my pulls on the front, staying in the top five, and getting through the turns safely. As the race was coming to an end they told us how many laps were left in the race. With four laps to go a rider got away and managed to open up a nice gap. A few other riders and myself attempted to work together to pull him in, but he stayed away. Then, with three laps to go, I took off to catch him. I managed to get away from the rest of the field and halfway to the leader ending up in a place called no man's land. Called such because the rider is all alone working by himself in the wind. This continued for the next lap until I had almost closed the gap on the leader, but the rest of the field had caught me in the process. We raced through the start finish line and the bell was rung, indicating one lap to go. I felt pretty beat by my effort to chase down the leader, so I sat in to try and rest up for the final sprint up the hill to the finish. As we were heading down the hill one guy accelerated off the front and I followed, we screamed into the final turn with a bit of a gap on the rest of the field and made our way up the hill. Damn that hill! We all stood up and sprinted for the line. Other riders were around me and I tucked in on a wheel to rest a bit for the last 100 yards before I took off. Two guys were just a few yards ahead of me, but I knew I could finish in the top five. As I was coming for the line it was myself and another guy neck in neck for third, so I threw my bike at the line like a pro and eeked out a third place finish. 

  

This is an example of what a bike throw looks like and it's definitely me.

     Anyway, I was pretty pumped about the finish and happy about the upgrade points I just scored to help me in my pursuit to get to cat 3. I now have 16 points and only need 4 more in order to upgrade. A criterium is super fun for both the racer and the spectators, so if you have one in your city this summer I recommend you go check it out.    

     

A bicycle race.

     Yesterday, I traveled to Piney Flats, Tennessee to race my bike.  Cue Queen.   First, a bit of background.  Last fall I joined Velosports Racing Team, which is a local team with about thirty members.  Amateur cycling is quite big here in the Southeast with many races taking place in North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina.  Racing your bike is not as simple as going to a 5k foot race and lining up on the starting line.  Bike racing involves a ranking system of numbered categories, which is usually shortened up as 'Cat' and then the corresponding number (Categories 1-5).  Entry level racers are in cat 5.  The categories are used as a way of separating cyclists according to their ability and experience.  For example, to get from cat 5 to 4 one simply needs to race ten races or do very well in a few races.  Then, to advance from cat 4 and upward one needs to place in races to gain points.  With the correct number of points one can then apply for an upgrade to the next category.  Wow, now that you're thoroughly confused, let's move on to the actual race.
      The race.  I raced the Milligan College Cycling Classic Road Race.  This race was a 22 mile course and my race was two laps and totaled 44 miles.  It was a rolling course with two decent climbs, large hills, and a few other small steep hills thrown in the mix (Here is the Strava link showing the course and my race).  Additionally, my race was a combined field of categories 4 and 5 with a total of 21 riders in the race.  The race began with a moderate to fast pace thanks, in part, to me since I was on the front pushing the speed.  My goal was to get the pack going fast to shed the cat 5 riders and anyone else that couldn't climb.  The first lap went by without much drama, I was on the front during the climbs attempting to make everyone else hurt without hurting myself too much.  As is typical of a small field the pace on the flats was pretty slow, since no one wanted to do the work in the wind.  Unfortunately, I probably spent too much time on the front trying to push the pace.  The key in a road race is to be near the front in order to respond to any attacks or attempts at break aways, but not actually on the front working hard in the wind.  The problem for me is that I get too antsy and end up working on the front too much.  All of this work is usually for nothing, in bike racing there are no points awarded for working on the front.  Regardless of my lack of smarts, the first lap went by and I still felt pretty fresh.  On the final climb of the day I pushed the pace pretty hard and ended up with a bit of a gap between myself and the rest of the pack.  I continued to push as hard as I could and soon another rider crossed the gap. I found myself in a two-man break away.  We worked hard to crest the climb and stay away.  I believe we were off the front for maybe a mile or so, but then we were swallowed up by the rest of the field.  Again, I wasn't really racing very smart. A little two-man break probably wouldn't have been able to stay away from the pack for very long, but I had fun doing it and that has to count for something.  Once the the rest of the pack caught us I decided to sit in the group and wait until the very end for the sprint to the finish line.  It was probably the only time in the race that I was patient and smart.  Even though I am not a sprinter, I felt that I had a good chance since it was not a very big field.  My small frame and skinny build are better suited for big climbs than the fast accelerations of a group sprint.  The pack and I motored on to the finish line.  As we neared the finish the group started to get twitchy.  Then, with less than a mile to go, everyone was trying to get near the front to be in good position for the final sprint.  I actually was in a good spot and attempted to rest a second to get ready for the pain that was about to ensue.  With about 400 yards left someone went for it and all of us followed.  Then, for the last 200 yards, we were supposed to have both lanes of the road closed to allow for the sprint finish.  Needless to say there were cars in the oncoming lane.  However, the guy I was trying to get around was on the yellow line so I jumped into the oncoming lane, traffic be damned.  Sadly my legs didn't have it and I ended up in third place.  Like I said earlier: I'm not a sprinter, but I gave it my best and had a decent result.
     I got a few upgrade points out of the race and learned more about racing.  Next week I'll be heading to Charlotte for the Dilworth Criterium.  I should have an update on that one as well, and some info about what exactly a criterium is.  Stay tuned.

 

Nausea and vomiting.

     This past Friday night Lee came over to chill and grab some dinner, since Lee leaves to hike the Pacific Crest Trail this week. The Pacific Crest Trail is essentially the Appalachian Trail of the West coast, taking one from the Mexican border in California to the Canadian border in Washington.
   Lee drops in, and around this same time I begin feeling quite nauseous and achy.  I figured maybe I didn't eat and drink enough on my ride, so I drink a bit of Gatorade and attempt to ignore it.   A bit of time goes by, I am now curled up on the couch, the question is not if I am going to vomit, the question is when.  Lee then leaves and I am left to suffer alone.  All this time I am concerned about working the next day, do I feel shitty enough to call off?   Around the time Kim gets home I empty dinner in the toilet.  I share many similarities with my father; attention to detail, a kind heart, stubbornness, and the way we vomit.  Dad vomits in a very violent fashion.  It only happened a few times growing up, but when he did the sounds of his suffering filled the house.  You're convinced that someone is torturing him in the bathroom.  What ensued was a horrendous night of vomiting, sleeping on the bathroom floor, and the chills.  The other awesome thing about nausea and vomiting for me is being a nurse.  Which means I am playing out anatomy and physiology while vomiting.  I am attempting to diagnose the causal factor with my distress and also worrying about aspirating.  Aspirating is where the contents of one's emesis ends up in the respiratory tract and usually causes a nasty pneumonia.  Additionally, I feel so guilty when I'm sick because I know how much worse my patients feel, even though I'm convinced I'm on the edge of death.  Needless to say I called in and let them know I wasn't coming in to work.  I've only had to call off from work three times in the four and a half years I've been a nurse, but I still feel guilty every time it happens.  
    The next day was thankfully uneventful in terms of vomiting.  I laid around the house all day alternating between sleeping and sips of Gatorade.  Kim was fantastic when she got back from work, she made me some soup, and sterilized the bathroom.  I'm not sure how people living alone can manage through illness alone.  Today, I feel much better and as of now Kim hasn't shown any signs of catching my bug.  Anyways, wash your hands frequently and enjoy the rest of your weekend.  

The election.

Couple of quick points, since that is all I have time for.

     Today, I voted for a third party candidate.  I wrote in Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate.  I feel very strongly that not voting for either Romney or Obama is the best decision we as citizens can make in this election.  The following are the primary reasons I refused to vote for either candidate.

• Both the Republican controlled House and the Democrat controlled Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act.  Obama then preceded to sign it into law.
• The problem with this act is that it allows for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens that our government deems as terrorists.
• This in essence means that you or I could be detained without charge or trail indefinitely.  Effectively bypassing Habeas Corpus, which is in the Constitution.  (Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2) 
• The current administration has assassinated a U.S. citizen abroad, without charge or trail.  Granted Romney has not done this, but up to this point he has not said he objects to this new practice.  
• This assassination was of a terrorist, but he was a U.S. citizen.  The precedent this sets is remarkable.    
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/us-targeted-killings-eric-holder_n_1320515.html
• The current administration has escalated the the use of drones abroad.  Use of drones in a nation we are at war with is understandable.  The use of drones wherever we please is a scary new front.  Currently we are using drones in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.  Oh, and we are now using them on ourselves.  Again, Romney has failed to say he would do anything different.
• http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/10/nation/la-na-drone-arrest-20111211
• Our drone war in Pakistan is despicable.  We have killed nearly 200 children.  Our drones employ what is known as the "double tap", this means we blow up the target. Then, when first responders come to rescue the injured, we destroy the target again.  Again, Romney has yet to differ.
• http://truth-out.org/news/item/11756-whatever-is-left-is-just-pieces-of-bodies-and-cloth-new-report-details-the-horror-of-living-under-drones

    So, these are only four reasons against voting for either Romney or Obama.  I realize that no candidate will ever completely fit my exact criteria, but at some point there is a line that must be drawn in the sand.  I feel that our government has currently jumped over that line in the name of counter-terrorism.  Trampling on the Constitution and killing innocents abroad is unacceptable, I don't care who it is.  I refuse to vote for a person that approves/practices these methods.
 
     Additionally, I understand that people will disagree with me and I welcome that discussion.  I believe a large problem facing the U.S. is the polarization of the electorate.  Currently, many people refuse to have a dialogue with people opposite of themselves, which I feel should change.  We like to divide ourselves as left vs right, republican vs democrat, pro-economy vs pro-environment, hawk vs dove.  People need to stop this, often times we as a nation agree on a number of things and are willing to compromise on the things we disagree on.  Sit down and have a beer (or coffee, wine, grapejuice, etc.) with the people who have differing opinions and you'll probably find that you agree with a lot of things they have to say.

short thoughts, short time, short guy

real quick, because i'm a bit short on time.

i've been doing a lot of thinking lately.  life is such a conundrum sometimes, as i was running from one end of the floor at work to the other; for this patient's whatever and that patient's whatnot i caught myself thinking about how we all live in such a rat race.   we all are seemingly caught up in getting to the next event, getting off to the next weekend, or days off, or vacation, or holiday, or whatever.  i myself am very guilty of this.  my train of thought usually is thinking about the next cool whatnot that kim and i  have planned.  right now i'm pretty pumped to be heading home to ohio for a few days.  the problem with all of this is we keep looking forward to the next event and then the next event and so on until we end up old and dead, or old and out of our minds, or young and dying, or young and dead.  morbid, right?   incredibly morbid, but being in the healthcare field really puts shit  in perspective.  i mean, i take care of so many patients that have really gotten the shaft, yet to me it's just a job, just a paycheck, just another spin on the hamster wheel to pay the man.

so take a minute and get it all in perspective, take time to enjoy the now, the right now, the next 5 minutes.  for me its 8 am, and i'll be in bed within the next half hour and sleep the day away and get up and go to work.  right now all that's on my mind is getting through this next shift and then heading home, but why not enjoy the right now?  the freedom of plunking down in front of my computer and spewing my thoughts in this wonderful world where i can do that.  enjoy the fact that my wife came and picked me up from work because it was pouring down rain and i rode my bike and she kicks ass.  that we are both blessed with good health and a wonderful marriage.

i really hate how this sounds, it's like one of those silly emails telling you to count your blessings, but really you're just counting through the endless work/school/whatever emails you need to delete to get through the day.  it really is like one of those emails, but this time to me it's much more, count the good things in life.

i get to go home to ohio and visit my awesome family.  send out a fb message right before the weekend and tell the guys we need to go get a beer.  a lot of people don't even have those kind of opportunities.  so thanks to all those people out there who make this stuff possible, all the good friends who make my life amazing.

thanks.

welcome home and other ramblings

So it looks like the Rhodes family is officially movin' south.  Maybe it was just the inspiration of a song by the great KoL (note sarcasm), or maybe it's because of the times.

Dad just landed a job at a construction company in South Carolina, near Greenville (pronounced greenvull).  And Lee is moving down with Kim and I in Asheville.  This is a pretty huge change for all involved, granted Kim and I are pretty much settled in and all, but it's still a big deal.

Thoughts.

My thoughts on this whole southern migration thing are only positive.  Things have been so good for Kim and I down here.  The people in the south for the most part are quite a bit nicer when first meeting you.  People in the north are very kind, but often cold, distant, and busy when passing someone by or meeting someone for the first time.  Northerners are cool, they (I mean we) might just be a bit too hurried and preoccupied.  Asheville is also a bit of an outdoor mecca.  The cycling here is fantastic, quiet mountain roads abound.  The hiking is gorgeous, plenty of streams and mountain tops to explore.  Also I can completely fulfill my dreams of living a hipster life to the max... If only my hair wasn't the limiting factor to my hipness.

The negatives...
Life is great down here in hipsterdom, but believe it or not there are some things I don't like.  The biggest problem is the distance from family and friends back home in Ohio.  Of course, we knew this would be an issue and it's one we are willing to deal with.  I'm not sure why people are willing to sacrifice things like this, I don't think we are sacrificing friends, but in some ways that's what it feels like.  Families and relationships are what makes adulthood so complicated.  The other stuff (i.e. bills, jobs, taking care of a home, etc) is really just fluff in comparison.  Adults never really cover the relationship and family thing; they tell you to get good grades, be a good person, and find a good job.  But really that's not what it comes down to.  Life really seems to be about finding the correct balance, some how meeting your expectations and dreams for life, but still satisfying the needs of family and friends. I guess that is why marriage is so great, you have a sidekick and a best friend that will always be at your side.  The two of you are free to dream together and fulfill God's promises for the two of you, because now the two of you are one.  

The following is not an apology, simply a statement.  The above definitely is a rambling, or even a stream of thought, I would love to try an polish, dive deeper into it.  For now though, it's all of got.  And since this isn't a paper for Kandel or Baxter, it's more than enough.