How Many Bros Does It Take To Screw A Headset?

While on a recent ride with my Wilson Friends I had to contemplate the question which is the title of this post. It looks like four may be enough, but this might just be a clever camera trick.

You might be thinking, "Hey, Aaron, why are you so into Grandmaster Flash?" Well, a lot of reasons. However, right now it has nothing to do with the furious five and their fantastic outfits. But really, they're pretty great.

Look closely at Flash's shirt. If you know much about fantastic road jerseys, you might recognize this gem.



That's right. Grandmaster Flash was a Merckx fan.

Winter

The weather is laughing at me. I got chased back to Arkansas from North Carolina by a blizzard, and found that the mild winter I was expecting and counting on for riding purposes was not to be. It has not got above freezing here for a week, and I simply cannot bring myself to ride when it is 15 degrees out. After the snow melts I will have to contend with knee deep mud. Time for lots of indoor activities. Maybe it will be better riding weather back in NC.

Is There Anybody Out There

This message proves I read the bike blog. If anyone is reading me please write something on the blog.

What's Next? Trailer 2 from Aaron Larocque on Vimeo.

If you're not excited for this, you should be.

So, as I continue to read posts about the ORAMM, I realized we haven't posted any pictures in a while. The one above is off Curtis Creek, the race's biggest climb. Nine, count 'em nine miles of gravel road climbing a few thousand feet from Old Fort to the Parkway. It comes about midway through the course, and yes, it is going to really, really hurt.





We do eventually get some reward though; we get to ride down Heartbreak. See the huge ridgeline, yup, that's the one. It will be a highlight.

There is also another Wilson name on the registration list, local legend Pat Hurley is doing the ORAMM on a rigid steel 69er with an ovalized head tube. Makes me feel like a cheater. I'll be loving my suspension fork on this descent though, after a probable four plus hours on the bike, a little cush with be pretty nice.



Like Aaron, I am planning on suffering like crazy on Sunday, so its nice to remember that once in a while things go well in races. This spring David Bishop and I won a six hour race outside of Charlotte; it was awfully fun to stand on top of the podium. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to snag one of the lower steps on Sunday.

-Matt

You know what's cooler than Arkansas? The ORAMM

Almost every day I look at the "Registered Riders" of the Oramm website, and every day I can't believe my name is on it. I'm feeling generally conflicted about this upcoming weekend, alternating between excitement and abject terror. One thing that makes me feel a little better, is that just a few spots below my name is Matt Williams'. It's nice to know that at least we're in this together. Well, we'll be starting it together, very shortly after that Matt will jump to the front, and I'll wallow in the middle. Matt's going for a top result, while my goals have been constantly diminishing over the past week. At first I wanted to get somewhere around 100th place and finishing the race in 6.5 hours. Then I had a bad crash and realized I might not be at my best, so I altered it to somewhere around 150th. Now I just hope I can finish the damn thing. I imagine by Sunday I'll want to be able to DNF without medivac assistance.

Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival

Late July weekends in Arkansas are not known to be the most pleasant times to have bike races. In past years, the Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival has been held somewhere around the 20th of July and the weather has almost always been uncomfortable. Some years it rains. Some years it is bloody hot (95 degrees) and humid. One year it was even bloody hot and raining for the start of the cross country race. This year however, the temperature was uncharacteristically pleasant. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the temperature hovered around 80 degrees in the middle of the day with very little humidity to spoil the coolness.
Because of the amazing weather, record numbers of riders flocked to Eureka Springs for the race. Every rider class was brim full. Over 300 racers total signed up to race this weekend and nearly 250 of them raced the cross country course on Sunday.
Before all the madness of Sunday's race could take place three events had to be organized and run. I considered trying for an omnium victory, but decided that downhill and observed trials would put too much time pressure on an already packed weekend. Instead I raced the short track and cross country and helped time the downhill.
Friday's short track was held on a minibike course and was the bomb. The track was about the width of an average doubletrack, and was made of perfectly smooth packed dirt. To keep cyclocross bikes from ruling the even, a kicker, a log drop, and three off camber switchbacks were added.
I really had the short track dialed. I took the fastest lap time for my qualifying run. I won the first lap premium and finished third overall in a class of about 13 cat 1 riders. After the first lap I was quickly passed by one rider, but spent the rest of the race battling in a pack of four riders right behind him. I had to phisically push riders out of my way at least three times during the race and had to run a section of the course after being knocked down in the swithbacks, but I guess my results indicate that it all worked out.
Sunday's cross country race held it's own set of challenges for me. Literally two minutes after the mass start downtown I got lost in the back streets of Eureka Springs along with the lead group of about fiifteen cat 1 riders. We never made it back onto the actual course, but thanks to some quick thinking by one of my competitors we rejoined it a bit further on. Once we made it to the single track I fell back into fourth place and then the sidewall of my reat tire was slashed by a sharp rock. Only one person in my catagory passed me while I was fixing my flat and after a record fast tire change I charged off to catch him. Half way through my final lap my front tire was also punctured and without any air, pump, or extra tube I had to stop and shake my Stans sealent into the hole and hope it would hold the last fifteen pounds of pressure in my tire for the rest of the race. My tire held until right before the finish line and I ended up running the final section of the racecourse.
Even with all my mishaps I took fifth place in the cross country event out of fifteen Cat 1 19-29 participants. Arlo, my brother, crashed into a beginner rider he was trying to pass and badly tweaked his shoulder. He should be fully recovered by the time he comes to school but he will be off the bike for a while.
So, as a recap. Third in the short track. Fifth in the cross country with two flats. All during a butiful Arkansas Summer Weekend. Not too shabby.

Linden

ORAMM??

So, I've never done a race like ORAMM before. Some 50 milers sure, the Swank too, but ORAMM is a little bigger and a little badder than those. 60 miles, 11,000 feet of climbing and some pretty sweet technical descents. So, since I am hanging in Swannanoa with little to do but bike for the next month I am doing some specific prep to make sure I'm ready to go. Yesterday I did Curtis Creek, a really long gravel road that climbs from Old Fort up to the parkway, and then road the parkway south back around to Wilson. Five and a half hours on the bike later and I stumbled home. See, I knew Curtis Creek would be hard, but I didn't really remember how much climbing would be left once I made it to the parkway. A few thousand vertical feet left to be exact. So, from Old Fort at 1,400 feet to close to 5,500 on the parkway, with a few ups and down thrown in for good measure. What fun - but I guess that's how you prep. Curtis Creek is going to be hard, some fireworks on the 26th for sure. Hopefully, between me, Aaron , and Tullulah, Wilson riders will be showin' everyone how its done.

Family Trip in The Land of 10,000 Lakes

Last week my family and I packed up our Dodge Grand Caravan with cloths, food, tennis rackets, and biking gear and headed for my grandparents house south of Minneapolis. Our stay was mostly to visit family, but my dad, my brothers and I slipped away almost every day to ride a wonderful trail system at Lebanon Hills (just a short drive away). There are not many mountains in Minnesota, however the local trail designers still managed to create a delightful ten mile loop full of perfectly smooth swooping singletrack studded with occasional built obstacles. The loop takes you over several bridges, a couple rock gardens, and a teeter-totter. Obviously a good time was had by all participants.
I would also like to note that my dad, pictured below, just turned 50 this year. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are not a whole lot of 50 year olds still doing this kind of thing.

Aaron's adventure in cross country racing.

Last week you got the good and the bad, here's the ugly: I tried a cross country race. First of all, I think this name is incredibly misleading. I crossed no countries, in fact I never left the state. Despite my obvious semantic problems, I surrendered a small portion of my already small salary to USA cycling for a hour long death march.

Sunday morning started kind of rough, I woke up late, so I didn't have time to take a shower and stretch. Oh well, it's not like I'd be the only dirty kid at the mountain bike race. I mean, Kylie Krauss was showing up, so I knew I'd at least be cleaner than someone. When we showed up, I had about 40 minutes, just enough time to register and get warmed up. I changed, hopped on my bike and got about 3 feet before I realized I had a front flat. When we looked closer at the other bike on the rear rack, we noticed that the exhaust had melted a hole in the tire of the bike in front of mine. When my tire wouldn't inflate, I realized I'd have to borrow a wheel. By the time this fiasco was resolved, it was race time. I tried to stretch on the start line, but I had to accept that I was going into this race cold.

The start went well, and soon I lead when the first two guys crashed on a wet, grassy turn. I felt good, despite everything. Then my chain broke. They actually gave me a half link in my swag bag, and I brought it with me, so I was back on the course in 4 minutes. I worked my way up through some of the pack filler, and then got a flat. I've never sworn more loudly in my life. I changed it, and used a C02 to fill it up and get back on the course. By then I felt pretty damn defeated. Trying to make up for that many mistakes is hard when you only have two laps. My body was shot and my mind was racing. Not warming up, and the southern heat wore me out quicker than anything else ever has, but I was determined to climb up another spot or two. I stepped on the gas and made up a little time on some of the more technical sections. But before I knew it, my race was over, and that was all.

I got 7/12 in my age group and 21/65 in overall Cat 2. I really shouldn't complain for my first cross country race, so I'm accepting it, and going for a better result at my next race.

On the upside, Tony got 4th in single speed on a fixed cross bike, and at one point his chain blew up. That translates from Bike-ish roughly as "Tony is wicked bad ass'. Alexis DFL'ed cat 1 women and Kylie got 4th pro woman. Tony was the only one with a good race day, but we all had a good time.

I have to thank Tony and Nathan from Ski Country Sports for the rides to and from the race. Without those two awesome dudes, I wouldn't have even gotten to try this stuff out.

The two highlights of my race were being the only dude hitting the double on the race course. Granted it wasn't much of a double, but still, it was the most fun part of the "abridged" beginner race course.

And if you've read the previous post, you remember the dude I ride past on the morning on my way to work. Well he was at Davidson, and we got to hang out for a while. Small world.

So far the only one of my posts that anyone has commented on consists solely of a picture of me shirtless. And that was from Lyndon. If that's what you guys want, just let me know. I got plenty of glamor shots.

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo.

When you ride the same route, at the same time, every day, you tend to see the same people group of people. So on my ride into work for the past week, I've been passing the same spandex clad roadie, awkwardly carrying one of those cheap Timbuk 2 messenger bags. This is obviously his idea of a sensible commuting outfit. He's heading towards Black Mountain, and myself towards Asheville, so we have never been able to stop and chat. The only thing we know about each other is that we both ride bikes.

The first day, there was maybe a curt nod or a hand half raised off the hood, gestures in cycling that appear to be the equivalent of meeting your ex's new boyfriend. You really don't want to acknowledge them, but you kind of have to. Over the week nothing seemed to really have changed until today. Today I was in a full kit, with my big ol' bag stuffed to the brim and an extra read wheel strapped to the damned thing. I don't know why, but I was honestly excited to see him when he got into sight. I gave him a thumbs up, and he took one hand off the bars to shoot the metal horns.

I believe this is the start of a beautiful new bromance.

I've been following this story for a while now. It's horrendous. There's no way around it. I almost threw up when I read it at my office. I've been riding bikes for a long time, and almost all of that has been in major cities, so I've heard more than my share of 'hit cyclist' stories. Sometimes i even think that I'll get used to hearing stuff like this, but I never do. The silver lining here is this. Usually all you have to do is say "I didn't see them!" and you can get off a murder wrap and have it downgraded to distracted driving. Not for this woman. This was her second DUI and it resulted in the death of two cyclists and near fatal injuries on the third. And then what did she do? She kept driving until forced off the road by another motorist. If you're reading this, you're probably a cyclist, so take a good look at this pictures in the first article. Do you see the bottom bracket shell on the bottom left of the first picture? She hit these guys so hard that their bikes literally exploded. Now she's charged with two counts of manslaughter. I really hope this sets a prescedent. I really do. A few years back a girl killed a graduate student in Champagne Indiana while he was riding on the shoulder of the road. This girl was downloading a new ringtone and drifted so far into the other lane, she hit him with the drivers side of her car. The drivers side. This girl got slapped with distracted driving and had her license taken away for 6 months. I'm glad we're finally stepping it up a notch, but jeez, it's taken long enough.

Sorry for the rant, here's some bike porn to make up for it.




That last one belongs to my friend Sashae. He built the entire thing up with period correct components. He spent a long time working on his... Dick Power.