Ray's Racing Adventures: Me 2

Im so happy, happy, happy. Not because I got just got in from my really, really hard Tuesday intervals in the rain!! Yuck. First time my TT bikes been ridden in the rain. Wet roads yes, never rain. I got to work in all out sprints in the wet too. No drama, but its still good to practice that on wet roads.

Well good its broken in now.

Oh, yeah, what I am so happy, happy, happy about!! I sent in my USA Cycling upgrade request last week and on Monday I heard back already that I am a Category 2 licensed rider. Oh yeah, believe it. I never made it up to cat.2 as a youngster. But I am now!!!

I got real good real fast when I first started then as I recall I dug myself so deep in an overtrained trench after a couple years that I never got out of it. I originally thought I was going to go Cat4,3,2 in one summer, but I stayed a 3 till I stopped riding. I must say all that training did make me quite a good long distnace hilly road racer. I just wasnt very fresh or confident in Crits which is about all we did back then. I think Cat.3 criteriums back then were super fast, pretty long with big fields too.

Oh, changing subjects to something that kind of pisses me off. A neighborhood friend whos quite a good age group triathlete has been racing on her regular spoked wheels. I knew she was going to a big Tri so I offered her my Flashpoint front, but it was too late to try something new. she says she used ot race on Speedplay tri-spokes, but a bike shop told her (ok the Bike Shop didnt tell her-theres no talking property that I am aware of) years ago to stop using them because they are warped.

She dropped them off to me and I aired up the old nearly dry rotted tires (wow held air) and spun them in my frame. The front had zero I repeat zero runout. So I put it on my bike, rode it and it felt fine. I did the same in the back and ok, the rear is warped. It has a spot thats probably 2 to 3mm out of true. Maybe I can fix that over time by clamping it onto my welding table and hanging a weight from the high spot and see if it cannot be made a bit flatter.

Anyone try this? but heres what rubs me the wrong way. Because they are such narrow rims (better run narrow tires on them) I didnt have to open up my calipers to mount them. I rode it and they did not rub the brakes out of the saddle. Why in the heck did they tell her to stop running it? It didnt feel bad to me and they are sure as heck a lot more aero than a set of training wheels.

Man, why did they tell her that and possibly cost her minutes in all of her time trials?? I just dont get it. I'm telling her to run the front for sure and try the rear (with new tires!!). heck, even the rear braked fine.