Thursday, October 14, 2010

Sometimes You Feel like a Clumsy Nut, Sometimes You Don't

Here's an example of me being a Mounds: I can parallel park on a dime. One shot.. and we're in baby....  I can stop on the STEEPEST of hills and never roll back an inch with my 5 speed zippy VW.

Here I am as a nutty Almond Joy: 
I can not, for the life of me, remount my cyclocross bike without doing this lame little stutter step or more often then not, coming to a COMPLETE stop to get back on my bike when I'm becoming very fatigued during a race. Any attempt at proper cyclocross skill execution is pretty much non existent. There is a wire that has come undone, short circuited... something in my head that is preventing me from learning to do that quick little snappy hop that propels me forward.

This has to end and I'm determined to fix it.  Besides looking like a goof, I am losing loads of time to the other women.  I raced in Providence Rhode Island last weekend and the course was somewhat technical and included 4 dismounts on each lap.  This was a HUGE disadvantage for me. Potentially, I am losing 10-15 seconds per RE-MOUNT everytime I screw this up.   4 minutes of
this nonsense is causing me many places on the results sheet.




This is want I want to do.

and this...
all the cool kids can do it...


How hard is it to jump 2 inches onto a saddle? Apparently too difficult for me.


I am off to Boulder for a few days and I've already scouted out The Aspen Lodge Colorado Cross Cup event on Sunday to spectate. Just maybe the Rocky Mountain air will turn me from a non committal  klutzy Almond Joy to a slick and smooth saddle hopping Mounds.
 
Dark Chocolate please.

7 comments:

Jennifer Harrison said...

Have a great GREAT TIME IN CO! Oh just what the DR ordered! And, that damn hop - took me forever to get rid of it - and now, after not racing CX in years, I am sure I would rip my hips apart even trying! I was like a crazy person practicing in a park for hours trying to nail that! YOU can! :)

Anonymous said...

I would be on my A$$ if I tried any of that...with something broken no less. Have a great time in CO_you'll be a Pro when you et home :)

GoBigGreen said...

I got the sorest inner thigh doing that over and over again on my cross bike and that is why i am afraid to do it on my Tri bike, bc the seat is higher and the top tube is longer:) It's a self protection thing, as you dont want to fly over the other side:) hehehe.
CO is lovely this time of year, have a blast!!
Those are Rich's FAVORITE ALL TIME candy bars!

Jamie said...

Just be glad that you don't have actual nuts. If I screw up a running mount and land straight on your coin purse instead of your inner thigh, I'm going to lose a LOT MORE than 15 seconds.

Trigirlpink said...

OMG Jamie.. you crack me up..

Anonymous said...

try this :)

http://www.tazachocolate.com/

yup that damn douple tap stutter step, I have it too and no matter how hard I try... stil there are loads of guys out there who can't work it at all, but keep practicing I will.

Have fun in CO

Unknown said...

I can't even imagine!! And nothing about of those photos makes me want to try! ha. I like the road... and staying up right! :D Hope you had fun!