Monday, November 06, 2006

All Things Cross

So I survived another cross experience yesterday with only minor dings to show for it (both on me and the bike). I've done a whole 3 cross races... the first was on a crappy mountain bike and the 2 this year have been on the Lemond "pseudocross" which is my 2001 Buenos Aires road bike with cross tires crammed onto it. It serves the purpose, but I'm in the market for a real ride (read on). For some reason during warmups my left foot was having a bad morning. Second time into the big runup, it just didn't come off the pedal and I think I caught my warmup shirt on the seat too, but the result was a near neutering. Then on the same lap I took another one going into the small hill. By now I was unnerved so I dismounted about 15 feet before the barriers and almost had an adventure there. Fortuntately, it all worked itself out and I managed to not crash in the race despite plenty of opportunities. Since cross is a beautiful thing and there are no secrets about where people finish in the field, I was of course 40-somethingth place since I a) don't train, and b) have 3 races experience. I did hang with some of the killer-B's who started 30 seconds back of us once they caught me so that was satisfying. There's even photo evidence of me shouldering the psuedocross and I sort of look like I knew what I was doing:


So speaking of cross, as in angry and pissed off, it gets a little old when everything you want to get in life that's a factor of your body size (clothes, shoes, cars, bicycles) ends up having to be custom or you have to pay extra to go to the one place that has something that will fit. Fortunately since Americans love giant cars they can put their generally fat butts in, I'm all set with the car thing. But getting bikes really sucks ass. The three bikes I have fit mostly, but it's primarly because they've been stretched and made to fit well enough. Now I want to get a cross bike and you'd think I was asking for the original hand-written copy of the Declaration of Independence. The manager of Landry's is on the case and he's trying to hook me up, but all the talk so far is of trying to make the biggest stock-bike he can find fit well enough. I think I've decided that I'm going to pimp myself out and become a walking billboard for whatever company is willing to give a mediocre bike rider a ride that fits. Doesn't even have to be a great ride... just one with a 64cm frame will be fine. If you know someone crazy enough to take me up on my offer, send them my way.

No comments: