cyclocross world cup final: hoogerhide, 2011

In anticipation of NOT being able to catch the Elite finals of the Cyclocross World Championships live this weekend -- they'll show at something like 2am PST and I have to work Sunday -- I found this clip from the womens' and mens' final race of the UCI World Cup series, held last week in Hoogerhide, The Netherlands. Katie Compton and Niels Albert simply shine as the toughest riders on the course, picking better lines through the tacky corners and staying upright more easily than their opponents, who occasionally went caroming into the tape.

Yes, the Euro courses look deadly dull when compared to, say, the typically muddy Cross Crusade courses -- where are the barriers, people? -- but these racers are faster than you or I will ever be and that is the indisputable truth. Watch, and be schooled.

racing plans, 2012

You read that right. I DO plan to race in 2012. I just won't be racing as much as I did in 2011.

I took Stompy over to the shop which sponsors Team Slow. They allow team members to come in with advance notice to do simple upkeep on their bikes. It's true that I can do many things at home, but in the winter it is downright uninspiring, not to mention uncomfortable, to replace one's headset in an uninsulated shed with poor lighting. So off I went to Crank.

Typically, if a shop sponsors a racing club, the shop's mechanics will perform major work on the team's bikes. (Major work covers anything that requires large, specialty tools not found in most home workshops -- like a headset press and crown race remover, for example.) However, the fellas at Crank extended to me what I thought was a lovely and very respectful courtesy, by allowing me, someone who is not only a team member but also a shop mechanic, to come behind the counter and use their tools to perform the job myself. I needed help finding a few things but otherwise was left to my own devices. I dutifully wiped down any tools I'd used, put them all back where I'd fund them, and left the shop after a short time pleasantly socializing (Crank is a small shop with limited wrench space and although it was slow today I did not want to overextend my stay).

I brought with me one of the last new-old stock parts from the box I'd inherited from Quinn, the fellow I'd apprenticed with back in 1994. When he died several years ago I inherited a large box of new-old bike parts, some from the 1980's and 90's which had never been opened. Nothing super-fancy but perfectly useable, like the headset I swapped in this afternoon. The stock headset that had come with my MonoCog was two and half seasons old and had been in the frame for about a year and a half too long; the top bearing cup was dented from all the front-end impacts of two seasons of short-track and cyclocross racing on a fully-rigid frameset.

The new headset isn't tons better -- it's lighter, wth more aluminum, and it's ugly and tanklike the way many headsets from the mid-90's were -- but it should easily get me through this year and that is really all I care about for now. I ejoyed puttering in someone else's shop, getting the feel of the vibe and feeling my way around the different tool layout. One thing that was harder for me is that all of Crank's repair stands are set up for guys who are at least 5' 11" or taller. At 5' 7" my neck was craning upwards a lot. But it was not a huge deal for so short a time and I managed just fine.

It was such a nice thing, to feel the respect of fellow mechanics. It is a courtesy that I do not take for granted, and something that I am glad to feel that I've earned after all my years working in the bike industry.

I will be racing this summer in the orange-and-black of Team Slow, on Stompy. I had planned on upgrading to a 700c-wheeled singlespeed frame for at least cyclocross season; but the cost of setting it up was going to render the project financially silly as soon as it became clear that my hours at work were going to change. I am selling the framset and various assembled parts to another racer and some more love and a few new parts into Stompy, which continues to behave like a perfectly fine bike.

My knees have been bothering me this winter, giving out the highly noticeable and occasionally annoying creaks and groans of middle age. These hint at the strong possibility that 2012 may be my final season racing on a singlespeed bike. There is a Bridgestone mountain bike in the pipeline if I decide that I need to switch to a multi-geared bike, but I would like to race singlespeed for the entire summer so that I haveeven a small chance of qualifying for the womens' singlespeed podium at series end. (A gal can dream, right? and besides, I got fourth overall last year.)

Racing at all during cyclocross season appears somewhat doubtful at this point. The aforementioned job schedule changes looming on the horizon may make it impossible for me to free up enough Sundays next fall to make the expense and effort of 'cross worthwhile; and while there is now an established Saturday 'cross series I am not especially fond of racing on Shabbat (the only exception I plan to make this year will be for short-track championships, being held up on Mt. Hood on June 30; and then only if I can work out transportation). For cyclocross season, I may just go out and cheer my teammates on an occasional Saturday afternoon next fall and call it good.

So it looks like my racing season will focus almost solely on the PIR short-track series, which begins on June 4 this year. Once again, I will race in the womens' Singlespeed category. Stompy will be ready. And once again, I will have fun no matter where I finish.

the telephone is ringing

On a day which was packed with cues and signals and all sorts of very useful information, I met with a woman who does something called "Organizational Development". Basically what that means is that she helps people communicate with each other in more healthy, respectful and productive ways, mostly in business settings. She does this work as an independent consultant. I met with her to talk about my many years working in a cooperative business, and to explore the possibility for putting the skills I've developed to work in other settings, either as a volunteer or for pay.

The discussion was extremely useful. We talked about the realities of the bicycle industry, particularly its historic propensity to attract young men -- who are mostly not known for their communications skills -- and how well that reality overlaps with the tools of consensus and cooperation (sometimes well, sometimes not so well). We also talked about my desire to bring the tools of cooperation to Jewish institutions, which are known for their very traditional hierarchical leadership structure as well as for their near-fossilization (significant change in Jewish institutions takes a very, very long time and does not come about easily).

I also told this woman about my explorations in the field of Jewish music and education, and how new information and opportunities seem to be unfolding for me in this arena.

In turn, she told me about how she'd gotten into Organizational Development as a field. She's done a ton of work in Human Resources management. When the company who'd hired her went out of business, she turned to teaching in an MBA program -- and that, she told me, was when "the phone began ringing". People began calling her to ask for her help in resolving workplace issues, as a consultant. She's been able to parlay her years of experience in collectives, various non-profits and social change movements and other activities into over twenty years of this kind of work, and so far the phone is still ringing for her. She gave me some resources to check out online and in books; and gave me the name of another person working with the tools of consensus and cooperation whom I might want to contact for more information.

This wise lady also gave me some advice that caught me off-guard: "Ask yourself what you really want from your life. Be true to yourself, because you can't turn yourself into something you aren't. And pay close attention to where the phone is ringing for you."

..::the squeaky hammer of the cosmos hits me over the head::..

The telephone is definitely ringing, though not where or how I thought it might.

yet another lovely bike: 1970's Raleigh

This came into the shop last week for some love. Not sure of anything else about it. What caught my eye was the sweet chainguard and that delicious royal blue color. Yum!

chip-in to help me represent pdx!

I am raising funds to get myself to a Jewish Music conference this summer, where I will represent the the beautiful quirkiness that is Jewish life in PDX-landia.

Highlights will include coffeehouse performances, workshops on how to get communities singing, and tons and tons of networking to get my music out there.
I have added a donation button to the sidebar (at right). Any amount large or small will help me get to this conference:

Guild of Temple Musicians -- plans to try and go to Boston have been downsized in favr of going to this slightly-more affordable event which is being held in -- sit down -- Portland. The entry fees are three times higher than for Women Cantors' Network, but I don't have to worry about airfare or room and board -- the GTM/ACC conference is pratically in backyard and I'll still save money, even with the higher entry fees. Plus, I'll be networking with a much larger group of musicians. Plus, my boss at the large synagogue where I teach wants me to go and may even be able to help a tiny bit.

Attending will help move me further along in my goal to make a little more of my living working in the Jewish community as a musician and teacher. Any amount you can kick in won't help you on your income tax return (sorry), but would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

another gorgeous bike: late 70's bertin "speciale"

This beauty, from my favorite era of vintage bicycles, came into the shop a couple of days ago and we've all wasted a few minutes each standing around fairly drooling over it. Before my co-worker could snatch it up to photograph for our web site -- yes, it's for sale! -- I took a few photos for myself.





TA Cranks




Ideale Saddle




Sadly, it's just a little too big for me. (believe me it this had been a 54cm I'd be sorely tempted...)

Timbuk2 Dee Dog bag, ca. 1999

Timbuk2 Dee Dog bag, ca. 1999
Originally uploaded by periwinklekog

Circa 1999. Custom color combo, lefty, made-to-order in USA. I am selling it because I can no longer use a single-strap bag on my bike. (I've since switched to a backpack.)
UPDATE: This bag has been sold to a happy camper, presumably one without shoulder or back issues.

shameless cross-referencing

Yeah, I know.
You're not supposed to cross-reference between blogs if they're both your own blogs.
It's bad form, or something like that.
But the reality is that I am trying to branch out into new, very specific areas that are specifically way beyond the scope of this blog and one way I can do that is to occasionally cross-reference.

So please feel free to check out my efforts at shameless self-promotion:

1. Here;
2. Here; and
3. Here.

Or not.
If my efforts offend, confound or simply bore you -- well, you don't have to go there again.
Promise.

a slight change of course

Yesterday, my gym membership lapsed.

I had given some serious thought to renewing it, but with money being tight and Sweetie telling me she wasn't sure she'd use the membership enough to justify the cost, I had to consider whether it was wise to renew for 2012.

The truth is that, because of changes in my work schedule for the coming spring and summer, it's not clear whether I'll even be able to race short-track. I have already made plans to sell the 700c 'cross frame that I had bought over the winter; if I end up being able to race cyclocross next fall it will be on Stompy, which is due for a full overhaul and a wheelset rebuild. Stompy is heavy, but fits me and is a very known quantity.

I am consciously trying to get more work in the Jewish community, as a teacher and/or musician. This has potential, as nearly everyone I've talked with or worked with has been pleased with my work and/or music and wants to help me find ways to do more in the community. There is also the possibility that I may be able to grow some business on the side as a mediator and facilitator but that is still unclear. What I do know is that, with more Jewish work, I can only give up so many hours at the bike shop without changing my ownership status, and the bottom line is that there are still only so many hours in a day. Something has to give and this year it may well be racing.

I have some dumbbells at home, and can do simple things like crunches, stretching and light weights to maintain some degree of fitness. I can also still add intervals in the spring to gain a little speed. There are a couple of things I will miss by eschewing gym membership this year, like leg presses, the shoulder pull-down and most of all the chair-lift thing where I can lift my legs up into a right angle using my core. But there are other ways to work those muscles and this year I will be doing it on the cheap.

Meanwhile, I am also taking a hard look at some musical opportunities coming up this summer, one of which may involve some travel. (For more on that, see the music blog.)
Preparing for these opportunities would also cut into my racing, and I need to be realistic about what is most important right now and what have time and resources to pursue.

This doesn't mean I won't go out and have fun on my bike; there are still plenty of longer rides to enjoy, maybe a S24HO or two; and there's a new skills park open in outer SW Portland that I need to take Stompy to check out. And there's my daily commute, which some days is like a balm for my soul. So while I may not race as much in 2012, I'll still be riding a ton.

who owns your brain?

Specialized is suing two former employees who left the company in 2010 to start their own bike company.

The company, Volagi, is producing a carbon bike design that is unlike anything Specialized currently offers -- see the clip for a brief explanation -- and it works well. So naturally, Specialized wants in on the potential profits.

Because the two men signed confidentiatlity agreements while working at Specialized, they are being sued for breach of contract. Specialized is saying, in short, that all ideas the two men thought of -- whether at work or in their free time -- are the property of the company and that the men should not have been able to start their own company.

This is capitalism at work. Small company succeeds, big company gets jealous and sues for loss of profits. So it goes after the very thoughts of the former employees as intellectual property. Seriously, this is the way things work now. And as long as corporations are allowed a measure of personhood (thank you, Supreme Court -- wankers) things will continue to be this way.

So watch your thoughts, people; and for heaven's sake don't sign anything that could give ownership of those thoughts to someone else.

It's a good thing I'm not an individual contractor being paid to compose music.

Frankly, I'm no huge fan of carbon fiber -- you'll never see a carbon bike under me -- but I support the little guy and hope this upstart prevails. If Volagi loses its lawsuit, I predict -- and even hope for -- a Specialized boycott.

prayer

Prayer for a Tenspeed Heart

Let the fire of my body
propel and warm me
and let each darkness
reveal its plenitude.

Let the hills
flatten under my wheels
and let the eloquent curves
yield up their good surprise.

Let my heart be obstinate
when I need to climb
and let my lowliest gears
restrain my spinning down.

Let there be flatland, too,
and into that glittering place
let me stretch with the heart of a lover,
at full speed, blind and intent.

--Barbara Hendryson