May 13, 2012


It was a great weekend all the way around. The sun was out a majority of the time and that makes a big difference to me. I finished off another 3 week training block that went great and I also got in another crit on Saturday along with a good 4hrs on the mtn bike today.
Saturday I met up with teammates Kyle and Steve for a stop n go warmup ride through Milwaukee from the NE side down to Muskego for the crit there. I did more city riding than I have done in the last 3 years but I haven't been in downtown Milwaukee in probably even longer so it was kind of cool to see it from the bike seat again.
Muskego is a fun crit and I've done it a bunch of times, I even won it once back maybe 10 years ago when I out-sprinted Todd Miller and Denny Yunk, I haven't been able to win since I don't think but that was one of my first cat 1 wins so it was a pretty special one at the time. I'd trained pretty hard during the week and Saturday the legs weren't that great but it was still a good race. I had better numbers in almost all time zones  from Whitnal park but I didn't feel near as good, that is always interesting when that happens and I always wonder what the difference is. Dehydrated? I was cramping a little the on the climbs which was strange near the end of the race so maybe I was. I think I was 3rd in the field sprint with maybe 7 up the road.

Got home in time to catch an hour of dirt track racing. I probably would never go to these if they weren't in my back yard but since they are, it's kind of hard to be home and not watching them. Those guys know how to race aggressive and I like to see them put each other into the curb when they need to.


And then there is this new helmet. Wow, Lazer didn't hold back at all on the color of this one. I haven't ridden with a visor for a long time but this has got to be the coolest, lightest, and most comfortable helmet I've ever worn. The glasses are transition lenses too so it's an awesome combination from Lazer for a good 4hr ride on the mtn bike today. By far the most time I have spent on the mtn bike and it was what I needed to really get comfortable on it.
And then I've been working on this, a single chainring chain guide. I think the guide itself will work great, but I'm having trouble finding a good way to mount it. I'm trying to use a reflector bracket but I'm going to have to do a little more machining to get what I want out of it. It should be as light as anything else out there, plus it's home made but if it works I'm hoping I can run a 1x10. I'll get some pictures when I get it mounted.


3 comments:

Jack said...

Hey! Curious as to what Giant you'll be racing dirt on? Anthem X 26" or the 29er version of that bike?
Please post some pics of your bike when it's up and running.
Good luck with your season!

Jaxson Berry

Tristan Schouten said...

I'll be on the Anthem X 26" version. I hope to try 29" XTC hardtail this season but a majority of races will be on the Anthem X 26".

Jessica said...

Love the helmet. It'll be easier to spot you at races.