Sunday, October 21, 2007

SS, MB, BMW & OTB

I'm trying all the cat's I can till I decide which one I suck less at. Today was SS. Back in the day, we had to braze our own canti-bosses on road bikes and dig through bike catelogs like porn to find tubulars for cross.

Today I realized how different things are and how old I am. Like the last time I saw VH at Portland Meadows and realized Sammy in football pants at our age wasn't cool anymore. That was in 93. Like I posted earlier, I gave up on the El-C and got the newest car I've ever owned with heated seats and a CD player. I also bought an i-pod earlier this fall and now have a blog and spend way too much time on the internet. I've gone through more change since starting Cross this year than I have in a very long time. This time however it's technology not inner struggles. I'm just realizing how much of a curmudgeon I really am.

Getting back on track, I set up the old Motobecane for SS. Maybe cuz I miss the El-C, but I had a hoot polishing it up and putting the old simplex gear in the box polished and clean, toe clips and all. Then I roll out past Trojan for Rainier today and see dude's debating weather to ride the Tufo's, Griffo's, Dugausts or whatever the hell other tubulars they have for their SINGLE SPEEDs while leaning against an Audi and MBz. I should have known when I read about how cool CX was in Outside Mag a while back that this is what it would come to.

Anyway, I stood tall at the start and rode a race I was proud of on a bike that is about the only positive connection to my youth I have. These kids on carbon bikes won't feel what I remember on a 531 frame 30 years from now. Carbon has no soul. Ti? I gave up on Lotto when I quit alot of things. I ride what I got and am proud of who I am.

On the other hand driving out I was feelin a bit introspective. I got the good vibes from dudes and ladies at the race. I drove home with a smile and a warm posterior listening to a mix of good rock and roll my daughter burned for me and singin along to Best of Both Worlds.

On another note I've changed my training. Seems people don't like me runnin laps at Glenodeer with a bike on my shoulder. Besides, I'm still tired from the hunt to be totally honest. I cut the jogs to simple run ups and am spending more time on the bike. Can collecting has been huge. I thought it would just be a way to pass the time on long rides. Gas ain't cheap and for 5 cents a pop, people don't get how to save money from one thing to pay for another. This week I did a can ride twice, raced and drove to friggin Rainier on money from other peoples litter and still had $2 left over.

Astoria? Dress like a freak? Don't we do that in spandex at every race?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

+1 for old steel! I've got an old Bianchi I wore out all the components on waiting patiently in the basement for a ss conversion, and my commuter bike is an 86 Nishiki Riviera touring bike (ebay - just over $100 including shipping) that I lovingly restored. a truly fine ride with plenty of soul. with those canti bosses it may make its way into the mud one day...