Eddy

I got my first 10-speed when I was eleven back in 1976. My dad bought it for me along with a pair of Eddy Merckxs - one for him and one for his girlfriend. I don't know how many miles they put on those Merckxs but it wasn't many. A couple years later, my dad's girlfriend dumped him and I inherited a Molteni orange Eddy Merckx at the age of thirteen. It was way more bike that I needed at that age.

I was living in Ann Arbor, MI at the time and I used that Eddy like any kid would use his bike. I rode over to my friends' houses. I rode downtown. I rode to neighboring towns (Dexter). I had no idea that I might actually be able to race the bike but I sure put some miles on it. I also gained an appreciation for the fine Campy components and learned to do all the basic wrenching required to keep it running in tip-top shape.

One evening after attending a weekly computer night at Community High (Commodor 64s and Pets among others), I found Eddy's spot at the bike rack was empty. All that was left was a deftly snipped cable lock. I've had a number of bikes through the years and a few of them have suffered ignoble demises but none stung as much as losing Eddy.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a Merckx Alu-cross. It was used but had only seen limited racing. Much of its appeal was the fact that it was a Merckx and I could somehow get back some part of that bike I lost so many years ago. New Eddy has been my primary race bike for three seasons and I love it. I've got a Redline Conquest for a pit bike and commuter but Eddy fits me much better. The ride is great.

New Eddy has some things that I don't like such as the 1" headset and non-replaceable dérailleur hanger. But I just love the ride.

The best thing about the Eddy crosser is that it connects me to that thirteen year old kid who rode his bike around everywhere. That kid whose bike meant freedom -- freedom to go wherever he pleased, wherever his legs might take him, as fast as he could ride.

Who reads this thing?

I've heard from a few people that they read this blog from time to time. Since I never see any comments, I sometimes wonder if I'm just casting out to the void. If you check in, why not add a comment to this post to let me know where you're from.

Thanks!

Fartleks

While fartleks are commonly employed by runners serious about getting faster, cyclists don't know diddly about this great workout. Except maybe they do. You see, fartleks are unstructured intervals. Sprint for that sign, go hard up this hill, accelerate through that turn. The principles that make fartleks effective are the same as those that make intervals such great workouts. In fact, when Gosta Holmer invented them back in the 1930s, it was quite the revolution.

If you're like me and have a hard time getting motivated to do intervals, try fartleks instead. Some fun suggestions are:

• Charge up small rises
• Ride an uncomfortable pace up longer hills
• Sprint up to speed after corners, stop signs and traffic lights
• Go hard for landmarks

One of the best aspects of fartleks is that you don't have to find that perfect piece of road to perform them on. Just make it a part of any of your rides.

Some pointers ... Fartlek sessions should be between 30 and 45 minutes with lots of tempo changes. A fartlek session can be integrated into rides of practically any length but I like to do them when I'm out for 70-90 minutes so I can really thrash my legs. Don't do them every ride -- once or twice a week is plenty. Make sure you get adequate rest.

Simon Burney

I picked up Simon's Cyclocross: Training and Technique this evening and read a few of the chapters. Even though I've read it front to back, I still find it worthwhile to reread sections from time to time. This books is it when it comes to solid advice about technique, race tactics, strategy and training. The good news is that it's coming out in the 3rd edition this August. The 2nd edition from the late 90's was becoming a bit dated so I'm looking forward to this new edition.

My advice? Buy it!

Tubular Clinchers are dead ...

... Long live the tubular clinchers. Tufo says that they have ceased production with no plans to produce any more. The ones on the street are the only ones available. I don't have any word as to the corporate reasons why.

Cross Crusade Schedule is Out!

Head on over to the Cross Crusade site to check out the schedule. The big news? No Barton. I can't believe that they are dropping Barton. I *love* that course. It rocks -- literally. I race really well there -- when I don't flat. The compression ditch is one of a kind! I love, love, love the starting straight. And the dikes are classic features I'll miss the most. The second date of the series still lists the venue as TBD so there's still hope for Barton. However, Barton is best served as a November venue when it is likely to be waterlogged.

The classic courses of Alpenrose and Estacada again grace the schedule. Hornings looks to become a regular (word is that it will be less mountain bikey this year) and Hillsboro returns for a slog fest in middle of November. There are two new locales on the schedule this year. Since the sale of the Flying M necessitated relocation of the Halloween race, the Crusaders found a home for the camp/party/race at the Astoria Fairgrounds. Is the soil sandy out there? Let's hope so since Astoria gets 70 inches of rain annually. The Rainer, OR school district got hoodwinked into allowing the Crusade circus to use Rainier High School for an early season race. Maybe it will be dry and there won't be enough turf damage to preclude an invite next year.

The Portland USGP weekend(December 1, 2) is at PIR. I wonder if the Crusaders are going to set the course on the infield one day and then use the northwest open space (near the golf course) the next. While that would be tres cool, it might not be a financial reality.

The other big news is that the Crusaders are hosting the World Singlespeed Championships. It's going to be contested in conjunction with the Estacada racing. Qualifiers are scheduled for Saturday with the championship race on Sunday along with all the other regular racing. That looks to be a great weekend. Estacada is a great venue so all you SSers out there had better put this weekend on your schedules.

If you add in Hood River (9/23), Barlow (9/30) and Kreugers (11/25), the Portland cross schedule looks packed with some excellent racing. It's shaping up to be another outstanding year.

Crank Bros Eggbeaters

Pedals anyone? Among the usual questions that rookie crossers ask is what pedals are best for cross. First, let me state the obvious -- get mountain bike pedals. Road bike pedals are *not* the best choice. Among the various mountain pedals, two stand out; Time ATACs and Crank Bros Eggbeaters (or Candys). Those two pedal systems are the best for shedding mud when a racer is attempting to clip in on a remount. That's the bottom line in cyclocross, how fast can you get into your pedals and apply power to the cranks on a remount.

I've used ATACs and Eggs and prefer the Eggs. I gave up on the ATACs after a race where I was unable to clip in because of a small rock lodged in the pedal clip mechanism. I kept knocking my foot against the pedal in an attempt to dislodge the rock as a couple of guys rode away from me. That single frustrating incident caused me to switch from ATACs to Eggs.

The Eggs are very easy to clip in to. It's got four sided entry so pedal position is a non-factor. I have a smooth clip in motion where I roll the pedal onto the cleat. It's gotten to be second nature. However, I've found the Eggs and ATACs to have practically identical performance for clearing mud. For full disclosure, on a couple occasions, I've gotten a small rock lodged between a cleat and shoe tread which has impeded my ability to clip in. Thus, I don't think that Eggs are the magic bullet for perfect clips in sloppy conditions. My endorsement of Eggs is primarily based on their overall ease of clipping.

Eggbeaters don't have a pedal platform per se and that alarms some people. If you've got a reasonably stiff shoe, the lack of platform is not a problem. Even with pedals that have a platform, virtually all of the force is concentrated at the cleat so the platform has little role in transferring power to the cranks. While not clipped in I've found that I can pedal just as well on the Eggs as I could on the ATACs. So if you are going to go with the Crank Bros, get the Eggbeaters and not the Candy version since the platforms aren't necessary. (Note: I've heard from a couple guys that they found the Candy pedal body got in the way of toe spikes when trying to clip in.)

I've heard some mixed reviews of the high end Shimano mountain pedals. Some folks claim they are quite reliable in the mud while others decry their performance in the slop. I've not tired them so I can't offer any first hand observations.

And finally, one more reason to get Crank Bros pedals: rebuilds. After a couple years of use, My pedals had been developing some play and a clicking noise. I went down to the LBS (River City Bicycles in my case) and picked up the $15 rebuild kit. After 30-40 minutes at home, I had a set of pedals that were as good as new. Rebuilding my pedals suits my environmental sensibilities as well as my cheapskate tenancies. Two thumps up!

Tubular Clinchers

Tufo makes a tubular tire that fits on a clincher rim. It's a decent tire and a reasonable choice for cross racers who want to give tubular a try without buying new wheels and gluing up some tires. Tubular clinchers were my introduction to tubulars. The upside of these tires is that they are as good at eliminating pinch flats as "real" tubular tires. The downsides are many.

Tufo is the only company that makes tubular clinchers. That means you are limited to the Tufo tread patter and rubber compound. Tufos shed mud well and hook up just fine on the dry but they lack the really aggressive bite that other tubulars have in the slop. Tubular clinchers are heavier and are less supple than tubulars because of the beefy bead needed to lock the tire into the clincher bed. Clincher rims are also heavier and not as strong as a modern tubular rim.

Chances are, once you try the tubular clinchers, you'll be hooked on tubulars. You won't be satisfied with the trade offs and will make the leap to tubulars anyway. So why not just start with tubulars in the first place?

Do yourself a favor, buy some tubies, glue them up, and feel the performance. Tubulars are the single best upgrade you can make for your cross bike.