Author Cheryl Strayed on the trap of self-pity:
“Nobody’s going to do your life for you. You have to do it yourself, whether you’re rich or poor, out of money or raking it in, the beneficiary of ridiculous fortune or terrible injustice. And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard. No matter what unjust, sad, sucky things befall you. Self-pity is a dead-end road. You make the choice to drive down it. It’s up to you to decide to stay parked there or to turn around and drive out.”
Source: Tiny Beautiful Things
Sadly the NICA race scheduled for last Saturday in Granite Bay, which was a reschedule of the canceled race in Redding, was canceled at the last minute when the State Parks decided there was too much rain forecast. If you have ever raced at Granite Bay, you might be wondering what in the hell were they were concerned about, since it’s all sand and rock.
Matter of fact, the last time I won a race outright it was the Xterra there, I definitely remember hail and pouring rain on the bike leg. Water crossings, yes. Mud, no.
It’s a weird new world.
Studies Of Interest
Does anyone want to buy a used heat suit?
You might go faster.
Results And Kudos
Noah Bott- 3P, U19 Men, Lake Sonoma Grasshopper
Noah Hayes- 1P, Cat 3 Men, Santa Barbara Road Race
Bike Fitting Thoughts
Closing down the hips with too much angle
It’s very common when looking at pro-level bikes to want to mirror their setup, especially the drop from saddle to the top of bars. The biggest thing to understand is professional athletes
- Are very adaptable to different positions. They would still be (relatively) fast on a tricycle.
- Spend a ton of time focusing on and optimizing mobility, flexibility, and diet.
While we are always looking for free speed in aerodynamics, trading it for power and especially comfort needs to be well thought out considering your goals. While a track pursuiter or short time trialist may make decisions leaning towards optimizing their aerodynamics, many other athletes would be better suited to optimize for comfort and power. If for instance you are a criterium racer and you can’t ride in the drops comfortably for the majority of an hour-long race you are giving away a huge amount of improved handling and safety. If you are a mountain bike racer and struggle to stay balanced over the center of the bike on descents, you might want to rethink your position. Especially if you are complaining of lower back pain after grinding up a hill seated!
Be well,
Coach Johnny