Today...

Dear Readers,

18 days in, today is the last day of my mo. If you felt compelled, you could donate here.

I gotta say it was a good for a good cause. What started out as kinda funny, and a cool team thing ended up really weird. My family, my work, heck everyone busted my ass about my awful mo. Heck it  made even me think I was creepy.

some guys can pull this look off, me not so much.

Been doing more trail riding on the cross bike (single track). Most years I actually hate that. This year, I've really had fun with it. Heck, I even have some strava PR's on the cross bike. Don't know if that is a statement about my fitness or an indication that the trails at middlerun are just that buffed out... (read paved).

Finally, I got nothing against pot smoking. It's not my bag, but nothing against it.  I do have a hard time reading about people objecting to having USADA come to our region and test for PEDs because they are afraid to get popped for weed. I scratch my head on that one.

Stand for something or fall for everything I guess. Or just stay home and smoke weed. (ugh).

thanks for reading.

respect
fm

Tawney Town Race Report...

Dear Reader,

Man, what a wonderful weekend. It was really just what the doctor ordered. Saw my family, and had a ton of fun seeing all of them, was able to so sleep in past 7 two days, rode bikes, ate too much, had a couple pops and had the chance to really put in some solid study time. It was all very peaceful and pretty wonderful... Believe it or not I feel kinda energized coming out of that weekend...

Oh, and my mo made me the target of many jokes about 70's porn, and my new creepy look. There was some good action there too. If you can't laugh at yourself, well who the hell are you going to laugh at?  My mo continues to give Diane lots of attitude. I have taken to clarifying when a smart ass remark is from my mo, or from me...  Another couple of days, and my mo will be retired. Next year, I'm going full trucker...

Thanksgiving morning Monkey and I ran a 5k. Neither of us particularly are good runners, or run too much. I do run 20 minutes, usually painfully slow and with a hill, once a week, so this started our day off with big smiles:

We both set personal bests - (we've done 5 5k's over the last 15 years so you know we have them), and proceeded to not be able to walk for the next three days. To be honest, I still find stairs to be challenging...

Sunday was Tawney town the MABRA/Maryland/Delaware/DC State Championships. I have always liked this race. Tracy Lea and family put together a really fun course, in a nice park. The race has gotten better every year, and frankly it's the crown jewel of the Sportif Cup for sure. (okay, I've only been to 4 Sportif Cups, but I feel good about saying this is the crown jewel...) I also admit, that usually it is cold, and wet and generally pretty sloppy and technical, which greatly favors my riding style. I have had some good rides at Tawney town... This year however, was cold and bone dry. The course had a ton of fast turns, that were wicked fun. It was really fast... The fun up, was ride-able if you had a little space and were committed. I was. Which was good, because I couldn't run so well today.

One complaint: who the hell is the DJ? And why is he playing the sound track to every 7th grade dance I went to? I didn't know if I should be getting ready to race cross, or under the bleachers stealing my first kiss. Look I'm not the most progressive music person, but Sweet Baby Jesus- you can do better.

I won a Cross State Championship back in 1999.  Since that time I have been privileged and proud to earn a number of silver and bronze medals in the states, but I have never captured that second state title. It remains a goal for me. This year, I targeted the single speed class, and felt good about my chances to win a second state title as the season developed.

So the race went like this, off the gun a group of 5 of us got clear of the rest of the group. It was Bobby,  Pat,  Clark, Skip and I.  I sat fifth wheel through the first lap as we were all together. I kept my eye on Pat, as he was the only other Maryland resident in the group, and the man to beat for the state title. Almost half way through the 2nd lap, Bobby went to the front and punched it a bit.  The group pretty much blew up. I was the first to pop off.  I then struggled to try to get back to the wheels of the Nuts about Granola boys (Clark and Skip) but it never happened. I pretty much rode the rest of the race by myself. Course was fun, I was pleased with my ride.

I'll admit I was a little disappointed to miss out on a chance to finally get that elusive second state title. But, Pat is a class act, and frankly faster than me, and a well deserved state champ. Problem is, now I gotta send a box of "fatmarc vanderbacon 2012 maryland single speed state champion" t-shirts down to the salvation army. They'll go nicely with the "Oregon Ducks NCCA Football National Championship" t-shirts and the "Philadelphia Eagles 2012 Super Bowl or Bust T-shirts!"...  Winning a State Championship will always be a goal for me... I also note that both Pat and Bobby DNFed the elite race later in the day. Clearly the sensations in their legs were bad after feeling the intense pressure I was applying to them. (really, seriously).

A good weekend, a good time, and how's that song go?

cross is so much damn fun... can't wait to get to race again...

thanks for reading,  be safe out there...

respect
fatmarc

Changing Lines, and Battling Back...

At Rockburn there was this corner at the end of the climb towards Team Row.  Just after the crest of the hill, it turned left, and then was a big sweeping right, back to the dirt road, and past club row. The turn itself was really very innocuous. It looked pretty innocent. The first two laps of the race, I followed the wheels in front of me, most of which took the worn in track that was starting to get a little slick. I’ll admit my tire pressure was a little higher than normal, and both times through, I slid a little in the corner. Nothing to cause alarm, but inertia was pulling my big ass towards the tape.  I gotta say, it was fun, and really not that big of a deal, except that both times I lost just a few feet on my group, and had to slam my hand in the door, and bite my lip to get back on the wheels.

Third lap through, I altered my line just slightly to the left, off of the track, and I hugged the tape on the outside. The tires hooked up like velcro, and I was able to stand and accelerate on to the dirt road, versus losing ground and momentum, and having to dig my way back to the group.

The final two laps  I used the same line, both times trying to escape my group.  Simple line selection.  A matter of maybe an inch. Maybe saved me a spot.  Cross is rad…

In school news, I got my grade back. It went pretty much as I expected. I got two of the three problems essentially 100% right, and the third zero credit.  Most of the class had similar experience to me. That said, 2 kids got it pretty much right, so despite not covering it before the test, the professor is keeping it. Yeah, there's a curve, but it's not pretty. I was furious at first, and really it's not fair, it wasn't a fair test.

but you know what, life isn't fair either. This is business school, business ain't fair. So, I'll keep doing what I do, which is work my ass off, and try to salvage this class. Battling from the back...

thanks for reading.

respect

vanderbacon

"Nope that is not Laura Murray's Bike" - Kutztown and Rockburn races

Dear Readers,

First to the many folks that asked today if this :

Hipster Bike for work...

was Laura Murray's bike, the answer is no. It is my hipster bike/pit single speed cross bike.
Yup, I expect a fine in the mail from the director for this one. But I've been wanting a beater steel bike for awhile, and  I had a box of parts.. So there it is. It was fun to ride on the pump track at Rockburn today..
Thanks to Sven Nystrom for the guided tour.

dirty 'stache coming on slowly

Second, I have realized that I race cross better with facial hair. I can't explain why, but I do. And it appears it doesn't matter how bad the facial hair is. this is a proud product of C3's movember movement. (7 days in I got a late start)

Kutztown day 1 single speed.
Race was advertised for 30 minutes, I figured it would be a 4 lap race or so. I heard something about a 3 lap race on the line, but wasn't sure. Game plan was to start hard, and try to follow Appletans to the best of my ability. He generally eats my lunch. I got a good start, the Kutztown course suited my strengths, lots of corners, lots of jumping out of corners, I got a gap. At the end of one, I saw that it was going to be a 3 lap race, so I stayed on the gas. Ryan Dudek was in charge of the "official PA Series Single Speed Feats of Strength Section" that involved him throwing meat and spicy mustard in your mouth as you rode by. Must say they were the most efficient sausage feeds I have ever had in a cross race. Ryan did comment on the saliva, mustard nastiness that started to form in the corner of my mouth. At the end of the day it was a little weird, and I was a little disappointed that the race was short of the 30 minutes, but really I got nothing to complain about:

Bologna anyone?

What can I say, racing and eating came together for me pretty nicely.

Rockburn. Single Speed.
By far the deepest single speed field I raced in this year. The course was super dry, and really fast. The first lap blood was seriously shooting out of my eyes. Seriously. I haven't done Rockburn in a couple of years, but if felt like it was less technical than I remembered it.

But I digress. The top 5 guys got pretty clear, and with 2 to go, I sat in a nice group w/ Chris (bicycle outfitters) Luther (NCVC), and Clark (Nuts About Granola) charging at the front. Clark had a mechanical, which caused him to pull out w/ 1 1/2 to go. He was the strongest in our group.

Last lap, Luther, Chris and I are grouped together. Luther is on a mountain bike and he bunny-hops a large
 natural barrier that Chris and I have to run. I try to run in front of Luther, and at least keep him in the group. He  puts a good shoulder into me, all fair, all clean, and starts to take off. Chris responds, and I'm starting to get dropped... "get there" I say to myself. Up the final hill, I come off Chris's wheel and charge for Luther who had gotten a little gap when I tried to block him and  he shoulder checked me (totally clean and fun racing). I had one last technical section that Luther was riding, that frankly running was faster. I get close enough that I think with my run, will put me in front just before hitting the pavement for the final 200 meters. Then Luther ran the section. Crap. I didn't make the pass, and rolled in 20 meters or so behind him.

It was a good race, I was happy with the effort. All in all a good weekend...

to the kids at Rockburn cheering for me, "go full skin-suit guy!" thank you for cheering, but they were leg warmers, not a full length, full legged skin-suit...

thanks for reading.

respect
fatmarc

Lilliput Lookout !

Dear Readers,

Monkey and I were looking at race pictures from the weekend last night.

She says to me, "I know you've been watching what you eat. Been working hard, balancing everything. you know honey, I see pictures of you walking around with our teammates, I've seen pictures of you racing your bike, and you look like a bike racer, you look like your peers..."

Monk continues, "and then, once in a while there's a shot where I just say..."

I interrupt, "that I am freakin' Ginormous!That I am HUGE ! A monster among men..."

We both start laughing. "You saw my podium didn't you?"

I hit the podium once in like 3 cross seasons, and I look like Gulliver and the inhabitants of Lilliput.

seriously, my chest is like 3 inches wider than anyone else in this photo...

Can you pick who came from a family of light weight wrestlers?

UGH...

an old coach once told me, there's never a bad podium shot. I'm gonna go with that...

thanks for reading.

respect
vanderbacon

School Blues PT 2

Dear Readers,

Thanks for all the advice on the blog, and in the private emails. At the end of the day, I did email the professor. At the end of the day, I didn't want to wait for the grade and come off as sour grapes. The reality for me is that I didn't think that the question was fair.  At the end of the day, that was my point- yeah I want a good grade, but I wanted to be tested on what we covered.

The professor was cool. He's a good guy. I enjoy this class. He essentially said, he'll grade fairly and make sure that we are held accountable for what was appropriate. He said, let's wait until all the tests are graded and work through it. He also commented that we missed a class with the hurricane, and as such we didn't get into some of the material with as much depth as normal. All of this will be considered.

I read that to mean essentially, he'll throw a wicked curve on the test, and to chill the F out.

So, I'll wait for my grade. Either way, I felt better speaking my mind, because, as those of you that know me, I'm not really great at biting my tongue. Especially when it's involving an issue of whats seems fair...

Anyway, the journey continues, I'll wait patiently for the grade, and see what happens next...

respect
fm

No Music on MTV ?

School Blues...

Dear Reader,

It was inevitable that it would happen. I had a really bad exam. I am frustrated and frankly angry. I'm generally not one to attack the test, but mentally I keep going there.

It was a three problem exam. The one problem was one that we had not covered in class, and frankly when I sought out help, or the opportunity to come into see the professor last week,  we never connected. Fuck that, he never emailed me back. Look I like the professor, he's a good teacher, seems like a great guy.

I own that I should have gotten into his office hours the day of the test, but you know, I have a job that is already very kind to allow me flexibility with school. Just prior to the test, he walked us through the problem. I understand the concept, but also am not bright enough to see a complex problem 20 minutes before an exam, and nail it on the test 20 minutes later.

I recognize that I ain't the brightest bulb, but I work hard. During this journey there have been plenty of concepts I didn't get. Plenty of problems I didn't understand. But if I throw time at them, and have a chance to reverse engineer, and work them- I'd get it. And that's what's got me furious right now. I never had a chance to do that with this problem.

I have no illusions of graduating with a 4.0, that was never the goal. But I put in a lot of time studying, and sacrifice a lot of time with my wife and dogs, family and training, and sleep, and stress, and energy level at the office even. I at least want a fair chance to show what I can do.

I don't feel like I got that fair chance.  I am very frustrated this morning. Not sure of my next step. I'll be honest, I am confident my peers are largely worse off than I. Do I wait for the grades? Do I email him today? Frankly, I am more upset that I don't feel like the test was fair, or that I had a fair chance to answer it as much as I am about the grade.

I don't mind getting my ass kicked if I get to give my best. I don't feel like I was given a chance to give my best here.

I am furious. I am really frustrated, and I love this class. Damn it.

respect
vanderbacon
(doing my best to not send an angry email)

Fairhill and Schooley Mill

Dear Reader,

Two races for me this weekend, with the simple goal of riding cleanly, not crashing or break anything. Kind of a tall order considering the voodoo curse I have been racing under for the past few weeks...

Fairhill was a fun course, I made the initial split at the end of lap one, an at the end of lap 2 I was in with the group of guys I wanted to be racing. The course was really fun, save for the one long climb which busted my ass every lap. I know it wasn't half the lap, but in my mind I would break down loop into the climb, and the rest of the course. I was happy with my ride, had a couple of chances to pick up a spot or two the last two laps, but couldn't seal the deal and I  rode in solo. I did pit on the last lap, as the rear tire washed out on one of the off cambers and I wigged out a bit. In the end it was fine, but with the luck I have had recently, I took a bike to be safe... Thanks to Blake and Monkey for pitting for me...

monk put in a solid ride Saturday too!

Sunday was the single speed race down at Schooley Mill. Auer and Esmonde were off the front. Four of us were left to battle for the other spots on the podium. With two to go Clark was up in third and almost clear, followed by Dimitri the 17 year old wunderkind, Chris (from Bicycle Outfitters)  and me.  I tried to work with Chris a bit, but he wasn't really having any of it. Anytime I went to the front, he'd charge back around. He must have really hated my lines. After burning a couple of matches unsuccessfully attacking him, I sat in on his wheel.

Final lap, I  was sitting 6th through the barriers, pretty much resigned to sprinting for 5th.  Up a quick roller I looked around Chris and see  Dimitri the wunderkind coming back to us. I punched it around Chris and carried my momentum past Dimitri. I kept the gas on across the off camber section, and as I hit the asphalt with 300 uphill meters to go, I saw Clark. He had no idea we were there. I jumped hard. I was closing in, and with 50 meters or so to go Clark heard us and jumped to sprint. Dimitri had jumped to my wheel, and my sprint was almost over. The three of us came to the line, Clark 3rd, Dimitri the wunderkind, and me in 5th...  I'll debate whether I should have just watched the wunderkind, and wait to sprint at a more reasonable distance or if going for Clark was the right move, but either way I was stoked to (1) not break anything and (2) to  have a rad race.

Weekend was a pretty outstanding one, got to see lots of teammates, and I was stoked to race well both days. The season rolls on...

A few BTW's:
1. New Bond movie is rad.
2. Brett and Steevo are excellent house guests. It was rad having them stay with us this weekend...
3. I have a midterm tomorrow, I need to study now, and stop blogging...

thanks for reading...

respect
fatmarc

pictures from Dennisbike.com, Jen Tillman, and Jen Sears

School and Politics

School rambles on at a hearty pace. Midterm exam coming up on Monday. My last class for 2012.  Feels good to say that. I’ve been studying a lot. Managerial Finance has been very interesting, and I really like the professor. We missed a class because of the super storm and the last session was rushed. I’ll admit that’s got me a little worried. I’ve been working the problems a ton. I can do them frontwards and back. One set however is breaking me. I understand the concept, and do lower level problems, but pulling together the long term retirement plan, with multiple cash flows and combined TMV functions, I am failing.

I have reached out to the professor, I haven’t heard back from him. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it into his office hours until Monday. Yeah, a few hours before the exam. It’ll work out. I’m sure if I can walk through a couple of problems, I’ll make it work.

Okay, here’s my election analysis.  The red guys tricked themselves into believing that everyone who listens to Rush, Hannity and Fox News believed exactly what they do, felt what they do. I have to admit, I listen to Rush- I don’t really believe he believes half the shit that comes out of his mouth. On the other side, the blue guys were much more open to a much broader and diverse set of views, set of who was under the tent.  It just feels like they reflect the makeup of our country so much more so. That’s why I feel like the blue guys won. FWIW Nate Silver is probably living the best life in the world right now.

Okay, last time I talk politics here, Maddow kinda nailed it here:

God Bless America.

Best to you all.

Respect

fm

Cycle Smart International and other 70's Sitcoms

Dear Readers,

I apologize that about a month ago, I didn't tell you about my trip to Hawaii. I was able to get a deal on a trip with my neighbors the Bradys.

When I was with the Bradys I found this bad-ass tikki necklace.I put it right on and since then I have had the weirdest luck.

Comes to find out this sweet little tikki is cursed and brings bad luck to anyone who wears it. It would seem that I have been snake bitten.

let's just say the first two laps of my race followed a familiar theme of recent weeks insert dropped chain and pulling rear wheel out of drop out. I have to be honest, I was pretty much ready to head to the beer tent to drown my sorrows, when my buddy GEWILLI passes and says, "race yourself back into it..."

fartecus had a pretty good day...

Taylor "girled" a lot of boys to this spot!

And so I did. Diane has often asked me why I love the CSI race and the Look Park course so much. It's because it's really two kinds of races. Two challenging run ups to the upper section, an upper section that is technical and twisty, and a lower section that is straight up power and group riding. So the last four laps of the race went like this: attack the run ups, be aggressive on the top, pop guys off of my group and or jump to the next group... Get to the barriers and then find a wheel and get in the drops and bleed out my eyes to hang on. Repeat. Just like the last four times I have done this race, I came the final stretch with a group. I won the sprint, and while my result was 5-10 spots back from where I wanted to be, I was actually pretty happy with my effort. I like the CSI course because it forces me to race tactically, it forces me draft and use all my power, at the same time not throwing out all the technical skills that are my strongest suit. I never mind sprinting at the end of a race either to be honest... I felt good about my race.

Craig railing it...

sucking wheel...

Saturday night was a great time at my brother's, as we were joined by Tom, Bad Kat, Benny, L-Web, Jeffy, Monk, and Jess. It was fun. I didn't sleep well Saturday night. I have to be honest I stressed out all night about not being able to get gas from southern Connecticut to Delaware. NJ and NY where hit by the storm badly, and going up, there we passed lines of folks waiting for gas literally 1 mile long. Southern Jersey was okay, and we topped off on the way up. Coming home there would be a ban on cars with even number plates getting gas. Yeah. All night I was trying figure out where to get gas on 84, how many miles I could make in the car, and would Diane and I  end up a victim of the Great Humogous in some Mad Max Post Apocalypse event stranded on the side of the Jersey Turnpike.

Photos taken on the NJ Turnpike Friday Morning

Morning came and I was sick to my stomach with frankly stress. I decided not to start Sunday's race. I have to say  I have had a number of times in my life where I was at a race, but didn't race. There has always been some pangs of desire to be out there. Today, I had no such pangs, and frankly further cementing my decision was the right one. I'll hang the bikes up for a couple of days, spend some time focusing on school and get back to it next week. With the Evil Tikki back at it's proper resting place in the cave on the Big Island, I expect some good fortune to finally come back around my way...

BTW, I got gas just before getting on 684, and worked the tank to average 33 mph, and made it home easily and with no issues. I felt good to have a little more than a half tank getting on the turnpike with 80 miles to go to get home... Stomach finally felt better at that point.... Yeah, I'm a little OCD what can I say...

thanks for reading...

respect
fatmarc