Saturday, February 06, 2010

1st race in the books

We had almost perfect weather for the races at Lake Orion High School today. And pretty much ideal course conditions. We had a decent turnout but I would have expected more riders. Everyone that did show up had a good time and most of use got to race on some singletrack. There were a few icy spots but the trail got better each lap and never broke down like I was afraid of.

I used the new carbon Flash with studded tires. I worked my way to third by the time we got to the top of the parking lot and then flew down the sledding hill, never touching my brakes. I went a little too fast and overshot the course but managed to ride back online. Going up a small hill the two riders in front got tangled and I moved into 1st.

I stayed in that position almost all the way back to the start line but was struggling since my seatpost had slid down, not allowing me to fully extend my legs and get full power. I stopped to raise and tighten the seat as a couple of riders went by.

The same thing happened on the next two laps, a slipping seat would force me to stand more or try to spin. I could feel the muscles tighten in odd spots due to them being forced to work in a way not normally encountered. I finished 2nd in my group. Overall I liked the way the bike handled but wished I could have had better luck with the seat. Every time I had it where it should be I was making good time.

Tonight is the Cannondale Midwest team meeting to kick off the new season. Most of the team should be there and we will get a look at our new logo and uniform design.

2 comments:

cjsbike said...

Go to the bike shop and purchase some carbon specific grease. It has a sandy texture to it.

FSA makes the grease. Then your post will never slip!

Steve Kinley said...

I made my own before using a little grease mixed with shafting beads, a silica mixture that is used to help take up space in loose golf club shaft/head repairs (another hobby of mine but not used much anymore). It has worked in the past for slipping posts but I will try the real thing this time.