Hacking it up
JF (left) and Mrs. P (right) look on to watch the Chuck Norris of cycling (Wayne Simon) hand up $2 Fat Tire during the 4B race
Image By Chris
Chuck Norris doing $2 Fat Tire handups. This is cross.
HUGE thanks go out to SCW, Mr. Kelly, and the fine folks at Indian lakes Resort for the 24 hr party someone called a cyclocross race. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had. I have basically been dreading doign this write-up because there is just too much to cover and I know no one will read it all the way through. Actually after switching to the new site I can't even tell if anyone is still reading this....if you are - leave a comment! 
This course had everything I like in a cyclocross race. If I had been even remotely on form I would have excelled. Alas as my faithful readers know - I had lost my cross mojo earlier this year. Circus atmosphere for the sake of circus-ness, courses that were little more than a test of your brakes and headsets, epic loses to Bob "the Sponge" Murray (aka "Beverly Bob"), and a split up of one of the coolest crews in cross - those of us who suffered like dogs for top 20 placings in 4b's all last year, all led to me no longer feeling the cross love.
As I had predicted earlier in the year though as the year has rolled on the "not so faithful" have begun to drop off. A lot of people that dipped their toes into the baptismal waters of cyclocross have decided that burning they felt meant they were too good to indulge in the mayhem. Sinewy faces I recognized from the road have slowly disappeared - replaced by the slightly more rounded faces of the winter peloton. Guys who wouldn't touch a salad with "full ranch" on it 2 months ago are enjoying an all you can eat cheesecake buffet and handing up bacon, cupcakes, beer and twinkies.
As I mentioned the course was perfect. A ton of wide open hammering. I used every gear I had, and some of them twice. I found a wide sweeper on the backside that let me hammer in the big ring the whole way around and still held perfect traction. It was a big guys paradise....but the skinny guys still won - imagine that. My race was Sooooo uneventful. I hadn't been ont he bike in literally 2 weeks - outside of a powertest at MJH2's the previous Saturday. Mrs. P and I had a date night the night before. Needless to sayI was hung over severely in the morning. I was in a hurry so I got nothing to eat or drink before the race. Ugh. I poured in a poor performance but really got geared up by cross again.
After my race I got a chance to watch Debbie Dust (recent PSIMET wheels "rider") hang a "W" in the women's race - the first cross victory for PSIMET wheels! Congrats Debbie!
- Win for Debbie Dust!
Photo: John Wrycza
After attacking the buffet we settled in to watch the 1/2/3 action. Holy crap - great race. SRAM Scott has been tearing up everything - this day was no different. What was exciting was to see Ben Popper and Brian Conant give pursuit. As a Brian Conant "superfan" (I will for now on consider Conant the Bruce Lee to Simon's Chuck Norris) I felt it my duty to scream "I LOVE YOU BRIAN CONANT!" every time he went past. I got a few half grins . What made it better was the fact that this was Brian's 3rd race of the day (that I saw) and he had won the previous 2. I believe this was Scott and Ben's only race of the day. Best moment of the day was when Ben and brian came charging into the first sand pit side-by-side both catching some high air as they bunny hopped into it. Classic.
From there it was time to make the funny. It was a blast. I take the whole "don't modify the course" thing to heart so we didn't.....we just kind of leaned on the tape. Result - bacon alley. It was right at the perfect spot where just about everyone was running. The beer, cupcakes, bacon, twinkies, etc....were all flowing. It was so loud I had a headache before I had even left the event. My voice has only now begun to recover.
Me screaming at Lenski to get his butt moving....pretty much sums up the day - Photo: Liz Farina Markel
So.....next week. Cross is coming to a close so I just want to have some fun. I have already been running and doing a tiny bit of core work. Maybe I won't totally suck this week. One of these days someone will convince me to race the 4b's......hmmm......
Switch-up
New web site is up and running. Check it out - www.psimet.com
Big thanks go out to Tim Speciale for all the work and Runner Susan for the masthead/banner.
Our cross race is this weekend. Campton Cross. We did a sor tof bandit cross last night. I had fun. Cross Mojo is coming back. I decided to do the 30+ this weekend and then the 4b race....yup. 4b. I want to have fun again. 4b can be the place for it I am hoping.
This will be my total, "I don't give a" race. Beware all ye who enter...
Hawt. Like Carbon Hawt.
Please welcome to the Psimet lineup...his new line of 50mm carbon clinchers. Here they are displayed lovingly (albeit with temporary and incomplete decals) on his Salsa. Speaking of the Salsa Mr. Psimet here was not aware that many of you did not know about it's existance....well here you go.
I am riding these tomorrow night and then I will put them under as many bikes as I can for the State Road Race Championships on Saturday.
The set pictured here are laced up to some White Industries H2 hubs using DT revs in a 1X in the front and DT comps in 2X in the rear. Both of the wheels are stiff. Like mega stiff. Weight wise I can't remember where they come in. They are full carbon clincher so they ain't light but they're something like 930g for the rear and 700ish for the front....which would make it 1630ish. Still a light wheelset I guess.
It's hawt. Oh...and you can buy your own versions custom made for you. Go to and/ or mail me (psimet at psimet dot com) for a quote.
Honorable Mention….
I just got referenced on the Chicago Cyclocross Cup website. It links to my new cross builds. Slamming deals.
Now if only my supplier was in stock with the Niobium rims...nothing will ever go my way I believe.
I'm selling through the site and direct through Bicycle Heaven.
Now all I need is wheel decals and a logo....anyone? Got lots of leads but nothing has come through so far...
Oh....and Game On
What the flu?
So...Mrs. P is sick and odds are she has some form of the flu. Had to happen. She's a nurse and all that swine flu panic had her seeing a ton of patients daily. Now she has a fever and feels like "poop" - her words. Little P is in and out of a fever and I have had chest congestion starting to creep in while riding.
So...I hope everyone gets better soon. Being sick sucks.
This weekend is Monsters and Wheels on Willy (Madison). We have a solid 5's crew going for Monsters. They are hungry. They know who to mark and what to do. They're strong and a little crazy. You'd have to be in order to toe the line with 100 cat 5's in 1 pack. Everyone is going to be so afraid of wrecks that they'll all be pushing to get to the front....leading to wrecks....
Kind of glad I'm a 4 at this point.
Thanks to some great name dropping over at Bike Forums I have been SLAMMED with quotes for bike parts from my commercial site. I've got some great pricing on some niche stuff but I think some people are thinking I am going to like sell stuff below cost. I think everyone is just so used to getting great deals they have no appreciation for how good the deals really are sometimes. Some of the sales are coming through though. Good thing this is just a hobby for me.
Tueesday's group ride out of Penny rd was crazy. It was just weird. We have always passed a lot of team and club riders while riding out there but this week everyone ended up along the same path at the same time going in the same direction. There ended up being about 20-40 riders at different times representing: Village Cyclesport, Verdigris, BBC, Wheel Werks, Spin Doctors, Our precious Bicycle Heaven, Project 5, Chronometro (I think), xXx, ABD, and even a Mack rider I believe. Our shop rides in Geneva/St Charles are pretty well known for drawing a crowd but this was on par. Slower but on par. It was like an underground crit were everyone just met up and decided that it was time to race.
It was fun.
Keep the rubber side down and keep hammering.
My new commercial site
OK...I've been working on it for a while. Thing is I have played around with getting into the business side of the cycling world for a while. My current state of employment has allowed me to play a bit.
The idea is that I want a site that will allow me to put my thoughts and opinions about cycling and cycling related gear. I intend on expanding it to include fit, products, racing info, etc.
Obviously this is a commercial endeavor though. I am set up to get paid when visitors click on the links provided and/or buy something I have directly linked to. I also have a section on there that has my own products. Basically if you want something cycling related then just let me know and I can quote it for you.
I have to quote is because I can not advertise pricing becase of the distribution agreements in place. You can e-mail me at psimet at psimet.com for price quotes.
Hope you enjoy it. Yes it is not much to look at....but I hope I can build on it.
My commercial website
OK...I've been working on it for a while. Thing is I have played around with getting into the business side of the cycling world for a while. My current state of employment has allowed me to play a bit.
The idea is that I want a site that will allow me to put my thoughts and opinions about cycling and cycling related gear. I intend on expanding it to include fit, products, racing info, etc.
Obviously this is a commercial endeavor though. I am set up to get paid when visitors click on the links provided and/or buy something I have directly linked to. I also have a section on there that has my own products. Basically if you want something cycling related then just let me know and I can quote it for you.
I have to quote is because I can not advertise pricing becase of the distribution agreements in place. You can e-mail me at psimet at psimet.com for price quotes.
Hope you enjoy it. Yes it is not much to look at....but I hope I can build on it.