CX Marymoor Park

The race at Marymoor Park was under ideal conditions and the number of riders in each category made it even better. Most of the course was relatively smooth, but after entering the Velodrome it felt like you were riding a jackhammer and the two seats I saw laying on the course proved it. After exiting the Velodrome you had to climb a short off camber hill and then make a right turn back down it and turn again on the flat. I pretty much locked my back end up near the bottom until the bike straightened itself out and then I stood up on the pedals to try to get my speed back up for the chicane ahead. Then it was off to the back side of the drome where it was a long slow off camber turn which I wasn’t too fond of and my lack of speed sent up the caution flag to everyone around me. The hill after first set of barriers proved more challenging after my race because it too was off camber and slicker than snot after 180 bike passed over it 5 times each.  The track condition definitely made you give your tire pressure a second check. Mid twenties in the rear and a little higher in the front kept the GreerMeister upright for 40 minutes and my kit mud free. My inspiring moment was on the last lap. No one past me and I blew by the rider in front of me just before the finish for 28^th place out of 60’ish riders. Yea Me! I have a week off before the best race of the season at Woodland Park in Seattle. This one is always a blast.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAuilukAqNs

Spooner Farms

Every year for the past 7'ish years we've been going to Spooner Farms just before Halloween to take part in the festivities. Up first is the pumpkin sling slot challenge. The goal is to hit a target about 75 yards away with a small pumpkin purchased at two for a buck and walk away with a very large pumpkin. Our ten bucks didn't pay off, so we walked away with another memory of spending time together as a family.

Here's our annual family picture. 

Can't visit without having some freshly roasted corn on the cob, 

or a caramel apple.

Susan, trying her luck with the sling shot

and again making new friends. 

Magnuson Park CX

Today's weather conditions were near perfect and the course was very fast. Especially if you were a roadie because it had two long runs where you could put it in the big ring and crank away. I'm not one. I had two camera's prepped for the race. Bekah's small camera for some still shot's and the Go Pro mounted on my handle bars. We had a very good turnout for riders, but unfortunately we were all in the first race so I didn't have anyone to man Bek's camera. I was at the start shooting the S with other riders and at the whistle I forgot one very important detail about the Go Pro. It doesn't work unless you turn it on! So I raced with it sitting there looking good. If I spent more time with it, I could have tried to turn it on during the race, but I couldn't remember which buttons did what? It's all good.

Here's our latest team sponsor. Can you have a better sponsor than a beer company? 

Our rack of bikes. 

A beginner racing a bike with 20" wheels. He was scooting right along too.

This dude won by a nose. 

 

CX Tall Chief Golf Course

We had a bit of a home emergency earlier in the week (see earlier post), so my cx report is a bit late. Last weeks race was in new territory and it was a pretty decent course considering. I think we counted at least 15 broken rear derailleurs throughout the day and multiple other mechanical issues that stopped riders in their tracks but no serious injuries reported. The course was laid out with tall grass cut and pushed to the sides of the track in most areas and cutting the corner to the right didn't always pay off. The grass would get bound up in your cassette/rear derailleur and snap it off at the hanger if you're lucky. For some, it broke on the D side, then fell into the spokes. We all know what happens after that. Ka-Ching! Yep, go to your local bike shop and shell out a few bucks for parts and labor.SCX should try to use this course earlier in the season to avoid the mud and make for a faster course. I know it rains a lot here, so I guess its a crap shoot anyway you look at it. I'm still batting a thousand on my goal however, but just barely this time. I'm hoping Magnuson Park will go a little better. Here's a short video of the race. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsrIhCBWVCg&feature=em-upload_owner

 

Greermeister in champion form. 

Scott Moore's bike looking not so good. 

Brian Volkert, our team president suffering the mud and barriers. 

   

Shower Remodel

Our main bathroom has been having minor plumbing issues for several months now and I/we decided it was time for a makeover. I demo'd the walls and replaced the plumbing the first day and installed the wall board and tiles the next. I did all the grout work after work yesterday and was looking forward to a good nights rest. In the sack at 915, asleep at 930 only to awaken to the sounds of a shower at 1130. Weird?  I crawled out of bed and just before I opened the door to the bathroom, I stepped onto a water soaked carpet. Stepping inside the bathroom, I yelled HOLY SHIT! The whole place was flooded from a broken hot water line under the sink. Totally unrelated to my current project. Susan ran down stairs to shut off the main water supply and I reached under the sink to kill it at the source. To my surprise, the cold water valve was leaking too. When it rains it pours. The water was draining into the ventilation system and through any crack it could find to make it's way into the laundry room downstairs. The four of us spent four hours utilizing every towel in the house to blot up as much water possible and then squeezing it into the tub/shower. We looked like we should have been on an episode of I Love Lucy. : ) 

From the bathroom looking into our bedroom,

Looking into the hallway

I had to cut and remove the carpet in the downstairs hallway because it was too saturated to dry. 

Here's the culprit. I guess it was old and the clamp couldn't hold it anymore? 

Laundry room ceiling tiles.

More tiles. 

I rented four high volume, low pressure fans and a dehumidifier and I'm hoping it will be dry after two days with all of them running. The carpet dude will be stopping by tomorrow to do a visual and quote us a price to replace the damaged areas. Needless to say, the shower didn't get worked on today, but I'll post some pictures when done. Speaking of showers, I was wondering why the shower mate downstairs was always wet? It's leaking too! I think it's getting behind the tiles and seeping outside the pan and onto the floor. Did I already say, when it rains it pours? Life of a homeowner.

New Project

With the government shutdown and me getting laid off, I had some time to kill. I started a minor remodel on the our main bathroom beginning with new floor tiles and painting the trim. The floor's down and I'll be re-installing the trim tonight. We started having some minor plumbing issues with the hot water faucet several months ago and I've fixed it (so I thought) a couples times and it's finally time to strip it to studs, install a new shower faucet assembly, cement board, tile... More to come on this. 

I also started another motorcycle project. It's a 1990 Yamaha FZR 1000. It's been sitting for a little over a year and yesterday was the first chance I had to tinker with it. After a few hours of TLC, new plugs and carb cleaner, I had it running and rode it up and down the street to see how it handled. What a beast! My truck has a better turning radius than this. The guy I bought it from told me it skips out of second gear when the rpms reach 4500 and he was right. The goal was to make sure the bike runs correctly and then pull the motor, crack the case and swap out the bad gears with new ones. I ordered a better manual and it should be here by Friday, so I'll be doing some reading on the task and purchasing new parts in a week or so. I'm guessing the major work will start by the end of the month. Wish me luck because this will be new ground for me as far as motorcycle go. 

Here's a picture of the beast before I pulled everything off. I plan on painting it Jet Black if the crankcase work goes well.