It’s almost that time of year already! The Bethlehem Cup is one of my favorites. It’s a hard, technical race with a keg and a ton of food afterward. Save the date!

Admittedly the blog-post-per-workout is a bit ambitious. I’ve been at Collar City CrossFit for going on three weeks now. Every workout is a blast and I look forward to going to CF every time. Yesterdays Burpee Fran was killer and the hardest workout I’ve done. Ever. But it really felt great finishing it.

This past Sunday on a long bike ride I PR-ed a segment of the usual ride I do. Not sure what’s the cause of the PR but I’d like to think CF has some benefits that have translated over to the bike. Awesome ride, felt great the whole time and felt even better eating a burrito right after.

I’ve been looking for a gym to join for a while, since even at my fittest, I totally have a cyclists body; crazy legs and no upper body at all. Planet Fitness and all that are cheap as hell but no one gives a shit if you go, and I am really not the most motivated person, especially if alone.

So I wen’t over to CCCF for my Elements 1 class where they basically teach you some of the moves and lifts that are done during the WODs (Workouts of the Day). It’s not a crazy intense day as they’re basically figuring out where you’re at.

I learned all the basic CF stuff, the back squat, front squat, and overhead squat which are all just loaded squats. Also kettlebell swings, medicine ball toss squats (don’t remember their real name) and a bunch of others.

At the end, I did my workout, which was as many rounds in five minutes of 3 burpees, 5 kettlebell swings, and and 7 box jumps. This was super hard but I managed to do 6 round which seems pretty good for never doing that before. Also my base level for back squats was 100lbs. Both are good to start with but I can’t wait to see where this goes.

The ultimate goal is a more successful cyclocross season, which is why this is on here.

 
*September 10:* NYCROSS.com Beginner’s Clinic, Troy New York
Registration http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=14066

*September 11: *Kirkland Cyclocross, Kirkland, NY
info http://nycross.com/races/kirkland-cx

*October 2: *CX at Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
info http://nycross.com/races/cx-ommegang

*October 15 & 16: *Uncle Sam GP of Cyclocross, Troy, NY
info http://nycross.com/races/uncle-sam-grand-prix

*October 23: *Saratoga Spa Cyclocross, Saratoga, NY
info http://nycross.com/races/saratoga-spa-cx

*October 30: *Wicked Creepy, Bennington, VT
info http://nycross.com/races/wicked-creepy-cx

*November 13: *Bethlehem Cup, Bethlehem, NY
info http://nycross.com/races/bethlehem-cup

Be sure to view all the New York State races in one handy PDF.

As you may have seen in the other post, the Chrome Sherman is something totally new. I was super intrigued to get my hands on one for the upcoming Cross Season (never not thinking about cross!). It seemed perfect for me since I never drive to races and always have no system to packing my gear and spare wheels up into my other bag.  No wonder I was so interested!

The back is pretty much what one would expect from any Chrome bag. Good padding to keep your back from getting super sweaty when riding to the race. The shoulder straps are really comfortable too.

So, as you can see, this is no “normal” bag. It’s for race day, and has a ton of nice features that you wouldn’t expect. Such as when you’re at the race, being able to hang it from your stand, and have access to everything in the bag. How sweet is that! No more digging for ages to find your multi-tool.

Here it is all packed up. After setting it all up and thinking “I’m probably doing this wrong, I was. It looks a little weird in my photo, because I had the bottom flap on the outside instead of where it goes, on the inside. Regardless, if you’re one to freestyle things like I am, be assured that it was as secure as can be, regardless of my freeform style.

And one detail I love, shown below, is the captive strap-dangler-thingys. I’ve owned a ton of bags, and this is the first one to take into account those god forsaken dangling flaps that make you seem like a villain in a cartoon as they flap in the wind while you’re riding. Good job Chrome.

All packed up and on my back, it felt like any normal bag. It was actually much lighter than I had anticipated and even more comfortable that I would have imagined. Riding with it was not an issue in the slightest. What a stellar job they did with this.

If you’re intrigued, head over to the Chrome Bags store and read some more about it and see some shots of how you’re supposed to pack it up. I’ll report back after my experiences with the first road/cross race! I think this bag is a great solution to a problem many people face and I’m excited to put it to good use. Thanks a lot Chrome!

Leave any questions or comments for me below and I’ll be sure to answer.

From the facebook event page:

Calling All Cyclists! Bike To China is happy to announce the Spring Dash Albany Alley Cat event. The event will take place on Saturday, April 9th at the Albany Corning Preserve’s Amphitheater. Registration will begin at 9am and the event will kick off at 10am sharp. $5 entry fee. Don’t be late! All proceeds will go to charity. There will be good incentives for larger donations that are listed below and tax deductable. Helmets will be required and funny costumes permitted. Also, to steer away from competition there will be one awesome DFL prize.

$5 Donation
ENTRY + SPOKE CARD

$10 Donation
ENTRY + SPOKE CARD + BIKE SHWAG

$20+ Donation
ENTRY + SPOKE CARD + BIKE SHWAG + 1/2 OFF FULL SERVICE @BROADWAY BICYCLE Co.

Although I have to express my absolute disdain for “required donations”, it’s for a good cause, and I’m pumped to get out on the bike. It does support a good cause and you get to see who’s been riding the most this winter!

1. Sunday, 9/11, Kirkland Cyclocross, Kirkland, NY
2. Sunday, 10/2, CX at Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
3. Saturday, 10/15, Uncle Sam GP of Cyclocross, Troy, NY
4. Sunday, 10/16, Uncle Sam GP of Cyclocross, Troy, NY
5. Sunday, 10/23, Spa City CX, Saratoga, NY
6. Sunday, 10/30, Wicked Creepy, Bennington, VT
7. Sunday, 11/13, Bethlehem Cup, Bethlehem, NY

An early season Cyclocross clinic is also being planned and more details will follow.

I couldn’t be more excited for cross to start back up!

26-year-old Angela Burke was hit by a drunk driver on her way home on Wednesday night in Portland, Oregon. Angela was an Albany native that had just moved to the cycling mecca of Portland after graduating from SUNY Albany with a degree in psychology.

There is really nothing else I can say to accurately express my deepest condolences to all of her friends and family. It’s a real shame that I was never able to meet her.

There will be a candlelight vigil held tonight, Wednesday, December 22nd outside of Bombers on Lark Street at 9pm.

To read more, read the article on BikePortland.org.