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Scott Mares of Sibex Sports has recently had his "The Complete Book of Cyclocross, Skill Training & Racing" published. Here's a small excerpt:
1 Minute Gain
If I told you that you could gain one minute in a race with the same engine and a little skill practice you would probably think I was crazy. Well, this next section will show you how to do just that.
Let’s say you have an identical twin with an identical VO2 max and LT (Lactate Threshold). You go to a cyclocross skill camp, but your twin does not. When you are there, you learn how to get on and off your bike efficiently and you continue to practice on a weekly basis after camp is over. Now let’s say that all that hard work and practice has gotten you only one second faster though the barriers than your identical twin. If the race is 10 laps long and has four barrier sections, after five laps you would be 20 seconds ahead of your twin. If we take into account fatigue and some mistakes your twin will make during the latter half of the race, you are probably now two seconds faster through the barriers than your twin. So, if my calculations are correct (and they should be after going through the first grade twice), in the final five laps you gain 40 seconds in addition to the 20 seconds you gained in the first half of the race. This means you would beat your identical twin by one whole minute. Go back through the results of your previous cyclocross races and see how close you were to your competition at the end. After some correct practice, you should be close to closing that margin on your competition.
Being efficient on and off the bike can make a vast difference in the long term of a race. A rider that is trying to stay with you though the barriers will most likely lose time or crash if they are not as efficient in dismounting and remounting as you are. That pressure will cause them to make a mistake and lose large amounts of time. If they back off, they will have to make extra efforts to catch back up to you, which will most likely result in them blowing up too soon. Smooth, controlled and efficient techniques will allow you put all of your energy in to going forward.
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Drop bar levers have more mechanical advantage than flat bar levers.
re. the cable moving, it sounds like your cable is not seated properly at one end. Take it off and insepect where the cable sits and the end of the cable outer. Is it cut off cleanly, you may need to file the end to get a nice clean finish. use a ferral if you have one too.
solder also works a treat
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a few of my faves
Jeru- ya playin yaselfNow I don't push a Lex
Others had their turn to flex, Jeru is up next
All, these so called players up in the rap game
Got brothers on the corner selling cooked cocaine
It used to be LaToya and, jim hats
But now it's uzis macs and, g-packs of cracks
Everybody's psycho or some type of goodfellow
But me I keep it real that's all swine like jello
Don't drink Cristal, and I can't stand Mo
Never received currency for moving a kilo
Or an ounce, make em bounce to this fake-pimp free flow
I never knew hustlers, confessed in stereo
Or on video get caught you'll know who turned State's
Evidence, murder weapon, confession and fingerprints
Mama always said watch what comes out your mouth
Tight case for the DA from here to down South
Knowledge wisdom understanding like King Solomon's wealth
You're a player but only because you be playin yourselfits in the ending:
If you got so much cheese
where are the black distributors?
And these record labels shake 'em down like mobsters
But imposters like commercial locks and not rastas
Always faking moves- never makin moves
Arses shake bottles pop
The Government is breaking down you fools
You work all week and give the devil back his loot for joolz
And the steak on your plate is full of chemicals
Still Brothers leave brothers all bettered and bruised
on the street
Wont see snakes on my feet
The race is on but I wont complete -
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I love the way you did it all life sized and that...Real pretty. You gonna take it?