The Jaded Jaguar

Introduction: It's known as the party class. In CXSS you might race a gorilla, battle with Batman or tangle with a triple tandem. Bacon, bananas and beer are acceptable hand-ups. You choose one chainring, one cog and seal your fate with burning lungs and acid filled thighs. There is no description of this class that doesn't include the word: Crazy. This made me wonder if my sullen disposition and oft poetic ruminations were simply too serious for singlespeed. Then I thought... screw it! I'm gonna write whatever I feel.



The Perfect Gear: Perfection is an ideal developed for suckers. Striving to attain ultimate glory with calculated inches is akin to maximizing horsepower with a new transmission. The vehicle is a tool. Only operators can fail. Only riders can lose. When I asked my local bike shop about dropping to 41t in light of my struggle to conquer ascents, they said no. Build stronger legs, they said. Build stronger lungs.

When a retailer tells you not to buy, we assume …

"I can't find a pulse," said the nurse who was pinching my right wrist. My ghost white body lay unmoving in the Millenium Medical facility. My eyes were closed and blood pooled under the heal of my left foot. My 2nd Cyclocross race was only 11 days away but I was starting to doubt that I would make it. I was having a little struggle with mortality but, as Billy Crystal's character in The Princess Bride said, I was only mostly dead. A Doctors voice urged from my left, "Come back to us son, open your eyes." They slowly opened to the light. "You're gonna be okay." I was surrounded by people and they sounded very worried so I tried to reassure them with weak words, "I'm here. I'm alright."
"What is his blood pressure?" The Doctor was holding my hand while giving directions. "60 over 30." He nodded, "Let's get him some oxygen." Plastic tubes slid into my nose followed by a soothing pulse of cool …

If you are the kind of athlete who likes to stay ahead of the learning curve then you probably already have a complete series of channels that you follow on Youtube. These short videos have become an excellent location to get news, stories, DIY tutorials or lectures on virtually every subject under the sun. Specifically, cyclists have a wide array of choices for motivation and information.
Over the last few years I have scoured Youtube for the best of the best in news/tips, exercise updates and product information. The following are the Top 5 sites that I found most useful and most entertaining.


1. GCN - The Global Cycling Network has quickly became the top dog on all things bike related. Funded by Google this internet sensation is the closest thing you will find to a full out television network. Hosted by former Pro racers Matt Stephens, Daniel Lloyd and others its weekly news show covers road racing from around the world with occasional mentions of MTB and even BMX. It also uses th…