Battle at the Boneyard

You might be asking, "Why does Alex need yet another blog?" The truth is that I started the Bog Dogs Race Report to record the Mountain Bike racing experiences of my brother and myself. It has since become a successful commercial enterprise that serve the needs of Florida's BMX Racing community. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy about its success but the change left me without a personal blog.

I'm quite aware that there isn't much of an audience for the racing ramblings of an amateur 30+ BMXer. However, I'm still a writer. I have that constant itch to express, describe and explain. While my victories and defeats are minor in the minds of others, they are meaningful to me and perhaps a few other older wanna be athletes.

This brings us to the Boneyard. High Springs BMX was my first race back after one month of saving money for my upcoming wedding. After having missed the Okeeheelee Qualifiers I knew my position as #1 rider in the 36-40 Intermediate class was soon to be challenged. With the SSA season half over I only have a few chances left to maximize my points and High Springs will be one of them.

I got in 8 laps at practice and was relieved to see that they were still running the Olympic points system. This meant I'd get in four race laps and earn a finishing place at the end. Unfortunately I ended up in a group of Expert men including Profile Racing's big John Pringle. There was no way to challenge these guys for the win. The best I could do for the day was try to keep up. In the end I got smoked and walked away with 4th place. Even so, the guys were great, the track was fun and my riding skills felt top notch. I still have two weekends before the High Springs Qualifier and I'm feeling confident that I could make a dent against the right competition.

Comments

CST Patrol MTB Tire Review

I've always been a sucker for cheap tires. In part because I'm a starving artist but also because riders tend to pay too much when it comes to upgrading their bikes. For example: How often have you seen a recreational rider purchase top of the line tires because they save him a few grams in weight? In most cases, if you really want to cut a few grams put down the cheeseburger. When it comes to mountain bike tires my measurement of quality sits at the apex between cost and consistency. For this reason I'm a huge fan of Schwalbe's Rapid Rob tires ( Read that review here ). While I'm still running a Rapid Rob on the front of my bike, I decided to try something new on the rear. Something even cheaper. Introducing the CST Patrol. For about $26. the 26" by 2.25" version of the CST Patrol is uber cheap. You get a wire bead, a weight of 780 grams with a single rubber compound but no EPS (Exceptional Puncture Safety) which can be found on other ve

Schwalbe Rapid Rob MTB Tire Review

Schwalbe has an excellent reputation for putting out stellar, high quality MTB tires. The up side has been their grip and superior compounds, the down side has been their prices, that is until now. The New Rapid Rob follows a long tradition of tires named with the alliterative double R, like Racing Ralph and Rocket Ron. Not a bad tradition to be a part of. So, what is different with the Rapid Rob that we haven't seen before? I bought a pair of 26 by 2.10 and put them on my bike to find out.

Bike Review: 2014 Raleigh Talus 29er

I have only ever tested a handful of 29ers. I generally found them to be more stable, aggressive on technical downhills with laid out geometry that felt race focused. While that sense of balance and control left a positive impression, I have never been able to afford such a beast. However, I will get to race one. Bicycles International of Venice and Luksha Reconstruction noticed my recent boost in name recognition, mostly due to the popularity of my book Twisted Trails . Then I told them about my ambitious racing schedule so they decided to sponsor me for the 2015 season. What I needed most was a bike good enough for cross country racing and gravel grinders. It didn't have to be a world beater but it had to stand a step above my now beat up Trek Four Series. Admittedly, that would be an easy task. "What kind of bikes do you see at the races?" asked Jason Luksha, owner of Luksha Reconstruction. While the trends have been fluctuating over the years between 26, 27

Author Alex Hutchinson

Search This Blog