MASH DNF
Photo by Mike Martin
Slow going on Wednesday’s stage. We rolled around 9:15 and reached the top of the final climb at maybe 5pm, having covered just 70 miles. At that point, the consensus was to pack it in for the day. We were still 45 miles from the finish.
A few of the delays:
- Cleat broken while skidding – 20 minutes
- Waiting for the race entourage to pass through – 40 minutes
- Many, many gear changes – 20 minutes
We started off under clear skies on gently rolling roads through the orchards outside Merced with the mountains on the horizon. But after the course left the valley floor, we didn’t cross a mile of flat ground the rest of the day and there wasn’t a climb or descent too small to warrant changing gears. I switched between 44×21 and 44×17, but I probably should have replaced the 17 with a 15. Oh well.
Photo by Mike Martin
That said, there was some amazing riding over snow-covered passes that had to be plowed earlier in the day because of the Tour. Mike got some gnarly descending shots from the scooter.
At least we knocked off all the day’s difficulties; from where we stopped, it was all downhill to the finish. I guess that riding track bikes during the Tour is an inherently slow method to cover these courses. Sure, It was disappointing not to complete the stage but that’s part of the adventure. Not every day is going to work out perfectly.
But one can always hope.
-Josh
Feb 19, 2009 at 11:39 am
those are the cinelli X mash bikes huh??
Feb 19, 2009 at 6:50 pm
maybe ill see you guys in escondido were the race finishes!!
Feb 19, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I don’t understand….what is the point of riding fixies if you are changing gears….alot. Pick a gear and ride the whole stage with it!!!
Feb 19, 2009 at 10:58 pm
More power to you guys! I’m amazed and proud to see Mash at the level they are at. They deserve all the fame they are getting. The collabs they have been able to pull off is just amazing! MashxCinelli= EPIC. Good shit guys!
-Mark C
Jul 28, 2009 at 1:03 am
Why not ride with an internal gear hub? It’s still fixed but you don’t have to waste time literally changing gears…. I don’t get why you would want to ride long distances on a track bike. It’s slower uphill and downhill. The kids jumping on the fixed gear band wagon aren’t going to appreciate what you guys are doing because apart from the fixed gear bike, you look like roadies. Isn’t that what riding a fixed gear is all about, to not look like a roadie and not dress in spandex? All the fixed gear cyclists I see dress in tight jeans, ride brake-less, no helmet, wear a messenger bag, dress in t-shirt, ridiculously short handlebars, spoke card, and funky color schemes on their bikes.
Jan 16, 2013 at 1:43 am
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