Big Bikes

I Need To Go See The Pedal Peddler

My XTR Pedals' record is 1-2-0 at the Glocester Grind. That's one win, which really just entailed remaining intact; two losses, that is two of the pedals were destroyed beyond repair; and no draws. Though I have no idea what would constitute a draw between a pedal and a gnarly mountain bike race course. Maybe if I had to drop out for some reason other than a pedal-explosion — like a face-explosion on a pointy rock.

In '08 I slammed my pedal on a rock the first lap and broke one of the few parts Shimano does not offer replacement for. This year I one-upped myself, breaking the actual body of the pedal to the point that I lost the entire spring and cleat retention plate-dealy (or whatever you call it) in the mud somewhere.

Craig Mello even got a photo of me looking down, trying to figure out what the hell was going on:

Fuck, fuck, fuck, maybe fuck isn't a strong enough word...fucking fuck!

There, I made all the swears small so my grandmother, my readers from the Christian right who have trouble reading normal-size words, and small children suffering from hyperopia without their glasses will have more trouble reading them. If you're not offended by the word, go listen to George Carlin for a minute and then come back.

Don't you feel better? I know I do.

The Glocester Grind video below was taken by Chris Gagnon of MTB Mind and Crosscycle Fitness. If you watch closely you can see my not-so-bad start, as I sit in 4th from the gun. You can also see my oh-so-bad pass at the 5:30 mark as I come crashing into the frame from the right side, taking a goofy line through a rock garden.




And ya, I'm still going to yammer some more about my pedal. So here's the upside — this year I broke my LEFT pedal, and the whole car ride home I'm going: "Fuck, fuck, fuck.." No, I'm kidding, I do that sometimes believe it or not. I was going: "I hope I broke my RIGHT pedal last time, I hope I broke my RIGHT pedal last time, I hope I broke my RIGHT pedal last time..."

While the single-speed Gods & Generals may have been trying to punish me for my sin of not single speeding; somebody was looking out for me, and I have a pretty good idea who that somebody was:


I may not know what the hell Dio was talking about, but I do know that I'll be racing on two functioning pedals this weekend at the Weeping Willow.