Matt White has skills

For most of us cross is over, but this video makes me want to max the credit card and get over to Belgium and race a few more times. He's almost as smooth as Keller. Anybody wanna go?

Early Out

Perfect ski, I had a commute that couldn't have been better. Touring skis, fresh snow and a narrow trail. The best part was I did it solo without a stop other than to shed a layer, better trails better skis to come. A perfect way to get in on the last day of work b4 another long weekend. I came around a corner on the trail to see a 175 lb beast in the middle of the trail up a small rise, not real sure if it was a bear waking up for a snack (me?!) mid-hibernation or a stray yeti-like dog out for a morning stroll, I greeted him from a distance and made sure he knew I was there, he didn't want to be off the trail anymore than I did, I slowly skied up to him and passed him as I accelerated away I got to see that it was a really big dog, not a bear and he was old and hobbled, I wanted to make friends but I needed all my fingers and blood too. I moved on down the trail, bad ski for batteries, the iPod and the camera were dead, I had more stuff to hear in the woods. They were so quiet though, not much sound at all, my breathing and a few squirrels getting some breakfast, I like that, silent sports at their best. I wish I had pics to show how amazing it was, no camera though. After how blown out I feel from a 90 minute ski I know I have some work to do b4 I'm ready for the Commando Run. I'll Need to ski to and from work a few times to get the time in for that tour. The body needs more winter work April isn't too far off. Goals like the Commando Run are ones that are going to make me fitter for the first races, after that it all falls together into long rides some with gears and some without. Ready? I can eat and drink a beer without guilt tonight, I did my work and the weekend holds more of the same. Stay out of the way, town is way too crowded, explore some new trails and avoid main street at all costs. A night tour or two, no chance of seeing anyone then. Maybe I'll see the yeti-dog again. I got one photo off before the camera died, here is the trail early on more near the start.

Quiet

I feel more tired the less I do, I think institutional life is the key for me. Less is making me tired(er) than more. The bikes are there, the skis are there I need to be out there. Food isn't filling the void, only activity can replace the vacuity, I fall asleep and I want more sleep. It's time, the break is over, it didn't last too long, I need to be outside, I'll run, ski, ride or whatever. The snowboard was fun the other day, fast and grippy snow made me feel like a surfer again, variable speeds and more than a few hard frontside turns put a smile on my face. I could do more of that, maybe I'll walk up the hill and fool around, poach a lift ride or two. Winter is here, shhhhhh.

Post Xmas

I made it through, the highest of commercial holidays was surprisingly mellow. A good little ski in the morning after gift time and then a nice day with family. Somehow town isn't loaded to the gills, three of us got out on the hill yesterday and didn't wait in stupid lift lines too long or get hit by errant southerners. Wow, a good xmas in the mountains. I rode my snowboard and it was beautiful aside from the 60km/h winds coming off the peaks that scare the crap out of you. The snow was good and the runs were uncrowded. The chairs swinging in the gusts wasn't the most comfortable thing, reminded me of my first trip to a big ski area in high school, we have warmer clothes now, that made it easier. Now with New Years so close I get to plan the longer efforts, bike or skis, long is all that matters for the first block.

Xmas

Remember to keep the Christ in Christmas. I haven't read the bible but somebody did to help all of us sinners learn just how wrong we are and how right (and righteous) they are. Whatever this is some funny shit. I bet Leviticus was a blast, he had some problems too, I think.

• 1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? 2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? 3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. 4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is, my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? 5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it? 6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination? 7. Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle- room here? 8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die? 9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? 10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

Mormons

This was too good to not grab and post. Ridetrash is an underrated site. Go there and enjoy the good news.

a%

I think I'll have some new skis in the next week or so, lightweight touring gear to replace the 8 year stuff that we manged to cook 5 years ago, glide? What's that? Smooth? Not on those old battered Madshus the new stuff will be flowy for a while, I hope. Anybody need some used nordic gear? Guaranteed to make you get a workout. I'm all about covering real estate this winter, not short tours but longer stuff that challenges the effort. 18 inches since yesterday, Denver got even more than that, they were so hammered it closed down the whole Front Range. Nobody rides their new rigs outside until mid week, xmas bikes. The most nightime of any day in the Northern Hemisphere, the day isn't shorter, it's just got less daylight. The stoolstice is important, we only get more daylight from here.

Rolling

Winter work for inside sports, the outside sports are bit nicer right now, ski and ski some more, tune that engine it only gets bigger. Big news out soon.

Buy

Is the similarity between Santa Claus and Uncle Sam a little too similar. Good stuff. This was stolen from the kitten factory. Read and learn what's up. New stuff in the pipeline. More windshield.

System

The more I learn about the system the more I regret not getting in sooner. It's not hard, I just never knew where the door was. The tricks are there for the taking and the result comes out on it's own. Feeding the urge to make it better helps find the door. Look deeper and get to the place you want. The break has lost it's appeal, I want to do more, buy my nordic pass, get to the gym for a bit of winter work and get out for the long days. Jan 1 is the real beginning, right now it's skiing with the family and getting next year's program up off the ground. Spy photos before the year's end. The pieces do fit and I have the order in my head, now it just needs to be in the legs.

Gluco

Two days of different cross country skiing has my shoulders and low back in a twist today. listening to Tommy Guerrero on npr yesterday reminded me to take glucosamine. Cyclists get bones like birds if they aren't careful. I will run more this winter and skiing isn't about to build up bone density. Run and take shark cartilidge is my solution. Injured riders are a liability. Being fast later means being slow now.

ski

two days of skiing, the break lasted a week, i was getting tired just walking around, the tables are even again, skated yesterday, toured today with the kid in the sled. it was harder than some of the races. stiff climbs make the sled even heavier. math time; sled 20lbs, kid 35lbs=55lbs add in drag associated a sled, i gather another few lbs worth=hard work. perfect for the start of the winter work. game on. new stuff this week, change makes me happy.

stumble

clumsy is how i feel, the legs are loaded and the head is foggy as a scene from american werewolf in london. i see the break as a good thing but maybe i do crave the structure, should I have joined the army? how well could that have ended? i think that i need to sleep this week off and then get it all together to be quiet for a few months. ready as i'll be for the season of cold and snow and 6 hour days on the bike sprinkled with ski tours lasting nearly that long, classic in the trees, two hour commute on skis! i'm lucky, life is good.

Blur

Cross was a blur of good days and great days. Nothing too awful except for two days. I'll take that season anyday. Now I see that the winter silent work is here and the best part of the winter season is coming. Get your work done. Big news soon.

This is from breck, the third or fourth weekend of racing, I think my vision was so clear that day that this picture is the exact opposite of how I felt, going so hard that everything cleared up in my head/eyes/legs, not that I wasn't ready to throw up. I was. 

Break.

I have sleep in my eyes still, it's been four days since the last race and I'm still tired. Maybe cross is harder than I think. Food doesn't seem to be an issue, I'm eating like a hungry hippo. I feel empty, I wake up more tired than when I went in.

Next

I think the season being over has renewed my interest in the off season, I know that sounds stupid but bike racing is hard, people show up to race, some win, some don't and the guy crossing line is finished. Simple enough, no? Well, with the season being over I get to do what regular do all year; eat wings, drink an extra beer, holy shit I stayed up late last night! That was cool, I felt like an adult, we ate dinner at 9.30 and didn't stress about it. What a decadent lifestyle, this whole adult thing. I get too into the bike racer-monk life that I forget the sweet taste of life outside two wheels. Not that I'm this pious budha in training but the off season however short it is makes me feel uneasy. I like the structure, almost like a veal without the pen keeping it's muscles(flesh) supple, I like being on a tightrope between fit and sick, this time of year it's; hey whatever you want. I never stray from food at any point in the season, I did forego bearclaws for cross season, they kept giving me rot-gut so I stopped. On account of my super-furnace my weight doesn't switch up a whole lot. I should try to rest more and see if I can get into a pseudo-hibernation coma, how cool would that be a like a bear or a trout for two weeks, rest and relax in a vegetative state only waking to eat and evacuate. That is the rest I need all year, or maybe all the time. I want to put on a few pounds, maybe I'll switch to gravy in my coffee instead of half&half. And put sour cream in my sandwiches and mayonnaise, I could deep fry eggs and bacon for breakfast and... Silent sports are here, as soon as the body is done being sore from a season of racing. I'll get out and ski and run and snowboard. Base starts in two weeks, nothing too fast or hard. Time out there doing whatever it is. Get slow for a few months so I can get fast later in '07. Big things for next year, stay tuned.

Tally

I'm over the let down of Saturday. I need to get my shit together for the next season. Put all of my ski stuff in the right pack for skinning up and nordic stuff in order to suffer on the trails. the excitement is growing, I still need a few more days of doing nothing, I like that when I stop sleeping I'll know it's time to do something. Maybe eat some chicken wings, drink an extra few beers, eat the food I avoid whne it counts. I haven't had a bearclaw since 'cross started. The tally is done on the season over 12,200 k, 460 hours-done. Good year, about 12 single day wins with two series wins as well. Cool things to come for next year, new stuff to roll around on, new tics off the list. Stay tuned. This is from last week at Morrison-Red Rocks Elem. School, a better day, much better day than Saturday. You are only as good as your last result-right? No, wrong.

state

First mechanicals of the year were in yesterday's race. I got through 31 races and nothing till yesterday. It happens. Fun course, super muddy and not the roll thru kind, the kind that sticks to everything, soupy heavy slow stuff, great for the skill riders bad for the speedsters without mud technique. Without the mechanicals I think I had a shot but today they all came thick and fast. I go into the break tired and ready to do nothing for a few weeks. Winter is here, time to ski.

How I would do it...

Unfunny

Apparently Michael Richards tirade of N-Bombs helped sales of Season 7 of Seinfeld true, no such thing as bad press. Now other comedians are saying they too will boycott the use of the N-word? WTF? Unfunny-ness for holidays. I think I'll boycott the middle finger for a while as a show solidarity to anyone who has ever been offended by anyone. Maybe I could stop swearing too, nothing but "darnit", and "aw crud", I wouldn't want to offend. I really can't see people going to a comedy club and getting offended by anything? What did they think they were going to see The Wiggles? Let it go, it wasn't funny, at best offensive but to let it get to this point, public apologies so audience members can get paid for having their feelings hurt? Too far.

11 or is it 12

Rest and openers this week, then it's all done, I think three weeks of not much will do the trick, but I probably will stop sleeping by next thursday. Usually it takes about four days of nothing before I need less rest and less down time. Even after season. Yesterday was fun, I didn't have the urge to attack until two or three to go, I rode into the mindset instead of going out with the intention of getting away. Instead of using skills to get away I got to use them to stay close. I could give up little gaps on certain parts of the course, knowing I could hopefully get them back on the next techy bit or bunnyhop. My tires weren't soft enough to rail the off camber parts, my bobble on the last lap was a bit hectic, I thought I was going to get jumped, my attack had scored me enough time to cruise in without worry. Lots of great results this year, all the work and planning for cross has paid off, bikes have been perfect all year. Daisuke raced the same bike I won on to take second in the Cat 4 race, the bars slipped for him, sorry Daisuke! The course took a lot out of me and the bike, I guess.

Sabbath

There is about an hour of racing left in my season. Yesterday was good, lots of snow, slippy, narrow, off camber with a barrier near the top of a hill that I could bunny hop. It didn't decide the race but I did hop it every lap. 9? I think we did about that many laps. Another tricky little drop into a ditch that you could ride, most of the guys weren't. With the hop and the ditch it gave me a little break. Two of us were off the front I followed for a few laps to see what the tricky parts were. Mitch fell with 2.5 laps left and i tried a little attack, short-lived before he and Karl recaught me. Karl had a bad start and was moving up. Karl attacked at the start of the last lap I got around him going into the ditchnailed the ride up the other side and gassed it across to the bunny hop with enough of s gap the little slip on the last bit of off camber didn't matter, 20 seconds in hand, one race left in the season. I have been enjoying 2 below lately. When I left town to go to the race yesterday it was -9, close enough.

Wake up and smell the brimstone

Well worth your 5 minutes and 6 seconds, holidays are great but for Darwin's sake don't let them overtake your headspace like a seizure.

You heard of that?

Dave Z has a lot to say but not too often. If you are looking to listen to what it's not like in the bunch give his audio a try. Maybe for winter vacation I'll go to fat camp. Or I could always go to the house of the padded walls and get a little therapy out of the way. The sleep is coming thick and fast these days, I wish I knew why it was, maybe it's all the snow shoveling? At least I don't have to dodge errant SUVs and plow trucks like my neighbor. So far so good, rollers will be the workout today and remember that it's almost over. Not so much of a limp into the off season as a jump. A standing broad jump, from gym class in 5th grade. better than the running one, whatever that was called, I couldn't do the triple jump, that was for the kids who could dance. Enjoy your coffee, don't worry about the winter, you can't change it. Well you could ride the bus but then you have to pretend not to look around and wonder what the other straphangers are hiding in their coats or in their heads. Better than getting hit by a bus though, too scary on the roads to try that this week. Studded tires will be out by the new year. Time to put out to pasture for the winter break before I get ot suffer on the wheels of the guys who skip cross and are already in the second half of base. Not to be confused with second base, that's better than the second half of base anyday. Dieter has funny video link on his site, I don't want to steal the youtube window, go there and watch it, pretty funny after the first minute or so. txtmsg brkp, check it out, no that wasn't a typo.

Which One?

Who is more guilty, Michael Richards or Mel Gibson? Which one of their outbursts is more offensive, if at all? Both were wrong and Kramer's wasn't funny but what about accounting for taste? Is Gibson's new movie going to flop because of his DUI charge? Are holiday sales of the new Seinfeld dvd going to tank because of his unfunny stand-up and poor reaction to a heckler? I'll still buy the DVD, I think he's funny on the show but not for a second think he could survive a 5 minute set on stage. Words. They both messed up and because of their place as "stars" are under the microscope. The funniest thing was watching him fail, that was funny. The words weren't funny the act was awful, the failure was like a train crash, you just were waiting for him to save it but he is so untalented that it just spirals downward. Kramer is a one trick pony, he tried to be something he wasn't and failed, miserably.

Tonight

The motivation was fading all week, It's harder to get on the bike when it's 10 degrees outside and snowing. I saw this picture and got the fire all over for the last two races and 10 days that are left in my season. I see that nationals is out so make the most of the last two, win or go very well. This picture is from the Boulder Reservoir a week before the USGP, a good day, two strong guys beating up on me until three to go, I got lucky, the beach run suited me.

Gieten

Photographic evidence that not all of Colorado is under a few feet of snow. I like to know the option of riding a bike on dry roads is out there. I can't wait to get out and do 6 hours with no real agenda, no efforts that need doing and no place to get to. The snow from today makes me realize how long and far we have to go to get to spring. to the first taste of blood in the back of my throat in the spring crits and the efforts of getting in the work. In between this fantasy world and now there is still work, two more efforts, one ofr the state crown on the one day and both for the state crown in the series. Gieten it's not, Colorado Cross.

Two more

Get your filthy hands off my desert. I am excited to mix up the road miles with dirt miles come January. Time is what the goal is before April. Great Vietnamese food on Saturday. More snow today, better bones takes his hits, it's time to have silent sports. I feel good about the last two races, the weather is looming maybe for some mud, maybe real cross to close out the season. Two more then the plug is pulled. Ready for winter.

Monday

The ghosts can be put to bed in less than two weeks. Two more and that's it. I feel good, I can see thel ight and it's filled with snow. A photo that shows how bad I was feeling, this is early on, probably the first or second lap. I'm can almost see my breakfast thru my uni about to be liberated. It didn't but it was that hard. Dumb, my fault, you would have thought this was my first cross race. I'm smarter than that most times.

Sunday

I know the season is almost finished, I had good legs a week ago, is the air going out that fast? Could it? I doubt it, one more good week of training and carry thru the season's end. Today was tough, no high end, and a third row start to make it harder. I made the front but it cost me, too much to really get my shit together to have a good race. I think I chased too hard too early to make up for the poor start position. Too sharp that early and I'm gassed, especially on a bad day. Two more, game over.

THX

A weekend's worth of posts all at once. Not much to report, bad legs today, better legs next two weekends and then that's it. Rest, I need it, I want it. I think if I had a camera they probably would have got in their cars or horse and buggy and chased me down but how many times do you see a whole family of Amish playing volleyball? It was odd, they looked at me like I was the extra-ordinary one. They had on the whole Randy Quaid-Woody Harrelson Kingpin get up. I was looking for Buttercup in the barn just off the volleyball court. The bike hasn't felt this good in training for a while, Like Sunday it felt like I was riding without a chain. Just flowing thru the roads and over in my head what's left in the season before the little break and start it all over. I wanted more today but settled for less, pre-Thanksgiving Dinner rides are usually more brief than I would like. The fall refuses to let loose to winter, short finger gloves in late November? Odd. I know it'll all come down before long, maybe in time for the last few cross races. Three left. States is all that's left to do this year. State and Boulder series are all but wrapped up, solid results and done. Skinny ski time, silent sports, touring, and Fruitaaaaah. Maybe get some classic skis, easier and slower than skaters, try to go slow until speed matters in April. Slow winter sports makes for fitness later on. No road ragers today. I wove a pleasant little loop on the mellow holiday roads. Too warm to wear what I did but enough to vent. I think I broke my front wheel on the "A" bike, so much for Ksyriums lasting a full cross season. Broken axle, bummer. It feels like the wheel has a bit of play, broken axle, is my guess.

Watch and Listen

Watch this video with the sound on. It would be nice to have some cross footage in here but we don't suffer for 7 hours in a cross race. Look at the clock in some of the clips, pretty impressive.

Soon is here

Helper monkeys. The season is winding down and I feel the winter break in the middle of my thighs. I need it. But, I can't wait for the work to start in January. The chance to get out there and do the long easy days without any structured intervals or throwing myself at that hill in less than x or y minutes. It all is coming up. Like the way the body reacts to the first superhard effort in the spring. The group ride when you make the split and miss the next. The effort, the burning, the urge to pee, the urge to crawl under a rock. All of these things are coming up. The sharp end I made for cross is dulled by xmas only to re-shaped by April-Fools Day. More fat tires this winter than previous years. Fruita is about as far as the Fort. I hope I feel this good next time the effort is sharp.

RAM

I talk to myself a lot. Not quiet little non-sequetirs but full on conversations, out loud mostly. whether I'm riding or sitting at my desk it all just comes out in a steady stream loosely attached thoughts. Not that I find it distracting, it kind of helps my day move along but it also can be concerning too. It works out, by the end of the day I have most of the things hashed out in my head, only new thoughts come in as I fall asleep. Those are the ones I'd like to put on this page but I try to remember what I thought before I fell asleep in the morning and it's a lost cause. I don't know if the memory is going or I just have more to think about. The disk space is full of more and new stuff, and I wonder what is getting pushed out the back into the dumpster. I still remember phone numbers and locker combinations from high school. What happened to the other stuff? I find the bike is the one time I don't have to think about this stuff. In sunday's race i got think about the race. It was almost underwhelming, I got to look around and enjoy riding the bike in a way that required little else beyond the effort. Rocco made a video of one of the sections of the course from Sunday, looks like Kansas to me, check it out on the teamgreen site. Thanks Rocco!

Mond

It felt good but cold to ride today, good clothes again, the dickhead that almost hit me with his truck made the effort, to pull out in front of me, how nice, he couldn't wait 4 seconds for me to pass. Asshole. Still better than any other way to get to work. High teens, I think, not cold enough to really consider other means of transportation. Bagel and coffee on the way in has kept the furnace going all morning. Redneck factor couldn't put a frozen blanket on my commute. Bikes are good.

Veldriden

Rest weeks play with my head, less than two hours on the bike leading into a double race weekend wasn't the best prep. Saturday was tough, I never opened up, too short of warm-up followed by a little bobble early on gave the leaders the gap I couldn't close. I had some help in the chase but not enough to dent the 15 second gap. The photo shows how bad I felt, suffering, not in a good way. Somehow fighting for third was less motivating than the front end. Last lap gap easily gave me third and the series overall lead for Boulder was preserved. Sunday was a different story, plenty of time for a warm up thanks Jared! dialed the course and got to bunny-hop the single barrier 5 times in practice, four hot laps had me super comfy on the track and ready to roll the corners that were too tight to pedal thru. Long road stretch for the start, proper cross style, field sprint to start the race not finish it. Ideal leadout as I got dropped off right at the front for the dirt, separation happened pretty fast. I think the guys who were on wheels and not getting a clear view of the course were reluctant to push for fear of pinching on a rock or thorn. 5 of us were away at the end of the first lap and that became two when the pace was lifted, (Hot) Karl sat on for three laps before pulling thru for a half lap, going in to the single barrier he went left I stayed to the right and hopped it, he bobbled and that was it, I was gone, 4 laps solo with about 20-30 seconds in hand at the line. No mud, tricky turny bumpy fields instead. Cross is cross, life is good, only three left. Bad and good. Saturday was the opener I needed to go well yesterday. I never felt better in a race as I did on Sunday, golden legs and deep lungs. Bunny hopping was fun when and where I needed it. Other times just pushing thru the course, no mistakes aside from bumping the rear wheel on the plank as I hopped. Guys told me afterwards that I gained 50 feet by hopping onthe first lap, no hesitation if that is the time it makes. Fun, fun, fun. I love Cross.

Therapy

Rollers two days in a row. The work for the last few weeks of the season is getting done the other way. Not outside as I would prefer but rolling. It feels better to battle the urge to climb off. Better than just sitting on the couch and thinking, wow, you know, I should get on the bike for a bit. Alls better than that. Another dry weekend of cross coming up, I missed out on the slop of the PNW, maybe next year. At least it might be cold, that would be nice. Better than the alternative of never getting off the couch. It would be great to have another day like this.

Louisville

Saturday we race at this venue again, I can only hope it gets to be like this, doubtful, but that would really help my motivation.

Pre

I keep thinking how cross races make me feel. I haven't really been over this feeling since I started doing it eight years ago. The hour before the race I get really nervouse and nauseous and have to, well, visit the restroom. Then after I warm up a bit it fades until just before the start when the knot returns. Nothing is as bad as getting close to the venue in the car. That last five minutes is the worst. Then I switch into the pre-race mode but I get so wrapped up in the head games I need to play so I don't throw up. Then after the start the whole thing goes away and I race my bike. At the USGP I felt none of this, probably because I thought I didn't have a shot at the win. I was so relaxed warming up doing hot laps and getting ready for the race. It was oddly placid.

While

Better today, long weekends make me uneasy now, after four years of a four day schedule I feel out of sorts on a long weekend. I need a winter mindset, more than a foot of snow today has me dreaming of the longer tours I need to do this winter and the ending of cross has me wondering what's next. How long should the break be. Is it even worth trying to take one. Then I really wouldn't sleep, I'm not tired now so why would a break make me feel better. Midnight surfing isn't too fun. If it was midnight Surfing then that would make it worth while. The kind with sharks and waves. I feel tired from not doing anything for two days, rest weeks are tougher than hard weeks.

Blues

I think I would rather be cold than crowded on the bus. I felt locked in and oddly claustrophobic. I prefer to ride, no matter the weather. Time to get out on the mtb or whatever it takes to get to work on two wheels. Much better, easier on my constitution. Cold, snow? Better than the feeling I had today.

Lifelogging

I'm reading this article in fast company about memory and a guy who has developed software that allows links with a little camera and shoots a picture every minute to go with the constant audio, the end result is a constant log of nearly or everything you say or do. The counter to it is the idea that forgetting some things is good. Do we want to know every little bit of our day/life. Is the joy of life in getting the memories the way we want them or the way they may have exactly happened? I think it's somewhere in the middle. Keep track and let the minutae go. Find the things that matter and then let go of the things that don't.

Bag

Another one in the bag, I'm over last weekend but I may have to suck it up and get to the PNW for USGP #5 & #6 the point is the fact that I race bikes and if you can get to where the big races are you should. That being said I haven't practiced that this season. The earlier starts of the 35+ races have the family home a lot sooner and easier than waiting around for the 3:15 pm Open start. Last season we had 4 or 5 rough trips home over the ice/snow facotry that is I-70 thru the tunnel. So, I get shit for sandbagging or what ever you want to call it. Read the whole thread, it makes grown men(?) seem like catty little bitches. But is there much difference between going hard for 5th and going hard for 1st? The effort is still there. I have a family, job, responsibilities, why not do the early race and get home at a reasonable hour? Whatever, sour grapes taste like shit. I won yesterday, got the negative thoughts out from last Sunday. I was patient and let the race wind down to two of us, 4 were there early then the pace hurt the rest, smart riding, only one flat on a new course goatheads are always an issue out here. I got lucky that the flat happened in warm up. Clean race, no mistakes, high speed drift on the gravel turns and better off camber stuff than we've seen this season. Small gap late in the race grew enough that I had the time to raise the arms at the line. That's double digits for the year, if you count the one mtb race I got in June. The season's not over.

Who?

Anger becomes the motivator, the longer it festers the longer you have to work it out. I'm over it now, my fault, no one else is on the hook for this one. I got it, swallowed the blame now I just need to process and get it thru to the other side. You are what you eat. Hungry? Goddam, I am. I have it all in front, lingering behind the way it shouldn't, what else is left? Get it out and step on it, put it away. one done now the rest is next. Ready, set, Go.

One Day

The view wasn't obstructed by anything, maybe the dipshit's hangover but it still wasn't obstructed by anything, did I mention that? I saw it coming a nanosecond b4 it did, cross brakes are meant to slow not stop. I slowed, he accelerated out of his parallel parked spot right in front of me, because I had slowed. I would have been a hood ornament. Just a tap to his window and a finger gesture, we both got off light. "Car is the best weapon" what about cars-r-coffins? I still got in my work and now I feel better about the day/week. Top step, this weekend then maybe PNW. Ignorance doesn't hurt the ignorant. It should. Eat up. Season's waning.

Over it

I'm almost over the disappointment of Sunday, I fee like a total pussy about the whole thing, one race, one bad day, just let it go, so I am. You hear that conversation in my head? I know, I feel stupid too. Saturday was it, I worked all season for that one day and I got it. Not a bad way to think. Last night sleep wouldn't come, I laid there for so long almost ready to go downstairs and finish Stidio 60 but I finally got out. The ride today couldn't have felt better, a day off is the worst thing sometimes, self-loathing isn't the best recovery. Early wake for voting day. Liberals vote early, I think I heard that once. Reverend Ted's little "rehab" program didn't work on him. Is there therapy to rehab from yourself? Thank God (pun intended) one of the biggest hatemongers of all Dobson is going to "counsel" him back to the way of the lord. I'm willing to bet he'll still like the meth. What a bunch of hypocrites. See you in hell. Livewrong.

Unreal

Thanks to Jared and Peggy for this first picture. Big races, I got mine. Time to start looking for plane tickets or mapquest, how far is it to Seattle?

morning after

The best part is the work was all worth it, coming together the way Saturday did, Sunday didn't matter, Saturday was my nationals, I tried to get everything I had into Saturday's event. Timing was off on Sunday, I didn't get a good recon of the course and I put myself behind too much to contend Sunday. I tried to do too much and I didn't have the horses to stay where I was so comfortable Saturday. Now, the soreness from my crash and the aches that come with two days of bumpy cross courses are keeping the rest and recovery at the pace I rode yesterday.

USGP#3

I wasn't nervous at all, it all came together in the span of one cross race. A first row call up followed by a clean start and after going around the first turn just before the first stretch of dirt I was sitting in fifth, I thought 'Wow, there's half the race.' On the end of the lap was the sandpit, about 10 meters of deep soft sand, first time thru I went around two guys there to take the lead, not really knowing how well I would do I wanted to at least lead on one lap, that way I had a decent position, I lead the whole second lap, going into the sandpit somehow I missed my grab and suddenly I was standing a meter away from my bike, moving first to fifth, a bit of an effort to catch the lead bunch that was quickly separating from the rest. Ok, I got my mistake out of the way. Now, don't F anything else up. Rolling thru the laps we had a group of five. Two or three really fast out of town guys, who didn't want to be out of the lead, made it easier for me just to follow wheels and not do too much work in the wind. Without letting more than two guys in front of me I started to think of the result, the red zone wasn't ever that far away but I didn't have to go there until the last lap, Will Black attacked hard up the hill, Sitting second wheel I weathered it and made the second last dismount without trouble still sitting second I dealt with another attack from Will and then going into to the last dismount (the sandpit) I ran hard around the outside and got into the pedals and jumped hard to make the road stretch to the finish, getting there in first I put in 20 hard pedal strokes and looked back to see no one. My biggest win ever, against guys who win nationals, me? Now, Portland/Seattle? Do I try to get out there for the USGP stop in PNW? Regardless, it's a great season with a lot of results I can use to get me out next year when the weather sucks. My goals for the day didn't seem realistic after the race separated, the podium was there and I didn't know it until I got out there and tested the legs.

Nickel and Dime

When the sleep comes I have a hard time at first figuring out if the dream really happened or if it was just inside my head. I wake up confused maybe it's more from the sleep I finally got than the fact that my dreams are full color and vivid, involving things I really do/did. The aches and pains returned today as I tried to stretch before my commute. It was rough, I took yesterday off b/c I had a full week of training by Wednesday and I just didn't need the ride yesterday. But, I did, my hips and lower back were PISSED I didn't give them a bike fix for the day. The rest period is going to be tough after cross, three weeks of THAT?! Food intake is up too, the furnace is burning hot, I go to sleep warm and I wake up sweaty. I need a heat sink. The more I ride the better I feel and then I get a link to a new race video and I feel better about the world. Watching the big races with thousands of specatators cheering on the big guns makes me want to go over there and see it myself. Anyone have some frequent flyer miles they'd like to trade? It can't be too tough to get a ticket from Denver to Brussels in January. Test tomorrow and test Sunday.

Light

I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, not that I am looking for cross to end but I am looking at the ski touring I hope to do. Maybe do a little bit more in the long distance stuff. I will do well in that one race I want to do between December and October. Rest today and a few donuts to fill the void a week of training has created. I am tired, I feel that this weekend is the beginning of the end. My rot gut has only added to the knot right in the middle of my stomach when I think about Saturday, maybe this is the one, my one shot at the podium on a higher level. I'm ready, I think.   

Zero

I don't know exactly how cold it was but I did have to stop and put on more clothes to get the rest of the way to work today. I think in the neighborhood of 10, or -10 celsius, something like that. It required a full set of lobster paws, an extra jacket and a balaclava cold enough that without the booties my achilles are still aching. Not the best move, tomorrow back to the big stuff, better to be sweaty and stinky when I get to work than the alternative of achy and chilly. Less work (intervals) which didn't improve the warmth factor but the bagel sandwich I got sure did. Who said hospital food wasn't good. The best $1.45 I spend all week is on my little feast.     

Noon

Everything is a bit off today, my bodytemp is up, the furnace is on full blast. The hunger only leaves for about 5 minutes before it comes back like an avalanche. I think I may have really emptied myself yesterday, it was hard and the weather was a bit hot for cross, I didn't take the waterline along the beach, I stayed up on the more dry sand. Rougher but more consistent, no time to pick a line through it that was faster than the one I was on already. My whole system except the energy levle is in overdrive. I thought I was going to throw-up at around noon and it turns out I was just hungry. A bit of soup and sandwich and I feel normal again, well, relatively normal, I mean more even-keeled, well less out there, you know, more aware of what might be going on around me. Hey at least I can ride a bike today. This is from last Sunday not yesterday, good courses for different reasons.

1385

The proper cross weather we have had left for a few days. The indian summer was back for a near 70 degree day of dry beach cross. A bit like the famous world cup Koksijde course in Belgium where if your man eonugh you can ride it, I'm not, I run. This week they had call ups, Which helped a ton becuase of the enormous field, I got the pole spot and timed the start just right. I jumped out ot hte hole-shot and was comfortable to let the race happen until the splits came. 6 of us were away after the first lap and then the real games began, two Mootry guys started to play attack and sit, to isolate and try to split it up, it only tired them out, they ended up third and fifth. Once there was even a bobble where one of the Mootry guys cut a corner forcing me stop and put a foot down, allowing his teammate a good gap with another guy, after chasing back on the group dynamic was done for the day. That was the last time I let two guys on the same team in front of me. Riding thru lap after lap the leader would change but no splits until the last two laps, I pushed it a bit to make the attacks less likely and then got in front for the final run up the beach and gave all I had to gain a little gap that grew to about 30 seconds on the line. Only one real mistake when I put the foot down, next weekend is it, the USGP. Maybe a rest after that. I could use a break. For pics check out Peloton Photo he should have them up split out for categories.

One day & Manquer

Yesterday was a rest day, of sorts. We had to go to Denver for a number of things so the whole family went to escape winter for a while. The weather there would maybe have been good for a ride but it just didn't work out for time. We went to the Butterfly Pavillion North of Denver, I got to hold a spider with B. It was one of these. The butterfly pavillion is an entomologists dream, I was never that into bugs but this place made me want to go back and learn all about them. Tomorrow is the last test before the USGP I feel good, no ghosts last night and no real aches. Good races for sure are on the way. Check out this stop action movie, Manquer if you like bikes, if you've seen it, watch it again it's worth it.

More Sunday

Another random picture from Sunday's slowfest. The cool thing about the course was how slow and turny it was, I felt like I was barely moving, riding across the field was the slowest part, every lap expecting 6 guys to blow past me. The other guys had to ride same course, it was slow for them too. Little visit from the ghosts last night, later than usual, better to be up early than up late. Not too bad the 5 a.m. up is better than the 1 a.m. no sleep. Antsy and upright when I should be horizontal and asleep. All the way though me, false alarm at 4, then up for good at 5. I'm tired now and I can't help it.

Thursday

16 inches of snow in Breck. Not even a second thought on riding, I was out the door at 7.10 and should have known what I was about to do. That much of the white stuff mid season sets up like a powder day, not today. Heavy and stiff, the bike wouldn't roll thru it. Clogging the gears and making the path impassable. The road was less attractive, I didn't have a choice as the gears were skipping and the bike wasn't happy. Single is the way to go in this stuff, straight up with either sliders or EBB. Running in calf deep snow with the pack and a bike on my shoulder or next to me made me tired. Third day of training this week. USGP will be good, next week maintenance, then open up for saturday, 9 days until my biggest test in years. It all will pay off, one way or the other. Insert snowy shot from any image gallery here. Deep snow.

Dump

The warm weather cross race looks pretty good right now, it snowed a foot plus last night, even cars are covered, the bike slept inside, we'll see if the snow sticks. Photos from Boulder #1.

Intelligent Design

Wow, good work today, one or two of these a week and I'll have no excuses not to be first 10 at USGP. Motor pace with Jeff, not with a scooter or motorcycle just riding behind a really fast guy on a road bike while I'm on the cross machine with knobbies makes it feel like motor pacing. Great work. Shut the brain off and hold on. I feel tired now, two days of training and then Swan Mtn at the end today for good measure. Certainly a good measure of what it takes to not be slow, will it work for me? Photo dump tonight, nothing to show right now, lots for later. The path isn't getting less sketchy, the snow won't leave the shaded areas and the ground is freezing quickly, more and more time to get to work and home without too much more light to give. Sunday it all gets worse, darkness for the commute home, get the lights warmed up for Monday evening's trip. One line through the snow and ice puts you on it, pick one and hope it works out but the less options you have the more likely you are to touch the ground. Little dabs are expected, full on yardsales end the season early. Collarbones? not very well designed and a liability. Maybe that's an argument against intelligent design? How intelligent is the design of the collarbone? a very fragile poorly supported bone that routinely breaks. Hmmmmmmm, 6000 years of life can only be true. Right? Fossils 3 million years old? Myth!

Highliter

Hiding in plain sight I used to think was the idea that made the most of the different sides of a cube. Now, I see I was wrong, always wrong to the point of a fault. I like to look back and see just how off I was, all the time. When it all came together I was the one who was most shocked, part of growing and maturing. Now, I see the path for what it is, not what I wanted it to be. Getting out on the bike in the snow blowing out whatever shit lingers in my lungs, sharpening my urge to keep at it makes me happy, to know that all is well with the world as I see it. I'll be home early, enough to get the night going with a Saison I earned it, right? Sleep has been coming easy lately, more work, less ghosts seems to be the equation that gets the rest in and the open eyes out. No real secret, i just need to balance the see-saw and cross will continue to go well, I guess cross is going well, no complaints. The bike has never felt better. The roll is there and plenty of drive to get out on it. I always feel very lucky to have such a solid rig to ply my favorite effort on. I get to ride my cross bike, that is good.

Spikes

Mid race photo from yesterday, I didn't have any spikes on my shoes which made me extra slow on this section. It all worked out anyway. Bad timing on my part, bumming a ride to the race and then only getting a partial warmup lap, getting to the start line late made my second row position less of an issue b/c I got there at 11.15 for an 11.30 start. That's to the venue 15 minutes before the start, not just to the line. Pee, get changed and then try to find my number and get to the start. No call ups? WTF??? Why have series overall if you don't do call ups? What's the point? Great soggy course, more wet and grassy than muddy, So far this year only one course has been bone dry hardpack. I feel very lucky to have a season of great cross weather. The start wasn't too bad, the field sprint for the first corner was ok, I moved up a few spots and then hit the second turn already nearing the first 5. By the first stretch of road I had third wheel, OK, this isn't too bad. I then sat back after a few of us blew a corner I hadn't seen yet and we cut about 10 meters off the course, realizing the whine factor I sat up and let a guy or two pass me so I couldn't be accused of gaining as advantage due to the cut. Then I slowed after finding the front again b/c I didn't know the course, I let a guy pass me and then we started to motor a bit. By the first run up I had the lead and pushed the pace to cause an early split, the loop was too turny to allow for a bigger group, I wanted it as small as possible without any passengers, only drivers. A solid group of three with two guys yo-yo-ing off the back of us that made me pretty comfy in that it wasn't going to be too steady, more jumpy, harder on the fast guys that way. Jump out of every corner, hurt the road legs, favor the cross legs. By the midpoint the other guys had made their plays on the front and tried to attack and separate, I was able to work through the attacks and keep the pace high enough. Going into the last lap I was second wheel, he tried to chop me a few times, open the door and slam it shut on me, he made a mistake, I jumped hard around the outside to a slick little ride up and gassed it to the big run with a few seconds in hand. After I got on the run I knew I was safe, the lack of spikes didn't hurt too much (see photo) I rolled across the top and pushed as much I needed to the last minute of racing. Clean race, no real big mistakes other than the late arrival and lack of good starting position. Thanks to Peggy and Jared for the picture.

Mid Winter

  I'm looking forward to going out to visit this guy in his world in a few months, maybe for the singlespeed gathering in February or just a routine desert trip to Fruita to thaw out and lay on a red rock and get warm. The ride home tonight will be sweet the snow has picked up it's pace all day and the commute is going to be pretty stout. Mmmmmmmmmmm stout. 

Cracks

  I like this picture, the two teammates chasing me were about to let me go, I still had a big chase and most of the race to ge it done, the photo makes me like cross more, trying to do all I can with what I have. 

Fry

  This is gone for a while, maybe I can rally in January and February to get out to to where the rocks aren't snow covered and the better thing to do is ride instead of ski. After today I wondered how many more I can get, today was just snow, not much ice, not much you can do with that. It's been a great week for commuting only missed one day in and two days out. I'll take three out of five in a snow filled week, 7 out of 10 trips is good in my book. Keeps the motivation high for the rest of cross. Look for good cross weather in Front Range this weekend, better days are here, the field is getting evened out, crossers are coming up in the bunch and the ill-prepared are fading. Get out your skates. 

Rank amateur

I think the ground got really cold last night, I felt a bit like an ice cube gliding across the tundra. I enjoy the longer commute, the body repsonds well to the intervals at that hour and the legs heat up quickly thanks to the Wah's gift of warmth. So far the front wheel has barely slid once and the idea is still appealing to do the work outside. If not I'll not do much of it inside, I'm lazy. The ice wasn't bad, I think the ground froze before the snow could hit it too hard. Winter outside and still fall in my head. What else to do but get outside, easier than trying to stomach the time inside. The ghosts didn't have time for me last night, they must have had others to haunt. I relaized as I was laying down to sleep that I was tired and that all I work towards all work-week is the comfort inside my head and for the family to eat, sleep and be warm. I like thinking that this has been the most basic thing humans have done for eons. Simple existence broken up by visits to less basic things, like bike races. Pure gravy, mmmmmmmm gravy. I don't need to race, it just completes me in a way not much else does. Right now I really like this to complete my day, but other times it means other things. I feel the cold coming in like that Frost poem from last week, Not quite Jack London To Build a Fire winter, more like the Frost poem. The bike will get me in for the rest of cross season and then it's break until new years when it all starts so maybe next year I can ride with Harlan in one of his races on the single. Life and goals complete the puzzle, still I prefer simple. Clean out your stuff and you clean out your mind. That whole Zen thing, I strive for but fall miserbly short...I am a rank amateur.

Skating

Pics of the ice skating I did to work yesterday. Amazingly I stayed up, good skills work to do intervals and jumps on without touching the ground. The path is always better this time of year, more of the same tomorrow, I think.

Coiled

I get so excited mid-week for the coming races that I feel like a coiled spring. Antsy and eager and nervous. Like the kid with ADD and the kid who eat too many Pop Rocks at lunch. The snow on the ground around here isn't softening the urge to get out there and train. Intervals on foot and then maybe rollers but I may just pack it in after the intervals outside in the snow.

ReSt.

If I take any more of a rest week than I already am I might implode. The ghosts haunt me if I do too little. Last night I wasn't tired until almost midnight, the trip across the black ice with intervals wasn't enough yesterday morning. Too much bouncing around my head to get around the idea of proper rest this week, I prefer an empty mind, zen-like rest. I may not be too smart, but there are always thoughts running through my sleep, or what should be my sleep.

First try

I think I got this link right, check it out. My amateur video editing skills will get better when I get more material, first tries usually suck, this one does.

Anyone?

Pics later, it was a great little storm last night, made the not-yet-frozen ground into be black ice or snow, I was thrilled to get to do skills and intervals over ice. The legs were happy to have the pace back in them, lungs less happy but it's all what it takes to get faster as the others are slowing. They are slowing too, I can see it in the bunch, I feel good and feel like I'm getting better. I think I got it right this summer, not too much, and I guess not too little. Heavy branches stretching to reach the ground while I glide across in my own little frozen world. The pics will tell the story better than my words can. Nearly no front brake the whole way, too slick to grab any of it for a drifting front end certainly means touching the ground. A few spots i could take the dirt path and get into the fun stuff where the bike really flew. Tarmac isn't the best way to get there on the shoulders of winter. The ground isn't sure if it wants to be winter yet and the bike isn't sure if it always wants to be upright.

I'm wrong

I guess rolling thru a redlight is grounds for a dumptruck driver to try and hit a guy on a bike. I thought I had the green and I started crossing and the asshole in the dumptruck guns it to get close to me. What a dick - F him I hope he gets cancer. That happened on the way to the race on Saturday morning. Today for the commute my right thumb got so cold I burst a blood vessel in the tip. Ouch. Karma? I thought the guy in the truck was more wrong than me. Not that there are degrees of wrongness, I believe wrong is wrong, certainly there are more grave injustices than others but let's not open that Pandora's box right now.

Lucky Days

Good cross weather for the weekend of two races above 9000 feet. Not that the altitude or the weather bothered most people, the courses were hard because the racing was hard. Saturday was cool and rainy on a very narrow course that even on the road stretch you didn't have a ton of room to get past others. Two guys on the same team on opposite sides of me at the start pinched me off and gave the team leader a clear window to take the holeshot that made for an absolutely horrible start that took me the whole first lap to make the front of the chase after one had already checked out (the team leader who pinched me) and had 15 seconds on us. Not wanting to be behind anyone I drove the chase solo to get him back. That broke down the chase enough to have it be one (me) trying to drag him back, certain parts of the course favored me and I took my time on him there only to lose a second or two where it didn't favor. Two laps to go I nailed the hard run-up and got the feet in the pedals perfectly, and just drilled it for as long as I could, Taking back a big chunk of time, I went around him at the bell and got lucky to drive thru the first corners of the lap cleanly and get a good gap that was just a matter of staying on the gas and not going down. Lucky days, 15 seconds at the line. Good course, pretty techy and a big field on a narrow track. I saw video of the race and saw that I had guys behind me who offered nothing in the chase but were content to watch me do the work, oh well, I got to the line when I wanted to, just closer to the others than I hoped. Sunday we woke to a few inches of fresh snow at the house butthe 15 minute drive to the race had the snow line midway there. 2 inches at my house and nothing but a bit of moisture in Frisco. The course here really suited me, great track that had a proper tarmac section to start on that funneled well into the first dirt stretch. Not like Saturday's mess that started on dirt and had a 90 degree rooty turn 50 meters from the start line also on dirt. A nice long 60 meter run up that was steep enough to cause separation but not too steep to cause slowing mid way up. I deal for an attack later on in the race. Good stuff to be in the first few off the road into the dirt and onto the run. 5 of us checked out pretty quick, leaving the race to thinned slowly. A few laps later on the bumpy and techy bits I turned the screw a touch whittle it down to 3 of us. Finally, a group to race with, not the marching off alone like the last few races with just one guy. Three of us kept the pace and the others were left to fight for 4th. Seeing my spots I tried not to show my hand too soon, Iwanted a god effort and to try to get the others to show their cards first. I gave it all I had on the second to last run up and got a good that second place held at 10 seconds or so until it ended. I got lucky to have the legs to go on the run and see that I had a clear shot at the last lap and a half, a few lappers and a woman warming up pissed me off a bit as I had to yell to her to move out of the way, odd this girl wasn't paying attention to the race coming around and she got a bit surprised to see me go by with only a word, "move." Two races at home in the County and two more good results, bigger fields than last wekeend and great courses too. That makes five cross races on the season, five of the same results. I like that. Racing at mid day suits me. That's it.

The View from Here

I took a walk in the woods before work with number 1, we played stick and enjoyed the midfall leaves on the ground while I got to think about how many bears and/or mountain lions have seen me in the woods over the years. I planned escape routes and how fast we could get away if the carnivore/omnivore decided we should be his next meal. The two of us walking in the woods made the day better to start and the sunrise made it better than that. Good coffee for a walk in the woods only sweetened an already great morning. The leaves are sunny side up and the trees are ready for the blanket to come. In this poem by Frost I see my fall training and the "silent sports"

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.

Take it for what it is, nothing or something but think about it when you are in the woods next and if you see eyes in the trees and next time you'll wonder if you are being watched, subtle paranoia, or just a general reality of mortality. No rhyme intended, It just came out that way. Keep at it when it gets cold, avoid the gym until you really need it, outside is the best place for the work, even rollers are parallel to the gym for me, I'd rather have to wash the bike and get thru the laundary cycle than spend time inside better spent out. Getting on the bike made the morning complete I got to listen to a fresh show and think about the weekend's tests. I don't have to drive to either race, close enough that I can be like the Boulder Millionaires and ride my bike to the races. The weather will be properly chilly and maybe wet too. Perspective is faded at this point as I know what I need to do but lack the balls to go there, I hope it all pans out, I want more.

Whether

No hyperbole about riding in the cold, it's cold I could take the bus to work and not be concerned about training outside. I like it, getting the right gear together in the morning for the day, doing the work with the cold air in the lungs, it becomes my own "quiet sport" nothing but earphones and the wind. The silent sports are more winter but I guess they could be cycling, no? Solitary approach to my own favorite side of cycling, I cherish it all, solo or riding with friends. Better bones now than any other point in the year. The work will pay off in the end of the race, enjoy the cold air you know it's here, the warmth is gone. The ghosts are quiet since the noise died down, the peace rolls across the cold ground and lands right above my head. The silence adds more than the lack of sleep subtracts. I hope the ghosts let me sleep tonight. It's been nice to get the rest lately. Maybe it is the colder weather, better for the resting and then the sleep creeps in and it all melts away like so much soft cheese on my tortilla.

In Season

The weather on Sunday has made the weather this week more like January in Belgium than October at 2900 meters, rough to train if you aren't into getting wet or cold. Sweat on the inside, weakness on the outside. The season is here and if it means new parts for the bikes in December then that's the way it will be. Cross is all that matters, it is the one season I care what happens all the way thru, no more interest in one race over another, they all count. Still, A and B races exist, Boulder Series is the big one for the overall and then the USGP when it comes to town will be important for that weekend. The trick is the calories, more is better, never enough. I hope Brian takes a little siesta until mid-December. I can't have him eating more than I can take in. so far I feel good and the body seems happy about the training load, fewer hours but more high end, shorter and harder, faster, faster, faster, kill, kill, kill. It's here.

wknd

Two races on two of the best courses I have ridden, super fun turny grass saturday, never a straight line for more than 10 seconds. Bermed grass is pretty fun on a cross bike. Lots of skills-knowing how not to brake made the selection. Perfect start, sat second wheel until I jumped to get the first lap prime, I can always use another box of clif bars from there it was Karl and I, he didn't really want to be second, I would pull around to help and he'd surge, oh well, I'll just follow and watch to see where I can go later. With three to go I went around him and started to turn the screws a bit, small gaps would form and he would close them untill I got a few seconds and I pushed it thru to the finish. good race, I never mind having such a great rider off the front with me. It made the chase from an ex-pro (Brian Miller) unimportant, he didn't close to within more than 15 seconds. He was third, Karl and I were fighting it out for first. The course had constant accelerations that hurt everytime but never too much that I didn't recover. Good work on the skills made Sunday's mud that much better. It started to rain just after dinner on Saturday, and didn't stop all night, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mud. Sunday's course was one we have done a few times, the reason we came in the first place, Saturday's rollercoaster was a bonus. Long road climb to start to a muddy road and then the sharpest run up in the state. Beautiful. The legs cleared thanks to the gallon of water I drank on the overnight and at dinner with my beer of choice The trick to the course was not blow yourself out on the steep run because the smooth field after it was a great place to go fast, if you had the gas. I didn't. I slogged up the run and then slogged across the field and then slogged the up-down horseshoes that were where I got time on the chasers. I was told. I heard we all fell once, mine was early, I got it out of the way and dialed it, luckily. Miller hung for the first four laps nad was trying to make it a one horse race, He didn't want to be out of first wheel, Karl and I let him for a while until it was clear he wasn't up to up down horse shoe at speed, he fell and we got a gap, hoe didn't come back, I guess when he chopped my wheel on the second lap to lead into to the descent he was trying to set up an attack that never came. he was probably 90 seconds back at the finish. Karl was having trouble on the up-downs, I got enough time there that I could roll thru at a good clip for the rest of the course. The legs were fine and the lungs got a great workout, no lingering crap from Saturday ot slow me down on Sunday. The bike was perfect, unreal to have it so dialed after only the second weekend of racing. Three done, three results.

Shed

Warmer days and real rain made cross practice an actual cross practice, no dripping sweat and no shedding of the warmers. Working on the drift was fun, the bike responded and I didn't overcook any turns. High speed work and better to put the ghosts to sleep. Less haunting and more rest. Maybe I'm just not doing enough. I thought lowering the hours on the bike would help cross performance, maybe not if I stop sleeping.

Patterns

Another night of no sleep, I'd consider 24 hour races if I could guarantee that night I'd be unable to sleep. Lazybones and the eyes won't let it go. Too much of one thing and not enough, maybe I'll get Lunesta, mmmmm sleep help. Not enough work, bad legs weren't enough to rest today, now I can't sleep because I did too little high end work. The bike feels great I need less time and more quality time.

How far away is it?

Saturday and Sunday will be hot ones, I'm motivated by the prospect of riding the bikes on grass, that doesn't happen much out here. worth the trip to ride in that stuff. Floating across grassy stadiums is ample justification for a 200k drive. 2 races too!

Wet and Dry

Wet yesterday and not so cold and then dry and cold today, guesses have it at low to mid 20s...don't care it was cold. Cross bike was good to roll across in the rain yesterday, it fit the weather, today the road machine was gliding thru icy patches on the path with aplomb. Both rides were enjoyable in their own way, the rain yesterday would have been good regardless, it just felt right to ride in that. Today the cold put a chilled smile on my face. Two big ones this weekend, to get ready for the Crankbrothers in a few weeks. It's here, pack your bags. Bikes are ready, tire choices...

End User

Saturday morning I was getting coffee on the way to the race (I was bummed I didn't have my Peet's house blend) and I was stirring my coffe and looking at the stir sticks and thinking this piece of wood, may or may not have been recycled and may or may not be from a rain forest and may or may not be a good thing for the world, I felt guilty for using it, and this not being a new thought I was hoping that in the future I would not stir my coffee and not waste one of these maybe or maybe not enviromentally conscious pieces. I like to not stir that way the coffee is different all the way thru. The race was OK, legs aren't so good right now, I need to run more and the body just wasn't 100%, I hurt myself only late in the race b/c that was all I had to give. One of those days; able to follow but not able to pull away. We had a group of 4, pretty clean riding, but I'm always skeptical that the others are plotting against me, paranoia? Probably. I attacked on the elast half lap up the last longer run up, and gassed it to the finish only realize that the lapper in front of me wouldn't move out of the way, taking a crappy line thru an off-camber and sketchy fast turn pissed me off, he didn't give much just a shitty line that was rough with more rocks and more messy bits to deal with. Maybe he didn't realize the front had come back around to meet him but he should have payed attention. I know I'm an asshole. So, first cross race of the year in the books. Second win of the season. Not bad. I'll take it considering I had race with my head for how bad I felt in the meat of the race. Feels good to win more with the head, not legs. The running bits were my saviour, kept the other guys in the red and gave me recovery. The group was solid, with clean riders not chopping wheels or doing stupid stuff, I was sure they were plotting against me. I got lucky, pulled it out. The bike was great, pressure was fine for the variety of the conditions, hard turns on the asphalt were worth firming pu the tires a touch, I couldn't afford to go out there, a lot of the dirt stretches were bermed so that made tire choice and pressure easier to deal with. Hot too, the mix I had kind of tasted like throw up which matched really well with how I felt in the race. After sitting on the grass I was pretty sure I was going to crap my pants, first time for after a cross race for that one, 9 years of cross and I finally turned my own stomach doing it. I thought for sure green apple splatters...

Déjeuner

Lunchtime cross practice today, not the big work of the a.m. practice in Boulder but it'll have to do to tune the system for the first test of the season. Next week or the week after I'll get down there, good work and better for the legs nad system than I could hope for up here. We still managed a good helping of effort. Saturday will be good, it's gonna hurt like hell! The bike felt great, tracking well and supple over the rough stuff. Ready, steady, go.

Uncooked

I got to sleep last night slower than normal but not the full on ghosts bouncing around my head. I felt like I had the worst case of half-somnia. I'm riding well and feel like I can get the first races out of the way with minimal stress. The one bike is great the other needs a touch of help. We'll see. I don't eat twinkies but I do know they aren't cooked, odd. Is it dairy? I like dairy.

lower

It was warmer today and so was I. Good stuff will do that for you, thanks wah report. I could have gone around the lake if I had the time today. Middle 20s or so. Saturday is close, I can feel it. The legs are ready, one more session tomorrow and that'll be it. Good work to get home last night, one longer block of low LT, solid. Too much snow to get out on the fat tires though, maybe in a few more days wit the temps hitting 60 I have a chance of a couple days of nice stuff before the season is really done.

a.m.

Time to break out the big guns, low 20s today, I think apparently not too cold if you have the right gear as Jared does. I need to dig it out for sure tonight. The fingers are still a bit desiccated three hours after. I'll gather the good gear tonight for tomorrow, get around the lake before work for good measure. I feel better, the bug or whatever ailment Brian served me up is out of the park. The nice hot massaman cleared the field last night. Curry is good for what ails you. Saturday starts it. Ready, set?

Issues

I know this is crazy but I feel like a few things are happening. After being sick on Friday and not riding for a few days I have feeling that my form is being eaten away exponentially the less I am out there. The body will not hang onto a shred of fitness if I don't get out there and train. This is false, I think. I drove to work, now I feel like I lack the dedication to get back all the form I lost from not riding a few days due to the snow (two feet) and the ague. Maybe I can negotiate the body into gaining a few pounds and getting faster by resting a day or two. The trick is always to approach from what can WE gain from this. Not what are we losing and how bad is saturday going to hurt. The first test is then, 5 days away from the first one of the year. Ready, set?

Too early

Over the spot of ague that haunted me thru the end of the week and now I get to avoid the snow for a few days and favor the dry (like) path for a two hour turn. A few patches of snow to run or hydro-ice the bike over made the running feel good. No cross this weekend, Hit the first ones next week. Then a Boulder ride mid week to fire up the engine. Three days off isn't a bad thing if you go all the way, almost three months right? Not a time to worry about missing a few days. As long the time used is worth the time spent. Ready, set?

Haunt

Two straight nights of snow with a day of it in between has the motivation high and the expectations low. I know it'll melt off in a few days. I spent the first three days of the week doing the work but the ghosts still yell "You will be slow, you cannot get off and on the bike smoothly. Drift? Bullshit, you never could and never will." I'll show them, run today, smooth out the pattern and get on the rollers. Better than the rest.

3

The more I manage to get in the less ghosts I have to see. Riding makes the demons avoid me. I'm stronger the weaker I am, the more I ride the better it is. I sleep well and fly through the night.

Rilo

Amazing ride, new rig was great, rolling on good trails and a perfect late afternoon to commute by singletrack. Point and shoot was about all it took to get the bike home. Rilo Kiley on the pod synched perfectly with my ride, tempo matched mood matched effort. Life is good.