Today we rode up Little French Pass to get to a lesser known singletrack to Georgia Pass, but 3/4 of the way up the sky opened up and we were soaked in a matter of minutes. It kind of sucked being hypothermic but at least we were riding! The bike worked great even in the wet, I am rapidly wanting a softie more and more. I would even sign with a team to get one, another season of mtb racing on a hardtail full time doesn't sound as great as it used to. I guess my age is catching up with me, I am middle-aged now and god-dammit I want my ass pampered! They all look good, Giant, Santa Cruz, Specialized, Fisher who knows, I'll take whatever, I'm a whore. mtb racers are rarely picky, whether it's food or bikes, you give it to us and we'll ride it or eat it. I hope that maybe the wife will bankroll her deadbeat husbands' lust for a new butt-cushioning two-wheeler. The thought of going even faster on my favorite trails stirs something in me... Then in the afternoon I got to hangout with Beckham, we went to the grocery store and did the fun stuff an infant and his dad are supposed to do; we napped and listened to music! We went from new Wilco to new Snoop, pretty eclectic mix for a 4 month old but variety needs to begin at home. I'm reading Smokescreen right now, it's about a guy in the 70's who trafficked in pot, pretty amazing how connections were made, you trusted first and asked questions later. It goes well with music, especially Radiohead, moody but detached. Beckham was really good only one meltdown but we got through it together, a bottle and more music was all it took. He isn't so cryptic anymore, I know the cries at this point, it'sa matter of listening, I kind of feel like Uncle Herb (Homer's brother) when he used Maggie to figure out the baby translator. I just think and listen and poof! there is your answer as to why he's crying. Then we had a great dinner of salad with chicken with a great loaf of bread, mmm carbos. A light meal to offset the feast that will be at the 'hood party tomorrow night.

Well yesterday's race wasn't my best but rode away from the finish line like a pile of broken dishes, I didn't leave anything in the tank. Early on I thought I had a shot I attacked and it was going good and then I just didn't have it on the longer climbs. Cross form is in there some where! The course was great especially in the rain.

We rode some really cool trails yesterday, one near the golf course and some others near the CT, my favorite was a cool singletrack near the golf course that had fun bridges and sharp little ups and downs that were a blast to ride, cool switchbacks made it a skills ride too! Then we found our way to the Muggins Gulch trail to the CT then over to Blair Witch, a stupid trail to hide because it really isn't fragile it just needs to be more challenging. Some more log pyrmiads would be good. I feel ok but not too strong yet, the bike was good today and I hope it gets better as the race draws near. One more race and I get a good little break and get to do some fun rides without worrying about upcoming races. I really like riding the mtb this summer, the break I took really makes me appreciate the trails and great riding. Beckham has been great, he doesn't fuss too much with the contacts if you get him when he is awake, it's at 5.30 in the morning when we wake him to put in the contacts that he gets pissed. He is a very happy baby overall, you would never know that he has had three eye surgeries!

I was thinking today about a letter I wrote to my friend Mark K years ago, it was when the Unabomber Trial was going on right after they finally caught Ted. I was trying to figure out why one person could find so much hate to send bombs throuh the mail and kill people he didn't even know. In some ways he is worse than the terrorists from 9/11, he was doing it over and over again just for reasons that lacked sense. Perhaps we are avoiding the most common reason for anyone to accomplish such acts; insanity. Whether it is for religious or idiological reasons it is very foolish to try to look for logic in the world of psychopathy. Oh well enough of that, I had a great ride today with the group, it actually felt good, really! After wednesday I wondered whether or not it ever would again. Rest works! I went to bed last night at 7.45, it was glorious! I slept I think about 8.5 hours, wonderful! At some point taking your own advice is a good thing! My coaching philosophy to all racers, rest more! If you think you need a day off but feel guilty because of it, DON"T! We all do plenty of riding, but not nearly enough rest.

Well yesterday pretty much sucked! I had nothing and felt like a waste on the bike. As I was riding up the singletrack in the bunch I was thinking all I wanted to do was ride not race my bike. I had a feeling that I wasn't really ready for a race last night. I couldn't get motivated to get ready and then I was super slow in getting over to the race. Bad legs and no power were the order of the day. I hope next wednesday holds better form. I just need to finish in front of Tim G and the series is mine. The season has been a great one overall, and now cross is on the doorstep, let the good stuff come! I cannot wait for fall!

Well it's been a few days, I tried to get on sooner but it's been a little hectic. I rode the course for wednesday's race and I fell on the tight descent off 360 trail, as I was falling I was thinking about when my collarbone was going to pop! It wasn't too bad just a good little bruise on my hand and a jammed shoulder. I feel ok now, but we'll see what happens tomorrow. Beckham cried so hard this morning when I put in his contacts that it actually made them go in easier. It still sucks to have him crying at 5.25 in the morning. The doctor says that at some point they make a correlation between the contacts being put in and being able to see. I hope that it happens soon!

Last night was pretty cool, Mark was riding well, we rode over to Loveland Pass at a good pace and I thought we would have reeled in some riders but instead we just kind of rolled up and maintained our pace and opened up gaps on those chasing. The weather was perfect, the moon was a beautiful crescent and hung right over the peaks the whole way up. I hitched a ride down the hill with the support car and then rode up with to Montezuma with Mark. I got home about 2 am, and then up again at about 7, which sucked! I need more sleep! Today was ok, Shaubie and I rode a little in the morning and then I was on my own for the rest of the day with Beckham. Right now I'm watching a show on the Travel Channel called "Donut Crazy" one of the places is called Leonards Donuts in Honolulu, and another is Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, all places I would love to go, mmmmm donuts...

We are planning an mtb ride from Gold Hill to Chatfield on the Colorado Trail. It'll be about 100 miles (162 k) it should be around 7 hours and lots of fun! I was looking at the guide book and it looks great with most of climbing in the first few hours. One of these days I'll get to do the Loveland ride through Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park, that one is a bit longer, at 180 miles (291 k) or so. Thanks to a lack of sleep I didn't ride much today, just a light spin. Tomorrow will be fun, I'm riding the Night Loop with Mark Thompson for the Revenge, it'll be about 70 miles or so from home most of it after dark, Frisco-Loveland Pass Summit-Keystone-Zuma-Swan-Home. Night rides are fun! Beckham was good today, Shaubie had the day off and enjoyed it with him. We are looking forward to a good weekend with a lot of rest, I'll need it after tomorrow night! The boys are all out of town this weekend so no cross rides until next week. I need to start running soon, I think after mtb season I'll start getting out on some runs a few times a week. Jackson got a bath today, he looks so clean and beautiful, and thanks to good shampoo he isn't itching nearly as much. He weighs 82lbs, my first born son. What did Joel ride today...

It rained so hard in the afternoon that I thought the bike path and roads were going to be a mess, it turns out after I got out for my ride it was perfect. A little bit of water left but nothing too bad. Just a quick spin to get the car from the shitheads at Hickey Motors. They really made me angry with the way they handled the brake situation, accusing me of doing something to the car and looking for a free fix. Overall I sort of feel better than yesterday, though it may have just been more motivating to ride in the rain for a change. I am getting excited for next weeks' race, there are a few races this weekend that I may do, we'll see how I feel by friday and decide if I should do them or not. Jackson's skin allergies are really bad right now and it has him all pissed off, he won't stop itching, I feel horrible for him, he can't be very comfortable at all! Today he sees his doctor and hopefully they will get him the right medicine and fix him up. He has a hot spot on his cheek that just looks painful, and I just want him to be better! Tim's back and I think he goes to Durango thursday with Garth for a 100 miler, I wonder if the Durango boys will heckle the 100 mile guys? I can fathom seeking out a string of 7-10 hours races, leadville, Durango, Vail and whatever else is out there!

I feel a bit blocked, I think the massage realeased a load of crap into my system. On the bike my legs felt like lead and sort of cooked. I managed two hours and no work. Oh well, I'll get it all back together for next weeks race. Beckham was laughing tonight when I took out his contacts, just laying there being happy. I watched a bit of "Diary of a Shark Man" very cool show, Discovery Channel rocks! Manny Puig has such a cool job and balls to swim with sharks every day! I had a bit of a Ben and Jerry's ice cream bar today, Sue, Me and Dennis split it three ways. We had the cookie dough one. Good stuff! The rest week goes on...