CX Bonanza

Early in the a.m. on 11/11 my riding buddy Jason and I packed our junk into the "Black Pearl", a sleek black machine worth over ONE THOUSAND dollars!



...and struck out for that famous (infamous?) hotbed of cyclocross: Bakersfield.
As any reader in the know can tell you, in the world of 'cross it pretty much goes, Belgium and then Bakersfield. Probably in that order. Maybe the other way around.
As we pulled up to the race it started to sprinkle and we thought we might have what they call "weather". If you are from southern california you may be unfamiliar with the term, however I assure you it is not a technical term and can be found in a regular dictionary.
Unfortunately it was just enough of a sprinkle to get Jason and me excited about the prospect of "weather" but not enough to actually keep the dust down.
We suited up, signed up, warmed up and then lined up before it all went down.
Apparently, in Bakersfield it is traditional to call only the first 4 riders in the series to the line. Jason and I didn't realize that or we would've tried to line up somewhere besides the extreme back of the field. Luckily though, it didn't seem to slow down "J-Lo". The course was fast and rolling with a nice run up and "J-Money" crushed it for a super strong 6th place and a cash prize. I finished in 11th and although I was out of the money it worked in my favor because for some strange reason Jason felt obliged to spend some of his winnings on our travel costs.
That night many of the racers met at a restaurant to have dinner and celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of an icon of so-cal cx. I don't know when she was actually born but we celebrated the anniversary of that day. I think it's some kind of tradition.
I ordered the salmon surprise and Jason ordered the sausage tortellini surprise. We were both surprised when our food came because there was hardly any of it.
After dinner Jason and I went for a second dinner and bought superglue that he used to try and fix his Tufo tubular tire for a couple of hours before giving up.
Bright and early the next morning Jason went for round two with his tire and I went down to check out the breakfast included in our stay at the Best (?) Western.
What I found was that they were all out of breakfast. I asked the staff if they were bringing any more food and was told "I don't think so... let me check... no." after which I concluded that the free breakfast ends at 8:30 in the morning on sundays?!! Hmmm...
After Jason and I found food and our way to the start line the race went off without a hitch. It was a fast course again and although it did have a run up some riders (myself included), (me, me, me, me), (me), were able to ride it.
Jason finished in 7th, one spot back from yesterday and being the pillar of consistency that I am I finished 11th. Again.
After that it was just a matter of pausing for a sandwich and to gaze in wonder at Jasons unibrow of dust.



...and then we drove home.

Losing (my mind) weight.

Losing weight is the hardest part of training for me. I don't mind riding the miles, but I am pretty sure my eating habits are better suited to a sport where athletes need to "bulk-up" and it's a compliment if someone tells you "you look huge!"



This is Bu!!$#!t. I'm not even sure if this is real food. Where's the meat and potatos? I want a full belly!

Pre-race festivities, Twister and Love is in the air

11/05/06
It's the "off season". I know it's the off season because I let friends have a party at my place the night before a cyclocross race. I can do that because I don't feel any pressure to perform. At the race not at sex I mean... nevermind.
Even though I went to bed early I still know what went on. It's not that I have some extraordinary powers of perception that are fully functioning even in sleep, no. I have a digital camera, and this is what I found on it when I awoke:

The girls played Twister...

The boys... encouraged them...

There was a stripper.

Meanwhile I slept through it all. When I woke up in the morning there were people sleeping on the floor and on my couch. I quietly gathered my gear up and crept out the door. The race was in Ventura and I was carpooling with Jason and Dan Lowetz in Jason's car, the "Black Pearl". The Black Pearl is a sweet machine, easily capable of carrying the three of us to the race in style. She has springs in the rear but no shocks so it's an extra plush ride.

She comes equipped with fully functioning windshield wipers but wiper fluid must be applied by hand. I can only assume that's because they don't make wiper fluid squirters that can cover the vast expanse of the Black Pearls windshield. Eventually technology will catch up. Maybe. I am pretty sure she can parallel park herself, if not I think Jason is getting it installed.
We got to the race just in time to warm up. Dan handed off bottles to Jason and I while we raced. The course stayed at sea level the whole time and was super choppy. It was certain doom to let off the gas and all the bumping left me with a back ache but I finished in 10th which was cool and Jason was in the top 8 which meant cash-money.
As soon as our race ended Dan started his race and Jason and I cheered/heckled him. He finished in 2nd.
Afterwards we got a pint and a sandwich and headed home.

Dry Spell

Hey all! It's been kind of a long dry spell for the old Blog.
My wife Brooke and I have moved into a new place and after 5 hours on the phone with our dsl provider they have determined that the reason we haven't had 'net access and also the reason we will continue to not have it is due to a computer "glitch". I think that's some kind of technical word.
I am currently poaching time on my riding buddy Hectors computer. Don't tell him.
A lot has happened since the last entry and some of it deserves it's own entry and will get it, although it will seem somewhat out of order.
Last week I did about 25 hours of training rides and topped it off with a cx race in Ventura where I rode well and got a top 10 finish.
There will be plenty of mileage this week too.
La Ruta finished last sunday and and seemed to be an intense race. It is a race I am really jonesing to do! On the second to last day Jeremiah Bishop had what you could mildly call a "mis-hap" Yeah. Jeremiah is one of the nicest athletes around and also a world class rider. After what was apparently a spectacular crash he toughed it out for a second place finish in the stage. Heal quick J.B.

Spooky-Cross

Today I raced 'Cross to showcase my tremendous post-MTB season form. Here I am enjoying an after-race recovery meal after laying the smack-down on all comers.
Sure, I'm fat and my fly's down and I smell like Budweiser.
That doesn't make me less of a champion.

"Short sleeved or long"

Today I recieved a new skinsuit.
You know you are a true XC addict when few aspects of the sport excite you like a skinsuit.
Do you sport a euro-mullet/faux-hawk a la Fabian Weggman or Lado Fumic?
Have you ever seriously considered it?
Have you ever been called a "Leg Shaving Dirt Nazi/Skinny-Tire Tree Hugger" or something like it?
Have you run out of fingers to count the times you've tried to explain WHY you shave your legs?
Maybe you've noticed how sleek a skinsuit looked on the back of your favorite rider. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. Adam Craig. Jeremiah Bishop.
If you have then maybe you can understand how excited I was when I got my first skinsuit. As soon as I realized what was in the mail that day I took it straight to my room and tried it on. I left it on for while even though I wasn't planning on riding. I called/emailed the friends I knew would appreciate it.
They were excited. Maybe you are getting excited too.
Hopefully you are starting to grasp by now how upsetting it would be if something were to happen to my skinsuit. Like if I were to crash in said skinsuit. In a cyclocross race. Two weeks ago.
As you can probably imagine, my dismay over ruining my skinsuit was almost as strong as my dismay over crashing in general, and 300+ dollars in doctors bills specifically.
I was feeling down. Some might say I was in a "Funk".
But then something happened. Something magical that cheered me up: I got an email from Jon Rourke, fearless leader of the Subaru/Gary Fisher Mountain Bike Team asking me, "short sleeved or long?" Apparently, making the impossible, possible on a daily basis, out on the road for weeks at a time, while playing Den Mother to a trailerfull of athletes from around the world is not enough. Nope. Not only did Jon and pro mechanics Matt and Brett help me with everything from feeds to Stan's when I arrived un-announced at their trailer for the east coast NORBA races, woefully unprepared, Jon ALSO went out of his way to send me one of the team skinsuits that I had coveted all year. And THEN, when I tore it up in a crash he says to me "short sleeved or long?"
There are so many guys like them that work behind the scenes, that you will probably never be aware of until they totally save your ass. Jon Posner (Trek) and John Dawson (SRAM) among others. Y'all are rock stars!

Castaic Lake/More Cowbell !!

I was at Castaic in my official capacity as Photographer/Cowbell enthusiast. Many thanks to Papo for the use of his cowbell. Alas, my skill as a photographer is no match for my prodigious talent on the cowbell and although I took many, many, photos only a few are worth posting. Quality/quantity, blah, blah, blah....

Papo has two good pics and wins the "most photogenic" award.

Phil has only one pic but the sun is behind him and it makes him look like a cowboy so he wins the "most badass" award.
It was frustrating not to be able to race but I had fun cheering on the team.

Ten stitches later...

I am now stocked up on Starbucks iced coffee and dvds and ready to hold as still as possible while I grow some skin. Shortly after this pic was taken I cut off the other leg of my PJs and came into possession of my first pair of Daisy Dukes. That's a lie.

The agony of victory, the thrill of defeat.

Disaster struck at almost the exact second that I won my first ever cyclocross race. These five pictures all take place in that exact second. If you look at my face you can see that I haven't even had time to realize how much the next 3 seconds are going to suck. Definately wasn't expecting this one. Good thing the finishing straight was on asphalt. Here are a couple of pics along with what I would've been thinking if I had had time for thoughts... Yep.

I am thinking: "Pedal!!!"


I am thinking: "Throw the bike.... NOW"



I am thinking: "Yes! I just won."


I am thinking: "There is a strange shoving sensation on the left side of my bar."


I am thinking: "!@#$%!"

East coaster.

Earlier this month I got to ride on the east coast. We rode in Bedford and Harrisonburg Virginia. It was cold. It was wet. It was the highlight of my month.
Harrisonburg has a really awesome mountain bike scene. Where we were riding there was an event that had trail building, mountain biking and trail running. All the riders were super friendly and we were made to feel right at home at their end of the day BBQ.
I am now seriously considering Harrisonburg (home of Jeremiah Bishop and Sue Haywood) in addition to Boulder, as places to live if I leave Cali.

Pouring hot tea and trying to stay warm. It was so cold there was serious conversation about how much warmth could be gotten by peeing on ones hands.

Here I am at the top of a pretty steep climb, with some skinny guy (Jeremiah Bishop)who keeps dropping me. It was all foggy and then you got to the top and there was a lush falls. Everything was incredibly lush and green compared to home.

In this pic: Walter, me, Jeremiah, Henry and Hunter Allen outside the Peaks Coaching Group office.

It was nice to be back! Directly after this picture was taken we all thawed out with showers and went out for some tasty mexican food.

Testing, Testing 123... Started a Blog today.