Slop at Granite Bay!!

What a fun day!  Rain, wind, cold, mud, cyclocross!!

Seeing that my last race at Discovery Park was a failed attempt to deny that I was sick... I was a bit anxious to see what legs would show up!?  I raced the A's, still the only goober on a single speed in the A's, but after riding the course I was confident that "not having to shift" was going to be a good thing....Granite Bay is sand, DG, and more sand with a tiny bit of sandy-loam thrown in... Everything was crunchy after the first 100 meters of riding.

Marja and Shelly were first off at 10:30...Women's A, B, and C.  Marja came around the first lap behind her "arch rival," don't ask me I think its a woman thing, in fourth place Bs, 5th place overall.  After the next half lap she dropped the caped crusader...no wait, "arch rival" and she was off chasing the big guns!  A few laps later she dropped one of the strongest A riders and the rest except for one.  Marja had minutes on third place and ended up second in the Bs and third overall for women.  Not bad for someone who never rides...she opened a serious can of whoop-ass on the field...Scott and I just hoped she had some to share with us!

Shelly wasn't a happy camper early but after lap two she started moving her way up the field!  She was quoted at dinner last night as saying, "I hope it doesn't rain!?"  Yeah, it was raining!  She finished strong with a big smile on her face!  She is at the top of the series standings!!

My race started immediately after the girls.  The A's had a big turn out today.  The first corner was sloppy, had to lean into the turn against two other riders trying to take the hole shot on me but ended up sliding into me...next came a fun little section with some tight hairpins and a couple risers, you could tell who rides mtbs out there today as the roadies were flailing all over the place.....

I settled in and started making my way up the field, slowly.  I would gain and pass on all the technical twisty, and SLIPPERY turns and would have to hop on wheels in the flatter straights due to my lack of gears...then the sand pit.  Now it looks cool to ride the pit, but on every lap I ran and passed riders..everytime.  First of all I would have been wasting energy in my 42x17, but second with all the rain, it was a mess!

7 more laps later and one last rider before the finish....watched him lolly-gagging over the barricades and I hit them sprinting, mounted and just dropped it to the finish.... "It aint over 'till the fat lady sings!"  

Felt great, ended up 5th A's 35+ with Gordo saying I was 7th overall...don't think I buy that one.  But I beat Gordo, he's a Sac icon in CX, so its always nice to finish ahead of him while he's on gears....this was actually the first time this year I have.  A great day to finish up the CX season for me. 

Next came Scott "the punisher" Clark.  He's racing the B's on his SS, and lets just say he crushed the field.  The entire field.  Not only did he get the cash for winning the first lap, but he out-rode the field by about a minute.  He never looked back.  Scott had some balmy conditions as the rain stopped falling, so the course got a little tackier and Scott ripped it up.  He didn't need Marja's left over whoop-ass, he had his own 64 ouncer of it!  It was fun to watch!  

Wish Chris was down from Seattle for this one and Steve from Redding!  Would have been even more fun witchya!!

  

Last CX for me this year!

This morning is the last CX race for me, the final race of the series is January 3rd, but with Cam's indoor soccer game at 9:20 in Rancho and Annika's gym practice from 9:30-11:30 and my start time at Sutters Landing at 11:30....well you do the math!!! Such is life....I do have to brag here, Cam almost scored with a header in his U8 indoor game yesterday, the place went insane as he missed just wide off the wall!

So my buddy Chris is spiralling into depression because he finds himself in 4 inches of snow with a foot more on the way in Seattle. I won't rub it in and say, "you have to live with your choices..." cuz that would be mean. I won't remind him we are all racing CX today here in Sac and his season is over. That just wouldn't be right. Finally, eventhough he makes fun of the California CX we race here, i.e. sun and dust, I won't let him know that its raining and 44 degrees, with rain expected to get heavier through the day. See, friends don't do that to friends...

So as I sit next to the fire place with Phil and Maddie curled up chewing on their bones, me sipping coffee, Marja already stressing over her 10:15 start... I stop and take in the big picture...

1. Its 44 degrees, raining outside...
2. Its 64, fire roaring inside with a pot of coffee brewing...its dry
3. I will be sliding on my mud boots, rain shell, beanie
4. After Marja's race I will struggle to slide my already frozen feet into my mtb shoes and start trying to warm up on course...soaking wet

Wow, when you look at it that way, why would anyone want to stay inside at home! I guess thats what CX is all about. Now in Chris' defense....we will not be on a frozen tundra with snow on the ground, I am and will always be jealous of that... we will however be racing in the rain, through wet sand with some mud, yes it is still California Cross...but its WET California Cross! Back to my favorite phrase, "it is what it is..."

I always said riding my bike reminds me of the freedom of riding my BMX around town every summer day, all day...but racing CX, heck, thats being a kid all over again...if you haven't any idea of what I am talking about, you need to try it because you won't understand it until you do...

Ode' to the Roadies...

On a personal level I don't really have an issue with riding my road bike. One roadie doesn't scare me, but a group of roadies is another story. Yes I know I am throwing a stereotype out there and that just isn't right, I agree with you....but its fun. And frankly, other than a few people I know....it sticks. And as much as I wish it did not...I cannot find an escape from it. The more I speak with people from different states, the more I realize that, like everything else in California (like Serrano for example :), California Roadies carry a stigma... Call it a dark mark. Some people enjoy this, but to the entire community of cyclists in this country, it doesn't help anyone.

Enjoy this thanks to Scott...its perfect. The red bike is actually ridden by a local journalist for the Sac Bee....



And to admit, it just isn't roadies... This idiot acted like this at a CX race, keep in mind he is a roadie using CX to cross train, but I digress:

http://velonews.com/article/86089/scuffle-at-kansas-city-cyclocross-nationals

WTF?

This might seem shocking to some, but thanks to my encounters with "Sacramento's self-proclaimed Bike Advocate" himself and his girlfriend, nothing surprises me anymore at all....surprised Blair didn't write this...now maybe you see why my road bike is affixed to my trainer... please read:

http://velonews.com/article/85828/legally-speaking-with-bob-mionske---can-t-we-all-just-get

It is what it is....

Man I HATE that expression.....

Well, its that time of year when time is a hot commodity. Tuesdays consists of Annika's gymnastics workout with her team, Cameron has his weekly timed math tests on Wednesday, followed by his timed spelling tests on Thursday, oh yeah and Annika's tumbling class at her gym again on Wednesdays....lets see what else, oh yeah, I am supposed to work too, wait Cameron's indoor soccer is in there somewhere! Oh yeah, I need to ride?

Don't get me wrong, I love it...my kids staying busy with what they love to do. Yeah I loved soccer as a kid, but gymnastics wasn't my cup of tea, but to see my pumpkin-head back handspring and flip down the tumble track is great, and the laugh she has the whole time she is doing it is even better! You can see her bust through her shyness and be so confident in herself...nothing like it.

As for me, it just means figuring out when to ride, which as you can guess means less sleep and A LOT more discipline! Serious will power when you are beat (this time of year I need a Monster to get me through the afternoons/evenings with those two!!). Good example was tonight..

Gym ends at 7:30, of course Annika has to go nuts with Ally on the trampoline before we get out of there at 8:00...already passed bed times on school nights....wait, Cameron has to finish some more pizza (yeah yeah, but with so little time, what can a guy do...I am a guy after all, pizza has ALL the food groups....as my Dad would say, its got tomatoes doesn't it?) run through Cam's flash cards one more time then we get upstairs...

Now my kids are angels when it comes to bed time, but after 2hrs of tumbling and trampolines and bars, etc that little fire plug of mine is NOT ready to sleep.... so we read one of her princess short stories, followed by Cameron reading me one of his books and finally lights out! Its 8:30...

I get dressed in bike garb and head out to the garage and my road bike....its actually my road bike on a trainer but the road bike hasn't left the trainer since probably last June or so...I have an old 27" TV with a DVD player out there to make life as comfortable as possible....pop in a Spinerval DVD and I am off to "drop the hammer"...man that does sound as dorky as I thought it did, but hey its a great interval workout for an hour....

So about 9:45 I am off the bike....I want to puke....gulp down some Clif Recovery and here I am. I won't be able to fall asleep for probably at least another hour if I am lucky, but It is what it is.

Tomorrow a.m., its up at 05:00, then I will drop the kids off at school(s) and ride in from Hazel/Aquatic center, a 22 mile ride on my CX on the dirt along the Am. River bike trail....EZ...spin back to the truck after work and repeat the night before w/o the interval workout.

Its crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way...most people think my performance come mtb season suffers because of my hectic weeks on with the kids. Miles do go way down, and it used to stress me out. Last year I fully accepted that riding took a back seat on "on" weeks and I got in what I could...last year was my best year ever on the bike. Its true what they say, it is 90% mental. The 10% physical is brutal though, but it is what it is.... That's what Ruck-a-Chucky is for :)

As for me, I will get the last two CX races in the Sac series and start thinking about MTB season, April and May are going to be hard to recover from (Sea Otter 4/18, Coolest 24hrs May 2-3, So No Mas 100 May 16) seeing as I will not even be 37 anymore by then, whoa!! (Sorry Scott)

Hoping Sunday I can hit the single track with the kids, the ride while I run and help Annika up some of the bigger hills, Cameron is never to be seen until we get to the turn around! He's smart enough to figure out his gears and flies uphill, more than his old man can say!

When time runs short, get a ride/run in, whatever it may be because you will never get that day back to train...it is what it is!

CHEERS!

my day dream....

As we look forward to more DRY California CX with no rain in the forecast through next weekend, we can sit and day dream...

The price to pay for being responsible...

Sorry to do this, but I have to say something...the Fed's plan to offer those people having trouble with their mortgages - i.e. over extending themselves, being totally irresponsible and missing payments, etc - has me a bit miffed. I am a laid back guy, but the fact that I have been responsible and have made every payment to my mortgage and every bill means I lose out?

Huh?

Fannie Mae/Mac may be buying mortgages, for those "having trouble," and giving them a fixed 4.5% ...oh yeah, on new purchases too. So the people like me who actually refinanced to a fixed mortgage when there were signs of changes, and believe me there were signs, lose out. If I had simply done nothing, missed a payment or two and whined, I too might be able to save a couple to several hundred dollars a month on my payment, not to mention the $90k in interest over the life of the mortgage...Someone please explain this to me? I own a home, I am putting two kids through school, I own my truck outright, I pay my bills....on the other hand I don't have a BOAT, an RV to stay in when I use the boat at the lake, a second Dodge 3500 to pull the RV and the boat, I don't own three quads, a jet ski or a jeep to go "wheeling"....Instead I have a college education savings account, a 401k and I ride my bike as much as possible with the added bonus of not buying more gas (of course my food expenditures go up, but thats another discussion).

Perfect example is my neighbor, refinanced several times pulling money out each time, now her payment balloons in January so she decides to walk. She short-sells the home for $200k less than what she owes...the bank forgives the difference, collects that from the federal gov't and my neighbor now does not have to pay capital gains on that whole forgiven amount.....how does that work? Oh yeah, her credit rating is trashed, but my guess is the gov't will have a say in that down the line when things "pick back up" and these same people complain that they have bad credit.

Word for the day....RESPONSIBILITY....take some!

OKAY, I feel better now...

Road the CX bike for 2.5 hours yesterday, finally a winter day here, temp never above 49 degrees with some sun and more fog. As my work day came to a close I realized something yesterday....as I grab my stuff from my office and start down the stairs from the 5th floor, I realize I am skipping stairs trying to get down as fast as I can just like when I was in elementary school at the end of the school day...you know that feeling you had that you had the whole rest of the day to have fun! I seriously feel like that each time I get to ride my bike. Everyone wants to be young again, why not just live it everyday!

Off to Annika's dance recital, leaving from there to Cameron's Indoor Soccer practice then to celebrate Max's big 1 year b-day with Scott and Shelly.

The whole time proud of the fact that my property tax check just cleared, my mortgage payment was taken out of my account, my daughters tuition was deducted leaving me just enough to feed the kids and play a little with 2 birthdays and Xmas this month...

You know what.....I am damn happy with that!

Pre-turkey puddle romp...

Well it's Thanksgiving, for years I have been trying to establish a "tradition" to partake on Turkey day, or at least right around it. Lets just say with the cards life has dealt, its a "ride." Whatever my nutty schedule allows, I ALWAYS have to ride around the holiday.


In years past I have ridden down the trails of Downieville, rode the insane traffic of the East Bay, or just rode my bike around with my kids. This year was a good year, not only did I get to do one of my favorite road rides (oxy-moron, but you take what you can get) but I got to ride it with a good friend.


Chris, aka Burrito (sorry Chris, that's for my Dad), met in Danville to ride Mt. Diablo from the South Gate to the summit, down to the North gate and back to the summit, then back to the truck...hopefully. A great climbing day....not so great weather. But the roads Chris and I have each been down the past several years, we were riding regardless.... Keep in mind the last time we attempted this ride we were turned away 1.5 miles from the summit as the road was closed due to snow and ice. So, we ride, regardless.

Chris rolls in a few minutes late with a borrowed bike from Sharon's cousin, so I hop out in the rain to get the bike ready. I grab the bike out of the back of the truck and turn my flasher on to which Chris then enlightens me that he has to change out the seat and pedals to his own. My California-Fall "b" hops in his car with the heater on as he changes out the bike.....No wait a minute, this is Chris....so it turns out that he has forgotten his saddle (not a big deal) and his pedals (a very big deal)...I am clued in by the expletives coming from the rear of the vehicle...hmmm...surely it was Sharon's fault?!


Hmmmmm, like I said, we were going to ride. I suggested we buy some cleats for the spd's on the borrowed bike, but no, Chris wants to buy the pedals to match the cleats on his shoes....okay, same deductive reasoning works for that option as long as you leave out the economics of it out of the discussion....but this is Chris, so it makes perfect sense.

New pedals bought, plus the $20 dollar install and we are off...no wait, we have to go back to the car to drop off the old pedals....now we ride. Sloppy and wet, cool, but not too cold, we ride out to the climb. It was a great day going uphill. The rain was refreshing. Chris was climbing well, he will never lead on to it, but the man has come a long ways...lets see, "widow-maker" to century for 1yr anniversary of widow-maker, helping raise 3 kids and the tiredness that goes with that, i.e. the perfect reason (no I refuse to say excuse here for fear I might hurt his feelings) to tell yourself "I don't have the time." Oh yeah, and the most impressive was Chris' 24hr race that he raced, again he'll deny it, but coming out for his first one he nailed it! SO he spent 4+ hrs crying, trying to convince me "you don't understand how this feels" at 3a.m., but hey he pulled himself out of the depths by 8a.m. So anyway....

We had a nice casual climb to the summit, threw on our rain shells, dry gloves and started down. Here is a spot to explain, what I think, sums up the day. Here we are, two fathers who are completely obsessed with bikes and getting ourselves in the best shape possible to ride them. I am proud when I ride through less than favorable conditions because a lot of people likely won't ride, I mean what happens when it starts raining at a race say at 8pm and the race doesn't end until noon the next day...gotta deal....so here was Wednesday, at least for me these were my thoughts:

1. On the way up, "That's right, here we are riding while everyone else in home warm and dry. I am a bad-ass!
2. On the way down upon passing another cyclist climbing up...the only other cyclist we saw that day, "Man there's someone else as dumb as me, didn't think that was possible...whoa this pavement is 'wavy'...oh wait, it was just resurfaced... I'm just shivering uncontrollably..."

There's really nothing else to say here...when we reached the ranger station at the "Y" we headed down to the South Gate, I tried my best to sound sincere and ask Chris why we weren't going to the North gate and back up, but he just laughed and mumbled something I couldn't quite make out. Don't think I was convincing though.

Despite the grim description, it was a great ride, one that will stand out. A new baseline for cold on the way down, I guess our California-Fall temps being in the 80's really haven't acclimatized me yet, go figure.

We grabbed some toasty soup and some grub and headed to our families for turkey's eve. Another Thanksgiving Holiday ride, continuing my tradition....of course I would love every holiday ride to be an epic one, maybe that day was epic in its own way... Its a day for me to put life in perspective...

I always used to look at what was wrong with my life, wrong with the world...several years ago I woke up and now I remember I am responsible for my life, my happiness, now I relish in my two beautiful children and hope I can instill in them the importance of making a difference, persevering, and being happy with what you have.

I think about my family and how I wish we were all closer, the many friends that I have and the ones that have come and gone in my life and the special ones that, even though we seldom get to talk, its like we spoke only yesterday.

I think about how lucky I am to have Marja in my life, how much like me she is (poor woman) and how much she isn't like me (lucky her) and relishing in that.

I think, wow life is good! a day like yesterday, as cold and wet as it was, choosing to be riding in it and appreciating the fact that I can.

For those of you who forgot, yeah I am a sap...

"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional..."

-Zen

Why not enjoy life, every second of it!

Back on the DeSalvo again....

Well this weekend marks the first mtb ride I have done on the DeSalvo in a LONG time, maybe early October. For fear of offending my CX bike, I love all the hours I have put on the CX but there is nothing like being back up on the single track (actually climbing other than up and down the levee 50 times).

Scott, Linda and I met up at the top of Russel for the old faithful loop in Auburn. We have all been concentrating on CX lately so we were planning on leaving out Ruck-a-Chucky. It was a cool morning, but beautiful. No one was out and we were starting late at 8a.m.

We discussed the future of the team as we rode and just had fun. As we approached Driver's Flat I had to take care of some business...now Driver's Flat has a porta-john, but State Parks has 4 outstanding bathrooms down at the bottom of Ruck-a-Chucky...I made my case that they were nicer toilets, Scott of course pointed out to Linda that it would only add 25 minutes or so...to which Linda quickly said , "well if we bust it out on the way back we can make it....we can just bust it out" and the right turn was made for the descent to Ruck-a-Chucky.

The road was in absolute perfect condition (keep in mind that perfect here is a relative term). I believe Scott and I pulled 22 minutes once from top to bottom to top. I dropped fast, cause I had to go....afterwards we turned around and headed back up....Scott dropped part of a Gu wrapper so he stopped for a moment, and being the friend I am I picked it up a bit to try and get a gap...

I guess I should back up and give a little background: Ruck-A-Chucky is an area on the Middle fork of the American river where runners in the Western States 100 Endurance run cross, its approximately 800-1000 feet below Drivers Flat on a dirt road that makes the bulk of that elevation gain in 1.5 miles...its 2 miles total one way. Its 1.5 miles of hell followed by .5 miles of gasping for air trying to bring your heart rate down. Its great in that it puts every other climb you do in any race into perspective. There are only a few who love it like Scott and I. And when you don't pay Chucky a visit in a while, he usually makes you pay for it!

So....after somehow not giving in to the temptation to get off my bike and make the pain stop, I held off Scott and Linda and reached the gate in 25 minutes....not the best, but with a poop and a rock-in-the-shoe-stop, not bad! As to my "cheeky tactics" with Scott, he laid down the law later on the confluence!

A great ride! Nice to be back on the mtb!!

Sunday I joined Marja and Shelly for the same ride minus Ruck-a-Chucky. We arrived a little later at 9a.m. and there must have been 20 vehicles parked at the top of Russel road...another 20 down at the confluence...it was definitely a different day out there atmosphere-wise, you had to constantly be looking for traffic on the trail...Both Marja and Shelly busted out a great ride despite their self-proclaimed handicap of "lack of riding"....they were smoking it! As for me, I was/am pooped. The girls killed me. Two long days on the mtb, I should be sleeping well tonight.

Cheers, and have a happy Monday!

...words for the day

"Waking up every two hours and crying...thats sleeping like a baby."

Make a difference...

Lately I have been bitter about "people" in general. Whether its drivers, runners, walkers, roadies, etc...just most people seem unhappy and rude. And for some reason I have been letting it bother me.

Guess what, they are unhappy, they are rude...doesn't mean I have to accept it. This morning I rode past countless cyclists and pedestrians, and I said "hi" and waved to each and every one of them. 3 said hello back, one waved in silence. I bet by next month my smile makes at least one more of them smile.

I see kids at Cameron's school, very selfish and rude with no regard for others....then I see their parents and understand where it comes from...doesn't mean I or my kids will be the same way. That's just not how I was raised.

So a challenge to all of you, next time you are cut off on the road....don't react. When that person flys up the shoulder to get in front of you...let them in. Smile at people, say "excuse me." Hold the door open, help somebody... Don't be a victim of someone else's unhappiness, rise above it.

I had a great time this past weekend talking to the kids about helping others and that we needed to donate clothes and toys we didn't need anymore. They asked who we would give it to and I explained someone who needed them, someone not as fortunate as we were to have all this "stuff," such choices in clothes. etc. To my surprise, other than a few toys the kids jumped at the opportunity to help. They bagged clothes, toys, etc. We went down to donate and they helped me load all the bags and items into the goodwill trailer....

Afterwards, as we waited for the recycling depot to open (cashing in the cans) enjoying an Icee the kids were really happy helping other kids out.

Remember, each one of us is to blame for the state of our country...because we have all let it happen...and if you have kids, you are more to blame and you carry a HUGE responsibility to our society to make certain our kids are "good citizens." As you all know, most people in this country could care less about anyone else, its all about themselves and how much they have compared to someone else...and that's how their kids are too.

I have been burned in the past and likely will again in the future but I refuse to be that way, and I will not allow my children to be the same. There is a fine line between "being polite" and letting someone walk all over you....but I will continue to walk it with the hopes of making this world a better place....at least a friendlier one.

Make a difference!

...okay I am off my soap box, time to go get on my bike!

from FLatness to the Stars all lining up!

Rode in this a.m. nice and early, beating the sun to get a long ride in. A little fog here and there, but otherwise the bike trail (when I am on it) and the trails were totally empty. A little chilly, seeing its been near 80 in the afternoons lately....um, isn't it almost Thanksgiving?

So I am about an hour into it and I take a corner...hmmm, a little squishy! I look down, sure enough I am slowly flatting. No biggee right? Well, seeing I had 2 flats the other day from my house and now this one.....WTF? I sat down went over my tire like I was looking for gold (keep in mind its a brand new tire), but nada. I am going to have to go tubeless, and trust in Scott's Stans-Mojo-Magic! We shall see! Despite that, it was a good ride...the worst morning riding is better than the best day anywhere else for that matter!

We shall see what the ride after work holds for me. Looking at another 1.5 to 2 hrs easy spinning.

On another front, Chris and I have made things interesting with a bit of a wager....details to come, loser buys a set of Chris King Salt and Pepper shakers of the winners color choice... Stay tuned, April 1, 2009 will tell all!!!!

Finally, I asked Marja what her and I should do for our anniversary coming up in December, figured we should do something big seeing she has put up with my annoying butt for three years, anyway, she responded, wait I am tearing up....she said, I am dead serious here....she said, "I want to ride my bike..."

I couldn't respond, I was speechless! Life is good ya'll!

What a difference a week makes...really?

Well, here I am a week later and now I have a cold...ah the joys of two kids in school. You get to share every illness with the entire community! Small price to pay I guess, it's just I am a WIMP when it comes to a stuffy nose....

Despite a lot of "garbage" going on this last week it was really uneventful. This week was full of kid craziness between gymnastics, soccer pizza parties, and more gymnastics! Annika will be starting on a team here in Cameron Park starting in December, she is already working on her front tucks (flips) on the tramp.

Commuted from Folsom both ways on the CX bike Thursday, wow it felt great just to ride after last weekend. I was falling into the depths of depression being off the bike for 4 days...sounds silly but my kids start asking me to stop whining when I haven't ridden for a few days, its ugly.... I then rode up to Pville from here in Cameron Park on the rail trail Friday...sticky and fast single track since the rains, but I still flatted twice...both punctures...WTF? The Stan's gods really want me to convert back to tubeless on the CX!

On that note, seems Stan's is suing Specialized, can you say KARMA? Where's my TerraLogic?

Anyway, its November and my favorite time of the year with cold days, some rain, leaves falling from the trees....can some one tell me why it was 80 degrees yesterday, more of the same for today? I was able to ride two days in the rain a few weeks ago, but after looking at Folsom lake, man we need rain! Maybe Chris can send some via the Washington-CA aqueduct!

Well we are out the door, Cam and Annika are going to ride Brown's Ravine today with the mutts, Marja and I running it. Annika's first single track ride, no more fire roads or Prairie City, she'll be on a single speed just like her old man!! :)

Happy middle-of-November!!

Humble Pie Anyone???

Well, if today was any indicator of my body's need for rest...wow! Marja and I headed over to the Sac CX race at Discovery, an NCNCA Cup stop, only a few miles from Marja's house. After the standard whining from her that she hadn't ridden in a while due to school, I decided she needed to race since she refused to make up her mind.....well she dropped her arch rival on lap #2 and finished about 6 seconds out of third place....remember she hasn't been on a bike in a month! Like it matters!

Then there was my ride....I say ride, because today I paid $30 to ride around a fun CX course Rich laid out in Discovery Park. I stayed home from Portland, SSCXWC, due to exhaustion and my body hinting that I might be getting sick...so after sleeping on average 9.5 hours each night since Friday, I figured I should be up for a middle of the pack finish- tough at an NCNCA race in the A's as there is a lot of competition, never mind I am on a SS...why not make it harder on myself!

Well I felt O.K. warming up, halfway through the first lap I was relegated to the back of the pack thanks to some schmuck trying to ride a six-pack of small barriers, seems his second bunny-hop left him on the ground sideways in front of me w/ nowhere to go....no worries, the next straight away I crept back up to the middle, passed a few on the next two barriers, another in the tight muddy single track in the tunnel, and then we hit a long grassy straight away...I came around one rider hammering to grab the wheel of the group he fell off of...then my head started pounding and I just felt weird....so I got on a wheel and held it for a while, but ouch!

"He's calling the engine room, but no one's answering.."

So began my slow slide to the back of the pack. Lights were out, and unfortunately I was home!

I couldn't even hold a wheel....now its one thing to be suffering while having a good race, and holding your position, its another when you are sliding down the field like a ball rolling down Stage Coach in Auburn....Lap 2 under the bridge, I puked....not that "wow that's awesome" puke you see because you are pushing yourself so hard in a CX race, but that "wow this is pathetic puke" that happens when you feel like you are going to lose it at both ends and your legs might pop as well thanks to lactic acid....one mouthful. What next???!!!

I fought every urge to ride off the course back to my truck and pack it in. After Humbolt, when after a mechanical I cruised and didn't realize until 9 hrs into a 12 hr race I was still in 3rd, I refuse to ever give up on a race. So I fought the urge, and I almost lost several times...

So, to somehow make one of the worst races a positive experience I look at it like this:

1. I did not give up and ride off the course...unless you have been there, this might seem silly, but it was something I needed to do for myself (never mind Marja felt I should never have started...she's likely right, but DO NOT tell her that)
2. I was not lapped..again sounds lame, but in a CX race, a bad day usually means you are getting lapped at some point...o.k. so the course was really long, but give me a break here!
3. I was not last...baby steps!!

So I have said it before, be positive...even my pathetic display today I can walk away from it with something, just not my pride, I left that in the truck before the race started!!

Gordon asked me at the end of the race, "You bring the wrong gear Brad?"

I replied, "no I brought the wrong legs!"

...all about timing....

...it had to happen, two days before the SSCXWC in Portland I get a little sniffle and then the body aches....long story short Scott and Linda are up in Portland eating some breakfast about to head over to Chris King in a few hours to take part in Saturday's time trial and here I am writing about it. I was jealous of those two last year, but its killing me now! I will be honest, I have slept more in the past 36 hours than I have the past week and a half it seems...my body needed a break. I have to admit part of me wishes I went just to go after the heckling award! See I played Lacrosse at UC Davis, and what we lacked in skill at times we could ALWAYS make up for with heckling the other team or even fans....


So enough, I wish Scott and Linda a great two days of racing, I will be buying Ciro's pizza upon their return to hear all about it!! I know they will do well, Scott has been on a terror lately at the cross races and Linda always steps it up at the big events!! Lastly I am bummed as I will not get to see my buddy Chris and his family, that would have been fun! Jake and Zack love the cow bells and we all know you can never have enough cow bells!

So 0n to rumors:

1. Coolest 24 hrs may not be in Cool...sources close to me say that the State Park folk may not let the event happen in Cool, using the Olmstead loop as the core of the race. Instead it may be moved to Granite Bay...now don't get your panties in a bunch and whine and cry, just like I did (it was ugly), the idea would be to run the course up toward rattlesnake bar and use the trails toward the Auburn Dam overlook and form a loop that way....I don't know enough of those trails to hypothesize.. Personally Cool needs to stay on the same course, create a little history, plus its the "COOLest" not the "Granite Bayest 24hrs"...I hope Jim can strike a deal...anyway, its all RUMOR at this time.
2. Sly Park 100 has approval, hard part is coming up with a course....I have no worries about the course, the trouble is Sly Park proper and the tight rules they have considering the reservoir is for drinking.... But how cool is it to have a 100 miler so close to home! Who ever can lend help to Jim to get this one off the ground!!
3. So No Mas 100 course has been mapped out, and I have to say, "ouch!" 2 weeks after the Coolest 24, this course is going to cause more than a few of us to cry. I have ridden only once out the Lake Sonoma way, but after talking to Carlos from Bike Monkey this one will be an EPIC...break out the 19 and 20's!!!
4. This is fact, Boggs 8hr in April is up to 300 registered so their are only 150 spots left, so sign up and enjoy a really fun early season 8hr race!

All in all Jim's series is going to be great, whatever the details might be. There's the Boggs 8hr, Coolest 24 (Granite Bayest), the So No Mas 100, Boggiest 24hrs in Cobb, Sly Park 100 and Tahoe Sierra 100...all in our backyard!

I am going to try and race out at Discovery Park manana, its an NCNCA Cup event in the Sac CX series...I just wish it was Portland, there is next year!

...to pay for bike racing habit...

85.5" tip to tip, adjustable either direction 45 degrees

Float bags included (2)

OCD...

I would be the last one to call myself OCD, in fact I don't know many that would even think of that acronym when they thought of me...ask my Ex-wife and see what she says :).... My friend Chris, he has been writing a lot about his obsession(s)...all bike related...and I give him grief. Truth be told, I might be just as bad as he is, and when Marja and I get together and obsess on bikes (when she is not slammed in school), we are really bad. Heck, I even get excited about new bar tape!

Back to obsession...carbon forks, canti vs. V brakes, no matter what it is bike I love it. Chris and I could waste entire days discussing and looking for whatever part we need, well okay...WANT. I guess what it comes down to is this, like Chris I have a problem, I acknowledge my problem and I accept full responsibility for it.

Now don't get me started on Scott, if I have a question, he will know the answer, if he doesn't, he will tomorrow and will have fully investigated the matter. Oh and Ti SS, of course I needed my Ti SS.... Then there's Marja, who got a job in a bike shop just to be around anything bike...bless her heart!

I don't really see any issues with it, I see it in Cameron already, his obsession at the moment is soccer, the moment he steps outside he has a soccer ball at his feet... Annika, well she is a cartwheeling fool where ever we may be.... They see/hear how much I ride, the trainer in the house all winter, etc. They know what it takes to get good at something and you ALWAYS can get better...so they obsess....I think it is healthy and the old cliche holds true, "IT KEEPS ME OUT OF TROUBLE..."

Anyway, I need to go read Velonews, check my order status at Universal Cycles, and see if I can't find a better price on a EC90X fork for Chris' CX bike....then I will work a little before heading out and riding for 2+hrs (I hope, work is TRYING to get in the way!!!)....

Getting ready for Portland...

Well the last few days have been nice...ride, work, ride some more! After last week with my "run-in" with a valet, actually he ran-into me, left my cleat mark on the front bumper of the Lexus he was driving....tried to do the right thing and caught up to him, oh no he didn't stop after he flew out of an alley and into me, told him to just slow down, it wasn't worth hurting anyone...he dropped the F bomb, blah blah blah...I think you know how it goes...

After a fun Halloween with the munchkins it was back to business come Monday on the bike in prep for the SS Cyclocross World Championships in Portland...good excuse for a lot of fun on the bike!!! Looks like Saturday we meet at Chris King headquarters at 11a.m. to find out the secret location of the time trial to qualify for Sunday's main CX race.... Hoping Chris and his family make it down from Seattle one of the days, it would be good to see them all and give Sharon sh%#, its been a while, and I need to get my fill.

Feeling under prepared as usual, I road for a few hours Monday on the CX bike on what felt like new trails, so tacky and forgiving, even the sand pits were fast and furious. We really needed the rain.

Monday night saw more rain, a lot, and I looked forward to riding after work. I rode in, played a little on the single track but needed to get to work in order to meet Marja for some coffee heaven at Temple before she had to run off to school. The day, like most lately, dragged on...lots of work going across my office, but mundane details that have to get done, but man it gets old! Hey, I am employed, working to live!!

I headed out at 3pm and noticed my newer SRAM Force carbon crank just won't stay on...maybe she has an aversion to dirt, but I am not impressed with it so far..super stiff and the bearings are heaven (ceramic with stainless cups), but if it won't stay on it poses some problems. So I borrowed a 8mm T at Mike's so I could get some torque and tightened that bad boy down...of course my arm is calibrated and I am certain it was tightened to the proper torque spec...surely. So off I went hoping it would not loosen up again.

After a 30 minute warmup, I started my race-pace ride where the dirt access roads turn to a great mix of dirt road and single track. Start the clock...the south side of the river (same side as Slac State (CSUS)) is twisty single track through trees with short stretches of dirt road along the base of the levy. After about 6 miles I wind out thru a neighborhood and have to get around some private property and cut back into Goethe, River Bend Park, to cross back over the river and head back...

I got a lot of weird looks as I was having a tough day...made it back to Slac State in 59:32 to end my "interval"....at this moment I noticed I had made a big miscalculation, my leisurely spin home turned into a tempo ride as I was pushing daylight and I still had about 13 miles to go on single track and access roads....figures. I actually felt okay after the lactic acid left my legs. I also had to make a detour back to my office to grab some things too...ah more downtown Sac during commute hours...

Got home and grabbed the mutts and threw them in the truck...well of course I didn't throw them...well I guess I could throw Phil, he's 40lbs, NO I wouldn't actually....anyway...we headed to the River so they could get their play time! They went nuts, the coolest part was they had some unexpected friends to play with....for several months now, two sea lions have been hanging out at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers here in Sac. Its odd to be on the river and hear the lions barking at you...seems like you should be at Pier 39, not Discovery Park. So anyway, as Phil and Maddie are pummeling each other along the beach, the sea lions are swimming parallel to the beach barking at the dogs....Maddie and Phil ran up and down the beach barking back at them, neither one getting in the water...I think they were thinking along the lines of Jaws...it was hilarious!

So here we are, another day in paradise (use sarcastic tone), saved by:
...and for those moments when you question your life, you see morons driving around with their kids in their car making statements like this (read the bottom of the license plate holder):
Yes I drove in, need to get up the hill to grab some parts/tools for Portland and see Annika and Cameron at A's gymnastics practice....Missing them this week badly!!

Finally, after last night I have a little bit more faith in the American people...seems more have been paying attention than I thought, good for you...for US...the beauty of this country is the fact that we all have the right to choose between riding on the dirt or riding on the road and we all can have our own opinion and call ourselves democrats or republicans without being persecuted...unless of course you actually choose to ride on the road...then obviously you are just stupid.

Take a joke and smile, you will live longer!

Back to the pain...

After yesterdays fun jaunt home on the SS CX, today I needed to turn it up a little. For those who haven't experienced cyclocross its 60 minutes of absolute hell, pain like nothing else. Its pretty cool. To put things in perspective, the U.S. Gov't elected to use waterboarding at Gitmo as cyclocross was deemed cruel and unusual and couldn't be defended at the Hague. Really, I read that on the Internet, some guys blog.



But all joking aside, today I felt like hell before even going out and putting myself thru hell...for some reason lately I find myself awake around 2am with no hope of getting back to sleep, usually until about 4am, when my alarm goes off at 5am....I know whaaaa!



As I ride out to the trails thru downtown I think to myself, I will just spin....so I cross the old railroad bridge and drop down onto the single track and slowly start ramping the effort up. A long section of this trail is fluff thanks to some fires they had a few months ago, graded up by CDF dozers. At least they followed the old trail path....for some reason it just hasn't been compacting at all, then I see why...

Seems the folks from CalExpo are taking their harness racing horses out on these trails since they are no longer single track...so picture two people in the trailer, since I have no idea what its called, and two more horses running behind it! Pretty interesting to say the least....and they actually smiled and said hi....

So after slogging through the mile or so of 4inch fluff, it hardens up a bit and I start flying along the trails, pop out next to Campus Commons golf course, cross over the river at Slac State and continue up the trails towards Rancho. These trails are always empty, well except for today when I actually came head on with two other CX riders...I yelled at them to get off the trails, they happily reciprocated and we laughed as we squeaked passed each other....

Somewhere in Rancho I turned around and tried to negative split the ride out riding up onto and then back off the levy each time the trail snaked out to it...ouch! Holding this effort was brutal with the last bit of dirt culminating with a ride up onto the secondary levy in gravel a few inches deep... just about killed me....once at the top the lactic acid makes me want to cry but the pain eases with each pedal stroke and they just keep feeling better. I did receive some funny looks from the couple out walking their dogs, I guess they were taken aback by the snot all over my face and my gasping for breath with druel flying about. Doesn't everyone experience that on a regular basis?

Back onto C street I decide I am going to spin my 42x17 as fast as I can from 28th street to 10th street....a different burn all together...So I get back to the office, yes it was a 1.5 hour lunch today, and make my way back to my desk, after showering, with a smile on my face.

Yes I was happy I rode, duh, but happier that I tortured myself when all I really wanted to do was kick back and "rest." Lack of sleep is my nemesis and I am still trying to get over the "wussification" I was exposed to for years... of course I don't want to get sick but "resting" every time I am tired isn't going to get me to the front of any races...

As for the "wussification" statement, if you are reading this it doesn't refer to you :)

The road home is paved with dirt...

Well I finally pulled off the whole nine yards yesterday commute-wise...door to door on the CX bike from 10th and I in Sacaramento to the park-n-ride in El Dorado Hills, thats EDH for the snotty folk reading this. My goal was to see just how much I could ride on dirt on what is a 42 mile ride on the road, bike trail and surface streets.

My first assumption is that the dirt is the same mileage as the road, its probably a little longer (considering the route I took, maybe 2 miles at the most). Of that 42 miles, I was on pavement 8.4 miles. Not bad. Now several miles is the DG trail along the paved bike trail, but it is dirt nonetheless.

As I leave downtown Sacramento I can quickly hop on some double track and single track for several miles to the Watt Avenue undercrossing, then I am on DG and fire road along the American River Parkway to Goethe Park (Opps, lets be PC, thats "River Bend" park now, don't want to offend anyone) where I am forced to ride the pavement in order to ride the bridge over the river. Then we ride single track, gravel and dirt access roads to the Fish Hatchery at Hazel, and hop on single track all the way to the Rodeo Grounds....then we are forced onto pavement for a few miles before climbing up to Dyke 8, sorry again, en lieu of offending its now "Folsom Point, formerly known as Dyke 8"...ride around Lake, well Puddle Folsom, to Browns Ravine where again its on pavement for 1.4 miles until we ride along New York Creek in EDH (see above snotty reference) to the EDH CSD and have to finish out the last 2.2 nmiles on pavement...

Not bad if I do say so myself.....I had to pat myself on the back today!

Tears of JOY...

You know that feeling you get,when your path crosses with someone you care about deeply, and you haven't seen each other in a while? Or maybe you see that girl you were infatuated with in high school, and you still get that nervous feeling in your stomach?

Well that happened to me this morning. I was meeting a beautiful girl, one that I hadn't seen in way too long. My stomach was full of butterflies, and the anticipation was killing me. When I saw her, it was like we had never been apart. It was truly amazing! Now she is back with me, by my side,

here she was on a cold winter ride in February '08

We had been separated since Friday night, for reasons I would rather not go into. I don't think I could hold it together long enough to type the whole story....

ALAS, a happy ending!

p.s. Chris, you have obsession issues!

Taking what your given...

This weekend was full of soccer and every other physical activity you can picture a 4 and 6 year old doing...I guess I am very lucky in that way, my kids are as active as me, sometimes a lot more active than me!! I was raised to lead by example and so far I think I am doing a good job. Now don't get me wrong, I have a lot to work on, but I was raised respect for others, ESPECIALLY your elders, give 110% in school then play (in that order) and most importantly be happy - and what I have learned is that is MY responsibility.

I see so many kids that are over weight and just plain lazy....I just can't wrap my mind around that because my kids are INSANE energy-wise and love being outdoors, playing soccer, biking, riding their scooters, gymnastics every second of the day...I could go on.

A good example is at the gym Sunday, I rode the bike for about 70 minutes. The kids room is HUGE and full of video games, jungle gyms and basketball courts all indoors....each time I return the girls working always comment on how Cam and Annika are always playing on the courts while most of the others are on the video games. Don't get me wrong, I will be playing xbox tonight, but like everything else in the world....MODERATION!

For me being healthy is happy....seeing my kids healthy and happy makes me even happier...

I guess I just hope for all these parents and obese children that they figure out whats healthy...its sad.

With that said, get off your butt and go play with your kids!!!! Too tired, thats what Monster is for...believe me!!!!

...watch out for the angry squirrel, I hear he struck again!!

AHH the wildlife...

...so I discovered some new single track, well new to me, between Howe Ave and Watt on the S. side of the American River. Really fun and twisting single track teeming with wildlife...and I do mean TEEMING.

So I am cruising through a section deep in the trees with tall grass on either side enjoying the twists and curves when suddenly I get a nice warm fuzzy sensation on my left calf as I am pedaling! I was reminded of Phil, was it he snuggling between my legs like he does at night at the foot of my bed? How did he get from Marja's house out to the trails? Wow, what a smart dog, what a fit dog to come all this way to find me....

Well I look down to see my trust worthy dog and what do I see? Freaking Rocky the squirrel spread eagled between my water bottles squeaking like mad trying to figure out what to do....I just about screamed like a little girl waiting for Rocky to bite me. Finally, when I stop pedaling and he figures it out, he jumps clear. I'll hand it to Rocky, he jumped clear of my front and rear wheel avoiding decapitation, but all I could think about was the rabies shots I was gonna need after Rocky bites me out of frustration!!

Too damn funny! Shortly after that I just about run over Wile E. Coyote as he is trotting down the trail, I am running stealth with no chain-slap...and a few minutes after that its Wile E.'s little brother I almost hit - Phil? No, not Phil!

So I make my way home, go pick up some Chinese food for Mar and I (Tues/Thurs are her ridiculous days) and enjoy some tasty food. I grab my fortune cookie as soon as I am done of course and wtf??

Looking forward to a 3hour cross ride manana in the dark before work...any takers?

Illusion...

So anyone pick up on the illusion? (hint below in last post)

Take what I can get...

Friday was "cocktail day" in the Cole household....no, not what you are thinking....Annika was up for her kindergarten shots including a flu shot (that was 5 total, she's a stud) and Cam and I were on tap for a flu shot.

For those of you who are not believers in the flu shot, I never was until last year, when I had what the doctor called "the flu," it was more like death but I wouldn't die, I just had to endure it. I had a fever for a week, I was dressed in fleece head to toe under a heavy down comforter for the whole time, then the fever broke and said fleece and comforter was sopped...I changed my bedding (um, no I didn't wet myself) and went to bed with a smile...by morning temp was back up over 100 (my normal body temp is 96.9)...my back was on fire, etc.. I know, WHAAAA!

The moral of the story, everyone I know who had the flu shot never got the flu...the few that were w/o the flu shot joined my hell. I am a believer now!

At any rate, I took the day off for the event. No, I don't like needles all that much, but it was a great excuse to go ride. After the kids were at school I got home and hopped on the CX bike and headed up the rail-trail to Placerville, I'd say 95% single track. Fun CX ride with a couple long run-ups for kicks! It twists along an old rail line between Sac and Pville so the average grade is about 5% up to Camino, with the ups and downs along the actual rail it adds up quick. So after busting your hump to get above Pville, its a ripping ride back down to Cameron Park. Probably a 25 minute negative split.... rear end got soft again, and yes by Saturday a.m. when I walked by the CX hanging in the garage it was FLAT....AGAIN...thanks SCHTEVE!

Finally signs of Fall along the trail, this is the only portion where you have to deal with "train-track-gravel"...most of the trail twists and turns on single track following the general cut of the tracks.Just below Pville, we have to cross the Weber Creek ravine on the old bridge..a wee bit bumpy riding the old ties. Notice the deflection of my wheel in the below picture!

After the ride I quickly headed down to grab the munchkin heads and get our shots...we were in the doctors room waiting for our shots and Cam and Annika were arguing over who was more brave and who would go first...Ah, naivety... So Cam gets up first, sees the needle and gets upset...when he was done he hops down and tells Annika it didn't hurt and they laughed! Me next, needles in general will always make me nervous but when all is said and done its no biggee.

Now Annika's turn, my little girl was terrified, this nurse walks up and sets down two handfuls of needles, shit I was freaked out! Finally she mellows a bit to say she wants them in the arm like Cam and I, so she sits up and then starts to cry. She NEVER moves a muscle though as the nurse puts 3 in her right arm, walks around me to put 2 in her left arm...I then asked Annika, "you ready" and she screams "just do it, get it done!"...and I say, "your done"...she never knew what hit her! She stopped crying looked at the band aides and said that didn't hurt! Guess you have to be a dad to appreciate that one! Of course she walked out of the office holding both arms completely still, making sure not to move them. She spent the rest of the night at the gymnastics gym tumbling for 4 hours! My arm still hurts though, :(

Saturday:

Soccer was great, Cam's team actually exploded the last 10 minutes of the game after spending the first 3/4 of the game playing very timid! It was nice to see!! They looked great and had so much fun, thats what makes it worth it!

After the game Marja and I headed to Arnold for her Dad's 60th, great party...For those of you who do not know Arnold, its close to the Bear Valley Ski Resort and many Bay Area folk have cabins there for summer and winter play. Like most areas, the locals depend on the revenue from the "weekenders" but most have a really hard time with them "taking over" their town. On the road back to Marja's parents place was this one home, I really can't figure out if it is a Bay Area Vacation home, or a local....but the landscaping gives you a hint:

You tell me...look closely!















On a lighter note, for those of you who don't know, we are dog people....so this was extra cool to us....Marja thinks we need one for my DeSalvo, matching Ti of course, she took this photo driving home from UCD on Friday:

How Chris rides CX...Seattle style

Seattle CX...Chris

October in California...

Well its been a great week in Cali....cool ride in the ravine Sunday, back around 90 the past two days. Marja and I had a great ride Sunday in the ravine, well at least I did...I think Marja may have had her first "character building" ride, after a long full week with grad school and all I think her body was tired, thats what happens to kids when they get over tired! (I'll pay for that!)


We did see some cuddily wildlife, right on the trail. I wanted to help the little guy out so I tried to remove him from the middle of the single track, just enjoying the sun in everyones way, a lot like an equestrian, but this little guy didn't yell and scream like an equestrian!

Personally, when something this small coils up and starts trying to bite me....It freaks me out! Needless to say we left him alone as the only sticks lying around were poison oak branches....I let him be.

Monday was spent playing on the CX along the American River trails for about 3 hours before grabbing the munchkins from school! Cameron discovered that Phil's talent, other than being a complete moron, is soccer! Cameron wants him to play on his team this weekend:I rode in this a.m. on the CX, can't really figure out why so many people have issue with riding a SS CX bike on the DG along the bike trail. The good news is riding home I will be on the trails where they can't be bothered by me! Its just amazing how many people concern themselves with what other people are doing, and if its not what they are doing, "How Dare they be different!!"

Its amazing. This morning I passed (thats coming and going) 26 people on the trail, I always say "hello" or "good morning"...3 responded with a smile on their face, not a peep from the 23 others. Personally, I love to ride and am happy whenever I am on a bike so I have a really hard time trying to figure out why others riding seem so unhappy. And yes, I am going to say it, the club road riders are the most disgruntled of them all. I will not mention the Sac Wheelmen or any other club like the Bike Hikers, but give me a break guys and gals....HAVE SOME FUN and SMILE!!!!! Don't bitch at me for ridng my "road bike" in the dirt.....

First of all its not a road bike.

Second of all, why do you care?

Its legal, I am not in your way, so why not just enjoy the ride? At least you guys are riding and caring about your health... but why not smile and be happy others love what you love, the BIKE.

...bad influence

He goes by the name of Schteve.....nice guy.

His answer to life, "custom"....and frankly I have to agree....

Then he spoke of flats. Now I flat too.

Damn Schteve and his "custom" mantra!

I suggested to a friend, "Custom CX"

..."of what?" he asked

"ti" I respond, "duh"

Now I want custom CX too...(w/o all that shifty dohicky stuff)

Damn Schteve!

October cruising...

Looking to go for a long ride today on the SS...Marja insists on coming, but with school and TA work piled up mile high I advised her not to...but thats where I stop, the girl will do what the girl will do! Thats what I love about her! She is almost as good justifying this ride as Chris and I used to be to play Xbox en lieu of riding....I said ALMOST

Chris is racing CX in Seattle, Scott in LA, so I am feeling a bit in a funk! I could have raced CX in Livernmore yesterday, but in my tiredness I came up with 15 really good reasons (see comment above re: Xbox) not to make the drive...as usual I am kicking myself in the a$$ for it.

Last night UC Davis ran over S. Utah in football. Great to see the folks, have some tasty Indian food pre-game and hang out on campus...brought back a lot of good memories of Lacrosse, beer and good times. The new stadium, moment of silence for Toomie, was great and the crowd was excellent. Great to see UCD stepping up to their D-I status ... About halfway through the game Marja says to me, "...its so weird to see you like this, when you used to look like that?" She was referring to my football size/weight at UCD, 205lbs...

Football days...

today.....
Okay, so I still weigh more than the "Chicken" here and probably make in a year what each of these guys was last fined by their "teams," but I am riding under 180lbs.... If you can name the player in the pic above, I will buy you a beer.

Off to the ravine!

...a good morning

Here's how the day started...

...need I say more?

To cross or not to cross

"...the happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have..."

Good news yesterday: Cameron continues his run of "Aced" spelling and math tests to 4 weeks and Annika is nailing her back-hand-springs with a spotter - she's 4.

The bad news, I almost missed my ride with Scott and even worse Marja had to miss it due to school.

Between her grad program, the classes she is a TA for and work, she is one busy chica. So I told her I would ride twice as much to make up for her lack of riding. For some reason that didn't have the desired effect I thought it would?

Marja w/ her "perma-smile" on the bike

So on to CX, with everyone occupied Saturday I might be heading to Livermore for some CX racing....the only problem is my DeSalvo misses me so I might take her out in Auburn for 4 or 5 hours.....the tough decisions, I tell you. Thinking Auburn over CX cause my legs are tired from running with Dawn "Hear Me Roar" Infurna-Bean Wednesday in the ravine...She's a stud. I have to hand it to her though, I miss running the trails in the ravine and Marja and I cannot wait to hit them with Maddie and Phil once it cools off enough!

So back to work, I have to remind myself, "work to live"...cause come COB today Scott, Marja and I are back on the bike for a friday afternoon tromp around the lake on the CX bikes...

With no soccer for Cam Saturday, that means I get to sleep in (which means maybe 7am) and then ride Auburn before the UC Davis football game with my parents tomorrow night..Go Ags!

"Chubby Rookie"

So many don't know the significance of the name "chubby-rookie." Let me see if I can do it justice...

I was riding the CX bike on the trails along the American River Bike trail, yes the "legal" ones, one beautiful day. As I approach the Goethe Bridge (oops, sorry that's non-PC, the "River Bend Bridge") I had to pop up on the paved trail. Shortly after a man with a woman drafting him pass me so I hop on to take advantage of the tow and eat.....well, as I do so, the woman begins to frantically wave her hand at me. Wow, she's actually pointing out an obstacle or object on the trail....but nothing. I slowly get in her draft to eat when she turns to me and says, "I said on your left not hop on my f*&%ing wheel!"

Well, seeing as I love roadies so much I asked her what her problem was, meanwhile, said friend she was drafting coasts back and says, "You hop on my girlfriends wheel again I'm gonna kick your a$$!!!!" He then challenges me to a race, to prove himself I guess, this is where it got really comical, "Come on chubby, what do you got rookie! Come on chubby-rookie, lets go!!!!" What are we 12? Since then that name has sort of stuck on me.

The beauty of this story, he is Sacramento's self-proclaimed ambassador for cycling, a certain columnist for a certain Sacramento newspaper, "...I try to hammer away at the idea that we need to be good ambassadors for our sport...we should try to win over some friends by being good cycling citizens. .." No names, but he rides a red De Rosa fixed gear. But I digress, maybe he was having a bad day. And again about a week or so later my friend Dave got the same wave from the same man/woman drafting duo...man they have a lot of bad days!?

"Don't draft dude!! Or I will kick your booty!!"

Return to Stans....

Well Chris.....I am back on the Stans train, woke this a.m. to ride the CX to work and my rear was flat....see, in California-Cross we ride star-thistle and sand pits, we don't get rain and mud for our cross races, unfortunately... at least not for a while.... Time to hit Scott up for more Stans insight and guidance.

CA-CX Racing

So it begins...

Marja dropping the hammer

Well, with another cross season starting up I thought I'd start posting my trivial babble to go along with it. The "Crimson Chin?" Well, this was from a digger on the "Couch" outside Whiskeytown in the Spring...

Riding the CX tonight along the river, all LEGAL trails of course. After the mother of all bonks last night (as Linda would say, "I was practicing my bonk") riding the CX from Cameron Park up the rail-trail to the El Dorado Trail in P-ville to Camino....I thought I'd play a little suicide with the "woodland creatures" along the river between "Camp Hoover" and mile marker 16 and back along the Sac River. Follow that up with a run with Marja and the mutts after she gets back from lab and I should sleep like a baby tonight.

Marja, Maddie and Phil...Phil has A.D.D.

Then of course tomorrow, for some strange reason, we are running with Dawn Super-Human Infurna-Bean from the Dam overlook to "No-Hands" then up Stage Coach and back to the overlook thru town.... good times, something different then pedaling for a change!

One last comment for the day...it has to do with Stan's and CX. Now Scott runs it with no issues, I personally blew my rear tire off after a flying mount preriding probably because I didn' get the strip right (my fat butt had NOTHING to do with it).....and then there is Chris up in Seattle...he noticed his rear burping everytime he hit the saddle while practicing his mount last week. Dead set on racing Crosstoberfest on Stans, he insisted he could make it work despite my experience and my opinion to throw a tube in. Result:


















YES that is Chris' BUTT....about the same size as my 6 yr old's oddly enough. Blew the rear tire on a turn...on asphalt...ouch!!!