Race Guide for the technically challenged rider

The Singletrack Slowpoke's Guide to Sunday's Course, for the Technically Challenged Rider. If you are not technically challenged, don't bother to read this, it won't make sense....

After reading the reports and seeing some great pics from elite riders, I think that it is only fair to have a alternate course description for all the singletrack slowpokes out there. There have to be people besides me that would have bruises, scrapes and rookie chainring holes in their leg after riding this particular course! Just as I know that there are others who pause to muster up some courage at the drop-in to the singletrack, wondering if they will make it down in one piece! And who panic at the sight of the rock garden and the ravine. If this sounds familiar, then this is for you!

Big thanks to all the people who have been out there tirelessly working away to provide everyone with a challenging course! They have put many hours of work into this, and are constantly making changes to make it better. The elite and comp riders deserve a course that is challenging enough for them once in a while, even if the rest of us struggle a bit.

Course features are not necessarily in order. I don't remember the order that things came in. I don't have a good memory for race courses. I am really not the one who should be doing this!

You could think of the course as a test....
If you are a citizen, the start is not bad. It's climbing but not straight up the ski hill. From the back of the ski hill, there is a loose gravelly drop in to the singletrack. Do you
a) ride the sketchy drop and hope you make it in one piece?
b) try to walk down it with your bike, slip in the loose gravel, and end up sliding down on your rear end with your bike trying to escape down the hill
c) take the alternate easier route a little further down the road
I have already tried b) so you don't have to, and I would suggest that you try either a) or c) depending on which category you are racing! My teammate said it wasn't really that bad. Walking it could be worse than riding. Or take the other route. (I noticed one guy stopping to line himself up with the drop, then he paused to get up his nerve before he rode it.)

You are barrelling along, and you see two or three sandy round mound-like bumps with a bushy tree on the left. Kind of like little whoops real close to one another. Should you get off now, or see how it goes, it's just a couple after all, and they aren't that big?
a) there are several more around the tree that you can't see, get off while you can
b) no, try to ride them, get your front wheel stuck between two bumps, lose your balance, and fall over
c) ride them, thinking how much fun this course is!
d) hope that they flatten them out some and groom them before the race
I tried b, then a, and now I am hoping for d!!! if your answer was c, you shouldn't be reading this! Go upgrade!

Approaching the rock garden, you
a) panic and get off and attempt to walk through the rocks, slipping and sliding and losing your footing as you go, then freeze when you see the ravine that you are totally unprepared for
b) grit your teeth and try to ride left to right, keeping your speed and trying to be positioned to hit the ravine as you emerge
c) be really glad you are a citizen and don't have to ride it at all
d) be glad you are a sport and don't have to ride the whole thing
I can tell you that in this particular garden walking or running the bike doesn't really work. It's just too hard to keep your footing on those piles of round rocks without twisting an ankle, and then you won't be set up for the ravine/rut after it. Either b) ride it, or be glad you are a citizen and don't have to!

Up ahead are two little harmless looking skinny roots across the trail, a little off the ground, that look totally rideable. Are they?
a) they're not, they pop up and catch the knobs on your front wheel, careful!
b) awww, ride right over 'em, no problem
c) ride over 'em, but stay to the right where they are closer to the ground. or maybe lift your front wheel as you go over?
I experienced a) and I almost went flying. I don't understand the physics of it though. They look so innocent. Go for c?

People have been telling you how nasty the mud pit is. How do you get through it?
a) you never saw it, you have no idea what they were talking about. where is it?
b) you hear that it might get cut out, and you hope that's true.
either a or b works for me. I missed the turn for it, somehow.

All those Logs!!!
If you are trying to recover from a back injury,
a) pretend you are in a 'cross race and run them.
If not, b) ride those logs!

All the off camber stuff, especially the uphill off camber stuff
a) ride the uphill stuff for as long as you can last, then bail and hope for the best
b) recognize your limitations, get off, and take the opportunity to rest your aching back by walking
first lap, a. getting tired and your back needs a rest, b

Uh, those trees look really close together, thunk, aaaarrrrgggghhh!
a) cut your bars ahead of time
b) stand around in the parking lot talking about whether you should cut your bars
c) slow down to make sure your bars, cut or not, make it through without hitting the trees
d) keep your speed, look down the trail, thunk, arrrrrrrgggggghhhhh!
c worked pretty well for me. glad my bars got cut a couple of years ago! I think the Alterra intestinal course prompted me to do that. I still came awfully close though.

What should I use for the bruises?
a) arnica gel, if the skin isn't broken
b) ice
c) ibuprofen
d) ice cold beer
all of the above. you choose the order, I would do b, c, a then d.

Well, it's really late Thursday night, I must go to sleep. That's it for now. Stay safe, and enjoy the course! All that painful stuff will make us stronger. Someday. In the meantime keep lots of ice packs and bags of peas in the freezer!

Collegiate Nationals

Congrats to the NU Cycling Team for qualifying for Collegiate Nationals in Division 1, and to those on the team who went and made a strong showing there!

It sounds like there were some challenges involved, such as the 2 mile stretch of gravel which caused the number of flats to exceed the spare wheels available!

I read that Kellogg student Reed T. made the podium in 5th place in the Division 1 crit. Sounds like he is continuing in the tradition of past star Kellogg riders on the NU team, such as Jay Osborne, Chris DeKraay. and Paul Swinand.

I noticed alot of other familiar names in the results - WORS folks, 'Cross folks from both WI and IL (such as Devon H. and Megan M. from U of C, who did the ChiCross Cup series), Mike S. from the Pony Shop, and more. Great job, all!

Olympic Mountain Biking at Kettle?

A friend forwarded this to me today. His sister in law, a bike racer in Boulder, sent it to him. I'm not sure where it was originally published. (cyclingnews.com?) I know this was discussed long before Chicago got the US bid spot, and I guess it's still on the table.

I have to go to a team meeting/ride now, but you get the gist of it!


Subject: Olympic mountain biking at Kettle Moraine

Olympic mountain biking at Kettle Moraine?

Former Olympian Tom Schuler gave his support to nearby Walworth County's bid to host Olympic cycling events if Chicago is awarded the 2016 Summer Games. Chicago is up against other candidates including Rio de Janeiro, London, Tokyo, Madrid, and Prague. A selection will not be made until late 2008 or early 2009.

"Between Champaign, Illinois, the Fox Cities and Madison, there is no finer cycling than right here in Walworth County," said Schuler to the county board Tuesday according to the Gazette Extra. "That goes for mountain biking in the Kettle Moraine and road biking in Walworth County."

Schuler, who represented the US in the Olympics in 1980 for road events, was one of about 15 people supporting the county's effort to host cycling and possibly also rowing and equestrian events. The county board gave the effort unanimous support.

Fred Burkardt, development alliance executive director, predicted Olympic mountain biking at the Kettle Moraine's John Muir trails or at Alpine Valley Resort could bring in 40,000 to 50,000 people with a US$116 million economic impact.
"What Chicago lacks is our gain. We have rolling terrain in the county, whether it's the Kettle Moraine (for mountain biking), or the county roads and highways that are perfect (for road biking)," Kevin Brunner, Whitewater city manager and development alliance vice president. "If you go south of here, I don't know if you noticed, but it's kind of flat."

Kettle Moraine has hosted many mountain bike events including the US Collegiate Nationals.

Good Luck in Minnesota

I still haven't had time to write about Iola yet! In the meantime I want to wish Sara K-J of the Trek Midwest team good luck at the Maplelag race in MN this weekend! I hope she gets lots of UCI points at this race! Also, congrats on her Iola win.

Good luck to any other WORS racers who are going, as well!

Also, a *big* thanks to Sara for alot of helpful back rehab info she gave me after her race at Iola. This past month has been really rough for me, so it was good to learn about stuff no one else has told me. Her knowledge of the spine is truly impressive. I appreciate her taking the time to explain it to me when she was probably tired and hungry and wanting to change! Sara, I'll email you as soon as I can find your address - I think it's on my old computer.

CicadaFest?

I read that the cicadas are supposed to come out on May 22nd. I guess people are already seeing the young'uns emerging from the ground in forest preserves. Let's hope they don't come early! I don't know if they are only going to emerge in the Chicago area or if they will be coming out in Wisconsin too?? There may be the most spectators ever at a WORS race.... thousands of loud buzzing bugs! My overactive imagination is wondering what it would be like to be doing the Treadfest race on May 20th and riding through piles of crunchy cicadas! Not to mention having them hopping and flying all over the place, like into the holes of our helmets. Ugh.

A tooth filling fell out today. No more Tootsie Rolls for me!

iPhone

Mac fans: Looks like the iPhone will be out on June 15th. CNET had a link to the Boy Genius Report which said that all AT&T wireless retail employees could not take a vacation between June 15 and July 15 because they expect that time to be one of their biggest selling seasons ever. I'm not planning on getting one of these, but I know some people can't wait.

From the Boy Genius Report:

To: All Company Owned Retail Employees

From: [Name removed]

Subject: iPhone Launch Period

Date: May 4, 2007

As previously announced, Apple and AT&T will soon debut the iPhone,
which combines a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and
breakthrough internet communications into one small and lightweight
handheld device. The new AT&T has a multiyear, exclusive agreement to
provide U.S. service for the iPhone.

To ensure proper staffing during the product launch period, Sales personnel
planning to take approved time off are encouraged to schedule their
vacations before June 15 or after July 15 to participate in the iPhone
launch.

Previously approved vacation will be allowed where voluntary rescheduling
is not feasible

No additional vacation requests will be approved during the launch period
(6/15 – 7/15).

I want to thank you in advance for your understanding as this is likely to
be the biggest selling period we have seen in a few years.

Happy Selling,

[Name removed]

WORS Iola

Here are some of my Iola pics. I think I did more talking than picture taking. Maybe more to come.




Hayes guys Lenny, Jay and Danny after their race.


Holly, Jason, Kevin, Scott and Ken before the Elite and Comp race. Ken says he thinks Scott looks really slow in this picture.


Holly starting her first Elite WORS race!


Go, Gabi! Only one more lap!


Great job, Dana! 2nd overall and 2nd age group.


Teammate Dave on the sandy downhill.

They say love hurts...

If you love, or used to love, pro cycling, this hurts.

I just got this article in an email. It came from Cyclingnews.com. I'm sure others will be posting it as well, but if you haven't read this, here is the latest depressing news from the world of pro cycling. Ouch.

Basso confesses his involvement in Operación Puerto

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport's Valerio Piccioni, Ivan Basso has confessed his involvement in Operación Puerto to the antidoping prosecutor Ettore Torri of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). Today in Rome, CONI issued communiqué saying "Ivan Basso has largely admitted his responsibility relative to Operación Puerto and has provided the maximum collaboration to clarify the facts relative to his involvement."

Basso and his lawyer Massimo Martelli met with Torri for two hours in a legal office in the centre of Rome, where the confession of the winner of the 2006 Giro d'Italia winner came of his own accord.

The head of the Italian cycling federation Renato Di Rocco applauded Basso's decision to collaborate, telling the Gazzetta dello Sport, "Ivan has done exactly what everyone asked of Pantani, and Marco didn't do; now, we ask in the name of cycling to not leave Ivan Basso alone."

Although no further information has been released by Torri or the Italian Olympic Committee, there is speculation that Basso may receive a retroactive two-year suspension that could allow him to come back in time to ride the 2008 Giro d'Italia.

On Sunday, prior to today's announcement, Cyclingnews spoke with UCI president Pat McQuaid concerning speculation that a deal might be done between Basso and CONI. "There is no provision for a reduced sentence," he said then. "The WADA rules apply and the minimum sentence is two years, whether it is for admittance or non-admittance of an offence. The only time when you get less than two years is if you can prove it was mistaken or it was taken in foodstuffs, that kind of thing. But if you have been willingly involved in a doping activity, it is two years.

"I don't want to speculate on it [prior to such a deal being agreed - ed.], but the option is there for either the UCI or WADA to appeal to CAS."

Ivan Basso has not yet issued a statement, but a press conference is expected on Tuesday.

Rock Cut ....

was my first mountain bike race of the year...and also my first mountain bike RIDE of the year.

I didn't have time for a warm-up. I basically rode up to the line after registering and next thing I knew they said Go and we were off! I started at the very back so I had no idea who was in the race or how many women there were ahead of me. That was kind of wierd.

There was a big bottleneck early on, which I guess was a good thing since I wasn't warmed up! I was frustrated at first but then realized I wasn't ready to ride all out yet anyway. Even though I haven't been able to ride much or work out lately and am out of shape, I thought the course was really fun. I really enjoyed it. It was just right for where I am technically and fitness-wise. The open sections were great for me to gain some time and pass people. And the weather was more than you could ever ask for in April!! I did alright, considering lack of fitness, lack of sleep, etc.

My heart rate was a few beats higher than it should be in a race. That and the fact that my resting heart rate has risen to be about 10 beats above where it was at the beginning of the year makes me think I must really be out of shape.

A guy said, after the race, that it was hot out there for him today. I was stunned to hear that, I never would have called the day hot. It was nice out, but it didn't even seem that warm to me. It turns out that for this fellow, perfect race weather is 52 degrees! I really must be from another planet, because to me perfect race weather is 80-85. I know that's hotter than most people like, but anything below 75 and I'm breaking out the layers, armwarmers, etc. I'm always amazed at how few layers people wear for racing. I wish there was a way to reset my temperature tolerance, around here it would be much better to be a person who enjoys cool weather, since it's only really warm in July and August.

Congrats to Holly for her win, and to Chris S. for his age group win, and to Jason for his medal (not sure which place). Lucky Renee, she won the Garmin 305 that I had my eye on in the raffle. Lucky raffle number 653 takes the Garmin! Supposedly the new Garmins just started coming with Mac software. I have never been able to download stuff from my Forerunner 301. If I upgrade to a newer version of OS X. I will be able to.

It was great to see people I hadn't seen in quite a while. Quite a few WORS people, only a few of whom I got to talk to.

I haven't been able to get my printer to recognize the memory card or I would post a couple of photos from Sunday. maybe later.

Kayaks and Karoake

Fun weekend. Rock Cut and New Zealand Wendy's birthday party. Birthday first, Rock later.

New Zealand Wendy pulled off quiite a birthday party! She wanted to pattern it after the Amazing Race. We met up at the boat launch at the Skokie Lagoons at 7 pm Friday. Some of us, including me, couldn't get there until later. We each were on a team of three people. Two members of the team had to kayak across the lagoons to find a birdhouse that had a message in it telling us what to do next. She had rounded up enough kayaks and gear to be able to do this! So, once our kayaker came back with the message, we were given the address of a nearby house that we had to find. Luckily one friend, Craig, on my team had grown up around there and knew exactly where the street was. I would have had no idea - and Wendy had told me I didn't need my GPS! Unfortunately we each were in our own car, and we couldn't leave our cars in that lot after dark.

Once there, we had to say a phrase at the front door, at which point the guy came out of the house and took a picture of one of us (me, in this case) with a hula hoop, using our own camera so we would have proof Then he gave us a needle, thread, and button, which we were supposed to sew on the handkerchief or bandanna that we had been told to bring along. I couldn't see well enough in the dim outside light to thread the needle. I dropped it the first time and had to ask for another needle. I wasn't expecting to know the guy who owned the house - it turned out to be a bike shop owner I hadn't seen in years! What a good sport he was to do this. Then he gave us our next clue. It was referred to as the lemon squeezer by the lake... which of course is the Bahai temple. So we went to the temple and had to search around for the hidden clue. The janitor was busy sweeping - I asked him if he had found any clues! He said he had just started. Lucky us, or the clue could have ended up in the trash. I kind of felt like I shouldn't be walking around this magnificent, hushed, house of worship looking for clues... luckily there were only a couple of people sitting in there.

The next clue was to go ask for the movie Great Outdoors at the Video Adventure store. Dan and Craig stopped off at Dan's to drop off his car while I tried to get to the Video Store before Brian and his team. We were all well ahead of him, but he caught up to us at Central Street. I took Chicago and he took Sheridan - I made good time but got tripped up by a light by the Firehouse. Had I been more aggressive about getting through the yellow light, I would have gotten there first. Brian, Kris and Kristen got to the movie first - inside the plastic box was the clue! I got to it as they were reading the clue. I later found out that Brian had called ahead and tried to reserve the movie! The staff said they wouldn't help him cheat....! They headed over to Northwestern ahead of us while I waited for Craig and Dan. Then we headed over to Norris Center at NU to look at the Roommates Wanted board to get the next clue! I was the only one in oour group who knew where that was, so it worked out fine.

The next clue was to go to the Heartland Restaurant and take a team picture in the photo booth. That was our opportunity to drop off my car at my house before going to the restaurant. Finally our team was all together. We saw Brian's car in the lot, so we knew they beat us there. We hadn't seen the third team in quite a while. When we got to the bar at Heartland, some other people met up with us and we had a few drinks before the next stop.

The next stop was a place we only had the address of. I knew what it was going to be, but I don't think most of the others did. It was a Korean Karoake Bar! I have never, ever been to a karoake bar before! I always used to think they were stupid, but for some reason it sounds alot more fun than it used to. Maybe it was being able to do it with a small group of friends instead of a bar full of people?? My only brush with karoake was at the 2005 WORS banquet when some people did karoake after the banquet. I was way too shy to do it at that point, in front of people I didn't know very well.

There were alot of us packed into a private karoake room. I think the whole place is private rooms, which seems like a great idea to me! I think it made even the shyest comfortable enough to belt out a few tunes. Wendy called me tonight and said they (not sure which "they" that would be) decided that I was the karoake queen - apparently I was the biggest surprise. I guess that's good - I never sing in public cuz I don't think I sing very well - I can never tell whether I am staying on pitch... but it was nice to hear that I wasn't terrible! I guess my friends have never seen the closet wanna-be musician/rock star side of me - they only know the bike racer wanna-be side! I have been obsessed with bikes and bike racing culture for so long, I forget that once upon a time I was also obsessed with music.....

Anyway, we stayed for hours and it was really fun. I realized my taste in music is a little different than the group's - some of the songs I picked no one had heard of, but everyone was fairly patient with other people's choices. We never really ended up eating dinner cuz the food options at the karoake place were expensive and fried, fried and more fried. I was so fired up about karoake when I got home, I stayed up way too late going through iTunes on my computer playing songs.... silly, huh?

It's here!

It's here, it's here! The 24 Solo DVD finally came in the mail. I can't wait to see it! I may not have time until Saturday, though more likely I'll probably end up staying up really late some night to watch it before then.

Pain and the Brain

Someone recently gave me some reading material about pain. Being injured, I have been reading it to learn more about how the nervous system works.

I have noticed several people, in their blogs, talk about riding so hard in a race or ride they end up puking.

(Not to mention a video of someone chugging a whole 32 oz bottle of a certain orange flavored antioxident energy drink all at once....that brings on it's own very special kind of pain, apparently!!)

Anyway, I thought I'd quote a few paragraphs from the stuff I have been reading.

"in persistent pain, when the alarm system and brain are sensitized, all of these fears can help maintain the pain by activating those pain ignition modes - and set the orchestra up to play the pain tune. Remember that the brain wants to protect you from anything that is dangerous."

"So, hurt does not always equal harm. Simply by reminding yourself of this each time you are in pain can help reset this system..."

"When the central nervous system gets really desperate to prevent you from damaging yourself, it can paralyze your muscles (called "spinal shock" - it does go away) or make you faint, vomit, pass out, whatever it has to do."

So I wonder if that protective response is what is going on in the body when people sprint so hard for the finish line they vomit?

Messenger Video, and "World of WORS"?

Here is a link for a video about a NYC bike messenger race.

I wonder if anyone has ever come up with a video game where bike messengers dodge hazards to see who can get the delivery there first. I don't know much about video games - for all I know there could be several like that out there.

There could be a WORS video game too. How about "World of WORS"? "World of WORS-craft"? You could have a lot of fun making up things to find in the woods that could make you go faster, and various ways to beat your opponents.

Also, could you put the WORS courses on a Computrainer and preride from home? I don't have a Computrainer to know if it would work.

What if someone made a HelmetCam video of each course and put it on DVD? Or better yet, walked it and videotaped it? Do the courses change too much from year to year for that to work? Those of us that don't get to preride might like that. maybe this kind of stuff already exists and I don't know it?

Tour de Georgia Video

For live Tour de Georgia video coverage on the web, go here and click on the AT&T Tour Tracker Link.

Not everyone is training....

Here's a link to a silly music video that I received today.... I have never heard of her before.... apparently not everyone is training for racing season!!

(thanks to Gil for the video link.)

Ride your bike to the grocery store....

For Earth Week, my local Wild Oats grocery store is offering 10% off your groceries if you ride your bike to the store, starting today. Just show them your helmet when you check out. I don't know if every Wild Oats store has this, but if you live near one, check it out.

Paris Roubaix coverage is on tv right now..... looks like way too nice a day for this race! (Unlike the unfortunate folks at Sea Otter....) Ooops, there's a big pile-up! Ouch.

Olympics in Chicago?

Wow, Chicago just won the race over L.A. to be the U.S. bidder for the 2016 Olympics a few minutes ago. 2016 seems so far away. If it actually works out, just think of the racing we will get to see here in the Midwest!

Tax Deductible Eating and the Cargo Bike Movement

I read an article in the Chicago Tribune (paper version) Thursday about the cargo bike movement. I started hearing more about these when I stopped by an old friend's framebuilding shop in Seattle last year. A former messenger and bike mechanic in Chicago, he had been building cargo bikes in Seattle for quite a while. I've been wanting to convert one of my old mt bikes into some type of cargo bike for commuting and grocerying for a couple of years, but haven't gotten around to it.

At the end of the article was something I found amusing (see below). There has got to be a way for hungry racers to take the same idea and make it work for them!!

"Alan Wayne Scott, 57, a bike messenger in Toronto, is also an important figure in the cargo bike movement. After realizing that as a bike messenger he was eating three times as much as he was used to, he wanted to deduct food costs from his taxes the way an automobile driver deducts the cost of gas. Scott fought for many years in the Canadian courts until, in the late 1990's, the Canadian government agreed to allow the deductions."

Don't leave food in your car in bear country.....

As I'm writing this, there is a Pimp My Ride episode on where a outdoorsy girl is showing where a bear attacked her car in the San Bernadino mountains. He opened the door and got inside in search of the food she had in the car, accidentally locked himself inside, tore up the inside trying to get out, and then pooped in it! They showed what looked like a ripped open bag of cheetos and a Clif bar wrapper on the seat. There are claw marks everywhere on the outside, and the inside is really trashed. He tore off door panels, etc. She said that when the sun heats up the car the poop smell reappears. ugh. I guess she is going to be ecstatic to have her ride Pimped and De-Pooped!!!

I'm glad there aren't bears at Kettle after seeing that car.... we'd all be in trouble!

Now they are fixing up the car and are showing a hammock that pops out of the trunk for when she goes camping. It looks like the paint job is going to include giant stylized bear claw scrape marks on the hood and sides of the car.

Anyway, last weekend I worked the Clif booth at the Shamrock Shuffle expo Friday night. There were alot of shufflers shuffling by at the expo, but not as many as I expected, given that 30,000 people had to pick up their registration packets Friday or Saturday. Maybe the rain kept people away. The people watching was ok. The Potbelly booth had a roulette wheel where you could win different thing, such as free sandwiches or Potbelly items. The enthusiasm of the women running the booth made it fun and made it not so bad to wait in line - they cheered everytime someone won something. I got a handy Nalgene-type water bottle the first time. I was trying to win the lettuce head-shaped stress ball (there was something strangely appealing about it, all green and squishy), so I had to go back and try again later. She made sure I hit the "stress ball" on the roulette wheel the second time around, with a little "help". I also filled out a survey to get Saturn cowbells which will be ideal for 'cross season next year. I don't think the woman doing the surveys had any idea what the cowbells were for, until I tried to explain it. It probably still sounded kinda strange.

Last Sunday I went to see the Parkside race. I got up in time to make it to the afternoon races. Another nice day! Almost perfect. Two out of three amazing days for the parkside series this year. Lucky racers. I heard the women's field was big, would have liked to have seen that one. I didn't see as many familiar faces at this one, but it was nice to catch up with the friends that were there. Congrats to Chris S. on getting second in the Masters 30+ race and then going back out there and doing well in the 1,2's as well. I was sorry to hear about Kim's grandmother. My condolences to both of them. I'm sure the last couple of weeks have been tough.

I shipped a box of goodies off to my little nephew and brother in law for their birthdays. It took a couple of hours to wrap everything and draw cool little pics on the labels of each present. The pictures I drew on the labels give a little hint at what's inside, without being too obvious.

Last night NZ Wendy had a game party at her house. The people that hadn't seen the slides of her Africa trip got there early. The rest of us got there later, and ended up playing a game called Rigamarole. It was fun, but no one was really that into playing games. Most of us hadn't seen each other in a while and wanted to talk. We were like an unruly class who wasn't paying attention to the teacher. She had to keep reminding us to focus. It was a pretty fun game, though. Examples of stuff we had to do by drawing cards in different categories: count the number of tatoos on everyone on your team and win the corresponding number of points, sing the first couple of verses of the star spangled banner (I can't do that but we found out who was a good singer!), compare the number of piercings one team has vs the other to see who has more, read the ingredients label of a food to the members of the other team while they have their eyes closed and make them guess what food it is. (I completely stumped the other team by reading the label of a bag of Clif Shot Blocks! Not even the rustling of the bag gave it away!) Wendy is taking guitar lessons, so at the end of the evening she ended up reading the words to the songs she was learning and we tried to guess what the songs were without hearing the music.

I have been trying to study for a continuing ed test but it's been really hard to put everything else aside and concentrate on it. The phone keeps ringing, for one. I am hoping tomorrow I can do that.... I've just had too much other stuff to get done lately. Gotta work on the taxes too.

Some people are going on a riding trip on the trails near St Louis next weekend - I really wanted to go, but being injured, it's probably a really bad idea. And I have so much to get done in the next two weeks. I don't think I'll be able to go. Which is too bad. With racing every weekend during the season I don't end up going on fun trips like that. Next year, I guess.

I really liked Gina G.'s performance of "I'll Stand by You" on AI this week. She's the rockingest female on the show - a good thing. I also thought her cover of "Call Me When You're Sober" was better than the Evanescence version. I hope she hangs in there, partly because I like her spirit, because she's from around here, and because she used to be in former teammate Lisa K's band Catfight.

Good luck to Holly K. in her first expert race in AZ at the NMBS race this weekend! I hope it went well.

Happy Birthday to Carlos!

Interchangeable?

This page about Lance's Ladies gave me a chuckle today. Thanks to June for the link!

I don't like the new Blogger very much so far. I just recently switched, because they forced me to. Doing a link now means going to the help page every time, since I haven't memorized it yet and my old posts no longer show the HTML characters for me to copy. Why did they make it so you can't see the HTML when you go to edit a post? Argggh. I know I don't really know how to do this yet, I'm a total newbie, but why not keep it easy for people? I don't have an icon on my post page for links, but apparently some people do, judging by the Help page. All I have is spell check and an icon for photos. Is it because I am using Safari? I used to just be able to go to an old post and copy and paste the characters needed to do a link.

I really wish I were going to the NMBS #1 in Arizona next weekend. A few days in the desert would be perfect right now!

I had a great time catching up with people I hadn't seen since Sheboygan at the first Parkside race a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful day in the sun. I went to watch a friend do her first crit, though ironically she got there late and missed the race. Since I was already there, I stayed most of the day and saw lots of familiar faces. I didn't make it last weekend, I had too much other stuff to do, and it was cold anyway. If it's nice on Sunday, I'll be headed back.

The Mud Index!

A friend emailed me a must-click link today! Anyone who has ridden in a muddy cross race or a muddy mountain bike race has got to see "The many names of MUD" !

Otherwise, lots to say but no time to say it in! Hopefully a longer post is on it's way!

Fairness

I went to a fundraiser for the Floyd Fairness Fund tonight. I got there kinda late, just before they had the auction for a Cannondale System 6 (I think that's the model name) bike generously donated by Lou of the Pony Shop. They had a silent auction with items donated by, I think, Chris M. of Turin, Brendan of Albertos, and other shops, and were also selling some autographed posters. One poster was a portrait of Floyd. It had a dark background, and part of his face was in the shadows. It was very striking. I would have bought one of those had I seen them before I got to the raffle. I got the last raffle ticket, so I didn't have a chance to walk around and see what else I might have chosen. I had to make a quick decision about the ticket. My raffle luck was not with me today, unfortunately. I didn't win anything at the WORS banquet raffle in October, either, and almost everyone else there did. Hopefully that means I'm saving my luck for something really, really special in the future!

Floyd looked super-professional in a dark suit for the occasion. When I pulled out the camera, he said that it isn't often that he wears a suit. So I figured I had to share this rare sighting with you. Unfortunately I didn't think to get one of him alone, which would have been better.

When People Are the Message

I just finished a book called "Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message", by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. I have been reading it in bits and pieces at the gym and on the airplane a few weeks ago and I realized it was due back at the library and I had better finish it. I just realized that by writing about it in my blog, I am (on a very minor level) taking part in the viral marketing that they write about in the book!

From the inside cover : "The woman sitting next to you at Starbucks focused intently on her laptop may just be determining the next big thing. In coffee houses, offices, homes, dorm rooms, and airport lunges around the world, millions of people use laptops and cell phones to become today's new publishers and broadcasters. Armed with only a broadband connection, these regular citizens are exercising enormous influence on culture and what we buy."

Hmmm, am I about to exercise my influence on you by telling you to read this book??

Yes, actually, this book is a must-read if you are interested in viral marketing. Or, for that matter, in how how people have used their blogs, knowingly or not, to promote something or to get something they want. It talks about how ordinary citizens who are passionate about a product often are the best advertisers of that product. They give significant amounts of their own time, uncompensated, to get the word out about a product because of how they feel about it. They may even create music, art, music, ads or videos inspired by their love of the product, or in some cases, their disdain for the product. It gives examples of how some companies fail miserably at recognizing this and how others really "get it'. There's a lot more to it than my description, but that's a start... (ie. the book is more interesting than my description of it!)

Citizen Marketers fall into 4 categories, Filters, Fanatics, Facilitators and Firecrackers.... did you know there is (or was) a blog titled Slave to Target, about one woman's obsession with buying stuff at Target? And that a link on her site actually increased traffic and sales at Target.com? I haven't looked to see if the blog still exists, but I will! The authors have a blog called Church of the Customer that I want to check out soon, as well. But for now, it's after midnight and I need some sleep.....

If you were going to create a blog or a video or podcast about a product you love, what would the product be?

Can't wait!

I pre-ordered a copy of 24 Solo today. The World Premiere is going to be at Sea Otter in April, and then I imagine they'll send our DVD's after that. They were filming Chris Eatough at 24/9 last July. It was cool watching them spring into action to film him coming through the pit area at 2 in the morning. His crew would put little inspirational messages on his bike for him to read when he changed bikes.

You can see some of the torrential downpour scenes from 24/9 in the trailer online. I can't wait to see this movie. I loved Off Road to Athens and I'm sure I am going to like this one too.

Santa Cruz Blur for Sale!

I have a Santa Cruz Blur Classic, size Medium, in anodized orange (great color!!) that is going to be for sale online soon. If anyone is interested, let me know very soon!!! I can take better pics once I get the bike back from the shop. Leave me a comment letting me know how I can contact you.
Info:

Santa Cruz Blur Classic, size Medium.
the frame is a brand new 2005, anodized orange aluminum (2005 Blur frames are disc only and have increased rear tire clearance over previous models)
Progressive 5th Element rear shock, fully factory rebuilt.

the Components are used:
XTR shifters/disc brakes, XTR crankset, XTR front derailleur, XTR rear derailleur.
DuraAce chain, don't know what the cassette is.
Wheels: Mavic disc rims w/XTR hubs and XTR skewers
Selle Italia Flite saddle
Thomson Elite setback seatpost
Chris King headset
Easton EA50 stem
Easton MonkeyLite SL riser carbon handlebars (probably a 3/4" rise)
Fox Float 100 RLC fork
pedals are not included.
Maxxis Steve Larsen tires
$2650 or a reasonable offer

On the Santa Cruz website they suggest that a Medium fits people from approximately 5'6 to 5'10".

I bought the frame thinking it would fit me and when it was built up it turned out that I needed a bigger size. I had my heart set on the orange at the time, and I couldn't locate a new anodized orange large anywhere! Luck was on my side and I was able to buy a used one from someone who works at a local shop and I put my sram parts on the used frame and the used xtr parts from his bike on the Medium new frame, which is the one for sale. Part of the deal was a rear shock rebuild to make the bike like new, and that shock is now on the Medium. The Medium frame being sold is still brand new!!

This bike is really sweet!! If you want a Blur Classic, this one is the one to get, since the frame is new! The Blur has been one of the most popular trail bikes with great reviews in the bike mags over the past few years, pretty much since it came out. The anodized orange finish is striking and looks great, in my opinion. If you are not familiar with this bike, it uses the Virtual Pivot Point suspension system, has about 4.5 inches of travel, and is considered an all-around trail bike which can be raced XC or endurance or just ridden for long fun rides.

Have a good weekend!

Wishful watching....

When I got home from the gym tonight, I wanted to catch up on the Tour of California stages and make some space on the DVR for shows later this week. My DVR recordings menu came up blank - so I couldn't watch anything, nor could I even get to the list of recordings to delete some stuff. Arrgh. The customer service guy told me to power cycle the DVR - hope that works.

I came very close to going to see the last few stages of Tour of California. I was still thinking about going until last week. It turned out both of the friends I would have visited there were going to be out of town. So as happy as I am that OLN, er, I mean, Versus, is broadcasting it, watching it makes me really want to be there. Especially the prologue. It's not like watching a Euro race that is so far away you don't really think about the possibility of being there. This race feels so close (yet so far, to use a tired cliche). Other than that, it's great to be able to watch a world class race in the US on TV in February! Just what I need to get motivated.

Since I didn't go to Tour of CA, that opens the door to maybe go to some other "escape-the-Midwest-gloom" event, like Sea Otter or the NORBA nat'l in AZ. Being in AZ briefly a week ago I was reminded of how the Sonoran desert surroundings make me feel both energized and at peace, strange as that may sound. I am thinking that the AZ race might be in some ways be more fun and less hassle than fighting the crowds at Sea Otter. It would be warmer, too. Tough call, either one would be great in different ways.

Sunday I got to play outside for the first time in a while. I wanted to take advantage of the snow before it went away. I went snowshoeing with a friend and his dog. My friend was on skiis but it worked out fine. His dog had an unusual "snack" out there in the woods - steaming horse poop - ugh. We later found it regurgitated on the trail in front of us. I did not know this was considered a treat by dogs!!

A Day without Chocolate....

..... is an evening with a headache!!

I'm trying to cut back on sugar, so on the spur of the moment I attempted to have a chocolate-free day today (Tuesday). I forgot about the chocolate withdrawal headache until it hit me like a ton of bricks. Ugh.

Where was I?

The other day I woke up, looked outside, and saw this...


And then, later in the day I could see this...


Can anyone guess where this is, and better yet, the name of the peak on the right? It has some significance in mountain bike racing history....

more to come....

Condolences

My thoughts are with Jason LaBella and his family this week. I found out, from his team's blog, that his father just passed away. My condolences to them at this very difficult time.

Reading the sad news made me think of a scene in Gray's Anatomy a few weeks ago when George's dad dies and Cristina sadly welcomes him to "the dead Dad's club", wishing that he didn 't have to become a member. I guess I have to say the same to Jason - I'm so sorry he had to join us in the club.

Myrtle the Turtle?

In this extreme cold, I have been wondering how DJ and Mike are doing in the Arrowhead Ultramarathon. This has to be the coldest weekend/week of the year, and they are out there riding snow bikes for 135 miles!! It hurts just thinking about it.

So, I looked at the web site to see how they are doing. A posting as of 7:30 pm tonight (Tuesday 2/6) says that the Myrtle the Turtle award goes to Mike, meaning he was beat in the sprint by DJ. That means they passed the (one and only!) checkpoint together, and that they were the last ones to cross it. Good for them!! I think that's a good sign that they could sprint, turtle or not! It sounded like 3 people had finished at that point, and quite a few people had DNF'd

No more Age Classes?

I just got an email today that USA Cycling is doing away with age classes in some categories of women's MTB racing.

Please help sign a petition to get this decision reversed!

Even if it does not affect you, it will probably affect someone you know, and make them less likely to race at NMBS races. The link is in the letter below, and the details are available on the petition web site. You can check a box if you want to remain anonymous on the public petition.

This is the gist of the email:

Dear Friends,

I have just read and signed the petition: "Support Reinstatement of Age Classes in Womens MTB Racing"

Please take a moment to read about this important issue, and join me in signing the petition. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. We are trying to reach 1,000 signatures - please sign here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/671795204


Once you have signed, you can help even more by asking your friends and family to sign as well.

Thank you!!!!

Arrowhead 135 Ultramarathon

Good Luck to DJ and Mike, who are leaving Friday for the Arrowhead 135 Ultramarathon!

from the web site:

"The Arrowhead Winter Ultra is a non-profit human powered ultramarathon on bike, foot or skis, covering 135 miles across the Arrowhead Region of Northern Minnesota from International Falls near the Canadian border to Tower, MN. The course follows a scenic, hilly, State multi-purpose trail under extreme winter conditions starting at 7am--Monday, February 5 through Wednesday night, 7pm--Feb. 7th, 2007.

Completing the course is no small feat as winter temperatures in this area of Minnesota have been known to reach a record -60F degrees. No wonder the locals have dubbed their town the "Icebox of the Nation" and "Frostbite Falls".

There will be one race check point serving hot soup and water at a cabin about the midway point by Elephant Lake near the town of Orr. Otherwise, racers are fully self-supported with a cutoff time of 60 hours. Each racer is required to carry mandatory food, water and gear as outlined on the rules page to cover the 3 days and 2 nights outdoors."

Brrrrrr!!!!

Here are some (but not all) of the race rules I found on the site:

No outside help from anyone except other racers. This means that there are no support crews of any kind and no rides/tows accepted from snowmobilers, nor other vehicles. Participants are encouraged to help each other. The buddy system is a good way to do this race.

No littering. (and no stashes). This should be obvious but it is so important to us that we thought we should put it in the rules. Leave no trace. Make use of sanitation facilities provided along the trail. There is an outhouse next to each of 9 trail shelters along the trail. Bring your own t.p.

Last person to reach the MelGeorge's checkpoint wins the Myrtle the Turtle award.

Snow machines and dog sleds have right of way. You must pull to the right side of the trail and let them pass. Stop at all intersections and obey traffic rules.

(do wolves and bears have the right of way too??)

All racers are expected to carry or tow a minimum of 15 lbs. of gear (not including the sled, bike, skis, nor water) at all times and must finish with at least 1 day or 3000 calories of food and 8oz. of fuel. Racers may share gear and assist each other; however, each participant must have their own mandatory gear at all times.

(One hint they give is that a lb. of butter has 3200 calories!! ugh!)

They also mentioned somewhere that it burns too many calories to eat snow. better to take water. I guess I knew that already.

So, who wants to sign up for next year? Not me!

I think it's supposed to be 4 degrees here this weekend. I'm sure it's much colder up there. I hope it "warms" up a little for them by Monday!

Now THAT'S an adventure.

Kayak Adventure in the South American Desert

I don't usually see "Kayak Adventure" and "Desert" in the same sentence...

My friend Wendy M. called me tonight to tell me that a video of her National Geographic trip from a couple of years ago is up on the msn.com video page today. She didn't realize it was up there, she ran across it. I can't get to the URL of the specific video to post it here. Here is the general video page if anyone is interested.

Right now (Tuesday night) it's in the Most Watched column, called "Kayak Adventure: South American Desert - National Geographic"

The site has thumbnails of some of the videos. This one is the third thumbnail under Most Watched, which is in the right hand column. You can see a tiny pic of a lake, mountains in the background, and a red kayak. They don't mention her by name in the video, but she has blonde hair and is in a yellow kayak. At times they haul their kayaks across the desert on little carts with wheels. You can see her pulling hers.

The scenery is unusual and looks a little other-worldly. They are in a part of South America called the "Altiplano", a "massive volcano-studded plain" in Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Peru. The narrator says that NASA researchers think that a portion of it is the part of the Earth most similar to Mars.

She said she's not able to save it on her computer and asked me to save it to mine if I could. Does anyone know how to do this with an MSN video using the Safari browser? I couldn't get it to even play with Firefox, so that won't work.

Time to go hit the elliptical trainer. I need to get to the gym before it closes. Hard to motivate when it's like 10 degrees out.

Cruzin' Coolers... um, a new level of race support

I just read an article in the Sunday Tribune about Cruzin' Coolers. How funny. A motorized cooler with wheels that you can ride and steer. 15 mph around the WORS parking lot, can hold up to a 450 lb person! (sitting on top, not inside!!) Engineered for Clydes!

My first thought was, do they have an off-road version? Sure enough, the article said they will eventually have an off-road version. No more dragging coolers into the woods during the long expert races? Maybe just in time for WORS and better yet, WEMS? A whole new dimension in race support?

Hmmm, are those young bottle hander-uppers Russell talks about in his blog old enough to drive a cooler?

I think they are like, $500, so you better have good cooler sponsorship.

What's next, cooler races?

Sssssilverrrrr at Worlds!!

Congrats to all of our U.S. Cross team for their great showing at CX Worlds!!

There are some sweet Graham Watson pics (as well as articles on all of the races) on the VeloNews site.

The VeloNews article on the men's race calls Jonathan Page (who got second) "the greatest cyclocross racer that the U.S. has ever produced". You can read about Katie Compton (who also got second!) and see pics here.

The Xgames are on this weekend. Me, I'm a bit of Shaun White fan. Besides how good he is, I loooove that mop of red hair! Superpipe tonight, I think.

McDreamy on a bike...

Sooo, I was looking at People mag at the gym on the elliptical trainer. Yeah, I admit it. Probably even worse was the moronic MTV show that was on the TV .... but anyway, in the photo section there was a pic of Patrick Dempsey, who Grey's Anatomy fans know as "McDreamy". He rides!! Well, maybe he does.... he's got the gear....which doesn't necessarily mean anything....

He was on a Specialized Roubaix red and white road bike with what looked like SRAM Rival components (hard to tell in the pic) and had his white Specialized bike shoes on but no helmet. Probably because he was on a little ride with his young daughter, who has training wheels on her pink bike with pink tires and a white basket. Her helmet was tipped way back off her forehead just the way they tell you not to wear it...in typical little-kid fashion.. but at least she was wearing one. It looked like it's HIS helmet, actually! He was wearing a jersey with arm warmers and a black specialized vest over the jersey, and black Puma track pants with a stripe down the side of the leg. And a black beanie on his head.

Those white hood covers Rachael has on her blog would look really good on his red and white bike!

Thought Grey's Anatomy fans would want to know!

January stuff

I just downloaded some pics from my little pocket camera. These three are pics from a gathering at Brian's a few weeks ago. At the end of the evening I was talking to Brian and Kristin and we realized that we were the only people there who weren't moving away in the next few months. One of the most discouraging things about living here is that so many friends eventually move away in search of a better cycling (or outdoors in general) lifestyle. Some move for jobs too, of course. I am still not used to it, even though it happens like clockwork. Maybe it's different outside of cycling. I guess I need to get to know a few couch potatoes!! Elizabeth just moved to Santa Cruz a couple of weeks ago for a job at the university, so she was the first to go. Lee just got his PhD and has alot of research options, including Europe, and will be leaving soon for somewhere. I hope it works out that he and Elizabeth end up in the same place! Craig and Kristine are headed back to Boulder in April, now that Kristine is done with med school. That night Craig and Kristine had just driven through the super-nasty Colorado/Nebraska snowstorm and subsequent power outage (no running water or power at their motel and for the next two hours on the road!) and came straight to the party instead of stopping at home first! Noah may be headed for Colorado as well.


CP was in town from L.A. with his friend Molly. He didn't get to come home for Christmas cuz he was working on a show, so that was his "Christmas" weekend with his folks in mid-January. It was great to see him and meet Molly. In the midst of the L.A. film industry craziness he found a really cool down-to-earth girlfriend. Good to see Laura and his old bandmate Bill (Roller Coaster!) too. Some of our old bike racer crowd got together the night before that at Opart Thai (sp?) in Lincoln Square - it was so much fun to see those guys again - it made me really long for the old days.... (unfortunately didn't get a pic of that.)


This pic was taken at a women's cycling dinner last weekend. This bunch was among the last to leave - there were alot more people there earlier. Everyone there got an award - a small prize thought up by Francine, based on something she knew about the person. Like the "energizer bunny" person's award would be batteries, and the "nervous nellie's" award would be something to calm her down.... and so on.... Thanks to Francine and everyone else who helped her organize this!

Good Luck in Belgium!

Good Luck to Tristan and all of the U.S. riders at Cyclocross Worlds in Belgium this weekend!!!

Bumped

So, it turns out Chris Carmichael got bumped from the Today show on Monday. They are moving his segment to some other day. My friend thinks it will probably be January 30th.

Training Secret?

Mountain bike legend Ned Overend, with Suzette Ayotte, marketing director for fi'zi:k saddles (and race volunteer), right after he ripped the legs off the other guys in his age group to win the 50-54 men's race at Cross Nats in December.

Seems like everyone is talking about their 2007 training programs on their blogs. Maybe some of them even got some cool stuff for Christmas that is helping them in their training. One training and riding related book that I have been meaning to get for a long time is Ned Overend's "Mountain Bike Like a Champion". I put it on my Christmas list but didn't get it. Looking through my cross nats photos, however, I think I may have discovered his training secret, the one that isn't in the book!! Think how much lighter and faster you would feel in races if you trained with a friend on your handlebars! Maybe it explains the incredible bike-handling skills as well??

Today Show on Monday Jan 22

Chris Carmichael is supposed to be on the Today show tomorrow morning (9 or 9:30?? on a 7 - 10 am show) talking about his new book and DVD, for those of you who might be interested. My friend Tawnya produced the training DVD he will be introducing on the show! She is pretty excited about it. If you are near a TV Monday morning (Jan 22) check it out. I think it's on NBC.

What you didn't know about Spiders

A week ago I got an email with a link to a video about the Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Spider Webs. I sent it to a bunch of friends, some of whom found it hilarious.

One of my friends just wrote me back saying that the video came in really handy. She is training to be a doctor and she was at work at the hospital and one of the attending physicians started quizzing her on the effects of drug use. They had a patient who was "on everything" that day. She had just watched this video and was able to answer his questions!

So I figured I would share it, for those of you who haven't seen it yet, or haven't done their own "research":
Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Spider Webs

This is my first attempt at putting a link in a post, so bear with me if it doesn't work right!

Singing snowmen

The holidays seem so long ago. In trying to get some Nats pics up, I didn't get any up from the holidays. So here are a few...


One of the highlights of the holidays was spending time with this little guy!

The snowmen were at my sister's friend's parents' new condo across from the Chicago Cultural Center. The view was amazing, although you couldn't see all of it at night. I'd love to see it in the day. We could see the EL tracks below and the trains rounding the bend, the Bean and the skating rink in Millenium Park, and a beautiful skyline with lights sparkling. People were shooting pics of the Bean in the dark, which was kind of funny. The flash would probably just reflect right back at them from the shiny bean surface. You could see random flashes popping in the dark from way above. That and the skaters on the luminescent rink made for a interesting effect. The snowmen were pretty cute - you would press a button and one would start singing and playing the piano. I tried to press the buttons on both at the same time so they were in sync, but they were timed slightly differently so one was always a little ahead of the other. And Jordan kept pressing the buttons before I did, anyway. After a few minutes of snowman cuteness, however, I wished there was an off button!!


Caught red-handed? He is just getting old enough to understand the presents under the tree thing! Among other things he got a train set from Santa, er, make that Auntie Santa, which we had a lot of fun with the next day....


T came into town from Boulder on her way to her Dad's and some of us got together. We started at a local restaurant, but there was a pipe that started leaking above the restaurant. Water started dripping, then pouring, through the ceiling. That made us just a little nervous so we moved on to the Firehouse. I made sure to get the sweet hand-chalked Fat Tire Ale sign over the bar when I took the picture.

T got Sirius radio in her car the day before she left Boulder. She drove all the way here without stopping to even take a nap, courtesy of Sirius. Everytime she was going to stop and rest, a good song came on, so she kept driving!

more to come....

The Ukelele Lady

The Ukelele Lady asked me to take her picture at Nats. She even had pre-printed slips with her email on them so people could send her pics. She told me that she was protesting being a cycling widow alone on race weekends with three kids! She hung out by the Clif run-up singing and strumming protest songs when the racers came through. It was decent weather, but not that warm!! Brrr!

More Midwest Riders at CX Nats

Renee Callaway, of MadCross fame, racing in her women's masters race on Friday Dec. 15th. Renee organized a dinner at Nats for Midwest riders, which was a great idea. Her husband Dave raced too, but I don't have a pic of him racing.


Chris Strout of the Pony Shop putting in a strong showing in his masters race, on the Clif run-up. He also raced in the Elite race the next day.


Kurt Refsnider, now a Boulder resident, formerly of Wisconsin. He raced once on Saturday and twice on Sunday, for a total of THREE races over the course of the weekend!


Marcie Weiss and Sarah Huang did a great job in the junior events. I think Sarah got a gold medal in her age group.


Rich Weiss, Marcie's dad, was the Official Big Cheese (Chief Commissaire) of the race!!


Chris Dimmick, of Turin, who somehow found the energy to ride in his masters race AND work with the race organizers running the show all weekend!


Gene Beil, Chris D's teammate, who also raced and worked all weekend.


Ryan O'Connor, former SRAM employee and former local fast guy. He would use his mt bike skills to bunny-hop the barriers in the lakefront cross races. We would stand there just watching him hop. It was great to see him - it's been years!

The Mushy Food Diet

I am home today recovering from oral surgery. No workouts for a few days, and nothing but soft mushy foods. I miss crunchy foods already. So maybe I can finally get the last of the Nats pics posted, since I have a little more time. I am supposed to be icing my face every 15 minutes to keep the swelling down. I guess it's time to see if I can ice and type simultaneously!

Last February after my first gum surgery I lost 10 lbs in a week during the "mushy" food stage where I couldn't eat much. I don't think I worked out for a week, either. I was allowed to start again on the 5th day after the surgery, but I just didn't feel like it. I took antibiotics for a month after both the February surgery and the May surgery because things were a bit infected and weren't healing the way they were supposed to. The May surgery was to fix something that didn't go right in February. I did Alpine Valley a week and a half after the one in May. This may just be making excuses, but I really feel like my struggles with racing last year and decrease in fitness over 2005 have alot to do with my body struggling to recover and with taking antibiotics twice for a month at a time. I tried hard to get it all done in the winter before race season, but it didn't work out that way!

Eating nothing but mushy foods for a long time drove me crazy. Texture is so important in food! I couldn't have nuts, chips, or anything with seeds. I think this time around I will be able to eat normally sooner, since this one was less extensive than the last ones.

Belgium Bound!

The Clif Run up at the Elite race at Nationals in December 2006.

I read that Tristan Schouten got picked for the Cyclocross World's Team! That's really exciting. I bet his team managers and sponsors are pretty happy, too. Congrats and Good Luck to Tristan!

Lots of us WORS and 'Cross riders will be rooting for him to tear it up in Belgium.

Missed It

Well, Iceman is not a niceman this week. I am pretty mad at myself. A week or so ago I asked a friend to remind me to sign up for Iceman on January 1st. I had thought about it several times in December but wasn't sure I'd remember on Jan. 1....

I totally forgot about it when New Year's Eve and then New Year's Day finally rolled around. Arrrgh. She remembered it on Wednesday when she was talking to a friend about wanting to get into Leadville.... and she texted me. I went to the web site, but by then it was too late. Sold Out. I'm not sure when it filled up, Monday or Tuesday, or early Wednesday, but I missed it. I missed out in 2006 too, and didn't end up getting an entry through WORS either.

Thanks to T for reminding me, even if it was too late! I am not in the habit of registering for Iceman - it's just not wired into my brain the way Chequamegon is.

Good Luck!

Good Luck to Chris tomorrow on his first day at World Bicycle Relief!


Chris in his masters age group race at Nats.

More Elite Women

Sam Schneider in the elite race. She got second in her junior age group race on Saturday.


Catherine Walberg in the elite race. She won her masters age group race on Friday. The announcers at Nats didn't seem to know during staging of the masters race that she was a strong contender, but I could have told them that she probably would win her race! She always does well at Chequamegon. I think she got third there this year.

Cowbells for Katie

Now it's time to see some pics of the elite women at Cross Nationals! (see previous posts for some pics of the elite men's podium, start, etc.)

Note: There are Five pictures in this post, but for some reason when I view the post they get compressed and I can only see three. I can see a sliver of the missing ones and I can still click on the sliver to see them full size. Anyone know why? Did I post too many?

Katie Compton was unstoppable, which was no surprise!

I got to meet and briefly talk to Katie a couple of years ago when she was at a benefit for the velodrome. The film "Pure Sweet Hell" was shown as the main attraction of the benefit. She struck me as really down to earth and friendly, pretty low key. She obviously can call up her ferocious side when she wants to, though, because she was on fire at Nationals!

A friend of mine was fortunate enough to have her as a coach when my friend was training megamiles for Tour of Hope. My friend trained really hard that summer and got super strong, with Katie's help.

Happy New Year!

I'm hoping 2007 will be a great year. Happy New Year to all!

Elite Start at Nationals

Here are some shots from the start line on Saturday December 16th. I have literally hundreds of photos to go through! It's hard to choose just a few, especially since I haven 't looked at most of them yet. And it's almost three am. I tried to get some shots of regional people over the course of the weekend, some of which I will post. Alot of the pics are not ideally framed cuz someone's head or elbow or camera was in my way....

Notice that Tristan (Trek Midwest in red) has one of the coveted front row spots. Doug (no. 12) is right behind him in the second row, wearing his Grandstay kit.



They're off!


Anticipation before the start....


The Kona dudes could almost be twins - I had a hard time telling them apart. Then, on Sunday when Ryan had the stars and stripes on (see previous post), it was no problem!


Two familiar faces....

National Tree (Farm)

Elite National Champion, Ryan Trebon, aka Tree Farm, running up the Clif steps on December 17th at the Strawberry Cup, in Providence, the day after winning Nationals.

Awards Ceremony Dec. 16th after the Elite Men's Nationals race:


Zipping up the new stars and stripes jersey!


The top five.


These guys look like they actually might be friends outside of "work"....

Happy birthday....

if my dad were alive, it would have been his birthday yesterday. I was thinking about him all day. I have not forgotten all the things he did for us, or how much he cared for his family.

Cross nationals!!

Cross Nats was lots of fun! I would say a 7 on the fun-o-meter (yep, I just made up that word), maybe an 8. Great weather, great course, great people. A few glitches in my case but nothing insurmountable, thanks to the great folks at the Mavic neutral support tent. Thank you, thank you, Mavic guys, you saved the day!!! And thanks to Chris S., Renee and Chris D. for being willing to lend a hand if needed. Had I made it to the parties Sat and Sunday night, I would have probably given the weekend a 9 or 10! Unfortunately my flight left Sunday afternoon so I missed the Crank Bros party.

The other racers in my race were way out of my league, but I knew that would be the case as soon as I saw the start list..... more on the race and course later....

Congrats to all the Midwesterners who put in a strong showing in their events!

Ran into quite a few folks I used to know ... Ex-Midwesterners I saw included Ryan O'Connor, former local fast guy in the 90's, Ron B. and his family, (including his son Drew who did very well in his junior race), and more. It does seem to me like the cast of characters has changed quite a bit since the last time I went to a cross nationals event. There was a great group of regional (and ex-regional) crossers to hang with, including Chris, Kim, Renee, Dave, Kurt and Beth.

Thanks to Renee, of Madcross fame, for organizing the Midwest dinner! 18 people made it out on Saturday night. Several of them were new faces to me. It's nice to have someone make the effort to get people together.

The flight there had a surprising number of people going to the race, considering it was only Wednesday. There were some USA cycling events people, and the head official of the race. Someone who turned out to be in my race was sitting right across the aisle from me, and we ended up chatting. Little did I know then that she would come close to winning our race! I didn't know who everyone was at that time, but they looked like they were on their way to nats, and it added to the sense that I was starting out on an adventure!

Something about seeing all the bike boxes rolling around at the airport gets the adrenalin going... it reminds me of how you feel when you drive into a town that's holding a big race and you start to get all jumpy when you first see cars with bikes on top and especially when you start to see the team cars.... it happens to me whether I am racing or spectating... that excitement that washes over you when you realize you are about to be immersed in the sights and sounds of bike racing!

Another thing that struck me as really funny, though it makes sense, is that I heard that there was a room in the host hotel that had nothing but bikes in it? Someone, a team I suppose, got a room just for their bikes! An expensive room with pristine white shiny satin-like duvets on the beds and a light colored carpet, full of potentially dirty bikes! Good thing it wasn't a muddy weekend!

I will add more on the weekend later... this is a super busy week, trying to get all my shopping done now that I am no longer trying to get ready for Nats.....T is in town and we are going to meet up several times, I might even join her and Wendy at Kettle Friday if I can swing it....and my sister and her family get here Thursday night. Also, I have to get everything done for the year's end at work, preferably before our accountant leaves town next week on vacation....and so much personal stuff has been on hold for me due to the long race season for me..... "oh, I'll do it in the winter when the season is over"..... well the winter is here!! time to get cracking!

More later, I hope...

Packing for Providence.....

Wish I had time to write about the great weekend I had! Maybe later.

Instead I am getting ready for nationals.... It has been a very long time since I have packed up a bike in a bike case. It was really slow going. I am not looking forward to the other end when I have to put it back together. That's why I wanted to pack the box myself, I figured I'd be better at putting it back together. (Getting the derailleur back on and working right is the part I am concerned about.) But now that's done and I am gathering a big pile of warm clothing for standing (and riding) outside all weekend.... things kept happening all day that should have taken two seconds and ended up taking an hour... like being on hold for an hour on the phone in one case....it will be a miracle if I get out of here on time....but it will all work out! Tthe silly part is that I am getting my bike all ready and making all this effort for a race from which I will probably get pulled halfway through the race, if not before. It will be a blast to be there, though. Fun, fun fun.

Nats, here I come!

Nose, fingers and toes....

Those were the things I could not feel during the first lap of the cross race last Sunday at Montrose Harbor.

Instead of concentrating on the race and my bike handling in the snow, all I could think about was that I could not feel four of my fingers or my nose! How long does it take to get frostbite? How would I know if I was getting it? My imagination had my fingers freezing solid and falling off, like in a bad dream. And as for the nose..... After a while they warmed up enough so that I could feel them again and I could start thinking about the race. I was wearing the gigantic gorilla sized Pearl Izumi gloves that look like they would be great for operating a ski lift, but I think I should have picked lobster gloves so those fingers would have had buddies. I actually can't complain too much about the toes. This was my first time racing in my Lake winter shoes. Along with toe warmer packets, they did much better than my regular shoes in keeping my feet warm.

What a day! 15 degree high, a record low for that day! Wind coming off the lake.... We got 6 inches of snow two days before, although the course seemed to have less than that. Some ruts had definitely formed by the time of our races, as had ice on the downhills and some of the turns.

I had thought that maybe not very many people would show, given the bitter cold and the snow. I was surprised to see that most of the regulars from this season were out there, along with maybe a new face or two. The field in the other women's race was about double what it has been at the other races! Go figure! Our field was about the same as it has been at the other races. It must be the location, and the state championship? I am a little stumped by this. I really didn't want to go to this race cuz of the weather, but there really wasn't any excuse for not finishing the series. I would have been mad at myself if I hadn't. And it was good to see everyone that was there, however briefly one ends up talking to people that are shivering....

I had a terrible start at the back - my fault. Everyone took off ahead of me and I had to play catch up. I caught the back of the pack on the pavement but things had already split up, then next thing we knew it was time to slow down for the turn onto the snow. Who goes first? You can lose a couple of seconds waiting your turn.

I talked to alot of people on Saturday about the virtues of fat vs. skinny for the snow, with the consensus coming out about half for fat and half for skinny. None of us actually knew what the snow would be like at that point. I stuck with the skinny ones, not because I was convinced they would be better but because they were already on there and I had limited time that day. Looking back, I am pretty sure fat would have been better choice for those conditions. It seemed like the mt bikes did better than the cross bikes in general. This was my second race on the skinny ones. Although the fat would have been better for me, the skinny ones had enough tread that they held their own. Those are going to stay on for next weekend.

So my goal for the race was not to go down in the snow or on the icy sections. Mission accomplished, at the expense of maybe gaining a place or two. Hard to say, though. I walked/ran in some places that I might have been able to ride. I probably lost time on the barriers and technical sections. The gap between me and the rider in front of me definitely changed at different places on the course. I didn't place well, but I got a workout. I had fun once I warmed up, I got some snow riding practice, and I still have the fingers and nose.

It seems like every week this fall I have gotten more and more out of shape, ever since the kettle race. Being sick on and off this fall has taken it's toll. The bitter cold aggravated my cough and runny nose at this last race. Yeeech. I was in much better shape at this time last year. Shoulda gone to nats last year instead of this year.

Thanks to Ed, John and Jose for being out there with a tent, bbq'ing burgers, brats, and warm cider for everyone.... and to Chris D. and the Turin crew for putting on the race under less than ideal conditions.

Safari Slide Show

My friends Wendy M. and Kristin are showing photos from their trip to Africa in October. They will be showing shots from the safaris and from their climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. This will take place at 6:30 at RaceLogix. All are welcome.

Found dead, in Oregon

I have been following the story of James Kim, the missing CNET editor, and his family, lost in Oregon for 11 days after a Thanksgiving trip to Seattle. I get regular tech emails from from CNET, which sent out an email about a week ago asking if anyone had seen their missing editor and his family.

We often think that in this age of cell phones we can always call for help, but their story shows us that that just isn't true...

This is so sad.... http://news.com.com/James+Kim+found+deceased/2100-1028_3-6141498.html?tag=nl.e498

The family search website: http://www.jamesandkati.com/

I can't stop thinking about this, and what it would be like to be James, trying to stay alive out there so he could find help for his family...and how heartbreaking it must be for his family...for his wife and kids who stayed with the car and survived...

makes me think about what all of us travelers should be carrying in our cars...I have blankets and clif bars and water, but I know there are probably other things I should have...

Is this really November?

Made it out for two little road rides in spite of my nasty cold. it was just too nice to not go! is this really November? Rode the cross bike. I got late starts both times and ended up in the dark with lights for part of each ride. It was actually really relaxing to ride in the dark with the lights. There wasn't too much traffic (relatively) and there was something peaceful about it. Except for the potholey part, and the people who wouldn't dim their brights. But even the potholey stuff didn't bother me as much as usual, I was just happy to get out and ride.

Gobble, gobble....

Yes, gobble gobble is what I did on Turkey Day! And I was not the only one. Thanks to Julie and Carlos, along with the help of CBD, for a tasty Thanksgiving meal. Their friends Nuria and Christophe (and their kids) joined all of us for a festive meal. Little Jordan was much quieter than usual, wondering, I think, why all these people were invading his kitchen! He really did seem to be looking around, taking it all in, not sure what to make of all the commotion. Adjusting to not being the center of attention.... Keeping him away from the stove earlier in the day when the turkey basting was going on was almost impossible. Nuria and Christophe were really interesting to talk to. Her job in artificial intelligence research sounds fascinating. Very cool guests.

I didn't think I'd really like the chocolate cake thing that looks like a loaf of bread, but I was wrong. It was really good and the not-quite-cooked spongy texture of it made it even better.

By then it was clear that I was catching Jordan's cold, in spite of all my efforts not to. The overwhelming urge to sleep on Tuesday and Wednesday should have been my clue.... So instead of going for a long walk like I should have to work off that huge meal I pretty much turned into a blob. I did build quite a nice little train course (not sure what else you would call it?) with the toy trains and wooden tracks. I don't think he is quite old enough to appreciate it, I think he would prefer to have my attention on him rather than on putting together train tracks at this point....but we had fun. He is such a cute kid, with a very strong will.

The weather in Seattle was pretty miserable, compared with the surprise warm up the Midwest was enjoying. One day it was really windy and they even had a rare thuderstorm! I must have brought that with me. The sun only peeked out now and then. Lots of rain. My long walks (in place of workouts) around Green Lake (nice view when it's nice) ended with me being pretty waterlogged. Rain parka, waterproof shoes, and one day Julie was kind enough to lend me her rain pants. I needed them, the day before my track pants got soaked! Me and the ducks. Lots of ducks. I did see kayakers and rowers out before it got dark. I walked mostly in the dusk/dark. Considering the yucky weather, there were alot of people out there with me. A guy in a team kit on a cross bike that I must have seen 7 or 8 times - meaning he made at least 7 laps around the lake. Hmmm, would that be a more exciting 7 times than our local road route? Yep, I think so. maybe. People with headlamps on and blinkies on their dog.... runners, walkers, a few bike commuters with panniers and/or messenger bags and blinkies.... I wanted to go check out Gregg's Greenlake bike shop and Title Nine, but it was hard to see in the rain and with my hood on, so I missed seeing where to leave the path to find the shopping area. At that time I thought we would be going to the REI sale later, so I didn't try that hard to find the stores. Interesting how some of us were all covered up and others were running in the cold rain with shorts and t-shirts. Forgot the ipod on the first walk but listened to Plans (Death Cab for Cutie) a couple of times on the second one. I lasted for about an hour and a half on each one. Feet started to ache in the new trail running shoes that were supposed to fit just like my last pair. I wish they would keep shoes the same and not change them! I missed my turnoff the first time in the dark, glad I had the map with me and that I could find a streetlamp to look at the map. I do wish I had gotten alot more exercise on this trip.

I really wanted to go to the REI sale at the huge REI flagship store. I enjoy looking at all that outdoor gear in one place. Multi-floored with all the gear goodies.... climbing wall, bike test trail, hiking test trail, and best of all, a kiosk with many flavors of chocolate covered cherries....mmmmm! I got some cherries at the airport but they seemed kinda stale. Shoulda been way chewier!! But it didn't work out so I had to content myself with staying up too late last night looking at all the stuff online. Thanks to Wendy M. for giving me a description some of the stuff I saw online from the dressing room of the store, and for trying it on, and for bringing what she bought over afterwards for me to try, too! Sorry I was such a bad influence - but you were going there to look at the same stuff yourself, I know you were!

J and C's house looks great. They really made some good choices, the first one being choosing that location and that house. If I figure out how to post pictures, I will someday put up a pic of the basement workout area. They cut part of the walls out of the basement bathroom to make room for the rowing shells. The double was a little too long to fit before that. I don't feel so bad about having bikes all over the place at home, etc. - we all make modifications for the things important to us - and it's different for everyone! C has a nice area to meet with his future coaching clients and videotape them on the erg. I think his business is going to be very popular, there seems to be a need for what he has to offer and I think he'll do a great job.

We helped J read student's papers and make corrections. I think I never learned how to write a "proper" paper! I just sat down and did it and no one ever said I should do it another way. She said the same thing- that we never learned the official way to do it, it was just sort of expected that we would write decent papers. Apparently alot of people learn a certain structure and that's what these college level papers were supposed to follow. I found it hard to concentrate on the papers - I think my brain is fried. I found it easier to correct the technical stuff - grammar, etc. than the content. One thing I did notice is that the papers seemed to be written at a high school level, not the college level that they were supposed to be. how do you tell someone their paper is seriously lacking in the content and research area? I got to see a little bit of a video of her practice teaching session before her first class. I'm glad they don't throw them to the wolves like they have done to alot of people I have known. A lot of professors I have known have said that they didn't get any training in actual teaching - they had to figure that part out when they got there. I think she will be very good at teaching. I am glad she is doing something that she is really enjoying, although juggling everything seems really stressful right now.

The flight home was good in that I had two empty seats next to me. On the other hand, It was awful in that my cold was full blown by then. On the descent, which seemed to take forever, I felt like someone was drilling holes in my head as the gunk was forced into my ears. It really hurt. really. alot. Until about two am I felt like I had earplugs in or a brick in my head or something. I couldn't hear very well and it seemed like I was underwater or something. Reminded my of how my ears felt in scuba diving class. Ugh.

At the airport the cab came within minutes of calling them. I lucked out, the guy's fare had bailed on him. This elderly couple had been waiting for an hour, so they asked if we could share a cab, which we did. The driver used to own a tavern, but standing all the time was killing him. So he is driving cabs now. Then I went and got food at the store. The one I wanted to go to was closed early for the holiday weekend. Then caught up on Gray's Anatomy and Ugly Betty from Thursday night until very late. This episode of GA was really disturbing to me. The deterioration of Cristina and Burke's realationship was painful to watch. And the end where she came home and he closed the bedroom door in her face after she betrayed him..... arrrrgh..... Wendy M. was wondering if they are going to retire Burke from the show. I hope not. I also hope that heart surgeon from the other hospital does not accept the chief's offer of a position at Seattle Grace.... she's no Addison or McSteamy....

I hope a good thanksgiving was had by all.