Anudder Mudder!!

The WORS Cup XC was fun for me, in a weird sort of way!! That's what I said to some of the peeps who were cheering me on, and it was quoted back to me verbatim by a teammate later that evening at the bar.

Thanks to all the people who cheered me on as I sloshed by. squish, squish. It really helped to have the encouragement in such discouraging conditions. Especially helpful was the advice and encouragement I got trying to catch the field after my late start!! That made such a difference.

I am still having visions of the sloppy singletrack with all the long "worms" of mud formed by churning tires. Right or left? Middle? Walk? Run? Ride?

Thanks to Don and his crew for all the hard work they put into building us a new course. And thanks to the decision makers who altered the course to fit the conditions - our course was at least doable. If we had had more of the hilly stuff I think we would have all been in big trouble. I actually had fun in the open sections. The singletrack was a crapshoot - sometimes ridable, most often not. Those hidden rocks lurking beneath the slime! They were a challenge even when walking. I always turn my ankles a million times running and walking the bike in these conditions. I figure I wouldn't have been able to ride through all the rocks anyway. As the race went on and I got more confident and was riding through more stuff than at the start. I also appreciated the course marshalls who stood out there in the rain - especially the ones warning us of really slippery areas where alot of people were crashing.

I started out the day feeling sick - stomach stuff. Due to hitting three different traffic jams and getting off the highway to avoid an accident backup, I ended up running really late, even though I left with enough time. My mind went through the should I bail, should I race, is it worth it, it's starting to rain, thing on the drive up. I came up with alot more reasons to do the race than not to. I had already committed to it in my mind long ago, but the traffic issues were making me reconsider just a little bit.

So, I rolled into the rain-soaked venue 15 minutes before the first wave of the race was supposed to start! (And I was hoping Don wouldn't get to the women's wave until 10 after, but that was not how it worked, they went off before that. Had that happened, I would have made the start.) Where is registration? Yikes, it's wet out here. Thank goodness for pre-reg, the people there were super-efficient. I saw someone in my age group at the portas. Other than she, I had no idea who had showed up. Ran through the puddles back to the car, and got ready as fast as I could! What to wear, it was so cold for a summer day! How many layers? Would arm warmers and knee warmers get soaked and just make me colder? I heard them calling me up to the line as I was still at the car getting ready. At that point there was no question about my racing. I was there, and I was going to do the best I could in the situation. I almost took my old "mud stick" with me but decided to leave it behind. Kenny, who was parked behind me, heard them calling me up and asked if I needed help with anything. Thanks, Kenny, for asking!

I dodged people as I tried to figure out where the start line was. There was a lot of fencing and stuff around and it wasn't that clear from where I was. And there were lots of moving people in the way. I rolled through the start area a few minutes behind everyone else. I heard alot of people screaming "go" at me as I made my way onto the course. A few shouted helpful advice. Full-on adrenalin going! I could have ripped those warmers off, they felt like thick wooly sweaters at that point, though I needed them later. I was surprised to see one of my fellow competitors standing on the side of the course yelling at us. I thought for sure she'd be racing, no matter what. I wasn't sure which way to go, I had to ask someone. When I got to the next uphill section on the other side of the trees I could see little ants crawling up the hill. A wave of relief washed over me. Catching people would be much easier if I could still see them! And so I plugged away, and gained time on them on the hill. That hill was tough, with my not being the least bit warmed up. Soon enough I caught a few of them in the singletrack. We were mostly all walking or running at that point. I had no idea who was in the race, how many were ahead, and how far ahead they were. It was unnerving.

I kept thinking that this mud wasn't as bad as the Alterra Muddy Bean Classic mud was. That's what I kept telling myself. And it was a whole lot better than my three hour walk (with 70+ mosquito bites) at Kewaunee last year! The mud seemed much easier to ride in than it was at Crystal Ridge, at least for our race. Easier to walk in, too. Except for the rocky spots, those were worse. My bike was less clogged, hence it worked better. For quite a while the rear wheel and stays didn't get too clogged up. I kept my fingers crossed. I did use a mud stick eventually to dislodge the buildup so the wheel would turn, but a lot less often than I did at Alterra. At Alterra the rear stays (and the front fork bridge at times, too) got so clogged up the wheel wouldn't roll at all and I ended up dragging the mud-heavy bike, which was painful. There was a huge nest of thatched mud back there that I had to keep scraping out. This time around the wheel slowed down but was moving, though slowly, most of the time. The build-up wasn't as bad. I could feel the big blobs of wet goopy mud hitting the insides of my calves as I pedaled and the blobs were churned up from the tires and frame. The insides of my calves were much muddier than the outsides when I washed up after the race.

My tires, which are the all-around ones I always use, not special mud tires, had decent traction, though not good mud clearance. Mud spikes on my Sidis would have been good too, and I thought about it Friday night, but I didn't have time to look for them or mess with them. The holes are always too filled with gunk to put the spikes in, and when they are in they fall out....I kind of gave up on them a long time ago. If this mud trend keeps up, though, I may have to find them. I also brought a can of cooking spray, an old-mud shedding trick I haven't tried in ages, but didn't get to use it.

It's a good thing that I finished when I did because my drivetrain was really not working well at all near the end. The noises it was making were terrible and it didn't feel so great either. Chain felt like it was slipping and hopping and it was making a noise every few seconds. Not sure what was going on back there. Glad I made it, whew, I don't think it would have made it much longer.

I hope that the citizen youth who slid sideways across the trail and wiped out in front of me and, in tears, exclaimed "I'm never gonna finish the race!" did indeed finish the race... I tried to encourage him but the conditions were pretty discouraging for him...

I talked to Chris P. on the phone tonight, who now lives in L.A. but has done many many Midwest mud races. He pointed out that it's easier to ride in the mud when it's raining, vs. riding after the rain has stopped and the mud gets tackier as it dries. That was an interesting point. Would that explain why it seemed different than the Crystal Ridge race? And someone else, at the race, brought up the difference in soil composition. Could be some of that, too.

I hung out at the ski area bar and grill after the race. My ears were, and are, ringing from the band. It was nice to hear what other people had to say about their day in the mud. Wendy called me in the morning as she and DJ were leaving town, to let me know the Sunday races had been canceled. She saved me the drive back to Nordic only to find nothing was going on. At that point I had already given up on trying the Super D. I hit the road and started making phone calls, trying to find out if it was raining at the race in Downer's Grove. I really wanted to go catch the US Pro Crit at 3:00. Nobody that I called had actually gone to the race!! Thanks to Brad for checking the radar for me. When I heard on the radio that the Air and Water show had ended early due to the rain, that clinched my decision to head home.

BTW, I was looking at the results today, and I noticed a DNF for someone who I think didn't actually start. (I won't name names or race category.) Don't you have to actually start to DNF, or do you just have to be there?

Well, this was a long and disjointed post, but that was how the day and race was.... with our race starting so late in the day and Sunday getting canceled, I kinda feel like I missed the whole thing...

Thinking too far ahead

Hmmm. I was just looking at the web site for Cross Natz and realized that registration opens on Sept 15, at a time when many of us will be up racing at Chequamegon. I don't even know if the lodge there has wireless access - something to look into before then, I guess. Don't ask me why I am already thinking about something in December. I saw the link on another site and I wanted to see if I will be racing on my birthday (yes).

(Thanks to Chris, for pointing out that registration is Friday midnight, not Saturday noon! I misread the time. No one will be out on the course like I originally posted.... Still an issue, though, getting net access. Except for Chris, who apparently found a loophole way to register back In January!)

Almost

I got a brief Leadville race report from Tawnya tonight on my cell. Indeed, as I thought, she missed the 12 hour cutoff. By 18 minutes! Her time was 12:18. That's gotta be a loooong 18 minutes - not to mention the hour or so before that, probably wondering "can I make it? will I or won't I??". Anyway, I think she did a great job. 12:18 sounds pretty good to me, even if she didn't get a belt buckle.

Tonight I was riding in the same spot I mentioned in my last post, and I could hear a car hovering behind me. I'm thinking "what now" and wondering if someone is going to pull a stupid move again. On the contrary, this car was hanging back at a decent distance, waiting to make a right turn until I was past the side street. Whew. Not everyone is a jerk.

Speaking of jerks, a few weeks ago some teenagers were walking along the sidewalk at dusk on the road just north of Tower that all the cyclists use as a ravine bypass. There were three boys, all with skateboards. Suddenly, one of them threw down his board and rolled down a driveway, heading straight at me like a game of chicken. I was able to swerve just in time, into the other lane. If there had been a car coming around that curve, that would have been it for me. They all laughed hysterically. Theoretically he would have bailed before he hit me, but I had no way of knowing one way or the other.

On a better note, I have to say that lately lots of drivers have been waving me on at stop sign intersections. It's been happening over and over, every day. Alot of drivers have been really decent. Maybe they are afraid I will fall over since I am slowing and/or "stopping" without unclipping! Unfortunately I can't always see the person inside waving, especially if they are on the left and there is a reflection on the windshield. So the car stops, sits there, and I can't see in the car to see if they are waving me on. They probably don't know I can't see them and wonder if I am really stupid.

Also, has there been a Prius explosion? Are they multiplying like bunnies? Have I just not noticed before? This past week I have seen them everywhere, sometimes one after another. I know they have been trendy in recent years but aren't they supposed to be hard to get?

Audacity

I was out riding at about 7:40ish pm (definitely still light out, but starting to fade) on a part of Green Bay Road south of Ravinia. I had two blinkies on in back, two lights on in front. This part of the road is kind of narrow because of a planter in the median that takes up a lot of space. This means cyclists have to either ride in the gutter or on the very edge of the pavement. I was concentrating on riding this fine imaginary line when I heard a loud honk behind me. I just about jumped out of my skin. If that wasn't unnerving enough, the gigantic black SUV with livery (limo) plates that honked at me accelerated and proceeded to turn right directly in front of me. I had to slam on the brakes! Arrrgh!! It was such an aggressive move and so stupid I was dumbfounded for a moment, then angry. I almost wish I had had the presence of mind to ride after him and yell at him. It reminds me of a post Goat made back in July.

How'd they do?

It's a little before 2 am and I just couldn't go to sleep without checking all the results of Saturday's races. O2S isn't up yet, nor is Levis Trow 100, but there are some unofficial results for the Leadville 100. It took a long time to scroll through the list, and I may have missed someone. (Sunday update: I have since found a way to look up individual riders)

Congrats to comp rider Dave P., it looks like he made it in under 10 hours, around 9:49. (even though they got his name wrong). Congrats to Charlie S. who made it in about 11:15. It looks like Tawnya made it to the last checkpoint, but must have missed the final cutoff at the finish line, which I believe is 12 hours. I noticed some other WORS names that I didn't know were doing the race, like Larry S. from Rockford and comp racer Dennis S..

Dave Wiens won the Leadville overall in 6:58:46. Close behind him was none other than Floyd Landis, at 7:00:30. Mike Kloser was third, at 7:10:23. At one time Lance Armstrong was going to do the race, then he wasn't, then he was, and it looks like he must not have, or if he did, he didn't finish. I didn't notice his name in the results. I did, however, see his buddy Bart Knaggs and his coach Chris Carmichael listed at some of the checkpoints.

Update: A little more blog surfing and I found that Sara K-J won the women's overall at O2S!! And Brian Matter got 2nd in the men's overall. Congrats to both of them!

I'll look forward to hearing and reading the stories from everyone....

Go Figure

Wouldn't you know, the ONLY weekend out of the entire summer than I am not traveling somewhere out of town, I get this horoscope, today:

"Today is a 9 (out of 10). Travel conditions are excellent, with few complications. You rarely get such a great chance to do what you love. And it's the weekend!"

Now, that makes me wish I had gone to Levis Trow 100! I wanted to go, I came close to going. I have always really liked that race, always had a good time hanging out afterwards with everyone. I hope everyone there is having a good day. Those of you who went, give us all the details!

It's mid-afternoon, so I could still go watch the early evening pro race at Elk Grove. A long road ride would be a better idea....given that I so seldom get to do a long road ride on a weekend, and given that travel conditions are "excellent"!!

I also hope to do my second cleaning of my bike from the Alterra Muddy Bean Classic. And finally I am going to attack the mud-encrusted shoes. Yeeech.

Leadville and Ore to Shore

Good luck to DJ, Tawnya, Dave P., and Charlie S., who are doing the Leadville 100 this weekend! I hope everyone gets a buckle!

Good luck to Sara K-J and everyone else from WORS who is doing Ore To Shore this weekend. Sara, go win it!

Alterra Mud Bean

Many thanks to my race-saving mud-scraper stick.
More to come.

You Can Sleep When You're Dead

The moon was out in full glory for the 24/9 racers this weekend. Perfect timing.

Congrats to ALL of the WORS and WEMS peeps who made huge efforts and rode well at 24 Hours of 9 Mile! As for the podium, It seemed like there were familiar faces in every category that got called up. If I try to list everyone who I saw up there I am sure I will forget to mention someone. It was great to see so many people I know donning stars and stripes jerseys, and so many others who gave their all.

Being Nationals, it was no surprise that Chris Eatough was in the number one spot on the podium for 24 hour men. And Pua Sawicki was atop the women's 24 hour podium - though she could barely climb up onto it, she was so spent from her race!

Big congratulations to Chris S. and his support team of Kim and Mountaingoat. Chris dug deep and finished 8th in the national 24 hour solo men's category in his FIRST ever 24 hour race! And this is after doing his first two 12 hour races ever in the last couple of months. A very impressive ride! Super-organized race preparation. His support team was a well-oiled machine - Kim and Mountaingoat seemed like seasoned pros at the support thing - they had it all figured out, as far as I could tell. Even at 4 a.m! I learned a few things from watching them.

Stars and stripers that come to mind (of which there are many) for congratulations include Ronsta and Jerry for their two person 24 hour duo - and I think I am the only person who was tempted to take a picture of Ronsta sleeping in his chair but didn't actually take one! Barb told me it might wake him up - this was at about 4 or 5 a.m.. I notice he got Loser of the Week for his chair snoozing......Doug Swanson, Brian Matter and the LaLonde Bros. and support team of Chris and Chris crushed their competition.... Rayana and his 4-man team won their category and got to wear stars n' stripes.... there were the junior women (Sam, MurphyKate, Megan, and I think Sarah?) who called their team "Teenagers doing it all night long" (or something like that).... Ed made them say it into the microphone rather than announce it himself.... Russell and crew won in the Clyde category, I believe.....I'm sure I am forgetting people....

In other podium placings, the Junior men (Nate, Mitch B. etc.) got 2nd place and had a great and inspiring race against a 1st place team much older than they are.....Reckless Racing (Tony, Ed, etc - Chicago area riders) got 2nd in Clydesdale... ... Renee and Michelle (Mad Forcs) in the women's 4 person team, also Katie and her Cowgirls in that same event.....Jay and his 4 man team....and I'm sure I'll think of more when the results are posted

Rachael and John along with Casey and Zoe had a four-person spectator/support-their-friends team. Glad it worked out for them to go up after all.

I don't know if I'll get to post any pics before I leave town - I should be packing and doing laundry for a trip tommorrow instead of writing not to mention sleeping (I am writing this very late Sunday night) but I may not be near a computer again until the weekend. I was also hoping to catch up on entries from the last couple of races one of these days. Not today.

I had a great time being there and seeing everyone. I'm glad I didn't race - that was the right decision. It would have been more fun to have gotten there earlier but this was the only way I was able to go. I made it home on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. I was thinking about all the cars on the road that had people with leg cramps and no sleep... I hope everyone made it home ok. Traffic kept stopping suddenly north of Madison. I had to slam on the brakes more than once.

When I got home after so many hours of driving it was ride vs. nap. So, I went for a road ride at dusk with lights and saved unloading most of the car for later. It was a perfect night to be riding, even as it got dark. Glad I dragged myself out there.

I didn't notice the saying on the back of the brown race tee until I got home - You can sleep when you're dead. I have always liked that saying. Perfect for this event.

Full Moon for 24/9

I just read that there is going to be a full moon tomorrow night. Perfect for those doing night laps at 24/9. Owwooooooo!

After much weighing of pros and cons all week, I decided yesterday that since I still wasn't feeling better from the sciatic misery of last weekend's longer-than-usual bumpy Metro race, I wasn't going to sign up for the 12 hour at 24/9. I do need a rest, no question about that. I way overdid it last Saturday. And I have been racing every weekend for a while now.

With my sister and nephew arriving in town late last night, and my needing to get everything in order at work to be gone on a family trip next week, packing and getting out of town today was not meant to be. I'm still hoping to head up there in the morning to help out and hang out later in the day. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. It was so much fun last year, I hate to miss it. And this is the last year all the big guns will be there for Nationals. It would have been nice to watch the start. I want to be there, I just don't want to pack and make the long drive.

I think some of our Midwest WORS/WEMS peeps are gonna rule on the home course! Good luck everyone!

My nephew had his first bike riding lesson today. He doesn't seem to get the pedaling thing. Or else he likes having his mom and his auntie pushing him along!!

24/9

to 24/9 or not to 24/9?? that is the question.....

Good luck to everyone headed up to Nine Mile this weekend.

It never ends....

Rasmussen out too?

Who's next?

What's next?

And they're off!!!.... Superweek comes to Evanston

Congrats to Sam Schneider for winning the Women's 1/2/3 race in a sprint finish! Impressive. I wasn't able to get a photo of the finish from where I was standing.


Above, the Pro/1/2 race, just after the starting gun, at the Evanston Crit stage of Superweek Sunday July 22.


The Pro/1/2 field as they swarm around a corner at the back of the course. If you stood in the right spot, you could see both this corner and the start finish area just by turning around!


The break in the Master's 40+ race.

Sundaaaaaaaaay!!!!.......Evanston Crit

The Metro Challenge at Crystal Ridge is tomorrow. I am soooo happy that this is the closest WEMS race, and I won't be getting home at 2 or later in the morning after a WEMS race like I sometimes do.

I want to be able to get up Sunday in time to watch friends and teammates in the first ever Evanston Crit!!! So excited about this!

The restaurants are allowed to set up tables in the parking lanes on the course so that people can see the action up close as they eat. How cool is that? Should be a fun weekend.

Soaking Wet

I made it a point to start my evening ride earlier than usual so I would miss the storms that were forecasted. It was partly sunny when I left, which was encouraging. I rode north for a little over an hour, did about a 15 minute errand/stop, then turned around and headed back home. It was overcast at that point. About 15 minutes from home the heavens opened. Torrents of rain. Had I not stopped I would have made it home without getting poured on! What a downpour - I could barely see, and my riding glasses are prescription, so they needed to stay on. Luckily I had brought blinkies in case it got dark and rained. I was on my old cross bike - the brakes worked better than I expected in the rain.

What a mess. Road grit stuck to everything, water dripping all over the place. My wet riding gear weighed a ton as I tossed it in the washer. Shoes stuffed with newspaper. Shower felt great! Wish I had made it home earlier, but still I feel lucky that I only got hit at the end of the ride. All the Wednesday night group rides were still out there. I can't imagine riding in a pack in rain that torrential, although at one time I used to do it.

Electricity still on, unlike 67,000 other ComEd customers....

July 17, 2007

I got an email a few days ago from an astrologer in AZ about today being a special day in terms of our solar system. That probably explains why the new age fire the grid was chosen for today. (I just noticed tonight on the net that there are opposing opinions about the validity and the true agenda of fire the grid - I'm not sure what to think about that, not having researched it.)

Anyway, here is what the email said (see below). If you are open to this type of thing, it sounds like good advice. I'm not sure what conjunct means in this context.

Quoted from the email:

> I've previously sent out information about the important date coming up this Tuesday.
The planet Pluto is conjunct the galactic center of our solar system, an event that
happens every 250 years. It occurred once before and is happening again this coming
Tuesday, and one more time, on October 28th of this year.

What you need to know about this is that it activates great transformation on this
planet and in each person's life. It is a very good time to let go of old stuff, to clean
out your closets and get rid of things that no longer serve you.

It is a good time to write down your intentions for your life.....all facets of it, work,
relationships, finances, and anything else of importance and to actively energize all
that you want in your life.

It is an extremely powerful time, so choose your activities for that day very carefully.

Article about Reforestation Ramble

Article and video on Green Bay TV website about the Reforestation Ramble. The article is fluffy, targeted to the general non-cycling public, but any bike racing coverage is better than none.

I'll write a post about the race later....

Superfast

Congrats to Gabi on her great triathlon results the last two weekends, and to John F. on his great Superweek result today!

1st woman in the Short Course race at Lifetime Fitness in Minneapolis today! 9th out of almost 4000 women last weekend at the Danskin Tri in Wisconsin. She asked me to look at the results of today's race online and print them to bring to the marathon race at Reforestation Camp tomorrow, and when I went to check just now, I saw that she got FIRST woman in the short course, out of 559 women. She was 21st overall, when you include the men. Super fast transitions. Nice.

And, I just talked to John F., who just finished the Blue Island Superweek cat 4/5 crit and got 2nd. Nice job! Good luck tomorrow in Bensenville.

Inching Along at Blue Mound

That which does not kill you makes your stronger.

Blue Mound. There is so much you could say about it.

Hardest course in Wisconsin for me. Course most likely to draw blood and break your bike. Evil mind control rocks. Course most likely to be the set of a horror movie.

I have been thinking about the horror movie aspect all week. This idea hadn't occurred to me in previous years, but the heat, humidity, huge rock piles, vegetation, jungle-like atmosphere and pig farm smell this year all added up to a surreal experience!! (note: I haven't seen a lot of horror movies, so I really have no basis for comparison!!)

The first time I did this race, maybe in 2004, the start was down in the lower parking lot, by the pool. It gave it a different feel. Instead of the long gravelly climb, we climbed the hill on the road. Our cars were at pretty much the same level as the trail. This time around, it was like we were descending into a steamy jungle.

Now, can't you just see it? Innocuous gigantic green field, parking lots, picnic tables, a shelter, some bathrooms, lots of happy people's tents set up along the course, amiable Toyota Fj Trail dudes taking photos, giving out schwag, and giving test drives, all in all a nice day in the state park! It's a whole different story however, when you descend into the steamy jungle underworld. This takes place soon after the rocky downhill. The evil mind control rocks are lying in wait to puncture!! You are "initiated" into the underworld by the rock gauntlet within the first few minutes of your first lap!! Whether your realize it or not, you are being forwarned about what lies ahead. They are just waiting oh so patiently for you to fly by, full of enthusiasm and adrenaline!! And what happens then? Boom, the mind control rocks immediately show their dominance by causing flats before people even get to the next stretch of singletrack. The rocks let you think you made it safely by letting you ride past the pool and then next thing you know your air sneaks out in the first stretch of open doubletrack... I'm sure almost everyone saw someone changing a flat after that rocky section at some point.... So I decided ahead of time to walk the worst parts of that first downhill section - partly to avoid that fate but mainly because I knew the downhill was above my skill level. The two women right behind me decided to do the same thing once they saw what was to come.

You momentarily pop back into happy State Park mode (just a teaser!) as you barrel down a grassy hill past the pool, which was hopping. We turned left, the longer races turned right after the pool. Then we hit the doubletrack for a bit.

Then, in the first stretch of singletrack, there are green finger-like fronds reaching out at you from the sides of the trail at waist level and below. The lush vegetation makes the trail feel very intimate, but could be spooky too, if you were all alone out there. There are small rocks, big rocks, and rock piles everywhere. Navigating the rocks requires such intense concentration, you end up blocking everything else out. A lap ends up taking so long that you just feel immersed in the jungle, like you might never emerge. I never had a clear sense of where I was. It was close call after close call. I had a "no crash rule" for this race after getting really banged up in previous years. I did get saved many times from friendly trees on the side of the trail that I fell into or grabbed onto. If you took this setting and added some eerie bird noises in the background and took away most of the competitors except for the Thing behind you in black that you can never quite see but you know he's there chasing you, ready to pounce if you don't make it over the next rock pile.... well, there's the start of your movie!

Silly, huh? I don't know what made me think of this, I didn't think of it so much while I was riding as I did later, when I was thinking about what a drastic change it was to go from the parking area into the woods.

And really, you could say the LaCrosse course is kind of like that too - after all, my bike did get attacked by a Rooty Thing there, causing it to bleed brake fluid!!

Anyway, the first person I saw when I got there was Ray, aka "Rayana". He had just done his first lap of the 6 hour, and his story did not inspire confidence in my ability to handle this year's course. He was covered with scrapes and said he endoed twice. Then one of the registration guys told me that they used the hardest part of the course for the three hour. Upon further questioning, he assured me he was not kidding! Gulp!

I had been looking forward to seeing the FJ Cruiser Trail Team. I really like the look of the FJ's, they caught my eye the minute they came onto the market. Ray told me that the Trail team was taking pictures and giving away multi-tools and other stuff. He suggested going over there before the tools were gone, so that is what I did after registration. Then I got ready for the race.

I noticed Marty and his kids arriving in a van with kayaks on top as I was getting ready. I couldn't resist telling him he forgot and brought the wrong toys. They had a big kite too, in addition to the kayaks and bikes. I'm sure they had a fun weekend trying to do everything.

I found Chris and Kim's tent over near another parking lot that I didn't even realize was there. Rachael, John and Mountaingoat were also stationed there. I left my little cooler with them before the start. I kind of loped at the LeMans start for the 3 hour race, instead of running. The running starts are not great for me. The cast of characters was pretty much the same as usual, it's nice to see the familiar faces.

Made it through the downhill gauntlet, the cautious way. Chris flew by in the gauntlet, he had the rocks under control. Once in the singletrack, I did alot of walking. Ride a bit, almost fall over when hitting some obstacle, get off, walk a bit through the rock piles, get on again, almost fall into a rock pile, grab a tree, get off again, on again, off again. On, off, on, off. I was drenched with sweat. The heat didn't bother me, I like heat, but I was also soaking wet from being away from a breeze. And not going fast enough to create my own. I was again on the unfamiliar bike that I am not used to, and was just trying to survive. Stabbing knife pains in my feet too, that added to the survival factor, knowing this was really hard on my back.

The funny thing about walking your bike there is that you could really just as easily crash Walking as you could Riding!! Or at least I could. As I got tired, I would find my toe catching on a rock or root, which would almost send me flying. I can't count the times I turned my ankles on embedded rocks and rock piles. Also, my shoes would slip on the rocks. Last year one of my worst "crashes" was when I was trying to drag the bike over a rock pile. I noticed one or two people at the start were wearing running shoes, and I wondered if that was a strategy for dealing with all the dismounts and the walking that some of us had to do. I was not the only one walking out there, that was for sure.

The course required so much attention that any "conversations" were bound to be weird. A few times when I asked someone a question as they were passing, it was like they had to snap out of their haze for a moment, think about what I was asking, and then realize they had no idea if they had just passed any women right behind us, or how far into the lap we were, or whatever I was asking them. Hardly anyone was giving a warning before passing - I told one guy I could move out of the way faster if he warned me ahead of time, and he said he didn't have the energy to talk.

At one point in my last lap John G. passed me, then I saw him standing in the vegetation by the side of the trail, looking for something. His sunglasses had flown off. I think Chris passed shortly after that, then John passed me. Must have found the glasses, I wasn't sure he would. It would be really hard to find anything there! Don't lose your car keys! I didn't dare stop, I was under the gun on time at that point.

The last lap I was very worried I would not make it back before the cut off time, based on my previous lap time. I pushed myself harder and tried to stay on the bike more. I rode alot of stuff that I walked the first time around, so I felt a sense of accomplishment about that. Not that I had mastered the course or anything, but it was a little more manageable. Except for how much harder everything gets when you are getting tired and sloppy. I didn't think I'd be able to lift my right leg over the seat to get back on one more time... but I always did somehow, even when I felt like I couldn't. (see...? the riders with poor technical skills get an entirely different workout in this race than the more skilled riders!)

Was anyone else besides me creeped out by the creaking noise that fallen tree made as it rubbed against another tree trunk? I just about jumped out of my skin until I realized what that was. I guess there must have been some moving air down there, for that thing to move like that. I think we had to ride right under it. Maybe that's what subconsciously got me thinking about scary movies....

Someone else in their blog, I think Peter from Killjoy, mentioned the stinky trail. I definitely noticed a pig farm type of smell floating around in spots. It didn't make any sense that it would be there, it seemed out of place. I remember going, huh, what's that doing there? Another thing making it surreal....

Thanks to Kim for the bottle handup! I was soooo tired after slogging up that hill - it was wonderful to have her there to hand me a bottle so I didn't have to get off and find my cooler.

I finished with time to spare - my watch was off from the race clock, and I failed to check the difference at the start.

After changing, I checked my raffle tix against the raffle board and found that I had won a Planet Bike pump and Hat, and a bottle of Hammer Gel. Thanks to both of those companies and all the others that donated to the raffle! I was excited to get such useful stuff. I also got a third place medal at the awards.

I then went for an FJ Cruiser test ride. I enjoyed that. We went driving in the countryside, got a little lost but not for long, thanks to the Garmin stuck to the windshield. I liked the truck. If I weren't so happy with the one I have, I might consider it. That was fun having those guys out there, it added something to the event. The special modified Millenworks off-road cruiser on display had a refrigerator inside, and the guy said he puts his bike upright on the other side in back next to the fridge. That was the one they took our pics with. I notice on the website that it did the Baja 1000.

After the race Chris, Kim, and their friends/hosts John and Michelle and I went to dinner at Pasqual's, the one close to the race. I was excited when I saw that was where were going, because I had heard about it but had never been! I didn't get to try their famous margaritas because I still was driving back to Chicago that night. But I did get a delicious chocolate cupcake for dessert, something I haven't had in ages, mmmm.

Enough of Blue Mound for now, if you made it this far. Other people gave wonderful detailed descriptions of their race, so I thought I'd also try to capture the mood of the place a little. Not sure if it worked, but if not, you can always wait for Blue Mound, the movie!

Tour de Life

It's time for the annual July increase in the electric bill - it's Tour time! I noticed last year that my bill goes up in July with the combination of air conditioning and having the TV on whenever I am home! Mountaingoat and others mention in their blogs that their training suffers in July - and that is surely also the case for me. But everything else suffers too. During race season, with going somewhere every weekend, there is already little free time to do the stuff that keeps your life in order. With the Tour on, even less of the "life stuff" ends up getting done!! July = chaos at home!

I guess no one's going to want to do blog updates for the next few weeks....

And speaking of things that take up time.....The clock is ticking on making a decision about 24-9. Last year I signed up for the 12 hour but crashed so many times in the rock gardens and got so beat up over and over that I am not sure I should try again, given the condition I am in this year. On the other hand I had a great time being there!!! The best time I had post-race all last year. Lots of friends to hang with after I was finished, watching them film 24 Solo, the excitement of it being Nationals, warm weather, crazy weather. So it's between: sign up for the 12 hour and ride for maybe half of it, go, don't race, just ride and hang out and enjoy being there and help people who are racing, or stay home and have a rare weekend off from racing. what to do, what to do..... who is going?

The dog ate my Blue Mound report

Sunday night I sat down at the computer to read Blue Mound race reports and write my own report, when the phone rang. A friend was calling spur of the moment to see if I wanted to see the movie "Once". It sounded kinda cool, so even though it was late, and in spite of a million other things I should have been doing, I went to the movie. It was pretty good. It revolves around amateur musicians - specifically a street musician who is trying to break into the music biz and at the same time get the courage to win his old girlfriend back. The music was the best thing about it, to me. I liked it. It ended kind of abruptly - I wished it had kept on going long enough to let us know more about what happens to the main characters. If you like folky, acoustic-y indie music, you might like this movie.

I've been busy since then, but I am going to get to my race report, eventually. There are plenty of more interesting ones out there, anyway!

Friday night before I hit the grocery store I stopped by the Tour de France party at Turin. It was fun. I should have been at home preparing for Blue Mound, but it was great to see some peeps I hadn't seen in a long time. Then I went to the store to get food for the weekend. I didn't make it to bed until almost two, due to packing, bottle filling, tire filling, chain lubing, etc., and then I couldn't fall asleep. One of these days I'll get a good night's sleep before a race! Luckily I didn't have to get up until 8 to make it for the afternoon race.

Eau Claire

This was my one of my worst WORS race ever, in terms of overall placing, not counting races where I had a mechanical. So far this year I have gotten some of my worst placings. I hope I can reverse the trend.

After over 6 hours of driving I got to Eau Claire a little after midnight. One of these days I have to try getting a good night's sleep before a race, it might help my results!! I don't think I ever get eight hours before a race - although I always intend to. Sometimes I can't fall asleep at all before a race, even if I get to bed early enough.

I didn't really want to come to this race, yet I sorta did. I talked myself into it. When I think of this course the main thing I remember is Liz falling off the ledge in the roller coaster part in the first year. Her bike fell on top of her, and she was tangled in the brush which kept her from falling further down the side of the hill. We stopped to help her get back on the trail. She won't go back to this race after that happened. On the other hand, they do a great job with putting on the race and getting there is pretty easy for how far it is, super fast interstate all the way. Facilities are pretty good. Last year some of us had a great time on the kart track after the races.

My bike brake wasn't back yet from the mishap last weekend, so I had to use a bike I haven't ridden since September 2006, with wider bars, stiffer suspension, a bigger frame, a different shifter on one side that I can't shift with the sore thumb (used the whole hand instead), and so on. I kept fiddling with the seat height up until minutes before the start - higher for the leadout, or lower for the hard stuff where I'll have to get off? I had a hard time adjusting to the bike in the race.

I forgot the backpack part of my camelback so I spent what would have been warmup time trying to borrow one, unsuccessfully. My race bike has two cages but this bike only has one!! So I carried an extra bottle in my jersey. I seldom forget stuff at races, so I don't know what's up this year!

I was counting on the leadout to get me a good position and pass lots of people, but that didn't happen. Not having preridden, I should have scoped out the turn after the start. My gut said to line up on the right but if I wanted to be in the second row I had to go left, which put me in the middle. I wish I had gone right. I got stuck in the middle of the pack behind slow starters and then I got bogged down in the sand that I had no idea was there. The pack took a different line than I expected, again, I should have been better prepared. I watched people pulling away up front. I was pretty much stuck for most of the leadout, until I got around people at the end and passed just a few people. And that was pretty much how the race went! There was alot of stuff I had to get off for, which lost time, people passed me, and there was stuff that had me braking more than I should have, which lost more time! I found my rear wheel skidding alot on the downhills, and I wasn't sure if it was me grabbing the brakes too much on the unfamiliar bike, or if it was the super dusty, loose conditions. That usually doesn't happen as much with my brakes on my race bike. The tires have the same tread pattern on both bikes, though the other ones are regular tires and these are tubeless.

Unlike most of you other WORS bloggers, I do best on a course with open spaces where I can catch people after they pass me in the singletrack. Or at least I used to when I was in better shape! This year I am just getting passed, period. There wasn't quite enough open stuff for me to make up for the stuff I couldn't ride. Not that I would have gained that many places. But, I am glad to hear that lots of people loved the course. Makes it worth the drive for most people.

That's all for now, it's late. Tomorrow I have a million things to do, including getting ready for Blue Mound. I hope my brake comes in tomorrow - although they are not sure they'll have time to put it on before closing time if it does. Anybody have any spare body armor for bouncing off rocks?

Independence Day

So, here I am trying to write a race report when I should be getting ready for the next race! It always seems to turn out that way....

4th of July was a nice day, sunny and pleasant. I went for a ride in the afternoon, doing about 40 road miles. Before being injured, I used to try to do 50 miles on summer holidays, if there was time and I wasn't doing something else like going to Kettle for the day, I would ride up to Abbott labs and turn around. But this is the longest road ride I have done all year. The bad thing about racing every weekend is that I seldom get to do the longer rides I might be able to do if I were at home. And that will be the topic of a whole 'nother post. The ride definitely aggravated some things, but I am glad I did it.

On the way home from the ride, I stopped at a party on top of the lakefront parking garage at Northwestern. These friends stake out a spot there with pop up tents and food and throw a party which leads up to having an excellent spot to watch the fireworks. During the day you can watch the sailboats and then the fireworks at night. I meant to stop for just a bit but some people I hadn't seen in ages showed up - some of my old motorcycle friends - and persuaded me to stay for a while and have some food, etc. It was fun, and I really enjoyed seeing my friend's triplets (gulp)!! Yes, three little boys!!! They are 2 and a half, and actually are really cute and were no problem as long as we made sure they didn't fall over the side of the 2 story parking garage! I'm sure they have their difficult moments but at the party they were being great little fun guys. Their parents brought a bubble machine to keep them occupied - we all had fun with it. Kids all over the lot were enjoying chasing the bubbles that blew their way! The bubbles were gigantic and some of them had several small bubbles inside the big ones, which was pretty cool.

I eventually got really tired of sitting around in wet bike clothes and headed home to get a quick shower before I met some other friends to go to the fireworks. I was behind schedule on meeting them so instead of going to Kristin's I met them at the beach. Rode the old purple mtn bike, which is now a town bike with riser bars. If we had a "crappy bike ride" like Russell's here, I guess that's what I'd ride, even though it's not crappy. Some might say all that 90's purple is tacky, but it's not crappy!

We ended up lying on the cement of a parking lot., they said the beach was too crowded. It was pretty uncomfortable after the long ride earlier, I was wishing for a chair like all the old folks seemed to have! We got good spots, but there was a long delay in getting the fireworks going so of course lots of people squeezed in around us. People were constantly stepping over us until things got started. The lakefront fireworks were great and went for a long time. They always do an excellent job. Of course after the fireworks are over people swarm all over the park to get back to their cars, which are usually parked pretty far away. There are always lots of people setting off their own fireworks as we are walking away from the lake, so you are always at risk of walking too near to something that's about to explode! Stuff was exploding all around us.

Eau Claire next...

Update

Here is a link to the article about the Chicago XXX racing-AthletiCo racer who died in Peoria on Saturday.

Some friends were at the race, and one of them was in the race and was in front when the accident happened. She heard it but did not see it. Her husband heard there was an accident but didn't know who had been hit - he had to wait a while to find out it was not his wife. Sounds awful. He said that Beth was a wonderful person, and lots of fun. It sounds like she will be missed a great deal.

My thoughts are with everyone affected by this. I can't stop thinking about how everyone that was in the race must be feeling right now. In addition to all the family and friends, I have not forgotten about the driver and his family in the truck, who must be really struggling as well.

Condolences

My condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Beth Kobeszka, of XXX racing-AthletiCo, who was killed in the Proctor Cycling Classic road race in Peoria on Saturday. I did not know her, but am very saddened to hear about this.

I just arrived home from the Eau Claire WORS (it's late Sunday night), and haven't actually talked to anyone that was in Peoria yet. I don't know the details other than that she likely got bumped across the yellow line in the 4's race, at which point she was hit by an oncoming truck. I think I know some people that were probably in the race with her, so I will have to get more information later.

Very sad.

iPhone frenzy meets Critical Mass?

As you may have figured out, I am following the iPhone hoopla. I'm trying not to get sucked in by the frenzy. (I have a fondness for cool gadgets, but I think the price is too high for the features) As of 6:00 CST, which is when I started writing this, they should be going on sale here, right now! They are showing the long line in downtown Chicago on CNBC right now. In New York the first person got in line at 5 am on Monday, they say.

Apparently it's pretty common to pay people to stand in line. The first guy in line at the AT&T store was being paid $15 an hour - he said he would make about $400 for sitting in line. The funny part is that the guy who paid him was there almost the whole time except when he was at work. The man was in town for business from Puerto Rico and felt like he wanted to be there even though he was paying someone else to wait in line. They showed him buying Coke and pizza for everyone in line.

Now the guy has come out with his two phones. He opened one and showed it to the reporter. He said he was practically shaking. It's bigger than I thought it would be. Not a little pocket phone.

At the Apple Store in New York, all of the store employees were applauding each person who bought a phone.

Another purely American marketing thing is that other companies are outside the Apple stores giving out free stuff, hoping to get their product some exposure on national TV!! That is even funnier than paying people to wait in line. Now lots of people in line are wearing free t-shirts advertising other products.

The TV is saying iPhones are already on sale on ebay for over $1750. Must be the New Yorkers.

I was reading the article on CNET about the launch in New York, where they went on sale an hour before here. Looks like there were tons of press, spectators, and customers in the street. They also happened to mention that the San Francisco Critical Mass ride is likely to go right by the Apple Store right around the time they let people in. Could be interesting.

Now I am going to go for a road ride. I will be riding right by an AT&T store. I will try to control myself and not stop, even if there is no line!

Hire a Diversion, and Working Dates??

Need someone to scare up a spot in the iPhone line for you this weekend? You can hire a mercenary to create a diversion to help you get a better spot in line. I'm not so sure this would actually work.....

I was looking for Walt Mossberg's iPhone review on the WSJ website and found this article before I got there. Apparently a new dating trend is "working dates" where both people bring their laptops, have dinner, then work side by side.

More on the Evanston Crit

Here is the link to the web site for the Evanston Crit. I can't wait, that is gonna be a fun day! So glad there is not a WORS race that Sunday.

They have a sponsorship recruitment page extolling the virtues of Evanston. They also have a couple of paragraphs about bike racing and bike racers. Did you know that we are more self-confident, and interested in wellness, the outdoors, and environmental issues? Here is what they have to say about bike racing:

Bicycle Racing Fans and the Race Itself
The global bicycle industry is estimated to have total retail sales in excess of $20 billion (from a 2001 report) with the U.S. bicycle industry generating sales totaling $5.89 billion in 2000. In addition to riding for both pleasure and transportation, Americans are showing a growing interest in cycling events.

Bicycle racing events typically attract a higher income, younger, college-educated audience that dovetails neatly with Evanston’s demographic profile. Cyclists and bike racing fans tend to be self-confident and more interested in wellness, the outdoors and environmental issues.

Cycling events — somewhat like stock car races — are well suited to sponsors in part because cycling teams are identified by their sponsors’ names. Sponsors’ logos and messages appear throughout the course on banners and in the race announcer’s commentary over the public address system.

Stuff to check out

I was surprised to be reading the August issue of Mountain Bike Action and turn to page 104, the "Inside the Pro's Bikes" column. Hey, that's a WORS racer!! The featured pro this month is Chris Peariso, with his Titus Racer X. I don't know Chris but I think that's pretty cool that they are featuring a Midwesterner!

Also, on page 22 of the same issue is what might be the perfect race vehicle for WORS and WEMS. Everything but a shower and a bathroom! It's a converted Dodge Sprinter van, converted by Sportsmobile. They have a model designed by Brian Lopes called the Lopes 55, which is about $71,000!!! (hey, you can live in it!) Or you can design your own. The Lopes model is the most popular, says the article. Sleeps 4, has a kitchen with fridge, an area in the back for bikes, and it can get 22 mpg. It also is allowed in places that an RV isn't, and it can drive on dirt roads. The article says that it qualifies for a 15 year RV loan. (I didn't know RV loans could be that long!) While I don't think most of us will be able to run out and buy this, it's droolworthy. Check it out at their web site. Under "Gallery" check out the pics of the "bikes/toy haulers".

And now, after reading and writing about the Sprinter van this morning, I noticed Sprinter vans everywhere this afternoon! I must have seen like 10 of them today! Funny how that works. They are so plain looking I normally don't notice them, but they are everywhere.

LaCrossin'

I had a feeling when I read up on the HPT that I was going to be in over my head in this race. Human Powered Trails is an appropriate name for this trail system. Bring every ounce of power you have to these trails!

The day started when I woke up early but did that thing where you hit the alarm to turn it off but then close your eyes "just for a minute". 25 minutes (and some more sleep) later, I actually did get up. So much for my extra time "cushion" that I was shooting for. I could barely stay awake on the drive there, I almost had to pull over. Once in LaCrosse, when I saw the "mountain" on the left, I felt I had really traveled somewhere. I had the feeling that I had left the Midwest and entered some other zone entirely. I had forgotten about the bluffs and scenic vistas around LaCrosse, all I remembered was that it was hilly. When I found that we had to drive up the "mountain" to get to the course, the task that lay ahead really sunk in. There were a bunch of the singlespeeders driving down the hill, leaving, as I was driving up. I think I passed Rachael and John.

No time for a warmup but that was fine, it's a long race. Right before the start I lowered my seat, thinking that would be better for what was shaping up to be a technical course. I didn't have enough time to do it right and test it out. Mistake.

The running starts are not my favorite. Ugh. I usually have to walk them so as not to aggravate old injuries, but this time they said if we couldn't run we could wait for the last people to finish running and then go. I gladly took that option, and I was not the only one. So there I was, starting last into the prologue lap. Immediately I realized the seat was way too low to go fast in the open stuff. I felt like one of those old guys you see riding on Sheridan Road with their seat way too low and their knees sticking out. I passed one of the women on the grassy hill at the end of the prologue, but had to stop to raise the seat. Arrrgh. It still felt way too low for the wide open stuff but I knew I'd be getting off the bike alot, or at least dabbing, and I didn't want to end up tumbling down the side of a bluff.... I was the last one into the singletrack. Early on I encountered the woman I had passed before, and I could see Jan ahead. They were both walking, and soon I was too. Already!! Oh, and a monkey too. He wasn't walking, just hanging out, laughing at us.

I immediately felt better, seeing the others walking ahead of me. The bad part of that is that is that it encouraged me to keep walking stuff that I should have been trying to ride. Jan was joking that she didn't know she'd be going for a hike that day. And quite a hike it was. Ride some, get off, get back on, get back off, and so on. Uh, oh, I think I hear someone coming up, wish they would say something when they need to pass, pull off the trail into the leafy itchy vegetation so they can pass.... over and over we would pull over to let the fast guys pass. That's the most frustrating part when you are already struggling with the trail and are trying to focus - having the constant stress that you might not hear someone coming up behind you in the singletrack and you might not get out of the way fast enough. Looking back on that lap, I think that we shouldn't have let the other girl with us get away, considering that we both were faster than she was in the open. We weren't paying close enough attention. Too much talking and walking and not enough riding. It was fun though, in a miserable sort of way.

Readers, I have to say these trails are the kind of well-planned trails most of you dream about! They are the kind that keep me awake the night before a race, but we already know I need more practice in the singletrack! These are the trails that people who think WORS trails are too easy would absolutely love! But they are very demanding and you have to have great balance and technical skills. And you can't ever let your attention lapse. All singletrack - roots, log piles, a big rock here and there, bench cut stuff on the side of the hill, tight trees, super tight switchbacks, some off camber stuff - no room for mistakes! It was very slippery that day in places. I think it would have been alot easier for me had it been less slippery.

In the middle of the next lap, I rolled over some roots and heard that pingy noise you hear when there is a stick in your spokes. Errrrrrrrrk - the bike stopped cold in the middle of the trail. Would not budge. Huh? I got off to figure out where this errant stick was, and instead found something totally unexpected. There was a big hunk of rooty thing wedged in my rear wheel, keeping it from moving. Picture a giant fat sweet potato with a curly end. The curly end was wrapped around a spoke, and the fat part was wedged between the seat stay, the wheel spokes, the rear brake assembly, and the rear brake cable. The way it was wedged caused the brake cable to be shoved up at almost a right angle from where it came out of the caliper assembly (I don't know the real name for this part). Yikes. I couldn't get it out, being wrapped around the spoke was the kiss of death. Neither could others who came along the trail and tried. Wheel would not move. So, I started "walking" the bike, which involved lifting up the (heavy) rear and trying to roll the front wheel along. A really ackward process. A nice local guy stopped to ask if he could help - he had already done the singlespeed race and was just out riding this race for fun. He showed me a shorter way back to the start. It was still plenty long!! I'm guessing I had to drag that thing for a mile total, though it could have been a lot less. It just seemed like a long way.

The race volunteers were great and super helpful. One of them took me over to some guys with tools, and one of those guys was was able to dislodge the rooty thing right away by wiggling it out. That's when you really feel stupid - a bunch of people try something, can't do it, then someone else comes along and makes it look ridiculously easy! But I was happy he was able to get it out. It probably loosened up on the way out of the woods. But, my rear brake was shot. The guy squeezed the lever to see if the root had caused a leak, and sure enough the fluid came out where the root bent the cable. Ah, just what I want dripping inside of my car (and definitely not dripping on the roof paint!)......he took off the brake and wrapped it up in a bag. I put a few more bags around it just in case the fluid started to eat through the first bag. I am not really sure what hydraulic DOT fluid can eat through and what it can't, and how fast, so I ended up taking some cardboard and some newspaper and putting those under the brake area when I later put the bike in the car.

As far as the inflatable monkey counting contest, which was fun, I had trouble keeping count. You wouldn't think so, given that I wasn't going all that fast, but I did. My mind was focused on other things, I guess. I got 18 in the woods plus three more at the finish, for 21. The winner, Al B., counted 29. I don't remember what he won, but it was something good.

I hung out for a while talking to people and stayed for the various awards and the raffle, and ate some brats , that was fun. (thanks Ray, Jen, for sharing your brats) Didn't win anything in the raffle. The race was well organized. Thanks to the promoters for putting it on.. Nice day, much nicer than it was at home. The long drive home took even longer cuz I stopped for a couple of naps. Got home at 4 ish am, to bed at 5ish.

The bike shop called tonight (Monday). They are having to send the brake to the manufacturer, and have no idea if it will make it back in time for the race this weekend. The brakes are pretty old, so I hope they are still supported. I've been lucky, those brakes have worked really well for me over the years, with minimal problems.

It's really late, now I have to get to bed.

Great Customer Service at Wild Oats

Tonight instead of going for a ride I went to dinner with NZ Wendy, Kristin, and Wendy's sister, bro in law and nephew who are still visiting from New Zealand. It was her family's last day before leaving Chicago. We went to the Heartland Cafe and ate outside. This was a good thing, cuz two year old Jasper was able to use the yard, sidewalk and the dirt as his personal playground. I don't think he sat down for more than 5 or 10 minutes. Little Matchbox trucks were constantly rolling off the table and squirrels got chased and so on. Did you know they don't have squirrels in New Zealand? It was great to see them one more time before they go. I can't believe three weeks has gone by so quickly.

They really enjoyed their visit to Chicago, they liked so many things about our city. Everyone was so friendly, and they often got special treatment, they found. They thought some of it had to do with having a cute 2 year old along. At the Field Museum, even though the museum staff was turning away people because it was closing soon, they let them in when they said, in their NZ accents, that they wanted to see the Maori exhibit before they leave town! They said that things are alot cheaper, in general, here than they are in New Zealand, and that we have a higher standard of living. On the other hand New Zealand has wonderful open space and some natural resources that aren't available to many people here. They don't have alot of malls or chain stores yet, although that has been changing in recent years. Marie said there are more cool boutique-y places there, but alot more available in basics at Gap and Old Navy type places for great prices here.

After dinner instead of going to the gym I decided I had better try to get to the grocery store before it closed, thinking tomorrow is going to be crazy trying to get everything done and I had better try to get some stuff now. After 9 this store starts putting stuff away and cleaning up at the deli, salad bar and meat counter. It was 9:30 and the woman at the meat counter was still willing to take my order instead of telling me that she was closed. Good thing number one! As I walked past the deli area I saw that all the food had been taken out and put away for the night. That was what I expected. The staff was standing around in the back and I smiled at the familiar faces as I walked by. When I was in the checkout line later, just before they were closing, one of the deli guys finds me in line and hands me a container flilled with my absolute favorite quinoa with black bean salad that I buy whenever they have it. He said, "I thought you'd like to have this." He must have gone in the back after I walked by and pulled out the put-away salad and filled up the container for me. I was so surprised, and happy to have the salad for after the race at LaCrosse! Now that is great customer service! That would be Good thing number two about my shopping experience at Wild Oats tonight. Thank you Wild Oats employees for being so cool!

At the Back in VeloNews

I read Maynard Hershon's At the Back column in the new June 25 VeloNews today. It is titled "Bygone Bootcamp". He notes how the new road riders today, with all the top-notch gear, have him fooled until he sees them riding. He points out the difference between riders in previous years who were taught the rules of riding, and these new riders who act clueless not because they are stupid, but because no one has taught them the rules.

I think everyone, road or otherwise, should read this article! The new riders could get a start on learning something about the rules of cycling and the basis for the rules. Many of us, myself included, could get a much-needed refresher course on the rules. Since I am now officially slow and seldom go on fast group rides like I once did, I have gotten rusty. And even those who know all this stuff backwards and forwards could get a reminder to help someone else they know learn how to ride better by passing along some of the things that are second nature to them but not obvious to someone new.

And lastly, next time someone teases me for wearing knee warmers when it's 69.5 degrees out, I will point them to this article!!

Waiting

Last winter I had an opportunity to put the wheels in motion to make an addition to my bike family. A few of you know how much trouble I have had over the years modifying bikes in an attempt to make them fit. Zillions of spacers, Sears Tower-like seatposts, adjustable stems, ridiculously short stems, sore back from bending over too far, and so on. When I look at old pics from races like Cactus Cup or look at my old road racing bike I wonder how I ever was able to ride like that. Some people probably still look at my bikes and wonder about them. At cross nationals one year I lent a friend my bike as his extra bike, and he said it was almost unrideable for him, our proportions were so different. In one Cactus Cup picture I ran across the other day, my knee looks like it's going to bop me in the chin (ok, I'm exaggerating a little). Thank goodness for the advent of trailbikes with longer travel forks and higher riding positions!

Things hit some snags here and there, out of my control, but apparently my new frame has arrived at the end of last week. Due to racing over the weekend and various other things (like work) that have kept me busy during the weekdays when they are open, I haven't been able to visit it yet. I was able to go today or tomorrow but that didn't work on their end. Friday is going to be the day I take the parts there and get to meet it, at last!!! Can't wait.

I came up with a new idea for the color scheme after it was too late. So they are sending extra decals in case I want to change. I may be needing some advice soon from you bloggers soon on what looks best....

Tonight (Wed) I went to pick up a copy of Erin Mirabella's children's book. She was signing books at Turin. I hadn't seen her in years, since she was a junior (or shortly thereafter) racing in Kenosha. I think my nephew will really like her book. Although we didn't know each other well, It was nice to see her.

Then I went for a ride, coming home in the dark. I had plenty of lights a blinkin', but some dude leaving Bar Louie on his Big Dog or Harley almost flattened me anyway. I think that by wearing his sunglasses in the dark and sliding them down his nose so he could squint over them, he thought he was following the law that you have to wear eye protection on a motorcycle! Or maybe his girlfriend on the back was giving him directions since he couldn't see out of those sunglasses in the dark....

I am still getting dive-bombed by cicadas in the north suburbs when I ride. And I saw the first ones I have seen so far in my neighborhood today, on the sidewalk right in front.

And, today I read that cutting edge companies are doing job interviews in Second Life! Apparently newbies that just joined for the job interview don't know how to control their avatars yet, and they end up doing things they didn't intend to in the interview, like handing the interviewer a beer, or slumping and looking like they are falling asleep in a chair, or sitting on the table instead of in a chair, or whatever. Also, ,one guy said he couldn't figure out how to dress his avatar in a suit, so he had to wear a t shirt and jeans to his interview. I haven't tried Second Life yet, I wonder if it works on a Mac?

Bumping along in Phillips

Here it is midnight on Wednesday and I still haven't written a race report on Phillips. This is what happens every week, I get busy at the beginning of the week, then by Thursday or so I don't want to sit down for an hour or two and write when I should be doing laundry and getting ready for the next race that weekend.....

Anyway, I wasn't sure about going to Phillips. The long drive was a deterrent, and the idea of a weekend at home was very tempting. I decided to go, though, and got there a little before 1 am Saturday night. More sleep would have been nice, but, oh well, I am used to not getting a good sleep before race day at this point. When I got to the venue Sunday morning, the lot didn't seem as full as last year. I can think of at least 10 or more people I know that went last year that didn't go this year. Multiply that and it adds up.

The course was v-v-v-v-verrrry b-b-b-b-b-b-bumpppppy. It's a good thing I don't have a good memory for courses. For some reason I couldn't remember this one at all (except for the road leadout), although I could picture the campgrounds and I did remember how nice the volunteers were. If I had known how much the course would aggravate my back I might have stayed home. I don't get to WORS early enough to preride, so the courses are always a bit of a surprise. This one was a bumpy, dusty, teeth-rattling surprise!! Even the open areas were too bumpy, for me at least, to go fast and pass people.

It got windy and overcast before the start. Cooler, uh-oh. I heard them calling up the women earlier than usual, I had thought I had another 4 or 5 minutes, so I made a beeline over to the start and slipped into the start area just after my name was called. The road leadout went well for me, until we hit the hill. Then a clump of better hill climbers passed me. In the singletrack we had some raindrops, which fortunately didn't last for long at all. Then we heard air raid sirens. They kept going, and going, and......going. We were asking each other what was up. Tornado? war? I asked some volunteers - one said if I could hear the sirens I wasn't racing hard enough. Turns out they were probably summoning firefighters in town to a big fire. Thanks to all the volunteers that were out there directing us. There were lots of people to ask about the sirens, even if they didn't know the answer.

The people I usually see around me in a race passed me, which was discouraging. Shoulda gotten here earlier, gotten more sleep last night...a longer warm up... ridden less last week....eaten better.....all the stuff that goes through your mind.... I did more walking/running up hills than I would have liked, but I couldn't afford to crash on top of the pounding my back was getting. At one point I took a really big hit to the spine on a downhill - usually I can get out of the saddle in time for those giant ones but this one caught me totally by surprise. Boom!!! I could visualize my poor L5-S1 disc squishing out in all directions like a marshmallow in a squashed s'more. I was hoping that was not the case, but I couldn't shake the visual.

Near the middle of the second lap some people passed me that I wasn't expecting to see - that woke me up out of my haze and at that point I had to pour it on in the open sections, bumpy or not. I managed to pass most of them back, whew. Some of it I had to do at the squishy marshy grassy area near the end . I was expecting a long open stretch where I could gain some time and instead I was going "oh, yeah, now I remember this" as my tires sunk into marshy ground and I felt like I was swimming to the finish. Glub, glub....

Ahhhhh, the nice cold, wet towel at the finish. That I did remember. Perfect for the dust all over our legs. We sat down at the picnic table for a few minutes and dug in to the all you can eat watermelon! Yum! Sticky watermelon fingers and a nice cool cloth to wash them. Thanks again to the volunteers who had the washclothes and watermelon waiting for us!

The Sports got rained on and had they not been in the woods they might have blown away. The guy in the building with the walkie talkie told all the lunch-eaters not to leave the building due to the dangerous high winds. It was sunny by the Expert and Comp race. What a schizophrenic day! During the expert race the fairgrounds felt deserted because so many people drove over to the feed zone to watch and feed. It felt like everyone had gone home.

There were some impressive results - I don't remember them all right now, but I will congratulate fellow blogger Brittany on her awesome second place overall in sport as well as teammate John for winning his age group and placing well overall!

All the way home in the car, among other things, my tailbone ached. I squirmed around alot, trying to find a more comfortable position. When I told the chiropractor yesterday about the big hit to the spine, she said, "yeah, I can tell. Your tailbone got slammed into your sacrum, the tailbone area is puffy, and it affected your neck, too." It amazes me that they can pick up on stuff like that before we even tell them. I don't know how people on hardtails survived this race. Maybe it will catch up with them years down the road like it is with me. Hope not, though. I have this unwelcome vision of the bike racers' old age home, all of us hobbling around, bent over our canes and such after all the crashes we've all had over all the years. As Holly K. put it earlier this year when I was worrying a bit about injuries, you want to be able to walk when you are 80!

Genetically Modified food

I got an email titled "Is your rice contaminated with human genes?". Now that is a new one to me. Human genes in our food? A new twist on Genetically Modified foods, I guess. I haven't watched this video to comment on whether it's worth watching, but here is the link to it and to some articles for anyone with an interest in the subject.

Video Link

Note: the first time I went to the link I could access the whole thing, but the second time they asked me to sign up for their newsletter before I could go any further.

HPT?

Has anyone ever ridden at the Human Powered Trails in LaCrosse? If so, how would you describe them? I'm guessing they are pretty hilly, being LaCrosse. I am wondering how technical they are?

Chicago Criterium

(CORRECTION on the date of this event: Ooops, I was so excited when I read about this (or so tired) that it failed to register that the Chicago Crit is in 2008 NOT 2007!! Sorry for the misinformation.)

Well, I just read about the new Chicago Criterium, to be held in Grant Park on July 27, 2008. Two big local race announcements in one week. At first I thought they meant July 27, 2007, hence the correction. Whew, glad I don't have to choose where to go that weekend.

Cooler by the lake

I can't wait until the daytime lakefront temperatures catch up with everywhere else! The radio weather report says it's only 72 here by the lake, but 86 inland. 86 sounds perfect to me. I guess either the water has to get warmer or the wind has to be coming from inland. Hopefully this will happen any day now. Can't wait.

Evanston Crit!

I just found out that there is an Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Grand Prix of Cycling in the Superweek Schedule! How cool is that?

I haven't made it to watch a Stupidweek race in a couple of years, due to mountain bike race conflicts. I don't know as many people racing superweek as I used to, either. Regardless, I am really excited about having this so close to home! I did not know this was coming here, I have fallen really out of the loop on road stuff....

I'm just about jumping up and down about this! I think that may help make the decision about whether or not to go to Mtb Nats... which I am way too out of shape for anyway.....

12 Hours of John Muir, part 1

Perfect weather, fluffy clouds overhead, all in all a great day at Kettle. Thanks to Kenny and the Cyclopath crew for putting on a great race!

My friend Scott got stuck in city traffic getting to my house so we got a late start on the road. We got there at 2:15 or so for a 3:00 race, but it all worked out. Neither of us got warmups. I did forget to put my Garmin on my wrist in the hurry to get ready, so I had a heart monitor strap on with no watch! The Forerunner would have really helped, but at least I had my regular watch on. We both missed the prerace meeting. I have done so many of these that I hoped I'd be ok.

When we got to registration Sheri said that for me, it would be $100. Good thing for me she was just kidding. I bought some raffle tix, too. Some sweet prizes on the picnic table.

The running starts are not my favorite thing. I had to give up running years ago, so I do a pretty lame fast walk to the bikes. This put me last, or close to last, onto the trail and into the woods. I hadn't been to Kettle since the Fall Color Fest last year, that would be like 7 months? Since I race pretty much every weekend, I seldom get to go ride there. I know the blue trail the best, although the 3 and 6 hour did do the orange last year at the 2006 12 hour race. So we went right at the junctions where the marshalls were standing, when my last ride there was left. Before long, after the next very sharp left into the woods, nothing seemed familiar! I had no idea where I was, I was pretty confused! There were still people around, so I kept plugging along. Later on in the lap, when we were more spread out, I was convinced that I had made a wrong turn somewhere, because it didn't look anything like what I remembered the orange trail to be. As faster riders passed me, I kept asking if I was on the right trail for the 3 and 6 hour.... I couldn't stop thinking about it. I'd see something that was familiar but then it would get weird again! I have to say it was fun, though! I loved the old trails - I prefer roller coaster old school fall-line trails - but they did a great job on these new ones! (built, I imagine, to the current standard of environmentally correct trailbuilding) Bench cut trails (Colorado race courses, and 12 Hours of Winter in Kewaunee come to mind) often make me squirm, but these were rideable even for me.

Do you like your bench cut trails to drop away on the right or the left or you don't care? I used to have a strong preference. Currently I think I would rather ride on trails that drop away to the left, where the uphill is on your right. I think it's cuz I am better with putting the right foot down and/or falling to the right. I also tell people to pass to the left. I am much more comfortable with that, probably, again, cuz I like to bail to the right. Anyone else besides me care about this stuff? Maybe you guys never get passed!

That's all for now, gotta get to bed! Hopefully more later.

Please vote for Raggedy Andy for the Toy Hall of Fame!

12 Hours of John Muir report will be coming soon, probably when my visiting friend leaves town!

in the meantime, please humor me as you read this.... you can just read the next two paragraphs if you'd rather not read the whole story.

Raggedy Ann sits alone in the Toy Hall of Fame, without Raggedy Andy! How sad! I got a mailing last week asking me to vote for Andy to enter the hall of fame. I was reminded of this yesterday when my visiting friend Tawnya and I went walking around E-town to see how it has changed since she moved away. We saw a window display at a toy store with lots of Anns and Andys, which charmed us both. Then today I read in the Chicago Tribune that at the Raggedy Festival over the weekend in Arcola, IL, they had a big push to have people sign petitions to put Raggedy Andy in the Toy Hall of Fame alongside Ann. This is Raggedy Andy's chance to join his sister!

So I am asking you (even if you think it's kind of silly) to go to the Raggedy Ann museum site and sign the petition to put Andy in the Hall of Fame! You can have your name appear as "anonymous" if you check the box. And uncheck the second box if you don't want junk mail from the petition site.

http://www.raggedyann-museum.org/

Why am I asking you to sign this petition?

When I was about one, my grandmother gave me a Raggedy Andy. It became my favorite toy, and it wasn't long before Raggedy Andy was joined by a Raggedy Ann. Andy stayed a favorite, even when his entire mop of red hair fell off in one piece one day! Even bald, with a dirty face, and a little the worse for wear, Raggedy Andy, along with Ann, was one of the best toy friends a little girl could have. Eventually I had a whole family of them in different sizes, like other girls collected Barbies. One of them would almost always go along on family trips and other outings. They were so much more lovable to me and such better companions, from my point of view, than alot of the other more "fashionable" dolls out there.

Eventually their arms would be hanging by a thread, then would fall off, from being carried around by the arm, and would get sewn back on. When Andy "broke" his leg from jumping off a ledge or fighting off the bad guys, I would wrap the leg with gauze or even toilet paper, to the embarrassment of my mother, I am sure, who had to be seen in public with me. I would spend hours drawing Raggedy Ann and Andy comics, and I would force my poor parents to sit through "performances" (really boring plays) that they would act in.

As I got older I got interested in things like bicycles (really? you're kidding? bet that was a surprise to you!!), collecting Matchbox cars, and other kid stuff. But I never lost interest in Raggedy Ann and Andy. I had the books and the bedsheets and a wastebasket and so on. When I grew up, I didn't think much about Ann and Andy, but I kept the old ones, most of them stored at my parent's house along with my old Matchbox and Hot Wheels collection.

When my friends started having kids, I had the dilemma of "what do I buy for a gift?" After some thought, the answer seemed obvious! Raggedy Ann and Andy, or at least one of them. The friends who had triplet boys (yikes!!) got three Raggedy Andys from me at their shower, and they said that was one of the best presents they got!!

I have somehow become the Raggedy Evangelist when it comes to shower gifts. I would like the kids of this new generation to at least be exposed to old-fashioned Ann and Andy, and they can make their own choice about whether or not they like them.

Then my little nephew came along, and it turns out he loves Ann and Andy, and usually sleeps with at least one of them. Then my mother got him a big Andy, whom he absolutely adores. That gave me the idea to do a photo book of "Raggedy Andy's Adventures in Chicago", so he would think that his Andy went on an exciting trip to see his aunt and grandmother. He has a duplicate Big Andy at my mother's house for when they come to town to visit. So I have borrowed Big Andy #2 and have been taking pictures of him in various places, intending to either assemble a photo book myself, or to use Apple's mac.com website to make a "real" bound book for him. Andy has even attempted to learn to ride a bike, with limited success, due to short legs! (thanks to Mike S. for patiently helping with those Andy on a bike photos) Someday you might even see Big Andy on the start line at a WORS or WEMS race.

(photos coming soon)

Chicago is not the only Windy City

Tawnya missed her plane - there wasn't room for a bike box on the one she was supposed to be on so she is taking the next one. But, with the high winds in Denver causing big delays, it's almost 11 pm and the plane still hasn't taken off yet. She asked if I could pick her up since it's so late, and the train won't be running anymore. She staying at another friend's house not far from me. When she called right before take off at 11:25, that would put her in at 1:30 am .... time for a nap?

I missed riding both Monday and Tuesday, because of rain one day, then staying late at work. Tonight the same thing was happening - it was really too late for a ride in daylight. But I just couldn't miss another day of riding, so out came the "real" lights, not just the blinkies I always have at dusk. There is something refreshing about night riding anyway. It was really windy already, and tomorrow the winds are supposed to get up to 45 mph!

Ok, time for the nap. I'm only going to get like 45 minutes before it's time to go! I usually don't have any trouble staying up, but I couldn't get comfortable last night and didn't sleep much. Sounds like the sciatica thing must be keeping other WORS people up, too - Russell mentioned his in his blog today.

Breach of Security

Ah, nothing like a few surprises in the mail along with the fresh new Velo-News! I got a letter from the state telling me that security was breached on a computer that had my name and ss number on it. They recommend putting a fraud alert on my file at each of the credit bureaus, and going over my credit reports carefully. And possibly taking stronger measures, such as doing a freeze. It's race season, don't they know know there isn't time for one more thing on the list??!!

Couldn't the hackers do this stuff in the wintertime? Seriously though, this is at least the fourth time over the past few years I have gotten a notice like this from a company or organization, not counting the time someone actually did steal my card number and start buying stuff!!

My to do list is out of control. The whirlwind of race season is in full tilt. It seems like I get back from one race, and before I have a chance to get the car cleaned out and my stuff washed, it's the weekend and time to pack for another one! And in between I am tracking down shoe buckles, or trying to locate new brake pads and rotors (which of course I should have "in stock" at home), or trying to get a wobbly wheel trued, or whatever. And that's just bike stuff. "Life" stuff is really getting neglected, I'm way behind and it's only the beginning of June!

I never got to post a story from the Lake Geneva race. I'm still hoping to get one written about Wausau weekend.

My friend Tawnya gets into town late tonight, to visit her old friends and to meet up with her Dad and sister. She is training for Leadville in August. She is bringing a road bike, but would love to borrow a mountain bike while she is here, until Tuesday. If anyone close by knows a place to rent from or someone about 5'5" (a small frame, I think) to borrow from?? My bikes are too big. She wants to ride either at Kettle or Palos.

Tomorrow morning she is going to road ride 4 hours, then 2 on Friday. I will likely start out on both rides, and turn around when my back says "enough of this", and go to work.

WEMS is going to be fun on Saturday! It sounds like the whole world is going to this race. Someone was asking me if the parking lot will fill up. I think that the grassy part will eventually fill, but that hopefully we won't end up having to go across the street to the Nordic lot.

Congratulations

Congratulations to young WORS racer Arin L. who is graduating this weekend. It's high school for her next year! She will miss the Wausau race. Have a fun weekend, Arin!

Broken Spoke

No, not the saloon in Sturgis and Daytona....

In the race Saturday I noticed a sound that made me wonder if my new brake pads were rubbing on my new rotor. Later at home, when checking to see if the pads were really rubbing (they were fine), I saw that the wheel was out of true. I took it into the shop near me to see if they could true it. Lou, the owner, noticed something that I wouldn't have - a broken spoke that hadn't popped out yet. (I realize most of you blog readers would have known to look for this, but I don't think I have ever broken one) He fixed it on the spot. A Big Thanks goes out to Lou, John and Chris at the Pony Shop! In the past few weeks, it seems like every week I have had something on my race bike that has needed fixing or replacing or changing. Each time, one of the guys has managed to get my bike done in time for my weekend race, even though they were crazy busy!! Thanks guys, I really appreciate it!

12 Hours of Gears

Today (Saturday) I got to do one of my favorite races. For many, last weekend's race course was ideal. For me, today's course was my kind of course. Fun, fun, fun. Roller coaster downhills. Flowing. Old school trails. 12 Hours of New Fane, formerly known as 12 hours of Gears. The anticipated 6:00 showers held off, and the sun even made an appearance a few times.

Thanks to Brittany and her crew for putting on a great race! They did a great job.

Thanks to Kim for the bottle hand-up.

Congrats to Chris S. on getting first place in his first ever 6-hour race! And to Gabi for getting first place in the women's 6-hour!

Congrats to Anne and Coop on their wedding. Nothing like a little 6 hour race honeymoon the day after your wedding!

I feel like I have been run over by a truck. I haven't raced (or ridden!) for 3 hours at one time, much less on a mountain bike, since a long race last September! And having to take April off from working out didn't help my fitness either. I thought I was going to die on the hills on the last two laps. Also, I felt a constant sharp pain in my back for a while - I thought it was just back pain, but then was also kind of wondering if could be from an insect - it felt like there was an open safety pin in the waistband of my shorts sticking in my spine. When I got home, I saw a gigantic bug bite, absolutely huge. I wonder what got me, a giant spider? World's biggest mosquito? Hopefully not a tick. Itches like crazy. The "pin" felt like it was in there for a couple of laps.....

I can barely keep my eyes open, I'm going to have to finish this later after some sleep..... I hope some of you (Chris & Kim, DJ & Wendy, and more) enjoy Bike the Drive in the morning. I'm going to be asleep!

The Cicadas are here!

I saw some cicadas tonight on my road ride! They were clinging to the smaller trees on Sheridan Road near Tower, in Winnetka. The trees I saw had a few here and there, definitely not swarms yet. The early ones are risking not finding a mate - they might get eaten long before they find the One!

It's possible some of the ones I saw onn the trees from the road were really just shells, and that the actual cicada had left the shell. When I got up close, I noticed one guy with deep red beady eyes that was halfway out of his shell. I stared right at him but there was no sign that he noticed. Then again, I just looked like another bug with my riding glasses and my helmet on....

I went out tonight with a flashlight and didn't see any right outside my house, but I think they'll be there soon. I'm wondering if they will be out up at the 12 Hours of Gears race tomorrow? I hope not. Give me a Clif Blok over a cicada for race food anyday!

More Drama

More Drama in the cycling world... will it ever end?