Crossin' Estabrook

Jesse came in first place in the 1/2's.

Mike Phillips got second in the 1/2's.

Scott got 3rd.

Debbie (3rd place), Sam (1st place) and Devon(2nd place) rode together the whole 1/2's women's race. They were on the course at the same time as the 1/2's men and the 30+ men. Hence the guy in the pink helmet riding with them.

Holly was in a chase group of 4 fast women.

Goat sticking his tongue out in intense concentration. He came in 3rd in the 30+.

Kevin came in 2nd. He and Jeremey worked together most of the race for a super strong ride.

After the race we saw a guy who had on skull gloves that perfectly matched the Killjoy kit. He was nice enough to give them to Holly, who was pretty excited about her new pair of gloves!

The Unit

If there are any fans of "The Unit" out there, I read in the print newspaper that tonight's episode, at 8 pm CST on CBS, is going to be a really good one. The story line continues into next week. This columnist turned me on to the show last year, and it is much more than a military saga. It covers all sorts of morally complex issues and gives the viewer (well, me at least) an insight that I probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise. And it can be edge of your seat exciting!

Local Cross Photo Action

A couple of race pics I took at the local cross series race are up on Truesport and Cyclingnews.com, thanks to Imelda. I'm excited about that.

I didn't know she was going to ask me for pics, so I wasn't concentrating much on picture taking. So they aren't the best they can be. I am really out of practice on action shots, especially for cross! But I'll probably take some for them at the next race, hopefully it won't be too cold.

I have memories of camera batteries that barely worked in the cold, particularly at the various December cross nats I have been to where there was either 1) a snowstorm that closed the roads (Boston), or 2) very cold (Denver) conditions, with snow and ice on the ground that froze our gears. Another year it was chilly and raining so much there were gigantic puddles (CycloCanoe Nats in Seattle). I remember keeping the camera under my jacket in Boston to keep it warm, and out of the snow. I have no idea how this newer camera will do in the cold, I haven't really tried it in extreme conditions!!!

Cross Report to come - I spectated at both races, so other people's reports will be the best bet to get all the racing action...

Sing your troubles away

I read an article about Complaint Choirs the other day, I think it was in the Chicago Tribune. Then I just heard a thing on the radio about the Chicago Complaints Choir. People put their complaints about everyday things into verse and the whole choir sings it! It's supposed to make them feel better.

The Chicago Complaints Choir just sang at the Bean in Millenium Park yesterday, and they were at the Empty Bottle Saturday.

What would a bike racers' complaints choir sing about?

flats? rain? traffic? drivers yakking on cell phones? potholes? squirrelly riders? mud? bees? bad tasting energy drinks? hating to do intervals? moldy Camelbak bladders? boring race courses? rude passers? numb toes? ugly race kits? chainsuck?

Here are some videos of various complaint choirs. And this one is a little livelier (though not by much) and has a verse about cycling in the beginning. So is this one, which has better people watching.

I thought it would be more fun to watch them than it really is - i'ts actually sorta boring, though funny in spots - it must be much better to sing your complaints than to watch. You can learn about other cultures, though, by watching the ones from other countries. Apparently people in Helsinki hide from the TV inspectors who come to check your TV license!

Check out the Nintendo Choir while you are at it.

Smoque BBQ

I got an email from an old racing teammate Nickie the other day. Her husband Mike (a former UCVC road racer) recently started a restaurant in Chicago called Smoque BBQ, and they are going to be on TV Monday night. She sounds pretty excited about it. It will be on the Food Network’s "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" show, on Monday, November 5, 9PM central.

Check it out if you like BBQ.

Blogger Girl's Ride and Picnic

Great minds think alike.... (Christine, Rachael, and their toasters)

It turned out to be a great day for the Blogger Girl's Ride. About 10 women met early for a ride at Kettle. I joined them later. We moved the picnic table into the sun and had a little picnic. It warmed up nicely and a good time was had by all! Thanks to Dave for taking the group pic. And a big thanks to Regina for taking on the role of organizer! More later I hope, this is a quick post.

I have been really short on free time the last week and haven't written about last weekend's race, much less yesterday's. I am so far behind. I wish I were a faster writer, it takes me forever to write a post.....last night I spent like 3 or 3.5 hours writing up my race resume from the past year. I had to look up all the dates and results on the web pages of the various series and races and then neatly organize it. I should have done it in September, or else been doing it all along instead of waiting... Last year I did like 30 races so it took even longer then. This year I didn't do quite as many, though it will be close if I end up doing more cross races.

The Joy of Cross

Here is a must-read primer for crossers on the Bike Snob NYC blog.

He even somewhat addresses the crowd and cheering issues Julie was referring to the other day:

The Green Monster

Thanks to Greg H. for a link to a little taste of what's in store for racers in KY this weekend! SIX sand pits? The Green Monster???? That ramp alone is enough to give me nightmares..... I do think it would be really fun to watch, but not so great for me to race.

Hmmmm

I just made the (big) mistake of looking at the start lists for the USGP of Cross in KY that is this weekend. There are only 4 cat 3/4 women. An unexpected temptation. At one time I had considered going to watch the pro races. Then I decided I needed to stay here so as not to miss any series races, hoping to do well in the series. But now that I can see that I likely won't be in contention for placing in the series, trying for a 5th (or whatever) place in KY, just for the fun of being there, is an idea that has just presented itself.... crazy, I know. I didn't even know there was a Cat 4 women's race until now. I am surprised there aren't more IL/WI 1,2,3 women signed up, we have some really fast ones that could do well.

WORS Banquet

Last Photo: thanks to Superfly

The Bike Life

If you haven't already read it, you must check out MountainGoat's insightful post on "The Ties that Bind Us". It's so dead on you will have to stop and catch your breath after reading it. And then go back and read it again!

I have gone back to reread it several times. It's all so true.

He says: "When walking through your house are you always within 3 feet of something cycling related?" The concept of a Bike Room is lost on me. Over here, it's a Bike House.

The line that really got me: "Do you get bummed out about getting sick, not because you feel horrible, but because you may miss the next ride?"

So my question to MountainGoat is, "What, you don't ride when you're sick?"

And the scary part is, I'm only half kidding! It's taken me a long time to "learn" that I will get well much faster if I skip a ride or workout when I am sick... is that sick?

Badger Cross

First off, I have to say thanks to Renee and her Capitol Velo Club crew for putting on such a great race Sunday! They did an awesome job of making the race a fun place to be. Fun course, free food and beer, great raffle prizes, music, an announcer, real bathrooms, cowbells, a small expo area.... Great event, Renee!

When I got back from Colorado last Wednesday night, it was after midnight and I was tired. All I could think of was how nice it would be to have a weekend at home where I didn't have to pack for anything or drive anywhere. Once I started catching up on blog reading, I found out that there was a mtn bike race that I hadn't known about, and that Renee's Badger Cross race was on Sunday. Funny how my resolve to stay home and take it easy immediately dissolved. Never underestimate the power of suggestion (power of obsession??) to a bike racer.

At first I thought that they were both on Sunday. On Friday I realized that one race was Saturday and one was Sunday. (Actually there were two races on Saturday!) Although I would have liked to go to both races, I decided that Sunday's Badger Cross was the one for me. Renee had left me a comment and we exchanged emails, and I have to say her race looked really fun. Chris said it was a fun course, as well. It seemed like it would be a great event even if I didn't race and just decided to spectate.

Friday night I got an email from Gabi asking if I wanted to go to the Beechwood race with her. I would have gone, but it was too late for me to switch gears and go to both. Too bad, it probably would have been fun, even just spectating.

Soooo, I ended up going to Badger Cross. To race or not? I packed everything up like I was going to race. I decided to take my old mt bike that I used for cross the last couple of years instead of my lovely cross bike since I had heard the course is bumpy and I would need some back-saving suspension. Having the mtn bike also meant I could do dismounts the way that's comfortable for me, not the traditional way. Can't do that on my new cross bike, I have found. The fact that there was a prize for the top mtn bike finisher helped, too.

I only got about 5.5 hours of sleep. I got to the race an hour before my race, which should have given me plenty of time to get ready. I have no idea where the time went - next thing I knew I had run out of time to warm up. Maybe the rain slowed me down. I didn't get to warm up at all, nothing more than riding to the bathroom and the start line. No pre-riding, didn't even really see the course. I'm used to not pre-riding courses, though, that didn't bother me that much. But not warming up affected my race.

About 11 women. It felt like a big field to me, though it was smaller than the 16 or so we had at Jackson Park in September. Maybe because I didn't know most of them. When I saw Amelia B. on the list at registration, I knew that my hopes of being the first mt bike finisher had been dashed. So much for that idea. There were several other women on mt bikes that I didn't know. Some of us were lined up in front, the rest of us behind the juniors. They asked the rest of us to move up, but we could only squeeze in on one side, as the juniors stayed where they were. That put me almost at the very back of our group. It made for a terrible start for everyone off to the side next to the juniors and not in the front row. The start, a nice long straightway, would have been good for me had I been warmed up and had I been a few rows up. I had some trouble clipping in right away, too. As it was, the front group got away right off the bat.

We turned off the wet pavement onto the grass, where we immediately encountered MUD! I was way too cautious at this point, slowing down too much for a bumpy downhill turn. I lost a lot of ground here. We crossed the road again, then had to be super cautious as we hit the trail going downhill, at speed, and having to make a turn onto muddy grass. Goopy soft ruts of mud had formed where the pavement met the trail. We headed uphill on the muddy trail, after trying not to slide out in that turn from the pavement. At this point sciatic misery set in - my body was rebelling at going from zero to 60 with no warning. I felt the hamstring and foot cramp coming on, and thought I was going to have to drop out in the first lap. The pain continued but I kept the cramping at bay, and eventually was able to block it out. I totally lost focus there for a bit, however. Someone passed me. Somewhere after the uphill barriers I lost sight of Angela, who had been in front of me. I know that we often finish close to each other in WORS races, so I felt bad about losing sight of her. I should have been able to keep up with her. To me that meant I was losing more ground. I think that I lost some fitness when I had to skip the last four mountain bike races. On the next road section there was a woman on my wheel. The road part is where I do best, and I didn't want to tow her along. I tried to shake her off my wheel the way I was once taught. It worked, I dropped her, and did not see her again.

The section near the parking lot and expo area had lots going on in addition to people screaming - barriers ( yep, agony), downhill stuff, a log barrier step up, and a bunch of tight chicane-type things. All muddy, you were always at risk of sliding out. In later laps I experimented with rounding the corners or trees with both feet on the pedals, vs. having a foot out for balance. I decided that for me, taking the tight turns with a foot out was definitely faster. I have always wondered if that was a total rookie thing to do - it works so well for me. It probably looks like one when I do it, but I read somewhere that even the mtb pros do it on occasion. It seems like when it comes to cross, I can't do anything by the book anymore! I could probably be the example for how not to do dismounts, remounts, and tight muddy turns. But this is one of those cases where I have had to adapt and do what works for me, or else no 'cross.

At various points in the race, the faster juniors were passing me. Nate flew by first - congrats to Nate on a great race! Sometimes there was no one around, other times there were juniors right behind me. On the uphill barriers I would ask if there was anyone behind me, and by the second lap they would say the next person was way back. I still worried about those girls back there catching me, so I tried to keep up my pace. In the third lap I dropped my chain on the uphill before the log step barriers, and it took several tries to get it to stay on. Some juniors caught me then, but I was hoping no one in my race would pass me. Sometimes I could see the person ahead of me, but it would have taken a longer race for me to catch any of them. I think a warm up, not letting the girls get away at the start, and being more aggressive in the mud might have gained me a couple of places, but not too many. In the first lap I coasted out of the saddle over the bumpiest sections to save my back (in the process letting people get away), but in later laps I sat and I pedaled more.

That last lap wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. As hard as the race was and as muddy and yucky as the conditions were, I really enjoyed the course. It had the feel of a mountain bike course in places.

Thanks to everyone who cheered me on! After it was over, I didn't know what place I had gotten in my mid-pack finish, but I knew I hadn't finished well enough to win anything. So I was excited to find out that I had won something in the raffle. I got a wonderful wooly/fleecy black turtleneck top with orange trim that I really like. And it fit !!!

My riding clothes were beyond muddy. Taking off the gear didn't get rid of the mud - it was still there. It migrated right through the lycra. Ugh. And lots of people were smiling at me - I asked why and someone said it was the mud smeared on my face!

It was nice to see Kim and Chris out with the World Bicycle Relief tent. I bought some raffle tickets from Kim. I won a sweet t-shirt, and Holly K. won some socks. Holly had a very strong field for her women's 1/2/3's race. Unfortunately someone right in front of her let a gap develop at just the wrong time. Devon H., who crushed us all in the 4's in the Chicago series last year, won both the women 3's race AND the women 1/2/3's event. Wow. She will be on fire at Natz.

Fellow blogger MountainGoat put on a good show in the last race, hopping some of the log barriers. It always amazes me that people can do that. It seemed like a particularly difficult place to do it, in terms of the approach. Chris was out there in the thick of the 1/2's race, getting acquainted with the mud after a strong finish the day before at CamRock! Scott got to test his Red components in the mud in the 1,2's. He was happy that the solid Red cassette and the components in general did so well in the mud. If I get a chance I'll post a pic of the muddy cassette later. And, no surprise, Jesse won the 1/2's race with Ronsta next, then Scott in third, behind him. The singlespeeds ruled.

And, when I was getting close to leaving, I heard someone calling my name. It was Troy T., who I hadn't seen in ages, since before he moved from Evanston to Madison. We got to chat for a little bit. The drive home was ok until the end, when I was tired, having not gotten much sleep. The way I felt Monday, I can tell I shouldn't have raced, should have just spectated. Too late now!

A fun day, in spite of the less than ideal weather conditions!

Why you crave Chocolate!

Breaking News!! They have found a reason for chocolate cravings.

I can't wait until they find a way to tame the cravings. Now THAT would really be news!

Little Things

Got home late at night tonight (Wed.) from the airport. Now I know when they clean the airport. There were people busy mopping and squeegeeing at 11:00 or 11:30. The guy that cleans the glass below the railings on the moving sidewalks just holds the squeegee against the glass while the sidewalk moves him and the squeegee along.... and a woman was mopping the brushed metal one or two foot no-man's land between the up and down escalator handrails.

A little boy was sucking his thumb and holding his stuffed dog while riding the moving sidewalk. He insisted on going on the sidewalk while his parents were walking beside it, pushing the stroller. Neither arm was free for balance. His dad seemed to not want him to go on it alone. You could almost see his sigh of relief when the boy made a fairly good transition, hopping from the moving belt to the regular floor.

I get home and there is a box of sale stuff from twin six waiting for me. A nice welcome home. Then I am going through the pile of mail and I see the newest VeloNews. I should go to bed but I have to leaf through it. it's always hard for me to put a new VeloNews aside for later without at least skimming it. I feel a little twinge of excitement when I see in the table of contents that on page 92 there is an article about Chequamegon. They focus on Jesse LaLonde's singlespeed win, then they get into a little bit about this year's event in general. I love it when they cover our big Midwest races like Chequamegon, Iceman, etc.. The article was probably online a while ago, but I didn't see it.

You'd think I'd be feeling really energized with all this extra oxygen to breathe. That was the case for at first, but now I'm really tired. Time for sleep! Looks like everyone has found fun races to do this weekend. I hadn't given it much thought while away, I didn't realize there was so much going on, only getting on a computer once in five days. Maybe the cross race would be fun?

Condolences

My condolences to the family and friends of former teammate Adam S. on his death. He was only 33. Although I haven't seen him in recent years, I will remember him as someone with enthusiasm and passion for cycling and for life in general. Very sad.

Ride on a New Highway before it opens

For one day, Nov. 11, you can ride on the new I-355 extension before it opens to cars. There is a fee that goes towards building a bike trail.

Fall Color Festival

The Fall Color Festival is one of my favorite races! I have been doing the 30 mile race since the first year of the event. I missed racing a few years when I was injured and neither racing nor riding mt bikes, but I still went to the event and hung out with my teammates. This was the race that most of my teammates would come to, and often bring their families as well. A few years our team volunteered at the race. One year we all went up there to help and it rained so it had to be cancelled and moved to the next weekend. So even though I am supposed to be taking a rest from racing, of course I still had to go!

Trek/Gary Fisher used to bring in some of their national guys for this race in the 90's. Travis Brown was there the most often, and some years other pros like Andy Bishop (road guy who did some mtb races), Pete Webber (Fisher, now works for IMBA), Daryl Price, Tim Swift (wasn't he a Saturn road pro?) and team mechanic Scotty D. (coulda been a pro) showed up. There always seemed to be an "understanding" in those days that they weren't supposed to win, that they were supposed to let one of the local guys come in first. They'd do an autograph session in the afternoon. There was also a children's play area where kids did all sorts of kid stuff (face painting, making stuff?) And of course the kid's races. It has a different feel to me now than it did then, I'm not sure why, maybe it's a bit smaller? Trek in recent years has been sending Doug, Tristan and Sara, the very fast guys and gal we know from WORS!

I looked at some of the old 30 mile results to see how much I have slowed down since the earlier years - almost 50 minutes diffference from my best 90's time pre-injuries to my worst time last year. That is so discouraging! (you sport women bloggers who want to upgrade - that is a good reason why you should do the upgrades you are considering soon, and not wait too long)

In the process I noticed a bunch of people in the results from a few years ago that I know now but didn't know then. Mountaingoat being one example. I probably started at the back of the men and never even saw most of them at the race! That's one of the great things about our blogs - getting to know so much more about our fellow racers - makes it way more fun.

I felt the same kind of anguish about not racing that I felt after my last-minute decision at Chequamegon. Maybe worse. I almost changed my mind and raced the 30. It would have been interesting to ride the connector. And I have usually raced myself into decent shape by this time of year. I feel like I am wasting it by having missed two favorite races!! Now, seeing the results and seeing that I might have placed (but definitely not won) in age, I am feeling those pangs again... I have always won great prizes there, too. So it goes, being injured and trying to be prudent. Blah.

The nice thing is, once I decided for sure, that meant I didn't have to get up at 4:45am to be there and ready for the 9:45 start!! I had a bunch of things to do Friday night and didn't get home until 10ish, at which point I made dinner and tried to get all my race gear ready in case I decided to go for a little ride or in case I decided to do the women's clinic. Silly me, I could have gotten a lot more sleep if I hadn't packed any of that stuff. Made it to bed by around 12:30ish.

Dragged myself out of bed at 6:45, spent way too much time getting ready, and went to Kettle. What a nice day for a race! Another perfect one, we have been really lucky around here the last few weekends. One of the first things I did was buy some FCF pint glasses. I knew once the racers all came in they would be gone! This year the logo was etched, so it will not wash off in the dishwasher like the last ones I bought. The finish line was in a different place than I remember it being in previous years. I saw the 30 mile leaders crossing the line, which meant I was very confused later when I looked at the 30 mile results and saw that the list was totally out of order from what I had observed.

When I took my glasses to the car, I saw that a bunch of teammates and friends had gathered around DJ and the Clif truck. It was nice to see everyone - some people I hadn't seen in a long time. Former teammate Mike K. was there - this is one race where I usually see him, but I think he missed last year. It was great to catch up. I found out that his wife Lisa (formerly of the Trek midwest team) is in a different band now and that they are going to sign a recording contract in L. A. soon! I'm glad to hear her many years of hard work are literally making her dreams come true. Scott M. rode up - he didn't know where he finished, but I later found out he got 2nd in his SS age group on a SS with a rigid fork. Did well overall too. Besides our teammates, including Wendy (congrats on 4th in the 20 mile) and Fran, a bunch of people drifted by for food and drink - Kevin K., Ray, and more. Kevin looked like he was feeling alot better than last week. I love the hot pink Killjoy jerseys. They really pop, even more so up in the lush green backdrop of Kettle vs. the cross race last week.

We all walked back to the tent area, where we milled around talking to people, eating, waiting for results, etc. I saw Holly and her teammate Kris, who had finished and changed. Congrats to Holly, on a great ride, 2nd in age! I think she got 3rd overall female. I talked to Regina and heard about her crash, ouch! She rallied, and was able to finish second in the 20, nice work! Teammate Dave P. got 3rd in age, nice. His whole family was there, the kids were racing too. The results were a little screwy and much of this info wasn't available until the end of the day.

I bought some raffle tix. After seeing the raffle prizes, and seeing that there were at least three sets of 10th anniversary chrome brakes being raffled, I went back and bought some more. I have wanted a set of those brakes since I first read about them - it's the lure of the chrome. They remind me of motorcycle brakes, I guess. First they did the results, calling up the top 3 overall in each race. I sat in the Trek tent for the results and raffle, which was a fun place to be, but had no lucky tickets this time around. I used to think I did well in raffles, but my luck has been spotty lately. Jason was doing the announcing again this year. He had a lot of not-easy-to-pronounce names this year. Doug (30 mile winner) was being silly, in a good way. The Cyclops trainer was "fitness in a box", said Doug, but really, Doug himself was fitness in a box. There were no chairs left so he went and sat in a box. It was kinda funny. The kids (big and little) were having fun diving after the red hats and t-shirts the guys were throwing to them. After the raffle we hung out a while longer, and people were able at that point to get their age group prizes.

I had a really good time, but there are alot of people I hardly got to talk to. I imagine alot of people felt that way, even though it's a lot smaller than a WORS race.

I finally got to meet Jason's new wife Stacy, who seems very cool. Congrats to both of them, they just got married last weekend! It was their one week anniversary. They are headed to Costa Rica next week for their honyemoon. And a big thanks to Chris from Trek for helping me out. I went out to dinner with Chris, Chris, Casey and Jason from Trek, Christine (Chris P's wife), Stacy (Jason's wife) and Mike K. at a little bar in Whitewater. Headed home after that.

Sunday and some photos later. Cable guy coming first thing in the morning to figure out why I don't get CBS in HD. Other channels work fine, but that one doesn't. Weird. Maybe it'll be fixed before The Unit on Tuesday.

Bike Gore - Not for the faint of heart

Warning: Skip this post if you are squeamish!


This chainring injury happened earlier in the week to a friend of a friend who was riding alone in the mountains in CO. He had some bandaids and some arm warmers that he tied around it to hold it together. He had to ride 10 miles with this leg to get back to town. Ouch is all I can say.

More Jackson Park Cross

What a perfect fall day for a race in the park on the lakefront! Huge race fields, super enthusiastic spectators, fast course that's good for me, what more could you ask for? Well, I was kind of nervous about all the glass in the parking lot and on the paved trail, but it didn't turn out to be an issue, at least for me. And I wish I had gotten to chat with a few people that I missed, but that's the way these things always go. I had a great time!

Thanks to the promoters, volunteers, and officials who put on the race.

Looking through the race results tonight, I was thinking how it was kinda cool that, with a few exceptions, I know many of the race winners. And quite a few of the others close behind them in the standings. I mean that in a living vicariously sort of way... I may only be mid-pack this year myself, but I can be happy for all of them - it must feel great to get the 'cross season off to such a good start. Congrats to everyone, no matter where they placed, who raced their heart out! Congrats to race winners Lou from the Pony Shop (masters 30+), Ben P. (Cat 3, but not for much longer!), Devon H.(Cat 1/2/3 women - she killed us all in Cat 4 last year and now she's winning Cat 1/2/3!), Debbie P. (Cat 4 women), and Mike S. from the Pony Shop (Cat 1,2). Holly (3rd, Killjoy, rocking the new hot pink jersey) and June (2nd, Active Endeavors) both had awesome rides in a strong field in women's Cat 1/2/3. It was great to see long-time mt bike teammate Tim B. take 3rd in the masters 40+, and catch up with him after the race. Tim used to do alot of mountain bike racing, but now we only get to see him at 'cross races! Goat had a strong ride in Cat 1,2, (coming oooh so close to the cash), especially considering he was traveling in a "foreign country"! I also noticed several Turin guys out there - Chris D., Christian, and possibly Joe. Evanston was well represented, I think.

Pete R. had some bad luck with his seat in his second race, but because he dropped out, we got a chance to catch up. Pete has a wonderful idea - he is donating $300 to the top two juniors in the series. Thanks to Pete for his generosity. We should all be thinking of ways to get young riders involved and help them with the various hurdles they might face (financial, transportation, etc.) Kevin K. toughed it out for a good result in the masters race and even entered the Cat 1,2 although he felt absolutely terrible from a cold. Hope you feel better soon, Kevin. Thanks to June and Jennifer G. for giving me some tire deflation advice (and literally letting air out of my tires) before the race. It helped. I joked with them that if they had been in my race I wouldn't have trusted them to let the air out of my tires, in case someone just happened to let it ALL out (ooops! sorry, did I do that?).... Like me, Gina K. also skipped the WORS race in Iola to go to the cross race. I saw Brad M. and Sara on bikes rolling around, but needed to warm up and didn't get to talk to them. I got to briefly say hey to both Tom F. and Fran of Killjoy and their son who is growing up so fast! I was glad to see that Chris McN. was looking alive and well at the race after having been almost run over (intentionally) by an angry driver in an SUV on a group ride on Saturday.

Thanks to everyone who cheered me on! I couldn't always tell who was yelling, but it made all the difference - it got me fired up when I felt like backing off and giving up. (Not the dropping out kind of giving up, but the not trying very hard anymore kind of giving up.) Julie and her crew at the Pegasi tent were radiating cheer and enthusiasm for cross, it was refreshing. Thanks, Julie, Ben, and Goat. Goat was riding around the course and cheering, which was just what I needed - no slacking off in the back stretch by the bushes, there's Jeremey cheering, have to keep moving! And thanks to Julie, Ben and their teammates for their tent hospitality. I also got to "officially" meet Julie, Ben, and Julie's WEMS share-a-bike teammates Amanda and Kisha, who I often see at WEMS races. The women do 12 hour races sharing one bike! Mike and Britt were cheering at a barrier, thanks, that barrier and uphill was hard. I am probably forgetting someone, and I apologize.

As some of you know, I had a tough time deciding whether to do cross or go to Iola. I do think maybe I should have gone to Iola. I loved being at the cross race, but I realized that the Iola course would have actually been easier on my back than the cross course, given that I would have had full suspension at Iola. After doing every WORS race but one in the last few years, it felt really really strange to be missing one.

I am falling asleep at the keyboard, so the actual race description will have to wait.

Jackson Park Cyclocross

What a great day for the first cross race of the season!

I didn't get a chance to get the camera out until the last race. At this race you couldn't go too many steps without running into someone you knew, which was really fun. But it made for getting easily distracted, and it took forever just to get to the car to get changed! So I don't have many photos, but I do have one of two very fast guys:
Ben was on fire and won the Cat 3 race. His eagerly awaited upgrade will be coming soon, I hope! Jeremey tore it up on the Cat 1,2 course and came sooo close to finishing in the money. Thanks for the cheers, too, guys! In the background is the tent where Julie and her enthusiastic crew kept us racers fired up with their cheers of encouragement.

Thanks to all of you who cheered me on, it helped so much!

Race report coming later, maybe tonight.

Cross Tire clincher Pressure??

What tire pressure would be best in Ritchey Speed Max Cross clinchers for Cross wheels in Sunday's race? Sidewall says 90. I'm thinking 60? Most important criteria is no flats, maximum bump absorption would be second....

I haven't ridden this bike with cross tires yet, will be doing that before the race....have been riding it on the road with road tires. I have been enjoying riding it on the road so much I don't want to switch it over to cross.....

Landis Appeal

Just heard on the radio about the Landis decision. He lost his appeal. Apparently he also was stripped of his Tour de France title. Then I went to Velo-News and Cycling News to get the scoop. I'm sure there will be more stories up first thing in the morning.

More Chequamegon (Trek-amegon)

Gary Fisher was entertaining. Those warm black coveralls must have come in handy later at the chilly outdoor bonfire party after the awards. He hit it off with T and Wendy. He had some interesting observations about body work (massage, chiropractic, etc.) as we were talking about our bike-related aches and pains. Later, at the party, among other things, we talked about his bike building history as well as the movie Klunkerz, which he thinks will be a classic. The kind that stays around for 20 years. He's in the movie, and he made his first mt bike in 1974 (I asked).

Red Trek hats were a hot item. Maybe we should call Chequamegon Trekamegon?

Chillin'.

Tristan, Brian and Doug (eating dinner) waiting in the hall outside the awards. It was so hot and crowded in the awards room that people were sitting in the halls waiting to get called up. Brian looks happy about his 2nd place overall.

Sram and Trek continued the tradition of the Hayes bonfire party. At times the fire was, uh, really bright, thanks to our Hayes friends.

Some of the Alberto's crew.

T got a chance to catch up with Ross Schnell, who was with his teammates (Sue Haywood, Lea Davision, etc.) at the Trek trailer.

Hey, what's that blogger guy doing back there?

This "Blonde Fabrications" bike with giant wheels attracted alot of attention. The tall guy actually rode it in the race!

Gary Fisher got his speedy singlespeed crew to pose with their rigs for a pic. I love those brown Fisher sweaters. I want one!

Sunday Cable Criterium:

They changed the course this year.

Fast guy Doug rounding the sharp corner.

Another fast guy Tristan chasing.

Doug won the crit for the fifth (I think) time! Tristan got 3rd.

T won the women's Limbo Contest on Sunday. The pics are crazy, but they are unfortunately not in my camera. Hope she sends them soon, they are the best pics of all! Ex-teammate Tony won the men's Limbo contest. I think he really wanted to win the Log Pull, but he was pretty happy about winning the Limbo. Lower and flip your stem, let the air out of your shock, some air out of the tires, and turn your helmet backwards....and see how low you can go!

I never did see Greg LeMond and his son come in at the finish of the 40. His son goes to Northwestern, so I have probably passed him on Sheridan road, but I wouldn't recognize him.

Chequamegon 25th Anniversary

Thanks to Gary Crandall, his crew, and the event sponsors for throwing a great 25th anniversary Fat Tire Fest. It was fantastic.


Yes, that's frost you see out there in the field above. Brrrr! Coldest Chequamegon morning I can ever remember....

The moments after the first singlespeed rider ever to win Chequamegon crossed the line:













It was great to catch up with Travis, who says he's been super busy traveling for Trek. Unfortunately Mary was busy with a Trails 2000 project, so she and Zara didn't come along. We also had a chance to talk about 69'ers. Someone my size is selling a custom Ericksen with a Maverick rear and front end.

The Short and Smart:










Christine found her lung on her sleeve after the race.




Short and Fat race female winner Corie Berrigan.

I need some sleep now. Lots more pics and maybe some commentary to come.

Iola or Jackson Park, Sheboygan or Wedding?

I hope to get Chequamegon photos up soon. What a great weekend. The 25th anniversary of Fat Tire Fun did indeed feel special. And history was made. I think it was extra special for WORS people, seeing one of our own win AND make history.

A friend has been over using my computer late the last two nights at the time I would otherwise have posted my pics. Her computer died and she had to invoice all her patients before she leaves the country today to be a guide on a kayak trip in Greece. Last night I think it was 2 or 3 before she finished....

Iola or Jackson Park Cross?

IOLA:
Pros:
have done every WORS so far this year, one more step towards WORShead for this year.
love the course, it's a good course for me.
get points for myself and for the team competition.
see all the WORS folks another time before the season ends.

Cons:
very long drive, w/ an overnight stay. (4.5 to 5 hours)
am suppposed to be taking some time off the mt bike.
there is another race a half hour away.

JACKSON PARK:
Pros:
so close to home.
is part of a series.
need to do every race in the series to have any hope of placing overall in the series.
fun fast course on the lakefront.
see the local folks I haven't seen all summer due to being gone every weekend.

Cons:
haven't done any cross practice.
might actually be harder on my back than mt biking due to no suspension and the dismounts/remounts?
have to get bike ready before Sunday. (and possibly a trip to the shop for tweaks)
will miss getting WORS points

The above would be easier if I could make an even tougher choice:

Sheboygan or Wedding in Colorado?

I really hate to miss Sheboygan, it's probably the most fun race in the series from an overall perspective, and is the last chance to see everyone. It's a race I really look forward to. And missing it means no WORS head. But I feel like I should support my friend by going to her wedding. She is a long-time friend from back in the days when we both worked at a local bike shop. Then I would also go for a few days to Boulder to see other friends.

Sheboygan vs. Wedding, what to do?

This is taking up too much brain space.

Protecting yourself on the Road

This article in Velo-news is very long and well, legal, but it's worth reading if you regularly ride in a group on the road or alone in traffic where you might have an encounter with a driver. Food for thought.

Sadness

My condolences to my XXXracing neighbors and their team on the death of their teammate Tuesday at the Tuesday night crit. They must all be in such pain, losing two teammates in a short period of time to such sudden, tragic, circumstances.

making a statement

I guess it was only a matter of time until someone came up with this for unattached riders.

Sunburst

Some assorted pics, I didn't take too many today. Some pics weren't orienting correctly when I posted them, I'll have to try those again later. The ones that were vertical shots download sideways to Blogger, even though my printer's download software downloads and displays them correctly when I put the card into the printer to download. Blogger thinks they are still turned sideways for some reason. I have to figure out how to fix this....


Apparently I have a new teammate, Molly (see podium). I am not sure what category she got her medal in, but I am going to guess it's the citizen Barksdale category. Being a new racer and all. Congrats to John for winning his age group and to his daughters for their strong rides at Sunburst.


Wishing a speedy recovery to Mr. Fat-tires-n-Beer! He just had shoulder surgery on Friday. He had an ice pump contraption which circulated ice water around his shoulder. He says he is making some changes to the Sheboygan course to keep it interesting for everyone this year...


These guys were waiting for Sport awards. Wendy, Dan, and Nate all placed in their age groups and/or singlespeed categories, I think. Congrats to Wendy for toughing it out on her singlespeed and finishing (and winning), even though the bike was misbehaving. I think they were discussing how to keep bees from flying into your drink can. There were plenty of bees around, as well as enough skeeters to keep everyone scratching for a week.


I noticed these growing next to the ski lodge as I was about to leave. It makes sense that a place called Sunburst would have flowers like this.

We Just Work Here

I just read about the documentary "We just work here" about the employees at the Santa Cruz frame factory. It was done by director Brian Vernor, who did the cross flick "Pure Sweet Hell". Some of you may have seen Pure Sweet Hell when Brian and Katie Compton came to town for a benefit a couple of years ago. I hadn't heard of this new one before.

The article said I could buy it on the Santa Cruz website but I couldn't find it. Maybe it's not for sale yet? I did find a trailer though. You Tube has slowed to a crawl - it's 2 a.m. Friday night/Sat morning and I guess everyone on the West Coast is watching videos.... there are all these other kinda tempting mt bike videos but they don't want to open....ahhh, now they are working.....

And here is the same trailer on another site.

Digging a little deeper on Google, I found out I could have seen it at the Chicago Bicycle Film Festival, along with Klunkerz, another movie I really, really want to see. Klunkerz is supposed to be the history of the mountain bike. Joe Breeze, one of the dudes in the movie, used to show up at Chequamegon now and then. Maybe some of the others did too. Where was I that mid-August weekend of the festival when those movies were showing? Slipping and sliding in the mud at the WORS Cup, I think.

Beach and BBQ

This weekend I realized September has rolled around and I haven't used my beach token even once. This seems to happen most years! It seems like I have either been packing for a race, driving to a race, racing, or being a blob after a race, on weekends. And it's so close! So I went to the beach today, for just a short visit, like an hour. It was late enough in the day that it wasn't crowded, except for the south end that was hosting a large gathering of seagulls. There were some really noisy families picnicking in the grassy area, but the beach itself was pretty quiet. The weather was perfect!!

This side of the beach had really emptied out, most of the people were behind me. The shadows from the trees were starting to make people move, as well.

For some reason there was an orange helicopter chasing a boat. That's what the people are looking at in the distance.

My ride was fine, I got a little over two hours in. In some ways it was kind of weird. I noticed roadkill everywhere, much more than usual. And all of them were squashed flat, just like in the cartoons, although they were missing the cartoon tire tracks. Then, at LakeCook, right before I was going to cross the tracks, the Metra train gates went down. The train came along and sat on the tracks, while a line of cars was piling up, waiting. And waiting. And waiting. People from the train started picking their way across the rocky railroad bed and tracks behind the train. I asked someone if something was wrong with the train and she said it was dead. So there was the dead train, not even all the way into the station, blocking Lake Cook Road between Sheridan and Green Bay. I picked my way through the rocks and over the tracks, feeling vaguely like I was doing something I wasn't supposed to, since the signals were still dinging. When I got to the other side at least there was an even longer line of cars. I was able to tell some of them to turn around. I wonder if that happens often to Metra trains?

Last night I went to a BBQ on the lakefront, in a park near the beach I went to today. I haven't seen my group of local friends all in one place all summer!! It was great to hang out and catch up. We missed Craig, Kristine and Lee, who all moved away in May/June, making the group feel a lot smaller. Wish they could have been there. Also joining the BBQ was Wendy's brand new roommate, who just came here from France to teach in a French school here. She brought some of her French coworkers, as well. I think the guys were captivated by them! Aside from the mosquitoes being too friendly, it was a really nice night out.

Both FS mountain bikes, the race bike and the back up bike are now in the shop. I know one will absolutely not be ready by this weekend, but I am hoping the other one is. I think I need a back up to the back up!!

What if the TdF gave a "clean rider" jersey?

Tristan posted a very funny (or sad, depending on how you look at it) Onion article on his blog about the TdF. Check it out, if you haven't yet!

Stump Farm

Stump Farm = FUN!

Thanks to Bill and Susie for putting on a great race and for setting up a great course!

More later, I need to get a ride in this afternoon then go to a BBQ tonight. Hung out some after the race and ending up getting home pretty late.

I got to catch up on sleep a little this morning, but I am really feeling the effects of the bumpy trail and the long drive both ways yesterday. I kept waking up and going back to sleep. The trail was SO much fun, but it was also bumpy. Muscles seem to be ok, the back stuff is not so good and the sore shoulder from the crash at Rhinelander is just a little tender. I'll find out for sure when I go riding in a few minutes! I'm wishing I could go ride off-road (Kettle?) tomorrow but I should probably take it easy and stick to the road.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend!

What to do if your phone takes a swim

This article titled My Phone took a Swim from CNET could be useful if you are out riding and you unexpectedly get caught in the rain with an unprotected cell phone.

A friend of mine recently found her lost cell phone under the hood of her car (!!!) and it had gotten very wet. She let it dry out for a couple of weeks, then she turned it on this week and it worked! She had borrowed another phone as a replacement. Obviously most people don't have a couple of weeks to wait while it dries - but a couple of days, and no hair dryer, makes a difference, apparently.

The dark clouds will roll on past....

Today's horoscope for me, from the Tribune:

"Today is a 7. Conditions are changing. Soon, all will be sweetness and light. The dark clouds will roll on past and you can get back to your fun and games."

Now that sounds good to me!

In the bike arena, I hope that means I will feel better enough to do Stump Farm and the other races coming up. After my body's reaction to Sunday's painful, horribly bumpy race (and to crashing in the race), I have been thinking that maybe my body is telling me to quit racing for a while and just be a spectator for now.... Bring on the sweetness and light!!

Here was LAST Thursday's horoscope, which I never got around to posting:

"Today is an 8. Money seems to be flowing into your pockets. It's more likely because of something you've already done."

I'm still waiting....... the pockets are ready.....

After the Lunar Eclipse

Both Rachael and Brittany mentioned being in a funk in their most recent posts. That got me thinking about the astrology emails I have received this week regarding the lunar eclipse, wondering if the emails might offer an astrological explanation for their funk. After reading them, I realized that they were too long and didn't really offer much specific explanation. But I am going to post the shortest one, anyway, since there is some interesting info in there.

> The full moon is Tuesday August 28 at 4:35 AM Mountain Standard Time (one hour later for Tucson time and Pacific time).

> A total Lunar Eclipse peaks at 3:53 AM Mountain Standard Time (one hour later for Tucson time and Pacific time).

> This is a very powerful time of change and decisions. If you are anchoring new roots into a new direction, this is a good time to honor that in some way. If you are committed to eradicating something that no longer serves you, this is also an excellent time to recommit to that process. If you are caught in the throes of ambivalence, this is a good time to make a decision, any decision to get the momentum going.

> Take the time leading up to the full moon/eclipse for positioning yourself through these choices and commitments. The influences prior to the eclipse are unraveled, a bit chaotic and unpredictable and therefore supportive to change. Once the full moon time has passed, you will be in the "trough" with tremendous energy and force behind what you have set for yourself, a bit like a large volume of water channeled into a narrow channel.

I actually made a list the night of the lunar eclipse of things I wanted to change, just in case the above info was true. Now I guess I am supposed to be doing something about it. Only time will tell!

Summer's Clock is ticking....

Get Well wishes to Barry S..

I was sorry to hear about his road riding accident, via the local grapevine. He was downed on Tower Road by one of the many sticks left over from the storms last week. Apparently the stick sent him flying over the bars. He broke one of his cervical vertebrae and also needed many stitches. I am told he will be in a brace until the vertebra heals. Get well soon, Barry.

I wanted so badly to ride yesterday (Monday - I am writing this late Tuesday night) but I was too beat up from Sunday's race to go. Unusual for me to skip a ride. But that race took me to a new level of pain, numbness, misery and frustration. More on that another post.

I want to take advantage of every moment left of summer! As for today (Tuesday) - long ago I signed up to go to a lecture and video presentation on Robbie Ventura's experiences as a commentator for Vs. at the Tour. I had no idea then that today would be one of the most perfect riding days (for me) we've had. Do I skip the lecture so I can do a two hour ride? what to do? I did a 1.5 hour ride (still hurting from Sunday's race and crash) and got to the lecture very late. It was the right choice, the ride was good. The part of Robbie's presentation that I caught was very amusing. Being in the very back, I couldn't hear everything, so I paid the price for being late. Funny stories and videos about Bob Roll and the other announcers, stories about trying to find their way driving around France, getting tickets for driving like maniacs to the next stage, dealing with crazy fans, trying to get interviews with tired racers and Lance, and so on.

At the Q& A one of my questions was, "What did Floyd have to say about the Leadville 100?" Robbie is Floyd's coach, and Floyd came in second to Dave Wiens by a minute or so a couple of weeks ago. (Dave set a course record, no doubt due to Floyd breathing down his neck!) He said Floyd thought it was the hardest one day race he's ever done!!

Sooo, I know many (most?) people will disagree, but I loved today for riding! It was a little too windy and a little too humid, but otherwise, for me, the 89-91 temperature by the lakefront was perfect for road riding. Two friends that I talked to thought so too. I know some would wither and die at that temp, but this is what I wait for all year long, in terms of riding.... It also would have been a good night to go eat outside at a restaurant with outside sidewalk tables. I haven't gotten to do that yet this summer, with racing and riding and rain. The one time we tried, the outside tables were full. Hopefully this weekend, before it's too late.

Fashion Update: I read that fanny packs are back, for those who care about such things. The designer labels are making super expensive versions, and calling them by other names such as "bum bags".

Tour of Elk Grove TV Coverage: 4:30 pm Wed on Comcast Sports Network (37 locally). Rebroadcast Sunday afternoon, along with Downer's Grove coverage.

Congrats to Scott McCl., who was pretty happy about getting 1st in his age group in Comp at the Rhinelander WORS race. And to everyone else who survived the course!

Aftermath of the Storm

Last night's ride was strange, sad, and interesting. My friend had called me to warn me either not to ride up north on Sheridan or to at least ride my mountain bike. She had driven up there in the morning and said there were trees down everywhere, and lots of sticks and branches in the road. Then she called again later to tell me that it was getting cleaned up but that were ComEd and forestry trucks parked all over the road (usually no parking on that road). After the sun came out at the end of the day I felt compelled to go for an early evening ride.

The devastation could be seen everywhere. Majestic old trees that have been here for centuries were down. You could tell that many had been thick and sturdy, and very tall, but perhaps their very size made them vulnerable to the 70+ mph winds next to the lake. Some were split, some had cracked in half, and many had been torn right out of the ground. You could see the roots with a big clump of dirt clinging to them. My friend is sensitive to energy fields, and she told me that she could feel the pain and devastation of the trees as she was driving along. Yard after yard had big piles of sawed up logs next to the street waiting to be picked up. The tree guys had obviously been hard at work all day.

I read that a very special old "Indian Trail" tree in someone's yard in Kenilworth blew down. A 80- foot white oak, the Tribune called it "an increasingly rare historic landmark that American Indians had used nearly two centuries ago as a guide for safe passage as they traversed the land. Now that piece of history is forever lost."

As I left home I saw a cyclist down the street, but couldn't see the jersey. Turns out it was Scott M., who I haven't seen in a month or so. It was great to catch up with him. He's been traveling a lot for work. He was on a schedule, so after 25 minutes or so he went on ahead. On the way back I ran into Bob D., former Active Endeavors owner and sponsor, and found that he was moving to Portland in a week. He'll be working for Horny Toad out there. Good Luck to Bob and his family! I'm sorry that he's moving away, but it sounds like he and his family are really excited about it. I am going to guess that he has lived here for 25 or so years?!! Another revolution of the revolving door that is E-town....

I am almost ready to leave for Rhinelander. The one thing that is bothering me is that my front brake wasn't working right after the mud race last weekend, and the shop wasn't able to get all the way it back to normal. I found this out yesterday afternoon when I went to pick it up. My fault for not checking things out the minute I got home from the race. Not that it would have been ready for the weekend either way. They don't bleed this type of brake, I just found out, so they'll have to send it in next week. I'd prefer to take this bike, but I don't know if it's going to be ok for this race. Might have to get the other one ready to go.

I hope everyone's basement, yard, and whatever else got damaged, has recovered from the storms!!

Useless Information

Ever wonder where all the cabs go at night? I didn't think so. But I read that Skokie just passed a law that cabs can't park on the streets at night anymore. Which made me more likely to notice that there are a LOT of cabs parked on Sheridan Road in Rogers Park late at night. I really noticed them the other night, when I was driving there late at night. Last night when I was driving there late again, I decided to actually count (in the rain, of course). I counted 65 cabs in about a mile or so stretch, from the Loyola El station to just south of Howard. One block had nothing but cabs on one side. I guess the cabbies all live in the buildings on Sheridan? Or maybe commercial vehicles are allowed on Sheridan but not on the side streets in Chicago. One of those things you never think about until something brings it to your attention.

Rain rain go away

Great, the news is saying our heaviest rains are due tomorrow night. As if tonight's weren't enough? He said that tomorrow night could be as bad or worse than tonight! It was quite a show though. No riding for me today.

The Edens expressway was flooded and closed, and is finally reopening. I guess the power was out so the pumps weren't working to drain the water. They interviewed a guy who was digging leaves out of the storm drain in the street near his house in Wilmette with his hands, which enabled the water in his street to drain. And the other suburbs have it much worse than that. 70 mph winds! Overflowing rivers. Sandbagging around a school in Gurnee. And it doesn't look like you guys in southeastern Wisconsin are having such a great time, either. Nightline is featuring Kenosha county. They just showed a couple in Racine who had to throw everything in their house (that they had just bought) away. They are now telling us that rivers could keep rising for as long as the next week.

I went to the grocery store after the rain stopped. The entire parking lot was a big lake. I parked on the street. I feel sorry for the employees who will have to wade (swim?) to their cars after closing time. I feel even sorrier for all the people whose houses are flooded.