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.

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.