Fall Color Festival

This picture doesn't do it justice, the entire parking lot and field to the driveway were packed with cars. The turn out for the FCF was great and the trails were in awesome shape. Last year I think it was closer to 27.5 miles and this year the Garmin said the loop was 31.5. The single track just keeps on growing, partially due to events like this!

Thanks to all the people like Ronsta, Wheel and Sprocket, and the Southern Kettles that put the work into making something like this happen!

No Good Double Cross

My first cx race as a 2 is in the books. It was great to see so many familiar faces again.

If you look closely at the start you can see me taking my usual last place at the start. I just didn't have the aggression needed for the hole shot yet and it hurt me right away on the first hill because there was only one line. It's possible that if I would have been more in the mix from the start I might have done a little better, but then again, it is my first race of 8 or 9 this year so I shouldn't be going all out quite yet.

The course was awesome--hilly, muddy, techy, and hard. It took place in a mock ol' West town/dude ranch.

I was trying out new lines almost every lap and never really put a great lap together. In the end, I had a ton of fun and finished about the same I did in my first race last year (about bottom quarter). So hopefully I can keep moving up in the finishes like I did last year too. The season is looking good!

As usual my beautiful and talented wife, Lauren, took a ton of pics. Check some out here from the 3's, 35+, and p,1,2's.

Local Yokel

The Local Yokel at Comet Cafe. This is the first time I have been full all week.

I'm so excited, I'm so excited...I'm so scared!

First off, a dollar and a hug to whomever first can identify from where the title of this article came.

Cross starts this weekend! I have no idea what to expect this season when it comes to finishes. This is the first time since I started racing in '07 that I have set out to do a bunch of races where there is no feasible possibility for me to podium or place top 5. I can't really imagine a scenario in a P,1,2 race in WI where it could occur. So I guess I will be trying to break top 10? Even then, it all depends on who shows up for each race, I've never raced cx against most of the guys I will be racing this year.

What I do know is that the bike is ready to go, I feel like I am ready to go, and Summer is giving way to Fall. My race season mentality is just starting to kick in, time to break out the cow bells!

A Mail Mystery

I received this letter in the mail the other day. It was in this condition inside another envelope from the postal service that said something along the lines of 'we care, so we even send you damaged mail'.

Now, I know that mistakes happen and I am not complaining about the condition of the letter per se, however could a damaged letter be more mysterious than this?

Look at what is visible on the letter, something is a secret and I am suppose to know what it is.

Furthermore, it looks as though I am to respond somehow. But to whom, to where? I do not know! This was too odd not to share.

If anyone reading this received a similar, yet in tact letter, please let me know the scoop.

Breathing can make a difference?

Before my surgery a little over six weeks ago I was a mouth breather for a long time. I could not breath through my nose and get enough oxygen. The surgery opened up the airways and now (after some intentional practice!) I can breath through my nose. I'm not sure what the reasoning behind it is, because I still mainly keep my mouth open when I bike, but it has affected my heart rate during rides.

If I toss out my first 3 rides after the surgery, where I was still really healing, my max and average heart is around 8-10 beats lower for the last five weeks during rides than the two months before the surgery. Doing the same rides and even some that are more difficult. My distance and speed have also increased after the surgery. Of course, some of this makes sense with just getting more fit throughout the year, but I find that I am having difficulty even getting close to some of the heart rate maxes and averages that I could do before the surgery.

This is just weird to me. Anyone have any insights?

Goodbye Gun Show

With the close of August it is time to bid the Gun Show farewell for the year. It was humid and hard to breath but that didn't stop Joe from ripping off our legs for the majority of the ride. I found myself holding on to the back of the line often, just trying to stay with the group. But then we got into the hills.

I looked up through the pouring sweat only to see a painbow in the sky. So I hammered on the pedals and rode towards the ever distant arch, leaving what I had left for the Gun Show on the streets of Waukesha. Thinking "If I can just get to that painbow I can let up."And for once, because they all raced last weekend and I didn't, I was able to dish out a little pain to the other guys on some of the hills.

From there on out the painbow remained in my sight, taunting me to try and reach its destination, but it never got any closer. I guess that is the painbow's trick. Cx starts soon, where I am sure I will often see a double painbow all the way 'cross the sky: