Santa loves Cross

Now all I need is the cordless powerwasher & I'll have the full on PRO pit set up.

Bend it is

Bend, OR next year for Natz. Looks like I need to figure out how to spend 10 days in Oregon next year since their is a USGP the week before in Portland. If it works out no State again next season.

Finally a good use for cell phones

Dial a light. In Germany they are turning off the street lights to save power. They've come up with a simple solution to help you walk after 9pm. Dial a number on your cell and the street light is turned on for you for 15 minutes. Pretty neat idea.

Sundays CX World Cup

Highlights. Watch close & you'll see a big pile up in the pits, yes I said the pits.


Video of the last lap. Boom is the man. I sure hope he decides to keep racing CX.

Updates on other than cross, well sorta of

No riding this week in two parts due to the weather & my stomach. The weather has been for shit. Right now its 54F but according to the Weather Channel in an hour its supposed to be 38F, nice. Its actually warmer outside right now than in the plant(no joke). My stomach is still trashed from last weekends bought with the flu. Not sick but definitely not right. Oh well hadn't really planned on riding this week anyway since I need a mental health week or two.

As for the J.O.B. looks like I have a job for sure through January & the layoff is cut back to a week. That's for now. Been changing on an almost daily basis. Which has been contributing in part to my continued stomach problems. Very stressful not knowing. Hopefully today I find out if I get loaned out for that layoff week to go fix stuff at another divisions plant. If that works out it will be a nice break to be elsewhere for awhile since fixing stuff really does relax me. Its the puzzle aspect of it I guess. Either way it'll be a vacation of sorts if I'm laid off for a week or helping out elsewhere.

The January CX races are tempting but the wheels are hung up for now. I'll take a few more days off completely then start back up with some running(that 50k in February sounds tempting). Maybe get back on the Single Speed sometime in January. Keying your season around Cross sure gives you some flexibility in the winter years, for now anyway. Once Nationals goes to January I'll have to figure out how to stay motivated for an extra month, but for now its couch surfing time.

Night CX, flash in the pan or here to stay?

A quick look at next seasons races(yes next season) shows a night time race @ Jingle Cross. 3 races in in 3 days makes the trip to Iowa well worth it. Looks like I'll have to seriously consider putting Iowa back on my schedule. What I also noticed, no UCI races in the big MO. I figured with Natz moving we'd have at least one. Its still early though

As for night time racing I've said it before & I'll keep saying it, I don't like it. But it looks like I'm going to have to learn to live with it. Butthead was saying @ Natz there could be upwards of 4 night races in the STL next season. God knows how many are in the works in KC. Yikes. I guess it is fun for those watching. I think to be fair though we need to have a 4 am cx race for those of us that get up very early & go to bed when most night races start. Promoters?

Natz Pics

Stolen from Mud & Cowbells







You can tell when its time to stick a fork in me. My hands are on the flats. Game Over, in auto pilot. The fleece skinisuit may have been overkill.

I forgot to mention when I was warming up I saw Mark McCormack changing his own flat tire(tubed, figured he'd be tubular) like it was nothing about 20 min before the start. I know he has a pit bike or two & probably several sets of wheels; But he was back in the team trailers taking his time changing it chatting up Trebon. I also heard a funny story about Tim Johnson & my team mate Kyle but I'll leave that one for Kyle to tell.

Goeorgia Gould's Secret tires

According to Velonews she races clinchers. I guess @ Natz she was racing a camo set of Dugast Rhino's. Them PROS' are tricky.

Going through Natz results

Talk about moving through traffic! 1113 in the KCCX kit is Willy Gualt. He finished 16th. He moved up almost a 100 places! Holy crap give him a better grid spot & he was podium bound. It was his course, he goes uphill like he has a rocket shoved up his ass. I on the other hand went backwards on a course that should have suited me, hmmm. Got to figure out that peaking thing.

Natz Video

I'm @ the 32sec mark some one yells my name. Still in about 17th place. Good footage of the Pros railing the burms

Natz Pics

Hogan took some good pics Sunday. Go to the 3rd page & view them backwards to see them in order. Hogan is a bit dyslexic.

Master's Natz

Friday about an hour before Mia's bed time she decides to have a puke bath, head to toe covering in vomit. Whatever it was once out she drank a little Sprite & felt better. That stopped my worries of the FLU. Saturday I got up early & drove to Bolivar to catch a ride up with two of Bolivars World class riders. Once in the truck the talk quickly turned to JJ's youngest battling the FLU & spending the night on the floor puking(noticing a pattern forming here?).

After an uneventful trip up we get to the Middle Of Nowhere KC, I get registered & kitted up so I can ride the course a few times in the open course hour before my race. I'm pretty sure everyone who had raced or was going to race was on the course in that hour. I got to rub elbows with a who's who of Elites.

Toed the line on the 3rd row. Thanks to some no shows I got to move up to the 2nd row. This helped with my game plan of get to the front Then worry about staying there. Whistle & off. The fastest start of a CX race I've ever been in. In fact I've been in field sprint finishes that were easier. I hit the grass in the top ten, crap that hurt. Rode around suffering in the top 20 for about 3 laps. Then the wheels came off. Kyle caught me & I dug down & drug him for most of a lap then gave him a hard push to get him going. I then latched onto the most famous non pro in CX's group, Greg Keller. This guy had everyone cheering for him. I mean I heard my name a lot but he was getting cheers from EVERYONE. On the last lap Keller has been sitting on my wheel & going into the barriers he sprints past me. I said to myself what the? Then he screams out in a voice that almost made me jump off my bike & go hide; "GET THE F@#! OFF THE COURSE!!!!!" What did I do? Oh wait that's Feldman riding on the course before his race, what a douche. I regained my composure & got around Keller staying ahead of him for 42 but at least on the lead lap(just barely). Legs felt like crap, mind somewhere else.

After the race caught up with the KC crew, had a beer or two, chatted. On the way home stopped for some Gates BBQ. When we got back to Bolivar I got out of the truck & instantly felt sick to my stomach. Oh crap not another bought with food poisoning. Load the bikes, fresh air makes me feel a little better. Load up & start to drive home. Not 15 minutes outside of town I have to hit the ditch to projectile vomit round 1. Regroup & drive home, to continue puking. About 3 hours after I get home Amber starts puking. Guess its the FLU. All night we took turns hurling. Luckily Amber's Mom was able to watch Mia Sunday while Amber & I suffered away in near death throws.

Woke up this AM 2.72 kilos lighter & not feeling too awful bad. Luckily no work today so have another day to recover. I read on another blog one of the SPR crew got in an after race altercation?





Photos courtesy of Chuckles the Clown

Don't forget to watch

Live Nationals coverage all day. Support the supporters

Crossresults.com

According to Crossresults.com I'm going to get 22 @ Natz. But the defending National champion has no scored races, ooops, guess its for entertainment purposes

Natz report

Just talked to Kyle live from the venue. Kyle got 6th in the Sandbaggers 30+ race. The big surprise is Brian Jensen won the Sandbagger's B 30+ race!! Holy crap that has to be the biggest douchebag move I've ever seen. The guy held a Pro road card for christ sakes. In freaking Sane. He races with a Cat 1 card I've seen it on the results. How did he even get allowed to line up?

Live coverage of CX Natz

Live daily coverage of Nationals. If you can't make it up yet read all about it.

Busy day at work

Work is windinggggggggg downnnnnnnnnnnn lay off approachinggggggggggg. Can't you tell withthe # of times I'm posting/per day.

Watch this it'll perk you right up. Pay attention at the end is Butthead doing his best tripod impersonation, he loves mud.

My Nationals Race Plan

With a 2nd or 3rd row grid spot, 1k of pavement @ the start my plan is simple. Sprint like mad, throw elbows like Wells & get to the front. Once there then worry about how to stay there. That's my plan simple & self destructive. I'm not kidding myself, best case scenario is top 30 so go for broke @ the start.

I hate mud...but

Seeing these pics almost make me want to race in the mud in Portland

Edit:

Maybe I don't want to go to Portland. Portland is a damn dangerous place to ride a bike. Holy crap they even have a map of where people get hit.

CX Natz

Change of mind/plans...I'm going to toe the line Saturday.

Amateur Hour

Once again Ball shows why he should be thrown out of cycling. Idiot. If I was Rahsaan Bahati I'd be one pissed off MoFO.

Wallace Wants To Go

Wallace Wants To Go
Written by Mark Thomas
Monday, 08 December 2008

Several of the big names in cyclocross have indicated that if they win the National Championship in Kansas City this week and are selected for the World's Team, they would decline due to road season obligations. Well, we know one youthful competitor who isn't turning down invitations to Europe. And while he hasn't been selected to the World's team yet, he has been invited to Euro Cross Camp.

Chris Wallace just finished up the USGP Series as a Junior and is actively raising the funds for the camp, which is an important step towards a National Team slot. Chris will be selling some cool shirts and cowbells at Nationals, thanks to some help from his sponsors. Click on 'read more' for the press release. Click here to read about the Euro Cross Camp and donate to help send a Kansas City 'crosser to Belgium.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marlo Holt
Phone: (888) 411-0287
E-mail: marlo@pacelineproducts.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Chamois Butt’r helps send Junior racer to Euro Cross Camp!
Paceline Products Donates Products to Help Fundraising Efforts

Pleasant Valley, Missouri (December 8, 2008) Chris Wallace, KCCX/Verge rider and one of the top contenders for the USGP Series for juniors 17-18 years of age, has been invited to attend the prestigious Euro Cross Training Camp in Belgium and Paceline Product’s Chamois Butt’r is helping him raise funds!

Paceline Products has generously donated Chamois Butt’r t-shirts and water bottles for Wallace to sell at USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships this week in Kansas City. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to helping Wallace go to Belgium.

“We are very excited to be in the position to help support a local young rider! This is a very open ended donation, he can sell as many t-shirts and water bottles as he is motivated to sell and the money will go directly to his travel fund for Belgium! I hope he sells 300 of them!” Curt Shelman Paceline Products Operations Manager.

The National Cyclocross Championships are being held at Tiffany Springs Park in Kansas City December 11-14, 2008. During the event Wallace will be available in the Chamois Butt’r tent selling items for requested donations of $5 for t-shirts and $3 for water bottles. For anyone not attending Cyclocross Nationals and would like to make a donation, please visit https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Donation/SitePage.aspx?id=607 to make a donation.

About Paceline Products
Paceline Products distributes high-quality, innovative products for the bicycle industry. For more information call toll free 1-888-411-0287 or visit our website at www.pacelineproducts.com

What if you Had Worlds & Your guy didn't come

It looks like Cross World's could once again have the U S of A not sending their National Champ. Two of the Potential winners, Todd Wells & Tim Johnson, have already said they won't go to World's. That sucks for Cross in the US. I think USAC should make it mandatory if you win you have to go & you go on USAC's dime. I just don't get it. Yes I understand the long season & other commitments. But if your a National Freaking Champion you have obligations that go beyond all your others. Don't get me wrong Wells & Johnson are two of my favorite racers but I think they have an obligation to the sport. Hopefully if they win they'd be willing to change their minds(though I don't think Wells will). I guess I'm cheering for Page & Trebon now more than usual.

When life kicks you in the nutz....

go mountain biking. I think that might become my new motto.

An hour worth of the above is worth more than a whole bottle of anything a shrink can prescribe you. At one point I was singing Xmas carols I was having so much fun. My back is F'd though today. Turns out when you get to my age you can only switch back & forth between 2 bikes not 3, especially one you haven't ridden in about 6 months. For you overly observant readers yes that is a flat rear & yes those were the WRONG tires for the conditions at Sac. I didn't feel like swapping them out. That is also a 400mm seatpost! Holy Treefarm. I figured its a Kona why not.


Mia is now designing her own clothes.

Since I'll probably be a no show at Natz I'm practicing my viewing by reading about the USGP final in Portland via the live feed. CXMag is doing it for Natz as well.

Don't worry I'm wearing gloves

Back from a stimulating morning of getting recertified in Blood Borne Pathogens, CPR, First Aid, and AED usage. Its the same video every time. Now they have you do all the examples by stating to everyone in the class that yes you are a tool by saying "I'm wearing gloves". I'm pretty sure if I ever have to use CPR I'm going to get rattled & probably announce to the world that I'm wearing gloves.

Merry Xmas enjoy the Sh@# Sandwich

Today right after lunch(bad news is best on a full stomach I guess) we had a big company wide meeting; all 33 of us. The economy sucks, Merry Xmas your getting an unemployment vacation for the holidays. December 19 everyone gets laid off for 2-3 weeks. I say laid off because they say we're getting called back, but after the meeting they pulled out the logging axe & started lopping off upper management heads. OUCH! two so far, probably 2 more before done(only 5 left) One being the guy I share an office with. Going to be lonely next week. I'd guess there will be no return without upper management. I've known for several weeks that it was probably coming but its a real slap in the face when it actually happens. Cross season ended at noon. Happy holidays my ass. What sucks is I work with a lot of guys who have nothing to their name, I hope they can at least stay warm for the holidays. I guess its good they waited till after deer season so they at least have food in the freezer(I think I'm one of 3 @ work who doesn't deer hunt).

Come On!?! Really!?!

"Ball confirmed that Leogrande will not be on the 2009 team roster, but said the decision was performance based and not due to the doping case." Performance? WTF? He wasn't using enough EPO? Ball should be the one banned from cycling. Cycling needs more idiots like Ball.

Vicadin, Ventalin and EPO. Vicoden is a performance enhancer? I'm amazed he could stay on his bike. He wanted Testosterone patches because he was disappointed with he results he was getting with the gel he had be using. Everyone knew this asshole was dirty yet USADA let him keeping lining up week in and week out. Who's more to blame USADA or Ball?

Leogrande banned for two years.