I got to Queeny early to help with setup. What became clear was that Queeny is suffering from what seems to be a common trend in the County Parks. There seems to be far less grass cutting than in the past. I suppose its a budget cutting step. Unfortunately that left a good portion of last years course unusable. The result was a shorter than normal course but it was still plenty difficult.

While warming up I had no desire to race and seriously considered bailing out the race was going poorly. My start was subpar and almost turned ugly. I was following a good sized rider on the left hand side of the opening straightaway. Just as we were to start the right hand bend, the guy in front of me passed a metal pole. I was slightly to his left and never saw the pole until he passed when it was suddenly in my face. Facing catastrophe, I tried to steer right a little and ducked my shoulder in. The pole just barely grazed my shoulder as I passed by. I was never much of a factor in the race and almost from the gun settled into a middle of the pack position. I caught a few guys and had a good battle with Dyer going for several laps before he quit. Then I was with Jose for a while before fading a little later in the race. From then on it was just a question of staying ahead of Kent. He was making slight gains on my each lap but seemed to give up the ghost on the final lap.

I finished 13th. Not bad for the way I felt. I managed to take a couple more hunks of skin out of my ankles and the outside of my knee feels sore and might be a little swollen. Combine that with bump I got on my left shin Saturday and my still sore right shoulder and I am thoroughly beat up.

As expected, Winter Park was a pretty flat course. Scott did manage to find a small amount of elevation but it couldn't have been much more than 10ft for a whole lap. Add a healthy dose of pavement to this flat course with few technical points and you had one fast course. That was about as close to a road race I have ever been in during cyclocross. The race still broke up but there was a group of eight of us that seperated ourselves from the rest rather early and we stayed together for quite a number of laps. There were some surges that opened small gaps but there closed up again. Finally, the Mack rider and Dawson stuck one of their surges followed by Farrell who chased the rest of the way and may have caught Dawson eventually. I fell off the pace and the remaining group of four stayed together in the middle and was eventually caught by The Dude who had mechanical problems earlier. Toward the end my lower back was sore. I'm placing the cause of the flatness of the course and having to push an unusually large gear.

A couple thoughts on the course. 1) Using green flag markers is not the best idea. They tend to blend into the grass. If the course had been more technical it could have been difficult to the course. 2) Kudos for a paved start, like cross should be, but there is no need to start at the finish line. UCI races have something like 150-200m of pavement before heading off-road. This could have been accomplished yesterday by starting where the course first re-entered the road for the final stretch. Nevertheless, yesterday was a fun race.

Today is Queeny and with any luck it will be similar to the setup they had last year. That was a fun course.

This completes another week of no riding. I couldn't bring myself to let that happen again so got on the trainer tonight for a half hour. I didn't go hard. Resistance was rather light and did just enough let the legs know they worked a little. Maybe they will be good for George Winter tomorrow.

Unless Scott has found an obscure rise in the terrain there, this should be a really flat course and thus potentially fast. His description mentioned an off-camber turn so there must a little bit of elevation change. Apparently we are having a pavement start like 'cross races should. I like to see that, even though its often not possible. He also mentioned a couple gravel sections. I'm not fond of gravel on race courses but again it seems to be a common part of local parks so we get stuck with it at times.

Viewpoint: Most money spent on cycling... Who else but Justin? Let me see how much of his purchased bike porn that I can remember. A carbon Scott road frame/bike, a Scott TT frame, a Cannondale road frame/bike, two sets of Lightweight brand carbon wheels, one set of used Reynolds Stratus wheels, a set of $90/each carbon cages and another set of the same cages for $55 each, Look Keo pedals, Zero Gravity brakes, a pair of shiny silver Carnac shoes and most recently a new set of AX lightness Clavicula(?) cranks. My hunch is there is another five high zoot items that are unknown to me. Total dollars spent...... 1 million dollars!!! More power to you, bud. Enjoy yourself.

I wonder if I may have a slightly broken collarbone from my crash in Carbondale. Obviously, if it is a break, it is not a bad break since I can still move pretty well and can still race, etc. Right where the clavicle meets the shoulder I have a definite bump that is not present on my left shoulder. It is at this spot that I have pain when I move my shoulder wrong or stress it too much. I'm not going to bother with a Doc since it's not affecting me much. I am curious, though.

Viewpoint: Most humorous moment of the year... Names have been poorly changed to protect the guilty. This winter we were on one of our infamous Columbia winter rides. As I recall, we had to ride through some dampness on the way return trip to Columbia. Five or six miles from finishing, one of the others noticed that "Bermuda Joe's" pants were foaming. Typically, this sounds like an entertaining Saturday night with a young lass. However, much humor is to be found when one of my cycling brethren's ass is foaming.

Bubba #3 was Sunday at Faust. I got there a little early and helped with the last bits of course setup. In walking the course I like what I saw. A couple places were narrow but for the most part it was nice and wide. Surprisingly, the course was also lacking many switchbacks or tight turns. For the most part it was sweeping turns and with the exception of tighter turn there was nothing more than 90-degrees. One off camber turn at the base of a short 20 ft rise seemed to claim several victims but I had no difficulties. I found it to be a fun, flowing course. Maybe it was the design but there seemed to be a lot of good racing in all the races. Often these races turn into solo efforts but I saw many packs of two, three, four men swapping attacks and pushing each other. Lots of good action for the spectators.

The Good I rode much stronger than expected given my lack of time on the bike. I was aggressive, accelerating out of corners to try make others hurt, passing when I sensed the rider ahead slowed. Most satisfying was my charge after the start. After rounding the barn I was in bad position. Everyone was strung out single file so I shifted down, got out of line and went for it and must have passed 10+ riders before the short paved section on the parking lot. That move was key to a decent finish.

Also good to see was the turnout. We had 30(?) guys in the B race. Thats terrific compared to the last couple years. Sixteen in the A race too, which was larger than normal. The C's had a nice turnout as well.

The Bad My start. I started in the fourth row and for a variety of reasons I was near the back after going through the gravel section. BAD BAD BAD. The other blunder was after the barrier. I hopped back on and for some reason I veered right on the downhill and I wasnt able to correct. I went into the tape and pulled a stake out of the ground. After extricating myself from the tape I had lost a few positions but got up to speed and re-passed the riders.

The Ugly I didn't witness the ugliest moment but was part of it. The bell lap started with me leading another Shark (Pat) and a guy in a red jersey with whom I had been battling most of the race. We left the parking lot and headed into the trees when there was the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of someone out of the saddle and pushing hard. I started the left turn around the first tree when I hear brakes and someone make a gutteral noise, followed by the sound of a bike running into the tree. What the hell? Not a smart move. I didn't look back, partially because I was busy with the other guy on my wheel and partially because I feared the carnage. Post race reports were that he was okay. Thank goodness. I don't want to see anyone getting hurt out there.

I went up to school Saturday for a little riding. I didn't do a lot, frankly. I did the occasional little effort, then watched some football, then road a little, etc etc etc. As I suspected, my legs are not good. Even the little bid of riding I did left me mildly stiff later in the day.

We got some more rain again late Saturday night. That should guarantee a mushy, if not muddy, race today. Any crashes should be soft landings. The temperature will be in that in-between range where it can be tricky deciding exactly how much to wear. How many jerseys? Arm/leg warmers? Make the wrong decision and the race sucks because you are so uncomfortable. Highs should be in the low 50's.

With the exception of the aborted race at Carbondale and the Tilles race the next, I have done nothing on my bike. The technical term would be diddly-squat. Of course, I am full of excuses for my lack of riding. Some are better than others. Good or not, my legs feel really weak. I definitely need to get out or at least get on trainer to ride a little.

Thursday we had some good rain and Friday was damp with some light drizzle. Today is not looking much better. Combine with the cool temperatures that have rolled in and it feels very much like cyclocross season. Faust Park should be on the sloppy side in the valleys tomorrow. One of the races there last year was damp and it made for some heavy slogging in a few places. I like the courses there last year. I dont like the gravel road and the first course was a little tight but the terrain is good. The courses so far have again started tight. They would do well to widen the course when possible.

I managed to heal up enough to race on Sunday. That's not to say I didn't hurt. The thigh, ankle and shoulder still hurt and my gorgeous bod is still blessed with several other bruises that don't really bother me.

This was our first race ever at Tilles. I would rate the course layout as a 6. It was a tighter course than I feel things should be but it was not awful. Some time I will give my briliant thoughts (haha) on CX course design. There were some challenging sections and some parts that were less so. A little bit of everything was on the menu. I finished 11th out of 18 finishers. There were a few DNF's too so it was okay. After the halfway point I was just maintaining my spot. Not strong enough to move up and just limiting any losses I may have been encountering. I figure with a little less pain and some increased fitness (hopefully) I can get some better placings.

They shoot horses don't they?

I drove down to Carbondale for the first race of the Bubba series. I was running a little behind schedule but got there about 45 before race time. I got off to an okay start and we had a good group still together after one lap with one rider off the front a little. The second lap saw me fade a little but settled in pretty well and for the next few laps and was having a good battle with Kent. On the 4th? lap I went down on a left hand turn with Kent right on my wheel. He avoided me well. I fell with some force and jammed my left ankle and banged my knee. By the time I got up, Jeff had barely snuck by me as well. I gathered myself and stuck to Jeff's wheel as I got my bearings again. A few hundred feet later I just completed another left hand bend. Something happened but I have no idea what. Suddenly I was launched through air and came down hard on my right side. My thigh and shoulder took the brunt of the force but my head bounced off the grass too. I was dazed. Butthead and a couple others (Dr Mark?) were warming up and came over to see how I was. After that blow I had no ambition to continue on. Not sure if I could, really. I got back on the bike and hobbled over to the finish to let Buddy know I was dropping out.

This morning I ache. Left ankle, both knees, right thigh and right shoulder all hurt. There is no damage other than strains and bruises but I feel like I got hit by train. Not sure whether I will race today at Tilles or not. I will go and ride around a bit, seeing if I can get over the barriers and handle the dismount/remounts. If not, I will take some photos.

Oh yeah. Adding insult to injury as I was driving back to St Louis I got pulled over by a cop. I had just crossed into Mo and was on a 2-lane highway heading toward St. Marys. I was motoring along at 70 in a 55 zone and thought I saw a cop in the distance. I eased off the pedal and hoped he would just pass. But no... soon enough he was swinging a U. He had me at 70 and that was pretty accurate. I said I didnt think I was going that fast but that if he had me that fast I wouldnt argue. Of course, I knew I was going that fast. He took the license and went back to the patrol car. He came back a little later and said he would just give a warning and that if I was going 1mph faster that he would have had to write a ticket. I guess he liked my cleavage :)

My left leg isn't much better today. The biggest problem is trying to lift the leg. Then there is always the right leg with it's hamstring that is still stiff.

Viewpoint: Best development in local cycling... This year saw an influx of juniors. Dent Wizard and Columbia both fielded several good, young riders. The kids had enough talent to step in and win Cat 4 and Cat 3 races. The race scene in StL had seemed to grow old in recent years. This new group was needed. Now comes the tricky part with Juniors. Will they stay with the sport? Will the trend of youngsters entering the sport continue?

This morning I rode the grueling Tour de Judy. A 30-mile out and back along Clayton Rd. I joke about the ride's difficulty but it is for a good cause (Breast Cancer). Since breast cancer was a contributing factor to my Mom's and since the Judy Ride is a team sponsor I am more that happy make an appearance. It was heartening to see the turnout by our team. There were likely 20-25 of us participating.

I am really stiff today. Yesterday's ride at JB must have been harder than I felt. The hammys are the most sore. I did do more dismounts "at speed" than I have so far and my legs must not have been ready for it. It might be a good thing that I have the problem now, before the racing begins next weekend. Maybe they won't as sore after next weekend. My one concern is that I seem to have slightly pulled my inner left thigh. It doesn't hurt when riding but some other ordinary movements give a little jolt of pain. I just need to be a little careful and not do any running this week. It should heal up by Saturday.

Viewpoint: Worst weather at a race this year... We had good weather almost all year. Only two races stick in my mind as being poor. Froze Toes had light rain for the last 1/3 of the race. However, I have to give this year's prize to the Cliff Drive Classic in KC. At least half our race got rained on steadily, making the snake-like course dangerous and not making the climb and descent any easier.

Joe and I knocked around JB for a couple hours on the CX bikes. Sometimes we went harder, sometimes less so and practiced remounts etc. Joe was a little rusty in the technique department. His collarbone derailed last years season so it had been about 20 months since he had been on the CX bike.

The goofiest part of the day was toward the end as we were taking it easy and cooling down. I decided to check out a trail at the west end of the park. It was a little overgrown but I had ridden it once before a couple years ago and it didn't look too bad. This isn't a huge piece of land but once we got a couple hundred feet in, any clear delineation of where the trail completely disappeared. We began walking around in clueless stupor trying to pick up the trail again. We did this for what seemed like a half hour. Finally I went up a trail that took me to a spot we had already passed. I spotted a different way this time and the path looked promising. I called to Joe and he tracked me down. Thankfully, this path emptied out onto the soccer field that I expected. However not at the spot that I expected. I still have no clue how to get to the far end of the field but we were not about to wander back into those woods and get lost again.

Tuesday night trainer session this evening. After a warmup, it was time for intervals. First, a series of five 1-minute intervals. Then I built a pyramid up to a 5-minute interval with equal rests. On the way down the pyramid I skipped the 4-minute and both a 3 and 2-minute before wrapping up with another set of five 1-minute efforts. Painfully good stuff.

By the end of the workout I had put paid to my old Conti trainer tire. I had worn down the thread to a point where a nice inch and a half long gash opened up. I could pull back the paper thin rubber and see all the threads. Semi-interesting stuff.

This morning I went up to school to do some 'cross laps. Right from the start, the ride was nicer because it was a little cooler. Cyclocross in the heat sucks bad eggs. I'd hate to do it in a warmer climate. I did a pyramid of sorts with three hard laps to start followed with a cool lap, then two hard laps and one cool, and naturally ending with one hard and one cool down. Nine laps in total for about an hour of pretty hard riding. Hard enough that on the 5th lap I urfed a tiny bit of breakfast. Blech!

If you drive by the school, you would think it would be easy riding. It looks innocent enough with lots of flat ground but dang it hurts. Because of my cyclocross layout genius (rolls eyes), there are a good number short little uphill bursts that sap your strength and wear you down.

Ultimately, I feel a little better today than yesterday. Much of my frustration was with not being able to ride where or how I wanted. I'm still not entirely happy with my fitness but I will be patient.

Viewpoint: Toughest road race... Rolla Hellbender

This was a first time race and it was a good. When you looked at the course profile, two good climbs stood out. The first of which began pretty much from the start and the second about mid-lap. The rest of the profile looked not so bad. The first hill is longish, followed by a bunch of rollers. The second hill is not quite as long but quite a bit steeper. By the top you are grunting. Then you face another set of small rollers that take the snap out of your legs. Not until the last part of the lap are you blessed with long, fast screaming downhill.

How tough was the race? The race was two laps. Half the field had quit by the end of the first lap. The heat played a role in the destruction, too. The day was one of first hot days of the year. I crossed the line a shattered man, hardly able to stand up after rolling back into town.

Cross season is going to suck. I feel about as quick as a lame snail. This morning I went to the local school but the football games were getting ready to start so there would be no riding up there. So, I rode over to Suson to ride the course I sometimes trained on last year. I rode up the first hill at the beginning of the lap. At the top, they have decided to not cut the grass so I altered the route a little and then headed toward the downhill section. As I crossed the gravel road there was more high grass. Wonderful. Just wonderful. There was still one way to get down the hill in short grass. I reached the bottom and found that the Parks Dept was at least nice enough to keep the grass around the lake cut. If nothing else I could pound out some short laps on the lower section of the park. But, on the really low part, the ground was rather swampy and I was in no mood to deal with it. Frustrated, I did some grassy hill repeats up the big, winter sledding hill. Ugh, that was unpleasant but mashed up the hill six times. My heart wasn't in it for any more punishment and I headed back home. My desire to race is not high and I have no desire to suffer. An attitude adjustment is needed.