I just finished shoveling for the third time today in an attempt to not deal with big quantities of ice tomorrow. That ice heavy stuff, of course. We've probably had a half inch of ice so far and it doesn't appear that it will let up for at least a few hours.

Right now, I am having serious doubts about making it to KC for this weekends races. We planned on leaving early tomorrow evening so maybe the roads could be cleared by then but I have doubts. Even if we get out of St. Louis, then dealing with mid-MO which is expecting 10-14 inches, will pose a problem.

I never pre-register for races for fear of not being able to race for some reason. This time I did pre-register and it looks very possible that I will lose $60+ in registration fees alone.

Go MODOT!!!

The trip to KC Friday night is looking downright nasty. Getting out of town might be the least of the worries. While we are getting some icing and then 3-6in, Mid-MO to KC is talking about 8-12 inches of snow. MODOT better do a kick-ass job on the highways.

Today may have been the last warm day of the year as nasty precipitation and cold weather sweeps into town tomorrow. It was good to be on vacation today and take advantage of the warmth for some outdoor riding.

I got out at 10am and was going to do a quick Mo State loop. But once I reached Mo State Rd I changed my mind and headed out to Haute Arete. I wanted to be back by noon so I had to keep the tempo up.

There was a firm wind out of the southwest that made for some harder riding on the way out to Haute Arete. But, the road along Hillsboro-Parc di Vallee into Parc sans Paire was quick. Really quick and great fun.

All good things come to an end and my good times ended in Fenton when I headed south again into the wind. The rest of the way back was work. I couldn't have timed things much better though as I walked into the kitchen at 12:01. Right on time.

We had the first Spinning class of the year tonight. Well, last night since it is now past midnight. The day was beautiful and I probably should have/could have ridden outside. But, sometimes the first class of the year can be rather light on attendence so I didn't ride and waited for class to roll around.

Once the 6pm class finished, the shuffle and traffic jam of folks going into and out of the class began. I always try to be relatively quick getting into the room since not many of the bikes have Look pedals.

After negotiating my way through the crowd, I stepped into the room. Oy vey! The humidity was only slightly more than a tropical rainforest on a rainy day.

Aim opened one of the big delivery doors up to help with the heat, but still left a gallon of precious bodily fluids on the floor. It was a good workout though. I didn't lollygag and pushed myself pretty good.

ubba series wrapped up yesterday. It was a pretty typical performance. Warming up on the trainer this week helped a little with the dead leg feeling I have had in recent weeks. It helped enough that I think I will take it to KC this coming weekend.

I got an okay start this week but wasn't real good on the very tight 180 that was at the end of the starting straight. That cost me a spot. Got over the barriers okay and then came the cursed dirt mound. Actually, the mound wasn't SO bad, but I was sub-par in this section just about every lap. The bumpy, dirt approach had me out of sorts all day and caused me to have some clumsy dismounts. Then the grassy section after the mound was terribly bumpy. I would remount and always seemed to be hitting hole after hole and couldn't get pedaling. The last few laps I finally found a smooth-ish groove that worked okay.

Anyway, I lost some more spots on the mound the first time through. That meant it was going to be yet another race of trying to pick up placings the whole race. I did pick up several places in the following laps but about 5 laps in I dropped the chain and promptly gave back about 4 spots. My third-eye is obviously not set up right. That's two weeks in a row.

So, it was back to chasing again. I did get back all who passed me plus a couple others and was closing in on Hemmer in the final laps. He may have been dosing his efforts just to stay ahead. There was a new guy though, who had flown past me about half way through the race. I later came back and left him behind only to have him make a late charge on the last lap. Where did he get me? On the remount section after that damn dirt mound less than 100 ft from the line. Looking back I really should have expended the extra effort to get past the lapped Leistner before the section that followed along the edge of the woods. It's weird because I caught up to him in the exact same place a few weeks back and it nearly cost me that time. I can't say it affected me too much but hindsight makes you kick yourself and regret certain decisions.

Nevertheless, kudos to the guy. He deserved the place. I finished 8th. The dropped chain obviously cost me at least one place.

Patrice was out of town for the holiday this weekend. I emailed Marco to see if he intended ride in Columbia anyway. We agreed to meet as usual. With just a couple of us showing up, I thought it would be a good time to explore new routes without inconveniencing others much. I warned Marco that I was looking at the maps and he didn't protest.

After some study time, I settled on a route that went north before going more easterly than normal. Still, the route went to the south. Just in a different manner. With everything planned, I checked the email just before going to bed and find an email from Tomas H asking if he and his Dad could join us if we were riding. They would have to put up with whatever bad roads or wrong turns I made along the way.

It didn't take long for the first wrong turn. Or, should I say, the lack of a turn. Madison Co. has a nasty habit of having the occasional unmarked road. Such was the case as we pedaled right past Otten and ended up on Imbs Station. Imbs didn't feel like the right road but again we couldn't be sure because there was no sign naming the road. We pulled over to try and get our bearings when a group of Dent Wizards led by Karl Stover came from the opposite direction. Karl knew the roads well and confirmed that my amended route would get us back on track and we headed off again. There was only one other missed turn but again we simply turned at the next road just up the road and everything was good.

All things considered, the new route turned out to be pretty good with little traffic. I particularly liked a stretch of small, winding roads along Mueller, Zingg and Saeger. There were a few good hills, some small rollers and a good amount of flat, too.

This route would normally be about 60 miles, but can easily add a 15 mile loop. Yet, there seem to be a number of ways to shorten the route if needed. This came in handy when Tomas' father hit the deck and possibly cracked a rib on the way back. He pushed onward but his chest began to tighten. I called an audible and shaved a few miles off the ride.

We finished with about 56 miles of good riding in unseasonably warm weather.

Channel 4's five o'clock just finished. There was some very valuable information to be learned. First, was a story about the early shoppers doing their Christmas shopping on this day after Thanksgiving. Included in the story was an insightful interview with one shopper. I paraphrase... "It was crazy. I don't know they were all doing. It was like Christmas time." Reallllyyy???

Then Donna Savarese followed up with a story about the warm temperatures. She started her report with the words "Deck the halls without a shirt on" That got my attention. Unfortunately, Donna was not doing the hall decking topless.

Speaking of the warm day, I got an early start and cleaned up the last of the leaves in the yard. Then, I pulled out the 'dale and a hose to finally clean the remaining caked on mud from our ride a couple weeks ago. She's all pretty and mostly clean again. I lubed up the chain and cleats and got everything working smoothly again for my hour or so ride in the afternoon.

The ride was not terribly hard except for the fact that I purposely stayed in the 53x17. I went down to the Bottoms and cruised along nicely. For the heck of it, I rode into Lower Meramec Park and along the walking path. This path used to only go for four or five hundred feet. Much to my surprise, I got to that point and I kept on riding and riding and riding. I thought it would end soon enough but it followed along the banks of the Meramec and was paved the whole way, eventually leading me all the way back to Kerth and Meramec Bottom. It's probably a mile long now. Very nice. I'm not sure I would ride the path much but it could be a nice diversion occasionally.

The gearing was nice along the Bottoms but going through the hilly subdivisions, into Suson, up Hagemann and along the rollers of Keller made for some good hard pedaling.

Today was mighty nice. There was still a chill in the air when I started at 9am but the sun was shining brightly and the temperatures were climbing steadily. Instead of heading south or hitting the usual roads I decided to do something different and head toward Forest Park and took some pictures.

Even with having to change a flat tire in Forest Park, it was a terrific day of riding.

And a special thanks to the blonde in Webster Groves wearing a skirt with legs up to here. Your friend was cute, too. I was too busy staring to pull out the camera. Idiot!

Time to change up the pre-race routine. I'm just not getting warmed up I guess. The gun went off and I drifted back a little but stayed on the back end of the pack. This week, I wasn't stupidly aggressive in trying to make up for the start and paying for the efforts a little later. Still, my legs had nothing for the first couple laps.

After a while, I felt better and began to move upward. After passing 4 guys, I "dropped" a chain going over the barriers. The third eye kept the chain from actually dropping but it wouldn't engage the chainring again. All my work went out the window as the 4 guys went right past me again.

At least I had the confidence that I was quicker and began picking them off again. Craig proved to be the toughest catch. After finally getting by him, I went down in the second hairpin after the start line. It was a minor incident and I hopped back up pretty quick. Nevertheless, Craig went by me again. The rest of the race was a chase of Craig while getting a little closer to those further ahead.

Approaching the bell lap, I pushed the pace up the road. Craig didn't look smooth over the barriers and I was on his wheel. If I had forced the situation I think I could have squeezed by before the turn. Instead, I decided to let him set the pace and feel the pressure of someone on his wheel. He had a few bike lengths for most of the lap until the long, grassy section leading the to tree stump turn. I was good in that section all day and was right on his wheel. Again, Craig pulled away a little on the quick downhill. Then it was up the road. I closed right up on Craig's wheel again, left turn, then right and up to the barriers. Maybe it was the adrenaline but I didn't hit the barriers that fast all day. I breezed by Craig and ran the bike to the turn instead of risking the uphill remount. It paid off and I cruised across the line ahead of Craig and not all that far behind Patrick.

Ninth place finish. With a clean race I may have caught Patrick, but he had a spill as well. I definitely need to fix the problem of bad legs for the few few laps. Good job by Mike Briner. I'm not sure what changed for him between this year and last but he is quick.

In other news: Today is the birthday of, what I consider one of the most beautiful women in my lifetime. Who, you ask. That would be Mary Collins

Still confused? Unless you are young punk, you do know Mary. You just know her better by her stage and married name. Mary was an icon of the late 70's and early 80's. You are getting old when your childhood fantasies turn 50 yrs old. It does not matter, though. Mary remains incredibly beautiful.

Another nice Ronde on Saturday. Gina, however, began having some knee issues (I.T. Band) about as far south as you can get on the route. We did our best to shorten the ride as much as possible and finished with 54-55 miles. This improvisation led to some exploring of new roads. Unlike like last week, we avoided any hike-a-bike mud roads. Not even Lemen Rd left a sour taste in my mouth.

Bubba CX makes a return trip to Creve Coeur Park today. It will be interesting to see how well the park has drained after the steady rains this past Wednesday and Thursday. For the most part, the ground should be good but if we go behind the shelter or into the section that followed the gravel turn last time the ground could be muddy.

You can stop mocking my faded yellow helmet. I'm gettin' me a shiny, new lid so shut yer yappers.

I'm always willing to take an opportunity to mock "Il Pagliacco" Bettini whether it is deserved or not. Look at this picture by Birke Ulrich. I am sure it is the angle that the photo was taken, but does his bike not look like something from a circus or Shriner's parade. This thing looks like a 25cm bike.

Bubba CX #5 - Queeny Park

Queeny Park always dishes out healthy dose of pain to me. Sunday was no different. Adding to the pain were the return of a couple Columbia guys riding for Walt's and one or two kids from Purdue who had done the collegiate race in Columbia the day before. This old man has a hard time handling the young bucks.

Not helping matters was another back of the pack starting spot. When I hit the start of the pavement, the leaders were already a couple hundred feet ahead. While the poor position didn't help, I cannot use it as an excuse. Others around me managed to finish better. Ultimately, the legs were okay but not good enough. I pushed a little too hard in a few places on the first lap. I passed some guys early only to have them go by me again later in the lap.

I can't decide if this was a tough course or not. There was a small uphill, a longer uphill and the rest was relatively flat. If there was anything that really made the course tough it was a mean runup. If that wasn't enough, three barriers were thrown in to make the hill that much tougher. People are always clamoring for a runup and they got one this week. I wonder if they regretted those statements afterward.

Two laps into the race I darn near quit. I felt like garbage and the prospects for the rest of the race were bleak. Luckily, a few guys began to slip backward and I'd pick a rider off here and there. Moving through a field, even if you are not gaining on the leaders, will always boost the morale and give you reason to keep racing. I was happy to catch a few of the guys who had been pretty strong this year so I apparently did okay.

I was shocked to look at the results afterward and see 21st place. Say what? I got the placing changed to 14th which I agreed with. Looking at the results tonight though, they had Lynch placed 7th. Maybe my brain wasn't working clearly or I don't know who John Lynch is but I thought I had passed him during the race. Whatever, it's not like it makes a big difference.

Part of the glory of riding is discovery. Discovery of views you had not seen before. Discovery of small places you wouldn't see in a car. And, today, discovery of unexplored roads.

Part of the Ronde van Monroe that we have been riding every Saturday is a small downhill with a left turn at the top and then right turn at the bottom that empties out into low-lying farmland. This downhill is paved but littered with a fair amount of gravel that causes you to ride with some degree of caution.

This past week Patrick sought out a new route around this section of road. The new route would tack on a few extra miles but I'm always willing to try a new road. This new section of road began with a few small rollers before becoming pancake flat. We came to a fork in the road, consulted the map, and turned right on Cemetery Rd. The roadside sign read "Winding Road". This was a small road and did have bends but I'm not sure it qualifies as a winding road. It did, however, get even a little bit smaller until we came upon another sign that read something like "Dirt road. Impassable when wet. Unauthorized use is subject to fines".

We pondered a bit. Should we turn back or press onward? The ground was soft but still reasonably firm. Coop was circling around back on the paved section and was probably more interested in turning back. I was game for pushing on and Patrick went for it too. We called for Coop and rolled down the hill. The ground was slippy but manageable. Left turn at the bottom and the mud became softer. The pedaling became slower and the mud gathered more around the brakes and tires. Before long there was a heavily rutted section of road with water gathered in the tire tracks. There was no riding through this thick, sticky slop. Basically, we looked something like this without the cheering section.


We trudged through for a hundred feet until there was a little smoother section. Then it was back on the bikes again, across a small wood decked bridge and with a small, bending uphill looming ahead. This hill also was torn up and we quickly were walking through slop again. At the top, we cleared our brakes a little and headed off again. We decided to avoid the road and instead rode along a grassy section along the farmland. We were not going to set any speed records but at least avoided the mud.

To avoid short gravel section, we a few miles further so that we could ride through a mile of mud. Sometimes, maps don't tell the whole story. Aside from the mess, I thoroughly enjoyed that crappy section of road. I'm not sure I will ever ride that road again but I think it would be pretty fun to ride in drier weather.

Checklist for Sunday's Bubba #4
Load bike in car ahead of time - Smart
Pack gear in bag ahead of time - Smart
Leave somewhat early to help with course setup - Smart
Halfway to JB, look over and realize I don't have my skinsuit - Dumb
Get home and realize you were already partially wearing the skinsuit - Dumb
Notice just before the C race that the far end of the course was not flagged or taped - Smart
Line up in front row of B race - Smart
Fall back to almost last place by the first turn - Dumb
Pass a couple people on the first uphill - Smart
Pass about 5 more on the next uphill - Smart
Realize at the top of the hill that I have popped and lose those same places on downhill - Dumb
Sit in for about 2/3 lap to gather myself - Smart
Lose complete contact with the leaders - Dumb (but nothing I could do about it)
Start passing riders again - Smart
Finish in 8th place - Smart but wishing I hadn't been quite so dumb

Sunday's race was non-technical with sweeping turns. The only somewhat tricky part was the downhill barriers. The three long(ish) uphills provided the main difficulties for the day. The rest of the course was rather fast. I stayed mistake-free except for a couple little wheel slips on the left hand turn at the bottom of the long downhill.

I'm still trying to figure exactly how I F'ed up the start so badly. I was lackadaisical and with the downhill start I got swarmed. Game over.

Saturday our little group again did the Ronde van Monroe. We actually did the full route this time. Every other time I had been on the ride, it was cut shorter for various reasons. It was a bleak day. Cool, windy and gray without much change for the whole ride. The one change we had was light rain and very small ice pellets up by the sod farm. That made for a chilly finish to the ride.

My legs this morning are feeling heavy and a little sore. I hope they loosen up in time for the race as we again tackle JB Park. Yesterday's litle rain should have kept the ground soft.

My time on the trainer last night was... well, it was time on the trainer. I never felt all that great. Sluggish would describe the feeling. It was still an okay workout and better than nothing but I was only going through the motions. Tonight I might feel better with yesterday's miles in my legs. I would like to make tonight pretty aggressive.

I am including a three minute video of the recent Superprestige race at St. Michielgestel. If it's a Superprestige race then you-know-who won. Check out the set of five "speed bumps". Not a feature I had seen before.