Breaking Up is Hard to Do

I went out for a ride with my old girlfriend Celeste today. You see, I haven't seen her for a while. She used to be my number one gal, but then someone else came along and took her place.

So, we went for a ride.

We stopped by all our all old favorites.

Mr. Cowboy

We road some on the pavement and some on the dirt roads.




And some of our other favorite dirt roads.

Things were going along just fine. And then it started to happen. It started with the seat. It started twisting and slowing slipping down. That's strange I thought. So, I stopped to check it out. And that's we it really went bad. You see, I was twisting the seat and trying to get it to come back up to its proper position and my back goes out! Seriously, my lower back just seizes up.

You see, Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.


Somehow I got myself back on the bike and got home. I had time to reflect on what I had done. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. How I just walked away without even saying goodbye.

Sometimes breaking up is hard to do.

In Earnest

I shaved my legs this morning. Not really out of necessity, but out of habit. You see, I started shaving my legs a few years ago when I became a bike racer. Because if you don't shave your legs, you're just a bike rider. So they say...

I fondly remember the first time I shaved my legs. It was stressful and it took me what seemed like a half hour. A half hour per leg. I'm much faster these days (shaving my legs that is), and on any given day my legs are likely to be smoother than my wife's. She says that she doesn't mind, and it's probably true. She's used to being the man of the house.

So, last Saturday we strapped it on for one last time this cyclocross season. It was an experiment of sorts having a cross race in January. I can't say that I didn't like it. It was less formal. Less stressful. Hollywood won the plate of cookies prime that Mrs. Prieto baked, but he didn't share. Pale power got interviewed by the Mountain Flyer. I didn't get girled, but I did get geezered. I guess that's what happens when you race with a national champion. All in all it was good day.

So, the end is here, for a time. I may shave my legs less often, but I probably won't. I like them smooth, even if it doesn't help me go any faster.

Off season is officially here, in earnest.

Cross or Crit?

Went down the Golden today for a cross race and a crit broke out. The question wasn't if it was going to be fast or not, that was a given, but if you could out last the goat head mine field.

They were everywhere and the reports from the earlier races were not good. After a couple of warm up laps on the A bike I had my own. While Bob the Builder worked on getting my tire sealed, I got on the B bike and stayed on the pavement for the rest of the warm up.

Warmed up and ready to roll I got myself into the second row and was quietly confident that the course would suit me. Instruction from the ref and the gun was off. I got my self in good position going into the first turn onto the dirt. Things were going a little slow, so I jumped into the right lane and worked my way up to 6th wheel. Soon I joined up with Mr. Converted and we worked together (mostly him working) for a couple of laps. We reeled in the number 4 guy and as we came back onto the pavement and through the start/finish area Mr. Converted attacked. Our companion sat on my wheel and was content to let the move go. I turned to him a couple of times and told him that I wasn't going to chase down my teammate, but he wouldn't pull through. In the meantime, Mr. Coverted got a huge gap and was gone for good.

For the rest of the race I worked hard to hold my position. I'd move up only to be caught and dropped by a few. As the chase was persistent from behind, I had to dig deep. I just kept repeating to myself, "calm and strong, calm and strong, calm and strong."

In the end I held on and finished in good position. It was a good mental recharge from the disaster known as Boulder Cup Day 2. More sky is in place and the puzzle should be completed just in time for this.

Props to Mr. Converted who just keeps bringing it!

Photo's courtesey of Mrs. Converted

Blue Sky Velo Cyclocross Classic

It has consumed my life for the last nine months, but I got this today from one of the pro riders and it made it all worth it. A big thanks to those who came out and raced, and an even BIGGER thank you to all my comrades at the Blue Sky Nation for your tireless assistance in making our first foray into race promotion a HUGE success.

"I just wanted to send you a quick note saying thanks! The race yesterday was one of the most well put on ones in Colorado that I have ever seen. It is even more impressive that it was one of the first cross races your team has promoted. The online registration (including the fee cover) was awesome, race promotion was great, one of the best Xilinx courses to date, the venue was setup well and the prize list was impressive. There are not many races done as well as yours. Hopefully you had a good time and were as satisfied as I was. "

Oh, and I raced too. Not much zip in the legs after two days of getting the course ready, but all is good.

Game On!

First cross race of the season was in Breckenridge today. Felt pretty good for the first couple of laps until the following sequence of events took place.




I lost a lot of mo jo and it took me a couple of laps to get my game face back on.

Special props to the Blue Velo road crew for their wins in the springs!

Embrocation

A cold front has moved in and given us a taste of the Fall to come. That, of course, only means that the first cross race is close at hand. As I dressed for today's spin, I took the opportunity to dig out my supply of Freddy's. The smell! Oh, that smell as I poured some into my hands and rubbed it into my legs. Yes, cross is close. The real season is very close.

The machine is dialed and ready to roll. Good training is in the bank account. Everything is in it's proper place and now only time will tell.

More Lake Mac Snow

Jumped out of work early today and took a sunset cyclocross ride around the lake. Temps were in the 50's and a chinook wind started blowing on lap 3. Worked on technical skills again. Focused on looking to where I wanted to go instead of zoning out on what was going on two feet in front of me. It's such a simple thing, but for whatever reason it's not part of my muscle memory.

Also stopped by the Longmont Athletic Club and got my membership set up. It's great to have our sponsors step up and provide the type of support needed to help us become better. Plan is to hit the weight room 2x a week starting next week.

I've seen people try to change,
And I know it isn't easy,
But nothin' worth the time never really is.
Norah Jones - Not too late

Into the Wind

Against my better judgement, I went out into the cold, wind, and snow and rode my cross bike around the lake. It was hard-packed and choppy from all of the people walking on the path. It reminded me of KCCX. I worked harder than I wanted to, but the only way to get better riding in the snow is riding in the snow.

Reflection on Commitment

It's been a couple of weeks since Cross Nats and I've had time to reflect on it and the '07 cross season. First off, I had a blast in Kansas City. I'm thankful for the opportunity to pursue my passion with teammates and good friends. My racing was below my expectations, but I came away with many new lessons about myself and what will be necessary to bring about the appropriate change in order to meet my potential next year.

I've tried to have honest reflection. Not the type of reflection that turns to negativity, but the type that is honest and open. The bottom line - I was not committed in '07. Sure, I trained hard and suffered along the way, but I was not 100% committed. There were things that needed to be done and more importantly not done. There were limiters to shore-up. I knew them, and I ignored them. I wasn't mentally tough. Then on top of it I hid behind the excuse that it was because I upgraded and was racing against really fast guys. BS!

So what now? I started with a simple exercise that you may want to try. Ask yourself what are three specific things you could do that you aren't doing now, which if done, would contribute to personal improvement immediately? For me it was very easy to come up with three things. What is it for you? Is it eating better and losing weight? Is it getting into the gym and lifting weights? Is it putting down the beer bottle? Are you committed to reaching your own personal greatness, whatever that looks like?

Look inside and take inventory because you are a reflection of everything you put into your body and mind. Start today! Commitment is a 365 x 24 endevour.

See you in '08!