Oops, I forgot...

The long term prognosis is that the brain will work around these dead spots. My doc told me that I dodged eleven bullets to the brain, and to consider myself more than lucky. I do.

My list of restrictions includes: no racing, no roller coasters, and NO chiropractors. He also said no tackle football and no getting so drunk that I'd fall down.

Over and out, amigos.

The end of the story

So, to pick up where I left off, eventually they figured out what was going on with this whole stroke business. The MRI showed eleven separate events; five more major, six less so. The five more major ones showed brain tissue death of areas ranging from the size of a large pea, to the largest at the size of a marble. The smaller ones ranged from the size of a bb to the size of a small pea.

Here's what happened: Somehow I developed a dissection, or small tear, in the right side carotid artery going from the heart to the brain. As near as I can tell, it may have happened when Cece jumped on my back at the same time I was standing up. Apparently, it doesn't take much force in a certain way to cause injury to the artery. Anyway, this little tear started to allow blood clots to form, which then would break off, float up into my brain, and get stuck there, causing the strokes. In the investigation of why this was happening, they asked me a series of questions looking for the cause. The first was asking whether I had been in an accident recently, but the second question threw me: had I been to a chiropractor? The answer was no, why? The neurologist explained that this type of artery injury, while not exactly common, can be caused by upper neck manipulation. Hmm, I think I'll stay away.

In the end, the prescription for fixing this problem is to thin my blood long enough for the dissection to heal. That means a few weeks of twice daily Lovenox injections while the regular stuff, Coumadin, gets normalized in my system. Every third day, I have to go to Froedtert for a blood test for the Coumadin until the dosing is nailed down.

All of this goes back to why I can't race this summer: thin blood. I actually rode with my doc yesterday and he said as long as I was riding with him he'd be able to plug the leaks if I crashed, but that he'd much prefer I didn't do that. It would be difficult to plug a leak inside my skull...

So try not to crash me on the Beat Down as I'll blame it on you if I bleed out.

Been a looooong time

I wish I had a good reason why it has been so long since I posted, but if anyone is still checking this page, and still cares to read it, I actually have some stuff to say today.

Spring and summer have been good for me cycling-wise. I have more miles at this time this year than in years past, the weight that I lost over winter and early spring has stayed off, and I feel like I'm riding at a pretty high level. Sometimes I can actually keep up with Aaron and Jeff...

I should (was) at this time be looking forward to Superweek and racing with my Hollander teammates, but I had a bit of a set back. A little background is in order: four weeks ago, the day after the bone ride, which, by the way, was totally cool, I had what I thought was kind of a weird neurological event where my left hand fell asleep in an instant, and I couldn't speak. I couldn't even form words at all. It was bizarre, but I just chalked it up to the stress of the bone ride and a heavy work schedule.

A week later, it happened again, in pretty much the same way as the week before. This time, I decided not to say anything to anyone and just hope for the best as I felt a bit pestered after the first time. In short order, I forgot all about it and everything was alright until last week Wednesday when it happened yet again. At that point I finally decided to call a doctor just to make sure there wasn't something seriously wrong.

Interspersed throughout these "events" as I have come to call them, I was having bouts of vision problems that came with mild dizzy spells. Those I figured were nothing more than low blood sugar ebbs, as it seemed as though if I drank some soda or had a bite to eat, they would stop. Little did I know that they had nothing to do with low blood sugar...

Anyway, back to the timeline; the one that occurred last Wednesday afternoon was followed by another on Wednesday evening during a meeting. That time, my hand fell asleep and stayed asleep; worrisome to say the least. I had to get up and leave the meeting as I was getting a bit freaked out. As soon as I got home, I called a friend who is an internist at Froedtert/MCW. She called back later that night, and while I was talking with her, I had another event where the left side of my face went numb, and I couldn't form words properly, like when you have Novacaine in your mouth.

She urged me to go to the ER, but being the stubborn Kraut that I am, I refused and instead opted for her to set something up in the morning. On Thursday morning, she called to say that she had set up an appointment for me for that afternoon with another doctor in her department, but that she had also ordered a CT scan and blood work in the meanwhile.

By the time I saw the doc, the results of the CT were back and were inconclusive. The worry was a possible brain tumor or something, but nothing showed up. He discussed the possibility of seizures brought about by stress, but ordered an MRI for Monday morning as a precaution. Little did he know how prescient that was.

My six am MRI went fine, so off to work I went. I took an easy ride at midday, and on the way back to work from the ride, my phone rang. It was another doc from the internal medicine clinic. She told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was to drive directly to the hospital, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. Why? The MRI showed that I had had a stroke. WTF? I thought, me? a stroke? As I would come to learn later, It wasn't just one stroke, but eleven distinct events; five that were worse and six not so. I assumed that they were just what is known as TIA's, no big deal. The docs knew otherwise.

After being admitted immediately, the process of finding out why started. I got hooked up and dialed in with all kinds of pipes and wires to keep track of my sh*t, and bring me back should I decide to disappear momentarily. Here's the list of tests that I remember: EKG, EEG, echocardiogram, CT angiogram and 18, yes 18 vials of blood. Vampires I say. I called the girl taking my blood that and she told me if I wasn't nice to her, she would just let me bleed out right there.

As anyone who has spent any time in a hospital knows, they're no place to be sick, much less well, and they're certainly no place to get any sleep. After reciting my story to no less than 387 doctors, nurses, med students, orderlies and anyone else who wandered into my room, I was finally allowed to get some sleep. That is between hourly visits from other various and assorted people wanting to poke and prod me. Why do they feel compelled to do that crap in the middle of the night? I think it's just because they have to be awake, so you may as well be too. Misery loves company.

Who knew that there were so many people interested in my well being? All in, there were no less than four neurologists and three internists working on my case, not to mention a few radiologists and at least one cardiologist for good measure. Ah, the advantages of a major teaching hospital. the place may not be the Taj Mahal of hospitals, but I feel certain that there is no place I would have rather been hospital-wise. I digress though, and this story is already getting too long for the attention span challenged, so I'll quit here and pick it up in the next post. Before I end this one though, I am ok. A few less brain cells, and considerably thinner blood than before but otherwise ok.

Oh yeah, The Shedmaster has a new nickname for me: Stroker Ace. Thanks Rascal.

The Po-lice is your friend, or the case of an enraged motorist.

Newsflash: MPD officer stands up for cyclist' rights to ride two abreast!

Now here's the dope. Fearless leader Steve and I, having been summarily dropped by our teammates and left to fend for ourselves, found out the hard way that some people just don't like cyclists. We were riding along on Lake Drive just minding our own business when by what chance we happened upon another rider of the opposite sex. Having noticed our flash new team kit, said rider of opposite sex felt compelled to inquire of our very handsome selves. As it happens, the woman was freshly installed in our fair city from where else but Amsterdam. You know, that cool city in Holland, as in Cafe Hollander... So it wasn't really our handsome selves she was inquiring after, but her desire to find out more about this Cafe Hollander place we were advertising.

Being the helpful, sponsor mindful and all around swell guys that we are, we were more than happy to ride along with her and tell her all about this wonderful Cafe Hollander place. Besides, what's better than riding along the lakefront on a lovely day talking with an attractive Dutch girl? Too bad it was about to turn as ugly as a hatfull of arseholes. The setup was that I was on the inside, nice Dutch girl was in the middle, and Fearless Leader Steve was on the outside. As Fearless Leader Steve was riding just on the lane line, a car coming up from behind decided to slow down before passing us. This all happened on the stretch of Lake Drive across from Lake Park where there is a full curb lane as well as a full traffic lane- just so you get the story straight. Anyway, as soon as the car slowed down to pass us, the next car, a Ford Explorer XLT, Wisconsin licsense plate 646435 as it happens, started to lay on the horn. He was apparently in a big ole' hurry to get to the golf store. How do I know that, you ask? 'cuz he was wearing a hat that said PING, which is crap for the world's most useless "sport".

Mr. PING, as he will now forever be known, felt it his duty to inform Fearless Leader and myself about the "rules of the road". Mr. PING was EXTREMELY sure that cyclists MUST ride single file no matter what, and clearly was EXTTREMELY upset by the fact that we were not actually riding single file. Being the informative guys that we are, we tried to explain to Mr. PING that this was not the case, and that Wisconsin Law allows us to ride two abreast so long as we are not impeding traffic. Mr. PING reeeeeeally didn't like being told this. In a flurry of invective, he gunned the accelarator, and turned on to Park Street where he promptly gunned the brake pedal as he decided he wasn't done telling us about the "Rules of the Road" yet. I'm still unclear on what rules he was trying to get across by screaming, as loud as he could in Steve's face, spit flying, that we were IGNORANT. Ignorant !@$%^& (*&%# (&^$#9! And that we were all dressed up gay like in our tight colorful clothes. Of course we know that. Duh.

Mr. PING was by this time so upset that it appeared his head might just explode if he kept screaming. Or maybe his heart would give up seeing as how his "sport" is golf which means his heart just doesn't get much of a workout. Except maybe when he screaming about the golf cart ahead of him or something, but I digress. Mr. PING then gunned the accelorator again, nearly clipping my wheel; now I was gonna get upset and whipped out my phone to threaten to call 911. Mr. PING didn't like that prospect ONE BIT, and, I'm not making this up here, slammed on the brakes, threw his truck in reverse and aimed directly for us. Thanks to my cat-like reflexes, I was able to jump out of the way before becoming one with the Explorer, as was Fearless Leader. Now it was time to call 911 for real.

As I was speaking with the 911 dispatcher, Mr. PING must have concluded that indeed he was STILL not done explaining the "Rules of the Road" to us, and showed up again. I just held out my phone so that the dispatcher could have a nice listen to Mr. PING. Admittedly he was calmer by this time, but clearly still upset. I invited him to stick around and have a chat with us until the police arrived but he though the better of that idea, jumped back into his car, and gunned the accelorator once again. I think he used up about ten gallons of gas repeatedly doing this.

After a short time, Officer Friendly arrived on the scene to investigate the altercation. This is where the news flash comes in. The first thing he said to us, after hearing a brief description of what happened, is that WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO RIDE TWO ABREAST WHERE WE WERE. Ooooh, vindication feels so good. He obviously had better things to be doing, but appreciated us taking the time to call in. He promised to have a nice chat with Mr. PING and perhaps direct him to some anger management classes. Or maybe to play a real sport which would no doubt help with his issues as well. At some point in the conversation with Officer Friendly, who really was friendly, we got to talking about an officer's right to use lethal force. I asked him whether Mr. PING's vehicle qualified as a deadly weapon, and he assured me that it did. I then asked whether it would have been OK for me to whip out my Glock 9mm from my jersey pocket and shoot the f*cker dead. He was amused, but told me that he just didn't want to write up a report for that today.

Oh, and the Dutch girl? I think she decided take her bike right back to where she bought it, and grab the next flight back to Amsterdam where this kind of stuff JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN.

Spring is Sprung

It just keeps getting better.

This week:

154 lbs

215 miles

12.5 hours of saddle time

All outdoors.

Life is good.

Some solo, some with the new team and some with aspiring pro Sam S. and the Shedmaster. You gotta love the first days of spring for dialing up the saddle time and stretching the legs.

My number one observation this year compared to years past is what a difference starting out the season 15 pounds lighter can make. It takes a whole lot less watts to hump up the hills at 154 than it does at 169.

I'm looking forward to a great year.

Long time coming

158.

Not since 2004.

Back feels better.

Clothes fit.

Ab definition.

Life is good.

Should have done this a long time ago, but lifestyle is hard to change sometimes. I finally had to admit that I'm only getting older and I've got to work harder than ever to achieve/maintain what was taken for granted years ago. Better late than never as they say.

R.I.P. Sheldon Brown

A truly helpful person and all around master of all things bicycle. You know that he loved what he did- a vocation as well as an avocation. (kind of like Russell...)

A nifty web site

It is not my intention to get political on my blog right now, but I came across a site that I feel compelled to post. Actually, I don't think it's even political, but deals with political figures.

Draw your own conclusions.

Iraq: The War Card

winter so far

So, I am now fully entrenched in my winter/ off season fun. I'm on the trainer/rollers 4 days a week but not with much intensity. In my last post, I noted that I have some goals: flexibility, core strength, weight loss and making my back feel better. I am actually being successful in three of the four goals, and am really psyched to keep seeing more progress.

Flexibility: The main problem has been my hamstrings, an I am happy to report that with my foot up on a table, I can alllllmost touch my toes now. Don't laugh your beer out your nose- I couldn't get within 4 inches when I started.

Core strength: This has been cool. The gains are quick and evident. At the start, I couldn't hold a plank for 30 seconds, and I can hold one for 4 minutes now. I also feel like my posture is getting better with stronger muscles to support my torso and I think I can start to see some muscle definition (under the rest of the spare tire anyway :))

Weight loss: With the exception of the party boat episode, I have been diligent at restricting my intake. Chief among the restrictions has been alcohol, which after the holidays and my brother's visit, has not been hard to cut back on. Starting weight: 169, now 164.5. Good progress by all accounts. Not quite like this guy, but hey, he's a lot yunker than me...

Back pain: So far, this has been a disappointment. I thought for sure that it would be feeling better now, what with the progress in the other areas, but no avail. Worse yet, I seem to have developed a case of mild sciatica. Bummer. I will keep going though, in hopes that it just hasn't been a long enough period of time yet.



OK, enough of that stuff. For Christmas, Santa brought Sam a real snowboard. I provided a pair of boots and goggles and he was off and running (or sliding). We went to the sledding hill a few times but all that did was make him want to try a 'real' hill, so off to Sunburst we went a few weeks ago. He had a lesson, and picked up the moves quickly. His passion over the summer/fall was skateboarding which translated well to the snowboard.

As a kid, I lived for skiing. Just the mild threat in August of skiing sanctions for being a punk had me back on the straight and narrow, that's how much I loved it. As soon as the weather started to turn crisp in the fall, I was dreaming of skiing night after night. Suffice to say, after my college years and on into dad-hood, I left it go, but always had it in the back of my mind that I would return to it someday. I think you can guess the rest!

I rented some of the new parabolic skis and wow! what a difference from my old boards. At a whopping 5'9" I was on 205's, now I'm on 165's! they are great fun and make me feel like I never left the sport they're so easy to ski. It didn't take long before a nice pair of Atomics with some new Solomon boots were in my possession. After that first night, I figured I would be sore for a week, but I didn't have any after effects at all. Except wanting to go again and again. The great thing is that I can do it with Sam, instead of just watching him. Now Maddie wants to get in on the action, but she wants to ski not board so I will take her for lessons as well. It's a good thing that business is good, because it's an expensive hobby. At least the season is relatively short.

That's it from the home front. Enjoy the winter wonderland.

A Good Time

The 2007 WCA cyclocross banquet was held last night at the Fitchburg Community Center in beautiful Fitchburg Wisconsin. There was an armed policeman type posted outside the door to our hall the whole time. I'm quite sure that it had something to do with Cale, Andy and the rest of the Pegusussy crew. They was just itch'in fer trouble and Johnny Law was gonna be there to bust heads if need be.

Renee Callaway and J.P. Ericsson really put on a great event from the super tasty fajita bar to the fresh kegs of beer. There was a nice presentation by Ben Turner of Cycle-Smart and the Clif Bar Development Team. He had some great ideas about making our events more environmentally friendly and about bringing more kids into cx racing. I'm pretty sure Jay was zoning out bad during the "green" stuff. Damn tree huggers :)

Other notables in attendance were the proprietors of the Rusty Tool Shed and The Darkness himself. Representing Team Polska was a trio of ne'er do wells by the names of Maciej, Marcin and Abby. The Pegasussies threatened to blow our ears out with a cowbell and flugle horn orchestra. Kind of like being at a race except it was colder in the hall we were in. Someone forgot to tell the Fitchburgers to turn up the heat. Don't they know a bunch of bike racers don't have the extra layer of blubber to keep warm in winter?

I got this cool life-size trophy to take home. Had to strap it to the top of the car. I'm not sure where to put it at home though as my trophy room is getting too full for something this big. Oh well, such problems to have.

As you can see, Russell was starting to question his choice of seating. I'm glad he was between me and the obviously deranged Pole.

back to normal

So now the holidays are finally over, I weigh another extra five pounds and it's definitely time to get back to it.

So first some news: After flying the Hayes colors for five years, I'm moving on. I have joined the Cafe Hollander Racing Team for '08 and beyond. Just so there's no misunderstanding, I have nothing against the Hayes Team, or any of the people involved with it. I appreciate the opportunity that the team gave me to race for them, and they are a good bunch of guys. Why then the move, you ask? Well, in the first place, Hollander is much more of a road and 'cross team, whereas Hayes is mostly a track and mtb team. Being that my racing interests lie in road and 'cross, that was the first draw. Secondly, they are more involved with the local racing scene, and also get involved with bike advocacy and the Urban Playground Foundation. Any hey, who wouldn't want to race for a team whose sponsor is known for their beer and french fries??

So, I do have some goals for this year. They are few, and simple: 1) Get down to optimal weight. This used to be an easy thing to do; of course that was before I turned 40. Now it is hard to do, but is something that I must achieve. Goal weight by spring:159. Weight now:172. 2) Strrrrrretch. Stretching is an activity that I start every winter, and then leave behind as summer approaches. Not this year, no sir. 3) Strengthen my core. This, I think, is imperative to having a better season. Perhaps all of the above directly relate to the lower back pain that has bothered me for most of the past year. It is never bad enough to stop me from activities, but it is a day to day limiter on my overall performance and physical well being. So that's it. Simple, eh?

2008 is off to a good start:



48 miles with the Shedmaster today in the fog. We hit Elm Grove, Pewaukee (where's the lake?) Lake, Hartland, Delafield and almost Nashotah. We ran into new teammate and current master's 40/4 cx champion Tim T. on the way back too. Something tells me that he thought we were nuts for going nearly 50 miles on January 6th. Russell is doing Trans-Iowa so he'll be doing lots of early season long rides. Just what I need for burning off those pesky extra pounds...

MONTROSE

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO. YOU CAN TELL HER THAT 'NO REALLY, THIS THE LAST, LAST RACE FOR THE SEASON. PLEEEEEEEZE??

Sunday, December 9, 2007MONTROSE PARK CROSS –RACE No. 6
ILLINOIS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RACES
*The Chicago Cross Cup reserves the right to change prize amounts based on factors like attendance. USCF permit pending.
COURSE DESCRIPTION-Course will offer a variety of surfaces, pavement, gravel, grass, and sand combined with off camber sections, hills and multiple dismounts. REGISTRATION-Race day registration opens at 8:30AM. Entry fees are cash or check made out to T.B.S. All riders must fill out and sign USCF rider release forms. LICENSES-All races will be held under USCF permit. Those without USCF/NORBA licenses will be required to purchase a 1-day license for $10. 1-year and renewals will also be available at registration. Helmets required. All USCF rules apply.CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONBeginners: All first-year racers and one-day licenses must race Category 4 or Masters: Please check your 2007 USA Cycling license. If you disagree with your new category, apply for an upgrade at www.usacycling.org. Please check website for description of Cat. 4 A & B events.DIRECTIONS TO MONTROSE PARK IN CHICAGO-The park is located East of Lake shore Drive off Montrose Avenuein Chicago.From 90 or 94 take the Irving Park Road Exit and go Eastbound toLake Shore drive. Go North on the Drive to the Montrose Exit. Follow Montrose as it goes East and the course will be on the north side of the road near the Sled Hill.For more info: www.ChiCrossCup.comJuniors race for free thanks to the generous sponsorship provided by: EJ’sPlace10027 Skokie BoulevardSkokie, ILTel: 847-933-9800
SERIES SPONSORSCYCLE CYCLE SMITHYSMITHY773-281-0444
*2ndRace is only $10Race TimeEventDurationPrizesCost
10:00 AM HincapieSportswear MASTERS 30+ 45 min $150 -5 Deep$25
11:00 AM HincapieSportswear MASTERS 40+ 45 min $150 -5 Deep$25
12:00 PM Blue Competition Cycles WOMENS 1-2-3 45 min $100 -5 Deep$25
12:02 PM Sun Ringle WOMENS 4 30 min Product 3 Deep$20
12:04 PM Lake Shoes/EJ'sPlace JUNIORS 30 min Product 3 DeepFREE
1:00 PMBlue Competition Cycles MENS 1-2 60 min $200 -5 Deep$25
1:02 PMSun Ringle MENS 3 45 min $150 -5 Deep$25
2:15 PMHincapieSportswear MENS 4 Group A 30 min $75 -3 deep $20
3:00 PM MENS 4 Group B - (Beginners) 30 min Product 3 Deep$20 HINCAPIESPORTSWEAR

EPIC

So by now you've read the others' reports of this day but I'm here to give you the inside story of the 2007 Wisconsin Cyclocross Championships.

The course was designed primarily by Bob Schueler of Hampshire Cycling Club. On a normal day, it would have been a course for the power rider- not very technical, a longish hill and some fast straights. Sunday? fugedaboutit. For the first race of the day (and I'm sure subsequent races) it was about nothing more than keeping the pedals turning. You could ride full speed (5mph?) up to the barriers and jump off 3 inches away and not stack it. The deal was, that if you stopped pedaling for even a moment, you simply lost all forward momentum instantly. It was so slow that technical skills just didn't come into play even though it was 3 inches of snow cone slop.

Being that this was The Championships, and I have more of a story to tell, I'm going to have longer than a 1ROSRR today. But first, the prelude; last Sunday, after Devil Take The Hindmost V.2, which no one knew about due to my apparently posting about it in some kind of weird code, I started to feel a little punk. By night time, I knew I was in for a good one. By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was full on sick- sore throat, body aches, chills, the whole drill. My one thought (besides wanting to be summarily executed) was F*CK! This is no time to get sick! Why oh why can't this be NEXT week AFTER the championship race?? Suffice it to say, my week went from bad to worse. In my mind I had no intention of even showing up on Sunday much less racing. But....

Being the hard headed Kraut that I am, I just couldn't not show up to the race. Even while getting dressed at the venue, I was doubting whether I should race until I saw my friend Rich who told me that if I didn't race I would have wasted his time coming out to watch me. That was enough to convince me. Lewis and I headed out on course to pre-ride and discovered a few things right away. One, the course wasn't marked yet (!) and two, the conditions SUCKED. Don't get me wrong, I love it crappy and I've no doubt that under any other conditions, I would have loved the course. Oh well, it just meant a whole lot more running as I didn't have a low enough gear to slog it up the long hill.

As we warmed up, the multicolor squiz was working it's way out of my lungs and I was heating up like it was a summer day- except for my toesies as they were soaked and cold. The race was delayed about 20 minutes so that they could finish course marking before they called us to the line. All the usual suspects were there, plus a few new faces but no Tom Hooyer. His absence would turn out to mean a lot to me in the end, but I'm getting ahead of myself. On the line, I informed Tim T. that of he failed to win, he would be off the team. I was there for pack fodder, no more. At the whistle, we humped it off the line in slo-mo. The first obstacle was a sand pit that I hadn't actually seen before and quickly claimed me as a victim. I lost a good four spots right there and then a few more for good measure down the front straightaway. By the middle of the first lap, I was sitting maybe tenth, well behind my competitors on a normal day, but this wasn't a normal day. After talking myself out of quitting for the 99th time, I finally settled in to a rhythm and, wonder of wonders, started picking people off one by one; Russell, Lewis, Richard et al. I managed to not only limit my losses but make up enough ground to finish 4th- podium! Ahead of me were, of course, the aforementioned Tim T. who heeded my warning and won the race (and the overall), Mark Burkholtz, aka Army Guy, and Chris Berge, my nemesis. Tim had a real fight on his hands as Mark surged on the second lap and took the lead from him for a short time.

In the photo above, I pipped that guy on the line by a half a wheel. Until last night, I had no idea how much that would mean. A fourth place finish is worth 15 points, a fifth place is worth 14. That one point was enough to put me on the podium for the overalls! Now you know why it ended up being important to me that Tom was not there as he would have finished ahead of me and I would not have gained third place- one point ahead of Tom!!

Thanks to Bob and Jerry and the rest of the HCC guys for all of their effort in putting on this race. It had to be tough to do but that's the spirit of cyclocross.

As a footnote, my dad asked me what it would take to cancel a race. Cancel? Yeah right. I told him that if the snow was too deep to ride, we'd just have to run the whole damn course.....

DEVIL TAKE THE HINDMOST v.2

Don't miss it again, muchachos.

That's right, we're running version 2 of the best non-sanctioned 'cross race you can do in these parts. Same bat time (10am Sunday), same bat channel (Washington Park), same bat format (miss 'n out).

Keep up your fitness and your mad skeelz in preparation for the state champs in two weeks. We may even get lucky and have some sweet 'cross conditions to deal with, so be a real man (or wo-man) and try your luck at beatin' the devil hisself.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday....... Be Therrrrrrrrrre!

SAY IT WITH ME:

Pathetic. \pə-ˈthe-tik\ : pitifully inferior or inadequate.

I officially sucked today. J.P. Ericsson and the Brazen Hussies put together a difficult race course and I was not up to the challenge. There were some cool sections and some not-so-cool sections, but all in it was a good, hard course with plenty for everyone. I liked: the whoop-d-doos behind the bleachers, the fast two pack of barriers on the south side, the track and the beer hall. I disliked: the run up, the stair/gravel section and the nasty downhill, off camber turn into the tree.

The day started cold and overcast, but the sun came out part way through our race to warm things up a bit. The course was bone dry, and the fast sections were very fast. The corners were no problem with my switch of rear tires to a Michelin Mud2 from a Jet. I had a problem on half a dozen occasions that I have not experienced before: slipping in my rear cassette. It definitely kept me out of a fourth place finish. That's something I'll have to look into and soon. The cassette body on my Krsyriums has at lest 20k on it so I wouldn't be surprised if it was wearing out.

It has been brought to my attention that the "one fragmented sentence race report" title is actually a misnomer and that what it really is a long "one run on sentence race report". My bad. So, without further ado, the 1ROSRR: On the line we wait, shivering until the plastic horn signals go, hit the barriers in 5th behind Lewis, pass Lewis, keep on with Tim, Chris and the re-emerged Tom Hooyer, Chris punches it, gaps form, I'm riding Tom's wheel when he decides enough is enough and guns it to catch Tim and Chris, I get passed by ?, now 5th, about to pass back, cassette slip, then again, Tom takes Tim last lap, I roll in for 5th. Back to my usual spot in the scheme of things....

With motivation to train hard starting to wane with the short days, I feel like I need to conserve rather than put out; until I started racing 'cross, the fall months were for going bike path easy and doing night rides. Intensity, inschmensity. With 'cross, I have to keep on it, keep up the intensity and work even harder. A tough thing to work out sometimes.

Congratulations to Chris, Tim and Tom for great finishes and many thanks, once again, to J.P. Ericsson and the Brazen Hussies for all of their time and effort to make racing 'cross in Wisconsin something to remember.

DEVIL TAKE THE HINDMOST

First things first: If you aren't in this picture, YOU MISSED IT! Ten guys, a case a PBR and bikes. What better a way to spend your Sunday morning?

Steve R. set up a sweet, short course in Washington Park that used part of the Halloween course, some of it backwards and some new stuff. One of the benefits of a sanctioned by nobody race is that you get to do whatever you want. Like going full speed down the big hill straight at a tree, and having a concrete path dismount with a concrete stair run up.

The set up: Two 3 lap heats, five guys each. At the end of laps one and two, the last rider gets pulled leaving three to duke it out for the finish. The winner moves on to the 'angel' race, the 2nd and 3rd place riders move on to the 'mere mortal' race and the pulled riders move on to the 'devil' race. Next heats work the same way with pulled riders on laps 1 and 2, and the remaining riders fighting for the finish, except the angel race which only had two riders.

Not being an 'official race', we couldn't exactly close the course. This led to an interesting situation of cars driving on the walking paths throughout the time we were there. WTF is up with that? I can't say I've seen that before....

I won't give a 1FSRR except to say that Tim and I went on to the angel race and he whupped me again. That's ok, by now I'm used to it. The PBR was cold and it was a fun day all in all. It gives me some ideas for next season.

Thanks again to Steve for setting this up. I think some of the attendees were pretty happy to be able to race in an unofficial event for their first race ever, and for the rest of us who race regularly, it was a good way to stay in shape on an off weekend.

Stay tuned to this site for future race announcements. Pic compliments of Phillip who came and did his very first cross race.

EVER THE BRIDESMAID PART 2

Estabrook.

How many people did I tell recently that all Estabrook is is a drag race? A few turns, a little bit of chicanes and a small run up. Really. Until Jerry Pearce decided that the course needed to be twice as long in the same amount of space! The result was about 427 twists and turns on grass that hadn't been ridden before now. NOT that I'm complaining mind you. It's just not my favorite kind of course. I feel like we went from the best to (almost) the worst in two days. Maybe I've just ridden there all too often.

Driving to the race, I'm my same old nerve addled self. Seriously, I HATE race day mornings. My stomach is all in knots, my legs feel leaden and I usually feel like going back home. The day and night before I am excited to race the next day, but when morning comes.... So, just as I was turning onto the parkway, the first itty, bitty raindrops fell. Rain? huh? where'd that come from? By race time, it was raining steady, the wind had picked up and it was feeling like some true CX weather for a change. This is gonna be good, I thought.

Now for the 1FSRR. Start line and the hiss of air being released from tires all around me as the rain continues to fall, GO!, Lewis slams the hole shot, me 2nd, others behind, Lewis tows, Tim comes around, Chris comes around, turn up the heat, down to three, cruise control, trade pulls, just before the bell Tim's front mech turns to shit, I attack, Tim says NO WAY and brings Chris back to me, get small gap on Chris , punch it!, last chicanes, I'm in Tim's rear view mirror 'til the line. Shit, bridesmaid again, but at least I was the maiden of honor. Chris rolled in for 3rd and Lewis for an outstanding 4th.

For the first time this season, I felt that tactics may play a role in the race with three of us off the front and working together. It seemed to be anyone's race to win for most of the race and I had to think of the possible outcomes and results of my actions. That was pretty cool.

As has become my usual Sunday routine, I jumped into the 4s race right away with Lewis, Chris and Richard (also of Brazen Hussies). Lewis and I rolled and yakked for the better part of three laps until we decided to get serious and show the youngsters how it's done. From that time, we probably passed 15 guys. The course had tacked up nicely and you could rail most corners full speed. Lewis pipped me on the line. I told him that's the only time I'm letting that happen. Yeah right, famous last words. I dig doing the second race as it feels like I got a hell of a workout on the day.

With apologies to Hampshire Cycle Club, I think it's hard to keep the Estabrook course feeling fresh year after year. There just isn't much you can do with it given the geographic restrictions. Perhaps it's time to move it to a new venue next year. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all of the effort that goes in to staging a race, but sometimes change is good...

EVER THE BRIDESMAID PART 1

Or, The Team Polska Cyclocross Classic 2007 edition.

I am compelled to start this post by stating that this course is my new all-time favorite. Huge props go out to Majiec and Marcin Nowak and the rest of the Polska team for putting together what I think could easily be a championship course. They worked on course design for nearly a year and it shows; great use of terrain, off cambers, singletrack and of course The Hill. If you were there, you know why I capped that.

To set the stage, it was yet another beautiful fall day in Wisco. Frost on the pumpkins cool at the start but it warmed up nicely as the day wore on. Polska fired up the grills early to give you a a little incentive to finish as fast as possible with the scent of kielbasa wafting over the course (ok, so it was hot dogs, but so what, it was still sausage. Sort of.). I'd have liked maybe a high school drum corps pounding out some rhythm to get it all started but that would probably be too much to ask (for now).

Now on to the One Fragmented Sentence Race Report. Riders ready? Go! pound it up the hill into the singletrack, sitting maybe 8th, wind around, hit The Hill, pass like most of the riders in front of me (Lewis, you should have ridden it), sit in for around 4th, watch Tim T. get a gap, pass a tiring "quit yer cryin'- it won't do you no good" Russell, work, work, work to catch Tim, Chris nearly catches me, flubs a dismount and pinwheels over the barriers, I roll in for a nice 2nd. Man, that felt good. My legs felt super all race and I feel like I just pounded up the hill. For my efforts, I went home with a 6 pack, a pair of Twin Six socks, a water bottle and a tube. Sweet. That's more shwag than the rest of the season combined.

What changed to get to be the maiden of honor instead of just a run-of-the-mill bridesmaid? Easy answer: on Wednesday, I realized that a couple of things had happened to affect my riding. 1) My cleats had slipped all the forward so I was pedaling with my toes. 2) My seat had slipped back 1 1/2 cm. 3) My seat post had slipped down about 5mm. That's a whole lot of power robbing misadjustments. Add 'em up and the effect, I think, was pretty major.

Allow me to digress (it's my blog after all). In talking with Tim and Steve from Hollander, we think that Wisco CX could be much, much better. Why can't we bring a little Belgian flavor to the events? A little extra advertising, some better awards ceremonies for the riders, some networking to get more people out... Cross is a great spectator sport and we really never get anyone other than racers and spouses out for the events. We're not going to get non-bike people out for races in the middle of nowhere, but we could definitely bring 'em out for the Milwaukee races. Anywho, we have some things to work on for next year to step the series up a notch or two.

HALLOWEEN PSYCHO-CROSS

And there were some truly scary folks about today. Russell in his schoolgirl outfit, diaper boy, Pegasus-Speedo racer to name a few. Ahhh, Washington Park. What a perfect day for a bike race, 40s-50s and sunny with a nice cool breeze. The Trocaderos always seem to get the nice days for their race. Four years I've raced there and four years of great conditions. Well, it could have been a bit better with a little rain or snow but I'll take this anyway.

40+ 4s for my first race of the day. I figured if I mugged with this guy I'd get some good mojo going and maybe place higher than my usual 4th or 5th.

'Twas a nice thought. Here's the one fragmented sentence race report: Official says go, I blast off for the hole shot up the hill, keep the momentum for about two thirds of the first lap when Tim Mr. Get-the-f*ck-out-of-my-way Theobald and his posse of neer do wells comes by me like I was having a picnic in the park, shit!, push, push, push, I'm never going to catch them but I'll keep trying and at least not let Lewis catch me, do some nice full speed bunny hops, have some fun and roll it for 5th. Again. man, I'm gettin' a little tired of 4th and 5th place. One of these races I'm gonna make it to that de-lux podium in the sky-i-i. Or something like that.

I should have mugged with this guy before the start as that would have been some good mojo indeed.

The man was on a mission. Wasn't nooooo one catching Mr. Tim today. As for the rest of the miscreants, Russell was nowhere to be seen and neither was Steve R. I'm thinking that the costumes just added a bit too much drag to catch those who were, as Randy says, haulllllllin.

Not to be content with just one ass-whupping, I jumped into the 4s race with the aforementioned Lewis shortly after the end of the 40s. Better to not cool down too much, ya know. Lewis and I rode around and heckled each other for most of 3 1/2 laps before deciding to throw down and show those young whippersnappers what us old guys were made of. Didn't quite end up showing anybody anything but it was a good time after all. I think my best lap all day was the 5th lap of the 4s race; I railed every corner and actually felt pretty strong. Of course I did my best to hack up both lungs after finishing. Something about extra effort and a cool, dry day that does a real number on my old, tar encrusted lungs.

Next up Kletch and Estabrook. I think that the Kletch course is a super top secret Polska training ground 'cuz I haven't been able to find it. Rumor has it that Maciej has put together a tough course- I'll believe the rumors. Estabrook is always a good time and a sheer power course as there's no elevation gain to speak of. Lewis suggested doing a quad day: 40+4s, 4s, 30+ and 40+. Either he's been hitting the wacky tobaccy or he just bought stock in Amgen. Or maybe both. I could see mayyyybe doing the triple with the regular 40+ but the quad? I jes don tink so, Lew-ees.

Props go out to Casey, Patrick and the rest of the Velo Trocadero team for yet another fine edition of the Halloween race. Nice decorations this year too. This next bit is going to seem a bit odd, but I have to give credit where credit is due and that is to the officials this year. Whatever new system Heidi has put in place is actually working. Results are posted quickly and I haven't heard of any disputes this season. It's great compared to previous years where you'd wait around for an hour and the results would still be all ef'd up.

How could I forget?

I forgot to mention in my Gibbs Lake report the best part of the day: in the 4's race on the second lap, I managed to drop my wheel into a hole trying to remount after the second set of barriers. My end over end roll, with my bike, was pretty impressive if I do say so myself. Even the official standing there agreed that it was rather elegant. Too bad Renee wasn't there to record it.