Boss Cross #2 Sunday!

Folks,
It's that time again. Boss Cross #2 is this Sunday at Platte Ridge Park in Platte City. Racing starts at 10:15 with Juniors and Women. A special thanks to the KCA for helping us reduce Women's 4 entries to $10. Maps and more info are up at www.bosscross.blogspot.com.

It's about that time!

No racing today.

I've raced 13 times over the last 10 weeks. I was very happy not racing this weekend. Part of me missed not pinning on a number (rather Kathy pinning it on for me), and lining up at the start line with the same 35 ugly dudes. The other part of me was very happy to sleep in, rake leaves, work around the house, and ride 50 miles of fixed gear. Today's ride was perfect. The kind of weather you dream about. 50 and sunny. Bibs, baselayers, ss jersey and vest. Paired with some mild embrocation. My absolute favorite attire.
It's hard to take racing too seriously. It's something I absolutely love to do, I know I'll never be that good, but it's one of the things that keeps me going each week. Not that my job is a tough one, but it's good to have something to look forward to. I love seeing hundreds of people lining up week after week, paying for 45 minutes of pain. I feel it's my job to get people to the races. Make sure they are dressed properly, their bikes are dialed in, and they know what they're doing. Each week, I have more and more customers that express interest in racing. Whether it's the local sprint triathlon, or a 'cross race. But, more than the aspiring racer, I like the new rider. The customer that pulled their '93 Huffy out of their parent's basement to ride with friends. Or the middle age parent that wants to ride with their kids. These are the people that keep me going. It's not the carbon fiber, shaved legged roadie. They know, or should know, what they're doing. I'm here to put more people on bikes, whether I sold them the bike or not. The more people that ride bikes, the more paths and trails we have, and the more racers that show up at races. It's a beautiful cycle. And I'm at the heart of it.

Trans Iowa

I'm in! Registration opened up yesterday to first-timers...and closed by the end of the day. I made my way in. It's nice to see a few familiar faces on the list. Now I only need to get my new ride!

Kansas State CX

Another new venue for this fine cross season. This one at St. Mary's University in Leavenworth. My legs felt heavy during my warm-up laps and the first lap or two of the race, but they soon worked their way into a pedal-pushin frenzy. The course had a nice uphill brick start followed by a treed section into a flowy hammering downhill into a fast barrier section. I was really railing the down hill section and trying to hit the barriers with speed. My brakes had their finest sounding "freight train" day yet. The section after the barries sent us through another treed section then another uphill brick followed by a very well built spriral. I felt pretty good most of the race, but never had the energy to keep track of the riders around me. I knew I had a chance to win the series, but my main focus was just finishing this race. I rode most of it with David White who was racing in the 30+ masters category. With a 5th place finish and a mental error on the part of another rider I was able to win the 3/4 De Stad Series. It'll be nice to race for free next year. I decided to test my legs and double up and race the 1/2/3 race as well. I felt alright for the first 7 laps and then my legs just stopped working. The last 3 laps were really painful, and the small hills felt like mountains. I know what kind of work I need to do in the off season to be ready to race with these guys next year.

Trans Iowa Registration

I sent in my Trans Iowa Registration. It is a post card style registration that fills up at 75 participants. I sent in a post card from two different post offices to make sure they would get there. The race opened to past participants on Tuesday, and opens to new comers this coming Monday. My post cards should be there on Monday, then it's really time to commit. It's going to be a long winter of soggy centuries and early mornings. After doing the Dirty Kanza the last two years, I'm ready to make the jump to Trans Iowa. The event will be extremely difficult, and the field is already incredibly stacked. Here's a shot of slater and I early in this years DK200.
Hopefully the weather will be cooperative. Iowa in the Spring can be unpredictable.

Vets Cross

Yesterday was Veteran's Cross at Leavenworth High School. This was my very first cross race 4 years ago. It's sad that the field used for the race will be a parking lot next year, but it's time for some new courses as well. This was definitely not my best race. I felt surprisingly good after Saturday's flogging, but I just could not get in the groove. After a strong start, and a good first lap, there was a wreck on a off-camber downhill turn. First, Second, and myself in 3rd or 4th went down. This put me in about 10th and trying to play catch-up. I went down on my own taking another turn too hot. That really knocked the wind out of my sails. I put my head down again and then tried to break though a taped section. Like I said, not my day. I just set into a tempo pace and motored on through the race. I ended up in 11th, and it probably knocked me out of series contention. I look forward to racing this weekend at St. Mary's. I think I'm going to double up and race the 1/2/3s as well. If you see me Sunday...hold me to this!

Rock Jayhawk Gravel

Saturday was the first Gravel road race of the year in Lawrence. Man it hurt. Cold and very windy with 25 others to share the pain with. The course consisted of a 5 mile neutral roll-out from town to the base of the "stair-step", then three 9 mile loops of gravel, each one up the stair step, with the finish at the top. I've always loved the fine roads of Douglas County, but fresh gravel up that steep climb really made things interesting. Brian Jensen attacked on the first of four times up the hill and really split things up, Adam Mills was really the only one who could follow. I pulled into 3rd shortly after the climb, and started my bridge up to Mills. I caught him about halfway through the first lap, feeling gassed, I was relieved to hear that he was good sharing a hard enough pace to keep the 3 chasers off our backs. We took turns pulling throughout the day with him putting time into me each time up the stair. I felt like I did my part to earn third. The whole field rode very strong with team mates John Giles finishing 4th and Josh Patterson finishing couple spots later. In the field we had 6 of us, which would've been more had promoting and volunteering not taken 3 more. I'm very proud to race with these guys on a weekly basis. The race was followed by lunch at Free State. Good times shared around a 10-top...and the Pumpkin Spice is truly on form this year!