:: Happy Halloween ::

:: Monkey Off My Back ::

:: some of you may remember this infamous shot of plump_chump from last fall, neatly summarizing how i've felt about cycling for the last while. following a quadruple-header cross weekend, i present a new picture. and in case your monitor is wonky, the number is two, and the color is gold. ::

:: Rain ::

:: there's just something about riding in the rain ::

:: funny thing happened when i was riding back from rothrock intervals today covered in belgian toothpaste... i was rolling along the bike path, when a giant suv stopped right in the crossing. i wanted to glare at the driver, but i stopped when i noticed his gynormous belly protruding over the seatbelt and reaching the steering wheel, and that he was stuffing his face with a giant burrito. i didn't think that i should have to ride around his truck since i had the right of way, but on the other hand, i was glad that i could. ::

:: Clydesdale ::

:: 1st place clydesdale: fastest fatman, or fattest fastman? either way, i have some new armwarmers and this lovely certificate. but what is a 'cyldesdale'? ::

:: Interpertated Instructinal Directions ::

:: i was pretty sure i knew what i needed to do, until i read the directions... and i quote:

advice of fitting: according the shape of the crank, use or not the washer. (washer) use a t10 torx key to tighten the (bolt of stop drop pin) bolt. tightening torque of pin against over shifting.

apparently the folks who translate the cross news are moonlighting ::

:: What...A...Mess ::

:: cross season starts when? ::

:: Competency ::

:: received a letter in the mail today. one of those that both thrills and terrifies. here is a tasty snippit...

dear session chair:
... your selection as a session chair carries with it the recognition that you are knowledgeable in your field and competent to oversee a session at a meeting...

(gulp) i guess there is some work to be done before november... ::

:: in other news, the third cross practice of the year was by far, the best. the fool-hearty four were in attendance, and we did the usual warm up, start sprints, barriers, and chase our tails. start sprints, despite continued problem finding my cleats, were much improved over previous sessions. uphill barriers similarly, followed by near-catastrophic downhill barriers (by this point of the evening, r-lee's training tutelage that was well evident in the sprints, began taking a toll on the legs with the quads firing randomly at will - theirs, not mine - thus resulting in a few scary moments). the yearly cross-parts hunt is almost complete (with a last minute decision to go double ring on the pit bike to facilitate interval abuse), and so this weekend will be the yearly cross-ebay fest. see you all at iron cross lite! ::