Pix "Can't wait to Cross"

Pix "Cant wait to cross"

 

 

 

 

Recovery

 

Crash and Burn

Yesterday: Charm City Cross race and what a race it was. The venue was awesome and seemed to suit me a little better than the Nittany cross race. This course had a good mix of pavement,grass,sand and off camber sections. I again got my rear end kicked in the elite masters field but it was good experience to start at the back of a large group and work my way up. The start was so dusty at times it was difficult to see the course but once the pack thinned out I rode a hard race and attacked the course. I felt I had better rhythm than the previous day, smoother more efficient riding, and the legs felt great. A wonderful day and a great race!

After the race it was hit the road and drive for 8 hours back to NC. We arrived home and I got to bed at ~ 2am. Got up at 7AM drove Diana's car to Hendersonville and dropped off at body shop to have some scratches repaired hopped on my bike and made my way back to Fairview. I thought wow I am feeling great!! Worked on my home project sat down for lunch on the porch and it hit me. The weekend races the 20 + hours of driving the bike ride home from Hendersonville caught up with me. Crash and Burn I am ready for a nap(naps are good,the best recovery there is).

So thanks for reading it is off to nap time for me!!

OH yeah Andy and Cara made cyclocross world news..check it out
http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/News.cfm?Action=Edit&MenuKey=1481&theKey=1481&back2=home
A great couple and I am sure this will be an awesome cross camp!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Road Trip Update!!!!!!!!!!

Quick update: The trip has been awesome the Nittany Lion Cross Venue was great.The course itself was all grass, no pavement, one set of barriers and a sandpit were the only obstacles. The sand pit was rideable, that is if no one in front of you dabbed or crashed then it was off your bike and run.

I totally got my butte kicked in the elite master's men but I did not finish last. Nate had a great race and outsprinted Adam Myerson for 9th place.

Sorry no pics I brought the wrong usb cord.

Today it is Charm Cross.I am sure I will be quite charmed as I will be racing master's elite again!

Have a good week!!!

!!!!!!!!!!! ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I'm so excited
I just can't hide it
I'm about to loose control
And I think I like it"

Yet another song inspired by cross racing! I am sure this person penned these lyrics on the night before the first big cyclocross race road trip!

Tomorrow(Friday) morning Nate and I will be off to do a couple of MAC series races, Pa. on Saturday and then to Baltimore to race on Sunday. What a wonderful and exciting weekend ahead. I will have trouble sleeping tonight for sure...kinda like the night before Christmas when I was a kid.Ok, so I'm weird who cares and if you do care I certainly do not!!!
Weird...mmmm perhaps this is what the neighbors think....Their kids come running into the house "mom,dad Mr. Wyatt has flipped again, he is running up and down his drive with a bicycle slung over his shoulder. Neghbors "quick kids get in the house and bring the dog too" I can see them peeking out from behind the curtains wondering what kind of lunatic they have for a neighbor. Even the mail man throws mail into the box as quickly as he can then roars off without making eye contact...thinking that somehow by making eye contact he will become as weird as I. Seeing the neighbors at the grocery...they appear nervous as I try to engage in conversation..the kids hide behind their parents legs and peek around to see the weirdo.
Yep cross will make you weird but you don't have to worry about being bothered with the neighbors or their kids!! Oh well I have digressed enough.

Looks like a 9 hour drive up and then 7 hours back from Baltimore.I will be giving on the road reports and posting pics from Saturdays race on Saturday night. I have cleaned the cross bike installed a new chain and am ready to go.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!!!

Home Projects

I had hoped to have this complete before cross season but I will be racing this weekend........I must have meant before the start of the NC series, yes I am sure that is what I meant. The start of the NC series is the official start of cross season.

 

 

 

Appropriate Sign

Based on my previous agricultural endeavors I thought it appropriate for me to pose underneath this sign!
A farmer with a sense of humor.

 

LIFE IS GRAND !!!!!!!

The first cross race of the season…well it is called a training race, although I am not sure what the difference is, it hurts just as bad regardless of what you call it. I do not know where to begin this race report. It felt great to be back on the cross bike going so hard my eyes were crossed, snot running down my face(I am always amazed at how much snot I can produce), drool dripping off my chin, legs burning with pain. Reminds me of a song by John Cougar:

Make it hurt so good…
“Hurt so good Come on baby, make it hurt so good
Sometimes love don't feel like it should
You make it hurt so good”

“Don't have to be so exciting
Just tryin' to give myself a little bit of fun yeah
You always look so invitin', you ain't as green as you are young
Hey baby, it's you, come on, girl, now, it's you
Sink your teeth right through my bones, baby, let's see what we can do
Come on and make it hurt so good”

I have never seen Mr. Cougar at a cross race but I am sure he must have raced at some point … what else would have inspired such lyrics?

The bike worked great the Grifo’s hooked up excellent and the weather was awesome! A few showers off and on made for ideal conditions for testing tires, bikes, brakes etc. Ned from bio-wheels did an excellent job of setting up the course. The course had 2 sets of 2ea barriers, a fast section through the woods with a slight right hander at the bottom(no brakes if you trusted your tires), numerous declining radius turns mixed in with an off camber, a flat section and a steep hill.

The best part of all was the camaraderie among the racers. I got to see my good friend Dwayne and a couple of his buddies from; can you believe it..Tennessee! These guys love cross which is what makes this sport so great! There were ~30 racers total. I was stoked at the turnout, this is great! A couple of racers were MIA but overall a good turnout!

I am still delirious with excitement…problem is I am stuck at work with no one to talk cross with :(!!!

Rails to Trails

Diana and I spent this past week riding the New River Trail. This is one of the "Rail to Trails" routes in Virginia. The trail runs from Galax to Pulaski and is ~ 51 miles long with and additional spur that goes to Fries which adds another 5 miles. The trail meanders through farm land and approximately 90% of it is along the New River which is supposedly the oldest river in the world.

The ride was great! We covered the entire trail twice in three days. At times it was kind of boring but there was no opportunity to coast which made for a great work out and tired legs at the end of the day. We chose to take the cross bikes which proved to be a good choice. The mtn bikes would have been to slow and the road bikes with 23c tires would have sank into the gravel.

We had a great week and a great time!

The weekend came and we each decided to ride with our friends. Diana did a breakfast ride to the Pisgah Inn with some friends and Cara came over to do a short ride with me.Our loop included a few hills and lasted ~ 2.5 hours. Up the last climb I went out ahead so we could both climb at our own pace, once over the hill Cara told me she was about to bonk! I didn't think the youngster was gonna make it! We made it to the store where we both had a soda and then on to the house.

Sunday I was up and off to the lake lure olmpiad TT up to the base of chimney rock, I finished 2nd but Cara passed me on the way up. I took a pretty good ribbing at the top from my good friend Ned and Cara. After the hill climb it was home where Diana and I took off and did 45 mile tandem ride.

a great week spent with bikes,family and friends!!!!!!!!!!