Ah, night cross which shredded my seat post on Saturday night and created the following days slow fallback was about as good as it got this past weekend. I must say that I have enjoyed the cross series so much this year. First because I actually have done the races that I set off to do. Second because I have not completely fallen into the abyss during the season and dropped out of the series, even though it has been close. I feel this past weekend was a reduction in fitness to get ready for Herman's State Cross Championship. I will be training for the next two weeks to up my game.

Um, yes, here is something quite pleasing about finishing one of these heinous events. Has a lot to do with embarking on something and having the conversation with a fellow masochist afterwords about the experience, what was learned about how deep you dug. I can't think of any other way to describe the freaking pain, other than it is accompanied by humiliation most of the time. And a smile.

Night Bubba Cross

Man was that a trip. Fast course and lots of people cheering with loud obnoxious toys. It was so cool coming through the tunnel with people on both sides screaming, an absolute wall of scream.

I suppose I should have noticed the popping noise coming from my seat post early in my warm up. Because on lap two I sheared it completely on the back stretch while trying to stay on Klages wheel. Klages continues to rock, as does everyone else. I was feeling much better, hoping to get a decent day in today. I found a heavy duty Thomson post with hardware that will hold an elephant. Perfect.

I can't remember seeing as many racers in the A's. It is so much fun when there are more. Lots of new faces to give Josh and Nate, Pirtle a go for it. The dude from KC never had a chance with those three working together so much. But he held on for quite a while.

Congrats to Matt James on his win. The dude got run'd over early this year by a car. He has made steady improvements throughout the past few years and deserves a big win at a big race. Now he can move his ass on up to the A's, and I will respectively move forward one.

Ralph in front of Boz on the Stairs at Bubba #4

This was The Doors kit, btw...

Suson

My gad what a nightmare. I was thinking on the second lap that it would be my last. Not my last lap, rather my last race of the season. I had nothing. Not sure why, wasn't sick, wasn't over indulgent on Saturday night, I just sucked. But, I finished, letting Scott get by me again, and Boz with a hellofa gap. I am not sure it was a big guy course. So says Rich Pierce. I will take comfort in that. Though few courses are big guy courses. Except for Crits.

I am pretty sure the SS Saturday ride was the reason for not feeling my legs. Regardless, I still need more fitness.

Nope, I will weather through my less than stellar performance to see another day of cross. I will say that there was suffering amongst the entire group yesterday. So that is cool.

OK, back to blogging

Yes, it has been a down week(s) for the blog. Just some ramblings to keep you all engaged....

Two much energy spent on Lone Wolf and the rest of the children (what I call the various business things that Pfoodman is involved with). I couldn't even adequately apply myself to the MWFT banter, having to de-involve myself for fear of letting somebody down. Looks like Bobby and the rest of the Mountain Bike community are leaning towards MWFT instead of USAC. Likely a good choice for all involved. I will still get a NORBA license, because I plan on being as cool as Krewit and Albert and Doug Long, giving Nats a try perhaps, if the fitness comes next year. Maybe I will toss Skuck in the trunk and take him with me. Who knows? Don't quote me on this. I might bail, as I have with most extra curricular activities lately.

The first (time commitment endeavors) to go are always my charity/time giving involvements. I was supposed to get some work done at the YMCA for their craft show, but both my wife's car and my kids car broke down yesterday. Yes, two in one day!!! I am certain mine will go on the way to the cross race today. If this is the case, I will simply move to the mountains and give up on whatever glimmer conventional living process is left in this shell of a body. I will grow the sideburns, soul patch etc. Do the t-shirt sales out of the back of... something like that sweet 19984 Grand Wagoneer "Woody" over on Manchester road, parket at the muffler place.

Hey, big congrats to my buddy John Racanelli on the opening of Racanelli's Cucina down int he Loop. The newly constructed restaurant opens on Monday. We got in on the "dry run" with Alan "origional epicurean" and Christine Blau, our dining buddies, the wife and I. The food was absolutely fabulous.

Winter single speed debut. I did get the Gunnar out of the garage and took it on a spin yesterday at the Wood. It was cold and wet but I thought the legs reacted quite nicely. I plan to only ride SS for the rest of the winter, in order to have the power necessary to smash my competition next year. (pronouned B-O-Z).

Hey, did you see that El Maw-gway is moving to the site formerly occupied as S&P Oyster Bar? Yes, it has been a hundred things since then, but this is likely a good move from the broken down "Ken's Pizza Parlor" building where the emerging chain was for several years. Set that thing on fire and seek to relocate any household pests who may have found a home there over the buildings 30 year reign, eh? I would presume that the old Ken's building is a tad overused. Same with the Red Lobster building still seeking a suitor at Holloway and Manchester. Ballwin is on the comeback folks, just wait and see.

Barry at Ballwin Cycles, hope you get to feeling better. That eyebrow will look like a lighting bolt of magical goodness when it heals. The shoulder will likely be a bit sore. The bottom line...XC. The jumpin stuff is for kids.

So's I just got my copy of the St. Louis business Journal, again. I didn't pay the bill so they cut me off a few months a go. But I am back in good graces. Now my office gets it instead of my home and last night I found it lying open at my office, violated sitting on our Secretaries desk. Yes, someone had already perused it and it wasn't fresh. This really pisses me off...how can anyone be more opinionated or in-the-know about the bullshit of the banking bailout than me, not on a Friday afternoon, when the paper comes?

Word...I think it is crime to bail the banks out. A crime to consider the auto industry, or any industry for that matter with their hand out, a likely receiver of funds from the government, those are your and my bucks going to finance their stupidity and lack of ability. The politicians and the experts look like a bunch of fools arguing the entitlement. It just makes me sick. Am I the only one who sees this? I wish they would stop wearing suits and instead wear bright orange and/or jail stripes. Then we would look at them through a different pair of eyeglasses, one that suggests what they are/were capable of, that which many are guilty of trying to cover up; mistakes and oversights. The knee jerk bailout is nothing more than a get out of jail free card for those who fear the accountability of their actions. I would imagine that some actually fear for their safety, due to the magnitude of the situation.

Where are the freaking people standing up against this? Must it always be somebody else that speaks for the small business owner?--a congressman or some other crooked politico? Down in the trenches, we are the ones who depend on a loan or two every now and then? Now in order to get the interest of a bank, we have to make adjustments, tighten things down, diversify, re-tool, re-coil during times like this. Can the large companies not take responsibility too? I got an idea, why don't the displaced employees work in the health care industry? There are plenty of jobs there and plenty more to come. What about ole T. Boone Pickens, the dude has made a fortune on oil, now he is going to capitalize on wind and natural gas. How about small business innovation? We are making things better as the big companies fight for space in the food line. We have come a long way folks, lets let it run its course. The government will want to raise taxes, don't forget this. All this stuff bothers me...

...but so do the black toenails that I have incurred by doing cross this year. It seems the shoes I have are a bit lacking the optimal form for running. So every time I dismount my bike, my toes slam against the front of the shoe, damaging the cuticle. It looks like black toe nail polish. I wear it like a scar, a momentum of pain. I like my black toes, I suppose. It is the shoes that piss me off.

So there is some candy for you. Throw away the wrapper.

Roadhouse Blues, Doors

I would say this video is a little troubling. I am a big Doors fan and Roadhouse Blues is one of my favorites. But lets just say ole Jimmy had a thing for over indulgence and apparently, the law.

One side note. The harp player on the 1970 (top 50) song was John Sebastian (G. Puglese), yes, of Welcome Back Kotter fame. And there you have it.

Faust Bubba

Darn, hard course again. I certainly don't take pictures well in these conditions. Still in the back half of the back half. I think that my training pretty much sucked this year to make the crossover. I had no muscle tensioning or power training at all this year. Just rolling MTB stuff. I should have dropped the pounds too, racing a good 8 pounds over what I should be right now and it shows. I reckon next year will be the ticket since we have the new look coming out. Next year starts now. I suppose I will continue to climb up in the ranks in the "b's. But guys like Billh and Boz, KJones (absent), Mark Haslet, Rich, Reese, Meitz, Dodd, Mortimer...they all have game, hell they used to make up the "b" race a few years back.

I did have decent-er race than last week. It was good to see Brian Adams from GORC (Dogfish kit), he is one baddass on the MTB and I am certain that he was suffering from the same thing. In cross there is simply no recovery, you have to hammer the entire time, below maximum heart rate. Going over means it's too late. For the first couple of races during the season, that is what happens. He and I went back and forth for most the race until I pooped less than he and I got a gap on him. Scott Mortimer, that sonabitch, he popped early and recovered with super juice to pass me on the second to last lap, he looked real good. I like mixing it up with Scott in both MTB and cross. I am a little worried now, I think he knows how his system works. I think he could be really good at this. Boz was getting reeled in a bit towards the end. I didn't have enough to get up to him for a sprint finish, we were both ready to get off the course. He rode a good race, trying to get Murphy in sight, which I never did past lap 3.

Nope, I still got some work to do. Looking forward to a good training ride today and on Wed. with Kaspar. I am thinking things will start heading forward after this weeks race...or not.

A Salute to Berrymen

It goes without saying that I missed an epic journey. I elected to do the cross race at Faust with my new frame instead of doing last weeks re-con of the BT Epic. I am saddened by how tired these guys looked upon completion. There must be better fitness to be had amongst them. There must...

Tired souls.

Larry "Doc" Mathews Dies

An absolute shame. The passing of "Doc" Mathews was is an absolute blow to the community for which he had taken such a part in making a better place. I am in shock that someone so vibrant and filled with life can be taken so suddenly. He will be missed by everyone whom he ever came in contact.

Doc Mathews, as we called him at Lindenwood, and I presume at Parkway West High School prior to becoming Assistant Professor at Lindenwood University, was a huge inspiration to me when having to take statistics, returning to school at 40 years old. It was he who made it such a joy to return to school after years of being out of academics. I had never even finished algebra in high school, but he guided me and the rest of our class on a journey to "getting it", as he said we would, most of us intimidated by the concepts that we would need to embrace. He was an absolute brilliant communicator and teacher, simplifying that which most of us would try and over-complicate. I remember several things that he passed on to us. One being when making a presentation: "tell them what you want to say, say it, and then tell them what you just said!". This has stayed with me for a long time.

He made learning logical, his gift. His humor injected that which we all could relate, yet his standards of teaching were impeccable.

Our hearts go out to Tag and the rest of the Mathews family.

Natalies 17th Birthday

It was Natalie's choice for dinner last night to celebrate her 17th birthday and she chose Vin de Set one of our towns best restaurants and place to be seen and go scene. There is a view of the arch from the roof, where we sat, outside with all the pretty people. My girls were the best bay-bage, as I am sure you can agree.

So I rewarded my self with this piece of major cand-ay from Matt at Mesa Cycles. I wanted one on a whim and looky here, one of those team reples... maybe I will do better.

Fall Ride

Sckuck wanted to do a road ride and Thrasher had to feed the chickens so we went out and hammered some hills. Not sure where everyone else is. Since I am racing this morning, I thought I would keep the pace strong for an hour then back off. I was feeling pretty OK. Eric said he seemed a little off...usually the case when I am pulling. I am pretty sure I am back to form but need to see how today goes at Faust Park. I ended up with a bunch of miles, bailing on the rest of the hills and taking a sustained time trail tempo all the way home. Nice day for a road ride.