Disclaimer: Cross is for crazies. I like having an off-season. A lot.

So, Boulder cyclists love cross. Save the hotbeds on the northern parts of both coasts we’ve got about as many nuts as anywhere else. By mid-July people are already talking about getting out the cross bike (an issue that goes hand in hand with a local racing schedule that starts when you’re more likely to have snow than sun). The best thing about all this is the Wednesday AM cross ride. Getting going for an 8am start at the downtown Amante is a struggle for me but apparently not for most. There were probably 80-90 people out there today - and I guess that’s normal these days.

A pretty prompt roll out a few minutes past the hour and we head to one of the city parks for the first “race”. The ride leader (in a state of limbo apparently - email Pete@imba.com if you want to take over “responsibility”) designs a quick course, we all do a slow lap to get it down and then everybody lines up across a field and preps for the charge to turn 1. God help any poor pedestrian out walking their dog when they look up and see us heading straight at ‘em with a cloud of dust behind (we’re actually pretty considerate and give people a bit of a heads up). 20 minutes or so later the race is over, we all regroup and then head to park 2 for another dig. Some of the people who actually have jobs and can’t put off going in until a bit later head home after race 1 but there was still a solid 50+ rider group at the second session this morning. Impressive - or a bit telling about Boulder. Regardless, I’m home by 11 and done for the day…not bad. Except for those damn standing starts I have to do this afternoon…ugh…10.3 days to go.

Yeah, I’m lazy. It’s been a week since I’ve updated the site and I don’t really have a good reason. Sorry. So…

Trying to find results for Bermuda after stage two and having no luck? Check out the weather channel instead. Unfortunately as we were out fishing the morning of the second stage the race organizers decided to cut the race short and get us all off the island before Florence came in and smashed the place to bits. The 2nd stage was a 1k uphill TT starting by the water and finishing at the high point on the island beside the lighthouse. Menzies won, Huff was second, blah de blah blah. Tim Johnson somehow managed to pip me by .02 seconds (but as I PUMPED him the evening prior even though he beat me up the hill I was still 2 seconds up - SCHTAH!) and I ended up 2nd overall behind a chargin Russel Downing from DFL-Cyclingnews. After a quick awards ceremony and party at the lighthouse we headed back to the house to pack things up and head out to dinner. By this point in time it was well past dark and we motorpaced random scooters back to the house, for safety’s sake of course. I think the lady on the back of the 50 I was clinging to nearly shat herself - good times.
After a quick pack up in preperation for a far too early departure in the morning we headed down for dinner at a restaurant where Neil had arranged for that fish you saw below to be devoured. Wahoo sashimi was incredible, making the Tuna it shared plate space with pale in comparison, and the massive steaks were fresh as can be. Thanks Neil! After dinner we rolled downtown and watched Huff do a bit of table dancing in his cutoff (and continually more tattered) jeans. Eventually a mob of scooters tailed TJ and Lyne out to the Healthnet host house for some late night swimming, a farewell to Gord and Tim’s award ceremony of custom screened TJ Bermuda shirts - that guy goes all out. I would post a link to his website but he’s a slacker and it has recently died.

By Saturday afternoon I was home and Bermuda seemed far, far away. Fingers crossed that it’ll be on the schedule in the future…

A week has since passed and we’re now racing at the Parker Omnium, a first year NRC event in south Denver. A 7 mile TT started things off on Friday afternoon and yesterday was a 108 mile WINDY road race that blew to all hell. Guess who won? At altitude, in Colorado, hard race…Scott Moninger. He keeled us. Menzies was second,, making a Healthnet 1-2. Friedman was 3rd, I was 4th, and we’re sitting 4th and 5th respectively on the GC. Hopefully we can pick up some points in today’s downtown criterium and jump up a few spots. For a first year event there is some good cash on the line and it’s always good to make some… With all the fall wine offerings showing up I’m going to need to. An a related note it anybody is looking for a bike (size 55) or a condo to rent in Boulder starting in mid-november give a shout.

After two bonus days in Greenville at Casa Craig I finally made it to Bermuda. What a spot! I’ve heard for years about this being the perfect way to end the year (even though it isn’t for me, but…) and the stories are spot on. Still having a bit of trouble with the whole “wrong” side of the road thing though… This has got to be one of the most densley populated countries on earth; house after house after house, not a bit of unbuilt land to be seen. In a few hour ride one can pretty much cover the whole island and there is no better way to get to know a place than on two wheels. By the end of the week we’ll be locals. OK - tired, late, getting up early, more to come tomorrow.

Racing?: Gord Fraser in his last race ever had an unfortunate slide-out in one of the first turns of the race; I happened to be on his outside and went over the bars and landed squarely on top of him. Losing only a few bits of skin and getting a bit of a back tweak wasn’t too bad compared to Gord who we heard was hauled to the hospital. What a rough way to go out. Fingers are crossed that he isn’t too badly hurt and can at least enjoy a few days in the sun. Nothing like some salt water to help wounds heal:). By the end of the race things had split up a bit with Russel Downing from DFL-Cyclingnews off the front solo and a small chase group of four 15 seconds or so behind that I’d tagged. Tim Johnson made a good jump on the last hill and I clung to his wheel, barely coming around him at the line for 2nd. Tomorrow is a 1k uphill TT, but more importantly an 8 hour fishing trip leaving at 6am. Time to crash…er, sleep.