Back in the swing, in my opinion.

How most of the world views a short jew.  No wonder nobody recognizes me!

Hi blog, how are you?  Good, good, great to hear. 

The activity of blogging as a cyclist is unique, at least for myself.  When things are going good, I can't shut up.  But when things are going bad, I can't bring myself to write.  Maybe it's because I don't want to sound like I'm down, or upset.  Or maybe it's because I'm embarassed for plating up a big pile of poop at the races, ha!  

At any rate, things haven't been going all that bad, and lately I've been starting to feel the spark come back on the bike.  The spark I seemed to lose in Texas earlier this year when I found myself hitting the deck at a race, then puking multiple times on the trip back home (NEVER eating airport food EVER again.....EVER.).  That trip seemed to set in motion the old allergy/cold cycle for the next few weeks, which consumed my planned rest period.  I then stubbornly continued training again for Sea Otter, which was to be my last result on which I would petition for a world cup start at Windham.  In short, FAIL.  No World Cup for me, but where I lost the hope of a spot at the start line, I gained the realization that I needed to pay more attention again to my training and rest.

Practicing my ninja stealth by sneaking up on dragonflys.

So how did I set things straight?  It started with a week off the bike, followed by a few days camping/hiking down in Shenandoah National Park with Erin & Tealy (My girls!).  Now THAT hit the spot!  I immediately felt the positive affects of the rest, and set out with a renewed vigor to my training.  I raced a new event (to me), Dominion Riverrock in Richmond, VA, which I HIGHLY recommend, then went back to my roots with a ride through southern Michaux State Forest with an awesome group, led by my old friend Travis.  He still makes me look silly in those rock gardens.

Testing a new tent indoors.  I napped in it for a bit.

Coming up, I have the bulk of my racing schedule.  It starts off with the Massanutten Hoo-Ha this weekend, then I'm off to Colorado for the next stop in the ProXCT series.  I'll still be racing at Windham, but only at the 'Race the World' event on Sunday, and in between Colorado and Windham, I plan on heading to the Neshaminy M.A.S.S. race.  The Neshaminy race has a special place in my heart, as it was the first race I ever competed in.  I'd be stoke to notch up a 'W' there, and if my form continues to improve, I just may pull it off.

New bling-bling squish from RockShox, to be abused at a race course near you!

Ok, this post has gotten waaaay too long, so I'll end this one and hopefully see you at one of the awesome events coming up.  

Cold, wet, and anxious

Wow, I actually look like a bike racer in this picture!

Wowee wow! After a slew of hot days on the bike, the last two were a little shock to the system, especially today. 4 hours of cool wet miles left me begging for a hot shower and a soft pillow. Starting to come back around now, while watching the Philly International Cycling Championship on TV.

While all those silly roadies were out doing laps around Philthadelphia, beating themselves to death up 'The Wall' and Lemon Hill, I was flogging myself down in Delaware at the Iron Hill Challenge. Not my favorite race, due to its lack of vertical and absence of technicality, but since I've been on good form and improving week-to-week, I was more motivated to toe the line than normal.

I'm pretty sure this is early in the race, as I don't look disheveled.......

As I alluded to at the start of this post, it had been rather warm until recently. Sunday's race day weather was no exception, and being in Delaware it added high humidity to the mix, creating a soupy feel to the atmosphere. I'm pretty darn sure everyone there felt like cold poop on a bent twig, myself included, and excitement at the race start was at a minimum. That is, until the race director told us during the instructions/announcements that the race would end early if there was lightning (there was the possibility of thunderstorms on the day). The collective field of Elite/Expert riders sent their prayers to the heavens for this to happen, but alas the weather held firm.

The beginning of the race was a blur, with lots of elbows and jockeying that made my mangina cramp and I ended up hitting the singletrack in the middle of the Elite/Open field of 30 riders. I sat in for a few as we bypassed the 'Mega Dip' and the normal mid-pack accordion affect did its job of annoying the bejeebus out of me. Once we hit the first real uphill, I saw my opportunity and took off in pursuit of the leaders, whom I unfortunately never caught. But I had a fun time trying, and ended up 4th on the day.

A rare look at my pain face. I try hard to hide it, but it was hard on Sunday!

Gonna go watch me some Flyers hockey action on the tube, hopefully the trails are dry enough tomorrow for some Belmont action.