best crash...

Super Bowl Sunday, 2-7-10. This was actually my 2nd crash of the day, first was an easy slide to a stop in the snow & ice a couple hours earlier. The one pictured below, picture credit to c-bread, was the real deal. You can see my path as I caught an icy rut & was slam-dunked to the deck, left wrist first. I'm bellowing in agony as this shot was taken. It took months before my wrist was right again.

You might argue that my DK carnage should be the crash of the year, but that was just blood & missing skin. The Super Bowl Sunday pile drive wins easily on the pain & discomfort scale.

Later,

TK

more...

haven't gotten tired of it yet...

best of con't...

best of oh-ten...

and I leave you with this...

...the run. Maybe macaroni was bringing me luck...bad luck.

I really can't remember any particular spectator comments during "the run" but I do remember most of them being supportive. A CX crowd feeds on suffering.

Later,

TK

so now what...

fizzle...

...many words could describe yesterday's season finale, but fizzle is about spot on. My 5th row start position & the anticipation of a 45 minute slug-fest in the slop had my mental state, I'll call it...unhealthy. I was in full on "lets get this shit over" mode.

I guess it's only fitting that I flatted a rear tubular half-way through the 6 lap event. So instead of riding my bike through the muck I was forced to run with my bike for about a 1/2 mile. I may have been ready for the season to be over, but that didn't mean I was going to go down with out at least trying. The jog to the pit seemed to take forever. Down a paved section, through a back and forth section in the muddy grass (which included a big muddy water hole), over the flyover, more muddy grass, up the stair feature, more muddy grass, up the finish straight with Richard Fries yelling over the PA that I was experiencing difficulty, through turn one, & finally the pit with Nate & Mod waiting with my pit bike which was way past due for new brake pads.

My reward for this effort...1 more lap & the official pulling me with all the other back-markers. I was on my way back through the field but my day was done, guilty by association...fizzle. 60th out of around 112, whatever.

Frankly, I wasn't really moving up that fast before the flat. What would have happened over the last 3 laps if I hadn't flatted...I guess we'll never know. I do know I'm leaving here with a chewed up knee, bruised ribs, & a sore hip:)

What now? Mod finishes up this morning in the massive 40-44 category & Nate this afternoon in the 35-39. Right after Nate's, actually Mr. Bonsall is in Nate's race riding one of my bikes, we head for Portland & then home early tomorrow!!!!


Signing off...

Later,

TK

TP is first on the schedule this morning, shooting it out with Tilford (and others) for the 50-54 championship.

A beat down...

...had fun yesterday with the 40+ B Race, slopped & crashed my way to a 4th. Today's TT for tomorrow's staging went really well if you exclude the high speed icy decent crash. Pulled myself back together & limited the time-damage as best I could. Sore, a few more cuts but pissed more than anything. Probably cost myself "a row" for tomorrow. Whatever, season's over tomorrow & I'll give it all I got:)

Later,

TK

Snow...

...and now rain. Rolled into Bend around 1:00ish yesterday & headed to the venue to check things out. A couple inches of snow is covering everything like last year but the big difference is it's 20-25 degrees warmer, temps are in the upper 30's to lower 40's. We ended up walking the course, a bit longer than last year's version but very familiar. Definitely not as icy though as last year, just going to be sloppy with the rain that's falling now.

Next stop was # pickup & then headed for the TT site. I didn't know when/if I was going to have a chance to pre-ride this venue so I wanted to check it out. Nate & I got bikes out & slid through a snowy lap. If you're unaware what I mean by TT course...we will be lining up for our championship race based on lap times at this alternate venue. If it goes well...the system worked:), if it doesn't...The problem I see is the conditions will be constantly changing, it's not a "level playing field", too many variables involved in your one all-important lap. I don't have the solution, just commenting.

Today Nate & I are doing the B races, he goes first. Basically gives us a chance to ride the course at race speeds before the main event. Last year your start was determined by lottery, as I think about it...the TT lap on that snowy site may be just as much a lottery in itself.

Later,

TK

ck...

Yesterday was another nice day in Portland. More good coffee, food, & a journey around town on bikes. Ended up hooking up with a Chris King factory tour hosted by Jay Sycip. Sweet operation. Chatted about gravel events with the marketing director Chris Distefano who already had Gravel Worlds on his radar for events to watch in 2011. Cool? Weird for sure?

Industry tour continued with our annual visit to the Castelli offices & then a dusk rush hour ride back to our night's lodging.

Headed out for more coffee & food now then start the journey to Bend.

Later,

TK

Sometimes I forget...

...how much fun this can be. Why was yesterday fun? I actually felt like I was racing. Course had dried out a bit more, it was a little more technical, & I had the right air pressure. I feel like Saturday, to compound my general flatness, I ran to low a pressure on the soft course & it just made a bad day worse.

Finished 8th & I'm super-stoked about it. It was fun as hell. Fought it out the whole race with Daniel Casper from MN & a cat named Tom Feix from SF. Casper bested me but I held off Mr. Feix.

I locked up my 4th place in the series, podium was not really a possibility after so-so results in L-ville & FoCo. If I'd fallen apart yesterday Casper could have snuck in with a high finish...maybe.

TP rode to a solid 4th both days & locked in his 2nd place overall. Great job man!

Wood-nuts also enjoyed the beautiful day Sunday rocking to a 26th, improving 19 spots from Sat., while having way more fun doing it! Mod struggled with an uncharacteristic bout with cramps & had to pull the plug early.

What's next...spending one more day in Portland & cruise down to Bend tomorrow. Racing on Wednesday, TT on Thursday, & race again on Friday. Heard that they had another foot of snow there Saturday night to add to the piles they've already had over the last week.

Finally raining here this morning, more Portland like I guess.

Huge thanks to Nate & Emily Meschke for the housing! Great folks with a great vibe.

Later,

TK

Day one...

...hard to describe. Course wasn't particularly muddy with the exception of a couple spots but just soft enough everywhere that I never felt like I could get rolling. At one point I t-boned a guy who got sideways in a corner & a lap later hit the deck in the same corner. I wish I could blame those gaffs for my 15th place but no power is the real culprit. Was I having fun? Not particularly, but it wasn't a nightmare. Still holding on to my 4th place in the series but still have to "show up" today so as I don't give it away.

I wasn't the only one struggling in our merry band...Mod fought for a 21st & Nate for a 45th in their race. Tough day.

Today's the last day of the 2010 USGP...I saw them rerouting the course through a super- muddy section of the MX track. Should be fun?

Later,

TK

green...

...yeah you can tell I don't fly to much. Wi-fi on the plane, damn! About 30 minutes from Portland with wood-nuts sitting next to me hammering away on his iPhone also. Sun shining at 40k, hope it's this nice on the ground. Suspect it's a tad warmer down there.

here we go...

...5 races in 7 days (I'm counting next Thursday's seeding TT as a race).

Am I ready? Hmmmm?

I'll post when I can.

Later,

TK