home...

When we landed in Denver yesterday it was 47 degrees & bright sunshine, we had to walk out on to the runway to board our little puddle jumper to Omaha. It felt great!

Omaha an hour later...11 degrees, overcast, & windy:(

Right now, minus 5. Son-of-a.....

Later,

TK

kababa...

day 2...

Quiet day today, only Brad Cole of KCCX & myself were lining up. Brad doing the SS race & me doing the 45-49.

Weather totally cooperated, topped out around 40! By my go time, 3:30, the course was pretty good. Still icy in spots but a lot better than yesterday. I lined up 3rd row by virtue of being the first Cat 2 registered & staying up into the wee hours of the morning due to SBO's meltdown. TP stayed with me in the grid to take my jacket & keep me motivated, thanks bro.

I'll get right to it...I had a really good race. 18th, finally a top 20 at Nats on my 5th attempt. I had 16th but wiped out on the freaking last lap & gave up 2 spots, whatever. I'll get over it but its fresh in my mind at the moment.

Wood-man & Craigio rocked the pits for me, thanks guys! A big hug from Matt T. at the finish was awesome. Thanks Marshall & the KCCX crew for everything!

Matt & Nate race the 35-39 tomorrow @ 2:15, 2 to 4 inches forecast tonight with another 1 to 3 tomorrow. TP goes for the title at 8:30 am, we'll be there!

Oh yeah...Kababa, a middle eastern restaurant owned a former Lincolnite Eric Layden. One of those dining experiences you don't want to end. Food was that good. If you ever get here, go here! I'm hoping we go back before we leave.

Close the books on my '09 CX season. Time to turn my attention sweet gravelly goodness:)

Later,

TK

greetings from oregon...

Day 1...

yep it was pretty cold. you know its cold when the course workers are using a big construction drill to penetrate the ground to put in the stakes. I think the day peaked out at around 22 degrees but it was clear & the winds were mild. Bend had around 4 inches of snow this week so its both super-cold & the ground is covered with snow.

Matt T & Wood-man raced at 11:00 am & it was about 11 degrees. Something new for the B races this year, they determined the start positions by lottery. Probably the fairest method...if it goes your way. Matt was mid pack-ish & clawed his way up to a 9th place finish. Wood-man...back row baby! Didn't matter though, he pulled off a shinanigan-filled 16th. Nice rides boys!

TP & my race was the last event of the day, 3:30 pm. The course was slick to start and then out and out icy by the half-way point as the sun dropped behind the mountains. Probably a little late to start a race this time of year in the mountains but whatever. Oh yeah, the lottery system...TP & I were back row. I'm talking about dead last. It was actually kind of comical as we looked at the sea of guys on the grid in front of us. Not a position I'm too familiar with.

I'll cut to the chase...TP went back to front & got 3rd!!! Myself, I fought my way up to 20th. It was just pass, pass, pass & then pass, pass, pass some more. I had a good time. Call it a practice race. I've got my 45-49 today. 3:30 again, whatever:)

Craigio had a run in with a course stake that ended his race before it really even got going. The crowd didn't even have a chance to grab the dollar bills he safety-pinned all over his jersey.

Supposed to get up to freezing today, bring it on! Snow/rain tomorrow?

Later,

TK

bend...

Parents arrived from CO yesterday to stay with the dogs, el toro for supper, wood-man & beth had the same notion, flying out today in this crappy weather (I hope). I'll update from Oregon when I can.

Later,

TK

home turf...

After 2 years on the East coast Nationals came to our backyard in '07. Well KC that is, were down there racing all the time anyway, I consider it our backyard. With it came an ice storm leading up to the event which entombed the trees & venue. Locals, that includes me, knew the course from a lead up event a few weeks earlier. Big difference though was that it was bone dry & super fast for that preview event.

Thursday's 40+ B race was the warmest day of the weekend & probably the best conditions. It was muddy & frozen at times but the real damage hadn't been done to the course yet.

I turned a 2nd row start into a 2nd place finish, Patrick Morissey from NM was at least 25-30 seconds up the road & I never could close the gap. I caught a whiff of the coveted Sandbagger National Championship but the top step eluded me this year. Darren Cheek from Breckenridge is the other dude on the podium.

Didn't race on Friday, my 40-44 was scheduled for Saturday. The sloppiest, muddiest, course destroying event of the weekend was the 45-49 event Friday afternoon. It was the last race of the day & it had warmed up enough so that the course was a disaster. This race set the stage for the weekend, Friday night the temperatures plummeted & the deep ruts carved by the 45-49's froze solid. Saturday's racer's were greeted by a nearly unrideable surface. Early on the muddy ruts were still a bit pliable but as the day wore on & it got colder & started to snow, everything froze rock hard. By the time I raced, if you want to call it that, it was ridiculous. Snow was coming down & your bike just went wherever it wanted as your wheels jumped from rut to rut. I was running Mud 2 clinchers & I can't believe I didn't flat. I was taking bikes every lap because the braking surfaces on my wheels were so iced over. Easily the most defeating part of the course was a big water hole you had to ride through every lap. The pond was created by water from the bike wash truck flowing down the hill onto the course. So every lap you had to ride through this big water hole which soaked your already freezing feet & iced over your brakes. I can't remember what race was after mine but they removed the water hole from their race.

I survived...

May not have time to post an '08 recap but maybe.

Later,

TK

do over...

You don't often get do overs in life. '05 in Providence was a huge learning experience. The conditions dictated every aspect of our time there. Wet, cold, frozen, sloppy to throw out a few terms. '06 was a rare opportunity for the above mentioned do over. Same venue, but what a difference! Weather in the 50's & dry the whole time we were there. See below: short sleeved skin suit, yep it was nice. (photo credit FOG).

I ran into Marshall at the Chicago airport, we hooked up again once we got there, built the bikes up real quick & headed for the venue. Same 7 mile journey as last year but not crappy weather. I'll call the ride a tour through urban Providence. We got to the course around 3 or 4 & jumped on for a pre-ride. It was awesome! So this is what the course looks like, it looked vaguely familiar from last year but it was dry & fast. They didn't change anything, why should they? Everyone felt like they hadn't seen this venue yet.

40-44 race I was in the 16th, 17th, 18th row? I can't rememeber but it was way back there. I clawed my way up to a 19th place finish, ok...

35+ B race...again way back there. Marshall was in the row right behind me, the 2 of us blasted around the course on a mission to pass, pass, pass. Marshall grabbed a 7th & me a 9th. We had the lead group in our sites, maybe 10 seconds up the road. Another lap & we would easily have made it to the front. That was a lot of fun. I remember passing like 30 guys on the first corner after the start & then diving into a left hander by the pits & passing another huge chunk of dudes. The ground was crazy tacky & my tires were sticking like glue. At one point Marshall took a creative line & blasted through some kind of barbecue pit instead of taking the established line. Too much fun...definitely a do-over:)

My roomates...

Don't mess with this guy...

Bill & FOG representing...

I'm jealous you folks throwing down in Portland today...Midwest in the house! Good luck guys, kick some...

Later,

TK

confusion...

I think I'm getting ready for Nationals next week? My bikes & gear left Monday so I've had to alter my training. Road bike is on the trainer, super-cold outside, legs are a bit sore from riding a different bike.

I was trying to dig up some photos from Providence, RI 2005 but I can't find any. That was my first Nationals. We rode 7 miles in a heavy snow to get to the venue on Day 1. When we got there the course was invisible due to the blanket of fresh wet snow. By the time my 40-44 race started it had stopped snowing but about half way through it started to rain. When I finished it had started to snow again with a stiff wind. I hurried to this expo tent & changed from my soaking wet riding clothes into my damp street clothes, sucked! Marshall's 35-39 race was next, by this time it was a full on blizzard. Wet snow was blowing really hard, horizontally. He made it like 10 minutes & wisely raced back to the same expo tent. People trickled in over the next hour frozen & hypothermic. Not good. Hardly anyone finished that race.

The course froze solid overnight & the next day it was a maze of frozen ruts, think Saturday @ KC '07 & you'll get the picture.

I'm not sure if I had a good time that year, more like a survive the weekend attitude.

Thanks to the Team X crew for taking me in that weekend, great crew to roll with.

Here's a random shot from Lincoln CX...its a cool picture of Mark & I dueling, but my favorite part is Mod lurkin' in the background:) Photo credit goes to Jeremy Cook, don't know ya but thanks.

Good luck to the boys in Portland this weekend, looks like there going to have good weather. Forecast for Nationals the following week...not so good. Rain & snow, whatever.

Later,

TK