all over the country...

all over the country people are throwing gear filled bags in their cars and loading bikes onto their racks
all over the country people are fueling up with caffeine and carbs
all over the country people are getting ready to race their cyclocross bikes
but not me...
no sounds of cowbells
no threat of vomit coming through a smile as I cross the line

as much as I love cyclocross
cyclocross season is my off season
after months and months of sunday's spent riding and racing mountain bikes
sundays are now losing the focus of the bike
back to focusing on the family and the house

not to say that I ever neglected my family or my house
okay... my yard is a less than manicured garden and the list of little home repairs is a tad lengthy
but I never neglected my family

I just shuffled things so that I could fit in a race or two a month
now with fall soccer games kid's birthday parties it is tough to schedule time on the bike

without the objective of the weekend race
the post work rides are also suffering
work has had me working late and long
while the days are getting shorter
there have been far fewer post work rides that would constitute work outs
this has become my seasonal routine


there are elements of mental and physical fatigue
my legs are tired
my ambition is low
it is somewhat healthy to turn it down and draw it back
in some ways give into my excuses

it always saddens me that the cyclocross season is so short
perhaps it is not so short for this cast of characters that are racing every weekend from mid-September thr
ough mid-December
but for the cyclocross dabbler like myself I am often refreshed and ready for more by mid-December


this weekend members of the mountain bike club I race with is gathering to work on the cyclocross course for a race we are hosting later this month
yes... DCMTB is hosting DCCX at AFRH later this month
our second year hosting a cyclocross race in the District of Columbia

it should be an exciting day of cyclocross on a fast flowing course with an assortment of classic challenges

last night I drempt...
I drempt that I finally fixed my Specialized Tri-Cross
but not only did I fix this bike with the missing brake boss
but I also customized it with a set of riser bars

this modification changed my riding... took me from the back of the pack and shifted me to the front
surprisingly enough my dream did not put me on the podium

it did not even have me kissing the podium girls
it just had me riding and racing with an intensity closer to my mountain bike intensity
rather than the back of the pack chug-a-lug that I experience with my current set up


this flat bar cross bike has been a day dream of mine for a few years now
trying to match up seat height and body position with that of my mountain bike has been suggested by fast family members and fast friends
earlier this week Jonathan of the Family Bike Shop retold his tale of success on the cross bike with his new set up... a flat bar single speed cross bike
maybe that is the direction I need to head?

here it is sunday morning...

waking up with my coffee
waiting for the city of New Orleans to wake up around me
my wife lisa reads her book, my boys dean and grant play some Nintendo DS, and I blog
soon we will all get dressed and start our day
bike rental was an option that went through my mind
but I fear there is still enough to do on foot that we do not need to mount up on the bicycle during our short pass through this southern city

so no bike for me today...
no cyclocross race
no ride around town
maybe the zoo or maybe the aquarium
but no bike

as much as I love to experience a new and different city on the bicycle
there is not always time
still in New Orleans for a long weekend
a long weekend that is going to occur without a bike