Xs? Exes? X's?Xses? I dunno...

Geez, this is the morning of my ex lovers. People I have not seen in months and years are just pouring in the coffee shop! I can't get away from them! I guess that would be near impossible, seeing as I have done it to half of Portland...

At least I don't feel as yucky as used to when I would run into them. Y'know, like love and hate put in a blender, a little confusion added in for flavor. When I like someone, I like them really hard and when it ends, it really hurts. Well, most of them like babies and, I'm not a fan. I read a Chris Horner interview a couple days ago, did'nt he have a girlfriend and a kid and then it kinda fell apart because he wanted to pursue his racing? Babies will do that. Tear a perfectly healthy relationship asunder. Make you cross the finish line with a pacifier in your mouth or rocking the cradle.

Or not. Okay, okay, I'll give props to all the working class moms and dads out there. Especially the bike racing (and bicycle making) ones. It is hard enough racing bikes, harder still to manage time for a family, I would'nt know, I barely have the time to date one person!

Speaking of which I had a double date last night, we watched The chronicles of Narnia. Mediocre. Pete and I were cracking up the whole time. And the religious kids in the theatre were hilarious. People were praying after the movie and the entire row in front of us was like a bible study group or something.

There was heated bible discussion. I'm always amazed when I am at a coffee shop and hear a great heated discussion going on and then I realise that they are discussing scripture. I'm like, "dudes!" c'mon, it is like arguing about comic book heroes. I mean, Wolverine totally could have survived that. It is all make beleive, and it is soooo old.

Oh well, people are weak and need something to give thier lives meaning.

I guess for me it is cycling, and that is just about as silly as the Xmen. Or the bible. Hey, the Batman movie was really entertaining by the way. Oh god. Go see Grizzly man or anything else by Werner Herzog.

Now.

Trying to figure this Flickr thing out.

Photos.

For KEX1140 AM about our upcoming race this Sunday. We are putting on what I think is going to be Oregon's final race of the year. I'll let you know when that is going to be on the air.

Found a Photo from USGP #3. I head that Shannen and I were of the few people riding that after the race thinned out! Vanilla is so tough...

Nationals is over and I am glad. I guess I am pleased with top 30. Barely.

More soon...

I think they are still at it right now...

I had to leave man, the shit was getting crazy! My favorite part was Ryan trying to sell me some fake ass raffle tickets for a few dollars. he took my money and just started cracking up.

Christina from Crank Bros was there and they held a real raffle. Emily won a sweet pair of Candy Ti pedals! Then all hell broke loose. This horrible band fired it up and started jamming. I'm sorry "Human Shield", you are horrible. Fugazi tried the 2 drummer thing. It was OK. But for a mediocre Boston bar band, it just does not fly. But hey, the kids went nuts! There was the slutty couple in the middle freak dancing each other. Emily, Dan and I were losing our shit. It was too, too good.

We just could bring ourselves to leave. It was better than TV! Everybody was having a blast and us cynical punks were hiding out in the corner making fun of everyone, including ourselves.

Yikes!

Racing in what was likely the worst course conditions the entire weekend the elite women's race was awesome! Frozen ruts worn deep by the thousands of racers tearing up the course the last three days, slush, mud, slick snow, packed snow, churned up clay run ups, the elite women got the worst of it.

I was at the start to watch Katie Compton and Bridgette Stoick make brilliant moves up into the front of the race from the back rows. Rhonda Mazza is so tough and, Ann Knapp is an imposing figure on the line. Both of them looked focused, ready to win the national championships.

The pace in the first lap was furious! I think Katie just blasted to the front and stayed there. Ann came screaming through the pit area just hammering after her! I was hanging out at the Crank Brothers tent chatting it up and selling tshirts. The crowd had certainly thinned after 3 days of racing and it was truly thier loss. Katie Compton is such a big unknown factor and the other racers just could not keep her in reach. It is kinda crazy, just showing up and schooling people that you have not raced against for a year.

I happened upon Barry Wicks, feeling pretty dissappointed about his championship race. I let him know that there is nothing to be ashamed about and that everyone back home thinks the world of him. That kid is up there in every race. Finally met Geoff Proctor (USA national cross coach) face to face too!

Hung out with some ladies I met at a party last night, friends of Dan Action's. I skipped the elite cup race this morning and watched Todd Wells win again. Tonkin is on fire right now. Just tearing it up. We went to brunch and had espresso at White electric coffeeshop. Went back to Dan's house and made some really good dinner and I baked up some cookies. Then we headed over to the Crank Brothers party at the Black rep in downtown Providence to watch the pros get wasted...