Florida Logic:
Try to hang with me on this, because it takes off from the station pretty quickly. Maybe scan through, get the album that I recommend. Look at a few pictures (while playing the album) and then start to really get into the meat of it. What else are you going to do?
Ready?
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Cue Rhinelander.
Rich Bravo sent me this morning. Not fair. Can I just come out and ask: What is up with Northwest Racing? A little mud is all I ask. Remember last year when we could barely push our bikes through that slop in New Jersey? Destroying all our bikes and we loving it. I do not have to even clean my bike (never did) anymore, it just stays clean.Why is it that I feel like I'm being cheated out of a cyclocross season?
One day of riding through the woods with Pals and then what on Sunday? Hammerfest through the a lung burning bone-shakingingly dry field of horseshit. Literally. Horse Shit. Everywhere. Just so you know the Granogue race is held on the Dupont Estate. No big deal, they just have someone else clean up their horse shit on an estate.
Hear me out before you get all antsy though.
I came out here to work on my mud game. The support out here for Cross is phenomenal, the races are fast as hell, and the fans some of the best that I've heard in the sport. But I'm telling you guys (Portland) we need to tighten up our game before the East Coast comes out here to, as they say, "wreck shop." The weather will be nasty by the time December rolls around right?
I'm just afraid that they're going be all lose and limber and agile from all the mud that they have been prancing through and we will not be able to keep up. These are the emotions that I wrestle with daily. Will I be able to keep up when the mud hits? Sigh.
Like this for example, loose, limber and he is practically prancing through the mud.
Both of these photos I borrowed from the NY Velocity website. Mo Bruno (2nd!) is looking fierce. Well as fierce as a sweet braided, mud covered Mo Bruno can look.
Pro's though, you can get some more of that over at Cyclingnews. Remember when we (I'm roping you into this one) went to that site every Monday to check the stories and standings of....well, bike racing. I needed facts this time.
Tim and Jeremy both won in Toronto.
Neils seemingly can't be stopped. But I am rooting for Stybar. Just sayin. The other interesting thing about these photos? Ankle weights anyone? Seems like maybe they are using some kind of Ankle Timing Chip on their non drive side leg. It must be tough to score those races over there. They are that fast. Welcome to the future.
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New Section: Been thinking about sound.
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Here is what to do for this next section. Or at least what I did and had a good time with. First get the song Duante v Armada by the band Cougar. Go on, I'll wait, it is an experience you are going to like. It starts quiet and then just kind of builds in a nice way for this...
The PDX Cross Gallery of photos from the day before sort of softened my cold east coast heart. in other words Seeing D. Sharp wearing Ray Bans kind of made my day. CD told me earlier and I just kind of willed the photo in front of me. Bam. There is was...
So, start with that one (#11) and then just go for it playing Cougar. There are some absolutely fantastic shots in there. And a great track to go with it. I mean, the guy throwing his child into the air? Are you kidding me? AMAZING.
Then I got to this shot. Molly walking away with her first ever Cross Crusade victory.
I would like to think of this shot as the decisive moment. The KO? The spot when it was apparent that this race had been won. (It is 2:58 into the song).Wha? Are you kidding me?
I even snuck into a photo myself. Someone should sign me up for some sort of a Fantasy Cyclocross game (who is in?) I will even tell you my top five pics for Nationals... (you know how this works right?).
D. Roth took some great snaps as well. Like ones of Shannon wearing nice socks. Or Steven Hunter crushing fools for a Top Ten finish.
