Hold it…hold it. Arrgh. My hand comes back down to my side after holding the ‘heavy’ bottle of shampoo in the shower…doing the PT work Ann Trombley prescribed for me to get this shoulder back to a state of respectable performance.

A shampoo bottle? ‘That ain’t heavy’  you may think. But it might as well have been an anchor for an oil tanker. Each day since Blue Sky Xilinx and the crash is the same thing: work the legs on my road bike until I am mentally satisfied they will carry me fast when I get back to racing followed by a shower and the shampoo bottle ‘workout’ to get the fascia around this sholder joint all nice and strong again.

The days now have turned into weeks and I am feeling infinitely better. My mobility is back and now pushing that shampoo bottle high above my head. Each day anticipating my return to the sport and back to having fun with my boys. Very rarely do you get an opportunity during the middle of a cross season to do base mile epics to throttle up the volume, but I recognized the silver lining this ‘downtime’ has brought and put in mile…after mile…after mile in the freezing morning air. On my own in the mountains or behind the bzzzzzzzzz of Frank’s moto. It was sweet pain. I finished up a great week of ‘soul’ riding with a cross epic…railing my Ridley over some of my favorite single track all the while my focus is on Ft. Fun. Weak starting position but I will be smiling wide to just be in the game again.

Cross Racing Week 7 was still fun however even if I wasn’t pinning a number on. I simply can’t stay away. All my friends are here! My good bud Aaron Bouplon and the Rocky Mounts team put on their annual race, Schoolyard Cross, at the Boulder Reservoir this year. It looked like a delectable course, yet another new variation on the now ‘staple’ of venues here in town. Aaron asked if I would pair up with ne of my favorite people in cycling, Dave Towle to co-announce the Open Women's and Men’s race. What an UNBELIEVABLE time and so much fun! I have an infinitely greater respect for what these professional MC’s do to keep the conversation moving the whole time. Dave simply knows EVERYBODY. He’s got this amazing repository of data in his head, calling out random facts on just about anyone who crosses his view. We had a blast and I was honored that Dave would let a hack like me take hold of a mic with him.

The weather is coming in, here in Colorado. It’s about time. The tire pressures will drop in syncopation with the falling mercury and wetter conditions. We’ll all get our chance to Sven-out on our favorite courses with the first dumping of cold rain and snow…just like today’s race in Ronse. Epic.

Hup diggity, buttercups. The snoticicles will be pouring from your noses soon.