Back in the day, say '99...maybe 2000... when I was racing the in California, I'd watch Carmen D'Aluisio rock it out in her races with this set of shoes which I LUSTED (note: most men would be watching her...here I am scoping out her shoes...). My bud Evan, fellow equipment weenie, clued me in: "Oh yeah man. Those are the Time World Cups. Total cult. Hard to get unless you're sponsored." And so, he was right. Extremely hard to get as a mere mortal. I searched and searched...but to no avail.

BUT, yesterday I swung by The Pro's Closet and what did my eyes spy in a box, hidden away on some lonely shelf? The glimmer of yellow made me walk towards their sheen and....alas TWO pairs of these bad boys! Then the let down for me: for 'little guy feet'...e.g. 41's. If you have boy-sized feet, I'd ABSOLUTEY suggest you snatch these up. Priceless shoes.

See the posting here on The Pro's Closet.

Indeed there is 'cross in Idaho! Our friends in Victor, ID are throwin' themselves a cross and it looks like a good'un! Click on the image below to navigate to their Blogspot to learn more!

Breck. I'm gonna open up the account up at elevation. Totally different year. Totally different plans. Totally different prep.

...Open/Pro races? Maybe. If I feel like it.
...35 Open Races? Maybe. If I feel like it.

Opportunism and smiles. Ride for glory. Not points. Get back to why I cross. This is the season and those are the reasons.

The changing leaves are getting me happy. The fam will be bringing their cowbells. With each ring, a distance from the pain we felt this summer will diminish. With each cheer of my boys, a celebration that we are still alive will increase. With each lap, I'll remember why I do this. With each heartbeat, I will remember that I'm trying to do the right things while here.

Game on.

GREG K NOTE: it is ALWAYS great to see a truck outside your house being loaded with a Beer Cooler on Google Maps Street View. Party attendees are sure to enjoy!

Come on over after the race and ruin some of that hard work and training you’ve put into this year’s cyclocross season the good old fashioned way with some beer, brats, and burgers.

Starts after the race, finishes when everyone is gone.

Mmm. Protein.

I'm sitting here fairly wasted tonight after the efforts this AM, a full day or work and then the clinic. So, I had to fire up the 2007 Baal and sit back with a Trippel. GOD, watching that DVD I am salivating over those courses....that time spent in the Motherland last year.

I want to go BACK. Something to look forward to.....

Wednesday Worlds was an absolute throw down. All the peeps came out to play. Timmy Faia and Darren drove down from Breck amongst others like Wardell, Paul Brooks, Jon Baker and of course my bro Pete PLO Lopinto. A GI-normous group of people. At least 70 strong. I felt a bit no-chain-ish today shockingly (guess i need to rest again...)...and as it came to pass....I blew my first session and most of my 2nd with a blown chain. First session was Elks and the rolling was super fun. Paco was on fire but Colby really threw it down on the rest.

We rolled from there to Boulder Research where we got our jungle course on and again rolled hard. I spun nicely and comfortably on a course Paco drew up with tons of run ups and fast power sections. Colby, Baker and I split pretty quick until I bent the chain AGAIN. But I got enough of the sensations to know that the more I rest between epicly hard training sessions, the better I am feeling.

On to the clinic: Again: BIGGER. Likely 70 people or more. Clearly not at the levels Portland is seeing for Tonkin's clinic (~165 people!) but we're getting bigger each week! Today we started getting more specific on getting comfortable with coming in hot and fast into barriers. I wanted to stress to the folks assembled that there is a simple mathematical equation to all this

ANY time those brakes are touched reducing momentum + poor fluidity through the barriers + the slow/clumsy remount + the 800 or so watts to re-bridge up to the guys who dropped you through the barriers 'cause they were smoother X 10 laps or so....and you are doomed. Fluidity, less brakes and confidence in your technique will take a guy who comes in 22nd to top 10 with the appropriate practice.

And we practiced that. Lots. Lots of speed, lots of barrier braking, some crashing...but ultimately lots of smiles and skills being honed. I LOVE this sport. I LOVE seeing people get stoked on their new skills. I LOVE teaching it.

Your coaches will be waiting for you at 5:50PM at BCS. Bring a cup of hup hup.

So after our regular early Sunday AM 'cross training ride, I swung by the house, grabbed my cowbell and camera and headed over to Foothills Park to snap some shots of Ben Turner's Cycle-Smart cyclocross clinic. He had a great turn out today and it was gorgeous for shooting photos.

I got to catch up with Danny and Brady as they spent their time working with Ben, Kerry Barnholt and of course Dubba to leverage their considerable experience in making the students smooth smooth smooth. Amazing staff to teach the folks who showed up who ranged in age from 89 or 9 to old dudes like me.

Anyways, some digital celluloid from today...

A gaggle of groms get their hup hup on.

Danny waxing poetic on the virtues of porting....

More grom action

Ben addresses the crowd

Oh cross, how I love thee. Let me count the ways....

The VC crowd is getting their hup on

Students....

...get instructed by some of the best including Clif's Brady Kappius.

Teaching 'cross at 5,560 feet.

Listening to every word....

The Clif Bar team...Boulder Chapter surrounding Junior World Silver Medalist, Danny Summerhill

Ben Turner. 05 'Cross Worlds Participant.

Dubba. 35 Masters National Champ.

Disciples.

So, I'll be mixing it up at Cross Vegas and I am absolutely pumped. But what makes it even more special is that it is one of my heros final dances. Frischi is retiring and will be racing Cross Vegas as his last goodbye to his fans and there'll be parties celebrating his unbelievable racing career. I am so stoked to be mixing it up. I'll try not to take him out. HA!

A delightful bouquet of carbon and sweaty saddle. Red's in the house....

OK, CLEARLY 'cross is growing off the charts. I think we had double the amount of people here at tonight's clinic that we had last week. INCREDIBLE! Again we had children, pro 1-2's AND national champions in our midst, all honing their skills to completely rip it this season. In fact, I even think some confidence is brewing on how the gauntlet is going to be thrown down, especially on other cross hotbeds in our big Nation. I hear PDX is in the cross hairs of a few Boulder 'crossers:

Ha! Kidding Chris D and our 'cross brethren in Portland. But seriously, watch your backs.

HA!

Today we had so many folks, Dubba, Matt Pacocha and I had to break the main group into roughly 3 groups of 15-20 and focus on individuals. Today, we re-capped our skills from last week, then broke into these groups and went deeper into the nuances. We capped it off with start drills. I damn near killed myself demonstrating fdast starts by blowing the chain right off my bike! Ha!

But all said and done, I am in LOVE with watching folks fall in LOVE with this sport.

Digital celluloid:

Dubba's new toy.

Challenge White Sex file treads.

Kabush: careful when you remount cause I think Dubba stole your seat.

Velonews was on staff shooting photos and video.

Only a section of the people who came tonight...I need a fisheye!

Yup. This is about family. SO good! Can't wait for my boys to hup it up