The last Boulder Short Track occurred this past Wednesday. It was an absolute throw down. It was "double coupon" night...2x the points for your results so the field was HUGE. The course was the longest of the series with so many tight 180's it looked to suit me and my BMX background. You have to JAM out of those bends to get gaps on folks and it is all about the power output. I lined up next to Sager, Ward and Colby and virtually everyone wanted front row positioning so the front line was like 25 people large (about 15 -20 in the row behind) and all trying to hole shot into a much smaller space.

Becker yelled 3,2,1 go! and it was like a full on motocross start. Braaaaaaaaaaaaaap! Chaos! Dudes bumping, crashing....i literally had my head down and elbows out...not to take people out...but to protect myself! I navigated through the chaos and didn't win the hole shot but was safely in the top 6-8 (I will not be keeping this phat position for long...). Things bottleneck up on 1/2 the first lap into those above mentioned 180 degree sections. Brady Kappius comes flying by me trading paint in this corner and we all back up. I hop off, 'cross style and run as do some other dudes and jump back on. So many dudes on such a tight spot. Crazy! So as the attrition sets in, lap after lap. I am trying to figure out how I feel. I am going SO HARD it is incredible. I am getting near what I put out in CX (not there yet) so am averaging about 172 with spikes at 180. This said, I felt almost sick on the last 2 laps. Literally like "Man, I better stop and sit down" sick. Crazy. If I could graph the night, it's something like this:
So I finished up totally spent, like 24th, worst personal result but still smiling and satisfied where the body is going. Totally different than last year and years prior. I think I was in the mid 20's overall in the A's having done 4 of the 8 races. This husband/daddy/worker can't complain! These mo-fos are FAST!

So as I write this, my reminder pops up like it does every Friday for me at 8AM MST. It makes me smile. It gets my juices flowing for Belgium. My plans are coming together. I got good news yesterday I'll share when 100% confirmed but as it relates to where I'll be staying for the 10 days in Belgium, it'll be total PRO style! Think Transitions2. Dreaming....

So, my Sinsei, Joe Ball....the man partly responsible for making me 'cross crazy long ago...sent me a note off line to my post below related to Jan Wiejak. Fascinating history! Joe, hope ya don't mind!:

Keller,

I checked the link on Jan's name as I wanted to see what was out there in internet-land on him. I noticed that the results for 1988 are not correct as that was the first year Jan won the Men's title. I was present in Plymouth, MA to witness the race and the opening of a rather large can of whoop ass!! I had thought I had sufficiently blocked this memory but it as all coming back to me. I am not sure if I ever told you this story. I am shivering as I write this . . .

A snow storm blew in the night before the races and dumped 6 inches of snow and ice on what would have been a great course. It super cold and windy. I did not finish the junior race as a stump I did not see under 6 inches of snow took me down and "taco'ed" my front wheel. I was trying to pass a lapped rider while three of us were trying to catch Jonas Carney, McCormick and Julich. OK, I am back . . . .

Jan had only came to the US in the summer of 1988 as he defected from Poland. He and his wife and child spent something like 8 weeks in a refugee camp in Italy (I think) while my coach was trying to get him asylum in the US, so he had just gotten his green card. I mention this because we had not received approval from USCF (USA Cycling back then) until about 5 or 10 minutes before the start of the men's race!! We were there a day or two before to prepare and see the course and he was all warmed up and waiting on the line for the start but did not know if he was going to be allowed. I remember us seeing the official walking over with Jan's license and all his paper work and saying, "I just got the final word . . . . . he can race!!" So we are so psyched and then I realize , shit he actually has to race in this stuff . . . .hey, great news Jan, good luck . . . . He nods not really paying attention . . . no matter, he does not understand what I just said anyway.

The race blasts off in typical fashion and about five guys including Jan are out front as the they come through the first lap. This is how the race goes and by 4 to go I think there was only 2 or 3 guys with Jan. I am not sure of the guys he was with, but I must have been Myrah, Paul Curly and McCormick maybe. With 3 to go Jan is trying to make a move. We are around the start/finish where you can see about 3/4 of the lap. Jan ups the pace and then attacks going in to the technical section (where the stump took me out) and they are out of our sight. It is like the black-out time in the Apollo 13 movie and we don't know what's going on and then we see Jan come into sight as he hits the final stretch and he is flying with a good gap on the guys. He comes by the start/finish the can of whoop ass is fully open and he no longer holding the hammer (as in he dropped it big time). He just keeps the pace and rides two more flawless laps to win by what I remember as 30 - 45 seconds, but could be more or less as it was 18 years ago. :)

I thought you might enjoy my trip down memory lane.

Photos by: Jonathan S. McElvery

So, if you're like me, you have about a zillion pairs of bike socks you don't wear any more and all piled away in a drawer. Many of them are invariably ankle panties they're so low, and you're avoiding them 'cause they're not hip any more. So, here's how you can revive 'em and get more shelf life out of your ancient Pedros socks making 'em all tall and PRO like.

Note, this works best with Defeet socks, but many socks are stitched just like these.

First, locate your once retired pair of socks:

Flip 'em inside out and stretch them like this to make the stitching more exposed:

Grab a set of shears and carefully cut the stitching. Be careful not to go through the other side!
Lastly flip 'em inside out and pull those babies on! You're now totally PRO!

When all else in the cycling world seems to be shitting the bed, I hear gems like this. My old team mate and Jr. squad rider on Rocky Mounts and current power house for Team Einsteins, Corey Collier, got the 'call up' from the big leagues. Health Net saw interest after his Joe Martin Stage Race exploits and has signed him. Not sure of terms but this is so solid. This is a guy who is so young. motivated, smart, CLEAN, focused...yet real. This is what gives me hope for next generations of cycling a la the Slipstreams and programs like Ben Turner's to make cycling real again. Not a synthetic twist of the brain.

Good on ya Cor!!!!!!

The 29'er project is moving along. Miguel, as all great engineers and designers are, is obsessing over the fine points. Very PRO. I think I will be going with the Reba Air for this. I have both Fox and Rock Shox on my other bikes and do not have an issue with either company (making reference to the religious debate over Fox having shite bushings and Rock Shox being like a noodle). The Fox 29'er is still too tough to get as it is in an OEM deal only with Trek through 08 some time. Bunk.

I'm really looking forward to getting this dialed. Got to sell some stuff (any one want a L Moots YBB frame?? Let me know before I throw up on eBay.) Love that bike but its time for me to get on big wheels.

Two words: holy crap. This is why we are not PROs. Christan Vandevelde is proving yet again why he's a freak:
Honestly, this is massively impressive. You should hit Dirk's blog for this article about Chritian yesterday at the TdF and link over to the TrainingPeaks site to check out the WKO files (if you have CyclingPeaks) to see his data. For a 155 pound guy (which Christian is), doing 415w for 5 minutes is off the charts. Tremendously difficult. I can 'also' do that (e.g. 400 + for 4-5 minutes). How? Doses of truckers speed and red bull chasers. No, seriously because I am 35 pounds heavier and just the application of that my 180lbs of Irish Fury to my pedals will raise the wattage....but it is the gravity/grade of hill that comes into play. Yup, power to weight. Sure I can do it, BUT I AM GOING 1/2 THE SPEED! For me to hang, beyond being doped, I'd have to be in the 550 to 600w range for that same duration of time which is crazy talk. This above is power to weight in action. Unbelievable.

Radio Freddy, you are my kindred soul blog but Beer Frites and Waffles is my evil twin blog. Good stuff. I'd give it an 8 of 10 for solid time wasting. Any human that could...

a) find a picture of Bart Wellens on a pair of panties
b) appreciate the fact he found or was part of the picture taking exercise of Bart on a pair of panties
c) is possibly the person in this picture NEAR the pair of panties with Bart Wellens on them being worn on the outside of an invariably drunk woman's pants

...is a sick kindred soul/evil twin of mine any day.

Friggin good.

'Cross on.

Colavita's Davide Frattini is staying at my hombre's Bobby's casa while training here in Boulder. Bobby just does stuff like this. You need something: Bobby offers. Unconditional. The universe gives you a big wet kiss, Bobby.

OK, so big deal. If you fart in this town, chances are a pro's gonna smell it there's so many here getting their training on. But what is so special about Mr. Frattini? Cross, baby. He's goin' Enrico Franzoi on us and waving the Italian flag at cross WK's and WC's. You go Davide. Homie pulled of a UCI win here in the states last year at the Verge in Beacon. Good times.

Do like Davide...and Not This.

Davide's got himself a bloggy blog as well. You go Davide. Welcome to zee Republic, Davide.

This little dude is as tough as nails. Maybe if he ate meat, he could develop some more power to hang with the Vervecken's and Pages of the world. Until then, his facial hardware and tattoos will have to suffice. I absolutely love this Cor Vos shot though grabbed from a great PezCycling article about young guns in the TdF.

If you get the chance and you are a Gadret fan, go to BobkeStrut and scope out his posts on John. Hilarious.