It's a runner's course tomorrow folks, I predict my main baseball hat wearin' giant Erwin V is going to take the BK. Maybe I should exhale the binger as Eddy Nijs has torn the flesh off of every linving soul who's lined up this year against him, but methinks Erwin is ramping up to his usual late year form ramp up.

Vee shall zee....

I'm official! www.mudandcowbells.com is now a domain! It's currently mirrored to this blogspot but who knows what the future may bring.

In any event, it'll make your typing chores shorter.

So he lines up again today in Surhuisterveen . WTF. He said at St. Nik he'd line up today. Didn't someone get the memo that a suspected doper is lining up again today and would go on to take yet another top 10 (today placing one ahead of our boy Page).

Whatever. I promised I would not posture or opnionate on this blog, but WTF.

Oh my, oh my. The new Rock Lobster just got dropped off by Mr. UPS man. 3.3 pounds of Easton Ultralight. Not quite as light as the Scandium which was 3.14 lbs, but will end up about the same weight when built. As always, the dimensions are SPOT ON. Thanks Paul! It's great when one of the world's best frame builders can whip out your personal measurements and nail each frame identically each time. I'm still amazed by this process. Rad.

I went for the photo-negative colors of the black bike. I'm a geek, but it'll look hot. Essentially I'm going with the same set up for this bike with the following changes:

• Alpha Q CX 2 versus Alpha Q CX.
• FSA Carbon cranks and carbon guards versus Dura Ace and Wetzikon guards. Still running 42t x 12/25.
• Wheels...dunno at this time. Probably going to put the FSA 488's on this white bike and build a set of tubular Mavic Reflex Tubular CD's (ceramic if I can get them) with Dura Ace hubs. At a minimum, I want two sets of wheels with the identical tubular tires on them.
  

Some brief pics for now.

OK, two things:

1) Why the _UCK was Maxime Lefèbvre racing today? He nailed a 2nd place at St. Nik today behind Eddy Nijs. Apparently strung it out and Ree-chard couldn't bring him back. Nijs had to put the bullet in him personally. WTF?!?!?! I just don't get the rules. One day "he's gone, that's it Maxime is getting the boot." The next, he's lining up and pulling podiums out of his ass. If he missed the control, how is he getting start fees (I am assuming) and allowed to line up. Humped, humped, humped.

2) OK, Where' s Trebon? Someone tell me please? Ry's blog is not updated and last I read starting fees were suspect. The day before, the race officials humped him from his start position/call up. I guess he was sick today. Beat. I can't wait to see him in his new Verge kit, representing the stars and stripes. Just get well Ryan and start laying the wood on these suckas. Just beat Maxime at Worlds.

Rant over.

(Photo courtesy of Cyclo-cross.info)

What a gorgeous day. Not ideal for (road) cycling....unless you go one speed. S0, i unhooked the single speed today from its perch in the car hole and bombed for about 2.5 hours through some awesome scenery. Some road, but lots of through-the-woods that have been nicely matted by Nordic skiers. This route I go on is epic. You can literally do an almost 3 hour ride from the front door without touching pavement. Take this in context as it's not like living up in Breck or Santa Cruz when you can roll from your door and do 5 hour epics. This is the 'burbs baby and ya gots to do what you gots to do when the weather does not cooperate.

So I jammed this route which leads from Elk's Lodge in Boulder traversing due East towards Longmont almost 100% rad scenic dirt path (covered in snow now and matted by nordic track as I said). I hook this section up with some back ass trails in Longmont which start to lead South then over to Mesa in S. Boulder and on home back North traversing more dirt and bike paths, up Boulder Creek path then up Four Mile to Poormans. That last section on Poormans before it crests and you traverse back down to Sunshine lemme say is a beeatch. Dirk Friel I think has some stats on the elevation gain and grade. He does a lot with that fan dangle GPS stuff. Gotta ask him. It's especially hard when you run a retarded 36 x 16 like I do (gotta change this, this year...) on my single speed. I forgot that hill. I use it at the beginning of cross season traditionally. I start at the bottom of that beast and alternate riding-->dismount-->run 15 seconds uphill-->remount-->repeat. All the way up the mile or so. It make you strong like bull.

Anyhoo, great to get back on a bike again after taking time off. I've been pumping iron these days and allowing my wife to take me to her 'girly' weight class where it is anything but girly and am a certifiable wussy. The flogging is maddening. This little pint sized chick instructor has this cartoonish amount of weight on her bar and I have like two bagel sized weights. I'm weak.

I'm stoked on 07 already.

Christine Vardaros' Rock Lob-stah getting some love in Germany. Nice. And she took 2nd!

Nijs bagged 151 at the GvA in Baal where he is from. Unbelievable. Poor Wellens, man. I think his goal was to at least go for the GvA trophy considering Superprestige and the WC were already well nabbed by Sven. He got in a fender bender at the start with De Knegt. Beat. Nijs took that one too from everyone. Cannibal is the correct term. Oxygen tents are making the difference for Baal boy. Wellens and Vervecken need to get on that program or spend more time in their sponsor's hot tub.

The U-23's are showing their class though. Boom 2nd and Albert 3rd. Just imagine Troy Wells going for podium against Nijs and you can see how fast these U-23's are. Sick.

Happy New Year.

(photo courtesy of Cyclocrossonline.be)

Photo courtesy of Joe Sales/Plan B Photography

Nice work Danny!