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

My lady and I are almost free! We're going to head up to Winter Park, MTB Capital of the World (or whatever the slogan is), and rip it together...alone....no kids...on our fat tires. So, in exchange of talking about Handy Manny, arbitrating border disputes over who's Transformer is whose and like 'stimulating' topics, we get to hang, drink some beers and rip it together. Invariably we'll fall into talking about our boys a huge proportion of the time. Such is life.

Got out today on the 'cross bike boys and girls. What did you do? I repeated 'weak side' remounts until I was dizzy. Nice and slow. Just dialing it all in. When's the last time you practiced getting back on the bike via the side that makes you look like a retard? Gotta practice! It's like eating peas. Ya just have to do it.

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!

Slow steps next to the bike. Leg raising, wrapping over the seat. Sliding into it. Foot finding pedal. Other leg following and finding as the cranks come up to greet it. All in one motion. Dialing. Dialing again and all at super slow speeds. The self clinics have already started. It's like blue balls. Gotta get some relief. Can't take not doing it any more. Dialing in the technique over and over. I want to have 1,000 cycles in before my first race. I will not lose because of technique (...it will be because of engine! ha!).

The clinics will start, people. August. I'll be emailing. Bring friends. It'll be a hoot. I've got this plan that is part Ben Turner, part Jan Wiejak and by extension part Joe Ball and part me from shit loads of trial and error. Focuses in on basics that smooth you. No ugly American syndrome.

See ya out there!

So good:

Brandon expose dme to this today. Same guy who did Transitions. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

So at 5:30PM tonight and I should have been rolling out to head down to the Research Center but the hail was coming down like you wouldn't have believed. Trees bending side ways and flash floods. Classic late day thunder boomers. By 6:15...calm, cool and beautiful.

The racing tonight was great. Super fast course and nice and perfectly tacky due to the rain....no dust either! Pretty big field again in the A's.

Before the racing I saw a Sycip kit warming up. I noticed it was an old friend from the Left Coast, Aaron Bonar. Great to see you man! Hope you enjoy Boulder.

I wanted to test the legs today and went for the hole shot. I should have grabbed it but settled in for 4th and held it for a lap or two. Sitting in, I finally got a chance to see some of Mike West's tactics. Man, is he savvy. He made the split happen, I stayed with it and then went on to just play with us (OK, maybe not 'us' but certainly me and some other chumps who couldn't hold that wheel!). He put in another HUGE surge to make another split in lap 3 (maybe 4?) and I couldn't cover to (sorry Ward!). So I stayed in the top 10 and fairly comfortably (well, red lining but feeling good) until 1.5 to go and I start developing a slow leak in the rear. Beat! Any carving resulted in the rear tire folding over so I literally had to ride at like 3/4 speed! So many dudes came by me at the very end I was bummed but I still think I got in the top 15. We'll see. Big time fun though! Collin created another very unique and very fast course.

In classic fashion, Brandon roles up in just about every Dopers Suck item he's got. Shirt, sweat bands, socks...you name it. Hilarious.

No pics tonight. Maybe some if I can get a hold of them.

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!!!!!!

Part Tall boy Bear Can and Part Moreau style, the RM squadra will be some rocking some new sock ware. SOS Socks are making a custom run for us. Sweet. I'm 'testing' the first ones and they are comfy.

I don't get the whole high sock in but I'm bought in for some time now. I've already given my thoughts on low ankle panty socks. They should stay in the domain of womans tennis.

Anywhoo, we'll be rocking these soon. Swing by the world wide Rocky Mounts HQ for your set soon.