MERRY CHRISTMAS!

All this morning (Christmas Eve) Jeb was pretending to be Santa Claus:



MERRY CHRISTMAS!

man...

I don't have class anymore, and I'm not training (not that I ever really do), but it still seems as if I don't have any time. So, this one is going to be short.

I went up to Cyclocross National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island last Friday. I didn't race, I thought I'd enjoy myself hanging out with the DCC of D and other MAC brethren. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

Got my first grad school grade, an "A"... So, I got that going for me. One down, two to go, before I can get admitted to the program. They have a policy that if you take three classes and get a 3.something, they will wave your undergrad GPA, a necessity for me, as well as wave the GRE's (like I have time to study those frickin exams)

That's all for now.

Happy Holidays!

Phillipsburg Cross

Raced Sunday in Phillipsburg, mom was babysitting and the race was local (30 minutes away). I figured out a few thing not to do before a cross race...

don't leave your bike in the car for the entire week before the race!
don't eat 2 bowls of Cookie Crisp 1 hour before the start!
don't show up to the race 15 minutes before the start!
don't not pre-ride the course! (PRERIDE THE COURSE!)

While hurrying up getting dressed I'm thinking about this being my last cross race for the year, and dang it there is a monster hole in my gloves. Oh well I'll get some new ones for next year.
Line-up with out any idea of what lays out on the course... not a good idea, especially on this course, as I'd find out later...
Got my usual great start, I decided it would be smart if I didn't lead the course. So, I sat in on the guy in first...
not so bad, usual cross stuff, hmmm off camber drop off.... no problem,
ok 180 around a tree off camber... why's he running it?...I can ride it...NOT down I go and take out most of the guys behind me... oops, sorry guys.
back on, S turns through some trees... no problem... dang it, under the tape, hey but back on course
what the heck is going on with my bike? The freehub is sticking, crap... anytime I coast the chain keeps going... NOT GOOD!!!
ok, pavement, hey, cool a skatepark, hmm, up a bank and down, tight but no problem...
barriers... no problem
pavement... no problem
course goes up a steep hill... carry momentum, doh! it goes back down, lucky...
more pavement...What the!?!? Holy crap that is steep! and LOOSE! Momentum is your friend... guys are getting off at the bottom, I'll cruise by them and get off halfway up....BAM!! I'm on my back in the loose dirt!!! Aw crap!! there were all those people watching!
Whew, we're back on grass, through the football uprights
Hey, why is everyone stopping at the top of this hill?!?!? WHOA!!! STEEP!! AND LOOSE!!! Made it...
OK, now I have to do it a few more times...
No problem... I'll get off the bike and run around the tree...WHAM!!! on the ground, DANG IT!!! the ground is frozen!! OUCH!!! That's gonna leave a mark!

The rest of the race was a lot of the same. Sometimes I could make it on the technical stuff and other times, well, I couldn't...

This photographer knew to set up shop at the bottom of the loose steep drop off:
This is how you do it.
This is how NOT to do it.
Don't steer into the crash, you dummy!

That was probably the most fun I've had racing the cross bike all year! Even though I am a little banged up! The course reminded me of the Ft. Devens course of a few years back... good job guys! Thanks!

Whew!

The paper is done and handed in. My first graduate class is all done. One down 11 to go?

Thanksgiving "break" was nice, I had 6 days in a row that I did not have to go to work!

Thanksgiving was great! Spent the day with the in-laws, I think there were 19 people there. The Lancaster cousin's came out, t-bone and Lynn came down from Maine, THEY'RE HAVING A BABY! and Lynn looks great as usual!

My favorite thing about t-day was one of the guys brother was going to his in-laws and they were having tofu-turkey, not that there's anything wrong with that. Anyway, he keeps taking pictures of the turkey in the oven, and sending them to his brother.

Friday: the boys came over for a ride. We were going to go mtb but man was it going to be muddy. I convinced them to go for a "road" ride around the lake. It was cool, but it was a lot shorter than I remember. Afterwards we went to wawa for hoagies, they're from St Louis, so it was a bit of a new experience for them. Back at the house we played ps2, man they whooped up on me in Medal of Honor! I suck! That night everyone came of to our house, my mom brought Brunswick Stew. It was yummy. .. there wasn't any squirrel in ours... I think...

Sat. drove out to Carlisle for the state champs cross. The venue was great! They could have a MAJOR cross race out there. The race went as usual for me... great start then the fade to back begins. After most of the race I found I was gaining on a guy and almost got him but I think he finally saw me and turned it on a bit. Oh well. My family was there, aunt and uncle were driving back to NC down 81, my uncle had to pick up a bumper he bought on eBay in Hagerstown. My parents were driving the boys back to St Louis. So, Carlisle was on the way for everyone. I don't think my aunt and uncle, and the boys had ever seen a cross race. I hope they liked it. One notable thing about the race was, having that much family there, well, there was a lot of cheering for me... I ended up 28th out of 36 finishers.

Nice shot of my family after the race:


Love 'em! Thanks for cheering!