Hmm, second post in as many days. Can you tell that the wonders of cyclo-cross are right around the corner? Some of us have been waiting all summer for this. Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve been waiting since February.

Got out for a wicked ride on the ‘cross bike today. On the agenda were 4 x 1 minute max intervals. Fun. In a kind of twisted sort of way. Really, I had a blast. It was way more fun and challenging to do these efforts in the woods than on the road. The one minute still felt like it lasted an hour. But the speed and sensory overload of trying to process the trees, roots, twists and turns while feeling like I was going to blow, was worth it. Chased this with one of my favorite little training loops – it gives me three dismounts per lap, a steep sharp climb, a false flat, fast descent, three bridges, and a chance to practice lifting my front wheel – oh and some tight twisty single track. Fun times. After ripping around this stuff for a while, I was off to the sandbox.

Yep, need to practice my sand riding skills. Need to work on keeping the legs turning over at a fast cadence. No better place to do this than in the kids sandbox. Getting better. Feeling more confident. Still work to do. But I suppose this is the real deal. Even the best of the best have work to do. I’m relieved. I’ve come pretty far this summer but there is still more that I need to improve on. This is a good thing. It will be a sad day when I can’t learn anything else or get any stronger.

So most of you have probably got your racing plans ironed out. Well, to help you out if you’re still not sure what is what, check out the OBC Cyclo-Cross racing schedule. Once again, Bob, Cheryl, Ian, and their trusty volunteer crew are giving up their Sunday mornings so we can race our bikes. Thanks guys – this series means so much to many people. Especially me – the OBC Cyclo-Cross series is where I got my first taste of bike racing and ‘cross racing. I remember when it was a small but tough crew of 25 or so of us out racing. I was on my Specialized Rockhopper with toe clips. We had only one race. I got to line up with the likes of Bill Hurley and Kris Westwood, who were dominating the ‘cross scene back in the day (this would be the mid-90s). Not to mention a young dynamo by the name of Matthew Johnson – yep same dude who can be sitting in the Garmin team car at the Tour de France. Can’t say enough about this local series. It really did and still does set the standard for cyclo-cross in Ontario. My only regret is that I probably won’t get to race in any of the local races this year. But don’t worry – I’ll be keeping tabs on the results and will be sending you some speedy vibes every Sunday morning. Please get out and attend the registration night on Sept. 17 at The Cyclery – pre-registering will make life easier for everyone.

Well, I’m out. Time to do some serious time with the foam roller. My quads and hamstrings are feeling the effects of today’s efforts – not to mention the 30 minute run I did after the ride. No rest for the wicked I suppose! Have a good one.