Bike shops are hopping. Local parks are full of people doing “weird” things on their bikes. The low murmur about cyclo-cross has risen to a full on roar. People are excited. Racers, promoters, fans – everyone is ready for it. Well, good news is – it’s here. The racing starts now.

Well, not now but for me anyway this weekend in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. Marc and I are making the trek down on Friday – the trusty Matrix will be loaded with Stevens Carbon Team DA bikes, all the wheels we own, and lots of sharp looking Ottawa Cross clothing. Yes, I’m excited. Can’t wait to get out and race my bike. Seems like a long time coming. Nothing like getting the first race of the season into the legs. In addition to the racing I’m looking forward to catching up with my cyclo-cross racing friends in person.

For those of you who have been waiting to find out about the local Ottawa Bicycle Club cyclo-cross series – well, the schedule and registration information is now posted. I can’t say enough good things about this local series. This is where I first got my taste of cyclo-cross, way back in 1994. I was out racing on my Specialized Rockhopper with toe clips. There weren’t a lot of us out there but we were a mighty bunch of racers. Many thanks to the tireless commitment of Bob, Ian, and Cheryl to continue to volunteer their time to keep this series going.

I actually can’t believe how quickly this cyclo-cross season is going to pass by. Two weeks from now I’ll be in Las Vegas getting ready for Cross Vegas. Then a little over a week later I’ll be on a plane to Switzerland for the UCI Cyclo-Cross Training Camp. By Oct. 27, I’ll have two World Cups completed and then on Nov. 6 I’m racing at the Canadian National Cyclo-Cross Championships in Toronto. Finally on Nov. 8, I’ll be back on a plane and landing in Belgium where I’ll stay for the winter. Busy times. Fast times. Lucky times. Fortunate times.

If you’re looking for a small focused cyclo-cross practice session, drop me an email. I’m holding a session this Thursday morning and have room for a couple more people. We’ll work on dismount/mounts, shouldering the bike, turning, and really anything you want to practice.

Well, I best close this off. I need to get some rest… Tomorrow morning I’m going to be behind the motorbike trying to keep my legs spinning and my lungs from popping out of my chest. Oh yeah, nothing like motorpacing to fire up the body sensations!