Sorry about yesterday. One of those days. Not enough hours in the day. Something had to slide. Ah well, better on Friday than on the weekend.

Got in a little recovery ride yesterday. After much fighting with a flat front tire and a few delays, I finally made it out late in the afternoon. That ride did more for my brain than my legs. Cleared my head. I got rid of my crazy brain and just let my legs turn over. Bike as therapy.

Just finished reading a great article in Cyclocross Magazine by Mark Legg-Compton. It is a very good read. Read it. Act on his message and sentiments.

Getting ready to go out for an opening work-out. Should have gone two hours ago. When the roads were merely wet – and it wasn’t raining. But such is life – I had other stuff to do. Good thing I’m not made of sugar. I’ll pull on my super-duper rain pants, my purple hat, and think warm thoughts during my ride. The warm bath. A nice cup of chai tea. Soup.

I missed posting this earlier in the week – massive shout out and congrats to Keirnan Orange. Keirnan is ripping up the Quebec ‘cross scene this year. This young guy is really coming into his own and is proving that the slow and steady approach really does pay off. Keirnan is currently holding the leader’s jersey for the Quebec series. Way to go Keirnan! Keep ripping it up.

This darkness is a areal drag isn’t it? We discovered that there are two fields in our neighbourhood that were are lit with super strong lights until quite late in the evening. 10:15 p.m in fact. Soon this will be the only option for after-work ‘cross practice. Even the morning practice is getting pushed back due to the darkness.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend. We’re racing at home at Mooney’s Bay. Wonder how many times we’ll have to go up that darn hill? Next Friday we are off to Mass. Should be good. I’ll be keeping my eyes on Kentucky this weekend as well as the World Cup in Tabor. Go Adam! Go Wendy! Go Christine!

Belgium soon enough. If you’re going to be in Belgium while we’re there. Drop me an email or post up in the comments – we should hook up for a ride, a meal, a chocochino (this sweet treat can be found in Leuven), or whatever.

Okay, it is still raining. Might as well get going. This way the ride is done and I can get to the warm bath and chai tea. Have a good one!

Chilly but dry. That basically sums up today. It was the “but dry” part that got me out of bed before the crack of dawn for the weekly ‘cross training practice. Peeking out the bedroom window and seeing the frost but at least a dry road helped. But it was still chilly.

It was kind of cool to be blazing tracks through the frost-encrusted snow at 7 this morning. The beads of ice on my bike were kind of neat as well. Had an excellent training session with Marc and Steve. We played some follow the leader to get the blood flowing. I even did a stint at the front. (Looking forward to the day when I can drop the boys during follow the leader…) After some fun chasing each other around we dug out the flags. Well, actually Marc and Steve got the flags and set up some corners for us to practice. Turns out I was the lucky one with the correct tires for the morning – I didn’t slip out once! So a solid session of riding and learning. It is amazing what can be done in a focused hour and a bit on the bike (especially when it is cold).

So that was the morning session. Then late this afternoon after getting a bunch of work done, I hopped on my road bike for an endurance ride. The sun was shining but it was still rather cool out. But it was dry. I hooked up with local fast man Paul D. for part of my ride. After about 20 minutes or so sitting on Paul’s wheel I turned off and did my own thing. (Yeesh I hope I can ride as well as Paul when I’m his age. Pretty speedy for a 50 year old. Thanks Paul for letting me tag along!) I got in a smooth ride of just under two hours. Nice. Not a bad way to close off the afternoon.

Now, I’m just getting ready to make some tea and read the latest issue of Cyclocross Magazine. Yep, issue four is out. Got mine today (thanks Andrew). Lots of excellent articles in it – interviews with Ben Turner, Sven Nys, bike and gear reviews – this issue is jam-packed. There is an excellent series of articles on training the body for ‘cross – definitely worth a read. Can’t get enough of that yoga to keep the body limber. Anyway, if you haven’t picked up a copy of the mag – go do it. You won’t regret it. (Oh, and don’t forget to read my article…)

I made it out to the Ride with Rendall training session last night. Great to see some new faces as well as the “old-timers”. I was a bit late – due to some poor timing on my part. But I got in some decent practice on the high-speed uphill dismount run-up and cornering section. This is a skill set I really need to practice more. Part of my problem is I’m not very coordinated so when I shoulder the bike – crazy things happen. I bang my helmet. I whack my elbow. I trip. All of this impedes my running. Graceful I am not. Oh well, more practice. As my old taekwon-do coach used to say “Practice makes improvement”.

Racing at home this weekend. I had planned to go to Kentucky but the drive is just too far for us this year. Maybe next year, I can cash in some airline points and fly out. Sad to be missing the first US GP races, but I’ll be at New Jersey. Besides November is so full of travel it is making my head spin. And then there is December – can’t even talk about December – I just get too excited.

Good luck this weekend if you’re racing. If you’re not racing, I hope you can get out for some quality rides – enjoy the fall weather before winter rolls in. I’ll be at the Cycle-Smart races next weekend – can’t hardly wait.

The UCI rankings are out.

I’m ranked 62 in the world. Not too shabby. Pretty happy.

I’ve got 19 UCI points. Goal is to get 10 more before getting on the plane.

My favorite guy sent me this link today:

2010 World Cyclo-Cross Championships

Enough Said.

Yesterday’s ride was slippery. Wet and slippery leaves. Slick tree roots. Very slippery innocent looking apples hiding in the leaves. But heck – I was outside riding my bike and having fun. An excellent ride and work-out. 90 minutes endurance with 4 cyclo-cross starts. The type of work-out that has you working a bit harder with some intense moments but doesn’t leave that bad taste in your mouth. Just what I needed after a rest week.

I admit the weather was not that welcoming. It was raining. Cold. Gloomy. I was alone. But then a quote from “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell (mixed martial arts fighter) popped in my brain: “A coward is someone who is not willing to put in the hard work when no one is watching”.

This is so true. Think of this the next time you don’t feel like getting out there. Sure it won’t be fun at the beginning, but the pay-off at the end will be massive.

On deck for today – tempo work-out followed by a ‘cross work-out. Oh yeah, it is a biggie today. Love it. Tempo work-outs are fun – I feel like I’m flying and the effort is one that just puts a slight dull ache in your legs. No lung burning. Just a subtle ache – reminds you that you’re alive.

As for racing – racing at home this weekend. Mooney’s Bay. I haven’t raced at Mooney’s Bay in a long time. Hope those geese are gone by Sunday…

November is jam-packed with racing and traveling. We are home for only one weekend in November (this is when we get ourselves organized for Belgium), then we head to RI for some racing. We get home from RI on the 7th (after racing and then driving 8 hours) – we have the 8th to clean and pack bikes – then on the plane on the 9th. Yes, a bit insane. But totally worth it.

Remember, Ride with Rendall training tonight. Also, I posted a link on the Photos page to more Kingston photos.