What Would Pre Say?

I found this scan of Steve Prefontaine's notes from a speech he gave in 1974. Let's run down how I'm doing on the ole checklist.

• My diet consists largely of alcohol and Mexican fast food
• I'm sleeping in the living room of a home that calls itself "Casa de Chaos"
• I skipped half my workouts so far this year

w00t.

The Camel goes Corporate

Just in time for the new year, one of us snuck a little camel toe into his corporate ID badge thinger. Here's the proof...we'll see if it squeaks by the graphic design people:

Also of note, counting Darren as being half employed - we're now down to a 10% unemployment rate. Isn't that down near the CA average?

CONGRATS are in order

so, remember that guy on our team who spent 3 months of the fall in a neck brace smoking cigarettes and contributing reviews after breaking his neck at Downieville? well, turns out it didn't hurt him much. or perhaps those "nicotine" patches weren't what he said they were. regardless of how he came back from such a horrible accident, they fact is he came back, and came back well. Kirt raced a bunch of Single Speed cross races this year. He made it to 4 of 5 of the BASP series races and did damn well too. So well, that he took home second in the series. Congrats Kirt.

ps- can you get me some of those patches?

A view from the sidelines

This blog's been a bit silent...but the camel is stoked for cross. More than other disciplines, it requires a full combo of fitness, skill, solid bike setup, luck...and being fired up.  As Skirt has shown, the only one that you can do well without is fitness. Nice work at Livermore!

I spent the entire road/mtb season racing...and waiting for cross. The intensity required beckoned me during long mileage days. Any time I spun out the big ring on my mtb, feeling a high-cadence flow on some stretch of dirt...cross. Hell, I even did some running. And now, after an accident during a recent night trail ride, my season looks shot with only two (marginal) finishes. I've been trying hard to decide whether to aim my PT and training towards late season races, ala Andy Jacques-Maynes'  example...or punt and focus on road season next year.

This last week, a couple of the Altezza guys forwarded me a video from one of Norcal's "Peak Season" races...our only hope at proper muddy cross. I dare you all to watch this, and not get excited. For everybody that has the ability to get to a cross race this weekend, and next, and the one after that: do it. This stuff only comes around once a year. I'm stoked, and I can't even walk right now :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdPwUZcByIY&feature=related

Camel with Mark Blackwelder (Tron), winner of single speed and 4th place in A's. Killing it.

"Sexual Camel? That's what my wife is!"
-Cross Crusade, Astoria, OR

Ride Out the Depression with a Road Trip?

Tell me this isn't a good idea. Two grand for a 21 passenger diesel bus. All of a sudden the economy tanks and I have my days free. I'm thinking buy the bus, gut it and put a veggie oil filtration system in it, a bed, kitchen, bike rack et cetera and race bikes, blog, podcast, temp work and race bikes. But where the F do I park something that big?