Boughton Farms #1 100 words for mud

I believe the Eskimos have a plethora of ways to describe snow and of course they would. After today I have a few more ways to describe mud and not all of them are good. I realize it can get a whole lot muddier and wetter, but this was a good add on to the mud that we had last week.

I brought my big fat tired Epic to warm up on and left my trainer at home. After one slow lap and getting bogged down with the big tires I was regretting it. I am not kidding when I say the Epic picked up a minimum of 10 lbs of mud, grass and leaves in one lap. It was amazing. I almost gave birth when I tried to lift it over a barrier. Rick dropped off his trainer, but by the time I had returned from my second warm-up (on the road) the start was getting close.

I took my clean CSK Cross bike to the line and lined up on the inside of the 2nd row. We were off and again I got a horrible start and faded to the back as we negotiated the muddy first left and right. I was tentative in the mud as we crossed the open field, made the right and into some pretty hard packed grass. I looked forward, too many to count. I looked back and there was no one behind me. Dead last again. I almost smiled and maybe I did, but it wasnt a smile of happiness. More like "Your a freakin idiot you know that, now you've got to chase all race long again, have fun!!"

I'll tell you a secret. I need a few laps to get my head around all this new stuff like sand, off camber descents, soupy muddy corners, sticky muddy single track, picking lines. Next year I hope to be up in the top 3 or 4 when we take off in these A races.

So anyways I start to pick off guys like I usually do by hammering in any grass I can find. I am turd slow in all of the single track and even the sweeping corners then I have to go even harder again in the long stretches of mud. Luckily theres no shortage of guys to watch lines of and I pick up a thing or two. After everything settles itself out the first guy I catch is BIll Marut and hes real smooth so I follow him the best I can and it helps. But when I am ahead of him he catches me in the single tracks and I repass out in the open. Next I slowly and painfully catch Derek Wilford who is just flying in the really deep muddy grass where I think I am usually at my best.

Turns out he had a flat tire and he says his bike was actually faster in the mud with the flat. We go back and forth doing the open field/single track dance. But somehow I manage to fall down or come to a dead stop multiple times while leading him and Bill. The falls were ridiculous even for me. One time I went into the single track and chose to ride the center of a bump and slid off and fell on my right side. Another time on the muddy road I was trying to miss a puddle and somehow fell right over going in a straight line. And again once I drifted into a puddle and that lead me left into a soft muddy rut and I had to stop, hobble to the right and get going. Another time I hit a rut and almost T-boned it and went off course.

But even with all these trials and having to re catch Derek and try and drop him I was still catching John Ehrlinger and whomever Team Lake Effect he was racing. I believe it was Matt Weeks. The gap sometimes got tantalizingly close, but still along way. But I make a lot of the mistakes I described above on laps 3 and 4 for some reason.

So anyways, its lap 3 or 4 (not that I know it at the time) and I make a mess of every single wooded section. I stop and grab trees to not fall over, I stop in deep mud mid way through, stop in a rut on an open road and Derek is by between singletrack sections and establishes a gap as I flounder. Also for the first time I don't see John and TLE anymore. I am actually wondering whats wrong with my bike, are the tires so loaded up with mud its not handling right? Turns out it was all in my head!

Also-as is the case with everyone, the effort to push in this mud and out of all of the 180's out of the single track is making my knees really ache. And then pushing like mad all around the course to keep trying to open a gap and chase the two ahead-wow was that a Huge load on the muscles. Not to mention after the race my drive train was so locked up with mud and debris it would not free spin and in fact there was a little rock stuck between a derailleur pulley and the cage!!! If your cyclist then you know what this was like, but if your not-imagine tightening the strap on that exercycle at the gym down hard then pedal like mad for an hour!!

I am now trailing Derek and have lost contact with John so I sat formulating different strategies in my head. When I come to the pits Derek screams out on a fresh bike and he is flying. I am going like hell too and hes pulling away across the field. I take a second to look at my bike and its a mass of mud around the tires, brakes, front chain ring and chain stays. I am envious of Derek and his clean drive train and much lighter bike. I know were just amateurs, but on a day like today a pit crew and bike change per lap would definitely be the way to go. I catch him in the grass and get ahead, but he and his his bike are just screaming in the mud and I am passed in an open muddy field pass. Sounds arrogant, but I am kind of amazed. I am usually the passer in the open stuff and the passee in the technical stuff.

So I had listened for last lap as we crossed start finish, and if they said it I am sure I didnt hear it. I had at least an inkling that we were close to 5 laps. No big deal. I am so on the rivet the whole time in these races I can barely think straight so I am not capable of counting laps and my glasses are so muddy I cannot see my computer (not that I thought of it anyways). Turns out its lap 5 and again I dont know. I am such an idiot!! Derek if you read this-by all means leave a comment as to the right chronological order of these events....

So my strategy now that there was no catching John was to drop Derek if I can , try and be clean in the woods and come out ahead. But when Derek passes me I think, I'll sit on him through the woods like I did earlier and learn some new lines. Well any thoughts or ideas of tire problems goes away on the last lap as I stay really close to Derek through all the single track and his gap at best grows to 40' and thats in only the 2nd to last section. I close the gap and I am past Derek by coming out of the slightly uphill 180 before the last open road to the barriers tighter and with more momentum. I clear the barriers well as I had all race long (I was waiting till the last second to dismount and try for no more then a step or two before the barriers).

So now were approaching the line and Derek comes whizzing past. I dont really react except to stay close, but when I look up and hear the cheering and the bigger crowd at the start line I realize too late its the last lap!! I lose to Derek Wilford in a great race!! He is in Masters, but it doesnt matter. It would have been a lot more exciting for me to have raced to the finish instead of getting passed in the last corner like a sitting duck. I wasnt even breathing that hard after the race because I was in a whole different strategy. But I am not taking anything away from Derek.He rode a clean race, rode so strong and he was superb in the technical sections. So much faster and smoother except the very last lap when I finally got my crap together.

In fact that last lap was awesome for me. I was having a blast carving clean lines in all those thick muddy curves, maintaining monentum up and out of the woods into the soupy grass and back into the single track and sweeping around corners one foot clipped out. I wish I was that good every lap. Maybe next year or maybe in a few years. Felt great to get it all right once!!

I got 5th in the A race too!! Overall I don't know yet, but 9th or 10th or so I am thinking as there was some attrition up front. My best BA TLE A race effort yet all around considering the awful conditions. I am pretty darn happy with it. I'll admit its awesome to be racing pretty competitively in the A races in my first year, especially considering all the time and energy wasting mistakes I make every lap and how slow I am on the starts and technically the first lap or two or three sometimes. My coach Brent told me in a few years I'll look back at how I rode these first cross races and just have to laugh. I know exactly what he means. Great fun cross. Huge learning curve!! But on the flip side I sure wish I was scrapping it out on lap one like I did at Orrville every race. Granted that was in gorgeous weather and a course that suited me to a T.

I also know I should keep my mouth shut about whining and complaining about results, So I must say now I am very aware of what a GREAT year ive had, but I dont think I would had had this great of a year if I wasnt so hard on myself to do well. Deep down I think I let myself down all those years ago by not chasing certain dreams of mine, quitting cycling and not capitalizing then. I am not trying to say that I would be a Semi Pro or a Cat 1/2, but that I didnt try hard enough and I didn't make good decisions. I had great results in college despite myself.

I am older now and I don't want to make that mistake again and be full of regrets. I want to race for years to come and I want to always strive to be better every single time I hit the starting line. I want the utmost knowledge, equipment, diet and training (while still being a good husband and father). Theres plenty of Masters racers to idolize or maybe mimic in northern Ohio too. I'd name names, but then I'd forget someone and feel like a heel.

I'm getting a bit off track because of a great thing that happened after the race..Don Frey of Team Snake Bite had a fun little awards ceremony where I got an awesome hand made and very ingenious trophy for moving up to the A's as quickly as I did instead of staying in the B's till I started racking up wins. Not that I would have (Tony Marut, Cameron Jackson and many more are studs of the future). This is what got me typing about results in the A's being great, but maybe a bit lower then I would desire deep down inside of me.

Well, my bike was a complete mess and as I sprayed it off with about 300 gallons of cold water I realized the amazing variety of different colors, textured muds that were all over it. Sticky mud, mud with pebbles, mud that rinsed right off, compacted black mud so hard as a rock it took a screwdriver to pry it out between chain rings. And just think after stripping my bike down this week to clean all the grass and goop out of all the spinning components, we get to do it all again after the 9th. So till next week, heres black sticky grass infused, clay like textured mud in your eye!!

B B B B B BEER, I love Beer!!

There was a time when i was disillusioned that I was a wine drinker. I was in the fine dining business so you have to forgive me. But I am Back!! Well been back for quite some time. Then there was the decade of Budweiser and the occasional micro brew. I remember some tasty brews at Rock Bottom Brewery in the flats (when the flats were alive and fun) and a trip for my best friends wedding in California and my first taste of wheat beers ( 14 years ago?).

But now I am older and skinnier (yet no wiser, huh that sucks). Thanks to the guilt associated with trying to be a roadie you see. So now I restrict my self to one or maybe two tasty brews once in awhile.

So I raise a pilsner glass to those many skinny roadies who like me succumb to the guilt of the all mighty scale and say....."If your only going to drink One beer, what will it be?"


Hey and look what a fine fellow I am...I'll start with a few choices:

Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat-such a boom baby wheat with a citrus kick and maybe ginger?

Ommegang Three Philsophers Quadrupel-dark, rich Belgian ale!! 9.6abv-it will knock you down skinny boy. abv is alcohol by volume

Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale-tastes like pumpkin pie in a bottle. Great for the fall, like duh.


P.S. if you haven't guessed already, this is a participation thing!! So lets hear what brewskies have been chilling in your icebox.

The Fields, #2, A-Race-Holy Mud Batman

What can I say about today? A lot actually. It was a sloppy mudfest almost all the way around the course with a fun gravel descent and two ascents (one on the gravel after the descent and one up the asphalt road). The single track like the rest of the course was reversed and compared to last week it was almost easy. Even the mud soup that awaited us in the trees was easier to do. To show how good of a day I had I even started hopping the easy log the 2nd lap. If your wondering I did not fall once all day.

I finally not only brought my trainer today, but I used it. I decided that after one lap before the B/C race turned my bike into a popsicle with wheels that I could possibly do more harm then good to pre-ride it too much. A second bike or my mountain bike would have been smart. But, and this si the truth, I didnt bring my mountain bike for two reasons, the first that I didnt want to carry two muddy bikes home, but more importantly I didn't want to be tempted to race it instead of my cross bike, even though It may have been significantly faster. Thats the truth.

I learned that the descent though fast and potentially slippery was fun and easy. I got out of the two jackets, balaclava, shoe covers and headed to the line. I was happy with my position, but when they said go I took off and I seemed to be the only one who couldnt get going forward. I was just sitting there spinning my tire. I was way in the back entering the singletrack and I was butt-slow on lap one and came out probably dead last and a little off the back. What a shame as I felt good and had big-ish plans today. I felt like a complete fool.

Anyways I came out of the single track, down the gravel road and slowed a lot for the left turn before the bridge. I caught a few guys, but I didnt put enough time between myself and the person behind and was re passed in the single track. Out again and this time I was putting in harder efforts to get really clear. This coincided with me being a lot quicker (for me) in the single track this and every other lap. I seemed to find a line and a rythm I could use. I wasnt fast mind you, I was a lot faster if that makes sense.

Anyways I catch and pass John Ehrlinger and in front of him I can see Dan Quinlan, Weeks and Zak. I'll be honest, this made me a bit miffed because I really thought today's course I could hang. So I was catching them, but thats not the same as running with them. John and I sea sawed for a bit. I made a mess of one of the 90 degree open field corners by sliding across the apex instead of curving and John gave me some good advice. he re passed me in the singeltrack and I worked hard to keep the gap within reason. I jumped the log clean and re caught him , passed, he re passed when I got slowed to a crawl in some mud and I re passed across the top to the descent.

I dont know what the big deal is, but as we hit the road John is gaining on my right as we jump off the curb and starts yelling at me angrily to "Turn, Turn, Turn now" which of course just screws me all up. Luckily he leans on me and we both make it. I wont go into details because were not agreeing on the particulars. One of those he has his side and I have my side things.

I dont say a word and just keep riding. I dont know if the yelling takes a bit out of him, but as we cross the socccer field on Lazzaro rd(I think its Lazzaro) I start to open a gap on him finally and I keep looking back to make sure he isnt coming with a second wind.

If it had been the first or maybe even the 2nd lap, John could have easily erased the gap I had on him through the single track and repassed me, but on the bell lap I keep a good amount of speed through all of the corners and I run whats faster to run and I remount quickly and though I had to tap a foot on the last log, it didn't slow me down too much. I came out with some time in hand, but I pushed hard just in case.

So, another Team Lake Effect Bike Authority race in the books. And of course new challenges again. This time in the form of soupy mud and never ending deep wet rutted grass and a bit of snow. The temperature was certainly the coldest all year, but that in itself wasn't a problem, though I was uncomfortably cold the first lap or so. I wish I had a camera, but my bike and body looked like it was dipped in milk chocolate at the end. I even had 1/4" round chocolate covered spokes and a mud encrusted top of my saddle!! What a site. Getting out of the clothes and back into street clothes without trashing out the minivan was an even bigger challenge. Especially since I have a defective buckle on my left shoe making getting out of that shoe a real @$%$@#% fun time. I was trying for 5 or 10 minutes yesterday in the parking lot. Fun!! Got to get a replacement part for that soon.

Anyways, two more shots at the A's. If I can somehow bring a big enough skill set to be effective, not crash 5 times, get a horrid start, stall out in sand, go off course maybe, just maybe I wont have to race catch-up for Another race this year. Its a great workout racing catch-up I'll tell you, but I am getting a bit tired of the same old same old race report, arent you?

Thanksgiving Ride.

Two weeks ago I hit a new low of 140.5 lbs. Down from 175 lbs in July of 2006. Last time I hit that weight was post ride mid summer (more due to water weight then actual weight loss). I am happy with that. I go to Disney again in May, but when I went for 10 days last spring I gained 8 lbs. My wife couldn't believe it, but the scale said it in all its digital glory. I sure hope this vacation I am smarter about my eating.


But this isnt really about Thanksgiving gorging like a famished pig and going back for 4 or 5 large servings of scalloped corn ( I love that stuff-and its carbs) and 2 slices of my wife's delicious pumpkin pie (its sugar-I can use that)!!

I wish I had a camera for this mornings 2.5 hour mountain bike ride. Thats what this is about. It was very cold, very wet, raining and sometimes snowing the whole way, big puddles, a steep climb that we crawled up in slimy mud with our bikes on our backs, grabbing at anything for grip and later helping the others ascend and bumpy descents on layers of leaves so thick it nearly rendered hydraulic brakes useless.

I really surprised myself by hopping over almost all of the logs on the path. One funny occasion we were climbing away in the granny gears and there was a log 3/4 of the way up. I got to the log, lifted my front wheel, but my wheel didn't lift even 1mm and I ran into the log head on with the front wheel at a whopping maybe 4mph....boing. Time to walk!!

I relearned that climbing on slippery surfaces isn't about power as much as it is about controlled aggression and a good line. I also went down descents bumpy and steep enough I had to get off the back of the saddle, really modulate the brakes and shift my weight around. I also got to see how amazing just rotating my arms forward motocross style helps in going around corners. Thanks to Mark and Tom for that tip. Road racer style with elbows back and close to the body just doesn't work offroad.

I also learned that some descents others can do scare the crap out of me. I admit it, I walked down one or two. I dont mind fear and like a rollercoaster ride or taking a blind corner flat out in a racing kart its a need. But when you lock up your brakes and start to stare at all of the rocks and roots, sharp corners and mud-its best to walk....for now. Not to mention I have three cross races left on my schedule (and I am not 20 years old anymore-crappy excuse that). One in particular was a drop into a stream , but you had to hit just the right line to go between two tall rocks at speed and get on the only flat rock that helped bounce you back onto the other side. Margin of error? Zero or your falling over in the rocky stream-ouchy and I am sure the water was very c-c-c-cold. I walked across (so did two others) but it was so slippery and hairy bounding from rock to rock with the bike I wonder if I should have tried riding. I got across with my feet only as wet as they were before I started across.

For all that I moan and complain about my poor mountain bike (or cross) skills some may wonder why I bother at all? Why don't you see? It's because of the fear and its because theres so much to be learned that its so attractive to me. Its a strange little cocktail of fear and desire, a bit of stubbornness with a twist of excitement. I plain old suck and I dont think I'll ever get that great at it or be able to pick that perfect line down a rocky descent. But as long as I get to a certain skill level and maybe race again that would be enough. Iceman or Raccoon Rally are my target mountain bike races of 2008. Not to mention its that desire to be a better cyclo cross racer.

But back to today. It was a good morning in miserable conditions. It reminds me of our epic 2 to 4 hour winter mountain bike rides in Brecksville and these same trails in 1991 with Jim Baldesare, Noel Harris, Rick Smith and a bunch of other riders. Those were good times of drinking late into the night, crashing on Ricks floor then waking up hungover and getting on the bikes in freezing cold conditions at the break of dawn. I used to have a Bridgestone MB Zip. A very nice and light no suspension bike that was all light Ritchey and Mavic components. I swore I'd never sell that bike, but I did this year. Fast forward to today and I rode my new/used full suspension 2004 Specialized Epic with a bunch of guys (and a gal) I have never met before and rode with Joe whom I used to race with back in the 80's and 90's before I quit riding. That was cool.

Anyways I had a blast (a few new bruises) and it was good to have that excuse to eat like a pig today. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving 2008.

Pictures from BA The Fields

Thanks again to Gary Burkholder for the great pics.

The Real Race Report..yawwnn

I must admit that sick little voice in my head was hoping for bitter cold, rain and mud. Why not? Well it rained all day Saturday, but Sunday was in the 40's and the sun was out. No doubt the course would be sloppy, but having never been to the Fields, I really had no idea what to expect.

After some fun trying to find the parking lot, then driving my minivan up and over a curb and trying to not to disrupt the B, C race going on I got on the course and my first impression was, this place is HUGE!! I rode on and beside the course, stopping often to not get in the racers way and walking the muddiest sections in the singletrack. Wow was it ever muddy in spots and in my first descent of the Cannondale C turn I fell. Not too hard, but not a good way to start the day and I was filthy. I make it no problem the 2nd lap so I am feeling you know 50/50 on the C.

I am really in a quandary about the tire pressure. I am not gentle in my riding style, but I know for a fact if I could run my clinchers at 25 it would help, but with all of the ruts, curbs and wood to hit, I am afraid of taking out more air then I ran at Spin's race last weekend. I do take a little out before the start and I didn't pinch flat and I hit some ruts and logs pretty hard all race long.

What an A field. All the top local guys and then some are here. Look at the race results and the top (including Masters) is pretty hardcore.

I arrive a bit late for the start at the base of the run-up and end up in the middle of the 2nd row with 27 others. A record A field I hear. I feel confident of the run-up if nothing else so I brace for a hard start and again I am a bit slow off the line, but I sprint between the two guys I was lined up with, but they converge to close the door and I just dive right in hoping they will move enough, but it all happens fast and I start to bounce from mr. left to Bill Marut on my right. A few feet of this and I lose the bike underneath me and almost like I am sitting down I fall right into poor Bill's bike.

Enough adrenaline is already pumping I get right up, chain appears to be on and I go, but I see in my peripheral vision that Bills standing and I truly and honestly feel bad and hope he doesnt have a race ending mechanical. The dynamics of crashes are such that I cannot tell you if it was 100%, 0% or 50% my fault. But regardless I hit the climb 2nd to last and make some much needed positions on the run-up.

The first lap is uneventful with me making the C on lap one and slowly picking off places 27 through maybe the top 20 by the end of lap one. Lap two were already really spread out due to the differing skill and speed through not only the open fields, but the long, twisty, rutted singletrack that had two log barriers and probably a 10 to 15' stretch of deep mud out of a slow corner. I tried to stay on my bike except for the log barriers, but Dave Steiner for example would run a large portion of it while guys like Rob Franz cleared the entire single track without dismounting.

On the 2nd lap I put in some big efforts and moved up two more positions, but crashed on the C for the first time. I am up in a flash and figure that wont happen again as I didn't take a very good line at the very top and tried to drop in faster without using any rear brake. I probably lost positions, but in the next run-up I could ride quite a ways up and when I'd dismount I had usually made up a lot of ground on anyone in front.

Up the road are Wilford and Lesco and at first they seem so far away, but a charge across the soccer fields and a fast run across the field off of the asphalt descent and run-up and I am right on Wilford as we hit the top and then I pass Larsen on the sidewalk. But lo and behold i fall again on the C. This time it gets in my head and I am fast to get up to get out of everyones way, but slow to get going.

I dont recall much in the next two laps except that I make the C the next lap and fall really hard while taking out one of the plastic (thank goodness) posts that holds up the perimeter tape on the following lap. At this point I am seriously considering riding to the technical parts of the course and watching guys like Adams and Marenchin and learn something. The wind is out of my sails, but when Rob passes me back I think Ive got to salvage at least this position because there is no catching Lesco and Wilford now. So again I pass Rob in a soccer field and as we approach the disintegrating log by the parking lot I somehow hit the log funny with my front wheel and when my rear wheel hits I tumble over. And poor Rob is another casualty of war and goes down.

When we both get up I apologize and I literally let him go. We've got 1.5 more laps to go and I don't have the stomach to put it down in front of him for the third time. Theres no one behind me after Shawn laps me as we hit the descent. Its fun to see how fast and effortless he can bunny hop off the road into the muddy grass.

So I am just plodding away at the end of a race for the 2nd week. Not happy with myself, but when I hit the C my left foot accidentally or maybe intentionally unclips and low and behold I fly down the descent, I am off the brakes really early and fly down the hill for the first time. I take this mini victory and go hard across the field up the last run-up and across start finish and since I was lapped I forgo the "victory lap".

But after the race I ride back to the descent and do it one more time just like during the last lap of the race and my confidence is restored. A least I can start from a position of confidence next week instead of "my goodness, what am I going to do about the C next week..Waaahhhh". It was pretty slippery already so if it rains next Sunday and the C is part of the course, maybe caution is the better part of valor and I'll dismount and run down it as did some.

Later that evening the wonderful timing and scoring team of Team Lake Effect has the results up in record time again. Major props to everyone who helps put these races on. You guys and gals work your tails off for us and I know all of us (even the ones without blogehrea) appreciate it so much. But wait, this is all about me right?? So I check my results fearing the worst and I am 13th out of 20 in Expert and 18th overall out of 28!! I had made it as far forward as 11th Expert and of course 16th overall. Lets be honest, without 5 crashes thats only two or three posotions back from where i expected to finish anyways. Mark Lopresto was congratulating me for getting so far back up into the race after my pre-race trepidation and quick start crash. I wasn't feeling that worthy then, but I am really happy now.

I was pretty sore last night and today I went to see the Master, Todd Palmer LMT, NMT. For three hours we worked on learning new strengthening exercises, stretches and much needed Masotherapy.
If anything a day like Sunday teaches you that theres so much more to being a complete cyclist then threshold power. There is core strength, technical riding ability and experience, lots of experience. And now if they can find a way to make me bounce like Bumble the abominable snowman I'd be all set!!

Onto the next race with confidence!!
Ray

The Fields, A Race, TKO!!

Alright, use your imagination and as you read imagine a Horse Race announcer and a Boxing match!! That sets the tone.

A Large field of A racers is lined up at the base of the run-up. AAAaand they are off. Ray is in the 2nd row, he gets between two riders and the door closes on both sides. He sprints, but he starts to bounce from the rider on the left to the right and, oh my gosh, hes fallen down 20' from the start line. Who falls 20" from the start line in the A race??? Is this a sign?

Wait, hes back up and rides halfway up the run-up, dismounts and is in almost last place. Oh what a shame. But hes on the attack and slowly reels in a place or two. Thankfully Ray's first lap is clean.

But wait, hes at the slippery downhill on lap 2 and oh my yes, hes down again. What a shame after catching and passing and dropping all those riders. That boys got some spunk or is just plain dumb because hes back up quickly and hes off in pursuit of the two Spin riders.

Through the single track hes much improved this lap, out into the the open fields he catches and drops the two riders and sets off for the next two (Wilford and Lesco) riders. Down the asphalt hill hes WAY behind, but by the top of the run-up hes on there tails and hes by one on the sidewalk and gets the other approaching the downhill. I am sure he will nail it this lap.

And he does, but he nails the ground, but this time he hits hard. Again, spunky boy gets up, but this time he doesn't attack. In fact, hes riding like a guy who should have stayed home!! His buddies watching are trying to encourage him, but hes thinking that maybe he should have ridden his mountain bike.....around the block at home with training wheels.

The two are gone and hes being caught by the Spin rider (Rob Franz) who clearly knows how to ride his bike, clearing the logs in the single track without dismounting and distancing Ray easily the 2nd half of the single track. But wait, Ray's found some motivation and attacks across the open fields and re passes him. He approaches the log that leads across the parking lot and NO WAY, he biffs it and goes over his bars and then Rob goes down too. But not forgetting his manners he apologizes profusely and hes back going, but this time hes not interested in position or getting the max out of himself, hes interested in pain killers for the bumps and bruises and a very sore left hand.

Bell lap and hes not really going anywhere, not fast anyways. Stick a fork in him boys and girls, turn off the lights and shut the curtains...hes done!! But wait, the last lap he Nails the downhill with speed and hes a happy camper people and judging from the "whoop" of enthusiasm that escapes his mud encrusted lips. Across the fields, up the last run up and through the final maze and Mrs. Marut calls "Get off the course and quit stinkin up the joint for the real riders ...you ninny!!!" Alright, she doesnt say that, but she does say your Done, which means hes lapped and doesnt have to endure another lap.

Thats a shame for the spectators by the downhill who surely would like to see some more of the amazing display of technical skill this boy sadly does not posses any of.

Yahhhoooooo......And thats how it was on this 18th day of November, 2007. Thank you and goodnight.

Ray "bruised as hell" Huang