From the depths of summer, emerges.....CROSS!

Well, its officially on.

If you've been disappointed by my stalwart refusal to post updates on the blog for the last 5 or so weeks, I have good news, you'll have an opportunity to waste time time at work reading my bike smut blog entries again, and now, they're about cross.

So here's the quick rundown of what I did the last month and a half - I worked at a law firm, all the time. I went on like 5 bike rides in the month of August, not enough to write about, but just the right amount to get rested up for some serious cross madness. Gloucester is 7 weeks away, and its time for a big push in training to get ready for that.

I suggest everyone starting out the cx season think about goals. I'll put mine up here to give you an idea of what I'll attempt to do in the next 3 months. They are different then they have been in the past, mostly because I'll be riding the Verge New England Series "killer B's" this year which means I may get crushed every week if I'm not ready to seek and destroy the enemy. So without further ado, the goals:

1. top 3 in the NYCROSS 3/4 overall rankings - two years ago I was sitting in 3rd going into the last race of the year. At that time I was a first year law student. Me not training in order to study for finals conspired against me to knock me off the podium on the last day. Last season I never saw the front of a race thanks to more law school doom, but this season, I'm a third year, which means I'm a senior, which means I have only 3 classes and some real time to ride a bike.

2. score some points in the verge new england series - the killer b field is a hotly contested field. I've never raced in the field, so I don't know what to expect. If by seasons end I can place high enough in the races to score some series points and get a call up to be placed on the first couple rows of the starting grid, that would rule.

3. win something. any race, any field, anywhere. I got a 2nd on the road this season, I won a small tt down in binghamton last spring too. I won a small mountain bike race one time as well (about 10 years ago), but here's the thing. I think of myself as a cross specialist, and my results in cross don't rule as much as they do on the road. This is the year to make the leap, and my last big goal is simply to cross the line with my arms up.

The best thing about cross is that even if I fail miserably, it will still be the most fun on two wheels.

Ok boys and girls, our fearless Iron Cross leader (The Qucifer) is putting out the call for team members for the 2008 Ironcross. Forget your sissy little 45 minutes at a time, running up a tiny incline. This race takes real nuts. Get some.

The venerable, dependable, pleasurable...Mr. Chris M.

Just some more pointless suffering

OMG, is that blood? I feel whoooozie

Now here is an example of having some nuts.

Is it just me or did we lose August some place? I like the cold morning rides and all, but the daily showers and high 70's? Normally I don't have to touch my lawn cause it's all brown and dead. Now it's crazy over grown. And with CRRR, NY TT Champs, Chris Thater, GMSR all coming up it is sure to be absurdly long by the time I actually get to it.

On the plus side I'll just mow a crazy cross course into it in September, put together some barriers, and amaze the "normal" neighbors with my antics. I can usually get away with it for about a week or two before the Missus says enough.

Mark