Le Saison 2008

This season started like all others on January 1st but first came the end of last season.

2007 began with a walker and had high points with some rare smart riding on the track, a few big pulls at PIR and a 2-up break in Bend at High Desert to tease myself of what once was. Then came cyclocross. In the day, I did some cross training rides with an aging PRO who learned the skills in France. Rob taught me how to properly install toe straps and clips so as not to break them. Skills I wouldn't need in the new millinium. But I never raced cross with any sense of purpose or consistency until 2007. Suffice it to say I am the crappiest cyclocrosser in town. The proverbial white guy dancing or shirtless red head at the beach. I'm the guy you look at and say, "Damn, he'll feel that in the morning!"

Cross ended at the Portland USGP in early December. A just found out she was pregnant. I got a new job. I travelled for about 6 weeks living primarily on martini's, rare steak and tirimisu. After all the rehab, all the ice packs to torn tendons, and all the pain of a healing pelvis on a bicycle seat, the padded hotel chairs were a welcome relief. Then my pants quit fitting.

Fast Forward to today the official start of the 2008 season. There's no bike races on Wednesday's in town till June you say. The season started today because when I got word the Mrs was not feeling well and needed me to take care of the evening duties and chores, I looked at the darkening skies and decided that mowing the lawn would be the better choice than going for a ride.

In the prime of my fitness at the peak of summer I drink one beer for each lawn I mow. There is the tiny lawn between the street and the sidewalk. Then the main front lawn from the sidewalk to the house. Then the back lawn and of course the alley. The alley is key to keeping up as I need the space to practice my cyclocross dismounts and remounts where no one will witness the furry I call skills. At anyrate, Lawn care works out to 4 beers and I don't drink the diet crap in a can!

But I'm a long way from peak fitness and this is only the Primavera Classic of the season. The first time the shed get's it's ears lowered. Really, this event was more to test the work of the mechanic who maintains the equipment. Make sure the bar tape is wrapped without holidays or that the spark plug is clean and that the bag won't derail and spill clippings. This is PROTour stuff.

How is the 2008 season different than previous seasons? Today, no beer. This might just be my first clean season. There is a new track bike in the basement and few miles in the legs. The last time I started a season this out of shape I had a phenominal summer on the track.

The catch? The NewmaNugget is due just after LeTour wraps up and we find out if the winner blew a dope test or not. Smack dab in the height of crit and track races and infact during the weeks P-Town is like a poor boy's Super Week in that a master's rider can race 5-nights a week and even a weekend day or two. Just when a focused cross racer simmers down from the road racing and begins to prep for mud and muck use that well maintained alley to stumble over wooden barriers with a perfectly good bike on his shoulder.