TSE Prologue: Bible, Prep, Stages, and Jitters

The Trans-Sylvania Epic stage race is now a mere 3 days away.  My bikes are ready, and there’s nothing more that I can do to prepare myself physically besides get sleep, stay hydrated, and try not to panic. 

Of course, reading the race bible doesn’t really help to quell my nerves.  While I want to be prepared so I know what to expect, knowing what to expect is also pretty scary. I think I’ll feel better once I’ve got the car all packed up and checked everything off my TSE packing list spreadsheet (maybe not). 

You might be wondering what exactly this “stage race thing” entails.  I'll try to break it down to the basics...

...each day there’s a new and totally different MTB race event.

Day 1 – Sunday:

12:15pm - 15 mile time trial (1,600ft of climbing)

Day 2 – Monday:

9:30am – 41 mile endurance cross-country (5,892ft)

Day 3 – Tuesday

10:00am – 22 miles with 5-timed enduro sections (3,553ft)

Day 4 – Wednesday

9:30am – 40 mile endurance cross-country (4,396ft)

Day 5 – Thursday

10:30am – 31 mile primitive cross-country (3,957ft)

Day 6 – Friday

9:30am – 42 mile endurance cross-country (4,883ft)

Day 7 – Satruday

9:30am – 26 mile endurance cross-country (2,455ft)

Interspersed throughout each day of racing are enduro segments – some are downhill enduros and others are sections of rock garden.  Basically, you swipe some sort of fob at the start and finish of each section, and your times go towards those either the enduro or “east coast rocks” category. 

The most important part of the race is finishing each day before the time cut-off.  If you don’t make it, you’re no longer in the running for the overall race.  You can still line-up and race, but you automatically get a DNF in the grand scheme of things. 

If you want to get more details about each stage, or maybe follow along on the race news all week, hit up the site. I’m going to try to post a short personal update daily here on the blog. 

My plan for the week?  Ride smooth, avoid getting sucked into race mode, and do my own thing so that I can finish each day without any major problems.

Tonight I trade my Mini for  Jesse Q’s Honda Element so I can spend tomorrow filling it with all of the random bits I might and might not need.  Tomorrow I will also purchase copious amounts of food, ride my bike for a bit, and raid DAS for CO2 cartridges, tubes, and lube.  And Saturday, I will pickup Gary, watch while he attempts to fit his stuff in the already overloaded car, and make my way down to PA for a week of adult MTB sleep-away race camp. 

It’s going to be epic; thus the name. 

Race Recap X 5 (aka: The Longest Blog Post of All Time): KOB TT, SSAP, Rasputitsa, 6-Hours at the Game, and TVR

Dear reader,

This may take awhile.  Please feel free to skip through to the end and simply comment on how long it took you to scroll all the down. 

Thanks in advance for reading (or just scrolling).

And if there are typos of any kind, get over it.  Would you want to proofread this after you wrote it?

Didn't think so. 

Race Recap (x5…and then some)

Once again, I’ve failed to report in on what’s been going on in my super exciting life…

…that’s because it’s been just so super exciting that I haven’t been able to devote any time to writing about it.  Of course, I started a draft about a month ago, but that was only because I was trapped as a passenger in a car for four hours and didn’t feel like doing any more homework. 

So here goes . . .

KOB TT

King of Burlingame TT
photo by Glenn Anderson

I kicked off my race season with a swim at Burlingame State Park.

Swim?

Well, technically it was a mountain bike time trial, but legendary levels of rainfall left the course more suitable to a kayak race.  I rode my rigid singlespeed up against some stellar DAS teammates and the blazing fast, young cyclocross champ, Ellen Noble who took the win on a bike more suitable for that course.

That early season (March 30^th) race consisted of some leg-shredding tech sections, white water

rapids, and floating bridges. It’s one that will be talked about for a long time to come as people attempt to compare wet conditions to “that time we rode against a raging current for 9 miles” (or whatever distance that was).

Two weeks later (April 13^th) I lined up to start another race on my singlespeed.  This time, it was the perfect bike choice because everyone was doing it.

SSAP

Singlespeed-a-Palooza (presented by Dark Horse Cycles at Steward State Forest in the Montgomery,  

NY area) is likely going to remain of my favorite races of the season as it did last year. I made the drive out to Dark Horse on Saturday before the race with SSAP first-timer, Tim Hall where we met up with a bunch of amazing people, including a handful of DAS racers and many other significantly awesome folks.

 

Here’s how it all went down:  Saturday we pre-rode a good chunk of the course and followed that up  

with a big group of DAS-peeps dining and drinking at a local Irish pub. Rather than turn in early for a good night’s rest, we chose optimum fun at the most happening spot in town – the backyard of Dark Horse Cycles. There was a bonfire, an array of hoppy beverages (thanks to Clark Brothers Racing and their Moat Mountain sponsor), and some of the very best people you could ever meet.

Needless to say, there were a few of us who had enough of a buzz to think that riding around town looking for fun would be a good idea. 

We quickly found out our idea of fun was not shared by the people whose wedding reception we briefly disrupted, and we shamefully retired to a very brief night’s sleep.

The racecourse was fun and flowy as always but a bit muddier than last year, therefore much slower.  I ran the same gearing (32x18), and felt a whole lot better on it this year – likely due to the fact that my SS is all I’d been riding.

The first stretch of the race, a dirt road stretch designed to break up the packs of racers before hitting the singletrack, turned out to be the deciding factor for me. I went as fast as I could there, going back and forth with Katina Walker and Jocelyn Linscott (super endurance singlespeed allstar) for the first spot going into the woods. There was a prime up for grabs, and I figured I might as well go for it.

SSAP winnings - thanks, Dark Horse Cycles!

The singletrack immediately met us with a bunch of sport class riders who were either more than willing to let us by or completely obnoxious about it with their radios playing so loud in their camelbaks that they couldn’t hear us coming (not cool, guys). Needless to say, the traffic must have worked to my advantage as I quickly learned how to ask for a chance to pass (“I’m looking to pass when there’s a chance” or “I’m coming up on your right” – simple, yet not something I’m used to doing).  Long story short (or shorter than it could be), I won the race. 

The after-party was kickass – barbecue buffet, beers, buddies, and some sweet prizes. 

So what’s the only thing that I was (and still am) disappointed about that day? Actually, there are two things: (1) my SS buddy Melissa wasn’t there because some f-bag in a car decided to send her to the pavement a couple days before the race, and (2) nobody else made the effort to wear something fancy. I felt very lonely in my fancy blouse, purple shorts, and fanny pack (with a pack of Marlboro’s hanging out for effect). Next year I’d better see some classy fashion. 

The weather that weekend was phenomenal and perfect for tent-dwelling.

And then the following weekend was different . . .

Rasputitsa

What!? How do you even SAY THAT!?

*** If you are still reading, you might want to take a break and come back . . .

. . .we aren’t even close to done yet.***

Every now and then, you have to get out of your comfort zone and test yourself in a way that’s likely to leave you feeling significantly inept and pathetic. 

That’s why I signed up for a road race. 

And it wasn’t just any road race; it was one of those trendy dirt road fiascos where they named the race, “Rasputitsa,” which is Russian for the mud season in Russia where the roads become mostly impassible. 

While the roads of this particular race were mostly passible, there was one section called, “Cyberia” that forced most people off of their bikes.  That section began gently with some easy patches of snow, ice, and mud, but it quickly gave way to what can only be described as a washed out river bed, interspersed with chunks of ice, river stones, running water, and of course, mud.  It wasn’t long before the terrain became a climb, and the bike race morphed into a snowy, icy hike uphill. 

But don’t worry; the walk uphill was well worth it; that’s because, at the apex, we were met with a support crew (including a yeti) offering shots of fresh maple syrup in ice cube shot glasses. There was also an amazing view. 

The rest of the race was more of the dirt roads interspersed with sections of pavement that we’d seen in the first half of the race.  At one point, we found ourselves pelted with tiny balls of ice about the size of corn kernels.

I spent much of the race riding by myself. I didn’t really have a plan going into this race, but I probably should have thought about it a little harder ahead of time and stuck to one.  A plan would have prevented me from riding into the wind all day singing, “All by myself.”

This event pushed me to do a few things that a mountain bike race does not usually do (at least for

My traveling companions: Tim, Jesse, and David
Breakfast Club

me): (1) Sit and spin – sometimes its good to just sit down in the saddle, spin your legs, and keep a good pace; (2) push a hard gear for an extended period time; (3) settle in behind someone every now and then and enjoy being out of the wind – I failed miserably at this; and (4) ride a cyclocross bike.

Back in town, we were met with one of the best after parties I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying (second to the one at SSAP).  There was a well-stocked buffet and a cash bar, and it was inside a large building on Main Street in downtown Newport – right next to the start/finish area. 

I enjoyed chatting with friends, stretching my aching back (Cyberia was rough), and watching the finishers arrive.  My time was 3:28:57, about 40 minutes behind the winning women’s time of 2:48:38 (Lyne Bessette).

When I signed up I had intentions of treating this as a race, but with my lack of experience on the road, I knew there was no way I was attempting to hang up front. About a mile into the race I knew that if I was going to put in a race effort, it wasn’t going to be then. I typically need a good 30-60 minutes of warm-up to feel good, so it was a little disappointing to watch everyone ride away from me.

The best parts of that race were before it, after it, and the day following because all of those parts consisted a friends and a lot of laughing. Have you ever seen The Girl Code on MTV?  I had not.  But my travel companions and I stayed up late learning lots of extremely important things about women from that educational program. 

***Still reading!???  I hope you are taking notes for the quiz afterwards.***

Crazy F-ing Hundred (that did not happen)

I’d planned months ago to do a renegade epic mountain bike race on April 26^th (complete with absolutely no support), out in Big River, Arcadia, and Pachaug.  Unfortunately, a combination of busy schedules, lack of planning, no childcare, and shit-tastic weather forced this ‘race’ to become a ride. A fast group of guys dragged me about for 40ish miles in Big River and Arcadia, and that was plenty.   

While I was initially disappointed at the lack of mileage, I made up for it the following weekend.

6 Hours at The Game (Efta’s Battle at Burlingame – long version)

I signed up for the Battle at Burlingame when the race entries fees were ridiculously low, and then a couple of weeks later, they announced a 6-hour version of the race. I promptly emailed the promoter (the wicked awesome Kathy Robbins) to have her switch my race entry and sent her an additional small sum of money. This race was a bargain!

6-Hours at the Game
photo by Tamara Wong

Fortunately, the weather that day was favorable.  Long story short, the course was a nice combo of the KOB TT loop and Battle’s XC race loop, and I managed to get in 4 laps in about 6:08 for a total of approximately 60 miles and a 2^nd place finish to the ever-powerful Karen Potter (aka, my mentor for TSE).

Of course, I had no idea Karen was even out there racing because (1) I didn’t see her at the start, and  

(2) I recall her mentioning to me months before that she’d be doing the XC race that day. So when she heckled me as she passed me while I was stopped grabbing a banana in between laps 2 and 3, I just thought she was out warming up for her race. Funny. I eventually figured it all out.

Most notable moment in the race?  Finishing.

I should also note that this was my first race on the Kona Hei Hei Supreme, a supremely awesome bike that absolutely shreds anything and everything on the trail. I’m learning to appreciate a new sensation on the bike – gliding. 

Of course, a race like that must immediately be followed up with a 5 day training block from hell that begins with a brutally technical XC mountain bike race, right?

Right…

Team Bums’ Treasure Valley Rally (EFTA): aka TVR

… and that’s just what I did beginning Saturday (I am writing this mostly on Wednesday). 

One of my very favorite local races happened earlier in the season than usual and on a Saturday this year. What’s even better: it did not fall on a date where I’m away for TSE (like the Gnar Weasels race, unfortunately).

Last year, the course was dry and fast, and I raced my rigid singlespeed. It hurt so much that I didn’t ride that bike again for over a month. 

TVR
photo by Tamara Wong

Since I’m working to get comfortable on the Kona before TSE arrives, and because I really didn’t want to blow my elbows out two weeks before Singletrack Summer Camp (the other name for TSE), I enjoyed a nice cushy ride around the course this year. 

But as anyone who has raced this course is aware, there is nothing cushy about it – even if your bike

is a couch. Overnight rain left the already gnarly course greasy and extra challenging.

I was delighted to see 8 women lined up at the start of the elite race (including myself), and I managed a strong start. Of course, that didn’t last long because I made the silly mistake of testing a new position for my water bottle. No sooner had we started hammering singletrack (where I was surprisingly in 2^nd position) and the bottle fell out. I had no choice but to stop because loosing liquid then would have meant disaster later.  I lost a few spots there, immediately picked one back up, and then settled in 5^th for much of the race.

The first lap was spent in a constant state of flustered because I had suddenly and tragically forgotten how to ride my bike in tech. I tried to regain my focus, free my mind, and let my body do what it knows how to do on a bike. My goals for lap 2: loosen up, ride more (and walk less) than I had on the last lap, and get my head back in the game. Fortunately, the course was drying out.

By the final ½ lap (elite racers complete 2.5 laps), I’d finally started to figure out how to ride my bike, and I somehow unleashed some extra speed and strength. I finally caught back up with Mo, who I’d lost sight of during the shit show that was my first lap, and I managed to pass her and power on to the finish in 4^th. 

While my time was about the same as last year’s, the conditions proved to be pretty harsh on everyone else too, and everyone was slower.  I heard a few complaints about the amount of time it took to race TVR, but there are no complaints from me.  In my opinion, an XC race should not take 1.5 hours; it should take 2.5 or more. But that’s why I’m racing endurance events this year – save the short races for cyclocross. 

Karen at the Uxbridge lookout spot

So…what’s next?

On Sunday, I let Karen drag my sorry tired (and sore) butt around the trails of Uxbridge, MA – an

amazing combo of trails that give you a bit of everything imaginable, including more tech. After 3+ hours, I was ready to put my feet up and not do a damn thing all day. It was mother’s day, my school semester had ended Friday, and anything else that needed to be done could freakin’ wait!

This was the second day in a 5 day training block designed to make me suffer in preparation for TSE, and suffer I did…along with Monday night and Tuesday night. Tonight’s suffering will be the ultimate though – I have to do my workout on the trainer because I need to simultaneously spend time with Skyler.

The big race is just a week and a half away now.  It’s going to be amazing, and I need to give a big thank you to everyone who dragged me around on their wheel helping me prepare for this – especially those of you who conceded to joining me for ridiculously early morning rides.

One last thing

This school semester was intense. I think I made it through unscathed, but grades aren’t posted yet. I’ve already gotten started at my summer internship (paid) working in a Drosophila (fruit fly) lab at UMASS.  It’s a sweet gig in the neurobiology department, and I’ll be learning some cool stuff relating to genetics and of course, neurobiology.

When the summer is over, I’ll go back to my other internship (also paid) as a writer and my FINAL SEMESTER at Eastern where I’ll be taking only two classes (one with a lab), doing research in an independent study, and working as a TA for a course on stem cells and regenerative medicine. This might seem like a hefty workload, but I assure you, this is going to be pretty damn sweet. 

I’m thinking I’ll avoid cyclocross racing as much as possible and extend the mountain bike racing through December. I’m taking recommendations for races to put on the calendar after August (Bradbury is already in mind) . . .

PS - for some sweet video coverage of Rasputitsa, 6-Hours at the Game, and TVR, hit this site: Dirtwire.tv

Quick update on commuting . . .

After 2 fantastic weeks of commuting weather (back when I started this), CT got a little bit of snow.  Then real winter hit us.  

It's been cold, and I was ill-equipped to deal with it. Plus, my last commute left me with 3 days of lower back pain (due to riding with a very heavy backpack).  So I haven't been riding to school.

In the meantime, I've made an investment in panniers and some Bar Mitts, and I'm in the process of setting up my Redline CX bike as a dedicated commuter.  

Donnie from DAS is letting me borrow his Kona Kapu for use on the trainer/rollers so I won't have to switch the commuter back and forth from an indoor rig to an outdoor rig all the time.  That will make life much easier.

Also, I made some discoveries on campus this week:

1. There is a locker room in the athletic complex that anyone can use - not just athletes (this is in addition to the team-only locker room, and it is not really a well-known feature of ECSU which is why nobody told me about it when I was asking around).  This means access to a locker for storage of "stuff" and the ability to shower.
2. The spin bikes in the athletic complex are actually nice.  I did an interval workout on them in between classes and work on Tuesday, and that's going to be a key training tool for me this semester until it gets warmer and the roads clear a bit (there's a perfect place to do hills on the road bike nearby).

So now I just need to figure out a way to store food on campus, and I'll be all set.  I have permission to leave some items in an alcove of the biology department's office wing, but I don't want to leave anything perishable there.  A refrigerator drawer would be ideal.  I'll have to make-do with the gold mine I've found this week (lockers, showers, and spin bikes).

Now, I want to get back to commuting this week, but the forecast is looking like typical New England winter weather.  Snow overnight tonight, and snow/rain all day on Thursday (Mondays and Thursdays are the days that I'm best able to commute right now).  I might end up trying for Tuesday instead. 

Despite whatever happens this week, warmer days are coming.  

Commuting: Day 1 Recap . . .

I've already got a lot of homework to do (first day of the spring semester), but here's a quick follow-up on how the first ride into school went for me . . . 

My morning got a little delayed because Skyler's bus never showed, and I had to drive her to school.  Luckily, that still left me with plenty of time.  

I opted for the Fate - my 29er hardtail mountain bike.  The front fork is blown out, but I can still lock it out, so it's perfect for commuting (or so I thought).  Somehow, I managed to fit all of my necessities into my backpack.  It was stuffed, and it was heavy. 

I've decided a partial commute is all that's going to work for me right now.  I can't justify spending 4 hours of my day riding my bike to and from school/work.  That's absurd.  But 2 hours?  1 out and 1 back?  That's good stuff.

The ride to school was the stuff that good dreams are made of.  The airline trail was mostly hard from the overnight freeze, and surprisingly drier than I've seen it in the middle of the summer.  Also, I should probably note here: the ride towards Willimantic from Hampton is ever-so-slightly downhill.  It was a fast and glorious ride to school.  

I found a conspicuous location for my bike, locked it, and hung my clothes (and food) on it.  Then I left a note that read, "To whom it may concern, If there is a problem with me leaving my things here, please call..."  Nobody called.  

Since it's the first week of school, we don't have any labs. So I mostly hung around all afternoon waiting for my 7pm class... then I found out that was cancelled too.  

I left school around 3:30-3:45, and set out for the airline trail.  But before I made it, I had a close encounter with a handicapped driver.  Fortunately, I sensed a car slowing down alongside of me before the #*@% made a righthand turn directly in front of me.  She missed me by inches.  I yelled. 

When I finally made it to the airline trail, I was eager to get into a groove and relax.  Yeah well, it got warm out today, so what was wonderful this morning was soft and miserable this afternoon.  My backpack felt like it weighed more than earlier as it threatened to bury me in my tracks.  Plus, the return meant that I was going up a very slight incline.  I suffered in the worst way.  

FYI - the weight of a backpack is not just a problem for the back; it's also a problem for the buttocks. Imagine weighing an extra 20lbs. Now imagine spending some time in the saddle.  

Anyhow, it was a pleasure to meet my friend, Liz just as I went through the underpass of route 6 - having someone to follow was nice.  (Thanks for that). 

So, day 1 is done.  Now to figure out the next day that this will be feasible.

I'm definitely going to need panniers.  And I've been given some tips on how to make my own Bar Mitts, so I'm going to try that soon.  Also, I'm going to have to take my cross bike off the trainer and use that, but fortunately, Donnie D ( "CEO" of Danielson Adventure Sports) has offered to let me use his steel road bike on my trainer.  

Until next time . . . 

Bike-Commuting: I Need to Start

For a while now, I've been doing a lot of yammering on about how, one of these days, I'm going to start commuting to work and/or school by bike.

Like everybody (except the people who actually commute), I've had tons of excuses over the years for why that hasn't actually happened (with the exception of the very few occasions when I did commute). 

The current bike lock-up option at ECSU.  Doing it wrong.

Beside the fact that I need to get my 10 year-old off to school in the morning, I also need to carry schoolbooks, lunch, and clothing.  There's nowhere at Eastern for me to keep anything, so what I bring has to stay with me     

all     

day     

long.

I did send an email to the Dean of students in the hopes that he'll direct me to someone who's in charge of university planning and spending.  Of course, I made sure to mention that ECSU is one of the “greenest schools in the state,” and that they could do better.  Then I suggested that they get some bikelockers, and I even provided them a bunch of links.

But let’s get real.  I’m going to be done with school in December, I need a place to keep my bike now, and there aren’t going to be any really awesome solutions anytime soon. 

So, here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to bring my bike into the basement of the science building, and lock it up there.  I’m going to ask someone if I can have access to a closet, or a cupboard, or something where I can keep some food and clean clothes.  I’m not going to take “no” for an answer.  Then I’m going to try to ride in at least 2 days per week. 

A photo I found on the web. Doing it weird.

Now, I’ve got two options for where I’m going to start my commute.  One is in Brooklyn, CT – I have to drop my daughter off there anyhow, so I could just “park and ride.” I could probably even keep my bike there if I wanted to in between commute days.  The other option is to start at Goodwin and take the airline trail into Willimantic. 

Starting from Brooklyn, I’d be taking a lot of dirt roads and eventually the airline trail too, but I’d have to ride on Route 6 for a stretch (dangerous, even by car).  Google maps estimates that trip to take about 2 hours, but I’m guessing, it would be a little less. 

From Goodwin, it looks like the ride is about 10 miles, and G-maps estimates that at just under an hour.  Based on the handful of times I’ve ridden that stretch in the past, I know I can do it in about 45 minutes if I push.  But I wasn’t carrying a bunch of crap when I rode it then either. 

If I’m going to give this a whirl, this coming week will be the week to try it.  In fact, Monday looks ideal – first day of the spring semester, no homework to worry about yet, and decent weather. 

 

Downtown Boulder, CO.  Doing it right.  

I finally have all the gear I really need (winter riding shoes, YES!).  But there are just TWO more things that I’m probably going to want if I really commit to this: 1) Fenders, because DIRT, and 2) Bar Mitts, because COLD.  Here’s hoping this commuting thing sticks so I can pimp my ride.

Now, beside the fact that this is going to be good for me, I’ll save a crap-load of money on fuel, and I’ll get to ride my bike more often (making me a more tolerable person).  Plus, other people commute all the time, and that is pretty darn inspiring - role models are so great. 

One of these "people" is my buddy, Steve. After asking him for a few commuter tips (he’s been commuting regularly for years now), he went above and beyond by dishing out a 4-part blog series. 

Here’s part 1: The Intro

Then came: Food

This one is pretty detailed, and very helpful: Gear

And this one is my absolute favorite: What’s in the bag?

But that’s not all.  Via the ever-amazing Twitter, Steve introduced me to @ryantkelly who wrote this: how to commute to work by bike.

I stole this pic from the here. Doing it right x3.

Anything, and probably everything you want to know about commuting is in one of those links. 

Now comes the real challenge…

…walking the talk.  Or in this case, riding it. 

That’s where this bunch of yammering comes in.  If I say it on the internet, it means I have to do it, right? 

So if you’re reading this, I want to know: 1) What are your excuses, 2) If you do commute, please tell me your secrets, and 3) Do you want to take the challenge to start this week? 

The off (awful) season . . .

You may be wondering if I dropped off the face of the earth.

Or perhaps you haven't wondered it all...  

...you probably have better things to do than read this blog, but every time I post, you get sucked in because, like a really fantabulous NASCAR race, you are hoping to see a crash.

Well, I won't keep you waiting then.

Crash: 

Taking five classes with four labs is crazy f-ing business!! If you want to have any sort of free time whatsoever, you will never do such a thing.  Fortunately, I knew what I was getting into, so I am doing my best not to have a nervous breakdown and not to bitch about it (too much).  

So let's move on... nothing more to see here.

So things have been a little crazy in these parts.  I'm just coming off a weekend of writing 3 lab reports and cramming for an exam... meanwhile, I've neglected to produce another 5 pages towards my senior thesis for English or prepare for any of the three labs I have tomorrow.  

Yet here I am writing this...  

But I had to.  You see, I've missed writing about my adventures.  More importantly, I miss having adventures.  

That's why I'm spending a few precious minutes writing this.  I am preparing for next year's adventures.  I haven't planned too much yet, but the key to racing in 2014 is going to be planning.  

So here's what I'm looking forward to (so far):

• Singlespeed-a-palooza
• The Tran-sylvania Mountain Bike Epic - it's 7 days of racing and it's going to take a lot of planning to be ready.  
• A top-secret (maybe not so secret if I'm posting it here) renegade hundred in the backwoods of Rhode Island and CT at the end of April (just in time for finals).
• The Patapsco 100 - you bet your ass I'm doing that again!  

There's a chance I might do a bit of the NUE series next year (only races close to home), and I fully intend to call the MTB season quits at the end of August and train for 'cross!  

Yup, you read that right... 

I want to put in some effort for a season and see what it's like to be in shape racing 'cross.  I already know what it's like to be out of shape, and that's even kind of fun.  

What I'm hoping to get out of this post are some suggestions about what races I ought to add to the calendar for 2014... so go ahead, tell me... 

In the meantime, I'm going to read about whatever it is I'm doing with chicken fetuses in lab tomorrow... 

...scrambled eggs?