Beating my Doldrum Slowly

Two weekends in a row of potential cyclocross wonder to witness.

Two weekends in a row of missed opportunities.

Two weekends ago, Single Speed Cyclocross Worlds looked like it was one for the ages.  Bilenky Junkyard Cross, something I've looked longingly across the room at for years...


A weekend of debauchery that ended in snow and with two new champions ready for a tattoo.

Single speed cyclocrossers around the world are tearing down their Princess Leia posters and updating their decor.

The UCI NC Gran Prix was this past weekend.  Rain, cold, mud, and the bigs showed up to play as well.  Staring at images on FaceBook all weekend did not fill the void.  Hearing that Nick "Dip-n-Spray" Barlow had no place to stay and slept full-dirt style under the Birdsong Team EZ Up after the first day of racing?  My void was filled slightly.

Me?  Here in Charlotte, watching the rain fall, dealing with Christmas for the non-consumer woes, wondering what it would be like to ride a bike for fun again, and dishing out more false indignation on FaceBook with photoshop.

I was that bored at times.  I even almost bled my Shimano brakes, and was narrowly saved with a text from Kurt that we would indeed ride.  Nothing special, a tool about town, something to get out of the house.  Meet at 2:15.
It was 1:34.   I scrambled.  Out the door in an efficient manner, at the meeting location eight minutes early... ignoring the incoming texts burning up my jersey pocket the whole way there in order to be on time.

Of course those texts were all concerning moving back the meeting time.

Joey was making waffles.  Priorities reset.  Ride to his house, get asked to make a non-enriched, bleached white flour supply run as soon as I get there, not know what to say aside from "Okay?", come back with said ingredient, and watch Joey make waffles as Kurt and I look at maps and eat waffles.

I did not need any waffles, but Joey said, "No-waffles are not on the menu."

Finally out the door...

Wait.  Joey has a flat.

Back to Joey's.

And then back out on a ride... scoping potential Tour duh Charlotte possibilities and generally just riding about with little regard in terms of fitness or goals.  Maybe more time spent walking around in the briars along Sugar Creek than actual riding.  Still counts as a ride.

At least I made some progress on the new bike recently.  There's that.

Key piece of the puzzle.  I fondled it, thought about putting it on the Christmas tree, realized it might get packed away unknowingly by my family come January, and thought better of it. 

Did I mention I'm at full-Ullrich already?

Finis.