CrossVegas UCI race starts in less than an hour. If you want to see live video click here. Live updates are available here. I am never doing CrossVegas again. I’ve ridden the race 3 times and have not finished once. And, I don’t quit races. There is something screwy about the venue. I don’t know. I think it’s maybe fertilizer or pesticides that they put on the soccer field. I don’t know, but my lungs are destroyed after one lap of riding at race pace. All the riders agree, but they think it’s just the dry desert air. Not so. I’ve raced the criterium at Mandalay Bay twice, a couple days earlier, and nothing. Felt fine. But, the thick grass his some toxin on it that jacks me up.

Last year, Barry Wicks wrote a great article about the life of Interbike, including CrossVegas, from his noses’ point of view. His best line is “Are you so surprised to find that I am causing you pain after the finish? Surprised when you wake up at 4 am after three hours of sleep and can hardly breathe due to the horde of thick yellow mucus I have built to protect myself from your abuses?” I agree completely. 3 hours max. During CrossVegas too. Complete burning. It’s kind of interesting that most of the guys there have the same experience. Brown and yellow gunk. No sleep. And the gunk can last up to a couple weeks. Like bronchitis.

It’s too bad. I love racing in front of all my friends and peers. The venue is awesome for spectating. You can see nearly the whole course from one point. Under the lights, nighttime cyclocross is great. The racing was the main reason for me to go to Interbike. I have no regrets about not going. My lungs and nose are thanking me already.