I saw the results from the US MTB Nationals yesterday. Todd won again for back to back wins. I was interested in seeing Ned finished 14th, about 12 minutes back. I’m not sure why the race was only 1:44 for the winner. I haven’t been in the MTB scene enough to know if they’ve just made the races shorter or they missed the mark. It seems like 12 minutes in 1:45 is a lot. Todd must be going pretty fast.

I guess there was a Fat Tire Criterium on Friday night, with a $7500 prize list. If the race would have been a week later and I would have known about the criterium, I probably would have made my way over to Idaho to race.

I was considering doing either the Leadville 50 or Breckenridge 100 this weekend, but that didn’t work out. I definitely want to get in a few MTB races soon. But, not anywhere near the midwest, it is 100,000 degrees in Kansas right now.

Here's Ned's bike from Sea Otter. It's a low-end aluminum Specialized frame, close to the same he rode last year to the Single Speed National TItle. I'm not sure if Ned just has to buy his own frames, and is a cheap skate, or that Specialized is pushing low end bikes for elite MTB racing.

It seems like cyclocross comes to mind earlier and earlier every year. Something like the Christmas season starting at Thanksgiving and now after Halloween. I think the end of the Tour is when people start getting the itch for ‘cross. At least the anticipation of the cross season. I never have, but since this season has been so disjointed for me, I need to get my mind on something. Not to mention, I still have a bad taste in my mouth from last January.

This season is going to be really long. With Cyclocross Nationals moved to January in Madison. And then Master’s Cyclocross Worlds being held in Louiville a week later, it makes the season incredibly long. That is one reason that I’m not so worried about taking a little break from racing in the heat of July, you don’t have to be going fast for cross for nearly 6 months.

I’m taking some tread over to Europe to get some tires made for the cross season by FMB. I’m sick of Dugast bullshit tires. Challenge has some new tires on the market this year. The Limus 33 tubular cross tires look to be pretty good. Aggressive tread that is deep. It’ll be interesting testing them out. I really hope the work out as well as the look.

I flew out to California yesterday to do a few things. I’m going to the gym some this week. I felt pretty great riding in Colorado, considering the altitude, but my left leg/hamstring has some issues. I need to address them before I get into a serious cross training routine. I’m going to Salt Lake City to see the BMC physicians, Max Testa and Eric Heiden after the Tour of Utah is over. Hopefully I’ll be a little more balanced, muscle wise, before I get there.

So, start thinking cross. Just a little. If you’re really jonesing for ‘cross and think you’re fit, you can go out to Washington State, this Thursday and ride Midsummer’s Night Cyclocross. Check out the prizes.

Probably a little too spur of the moment for most of you. I understand. I don’t even have a cyclocross bike together yet.

If you’re thinking about honing some ‘cross skills, J-Pow is doing a cyclocross clinic in Colorado in August. Also, Adam Myerson is having one on the East coast a couple weeks later.

It is going to be interesting to see how this new line up situation works for the Nationals. Some kind of National Ranking system, using “an innovative algorithm” that the USAC has come up with. I’m going to hold off on commenting fully on this until I get a little more information, but I’m dubious that this has even the slightest chance of working correctly. We can contrast that with the call-up order of Master’s Worlds, which is totally random, unless there are 75 participates in the race. Man, the powers at be need to get their shit together and put as much effort into governing the sport as we do training and competing in it.

This is a photo of the new Challenge Limus 33mm tubular.