We got to Madison a little after noon yesterday and got in just a couple laps of the course. I was so surprised that everything is completely frozen hard. Really hard. Everything but the course, which is frozen medium, with 1/2 inch or more of mud and grass on top. I really can’t predict how the course is going to be on the weekend, but it is changing up hour to hour during the day.

I’m going over to the course right now, at 8:30 am to preride the course at 9 am, which is when I race tomorrow morning. I think it is going to be frozen hard completely today, since it was in the lower 20’s last night. It might be a waste of time because I think the low tonight is only supposed to be in around 34, so the course most likely won’t freeze hard. Whatever the temperatures, it is going to be slick.

The course is really wide open most of the time with a pretty substantial climb that you go up twice. I felt pretty good again yesterday, so that’s a good sign. The run up is pretty long with an off camber remount at the top. I’m going to ride the Dugast Rhinos today. Yesterday I rode the FMB tires and they seemed to work pretty good. I’m going to ride a little harder pressure because after you get through the mud, you get down to real hard, sometimes, sharp ground.

Catherine is racing at 11:30 this morning, so I’m going to ride a couple laps with her after she gets over to the course and then change into warm clothes to help out/spectate. Bill doesn’t race until Saturday. I’m going to try not to stand around at the venue too much the next few days, but I know how that goes.

I guess there are 103 Elite guys registered for Sunday. That should make for an interesting start for everyone with no UCI points. Even for the guys with UCI points. Trebon is going to be going so fast at the start that there are going to be guys that are -5 or -6 laps, with the 80% rule in force. I would say my chances of riding the complete distance is very slim. I hate it, but that is how it is scored now.

My bike was pretty gummed up after only riding two laps. I was having some issues clipping back in after walking up the run up. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had any trouble getting back into XTR pedals. And always before it is a situation where there is wet mud, but the air temperature is way below 32 degrees, making frozen mud on the bottom of the shoes.

Talk about a muddy situation, how about Valverde coming back to the sport and saying that he has a “clear conscience” and that he felt cheated because they matched his “DNA in that country without my presence.” I don’t thing he could have done much to help those guys do his DNA test. And I don’t think a DNA test is very complicated. Neither did WADA or CAS. I guess it was a big conspiracy against him since he was slaughtering everyone so badly. Well, he’s been training hard during the timeout the last 18 months and can restart slaughtering everyone once again.

Okay, time to go get cold and muddy. It’s a pretty harsh way to start out the day. I hate this early morning, winter bike racing stuff.

My bike after just two laps yesterday.

The trainer tent. It's going to be fun to see when it fills up.

A bike rag I spotted in the back of Catherine's car.

Catherine moved her yard sale out to the hallway last night.

Okay. Like I posted yesterday, I’m not big at all with this early morning bike racing. Especially in the winter when it is cold and dark when you have to go to the course. But that is my life today. I race at 9 am for 45 minutes. So, I’m out of here on my bike at 7:30am.

Yesterday I did about the same thing. I rode 2 laps at 8:30 am and my bike was completely clean. The ground was frozen hard. When the sun hit the dark soil, it melted pretty quickly. The course is fairly treacherous now. A thin layer of mud on top of frozen ground. The next two laps I did at 10, it was a mess, with everything gumming up pretty quickly.

I spent way too much time on my feet yesterday. I was trying to make it a point not do that, but it is so easy to get caught up in the excitement. Catherine raced at 11:30 for 4 laps. Her start was pretty mediocre and she got into a 40 second deficit pretty early into the 2nd lap. But then she got her shit together and clawed back. Her last lap was one minute faster than her first and the fastest lap of the race by any rider. She caught the leader, Kris Walker with 1/4 lap to go and then it became sort of strange. They both dabbed a couple times, then both got caught up behind riders from the younger age group. Kris got a couple bike length lead coming onto the pavement and Catherine came close but ended up 2nd. I know she is disappointed, but she has a do over next weekend in Louisville for bigger rewards. It is fun to watch friends race.

It is so much fun I ended up going back to the hotel and then riding back to the course to watch the 55+ race. My friend, Paul Curley rode a pretty great race and won. It wasn’t for sure until the last lap, with the time gap under 10 seconds for most of the race. It is amazing how much the course changed and got worse throughout the day. The last group was having to dismount all the ride up hills.

Today, I have to assume that they are going to be unrideable too. The steep pitches have to be destroyed by foot prints and it didn’t freeze last night, so the course is going to be just as slick as yesterday afternoon, which made it seem like a crawl spectating. There are at least 3 long runs now, not counting the sand since they put a 90 degree turn in the sand pit in the afternoon.

Okay, I should be fine. I don’t really have a preference of types of courses, but in this case, I would have liked the course to be mostly rideable so I’m not so hurt for the Elite race on Sunday. But, that isn’t going to be the case today. Okay, better go get this over. I’ll update you later on the outcome.

Catherine playing catchup all day.

Catherine's podium, Kris Walker the National Champ.

Paul Curley turnig sharp on his way to another National Championship.

Paul having to run the sand after they moved the course half way through the day.

Suzette and I. She is the girl behind Fi’zi:k saddles.

Bromont spent all day at the race and made a ton o friends.

Everyone to bed early last night. The pre race check list I didn't really pay attention to.