It seems like I’m ripping off my tubular road tires and glueing on cross tires continually. Or vise versa.  Now that the Tour is finally over, it seems like cross season is just around the corner. Especially since the first two World Cups are here in the US the third week of September.  That is less than 2 months away.  Cross Vegas is Cross Vegas, but JingleCross being in September could be a whole different race.

I never really thought of the road season being done after the Tour, but during the last few years, I start hearing people talking about cross just about now.  I’m always thinking, no, it is only July.  But if you want to be going good for cross in September, then you should probably get on it a couple months before?

I really haven’t done anything.  I’m feeling crummy and just trying to get better so I can actually train and not just ride around.  I has been so stinking hot here the past week, that I don’t think anyone could feel normal doing more than a couple hours.  I know that is the situation for me when I start going downhill physically at a steep rate after about 45 miles.

I did get out the cross tires I plan on racing in Iowa.  I got some tires for Nationals last year from BelgianWerkx.  They are FMB, with mud tread.  I wanted to get some with the PRO casing, but they were out for the season.  I don’t think I need the beefier sidewall for JingleCross, since I don’t think it is going to be close to as muddy as it has been recently.  If you’re looking to get some super race tires, you’d better order them soon.  Here is a link to BelgianWerkx, which have a great relationship with Francois (Mr. FMB), thus they have access to a wide variety of tires.  

Jinglecross is just the next weekend after Chequamegon this year, on September 22-24, with CrossVegas being the 21st.  I doubt I’ll go out to Vegas.  I swore that race off quite a while ago. Nothing against the race, it is super fun, but the soccer field where they hold the event is poison to my body.  I think I’ve done the race 3 times and each and everytime I am coughing like crazy after and get a lung infection.

I have to take back that I haven’t been doing nothing for cross.  I’ve been walking Tucker in a big park by my house and have been running up the hill there, barefoot.  Just a couple times every walk.  I am pitiful, but it is at least something.

Okay, just a post to get you thinking about fall and cross.  It comes up so quickly.

The FMB tires that still need to be glued on.

The FMB Supermud with PRO casing.

Pretty wide for good support.

Yesterday was a watermelon type day.

Since the Tour finished on Sunday, how about tracking Chris Froome’s life?  I have to assume that there was a big shindig in Paris after he won on Sunday.

Then on Monday, he flew back to England for a PR thing at Sky’s Corporate Headquarters, then back to Beligium for the Aalst Criterium, which he won.  Pretty tight schedule.  I guess he isn’t that beat from 3 weeks of bike racing?

Given, the start money criteriums, after the Tour, is not really racing.  It is sort of just for show. But you do still have to ride around at over 25 mph for a while.   I wonder how many he is going to do this year, since the Olympics are just a couple weeks away?  SInce he has so much energy, maybe he’ll race them all, then do a redeye to Rio for the Olympic.  Screw the time change, etc.

After the Olympics, there is no down time because he announced that he’s doing the Tour of Spain, wanting to double up with two Grand Tour victories.  So, August is going to be just about as busy for him as July has been.

Chris must have a really good “life coach”.  Someone to keep him focused.  I bet Andrew Talansky didn’t think Chris would be at Spain when he skipped the National Time Trial, the Olympics, the Tour, to ride the Tour of Spain.  Maybe he doesn’t care.  I’d put my money on Froome either way.

Tucker could use some more energy sometimes.