If you happened to notice, as if it isn’t obvious,there is a big banner across the top today for the Crawdad Kermesse. It’s a circuit race down in Harrison, Arkansas, south of Branson, MO. It is super pretty country. The town is a gem in the middle of the Ozarks. Last year was the first time they held the event. It was the first race I did after crashing at Joe Marin and separating my other shoulder. I’m sort of thinking about trying to make it my first race back from this shoulder surgery. The problem, for me, is that the course is too good. It is a long circuit that starts in town in Harrison, by the Crawdad Festival, and then immediately heads up a kilometer climb. It is pretty challenging. I love courses like this, but will suffer like a dog this year. I guess you have to pay your dues. The banner is a clickable link to the website, so feel free. It is a really good time.

On the local front, I am on day two of not eating. So something like 36 hours or so. Yesterday wasn’t bad really. I never really got an major hunger pains. I did think about food some, but didn’t obsess. It is funny how strange a day is when you don’t go through the routine of feeding yourself at least 3 times. It’s kind of a drag really. I’m not going to eat today again and then see how it is after that. I only rode 26 miles yesterday, super easy. Going to do about the same today. I’ve been drinking San Pellegrino bubbly water with lemon. I’m peeing a ton, but that’s about it.

The Giro has been pretty good this year. Wiggins sure lost his shit after he fell descending a couple days ago. He is lucky not to be another minute or two behind the way he was crawling down the wet descents. It was super slick though. I saw a spectator slide out trying to help pick up a rider that had fallen in front of him.

I’m glad I’m not racing the Tour of California. It’s supposed to be 106 today there. And it was nearly that hot yesterday. Jens Voight said that it shouldn’t be an excuse for him because he’d been there a few days and was used to it. Wow Jens, you are a mutant. Talking about Jens, I pretty much hated the statement he made in the Tour of California press conference asking, “Why should his generation be punished for things people my age have done before?” statement of “I’d like to hope that the fans can move past what’s happened in that era of cycling; I think it’s a long time ago now. I think the sport of cycling has taken its hits, but hopefully they don’t lose faith in us now.” I didn’t like that one much either, because as I’ve written here before, these guys perception of a “long time ago” and different generation is completely out of wack. But, they all have a sound bites for these PR things and are sticking with the script.

It has been pretty great weather here in Kansas, only in the 60’s the last few days. Kind of chilly really. Tomorrow it is going to maybe be a record high of 92. I’m glad that Jens clued me in on the quick acclamation to heat deal, so I should be used to it in a day or two. I should put a couple extra bottles of San Pellegrino in the fridge just in case.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner the last day.

I was watching the Tour of California on the Internet yesterday and Paul Sherwin said something about Philip Gilbert dropping back and changing his socks during the race. I didn’t see it, but that seemed super strange to me. I’ve never even though about doing something like that. Paul said something about maybe Philp was putting on some special “ice socks” or something. I’ve never heard of ice socks. Socks with pockets for ice. I couldn’t imagine wanting to cool my body enough to ride with wet feet. Then Paul said something like, “Maybe as the reining world champion, he just wants to look good?” Right Paul, that is it.

Anyway, I was looking through my sock draw yesterday, looking for some light socks to wear at 94 degrees (not with slots of ice) and found the original pair of DeFeet socks that I got from Jacque Boyer. I believe he gave them to me at Sea Otter, somewhere in the 90’s. I have worn this very pair of socks, 100’s of times and they still don’t have a hole in the toes. I don’t quite understand that. Either, DeFeet made the socks much higher quality, or…. well, I don’t have another explanation.

Cycling socks are so interesting to a racing cyclist. They are an easy way for a “real racer” to identify a novice. Over the years, it is strange how the style or trends have changed.

Back when I first went to Europe, back in the 80’s, all the Pros and Western Europeans worn wool socks from Italy. I only had a couple pairs. I mainly worn super thin nylon socks I got at K Mart, which cost about 1/10 the price. It was sort of a status symbol by then having a bunch of Italian wool socks, at least to a poor kid like me. I remember going up to LaCrosse, Wis., to stay with Mark Frise before the Tour de l’Abitibi, a prestigious junior stage race. We were getting dressed to ride the first day and Mark opened a draw that was just stuffed with Italian wool socks. It dumb struck me. I was so jealous. Mark went on to be the first American to win the race.

When all the Pros were wearing short wool socks, the Russians would be wearing these mid calf socks made in Russia, I guess. It looked so weird. All the Eastern Europeans wore the same mid calf socks. We could never understand why they couldn’t get with the program and dress stylish.

When I was riding for Levis, we hired Jiri Manus, newly to the US, via Czechoslovakia, to help coach our team. Jiri had a stellar resume. He was on the podium in the Olympics and World Championships. He won the British Milk Race and the Peace Race, the two best amateur races in the world. But, he hadn’t westernized enough for our team. Roy (Knickman), kept trying to help Jiri catch up with modern ways. Jiri would pour a bunch of oil into a pan and fry bacon in the morning. Then he would crack a few eggs into the pool of grease and dump it all over toast. We, as cyclists, were avoiding most fat completely. Plus, Jiri would only wear, mid calf, white socks. That was the deal breaker. Jiri was let go. He went on to be the National Coaching Director for USAC for the next 20 years, so it was probably for the best.

When I started racing MTB, every good rider wore road cycling socks. All good riders except Dave Wiens. Dave would wear hightop black socks. Man, did it seem so out of place at the time. He took a lot of flak over the years, but he was the “inventor” of mid calf black socks for MTB racing.

Socks were short, now mid calf. It is sort of like watching the shorts that basketball players wear. Watching Magic Johnson and Co. back in the day, it seems that they are wearing hot pants compared to the knee length shorts the current generation likes.

DeFeet was the company that changed the cycling sock industry. Socks with logos. Man, was that a game changer. Socks that matched the kits. It was nearly as big a change for cycling as t-shirts with words on them were, in the 70’s, for the general public. We never looked back after that. Soon, there were a lot of copy cat companies of DeFeet, but they were the original custom sock people. Shane Cooper is the founder of DeFeet. He is a eclectic guy. His business card says something like chief sockologist on it. Pretty great title. Greg Demgen, a team mate of mine forever, worked with Shane at DeFeet for a long while. I’m sure that there were plenty of young riders jealous of my collection of socks at that time.

My original pair of DeFeet socks from Boyer.

Toes of kevlar or something.

This is my sock drawer. I’d bet there are way over 100 pair in there. It’s nearly impossible to close.

Soukho winning the Olympic Games in 1980,with his high socks of the time.

Dave is still at it, with his trend setting, black socks.