Both the men’s and women’s Olympic MTB races were great last weekend.  So much for a course that some described as a “bike path”.  I was surprised about how many of the women started the race all bandaged up.  And in the men’s race, there were tons of crashes and mechanicals, which isn’t a sign of a bike path course.

I was rooting for both Jenny Rissveds and Nino Schurter.  Both ride for my friend Thomas Frischknecht’s Scott-Odlo MTB Team, so that is great for that program.   I’m waiting for the mass email recapping the race.

Peter Sagan put himself in a position to make me eat my words.  I didn’t see the very start, but somehow Sagan beamed himself up to the front of the race early in the first lap.  That seemed nearly impossible to me.  It was such drag when he flatted.  I have to say, he didn’t look that comfortable following Nino around the course the first lap.  He lost time on both the climbs and descents, but easily made it up through pedalling on the flats.  I don’t think he would have won, but he was in the mix, so who knows.

Nino made the event look stupid easy.  That guy can ride a MTB.  They said he was using a 29’r, but his wheels looked smaller, so I think he might have been on a 27.5.  Either way, he rode crazy smooth.  I only saw him make a small mistake once which the course was slick from overnight rain.

So, Nino Schurter has his collection of Olympic medals, a gold, silver and bronze now from the last three Olympics.  He doesn’t need to collect any other medals, he has his owns.

The Olympics seemed like they are over before the started.  I guess that was two weeks.  Man, does time pass quickly.  I didn’t realize the Vuelta was 3 days in today, until today.  Too much cycling to follow.

I rode my MTB 50 miles on gravel yesterday.  I’m going to try to ride it a couple times a week for the next month before Chequamegon.    I’m hoping the 4 criteriums over Labor Day in St. Louis, the Gateway Cup, will jump start me and give me some speed.   Man, are those going to be painful.

This isn’t a bike path I normally ride.

Catharine Pendral, Canada,  rode great to get the bronze.

I think Tucker has been watching too many cats growing up.

This has always been the case.  But it has gotten worse and worse through the years I’ve been racing.  If prize money was even going to just keep up with inflation, then most pros racing domestically would be making an okay living just off prize money.  That isn’t close to the case.

I was reminded of this again, because I just saw the prize list of US Open in tennis.  The winner gets 3.5 million, which seems reasonable, I guess.  But if you just get into the tournament, loss in the first round, which means you finish tied for 128th, you’d get $43,300.  That is a lot more money that nearly every domestic professional cyclist makes total for a year of racing.

I’m not sure why professional cycling in doldrums.   It always has been a blue collar sport, but this is ridiculous.  I don’t think there is a race in the US where a rider can win what you can get for last place for one tennis tournament.

I think it might be because the promoters used to look out for the well-being of the riders.  I don’t think that is the case much anymore.  Bike racers and the promoters used to have a symbiotic relationship going.    I think the money is harder to come by to put on a race, so the prize lists are what suffers first.  Whatever the reason, no one, minus maybe Daniel Holloway, could pay for a season of racing from their winnings.

I’m heading to downtown Topeka to watch Bill and Catherine do an Urban Adventure Race. They are both going to be crippled after.  We’re supposed to go on a long-ish road ride at 1pm. I doubt they will participate, even though yesterday they were all gung ho.

Prize money for the women’s US Open.

I saw this mushroom in the park yesterday. It popped up overnight I think. I is very beautiful.

I got Tucker pet insurance. He’s gonna need it if he keeps sleeping with his neck in these strange positions.