I’m not sure that racing today at the UCI race in Louisville is the proper venue for me to get back into cross this season, but that is how it is going to be. Yesterday I had a good time leading a cross clinic for a couple hours late in the afternoon. There was a good turnout, something around 30 or so riders. Tim Johnson and Peter Weber did a kids group that had maybe twice that many. It was super cool.

The course is many grass, no real mud, but tricky in a couple off-camber places. I’m having a little trouble picking my bike up over the barriers and up the stairs, but I’m sure I’ll be fine during the race. It seems like after I use my shoulder a couple times, it starts working better somewhat. It is funny how little pains aren’t even on the radar screen when you’re racing.

I have no UCI points, so I’m going to be starting close to the very back I assume. There are 64 guys registered for the Elite men’s race at 4 pm, so that is going to be around 8 rows back. That is fine. I’m going to hate it when I get to the line, but that is the way it is, so I’m going to have to deal with it.

Just about everyone good in the country is on the start list. Plus a couple good foreigners. One thing, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to have to sit up and not finish in the top 15 to avoid UCI points. There is almost no chance for me to finish that well. I have no plans on going to Master’s Worlds in January anyway, so having UCI points isn’t really an issue now.

If you want to watch the races live on the internet, Cyclingdirt.com is doing live coverage. I think you have to subscribe, but I’m not sure. Here is a link to their website. The women’s race is at 3 and the Elite men’s race at 4 pm EST.

I’m going to go for an hour or two this morning on my road bike to try to loosen up some from the flight and standing around all day yesterday at the course. I’ll be fine today, but will probably be stiff, sore, tired, etc. on Sunday. Riding around on grass at speed is really hard. I had sort of forgotten how hard until I did it yesterday.

The clinic was a good time yesterday.

Looks like there is going to be a little air action tomorrow afternoon. Wonder if he travels with his shovel?

Ryan Trebon went off a little yesterday to Velonews about Ryder too. I have to applaud him for that. He was making the stairs look easy.

But, you don’t have to run them if you have the skills.

Chris Horner did exactly what I wanted him to do. That is to say that he isn’t rider #15 in the USADA report. The problem is that he did it so badly that it did nothing but detract from his believability. I think it would behoove Chris to just stay silent until the UCI gives everyone a get-out-of-jail-free card.

In this article at Cyclingnews, Chris says what he should have said originally a couple weeks ago. When asked whether he is the redacted rider #15, he answers, “Nope”. Then he proceeds to go and make a mess of the rest of the interview.

He goes and contradicts himself a few times about whether doping and drugs were prevalent when he first went to Europe. He uses the explanation that he was only 25 years old and didn’t speak French as the main reason that he didn’t go to the dark side. His quote here is beautiful, “But there is not the option as a 25-year-old kid who doesn’t speak the language in France to just go do EPO. But really you think of it as you weren’t given the option more than you didn’t take the option.”

He pretty much sticks with the, no one gave him the option 15 years ago when I was “young” and naïve, so that means that no one in the last 15 years presented it again, reasoning.

He talks of his early bad results and says, “I had a difficult time in Europe. It’s difficult to say whether the drug problem was there or it wasn’t there, and that was the reason. I was 10 pounds overweight; that was one of the reasons.”

Difficult to say whether the “drug problem was there or it wasn’t there? Chris, obviously, you haven’t read enough about it on Cyclingnews, since that is where you get all your doping news, because nearly anyone reading this can attest to the fact that there was a serious drug problem going on in cycling during those years. And all the years after. Maybe he was too busy racing bicycles and missed the last decade + of doping news in cycling?

Maybe just a tad amount of outrage would make it seem more plausible. Just a little bit. I guess we were just trying to stay on topic?

Maybe he is right and it was just a weight issue. I wonder why all these guys listed below, had to use drugs to win races? I think I’ll skip lunch.

The pictue is of Tour de France top 10 finishers that have either tested positive, admitted to doping or been sanctioned by an official cycling or antidoping agency.