Flags at half mast today

I certainly will never forget this day way back when.

But the date didn't click until mid-day or so. Riding in I saw the squantum club's big flag at half mast and I didn't immediately grasp the significance of it.

A day to remember indeed, my memories are no where what many people I know went through. Friends who were there, friends who lost loved ones or were separated.

I watched from afar like most of the world. On TV, with co-workers. We walked over to the Student center at Central Michigan U and watched with students faculty and staff all on one TV. After who knows how long being riveted to the TV we went down to food services there, bought coffee and sat down heavily and really didn't say much, just trying to absorb the situation. We went back up, paused at the TV a bit longer then headed to our respective offices. The U shut down after lunch. Security concerns.

A day that I can re-live almost moment by moment.

But our lives went on, forever changed, but we moved forward.


So moving forward, CXy time is coming. Quad has been the opening race for my season for 4 years, this will be the 5th year it is my 'opening' day race. Last year was such a different year, huge changes in many ways. Last year was a year of terrible results but I was forced to come to terms with just having fun at each race. Have fun first. Who cares where I finished. The really tough part was not being able to stay with guys I've been racing with for years. When you race with the same guys year after year you get to know their riding styles, where they are good, where they aren't. Kind of nice.

I'm curious to see what will happen at Quad. Wondering how things will stack up. I can't really lose many CX points so there's that. Starting in the back. Probably where I'll be for a while unless I make some big jumps in fitness.  But as obsessed as I can get over the data, I'm less worried about it now. Mostly becuase hey, this is less pressure. Start in the back, maybe pass people, maybe not. Last year was double whammy. Started the year with the best points ever, and totally went backwards in every single race. Usually in a dramatic way a couple laps in, when skills kept me up where my fitness didn't belong. Then ZOOM thermo nuke pack slide. Aka doing the GeWilli. Rocket fast start, slide back where I belong. In reflection it really was tough, starting way up there and finishing in the back. And sometimes getting lapped. It didn't help with the rest of the difficulties.

It is a relief honestly to start the year with rock bottom points, and kind of exciting to race as 45+.

This morning in the shower I had the insane thought that all I need are brakes and I can make the Croll straight up Single Speed party bike. Sure it sucks as a CX bike but could be damn simple and kind of fun. I should be able to come up with some brakes for it, would have to run a tensioner but meh, who cares. Of course this is after I've got the too small black blue ready to convert to SSCX with minimal work. I don't think I'll have time to make that happen before Sunday, but maybe i'll toss three bikes in the rusty race wagon's last gasp. We'll see, we'll see.

Gotta get my #NECX patches on the Jumpsuit before Sunday too. Not to mention find all the bike racing shit I haven't touched since... um...  shit... NBX at Goddard Park? Uh oh. Also maybe wet? GOOD. Tired of dusty days. BUT not good in that muds aren't glued up (of course) so I'll probably put Tubeless on the big white blue, mostly because the rear PDX looks more like a slick/fango. Almost ready to prove it possible to say you CAN wear out a tubular tire. But maybe it'll self destruct before it wears out. Lets hope not. One more season out of them and the zipps. then I think if the zipps survive they get relegated to road use where I don't use brakes nearly as much as I do in CX.

Keeping shit working longer than most, that's my thing. That and fixing stuff and keeping it working. Even when my stuff isn't perfectly dialed I can tell you what needs to happen (usually that means buying stuff) but still. How many years now going on working in the shop part time? Lots of them. 25 years of wrenching. Not so bad. And no - I don't hate bikes yet. Probably the only guy working for this shop who hasn't bought a new bike since starting to work there. Parts? yes. S-Tech FTW, but no new bikes. Not a one. Even with ninja level discount avail. still on the bikes i was riding when I started working at the shop to make enough money to pay for the orthodontist.

But hey, choices we make.

Oh hey, in case you're keeping track, looking to have a special run of Nanoscape prints done of the Firefly series. Initial thought is to have them avail directly from me and at the firefly gallery. Making smaller ones now. Why? Smaller has much less impact but still cool also, significantly cheaper to produce. Price ~around the cost of a race CX. Just prints, not mounted or framed, but on heavy paper. Maybe Kevin and the guys will let me hawk the prints at the Builder's Ball. Gotta get my ass going on some new images though. Idea for the next collection has stalled in the concept phase.

heddwch
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