Cyclocross Racer

I did not win anything this year, not one race.
its been a grand year,  I don't have to look back farther than this afternoon to know it.
I tried Belmont, to soft, and the trails at the Mighty Wissahickon, beat up a bit, and frosting mud ontop, to soft.  I cross by Rittenhouse town and turned left, up the climb, and road the old trails, quiet, dry trails, they are short. Its a nice trail this one up on the ridge.

I raced a lot, enough.
I'm not the fastest guy,  good job fast guys,  way to work and train,  and way to show respect and pride to us losers.   Humbled by you.

Only about 2 miles from my house, its run down,  I don't worry about Phila. losing its soul. 
I wonder how people live,  this vast society of have not enoughs.

I guess what drew me to live in phila., maybe was not what it had, but maybe more what it did not have.    Even if I don't help anyone, ever,  I don't want to pretend its not there. 


mewithoutyou - "Aubergine"

Mewithoutyou, played well, good show @ Johnny Brenda's.


Its been good, work, beer, racing, bands, art, books, food, luvin, family, friends.

my adventure, challenges, just a step outside my front door.

the Quakers, when they built the doorways into the cells, that held you in the penitentiary, they made the clearance low, to make sure you bowed your head.


I don't worry about knowing a lot,  its not my genetics,  I've got a terrible memory.
so I try to keep it simple,
when I started riding,  I read, "look at where you want to go, concentrate on the line.  See and know the dangers, hindrances, but focus on the line, follow your line".

I feel it now,  next year,  racing,  cross.  oh how long till?

Cheers,  dlowe.

about the town

the racing is done for 2013.  and now I'm just out and about on the bike, doing whatever.

mostly on the sscx, and trying to go slow.   taking pictures and stopping to look around, even going a more a bit off the path into the badder neighborhoods.   I've been reading books,  now onto Maynard Dixon,  I guess when I head out the door I want to discovery my own frontiers.  Vistas. There's not much left to really discovery, but maybe more I can rediscover. 

I'm loyal to my routes, and look for even small patches of dirt to add to road, or old sidewalks,  some of the vast empty parking lots.   Just a block off the common route.

I like the sun behind me, in the afternoon, low from the west, just flatlighting the big old empty building, row houses.   The blue cool tones of ambient sky, the light climbs the floors at sun sets behind the horizon.   The far side of the Wissahickon,  the sun drops to my left, and  I look out over the creek to the right, at the opposite hillside.   Watching as I pedal along, the band of sunlight, just hitting the tops of the tallest trees.

 

cheers dl 

 

"tow trucks a coming"

I went out a wimp.
this year, I finished racing twice.  once in Louisville and last week at Belmont.

1/31    my 1st sscx race,  on the Free Spirit.
 

The Walkmen - "While I Shovel the Snow"

 

I knew as I prepped yesterday, loaded the car, the bag, that I'd turn off the alarm, turn over, and not race today.

 

Last race, last week,  drinking on the hill,  warm soul, warm hands, cold beer.

This morning.  

I woke up, fixed a couple of Fakin' bacon sandwiches,  and went out on a ride,  just a short one on the SScx.

 

You know its philly, and you know that if it can, it will find you, its always there,...

I would of missed it, if I was racing, the cop car slid off the road,  joy riding the Plateau.  I snuck around to the top of parachute hill and rode down to get a snap.   When I had found them, I stopped, and a window rolled down.   "...."  I didn't say a word.   "the hills icy"  "slid off"  I did a sitcom gander, and long pause, ....   "Yep"  I said.          "tow trucks coming".    I left a good gap in time.. "ok".        I kicked my shoe against the pedal to clear packed snow, clipped in  " so long "  I said.

 

 

I think it'd take 3 of me, to do all I want to do; help me drink it all,  see all the bands,  race, and race,  the good rides I miss, and attacking all the training rides,  the GV30 breaks I want to be in.



and of course the time I just want to have my arms around my wife.

The naps, all the naps.

 

 

driving home from picking up some strong winter brews, the moon came up and outta the cloud.

 

 

Love is Luck
I did not get a picture of the moon, no.  Back into the clouds it went.

 The Walkmen,  I now want to see them, and they just played Philly,  and it was their last show, ever.

I did not go, just another thing, grand thing, I needed to miss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laundry to fold, a bag to pack, need to eat a bite, and sit on  a comfy couch

Cheers!  d.  

 

Interview with Dean Wareham

 I did my 1st interview recently, with Dean Wareham.

"You race CX? any interest in a small interview to talk about cx/music? cheers, d"
"I do not race anything!"  Dean Wareham.


I've enjoyed this much like Galaxy 500, and, Dean and Britta. 
I look forward, expect a show in Phila., in the spring.

Dean Wareham - "Living Too Close to the Ground"

and off to a little nap, d.

Mr. King Krule obliterated the f'n world

photo a.Gorka

its hard to type tonight.  Riding today, I reached out while riding to give the robot rider coming by down the tape the opposite direction a high 5.  It wrenched my thumb backwards.  Now its a bit purple and plump.      King Krule - "Cementality"

a long time ago, I was riding in the backseat of a car,  I think to get food, bumming a ride, I didn't have a car, I didn't need one.  the college I was attending, Ohio University, is in a small S. Ohio hill town, Athens.

I had just returned from a visit to Philadelphia, maybe '85.   visited the folks,  and saw Nick Cave the junkie, play at a dumpy bar.   I fell in love with Philly, I think that night. ... when I froze, stilled tongued, as Nick sat down on the bar seat next to me, ordered a bottle  of vodka and a glass of ice.   A few sips, moments, he was up on stage playing an incredible show.

"I'm moving to Philly"  I said.
"Why the fuck would you want to move to Philadelphia, that hole, I hate that place" the broad driving said.   I just pasted my lips together.  No argument from me, and I want some food.

Saturday night, in a bar venue, Johnny Brendas, there are no more dumps,  shows, even the small ones are at nice places.   to see King Krule. 

King Krule,

I don't know where the band's from, but I think the town, these lads, make it some place I'd want to see.
He plays,  the body is as important as, makes the music, as much, emotion can tweak, shake, simmer, out of his soul with words, notes.

I am Nature Boy,  and Cross Crit counter clock.  I'm Under '76,  and Beer Can Trail,  to Behind the Ice Rink drop in,  these parts of philly they are mine.  Me.    Horse legs, Boyz II Men, Stony stony.
Not to take ownership, but, my grasp on them, ...I ride them when I want, I've seen them in winter, drizzle, with friends, flats and broken spokes.  I know of every free spicket, for water on 100 degree days. 

my world was obliterated.

ssxcwc'13 at the plateau

by simple things, d.