Muddy Creek Chruch

This time of year the sun doesn't rise high, and the days are shorter in day light.
The suns always behind the Muddy Creek Church.
It is on Muddy Creek rd, the road I take driving home from racing at Stoudts.
In my eyes, that golden glint always.
Headed toward the entrance ramp to the turnpike.

                                  racer Stoudts cx   photo: Zoey

I always wonder where the muddy creek is, where's it running?

                                              racer,  Caffeinated Horse barn


Sometimes racing leaves me a bit grumpy, suffern hard, and not being as fast as I think I should be.


and other good days,   I'm the wind lifting the leaves and scattering them.

Stoudts CX 11/3  8th place
I felt like I had a governor on the motor, never got it going like I wanted, left me a bit grumpy.
Grumpies dissipated about 20 mins post racing, did cool down alone, road past a cool old building, "Bollman Hats - 1868" need to buy a hat next year.

                                              me, coming to the Belgian steps  photo: Monkey

Caffinated CX 14th,
Damn I did'nt notice I lined up in the grid behind a guy racing a SS!   DOUFFF!
made amends around him, went pretty well.  Real Excellent course!, spceially the belgian steps.
Funny, late in the race, I seem to feel Vettori on my tail, I'd look back, panicked a bit, go harder,
but he was there, just not right there on me.  Nice little keg in the woods. Perfect venue. loved.

                                     Caffeinated dirt mound, nice feature!


The base of Goat hill, with it's two goats, chickens and solar panels, are just behind an old property line fence, was damp.

I'm guessing, that a lot of creeks get moved and buried, lost. the toads, and mud disappear.
the Numbers are down at the races this year, and I'm not sure how promoters are taking it?
its a bunch of time, some money, people power to stake and clear, a course. To make it something.
Special, worth riding, worth, pre-race, jawing about, "oh I miss the spiral of death"
"that was bumpy in the wrong places" and always "who'd put the barriers there?"

I'm thinking about the mud at Stoudts, and the road named after the muddy creak,  and in general Cross Racing.
I always hope that the love of racing is always in the  blood, it's spirit pumping, that a race must be put on.
and that it's imperfections, that's what I seek.
That things get moved, ended, buried, but some where, some how, it pops it's head up, and that a group challenges each other, to navigate it's strange, obstacles, and in the end, after a couple of times, with some winners and a bunch of losers, you might even give it some kind of nick name, that means something, worthy,  to all the competitors.


Cheers All Cross!
dlowe

the new CX season

Carpenter cross.   Whirlybird.


Saturday, Carpenter Cross, PACX #1 race of the season.

After mustering all I thought I could, gnarling all of the gristle off the bone.
The end of the last lap, I just caught onto  2nd, and 3rd.
and I wanted to be on the podium. 
I just was gassed, and they got me, I got 4th.
It's been a while since I've been on the podium. It felt good to be there close, it felt bad to be so close, and not get it.


Kelly has been working with me, he takes my numbers, the quantities, which has been nice.
I just concentrate on the quality, the pure efforts of my work.  Which as a racer, probably is the best you could ask for. 

He asked me "where could you find those 6 seconds" a tough, a real fair question, I'm still thinking.

Sunday, Whirlybird MAC-hood, #2 race of my season.

I was gassed, and suffered, a lot. All my numbers were down, heart rate, the power. and the lead group left me, and the second group left me, and I chased with Featherman.  I knew their was no coy, no guile, no nothing that was going to drag my lagging ass up to the bottom of the ass of those chasing top ten.  So.  I saw a spot, and said, "YO!"  "Don't coast this corner"  "PEDAL"  and I hit it,
and Featherman followed me, we pedal and drifted a tad, and damn if we did'nt roll right up to that group in front of us.  Featherman, stuck it, road smart, and got the group for 10th.
The best I could do, was put in a mock effort, an attack, to the line, push myself, as if I was in it to win it.  I rolled in 14th, not bad.

If there is anything most I want out of this season, it is to enjoy my CX family, to make everyone feel comfortable and give 'em a spot, that the new sap is as important as the old salt.
That I understand, I'll have more power, if I ride a tad relaxed, with a smile.
You'll look at me, and you'll see a rider with a full tool box of tactics, attacks, ploys.
That can suffer immensely. Races fairly. Ha, and is damn human, and can't help but bump you, poking my nose once in a while, out of control where it shouldn't be.

Next week, I'm happy to say, I'll be up in Saratoga Springs, working, doing some interviews, b-roll of train sets. Working.  So when you line up in the grid at Nittany, and are watching that light to turn green.  I can almost guarantee, you'll have a quick thought of me!
so I'll be riding on your shoulder, and I don't want you to lose the podium by 6 seconds,
I want to see you cross the line, and look at your foe, with respect.
Spent, dripping sweat, heart pounding.
and roll off.... lift the tape for a "B" rider to get onto the course to pre-ride.
Clang your cow bell, lift your clandestine beer, and celebrate our sport.

cheers 2019 cx!
dlowe,

Devouring the Gods

I have a Summers Glow.



Gazpacho and a couple of BLT sandwich's came to mind.  We'd been out riding in the hot summer weather a bit.
Kelly, Lisa and I.
It's been a while since we've trained together, vacations, and work have changed up our routine a bit.

The redness, that shows through, the tan. The sweat, that won't stop.   Shady trails just up the bluff from the river's cooling.

Loose grip flying along the dirt path, a drifting, flying along.

We ride, training together often, with the same goals.

Today I got out early, by myself, coffee, a solid breakfast.   On to my workout.
I hear, and I have to answer, I need the structure, love it.  I don't think I'm losing anything, by doing
3 x 15 min. sweet spot intervals early on a Sunday morning.   I'd ride hard anyway.  and I really don't think you'd find a rider, that more than me, takes in everything I pass, more than me. 

I got home around 10am and started on lunch.
Fake morning star bacon, vegan mayo, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, toasted grain bread.  A bowl of Gazpacho.

You ever get them thoughts, cravings, during a ride deep into it, a bit from it's end...

I need the structure of racing. Just a few rules.  A whistle to start, and a line to cross to stop.
That's what I need.

I think cross is like a Dagwood sandwich, Put what you want into it , that you have at hand, and that you crave. More than you need, a chore to devourer, totally wipes you out. Smile.

In july I've got tan lines, bikes that creak from miles of hard work.
Dreams.  a Calender to make. Weeks to count down.  Going to Nationals?!

and I've got those uncontrollable urges, childish, that I'll probably never out grow, cravings
maybe it's an IPA or water ice, or winning an uncontested town line sprint, or a long storied opinion that I'm going to tell you as we pedal along.

and by gosh, that makes me glow like riding on a hot, humid summer day,   keeps me happy!

Cheers Mates!  dlowe

One great day in Philadelphia

     Coltrane and this photo have been in my mind a number of years. It was fun to replicate it today.
     A great day in Harlem http://interactive.nydailynews.com/2016/08/story-behind-great-day-in-harlem-photo/

      Water Ice A+ on Coltrane's Philly stoop.

There is something about the room to be yourself.
and to be able to enjoy it, even it's just a short bit of time.
To see it's flash there, know that it's really with you,
It's in you
and everyone else here is in the same boat,
looking for their sparks.

You could lay it out like the frames of a comic book.
Graphic. a good story, battles of some sorts, challenges lost, tragic, or won, heroic.

Is there enough, to feel a trust?
I know, I am in the most elite demographic there is: White, Bald, Old man, American.
How can I know?

Humbly embarrassed I'm happy to say, there is a lot for me to find.
1000's of years of stories.
As I rolled out from my porch, with Kelly, Erin, and George
rolling down to a simple, closed water ice stand, along an old tow path canal,
to a ride, I'll lead, without being at the front.
I took a couple of deep breaths.
"I'm prepared, rehearsed, confident"
and off we go again, with a "come on Anne"


Thanks for being yourself, the best, for going, for making the ride.
Cheers PHL-CX!
dlowe

Landing places

Centennial Grounds is used for parking at the Mann, picnics, hidden campsite homes, dog walkers, a football team practices over by the site of the sighting of the Madonna.  The hand of the Statue of Liberty sat on the edge of Centennial Lake.  And its a good place, though flat, to get some hot laps and cx work in. 

Maybe its one of things I love about cross the most, these sorta forgotten places, that are green, beautiful personality of places.   These green and brown spots that I ride, if there were rules, and overseen, regulated and nice,  I'd guess most likely I'd be kicked out.   and I like that.
It was steaming, and hot, and I did cx work.  and I liked it.    Damn it!  Love it, the people, courses, muck, heat, beer, cold, bitterness cold.  and there are always those three pine steps to dream about standing on!

Cheers  training mates!  dlowe

Training log 3/9

I am self-employed, as a freelancer, I drive a lot, all over the place, to work.  I never remember those drives, other more than I went up 95, or out the turnpike, across the Walt Whitman.  I'm sure that along the way, I felt emotions driving; about the ass tailgating, or a to slow in the left lane car,  but all those occurrences disappear, there is no need for them taking up memory space in my head.

Saturday, I turned left onto Bryn Marw ave. and picked up speed, it is damp and still cold,
and the wonderful dunking my head into a large pail of ice water hits me.

The frozen ground of Belmont's trails is already getting slimey, and as much as I enjoy the cx feeling, of drift, and float, sinking into the ground and leaving a deep tread hole is bad for us.

I stayed in a steady state work zone, on the mountain bike slogging along.
3hrs.
I'm always amazed but never surprised by how I roll up to my home finishing a loop, I can come in at a target, 3hrs,  or very close, a 10 seconds, or 3 minutes off, but pretty much right on time.

There is an self satisfying gratification of keeping it moving forward, towards a challenging end.
and I train to be faster, for racing.

Parachute hill was empty, none of the malarkey drunk cheers from the CX single speed worlds crowded along it, in the way, celebrating, pushing, enjoying the unexpected heavy snow fall.

up Summit climb, not on my ss cx bike,as I rode on a water ice loop,  just getting on top of the pedals, turning, up to speed, and smiling big a bit at the young Featherman, who's working on getting his pedals to turn, the suffering youngster.

I'll turn right,  down the cobbles, up Barren Hill, past where Lafayette made a stand so Washington could get away, Past the abandoned property on Andorra road, where I'd build our house if we won the lottery.

Back onto the spraying mud of Forbidden drive,....onward I'm rolling my bike, every second an embedding memory.

Bikes are grand!
dlowe

Training

I had a grand training ride today, fitting for cross, damp, chilled.

following strict coaching instructions, I stayed to the plan.  I  road from the door of my house, down the cynwyd trail across the old Manayunk bride.  Up Krams Ave. to pass my favorite house in philly, the most grand and special place, Beautiful, the old William B. Stephens x-public library.
Then up to also on Kram Ave, the original home of Yard's beer.

I hope the residents in these tiny places, smell the malt history. 

I love the days of pedaling, misty cold magic days!

the 1.5hrs of Z2, nothing but a base building day,  passing the regular places, the Boxers trail, Coltrane's, up the steep incline behind the Phila art museum, just a tad urban cutting from behind the zoo.  I counted 3 hobo home's, I've got nothing but admoration for those who live off the grid, in the city. 

I love the days, of riding, AROUND!

Cheers to good coaching, and Z2 riding,
good training racers, take it easy, and be Swift!
dlowe

Elegance

I'm lucky if I get to grow real old,  I will try to do it, with elegance, keeping a bit of the stubborn
obnoxiousness, I have, and  maybe a win or two sprinkled in there.

all the pictures, thanks to Kelly Cline

I can't but not help it, I'm a bit like the mud. 

the fantastic feelings

even so however so brief

glow forever on. 

Cheers CX '18

and '19, more, please. 

dlowe