I'm developing a taste for worms

The sleep deprivation training is going well. The 5:00am wake-up is getting me ready for the coming months.

On Wednesday I did another pre-dawn 'cross session. The overnight rain greeted me like a cold shower as I headed out of the house. It was a test of motivation, but at that point I was awake and setting up the trainer wasn't happening.

After blindly rolling the singletrack into Rockburn I set up shop under the weak glow of a curbside streetlight. The portable PVC barrier is working out much better than the wooden barriers that I stashed in the park last year.

I worked on some downhill turns into the barrier. The wet grass sketched me out a little at first, but after a few reps I got more comfortable carrying some speed through the turn as I was stepping through for the dismount.

So far, my technique is feeling pretty smooth, but I know it's important to really drill the skills to make them automatic. Silky transitions quickly turn to shit late in a race when you've got that ferrous taste on the roof of your mouth.

I finished up with a couple of road starts to piss off the legs and remind them what it's like in the opening moments of a race. Ouch.



Last night we had a team meeting to work on logistics for our race. Promoting a race involves A LOT of little details and hassles, but it's also very rewarding when your event comes together and people enjoy the race. We've got a great crew of people that know how to work hard to get things done. And equally important they know how to keep things fun. That's a nice combo.

This morning I once again dragged my tired ass out of bed before dawn to hit The Morning Ride for some punishment on the so-not-flat roads of Ellicott City. The group was pretty big and everyone took some digs to ensure that the pain was shared by all.

When time is tight and you have priorities aside from the bike you take what you can get...and for me that's the early rides. Aside from the waking up at 5am part, it's a damn fine way to start the day.