Rick and Roman...
The race.
The masters call up go, I just miss it, as Slick Rick who was just ahead of me on points gets a call, and I miss it, no worries, I'm pretty good at the scrum and hit the third row, in another huge field. The race takes off, and I start sucking. I'm kinda surprised, I'm well rested this week, and usually a good starter, but I played this one totally wrong. I'm suffering and back much further than I have been in a while. Bernie flys by me and says "you okay marc?" I grunt something back. I feel pretty awful, so I guess skipping my openers to fiddle with my new frame yesterday wasn't so smart.

Midway through my 2nd lap Fred just walks away from me. I think to myself, �self , you are sucking today� I consider bailing, and then I look around. I�m sitting in the back of my normal group, aside from Fred who is killing it today. (Kelly, Jeff, Doug, Bernie, Rob).

Rob putting the wood to me...

So I start to go, start to move up. Work my way to the front of the group. Rob and I take turns at the front. He's riding very well. I start planning on where I want to attack him. I think I'm better in the mulch. We hit the sandpit on the backside of the course, I chop him a bit, and bounce into him, he laughs at my weak powers, and stomps on it. He gets a 10 second gap instantly as he smoothly navigates the sandpit of doom, kicking sand in my face. I flounder like a fish out of water. In my head I scream "shit.fuck.damn." I try to get him back, but never do. It was a good move on Rob's part.

One lap to go. Rob is still my carrot, Marty and Kirk are starting to come back. I pick it up a little, want to keep the pace high, I got Jeff, Doug and Bernie on my wheel. I hope to gap the fellas but never do. We get to the final field section, I'm close to the next group, but back off a little. I employ a little strategery, as I'm afraid to bury myself getting up to them, pulling my group, only to be destroyed in a sprint by everyone. I think that was smart ?

mayhew...

Anyway, diving down the last steep little hill Mayhew says, "this is what your gonna write about." Yup he was right, I hit the gravel and stood on it, boys were still right there, I as we hit the pavement I dumped the gears and gave it all the gas I had. I took the group, and rolled across the line ready to puke. Sprint finishes at the end of cross races are just stupid. Stupid in a great hard kinda way.

End of the day took 20th overall. 16th in 35+ Considering I didn't start like I wanted, I was okay with that. I have better rides in me still. Field had some extra special characters in it today. I also think I could have benefited from an extra lap, I felt like I was getting better each lap, and another lap may have helped me out. But you know what, this was a hard course, and damn, when it was over, I was very happy, I'm not complaining about a short race at all.

there isn't a person in this picture I didn't violate on Satuday, including myself.

Jam Car.
Yup that was me today. If some fatdude slammed into you in a corner during the master's race, it was probably me. I know I'm aggressive in the corners, and it was a tight course. I felt really bad as I put doug into a tree. I apologized after the race. I bounced into Rob in the sandpit, but Rob is a strong guy, flicked me like nothing, and I think I got into a NCVC guy in a couple of places. I think it was a classic case of road line vs. mountain bike line. Either that or I have been riding with Biddle (tye domi of cross) too much. Anyway, hope no one was too pissed, or wants to kick my ass too much. You know there's no pride in beating up the fat dorky kid.

Luxy's plate-

Luxism of the week:

John and I walk towards his car. Little Johnny Lux climbs up the bleachers and yells, “Geronimo” John comments, “you’re not up high enough!” Ms. Lux, “you’re gonna have to take him to the emergency room!” John calmly, “don’t worry, he’s tucking and rolling when he hits the ground.” It was a beautiful family moment.

Luxy was also telling me about hanging with “W” at the 1989 Dead Show in Philly. “W” digs the groove of Jerry and the boys.

all master's race pictures were stolen from www.mountainbikeracer.com
check 'em out there's lots more.

respect
fm

The Gay UPS Truck...

Think Elaine Teirney will use me for a calendar?
I wanted to show more ass but Diane said no one
wants to see my furry muskrat of an ass.

Still high from last nights cross practice. Man it was so much fun.
Our non-DLS time course is so much faster. We had this one run
up at the bottom of a hill, so you totally carried huge momentum into
it, jumping the barrier it felt like we were flying up that hill. So fast,
so fun. I stacked hard early on, but no blood no foul. It was a very good
practice. Hope next week more guys show up to beat me down, but for
this week, it was killer.

Baby Blue went to vancouver for some love and
came back the Gay UPS Truck...

I won't like build this up again until after cross... I already know I love the frame,
I had to get new paint, as all the spot boys are rocking their flaming jobs. I had to
roll with the boys...

Diane has got a cold, so I have been taking airboune like
it was pez. That and orange juice. The dogs were dirty as
hell so we had to give them a bath tonight...

Diane gets the soap off of Riley.

got out for an hour today, just spun the legs, they felt good.
It was fun, and really beautiful outside today.

The dogs got baths tonight...

in sadder news, Tom Mc who was starting to show some real
pep in his riding, stacked it hard last week in Mass, and appears
to have jammed up his shoulder again. Lets hope he's back soon.
Besides, I owe him an asswhooping after the beat down he threw
on me at cross last week.

respect
fatmarc

A Halloween Story

As I have shared with you before, last year I moved to Cecil county. Being unfamiliar with their traditions, I saw no issue with the fact that Halloween fell on a Sunday last year. And so Diane and I headed out to a party Saturday night, and sat by the door Sunday night waiting for trick or treaters. No one came.

That's right, in Cecil county Halloween can't be on a Sunday, kids went out Saturday night. Great Diane and I are the new neighbors who hate kids and don't give out candy. Boy, are we in for a world of hurt. So all year, every kid that came to my house, I bought their trinkets, their cookies, their beef jerky makers, all of it. All in the name of making up for a poor Halloween showing.

So this year, I see in the paper that trick or treating is set for Saturday night, again. First I was miffed. I mean what the hell is wrong with trick or treating on a Monday. But then, I realized, it didn't matter I was gonna give out candy when ever the man in Cecil county told me to. So Saturday night, there I sat in my Tiger costume, and you know what. Not one friggin' kid showed up. Not one. No pirates, No princesses, no one. Little freakin' monsters, think I'm buying your school sale junk next year.

But wait, today is Halloween. Maybe, just maybe the kids in my neighborhood said, "no way is the man gonna keep me down." And maybe, just maybe tonight between 6-8pm, some lucky kid will show up at my house and get some candy. For me, All I can do is sit around dressed up in some silly costume and hope.

What's that a knocking at my door?(doorbell is busted) Can it be? Yes it is, my first pack of trick or treaters, the curse of Cecil county has been lifted. I had a spiderman, a batman, a fairy princess, and even a darth vader. All the kids were very nice and when I gave them the option of picking their own candy, only one cleaned me out. But heck, how can you tell a 2 year old spiderman to stop cleaning you out, or that it's not okay to take 5 handfuls of candy. We had kids everywhere, hell I'm sure many of the kids don't even live in my neighborhood. Beautiful. Diane and I are no longer the strange biker people, that don't give out candy on Halloween anymore! Ah Victory is sweet.

respect
fatmarc