Famous in Michigan

I wasn’t quite ready to say that I’ve done my last race for the season. But was I willing to get all my gear together, then get up at 5 AM then drive 3-plus hours in order for that to be so?
That’s always the test for me: do I feel motivated enough to go [...]

Itching to run

Watching others do sports can be contagious. After the last Winter Olympics I was seriously ready to go out and learn short-track speed skating. So now that my daughter has started cross-country practice, I’m getting the itch to do some running.
I don’t profess to be a big runner — in fact up [...]

Mind your equipment

Some things don’t belong in races.
To the rider in the Shreve road race: you must remove that giant saddle bag attached to your bike. Especially since it contains a bunch of tools that clank around every time you hit a bump. But if you do insist on racing with it, you must at [...]

Racing with a pig?

I’ve been told that I’m a hypochondriac. A little sniffle or scratchy throat, and I proclaim that I must be coming down with something.
The truth is that when you ride just about every day, you notice when your body feels even a little different. And then you start thinking about how you’re training is [...]

Change of seasons

I’m officially marking the beginning of a new season. The other night I was flying down Winchell Road out by Hiram, and as I prepared to turn left onto Rapids, I found a recent batch of chip-and-seal waiting for me. Including a nice, deep pile of loose gravel in the turn.
The jogger on Rapids [...]

Some things should not be said

There are some things you just shouldn’t say out loud (or in email) before a race when there is even a chance of rain:
“2-1/2 hours to race time, so I think it will be mostly dry at that point”
“We may be a little wet at the start, but I don’t think it will be a [...]