What is more important that Southern Cross?

Charlie Sheen of course. I usually shrug off celebrity nonsense like, well, celebrity nonsense.

Charlie Sheen's comeback (I really do now know what else to call it, he hasn't gotten this much attention in years) is hilarious. I would really like to have a beer with him if he would promise not to cut me or something else Sheenish.

I could copy and post quotes all day long but this video is as "sufficient" as the torque ratings Rolls Royce publishes for their land yachts in 1994 issues of Motor Trend.



Southern Cross in now a week or so in hindsight but has consumed much more of my thought process during the day than is reasonable. I suppose everyone handles their loss after a race differently. I have spent the week eating ice cream and "recovering" while Dicky has been infatuated with The Man - Brian Toone.

I have also been quite impressed with Brian but not because of the domination he put forth at Southern Cross.

Brian was the only person in our 20 person cabin willing to hunt down the Smoke Detector of Doom with me. Everyone else pretended to be in a half drunken stupor sleep while we stalked around the cabin at 2 AM searching for the source of all my unhappiness. We never found it. Fail.

Anyway, I have found my daydreams focused on a single thought about the race.

"Why didn't I win?"

It could have been my starting line tactics.

Notice how many riders are behind us...yeah. Dumb. This could possibly be an excuse but I do not think it made any difference. I doubt any Eddie Odea's speech I was unable to make out would have mattered.

I also lost time staring at the Rich's pink Industry Nines which have got to be the cleanest damn wheels I have ever seen in a mountain bike/CX race. The fact I was walking alongside them at 2.7 MPH up the climb to Winding Stair didn't help...

I made up for whatever time I lost by looking all serious and in contention on the climb before the first aid station.

Ehhh, the race was pretty badass and I cannot complain much about any of it. I was three minutes too slow and I am fine with that. My bike setup seemed pretty good and I will probably copy it for Dirty Kanza with the substitution of the 17 cog for a 15 that I have patiently waiting.

Thank you, Eddie and Nam, for such an awesome race that has made me even more impatient than I already was for the rest of race season to get going.

Da Prez of Backcountry Research, Mr. Clark, has some thoroughly researched product headed my way to test next week. Also, plenty of fixed gear bonanza Cheaha Challenge talk will be going on. Stay tuned all.