Patience is not my virtue.

I've been horsing around with this thing through my dial up for a bit. Its not that its a small pipe, its that its a drinking straw. Maddeningly slow, but not so slow as to motivate a severe cheapskate to upgrade. Free e-mail, free blog, free ketchup packets; I'll take what I can get. It appears that since Veelz set up the blog, he has an all-but dictatorial level of control over the template and links. Blame him for the as-yet boring layout and lack of linkage to any other than his own, albeit truly epic, blog. So for those desperate for new content, and I think that's just me at this point, I have nothing to offer.

I will mention that I'll be racing in the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo endurance bicycle race in February 2006. These sorts of races are full of stories, and here are some of mine.

I informally crewed for a corporate team in 2004 and regretted that I spent the whole race kludging and bodging things together: re-spoking a shredded wheel on a borrowed bike, removing a kickstand, swapping out lights, tightening headsets, and helping all manner of woefully unprepared but nevertheless optimistic riders on a friend's team complete their sole lap. A pair of clipless pedals became community property and moved from bike to bike from lap to lap. Same deal with a helmet. Nobody had warm clothes. They weren't ready to ride, their bikes weren't raceworthy, but nobody told them that. The team's maroons went out with a good attitude and had the time of their lives, at least as good as the team's racer boys, which is what I think this event is all about. I'd thought it through objectively, determined I wasn't ready, and sat it out. Big mistake - I nearly froze to death for no good reason.

I came off the bench on to the QQQQ team in 2005 and rode/swam a couple laps. The late-night pull in the rain, hail, and flood was simultaneously the best and worst ride in my life. Violent, full-body cramps, a puncture and a botched tire change, brake pads gone, lights waning, and the most excitement since the hogs got loose and ate my baby brother. I promised myself another go at it in 2006 and am really looking forward to applying what I've learned to another few circuits at Willow Springs. My friend Claire here says its going to be a kickass fucking time.

I'm on a currently-unnamed team that is, or was, to be 5-person co-ed, and though not really a classification at the 5-rider level, all singlespeed. Another lost soul joined to make it six, which immediately begged the question of "Why not two teams?" So perhaps we'll be back to a coupla' four-rider singlespeed teams. Now I ask, do you have: (a) a singlespeed; (b) 95$ you can spend before the month's end; (c) a ride to Oracle, AZ; (d) a non-Type A personality; and (e) debaucherous tendencies? Recruitment headquarters can be reached over on the MTBR Singlespeed Forum or, and I really do need to cut the umbilical cord at some point, at CowsSuck.

Good night America.