That word got my attention too and I’m not talking about “free” or “jersey”.

I’ve been working on Dawkins “The Greatest Show On Earth” now for a couple weeks. It’s mostly, as in 80%, very engaging, readable and a real page turner. Except for the 20% that wasn’t. I slogged through the embryology and DNA chapters like I was pushing my bike through wet clay, those chapters sucked.

Not all was lost on the embryology chapter though as I learned a new word “invaginate” It kinda rolls off the tongue. Fold inwards to form a hollow, you’ll have to read the book to know how it relates to evolution, I just happen to like the way it sounds.

On to more important matters, a free CarboRocket jersey. I am giving away a free CarboRocket team jersey and as of today you have a 1 in 48 chance of winning.

If you like Facebook click here to enter.

If you are more partial to Twitter click here.

You’ll get a free 25-serving package of CarboRocket along with the jersey and if you sign up for the Twitter contest anyone clicking on your twitter link will automatically give you an extra entry!

No need to use your invagination to win a free jersey, just click on one of the above links.

But only for a minute as your attention shifts, and I can’t blame you, to that…

….Hair! It’s coming in thick and oh, so dark. Looks like I’m wearing a tuque.

Now, back to the jersey. It’s not too late to join Team CarboRocket but there are only a couple spots left as in 2 M’s, 4 L’s, 1 S and 1 XXL.

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend with my aging parents, the increasing presence of canned food in their house. It seems like every time I visit them their shelves have become more crowded with canned food. Not just one pantry shelf or even one pantry but its taken over what used to be the linen closet and bedroom. Open a bedroom closet and you are sure to find row upon row of canned beans or vegetables instead of shoes and coats.

A number of years ago they first introduced me to canned chicken, I had no idea. Apparently you can buy it in bulk at Costco. A year ago it was the canned beef, grass fed and from Argentina no less. Then, over Thanksgiving weekend I came across what my Dad assured me was the holy grail of canned food, behold:

And how much might a can of bacon cost you must surely be asking yourself?

It’s only 9 0unces and costs more than the best rib eye money can buy. No wonder my Dad was more than a little protective of it as he kept asking me what I did with his bacon and begged me not to open it.

I should be nervous for my parents and my own future retirement but alas, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I happen to love canned fish.

I did have one last question for my folks before jetting off, “where can I get my hands on some canned bacon?”

Without batting an eye my Dad said, “oh, at the violin, paintball and food storage store.”

CX season is officially half over as of Sunday.  6 weekends down, 6 to go.  I’ve now started 5 races (on 4 weekends) and finished 3.  I think I am starting to get it, at least a little bit, and I’ve learned a few things:

1. Do more than 1 race a year. It only took me a decade and a half of lining up at the rate of 1 race per year, never to do very well nor return the following weekend, to finally discover the secret to cross racing.  I have been missing out and it’s my own fault.
2. Dance with who brung ya.   In my case that is riding a single speed.  It’s what I know.  I just feel safer, more comfortable and faster on the SS than a geared bike.  Anyone want a Fuji geared cross bike?  Take it for as long as you like, size 58, it’s yours.
3. It ain’t over til it’s over.  You just never know how these things are going to shake out until the last seconds, maybe that’s what I’m finding so addictive about cross.

Sunday didn’t have quite as many lined up as Saturday but I’d say we still had 20+ on the line.  I can’t believe how hard everyone takes it out on the first couple laps, maybe I need to work on that or just warm up for more than 2 minutes.  I didn’t start to feel good until the bell lap.

At the start of the bell lap I was sitting in 5th and happy to be there.  I had been riding behind Steve Wasmund most of the day and he had just passed Patrick Ramirez and then Wasmund crashed out.  I somehow got my wheel in front of Ramirez’ at the finish.

Sager ended up with the W, no surprise there but I surprised myself with 3rd.

I’m addicted, the hooks are in deep.

Race #4 in Draper went so bad for me I haven’t been able to write about it.  I’s now been a week and I had a much better race #5 at Wheeler Farm today.  I feel like I can revisit Draper for at least a sentence, maybe two or maybe more.

Last Saturday was CX in my backyard!  I was so excited and felt like I would surely own the course.

Not exactly.

In the following photo (thanks, Lyna) Tom Cook shows how to properly execute a run up.  Me?  Not so much.  Tom is clearly aimed up the hill, shoulders squared while  I am clearly aimed for somewhere else.

Shortly after this shot I jumped back on my bike, with no small amount of grace I assure you, and the rear tire exploded off the rim.  Done after 2 laps.

That’s OK I brought a geared (shudder) cross bike and jumped into the 35 A’s.  2 laps in and the chain got sucked into the crank and rings so badly that I would only just break the chain and fix it a couple days ago.  Done after 2 laps.

3 starts for the season and just 1 finish.  No expectations today at Wheeler Farm.  I didn’t even decide to go until about 11 this morning and hadn’t gotten around to changing my flat from last week, it’s been too cold ride all week anyway.

Kaboom!I covered the garage and myself in Stan’s this morning about an hour before the start.  I still can’t feel my fingers.

HUGE turnout today.  Someone said over 400 racers between all the classes.  We had over 30 in the single speed class (yes, I am a hypocrite) with about half dressed up like Rick S. That’s him in the baby blue tux.

Loved the course, lots of fun if not a little flat.  I think I finished 5th which I’ll take with a big grin on my face.  I could get into this cross stuff.  It’s amazingly addictive.

My goal this year was to do at least 2 cross races and I have now done that.  Am I done? No way.

Oh yeah, Happy Halloween from me and Cassidy the gay firefighter.

We all have them, I think, at least in my community.  Community bikes; bikes that don’t really belong to anyone in particular but are a conglomeration of parts culled from many and shared by few.  Somehow they end up in one persons garage for far too long.

Dug has probably spent the most time of anyone that I know riding community bikes.  As a matter of fact I bet it’s been over 5 years since he’s ridden anything else.

Well, I have a community bike that I dare say will never end up in Dug’s garage.  Part Rick S., part Jamie P., part Forrest, part me and I’m sure there are parts on it from Chris Fox.  Total cost to build=$12 for bar tape.  Yeah, yeah it’s a single speed with STI shifters, whatever.

The frame that belongs to Rick S has been hanging around in Jamie’s garage for years with parts bolted on it at random.  Whenever something wouldn’t fit on someone else’s bike Jamie would hang it here.

You know what?  It totally kicks ass.  I rode it for the first time today and it is fast.  I’m going to race it on Saturday but after that anyone that wants to borrow it for a day or year is welcome to it.

Do you have a community bike in your garage?  Want one?  Need a new community?

I’m a little embarrassed.  I’ve  said I’d never practice cross but after getting served a huge slice of humble pie last Saturday, I came in 14th, I decided to do something about it.

Practice wasn’t so bad.  Only a couple dozen bikers even saw me and then only 2 pointed and laughed.

My goal next week is to have more fun and crack the top 10.  Dan Nelson was having more fun than anyone last week and was in the top 5 I think.  Dan, you are now my target.

Nice socks and nice mini boom box duct taped to your top tube and nice dollar bills hanging out of your shorts and nice look on your face.  Damn, you got it going on.

I had ambitions.  Big ambitions.  I was going to race in the single speed class and then race with the 35+A’s, do the double cross.  It’s probably a good thing I didn’t get the SS working in time because there is no way I would have done the A race.  One race was more than enough, maybe next week.

And I would have missed all these great pictures:

Forrest on flat pedals,baggies and very green skate shoes and linde decked out in full kit and grin.

That might have been the longest hour ever on a bike.  I was thinking it must surely be close to over and then the announcer said I only had 7 more laps to go.  Doh!

If I would have seen the Sleestak after my race I would have chalked it up to a race induced hallucination.  It’s for real, here’s the photographic evidence, and it was passing out $20 bills!

Next week is sure to be one of the biggest races of the year as the series moves to Draper and since I didn’t get lapped by anyone in my class today and didn’t finish DFL I think I’ll do another.

It’s getting chilly outside, time to grow back the winter coat.

To help everyone combat the dreaded Fall Funk I have some fashionable accessories guaranteed to put a smile on your face.  I can’t guarantee you’ll look as good as Mr. Jesse Doll in your own CarboRocket T (or maybe that’s why he looks good) but I guarantee it will make you smile just like him.

I’ve got your on the bike fashion covered as well with the Team CarboRocket jersey.   These will be done by Utah’s own Blackbottoms and are available to pre-order now.

Now through the end of  October you can get a free t-shirt if you order 3 packages of CarboRocket and you can get a free package of CarboRocket if you pre-order a jersey.  Just click here.

See you at Utah cyclocross #3 in Heber on Saturday!