They have enterd the chutes...and thier OFF!!!!!

Your heartrate increases. The quesy feeling hits your stomach. People start to crack a couple of jokes to lower the tension. And then your hear "15 seconds gentleman", and HR monitors go off and shoes hit pedals and everyone starts to breathe really hard......and the start of another cyclocross season is upon us. Isn't cyclocross season the only season?

Saturday was the opening salvo in a long cross season here in Colorado. With 26 races in 13 weeks, 18 BCR/BCT (best cyclocross racer/team) points races and more dust than a depression era Oklahoma, we turned pedals in anger.

Brian had abondened us for the Tour of Missouri for the weekend, so it was up to us to fly the Frites colors. This year we decieded to go "retro" with our kits. We hooked up with Oregon Cycleware and did wool jerseys. Black with cream and red stripes with Frites en Mayo Velo Club embroidered on them, the 3 rear pockets with buttons. There is no better way to represent the sport than taking it back to it roots. We were complimented on them numerous times throught the day.

Kevin, Dash and I drove down to COS for the opening race of the season, Pikes Peak Supercup #1. Once signed in and number's pinned, we took some reco laps and found the course had a better start than around the loop with the huge climb in it. It started on the road then dumped onto the course. Found another Fries guy, Scotty Bates and we all rode over to the start/pit area. Dropped off wheels and got ready for the pain.

There is this "family feeling" of lining up with guys that you have raced with for a couple of years. Cross really has become a discipline to itself here in CO. There are plenty of guys that only focus on cross at this point. It was great to see Jim and guys from SRAM, the fast guys from Boulder Cyclesport and others that you knew you would be banging handlebars with during the next 45 minutes. Which brings us to the race itself

Once the race started and we all settled in to what should have been a 45 minute tour of pain turned into 56 minutes of hell. Somebody forgot to set the timer and then just set it to 45 minutes after we had been out for about 15 minutes or 3 laps. I believe I had done 5 laps before the 4 to go counter showed up. After a near crash on lap 6 and then a flat tire on lap 7, I had put it into training ride mode and just tried to work on speed and searching for better lines. I went a lap down after the flat which happened in the same place as last year's flat. At least I know my lines are consistent from year to year. When the race finally did end, Dash was 34, Kevin was 42, I was 43 and Scotty was 43. Nothing stellar but the season is long.

Will raced in the regular Senior Men's 4 and finished 9th....great ride Will but know you need to get your license and put the team down so you are scoring points to upgrade at this point.

This weekend will be the first double. Saturday's race is in Golden being put on by Lee and the guys from Green Mountain Sports. Sunday's race is at 9990 feet in Breckenridge.