Seems like its finally getting cold out here on th east, but not last weekend in PA. Since I skipped last weeks blog update because I was running around like lunatic all week to get my crap ready for my west coast USGP assault, I didn’t have time to put in a good update, so I fiqured why bother. The races last weekend were pretty good. I took my first “W” of the year down in PA on Saturday and on Sunday I had some problems with my tire selection in the mud, but I fixed that problem on Monday morning with a call to Stu over at cyclocrossworld.com. Sucks to say I had to pull the plug and stop racing Sunday, but I saw it as better to happen in Jersey rather then this weekend at the USGP. So if nothing else it made me get my act together and get my bikes mudder proof’d and ready for the next couple weeks of cx’ season if need be. My girlfriend Emily was awesome as always but especially last weekend when she drove Driscol and I in the caprice all the way down to Lower Allen, PA and then the next day to Jamesburg, NJ and then back home, it was great. We fit 4 bikes in the trunk with 2 sets of wheels and then the rest of the wheels in the back seat with Jamey, not bad for the caprice, plently of leg room, everyone was comfy, not only all that space to store bikes, it has a 25 gallon gas tank, we filled it up 2 times for the entire trip! So with a win and a dnf off I went to the west coast to the Tacoma/Portland USGP’. It was the typical rain and crap I’ve come to hate about the northwest over the years, it never fails to rain when I go to Portland, always mud and slop. Saturday was a hard race, I lost the lead group on the “80″ meter run-up after a couple times up. I don’t even care if it was 80,78,or 178 meters, it was long as hell and my feet were bleeding and I was leaking oil all over the course during and after that run. If I head back to that venue and they have that run-up I’m going to need to train a little bit more specifically for that mountain. So after having to let the front group go on the run-up section and a bunch of other people lap after lap making their way to the finish line. Some of my favorite visitors had to be Adam Craig and Matt Shriver, they both were running about as fast as I did up the mountain so envision Craig going up the hill and stubling to get on his bike because it was steep, well he re-mounts, dismounts and re-mounts again, so I’m like “ahhhhhhh crap” I slow down because I almost ran into the back of him with my head down, so then I catch up to those two a couple corners later to over hear Shriver tell Craig “alright we dropped Powers,lets go, lets go!!” and then the look-backs. Yes, lookbacks, Lance, tour de france style, lookbacks from Shriver. Now Shriver, I know your going to think I’m pissed, but I say that with no anger, it was good. Definetly my favorite moment from that race. Sunday was a real crap fest, mud and peanut butter all over the course, thankfully I had my bikes ready for some riding in the mud and managed to get another podium finish in the mud. Finishing 3rd in the mud for me was huge. A lot of people don’t think I can race in the mud and from some previous results I’d probably agree, but, its not that I can’t race in the mud, I hate running with my bike in the mud for 4 of a 5 minute lap, that doesn’t get me excited, but kudos to the designer of the course on Sunday as it was good and had some good flow going which was fun, even though I’m still picking the grit and mud out of my eye balls. I’ve got some pictures from my friend Ryan Amirault from the USGP colorado weekend and one picture from my treo, I saw this “cat” out at stelacoom. I said, “hey man smile” and he flipped me the bird, what a nice pink panther… Seeya!